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~* The Other Karate Kid *~ She nodded quickly. “My Sensei’s wife went into labor yesterday. I’d been training for this for so long though, that he called Sensei Rogers and asked if he would test me instead. I still need to warm up, though.” She paused and smiled at me, eyeing my orange belt. “Would you be willing to spar with me?” “I’d be honored. I spar with another black belt pretty often, with predictable results, but I always learn something from our matches.” She positively bubbled. “You have a great attitude. Most girls would’ve freaked right out and run the other way at my dojo.”

---

Kelly’s fingers danced in an almost magical and ethereal, otherworldly movement as she played an advanced piece for me. I stood just behind her, dressed in my white karate gi and orange belt. I watched with sheer amazement over her shoulder, and when she concluded, she smiled back at me.

“Don’t worry. I don’t expect you to play like some sort of grand concert pianist. Even I’m not that good,” she chuckled, continuing, “But if you find this is something you want to continue doing more seriously I still have the contact information for my old tutor. For now, I want to show you a simple exercise you can practice when you have time, before you have to get to practice.”

She slid over, patting the lightly-padded bench beside her. Kelly may not have owned a big, fancy piano like in the movies, but she understood the importance of having a comfortable place to sit while practicing, even at her dated little electronic keyboard. Of course, I’d heard the whisperings of a possible Christmas present too.

They’d never fit it downstairs, but with the main ‘entertainment’ hub of the Jones’ house focused on their basement, the upstairs living room had a gaping hole where a full-sized upright or baby grand could be assembled. Since Kelly had expressed an interest in music again ever since she started tutoring me, it sort of made sense.

For my part, I loved the responsiveness of her electronic keyboard. It was an older model, sure, but expensive for its time with weighted touch-sensitive keys. Her passion, and my timidness, came through with every stroke.

She giggled as I fumbled through the exercise. It had a bluesy sound to it, even when I played it. It seemed so simple, just a few chords, but as with all our lessons, Kelly made this look far easier than it really was.

“Good, Robin,” she offered reassuringly as she brushed her shoulder against mine, leaning in to give me a sisterly nuzzle. “But don’t try to analyze it so much. Just relax and focus on the music. Have fun with it!”

Nicole’s giggle echoed from the top of the stairs as she called, “Hey, who let the grand pianist at Kelly's keyboard?”

“Oh ha ha, very funny,” I chided her playfully as she appeared on the bottom step. My jaw fell agape as I looked up to see her dressed in the most elegant black Victorian gown.

The bodice, broadly cut exposed her milky flesh, her bosom seemingly at once enhanced and accentuated by the silk corset adorned in satin bows which completed the ensemble. Her makeup, as expertly applied as ever, looked especially, deliciously dark tonight.

Kelly grinned to herself as she watched me stand, moving to my girlfriend’s side. I took her hands and pulled her delicately into a kiss as she wrapped me in her embrace.

“Well hi there,” she whispered sweetly, seductively and somehow, at once innocently as well.

“Nikki you look gorgeous! What’s the occasion?” I asked, rapt. She simply rolled her shoulders as she nuzzled my neck. She stole a quick, innocent kiss from her new vantage point then smiled lovingly.

“It’s been such a hard week what with Andrea showing up, and you hurting yourself that I thought maybe I’d do something special for you. You don’t mind if I drive you to practice like this do you?”

Of course, she wore a playful pout with those words. Kelly completely melted into the background as far as we were concerned. I leaned forward to steal a kiss in return, she with her muted, dark plum lipstick and I with a light touch of sparkly pink gloss. We were quite the pair.

“Of course I don’t,” I paused, grinning playfully right back at her, “as long as you don’t mind that I spend the entire drive, and probably most of practice, staring at you.”

She giggled as she took my hand. “C’mon, cutie. Bye Kelly,” she waved with her free hand. I looked around sheepishly to see Kelly still sitting there, grinning at us like the Cheshire cat that ate the canary. I gave her a delicate finger-wiggle, causing her to lose it completely.

“Have fun guys,” she called after us. The last thing either of us saw of her, she had been holding her sides, laughing, as she bolted for the nearest bathroom.

