Love and Bamboo Sword

"Each relationship nurtures a strength or weakness within you"

-Mike Murdock

"Tick tock" sounded the clock. The lone car ran through the road. Bright lights gave a notion of awakening. The moon ruled over the sky with the stars blurred out by the blinding lights beneath them.

Smoke drifted softly as Shinai sat, immersed in its haze. His legs stretched out on the wooden floor. A sword lay on his legs, untouched. He let out another whiff of smoke and threw the cigarette butt to the ground. Standing up, he checked the time. "Only 4AM. I think I could spare a few minutes" he thought as he moved quietly downstairs, careful not to wake his sister.

As he stepped into the room covered by bamboo swords, the dust rose under his feet. He breathed it in and let out a small cough. His hands flung the windows open, letting the moon shine at his feet. Shinai picked up one of the old training clothes. The dried smell of sweat still clung to them yet Shinai donned the clothes without hesitation. The black jacket wrapped round his body as he tied a chest string over it and tied it into a bow. The cloth absorbed all the moonlight, reflecting only the state of Shinai's mind.

The flowing skirt was held around his waist by a belt tied to it. Two more belts hugged his pelvis tightly, making a bow at the back. He moved his waist a little bit to check the strength of the tightness. Satisfied, he took a plastic spatula off the ground and inserted it into the belts. Another belt kept it to his waist as it turned itself into a bow again. The mirror gave him the image of what he hadn't seen in a long while. He saw for once, the part of him that he had let go of.

His blonde hair contrasted the darkness of the clothes he wore. His fang glimmered in the dim moonlight. His eyes peered into his reflection in the mirror. His image stretched his hands to the ground and picked up a sword. It pointed it at Shinai who pointed his own sword right back at it.

They looked at each other with a distinctive hate for themselves. They stood there, unmoving, unshaking, unwavering. Their unyielding gazes stared into their souls. The tension in the air thickened until the sweat that had built up on them was let loose to the ground.

The swift movement of the swords broke through the moonlight. Their clothes ruffled, as if carried by the wind. Their feet tore through the dust, raising its brown haze to the skies. There was silence for a short while. Then, the heavy breathing of a human broke the lingering tranquillity. It was followed by the silent sound of glass cracking. The mirror that stood before him had been broken. Shinai fell to the ground as his reflection stood with blood running down its head. His heart started to beat faster as he watched the blood trickle to his feet. He started gasping breath, like he was being choked. The reflection looked at him in the eyes and said something that he never wanted to hear

"You still shed blood"

The sword in Shinai's hands fell with a thud. His breath returned to him slowly. Beads of sweat dropped down his hands. A bright golden streak of light touched his face. He looked and saw the sun rising over the city. He heard the voices of people walking by. The morning rush had begun again. The mirror had a deep hole in it that extended in cracks along its surface. Shinai breathed in and out. He carefully pulled the clothes of his body and threw them to the ground. He looked around and his eyes rested on the stern image of a man in the hall. He turned away and as he walked, he said

"Fuck this"

The sounds of cluttering pans and pots woke Sentoki up. Her eyes went straight to the clock in her room. As soon as she saw it read 9AM, she burst out of the room. Her legs tore through the floor, running at speeds unimaginable to man. "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!!!" she shouted as she exploded through the kitchen doors. Her eyes caught Shinai in a blue apron and hairnet, cooking some food.

"Go and brush your teeth. Breakfast will be ready by then" he said with a smile on his face. The smell of rice and eggs wafted through her nose and she temporarily forgot about her initial mission. "Sure" she replied as she walked out of the kitchen. Her legs went through the same path she used to walk in.

The doors to her bathroom opened and the water ran. Scrubs of fruity toothpaste on her brush went through her mouth, cleaning it thoroughly. As she brushed, a thought came to her mind. "It seems I'm forgetting something" she thought. As she came out of the bathroom, she saw the time and the neurons in her brain activated.

Shinai stood over the table with an emotionless look. He sighed as he watched vapour exude from the steamed rice on either plate. Eggs covered the side and a small cup of warm soup stood there. "No fish, no chicken.....Not even a goddamn piece of pork" he thought as he looked at the meal. He looked at the calendar and threw it to the side. "It's only the 7th. How the hell are we this broke?" he questioned himself as he sat on a chair with his face buried within his hands.

The sound of clattering feet brought his head back to reality. Shinai stood up and walked to the walls. His hands and feet nimbly climbed up to the ceiling. A smile broke on his lips as he readied himself from the chaos that was about to ensue.

Sentoki burst once again onto the scene. "YOUR PLANS TO GET ME HAVE FAILED!!!" she announced to an empty kitchen. Her eyes darted around and she saw a human spider on the ceiling. Her legs propelled her to the ceiling and a massive shockwave tore through the building. The world shifted from its orbit, causing the entire population extreme fear.

