Chapter 30 - Emotions: Love, Hate, and Determination

Chakaro looked at his team. Ekyt-Sensei made a good point, he realized. Maybe leadership was his thing…and maybe he was leading his team into a trap. Ekyt had gone out of his way to make sure the jr warrior was ready.

Linda, Ekyt, Hagakure, and Kayla all stared at each other. “We’ve got to keep our focus. We could lose, or worse, be killed, if we don’t. Regardless of personal feelings.” Ekyt shed his coat, now wearing a camouflage gi. His team did the same. “Expect the plains to be windy.” Ekyt warned them. “I don’t recommend throwing very often, since the wind can be unpredictable. Close combat with heavier weapons might be best. Expect water.” Chakaro looked at the group. “There won’t be much cover, either. We should move quickly, and rest only as often as absolutely necessary.”

Sonic zipped back into town. He saw some of the ruin caused by Shihan James. He found a note from Ekyt, which gave him an address, and an explanation. Sonic grinned wryly, shaking his head. “Never ceases to amaze, those two…still, I wonder how their love confession went…” HIS hadn’t gone well, telling Elise that he was in love with her. ELISE was okay with it, but Amy had taken it hard, and had stalked off, muttering something under her breath.

Linda watched the three talk strategy, when she heard a familiar voice at her elbow. “Linda?” “Amy! How was the trip?” Lind asked, immediately regretting asking. “Terrible! Sonic is in love with Elise! I never realized how worthless I was…I’m just a cheerleader!” She didn’t cry, but looked dangerously close. “You know, maybe you should train with us…” “Huh? What do you mean?” “Well, I’m the Master of this do, er, school. And I know one sensei who you might just be comfortable working with.” Amy followed Linda’s gaze to a grim-looking Ekyt. “Ekyt? He’s a teacher?” “Well, sort of (laughs). He CAN teach, even though he’s not technically a black belt.” “What are they doing?” Amy wanted to know. “Getting ready for a fight. Would you like to watch with me?” “Sure!”

“Any idea what team we’re facing?” Chakaro asked Ekyt. Ekyt shook his head. “If last time is any indication, and it might not be, then our opponents will be of the Wind school.” “Sometimes no information is better than wrong information, we shouldn’t trust that.” Chakaro murmured. Kayla seemed focused, despite all the chaos of yesterday. “We’ve got time before the tournament starts again. Double-check your equipment…if you need me, I’ll be in that tree.” Ekyt pointed at a big Oak tree, then suited actions to words.

Ekyt made himself comfortable in the tree, then sat down and cupped his hands in front of him. Let’s try mediating again…Clear the mind…Good. Problem: Emotions. Too many. First not enough, now too many. Love, hate, determination. What’s the most important. Love we can cast aside. Hate clouds the mind. Determination. Love…No. My chance at love has passed, it’s time to make peace with that ending. What does a warrior need with love? Determination and skill are more important…Still, I don’t think I’ll ever forget Linda…Would I still defend her with my life, for reasons other than being duty-bound to her? I can’t tell… He stopped his thought process, with it taking nearly the whole hour, tossing decisions and answers back and forth, not coming close to a final answer.

Chakaro looked at his team, trying to figure something out. His hair seemed to get in the way, and he needed to blink constantly. “Okay…when I signal to you, we run for the first point of cover. That might be pretty far away, so pace yourself if it looks like more than a mile. Ekyt, you take the right, Kayla, you take the left. I’ll take the middle. Stay slightly behind me.” Ekyt nodded. Tactically, all this made sense. He expected mostly open ground, with few hills. If they found cover, they would most likely find a fight for that cover. By going ahead of them, Chakaro was going to draw the enemies into the open. Ekyt would have never gone along with the plan, had he been in charge. But maybe Chakaro was onto something. Ekyt wasn’t the only one to have spent the time trying to mediate. Chakaro was better at it than him, and already a more skilled fighter. Ekyt had experience to draw from, and was a voice of reason.

“BEGIN!” The proctor’s voice rang out.

Ekyt watched Chakaro run ahead, with a slight jealousy, watched him run with his arms behind him, like a more skilled Shinobi than he was. But darned if the kid wasn’t faster! Ekyt made a note to ask him about this change in styles.

The plains were as Ekyt expected. “Look where you’re going!” Chakaro called back to them, leaping over a couple small puddles, then adjusting his course slightly as the wind kicked up. The nearest point of cover, a mass of tall-growing grass, was in sight, and so big that the course alteration didn’t matter. They dove inside. Chakaro heard something, and indicated for the others to stay down, but watch for his signal.

