Chapter Two

The Yearning Tree

As much as he was longing to get out of the village, Du Ai had to admit he would never get tired of this view. He sat up in a tree that stood on the very edge of a cliff a short ways outside of the village. This was Du Ai's favourite tree; a gorgeous pine tree, with it's trunk so close to the cliff's edge that some of its roots grew out of the cliff face. It's tortuous branches twisted together in odd, yet beautiful ways. Du Ai's perch was the thick long branch that stretched outwards, past the cliff's edge. It was lowest by the trunk, slightly inclining upward until the branch's tip, dangling precariously over the cliff's edge, was the highest part of the branch, not by a significant amount, but the fact it hung directly over the valley was what made it dangerous. Du Ai had once (well, maybe more than once) attempted to scale up the branch from the safety of his seat at the trunk, to the very tip of the branch. Once, he had been bold enough to go from his safe shimmying on his stomach up onto his feet, and attempted the climb one foot after another, like a gymnast on a balancing beam. But unlike a gymnast, Du Ai would have no cushion to land on if he lost balance. Depending on where he was on the branch, it was either the hard dirt, or much more terrifying, a sickeningly long drop into the valley miles and miles below. Needless to say, Du Ai never got too far on the branch for that to happen.

Back when he was thirteen, he remembered coming to the tree at sunset, blood boiling after an argument with his mother about sneaking out the night before to try and catch fireflies. He had strung several glass jars to his waist and borrowed a net from his father and went out into the night. However, from the sneaking into his parent's room to grab the net, to mucking about in the kitchen to find (or empty) glass jars, then clattering out the window with a belt full of jars tinking together, Shan Pu had awoken and watched from the window as he scampered out in the woods behind their hut, jingling like a wind chime. She didn't go after him, simply going back to bed, stifling her fury and letting it fester overnight so she could deal with him properly in the morning. The argument ended up with Du Ai storming out of the house and running through the village until he reached his precious tree. Grinding his teeth in anger, he tore off his shoes and lunged at the tree, climbing much clumsier than he would if he were calm, cutting his hands on the bark for his sloppiness. He sat on his branch, glaring out into the valley painted rich burnt auburn by the setting sun. He sat there for he was not sure how long, then his body shut down. His brain stopped thinking, his body now running on pure instinctual thought. He found his eyes drawn to the tip of the branch, something he could always see in his peripheral vision when he sat in his seat and looked up at the sky. He started to scooch further up the branch.

He looked down. Beneath him, he was already on the cusp; behind him was the hard dirt, what they ahead was mist covering the valley far, far below. Du Ai got a good grip on the branch then, slowly, got to his feet. He steadied himself, holding out his arms, waiting for his body to stop swaying as his bare feet found their purchase on the bark. When he was still, he looked out at the tip of the branch, and felt his left leg twitch, then slowly creep out in front of the right. Then his right foot moved, then his left again. Before he knew it, Du Ai had gotten further than he ever had before on the branch. His heart raced, but not from fear. The rest of his body was calm. He continued to stare intensely out at the tip of the branch, feeling the roughness of the bark on the soles of his feet, the slightest breeze tickling through his bangs.

"Du Ai?!"

The shriek broke Du Ai out of his trance, and he opened his eyes, not even knowing he'd closed them. In the next millisecond his body swayed dangerously on the branch. The same voice the shriek had come from made another fearful, shrill noise. With a short yelp, Du Ai toppled backward, his back slamming on the branch before he flopped over the side. Survival instincts kicking in, his arm lunged out and snatched the branch, quickly throwing up his other arm to support his weight. Even with both hands on the trunk, his hands were screaming from his chaffed palms and fingertips. Du Ai growled from the stinging pain and told himself not to look down and see if there was still ground under his feet; he was pretty sure he wouldn't like the answer. He shut his eyes tight. Then, he felt a weight collide against him, his hands broke their grip from the tree and he was falling. The weight was pressed all around him, but he still felt the wind blow past, then all at once he and the weight hit the ground. Du Ai finally opened his eyes, but he still couldn't see, although he knew right where he was. He could tell by the strong flowery smell. His mother was still crouched on the ground, holding Du Ai close to her body, one hand gripping his back, the other the back of his head. Du Ai could feel and hear her heart racing, her short breaths coming out in quick, ragged puffs. Du Ai wanted to break out of her grip, but couldn't move his body.

"What," she panted hoarsely, "were you thinking?"