Shinai landed on the ground with a thud that shifted the earth back to its original path. He stood up and put a foot on the table. "BWAHAHAHA!!!!!" he laughed in delirium. He stopped and peered at her with the corner of his eyes. "Sister of mine, I have complete faith that my 'Skip School' plan has completely worked" he said in a cold tone. He could barely blink when a mighty force struck him. Sentoki's fist smashed through his face, sending it to the ground. "I surrender" he said as he waved a white cloth in the air.

"Now explain why you skipped school today" Sentoki ordered. Rice went into her mouth and she squealed at the warmness of the meal. Shinai raised his hand and asked "May I be allowed to eat?". Sentoki looked at him and clenched her fists. Shinai's hands went down in an instant. "Answer me first" she ordered again. "Yes ma'am" he answered.

"Recall that tournament you wanted to attend" he started. "Yeah? What about it?" she replied absentmindedly. "I'm going to follow you there" he said. "I thought I already told you no" Sentoki said with a hint of true anger. "It doesn't matter. I'm going with you" he answered with conviction. "Could you try not to force your decision on me? I'm perfectly fine!" she said again as she dropped the bowl on the table. She stood but a strong hand held her back.

"Finish your food" Shinai ordered with a voice that even surprised him. She grudgingly sat back and took the plate in her hands. Shinai stood up and went to his room. He lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. He picked up a cigarette and stared at it. He threw it at his door. "I shouldn't have talked to her like that" he said to himself.

A certain tinge of longing struck his heart. "I would have given an arm to see Chahan now" he thought. A knock sounded on his door. "What's up?" he asked from his position. "I'm off" Sentoki said from the door. Shinai didn't answer but went to the piece of wood that separated him from his sister. He knocked on it twice and a rap followed from outside.

Sentoki walked away from the door. As her feet stepped through the room, the clock turned back in time for her; to a time when they were little. A child Sentoki sat by her door, sniffling in tears. She and Shinai had just had a massive argument. Her sobs could be heard from across the wooden board. A knock came on the door and Shinai's voice followed. "Hey....Are you in there?" he asked, displaying no emotion. No answer followed. "If you don't want to answer..... I'll be off" he said again and for a while, Sentoki thought he had truly left. Her hands reached for the handle but his voice came through once again. "Don't open it" he voiced. This time, his voice was taken with hidden sadness.

"I know I said some really bad stuff. Yeah, that's my fault" he started. He breathed in deeply and continued. "For that, I'm sorry. For now, we don't want to even use our eyes to see each other...that's funny" he said amidst a stifled laughter. "If you'll eat dinner with me, knock twice" he asked calmly. Her little hands dropped from the door hinge and tapped once. A second tap quickly followed. Shinai heaved a sigh of relief and knocked once. "That means we're good now" he said. His footsteps sounded from across the door. Sentoki's tears had stopped as she stood in awe of her brother's acts.

Sentoki stood in front of the door that led to the outside world. Her fingers touched the handle but she stopped. Flashes of the past went through her mind. Her body started shaking. The light of cameras hitting her eyes, the sound of laughter to her and the feeling of extreme shame that came from her. The fear that came from her experiences rose in her heart. Her body started shaking violently and her legs started failing her. The bag she held felt like an anvil on her, causing her to fall to the ground. Her clothes became drenched with sweat. Her lips quivered and she tried to call for someone; her brother. Tears formed in her eyes and her heart rate increased, beat by beat. She started gasping for breath. It seemed like she wanted to die but suddenly, warmth passed through her.

"Didn't I say I would follow you?"

Shinai's arms wrapped round her body. Tears ran down her face. She cried loudly. Shinai held unto her tightly, stiffly his own tears. He stayed with her for as long as she cried. Her quaking body showed how much emotion she let out of her body. The tears slowly tried up. The shaking gradually stopped. Shinai slowly let her out of his arms and took her hand. He raised her up despite her gingerly feet. Shinai looked into her reddened eyes and smiled. He touched her cheeks and felt her temperature come down to normal.

He tightened his grip on her hands and looked at the time. "Are you ready to go kick some ass?" he asked with a smile on his face. She smiled at him as he wiped her tears with his hand. He opened the door slowly. Her body shook again but he touched her face again. "I'm here for you, okay?" he said and stepped out of the room. The light shone against his face, illuminating him. One of her legs stepped out. The sun hit her and she felt its calmness on her. Hope touched her heart.

As long as Shinai was there, she was strong. As long as Shinai was there, she could do anything. Her body came outside and for the first time in a while, she saw the beauty of the world around her. She held onto her brother's hand and smiled

"Let's go!"