What Nature Planned (Haruto, Momiji)

[Umbraflamma]

The sun had already begun to near the end of it's descent, the sun beginning to turn orange as a lone noise echoed through the training arena. A young man, barely more than a boy stopped his motions with his blade in his hands, sweat dripping down his face as he took a moment from his sequences. He shook his wild brown ponytail as sweat came off of him in droplets. "Once again, until it's perfect." he said to himself before stepping forward and striking at the training dummy. He fought in a style that was very similar to the one officially taught at the school but an eagle eyed martial artist would be able to tell that the stance was altered slightly; he gave up a bit of the power in his strikes but allowed himself greater flexibility in striking angle and footwork. As he moved through the sequence of strikes he was quick on his feet, opting for small quick cuts at unpredictable angles as he probed for weak points. or would have had it been an opponent. More than once he feinted and struck at an opposite angle than he had been striking at before. he finished the sequence with a thrust, stabbing at the dummy with his katana with a furious roar. Stopping and freezing he sighed before taking a step back. "Too slow, i need to be faster." he said to himself as he internally scolded himself. 

He was unaware that he had acquired a spectator as he proceeded to try the sequence again. Resetting his footing as he did it again, there was a slight variation on the sequence suggesting it was designed to be flexible, he moved around the entirety hit the front 180 degrees of the dummy striking again in a way that would leave shallow cuts but also probe for weaknesses before going in for the kill with the thrust. roaring again, this time the dummy fell before his might tipping over and hitting the ground with a crash. 

"Still too slow!" he chided himself again as he turned around to retrieve his water bottle, finally now noticing his observer.

[mermalaide]

She watched from between some of the seats, choosing to stand on one of the benches, light as a feather. The wind moved the hakuma pants she wore. It looked like a bit of light sparring clothing, though before he could see much detail, she began to run. The sound of wooden geta lightly slapping against the seating. The oxygen in her body burned a little and she felt her nostrils flare.  ‘Run rabbit! Run!’ She was a blur of black hair that streamed from a ponytail tightly tied up in a very samurai style.

The Black Dog of the Shinsengumi.

How she had wanted to model herself after the wolves of Mibu! She ran, darting quickly along the wooden barrier. As she moved, she ran past an open book on top of a stack, and knowing the drill placed a talisman on it before propelling herself into the arena space. Her hand rested on the hit of her sword and she stood there between him and the practice dummies. Her sword flicked open and she felt the two of them clash in the middle of the arena, dummies at her back. Her teeth clenched and her fangs were visible. The two of the were clenched in steel and her face was ever so close to his.


"Here we are alone.
How I've longed to test steel
Can you feel it too?"

The way she spoke was soft and her gaze was intense. Her heart beat in her chest as she watched, no smelled the sweat from his brow carried on the wind.

[Umbraflamma]

Haru looked up into the seats to see a pair of sanguine orbs staring back at him. His hazel eyes widened as they locked with her, his fatigue melting away as he felt that same electric feeling he felt before spread through his body. Their stare down lasted only moments but it felt like hours as they communicated more in that stare than they ever could with words. She was here to fight, and his whole body burned with the desire to meet her. she moved fast, almost too fast as he shifted his feet, his own geta digging into the soil a bit before moving forward onto the raised arena.

She moved effortlessly and gracefully placing the talisman on the pedestal initiating the start of a spar as he felt his instinct take over, and he propelled himself towards the middle of the arena with less speed than her but with quite a bit of speed and grace for a human. Her sword flicked open in an attack, meeting his counter attack and sparks showered their meeting. Haru Grinned in a snarl as he pushed his blade against hers, clattering and screaming as the metal slipped and caught against metal. Her face came close and she spoke. 

"Here we are alone.

How I've longed to test steel

Can you feel it too?"

