Chapter Two now, yes. ^ ^
Enjoy... please?
Usotsuki, Usotsuki
Chapter Two
Of Fighting and Awkward Situations
"HII-YAAAAAAAAAAH!"
WHACK!
I jumped away from the practice dummy and carefully measured my distance - roughly seven feet. The practice dummy raised an arm and lunged at me. I sprung from my stance, blocked the dummy's downward arm thrust with my wooden sword and swung my left leg at the dummy's side with all my strength.
WHUMPH! The dummy jerked and fell over on its side. I cheered and jumped up and down like a five year old.
"HA HAAAAAAAA! I WIIIIIIIN!" I yelled like a maniac. I pointed my wooden sword dramatically at the now motionless dummy. "OH! WHAT NOW, YOU INANIMATE SPAWN OF EVIL? LOOKS LIKE HARUHARA WINS AGAIN!" I screamed in triumph, as I hopped up and down on the corpse of my fallen enemy.
Now, to fill in a few blanks. Two weeks ago I managed to get a job as a servant at Duke Fabre's manor. Now I was just outside Baticul in the open field, practicing with a dummy I purchased off of the old man who owns the dojo in town. I definitely didn't expect Susanne to pay me so much - it didn't take long for me to buy my broadsword and wooden sword at all. AND some nice men's clothes. I even had enough to buy plenty of food. Holy crap, Susanne is nice. Luke acts like an asshole to her of course, but... yeah.
Speaking of Luke, I haven't been able to avoid him very much. My terrible luck has resulted in him wandering on by just as I happen to be scrubbing the floor, or sweeping, or dusting on several occasions. He'll just ignore me sometimes, but once or twice he's given me a weird look... like when I was carrying a bundle of freshly washed and dried carpets and tripped and fell on my face. Well, at least the carpets broke my fall. But Luke, that asshole, just about died laughing at me. And then didn't even offer to help me. I can't see how Guy can stand him...
As for Guy, as I have already mentioned him, I have met and talked to him a little. I don't see him much, probably because he's usually hanging out with Luke. At least he's nice to me. I can see why the maids are always fawning over him, the way he just comes out and says stuff. I feel bad for him because of his phobia (I actually forgot about it until I slipped and smashed into him, after which I apologized profusely.)
Anyway, back to the training. I actually enjoy it quite a bit. But now I'm just really paranoid, wondering when the hell Tear's gonna pop up. I can't wait until Luke decides to change... I can't stand him right now. I've never said a single word to him. But yeah. I hopped off the dummy and wiped the sweat off my brow before it could drip into my eyes (that shit HURTS.) Then a little something happened that scared the HELL out of me.
"You're pretty good, Temari." I jumped about a foot in the air and turned around instantly to see none other than Guy Cecil standing about four feet behind me, looking somewhat entertained. My face flushed immediately after seeing him - I don't like being watched from behind. Especially by men.
"G-G-GUY?" I gasped. "When did... how long..."
"I've been watching you since last week. I wondered why you bought that practice dummy," Guy explained casually. I sighed and hid my red face. "Looks like I got here late this time, though."
"Uhh..." I rubbed my head awkwardly and poked the motionless practice dummy with my wooden sword. "You haven't... told Master Luke... have you...?" I asked quietly. Guy laughed a little at this.
"No, he has no clue that you can fight," he replied. I sighed in relief. "Anyways, I think it'd do you some good to practice with an actual person."
"Like you...?" I asked hopefully. "Oh wait... I'm sorry. I forgot."
"That's okay. You could ask Van the next time he comes," Guy suggested. I snorted at this idea.
"Master Luke would annihilate me," I replied harshly. And besides, I wouldn't ask that shit stain for the time of day. I added mentally.
"...Well, I don't think he'd actually try to beat you up, but he would be mad, yeah." I picked up the practice dummy and hoisted it over my shoulder.
"I'll be heading back now, I guess..." I mumbled, adjusting the dummy's position to make it easier to carry.
"Okay. Mind if I walk with you?" Guy asked.
"Not at all," I replied cordially. "I'd much rather talk to you than Master Luke..."
"He may seem kinda harsh and selfish, but he's actually a good person," Guy insisted as we made our way for the bridge into Baticul. I shrugged and scratched my head with the end of my wooden sword awkwardly.
"I know you're right, since you've known him for a lot longer than me, but... hearing some of what he's said, I don't think very highly of him. I'm sorry," I replied quietly.
