TMNT Fan Fiction (Chapter 26)

Much like the night before, silence hung heavily in the air of the Hamato Clan's dojo. Raphael remained perfectly still as he sat seiza-style at his father's left. Like his father, Raphael was focused solely on the young woman that stood at attention before them, waiting for the leader of the Hamato clan to address her.  
It was during this time that Raphael took notice of her posture.  It was perfect.  In the long minutes that passed as they waited, not once did she move or waver. She remained perfectly still. In fact, the only movement was the rise and fall of her chest as she drew breath and then exhaled.  Which as anyone who had studied martial arts knew, was no easy feat; to remain so still, for so long, was impressive, and spoke volumes of her self-discipline and self-control.
It was also during this time that Raphael noticed the difference between his Dobok and hers. His uniform was stark white and bare. The material was stiff from having been pressed, folded and then stored away, waiting for the day that its future owner would one day wear it.
Dominique's on the other hand, while clean and pressed, showed signs of wear and use. It was not the bright white that his uniform was. Its brightness had faded over time. And unlike his, it was not bare but adorned with the many badges that had been earned through her hard work and accomplishments over the years that she had trained. His eyes had settled for a moment on the International Tang Soo Do Federation badge that rested over her heart.  It was the most noticeable difference at first. Then, there was the American flag on the sleeve of her upper right arm.  And on the opposite arm, in the same place, was the Korean flag.
The final difference that he noticed was the trim of the Dobok's lapel. Unlike his, which was white, hers was black.  The same shade of the belt that was secured around her waist.
His eyes lingered on her belt for a moment and noticed one last difference, two white strips that ran horizontally near the end on the left side.  
Splinter's voice drew him from his thoughts, and it took him a moment to realize that he had not recognized the words that had come from his father's mouth. He wasn't speaking English, nor was he speaking Japanese.  It seemed that, were he to guess, that he was speaking Korean.  He had no idea that Splinter could speak Korean.  And was even more surprised when Dominique responded to him in the same language.

He watched Splinter address her once more in Korean, "Cha Ryut," then spoke in English, for his benefit.  "Attention."

Dominique lifted her arms, then brought them quickly to her sides once more.

"Choon Bee," Splinter instructed in Korean, then spoken the English translation.  "Ready."

Dominique complied to his command by positioning herself in a ready stance; her feet separated to shoulder width, and her hands, now fists, came together before her as if to protect herself from an unseen attacker.

"Ki Cho Hyung Il Bu," he ordered. "Motion one."

"Yes, sir!" she responded, then waited for Splinter's count.
Upon hearing it, her head snapped to the left, a moment before she turned and blocked low.  The second movement was a middle punch that would strike her imaginary adversary in the sternum.

On his next count, her head turned to the right, to look over her shoulder. And a moment later, she followed her line of sight and blocked low, then punched once more.

At Splinter's next count, she turned her head towards them, then turned to follow, blocking low.  However, instead of one middle punch following the block, Dominique completed a series of three middle punches. The last was accompanied by a short yell, or Kiai, which surprised Raphael causing him to flinch.

The old rat inwardly smiled at the reaction of his second eldest son, yet showed no sign that he had noticed. Instead, it appeared that his attention was focused solely on the young woman before him.

Raphael had been watching her movements so intently that when the sound emanated from her, he had been taken completely by surprise.  His emerald orbs quickly shifted from Dominique to Splinter and relief soon washed over him as it appeared that neither had noticed that he had been startled by the Kiai.

Returning his attention to Dominique, he watched in amazement as she flawlessly executed a 270-degree turn and blocked low, before thrusting her hand forward to punch an imaginary attacker in the chest.
Another turn, this one 180-degrees, and another low block followed by a middle punch.  One last turn, followed by a low block and middle punch, and all movement came to a halt.  And once more, she remained perfectly still, waiting.
In one fluid motion, Splinter rose to his feet, and uttered a single word, "Ba-Ro."
Dominique returned to the original position, the ready stance, then waited until he spoke once more. When he had, she stood at attention, then bowed to him.
Splinter bowed to the young woman, then stood there quietly appraising her.   "Tell me, Dominique, why do you study Tang Soo Do?"

The question gave her a moment's pause. It was a question that he had asked before, however, she realized, this time, he had worded it differently.  When he had first asked her weeks ago, he had asked why she had started to study Tang Soo Do. Now he asked why she studies it.  She took a moment to consider his question carefully, then, composing her thoughts, she answered, “I want to become a Kyo Sa.”
The man turned rat smiled, as if this was the answer that he had wanted to hear.  “And in your quest to become Kyo Sa, an instructor, have you assisted your  Sa Bom, Master Instructor, with training the  Cho bo ja, the beginners?” Splinter had made certain to say the English word immediately after each Korean term he used so that Raphael would understand the question that he had asked Dominique.
“Yes, sir.” She answered simply.
“Good. Such experience will aide you in the coming weeks.”
Raphael’s expression seemed to mirror the one that had briefly crossed Dominique’s face, however, it was not long before all confusion disappeared.
“Raphael.”  
At the mention of his name, Raphael quickly rose to his feet, “Yes...sir?”  
“Starting today, Dominique will be your Kyo Sa.”  He explained, then turned his attention to Dominique.  “You will not treat Raphael any differently than any other Cho bo ja. Understand?”
Surprise flickered across her face a moment before she managed to compose herself so that she might answer.  “Yes, sir.”
“Very well.”  Splinter placed his hands behind his back, “You may begin.”