Always Be... [Narrative][FINISHED]

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

[This takes place about two months prior to the narrative "Beauty In The Breakdown."]

Rajah ran through the jungles China had to offer, hurtling over grounded obstacles that seemed to appear out of nowhere. There in the humid land, his mane untrimmed and his clothing limited to nothing but a white loincloth, he creatively found ways of maneuvering past the earth around him that seemed to have suddenly taken on a life of it's own.

The ground before him slouched itself, disconnected itself, and risen to incredible heights like that of a tidal wave as Rajah continued to run, not letting down either his guard or his speed. But once the earth started to retaliate against the Tora-Jin did Rajah know that it was time to bring his top game.

Chunks of dirt and boulders catapulted themselves from the ground and headed toward Rajah. The Tora-Jin leaped up into the trees, jumping past every single boulder the jungle floors ejected his way. And in one strong flip, Rajah immediately bypassed the violent earth and landed near it's source.

A growl of anticipation echoed out of his maw. He pointed in front of him sternly with a his right hand clenched into a fist.



"Enough games, Matsu," he said to the being in front of him. "I have survived your 'unbeatable' obstacle course. Now allow me to use what I have learned these past three months and prove myself worthy enough to wield the powers of the earth!"

The being Rajah pointed to was a man; a man whose back was facing the Tora-Jin. But when he turned around to face Rajah, he could only stare at the ground beneath him.



"I must tell you, Rajah," he started as he stared at the Tora-Jin. "I was not expecting you to achieve so much in such little time. You truly are my greatest student."

The man named Matsu then entered a fighting position as a face as fierce as fire appeared.

"Now then!" he yelled. "Prove it to yourself and the rest of the world!"

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah stood erect, placing his fisted paw behind his back and extending his pointing paw to see the open palm. With his feet firmly planted, he stared down his opponent and master, waiting on his first move.

Rajah had witnessed countless of these scenarios since his arrival in China within this dojo. After spending enough training in the ways of the earth, the Battle of Worth took place. It was a battle between master and pupil, in which the pupil would only be worthy of wielding the element of earth if he was able to disconnect his master's planting of the earth.

Rajah was taught that earth magic starts with the planting of the feet, working it's way up the body; like the roots of a tree firmly planted into the soils of the earth, gathering it's nutrients. The battle would not involve any movement of the legs; both would be firmly planted within the earth. No physical attacks would be used. Just your knowledge of the earth, and the earth alone.

Rajah watched Matsu attack first. With the simple waving of his arms, he summoned the ground in front of him to shoot waves of sharpened rocks Rajah's way. The Tora-Jin continued to stand firm, awaiting the jagged rocks to get as close as Rajah wanted them to. With his eye color turning dark brown, Rajah swatted his free hand at the wind, taking control of the jagged rocks. They followed the movement of his hand and thrust themselves into the ground in front of Rajah, creating an earthquake-like seismic wave toward his master.

Rajah knew that this wouldn't be a simple win. That was why he knew that his first and powerful display over the earth would not lead him to an instant victory. The wave of earth was haulted and suddenly thrust back into place, causing a sudden storm of dirt to say Rajah's way. Once a bit of that settled, he once again saw his master Matsu perform another display of his earth mastery; controlling the tectonic plates that were interrupted through Rajah's last attack to create razor sharp disks that hurtled the Tora-Jin's way.

Rajah took the time to comprehend everything that was going on. The last thing he wanted to do was rush an attack and not make it as thorough as he could. So, after realizing the situation and releasing his tension through a solitary breath, Rajah freed the hand behind his back and started to perform a rhythmic swaying of his hands. As the plates came toward him, they started to dull, separate and round themselves. With enough concentration, Rajah was able to manipulate the earth to his liking; something that he could tell by the look on his master's face that even Matsu couldn't even do.

