Code Zulu Alpha: Nerd in the Apocalypse!

I left my answer as to who's better between Tatiana and Aoi a little open-ended because no one would know the right answer until they actually fought. With that said, practitioners like me and Aoi were always compared to HEMA practitioners like Tatiana, but it would almost always boil down as to who had more time put into it.

Rin gave looks of wonder, "Really? She's that good?"

I scratched my nose, "Well, we've trained since we're young compared to Tatiana who trained less than a decade but as I said earlier, she was more full-time."

Kaley interjected, "How can you say that? You're saying it's gonna be 50-50 but Tatiana never beat you using swords. Won't she just wipe everyone else because she was more full-time?"

I instantly said, "But I'm awesome. It's almost illegal."

"Pfft!"

The three of them almost choked simultaneously and we started laughing. Kaley was slightly palming my wakizashi but Rin had another thought.

She pointed at my arm and said, "Does she have one like that? She has to, right?!"

I nodded and smiled faintly, "Yeah, we all got one tattooed somewhere on our body. Hers wasn't like this though… She has this bird-like crea-- Oh! I think it was based on a black-crowned night heron that turned into a yokai or a spiritual entity. It was said that its feathers fused to become shining scales that gave off an iridescent blue--"

Cynthia exclaimed, "Oh! Oh! Oh! Ao… Aos... Aosaginohi! It's Aosaginohi, right?! That's so cool!"

Kaley was confused, "What is that what? Blue heron flame? What does that mean?"

Rin chuckled, "I think it's blue heron fire but same thing."

I nodded approvingly, "Yeah, something like that. Old Man Kaiseki likes to give us weird tattoos that sorta explain about us or what he sees in us. He didn't ink it on her arm though, it was on her back. The colors were so vivid and radiant they almost pop out from the background-- get it? Back-- Nevermind..."

Kaley snarkily commented after groaning, "Oh~ You probably saw it when you're doing her from the back."

I just shook my head and went along with it, "Well, sometimes she's riding me facing the opposite way but I'd see it too when I wash her back."

Kaley's face went so red with mixed emotions as she stammered, "Ah-- You! Well--"

Rin and Cynthia were just enjoying the friendly hostility but they were more amused by seeing Kaley's reaction. I would dare say that she was getting a little~ too passionate while hearing stories about someone that was my first in mostly everything and I was done being on the defensive. I'd need to shake the beehive some more to get priceless reactions.

Kaley looked away before muttering, "Who's she with now though? A girl as perfect as that should have someone..."

I faintly smiled, "As far as I know, I was the only one she's been with--"

"WHAT?!" The three exploded.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I dunno, I don't dig much about everyone's past relationship even if she's my childhood friend unless they told me about it."

The three were taken aback and were silent for a short moment. It got kinda awkward but Kaley turned to me with an apologetic look.

"I didn't m-mean to put it like that though… S-Sorry… I'm just a little… you know..."

Cynthia joked, "Insecure?"

Rin piled on, "Jealous?"

I tried to stop the two, "Hey now, ease up a little--"

Kaley stood up, "I-I'm not! Hngh… A l-little… I have my issues too, okay?! I'm just… I'm just wondering why you're not with--"

I cut her off as I looked at her straight in the eye, "It's 'coz I love you, you freakin' doofus."

As soon as I said that, Kaley was just stunned in place and she looked like she was about to cry. Rin and Cynthia were shrieking in pleasure and Kaley just turned redder and redder. She played it off by harrumphing and looking away but she slowly sat down in the same place she was sitting on earlier.

Then Rin had a thought.

"W-Wait! Is that why?"

"Hmm?"

"The person who broke your Tachi! It's Aoi, right?"

"Yeah? But--"

"Oh my god! Did she perhaps told you what she felt and you just went ahead and brutally crushed her heart--"

I instantly chopped Rin's head with my hand, "Nope. Hmm~ there was a time like that, yes. But that's not the reason she broke it. After the incident with my parents, I started traveling around the world but the first place I went to was Old Man Kaiseki's mountain. I was at rock-bottom at that time and honestly, the thoughts running through my head that time were so fucking negative..."

Everyone's faces suddenly turned somber.

But I continued, "I hiked up the path on my own but I brought the set Old Man Kaiseki made me: that Tachi, my katana, that wakizashi, and the tanto. I planned to return everything to Old Man Kaiseki but he wasn't there."

"W-What? You wanted to return-- W-Why?"

"I'm just so fucking done at that time. Trust me, I could as easily hung myself in one of the trees there but I didn't. They're just so precious to me and someone else might just wander around and pick them up."

"..."

"C'mon guys, don't look at me like that. I'm fine now, right?"

