Daniel glided into class, still on cloud nine from his morning training with Mr. Miyagi. Not that it had been easy; it was always challenging moving onto a new lesson; it wasn't without it's frustrations and learning to add a weapon to his skill set was no exception.
But it was more than just the excitement of the big step in his training. It was a sign that Mr. Miyagi was pleased with how far he'd come, how much he'd learned. It was a sign of pride that the older man was ready to allow Daniel, after more than two years as his dedicated pupil, to take this further leap in his training. Daniel couldn't help but bask in the glory of Mr. Miyagi's pride and approval.
He was also tired, because the initiation into learning a weapon had not been easy. . Mr. Miyagi had made it clear with the morning's lesson that he was not going to forego their usual lessons in favor of weapons training, but rather in addition. It added more time to the lessons and more demands upon Daniel's learning curve.
His body was sore from the demands he'd put it through and the many times he had not blocked Mr. Miyagi's bo staff and it had made contact with some part of Daniel's body that now bore faint bruises. All in all, it felt very much like the very first time Mr. Miyagi had taught Daniel his very first move.
Awkward and uncertain, and somewhat slow in that he was learning by increments. First he'd learned how to hold the staff correctly, then Mr. Miyagi had consented to teach him one block, which Daniel had managed to succeed in using correctly a total of two times. It seemed that making a long staff one with your body was quite a bit more difficult than doing so with your own hands and feet.
Daniel slid into a seat next to Jenna and smiled. "Hi," he said cheerfully.
"Hi," she said, then gasped when she looked up at him. She touched her own forehead in sympathy. "What happened?" she asked.
Daniel reached a hand up to the slight bump on his forehead; Mr. Miyagi had been slighly distressed until he'd realized that there was no real damage, but only slightly. He had always been rather gentle, by most standards, when teaching Daniel, in that he didn't inflict heavy pain upon him in the name of training as many Senseis might.
But pain came with the sport, and with some of Mr. Miyagi's methods. In addition, it was not as easy to be careful using a bo staff as it was to use one's own hands and feet, even for someone with as impeccable control as Mr. Miyagi. Daniel had had much worse, even by Mr. Miyagi's hand, and it wasn't as big a deal as Jenna seemed to think it was.
"It's nothing," Daniel assured Jenna. "Just a slight miscalculation." He chuckled at his own joke.
"Okay?" she questioned doubtfully. "What did you miscalculate? How much someone likes you?"
"No, I miscalculated how fast I thought I could swing a bo around to block a tap."
Jenna made no comment but her brow wrinkled in confusion.
Daniel laughed and decided he'd better quit teasing her before she got irritated and told him to buzz off.
"Mr. Miyagi is training me with something new. Until I get it down I guess I'm going to have to get used to a few bumps and bruises. Kind of comes with the territory."
"What territory?" she asked, and Daniel realized that he had never menioned to her that he was learning karate from Mr. Miyagi.
"Martial arts," Daniel said with a smile. "Karate. Mr. Miyagi teaches me karate. For a little over two and a half years now."
"Really?" she said, but she didn't sound particularly enthusuastic. "That's nice."
Definitely not interested, Daniel thought. Karate must not be her thing. That was oddly refreshing.
"So how are the bonsais?" he asked. Partly to change the subject and partly because he was truly interested. He'd adopted Mr. Miyagi's love of the little trees and he wanted them to go to good homes. "Grandpa get them planted okay?"
A bright smile lit Jenna's face and she became more animated. "Oh, he loved them! It was a great idea and thank you for helping me pick them out. He did get a couple of them planted, but he wants crockery for some of them."
"Crockery...you mean a bowl, or planter?" Daniel clarified.
Jenna nodded.
"Well...we have a few at the shop that we use for some. I didn't show you the ones in planters because you said he'd want to plant them."
"You do?" She asked, her face brightening. "I thought he'd want to plant them all but I guess some he wants to set some around on top of the stones he has back there."
Daniel nodded at her statement. "Well, if you decide you want to check them out, come in any time." He smiled at her in what he hoped was a charming and inviting manner. "We're open every day but Sunday. The ones we have are made to order and they have our symbol of a bonsai embossed on each one, but if you don't care for that or don't find what you like, the place we order ours from is right across the street from our shop. Everything there is hand made, right in the shop," he felt obligated to add. He figured it couldn't hurt to throw Jessica and her aunt some possible business. It wasn't easy to get good business in the slightly less popular side of town and they'd become friends in their time as business neighbors.
Jenna nodded with a smile but if she was going to make any reply it was cut short by the arrival of Mr. Forester and his call for attention to begin class.
