Chapter 32
I woke up on the bank of a mountain river, not far from the waterfall. In the exact spot where I had collapsed from weakness the evening before. Now, the sun was shining brightly.
I shook my head, throwing off the last remnants of the stupor, and climbed under the waterfall to meditate.
Upon arriving in the city, I realized I hadn't been gone for a few hours, but for two days. And I arrived just in time for O-Sensei's funeral. At least I was able to pay my final respects to the Teacher.
After the ceremony, Morihei's son Kisshomaru approached me, having remained the heir to the dojo and the style after his father's death.
We went with him to Morihei's former room.
"Victor-san," he addressed me when, observing the proper etiquette, we sat facing each other. "I called you here to fulfill my father's last wish."
"I am listening carefully, Ueshiba-san," I bowed slightly, expressing attention and respect for his upcoming words.
"Before he died, my father ordered me to give this," he handed me a long bundle, "To you, Victor-san."
"To me?" I was surprised, recognizing the adamantium sword that Erik and I had made for Morihei by the hilt peeking out from under the cloth. "But why?" I asked, accepting the bundle.
"This is a weapon. A very serious weapon for our world. And there will be very many who wish to possess it. Sooner or later, it will be stolen from the Hombu Dojo. So let it be with you. I am not my father; I will not be able to keep such a dangerous thing from greedy hands. And... that was my father's wish."
"Very well, Ueshiba-san. I accept this gift. Morihei's will is fulfilled..." We sat with Kisshomaru a bit longer, commemorating the deceased with a couple of sips of sake. And we said goodbye. Perhaps forever. At least I didn't plan to return. As it was, in passing, Kisshomaru admired how I managed to maintain such excellent shape at my age... After all, I've known him for nineteen years. Despite the fact that I look twenty-two at most...
With the bundle under my arm, I left the hospitable home of the old Master and went into the forest. And there...
It wasn't a dream on the bank of the waterfall. Not a dream at all. The footprints in the sand remained quite distinct. And I saw them before leaving for the city. In my perception, they burned like the high beams of a car on an empty, unlit highway on a moonless night. And in my consciousness, like a small, hot sun.
Fifty-four years have passed since our last meeting. Perhaps it is time to talk...
* * *
I went to the city. In the most expensive barbershop, I got a neat haircut. In the most expensive clothing store, I bought a very expensive modernized version of a samurai suit.
Dressed like that, I tucked the adamantium katana behind my belt and "jumped" to Tibet. To that very plateau where I usually started my search when I was still a monk.
How much my super senses have intensified since then! Everything around seemed surprisingly bright and vibrant, like a 3D color movie theater after an old black-and-white TV with a kinescope and a lens in front of the screen. With roughly such a gigantic difference were the memories of this place and the current impressions felt. And if, earlier, I had to crouch to the ground to catch the shadow of the shadow of a scent, now, I simply felt where this place was, where Suo was.
And now I didn't have to restrain the Beast. He was completely in solidarity with me.
But the walk took a long time. Maybe my memory is failing me, or did they really move the settlement? Although, from mages—and that Suo is a mage, I no longer doubted after such miracles that were demonstrated to me in our last meeting—you can expect anything.
And again on my way I hit a rock face, a bare monolithic stone. Last time there were only claws. This time there is an adamantium katana, plus greatly increased physical strength—the stone surrendered quickly. But there was much more of it.
An hour later I felt like a subway builder laying a new Moscow-Beijing line. Sixty meters of stone!! And it just wouldn't end! Do you think that stopped me? Noooo (at this point you can imagine the sarcastic grin of the canon Sabretooth from the comics, kind and gentle until the viewer gets premature gray hair)!!! I am too stubborn to let this stop me! Although, someone might say otherwise: not stubborn, but stupid. But that doesn't change the essence.
Ten hours of shock labor, a kilometer-long tunnel in solid stone, and here it is, the valley of wizards!
I had to, however, make a new voyage first to the shower, then shopping, to restore the coolness of my appearance, since miner's work is heavy and dirty. But I entered the settlement in full dress uniform and in all the brilliance of magnificence and pathos.
And the squareness of the eyes of the local residents I met justified all the efforts to create the image (true, for some reason suspicions crept in that they looked at me more like an idiot than with admiration).
I didn't kick the doors open to that house. On the contrary, I did it calmly and with polite confidence. In the large room, as always, there were people. Not many. Not like last time. Only three. And all of them stood near the table. And one of these three was Suo. She was explaining something, pointing to a drawing-blueprint in an open book lying on the table.
At the sound of the opening door, everyone turned around and froze. Recognition appeared in Suo's eyes, then amazement (not boundless, but still), which told me that she had not expected my visit. Or expected it not so soon.
"Hello, Suo," I said quietly, but I couldn't pronounce these simple words calmly—my voice trembled slightly. Because of this, what I said sounded somewhat touching, I guess...
"Hello, Vic," she replied and with a gesture sent all the unnecessary people out of the room. I must note that they did this reluctantly, but very hastily. "I am glad to see you alive and full of strength. Honestly, I didn't expect you so soon," she continued when we were alone.
"Thank you for saving my life," I answered her a little more gloomily than I would have liked. "But a kilometer of stone at the entrance to the valley—in my opinion, is overkill."
