Nanashi almost did not go the next morning. The surprise fight with Saif had her spooked. So did... whatever had happened with her hands. She wanted to know what that was, having never done anything like that before. Not to mention waking up on Saif's bed with him watching her, waiting for her to wake up. It was almost as spooky as what happened with her hands.
Rather than go home, she went to see Haruto to tell him what happened in the back of the tavern's kitchen. He want from angry that Saif had hit her to excited to hear that the reason was he wanted to train her to be a protector. He seemed rather excited over the idea, especially of what she had done with her hands.
"Saif wants to train you to be protector? You would make a good protector," he told her in a hushed tone. "It's- It might be in your blood," he commented. Nanashi winced involuntarily as her stomach gave a sharp pinch. She wrapped her arm around her middle. Haruto noticed, frowning in an almost hurt way. "Whoever your father was, demon or otherwise, may have been a fighter. Besides, you and your cousin used to get into scrapes with other kids by the docks when you were younger."
The surprise pain in her stomach faded away. "I lost those fights pretty often though," she admitted.
"Didn't make you stay out of them, pet," Haruto teased her. "That thing with your hands, what did it feel like?"
"I don't know," she puzzled. She thought it over. "Like a rush. Like an adrenaline rush. A blast of energy that sent Saif stumbled backwards."
"Do you think you could do it again?" he asked eagerly.
"I don't know," she mumbled.
"Could you do it again without being trained?" he pressed.
She cocked her head sideways, giving him an 'I see your point' look. "No."
"Oh, then you should train with Saif then, shouldn't you?" he recommended.
"He still scares me," she grumbled.
"Why? The other kids didn't when you were younger," he challenged.
"The other kids weren't ever demons or part-demons," she challenged right back.
He shook his head. "You know some of the lesser evolved demons are dangerous, so are the demon animals. Those ones can be evil, wild,and vicious. Yet the higher evolved ones, which are the ones who can breed with humans, can better control those impulses. Assuming he's that way without getting to know him is prejudice," he scolded. She looked down, not wanting to hear the lecture she had earned. "You know what it's like to be on the receiving end of prejudice like that. With most people avoiding you because they think you are part demon on your father's side, something that's never been proven. Yet you control the bad within you and mostly embrace the good. Why couldn't it be the same for Saif?"
"I don't know," she flubbed out.
"Give him a chance to train you. Besides, he doesn't plan on being here forever, and the town will still need a protector. He'll train you to fill that role," he stated.
Nanashi's conversation with Haruto had changed her mind. When she should up on Saif's doorstep the next morning, Saif did not seemed surprised. He hardly spoke to her either. Rather they spent the morning sparring. He taught her several punches and how to block them. It was troublesome to figure out how to do them, especially when he was not afraid to hit her straight on when she messed up. By lunch time, she was exhausted, half wanting to go crawl into his bed again. He did not let her though. The afternoon brought more training. By the end of day, she was unsure how she even managed to get herself home, let alone get her uncle's and hers supper ready.
The next few days were the same. They blurred together over the following two weeks. The training was hard and intense, but she kept going back. She wanted to learn about channeling energy, which was what Saif had told her was what she did with her hands that first day. Yet before he would train her in that, he wanted her trained in weaponry. He tried to start her off first with a wooden training sword, but he kept getting frustrated, seemingly with her. The wooden sword was hard for her manage. She felt like it was too heavy and was more like a club that anything else.
After that fiasco, he refused to train her on it anymore. He gave her instead a dagger, training her how to use that. That felt more natural in her hand, but not hundred percent. It felt like that was too small and too light, but the weight of the wooden sword felt the same, but not right either. It like her arm craved for something longer and heavier, but the dagger would do. Training with a dagger was so much easier than training with a sword. She could parry and block more naturally with it, even though it did force her to be at a closer distance with her opponent.
After a month of training with him, she felt more confident as a fighter, like she was ready to be the town's protector should the day arrive that Saif was gone. After an evening training session, she asked him, "how long are you staying in town?"
He shook his head and shrugged. "Not sure," he replied vaguely.
"Why not?" she asked curiously.
"Because I don't have a reason to leave," he told her gruffly. He used a sharp tone that had scared her at first when she first met him, but this was something she had become accustomed to.
"Will you tell me when you're leaving when you decide to leave?" she asked on bated breath. The friendship they had formed was something she did not want to lose suddenly. The thought made her stomach tie in knots.
He looked at her a little too hard and a little too long. "Maybe," he replied, blinking first.