Waves Of Courage

It had been 7 days since Kazue’s text message. Unfortunately, crossing borders between regions was troublesome and slow, especially when done legally, so it took Kazue some time to get back, but he finally arrived today.

In this period of time Xion had continued to tend to his mother as best as he could with his dwindling funds. He also visited Saeko a few times, and learned that her own mother had nearly fully recovered, now able to walk on her own two feet with assistance, bringing a smile to his face.

Today was also the final day in Xion’s deadline to answer Akuma’s offer. He’d spent this time pondering whether he could support his mother, as it wasn’t likely that Akuma would pay him to be trained. This thought alone made Tough Buff’s offer that much more tempting. As rough as Buff could be, he was an honest man that Xion felt at least somewhat comfortable around, as opposed to Akuma, even if she was protecting him. However, Xion did not visit Buff during this time for any more advice or input.

Instead, Xion ultimately chose to rely on his best friend’s intuition. If Kazue had miraculously achieved what he set out to do, and became heir of Chūbu’s Daimyo, Tsunami, then he’d know the ins and outs. The livelihood, secrets, powerful techniques, politics, schedules, and everything there was to know about Daimyos.

“Yo!” Kazue casually waved, meeting him just outside the door to Xion’s capsule complex. In Kazue’s hands he carried a large skewer of ikayaki, dripping in soy sauce, and glistening in the summer sunlight. He took a large bite out of the grilled squid.

“Mmmm, so- mmm good!”

Xion grinned, trying to smile, but failing. He was anxious to get to the part where Kazue told him everything, and was ready to slap the ikayaki out of his hands to speed things up.

“So you wanna talk at my place, or you just going to keep staring…?” Kazue asked while chewing.

“That sounds good,” Xion said with relief. “I’m honestly surprised you still have a capsule though, seeing as you haven’t lived there in over a week, and with your trip being a success…” he trailed, hoping Kazue would fill in some more information.

Kazue held out a thumbs up, took another satisfied bite out of his lunch, and walked with Xion cluelessly trailing behind.

Arriving inside, Xion noticed things had changed since the last he’d visited. Actually, everything had changed. Instead of posters on walls, flashy guitars propped up, or all the gaming consoles Kazue accumulated, there was nothing. An entirely empty room devoid of personality with a few crammed boxes containing all these things in the corner.

“I’d say take a seat, but there’s nowhere to sit,” Kazue laughed subtly to himself, placing the half-eaten plate of food down on the floor. “Okay, if I say I’m moving out, will you still look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Believe me, if you like my reactions, you should’ve been here a week ago when I snuck into a weird cult-like club with Saeko, and fought Akuma with a sword.”

“Akuwho?”

“The heir,” Xion said plainly. “That’s her name.”

Kazue laughed once more. “Daaaaaamn! Sounds like I did miss some fun. Did you win?”

“Of course not. She knocked me around, and nearly broke my nose. But I also learned she has secretly been protecting me for the last 3 years, so that was news.” Xion had leaned up against the wall now. “I’ve got a deadline to get back to her today if I want to train with her as well.”

“Damn,” Kazue said again, this time quieter. “Not like you to usually make stuff up. Must’ve really missed me.”

“It’s only made up if your story is,” he sneered back.

“Okay okay!” Kazue pleaded. “You remember my text saying I won?”

“Yeah. I figured that’s why you were moving out, and going to join as Tsunami’s heir in Chūbu.”

“I lied. It’s impossible. Nobody beats Tsunami at his arm wrestling. In fact, I learned that one time he broke his arm, and still beat people who challenged him with that arm.” Kazue sat down cross-legged, then frowned. “That was when I challenged him!”

“What?!” Xion came off the wall.

“It’s true!” Kazue mopped while taking another bite of his food. “He beat me with a broken arm, and still had the sympathy to invite me to a festival of fighting for a chance to become his heir.” At this point his face was entirely stuffed with grilled squid. “It really hurt my self esteem,” he barely managed to say.

“Wait a minute. He invited you to a festival? Why?”

“Something about having a wave of courage to face one’s hurdles,” Kazue tried to say while chewing.

