by Unknown
That morning, every window in the room was open. A good looking man in his mid twenties was standing there in his Karate uniform in the center of the wooden floor.
At first, he was standing, but slowly, he knelt down and smoothly started making circular movements with his body as if tracing invisible circles of light that existed in his own universe.
At a glance, it seemed that it was a kind of rehearsed dance. With slow but definite movements, the tension applied to each move would indicate he was handling a very sharp razor blade.
[045]
But this wasn't a dance, it was far more deadly than that...
He was practicing a rare form of "Ch'in Tai-chi"
This was the Rokka style.
One of the most ancient styles of Ch'in Tai-chi that exist today, compared with practicing the aggressive styles of Karate, he was required to kneel even lower and slow down his movements to achieve the perfect form of the move. To the uninitiated, this would send jolts of pain to his muscles, but his performance was sharp and focused. With a single finger he could cut the darkness with a string of light.
Suddenly, the man movements became as fast as a flash, his toes would make a loud "thud" on the floor, making cracking sounds that echoes in the room. During his smooth performance there will be some flashy skills, jumps, flips, impossible high kicks that will rotate to every angle, he nailed every single skill and move with impressive footwork.
Taijiquan, Tai-chi for short, is a form of Chinese martial arts that was born and developed in Chinkako, a rural area of the Henan province around the 18th century.
Ch'in style had spread around the world and is very popular in Japan as a healthy way to maintain your muscle strength, stamina and overall fitness even when reaching your senior years.
Tai-chi could be seen as just an exercise that emulates Kung-fu in a non violent way depending on the style. The one that we were observing was the recently introduced "Yoh Version" derived from the original "Ch'in style" that aims to defeat an opponent quickly and aggressively in hand-to-hand combat.
The man beautifully slowed the pace of his electric assaults and softly, as if ending a musical piece, dissolved the melody into the air and gave a solemn ending to his training performance.
The sound of a single person applauding was heard in the training room.
A grizzled man was sitting cross-legged across the room. Maybe in his mid thirties, about ten years older than the man in Karate uniform performing the Tai-chi routine, but nonetheless he still had a young look for his years. Wearing a pair of washed out jeans and a green peppermint T-shirt, his tanned face could tell us that he enjoyed the outdoors a lot. With a loud laugh, he started clapping and showing a wide smile that brighten the mood of the room.
"Hah! hah! hah!! That was great!!"
[046]
"What do you think of it, did I pull it off?" The man in the Karate uniform asked eagerly.
"You did great, Toshio."
"I practiced it for an hour everyday just as you instructed me, master Hikoroku."
"Once you get comfortable with the Karate drills and Kata, it is hard to master the basics of Chinese martial arts, especially when you already mastered and perfected Karate. You'd feel thrown out of the loop once you start practicing this. But it seems that's not the case here since you pulled it off wonderfully."
Hikoroku's tone was friendly and reassuring, being the caliber of fighter that he was. He was a man that you should pay attention to when he spoke about fighting.
Yes, His name was Hikoroku Hashiba, sharing a few words of knowledge to his good friend and pupil Toshio Narumi.
"Now you tell me, Toshio, what was your impression of it?"
"I have to recognize that the flow is very similar to advanced Karate but this thing works muscles that I didn't have to use before."
"Hmm, right...but...maybe you noticed something else?" Hikoroku hinted as if he was looking for a different response.
"Well, if I think of it in a way..." Narumi hesitated for a second.
"You can say it, it's okay, It seems that you are holding back some words there."
"But...well...It seems..."
"Hey, don't worry Toshio, Nobody else besides you and me can pull off the complete form of this ancient style so, you are not going to fight it or defend against it anytime soon."
"I see..."
"So, Tell me..."
"It's designed to kill people." Narumi responded with resolution.
"What? To kill people?"
"What I mean is that the Yoh-Rokka version of Ch'in Tai-chi was created specifically to lay waste to your opponent in a fight. He's not going to walk out alive after first contact."
"Of course, what else did you think Tai-chi was created for?"
"I just realized that. I thought Tai-chi was for..." Narumi realized how naive he was and stopped talking.
"A gentle exercise to maintain health and fitness until old age and not to be used in actual combat. That's what you thought of it, correct?"
[047]
"Well, yeah..."
"I'm not too happy with the idea of teaching housewives, kids, students and seniors Tai-chi, We're sending them home with dangerous knowledge to kill any person of any skill, weight or stature for the sake of physical fitness ." Hikoroku said with a doubtful tone.
"Many people that practice traditional Chinese martial arts do not plan to employ those moves in an actual fight any time soon, if ever. They never think it is for an actual fight."
"I have to say only half of that is actually true."
"In fact, some people think is not appropriate to promote the practice of Tai-chi in Japan." Narumi remembered a few comments he heard a while ago.
