“You want to fight me?” Togai asked, his face full of shock. “What do you hope to prove by challenging me to a match?”

“Quite apart from that,” Hitori put in, “It is forbidden for members of different Nexuses to fight each other.”

“I know that,” Will said, nodding towards the Soul Nexus Alpha. “That is why we won’t use our powers. Just our physical skill. First genuine strike wins.”

“But why?” Togai asked.

“Because I’ve fought the masked stranger twice now,” Will replied. “If you’re him, I’ll be able to tell at once.”

Both looked to Hitori for his decision, who looked torn. Will imagined that he could guess at the thought process happening behind the impassive face. Either he allowed the challenge to stand, and set a precedent for future conflicts, or deny it now, and risk the others saying that he would cover up any transgressions that his Nexus, or anyone else for that matter, would commit. It wouldn’t be a good image for him, especially considering the role that he played when it came to maintaining the peace. Will knew that, as equal as the two choices seemed, there was really only one option for the man. It was why he’d made the challenge publically, instead of hunting Togai himself.

“Very well,” Hitori said. “You will fight to determine your cause. I accept your trial, Will-san. But if any of you should attempt to inflict serious injury, I will use force to stop it myself. Do you find these terms acceptable?”

“I do,” Will said at once. Then with a bow he added, “Thank you, Master Hitori.”

“Kido-san?” Hitori asked, turning to his lieutenant. Will copied the action. “You still have yet to accept or deny. I will not force you to fight.”

Will watched Togai closely as the man turned to face him. There was a calculating, measuring look in his eyes. Doubtless, he’d know everything there was to know about Will already. He’d seemed so curious about him when the Soul Nexus had visited Fairbanks. Besides, if he was the masked stranger, and Will’s certainty on that thought continued to rise, he’d know that he could easily beat him, even without his Nexus powers. He could throw the fight, of course, but Hitori would likely notice.

“I accept,” Togai said crisply, surprising Will. He’d expected an acceptance, but not so quickly. “I’ve seen Will-san fight before, and he has tremendous potential. I would consider it an honor to test myself against him.”

Will took a half step back in spite of himself. Togai’s response was exactly what he’d expect from a competitive martial artist, but certainly not from that masked stranger that had attacked him. He frowned thoughtfully as Togai undid the rope closing his heavy outer robe, revealing a simple gi-like uniform underneath. In keeping with Soul Nexus colors, it was white, trimmed with gold. His name was stitched over his heart in kanji. After handing the robe to one of his fellow Nexians, he shrugged his shoulders slightly. His gi was sleeveless, and his well-muscled arms more closely resembled steel cord than human flesh.

Will shook himself mentally, then kicked off his shoes. Togai was trying to unbalance him, he decided. This show of honesty and respect was just that. A show. He kicked the shoes away, stretching his arms as he moved. He was a competent fighter, he knew. He’d won a few tournaments already, and his sensei had accelerated his training far above that of the students of his age. He could put up a decent showing here. Hell, without Nexus powers involved, he thought he might even have a chance. Togai couldn’t be much older than him, maybe twenty-two or twenty-three. Maybe they were more evenly matched than he expected.

“Do not use your power,” Hitori reminded Togai quietly, his words just barely reaching Will’s ears. “That includes strengthening your body.”

“Yes, Master,” Togai replied with a bow. As Will watched, there was a faint shimmer in the air around his body. So it was more than just healing power, Will thought. He’d have to try and figure out the exact nature of the Soul Nexus power if he was to succeed in future.

“Now, let’s get this over with quickly,” Hitori said. “My apprentice will arrive from Yotsukaido shortly, and I wish to move on.”

Will and Togai moved until they were a mere five feet away from each other, then, without anyone prompting them, bowed deeply. Will studied Togai’s stance critically as he readied himself, noting the light, agile way he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Evasive fighter, he thought. Strange stance for a Nexian to take, one that didn’t rely on power. He adopted his typical Akido stance, the one that had been drilled into him with nearly nine years of practice. Hitori stepped between them, one hand raised, looking resigned to the inevitable.

“Begin!” Hitori cried, his voice sharp and commanding, swishing his hand down.

Will moved first, lashing out with one high kick. Togai stepped back to avoid it, so Will used the momentum of his slamming foot to swing his other low in a sweep. This Togai did block, shifting his stance at the last instant to stop Will’s foot with what felt like a bar of steel. Then it was Will’s turn to block, twisting his entire body to the right and lifting his arms to stop Togai’s leg in its tracks. He struck out with his left hand at once, hitting Togai in the chest and shoving him back. Not a decisive blow, but a good one.

Togai recovered quickly, blocking or knocking aside each of Will’s punches as he went on the attack. He even caught the surprise knee that Will brought up, stopping it with one hand then shoving it back. He went on his own attack, forcing Will to retreat. Will blocked and countered easily, surprised by the lack of force. Judging by his previous experience fighting Nexians, he’d expected these blows to hit harder. Still, Togai’s form was impeccable, and he was wickedly fast. Any mistake, any gap in his defense, and Will would go down quickly.

