[FFML] HSD Kenichi "Reminisce"

[Jeremy Bennett]

Reminisce

The late evening air came through the dojo breezeway, carrying both
the cool wind of autumn and the end of summer training away into the
purple twilight. A single candle blazed in the dojo, throwing long
blurring shadows across the young man inside as he flowed through
precise motions and controlled violence of many varied martial arts.
He flowed through a complex ritual of flashing limbs, his
concentration beading the sweat to his brow in his flowing dance even
as his body warmed in the pleasant exertion of practice. His strikes,
slow and inexorable in some places, flexible and flashing in others
were both beautiful and brutal in their intensity and power.

Kenichi had worked on this kata for several grueling weeks, attempting
to master and modify the different and complex patterns outlined in
the training manual given to him by the Elder. He was happy with his
progress, yet the entirety of the shadow dance eluded him. He had sat
for several evenings just reading and absorbing the scroll, attempting
to tease any deeper meaning out of the different motions. Deciding
that only mastering the technique could prevail for understanding, he
threw himself deep into the training, the polished floor of the dojo
resounding with every flashing strike and kick...

As his shadow danced on the plaster walls of the dojo and the evening
air temperature began to chill the air outside air, Kenichi felt
himself fall further into the kata, his emotions and thoughts dropping
away for the stillness of relaxed control that his extensive training
afforded him.

The Elder had explained in his cryptic fashion that mastering this
kata would bring his skills of the heart to his next challenge as a
man and artist. The most obvious experience learned from the kata so
far, however, was that it was strangely incomplete. He knew all the
forms were there, but there was a strange... longing in the motions of
the kata. His heat began to beat more rapidly as he plunged over and
over into the blurring attacks and counters of this mysterious kata.

Slipping further into zanshin, or the empty state, he began to feel
his invisible attacker flow into the next counter motion to his, a
rather complex high block and axe kick that made him grunt in pain,
understanding that missing this step would hurt quite dearly for both
his opponent and himself if mistimed. Suddenly his shadowy partner was
there before him, her motions mating his physical attacks and pushing
back, forcing him to parry a blow that would have taken his head off
even a year ago.

Kenichi had no time to ponder this strange change of events, however,
as the next blurring strike from his mysterious partner required his
full attention. She was good, very good in fact. Her motions were
smooth and without equal of anyone he had met. The sharpness and
strength of her blows was without peer, while at the same time he
sensed a loneliness in her that he could only see from a distance. He
forced himself to remain calm in order to understand this sadness, his
battle aura licking out in response to hers as they struggled for
dominance in the fight.

Flashes of memories flitted through his mind as they struggled. They
had both grown, the efforts of will being expressed in the kicks and
blocks, counters and responses, defense and offense they displayed
conveying all the training both had endured. He remembered their first
meeting in the candy store so many years ago, the overwhelming
strength she had showed on that evening against three opponents who
were much stronger than him, the many fights with Rangnorok, and a
friend who had extracted a promise from Kenichi before his precious
life blood drained across a ruined ring of battle. Kenichi pushed past
these memories, attempting to banish the darkness and loneliness in
her heart that she never let anyone see, holding the anger and pain
deep inside her to protect all from her own destructive nature.

He remembered his masters harsh but powerful training, all framed
against the backdrop of he ever present kindness and growing respect
in his art. Their respect paled in the force of the emotions he felt
for her, knowing if she was there to say "good job" he would launch
him into a thousand battles more than his masters ever could make him
experience. The thought saddened him until he realized their training
was to help prepare him for this notion. He fought for her, his own
will and resolve challenging all others to take from him his precious
thing. He realized his masters power was never greater than his would
be, only that their skill gave them breadth to protect their own
precious memories and ideals.

As the dance continued, he realized that she was good, probably better
than him in martial arts. He also understood it made him work harder,
longer, and with more zeal to provide his worth, the shared memories
of their adventures floating together and colliding in a colorful
explosion of golden KI, their powers and experiences merging together
as a soundless explosion of light against the darkness.

He understood in that moment that she cared and was trying to banish
the darkness within him as well, and accepted that entreaty - feeling
the fatigue and sadness drain as his painful moments fell away and
they reached a moment of understanding, experiencing each other,
perhaps for the first time not as "friend" or "partner" or perhaps
"lover" but simply as "him" and "her" traveling down the shared
highway of life together.

Without warning the song was over, the Kata completed, and the moment
burst like a bubble upon the shores of time. They stared across three
feet, eyes locked and both smiling faintly as an understanding was
reached together. There would be more times like these, shared and
private, together. Promises were made then, bonds solidified into
steel hard certainty, and promises half formed blossomed into love.
They cared for each other not because of attraction, not because of
forced togetherness, but because each had made the choice to stand by
the others side, until death do they part.

The exertion of the battle suddenly forced Kenichi to wince slighly.
The strange encounter had drained him, and Kenichi blinked rapidly a
few times before Miu bowed deeply in acknowledgment, the Elders grand
daughter and his training mate breathing as deeply as he had been
moments ago. Looking down , he he realized her hand was extended
towards him, seeking any pain or damage the fight had caused her. He
felt suddenly vulnerable, and pulled back quickly to nervously scratch
the back of his head and stare into the distance for a moment before
looking back at Miu.

"Sorry about that Miu-san, I guess we got a bit caught up in the
moment and lost myself. Thank you for your help, though. I think I
understand this a bit more clearly now..." He felt shy, and laughed
nervously, the sound amplified by the encroaching dojo.

Miu's expression was unreadable, her azure eyes fixed on his and
gleaming strangely in the low light. "She looks... hungry" a little
voice at the back of his mind stated making the color rising in his
cheeks more than just the exertion of his martial labors for the
evening. She nodded, once before quickly averting her eyes to glance
at one of the several training posters, ruby color rising on her
cheeks and throwing her eyes into shadow under her long bangs. She
played with her golden hair for a moment, a finger twisting nervously
through her long locks before resolve hardened in her features and she
sternly scolded Kenichi.

"Kenichi..." I have been trying to get your attention for 15 minutes.
Di-dinner is ready and you need to get cleaned up so you can run to
the market together." She whirled quickly heading out through the
breezeway towards the main house, before stopping for just a moment to
give him an inscrutable expression. She looked over her shoulder and
with a twitter in her contralto voice usually reserved her female
friends called "Thank you for the workout Kenichi, I hope you finish
your kata so I can practice with you more." With that, she flashed on
her heels and was gone...

Cleaning up the dojo quickly, Kenichi extinguished candle and quietly
padded off to get cleaned up for dinner.



-- 
+=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_+
"Sometimes the correct tool for the job isn't the one in your hand,
but the one in your head... "

-- unknown