“Ugh…” A wild Aidan appeared in the ranch kitchen of Hunter’s home, surprised that everyone had beaten him there. They were having coffee or in the case of Raven and Elisha, sweet juice. He looked incredibly groggy and had apparently forgotten to shave. “Forsythe is the only one not up?”
“Yeah.” Hunter shrugged. “I figure he’s off doing that cooking thing. Weird that he didn’t put it on hold to make food for us in the real world but I am doing my best in his absence.” Hunter motioned to a tray next to the sonic sink and the water reclaimer station. Her eyes darted away from it after motioning to it a bit guiltily.
Aidan glided over and picked up a muffin, eyeing it suspiciously. “You’re just serving Forsythe left-overs?” Hunter gave him a bit of a nasty look, and the spatula in under her control came up in an en-garde position.
Amelia got up slowly and plucked the muffin from his fingers and started eating it as she returned to the table. “If you’re quick! They are going fast.”
“Oooh, thief!” Aidan quickly grabbed another muffin and held it at his waist away from the group. “All of you. I bet you’d all eat me first if we were starving.”
“No way,” Elisha said, eyes sparkling. “I bet you taste funny.”
“It would definitely be I, that was eaten first.” Raven declared. “I am likely to be the tastiest of sweetmeat. Pie would be best, followed by finger and toe on hotdog buns.”
“I’d eat you first.” Amelia offered to Aidan, earning a smirk from Aidan as she gave him a wide-eyed ‘who me?’ look.
“Okay!” Raven jumped up and started doing one-armed jumping jacks. “Today is the day! To the dojo, Amelia!”
“Oh.” Amelia had almost forgotten that she had promised she would go to some dojo with Raven. She did like the idea of going to get some exercise, but now that it was time for it she was having second thoughts. “Right. Uhh…” Sometimes Amelia hated her brain. She couldn’t think of one convincing excuse. “Right. I’ll… get some breathable exercise clothes.”
“Suffer well,” Aidan called after her, smirking from the doorway.
“Keep eating those muffins. I’m going to go exercise and when you’re a giant pudge I won’t love you anymore!” She threatened as she left the room. Even when she was halfway down the hall she smiled hearing his last rejoinder.
“Hear that? She loves me.” Aidan laughed and she heard Elisha and Hunter snickering in the background.
----------------------------------------
Tsujimura, or Suji, had decided he was getting old. He had never in the earlier parts of his life imagined he would journey to Australia and start teaching Kung Fu. His wife had been chasing her dream, and he, a young martial arts practitioner, couldn’t imagine not going with her when she was offered a job at a prestigious Zoo. Prestigious Zoo, he thought with a smirk, still finding after all these years that he thought those two words strung together sounded ridiculous. The institution had been good to them though, and he was quite pleased with their little life. Pleased, but old, he decided. Pleased and content, but at a loss as to how to continue his path as a martial arts practitioner as age advanced.
“Suji,” Teddy, a large bear of a man whose real name was actually Frank Calendar, nodded respectfully to Suji who nodded back. Suji didn’t believe in suffixes. His students respected him and he respected them. Kung Fu, in his opinion, was a unifying force, not a divisive one. “We have two applicants at the front.” Teddy began, hesitating over the words. He waited and didn’t turn away, slowly drawing Suji’s attention away from where he watched partners paired up doing basic training with one another. They were moving at half-speed, doing their best to keep it at that speed, especially since he was watching them.
“Yes? Is the chip reader acting up again?” Suji asked quietly. It had been just begging to die for the last month, but the little machine had seemed like it might carry on for longer.
“No. It’s fine. They’re paid but one of them is… uhh…” Teddy glanced nervously from left to right and leaned in. “One-armed...and demanding to fight the master of the dojo.”
“I do not condone dojo hunters.” Suji almost rolled his eyes, though he had momentarily been intrigued with the description of ‘one-armed’. Dojo hunting was a popular kid show these days. He had seen several serialized net shows where people went around challenging dojos for the honor of blah blah blah. “Please refund their money and send them away.”
