The Dojo

Tora floated down from the sky still covered in fresh blood and lands in front of Renki who was still sitting on the roof in shock. Renki stood up and stared her dead in the eyes. The aura he gave off was serious although it didn't represent his true intentions.

"You killed my sensei."

"If I didn't he would've killed you. And so what if I did that's how the game of life goes."

Renki became visibly angry and his intentions became the same as his aura.

"At first my intentions were to calmly talk with you. But now... to hear you say that life is just some game... it irritates me!"

"Watch your place! Besides, I only said the truth."

"You call that the truth!?"

"It's my truth."

Renki suddenly became interested in what she would say next.

-This girl pisses me off but, I'll hear her out I guess.

Renki sighed.

"What do you mean by that?"

Tora looked to the side avoiding eye contact.

"My truth...is the way I live my life. Ever since I arrived in this world with everyone else a few hours ago, I vowed to become the person with the most freedom."

"Why do wanna be so free?"

"Because if you grovel and bend to the will of others you're a loser! And if you sacrifice yourself that makes you an even bigger loser by conforming to what we call a "society" today."

"And even so, that still doesn't explain why you saved me!"

Tora paused and made eye contact with Renki once again.

"I saved you because I and my sensei had gotten into an argument before meeting you."

"If I may ask, what were you fighting about?"

"We fought about the future of our dojo. He argued that the dojo needed another pupil but, I thought that I was the only student he needed. So I got angry and stormed off to the bar to blow off some steam. And then I chose you to be our new pupil on a whim."

"But, you don't understand I have little imagination and get dulled after using it only once. So I'm basically useless."

Tora grunted, irritated at Renki's severe lack of self-confidence.

"STOP BEING SUCH A LOSER!"

Renki jumped back frightened.

"Okay!"

Tora sighed.

"Fine, I'll explain when we get to the dojo."

"And I don't know anything about martial arts or fighting either."

"Just shut the hell up!"

Tora sighed, took off her jacket, and bent over leaving her only in her small t-shirt which showed plenty of her smooth skin.

"Okay hop on my back."

"Huh!?"

His face became red as he took a step back.

"Just hop on! It would be hard for you to grip if I had my jacket on. And besides, you're still dulled so you can't use your imagination to fly."

Reluctantly he jumped on top of Tora's back, gripping tightly to her skin.

"Hold on tight!"

A yellow aura surrounded the two as she blasted off from the roof.

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Her skin was soft and smooth it felt like hugging a marshmallow. We were going at high speeds but the wind wasn't rough at all more like a gentle breeze that felt like heaven when it brushed against your face.

"Don't get any pervy thoughts back there!"

"Don't worry I won't."

I did but made sure to hide what I was thinking.

I then noticed her clothes, they were really fashionable. I liked her sense of style it was very... rebellious. I think it's a statement. Maybe it related to the truth she was talking about earlier. As we were flying I saw the sunrise right in front of me. It was amazing in fact, I couldn't believe my eyes at first. It all felt like a dream, quite ironic since we are supposed to be in a lucid dream.

"It's pretty."

I was confused because her tone of voice seemed completely different than the girl that I met earlier. She sounded more calm and gentle I couldn't help but be a bit flustered. But it was nothing more than that! Then I realized that I had forgotten her full name and I wanted to introduce myself as well.

"Hey, what's your full name?"

"I don't like using real names just call me Tiger."

Tiger? Oh yeah, all of her moves involve Tigers so, maybe I should as her about it?

"Hey, why do you like Tigers so much?"

"It's simple because they're the best of course."

"How so?"

"Loners who use their strength to survive. It fits me quite well."

"My name is Wukong Renki."

"When we get to the dojo I'll give you a nickname."

"Okay."

I couldn't tell if she was a furry or an emo. Or maybe both? I looked below us and saw an ocean shimmering in the light from the sunrise. It was beautiful like everything I've seen so far in this world. But, something didn't add up for me. Aren't we still in slums? And if we are then why is there a random body of water in the middle of the slums?

"Hey aren't we still in the slums?"

She gave me a wicked side-eye I assumed that meant that we weren't.

"We passed the slums seconds ago. Now we're in the city."

I looked down below me and saw futuristic skyscrapers and buildings. I had never seen anything as advanced as this. Well makes sense since I spent most of my time in a cramped modern-day office. Back when I was 19 I first started the job and my mother was alive so I would slack off on my work and play computer games and read fantasy web novels about losers like me getting reincarnated or summoned into a different world. I would escape into those worlds imagining myself as those main characters.

But, after my mother died of cancer when I was 20 2 years ago in 2022, I took my life more seriously and didn't slack off on my job and would often take overtime in hopes of a promotion or a raise that would never come. So now, my boss just died and I'm supposed to become a martial artist now? Where is my life going? My whole life I've just gone with the flow of things. Is that how I really want to live? I know why I'm this way.

It was a summer day, August 21st of 2012. I was 10 years old and very immature. All of my family and friends were still alive. My elder adopted brother Lancelot, 13, my younger blood sister Ichika, 7, my father Yuji, 53, and my mother Hanako, 50. My brother Lancelot was the one I was closest to in my family. He was my parent's first child who got adopted from Europe as an infant after his real parents died of a drug overdose.

He had white hair and yellow eyes that could light up a room. He was quiet but also, confident. He helped me traverse my school years, he told me he was bullied for being pale as a ghost and the fact that he was a foreigner but, I didn't believe that my big brother could ever be bullied. Thinking back on it, maybe he was bullied. I adored Lancelot and would follow him around all day while copying whatever he did.

Then there's my little sister Ichika, she was outgoing and was very happy to help people around her. She was the nicest person I know. She had short and smooth light pink hair with dark green eyes like me. She followed me and Lancelot around all day. She said I was her hero and that no one was cooler than me, her big brother.

It saddens me to think that I will never get to that smile again. Then there's my father Yuji. He was a strict man and always stuck to his code. Despite his strictness, I feel as if it really helped me become a better person in the future. He wore glasses over his black eyes which people could see clearly since he had short smooth light red hair.

He kept his distance from me because of how average I was. He was a supportive dad to his successful son, Lancelot. And he spoiled Ichika because she was his little girl. But he saw me as a burden to our family name. But the same could not be said for my mother, Hanako.

She was dashing. She had medium spiky pink hair with green eyes and a beautiful smile. She loved and I loved her. She was the center of our household and kept it together. I connected to my mother because deep down within her heart I know she feels average compared to everyone else just like me.

That August day me and my brother got into an argument over something petty but, I got really upset and lashed out at him. I told him that I always felt inferior to him and I pushed him and said something I regret to this day. I told him that he wasn't even my real brother neither was he wasn't even a part of the family. He stormed off in tears and never came out of his room until the next day. I never got to apologize for what I said because little did I know it would all be ripped away from me in a flash.

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His thoughts were interrupted by the mumblings of Tora.

"Hey, kid we're here."

Tora descended to the ground and landed in front of the dojo which was in a secluded area surrounded by bamboo. The dojo was small and made out of concrete and wood. It had a sign which read, "Shujin Dojo". The dojo didn't seem too impressive and was below what Renki was expecting.

-Is this really where I'm going to spend the rest of my new life?

He would have his answer soon enough.