Legacy of the Chosen One pt 1

Chapter 6

Mat rose earlier than what had been normal for the past few weeks. He could see by the dim glow that filled the view from the windows that it was just past dawn. His sleep wasn't easy that night, since the anticipation of beginning his training the next morning had made him as excited as a boy on Christmas morning. He seemed to spring up from the couch, and began to move quickly about the very dimly lit room searching for the clothing he was to wear that day. Knowing exactly what garments he was seeking, Mat went from place to place till he found them. Mat put the black sweat pants and black sweatshirt on, and headed for the front door.

Guessing that Tanaka-sensei was already awake, Mat slipped his shoes on and proceeded out the front door. The early morning breeze was a bit crisp, and served to make sure Mat was completely awake. Partly because he wanted out of the cold, and partly because of his enthusiasm, Mat made his way to the dojo as quickly as possible. When he reached the steps to the dojo, Mat kicked the snow off of his shoes and took the first stair. Mat sat down on the top stair and removed his shoes so as not to dishonor the place he was about to enter. Mat stood and looked out over the yard and marveled at the scene of the little sunlight there was reflecting off of the partially melted, then re-frozen snow. Mat turned and stepped to the door of the structure.

The door to the dojo slid open and the student stepped through; sliding the door closed behind him. The sun was not yet high enough in the sky to give any light to the interior of the building. The sight before Mat was almost supernatural. Against the wall was a shrine with two candles on the table in front of it, and the smell of incense was in the air. The light from the candles was illuminating a huge figure kneeling in front of it, surrounding him in a slightly orange aura. Not wanting to disturb Tanaka-sensei, Mat remained quiet. Genzo surprisingly broke the silence.

"Please . . . kneel here." He said as he pointed to the floor with he left hand. "We will . . . meditate first thing in morning."

Following his new teacher's instructions, Mat knelt beside the almost motionless Tanaka-sensei. He looked at Tanaka-sensei and tried to copy the position the man was in.

Tanaka-sensei then spoke once more, "Try . . . clear mind. Focus on anything to keep mind clear."

"What do you want me to accomplish whilst meditating?" Mat asked quietly so as not to disturb the tranquility of the scene.

"You say before, you are lost, yes?" Genzo said, "You will feel close to answer when you have balance. This help balance mind, body, and soul. When all in balance, path is clear. Close eye, try . . . focus."

With a nod, Mat did exactly as told. Before, when Mat wanted to clear his head, he would just focus on his breathing patterns. He assumed that would be the trick to help him focus and gain the 'balance' that was necessary to show him the correct path. Mat took one deep breath and exhaled completely. He kept as rigid as he could in an attempt to keep from moving. It didn't take long before he realized he was moving ever so slightly. Mat decided to let his body relax. He focused on his breathing intently, fighting the random thoughts that were materializing in his mind. He had no idea how much time had passed as he was met with a distraction. It was the sound of his meditating teacher standing up. Deciding that today's effort was a lost cause, Mat opened his eyes and stood up. To his amazement, the sun was fully above the trees and shedding its brilliant light through the windows near the ceiling.

"Very good!" Tanaka-sensei exclaimed. "Almost one hour. No expect your fist time to go so good." Mat looked around, trying to figure out where the time went. "So . . . did you see something?"

"I'm still not quite sure how long I was doing that." Mat said, now looking at Tanaka-sensei. "It only felt like five minutes had gone by. It was almost like I was sleeping, but I could hear my breathing."

"I no think you see much." Tanaka-sensei said rather flatly. "You practice more. You see more. Ready to being?"

"Yes sir." Mat said with a nod.

"Today, I see what you can do." Tanaka-sensei said as he began to walk around Mat, looking him over. This was the first chance that day that Mat had to see Tanaka-sensei clearly. He was wearing something that made him look more like a priest at a shrine than a martial arts teacher. The outfit was black on top and gray on the bottom. On the left breast of his gi, there were Japanese symbols that Mat did not recognize. He was sure that they were not the same as his name. "Show me what you do train. I tell you what you need change."

