Chapter 21 – Art

My legs are numb. Say what you want, but sitting in the Lotus Position for over two hours is a long shot from being comfortable even while sitting on a couch. Still, the book clearly states that I have to keep this position to achieve the inner focus needed for the first stage of the Art. Yeah, but what exactly does it means 'Exclude the World from your sense and it will exclude you from Its'? Hmm. Let's review from the beginning while I let my muscles rest. Ouch. Was that noise made by my spine?

Ok, here we are. I open the book again on my knees and start reading all over. Inner focus… Blah, blah. Lotus Position… More rubbish… Yadda yadda. Ah ok.

According to this book we humans, as all living creatures, are only perceiving a little part of the World. Makes sense. There is a lot of difference between what we can see with our senses and from a single point of view. Hmm. This opens the difference between Reality and Truth. Ok. If I understand it right Reality is what exist regardless of our perception of it. It's the world in its unadulterated state. Both sides of the Moon. They are both Real but we can only see on side of it. That limited perception of Reality is our Truth. Since It's impossible for two individuals to experience the same, identical perception then every person has its own Truth. That is why, albeit Reality is the same for everyone, people have different outlook on the same things. Good. Clear so far. When Truths overlap the collective vision is what makes 'The World'. But since this World is nothing but a puzzle made of imperfect pieces it's bound to have some fractures. The Art is about slipping inside those fractures to avoid being perceived.

How do we achieve this? By cutting away ourselves from the perceptions of the World starting from ourselves. A form of self and collective hypnosis. So the first step is becoming aware of yourself. You need to know what to hide in order to disappear. Otherwise you would be like a bunny hiding behind a rock with its ears sticking out. All right. Back to the Lotus Position. Argh.

With no little amount of pain I resume the starting position. I straighten my back, control the breathing, focus on my heartbeat.

Dive.

Explore yourself with your senses. Deeper. The heartbeat is not just a sound, it's a motion. A muscle pulsating over and over. Feel it. The metal structure of Legacy it's part of you. Acknowledge it. Follow the flow of your blood through your veins. Every cell is part of you. Every cell is you. Reach out for the brain. Its silent working is the proof of your ego. Cogito ergo Sum. Embrace yourself.

Uh? What's this? A thin thread is spreading from my brain to somewhere outside my body. I reach for it. When I make contact I'm flooded by a... song? I know this feeling. I know this voice. On the other end of this thread The Blade is waiting for my call. Another part of me I need to acknowledge.

"King…" her voice is inviting, tantalizing. She promises forbidden pleasures of blood and death. Not now. Your time will come. "I'll be waiting…" It takes an effort to detach myself from her sultry voice. Let's go back.

I haven't ever been more aware of myself than this. The air rushing in my lungs, the flow of my blood through my veins, the silent working of Legacy on my body.

…

What is this? What are you doing to me? What is that you are building all over? Why am I not scared at all? What is this feeling of absolute love that you are sending me?

Questions, questions, questions. I need no answer. I don't need to understand. I need to accept myself.

When I open my eye again I'm back on the couch. This is me.

"Stoppable? Hel˜lo! Do you hear me?" Shego is in front of me waving her hand.

"Of course I hear you. What the hell are you doing?"

"Doy! What am I doing? What are YOU doing? I've been trying to wake you up for one hour. I though you went into a coma again. I tried to shake you but you were stiff as a board." One hour? Holy shit! It's way past noon. "Are you ok? Do I have to call Anne?"

"No. No, I'm fine. I was meditating. Yes, meditating. Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok. You were breathing after all. Though when that sword appeared I was ready to run away." Sword? I look in my lap and there she is. Quietly resting on my legs, like a lover on a lazy afternoon. Cute. I'm distracted from my contemplation by the sudden roar of my stomach. It's loud enough for Shego to hear. "Yep. My though exactly. Shouldn't you be in the kitchen getting something ready for your 'guest'?" I laugh.

"Oh so you are a guest when you feel like it, uh? Fine, but I need your help."

"My help? Why? Aren't you supposed to be a genius in the kitchen?" How does she knows that?

"Yeah. I'm good. But I'm a little indisposed at the moment." I wave the stump of my arm. She has the decency to look a little ashamed. "You don't mind… lending me an hand, do you?" My attempt at a joke is lame at best but she smiles.

"Fine, you Buffoon. I'll help you."

With her help cooking is easier. With only one hand peeling vegetables is pretty difficult after all. In spite of this the outcome is very good. Not my personal best, mind you, but still above average. Ah, when you are a genius nothing can truly stop you. An hour and a lunch later we are both sitting on the couch watching TV. Nothing truly interesting, just something to kill some time while digesting our meal. There's no way that you can avoid helping yourself with seconds or third servings when I'm cooking.

"I have to admit it, Stoppable. You know your stuff when it comes to food. Ever considered going pro? God. You are going the death of my waist line."

"You didn't seem to mind while you were helping yourself with my 'Risotto alla Stoppable'." She chuckles.

