Rinako growled irritably when the shining beams of sunlight broke
through the slight gaps in of the mild brown curtains. With a
perturbed sigh, the leader of the CBL pulled herself up into a sitting
position and rubbed her eyes.
“What...time is it?” Rinako mumbled.
“It’s 8.20, Rinako. You missed breakfast too.”
Rinako looked to her side sharply to see her innocent younger sister,
Minato, folding up her casual wear on her bed. That pulled Rinako out
of the dryer. She was in her dorm room, the room she shared with her
sister.
Rinako felt her stomach growl. “Oh...I missed breakfast, huh? Why
didn’t you wake me?”
Minato put her clothes in her pine wood wardrobe next to her bed, and
smiled lightly at her older sister. “You were tired, Rinako. Late
night?”
Rinako looked away and scowled. “I had to defend our crown, Minato.
The 23rd? You remember what that means?”
Minato tried to ignore her sister’s sarcasm, and pulled out a brush
from the drawer next to her nightstand. Sitting on her bed, Minato
placed the pink hairbrush at the back of her head, and gently brought
it down, smoothing out a waterfall of golden blonde hair. Minato
usually had her long hair tied into a braided ponytail, but for once
she fancied a change and decided to have it loose and free
“It means you were fighting again.” Minato said. “I guess I know where
that cut came from.”
Rinako looked down to the side of her arm, and took a gander at the
slight cut she had gotten last night in her battle with Ayane. For
some reason, Ayane’s skills were increasing these days. Even though
Rinako won the fight...it wasn’t as easy as she had expected it to be.
But that was to be expected. Both Rinako and Ayane practiced the art
of Rai shou en ken. They were probably two of the strongest martial
artists in Tokyo.
“That damn Ayane did it. Gets harder and harder to whip that girl’s
ass.” Rinako said.
Minato looked honestly at her sister. “Then maybe you should stop
trying.”
Rinako’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Now finished with brushing her hair, Minato placed the hairbrush on
her nightstand once again, and smoothed out her school uniform. Brown
blazer and tie, with a russet coloured short skirt. Practical,
but...boring. Didn’t match the atmosphere of the school, that’s for
sure.
“Nothing, Rinako. Nothing at all. I’m going to meet up with Shizuka
and go shopping after school. Do you want to come with us?”
Rinako smiled. Minato was always like that. Trying to get Rinako to
enjoy herself. That wasn’t Rinako’s game though. The amethyst-haired
girl was very dedicated to the Cross Blade Lancers. In fact, her gang
soaked up a lot of her time. Only schoolwork came close in importance.
If Rinako wasn’t training to master her Rai shou en ken skills, she
was putting up with weekend detentions for some mid class trash talk
with Ayane.
“No, it’s okay, Minato. You go have fun. I’ve got some stuff to take
care of. Besides, I have a date with Keiji that I need to get ready
for.”
Minato smiled a downcast smile. It just didn’t feel right without
Rinako around. With a single wave and a quick goodbye, Minato made her
way over to the door and left their dorm room. Rinako felt a little
twinge of guilt inside herself for turning down Minato’s offer. She
was extremely protective of her younger sister, and Rinako didn’t want
Minato to be sad over anything. But that was also the reason Rinako
had to keep her training up. Minato wasn’t like her. She wasn’t a
martial artist at all. In fact, Minato resented the fact that her
family practiced the banned skill of Rai shou en ken. Minato was also
a neutral in the Cross Blade Lancer-Spring Breeze Assassin war. That
made her vulnerable to everyone. But since she was Rinako’s sister,
Minato had an invisible shield of protection around her. Unless they
wanted a broken neck, nobody would dare to lay a finger on Minato.
That still didn’t stop Rinako from worrying though. Nothing could stop
Rinako from worrying about her sister.
Growling again from moving her sore muscles, Rinako slowly ploughed
out of her seemingly comfy bed, and ambled over to her wardrobe. Then
a knock came at the door.
“Come in!” Rinako yelled.
The creaky door opened slowly, letting in a cool breeze of air and the
sound of the other girls in the school getting ready for class. And as
quickly as it came, the yells and jeers ended as the door snapped
shut. Rinako looked over her shoulder to see who it was.