Haru grunted and shifted his footing knocking her blade to the side in another show of sparks as he stepped back. Haru felt so alive, so much more alive than he ever had before. His heart beat a war rhythm in his ears as he heard her haiku and one formed unbidden on his lips as if by instinct.

"My blood burns in veins

Never before so alive

Let us dance in blood"

He spoke his gaze matching her own in intensity. Gone was the unsure rookie and overly polite kohai. Before her now stood a predator with the scent of blood on the wind. The talismans would prevent them from opening each others arteries and anything serious, but wounds and light bloodshed were still allowed. 

He shifted his stance before charging first, advancing as he made a quick flick of the wrist going from an overhand vertical cut that he was telegraphing before swinging his blade in a quick horizontal cutting motion at her midriff. though if she paid close attention his feet were not planted for a power cut. He attacked but strangely did not commit to a killing blow.

[mermalaide]

Her blade met his again in a downward move to block. She never flinched, nor did she avert her eyes.

"Truly bold are we?
A misdirect would confuse
I am no novice."

She could smell his sweat and the stirring of blood not yet spilled and it was an exciting thing! His personality, much like hers had shifted to something feral, more unchained be society's novel politeness. This was truly what was difficult for Momiji. She had learned to balance these aspects but the Inugami stirred inside her, wanting to wake. It hungered for blood as did she, and apparently he. She turned her own wrist from the sword block she used to repel his sword from the lock.

When his blade was pushed back she brought it up again, choosing to run and give a sweeping arc of her own to gain tempo and ground. A false telegraph and switch was ingenious. She liked the unpredictability of that. If one wasn't paying attention, they would get cut. There it was again. The scent that drove her wild, the one she could not place and it felt like the baying of dogs would find it's way out of her throat to give chase, but she held her abandon with clenched reigns.

"Steel like blood lives
I hear the pounding in me
I feel the wind's rush!"

[Umbraflamma]

Haru reacted like lightning, as she stopped his blade his feet suddenly reversed, as she swiftly moved to strike in the wide sweeping arc he suddenly reversed his grip on the blade completely and held it at an angle sending the flint of metal upwards at a diagonal angle. the blade came close enough to leave a shallow line on his cheek that crimson drops fell from.

Paying it no heed at all he immediately went on the attack. She was faster than him, more experienced than him, and more accomplished. He had every single disadvantage possible, the only chance he had was to keep her reacting, if he gave up the initiative at all it would be his loss. using the momentum transferred from the clash of blades and in the moment of sparks his feet shifted one last time before planting his stance. Time seemed to slow down as he pointed his reversed grip on his katana and thrust it directly at her throat with what sounded like a lion's growl. the scent of blood now opened was intoxicating. 

"Dancing sparks fly free
Fireflies over deadly dance
alive at sunset." 

They sky seemed to catch fire as the sun began to dip below the horizon, the clouds turning pink and purple set against an orange sky. 

[mermalaide]

She gritted her teeth, feeling his force as the blade's trajectory slid up his own. Momiji could smell the nick on his face. Tendrils of hair blew in the wind and she felt her breath draw itself inward. His blade moved to strike. There were two options, to retreat or to to turn the blade and double down. Her body clenched and she turned her blade downward again. She felt nothing as adrenaline flooded her senses.

Her blade stopped him dead but, not before it sliced through a bit of her haori jacket, superficially slicing her shoulder. Red bloomed, a small spider lily on her shoulder. Her red eyes did not break from his gaze, not even to look down. To do so would be to provoke an attack. "Intoxicating."

"The hand of god grins
A spider lily blooms red
A scent on wind."

They were back in a clench of close combat. The scent of their blood almost mingled on the wind and it was altogether too much. Her pupils dilated and Momiji's mouth twisted into a grin. She pushed back hard on the sword she used, trying to gain ground.

