~*~*~*~
She wished that she could be back inside the walls of her clan, back inside the only home she's known since her beginning as a warrior. Akira slumped against the trunk of the oak tree. The hard surface felt good against her back.
It was now Sunday morning, only an hour into the new day. The crescent moon was high in the skies without a single cloud to keep it company. It had been peacefully quiet for the past three hours, which was right around the time that Sector 7 stopped making noise and fell asleep in their tents.
“I would expect you to be asleep after such a big day.”
Akira didn't flinch when there was an abrupt voice that spoke into the quiet atmosphere. She merely closed her eyes and eased her head against the oak's bark. “Don't tell me,” she said, “Kenji-San talked you into checking up on me?”
Master Kitsune stepped out from the shadows, chuckling as he did so. He sat down next to his student and was shoulder-to-shoulder with his second-in-command. “Actually, Kenji-San was tending to his rock garden the last I saw him.”
“Pfft. That's such a Kenji-thing to do,” Akira scoffed. She tucked her hands into her lap. “So, you came alone, sir?”
“Hai. I am capable of traveling by myself, don't forget. I may look old but that means nothing when you have my kind of capacity.” In that moment, Kitsune Golden Tail looked like what his name meant— a sly fox. He laughed once again and put an arm around Akira's shoulder. “Why aren't you happy?” he then asked.
“I'm happy.”
“No, you're the same as you were before you left my school. Tell me, Akira-Chan. Why aren't you happy?”
It was true that Akira was stubborn, but it was even truer that she knew when enough was enough. She could only avoid her sensei's questioning for so long.
Master Kitsune was the only person in Shaaku Den that she would listen to and take orders from. He was like her father; although they didn't share blood, she had bled for him many times over many battles. And she would bleed for him again in a heartbeat; her life was dedicated to the clan.
Akira fluttered her eyes shut. “Coming here today... reminded me of the old times.” Finally, an answer that was whispered in a raw tone of voice. “Remember when you were the one who dragged me to these tournaments, sir? Remember how it used to be me, Kenji-San, Zuko-San and—”
She didn't get the last name out of her mouth.
“Coal-San,” Master Kitsune finished.
“Yes, sir,” Akira nodded. “Remember those days? How Zuko-San used to be so eager to fight that he would forget to eat and end up fainting in the ring. How Kenji-San used to practice his weapons kata over and over the night before, without a wink of sleep or rest. Remember how Coal-San used to fight with one hand behind his back just for the sake of being a show off? Or even me, how you practically had to shove me inside the ring the very first time I did open hand kata...”
There was a mixture of many emotions embedded in the tone of Akira's voice. Amusement, irritation, embarrassment... and most of all, sadness. It was the sadness that shined in the eyes of the Kitsune woman, and it was sadness that Master Kitsune could see in her overall demeanor.
The student wasn't done, either. “I remember the one year Zuko-San lost his match because he drank too much sake. That was the same tournament that Kenji-San used his double-swords and received high praise from Master Ging-Shin.”
Master Kitsune chuckled once. “Ah, yes. You were a handful at that particular Battle Month, too. I remember Jian-Sho telling me that you were being belligerent towards Geisha Rose before your match with her.” He made a few “tsk-tsk” clicks with his tongue. “You never could get along with your competition.”
“Ha!” Akira scoffed. “My competition couldn't get along with me, not the other way around. Geisha Rose has and always will be a little priss. You should have seen her with her kimono sleeves and how she pranced around today. I would have loved to get in the ring with her, just for old times.”
There was no mistaking the wicked glint in Akira's eyes.
“Now, now. Jian-Sho wouldn't want his prized student and second-in-command with a black eye,” Master Kitsune replied. He had a small smile on his face as well, which was one of knowing.
Again, a silence fell between the teacher and his student.
“Be honest, Akira-Chan,” Master Kitsune finally instructed. “Is this why you didn't want to take Sector 7? Because you didn't want to be reminded of the old days?”