As I pulled my seatbelt across, Nicole glanced back at me and giggled. “What was that about anyway? I mean Kelly almost peed herself laughing!”

I tried so hard not to giggle at Nicole’s frank observation. I failed miserably and shook my head. “Who knows? She’s been like that for the last couple of days now. Margie too, now that I think about it.” I shrugged. I’d been so preoccupied with my own problems, like my ex-girlfriend showing up and getting Trent to talk to Doctor Ketz, that I hadn’t really seen much of either of them since Monday.

~oOo~

When we arrived at the dojo, I gave Nicole a parting kiss at the lobby for now. Our Friday nights went like clockwork ever since she turned sixteen. We’d arrive early, kiss, I’d go into the dojo proper to warm up while she went to track down a bottle of water for me.

We’d meet up again, kiss, I’d go through the motions of practice for the evening while she spent time with Jennifer and the other significant other-types (wives, boyfriends, girlfriends), after practice she’d hold my water bottle ransom until she got another kiss, and then she’d drive me home where, you guessed it, a goodnight kiss.

As I was meditating though, following my usual round of stretches, I suddenly felt as though someone were watching me. I opened my eyes, glancing around to see Sensei Rogers approaching. A fairly attractive young woman whose tightly curled strawberry blonde hair hung daintily from a ponytail followed closely. I took note that a black belt adorned her otherwise pristine white karate gi. She couldn’t have been more than twenty though.

I stood and immediately bowed when they reached me, smiling. “Hi Sensei Dad,” I teased, since it was still technically before class. The woman tried hard to stifle a giggle, pressing her palm to her lips as he glanced at her and smiled, returning his gaze to me.

“Hi Robin. This is Deborah. Deborah, this is Robin, my prized student. And I’m not just saying that because she’s my future step-daughter.” He winked, causing her to giggle again as she extended her hand.

“It’s nice to meet you Robin,” her melodious voice had just the faintest twang of Southern to it, though it sounded different from Nicole’s. Where hers had some hint of French-Cajun in the way she pronounced certain words, especially if she was excited, this girl’s seemed almost Gentry. I could feel my cheeks burn as I shook hands with her, smiling back.

“Likewise, Deborah,” I offered. Before I could ask, Sensei Dad answered the obvious question.

“Deborah came to us tonight from another dojo to test for her next degree Black belt.”

She nodded quickly. “My Sensei’s wife went into labor yesterday. I’d been training for this for so long though, that he called Sensei Rogers and asked if he would test me instead. I still need to warm up, though.” She paused and smiled at me, eyeing my orange belt. “Would you be willing to spar with me?”

“I’d be honored. I spar with another black belt pretty often, with predictable results, but I always learn something from our matches.”

She positively bubbled. “You have a great attitude. Most girls would’ve freaked right out and run the other way at my dojo.” She added as we took our positions on the mat, “I should warn you, I also study kickboxing, but I’ll try and hold back and not use those moves since this is going to be for my next degree later tonight.”

I hadn’t even noticed that Sensei Rogers had left us to our practice. I bowed to Deborah, and after she returned the gesture, she leapt forward with a loud ‘Hai!’ that belied her normally bubbly exterior. I sidestepped her punch, and I’d love to say that dodging her follow-up kick was intentional, but truthfully I panicked and bunny-hopped backwards.

As she surged forward, I ducked to the left into a low sweep that caught her ankle, knocking her off-balance. Rather than falling flat, she rolled with the momentum, moving into a tumble and somehow ending up behind me. The next thing I knew, I had a foot in my back, though it felt pretty obvious she was pulling her punches … err, kicks.

I spun around only to be caught in a defensive throw that left me flat on my back. She offered me her hand, pulling me to my feet, her bright, bubbly smile returning. “Phew. You’re a lot squirrelier than you look.” Squirrelier? I gave her an odd glance causing her to laugh. “I mean you’re light on your feet. Wow. Who’s that?” she asked with surprise. I looked over my shoulder to see who she meant. Nicole grinned, waving.

