The Karate Kid (Emily)

[Ryuu]

Ryuu was kneeling down in front of his mother's picture located on the altar located inside the dojo he was in. There was another picture of his mother on the family altar inside the house, but this one was specifically for Ryuu. His eyes were closed, as he sent his greetings to his mother, he did this every day, as soon as he came home from his club or practice, Ryuu would go to the dojo his sister had built for Ryuu located behind their house. His sister had bought this piece of land not because she liked the house, but specifically because the size of it was quite large, which made it perfect to build a dojo for Ryuu to practice in. The house itself was not large, it was only a three room house. Two of the rooms were his and his sister's bedroom, both with en suite bathrooms, and the other room was a guest bedroom, with an en suite bathroom as well. The kitchen made up the majority of the house, with the dining room in the same area as the kitchen, and the living room was medium sized. Outside, in the back, there was a swimming pool, and right beside it, was the dojo Ryuu was in. He was waiting for Emily to arrive, so they could begin the training she had told him about.

- 40 minutes ago -

Ryuu, as soon as he got home, went straight to his room, he tossed his bag on his bed and changed out of his school clothes into his training clothes, which was his karate uniform. He then headed out of the house, and into the backyard, walking down the path leading to the dojo located by the pool. Before he began his daily practice however, he sent Emily a text message. The text message said:

Hey Emily,

If you're not busy and it's okay with you, could you come over to my house to start the training you mentioned early today?

-Ryuu

P.S. Don't worry about transportation, I got it covered.

As soon as Ryuu sent Emily the message, a limousine left Ryuu's house, heading to where Emily lived. After all, she was his leader, and besides, it would save her the trouble of walking or taking a taxi to reach his house. How did Ryuu find out where Emily lived? Simple. He asked her where she lived. Duh. It would take about 20 minutes to reach her house, and another 20 minutes to bring her to his house. During that time, he prayed at the kamidana located in front of the dojo entrance, before he started his practice in both kendo and karate. By the time he was finished, 40 minutes had already passed. He dragged the training dummy that was off to the side away, and then the Muk Yan Jong or wooden dummy he had been striking away. Once that was done, he moved to the back of the dojo, and kneeled down in front of the picture of his mother, bowing respectfully to her, before sending his greetings to her, and offering a pray to her, as he always did everyday. He missed her terribly, but knew she was now in a place where she was free of pain, and she could watch over him and Kyoko.

- Present -

Ryuu's back was facing the door, and because his eyes were closed, and he was intently focused on sending his prayers to his mother, that he did not hear the footsteps coming down the path, that eventually stopped in front of the door, or the door opening and closing. Even when whoever it was came walking up to him, and stopped behind him, he still did not turn around. He was oblivious to everything around him, and the only thing he was worried about, was what he was doing currently.

[seishounohana]

Emily had been waiting again that day, and came home later than planned. It was a good twenty-seven minutes outside of the school, looking around for a white-haired german to come stumbling in, which was of course, in vain. He was no where in sight, and that meant another day of worry for the girl.

She unlocked the door to her house, shutting it softly. Emily had an urge to say "Tadaima", but then again, there was no point in doing so: she lived alone. Sighing, she locked the door and headed upstairs to her room to put her bag right at her desk.

It was probably the only thing that was a mess in the entire house.

She wanted to lie down and get some rest.

Some well deserved rest.

Until her phone rang.

Groaning, she took the phone from her pocket and saw the message. It was from Ryuu. Alas, yes. Training. Transportation was covered? What did he mean by that?

...

Emily looked outside. Her guess was right. There was a limousine outside of her house. She blinked. Just how many rich kids were there in public schools nowadays? God knows they could've gone to better private schools.

She sighed again. Guess she would have to save rest for later. Emily headed back downstairs and bowed before a certain altar by the living room.

She stared at the pictures by the altar. One was a family picture of her, Rem and the Aoyamas; the other was of her and her biological parents. Her Aunt and Uncle had given it to her after she moved out of their home a week ago.

Who knew that four years later after that photo was taken, that she would cause the death of her own parents?

No. There was no time to think of that.

She stepped out of the house and made herself known to the driver. Everything was simple enough.

