Disclaimer: I do not own the below quote, or any Final Fantasy related
property aside from Arne, Daniel, Mel, Keire, Quinn and Coruthary.
A Word From the Author: For those observant enough to notice that the chapter title is the same as the last, I apologize for my error. Last chapter's title should have been A Silver Feather. The mistake has since been corrected. Also, if this chapter seems a bit...off...please excuse me as I have only rudimentary knowledge about fighting with swords and was forced to make up some of the stuff. Some of it was stolen from an FR book, Homeland (sorry for mangling your work, R. A. Salvatore—flashes a sheepish smile) Sorry for the massive delay on updating as I am suffering from a gigantic writer's block. (sigh) OC alert! Yet another new one coming in. Thank you. Please proceed with the story.
Chapter Nine: Black Wolf
"There are black wolves among every kind of creature who are different from their kin, outcasts either by choice or birth. For whatever reason, they have no place among their kindred. They walk alone. I say black wolf because oftentimes a rogue wolf has a dark coat. Is such a beast shunned by its kind because of its hide, or does it hunt alone because of differences hidden beneath?"
—Elaine Cunningham, on black wolves
(The above quote has been taken from the FR book Windwalker, which is the property of Wizards of the Coast and Elaine Cunningham.)
While Arne pondered his strange dreams, Sephiroth had awoken and gone to the Headmistress' office once again in response to an announcement over the PA system. The tall silver-haired youth stood at attention in front of Xu's desk as the Headmistress calmly tapped her fingers on its surface, looking intently at her personal computer.
"Impressive results," Xu said at last, swiveling away from her computer to gaze intently into the eyes of her new student. "I think, with such gushing praise from your instructors, it would be ideal if I found you a place immediately." She smiled warmly at Sephiroth. "I have placed an order for your uniform, which will arrive tomorrow, so just wear your ordinary clothes first." She opened a drawer, rummaged around in it, and produced a thick book that was as thick as two fifths of his palm's width. Sephiroth accepted it with a questioning look on his face.
"SeeD handbook," Xu clarified. "It will come in useful, trust me. Contains everything you ever need to know about Garden. Your schedule is inside, by the way." She pounded on her keyboard again. "There. You are now officially enrolled in Garden, under Instructor Elenor Rynee, who is in charge of the advanced swordsmanship class. If the class seems small, that is because, as you know, that swordsmen like you are few and far between." She narrowed her eyes at Sephiroth. "Just remember that even if you are in doesn't mean you are always in. I take into account behavior and morals as well as skill. Expulsion is uncommon, but it has happened before. Though, of course, I hope that it won't come to that."
She propped her head on her elbows and added, "Right now, Elenor is waiting for you in the training center. Since you are new, you will be excused for your lateness, of course, but I suggest you hurry. You may go."
"Thank you, Headmistress," Sephiroth replied sincerely as he saluted and exited. Outside, the youth flipped open the handbook, found his schedule folded neatly in between the pages, and stuffed the book into his pocket for future reference. He was interested to note that after his weapons lesson, he would have a class on magic.
He was fascinated by the magic of this world, so alien and profoundly different from the sorcery of his own world. Yet he had felt a strange connection to it when Mel had cast that ice spell yesterday. For a split second he had sensed the doorway to the magical weave open and he had felt oddly drawn to it. It was familiar and puzzling at the same time. He could only surmise that it was because Jenova had wielded the magic of both worlds, and he carried her cells within him. Even if those cells had been injected, not passed on, he was in some way part of Gaia, just as Jenova was a part of Gaia. He wondered idly for a moment if that made him a sorcerer or something, since Jenova had been a sorceress. In that case, would he need a Guardian Force to help him cast magic?
He broke off from his musings with a start to realize that his feet had subconsciously carried him to the training center. He filed his thoughts in the back of his mind to take out and ponder over later, choosing o focus on his surroundings instead. It wouldn't do to be killed by a Grat or something (the shame!) just because he hadn't been paying sufficient attention to where he was going.
Unsure of their whereabouts, he stopped a passing student and asked him about Instructor Rynee's class. The cadet pointed vaguely in the direction Sephiroth was already going before running off. Sephiroth found them easily after that, identifying the instructor from the twin katanas she wore sheathed across her hips. She was unusually tall and lean for a woman, with a wild mane of dark brown hair and light brown eyes that looked almost yellow in the dim light. A small band consisting of seven students surrounded her, all carrying blades of some form and regarding him with curiosity. One of them, in particular, caught his attention. She was a young woman with a confident stance, leaning her massive broadsword like a spade across her shoulder, a familiar, cocky pose that reminded him of Cloud Strife and his victory pose. Another thing about her were the two small pistols that were hanging from her belt, Obviously she had chosen to take up both long range and short range weapons to increase her fighting efficiency. Sephiroth, though an excellent shot (he had been trained in all kinds of weapons before entering SOLDIER) had always scorned to take up the gun, considering it a coward's weapon.
