Shadows | A Forever Fan-Fiction - Sequel to Lights

Chapter One: Sticks and Shinai

We stood parallel to each other, our view marred by our men, helmets used in the practise of kendo. The long bamboo sword in my hand felt light in comparison to the thick layers of cloth and wood I was wearing. Suddenly, my opponent lunged forwards, across the cold, slick tile. He raised his shinai above his head, a common attack used to try and hit the opponent's men.

This was going to be too easy. At least it would be a good lesson to my opponent, along with the class in the back of the room.

I lunged out of the way, my own shinai aimed towards his wrist. I would have hit it, too, if he hadn't blocked at the last moment. I could feel and hear the bamboo crackling quietly as our shinai scraped against each other. He quickly whipped his back, raining down a barrage of strikes which I only barely managed to parry. We were interlocked in a stance known as a hiki-waza, a stance where both parties are fighting at close range and one party is backing away while attacking or defending. I was the retreating party.

He struck, struck, struck, and the sound of wood hitting wood filled the air, over and over and over again, and I found the rhythm to his attacks. As he was about to strike again, I lunged forwards and reached for his chest, the rounded tip of the shinai pointed straight for it. There was no way it could miss.

He blocked it, sidestepping my attack and meeting the side of my shinai with his. My eyes widened with surprise. How could he have parried my attack? It shouldn't be possible to be that quick! Suddenly, I felt his shinai slap my wrist, and a triumphant cry echoed through the air. "Kotē!" he proclaimed. I took his moment of victory to strike, surging forwards and gaining the upper hand. We fell back into hiki-waza as he backed away, meeting my attacks.

Quickly, like lightning, he employed the powers of the suriage-waza, a technique where a person parries their opponent's strike by lifting their shinai upwards sharply using their own shinai. I was ready, though. I feigned a lunge, but withdrew before he could catch my sword. As he became unbalanced, I surged forwards and struck the top of his head. "Men!" I shouted fervently. My opponent leaped forwards, only spurred onwards by my victory. I went into the defensive, blocking a powerful swing. We were trapped in another deadlock, which he himself broke by leaping backwards, prancing like a deer. He would bounce forwards, and I would try to hit him, but he would already have bounced back.

This went on for some time, until I realised that he was going to try to pull a haya-suburi on me, a leaping attack on the men. Unfortunately, the revelation seemed to be a moment too late, and as my opponent bounded towards me, I left a smack on my head, muted by the thick padding of the helmet. "Men!" my opponent declared, stepping away.

I leaned backwards, stunned. I leaned against the whitewashed brick wall of the gymnasium.

"Sensei?" one of the students in the back of the room gaped in disbelief.

"Men-o-tore," I ordered. Remove your helmet. It was traditional to use Japanese when addressing someone while playing kendo.

"Hai," he consented. With careful, steady hands, he set down his shinai and began removing his helmet, unlacing the knotted black ropes that held it on. "Konichiwa, Lights-sama." I flinched. I knew that voice. I knew it very well. It coiled itself in my dreams every night, I heard it whispering in my mind when I was afraid. I knew exactly who it belonged to.

"You're-" I began, but I couldn't finish. All I could do was stutter and stare.

The helmet came off, and my opponent bowed deeply, sweepingly. "Watashi wa kōeidesu."

I almost broke down in laughter at the thought of how long he must have struggled to get on that doū, the body armour, and how long it must have taken him to master kendo. Though, I suppose if you have every day for a decade to practise, it becomes easier. The only reason I didn't laugh was because I was really pissed with him. Leave me for a decade and suddenly show up? Not nice.

After a moment, I regained my speech. "Bakku kangei, Morgan-isha. Welcome back, Doctor Morgan."