I want to than Fletty, Fiito and KageNekoReborn for the reveiws. Enjoy
Battlefronts: 3
Takao moved fluidly through the different sets calling out the patterns as we watched the sun rise. Despite the chill in the air I felt warm, a calmness and peace had descended on me. The unhappiness I have been feeling of late disappears every time I practise and I thank whatever deity that payed attention that my mother had listened to Takao's grandfather when he had suggested that I learn.
After one fight too many at school and my general bad behaviour my mother had been at her wits end and ready to ship me off to live with my strict grandparents in the hope that they would be able to control my wild temper. 'Pffft. As if.' I thought to myself. Makoto, Taka's older brother had come over and taken both of us out while their grandfather and mother had suggested a solution. At first the thought of her 'baby' with a weapon had made her balk but when Saki, Taka's mother, had managed to convince her that it would teach me discipline and that it had helped her eldest son. Yukio was renowned for his bad attitude and the prejudice it had left behind meant Taka and Makoto had had to fight every step of the way to prove they weren't like their older brother.
Mum had confided to Saki within a couple of weeks my behaviour while not perfect had made a change for the better and it was probably the best decision in the end. Taka and I had overheard the conversation quite by accident.
Every morning I get up at around 5.30 to be at his house for the lessons at 6. We got private practise sessions in the morning and I had 3 afternoon classes. It was no trial for me ever the early riser but Taka hated it with a passion. I had almost been thrown through a wall when I woke him up this morning to do the daily session. Knowing how I felt about them he had reluctantly left the warmth of his bed to go through the moves with me. Having been drilled in the arts since he was a child he was able to teach some of the intermediate level classes which I had just graduated to.
A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I saw some crazy person paddling out further down the beach. As we finished the patterns and began the warm down exercises I watched the surfer ride the waves with a skill and ease I envied. Surfing had always been a sport I wanted to learn but living in the city like I did there was no opportunity to take it up.
"Hey Taka." I said. When he looked at me I jerked my head in the direction of the surfer and he turned to look properly.
He sighed. Like me Taka has always wanted to learn to surf. "The water looks awesome for a surf. Just wish I could." He said with a laugh.
"Now. It's time for your favourite part of the exercise – meditation." Taka teased.
I sighed and moved to my towel and sank down into it and made myself comfortable for the meditation.
ts
"Matt." My father's voice sounded behind me. I turned slightly to acknowledge his presence while I kept my attention on the skillet as I cooked some of the vegetables for breakfast.
"Dad." I answered quietly hoping not to wake the guests.
"I just got a call from the office I have to go into town for the afternoon there has been an emergency. Kari and Sora are being dropped off this afternoon. They are going to be sharing the room next to mine." My dad said with an impassive face.
"Ok." I answered quietly taking the skillet away from the stove and turned off the heat. I emptied the vegies into a container and dumped the skillet into the sink. I looked at my dad warily.
"I want you to try and bond with your brother. I know he's a bit temperamental at the moment but your mum and I agree it is best if I keep my distance for a bit since he has the mindset that I am the enemy." Dad said quietly checking to see that no one had snuck up without us being aware.
"Why does he think you are the enemy?" I asked curiously leaning back against the sink.
"I don't know. According to your mother any male in a position of authority he takes an exception to. The only one he respects is Taka's grandfather. If you were able to bond with him we, your mother and I, might be able to find out why he's been acting out so badly lately." My father answered with a frown on his face.
"Did something happen?" I asked warily. Dad rarely says anything about my mother or T.K. because he doesn't want to be negative, his words, about what happened with the divorce.
"We don't know. He won't open up to anybody and if he has told Takao then we won't know anything. Those two are as thick as thieves and I think it would take something really bad before Takao would tell anybody what might have happened. There are several scenarios that we can think of but we can't confront him about it. This isn't to go further." My father said warningly.
I nodded. "Can I tell Tai?"
"Fine, as long as he doesn't tell anyone." Dad knows how close we are and that when he needs to be Tai would rather die than admit something personal of mine. "I'll be home for dinner do you have everything you need or do you want me to get something from the shops on the way back?"
"Everything's sorted. Don't worry about us I will make sure everything here stays under control." I reassured him.
"I can always count on you son."My dad shot me a tired smile before heading out the door.
I look out the window as the car backs out of the driveway before continuing with the breakfast preparations. Glancing at the clock I notice that I have 10 minutes before Tai comes back from his morning surf.
ts
After Takao had decreed that our training session is over I get up and take a nice long stretch. All of a sudden I jump almost 10 feet in the air when something wet lands across my shoulders. I look to see a black wet arm attached to Tai. I glare daggers at him but he only tightens his grip around my shoulders and gives me a smug smirk.
