*pouts* what, don't tell me that everyone gave up on me already! I only
didn't update for a while, and now everyone who was once reading my story
apparently doesn't like it anymore! I do appreciate those faithful few who
have kept at it, but where did everyone else go!
Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!
**
Usagi's eyes snapped open, and suddenly she was jerked from her strange dream. The world seemed distorted for a moment, but after blinking a few times she was finally able to bring the world, and the room she was in into focus. For a second she took the time to wonder just what she had been dreaming about, but she could never remember her dreams so she didn't worry about it too much. She had heard once that dreams were just your hopes and thoughts made manifest in your mind while you were sleeping, or, in other words, they were just like daydreams when you are sleeping, and are pointless fantasies.
But the world she was in now was startlingly real, and Usagi realized, it was time she really got to meet the people here, and see what there was to see. Ever since she had arrived she had closed herself into her room, and basically kept to herself. Here she was, in this whole new world, which had the ultimate potential to make all of her dreams a reality, and not just pointless fantasies she had in her sleep. She shrugged off the sharp pain that came right from the depths of her soul, and tried to forget that maybe she could fulfill some of her dreams, but others would be forever lost to her.
With a skill that came from long practice she half rolled, half fell off her bed and into her wheelchair. Yep, it was time to finally explore this place, and hopefully not hurt anyone in the process.
Being careful not to turn the speed on too high, she started her chair up, and rolled out of the room, and into the immense hallways that filled the mansion like the many tunnels in an anthill.
Usagi wasn't very surprised when 20 minutes later she found herself somewhere far from her room, and…completely lost. But instead of getting all upset over the matter, she smiled a small smile and muttered to herself "I suppose some things never change." And turned to one of the doors on the left, and opened it. After all, what was the point of wandering if all you got to see was doors, without ever even bothering to open one of them?
The room was somewhat dim, and very large. It seemed to be almost like a large gym, only there were no lines on the floor. Not seeing anyone present, she invited herself in to find out just what this place was.
The walls were completely bare, and there were a few lights on the ceiling with shades over them to create the dim look. Careful not to disturb the silence that permeated the place, she turned to see what was on the other side of the room, and saw the man from her dreams.
Or, at least she thought it must be her dreams. He was the man she could have sworn she had seen before, but who had been avoiding her, or so she thought. What was his name again…oh yes, Wufei. He was wearing a black tank top, and a pair of red pants. In his hand was what looked like a large thin knife, and he was swinging it around in what seemed to be like a dance. No, somewhere in her mind she knew, that wasn't a large thin knife, it was a sword. And yes, in a way he was dancing…sword-dancing.
His every move was graceful as a swan, and she became totally captivated by it. Not so much him, but by the dance. It was so familiar. It was almost like somehow she knew what he was going to do next even before he did it. Like so many things in her life, his dance was like a memory from a dream. Sometimes, when she was so entranced that she wasn't thinking right, she could almost see another person overlapping Wufei, someone so familiar to her, but she could never make out a face.
She was snapped out of her trance when she saw him do something that she knew deep inside of her to be wrong. It was almost like he was moving in slow motion as she watched him move his sword into an arch, and continued it all the way through, and sloped it up towards his chin. And, while he was doing this she saw him move his heel a little bit in order to maintain his balance. Her very being screamed at the simple wrongness of the move, and she couldn't help but wonder why she even cared. She had not even known what a sword was until today, let alone enough to know what is right and wrong in a sword dance. Yet somehow she knew.
While her mind was thinking about this, her body had another agenda entirely. She couldn't believe it when her mouth moved to voice the words that were echoing in her head.
"That's wrong."
Usagi didn't think that she could have gotten Wufei's attention better any other way, and she knew by the way he went immediately on the defensive that he hadn't noticed she was even there.
For a second she thought he was at a loss for words, and she could see his face getting very red. He looked like he was about to scream at her, when he took a deep breath, and some of the color gradually returned to his face. He continued this exercise for a few minutes, and Usagi thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world when he was finally calm enough to speak.
