RP Log (closed)

[seigakunobuchou]

Who: Tezuka Kunimitsu and Krauser Liliadent
When: In Hawaii after Lilia's post about Hula.
Where: Beachhhh.
Summary: Tezuka calms Liliadent with kata. Conversation ensues.
Warning/Rating: PG
Comments: Go for it babes

After fastening his sling more tightly to his body than usual in preparation, Tezuka walked down to the beach to wait for Krauser. It would be awful for his friend to be sent back to his country, or to get in trouble, for fighting over petty insults. Going over a few kata might simulate a fight well enough to satisfy Krauser's urge and calm him at the same time.

Tezuka took off his shoes and sat facing the ocean in the seiza position, allowing his calves and feet to catch the heat of the afternoon sun.

The blond had been so angry. He had felt such deep anger and resentment. It might be petty, but he was a boy and it was deeply insulting that he would somehow get mistaken for a girl. That he would be given the girl's version of the hula outfit. Sure, he had been terribly cute. More than that. He had been better looking than most the girl's there. Which is half of why he had been so peeved about it.

He had been surprised when Tezuka had confronted him over the journals though. He had never actually met the older boy, but he respected him. Tezuka had met his coach in Germany after all. Tezuka has good advice to him and wrote to him in German. So when he got the offer, angry as he was, he had still accepted it.

The pretty blond stolled across the beach toward the seated brunette. He had always been curious about Japanese things. Martial arts being one of them. And now he was going to get a chance to try at least something from it. He just hoped he could use it to calm his temper. "Herr Kumimitsu?"

"Aa," Tezuka responded, opening his eyes slowly. He then spoke in German. "Sit down with me, Liliadent. Cross legged, if that is more comfortable to you."

First, he had to make sure his kohai was not in an impatient state of mind: that was when injuries happened. "What language would you like to proceed in?"

Krauser was the one who needed calming, so it would be his choice.

He looked down at the older teen and then at the sand and sat obediently. He was actually a pretty obedient child, which was why he got so upset over things. He didn't like being taken advantage of and he had felt like that was exactly what had happened, even if that wasn't exactly the case. He couldn't sit like Tezuka though and crossed his legs, trying to get comfortable.

"German would be nice." He admitted. "I haven't spoken to anyone in my own language in so long. Though I'll understang if you need to use Japanese or English to explain thing to me." He sighed a little and sort of doodled a little on the sand in the process.

Tezuka understood what it was like to be taken advantage of, but if Liliadent let his temper get away with him, he would be doubly disadvantaged.

"Very well. There are a few words that do not really have a translation, but I will explain them," Tezuka's German, though lightly accented, was quite fluent. He spent more time reading and writing it than speaking in it. "Close your eyes and focus your attention on your breathing and upright posture instead of your drawings," he said gently. There was no accusation in his tone, merely fact. "Kata is Japanese for form. Though the term is used in many Japanese martial arts, in Judo it refers to the employment and replication of proper technique in a two person confrontation. Generally, the person who attacks first is the receiver of the technique, and therefore the one who is defeated."

He knew there were a lot of bad things that could happen to him if he lost his temper. He was much stronger than most the boys there. He had only seen two or three powerplayers stronger. He could seriously hurt someone with one well placed punch. He was also foreign, more so than the Japanese students. He could be deported and his passport revoked. He knew that, but he still got angry.

He listened closely, and nodded a little. He could easily understand Tezuka even with his accent. Liliadent had one too, after all. His Bavarian dialect was not what was taught in schools. And hearing the normally rather non-talkative captain speak, he immediately did as told, closing his eyes and resting his hands in his lap.

"It sounds complex." He would try hard though. The spirit was willing even if he was probably going to be very clumsy about it.

"I will guide you slowly through the movements," Tezuka promised Krauser. The boy was smart, and the movements flowed naturally together; Tezuka's own movements would also serve to cue him. He could tell that Liliadent was earnest in his desire to learn, so he would have no trouble following Tezuka, who would go slow enough for him to do so. "So just focus on what we are doing."