“Oh, that’s my girlfriend Nikki. I’ll introduce you,” I responded nonchalantly, before really realizing what I had said. I turned to catch Nicole in a tight hug, and after we exchanged our traditional kiss, she relinquished my water bottle.

“That was awesome. You’re like Jackie Chan with boobs,” she giggled, causing Deborah to blush just a bit, though after a moment she started laughing too. “Oh my God. I think I like you already,” she added, offering her hand. “I’m Deborah.”

“Nicole, but you and Robin look like y’all hit it off, so you can call me Nikki.”

“Y’all?” Deborah asked, grinning. “You’re a southerner too?”

“Well, not exactly: transplanted from Louisiana. I moved around a lot, lotta foster homes, ended up here. Found awesome adopted parents, fell in love,” she paused, glancing at me with a dark, impish grin.

“Well, hey, whatever floats your boat. If Robin keeps up her practice she’ll be able to slap anyone who says otherwise six ways from Sunday anyway.” She grinned, patting my shoulder lightly. “Thanks so much for sparring with me hon. Are you entering the tournament next week?”

I blinked at her, but vaguely recalled mention of it after thinking for a few seconds. I finally shook my head. “Oh, no, I don’t do tournaments.”

“Aww, why not?” she asked as the three of us turned to step away from the mat. We still had a good fifteen minutes before the other students arrived, so I motioned for her to follow, taking Nicole’s hand in mine and giving her a gentle squeeze, more for my own sake than anything. Nicole smiled fondly in return as we sat in the ‘significant other’ section, a small arrangement of chairs off to one side of the room.

I nervously chewed my bottom lip. “Well, promise you won’t laugh?” I asked. She nodded quickly. “It’s because I only started studying Kenpo as a means to protect myself. The thought of competing just feels weird. Besides, I’m just an orange belt. There’s no way I could even place.”

She shook her head slowly, her bubbly smile fading as she leaned forward. “Oh, honey,” she spoke softly, almost sadly. She took my hand in both of hers, holding it upright. “The martial arts are all about self-defense, you’re absolutely right. But these tournaments aren’t about winning.”

“They aren’t?” I asked innocently. She shook her head.

“Nope. I don’t enter tournaments with the mentality that I’ll kick everyone’s butt and show off my awesome skills,” she emphasized the ‘zz’ sound on the end of ‘skills’. “I enter because it’s fun, and it’s a great way to display what you’ve learned. In a very real way, you honor your Sensei and your dojo by competing.”

She made a valid point, and one that I really, honestly had never thought about before. I didn’t have long to think about it though, as Sensei Dad seemed to appear out of nowhere, placing his hands on my and Deborah’s shoulders. We both jumped and squealed at once. He grinned.

“Well said Deborah. You just passed the first part of your test.”

She blinked at him, then back at me. I held my hands up. “I’m innocent. But he’s good at these ‘trick’ tests,” I giggled, glancing back at him.

“Indeed. I haven’t said anything to Robin about the tournament. I had my suspicions as to why she didn’t show any interest, but I thought that perhaps if I introduced you two, that you might hit it off and talk about it.” He paused and smiled down at me. “I really am sorry for the deception Robin, but I didn’t want you to feel pressured if you genuinely weren’t interested.”

“Oooh, he’s good,” Deborah stage-whispered, but grinned as she stood, bowing respectfully.

I stood and wrapped him in a hug, which he, by now, had become accustomed to enough to simply pat my back in return. “You’re so awesome,” I whispered happily, adding a bit more loudly next, “I’d love to represent our dojo in the tournament.”

“Excellent. I’ll give you an entry form before you go home tonight.”

~oOo~

Practice went off without a hitch, and following the water bottle ransom kiss, Nicole and I walked with Jason and Maria out to the parking lot. Jason seemed to be a lot more relaxed tonight than I’d seen him in awhile. Nicole elbowed me, practically glaring in his direction to get me to ask. Maria, noticing, rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Should I tell them or do you want to?” Jason shifted nervously, causing her to giggle even more. “You guys know how I’m only here on a temporary foreign exchange thing, and I have to go home this summer right?” We all nodded. “Well, when I talked to mi papa about posing for the big Aria Blade shoot next week, we got to talking. He said it sounded like I was really making a lot of friends here, and that it would be a real shame to give all this up and never see you guys again…” She trailed off, and Jason picked up with a casual smile.

