Chuckles

Prologue: Ready to fight?

The day, unlike most recently, was a calm one. The clouds soared high above the grassy landscape like an eagle in flight. A breeze was imminent and the wild life were at ease. However, on this calm day, atop a hill in the plains was a man.


This man had a large, worn gii and a tattered Brown-Belt. His skin was white that did hint a slight tan complextion.This man's face was gentle and his hair folded over his forhead at the end. He had glowing blue eyes that showed nothing but determination and focus. His mind was clear, and his body followed. It moved with grace over movements of what looked like an organized kada.


His hands shot out to his left side, squared with his shoulder. Then the right hand which stretched over his stomach, shot back in to it's original position sided to his ribs. The other opened to the world and his fingers still extended outward. Then with a booming, crisp crack; the two hands collided together with the palm of the left making contact with his right elbow. From there, the right hand extended over the stomach and the left hand came under it and tucked at the side of the ribs. This made the body square, were the rest of the single motion would fall into play.


This was his day, the day of the tournament he had trained so long for. He would prove to his Sudoshi and Sensei that he was ready to test for his Black-belt. Yet a tingling feeling cringed him inside that he was not ready. He was so sure he was, yet that urge to give up still told him otherwise.

As he finished off the kada, a familiar voice called his name,

"Mike!!!"

He suddenly turned to see a girl in a pink t-shirt. She wore tight jean pants and a black bracelet. Her hair, which was a thick brown with blond streaks, came just below her ears. She, like him had white skin. However, her eyes were as brown as dirt which if she wanted to, could make them seem delicate to the point that you break down. This girl was his best friend since the second grade, yet recently has been his girlfriend once the training started again.


He then frowned at her and replied,

"I told you, that I don't like to be called that."


She then smiled said,

"Yeah, I know...you want to be called Kata-whatever. But come on, your not even Asian!"


This caused him to step forward and continue the bicker with a reflective tone,

"It's Katashi! You know my father gave me the name after he left from Japan. What do you want anyway?"


At this, she changed the conversation and brushed her hair to the side and looked at him with a more simplistic look.

"I just wanted to see you before your big tournament. Are you ready to kick some ass for me??"


"I'm not so sure," replied Katashi, "I barely know who I am anymore, Sandra."


"I do," she answered, "your Kata-pee, and you kick ass!"


At that he laughed and answered,

"Ha-ha, very funny. It's a good thing that I've already finished training because I would have loved to differ!"


After a while, they began to walk down the dirt road back to the city. Once there, they exchanged their good byes with a kiss and both went their separate ways.
A few minutes later, Katashi began down same the street he had for years. It's beat-up gravel never changed texture and the shops never got new paint.


It brought back memories from when he was a child. None of them pleasant as each time, he ended up with a new injury to show his mom when he came home from school. Except for now, which his reputation for killing people made gang members think twice when they thought they were tough. However, every now and then someone tried him. Each time they ended up on the gravel begging for mercy. He loved it when they did.


At the end of the ghetto road, he smiled a walked on to the next block. Up ahead lay his apartment which like the road, needed some work done. He walked inside and up the battered stairs, were he was greeted by a cool rush of air. He had become accustom to this broken environment and also began to rely on it.


Katashi let out a sigh of exhaustion as he entered a small room at the left side of the hall. It's contents, unlike the rest of the building, were fairly clean. A smooth, white refrigerator stood at the left side of the wall. To the right was a small, unmade bed. Above the bed stood a poster of a white Japanese symbol. At the end of the room stood a small desk covered in papers.


He then walked slowly to the bed and plopped down like a rock into water. As he did so, the thoughts that told him he couldn't make it, reared it's ugly head once again. His head told him not to trust his body, although that is what he was trained to do all a long. He still had six hours before his tournament started, but it felt only two steps away. Suddenly, a memory from the past entered his head and became a virus attacking his head.


Suddenly Katashi was back on the street of his childhood. He was now only eight years old, carrying a rugged back back and feeling the familiar timidness all over again. The sun was almost down past the roof of the shops, this meant that gangs began to take their turfs. He tried to run before he was noticed, but out of nowhere, two hands grabbed his puny shoulders and pulled him to the ground.