“Dude!” Xion blurted out, unable to contain himself. “That’s freaking awesome! So are you moving all your stuff over there or what?”

“No.”

“No?” Xion said, taking a step closer.

“I’m going back to live with my dad overseas. He asked me to after my mom passed.”

“So you’re just…giving up?” That excitement from earlier had left him completely.

“Xion I can’t fight. Yeah, I might pretend I’m the toughest shit around, but what am I going to do against a bunch of other people that want it as much as I do? Some of them are going to be more talented and intelligent, and that’s enough to tell me not to try. It’s sad, but true man.”

The room had taken on an entirely new depressing mood.

“What was the point of going there then? Just to let your anger out, and feel bad about yourself?” Xion spoke up with a hint of anger.

“I’d rather just go to him now, then go home embarrassed after losing,” Kazue frowned.

“Don’t tell me it was your dad that convinced you not to try.”

“You have someone to come home to, and I don’t, ‘kay? I just want that feeling back, regardless if it was his idea or not.”

Finally Xion snapped. He walked forward and squatted down in front of his friend, meeting him face to face.

“I care about you too. Don’t forget that.”
“Yeah, well-” Kazue looked away, and was cut off.

“If your father cared, he would be here. I’ve never seen him once in all the times we’ve hung out, and your mother was sick for as long as I could remember. You’re telling me he never found time to come to Japan once?”

“He’s busy, I dunno.” Kazue shrugged. “Overseas stuff…but he still messages me sometimes.”

“Sometimes…” Xion sighed.

“Look man. I don’t want to leave either, it just seems like the right move. I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

“There’s another move you could consider.”

“Huuuh?” Kazue gawked back at him.

“Kazue, what if I told you there was someone that could teach you how to fight?” Xion smiled back.

“Even if that was true, I would have to be back in Chūbu in a week. It took me an entire week to get here with quarantining in a small room, and passport evaluation, which means not enough time for training and gaining.” Kazue crossed his arms. “I appreciate the enthusiasm though.”

“You’re right. It wouldn’t be enough time for any ordinary teacher.” Xion stood up, and paced around the room while thinking. “But I just so happen to have a way of guaranteeing you the best of the best.”

Xion stood in the middle of the room, and presented his fist at Kazue from afar, mimicking an old poster from Kazue’s favorite manga, “Metsuke By Day, Musician By Night.”

“Will you draw your sword as carefully as you strum the strings on your violin, Metsuke?” Xion quoted from the poster, lowering his voice to match the villain that spoke the phrase.

Kazue pressed his hand against his face.

“You want me to grab the poster for you? It’s right behind me in the box.”

“I want you to tell me if you want to try.” Xion replied, returning to his normal tone.

“How sure are you that your teacher will even want to take part? I mean, at such short notice, it feels like a waste.”

“You’ll just have to trust me,” Xion said plainly. “I could take you to him right now.”

“Then let’s go before I change my mind, and if he says no, then you owe me more ikayaki!”

“Deal!”

The two fist bumped to seal the deal, and Xion took them to Tough Buff’s.

“No,” Buff said to Xion’s face. “I’m not coaching him.”

The two stood next to each other inside the home, while Kazue stood at the bottom of the stairs, where he was now bending down to pet Buff’s approaching tabby cat named Pudding.

Buff turned to look through the concealed peephole in his closed door, observing Kazue, and watching as the cat hissed, causing Kazue to back off.

“Do I look like some kind of charity organization to you?” Buff said as he returned his attention to Xion.

“Just give him a chance.” Xion had wanted to snarkily say yes, referring to how Saeko was given a job with him out of goodwill, his cat was a stray, and his entire occupation was to reunite Japan’s trade routes. That kind of comment would have only provoked Buff.

“Absolutely not. That boy looks like he can barely stand on his own two feet by himself, and all that apparel’s style looks like he’s got a bad attitude. I hate bad attitudes…” he said with a groan.

“Kazue isn’t a bad guy, otherwise I wouldn’t have asked,” Xion pleaded, adding, “he’s got a good heart.”

