Legacy
- Chapter Two
By: Moments of Insanity
Disclaimer: Nope,
Sailor Moon wasn't, wouldn't, and will not be mine.
Thanks to Ice
for cleaning my grammar mess up -;.
Author's note: nope,
this is not an all-powerful senshi story, nor is it the sappy
romantic type of story. It's about working, starting from the bottom
and reaching to the top. If you're into the all-powerful senshi type
of story, and romantic tales between senshi and general, I have two
excellent recommendations:
Draken by Ravyn
Dark Night by
Waterlilly.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'You've
remembered,' Setsuna smiled gently, garnet eyes looking
affectionately at her favorite sister.
'How?' Ami stammered,
still shocked at seeing her eldest sister, whom she had thought was
dead.
'Firstly, that unique blue shade of your eyes, and well,
Haruka sent a pigeon.' She pointed at the gray pigeon currently
dozing on a few books on the cabinet behind Ami. 'Cat caught your
tongue?' teased Setsuna, seeing the normally inquisitive girl
drowning in her memories of a far away time.
' How? Why?' she
demanded, finally finding her voice, rusty with emotions; her eyes
had a stricken look,' we thought you died! We thought you left,
vanished; we didn't understand why when you and Haruka left?' Tears
gathered and threatened to fall. 'Michiru was enrage, and Usagi was
upset. Don't you know what an uproar you caused when you left?' she
cried, fist unclenching and clenching, creasing the cloth of her
tunic.
'You were young; you wouldn't have understood,' Setsuna
whispered, her wise eyes looking sadly at her upset sister.
'And
when Haruka returned by herself,' Ami stopped, still choked up with
the torrent of emotions buried six years ago. Tears were falling
freely now, splattering on her green tunic. She sniffed, 'No one
dared to ask Haruka, she was in a fit.' Trailing off, determined blue
eyes met garnet eyes as she said in a determined voice, 'I'm older
now, and I'm no longer eight, its been six years; tell me!' she
demanded.
But garnet eyes refused to meet blue eyes. 'Ami,
it's over, it doesn't matter anymore,' Setsuna said softly but
firmly. Her eyes looked far away, into a time when her family hadn't
been at her side. Shaking her head slightly, as if to dispel
memories, she said, 'Take off your tunic.'
'But.'
'Please
Ami,' Setsuna said firmly; her eyes stared down into baby blue eyes
and unable to cope with the intensity, Ami looked away. Silently, she
took the tunic off, showing big purple and green bruises on her
abdomen, scratches, and redness on her arm spoke of the scuffle in
the kitchen. Ami winced as Setsuna probed the bruises with gentle
fingers. Setsuna frowned and pursed her lips, 'Well, at least there
isn't much blood, but those bruises will last for a few weeks.'
Reaching over to the cabinet, she withdrew two bottles and a piece of
clean cloth. 'Rub this over the bruises,' she said, handing one
bottle to Ami. 'Hazelwitch,' she said, answering Ami's unspoken
question, and 'wine,' as she soaked the cloth with the contents of
the other bottle, gently dabbing and cleaning the wounds; both worked
in silence, lost in their own memories.
'Tell me about home, '
Setsuna whispered softly.
Ami quickly ran through her
memories, selecting important facts and reported, 'When you and
Haruka left, Michiru brooded for a long time; she was obviously not
happy with it, which made Aunt Luna slightly concerned. So to keep
her busy, Aunt Luna pooled some funds and opened a bakery shop and
handed it over to Michiru to let her run it and occupy her mind.' Ami
smiled at the memory of when they led the blindfolded Michiru to the
oak door of her new shop and handed over the keys to it.
'Bakery?'
Setsuna chuckled lightly, 'I can't associate Michiru and flour, it
would be like associating little Usa with gracefulness.'
'Michiru
was our baker; it helped to pay for our living. It's quite a popular
place in the town. Then Makoto found her love for cooking, so Michiru
decided to let her play around, and Makoto is now our resident cook.
And Usagi is, of course, our taster.'
'What about you?'
Setsuna asked abruptly, remembering her little sister's bad habit of
only reporting news of the others.
'I had the least important
job, I'm the book keeper,' Ami laughed sheepishly, tears forgotten as
she remembered the better times of the past when they had struggled
to get back on their feet when two members of the family went
missing. 'Which was good, as it allows me to go visit the bookstore.'