"What do you mean by that? You can't just start to criticize a tradition that has been passed through my ancient family for almost a thousand years without just saying 'that's wrong'."
Usagi was completely at a loss for words, or at least…she thought she was. Once more her mouth was moving before her brain and she found herself voicing what she was thinking just minutes before.
"Well, as far as I can see it when you do that move you just did, that arch. When you go into a swoop that long and wide you seemed to lose your balance for a second, while if you came in at a 30 degree angle, you wouldn't have that problem. But then again, I don't know anything about sword dancing, but it seems to me that if that dance is so old, it would have been hard to keep it just like it was all of those years ago. Don't worry about it, everything changes with time, and I'm sure that somewhere along the line someone started to teach it like that, and over the centuries that was how it was accepted to be."
'Who is that talking?' Usagi wondered as she sat there as an almost silent observer. But even while she spoke, she realized just how much sense her words made. She was right; things were changed over time. And also, if that dance was a practice to build reflexes like she thought that it was, then he wouldn't want to do it like that because maybe someday he would lose his balance because she practiced it wrong.
Wufei stood there, at a complete loss for words. But he couldn't directly dispute her. He knew absolutely nothing about this girl, and for all he knew she might actually be an onna who knew something, although those sort of phenomena was rare even in these days. Instead he did what he had done earlier, and brought himself together, and placed a layer of calm over his shoulders. He wouldn't chase this girl away until he had some answers, and if going along with this was the only way he could…well…then he would just have to deal with it.
"Well, for not knowing anything about sword-dancing, you seem to have a fairly good understanding of the principles. Here, how about you hold this for me for a second while I go and get a book on the subject from Quatre's extensive library. If you're going to criticize me on my technique, you should at least know what you're talking about.
"Now" Wufei handed her the sword hilt first. "You need to be very careful with this, swords are incredibly dangerous, and you could hurt yourself without meaning to." Quickly he showed her the correct way to hold it in her hand, and walked out the door.
Usagi started at the sword not in her hand with awe. It fit there, almost like a second skin. Like this blade, or any blade was meant to be in her hand. The feeling of wholeness filled her, and it was like she was at home after being lost for a long time.
Usagi's mind flooded with all of these images. With a voice she couldn't recognize reciting the basics over and over again, and the stern face she couldn't quite make out lecturing her on the technique of fighting. For just a second it was almost like she was there. There in her past life feeling the frustration as she tried so hard to learn how to fight with this and many other weapons, and she could never get it. The soreness of abused muscles from blows that she barely missed, and then the sweet feeling of finally getting it. And through it all was that one person, that presence she felt more than saw, never leaving her side.
The memories were gone just as soon as they had come, but the bittersweet feeling remained. Sweet because like so many other things she had found since she had first come her to fill the holes in her life this made her feel a little more complete. And bitter…bitter because all of it was for nothing. Now she knew so much about fighting, or at least sword-fighting. But she couldn't use any of it. Not only was she still stuck in a wheel chair because she didn't dare reveal she had healed herself.
All of those hours of practice, and even the sword dance were done for one main reason. That was that even though you might know everything in your mind possible about anything, you need to have the 'body memory'. Without that you're clumsy, and can't use any of the knowledge you have. And not only that, but she was never very strong in her life, and now she was far weaker than ever before.
But that space in her begged with the need to be filled, and Usagi just couldn't say no to it. Just like she couldn't refuse learning in her past life, she needed to know now or she would be losing something more valuable to her than gold would ever be.
Wufei walked into the room with a large book in his hand. He walked over to her, and said.
"This is the only fighting book I found in the library right now, even though I'm sure there are more somewhere. Here, why don't I take that sword from you and you can read a little from this book so you can have a little knowledge to know what you're talking about. You seem to have a good eye for this sort of thing, and it would be a waste for you not to do something with it." Wufei couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth! This wasn't him, this was some nice woman loving psycho who thought that onna's were actually worth something! But there was just something about her. Even when she was sitting in that fragile wheelchair she commanded respect. Maybe it was because her appearance was so astonishing, with the silver hair and black eye but Wufei didn't think that was it. It was just this aura that emanated from her that commanded respect.