Rinako smiled tiredly. “...Hey, Mishizu.”
Mishizu smiled. “Good morning...I...” The second in command of the CBL
blushed a strong crimson and cast her eyes upon the floor after she
took a look at Rinako.
And Rinako noticed the odd behaviour. “What’s up?”
Mishizu tried not to stare at Rinako’s... “Um...do you think...you
could put some clothes on?”
Rinako looked confused for a second, then looked across at Minato’s
vanity mirror to inspect herself. She was clad in nothing more that
her bra and panties.
“Heh, heh, heh. Sorry ‘bout that. Just gimme a couple seconds to get
changed.”
Ten minutes later, Rinako had her school uniform on and gathered a few
books together for her first class. It was chemistry, which was
notoriously Rinako’s worst subject. But she couldn’t flunk this class,
if she did, then Rinako might have to go to an all-summer course.
Which would mean that her whole holiday was blown. Mishizu herself was
a whiz at chemistry. She had even offered to tutor Rinako at the
lesson for a while. Mishizu always offered to do these little things
for Rinako. That was one of the reasons she made Mishizu her second in
command. Next to Minato, Mishizu was Rinako’s best friend. But it was
somehow strange to envision Mishizu as a martial artist, let alone a
member of Cross Blade Lancers.
Mishizu was the very epiphany of a model student. At the age of 17,
she was already a beautiful young woman, adorned by both men and
woman. Poised, articulate and intelligent, Mishizu held her fair share
of respect in Tomeishuu High. But where Rinako was more outgoing and
loud, Mishizu was quite and observant. Many times, Rinako had said
that Mishizu would be a better leader to the CBL because she had much
more self-control, but the aquamarine-haired beauty would not hear of
it. To Rinako, that was just a trait of a loyal friend, but to
Mishizu, it meant something slightly deeper.
Rinako took a seat next to Mishizu on Minato’s bed. “You’re quiet
today, even for you.” Rinako said. “Anything wrong?”
Mishizu crossed her arms. “I am fine. It’s you I’m worried about. You
took it to Ayane very well last night...but...”
Rinako knew what her friend was stepping on. “But it was a lot more
difficult for me than usual? Yeah, I know. But I don’t wanna waste
words on *her*. Screw Ayane. I just need to step up my training.”
“That’s just like you.” Mishizu smiled and gently placed her hand on
Rinako’s cheek. “You work too hard.”
Rinako’s smile matched Mishizu’s mild one. “But I have you and Minato
and all my friends around me. That’s all I need.”
Mishizu nodded. Despite the rumours, the Cross Blade Lancers were
really close knit. And as much as Rinako didn’t believe in it, she was
a model leader. The Cross Blade Lancers looked up to her in every
particular. The brown-eyed martial artist had won the favour of many
at Tomeishuu. Even her enemies had a grudging respect for Rinako. How
couldn’t you?
Rinako (To great effect) was an extraordinary young woman. As a
fighter, there were very few she could call her equal. Rinako had been
training in Rai shou en ken since she was 14. Her skills had developed
at an enormous rate since then, and day by day, Rinako seemed to grow
stronger. And as a woman, Rinako was the perfect picture of a woman.
Regardless of her fighting lineage, her body was as voluptuous and
tantalizing as any other crafted by God’s hand. Long, silky amethyst
purple hair cascading over an elfin-like face, adorned by two
sparkling hazelnut eyes. Very little could describe the kind of beauty
that Rinako possessed. It was no wonder that so many people sought
after her heart...
“I know.” Mishizu said. “But...we need to plan a strike back at the
Spring Breeze Assassins.”
Rinako scowled hatefully. “Anything to throw that damn Ayane of her
high horse. She’s such a pompous idiot.”
Mishizu reluctantly pulled her hand away from Rinako’s soft cheek.
“Ayane is just as powerful as you.”
Rinako nodded. She didn’t want to tread on old ground but Mishizu was
right. About that. Ayane was just as powerful as Rinako was. Though
Rinako had beaten Ayane enough times in the past, the gap between
their fighting powers was minimal. And Ayane also used the power of
‘Rai shou en ken’ just as well. They were the only two people in all
of Japan that still practiced the art.
