"Demetri, dude!" Fleur yelled out as her jaw dropped, feeling the sweaty forehead run onto her shoulder suddenly, "I can't believe you just did that."

"It's so hot out." he spoke up, ignore her words and dropping his head on her shoulder, "I'm sweating in places I didn't even know I had pores."

"All rights, guys. Get out from under that tree. It's time to get to work." Daniel spoke up as he walked over to them. Fleur grabbed her hydro flask, one Sam got her, and threw it at Daniel. He dodged it as it flew over his head, "Fleur, what-are you kidding?"

"I'm covered in two peoples sweat." Fleur said in disbelief to him, "That's one people's too many."

"So you throw your only source of hydration?" Demetri asked her in disbelief, trying to rub his head on her again as Fleur grabbed his head and rubbed it on Sam's shoulder instead.

"Hey, Mr. Larusso, it's like one hundred degrees out." Robby spoke up in hopes of reasoning, "Can't we take it easy today?"

"Are you kidding? This heat wave is a gift." Daniel spoke as Fleur groaned loudly at his words as they all stood, "Today, you are going to experience Shochu-Geiko."

"We can cook a Shochu-Geiko out here." Fleur spoke up once more.

"Like the car insurance?" Chris question, just as confused as the rest of them.

"Shochu-Geiko is a Japanese exercise where you train during the hottest days of the year." Daniel informed them, staring in disbelief as if they should know it, "It's about pushing yourself to your limit. The fight isn't always going to come when it's seventy-five degrees and breezy."

"Aren't we suppose to avoid fighting?" Sam asked as her dad gave a look of disbelief.

"Sometimes you can't." Daniel said. Demetri glanced in Fleurs direction when he noticed she looked away as if she was pretending she wasn't listening. His eyes set on the tattoo behind her ear again, the familiar one that was literally at the top of his brain where he'd seen it before. It was blue and a single circle, just one, right behind her lower ear, "Someday, the fight may come to you. And I wanna make sure you're ready. So, today, we're gonna see what Miyagi-Do is made of."

"Final one." Daniel said as Fleur stood in the middle of the small pit, sweat rolling down her face after fighting off two people, "Four!"

Fleur turned around quickly, ducking down and sweeping Robbys legs from under him. Fleur stood up with a bright grin as the circle clapped for her, Robby standing up and patting her on the back. Fleur faked a bow, falling back in line with Demetri as Robby took her place in the middle.

"Five!" Daniel called out as Sam went toward Robby with round house kicks, having each blocked before her foot collided with his chest harshly.

"All right, Demetris turn!" Daniel announced as Demetri looked his way in disbelief.

"You've got this, Meat. Get in there!" Fleur spoke as she began clapping, "Everyone!"

The circle listened to Fleurs words and clapped for the bashful boy as he crept into the middle. As their clapping died down, they each waiting to hear if their numbers would be called. Daniel stood on the porch for a moment, "Three!"

Chris ran forward and punch Demetri right in his stomach. Fleur flinched as he groaned in pain, "Sorry, Meat. You gotta block that."

"He's getting there." Fleur clapped, slapping Nate quickly and encouraging him to clap alongside her.

"Six!" Daniel called out as the boy with blue shorts took Fleurs tactic, sweeping Demetris legs out from under him. Fleur shut her eyes as Demetris legs flew up into the air when he hit the ground, coughing.

"Are you kidding?" Nate asked Fleur as she shoved his face back.

"I hate this!" Demetri announced loudly as Fleur walked over, holding her hands our for him to grab as she yanked him to his feet.

"Can we please take a break?" Sam begged, "This heat is brutal."

Daniel hesitated, "You guys wanna cool off?"

"So, you couldn't take the heat of Shochu-Geiko, perhaps you'll find Kangiko more to your liking." Daniel grinned as the group of karate students all stood in the freezing cold, freezer.

"I think we need Insideiko." Fleur mumbled as she blew on her hands.

"Are there no geikos that take place in a spa?" Sam spoke up with a questionable look her dads way.

"It's not about the heat or the cold." Daniel shook his head at each of them, "It's about adapting to the environment around you and using that too you're advantage. Look around, what do you see?"

"Frozen London Broil." Chris spoke up with a nod toward the boxes behind them.

"Lack of women empowerment." Fleur added in as she glanced Sams way, "You should have had a sister instead of that Anthony thing."

"Tell me about it." Sam agreed.

"No, not the meat. Look past that." Daniel encouraged Chris with a nod, "I see the exhalation of breath. The twitch of a muscle. The shift of a stance. If you lean into the cold, it will heighten your senses. And then you'll anticipate the moment before your opponent strikes. And you'll always be ready."

"Like being blind?" Fleur spoke up.

"Not exactly but similar, yes." Daniel nodded his head, "Circle up!"

