Training Begins
I woke up the next day by the sound of someone knocking at my door. I slowly made my way to the door, only to be received by a loud horn. My mother had a large grin on her face.
"Finally awake?" she asked. My mother never acted like a mother. She didn't dress like one either. She was wearing a simple white razor back tank top with black jeans. She was also wearing black laced up combat boots. Her hair was tied up in a high pony tail and the same necklace was hanging around her neck. Her left arm was bandaged up, once again. My mother was very beautiful, and didn't look like an adult at all.
"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" I replied, rubbing my eyes.
"We are going to start your training."
We soon found ourselves in a dense forest, quite far from town. My mother was sitting on top of a tree, humming a familiar melody.
"Sora," she called as she jumped down, landing a couple of feet away from me. Despite her appearance and personality, she was graceful and elegant in everything she did.
Several leaves came falling down from the tree. My mother extended her hand and a leaf came fluttering down into her palm.
"I want you to catch a leaf," she said simply. "If you manage to do it, we will continue your training."
A gust of wind shook the trees, causing several leaves to fall. I hopped from one side to another, without catching a single leaf. My mother was simply leaning against a tree, seeming quite amused. I tried once again but without any luck. It seems like a waste of time, chasing after a tiny leaf. After for what it seems hours, I dropped to the ground. I stared at the clear blue sky. How am I supposed to do this?
An explosion was suddenly heard. I stood up, looking in the direction of the explosion. Smoke was coming from the forest. Could it be Gokudera? I ran towards the smoke.
"Sora, where are you going?" my mother asked me, puzzled. I ignored her as I continued to run.
The branches zipped past me, leaving scratch marks all over my arms and face. Please don't let it be Gokudera. I kept wishing and hoping. A second explosion was heard. I needed to hurry.
I soon came to a glade. Gokudera was barely standing. He was covered in bruises and scratch marks. His dirty silver hair was covering part of his face. He stumbled to the ground, dropping a couple of lit dynamites. I rushed towards him. I stumbled over something and fell. Smoke was everywhere, impairing my vision. Something was wrapped around me.
The smoke eventually cleared. I soon noticed that Gokudera had his arm around me, protecting me. We were in a ditch along with Reborn, dressed up in an orange jump suit and a man with dirty blond hair peeking out of from his protection helmet. He had the same brown eyes as Sawada and was carrying a pick axe. He also was wearing an orange jump suit.
"Good thing that you fell into this hole, boy," he said with a grin on his face.
"Who are you?" Gokudera asked as he coughed. He gently pushed me aside, and sat up.
"I just saved your life, you should be grateful." He glanced at me and tipped his helmet. "I just want you to keep in mind that they are people who hurt and people who heal. This girl here just risked her life to save you." Gokudera looked at me, troubled. The man smiled.
"She probably doesn't want to see you get hurt and don't you think it's insulting to her to see you not give a damn about your life?" The man stood up and walked away. Gokudera stared at the ground for a few minutes before turning towards me. I pursed my lip.
"He is right." I looked at him straight in the eyes. "Why are you doing this? There is probably a reason why you are alive right now. If you can't even value your own life, I don't know how you can value others." His green eyes widened, shocked. His blazing green eyes turned into an olive color and were filled with sadness. I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
"What matters lie here." My hand was shaking. "There are people who care about you Gokudera, like Sawada and the others. I care about you as well." My cheeks took a light shade of pink. He placed his hand on top of mine. His hand was warm. He gently removed my hand but kept it in his. He gazed at it.
"What I could see was my life," he muttered as he squeezed my hand. He looked back up at me. He then gazed at my eyes. His brow furrowed. He gently pushed my bangs away, revealing my pink cheeks and my red eyes that I despise so much. I avoided his eyes.
"Since when were your eyes red?" he asked me, analysing my face.
"They were always red," I replied, looking upwards. My gaze caught his emerald ones. He released my hair, making it fall back in front of my eyes.
"You should cut your hair. It's because of your bangs." He stood up and extended a hand towards me. I grabbed it, allowing him to pull me up.
"Gokudera, Sora!" Sawada came running out of the trees, looking worried. "Are you alright?"
"Tenth," Gokudera called out. His cheeks turned red. "How embarrassing!"
"Why are you here Sawada?" I asked. He scratched his cheek. Before he could even reply, someone was sent flying across the glade. A silhouette appeared from the trees.
"Dr. Shamal?" Sawada yelled, shocked. Dr. Shamal sat up and rubbed his forehead.
"You haven't changed a bit, Kathy," he said. My mother stepped out from the shadows, seeming extremely mad.
"Is that Sora's mother?" Sawada yelled once again. "What is she doing here?"
"Why didn't you stop Gokudera?" she asked, ignoring Sawada. She approached Dr. Shamal and grabbed him by the collar. "Did you plan on letting him die?"
"He is a reckless fool and he is also too stubborn to die. Just like you my dear—"
"Don't call me dear, Shamal. You know that I'm married," she replied. Her eyes were more vibrant than ever.
"Is Dr. Shamal supposed to be Gokudera's tutor?" I asked. My mother released him, making him fall to the ground.
"Unfortunately, yes. There is no one else to train Gokudera." She then looked at me and grabbed me by the collar. "And, don't go off giving other people speeches about how important life is. You just risked your own life in order to save another, how ironic is that?" Her red eyes were the same as mine, yet slightly different. She had a murderous intent hiding beneath them. She threw me onto Gokudera, who managed to catch me in time.
"Is that how you are supposed to treat your daughter?" Dr. Shamal asked. My mother ignored his question and headed back towards our training area. He chuckled before turning back to us. Gokudera helped me back on my feet.
"Treat your own wounds since I don't take care of men. Do you how many girls I could have hit on in ten days?" Gokudera's eyes suddenly lit up filled with hope. I couldn't help but to smile. The wind blew, pushing my hair into my face.
The calm and gentle breeze that can't be stopped by anyone.
I suddenly came to a realisation. I rushed past Gokudera and Sawada, rejoining my mother amidst the tall trees. She was once again leaning against a tree, staring at her left hand. She simply lifted her gaze at the sound of my approaching footsteps.
"Have you figured out how to catch a leaf?" she asked, smirking. I swallowed the knot in my throat before inhaling. I closed my eyes as the wind simply blew, causing several leaves to fall. I simply stood there and shifted my weight to the right. A leaf gently swayed into my palm. I held onto it and opened my eyes.
"A calm and gentle breeze that doesn't stop for anyone; that's why you can't go against the wind, you have to simply follow it and plan as you go." I glanced at the tiny orange leaf in my hand before facing my mother. I smiled. "That's the role of the Wind Guardian, am I right?"
My mother pushed herself off of the tree and looked at the sky.
"Tell yourself that this was simply a warm up. We have 10 days in order to complete your training."
I couldn't help but to clench my fist.
"Will I be strong enough by then?" I asked her quietly. "I don't have any fighting experiences." She approached me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Promise me something, Sora," she whispered. I looked up to her ruby red eyes. "Don't forget what you are fighting for. But most importantly, don't forget that smile of yours." She took a step back and forced a smile at me. What was this feeling? Is it sadness? No, it's more like regret.
"That's all for today. Come back tomorrow." My mother turned around, and headed towards town. I pursed my lip before bowing down.
"Thank you for being my tutor!"