A/N: A mixture of news about the earthquake and resulting tsunamis in Japan and listening to the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle soundtrack resulted in this. In particular, the track "I Talk to the Rain". I don't know when this would take place - probably any time after Crystal War.
Expression.
That was really what helped her when nothing seemed to go right.
She wasn't a dancer, nor an athlete, nor crafter, nor machinist. No, what she was, was a musician, and a warrior; expression came through the tools she used to interpret her thoughts and transform feelings into sound and movement.
That day, when everything came tumbling down and she needed to escape, to hide herself from the world, she could not let sound draw the others near her. So she returned to the other thing that could let her release what emotions were still bottled within.
The rain poured down; her clothing soaked, plastered to her skin, rivulets of water falling down her face, wet beads dripping from her black hair. The air should have felt cold, chilling her to the bone, but at that moment in time, it was far away and surreal. The shade of the grove, the damp ground beneath her bare feet, none of it felt real.
She let it speak to her.
Wash your worries away... empty your mind, focus on the energy of the world. Feel your heart beat, your pulse rise, know that you exist, and all things pass. Live in the moment. Learn to move.
She drew her sword and moved.
It was a form she knew well, one that challenged her balance and flexibility. A twist of her wrist, a strike, extension of the leg, dodge, a spin here, a lunging stab... her body knew steps, each part of the form ingrained into her muscle memory, and her mind felt almost blank as she continued. Rainwater flicked off the tip of her sword's edge, and everything seemed to whirl around her.
There was a beauty in the sword, its bladed edge that acted as an extension of herself. It led her in graceful, but efficient arcs designed for utilizing in combat, and she put her strength into each slash in the air, imagining that the spirits of the world were with her, dancing in the rain and watching as she continued to move and take in the energy of the storm.
As she finished, she felt the heat of her blood rise to her skin, warmth from her core keeping the cold at bay. She realized she was breathing harder from the exertion, and smiled as rain continued to pour.
And so I have spoken.