Ryuto flicked his cigarette aside. “Man, you gotta do that? It’s a filthy habit, and you’re likely to burn down the whole field.” His friend, Genji, admonished him. “Oh, get bent.” He lit another one up. “Are you TRYING to give us away?” Lakota asked, in her high-pitched princessy voice. “Yup, you bet!” Ryuto answered with gusto.

Chakaro indicated his group to stay still. These clowns were almost in sight, he could see their jackets. What he didn’t see was their leader, leaping down behind him. Before he could move, the instructor grabbed him from behind, forcing him into an arm bar. Chakaro rolled forward, then spun to deliver a kick to his attacker’s chin. Kayla seized him around the neck, yanking him to the ground. As he resisted, Ekyt kicked at the back of his elbows. Both arms went numb, allowing Kayla to slip a gag on his mouth. Then they both tied him up.

“Hey, what was that?” Genji asked. “Just the wind. You don’t think those rookies from this “unknown school” are actually a threat, do you?” Ryuto chuckled. “You shouldn’t underestimate them. They’re likely to do more damage that way.” Ryuto shrugged and took another drag from his cigarette. “Whatever. Point is, they’re not gonna get the drop on us.”

Chakaro snuck up, seeing one of the enemy sitting with his back to a tree. One was standing at it’s base. The third, a female, was poking at the fire, probably trying to keep it going against the suddenly-harsh wind. Getting the information into his head, Chakaro retreated back to the others.

“I’ve got their positions, and names. One is Genji. Another one, a smoker, is called Ryuto. Kayla, you stay here and guard the instructor; Ekyt and I aren’t going far.” Kayla nodded, looking at the now-unconscious man. He had resisted, and almost broken free, to the point where Kayla had to crack him in the point of the jaw with a hammer fist. He would stay unconscious for another ten minutes.

Ekyt knew the name “Ryuto” and knew his habits and description. But seeing him again…Ekyt felt his head fog up. Ryuto had been a bully, who had picked on Ekyt incessantly. Ekyt would dream about his taunts, but even in his dreams, he never stopped them. You can do this now! Now’s your chance! What came out of his mouth was: “Kayla should go. This is a battle between students.” You bastard! You coward! What the hell are you doing?! Ekyt’s left fist suddenly struck his own face. “Kayla!” he called. “Wait. I’ve got…got to ha-handle this…” Ekyt’s voice trailed off. “Ekyt-Sensei, take it easy, please! Lay down for a few moments!” Ekyt had already sank to one knee, his hands out in disbelief. “I haven’t earned that title Kayla…I haven’t earned the right to be here…” “You need to lay down! Come on, take it easy, you’ll be fine.” Chakaro shook his head. From behind, he clasped his hands together and brought them down on the back of Ekyt’s neck, hitting a pressure point that would knock him unconscious for a few minutes. Give his mind time enough to reboot. Or so Chakaro hoped. At this point, though he liked Ekyt, he had to admit that “sensei” would be a liability.

Kayla and Chakaro paired off, each finding a willing partner. Kayla and Lakota started trading blows. Kayla’s spin kick narrowly missed, and it forced her to block with the side of her hand as Lakota aimed a chudan (Straight) punch at her neck. She turned it aside and faked a low kick. Lakota bit, and that gave Kayla time to attack with her left hand, a quick side-hand strike to the a pressure point on the spine that knocked Lakota out.

Sensei Hayuka got up and moved his body, still bound tightly with rope, over to a rock. He began to sway back and forth, trying to force the ropes to weaken. He looked at his “counterpart instructor,” who was currently on his stomach, head turned to the side, out cold. Leaving him, Hayuka, a tall man with a high tolerance for pain, his hair cut in a bowl-shape, joined the other fight.

Genji and Ryuto found they had their hands full with Chakaro. He darted in and out and between them. “You handle him!” Ryuto told Genji. Ryuto grabbed Kayla from behind and held her for what looked like a killing strike with a dagger from Hayuka.

Ekyt felt his head, not feeling anything out of the ordinary. “What the hell was that?” he wondered aloud. He suddenly saw Chakaro peel away from Genji. Then he saw why. His temper flared his adrenaline, and Ekyt drew two daggers and flipped them to reverse grip. He decided to try Chakaro’s running technique. He needed to move fast.

