2022-12-10: Look! Tsutsujidai is Burning Red!
- Cast: Domon Kasshu, Yuta Hibiki
- Where: Tsutsujidai
- Date: U.C. 0096 12 09
- Summary: At the bequest of Sayla Mass, Domon sets out to meet a young man full of courage and hope. Will the former student, thrust unprepared into the role of master, finally take on a disciple..?
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
A meeting with a real hero.
Yuta's spent the morning bustling around his apartment. What does someone like Domon Kasshu even eat? Are martial artists allowed cake? Or soda? Maybe they only like dried fruit and water? Or maybe they don't need to eat at all? Would it be offensive to assume they do?
In the end, Yuta decides to leave out a variety of options, and not draw attention to them. It'll be casual, it'll be fine. Water bottles, Tsutsujidai's specialty soda, and some fruit juice are all lined up along Yuta's kitchen counter. They're joined by everything from a bag of dried peaches (Calibur ran to the supermarket) and an entire half-cake from Aya. Domon has a wealth of options, should he be hungry, and if not... Maybe Yuta just keeps enough food for a party on his counter! It's normal, it's fine.
Dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, Yuta waits on the couch, trying to distract himself from his anxiety by scrolling through his phone. Sayla set this meeting up, and he trusts Sayla. Part of him wonders if Calibur should sit in. A samurai is kind of like a martial artist...
No, it's fine. Yuta can handle this! He looked up who Domon Kasshu is online, and, well, he's met other heroes before! Gridman's a hero, and they get along just fine! Nervously, he glances at the door. It's going to be fine.
<Pose Tracker> Domon Kasshu has posed.
Domon trudges down the hallway to the apartment number Sayla had written down for him on a note. Formerly pristine, the piece of paper was now a pocket veteran, crumpled, stained with sauce in a corner, and had barely survived a trip into the washing machine. Domon Kasshu was many things, but a caretaker of paper records, he was not. Regardless, enough of the message had survived to still let him find the apartment...after two wrong doors, and two very startled residents.
Finally making it to the right one (Domon hopes this was the right one this time, after being smacked with a broom), the King of Heart sighs and knocks on the door. As he waits, his mind wanders. Why him? Sure, he was the direct and final disciple of Master Asia, but there had to have been other martial artists or CQC specialists on Sayla's speed dial. Domon didn't have much experience teaching, and even less experience when it came to interacting with children, especially not as a babysitter. He didn't have any info on how tall this Yuta kid was, what kind of build he had, only that he'd been thrust into conflict at an age even younger than the now King of Heart had been during the start of the Devil Gundam conflict. Domon grimaced.
Is this really the world I fought for, all that time ago? Is this what you were hoping for, Master Asia?
As the door opened to reveal a rather scrawny but very chipper looking young man, Domon groaned aloud. God dammit, another wrong address. He might as well try, however. "Hey kid...I'm looking for a Yuta. Yuta Hibiki. Know where I can find him?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"That's me!" Yuta says, a smile bright on his face. This is the man from the pictures online. "Please, um, come in!"
As Domon enters the apartment, Yuta sneaks glances at him. He looks strong... Lanky like Calibur, though far less well-dressed. Another glance. Wild hair... That's practically a requirement for heroes.
Yuta hesitates by the kitchen counter, laden with snacks, for just a moment. Should he take the risk? Domon looks like a normal human being, rather than some kind of transcendent being who lives without food... "Um, Mister Kasshu, would you like any food? I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got... a lot."
A nervous little laugh. Yuta wants so badly for this to work out. After seeing Borr and Rikka nearly pay the price for his uselessness, he's /got/ to find some way to make things right. That can never, ever happen again. And if this is who Sayla thinks is best for the job, then Yuta's got to find a way to impress him.
"I'm not sure what Sayla told you about me, but, um." Yuta takes one of the specialty sodas, complete with a marble rattling around in the neck of the bottle. "I'm Yuta Hibiki! You know that. I'm... I need to learn how to fight. To protect my friends. I couldn't do anything, and one of them was badly hurt. If they weren't a Hyper Agent, they would've died. I can't let that happen again."
Should he tell Domon about Gridman? Not yet. Yuta isn't sure he can trust the older man yet -- as badly as he wants to.
"I'll do anything you say. Everyone's depending on me. I'm not enough, and I'm going to change that!" Yuta leans forward into a deep bow, hiding the anxiety on his face. "Please, Mister Kasshu, I'd be grateful for anything you can offer!"
<Pose Tracker> Domon Kasshu has posed.
