English Dojo Katana Edition

The Clashing Tides Milambit's mind raced. He tried his best to calm his mind. Too frustrated to think. Angry at the fact, his eldest and strongest ally Zero had recently betrayed him. While Sam, now Milambit's strongest ally had just informed him of the bad news. With worst yet to come, Milambit would have to train himself vigorously, both physically and mentally, to overcome this new threat of old age. His strongest enemy's face is now unhidden. He knows whom he has to defeat. Sam must defeat Zero. One wrong move and this stale mate is a checkmate on the opponent's side, of this real-life battlefield, chessboard. For now, nothing is to be done, but train until the upcoming war between Milambit and his greatest foe yet. Milambit awoke, gasping for air. “Just a dream” he repeated to himself. Milambit went to get some water. Dehydrated from tossing and turning in the night, flashes of memories, and imaginative images of what’s to come. He splashed some water in his face, attempting to wake himself. He then grabbed his bag and draped the strap over his shoulder and grabbed his sword and tied it to his waist. He sighed and crossed off a day on his calendar, as he sighed to himself “Another day, another layer through hell.” He walked outside, greeted by his neighbor, hiding his sword as best he could. “mornin’ Mil” his neighbor said. Milambit said as cheerily he could, hiding his emotions back “hey! Neighbor.” His neighbor replied “what’s new for today, Mil sighed back “oh the usual… Well I have to go, see you when I get back.” “Oh, okay then…“semi-cut off by Milambit turning his back and pushing off on his skateboard. Milambit was definitely an odd character, unusual, and he never fit in. He was twentythree years old. Oddly he didn’t have a car, and no job, yet he suspiciously kept a highrent apartment. No one knew how he got his money. That is except for, himself. He stumbled in the dojo, half sigh half muttering to himself “late again.” His old sensei Kiba, dressed oddly and outrageously in a punk outfit, not in formal ninjitsu attire greeted Mil with “Hi, and how’ve you been?” Not caring he was late. Mil said back “well, I’m okay-” Alex slightly cutting him off said “did you bring the sword?” Mil, saying, “Yeah, what’d you want to show me?” “Well, it’s a new technique I figured out. Now strike me.” Milambit shrugging slightly, unsheathed his sword and struck at Kiba effortlessly but effectively, strong enough to cut through a board at very least 4 inches thick. Striking downward at Kiba, his old sensei failed to even flinch as the sword went down about a half inch from his face, a split second from splitting his skull, Kiba grabbed the sword with two fingers and his thumb pulling downward, and dodging the blade, only slightly. Milambit almost fell face forward, if not for his training and skill he would have plummeted toward the ground and fell face first into his blade. Slightly stumbling Mil regained balance and managed to stand. In slight shock Milambit asked, “Ho-how did you do that?” “Simple,” Kiba replied. “You simply grab the point at a certain balance spot, right here.” As he grabbed Milambit’s sword and pointed to a spot near the tip. “Want me to demonstrate again?” Kiba said. With a slight look of fear Milambit said “no thank you, I’m afraid I might slice your skull this time. And anyway-“ Kiba said with a look of shock and slight embarrassment in his face “you think I’d let you do that?” Milambit replied “of course, not because of your skill, but because of your lack

