Rhythm. That was all he heard and observed as he entered the trainees area. The solid thump of boots on the floor, the swish of training swords, the solid sound of a synchronized battle cry.
Robotic movements. They all failed this first test.
Robots would fail. Perish. Wither and die.
Disqualification.
All of those trainees would die instantaneously on the battlefield. Any opponent would realize how robotic they were, read the rhythm, and they would perish.
Rhythms.
He entered the next room after the swish of opening doors.
Silence.
Breath, heavy ones. A cry.
Irregular thumps of boots on the floor. Three pairs of boots. Two sword wielding. One with steps lighter than that of a dancer.
The sight in the glass walled room stunned him.
A girl was in motion.
A trainee.
Rhythms. They were a thing of the past here, if they existed at all.
She sparred Zack, and Cloud, and rhythm was something that never made an appearance in her movements.
She was sporadic, and flew across the room in a leaping run, a fierce grin on her face as she avoided death by mere inches.
Silver hair fell in his face as he watched.
Her boots touched the rubber of the floor for mere milliseconds as she sprang backwards, avoiding flickers of silver death.
A dancer's build, but broad bones and bunching muscles were all you saw, and swish of her long ponytail as she sailed away from flickering blades. Magic from her material was alight in her palms, and the mako infused color of her eyes glowed with intense concentration.
She was built in the most lovely way he had ever seen.
And those gorgeous, glowing purple eyes met his green, catlike ones, for the slightest of moments.
He was lost. He froze in his tracks and watched.
She flicked her feet up in a graceful flip over Zack's blade, and upside down, case a glowing dome of a shield, deflecting both blades and sending her opponents through the air from the blow.
Her hair complemented the flip with a lovely swirl he noticed.
She bore no sword.
She would live.
There was no rhythm to her movements.
Nobody could touch her.
She landed, and crouched, a sword now where her abdomen once was. Her foot collided with the side of an ankle.
Zack grunted in pain and fell.
She disarmed him, and whirled to face Cloud.
His blade in hand, clashed with Cloud's and with a slither of steel, disarmed him and threw him to the ground.
Two blades in hand, she balanced each one at their throats.
The entire sequence took less than five seconds.
She had won.
Rhythms.
They failed to understand her.
Breath.
She had no rhythm.
Sporadic.
Opposites.
Rhythms clunked in the next room.
Blood appeared on her side.
Breath.
Rhythm.
Heart beats.
Rhythm.
She fell.
He ran forward.
Her rhythm was gone.
Rhythm.
Blood.
Breath.
Pale skin.
Gone.
Almost there.
Collision. Her weight in his arms. A heal in hand, glowing green.
Her breath eased.
He breathed for her.
She gasped.
Rhythm.
Heartbeat.
Blood.
She won.
Life. She clung to its threads. Spider threads.
Rhythm.
He held her.
Sporadic.
Rhythm.
Life.