For about a minute, he remained silent and allowed the sounds of the waves to wash over them. Krauser was perhaps lucky to have the sound of the water to hone in on instead of the emptiness of a quiet dojo. It wasn't as though they sought a real meditation session after all, just enough quiet to bring intention to every action.

"You may open your eyes. We are going to stretch now, starting with the hands. Because I cannot demonstrate on mine, may I see yours so that I can show you?"

Blue eyes opened on cue and he looked at Tezuka with curiousity. The sound of the waves had been pretty calming. It was like when he went into a church and heard the friars chanting. He liked that. The felt the same.

With the request, he put his hands foward. Large hands, calloused with tennis and weight lifting. "I learn better by doing, so I don't mind you showing me like this." He admitted.

"That is good," Tezuka said quietly, cupping the back of Liliadent's hand with his own good one to perform the stretch, "It means you learn quickly as you go."

Firmly, he pressed his own thumb over the knuckle of Liliadent's thumb, and pressed such that his student's palm folded in and the tip of his thumb touched his pinky. "And you hold for five breaths..."

For five breaths, he was quiet and watching the boy's hand. "And the same for the other side of your hand." This time, he folded the palm by exerting pressure on the knuckle of Liliadent's pinky. "Repeat on your other hand as well."

Tezuka had a warm hand. He noticed that. He was also a gentle teacher so far. It sort of reminded him of his coach. Sure, his coach yelled sometimes and sure he reverted back to his military days other times...but his coach was still a kind and gentle yet monsterously person and someone Liliadent adored. Tezuka has that same feel about him.

He focused on moving his hands correctly. "What does this do?" He wondered. Other than being relazing because he had to focus only on breathing and moving his hands right.

Inquisitiveness was also a good quality in a student. Too many people these days simply went through the motions of the rules without understanding why. Rules were important, but their purpose also needed to be upheld.

"When you finish, flex your hands and you will see."

Most likely, he would feel some small crack or release in tension. "Your hands must be supple. We will not be exerting much force, but a wrong move could break a finger."

Tezuka used his knee to fold in his own hand. His fingers were long and thin, but rather than aristoratic, they appeared boney and calloused. Truthfully, he had broken many a finger in Judo practice.

Liliadent often asked such questions. He was sure he drove his teachers crazy with it, but he had a good excuse. He was foreign. He didn't know! So when he was told he might break something, he redoubled his focus. He didn't want to break his hand and be unable to play tennis...not that he thought that Rikkai would be like his old school and want to be rid of him.

"Will you need me to hold back any?" He wondered softly. "I'm strong."

Tezuka would be going too slow for Krauser to possibly break his arm, unless was hit by a parasail or some accident. However, that did not mean good habits were not to be instilled.

"We will be employing technique, not using force," Tezuka informed him. Normally, he might allow a free spar at the end of a lesson, but given the state of his arm, he would prefer to not be tempted by it. "Just focus on getting the movements and forming the motion of the kata. Whatever amount of force happens naturally will be fine."

Krauser need not worry about hurting Tezuka. He was strong as well, and had been training in Judo with his grandfather and father nearly every day since he was very young.

"Do not worry. I will not hurt you," his tone held the lightest touch of teasing.

A rosey hue touched his cheeks. It was quite evident with Krauser's pale skintone. He blushes quite feircely at the teasing. Yet another person was teasing him over his concern for hurting a friend.

Liliadent didn't mind Southern Crossing someone, though he was sure that was something else Tezuka would look down upon, and sure he had wanted very badly to punch the hula instructor, but he didn't want to harm a friend.

"I'm tough..." He murmured, still blushing. "I'm not easily injured." It had taken Devil Akaya and his own lack of stamina to injure him before. "I...might look fragile, but I promise I'm not." After all, Liliadent was well aware that he didn't have the common dency to look like the rest of the power players did. He wasn't hugely muscled. He was tall, lean and unfortuately for him...a bit feminine. "But even if I was, I trust you, Herr Kunimitsu." He meant it too. Tezuka was one of the few people Liliadent trusted implicitly. Tezuka could tell him anything...and Liliadent would immediatly believe it as a true fact.

Tezuka hadn't meant to slight him. Merely that most would not ask their instructor if they would need to hold back.

"Thank you," Tezuka said, "For honoring me with your trust." He truly was touched by his friend's regard.