“Hey freak! Back off!” Chakaro shouted to Hayuka. He stopped his knife strike long enough to turn. Chakaro’s flying side kick hit the sensei hard, but barely staggered him. Chakaro continued to throw everything he had at him. A hit from the man’s huge right hand knocked him away. He heard Kayla cry out. Ryuto had pressed a knife to her skin, cutting her chin. “Kayla!” He tried to get back to her, but couldn’t reach.

Genji didn’t even have time to raise a guard when Ekyt’s elbow smash struck home. He the unconscious student aside quickly, then ran toward Hayuka. “Chakaro! Help Kayla! I’ll handle this!” Ekyt kicked the big sensei in the leg. As a huge hand swung in a decapitating strike, Ekyt dodged to the side and kicked higher up on the leg. He repeated the move again. Sensing someone coming, Ekyt judged the footsteps. They were close enough…now! He jumped, landing both feet on his stunned enemy’s back. Hayuka’s hand smashed down, knocking his student unconscious yet again. Ekyt had jumped off Genji’s back at the last second. He aimed both feet at Hayuka’s face. They both struck, causing two black eyes and a cut lip. Ekyt landed on his hands and pulled off a handspring, landing safely away.

Chakaro couldn’t pretend to agree with everything Ekyt said. But when he came to Ekyt for advice about chivalry one night, the lessons took. Never hitting a woman, for starters. Seeing Kayla, a girl he liked strongly, cut like that…it made his blood boil. But he couldn’t attack. “Please, let her go.” He begged Ryuto. “What’s in it for ME, runt?” “You can have me! Please, let her go!” Ryuto gave Kayla a hard shove. She landed at Chakaro’s feet. “Chakaro…” she whispered in awe. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.” He assured her. He walked over to Ryuto. Slamming his knee into the smoking joker’s groin, he muttered “Rule number one, numb-nuts: Don’t drop your guard.”

Ekyt threw a sequence of kicks. Low, high, low, high, all roundhouses. The next strike was a front snap kick, into another roundhouse, followed by a sidekick, then landing a back kick. He spun around, watching the big sensei stagger. Cocking his right fist, Ekyt struck again, a hard shot to the solar plexus. The big man went down. Ekyt’s anger, however, did not. He spun towards Ryuto.

“I had to live with your taunts for years Ryuto. It’s time to avenge that wasted time.” “Of course “Sensei.” I don’t need to remind you of your nicknames, or the various other things I used to make fun of. I don’t need those anymore. I have some new taunts. What are these little punks you threw at us? THESE are your students? Fitting, I guess. As worthless as their sensei!” Ekyt chuckled. “You always DID have a stupid sense of humor Ryuto. Bullying all the others into laughing at your lame jokes. Forcing them to be your “friends.” Don’t you understand? YOU are the loser, the wimp, the jerk. You don’t have one real friend. And not one REAL skill. You bullied your way into this tournament without any real skill. Pity, you always had the potential, but never the drive. Lazy jackass.” Ryuto charged. Ekyt made no attempt to move. Ryuto wondered why. He didn’t wonder long.

SPLASH! He had run straight into a puddle that had become a pond.

“HALT!” The proctor yelled. He turned to the team. “Who is leading?” Ekyt nodded at Chakaro. “Two points for victory…one point for speed…one for ingenuity.” “What about no injuries?” Chakaro asked. (Kayla’s cut doesn’t count, as it is considered minor. An “injury” would be a serious wound that would stop a warrior from participating) “Your sensei was unconscious…” The proctor’s voice held a questioning tone. “I’m afraid he was in the right to do that.” Ekyt spoke up, chewing on a toothpick, somehow looking at ease and more intense at the same time. “I had become a liability to the mission. He made a smart choice.” The proctor hesitated for second. “You were never one to lie Ekyt. Full points for no injuries.”

Amy cheered. “They won!” Linda had to hold it in (for now).

Sonic zipped to the dojo, finding it empty, with a note mentioning a tournament at an undisclosed location. He shrugged. “Those two can handle themselves. I wonder how Elise is doing?”

Elise wasn’t sure what to think. She was a very genuine person, and realized Sonic was too. He had admitted feelings for her. Didn’t she owe him an answer? She wanted to make sure it was the RIGHT answer first. The truth was that she loved Sonic back. But saying it was different. And she still felt guilty about what happened with Ekyt, though he continued to treat her as a friend, and seemed to understand.