Domon squints at the small youth before him. //Scrawny// didn't even cover it. He was still a child! Noting the school uniform, Domon's grimace darkened further. What was he? 14? 15? He should be complaining about girl troubles to his friends and playing video games, or staying after school to hit some soccer balls, not fighting for his life on the battlefield and holding the lives of others in his hands! Noting the bashful youth's smile lighting up his face, the King of Heart groaned internally. Why, Sayla, why did you pick me to be this kid's teacher! Do you //want// to scar him for life?
Doing his best, Domon forced a smile out onto his face. "No thanks kid--er, Yuta, I'm good-" is what he would've liked to have finished saying, before his perpetually gnawing stomach growled an objection. He'd just snagged a conbini sandwich on the way here, but clearly that had not been enough for his appetite. "On second thought, yeah, I'll take some snacks. Got anything with protein in it?" Domon allowed Yuta to lead him into the kitchen, the high school boy hovering around the kitchen counter like a flighty butler waiting on him. Ugh, seriously, this had to change. Facing Yuta, Domon tried to force a warmer tone to his smile. "You know, Yuta, you don't have to wait on me like this. Just sit down, and tell me why you want training."
The two sat down, and Domon listened. He listened to Yuta recount his dismay at his comrades being hurt and wounded. He listened to the youth lament his powerlessness and weakness. He listened to a small boy wishing he had the power to do what was right and to protect the people he cared for. Just like me, all that time ago. A silence settled over the pair as Domon thought. That Sayla. So //this// is the reason she had chosen him over the others. She knew he wouldn't be able to say no after hearing this sob story. Because it was the next generation sequel to his own tragedy, one that he had the opportunity to help prevent from going down the same path stained in bloody vengeance and regret, to stop this kind from losing or even having to hurt the people he cared so much for. "Alright, Yuta. I'll train you...but you need to understand a few things."
Domon stood up, assuming one of his kata. "The School of the Undefeated of the East was not originally meant for protecting others. Ours is a school of offense, of dealing devastating blows meant to finish the enemy through raw strength." Thrusting a fist out and catching it as it was mere millimeters from Yuta's nose, before the youth could react, Domon frowned. "There are people who call me a hero, a savior, a defender. That couldn't be further from the truth." The King of Heart withdrew his fist slowly. "I protect people, my loved ones, by destroying whatever could happen to hurt them quickly and without mercy. What I can teach you, Yuta, is how to break a man's joints before he realizes, or how to attack pressure points that will shut down the human body. What you need to learn for yourself, kid..." Domon darted forward until his eyes were almost touching Yuta's own gaze.
"...Is how to turn these killing techniques into the means to defend your loved ones."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Yuta feels scrutinized, as he offers Domon food. It's a little nervewracking..! "Um, yeah! I got some sandwiches from Aya -- that's the Junk Shop nearby, my friend's family runs it. It's the best!" He really, really hopes Domon likes it. When the older man asks Yuta to stop waiting on him, he blinks in surprise, then nods, walking to the couches. "Of course, um, sorry."
Domon's smile is appreciated, putting the young man at ease. As silence settles over the pair, Yuta waits, watching Domon's face carefully. Emotions seem to pass through the martial artist, before he finally agrees. Yuta beams, nodding eagerly. Of course he'd understand. Whatever Domon has to say, Yuta could handle it.
As Yuta listens, Domon stands. Instantly, he's paying attention. The School of the Undefeated of the East... It sounds powerful. Maybe--
Domon /almost/ punches Yuta, and the young man gasps, his electric-blue eyes flying open wide. He's very still, eyes darting between Domon's fist and his face. It's the reaction of someone used to being attacked. Yuta's breath comes fast until Domon pulls back. Relaxing a bit, he takes a nervous drink of his soda.
Breaking joints, shutting down someone's body... Is this what Yuta wants? Techniques to kill someone? Maybe he can't handle this, after all. The thought of destroying a human being in that way makes him feel sick. Domon is before him again, lightning fast -- briefly, Yuta wonders if the older man could compete with Calibur for speed.
Up close, there's a slightly unreal quality to Yuta's skin, his hair. Vibrant, perfect. Everything from the ring of color around his pupils to his expression of fright and consideration is storybook-perfect.
"Killing..." Yuta whispers, frozen in place yet again. "I don't want to kill anyone. Someone died, fighting me, once, and I've never been able to forget it. But." A pause, a blink of those overbright eyes. "If I had to choose between killing someone, and someone I love dying. It's not a choice at all. If I have to destroy someone, or -- or hurt them, in order to protect everyone? I'll do it. I can do this."
<Pose Tracker> Domon Kasshu has posed.