He felt an intense rush of pain as he fell to the hard pavement below. He tried to get up until a terrible face appeared right above him. It was none other than the town bully and tough gang member, R.K.


His arms were thick and his face stout, while his stomach was strong and firm. This made Katashi finch in terror as R.K. only laughed. Then with overpowering strength, R.K. lifted the young Katashi off the ground and into the air. R.K. laughed at Katashi's weakness and said,

"Hey Kata-pee. Didn't I tell you not to walk down my street anymore?? Because I'm pretty sure I did, but since I'm such an understanding person, I'm gonna give you a chance to get your puny ass off my street."


Suddenly, Katashi was flying through the air like a bird, until gravity kicked back in. He then plopped back to the ground with a thud. This caused Katashi to awaken from his slumber with a gasp. With a quick look to the alarm clock on his desk, he realized he was now only thirty minutes from his tournament....

But was he ready to fight??

__________________

Amerowolf

OH CHUX. Here I am again to ruin your confidence! >_>

You've progressed well as a writer, this is noticable better than your old stuff, but there are still some errors to be found, things capitalized when they need not be, two question marks when just one would suffice. That sort of thing.

As I read, I was a little confused on who was talking to who. First his name was Mike then I sort of got lost when the girl was talking to him because I thought her name was Katashi not his. I'd suggest using more variation. I noticed you introduced her name later as Sandra, but never used it when she was talking. It was always just 'she said'. Maybe something similar to 'the brown eye [descriptive word besides girl] said'

Buuut, ""Yeah, I know...you want to be called Kata-whatever. But come on, your not even Asian!"", is the best line ever uttered in these sort of fanfictions, ever. I lol'd. It was great.

Anyway, in conclusion. It feels like it's sort of missing something. So sort of pazazz, you know. There's nothing that really wowed me about this chapter, to be honest, it wasn't bad, but...it wasn't different than any sort of fighting fic I read before.

__________________

Chuckles

__________________

JAIF

Damn.

I liked.

However, it is not flawless.

Major flaw in my view is the format / text size. It was a really annoying read due to that.

Paragraph-by-paragraph, my issues.



The first sentence has a flaw - the day, unlike most recently? Makes no sense. Should have been something like "The day, unlike the recent ones" or something of that sorts. Also, how can the clouds resemble a flying eagle? O_o. Kind of an exaggerated metaphor. The "A breeze was imminent" part is also... wtfish, I mean, you just don't see this expression - suit yourself though. The last sentence is fine, except "was" should have been replaced by "stood" or something less simplistic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckles This man had a large, worn gii and a tattered Brown-Belt. His skin was white that did hint a slight tan complextion.This man's face was gentle and his hair folded over his forhead at the end. He had glowing blue eyes that showed nothing but determination and focus. His mind was clear, and his body followed. It moved with grace over movements of what looked like an organized kada.

Isn't it "gi"? Might be incorrect here. Also, why did you capitalize and heifen-ate (lol) brown belt? Second phrase - it's "hint at", and the first part is wrong - "His skin was a shade of white that did hint at..." would be more proper wording, and complexion is misspelled there. With the rest, no real issues, except suddenly jumping from physical to emotional / mental description is frowned upon.



Okay... this paragraph is seriously confusing, and I don't even understand why you had to describe such a simple event in such extent. Anyway, using "shot out" twice in a row kinda ruined that part, but the rest was ok I s'pose.

Good.

As before - no flaws in this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckles

Yeah... no real errors... just the sudden jump from physical description to backstory... and also "came" for the hair should have probably been "reached" or something along these lines. Minor.

I lol'd at that. My only point is that dialogue is awkward formatted like that. But it's your choice.

Not bad. Loving the comedy parts, actually.

"Its" shouldn't have an apostrophe in this case.

Ok, now you're suddenly and unexpectedly twisting around the whole benevolent, "good guy" martial artist personality into a merciless killer... that just wtfd me. Could have been presented much better IMO.

