ROTU: Chapter Twelve

Months passed and despite Jalena's proposal that she should leave and try to search for her home in Colorado, both Ryu and Shakou remained adamant that she stay until her memories resurfaced.

"I would not feel right letting you wander away in confusion without support," Shakou said. "You need people who care about you near."

Jalena was grateful for Shakou's insistence because if she was being honest with herself, she was not ready to leave. She had grown attached to the men's company. A sense of peace overcame her as she interacted with Ryu and his son. She enjoyed the earthy and floral air that lingered in the gardens around the home and the light-hearted joy that remained constant in Ryu's eyes and within Shakou's laughter.

Only a short time passed before the area near the river in Japan felt like home to Jalena. As Shakou taught her Japanese, the two gradually became closer and their relationship transformed into a deep friendship.

Her leg had healed for the most part but still ached on occasion. What bothered her more than her leg, however, was the way her body still felt—heavy and foreign.

Although no memory of her past returned, shadows of an adventurous lifestyle haunted her dreams. She often woke in a sweat in the middle of the night but was left with only more questions about the blurry figures in her dreams rather than solutions.

Jalena sat each day in the garden to watch Shakou and Ryu practice martial arts—which Ryu claimed was a mixture of different forms he had learned over the years. It soothed her to watch them move through the fluid sequences.

Students from the area met at the home and practiced often in the large yard amid a grove of trees. When the weather did not cooperate, Ryu moved the practice session indoors to a roomy studio at the back of the home.

She was seated in her favorite spot in the garden watching Shakou train with several students when Ryu approached her one morning. "It is time, Okami-san."

"Time?" asked Jalena.

He held out his hand. "To learn."

"Learn?" Her eyes widened as Ryu gestured toward the field where Shakou was waiting with a smile. "What? The arts? I could never do what you—?"

"It will help you in your journey, Okami-san," Ryu interrupted, a glint in his eye. "Try without thought of limitation."

With a skeptical look and increased anxiety moving through her, Jalena slowly took his hand and Ryu helped her to her feet.

She matched the moves the two men demonstrated for her slowly and then worked one-on-one with Shakou on defensive maneuvers. Her right leg strained from the additional weight and unusual movements, and she stumbled upon Shakou's advance.

Shakou reached out his hand to help her up from the ground. "Again, Okami-chan."

She gasped as a different scene flashed before her. Rather than looking up into Shakou's dark eyes, there stood a tall, broad man wearing a royal blue cloak. His white hair and trim beard were shadowed by the sunlight shining behind him. "Again, Jalena," he said softly as he held out his large hand.

"Okami-chan." Shakou's voice broke through Jalena's vision. "What is it?" he asked as he pulled her to stand.

"I—I don't know," she replied. "I saw a man—his face was shadowed. He called me a different name…"

"We will stop here for today," Ryu said as he studied Jalena intently. "Good."

He gave her a nod of approval and the three bowed to each other as Jalena had seen the two of them do with other students. "Your leg will get stronger in the days to come, Okami-san."

As more weeks passed, Jalena slowly increased her training time with Shakou with Ryu observing nearby.

"Matte," he said as he approached the two.

Jalena and Shakou parted.

Jalena took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"You must breathe more from your core, Okami-san," Ryu explained as he tapped his hand on his upper stomach. "You are holding back because of your fear. This is another reason why your body buries you."

He stepped quickly toward Jalena and before she could register what was happening, he clinched a heated hand over her abdomen. Jalena fell backward from the force as a burning sensation shot through her. She felt Shakou's arms behind her as he moved quickly to catch her.

Despite the shock that pulsed painfully through her nerves, she couldn't help but smile as Shakou's smiling face looked down over her. "Again, Okami-chan," he said. "Do not think this time."

Jalena winced from the lingering sensation in her nerves as Shakou helped her stand. Her body throbbed from whatever Ryu had done to her. It was as if something was trying to break through her skin, but she did not question what he did. She knew he would never harm her and that he was guided from a place beyond what she could understand.

She exhaled and took another breath to clear her mind. The burning sensation within her subsided some.

Ryu gave her an encouraging nod and Jalena lowered her stance. As Shakou advanced, Jalena felt a larger energy begin to pulse out around her. She released control and relaxed into the flow of it. Her movements began to quicken.

Shakou stumbled back, his eyes wide, as Jalena landed her first blow. He advanced again, this time using more complex moves. Ryu stepped forward as Jalena matched Shakou's moves, increasing her speed until she lost her footing.

Breathing hard, Jalena pushed herself to a standing position. "I—I don't—I'm not sure what just happened."

"It is your warrior blood," Shakou said with a large grin.

Ryu nodded. "Enough for today."

Shakou grabbed Jalena into a rough side hug as the three walked to the house. She pushed him back playfully as the two laughed.

Jalena tried to make sense of what she had experienced throughout the rest of the evening. She couldn't remember the sequence of moves that she had used on Shakou no matter how hard she tried to recollect them.

What preoccupied her mind even more, however, was the name that the man from her visions had called her the first time she and Shakou sparred. She had tried to force the memory to expand—wondering who he was and what they were doing at the time—what symbols were on his cloak—the shape of his face... He had felt familiar to her and sparked a desire within her to know more about her past that she had not felt since she arrived in Japan.

That night she slept restlessly, the name Jalena repeatedly tumbling through her mind. She woke with a start, drenched in sweat. Her chest felt constricted as if something was trapped inside her and was pounding the walls of her heart to be released. She attempted several deep breaths to ease the pain in her chest but could not lessen the tightness.

She quietly exited the house and walked beneath the moon along the edge of the river. She turned to find a large wolf on top of a nearby hill, saturated in the moonlight. The wolf watched her closely for several minutes, then lifted her snout to the moon and howled. The wolf's haunting howl pierced directly through Jalena's bones.

A deep sadness overtook her, and she dropped to her knees as sudden sobs shook her body. Why do I feel so alone? I feel like I have been left behind... Why can't I remember?... What is the pain about?... Her thoughts were an endless stream.

Ryu stood down the river, behind where Jalena had dropped on the bank. "You heard the Okami," he said as Shakou sleepily approached him from behind.

"It is what woke me. What is happening to her?" he asked as he watched Jalena in concern.

"Her pain has surfaced," explained Ryu. "She is ready for the next level."

"I will go to her."

Ryu nodded.

Shakou approached Jalena slowly and sat down next to her. "It is good you do not fight it, Okami-chan," he said softly. "Oyaji says to allow it to flush through. It is the pain that he told you about."

Jalena wiped her face and winced. "I don't know what it is from, but it feels as if I have been ripped apart."

"You will know…in time." He nudged her lightly with his shoulder.

She leaned against him and wrapped an arm around his waist as he lifted his arm over her shoulders and pulled her in close. Shakou leaned back with her against the grassy rise behind them on the riverbank and watched the moon in silence. Jalena held on tight to him as she cried herself to sleep.