Post by Rebel Raven on Aug 6, 2009 5:12:49 GMT -5
Crunch... crunch... crunch... the sound of snow under foot rings through the road near a simple cabin.
A chilly wind bites at the flesh of the woman that walks the path as snow lands on her.
Her long ponytail swayed lazily as she walked towards the cabin. Each step left petite foot prints behind her in the snow with long trails in between each footprint caused by the long hakama that dragged behind her feet.
A bright orange Haori helped the woman stand out from the bright white snow that seemed to be fresh, and virgin.
In one hand, lightly armored, is a simple Zanpakuto. Clear lacquered wood with brass fittings at the ends, and a near nonexistent guard. A sword that speaks of humble nature, and simple elegance. A katana with almost no curve.
The other hand, likewise armored with metal plated sleeves is empty, and relaxed.
Indeed, this is Yumeji Rashoujin. A simple woman with odd tastes, and a potential reputation in the Soul Society for having some of the fastest reflexes, and hands.
Her brown eyes move their gaze up from the road to the horizon as a second set of footfalls were heard.
A woman's voice, not Yumeji's is heard, "So, you're back for more, eh?" her voice came cocky,and arrogant. As if she told Yumeji not to come back many times.
Yumeji's gaze met the woman ahead of her, "Of course," she said calmly.
She looked over the woman ahead of her, and saw a woman dressed in Ainu stylings. Long, white garments with short sleeves, but long gloves. All of it edged in red. Her long black hair shined in the sunlight, and sharply contrasted the white outfit, and the creamy skin of the face the hair surrounded.
Brown eyes looked back at Yumeji and didn't seem to be as harsh as her words let on.
In her gloved hand is a similar sword to Yumeji's.
"Well, we'll have to settle the reason you're back, won't we?" the woman smiled softly, then thumbed the guard of her sword which pushed it from the throat of the scabbard an inch with a "K'chink!" noise.
Yumeji smiled a little, "Yeah, I guess we will..." She mirrored the thumbing of her sword's guard then placed her hand on the hilt. A bend of her wrists, and her sword clicked.
The women stood off, and stared at each other... another chilly breeze blew, but they ignored it, and the snow flakes around them completely.
(Some setting music www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQUrNuq0LOg )
The camera split screens, and shows Yumeji's sandaled feet pushing her off as the woman's red leather shoes pushed her forwards.
The camera cut to a cinematic spin around them as they darted at each other with all the speed of the wind, and more. Their hair waved behind them as they moved.
Neither drew their sword as they charged with supreme confidence. Their eyes locked on each other as they flew at one another along the ground, and closed distance.
As they neared within feet of the other they drew their swords in a mind boggling speed,and their blades clashed between them before their arms could fully extend.
The woman in white and red instantly somersaulted over Yumeji, and it was if the whole world slowed down around them.
The wind roared as she went completely upside down with her hair in a rainbow whip after her head, and her sword slid back into the scabbard.
Yumeji didn't bother to look up for long as her partner moved rapidly in the air, instead she wheeled around with her sword back in scabbard.
Her opponent landed nearly behind her, and wheeled about as fast as Yumeji with the skirt portion of her top billowing around.
Yumeji's hand tightened a little on her sword's hilt, as she fully turned, and drew her blade so fast that only the sheen of the steel could be seen at the tip, and the sound of slit air could be heard in between the noise of her draw, and sheathing, and it all happened in less than a blink of an eye... and happened again.
First a horizontal slash, then a vertical.
The sounds of reverberating steel rang loud as her assaults were blocked by a partly drawn sword's blade. Her attack was expertly blocked by a woman who's reflexes were just as sharp as Yumeji's own, if not better.
Reflexes that few in the Gotei 13 could hope to match.
Yumeji threw her body back, and her feet skimmed the snow as she cleared a half dozen feet between them, and just in time to avoid the attack that came with the intent to slice her face.
Her opponent attacked with speed, and precision that prevented any but the keenest sword fighters from seeing the secrets of her masterful Iai slash.
Yumeji regained her ground in time to only go on the defensive again! She side stepped with a half turn to avoid a vertical slash, then threw herself forward into a roll to avoid a horizontal slash.
Yumeji retaliated with a blazing fast slash at the woman's lower legs from her crouched position as she had never stood upright.
Amazingly the woman had leapt off the ground a foot, and her shoes landed on Yumeji's blade before she used it as a springboard to back flip away with a slice aimed at Yumeji's arm.
