by Jon F. Merz
It would be so easy, he thought. Just give in and black out. Maybe then Hideaki would leave him alone.
Or maybe he’d kill me.
Jimmy frowned. Where was Vanessa? Couldn’t she see this happening? Wouldn’t she put an end to this? Hideaki was trying to kill him, for crying out loud!
Jimmy groaned and cracked his eyes open. Hideaki’s face came into view, hovering over him.
“You don’t get out of this so easily, boy.”
Jimmy shot his fist up toward Hideaki’s face, but Hideaki merely batted it away and then headbutted Jimmy above his right eyebrow. Jimmy’s head exploded in pain.
Hideaki’s hands found their way to Jimmy’s neck and started squeezing. Jimmy gagged and tried to rake them free, but Hideaki’s grip seemed unbreakable. His eyes gleamed.
He’s enjoying this, thought Jimmy. He’s actually enjoying strangling me.
Was this how it was going to end? He hadn’t even been a real ninja yet and here he was on the deck of a freighter in the middle of the Pacific Ocean being beaten to a pulp by some Japanese kid he’d never meant to annoy.
Jimmy fought for breath; the blackness seemed to be spreading inward to claim him now.
He grunted and then felt a heat in the pit of his stomach start to grow and radiate out to his limbs.
No!
Jimmy bucked his hips and as he did so, he shot another hand up toward Hideaki’s face, searching for his eyeball. His fingernails curved and Jimmy blinked through the pain to feel something soft and jelly-like. He jerked his hand down and felt Hideaki stiffen slightly and then roll free.
Jimmy got to his feet, sucking wind into his starved lungs. He wanted to vomit, but choked it back down.
Across from him, Hideaki kept a hand over his left eye. He looked at Jimmy and the smile was gone now.
“So, there is a little something in there, after all.”
Jimmy stood up to his full height, feeling his heart thunder in his chest. “There is.”
Hideaki nodded. “Good. Let’s finish this.”
He leapt in the air and flew at Jimmy with a jumping side kick. But Jimmy moved to the right and punched into Hideaki’s exposed lower back as he sailed by.
Hideaki grunted and collapsed on the deck. He rolled over and got to his feet, a bit shakier now.
Jimmy could see blood flowing down the left side of Hideaki’s face. It splattered his shirt and Jimmy could smell it on the salty air.
Hideaki screamed and attacked again and again, trying to drive Jimmy back. But now Jimmy’s body seemed to be acting on its own. As Hideaki came in, Jimmy angled back and out of reach before countering with solid strikes to Hideaki’s exposed weak points.
Hideaki reacted to the counters but by then Jimmy had already moved again, choosing his attacks when he saw Hideaki expose himself. Hideaki was now on the defensive and Jimmy felt the heat in his body firing his limbs like nothing he’d ever experienced before. He was exhausted beyond belief but his body kept going, attacking Hideaki and giving him no quarter.
Hideaki attempted one final half-hearted attack in the form of a straight punch at Jimmy’s head. Jimmy caught his wrist and then pivoted as he swept Hideaki’s arm up and in a counterclockwise direction, affecting the outward wristlock.
Hideaki went with the lock and vaulted to the side, but he seemed to have mistimed it; his head bounced off the steel plate and he grunted and then lay still.
Jimmy saw that Hideaki was out cold. Was it a trick? Should Jimmy just go ahead and kick him in the face to be sure he was done? Yeah, that would be good-
“Enough.”
Vanessa’s voice cut through the adrenaline surging through Jimmy’s body. He looked up and saw her standing six feet away with her arms folded. Her eyes were cold and discerning. But there was also a small glint of pride in them.
“You saw it?” Jimmy gasped for oxygen, feeling his legs buckle as he sank to the deck.
Vanessa nodded. “I did.”
“Good,” said Jimmy. “”Cause I’m gonna pass out now.”
And then he gave himself over to the blackness.
Chapter Sixteen
“Are you all right now?”
