Of Wine and Water by: P.P.V.V.
Disclaimer: The Standard Disclaim applies…
AN: Many thanks to those of you who took the time to review and who are still with me thus far. Now in good health, the inspiration continues. Behold, the finished product.
Notes: Kata (which literally translates into English as "The Way") are a series of movements that follow a pattern. To most, it may seem like a dance, but they are used to help teach the student of a Martial Art the proper technique to deliver the most effective defense/offense. As the student advances levels, the Katas get longer and more complicated. When practiced repeatedly, the movements that the Kata teaches become second-nature and more natural, which is why many Martial Arts stress its learning.
Onward.
Chapter 17
- Of Wine and Water -
Kenshin paused, mid-swing.
Something was not right.
He tried it again, his perspiration running down his face with his constant exertion. It ran into his eyes, effectively distracting him and he reached up to wipe it away, impatiently.
Today, he was running through a complicated kata that he was determined to memorize before the sun set completely.
Sitting on a rock, not too far away, his Master watched as he sipped sake from a disk. Every once in a while, he would call out to correct him.
"You're relying too much on the strength of your arm. That would actually work if you had more meat on you or if you weren't as tiny as the Fates have designed you."
Kenshin shot his Master a withering glance, but it bounced off of the man easily as he took another hearty swig of his alcohol, forgoing his sake disk all together and drinking straight from the jug. "Since you can't rely on brute strength until you actually grow," again with a jibe at his height, "you'll have to resort to using your speed and momentum."
Trying not to get annoyed, Kenshin lowered his blade with a thoughtful frown.
Hiko let out his breath noisily. "Your legs. Use your legs and your hips, boy. Do I have to spell everything out for you?"
Unable to hold back his irritation any longer, Kenshin slashed his wooden sword down the rest of the way. "It might help if you could spell properly."
Instinctively, he took a step back when Hiko stood.
If there was one thing the Master did not appreciate, it was a flippant tongue or a disrespectful attitude. But in his defense, Kenshin had been provoked – Hiko's favorite past time, it seemed.
"Brat. Your wit is very amusing," intoned the man, corking the jug from whence the alcohol came.
Stubbornly, Kenshin lifted his chin. He would not apologize!
To his intense relief, Hiko did not come down upon him with a harsh scolding or even a punishment. Instead, he crouched to pick up his disk. No matter how big he was, the movement was graceful and swift. Once he'd gathered the small piece of pottery, he focused his glower onto him again.
"Don't execute the moves half-heartedly," Hiko lectured. "You look like bumbling fool." He drew his own sword in demonstration. "Katas are used to ingrain a reflex-like type of movement. It instills a foundation in your skill. If you learn it the wrong way, or force your body to remember it in a clumsy manner, you will always perform it wrong, even when you are not doing a Kata. Do you understand?"
Kenshin bobbed his head, watching as Hiko did the exact same movement he'd been trying to perfect. "Swinging a sword is not only in the arms, Kenshin. It's in the way you coordinate your whole body. Move into your swings to keep your balance and keep your actions fluid. Now, watch again."
Once again, Hiko demonstrated and Kenshin did as commanded, drinking in every detail he could.
When he was given the order to try again, he took a deep breath and very slowly began to do the Kata once more, checking and re-checking his posture and form.
"Water, Kenshin. Be like water. Smooth and flowing."
Surprisingly, this analogy seemed to be the most fitting. As he went through the dance-like routine, he could not help but compare himself with the Master yet again.
If he was like water, then surely Hiko was like wine: an aged, refined taste that was sifted until it was at its very best.
Like wine, Hiko's attitude was a sharp taste that needed to be acquired. Being the hermit that he was, his moods were not accepted by just anyone. It was a miracle that Kenshin could even live with his biting sarcasm, his perfectionist ways and his arrogance.
This time, the boy stopped mid-swing to stifle a sudden laugh at the ridiculous, yet very accurate, comparison that he'd made between them.
At Hiko's raised eyebrow, Kenshin shook his head and went back to working on his Kata racing time as the sun began to lower itself further into the horizon.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Word Count: 704
Moving Forward…
AN: I can't see Hiko as being anything less than a perfectionist. Again, I hope I managed to capture his voice. I know that there are many students out there that dislike performing the katas and think that they are not important, but I am of the opposite opinion. It really does help balance and technique. And I promise that my rant is finished. Please let me know your thoughts! I welcome every review!
Thanks for reading,
-P.P.V.V.
Edited: August 25, 2016