"Yeah. That was some good stuff. Would you like to become my personal chef?" My turn to laugh.

"And hide my skills from the world? Not happening. You are broke by the way. How are you supposed to pay me?" She licks her lips while looking at me.

"Well. With all this food I would definitely have to work out more than usual. You could help me with that too." The double entendre is really tempting.

"Oh? Shouldn't you pay me even more for that?" No way I'm conceding point this easily, Shego.

"Cocky… You are way too cocky for your own good." We get closer and closer as our exchange goes on.

"Perhaps. But I won't get any closer to you by being modest."

"True. But if you get too close to the flame you might get yourself burned."

"Some things are just worth the risk." By now our lips are just inches apart. That's when she pushes me back. Point for me. Good. I don't like a game when it's too easy. Getting up from the couch she heads to the stairs and to the next floor without looking back or saying anything. She doesn't like losing, that's for sure. On the other hand I'm a master at it. Losing I mean. So I don't have any fear of it. Too bad for you Shego. If you can't win against a loser what does that makes you?

With nothing better to do I resume my studies. Step two. Cut away the World. Back to the, ugh, cranky Lotus Position. Once more I need to grasp the entirety of my existence, both inside and outside my body. It takes a few minutes. Better than the whole hour needed the first time, but still a long shot to be proficient at it. The next two hours are uneventful and the progress is slow. Talented or not I cannot hope to learn so quickly. Actually completing the first step is quite the achievement already. According to the book it would take almost an year to make it fast enough to be truly useful in the mastery of the Art. Besides I need to learn to do it while moving and even during a stressful situation. I only hope that I can learn some more this summer at Yamanouchi. Oh well. Let's see what Shego is up to. I make my way upstairs and it's awfully silent.

"Shego?" No answer. She's not in my parent's room or the bathroom. Where could she have gone? Certainly she hasn't left the house. Where…? Uh? What was that? Having heard a noise I focus my senses. Something is moving and… Ragged breathing? It's coming from the attic. I make my way there. The door is half open. I take a peek inside. There, in the low light filtering from behind piles of boxes, the feminine figure of Shego is moving in a sensual manner. The few rays of light are reflecting on her glistening skin. She is… working out? Are those Katas? But… she's still wounded.

I knock on the door to let my presence be known before stepping in. I don't like the idea of being fried by a plasma blast just because I scared her. Hearing the noise of my fist meeting the wood she stops her movements.

"Hey, Shego." I make my way in without waiting for an explicit invitation. It's my house after all. "Are you sure it's a good idea to make all those movements with those holes on your legs? Your wounds might reopen." She looks at me sideway.

"Yeah. I've been laying around far too long for my tastes. I'm not really a fanatic when it come to exercising, but I have been doing nothing for almost a month now. I can't allow my skill to get rusty. Besides I'm being careful. I'm not putting any serious weight on my wounded leg." I watch at her nicely exposed legs. Wow. I didn't know that Anne had this kind of stuff. Nice shorts. Does she go running in the morning wearing that stuff? I definitely need to keep up with the morning jog from now on. "I know what you are thinking, ya little perv. How long were you spying on me by the way?" Without stopping ogling her I answer truthfully.

"A minute or so. I knocked when I was fairly sure of not risking to be on the receiving end of one of your blasts. Nice outfit by the way. A little tight I reckon. Well it's only a bonus in my opinion." The honesty of my answer takes her by surprise. Tch, tch. You should know by now that you shouldn't take me for granted. I finally raise my stare to meet hers.

"Perv. But you are right. I'm definitely hot, am I not?"She stretch around to prove her point. Not that is needed in any way, but it's still appreciated.

"I not going to disagree with you on that point. Anyway I was just looking for you. You sort of disappeared before." I don't want to twist her loss at our previous session. Only the weak boast on a past victory. The strong aim the ones awaiting in the future. … Hey that was a good one. I file it away for a later use. She looks somewhat embarrassed anyway.

"Yes, I needed to work out some steam. I've been itching for some action for a while now." That's when an idea pops in my twisted little mind.

"Care for a sparring session?" she blinks a couple of times, unsure if she heard right.

"A sparring session… with you?" she doubtful. For many reasons I suppose. First, there was no double entendre in my statement. Second she doesn't know exactly how The Jester might react in seemingly hostile situation. She's still wounded and she has no knowledge of the true scope of my skills. Despite my handicap an eventual battle might me too much in my favor for her liking.

"Yeah. I'm not going to react, though. You are still wounded and your ability to react might be a little dull. And I wish to focus on dodging and blocking before moving to attacking. I need to relearn a lot of stuff. Losing an arm definitely weights on your combat stile. So? What do you say? Would you like to help each other?"

"You won't react? Only defending and dodging?" I nod. "Oh. All right then. How far do you want to push things?"

"As far as you can without compromising your wounds. Beside that hold nothing back. Only no plasma power inside the house. I don't want to end the day putting off the fire." She laughs.

