Summer days in Beijing, no matter how hard he valiantly tried, Kiku could never get used to. The sun beat down on the Japanese soldier's brow, causing him to squint. Today, more so than ever, his thoughts wandered wistfully towards his distant home town of Kyoto, where (in his humble opinion) the humidity could be slightly easier to deal with. Beside him, a couple of his fellow soldiers also started shielding their eyes from the glare of the giant midday sun. His second-in-command, Yong-Soo, suddenly picked up the pace as they patrolled the enormous Beijing park, and he broke into a sweat as he tried to keep up. Yong-Soo was prattling airily about his plans for the weekend, failing to notice how his superior officer's attention began drifting towards a gathering hubbub in the center of the park.
Kiku's gaze halted as the figure of a plump, rotund, furry animal came into view. The panda was wearing a loose collar with a jangly bell attached to it. He rolled about on the ground, beating his paws in the air, occasionally batting at a ball, all in an amusingly silly dance. The crowd around it was going wild, tossing coins and treats in a tight perimeter about the bear, hooting and laughing, though seemingly wary of not growing too obnoxious, for fear of scaring the furry performer away.
Kiku clucked to himself as he started to divert his attention back to Yong-Soo. As he began to turn his heel, he stopped dead in his tracks.
A small, lovely, dancing-girl, decked out in dark red and gold, her long black hair fluttering against her sculpted, muscled back, emerged in front of the bear, who clambered towards her immediately. With one graceful hand, she patted the top of the creature's head, dropping a few sheaves of bamboo, and with the other, she gripped a bamboo staff that looked to be several inches taller than she was.
As the cute bear took the leaves into its mouth, she nudged it towards the safety of the sidelines. The girl took her time walking to the center of the square and waited till the crowd hushed. Taking a deep breath, she started wielding the staff in well-known Jow Ta kung fu forms. The crowd drew more onlookers and started to grow bigger. As the spectators gawked, the girl picked up speed as the forms grew more and more complex and impressive. The staff flew at sharp, perfect, impossible angles, barely missing the eyelashes of a few braver observers who'd tiptoed up to the boundary of coins, and made harsh whistling sounds as it sliced the air,.
Kiku let out a long breath as he recognized 'Five Animals.' The corners of his mouth started to deepen in a slight frown. The stances, the posturing, while fluid and flawless, seemed to him to be a bit off. Then he realized he was not watching a woman wield the staff, but a man.
"Like what you see?"
Kiku whirled around. One of his officers, Gilbert, was grinning slyly at him. Behind him, Yong-Soo was frowning.
"He comes here at the end of almost every week," Gilbert was saying, "and always with that bear. He's very popular around here. Not only does staff, but also swords, and you should see him break out the chains. Sometimes he plays the Guqin."
Kiku tried to sound gruff. "Interesting."
"I tried talking to him once, but you know how my Mandarin is. From what I did gather, he's doing this 'to try to keep the old traditions alive.' Maybe he teaches kids on the side, too. Anyway, it's almost time. Shall we go back to the station?"
Gripping his holster, Kiku fought against his subconscious instincts and responded curtly, "Let's."
As they marched, Kiku couldn't help but glance one last time at the young man, who'd finished his performance and was giving another leaf to his already pudgy pet.
It was very sudden. As the soldiers passed, the young man's bright eyes zipped across the city square and locked directly into Kiku's dark ones. Kiku's pulse quickened as he observed those eyes hardening into brittle golden gems. The man's expression changed only an infinitesimal amount, shaping into what resembled a tiny pout.
"Is there something wrong?" Yong-Soo called out.
"I'm right behind you," Kiku answered. He strolled forward, not turning back, strangely feeling the man's golden eyes on him the rest of the way.