tampered | Log; Completed

He said four, so she was there four sharp. Not a minute later. Aya had been quite clear about how they wouldn't be using but special guarded swords for these lessons, but Umi still felt it was only fair to bring the katana she'd been keeping for him all that time along. It was what had started the whole thing up, in the end. It was right for it to be present.

"...Okay, you can't complain about punctuality." She said as she waved to her instructor -- thinking that Aya himself would be teaching her, now that was something to be excited about. She'd been practicing basic fencing moves all through yesterday.

"Ready here."

Aya smiled when he saw Umi approaching and nodded in greeting to her. He'd had no doubts about her being on time. Turning to face her more, he looked at the sword she had. That unique handle. It would only unsheathe for her now. He'd given it to her.

"Leave the sword over there. This is what you'll be using today." Bringing one wooden blade to his other hand, he held it out of her. He hadn't taught anyone to use the katana. Ever.

But...he would make an exception for her. Teach her to never kill with it.

"I didn't bring this one so I could be stubborn about that! No worries." But Aya already knew that. This was why it was always so easy, talking to him. Umi didn't have to worry about being considered sentimental or maudlin. Less so about swords. Aya more than anyone would always understand this.

She did as she was told and then breathed deeply before she took hold of the wooden blade he offered her. It was... a pretty simple thing.

She giggled. "This is so I don't accidentally chop my own head off, right?"

"This is to teach you that you are not prepared for a katana just yet." He was somewhat teasing her but was serious at the same time. She had no idea what she was in for when it came to a completely different style.

"First of all, you'll need two hands on the hilt."

That was the first major difference. Aya couldn't remember everything about her but he recalled her style clearly enough to know what she was actually prepared for and what she wasn't.

"...Right, right. Because it's completely UNLIKE the style I've always practiced and I better not take chances. I got that."

She rolled her eyes in jest, chuckled, and then held the hilt of the sword with both her hands, getting used to the odd sensation.

Her body instinctively rearranged her balance to compensate for the mostly unfamiliar position -- though it still felt a bit alien.

"It's weird." She confessed, excitement and bemusement in her voice. "Sometimes I use both hands to drive the rapier home, but never all the time. Not like this..."

Aya watched her adjust, not mentioning to her that he'd already found ten ways to disarm her, kill her, and/or injure her. No...wait...make that eleven. He didn't want to frustrate her.

Her balance did look good though.

"Move your hands slightly further apart and keep your grip firm but relaxed. Unlike a rapier, you won't notice any flexibility with this weapon. The steel is strong and layered. And the sword you have will be stronger still since it's a living blade."

"It's heavier, that's for sure!" It also felt... harsher. Umi couldn't put a finger on the word she wanted. With her dragon rapier everything was litheness and speed and deadly accuracy -- like Presea had put it that once, it was a weapon that suited her. Umi's element was speed, not strength.

But she didn't falter and tried to fix her hold on the weapon. It was still a blade. Blades went well with her. It'd always been like that.

Moving in behind her, he slipped his hands over her own to help her get a feel for how to hold the blade, having her lift it then bring it down in one swift motion. His own practice sword was left on the ground for now.

"Much like a rapier, this is an extension of your arms. The swing, the flow...everything. But, only one edge is deadly. If you reverse the blade then you will cause damage but cut nothing."

...That was a feeling she could understand. It'd come to her with more difficulty, right now, with a sword of a design so unfamiliar.

But Aya's guidance helped her approach that surety she felt with her own blade bit by bit. So she let him show her. Her hands gently started following the motion on their own after a couple of times, imitating it.

"You mean there's a use for the dull side of the katana too?" That came as a surprise. Umi stared down at the wooden blade, taking in the edge that in a real sword would be deadly. "I thought these were only used for cutting..."

"I can attack, disarm, and take down an opponent without making a single cut on that person's body." He wasn't bragging, it was simple fact. Aya had no reason to lie about his abilities to her. Now when she was already familiar with them to begin with.

"A katana should be used to bring life. Not for death."

He'd already abused that rule but he would see to it that she learned it. He did not want her to ever use a katana the way he had.

"I got not doubt about that." It wouldn't be bragging, even if he were to go over all the other things he could do before his opponent even managed to blink. Umi'd seen Aya in action. Besides he simply wasn't the type.

But what he told her... Yes, she could tell this meant a lot to him, to make her understand that. Umi fastened her hold on the wooden blade appreciatively as she smiled. "Guess I never thought about katanas in that way..."

Her rapier was a matter apart. It'd always been used for fighting, not sport. But not once had all that fighting been for sheer violence's sake. A Magic Knight's sword wouldn't be used for that. It served a very important cause.

"A weapon to fight for ourselves. To protect what we hold precious..."

Maybe their weapons weren't that different, in essence.

He smiled at her understanding what he meant. He hadn't once. For that reason, he'd let the advice fall on deaf ears. To this day he regretted that. Perhaps he always would.

"You are used to precision thrusts with a rapier. A katana moves with deadly slashes. You have to be fast and a different kind of target entirely."

Stepping away from her, he moved to collect his wooden sword and stood before her with it held in both hands. "Think of your movement as a dance." He smiled as he gave her an example that she could understand next.

"Move like water. Flow. Fast and sharp will actually be your disadvantage."

"Like water, huh? I think I can pull that off."

She had to smile confidently at the comparison. Speed and flow were her element's spirit, like a description of her own fighting style, when she wielded her dragon rapier. So the essence would remain. It was only the technique that'd be entirely different.

