I Am Who? - Book 2

Chapter 37 - Tumbling, Questions, & Awkwardness

"Look at your form!" Ayan clicked his tongue in disgust. "You don't practice for a few days, and we're back to square one? At this rate, you'll never learn how to fight properly."

I inhaled and bit down on the insides of my cheeks to focus. My mind was not on the matter at hand. There was no space up there to think about whether my arms were straight or my feet were at the correct angle when I had no idea if Kotaro had been taken into custody by Kamon.

"Straighten up!" Ayan barked. "Is that the best you've got? We're not leaving until you get it perfect."

A few of the members of the Seventh had stopped to gawk at me on their way past. I'd heard them whispering behind their hands, and from the snippets I heard, I knew many of them had also witnessed the events in the courtyard a few days earlier. Even if they hadn't been present, everyone seemed to know about what had occurred, and the realization that whatever happened here would most certainly reach the other tribes set into the pit of my stomach.

Drawing a deep breath, I tried to align my mind on what I was doing and began to move through the stretches again. Thankfully, it wasn't too hot outside, but the afternoon sun was doing its best to beat down on me relentlessly, and a sheen of sweat had coated my skin after only a few moves.

"Don't work too hard." Ayan whispered without looking at me, his lips barely moving. "I don't think you'll get off any easier with Kamon if you master this."

I gritted my teeth at the name. "Thank you." I ground out.

"Ooh, what's that I detect? Is someone a little jealous?" I could hear the smug grin in his voice.

Without warning, I swung my fist at his stomach. He grabbed my wrist out of the air, but it was already too late, and his attempt only proved to sway my aim. My knuckles found purchase in the center of his chest, and he released a heavy breath of air. As I tried to pull away, he jammed my hand against himself.

"Now what?" His voice was threaded with amusement.

I looked up at him and knew he wasn't going to just let me go without a fight. Gritting my teeth, I swung my other hand at him, but he was more prepared this time. Snatching my wrist out of the air, he neatly trapped me. Before I could move, he kicked my legs out from under me, releasing me to let me fall completely. I landed heavily on my backside, and the impact of my landing had stars dancing in my vision.

"Get up." He commanded.

Slowly, I moved to do as I'd been commanded, but the fall hadn't knocked all the fight out of me. My foolish instincts took over, and I dove toward his legs. I don't think he'd been expecting there to be any fight left in me, so he had no time to move. Toppling to the ground, he twisted out of my grasp and rolled into a crouched position tilting his head to look at me.

"You're an idiot." He said simply.

I raised a brow. "And you're on the ground."

A sense of pride at the fact that I had been able to take him down welled in my heart. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked at me, and I knew I was about to experience on a deeper level what he'd meant when he'd claimed he'd be the toughest teacher I'd ever have. Honestly, though, I had expected him to sidestep my attack or to stand there like a pillar beneath my efforts, so even if he thrashed me completely, this small victory was enough.

Feinting to the left, he sprang at me without warning. My brain was still trying to catch up with his movements by the time he was halfway to me, and even as I spun about and tried to scramble to my feet, he grabbed my ankle and jerked me back down. I got a mouthful of dust and began to cough madly as he flipped me easily onto my back.