The match was more even than when he’d fought the masked stranger, though there was a lot of similarity to the fighting style. And without the addition of Nexus powers, Will fought better than he had against Felix. He even got another good shot in, hitting the underside of Togai’s right shoulder with a well-placed chop. Each of the punches with that arm felt considerably weaker after that.

After about a minute had elapsed in the fight, Will felt a distinct shift in Togai’s momentum. Abandoning his evasive, light-footed stance, he suddenly became firm, and his blocks were incredibly hard. Will felt like he was trying to strike a brick wall with all the effort he put in. Of course, he could have adjusted to this change in style quickly himself, forcing Togai to engage more. But, just as quickly as he shifted to defense, he suddenly struck out with a flurry of blows with his fists that caught Will off-guard, forcing him back. The power behind his punches seemed to have doubled.

Togai threw a high kick that, when Will blocked it, rendered his arm numb with shock. Before Will could quite recover, his opponent had pivoted, practically in the same movement, and kicked with his other foot. Will never saw it coming, and was unprotected. Togai’s shin slammed into Will’s gut, hard enough to knock out all the wind in his lungs. Will actually doubled over, folding around the leg, before he crashed to the ground, his vision blurry and his head spinning.

“Togai wins!” A voice, probably Hitori’s, called out. A loud mutter went through the crowd. It sounded surprised, which Will didn’t understand. Had they really not expected the Lieutenant, an A-tier Nexian, to defeat a mere E-tier? Even outside the Nexus system, Togai had likely trained his body exclusively to keep up with other powered individuals. It only made sense that he’d win, he now realized. So much for being evenly matched.

A hand entered his field of vision, and he glanced up to see Togai standing over him, offering him assistance to his feet. He accepted the offer grudgingly, sucking in air to refill his lungs as the man hauled him effortlessly to his feet. Then Togai bowed, and he returned the gesture. With the fight over, his mind had begun racing again, quickly analyzing everything he’d seen, felt, and otherwise sensed during their brief sparring session. A horrible, jarring sinking thought had just occurred to him.

“Well?” Togai asked, meeting his gaze without the slightest hint of deceit. “What was your impression? Do you still believe that I am this masked stranger who attacked you?”

Will hesitated, racking his mind for some reason to say something, anything that contradicted his new opinion. As quickly as he’d thought of the challenge, the reason for doing so had faded from his mind, as did the certainty that he’d been relying on. Now he just felt extremely foolish, as though he’d wasted time for both himself and the Nexuses. After a second or two, he shook his head.

“No.”

There was no denying it, he thought. The man he’d just fought had felt nothing like the stranger he’d tangled with. The closest connection they could form was that they were trained under the same styles. Outside of that, there were no similarities. He realized how brusque and direct he’d been in his challenge, and the feeling of embarrassment sharpened. He bowed his head in Togai’s direction, not wanting to look the man in the eyes.

“I am deeply sorry for my insult,” Will said. “I beg that you forgive me, Togai-san.”

“I accept your apology,” Togai said. “I even understand your motives. Were anyone to attack those I loved, I’d stop at nothing to find out who that was, and bring them to justice.”

Which wasn’t quite what Will had in mind, of course. But he felt it was best not to mention his true intentions just then. He rose from his bow, feeling a rush of gratitude, and bowed to Hitori. “My apologies to you as well, Hitori-san. I regret wasting your time with this interruption.”

Hitori accepted his gesture gracefully. “I understand and accept your apologies, Will-san. Once the assessments are over, I should like to hear more of these attacks. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to investigate and reveal who is responsible.”

Will bowed swiftly again, then returned to his Nexus, his frown deeper than ever. As he did so, the doors leading outside opened, admitting a new member. Half-curious, Will looked to see who it was, more of an attempt to ignore his growing shame than because he really wanted to know. It was another figure clad in the robes of the Soul Nexus, he realized. He was young, probably the same age as Will. But it wasn’t until he’d stepped in completely, shutting off the glaring sunlight from outside and revealing the details of his face, that Will recognized the newcomer.

“Ah,” Hitori said, looking relieved at the chance to push proceedings along. “I have a new member of my Nexus as well. I do apologize for not introducing him sooner, but he had some personal matters which could not be avoided.”

Will felt his jaw drop open as he watched the figure striding across the large open empty hall to stand before Hitori, dropping into a deep bow. He spoke quickly and quietly to his Alpha in Japanese, and Hitori replied. Will couldn’t catch what they said, too busy staring in amazement. When the new Soul Nexus member straightened and moved to stand beside his fellow Nexians, he cast a curious glance over the other Nexuses in the hall, clearly his first time seeing them. He stopped dead in his tracks when he made eye contact with Will, and a shocked expression came over his face as well.

Will couldn’t help blurting out. “Kenta?”