Reaching The Summit

The atmosphere within the room instantly froze. I looked into her eyes, desperately hoping that my deduction was incorrect.

'Please God, please, don't let it be true. Let me be wrong this one time, please.' in moments like these, even the most doubting of us would turn to a higher power.

"Mr. Mitsuki, Mr. Atsaki, would you give us some privacy?"

The two men were initially unsure of how to respond, however after seeing my currently frozen state, they decided to acquiesce to the woman's request, closing the door on their way out.

"So Master Hiden Bun, I've heard you're quite the strong man." the woman said seductively while rolling my name off her tongue.

She slowly cat walked her way across to the other side of the empty room, swaying her hips with each step. Her body slowly inched closer my face, until we were only a hair's breath away from touching

"I have a request for you Master that need's to be fulfilled." said directly, before inching ever so closer to my face. She slammed her left hand into the door behind me, trapping me in place like a Japanese schoolgirl who was about to be confessed to.

'I'm so sorry Uncle Albert' was the only thought racing through my mind, too shocked to even move out of the way.

Instead of drawing closer to my face, my Aunt instead turned her head nearer to my ear, whispering into it with a misty breath that carried the aroma of roses, 

"Is that enough punishment Kuzi, or do you need some more?"

I finally broke out of the shackles that had previously restricted me and pushed away my Aunt, getting a control over my emotions.

"And to think I spent so much effort into it. So Kuzi, you wanna explain yourself to me?" Aunt Elizabeth requested while taking off her mask. 

"What in the hell was that?!" I screamed, still recovering from the greatest attack I had received to-date in the underground arena.

"Punishment, I told you, for lying to me about what you were doing."

"I'll tell Uncle Albert about this!" I objected to her words, firing an attack of my own instead of choosing to explain myself.

"Ara ara, my strawberry shortcake, so naive. You think he doesn't already know that I'm part of the underground circuit?" my Aunt dismissed my case before it could even go to trial.

"Now, tell me, Kuzan," my aunt said, using my full name and dropping the act, her tone turning serious. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Her words lingered in the air, awaiting my response.

"I don't need to explain myself to you." I stared directly into my Aunt's eyes, who were chilled by my reply.

Minutes passed as neither of us moved, staying still, staring directly into each other's eye, like 2 samurai in the olden times, preparing for a duel.

"What!" my aunt decided to make the first move, ripping off my ski mask so she could look directly into my face.

I grabbed both sides of her shoulders with my hands, stopping any further movements. I used a move out of my Uncle's playbook and pulled her in for a hug. 

"It's gonna be ok Aunt Elizabeth" I assured her as she started weeping into my chest, relieving her worries.

"I'm strong now."

[2 weeks later]

It had been around 2 weeks since my interaction with Aunt Elizabeth at the underground arena. 

We had talked a lot since then about my future going forward, as well as reminiscing about her past and how she became a member of the underground fighting circuit in the first place. 

"It was just about finding the best protection for you and Melissa, I swear," she confessed, hoping to prevent any misunderstanding and keep her image from being tarnished in my eyes.

We also reached an agreement about my stay in Japan, specifically about how often I would visit Melissa and her in L.A., and things of that nature. She even agreed to finally introduce me to her network of connections. In her words, "If you're gonna walk down this path, I'm gonna make sure you're as safe and prepared as you can be."

Still, I had spent the past 2 weeks continuing my training under Master Kaku and Master Shikai Bun, both of whom I could tell had begun running out of things to teach me.

Now that I was fully equipped with necessary knowledge, all that was left to do was to gain more experience. 

I had also been participating in a number of the underground arena matches, however I was unable to have even a bit of fun during them. All the fighters were either bare knuckled brutes, or were about as skilled as the disciples of Balin Temple. 

It seemed that today was going to be my last day of training as instead of walking down the steps to start my training with Master Kaku as usual, I was fetched directly from my room by Master Ryuu.

"Boy, this is gonna be your last test, you better not mess it up." was all the old man said before leading me to a separate section of Balin Temple. 

"This, young man, is where we house the symbols of Chinese Kenpo." spoke the old man while revealing the artefact that was previously shrouded by the curtains around it.

"Beautiful" was the only word I could use to describe it.

A perfect round ball, made out of stone, but looking indistinguishable from obsidian.

"This is a striking rock, the most impressive one we have," explained the old man. "It was made by a past student of mine, a fellow disciple of yours."

"It's time to see what you're made of, boy," the old man continued, taking me to a separate residence with a similar pedestal. This time, however, what he revealed behind the curtains was an extremely jagged rock, approximately the same size as the previous one.

"Take your time."

The old man left the room, leaving only myself and the boulder alone together. I quickly got to work, shaping the rock down with my skill in Chinese Kenpo.

After who knows how long, I managed to emulate what I saw in the previous room to a T. I was sure that if you placed the two side by side, you would have difficulty telling who carved which one. However, I was not satisfied with my work.

'Is this all I can do? Copy a predecessor's work?' I sat down on the ground cross legged to think. I did my best to channel the Budda within me to come up with a solution, however I was unable to due to my excitement. 

'She's leaving today, let's go! Just a couple more hours and I won't have to see her ugly face for at least four months. Bye Melissa, won't wanna be ya! Maybe I can finally eat some of the ice cream myself instead of having it stolen by that little weasel,' my inner demons tormented me, not allowing me a moment of peace.

'Concentrate, concentrate, stop having those useless thoughts, what can I do to leave a lasting impression at the temple.'

'They called Retsu the Demon Fist, what can I do to match-no, surpass that.'

'Demon, demon, what's worse than a demon?'

'Death? No, Plague? No...'

