"Raijin?! Raijin, the Japanese god of thunder and lightning, Raijin, is your summon?" Crowe asked in exasperation.
"At your service," The figure bowed dramatically to Crowe, "If I wore a hat I'd remove it."
Raijin stood slightly taller than Hayato and his hair was the same color of blonde only his was long and wild. A gold colored vest adorned his torso but lay open to show his chest which in itself was pure lean muscle. A mixture of blue kanji and runes decorated his vest in vertical lines. A single drum lay at his left hip, a leather strap connecting to it slung around his right shoulder. His pants were baggy and black intermitten with dark grey clouds; the same blue and gold kanji and rune combination of marks adorning his pants as his vest. Lastly on his feet were traditional Japanese straw sandals. At any given time there seemed to be a light breeze blowing his clothes as they always fluttered around.
"Since you bumped into me that day he's been pestering me to talk to you," Hayato said.
"Can you really blame me? I mean come on! It's SORZORAN! Ever since I was young I've wanted to meet him!"
"You were young? Aren't you a god?" Crowe asked.
"YOU are the ones who called us gods, I just play upon it," Raijin laughed. "But yes, I was born and raised just like you humans just I'm from a different place is all. Unlike you, though, I am immortal, so that's probably why they call me a god, that and, you know, lightning magic."
"Wasn't there another one of you? Something else jin or something like that? My history and mythology is pretty rusty."
"Oh you mean my brother Fujin he," A glare from Hayato made Raijin stop and scratch his head before continuing, "he uh... he's busy... Anyway I'm glad to finally meet you so can I meet him now?"
"Sure. He's behind you," Crowe motioned.
Raijin turned around and the look on his face was reminiscent of a child in a candy store. He rushed forward to Sorzoran and took a deep bow.
"It is an honor to meet you Shadow Dragon," The man said in a much more serious tone than before.
The pleasure is all mine. Sorzoran's deep voice echoed with a hint of a chuckle emanating from his throat.
"Don't let this first meeting fool you," Hayato brought Crowe's attention back, "He is incredibly disciplined and powerful despite his airy personality. He trained me from a young age."
"He trained YOU? That's odd..."
Hayato sighed and smacked Crowe on the back of the head.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Crowe exclaimed as he rubbed his head.
"You ask too many questions sometimes. Now, I suggest you enjoy your last day of freedom. Tomorrow, you begin training," he said as he walked off towards the mansion.
Crowe grit his teeth and scoffed as Fiera came up beside him. Brogen and Alira followed Raijin in order to hear more about his stories.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly.
"Yeah... It's just been a rough couple of days... and it doesn't sound like it's going to get any better..."
"I'm sure you'll pull through it. Just stay strong!" she said as she playfully smacked him against the cheek. "It's just more training and you're already used to a daily regimen."
"You're right," he laughed, "I'm sure it won't be much worse."
The rest of the day went by slowly and without incident. The majority of time was spent listening to Raijin's charismatic stories, even Sorzoran listened intently. Hayato remained eerily quiet all night but Crowe decided to relish the moment rather than ask and receive a lecture. They all departed after dinner and went to their rooms for some much needed sleep.
Crowe was awoken by a heavy bundle landing on his chest. He gasped as it pressed down on him before he managed to turn and push it off. Hayato stood at the foot of his bed with his arms crossed.
"Training begins now. Wake up and get dressed with the clothes I gave you."
Crowe turned and looked at the clock on his table. It was four in the morning.
"Four o' clock? are you kidding? and what clothes?"
"The ones you just pushed off of you."
He looked to the side now that his eyes had adjusted and saw that the heavy object was actually a pile of clothes.
"They're black, your color."
"Was that supposed to be humorous?"
"It is humorous! now get dressed and meet me in the dining room."
Hayato left and Crowe groaned as he slipped out of his pajamas. He picked up the pants and almost strained his arm as he didn't realize that they were weighted.
"Great..." he sighed.
With some awkward effort he managed to get the pants on before turning to the vest. It looked similar to the one Raijin wore just smaller. He slipped it on and closed it up much easier than the pants. The last few items were simple wrist and ankle bands. He pulled those on and stood up, almost toppling over from the new weight. With effort he managed to figure out his balance and make his way to the dining hall. He got to the stairs and attempted to descend them but the weight was too much and he toppled over, rolling down the stairs. He collapsed at the bottom and whimpered as he pulled himself up to his knees. He turned and popped his neck as he got back to his feet. The rest of the short trip was accompanied by his muffled grumbles.
Hayato greeted him at the table with a small bow.
