Deafening Silence ( prince of tennis) (#wattys2016)

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And the ball ran straight into the net, and Roko seethed in annoyance. Nanjiroh just laughed.

"That one looked interesting" he commented, "But you need to practice that more". Roko was aware of that, and he looked up and scowled at Nanjiroh in annoyance, to which he laughed again.

"It looked like a power technique" he observed, "But you haven't perfected it yet". Roko nodded in response, and Nanjiroh frowned, cupping his chin.

"Though it's kinda weird" he stated, and Roko raised an eyebrow curiously.

"It's not about the power" he said after a pause, "It's how you hit the ball". Roko stared at him for a while, not understanding what he meant, and Nanjiroh caught the look and sighed.

"From the looks of things, you're swinging too hard and not focusing on where the ball is actually going" he stated bluntly, and Roko blinked. Was he? He had no idea, but it sounded plausible, since Roko was indeed trying to put in as much power as possible.

"How'd you learn those?" Nanjiroh asked again, and Roko frowned. As much as he didn't want to tell Nanjiroh, if he didn't Roko was sure he wouldn't be able to find out how to perfect Ka, and the old man may be quiet about it.

"I copied them from my captain" Roko's hands replied, and Nanjiroh smiled in amusement.

"Oh?" he asked mischievously, "You did? And how did he develop them?". Roko didn't hesitate, remembering the kendo movements he was taught.

"Kendo" his hands said, and Nanjiroh raised an eyebrow.

"Heh?" he asked out loud, "How does that work?"

"They're all kendo movements using a racket" Roko's hands replied, and Nanjiroh's eyes narrowed at him in disbelief, and a moment later they lit up in understanding.

"I get it" he declared, "That shot you hit before was like drawing a sword". Roko nodded in agreement, and Nanjiroh smirked.

"Try using that shot you're having trouble with" he said simply, and Roko nodded as Nanjiroh moved back to the baseline, producing another ball and serving, and Roko returned the ball simply, to which Nanjiroh moved to the ball easily.

"Try cutting someone's head off!" he called across the court.

Wait... what?

Roko didn't have time to contemplate as the ball was sent back towards him, and he imitated the movements he'd seen, bringing his racket high above his head and slamming down on the ball swiftly, throwing his weight forward but remembering Nanjiroh's advice to lessen his power, and to Roko's surprise the ball moved surprisingly fast, slamming into the ground before bouncing roughly out of the court.

"It worked" Nanjiroh declared, and Roko just stared confusedly. He'd just mastered Ka. But how? How come it worked that time?

And then it hit him.

Fuu was a shot that used the movement of a sword being drawn.

Rin was a drop shot that imitated a person blocking with a sword.

Zan was a formidable stance like a swordsman standing his ground.

And Ka mimicked the movement of cutting someone's head off.

"Try cutting someone's head off!"

Nanjiroh had figured it out. Ka was the movement of decapitating someone.

Roko looked up to Nanjiroh with understanding, and Nanjiroh smirked.

"Sounds like you have a gruesome captain" he commented out loud, and Roko was surprised at how true those words were. He'd need to re-assess how much he knew about Sanada, and then he'd need to thank his grandfather for teaching him.