Ichi trained in his Grandpa's garden in the back house that evening. With a little force applied to both sides Ichi snapped it into black and white. Grandpa said Ichi was a natural at it. It took Grandpa time and chanting out loud to cause it to break, Ichi snapped it in two within minutes of getting it outside.

"Is this growth?" Ichi murmured as he trained.

He pretended it was kendo practice, reforming the sticks into one he swung it. Despite it's meter length the weight made it easy to handle. Sometimes it will slip out of his hands from the force of his swing.

"It doesn't want to be used forcefully?" Ichi thought.

In terms of finesse, in samurai movies he saw, it looked like they were always trying for form and discipline in movie. Movies weren't reality, Ichi knew that, but he thought that he might learn something by trying to conform to some set of rules. He invented a few routines based on movements he saw. Based on his fighting experience, he corrected some of them. The distance between his opponent and him changed with a weapon. Ichi wanted to get used to that.

Renya came to mind. Could he really hurt her with this? Ichi shook his head. Somewhere along the way, he'd already resolved that even though she said she'd kill him, the same was never true for him. Ichi will show her his strength. He groaned reviewing the situation in his mind - if he won, he'd have to have Mei possess her. If Mei, Ichi, or Renya refused, then the seer's council would do it for them. Ichi didn't like the sound of that.

He went to sleep that evening worrying, then trained the morning away. Grandpa straight out told him to skip school. That was a welcome change. Evening came before he smelled Myon. Ichi sense of smell made it hard to surprise him.

As if sensing that, Myon waved with a light smile as Ichi turned to meet her.

"Back from work?"

"Yeah."

"Hard job?"

"Yeah."

Myon sat down on the porch and watched Ichi train. Time stretched out as Ichi felt her eyes on him. Just as he got his focus back fully on his movements, Myon interrupted him.

"Syon?"

Ichi kept training. He didn't like how Myon didn't even feel the need to voice the whole question, which Ichi imagined went like this:

"Hey, Ichi, a few nights ago? After 'that' happened, you know, in the courtyard, and then, Last Boss, so-"

That was something Ichi felt like Myon would never say. If anything, Ichi got the sense she expected him to read her mind.

Might as well check with his words.

"Do you think I can read your mind?"

Myon laughed to Ichi's surprise. He kept training as Myon responded.

"Syon knows me really well. When we're fighting, it's like we can talk with movement alone. It's hard to switch out of that habit."

Ichi found himself impressed at that teamwork. Syon has some use after all. After meeting her, it's not like Ichi thought she was worthless as a human being and someone who he should stay away from no matter what- no, that was exactly what he thought. He swung down, trying to clear Syon like a mist forming in front of him.

"I'm not telling you what Syon said to me. You want to know, ask her."

Myon laughed nervously.

"So rebellious."

"Don't remember asking my 'owner' to train me, either." Ichi growled.

Myon walked over in front of Ichi, and made a ninety degree bow.

"Sorry."