Act II
Yurika’s workshop
Daimyo’s palace
Apriki
18 February 3063Yurika looked at the latest tool her father had gotten her. A bench sized tool, one that would not be out of place in a mech hangar. An armor shaper.
“Happy birthday.” Hakkiru said warmly as his eldest daughter hugged him.
Yurika let go after a moment and dug into the manual.
Hikkaru shook his head in amusement.
Natsu set her gift next to Yurika as Yurika kept reading on the floor. Another book. From the university that Osaka Heavy Metrics maintained on the world. A primer on material science.
“Another year. Another step.” Natsu hugged her sister.
Yuko added a book of ancient Japanese fables to the stack of gifts then also hugged her sister.
Clara was next. She brought a basket of various snacks.
“You must remember to eat.” She declared before stepping away.
Hideki the Younger offered a book of haikus.
“I hate to remind you my lord, but…” Hideki the Elder broke the reverie.
“Hai. I tried to make this next meeting for any day but today, but I could not.” Hikkaru stepped over to Yurika.
“My duty as Daimyo demands my attention. But we will have a nice dinner later, together as a family.” Hikkaru cupped his daughter’s cheek in his hand.
Yurika stopped reading long enough to grab onto his hand, trying to keep it on her cheek as long as she could.
“I know. But if this meeting goes the way I hope I will have more time to devote to you and have to spend less as Daimyo.” Hikkaru smiled as Yurika released his hand.
Hikkaru left Yurika’s workshop and went to his office.
There he found the consultant he had hired after the incident with the Daimyo of Irurzun.
“Jyestha, have you found the people I asked you to find?” Hikkaru asked the young hindu woman.
“I have. It wasn’t easy but your new lawyer is waiting your interview and acceptance in the next room. Her name is Lucy McMinniman. Good marks at the University of Atria.”
Hikkaru nodded. “And my new wife to be?”
“Sarah Drakkonsdotter.” Jyestha answered. “She’s from one of the few families that decided to stay with the Combine rather than go over to the Free Rasalhague Republic. Which does bring some small clout. Her flight was delayed but she’ll be here in about 30 minutes.”
“I know I make your job difficult Jyestha. Thank you.” Hikkaru nodded.
“If I wanted easy I’d be working at the Pink Garden where I’d have to be dealing with lecherous customers. I’ll take complicated over that.” Jyestha smiled.
“Send in Miss McMinnamin.” Hikkaru chuckled.
“Daimyo Ryukan.” Lucy bowed.
She was young but tall and her emerald green eyes complimented her bright red hair. Her attire was formal. A suit jacket over a vest, white shirt, black pleated skirt, and stockings.
Hikkaru was impressed by her lack of shoes as he returned her bow.
“Miss McMinnamin. You have studied our ways well. Your world… I am not familiar with it.” Hikkaru said as Lucy sat across from him.
“It is not formally a part of the Draconis Combine yet, but with the chaos there, the Combine has granted me this opportunity for a more stable life.”
“Thus your attention to detail.”
“Yes.”
“Then you will be a most excellent fit. I need someone like you to take up a vacancy in my legal staff and with your knowledge of our customs you’d also be quite useful in other roles.”
“I am eager to start.”
“Very well. Since I know you and Jyestha are already somewhat familiar with each other I shall entrust her to show you to your room and office.”
“Thank you Daimyo.”
Hikkaru and Lucy exchanged bows once more before she left with Jyestha.
Sarah arrived exactly as predicted.
There was nothing either had to say to the other.
Jyestha had found her after an extensive search. All part of her campaign to help Hikkaru change his image.
Hikkaru was smart enough to know that nothing he did would completely stop the chatter about his hiring practices, how he was using the fame of his father, and using others to fight his battles. So instead he was leaning into certain aspects of that image.
Sarah knew all of it and for her part had agreed to play the role. For while the traditionalists did not approve of Hikkaru, many that were aligned with Theodore’s reforms did and Hikkaru was earning some marks in his favor in his handling of Osaka Heavy Metrics. The biggest manufacturer on Apriki.
