Progressive
By SMYGO4EVA
Of all the people that Syaoran came to know in his life, it was the warrior from the land of Nihon, Kurogane, whom he had come to respect and fear the most. He didn't know why he would fear the warrior, but indeed the namesake of black steel was a force to be reckoned with.
Kurogane was a very formidable warrior. There was no mistake about that. He had been trained in the art of combat by his father, and in his fighting, he held a strong oath to keep on fighting, no matter what the cause. Fighting on was better than being defeated. With each tactical move came the desire to win, and the desire to become stronger with every fight.
This inherent respect gave Syaoran more reason to try when he was practicing with Kurogane. He knew that if he could match the amount of strength and skill that Kurogane had when he was doing battle, he would be able to take his own reactions, and even the reactions of a future opponents, to account. He would have to learn how to get into someone's head.
Syaoran often wondered what it would be like to defeat Kurogane. To surpass him in a fight was a thought that often crossed his mind. In the state that he was in now, it would be nothing short of a miracle on his part.
He made it look so effortless. The amount of skill, time, and sheer power that was woven in one strike of his blade could only match the look of extreme focus (and sometimes, extreme malice) that would appear on Kurogane's face when he was about to attack an adversary. In that moment, it was truly inevitable where the battle was going.
Syaoran then understood why he feared Kurogane in the first place. It was because of that smile, the smile that spelled out doom to his opponents and death to whomever stood in his way. Unless of course, they were on his good side; if not, it was the end for them. Syaoran always felt shivers crawl down his spine any time he saw that toothy grin; he would pray to the gods that he would never have to endure that grin.
In practice, all Syaoran could think about was how to outdo everything he had learned the previous day. With a new skill came a different approach to an attack. With a new attack came a different way to use his wits to sense his opponent's next move. Every day, Syaoran tried to outdo Kurogane, his master, and show him that he had truly learned what was being taught, that he truly was using his for his gain, as well as to protect what was most important.