Chapter 14 Misgivings

“Whoo!” Maya punched the air as her opponent lay by her feet. “Who wants to go?!’ she asked, her hands out turning on the mat.

“Never took you to be cocky. Even though you couldn’t catch someone who couldn’t fight”.

“He caught me off guard that was all Karou. Why don’t you come on the mat and teach me how to keep my guard up?”

Karou rolled her eyes and would have walked away, but Maya continued with her taunts.

“You aren’t scared of me, are you Karou?”

“And why would I be scared of you?” Karou asked back.

“Prove to me that you’re not scared and let’s fight”.

“You mean spar. A real fight you won’t be able to stand up to me”.

“Let’s test that” Maya was moving left to right like a boxer.

Karou stepped onto the mat. Now they got the attention on themselves. He was happy that it wasn’t on him anymore.

What he remembered when Karou had trained him was that she was really good. An expert and he was no expert at fighting, but out of everyone he had seen fight she was the best. She had to be for Megumi to have her train him.

Watching the fight, they looked evenly matched. In a way.

They both dodged each other’s blows and other attacks. Until Maya did a cartwheel and Karou got hit in her face with her heel. Before she recovered from the shock she was hit with the other heel, and she was on her feet and hit where her heels had hit her opponent.

“A little bit slow Karou” she smiled.

Karou held onto her hair and pulled her down onto her raised knee. She took a hit to her head and she fell onto the mat.

She flipped up and Karou kicked her at the side of her head.

“Where did that confidence go Maya?” she asked.

Maya stood and tried tackling her, but Karou held her ground and passed her arms underneath hers and her feet were off the ground and she was going to throw her onto the mat, but she flipped forward and her legs were round Karou’s neck, but she jumped off her and held onto her hand and she was thrown over Maya’s shoulder.

Karou landed on her feet, but she wasn’t ready to be thrown again over her hip.

And Karou was down looking up shocked at Maya.

And there were cheers.

“Can’t believe that Karou lost”.

“She’s all talk then”.

A lot of words filled the room.

“Good spar” Maya held her hand out.

Karou took her hand and she was back at Takashi’s side.

“I wasn’t expecting you to lose….especially with the move that you used to use on me all the time” he teased.

“Keep talking and you’ll be the one on the mat” she warned.

“So there’s no one else in this room that can beat me. Not even you Haru?” she asked.

The sisters walked in and Maya’s eyes caught them.

“What about you Ms. Sachi? Do you want to spar with me?”

Sachi sighed. “You wouldn’t be able to so there’s no need for that”.

And then more murmurs.

“Oh come on. It’s just a spar”.

“No” she said. “You really do not want to spar with me. You wouldn’t make it”.

“Okay. What about the boss?” Maya asked looking to Megumi.

“You really want to spar with me?” she asked.

“It would be an honor” she smiled.

“Go easy on her” Sachi said.

“It’s just a spar” she said and was on the mat.

They both took their stance and everyone seemed to hold their breath and lean forward. Takashi included.

They blocked each other’s hits and couldn’t land a hit on each other. So it was boring at first, but they were really fast so it was exciting. Megumi was the first to land a hit on Maya’s face and that had her stepping back and licking the blood off her teeth.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she pouted.

“No” she replied and she hit Megumi on her cheek.

Everyone winced.

Megumi launched her foot, but Maya stepped back. Megumi twisted her leg and tried to kick her, but Maya held onto her feet between her arm and torso, and pulled her forward and got on her knee, and she would have brought her elbow if Megumi didn’t launch her other feet and hit her in the face. Making her fall onto the mat on her side.

Megumi was on her in an instant. Attacking the head which she loved to do to people. Maya had to protect herself. Megumi was able to wrestle her onto her stomach and get hold of her arm and turn her back to her and yank it trying to pull it out of her socket.

Maya screamed and lifted her torso and had to bend a little to the side, which hurt her currently held arm, but she pulled on Megumi’s hair and with amazing strength pulled her over her back and Megumi was quick to turn it into a triangle.

Her legs round her neck and her pulling on her arm she had been pulling on earlier.

Everyone gasped when Maya got onto her heel. She looked to be getting up. And there were cheers.

Megumi didn’t relent. She squeezed and pulled harder.

Maya was on a leg now and she looked to be getting on her other leg. And if she got on her two feet, she would bring her back onto the mat and that would hurt.

But Maya’s knees buckled and she was on the mat, and she wheezed tapping.

Megumi sighed in relief letting go of Maya.

“Good spar” Megumi said standing up.

“Yeah” she sighed and lay on the mat.

“Not that good enough huh” Karou said.

Maya glared from her spot on the mat.

“Everyone this is Takashi” she said. “Don’t get used to him he won’t be here for long”.

“What is he doing here?” Haru asked.

“To lend his services. He owes me so he’s going to be here for a while”.

“Till he’s not” Karou said.

Takashi didn’t say anything as everyone looked at him. It wasn’t the first time so it was less overwhelming. The problem now was that he didn’t stand a chance of dying. He would literally die.

“Welcome then Takashi” Maya said now standing and smiling at him.

That didn’t look right.