"You wanna hang out after this?" Fleur asked Demetri as Sam got ready in the middle of them.

"Yeah, at your apartment?" he suggested, trying to dig as much as he could.

"But we have to finish Goblet Of Fire and it's only at your house." Fleur made the excuse quickly as she glanced up his way, "Plus, my parents don't really like when people are over."

"My house it is." Demetri nodded his head.

"Seven!" Daniel announced, Sam spinning around and getting out of Chris' way before he could swing at her. Blocking his arm and kicking him harshly, "That's what i'm talking about. Five!"

Robby swung his legs her way, Sam blocking it immediately after. He spun around, going to swing twice before having both blocked as well. Sam fought back, his arms blocking her moves before she twisted under him, a kick to the chest. Robby spun, throwing his leg up as Sam backed up to avoid being kicked. She ended it with a twist of his arm, grabbing the other as they froze.

"You feel it?" Fleur whispered over to Demetri.

"What? A million freezing air bubbles on my skin?" he asked her in disbelief, rubbing his lanky arms harshly.

"No, them." Fleur nodded toward Robby and Sam, "Tension, big time. You can smell it."

Demetri sniffled the air before Daniel spoke up, "All right, let's get Demetri in there!"

"All right, here goes nothing." Demetri announced as he took Sam and Robbys place in the middle, "Literally."

"Four!" Daniel announced. Fleur huffed as she kicked the back of Demetris knees, making them give out as he stumped, "Six!"

Unlike Fleur, the boy sent a very harsh kick into Demetris chest.

"Come on, Demetri. Look for the signs." Daniel tried to encourage, giving Fleur a look when he noticed she'd been giving him one as well, "Anticipation, you can do this! Come on, Demetri!"

"Oh, you come on. Just give me a second." Demetri complained his way. Fleur cracked a grin at his words, "I can't do it, Mr. LaRusso. Between the cold and the shouting and the hole in my sock... I'm not sure when that happened, but it's real uncomfortable."

Fleur glanced toward Sam who held the same look she did.

"Demetri, you are the most neurotic person that I know." Daniel spoke up as he walked in the circle to stand before Demetri, "You always expect the worse."

"It's true. We were a street away from his house and he thought I was gonna run into the stop sign so he jumped off my skateboard." Fleur spoke up as everyone looked her way, "As we were skating!"

"You can use that to your advantage." Daniel encourage Demetri again as the pale boy look in disbelief, "It means you anticipate. Think of it like a spidey-sense."

"Actually, in the comics, they call it a Spider-Sense." Demetri corrected him with a knowingly nod of his head.

"Demetri, this isn't about who's fastest and who's strongest. This is about instincts. It's about using what's in here." Daniel announced as he pointed at Demetris head with a knowing look, "You think you can do that?"

Demetri hesitated but nodded his head, making Daniel smile wildly and back up again, "All right. Let's try it again."

Fleur gave Demetri a helpful thumbs up and forced smile.

"Two." Daniel announced. Fleur held her breath as Chris came up behind Demetri. Demetri, catching him in the corner of his eye, blocking two of his punches. Fleur let her breath go as he punch Chris right in the chest, making him stumble back.

"Yeah!" Fleur yelled out as she pumped her fist into the air and clapped, "Whoop! Whoop!"

"Whoo! I did it!" Demetri grinned as he pumped his own fist into the air.

"Five!" Daniel called out, earning Demetri a harsh kick to the stomach as they each winces.

"Okay, that's okay. Baby steps!" Daniel spoke up quickly. Fleur hurried forward, taking Demetri hunched over to her advantage and putting a arm around his neck, using her other fist to rub the top of his head.

"That was so cool, do you feel cool?" Fleur asked as he held his stomach, looking her way, "Gimme some skin. Do you feel like Andrew Garfield right now? Spider-Man like?"

Demetri pumped his fist with Fleurs, "I prefer Tom Holland, honestly."

"What?" Fleur asked with a odd look.

"The recast of the new Spider-Man." Demetri nodded, finally having the energy to stand up straight as Fleurs arm fell from his shoulders, "You know?"

"Where have you been, Fleur?" Robby asked her with a laugh. Fleur looked in a slight panic, opening her mouth a moment and shutting it again, "Back in twenty-seventeen, two years ago."

"Right." Fleur nodded her head, glancing around as they each gave similar odd expressions, "I just like Andrew Garfield."

"Me too." Sam agreed, not thinking anything of it. Non of them really did, non of them aside from Demetri who now made a internal note in his head that if something was off about Fleur, it had to have happened before or in 2017.

•

kylie speaks

the way i'm
obsessed with the
vibe for this book.
like it's still just
normal teenager,
karate bullshit but
has this huge elephant
in the room just being
unsolved through very
tiny moments. love it.