Leo and Ken: Bamboo forest & Shooting stars
Leo and Ken waited patiently outside in the bamboo forest, awaiting their Sensei's arrival.
Ken yawned and then sighed in annoyance," Leo-niisan, why is Sensei always late? He has a 9-year-old and a 10-year-old sitting here in this freezing, wet grass!"
Leo shook his head, "Kenny, instead of worrying about where Sensei is, you should be meditating. Every second that goes by is an opportunity to grow internally while he's away."
Ken rolled his eyes before standing up, "Fine, I'll practice my kata forms. Sometimes I wonder if we're really related."
Leo chuckled, "Love you too, Kenny. "
Ken narrowed his eyes, "You may be the big brother, but I can beat you in a duel."
Leo stood up, "We've got time before Sensei arrives. Want a demonstration?"
Ken smiled antagonistically, "Gladly."
Leo unsheathed his iaito, a metal blade with a blunted side so as not to be able to cut, similar to a sakabato. It had a reversed blade. The sun's glint on the blade reflected a silver glow.
Leo glanced up at Ken, "Not too late to back out."
Ken unsheathed his bokuto, the sun's rays beaming on the dark brown wooden blade.
Ken smirked, "Not a chance."
"Well, well, well. You boys look ready to rumble!"
The two boys turn their heads immediately as they find their Sensei coming up the winding pathway from their home to the forest. Sensei was wearing his black headband and his black kimono adorned with golden clouds. His sandals clopped on the wet grass as he came into the clearing.
Leo and Ken sheathed their blades and rushed to meet their Sensei. They each simultaneously did the left-fist-in-palm bow to greet their teacher. Ken wrapped his entire fist with his right hand, while Leo had his right hand unwrapped. Sensei returned both their bows.
Sensei inhaled, "Now, let us start sparring."
***
Dew on the blades of grass sparkled in the sunlight. The sound of wooden katana /bokuto clashing filled the air in the bamboo forest.
"Focus, Ken!"
"I'm trying!"
Ken was having a hard time trying to do anything. The wet grass was causing him to slip and almost lose his footing. Each time Sensei took advantage of this and punished him big time.
Ken spinned as he crashed into the wet grass for the fourth time.
Sensei yawned, "Is this all you got Kenny?"
Ken pushed himself back on to his feet, " No sensei, I'm just getting started."
Ken rushed Sensei with a myriad of stabs and slashes. Sensei parried each one effortlessly, pushing Ken back with a palm strike making Ken slide back a few feet before he stabbed his bokken into the soft soil to halt himself in place. Ken's chest was rising up and down at a fast rate.
Sensei shook his head, "Heart can only take you so far, boy."
Ken glanced up with a smile, "That's the only way I know how to keep going."
Ken let out a courageous cry and charged once again. Sensei looked annoyed, He slashed upwards at Kens face. Ken was there one second, then gone the next.
Ken somersaulted under Sensei's legs to avoid the attack. Ken hopped back to his feet sluggishly, gripping left abdomen.
Ken clenched his teeth, "Darn it!"
The instructor feigned a stab at his face, and Ken who was still clutching his left rib, was nearly caught off guard. He utterly bought it, bringing his guard high up. The instructor shrank down into a crouch and swept Ken's feet. Ken fell hard. You could hear him gasp for air.
The instructor slid the bokuto, hovering inches away from his neck.
The instructor shook his head in disappointment. "Ken, you hesitate too much. You could've dodged and landed a strike of your own. Defense is good when you have the right technique. However, you always fall victim to feints. Dodging will always trump defense."
"Yes, Sensei, now can I get up?" Ken said sharply
Sensei sighed, sheathing the bokuto, "I will admit, that somersault you did wasn't half bad.
Ken's eyes glowed at the praise. He bowed and Sensei returned the bow.
Leo, you're up. Show your pathetic brother how it's done." Sensei stretched like he was preparing for a deathmatch.
Ken walked up to Leo, his fist outstretched, "Hey, I don't care what father says, big bro, go all out."
Leo bumped Ken's fist. "Always."
Leo took his stance, and he took a deep breath. He slid his left hand to his waist, where his sheathed metal bunted iaito, and let his grip around the metal sheath reassure him. He brought his right hand, hovering over the handle. Sensei undauntedly held his wooden bokuto and leaned back, putting all his weight on his left back foot, twitching. You could almost cut the air with a knife with all the tension. A single bird chirp pierces the silence, and all at once, movement broke out again. Sensei charged at Leo like a jaguar pouncing at incredible agility. Leo bounced back, landing on the thick bamboo tree behind him, and jumped to meet Sensei's attack.
KLANG!!
Sensei landed on his feet, but to his surprise, Leo was nowhere to be found. Rustling from the branches made him bring his guard high up. Like a falcon diving down on its prey, Leo dove down from above, his sword still sheathed. As he plummeted, closing the gap. Leo drew his blade in the last second and met Sensei's bokuto defensive guard.