She mused, 'What else happened, oh yes, Makoto got into less fights,
and Usagi got quite a flock of suitors. Lady Molly married the
secretary of her father, Umino, he's the quiet boy with the thick
glasses, very clumsy when with Lady Molly.' And in a very quiet
voice, hoping that Setsuna wouldn't hear, 'And I'm engaged.'
Garnet
eyes widened. 'Engaged?' she asked in a strangled voice, 'to
who?'
'Mister Ryo, his family runs the bank, remember?' she
replied in a even softer voice, and a delicate blush spread over her
cheek.
'Ah, the little boy who lent you books before.'
'No
longer little.'
'Getting protective?' teased Setsuna, laughing
garnet eyes looked with amusement at her sister. 'So why are you
here?'
'Didn't Haruka send you a message?'
'She did.
But knowing her nature, she only wrote one sentence: Ami and Makoto
are coming over,' Setsuna laughed, 'it's difficult to get any details
from Haruka. Now becoming a knight wouldn't be your dream; it's more
like Makoto's. So why are you here?'
Ami pursed her lips, she
had known Setsuna would ask that question; the problem was, would
Setsuna think less of her if she said the reason? So she blurted out
in a rush, hands wringing her clothes, 'I'm nobody at home; everyone
had a role. Last year, when Usagi fell ill, I couldn't help; Michiru
made her favorite foods, Makoto brewed broth and Aunt Luna found the
money to pay the healer. I just hovered worriedly at the sidelines
doing nothing. Although I'd read medical books, none could help me;
the selection at the bookstore is too small. Then I couldn't get into
formal training, since as I'm a girl. But I know how to read, and I
can get my hands on books. So I realized self study may be the answer
to my problem. When I heard that this chapter had the biggest library
in the country...' she trailed off, 'it is an awfully stupid idea
isn't it?' she ended dismally, ducking her head.
'So does your
fiance know?' asked Setsuna.
'I didn't tell him,' Ami said
miserably, 'I once told him I wanted to be a healer, but he only
laughed and told me to that it is a man's job.'
'Ah, and
you've decided to go on nonetheless?' Setsuna asked, proud that her
shy sister dared to take the first step.
'Usagi told me to go,
she said I would never know if I never try. She said to try before
getting married to the Urawa Family. The hardest part was convincing
Haruka. We argued a lot, but thinking back, I think the key sentence
that made her agree was "I want to see the world" or
something like that.'
Setsuna laughed delightedly, 'That's
exactly what I said to her six years ago. I think it's in her blood
to search for adventures and go recklessly into the wild. It is not
in her blood to settle down. And more so, she would rather die then
become the cages of others seek freedom.'
'There,' she patted
Ami's arm. Standing up, she moved to the window, where the breeze was
playing with the linen curtains. 'So let's see, your friends are in
the courtyard. Point Makoto out for me,
please.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makoto
scowled. She hated this exercise. Her arms were screaming with pain
and sweat rolled down her face. She bit her lips hard as her strength
wavered, the sword shaking furiously.
'Stop!' Kunzite said,
and the whole class lowered their swords with collective relief.
Makoto sighed tiredly, positioning the sword horizontally away from the arm sure made life hard. In a mere five minutes, it felt as if her arms had been wrenched off.
She looked at her sword lying next to her, running her fingertip across the ridges engraved on hands holding the sword. It had been given to her today. Kunzite had told the recruits to keep the sword clean of dirt and sharp at all times.
She glanced at Devin resting on his back and smiled lightly in admiration. He was easily the strongest one in the team, probably the only one who had completed this exercise without breaking out a sweat. Looking up at sky, she frowned, worried about Ami. It had already been half an hour since Ami had left for the healers' quarter. She cast a glance at Jadeite, who was observing under the shade of an oak tree. Jadeite had appeared some time earlier, but there was still no sign of Ami; surely she was not seriously hurt. What made her more worried was the fact that the tiny girl may not even have the ability to hold up such a large sword, much less swinging it and fighting with it. How could she survive this training?
'Back on your feet,' Kunzite shouted; people groaned as many struggled to get back on their feet. 'We are going to show you a real sword fight. Jadeite and I are going to fight,' he motioned the surprised Jadeite to stand next to him. ' Now watch and learn.' As both stood opposite to each other, Jadeite clumsily draw his sword from the scabbard, apprehension reflected on his face. Swords in position, they saluted each other
The sounds of metallic clashes filled the air as the fight began. The recruits stood in awe as they saw exactly what they must become. Makoto gulped, awed at the ferocity of the mock fight. Both fighters held nothing back; it was as if they were trying to kill or decapitate each other. However, both had truly distinctive styles. It was obvious that Kunzite had the upper hand; every stroke was precise, and his pose was calm as he received, deflected, and blocked each thrust and attack from Jadeite. In comparison, Jadeite looked desperate; his strokes left wide arches of open area, often leaving him vulnerable. However, however he had strength, and loud clashes behind each collided stroke filled the air, leaving the spectators breathless and stunned. Furthermore, he had speed. Whenever Kunzite aimed for those open areas, Jadeite's arm would immediately retract and block the stroke. They continued parrying, shifting back and forth as they thrust and drew back. It was a deadly dance, beautiful and powerful, but deadly.
