𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘆𝗲𝘀 - 𝗞𝘆𝗼𝗷𝘂𝗿𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗸𝘂 𝘅 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿

~Chapter 24~

"K-kyojuro... please..." you panted, "I can't do this anymore..."

You were now laying on the floor of the training room, dripping down with sweat. It has been three hours since you have started training with Kyojuro, and he wasn't kidding when he said that training would become tougher. He asked you to do the same exercise as yesterday, but this time, he instructed you to wear weights around your wrists and ankles. The weights did not make your wooden katana any easier, since it was already heavy. All your joints hurt. 

While you remained on the ground, you closed your eyes only to have ice-cold water splash over you. You gasped loudly as you quickly got up. You glared at Kyojuro, who was carrying an empty bucket in hand as he wore his usual bright smile on his face. "What the hell was that for?!" You asked, obviously pissed. Kyojuro set the bucket down as he turned back to you, folding his arms.

"To help you get up, of course!" He exclaimed, you rolled your eyes. He sure did a great job.

"You just wait until I master sword art! I'll make sure to beat your ass up for all the torture you caused me." You said angrily as you got up, drying your (H/C) hair with a towel. Kyojuro looked at you, raising an eyebrow, his arms still folded.

"So you want to challenge me, (Y/N)?" He asked innocently.

"If that's what it is, then yeah." You said, now trying to dry the rest of your body up. You still slightly shivered from the water, given how it was almost Winter now. Kyojuro smirked, and you knew that meant he was up to no good at all.

"Then fight me right now." He said as your eyes widened, "I'd like to see how much you've improved."

"B-but I only started yesterday!" You quickly said, secretly taking back everything you said earlier, "And you're much stronger! You'll win for sure." Kyojuro raised his eyebrows, liking where this was going. You swallowed some of your saliva.

"I just said I want to see your fighting style, (Y/N)! I'll go easy." Kyojuro said cheekily as you rolled your eyes, mumbling 'fine'. Kyojuro's smile widened as he grabbed another wooden katana for himself. He fixed up his long fiery hair, tying it into a high ponytail instead, before turning to you, "Whoever pins the other down wins." You nodded as confidently as you could, though you were terrified. Relax! That's Kyojuro we're talking about! He won't hurt you!

Kyojuro dashed towards you, making you gasp in surprise as you quickly placed the wooden katana in front of you, blocking his hit. Kyojuro smiled as he stepped back, before trying to hit you from the side, this time succeeding. Of course, he didn't hit you too hard. He'd hate himself if he hurt you. Despite the slight discomfort, you waved your sword at him as he taught you in your last training session, but as expected, he blocked it. God this is really making me feel frustrated! Kyojuro noticed how frustrated you looked, and decided to go easy for now. He nodded, signaling you to make your next move. You frowned as you ran towards him as you went for a hit, doing exactly what he did in the beginning. 

Kyojuro noticed what you were doing as his smile widened. Using my own move against me, huh? You grunted as you tried pushing your katana forward, only Kyojuro's block was much tougher than yours. Kyojuro then pushed his katana forward, making you stumble back. "Don't use too much energy in one hit, (Y/N). You might drain yourself." He pointed out as you wiped away the sweat from your forehead, nodding as you went in for another hit.

You had a plan. You tried to go for Kyojuro from the left, and Kyojuro blocked it just as you expected. All his energy was used on his left side, so you swiftly went for his right side, pushing him down on the floor. You smirked as you looked down. "Perhaps I'm not as weak as I thought, right?" You asked, your smirk still plastered on your face. Kyojuro noticed how you were pinning him onto the floor. You were doing it incorrectly, putting you in such a vulnerable position. 

He quickly turned around, making you yelp as he pinned you onto the floor, now is the one on top of you as he smirked at you. "You're not weak, (Y/N), maybe you just need to think things through." You tried struggling out of Kyojuro's grasp but in vain. He held your wrists on top of your head tightly, and his other hand was on your waist.

"Fine! You win! Just let me go!" You admitted in defeat, only Kyojuro didn't budge. He just studied your face as you blinked in confusion. You noticed how close his face was to yours, and the position you both were in, making your eyes widen and your face slightly turn red. "Kyojuro? You there?" You asked, only more nervous now. Kyojuro smiled.

"Enough training for today, don't you think?" He asked. You gulped, hesitantly nodding as Kyojuro got off you, giving you a hand to help you up. You took it as you let out a sigh, disappointed in yourself for losing so easily. Kyojuro noticed your face as you placed a hand on your shoulder.

"Hey, (Y/N)! Don't feel so down. You did great for someone who started training so recently!" Kyojuro exclaimed, trying to make you feel better. You couldn't but smile at your friend.

"Yeah... but I'm not strong enough, Kyojuro. If I don't become strong soon, then who knows what might happen?" You mumbled, looking down. You remembered the dream you had, making you feel sick in the stomach. For a second there, you thought you forgot about it. The way the two men said they wanted to kill Kyojuro scared you. You didn't want to lose him. He was too dear to you. Who knows what you might do to yourself if he died all because you were weak. All those thoughts made your head hurt.

"Listen. That's exactly why I'm here, (Y/N). To train you. I think you're strong the way you are. It doesn't have to be physical. I'll make sure to train you the best way I could, ok? Please don't think of yourself like that." Kyojuro said, softly squeezing your shoulder as you nodded.

"Yeah... thank you for taking your time to train me, Kyojuro... I really appreciate it, you know?" You said as you looked up to your taller friend with a smile on your face. Kyojuro blinked twice as he felt a soft blush creep up onto his face when he saw your smile. It wasn't your usual tired or sarcastic ones, but a real smile. Kyojuro quickly covered his mouth as he looked away.

"I... Ahem! You're very much welcome, (Y/N)!" Kyojuro exclaimed, face all red as he grabbed your wrist, "Why not go take a shower? We did train hard today!" You nodded, agreeing with Kyojuro as you both left the training room, each one walking towards their specific gender's bathhouse.

You left the showers, all relaxed after a long hot bath, gently drying your hair. This time, you brought spare clothing, knowing that you'll have to shower after training with Kyojuro. You had enough of kimonos for one day. Kyojuro said he'd wait for you so he would be able to walk you home. You walked deeper into the grounds, hoping you'd find Kyojuro somewhere nearby, and you did, only he was talking to Tomioka-San, who seemed to be in his uniform. You scrunched your eyebrows in confusion as you walked toward the two, wanting to know what was going on. Kyojuro's smile widened once he noticed you, making Tomioka-San turn to you as well.

"(Y/N)!" Kyojuro exclaimed, "Good to see that you're all cleaned up now!" You smiled.

"Could say the same thing to you, Kyojuro." You smiled as you turned to Tomioka-San, "What brings you here, Tomioka-San?" The black-haired man sighed as his ocean blue eyes met yours.

"I've got a mission now, (Y/N). As Oyakata-sama said in our last meeting, you should come with me." You blinked.

"But I just finished training." You said, your voice cracking. Tomioka-San shrugged.

"It isn't my problem now." He said, "Let's get you a uniform and a temporary katana for now. The sooner we leave the better." He said as he pulled you away. You gave Kyojuro a heartbroken look. Kyojuro just gave you a close eye smile along with a thumbs up, letting you know he gives you his full support.

Only you didn't realize the vein popping out on his forehead.