In a few days they would be married and Sarah’s family would go from respected but not financially wealthy to respected and financially well off from the bride price.
3063/02/18, Hood IV, Lyran Commonwealth…"There is only ONE conflict worth the time and effort." Colonel Henrietta Ngo stated. "Tell Victor the same thing. We cannot afford to have our key units fighting our key units while a hostile
foreign power is occupying
forty percent of the Commonwealth!"
The 77th was loosely 'deployed' covering bandit-chasing duty and watching the coreward Falcon front. The entire regimental presence here, was less than a battalion, and they'd just come in from field-testing ersatz survival equipment.
Cheaper equipment, from contractors closer to Terra, on the far side of the Truce line.
"So…you're not siding with Victor, that's good." General Sharon Bryan's expression was pleased on the holotank.
"I'm siding with my
nation, against a foreign invader. Everything else is just noise and posturing, General.
Lyran worlds are under occupation, that is a higher priority than a spat between
Royals who can't find the comm-number for a family counselor!!"
“It is more complicated than that. But for now you’re correct, our commands have bigger fish to fry.”
"Then, where are the supplies?" Henrietta asked, "I'm getting back-channel requests from half a dozen commands on the border because their ammunition and spare parts aren't reaching units standing on the
front line against the invaders?"
“I’m working on it. For now we just have to make do with what we do have and hope the truce holds.”
"Understood, General Ma'am." Henrietta's expression went to that blank, emotionless state. "Do you have any further instructions at this time, Ma'am?"
“No.”
"Then I'll quit wasting your time, Ma'am. Am I dismissed?"
“Yes.”
Henrietta waited until the Comstar logo was spinning in the holotank, then, "Adept, I need to place a call."
“Where to?”
"Ducal line, Kowloon, Nha Tranh 771413." she stated.
“If you want it live that’ll take some time to arrange and be expensive.”
"Arrange it. I can pay out of my personal accounts."
“As you wish.”
***
On the screen, Henrietta looked withdrawn and harried. "What's up?"
"Where's Pat?""Three more jumps short from Tharkad, he left me in charge." Liz said, "What's going on?"
"You can't authorize what I need, Lizzie." Henrietta looked downfallen.
"So tell me anyway."
”We’re getting the runaround. Supplies are not reaching us and well…”“You want to see if the family business can help out.”
"It's a LOT of help, Lizzie, not just my people, I've been getting requests from seven or eight commands along the border…It's Dukes business.""Because Military, right?" Liz asked.
"Yeah.""Send me the list on the subchannel, and the destinations." Liz told her, "I'll use my nonexistent authority and see what I can do through the firm…and maybe through other channels."
”I know we don’t even make some of the stuff that we need right now, but..”"So we find things we
do make that can make do, or maybe I put the arm on some of our delinquent customers and THEY find stuff to send. You're right,it's Duke business, but the Duke left me playing regent. I'll make things happen."
”Be careful lil’bit. This is some pretty serious stuff.”"What're they going to do? Life in prison's gonna be short anyway, and execute me?" Liz laughed. "*I've got this, gimme your get-list."
”Sending it now.”Elizabeth took the time to
read it back. "That's all of it, right?"
"Yeah, nothing was deleted."She nodded, shooting an amused look to the slightly offended Comstar adept monitoring the call quality. "No worse than a month to a month and a half, I'll call you if it falls through."
”I’ll try and call again before then. Hopefully we can talk about something less depressing.”Liz nodded, "Look to the sky on the third day, big sis. You'll know the aid is there…so, no husband yet?"
"Not yet.""So a wife?" Liz teased.
"No thank you.""Evelynn's got her second kid on the way." Liz confided.
”Shit. A second already? I’m definitely out of the loop.”"Our brother is both charming and horny, or maybe it's that those two are disgustingly cute together and can't keep their hands OFF each other-which is good for us, but it means Pat's going to Tharkad in a
mood, since he's having to do it while his wife's having a baby."