Rinako stood up and strolled over to the window. “I’ll finish her off
once and for all, Mishizu. Nothing’ll take the control of Tomeishuu
away from the Cross Blade Lancers. You have my word on that.”
Mishizu smirked and closed her eyes. “You’ve always been so confident.
That is probably one of the reasons why the CBL follow you so
devoutly. It makes sense, considering.”
Rinako swerved around from the window to face Mishizu. “That’s just
‘cause they need a strong leader.” Rinako’s demeanour suddenly became
intense when she added, “I always wonder if...I deserve loyalty. I’m I
really strong enough? Am I strong at all?”
Mishizu’s eyes narrowed. “Of course you are. I’ve *never* been able to
keep up with you. How can you doubt your own power?”
“...But...”
Mishizu cut Rinako off. “No ‘buts’ Rinako. You’re the only one who can
lead the Cross Blade Lancers. It’s up to you now. Don’t doubt the
faith that we all place in you.”
A bright smile returned to Rinako’s lips. Mishizu was always able to
say the right things to cheer her up. “Thanks, Mishizu.”
**********
Ayane scowled irritably as she sat cross-armed on her chair in history
class. She was in a bad mood for three reasons. One, because she lost
to Rinako, two, because history was her least favorite subject, and
three, because she had to put up with that miserably ‘blah’ school
uniform. Things just couldn’t be getting any worse for Ayane. Still,
she counted herself lucky that she didn’t have any lessons with Rinako
today. The last thing Ayane needed was to see *her*, and then to have
to put up with Rinako gloating about her win.
The class was just getting ready to start, so people were still
chatting amongst themselves and talking about the weekend to come. It
was Friday, so everybody got to have some free time to themselves.
Ayane herself didn’t really feel like doing anything special. Aside
from training or schoolwork, Ayane had very little in her life. Mostly
because she wasn’t the most sociable person around, and partly because
nothing in the world seemed to excite her anymore. Unless she was
fighting with Rinako. Ayane hated to admit it, but she really felt
alive when she did battle with her nemesis. She could see it in
Rinako’s eyes too. Nothing was more exciting than to have your skills
tested by an equal.
Ayane grimaced when her arm tensed up. Nothing was more painful than a
fight with Rinako Ikatsuji either.
Just as Ayane settled down, Izumi walked into the History class and
took a seat be the desk next to Ayane’s.
“Hey, Ayane. How is your arm feeling?” Izumi asked curiously.
Ayane’s jaw clenched. “I’ll live.”
“Yeah, well,” Izumi started, placing her book bag on her desk. “We
really need to get back at the CBL and that loser, Rinako. A lot of
the crew were expecting you to win against her yesterday and I guess a
few people are starting to doubt you.”
Ayane’s gold eyes tinted with a quiet anger. “Who?”
Izumi held a finger to her chin in calm thought. “Um...lets
see...Konoko, Motoki, Mitsuri and a couple others. The rest of as shut
them up pretty quick, but I think Konoko was talking about getting
your position as leader. She thinks she can take on Rinako with ease.”
Ayane smiled briefly. She was aware of Konoko’s skill, and Ayane knew
one thing. That Konoko wouldn’t last five seconds in a fight with
Rinako. “Izumi...”
The girl in question stared at her friend. “Yes?”
“Tell Konoko that she’s free to take on Rinako. And when she looses,
remind her not to cross me. Okay?”
Izumi nodded. “Sure. She’s a newbie anyways. They always think they
can shake the world. But she’ll learn. So, you wanna come out with me
and the rest of the girls tonight? We’re headed to Shinjuku to pick up
some guys.”
Ayane looked away. She had absolutely no interest in men. Not that she
didn’t have her fair share of admirers, though. In spite of her cold
nature and haughty attitude, Ayane was extremely beautiful. With cloud
white hair coming down to the base of her neck, striking gold eyes and
an athletically feminine body, no man of any rational sense could
resist her. Unfortunately for them, Ayane had a very blunt distaste
for males. Unless they were offering her a decent challenge in battle,
Ayane felt as though she had no time for them. In truth, Ayane had
very little time for relationships in general.
