Chapter 14: Washing of the Swords

The wrestlers have finished their bout, while Gunga Din and I have been looking over the training weapons. I don't know who won. I think no one cares. Gunga Din and I are the focus of the next fight.

He and I walk out to the middle of the training ground.

"Do you need a moment?" I ask him.

He inclines his head. "Do you, need a moment?"

"I am good," is all I get out before Gunga Din lets out a sharp piercing shout and swing the sword in a slash across my chest.

I block without thinking. He makes 3 more slashes in rapid succession. I am one with the sword, I block. I have not had to move more than a step to two all this time. He flashes me a smile and takes a couple of steps back.

"You are good," he say admirably.

"Are you good?" I counter back.

"That remains to be seen," he salutes me with the sword again.

This time I take the offensive. I dance at him, sword whirling. He blocks my first downward swing that would have spit his head in two if it impacted. I make a few more strikes. Head, neck, torso. He blocks all of them.

"I believe I will call you good as well," I grin back at him.

This is when the real fight commences. We block and repose. We clash swords. Neither landing a hit. I decide to move off his level. During our spar I have been calmly observing his moves, his speed and reflexes. All better than average. Now that I am warmed up I focus outward.

Seeking the wind, and the ground. I start to change the gravity around me, make it heavy in front, lighter off the side. My foot work changes to reflect this.

At first he doesn't notice, 'til I brush aside his strike and reposte to hit him on the arm. He hisses in surprise.

"One," I count calmly.

He makes a different strike, but one that I have seen before. I lighten the force and simply duck under him. I catch him on the backside as he sails over my head.

"Two."

Now he is suspicious, he bristles and squints his eyes in focus. Of course now I am having fun. Nothing like great sex, the afterglow and getting into a real good fight. I tap him 4 more times.

Gunga Din is noticeably exerting himself, I am challenging him to his fullest.

Through this all I hold my calm and stay aloof to his struggles. Strike. blow. shift. I am moving almost not at all.

Gunga Din now pulls out all the stops he is starting to use moves I have not seen before. He yells Kai! and jumps. I slip out of the way.

Oh, how I remember!

I think of the times my partner and I would spar and have sex and spar some more.

He is gone now. For a brief moment I am lost to the grief.

I come back in time to see, Gunga's sword drop toward my head. I snatch it out of the air and break it. The brittle wood smashes to a thousand pieces in my hand.

"One," Gunga says stoically as if he is not breathing hard and dripping in sweat.

I blink and see that his practice sword is destroyed.

"Oh, I am sorry about that," I am stricken with guilt at the destruction. "It looks like we will have to stop now."

"I can make more," he seems to summon his last resources as I let the bits fall out of my hand.