”Heh. I can imagine. I’d love to hear more but if I keep this line going much longer and I might have to take out a loan.”"I'll give you a good rate on Hue? I love you big sis, go, do your job. I'll see you at Landing Day."
”Love you too. And remember Natalie promised me she’d be there for you if you needed anything while I was deployed. So don’t be afraid to ask her for help.”"Noted. See you soon." the call cut out.
Liz turned, "Ms. Roshak, help me to the car, and then, we're going on a flight. You DID pass shuttle quals?"
“It was something to help pass the time.”
"Good, have the boys meet us at the port, we're going to my office on Spider Moon, and call ahead to have Ms. Vu Dao prep the green binders."
“Should I also contact Miss Whyte?”
Liz nodded, "Yeah, but she's with Pat, so it'll have to be a short-form text. Use the blue folder for your encryption, keyword 'Star Cadet'. I'll have a text to send in a few hours, once I've had time to digest this."
“Why do I get the feeling I’m also going to need a bottle of hair dye before this is over?”
"You'll look
stunning in a white suit." Liz told her.
Natalie helped Liz into a wheelchair and checked for any mysterious bruises before wheeling her out of the Comstar site. "You did not tell her about your latest accident."
"It wasn't spinal, so it doesn't matter…much." Liz said, "besides, we've got the medilert bracelet now, so I know when a surge is coming."
“It does to her. But you want her focused. I can accept that.”
"Damn right I want my sister focused. Pity is disgusting."
“Aff.” Natalie nodded. “So I shall keep your secret.”
“You’ve still got it that bad for her?”
“Intellectually I accept she will never feel the way about me that I feel about her but that does not stop the heart from wanting what the heart wants.”
Liz snorted, "The heart, is a blood pump, it lets you know things by failing at inopportune times, love can be simulated with chocolate…speaking of which, let's grab a bite on the way, nothing too heavy, but there's a nice pastry shop on the way to the port, and their chocolate cheesecake is pure decadence."
“Aff. I know the place quite well. Why do you think I have added an extra half hour to my daily planner for fitness exercises?”
Elizabeth's bracelet beeped.
They had time to get her into a 'safe' position before the seizure hit.
Two minutes, but it left her
drained.
The cheesecake would have to wait. Everything else? There was a schedule to keep.
Hood IV, March 10, 3063…The jumpships arrived at the nadir point, then short-jumped to the L1 point between Hood IV's main planet, and its second moon.
"What is the meaning of-?"
"Deliveries for the 1st Battalion and Headquarters Company of the 77th. I expected them, lord Duke." Henrietta said, "Though I expected more discretion."
"Deliveries?"
"Let's find out."
"How do you know?"
"See that roundel? Nobody uses it but my family's firm." she told him, "Lord Duke, get your militia commanders down to the port with stevedores and inspection officers…and lots of security."
“Security? What for?”
"You know how you've had to curtail militia training because of a shortage of parts and ammunition?" she offered, "you won't have to do that now. Kowloon's sending you some of their stockpile-but it needs to be inspected and hand-receipted to verify it's actually
getting to you."
“Well then… I guess I better get on the comms. What do I owe you for all of this?”
"A regiment of well-trained militia ready to defend their homeworld against Clanners." she told him, "Trained and ready, that's what it's for, that's what you owe-but not to me. I'm doing this because I swore to defend the nation…and you stick with your position on refusing to take sides in the Royal Spat."
“And we’ve been punished for not picking a side. But thanks to you that is now a viable choice.”
"Spoiled brats
do that." Henrietta noted, "but we have a duty to make sure there's still a
nation here when those two finally finish tearing each other apart."
“It’ll come to that soon enough, won’t it?”
"Since Victor abdicated and Katherine went to New Avalon to be a Princess instead of staying to be the Archon?? Yeah. It's been coming for a while."
“Which means we have a lot of work to do. The Jade Falcons will gladly take the opportunity.”
"Yes, a lot of work. Sooner or later the Falcons, or another Clan, are going to come, either to widen their resource base, or open a new front in the invasion." she paused a moment and the staff car lurched into traffic, "They can't
not do it."