[Umbraflamma]

The smell of their blood mixed in the air as the sky began to dim a bit, as their vision slowly narrowed the sense of smell took over further amplifying the effect. In his hazel eyes she saw his unwavering gaze, no fear nor distraction were visible. What she saw were the eyes of someone who was in it to not just win, but kill her. They were not eyes she would have expected from the kid she had met earlier, they were much more akin to the seasoned members of the shinsengumi.

The smell of blood aroused his senses to a higher extent than ever before, he saw the sweat on her brow, the flush of her lips, and the blood red eyes staring back at him. Their blades had clenched sending sparks as their screeching echoed in the empty arena. Nothing in the world existed to the two of them, except each other. 

"intoxicating

This contest is, joined are we

In this dance of death"

He had to break out of this, but if he gave her space he would give her the initiative which would mean death for him. no he needed to find a way to push the offense, even from this position. With a sudden toothy snarl he bared his fangs at her as his handedness suddenly shifted and his blade danced a maki spiral, knocking her blade aside and outward widely were she caught completely unawares this move was known to disarm opponents. He the started the sequence he had been training, giving very little room for her to do much more than defend. He moved to pivot around her as his blade struck from strange angles each time repelled or countered would find that he had moved to an opposing side, striking at all angles of her defense. even  if she allowed the blows to strike they would only provide shallow superficial cuts. Of course she would not allow him to continue the sequence she saw to its conclusion. A powerful and aggressive lethal blow to meet his assault would easily cut him down if she were willing to risk it. 

The sky above began to shift to a dark purple as the sun began to disappear completely, and with it came the singing of crickets and cicadas.

[mermalaide]

It felt like everything slowed, even though, in reality things had likely sped up to where normal people struggled. Shibara Sensei often called it the zen of combat. Specifically, Blood Zen. It was if the adrenaline sharpened one's skills and sense of time so much they slowed. Her vision fixed on him and she felt her blood boil. As her began to make his move striking with the shallow, superficial cuts, she knew he was looking for an opening, a weak point, and this enraged her.

The inugami bound to her howled to be let out, and let it out she did.

‘Straight for the throat’ it stacked on the last part of her celerity from ‘Run rabbit! Run!’ which would allow her to punch through the cuts and break his attack. It would target the weakest bit of him exposed in a single straight line. It was a counter intuitive move, one that most people would rather defend against his move than break. But, ah that was the mistake. That defense was what let him in. She was a streak of black and red. Her hair had come loose and the blood at her shoulder was a little more moist now, blooming. The final clash, and around them the embers of dying light.

"You want this power
To dance with death come
I shall meet you there!"

[Umbraflamma]

Haru felt almost serene if not for his excitement, he felt so much more elated than ever before. The scent of blood was overpowering and yet he found himself excited even further by it. He wanted desperately to go, run along sider her until their legs gave out. For now it was a battle, and he had to be sharp, a moment would decide his death.

The shiisa blood within him roared as he felt the roar leave his throat. It was then that she attacked, his blade leaving a shallow cut through her clothing and leaving her less modest than desired. Though not by intention. 

Her counterattack came with a furious force, and one blade alone unaided would be utterly defeated by the force of the strike. For moment a split second the thought of defeat crossed his mind. For some reason the thought of being devoured by her didn't seem so bad... and then the furious refusal. She must have been having as much fun as he... could he let her down? Her blade seemed to suspend in the air as it was coming down, the adrenaline soaked even further and wardrum beating in his ears seemed to slow. He had only a second, he had to use it. The thing he had been keeping under wraps for a long time. The reason he wore two full length katanas. 

His feet left the ground as he contorted his body slightly, this was the reason his sequence was so light on it's feet. he brought his katana around dropping one hand to reach down to his other blade. With a swift flash of motion his feet hit the ground as her blade came towards his neck. With a twist of his wrist the reverse grip on his second katana draw overlaid his first in a shape reminiscent of scissors. the force of the blow forced him to his knees as the wave of force caused a wind to clear the dust and dirt off of the arena floor. One of his knees scraped through his pants and blood seeped from the abrasion as he looked up into her eyes his eyes clear and meeting hers.