"That's okay, you don't have to apologize," Guy stated. "I admit that he can say some pretty bad things..." He seemed to suddenly come up with a question, and changed the subject on a dime: "Temari, where do you keep the dummy?"
"At the dojo," I replied. "I didn't want Master Luke to find out I was practicing with a sword, so..." I dropped my practice dummy off at the previously mentioned dojo and headed for the elevator lift thing. Guy started heading in a different direction.
"I've got to go get something. See you later."
"Okay." I boarded the elevator on the left, and Guy headed back down the stairs and toward the Coliseum. Now, if he actually went in is beyond me. I was already going up by the time I saw him leave (and quickly had to cover my eyes-the height still bothers me.) I swung my sword blindly for a bit, then laid my right hand on the hilt of the broadsword strapped to my waist. Thankfully, carrying a weapon around doesn't arouse as much attention as it would back home.
So, right as the elevator stopped I rushed out and into the manor, greeting the soldier cordially as I passed. Urgh, I need a shower. I smell like ass on taco night. I thought as I headed to my room. I wonder what Guy went to get... well, it's not really my business anyway. I'm just glad he's so nice to me. I hurriedly opened my door and dashed inside when I caught a glimpse of Luke wandering down the hall toward me. I grabbed some spare clothes and retreated to the bathroom connected to my room.
Little did I know that I was making a huge mistake...
Anyways, so I was taking a shower. It was a cheap shower stall thing. It's like a cubicle with a wooden door thing... ergh, badly put. Anyway, no curtain. Just that wooden door thing. Well, as I was scrubbing the rest of the soap out of my hair, guess what happens?
"Hey, mute boy." I froze and turned my head slightly to see Luke standing there looking bored. And he called me a boy again, which must've been why he wasn't embarassed at all. I maintained a calm expression even though I was screaming in horror on the inside. I mean, I was... unclothed with a boy IN THE SAME ROOM. If you were in such a position, wouldn't you be embarrassed? That door was all that was between him and an unpleasant view... it blocked sight of everything from the middle of my back to mid-thigh, so... yeah. I gulped loudly and nodded slightly to indicate that I was listening. Normally if some guy came walking in while I was showering, I'd throw something at his head. There were two problems with that right then: 1. I'd have to turn around to do that, and I'd flash Luke in the process. 2. That whole thing would probably cost me my job. So I just kept my back to him and continued to scream on the inside.
"..." Was all I could manage. Luke just made an annoyed 'humph' sound and continued.
"I saw you with a sword. Does that mean you've been training?" I nodded and crossed my arms - a meaningless gesture, but hey, I was really, really embarassed at that point. My face felt like it was on fire. "Well? Are you any good?" I shook my head fiercely. Luke sneered at that. "Yeah, didn't think so. I just talked to Guy, and he said that you wanted to practice with me and Master Van." I almost turned around at that. GUY, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? I screamed in my head, as if Guy could hear me. I didn't even try to deny what Guy had said, because I knew that Luke would definitely take Guy's word over mine, so I just nodded again.
"...ngh..." I grunted. Luke, you can be a real bastard sometimes. Just say why you're here already and LEAVE.
"Master Van's gonna be here today, so if you want to, come to the courtyard later so I can beat you around a little. You might just warm me up enough to spar with Master." Ugh, his voice got really obnoxious at this point. I just nodded and Luke decided to leave. As soon as I heard the door leading out of my room close, I swung my fist at the wall and swore.
"DAMN that arrogant bastard!"
Fifteen minutes later and I was lounging around in the courtyard with Guy and Van. Guy had immediately asked me why my face was so red.
"You really don't want to know..." I muttered, red-faced, trying as hard as I could not to just lash out and kick Van in the face. Van and Guy exchanged a look, then Van spoke up.
"What did Luke do?" he asked. I felt my face heat up more and rubbed my head, which was still a bit wet.
"I... was taking a shower... and since he doesn't seem to know I'm a girl, he just waltzed right in..." I replied quietly. Guy's eyes bugged out. Seriously. It was kinda funny.
"He WHAT?"
"I can't believe he would do such a thing," Van remarked, obviously trying very hard not to laugh.
"You can't believe that who would do what?" Luke asked, apparently appearing out of nowhere. I immediately backed away from him - I did have a wooden sword in my hand, and I didn't trust myself not to swing it at him.
"That you would just walk in on a girl in the shower," Guy replied, stifling laughter of his own. Luke just gave him a confused look.
"When did I ever do that?" he asked. I raised my hand as if it were classtime and spoke up nervously. Just how stupid IS he...?