"And", not "a". Comma before "like". "Where" instead of "were" (common mistake). "Accustomed" instead of "accustom". Environment cannot be broken. Also, "rely on it" is kind of random without an explanation following.

Smooth refrigerator? ...eh? Again the apostrophe thing in "its contents". Also, "stood" is used thrice in the description - you should have used something else, like "lay" for the desk, or "was hanging" (for the poster).

A memory doesn't instantly become a virus... and a virus does not exactly attack, it infects. But alright, can be overlooked. The rest had no flaws.

This is good. No exaggerations or anything.

"Flinch", not "finch". Also, one question mark is usually enough. One question and one exclamation mark would've been better for emphasis.

Good conclusion. No flaws here.

Overall, I was satisfied. A bit overboard with typoes / syntax errors etc, and kind of poor vocabulary, but I liked the flow and concept of the story. I'm going to wait till you post some actual chapters before going in more detail over that.

__________________

Chuckles

Chapter One: The Heart of a Blood Fighter

The crowd began to roar like a pride of lions as the drums that started the tournament began to beat. The ring was the center of every one's attention as two fighters stepped on to the large platform and stood in front of one another. The tournament was outdoors as a slight wind reemerged to the fighters. Behind the tournament, the plains were an out-stretched hand across the land.

After the referee had them bow, the fight began. The crowd quieted into nothing but tiny whispers among the wind. Calm determination was the only expressions upon each of the fighters face.

The one on the left carried a red gii-top and leggings. His hair was an amber brown as was his belt. The other fighter had an appearance completely different from the other. His body was covered by no shirt and his leggings were baggy and black. His head head had no hair, yet both still had the same look of the other.

The red-topped moved left, while the other moved right. They studied each other's precise movements before they moved in. As of now, the air of the match changed as the bald-headed stepped in. His movement was planned and precise as he tapped the right leg of the other and stepped back. This made the red top almost laugh, for he did not see the bigger picture.

This time, the red moved in and aimed a punch at the other's shoulder, only to be blocked. The bald headed did the same move as last time and tapped the back of the leg again. The red-topped was now bamboozled as to why his move was so weak. He then shot out another punch, which landed this time, and received another tap.

As moments rolled on, the taps became harder or though it seemed. Then with much force, the red-topped became angry and attempted to end the match with a swift left kick. Suddenly the bald man smiled and watched as the other attempted his kick.

As the foot raised, the right leg which wad received the tapping, collapsed. It was the bald man's victory the entire time and the red-topped saw this as his asleep leg and the rest of him fell. At this, the bald man waisted no time in finishing the match with three fast-paced strikes. Shocked, the referee jumped out and congratulated the match's victor.

Meanwhile, only a few yards away, came a man with fast pace. Sweat rolled down his folded hair and on to his forehead. His gii was the original white and his belt the grand brown. His focus was on the ring that glamored under the noon-day sun. This man stormed on the dried yellow grass with no shoes and no noticeable discomfort.

He stormed into the tournament area where he was greeted by a heavy man. His man wore a black gii and white leggings. His belt was black with three golden rings, symbolizing a third-degree black belt. Under this man's nose was an intimidating handle-bar moustache.

This man greeted the other with,

"You're late Katashi."

Katashi began to catch his breathe from running. However, out of respect, he waisted no time in replying.

"Yes, Sudoshi," he replied, "I'm sorry"

The Sudoshi then smiled and looked at him with proud eyes. Katashi was one of the best, and they both knew it. Yet, Sudoshi could see Katashi's doubt in himself and said,

"You'll do fine, trust me. Just remember, do not think; just do. Your body and mind must be one."

"Yes, Sudoshi," Katashi replied.

He then began to walk towards the participant's section of seating, when he was greeted by yet another familiar face. This man had relatively short hair and a goatee on his chin. This man's gii colors were exactly inverse of the Sudoshi's colors, for he had a white top and black leggings. However this man also had a black belt. Only his had one ring, instead of three. He greeted Katashi with a friendly tone,

"Looks like you finally made it!"

Katashi then smiled and replied,

"Yes, Sensei," he stated, "I guess I did."

