Japanese Warrior

Chapter 4

     "Shaardul," The blade slid across the other in a bloke, a shower of sparks rained down on the ground. "Yes?" His voice was even, he had been sparring for over an hour. "It's time to eat, lets go." With a twist of his wrist, the boy disarmed his opponent. The younger boy dropped to his knees panting, "How...Can...you...not...be...breaking...even...a...sweat...?" His shoulder length hair was wet with sweat, his dark eyes wide with tire. Shaardul stayed standing and put away his sword with a shrug, "I've just had more practice."

     Shaardul's hair was long and would go down to his waist if he hadn't kept in a tail, his eyes narrow and blood red. At twenty-three he was in charge of the family dojo, teaching others to fight with hands and swords. He offered his hand to the young student, "Yoshi, come on." Yoshi not only being a student was also Shaardul's cousin, they turned to the house, in the doorway was Shaardul's reason for staying in his home country Akiye, his wife. Her hair was long and silky black, her eyes dark and skin pale. She was a native Japanese, just as Shaardul and his family were.

     Inside she had dinner with tea set for six. After they were seated, Daichi and Chihiro walked into the room. As the lord and his wife, they were stiffed backed and formal. The sixth never showed.

     No one mentioned it through the silent meal, and after finishing the women cleaned up and the men sat enjoying the steaming tea. "You are getting sloppy, son." Daichi said, his voice was quiet but sounded loud in the, otherwise, soundless room. "Not in the slightest, father." Shaardul's voice was barely a whisper with the underlying threat, he gazed at his father the way a cat might an interesting object.

     His father Puffed up his chest, "Yes, you are. Yoshi almost disarmed you twice, in a single lesson." Yoshi blushed, "May I speak?" Daichi nodded, "Thank you. Sir, Shaardul does this every so often when he thinks I am not giving it my all, to help with my confidence so that I will keep training." Daichi looked from his son to his nephew, "Is this true?" He was angry, "Are you allowing a child to build up false confidence so that he will only further injure his pride when he can not win?" 

     Shaardul sighed and stood, "Excuse me." and left. Akiye soon meet with him outside and he held her around the waist, "Lets leave." She smiled and kissed his cheek, "And go where? America? China? Korea? We will not be able to stay longer than allowed for tourist." He leaned his forehead against hers, "We can become travelers and see everything." She laughed, "Oh really, and how would we afford all this, my job at the grill hardly pays, and I know for a fact teachers don't get paid much." She had won once more, but no bitter feeling were held, they went inside and said their goodbyes, then walked home together.

     That night Akiye slept peacefully in bed, Shaardul slipped out of the apartment and to the street. It was a long walk, but for him a short run, to the zoo. Carefully he slid through the bars of the gate and inside the gate and strolled down the path to the tiger exhibit. He leaned against the glass walling and relaxed his mind and body, slowly, like stretching, until he fit into his new shape, a white tiger with red eyes. He had been able to do this since he was eighteen and had kept it a secret for everyone, even Akiye. 

     Because of his ability, even in human form he could smell, hear, and see as well as he could as a tiger, what he smelled when about his wife  months, something he didn't even know is she had realized at the time. Shaardul was of course happy about it, but worried about Akiye, what if something went wrong, what if she got sick, what would happen to her and the baby? Thats why he went out every night to be a tiger, to work off and think through his worries. He wasn't sure why the zoo, there use to be a tiger in the exhibit, now it was empty due to the tiger dying of old age.

     In the exhibit he ran and jumped around, sweating away all his humanity, allowing the tiger in him to take over. It ran and pounced on leaves like a house cat, climbed up the tree and lept over the water pool. It was early morning when Shaardul walked back home, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, the pale orange light made it seem as if the pink cherry trees had burst into flames. It was a wonderful time of day to be out and looking around.

     Once he was inside he heard Akiye scream. He ran into the bedroom to find her standing and half dressed. "Are you okay?" He rushed over to her, she seemed to be having trouble standing. "We need to get to the doctor, now would be good." He nodded and helped her finish getting dressed, slowly they went down to the car where he helped her into the back seat. It wasn't far to the hospital and once there he waved a nurse over, "May I help you?" 

     Akiye responded by throwing up blood.

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