He may have told her to be honest, but he never once told her how soon she needed to reply. Akira was looking at the moon as well and acted as if she was never asked a question. Yet, she was asked a question, and with a deep sigh she prepared to answer.
“At first,” Akira merely said.
“At first?” Master Kitsune repeated.
Akira nodded. “At first, I didn't want to attend Battle Month because I wasn't ready for reliving all the old times. Of course, this was something I knew I'd have to get over quickly, whether I was ready or not, I was going.”
The old shinobi slyly grinned at his student. “Of course,” he agreed.
“However,” Akira continued, “I didn't realize there was something new to experience. Today I wasn't the student, I was the teacher. I was you, Master Kitsune. I witnessed first hand at what it was like to be you. And Sector 7? They were just like me... me, Kenji-San, Zuko-San, and Coal-San.”
Master Kitsune smiled. “How did that feel?”
For the first time in a long, long while, Akira smiled because she was happy. She didn't smile to intimidate or make someone feel uncomfortable. Finally, there was happiness underneath all those other emotions. She reached into her red kimono sleeve and took out a pure gold medal that was tied off with black silk. The ultimate prize for the winning clan; a golden medal.
“Pretty good,” Akira answered. Master Kitsune returned her smile. There was happiness inside of his old eyes, too. Akira put the medal back inside her sleeve. “I'll let Sector 7 keep it in their sector house... for a little while,” she said.
“Good,” the grandmaster replied. He started to stroke his beard. “So, you felt like me today, did you?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That's good, that's good. But you know, I would have made sure that Luna knew what kata was before assigning her to the division. That's just me, though.”
Akira rolled her eyes. Really, there was only one thing left for her to say to the old fox. “Whatever you say, sir.”
~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~
The End
~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~
Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won’t you please take a moment to
leave me a review at your favorite retailer?
Arigato!
~L. Benitez
~About the Author~
L. Benitez was born and raised in Southern California and is now a resident of Mississippi. She wishes she could have been born and raised in an ancient ninja clan— so much for that wish.
She is a dedicated practitioner of Shotokan Karate and a huge fangirl of the Martial Arts. L. enjoys writing and drawing her own illustrations; she aspires to continue doing what she loves. She's a fan of anything action-packed and adrenaline racing. When she's not sketching or writing, L. likes to cook, read, and play with her Siamese kitty. She tries her best to mimic the awesome ninjas you see on TV— but ends up looking like a dork. So instead L. settles on the title 'ninja-in-training'. Let's face it, if L. really was a ninja, you wouldn't be able to see her, would you?
For updates on the Shinobi 7 Series and other upcoming works, follow L. Benitez on her social media.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shinobi7series
Email:
[email protected] Plus you can follow her official author blog, where you can read exclusive Shinobi 7 Series fictions, see character profiles, and receive updates on L. Benitez's work! https://lbenitezauthor.blogspot.com/
Other books b
y L. Benitez:
Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior (Book #1)
Poisoned Battleground (Book #2)
Don't miss L. Benitez's second installment of the Shinobi 7 Series...
Shinobi 7: Poisoned Battleground
Ready for round two, Sector 7?
Shaaku Den's six unlikely heroes have just survived their first battle and defended Swan Bara from the evil Blackthorn Clan. Although a battle has been won, the war is still upon them, and Black Rose has other tricks up her kimono sleeve. The fate of Shaaku Den must still be fought for, and the Kitsune Clan will give it everything they've got!
Lead by the shinobi woman Akira Miyamoto, Sector 7 accompanies their sensei to Viper Country, where they encounter a long surviving shinobi clan known as Tiger Rage. It doesn't take long for the night in the Viper Mountains to turn dangerous, and once again the fight is on for the Kitsune Clan. Friendships will be tested, good intentions will turn bad, and nothing is what it seems. All a part of the trials Sector 7 must face to become true warriors.
Will Sector 7 be able to remain a team, even with fate trying to split them apart? They may have unknowingly stepped into the Tiger's Den...
Book #2 coming out December 6th, 2014
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