The hot springs behind the dojo steamed gently in the evening air, the warm waters bubbling softly as the five exhausted students lowered themselves into the soothing pool. Hito moved carefully, his face twisting in pain as he settled into the water, the dark bruises across his ribs from Tokira's final attack already turning ugly shades of purple and blue.
'Every muscle in my body feels like it's been pounded with hammers,' Mono thought, watching the others struggle to find comfortable positions in the water. His shoulders burned from overuse, his legs trembled weakly, and his knuckles ached with each small movement.
Raiba plunged his whole head underwater, holding himself down for several seconds before bursting back up, shaking water from his hair and wiping blood from his split lip. "Can someone explain why we're sitting in boiling water after getting our butts kicked?" he grumbled, rubbing at his sore jaw.
Josei leaned back against the smooth rocks at the edge of the spring, her usual perfect posture broken by exhaustion. She hissed sharply when the hot water reached the fresh cuts on her arms and shoulders. "Because Sensei told us to," she said through clenched teeth. "And because we're not dumb enough to argue with him right now."
Mono let himself float on his back, the warm water holding him up as he stared at the darkening sky where the first stars were beginning to appear. 'Five minutes,' he thought bitterly. 'All that training and we only lasted five minutes against each other.' The thought sat heavily in his chest, almost as uncomfortable as his many bruises.
Tokira sat motionless in the deepest part of the pool where the water was hottest, only his nose and eyes above the surface. After a long silence, bubbles rose as he finally spoke: "Hito lasted five minutes and three seconds." His voice was calm as always, but those who knew him could hear the slight challenge in his words.
Hito's eye twitched at the precise timing. "Still counts as winning," he shot back, though his usual loud confidence was missing as he shifted carefully in the water.
The sound of wood on stone announced Sensei's approach before he appeared carrying an old tray with five chipped cups and a steaming pot that smelled like rotten herbs. "Out," he ordered simply, setting the tray down on a flat rock nearby.
The group groaned together but obeyed, pulling their aching bodies from the comforting water and wrapping themselves in thin cotton robes before collapsing on nearby rocks. Steam rose from their skin in the cool evening air as they waited for whatever punishment Sensei had prepared.
Sensei poured the dark, smelly liquid into each cup with careful movements. "Today showed three things," he began, handing the first cup to Hito. "First," he said, locking eyes with the usually cocky student, "strength without control is worthless."
Hito's smirk disappeared as he took the cup, suddenly very interested in the swirling liquid.
Josei received the second cup. "Second," Sensei continued, "control without the ability to adapt will always fail when it matters most." Her fingers tightened around the cup as the words hit home.
Raiba got the third cup, sniffing the contents suspiciously. "Third," Sensei said, his voice dropping slightly, "you're all still fighting for yourselves, not as a true dojo." The words hung heavily in the air between them.
Mono took his cup with hands that still shook slightly from exhaustion, the heat from the ceramic almost too much against his sore fingers. 'It hurts to hold...but the warmth feels good,' he thought, watching the steam curl up from the dark surface.
Sensei gave the last cup to Tokira, who accepted it without a word. "Remember why you came here," Sensei said, answering the question none of them had asked out loud.
The tea tasted like someone had boiled dirt, old leaves, and regret together. Mono gagged but forced it down, feeling the heat spread through his chest in waves. Almost immediately, his muscles began to relax, the terrible tension slowly draining away.
"My ribs...they don't hurt anymore," Hito said in surprise, poking at his side where the worst bruises had been moments before.
Josei flexed her hands smoothly, watching the movement with interest. "What is this stuff?" she asked, her voice full of wonder.
"*Seichū*," Sensei answered as he collected the empty cups. "Warrior's recovery tea. The recipe is secret."
Raiba peered into his empty cup. "Because it's some sacred tradition?"
"Because no one would drink it if they knew what was in it," Sensei said bluntly, tucking the tray under his arm. "Rest now. Tomorrow we train properly."
As his footsteps faded, the five sat in comfortable silence, watching more stars appear above them. The pain was gone, but the lessons remained.
Mono examined his hands, turning them over in the dim light. The swelling was gone, the bruises faded. 'Five minutes today,' he thought, watching a firefly blink nearby. 'Tomorrow maybe six.'
When their real test came, they would be ready.