Someone read the story, and being curious, asked me a few questions. I thought that the answers would bring more information and understanding to the fic.
Q #1: So what city ARE they in, then?
A: I honestly don't know. It's just not Tokyo, but it's still fairly big.
Q #2: How's the boarding house set out? (Not going to bother paragraphing this properly, just read if you're INSANELY curious.)
A: It's a bit odd. (I took it mostly from the boarding house at my school.) It's not actually in the school; it's just a big mansion kind of next to the school. At the back door of the house, there's about a three-meter wide path that leads to a gate at the end of the backyard that leads into the school, allowing access for the boarders. Anyway, back to the house. As soon as you enter, there's a large, open, empty space with a big round, polished table in the centre that has a bulky vase with flowers in the centre of it (Flowers are changed every four to five days) There is red carpet on the floor and lots of paintings and pictures on the walls (most depicting the school in it's early days). It's very odd. You see, the entry is designed so that the second floor kinda goes around it, allowing sunlight from a giant circle of colorful stained glass in the roof(the roof, not the ceiling) down into the entry. The corridor with the residence's rooms runs along on top of the lounge room and the corridor leading to the backyard and, if you saw it from the outside, it kind just out for quite a bit, being held up with thick brick pillars. Anyway, from the entry there are four sets of large double-doors, a grand staircase with red carpet running up it with an extremely wide corridor to the right that leads to the backyard. (It's set out pretty much symmetrically, with the staircase right in front, two rooms to either side, and the corridor to the right.) The first on the right after you enter is the Ballroom. It's pretty much just an empty room with floorboards that is used only for the odd function or exam. It's only called the ballroom because that's what it used to be 50 or so years ago. The doors to the right of the corridor lead to the lounge room (which is very large). It has a TV, VCR, DVD and a whole stack of movies taped off free-to-air television. It also has a few sofas and some beanbags stacked as neatly as is possible in the corner. Oh, and a small library. OK, so anyway, the room first on the left after you enter is the kitchen. It's quite large and is mostly white. It has a big fridge, two huge pantries full of food, and lot's of other cupboards decorating the walls that a filled with bowls, plates, cups, etc. The kitchen is devoid of a dishwasher, however, and the school intends to purchase one when there's enough time. Oh, and there's a very old and ugly round clock above the windows (that have the most awful floral curtains you could lay eyes on.) The doors between the kitchen and the staircase lead to the dining room, which is probably the best looking room in the house. It has a long, bark brown table running down the centre, beautiful lights on the roof that are meant to imitate chandeliers and an extremely decorative ceiling. There are a lot of expensive pieces of furniture scattered around, and four large paintings that depict heroes through Japan's ages. Now, for UPSTAIRS. As soon as you walk up the stairs, directly to your left would be the corridor with their living areas to the sides. Right at the end of the corridor is the bathrooms. There are two full sized bathrooms, each one complete with a bath, four showers, four toilets and four sinks. Eventually one will become the boys and one will be for the girls, but one is currently being renovated so everyone must share for the time being. The other rooms, (the Quatre briefly talked about) are built on top of the ballroom and the kitchen. You could get to these by turning left at the top of the staircase. Three rooms are on top of the ballroom, and a small walkway (about a meter and a half wide) that runs along the front of the house connecting the two rooms above the kitchen to the rooms on top of the ballroom. DONE! PROBABLY NO ONE READ THAT BUT IT'S THERE FOR CURIOSITY'S SAKE.
Q #3: Ok, so let's just say you ARE making them senshi. How are they going to fight evil if all the evil's still in Tokyo?
A: HAHAHAHA! I've got that one figured out, however if I do decide to make them senshi, it will probably be quite a few chapters on.
Disclaimer: Don't own GW or SM. Ha. Ha. Ha… big surprise there.
Key:
Bold = emphasis
Italics = thoughts
Awaiting Good Fortune
*******Chapter Four: Belief and Weakness
Usagi was already at the table when the dinner bell rang. A few seconds later, Minako and Duo appeared, wielding plastic guns and chatting loudly about how they were going to get Rei and Wufei together. Usagi almost cackled in relief.
Ha! They've forgotten about me! Oh Good Lord, Thankyou!
Ami and Quatre entered the dining room and each took seats soon after Duo and Minako. Heero sauntered in and Trowa behind him. Makoto was in the kitchen (she had decided to help with the cooking because it was terrible before she got to it) so the only people who hadn't made an appearance were the firey, raven-haired two that had screamed themselves into a swordfight.
Usagi sighed.
Not only did she have to live with two outraged, sword wielding teens, but she had to live with two pranksters, one completely besotted friend, two boring and emotionless boys, and one of which was in the room next to her own.
