A New Motivation: Chapter 16

I withheld a yawn as I followed Kiba through a stretch of woods near the house. It was around five in the morning, far earlier than I normally woke up, and a light sprinkling of dew made the forest glisten beautifully in the early morning light.

I’d love to enjoy it, but unfortunately, we had more important things to do at the moment. I glanced at my companion, “So are you excited for our training?”

Kiba smiled, “I’m always excited to improve myself, Nero. I’ll admit though, training with someone that was personally chosen by Sirzechs-sama makes me a bit nervous. I wonder what kind of person they will be.”

I actually had a feeling I knew who it was and I was pretty sure he did too. Kiba had trained with him before, after all. I didn’t let my suspicions be known however, knowing that things didn’t really have to follow canon to the letter. I looked up at the glistening canopy above us, “Have you thought about how we can use your swords to help us train? I’ve got a few ideas about it but you’re the one with the power so you’d probably know what would work best.”

Kiba looked eager about the line of questioning, “I actually have. I’ll admit, I nearly lost quite a bit of sleep last night thanks to your idea sparking some of my own. I haven’t tested them out yet, but this training session would be the ideal place to do so.”

“Oof, training with a handicap on our first day, huh?” I joked as we cleared the treeline and crossed into an open field, “Well, this should be interesting if nothing else.”

We walked into a field not unlike the one that we had sparred Grayfia in. Lounging in the grass in the middle of said field was the man who I assumed was going to be our instructor. He was sitting cross-legged with a sword laying across his lap, facing in our direction as he sat there with his eyes closed.

He was clearly still aware of the world around him though, as the moment we walked into view he opened his eyes. A smile spread across his face as he noticed us, “Ah, there you two are. Right on time.”

He stood, placing his sword in the grass and lifting himself up as we approached. As he stood, I took him in. He was around the same age as Sirzechs, late twenties at most, with dark hair and smooth skin. He was wearing a blue haori over a kimono, with dark hakama and simple sandals . His sword was a simple katana with a beautiful though not overly ornate saiya, which he attached to his hip with expert precision by sliding it through the sash along his waist.

Combined with his laidback smile as he moved to meet us halfway, he fit every description of the man who had originally trained Kiba in canon, and the person who shared the name of the body I currently inhabited. Souji Okita, former leader of the Shinsengumi and one of the most iconic swordsmen in Japanese history.

It was funny. I always had a feeling that we’d run into each other eventually but I never expected it to be this soon. It was a bit difficult deciding how to break the news that I was technically a genderbent version of the man standing before us, but I ultimately decided that there wasn’t really any reason he had to know. If he got curious and asked, I’d spill the beans, but there wasn’t any reason to complicate things otherwise.

As he reached us, the man gave Kiba and I a friendly smile, “Good morning, you two. I’m Souji Okita, and I’ll be teaching you how to use those swords of yours during your stay here.”


The introduction was clearly directed at me rather than Kiba, but the Knight bowed low regardless and after a moment, I followed his lead, “It’s an honor to see you again, Okita-sama. I suspected it would be you waiting for us but I didn't want to get my hopes up.”

The man waved him off, “I told you the last time we trained Kiba, just call me Souji. You two are members of the Gremory family so there's no need for formalities. Besides, I'm not the only Okita around here anymore.” He said, giving me a smile that I returned.

“I'm Nero. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Likewise.” He nodded, “I hear you're from someplace else. Some other world or something?”

“That's right. Though how I got here, or if I'll ever be able to go back, I don't have a clue.” I said with a shrug, “I'm not that sad about it. Things here are actually pretty nice, all things considered.”

“Well you really feel in with the right crowd. I'm not that close to Sirzechs' little sister, but she's a Gremory through and through. You're in good hands with her.”

I giggle, “Trust me. I know.”

Souji nodded, “Now then, let's get down to business. Sirzechs asked me to whip you two into shape as a favor for his little sister. Lady Grafiya already gave me a bit of a rundown on your potential, but I always prefer to measure these things by hand.”

“So that means…” I trailed off, already dreading the coming task. Souji noticed my reaction and his grin grew. He rested a hand on his scabbard, nodding happily.

“That's right, we're going to spar. I need to get a feel for what you two can take, and the only real way to figure that out is by clashing swords.” He said, before turning to Kiba, “But first, Sirzechs told me that you might have a way to make this training a bit more effective. Is that true?”