The Sensei then smiled and walked over to Sudoshi, while Katashi began to sit in the the wooden stand. He watched as another round began and two new fighters entered the ring. Both looked like real competitors as each dodged and evaded the other's attack. Out of nowhere, a piece of paper caught Katashi's eye. He leaned to the left and lifted the paper to see the match schedules.

It was then that he noticed that his first round was next. This caused the feeling of doubt to tingle inside him again, but he fought it down and read on. He was to fight a green belt named Jurou. Katashi was sure it would be an easy-going fight, but as his betters have told him: he must not let his guard down.

Finally as the matched ended, it was his turn. He then began up the steps and the drums beated like his heart. His eyes began wandering until he saw what he had hoped for. At the spectator's seating, a woman sat on the third row. Her brown and blond streaked hair set her off as none other than Sandra. She gave Katashi a wink and pointed at her butt. Katashi couldn't make out what she said, but he knew where to kick his opponent.

Once Jurou entered the ring, the match was ready to go underway. In the anticipation-filled air, the wind had picked up once again and showed it's excitement with a cool noon breeze. The referee then ordered them to bow to one another. With a swipe of his hand, the battle had begun.

Katashi stood firm in a squared position. His right hand was held out a little farther than the other, and the left was tilted to the right to prevent an attack to his stomach. However, both hands were tucked at the ribs to cancel out damage to the ribs. Katashi's feet faced the opponent with the left foot back farther than the right. Meanwhile, Jurou stood in a side stance with both hands facing Katashi. His feet also pointed at the opponent.

Jurou's side stance was Katashi's all time favorite to attack. Now Katashi was sure of how fast the match would be. Without warning, Jurou shot his fist at Katashi with incredible speed. It got only inches forward before the fist was blocked to the side and grabbed by Katashi. Then, within one motion, Katashi's right foot shot up and administered a powerful round-house kick into Jurou's unprotected stomach.

The sudden force sent Jurou out of range and to the ground with a powerful thud. Yet, once he did, he rolled on to his right knee. However, Katashi was already in motion with a leaping front-snap kick. To Jurou's horror, the kick came in smashed him under the chin and caused him to back-sault on to his stomach.

With that, the match was over and Katashi felt relieved. He had made it to the next round, and his feeling of doubt had momentarilly disappeared. As he walked back to his seat, he was greeted by Sudoshi and Sensei. They both had a smile on their faces and each told him that he was doing great. Afterwords, Katashi, looked up to see Sandra wink and blow him a kiss, At that he blushed and sat to watch the next round.

This match was along one that went in favor of a man named Frank. Then came a rather exciting battle between the bald man of the first round, which after Katashi read the schedule was named Daichi and the victor of the round just before Katashi's round who name is Blaze. To Katashi, this match would prove to be at his benifit for he needed to see the way these two semi-finalists move.

Daichi moved leftwards and Blaze to the right. They both had the expression that studied the other. After a second of studying, Daichi moved forward and pretended to aim tap to the back of Blaze's leg. However, Blaze who had watched the first round, lifted his leg so that the attack would miss. Daichi then smiled and sent his back into the air and smashed Blaze in the chest. Now that Blaze was off balance, Daichi leaped in and took him down and finished the match with ease.

Katashi opened his mouth and shock as he stood up to walk to his next round against Frank. He saw how fierce the fight with Daichi would be, and the feeling of doubt crept back in his head. Yet he shook it off and entered his next match. Finally, after a few moves of fighting, Katashi sent Frank down and it was the moment of truth for Katashi.

After Katashi's second round, the noon day was now a cold evening and a chilling temperature kicked in. The referee signaled the final match. Katashi saw all his faliures arise in his head as he stepped into the ring. He remembered how bad he was defeated in his first sparing match he had ever had as he walked up each stone step and on to the platform. He kept trying to push it out of his head as the match begun, but it was too late. The referee sent his hand down and the final match had already begun.

Katashi looked into Daichi's dark black eyes and saw a repressed memory looking back. He remembered the terror he felt that day on the street and couldn't move. Suddenly Daichi shot out his first punch and all Katashi could do was watch as it slipped past his guard and struck his chest. Katashi tried to regain himself only to receive a kick in the stomach. Terror filled up inside as he felt as if R.K. was beating on him that day all over again.