It seemed like a cruel joke. A cruel, boring joke. She sighed again and put her chin in the palms of her hands, her elbows resting gently on the table. She felt as though nothing, absolutely nothing, could bring her out of this sudden bout of boredom, depression and regret for simply not just moving to a different school in Tokyo…
"Meal time!" Makoto announced, walking in with a large dish of food and a plate of rolls with Ms. Barbara following carrying a large bowl of soup.
…Well, maybe something could bring her out of it.
Rei put on her calmest face as she walked down the broad staircase. She was only going to get a roll and a glass of water. It was all she needed by means of food and liquids, and she had been preparing herself spiritually ever since she finished setting up her room.
She would beat this boy, this Wufei Chang, and she would beat him well.
She walked into the Dining Room very softly, her feet barely touching the ground. After two solid hours of meditation beforehand, she had finally been able to boost her fighting spirit and mentally cloak it, allowing her to become faster, lighter and stronger without her opponent noticing. And by cloaking this, he would not be able to detect or read her movements, giving her a great advantage.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her opponent walked out of the corridor. He was sweating heavily and his breath was quick. He flinched a bit when he saw her.
She stopped herself from smiling triumphantly; he hadn't sensed her until she was in plain sight. He had also just made a very grave mistake. He had exerted himself far too much before the battle.
And he called me an idiot!
His eyes narrowed at her, but she kept her features impassive as she walked into the Dining room and collected what she needed. As she exited, Wufei strode into the room and sat down at an empty seat. beginning to serve himself dinner.
She had to stop herself from smiling again as she pictured Wufei moving too slow and getting cramps in the middle of their fight simply because he'd eaten too much dinner far too late.
No one dared look at Wufei over dinner (Well, maybe Usagi but they were glares that were being blatantly ignored). Ami had made that mistake when she tried to greet him when he walked in after Rei had gone upstairs. It was quite strange and had left Ami a bit traumatized.
Wufei entered the room after Rei left, getting angrier by the second due to not even being acknowledged by her. His right eye twitched a bit. We strode rigidly into the room and sat down filling his bowl up with the mixed vegetable soup. His invisible aura seemed to pulse angrily and snap at anyone who looked at him. Ami decided to lighten the situation by conversation.
"Hello Wufei. Good luck toni—" Ami was cut off not only by Wufei look of pure death, hatred and quite possibly insanity, but by the gleaming sword held suspended only a few inches away from her face.
"I do not need pity and patronization from you, onna!!" He yelled somewhat unstably. Everyone (well, everyone except Heero and Trowa) took a collective gasp of shock. Not only had he almost attacked the innocent Ami, but he had somehow managed to hide his katana from everybody's sight and brought it to the Dinner table!
"Well I thought you had at least some sense, Wufei!" Usagi screeched standing up in outrage. Wufei's glare slid to her, his sword still held to Ami's face. "Rei's going to mop the floor with you, but Ami can't fight like Rei can, so attacking her would just be weak!!" She stomped her foot and glared at him. He glowered right back at her. His katana flew out of sight and was hidden before anyone said another word. Usagi shook her head and picked up her plates. "I didn't think anyone could spoil dinner (not even Heero and his grunts) but you! Hmph!" She walked to the other end of the table, thoroughly annoyed.
Well, I've just gone from happy to depressed to outraged. I wonder what other emotion is in store for me?
Dinner finished quickly, and soon everyone was taking in their dishes for Ms. Barbara to wash. (She decided that on weekend dinners she would do the cleaning up so they could go have some fun before the go to bed.)
Everyone slowly began to move out into the entry, chatting, thinking or joking around. Heero separated from them all and began to climb the stairs. Usagi noticed him before he got too far away.
"Hey, Heero! Aren't you going to watch the duel?" She asked. He looked at her for a little longer before turning back to the stairs.
"Hn."
"Oh, 'HN' yourself!" She threw her hands in the air and turned away. Heero was stunned (well, as stunned as Heero gets) then after a short while he regained his composure, and walked to his room. Usagi took a few steps away but was stopped by Duo, with Quatre and Trowa standing next to him.
"You don't know how long we've been waiting for someone to say that," Duo said, tears almost in his eyes. Quatre and Trowa were nodding. Even Wufei (who was currently standing in a corner but listening in on what they were saying) nodded.
"Well, he has to learn to talk at some point." She tapped her foot irritably.
Well there you go Usagi, add 'irritated' to your list of emotions for the past half hour.
Usagi went to the lounge room and sat down on the nearest sofa. She had no idea why she was so moody all of a sudden. Maybe it was because of the little 'lap incident' with Heero. Or maybe it was because after tomorrow, school would start. Maybe it was the duel. She wasn't sure.
But something was bothering her.
Everyone was standing around the large training hall, waiting for the two katana-wielding maniacs to arrive. Most of the spectators came willingly. (Heero had to be dragged in by Duo and Minako and placed next to Usagi.)