After allowing Liliadent to absorb that for a few moments and calm himself a little bit, he added, "Also, I have never perceived you as weak in any sense of the word. Most strength cannot be seen." He had to wonder if those words came from within Krauser himself, as Tezuka's words had been merely teasing.

Krauser did not seem fragile, just young.

A rosey hue touched his cheeks. It was quite evident with Krauser's pale skintone. He blushes quite feircely at the teasing. Yet another person was teasing him over his concern for hurting a friend.

Liliadent didn't mind Southern Crossing someone, though he was sure that was something else Tezuka would look down upon, and sure he had wanted very badly to punch the hula instructor, but he didn't want to harm a friend.

"I'm tough..." He murmured, still blushing. "I'm not easily injured." It had taken Devil Akaya and his own lack of stamina to injure him before. "I...might look fragile, but I promise I'm not." After all, Liliadent was well aware that he didn't have the common dency to look like the rest of the power players did. He wasn't hugely muscled. He was tall, lean and unfortuately for him...a bit feminine. "But even if I was, I trust you, Herr Kunimitsu." He meant it too. Tezuka was one of the few people Liliadent trusted implicitly. Tezuka could tell him anything...and Liliadent would immediatly believe it as a true fact.

Tezuka hadn't meant to slight him. Merely that most would not ask their instructor if they would need to hold back.

"Thank you," Tezuka said, "For honoring me with your trust." He truly was touched by his friend's regard.

After allowing Liliadent to absorb that for a few moments and calm himself a little bit, he added, "Also, I have never perceived you as weak in any sense of the word. Most strength cannot be seen." He had to wonder if those words came from within Krauser himself, as Tezuka's words had been merely teasing.

Krauser did not seem fragile, just young.

In a way they had. He knew there were different kinds of strength. Physically, he was very very strong. Too strong for his age, really. But he had other short fallings. His seniors were always so over protective of him and he never really got why. So he ended up being a little more foolish and naive than most of his peers.

He sighed a little and wondered if he was annoying Tezuka already. But he perciveered. "You've been doing this a long time, haven't you?" He paused and wondered,"I've seen others do it. Do you also used this stuff in your tennis?" He knew tennis was a sore subject still. It had to be, because of that sling, but he still asked it.

It took a lot more than a few questions to annoy Tezuka. His expression remained peaceful as he stretched an arm across his chest, a little nod indicating that Liliadent should follow.

"Hook your other arm around and pull it to your chest," he instructed. After he saw that Liliadent was doing the proper stretch, he answered the question. "We are only stretching right now, but yes. My grandfather is a master of judo," and his father was pretty damn good. "I do not use judo in tennis as explicitly as others might use their respective arts, however, I cannot deny that my tennis is of the same spirit."

He stretched his long limbs. It felt good. Growing pains had been hell on him. Had he known this time of things like this, it would have helped him a lot. It felt good on his muscles and even if he didn't use it in his own tennis, the stretches alone were worth this lesson. "You all live together then? That sounds really nice. My family all live in the same town. My father designs cars for Audi..." And his grandpa had built clocks. His family were all builders, creators. Liliadent wondered what he would build, with his goal of becoming a German ambassitor to Japan. He wondered if it was even possible.

"It is," Tezuka agreed. Even when his grandmother was alive, they had all lived in the same home. It had nothing to do with money, but more with filial responsibility and family togetherness. "Aa, so you are ambitious, like him."

Once Liliadent had completed his arm stretches, Tezuka arranged his own legs such that his calves were folded on either side of his thighs and laid down, stretching the muscles in his thighs. "If it is too difficult to do both at once, do one at a time."

The blond didn't really know about ambitions, but he knew what he liked and what he wanted to try and do. So he didn't answer. Instead, he made a valient attempt to follow Tezuka's lead. He wasn't nearly as flexible though. "I will have to...I don't bend that way easily..." Not can't though. Never can't. He was sure Tezuka was well aware of why Liliadent never uttered that specific word.

To have ambition was to have a high goal in life, and to be well on one's way in pursuit of it. Liliadent seemed to fall under that classification.

