So sorry I took so long!
Previously:
I knew for sure that I was blushing now. I turned away from him, mortified at what I was feeling. Ugh. Where was the disgust when you needed it?
And so…
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Chapter 11 – Progress
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You have no idea how embarrassing it is for your father to find you leaning towards an injured girl sitting on a bed in the middle of the night.
And it’s doubly embarrassing for him to call you out of the room to speak to you about… matters no fourteen-year-old should know. Not that I’m fourteen.
It gets even more confusing, not to mention embarrassing, when he tells you not to get too involved, then sends you back into the room – all on the very night that he wasn’t supposed to be back home. I thought he was supposed to be at a conference in Idaho, but then he turns up like a wraith at two in the morning. I was also under the impression that he didn’t drink, but then he comes along smelling faintly of liquor and tells you all you need to know about… matters no fourteen-year-old should know. Right. Even when you tell him that nothing was happening and you were just being a good friend and trying to comfort her.
Jeez.
What a crazy night. Fine, morning.
And the craziness doesn’t end there.
It’s… Ohhhh. I still can’t believe it. Later I wake up in the middle of the night – morning – and what do I see? Katherine crying. I wasn’t even sure whether it was a dream or not at first; she doesn’t strike me as the type who cries. In fact, she doesn’t really show much emotion at all, I can never guess what she’s thinking.
But just now she looked so downright frightened and… vulnerable that I had to do something; I couldn’t just stand there and watch, could I? So I sat down beside her. And instantly regretted it. She tensed so much that I was afraid she’d hurt her arm again. It was so obvious that she wasn’t comfortable with me sitting beside her. I was all for settling back into my chair then, but then her eyes… Her eyes appeared so mysteriously green in the darkness. But then she shifted and they turned slightly blue. They made me forget what I’d been intending to do; just looking into them made me feel a tad light-headed. They were hypnotic.
She was hypnotic.
But then something flickered in her eyes and she turned away from me, looking out of the window. She looked so fearful that I found myself wanting to touch her face, to soothe her. God, I wanted to kiss away her tears. But I didn’t know how she’d react if… Well, she’d probably punch me. And believe me, you don’t want to be at the receiving end of her fist. So I put my arm around her shoulders. And she tensed again. I almost cursed out loud at my stupidity. She seemed so confused then. I hadn’t intended to make her feel that way. Hell, what had I been intending in the first place? I’m an idiot. She obviously didn’t want to feel anything at all.
Then I asked her about the fight. One look at her told me that she didn’t want to talk about it. I had an insanely strong urge to curse right then. How stupid and insensitive could I be? Thank goodness she didn’t burst into tears.
Surprisingly though, she answered me, seemingly unruffled. But her eyes told me another story. There was a hardness in them that belied her calm unflappable appearance. But behind that hardness, I could sense another hidden layer, a vortex of fear and despair. It made my heart clench to see that. I don’t know what possessed me then, to wipe that tear off her cheek.
She literally turned into a statue. I thought she was getting ready to punch me then. But she didn’t. Instead, for a moment she looked so embarrassed that all the remnants of the fear I had seen in her eyes disappeared. Then she gasped and her eyes filled with something that made such ecstasy surge through me. Her lips, parted slightly, and her eyes, opened wide, loosened something wild within me. Oh god. Never before had I wanted to kiss anyone so badly.
*
“You have recovered fully?” Mr Takeda asked with the barest trace of an accent.
I flexed my arm experimentally. Three weeks of recovery should be more than enough. I hoped. But I couldn’t put off karate forever, could I? Besides, I needed to vent my frustration at getting interrogated by the police countless times. One of them had been talking to me earlier this evening, and he’d told me that they couldn’t pinpoint any suspects without hard evidence. Which was, unfortunately, missing. “Meanwhile, I suggest that you have a chaperone with you wherever and whenever you step out of your house,” he’d advised. I had almost snorted then. I seriously doubted that that would work.
“Yes, Mr Takeda.” I nodded.
