The clang of the sword hitting the hard ground echoed throughout the room, bouncing off the walls and ringing in the ears of the Vongola Decimo. Leaning over with hands gripping his knees tightly, Tsuna felt like throwing up his last meal on the ground that curled and contorted with his clouded vision. He swallowed a thick lump in his throat, covering his mouth with a hand to keep him from getting sick in front of Lal. He could feel her disappointment from here, the way her hand reaches up to press a finger to her temple, her other hand gripping the hilt of the sword tightly; her knuckles beginning to turn white.
"I feel like. . ." Lal began, her grip on the sword loosening, "you're not even taking the position of Decimo seriously." Tsuna winced at that, slowly standing up from his hunched over position, instinctively playing with the hem of his shirt. "Do you even want to protect your Famiglia?" Her voice was filled with a pained sadness, staring down at the ground.
Tsuna was taken aback at that question. He would say, of course, but he knew that he was lying. He loved his family; Nana and his friends were his life. They made him feel special, even if they did drive him up the wall with their antics. However, he truly only had one person that he wanted to protect at all costs. The one person that was there for him since the beginning. The one who brought him into the family.
Tsuna was snapped out of his thoughts as Lal came up to him, looking down at him with pointed eyes that burned into his aching soul. It made him feel small. Insignificant. He knew this feeling. It made his chest tighten, his heart rate jump to incredible speeds, and his palms sweaty.
He didn't expect Lal to place her hand on his shoulder, "I don't want to give up on you just yet," she watched as Tsuna let out a relieved sigh, "however, I can tell that you've never used a sword and I truly wasn't being fair at the start." She admitted, walking over to where the sword fell from the boy's hands. "So, we'll start from the top." Tossing the sword in the air, Tsuna was a bit slow at catching it, holding the weapon close to his chest and nodding in agreement. He wanted to prove to Lal that he could do it first-time and all. Now, he can redeem himself. To regain his pride.
Lal moved towards Tsuna, holding her sword upright, "Alright, everything begins with the stance." She walked over to him, standing by his side and grabbing his sword arm and tugging it up with incredulous force, "keep your stance wide and your body lowered."
At first, Tsuna struggled at keeping the stance as well as keeping his sword up-and-out in front of him. Lal would kick at his feet to keep them wider, pushing his chest inwards, tugging at his arm and pushing his elbow out. When she was satisfied with his stance, she moved onto the next step.
"When you're moving forward towards your opponent, balance is the key." The sword was raised, her feet moving in a fluid motion, moving in towards Tsuna, "Right foot; left foot." Tsuna looked down at her feet first, watching her movements and matching it to his own. It was difficult to find a comfortable rhythm. She repeated the process many times for the young boy, the two moving to and fro in perfect timing. "Now go even faster!"
Tsuna huffed and looked down at his feet, wondering how he could even do this. His legs ached and churned it felt like a thousand pin-pricks, his lungs felt like they were on fire, it hurt to breathe. His only hope of surviving this practice lesson was to keep the one person on his mind. The thought of making him proud kept him going.
"As you're moving backwards," Lal started, moving in on Tsuna, slashing her sword against his. The hilt locking into place, pushing him back with a powerful force. Tsuna kept looking back over his shoulder at the incoming wall. "Keep your eyes on me." She hissed out, clanking metal against metal to force him to look at her.
Tsuna swallowed, turning his head back at Lal. Though her body language made it seem like she was just getting impatient with the boy again, her eyes said that she was proud. Tsuna repeated the process to himself as he was being pushed back, looking all around him for an opening.
"I will do this for Reborn." He said aloud, swinging his body around, quickly turning to face Lal with determined eyes, the suns rays shining against the brilliant metal. His stance was lowered, pointing the tip in her direction, awaiting the next move.
Lal stopped short, her sword lowering and eyeing the boy with a look of content. He seemed much more mature in this light. She found it to be quite notable; how a young boy became a figure worth looking up to. She grinned, pulling the sword out, aiming it at the young Decimo.
"Do it for him."