“And we’re now on our own, with only each other to rely on.”
“That’s what they make ijeero for.”
Yurika’s workshop
Daimyo’s palace
Apriki
7 April 3063Yurika’s workshop now truly had the look of a mech hangar. The gantries, tools, machines, and everything else you would need.
Including the bits of mechs collected from battlefields, written off as not even being worth scrap.
But they served to keep Yurika and Natsu busy.
Yuko’s interests had started drifting in other directions lately. Spending more time training with Hideki the Elder and Hideki the younger in kendo and martial arts.
But that didn’t bother Yurika or Natsu.
For now since they were still too small to properly work on the larger pieces without help they were studying them.
Understanding how they went together.
“They really do this? At their age?” Sarah asked Clara as the two sat out of the way, observing the others.
“Yes. With only minor injuries. They are both quite gifted at it. Yurika is far more the inventor though while Natsu is becoming the engineer that actually implements it. Their father indulges them because it makes them happy and he feels guilty that he spends so much time being Daimyo instead of their father.”
“No wonder he sought a second wife.”
“I would not recommend stopping them.” Clara warned.
“True. I do not wish to antagonize them. But they are children. That is a lot of complicated and deadly machinery down there.”
“The truly dangerous stuff that they are too small to safely use they do ask for help with. The rest? Only minor cuts and burns. Nothing more serious than what they would get playing in the garden or training with my grandfather.”
“How? They are far too young.”
“That is a mystery. The only partial explanation we can find is that Yurika reads. She prefers old fashioned hard copy but she’ll also read electronic format. Natsu is similar but not quite to the same extent. In the end it is one of the great mysteries of the universe that we will likely never know.”
“I see.”
“Time for me to give Yurika her medicine and her meal.”
“Medicine?”
“Doctor Greene has developed a treatment that will help Yurika be more self sufficient, at least when it comes to non-technological things. She neglects eating ,bathing, and rarely speaks. Doctor Greene is hopeful that this treatment will help alleviate that.” Clara stood and walked out of the workshop.
Sarah found she couldn’t help but be fascinated by Yurika and Natsu.
That was when she realized Clara was right. The two were clearly communicating but she hadn’t heard Yurika utter a single word the entire time she’d been there.
Clara returned with the meal boxes and drink containers. After giving one each to Yurika and Natsu she fished an injector out of her apron pocket, took the protective cap off and injected Yurika. Putting the cap back on she disposed of it in the special container for such a purpose on the wall.
“You seem to be something of a prodigy yourself. Safely handling an injector like that.”
“It’s not hard. Doctor Greene taught me and Yurika lets me inject her.”
“Still you should be allowed your own time and interests.”
“I don’t mind. Besides, I do have my hobbies and time to pursue them.”
“Like what?”
“I draw and I dance.”
“Does Yurika do anything else? Anything fun?”
“This is her idea of fun. Reading, working in her workshop, and spending time with her sisters. She’s starting to miss Yuko since Yuko’s now training more and more with my grandfather.”
“So my role is to help traditional conventions go out the window and establish a new one…” Sarah muttered to herself.
3064, Melissia…Hubris. Pure goddam hubris. "You're sure?"
The intel officer nodded, "The Falcons did a vertical envelopment on the base, General Bryan was inside."
"Who's next in the chain, that
wasn’t in Sharon Bryan's deathtrap?" she demanded, implying who
would be if someone else wasn't.
"Ah, GeneralLeutnant Adam Steiner, Mein Kolonel."
"Then let
General Steiner know that the 77th FedCom Regiment stand by to his orders, and get me a
Clean CSOI!!!"
The enemy was in force, with Naval bombardment capability, Melissia's defenses were in failure mode.
The orders were to cover the withdrawal of General Steiner's units, then follow.
An organized, fighting retreat is one of the most complex and difficult operations any military can execute.
Henrietta led hers as 'advancing to the rear' while managing the holding actions to let other units-really fragments of other units, make it to the dropships, and from there, out of the system.