Instructor Rynee cleared her throat, recapturing his wandering attention. "Are you Sephiroth? My new student?" she asked in a deep, fluting voice just on the edge of the bass tone that could reverberate rocks and tabletops. It seemed a little too deep and manlike to be coming from a woman's throat, yet it somehow managed to fit the instructor.
"Yes," the silver-haired youth replied, nodding. Instructor Rynee regarded him unblinkingly for a few seconds before turning to her cadets and saying, "Class, this is Sephiroth. This is..." She proceeded to introduce the students to him, and he automatically memorized their names in case it could be useful later. The female with the double weapons smiled at him in greeting, twirling her enormous sword in her hand with ease in an almost arrogant gesture when Rynee named her as 'Paine Falkern, my best student.'
(We'll see how long she holds that position) Sephiroth thought, narrowing his eyes back. He resolved not to underestimate her, however. He had underestimated Cloud, and he had ended up killed because of his mistake. Memories floated unbidden to the surface of the pool of his thoughts, triggered by the presence of the girl whose every movement was a ghost of Cloud's own.
"Let me see your weapon," the instructor said, holding out her hand. Sephiroth shrugged and unsheathed the long sword in a fluid gesture, putting the hilt in Rynee's callused palm. Rynee's lips curled into a frown as she hefted the blade—a little awkwardly, but with phenomenal strength nonetheless. Sephiroth tried not to stare. Hojo had once explained to him that the Masamune had been found next to Jenova's body, and in some way the sword had been made so that only those of her blood could actually wield the blade. In some way the Masamune could sense the blood and allow the rightful wielders to take it up. Others would have difficulty in just lifting it, complaining that it was too heavy and unwieldy.
The instructor swiped the Masamune through the air several times, performing a few basic blocks and slashes, her frown unwavering. At last she stopped and rested the weapon point down on the earth, her fingers tracing thoughtfully around the hilt.
"Is this not too heavy for you?" she queried suddenly, her strange yellow eyes darkening slightly. "It requires a lot of strength just to perform a simple maneuver. For someone like you, I thought you would have preferred a lighter sword for continuous movement."
"This is my chosen weapon. I'd prefer to stick with my choice," Sephiroth said indignantly and a little stiffly, taking back the offered weapon. He felt better as soon as his hand wrapped around the Masamune. He knew every little scratch, bump or flaw on his beloved sword, the one friend who had ever bothered to stick with him throughout all his years in the training academy back at Midgar.
Rynee shrugged in a suit-yourself gesture, but he felt her eyes lingering on his back even after he had turned away. He could practically hear her wondering, the wheels turning in her brain. After a while, she turned to face her class, drawing her two slim katanas from her sides gracefully.
"Today we shall learn the cross-down parry," she announced in her husky voice. "Class, please observe. Paine, if you would please," she added, motioning. The dark-haired girl swaggered to the front of the class, holding her broadsword steadily in both hands. Rynee whispered in her ear for a few seconds, then both walked apart until a distance of about three feet separated them. Then Paine dove forward, blade aiming straight towards Rynee's vulnerable legs. Rynee's katanas were out in a flash, blades locked together in a distinctive 'X'. Paine's sword scraped against the katanas with a metallic clang and Rynee worked the broadsword up high. Paine, her midsection unprotected, was forced to retreat.
Rynee addressed the class again. "Traditionally, this parry is only for those who use two blades, but those with only one could also—yes, Sephiroth, what is it?"
The silver-haired youth put down his hand, which he had raised to get the teacher's attention. His expression grave, he said politely, "Pardon me, Instructor, but the parry is wrong. It is not appropriate for that kind of move."
Rynee's head snapped back to look at him amid whispers and mutters from the other students at what they regarded as an insolent move from an arrogant upstart like him. Contrary to what he had expected, however, the instructor did not appear offended. Her yellow eyes were filled with interest. "Explain," she ordered peremptorily , motioning at him to continue talking.
A little surprised, he nevertheless obeyed. "You see," he stated, using the Masamune to demonstrate and prove his point, "If the enemy also happens to have a gun, another weapon, whatever, he could just pull it out and inflict damage whilst your own weapons are still high up and unable to guard. Or just use his knee to shove it up your..." he broke off hastily as he remembered just in time that he was talking to an instructor. "Well, sorry about that. Anyway, as I was saying, with one bang, well, game over, only you can't press the reset button and start all over again. Am I right?"
