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Skittle Sama
Most Exalted Supreme Admin. Posts: 302 (11/17/01 4:49 pm) Reply |
My Time, My Treasured Tournament Why is it that I hardly see any fics out there that pertain to poor Iori-kun? He's so adorable? Snd squishy! Why no writings? Well that's changing now. Ya, know it's really amazing what you'll come up with in your head for a story when you're sittin' there in Chem. Class bored? Dejimon & all related Characters (c) Toei Animation of Japan. I never thought this day would come. A highschool student now, I'm dealing with so many surreptitious situations. It's strange how I can't comprehend why I bring this all on myself. It's alot like reading Greek. I don't think I will ever understand. "No one is ever truly alone. Just as each rock bears the mark of the countless winds and waters, we all contain echoes of the people who have mattered in our lives." Someone said that to me long ago and I suppose it managed to bury itself deep into my psyche. Life's pretty ironic like that; When I was young, I never understood that even though I did my best to make myself understand the meaning, but now that I have experienced the loss that I have, I understand clearly now. When I was younger, I used to open myself up and cry out my pain, blindly believing that that was the way to handle stress, looks like I had been wrong for so many years. And as I looked down into that dark hole in the ground, I shivered. To be honest, I'm not sure if that was from the slight wind chill blowing the speckled white lace over my face that covered the ground beneath me or I was trying not to shed tears. I'm too grown up for that. It's what he would've wanted afterall ... My mother looked at me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Iori-chan ... ? O genki desu 'ka ... ?", she asked, seemingly a choked sigh in her throat. "Hai, Mother I'm fine.", came my reply. It sounded cold to me as I bet it did to her as well. "You know it's really not your fault what happened, you couldn't help it ... he was getting on in his age, Iori. Don't blame yourself ...", my mother paused, "I know that you drove us here, but would you like to drive us home? I'll go warm up the car ... ?". I shook my head. "Don't wait for me ... I'm walking home ...", I spoke softly. She solemnly nodded and proceeded towards the car by the sidewalk. By now everyone had left. I looked down. "I guess it's just you and me, huh Grandpa ... ?", there came no answer. "I know it's been at least a good 4 years since I've called you 'Grandpa' ...Do you miss that name ... ?". I sat down in the snow, reading the stone over and over and over, looking up once in awhile to look at the snow still falling from the mid day sky, remembering what had happened ... I moved backwards, quickly evading his swift and agile attacks. I was almost beginning to lose my grip on my weapon due to the fact that my palms had become sweaty from my training. Between the loud clack of my kendo stick against my grandfather's, it had become hard for me to concentrate. "Ryu-kyah!" "Iori-kun! You strike like angry python today!", Funny there was a grin on his face as he held up his kendo stick in a defensive stance towards me. I just backed away and bowed to him. "I'm sorry, Grandfather." I had stopped addressing him as "Grandpa" when I turned about when I turned the age of 13. And that was 4 years ago. I felt the term "Grandpa" was lacking in the respect that he deserved. Not only as my grandfather, but as my kendo sensei as well. At once I felt a jutting pain hurl itself across the nape of my neck. My body ruggedly hit the floor of the matted dojo. Sweat streaked down from my temple as my eyes cringed. Grandfather looked down at me, his kendo stick horizontally placed across my adam's apple of my neck. "Never trust your opponent, Iori. Never let your guard down, even for a second. Or when your opponent strikes you will not be able to sense and anticipate their move. In which case, you will lose." My eyes widened as I looked up at him in surprise, catching my breath that he had so easily knocked out of my body. "Yes, sensei.", I replied asking for permission to once again rise to my feet. "I will remember that next time." I brushed myself off, running a hand through my hair, wiping the sweat beads that had collected. "You remind me so much of your father, Iori ...", he said turning his back to me to look at my father's picture over the mantle of the dojo, "Especially now that you've grown older and your voice has changed ... you remind me so much of him." I bowed my head. "I wish I could have had the chance to know him.". I took a moment to look longingly over the hearth to study his portrait. Grandfather put a hand on my shoulder, "Hai, I'm sure he's saying the same thing about you, Iori ..." "Grandpa! Iori-chan! Come down here! Your dinner's ready! Stop the training and hurry up before it gets cold!". "We'll be right down, Mother!", I raised my voice which echoed back to her deep in the heart of downstairs. My mother had always been a good cook. My favorite snack was her infamous chocolate rice balls. She told me that they were my father's favorite snack too. Grandfather too, even before I was born. I guess being raised on them kind of runs in the family. Or maybe my gene pool just has good taste. Grandfather looked over across at me, he didn't have to look down at me anymore. "Smells like sushi tonight." I sniffed the light aroma that danced in the air. He was right. The aroma of the sushi was pretty appealing, in fact, it was mouth-watering. We walked downstairs and took our seats at the table. Mother turned around at us with a smirk. "It's about time you two came down. Grandpa it's not right for you to hole Iori-chan up there all day long! It's not normal for a boy his age! He should be out with his friends, not up in that stuffy dojo all day training.". Grandfather glanced at her oddly. "Iori's learned everything that I can possibly teach him. He's probably the only 17 year old kendo master in Japan! The boy has talent. I think he should pursue it. It makes him happy!" "Well, either way, I'm not about to argue about it. So eat up, men." I smirked in reply to her statement. She used to address us to the table as "boys" when I was younger, but I was much older now, and out of the wild blue yonder I came down one day and she said, "Dig in, men. Enjoy." "Yes, Iori-kun. You'll need your strength.", Grandfather piped in over the dinner conversation. "Why's that?", I questioned, pinching a sushi roll between my chopsticks and shoveling it into my mouth hungrily. Mother laughed. "I guess it's true. 