A/N: This is dedicated to my own nii-chan, for teaching me and being someone I can trust and depend on. I could say more, but honestly, I wouldn't know where to begin. No words can properly tell how grateful I am.
My otou-san deserves on honorable mention, too. He's testing for his fifth dan in Tae Kwon Do this December; he'll be a master if he passes!
I myself am not a martial artist, though both my nii-chan and otou-san are. I would, however, like to look into Aikido (see below).
I had fun with this, throwing in Japanese words where they fit. Those words are in italics. Translations are at the bottom.
Title: Sensei
Teaser: He watches and learns, and hopes that someday he might be able to do by himself.
Length: 482 words
Rating: K+
It's like a dance.
The tall figure moves fluidly, spinning, striking, toying with his imaginary opponents. To the untrained eye, his movements appear wild, like a storm at sea. In reality, he is in complete control of his body, strong muscles working together with bone and tendon, all controlled like a machine by the brilliant mind housed inside, directing his actions calmly, like the eye of that storm.
The figure pauses in his battle-dance, poising like a rearing dragon, before descending, catlike, on his unseen prey.
The smaller figure sits perched atop a stack of unused mats, absently kicking his legs against its yielding surface. His gray orbs, shielded by a tousle of black hair, are fixed upon the other's struggle, carefully noting the mental battle as well as the physical one. This is good for his nii-sama; control of his body allows him to, for a short amount of time, free his mind.
His nii-sama needs more times like this.
He watches in awe as the warrior, clad in his preferred black tunic and pants instead of a typical white gi, redirects an imaginary foe's strike at his head, then draws a tegatana from his belt and intercepts another dream's attempt to slide a blade between his ribs. The small child smiles, hugging his nii-sama's trench coat to himself as the dance continues for an unknown length of time. He can't help but wish that he could join the older. If he knew what his nii-sama knew, then perhaps he wouldn't be so helpless; he knows a time will come when he will have to fight his own battles.
All too soon, the training session is over. The tall figure bows to the shomen and joins the child at the side of the private dojo, accepting the offered coat and shrugging it on.
He nods at the younger's compliments and smiles slightly at the enthusiasm behind the shining gray eyes. He hesitates, then speaks softly to the boy. The child's eyes seem to glow with excitement at his words, wanting to begin right away. The older shakes his head softly; there is work to be done. Lessons can begin on the morrow.
The boy's faces falls, then automatically brightens at the prospect of finally fighting at his nii-sama's side. He gives the older boy a delighted embrace and races out of the room, laughing his joy.
The older watches him, wondering what the child had been so anxious about, for he had seen the desperation in the young face. He shakes his head again. There is no need for his brother to fight his battles alone, not like he himself had done. They will always fight together. He will always be there to help his brother stay on his path, and he will always be there to help fight whatever troubles await at the crossroads.
Because that's what big brothers do.
Translations:
Aikido: A Japanese martial art that believes that the circle is the basic motion, not a straight line like some other art forms. Ai usually means "harmony," "love," or "union." Ki is loosely translated as "power" or "energy." Do is derived from the Chinese tao, which means "way" or "path." Put it all together and you might say that Aikido is "a way of harmonious power." It is a defensive art which uses an attacker's strength and motion to protect both the attacked and the attacker. It is something that I could definitely see Seto Kaiba doing, for three reasons. One, with the kill-or-be-killed frame of mind in the business world, I imagine he could find comfort (when he has the time to actually train – he needs to get out of his office sometimes!) in practicing something less harsh. It would give him a much needed break. Two, I don't think he likes killing, or at least present-day Kaiba doesn't. He's seen too much, I think. Besides, there's advantage to not harming someone who's attacking you. You can't find out who paid them to kill you if they're dead. And there's less trouble with the law, which, though he could pay any bail they set, is less of a headache for him. Three, the few martial arts moves we see him use in the anime are taken straight from Aikido. Not only that, but he seems to know what he's doing. Perhaps he hasn't reached dan yet, because I doubt he would have time to train often, but I certainly wouldn't want to spar with him!
dan – a black belt (lesser belts are called kyu)
dojo – a place for training
gi – Aikedo uniform
nii-chan – an affectionate way of saying "big brother"(few children in Japan actually refer to their older siblings by their name, much like we call wouldn't call our parents by their names)
nii-sama – a more respectful way of saying "big brother," what Mokuba calls Seto in the Japanese version
otou-san – an affectionate way of saying "father," much like the English "daddy"
Tae Kwon Do – a Korean martial art
sensei – teacher
shomen – the part of the dojo where martial artists actually train
tegatana – a hand blade (like a dagger)