Cripple

Mom was royally pissed.

After her call I actually had to run to the airport, run with half cripple legs, with a goddam cane.

After arriving in Japan, I wished I had wings, so I could arrive home faster, the instant the taxi touched Kushinada grounds, I could feel mom's ki, and god I felt wrong. Like pissing off the Devil.

When mom is angry, really angry, her personality almost reverts to the original shown in the series, and that is one scary lady.

I left the taxi. I see mom, the door opened, standing at the entrance, arms crossed, almost like with my return from Korea, but instead of a small smile and proud eyes. I see a death glare and an emotionless face.

I audibly gulp, rushing me to enter with a look, she closes the door and follows me.

Sitting in the armchair, head down, eyes on the floor, like a kid that´s about to be scolded.

Mom sits on the couch in front, arms still crossed, death glare still present, and now she crosses her legs. Looking at me, analyzing me, judging me.

A quick look at the cane and her anger rise. "Do you know what you did wrong?" She asks…. Wait this actually is a kid getting scolded.

I instantly answer, "Yes mom, I put my life in danger by using a technique I had not mastered, not aware of the actual effects."

She looks surprised that I answered truthfully, not believing I wasn't trying to bullshit my way out of this. "Correct, but Azuma, that's putting it mildly. You see, from my perspective, I allow my son to go on a mission to Germany, expecting him to return at least two days later, but what did I find out, that my son, less than three hours since his arrival, is in a hospital, half dead, his legs destroyed, almost missing an arm."

"What was that about allowing your son to go to Germany?"

"Ah ah ah, and then guess what? That same son also appears to need to be hospitalized for a month, since his stupidity needed TEN surgeries to fix, and by what I know, the son I'm talking about, spent three-hundred-and-sixty hours in surgery, that's fifteen days!"

She finishes breathing heavily from anger, and I really don't have anything to say, it was indeed my stupidity. And besides, I know why she is angry, any son would. She was worried sick about me. It's a pattern really, first, they worry, and if you are fine at the end, the worry turns to anger.

I stand and hug mom, déjà vu, much, but she is a great mom, even if she lied to me about reaching grandmaster class... motherfucker.

I break the hug, at first, she looks reluctant about it , then seeing my angry face, she puts her indifferent one, and says, "What." Not even questioning my face.

"You lied to me!" I exclaim. With the same look on her face, "About what?" I point at her, "About reaching grandmaster class, you can only do it with one martial art!"

She stays silent. After some seconds she replies, "It took you a year?" Almost whispering, "God my son really is stupid."

I'm out of words, what do I even answer, whatever I say, excuses, she would reply.

"Soooo what was that about Germany?" I repeat myself.

She glares at me, saying "Do you seriously believe the government would suddenly, out of the goodness of their heart, give you that mission?" She finishes with another, -You really are stupid son, it's okay I still love you- look.

Whatever, "Do you wanna know about the techniques that almost killed that son you talked about earlier? I ask. Ah here comes the anger again.

._._._._._._.

After explaining both techniques, what happened to me, the mission, and mom almost committing filicide, twice, and not in that order.

I left home again. I really do need to reach grandmaster class in a year, and while I can't train for half a year, I do believe that my little stunt in Germany would help me immensely in reaching grandmaster class.

I left for Latin America a week after seeing mom. More specifically Brazil, even more specifically, the Amazon. If I cannot train, walk properly, or do missions, I shall meditate, think, and theorize.

And what better place than in nature, with poisonous insects, and snakes, and humidity and caimans, now that I think about it...

I arrived in Brazil the next day, me and my trusty cane, ready for an adventure.

._._._._._._.

Half a year after living with the frogs, I, to my astonishment, reach grandmaster class. This was exactly what I needed, time to think and being a cripple for a few months.

Unlike Wuxia/Xianxia novels, you don't suddenly breakthrough, your ki increases and you grow stronger out of thin air.

Being a grandmaster is about understanding and adapting, understanding your body, your martial arts, your mind.

You slowly start doing less and less unnecessary movements, you start understanding the best way for your ki to flow through you, slowly increasing it, as the ki flows, your body adapts, increasing your strength and speed.

As you start contemplating your chosen art, you get to know it, like the back of your hand, you tweak it to your needs. Slowly flashy movements become unnecessary, simple kicks and punches become all you need, to get the desired result.

You start...… perfecting it for you.

This is what I gained from my trip.

You see, I don't believe this is the way to reach grandmaster class, if it were, all martial artists would-be monks.

What would usually be fighting to understand your art, and experimenting to own it, I substitute by creating. Just like when I advanced to master class, I was so focused on recreating Renewal, that I instinctively mastered the martial arts I had to accomplish my goal.

This is exactly what happened for grandmaster class, creating the Twin-Dragon Kick, and my version of Soru, while not as grand-sounding as saying you recreated a style, it was as or much more important.

Renewal, I wanted it to be something that grew with me, that I could modify, add, subtract from at my leisure. In the other two techniques, I replicated the outcome, not the method.

The Twin-Dragon Kick, founded on renewal, the Kushinada style, for the skill involved in the muscle compression, tension, knowledge on how a human is thrown, behaves in the air, and stays in the air, creating the image of a floating human, Ilona saw.

The Fūrinji style for raw power, instinct, and using Ryūsui Seikūken, for ignoring most air friction, creating the helix.