Makoto was standing near Trowa, trying to make conversation. She was blushing heavily. Minako on the other hand, was far from bashful as she and Duo conversed (a little too loudly) about getting Rei and Wufei and Usagi and Heero together. Usagi had a slight flush across her face and Heero looked bored.
Quatre and Ami were talking worriedly about the health and safety risks of the upcoming duel and discussing what would be the most efficient method of moving them from the hall to the sick bay in the boarding house (Which was just a few couches at the back of the lounge room with a first aid box next to them.)
All discussions halted as the door slid open. Rei entered softly, robes similar to that which she wore as a priestess hung gracefully off her. She carried her katana lightly in her hands, the silk matching the brilliant white of her robes. Her eyes were closed as she walked in to the centre of the room and sat down, laying her katana in front of her. She put her hands in her lap and waited calmly for her opponent.
Everyone waited calmly for her opponent.
Painful minutes past extremely slowly.
…Minako was the first to break.
"Where the heck is Wufei?!" She yelled as she looked at the faces in the room, somehow believing that they knew the answer. Duo joined Minako in her yelling.
"Yeah! Wu-man's never late! What could be holding him up?!" Duo put a frown on his face as he tried to think up some reasons. Minako gasped and began to bite her fingernails.
"What if a crocodile got loose from the zoo and ate him on his way here?!" She yelped. Duo looked panicked.
"O--or what if he was abducted by the government?!" Duo suggested, looking suspiciously around the room, thinking he would find government spies.
"Maybe he fell into a sewer and can't get out!!"
"Maybe he was sucked into a spaceship and is having weird experiments performed on him!!"
"Or maybe--" Minako began.
"--he's walking through the door," Duo finished for her, looking obviously relieved that his maniac friend was safe.
"8:17 by my watch," Ami said quietly.
"What took you so long Wufei? All of us were worried," Quatre asked shyly, not wanting to make eye contact due to the menacing look in his friend's eyes.
"I—got… lost."
Duo burst and laughing as he pointed to Wufei and said, "You've been at this school for more than three years and you got lost!?" Another round of laughter emitted from Duo.
"Argh!! Maxwell!! I'll get yo--!!" He almost leapt after his idiot of a friend before Rei stood and held out her hand to stop him.
"We have previous plans. I wish for this to be complete before 9 o'clock, so you cannot waste time chasing your friend," She walked to one end of the hall, stopping about three metres from the end then turning around and unwrapping her katana. "The rules of this match will be…" She looked expectantly at Wufei.
"We will be fighting reverse-edge, so any damage taken will not be severe. Bare handed blows are accepted. The duel is over when one person has another pinned (either on the ground or against the wall without a sword) and is in a position to kill, they will then flip their blade over, and the duel will end."
"That is acceptable," Rei said as she let the silk and rope fall to the floor. Before unsheathing her sword she performed a soft bow. (Her grandfather had taught her that in a duel, even if you hate the person you are fighting, you must show respect to them and their sword before you begin.) Wufei gave a curt nod of his head.
((AN: I've never written a fighting scene before so you'll have to forgive me if it's terrible beyond belief. Oh, and BTW, strange anime gravity allowing people to jump really high applies.))
He moved his feet apart and stood ready, his sheath out in front of him and his hand ready to draw his sword. Rei moved the silk out of the way with her foot then moved her feet apart a short distance. Her sheath was held steady behind and her hand was on her katana's handle. They locked eyes and stared for a few seconds, then suddenly and simultaneously drew their swords and leapt into the middle of the room. Rei threw her sheath away and Usagi caught it clumsily.
They thundered down to the ground, the clash of metal ringing loudly around the room as each of them flowed gracefully through their movements. Switching between offensive and defensive movements they moved back and forth and around the room as they ducked and jabbed and blocked with their swords.
Usagi looked at them in awe. They seemed to be dancing while they fought. They didn't stomp about the room violently; they moved their feet in soft patterns.
Wufei looked much more masculine about the way he fought; his movements were graceful but precise, whilst Rei seemed to blend in each of her movements in one, single, ongoing attack. She looked beautiful, just like a priestess should, as she fought him.
Usagi looked closely at them. They seemed to have fallen into a pattern.
Rei would execute a series of attacks, and Wufei would block each of them the same every time. Rei would then attack again, leaving herself slightly open for one attack. Wufei would jab as soon as he saw an opening and Rei would hit his sword away. This cycled about four times before Usagi realized what Rei was doing.
Wufei was more attuned to the offensive means of his sword, meaning that he would take any opportunity for an attack. It also meant that he was soft on defense, so Rei was wearing him down slowly. And at the end of the cycle, when Rei left herself open, there was only one strike that would give Wufei a chance to hit her, this strike however, left his hand in a weak position, so when Rei attacked his sword, she was hoping to knock it completely out of his hand.