Kiba's face lit up, “Yes, it is. Though I can't take much of the credit since it was Nero who thought of the idea in the first place. I just happen to be the one with the tools to make it happen.”

“Then you're both equally responsible. She couldn't do it without you and you might not have even thought to do it without her.” Souji said with a laugh, “You've got me curious now though, what's this idea you've cooked up?”

“Right, well as I said the idea came from Nero. She suggested that we could use the magical properties of my Sacred Gear to create items that would make training a bit more difficult for us. I haven't had a chance to truly experiment with it, but I've come up with a few ideas.”

“Well let's see it.”

Nodding, Kiba closed his eyes and focused. We watched as a magic sigil spun to life on the ground in front of him, before glowing brightly as he brought whatever he was imagining into being.

When the glow died down, it was to reveal two, small swords. They were so small in fact, that calling them swords might have been a bit of a stretch. They were like large daggers, completely identical in nature.

Leaning down, Kiba picked them up, showing them off to us, “These are Resolve Breakers.”

“Cool name.” I said as I took in the weapons. They looked somewhat innocuous, made of a grey steel with standard double-edged blades. There was a thin green line running down each blade's fuller, connecting to a large, green jewel attached to each crossguard. The pommel was somewhat interesting, as instead of a normal round pommel or even an edged one, they looked like small hooks, clearly meant to clip on to something. I tilted my head “So what do they do?”

He tossed one to me and I caught it. The moment it touched my hand, the line along the blade began to glow, and I felt the urge to yawn.

“They're energy leeches.” Kiba explained, “Attach them anywhere on your clothes or body and as long as they stay attached to you, they'll gradually sap your energy, both physical and magical. It should help us build our stamina and also learn to fight while exhausted.”

“Clever.” Souji rubbed his chin, “Where does the energy go? If you're both completely exhausted by the end of our first session or workout, then the costs would outweigh the benefits. Is there a way to get it back.”

“I thought of that too.” Kiba nodded, “Just hold them in your hand and concentrate on getting your energy back. They respond to the will of whoever's using them. It's also a good way of storing energy for later because they keep whatever is out into them indefinitely. If you need a boost, just grab one you've already empowered and use it to perk you up.”

“Like an energy drink.” I mused as I clipped the blade to my clothes, “A sharp, extremely deadly energy drink.”

Kiba rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, “I tried to make them as dull as possible but please don't fall on them or anything. They could still hurt you quite a bit if you slipped and fell the wrong way.”

“Well now, this could make things interesting.” Souji said as Kiba attached his own Resolve Breaker to his outfit, “I'm guessing this isn't the only idea you had.”

Kiba laughed, “Far from it. Like I told Nero, I nearly lost sleep thinking of new things to try. Swords that can create cursed wounds that will never heal, swords that can affect the gravity in a localized area, even swords that can absorb magic and reflect it back at the attacker, there's almost no end to what Sword Birth can do when you use a little bit of imagination. I'm almost embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it before.”

“Outside perspectives can always be useful. You tend to glance over things that are intimate to you in some way or another.” Souji said, “We’ll definitely have to practice a bit with your technique. A few of those swords you mentioned could be very useful for training. For now though, let's focus on this spar.”

Souji pulled his sword out of his sash, keeping it sheathed as he wielded it in both hands, pointing it towards his in a low and practiced stance, “We’ll be keeping it to swords, magic or otherwise. KIba, you’re more than welcome to use that Sacred Gear of yours, and same goes to you, Nero. I’ve heard you have quite the weapon stored away. I’m eager to see it.”

“Well, then we'll try not to disappoint.” I said as I held a hand out, manifesting Yamato into being. I pointed it at him in a vague imitation of his own stance, a move that had him raising an eyebrow.

Kiba manifested his own sword, a green bastard sword with an ornate silver hilt and a gem along the pommel. Wind circled the blade in a casual stream and Souji grinned as he saw it.

There was a pause as we all stared at one another, waiting for one of us to take the first strike. Wind whistles through the field, brushing past grass and through our clothes as Kiba and I eyes the master swordsman intently, looking for the slightest twitch or shift in his stance.

There was none of course, or at least none that either of us could detect. Souji was one of the greatest swordsmen to ever come from Japan and that was easily apparent in the way he was standing, loose but ready. Even if he wasn't taking us seriously, he knew that he'd be more than a match for us.