Taka clears his throat and gives me a warning look just as I am considering throwing the smug bastard into the ground to teach him a lesson. "Morning Tai. How was the surf?"
'What?' I thought to myself and look past Tai to see the surfboard tucked safely under his other arm.
"Great Takao. You guys looked like you were having fun this morning. One morning you guys should join me for a surf." The brunette said in happy tones. "But we will need to make a move on if we want to get to breakfast on time. My alarm went off 4 minutes ago which gives us 6 minutes to be on time. Matt gets pretty cranky if I'm late."
He begins to move quickly dragging me along with him, Taka races to keep pace with his long legs.
ts
We sat at the table and ate. An uncomfortable silence had fallen. Tai gives a smug smile and then turns to Matt to make some smart arse remark but Matt cuts him off.
"Dad had to leave; there was an emergency at work so he got called in for the afternoon. He'll back for dinner but he told me to let you guys know that Kari and Sora will be here after lunch. Your dad's dropping them off Tai. You better be on your best behaviour." He gave the brunette a dark look.
I smirk slightly and earn a hard kick under the table from Taka. I glare at my friend but he shakes his head slightly in warning.
Tai pouts at Matt. "You're no fun." He said accusingly.
After another short uncomfortable silence Taka kicks me gently this time and gently tilts his head towards Tai and gives me a pleading look. Sighing to myself I turn to the older man and clear my throat.
Matt and Tai look at me. I fidget a little before I ask the dreaded question. "I was wondering if you could teach Taka and I how to surf. Please."
Tai, Taka and even Matt give me a smile. "Sure thing buddy. Best time will probably be after lunch."
I mutter thanks and turn my attention back to my food slightly embarrassed.
Taka saves the situation. "Will you be joining us Matt?"
I glance warily at Matt in time for Tai to give my brother a sly look before interrupting. "No. He wants to spend quality time with his 'girl'."
This comment earns the brunette a sharp nudge in the ribs and a glare. Taka and I share a glance before turning our attention back to the pair.
"Who's that?" Taka asks innocently.
"Oh. Sora. You'll meet her later. Cool chick if that's what you are into." Tai said with a shrug.
I stare at Tai. 'What a strange remark.' I think to myself.
"Who's Kari then?" Takao manages to begin the conversation after the awkward silence.
"She's my little sister. Pretty awesome; for a girl." Tai says with a cheeky smile.
I blink my eyes rapidly trying to work out what he is getting at. Taka is interested and begins to interrogate the pair about Kari and Sora. I listen with half an ear as I go over Tai's weird comments in my head.
3 hours later
I lay sprawled across the couch listening to the muted conversation in the kitchen as Matt and Taka clean up. T.K. has retreated to the apparent safety of his room after Matt booted him out of the kitchen after he accidently broke a plate.
The meal had been almost a repeat performance as last night with T.K. giving Matt short answers to friendly questions. Taka had taken the lion's share of the conversation as I watched the younger blonde closely.
Something was bothering him but like his older brother it was going to take a long time to get him to open up. A patience I had in plenty, I just had to wear the younger boy down slowly. As if my thoughts have conjured him he appears suddenly in the doorway and reluctantly sits on the opposite couch. He glares at me heatedly as if daring me to start questioning him. I give him a bland smile keeping my amusement hidden.
The sound of a car coming up the long driveway makes me sink down in my seat. 'Great. It's going to be a long week.' I growl to myself. As much as I love Sora as a friend, put her and Matt together and you have two people so wrapped up in each other it's like no one else is around. The only bright side would be my sister Kari. Unlike some siblings we rarely fight and are as close as can be. The good thing is that she's staying longer than a week. Sora has some family thing that her mum is forcing her to go to which is why Matt's dad agreed to have the pair down.
Taka entered the lounge and flopped down on the couch beside T.K. as Matt answered the door. Sora, Kari and my dad walk into the lounge room. With a smile I bounce to my feet and give the girls a warm hug each before Matt introduces everyone. My dad gives me a sharp look and asks me to help bring in the bags.
I followed Dad out the door and listened patiently as he gave me the lecture about looking after the girls. I smile politely and make noises to show interest. It's the same lecture I get every time I go out with Kari.
"Have fun." He says calmly before clasping my arm. He gives Matt a friendly wave as my best friend comes out to help me with the bags.
I wave till Dad is out of sight and then pull a face at Matt.
"Same lecture?" Matt asked with amusement.
"It never changes." I replied rolling my eyes before picking up one of the suitcases and heading into the cabin.
