Kuroba Asashin's Arc

Chapter 22 of 44

The morning after Bobby took the room off the back hall, Kuroba gathered the four of them on the packed earth square. Kenji watched from the porch. Jackie stood with Ona at his left. Tish stood at Jackie's right, still in her stiff heels, arms crossed against the cool air. Bobby stood apart, hands loose. Kuroba set the odachi against the post. "Today you learn to feel what is coming before you see it," he said. "Chi warns the body first. The eyes are always late." He told them to close their eyes and stand. He walked a slow circle around the group. He stopped behind each one in turn and lifted a small stone above their shoulder. He let it fall. Bobby stepped off the line before the stone reached him. His hand came up and caught it clean. He opened his eyes and set the stone on the post without a word. Kuroba nodded once. "Again," he said. He circled. He dropped a second stone. Bobby caught that one too. Jackie took longer. Kuroba dropped four stones behind him and Jackie flinched at each one, hand late, eyes opening on instinct. Kuroba stopped him. "You are listening with your ears. Listen with your skin." He put a hand on the back of Jackie's neck. "Breathe here. The water moved for you. The stone will move for you." Jackie closed his eyes again. Kuroba circled. The fifth stone dropped and Jackie's hand rose before it passed his shoulder. He caught it with two fingers. He laughed once, short, and set it on the post beside Bobby's. Ona went next. She stood straight, boots planted, and missed the first stone. She missed the second. She opened her eyes and looked at her feet. "I am reading the ground," she said. "Not the air." Kuroba said nothing. He circled again. She missed the third. Tish went after her and missed all four. Tish did not look at anyone. She pulled her arms tighter and waited for the next stone. It hit her shoulder and dropped in the dirt. Kuroba worked the girls until the sun was overhead. Ona caught one stone out of ten. Tish caught none. Kenji finally opened his eyes on the porch. "Enough," he said. Kuroba lowered his hand. He looked at Tish. He looked at Ona. "You will keep working. Not today." He turned to Bobby and Jackie. "You two will walk the wall tonight. Together. Anything that moves in the trees, you feel it before you see it." Tish uncrossed her arms and went inside without speaking. Ona picked up the fallen stones and set them in a row on the post. She did not look at Kuroba. Bobby watched her a moment, then looked at Kuroba. "They'll get it," he said. "Just not on your clock." Kuroba picked up the odachi and slid it across his back. The wall watch was set. The lesson was not finished.