Clash of the Clans: Shinobi 7 Companion Book #1 Page 15

  ~*~*~*~

  I guess I could spend time explaining the events leading up to Kuroi's fight with Takeo Akiyama. But nothing happened, really. Kuroi got me a rice ball to snack on and shared it with me, Yami repeatedly asked me if I was alright, Cassie and Hanran told me good job, and Tabby kept spying on Takeo from the sidelines.

  “Y'know, Tabby-Chan is being a big ol' creeper,” I said to Yami.

  He nodded in agreement. “I know.”

  Anyway, after my winning match, I put the Kitsune Clan in a tie for first with the Tiger Rage Clan. The Thorn-Goku Clan was who had second place initially, but after Xing Lee's performance, that was all tossed aside. Oh yeah, and it turned out that the grumpy judge was Xing Lee's combat teacher from his clan. He left as soon as Xing did.

  “Good rinse!” I exclaimed once I saw them both leave through the doors.

  “It's good riddance,” Yami corrected.

  “That too.”

  “Kuroi Kaze of the Kitsune Clan, enter the ring,” Geisha Rose ordered.

  My team leader had stepped inside the ring at the same second that his opponent did. “Takeo Akiyama,” Kuroi growled to him.

  Takeo bowed his head at him. “Kuroi Kaze,” he replied curtly, “good luck to you.”

  It looked like Kuroi was about to insult Takeo, but Tabby interrupted and squealed from the sidelines, “Good luck to you, too!”

  Geisha Rose stood in the middle of the ring with her kimono sleeves rolled up her pale arms. “Takeo Akiyama, are you ready?” she asked.

  “Yes ma'am,” Takeo answered.

  “Kuroi Kaze, are you ready?”

  “Duh.”

  “Hajime!”

  As soon as Geisha Rose lifted her pale hand, Kuroi charged across the ring and narrowed in on his target. Getting charged at was nothing new for Takeo; he probably expected Kuroi to make the first move.

  Well, Kuroi expected Takeo to expect him to throw the first move!

  My team leader blocked a side-kick and lunged forward with a hook punch. Takeo blocked with his forearm and quickly used his elbow to block a reverse punch. Kuroi turned his reverse punch over into a knife hand, going from a body level strike to a head level one. Takeo blocked all of his strikes, then threw a front kick of his own.

  “Point!” Geisha Rose called.

  Three of the five judges saw the kick.

  “All Takeo Akiyama needs is two more points to win,” Hanran said. He was standing with me and the rest of our team on the sidelines. The only one who wasn't present was Tabby, who was still off on her own to go goo-goo over Takeo. Hanran looked deep in thought, his eyebrows were crinkled and his eyes were glued to the ring.

  Kuroi didn't like that Takeo got the first point but he wasn't giving up that soon.

  “How can Kaze-San pull through?” Cassie asked Hanran.

  The middle boy shook his head. “He just needs to get it together. Takeo Akiyama knows that he's going to brawl him. He needs to—”

  “Use percussion!” I suddenly cried. “Just like Sensei Akira told him!”

  “Precision,” Yami corrected. “The word she used was precision.” Yami put a hand on his chin, “And Sensei Akira is right, Kuroi needs to stop swinging wildly. Takeo Akiyama expects him to do so.”

  “Shouldn't someone tell him?” Cassie asked.

  “Point!” Geisha Rose's voice then called, interrupting our discussion.

  I wasn't looking but I think Takeo Akiyama scored on Kuroi with a back-fist. Plus, the fact that Kuroi's top lip was curled back in a snarl told me that he was hit, too.

  Snap, I think I know what's happening here. Kuroi is having a backflash. Or flashback, I forget which way it goes. He's thinking too much about three years ago when he was with his old Sector 7 and he's not focusing on the match.

  What's he really afraid of? Does he think that we'll be disappointed in him? Is that what happened in the aftermath of his last Battle Month? I remembered what Kuroi told me just a little while ago:

  “I just don't want a repeat of last time, alright? I don't want the feeling of failure, of almost being good enough. I got a bad taste in my mouth from that already, I don't want to taste it twice.”

  So that's what his problem is; he's afraid of tasting failure twice.

  Geisha Rose threw her hand down for a third time and so started the next match. Kuroi still insisted on being the aggressor as he barreled at Takeo. The two clashed together in a flurry of kicks, punches, and blocks. “Point!” Geisha Rose then called.

  I held my breath. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

  The judges called an uppercut from Takeo into Kuroi's gut. However, only one of the five judges saw it. It wasn't enough. Takeo still needed one more point to win.

  That's it, I can't take it anymore!