Domon watches Yuta closely for a second that stretches onto eternity. Slowly withdrawing back into his seat, the tension falls off him like a sheet of suspended water suddenly finding gravity once more. What was he doing? Teaching a kid that might as well be his little brother in age how to dislocate joints and smash faces in? Well, it was what Sayla asked for, but even so...couldn't she just find the kid a karate instructor off the Tsutsujidai personals board or something?
Looking back at Yuta, Domon cracks a weary smile. He had good eyes, sharp eyes, focused eyes. Eyes that glowed and pulsed like a window into his soul. Wild, and pure, but will they be forever so? The King of Heart shakes his head and speaks. "Sorry for that display, kiddo, but I needed to show you what you're getting into. My school...Master Asia's school, rather, follows the mantra of "Victory, no matter what." You know where that got my predecessor, and I've spent much time training and revisiting the style. Can a martial art devoted to annihilation ever be used to protect others?"
The tired martial artist snapped some fingers idly, paying attention to the sharp cracks of sound. "In the time it takes for you to hear that sound, I could have you on the ground in more ways than I have fingers. It's power, Yuta, but as you grow more powerful, you also must learn to use that power with reverence and responsibility." Pulling out a mini-projector, Domon beamed a shot of Master Asia onto the wall across from them.
"My teacher was a great man, but he fell into despair from our planet being so thoroughly abused and manhandled by people who didn't care about their greed and selfishness. He took his awesome power and training, and used it to kill, destroy, and battle me and my comrades, all because of his despair." Memories flash in Domon's head as he goes through a mini-lecture, trying to impress responsibility and proper use of power onto Yuta. The Gundam Fight champion shakes his head as if to clear his mind. "I was planning to let the school die with me, Yuta. If I'm going to teach you, then you must swear to me that you will not use these techniques frivolously. Sometimes...sometimes killing is unavoidable...but every life you take changes you forever. Take too many, and you'll forget just how precious human life is. Promise me this, Yuta."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"It's okay." Yuta says, relaxing into the couch as Domon sits back. "Master Asia? I haven't heard of him, um, sorry. I lost my memory a few months ago, so there's a lot I still don't know."
Not that Tstsujidai students would've been taught about a tragedy of the outside world anyway... But that conversation can wait.
Blue eyes watch Domon snap, then widen at the explanation. "So fast..?" Yuta looks to the projection of Master Asia. He could be just any normal old man... What had he done that was so horrible? Was he a factor in Akane's own despair?
"I'm sorry." Yuta says, again. "There are a lot of horrible people in this world... It led to my friend leaving everything behind to come here. It changed her." His voice is soft. "It led to her doing horrible things too. Hurting people. Killing them. Even the people she cares the most about."
"Mister Kasshu, if you were going to let the school die with you, why are you trusting me with it? You've never seen me before. How do you know I won't let you down, too?" Yuta asks, his eyes serious. "I'll do my best not to. I never want to hurt anyone, but... if your own master couldn't handle the burden of all that sadness..."
Yuta takes a breath. "But I will." Looking down, Yuta tugs a red wristband off his arm. As it slides away, a strange silver device springs into being -- far larger than really should've been concealed by the wristband. Yuta places his right arm on the device and looks at Domon. "I swear, I'll take it seriously. Everything you teach me, I'll never use it unless I absolutely have to. I won't forget how precious everyone's lives are."
Every word is heavy, burdened with the oath Yuta makes. The Primal Acceptor on his wrist gleams with reflected light as he finishes.
"Since you're telling me so much... It's only fair I tell you about myself, too. I'm Gridman's partner. I transform and become him, to fight, and stuff." Yuta looks a little embarrassed. "It's not as cool as your stuff, but I do my best. I've been fighting to save my city from kaiju for as long as I can remember, and..." His eyes close. "I love everyone here. I've given all I have to protect them, and that won't ever change."
<Pose Tracker> Domon Kasshu has posed.
Domon nods, slowly. "Let me start from the beginning then..." And so the King of Heart does, going into speedy detail about his own past and trials, his struggles against a man he considered his second father, of having to mercy kill his brother and comrade, of almost losing the woman he loved. Pausing briefly to address Yuta's question about his speed, the Fighter of Fighters decides a proper demonstration would be easier than re-explaining. In mere moments, Domon sets an apple from the table on top of Yuta's head, then tosses the peeling knife at it. In the time it takes an average human being to blink twice, the apple is already pinned to the wall. The martial artist watches Yuta's reaction, allowing himself a little amusement from seeing the shock in those innocent blue eyes.