“Her uncle’s some kind of lawyer with some political sway so they can arrange for her to get into the foreign exchange program again next year, with a pretty good chance she’ll end up here again.”

Nicole and I both squealed happily for her. We bounced, we giggled, we cried, we hugged. We being Maria, Nicole and I. Jason ducked out of the way, covering his ears from the moment we started squealing. The poor guy stood off to one side with Josh, whom we hadn’t even noticed. Jennifer came strolling up beside him a moment later.

“What’d I miss?” she asked, fighting a giggle. Josh shrugged indifferently, but Jason chuckled wryly.

“Maria might be coming back to stay on foreign exchange next year.”

Jennifer squealed, causing both boys to cringe away. She giggled. “Sorry. Couldn’t help myself,” she added with a flash of a grin their direction before coming over to hug Maria. “Congrats girl. The senior Lady Tigers just wouldn’t be the same without you next year!”

~oOo~

“Oh, don’t forget your entry form … majigger,” Nicole waved the neatly folded tournament entry form in front of me. She paused and grinned, speaking in a terrible stereotypical Old Guru impression. “But you only get form if you can snatch if from my hand! Haha!”

I tried a few times to grab it, but she was just too fast. A rather thoughtful grin crossed my lips. Her eyes widened. “Oh no,” was all she could get out, before she started squealing and cackling as I attacked her sides, tickling her mercilessly. She dropped the folded paper, and I snatched it from her lap. “No fair!” she giggled. “I’m wearing a corset remember? It’s hard to wiggle in this thing!”

“Well, I guess I can wear one for you next time to make it more even,” I teased, not really serious. Her eyes lit up.

“Really?!” she gasped.

“Err, well I-” I fumbled, blushing. She laughed.

“Relax babe, I’m only teasing. I think you’d look drop-dead sexy in one, but I’d never try and make you. You know that.”

I giggled as I leaned in to kiss her cheek. I gave her hand a soft squeeze, and she turned to face me, planting a soft, innocent kiss on my lips. A second kiss followed, more lingering, and we both smiled as we closed our eyes, losing ourselves in the bliss of the moment while it lasted. Finally, I reluctantly pulled away.

“I think I’d like to try it some time, just to see what it feels like.”

“Um?” she blinked. “Try what?”

“Wearing a corset?” I stuck my tongue out and licked the very tip of her nose. She cackled.

“Oh, Robin, Robin, Robin. There will be pictures, just so you know. I want a huge poster-sized picture of you in a corset so I can hang it on my wall. You can even wear one of my goth dresses underneath so it doesn’t look indecent. I kinda think they’re sexier over clothing anyway.”

She beamed. I wondered if I’d regret this later, but it did sound like an interesting experience. Even Trina’s worn them, so they couldn’t be that bad.

“Good night cutie,” Nicole finally exhaled with a reluctant pout. We shared one last tender kiss and I laid my head on her shoulder.

“Sweet dreams vampire. I’ll see you tomorrow night, right?”

“Why, Brain? Wot are we gonna do tomorrow night?” she responded playfully.

Taking my cue, I responded ominously. “Try to take over Chez Marceau!” I hadn’t told her Margie managed to score us reservations for our date night yet. I’d been waiting for just the right moment, and that felt like it. She squealed.

“OhmyGawd! You got us reservations? Seriously?!”

I nodded excitedly. “Well, Margie did. She said after the week we’d had, we deserved it.”

We had such fond memories of Chez Marceau, not only as the spot where we went on our first date, but also our three month anniversary, and now ‘just because’. For someone who really never liked the place before, Nicole really warmed up to it after that. She hugged and kissed me happily. I giggled as I returned the hug, and squeezed her hand as I opened the door, finally stepping out into the chill night air. She waved, still grinning brightly as I pushed the door closed, heading inside.