Yumeji stopped her opponent's edge with her drawn sword, then rolled away from her adversary as her crouched legs acted as coiled springs to thrust her away.
Yumeji went on the offensive, and charged as the female Iai mistress landed, then slashed brutally at her midsection, then as her sword traveled back into it's scabbard thrust for a second blow before the t'chink of the guard on the scabbard's metal mouth was heard.
The white clad woman had leapt back in time to avoid the damage in a dazzling, yet brief display of immense speed.
Yumeji smirked a bit, and remained in a low stance with her hand on her sword's hilt.
She dashed in, and closed the distance between the two women, where she slashed in an intense diagonal arc her opponent only to have her sword repelled by the woman's sword. Undeterred she slashed as she moved her sword back for the scabbard, then iai slashed again as she advanced and made the woman hop backwards to dodge the assault.
The woman in white swept the lower half of her sheathed weapon at Yumeji only to have it blocked by Yumeji as she intercepted the weapon with the pommel of her partly drawn sword.
Yumeji lunged forward and brought her own scabbard in a strike aimed for the face, but her attack was rebuffed as she found herself thrown low, and wide around the body of her target.
Yumeji flew through the air briefly to land on her feet, bent over, but graceful.
Her eyes widened as suddenly her assailant's sword clashed with Yumeji's quarter drawn sword inches from her face in a reflex made defensive maneuver that seemed to happen instantly as if frames of the movement were cut out.
Yumeji pushed forward, and maintained the blade lock, quarter drawn sword to quarter drawn sword, and pushed the pale dressed woman back, but found the blade pressure sent back her way in a struggle similar to arm wrestling.
Wh-t'chang! Wh-t'chang! Steel on steel rang out as in a move barely perceived as they swiped at only the air between them as they leapt away from the lock.
Their strong legs mirrored the other in style as one leg had fully extended, and the other was bent, and raised a bit more.
They landed 15 feet away with grace, and beauty, their swords back in the ready position to be drawn once more.
Their eyes locked as they stood in middle stances, a hand on their scabbard as the other hovered over the hilt.
( www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yuS9XwjfOA&feature=related )
They seemed to stare at the ready for what seemed like ages... they sized one another up... they gauged eachother... their spiritual pressures met between them, and roared, and fought!
Iron wills clashed as they had in battle as their eyes remained transfixed.
A battle of great proportion happened invisibly between the two, and made air so thick with tension that it threatened to strangle anyone else around them!
Yumeji's feet pushed from the ground, and shot her forward at her competitor, and she prepared for a vertical strike, but as her foot landed, she moved sideways, and forward.
With a mighty "OOOORYAAAAAH!" she then faked to the side, and axle spun in the air with a powerful draw strike aimed at the side of her rival.
The woman in white whirled, and danced around the strike, and her scabbard shielded her all the way, as if she whirled around a solidly placed pole.
Their feet shuffled noisily in the snow as they broke away from each other, and put distance between them.
( www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhPCo1xQ-UM&feature=related )
The gossamer clad woman sped forward on rapid steps, then slashed down at Yumeji's legs which was met Yumeji's scabbard.
Yumeji drew her sword, and it sped down at her opponent with a bright overhead arc as her scabbard kept the other sword from attacking.
It didn't stop the scabbard of the rival from moving, however as scabbard, and sword clashed.
The women windmilled at each other with their arms out, and became dervishes of flashing steel as they completed two spins of their body with sword meeting scabbard each time.
They ended the mirrored assaults with a low stance, with scabbard in one hand, and sword in the other, and an intense stare between them.
In sync they whirled their swords in hand, then put them back in the scabbards as if a level of courtesy existed between them.
They lunged at each other once more, and threw themselves into battle again!!
"YUMEJI!!" a third, male voice interrupted, however, and froze them both in their tracks.
There was a close up of Yumeji's intense stare that slowly faded into a lazy, almost zombie like one, wide eyed, and equipped with a thousand mile gaze.
The camera pulled away, and revealed Yumeji as she walked in the squad barracks in the middle of spring as one of her squadmates caught up.
"Yumeji," he began, "captain's looking for you. Said it was important, and about a mission."
Yumeji's eyes softened as she turned to meet the man that broke into her concentration, and her free hand flicked some of her bangs from her eye.
"Sure sure," she nodded, and headed off towards the Captain's office.
In her mind she thought "Thanks for the dance, Tsubame."
The aforementioned woman in white appeared only to Yumeji, and walked by her, "Don't mention it," she said with a soft smile.