Du Ai opened his mouth slightly, but no sound came forth. His mother's voice was harsh from anger and her rough breathing, and she stroked his hair with about as much gentleness as a mother bear, pulling and tugging at his hair, running her fingers through it like a razor blade comb. Du Ai didn't feel a thing however, and Shan Pu, seeing her son's paralyzed state, stood up slowly, carrying him like she did when he was a baby. Du Ai would have protested fiercely to this had he been in the right mind, and when he came to his senses later and recalled the events his body shuddered at the sensation, but in that moment he just stared at the tree growing smaller in the distance as his mother carried him home. His eyes pin-pointed the tip of his branch, standing out against the very last light of the day, getting farther and farther from him the further his mother walked.

Du Ai blinked.

Disoriented, he took a moment to look about. It was mid-day, and he was in his tree, Granny Ku Lohn's still-warm sweet potatoes sitting in his lap. Du Ai finally realized he'd gone into a very vivid daydream. Recalling that memory soured his mood, and he frowned. He stuffed his hand into the bag of potatoes and pulled one out and stuffed half of it into his mouth. It burned his tongue a bit, but he chewed anyway, uncaring. As he had expected the delicious taste of Granny's potatoes had his mouth salivating like crazy, and his mind became occupied by foodlust. He finished off the other half of his potato and stuck his hand in the bag for a second.

"Du Ai!"

Du Ai, in mid-bite, looked down from his perch to the ground below, using the hand not holding his bag to shade his eyes to get a better view, potato hanging now hands-free from his mouth. A group of four boys stood around the base of the tree, staring back up at Du Ai. The largest of the boys crossed his arms and smirked at Du Ai, as Du Ai popped his potato fully into his mouth.

"Any reason you're always hanging up in that tree like a baboon?" the boy bellowed.

"Well, it keeps me away from big ugly brutes like you," Du Ai replied, "so it has it's perks."

Du Ai saw the boy's face contort in rage. "You want to come down here and say that again?"

Du Ai took out his third potato and took a bite. "No really," he said, "but if you need me to repeat I'd be more than willing, since it must be awfully hard to hear anything with such tiny ears on that fat head of yours."

"Get DOWN here," the boy boomed, "and FIGHT ME!"

"Must our encounters always lead to violence, Buon Zu?" Du Ai sighed.

"I said," the boy, Buon Zu, said through gritted teeth, "GET. DOWN."

"Such a temper. I was only having a little fun." Du Ai said with feigned chagrin. "Well, if you insist."

Du Ai dropped from the tree, his bag of potatoes still in his hand. As he dropped, he drew out his red pole, and landed daintily on the ground. The boys watched him, glaring green-eyed with envy they failed to conceal. Du Ai placed his bag of potatoes by the tree trunk, taking his time as if there weren't four boys giving him deadly looks. He turned around with a sudden flourish and brandished his red pole, pointing it's tip directly at Buon Zu.

"Well, since you challenged me," Du Ai announced, "I'll let you make the first move."

With a cry, Buon Zu lunged towards Du Ai, the other three boys right behind him. Du Ai blinked at his attackers.

"Hey, now," he muttered, "who said I agreed to a four-on-one match, huh?"

Du Ai leapt into the air, catapulting over the gang of four. Their battle cries slowly died out after they realized Du Ai was no longer in front of them, but by the time they had figured that out, Du Ai had already landed behind them, spun around and cracked one of Buon Zu's goons in the back of the head with his staff. The boy toppled to the ground face-first, and the others had to jump aside as he fell, his body kicking up dus with his heavy landing on the ground. The boys stared at their fallen comerade for a second before looking up at their opponent. Du-Ai stood there casually as if he hadn't just knocked a boy completely out cold, twirling his pole around. Buon Zu's fists visibly clenched tighter, his shoulders vibrating with fury. With an angry yell, he ran at Du Ai with his arm pulled back, ready to swing. He stepped into his punch, swinging his large arm towards Du Ai's face. Or at least, the air that used to be occupied by Du Ai's face. Du Ai ducked under Buon Zu's meaty arm and somehow managed to slink through his large legs like he had no veterbrae.

"Quit moving around!" Buon Zu barked, swinging around and throwing out his other fist.