Glancing around the room for the first time since his arrival, Daniel took note of Teddy seated on the other side of the room. He had not seen him enter but then he had been preoccupied with Jenna and their conversation. Daniel was glad to know that Teddy was not going to let the goons keep him away from class for more than a day.
Daniel spent a few moments trying to decide whether it would be worth trying to talk to the guy again after class, but soon enough his mind was pulled to Mr. Forester's lesson and he let it slip from his mind. By the time the end of class time approached, Teddy already had his book and notebook packed up and was the first person out of his seat when Mr. Forester slammed his own book closed to signal the end of class. He was out the door and gone before Daniel had even stood up.
Oh, well, Daniel thought. Probably no good would have come of it anyway. It had been a long first week of classes and Daniel was ready for the break the weekend would afford.
Several minutes later, as he slowly coasted to the exit of the parking lot in his car, Daniel spotted Jenna standing by the door of the building they'd just come out of. He was about to wave when Teddy stepped up next to her. A few words were exchanged and Teddy moved off, and a honk from behind intruded upon Daniel's curiousity. Startled out of his haze, he realized he was holding up the exit from the parking lot.
Pulling his mind back to the traffic, Daniel slowly pulled out, wondering how he could subtly ask Jenna what they were talking about without seeming like he was prying into things that weren't his buisness, and wondering if she would stop by the shop again any time soon so he didn't have to wait until monday to see her.
"Hey, Mr. Miyagi," Daniel said in casual greeting as he entered the shop two and a half hours later.
Mr. Miyagi smiled a greeting. "Daniel-san hungry?"
Mr. Miyagi waved to what looked like leftovers from his lunch; it seemed Mr. Miyagi had splurged on pizza, something the older man rarely ate and didn't necessarily like. Daniel knew that Mr. Miyagi had proabably had Daniel in mind when he'd ordered it.
"I had a bite to eat between my classes earlier," Daniel said, but he still reached for a piece of pizza. He had an hour to kill between his two classes on the days he had Eastern Philosophy and he often ate lunch then, but he always had room for more. Mr. Miyagi smiled knowingly but said nothing.
Daniel reached down to the mini fridge they kept behind the counter and grabbed a Sprite. Hopping up onto the counter to sit, Daniel took a large swig of the soda while Mr. Miyagi refilled his own teacup, then quickly hopped from the counter when Mr. Miyagi turned around and smacked at him impatiently.
"Daniel-san, we have visitor," Mr. Miyagi informed. "Sit on counter not professional."
Daniel just smiled. He'd known what Mr. Miyagi's reaction would be; it didn't matter if they had a visitor or not, Mr. Miyagi didn't think it was appropriate for Daniel to sit on the edge of the counter in their place of business.
"We do?" Daniel asked, scanning the store, but all he could see was the top of someone's head off behind the taller Bonsai display at the back of the store.
"Hai," Mr. Miyagi confirmed. "Maybe you know visitor. Boy say go to your college."
Daniel shrugged indifferently. He'd know soon enough when the guy came back to the front. "What is he interested in? Did he say?"
"No buy, only look," Mr. Miyagi said, and Daniel scowled. It seemed they got more curiousity gazers than actual customers most weeks. People who came in to browse but not purchase.
"Boy say he like bonsai, but have no money, no place to keep bonsai. He say he like to look."
"Has he been here before?" Daniel asked, wondering if, in his absence during class time, Mr. Miyagi had been holding tours of rubberneckers who came in to look but never bought anything. His tone betrayed his thoughts, or at least the idea behind them, and Mr. Miyagi gave him a lingering mildly scolding look, but thoughtful as well.
"First time," Mr. Miyagi said. "Everyone find peace different way, Daniel-san. You, me, we find peace in bonsai. Maybe boy find peace in bonsai, too, but this only way he get it. Is not our place to take peace away where boy find it."
Daniel sighed, feeling regretful of his resentment. "You're right, I know," he conceded. "I was being selfish, I guess. It doesn't hurt anything for one more person to come in and look around."
Mr. Miyagi smiled and patted Daniel's back, then used the contact to usher him forward a bit.
"Something need Daniel-san do, please," he said, gesturing toward the back store room. "Miyagi order new tables, Daniel-san bring tables out and set up."
Daniel nodded, continuing toward the back. He glanced around for their visitor on his way but saw no sign of him.
Daniel made short work of setting up the three tables and he almost switched all the trees from three of their makeshift wooden tables to the new ones but he wasn't sure exactly what Mr. Miyagi wanted to use the new tables for so he decided it would be best to wait.