"Um... Master Luke... they're talking about today..." Luke's face suddenly flushed a brilliant red to rival my own.
"W-wait... you're a GIRL?"
"Yes... I thought it was obvious..."
"Well how the hell was I supposed to know? You dress like a man, you weirdo!"
"Umm... I'm sorry?" I tried. Guy and Van were off to the side, barely concealing laughter... Van was doing better than Guy, by the way. Anyways, so Luke just kept yelling at me for a few minutes, about how stupid I was and that I should try to look like a girl for a change and blah blah blah. After he managed to calm down, he got out his wooden sword and brandished it at me.
"Well since you're a girl, you're obviously no good for fighting. Go away." Oh, THAT pissed me off. I really, really hate sexist comments like that. It makes me so very angry. At that point, I completely forgot about my desperate attempt to rein in my temper and keep my job, so... yeah, I lunged and swung my wooden sword at his head.
Luke's eyes got really wide in shock as it connected with the side of his head and he stumbled backward a few steps. I assumed a casual fighting stance and glared at him.
"Care to repeat that, Master Luke?" I asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. Guy just gaped at me like I'd grown a second head - he'd never seen me get angry. Not that I never get mad - I once stubbed my toe and swore blue and green in three different languages. I just managed to keep my verbal venting to a few irritated grumbles for the sake of my job. I love my job. My job gets me food.
Well, I really pissed Luke off with that, so he freakin' ATTACKED me. Me, a fifteen year old of five feet and one inch and a whopping eighty-nine pounds against... him. He had about half a foot and one hundred pounds on me. Not to mention that I was far less experienced than him, so... did I have a chance? No, not really. But I sure as HELL wasn't gonna just take sexist crap from him.
I managed to block about... let's say five out of eight strikes. That sounds about right. I managed to land three out of four. I could already see the bruises forming on Luke's skin. I could feel some of my own, of course.
But it went by insanely fast. Fighting people in real life is NOTHING like a video game. You have to react almost before your enemy makes his (or her) move. And no matter how fast-paced the fighting is on a game, it's way slower than an actual fight. Time does this funny thing in a fight. Everything happens so fast - and you think that maybe a minute has gone by, and it's actually ten minutes that have passed. Ergh, badly put... Fighting might not seem like that to everyone, but... yeah. Opinions, opinions.
Anyways, to put it nicely, Luke was winning. Like whoa. But it felt so good to see his face molded around my wooden sword. Even if I lost, I'd feel all awesome because I caused that arrogant slime rag some pain. I thought I was doing a lousy job, but Guy was cheering like those football zealots at the Super Bowl and Van had his eyes following our every move. So... yeah. Maybe not?
Luke lifted his sword over his head and swung downward. I blocked it awkwardly and without meaning to, I lashed out with my right leg and kicked Luke in the stomach as hard as I could. Luke's sword clattered to the ground and its owner dropped to one knee, coughing and gasping for breath. I cringed inwardly.
Fuck a mother... there goes my job... I'm gonna miss being able to eat food again...
Guy's jaw dropped just as my sword did. I knelt next to Luke and awkwardly patted him on the back.
"Dammit, I'm sorry..." I grumbled. "I admit, that was a cheap shot... this match doesn't count..."
"No, no." I looked up to see Van staring down at me. "All's fair in war. I'm impressed, young lady."
"But this wasn't war, it was just a bloody sparring match!" I protested. Van, you're an asswipe, go play in traffic... "And now I'm gonna lose my job because I can't control my damned temper..." I muttered miserably.
"N-no..." I was surprised at Luke speaking up like that. "I won't let you get fired... not until I beat the hell out of you, you little-" My sympathy for him immediately drained away. Luke and his ego - two things in this world that really PISS ME OFF.
"Okay, great, but why don't you spar with Van now, Luke?" Guy suggested, as he handed the red-head asshole his wooden sword. I picked mine up as well and examined it idly. Luke got to his feet, swore under his breath, and stomped off to the side to do as Guy had said. I sighed and swung my wooden sword at the air irritably.
"At this rate I'll be back on the streets in no time... dammit..." I muttered. Guy seemed to hear this and took it upon himself to reassure me. Such a nice person, he is.
"Don't worry, Luke won't let you get fired, Temari." I gave Guy a questioning look.
"Why not? I probably just gave him a stomach ulcer..."
"He has a rival now. He'll want you to stick around," Guy explained. He gave me a slightly surprised look. "I've never seen you get mad like that, though. Was it what Luke said that set you off?"