"Aa. You need to listen to your body. Lean back only as far as you need to in order to get a good stretch."

He looked relieved that he didn't have to try to go any further. His body really woudn't let him, regardless of how much he might want it too. He would have tried anyway, if Tezuka has not said that. In his eager enthusiam to please, he would have definitely gone too far and hurt himself. So, he softly thanks Tezuka for the repreive and went only ads far as he could, a little embarassed by his failings in the physical department.

Noting Liliadent's embarrassment, Tezuka commented, "I have done these stretches every day for over a decade. If you keep practicing, your body will accustom to, and even welcome, the stretch."

He brought himself back upright and stood, stretching his arm high above his head. "Stand up," he said. That way, Liliadent might feel the effect of the stretches. "And then reach for your toes."

At least everyone knew that one.

He laughed a little at the thought of a tiny Tezuka doing stretches like that with his father and his grandfather. It seemed like it must have been a really fun time. Just like this, though they were just stretching still, it was a lot of fun. Maybe because Tezuka was being so patient with him. Maybe because he was learnng something new and different. Maybe because his friends from his old school weren't there, hoving over him like protective mother hens. Maybe all three.

He stood up quickly and could immediately feel the difference. "Wow! I feel so limber! I need to learn more of these for when my muscles ache after lifting!" He turned those excited blue eyes to his elder. "Can you teach me more? Would it be okay if I came to your dojo and learned more of this?" Liliadent's concept of just how big Tokyo was was a bit off. To him, hopping a train to get to the next town was nothing to him. As he asked, he bent over, long hair falling over his shoulders and into his face a little. "Hold on...I should have done this eariler." He straightned back up and pulled out a pairtye to pull his hair back into a ponytail before returning to the prior stretch.

It was sweet, how Liliadent became so excited over a few stretches. Some of which he would have thought were learned as a part of tennis practice (he certainly incorporated them into his practices). Perhaps most power players did not stretch.

That was a worrying thought.

He waited for Liliadent to put up his hair before going into the stretch himself. "Our dojo is very small, not like in the movies," he warned. It was much smaller than the Sanada's, as it was for personal use. However, it would suit their purposes well enough. "Come on a weekend day. Kanagawa is quite far for a school night."

Placing his one good hand on the ground, Tezuka moved into the last important stretch. "Balance yourself with both hands and feet. Cross one calf over the other, and reach your heel back to the ground with the one foot you are on." He demonstrated to make it more clear.

It wasn't that he didn't stretch. He just had never been required to do such a thurough job. Perhaps because there had been worry it would sap him of vital energy he needed later on. But he had been working hard on fixing that problem. He could now run a full mile all out without wanting to fall over and die. It was a really huge accomplishment for him.

He flushed a little as he stretched, once again embarassed. A lot of what he knew from Japan was from movies and anime. A lot of it was dated, or just plain wrong. So he knew that he shouldn't expect something huge or flashy. Besides, Tezuka didn't seem like a huge flashy guy. "I will. I shouldn't go out of school nights anyway. I have troubles with my homework a lot of the time because of the language barior." He spent a lot of his nights after practice dilligently studying just so his work and tests wouldn't be covered in red marks and so that his name appeared in the middle of student grade postings and not at the very end in shameful last place.

He stopped talking to do the last stretch, afraid he might fall on hsi face if he didn't concentrait.

"If you ever go to Sanada's house, his dojo will be more like those images," he pointed out. Liliadent had no reason to be embarrassed, he was just telling him early on not to expect something like that at his house. Not all of the images in movies were wrong, just exaggerated. "Their dojo has students and they require space and equipment. Ours is more for personal practice."

Tezuka's grandfather had used the dojo at the police academy to teach the officers Judo, so they never had need of a giant space. "I understand you will want to do most of the translation yourself," he certainly preferred to do so, because he would remember it that way, "But if there is something you cannot figure out, you may email me. ....Switch to the other foot."

He really wanted to go to Herr Samurai's house. Badly. Because he was sure it was amazing and right out of a Shensengumi drama. But the idea of a small personal dojo was equally as interesting. He hoped he could impress the master of that dojo enough to be allowed to study there with his grandson, even if just as a curious foreigner eager for new experiences.