By the time the brown balls of earth reached him, they paused in mid-air; all seven of them. And with one more move of his paws, Rajah sent all seven flying toward his master. Rajah watched as his master tried to block as many as he could, but did not react in time to stop the ball aimed right at his gut. Rajah watched as Matsu hurtled backwards in the air, the earth under his feet moving with him until it could no longer keep the connection. Once Rajah saw his master lying on the ground, his eyes immediately returned to their normal shade of brown and ran over to his aid.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

"Master Matsu," he said to his sifu, "are you alright?" Rajah took the time to help him get on his feet, lifting him from underneath his arms. He watched as Matsu looked at the Tora-Jin out the corner of his eyes, smiling.

"Yes, Nagoyaka," he told him. "I am fine."

"I hope I didn't hurt you," Rajah said with a saddened look on his face.

"Rajah, one day you will learn that sometimes to obtain peace, drastic forces must be made," Matsu told him. "But that is not something I can teach you; you will have to learn it on your own. But I am definitely proud to say that I have yet to have had a student that I could honestly call my equal and mean it, until I met you."

Rajah smiled at his master's words. He had never felt so honored before, nor had he ever received such a comment.

"Thank you, master," the Tora-Jin said. "Your words mean a lot to me."

He could feel Matsu pat him on the back as he walked back inside the gateway of the village.

"Go back inside the dojo and groom yourself," he heard his master say. "You haven't had a haircut in over a week. When you are done, look inside your sleeping quarters; you'll find a new change of clothing for you. Tonight, we celebrate your victory over the element of the earth."

Rajah watched as his master walked through the gateway leading to the nearby village, before following his path to only head inside the dojo and celebrate his victory with something he had been without for three weeks straight; a nice hot bath.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

After about an hours worth of washing and grooming, Rajah's mane was cut close to resemble that of a Tiger's once again. He dried himself off as he walked into his sleeping quarters only to see a blue sleeveless exercise uniform with the dojo's logo on the back. Rajah smiled, almost on the verge of tears to have finally receive this article of clothing. Excited and exuberant, Rajah put on the clothes, immediately testing out it's dexterity by placing himself in a martial art pose.



Suddenly Rajah heard a knock on the outpost of his door. When he looked, he saw that it was his master's son; the seven year old Kuma Matsu, one of the friendliest young ones Rajah had yet to run across.



"Hello Kuma," Rajah said with a smile on his face.

"Father sent me to fetch you, Rajah," Kuma said as he came close enough to grab his free paw. "It's time for the banquet. Come on!" he said as he started to pull his arm.

Rajah chuckled at the boy before swooping him up and letting him rest on his back.

"You're right, young one," he said to him with a smile as he heard the child laugh. "I wouldn't want to be late for my own party, would I?"

Rajah felt Kuma's arms wrap around his neck, leaning his own head against Rajah's. The Tora-Jin smiled at the affection he received from the boy, finding it one of the best feelings in the world as he left the dojo and walked the streets of the village, leading to the closed off street for Rajah's celebration banquet.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

As soon as the two of them reached the area of the village the banquet was taken place, villagers cheered at his presence. Everyone Rajah walked past were either telling congratulating him or saying that they were proud of him. Rajah had never received so much positive attention since he first arrived to India nearly eleven years ago.

The sun was setting, causing the humidity within the area to simmer down a bit for Rajah to keep on his new clothes. They eventually reached a long table, where the young Kuma pointed toward, still keeping one of his arms around Rajah's neck.

"There goes father there!" he said with excitement. Rajah looked toward the direction of the young Kuma's point and saw his master waving at the two of them. Rajah took Kuma off his back and placed him on the ground.

"I believe your father would appreciate your company, Kuma," Rajah told the boy.

Kuma held Rajah's paw and saddened his face. "But I want to stay with you," he said.

Rajah could only look at the boy with a sweetened gaze. He then got on one of his knees and placed his hand on one of Kuma's shoulders.

"Tell you what?" he whispered. "Go over and see what your father wants. Afterwards, ask him if it is alright for you to spend the rest of the day with me, okay?"

Kuma smiled. "Okay!" he said with a nod of his head before running over to his father.