Jimmy’s eyes fluttered open and he instantly blinked them back shut, shielding them from the sun overhead. He turned his head slightly and tried again.
This time, Vanessa’s face swam into view. He could see the mixture of pride and concern battling for dominance. Her smile beat them both. “Welcome back, Jimmy.”
He groaned and rolled over, feeling like he wanted to heave out everything in his stomach that he’d eaten for the past month. “Ugh.”
“That’s to be expected.”
He glanced at her. “It is?”
“Adrenaline dump. It makes you feel like you’ve got to go to the bathroom, puke, and a dozen other nasty things. It happens.”
“I thought I’d already experienced that when I dealt with Hideaki in the corridor of the ship a few days back.”
Vanessa nodded. “You got a taste of it. But you didn’t actually fight then, did you?”
“No.”
“Exactly. When it happens for real, there’s a big difference.”
Jimmy groaned again. “Wonderful.”
“You hungry?”
He winced. “You’re not serious.”
“You’d be surprised what a good meal will do for you after something like that, Jimmy.”
Jimmy shook his head. “Maybe some water.”
Vanessa produced a bottle and held it up to his lips. Jimmy sucked in some of the cold liquid and felt it wash down his throat. He chocked back the urge to gag it back up and frowned. “How long does this adrenaline dump last?”
“Depends on the person. But since it’s your first time, I’d say you might have it for a half hour or so.”
“That long?”
“It won’t last that long in the future.”
“Swell. You mean this thing always happens?”
Vanessa smiled some more. “Doesn’t matter how experienced you get, those butterflies will always be there and afterwards, you’ll have to deal with this. Just get used to it. It’s your body’s way of telling you you just survived some truly heinous stuff and you should be grateful that you’re still alive.”
“I am grateful,” said Jimmy. “Very much so.”
Vanessa nodded. “Good, can you look after yourself?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess so.”
“Good, I’ve got to tend to Hideaki.”
“Tend to-?” Jimmy frowned. “Why would you even care about that guy? He tried to kill me.”
Vanessa shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous, Jimmy. He wasn’t trying to kill you. He was testing you.”
“Testing…” Jimmy’s voice trailed off. “You mean-?”
Vanessa’s face softened. “I’m sorry, Jimmy. We had to be sure you could handle yourself.”
“You set the whole thing up?”
“Yes.” Vanessa watched him carefully. “I hope you can understand why we did it.”
Jimmy thought about Hideaki and the run-ins they’d had. Each one had seemed coincidental, but now looking back, Jimmy could se they’d been carefully calculated to put additional pressure on him.
He sighed. His entire body ached. “I don’t like it. But I guess I can understand why.”
“Good. You gave him a pretty good beating there at the end.”
“He beat the snot out of me first.”
Vanessa laughed. “That he did. But you’re none the worse for wear, despite how you might be feeling. Hideaki was under orders to do no permanent damage to you, just test you out on a number of levels.”
“Like what?”
“Most importantly your ability to respond to a surprise attack.” She winked. “That needs a bit of work.”
“I wasn’t expecting it, that’s for sure.”
“Exactly.” She helped Jimmy off the deck and they started walking back toward the superstructure. “He also wanted
to see how far you could be pushed until you truly started to fight back.”
“And how did I do on that part?”
“You took an awful lot of punishment before you switched on.”
“Tell me about it.”
Vanessa shrugged. “It does sometimes take a while to break through.”
“Break through?”
“We’re conditioned as members of upstanding civilization to not naturally want to beat the stuffing out of each other. While a lot of people claim to be ready to fight without notice, the truth is those societal laws tend to go a lot deeper than any of us think. In order to reach down in there and get the warrior out, you have to put a person under a lot of extreme duress.”
“Extreme is a good way of putting it.” Jimmy shook his head. “He really seemed to be wanting to kill me.”
“That was the intention he was giving off. And for good reason, you need to know what that feels like. It will help you differentiate from a silly schoolyard brawl and a true professional out to kill you.”
"Yeah, but I already dealt with those other guys. This was different."
