Hakuouki: The Masked Cherry Blossoms

Chapter 28

"We're ready." Saitou says as I'm drinking tea. I sigh, downing it and taking it with me.

"I have a high stamina so I'll probably be able to do a few of you today. The sessions, depending on what you need to work on, will be short or long. Everyone's session will be different. So I will take Souji, Saitou, and Nagakura, you're up first. Everyone should watch to improve yourself but you don't have to."

Souji is up first but I have no weapon out, only the cup. "Draw your weapon and try to cut down this cup. We won't stop until you do it and realize what this is for. Or until I think it's enough." I say holding out my hand with the cup in my hand.

"Going easy on me? Why don't we spar?" He says as he pulls out his sword.

"Because than you don't learn your weakness. I'm helping you realize it for yourself." He humphs and makes a surprise strike. He skims the top when I lower the cup without him noticing.

We repeat this process for a while until I stop him. "Enough. Think about what I'm trying to teach you and tell me later if you find it out. You can learn a lot from observing so no one help him. Shinpachi, your up." He leaves grudgingly.

"Shinpachi, you're strong and skilled but... I think you could be smart in battle too. Keep that in mind and don't hold back. We're sparring." He nods drawing his sword.

I make a pattern of where to hit him with the cup. He doesn't notice as he only focuses on trying to fight. I end the session too. "You're done. Do what I told Souji to do. Saitou come up. Real life situation. You can only hurt me and not the cup. I will also be blindfolded. Don't ease up on me because than I will beat you up." I say putting the sash around my eyes.

He strikes and I block with the cup each time forcing him to hesitate, allowing me an opening. My hearing is as good enough to make up for my loss of vision. He too doesn't catch on. After a while of boredom I stop him. "Okay, I thought at least one would get it but obviously not so I'll just move on to... Sano. Going in order is boring. Try to get me with the spear." I order.

As he strikes I jump from side to side and go past his spear and make close range attacks before jumping back before he can transition. After a while I end this one too.

"Heisuke, come here, in front of me."

He does and I place the cup on my head. "Knock it down." He nods. I block his attacks. "So, what do you believe your weakness is?" As I block his hands. He thinks.

"I guess rushing in with no plan. They sometimes call me 'Master Forerunner.'" I smirk.

"Good, now you just have act on the solution to it. You can focus on that now. But... I'm sorry." I say making him hesitate before continuing.

"Why?"

"I know Itou was a master of yours and I never apologized for taking him down the way I did. I acted like I didn't notice or care how it affected you and how I did it was horrible."

"Oh..."

"I know how you feel and you think no one noticed what this did to you but I did. So I'm sorry. I hope you'll find you're purpose soon. But for now, I hope you realize your place and purpose here, in the Shinsengumi." He smiles with a nod.

And suddenly he tricks me, but I see through it. I know but I'll let him pass as he half shoots out his arm, retract, and as I prepare for his other arm he uses the same hand to knock off the cup from my head.

I smile as I hear the cup fall to the ground. I fold my arms as he cheers. "What was the purpose?" I ask him.

"To make a plan instead of just going straight through." I nod.

"Congratulations, you passed stage one of your training before everyone else." He cheers as everyone stares at him with narrowed eyes. "Okay, we're done for today. It may not seem like extensive training but we're just getting started. It'll get harder as the stages progress. Dismissed." I wave a hand and pick up the cup.

They all trail off except for Saitou. He comes up. "How did I fail?" He asks. "I did see you let Heisuke pass but why?"

"Heisuke and I were talking. He realized what his weakness was and attempted a solution. His next stage will build off of that. And as for you, you did neither so you did not pass."

"But what could that possibly teach me?" He asks still confused. I sigh.

"Exactly. Think about my orders. I put you in a real life situation, you can't hit the cup, only me. I'm blindfolded as well. There are actually two lessons in there but they're fairly simple."

"Blocking? Defending? Quick transitions?" He asks himself. I shake my head.

"Don't think so hard. You're interpreting. That's good but I said a real life situation. The cup is just a cup. The blindfold, your advantage. My orders, a test. Do you see that?" He thinks.

"That was vary literal." I grin.

"You pass to stage two but no more freebies." He nods.

"I apologize-" I flick him in the head.

"You were gonna know eventually. Come on, let's go and relax. Tea?" He gives me a small grin and nods. He follows me to join me.

I couldn't be distracted by this. Although I knew this was a good thing to do, I couldn't lose sight in my main goal: finding Kazama.