In Cold Blood [Ash Lynx] - Banana Fish

Fifteen - Talking Body

Huddled in the corner, eyes watering and knuckles raw, Tora shakes her head. "I can't do it, I just can't..."

"Mago, what have I said to you before?"

Arms crossed, Master Fujimara sighs.

Tora wipes her eyes and looks up at him. "Sensei—"

"There is no such word as can't, I won't allow you to say that." He tells her.

Lip quivering, Tora curls up tighter and he crouches down to her height.

"You can do it," He says. "It takes time, but you'll get there."

"I just want to fight as well as I can!" She cries out. "I want to be as good as possible —I want you to be proud of me!"

He places a comforting hand on her shoulder, a bright smile on his face. "Mago, it's difficult, I know. How do you think I got to be so good? I wasn't born good at fighting, it takes time. I was 11 when I started training with my Sensei, you're a year ahead of that. But I told you it wouldn't be easy."

Her lip juts out and she nods. "I know, but I thought I was getting really good and then I'm right back to where I was. Why can't I get better?"

"You want to improve, don't you?" She nods her head to him and he continues. "Spirit first, technique second. Having the spirit to fight is the hard part —and you've accomplished that. Next is the easy part —learning."

Tora furrows her eyebrows. "But what if I make a mistake, Sensei?"

He wipes her tear-stained cheek. "You're human and humans make mistakes; everyone makes mistakes, it's natural."

"Have you ever made a mistake?"

Groaning as he stands up, he holds a hand to his back. "Of course I have."

She gasps, jumping up. "But you're not human, so you can't have made any mistakes!"

"If I'm not a human, what am I?" He asks and she grins.

"You're my Shugosha!"

~

Light streams in through the window. It glows softly against her closed eyelids, and warms her body.

She exhales deeply.

Her ears ring and her head is pounding like... Well, like she just had the shit beaten out of her by some psycho. Muscles throbbing, Tora attempts to sit up, but her arms crumple beneath her. A low groan escapes from her. When she tries to open her mouth to talk, the lump in her throat allows her to let out nothing more than a murmur. She holds up a weak arm to block out the sunlight. Rubbing at her stinging eyes, she winces and she rolls onto her back. From her back, she squints up at the ceiling, furrowing her eyebrows.

Spluttering, Tora covers her mouth and lurches forwards, whimpering as she clutches her bruised ribs.

Running a hand along her forearm, she notices the fresh bandage and a portion of her blotchy scar is uncovered. She scratches her head, hair an undone mess and she frowns. Tora almost jumps out of her skin at the sight in front of her.

Hunched over a laptop on the coffee table, Ash sips from a mug and adjusts his glasses on his eyes.

Lifting her limp leg, she grunts at the sight of the bandage but quickly clamps her hands over her ringing ears. She squints her eyes shut and scrunches her nose.

"Morning."

Tentatively, Tora opens her left eye to see Ash looking up from his laptop, his hand resting on his chin.