by Lara Yokoshima

Chapter Two - Tsubasa no Dojo

Eiji approached the large doors of the Tsubasa no Dojo as the last traces of sunlight faded from the sky. He neared the front entrance of the dojo and matched the building’s address with the one on his gift certificate. This must be it.

After stepping through the doorway, Eiji found himself standing in an empty waiting room. Posters and framed certificates decorated the plain looking white walls and a large, unattended wooden desk sat near the opposite end of the room. The faint aroma of cedar and pine filled Eiji’s nostrils and he could hear the distant sound of shouting and talking through the closed doors at each side of the room.

The door on the east wall began to slide open, causing him to immediately turn and face the doorway.

A tall man with thick, blonde hair looked at him expectantly from the other side of the open doorway. “Please forgive my intrusion,” he said with a somewhat winded voice, “but usually the reception area is empty at this hour.”

Eiji remained silent, and stared at the stranger in front of him. Long bangs of sweat-soaked, blonde hair framed the man’s handsome face and a somewhat tight, black karate-gi covered his impressive physique. His bright blue eyes looked back at Eiji expectantly as the silence between them stretched on for several more seconds.

“Forgive me again,” the blond suddenly said, “I should have introduced myself. I am Kurumada Kenji; master of this dojo.” Kenji bowed his head slightly after introducing himself, and smiled invitingly.

Eiji struggled with his words for a moment as he stared at Kenji’s impressive body. He found something strangely distracting about the other man, and it was difficult to ignore. “I … I am sorry if I startled you,” he muttered softly, “My name is Yokoshima Eiji.”

The martial arts instructor watched curiously as the younger man in front of him fumbled through his pockets and retrieved a scrap of paper.

“My brother gave me this gift certificate for my birthday,” Eiji said, his voice now more confident and steady as he presented the certificate to the other man, “I would like to enroll in one of your classes.”

Kenji smiled invitingly and led Eiji to the desk at the back of the room. “Your brother picked an excellent gift, and I am pleased to have you as a new student.”

“If you wish,” the master of the dojo continued, “you can begin your first lesson right away. Please follow me and I will find you a uniform.”

Eiji followed the blond martial artist silently from behind. He could not help but to stare at Kenji’s impressive body as they passed through a door and into an empty hallway. He felt drawn to the athletic blond for some reason, and could not keep his eyes off of him.

“First” Kenji began when they came to another door, “we must get you properly outfitted for class. Please, follow me.” He smiled and held the door open, inviting Eiji to pass through first.

Eiji forced himself to nod, and slowly stepped through the door. He inadvertently brushed against Kenji’s powerful body when he walked through the doorway, and the brief contact brought a momentary blush to his cheeks.

“There are a few rules you must follow whenever you are in the dojo,” Kenji said as they stepped into the locker room. “First, you will be required to leave your socks and shoes outside when you arrive for your next lesson. Also, food and drink of any kind are not allowed inside of the dojo.”

Kenji paused for a moment to look at his newest student. He smiled briefly before continuing, “That includes chewing gum.”

A look of guilt marked Eiji’s face when his instructor’s words reached his ears. He then forced the now tasteless gum that had been in his mouth for several hours down his throat.

“You may not use profanity in the dojo,” the karate instructor continued, “and you must always address the head instructor, which would be me in this case, as Sensei whenever you are in the dojo.”

The two men came to a stop at a row of lockers near the back of the gray, tiled room. “And finally,” Kenji said, turning to face his student, “there will be absolutely no talking in class unless you are called on by myself or another instructor. If you have a question during class, raise your hand and wait patiently until you are recognized. There are a few more rules of etiquette you must follow, but we will get to those later. As for now however, please make yourself comfortable while I find you a uniform.”

Eiji tried his best to get comfortable on one of the many benches lining the room’s tiled walls. He continued to observe Kenji, never missing a single one of the other man’s movements when he walked towards a nearby locker.

“By the way,” Kenji asked when he reached the locker, “ you mentioned that it was your birthday. How old are you?”

Eiji raised his eyebrows as he considered the question and even allowed himself to smile for a brief moment. “As of today, I am 19.”

Kenji nodded politely before forcing the stubborn metal door of the locker open. He shook his head in disgust while looking down upon the cluttered space inside of the locker with disdain. He sorted through several garments and assorted pieces of equipment as he searched for an extra karate-gi.

Eiji’s eyes widened for a moment when the blond bent over to fumble through a box at the bottom of the locker. What am I thinking?, he thought when he realized where his eyes had wondered. He had been on many dates with many different women; and even though none of them had developed into a serious relationship, it still seemed unthinkable that he may be attracted to a man.