Rajah watched as the boy approached his father, seemingly asking him the question. After a few seconds, Kuma stared back at Rajah with a smile and a thumbs up. Rajah could only smile at his expression before his master sent him off to his mother and walked toward him.

"My son has taken quite a liking to you these past months, Rajah," Matsu told him.

Rajah chuckled. "Yes, master," he said. "It seems that way."

Matsu held up his hand. "No," he said with a smile. "No more calling me 'master.' That title is now yours to share along with me."

As Matsu placed his hand on his shoulder, Rajah smiled.

"Thank you, Matsu," he said with a nod of his head.

"You are very welcome," he said. "Now come. It is time for the display of talents."

Rajah looked confused. "Display of talents?"

"Yes," Matsu said. "With every new master over earth, that individual displays their mastery to the entire village. And now, three years later, it is your turn."

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah was placed on a circular stone as Matsu walked in front of him. He watched as his old master gathered the attention of the villagers at the banquet.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please!" he yelled. "We have been graced with one of the greatest wielders over the earth in over three years. And now Rajah Nagoyaka shall display his mastery for all of us to see. Ladies and gentlemen, Rajah Nagoyaka!"

The people applauded, while Rajah couldn't help but to be bashful from his instructors introduction. But, he quickly shook off his shyness, placed his hands together, closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Once he opened his eyes, the color was a darker version of his original brown color. With the separation of his hands, came the parting of the earth in front of him, in the form of two stalagmite-looking spikes going opposite ways.

Rajah moved his arms in the way he would whenever he practiced his Tai Chi. However, the stalagmites that seemed to be as stable and solid as they should have been, started to turn and twist with every movement of Rajah's hands, causing the audience to applaud.

The Tora-Jin then started to raise his paws, causing the stalagmites to disconnect themselves from the ground. Rajah then closed his eyes and started to concentrate. Still in his planted position, with his paws still raised and the pillars of earth floating in the air, the circular slate started to elevate from the ground. And the pillars started to mold and fuse themselves. Soon, the combined entities formed into a statue of Matsu. It lowered itself onto the ground, along with the circular pillar he stood on. It was then that Rajah opened up his eyes and gazed upon what he had done.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Seeing the statue of his master before him made Rajah smile. Not only because it proved that he did indeed master the ways of the earth, but that the statue came out exactly the way he pictured it inside his mind. With a warm smile and a bow, Rajah was gladdened after hearing the cheers and applause from the audience, helping his self-esteem reach new heights.

As he stepped off the circular platform, Rajah was greeted by Kuma, jumping in his arms laughing and smiling. He immediately hugged him, causing Rajah not only to return it, but to allow a smile to grace his face as well.

"That was awesome, Rajah!" Kuma said to the Tora-Jin. "It looks just like father!"

"Well, I am glad you like it, Kuma," Rajah said as he held the boy within the safety of his arms. He stared at his master and smiled.

"Thank you for everything, Matsu," Rajah said to his master.

All his instructor could do was smile and nod before turning his attention back toward the audience.

"And now," he projected, "we feast!"

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah immediately headed toward the food, having been deprived of nutrition for three weeks straight inside the jungles of China. He immediately filled his plates with every kind of fish the buffet had to offer, loving the way the cooks fixed them during his training sessions months prior to his jungle isolation. He sat at the seat saved for him, between Matsu and his son, Kuma.

"Wow," Kuma said as he marveled at Rajah's plate. "That's a lot of fish..."

"Kuma, it is impolite to stare," his father told him before fixing his attention on Rajah. "So will you be leaving soon?" he asked. "Or do you plan on staying in the village a bit longer."

Rajah finished a bit of the trout he was working on as he listened to his mentor's question.

"I wish I could, Matsu," Rajah said, "but I must continue my quest to find out who I am. Do not get me wrong; you and your village have been extremely kind to me since my arrival here. But I believe that to know your future, you must first know where you came from."

Matsu swallowed a bit of his food. "That's where I have to say I disagree with you, Rajah," he said. "I believe it is not within your past that grants you your future, but in your present. For instance, I was responsible for the deaths of three people at the age of fourteen. Now if I lived my life according to my past, I would be nothing more than a murderer.

