Serving Time(((Complete)))

Apparently Not

--- 7 Years Ago (three years later) ---

I breathed out slowly, and opened my eyes. Sami smiled. "And how was your sleep, Little One?"

Sami was, in loose terms, my foster mother, and also my Shaolin teacher. Which was confusing, because she was definitely an Indian Woman. She also taught me several of the Indian Martial arts, hidden in dances, and even Capioera, a Brazilian dancing/fighting style. She was also my philosophy teacher, surprisingly, but she really did know her stuff.

I learned Boxing from her sister, and I learned swordsmanship from Sami and also a teacher from Japan, an elderly man named 'Toa', whom I actually liked. He was patient, and didn't get angry at me for screwing up, simply told me to do it again until I was right.

I snapped to attention. "I was not sleeping, ma'am. I was meditating. I wondered on the subject of fire, and limitations." I said calmly.

She hummed and sat down across from me. "Explain."

"Fire is heat, heat is motion. If I can create motion, why, then, cannot I create fire? It is because my body cannot make that level of motion. This angers me. I do not enjoy being unable to do something. But I meditated on my anger, and dispelled it. The body has limits that the mind does not. And so I must Focus on my minds abilities." I sighed.

She hummed again. "You think too aggressively of your place in existence. Life is not binary. There is not 'possible' and 'impossible'. You are still thinking of yourself as separate from the fire. All motion is one." She nodded slowly.

"And you think too placidly. Motion is a system, yes, and everything adds to the system. But I cannot add enough motion to create fire. This is a limitation. It is something I 'Cannot' do. It is 'impossible'." I said rebelliously.

She smiled. "I will forgive your insolence. For all your intelligence, you are young, and you have a hatred for systems, and yet you agree that they exist."

"I live to destroy them." I said simply, my eyes defiant.

She laughed. "I think you believe you do. You will find your purpose, one day. I believe this."

"What makes you think my purpose isn't to destroy the corrupt systems?" I asked.

She smiled. "No being's purpose is purely to destroy."

"Your Hindu gods have several being's who's purpose is just that." I countered.

She shook her head. "Their purpose is to give the gods adversaries."

"Your story is flawed." I smirked.

She raised an eyebrow. "I am aware you do not share my religion. We have agreed to respect each other's beliefs."

"If you bring fate into a discussion, you started it." I shrugged.

She hummed. "I suppose. My apologies. I know you do not like me telling you your life's work was an action that leads to your true purpose. You believe it demeans your effort until now."

"I do. I also understand that you do not, and you mean no malignant intent by your statement. I attempt not to be offended. Now, what will we train today?" I asked.

"Your stance is very weak, still." She hummed.

I smiled. "I train my mind habitually, not my body. These three years with you and others is not nearly enough to make my soft body into a Warriors Weapon. I enjoy the attempt, though."

She laughed, easy going as always. "Truth. That is your first perfect truth, I believe." She smiled at me.

"Don't get used to it, teacher." I smirked.