"C-come on, man! Stop it!" Blood poured from Bryce's cracked lips as he screamed at me. The little bitch's voice was shaky. Not only that, but he was crying.

Like a bitch.

That pissed me off. "I thought you were a man?" I reared back, then punched. My fist connected with his nose.

It shattered.

"Alex, stop!" Some girl was screaming behind me and grabbed at my arm.

"Fuck off!" I shook her off like she was nothing and punched him again.

As Bryce's eyes rolled back, my watch lit up and began vibrating again.

It was Stella.

"Fuck!" Something told me I needed to answer her call. My sweet, amazing, dumb ass sister always had the worst fucking timing.

With all my strength, I pushed Bryce up the crumbling wall. I wanted to throw his shitty ass straight into the cheap tiles under my boots, but something said that was a bad idea. But fuck that. I was gonna put him down.

Just as I went to faceplant him, my gut screamed at me.

Don't do it. It doesn't end well for you.

I ground my teeth. "Why the fuck not?"

Trust me. Don't do it. Take a breath. Get Emma, and get out of here. Let it go.

"Why the fuck shouldn't I?" I squeezed his throat until he gurgled.

If you walk away now, he'll get what's coming to him.

It took everything I had... every ounce of willpower I'd ever mustered... but, I did it. Rather than throwing his dumb ass into the tiles, I took a deep breath and lowered him to the ground.

When his ass thumped on the floor, he coughed, clutched at his throat, and rasped, "I'm going to end your fucking—"

In an instant, my knee struck his nose.

It shattered. Along with the rest of his face.

His head slumped, and blood began pouring from his nose. Mouth. Eyes...

Shit.

That... wasn't what I was going for.

The world bent around me, my stomach twisted, and everything went black.

***

After my back struck the ground, hard, and as the infinite hallway came back into focus, I looked up to see that the doorway we'd entered had closed.

"Oops..." I couldn't help but laugh. It felt good kicking that fucker's teeth in again. Even if I was sort of a spectator to the whole thing.

"You were a badass!" Vral screamed beside me.

"Okay, I'll admit that was hot," Tristan added. "You were some knight protecting his maiden back then, weren't you?"

As my head cleared, I realized the girls watched all that happen. "You could see all of that?"

"Yes," both women breathed.

"It was getting hazy by the end, but damn..." Vral's voice was heavy with lust. "I liked what I saw."

"I didn't catch the last bit, but what I did see..." Tristan squirmed beside me. "Damn!" With a deep breath, she shook her head, sat up, and asked, "But seriously, who was that Emma girl? Were you her knight? Was she your maiden? You have to tell me. I won't be mad. I promise."

She'd be mad. I could tell.

"No. She wasn't my maiden. She was just a friend."

"A friend like Devon was?" Tristan asked with a pout.

"No. A friend like Na-Ya or Faye."

"Oh... well... good."

"So, what were you?" Vral's voice was husky. "Because you could defend my honor like that anytime. I wouldn't mind."

"Like I said, friends."

"Why'd you defend her like that, then?"

"Well..." Why had I? "I had a sister, you know?"

"Good man," Tristan grabbed my hand. "I chose well."

"He looked like a cunt," Vral added.

"He was a cunt." I sat up and shook my head. "But, since this doorway's shut now," I pointed at the next open door up the hall, "Want to try another?"

"Yes," Both women answered.

***

"Ready!"

My expert class, comprised of seven boys and three girls, all of whom were in their late teens, snapped upright.

"Yes, sensei!"

"Are you ready, candidates?!"

"Yes, sensei!"

"Ready..." I let the moment linger. "Begin!"

The class snapped into action. Move by move, they flowed through their forms. Their lines were crisp. Their forms were flawless. This was my best class yet. It was also the first group of kids I'd gotten to brown belt, but still... they were great.

I crossed my arms and tried to act tough, but I couldn't help but smile. After some struggles in my early college years, I'd squeaked through academic probation by the skin of my teeth, especially after that whole ordeal with that frat guy.

That was stressful.

I thought I was screwed. I really did. I nearly broke his face that night. But, after a lengthy investigation, they determined that I was acting in defense of another student, so I got reinstated as a student. Also, since he'd had several warnings already, Bryce got expelled, and his dad was fired after he tried to cause a stink.

Sure, I got a ton of community service after that, but it was worth it. Even though Emma and I drifted apart, I'd do it all over again if I could. After that whole ordeal, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to teach people how to defend themselves. So, I switched my degree to business administration and got my degree.