While Mat was beginning to show Genzo what he was physically capable of, Nuriko was awake and starting her day. She didn't, however, go through her normal morning routine. After getting out of bed, Nuriko removed her pajamas and put on her outfit for the day, jeans and a casual shirt. She spent an extra moment or two staring in the mirror before tying her hair into its usual ponytail.

"I have to do this. It is the only way I can." She thought to herself as she tied her hair. Grabbing her backpack from the chair next to her bed, Nuriko exited the room. Normally this would be the time where she would go straight into the kitchen and fix breakfast, but today the teal haired girl was very determined to complete her personal business. Retrieving her jacket from the coat rack and stepping into her shoes, Nuriko opened the front door and made her way along the path to the train station.

The first direct rays of sunlight did not land on Nuriko's face until she exited the train station in Tokyo. Of the two big tasks that Nuriko felt obligated to, registering for the spring semester at the small college near the train station was the one in which she had the least amount of doubt.

Nuriko walked directly to the junior college where she had attended classes on and off for the past couple of years. Junior colleges are very flexible and offer a wide range of classes. Nuriko, knowing that her future isn't really planned out, felt that it would be perfect for her. Nuriko proceeded across the campus of the small college toward the registration office, waving to a couple of friends of hers along the way. She was surprised that there was almost no line, and was a bit worried that she would not get the classes that she wanted. Luckily, all of those classes had room and she finished quickly.

Sato-san was busy going over some paper work in the small office when the familiar sound of the little bell above the entrance's door reached his ears. Sato rose from his duties and exited the office. "I was wondering when you would get here." Sato said loudly in Japanese, "So you have made . . . " Sato's words stopped as abruptly as his movement at the sight that awaited him in his dojo.

"It's been almost two years . . . old man." The slightly gruff voice said. The voice's owner was taller than Sato-san, and clearly younger, almost Mat's age. Flanking the young man on the right and left were two men that looked to be the same age as the one in the middle. All three were dressed in dark clothes, the one in the middle wearing a black gi top and dark blue jeans. Right and left looked to be identical twins. "Expecting someone, Sato-san?" The middle one asked.

"Just a student, Ogawa-san." Sato replied, now composed, but with a look of anger in his eyes. "Why are you here?"

Ogawa had short, jet black hair. He was very muscular and seemed somewhat on edge. A state which he was very comfortable in. The anger in his heart was apparent in his voice and how he carried himself. It seemed directed at everyone and everything.

"Hmph . . . you're not happy to see me . . . are you." Ogawa said mockingly, drawing chuckles from the other two men who were there in an obvious 'lackey' capacity. "Believe it or not, I do have a reason for being here. I want to make sure that everybody knows of my return . . . especially Tanaka-sensei."

"He is not your teacher just yet. Besides, I guarantee you that he knows your back." Sato said angrily. "So take yourself and your two friends out of my dojo!"

"I would," Ogawa paused whilst and an evil smile crossed his face, "but there is another reason for my coming." Ogawa grew an even more devilish smile and looked to his left and right. All three men chuckled, though Ogawa's was combined with a growl. "I want to show you exactly . . . how I've changed!!" With that, Ushiro Ogawa moved quickly at Sato. Knowing what was about to happen, Sato moved into a defensive stance as the first attack from the young fighter came in. Ogawa led with a right punch aimed at Sato's face, an attack that he easily dodged. As though Ogawa knew the exact way his opponent would deal with his basic attack, he threw a left hook aimed at Sato's new position just before he got there. The attack was actually performed too early, as Ogawa did not have the proper balance to arch the punch just right. Sato, seeing the left coming in, brought his hands up and pushed Ushiro's left arm in the direction of the punch in an attempt to keep the young man's balance off. It did not work. Ushiro spun around using his momentum. As he came around, he kept his right arm outstretched, fingers too, and swept across at head level.

