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'Alright,' Jason said. 'Listen up. We're going to finish up with some knife defence, so pay attention. Knives are one of the most dangerous situations that you can encounter on the street and things can go bad very quickly. Remember, the goal here is survival. If someone with a knife wants your wallet or your phone, give it to them. It's not worth your life.'

He paused for a moment, looking round at the assembled students.

'So, why do we train against knives? For two reasons. One, you need to be prepared. Two, it sharpens your skills because there's no room for error.'

Jason knelt down, picking up a rubber knife from the floor next to him and gesturing for one of his students to step forward.

'Tetsuya,' he said, handing him the knife. 'A common attack on the street is to stab towards the stomach or the ribs. Now, practice the feed.'

Tetsuya stepped forward, the knife stabbing towards Jason's ribs and he nodded.

'Good. Now, when he steps in, the first thing you need to do is get off-line, just like dealing with a punch. Back stance is better for this, as it gives you more distance and use a knife-hand or forearm block. Alright, let's practice that.'

Jason clapped his hands together and they broke up, each pair grabbing a knife from the bag against the wall and started to practice. Jason watched for a few seconds before moving around the group, offering corrections until he came to a dark-haired woman who had just had the knife graze her ribs.

'Slow down, Kumiyo.' He said. 'Don't be too eager. You need to wait for him to make his move or your going to get cut.'

'Right...,' she said and Jason nodded.

'Okay. Try it again,' he said, stepping back and turning to her partner. 'Hiro, focus on your target. You need to give your partner a good feed.'

'Alright,' Hiro said, stepping forward and lunging with the knife towards Kumiyo. She shifted backwards, her weight on her back leg, blocking his wrist with a knife-hand block.

'Good,' Jason said, turning to the rest of the students and raising his voice.

'Alright, everyone. That's enough for tonight. Put the knives away and line up...'

#################

After locking up, Jason left the Dojo and headed for a nearby park, getting there just as the sun was settling. At this hour, the park was nearly empty except for a couple of joggers and a dark-haired woman practising kickboxing under the shade of the trees. Finding a spot in the middle of the grass, he closed his eyes and took a deep breathe, before starting to run through his katas. As he worked through the sequences of blocks, punches and kicks that were as familiar as breathing, he felt his mind and body starting to relax.

'That's pretty impressive,' a voice said and Jason opened his eyes to see the dark-haired woman standing a few feet away. 'Is that Jujutsu?'

'Karate,' Jason replied. 'And you weren't so bad, yourself...'

'Yeah, I like to loosen up a bit before my shift starts...Sorry, I should have introduced myself. I'm Mia...,' she began, just as her watch beeped.

'Damn. I've got to run. But, my shift finishes at 9:00 tomorrow if you want to meet for breakfast...'

'...okay.' Jason said and she grinned.

'Great. 6-4-1 Roppongi. I'll see you there...'

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and grabbed her bag, sprinting away across the park. Jason watched her go, with a smile spreading across his face.

I guess I've got a date...

#################

'Ah. Jason-San. Welcome.'

'Good evening, Kotake-San.' Jason said as he stepped inside the restaurant and Kotake inclined his head in a bow.

'It is good to see you again. There's a table at the back for you...'

'Thank you,' Jason said, following him through the restaurant and taking his seat.

'What would you like? Sashimi? Ramen?'

'Ramen, I think...' Jason said and Kotake nodded, moving into the kitchen and starting to chop ingredients.

'Do you miss America, Jason-San?' He asked and Jason hesitated.

'...sometimes. I left some good friends back there...'

'Do you think you will ever go back?'

'...I don't know. When I left, I gave up something. If I go back, I'll just be reminded of what I've lost...'

'I understand...' Kotake said, bringing over his food. 'Enjoy your meal...'

'Thank you...' Jason said, picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.

#################

Jason stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around his waist as he made his way towards his bedroom, stopping to glance at the picture of him, Tommy, Zack, Billy, Trini and Kimberly that was sitting on the small table next to the bed.

Hi, guys, Jason thought, with a sad smile as he changed into bed, lying back and staring at the ceiling.

We were so young, then and we felt like we could do anything. Things just aren't that simple anymore...

#################

Jason came down the stairs next morning, blearily rubbing at his eyes as he made his way to the kitchen. Stifling a yawn, he made himself a cup of coffee, cradling the mug in both hands as he sat down at the kitchen table. Reaching out to turn on the radio, he took a sip of his coffee, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as the newscaster starting speaking.

'...and, in other news, the body of an adult male has been found in the early hours of the morning. Tokyo Police are investigating and have made no comment other than that they consider the death to be suspicious...'

Finishing his coffee, Jason glanced up at the clock, seeing that it was nearly 8:00.

Come on. You're going to be late...

#################

'Morning,' Jason said, sitting down opposite Mia and hanging his leather jacket on the back of the chair. 'How are you?'

'...tired.' She said, with a smile. 'It's been a long night.'

'Yeah. You said you were going on shift. Are you a cop?' He asked and she shook her head.

'I'm a paramedic...' She said, with a shrug. 'It's a bitch at times, but I wouldn't do anything else. Anyway, what brings you to Japan?'

'It's a long story...' Jason said, with a sigh. 'Have you ever been part of something that was bigger than you...? Never mind, it's...complicated. But, it was time to move on and I've always wanted to visit Japan. Anyway, I'm just trying to keep busy. Less time to think, I guess...'

'I know how that can feel...'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any comments, reviews or constructive criticisms very welcome.

Author's note:

The Martial Arts techniques detailed here are from my own experience studying Karate and Kung Fu over the last ten years. Self-defence, especially on the street is unpredictable and even the best of martial artists are wary of getting into a fight if there is another choice. If you want to learn, find an instructor in your area and train with them. Ego will get you killed.