Spirit Unbreakable

Riumi stood by the classroom door watching his fellow students filtering from the rooms, all with the same goal in mind, lunch. Matsumoto-sensei had other plans in mind for Riumi and when his classroom was empty he gestured for Riumi to enter. Riumi did so, standing uncomfortably in front of Matsumoto’s desk.

“Is this a game to you?” Matsumoto-sensei asked. His back was turned away from Riumi as he cleared the wall screen in preparation for his next class.

“No, Sensei,” Riumi replied. He was actually feeling regret for his earlier actions now, especially since Matsumoto-sensei was not yelling at him, but instead sounded disappointed. Riumi hated that.

“You’re bored aren’t you?” Matsumoto said as he finally turned around and rested his hands firmly on his desk. Riumi looked down at the older man with surprise and didn’t know how to respond.

“You do realize that I do look at the work you produce, regardless that every assignment I give out is late. Your papers are brilliant, Takahashi. But I’m afraid that I, along with the other teachers in this school, can’t give you the challenge you need. I’ve talked to your other teachers, Takahashi. They all say the same thing, you’re smart, you do the work but you act out. We want to try a solution that will make us both happy.”

Riumi was quite alarmed at how astute Matsumoto-sensei was. He hadn’t really thought that anyone understood him, even in a small degree. He shifted uncomfortably and finally asked the question that Matsumoto-sensei was waiting for. “What solution?”

“We’ll challenge you, but only if you will behave yourself and come to school every day, no more skipping classes.”

Riumi sighed and nodded, it was what Ayumi wanted him to do, so he had to at least try. Matsumoto-sensei seemed satisfied with that and Riumi made to leave.

“You know, I always find it amazing that, for as quiet as you are, Takahashi, you always seem to cause so much trouble. I look forward to the change.” Riumi turned back with a pause and watched Matsumoto-sensei for a few seconds then he turned from the room. I think I’ll enjoy this change as much as he will, he thought as he ambled down the hallway and out into the school yard. Finding a tree near the edge of the school grounds where he hoped that no one would bother him, he sat and stared into his lunch.

Hiroshi found him not long after he sat down and joined him. Nobuo and Wakako were with him and they both leaned against the tree while Hiroshi talked.

“So what did Matsumoto-sensei want? You sure caused a stir this morning. I bet he punished you pretty severely, neh?”

Riumi sighed. “Something like that.”

Wakako wasn’t satisfied with that answer and instead she came nearer to Riumi flirtingly. “Need some company through whatever atrocity you have to suffer?” she asked grabbing Riumi’s arm and smiling at him coyly. Nobuo looked annoyed, but said nothing. Riumi knew he had liked Wakako and he was pretty sure Wakako knew as well. He figured it was the reason that Wakako flirted so openly with others when he was around. She never acted like this when he wasn’t.

“It’s nothing serious,” Riumi said brushing Wakako off and started to eat.

“So you’ll still be able to come to the Kendo Club after school?” Hiroshi asked.

Riumi had the distinct feeling that Hiroshi had bets going and turned to him with a glare. “What exactly are you planning, Hiroshi-san?”

“Nothing,” he replied causing a giggle to come from Wakako. “Well nothing you have to worry about, Riumi-san.”

“I’d be careful, Riumi-san, he’s invited the freshman to come watch. I’m sure he has some scheme cooked up, he always does,” Wakako replied.

“I will be there Hiroshi-san,” Riumi said. His three classmates talked around him, he began tuning them out just as he heard something that made him frown, and made his classmates turn in the direction of the chain link fence beside them.

“Arashi-san!” Riumi heard Mikomi shout. He had forgotten that she went to the elementary school next to his. He suddenly regretted sitting here for lunch. His classmates looked from the little girl, to Riumi, and back again, and then they laughed. Riumi averted his gaze slightly as Mikomi reached the top of the fence. Her school uniform consisted of a short skirt; like every girl was required to wear and Mikomi seemed oblivious to that fact that everyone could see her underwear. She landed quite deftly onto the ground next to the tree. Riumi sighed.

“Arashi-san?” Hiroshi said laughing. “That is so perfect. I can’t believe we didn’t think of it first. Who is the little runt, Riumi? Your parents’ real daughter?”

