Chapter 7 : Randori

Jack lay there, unable to move.

The impact upon the dojo floor had knocked the wind clean out of

him.

'I'm so sorry,' said Akiko, looking down at him with concern. 'I didn't

mean to throw you so hard.'

'Don't… apologize,' replied Jack, gasping for air and trying not to

throw up his breakfast from earlier that morning. 'It was… my fault… for

not break-falling… properly.'

Akiko had tossed Jack over her shoulder like a sack of rice in a move

called seoi nage. Not that her remarkable fighting abilities were anything

unexpected. He'd learnt early on never to underestimate Akiko, having

witnessed her single-handedly despatch two ninja with only the knotted obi

of her kimono.

He was also more than capable of break-falling and should have

landed safely. However, Akiko had told him something that completely

broke his concentration.

'What did you just say?' asked Jack, sitting up carefully.

'You're in the trials for the Circle of Three.'

'I don't understand. How can that be?'

'Kiku's entered for you,' she explained, a mischievous grin on her

face. 'I asked her to write down your name instead of hers.'

Jack stared at Akiko in disbelief. She'd got round the entry rules for

him.

He smiled. The Two Heavens was suddenly a possibility again. His

training now had real purpose. And with only five places available in the

Circle of Three, he knew he would have to work hard to get selected.

'Why have you stopped?' demanded Sensei Kyuzo, standing over

Jack, his mean black-pebble eyes boring into him.

'I'm just catching my breath, Sensei,' replied Jack, grinning up at him,

unable to hide the glee he felt at Akiko's news.

Sensei Kyuzo eyed Jack with suspicion. 'Get up! Are any of the other

students resting? Is Kazuki-kun over there tired?'

The sensei nodded his head towards his favoured student, who was

driving Saburo into the ground with a devastating seoi nage of his own.

'No, Sensei,' replied Jack through pursed lips.

'Some samurai you'll be!' spat Sensei Kyuzo.

He spun on his heel and crossed to the centre of the Butokuden.

'Yame!' he ordered.

Every student ceased their training, kneeling down on one knee to

listen to their sensei.

'Taijutsu is like boiling water: if you do not keep the flame high, it

turns tepid!' bellowed Sensei Kyuzo.

'HAI, SENSEI!' shouted the students in unison.

'Don't be like Jack-kun and stop merely because you're tired!'

Jack felt all the eyes in the dojo turn towards him and he fumed with

rage. Why did the sensei always have to make an example of him? There

were numerous other students who weren't half as competent as he was and

several had stopped training long before Jack.

'If any of you have put your name down for the trials for the Circle of

Three, you'll need greater stamina and strength than this. Do you want to

give up?' Sensei Kyuzo challenged.

'NO, SENSEI!' responded the exhausted students, their breathing

rapid, their gi soaked in sweat.

'Good. Then it's time for randori!' he announced. 'Line up!'

Hurriedly the students knelt down one side of the Butokuden in

preparation for free-sparring.

'During this session, I want you to practise your nage waza and

katame waza only,' said Sensei Kyuzo, referring to the various throwing

and grappling techniques they had been concentrating on during the past

few lessons.

'Kazuki-kun, you're up first. You can show them how it's done.'

Kazuki snapped to his feet and took up position on his teacher's righthand side.

'Now your opponent will be…' considered Sensei Kyuzo, pulling

wistfully at the tuft of moustache beneath his pudgy nose, 'Jack-kun.'

Jack knew it. He wasn't going to be given any time to recover. Usually

he enjoyed randori since it was exciting and challenging. But Kazuki was

vindictive. In free-sparring, punches were supposed to be 'pulled', kicks

held back, throws executed with due care, and locks released immediately

an opponent tapped for submission. But given the slightest chance, Kazuki

would apply his techniques with full force and ignore any calls for

submission.

With little choice in the matter, Jack got up and stood on Sensei

Kyuzo's left-hand side.

'Rei!' said Sensei Kyuzo and they both bowed to him.

'Rei!' repeated Sensei Kyuzo, and Jack and Kazuki bowed to one

another as was required etiquette.

'Hajime!' announced the sensei, and the randori began.

They each darted in to get their grip, grabbing at the lapels and sleeves

of each other's gi in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

Like a dazzling but violent dance, they tussled for domination. They

pulled and pushed, whirled and zigzagged, trying to unbalance one another,

looking for an opportunity for a throw or a leg reap.

The other students watched eagerly, Yamato and Saburo clenching

their fists in silent support, Akiko tugging anxiously at the folds of her gi.

Jack, spotting his chance, twisted his body in towards Kazuki for seoi

nage, but Kazuki was quick to counter, shifting his hips out of the way and

throwing his leg behind Jack's for a valley drop throw.

The move would have been successful if Jack had been off-balance,

but he was still grounded so drove his weight into Kazuki, countering with

an inner leg reap.

Kazuki almost fell, but somehow managed to untangle his leg from

behind Jack's. Kazuki stumbled backwards and Jack pressed forward with

his attack.

Too late… Jack realized he'd been tricked.

Kazuki's loss of balance had been a ploy to get Jack to over-commit to

his own attack. He was now the target of a sacrifice throw.

Kazuki rolled backwards, pulling Jack on top of him. At the same

time, he thrust his foot into Jack's stomach, flipping Jack in a large arc over

his head.

Jack had no chance of avoiding Kazuki's tomoe nage stomach throw.

Landing hard upon his back on the dojo floor, he had the wind knocked out

of him for the second time that day. Before he could even snatch a breath,

Kazuki had rolled on top and locked down on him in a neck hold.

'Very impressive, Kazuki!' commended Sensei Kyuzo from the

sidelines. 'See if you can hold him down for a count of ten.'

Kazuki clamped on to Jack, his right forearm wrapping tightly round

the back of Jack's neck, while restraining Jack's right arm under his armpit.

He spread his legs out to the side and now dropped all his weight on to

Jack's ribcage, digging his head in tight beside Jack's.

Jack was pinned to the ground.

'ONE!' called the sensei.

Jack rolled into Kazuki, trying to dislodge him, his free hand

scrabbling to find purchase on Kazuki's gi.

'Forget it, gaijin,' rasped Kazuki into Jack's ear, 'there's no way on

earth I'm letting you up!'

'TWO!'

Jack flung himself the other way to turn Kazuki over. He used every

ounce of strength he possessed, but Kazuki's legs were spread too wide and

his weight prevented Jack rolling him.

'THREE!'

Jack lay helpless, his energy spent.

'Pathetic!' taunted Kazuki.

'FOUR!'

Incensed, Jack renewed his efforts. He shuffled his feet round towards

Kazuki's outstretched legs, drawing his body close to his rival. He tried to

trap his rear leg and turn him over. Feeling the movement, Kazuki shifted

his legs out of the way.

'You'll have to try harder than that!'

'FIVE!'

Jack arched his back, pushing with the balls of his feet to form a bridge

with his body. He managed to create a gap between his back and the floor

and began to twist into Kazuki, turning his head out of the hold.

Kazuki forced himself back on to Jack's ribcage, driving Jack's body

to the floor.

'Squirm all you like. You've lost!'

'SIX!'

Frantic, Jack struggled even harder, but Kazuki's tightened his iron

grip.

'While I've got your attention,' whispered Kazuki into Jack's ear. 'I've

got fresh news for you. A gaijin, just like you, has been burnt alive by the

daimyo Kamakura.'