All the while, I trained hard at every dojo and gym I could, earned half a dozen black belts and a variety of certificates, and learned how to run a martial arts school. Once I was qualified to teach, I busted my ass until I could rent out a space and started teaching near the university. After that, it was just a matter of time and marketing.

"Sir!" The kids were standing at attention, looking at me expectantly.

"Huh?" I looked around and noticed my students had finished their first form. "Next form! Don't stop!"

"Yes, sir!" As a group, they began flowing again.

As I watched them do each of their movements, I couldn't help but feel proud. They looked good. "Good job!" I was filled with pride. I'd done well with this batch.

They were expressing a form I'd started calling Radiant Dawn. I'd made it by cobbling together several forms I'd learned over the years. After adding some of my own inspiration and essence to it, it became, in my opinion, one of the best I taught. That's why I made it the capstone for brown belt.

"Keep it up!" I called out as some of my students began to gas out. "Never give up! If you get tired, keep moving! The enemy won't stop because you're tired! Dig deep and keep going!"

My students redoubled their efforts.

If they thought these forms were all they had to do to get their brown belts, they were sorely mistaken.

"End it!"

My students finished their forms and stood at attention, panting and sweating bullets.

Walking to the front of my little dojo, I shouted, "Grab your gear! It's time to spar!"

"Sensei!" The kids all ran to their bags, put on their gear, and ran to their sparring areas.

"Line up!' I gestured to either side of the dojo. "Two lines!"

The kids lined up on either side of the room.

"You score a hit, you move to the back of the line. Got it?!"

'Yes, sensei!"

"Go!"

I watched as the first member of both lines sprang into action. One by one, they sparred, scored a point, then ran to the back of the line. Some were stronger fighters than others, but none held the ring for long. I took that as another point of pride. While each student had their own strengths and weaknesses, none was far beyond the others, and all could hold their own in a real fight.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As I watched my students spar, soft footsteps padded up the mats behind me. Without turning, I knew exactly who it was.

"What do you think? Are they ready?" The feminine voice was laced with her characteristic nonchalance. She never took anything too seriously these days. She always said that, after our shit childhood, nothing could bother her.

"Eh." Turning, I saw that Stella had crossed her arms over her chest. "They're alright." I'd never admit to anyone how proud I was of them. It might get to their heads.

She looked them over for a while. "What's missing?"

"The fire."

She looked back toward my students. Her face hardened. "Anyone who doesn't go all out will fail this grading!'

"Yes, sensei!" At Stella's words, the kids all tripled their energy.

"Okay, now they don't look too bad." Stella laughed. "That's more like it."

"They don't look great, though." I'd never admit how proud I was of them. Never!

"No, but it's pretty good." Her hazel eyes met mine. "Don't you think?"

Mmm..." I nodded toward the weakest pair of the group. "They could be better."

I couldn't help but feel gratitude in that moment. When I fight went to college, she and I hadn't been particularly close. We talked a lot, but I wasn't in the headspace to maintain our relationship.

However, right around when I'd kicked that Bryce guy's ass and nearly got expelled, she reached out and said she was seriously depressed. Something clicked in me. I rushed home that weekend, picked her up, and took her back to my apartment.

It turned out, our folks were fighting constantly and taking it out on her. Without me being home anymore, she was getting everything, and she wasn't handling it well. So we worked toward emancipating her.

Our parents didn't even put up a fight.

They had apparently been on the outs for a while and had only been staying together "for the kids." Once Stella was out, they split barely more than a month later. After that, we barely even heard from them. Dad always had new girlfriends who were "the one," and mom only showed up when she needed money. After a while, we stopped answering either of their calls or texts.

While it hadn't always been easy, I was happy I went home that weekend. I didn't know what would have happened had I not.

Stella said something next to me, bringing me back to reality.

"Huh?"

"They could be better. You said that about me, too." She puffed her cheeks out. "Don't you think you're dear little sister has gotten pretty good?"

"You could be better."

"Ass."

"What? It's true."

She swatted my arm. "I'm amazing."

I laughed and took my sister in. Since she'd turned thirteen, she'd been both my sister and, for all intents and purposes, my daughter. Since our parents didn't want her, I stepped up as her guardian, doing everything I could to support her.

I had to work two jobs to afford the apartment I got for us, and I skipped a lot of meals to feed her, but it was worth it.

After she got a part-time job, things got easier, but it still took me seven years to graduate. In that time, we'd had every fight one could imagine. Still... despite everything, we were best friends. I didn't think any siblings could be closer than we were. And now, we ran our martial arts school as a team.

That didn't mean she was good yet. She had a long way to go. At least for my standards.