It didn't take long for Emily to be led to another great estate. Boy, was this kid loaded. She was eventually led to the Dojo, where one of his attendants closed the door after she had entered.

"... What sort of training would you want?"

[Ryuu]

"... What sort of training would you want?" As soon as Ryuu heard the voice behind him, Ryuu slowly opened his eyes, and stayed where he was for a minute, before getting to his feet, and turned around to face Emily. He then bowed to her slightly, before speaking. "It does not matter what kind of training I receive. All I know is, I wish to become stronger, to protect my father and older sister, and Emi." Ryuu then folded his arms casually over his chest, as he continued to look straight at Emily. "I am sorry for calling you here on such short notice, you are probably exhausted from such a long day." Ryuu bowed once more to Emily, showing how bad he felt for calling her here in such a short amount of time. "If I could ask for you to come at another time, I would, but unfortunately, I noticed something, something that canot be ignored." Ryuu said, as he turned and walked to the window, looking out of it, before turning back and facing Emily once more.

"Militia, seems to be falling apart. There seems to be factions breaking off in regards to who should be the leader of it, and that alone, will make Militia crumble and fall. I have only been to that one meeting, but I noticed that right away."

Ryuu folded his arms across his chest once more, as he carefully stared into empty space, like he was contemplating. "Perhaps I am speaking of matters that I do not understand fully, but it cannot be ignored, at least, from what I observed. But no matter, Emily," Ryuu looked up and looked directly at her, his gaze never wavering, "You are the only one whom I am loyal to. But this is not a case of, who is the strongest, and who I can get the most help from, no, you have my loyalty, because I respect you. You are determined, and unwavering in your ideal for Militia. I respect that. I want to get stronger, but not for the simple sake of becoming stronger, but to be able to help and protect those who I care about. It does not matter what kind of training I am put through, if I can do that, then the training, no matter how harsh it will be, will be worth it."

[seishounohana]

Aye, it seems as if Ryuu had noticed it as well. It was more or less the fault of Rem, the boy Emily had once called a brother. She still did, though, but his change seemed to put him off in the eyes of his younger adoptive sister, and she wasn't at all pleased with the change.

She somehow missed the hyper, chocobo-loving youth that was Rem before, but it was too late. It was all because of Delilah.

That woman will have to explain to her a lot of things, as soon as she transfers. A lot of things.

And then, Ryuu began: "Perhaps I am speaking of matters that I do not understand fully, but it cannot be ignored, at least, from what I observed. But no matter, Emily, You are the only one whom I am loyal to. But this is not a case of, who is the strongest, and who I can get the most help from, no, you have my loyalty, because I respect you. You are determined, and unwavering in your ideal for Militia. I respect that. I want to get stronger, but not for the simple sake of becoming stronger, but to be able to help and protect those who I care about. It does not matter what kind of training I am put through, if I can do that, then the training, no matter how harsh it will be, will be worth it."

Emily returned Ryuu's gaze. Yes, she was a determined young woman, whose ideals and emotions lead her to become a person whose say in Militia was somewhat significant. Though, she knew very well, that the foundation of this organization was still far, far away from where they were.

For a moment there, Ryuu reminded Emily of Trizen. Trizen was another Japanese youth whom She and David had placed interest in, and it was apparent that the japanese populace of 42 was of a significant amount. It would be convenient, as communication could be as covert as they pleased. It would be useful in the future.

"So, so you want strength...?" She folded her arms above her chest, "What sort of strength do you look for? Physical strength? Political strength? Strength comes in different mediums." she trailed off, "Ryuu, I'm thankful that you say that you are loyal to me. I appreciate that, however -- you must realize that my ability to train you is limited; I, too, have much to learn."