"Okay… W-What happened then?"

"Well~ Since Old Man Kaiseki's gone, I thought I'd just leave it to someone else present… Turns out, the place was freaking empty and I don't know where everyone went!"

"What did you do?"

I started chuckling, "I tried looking for them at first but after running around the mountain for hours, I just gave up and put my things down in my old room to wait for them. Surprisingly enough, it was kept clean and it was what I left it before. I was covered in sweat and I was fucking tired so I took a hot bath before fixing myself a meal. I just cooked some rice, cracked some fresh eggs on it, added a dash of our homemade soy sauce, and mixed it all together."

Cynthia started chuckling, "You just made yourself at home..."

"Well, it IS home; Like this one. Who said you could only have one?"

"True~~~"

"Anyway, I took a long-ass nap but I was woken up by someone singing."

"Oh! Is it Aoi? Is she any good?"

"It's her, yes. And she really~ has a beautiful voice. She could be a singer if she wanted to. It's just that she'd goof around to downplay herself to avoid compliments. She really hates getting them but I heard her sing for real. It's really warm and soothing..."

Cynthia got excited, "Really? I kinda like her for being like that… You walked up to her, right?"

I started having minor PTSD, "Yeah… I 'walked' up to her… sure… I really didn't mean to..."

"Uh-oh..." the three simultaneously said but their eyes were twinkling.

"The sun was already down and the only light source we had was the one in her room. I could easily walk around the place with my eyes closed so I just walked straight ahead without lighting a lamp. With that said, I had my Tachi with me as a walking stick but as soon as I slid the door open… Umm… Yeah… I really should've knocked..."

"Oh no..."

"What happened?!"

"Is she naked?! She's naked, right?!"

I sighed deeply before I continued, "She was definitely fucking naked but she was singing her heart out while dancing at the same time. Those… t-those things were just bouncing around like free-- And let me tell you… those things… Umm-- Forget what I said-- Lemme continue... At the right fucking moment, she just turned around and saw me. We were both stun-locked from seeing each other but I made it fucking worse..."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

I scratched the side of my cheek, "Well… she was singing so..."

"WHAT?! WHAT?! TELL US!"

"I just said… Hey, nice singing… at least you're not flat anymore…"

They were fucking shocked.

"I was trying to make a joke, alright?! I just--"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU SAID WHAT?!"

The three just started laughing as soon as I said that and they were in fucking tears. I was the only one shaking my head but as soon as they were able to talk properly, they asked what happened next.

"What did you think happened?! I have never seen her so embarrassed, angry, and maybe happy at the same time but the next thing I know, I was flying through the air. It was all a fucking blur but Aoi chased me down with my fucking Tachi for hours and she was still wearing her birthday suit."

"Oh my god!"

"What?!"

"What happened next?! What happened next?!"

"I was so fucking scared, I started praying to every single god that I could but all of it was for naught. None of them answered my prayers because Aoi just swung down at anything just to catch me even if it's metal poles, tree trunks, or even rocks. Let me tell you: Old Man Kaiseki's work could withstand damage far more than run-of-the-mill works but continuous stress could still damage or chip it. When Aoi stopped, my Tachi looked more like a hacksaw than an actual sword."

Cynthia interjected, "Like Kenpachi's?"

I nodded approvingly, "Yeah. Like Kenpachi's. Anyway, we were both out of breath after that and she just threw my Tachi over some bushes before she started crying. I didn't notice when she was chasing me but she got filled with small cuts and some of them were still bleeding. Little did I know, the damning image I built for that motherfucker also faded when she was hunting me down. I feared someone new but that 'someone' is also someone I trust. I dunno how it works but it worked for me, maybe it's working for Tatiana too."

The three were faintly smiling but I continued.

"I tried to treat her wounds but she was still so angry and embarrassed, she kept hitting me when I picked her up. She eventually gave in and let me help her but both of us were just so fucking red, it was so funny thinking about it now. And before you guys say it, yes. We did it that time and it was the first for both of us. I was so fucking overwhelmed I didn't even last ten seconds but she didn't mind. We tried a few more times until we got it right and it was fucking awesome."

"Aww, I dunno what to say! I really hope she's here with us! Ah-- What happened next then?"

"Well, I stayed there until Old Man Kaiseki and the rest came back after a short trip, but I decided to hold onto his works. He did chase me and Aoi down the mountain when he saw the state of my Tachi but he promised to fix it for me or make a new one. After some time, I did tell them about what happened recently and I stayed there for a few months. I eventually said goodbye as I continued my sabbatical but I would drop by them from time to time when I had the chance."

They were faintly smiling when I concluded the story but the people I left to take care of the medical center just arrived.