"Yes," Rynee said agreeably, much to the apparent surprise of the cadets, because the whispering started all over again. Some of Paine's initial coolness faded from her eyes, and she looked at him in an appraising kind of way, newfound respect in their gray depths. Rynee continued, "To be honest, you haven't been the first to voice such an opinion, but you're definitely the first junior. True, the parry is wrong, but until someone is smart enough to figure out a new parry, it's the best one we got." She did another shrug. "That was pretty observant of you, by the way. The Headmistress said you were already trained in sword craft, so I guess that accounts for it." She looked at him keenly. "Not anyone can just swing that sword of yours around. Whoever trained you must be immensely skilled himself. Who was it?"
Sephiroth grimaced a bit as he recalled the long excruciating hours of training he had undergone in SOLDIER. How President Shinra had hired the best swordsmen he could find to train his 'perfect soldier.' Of course, he had no idea that he would be signing his own death warrant when he had sponsored Professor Hojo's project then. Sephiroth had been a quick learner, and memorized everything his instructors had thrown at him, then examining their methods, the secrets of their successes, and modifying them for his own uses. Within a few months, the new, green recruit was beating hardened war veterans with their own improved moves. Shinra had been overjoyed at the results of Hojo's experiments and without further ado appointed him a captain in SOLDIER.
He couldn't very well tell Rynee, or anyone else, that as it would reveal the truth of his heritage. For the first time Sephiroth realized that he would have to hide his skills, his prodigious strength, his ability to use materia. What would the SeeDs think when they saw a teenager, presumably still very green behind the ears, do things that even adults and the most powerful among them could not? He had experimented when he was alone last night, and found that he could still use some of his inherent abilities, such as (he shuddered as images of Nibelheim surfaced painfully in his mind) summoning fire at will, and frankly, all kinds of magic, without even needing to summon his power from the materia. He didn't need them for his spells. However, before, it had cost him much energy and concentration to do so, and he needed to be really angry or upset before he started throwing fire around without using materia. Here, in Gaia, it was much easier. Sephiroth could only speculate about the reasons for this oddity. Jenova could cast spells without the aid of materia as well. Perhaps it was a sorceress-based ability to be just able to use magic without the help of any external sources of power and he had inherited the ability through Jenova's cells.
Shaking himself out of his train of thoughts, reminding himself that Rynee was still looking at him expectantly and waiting an answer, he looked at Rynee and, trying to sound as though he was telling the truth, blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "My...uh...uncle. He likes his privacy, so he just does his sword work in secret when no one is looking. He taught me all this before he died last year."
"Really," Rynee said, peering suspiciously at him. He assumed an innocent expression, and she glanced away after a moment, apparently convinced. "Good for you to have such nice family," she said dryly. Facing the class, she told them to break up in pairs and practice the parry, "regardless of whether it's wrong or not" she finished archly, and to show it to her nest lesson.
Sephiroth found himself paired off with Paine Falkern. When Rynee wasn't looking, Paine stopped doing the parry, and grinned up at him with such mischief dancing in her dark eyes that Sephiroth couldn't help but feel uneasy. Paine brought her broadsword up into a defensive position and suggested with a bright smile, "Spar? Since you're such a vaunted swordsman and all."
Sephiroth liked her at once, sensing a common love of the sword in his opponent. He smiled in return and did a small, courtly bow. "I'll try not to hurt you or leave a scar."
"You wish," she smirked.
Sephiroth brought up his own sword. The two watched each other warily, circling around the other, on the alert for openings or wavering of concentration. The other students, noticing, crowded around them, but left a bare ring in the center, standing back a respectful distance from the dueling duo, giving them adequate space to fight.
Rynee also noticed, but she did not try to interfere. A small, knowing smile curved her lips, as though she had been expecting such an event to happen. She stood at the side, her tawny yellow eyes fixed intently on the two swordsmen, the best in her class.
Sephiroth and Paine struck at once. The broadsword and the Masamune screeched harshly against each other. It was an almost ludicrous sight to see the thick blade of Paine's sword pressing hard against the other, thinner, seemingly fragile blade of the Masamune. But the long sword held firm, and the two disengaged with another loud ring of steel. There was no circling or waiting game this time. Each had marked the other, and now the blows were fast and furious. The empty air between the two was filled with the silvery, barely seen afterimages of the blades.