“I believe I have found a uniform.” Kenji said when he approached the bench. Eiji jumped nervously in his seat, his thoughts seemed to shatter just from the sound of the other man’s voice.

The martial arts instructor smiled slightly at the brunette’s reaction. “One of the first things you must learn,” he said in a low, soothing voice, “is how to relax your mind and body at will.”

He slowly stepped closer to Eiji and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You must learn to calm yourself whenever it is necessary.”

Eiji shuddered at the other man’s touch, and looked up at Kenji’s face a bit hesitantly. The bright glow of the florescent light on the ceiling directly above Kenji’s head made it difficult for him to focus on the blonde’s face. A feeling of déjà vu suddenly washed over him; the sight seemed so familiar somehow. It is, he pondered nervously, like my dream…

Kenj looked down at Eiji, concern filling his blue eyes. “Are you alright?”

Eiji remained silent, and stared at Kenji’s shadowed face with an expression of disbelief. The light overhead suddenly expanded, becoming even brighter and more intense with a sudden, powerful flash. Eiji shut his eyelids for a moment; his eyes were unable to tolerate the sudden flash of searing, white light.

When his eyelids lifted, the figure in front of him had changed. Standing in Kenji’s place under the florescent light was now a group of men leaning over him, their faces hidden by green surgeons’ mask.

Another flash of bright light filled his vision, but Eiji forced his eyes to stay open, fearful of what may happen if he shut them again. He trembled as a sudden, sharp pain struck his entire body. The pain was so intense and so overwhelming that for a moment, he can think of nothing else. His muscles tighten and an unheard scream leaves his throat as he does all that he can to relieve the pain.

The scene in front of him transformed as the light faded, and Eiji saw himself huddled in the corner of a small, dark cell. He could hear several voices in the background that were just loud enough to be heard, and yet still too quiet to be understood.

Light exploded across his vision once again, however the scene remained the same. Eiji’s body quaked violently as more sudden, sharp pains burned in his veins. He screamed though his clenched teeth and did everything in his power to ease his suffering.

The pain subsided, however Eiji’s heartbeat remained frantic as he studied his surroundings. He then realized that he was now actually inside of the dark cell and no longer just an observer. He was battered, bruised and naked in the small dark room, and he had never felt more vulnerable in his life.

“Please do not leave me…”

He looked down, startled by the voice that sounded so very close to him. The voice was weak and fearful, like that of a frightened child, yet it sounded familiar to him somehow.

“Please,” the weak voice pleaded, “I’m so scared…”

His arms reached out to hug the naked child, and it is at that moment that Eiji realized that he too was now in the body of a child. He felt a deep, genuine concern for the other boy, and despite his own fear, Eiji did his best to comfort him.

A block of light pierced through the darkness as a door on the opposite wall of the confining cell opened. Three men dressed in long lab coats entered the room, their identities concealed by the shadows on their faces.

The child in Eiji’s arms panicked and cried out when the three men grabbed him. “No!” he screamed as he was torn from the other’s arms, “Eiji, help me!”

Eiji did his best to hold onto the boy, but the three unknown men easily overpowered them both. “Yamah,” he sobbed, “I will find you! I will come back for you! I promise!”

The loud cry of the frightened child echoed in the small room as the boy was dragged away by his unknown captors. “Eiji! Please! Don’t let them do this!”

A sudden, brief flash of light allowed Eiji to catch a glimpse of the other boy’s face. His eyes widened with horror when he looked into the other child’s watery eyes. He froze, paralyzed by what he saw; the frightened face that looked back at him mirrored his own in nearly every way.

Bright light filled his eyes once again, and the pain that followed was no less merciful than before.

“No!” Eiji screamed, his muscles quivering as pain shot though his entire body. He stumbled around the locker room like a wounded animal, pushing Kenji aside and nearly sending him to the floor.

The karate master staggered, but managed to maintain his footing; he had not thought Eiji was capable of such strength.

The pain overpowered him at last, and Eiji was rendered unconscious. His mind wandered away from his body once again as he crumbled to the locker room floor.

Darkness surrounded Eiji as he fell further into the swirling, black abyss below. Through his heavy eyelids he could see a small point of light above him, shining down from overhead like lone, distant star. As the last traces of light vanish, he lost all hope and simply closed his eyes to await his end. But just as in his dream he felt a pair of gentle, strong arms halt his descent.

The light seemed to melt away his worries and the pain of his long suppressed memories as he is carried into it. Wishing to know the identity of his savior, Eiji opened his eyes to look up at the face of his rescuer.

For a moment he saw Kenji looking down on him from overhead, his bright blue eyes filled with concern. Blackness pushed the image of blond martial artist away, and the pain of suppressed memories and of things that were once long forgotten returned.