Chapter Fourteen

…

"Juritsu," Yao shook her shoulder, rousing her from her slumber, "It's time to wake up; I let you sleep in today, because I know you were still a bit tired from your journey." The fresh aroma of cooking food alerted Juritsu's senses further, and Yao leaned back as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.

"Good morning," behind him, Yong Soo was leaning over a pan of cooking food and sprinkling some herbs and spices onto it.

Juritsu rubbed her eyes tiredly, watching for a long moment as Yong Soo cooked before she pulled herself up from her futon.

Yong Soo glanced over his shoulder as the sound of movement reached his ears. His eyes completely left his cooking as he spent several seconds staring at Juritsu.

A hiss of breath escaped his mouth as he wrenched his hand away from the pot, sticking his index finger into his mouth. He returned his attention to the pan, taking it off the fire and watching it simmer at he used his wooden spoon to stir it.

Juritsu watched him for just a couple of seconds before she glanced around awkwardly.

Yao chuckled lightly, "So, Juritsu, I am curious to know what you compare yourself to when you're fighting. It'll help me pick a course of action for you."

Juritsu looked puzzled. "What... I'd compare myself to?"

"Yes," Yao replied, "I tend to compare myself to smoke, sometimes a feather. Yong Soo used to tell me that he was most similar to a sword. A comparison can be to anything in the natural world, whether it be an object or an animal."

Juritsu looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, people tell me I fight like Furinji Miu. But instead of a feather, I'm more like a leaf cutting through the wind... or so I've been told."

Yao nodding, lifting his gaze to the ceiling as he mulled over her words, before a smile blossomed on his face, "Yong Soo," He called over his shoulder, "Is it done?" The younger brother nodded as he poured some of the soup into three separate bowls, handing one to his brother, and another to Juritsu, before taking the third and squashing his back against a corner by himself.

…

"Are you ready?" Yao asked, watching Juritsu as she exited the cabin in the fresh change of clothes he had supplied her, "Yong Soo might not look it, but he's excited. He hasn't done this in a long time."

Juritsu nodded slowly, a little nervous and unsure of what to except. But nevertheless, she followed.

Yao led her through the forest, and too a larger clearing, where Yong Soo was sitting cross-legged, his eyes closed and his palms pressed together as if in prayer. Yao pressed his index finger to his lips and he and Juritsu crept into the clearing, remaining against the sidelines of it to wait for Yong Soo to open his eyes.

Finally, the dark eyes opened, his face turning to gaze at the two for a moment, before a slight smile burst onto his features. Yong Soo jumped to his feet, looking highly excited, despite what Yao had said before.

"Right now, you two are just going to do a little practice test. I'd like to know just how fast Juritsu is, Yong Soo, so don't hit her, just avoid her attacks. You two must stay within this clearing, and go no higher than the trees." Yao explained the rules calmly, "Juritsu, all you have to do is try to hit him as many times as you can in five minutes. And trust me, it won't be as easy as it sounds."

Juritsu glanced at him, and then Yong Soo. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. It never was.

I probably won't land a hit at all, she thought as she approached Yong Soo at an increasing speed until she was at a full sprint, After all, if it was that easy, I wouldn't be here hiding from my home in the first place.

Yao watched from the sidelines as the two leapt around the clearing. Yong Soo was excited, so he was moving erratically, much unlike his usual patterns, but Yao was certain that Juritsu would do well. He could see the determination in her eyes as she paused in her steps to analyze Yong Soo for the briefest of seconds before going back to her attack.

It took her a minute and thirty seconds to land the first hit, sending Yong Soo stumbling backwards with surprise in his eyes. He'd had been keeping track of time as well, and that hadn't at all been an accident. He could see the triumphant look in her eyes; she had calculated his movements ahead of time, and figured out which way he tended to move based on how she attacked.

Yao's eyes were wide as he watched her; she was, at that point, moving as fast as she could so that she could see how many different ways Yong Soo moved depending on how she attacked him, and she was memorizing his patterns quickly.

