When Fujiko and Ikkei finally arrived at the steps of Tokyo Heights, they were immediately captivated by the sheer beauty of it all. Built mostly on an inclined mountain overlooking the city, the school had a massive set of stone stairs that led to a giant red torii gate that guided the students into the campus. The school buildings themselves were mixed in style, as many of the ground level buildings were modeled with traditional Japanese architecture. The larger buildings that surrounded the smaller ground level ones were built like regular office buildings, meant to house the classrooms among other facilities were students would gather. These large modern office buildings surrounded the traditional ground level ones, but one massive Japanese castle style building stood on the highest point overlooking them all--the head office.
"We're gonna be late! Let's go!" Fujiko barked, dragging the boy along with their hands still held.
"Hey, uh, Fujiko...do you think it's alright that everyone sees us hold hands like this? I don't wanna give off the wrong idea..."
"Look, it doesn't mean anything to me, and it shouldn't to you. We're just doing this to get stronger. Besides, once I crush my opponent in the exams, people are gonna be talking a lot more about my strength then whatever they're seeing now!"
"Well, I guess that's one way to look at it."
The pair began to bolt up the stairs, dashing by many other students who were taking their time up the mountain. Just then, the horde of black bikes pulled in, and their leader hastily parked his ride and began his incline up the stairs.
"Hey boss, what are we supposed to do until you get back!?" A crony asked.
"Don't worry about it. Patrol the streets until I'm out, do whatever." Yozama dismissed, reaching into his jacket pocket and retrieving a single red lollipop. After flinging the wrapper off, the boy stuffed the candy between his lips and continued his power jog up the stairs. He too made a scene among the other students peacefully passing by.
The stairs themselves when climbed by ordinary people would prove to be too challenging or tiring, but when climbed by someone of warrior blood, the whole ordeal proved to be a simple warm up for the day to get the heart pumping. If one was familiar in their skills, they could skip the stairs completely and find another way around, which many of the older, more experienced students did.
The first years had no choice but to take the incline head on, which got steeper and steeper as they went higher.
"Hey Fujiko, I'm gonna try something. Hold on tight." Ikkei smirked, pulling the sword from his belt loop behind him with his free hand.
"Huh?"
"Trust me. I got you." Just then, Ikkei began to spin the sword around like a helicopter above his head, lifting him slowly into the air.
"WHAT THE--"
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention! My wrists can rotate 360 degrees! It's a weird trait. But it lets me do stuff like this!"
Ikkei flew above the stairs with a steady hover that grew faster and faster, Fujiko screeching and hanging on for dear life as they soared past the stairs.
"OH MAN....MY RIVAL JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!" Yozama shouted, darting even faster up the stairs. With only his feet, the boy was now moving fast enough to catch up to Ikkei.
It only took a few minutes more to reach the top, and when they did, the jet black biker was waiting for the boy to land.
Safely the two reached the ground in record time, and Ikkei tucked his sword away like nothing happened in the first place.
"You're really something, Ikkei! I would have never thought something like that was possible." Yozama barked, his voice naturally loud and demanding, even if the intent wasn't there.
"Yo! My bad, but who are you? How do you know my name?"
"I've been searching for someone just as strong as me for a long time...and I found my perfect match in you. Basically, my line of work makes me go up against people far weaker than someone like myself, a natural born warrior. Fighting has always been fun to me...but only when I'm up against someone equally skilled. I saw your little scuffle downtown the other day, and that was all I needed to see. I know you are my perfect match. So c'mon! Let's fight!"
"Listen here, idiot. The entrance exams are just about to begin. If we're late and we can't get in, you won't be able to fight anyone, and both of us will be royally screwed. So how about you two just handle this when we're DONE here?" Fujiko remarked.
"Fine by me, I've got all day. What do ya say, Ikkei? Do I have myself the fight of a lifetime?" Yozama asked, crossing his arms with a big toothy grin.
"Uh, sure! But let's finish these exams and get in first."
"Right! Well, if we are going to be rivals, I gotta stick with you everywhere. See what makes you tick, how you work in and out, understand how you feel...all that mushy gushy stuff. So, it looks like I'm enrolling too!"
"Seriously? Someone like you wants to enroll here?" Fujiko hissed again.
"What's wrong with that? I'm of warrior blood. I can fight evenly with just about everyone here...even the instructors themselves." Yozama bragged.
"Psh, as if. The instructors are said to have enough power to destroy the entire country. You think you can really do that?"
"Not exactly. But they aren't gonna stop me from beating the snot out of them." Yozama gave a confident wink accompanied by his trademark jagged toothed smile.
"Whatever. Let's go, Ikkei." The girl nodded. The two made their way through the front gate and into the campus, which was just as beautiful as how it looked all the way back down at ground level.
The first thing students would encounter upon entering campus was the massive courtyard filled with cherry blossom trees, bushes, stone pathways, and plenty of benches to sit on and enjoy the scenery. The stone trails all led off in multiple directions, all connected to major buildings.
"Father told me that the entrance exams would be taking place in the gym. Let's move." Fujiko tugged again, barreling at full speed.
"You know where to go!?"
"Of course I do. I toured the campus with the principal herself a week ago."
"No way...you got to meet the principal? But isn't she super hard to get a hold of?"