Du Ai jabbed his staff into the ground and pushed off with it into the air on its tip with the palm of his hand. He turned in the air, regaining his grip on his pole, then for a breif moment, a fraction of a second, the tip of his pole took purchase on the top of Buon Zu's head, Du Ai using this balance as leverage to front-flip over his head, cartwheeling in a tight ball until he hit the ground in a crouch. Buon Zu spun around ready with another punch, and Du Ai swung around, still crouched on the ground, and jerked his staff upward sharply, landing a blow under Buon Zu's chin, sending him backward. Still low to the ground, Du Ai danced around Buon Zu's reeling form, leapt up straight and landed a quick blow to the back on Buon Zu's neck. Buon Zu's whole body seized up, and then he fell to the ground in a great heap. Du Ai admired his work, whirling his staff around then slapping it on his shoulder.

"Well, that was a treat." he said to himself, moving his head side to side to crack his neck. He looked over his shoulder to see the last two boys gawking at him. Du Ai blinked several times, having forgotten they were there. He saw their eyes move from him, to his red pole, to Buon Zu. Du Ai looked innocently at Buon Zu's fallen form, to the boys, to his pole, back to Buon Zu, then he put two-and-two together. He looked back at the boys.

"I didn't kill him," Du Ai assured them, "I wouldn't be that sloppy."

The boys just continued their exchanges between him, the fallen boy, and the pole. Du Ai sighed.

"He'll wake up in about an hour or so," Du Ai explained. "You should drag him into some shade and make sure he has some water. He'll be a little disoriented for a bit, then he'll be back to his big blundering moronic self in no time. Oh, and do the same for him, too."-Du Ai pointed to the boy he'd knocked out earlier-"I got him in the head pretty good, though, so for him he better get a cold compress as well as that water. He'll have a pretty nasty bump."

Du Ai finally looked back at the boys, finished his instructions. They stared dumbly back at him.

"Hey!" he barked, making the boys leapt out of their skin. "Did you hear all o' that, or am I gonna have to repeat myself?"

"W-we got it," one of them stuttered, "shade, water...cold compress. Got it."

Du Ai nodded in approval. "Good," he walked past them to the tree trunk, slipping away his weapon as he walked, and grabbed his bag of potatoes. "Aw hell, now my potatoes are cold." he grumbled.

"Buon Zu came to find you to send you a message!" the second boy spoke up suddenly.

Du Ai looked up at them and raised an eyebrow. "He finally found out his biological mother is a warthog?"

"He came to tell you that he is going to face you in the tournament this year, and he is going to win." the boy said hotly, pretending to have not heard Du Ai's joke.

"Izzat so?" Du Ai murmured with disinterest, picking out another potato from the bag and taking a bite. "Listen, I've won the tournament five straight years in a row, and there ain't no way I'm losing to a buffoon with a pickled radish for a brain."

"Buon Zu's been in intense training since last year's tournament," defended the first boy. "He just underestimated you today; he didn't think you'd been doin' any training since he just sees you out gardening all of the time."

At this remark the other boy snickered, making the other look smug at his jab. Du Ai stiffened up a little, but he held back and kept his cool.

"Idiots. A true martial artist can make anything training. If you can't find the opportunity to better your skills with even the most fundamental chore, then you don't deserve to call yourself a martial artist." Du Ai retorted.

The boys were quiet, obviously searching for another comeback, but they were silent. Du Ai smiled, walking past the boys and down the small hill, heading back towards the village.

Shan Pu stared out at the large field from the kitchen window of her hut. A kettle brewed hot water above the fireplace, and Shan Pu was grazing the sides of her empty tea cup with her fingertips as she looked out on the rich brown, freshly-tilled soil. If one were to look closer, they could see the field was not so perfect. Imbedded in a mound of dirt was a lone silver fork, a utensil uncommonly seen in a rural village in China; a utensil usually concealed within the long sleeves of a martial artist's robes. A martial artist who could conceal ten thousand of those forks and then some heavier, deadlier equipment as well within his clothing. Shan Pu, her deep red eyes like a hawk's, could plainly see the silver flicker in the afternoon sun amongst the fresh dark dirt.

"Mu Tzu," Shan Pu murmured to herself. Why must he encourage him so?

"Good afternoon, great-granddaughter." Shan Pu turned around slowly to see her puny great-grandmother, balanced atop her wooden cane as always, standing in her doorway. "Preparing tea, are you? It appears I've come at a good time."