How could this girl have any trouble defeating anyone? he thought, his mouth slightly open as he watched her, She's not just strong and fast. I don't think I've ever seen anyone think so much while fighting...

One of Juritsu's biggest strengths was her natural flexibility; it allowed her to contort her body in ways that could get her out of most any pinch. She coupled that with the agility that her father had trained her to perfect to throw her opponents off-balance by using a combination off fast and unexpected movements. She would be flowing easily during a fight, and in an instant, she'd come in and strike. Her movements were identical to a leaf floating on and cutting through the wind.

Exactly a minute and fourteen seconds later, Juritsu hit Yong Soo again, but it was different that time. Yao's eyes widened slightly; Juritsu had thrown a kick at Yong Soo, and the latter had blocked it with his arms. That was unlike him; during a practice test, Yong Soo never blocked unless he was in danger of serious injury, and he hadn't blocked Juritsu's earlier punch.

She probably didn't even know that the kick she had just almost delivered probably could've had Yong Soo in the hospital with serious internal bleeding. She didn't know how strong her legs were, most likely. Yao watched as Yong Soo's hands vanished into his oversized sleeves, and he could see that his brother was in pain. That kick might've given him a slight fracture.

The final three minutes passed, and Juritsu ended the session by fully grabbing Yong Soo's left wrist and keeping him from going anywhere right as Yao told them to stop.

…

Yao sat down beside Juritsu, handing her dinner. Yong Soo was wrapping his arm up to protect it from any possible further damage. Yao had already explained to Juritsu that she had almost broken his arm clean in half.

"So, Juritsu," Yao spoke up first, tilting his head to the side, "I'm curious to know what you would compare this enemy of yours to."

Without hesitation, she automatically answered, "A demon."

Yao blinked, raising his eyebrows before smiling slightly, "Okay, let me try to challenge that." He replied, "When you try to kick him, how does he deflect it?"

Juritsu's brows furrowed in thought briefly. "Usually he easily dodges me, and taunts me the whole time. Other times, he grabs my leg tight enough to nearly break it in half. He'll either throw me or slam me into the ground."

Yao raised his eyebrows, "Taunting usually means light." He said, "He throws you to the ground, suggesting wind..." Yao paused for a moment, before his gaze became more intent, "This might not be any of my business, but what does he taunt you with?"

Juritsu's eyes averted and she looked down at her feet. Her eyes clouded over with sadness.

"He reminds me about how I can't protect my friends. He reminds me that I'll never be strong enough. He tells me that I'm a terrible friend for not giving in, because if I did, my friends wouldn't suffer. He always describes a new detail about how... he... how he..."

Juritsu gritted her teeth her teeth and clenched her fists, squeezing her eyes shut to shut out the pain that suddenly onslaught her. She never fully came to terms to the death of her family.

Yao patted her shoulder, "I understand." He said softly, "You don't have to say anymore."

But he understood why it was that Juritsu had such a hard time fighting with this man. He was just as Juritsu had described; a demon. He used a mixture of his amazing fighting skills and emotional and mental attacks to defeat people. That way, when they went down, he could be sure that they would not get back up and go after him again. He was likely a berserker when the time called for it, but when it didn't he was as deadly as the guilt and burden that all humans carried around.

Not to mention, it was easy for Yao to tell that Juritsu was not sure of herself at all. She was insecure about her fighting, probably her looks, and maybe even her friends. She was exceedingly sensitive to certain topics, and likely berated herself for every single mistake she ever made in her lifetime.

"Don't worry," Yao reassured, "I know how to defeat this kind of person, Juritsu... and with your capability it shouldn't take too long to achieve that level."

Juritsu opened her eyes, slowly glancing at Yao. That hesitation and uncertainty had returned.

"Are you... do you really mean that?" she asked quietly.

Yao chuckled, "Definitely; I have never once gone back on my word."

Juritsu stared at him for a long moment before nodding slowly, quietly acknowledging and understanding.