“Her name is Tsunagari Mikomi. She seems to find it fun to pester me. She’s an orphan, from the same shelter that I lived in.” He offered the information in hopes that they wouldn’t tease Mikomi about her rather revealing entrance.

“Does that mean we can start calling you Arashi-san too?” Wakako asked giggling. Riumi just glared at her. Her giggles subsided when Mikomi, finally collected, came closer to the group.

“Konnichi wa, Riumi-san,” Mikomi said. She stood with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

“Hello, Mikomi-chan. What are you doing over here?” Riumi asked.

“Oh well I –” she stopped when she finally noticed the three other people that surrounded her, and she blushed, realizing what they had just witnessed. Riumi stared at her uncomfortably. She had her hair up in two tight buns, with a comb sticking out of either one. The combs didn’t match, which was a habit of Mikomi’s. She was wearing her uniform, but she had made some modifications. She had told Riumi a while ago that she hated looking like everyone else. She wanted to stand out, like she thought Riumi did. Riumi figured that it was his white hair and grey eyes that made Mikomi like him so much. He had never told her that, had he lived in North America or Europe, he wouldn’t stand out, because he figured it would probably make Mikomi upset.

“You better get back to your school, Mikomi-chan, they’ll start wondering where you are soon,” Riumi said. This seemed to bring Mikomi’s composure back and she smiled at Riumi and bowed to his friends.

“I’m Tsunagari Mikomi,” she said. “It’s very nice to meet Riumi-san’s friends. Maybe you can come up the mountain with us sometime.” She let out a yelp when Riumi pinched her, a frown on his face. She turned red again.

“I think it’s time for you to go, Mikomi-chan,” Riumi replied and this time Mikomi didn’t protest, but instead gave another low bow and turned around to leave. Riumi’s breath caught in his throat as she retreated, but he tried to look unperturbed. Mikomi, embarrassed about her earlier entrance started to run parallel to the fence, her hand brushing the fence as she went causing an odd sound to ring in the air as she left. When Mikomi was finally out of sight his friends descended on him.

“I’ve never seen that side of you, Riumi-san,” Wakako said. She was pawing at his uniform jacket trying to elicit the attention of Nobuo once again.

“It must be wonderful having babies fawning over you,” Hiroshi put in.

“I think it’s nice that you spend time with her. She seems to admire you a lot,” Nobuo said to everyone’s surprise. He just shrugged at their shock. The bell rang and the group said their short farewells as they all headed back into school for their next class. Riumi stared on the direction that Mikomi had left. He would have to see her today, and for some reason that thought didn’t bother him. After how hard he tried to rid himself of her, he couldn’t believe that she may be his first clue to his past. He strode back into class with these thoughts on his mind. The end of today couldn’t come fast enough.

When the final bell rang, and everyone piled out of the classrooms, Riumi hung back and waited until it had cleared. He was biding as much time as he could before he went to Kendo Club. He wasn’t looking forward to the crowd he was sure Hiroshi had gathered. He could only imagine what his classmate had in mind; he was sure there was money involved. With a reluctant sigh, he pushed away from his desk and headed to the dojo that housed the Kendo Club. He could hear the crowd before he saw it and it did not encourage his mood. Ignoring the gaggle of girls, he went inside and quickly changed into his gear. Riumi saw the captain grinning. Teichou always knew that when there was a crowd of people, Riumi was coming. It almost made Riumi not want to come at all. He hated that grin. It was always satisfying at least to use his bokken to wipe it off his face.

Riumi stepped out into the large room and bowed to Teichou. Teichou bowed back and Riumi took his place with the rest of the club’s members who seemed less happy to see Riumi. Riumi knew why. He had a reputation in here, a good one. One that Hiroshi was planning on taking advantage of. Hiroshi placed bets on Riumi’s matches with those new to the school, those who didn’t know how good the foreign student was at Kendo. Riumi could beat anyone he fought against in no more than five moves. This undeniable truth was what caused the discomfort of his other teammates. Nobody in the school had beaten Riumi and he was planning on keeping it that way.

Teichou organized the exercises and Riumi went through them methodically. He had done these so many times on his own that his reactions came reflexively. His movements were fluid.