of love towards yourself. You should be thankful. But, let’s cut this conversation short I hear something-“ He stopped abruptly, as he caught a medium sized throwing knife in between his index and middle finger. Tossing it back to whoever threw it, the man dodged it easily and entered the dojo. His ex-wise teacher Zero entered and said “Milambit…” Milambit sensing what was going to happen, understood completely, he told Kiba to go get his wife because she was in danger. A blunt lie, that didn’t phase Kiba. Kiba said “but she’s fine, I don’t see any way at all she’d need help anyway.” Milambit said “fine, to put it bluntly, get out of the dojo, leave and get out of my way, at the moment you’re only a nuisance and can’t do anything to help me. This is based on honor and something I have to do. If I don’t kill Zero now, then he’ll kill you, your wife, friends, our family and me. Don’t forget he’s a ninja with better skill than me. However, if you leave now, he’ll only kill me and be done. So get up, shut up, leave and do it with a smile.” In a split second Kiba stole Mil’s sword and swiped it with the blade end backwards at the back of Milambit’s head, Milambit ducked knowing what was going to happen. He stole back his sword and sighed “do want to leave, dead or alive… because I’ll kill you if I have to… and not on the outside, on the inside. I know your favorite things and I know I’m your friend, if you don’t leave, you’ll never see me again-“ cut off by two more throwing knives almost hitting his face, with a shuriken coming to follow, Milambit got the throwing star with a hole in the middle catching it, in his finger, still spinning hurting his hand badly. He got angry and finally yelled “Kiba get out of this dojo now!” He finally listened and walked out calmly with his hands behind his head, whistling. Then turning his head Kiba said, “Hey mil, if you lose this and die, I’m going to kill you.” With a smirk turning his head back he left, now with his hands in his pocket. Milambit sighed with relief and said, “Well, now that that is over.” Zero smirked at him, knowing he was going to be the one to kill Milambit for planning on going against his new master. He laughed, “Milambit do you honestly think you can beat me?” Milambit laughed back, saying “well, before… No, after my training, no… But now, I’ve got the same odds as flipping a coin.” He pulled a coin out of his pocket, tossed it in the air, ahead of him, and then running full speed at Zero hitting the coin and knocking it on the ground, now cut in half due to the strong, sharp blade passed on to him by his sensei. The coin landed and chimed as the two fighters grunted holding off each other’s attacks. The coin fragments fell, split in half, one half heads, one half tails. They sped at each other attacking in the speed it would seem they almost fought in slow motion, one attack after the other. When in reality, they attacked ten times faster, two strikes here, slipping in a punch or kick, here and there. They were almost equally matched, though Zero had much more experience than Milambit did. They held their swords at a stalemate and Zero slightly grunted, “well, maybe you have trained a little. But sooner or later you’re going to slip, and you’re going to die!” Milambit tried to reply but was slightly distracted and cut off almost literally as Zero’s blade swooped in. Dodging it, Milambit jumped back only to almost be hit by more throwing knives. “What’s up with this guy? Does he carry a bag of these everywhere he goes?” Milambit thought to himself. He dodged one and deflected the other. He then swooped in, with his blade almost going straight through Zero, but Zero dodged, Zero

said “Big mistake!” Mil thinking in that split second “having you as a teacher was my first.” Zero swiped his sword down chopping off Milambit’s left hand. Milambit almost to Zero’s back swooped and spun around to be facing Zero, he struggled saying “GoodBye.” As Zero screamed in pain. Milambit had thrust his sword into Zero’s knee, sticking his leg in one spot, holding his thigh and shin together. Holding his sword there with his only hand, wincing in pain, he said, “is this where you kill me?” Zero stood there, still not even breathing. That’s when Milambit knew that Zero had concentrated hard enough to stop his own heart, a special ninjitsu technique only taught to the highest of ranks, in case they were caught. So they could not spill any information to the enemy. Kiba walked in at an awkward time, he now knew. Milambit still pressing his blade in Zero’s knee, wincing in pain, stained in red. “Uh… I-I forgot m-my keys.” Said Kiba, stuttering in astonishment. “Is this a bad time?” Milambit slightly chuckled, and said roughly “No. Today was just a bad day to wake up.” He coughed up blood realizing Zero wasn’t dead, as he had thought, simply faking. Zero’s blade in his gut, Kiba struck a kunai-throwing knife right between the old Ninja’s eyes. Zero fell backward with a blank expression on his face, now, officially dead, Kiba fell to his back with a slight smile, thinking to himself “so this is it, huh?” saying blankly “I wonder if me and Zero will fight in the after-life.” He laughed; ignoring the terrible pain he was going through and closed his eyes with an odd smile on his face. Kiba woke up, in total shock and amazement, on a hospital bed. He looked around and saw Kiba was absent but his dear wife was there asleep holding his hand, he nudged her awake, saying, “Hey, hey, honey?” she woke up groggy and confused saying “what, what is it?” he said “am I alive?” she said back to him with shock and relief upon her face “yes you’re alive!” doing her best not to hug him, because of his wounds. He then asked, “what day is it?” she said back with a big smile, you’ve been asleep for almost a month now. “Damn it all!” She looked at him with shock, “what’s wrong? You’re alive aren’t you?” he looked back at her with a neutral look, “yeah, but I missed the Martial arts tournament…” he slammed both fists on his bed, “now I have to wait another year!” then an expression of pain passed over his face. He rubbed his left wrist and noticed his hand was back, but extremely sore. “They managed to sew it back on” His wife said with a smile.