Chapter 6

When Ken had spoken to Sensei earlier in the week to tell him he wouldn't be able to make the Thursday class, the man just smiled and said he understood.

"However," continued Sensei, "I think perhaps it would be a good idea for you to come to the session on Friday afternoon."

Ken had blinked in surprise. The Friday session was for advanced students and by invitation only. It was for a fairly small, but very exclusive group of students and Ken didn't think he was quite ready for it. Still, it was somewhat of an honor to be invited into the class and Ken knew it would be a mistake to refuse. He bowed and accepted the invitation.

Ari had spent Thursday night with her sister, and Ken knew that she was concerned about something that had happened between Tina and Lea. He'd spoken to Lea about it after Ari and Tina went to bed, and She'd only had two words to say about it.

"She's ready."

Ken could only assume that meant that she was ready to be included in the Circle. He had his doubts, but perhaps spending some time with her over the next few days would alleviate them.

Friday morning, Tina was still asleep when he went to flight school. Jane knew that he was nervous about attending the Friday class, and absolutely insisted on being there to greet him after class. So, she decided that since he was going straight from flight school to the dojo, she'd just meet him there when class was over. Ken appreciated it, but was hoping that he wouldn't need the support.

Ground school was going well. His instructor was very surprised that Ken was grasping things so quickly. He seemed to be a natural at this. Ken had to admit he seemed to be taking to it well. It was a lot of fun. Well, mostly it was fun. Learning Tower protocol was sort of boring, but since his life, and the lives of other people would depend on it, he wasn't too bored. Jane had learning just this morning that he was going to flight school, and he realized that he'd never actually told anyone he was learning to fly. He supposed that he should tell his wives, at the very least. He somehow knew that Jane would say nothing about it until he brought it up again. Well, he'd talk to both his wives about it later today, and wondered if her lack of reaction was a bad sign.

Ken walked out of the locker room and into the work out area. He looked around as he began to stretch and saw almost no one he recognized. Not much of a surprise, since this was not his normal class. There were only advanced students were in this class and his shiny new white belt stood out like a yes-I-really-am-a-punching-bag beacon. He wasn't sure what type of practice they'd be doing, but he really didn't care. It was certain he'd pick up some new techniques. He still wasn't as comfortable in a dojo as he once had been, but neither was he uncomfortable. As Lea had intimated, going back to the arts was a good thing. He'd been a little surprised that Sensei had been insistent that he come to this class after he'd mentioned that he couldn't make the regular one. He also thought it odd that none of the students questioned his lack of an advanced belt. Perhaps they thought it was because he was an advanced student of another art.

One person that he did recognize was Chad. The boy still had something of an attitude and Ken found it hard not to dislike him. Still, such emotions had no place on the mats, and Ken had always been able to bury them with ease. Chad, however, showed no signs of having such control, despite his advanced level. Sensei appeared and called the class to attention, then led them in their warm ups. These were more challenging than what they did in the regular classes, but Ken found he was easily able to follow them. He felt pretty good since regular work outs with Eric and all the practice he was doing outside the class had gotten him closer to what he'd consider was good shape. He didn't feel as fit and limber as he'd once been, but perhaps that was just a feeling based on memory rather than fact.

They got a three minute water break after they finished the forty-five grueling minutes of warm up, and Ken expected them to be split into groups.

Sensei clapped his hands and called everyone to attention. "Today is open spar and we will run the pit."

There were groans which accompanied the announcement, but also some spirited laughter, along with back slaps and good natured taunts.

"What the hell is the pit?" Ken asked the man next to him.

"Heh. Well, it's kind of a free for all. One student gets in the middle and defends against all comers. If he loses, then whoever beat him takes his place. If someone stays in the middle long enough, then Sensei starts sending in people two and three at a time."

"Yeah," said a young blond woman -- Nikki, he thought her name was. "There are 'legends' that if a student defeats four simultaneous opponents, Sensei will step in." She shuddered at that, "I sure as hell wouldn't want to go up against him, but I'd love to see someone else do it."

A couple of the other students had joined the conversation and there was some speculation about what that would look like. Sensei had a reputation as a phenomenal fighter, but he usually only did short demonstrations with the students. Rumor had it that that he had a small group of students that he'd spar with, but they didn't really talk about it and Sensei wasn't all that approachable.

Ken watched with interest as the students circled around the area and sat. He pointed at one man, a tall thin man whom Ken thought would be very fast on his feet. He was right and the man won three in a row, but fell to a woman. The first against her was the blond that Ken had spoken to earlier, and she won. They were going around in the circle in order and the next up was another man, stockier and heavier than the blonde. She put up a good fight, but lost, then it was Ken's turn.

He wasn't nervous -- exactly. But it had been a long time since he'd spared anyone who was at an advanced level and wasn't an instructor. The man wasn't very quick, but he was strong. He tried to use that strength to lock Ken up, but Ken was too fast and in a short time the man was down. Ken won the next two -- to many people's surprise since he was only a white belt -- then lost to the tall thin man who'd fought first. Ken saw what the man did, but hesitated to counter it because it would have required a very advanced technique and he wasn't sure he could pull it off. So down he went.