Daichi saw his chance to end the match with little effort. He slid in and grabbed Katashi's gii and the bottom of his belt. Daichi was ready to begin an enormous throw that could end Katashi on the spot. Yet as suddenly as Katashi was grabbed, he reacted. He saw that moment that R.K. was lifting him off the ground knew what to do.

"No," said Katashi.

Suddenly Katashi rolled underneath Daichi and kicked his leg out. This caused Daichi to flipp mid-air and land with a thud on his back. When he did Katashi saw Daichi as if it were R.K. who laid on the ground and now that Katashi had faced his fear, he was back in the match with full vitality. Daichi then raised himself of the ground and looked at Katashi with a smile. He then did an acrobatic leap into the air and back-flipped as if he was on a trampoline. He landed back on his feet and reentered his fighting stance.

This time Katashi step forward with a palm stike aimed at Daichi's rib cage, yet with a outside block, the attack was avoided. Daichi then threw a round-house at Katashi's head. It was caught at a close distance and it was then that Katashi saw an opening. Without warning, Katashi dropped down to the ground and sweeped Daichi's leg out. This caused Daichi to plop down hard on the ground.
Katashi then ran in to finish off his opponent, until he saw what Daichi had in store for him on the ground.

Daichi had entered a snake stance and grappled Katashi's feet. This caused Katashi to begin a plummet into the ground until his hand reacted without thought and grabbed Daichi. He then rolled the second he made contact with the ground, causing Daichi to flip over head and smash back on the ground. Katashi then jumped twords Daichi and outstretched his hand in a mannor that looked like a punch, but did not follow all the way through.

This signaled the end of the match and the victor of the tournament. Suddenly, the crowd went wild and the chilled air felt warm to Katashi. Sandra, Sensei, and Sudoshi all ran up and congragulated Katashi on his win, yet all that was on Katashi's mind was how he had proved to Sensei and Sudoshi that he was ready to beome a black belt...

__________________

Chuckles

Chapter Two: The Test

Katashi woke to the early morning sun that began to shine into his eyes. He rose off his bed and grabbed his shirt and pants. Once dressed, he opened the fridge door where he was greeted by a rush of cold air. Katashi then grabbed a soda from its contents.

This was his day to rest and relax, for class was canceled due to the tournament for orange belts and lower was today. Sandra was at her mother's house taking care of her mother's sickness. Katashi had his day to relax, until he remembered something important. Sudoshi and Sensei wished to see him at nine o' clock in the usual training spot.

"Oh shit," blurted Katashi.

Katashi looked at his clock, and to his horror he saw the time was eight fifty. He finished his drink and grabbed his bag, containing his gii, pants, and belt. He then darted out the door with all the speed he had. Katashi almost leaped down every stair and began out the the last door. As he he ran, his eyes scoped out the corners of the street where usual attackers would lurk. Yet none appeared as he continued down through the city.

After a few blocks, he reached the dirt path and saw at the two men on a hill only a few yards out onto the plains. Katashi followed the trail into the plains and soon began up the hill. Once there, he bowed to the men as they bowed back. Sudoshi, who was on the left, looked at Katashi with firm eyes. He then spoke,

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Sudoshi," replied Katashi.

He then suddenly realised how unready he actually was when he remembered he did not have any of his fighting outfit on. This caused Katashi do blush in embarrassment and the two other men to laugh. Sudoshi then gestured for Katashi to get dressed, which Katashi did promptly. Once he was ready, Sudoshi stepped in front of Katashi and asked him,

"Show me the first Open Hand Kata."

Katashi then bowed to the two men, who had now sat down in front of Katashi, and began his motion. His hands became weapons and his mind became the weaponist. First, his two hands were out in front of his face crossing one another. Then with one fast snap, both shot down in front of his groin, yet kept them in a crossed pattern. His feet shot together at the exact same time the hands did, and then the right slid out. The left then followed directly after the right.