"Hello, great-grandmother. I'll get another cup." Shan Pu said, opening the small cupboard and selecting a tea cup. "The water will be ready shortly, please make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you, dear. Although I'm afraid this is no ordinary visit. I have something I wish to discuss with you." Ku Lohn said, her tone taking a slightly grim tone.

Shan Pu felt a nervous pinch in her chest at the sound in her elder's voice. She swallowed it down, concealing her anxiousness and calmly walked over to the hissing kettle, carefully taking it off the fire. The kettle's whine calmed, and Shan Pu walked back over to the cups, filling them with the steaming water. She counted her breaths as she prepared the tea, then fixed a small dish of pickled radish that she knew neither of them would touch, but did so simply to stall the inevitable. Finally she brought the small snack to the table, followed by the tea, then at last sat down. She looked up slowly at her great-grandmother, eyes expectant.

Ku Lohn took her time, as always. She in fact did sample a slice of the pickled radish, then washed it down with a long sip of tea, eyes closed. She lowered the cup, sighing appreciatively. She softly set down her cup, eyes still closed. Then, she opened her large eyes and looked straight into Shan Pu's.

"Du Ai came by for a visit earlier today," Ku Lohn began finally.

Shan Pu said nothing, waiting for Ku Lohn to continue.

Ku Lohn took another sip of her tea. "He mentioned the tournament, as I knew he would. However, he mentioned something rather peculiar pertaining to the tournament that I thought was in your best interest, as his mother, to hear."

Shan Pu's lips were a tight line. Ku Lohn paused, expecting her great-granddaughter to say something, but when she did not, she continued.

"According to Du Ai, Mu Tzu has promised him to teach him an ancient secret technique should he win the tournament this year. Which, you should know, will more than likely be the outcome."

Shan Pu nodded tightly. "Yes, Du Ai has won the tournament every year since he first entered five years ago." she muttered.

"I know how protective you are of the boy, and I'm sure this father-son agreement was made unbeknownst to you. Mu Tzu most likely intended to keep it from you. Now while I have never had any intention of squashing that child's enthusiasm and potential for the Art, I also know how strongly you have always been against it, and I can deduce why. I know you have your personal, deeply-imbedded reasons; reasons that while I may say are contrary to what you believed years ago, are nonetheless justifiable in their own right, considering the…circumstances."

Ku Lohn took another piece of radish, chewed, swallowed, then went on.

"Your my great-granddaughter, Shan Pu, my blood. I may not particularly agree with how you are choosing-or, at least, attempting-to raise your child, I still care for you and respect you enough to not keep secrets from you, especially when they are secrets that go against your wishes and, more importantly, endanger your child."

"Endanger?" Shan Pu echoed.

"Yes," Ku Lohn said, "I am afraid that Mu Tzu may be considering teaching Du Ai a powerful, dangerous technique. I know the child is talented, of that there is no doubt. However, the boy is young, and brazen. Mu Tzu has never taught him a technique from our people's ancient scrolls. None of them are to be taken lightly, you and I both know that. Du Ai tries to find as much time during the day that he can to train, but with the way you have him running about on errands, doing chores around the house, the boy can usually only find the free time to do a few slightly advanced katas, as well as the lessons he puts in with me, but those are only about anatomy and pressure points since that's all you'd allow of me to teach to him. It is incredible that he has come as far as he has with the seemingly minimal amount of proper training he's been given. Any slight window of time he gets to train is used to it's fullest extent. However, either way, that does not mean he is ready to have a ancient, powerful secret technique thrust upon him. I fear for his safety, simply put. So, as one mother to another, I know you share in my concern, great-granddaughter."

"I am glad you came to me, great-grandmother, and I appreciate your honesty," Shan Pu said. "I'll be having a word with Mu Tzu as soon as he returns from the market."

Ku Lohn nodded. "Very well. Whatever you wish to do with what I have told you is your prerogative. I simply wished to come by and tell you the truth before you found out in some other way, perhaps when it was already too late."

Shan Pu shuddered slightly.

Ku Lohn finished the last piece of the pickled radish, and the final sip of her tea. "Well, I best be off before Mu Tzu returns. Thank you for the tea." Ku Lohn took her perch atop her cane once again, and hopped over to the door of the hut. "Take care, Shan Pu."

Shan Pu watched her great-grandmother hop through the doorway and out of sight. She looked down at her full cup of tea, and frowned. She grabbed her cup and brought it to the sink, dumping the tea down the drain. She took the empty cup and radish dish and put them in the sink roughly, then grasped the edge of the counter and lowered her head.