"It's good to see you actually came, I was beginning to wonder."
Crowe sat down and rubbed his head. The day hadn't even started and he had a knot, "Yeah well... whatever... what's first?"
"Breakfast, enjoy," Hayato said as he motioned to the plate in front of Crowe.
Bacon and eggs with a side of toast lay in front of him. He smiled. At least this was going to be nice. He reach for his fork but did not find what he was looking for.
He held up his hand, "What's this," he asked as he waved the two little sticks in his fingers.
"From here on you will eat your meals with chopsticks. It will help you learn to focus and fine tune your mental control. So eat!" he finished with am awkward smile as he picked up his own set of sticks and began to eat.
Crowe looked at his set and at Hayato trying to figure out how to hold and use them. He adjusted them in his fingers and attempted to pick up a piece of scrambled egg but they slid over and moved out of his grip. He picked them up and attempted to grab a slice of bacon but the same thing happened, this time sending the bacon sliding off the plate.
Crowe grumbled and tried a couple more times with similar results, each time either the food or the sticks would slide and become dislodged. With a final grumble he took the sticks and stabbed through the toast. At least it was something.
Hayato watched with careful eyes and sighed.
They finished eating and Hayato led Crowe outside to the training grounds.
"First. We run two miles, follow me."
Hayato took off at a jog without giving Crowe any time to speak. Crowe sighed and began to follow with great effort.
The track had obviously been constructed recently by Hayato and Raijin. It was simple, just one large loop that measured out to a mile.
Even though the clothing made it difficult, Crowe found himself able to keep up with Hayato's brisk pace.
After about 20 minutes they came to a stop at the beginning. Crowe doubled over, hands on knees, breathing heavily. Sweat poured down his brow as he looked up at his new mentor.
Hayato didn't even look winded. Determined not to seem overly weak Crowe grit his teeth and stood up fully despite the pain in his side.
"Alright, now what?" he asked.
"Now, 50 push ups and sit ups. Start now, " he said as he dropped to his hands and began to do the exercise.
Crowe took a deep breath and followed suit, counting under his breath as he went along.
"One... two... three..."
"34... 35..." he continued on as Hayato flipped over to begin his sit ups. Crowe's arms were on fire but he refused to give up as he pressed on.
He just started doing his sit ups when Hayato finished his set. With as much energy as he could muster he pressed forward still. Hayato in the meantime had disappeared into the newly walled off section in the training grounds. Determined not to fall behind Crowe grit his teeth and pushed himself harder to catch up.
After he finished his sit ups he fell back and gasped heavily. He didn't know that adding the extra weight would make for such a drastic difference.
Once he caught his breath he stood up and went towards the newly walled off section.
The walls spanned over a hundred feet in any direction, were ten feet tall, and seemed to be made of some off white colored stone. There were black curtains covering the entryway which was a simple archway.
Crowe pushed aside the curtains and stepped in and his mouth opened in awe.
The majority of the floor was dirt but around the edge of the wall were planks of wood jutting out about six feet. A stone awning at the height of the wall stretched out over the walkway was supported by wood poles.
Amid the dirt center were various pieces of training equipment. Directly in the center of the enclosure lay a small pond surrounded by grass and Grey rocks ranging from the size of pebbles to small boulders. Small plants grew between the gaps of the rocks and a wooden walkway crossed over the water. An occasional shimmer revealed to Crowe that there were several fish within the water.
He looked around still amazed by this new training area. The final piece of the enclosure was a pit with two platforms facing each other. Bamboo stalks were placed into the ground vertically within the empty space.
A smacking noise brought Crowe's attention back to the near left corner where he turned to see Hayato kicking a dummy.
Crowe moved closer to his mentor as he finished his exercise and leapt back from the dummy.
"Ah, you finally finished I see. Good. Now, 200 punches and 200 kicks, go." He said as he turned and walked off.
Crowe looked at him with a disgruntled look. With a sigh he turned to the mannequins and began punching them in the head with alternating blows. Every few hits he'd switch up and throw in some body shots mixed with hooks and uppercuts. The dummies were surprisingly sturdy and didn't even bend under the force of his blows.
"198, 199, 200..." Crowe finished his count before gritting his teeth once more and backing away for his kicks.
He aimed towards the mannequin head to the best of his ability but it proved to be too high so he settled for body and shin shots, keeping count under his breath with every strike.
"198... 199... 200..." he finished with trembling legs. As his last strike landed weakly he fell backwards, his body crumpled up and on fire. Every muscle in his body shook as he lay panting.
Hayato approached him calmly with his hands behind his back.