Sato had to duck quickly to avoid the attack, but he knew he had just been forced into the mistake that Ushiro Ogawa had looked for. Sato rose to resume his defensive stance as quickly as he could so that he could defend himself against the hard press he knew was coming. And press on Ogawa did. Using more educated strikes, he had Sato backpedaling in to time, causing cheers to come from his two companions. Hope was not yet lost for Sato-san as he began to form a plan of attack. All he needed was an opportunity. "I must use his inexperience to my advantage." He thought. And there it was, as Sato noticed that Ogawa was using the same pattern of six punches over and over again. He waited for the moment where Ogawa would start the pattern over again and then he would strike.

Hoping he was right about where the next punch was going, a right-handed strike that arcs slightly downward, Sato moved ahead of the contact and tried to strike Ogawa's ribs. Ogawa simply smiled and swayed away from the attack with a very surprising burst of speed. He was, however now on the defensive. Sato began to slow the pace of the fight down to a manageable level. He was much more seasoned than his adversary and changed his offense frequently. "I need to end this quickly. The longer this goes, the greater his advantage will be." Sato thought. He then took a chance and threw a kick with his right leg. What was heard next was not the sound of contact; it was a chuckle from Ogawa as he grabbed the pant lent of Sato's gi with his left hand. The young man then leaned inside and threw a right punch that landed squarely on the side of Sato's face. In the same motion, Ogawa released the grip on the gi as his right hand followed through with its punch. He then grabbed his right fist with his left hand and elbowed Sato in the chest, sending the older man to the floor. Ushiro Ogawa had won. It was also clear in Sato's mind that Ogawa was toying with him the whole time. The sudden bursts of speed he was showing at times during the fight were all the proof he needed.

"You're not too bad old man." Ogawa said, slightly out of breath.

"Your skills may have improved, cough, but your attitude definitely has not." Sato-san said through the effects of his fight as he pushed himself up to rest on his knees. "You have proved your point; now get out of my dojo!" With that he pointed toward the front door.

"So eager to get rid of me?" Ogawa said, having regained his breath. "Hmph . . . but we are just starting to have some fun." Saying that caused his companions to laugh. Ogawa took three steps toward Sato when he was stopped by the sound of the front door opeing.

"SATO-OJISAN!!!" Nuriko yelled as she saw the scene in the dojo. She immediately dropped her backpack and ran over to him. "What did you do to him!?" Nuriko shouted at Ogawa.

"I just proved a point that is all." Ogawa replied with a smirk. "That point is that no one is more worth of your father's teachings than I. He knew what had to be done, and he knows that he is too late to do it. He will have to teach me, or he will pay the consequences."

"He will never teach somebody as cold hearted as you!" Nuriko snapped as she tried to run at Ogawa, but Sato grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I cannot believe that you would hurt someone that is so close to you." Ogawa laughed as he said it.

"It makes my skin crawl just being THIS close to you." Nuriko said coldly, "We will never be the 'close' that you want."

"We will see Nuri-chan, we will see." With that, Ushiro turned and headed for the door. "Migi, Hidari, we are leaving." The command forced the other two men to fall into their positions on Ushiro's flank as they left the dojo.

"Are you okay?" Nuriko asked, turning her gaze to Sato.

"I am fine." Sato replied. "One of the things that I have learned over the years is that an early defeat is better than a long struggle when no matter what you do, you will be defeated." Sato stood up and brushed himself off. "He has greatly improved; do you think the American can beat him?"

"Yes." Nuriko's eyes perked up. "I definitely think he can."

"So I am to guess that you have decided to continue your training here?"

"Yes," Nuriko answered. "Father started training Mat today."

"You sound happier than normal, at least about THAT subject."

"Mat is the right choice. I've accepted it. I've given up on the thought of Dad training me. The only thing I can do is keep training with you. One day I will prove to him how strong I am. I do not think I will ever surpass Mat though. Mat really is the most capable."

"Could it be," Sato began, "That it is not just your father that you wish to impress?"

Nuriko didn't respond.