"Take your gear off!" Stella shouted.

Realizing the kids were done, I shouted, "Good! Now, grappling!" and watched as they peeled their sparring gear off and dropped to the floor.

Watching my students grapple with one another, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

We'd done this. Together.

Soak it in. Never forget.

That pesky voice again. I wish it'd leave me be. I didn't know why I'd been hearing it off and on for a while, but I was. I hoped that didn't mean anything.

"You alright?" Stella was side-eying me. She had a knack for knowing when I was feeling off.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about how we should show these punks up. You game?"

She grinned and held her fists up. "Sure, but I'm warning you. I'm going to win this time."

"In your dreams."

As I took a step toward her, some part of me told me I should appreciate this moment. Considering everything we'd gone through, that didn't make much sense. It wasn't like I hadn't made thousands of memories with her. If anything, we'd made too many.

But still... I should make one more.

***

The front door opened, triggering the chime I'd hooked up to the front door, and voices sounded out in our entryway.

"Tell them we're closed." Stella didn't look up as she continued mopping the mats.

"You do it."

She glared at me. "I'm peopled out. You do it."

In her defense, she had taken the kid's classes tonight. "Alright. Finish up and head out. I'll wrap up and be home in a little."

"Sounds good." She held her fist up to her lips and yawned. "I can't wait to get some sleep."

Me neither, sis.

Poking my head around the archway that led into the lobby, I saw that two incredibly attractive women had come into our studio and were looking around at Stella and my trophies.

One of the women had pitch-black hair that she'd pulled back into a ponytail, the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, and legs that never ended. She easily could have been a model, or maybe an influencer, with a body like that, and her face had that perfect blend of innocent and seductive. Despite her looks, she had a sweetness about her that was palpable.

The other woman was a picture-perfect, short-stack goth girl, one of the ones that could ruin a guy's life. She had thick, wavy black hair, her eyes were dark, her skirt was tiny, her top was perfectly shaped to show off her goods, and not a single ounce of her toned midriff was covered. Beyond her body, she oozed fuck-you energy.

Both were my type. Very, very my type.

For some reason, a wave of emotion hit me then, but as soon as it came, it went again.

Weird.

"This place isn't so bad," the short stack looked around and sniffed. "But it's not great, either."

"I think it's nice. Feels lived in. Plus, everyone says it's the best in the area. I don't care what it looks like. I want to train."

"Yeah, well, I hope this guy's the real deal. I don't want to waste my time on some chump."

I cleared my throat. "Hello, ladies. Can I help you?"

The blue-eyed girl met my eyes first. Smiling, she asked, "Are you Sensei Alex?"

The short stack snorted.

"Just Alex. Sensei's for the kids. Helps keep them in line."

"I see!" The blue-eyed girl stepped forward and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, Alex. I'm Tristan."

I took her hand. "Nice to meet you, Tristan." Nodding I at the short stack, who was glaring at me for some reason, I asked, "And who are you?"

"V." The little woman sauntered up to me and eyed me up and down. "You're bigger than I thought you'd be. That doesn't mean you fight well. Care to show us what you got?" She put her hands on her hips and thrust her chest toward me. She might have been intimidating, what with her obvious athleticism and the slit through her right eyebrow... if only she weren't five feet tall. Maybe less.

"I fight well enough." I had to avert my eyes. The entire world beneath me had turned to breasts.

"That's to be seen."

I glanced at Tristan. "Is she always like this?"

"Unfortunately."

"Hey!" V snapped. Stomping her foot, she added, "I was testing him!"

"Don't be a menace!" Tristan snapped.

"I'll never stop!" V's face twisted into a smug mask. "Never!"

Something about the way she said that made my brain itch.

"Hey Alex, I'm finished." Stella poked her head around the doorway. "You want me to mop the back—" She paused when she saw the women in our lobby. Eying them both up and down, she smirked and gave me a thumbs up.

Shit.

She was going to try to instigate. She always did that when I was around pretty women. I had no idea if she thought she was helping or if she was intentionally sabotaging, but either way, her help never helped.

"I'll take care of the rest." I stepped into the archway leading to the main training hall.

She tried to look around me, but my bulk had blocked it. Mouthing "Holy shit," she held her hands up, rolled her eyes back like she was some e-girl, and motor boated the air.

"Idiot."

"Get 'em, tiger. Make me proud."

As my face turned red, I gestured for her to cool it. "I'll see you at home."