"Exactly. You remember how I asked you why you seemed more concerned about Hideaki despite the run-ins you'd already endured?"
"Yeah."
Vanessa smiled. "No fight unfolds the same as others. No enemy is the same as the others. You've got to understand that in the course of restoring the Matsuda-ryu to its former glory, you will undoubtedly run across the entire spectrum of foes. Hideaki is here to make sure you minimize your vulnerabilities as much as possible."
Jimmy frowned. "He certainly seemed to relish his job."
"He's an orphan, Jimmy. Like you."
They reached the superstructure and Vanessa led them down the corridor to the stairwell. “You could just go for lunch now if you want. You must be starving by now.”
On cue, Jimmy’s stomach grumbled. The nausea seemed to have dissipated and he was left with a gnawing sensation in the pit of his belly. “I am hungry, after all.”
“And afterwards, you’ll need a nap. I’d imagine you’re quite knackered after that little display.”
Jimmy grinned. “Knackered?”
“Don’t mock your teacher, it’s not good form.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Vanessa paused. “So, are you going to get lunch then?”
Jimmy frowned. “I thought you were going to check on Hideaki.”
“I am.”
Jimmy nodded. “Then I’ll come with you.”
Vanessa’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure about that? Maybe some time away from him would be the best thing right now.”
“Why? I know he’s not the jerk I thought he was an hour ago. Besides, I’d like to see him.”
“All right then. Follow me.”
Vanessa led them down the stairs to the area below the main deck. Most of the crew slept above the main deck where the rest of passenger berths were housed. But for some reason Vanessa led him deeper into the ship.
“I thought it best if Hideaki remained out of sight whenever he wasn’t directly harassing you.”
“So you kept him down here?”
“He doesn’t mind. In fact, he’s rather used to it.”
They turned a corner and entered a huge cavernous area riddled with pipes and gangways of varying sizes. The sounds of the engines could be heard through the thinner steel walls. Vanessa headed for a small cabin door on the opposite side of the ship.
At the door she knocked once and then waited. Jimmy thought he could hear a soft voice answer from inside.
Opening the door, Vanessa stepped in and then waited for Jimmy to do the same before pulling the door shut behind them.
“Look who’s here.”
Jimmy glanced down at Hideaki stretched out on the bed. A bandage covered his left eye and Jimmy had a vivid flashback to the move he’d done aimed at ripping Hideaki’s eye out of his head.
“Did I do that?”
Hideaki touched the side of his face and grinned. “Yes, you did.”
Hideaki’s accent had vanished. Jimmy frowned. “Who exactly are you?”
Vanessa smiled. “Meet Hideaki Tanemura. He's eighteen years old. From Kita Narashino in Tokyo."
Hideaki held out his hand to Jimmy. "It's good to meet you properly, at last."
Jimmy shook his hand and smiled. "Likewise."
"Hideaki came to our attention a few years back and he's a tremendous fighter. Truly a natural at unarmed combat."
Hideaki tried to brush off the praise but Jimmy could tell he enjoyed it. After Vanessa finished, he held up his hand and pointed at Jimmy. "Kid's not bad, V."
Vanessa sighed. "Don’t go giving him a swollen head with your praise.”
“He nearly did that anyway,” said Jimmy, remembering the kicks to his head. He brought one hand up and winced at the touch of the bruise growing on his temple.
Hideaki held up a hand. “Sorry about that." He paused. "I hope it didn’t hurt too much.”
Jimmy shrugged. “I’m really sorry about your eye.”
“It’s nothing.”
Jimmy shook his head. “No, really. I think I might have gone too far with that move.”
Hideaki’s face grew serious. “You went exactly where you were supposed to go, Jimmy. You were, in your mind, fighting for your life. When it comes down to that, there’s no such thing as going too far. If you hold back, you might die.”
“Yeah, but your eye – I mean, I didn’t know that you were a good guy. I thought you were trying to kill me.”
Hideaki reached up and pulled the bandage off his face. Jimmy saw the gauze come away, stained red.
