Blackened Blade (Murasaki x OC)

Chapter 5: Summer With Sensei

     We arrived at Hebijo's place in the late morning. It was a large traditionsl looking estate, complete with a path that lead to the front door between two zen gardens, a koi pond, and a cherry blossom tree. I had to catch my jaw from hitting the ground as we walked past all of it. You must get some pretty nice digs when you're a director of IT AND a guest lecturer at a prestigious academy.

     We made our way inside and placed the boxes of supplies next to the front door. "We'll break for lunch right now, we've been at it since 5:30 and you had to walk all that way." Hebijo-san said. As he lead me toward the kitchen.

     Some top of the line equipment lined the walls but it looked mostly unused. He opened a cabinet and produced two instant cups of ramen and pulled some water bottles from the fridge. He tossed me one and set and set an electronic kettle to heat up water.

     "You must be curious about what you've seen today, yet you've been quiet since we left." He said as he sat at the table with me. Truth be told I was very confused by the events of this morning but wouldn't know where to start. Plus when I think of the school all my mind could conjure up was the image of that one girl hurrying off. Can't exactly ask about her though.

     Hebijo let out a hearty laugh that made me jump. I hadnt realized how spaced out I was. "I can tell what part you're thinking of. You're getting a little flushed." He pointed out. My face reddened more. "How about I start with why what you're thinking about is counter productive." His tone shifted to the serious side. "You've no doubt noticed that was no ordinary academy. Now, what if I told you ninjas, or rather, shinobi were real?" He asked, dead serious. I looked at him, my jaw nearly dropping. Theres no was he was serious.

     "I mean, what if it was? There's some sort of ninja school hidden in the woods? Sounds believable enough, but why tell me about it or take me there?" I asked, confused.

     "Thats exactly right, and every student there is training to be a shinobi. The graduates of the school all go on to be high ranking figures in real-estate and buisness. Not to mention being some of the deadliest assassins the world has ever seen. As for why I took you there, I needed to see if you'd be able to enter the building. They say the school exudes so much pressure the weak cannot enter. But you seemed to move around well enough, if not a little unaware of your surroundings." He said, moving over to a small cabinet and retrieved some sort of case from inside, setting it on the table.

     "Computers isn't the only thing I give special classes on." He opened the case and revealed its contents: several scrolls, tiny vials of various powders and cuttings, many photographs of what appeared to be monsters, and in the center, a tanto with a blade so black it is as if it absorbed the light that was cast on it, no reflection at all. "I teach the behaviors and disposal of yokai." He said looking up from the contents of the case to me. "Now why am i telling you all this? You see, I wasn't just asking you questions earlier to be friendly. I was asking to find out what kind of young man you are."

     "Oh? And what did you find out?" I asked plainly. I'm still not sure he isn't just joking. This is a little out there.

     "You're unsure of what your future profession is, you have no ties or commitments here besides immediate family, you're open to the possibility of the supernatural, you can follow basic instructions and you showed a strong sense of duty when you agreed to tutoring you didn't want in order for your dad to gain face."

     "Ah. And thats... good?"

     "I'd say good enough. My brother inherited the duty to run the academy, but I was adrift. I had no purpose in life for many years. My sensei found me and gave me purpose. It's time I did the same and passed on this knowledge before I'm unable to hunt anymore. To be blunt, you've got nothing going on at all and nobody would believe you if you told them." He said, matter of factly. "What I want to know is, do you want you life to mean something other than just moping around until you get a job you don't care about and moping around there until you die?"

     He had a good point, I had no real direction in life. No passions, no hobbies besides video games, not even a sport I play. The monsters in the photographs looked pretty dangerous, if they were real, people could get hurt. There was a certainty, a flat "buisness as usual" quality to his voice. He sounded sincere. What do I have to lose?

     I look at the blade then back to him. "If what you're saying is true then shouldn't you just choose an apprentice from the ninja school?"

     "Not how that works. While yokai hunters do work closely with shinobi from time to time, I need someone who is trained only in the art of hunting. Plus that's just poaching talent from my brother."

     I gaze at the blade, its deep black color almost sucking me in. Theres a pulse, its faint but I can feel it coming from this blade. "I accept." I say as I slowly reach for its handle.

     Hebijo grins wide before snapping the case shut, my fingers a mere inch away from the opening. I yank my hand away and look up. "I'm glad you're enthusiastic. However, be prepared kid, this marks your own personal summer of hell. You've got a lot to learn before you go back to school. Let's start by actually teaching you Japanese. I can teach you the language, but figuring out how to talk to a girl is on you." He winked.

     I smirked "Very well, can't wait to get started... sensei."

A/N: Whew this was a long one but I'm excited to get the ball rolling for our young hero to be! Remember to be as brutal as possible in the comments!