And so another of many training sessions came to a close.
A chilly wind bites at the flesh of the woman that walks the path as snow lands on her.
Her long ponytail swayed lazily as she walked towards the cabin. Each step left petite foot prints behind her in the snow with long trails in between each footprint caused by the long hakama that dragged behind her feet.
A bright orange Haori helped the woman stand out from the bright white snow that seemed to be fresh, and virgin.
In one hand, lightly armored, is a simple Zanpakuto. Clear lacquered wood with brass fittings at the ends, and a near nonexistent guard. A sword that speaks of humble nature, and simple elegance. A katana with almost no curve.
The other hand, likewise armored with metal plated sleeves is empty, and relaxed.
Indeed, this is Yumeji Rashoujin. A simple woman with odd tastes, and a potential reputation in the Soul Society for having some of the fastest reflexes, and hands.
Her brown eyes move their gaze up from the road to the horizon as a second set of footfalls were heard.
A woman's voice, not Yumeji's is heard, "So, you're back for more, eh?" her voice came cocky,and arrogant. As if she told Yumeji not to come back many times.
Yumeji's gaze met the woman ahead of her, "Of course," she said calmly.
She looked over the woman ahead of her, and saw a woman dressed in Ainu stylings. Long, white garments with short sleeves, but long gloves. All of it edged in red. Her long black hair shined in the sunlight, and sharply contrasted the white outfit, and the creamy skin of the face the hair surrounded.
Brown eyes looked back at Yumeji and didn't seem to be as harsh as her words let on.
In her gloved hand is a similar sword to Yumeji's.
"Well, we'll have to settle the reason you're back, won't we?" the woman smiled softly, then thumbed the guard of her sword which pushed it from the throat of the scabbard an inch with a "K'chink!" noise.
Yumeji smiled a little, "Yeah, I guess we will..." She mirrored the thumbing of her sword's guard then placed her hand on the hilt. A bend of her wrists, and her sword clicked.
The women stood off, and stared at each other... another chilly breeze blew, but they ignored it, and the snow flakes around them completely.
(Some setting music www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQUrNuq0LOg )
The camera split screens, and shows Yumeji's sandaled feet pushing her off as the woman's red leather shoes pushed her forwards.
The camera cut to a cinematic spin around them as they darted at each other with all the speed of the wind, and more. Their hair waved behind them as they moved.
Neither drew their sword as they charged with supreme confidence. Their eyes locked on each other as they flew at one another along the ground, and closed distance.
As they neared within feet of the other they drew their swords in a mind boggling speed,and their blades clashed between them before their arms could fully extend.
The woman in white and red instantly somersaulted over Yumeji, and it was if the whole world slowed down around them.
The wind roared as she went completely upside down with her hair in a rainbow whip after her head, and her sword slid back into the scabbard.
Yumeji didn't bother to look up for long as her partner moved rapidly in the air, instead she wheeled around with her sword back in scabbard.
Her opponent landed nearly behind her, and wheeled about as fast as Yumeji with the skirt portion of her top billowing around.
Yumeji's hand tightened a little on her sword's hilt, as she fully turned, and drew her blade so fast that only the sheen of the steel could be seen at the tip, and the sound of slit air could be heard in between the noise of her draw, and sheathing, and it all happened in less than a blink of an eye... and happened again.
First a horizontal slash, then a vertical.
The sounds of reverberating steel rang loud as her assaults were blocked by a partly drawn sword's blade. Her attack was expertly blocked by a woman who's reflexes were just as sharp as Yumeji's own, if not better.
Reflexes that few in the Gotei 13 could hope to match.
Yumeji threw her body back, and her feet skimmed the snow as she cleared a half dozen feet between them, and just in time to avoid the attack that came with the intent to slice her face.
Her opponent attacked with speed, and precision that prevented any but the keenest sword fighters from seeing the secrets of her masterful Iai slash.
Yumeji regained her ground in time to only go on the defensive again! She side stepped with a half turn to avoid a vertical slash, then threw herself forward into a roll to avoid a horizontal slash.
Yumeji retaliated with a blazing fast slash at the woman's lower legs from her crouched position as she had never stood upright.
Amazingly the woman had leapt off the ground a foot, and her shoes landed on Yumeji's blade before she used it as a springboard to back flip away with a slice aimed at Yumeji's arm.
Yumeji stopped her opponent's edge with her drawn sword, then rolled away from her adversary as her crouched legs acted as coiled springs to thrust her away.