"Fine…. But what if I do?"Her tone is half mischievous and half threatening. I answer her narrowing my eye and pulling a little on the thread that's connecting me to the Blade. It doesn't have any visible effect but the air becomes heavy all of a sudden. It has the effect I hoped. "Oh. Uh. Got that. Gee… No need to get all worked up. Kids these days." My turn to laugh.

"Well, you asked." I take a few steps away from her before dropping in a defensive position. With only one arm is going to be tricky. She does the same although her stance is definitely offensive.

"Ready?" I nod. It's all the answer she needs before leaping at me in a flash. If I didn't know it was coming my face would be blood mask now. Rolling on the ground I try to restore the distance to no avail. She's too skilled to let me do that. Despite her wound she's very fast on her feet. I deflect a couple of blows with my hand and a knee, but that compromises my balance allowing her to kick the other leg and making me fall on my ass. Round one is for her.

"Pfft. Come on Stoppable. You have to do better if you want to keep up with me. Not that you ever will anyway. Is that the best you can do without your magic stick?" Mockery doesn't work with me Bitch. I'm used to it. I stand back on my feet. This time I take no stance at all. My arm is resting peacefully at my side.

"Eh. I'll show you what I can do, Shego. Bring!" She needs no further invitation. Once more she cover the distance between us in a moment. This time though, I'm ready. Tapping my insanity, and through it into that cold stone of compressed fear laying at the bottom of my stomach, I call forth the 'Power of Cowardice'.

Like that night I can see the flow. But this time is different. Without being controlled by it I don't need to escape. The only thing I need is to face that fear head on.

The second round is way different from the first. This time I'm dominating the battle despite being on the defensive. I use only the minimum required strength to deflect her blows, avoiding those I can't by sliding along them. It's like she punching and kicking water. I don't simply see the flow. I'm the flow itself. Stepping away from her line of sight I keep myself just a little outside of her perceptions and… AH! Is this…? Of course. It's the same. Why haven't I thought of it before? Let's try. First acknowledge myself. Second, Cut off the World. Third, Step inside the fracture. *SLAM*

"Ouch!" Shego s' elbow meets my abdomen violently. I'm on my ass again. So much for my delusion.

"What was that?" She out of breath. How long have we being going at it?

"Uh? That what?" Now that I think about it, I'm rather spent too.

"That… That!" She's pointing at me. Well that's helpful.

"What exactly are you talking about, Shego?" She looks at me with a typical Duh expression.

"Don't make fun of me, Stoppable. I'm talking about you. First it's like you became a leaf in the wind. No matter what I did I couldn't hit you. Then after you stood still for a moment It was like you were made of fog. I swear that when I finally hit, you were about to disappear into thin air like a…" Realization hits both of us at the same time, but she's the one to voice it. "Ninja! You are a friggin' Ninja. Like that girl yesterday night. You little runt. Is that how it is? How you foiled all of our plans? You were secretly a Ninja all this time?" I can't help but laugh. Me a Ninja?

"He he he. Shego. Come on. Did I strike you as a Ninja before today? Nah. I haven't been training in ninjutsu before, but 'that girl' said I have talent for it. Turn out she was right. Who would have thought?"

"Well, definitely not me. That was wicked by the way. How did you do it?" She helps me getting up.

"It's a secret." She frowns. "Although I couldn't explain it even if it wasn't. For what I know I'm not simply doing it well enough. I'm doing it in a whole different manner altogether and… I'm not making any sense to you, am I?" She shakes her head. "Well to make it simple I don't even know myself. I definitely don't know how to explain it to you even if I could. Sorry about that. It would require years of training to achieve it by the way."

"You just said that you didn't receive any training in it just a moment ago. Which one is the truth?"

"I also said that I have talent for it. Yo… My friend told me that I'm a natural when it comes to be forgotten and unnoticed."

"So… basically you are a Ninja because you are a social outcast? Sucks to be you." Ugh. Evil woman.

"Did you have to phrase it like that, Shego?" She nods with a smile.

"Of course. I would have missed your hurt expression otherwise." This bitch.

"Well since you had your fun let's call it a day. There is something I need to review and a letter to send. I'll see you later."

I go back to the living room to fetch the book. Let's see. Nothing like this is mentioned. Yet I almost managed to complete the Art. What went wrong? Didn't I cut off the World properly? Maybe that's it. I stepped outside her Truth skipping the whole self hypnosis process. Without convincing myself that I don't exist I managed only to blur myself instead of vanishing. But I have mastered the third step in one session. I definitely suck at doing things in the proper order. Let's just hope that this actually helps me. With my luck I might actually have made things more complex. I don't think anyone ever mastered the Art using the Power of Cowardice. If that's the case I might be walking a whole different road from what is described in the book. I need to contact Sensei and ask for his opinion. There is a Kunai in my room that will serve that purpose. Let's go.

Author note

Not really much to say on this one. Ron gets a little insight on the Art and discover that there isn't only one path to the same goal. Will it be a good or a bad thing in the long run? Maybe Sensei hold the answer. Maybe not. Keep reading to find out.

Peace!