I thought I heard Margie and Kelly giggling in the living room. I decided that, since it didn’t sound like they heard me open the door, I’d sneak up on them. I eased it closed quietly, tip-toeing down the hall and into the kitchen to ambush them from there. I peeked around the corner.

Margie and Kelly cuddled together on the sofa, smiling and laughing. Each had a wine glass in hand, which they toasted together, and after a sip each, they slowly leaned closer. I felt my jaw fall open as they exchanged a single soft kiss. I stumbled back in surprise, tipping over a broom in the process, but I managed to catch it before it crashed to the floor. I exhaled slowly, setting it right. I decided to give the two some privacy. I quietly grabbed a red cream soda from the fridge and tried to tiptoe up to my room.

“Robin? Is that you?” Margie called from the living room. Rats! I poked my head around the corner and smiled.

“Hi guys. It’s just me.” I noted they were still holding hands. Kelly grinned as she raised her half-empty wine glass.

“Hey! We were just celebrating my new job. How was practice?”

“It was okay,” I responded. “This girl, Deborah – well I say girl but she was probably like twenty-one,” I babbled, explaining about Deborah’s ‘test’, and how she convinced me to enter the upcoming tournament. The entire time I stayed in the doorway, hoping I could break away and let them get back to their ‘celebrating’. It wasn’t that seeing them together bothered me at all though. In fact I had suspected they were dating quite awhile ago, until I saw Kelly flirting with a male waiter at a night club. They didn’t seem to be taking the hint, though.

“It sounds like fun,” Margie responded with a goofy smile. Finally, Kelly rolled her eyes.

“Well, are you going to go ahead and ask or do we have to tickle it out of you?” she teased.

“Um, ask what?” I pretended to act innocent, but I couldn’t hold a straight face and started giggling. I stepped closer and bent down to hug them. “I’m really happy for you guys.”

Kelly smiled fondly as she put her arm around me in return, kissing my cheek before letting me stand again. “In a way, this is kind of your doing, y’know.”

I blinked at her. “Me? What did I do?”

Margie set her empty wine glass aside as she snuggled closer to Kelly. Kelly for her part, wrapped an arm around my sister before answering. “Well, you and Nikki. Robin, sweetheart, this is kind of awkward for me to admit, but for years, I … I thought that since I was a girl inside, that obviously meant I had to like guys. I tried so hard to make dating work, but it felt …”

“Forced?” I asked. I knew exactly what she meant. She nodded crisply.

“Yes, exactly! It was like pretending to be a guy all over again.”

Margie giggled a little as she leaned over to kiss Kelly’s cheek. “And for my part, I had just never really met anyone that I clicked with except Kelly. We’ve been best friends since college, maybe even more, but…” she trailed off, letting Kelly pick up.

“But it wasn’t until I started to really, really watch the way you and Nikki act around each other that I realized it. You’re best friends, but you’re more than just friends. You guys share something special, and in a way, that’s what our relationship’s been like. We started talking a few nights ago, one thing led to another,” she paused. Margie, a little tipsy from the wine, started giggling too.

“And it led there again later,” she teased. My jaw fell open.

“Margie! Jeeze, TMI!”

Kelly blinked. “TMI?” she asked coyly.

Margie laughed. “Too much information – and I was just teasing. We’re … Well, neither of us is ready for that sort of thing yet. We want to see where dating goes first.”

Kelly smiled fondly back at her. I giggled. “Well, I’ll give you two some privacy. Before I go though can I ask why you didn’t say anything sooner?”

Both looked at each other, then guiltily back at me. Kelly spoke up, “We were worried about how you’d take it. You had a really bad week with Andrea showing up and all. That’s why we got you those reservations, to kind of soften the blow. We were going to tell you tomorrow night,” she explained.

Margie added, “Ally doesn’t even know yet, if that helps?”

“Ooh, can I tell her?” I begged. Kelly giggled. “Sure. I think she kind of suspects already, so if you explain why we didn’t tell you, she’ll understand.”

“Yay!” I clapped my hands together excitedly. I just wanted to see the look on her face. “I’ll see if she’s on webcam while I get ready for bed. G’night guys,” I offered with a cheerful wave. I heard Kelly giggle as I left earshot.