Katashi's right had then shot his right hand shot out and his left then tucked itself at his side. Suddenly, the two hands collided together with the palm of the right, smashing into the elbow of the left. After he finished his kata he bowed and awaited the judgement. Sudoshi was the first to speak.

"I saw very little error. Your technique was good and your speed was great. Your thoughts, Sensei?"

"I feel the same as you," replied the Sensei.

With the judgements passed, Katashi moved on to his next test. Sudoshi motioned Katashi over to him and handed him a pair of sparing gloves. Katashi knew what was to come and readied himself for a grueling sparring match. Sensei then came over to them and stood in a fighting stance. At this, Sudoshi had them bow to him and each other and signaled the start of the match.

Sensei moved quickly, showing how he became one of the best fighters around. His fist came like lightning at Katashi's shoulder, yet this strike was blocked and returned. Likewise, Katashi's attack was blocked as well. As a few minutes rolled on, both fighters looked for an opening, until Katashi went in for a round house at Sensei's weakly protected left side. However, this was exactly was Sensei wanted.

The kick was evaided and Katashi was struck down with a punch. Suddenly, Katashi's unthinking rush kicked in as he fell. The second he landed, he took out Sensei's legs and let him fall to the ground. From there Katashi leaped in to finish the fight, when Sensei locked his feet in and caught Katashi in the ribs. He let out a grunt of pain, and stepped back.

Sensei then leaped to his feet and attempted to run in while Katashi regained himself. However, Sudoshi stepped in and stopped the fight. For some reason, even though Katashi had not won, Sudoshi was smiling as was Sensei. Sudoshi then said,

"Alright that's good. Now, Katashi, I have one more test for you."

Sudoshi then grabbed his Tomboe, which looked like an ordinary staff, and entered his weapon stance. Sensei then handed Katashi a Tomboe as well. Katashi then took a deep breathe and entered a stance as well. After Sensei swiped his hand, the battle was on.

Sudoshi stood firm and nodded for Katashi to move first. His motion was swift as he stepped sideways and began to thrust the weapon forward. Sudoshi looked like a bullet as he knocked the attack away and drove his own at Katashi. Thinking fast, Katashi twirled his weapon and kept the other Tomboe at bay. He then twirled the weapon into his left hand and swiped the weapon into Sudoshi's leg, who at the same time had knocked his into Katashi's shoulder pressure point.

Sudoshi then became slightly off balance as he was hit in the leg. However, he did not want to show any weakness to the opponent, so he then did a quick and intimidating twirl of the Tomboe around his back. Katashi knew what Sudoshi was doing, yet still became scared. Katashi drove in with the weapon as if to jab it into Sudoshi's neck, yet took the bottom and drove it into the already weakened leg. Sudoshi then wobbled off balance yet did the unexpected.

He then spun his body around Katashi, and whacked his back. His caused Katashi to fall to his knees. Suddenly Sudoshi turned back in front of Katashi with a smile. He spoke with wisdom and a sense of pride for Katashi.

"To win battles, sometimes you must think in a way the opponent would not. It is not always effective to allow someone to strike, but sometimes it can lead to the best result. However, I am extremely proud of your performance. It was all great technique and power. You have come along way from the small unsure boy who started in my class. Now, please sit down here and close your eyes."

After he did, a small ruffling noise can from a bag. Katashi then heard footsteps in the grass coming close towards him. Then after a moment, Sudoshi's voice spoke.

"Open your eyes and grap what is in front of you."

When Katashi opened them, he saw what he had dreamed for all his life. Sitting in the golden sun was a black belt. With tears almost showing, Katashi grabbed the belt and held it in his hand. It was lighter than his brown belt for it was brand new, and ready to be filled with knowledge. He then stood up and faced the two other men and bowed.

"Thank you."

Suddenly, Sudoshi walked over to him and gave him a fatherly hug and said with a proud and firm voice,

"I'm proud of you Katashi."

Then, Sensei walked over as well and gave Katashi a friendly pat on the back and said,

"Good job, Katashi."

After that, the two men began to walk back into the city. Yet, Katashi stayed behind and laid down in the sun. This was his day, his victory. He had proven to Sudoshi and Sensei what he was made of, and recived his black belt ranking. He was all too happy to face the rest of the day, but a little nap never hurt either...