"That's understandable, due to the cultural difference here."
"That correct..."
"Basically, Karate and Tai-chi are the same. Both were basic Martial art styles developed in different countries with the same goal in mind. In a broad sense, we can say that Karate is part of the Chinese branch of martial arts styles that was simply developed abroad, but keeping its roots and spirit of its original birthplace. Since the goal is the same, you should explore both and find what fits you best."
"I was thinking the same..."
"The way I see it, Karate is the style that fits you the best."
"Yes, that's what I thought..."
"Grab as much as you can from Tai-chi and bring it back to your Karate. In the end, because of all the different personalities, character and physical abilities, people end up making their own style when true fighting is required."
"Master Hikoroku, what kind of style do you practice?"
"Uggh, That's a hard question for me. You see, I have my own style but I haven't really mastered anything yet. Because of my curious personality, I pick things from here and there around the world. You could say I'm "a womanizer of martial arts" I love all and everything that has to do with true fighting."
"Hahaha, you don't need to master anything, everything you do comes out perfect, you are a genius!!"
"You think so? I'm not so sure about that..." Hikoroku scratched his head, flustered a bit for that remark. It made him feel a little weird.
"Would you have a friendly match with me, Master Hikoroku?" Narumi said, excited.
"Really? With you?"
"Yes, I want to experience how "true fighting" feels with you, I always wanted to do that."
"How it feels with me...?"
"Yes sir..."
"Be aware, Toshio, that I won't be holding anything back, friendly match or not."
Hikoroku said with a more serious tone in his voice, Implying that this might be, indeed,
a real fighting match.
[048]
"I don't mind at all" Narumi nodded nervously.
"Not holding back" In Hikoroku's perspective didn't mean he was going for lethal contact but rather that he was going to use full contact punches and kicks on his opponent's body, twists and grabs that might cause i
ntense pain and perhaps a few sprains or broken bones. Usually, Karate sparring uses the rule of "sundome" or stopping before the strike hits its intended target.
Karate fighters usually do not like the "sundome rule" as it doesn't really test their true fighting skill in unarmed combat and it's annoying to be constantly worried about their opponent safety. Instead, they like to challenge people from other styles in "real" sparring matches.
But nonetheless, to effectively train in Karate everyday, people need "sundome" matches and many Karate experts use it to improve the style of their peers or pupils. In full contact style Karate, it is forbidden to use punches in the face, as one risks of inflicting serious damage or death on the opponent. Well trained practitioners can shatter skulls and cause severe trauma just by using counter attacks, rather than direct strikes. As we've all seen on TV or in popular martial arts videos, the breaking of concrete pieces or solid ice blocks only happens at full force but the shattering of bones needs just 45% of that. In real fights, however, we rarely hold back our power or worry for our opponent safety, it takes real strength and skill to do that.
"The Burinkan school" style of Karate where Toshio Narumi belongs to, it is known for having radical rules and it's an unusual branch in the Karate scene of Japan. It uses the full contact style but they also allow strikes to the face, with particular focus on how to deal with such attacks. Narumi is used to dealing with this kind of sparring.
"Aren't you going to get in trouble with the branch chief for fighting with a person that practices a different style? Hikoroku said with a smirk on his face.
"Well, he's not going to know about it if you don't tell him, right? He's your friend after all."
"That's true, but still..." Hikoroku's smile turned somewhat bitter.
It would come as a surprise to you, as seeing him sitting down didn't give it away, that once he stood up, you could see he was impressively tall and a bit skinny. His T-shirt was sort of baggy near his stomach but not because he wasn't fat enough or because he was really skinny, but because his musculature was tightly built underneath it.
His neck was pretty thick if you took a good look in front of him.
[049]
"Aren't you going to change?" Narumi asked.
The T-shirt was loose enough, but his tight jeans would limit his movements considerably when launching kicks as it is hard to raise your legs that way.
"I've got a few extra uniforms in the back if you feel like using them" Narumi offered Hikoroku.
"Naah, it's okay, I'm fine like this."
Hikoroku's face suddenly turned from relaxed to serious, standing with his legs slightly apart from each other. He let his arms fall side to side in a relaxed way, it was an unorthodox stance but you couldn't tell what he could do next. He was barefoot too.
The change in Hikoroku's attitude puzzled Narumi for a bit and he also started getting ready to face Hikoroku.
"Well, we can start the fight now, I guess?" Narumi said.
"It has already started..." Hikoroku said in a low tone.
Their eyes started glowing with an intense light. Narumi started moving around, showing his footwork. But this wasn't Karate, it was more of the footwork he uses when he's boxing. His fists were slightly opened. raising his right fist in the upper position while placing his left fist in the lower position. Narumi kept the rhythm of his feet with his elbows and started circling Hikoroku looking for an opening for his initial attack.