"Well... yeah. I hate sexist crap like that..." I replied, embarrassed. "My temper got the better of me there. As for the cheap shot-"
"That wasn't a cheap shot," Guy protested. This caught me off-guard. I was sure he'd tell me that I was too harsh with Luke or something, or that I could have done differently. "That's just part of your... unique fighting style."
"And by unique you mean weird."
"Uh..."
"It's fine. I'm surprised no one else has commented on it yet." I dropped my wooden sword on the ground next to me and plopped down on a nearby bench. "I think I'll just watch the show..."
It wasn't much of a show, as it turns out. Luke would get maybe two attacks in, both blocked, before he'd end up sprawled on his ass on the ground. Guy sat on the same bench as me, just as far away as he could. He started up another conversation.
"So, Temari... why'd you come to Duke Fabre's manor anyway? Are you really living on your own?" My insides froze over. SHIT. Time to lie.
"Well, my family's been going through tough times... financially. And even though I'm not an adult yet, they sent me off to live on my own. They paid for the ferry ride here, then I... kinda freaked out when I got here..."
"So you're the one who was screaming in front of the Coliseum two weeks ago."
"Uh... yeah... I panicked. I had no idea what to do... so after I calmed down, I asked a White Knight about any possible jobs and... well... here I am." I rubbed my head awkwardly. "I feel so stupid, having a panic attack for no reason like that..."
"You had plenty of reason. I'd be scared, too." Guy being nice again equals epic win. Why can't Luke be nice like Guy? "If you don't mind my asking, how old are you, Temari?"
"I'm fifteen years old," I replied casually. "I know I don't look that old, but..."
And just like that, it happened. I stopped talking for a moment, as sure as anything I could hear the First Fonic Hymn. Oh sheet, here comes Tear.
I shot to my feet and drew my broadsword. "Guy... do you hear that?" I asked. "It's... like a song..." Then the drowsiness hit. I swayed on my feet, then fiercely bit my lip to stay awake.
"Damn it... it's putting me to sleep... what the hell are the guards doing?" I bit my lip harder and felt blood run down my chin.
"I found you, Vandesdelca! Prepare to die, traitor!" Hello to you too, Tear. I could hear the clashing of two metal weapons. I shook my head a little to clear it, then ran in front of a completely immobile Luke, who gave me a confused look as I held my sword in front of me.
"Stay behind me, Master Luke!"
"Wha-? Hell no! That chick's trying to hurt Master Van!" Luke grabbed my shoulder and roughly shoved me aside. "Outta the way, wallflower!" Tear, of course, heard all this and turned to block Luke's strike. I ran up to Luke and swung in unison with him. Stupid, yes. It didn't even guarantee anything, but... hell, I had to try.
All our weapons collided at the same time, and the air around us instantly became... well, it's hard to describe. It was like electricity. I could barely hear this faint humming sound. I felt an insane, unspeakable fear at this point and no matter how much I kept screaming at myself to run, my body wouldn't move.
"Not that damn voice again..."
"The Seventh Fonon?" I grit my teeth.
"Dammit... Luke, run!" I yelled, forgetting to call Luke 'Master'. Whether or not said arrogant aristocrat actually heard me is up for debate. Even if he did hear, would he do what I asked? Of course not. He probably wouldn't be able to anyway...
Then in a flash, it was all gone. The manor, Van, Guy, all of it.
Ooh, suspense. Ha... not really... I'm not a loser at all, I swear... (sarcasm)
I tried to get the quotes at this point the same as in the game. Yes, I'm a loser. I had to give Tales of the Abyss back to its original owner, so... I probably got some stuff off by a LOT.
Print preview... NINE PAGES? Holy son of a mother. This... ate me. Seriously... I just kept writing and writing. Er, typing.
Edward: And your other story is going to be abandoned now, right?
Me: NO! Not unless my brain goes kaput again... and why're you here?
Edward: Al dragged me here because he wanted to see your stupid cats.
Me: Ah... just watch out for the white one. She targets those who wear black, to get her white fur all over you... seriously, she does.
Edward: (reading chapter) ...This is complete crap.
Me: Indeed. BUT IT'S FUN. That's what fanfiction to me is about. Having fun with it even if you SUCK AT IT. Like I do.
Edit: Dropped in some more little details, got rid of some goofs. Hardly anything, really... I knew if I wanted to fix it perfectly I'd end up rewriting the whole thing.