“She’s such a doll.”

I couldn’t reach the top of the stairs fast enough. As soon as I entered my room I turned on my laptop, waiting patiently for it to start up. After loading the chat program, four separate webcam windows popped up featuring Jennifer, Nicole, Allison, and Andrea like some sort of twisted Brady Bunch loading screen.

“Guys, you’ll never believe who I just walked in on…”

~oOo~

Saturday was a flurry of activity. Since I only saw Barbara twice a month now, and since I now had my Mom AND Kelly working at the local hospital I managed to work out with my endocrinologist to have the necessary blood samples drawn at the Alpine Springs hospital . Their lab was equipped to handle the work, and they could just fax it over, saving me the hassle of a drive to New Haven. I still had to get stuck though. I hated needles.

On the bright side however, it meant more time for me to get my hair and nails done for my coming date with Nicole. It’d been a few months since I’d had my hair styled so I was really looking forward to it. I felt humbled every time I entered Denise’s salon. She still proudly displayed the picture of Nicole and me as we posed before our first date. God, I loved that dress.

The weekend into the first day of the new week passed by uneventfully after that. I had only just posted up fliers that day with a contact e-mail address for my new column, ‘Spirit’s Enlightenment’, so I didn’t expect to see much response. Mrs. Ellis gave me some leeway in terms of time just in case, and of course she gave me a lecture on what to do if I received any lewd or threatening e-mails.

Mrs. Ellis’ husband, it turns out, was some sort of software engineer. He knew his way around a computer, and taught her well, and she taught me, mostly how to get an e-mail’s source. By Tuesday, I already had two dozen e-mails waiting for me, but I didn’t have time to check them. I had a tournament to get ready for!

To my surprise, our own North Side High would be most generously offering the use of our gymnasium for the tournament, so P.E. that day consisted of helping with setup. Of course, Maria just had to tell everyone that I’d be entering in the tournament.

“Robin’s in the tournament?” Chelsea perked up at the topic of conversation as we rolled a large and extremely heavy padded mat out across the floor. I smiled sheepishly.

“I study Kenpo style, yeah. I’m just an Orange belt, but it’s like someone recently said, it’s not about winning with these things. It’s about giving it your all and showcasing what you’ve learned.”

“Still, that’s so cool! Like The Next Karate Kid,” she mused, stopping to frown when we all stopped to stare at her.

“Julie-san? Oh come on, you guys have never watched that movie? You should rent it if you can find it. It’s a classic.”

Jennifer giggled. “I liked Curse of the Golden Flower, but I usually avoid martial art movies.”

“So can we get a demonstration?” Chelsea pleaded. I started to shake my head, but the cat was out of the bag. Several boys and girls from our class started begging for a demonstration, so I finally, reluctantly sighed.

“Alright, alright! Ally, we’ve sparred together before. Will you be my victi- I mean sparring partner?”

Allison grinned. “Sure, but only if I get to throw you on your butt after!” she teased, causing a round of giggles.

Coach Wilson blew her whistle to get our attention. “What’s going on over here?”

“We talked Robin into giving us a quick Kenpo demonstration since she’ll be fighting in the tournament tonight!” Chelsea responded excitedly. I admit, it felt kind of weird knowing I was good at something she apparently had never tried, but with her background in gymnastics I was sure she’d be good at it.

Coach Wilson smiled thoughtfully. “Weeeell, I don’t know.”

“Oh, please!” a round of begging from our fellow students followed. I bit my lip, adding to the chorus.

“Ally and I spar a lot so she knows how to fall. It’s completely safe.”

Allison quickly nodded. “Ditto for Robin. I already knew a couple of defensive takedowns, but she’s really helped me refine my technique.”

“Ohh, all right. But I’ll be watching!” Coach Wilson added with a grin, implying more that she herself was interested in a demonstration, than that she thought we might hurt each other.