But Hikoroku's stance didn't give anything away. He was simply looking at Narumi moving, without showing any particular fighting stance. When Narumi moved behind Hikoroku, he got closer to him, but in a flash, Hikoroku's body was facing Narumi.
"Heyyaah!!" Narumi screamed while getting closer, but he didn't launch any attacks.
Knowing that Hikoroku didn't fall for the bluff, he promptly backed off.
That's when Hikoroku dashed towards Narumi with twice the speed that Narumi was retreating.
[050]
[051]
It was a move that was impossible to predict. Their distance got even closer with the dash.
Trying to stop Hikoroku's dash, Narumi launched a strong high kick with his right leg that came from behind his back. It was an intense flash as if a sharp sword sliced the air around.
But his toes only kicked air.
Hikoroku had already lowered his body quite swiftly. Narumi after kicking, quickly got back to his original position. In that brief moment, Hikoroku sprung and lifted his body closer to Narumi.
Feeling a chill like a thunder through his spine, Narumi launched two elbow attacks consecutively left and right, He was sure that he was going to land at least one attack on Hikoroku's face, but neither of these elbows landed. As if trying to hit a ghost, both elbows cut the air in front of him but Hikoroku's face was still dangerously close to his own. That's when he smiled to Narumi, incredibly close.
But It wasn't the smile that rocked him, Narumi's body flew across the hall when Hikoroku caught him right square in his chest with some sort of attack that he missed completely.
"Brrwang" A loud sound. He landed over some training gear and was unable to move or even breathe.
It was as if someone had taken all the air from his lungs by force and refused to give him more. Desperately gasping for air while still on his back, he saw Hikoroku getting close to him slowly.
"W-what was that...?"
"That...my friend.... is the Hakkesho."
"Th-the Hakkesho?"
"I told you about it the other time, it came from one of the ancient styles from the Chinese martial arts branch. It has been mostly unknown and almost forgotten."
"I...I couldn't even touch you...." Narumi was still having a hard time breathing.
"By the way, I didn't know we had some audience for this deathmatch."
"W-what!?" Gasping for some air, Narumi couldn't understand.
"That kid looking at us from the window..."
Hikoroku pointed back at one of the windows with his thumb.
"Is that a friend of yours..?"
[052]
"M-my friend you say?" Narumi moved a little bit to look at the window to see who was there.
A thin boy was looking at Hikoroku and Narumi with a perplexed look on his face.
When Narumi made eye contact with him, He looked to the ground immediately.
It was that kid from the other day.
He helped him the other day when some thugs attacked him and the girl that he was with.
It was Kikuchiyo Akuta.
[053]
~ ACT 6
Kikuchiyo was silent when he entered the training hall. Taking off his shoes respectfully, he walked in barefooted. As soon as he was in, he just looked at the floor.
"Why did you follow me? Do you need some help?" Narumi asked a little surprised.
Kikuchiyo simply nodded in response.
Toshio Narumi noticed him as soon as he started his jogging routine the day after he saved the boy and that girl in the woods. Right at the pine tree road, he was running and the kid was standing on the left by the ocean side and looking at the people passing as if he was looking for somebody in particular. Once he made casual eye contact, the kid looked down embarrassed a bit, but Narumi recognized him.
"Hey, what's up?" Narumi said in a friendly tone to the kid, but he was just quiet.
He remembered that this was the boy he saved. Even though he was silent, after he passed him, he felt that he was staring after him for a long time. There was no doubt in Narumi's mind that this boy was waiting for him.
[054]
He didn't find the boy while jogging on his way back. Next day though, the boy would be there
and the day after. Every time Narumi tried to say "hi" to him, the boy would look down quietly.
Today, he appeared here in the training hall, It came to Narumi's mind that after jogging, he would come to the training hall a few times to spar with some friends and help them on their techniques.
>
Was he being followed by this kid time after time? It seemed that that was this case.
But how did he figure that he would be early in the morning today practicing with Hikoroku?
Narumi usually comes here before going to work. His daily routine starts at 6:30 am, he practices until 8:00 and leaves for work. His shift starts at around 9 o'clock. Usually nobody is here at this time but the Master allowed him to come and gave him a spare key.
Toshio Narumi started Karate way back when he was in high school. He must've been coming to this place for more than a decade. Earning the branch owner's trust, he has no problem coming and going from the hall at any time he wishes. Students and martial artists usually arrive at about 12:00 pm for instruction. In special cases, people would come here at about 9:00 am at the earliest. A senior lady that manages the hall. Otake-san, comes at 8:30 am to open the hall, but Narumi would be gone by then. He always makes sure the Hall is locked, even though, there's hardly anything of value that could be stolen from here.