Especially after what happened with her last lover...
“Sorry, I don’t think I’ll be coming.” Ayane said.
Izumi frowned for emphasis of her disappointment. “What? Come on,
Ayane. You never get out enough. Why don’t you let down your hair for
a bit and,” Izumi sniggered at the thought, “Find yourself someone to
snuggle with?”
Ayane leaned backwards. “I don’t need someone to ‘snuggle’ with.
Everyone chooses their own path and I chose mine. And I follow it,
alone.”
Izumi smirked at Ayane. “Well, I guess I can’t convince you. If you
getting that deep on me, then I know you you’re serious. Anyway, I
guess I need to concentrate on history, huh? Such a boring lesson.”
“You find all lessons boring, Izumi.” Ayane said.
Izumi laughed. “Yeah, I do! But what do you expect? Kami-sama put me
on this earth to be a martial artist not a...schoolgirl!”
Ayane let a small smile grace her lips. Though she had a seemingly
stone heart, she really did just want to be as happy as anyone else.
Izumi was always so bright and cheerful. It was a healthy transition
though. At times, all Ayane wanted to do was laugh. No matter how
powerful the gold-eyed leader became, the smile on Izumi’s face would
always rival it. How she yearned to be able to smile like that.
Just then, Izumi and Ayane’s history teacher walked into the class
with his briefcase in tow, and the rest of the class settled down in
their seats to get ready for the lesson.
The teacher cleared his throat before speaking. “Okay class, we shall
start today’s lesson from were we left off last time. But before we
start,” The teacher looked over to Ayane’s desk in the far corner.
“Miss Yosukube.”
Ayane blinked. “Yes?”
“There is a message for you at the front office. I’ve been told to
tell you that. You had better go see what it’s about. If it drags on,
I’ll give you the notes from our class later on.”
Ayane nodded and clutched her book bag. “Thank you, I’ll see to it.”
After giving a brief goodbye to Izumi, Ayane made her way from her
history class to the front office. The leader of the SBA couldn’t help
but wonder what the message was about. She had never gotten something
like this before. And she was sure she wasn’t in trouble, if she had
been, the headmaster of Tomeishuu High would have asked to speak to
her personally. Even though the faculty had no idea about the gang
wars that were abound in Tomeishuu, they were extremely strict.
Ayane quickly reached the main office, passing by a few stragglers who
were late for class, then walked over to the front desk.
Ayane spoke out to the receptionist who was currently filling out some
forms. “Excuse me, there’s a message for me?”
The receptionist looked up at Ayane. “Name?”
“Ayane Yosukube.”
That name rang a bell in the receptionist’s head. “Ah yes. There’s
somebody on the phone for you, she said it was urgent. If it’s not an
emergency can you please tell this person that we don’t like pulling
our students from class like this?”
Ayane sweatdropped. “Uh...sure. Who is it?”
“A woman called Natsumi Yakume.”
The gold eyes of the Spring Breeze Assassin leader couldn’t have
gotten any wider. Natsumi? After all this time?
“Can I speak to her?” Ayane asked.
The receptionist nodded. “Uh huh. We put her on hold for the moment,
just use that phone right over there.”
Ayane quickly picked the phone that the receptionist pointed to, and
waited to get in contact with her old friend, Natsumi. Ayane could not
believe it. She hadn’t spoken to Natsumi in years. Ever since
the...old days...
“Hello? Natsumi? Is it really you? What are you doing now? Are
you...really. I see. That is great. Are you sure though? Your father
said-...that important, eh? No problem. I will get ready for you. Take
care...bye.”
Ayane placed the receiver down on its cradle. She couldn’t believe it.
Natsumi had told her that she was transferring from her school to
Tomeishuu in around two days. It was incredible. Ayane had known
Natsumi for quite some time, long before she founded the Spring Breeze
Assassins. But Ayane moved to Tokyo whereas Natsumi stayed in Osaka.
Mostly because she had to look after the Yakume shrine. Now she was
finally coming to Tokyo.