Turning, she said, "I'll just, uh, be heading out now." With the least convincing acting I'd ever seen, she turned and strutted away. "No need to rush home or anything!" Waving over her shoulder, she added, "Sure would be a shame if I didn't have the night to myself..." She continued talking to herself as she headed toward the back door. A moment later, the chime sounded for the rear entrance. An instant later, the door shut, and I was alone with two of the prettiest women I'd ever met.

"She's cute," Tristan said. "How'd you meet?"

"She's my sister. Stella. And don't let the looks or goofiness fool you. She's also a menace."

V laughed. "I like her. She seems spunky."

"She's the best."

"You're supportive of her. I like that." Tristan smiled at me.

"She's my favorite person." Looking down, I saw that V had walked up to my side.

When she noticed I noticed her, she crossed her arms and asked, "So, we doing this thing, or what?"

"What thing are we doing?"

Rolling her eyes, V said, "What else? We're here to train. Everyone in the area says you're the one to train with, but I'm not so sure. My girlfriend and I have trained with some of the best. So, before we waste our time, we want to see what you've got."

Girlfriend?

Shit.

With a sigh, I looked at the clock. Nine thirty. "Tonight?"

Tristan shrugged. "Do you mind? We don't get a lot of time off, so this is kind of the only time we have to do this."

I looked back through the doorway. The mats were sopping wet. "We just cleaned the mats, but I have a back room we can train in. Would that work?"

V cracked her knuckles. "Fuck yeah, it would."

Tristan's eyes lit up. "If you're willing?"

"Sure, why not?"

She grinned. "I'm looking forward to this. I've heard great things about you."

***

"Holy... shit..." Tristan was gasping on the ground next to Vral. Her hair was plastered across her forehead, and the gi I'd given her had torn in a dozen spots, revealing more of her than I needed to see in this particular context.

Still though...

While on the small side, her breasts were very perky, and there wasn't an ounce of her that wasn't toned to perfection.

"Gotta... admit..." V was lying on her stomach a few feet away from her girlfriend. "You're... good..." If Tristan's gi left little to the imagination, V's was one tear away from pure smut. Neither did those black lace panties of hers. What a choice to train in. When her gi bottoms ripped, she just kept right on going.

Doing my absolute best to look away, I managed to find the clock.

Eleven thirty.

We'd sparred for a good hour, then grappled for another. They were both good. Real good. V was quite a bit better than Tristan, but both of them had obviously had training. It was fun as hell going at it with them. However, by the time the clock hit eleven thirty, the girls had hit their limits. I could keep going, but there was no point to it now. They were done.

Leaning against the wall, I asked, "So, do you have any questions?"

"How do we... sign up?" Tristan asked through heavy breaths.

"We hold group classes every night. Different arts are on different nights. Stella and I teach many of the classes, but we also have coaches for the arts we haven't mastered yet. If you sign up, I'll give you the schedule."

"I'm not... doing... any stupid... group classes..." V was panting heavily. "Private lessons... Or nothing..."

"Would that... be okay?" Tristan asked as her head thumped back onto the mat.

"It better be..." V rolled over and held her hands out to her sides.

"Stella and I can do private lessons, but they come at a premium."

"That's fine..." Tristan waved her hand. "I have... the money."

"She's an influencer..." V pointed at Tristan, then coughed.

Damn, I was good. Nailed it. "What kind?

"Health and wellness..." Tristan took a deep breath. "I started it when I applied to medical school. I thought I could help people in multiple ways, you know? It just happened to really take off."

"That's interesting!" Seemed like she had a good heart.

"And I'm her editor." V coughed again.

For a few minutes, both girls caught their breath. When they finally did, Tristan sat up, laughed, and said, "I think this was a good choice. Right, V?"

"Yeah, yeah." V sat up, too. "You were right.'

Wobbling onto her feet, Tristan hobbled over to me and asked, "What do we owe you?'

"Nothing. Let's call this one even. We'll work out payment next time."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

V stood up and walked toward. Shaking her head, she said, "Yeah, I'm not okay with that."

"Seriously, it's fine. I don't mind."

"I do!" The little short stack huffed. "If you won't take money, you're coming out with us for a drink or three." She pointed at Tristan. "On her."

Tristan laughed. "I'm happy to pay if it means good company."

I looked at both women. They seemed like they weren't about to take no for an answer. Beyond that, something in my gut said I should go with them.

"Sure. I can do a drink."

***

One drink turned to two, which turned to five.

Then came the shots.

At some point early in the morning, someone called a ride.

Before I knew what was happening, I was in the most comfortable bed I'd ever been in, someone's lips were pressed into mine, and another set of lips were trailing down my stomach.

My life was the best.

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