Act 3: Youth and the Abandoned Dojo

Along the scattered line of headstones and colored flowers lies Ryouji sitting in front of a headstone carrying the name "Oyama Keiji." Ryouji Ryo stands up and prays to the grave in silence.

Amidst the silence of Ryo's prayer, a crack of a fallen tree branch is heard at the end of the row of graves.

Ryo opens his eyes and announces "I hear you come out."

A small boy standing at only 1.3 meters dragging a thick wooden bokuto at least 2 meters in length walks towards Ryo. Ryo, who notices the large wooden sword, asks the boy "Why're you holding that sword."

The boy doesn't respond but instead lifts his sword pointing it towards the cloud-covered sky. Ryo, shocked by the pure physical strength of the child, smiles and begins to walk past the child.

The child looks back at Ryo as he passes him while walking towards the exit of the graveyard. The child drawn towards Ryo yells with all his might "My name is Rikimaru Haruki please become my master!"

Ryo looks back at Haruki who has fallen to the ground bowing to him. Ryo walks back to Haruki and extends his hand to him, Ryo responds to Haruki "Let's go"

Several hours later when the sun has fallen onto the horizon and the sky is filling with purple and black streaks among the stars.

The newly founded group of masters and students are walking on the street. Haruki continues to talk to Ryo "I think I like salmon more than tuna but I don't know, I don't really like fish, what about you master, what fish do you like?"

Ryo stops in front of a dilapidated dojo covered by a large wooden wall and gate. Haruki asks Ryo "Why'd you stop master?"

Ryo looks at the worn-down sign at the top of the gate reading "Mujushin Ittō-Ryū" (continuous spirit one sword style). Ryo looks at Haruki and responds to his question "I want to start your first lesson."

Haruki lights up like a star in the sky as he energetically asks "In here?"

Ryo withdraws a key and enters it into the gate lock with no avail. Ryo puts the key back in his pocket as he says to Haruki "We're going to have to jump over the wall"

Haruki runs up and grapples himself over the fence the second he hears the command. Ryo immediately follows and scales the wall where he sits on top of the wall to see Haruki fallen on the ground below.

Ryo jumps down to the ground and helps Haruki up and asks "Are you okay Haruki?"

Haruki and Ryo begin walking to the dojo door as Haruki replies with a grin "Yeah I'm fine."

Ryo pushes the dojo door open showing the dark and dusty abandoned hall where the two men begin to walk to the main hall. As they progress through the dojo Haruki begins to hold Ryos As the two enter the decrypted main hall Ryo flips a wooden floorboard to unveil a wooden bokuto.

Ryo then asks Haruki "Are you ready for your first lesson?"

Haruki withdraws his own bokuto and energetically responds "Yeah!"

Ryo immediately strikes Haruki causing Him to fly backward onto the ground. Ryo smiles with the joy of battle as he commands Haruki "We're not done, it's time for round two!"

Haruki smiles and stands up as each time he gets beaten he gets closer and closer to landing a strike on Ryo. As hours pass the sun shines for the final time of the day and the moon takes over the sky, Haruki collapses onto the hard wooden floor "64 times, Master?"

Ryo sits down next to Haruki as he replies "That's right."

Haruki chuckles as he sits up and looks at Ryo where he asks "You sure like to fight master?"

Ryo, confused, asks Haruki "What do you mean?"

Haruki, wondering the nature of the question himself answers "I'm not sure it seems you like to fight do you?"

Ryo answers "I'm not very fond of it, why?"

Haruki, completely shocked by the answer, asks without any hesitation "Then why do you fight?"

Ryo responds with a proud but solemn tone "For the sake of my dream, the dream of the school, I want to revive the Mujushin Ittō-Ryū school."

Haruki, wondering about his position in Ryos goal, asks Ryo "Then why did you choose to take me in as a student, master?"

Ryo stands up and extends his hand to help Haruki up as he continues "The school was wiped out 2 years ago and I made a promise to bring it back so I'll need people like you who possess talent and I'll need to gain renown."

Haruki stands up due to the help of Ryo when he asks "How will you gain renown then master?"

Ryo extends his arm and points his bokuto at Haruki "I'll duel many swordsmen and spread my name and my school's name throughout the land!"

Haruki, surprised and filled with a flame of excitement and wonder, asks Ryo "Then when's the first duel master?!"

Ryo lowers the bokuto and responds "It's tomorrow."

Haruki's flame burning even hotter asks "And you'll win right?!"

Ryo smirks and responds "Of course I will, I'm the strongest after all."

Haruki picks up his bokuto and says "How about we do a 65th round master to get you ready for tomorrow?"

Ryo replies with a hint of solemnity "No, no we've had enough for today but I want you to meet me here at this time tomorrow and if I'm not here then I'll be dead."

Haruki asks Ryo worriedly with tears flowing down his eyes "Do you think you'll lose, master?"

Ryo puts his hand on Harukis head and tries to calm down Haruki by responding "Don't worry I told you already, I'm the strongest and I said that just so you know where to meet up tomorrow so we can celebrate!"

Haruki wipes his tears and asks in a barely intelligible tongue "You promise master?"

Ryo quietly smiles and tells Haruki "Of course, and how about this let's go get us something to eat."

Haruki asks "Really?"

Ryo responds "Yeah, let's go Haruki."

Both master and student leave the dojo and the eve of battle for both Ryouji and Hasegawa comes to a close.

17 Hours remaining