Sephiroth concentrated on not revealing too much of his true strength. He knew Rynee already suspected, and he wanted to appear as nothing more than an ordinary cadet. But Paine was a vicious fighter, and fought dirty at times. She was an aggressor who would do anything to win. If he did not show his full potential, he knew he just might lose to her. And his masculine pride protested volubly against such an embarrassment. His sword moved faster, almost to the point of impossibility. He checked any further speed; he knew his current speed was already close to breaking all the laws of physics. He concentrated instead on tiring Paine out, forcing her to defend against all his lightning quick slashes.
His sword fell one last time, and Paine, exhausted, could not hold the broadsword steady this time. With a gentle little push, the huge blade fell to the ground, followed by its owner two seconds later. Paine groaned as she stared blearily up at Sephiroth, who loomed above her, arms crossed over his chest in a gesture of insufferable smugness.
"Okay, I admit it, I lost," she snarled sullenly. She smiled suddenly. "Let's do this again, shall we? This is the first time I've ever been beaten, you know. It was kind of boring winning every time. It's enriching to lose." She groaned again. "Before I get a crick in my neck, will someone give me a hand?"
Sephiroth smiled and offered a hand. Paine took it, and heaved herself up. The moment she was upright, she aimed a brutal kick at the part of Sephiroth's anatomy that would have left most men groaning in deeply masculine agony with the toe of her steel-shod boot.
The kick never connected. Sephiroth stepped to one side in an almost casual movement and released her hand at the same time. Off balance as her foot sailed through empty air, she stepped backwards, arms windmilling, and fell down again.
"Ouch," she muttered from her undignified position as their audience clapped and cheered. "Alright, no kidding this time. You win. Now get me up."
Sephiroth decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Paine, true to her word, didn't try anything funny this time. She leaned against Sephiroth, wincing at the pain her bruised body was giving her.
"Do you need the infirmary, Paine?" Rynee's deep, calm voice asked.
"Nah, I would die from just a bunch of bruises," Paine muttered, hissing through her teeth in annoyance as she accidentally scraped her elbow against Sephiroth's ribs. "But I would appreciate it if I could use Sephiroth as a walking stick back to my dormitory. Could you explain to Instructor Orionyt why I couldn't make it for my next lesson?"
"Sure," Rynee agreed as the bell rang. "See you next lesson, class. And you better have practiced; I can tell." The students left for their next lesson in high spirits, chatting, leaving Sephiroth and Paine behind as they awkwardly hobbled together from the training center. Sephiroth had no doubt that the story of Paine's first defeat would be all over the school before the hour was over.
"Could you not poke your arm into my side," he growled at Paine through gritted teeth. "You could be grateful, you know. I'm late for my next class."
"Oh, yeah? Who did this to me in the first place?" she retorted smartly, twisting her head around to glare at him in an unfriendly manner.
"You did this to yourself," he responded, giving her a black look.
So went on the 'friendly' remarks until they managed to reach the entrance to the girls' dormitories. Since guys weren't allowed to enter, Paine disentangled herself from him to go on alone. "I mean it about our second duel, though," she insisted. "Once I'm healthy again, I'm coming after you."
"I'm petrified," he drawled.
She sniffed, and thrusting her nose haughtily in the air, limped off into her room. Highly amused, Sephiroth chuckled and departed for his magic lesson. His thoughts stayed on Paine. He had no doubt that, if given a good dose of Mako (not that he would wish that poison on anyone) she could be one of the best swordsmen (oops, swordswomen) of her world. With a jolt, he smiled to himself as he realized that he was truly looking forward to their second spar.
"Until next time, Paine," he muttered to himself. ...............................................................................................................
Author's Ending Note: Hope you liked it! I'll do Sephiroth's first magic class on request from the readers if you want it. If you feel that I should speed up the action a little, please contact me via e-mail or the review system.
Travithian Axile signing out
Thanks to:
Noacat: I've actually succeeded in writing something horribly creepy for once? Thanks! I didn't get such a good response for another dream sequence I did once, so, again, thanks for cheering me up!
Omega Paladin: I hope I didn't disappoint you with what I've written. Sorry for making you wait so long to read it!
Zero-no-uta: (sobs) You make me feel so touched with your wonderful response to my work! (pulls out handkerchief and cries into it)
Dark Feruil: Well, you're supposed to read the story to find out, so keep on reading and reviewing, please! Hmmm, maybe I should do more of those creepy dreams just to torture poor Arne, hee, I'm so evil to him.