"If power is what
I need to run wild and free
by your side, then yes."

As the air cleared from the dust her blade had been caught by the intersection of the other two firmly locked. If she relented he would be able to push the attack, if he relented she could complete her strike and slice him through the throat. For some reason there were tears in his eyes, was it joy? Was it sadness? who could tell save for the moon now rising knowingly over the horizon bathing them in pale light.

[mermalaide]

She held her blade. Things were so still a pin could drop between them. It was if time had stopped completely. She sensed that neither of the would yield. The tears he had she gathered were more of relief and satisfaction than anything. It was a warrior's feelings. Her blade did not move or flinch, it held in place and she stared at him intensely, speaking softly.

"Ah such freedom is
Something ungovernable
It is loneliness."

She looked at him sadly. They were words hard to say. She wanted to wipe his tears, but knew it was insulting. Let tears flow naturally, as blood. Both had powerful feelings and life behind them. To run with wild things was to beat down a path, though, running with a pack of others was liberating too, Though, she had never felt that.
She held out her other hand as an offering, it was his choice.

"Power is a long climb, Saito-kun."

A pale arm that was draped in an almost shredded Happi style coat. The blue and white dyed almost completely red from cuts. 

[Umbraflamma]

She could have won, easily. His defense was a desperate one and had she applied the force she had shown earlier to their clinch she would have broken through. He gave it everything he had, but he was still inexperienced and disadvantaged from his lack of abilities. the fact that he had held out so far was nothing short of a miracle. And yet instead of cutting through and ending the spar, she reached out to him.

His emotions became clearer, his tears were the joy of meeting someone who made his blood quicken like never before but also a sadness, because he felt so far away from her. His skills and tricks, his talents... they all fell short and he wanted nothing more than to be her equal. he noticed the pressure of her blade lessen slightly as she reached towards him. All this time he had stood alone. It never even really occurred to him what it could feel like to want to run with someone. He smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek mixing with the blood as he slumped down. He gave his best but as always it just wasn't good enough. 

yet she held her hand out, speaking softly. 


"Ah such freedom is

Something ungovernable

It is loneliness."

He looked up to her as she held out her hand, his own rising to meet hers, his gaze unwavering, as she was her own face reflected in his clear eyes, as the full moon illuminated them both

"Loneliness is the

Farthest thing from my mind when

I lock eyes with yours"

He said this as he took her hand. "Life is a long climb, to give up is to die." he said as he took her hand, and stood up. that was when he had noticed the crickets resuming their chorus. how long had he been out here? "Ah... it looks like night has fallen..." he remarked. Suddenly he remembered the rest of the world existed.

[mermalaide]

"We know no other way do we?"

There was a smile there. The sword had been lowered, their spar was over, at least for now. The sound of resuming crickets and the cool night air was nice on her skin, though the dampness of her happi made her shiver, wanting to shed that. "Time flies when you are having fun I guess." She was wistful in thought. This interaction was so different than she had imagined. He was a bit of charmer. Momiji remembered that her parents hadn't really spoken to her about...boys. it was something she herself had never thought about. Perhaps because of the way people had looked at her in the Honda clan. They were superstitious people. Her eyes and the inugami sealed from a pact made people uneasy, so, this was something not really thought of. She had just really thought of freedom, or duty. Two sides of a revolving coin.

She squeezed his hand. "We can table our battle for now, and try again." A lazy firefly activated it's light and she watched it zoom, marveled. So, what now? She looked at him with the same red eyes as before, but a different light shone to them, it was garnet, but it was the warmth of summer bonfires.

"Water tastes sweeter
Anything does really when shared
So what about life?"

Still holding his hand she flipped her blade around and sheathed it, deciding to crouch at his level. She was impressed by how strong he was, just on a base. Her words were calm and smooth like a stone. "You can only go up from here, I think. I am sure Yamabuki  Sensei and Saitama Sensei would not disagree with me."