Usagi reluctantly handed over the sword that had been so right in her hand, and took the book. Quickly she scanned some of it over, and began to flip through some of the pages. It was really quite fascinating how there were so many differences with the old style of fighting she had learned thousands of years ago, and the once in the book. But what was even more astonishing, was how there were so much the same.
Reluctantly Usagi closed the book, and put it into the shelf under her chair so she could pour over the pages later. She had something she needed to do first, and she only hoped she would be able to gather enough courage to be able to ask. Finally she spoke.
"Wufei, I was wondering if there was any way you could teach me how to fight, and not just sword-fight, but hand to hand combat as well. I want to learn the art of dancing, but I also want to learn how to defend myself."
Wufei couldn't have been more surprised if Duo had just told him that they were related! Here was this girl, in a wheelchair asking to learn how to fight! Not only was it immensely hard work to learn how to when you were hale and healthy, but as far as he knew it was impossible for someone who like her would never be able to walk again as Sonya had told him when he inquired about her health. But then her words really registered. She wanted to learn how to defend herself as well. Wufei looked closer and saw the healing bruises that were still covering her arms and legs. He began to be filled with a righteous anger. He might not like women especially, but he didn't think that any honorable person would ever lay a finger on one. And even if she had said that she tried to kill herself, he realized. That didn't mean that she had caused those bruises, and that someone hadn't driven her to that end. No, the pieces were finally beginning to fall into place, and he could only like her all the more for that. And not only was it the fact that that she wanted to learn how to fight to defend herself, it was also the fire in her eyes that drove him towards his answer. The spark that he had never seen in her dead, emotionless eyes before.
"Fine, I'll teach you. But you can't expect me to go easy on you because (Wufei stopped himself from saying injured just in time) because you're a girl."
Her smile made him feel more like he was doing the right thing, even though he had no idea how he was going to do this and she answered. "I would never expect you to."
**
Don't worry. I expect for this story to pick up pace really soon, but there are things in my 'plan' that need to happen first, and those include her getting to know the gundam guys. So hang in there, I have BIG plans for this story, and it's barely getting started.
Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!
**
Usagi's eyes snapped open, and suddenly she was jerked from her strange dream. The world seemed distorted for a moment, but after blinking a few times she was finally able to bring the world, and the room she was in into focus. For a second she took the time to wonder just what she had been dreaming about, but she could never remember her dreams so she didn't worry about it too much. She had heard once that dreams were just your hopes and thoughts made manifest in your mind while you were sleeping, or, in other words, they were just like daydreams when you are sleeping, and are pointless fantasies.
But the world she was in now was startlingly real, and Usagi realized, it was time she really got to meet the people here, and see what there was to see. Ever since she had arrived she had closed herself into her room, and basically kept to herself. Here she was, in this whole new world, which had the ultimate potential to make all of her dreams a reality, and not just pointless fantasies she had in her sleep. She shrugged off the sharp pain that came right from the depths of her soul, and tried to forget that maybe she could fulfill some of her dreams, but others would be forever lost to her.
With a skill that came from long practice she half rolled, half fell off her bed and into her wheelchair. Yep, it was time to finally explore this place, and hopefully not hurt anyone in the process.
Being careful not to turn the speed on too high, she started her chair up, and rolled out of the room, and into the immense hallways that filled the mansion like the many tunnels in an anthill.
Usagi wasn't very surprised when 20 minutes later she found herself somewhere far from her room, and…completely lost. But instead of getting all upset over the matter, she smiled a small smile and muttered to herself "I suppose some things never change." And turned to one of the doors on the left, and opened it. After all, what was the point of wandering if all you got to see was doors, without ever even bothering to open one of them?
The room was somewhat dim, and very large. It seemed to be almost like a large gym, only there were no lines on the floor. Not seeing anyone present, she invited herself in to find out just what this place was.
The walls were completely bare, and there were a few lights on the ceiling with shades over them to create the dim look. Careful not to disturb the silence that permeated the place, she turned to see what was on the other side of the room, and saw the man from her dreams.