Mr Takeda had been meaning to let me undergo a “diagnostic test” to determine any weak points he had to address, but given my inclination to get injured, that hadn’t been possible these past month.
He gave me a measuring look. Then he looked over to where the black-belts were training. “Some people need to keep their cockiness in check,” he muttered under his breath.
I looked at the rest of the class doing target practice and prayed that whoever he called wouldn’t be too ruthless. I gritted my teeth as my eyes rested on Chris locked in fierce combat with another black-belt. I really didn’t want to dwell too long on what…
“How about… Danvers!”
I bit back a protest as Andre hurried over to Mr Takeda. Why was he letting me spar with someone with a black-belt?
He flashed me a quick grin as he neared us. Then he schooled his expression and turned to face our coach. “You called for me, Mr Takeda?”
“Danvers, I’d like you to spar with Ms Brown.”
His brown eyes widened in surprise and he glanced at me in alarm. “But…”
“You won’t be sparring the usual way. I’d just like to see how Ms Brown performs when there are no restrictions. Remember, no rules, no restrictions, no boundaries. Hit anywhere you want. Play dirty. That’s encouraged for this fight.” The later part was directed to me in particular.
My mouth must have hung open really wide.
“But you can’t hit her shoulders or arms,” he told Danvers.
He nodded in understanding.
“Sparring in progress! Keep clear!” Mr Takeda hollered over the hubbub. As the sparring arena cleared of people, a soft murmuring started among the students nearby.
“You may commence on my signal.”
What? Was this really happening? How could…
Danvers’s feet were a blur as they zoomed towards me in mid air. Instinctively, I ducked, rolling under him and getting to my feet behind him. Momentarily, he was confused, then he swung around, throwing a punch at me. I dodged it. Then came a barrage of punches and chops that I almost didn’t manage to block. Heck. He was strong.
He came at me again, this time executing a kick in midair. I moved out of his range.
He stood not five feet away from me, breathing heavily. Sweat beaded his forehead.
“Not very easy sparring with Ms Brown, is it, Danvers?” Mr Takeda provided.
There was a glint in my opponent’s eyes. Then suddenly he was taking a swipe at my head. I ducked, snaking behind him and jabbing him with my left elbow in the process. He whirled around and kicked at my midriff. I blocked it, but the force behind the kick sent me staggering backwards. Then he followed up with another kick.
“Stop!” Mr Takeda commanded.
We ceased sparring, each eyeing the other with newfound respect.
The coach turned to me. “You don’t like to attack?”
I started. “Yes.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“Why attack, when you can defend?”
“Why defend, when you can attack?” He countered.
“I might hurt my opponent.”
“You’re both wearing armour,” he pointed out.
I gritted my teeth. He got me there. “But…”
He smiled. Oh no.
Then his hands blurred and I suddenly found my arm blocking his fist. He looked at me closely, looking immeasurably pleased. I took that as an omen. “It seems that you need to get immensely frustrated before you will attack. Yes…” he muttered, nodding. “Someone with a defensive style, then.”
As Mr Takeda cast his gaze around the dojo in rumination, Danvers commented, “Well, that was a hell of a fight.”
I looked at him. He was staring at Mr Takeda with a mixture of exasperation and respect that I was beginning to get acquainted with. Then he turned and smiled at me, extending his hand. “Inform me if you ever feel the urge to spar with someone. I need to work on my attack.”
I shook it. “Thanks, but I don’t think…”
“Kendrew!” A loudhailer roared beside me.
I jumped.
“You’re in for it now.” Danvers kept his tone mild, but his expression radiated shock.
Blanching as Chris disengaged from his bout on the other end of the dojo, I turned to Mr Takeda. “Um, Mr Takeda… shouldn’t I be practising with the rest of the white belts?”
He looked at me, eyes glinting knowingly. “No.”
Damn.
“But I’m not…”
“I need to address your reluctance to attack.”
“But karate’s not about attacking…”
He looked at me coolly. “Is it?”