'The bigger they get, the more they eat.'" Grandfather pointed a finger at me as I sipped my drink, washing down my food. "... Because you'll need it for the tournament." Both eyebrows curled in befuddlement when I spoke. "What tournament?" "The National Japanese Kendo Association's Masters' Tournament." I almost choked on my fish. "The what!? You can't enter me in that tournament, Grandfather! There are so many people who participate in that tournament from all over Japan! And they're much better than I ever could be. I don't stand a chance." "Ahh, Iori-kun ... One who does not try becomes automatic failure from the start.", he said. "Why do you think I've been training you so hard these past few weeks? Your aim and your skills have improved immensely. You have a chance, but first you have to have a little faith and believe that you can achieve your goals." "Well then, I accept. That's fine I guess. Seeing as it's a school vacation. I have the entire time to train myself. That is of course, with Grandfather's help. I can't do it without him ... I couldn't go on without his advice." He nodded at me agreeing with my statement. "Hai, Iori-kun. I'll always be here to help you in any way I can.", he covered his mouth and coughed considerably, turning away from the food upon the table. It was then that Mother looked up at Grandfather and patted him on the back. "Grandpa? You alright?", she hesitated as he began to regain control of his disturbing hacking and breathe normally again, "Here. I'll get your medication." He slammed his hand on the table. "Damn it all, I don't need any medication, I'm as health as I ever was!". Frankly, his reaction startled me a bit. I mean, I wasn't exactly expecting it. "Grandpa, you're 96 years old! When are you going to realize that you're not Iori-chan's age and begin to act like an adult?", I wasn't sure if that was insult to myself, though I don't think Mother would indirectly insult me on purpose. Lately, they'd been fighting over this same conversation over and over again at every dinner we sat down to. Mother was right, as much it pains me to admit this to Grandfather, but he was seemingly getting on in his years. However, I like that he and I can connect on the same level. Grandfather has adapted and accepted that I am growing older, unfortunately my Mother still refers to me an "Iori-chan". Grandfather contracted a virus a few weeks ago. From what the doctor told us, he had contracted a minor case of the flu. He had had pneumonia last year and that had taken a permanent toll on his immune system. So now to keep himself healthy to fight off viruses, even small cold viruses, he had to depend on perscription medication. I stood and placed my plate into the sink, washing away the bits of food, cleaning it to a shine. "May I be excused, Mother?", I asked blinking unemotively, "It's getting late and I'd like to turn in early." Grandfather studied me for a minute. "If that is what you wish, Iori-kun, then you may be excused from the table." I nodded. "Oh and Iori-kun? Be up in the morning. I need you to run an errand for me." I awoke to the faint sound of knocking on my door. "Iori-kun, sameru! Remember that errand I wanted you to do for me this morning?" I didn't really want to get up. I was tired, but I didn't want to upset Grandfather. So with that I rubbed my eyes and got up from my bed on the floor, openning the door. "Hai, Ojii-san. Let me get myself ready, alright? I'll be right down ..." he nodded, "It's already 7:30am." I closed the door as he walked away. "How can he stand getting up this early every morning. Is that normal or something?", I said under my breath grabbing towels as I head off towards to the bathroom to take a morning shower. After I was done, I tossed the towels onto what was dubbed in the household as "The Dirty Rack" and walked downstairs. "Ohayo, Mother ... Grandfather." Mother turned around handing me an apple trying to spit clean my face. I flinched at her, but I guess my Mother didn't understand it's meaning. "Iori-chan! Did you even wash your face? And your hair is still wet! Go dry it off before you catch a cold! Hayai!" Grandfather just sighed as I looked at him for a little bit of support. "He's not 6 years old. Let him take of himself!" Inside I let out a sigh of relief, then looked at the apple before taking a bite. "Arigato, Mother." She just smiled. "Iori, I want you to go pick up some things at the store for me ...", came Grandfather's voice until my Mother sputtered into the conversation, "... And pick up your Grandfather's medication at the drug store, douzo?" I chuckled a little, trying to keep it down when Grandfather pouted. He's just like a kid when it comes to taking medication. We always teased him for that. I snatched my backpack and hauled it over my shoulder. "Iori-chan?", I turned around just long enough for Mother to toss the car keys into my hand. "No thank you, Mother. It's not that far ... I'll just walk." It was a black backpack with a large strap that laid over one of my shoulders and kept the bag right at my side. It had a hole in the corner of it, but I couldn't bear to part with it. Grandfather said that it used to be