Fly Like A Hawk

Chapter 6 - Showing Mercy

Eli produced his phone and showed us again the video of Miguel fighting Kyler. "Why did I let you talk me into this..." Demetri complained, completely ignoring the video, "This goes against everything I stand for."

"You have to admit it was pretty cool though." I added and Demetri took this into mind.

"I guess but it's like extra gym class for no reason..."

"Let's just give it a chance. You saw the fight. Miguel kicked ass." Eli was trying to win Demetri over but it wasn't working very well.

"Save your breath Eli, your not going to change his mind that easily." I smiled, somehow it felt good being back in a dojo after so long.

"Quiet!" A man dressed in a black gi, he had a matching strip of fabric tied round his head, there was no doubt about it. This was Miguel's sensei. "Face front." We did as we were told, getting into lines and facing forward as he moved through the crowd.

"Nice shirt." He muttered as he passed Demetri.

"Uhh, thanks." Demetri mumbled, getting ready to launch into an explanation of his Pi shirt.

"I'm joking. It sucks." The sensei moved past us onto the next person. He moved round the room, commenting on various people as he went. "When I look around this room, I don't see cobra Kai material. I see losers. I see nerds. I see a kid with a funny hat and his tits popping out...but in my short time as a sensei I've seen some miracles." He looked to Miguel and Aisha, who were standing in the prime position at the front of the dojo, "So maybe there's some hope for you yet but first I need to see where your at so everybody fall in." Everyone looked round at each other, a few rounds of confused whispers made their way around the room.

I started over towards Miguel and Aisha. Using my prior Karate knowledge to my advantage. "That means line up." The sensei explained and then everybody was moving. They formed lines behind Aisha and Miguel and I couldn't help but chuckle. "No not like line up, but lines." Sensei cried.

"You mean like rows?" Demetri questioned and the sensei ran his hands down his face in annoyance, "Ugh."

Soon enough though we had all gotten into lines and Sensei had taught us a few things to start with.

"Fighting positions. Jab punch." A few kids did a punch. "No, wait until I say go." I readied myself. "Hiyah!" One punch. "Hiyah!" Two punches. "Hiyah!" A third. "Come on. Stand straight. Plant your feet there." He moved a kid slightly, so that his stance was better. "Hiyah!" Another punch. "Are you sure your right handed?" He joked then moved back to towards the front. He stopped by a large boy up from, "Come on tits, you can do better than that. You've got weight now use it. Hiyah!" We fell into a rhythm. Punching every time sensei said "Hiyah!". He made it back to the front.

"Hey lip." At the sensei's words, I turned to looked at Eli, he already looked upset, "Yeah, you, the one with the freaky lip. Who do you think I'm talking to?" Eli looked down, trying it ignore him but I could see the tears starting in his eyes.

"Uh, excuse me Mr Lawrence." Demetri spoke up.

"Sensei Lawrence." Miguel and Aisha corrected him at the same time.

Demetri chuckled uncomfortably, "Ok...you really shouldn't make fun of someone's physical appearance."

"Oh, is that so? I'm not supposed to mention his lip at all?"

"Well yeah."

"Maybe that's what they teach you in school, but in the real world you can't expect people to do what their supposed to do. You hear that lip? If you can't handle someone making fun of you, how are you going to handle an elbow to the teeth?"

"By calling the police." Demetri chimed, stepping forward slightly.

"Dude. Knock it off." Miguel called from the side and I took that as an opportunity to turn to Eli.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to. We can leave right now. It's fine."

"He does realise that the Nazis lost the war right. Why should I be scared of him? Because he's got a snake on his wall?" Demetri was getting more and more wound up by the second. "It's not like he's a teacher who can give us a bad grade. We pay him. He works for us."

"Demetri!" I hissed under my breath.

"No. It's not like he can actually hurt us." Sensei Lawrence started towards Demetri and everyone started to clear a circle.

"Are you done?" Sensei asked, "Hit me."

"What?" Demetri stuttered.

"Go ahead, hit me. Strike me right here." Sensei pointed to his chest. Demetri obeyed and tried pathetically, only to be brushed away. "Harder." Again he was pushed off but a little firmer this time.

"Ahh." He mumbled.

"Is that all you've got?" Sensei Lawrence asked. Demetri tried a final time but this time Sensei caught him by the arm and flipped him down onto the floor. I took a step forward as Demetri groaned.

"Let that be a lesson to all of you." Sensei chimed as he stood up and Miguel sighed. I pushed forward, unable to stay where I was any longer. "Did I tell you to move?" Sensei Lawrence asked as I emerged into the open space.

"No but-"

"But is an excuse. I didn't tell you to move so why did you?"

"I'm going to help Demetri up."

"He can get up himself."

"Yeah maybe he can but I'm being the better person and helping him." Sensei Lawrence looked me over, then pointed at the mantra on his wall.

"You see that, what does it say?"

"No mercy."

"And what are you doing?"

"Showing mercy." I pushed past Sensei Lawrence and offered Demetri a hand, which he gratefully took. I helped him to his feet then turned back to Sensei Lawrence.

"If you aren't going to listen to my lessons then why are you here?"

" I don't know...but next time I won't bother..." I turned to look at Eli, who was watching with wide eyes then back to Demetri before storming out of the doors of the dojo.