(January 8, 2010)
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Levi bounced on his toes. After so long he stood inside a dojo- rather than being a creeper staring at one from a building top. Excitement thrummed within him, sure, but a measure of dread also pooled in his gut. Living at the Westins'. . . Not having to look over his shoulder . . . he'd grown lax in practicing his martial arts. What if he didn't remember his forms, the proper techniques?
In addition to his own shoddy practice habits, he had trained in ninjutsu- not karate. Would that make it too difficult to learn the new forms? And, the main reason currently making Levi's heart hammer in his chest, Dane had been the only teacher he'd ever had. Knowing someone else would be his instructor rubbed at the raw wounds in Levi's heart.
However, refraining from any further formal training felt like a greater affront to Dane's memory.
So here Levi stood, hesitating in the doorway of a brightly lit dojo. A smattering of people moved about inside, ages ranging from older teens to a kid who couldn't have been more than five years old. The wave of many voices spilled across the threshold and tumbled out the door. Levi sent a furtive glance to Mrs. Erin. She gave a gentle squeeze on Levi's shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Levi forced his legs to move. None of the kids looked his way, but a middle aged man made his way over to the pair.
"Mrs. Westin?" Mrs. Erin nodded. "Excellent. I'm Master Josh Kentwood," he turned his attention to Levi, "and this must be Levi?" Levi forced down the irrational urge to duck behind Ms. Erin. He nodded instead. "Welcome. I've heard you've had some martial arts training already? This might be different than what you're used to but I hope it builds on what you've already learned. We're just about to get started. When I call the class to order we line up everyone bows in at the edge of the mat, then stand in rank order."
Though yet another martial arts discipline, the Tae Kwon Do classes Levi had observed shared a similar principle, so he wasn't completely unfamiliar with the concept. Dane had taught Levi and Brody respect for one's opponents, but without a formal training center they hadn't followed through protocols of starting a class.
"Technically speaking since you've never been in karate you'll be at the end of the lineup. I'll call seiza. Everyone will squat down, then move to a kneeling position. I'll call Shoumen ni rei, which acknowledges the ones who laid the foundations for karate, and we all bow. Then Aaron, who's the head student here tonight, will call Sensei ni rei to acknowledge the students are here to be taught, where the students bow to the teacher. I'll discuss what we're doing today, then when I'm done you can rise."
Though it was only a few steps, Levi's head spun trying to remember it all. Master Kentwood seemed to notice the lost look on Levi's face. "You'll be next to Alyssa." He gestured to a girl about Levi's age who also wore a white belt. "She can show you each step as we go."
Levi nodded. He slid his gym bag off his shoulder to Mrs. Erin's offering hand. With a soft smile she joined the group of parents watching the class.
Master Kentwood called the class to begin. Twenty or so kids trickled to the mat, bowing briefly at the waist before stepping on. Levi waited a beat, his eyes roaming the group for Alyssa. He caught sight of her as she walked to the far end of the mat. Levi bowed in, and fell in step behind her. Alyssa tilted her head to her left. Shooting her a grateful smile Levi stepped to her side and relaxed into a ready position.
Throughout the intro Levi watched Alyssa in his periphery. His actions were a beat behind hers, but not enough that it completely disrupted the flow. Gradually Levi's heart rate settled and he could focus better on Master Kentwood's words.
"First half of class we're going to work on your current katas. After that I'll break you into groups for some sparring practice."
When students began to move, Levi trailed Alyssa to an open corner of the mat. "I'm only on my second kata, but I can walk you through the first one." She stepped into a ready position. When she ensured she had Levi's attention she went through a series of blocks and punches, her brow furrowed in concentration. "This one helps our hands start knowing where to go."
Levi bit back the first thought that came to mind. Instead he nodded and fell into step beside her. He felt, rather than saw her surprise when he kept up with her. Sure the order differed than any previous ones Levi memorized, but the flow was the same.
The kata finished and Levi found himself breathing heavier than he preferred. His stamina and conditioning still left much to be desired, but his muscle memory was at least still there.
"Have you done this before?" Alyssa asked, suspicion coloring her voice.
"Uh, sorta?" Levi didn't know how to answer that one.
But apparently it was good enough for Alyssa because she shrugged and resumed a ready position. "You could have said that before I was explaining everything."
"I mean, I really don't know the order of the kata."
"Well, let's do it again. We need to have it memorized for belt testing."