He switched and almost fell because he had attempted to answer. He caught himself and held hsi tongue just enough time for the stretch before going down on his knees to talk. "I really do want to try it on my own. If I keep relying on everyone else, I will never learn how myself. But I know that friends are there to rely upon. I won't abuse your help." Only if he really really needed it. After all, highschool was so much harder.

Tezuka nodded. He could relate. In Germany, it was his pride that kept him from constantly asking his roommates questions. Instead he wrote down things that they said and looked them up himself. What better way to show his respect for that mindset than jumping right into it without giving him any time to rest.

"We will begin forms of Nage no Kata, which are forms of throwing."

Tezuka stood, and waited for Liliadent to do so as well, before he bowed.

The German was glad that Tezuka understood. He had found so many people who did understand him since he had gone to the U17 camp and decided to transfer. It made him happy to know that he wasn't going to be alone or pushed aside when he became inconvient again.

"The forms?" He nodded and then bowed as well. He was still learning to do that too. "I will try my best."

"I will tell you what to do, but proceed slowly because you will need to see the steps...Begin by grasping my shirt and pushing me back," Liliadent knew well enough that he meant on the right side.

Swallowing a little, he reached out. Long limbs made his reach longer. It was why he was a net player. He was fall enough that things wouldn't get past him easily. With gentle hands, he took hold of the other's shirt. Then he shoved. Even being gentle, Liliadent was truly a powerhouse. It was no mystery how one well hit ball could crucify a person to the back fense.

Tezuka was no weakling either. He stepped backward, using Liliadent's own strength against him to continue that momentum, pulling the blond forward with a firm grasp on his upper arm and spinning him to the side. Instead of completing the move by throwing him down, he let go to let Liliadent regain his balance. "Do you think you can replicate that, or would you like to go over it again?"

He thought he would go flying. He had seen Judo before though he had never tried it before. It wasn't something taught in Germany as widely as other arts. None of which he had tried either. For a moment, he felt scared but that moment soon passes and he was on his feet again. He blinked and looked down at the shorter teen. "I...might have to try it again to get the feel of it." He paused. "And thank you...for not letting me fall."

Tezuka said, "No, I will teach you to fall before I make you fall. When you are ready to do the move yourself, I will demonstrate the proper way, and we will practice. Now, let us try again. I will go even more slowly."

He took a step back and bowed again to Liliadent, then, he positioned himself in the ready to indicate for the blond to attack him again.

He would be taught to fall. That might be very much a good thing. He didn't want to come back to Japan with a hurt back or worse. He was glad that Tezuka would take such care before he got really thrown around by the older boy. Once more they got into the position. Once more, he grabbed at the other and tried to push him off his feet. His shove's stregnth didn't seem ot change. At least Liliadent was consistant.

"When you push me, notice that you are unbalanced by the aggressive move. I step back, yielding to gain balance and control your momentum," he did so, timing it such that his reaction fell right with his words, "And pivot as I take your upper arm, further disturbing your balance. The final move would be to pull you down completely," or flip him, but Liliadent was still a beginning, so he would not throw him.

However, he let go of Liliadent before that final stage came, and helped him straighten himself out.

He nodded. He sort of understood the movement of forces. He was pretty good at math. It didn't require language and translations. He righted himself again and he grinned a bit. "So...it is like that. I get it. I must be easy to throw off because I am taller too." Smaller, lower center of gravity at all. Harder to throw. At least that was his guess. He looked to Tezuka to tell him if he was right or not.

Tezuka nodded. In most cases, he was the taller one, so he understood that handicap.

"Yes. That must be taken into account. Core strengthening exercises and having a strong awareness of where you place your legs will help you. However, height can also be an advantage, because it makes one more difficult to physically throw and your opponent's moves must be more extended and obvious to reach you."

"Also..." Spending a moment to think about the best way to say something, he finally attempted, "Being grounded is as much a state of mind as it is a physical state. Do you understand?"

He smiled so happily. He had gotten it right. Being tall was a slight disadvantage. But he also understood the other. He admitted, "I have been in a fist fight once or twice...my reach is what saved me." Because it was hard to get inside his reach to get to him. But he wasn't proud of that and it was obvious. He was just saying that to illisturate what Tezuka was saying.