Or, at least she thought it must be her dreams. He was the man she could have sworn she had seen before, but who had been avoiding her, or so she thought. What was his name again…oh yes, Wufei. He was wearing a black tank top, and a pair of red pants. In his hand was what looked like a large thin knife, and he was swinging it around in what seemed to be like a dance. No, somewhere in her mind she knew, that wasn't a large thin knife, it was a sword. And yes, in a way he was dancing…sword-dancing.
His every move was graceful as a swan, and she became totally captivated by it. Not so much him, but by the dance. It was so familiar. It was almost like somehow she knew what he was going to do next even before he did it. Like so many things in her life, his dance was like a memory from a dream. Sometimes, when she was so entranced that she wasn't thinking right, she could almost see another person overlapping Wufei, someone so familiar to her, but she could never make out a face.
She was snapped out of her trance when she saw him do something that she knew deep inside of her to be wrong. It was almost like he was moving in slow motion as she watched him move his sword into an arch, and continued it all the way through, and sloped it up towards his chin. And, while he was doing this she saw him move his heel a little bit in order to maintain his balance. Her very being screamed at the simple wrongness of the move, and she couldn't help but wonder why she even cared. She had not even known what a sword was until today, let alone enough to know what is right and wrong in a sword dance. Yet somehow she knew.
While her mind was thinking about this, her body had another agenda entirely. She couldn't believe it when her mouth moved to voice the words that were echoing in her head.
"That's wrong."
Usagi didn't think that she could have gotten Wufei's attention better any other way, and she knew by the way he went immediately on the defensive that he hadn't noticed she was even there.
For a second she thought he was at a loss for words, and she could see his face getting very red. He looked like he was about to scream at her, when he took a deep breath, and some of the color gradually returned to his face. He continued this exercise for a few minutes, and Usagi thought it was the most hilarious thing in the world when he was finally calm enough to speak.
"What do you mean by that? You can't just start to criticize a tradition that has been passed through my ancient family for almost a thousand years without just saying 'that's wrong'."
Usagi was completely at a loss for words, or at least…she thought she was. Once more her mouth was moving before her brain and she found herself voicing what she was thinking just minutes before.
"Well, as far as I can see it when you do that move you just did, that arch. When you go into a swoop that long and wide you seemed to lose your balance for a second, while if you came in at a 30 degree angle, you wouldn't have that problem. But then again, I don't know anything about sword dancing, but it seems to me that if that dance is so old, it would have been hard to keep it just like it was all of those years ago. Don't worry about it, everything changes with time, and I'm sure that somewhere along the line someone started to teach it like that, and over the centuries that was how it was accepted to be."
'Who is that talking?' Usagi wondered as she sat there as an almost silent observer. But even while she spoke, she realized just how much sense her words made. She was right; things were changed over time. And also, if that dance was a practice to build reflexes like she thought that it was, then he wouldn't want to do it like that because maybe someday he would lose his balance because she practiced it wrong.
Wufei stood there, at a complete loss for words. But he couldn't directly dispute her. He knew absolutely nothing about this girl, and for all he knew she might actually be an onna who knew something, although those sort of phenomena was rare even in these days. Instead he did what he had done earlier, and brought himself together, and placed a layer of calm over his shoulders. He wouldn't chase this girl away until he had some answers, and if going along with this was the only way he could…well…then he would just have to deal with it.
"Well, for not knowing anything about sword-dancing, you seem to have a fairly good understanding of the principles. Here, how about you hold this for me for a second while I go and get a book on the subject from Quatre's extensive library. If you're going to criticize me on my technique, you should at least know what you're talking about.
"Now" Wufei handed her the sword hilt first. "You need to be very careful with this, swords are incredibly dangerous, and you could hurt yourself without meaning to." Quickly he showed her the correct way to hold it in her hand, and walked out the door.
Usagi started at the sword not in her hand with awe. It fit there, almost like a second skin. Like this blade, or any blade was meant to be in her hand. The feeling of wholeness filled her, and it was like she was at home after being lost for a long time.