“I don’t think I can,” Teddy whispered harshly again, eyes darting. “I already told her no but she just sat in the middle of the floor cross-legged and said she would wait in the snow for the master to see her for as long as it took. I really don’t think I’m going to get her to leave unless I pick her up and toss her out.” Teddy looked increasingly uncomfortable, and his whispers were starting to distract the students.
His worry was valid, Suji supposed, since it wouldn’t do for a grown man to be throwing a one-armed girl outside or really anywhere for that matter. The media loved their crusades.
Suji sighed and without a word further turned and started to head toward the front lobby. He was in his late 50’s and whip-thin. He had to remind himself to smile in a charming old man sort of way or he came off as bleak and mean like a human-shaped rock. He crinkled his eyes in a grandfather-ish sort of way, long practice in the mirror had given him this ability and smiled as he entered the room. Suju saw a young woman wearing basic tracksuit clothes at the front, stretching calmly with one foot behind her in a classic form of pre-workout readiness. She had sharp features, kind eyes, and long brown hair.
“Hello. I am Tsujimura, head of the Spirit Path School.”
“I am Amelia Patrick. Hi, how’re you?” Her eyes took the measure of his, surprising Suji in their earnestness and the way she had no trouble meeting his gaze head-on. “Spirit Path school?” She wondered aloud before he could continue his introduction spiel.
“I believe the spirit is important and is the path toward health and unity,” Suji said simply, impressed that she hadn’t just brushed the name off but had immediately seized it. “American?”
“Yes.” Amelia grinned at him. “I’m looking to exercise and maybe learn to fall on my butt without hurting myself? I guess I’d have to ask what you teach here.” She shook his hand after a moment and released it. “No disrespect. I don’t know what I would want here other than that, so that’s why I’m asking.”
Suji was, again, quietly impressed by this ‘Amelia’. A quick glance at the beginner nametag on her vest revealed her name. Most people came in and either said nothing or said too much about what they hoped to get from his school.
They told him all about what he could teach them but never asked him what he would teach them.
“Yes, my assistant Teddy will show you to the beginner room. There is an unpleasant beam of light that will tell you awful things about the contours of your body. I assure you, no one enjoys it.”
“Ah, general fitness machine.” Amelia’s lips thinned into a bleak line. “Lead on Teddy.”
“Amelia!” Another voice from the middle of the lobby called out, catching Amelia before she wandered off and drawing Suji’s attention for the first time.
When he looked down Suji froze. There was, indeed, a black-haired, one-armed girl sitting in the middle of his lobby. She had been so incredibly still that he hadn’t discerned her because her shape had been broken up by a few coffee-tables and chairs used for guests and visitors who were waiting. It struck him as odd because there should have been no logical way his brain should have missed such an incongruity in the room.
“What?” Amelia asked patiently after a pause.
“Give me Aura before you go,” Raven demanded. She pushed to her feet without uncrossing her legs and moved to Amelia. Amelia dutifully hugged her and whispered the word Aura. It made no sense to Suji.
“Aura?” Suji asked politely, curiosity breaking what was usually stoic politeness.
Raven one-arm flexed at him. “I’m twice as powerful now. You’d do well to not underestimate me!” The effect was almost comedic and he felt the lines of his face pulling together in mirth before he chastised himself. She was wearing some sort of old-style Gi-Top, only the arm sleeve on her missing arm was tied skillfully at the shoulder and the sleeve itself had been shortened.
“Yes, yes, be good.” Amelia turned to go and follow Teddy, adopting an attitude that Suji immediately viewed as abnormal. This little girl seemed off somehow and Amelia was just willing to leave her here. Suji started to turn his head to try and gather more information on what was going on from what seemed like the saner of the two.
“They don’t feel like they want to fight, Amelia! We should have gone to that board breaking school!” Raven actually ignored Suji for a moment and called over his shoulder at her retreating friend. Suji froze, deciding to watch this play out for a moment.