Another pause as Yuta speaks about his friend, a young girl who sank into her own despair. Much like Master Asia. Yet even as the topic of conversation switches to a query, Domon meets the youth's eyes with a steely gaze. "Why indeed? I'll tell you. First, Sayla Mass herself asked me to train you. That alone is enough to convince me to give most people my ear for a few minutes. And yet...even if she sent me a year's worth of good eating, or begged me in person, I wouldn't teach The School of the Undefeated of the East simply because of her good word."
Pulling up his chair and spinning it around, Domon sat down on it, barely a breath away from Yuta. "You, Yuta. You're why. When the average person is confronted by this dilemma, of great power with the potential to destroy not just their enemies or the conflict in their lives, but also themselves, one of two things generally happens." The King of Heart holds up two raspberries between the fingers on his left hand and right hand. "They accept eagerly, without taking heed, are either destroyed by the power, or are corrupted thoroughly by it." The raspberry in the left hand is squashed between his fingers, the pulp falling to the floor, while its inner juices splatter and coat his hand. "Or, they decline out of fear, running away from the duties and responsibility that come with such strength." Domon flicks the other raspberry away, and it goes sailing into the kitchen sink.
Looking back, Domon offers a calming smile. "You, Yuta, despite fearing the power, are still willing to accept it into yourself. You know that perhaps, one day, the time will come where you need to make a decision that will end in someone getting hurt. Despite your youth, you understand the sanctity of life. Its purity. How precious every spark of flame in this great inferno called life is.
Pausing, the King of Heart nods approvingly at the reveal of Yuta's alter-ego. "That only affirms my decision to teach you, Yuta. You do not shy away from responsibility or conflict, especially when it means protecting your loved ones. While I think it's a shame that someone so young has been forced into battle, we're rarely ever given the opportunity to choose our own battles in this era." Domon stands up and sheds his trademark cloak over his shoulders, onto the ground. "If there are no objections, shall we get started? Every second lost is a second we aren't building you up."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Yuta listens to everything. His face falls at the description of Master Asia's fall, and he doesn't recover, slowly leaning forward as the story grows darker. "Mister Kasshu..." He murmurs, unsure of what to say. Yuta's experienced his own tragedies, but nothing could compare to this.
"Woah--!" This demonstration gets a laugh from the young man, and he claps in amazement. "I always thought that was just a movie trick!"
"Sayla is really that amazing." Yuta says, awe in his voice. "She's done so much for the people here. She didn't have to. We all owe so much to the Yumi Foundation. A few of my friends even work for them, and it's changed things for the better for each one of them."
Domon's explanation, with the crushed raspberries, feels so dire. Yuta can't help but see blood in the spattering seeds and juice, shuddering a little. But... Yuta didn't accept without a thought to the consequences, and he didn't run away. Hope sparks in his eyes.
He's earned a smile. Yuta smiles in return, exhiliration overtaking him for a moment. "Yes--!" Pumping his fist, he grins, then looks bashful. "Sorry. I'm excited. I promise I'm taking this seriously, but, you're so cool, and I really want to learn!" Yuta inclines his head in a slight bow, careful not to bonk into Domon's own head. "I promise to be a good student! I promise to never forget my vow!"
With only a quick hesitation to pull his wristband back over the Primal Acceptor, Yuta stands up as well. Domon even has a real cloak..! That's so cool! "I wish I didn't have to fight, too. But as long as people are in need, I'll be there. Just like you!" Determination clear in his eyes, Yuta chimes in. "Right! I have Gridman's muscle memory, and I've taken some dance classes. I'm nowhere near your level, Mister Kasshu, but I'm pretty fast." A proud grin. This is going to be amazing.
<Pose Tracker> Domon Kasshu has posed.
Though he didn't want to admit it, a small sense of excitement and pride was building in Domon's chest as he saw the peaks and lows of Yuta's emotions before his final excitement at being offered tutelage by the King of Heart. Yet despite that surprisingly enjoyable warmth in his body, the martial artist forced himself to stay on task. "Good. That vow is what separates you as a man from the beasts, a person with power and the responsibility necessary to use it instead of a madman lost in the excesses of their strength. Now then..."
Domon notes Yuta's excitement and is mildly amused at how crushed he was about to be momentarily. If he was like any other pop culture-fed teen, that is. "First order of business, we're going grocery shopping. You're going to make me mochi. Homemade mochi, in the traditional manner." As Domon turned to leave for the door without a reply, he paused. "Ah, but first, I need to teach you the school's traditional greeting. Whenever you greet a fellow practitioner, you must always do as such..." The King of Heart details the welcoming chant he once shared with his own master, and nods in approval.
"Now then, Answer me Yuta! The School of the Undefeated of the East!"