I had enjoyed living in the Amazon, after my run in with the jaguar I'd developed a new confidence. I was the king of the jungle here, unstoppable, I ate more than just fish, I hunted pretty much anything that crossed my path, I stole crocodile eggs at one point, I knew which fruit to eat.

Life in the Amazon was paradise, so when the year was up it was with severe regret I left.

So I finally left for England, I was more aware than ever of the destruction mankind reaped to the planet. Soon even the Amazon would be gone.

It was difficult to settle back into my old routine, I put my katana back on it's stand, I'd never had to use it.

I'd developed a tan in the year I'd spent in the Amazon to replace my ghost pale skin. My long hair was even longer and still tied in the same ponytail it had been in when I left.

It was strange sleeping in a bed again. Almost uncomfortable, also for some reason or other I hung mosquito netting over the bed from the ceiling. I had the machete knotted to the bed – in it's leather sheath this time, I didn't want to behead myself getting out of bed.

I never did achieve my main reason for going to the Amazon, never saw a green anaconda. Still I had enjoyed my time there, I did regret not managing it – I regretted it a lot.

The first day back I did 2 things, I applied to the Bristol university and I got a job at Waterstones.

The job was nice, putting books on shelves, talking to people about books, helping find books, the only part of the job I didn't enjoy was being at the tills. Also I was only being paid minimum wage, rather shockingly I came to the conclusion that I had eaten better in the Amazon.

So I rejoined the judo club I'd been going to – I could no longer afford aikido and the other martial arts I'd been doing.

It was boring and the only hope I had of any improvement was if the university accepted me.

It didn't.

Then I remembered the book, for although The Origins of Myths had not become a bestseller but it had made me some money, just over £1,000. Not enough to allow me to maintain my old lifestyle of multiple martial arts, but enough to remove the strain and allow me to continue with my Judo.

Judo was the 1st martial art I'd learned and therefore was my favorite, a close runner up was Aikido which unlike Judo's use of the transfer of motion or weight instead focused on nerve holds, strangles and other such methods of temporary disablement. A well applied nerve hold could temporarily paralyze a limb, or if certain nerve holds were applied at once kill. However nerve holds required precision, not something easy to do on a moving target. Actually learned was the right word, learning, I doubted anyone knew and had perfected all the attacks in any of the many martial arts.

As a point it was null and void, I was learning judo and that was that.

I always avoided the park at night, one path in particular I avoided even in the day, I didn't know why, memories whispered in my mind forgotten and unwanted and therefore ignored. Still it liked the park, it was quiet, calm, peaceful even.

There was a wall there, it had cracks running through it round the imprint of a fist, whenever I needed to clear my head, whether it be from a long day at work, or a Judo session, or sometimes after I'd been up so long reading textbooks that my vision doubled, I'd go there. I wasn't sure why, but when I was at my lowest ebb I'd got there, more often than not I'd find my mind wandering to my near death experience in the Amazon – I still regretted killing it. And then my mind would wonder deep into itself as though seeking some dark secret.

And then I'd return to the harsh reality of life, to the here and now, where I felt dead inside, my life was going nowhere. Instead of the daredevil, constant brush with death lifestyle I'd envisaged I was going nowhere, even my visit to the Amazon had not been a complete success I hadn't seen an anaconda.

I was returning from Judo one Saturday when another such mood hit me. I must have sat on that wall for nearly an hour, pondering the pitifulness of the human condition, the wastefulness, the hate, the envy, we were conscious beings yet we seemed completely intent on destroying ourselves.

Just as I was doing, just by sitting there. I was a wreck, that single half an hour a week of adrenaline from judo was my high point.

I decided I would try again, get my life back in shape, change myself, still the memories whispered but I listened no more, when my mind told me to avoid my old shortcut I consciously ignored it.

I think it might be worth adding that I was still in my white judogi,which probably explained why I was freezing.

As I walked down the path cold fingers gripped my shoulder with crushing strength, the fingers pressed into the joint dislocating my shoulder, but as my shoulder popped out of place something in my mind clicked back in, the cold grip of the person acting as a trigger, with my left shoulder out I dropped into a crouch pulling their arm over with my right arm, as my assailant regained their feet I punched them with an open handed strike to the nose, sadly it was with my right hand so not as effective as it would have been. Still I was a lot stronger now than back then, not that it made a difference.

"Deja vu anyone?" well it beat the verbal repartee I had given last time, I stared into the crimson eyes that glared back.

"You!" Why did it sound as if she was accusing me? I noticed that I felt better than I had in months, even with the dislocated shoulder.

"Can you give me ten seconds before we get into the whole arguing, trying to kill each other thing? I need to get my shoulder back in."

I fully expected her to leap on me and proceed to eat me as I walked over to the wall and slammed my shoulder into it as hard as I could.

OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well at least this proved what I'd read that it was more painful putting it back in than the actual dislocation.

"Ready now." I said trying to keep the pain from my voice. I continued, "why always martial artists?"

"You fight back, your fun to eat." oh great now my attacker is a confirmed sadist.

"Can't you just leave me alone?"

"No." she sounded amused.

She moved as a blur, one instant three metre away, then right in front of me. I realised at last that I was in love, everything I'd read pointed to it.

I decided to take a major gamble and kissed her full on the mouth.

Author's Note: I rather enjoyed writing this chapter, however the next promises to be even better.