She could never read Ku Lohn, and yet her great-grandmother could see through her like glass.

"I'm home!"

Shan Pu jumped, and turned around to see Mu Tzu enter the hut, with a basket of vegetables and a few loafs of bread.

"The market sure is busy at this time of day, but that's when the merchants are trying to sell and bargain the prices. Thankfully you married quite the swindler, my dearest Shan Pu." Mu Tzu said with a smug tone to his voice, pleased with himself for practically stealing such a haul.

Shan Pu did not smile. Mu Tzu, although unable to see his wife's expression from across the kitchen even with his glasses on, could tell from her dark aura the jig was up. Mu Tzu feigned ignorance and walked over to the counter where Shan Pu stood glowering at him, setting down the basket. From this distance, he could clearly see her stoic, dark expression in his peripheral vision, as well as the extra cup sitting in the sink.

Looks like we've had company.

"Great-grandmother came by to see me earlier." Shan Pu said lowly.

"How nice of her to drop by." Mu Tzu's voice cracked a little, as he took a large bowl from the cupboard.

"Mu Tzu."

"Shan Pu?"

"Why do you incessantly put my son's safety in jeopardy against my wishes?"

Mu Tzu was engrossed in the task of arranging the vegetables in the large bowl. "I'm not sure what you mean by that, Shan Pu."

"You know exactly what I mean," Shan Pu said sharply. "You deliberately disobeyed me, and you are putting my child's well-being on the line, because of your insufferable stubbornness."

"The more hands, the lighter the work. I can understand why you would be upset at me throwing sharp objects at him, but I was only trying to get the fieldwork out of the way faster. Du Ai would have had to slave away at that field all day, and burn precious daylight, and since you're uncomfortable with him training at night-or any time of the day, really-"

"That is not what this is about." Shan Pu intruded. "I am agitated that you helped him when I was trying to teach him a lesson in responsibility, but that was overshadowed by something else."

"Something else?" Mu Tzu repeated, finally looking at Shan Pu in confusion.

"Something that great-grandmother told me about; something I am sure you were intending to keep from me, much like this morning's foolishness."

"What would that be?"

"That you were planning to teach Du Ai a dangerous secret technique."

Mu Tzu blinked. "Oh," he murmured. "That…"

"Yes, that." Shan Pu snapped. She took a deep breath, collecting herself. She continued in a calmer, but still dark tone. "Great-grandmother shared her concern with me that Du Ai is not ready. He's overly-confident, brazen, and-"

"Traits he certainly didn't get from me." Mu Tzu quipped. Seeing the look on Shan Pu's face, he instantly regretted it.

"How dare you speak to me that way…" Shan Pu hissed.

"Shan Pu, I-"

"I am only concerned for the welfare of my child!"

"But you're not!" Mu Tzu blurted.

"What did you say?"

"You're not concerned for his safety because you know as well as I do there's no reason for you to be! Du Ai is strong, talented, and over-flowing with fantastic potential! You're too consumed in your demons to give a damn about what makes that boy happy because you're terrified to see that when he's training, he never looks more like Ra-"

Mu Tzu was cut off as Shan Pu abruptly and sharply slapped him across the face.

"Don't you dare say his name…" Shan Pu whispered, her eyes filling with tears. A pained sob broke from her throat before Shan Pu could clamp her hand over her mouth, her tears breaking free and rolling down her cheeks. She pushed past Mu Tzu and rushed out of the kitchen, escaping into the bedroom.

Mu Tzu slowly came out of his daze, standing still for a while as he listened to his wife's anguished sounds. He couldn't bear to hear her in such pain, but knew there was no comfort he could offer to her. He slowly walked out of the house, but Shan Pu's sobbing only seemed to get louder in his head the farther he walked.

Authour's Notes:

At last, the second part of Chapter Two. I know it was a long wait for a short scene, but it was an important scene that I wanted to tackle in this chapter so that next chapter can jump right into the rest of the good stuff. This chapter was more about developing character a little further before getting into the meat and potatoes of the actual plot, anyhow. Mainly, Du Ai's ache for freedom, with a little bit of Shan Pu's inner turmoil with the demons from her past sprinkled on top for good measure.

Stay tuned for Chapter Three, folks!

Reviews keep my writing spirit full of spunk, so let me know what you think of the story so far!

Your dearest writing servant,

Jadells

PS: Happy holidays, everyone!