When Daniel headed back up to the front he was first aware of Mr. Miyagi's soft murmuring voice and then an answering timbre that took on the cadence of a question. When he rounded the last display of trees the sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks for a moment.
"You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered, but not so quietly that Mr. Miyagi and their guest didn't lift their heads and look at him.
Standing next to Mr. Miyagi and tentatively holding a small pair of scissors, hand hovering above a small bonsai, was none other than Teddy, in all his bruised glory.
"So, what? You following me now?" Daniel asked, but not with any hostility. More curiousty.
Charlie's lips curled up in an unpleasant grimace. "How the hell would I know you'd be here? Maybe you're following me."
"Daniel-san, you know boy?" Mr. Miyagi asked.
"He's the person who's life I ruined," Daniel said bluntly, with a pointed look to Mr. Miyagi.
Mr. Miyagi's head nodded once in understanding and his eyes showed mild surprise but he made no other indication that the news startled him.
"Guess I've overstayed my welcome," Teddy said in disgust. He tossed the clippers onto the table top with a clatter and turned to leave, but Mr. Miyagi's hand flew out and landed lightly on the young man's shoulder. It was not a tight grip but Teddy halted anyway.
"Teddy-san always welcome," Mr. Miyagi said, with a glance to Daniel that caused him to choke off the exclamation he had almost made.
Daniel had never told Mr. Miyagi the other boy's name and he realized that they must introduced themselves to each other. Daniel's lips pursed in his effort to hold back the words that wanted to jump from his lips, an endeavor uncharacteristic for him. The stern look on Mr. Miyagi's face, however, indicated that Daniel's usual hot-headed lack of restraint would not be appreciated.
Teddy seemed about to speak for a moment, but then he glanced at Daniel and shook his head lightly instead. He roughly shook Mr. Miyagi's hand from his shoulder and quickly left.
Daniel was filled with a sudden anger at this guy, this interloper, who had accused Daniel of ruining his life in some way only he knew about, then showing up on Daniel's home turf as if it was nothing. And now...now, he would storm out as if Daniel had done something to him, disrespecting Mr. Miyagi in the process.
All this scanned through Daniel's head in half a moment and the only thought that stayed was that he was not going to let Teddy leave behaving as the martyr when Daniel had done nothing to him. He took two quick steps toward the door when his progress was halted by Mr. Miyagi.
"Daniel-san!" Mr. Miyagi gruffly half-shouted in that departure from his usual serene visage that Daniel usually hoped to avoid and he came to a startled halt, turning to look at Mr. Miyagi's stern face.
"Leave boy alone," Mr. Miyagi ordered more than suggested.
"Mr. Miyagi-" Daniel started, half mad at the entire situation though he couldn't really pinpoint why.
"Teddy-san need find balance," Mr. Miyagi interrupted, softer now. "Anger no help him. Leave boy alone."
"I'm not the one who's done anything to him," Daniel pointed out in frustration, holding his hands palm up for a moment before letting them slap back down against his legs, but he headed back into the store rather than toward the door.
He would not oppose Mr. Miyagi when he took on his sterner countenance. He rarely did in any case, but at such a time as this no good would come from it.
"He's the one who has a problem with me, Mr. Miyagi, not the other way around. And then he shows up here and then acts like I've done something to him."
Daniel sagged against the counter, aware that he sounded more whiny than adult, but the entire situation seemed entirely unfair to him. Who was this guy and what was his problem with Daniel? He felt somewhat scandalized that Mr. Miyagi had scolded him as if he had been tormenting the guy or was the cause for whatever Teddy's problem was, when in fact he had just met him and had had little to no contact with him.
If Mr. Miyagi guessed Daniel's feelings, and he probably did, he gave no sign. "Boy unhappy, Daniel-san. Come here find happiness."
"I get it," Daniel muttered, resigned. "You want me to cut him some slack."
"Daniel-san do more than cut slack. Daniel-san invite boy back, yes?"
Daniel's jaw dropped and he gaped at his friend. "Are you kidding me?"
"Miyagi no kid, Daniel-san. Teddy-san need friend."
Daniel stared at Mr. Miyagi wordlessly. Had he lost his mind?
Mr. Miyagi smiled at Daniel, meeting his eyes. "Daniel-san good boy. Will do what right." With that, Mr. Miyagi headed back toward the new tables Daniel had set up.
Daniel groaned and closed his eyes as he let his head fall back. When Mr. Miyagi laid it out like that, as he so often did, how could Daniel do anything other than what the man asked?