Drabble Post - Lessons (AnE)

[kristensk]

I've been fighting with this one for a couple weeks, and I'm still not sure if it's complete. I like the current wording, but does it need more? Do I need to spell out the idea more clearly? Any thoughts would be welcomed.


Lessons

Eight year old Rin had a bloody fist, a bloody nose, and a defiant scowl.

“I ignored them,” he said.

“Yes, until they pushed Yukio down,” his father agreed. “He told me.”

“So?” Rin waited for his punishment.

Fujimoto Shiro had no intention of giving one. Three teenagers against two little boys? They might have been content with pushing and taunting. They might not.

Shiro only knew he was glad Rin had fought back.

“I think,” he began, eyeing Rin’s torn knuckles, “it’s time I taught you how to throw a punch without hurting yourself.”

Rin stared at him with wide eyes. Then, looked away, ducking his head.

“What is it?”

“It’s better if it hurts,” said Rin. “So I know to stop.”

Squeezing Rin’s shoulders gently, Shiro knelt to look him in the eye. “You’ll know. I know you will.” He grinned. “Now, the trick to a proper punch...”

Comments

[jordannamorgan]

Looks just fine to me! :)

[kristensk]

Well, yay! I keep wondering if it needs some line/thought from Shiro where he wonders if maybe he (as well as Rin's teachers) pushed the "you must never ever fight; it's always bad" idea too far. On the other hand, I feel like his actions and decisions say that without me doing so. Maybe.

[jordannamorgan]

Just from what little I know of Shiro, it seems to me like he's very much the kind of guy who would *not* say there's never a just cause for a fight. ;)

[kristensk]

This is very true. And, though Shiro scolds Rin for fighting in the very first episode, Rin also lied about it and never mentioned that he was stopping some idiot animal abusers.