**********
Later on that day, after school at around 5.00, Minato left Tomeishuu
to go shopping with her friend, Shizuka. The two had been close
friends for quite some time, ever since Minato and Rinako had
transferred to Tomeishuu high. Of course, Shizuka didn’t actually go
to Tomeishuu; she went to a neighbouring school, but the two always
found time for each other on the weekends.
The two girls were currently at their local mall, just to do some
light shopping and get something to eat. Tomeishuu high may have had
the finest teachers in Japan but the food was terrible. Quite the odd
amalgamation.
Minato and Shizuka laughed cheerfully as they went about the mall with
a ton of bags from various stores and the endurance to keep going till
midnight. Minato always loved these fun times. It was just a shame
that Rinako didn’t feel like joining her. All that Rinako seemed to
want to do was to tear Ayane and the Spring Breeze Assassins apart.
Shizuka took notice of Minato’s slight drop in mood. “Are you okay,
Minato?”
Minato nodded slowly. “I guess. I just wish Rinako would come along
with us. She never finds the time to...”
Shizuka understood what Minato was going through. “She never finds the
time to be with you? Is that it?”
Minato could only nod sadly. Sighing, Shizuka placed her arm around
her best friend in an effort to cheer her up. “Come on, Minato. It’s
okay. Rinako’s just really busy, I guess. It’s not that she *doesn’t*
wanna hang out with you, she just can’t. And from what you’ve told me,
it must be really hard for her. With all that war business going on.
She has to struggle with all of that. It can’t be easy for her.”
“Yeah.” Minato said quietly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll buy her
something, at least. That way Rinako won’t feel bad for missing out on
the day.”
Shizuka pulled her hand away. “That’s it! We’ll have enough fun for
the three of us! Plus, I think there is a nice little ramen place on
the second floor. We might as well check it out, eh?”
Minato smiled. “Sure! Lets go!”
Just as the two were about find an escalator that led to the second
floor, a voice called out to them. “Hey! Minato!”
Both Minato and Shizuka turned around to see who was calling Minato
out, and then Minato’s crystal blue eyes adjusted to the man who was a
few metres behind the two of them. Rinako’s younger sister realized
who it was. It was Keiji.
Minato waved happily. “Hey Keiji!”
Shizuka looked confusingly at her friend. “Who the heck is he?”
“That’s my sister’s boyfriend, Keiji Aoba. He’s really nice, I’ll
introduce you if you want.”
The young man known as Keiji walked up to Minato and Shizuka, and
smiled happily. It had been a while since he had last spoken to
Minato.
“Hey, Minato! How are things? You doing okay?” Keiji asked.
Minato nodded. “Hi Keiji. I’m doing just fine.” The blonde pointed to
Shizuka. “By the way, this is my friend, Shizuka Ikidu.”
Keiji briefly shook Shizuka’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Back at you.” Shizuka responded.
Keiji brought his attentions back to Minato. “So how’s Rinako? I
didn’t get a chance to see her last night. Everything okay?”
“...” Minato thought for a second before answering. Rinako had always
told her that Keiji was best not knowing about the business going down
in Tomeishuu. It would just worry him. Minato didn’t like lying about
stuff like this, but at the same time, Minato didn’t want Keiji
worrying over nothing.
Minato tightened her grip on her bags. “Um...Rinako’s fine, she just
got...a little caught up with her schoolwork so she couldn’t sneak out
to see you. Don’t worry about her. She’s just looking forward to the
date you guys are having to night.”
Keiji breathed a sigh of relief. His girlfriend was okay. For some
reason, he always found himself worrying about Rinako. He was
seriously thinking about taking their relationship to the next level.
“Yeah, I am too. I just came down to buy some flowers for her. She
seemed a little pre-occupied last time I spoke to her. Now I want to
do something to cheer her up.”
“Ohhh! That so sweet, Keiji! I know Rinako will be happy to see you.”
Minato said.
Keiji chuckled lightly. “I hope so. Well, I’ll catch you guys later,
okay?”
With a small wave, Keiji walked over to a florist at the other side of
the mall. Shizuka couldn’t help but feel jealous of Rinako after
meeting Keiji. What would it take for her to hook up with a sensitive
guy like that?