“Kung Fu is the best for you Raven. You won’t hurt anyone and they can fight back.” Amelia called, leaving that last baffling comment before she and a very reluctant to leave Teddy left. “Is your name really Teddy?”
“Frank…” Teddy was chuckling as they left, and Suji returned his attention to Raven.
“My impression of you is you’re insanely strong. Like super strong. I bet you can sit under waterfalls and not move for entire hours at a time. I bet fish smack you in the face as they move passed and you are unmooovvveeed.” Raven made a little wavy motion at Suji with her hand. “You are the master of this school. I am Raven, and I challenge you to a fair contest.”
“That is a fair assessment, miss..?”
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“Raven!”
“...Raven,” Suji began again slowly, being sure to keep his smile up. “We do not allow dojo hunting here. As much as I would like to instruct you on the art of sitting under waterfalls and getting smacked by fish, that is also something currently unavailable.”
“Fine. I just want to spar with you and try out my school style.” Raven asked, batting adorable eyes at him. Despite himself, Suji was starting to smirk. He really admired her spirit.
“Which school is that?” Suji asked, deciding to humor her to some extent. He hoped she didn’t start crying. She was small and young-looking, even if her eyes gleamed with recognizable purpose.
“Raven Style School.” Raven stepped back from him and half-turned, facing him and crouching slightly. Suji was amused to note it wasn’t a bad stance actually if you were holding a sword. “I have one arm, but beware my fist of blinding speed.” Several quick fist flashes as she punched out in an amateurish sort of way. The speed wasn’t bad and neither was the enthusiasm, he noted.
“I would be happy to take you on as a student, after a few weeks of instruction we could even work out personal lessons or get you some sparring opponents,” Suji said smoothly. “I am told you have already paid. Would you like to come into the area with the beginner students?”
“No way! I came to fight the boss, not progress through story-mode! This isn’t the campaign!” Raven looked horrified at the idea of going to the beginner room.
Suji smiled, forcing those eye-crinkles to be extra charming. “I have been practicing the majority of my life. Then a young girl comes in and demands I fight her seriously. What if I hurt her? Also, I bear her no enmity. Do you see my problem?”
“Yes,” Raven said, straightening slightly. After a moment her gaze passed over him and Suji felt a chill from the very bottom of his feet that passed all the way through his body to the back of his neck. “I see your problem. You don’t recognize me. But I am before you, and I am worthy of challenging you. Let’s spar, for a few minutes, and then I will leave or join your school.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Teddy had returned having foisted Amelia off on the machines, gliding past the silent Suji. “We don’t allow dojo hunting.”
“I’m not dojo hunting. I am Tsujimura Kinsuke hunting.” Raven’s eyes never left Suji’s. “It’s on the front of the building.”
Suji had started to raise an eyebrow in question when she had used his full name.
“Even more reason.” Teddy started to step forward but Suji cleared his throat, halting him.
“When I was a young boy a man came to my grandfather’s dojo. He demanded to fight my grandfather, the head of the school. You see, he was the grandson of my grandfather’s long-time rival and had finally surpassed him, he said, in their school’s style.” Suji began, astonishing Teddy with the idea that he was actually entertaining this idea.
At the very least Suji was trying to dissuade her using a story instead of his typical no-nonsense ‘get out’ style. Despite both of their reluctance to throw her out because she was cute and one-armed, Teddy knew that it wouldn’t actually have stopped Suji if it had been his plan.
“Ooh. Quest dialog. We are going to fight after all.” Raven looked excited and then schooled her features as she listened in earnest.
This terrified Suji for some reason. His expression slackened for a moment. His hands trembled slightly before he immediately gained control over his body, halting them. It was possible, he supposed, that he would fight this girl. Somehow this both elated and depressed him at the same time. Nevertheless, he still had to finish his story before a decision was made.
“In honor of this event, this ‘mastering’, he had taken a vow to defeat my grandfather in soft-combat to prove that once and for all their Kung Fu school was stronger. There were many who scoffed and laughed, and I was among them. We are not dojo hunting practitioners. We do not practice for honor or glory. We practice for peace, stability, and for the love and respect of others who witness our earnest endeavor.” Suji said quietly. “Also, to achieve inner worth and explore self-discovery toward the way.”
