A man exited the jetway, a white duffel bag slung over his shoulder. The man was of Japanese descent. His thick, dark hair was short and touseled. A red bandana circled his forehead. Although he was dressed in casual attire…a white collared shirt and loose black trousers, he was not an average man. He was a wanderer, a warrior, a loner.

 His brown eyes slowly surveyed the spacious airport of Honolulu, Hawaii. Suddenly, a girl bumped up against him from behind. She looked to be about ten years old, and she had dropped her bag. He knelt down to retrieve it for her, giving her a small, gentle smile.

At first, she had been intimidated by his size and stoic nature, but at that brief smile, her eyes lit up. “Thank you,” she said.

 Ryu nodded and watched as she ran to catch up with her mother and her sister, who had been travelling on the same craft. He began walking towards the exit. The airport had long breezeways instead of hallways. This allowed the tropical air to sift through. He had been in warm climates. His life as a wandering warrior, seeking challenges in other fighters had seen to that. But this was paradise.

He stopped briefly by the souvenir shop to pick up a map of the island. Standing at the curb of the domestic terminal, Ryu looked over the map, deciding where would be an ideal location to train. He was a nature lover. He did not wish to be among the population, given that this was tourist season. When he found his location, he hailed a cab driver and told him to head east.

 In the cab, Ryu watched the different cars and planes that left the airport. The cab driver was a friendly Caucasian male, who didn’t seem to mind Ryu’s silence.

As he pulled into Honolulu traffic, the driver spoke. “Have you been to the islands before?”

 “Never. This will be my first,” Ryu responded in his quiet, assertive, voice.

 The guy grinned. “Well, welcome. Are you here on vacation, to see the island, meet lovely wahines?”

 Ryu blinked. “I’m sorry?”

 “Wahine is the word for woman,” the driver chuckled. “If you plan on staying on the islands, don’t be surprised if the natives speak in Hawaiian once in a while.”

 “I see,” Ryu said. He paused before continuing. “I am here to see the island in its truest form…”

 The driver nodded. “I understand. Seems like ever since the islands were discovered that they loss their old Hawaiian heritage…”

 Ryu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “This island was not part of the United States until just recently?”

“Nope.” The driver glanced in his rearview mirror. “If you want to experience true culture, I suggest you head to the north side of the island.”

 “I understand. Thank you, for your advice…” Ryu glanced out the window as the driver pulled into the Waikiki Beach area. Something caught his attention. “Please stop here.”

 The driver frowned. “Okay…”

 Ryu paid him twenty dollars and exited the cab, pulling his duffel bag with him. Ryu tread carefully along the sand. Not far in the distance, a small crowd had formed around a stage to watch two young men in a sparring match. Ryu stood to the back of the crowd, observing with his trained eyes. One martial artist had a ponytail that trailed down his back. The other had a shaved head. They were both in good shape. Ryu recognized their martial art as Tae Kwon Do.

 Their attacks were fast and furious. Within seconds, the man with the ponytail was declared the victor.

 Ryu moved his way to the front of the crowd. “Excuse me. I would like to challenge you,” he declared in a clear, crisp voice.

 The young man who won looked at him funny. “Okay…Come on up…”

 As Ryu climbed the stage, several murmurs in the crowd reached his ears.

 “Who’s the new guy?”

 “Do you think he can beat Ed?”

 “He’s pretty big…”

 Ryu set his duffel bag down in one corner and slipped his sneakers off. He slowly walked to the center of the stage.

 “Hey, mister,” the man named Ed spoke up. “You new here?”

 Ryu nodded, bringing his fists up, battle stance ready. “My name is Ryu.”

 “I’m Ed. And I’ve grown up in this area. I haven’t met anyone that could beat me. Think you’ll be the first?”

 “We shall see,” Ryu responded.