Daishi Mk I2I: Nice to know I'm not the only one who does ( ingest too much caffeine and go crazy for random bouts of time, that is.)
A Word From the Author: For those observant enough to notice that the chapter title is the same as the last, I apologize for my error. Last chapter's title should have been A Silver Feather. The mistake has since been corrected. Also, if this chapter seems a bit...off...please excuse me as I have only rudimentary knowledge about fighting with swords and was forced to make up some of the stuff. Some of it was stolen from an FR book, Homeland (sorry for mangling your work, R. A. Salvatore—flashes a sheepish smile) Sorry for the massive delay on updating as I am suffering from a gigantic writer's block. (sigh) OC alert! Yet another new one coming in. Thank you. Please proceed with the story.
Chapter Nine: Black Wolf
"There are black wolves among every kind of creature who are different from their kin, outcasts either by choice or birth. For whatever reason, they have no place among their kindred. They walk alone. I say black wolf because oftentimes a rogue wolf has a dark coat. Is such a beast shunned by its kind because of its hide, or does it hunt alone because of differences hidden beneath?"
—Elaine Cunningham, on black wolves
(The above quote has been taken from the FR book Windwalker, which is the property of Wizards of the Coast and Elaine Cunningham.)
While Arne pondered his strange dreams, Sephiroth had awoken and gone to the Headmistress' office once again in response to an announcement over the PA system. The tall silver-haired youth stood at attention in front of Xu's desk as the Headmistress calmly tapped her fingers on its surface, looking intently at her personal computer.
"Impressive results," Xu said at last, swiveling away from her computer to gaze intently into the eyes of her new student. "I think, with such gushing praise from your instructors, it would be ideal if I found you a place immediately." She smiled warmly at Sephiroth. "I have placed an order for your uniform, which will arrive tomorrow, so just wear your ordinary clothes first." She opened a drawer, rummaged around in it, and produced a thick book that was as thick as two fifths of his palm's width. Sephiroth accepted it with a questioning look on his face.
"SeeD handbook," Xu clarified. "It will come in useful, trust me. Contains everything you ever need to know about Garden. Your schedule is inside, by the way." She pounded on her keyboard again. "There. You are now officially enrolled in Garden, under Instructor Elenor Rynee, who is in charge of the advanced swordsmanship class. If the class seems small, that is because, as you know, that swordsmen like you are few and far between." She narrowed her eyes at Sephiroth. "Just remember that even if you are in doesn't mean you are always in. I take into account behavior and morals as well as skill. Expulsion is uncommon, but it has happened before. Though, of course, I hope that it won't come to that."
She propped her head on her elbows and added, "Right now, Elenor is waiting for you in the training center. Since you are new, you will be excused for your lateness, of course, but I suggest you hurry. You may go."
"Thank you, Headmistress," Sephiroth replied sincerely as he saluted and exited. Outside, the youth flipped open the handbook, found his schedule folded neatly in between the pages, and stuffed the book into his pocket for future reference. He was interested to note that after his weapons lesson, he would have a class on magic.
He was fascinated by the magic of this world, so alien and profoundly different from the sorcery of his own world. Yet he had felt a strange connection to it when Mel had cast that ice spell yesterday. For a split second he had sensed the doorway to the magical weave open and he had felt oddly drawn to it. It was familiar and puzzling at the same time. He could only surmise that it was because Jenova had wielded the magic of both worlds, and he carried her cells within him. Even if those cells had been injected, not passed on, he was in some way part of Gaia, just as Jenova was a part of Gaia. He wondered idly for a moment if that made him a sorcerer or something, since Jenova had been a sorceress. In that case, would he need a Guardian Force to help him cast magic?
He broke off from his musings with a start to realize that his feet had subconsciously carried him to the training center. He filed his thoughts in the back of his mind to take out and ponder over later, choosing o focus on his surroundings instead. It wouldn't do to be killed by a Grat or something (the shame!) just because he hadn't been paying sufficient attention to where he was going.
Unsure of their whereabouts, he stopped a passing student and asked him about Instructor Rynee's class. The cadet pointed vaguely in the direction Sephiroth was already going before running off. Sephiroth found them easily after that, identifying the instructor from the twin katanas she wore sheathed across her hips. She was unusually tall and lean for a woman, with a wild mane of dark brown hair and light brown eyes that looked almost yellow in the dim light. A small band consisting of seven students surrounded her, all carrying blades of some form and regarding him with curiosity. One of them, in particular, caught his attention. She was a young woman with a confident stance, leaning her massive broadsword like a spade across her shoulder, a familiar, cocky pose that reminded him of Cloud Strife and his victory pose. Another thing about her were the two small pistols that were hanging from her belt, Obviously she had chosen to take up both long range and short range weapons to increase her fighting efficiency. Sephiroth, though an excellent shot (he had been trained in all kinds of weapons before entering SOLDIER) had always scorned to take up the gun, considering it a coward's weapon.