“And I’ve got a bad heart, which means no freebies.”

“This isn’t a freebie. It’s for a chance to help someone become an heir, doesn’t that mean something to you?”

“That kind of position won’t do anybody any good, and you shouldn’t encourage him.”

“What about your brother? He’s a Daimyo, right? Did you not support him?” Xion returned with questions.

“My brother’s circumstances were different. Now, if that’s all you came here for, you’re better off just leaving.”

“Fine” Xion half-heartedly said, fumming. He left, slamming the sliding door, and stomping down the steps.

Pudding scattered off as Xion came down.

“So, more food for me then, right?” Kazue said eagerly.

Xion reached into his pocket, and retrieved the red coin, given to him by Akuma at Daydream. He then flung it at Buff’s door with a thudding clank as it hit the floor afterwards.

“Bro! Relax, this isn’t that big of a deal” Kazue tried to say, but Xion’s actions had already been set in motion.

The door slid open, revealing the tall imposing figure. Buff looked down to spot the red coin, picking it up, and looking back at Xion.

“If you coach him, I'll abandon the idea of working with Akuma,” Xion said without hesitation.

Kazue between his friend and Buff, frantically trying to find the words to reply.

“W-woah hold on! You don’t have to do that, or anything! I don’t need a coach, really!”

Buff pocketed the coin.

“He didn’t mean that, honestly, don’t believe what he-”

“What’s your name, kid?” Buff asked.

“K-Kazue sir!” Kazue spat out quickly.

“You ever bled before?”

“I did during this fight in middle school with a bully, but other than that-”

“Cool. At least you aren’t a wimp then. You wanna learn how to fight properly?” Buff asked with sincerity.

“Of course sir! I’d be excited to!”

“We’ll start in about two hours then. I’m going to need some time to dig out the equipment, and give everything a fresh cleaning. I’ll also have to plan out the essential lessons too, given our short time frame to prepare.”

“T-Thank you sir!” Kazue yelled out as he bowed.

“You can thank your friend there for convincing me. It was about time I found a student to learn my methods anyways.” He turned around to enter his home. “Why don’t you both come inside? Saeko is downstairs- hmm actually, she’s been there for a while now. Said she’s been working on something.”

“Of course sir! We’ll come on in!” Kazue yelled once more, running up to join.

“Just call me Buff, kid, and stop yelling.”

Xion grinned from ear to ear. Following Buff down the stairs to the basement, Kazue was gittering with excitement.

Once they had arrived, Xion was surprised to find Buff presenting an emotion he’d never seen on the man before. In a mixture of surprise and awe, Buff looked across the freshly cleaned room, and open space.

No longer a maze of rusted parts, the floor contained a few shelving units with neatly assorted categories. Springs were gathered together, gears of the same size stacked, and car parts were organized with small holographic name tags listing exact details.

“Saeko…” Buff slowly said, turning around to fully take in the view.

She then sprung out of a pile of tires in the far corner, startling Kazue and Xion.

“Sounds like you’re impressed!” she giggled. “You did say I was grounded, so I finally had the time to clean up your mess.”

“My mess, please. I knew where everything was.” Buff chuckled. “I will admit though that this will make getting to things much easier.”

He stepped forward towards the desk next to the lockers where he kept Saeko’s usual gear, surprised to find that she’d even cleaned the growing cobwebs, and dusty championship portrait.

While he did this, Saeko approached Kazue.

“I was going to tell you I was bringing Kazue, but everything happened last minute,” Xion smiled.

“Oh that’s okay. I figured he’d be back eventually,” Saeko laughed.

“What’s this about being grounded huh?” he smirked at her.

She slammed her foot down onto Kazue’s toes, causing him to jump back.

“OUCH! Hey what the hell was that for!?”

“Next time talk to someone before you leave,” she said with irritation.

“I didn’t know you’d be worried so much!” Kazue hissed back.

“Worried? I-” she quickly held up a fist, motioning to punch Kazue.

“Boys and girls, I know we’re all excited, but could we settle down for just a minute here. I think I might try and set up the old ring here if you all would be interested in helping me. Got more than enough space now.”