"Grounded. Calm. Yes? It doesn't work of you're not calm." He nodded. "That's why you wanted to show me this. Because it will make me calm."

"Aa," he sounded, agreeing with Liliadent's example. Though Tezuka did not smile the way the blond did, there was a certain lightness in his expression that suggested he was enjoying himself.

"Also to point out the disadvantage of being the aggressor," Tezuka admitted. "Hot tempered and unbalanced, you can be hurt, or hurt somone else more than you mean to. If you are calm and ready, you can achieve victory in physical conflicts when you need to. There is a saying from the Art of War..."

It was not Judo, but it was certainly relevant to its spirit.

"That to subdue your opponent without fighting is the greatest demonstration of skill."

Tezuka was so wise! Liliadent was sure the other boy had a lot of admirers and fans, but Liliadent was really becoming a fan of his. He was really really starting to look up to the brunette. He might not be from the school he ahd chosen to transfer into, but there was still something truly amazing about the Seigaku captain. If he ever had a big brother, he would have wanted it to be a person like Tezuka. Serious. Wise. And knowing just the right words to say, even when there were many words at all. "It is like the frair says. About turning the other cheek. He always said I needed to learn how to do that." It was just a hard lesson to learn.

"Correct," Tezuka said. "Though it is difficult to find a path between aggression and letting people push you around...I find Judo useful in realizing that."

That Christian principal had the right idea, but he did not believe it was the right course of action in all situations. There were times that fighting was necessary.

"Are you ready to perform the move?"

He was still trying to find it. That proper path. He was still young though. He had time to learn. He nodded. "I think I am. I'll go slowly. So you can tell me if I'm doing anything wrong."

With a nod, Tezuka promised to do so. "However, do not let go of me the way I let go of you. Instead, follow through in the direction of the pivot and I will demonstrate how to fall."

He then moved forward to push Liliadent without much force, as they were just learning the movement rather than actually sparring. His left arm remained pinned to his side by the sling. If he was worried about protecting it, Tezuka did not let that show.

Tezuka might worry, but Liliadent did. He frowned and stared at the boy and then at his arm and sort of pointed. "I won't. I won't throw you...We can learn to fall later, yes? When you are better." Not because he felt sorry for Tezuka but because he was sure it would be easiler to teach him if there were both arms involved. He seemed rather adament about the refusal as well. But only because he cared.

Shaking his head, Tezuka said, "I can fall to one side. And also, the way to fall is not such that my shoulder will take any of the blow. I am always accustomed to protecting it."

For a moment, he thought about it from Liliadent's perspective. The younger boy must be nervous and under the false impression that he could hurt Tezuka. Perhaps a compromise could be in order. "If you like, you can let go of me and I will demonstrate the fall by falling under my own power."

He bit his lip a little. He was going to be stubborn and dig his heels in this time. He wouldn't throw Tezuka and he wouldn't budge on that. So when the other offered a compromise, he nodded. "I think I would like that better." Because then he could see how the fall work and so that he didn't hurt Tezuka with his inexperience. "I'm ready." He bowed as Tezuka did and got ready for it.

That would work for both of them. He couldn't not teach Liliadent how to fall; it was too important.

He continued the move that was interrupted just a few minutes before and pushed Liliadent slowly enough that the blond could grab his arm.

Liliadent did as he remembered Tezuka doing. It wasn't a copy. It was unskilled and messy. He would get better the more he practiced. But for a beginner, he did pretty good as long as he went slowly. He did hsi very best, eager to get it right. And once he had shifted, he let go...and hoped that Tezuka really would be okay.

Tezuka was proud at how well Liliadent executed the moves. It was certainly not bad for a beginner. He had been much worse himself. Not only was he all right falling, but Tezuka managed to make it look graceful even.

"You want to fall in a way that will protect your back," he explained. "See how I tuck my right leg behind my left one and bend it, such that it makes the right side of my body an arc. That way, no one part will absorb the shock and you can easily..." Tezuka sprang himself right back up again. "Stand again, ready for the next move."

