Follow Through Excerpt 1

âWe must follow through with everything we do.â Master Kono intoned.
The young boy clenched his wakizashi tighter as he faced down his opponent, a ragged prisoner with a wild look in his eye. In the back, a black cat purred softly. Master Kono held an innocuous looking fan in her hand as she observed. Sweat glistened on the young boyâs face and he ran a hand over his brow and across his brown topknot as he steadied himself.
âFollow through.â Master Kono chanted.
The prisoner twitched and lunged at the boy with both hands. The boys angled his wakizashi to deflect the manâs hands away from him as he stepped through and to the side, slashing the prisonerâs side before he spun on a foot and ran the blade down the prisoners back. The prisoner collapsed and groaned his last breath as the boy flicked the blade to clean it of blood and sheathed it. He turned to the Master and bowed.
âGood job 82.â Master Kono bowed back.
The boy called 82 smirked.
âRemember, follow through.â She said.