“What ring?” Kazue asked as Buff was scanning the room.

“The final boxing ring I ever fought in. When I retired, the MegaMomo boxing committee insisted I bring it home. It’s traditional, so without the new barrier tech they use now, but that’s what should make it easy to set up.”

“That’s so sweet! What was your record?”

“Undefeated.”

Kazue was stunned, and Saeko and Xion laughed.

With the retrieval of several bags of equipment, containing ring posts, ropes, and the ring mat itself, production of the boxing ring began. With little to no experience between the four, the setup was rather tricky. Tightening strings, straightening boards, hammering, tieing, and hoping things didn’t fall apart. It took them the rest of the day to reach completion, but it was well worth the effort.

“It’s just like I remembered.” Buff stood in the center, surrounded by colored ropes stretching all four directions around him. He jumped a few times to get a feel for the support beams and springs beneath.

“You look just like I remember too!” Saeko added, sliding in alongside Buff.

“I’m not getting any younger, and my body is augmented to pieces. So what could you possibly mean?”

“Smiling,” she said, and gave him a hug.

“Don’t do that while the boys are watching or they’ll look down on both of us,” Buff grumbled, though Saeko didn’t relent in the slightest.

Afterwards, he looked outside the ring.

“Alright then kid, how about you get in here and take a few practice swings at me, and I can evaluate just what kind of form you got.”

“Yo! You serious?” Kazue tilted his head.

“Yeah, I am. Sooner we get started, the better," Buff replied.

“Aren’t we gonna use some kind of protective equipment? What if I punch you? Then you’ll get really pissed at me!”

“You won’t hit me, don’t worry,” Buff tried to say calmly.

“Why does that sound like a threat when you say it?” Kazue said while sliding into the ring.

They each squared up, while Xion and Saeko watched closely on the outside.

“So just swing?” Kazue asked nervously.

“Like you’re trying to knock the stuffing out of me.” Buff’s mechanical eye looked Kazue up and down, emitting a faint noise each time.

Kazue’s right arm propelled forward then, connecting with Buff’s chin, knocking the man backwards into the ropes. The mechanical eye swirled around.

“OH MAN!” Kazue shrieked. The audience in attendance also gasped.

Shaking off the blow, Buff cracked his neck, and stabilized his eye.

“Not bad. My reactions aren’t what they used to be. Bet my punches are still tough though!”

Buff charged forward, swinging his arms wildly as Kazue ducked beneath him with ease, yelling as he did so.

This process would continue for the next week to come. With trial and error, Buff would hopefully shape Kazue’s schedule. He would make him sweat, even through his birthday, teaching him to become accustomed to useful instincts regarding dodging and punching, and how not to expend his energy all at once.

Kazue’s reasonable excuse of time also proved to be faulty, as Buff would soon explain after the session.

“Since my brother is a Daimyo,” Kazue audibly gasped as he heard this, “he has access to pardoning passes, which allow the holder and his or her party to travel a region without restraint. Chūbu is applicable if that ruling Daimyo allows pardoning passes in general, which Tsunami does as far as I recall. This means we can train as long as we need,” Donburi said

Saeko glared at him afterwards.

“Hey why haven’t we used those before? It would make our tradework so much easier.”

“Probably would draw too much attention if you used them too many times, just like people tend to be shady around foreigners anyways,” Xion told her, although she was still upset.

Deep down, things felt good. Kazue had met someone that gave him a chance at the upcoming festival of fighting. Although Buff assumed it wouldn’t revolve around boxing, the training would still pay off, even if they could only get about a week’s worth in. The small conditioning and techniques would provide the essentials.

In a week they would travel to Chūbu.

However, Xion could not help but wonder if he had made the right choice. Seemingly days ago, there was an overwhelming presence, knowing someone stalked him daily, but tonight was different.

Was Akuma still out there watching? Was she disappointed?

Had Xion cast away his only chance to reach out, and grasp his own destiny?

These would be the thoughts that kept him up throughout the night, and as his mind played tricks on him, imagining the shadows in his room, and outside, were from his silent guardian, Akuma, Kitsune’s heir.