“There you have it.” Teddy turned to Raven triumphantly.
“Shh, you’re interrupting him.” Raven ignored Teddy completely, prompting the barest hints of a smile from Suji, who did in fact, continue.
“My grandfather did not laugh and ordered group gather. They put pads on their feet, on their hands, and on their heads. No one laughed then. I did not understand why my grandfather did this. It was a battle over in moments. One strike and the young man lay unconscious before him. Silence reigned. He was carried out and made a full recovery. He came to our school and honored us for many years with his laughter and his good demeanor, as well as his great and loving heart. He and my grandfather shared many cups, and every year I pay a visit to him even though he is now the old man and I the challenger.” Suji hesitated before continuing. “I asked my grandfather. Why did you do this thing? I have never seen you be cruel, violent, or compulsive. What made you strike this man with your full power?” Suji closed his eyes and waited for a beat.
He wasn’t disappointed when Raven immediately interjected. He felt his heart leap in excitement.
“Obviously because your grandfather wanted to fight him!” Raven pumped her fist. “That’s an awesome story! I’m not going down in one blow though. When I beat you we should share cups of whatever you put in cups! We could get you a straw! I bet it’s hard to drink from a cup when you’re flat on your butt!”
“Yes. We will go get pads for our feet, and our hands, and our heads.” Suji said quietly. His response might have seemed abrupt to anyone who was listening. It was as if they were following some script that only Raven and he knew.
“Then I will crush you in one blow. Then, it would please me greatly if you came to see us every day. That we might share cups. Straws are for children and the infirm, so we will not be using those.”
“Haha, no way.” Raven grinned. “One blow! No way.”
“Suji!” Teddy’s face was red, he did not understand.
“A tiger entered the dojo, my young friend,” Suji warned quietly. “You do not pet the tiger, even if it should lie sleeping at your feet, without the resolve to perhaps lose the arm. Raven, please precede me to the main room. Teddy will find you suitable hand and feet guards.” Suji watched them go, reluctance was chiseled in every feature of his young friend’s stance as he led the girl into the main room. He did not follow them. Instead, he moved to the center of the lobby and shuddered involuntarily.
How fortunate he was!
There was no way Raven would win but she had illuminated an event of his life that had followed him since his grandfather agreed to that match on that fated day when Suji himself had decided to follow the way. His grandfather had told him that he had looked into that young man’s eyes and had seen that his opponent was risking his very soul in the battle he offered. He could not have refused.
Suji understood now. He had looked into that girl’s eyes and there was fear, incredible terror, and the steel that held it at bay. She was prepared to die to follow her path, even in trivial matters. Yet, she had come before him not thinking of it as trivial. She came before him as a warrior, and he could not turn her away. Honor would not allow it. It was dumb, and stupid, and foolish -- and it pleased him greatly.
He understood now why his grandfather had crushed that warrior with his full power. He was doing him honor. Suji himself felt incredibly humbled to have been taught such a basic thing so late in life by one less than half his age. Suji did not follow them right away because he had to wait for the trembling in his hands to stop, and to fight the tears of gratitude that threatened to fall on his cheeks. To think a girl a fraction of his age could gaze upon him with timeless eyes and make him afraid!
“Is your clothing active?” Suji had finally emerged into the silent hall and stood in the middle, facing Raven who was a few meters away?
“Eh?” Raven looked skeptical. “It’s covering my naked nicely thank you!”
Suji looked skeptical then. “You bought a Gi without inertial material?”
“What’s that?” Raven looked perplexed.
Suji blinked several times, and to the amazement of all threw his head back and laughed. “Come here my dear, and punch me as hard as you can in the stomach. It is for education, not for fighting. Then I will honor your request.”
“Well if there’s punching…” Raven said doubtfully, eyeing him like she suspected some sort of trickery. She moved forward slowly and hunched her shoulders, drawing back her fist.
