• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

‘Have you heard the announcement?’ said Saburo, bursting into the room.

Jack and Yori shook their heads.

‘Akiko, Emi and Takuan have been selected as the riders to represent our school at the forthcoming Yabusame competition.’

‘Great,’ mumbled Jack to himself, putting down his writing brush. ‘Takuan will be spending even more time with Akiko.’

‘I don’t know what you’re complaining about,’ retorted Saburo, suddenly defensive. ‘You spend most of your time training with my brother!’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘You should hear yourself at breakfast. Taro this. Taro that. I’m sick to death of hearing about how great he is!’

‘Sorry,’ said Jack, shocked by his friend’s sudden outburst. ‘I didn’t know you were… jealous.’

Saburo gave a tired shake of the head. ‘My apologies, Jack. It’s what I have to put up with from my parents. Taro’s done this and he’s achieved that. When are you going to do something worthy of a samurai, Saburo? I’m tired of having to measure up to my brother all the time.’

‘You shouldn’t worry about that. You need to stop comparing yourself to your brother and have your own ambitions,’ said Jack. He spotted Yori silently laughing at hearing his own advice being repeated. ‘Taro may be skilful with two swords but, if I’m honest, he can be a bit dull. It’s all he ever goes on about. He’s not funny like you.’

‘Thanks’ said Saburo, the smile returning to his face as he picked up a discarded haiku. ‘What’s this? I thought you hated writing haiku.’

‘Give it back!’ said Jack, panicking that Saburo might read the poem and guess it was for Akiko.

He snatched the paper from Saburo’s hands, pushing his friend out of the way so he could gather up the rest of the haiku. Saburo stumbled backwards, accidently stamping on Yori’s foot in the process. Yori let out a sharp cry.

The singing bowl pinged.

Jack and Saburo stared in amazement at Yori and then at the bowl.

‘I did it,’ whispered Yori in awe of himself. ‘I really did it.’

‘It’s certainly a hive of warrior activity in here,’ commented Kazuki, poking his head through the doorway. ‘Are we in the girls’ corridor? Squabbles, poetry and a kiai only a moth would be scared of. We’d better watch out, boys, they’ll be asking us to join their flower-arranging class next!’

Hiroto, Goro and Nobu burst into laughter before carrying on down the corridor to their rooms. Insulted, Jack and Saburo ran to the door. But unable to think of a suitable comeback to Kazuki’s abuse, they could only glare after them.

Yori remained where he was, transfixed by the bowl still humming away.

29

THE FRIAR

Akiko’s defence crumpled under Masamoto’s onslaught.

Having already lost her wakizashi to an Autumn Leaf strike, she valiantly tried to sustain her attack. But Masamoto’s skill was unassailable. He drove forward, knocking Akiko’s katana from her grasp and bringing his sword down upon her head. In a fit of apparent insanity, Akiko slammed her hands together either side of the sword.

There was a gasp of utter astonishment from the Two Heavens students standing down one side of the Hall of the Phoenix.

Akiko had caught Masamoto’s blade with her bare hands!

‘Not the recommended defence for a samurai,’ said Masamoto, strangely unfazed by Akiko’s miraculous skill. ‘You could easily lose your fingers.’

Akiko let go, suddenly self-conscious of her feat. She picked up her swords and rejoined Jack in line. Jack couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed. Blocking a sword like that was a technique far beyond their samurai training. But before he could question Akiko, Masamoto summoned him on to the floor. Immediately the training duel began.

Jack struggled to defend himself against Masamoto’s double sword attack. Blocking the cut to his head with his wakizashi, Jack thrust his katana in a counterstrike at his guardian’s throat. But Masamoto effortlessly sidestepped the threat, bringing his own katana slicing across Jack’s chest.

Their swords clashed.

Without thinking, Jack struck down