[Umbraflamma]

Haru grinned a bright smile through it all, his prominent fang like canines glinting in the moonlight. taking her hand he rose up towards her. "There is no other way." he said as he stood up to meet her his face close to hers. "Yeah... i had a lot of... fun." he said as he suddenly became very aware that she was a woman. a flush blossomed on his face as he didn't know what to do with this feeling. he felt something within him filling him up as if there was a pressure building in his chest. His breathing felt a bit restricted and his palms itched and tingled. "Yeah, I have much more training to do." he said nodding. Her eyes had changed and he couldn't quite place what it was she was thinking only that he felt a pull from them.  This was the first time he felt like someone was truly a kindred spirit, and the effect was magnetic.

"Under the full moon

Even the air smells sweeter

When we share it now"

he said as she seemed to move in even closer, did she feel a similar pull. "Thank you, momiji-sama, I hope to reach you some day." he spoke as his eyes lingered in hers. he felt almost afraid to move, afraid to take his hand away from hers. It was as if some force had paralyzed him. "I think perhaps we should get some water and lick our wounds." he said as he still couldn't look away from her eyes. There was something else going on, something more, and haru had nor frame of reference on what it could be.

[mermalaide]

The redness of his face was a little obscured in the fading light but she could see it there. She had never really been looked at like that before. If anything, people really avoided that aspect of her. Though, Momiji remember something her uncle had tried to say about the birds and the bees which, if she recalled, earned him a smack over the head from her mother when she came out of the kitchen. "The good thing about it, is we never stop training, so I am there.. with you." A firefly light up her face a little, in the low light and she smiled too. The smell of things were still intoxicating, but she managed to still herself a little, choosing to breath a little softer and trying her best to get her chest to stop pounding.

"Have you ever seen
The light of a million stars
While smelling sweet grass?"

She wanted to share these things with him. Momiji wanted to drink water and maybe walk a little in the night in search of the best place to sit and watch the open sky. She was vaguely aware of her cuts but when he spoke about licking wounds, she felt her lips flush. She was suddenly more aware of the dryness in her throat, like a brutal thirst. "That sounds like a very good idea." Was he aware that he said something so innocent, but maybe forward at the same time? No, perhaps she was reading into this. "There are heights you will climb Saito-dono. I know it to be true. Others will not work nearly as hard, but your climb will surpass that over time. It's daunting, I know."

She pulled him forward, feeling his paralysis somewhat. Their eyes stayed locked and did not stray. She felt the flutter of her heart in her ears. 

[Umbraflamma]

He looked into her eyes, not with fear, or curiosity as per normal but something else. Like he was trying to dive in, and understand her. "I'm glad, maybe together we can help me reach the heights i've been aiming for." he said as his hand gripped hers firmly yet gently. his touch was surprisingly precise on her hand even with the calluses from sword training. Haru wasn't sure what was going on so he defaulted to his usual just go with it and be direct. This was usually offputting to most in a polite society like japan, yet there was always someone who found his honesty refreshing.

"Yes I have seen it

But never before shared it

Shall we see it now?"

He asked her as he started  to lead towards where he had his water and his first aid hit. He always had those handy when training. "The daunting aspect doesn't bother me just that... the priests the school all of them told me i had powerful magic in me, yet no matter what I do, I can't seem to access it. Instead I've had to fight without it... and it's frustrating knowing I have a handicap without knowing the reason."

He sighed as he led them to where he kept his stuff, and he nodded, "You can take the water first, if there's anything left, I'll worry about it then I've been hydrating all day." he said nonchalantly, "you could use a cap if you want or i could find a cup if you want... I have been drinking from it all day." he said suddenly remembering that her drinking from the same bottle as him might be an indirect kiss and panicking a bit as he didn't want her to unintentionally do it.