[Ryuu]

"So, so you want strength...?" Ryuu saw Emily fold her arms above her chest, returning the gaze she had given him a bit ago, "What sort of strength do you look for? Physical strength? Political strength? Strength comes in different mediums." Ryuu heard her trail off, "Ryuu, I'm thankful that you say that you are loyal to me. I appreciate that, however -- you must realize that my ability to train you is limited; I, too, have much to learn." "Yes, I seek strength, but not just physical strength, I seek to improve both physically and mentally. I wish to hone both of those, but most of all, I wish to seek the ability to understand the point of view of my opponent, what is it they are fighting for, are they fighting for the right reasons, or for the wrong reasons." Ryuu turned his head to look outside briefly, before looking back at Emily. "I understand your ability to train me is limited," Ryuu shook his head in understanding, "However, since the both of us are learning, perhaps we can learn together, not as a student and teacher, or master and minion, but as equals.

I realize just because you hold a high position in Militia, does not mean you know everything. Because at the end of day, no matter how much power or influence you hold, the fact is, we're all still teenagers, just trying to find our way in this frakkin' world."

Ryuu paused for a moment to contemplate, before speaking. "None of us know everything, the fact is, there is much more for us to discover and learn. No matter how much you know, there will always be more to learn. As such, this applies to Militia. There is much for us to learn, and unfortunately, uniting as one, instead of breaking into factions, is something yet to be learned. Determination is a good thing to have, but it can only help you so much. Emily, I know how determined you are to keep "Unfettered's" vision and ideal alive, but without an adequate amount of people to aid you, that vision will eventually fade away. Of course, I don't plan on letting it fade. But at this point, I don't know whom is united with whom anymore. I was not at 259 when Militia was established, so I only know who was part of Militia, at the meeting. This vision, this ideal, is something I wouldn't mind seeing established, if possible."

[seishounohana]

Emily thought for a moment before she replied. It seems as if Ryuu had put a lot of thought onto all of this, and it seemed as if she was the go-to person when it came to Militia nowadays; not that she had a complaint, not like she had anything else to do for Militia. "There is no right and wrong reason, Ryuu." she told him, sharing her point of view, "They have their beliefs, we have ours. The only thing that conflicts is the means of which we wish to attain our goals."

She began fiddling with her belt, taking her fans off it's hold. "As long as our goals are the same, we are one -- regardless of the factions. The people that follow me are in itself a faction of Militia, but I believe in Gabriel's ability to hold us up until "Unfettered" returns. He has been, after all, who "Unfettered" himself declared as his strategist." She shrugged, opening her fan. "Rem's just loud."

She looked back at the young man sitting on the floor, "Stand up." Emily said, tossing him one of her fans. "Have you fought with a fan before? Or at least heard of Tessenjutsu?"

[Ryuu]

"There is no right and wrong reason, Ryuu. They have their beliefs, we have ours. The only thing that conflicts is the means of which we wish to attain our goals." Ryuu saw her fiddle with her belt, and remove the fans that were attached to her belt off their hold, as Ryuu sat down on the floor cross-legged, looking curiously at her fans, he had noticed the fans on the belt when Emily had walked in, but didn't think much of them, until now. "As long as our goals are the same, we are one -- regardless of the factions. The people that follow me are in itself a faction of Militia, but I believe in Gabriel's ability to hold us up until "Unfettered" returns. He has been, after all, who "Unfettered" himself declared as his strategist." Ryuu merely nodded in acknowledgment at her as he saw her shrug before opening the fan, it's not that Ryuu didn't have anything to say, just, there was nothing for him to say.

"Rem's just loud." Had to agree with her on that one. He was loud. Ryuu saw her look back at him, as he looked back with a look of mild puzzlement on his face. "Stand up." Nodding, he stood up just as he saw her toss one of her fans to him, as he caught it, it was slightly heavy, before looking back at Emily, slightly puzzled. "Have you fought with a fan before? Or at least heard of Tessenjutsu?" "I have heard of Tessenjutsu before," Ryuu began, as he opened the fan up carefully, and began to analyze it, taking in and admiring every minuscule detail of the fan, "This fan, the detail on it is incredible." Ryuu then looked up, and fixed his gaze on Emily. "But no, I've never fought with a fan before." He admitted, as he closed the fan carefully, "I've only fought with a shinai and bokuto before, since I know kendo, which means I'm versed in kenjutsu I guess. But I'm willing to try to learn it." If Emily wanted, Ryuu would try to teach her some kendo, but only if she wanted, but for now, one thing at a time.

