Sensei
"Rei-sama."
Ishikawa Rei, seventeen-year-old master of the Ishikawa Kyudou Dojo and
head of the Ishikawa family, turned when his name was called.
He nodded slightly to Oshiro Kotaro,
the elderly accountant that helped him run the dojo.
"Dooshita, Kotaro-san?" Rei asked, his green eyes returning to the
students who practiced in the dojo.
He watched a young, junior high school girl take aim and
release her arrow; a look of slight disappointment followed soon
after when her aim hit slightly off target.
As he watched, Kotaro sat next to the young master,
flipping open a book to a page he had marked.
"You're expecting a new student today, Rei-sama," Kotaro said,
reading out of the book.
Rei nodded, continuing to watch the students as Kotaro spoke
from his left.
"Name, age, school status."
"Hai. Arisugawa Yuuske, 22-years-old, a student at a local college."
"Anything else?"
Kotaro knew Rei liked to have some knowledge
of new students before he allowed them into the dojo and
began their training.
"He's originally from Miyagi.
During junior high, his family moved to Kyoto.
He came here to Tokyo when he entered college.
Arisugawa-kun works at a local caf� to support himself."
"What's his background in martial arts?"
"He has had very little previous training.
In junior high he was on the Aikido team in Miyagi.
In Kyoto, he took up archery, but only for a short time
before he entered high school.
In high school, he ran track and played baseball."
"What day is he arriving?"
Kotaro paled slightly at the question but continued.
"Forgive me, Rei-sama.
I know you like to have a slight delay between knowing
your students and actually teaching them.
But Arisugawa-kun insisted on beginning lessons as soon as possible.
He came to me two days ago and asked to be admitted into class today."
Rei sighed; this was not going to be an easy student for the
calm master to handle.
"Very well then.
The moment he arrives, have him fitted with a kimono,
hakama, and a glove and see him in."
"Hai, Rei-sama."
Kotaro bowed slightly before leaving the practice hall.
The young master paid him no mind as he continued
watching the students practice and change places.
It had been four years since he had inherited the school.
At thirteen, Ishikawa Rei had become the youngest master of the Ishikawa
Kyudou Dojo after the unfortunate and accidental death of his parents.
He, like all previous masters before him, had been trained in the art of
archery since he was old enough to stand and hold a bow steady.
Captain of his school's archery team since elementary school,
Rei was far from normal, even as a child.
He was always quiet, reserved;
he had very few people he considered friends.
There were many rivaling schools that considered him an enemy,
but none had ever followed through on the threats they dealt him.
Though archery was his main form of martial art,
Rei was also skilled in Aikido, a little judo, and very little kendo,
but he excelled at them all with the knowledge he held.
He was also intelligent in class, excelling in ever subject,
never seeming to be bored nor interested at the same time.
His martial arts skills and intelligence weren't the only things
that won him attention.
Practically since the time of his birth,
Rei has always been considered handsome;
he was never cute, just simply handsome.
He was a little on the tall side and had fair,
thick raven hair that took little to care for but was considered
by his mother to be his pride (aside from his marksmanship).
The young master also possessed sea green eyes,
something he had inherited from his half American mother.
They gave him an air of mystery and attracted a lot of
attention from others.
Since the death of his parents,
Rei has lived alone on his family's large dojo estate.
Neither of his parents had siblings,
and his grandparents lived in Okinawa.
He was alone most of the time,
but no one ever knew if that bothered him.
Aside from himself,
the dojo housed only a few other people.
Oshiro Kotaro was the accountant for the dojo,
keeping finances in check and making sure the household ran properly;
he also made sure the history books on the family were properly taken
care of.
Ookami Ayako was the maid;
it was her job to make sure the house was
clean and the dojo properly kept in order after the students left.
However, Rei insisted he do his own laundry,
much to her disapproval (although, she had to admit,
he was the only person to get white clothes cleaner than herself).
Mano Kazuya tended the gardens and the grounds while Mano Suzume,
his wife, looked after the kitchen;
Mano Miyu, his young daughter,
ran errands when not attending school.
None of them ever heard a harsh word leave their young master's
lips and all loved him dearly.
Ayako and Suzume were his mothers,
Miyu his little sister; Kotaro and Kazuya were his fathers.
These were the people Rei considered his friends.
Rei was shaken out of his thoughts by the chime of the
bell that served as a calling signal at the door.
He nodded to his students to ignore the sound and go on with
their practice.
Faintly he heard footsteps rushing to answer the door,
following by voices, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.
Within moments, a knock came on the wooden door behind him.
"Rei-sama," Ayako's voice said through the wooden door.
Rei took a breath before reaching back and knocking twice on the door,
a signal for it to be opened.
He felt the slight rush of wind on the back of his neck
as the wood door was slide aside.
"Rei-sama, your new student is here."