Title: Training Sessions: Setsuna and Kimi

Characters: Sakurazaki Setsuna and Student Number 2, Yamamoto Kimi

Genre: General

Rating: E

Timeframe: July 15th, 2009, in Eva's Resort

Spoilers: None, not if you're reading Still Waters 3 Book 2, which this is a side story of.

Setsuna shifted her stance slightly, and waited.

Student Number 2, Yamamoto Kimi, standing across from her, shifted her own stance in response.

Setsuna mentally marked off another item on her internal checklist. Without a doubt, the girl standing across from her had some serious potential. The girl held her sword like a master swordsman, her grip perfect yet flexible, her movements fluid. Her stance wasn't exactly textbook perfect, but then again, neither was Setsuna's, and neither were the stances of a great many of her fellow members of the Shinmeiryu. One used what worked best for the individual, not what some court advisor had set down on paper two or three hundred years ago. One would use a stance that would allow them to use their strengths to their fullest advantage, while hiding their flaws...and every swordsman had his or her flaws, as Setsuna well knew. Kimi's stance seemed to be built around ease of movement, and changed subtly depending on any number of factors, from the build of the sword she was holding to the nature of the ground under her feet to the attributes of whoever she was facing. After a great deal of observation, Setsuna had discovered that Kimi wasn't consciously aware of the changes she made to her stance...it was just something she did. Setsuna approved. The best swordsmen were adaptable, able to adjust to any weapon, any situation, with ease. While she and Asuna had both had to work hard to gain their skills, others, like Setsuna's teacher Aoyama Motoko and even Konoka, seemed to have a natural feel for what they had been learning...and it appeared that Yamamoto Kimi was the same way. Kimi was doing far better than she should have, considering her lack of a teacher after the death of her mother several years previous. It was a shame, Setsuna thought, that Kimi's mother hadn't survived long enough to teach the girl some of the more advanced techniques.

Setsuna waited, watching, and grinned slightly. The girl was wary of her, as well she should be. But such a tactic was a doubled-edged sword...if one never attacks but only ever defends, one is always under another's power.

Setsuna darted forward, a deft movement of her hands bringing the tip of her long nodachi up and around, knocking Kimi's exquisite blade out of line, and then Setsuna froze, her body inches away from Kimi's, the back of her blade resting against the side of the girl's throat. Had this been a serious fight, Kimi would be dead, and one look at her face was all Setsuna needed to see that the girl knew it. Kimi's eyes were wide, but even so she was controlling her expression quite well and taking in detail of what was going on around her.

Setsuna slowly stepped back, dragging the long length of her sword back across the side of Kimi's neck, to emphasize the idea that a few inches of blade were all that was necessary to finish a person off if they made a mistake. There was no need for words; the girl understood perfectly.

And that, in a nutshell, was what Setsuna loved about the girl standing opposite. Yamamoto Kimi understood. One mistake, and it was all over. Better yet, the girl was incredibly perceptive; Setsuna doubted she'd be able to use the same method to bat Kimi's sword aside again.

Setsuna took the same stance, and Kimi shifted slightly. Setsuna paused for a moment, watching the girl, then darted forward, the same as the last time, and started the same move she had used before. Kimi moved her sword to take advantage of the holes in Setsuna's attack, but Setsuna abruptly flipped her sword up beside her, knocking Kimi's sword far out of line, and jabbed her left fist toward Kimi's face.

The expression on the girl's face was priceless. Her eyes went wide in surprise at the unexpected move, then narrowed in understanding even as she fell back to avoid Setsuna's fist, bringing her sword around in a move that would have cut Setsuna open if she hadn't been as good a swordsman as she was. Setsuna's nodachi was out of position, but she didn't use that; instead, she quickly drew a small knife hidden under her shirt and blocked the attack with it, six inches of steel holding back three feet, and paused for an instant to let Kimi see what had happened before forcing the girl's sword to the ground and pointing her nodachi at her face, one handed.

Kimi's eyes focused on the tip of the nodachi, hovering, unmoving, six inches in front of her face, and she slowly relaxed her body. Seeing this, Setsuna slowly relaxed as well and stepped back, returning her knife to its hidden sheath. Kimi returned the magnificent katana that had belonged to her mother to its sheath, decorated with silver dragons, and bowed.

Setsuna bowed back to her, and when she straightened up, Kimi was grinning at her.

"Thank you for showing those techniques to me, sempai."

Setsuna couldn't help but smile back at her...Kimi was so eager to learn! Setsuna wished she could convince her to go to Kyoto and train under Motoko-sensei for five years, but there wasn't any more time. Setsuna had to leave for Mundus Magicus soon, and the city would probably need the girl to help defend against anything that might show up and attack, thinking the city had become weak with Negi and the others gone. They would only be gone a month, though...there would be plenty of time when she got back. And if Kimi didn't want to go to Kyoto, Setsuna knew the news of such a student would probably even draw Motoko-sensei to Mahora herself so she could meet her. Setsuna couldn't help but grin at the prospect; it would be interesting.

"You're welcome, Kimi-chan."

The girl smiled more widely at her, and Setsuna smiled back as she picked up Yuunagi's sheath from where she had dropped it earlier.

She couldn't wait to see Motoko's reaction...!

Author's Notes: Just a brief moment of time during one of the many training sessions the members of the new class have had with the old. I'll probably post up a few more, before too long. I hope you liked it!