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“Ambition. Resolve. Discipline.”
Those were the main tenets of the Haneji Household. To have the ambition to do greater than your predecessors, to have the resolve to achieve that ambition, and to have the discipline to work toward it regardless of the obstacles. A creed that focused on self-improvement and chasing ever-increasing glory for the Household, to make a statement of the Haneji family’s power by whatever means was at your disposal through your main talent.
For Haneji Rumi, that was her family’s karate.
Haneji-ryu Karate was an offshoot of Kyokushin, probably some of the hardest hitting styles out there. Punches to the body, kicks to the head, and a general focus on standup fighting. The only difference between typical Kyokushin and her family’s style was the use of elbows, grounded strikes, and headbutts at close quarters. And as brutal as the style was, as unlikely as it seemed that this black-haired polite heiress practiced such an art, it was all Rumi had to show for her family’s prestige and legacy. For all the money poured into her, for all the privilege and resources she had at her fingertips, Rumi was a terrible student academically, lacked the business acumen to be in any part of the company outside of a figurehead, and had little sociability to be a face of the company. As a person, she was useless to the Haneji Conglomerate, an extra mouth to feed, someone that didn’t provide any use to what a Haneji should be.
Until she started practicing karate.
It was there, there in the Haneji dojo where she utterly destroyed a girl’s body from the inside with her fists and had her forced onto a stretcher for treatment, that she learned of her talent in martial arts. Her doubts about upholding family tradition, her fear of being cast out, and her rage at her own incompetence could be channeled into her fists and forced onto those that stood against her family. Three years was all it took to earn her black belt, one of the youngest in the family in terms of time training at age 11, and one of the youngest to conquer a rival dojo at age 15 when she crippled the daughter of a small family holding out against Haneji interests. She couldn’t be involved in the family business, but she could be her family’s sword, their fists in the martial world of their city. Any that stood against the Haneji family’s interest would be dealt with brutally and legally through sanctioned challenges to their dojos and crushed brutally. And for Haneji Rumi there was nothing better than the thrill of driving punch after punch into another woman and actively seeing the strain in their eyes as they started to falter from the blows while she continued taking theirs without flinching. Seeing them flinch, their legs wobble, their eyes dart away just before landing a solid kick that knocks them out, even drawing a blood, especially drawing blood. It was a drug to Rumi. If there was one thing Haneji Rumi loved more than anything, it was knowing that she was better than someone, that her family was better than others. She’d like to say it was competitive pride that drove her to be the best person she could be, that she was ambitious and wanted to prove she and her family deserved to be on top of all they did.
But that would be a lie.
She was a conqueror, and she loved to conquer. Forcing her will onto another, showing them exactly why they should keep their heads lowered and serve under her, making them see just how small they were compared to her and her family. She loved the thrill of chipping away at someone’s will and seeing them lose hope as she put them in their place, even more so if she could do it without much effort and prove just how powerful her family truly was.
Which is why Rumi had come downtown.
Usually, when she wanted to show her family’s might, she would just send for them to come to her family’s dojo. It made a bigger statement to drag those unwilling to bend to Haneji might to her world and show them just how high her mountain was by dragging them up it. However, sometimes she wanted to be a little more… personal.
Rumi walked with an army behind her, twenty-five women of the Haneji family. Cousins, students, and retainers, all in the white and blue gi of the Haneji-ryu School. Rumi, for her part, was dressed in a well-made blue kimono with her family crest of a feather on the back, her gi underneath. Her straight black hair was done in a low ponytail, her bangs pulled back to make her wide face and clear gray eyes show. The picture of a warrior of nobility going to war.
The group crossed a street and moved into a building. The windows displayed a single karateka in a dark green gi sitting on her knees in meditation at the end of the wall as the group of over twenty stopped and stood outside with a simple hand signal from Rumi. This was to be yet another conquest for Rumi, and on she would handle personally. She didn’t need her soldiers to march inside, just stand guard and keep this private.
Her family had been purchasing karate dojos all over the city with the goal of having a unified front to stand against the other rival families, to have fresh blood and bodies to fill the ranks of their warriors and stand as a bastion in the eventual war between the houses that were slowly turning their financial war into a physical one. Most accepted the Haneji’s money and promise of promotion with eager and grateful hands. Few struggling dojos said no when they were offered a seat at the growing table the Haneji monopoly was building. It was easy to balance out students for all the buildings and make sure everyone made a profit, even more so when the Haneji brand alone could bring in more students and profit.
But some did not.
Some, like this small little corner of downtown, with its simple white walls, cheap green gi, and shoddy gym mats that didn’t even have a single scroll on their walls, stubbornly believed they didn’t need the Haneji’s name. That they were somehow above the Haneji and could resist the tide. More importantly, this building was the last holdout to own the entire block and by extension a clean sixth of downtown property, prime real estate to make redesigning their portion of downtown much cheaper.