[seishounohana]

Yes, her fans were weighed a significant amount, and one may realize how easily she carries it around with one hand each. Most would have their arms begin shaking on the first few times of use. "This fan, the detail on it is incredible." Emily smiled, these fans were given to her by Layla after all. The details gave the weapons their artistic value, and it appealed to Emily. "But no, I've never fought with a fan before. I've only fought with a shinai and bokuto before, since I know kendo, which means I'm versed in kenjutsu I guess. But I'm willing to try to learn it."

Emily nodded. "Teach me some swordsmanship, and I will teach you some double-wielding styles like Tessenjutsu." She smiled at the boy, "That should be a good trade."

[Ryuu]

The sheer weight of the fan greatly amazed Ryuu, because Emily carried around not one, but two of them, and she wielded one in each hand with such ease. It was absolutely astounding. Ryuu however, was used to lifting the heavy wooden bokuto, and wearing the heavy kendo gear, so both his arms, and his entire body for that matter, had been conditioned for such weight, so he was able to hold the fan in one hand without having his arms start to shake from the weight of it. As he commented on the detail on the fan, he saw Emily smile, the artistic detail on the fan was quite amazing. But Ryuu, though he was trained in kendo and kenjutsu, had never fought with a fan before. "Teach me some swordsmanship, and I will teach you some double-wielding styles like Tessenjutsu." Ryuu returned Emily's smile, as he nodded.

"That should be a good trade."

Ryuu nodded, "Agreed. You teach me Tessenjutsu first, and then after, I'll teach you kenjutsu. In this, the both of us will have learned and experienced something new." With that said, Ryuu would then move forward, and ended up standing in front of Emily, his back to the altar. "Whenever you're ready... Sensei." He said, adding the last part in teasingly, no, he didn't think of Emily as his sensei. They were equals, two teenagers learning all they could in this world, one helping the other.

[seishounohana]

"Whenever you're ready... Sensei." he said, teasing her with the "sensei" name. Emily chuckled and gave one short smile before she opened her mouth to speak. "Tessenjutsu is a rarely practiced sort of technique. I never really had proper training, so my style may differ from those who actually knew real tessenjutsu." She said, "The metal fan is both defensive and offensive, but requires a great deal of flexibility and agility to use."

After that short lecture, Emily smiled then rushed forward to try and slash him right at the temples of his head using the side of the metal fan. Should it miss, Emily would use the momentum of her movement and direction to try and do a butterfly kick towards Ryuu's head.

[Ryuu]

Ryuu just grinned even more as he heard Emily chuckle and give a short smile from him teasing her with the "sensei" name, as he grew serious almost immediately as he closed the fan up and saw her open her mouth to speak. "Tessenjutsu is a rarely practiced sort of technique. I never really had proper training, so my style may differ from those who actually knew real tessenjutsu. The metal fan is both defensive and offensive, but requires a great deal of flexibility and agility to use." After the short lecture, he saw her smile and rush forward to try and slash him right at the temples of his head using the side of the fan. Ryuu dodged the fan, barely though, as he received a shallow cut to his cheek. Not wasting any time, he saw Emily use the momentum of her movement and direction, and try to aim a butterfly kick towards his head.

Everyone he fought seems to gravitate towards hitting his head. Ryuu was prepared however, and snapped his left hand out, catching Emily's leg in his hand, though the impact made him wince slightly. Wasting no time, he then used the closed fan and attempted to slash Emily across the face like she tried to do to him, fully aware she still had use of both her arms, so to try and prevent her from counter-attacking, he threw the leg he had in his grasp back at her, trying to send her off-balance, as a result, the fan, instead of aiming at her face, would now be aiming for her mid-section, which is what Ryuu had planned all along. Raising his left hand up, Ryuu gently touched the cut on his cheek, wincing a bit, as some blood was left on his finger. That'll leave a mark all right. Going back into a stance, Ryuu held the fan in his right hand, prepared and waiting for Emily to make her move.

[seishounohana]

He was an impressive lad, she must admit. A quick thinker who would become a very powerful person in the future -- most likely even surpass Emily's own abilities. He had grabbed her by the leg after dodging the slash of her fan. Of course, Emily was just as quick, if not quicker.