After stowing away the suitcases in the spare room I wandered back into the lounge room. "Who's up for a bit of surf?" I asked with a smile.
Kari broke off her conversation with Taka and Sora. "You got sunscreen?" she asked wrinkling her nose slightly. She flicked her eyes briefly at T.K. before raising her eyebrow slightly.
I tilted my head slightly and gave a big smile. "Sure do Kari. It's in the bathroom."
She winked at me slightly to tell me that she got the message before getting up. "I'm up for it if you are?" she gave me a cheeky grin before leaving to change.
I shook my head smiling. "You're helping me teach T.K. and Takao." I called after her.
"Nah. I'm not a good surfer. Tai was on the school team and now Kari is too." Sora was telling Takao happily. "Matt and I will probably go for a walk and leave you guys to have fun."
"Bathroom's free!" Kari yelled down the hall.
Takao excused T.K. and himself to Sora to go change.
"No offense Matt but your little bro is a bit ... odd. Doesn't seem to have any interest in anything bar himself." Sora said looking at her boyfriend.
"He's getting used to everybody. Give him a chance." I said defending the younger man.
Matt gave me a surprised look before shrugging his shoulders. "We haven't had a lot of contact with him. Like Tai said. Give him a chance."
Kari walked in with a slight frown on her face. She covertly signed to me warning me that T.K. had heard and was not happy. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly thinking to myself. "You want to get the surfboards out and take a look at them see if they need anything before we go down?"
Kari nods her compliance and wanders out with a towel over her shoulder. "You two will close up won't you?" I asked the two lovebirds. Matt gives me an odd look but I give him the sign for later.
"Of course we will silly." Sora replies affectionately totally missing the exchange.
I give her smile and a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't." I say in a sing song voice waggling my eyebrows at the pair. Sora blushes while Matt just glares.
I walk into the hallway and spy a sullen T.K. and a wary Takao. "You guys ready? Got your towels?" I ask loudly to let Matt and Sora know that they are there.
"Sure do." Takao gives a big smile.
"Kari's out the back getting the boards ready, do you want to help her while I get some gear together?" I ask with a smile.
"Ok. See you soon." Taka drags T.K. out the door and I head down to the bathroom and get changed. Collecting a fresh towel, sunscreen and change of clothes I walk outside to collect my pupils and sister.
"Beach time!" I carol happily. I grab my board and saunter off with the others trailing along behind.
ts
The little scene from earlier played over again and again in my head. Matt's girlfriend Sora telling him that I was odd and self centred. Matt's friend defending me without any hesitation. While my older brother just stood there shrugged his shoulders and parroted what Tai had said.
Yeah sure I hadn't probably done much to warrant Matt defend me but it still hurt. Bitterness welled up again. It was the same old story. People thought I was a pain in the arse and not really worth bothering about. Taka had been the first to take in interest in me and then his grandfather. At school I had been labelled a troublemaker and nobody wanted to be seen with me lest their reputations get ruined.
My dad and Tai were beginning to try and push past the defences I had in place but like most others they would give up in the end. Like I said; same old story.
I was so busy lost in thought when I went for the wave that I didn't see Tai until it was too late. Our boards collided. I went under and my board came down hard. The next thing I knew the world had gone dark...
5 minutes later
A hand gently shook my shoulder. " T.K. T.K. Wake up. C'mon man. Wake up." Tai's face swam into view. I tried hard to focus on him but his face was still blurry.
"You got yourself good man." Tai said pulling me to a sitting position. A wave of nausea made me gag. He pushed my head between my knees and rubbed my back gently.
He spoke briefly to a concerned Kari and Taka. "I'm going to take him to the house and get some ice on that bruise and try and clean out that gash. Keep going Taka you are really getting the hang of it. He might have concussion so I will stay with him. Tell Matt to bring my board home with him will you?"
Kari murmured agreement before heading back to the surf. Taka grabbed me by the shoulder. "You okay T.K.?" he asked gently.
"I'll be fine. Go. Have fun." I looked up briefly head swimming and managed to flash him a smile. The unsure expression on his face was replaced with his sunny smile.
"C'mon buddy." With an incredible show of strength Tai managed to haul me to my feet and helped down the path to the cabin. I staggered alongside him feeling woozy. He kept shooting my worried glances but I ignored them in the effort to keep the bile down.
He leant me against the house as he looked for the hidden key. I lay my head back against the wall and sucked in deep breaths. He cursed and managed to get the door open before helping me inside.
"Here you go T.K." he said calmly before lowering me down onto the couch. I leant back against and tried to close my eyes but he shook my shoulder again.