For their part the Falcons seemed intent on pressing them on the ground but once in the air or in space? The Warship didn’t pop open the vulnerable transports to hard vacuum.
The fighters? Those hounded and harassed for as long as they could.
By the time the last ship got out, hardly anyone could even move; they were too exhausted.
Henrietta disembarked her mech finally. As she walked towards the passenger facilities she passed a no longer quite so fresh faced Leutnant she didn’t recognize. She reached into a pocket and fished out a flask and tossed it to him.
“It’ll help a little. Not much mind you.” Henrietta said as the young man took a swig and then made a face before tossing the flask back.
She returned the flask to her pocket and then finished her walk to get a shower.
After she was done she got dressed and headed up to the command deck.
"General Steiner. Sir." she saluted. "What now?"
"Have you even slept?"
"I'm fit, sir. Can't say the same for the Sixth Donegal or the Third Alliance Regulars, maybe a spot of good luck we were delayed when she ordered the seven-seven to Melissia, or we'd have been
inside the death-trap."
"The fortress."
"I argued against it back in July of last year, sir. History shows a fortified position is the definition of stupidity when aerial bombardment, indirect fire artillery, or vertical envelopment are things that actually exist. The only reason to build a fort, is as a distraction to focus the enemy while your maneuver units catch them up the ass, Sir."
"What's your breakage?"
"Thirty percent, but we'll have most of that recovered by the time we ground on Chapultepec. Where do you need us?"
***
"You MUST pick a side!" Nondi Stiner herself insisted.
Duke Patrick Ngo crossed his arms, "I serve
The Commonwealth, not fractious political cults. In point of fact, I
do not have to 'pick a side', the true Archon will reveal themselves through
actions...like maybe, dealing with the current flurry of invasions by Clan Jade Falcon, something anyone with half a grain of sense would have
recognized was coming!!"
"Guards! Arrest this…
Traitor!!"
"Should've shot me." Patrick told her, "My grandfather broke four of Alessandro's best specialists in Blackgate over five years. You should have had me shot."
With that, he was carried away to be interned until charges could be assembled.
***
"Let me get this straight, you had my brother, the Duke of Kowloon, arrested on general treason charges for refusing to declare a side in this…'civil' war? And now, you want me to..what?" Elizabeth leaned heavily on the console as she faced Regent Nondi Steiner on HPG. "What do you want me to do? I mean, the arrest itself is a violation of the Charter, but not a violation without precedent, after all, my grandfather spent five years in Blackgate for refusing to tell Alessandro where Katrina was hiding-three of those years AFTER she returned. So what is it,exactly, you want from
me that you don't already
have Your Grace?"
Elizabeth shook out a crayon from a box.
"Your pledge of loyalty." Nondi said,
"To Katherine.""Ooh, shakedown!!" Liz looked up, "let me guess, Henrietta's either in the field or told you to pound sand, so you're going to hold my brother as hostage and make me say words that sound good on camera, and mean
nothing to the relevant situation here above the truce line." she pulled an orange one from the pile. "Tangerine…"
"It is NOT meaningless!!""It is, if we're all wearing jade green uniforms next year because you had our key units fighting our key units while the
nation is being invaded!!" the girl slammed her too-frail fist onto the console. She then took an experimental bite of the waxy thing, "hmmm so tangerine's a word meaning citric acid and sugar, interesting…"
”Your options are to swear, be declared traitor, or your entire system be declared in rebellion.”"Would being declared in rebellion get you to move units into the area?" Elizabeth asked, "to enforce it, I mean…" she cocked her head, "say, since you aren't doing that already, that sounds positively
delightful, if all I must do, to get you to
do your ****** job is be declared in rebellion." she put the crayon down, cleared her throat.
"Adelaide.
Babaeski.
Ballynure.
Barcelona.
Blue Hole.
Chahar.
Do I need to list every single one in alphabetical order,
Madame Regent? You're not doing the job, why should I listen to what you have to say, or care what you might do? IF you kill my brother, It's because you were going to do it anyway, and right now, you're holding the
reasonable one and negotiating with somebody decidedly unreasonable, who has nothing to lose.
