Victory dinner

As a reward for winning, Akio decides to invite the family out to dinner. Shiro told him that Lilli likes sushi, so they head for a sushi place. When seated, he orders enough for everyone.

"Lilli, you are very skilled at hand to hand. Your teachers at home have taught you well. " Miko complimented her.

"In our family, the elders think it's important for everyone to be able to survive any situation. So we have been taught various skills. Just in case we need them. We are given a choice when we want to begin learning; most of us start at five, learning the basics of hunting. We get to go hunting with our uncles and dads. We have to prove we can handle a rifle safely and accurately before we are allowed on our first hunt. Most times, we get to go on our first hunt by the time we are seven. I was a little older because I was not sure I wanted to learn. " Lilli explains to Miko how they are raised. Jiro interjected his opinion.

"When we visited them, I was very impressed with the family as a whole. They are a huge family, and all are skilled in weaponry and fighting. The elders make it fun, not just training. They are versed in what plants are used for healing and food. Also, which ones are harmful, that is why Shiro showed an interest in learning the same way. I asked if it would be ok for Lilli to come here when she had time. So that she could help him learn, Shiro can go there to learn from the elders as well. In fact, they already agreed to teach him. I asked the head monk about having a tournament testing the various skills of the students. I hope that Lilli and the boys will complete. I also hope that Shiro's skills will improve with taking classes with them." Jiro winks at Shiro, knowing that he wants Lilli to shine.

Yona smiles at the idea.

"Maybe I should bring the entire family over to watch; possibly even a few more would like to compete. I know Crystal will want to; it will be great practice for her competition." Yona tells him. Hiroto gets excited about meeting Yona's daughter. She is nearly eighteen and will soon be considered an adult. His heart did a flip the first time he saw her on video chat. He can't wait to meet her.

"I want Lilli to put that teacher in his place. He is too arrogant for his own good. I do not care if I am not ready to compete yet. I know she will beat everyone she comes across. "Shiro's voice is higher than normal with excitement over watching her fight again. Lilli blushes at their comments.

"You do know that Lilli is nothing special right, she is the weakest out of all of us. If you really want his ego to be crushed, my aunt Aisling and auntie Jin should show their stuff. " William speaks up; being the quieter of the children, he doesn't talk overly much.

Yona raised his hand to stop the conversation.

"We are not going to shame anyone; every warrior deserves to have a fair fight. What the teacher did today was not fair to Lilli. He did not know her strength or her weaknesses. If she had not been able to deflect a few of the blows thrown, she could have been seriously injured. I am proud that you fought defensively and did not attack him. Not once during the fight did you go at him. You only defended yourself. I am proud of the fact that you did not let anger cloud your judgment or your actions. You have matured greatly over the last year. When you guys compete in the competition, you are not going into it to crush anyone. You are to do your best with humility and honor. It is not honorable to be arrogant and prideful." Yona tells them with sincerity. He does not want them to believe that they can never be beaten or above anyone. Hoping that they will always do the right thing despite what others do or say. When dinner is over, they say goodnight to Shiro and his family, promising to meet up the next day at the stables to practice with the bows and horses.

Miko watches solemnly as they leave. She can see why they were able to free her from the demon. It is that they have a true and humble heart. They do not think of themselves as better than others and yet have confidence and belief in their abilities. A rare trait in this world. Sighing, she closes her eyes in tiredness.

"It's been a long day, and you may not be up to doing so much. Maybe you should stay home tomorrow and rest." Akio tells Miko.

"I'm fine; I have been stuck inside myself for too long. I want to watch our son ride tomorrow. I have not been out for such a long time and have missed so much. I do not want to miss out on anything else. " Miko turns her head to watch her daughter sleep.

"You, my little one, I hope you will grow up to be strong and confident. Maybe not as boyish a Lilli but just as strong." Kissing her forehead, she smiles into the night, feeling blessed for the feeling of love renewed in her heart.

Lilli is getting ready for bed when her computer dings.

"Hey mama, how are you today?" Lilli asks Aisling.

"I am fine; I wanted to know how was your first day with the monks at the temple?" Aisling sees the look on her daughter's face noting that she doesn't seem excited.

"Well, it was not what I expected. The teacher had me fight one of the seniors. I beat him, but it wasn't a sparing match like I expected. He was set to hurt me. I ended up breaking his ribs to keep from getting hurt. The teacher said he thought I was older based on my warm-up. I am not sure how I want to stay. I want to stay here to help with Shiro's training, but I do not know about my own." Lilli's face looks sad. Aisling sighs and tells her.

" let me tell you what Auntie Jin told me after I was beaten up in high school. She told me that life is not always fair, and people do not always play fair. The only thing I can be sure of is my own ability. As long as I am true to who I am, it will not matter if I win or lose. The most important is to survive to start over if I fall. You only fail if you give up, my love is not a quitter. You have always been like me; you hide your strength from others—that way, they don't know what to expect. You can do what you like. It's your choice. I am proud of you either way. Just don't give up unless you know you will not regret it. " Aisling watches her daughter think about what she has just said. She knows her answer before she even voices it.

"Thank you, mama, and I am not going to give them the satisfaction of me giving up. I will stay and learn what I can. All the while doing what I know is right." Lilli smiles at her mom, blowing her a kiss goodnight. Turning off her computer Lilli gets ready for bed, thinking about what her mom told her.

Yona is talking to his brother about Lilli's day. He hides nothing from his letting his pent-up anger at the monk out.

"If she had been hurt, you would have had to come here to get them. For I would have been put in jail for murder. That man had no thought of the fact that she was a girl. He wanted that boy to hurt her. Luckily, Lilli defended herself and even hurt him in the process. I was very proud of her. She even apologized for hurting him and treated his injuries. You would have been very proud of the job she did. There is going to be a competition to test the skills of all the students. Jiro has talked to the head monk; he wants it to be set up like the trials to become a samurai. If they pass it, it would be like them becoming samurai. You know that the boys are excited about that. Lilli, I am not sure about, but I will encourage her to show her true strength." Yona tells Astila before hanging up. Feeling much more relaxed and at ease, Yona prepares for the next day. He doesn't want Lilli to give up or to continue to feel upset over what transpired today at the temple.