Target
Rei had just left the bathroom when he noticed Ayako, Suzume, and Miyu crowded around the practice hall door. The dojo stood adjacent to the main house; only the sliding wooden door acted as a barrier between the two buildings. It made it easier for students to enter, change, and practice that way than having to enter and exit the main house before entering the dojo. It also made it easier to hear who was coming and going within both buildings.
"Dooshita?" he called, raising his voice just a notch so that they could hear him. Miyu jumped slightly at his voice, not expecting him to be there, as the three turned to him.
"Rei-sama," Suzume said in her motherly sounding voice. "That new student of yours is still practicing."
"He's been shooting arrows for almost four hours now," Ayako said, her voice laced with concern. "He hasn't stopped once nor has he eaten or drunken anything." Rei pulled the towel down around his neck, peeking into the room. Yuusuke was setting another arrow, oblivious to the four people watching him. Glancing at the targets, Rei saw that he had used up nearly all of them except one. Many of the arrows fired had hit dead center but, since Yuusuke was still shooting, Rei gathered none of them had been three consecutive arrows.
"Let him go," he said after a moment.
"Demo, Rei-sama�" Suzume began to protest. Rei shook his head to silence her.
"He won't stop until he gets what he wants. Let him go. You say he hasn't eaten yet?"
"Hai, Rei-sama. We tried to get him to stop and eat, but he just smiled and refused."
"Have something ready and waiting for him. When he's done, tell him to eat and that he won't leave this house until he does so. If you need anything, call me. I'll be in my room studying for a test."
"Hai, Rei-sama." He turned, leaving the three women to continue watching after Yuusuke as he made his way to his room. Once there, he tossed the cotton towel onto a chair and sat on the floor, pulling his schoolbooks from his pack to study. The sound of arrows hitting the target faded from his ears as he became immersed in the school material before him.
"Ya ta se!!" Yuusuke sank to the floor in a heap after firing the last of his three arrows. After four and a half hours of consistent firing, he had finally shot three consecutive arrows into the target. Sweat beaded on his cheek, and Yuusuke promptly wiped them away with his sleeve.
"Arisugawa-san." He turned at the sound of his name and found Ayako kneeling in the entrance way, bowing to him.
"Arisugawa-san," she called again, gazing at him. "If you're done, Rei-sama has requested that a meal be waiting for you."
"O re?" Yuusuke asked, surprised and pointing to himself. "Demo, the arrows�"
"Kazuya-san will take care of them. Dozo." She stood and motioned for him to follow. He nodded, getting to his feet. He followed her to the kitchen after putting the bow away in its proper place. Along the way, they passed as large room, all the paper shoji screens leading to the interior of the room closed. A light was on inside, but Yuusuke heard no sound from the faint shadow he saw on a wall.
"Na," he called to Ayako in front of him as they passed the room. "Who's room did we just pass? It was so quiet in there."
"That room belongs to Rei-sama," she replied, opening the door to the kitchen. The smiling faces of Suzume and Miyu greeted him as he entered. Little Miyu had just finished setting a small table for Yuusuke and grinned brightly at him as he entered and sat. He grinned back, patting her head.
"Arigato. Itedakimasu." He began to eat, complimenting Suzume on her cooking, causing the elder woman to blush. For the next few minutes, Yuusuke ate in silence as Miyu helped her mother and Ayako clean up the kitchen.
"Suimasen," he said, gathering their attention. The three turned to him, wondering what was on his mind.
"It's probably none of my business, but I wanted to ask you all something."
"Dozo," Suzume said, putting away the last dish and turning to him.
"Do you like working here? Do you like working for a master so young?" The three thought a moment before Ayako answered.
"It's true Rei-sama is much younger than most of the previous house masters before him were then they took over the family. But unfortunate circumstances forced him to take the position. Once an Ishikawa master retires, he or she can no longer act as head of the family. That's why Rei-sama became the master instead of his grandfather resuming the title when Rei-sama's father died."
"I'm surprised he didn't turn into a spoiled child. After all, he comes from this well known family that were rumored to once teacher the imperial guards archery."
"Rei-sama was never spoiled," Suzume said, taking a seat near Yuusuke. "Even when he was a little child, younger than Miyu-chan here, he was always quiet and kind. It's very rare to see him smile, but underneath the calm expression, Rei-sama is quite caring.
"But, Rei-sama never shows what he's truly feeling. If he's lonely, he doesn't say anything, even even to us. We've all seen him grown up from a baby to the person he is now. But, never once has he spoke to us about how he feels."
"When his parents died," Ayako continued, "he shut himself in his room and didn't emerge for hours. Though only shoji screens serve as doors to Rei-sama's room, none of us dared to open them. But, as far as we could tell, nothing happened in there. He looked the same the moment he emerged from the as he did entering it. To this day, none of us know how the death of his parents effected him."
"So ka�" Yuusuke thought a moment about everything they said before finishing his meal. After changing back into his clothes, he thanked them all and, with a smile and a wink, promised to return the next day for more practice.
Once on the street, still busy and teaming with people despite the approaching late hour, Yuusuke lost himself in his thoughts. He kept turning over in his mind what Ayako and the others had told him just now, and what Mariko had told him at practice.
Ishikawa Rei, head of the Ishikawa family of archers. You're known in all of Japan as one of the best archers ever born and trained; maybe you're the best in all of Japan. Yet you've lived a hard life. You don't let anyone see your weaknesses, keeping all your emotions bottled up inside you. And yet, something drives you forward. Where others would have stumbled and given up, you go on, pushing yourself to your limit.
I intend to find out what makes you tick, what propels you forward. I make you my next target.