Try again."
”When we win, I will remember this. And there will be a price. You could have swore. Gotten the Davions out of our realm, telling us how things are to be done. Instead you choose this.”"You won't have a long time to nurse that grudge." Liz reminded her, "but for right now, you have a job to do."
DING_DING_DING echoed from Lizz's bracelet.
Nondi clearly frustrated cut the call from her end.
Elizabeth seized in the chair for five minutes before she was safe to be helped from the HPG center.
"Elizabeth?" Natalie was clearly concerned.
"They're going to torture him, maybe kill him… we're in revolt now, Nat, send out summons for proxies, and make sure the next shipments get out to Henrietta and Adam Steiner's people."
"Yes ma'am."
“Evvie and the kids. Make sure Li has someone watching them now. I’ve done and made them targets too.”
"For principle?" Natalie asked.
Liz nodded weakly. "Never give in or they just keep doing it to you."
“I will take care of it. You rest.” Natalie nodded.
***
“Liz is resting. Henrietta, this was the worst one I have witnessed. I had to call and let you know.” Natalie sighed.
"So, five minutes or longer?"
“Five minutes and thirty three seconds according to my watch.”
Henrietta closed her eyes. "I thought it would take longer… she's in stage two, isn't she?"
“The evidence seems to confirm it.”
"We're launching the counter-attack in a few hours. Keep her safe, keep her
stable."
“I will do all that I can.”
"I wish I could come home. I'm sorry you're stuck with this."
“Do not be. I will handle this. So that you can do what needs to be done without having to worry. But I also had to let you know. She is your sister.”
“Nat…”
“I know. Different universes and different circumstances. Speaking of which, Pat okayed her 'university' idea.”
“How is that going?"
"The project is following its timeline, why?"
"Because I think it might be important for making her look out away from the abyss. Encourage her." Henrietta instructed, "keep her distracted building her school."
“I will.”
"Do you have anything you want me to tell your former colleagues?"
“Just what you told me. That honor also means keeping your word even when it is not convenient.”
"I can do that. Good luck, Natalie. We're
all going to need it."
“Good hunting Henrietta.”
Dojo
Daimyo’s Palace
Apriki
2 August 3064Yuko stood in the center of the Dojo in her prep school uniform.
“Fall admission. Not unusual due to when you were born. Remember all I taught you.” Hideki the Elder spoke softly.
“Hai, sensei.” Yuko bowed.
“I’ll miss you sis.” Yurika said quietly as she hugged Yuko.
“I’ll miss you too. But I’ll be back before you know it. Mandatory leave for offworld students before they go into the advanced programs.” Yuko smiled.
“May the winds keep you aloft and the currents see you return with good tidings.” Natsu was next to hug her sister.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring you some chocolates when I come back. Supposed to be the best in the whole district.” Yuko looked at Clara. “I know I can count on you. Thank you for taking care of my big sister.”
Clara bowed.
“And next time I’m back we’ll have that re-match to find out who really is better at Kendo.” Yuko smiled at Hideki the Younger.
“My little girl, growing up and going off to school. Are you still sure about this? It is not too late. I could bring tutors here.”
“After all the trouble you’ve already gone through to get me into prep school and a reserved conditional spot at Sun Zhang? I am. No offense but I want to see more than Apriki. I love you all. But I have to be who I am too.” Yuko smiled as she felt tears building in her eyes.
“Wanderlust and the heart of a warrior. My fierce little dragon.” Hikkaru handed Yuko an origami red dragon.
Hikkaru and Yuko hugged until the ground car arrived.
“This will be a test unlike any other you have faced as a father.” Hideki the elder proclaimed.
“Any advice?” Hikkaru asked.
“Having done this with my two sons and one of my daughters? Just keep in your heart that you have raised her well and that she will be back.” Hideki the Elder answered.
“You are a wise man my old friend.”
“I got that off a fortune cookie.” Hideki laughed.
Academy for Advanced Placement
Student Dorms
New Samarkand
14 September 3064Yuko unpacked the last of her things into the provided space.
Everything was neatly placed.
