On a String

Chapter 10

But what worried Cole the most was the way Kai hadn't even flinched as the knife came towards him- or when it hit the spot on the wall where his head had been.

He'd just... seen it coming and reacted. And his blank expression told Cole that he didn't care that he'd just made a supposedly impossible shot. Cole had hit the wrong wall, yet Kai had managed to hit a two centimetre high target from three meters. But Kai wasn't pleased or proud. Rather, he was simply ready to move on. Ready to throw the next weapon, teach the next part of the lesson, make the next point...

... or kill the next enemy, Cole realised with an icy jolt. This was how Kai fought. With cold efficiency. He looked just as blank as ever, but Cole knew he was lethal. Had this been an actual fight, opponent number one would have been dealt with in less than two seconds. Cole was willing to bet that opponent number two wouldn't have latest much longer.

"A bread and butter knife has a different shape to a normal throwing knife and hence a different line of symmetry. You cannot throw it in the same way you usually throw knives because due to its blade, it would not be balanced in the air and so would not travel straight."

Walking swiftly up the centre of the room, Kai stopped in front of the table, picking the up the knife as he continued to talk. "You hold the blade between your forefinger and thumb- as Cole said, we throw it holding the blade due to it being heavier in the hilt. The reason for holding it between thumb and forefinger is because of the shape of the blade- it only has a blade on one side if you throw it like a normal throwing knife. But by turning it and holding it in a pinching-like grip, it is now symmetrical and balanced. So yes, Cole was correct. You can throw a bread and butter knife. But you have to make sure that if you were to draw a vertical line down the knife as you grip it before a throw, there would be an equal weight and shape on each side. The shape matters because of air resistance. Remember, it is not as sharp as an actual throwing knife. Aim for soft, unprotected vital areas such as the throat of your opponent if you're throwing to kill,"

Everyone nodded.

"Clever," Jay murmured.

"That concludes the lesson, since Zane and Sensei had already done their presentation," Kai said. "You all can go," he gestured towards the door.

Chattering excitedly, everyone but Cole left the room.

Kai looked at the Master of Earth warily when it became apparent that he wasn't leaving. "Cole?"

"Do you want a hand putting the stuff away?" Cole asked, gesturing to the table containing all the objects.

Kai paused.

("...I need you to get answers from him and report back to me. You also need to tell me all that he has told you so far,"

"I can't do that. I promised him that I wouldn't do that,")

He had been planning on putting it away himself, but...

"Uh, okay, I guess."

The rest of the day passed swiftly. Cole had challenged Kai to a friendly Karate Kata competition- each judging the other's performance of a Kata and awarding points. The Ninja at the end with the most points -which had unsurprisingly been Kai- won.

Cole was content with second... or last, depending on what way you looked at it. The placing didn't matter, really. He'd been happy to see that Kai gradually grew more relaxed as the afternoon went on. The quiet Ninja loved doing Katas and had seemed to be enjoying Cole's company as well. He hadn't smiled or laughed, but seemed to be content.