Reminisce

The late evening air came through the dojo breezeway, carrying both the cool wind of autumn and the end of summer training away into the purple twilight. A single candle blazed in the dojo, throwing long blurring shadows across the young man inside as he flowed through precise motions and controlled violence of many varied martial arts. He flowed through a complex ritual of flashing limbs, his concentration beading the sweat to his brow in his flowing dance even as his body warmed in the pleasant exertion of practice. His strikes, slow and inexorable in some places, flexible and flashing in others were both beautiful and brutal in their intensity and power.

Kenichi had worked on this kata for several grueling weeks, attempting to master and modify the different and complex patterns outlined in the training manual given to him by the Elder. He was happy with his progress, yet the entirety of the shadow dance eluded him. He had sat for several evenings just reading and absorbing the scroll, attempting to tease any deeper meaning out of the different motions. Deciding that only mastering the technique could prevail for understanding, he threw himself deep into the training, the polished floor of the dojo resounding with every flashing strike and kick...

As his shadow danced on the plaster walls of the dojo and the evening air temperature began to chill the air outside air, Kenichi felt himself fall further into the kata, his emotions and thoughts dropping away for the stillness of relaxed control that his extensive training afforded him.

The Elder had explained in his cryptic fashion that mastering this kata would bring his skills of the heart to his next challenge as a man and artist. The most obvious experience learned from the kata so far, however, was that it was strangely incomplete. He knew all the forms were there, but there was a strange... longing in the motions of the kata. His heat began to beat more rapidly as he plunged over and over into the blurring attacks and counters of this mysterious kata.

Slipping further into zanshin, or the empty state, he began to feel his invisible attacker flow into the next counter motion to his, a rather complex high block and axe kick that made him grunt in pain, understanding that missing this step would hurt quite dearly for both his opponent and himself if mistimed. Suddenly his shadowy partner was there before him, her motions mating his physical attacks and pushing back, forcing him to parry a blow that would have taken his head off even a year ago.

Kenichi had no time to ponder this strange change of events, however, as the next blurring strike from his mysterious partner required his full attention. She was good, very good in fact. Her motions were smooth and without equal of anyone he had met. The sharpness and strength of her blows was without peer, while at the same time he sensed a loneliness in her that he could only see from a distance. He forced himself to remain calm in order to understand this sadness, his battle aura licking out in response to hers as they struggled for dominance in the fight.

Flashes of memories flitted through his mind as they struggled. They had both grown, the efforts of will being expressed in the kicks and blocks, counters and responses, defense and offense they displayed conveying all the training both had endured. He remembered their first meeting in the candy store so many years ago, the overwhelming strength she had showed on that evening against three opponents who were much stronger than him, the many fights with Rangnorok, and a friend who had extracted a promise from Kenichi before his precious life blood drained across a ruined ring of battle. Kenichi pushed past these memories, attempting to banish the darkness and loneliness in her heart that she never let anyone see, holding the anger and pain deep inside her to protect all from her own destructive nature.

He remembered his masters harsh but powerful training, all framed against the backdrop of he ever present kindness and growing respect in his art. Their respect paled in the force of the emotions he felt for her, knowing if she was there to say "good job" he would launch him into a thousand battles more than his masters ever could make him experience. The thought saddened him until he realized their training was to help prepare him for this notion. He fought for her, his own will and resolve challenging all others to take from him his precious thing. He realized his masters power was never greater than his would be, only that their skill gave them breadth to protect their own precious memories and ideals.

As the dance continued, he realized that she was good, probably better than him in martial arts. He also understood it made him work harder, longer, and with more zeal to provide his worth, the shared memories of their adventures floating together and colliding in a colorful explosion of golden KI, their powers and experiences merging together as a soundless explosion of light against the darkness.

He understood in that moment that she cared and was trying to banish the darkness within him as well, and accepted that entreaty - feeling the fatigue and sadness drain as his painful moments fell away and they reached a moment of understanding, experiencing each other, perhaps for the first time not as "friend" or "partner" or perhaps "lover" but simply as "him" and "her" traveling down the shared highway of life together.

Without warning the song was over, the Kata completed, and the moment burst like a bubble upon the shores of time. They stared across three feet, eyes locked and both smiling faintly as an understanding was reached together. There would be more times like these, shared and private, together. Promises were made then, bonds solidified into steel hard certainty, and promises half formed blossomed into love. They cared for each other not because of attraction, not because of forced togetherness, but because each had made the choice to stand by the others side, until death do they part.

The exertion of the battle suddenly forced Kenichi to wince slighly. The strange encounter had drained him, and Kenichi blinked rapidly a few times before Miu bowed deeply in acknowledgement, the Elders grand daughter and his training mate breathing as deeply as he had been moments ago. Looking down , he he realized her hand was extended towards him, seeking any pain or damage the fight had caused her. He felt suddenly vunerable, and pulled back quickly to nervously scratch the back of his head and stare into the distance for a moment before looking back at Miu.

"Sorry about that Miu-san, I guess we got a bit caught up in the moment and lost myself. Thank you for your help, though. I think I understand this a bit more clearly now..." He felt shy, and laughed nervously, the sound amplified by the encroaching dojo.

Miu's expression was unreadable, her azure eyes fixed on his and gleaming strangely in the low light. "She looks... hungery" a little voice at the back of his mind stated making the color rising in his cheeks more than just the exertion of his martial labors for the evening. She nodded, once before quickly averting her eyes to glance at one of the several training posters, ruby color rising on her cheeks and throwing her eyes into shadow under her long bangs. She played with her golden hair for a moment, a finger twisting nervously through her long locks before resolve hardened in her features and she sternly scolded Kenichi.

"Kenichi..." I have been trying to get your attention for 15 minutes. Di-dinner is ready and you need to get cleaned up so you can run to the market together." She whirled quickly heading out through the breezeway towards the main house, before stopping for just a moment to give him an inscrutable expression. She looked over her shoulder and with a twitter in her contralto voice usually reserved her female friends called "Thank you for the workout Kenichi, I hope you finish your kata so I can practice with you more." With that, she flashed on her heels and was gone...

Cleaning up the dojo quickly, Kenichi extinguished candle and quietly padded off to get cleaned up for dinner.

end