“Yes and no. It’s also about defending…”
“Exactly my point. You need to learn to attack too.” He looked up as Chris approached. “You’ll be sparring with Ms Brown.”
He gave me a strange look. He addressed Mr Takeda, “Her arm’s…”
“I am aware of the extent of her injuries. She seemed fine when she was sparring with Danvers.”
Chris looked at Danvers, an eyebrow cocked. Danvers shrugged.
“There’ll be no restrictions or boundaries. A more accurate depiction of a bout in real life.”
A bout in real life? Did Chris tell him about what had happened too?
“You may begin.”
I started retreating and so did Chris. We waited, watching each other’s movements. I leaned my weight on the balls of my feet, relaxing every part of my body. Just relax, and your instincts will guide you. Look at how his body is positioned, that’ll give you clues to how he’s going to attack.
Chris sized me up for a moment, then his eyes narrowed, and he straightened, turning his back to me. I stared at him in confusion and took a step towards him. Then I settled back onto my feet again. Patience. Let him come to you. Do not attack unless he does first.
Five tension-filled minutes passed, but both of us were still in our positions. Mr Takeda was frowning with ill-suppressed frustration by then.
He sighed. “When two defence-oriented people spar…” He shook his head in resignation. “Kendrew, initiate the fight!”
Chris turned to face Mr Takeda. Then he frowned and edged towards me slightly. I backed away.
The coach sighed theatrically. “What is this, a game of catching? Ms Brown, stand your ground for now!”
Chris advanced swiftly towards me, but reluctance dogged his every step. He stopped six feet away from me, looking apologetic.
Mr Takeda exploded, “Do you need some incentives?”
Chris frowned. Then all of a sudden this tremendous force sent me tumbling to the ground. I went with my momentum, rolling backwards and getting to my feet again. Heck. I hadn’t even seen that coming. How fast could he…
A fist snaked towards me. I twisted my torso. It brushed against my armour and sent me reeling backwards. I grabbed his arm and pulled him in the direction of his punch to throw him off balance. Amazingly, he pivoted, and his foot came round to crash into my chest guard.
I staggered backwards. But so did he. Seemed that I had succeeded in disrupting his balance after all.
“Halt!” Mr Takeda commanded. He walked towards us slowly, looking at both of us with barely suppressed impatience. “Danvers, analyse the bout.”
Danvers quickly covered his surprise and strode towards us. “They were more or less equally matched.”
Equally matched? What was rubbish he saying?
He looked at me in amusement. “What Chris had in terms of speed and strength, Katherine made up with… guile.”
Hearing a huff beside me, I turned and saw Chris rolling his eyes. I frowned. But I didn’t trick him at all. He smiled wryly at me.
Danvers continued. “Yeah. If this were an exam, Katherine would lose. But if this were a bout in real life, Katherine would have a chance to escape. And, um, the bout would have been much more interesting if Katherine had been attacking.”
Mr Takeda looked pointedly at me. “Any other comments?”
“Oh, yes.” Danvers turned to Chris. “Why were you going easy on her? You never go easy on me!”
“Hey, she’s injured! I didn’t want to…”
What? “You were going easy on me?”
“Yes.” Chris looked deep into my eyes and frustratingly, I felt my indignation at being slighted melt away. “Firstly, because you’re injured, secondly, because I’m at an advantage, and thirdly, because… well, you’re not as annoying as Andre.”
“It’s Danvers, not Andre.”
Chris smirked and blocked the swipe Danvers aimed at his shoulder.
“Enough!” Irritation was written plainly on Mr Takeda’s face. “Clearly, you need some… incentives. Kendrew, spend the next few sessions sparring with Ms Brown. If she still has a problem with attacking, you’ll be held responsible.”
What? I stared open-mouthed at his retreating back.
“Hard luck, pal.” Danvers mock punched Chris’s shoulder. “Be a good student, Katherine. You really don’t want Chris to live through Mr Takeda’s…”
“Andre! Stop talking and start training!”