When Teichou called for sparring practice, Riumi ambled to an empty corner of the room and sat down. He wasn’t about to make Hiroshi’s efforts easy. He closed his eyes and began meditating, ignoring the noise from the spars that were proceeding. He could almost feel the eyes on him and suddenly his skin prickled with unease. He opened them and let his gaze drift over the crowd. Most of the students that were gathered were watching the matches, but a few had their gaze on Riumi. They, however, quickly averted their attention when they saw Riumi match their gaze, until only one person was left staring at the white haired foreigner, Mikomi. She looked so small among the mass of older students. She was being pushed roughly around, but was trying to ignore it. When she realized she had Riumi’s attention, she waved and gave him a big smile. Riumi sighed, but reminded himself that he was glad Mikomi hadn’t left right after school. There was something he needed to talk to her about; the sooner the better. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to confront the little girl he stood up and strode in her direction. Teichou did not miss the movement.

“Riumi-san, care to join us?” Teichou asked.

Riumi pinched his lips at being caught and walked to the centre of the practice mats. He might as well get it over with; the crowd would dissipate faster that way. He took his stance at one side of the mat and waited for Teichou to decide his opponent. The other club members all shifted uncomfortably as Teichou scanned their ranks. Finally reaching a decision, he pointed at Kazuhiko. Kazuhiko looked more confident than Riumi had expected. He had fought Kazuhiko numerous times before and had always been the victor. He must think I’ve lost my touch being away from school for so long. Riumi grinned; this was going to be fun. It was always better to fight an opponent who had confidence in his ability. Kazuhiko was very good at Kendo, one of the best at this school, but not better than Riumi.

Riumi and Kazuhiko bowed to each other and the match began. Kaz hesitated momentarily, wary of Riumi. Riumi engaged him, counting his moves as he went. One, two, three and it was over, Kazuhiko was beaten. Kaz withdrew with a bow and smiled.

“Your form is unbeatable, Riumi-san,” Kaz said.

Riumi looked at him uncomfortably. “No one’s form is unbeatable, Kazuhiko-san.” Riumi bowed to Kaz and headed for the side of the room. He was listening to the chatter and astonishment that the onlookers made. He wasn’t surprised the match had been short. Riumi could see Hiroshi in the midst of the chatter, beaming. I’ve got to stop letting him make money off of me, Riumi thought. He quickly turned his attention away from Hiroshi.

Teichou was gesturing to Riumi and so Riumi moved over toward his captain.

“Sorry for all the spectators, Teichou-san. I wasn’t planning on staying long. I’m sure once I leave, you will have your peace restored,” Riumi said.

“Just one more match before you go, Riumi-san, against me. I’m eager to see how much my skills have improved,” Teichou replied.

“Of course, Teichou-san, I would be honoured,” Riumi said.

“Why do I always get the feeling that you are humouring us with your modesty?” Teichou mumbled as they both headed to opposite ends of the mat.

Maybe I am, Riumi thought, it’s not like there would be any point to being superior about my skills. They all know it and so do I. Nothing needs to be said. I like action, not words.

Kazuhiko signalled the start of the match. It was over in five moves. Teichou seemed to be pleased with this, as did Riumi.

“You’re getting better, Teichou-san,” Riumi said.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks so,” Teichou replied.

“I look forward to further matches with you,” Riumi said, “I think I am done for today, however.”

“Take care, Riumi-san,” Teichou said as Riumi bowed respectively and disappeared into the changing room.

Mikomi was waiting for him when he emerged. Riumi had been expecting it, and so, wasn’t surprised when she tried to sneak up on him.

“How did you like the matches, Mikomi-chan?” Riumi asked as Mikomi emerged from a nearby bush and was about to yell at Riumi. The question startled her and she ended up running into him when he stopped moving and turned around.

“How did you know I was there?” Mikomi asked.

“You are always there, Chiisai,” Riumi replied.

“Stop calling me that,” Mikomi said. She puffed her cheeks to emphasize her displeasure at the nickname.

“When you stop calling me Arashi-san, I’ll stop calling you Chiisai,” he replied.