  “I'm proud of you, Kaze-San!” I shouted out. Kuroi's eyes darted to me. He could hear me even if he was in the heat of battle. I continued, “You're awesome! Even if you're a grump, I'm still really happy you're my team leader! Win or lose, there's no way you can fail me!”

  Cassie and Yami looked at me with confusion, even Tabby from across the ring heard what I said.

  I merely smiled and threw my hands up in the air. “You've got this, man!”

  I didn't expect Geisha Rose to glare at me from the ring, a look of pure scorn in her eyes. Is she upset that I'm cheering on my teammate? “No talking from the sidelines,” she ordered with a harsh voice.

  There was no way that I was going to argue with her. Turns out that I didn't have to. “There are no rules against it,” Akira retorted. Geisha Rose now eyed the fellow shinobi woman. Akira merely shrugged, a smug smile on her face. Smiles from Akira Miyamoto were never kind. Never.

  “Continue the fight, boys,” Geisha Rose then growled, focusing back on the match.

  As soon as the next round was announced, something about Kuroi's demeanor changed. He didn't rage towards Takeo, he stayed in his same spot that was a safe distance away. Takeo didn't advance on him, he stayed in his same spot as well. Takeo expected Kuroi to come after him, but with my team leader staying put, he wasn't sure what to do.

  “He's changing tactics,” Cassie whispered in awe.

  Kuroi held up his hands in front of him. “C'mon, Akiyama-San. You only need to score on me one more time.”

  Takeo hesitated for a moment and then decided to be the aggressor for the first time in the fight. He was out of his element. He fell for Kuroi's bait.

  The Tiger Rager came forward with a double roundhouse kick to the head. Kuroi veered left and stomped into a reverse punch to Takeo's ribs. I heard the loud sound it made when my team leader's hit landed.

  “Point!” Akira called.

  Five out of the five judges called the punch, much to Geisha Rose's chagrin.

  “That's it, Kaze-San!” Yami suddenly cheered. He was just as excited as I was, “You can do it! Just fight and have fun!”

  The two fighters clashed again. Takeo was miffed that Kuroi was able to land a strike and Kuroi took advantage of his lapse. The Kitsune fighter threw a combination of kicks; side-kick, roundhouse, hook, and a final front snap. The hook-kick landed and the front snap was just a bonus.

  “Point!” Akira called once again.

  I saw Geisha Rose literally snarl when the score evened up two-to-two. “What's her problem?” I asked Hanran, “it's not like Akiyama-San is her own student. He's from another clan.”

  Hanran was leery of this as well. “Perhaps she bet on the Tiger Rage Clan to emerge victorious,” he suggested.

  “Bet as in bet money?” I asked.

  “Yes, I imagine that would be what she bet,” Hanran answered in a that-should-have-been-obvious tone of voice.

  “Just checking,” I muttered.

  For the final time, Kuroi and Takeo clashed with each other. Both men needed one point to score and both men were the aggressors who charged. They were opposite sides of each other and both of them had clear target areas open. Takeo h
ad a rear legged roundhouse right at the moment Kuroi had a reverse punch.

  WHAM!

  “Point!” Geisha Rose called, her own voice shrilled. “Takeo Akiyama, roundhouse kick to the side of the head!”

  My heart sank at her words. “No, Kaze-San had his reverse punch!” I objected. I wasn't talking to anyone in particular, although Cassie made sure to hold me and keep me steady.

  The other four judges deliberated this call for a moment. Three out of five of them took Takeo's side... they thought the Tiger Rage student was the faster one.

  Just like that, we came in second for Battle Month.

  “Wait,” Takeo unexpectedly said. He held his hands up. “Kuroi Kaze's reverse punch landed first.”

  “No, it didn't,” Geisha Rose argued. Her voice was almost as poisonous as the look in her eyes.

  Takeo eyed the Black-Sho woman with firm defiance. “I said, Kuroi Kaze's strike landed first. Who are you to say otherwise?”

  Geisha Rose's nostrils flared. She said nothing more. “Are you sure?” Akira asked in her own wary voice.

  Takeo nodded. “I am a man of honor. I did not land the first strike, the winner is rightfully Kuroi Kaze of the Kitsune Clan.” Takeo then faced Kuroi and bowed in respect. “I enjoyed our rematch,” he told him with a genuine tip of the head.

  Out of everyone, my team leader was the most surprised. “Er, thanks,” he stammered. He probably didn't expect his opponent to be so cool. I had the biggest grin on my face. All of us were happy.

  Akira exchanged looks with Jian-Sho and the old man nodded to her. “It's decided then,” the Kitsune woman announced. “The winner of Battle Month is the Kitsune Clan!”

  ~Here you are, Akira Miyamoto, alone with your thoughts~