"I'm impressed... you actually made it through the warm up," he said almost coldly, the slightest hint of sympathy in his voice.
"W - warm up...?" Crowe barely managed to get the words out.
"Yes, warm up. I'll let you rest for a moment before your first actual lesson," he said as he turned and walked out through the curtains.
Crowe couldn't even find the energy to complain as he let his head fall into the dirt.
He breathed heavily, his breath labored by the weighted clothing; but he couldn't even move to try and relieve the pressure so he just lay there.
Hayato let him lay and sleep there for an hour so his body could recover before waking him.
He nudged him with his foot and Crowe stirred, waking quicker than expected.
He pushed himself up slowly on shaky arms into a sitting position, his muscles twitching as they relaxed for a moment.
"I'm going to go easy on you since this is your first session. I wasn't expecting you to even get this far so let's see what you're capable of."
Crowe stood up slowly, gaining his balance with great effort as his legs burned from the workout.
"What's next?" he asked, his voice regaining some of its usual tone.
"You may remove the weighted clothing for this exercise, there is a set of clothes located in that room over there," he motioned to a doorway on the right side of the enclosure. "Change and come back."
Crowe went in and removed the weighted garments, stretching and popping in the process. It was amazing the difference in weight had made now that he was free from their drag. Everything felt much quicker and movement was easy again. He changed into the pants laying on a bench in the room and went back outside to his mentor.
By now the sun was creeping higher into the sky and everybody in the mansion were already up and ready for the day. Crowe guess it to be around 10:30.
Brogen was the first to enter the enclosure and see what kind of work Hayato was doing to his pupil followed shortly by Fiera and Alira.
Crowe emerged from the doorway wearing only a loose pair of black pants. Hayato motioned to him and Crowe obeyed.
Alira looked on wide eyed, much to Fiera’s chagrin, with her jaw slightly dropped.
"This first exercise should be relatively easy. Do 15 consecutive push ups twice," Hayato said.
"That's it? ... That's the huge training exercise we've been leading up to?"
"Do not take something seemingly small for granted. Every step taken towards a goal is progress no matter how small."
"Let's just... get this over with," Crowe sighed as he crouched down to get into position.
Hayato grabbed a bamboo chute from a nearby vase and sat down in front of Crowe with his legs crossed, the chute laying in his lap.
"What are you doing? What's that for?"
"You shall see in time."
Crowe eyed his mentor warily but proceeded into position. He began his set, counting under his breath.
"One... two... thr-" He couldn't finish his count as Hayato swung the bamboo rod and hit Crowe on his left arm making him scream out in pain.
Crowe instinctively jerked his arm away which caused him to fall, his right hand gripping his arm.
"This particular breed of bamboo was cultivated by the monks of my order to bypass the magic buffer that surrounds summoners. It is designed to hurt. If you learn the pattern, you should have an easier time of it."
Crowe glared at Hayato but readied himself again.
"So I actually have to push OFF the ground?"
"Only if you don't want to be hit. You can take the hits and persevere through the pain if you like."
"Let's just get this over with," he sighed once more, a welt forming where the plant had struck. "Okay, let's start."
Crowe lowered his body down and began a pushup.
No swing.
Another pushup, once again no swing.
On the third he watched as Hayato's hand started moving and then pushed himself up into the air, the bamboo chute whistling underneath his hands. Crowe came down and continued on with his set, a smirk forming on his face.
A fourth push up, however, was interrupted by another impact from the sturdy plant, this time on his opposite arm.
Crowe doubled over again, grasping at his right arm.
"Seriously?!" Crowe grit his teeth.
"Don't get mad, get better," Hayato said with a straight face.
Crowe got into position again, determined not to be deterred. He did his first two pushups and managed to avoid the strike on the third. He then watched before continuing his set for Hayato's hand to move.
His patience paid off as Hayato made a swing and he pushed himself up to avoid it. Before continuing his set he watched once more for the signs of movement.
Hayato's hand moved once more and he pushed up once again to dodge. It was a steady pattern he figured out. The last 10 pushups came about easily as Crowe just sat and watched and waited for the strike to start.
"Very good... you figured out the pattern. Now can you do the other set?"
Crowe sat on his knees and nodded towards his mentor. Fiera and the others had now taken up a sitting position to observe the training more closely.
Crowe once again got into position and took a deep breath. He let himself down and pushed back up before the stalk hit his left arm.
Crowe cried out and gripped his arm once again, the swelling starting to become noticeable.
He got back into position quickly, however, and began the set again, this time watching for the bamboo.