Danvers cringed. “I hate it when teachers call me Andre.”
“Andre!”
“Gotta go!”
I shook my head. “Incentives?” I turned to see Chris grimacing.
“You really don’t want to know what that means.”
-
That’s all for now. I should be posting something right after EOYs.
Oh, and soon someone will say…
“Are you ADHD or something?”
o__o -stare-
xinhui, i can’t believe you wrote chris’s personal recount.
and ha! Poor Chris…getting Kat to attack is like…near impossible.
and the quote at the end seemed to be sth that you would ask me o__0
heh.
Oh, mom’s trying to find a bigger house. Trying. If we get one, it’s still in Jurong West bah.
i have the sudden urge to pick up martial arts. like i did tennis. but seeing as i’m more accident-prone than kat…well…
i’m having a problem with takeda. he’s not as japish as he should be. i mean, he sounds/seems like a typical american or something.
why is danvers andre? i totally don’t get it.
and it’s a bit strange how takeda swaps between katherine and ms brown. make up your mind already!
i suggest you read bamboo blade. it’s a manga about kendo. carol reads it, for one. and also change 123. it’s a manga about a person who has split personalities and each is a master of an aspect of martial arts.
also, i’m getting the feeling like i’m slightly autistic D: i mean, i have bad social skills and all. and have coordination problems. and i’m thinking that kat is your split personality (: which resembles me too, since we’re alike in some ways. like the defending. like when i play tennis i don’t have power (unlike you) so i just use the opponent’s power and send it back…does it make sense to you? like kat making use of chris’s attack to roll. though actually i’d like to think i’m more of a skill-focused person. like finding loopholes. like a sideways scuttling crab.
ah that was a long paragraph.
oh zem is what all mattresses on squornshellous zeta are called, by the way. so they never know who gets dried and shipped off. such ignorant lives…/:
oh, uh, I like how they stoned there for 5 min XD Ahah.
Phearsa:
I wouldn’t ask you that, Phearsa. Because I already KNOW you’re one.
nooboet aka chiaia:
Needles at the JOINT?! Ohhh. That must hurt.
Sighs. Would have preferred for your house to be nearer to the north. Then I can visit you more often. (Come to think of it, I haven’t even been to your house before.)
Stoned. Yeah, that’s the word. Katherine had her stone/battle face on, I think.
zem:
Ah, crap. Forgot to phase out all the “Katherines” from Mr Takeda’s speech.
Thanks, zem.
Andre Danvers… likes to be called Danvers. Because he doesn’t like to be called Andre. Perhaps we’ll know why soon. Perhaps.
Well, the creativity part of your autism – if you do have autism, that is, though I think it’s highly unlikely – is clearly shown.
I haven’t even finished zetta karen children. And that’s with my relative interest in the topic. Those two manga… Hmm. I’ll see what I can read during the hols. But I would still prefer reading books. With lots of words.
Do these series have the, um, novel edition?
Yeah, I get what you mean by the tennis “power-diverting”. It’s more of a taichi/daojiao philosophy, though. I find it easier to think of it as “why attack when you can attack BY defending?”
“so they never know who gets dried and shipped off. such ignorant lives”
Please explain.
because the mattress grow in the marshes. so when people (maybe not humans?) come along and cut them down and dry them and ship them off to other parts of the universe for people to sleep on, the other mattresses do not know who has been, well, killed.
oh and chia’s needles at the joint comment is not showing.
and are you going to do anything about takeda’s apparent americanish behaviour?
speaking of andres, i had an ex-classmate named that. went to ri, tiny little annoying cocky freak. couldn’t stand him.
as for zettai karen children, change 123, and bamboo blade, i’m pretty sure they have the physical, tangible book versions. just haven’t bothered to find them yet. and speaking of that manga, i can’t believe your interest is still sustained even with all of…kaoru’s ecchi thoughts. and speaking of manga/anime, the other day i showed jiayi, no phearsa, this youtube video and despite her incessant nagging/pestering, i refused to tell her what something meant. because she’s better off not knowing.
and my autism may not be genuine. like not the born-with-it. my parents said i had a really high fever when i was really really young, so that may have addled my brains. hmm.
and why does so many of my personal values coincide with wushu things! like the forcibly-lowering-cg-and-being-aware-of-self thing and such.