He watched. It was like watching a kung fu movie, watching as the actor fell in slow motion. He nodded and wondered, "Did you fall down a lot?" He wondered. "To train, did you just fall a lot? Or were you thrown until you leared?" His amazement was clear and obvious on his face.

"Yes, I fall a lot, but first, I was taught to fall. With practice it becomes more comfortable and graceful, but I was never hurt by it."

He gave Liliadent a moment to get over his amazement. "And now you will learn how to fall too. Shall we try together?"

It would take more than a moment to get over it, but he did his best. When he had collected himself again, he nodded. "Yes. I think I'm ready to try. It should be just like...well...falling." It might be scary, but he was still very eager. "Should I just fall, or do you wish me to grab you again?"

"Grab me," Tezuka said, and readied himself. That way, he would be able to direct and guide Liliadent's first fall.

The Liliadent as of right now was miles away from the angry boy sitting next to him on the beach.

He was indeed. He had been very much calmed. He wasn't angry anymore. In fact, he was feeling much better. He had even forgotten why he had been so mad in the first place. Whatever magic was in this teaching, it had definitely worked on the German. "All right." He grabbed on to the other and vowed not to chicken out and close his eyes.

As he had every other time, Tezuka walked Liliadent through the moves. When it came time for the big throw, he slowed even more, "Tuck your leg behind you and bend it....fall first on your calf...then thigh and back. Do not try to spring back up."

Tezuka would show Liliadent that he need not fear falling.

Liliadent did as bidden and still felt that sick lerching feelign that came from falling and not catching himself. But it didn't hurt like when he might fall down accidently. He had done as Tezuka had told him to and he had been cushioned quit a bit. The sand helped too. The sand was soft and helped pad the fall as well. He still ended up on the ground but instead of feeling pain, Liliadent found himself laughing quite merrily.

Watching Liliadent succeed, Tezuka couldn't help but wear the tiniest little smirk. That might be the right note to end today's lesson on: Liliadent had already learned plenty.

He sat down next to the blond. "Now, you just have to fall as much as you can to practice."

He rolled on his side to look at the other boy, grinning and still laughing. "So, to practice, I have to just become really clumsy." He didn't sit up yet, just lounging to look at the older boy. "Thank you for this, Herr Kunimitsu. Thank you so much for the lesson." He paused and then continued, this time in his broken and heavily accented Japanese. '

"Thanking you. You are being a very good teacher and friend for me."

"Aa," Tezuka joked. It was so very rare that he was actually facetious. "You are quite welcome."

"Otsukaresama deshita," Tezuka replied in Japanese, as Liliadent changed languages. You tired yourself, it meant literally, but it held the implication: "Thank you for your hard work."

He grinned. He was very glad he had done this, even if he had felt out of place and silly at first. He was also glad that he would get to do it again. "I'll practice hard and surprise you."

"So your working hard is supposed to surprise me?" the expression on his face could pass for wry. Truly though, Tezuka was impressed with his student's efforts: they showed in how absolutely covered in sand Liliadent was.

"Perhaps a swim might be a good cool down exercise," he suggested.

He supposed not. He was indeed a very hard worker. He had already told Tezuka about his willingness to do even the freshmen tasks that most the first years complained about. "Yes. A swim would be nice." He nodded and stood, trying to brush the sand off of him.

Tezuka stood as well, and reached over his head to undo his sling. Very, very carefully, he flexed his arm. There was an ache in his shoulder where the inscision was made, but it felt like it was recovering just fine.

The sun hung lower over the ocean, coloring the water with its beams. Hawaii really was amazing. He was glad his mother encouraged him to go.

"Aa," he agreed, unbuttoning his shirt one handed.

He started to pull his own shirt off. He was so fair. He was a little willowly. He didn't look half as strong as he was. In fact, he looked almost cute shirtless. He was careful to fold it before turning towards the water again. "This is an amazing place! I have never swam in the ocean until I came here." He had swam in the freezing lakes and rivers in Germany, but this warm water was just amazing. Though he had really sucked at surfing.

A long, red line cut across Tezuka's shoulder. The stitches had been taken out, but the surgical scar was still healing and angry.

"Truly?" he queried. "You haven't been to the sea before this?"