Instructor Rynee cleared her throat, recapturing his wandering attention. "Are you Sephiroth? My new student?" she asked in a deep, fluting voice just on the edge of the bass tone that could reverberate rocks and tabletops. It seemed a little too deep and manlike to be coming from a woman's throat, yet it somehow managed to fit the instructor.
"Yes," the silver-haired youth replied, nodding. Instructor Rynee regarded him unblinkingly for a few seconds before turning to her cadets and saying, "Class, this is Sephiroth. This is..." She proceeded to introduce the students to him, and he automatically memorized their names in case it could be useful later. The female with the double weapons smiled at him in greeting, twirling her enormous sword in her hand with ease in an almost arrogant gesture when Rynee named her as 'Paine Falkern, my best student.'
(We'll see how long she holds that position) Sephiroth thought, narrowing his eyes back. He resolved not to underestimate her, however. He had underestimated Cloud, and he had ended up killed because of his mistake. Memories floated unbidden to the surface of the pool of his thoughts, triggered by the presence of the girl whose every movement was a ghost of Cloud's own.
"Let me see your weapon," the instructor said, holding out her hand. Sephiroth shrugged and unsheathed the long sword in a fluid gesture, putting the hilt in Rynee's callused palm. Rynee's lips curled into a frown as she hefted the blade—a little awkwardly, but with phenomenal strength nonetheless. Sephiroth tried not to stare. Hojo had once explained to him that the Masamune had been found next to Jenova's body, and in some way the sword had been made so that only those of her blood could actually wield the blade. In some way the Masamune could sense the blood and allow the rightful wielders to take it up. Others would have difficulty in just lifting it, complaining that it was too heavy and unwieldy.
The instructor swiped the Masamune through the air several times, performing a few basic blocks and slashes, her frown unwavering. At last she stopped and rested the weapon point down on the earth, her fingers tracing thoughtfully around the hilt.
"Is this not too heavy for you?" she queried suddenly, her strange yellow eyes darkening slightly. "It requires a lot of strength just to perform a simple maneuver. For someone like you, I thought you would have preferred a lighter sword for continuous movement."
"This is my chosen weapon. I'd prefer to stick with my choice," Sephiroth said indignantly and a little stiffly, taking back the offered weapon. He felt better as soon as his hand wrapped around the Masamune. He knew every little scratch, bump or flaw on his beloved sword, the one friend who had ever bothered to stick with him throughout all his years in the training academy back at Midgar.
Rynee shrugged in a suit-yourself gesture, but he felt her eyes lingering on his back even after he had turned away. He could practically hear her wondering, the wheels turning in her brain. After a while, she turned to face her class, drawing her two slim katanas from her sides gracefully.
"Today we shall learn the cross-down parry," she announced in her husky voice. "Class, please observe. Paine, if you would please," she added, motioning. The dark-haired girl swaggered to the front of the class, holding her broadsword steadily in both hands. Rynee whispered in her ear for a few seconds, then both walked apart until a distance of about three feet separated them. Then Paine dove forward, blade aiming straight towards Rynee's vulnerable legs. Rynee's katanas were out in a flash, blades locked together in a distinctive 'X'. Paine's sword scraped against the katanas with a metallic clang and Rynee worked the broadsword up high. Paine, her midsection unprotected, was forced to retreat.
Rynee addressed the class again. "Traditionally, this parry is only for those who use two blades, but those with only one could also—yes, Sephiroth, what is it?"
The silver-haired youth put down his hand, which he had raised to get the teacher's attention. His expression grave, he said politely, "Pardon me, Instructor, but the parry is wrong. It is not appropriate for that kind of move."
Rynee's head snapped back to look at him amid whispers and mutters from the other students at what they regarded as an insolent move from an arrogant upstart like him. Contrary to what he had expected, however, the instructor did not appear offended. Her yellow eyes were filled with interest. "Explain," she ordered peremptorily , motioning at him to continue talking.
A little surprised, he nevertheless obeyed. "You see," he stated, using the Masamune to demonstrate and prove his point, "If the enemy also happens to have a gun, another weapon, whatever, he could just pull it out and inflict damage whilst your own weapons are still high up and unable to guard. Or just use his knee to shove it up your..." he broke off hastily as he remembered just in time that he was talking to an instructor. "Well, sorry about that. Anyway, as I was saying, with one bang, well, game over, only you can't press the reset button and start all over again. Am I right?"
