Water Reflection

Nothing. His will wasn't enough. Despite all his effort, he is not able to achieve whatever his master asks. It doesn't come to his mind that he can't win at the first try, like with his lessons. It is something of a more important matter. He doesn't really understand it but he knows it. He lays in the water, contemplating the sky which reflects in his gray eyes.. His hairs float around his head, carried by the thin layer of water in the puddle. The white kimono he is wearing turned to a darker gray, soaked by the liquid. The water caresses his exposed neck, hands and legs, giving Kazuki a shiver with its cold touch.

The young boy takes a deep breath but decides to not move yet, thinking about what just happened. He is so close to it, yet so far but he knows what to do. The master silently observes the student. Neither of them dare to break the silence which imposed itself over the domain. 

The last bit of sunlight touching their skin disappears behind the trees surrounding the domain. An almost complete darkness takes its place, only disturbed by the light of the rising moon. The soft coldness of the night slowly takes over the area, tickling the two residents of this place.

Kazuki quickly gets out of the puddle, shaking. The cold, even soft, is amplified by the wetness of his clothes and his skin. He turns to his master.

"I want to go home."

The old man does not move an inch. He looks at the horizon. The young boy, a bit impatient, climbs the rock where the master stands and pulls on the sleeve of his master's kimono.

"Master Yi, can we go back to the temple?"

Tian-Han stands still but he takes a slow breath. He calmly asks Kazuki the following question. 

"Do you think you're done?" 

The young boy knows what it means. When his master asks this type of question, it implies that there is more to do. However, he doesn't want to. It's getting too cold for him and the day just disappeared over the horizon. There is not much to do and it's not bearable for him.

"I guess not. But it's getting cold. And I don't know what more I can do, besides repeating the exercises once more."

The old man stands up on the rock. He joins his hands in his back and pumps his chest. The wind of the night brings leaves and flowers around the old man's stance, making the vision of this scenery majestic.

"Listen carefully, Kazuki.. Art isn't something easy. But because of the threat which floats upon us, I have to teach it to you very young and even faster. You'll have to train under harsh circumstances. Neither of us want it. But yet, both of us have to make an effort in order for things to go well. I know that things will be hard, and there is a hard trip ahead of you but once everythings will end, I guarantee you that you'll be able to rest in peace because life will become calm and easy. But as long as they are here, neither of us will be able to rest. Maybe death could let us in peace, but even that I doubt about it"

The kid, who always listens to his master with attention and admiration, is stunned in both ways by his master. He is confused by his words, but doesn't show it. There are a lot of things he doesn't understand. For example, he doesn't really understand the urgency of the situation. he can't make the difference between a situation or another, at least not on purpose. It is more of an instinctive reaction. He did get threatened before in his life, when he went to a nearby village with Tian-Han, but the fear is due to his shyness in front of someone abrupt. This new kind of threat is different. 

But right now, there is no visible threat. It is not physically present. If he can't see it, then it's not there. So it confused the young boy to see his master so focused on it. In his eyes, something changed about his master. It's not entirely the same old man who took care of him for 10 years. 

This feeling is mixed with an admiration for Master Yi, a sense of perfection highlighted by the surroundings and the stance of the old man. To him, there is no better person than the old man. He wants to become like him but doesn't when he'll be old, so every of his words and doings are an inspiration for him. Those feelings help to mark the last words of Master Yi's speech in Kazuki's head. 

"As long as something like the mere coldness of the night or the screams of people around you shatter your concentration, then you're still not done with it."

Kazuki doesn't have anything to answer to the old man. He just looks at him, in silence. The gaze of the master is now turned to the pond. The young boy follows the eyes of his master. He now stands in the pond. The water gently licks his feet, disturbed by its presence on its surface. The wind lifts their hair gently, making them look like they are in harmony.

"Go on, my boy. Try it, once."

Kazuki passively obeys. This time, he gets on his knees. He closes his eyes and slowly breathes. Once again, the darkness takes over his senses. Slowly, it fades to the endless water world. But the wind softly bites Kazuki's skin and the inner world starts to disappear, as his concentration is being disturbed by the sheer cold.

In a vain effort, Kazuki tries to grab the fading world with his hands. The only thing he achieved is that he jumped in the pond while trying to grab the water.

Kazuki makes a fist with his hands, but it only ends up hurting himself. He doesn't move, looking at himself in the reflection of the water. His body is tense. He doesn't want to disappoint his master. Not after all this speech, not after telling him that he has to make an effort. His master told him more than once that it's important. Frustration takes over the young boy's mind. He doesn't want to fail, he wants to succeed.

In the reflection of the pond, the moon slowly disappears hidden by Master Yi's reflection. The old man takes the kid in his arms. His voice is comforting and calming. 

"Do not let your anger shatter your determination too. You can't achieve everything in one day. You understood how it works. You understood that you can even in the coldness of the night. Being harsh on yourself is one thing, letting the negativity take over yourself is another."

The young boy starts to sob, releasing all of his frustration from the failed training at once. He wipes his face with his sleeves, even if it's already wet. 

" I'm sorry master. I just.. I just wanted to not disappoint you."

The old man softly takes the kid by the hand and leads him to the temple with a soft smile. His words feel like a comforting fire in the harsh cold of the night.

"It's fine. I'm glad. I'm glad that you think this way. Very glad." 

As the master shows gratefulness, the eyes of the student light up a bit of confidence. It's like something light back up inside of him. A determined flame grows with the help of the master's support.

"Do your best to never disappoint me, but be careful about yourself. Can you make that promise to me?" 

The kid nods without any hesitation, showing his will to keep going despite the difficulty.

"Yes! I'll do my best with caution!" 

The old man smiles at the kid, reassured by the words of his students. Both of them feel better about each other's feelings towards the situation. Even during those hard times, they can smile. It almost seems like nothing happened a year ago.

"Good. Go dry in the restroom. I'll make some tea and a hot meal. We'll talk about the training tomorrow, in the morning"

Under a black, cloudless and starry sky, the master and the student head, hand in hand, to the entrance of the temple for a well-deserved rest, talking lightly about the next time and laughing together. 

The temple shines bright in the dark night from the candles and the fire they light up. The warmth and scent of a nice meal spread in the nearby forest, waking up the animals. The laughs coming from the temple feel the air around the Domain and beyond the horizon. In the dark and cold night, they are like a spot of warmth, making this place seem more friendly. But nobody is here, in this isolated wilderness, to witness this, despite two eyes looking at this scenery from afar.