He looked at the scar only for a moment. His coach had been blown up by a roadside bomb when he had been a tanker...before he had become a pirest and tennis coach, so he was used to seeing angry injuries. He ignored it a little and walked towards the water. "Yes. Really. I haven't. The sea in Germany is too cold and to go to the coast in Italy or France is a little too far for a day trip." He looked to Tezuka. "There are nice beaches in Japan, yes?"

"That's true," Tezuka hummed, but it was still surprising. One might think he would have made at least one trip. "Japan is a chain of islands, so we have many beaches," he said and let the water lick at his ankles.

The blond turned, already up to his knees in the water. He leaned down and dipped his fingers into it and then swept up, slightly splashing Tezuka with a laugh. "Then I will have to try and visit some of them. I have heard that there is even star sand in Japan. I want to see that!"

"Yes, in Okinawa, though I cannot say I've seen it," Tezuka had been to Okinawa once on a school trip, but they had mostly stuck to ruins of the Ryukyu Kingdom and the beach near the hotel. In response to the splash he only smirked a bit, following the blond into the water and ducking underwater with the next wave. Rising from the water, he said, "You really wish to see as much as Japan as possible, don't you?"

He nodded wondering if he could splash the other teen again. "I do! I want to see everything I can. I want to baithe with the apes in the hot springs and wear a kimono..." And so many other things. He trailed off though because it was pretty embarassing. "I hope I have time for all of that before my time is up and I have to return."

Tezuka found it somewhat amusing that those were his two priorities.

"Well, the kimono is easily enough to accomplish. If you go to a touristy sort of museum, they will dress you up for a very minimum price...or you can buy one, and wait for an occasion."

But monkeys... he considered, enjoying the waves of salt water wash over him. His wound stung a little bit, but the salt was good for him so he thought little of it. "And perhaps Nikko for the monkeys. It is not too far from Tokyo."

He had some odd wants. He knew that. He was just glad that the other didn't tease him too badly. He hadn't known about the museums though. He hadn't known there were places like that. "Really? You think I could get the rest of Rikkai to come with me?" He didn;'t know if he wanted to go on those little adventures by himself. He might get lost and with his language barior, it would be harder to come home.

"Possibly," Tezuka said. "There are many onsen in Nikko, along with some waterfalls and famous temples and shrines of the samurai."

"The Edo-Tokyo museum is very nice to visit, I would not mind taking you myself. Though if you prefer to keep your kimono, perhaps a flea market would be better. It would be too short, but to have one custom made would be extremely expensive."

This was probably the most he had actually spoken to anyone about anything in such a long time. He did have some long and deep conversations, but generally the other party talked more. Before it was because he was teaching; now he had no excuse.

Liliadent didn't know he was making Tezuka go over his word quota. Instead, he just eagerly kept going. He didn't know how to even pick out a kimono, but he wanted to wear one for New Years. It wouldn't be able to be tailored in time, but that was okay. Just wearing one, even if it didn't fit. "I would like that." Going to the museum. He didn't know about the kimono though. He didn't know if he could keep one. It might be best just to borrow one and see if it even suited him. "Though maybe I can borrow one. Herr Samurai is tall..." Maybe someone else from Rikkai would let him borrow one.

Tezuka nodded. It was likely that Sanada had a few. If Liliadent asked, he doubted that Sanada would refuse his request. However, Sanada's shoulders were quite a bit wider than the German's. The fit would be interesting, but yukata were not exactly difficult to wear. "I'm sure Sanada has one to spare."

He was sure he could also ask a few other people. But Sanada might be a good bet. "Then I will ask him if I have no other option." He didn't want to bother the scary demon vice-captain.

Perhaps Tezuka should see if he had any spare ones. The look on Liliadent's face suggested that he wasn't exactly eager to ask Sanada.

"I will check my closet as well, and let you know if anything looks promising."

Resting on his back, Tezuka let himself float on the waves.

"Danke." He murmured and then sloshed deeper to watch the other float. He was really glad he had agreed to this. It was nice. He was happy he had made such a friend in Tezuka.

"Not at all," Tezuka said, peering up at the blond as a the water licked at their skin. "I am glad we had the chance to meet in person."