__________________

Chuckles

Chapter 3: Unexpected Journey

The rain poured over the grassy plains like water into a cup. Thunder boomed loudly and lightning gleamed brightly. This storm had came through the city just as suddenly as the news of an unfortunate death. Now mixed with the boom of thunder, were the sobs of many men and woman gathered around a grave.

Most of the crowd was made up of people with soaking fighting uniforms. These people had the Gi sides inverted to cover their patches in respect for the fallen. In the front of the crowd were three familiar figures. Two of the figures stood cuddled against the other in grief. These two were Katashi and Sandra. The third, Sensei, only stood still almost as if time had stopped. In front of them was an open casket of a heavy man.

This man lay cold under the rain and firm in the the storm. It was Sudoshi that lay dead in the casket, unmoving and unfeeling. Although he seemed in perfect condition only weeks before, a sudden stroke sent him to death. No one expected this death and now no one could even smile at the peacefulness of the calming rain.

After the ceremony, Katashi and Sensei stood by the grave without saying another word until Katashi felt a piece of paper enter his hand. Sensei lifted his head as he handed the document into Katashi's hand.

"It's a letter he wrote before his death," said Sensei.

Katashi read the document with a tear in his eye.

Dear Katashi,
If you are reading this, then I am already gone. Yet even so, I will never leave you. I have written this letter to tell you just how proud of you I am. You faced the odds a thousand times and won every time even if you lost. You have proven to me just how far you can go. I took you in as a child and you became a man that your father would be proud of. If he were alive, he would say the same thing I say to you now. I'm proud of you, son.

I also have a task for you. This city is no longer your cage, the world is immense. My dream was to travel the world and learn against other arts that we may not know of. My dream can live inside of you, if you let it. Please fill my last request and travel the world, take Sensei as your guide, and learn all you can. Be as free as a bird and as graceful as a spirit.


Katashi looked up and gave a weak smile. He then looked at Sensei and nodded. His eyes were determined and his sights soaring high.

"We're going on a journey ."

Later that night, Katashi, Sandra, and Sensei all gathered around a restaurant table for a meal. This would be their last meal in the city until they returned. Katashi still had a red sorrow-filled face, yet ate like a hog. However, Sandra and Sensei ate little and said nothing. Then Sandra, hating an awkward silence, spoke with a serious tone,

"Are you sure you guys have to go?"

Katashi looked up as did Sensei and their reply was spoken at the same exact time,

"Yes," they both said.

They then moved on to the main meal where the conversation kept picking up. Katashi knew he would have to leave Sandra behind and Sensei knew that someone had to run the class. These things made the two wonder whether or not they really should leave. Finally after a brain-storming conversation, they found a solution for their issue on class. It would then be run by Sempie, the brown belt whom had only had one test before becoming a black belt.

Yet Katashi and Sandra both knew that the only solution for them was to depart from one another for this journey. They each felt empty inside, yet they knew it was for the better. This was their goodbye.

Soon, the meal was over and each one of them headed separate ways. Tomorrow was the day that a journey of wisdom and courage would be made. Katashi felt ready to meet the world. All sorts of new fighters could be found and a lifetime of fun could be had. For Katashi, this unexpected journey was a dream come true, yet a nightmare of loneliness. He was ready to face this challenge....



Chapter 4: The Beginning

Katashi awoke to a sudden knock on his apartment door. He opened his eyes to his small, sunlit room and rose from his bed. The rapping noise of the knock reminded him of what this day ment, his beginning.

"Just a second!" Katashi yelled to the door.

He then jumped from the bed and approached his closet. Katashi, at the moment, wore nothing but black boxers which was his main sleeping outfit. Katashi then pulled out average blue jeans and put them on over his undergarment. He next pulled a white t-shirt off the hanger and placed it over his sore and aching body.

After Katashi was dressed, he walked over to the desk next to his bed and grabbed a mysterious white band. He tied this around his forehead and then grabbed the large, army-green travel bag. Katashi took a breath, walked to the wooden door, and opened it to see the visitor.

