While Shane was wrapped up and unconscious in one of Urahara's spare rooms (again), Yoruichi and Urahara were watching the video. Out of the corner of his eye, Urahara noticed Yoruichi had light bruising on her face and she was constantly rubbing her ribs. "Was it that bad?" he asked slyly. Yoruichi shot him a look, then shrugged. Just then, the door to the shop opened. Urahara and Yoruichi looked up and saw Tatsuki enter. She looked around, and when she saw them looking at her, she blushed and looked away. "Is Shane here?" she asked.
"Yes. He's in the back resting," Urahara said smiling. Tatsuki nodded her thanks and went down the hall. Moments later, Tatsuki let out a shriek that caused Urahara to jump. Tatsuki burst through the door and shouted, "What happened?"
"It was his own fault, just like the last hundred times," Yoruichi said, rather coldly. Tatsuki calmed down and said, "Well, what do you expect from that idiot?"
"Say, since you are here, do you mind helping us with something?" Urahara asked. Tatsuki raised an eyebrow and looked over Urahara's shoulder to see what they were watching. "What's this?" she asked.
"This is why Shane looks like a mummy right now," Urahara said. Tatsuki grimaced as she watched. "Yeah, no kidding," she said. "Anyway, what do you want help with?" she added.
"I'm told you are quite an accomplished fighter," Urahara said. Tatsuki nodded. "We were wondering if you could tell us what you know about Shane's fighting style," he said.
Tatsuki thought for a moment, the said, "He told me once his fighting style is a mix of Jujitsu and Krav Maga." Yoruichi and Urahara gave her blank stares. "Uh, that's what we'd call it here in this world," Tatsuki said sheepishly. "To put it simply, Shane's moves consist of grappling, joint locks, throws and incapacitating an opponent as quickly as possible with minimal risk to himself. That's the basis anyway."
"Then what do you make of this?" Urahara asked. Tatsuki watched the video of Shane fighting while unconscious. Tatsuki blinked in surprise. "I've never see this before," she admitted.
"Never seen this fighting style?" Yoruichi asked. Tatsuki shook her head. "I mean, Shane is not normally a violent person. Is this even him?" Urahara nodded his head. Tatsuki thought for a moment and watched the video. After a few moments, she paused the video. "I don't know what this is, but it looks like a martial art called Muay Thai."
"What's that?" Yoruichi asked. Tatsuki sighed and said, "Boxers use their fists to fight. In Karate, you use your hands and feet. But Muay Thai utilizes not only hands, feet, but elbows and knees to inflict damage." Tatsuki frowned and stroked her chin in thought. "What's the matter?" Urahara asked.
"Something just occurred to me," Tatsuki said. "Jujitsu and Muay Thai have been regulated for use in competitions. But they, along with Krav Maga were originally used for one thing." Tatsuki paused and Yoruichi and Urahara figured what was coming next.
"What's that?" Olivia asked, appearing in the door.
"To kill people," Tatsuki said softly. "When I sparred with Shane and even when we got into a couple fights, I could tell he was holding back. But this," Tatsuki replayed the video, "is what happens when nothing is held back. I think this is what Shane is truly capable of."
"No," Urahara shook his head and Tatsuki glanced at him. "He is capable of so much more. Right now, his mind and spirit are in conflict. If and when he finally achieves that balance, I do believe he will surprise us all."
"Pshh. Idiot," Tatsuki muttered.
When Shane woke up, the late afternoon sun was shining through the window, casting an amber haze through the room. He could hear voices coming from down the hall. Shane slowly sat up, grunting from the dull pain and looked around the room. Ten minutes later he was dressed, the bandages on his arms and face still showing. He didn't feel like being around the others, so he opened the window and carefully crawled out. Fortunately, Urahara's shop only had one floor. Shane stretched his stiff muscles and slowly walked off.
He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He stared at his feet and kept walking. The sun was slowly setting, casting long shadows, and a light breeze made the evening pleasant. Shane found himself walking through a park. As he came to an open field, he saw a lone person standing by himself. As he drew closer, Shane saw it was an elderly man, wearing a kung fu robe. He was slowly going though some motions Shane was unfamiliar with. Intrigued, Shane sat on a bench and watched the old man. Although he was old, the man appeared to be in excellent health. He moved with such grace and fluidity that Shane felt calm and peaceful. Shane closed his eyes and sighed.