She went back to concentrating to their duel. Rei seemed to have extended the period of which she attacked, hoping to weaken him even more before she tried to knock his sword out of the way. She continued her attacks for another minute before she let herself open. Wufei struck out at her and Rei (with a slight yell) knocked the katana out of his hand, sending it swirling across the floor. His eyes widened as he realized that he had been tricked. Rei jumped high into the air, preparing to pin him down and win the match. Wufei jumped backwards then purposefully fell to the floor, rolling backwards. As soon as he felt his sword underneath him, he sprung back up into a standing position, sword in hand.
Rei frowned angrily then pounced at him, unleashing an astonishing flurry of attacks that hit from the knee up with the dull edge of her blade.
Wufei tried to block as many attacks as he could but they were far too fast, they weren't painful on their own, but repeatedly and in the same spots they became exceeding powerful blows that couldn't be blocked effectively. But he knew that she wouldn't be able hold her pace for so long.
Rei knew this also. Her swift method of attack was effective but it was tiring. She knew not to tire herself out too early, so she hit him a few more times around the head and shoulder area (getting his sword into a high and defensive position that was out of the way for her next attack) before quickly gliding to her left and sending an extremely powerful round-house kick that knocked him over. She pounced onto him, kneeling on top of him so one leg was either side, then planted her hand forcefully on his chest, pinning him down. Her other hand was in the hair, holding her sword a few inches from his face. They were both panting heavily, and he stared hatefully into her determined eyes.
She flipped her blade over.
Rei closed her eyes as she stood and walked over to Usagi, retrieving her sheath. She opened them as the blade slid back inside its wooden casing. She moved over to the silk lying on the floor and wrapped her katana delicately, handling it as if it were fragile china and not a dangerous weapon. She sat down and lay her sword across her lap, obviously thinking hard about something. She didn't realize when all her friends and neighbors walked out.
Ami watched as Rei unleashed a speedy and furious attack of multiple jabs. She never knew that Rei could handle a sword, let alone that well. She could see that Wufei was much stronger than Rei herself, but Rei's determination, speed and strategy was enough to tip the scales in her favor.
However, she had to tire at some point. Ami noticed that when she began this style of attack she has averaging 19 to 20 jabs per every six seconds. Now she was only doing 17 to 18. She was also breathing slightly faster. Suddenly she moved to the side, swinging her leg around and knocking Wufei to the floor. She leaped amazingly high into the air, her sword above her head, preparing to win.
Time slowed as Ami watched the scene before her; Rei was quickly coming down on Wufei, her sword aimed at his face. Ami screamed out, and buried her face in the person standing next to her's chest.
She began to sob and she didn't know why. They weren't going to kill each other, but something about what was happening made her want to scream for a stop and cry. She felt a hand go around her shoulders and someone pat her softly on the back. She looked up to see Quatre smiling at her.
"Don't worry, they're both fine."
She wiped tears out of her eyes and he lead her out of the hall and back into the boarding house.
Wufei stayed on the floor. He stared up at the roof in silence. He soon heard the sound of quiet footsteps leaving the hall, the sounds of one person sniffing and sobbing accompanying it.
He blinked back tears of bitterness, defeat and hatred.
He felt so weak. He had been defeated so easily…
Closing his eyes he tried to establish just why he could be defeated with such ease. He suddenly felt a presence next to him.
"You do know why I beat you, don't you?"
He didn't answer her question, just waited for the answer.
"It's not just because of over-confidence, and it's not because I'm stronger than you, because I'm not."
He was waiting eagerly for what she was about to say but made himself look like he was ignoring her.
"It's partly because I'm faster than you. But the real reason it your attitude of how you treat your opponent, your sword and the people around you."
He waited for her to continue.
"You don't think that they are able to surprise you. You don't believe in anything except yourself. You don't believe in the people around you, you don't believe in your sword, and, (in this case) you didn't believe in your opponent. Also, you only had belief in your victory, but not how you would achieve that. You can have a Start, but you can't have the Finish if you don't have the Middle."
He heard her walk over to the door then stop.
"If you would like, I could teach you how to become quicker and achieve a better attitude by training and contacting fighting spirits. In return, you could teach me to become stronger. I will be awake in by room chanting until 10 o'clock. If you accept, just come and see me."
She exited the room and shut the door, leaving a very defeated and confused Wufei behind her.
*******End chapter 4
So… um, yeah. That's my fighting scene. Was it bad? Good? Should it be saved onto floppy disk then thrown onto open flames? Tell me!!
Won't have the next chapter out for a week or so because I'm going away and can't bring my laptop. Oh well, I'll make some notes and get it up ASAP.
~Jemjols.