Things were going well right up until the time that Chad and Ken were sparring. Chad was aggressive and seemed to be affronted that Ken, a mere white belt, had dared to come to an advanced practice. Ken held him off for a while, which seemed to piss him off even more. He saw where it was going and decided that now was a good time to take a fall. He didn't expect what Chad did though and got nailed in the ribs for his trouble. Then Chad swept him before he could catch his breath and down he went. Old reflexes kicked in and he landed easily, but if he hadn't just reacted and tried to think, he would have been really hurt. Emotion disappeared and his focus narrowed. He forgot about the fact that he'd just lost the match and came to his feet ready to defend himself -- which turned out to be a good thing since Chad had been getting ready to apply a completely unnecessary finishing move. It landed on an empty mat.

"Halt!" barked Sensei.

They froze, and the man eyed his two students. "I point, you go," he said to the circle, then looked back at the two in the center. Ken had start to sit, since he'd lost the match, but Sensei shook his head. "Again, you two." Ken looked at the man, startled. "Begin!"

As it always had in the past, Ken's focus narrowed while his awareness spread. He felt Chad coming up behind him and turned, just as a punch grazed his cheek. Ken reversed, and was already turning away, and swept his hands up and around in a complex pattern that Chad was completely unable to follow. Seconds later, Chad was on the mat, but as soon as he hit, Ken heard, "Go," and he had another opponent to face. This one fared no better and neither did the next. Ken was in the zone. Ken was untouchable.

After four wins, all apparently effortless, Sensei sent two opponents in after him. Ken managed to get them to interfere with each other and they went down in a heap with Sensei telling them to clear the mat as he sent two more in after Ken. They went down as well.

Ken reveled in the moment, the sheer pleasure of the flowing movements, the blood pumping through his body and his Chi -- centered, really centered, for the first time in many years. He was getting a little tired when Sensei upped the ante by sending in three opponents. It took longer, but they lost as well; however, when one went down, another was called to take his place. Ken tapped the reserve of energy that Lea always left him and flowed back into the fight. Even when four opponents were set against him, he felt only the joy of movement, the perfection of the art as he allowed old muscle memory to come to the fore.

The last opponent went down and a new one stepped onto the mat. Hands flashed, attack and counter flowed, but it was short lived. Something interrupted his Chi, and his opponent's moves no longer made sense. Pain flowed through his side as a solid strike landed. His foot was swept and down he went, the breath knocked out of him. He lay there and panted, realizing just how far he'd over extended himself. A hand intruded into his line of vision and he grasped it and got pulled to his feet. It belonged to Sensei, who smiled at him.

The students began clapping and hooting their pleasure at the display they'd witnessed, except for Chad, of course. Ken smiled, unaccountably shy, and received permission to sit down. He bowed to Sensei, then knelt on the mat. At that point, Sensei decided to give everyone a break, and Ken collapsed onto the floor, looking at the ceiling, still panting. Slowly, he got his breathing under control and loosed a small amount of energy into his body. He was still exhausted, but at least he could stand, so he went for some water. He bowed back onto the mat and got in line when Sensei called the class together. They stood in line and he looked at them.

"Class is over for the day. Think on what you have learned," he said, looking right at Ken.

Ken would think alright. In the hot tub as one of his slaves fed and rubbed him down. He knew that he could draw on his energy reserve, but the over taxed muscles in his body needed rest. He went into the locker room to gather his clothes. There was lots of talk in the locker room and a lot of congratulations. Some of the guys mentioned that they were glad he was now in their class and they looked forward to sparing again. Ken joked that it was unlikely he'd be able to move again for about a month. Once everything was in his bag and he was dressed in sneakers, his Gi pants and a t-shirt, he headed out.

"Ken," came Sensei's voice. "Might I have a word with you?"

"Yes Sensei," he replied. Ken followed the man through a door in his office and up a narrow flight of stairs. At the top, it opened into a large apartment. Ken had always wondered what was up here, since it was obvious from the outside that the building had two stories.

"Sit, please," said Sensei.

Ken sat in the indicated chair while Sensei walked into the kitchen. "Would you care for some iced tea?" he asked.

Actually, cold tea sounded nice, and in a short time, Sensei came out with a pitcher and two glasses. He sat across from Ken, then filled the glasses. There was silence as the men drained them.

"Your skill is surprising," said Sensei.

For a moment, Ken felt like he was in a bad martial arts movie. But he read the undercurrent in the words: why have you masqueraded as a white belt?

"Thank you," he paused. There was more that needed to be said, but he wasn't sure how to make the other man understand. "I enjoyed the arts, many years ago. As I told you when we met, I haven't practiced in over ten years."

Sensei nodded, and ran his hand through his close cropped white hair. He didn't appear angry, but it was hard to read the older man, and Ken didn't want to get kicked out of this dojo. He knew that he liked learning here. His first instructor was no longer alive and Sensei Turcotte was reputed to be the best in the area. Certainly, he was expensive enough.

"I think that you are wasting your time in the beginner class. It is time for you to move on," came the reply.

Silence. Ken was not comfortable with that thought. He'd only been back into this for a bit more than six weeks, and there was no way he felt sure enough of himself to practice at an advanced level. He said as much, but Sensei disagreed. Ken would have pushed the point, but he thought that the man would not continue as his instructor if he didn't give in.

They chatted for a more few moments, then Ken mentioned that he really should be going.

Sensei smiled and said, "I understand. Which one will it be today? The tall dark haired one or the short, red haired one?"

Ken was startled. Sensei was not in the habit of speaking about personal topics. He was very formal with his students and quickly rebuffed attempts at familiarity.

Ken smiled and said, "Hmmm. I think, perhaps, both?"

They broke out in laughter as Ken gathered up his stuff to leave. There came a knock at the door and Sensei got up to open it.

Chapter 7 »