Ch 2

Arthur and Jacob proceeded to go through their light physical training routine, which took place on Sundays since it was their day off. Well, technically. Jacob didn't believe in days off, so they took the weekends to do some lighter training to let their bodies rest from the weekdays but not too much.

They started with a thirty-minute jogging session on the treadmill as a warmup . After that they hit the weight machines, lightly working all the important muscle groups just enough weight to be a noticeable strain without requiring too much effort. Afterwards, they cooled down doing some deep stretching to make sure they wouldn't be pulling any muscles during the main event.

And finally, after that, the light sparring session arrived. A completely expected addition made her arrival as they got set up for their match.

Katherine, or Katy as she preferred to be called, was Jacob's oldest daughter. At twenty-one, she was older than Arthur by five years. Having graduated at eighteen from Gotham Academy, where Arthur was still a student, Katy was a year away from finishing college with a major in forensic studies, hoping to make a career in law enforcement, which brought Jacob some conflicting feelings.

So, while Jacob was proud of how his daughter wanted to take an active role in making the world a better place by enforcing the law, he hated the fact that she would undoubtedly be putting herself in danger to do so. The fact that he didn't feel the same way about Arthur joining the military resulted in the family dynamic between the three of them becoming… strained.

"Good morning," Katy greeted her brother and father, her voice carefully neutral as she stood there with her fists on her hips. "If you are going to be sparring, can I join in after my warmup?" She asked, a hint of hope leaking into her voice that she couldn't quite suppress, much to her obvious chagrin.

Knowing how much his sister wanted to join them in their sparring, Arthur was quick to answer even if he knew it was futile. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her. "I don't mind going a few rounds with you sis."

Katy returned the smile with one of her own, one that was sadly wiped right off her face when Jacob spoke.

"I'm afraid that it's not going to be possible, Katy," said Jacob, his stern tone brooking no argument. "Arthur's routines, even the light ones, are meticulously planned out to get the best results. If he does more work than he needs to today it will be detrimental to his development and set us back."

Katy scowled at the response. Obviously gritting her teeth once again hearing one of the myriad excuses Jacob used to deny her joining them in training without telling her that he didn't want her to participate.

She nodded stiffly at the frustrating but expected response. "Right. Understood. I won't bother you again. Don't mind me," she gritted out, her voice frosty as she turned around and walks towards the treadmill. Without even looking back at them, Katy put on some headphones and started to warm up by jogging.

Arthur gave his father an unsure look. "Dad…"

"Don't, son," Jacob cut him off sternly. "This is not up for discussion. Now get ready for our spar."

Arthur knew that arguing with his father would be pointless so he just sighed and nodded. "Roger that," he said before walking towards his end of the sparring mat.

He waited for Jacob to get in position and as soon as he did, father and son squared up, their not quite mirrored stances making it clear to a careful observer that Jacob was the more experienced of the two by virtue of his obviously superior level of comfort and familiarity with the ready posture.

At an unspoken signal, Arthur and Jacob threw themselves at each other, immediately starting off with the signature opening techniques of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), Jacob's own chosen style of martial arts and thus the one he passed on to his son. Jacob was an official black belt and Arthur was an unofficial tan belt.

Because of this, Arthur only made use of basic punches, uppercuts, and hooks. Basic upper-body strikes, including the eye gouge, hammer fists, and elbow strikes. Basic lower-body strikes, including kicks, knee strikes, and stomps as well as basic chokes, joint locks, and throws, even basic counters to strikes, chokes, and holds. He threw every move he had at Jacob.

And while Jacob also limited himself to the basic stuff so as to allow Arthur to actually make use of what he knew and thus improve during the match, the older Kane had long since mastered the basic elements of the MCMAP. Meaning even though the two of them were using the same movements, Jacob held the advantage as well as the control of the spar at all times.

The spar lasted for several minutes, ending only after Jacob saw Arthur's footwork faltering for a moment, indicating to him that Arthur was getting tired and had had enough. So, Jacob ducked under one of Arthur's hooks, got into his guard and made use of an intermediate level throwing technique to send him onto his back, the rough landing forcing some air out of Arthur's lungs.

Jacob knelt next to Arthur and smiled lightly at him, putting a fist on his heaving chest. "That was good. Noticeably better than our last session. If you keep this up you might be able to reach green belt by the time you enlist in two years," he said, pride evident in his voice.

Despite the heaving gasps that were still rasping out of him as he attempted to get some oxygen back in his system, Arthur managed to smile and gave his father a thumbs up with slightly shaking hand, clearly demonstrating how exhausted he was after the spar.

Jacob snorted and patted him on the chest. "That will be enough for today. Go take a shower. Breakfast will be ready by the time you are done."

"Roger… that… dad… ugh…"

And that was how a typical Sunday morning played out for Arthur Kane.