(August 16, 2007)
"Aiden! Psst, Aiden!" An excited whisper cut through Aiden's dreams. He rolled over in his bed to meet the eager brown eyes of his younger brother.
"Brody!" He groaned. Glancing out his bedroom window the first streaks of light were just appearing. "Why did you wake me up so early?"
Brody bounced on his toes unhindered by his brother's grumpiness. "It's dad's birthday, remember?"
"Yes, but it's barely morning. Go back to sleep." Aiden turned toward the wall pulling his pillow over his head. A poke to the ribs brought his attention back to Brody.
"You said you'd help me make him breakfast!" Brody leaned on the mattress, forcing Aiden to look at him.
"Yeah, in the morning. But it's not time to be up yet!"
"Dad gets up early, it won't be a surprise if we wait!"
Groaning in defeat Aiden sat up. "Alright, I'll be down in a second."
Exclaiming in delight, Brody ran out of the room. Aiden could hear his feet thundering down the stairs. 'If dad wasn't awake yet he probably is now.' Though only a year and a half older than his eight-year-old brother, the gap often felt much wider. Following at a much slower pace and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Aiden made his way down to the kitchen. In the soft light of the new day he saw Brody rummaging through cupboards near the fridge.
Yawning Aiden stepped beside him. "We can't use the stove, so what did you have in mind?"
Brody pointed to an old toaster sitting on the counter. "I know how to use that, and we can get his cereal and juice ready for him."
Pulling out things as they found them, the counter filled with bread, butter, cereal boxes and dishes. By the time the sun peeked its head through the trees surrounding the property the boys had everything ready how they wanted it- even if the bread had been left in the toaster a little too long.
"Let's take it up to him!" Brody tugged on Aiden's arm.
"Ok, but I'm carrying the bowl and glass, you can take the plate." Remembering the way Brody had run down the stairs earlier he added, "We want to surprise dad, so let's go up like ninja, not elephants."
A determined glint appeared in Brody's eye and he straightened his shoulders. "He won't hear us coming."
Taking their respective dishes the brothers padded softly out of the kitchen and towards the stairs. They set a slow and deliberate pace, both making sure they avoided the creakier of the wooden stairs. Dane's room was at the end of the hall past both boys' rooms. At his door Brody, who had a free hand, gently grasped the knob and turned it quickly enough that the latch wouldn't click but not so fast that the knob rattled. Aiden nodded admiringly at Brody's technique.
Inside Dane's sleeping form could be seen under his blankets. Thanks to his meticulous nature the boys didn't have to watch out for tripping hazards as they crept forward. Aiden suddenly had an idea. Nudging Brody he set the dishes softly on a dresser sitting next to the door. He then glanced toward the still form of their father. A sly grin appeared on Brody's face as he followed suit. Aiden held up his fingers. '3...2...1!'
Fully intending to take the sleeper off guard, the boys weren't prepared when the not-actually-asleep form of their dad rolled out of the way. The boys crashed into the, now unoccupied, mattress with a loud thump.
"Happy Birthday! And man, I thought we had you this time." Brody said as he looked up at their father, who leaned against his wall, chuckling at the sight.
"You might have if it weren't for this noise that woke me up, oh about twenty minutes ago." Dane laughed again at Brody's sheepish expression. "After that though, I have to say I was impressed. I didn't hear you come up the stairs at all or open the door. It was only a faint slosh of what I assume is what caused the excitement in the first place that alerted me to you both being in here."
The boys glanced at each other and grinned. High praise from one of the world's most renowned ninjutsu masters.
"Thanks Dad!" Aiden bounded over and gave Dane a hug. "And Happy Birthday!"
Dane smiled down at his oldest son. "Thank you, now I'll eat and get ready. I'll be down soon."
The boys nodded and raced each other out of the room. Shaking his head at their antics Dane looked towards the dishes sitting on the dresser. The now soggy cereal and blackened toast weren't the most appealing of prospects, but Dane downed them anyway grateful for the effort -and so he could truthfully respond that he ate them if asked.
Appreciating the juice to wash down the odd flavors, Dane finished dressing and brought his dishes down to the kitchen. Soft thuds came from the boys' rooms as he passed. As it was only seven in the morning during summer vacation, Dane wondered briefly if the boys would go back to bed. The answer came a few minutes later when steps could be heard on the stairs.
Dressed and eager, the boys made their way back into the kitchen. Dane set out cereal for the boys, giving himself a birthday present in the form of not making breakfast.
"I have a project I need to complete today in the barn. It's almost finished so I'm hoping to be done by lunch. You both have chores to do then I want you to go through your forms for a half hour. You know the areas you have to work on."
"Okay Dad." Brody pulled a slight face at the mention of chores but knew any complaining would only add to the list.
Trusting his sons to follow his instructions, Dane headed outside. The barn sat off to the side of the house. Peeling white paint and cracked windows belied the importance of what it held. Though somewhat dim and disorganized with several shelves holding a myriad of tools, supplies and wayward pieces of metal, the pride of the room was a large open-faced forge set snugly against the far wall. Roughly the size of a stovetop it held a large pile of coals that would allow a flame to stay strong and tall. An exhaust pipe hung three feet above to filter out smoke. Next to it sat the hammer and anvil with another table nearby to set extra tools on.
Though Dane was internationally known for his martial arts skills, he preferred to be close to home with his boys when he could, especially with school currently out for the summer. If he wanted he could make a decent sum in tournaments or teaching in a larger city, but that would all too easily steal time away from his sons. As a single dad he didn't want that. So to supplement income Dane created masterpieces in the forge. Project demands varied in time and effort, but this arrangement allowed him to keep a closer eye on the boys.