The circle widened around us as we took positions on the mat. I nodded to Allison, and she darted in attempting to throw a punch. I shifted my weight to my back foot, planting it slightly off to the side even as I entangled her arm in mine. I used her momentum, pulling her closer, dug my hip in, and planted her firmly, but gently on the ground beside me to a chorus of cheers.

I giggled, helping her to her feet. She grinned. After a quick exchange of hugs, we returned to position. This time, I charged at her, giving her an open opportunity to use one of her Judo throws against me, again to a round of cheers as she pulled me to my feet. I squeezed her hand and smiled.

“The most important part is what you guys saw us do afterward,” Allison added, catching me by surprise, but I just had to grin, nodding in agreement.

“You have to leave your ego at the door when you do this. Accidents happen, even between friends.”

“Well said girls,” Coach Wilson replied. “Now, let’s get these mats set up, then you can rest. I’ll let the next class handle the block-breaking stands.”

~oOo~

Nothing could really prepare me for the night of the tournament itself. I thought it would just be Kenpo, but the banners that now hung from the ceiling suggested otherwise. Despite the sea of people in various styles of gi, I easily found Sensei Rogers and the handful of others from our school that decided to enter. He had been talking to a short, old man with almost no hair left on his head, but a long, white beard hanging from his chin when I approached. The old man stared intently at me, and I reflexively bowed, stepping back again.

The old man grinned. “Your pupil shows respect even to strangers,” he said simply, nodding toward me. Sensei Rogers glanced back at me and smiled proudly.

“She understands the value of respecting others, including her enemies. Isn’t that right Robin?”

I nodded. “Yes sir, Sensei,” I answered respectfully. The old man approached me. He stared sternly into my eyes for a moment, then broke into a warm laugh.

“Relax, child. Tonight, I am merely an observer.”

Sensei Rogers smiled proudly as he motioned for me to step closer. “Robin, this is my dear friend Jin Li. He is one of the world’s foremost Southern Mantis stylists. Jin Li, this is Robin Smith, my fiancé’s daughter, and one of my favorite students.”

“You have a good heart, Robin,” he responded kindly. “Your chi flows freely and unburdened. It is a rare thing in one so young.”

My what does what now?

Ash rested a hand gently on my shoulder. “She’s no ordinary young woman. She’s suffered so much, but come through it for the better.”

I just had to ask. “Sir, may I ask what brings you to the tournament here?”

Again he smiled cheerfully. “Of course, child. I’m here because Ash is an old friend of my family’s. It was my brother who originally instructed him, before he went on to study and instruct Kenpo. It was my brother’s tradition, each year, to visit Ash and observe the proceedings of the Mixed Martial Arts tournament, but since his passing, I took up his tradition instead. It’s my way of honoring his legacy, and his fine student.”

I couldn’t help smiling at that. I felt a little misty-eyed, but before I could really dwell on it, a tall woman with bobbed brown hair wearing a white headset approached us. She glanced down at her clipboard, then at me. “Can you tell me where I can find Robin Smith?” she asked.

I nodded. “You found her, ma’am,” I answered respectfully.

“Oh!” she smiled brightly. “You’re up for the Orange exhibition.”

“The … What?” I turned to look at Sensei. He smiled.

“You checked the box to be part of the Orange Belt exhibition. It’s basically a demonstration of the kata you have learned as part of your training.”

“But I didn’t-” I started to say, but paused. Oh, yes I did. I thought that was how I signed up for competing against other orange belt-holders before I realized what the "mixed" in "Mixed Martial Arts" meant! My cheeks burned. There was no turning back now though. I sheepishly followed the woman, who led me to where I would wait for my name to be called.

After a few minutes, the announcer’s voice came over the PA system.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Connecticut Mixed Martial Arts tournament, featuring the finest martial artists from around New England!”

I started to tune it out. I felt so nervous. There were just so many people here, and all eyes would be on me. Oh God. I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly to try and calm myself. I suddenly yelped as someone placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked around quickly to find the source. Josh smiled down at me.

“Relax Robin. This is just like training at the dojo.” Somehow, that didn’t help.

“Yeah, but at the dojo I don’t have everyone staring at me. What if I mess up?”

