"A musician must make music, An artist must paint, A poet must write, If he is to be ultimately at peace with himself."
-Abraham Maslow
The moonlight glinted off of cold steel as a blade cut an elegant arc through the air. It ended its gracefully sweep beside the leg of its owner, just prior to those legs shifting into position for the next kata. And the delicate dance of moonlight and weaponry began again.
Hayate heard the door as it opened and shut behind him, signaling the arrival of another person on the rooftop. A cough tried to claw its way up his throat, as if to alert the new arrival to his condition, and he desperately fought it back down. He needed to at least finish this set of kata before being driven back into the hospital below.
"You should be resting," came a gentle voice, and he felt his shoulders relax slightly at the sound of it.
He turned to face Yugao as she stood several feet behind him, wind lightly ruffling her hair and moonlight reflecting off of her porcelain skin. She, at least, understood what had driven him to come up here. He sighed and answered her.
"I know," he smiled softly at her, "I'll be back down in a minute. I just want to finish this set."
She nodded and sat off to the side to watch him. It had been a hard road for both of them over the last few weeks, as Hayate had made a slow recovery from the poison that had ravages his lungs. But she did understand the drive that had tempted him to leave his warm bed and venture into the cool night air.
Kenjutsu was their art, she thought as he moved smoothly through the kata, and it was just as difficult, if not harder, to separate them from their sword as it would be to take away an artist's brush or a writer's pen.
The nurses might not understand, but she did. Hayate needed this, just as much as any medicine or relaxation technique. He would never be at peace enough to recover fully if he was denied his art. So, even though she could tell it was putting a strain on his body, she didn't interfere as he drew closer to the end of his exercise. Se would watch him perform his art, and he would love her all the more for letting him.
~*~
AN: Okay, so, not my best work. But I was studying for my anatomy and physiology midterm and I needed a break, hence we have this.