And if they refused to bend and sell, they needed to be conquered to accept their fate.
Rumi removed her sandals just at the edge of the mats of the dojo before walking further, removing her kimono to reveal the neat blue gi underneath. She took deliberate steps to the center, sizing up the young girl before her and taking measure of her. She was a young one, still having a bit of roundness on her cheeks and some innocence in her eyes. Probably fifteen at most if Rumi had to guess. Brown hair in a short bun, freckles dotting her pale face, and bright green eyes that glared at Rumi with only a little fear and trepidation. The girl hid it well enough, but she was clearly nervous about this meeting.
Rumi didn’t blame her, and even had some respect for her. Holding out this long on her own even as her students left and her parents fled after the men of Rumi’s family intimidated them made her a brave soul. She was going to make sure to keep this as private as possible for her sake. “I believe you know why I am here.” Rumi stated. She had made it a point to call beforehand to explain the purpose of her visit. And it was a visit, at least on the surface. She might have come ready for war, but she wasn’t going to do so without a proper declaration of intent.
“I am Haneji Rumi, heiress of the Haneji Conglomerate and Heiress to the Haneji-ryu Karate Association. Our reach stretches to nearly 90% of all karate dojos within the city, and all under us have prospered with new equipment, better funding, more students, and free advertisement.” She explained. “I have come to offer you all these same benefits in person, as your family has refused us time and time again, stating they do not need our resources. However, we are in a period of calm before the coming storm of the other two great families. The Masahida and Tsumura families are purchasing dojos across the city as well, and I have it on good authority that the benefits they offer their branch dojos are… lacking.” She paused. “I know you must see this as choosing between the lesser of three evils, but trust me when I say we are the least evil of the three. We wouldn’t shame fellow practitioners studying the same art.” She gazed at the girl before her, seeing her glare soften only a little. “And if you doubt my words, then I am more than willing to demonstrate my skill in a bout.” She smiled at the girl, placing her hands behind her back and waiting. Waiting for her to take the bait.
It didn’t take long. The girl stood up and walked forward.
Perfect…
“I don’t trust you,” The girl stated, crossing her arms. “The Haneji Conglomerate is just buying property and slapping their logo on it.”
Rumi glanced at the girl’s brown belt, raising an eye. She had honestly not even noticed it until the girl stood, and she frowned at the sight. Not even a black belt and yet the heiress… Rumi looked at the girl with a bit more resolve. I’ll make sure to throttle your cowardly parents after this, you brave warrior. This girl probably only knew the Haneji as a name her parents cursed under their breath when losing students without knowing why people left for the Haneji’s superior quality and wealth. So young… and so ignorant. “And so, you resist the inevitable because of… assumptions?” Rumi prodded. “I’d rather not face someone so… full of potential, but if you need a demonstration of Haneji strength…” She took a step forward.
“Nothing is inevitable, Haneji.” The girl said, stepping forward as well. “And I’m not going to lose against a bully.”
Rumi let out a chuckle. “I am a bit of a bully.” Rumi admitted. “But… I won’t lose either. Not to someone so… lacking. I applaud your bravery though. If you were in my dojo I’d make you a personal student of mine, mold that strong will into something that would better the city and yourself.” She tapped the mats under her feet, frowning at the quality. The tatami mats at home are so much more comfortable… “But… I suppose my actions will speak clearer than my words.”
“Yeah,” The girl said, slowly raising her hands. “We’ll settle this with our fists like proper fighters.”
Rumi smirked at that. “Agreed,” She said. “We’re both warriors with pride and legacies on our backs. Show me what you can do and I’ll show you my family’s might in turn.”
The girl nodded. “A straightforward fight to the finish. No holding back, no hesitating, no regrets.”
“A girl after my own heart~” Rumi was starting to like this girl more and more. “Your name?”
“Julie,” She said. “Julie Kostina,”
“Kostina-san,” Rumi said, putting her hands to her side and giving the girl a bow. “I shall show you the strength of Haneji-ryu Karate firsthand.”
Julie bowed back.
There was no reason to call one of her clansmen to officiate the match, this was a matter of pride and proving who was better. The fight began the moment their bows finished.
Julie didn’t rush in like Rumi expected, instead inching slowly on steady feet.
Rumi kept a neutral expression as the girl approached, studying her. A decent stance, hands up, feet apart, keeping herself at just the right range to test the waters with a kick. Okay then… Rumi moved forward, placing her palm forward in front of Julie’s face and obscuring her vision as they circled each other. In a competitive match it might be a dirty move, but she was going to show this younger heiress all the techniques that made Haneji-ryu Karate strong.
And one of its main tenets was to understand the difference between competition and earnest combat.