"Hey buddy. You can't fall asleep. I think you might have concussion. Here's some ice." He gently placed it against my right temple. "I'm just going to ring a friend and then I will clean out that gash on your leg."
I mumbled something to which he ruffled my hair gently. I heard him leave the room and then come back in again as he muttered on the phone to some person called Joe. I tried to focus on the conversation but the pounding in my head left me little chance of that being achieved.
A shadow hovered briefly above me before coming into my field of vision. "I hate to do this to you T.K. and I know how much you loath talking but according to my friend, who is a doctor in training, I need to keep you conscious."
"Why?" I mumbled back as the pain seemed to intensify.
"Because you could fall into a coma and die." Tai said with a serious look. "You're dad has a senior first aid certificate so he'll have to make the decision whether to take you to the hospital or not. He'll be back in an hour or two so I just need you to cooperate until then. Please?"
"Fine." I mumbled tiredly. He left the room before coming back with a strange dish in his hand.
"What's that?"I asked.
"Antiseptic. I need to clean out that gash on your leg so it doesn't become infected. This is going to sting a bit." He warned me.
Despite the warning I yelped as it burned my skin. "How do you know so much first aid stuff?" I asked with a tinge of curiosity.
"I teach some 1st and 2nd graders soccer in my spare time. They quite often end up needing to be patched up." He replied with an easy smile.
"What do you do?" I asked. For once I was interested in something other than my trusted friends and list of safe acquaintances.
"I'm a student. I'm studying to be a P.E. teacher." He replied. I recoiled slightly at that, thinking briefly of that jerk Coach Ikikowa. He gave me a bit of a hurt look.
To my surprise I felt bad. "Sorry." I muttered. "I just have had bad experiences with P.E. teachers."
"That's ok." Tai said before giving me a smile. After everything had dried he put down some gauze on the wound and then bandaged it.
"Why did you defend me?" My tongue ran away from me and asked the one question I hadn't wanted to say out loud. I closed my eyes to try and hide my embarrassment but unfortunately Tai took it as a sign I was falling asleep.
"Wake up buddy." He said shaking my shoulders. I opened my eyes trying to fight the blush that was rising.
He gave me a thoughtful look before answering. "Everyone deserves a chance. Despite what you may think your brother and you are quite similar in your reactions to people. It took awhile for him to open up to me, open up to anyone really but once he did he was the most loyal friend anyone could ask for. Sora's just not used to people that you need to make an effort for. She forgot what Matt used to be like."
I studied Tai's face briefly and somehow knew he was telling me the truth. It also made me realise that he wasn't going to give up trying to be my friend anytime soon. For some reason this made me feel a little bit better, the bitterness I was feeling receded.
"What do you think of Kari?" Tai asked me with a smile. He was proud of his little sister and she clearly worshipped the ground he walked on.
"She's pretty nice for a girl." I replied quietly. He gave me a slightly odd look and then I realised my mistake.
"I haven't had much to do with girls at school." I said lamely but for some reason I get the feeling I have dug myself into a hole.
I'm saved by the front door opening. "Hello." My dad's voice floats through the house.
"In here." Tai moves away from me before answering loudly.
Dad comes in and then sees me on the couch. He looks at the ice and then Tai. Putting down his briefcase he walks over to me and with a frown pulls away the ice.
"What happened?" he turns to Tai and asks.
"We went surfing and he wiped-out and his board hit him in the head. I spoke to Joe and he said to keep in awake in case of concussion so T.K.'s been helping me keep him awake." Tai said quietly giving me a smile.
Dad peers into my eyes and asks Tai to get me a fresh ice pack. "How many fingers am I holding up T.K.?" he asks.
"Two." I reply as Tai comes back in.
"Look. I am going to take you into the local hospital as a precaution. It's only 15 minutes away. Tai I would like you to come since you know the details of the accident. Can you help him into the car while I write a note?"
"Sure thing Mr D. Can you get him a jumper because I think he might be getting cold." Tai answers.
Tai helps me out to the car. "Mr. D? But his last name is Ishida." I ask slightly confused.
"It's a running joke between us. He's like my second dad so that's why I call him Mr. Dad or Mr. D for short. Pretty silly I know but yeah." Tai seems slightly embarrassed as I clamber into the back. Tai gets in beside me just as dad locks the front door.
"Here." Dad gives Tai the jumper and waits patiently while he manages to get it over my head and my arms through. I blush embarrassed to be treated like a little kid but Tai whispers sorry to me. After we are belted in dad begins the relatively short drive to the hospital.
Sorry for the long time between updates. I hope you you like. Any reviews or suggestions are welcome. Love to hear what you think.
Love
Storm