"Instead, I found this village. I trained under the ways of the earth and surpassed the master before me. I have led this village through the ups and downs, and still we prosper. It is the decisions we make in the present that direct us on the road to our future."

Rajah nodded, understanding every word his mentor spoke. Not only did they make sense, but they touched his heart a bit. He had no idea that a man he found out to be as noble as his master was once a murderer. His story touched him, because it told him that everyone is worthy of change.

That was when he felt a tug on his fur. He turned around to see Kuma with a saddened face.

"Does that mean you're going to leave?" he asked.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah couldn't bare to see Kuma upset. He never would have thought that he could make such an impact on another beings life. It made him glad and sad at the same time, only because he had no idea how he would let the boy know that he had to leave.

Rajah's ears folded back, trying to find a way to easily tell the child that he had to go. But as he began to tell the boy why he had to leave, the village was immediately drenched with rain. Rajah watched as the villagers immediately ran off toward their homes, but as quickly and unexpected as the rain began, it ended.

Rajah got out of his seat and looked around the area. To what he could see normally, everything seemed to be fine. But what he heard in the far distance made him fearful for what was to come.

Reacting to the noise he heard with his enhanced sense of hearing, Rajah peered over at a mountain and saw that the rain had caused the side facing the small village to start rolling down toward it. Rajah could only gape in horror as he realized what was going on.

A huge and deadly mudslide was heading toward the village.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah looked back at the villagers, who at the time were ignorant to the danger they faced. He immediately got a hold of his horrified state and prepared himself to inform the villagers the news.

That was, until a frightened villager beat him to the punch.

"A mudslide is headed our way!" he yelled. "Run for your lives!"

As the citizens started to panic, Rajah immediately took control of the situation.

"Do not panic!" he roared. "Everyone head for higher ground; Matsu and I can handle this!"

He looked at Matsu, hoping that he was right in stating his involvement. With a smile and a nod from his instructor, he received his answer. After Rajah returned the gesture, he looked at Kuma standing next to him.

"Kuma, this place isn't safe for you!" he told the boy. "You need to get out of here!"

"But I want to help!" he said.

"Kuma, it's too dangerous!" he retaliated. "I don't want to see you get hurt. Now please go with the other villagers!"

With a sniff and a nod in agreement, Kuma ran toward the other villagers as his father joined Rajah.

"It's been a while since I was able to stop a mudslide, Rajah," he said. "I don't know how much help I can be to you."

"Just your presence is help enough, master," he called him out of instinct.

Matsu smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?!"

The two immediately used the earth underneath their feet to elevate into the air, leaping from rooftop to rooftop closer toward the mudslide. Rajah grabbed a staff out of the hands of a statue and threw off the top portion of his uniform before landing on a rooftop closest to the view of the mudslide.



Bare-chested and battle-ready, Rajah stared toward the other side of the village and saw his teacher Matsu rest on the tip of one of the buildings.

"I shall leave this task up to you, Rajah," Matsu yelled, knowing he would be able to hear. "This is your final test to prove your worthiness over the earth element."

Rajah nodded with a face as serious as his stance. Like he said before; his master did not have to help him by using his talents in his aid. His presence was aid enough.

And so with a twirl of his staff, Rajah prepared himself to protect the village he had come to care for against destruction.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah's eyes once again turned dark brown as he watched the mudslide move closer. Placing the staff in both of his hands, he thrust it outward with his fingers out, holding the staff by the crevices of his thumbs. The mudslide continued to come toward them rather quickly, and by the time it was about to reach the village it resembled that of a tidal wave. But soon it started to weirdly slow down; it still showed the movements that it was moving rather quickly, yet the speed started to decrease.

Rajah refused to blink, believing that it would cut off his concentration. Because of this, tears started to stream from his eyes like those of loose waterfalls. But it was working. His will over the earth was proving significant as the mudslide eventually slowed down to a hault, freezing itself in it's tidal wave form wearing the look it would have had right before pouncing on the innocent village.