He laughed. I poked him in the ribs, causing him to grunt. “Ow! I guess I deserved that,” he grinned. “I wasn’t laughing at you though. I just found it kind of odd that the girl who can ride in a parade and stand up in front of the whole school as a homecoming princess, never mind playing basketball, feels nervous about something she’s been practicing quite possibly more often than I do since August.”

He had a point. He had a VERY good point. I grinned and wrapped him in a hug. He seemed surprised by it, but smiled, awkwardly returning the gesture. “Thanks Josh. I so needed that.”

He smiled. “No problem. That’s what friends are for.”

As if on cue, the announcer began again. “And now, representing Kenpo Karate style, fifteen year old Robin Smith will demonstrate Orange Belt kata.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and after a moment to gather my courage, I confidently stepped forward to the center of the mat. As I bowed to the audience, the entire section containing my supporters - friends, girl scouts, and others, cheered a thundrous "GO SPIRIT!". I turned and bowed to Sensei Rogers.

I fell into a basic stance and waited for my cues. Sensei Rogers crisply and clearly barked which kata I was to perform, and I suddenly felt my body relax completely. I felt almost like jelly as I shifted between each movement and stance. Before I knew it, he had called out the last strike, and when I stood and bowed, the crowd exploded into cheers.

I felt my cheeks burn as I raced off the mat. Jin Li, still grinning, slowly approached. “That was most impressive. Tell me, how did you feel out there though?”

I turned back to watch the next division belt exhibitionist step into position, smiling thoughtfully as I answered. “At first I was terrified, but then, when Sensei Rogers called the first kata, it was like I just… relaxed. I’ve been practicing my kata daily every chance I get, so when the time came it just felt natural.”

“Like a reflex,” he answered in a rhetorical tone, and nodded.

“Yes, exactly. Kind of like when I accidentally threw Jason on his butt,” I added sheepishly. “I felt so bad about that. But he did grab me first. I don’t even remember throwing him, but I think I at least let him down gently.”

“Sometimes, there is no time to think. You must allow yourself to react first, think later. But you take responsibility for your actions. My brother would have been proud.”

We watched the rest of the exhibitions together, first Jin Li and me, then collectively as a dojo, while the other schools performed their exhibitions, then came time for the tournament itself.

Of course, I didn’t win. I never stood a chance, but I managed to get into the ranking at least. In the end though, Josh made it all the way to the semi-finals, scoring a rather sweet trophy, if I do say so myself.

Every bone and muscle in my body ached by the time I got home. Mom had to help me into the house. I didn’t actually hurt myself or anything. I was just so exhausted from the whole event. Not surprisingly, Kelly and Margie were cuddling on the sofa again. They both giggled as I padded inside, easing myself into the nearest chair.

“How did it go?” Margie asked as she watched me sit. I groaned.

Kelly laughed. “Poor thing. You look exhausted.”

Again, I groaned. This time though, I cracked a smile. “It was awesome. I had so much fun. Josh even made it to the semi-finals! In the end he only lost by one point.”

“Wow, that’s great!” Margie responded cheerfully. “I’m so glad you had fun. Oh before I forget, the photo shoot’s been moved to Thursday, but this also means I have more time to set up at Touch of Style. The whole ‘Aria Blade’ thing’s going to be huge for business once word gets out,” she giggled. “I’m thinking about putting out some comic books signed by you girls as your alter-egos.”

“That’s a great idea!” I responded warmly. “Um, could … someone help me up again? I think I’m going to go take a nice hot bath before bed.”

Kelly stood, taking my hands and hoisting me right up into a hug. I rested my head against her shoulder for a moment, breathing a long, contented sigh. “Thanks sis,” I teased, giving her a soft, chaste kiss on her cheek. As she returned to Margie, I hobbled upstairs.

I had another basketball game tomorrow, though I was sure I’d feel better by then, and with the photo shoot moved to Thursday instead of Wednesday I’d have more time to relax and hang out with the girls before the game. I’d have to get to my e-mail at some point soon, too, but resolved to put it off until after my bath.

At least things were finally starting to feel like some semblance of normal again, though with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I wondered if they’d stay that way.

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