Usagi's mind flooded with all of these images. With a voice she couldn't recognize reciting the basics over and over again, and the stern face she couldn't quite make out lecturing her on the technique of fighting. For just a second it was almost like she was there. There in her past life feeling the frustration as she tried so hard to learn how to fight with this and many other weapons, and she could never get it. The soreness of abused muscles from blows that she barely missed, and then the sweet feeling of finally getting it. And through it all was that one person, that presence she felt more than saw, never leaving her side.
The memories were gone just as soon as they had come, but the bittersweet feeling remained. Sweet because like so many other things she had found since she had first come her to fill the holes in her life this made her feel a little more complete. And bitter…bitter because all of it was for nothing. Now she knew so much about fighting, or at least sword-fighting. But she couldn't use any of it. Not only was she still stuck in a wheel chair because she didn't dare reveal she had healed herself.
All of those hours of practice, and even the sword dance were done for one main reason. That was that even though you might know everything in your mind possible about anything, you need to have the 'body memory'. Without that you're clumsy, and can't use any of the knowledge you have. And not only that, but she was never very strong in her life, and now she was far weaker than ever before.
But that space in her begged with the need to be filled, and Usagi just couldn't say no to it. Just like she couldn't refuse learning in her past life, she needed to know now or she would be losing something more valuable to her than gold would ever be.
Wufei walked into the room with a large book in his hand. He walked over to her, and said.
"This is the only fighting book I found in the library right now, even though I'm sure there are more somewhere. Here, why don't I take that sword from you and you can read a little from this book so you can have a little knowledge to know what you're talking about. You seem to have a good eye for this sort of thing, and it would be a waste for you not to do something with it." Wufei couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth! This wasn't him, this was some nice woman loving psycho who thought that onna's were actually worth something! But there was just something about her. Even when she was sitting in that fragile wheelchair she commanded respect. Maybe it was because her appearance was so astonishing, with the silver hair and black eye but Wufei didn't think that was it. It was just this aura that emanated from her that commanded respect.
Usagi reluctantly handed over the sword that had been so right in her hand, and took the book. Quickly she scanned some of it over, and began to flip through some of the pages. It was really quite fascinating how there were so many differences with the old style of fighting she had learned thousands of years ago, and the once in the book. But what was even more astonishing, was how there were so much the same.
Reluctantly Usagi closed the book, and put it into the shelf under her chair so she could pour over the pages later. She had something she needed to do first, and she only hoped she would be able to gather enough courage to be able to ask. Finally she spoke.
"Wufei, I was wondering if there was any way you could teach me how to fight, and not just sword-fight, but hand to hand combat as well. I want to learn the art of dancing, but I also want to learn how to defend myself."
Wufei couldn't have been more surprised if Duo had just told him that they were related! Here was this girl, in a wheelchair asking to learn how to fight! Not only was it immensely hard work to learn how to when you were hale and healthy, but as far as he knew it was impossible for someone who like her would never be able to walk again as Sonya had told him when he inquired about her health. But then her words really registered. She wanted to learn how to defend herself as well. Wufei looked closer and saw the healing bruises that were still covering her arms and legs. He began to be filled with a righteous anger. He might not like women especially, but he didn't think that any honorable person would ever lay a finger on one. And even if she had said that she tried to kill herself, he realized. That didn't mean that she had caused those bruises, and that someone hadn't driven her to that end. No, the pieces were finally beginning to fall into place, and he could only like her all the more for that. And not only was it the fact that that she wanted to learn how to fight to defend herself, it was also the fire in her eyes that drove him towards his answer. The spark that he had never seen in her dead, emotionless eyes before.
"Fine, I'll teach you. But you can't expect me to go easy on you because (Wufei stopped himself from saying injured just in time) because you're a girl."
Her smile made him feel more like he was doing the right thing, even though he had no idea how he was going to do this and she answered. "I would never expect you to."
**
Don't worry. I expect for this story to pick up pace really soon, but there are things in my 'plan' that need to happen first, and those include her getting to know the gundam guys. So hang in there, I have BIG plans for this story, and it's barely getting started.