Leah smiled at the miniature interrogation. Akimoto Yoshikazu had been her mentor and sensei since she was seven years old. Harlow knew Leah’s temper and impulsiveness combined with her anger over her father had led her into trouble so she enrolled her in a beginners Ju-Jitsu class with Yoshikazu. Eventually, Leah became his prodigy.
Interrupting even more questions that she still hadn’t had a chance to answer, Leah said, “Kazu, I’m here for a job!” Most students called him Master Yoshi or Sensei but the few he had chosen to personally train for the Shadows he allowed to call him Master Kazu; Leah, however, was his equal, so he allowed her to drop the honorifics when she bested him the first time.
Kazu was finally quiet. He contemplated which classes he could turn over to Leah without causing too much conflict between his other instructors, but he knew Leah would be better than any of his current ones. “I have some Warriors and Fighters in my brown belt classes. You can take over those if you wish; I have yet to determine how far any of them can go.”
Leah was interrupted before she could answer, “Master Yoshi! We cannot let just anyone into our dojo and allow them to teach! Those are my students that you are allowing to be instructed by a stranger!” A young man called from across the room. He was wearing a traditional Gi with a first-degree black belt.
Stomping over towards them, the man was still trying to declare that Master Yoshi shouldn’t give his classes or students away to a stranger who had walked in off the street just to start a fight with him. Leah rolled her eyes. Throughout her martial arts career and her time in the Shadows, people looked at her and only saw what they wanted to see; a 5’4”, small, lithe, young girl. Nobody took in her sculpted legs or the fact that her arms bulged from her sleeves. While she may be small and agile, it didn’t take away from the fact that she was strong and muscular.
She had tuned out of the on-going argument, bored of the same conversation in each of the dojos she wanted to work at. As the man was still yelling, the sensei leaned over and whispered in her ear in Japanese, “Brock Turner is a Champion of the Shadows. He’s a black belt in Judo and allowed to teach the class but he thinks since there are Warriors and Fighters in his class that he’s an honorary Veteran. No matter how many times I tell him it doesn’t work that way, he still thinks that he’s getting away with something. I teach classes to them in the off hours, following the proper laws.”
“I’ll take them. Kazu, can I show this—Brock, was his name right—I’ll show him not to think he can do the job of higher ranks.” With a wink at her master, Leah turned from his smirk to look at the man still trying to out show her. Taking a deep breath, she announced, “Brock Turner, as an emissary for the Elder of the Shadows, I hereby relieve you of your rank, Champion. Until further notice, you are now simply a Warrior. If you can prove that you truly, physically and spiritually, represent the ideals of Tyaos and his Shadows, I will reinstate you to your current rank. However, if I find that you lack the commitment, morals, and spirit of a true Shadow, then you will forever be nothing more than a Warrior.”
The look of shock and horror on Brock’s face was enough of a punishment for Leah. The few gasps from those who knew of the Shadows made Brock’s fate more real to him. Yoshi finally had the chance to introduce her now that Brock had stopped complaining and was shocked into silence.
He moved towards a wall that was covered in trophies, ribbons, pictures, and newspaper clippings. “This is Leah Kearney. She is my prodigy. My greatest accomplishment.” He was pointing to different clippings, “At sixteen she placed first in the Co-ed Under 20 Mixed Martial Arts Championship, following which, she became the youngest Elder of the Shadows. I have known and trained Leah since she was eight years old.” Turning to Brock he continued, “She is more than qualified to teach any class, rank, or student. Therefore, she will be taking over all of your classes for the foreseeable future.”
Master Yoshi lead Brock to his office, allowing the young man to recover in privacy. As he passed her, he whispered, gesturing to the young adults in the front of the dojo, “Your first class is a beginner’s class and starts in ten minutes. I have extra uniforms in the supply closet if you need one, granddaughter.”
Smiling she replied, “I have my stuff in my car, Kazu. I’m good to start.” Leah watched Yoshi and Brock go to Yoshi’s office before heading to her car and grabbing a duffle bag. She changed in the bathroom and went to look at the pictures Yoshi had been pointing at earlier. Most of them were of her. Pictures of her in the middle of fights, of her on the winners stand, at each of her belt ceremonies. The one that caught her eye though wasn’t one where she was at a competition; rather she was standing on the edge of a cliff with Yoshi next to her and they were surrounded by a group of older men and women. That was a day that was ingrained in her mind forever. It was a week after she had won the Championship on her sixteenth birthday and Yoshikazu had flown her to Japan to bring her as a candidate for an Elder rank. This was the moment she had officially become an Elder after defeating the entire Elder Council, proving herself as worthy to be called a daughter of the God Tyaos. She didn’t realize that Yoshi had this photo, but was proud that he displayed it in the middle of all her accomplishments.
Turning away from the wall, Leah faced the students who had been slowly gathering behind her. She waited for the few stragglers to make their way to the mat. Watching the group, she made mental notes on each person before spotting a girl about her age sitting towards the back. She had an aura about her that was different than the other students, one that reminded her of her brother. An unshifted wolf.
Reminding herself to befriend the girl, Leah turned away from her and said to the group, “I’m Leah Kearney. You can call me Sensei Leah. In this class, I am not your friend; I am here to teach you to defend your selves, to stand up for your selves. I am not here to teach you how to be a bully or how to pick a fight.” She stared down at her students, making it clear she wasn’t one to joke around with. “For now, I just want to see your commitment and your current level so pair up!”
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