Yumeji went on the offensive, and charged as the female Iai mistress landed, then slashed brutally at her midsection, then as her sword traveled back into it's scabbard thrust for a second blow before the t'chink of the guard on the scabbard's metal mouth was heard.
The white clad woman had leapt back in time to avoid the damage in a dazzling, yet brief display of immense speed.
Yumeji smirked a bit, and remained in a low stance with her hand on her sword's hilt.
She dashed in, and closed the distance between the two women, where she slashed in an intense diagonal arc her opponent only to have her sword repelled by the woman's sword. Undeterred she slashed as she moved her sword back for the scabbard, then iai slashed again as she advanced and made the woman hop backwards to dodge the assault.
The woman in white swept the lower half of her sheathed weapon at Yumeji only to have it blocked by Yumeji as she intercepted the weapon with the pommel of her partly drawn sword.
Yumeji lunged forward and brought her own scabbard in a strike aimed for the face, but her attack was rebuffed as she found herself thrown low, and wide around the body of her target.
Yumeji flew through the air briefly to land on her feet, bent over, but graceful.
Her eyes widened as suddenly her assailant's sword clashed with Yumeji's quarter drawn sword inches from her face in a reflex made defensive maneuver that seemed to happen instantly as if frames of the movement were cut out.
Yumeji pushed forward, and maintained the blade lock, quarter drawn sword to quarter drawn sword, and pushed the pale dressed woman back, but found the blade pressure sent back her way in a struggle similar to arm wrestling.
Wh-t'chang! Wh-t'chang! Steel on steel rang out as in a move barely perceived as they swiped at only the air between them as they leapt away from the lock.
Their strong legs mirrored the other in style as one leg had fully extended, and the other was bent, and raised a bit more.
They landed 15 feet away with grace, and beauty, their swords back in the ready position to be drawn once more.
Their eyes locked as they stood in middle stances, a hand on their scabbard as the other hovered over the hilt.
( www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yuS9XwjfOA&feature=related )
They seemed to stare at the ready for what seemed like ages... they sized one another up... they gauged eachother... their spiritual pressures met between them, and roared, and fought!
Iron wills clashed as they had in battle as their eyes remained transfixed.
A battle of great proportion happened invisibly between the two, and made air so thick with tension that it threatened to strangle anyone else around them!
Yumeji's feet pushed from the ground, and shot her forward at her competitor, and she prepared for a vertical strike, but as her foot landed, she moved sideways, and forward.
With a mighty "OOOORYAAAAAH!" she then faked to the side, and axle spun in the air with a powerful draw strike aimed at the side of her rival.
The woman in white whirled, and danced around the strike, and her scabbard shielded her all the way, as if she whirled around a solidly placed pole.
Their feet shuffled noisily in the snow as they broke away from each other, and put distance between them.
( www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhPCo1xQ-UM&feature=related )
The gossamer clad woman sped forward on rapid steps, then slashed down at Yumeji's legs which was met Yumeji's scabbard.
Yumeji drew her sword, and it sped down at her opponent with a bright overhead arc as her scabbard kept the other sword from attacking.
It didn't stop the scabbard of the rival from moving, however as scabbard, and sword clashed.
The women windmilled at each other with their arms out, and became dervishes of flashing steel as they completed two spins of their body with sword meeting scabbard each time.
They ended the mirrored assaults with a low stance, with scabbard in one hand, and sword in the other, and an intense stare between them.
In sync they whirled their swords in hand, then put them back in the scabbards as if a level of courtesy existed between them.
They lunged at each other once more, and threw themselves into battle again!!
"YUMEJI!!" a third, male voice interrupted, however, and froze them both in their tracks.
There was a close up of Yumeji's intense stare that slowly faded into a lazy, almost zombie like one, wide eyed, and equipped with a thousand mile gaze.
The camera pulled away, and revealed Yumeji as she walked in the squad barracks in the middle of spring as one of her squadmates caught up.
"Yumeji," he began, "captain's looking for you. Said it was important, and about a mission."
Yumeji's eyes softened as she turned to meet the man that broke into her concentration, and her free hand flicked some of her bangs from her eye.
"Sure sure," she nodded, and headed off towards the Captain's office.
In her mind she thought "Thanks for the dance, Tsubame."
The aforementioned woman in white appeared only to Yumeji, and walked by her, "Don't mention it," she said with a soft smile.
And so another of many training sessions came to a close.