Sensei's face appeared from the other side with a determined smile. He too had a travel bag and was ready for their journey. There was silence at first, until Sensei looked at Katashi's forehead.

"Wearing Sudoshi's old head band, aye?" he asked.

"Yes, Sensei," Katashi replied.

The two walked down the stairs after Katashi had locked the door and given the key to the Land Lord, who stood at the door with impatient eyes. They then left the building and stepped into the street. Suddenly, Sensei walked in front of Katashi with a smile and said,

"I brought someone along with me to say good-bye."

Suddenly as Sensei finished, Sandra stepped out of a black car parked on the corner and ran to Katashi with open arms. They embraced each other tightly with tears of sorrow and joy at the same time. Sandra looked up at Katashi as she spoke in a sobbing voice,

"I'll miss you Katashi."

"Right back at 'cha," Katashi replied.

Then with all said and done, Sensei and Katashi drove off to the Airport. The ride there was quiet but friendly for all they could think about was the adventure ahead. They both knew it would do them good to get out after Sudoshi's untimely death which no one would entirely be over. The car then screeched to a halt as they had now reached they're destination.

As Katashi stepped out of the car, the roars of planes entering and leaving rang through his ears. They stepped through the large door and into a sea of people coming in, out, through the gates, and around every corner. Katashi looked at Sensei with a weak smile. This was it.

"Do you have our tickets?" asked Sensei.

Katashi replied, "Yes, Sensei, right....um...hold on."

Katashi searched frantically through his bag. He knew he put the tickets in there. After a moment of searching, the tickets appeared under his gi. Katashi pulled them out with a surge of relief.

"Right here, Sensei," Katashi said.

"Then let's go!" Sensei exclaimed, "we're gonna miss our flight!!"

The two ran like bullets to their gate, dodging people every which way. There feet streaked across the floor as their flight gate was insight right in front of a metal detector. They crossed through the detector, when suddenly came the sound...BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!

"Oh, shit," Katashi murmured.

"Did you bring the tom-boes?!" Sensei asked in a seriously aggravated tone.

"Sirs, please come with me," said the guard to Katashi and Sensei.

They were taken to the security gate only a yard away from their flight gate. They had to talk fast if they wanted to board the flight in time. The security officers walked over to them with faces of concern as if they were looking at two terrorists.

The one on the left of the two was slightly overweight with black hair and moustache. His eyes were heavy and stout that offset is flabby skin.

The other was in much better shape with a masculine body tone. His blonde hair and friendly blue eyes made the officer seem younger than the other.

"Are these weapons yours?" one officer asked.

They placed a pair of metal tom-boes and a katana on the sleek desk. Katashi shot a dart at Sensei who did not look back. This was not all Katashi's fault after all!

"Wait a minute! I didn't bring the Katana! Sensei, you gots some explainin' to do." Katashi said to Sensei who ducked his head like a scolded child.

"I don't care who brought them! Why are you bringing them onto a plane?"

"Well, I thought it would be a little difficult to drive them across the ocean!" Katashi remarked.

"Katashi, that's enough," Sensei said, "We are headed to the Grand Martial Arts championship in....China!"

The two officers looked at the other. They shrugged and looked back at the two with less serious expressions. They had bought the lie and began putting the luggage back in the bag neatly.

"I guess that explains your ridiculous headband," one officer chuckled.

"HEY!" Katashi yelled.

"Ok, you may go." the other said as he handed the bags back to the owners and opened the door for them.

The two ran to the gate as the intercom began to roar with the words, "Last boardings for flight 27, last boarding for flight 27."

The second they heard this, they darted like never before. Katashi handed the gatekeeper their tickets and they darted down the hall to the door. Within seconds they had their luggage on the belt and were seated on the plane.

They huffed for breathe as sweat rolled down their faces. They had dodged a bullet and made it. Within minutes of take-off, Sensei was asleep with a bag of peanuts in hand.

Yet Katashi sat there and looked out his window as the clouds flew by. Despite today's events, he couldn't help but laugh and know that this was his beginning.

__________________

Chuckles