But Hideaki’s eye was fine.
A red streak scored Hideaki’s face just below the eyelid to mid-cheek. Jimmy breathed again. “Your eye is okay?”
Vanessa smiled. “Chalk it up to the fact that Hideaki is far more experienced that you, Jimmy. He knew you’d go for his eye and when you struck, he turned just enough to protect himself. But it was a good strike anyway. As you can see, you nailed him pretty well all things considered.”
“Are those stitches?”
Hideaki grinned. “Never had them in my eyelid before. That’s some kind of new painful sensation.”
“Oh man.”
Hideaki laughed. “Forget about it.” He held out his right hand to Jimmy. “I hope you can forgive me for being a real scumbag to you these last few weeks.”
Jimmy grabbed his hand and shook it. “As long as you can forgive me for almost tearing your eyeball out of your head.”
Hideaki glanced at Vanessa. “Seems like a fair trade, what do you think?”
“Fine with me.” Vanessa glanced around the tiny cluttered cabin. “We’re going to have to get you moved up to a proper cabin now that this charade is done with.”
Hideaki frowned. “What – you don’t think much of my interior decorating? I mean, it’s a little cramped and all, but-“
“As soon as you’re feeling up to it,” said Vanessa. “You should be up top with us.”
“All right.”
Jimmy’s stomach grumbled impatiently. Vanessa looked at him. “Sounds like you’re ready for that meal now.”
“I’d say so.”
Hideaki nodded. “Always good to get some food in. You’d be surprised how much fighting takes out of you. Gotta be sure to replenish the stores you exhaust, otherwise the ol’ engine won’t run.”
“You coming?”
Hideaki looked at him. “Me?”
Jimmy nodded. “Yeah. If I’m hungry, you must be, too.”
“I could eat,” Hideaki admitted.
“Good,” said Jimmy. “In that case we can all eat together. Only this time, we do it as friends.”
Chapter Seventeen
It was as if Jimmy had passed some sort of turning point in his training. Not that he knew everything that he needed to know, but Vanessa started treating him a bit differently. She no longer drilled him for countl
ess hours, but trusted that Jimmy would continue to train on his own until he had gotten the techniques down that she wanted him to work on. Interestingly enough, Jimmy did just that. Deep down, he felt as though the confrontation with Hideaki had proved something, not just to himself, but to Vanessa as well.
Maybe she was looking to see if I had what it takes to do whatever things she has planned for me, he thought one day as he worked out in the fading sunlight. Already the westward sky was streaked with red and deep purples as the night drew closer. Jimmy found he liked this time of day best. He could see the lengthening shadows and almost imagine himself disappearing into them.
The hanbo had become almost second nature to him now. It was an extension of his body and he moved easily through a number of practice movements over and over again. The more he practiced, he told himself, the more his body would be able to pull the techniques out without thinking about them. He would respond as he was supposed to, depending on whatever situation presented itself to him.
Hideaki spent a lot more time with him now as well. He didn’t study the same martial art that Jimmy and Vanessa did, but Vanessa stressed the importance of getting Hideaki to expound upon his various experiences.
“You’ll come up against a lot of skilled fighters. And each martial art has its advantages and disadvantages. The more widely you study fighting, the better off you’ll be. Those who seek knowledge in only one area are doomed to be one-dimensional fighters at best.”
“So you want me to study the other styles as well?”
“Only enough to know what they’re capable of. The style I’m teaching you has more knowledge contained within its nine families than any other art. But even still, you need to know what a Muay Thai clinch is like or how a mixed martial artists bridges the gap and goes for a takedown. If you don’t then you’ll never be able to combat them effectively.”
And so every evening after dinner, Hideaki would show Jimmy techniques from his playbook. Hideaki studied the Indonesian style Pentjak Silat. Jimmy found his perspective fascinating and took pains to ask him tons of questions.
Hideaki was generous with his knowledge, showing Jimmy the key elements of his style and then exposing him to some other arts that he knew a little about.