“You’re no fun,” Mikomi said. She deflated as she spoke and leaned against the nearby wall.

“I never said I was,” Riumi said and reached over Mikomi’s head and plucked out one of the combs she had put securely into her hair bun. Mikomi yelled in protest and tried to grab it out of Riumi’s hand before he held it above his head and well out of her reach.

“Hey, leave that alone. You ruined my hair. Give that back,” Mikomi said. She attempted to gain back her comb with a pathetic jump, nearly toppling over when she landed.

“Where did you get this, Mikomi-chan?” Riumi asked. He was examining the comb lowering it closer to his face as he spoke. This caused Mikomi to stop striving after the comb.

“It’s mine, that’s all you need to know,” Mikomi replied. Riumi brushed his hand over the hand painted comb. It looked expensive. Like something that came from Kazurasei in the Gion district.

“Did you steal this Mikomi-chan?” Riumi asked.

Mikomi looked hurt. “Of course I didn’t. Do you really think I would do something like that?”

Riumi looked at her, she was fighting back tears, but he did not soften. “Then where did you get this?”

“I found it, up in the forest, when I was following you. Someone must have lost it,” Mikomi replied.

In the forest? Who would wear something like this up there? Riumi puzzled over this for a moment and handed the comb back to Mikomi. She snatched it from his grasp and started putting it back in her hair.

“Do you know what is painted on there, Mikomi-chan?” Riumi asked.

“It’s a dragon,” Mikomi said rolling her eyes at Riumi like he had asked the most obvious question ever.

“Really?” Riumi said and fell into silence. Mikomi hesitated. She pulled the comb back out of her hair and looked at the painting on the front. It was done in bronzes, and was, in fact, a western-style dragon.

“What do you see?” Mikomi asked. She traced her finger around the painted dragon.

“What I see?” Riumi paused and thought for a moment. I see a figment from my broken memories. “The wings on that dragon are backwards.” But since you found it in the woods this leads to another dead end.

Mikomi examined the comb intently and her eyes widened in surprise. “They are! I never noticed that before. Well that was a stupid mistake on the artist’s part.”

“It wasn’t a mistake. I wish you wouldn’t have found it in the forest,” Riumi said. He ran the two sentences together as though they matched.

“Not a mistake? What do you mean you wish I never found it? Does this mean something to you, Riumi-san?” Mikomi asked.

Riumi looked at her and sighed, wishing he had not said as much as he had out loud. “It does mean something to me, or it could have meant something. It could have led me to someone that it meant something to.”

Mikomi arched her brow at his comment. “Can I have some directions to that sentence?”

Riumi sighed again. “I’ve seen that dragon with the backwards wings before. I was hoping someone could tell me more about it.”

“Well why not just ask the artist?” Mikomi asked.

“Because you found it in the woods. I have no way of knowing where that comb came from.”

“Yes you can. Just look on the back,” Mikomi said shoving the comb into Riumi’s face. Riumi looked down at the comb.

“Aacron?” He read.

“A monk,” Mikomi said, “we just have to go to Sanzen-in Temple and talk to him.” Mikomi was pointing at the nearly illegible scrawl below the name that read Sanzen-in.

“In Ohara?” Riumi said. He felt hope for the first time in his life. He had a lead. “Wait, did you say we?”

Mikomi looked up at him grinning. “It’s my comb. You are not taking it there without me. Besides if I had never picked it up, you would never have seen it, and would never have thought to go to Sanzen-in Temple and talk to this monk, Aacron. Besides, it means a lot to you, and I want to help you find whatever it is you are searching for.”

“I would rather go alone, Mikomi-chan. It’s not something I really feel like sharing with anyone else.”

“I’m not letting you go without me,” Mikomi said stubbornly, her face was rigid and she stamped her foot in emphasis.

“All right, Mikomi-chan. You can come, on one condition,” Riumi said.

“Anything,” Mikomi replied. She was shoving the comb back in her hair as she spoke.

“Don’t ask why.”

Riumi began to wander away, leaving Mikomi holding the comb halfway back into her hair. She looked after him with a glad heart. Despite the fact that he didn’t want her to know why, she was going and it was just a matter of time until Riumi told her everything. She was good at wearing away at his stoic façade.