"Yes," Rynee said agreeably, much to the apparent surprise of the cadets, because the whispering started all over again. Some of Paine's initial coolness faded from her eyes, and she looked at him in an appraising kind of way, newfound respect in their gray depths. Rynee continued, "To be honest, you haven't been the first to voice such an opinion, but you're definitely the first junior. True, the parry is wrong, but until someone is smart enough to figure out a new parry, it's the best one we got." She did another shrug. "That was pretty observant of you, by the way. The Headmistress said you were already trained in sword craft, so I guess that accounts for it." She looked at him keenly. "Not anyone can just swing that sword of yours around. Whoever trained you must be immensely skilled himself. Who was it?"
Sephiroth grimaced a bit as he recalled the long excruciating hours of training he had undergone in SOLDIER. How President Shinra had hired the best swordsmen he could find to train his 'perfect soldier.' Of course, he had no idea that he would be signing his own death warrant when he had sponsored Professor Hojo's project then. Sephiroth had been a quick learner, and memorized everything his instructors had thrown at him, then examining their methods, the secrets of their successes, and modifying them for his own uses. Within a few months, the new, green recruit was beating hardened war veterans with their own improved moves. Shinra had been overjoyed at the results of Hojo's experiments and without further ado appointed him a captain in SOLDIER.
He couldn't very well tell Rynee, or anyone else, that as it would reveal the truth of his heritage. For the first time Sephiroth realized that he would have to hide his skills, his prodigious strength, his ability to use materia. What would the SeeDs think when they saw a teenager, presumably still very green behind the ears, do things that even adults and the most powerful among them could not? He had experimented when he was alone last night, and found that he could still use some of his inherent abilities, such as (he shuddered as images of Nibelheim surfaced painfully in his mind) summoning fire at will, and frankly, all kinds of magic, without even needing to summon his power from the materia. He didn't need them for his spells. However, before, it had cost him much energy and concentration to do so, and he needed to be really angry or upset before he started throwing fire around without using materia. Here, in Gaia, it was much easier. Sephiroth could only speculate about the reasons for this oddity. Jenova could cast spells without the aid of materia as well. Perhaps it was a sorceress-based ability to be just able to use magic without the help of any external sources of power and he had inherited the ability through Jenova's cells.
Shaking himself out of his train of thoughts, reminding himself that Rynee was still looking at him expectantly and waiting an answer, he looked at Rynee and, trying to sound as though he was telling the truth, blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "My...uh...uncle. He likes his privacy, so he just does his sword work in secret when no one is looking. He taught me all this before he died last year."
"Really," Rynee said, peering suspiciously at him. He assumed an innocent expression, and she glanced away after a moment, apparently convinced. "Good for you to have such nice family," she said dryly. Facing the class, she told them to break up in pairs and practice the parry, "regardless of whether it's wrong or not" she finished archly, and to show it to her nest lesson.
Sephiroth found himself paired off with Paine Falkern. When Rynee wasn't looking, Paine stopped doing the parry, and grinned up at him with such mischief dancing in her dark eyes that Sephiroth couldn't help but feel uneasy. Paine brought her broadsword up into a defensive position and suggested with a bright smile, "Spar? Since you're such a vaunted swordsman and all."
Sephiroth liked her at once, sensing a common love of the sword in his opponent. He smiled in return and did a small, courtly bow. "I'll try not to hurt you or leave a scar."
"You wish," she smirked.
Sephiroth brought up his own sword. The two watched each other warily, circling around the other, on the alert for openings or wavering of concentration. The other students, noticing, crowded around them, but left a bare ring in the center, standing back a respectful distance from the dueling duo, giving them adequate space to fight.
Rynee also noticed, but she did not try to interfere. A small, knowing smile curved her lips, as though she had been expecting such an event to happen. She stood at the side, her tawny yellow eyes fixed intently on the two swordsmen, the best in her class.
Sephiroth and Paine struck at once. The broadsword and the Masamune screeched harshly against each other. It was an almost ludicrous sight to see the thick blade of Paine's sword pressing hard against the other, thinner, seemingly fragile blade of the Masamune. But the long sword held firm, and the two disengaged with another loud ring of steel. There was no circling or waiting game this time. Each had marked the other, and now the blows were fast and furious. The empty air between the two was filled with the silvery, barely seen afterimages of the blades.