“I can’t believe that guy is so nice.” Shizuka said. “Why can’t I find
somebody like that? Sheez!”
“That special someone always comes, Shizuka. It’s just a matter of
waiting until they do...I guess I’m just waiting for my special
someone now, too...”
**********
Mishizu walked down the halls of Tomeishuu in silence. It was after
school and a Friday, so most of the girls had go out to enjoy
themselves in the city. Most expected Mishizu to do the same, but she
wasn’t interested in socializing herself as much as the others. Her
dejection was different from Rinako and Ayane’s though. They were
preoccupied with fighting and training, while Mishizu just wanted to
expand her learning curve. Schoolwork was a guilty pleasure. And as
much as it frightened the others, Mishizu enjoyed classes. Mishizu
didn’t want to go back to the dorms though, so she decided to head off
to the library. At least this way, she could get on with her studying
without any interruptions. While walking through the quiet, Victorian
style halls of the school, Mishizu’s eyes caught sight of a Spring
Breeze Assassin.
Izumi, to be precise.
Izumi also noticed that Mishizu was walking her way, and the two
stared each other off in contempt.
Izumi then smirked and placed a hand on her waist. “Well, if isn’t
Rinako’s lapdog, the Good Student. How’s it going, Mishizu?”
“What do you want, Izumi?” Mishizu asked angrily.
“Want? Why Mishizu, I’m insulted. You really think I want something
from you?”
Mishizu clutched her fist. She may have been a bookworm, but was also
a master of Yakagi-style karate. Mishizu could deliver her fair share
of the pain. “If you looking for a fight, Izumi, you are welcome to
one. But not here.”
Izumi frowned. “I told you, I’m just passing by. I’m not really in the
mood to kick your ass today. Maybe tomorrow.”
Ayane’s second in command walked passed a silent Mishizu, and just as
they passed each other, Izumi breathed out one last bit of hostility.
“Did you really think she could see anything in you?”
Mishizu gasped, and Izumi continued to walk away growling out low
chuckles. She couldn’t believe it...did...did Izumi know? Izumi
continued to chuckle to herself, until she turned a corner into a
second passageway. The navy haired girl then slumped on the wall and
breathed heavily, clutching her fists tightly with every second
thought about Mishizu...
{You fool, Izumi.} She thought, reprimanding herself. {You fool!}
**********
Rinako breathed in cold night air as she waited outside of a large
restaurant for Keiji. It was around 9.00 in the evening, and although
curfew was at 11.00, she was sure that she could sneak back into
Tomeishuu pretty much undetected. That was another benefit of being in
the CBL. They had their way of getting around everything. But was
really bothering her was the cold. It was freezing cold to be out in
the open like this. Rinako had chosen to wear a white Chinese style
dress, a pair of high heels and her finest hoop earrings. Not usually
the type to make such fashion choices, Rinako was now regretting her
choice of attire. If she had ANY idea of how cold it would have been,
Rinako swore she would have brought a coat.
Luckily, Rinako had to wait no longer, as Keiji’s car pulled up in the
parking lot across from the restaurant.
Rinako smiled. “Took you long enough, Keiji.”
After locking the door to his ride, Keiji walked across the road
towards Rinako, brandishing a fine bouquet of freshly cut white lilies
and a perky smile. Keiji walked up to his girlfriend and gave her a
sweet peck on the cheek.
“Good to see you, Rinako. I’ve kinda been missing you these past few
days.” Keiji said.
Rinako gently sniffed the lilies and smiled. She could never smell
flowers. Still, they were pretty. And they came from Keiji. That was
what mattered most. After taking the flowers into her hand, Rinako
beamed a seductive smile at Keiji.
“Thanks Keiji...these are really nice. You’re always so sweet to me.”
Keiji blushed faintly and ran his hand over Rinako’s milky soft cheek.
“Nothing on this earth could rival or contend with the beauty you
hold, Rinako.”
Rinako stuck her tongue out at Keiji. “You’re too nice! Make me wonder
how I found you, Keiji. Now lets get inside, I’m freezing out here.”
Keiji took Rinako’s arm into her own. “Lets do it.”