The bamboo moved and he shot up, avoiding the swing but before his hands even made contact with the dirt the chute came back around and smacked hard into his right arm, causing him to fall once more, gripping his arm.
"You didn't even give me a chance to land!" Crowe shouted out as he rubbed his arms.
"There is no pattern this time, I merely swing when I desire."
"That doesn't seem fair!"
"Who said that this training was going to be fair?" Hayato replied with a cool head, "I certainly didn't. Life won't treat you fairly so you might as well be prepared for when it doesn't."
Crowe couldn't argue with him so he grit his teeth and got back into position. He knew exactly what Hayato was saying and even worse, what he was going to do.
Crowe clenched his teeth together and began his pushups.
One, the bamboo made contact against his left arm, the sickening smack echoing throughout the enclosure.
Two, his right arm and his left arm felt the impact this time.
Three, two more swings brought tears to Crowe's eyes as he continued through the burning, stinging pain.
The pushups continued on, Hayato smacking Crowe's arms with every motion.
Fiera covered her mouth with her hand and looked away while Alira left the scene. Even Brogen watched on with dismay as well as respect.
Crowe barely finished his last pushup as Hayato swung the bamboo stick with more force than before, splintering it on Crowe's left arm and simultaneously sweeping Crowe's arms from under him.
Crowe lay where he fell, breathing heavily, his arms trembled against the dirt.
"You have finished your first training session, you are free for the rest of the day," Hayato said as he stood up.
"That's it?!" Fiera crossed the enclosure to Hayato, "You're going to torture him and then leave him to lie there?"
"If you don't want him to become stronger and become the guardian that he needs to be then that's fine, I'll leave. However if you want him to become stronger in his mind and his will, he needs this type of training. He needs to learn how to deal with less than ideal confrontations. If he lets his emotions and his body overpower his mind then his toughest battles are already lost."
"But you can't just treat him like that! He's human too! No one deserves that kind of punishment!"
"It's no less than what I endured, and no worse than what his enemies would do to him. Say or do what you want, this was his choice. And if you love him," he turned to look at her directly, "then you'd honor his wishes and do what you could to help. Be thankful because in reality nobody else would have been able to do that on their first time. Sorzoran is powerful, sometimes I don't think you understand just how powerful he is even in his current form. Even I couldn't finish this exercise the first time I tried it. But then again... I was merely a child."
Fiera looked at him with scorn still in her eyes, but she understood, she just didn't like it.
"Fine..."
Hayato nodded and walked out of the enclosure followed slowly by Brogen.
Fiera looked at Crowe laying on the ground, streaks of dirt marked his cheek where tears had dripped down. The mark of the dragon on his left arm was difficult to see due to the large bruises and welts that now covered his arms. His fingers twitched continuously as the pain continued to sear through his body.
Zarahie slowly walked over to the two and lay curled next to Crowe, giving him what comfort she could.
I couldn't watch... I don't really feel so funny right now... the little fox said softly.
Sorzoran's head appeared over the wall as he looked down on his summoner.
It was hard for me too little one... However... whatever Hayato did... there's something already slightly different about Crowe's state of mind.
"Monk training will do that to you," Raijin said as he came over the wall as well. He sat cross legged atop a black cloud that floated about a foot over the ground. "I have to admit though... the kid pulling through like that... that's some amazing perseverance..."
"What did Hayato mean?" Fiera cut in, "Something about Sorzoran and the fact that Crowe could actually finish the exercise?"
"Well you see," Raijin answered, "All summoners gain something of a magic shield around them once they become a summoner. It can't be seen and for most it can't really be controlled. It exists in multiple stages. The first stage is the magical buffer. This is the outer shield and for all intents and purposes it dulls down the impact of magical abilities and attacks. The second stage is actually within the skin and body of the summoner themself. It makes skin tougher and reduces pain drastically as well as making the body of the summoner stronger. Let me show you."
Raijin jumped down off of his cloud and picked up a normal chute of bamboo.
"Brace yourself," he said as he swung the pole.
Instictively Fiera put up her arm to block the strike. The bamboo collided with her arm and bounced back, barely even leaving a red mark.
"You see?"
"You didn't have to demonstrate... I understood what you were saying," she said with a scowl.
"Oh well better safe than sorry," the golden man said as he sat back down on his cloud.
"Anyway, to continue on, the intensity of the buffer is dependant on the summon. Sorzoran, being the most powerful summon in existence has intense buffers, even at this low level. Didn't you find it strange that after only a couple of weeks of training Crowe was able to keep up with you during your sparring sessions?"
"I guess... I just thought it was because we trained so much..."