"A kilometer?" she was surprised. "We moved the entrance to Kamar-Taj to the neighboring city forty years ago. There are no obstacles there at all, except for a simple illusion!!"
"Ahem," I cleared my throat to hide my sudden embarrassment. "So now you have two entrances to the valley."
"Vic! You are inimitable," she sighed. And became serious. "Why did you come, Vic? After so many years..."
"I missed you," I honestly admitted. "Do I need another reason?"
"And why didn't you come earlier?"
"At first I was offended," you might not be able to tell by looking at me, but I know how to admit mistakes. I just admitted to one of them. "Then... Then you came. And I accepted the new rules of the game."
"Rules of the game? You surprise me, Vic. What rules? What game?" she said in surprise.
"You pretend that I am dreaming of you. I pretend that I believe in it. And there is no need for anyone to apologize. You just come when you want to."
"What an interesting game it turns out to be," she started smiling. "Is that why you never tried to come yourself?"
"At first—yes. And then..." I hesitated.
"Then?" she came out from behind the table and portrayed attention with her whole appearance.
"Then... I was afraid," it was hard to admit this, but lying would be worse.
"Afraid? Of what? What can a twenty-time Champion of the Battle of Dragons be afraid of? Me?" sarcasm broke through in her voice.
"I was afraid that it really was just dreams. And in reality, you died a long time ago... That I was too late and there was simply no one to go to," this admission cost me more effort than punching a tunnel right to the valley. But I said it anyway. Said it, swallowed the lump in my throat, and looked away.
"Strange logic: not to go because you are afraid of being late and being even later," she snorted.
"Logic is your department," I replied gloomily. "You are the smart one between us."
"And you?"
"And I am a man. A man doesn't have to be smart."
"You seem to contradict public beliefs. A lack of intelligence and logic is usually attributed to women," she giggled.
"I don't give a damn about all beliefs..." I grumbled and looked away again.
"And why did you come now?"
"I missed you," I started answering for the second time.
"And how did you manage to get from Japan to Tibet in a day?"
"I missed you very much," I took a step forward.
"You are just a titan of thought today," she noted sarcastically, taking a step back.
"I'm always like this," I replied, taking another step.
"Don't come any closer!" she said and spread her arms out to the sides with hooked fingers. Opposite her palms, which were facing me, some fiery circles with pentagrams and writings appeared in the air.
At this action of hers, I reflexively released my claws. Then felt ashamed and hid them back. Damn Issei! Developed, the bastard, an unconditioned reflex to the use of magic. See a mage—destroy. Immediately, without talking. A good mage is a dead mage. Consequently, I act now before I have time to think. Good thing I didn't lunge, otherwise it would have turned out really bad.
"Why?" I asked, mastering myself.
"I don't want to see you!" she answered.
"Your body says otherwise," I tilted my head to the side.
"And what is more important to you, me or the body?!" she asked with a hint of hysteria in her voice.
"You," I answered her.
"Me? What do you even know about me?!!" the hysteria instantly gave way to sarcasm. It was clear that she had already pulled herself together.
"Your name is Suo. You are a mage. I feel good with you. I feel bad without you," I listed what I knew, bending the fingers on my right hand with my left for clarity.
"You know nothing about me! Nothing at all! I wanted to tell you, but you always go on with your: 'Shut up, woman...'!"
"I don't remember you being very dissatisfied," I shrugged. She blushed slightly and looked away. Then she shook her hands again, around which the circles with symbols had begun to fade, stopping my movement—I had just started taking the next step towards her. And I still finished it despite the warning. But I didn't take a new one—why make the person nervous?
"They call me the 'Ancient One' or 'The Ancient'. I am the Sorcerer Supreme of the Earth dimension! I am more than five centuries old!"
"Did you want to shock me just now?" I clarified, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not really impressed... You know I don't give a damn about all that... You are Suo, my woman. The rest... what difference does it make to me?"
"Possessive! Damn chauvinist!" she raised her voice, and the symbols began to fade again. Apparently, emotions were throwing off the concentration necessary for magic. I took another step towards her.
"How dared you?! How did you even dare to come here?! How dared you take advantage of my weakness?! How dared you hook me on yourself like a drug?! How dared you make me run after you like a little dog?! How dared you die?!! Twice?!!" she was almost screaming now, and the circles faded completely. I calmly took two more steps and stood right up against her. She collected herself and stepped back, but I, as Morihei taught, "stuck" to her movement and kept the distance, not losing a centimeter, until her back pressed against the wall.
"You!... You..." she tried to push against my chest with her hand.
"Shut up," I growled affectionately, bringing my face closer to hers. "...woman," I finished the phrase that had become practically a ritual. And followed it up with an equally ritualistic kiss.
She initially pulled away, tensed up, pressed her lips together, but gradually began to melt under my hands. She responded to the kiss... and the next moment the circles with symbols blazed, and I was thrown to the opposite wall, hitting it hard, so that I even bit my lip until it bled.
A smile crept onto my face all by itself. The threateningly anticipatory smile of Sabretooth (and I did take that name and use it in the Arena, after all). I slowly licked the blood from my lip and started getting to my feet. A growl began to build in my chest on its own.
Suo recovered and threw her head back.
"Not here," she said and walked proudly into her room. I chuckled and moved after her. Entering, I peeked outside, looked around, and closed the door.
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