Dad's. "I'll be back later ... ", I said shutting the door. As I shut the door and began to walk, feeling the crunch of snow underneath my feet on the sidewalk. It was then that I remembered that I had my Compact Disc player in my bag, so I dug through it as I continued, searching for a good song to listen to. Cars bustled by at their regular pace, zooming around in the city streets as pedestrians crossed the busy crosswalks of intersections and roadways. The pharmacy wasn't far from here and I figured if I just walked there I could pick everything up at the same place. I notied after I left the house that Mother had stuck a grocery list onto the back of my apple. "Torikki, Mother.", I said aloud to myself. "Let's see, Milk, Bread, Chicken, Grandfather's medication ... I think this'll be no problem." I walked into the store and grabbed my needed items, then walked up to the counter to pay. Pulling my black wallet from my back pocket, I paid the man the yen that I owed him and proceeded to leave. The small bell on the door rang as I left the store and thanked the man for his assistance. My head shot up at the brick building across the street. "Huh? That building used to be vacant ... when did that old place get bought out?" My curiosity led the way over across the roadway to investigate as I put the food into my side pack. When I approached I noticed signs on the wall and a flyer pull reading "Take One!", on the side of it. When I did, I studied the paper for a moment before smiling. "Grandfather, why you wily old ... you knew I had to come this way to go home. U bet you didn't need anything at the store at all!", I mumbled into silence. The flyer was for the National Japanese Kendo Associations' Masters' Tournament. "But why would they put up a flyer on a vacant building?", I asked myself. I peered into the window covered in symbols and red writings. "A store ... ? But it looks empty ...", I jiggled the handle and to my surprise, I was able to walk right into the building. They'd kept this building locked for ages! The bell rang just like at the pharmacy, so I was able to assure myself that somebody was in there. "Hello ... ? Anyone in here?", I questioned aloud. I didn't see anybody ... all I saw were shelves and cabinets shined and cleaned with polished equipment on each one. Out of the blue something happened that I never would have expected in a million years. "Aaaaow! What was that?!", I barked out loudly. Something had given me quite a whack on the back. I whipped myself around. "Konnichi'ha, Raihin-san!" I was bowed to gracefully in respect. "If that's how you treat all of your customers, you must not get very many ... !", I quoted, irritated. She had whacked me on the back with a kendo stick. I massaged it carefully, decreasing the pain sensation. "You should have attacked back!", came the quick-witted retort. I just grumbled. "Why come into this store if you're not a kendo master preparing for the tournament on Wednesday!?", she whacked me again and I grit my teeth. "Will you cut that out, already?!" "You're nothing but a bad amateur. I knew it.", came a sarcastic, provoking response. At that moment, a man stepped into the room and behind the counter. "Asuka! Quit bugging the customers! You know how hard it is to get returning customers when everytime somebody walks into the store, you hit them with the equipment?" She turned her back, taking her weapong and twirling it boringly, eluding her attention from the man behind the counter and myself, which was just as well. "Gomen Nasai, sir. She doesn't mean any harm, really. Welcome to Butoku Equipment Shoppe, is there anything that I can help you with?" I paused. "I didn't even know there was anyone here.", I replied. "We're a quiet little shoppe. Don't get alot of customers, unless they're entering a tournament or in-training." My head tilted. "You're ... a kendo shoppe?", I asked inqusitively. "Hai, sir. You're entering the tournament?" "Hai." "You'd better have better reflexes in the dojo arena then you do here ...", Asuka sneered from the side of the room, practicing her stances. "This'll be the third year that Asuka's entered in the tournament. She's very good at her training, but she's been training even harder this year even though she won the last tournament ..." Now I'm not sure about you, but that sounded odd to me. "Why is she training so much harder, when she's already confident that she can win again this year?" He shook his head. "Don't you know? For the winner of the tournament this year, they will have the chance to fight the greatest kendo master that lives. They call him a fierce warrior and the most courageous fighter in all of Japan." Asuka turned her head and spoke lowly, "... And I will defeat him, take his title, and return a victor ..." "Well, thank you for your time and it was nice meeting you, but I must get home. My Mother and my Grandfather are probably wondering what is taking me so long. You woudn't mind if I came back to look at the equipment someday would you?", I asked. "Lie! Or course, you're welcome any time that you wish. Thank you for coming by." I turned to leave and turned around quickly in an instant grabbing the kendo stick that was about to whack my back once more, catching Asuka off guard. "Don't let your guard down ...". I walked out. I'll do Chapter 2 sometime in the future ^^ I haven't finished it yet ^^''' --Skittle Sama --Skittle "You know what I pray for? I pray for the strength to change what I can, the inability to change what I can't, and the incapacity to tell the difference." --Trent |
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EmperorConstantine
 Posts: 1604 (11/17/01 7:32 pm) Reply |
Re: My Time, My Treasured Tournament
Truly excellent, Skittle-sama.......
Heh....."Infamous rice balls"......those actually kinda sound good....... I once saw, in a dream.... |
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