"Well you did train a lot, however it's because of him," he motioned towards the black dragon's head, "that he was able to learn so quick. That's the third stage. Mental accuity. Crowe's reflexes will increase exponentially as will his thought processes. Now... bear in mind that Crowe, while he will have amazing defenses against all of the elements, he will not have immunity to any, with the exception of darkness of course. You and your fox will eventually grow immune to but the strongest of fire and Hayato and I won't even be phased by any sort of air elemental attacks."
"I guess we did take his abilities for granted... I just never questioned it..." Fiera said as she knelt down and caressed Crowe's head.
In time these lessons will benefit all of us. I am relying upon Crowe's training so that mistakes of the past will not be repeated and maybe even prevented in the future. I know it's hard to see him like this, Fiera, but it will be for the best of the world in the end.
"Still..." Crowe's voice was barely audible, "Couldn't there be another way?"
"Hayato's methods are my own," Raijin replied, "Since he can't actually get into your head and mind and train you to maintain control in harsh situations, he accomodates you to harsh situations and forces you to react as such, leaving your own mind to train itself."
"Well that sucks..." Crowe tried to laugh as he passed out.
"Leave him there Fiera... he'll rest better uninterrupted. That... and I'm sure Hayato would have an issue against his being moved."
"Fine... I'll leave him be... Zarahie will you stay with him?"
Leave it to me! I'll keep him warm!
Fiera nodded and exited the enclosure.
"It isn't easy dealing with Hayato sometimes..." Raijin spoke to the dragon, "He isn't without his set of issues."
That is apparent, of course, but that's to be expected. I'm sure there are reasons.
"There are, however I am not allowed to talk about them. If he chooses to then that's when everyone will know, but until then, just know he has a good heart and even greater intentions."
It's not me that needs convincing. Crowe is strange, that's for sure. In his heart he knows Hayato is helping him but at the same time Hayato's actions enrage him. I suppose this would be expected as these are the exact emotions that he is trying to bring under control. All I can say for certain at the moment is that something is changing. My power has been helping him immensely through these past months, but it's not just that. His own drive has been nothing short of amazing to me.
"I trust your judgement. I figure that you, of all creatures, would know what you're doing."
I hope I know what I'm doing as well. Only time will tell in the end. It always does.
"That's something everyone can agree on," Raijin finished as he floated away.
Sorzoran looked on at his summoner for a moment longer before leaving as well. Zarahie lie sleeping under Crowe's arm, her fire keeping him warm.
He awoke a couple of hours later to see that the sun was starting to set. He slowly got up and attempted to brush himself off, his arms still trembling from the punishment from earlier. The bruises had already diminished slightly but the pain still lingered. He clenched his fingers a few times to see how much control he had which seemed to be barely enough to allow him control of his full arms again. He trudged towards the mansion, every footfall labored and shaky. Everyone had already eaten and went about their business with the exception of Fiera who had prepared a plate for Crowe. Dinner tonight had been ham with mashed potatoes, green beans, and dinner rolls. Crowe couldn't help but smile as he sat down to eat. Instinctively he reached for the silverware but stopped as he stared down through his fingers. He could use a fork and knife. Nobody was around and looking. His hand hovered for a moment, as did his thoughts.
With a sigh he reached past to the center of the table where Hayato had left sets of chopsticks. he ignored the pain in his arm as he tried to set the sticks in his fingers. With a bit of effort and some help from his other hand he had them at least situated in the right position. He fumbled with the food, but he discovered that not thinking about it so much helped in keeping control. He couldn't hardly pick up the ham, choosing instead to half heartedly shovel it into his mouth directly from the plate but the potatoes stuck decently enough that he didn't have a problem, and the roll fit easily enough between the sticks without squeezing that he could eat without effort.
With dinner finished he proceeded to his room for some much needed rest.
He entered his room and closed the door softly, stretching slightly as it clicked close. Without thinking he turned to his bed and removed the pants Hayato gave to him.
"Well... don't you ever look?" Fiera's voice cut through the silence.
"FIERA! W-what are you doing here?!" Crowe stammered as he made a motion to grasp at his fallen pants but to no avail.
"No... it's alright..." she said as she got up and crossed over to him. "I rather enjoy this view," her hand trailed down his chest to the waistband of his boxers. "I figured that you worked incredibly hard today and with actually completing the exercise I wanted to comfort you tonight."
"B-but..."
"Shhhh" she held a finger to his lips with her left hand as she let down her long, blue hair with her right. "Just relax and let me take care of you," she whispered with a slight moan as she pushed his remaining clothing off of him.