"Miss Nobunaga would gladly reach out to meet with anyone of Shimazu blood...we're quite influential in this side of Japan."
"Oh right...Nobunaga? Isn't that a dude's name?"
"Yes. The first born child of every generation in that clan carries the Nobunaga name, regardless of gender."
"Woah. Her family must be pretty top brass then."
"You could definitely say that."
The two finally arrived before a massive rectangular sized indoor facility with few windows and some side rooms accompanying it for lockers in the northern edge of campus. This part of the school was mostly covered in regular trees, giving it a darker, shadier atmosphere. Even in the bright morning, being in this area gave the illusion dusk was about to fall. Students were still gathering from all over to join, as the facility's doors were packed with new faces. A few adult staff members escorted the kids into the gym, pointing them to a direction based on warrior class.
"Okay, we're gonna have to split up now. Are you ready?" Fujiko asked, a light tone of worry and nervousness in her voice.
"Of course. These first day jitters always get to me...but I can't let it take me over. I've got a test to beat! So, do you feel any stronger?"
"Yeah, I really do. I feel like I can actually win this by a huge margin...I'm not gonna let whoever I fight take me down. Thanks for that, Ikkei. I could tell you were kind of bothered by all this..."
"Hey, it's not problem at all. I've just never held a girl's hand like that...or talked to a girl like you...or really done anything with girls...man I sound so lame..."
Fujiko chuckled a bit, grabbing Ikkei's hand again.
"Don't worry, you just did us a huge favor. Have confidence now, okay? Good luck in there. If I don't get to see you when I get out, just know that I thank you."
"Heh, no worries." Ikkei smiled warmly. Despite her sometimes sharp attitude and tone, Ikkei felt the true warmth of the girl's heart and intentions. He couldn't help but wonder if this was the one Shimazu that wasn't quite like the rest--for better or for worse.
The two split off into two separate lines that were filed into the gym's entrance, one for samurai, the other for shinobi. One by one the students were greeted in to the giant wooden floored facility, which had it's lights dimmed. In the center of it all, two sections roped off by dividers separated the two warrior classes. The students were to stand and wait patiently for the large projector screen to come on within the next few minutes or so.
As he made his way into the section, Ikkei couldn't help but take in the wide variety of students here. Many of them hailed from all parts of the country, all descending from a powerful clan, and all baring weapons that varied in style, size, and shape.
Some Samurai around him carried simple Katana, the standard issue weapon among both warrior classes, while others had more uncommon choices like spears and bows.
After a few minutes of waiting, the doors behind the students finally closed and the lights turned off, directing student attention to the large empty stage at the front of the room, and the massive screen now flickering alive. A woman in the video spoke to the crowd over a black backdrop.
She looked incredibly young and beautiful, with long straight brown hair and matching brown eyes that glimmered like drops of honey. She hair fair light skin and a soft, warm face that melted the heart of anyone that gazed upon her. She wore a detailed red and white kimono with dark red flowers printed on it. Part of her reasonably large bosom was visible through the center, immediately capturing the attention of almost all the boys in the room.
"Good morning, future students of Tokyo Heights Academy. I am Miss Oda Nobunaga, your principal. I am currently tending to work right now, so I am unable to attend this ceremony in person. Instead, I have prepared this video version of my usual rundown for you all. The test you are about to take does not involve any written portions. You will not be tested on your merits in mathematics, or language, or history, or science. The test that waits before you is a trial by combat. One by one, your combat skills will be scanned and you will be assigned an opponent equal to you in power. You will have ten minutes to square off with your assigned opponent, and win by any means necessary. A knock out or declaration of surrender from your opponent is needed to secure a win. Killing and or fatally wounding your opponent is strictly prohibited. Test proctors will intervene to ensure no one is seriously hurt as a result. Medical shinobi will be on standby to tend to wounds immediately.
Losing the ensuing battle can incur one of two things. In most cases, a loss will mean disqualification of your request to attend here this school year. In some rare cases where we find fights to be fair and evenly fought, both students may be accepted, regardless of win or loss. A draw can also incur this.
As I finish my speech, the faculty in the bleachers around you have already finished scanning each of you individually and will be assigning you to your opponent now. Please wait patiently for your opponent to be selected and assigned. I wish you all the best of luck, and look forward to seeing my new students attend here very soon. Thank you all for coming, and may you succeed in your pursuit today."
The lights then flickered back on as the screen began to roll back up into the celling of the gym. The ropes that kept the students within their section were now being opened, and a group of staff members dressed in Gi began to escort the students out behind the stage where the testing would take place. Various square mats decorated the floor, designating each fighting area.
In mere seconds, staff members had suddenly scanned the battle power of every student in the room and had them paired up without a second thought, sending them over to their mats to wait for a proctor.
Finally, Ikkei had reached the front of the line. The tingling feeling he had from holding Fujiko's hand earlier was still present, and it made him feel a bit more confident.
"I've gotta win this...I can't lose..." Ikkei thought to himself. The staff member pointed to a mat in the far corner of the gym, where another student and a proctor waited for him.
He couldn't exactly make out his opponent from all the way where he stood, but his hair and figure came off as someone familiar. Slowly he approached, the appearance of his opponent becoming clearer and clearer. Then, when he was just stepping onto the mat, it all became clear to him.
"Hello, cousin Ikkei. It's been some time, hasn't it?"