Rajah raised his staff slowly into the air with both of his hands, still refusing to blink. With the Tora-Jin's hand movements, the conglomerate of the mudslide twirled into a pillar form. Rajah slowly grasped a bit of the staff with his left hand, still refusing to blink. And with a powerful movement from his huge arm, Rajah swatted down on the roof quickly, breaking the stone staff in the process. The pillar of wet earth then burrowed itself into the ground, creating an open hole for whatever was left of the mudslide to enter and keeping the village safe from harm.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

Rajah's eyes returned back to normal as he released a heavy sigh. He would have fallen off the roof if he hadn't regained his balance. Instead, he stared back over to the area where he saw his master last, only to see him there. With his enhanced eyesight, he could see Matsu smiling at Rajah's victory. And also with his enhanced hearing, Rajah could hear the villagers cheer in happiness. Turning around, Rajah slid off of the building rooftop and jumped from wall to wall until he was once again back inside the plaza that held his celebration banquet.

Kuma was there, awaiting Rajah as he landed. He immediately ran up to Rajah and jumped into his arms, embracing the Tora-Jin in a hug. When he let go, Kuma smiled at him.

"I think this is yours," Kuma said as he gave Rajah his shirt he took off moments before.

Rajah smiled as he accepted the shirt from the young boy, only to embrace him in a hug himself. Rajah looked to his right, to see his master Matsu landing on the ground next to him. He walked over to his student with a smile on his face.

"You did well, Rajah," he said to him. "I am proud to call you my equal."

Rajah smiled, still holding his master's son in his arms. "Thank you, master," he said once again out of instinct.

Matsu patted Rajah on the back. "Call me Toro," he said.

Rajah bowed in honor that his master would give the Tora-Jin permission to speak his first name. Toro Matsu then started to walk back toward the dojo, followed by Rajah, with Kuma in his arms. It was an unofficial parade of heroes, with the villagers cheering during their passing on the streets. This was indeed a good day.

[Nagoyaka Rajah]

A few hours later, Rajah had all of his belongings packed in his backpack, ready to leave. He walked out of the dojo, making sure to look back to take one last mental picture of the inside of the building. Walking outside, he was immediately greeted by his master Matsu Toro, and his son Matsu Kuma, who looked as if he had been crying for many moons.

Rajah sighed at the boys expression, finding himself saddened at the fact that he had to leave him. But, he knew his stay in the village was over. He looked at his master and bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Matsu Toro," he said, "for everything."

Toro smirked. "No, Rajah," he said. "Thank you. Your presence here has been a blessing in disguise. Just know that you are welcome back anytime if your journey requires a second visit to China."

Rajah nodded, smiling at the invitation and definitely taking it to heart. He then turned around and started walking to the gateway of the village.

"Rajah!" he heard. "Wait!" He turned around to see the young Kuma running towards him. Not thinking twice, Rajah went to his knees and extended his arms to catch the young boy, who wrapped his arms around his neck, using his fur to catch his falling tears.

"I'll miss you, Rajah," he said in-between his sobs.

Rajah had no words. All he could do was close his eyes and return the hug if not equally yet more affectionate than the boy. His right paw rested on his back as his left held the back of his head. When his eyes opened, tears streamed from his now-blue eyes, finally taking in that he would have to leave this boy -- whose life he apparently impacted such a great deal -- behind as he continued his journey to find the truth behind his origins.

When they did release each other, Rajah placed his hands on Kuma's shoulders. The boy sniffed back more tears, already ashamed that he let the earlier ones loose. But when he looked at Rajah's tear-absorbed fur on his face, along with his blue eyes, he felt a little better.

Rajah used his thumbs to gently wipe away the boys tears. "I'll miss you, too," he said in a tear-jerked voice.

And so the two embraced each other again in one last hug, before Rajah stood up, acknowledged his master one last time and finally left the village. He would never forget their teachings; for even though his stay was not permanent, what he learned, what he felt, what he appreciated, and what he loved within that village would always be...