“Are you going to just stand there all day, or are you going to make a move?” Souji asked goadingly and I glanced at Kiba who did the same, before shrugging and deciding to make the first move.

I charged straight at Souji and swung my blade in a basic downwards swipe. His own was there to meet it, steel playing against steel as our blades clashed under the morning sun. I pulled back, going for a sweeping attack which he simply stepped back to dodge, countering with his own downwards strike.

I deflected it off to the side, twisting Yamato as I got a clear shot at his unguarded face, but he got his sword in the way once more, blocking my attack.

That just about set the rhythm for how our bout was going to go. Souji and I danced across the field in a deadly display of swordsmanship and power, blade clashing against blade as the both of us tried to gain the upper hand on one another and even by the end of the first exchange, I could tell that the man's legend wasn't just for a tall tale.

“Your style…” Souji said as he locked his blade against mine. He was giving me a curious look, clearly noticing the similarities in the way we used our swords, “You've trained in tennen rishin-ryu, haven't you?”

I shook my head, straining against his blade, “Most of my skills are instinctual. I’ve had some practice, but none before I joined the peerage. I definitely haven't trained in an actual style before.”


Souji smirked, “Those are some instincts then. You must be a natural.” He said, before forcing me back with the barest amount of effort. As I reeled, his sheathed blade came soaring towards my face, only to be knocked off course by Kiba who interfered at the last minute.

Wielding his blades with experience , the Knight began to force Souji back with a barrage of strikes, pressing his advantage as he pushed Souji away from me so I could recover.

Kiba was much better than me at using a sword but Souji didn’t seem too worried and in fact, the man was elated by the change in opponent, “Finally decided to join the fight, eh? Alright then, give me everything you have, kid. I want to see you pull out all the stops.”


“You asked for it.” Kiba swung his swords with wild enthusiasm, and each time they slammed into Souji’s sheath, a burst of fire shot from the point of impact. It didn’t even singe the wood, much less hurt the man himself, but it seemed somewhat distracting at the very least.

As they fought, I came in from the side, swinging Yamato at Souji’s unguarded back. The man glanced at me, before quickly pulling his blade out of its sheath and using it to block my attack. His blade didn’t move an inch as the legendary sword slammed into it with the sound of ringing steel, and I growled as he gave me a small smirk before ducking underneath Kiba’s followup strike.

We went on the offensive, driving the man back towards the woods. He fended us off with ease, ducking and dodging and blocking our swords like we were children beneath his notice, and he had a smile on his face the whole time. Kiba’s blade ruffled his hair as he ducked underneath a burning blade, before he jumped backwards as I tried to get him while he was immobile.

Kiba and I followed after him, keeping up the pressure as we clashed swords with the legendary swordsman in front of us. As we battled, I could feel my arms begin to grow even more heavy as the sword attached to my hip worked its magic on my stamina. Though the battle had only been going for a few minutes, it felt as if I had been swinging my sword constantly for more than an hour.

Kiba was clearly feeling it too. His face was slick with sweat as he swung his swords with an intense ferocity but just like me, he pushed through it. We worked together, covering each other effectively enough to keep Souji on the backfoot, eventually forcing him to jump away to gain some distance.

“Your teamwork is pretty good!” He called as he flew through the air, landing a few dozen feet away. He straightened, leaning down and gently placing his sheath on the ground and holding his sword with both hands, “Let’s see how well you think on the fly.”

He turned and lashed out with his blade, slicing through a thick tree behind him like it was nothing but butter. As the plant began to lean, creaking as the fibers within began to bend and crack, he jumped backwards, letting it tip over in front of him.

There was a flash of steel and then suddenly what was once a complete tree was sliced into several chunks and sent in our direction like some vague facsimile of a shotgun blast. Each chunk was larger than my torso and coming at us like wind resistance was merely a suggestion, and I shared a panicked glance with Kiba before diving out of the way before either of us were reduced to a fine paste.

Rolling back to my feet, I sent Yamato back to my pocket dimension and withdrew Red Queen instead. Now with the heavier blade in my hand, I shared a look with Kiba. An unspoken conversation passed between our eyes before I nodded, stepping towards Souji.

“Oh! Changing things up, are we?” Souji asked as I brandished the massive blade with both hands. I kicked off, revving Red Queen twice and setting it ablaze, and the man smiled, pointing his blade at me as I approached, “Lets see how this approach works out for you.”

