Love in the Dead

Dead Man's House Rules Part 2

Saeko held her sword downwards, her hair covering her left eye. Hachiro smirked at her with narrowed eyes. The Hoshiyama clan and Alice stood in the background silently, waiting to see who would make the first move. Neither one moved for a couple of minutes. Hachiro was studying her and Saeko was waiting for him to move.

She slid her foot forward before running towards him and striking. Hahiro brought his sword up and blocked it. He pushed her back and began striking her from different directions, advancing forward. She blocks each attack while slowly backing up. Her eyes closed tightly as her back hit the wall and she blocked his last strike. She slowly opened them and looked at his face.

Hachiro's face was void of any emotions. What was she playing at? This wasn't what he wanted to see. He wanted her to unleash what was trapped inside of her. This was pathetic and a waste of his time. Maybe he should bring it up a notch. Afterall people fight better when it's life or death, right?

He backed away from her with a closed eye smile. "Come on, Saeko-san, you can do better than that right? I barely put any strength in those attacks. If you let me beat you this easily then your old man is probably no better than you." Saeko's grip tightened on her sword. How dare he mock her father. Maybe she should fight seriously, just not too much since she still waited to see him cower in fear.

Her hair covered her eyes as a small sadistic smile appeared. She swiftly ran towards him and striked. He barely had time to dodge before she struck again. Each of her strikes were seconds apart, giving him no room to counter. He smirked as he blocked her attacks. This is what he wanted. She was beginning to show herself.

She crouched down and kicked his feet out from under him. Hachiro closed his eyes and grunted as he hit the floor. He opened one eye to see Saeko holding her sword above her head with the blade point at his chest. He rolled out of the way as the tip of the blade hit the floor. He breathed heavily as he looked at Saeko.

A full blown laughter escaped his mouth. "That's more like it! Maybe your dad did teach you something." He stood up and patted the imaginary dirt from his pants. He held his arm up and pointed the sword at her. "I guess I can get a little more serious, right?"

Saeko's eyes widened as he ran towards her. The sound of the two swords clashing echoed throughout the dojo. She had no time to think before Hachiro spun around and struck her in the back. She gasped as she fell to her knees. Hachiro showed no mercy and kicked Saeko in her side. She fell down and coughed. He kicked her onto her back and stomped on her stomach. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull at the impact.

Maikoni held her hands to her mouth as she watched her brother beat up her friend. She took a step forward to run towards them, but her father grabbed her arm. She looked at him and he shook his head. Why? Why did he stop her? Couldn't he see Hachiro was mercilessly beating up her friend? Tears gathered in her eyes as she hung her head in defeat.

Hachiro sighed and grabbed Saeko's hair. He yanked it roughly, lifting her head up. She grunted in pain. He stared at her with a disappointed look. "Saeko-san, you're not trying are you? I know you're like us. That's why I'm doing this. You need to stop hiding. No one will judge you for being you, ya know. Come on, show me who you really are." Saeko stared at him and said nothing.

His face became void of emotion as he looked at her. "Maybe I have to push you further." He threw her on the ground and walked a few feet away from her. Saeko lifted her head, her hair shielding her face, and tightened her grip on her sword. If he wanted her to be herself then so be it. She was done playing the victim anyway. He got to have his fun so she should be able to have hers, right? After all that only seems fair.