"YES, THAT'S IT!" I screamed out loud as the realisation hit me, grinning at what I was about to do.

I struck the rock with perfect precision, using the right strength, speed, and angle to turn my idea into reality.

I kept moving, only stopping my attacks once I had finished carving the rock to my satisfaction. I was finally finished, with not a scratch on either my hands nor my feet.

"I feel sorry for the next person who looks behind that curtain," I thought, humming to myself as I walked down the mountain to my last training session with Master Shikai Bun. 

"So, what do we have planned for today?" I asked the man, with a pep in my step due to what I had just done.

I only received a smile in turn, with my master leading me down a familiar set of tunnels.

"Not again." I exclaimed in protest, "they're always so boring."

"Don't worry young myan, your masters and I have prepared a special supawrise for yowu today." explain my master while pushing me into the arena, "who knows, you may even win yowr self a title."

I flattered him and walked forward, ready to complain if his words rang untrue.

I entered the arena, and was met by glaring applause from the fanatic spectators, their eyes hungry for some carnage. 

'It's always so annoying listening to their claps'-

"In the left corner, we have the man who needs no introduction, the reigning champion of the ring, the devourer of souls, the 'The Thieving Dragon' Master Hiden Bun!!!"

The crowd went ballistic at my introduction, refusing to calm down from their state despite the announcer's comments to get them to settle down.

"Enough" I screamed facing the crowd, causing silence to befall the arena.

"Thank you sir" the announcer whispered to me in thanks, words that I acknowledged by nodding back to him and prompting him to continue.

"And in the right corner we have, a master who has travelled all the way from Hong-Kong, a man who used to played with cobras even as a child, the legendary practitioner of Muay Thai, Master Kaiou Samwan!!!"

I was surprised at the title of my opponent and instantly got serious, treating it a real life or death battle.

"Master Kaiou Samwan has recently earned himself the title of Sea King by the Chinese Ministry of Martial Arts despite being a Thai citizen. He has dominated the tournaments in Hong-Kong and is ready to continue his streak here today."

I pumped up my body, feeling the blood rushing to every crevice in my body. My heart burned with the heat of battle, lighting the surroundings like a blacksmith's furnace.

"This is a Battle Of Dragons, let's see which of these King's will be dethroned here today."

We both walked to the center of the arena, staring into each other's eyes, ready for the battle to begin. 

"Start!"

[Kaiou Samwan Pov]

'Another Kung-Fu practitioner huh.'

'Deception,'

'Energy, breathing techniques, striking power, they're all deceptions. What people call martial arts is just a compilation of athletic ability, it's merely about how effectively you can move your body.'

'There's nothing magic about it. It's just about moving faster,'

'Faster, faster, always achieving ever more spee-'

[Kuzan Pov]

I was about to strike and break the Kaiou from whatever he was so thoroughly mulling over in his head, when he decided to move first.

His first move?

A kick from the right, bursting with strength and speed, however in the end, leaving me unsatisfied.

'Seriously, who did this guy pay off in the ministry to earn the title of Kaiou.' I contemplated, after having easily dodged his strike.

'He's so inexperienced. No, that's it...'

'He has no precision, no timing to his blows. He's not even predicting my next moves.'

'As Master Kaku would say, strength is unnecessary.'

'To be able to use the right technique, at the right speed, at just the right time, once you achieve absolute control of your timing, then there won't be any need at all for strength.'

Although I didn't fully agree with his sentiments, I could now see where he was coming from after having dodged the blow from this supposed 'Kaiou'. It was like fighting a child with a steel sword, he had no idea how to control the dangerous weapon that was within his hands.

'How can I have the most amount of fun,' I asked myself in that split moment, 'should I give him the same treatment as Master Kaku wouldv'e?'

'No, that would be far too boring. I'll do it my way instead.'

Using his back as leverage, I pushed myself away with my legs, ready to toy with my opponent further.

I instantly changed my fighting style, being a mirror that perfectly encapsulated the movement's of the man in front of me.

[Kaiou Samwan Pov]

'This fucker!'

[Kuzan Pov]

Clearly, the man himself didn't find my imitation of his fighting style flattering, as charged straight at me, ready to inflict some revenge.

Like the kind soul that I am, I wasn't going to let his feelings go to waste as I met his punch with my punch, his kick with mine.

'Fight fire with fire as they say.'

I could feel it in my heart, I was inching ever so closer to something groundbreaking, second by second. 

'What is it? What am I still missing?' I analyzed while continuing to trade blows with the frustrated Master of Muay Thai.

'I've already emulated the man, what's left there to take, to consume?'

My body melted, my surroundings scorched, and my hair raised to its very end by itself. My brain started to overheat from the sheer number of possibilities I was simulating in my head.

'What's there left to devour-?'

My mind short-circuited at the possibility, as a feeling of pure euphoria took control of my brain. 

"The art," I said aloud to young Kaiou, who hesitated in his attacks for a moment, clearly surprised by the red glint in my eyes.

"I can devour the martial art."

It was as if I lost control over my body, while at the same time being more in-tune with it than ever. I moved, ever so slowly, with a fluidity that defied explanation, each motion instinctual yet precise, as if guided by some unseen force.

I wasn't thinking, no, I didn't need to think. I was still utilizing Muay-Thai, however no longer the same as my opponent's. It was my own, with my strikes flowing effortlessly, weaving through his defenses with a grace that felt otherworldly.

"What the fuck are yo-" were my opponent's last words as I knocked him out with a kick to the head, his sentence cut short by the force of the blow.

Neither the screaming crowd nor the smiling faces of my masters were enough to break me out of my reverie.

"I can see it," I said to myself, unable to break out of my trance.

"I can see the summit."