Linda and Amy stood together, waiting for their group to come out. Chakaro led the way, somewhat bruised. Save for the cut on her chin, Kayla was okay too. Ekyt looked like hell had frozen over. Physically, he was fine. But Linda, who could almost tune into his thoughts, knew something had happened when he saw Ryuto. She decided to let him bring it up. “Chakaro, congratulations! You led an excellent mission!” Linda exclaimed. Chakaro blushed at the praise, muttering his thanks. “Kayla, I hope you’re alright.” “Yes Master, I’m okay.” Kayla asked to speak with Chakaro.

Chakaro and Kayla walked over to the shade of a tree growing near a dirt road. “I hope that goon didn’t hurt you.” Chakaro spoke in a low voice. “Just a little scratch.” Kayla said brightly. “Anyway, I just wanted to congratulate you and…apologize.” “Apologize? For what?” he asked. Kayla kissed him on the cheek. “The kiss I gave sensei…I should have given it to you…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ekyt saw Kayla kiss Chakaro. A half-smile crossed his lips. “Jealous?” Amy asked jokingly. “No. Relieved. I don’t know if Linda told you, but she made a play for me the other night. It’s not right, a teacher and a student. Not in this case.” Amy nodded. “Ekyt, you know something about love, right?” Ekyt shrugged. “How to mess it up.” Amy nodded. “Sonic admitted he loved Elise, and now I don’t know what to do.” She admitted. “Well, find another outlet. You’re intelligent, and you’ve got energy. Why not try martial arts?” he suggested. “You never know…if Chakaro, the goofy prankster-turned-warrior, can find love thanks to martial arts…why not you?”

“Mountains. The next test. What do we know about them?” “It’s more likely to be a lot of hills, and ONE mountain.” Kayla said. “Okay. Now, hills and mountains. What is the best way to deal with those?” Chakaro shrugged, but Kayla immediately said “Climb no higher than necessary to gain an advantage, rest frequently, and have a good amount of supplies.” “Very good Kayla. This is your mission to lead.” “Are you sure I’m ready?” Ekyt raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. Now, we…” Ekyt stopped as he saw a team, along with a sensei walking over, all showing peace over power signs. Ekyt indicated that they should return the sign.

“I see we are unlucky enough to draw you for the next round.” The other sensei began. Ekyt realized that this was the group Utsugi had started the fight with. This sensei had jumped to the rescue of both groups from a knife-happy Master. “I’m Ekyt, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself last time.” He said, bowing slightly. “Reian Akamatsu.” The man returned. “Our two teams are going to be quite the matchup. My group and I just stopped to wish you luck during the tournament.” Ekyt and his group sat down again, offering spots to their enemies. “Tea?” Ekyt asked them. “I promise, it’s not poisoned.” He said at their worried looks. He had just taken some himself. And as they had not been expecting them, it wasn’t likely they would honestly consider the tea poisoned. “Yes, thank you.”

Linda watched the two groups drink and talk. She was worried, but said nothing. Fellowship between schools was something they worked very hard to achieve. Besides, she knew Ekyt could handle it.

“These are my students; Kenpo Urashi (A severe-looking Japanese boy, roughly fourteen, nodded tersely.); Julayla Urashi (A severe, but pretty Japanese girl, maybe eighteen, with long black hair tied back somewhat, gave a friendly smile and a small wave), and Jurai Gyamoto (A decidedly American-looking boy, roughly 12, nods nervously, spilling tea). We are the Mountain School’s Elite.” Ekyt nodded and smiled at all of them. “This is my group: Kayla Donalds (Now in civilian clothes, resting up. She had her hair fixed up. Jurai gave her a longer look than the others, before Kenpo coughed his disagreement.) and Chakaro Takami.” The other school nodded it’s greeting. “We must leave to get ready for the test. But best of luck.” Sensei Akamatsu offered. “Thank you, and to you.” Ekyt returned.

In an hour, the next challenge would begin. Ekyt wasn’t having a good day. First his courage deserted him, now he’s got to go face extreme heights? “Best that we get some rest. If you haven’t tried meditation, I’d recommend it.” Kayla kissed a blushing Chakaro one more time. Ekyt almost frowned in disapproval, but held it in. If I can’t rid myself of emotions yet, I’m going to hide them. Plus, this should help stop that dust from getting in my lungs when we climb those mountains…something tells me we’ll wind up at the top, dueling for our lives. Ekyt thought, slightly amused, as he tied grabbed his winter gear and cut the top off a ski mask, pulling it up over his neck and mouth. Breathing through his nose forced him to stop his hyperventilating. He hoped it would last, he needed his wits about him hundreds of feet in the air.

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