Together they ran through the kata a few more times until Levi felt pretty sure he had it down. Alyssa began demonstrating the second kata. It went a little slower since Alyssa didn't have it completely memorized herself. As they walked through it Levi noticed her stance wasn't wide enough for a front kick. He bit his lip. What would she say if he pointed it out? But if it didn't change it could form bad habits that would cause issues with her balance.
"I think- I think if you widen your stance a little it'll be easier to hold your weight on your back leg when you kick."
Alyssa looked at her feet, considering. After a few long seconds she moved her front foot forward a couple inches. "Like that?"
"Yeah."
"Cool, thanks."
"Good eye, Levi." Levi jumped. He hadn't noticed Master Kentwood come up behind them. "Your stance has stayed firm but your guard slips during multiple punches. Keeping your left hand higher will help you respond faster." Levi thought through the kata and could see Master Kentwood's point. "Take it from the top."
Alyssa and Levi moved in sync, slower this time as they concentrated on positioning. When they finished Master Kentwood grinned.
"Keep practicing. It looks better already." He moved to the next group.
After several more minutes Master Kentwood called for a water break. Kids bowed off the mat, guzzled water, then hurried back.
"Partner up. Within your belt class or one either directly above or below it. Gear up please."
Piles of chest pads, headgear, foot and hand guards were dispersed. Students began to pair off to sections of the mat. Levi started to move toward Alyssa when a voice came from behind him.
"Actually Levi, I'd like you to partner with me." Levi froze at Master Kentwood's words. The man noticed and smiled gently. "I just want to see where your skills are."
"Okay." Levi's voice came out quieter than he liked. His last "spar" with an adult had ended very, very poorly.
"Don't be afraid to come at with all you've got. I'd like to see what you can do."
Taking a deep breath Levi let his mind roll back to when he'd spar with Dane on their lawn. There hadn't been as much padding and noise, but this was familiar territory. He raised his fists and dropped into a fighting stance.
"Begin."
Levi launched into a flurry of punches and kicks. He whirled and danced, adrenaline singing in his veins. Master Kentwood countered but Levi managed to avoid most of them. With a fierce front kick Levi sent Master Kentwood reeling back a pace. Instead of resuming the attack Master Kentwood dropped out of a fighting stance.
"You've been trained well. A little unorthodox but I suspect part of that is from karate not being your first discipline."
That and living on the streets. Not that Levi was going to mention that little tidbit. "Thank you."
"If you decide to continue training here I would look forward to seeing you continue to progress."
The two bowed to each other. Master Kentwood called the class to line up. Levi resisted the urge to swipe away the sweat trickling down his forehead. Instead he stood tall, waiting until Master Kentwood called his dismissal. After it came Levi relaxed his stance and left the training mat. He walked to a bench that lined the wall and took the water bottle Mrs. Erin held toward him.
"That was amazing. I haven't been able to see you in action and that was amazing."
Levi shrugged and glanced down, a small smile pulling at his lips. "I've been doing martial arts since I could walk. It's been a while though and that wasn't as good as it could be."
And from Levi's limited understanding it would take a while for his technical belt to match where his skills actually were- or would be once he'd completely regained his strength. Getting back into the swing of martial arts would be worth that though.
"Still you looked amazing. Do you want to hang out for a little bit? Meet some of the other students?"
Levi looked around. Some of the older kids were giving him appraising looks. One teen looked more like he was glaring at Levi, though Levi didn't think he recognized him. Still something in Levi's gut didn't like the look. He made a mental note to stay away from the kid on the mat.
"Nah, I'm ready to head home." Levi froze as soon as he said the words. He hadn't referred to the Westins' as home before, but . . . he couldn't deny it was starting to feel that way.
Mrs. Erin, for her part, didn't comment, but the smile she gave Levi showed she hadn't miss it. "Sounds good."
The car ride was quiet. Levi's muscles shook in a way they hadn't in ages, and his thoughts swirled. Though he'd watched classes from the outside, this had been his first class under someone other than Dane. That brought another ache to Levi's heart. One he'd felt ebb and flow since Mr. Rick and Mrs. Erin first offered to put him in classes.
Still, to be learning again, to feel the rush of adrenaline in a spar that wasn't going to risk severe bodily harm, to put Dane's lessons to use . . . yes the ache was there, but it felt similar to the ache after a hard workout. It hurt, sure, but tempered within he felt closer to his family than he had in a long time.
"Thank you." Levi's voice barely broke the silence.
"Hmm?" Mrs. Erin glanced at Levi.
"Thank you. I- thank you."
Mrs. Erin gave Levi a smile that warmed him from the inside out. "You are most welcome, Levi. You are most welcome."