Sephiroth concentrated on not revealing too much of his true strength. He knew Rynee already suspected, and he wanted to appear as nothing more than an ordinary cadet. But Paine was a vicious fighter, and fought dirty at times. She was an aggressor who would do anything to win. If he did not show his full potential, he knew he just might lose to her. And his masculine pride protested volubly against such an embarrassment. His sword moved faster, almost to the point of impossibility. He checked any further speed; he knew his current speed was already close to breaking all the laws of physics. He concentrated instead on tiring Paine out, forcing her to defend against all his lightning quick slashes.
His sword fell one last time, and Paine, exhausted, could not hold the broadsword steady this time. With a gentle little push, the huge blade fell to the ground, followed by its owner two seconds later. Paine groaned as she stared blearily up at Sephiroth, who loomed above her, arms crossed over his chest in a gesture of insufferable smugness.
"Okay, I admit it, I lost," she snarled sullenly. She smiled suddenly. "Let's do this again, shall we? This is the first time I've ever been beaten, you know. It was kind of boring winning every time. It's enriching to lose." She groaned again. "Before I get a crick in my neck, will someone give me a hand?"
Sephiroth smiled and offered a hand. Paine took it, and heaved herself up. The moment she was upright, she aimed a brutal kick at the part of Sephiroth's anatomy that would have left most men groaning in deeply masculine agony with the toe of her steel-shod boot.
The kick never connected. Sephiroth stepped to one side in an almost casual movement and released her hand at the same time. Off balance as her foot sailed through empty air, she stepped backwards, arms windmilling, and fell down again.
"Ouch," she muttered from her undignified position as their audience clapped and cheered. "Alright, no kidding this time. You win. Now get me up."
Sephiroth decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. Paine, true to her word, didn't try anything funny this time. She leaned against Sephiroth, wincing at the pain her bruised body was giving her.
"Do you need the infirmary, Paine?" Rynee's deep, calm voice asked.
"Nah, I would die from just a bunch of bruises," Paine muttered, hissing through her teeth in annoyance as she accidentally scraped her elbow against Sephiroth's ribs. "But I would appreciate it if I could use Sephiroth as a walking stick back to my dormitory. Could you explain to Instructor Orionyt why I couldn't make it for my next lesson?"
"Sure," Rynee agreed as the bell rang. "See you next lesson, class. And you better have practiced; I can tell." The students left for their next lesson in high spirits, chatting, leaving Sephiroth and Paine behind as they awkwardly hobbled together from the training center. Sephiroth had no doubt that the story of Paine's first defeat would be all over the school before the hour was over.
"Could you not poke your arm into my side," he growled at Paine through gritted teeth. "You could be grateful, you know. I'm late for my next class."
"Oh, yeah? Who did this to me in the first place?" she retorted smartly, twisting her head around to glare at him in an unfriendly manner.
"You did this to yourself," he responded, giving her a black look.
So went on the 'friendly' remarks until they managed to reach the entrance to the girls' dormitories. Since guys weren't allowed to enter, Paine disentangled herself from him to go on alone. "I mean it about our second duel, though," she insisted. "Once I'm healthy again, I'm coming after you."
"I'm petrified," he drawled.
She sniffed, and thrusting her nose haughtily in the air, limped off into her room. Highly amused, Sephiroth chuckled and departed for his magic lesson. His thoughts stayed on Paine. He had no doubt that, if given a good dose of Mako (not that he would wish that poison on anyone) she could be one of the best swordsmen (oops, swordswomen) of her world. With a jolt, he smiled to himself as he realized that he was truly looking forward to their second spar.
"Until next time, Paine," he muttered to himself. ...............................................................................................................
Author's Ending Note: Hope you liked it! I'll do Sephiroth's first magic class on request from the readers if you want it. If you feel that I should speed up the action a little, please contact me via e-mail or the review system.
Travithian Axile signing out
Thanks to:
Noacat: I've actually succeeded in writing something horribly creepy for once? Thanks! I didn't get such a good response for another dream sequence I did once, so, again, thanks for cheering me up!
Omega Paladin: I hope I didn't disappoint you with what I've written. Sorry for making you wait so long to read it!
Zero-no-uta: (sobs) You make me feel so touched with your wonderful response to my work! (pulls out handkerchief and cries into it)
Dark Feruil: Well, you're supposed to read the story to find out, so keep on reading and reviewing, please! Hmmm, maybe I should do more of those creepy dreams just to torture poor Arne, hee, I'm so evil to him.
Daishi Mk I2I: Nice to know I'm not the only one who does ( ingest too much caffeine and go crazy for random bouts of time, that is.)