“As hard as you can,” Suji said gently, smiling when he saw her hesitate. She would have done it but her sense of justice was causing her to hesitate. He really liked that. “You will not hurt me. I will face you at 100% in moments.”
Raven didn’t need more prompting and planted her back foot, punching into him with more force than he would have given her credit for being able to deliver. The sickening pounding sound reverberated off the walls and Suji actually felt his heels lift off the floor. Despite all that he simply smiled down at her and tapped his Gi-top.
There were some uncomfortable looks being shared across the room now as the sound faded. To say that Raven hadn’t held back was an understatement. She had struck him in a manner that suggested she was trying to reach in and grab his spine. Raven even shook her hand a few times, looking admiringly at the vest.
“It is a wonderful material. It is based on the science that they used to use for body armor that was meant to prevent firearms damage. They developed it to not only stay unpunctured but to distribute over a large area the force of the projectile. It has since been modified that most dojo’s are required to have it for students as insurance. When you come later this week as a formal student, I shall let you borrow one.” Suji promised, as if it were set in stone that she’d be joining the dojo.
Once he was done explaining and Raven had withdrawn her fist, he immediately took off the Gi-top and tossed it to a student nearby. Everyone seemed to freeze even more. “You do not have one, and I have never liked them since I did not grow up with them. Is this acceptable to you?”
“Sure!” Raven said happily. “But you can put it back on. I mean I don’t want to hurt you, just beat you some so I can take over your dojo. I can be pretty over the top.”
“You want to take over my dojo?” Suji said in sudden surprise. Then his eyes ceased widening and started closing again as a mellow smile started to cross his face. It seemed he realized that Raven’s entire plan had just been to get to this point and she was just making things up now.
“Well. I guess not. But you better not lose if you don’t want that to happen. I don’t want it really, but I want you to fight like your dojo is on the line!” Raven pointed a finger at him, and once again Suji felt that familiar dread deep in his body. As if there was a hidden world and he had stepped through it and the person in front of him was a longtime combatant who had earned her confidence in this shadow realm. “Oh hey, I bet your nifty can’t hurt me shirt weighs a bunch too. So it’s like extra training. That’s pretty neato actually.” Raven praised suddenly, her envious eyes still lingering in the area where he’d thrown the vest. “I kind of want one.”
“Why do I feel threatened by you?” Suji asked. He could have been asking her why she had planted a bomb in the dojo for the reaction he got from everyone around him. Nervous whispers broke out.
“Cause, you’re gonna lose your dojo?” Raven shrugged and hopped back, hopping from one foot to another and back again as she waited. There didn’t seem to be any drop in her energy at all. “Rules? One of us drops?”
“No. We will do single strike for three rounds. If you do drop and are unable to rise at any point, you lose. Acceptable?” Suji was proposing a single strike round method. If either of them took a hit that would have been damaging without blocking, they would concede the round. Best out of three.
“Wow, that’s super sweet as an idea.” Raven hunched slightly. “Do we just go or..?”
Suji did not reply, instead, he schooled his features and closed his eyes. He calmed his beating heart and waited silently until he was sure his mind was in tune with his body. It wasn’t mystical, or magical, or anything of the sort. He just put an image in his mind of striking the girl as quickly as possible. She was an enemy, and he would honor her with his sincerity. He opened his eyes, and visibly startled.
“Don’t close your eyes again,” Raven whispered.
Gone was the joviality from her voice. Suji had never believed in sensing killing intent before now. It was a hoax made by romantics who wanted to serialize their martial arts programs. Yet when he had opened his eyes for a brief moment he had a premonition of her striking him in the chest, her fingers shaped like a blade. Her eyes were cold and dark and she had halved the distance between them while he had been blind. He didn’t remember hearing footfalls. Suji could tell that she had seriously been thinking about striking him with harmful intent while his eyes were closed. “Don’t ever close your eyes when you face your enemy. Do you want to be killed?’
Tiger! Suji narrowed his eyes and finally barked, “no one is to be killed. Begin when you are ready, tiger!”