Standing more lithely in place, Umi let her body drift into its usual alertness when in battle. That familiar part of it didn't mean it would be easy, though. Nothing worth one's while ever was.

Aya held his sword ready.

"I'll show you how I learned." Trial and error. His lessons had been unusual at best and he'd learned most of his skill entirely on his own. He'd had no other choice in the matter. "With some slight differences."

He would be there for her during her lessons. He would make sure of it somehow.

"Remember to always use two hands. I'll tell you what to correct as we go. First will be your defense. Block my sword with your own. That is all I will ask of you for now." And with that he came at her, holding back on speed and strength, and raised his sword to strike at her.

That was fast! She'd been halfway to taking in the lesson and them, suddenly-!

...But it was okay. No opponent would give her the benefit to brace herself. What experience in battle Cephiro and The City had left her with had sharpened Umi's reflexes quite a lot. Add to that her natural skill and speed, and she had a very deadly set of swordsman traits.

But instinct here tended to push her in a different direction. The most reliable parry for that sort of attack was a single-handed one -- the type that wouldn't work with this type of sword. So she made-do with what she knew and tried to adapt it. It started as a counter parry and swiftly morphed into a beat, her blade cruising for Aya's in a flowing strike of her own.

He struck at her several times before pulling away. Her arms were weak, she was built more for speed.

"Remember that everything comes from your center. I skipped a lot of lessons on balance and paying attention because you already know those things. But your core is where all of your movement will come from."

She would know that but he reinforced that knowledge anyways. Aya gave her a little smile.

"Would you like to try some more?"

She shot him a bewildered gaze. How had he...? Just now...?? But with her usual sword that parry would have been killing!

"It's the two-handed thing! It's awkward!" That better not sound whiny. She had a point! The style was quite unfamiliar.

"Let's try again! I saw how you did that." It almost sounded like a warning, as she pointed at Aya's own wooden sword, then returned her both hands to hers. Umi'd make sure to get it right sooner than Aya would expect. It was very important to her, showing him he'd picked up an excellent student. "I learn from my mistakes."

"You saw how I did that?" And he'd been holding back. A lot. He gave her another smile then moved forward to strike again. But this time he changed up what he'd done before. Aya's strikes were one direction then another.

And then he twisted his foot to strike at her legs without warning.

...So leaping backward to avoid being swept off her feet wouldn't have technically upset the whole maneuver. Not really. She'd have had an easier time if the weapon she wielded hadn't felt so clumsy.

Still, she did her best to block. A parry to a side, then understanding the first thrust had probably been a feint, she circled the trajectory of Aya's blade to counter parry. It was slowly becoming less awkward, this two-handed thing. But Umi still felt tempted to just do away with it and hold the katana in one hand.

"You're not making this easier for me, are you?" Her tone made it obvious she'd never want him to.

"Would you like to see what would happen if I wasn't holding back?"

He held his sword in front of him and his entire posture changed in an instant. This wasn't casual anymore. This was if he were serious about this.

Aya watched her...letting her decide if she was ready for that.

"You know I like a challenge." She wasn't intimidated by it. Not in the least. It was mostly admiration in her voice. It wasn't every day that she could see a swordsman as talented as Aya at his best. It certainly appealed to the most ambitious side of her. It also reminded her of those times when she'd sparred with him when he was in The City before. Using her own weapon, and the technique she was so comfortable and familiar with... would she haven beaten him?

She chuckled, frankly doubting it. And let her stance drift into a more casual yet still attentive one.

"But it's your class, sensei." It made sense to call him that, right? She was learning a Japanese sword, after all! Umi's smile lost her defiance and just became the sweet, familiar one she usually gave her brother. "Let's take this to the pace you think is best."

He stayed completely still a moment. "Be ready. I'll show you what would happen if I actually tried."

And with that Aya waited for her to get back into her stance. He stayed calm, cool, collected now. There was no smile and he was still, only his hair moving with a slight breeze. When he saw she was ready, he moved.

In a fluid motion, he burst forward with speed that came from years of practice. He never stopped the motion, sliding forward to give a smack to her wrists to get her to drop the sword, another smack to her side to throw off her balance. Then he was behind her and smacking the back of her knee to get her to drop.

When he was done, he was standing behind her with a smile. He'd held nothing back save to make sure he hadn't broken any bones when he hit her.

...It was all a blur of speed and action. It didn't help that she was stunned, half fascinated by the precision of Aya's moves to care to react a lot.

Something told her, as she landed on the floor hands-first -- a bit more gracefully than a completely inexperienced target would have, hopefully -- that if she'd put the speed of her magic into this she'd have seen herself through. But Umi didn't want her element's help in this one. Not with anything but that need for fluidity. Aya had told her this was for helping her in case she had to do without it and she'd pull it off with her body's skills alone.

"Tell me I'll be able to do that when we're done." She chuckled, battered and pretty out of breath, but with her enthusiasm beating stronger than before. She rose to her feet and retrieved her wooden katana, dusting herself off as she went.

He looked collected and as if he hadn't just rushed out in a sprint to take her down. The fact was that he was just as deadly with a wooden sword as he was with his actual katana. Aya gave her a smile at the question and went to a nearby bench where his own sword waited and a bag. Reaching inside, he pulled out a bottle of water for her.

"Come here. We'll take a break while you catch you breath."

She had skill already but it had taken him years to get to where he was now. And he was still growing. He knew that he was better with a sword than he had been the last time he'd been here though. Far better.

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