After a while, the old man stopped and noticed he had an audience. The old man smiled and waved. "Hello!" he called out in a cheerful voice.
"Hello," Shane nodded in reply. He stood up as the old man made his way over. He was several inches shorter than Shane and had a slight hunch. "I apologize if I disturbed you," Shane said.
"No, don't worry about it," the man assured him. "When I'm out here, I tend to lose track of time and don't notice anything."
"If you don't mind, what were you doing?" Shane asked. The old man seemed to perk up and he smiled. "Oh, so you're interested?" he asked. Shane nodded. "I was just doing Tai Chi," the old man said.
"What's that?" Shane asked. The old man started walking and he motioned for Shane to follow. They began walking back the way Shane had come. "Tai Chi is a martial art that comes from China," the man said. "Nowadays, people mostly use it as a way to stay in shape and keep the joints limber. It's also good for relaxing and it is very calming too." The man looked up at Shane. "But don't be fooled by all the slow movements. Tai Chi can be a very formidable art."
"I see," Shane said. As they walked in silence, Shane began to welcome the old man's company. The sky grew dark and the first of the street lights began to wink on. The old man stopped at a plain white house on the corner. "Why don't you come inside?" he offered.
"It's getting late and I should get back," Shane said.
"Oh, come now. I insist," the man said. Shane smiled and found he couldn't turn the old man down and followed him inside. While Shane waited at the table for the man, he looked around the house. It was very neat with little furnishings. On one wall was a large black and white photo of a man wearing ceremonial robes. On the other wall was a small desk with a picture of a woman and incense burning. The old man appeared with two teacups and a pot of tea. Shane accepted one of the cups and took a sip. "This is good. What is it?" he asked.
"Ah, my own secret blend. I'm glad you like it," the man said as he sat down. After a moment of silence, Shane asked, "Please, would you mind telling me your name?"
"Akagi. Shin Akagi," the man replied. "It's been a while since I've had a guest, so please forgive the appearance of this place."
"Not at all," Shane assured him. "My house looks very similar to this one." Shane took another sip and nodded to the desk. "Is that a picture of your wife?" he asked. Shin turned and looked at the picture. Shane sensed a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Yes, this is my wife," Shin said. He picked up the picture and handed it to Shane. It was an old color photo of a rather plain looking woman. She wore a pale yellow kimono with a floral pattern and her hair pulled back into a bun. Shane felt a warmth radiate from the photo and he smiled. "She's very lovely," he said, handing the photo back.
"Yes. Rihiko wasn't the most beautiful girl, but she brought joy to my life," Shin said. He lovingly brushed a finger across the picture before placing it back on the desk.
"Do you have any children?" Shane asked. Shin shook his head. "Rihiko and I were never blessed with children, although she wanted them badly. Being an only child myself, I had wondered what it would have been like to have a house full of rowdy children, running around and carrying on as young ones do."
"What happened?" Shane asked. Shin stared off into the distance, as if remembering the past. When he didn't say anything, Shane said, "I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it."
"Ah, don't worry about it. It was a long time ago," Shin replied. "I received a call from work that my wife had become ill and was taken to the hospital. When I went to see her after work, the doctor told me the prognosis wasn't good. Pneumonia."
"Oh my," Shane said. Shin looked down into his cup and sighed. "You see, back then, we didn't have all the modern medicine and technology of today. Rihiko became very sick and she eventually died."
"I'm very sorry," was all Shane could say. Shin swirled the tea around in his cup and cleared his throat. "Well, enough of that. No use dwelling on bad things that happened in the past."
Shane looked at the clock and realized how late the time was. He finished his tea and said, "Thank you for the tea."
"Yes, yes. And I should thank you for coming to visit a lonely old man," Shin replied with a smile. "Oh, and another thing," he added and pulled out an old, thin book and handed it to Shane.
"What's this?" Shane asked, looking through the pages.
"That's a book on Tai Chi. Since you were interested in learning, I thought I'd give it to you," Shin replied. "Just come by the park tomorrow, about the same time and I'll teach you."
"Wow. Thank you very much," Shane said, thumbing through the pages. Shin showed him to the door and saw him out. As Shane turned down the street, he stopped and waved to the kind old man, then made his way back to his own house.