Kunzite made a small duck to avoid the wide arc swing from Jadeite. Seeing his chance, Jadeite lifted his sword to deliver an overhead swing. However, gripping his sword tightly with his two hands, Kunzite delivered one of his most powerful blows, swinging upward to receive the falling blade. The sound of the blow echo loudly in the courtyard as the sword was knocked from Jadeite's hand, signaling the end of the match.
The recruits stood in awed silence; the only sounds were the heavy breathing from the opponents. 'Good fight, you've improved,' Kunzite commented lightly as one would comment on the weather, wiping the sweats on his face with the back of his hand. Jadeite only nodded and bowed low, his hands rubbing together quickly to dispel the numbing pain from holding the sword.
'Thank you, my lord ,' he said before collecting his sword. Claps were heard as Nephrite entered the courtyard.
'Good fight. I believe, Kunzite, you have an excellent student here.' Nephrite smiled. Kunzite only snorted. Following Nephrite were Zoisite and Maxin. Both looked as though they'd had a water fight. 'Though I wouldn't say that I have a good student.' Nephrite still smiled, though it was strained. Zoisite ducked shamefully at the rebuke, and water dripped from his hair, making his hair slightly straighter than his usual curls. Maxin's hair was pasted on his face, making his face ridiculously narrow; a black eye was visible, speaking another fight. His vibrant strawberry red doublet was now coloured a dull purplish red, and a large scabbard hung by his side. Both stood sullenly behind Nephrite. 'Zoisite, why don't you change your clothes before you practice with Jadeite,' he suggested gently, feeling sorry for his squire. Zoisite quickly bowed, murmuring a reply before rushing to change out of his dripping tunic. As Maxin turned to follow Zoisite, Nephrite added coolly 'Stay, Maxin, I believe your lesson is here.'
'But I need to change,' Maxin whined, his brown eyes hostile.
'Think of it as part of the punishment, ' Nephrite said; his icy eyes stared at Maxin. 'Here is your sword,' he said, handing him his sword.
'I don't need it; I have my own family sword,' he growled, drawing the sword from the scabbard. Glitters of gold reflected from the pommel, and studs of red and blue stones decorated the grip while leaves and vines of gold pattern decorated the ridge of the sword. The Mairner family crest was engraved on the ricasso.
It was a huge sword, Makoto observed, beautiful but a pain to carry or move, let alone to fight with it.
However, Jadeite snickered, 'Twit, that's a bearing sword; you don't fight with those.'
Both instructors looked on, rather amused. Nephrite said, 'Bearing swords are usually made of precious metals; maybe the blade would be made from silver, making the it soft and easy to deform; we don't fight with those.'
Maxin blushed an angry red as he shoved the beautiful sword back into the scabbard before rudely grabbed the sword from the proffered hands.
'Excuse me, sir,' a small voice interrupted, and Makoto sighed in relieved when she saw Ami standing behind Nephrite.
Nephrite smiled, 'Do do you feel better?' he asked handing out the sword.
Nodding, Ami took the sword, to her surprise and to Makoto's dismay, her body launched forward, unbalanced by the weight of the sword; it was obvious that she couldn't even hold up the sword with two hands as she cradled the sword near her.
Kunzite frowned and strolling forward; he grabbed her arm, pushed the sleeves of her shirt up, then frowned at the slender limb. Taking back the sword, he motioned Jadeite to take the sword, and after some instruction, Jadeite walked away to do his errands.
Makoto had a sinking feeling that maybe Ami would get thrown out.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ricasso- refers to an unsharpened area at the root of the blade immediately adjacent to the guard and forming a transition between the sharpened portion of the blade and the tang.
References about the swords come
http:www.ludd.luth.se/mud/aber/armorandarmaments.html
Please Read and Review. - please please leave some constructive comments. I'm in front of a writer's block right now, if you can suggest anyway thing, please tell me.If you feel that you need to email me, here's the address
Date: 27.08.02