AN: Do review my dears. It was reviews that had kept me happy for so long.....
Help!
flails arms!
and here we go!!
Arashi spent the last year much like the way she had spent her twelfth birthday.
She spent more moments in quiet solitude with none other than her thoughts to accompany her.
Arashi often sat people-watching from the sakura tree outside her bedroom. Weaving stories around the lives of the people that passed the temple gates. However there was one who always caught her eye.
She would sit in the tree at the same time, every friday morning and watch him pass.
He was tall, slender and had a lean muscular build. His dark hair ruffled by the wind as he carried what seemed to be his briefcase to work every morning. He seemed young, about nineteen years old and yet there was a look of urgency and wisdom behind his eyes.
Each friday, he would pass and Arashi's eyes would follow him, her heart beat quickening with the hope that one day he would pass at the gates and look straight back at her. But every week ended in the same way with her gaze unreturned.
It was one wednesday that arashi was in her room, brandishing her sword ahead of her, trying to choreograph a set of moves with the sword, when the sound of knocking interrupted the click of the hilt against her hand and the swish as the blade slicing through the air.
"Come in!" Arashi called, expecting to see Kaede's face peer around the door. She was the only one who ever actually visited her, not to methion the only one who knocked.
As was customary, Kaede's face peeked around the door revealing a radiant smile. She stepped into the room greeting Arashi.
"Konnichiwa Arashi san." Her brief smile faded however faded and her expression turned stern as she continued:
"I thought i told you not to go about doing fight sequences with that sword in your room. That is for the training sessions only and you know that you could hurt yourself", a note of concern creeping into her voice. Arashi began to stare at her feet guiltily for causing Kaede cause for worry.
"However, we will speak of this later as it seems you will have a new teacher today" Kaede resumed.
Arashi looked up sharply, the words slipping out before a thought:
"New teacher? but why? i thought i was getting to be quite good"
"Yes....you were. But there are things Harumi and I cannot teach you and for this we have called in a specialist. Change out of your kimono, he will meet you in the training yard in ten minutes. Constant vigilance Arashi, he will not be as easy on you as we have been". And with that, Kaede left the room.
"HE?" Arashi thought.
As she dressed, she thought of all the other men that had passed through the temple. They had all been spiritual leaders or specialists in meditation and soul purification etc. However, Kaede and Harumi were perfectly capable of mastering those subjects. Only one person flickered into Arashi's mind.
'No....it couldnt be...ogh.........im just getting hysterical now. Must be the heat' she thought as she pulled on her socks, feeling the tips of her ears growing hot involuntarily.
She proceeded to the training yard and saw him standing in the corner. His back was turned but she could recognise him anywhere. She felt herself beginning to feel uncomfortable and just as she felt to turn and leave, he spoke.
"Hello..you must be young Arashi san."
He was wearing the traditional white baggy trousers and a tunic tied at the waste with a black belt. His eyes alight with energy and his voice courteous as he stepped towards her. Arashi began to feel herself lose her cool as she stood before him, the colour beginning to rise in her face.
Slightly uncomfortable at her lack of response, he laughed:
"Dont worry, i wont bite"
To which Arashi half heartedly laughed nervously.
"Ok...umm....let me introduce myself and then maybe you will feel more comfortable yes? Well my name is Soudai and i will be your new teacher. As you have gotten older, Kaede san has decided that its time for you to have a sword trainer to teach you to move with your sword with proper formations. So here i am!"
Arashi smiled. He drew his sword and so their first lesson began.
At every meeting, Arashi felt more and more at ease with him and found her face ablaze less often. They would train for five hours every wednesday and they would end their lessons with a bow and Arashi's exit while he collected his things.
It was after several months of training that Arashi felt her adoration towards Soudai weaken.
At first she felt herself burn up when he touched her hand, motioning her to move the sword and her body in a different way in order to defend and yet attack in unison. But once he lapsed into teaching in a military fashion, Arashi felt as though he didnt see her as a person, but merely a fighting machine. He even suggested once to Kaede to increase Arashi's working hours.
He was declined.
The advantage of his teaching was that Arashi now moved with a fresh swiftness with her weapon. Her movements became sharper and yet more fluid simultaneously.
On her thirteenth birthday, she had her final lesson with Soudai.
As she was about to leave, he stopped her, saying:
"Arashi san, you have improved enormously over the year and, i rarely do this for one of my students.... But-" Handing her a box wrapped in dark black tissue with a baby blue bow he smiled.
"Open it" he insisted.
As she pulled the bow away and lifted the lid, inside she saw a string of beads. They glowed back at her, reflecting the colours of their surroundings.
"Just a little memento of me for the future. They're ornamental beads of onyx stone and you can wrap them around the hilt of the sword if you want or whatever."
He paused with a frown on his face.
"I know ive been hard on you Arashi san. But..well..as its your birthday... and our last session...well ..... yknow"
"Thank you" Arashi replied, looking into his face and allowing his eyes to lock with hers. Her wide dark eyes was often considered discerning, her gaze boring iinto the mind of the beholder. This was obviously also the opinion of Soudai as he turned away.
She retreated from the courtyard, leaving a stunned Soudai in her wake.
AN: Thanks muchly for your reviews people. they are evry much welcome
click the button below-next to submit review? yup thats the one! go ahead! you know you feel like it!
FYI: i know i mention a training yard and courtyard-the context explains it-i mean cmon!they cant train in a courtyard where theres a massive fountain duh there are 2 yards! A court yard and a training yard-get it?
hehe
youll understand in the sentence anyway
i look forward to reading your reviews!and thank you for your time
there will be more
do not fear
i got a plan for future chappies-but ideas are welcome!