Julie scowled, clearly frustrated as she tried to move her head to get a better view of Rumi’s body, only for Rumi to keep her hand in front of her face. It was a mind game to make an opponent slip up, to frustrate them with the lacking vision, and to catch any kicks attempted at range. And with Rumi being half a head taller than Julie it kept the girl at a range disadvantage as well. She could already see Julie was showing annoyance that made her juke left and right to get a better view.
“TOH!” A loud cry from Rumi followed the low kick that nailed Julie in the shin before she could juke again, a crack ringing out of the dojo and making the younger girl grit her teeth and wince. Ah, you haven’t fully learned to take blows yet I see. A shame. The young girl’s age was truly showing now. She probably hadn’t conditioned her legs to take hits like that from someone earnestly trying to hurt her, and the kiai shout probably unnerved the girl as well. But that too was another part of Haneji-ryu, not just shouting to put more spirit and force into your strikes, but to unnerve your opponent, to have your war cry stun and frighten your foe and force them to cow at your very voice as Julie did.
“TOH!”
Julie winced at the shout but was able to check the kick slightly with her lower knee. Rumi felt a bit of the recoil from hitting bone rather than flesh, but didn’t let it show, simply narrowing her eyes at Julie. The girl flinched a little, her blue eyes darting away for a moment.
Showing fear already? How cute~ Rumi inched forward, keeping her gray eyes on Julie. “SEIYA!” She thrust her fist forward into Julie’s shoulder, right at the clavicle. Julie let out a rather shrill grunt and tried to dart back to avoid more hits, but Rumi smelled blood in the water and followed after her. “SEI- SEI- SEI- SEI- SEIYAAA!” Like a machine, Rumi threw punch after punch into Julie’s shoulder and stomach, wet thuds echoing as her fists dug into soft abdominal muscles as the girl gasped and heaved breathless inhales, barely able to keep steady as the punches came.
“Agk-! Hagh!” Julie’s face was already a mess of sweat and growing tears. Four hard blows to the stomach knocking the wind out of her as she gasped for air and resisted the clear urge to double over. Her legs shook, and Rumi made sure to dig her fist in deep before yanking her fist back.
“SEIYAAA!” Rumi’s final punch had her pierce her fist deep into Julie’s side and forced her to cough and hack out saliva, her body starting to lean onto Rumi’s fist as her body gave out. Rumi could feel her shoulder start to grow wet with the sweat and drool of Julie’s body as the girl leaned forward onto her. The girl was still standing, if only by technicality. This is the difference between you and me, Kostina-san. You’ve trained with little help or backing, where I have my family and association honing me into a fine, merciless edge. The difference couldn’t be clearer. With only herself to guard and protect the place and train with no one to spar with it was no wonder the dojo so cheap and shoddy, no wonder this young teenage heiress had never truly been pushed in training. She wouldn’t be able to handle herself if any of the other schools came after her. It was better for her to learn this lesson against a fellow karateka who had her and her school’s best interests at heart.
Rumi gave a small push to get Julie back on her feet, seeing her sway and wobble in place. Rumi’s eyes narrowed, and she rose her leg high. “TORIYA!” The ax kick fell right on Julie’s head.
The girl stiffened at first, about to fall back unconscious until Rumi grabbed her by the hem of her gi and kept her up on her feet, yanking her forward and colliding with Rumi’s forehead in a vicious headbutt to finish things off. A sharp crack of bone crunching and break sounded through the room, and blood dripped along the mats as Julie went limp in Rumi’s grasp.
Rumi let out a breath, looking the girl over. That’s all? She thought. You didn’t surrender your dojo for this long and that’s all you can manage? She held back a sigh, shaking her head.
The light had already faded from Julie’s eyes, and she was starting to let out drool from her lips after the heavy punches. She couldn’t take any more punishment after that short beating. A shame, really. Rumi had hoped the girl’s body could match her resolve, but that sadly wasn’t the case.
I suppose my fists are too powerful for that inexperienced body of yours… She dropped Julie, letting her hit the floor in a heap. The moment her body hit the mats Rumi lifted her foot. “HAH!” And stomped hard on Julie’s head before finally bringing her hands down in a flourish to signal the end of the match. “Haa…”
Rumi turned around and kneeled in meditation. There was a short silence before one of her people came inside and likely put Julie’s unconscious body on a stretcher to take her to the Haneji medical wing of the downtown area.
It was done, as unfortunately short as it was. Julie had been sounded bested, and once she recovered and truly realized Haneji might she would finally sell her dojo. Rumi rose to her feet after a short moment, signaled her group to help with her kimono, and made her way out of the building that would soon be hers and her family’s.
And a week later, after the documents were signed and the sale went through, Rumi gained another student. A young brown-haired girl that wanted strength and revenge for her loss.
A girl Rumi was all too happy to take under her wing.