**********
The following day, Minato sighed irritably when she awoke from a deep
sleep by Rinako’s alarm. Dragging herself up into a sitting position,
Minato’s eyes adjusted to the morning sunlight. It was a Saturday,
that was one thing to be thankful for, plus, she and Shizuka had the
time of their lives yesterday. However, part of Minato felt lazy
today. She just wanted to go back to sleep and rest up for a little
while. But there was one, tiny little problem...
Ever since Minato had been hassled by a few Spring Breeze Assassin
newbies, Rinako had been on at her to learn a little in the way of
self-defence. Minato despised Rai shou en ken with a passion, but that
didn’t matter to Rinako. Her older sister was very dedicated to the
art, and wanted to use its power to protect Minato.
Needless to say, Minato was not thrilled about being taught how to
fight, but...at least this way she got a chance to spend sometime with
Rinako. Sister to sister.
Heaving herself out of her bed, Minato and tiredly dragged herself
towards her vanity mirror, and looked herself over. She was in her
pasty white nightdress, nothing fancy at all. Then Minato caught sight
of a set of lilies in a small jug on Rinako’s nightstand.
{Probably from Keiji.} Minato thought.
Minato couldn’t help but sigh at that. Keiji was a really nice guy,
very much so. But Minato just felt...like she should have her special
someone too. Minato herself was nothing to sneeze at. Long, golden
blonde hair, shimmering blue eyes, cute body. Everything an attractive
woman was made of. But why didn’t she have her knight in shinning
armour? Why didn’t she have someone like Keiji to hold her? Not once
since the moment of her birth, had Minato been jealous of her sister.
But for the first time, Minato resented not having something that
Rinako had.
Someone to love.
**********
“Okay, I’m here Rinako. Lets get this over with.” Minato said.
The two were in a small Gym on the outside of the school. It had been
abandoned since there had been talk of it being haunted, but Rinako
knew better. She regularly used this place to train herself into
becoming stronger. And now, it was Minato’s turn.
Rinako grinned eagerly at Minato. They were both wearing the twin Gi’s
that their father, Gendo Ikatsuji, had given them. But whereas Rinako
felt like a million bucks, Minato felt like a total idiot.
“Do I have to wear this?” Minato said. “I feel like a fool.”
Rinako frowned. “Don’t be silly. That’s a traditional fighting Gi. You
should be proud that you’re wearing something like that. Not many have
done so. Not even that damn Ayane.”
Minato rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to have to hear you bad mouth
Ayane for this whole thing am I?”
“Forget her!” Rinako said. “I could care less about that overbearing,
snobbish loser. Screw her to hell.”
Minako blinked. She had to admit it, but Rinako was really hateful
towards Ayane. Much more than Ayane was to her. But Minato had
absolutely no idea why. They had always disliked each other, but
Rinako hated Ayane with a passion. At no other time was Rinako angrier
then when she was speaking of Ayane.
Minato figured the conversation should move elsewhere. “So...what’s
first? You going to teach me how to break rocks in two?”
Rinako pushed herself away from thoughts of Ayane enough to laugh at
that. “You watch too much anime, Minato. The smashing of public
property, as cool as it may look, is a reflection of the power within
the soul. It’s not the move that counts, but the soul of the person
using it.”
Minato crossed her arms. “Don’t tell me my sister’s going to go all
Guru-style on me.”
“Ha, ha, ha! You’re safe, Minato. I’m just repeating the same things
Dad used to tell me. Before, I used to think his words were a load of
junk. But know I what he meant. And it’s high time you learned a few
things.”
“About Rai shou en ken?” Minato asked.
“About yourself. You’ll often find that when you’re practicing the
art, you’ll discover tiny little pieces of your soul that you never
knew about. Then when you place them all together, you’ll find the
truth of your soul.”
Minato sweatdropped. “Um...that’s really profound. So, what did you
find then?”
Rinako looked away sharply. Every time she thought about that it
drilled inside her. And it wouldn’t go away. Because was true...
“I didn’t like what I found out.” Rinako said. “I’m trying to find
ways around it.”
Minato looked curiously at her sister. “Rinako...?”
Rinako shook her head. “No. No it’s fine, sis. Let’s get started.”
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