“New girl.” The voice of a male student came from the doorway.
“You’re in the wrong dorm.” Yuko said flatly.
“So are you, charity case.”
“I see. I expected this. New student hazing or bullying. Predictable.” Yuko rolled her eyes.
“Why you little…”
“A reasonable proposal before you start something. Let us go to the dojo and change into our training gis. They cannot punish anyone for extra sparring.”
“That’s a great idea. See you there in twenty minutes. If you’re not there it’s open season.” The bully suddenly smiled.
“I’ll be there.” Yuko rolled her eyes.
Yuko was confident she got to the dojo first.
She found the office.
“Sensei. Some of the other students expressed an interest in engaging me in some practice sparring. I have everything I need.” Yuko held up her bag, smiling sweetly.
“Cadet Ryukan is it?”
“Hai.”
“All right. I’ll be there shortly to supervise.”
Yuko dashed off and found the locker rooms. She got changed.
As she expected, the reason the boy from before was late was because he had shown up with friends.
"Y-ou b-brought
Friends?" she demanded.
"Not my idea." Hiro said, "trust me, this was
not my idea, and they're my brother's 'friends', not mine."
“This complicates things…” Yuko frowned.
One of the boys cleared his throat, "not if it's
really about helping Hiro get better at his fighting, rather than embarrassing the family with another girl he's manipulated into bed!" the speaker was a large boy with a shaved head, almost ebony skin, and a crooked smile showing ceramic teeth replacements. "He isn't manipulating you, is he?"
“So before in the dorm…” Yuko deepened her frown.
"It's not like that!!" Hiro almost
begged.frantically looking between Yuko, and the large boy who seemed to be the leader. "Im not like that anymore!!"
“You said I was in the wrong dorm and called me a charity case. These others seem to think you have an interest in me.” Yuko shook her head.
"Wait, he
insulted you?" a smaller boy, with a scar running past a white-blind eye who
could be Hiro's twin if not for the obvious damage, spoke up, "Seriously dude? Miss, you want us to teach him a lesson, or you want to do the teaching? I'll have the Gonzales boys keep a look-out either way. My brother seems to have forgotten his heritage and the face of our father."
“Hiro is it? It seems you are under a lot of stress. So I shall forget about before. But if it is true you need help with your fighting I will teach you as my sensei taught me.”
“Who is your sensei?”
“Hatsumi Hideki.” Yuko answered flatly.
The name seemed to have magic. "Now I want to watch this even more." Hiro's scarred brother said. "Hiro, you better pay attention, if she's from
Hideki's school, you're about to get schooled."
Hiro timidly nodded.
"I don't suppose you're offering lessons for guys who didn't insult you, are you?"
“I am willing. I’m new here and I could use a way to get to know people.” Yuko nodded.
"Gonna need mats." the big boy said, "do it properly."
Within a few minutes what had started as a bad first impression had turned into the beginning of an instructional lesson.
"...so, Hiro is your brother…" she fished for a name.
"Ryu. Kamigata Ryu." the scarred boy said, "Mom and dad decided not to make rhyming names when they had twins. I'm the bad one, by the way-ask anyone in the family. Bad choices and…." he gestured to his blinded side, "bad luck. Made up for it with a high pain tolerance by the time I was ten. My twin is…soft."
“The challenge then will be to harden him without making him brittle.”
"Yep. I doubt doing to him what happened to me will be a good method." Ryu agreed amiably.
“I do not have my sensei’s body of experience but I will do my best to use what he taught me to help your brother.”
“You seem rather forgiving.” Hiro peeped up softly.
“It is necessary in my family. For my father does have a certain reputation. A small one to be sure. For the old traditionalists we’re seen as poor fits for nobility. So we must be tolerant and forgiving or risk making too many enemies.” Yuko nodded. “Now let’s see your stance.”
She found her next few hours were busy, correcting stances among seven different boys of different sizes (well, five with different sizes, and Hiro and Ryu).
I have my work cut out for me… Yuko thought to herself.
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