While he had mastery in a wide range of creations, the ones Dane enjoyed making the most were weapons. His own katana had been a labor of love. Hours stolen between other projects had been slow, but the three months it had taken produced a simple but strong blade. The current orders were not as elaborate, but the cycle of heating, hammering and reheating required his full attention.
As Dane went to work in the barn the boys hurried through their assigned tasks. Bathrooms and bedrooms were put in order, the few stray dishes loaded and floors swept. Domestic chores out of the way the boys headed outside to work on their forms.
Staying in a low ready stance, kicks, strikes and blocks were executed one after another. Over and over again they practiced, wanting it to be perfect not just to impress Dane, but to give them the muscle memory needed for real fights. The sun grew hotter and Brody was the first to call it quits.
"It's definitely been over a half hour." He panted, beginning his cool down stretches.
Aiden's determined gaze remained on his invisible partner as he sent a sidekick out at waist height, followed by a punch toward the face. Ending with a kiai on his final punch Aiden dropped back to ready position.
"Very good boys." Dane's voice caused them to jump. "Your practice is paying off, Aiden one thing is make sure you lead with your heel on your side kick. That's where the power is centered, not on the pad of your foot. Brody you're still tensing up too much in your shoulders. You have to stay loose to move effectively."
Brody scowled slightly. "I try, but when I focus on doing that I forget where I am in my form. And when I'm focused on my form I forget to stay loose."
Dane chuckled. "It takes practice. It's muscle memory and being aware of multiple things at once. Don't let it discourage you, let it drive you."
Brody pulled another face, but Aiden nodded thoughtfully. "If you let mistakes get in your head they begin to control you."
"Very true. And on that note Brody was right, it's been well over a half hour. I have one more task for you boys before we go in for lunch." Dane pulled two strips of cloth from his pocket. Aiden let out a small groan at the sight. "None of that." Dane chided mildly. "There may be situations where you can't rely on every one of your senses. Better to be prepared for nothing than unprepared if you find yourself in such a situation."
Aiden reluctantly nodded as he and Brody tied the blindfolds around their eyes. Dane put his hand on their shoulders to lead them.
"You have twenty minutes to find the box when I start your time. Standard rules, it's buried, and anything goes except using your eyes."
Aiden nodded and heard Brody mumble in acknowledgment. Aiden caught the soft squeak of a door opening before Dane ushered them forward. 'The barn again.' Dane's hand abruptly left his shoulder.
"Time starts now."
Aiden slipped off his shoes. Even though Dane was always discrete in where he buried the practice box Aiden hoped there would be some disparities his feet could pick up. Arms extended he tried to get a bearing of where he was. Although if past experiences were anything to go on, Dane had probably shifted the furniture from their normal setting.
Edging along the packed earth Aiden's knee found a table. Using that as a landmark he circled it until a wall greeted his outstretched hand. 'Okay I think I'm on the far side of the forge. Dad wouldn't have buried it over there since he was using it earlier.' Aiden smiled ruefully. Ninja training with scrapes and bruises was one thing, first aid practice on burns was another matter.
"Ow!" Brody yelped from Aiden's left.
Aiden snickered to himself only to have his own toes catch a table leg. He lifted his foot and hissed slightly but didn't want Brody to know his own error. Nursing it for only a few seconds Aiden laid his foot flat again, time was ticking. 'Where would he have put it this time? He's good at packing the earth down so it doesn't feel different but there has to be some clue.' Aiden tried to think. Wandering around attempting not to hit anything didn't have any appeal. Crawling on his hands and knees didn't sound much better.
Aiden shifted slightly and his foot found a small divot in the ground. He frowned in thought and felt around it. A few seconds later he had traced the faint outline of Dane's bootprint. 'Maybe he left a trail...?' Cautiously Aiden swept his foot on the nearby ground. Another indent lay just off to his right. Excitement growing, Aiden looked for the next one.
Two more minutes ticked by and Aiden was about to admit defeat when the ground beneath him felt different. He couldn't quite put into words why, but he knelt and began to push the dirt aside. It crumbled easily beneath his fingers.
"I found it!"
"Oh man." Brody groaned. "That's three in a row."
Aiden pulled off his blindfold to see himself only two paces from the still warm forge. He'd been so focused he hadn't even noticed the rising heat. Pushing his worry at missing that detail aside, he looked up to see Brody in the corner Aiden had started in and Dane nodding approvingly from the door.
"Fifteen minutes. Good job." Aiden grinned at Dane and stood up with the box in his hands. "Now that that's done, how about we go in for some lunch?"
A timely growl from Brody's stomach agreed that was a good idea. Laughing, the three made their way back to the house.
Later in the afternoon Dane pulled his guitar out. Heading onto the deck he sat admiring the sunshine while he strummed through some of his old favorites, the "oldies" from high school, and a couple that he had played for his wife while they were dating. Letting the notes trail off he sat quietly for a bit before Brody joined him on the deck.
"Can you play that newer one you've been teaching us? The one you wrote about family?"
Dane smiled. "Sure. Why don't you grab Aiden since this song is for all of us?"
"Already here dad." Aiden's voice echoed in the doorway.
Dane should have guessed. If the guitar was out Aiden was never far away. Dane had started teaching him basic chords and Aiden had shown himself to be an apt student. Nodding to the boys he picked his guitar up. In soft tones he began with Brody and Aiden joining in.
"I'm with you... a family bond that can't break."
With Dane and his wife being only children, and both their parents now gone, it was pretty much just him and his boys. But that was enough.
"All together. We are one."
Dane looked at his growing sons with pride. They had shouldered a lot with the death of their mother two years prior- Aiden especially being the older one- but they were stronger for it.
"Together we are family. Every day now we grow stronger...and we will always, always be... family."
Brody shifted closer to his dad. Life was almost as perfect as it could be. For one night more.