Red Queen's weight was made substantially heavier thanks to my flagging stamina, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle as I swung the weapon at his grinning face. The weapon sliced through the air on a curtain of flames which singed Souji’s hair as he ducked underneath the blade. Not discouraged by the near miss, I pivoted on my heel, revving the weapon and gaining speed as I brought it around again, this time swinging it with as much strength as my demonically enhanced body would allow. Souji actually looked surprised that I was already back in position as he raised his weapons in a cross pattern to block.

Red Queen slammed into his guard and the man was actually pushed backwards by the immensely heavy weapon even though his guard didn’t break. As he flew backwards, Kiba materialized above him, wings flared outwards as he aimed his swords downwards.

“Take this!” He shouted, and a tunnel of whirling burst from one of his swords, ripping down towards Souji as the man turned to look at him. Kiba's second sword flared and then wind tunnel blazed as flames raced down along its path, creating a deadly inferno heading straight towards the older Knight.

Souji stared up at the blaze as it approached him, smiling in the face of Kiba's power. Facing the flames, the man held his sword in both hands and raised it above his head, before swiping downwards so quickly that I couldn't even see his blade move.

The inferno was scattered underneath the pressure of his swing, and Kiba stared as the embers were scattered to the wind, “What-”

Souji was suddenly in front of him, ramming the butt of his sword into the teen's gut. Kiba curled around the blow, heaving as spit and bile flew out of his mouth. Souji finished him off with a simple blow to his back, sending him hurtling down to the ground as his wings disappeared.

“Kiba!” I cried as he slammed into the ground in front of me, moving to rush to his side. Souji intercepted me, swiping his sword at my head which I just managed to block by bringing Red Queen up in front of me. Souji shook his head as I struggled against his sword, “Keep your eyes on your opponent, kid. That’s the most important part of any fight.”

I growled, digging my heels into the dirt as he pressed his blade against my own. My arms were shaking now and Red Queen's weight was much more noticeable as fatigue stepped in. I only lasted another second before Souji broke through my guard, pushing Red Queen backwards and scoring a hit.

His sandal slammed into my sternum and sent me to the ground. Red Queen rolled out of my grip as I groaned curling in on myself as the pain and fatigue set in.

Up above, I heard Souji sheathe his sword“I think that's enough for now. I've got a pretty good idea of how good you two are by now.”

“Ugh, I feel like trash.” I groaned as I rolled over onto my back. I reached down, grabbing the small sword attached to my hip and pulled it off of me, freeing myself from its effects.

I held it in front of me, taking it in. The jewel on the face of the weapon was glowing brightly, a far cry from the dull color it had been before. Let's see, Kiba said all we'd have to do to get our stamina back was to just ask for it! How does that work?

Almost immediately after finishing the thought, there was a soft thrum from the weapon in my hand, before the gem glowed even brighter than it already was. A rush of energy swelled within me as my lost stamina was returned to me like I had just taken a dozen energy drinks, and I let out a sigh as I was revitalized.

A hand was out in front of me and I took it gratefully, letting Kiba haul me up to a standing position. The Knight looked haggard but had a smile on his face, happy that his experiment had been a success.

We turned as one as Souji cleared his throat, “All right, time for your performance review. All in all, I'd say you did… alright.” He directed a smile at the blonde beside me, “You've grown stronger, Kiba. And you've both got some great fundamentals but I can tell that neither of you have been in a real life-or-death battle because you were making some rookie mistakes.”

He turned to me, “But that's what I'm here for. I'm gonna beat all that out of you so get ready. By the end of this, I wouldn't call you master swordsmen per se, but you'll be leagues better than you were before.”

Though the prospect of having my flaws beaten out of me wasn't exactly a fun one, the latter part definitely sounded alright to me.

“That’s what we’re here for. No matter how hard it is, we'll prevail through this training.” Kiba said passionately and I nodded in agreement.

Souji smirked, “That's what I like to hear. You'll go far with that kind of attitude.”

He bent down, grabbing Red Queen where it rested by his foot, and threw the sword my way. I snatched it out of the air with one hand, swinging into a stance as Souji unsheathed his blade.

“Now then, time spent standing around is time lost I always say. We'll go again and this time, I'm not gonna hold back nearly as much as before.” He said, getting into a stance, “We’ll be going at it for the next few hours before we break for lunch, so I hope the two of you have some good mental stamina to go with the physical.

He grinned, tightening his grip on his sword, “If not… Well, you will when I'm done with you.”