SNAP!
The wooden sword in Sensei's hands was nothing more than a handle; the other half, the wooden blade, lay defeated on the forest floor. Leo had his iaito's blade point directly at Sensei's chest.
Sensei smiled, "Masterful work, I expected no less from a prodigy."
Leo sheaths his iaito and then bows his head and does the right fist left palm gesture, "Arigato Sensei, it was an honor to battle you."
Sensei laughs and then returns the gesture," The honor was all mine."
Ken rushed the field. "Wait, wait, hold on, Leo, when did you get up to that branch?"
Leo smirked, "You doze off during the match, Kenny."
Ken stared incredulously, "Bruh, y'all were moving so fast I couldn't keep up."
Sensei shook his head, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'll explain, before Leo and I clashed the first time, he bounced back on the bamboo tree for what reason, Ken?"
"More velocity and also so as to avoid the wet grass?"
Sensei nods in amazement," Correct, maybe I judged you too harshly. But we clashed, and with Leo's newfound speed, he matched my power even though I obviously weigh more than Leo. However, that change and match for speed will only last for a moment before he gets overpowered again, since we were at a standstill. Now the question is, what did Leo do to get himself up in the branches?"
Ken was stumped, itching his head.
Sensei pats Ken's shoulder, "It's cool, I didn't make sense of it until now." he glances at Leo, o"Enlighten us, Leonardo ."
"Sensei's slash attack was upward, so I twisted my blade from the edge to the side, so I parried off his energy and let it carry and flow me to the tallest tree branch available. Then I let gravity do the rest."
Ken's eyes widened. "So you used Sensei's swing against him, then used your own fall to boost your power in your slash."
Leo nodded, "Yup, the only thing left to do for me was draw my blade at the right time. Cuz any earlier and sensei could've read my attack and parried it and then slammed me, right sensei?"
Sensei shook his head with a huge smile on his face." Honestly, no, I had no idea. From my line of vision, I thought I blew past you, and you were on the ground behind me. I saw you change the way you held the blade. But I thought you were trying to minimize the damage. You surpassed your limits, Leo. You've brought great honor to me. You used your surroundings to your advantage and used my own attack to your setup for the final blow. You will be a warrior the world will never forget."
Ken cleared his throat.
Sensei chuckled, "You as well, Kenneth. You and Leonardo will leave your mark on this world."
BZZZZZZZ
Sensei took his phone out of his pocket and frowned. "Class dismissed, " and he took off. His wooden bokuto clattered on the ground in two broken pieces as the evening sun's glow shone on the dark brown wood.
***
The sun had started to set, a dark purple blanket covering the skies with twinkling stars spread across the horizon. Leo and Ken lay on their backs on the grassy plains near the bamboo forest, staring at the black sky.
"Ya know Sensei went back to work," Ken said while fiddling with the broken bokuto.
Leo sighs, "I know, he's out there trying to bring an end to the war and bring peace to our realms and maybe even the world."
Ken glances down. "I know he will have our dad, Mama, and Izumi with them. Who's strong enough to take them?"
Leo stares at the sky." I don't know, Kenny, the winds blow every way. Like rowing a boat, we enter the future backwards. All we see are the scenes of the past, and no one can see the views of tomorrow."
Ken stares incredulously at Leo, "English, please."
Leo rolled his eyes, "We'll just have to have faith and believe that the Tao will guide them to victory. If not, we take over and finish what they started."
Ken nods, "Now you're speaking my language! Kenny and Leo! Whooping ass and giving everybody that work!
Right there and then, a massive white streak zoomed across the sky like an arrow, except it was burning white.
"A shooting star! Make a wish!" The 2 brothers said in unison.
After 5 seconds of silence, Ken broke the silence. "What'd you wish for, big bro?"
"I wish for one day you and I to go out there and bring about world peace and end this war and unite the world into the next era, that way no one else will suffer," Leo said
Ken smiled, "That's what I wished too."
Leo sat up. "For us to do that, we have to be much stronger, ya hear me, Kenny."
Kenny elbowed me, "Better watch out, big bro, imma surpass sensei and even you to take first place!"
Leo smirked, "Word? Better get your game on, my katana play is still better than yours. Don't think just cuz I'm mastering iaido doesn't mean I can't go blade to blade with you in kenjutsu and battojutsu."
Ken huffs, "Believe it! I'mma surpass you and be the new Shadow lord after Father!"
I noogied Ken's head, "That's my brother."
"Leo! Ken! Dinner is ready!" Called the guardian.
Leo barks, "Last one there washes the others' dishes!" and begins dashing down the hill.
"Hey cheater, wait up!" Ken chases after him.
Unbeknownst to the two brothers, the shooting star wish would deepen their bond and push them into the future no one ever saw coming.