As if in slow-mo, Emily would open her fan and moved it from her mid-section to her face, letting the flat surface act as a shield. This was an effort to parry the slash. As that was happening, she felt a tug on her leg. Her knees slightly bent as she would push against his chest and, yes -- as he planned he would be "thrown" away, but not pulled out of her balance.

She would roll on the floor, pivoting her body so that she would crouch around five feet away from him. The fan was unfolded by her hand as she said, "The fan can be used as a shield, if you haven't noticed." she said, standing up. "When I use both of my fans, I use them as twin daggers or a sword and shield at times. It depends."

[Ryuu]

Emily was fast, very fast. As if they were moving in slow-motion, he saw her open her fan and move it from her mid-section to her face, the flat surface acting as a shield, in an effort to parry his slash. As that happened however, Ryuu tugged on Emily's leg, her knees bent slightly as he felt her push against his chest, as he planned she was "thrown away," but not pulled out of her balance. He saw her roll on the floor, pivoting her body so that she ended up crouching around five feet away from him, the fan was unfolded by her hand, as Ryuu kept the fan in his hand closed, a bit of blood running down his face from the cut on his face. "The fan can be used as a shield, if you haven't noticed." He heard her say as he saw her stand up. "When I use both of my fans, I use them as twin daggers or a sword and shield at times. It depends." Ryuu nodded, as he looked at the fan in his hand.

"I see what you mean. It is very useful, both defensively and offensively. Although I've yet to find a weapon that can withstand my Qi," Ryuu said, as he stuck the fan underneath his arm, and clapped his hands together, before activating his Qi, as his eyes turned from gray to red, as his hands were engulfed in flames, "For some reason, every weapon I handle, ends up in flames." Ryuu then deactivated his Qi, the flames around his hands disappearing, as he pulled the fan out from under his arm, gripping it once more. He continued to keep it closed, though he would eventually open it, but for now, it was easier to use it in it's closed form. "Shall we?" He asked, facing Emily, bending down slightly, "It's your move."

[seishounohana]

"I see what you mean. It is very useful, both defensively and offensively. Although I've yet to find a weapon that can withstand my Qi," Emily raised her eyebrows.

"Your Qi?" His Qi? What was his qi? If it was anything like her own, he could find out the secrets of her fans sooner than he may think. Though, she'd leave that for him to find out. It was then when his hands burst into flames when he put them together. It looked like what Edward from Full Metal Alchemist would do. Heh, her thinking of manga again.

"For some reason, every weapon I handle, ends up in flames."

"Don't worry, it's made especially for withstanding fire."

"Shall we? It's your move." Emily shook her head and bent her knees, her body tensing as she expected anything.

"I've made mine, have you?"

[Ryuu]

"Your Qi?" Ryuu looked up and saw Emily raise her eyebrows, as he nodded back at her. "Yes, my Qi." He replied, as he clapped his hands together, much like Edward from Full Metal Alchemist did, except this ignited his hands on fire, as he commented that every weapon he handled ended up in flames. "Don't worry, it's made especially for withstanding fire." "I see..." Ryuu replied, looking at the fan, if what Emily said was true, and more than likely, it was, her Qi had something to do with fire, or at least, something along the lines of fire. Speculation is good, but he wouldn't assume anything, not until he got all the facts straight. But back to their spar, he saw Emily shake her head and bend her knees slightly, her body tensing up, as he went back into his stance. "I've made mine, have you?"

Ryuu actually smiled slightly, as he readied himself. "Touche... In that case..." He said, as he ran at her at a quick but consistent speed, one that would allow him to stop or change directions easily, "Prepare yourself." Engulfing his hands in fire, his eyes turning red once more, his right hand gripping the fan, Ryuu would launch a quick left jab, not to try and attack Emily, but to try and buy some time while he heated the metal part of the fan up, keeping it close to him in case he needed to defend against her attack. Of course, it would probably take some time for his Qi to heat the fan up, if it ever did. He knew Emily was much faster than he was, and his jab would more than likely be blocked. But it was worth a shot, right?

(OOC: CON: 32)