Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [16]
Kazuki forced himself back on to Jack’s ribcage, driving Jack’s body to the floor.
‘Squirm all you like. You’ve lost!’
‘SIX!’
Frantic, Jack struggled even harder, but Kazuki’s tightened his iron grip.
‘While I’ve got your attention,’ whispered Kazuki into Jack’s ear. ‘I’ve got fresh news for you. A gaijin, just like you, has been burnt alive by the daimyo Kamakura.’
8
SUBMISSION
The words slammed into Jack’s brain like a fist and he stopped struggling.
Was this another of Kazuki’s false taunts? Jack hadn’t yet been able to speak with Masamoto or any of the sensei to discover whether the rumours were true, though he had taken some comfort from the fact that none of the students in the school, aside from Kazuki and his cohorts, appeared to know anything about daimyo Kamakura’s declaration against Christians.
‘SEVEN!’
‘They said his flesh fell off in lumps before he died, like a barbecued pig. Imagine that, gaijin!’
Kazuki’s mocking cruelty was what spurred Jack to retaliate. For a brief moment, he had a flashback of the storm that had shipwrecked the Alexandria and the sailor who had been set on fire by lightning. Jack could remember the agony etched on to the dead man’s face and the gut-wrenching smell of charred flesh. His anger boiled over at the thought and a surge of adrenalin flooded through him.
‘EIGHT!’
In one simultaneous movement, Jack arched his body, flung his legs round Kazuki’s back leg and grabbed his opponent’s head with his free hand. His fingers found Kazuki’s nostrils and he wrenched back hard.
‘NINE!’
Kazuki grunted in pain and was spun over.
Jack rolled on top. He trapped Kazuki with a chest hold, lying across Kazuki’s shoulders and driving his elbow and knee into either side of Kazuki’s head to lock it in place.
Now it was Kazuki’s turn to be counted out.
Through the matting of hair that plastered his face, Jack caught a glimpse of Yamato and Saburo willing him on. Despite his exhaustion, he allowed himself the smallest of victory smiles.
‘One,’ said the sensei half-heartedly.
Kazuki was pinned and going nowhere.
‘Two.’
But away from anyone’s line of sight, Kazuki managed to free an arm and began to hammer Jack in the kidneys.
‘Three.’
Only Sensei Kyuzo could see it, but he turned a blind eye as Kazuki landed another unofficial blow. The sensei deliberately slowed his count.
‘Four…’
Kazuki struck again. Jack’s side flared with pain and he was forced to relinquish his grip. Throwing Jack off, Kazuki countered hard, putting him into a choking hold.
‘That’s not very nice – going for the face!’ spat Kazuki, who now lay on top of Jack, one forearm behind Jack’s neck, the other across his throat.
Kazuki wrenched his forearms together, closing them like a vice.
Jack spluttered in shock.
His windpipe was instantly cut off and he couldn’t breathe.
‘Excellent, Kazuki,’ praised Sensei Kyuzo, pleased to see his protégé back in control.
Blatantly ignoring the escalating violence of the randori, Sensei Kyuzo turned to instruct the class.
‘Notice the switch from the pin to the choke. This is an extremely effective manoeuvre and will guarantee submission from any enemy.’
Encouraged, Kazuki bore down even harder with his stranglehold, a sadistic glint in his eyes.
Jack felt his throat being crushed. His head pounded under the pressure. His lungs starved of oxygen, darkness seeped into the corners of Jack’s vision and he tapped wildly on the floor for submission.
Kazuki merely looked on, savouring Jack’s agony.
Jack teetered on the edge of consciousness.
But Kazuki kept the choke on.
Stars exploded in front of Jack’s eyes and, for a terrifying moment, Kazuki’s grinning face metamorphosed into Dragon Eye’s. The mask of a blackened skull with a single green eye flashed before him.
Jack’s submissive tapping became weaker, his hand flapping like a dying fish. Then, as if from the depths of a murky pool, he heard Akiko shout, ‘Sensei! He’s killing him!’
Sensei Kyuzo