But why zem?
Well, I see Chiaia’s needle at the joint comment. And I approved it, so it’s probably there… At least on my screen. Argh.
No, I don’t think I’m going to. Though I made him have a slight Jap accent (edited the first line of the story proper.)
Tiny little annoying cocky little freak? Hmm. The world seems to contain lots of them.
No, I don’t mean the book versions. I mean the NOVEL editions. Do they have novels, written in English/Chinese (preferably the former, obviously) but still staying true to the plot?
Ecchi? No, my interest is sustained because I tend to ignore her thoughts. I focus on the ESP part. Plus, I only spent one day immersing myself into manga to get a feel of what exactly makes you and chiaia and tingchih and jess and tingi tick.
I feel I’m better off not knowing some things too. Hmm. Especially some things in jap and in manga. Forget I asked you what ecchi means. (Ah, crap. Now I’m more curious than ever. What does it mean?)
Really high fever… sounds like my brother. He had one that was really high too (more than 40 deg celsius), probably caused by his renal problem. As I see it, his proximal and distal convoluted tubules weren’t convoluted enough. Or was it his ureter or urethra. No, not the urethra. Probably the ureter, then.
Most of my personal values are wushu values, or more specifically, taichi values. (Yours are more of taichi values as well, you know. Or Dao Jiao values. Since taichi has its roots in Taoism.
but i hate kongzi/laozi/whateverzi.
but i hate kongzi/laozi/whateverzi.
and i just feel like being a mattress that grows in the marshes of squornshellous zeta. any problem with that?!
and yes now i can see chia’s needles comment.
as for your novel editions, i’m not too sure. probably not. the only novels’ i’m aware of are haruhi and shana. (probably doesn’t make sense to you either.) and if you really want to know what that is, you could always wiki/google/onemanga/mangafox/whatever it. yes online manga websites have descriptions for their categorizing/tabs.
apparently, for my fever, the doctors couldn’t find out what was the cause even after many many tests so they just said it was a viral infection ._.
No, you misunderstand my question. I was asking why the author of the book called mattresses that grow in the marshes of squornshellous zeta are called zem.
Is there a significance/pun that I don’t know about?
I don’t think I’ll google them for now… Hmm. Don’t really feel like reading them in chinese. I assume they’re written in chinese?
Viral infection. Is that why you like viruses and bateria so much?
haha. i just realised the string of comments.
@(EDIT: xinboon)
fine. whatever. but im NOT ADHD. i mean the disorder or whatever. Although im just naturally active, have a problem with that? XD
@ both yongs
wushu values? o__o what are they? well, though i more or less can tell from your personalities. and what’s kong zi and whatever zis got to do with wushu?!
@ yongie
oh i had a high fever when i was young too. if i remember correctly, it was 42 degrees. most horrible experience ever. i still remember it. or rather, remember how groggily i was. not to mention weak and extremely tired. -shudders- horrendous.
but i suppose it didn’t addle my brain much…
i suppose.
ah by fever i meant less than 6 months old. and the microbes is because of the anime.
and i have no idea why the mattresses are zem.
rest assured the manga are in english. ENGLISH. but if you want an online chinese manga site, i can get you one.
phearsa:
Laozi and Taoism have a lot to do with Taichi. Heck, even the symbol for taichi is the same as that for taoism.
Basically, taiji de he2 xin1 si1 xiang3 is related to tian1 ren2 he2 yi1 and other ideas.
Looks pointedly at pheasa.
You SUPPOSE.
zem:
What anime?
No, I thank you for thinking about introducing an online Chinese manga site, BUT…
D’you seriously think that I’ll read chinese manga when there are easier pickings?