Soru, same principles as all the above except the throws and behavior.

I already knew my martial arts like the back of my hand, and I already had fused them, only I hadn't realized.

I just needed to dwell on it, as for me not being able to do anything with my legs, they were so damaged even after the surgeries, that I had all the time in the world to see how they behaved, after experiencing such strain, giving me much needed knowledge on my own body.

I can already use my legs, due to a lack of dojos to challenge, I'll go destroy some trees.

That's how I reached grandmaster class, halfway into my seventeenth birthday.

._._._._._._.

A week trying to find my way out of the forest, I arrive at a town looking for a taxi, after finding one I head straight to the airport, time was near.

Arriving in Japan, I went straight, to mom, talked to her about my travel, my advancement, and insight.

I proceed to call Saiga, we were both traveling, so we rarely saw each other, "Hello?" His voice sounded through the phone, "Hey brother, how are you doing." I ask him.

"Ahh Azuma, perfectly fine, having some complications, but nothing I can't handle. And you little brother, how have you been?" He curiously asks.

"You know same old same old, almost crippled myself went on a spiritual journey with frogs, reached grandmaster class, had ten surgeries, the usual." I hear heavy, heavy coughing.

"WHAT!" He sounds worried, "Stop, stop, you said you almost crippled yourself, do the surgeries have anything to do with it... Frogs?" He appears to be worried and confused. Confusedly worried?

After giving him the full story, filled with action, adventure, and gore.

He proceeds to give me an earful on how stupid I was, how dangerous it was…. how stupid I was.

Seriously, I have a great family, even if I haven't seen him in years, he still worries so much about me, even my overpowered deadbeat dad, that's out there, somewhere, trying to change the world, but he cares.

After congratulating me on reaching grandmaster class, I ask Saiga something I've been asking him, since I was, eight repeatedly on occasion.

It went something like this.

._._._._._._.

Azuma (Age 8): "Saiga, do you know how to disguise yourself?"

Saiga (Age 13): "What…?"

Azuma (Age 8): Forget it.

~~

Azuma (Age 10): ""Saiga, do you know how to disguise yourself?"

Saiga (Age 15): "No?"

Azuma (Age 10): Whispering "Fuck"

~~

Azuma (Age 12): "Saiga, do you know how to disguise yourself?"

Saiga (Age 17): "No, why do you keep aski – "

Azuma (Age 12): "No reason"

~~

Azuma (Age 15): "Saiga, do you – "

Saiga (Age 20): "No"

Azuma (Age 15): Mothe@^&$, son of a ^%$.^. FINE!"

._._._._._._.

I proceed to ask, "Oi, bro, do you know how to disguise yourself?

Instinctually as having been trained to respond, "No…. wait I mean yes" Yesss, goddam, I waited sixteen years for this.

"Why do you kept asking me?" He asks me suspiciously, "Well you see brother, there are three reasons, number one, I was too lazy to try and find one, number two, I always had an interest in disguising myself but was too lazy to learn it on my own, and number three, you are just slimy enough too actually use a technique like that." I finish, a smirk on my face, even if he can't see it.

"I'm not slimy, am I?" He sounds worried, it's too easy. "It's okay Saiga, everyone has some percentage of sliminess in them, don't worry." I hear a deep sigh.

"So, could you teach me then?" I ask him with enthusiasm. The fun I could have with this.

"Sure, let's meet at dad's old place in a month. I should have time." He says, given up.

"Sure, see you there, bro." He finishes, see you there little brother."

._._._._._._.

-A month later, at the old Fūrinji house-

I'm heading to dad's old house, the closer I get, the more memories surface, training with Saiga, training with dad, training alone, now that I think about it, all I did here was train.

I reach the house, there I see Saiga leaning on the front wall, his normal serious look on his face, as he sees the taxi approaching, he smiles.

I get out, and head towards him, we hug each other. It's been years since we saw one another. We enter the house, I start saying, "So, brother, taking advantage we are in person, how have you been? Really?"

"Well, stressed, believe or not it's hard managing a Satsujinken organization while being a Katsujinken." He says with a little sarcasm in his voice.

I ask, genuinely curious, "So, what's the real reason you founded One Shadow Nine Fists?"

He reminisces for a second, "You see I believe OSNF could be used as a non-aggression pact to use martial arts to bring peace to the world." As compassionate as always big brother.

"How?" I ask him.

Now he looks excited, beginning to talk, "Well I believe that if I go out there, defeating and persuading, some of the most powerful Satsujinken practitioners to join OSNF, while I lead them, I'll be able to create balance in the martial arts world, stopping the historic clash of Katsujinken versus Satsujinken. Preventing another situation like the previous Eternal Sunset."

Well, that's definitely new, this was never mentioned once, besides, in canon, Saiga was not born close enough to the Eternal Sunset to have felt its ramifications in person, this was most definitely new.

"Well, how does that dream of yours is going?" I wonder. Now dejectedly "He answers, "Good for the most part, no members in it yet, it's still in its infancy." Hmmm I see, I see.

Let's try to push a little, "Have you considered mom?" I ask, he looks surprised about it. "Mrs. Kushinada? Actually yes, I've considered it, but for the moment, OSNF, is too small, and your mom has too much of a reputation."

What? That makes zero sense.