Concentrate!

                He froze in the middle of a kick that would have likely been aimed at crushing the skull of his imaginary opponent. Dark hair restrained in a short ponytail swished at the sudden cease of motion, and ruffled in a breeze of his own making. He balanced lightly on the ball of his left foot, his right at an altitude greater than his head. Thinking about the past only distracted him from his training. He reprimanded his inner thoughts, silencing them with vicious efficiency.

                All he had ever known was this discipline. Friends, family… he had no time for those. People were difficult, whereas his martial arts were second nature. The most complex attacks he had ever learned paled in comparison to attempting to fathom another human being. Hell, he couldn't even figure out animals! He always said or did the wrong thing at the absolute wrong time… and ended up hurting himself and especially others whenever he tried to care. After a while, one developed something of an automatic aversion to that kind of pain.

                But damn, he wanted to see her again. Every day since they had last parted ways. Every moment, lurking in his thoughts. Not that he would ever admit it, of course. He was the lone wolf, the untamed horse, the ronin. He needed no one. And right now, all he really wanted was to beat the crap out of some poor bastard to take out his frustration. Fortunately, someone seemed willing to fulfill with this unvoiced desire.

                He remained frozen in place, unnaturally balanced, as he tracked the presence that had invaded his space. No one who had the barest knowledge of his habits would dare this without good reason. In fact, any who had ever observed him in action would fear to approach him in a situation like this, without permission, unless they meant to have a piece of him. Well, he was willing to comply, though they would be the one regretting it…

                There. A shadow, flickering across the stones below. The young martial artist remained motionless, only his eyes following the movement. The non-entity flowed along the ground and up to the base of the pillar that the young man was currently perched upon. There it seemed to hesitate, noting the young man's stillness.

                I suppose I ought to play along then. While moving onto the rooftop itself for a more suitable battleground , he allowed his body to flow into the unconsciously familiar motions of the cool down phase of his workout. A combination of katas designed to slowly fade into motionlessness and meditation. He doubted he would get that far today, though.

                The shadow, now reassured, continued its motion towards his graceful form. The young warrior couldn't help the anticipatory smirk that wormed its way across his features. He mentally urged his opponent on, impatient with its achingly slow, to him, progress.

                The Wraith, as that was what he had identified it as, circled him once, twice. On the third go 'round, the human fighter was physically grinding his teeth with irritation and impatience. Finally, he snapped. "Hurry up and attack me, you dolt!"

                The shady being seemed to recoil a bit at his outburst. Then, as the insult finally sank in, it launched itself at him, abandoning the shapeless form of a puddle of darkness it had been using for something more… solid. With claws.

                Ah. There we go. Finally able to vent his internal irritation and frustration, he smiled in something akin to bliss. It was funny, people always seemed to think that reaction was kind of strange, but it was how he felt. When he was fighting, he was completely in his element, the world made sense for however many minutes the confrontation lasted. It was his only escape.

                In the meantime… the Wraith's first haphazard lunge had been swiftly blocked by hands that weren't even seen to move. His forearms shimmered in the dawn light, the light ki field that protected his flesh from the deadly talons ever so slightly visible. He grinned evilly at the vaguely defined head and face of his opponent, only a few inches from his own. Thrusting his protectively crossed arms down and to either side, he tossed the shade about fifteen feet back.