rakuen | Training

Entry tags:

Training

Characters: Suzaku and whoever
Format: prose
This log is: open
Location: In a clearing in the woods
Summary: Suzaku freaks out a little about forgetting Japanese/the system deciding his language is english and translating everything into english for him (he hasn't decided which it is yet) and goes through sword training with a stick
Warnings: None

Training had always made Suzaku feel a little calmer and so it had been a coping mechanism since he was very young. So it was really no surprise that the moment maths class was over he had made his way into the woods, as far away as any gatherings of people and found a suibtable stick to fill in for a sword. His uniform was a little awkward to train in but it was the only thing he owned here apart from his Knight uniform and he did not want to wear that.

Especially not at the moment. As he started going through the farmilliar sword forms that Toudou had taught him he tried to keep his mind blank and to think of only the movements. But his mind was still spinning. He had forgotten Japanese, or the system (whatever the system was and however it even worked, he hadn't worked that out yet) had decided to translate everything to English for him. As of yet he hadn't decided what would be worse.

No he wasn't meant to be thinking! His movements which had ceased a little started up again and he did his best to keep his mind clear. How did the system work? Had they just decided on English because he was Lelouch's knight, or did the system scan your brain and work out... no that was a stupid thought. Systems couldn't scan your brain. Suzaku was being stupid and he knew it. "Concentrate," he muttered and went back to the sword forms.

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At the voice Suzaku looked up angrily, wondering who was watching him and annoyed that they would complain about him. But then he caught sight of them and his expression softened as he realised it was a little girl sat up a tree.

"Really?" His eyes were still annoyed but not with the girl, with the whole world really. "And how would you do it?"

It was only after he spoke that he noticed that the girl had a tail... but no, that didn't even make any sense. He must be imagining things, he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"Well," Huashi said with a definitive 'aren't-grown-up-stupid' tone to her voice, "You either think, or train!" Obviously. It was apparently not harder than that, in Huashi's opinion.

Then, apparently she decided to amend herself as she thoughtfully tilted her head.
"Though daddy says it helps him think when he trains, but you don't seem to be able to decide what you're gonna do, or keep both up." And, well, while she was hardly unused to griveous wounds, she didn't want to chance Kotarou coming by if the man managed to stab himself or something. Even if it was just a stick.

Sticks could hurt you!

Suzaku blinked, it sounded like something Toudou would say, but coming back from the little girl; who still had a tail, it sounded strange. He kept quiet though as she continued speaking in a matter of fact tone. She was right, and it was a little scary how well she had read him.

"Well I would like to only do one, but it is hard to stop thinking, miss." She still had a tail, but it had to be a branch or something that just looked like a tail from where he was standing.

As if unconciously being out to disprove Suzaku's conclusion that the tail wasn't a tail, Huashi got up from lying down, curled the tail around the branch, and leaned forward, stretching her arms out and balancing like that, diagonally out from the branch.

"Maybe you should run around!" Huashi smiled brightly and nodded. "My thoughts all disappear when I'm running. Or you sit down and think of whatever you're thinking of!" Huashi paused and briefly tapped a finger against her chin.

"Wujing says he likes to talk to people to get his thoughts in order, but I don't see how that would help. They're your thoughts, right?" Sometimes, even the adults she had come to like and trust were very strange.

It was a tail. Suzaku blinked trying to make sense of that. But he couldn't, people didn't have tails... What was this place! Suzaku's mind really couldn't cope with this much information but the soldier in him forced him to at least try and adapt.

So he went with the only thing he could cope with, that was ignoring the fact the girl had a tail and continuing with their conversation.

Run around? Well he guessed that might work, but that had been the idea with the sword forms, do something to take his mind off. He shrugged. "You're right they are my thoughts, other people wouldn't like to know them. But I don't want to be thinking them, that's why I was training" he looked up at her.

"What's your name, miss?"

"Huashi!" she smiled brightly and suddenly unlocked her knees, swinging around the branch and grabbing it by her hands to get around on top of it again. Settling down, Huashi dangled her feet.

Then she frowned and shook her head.

"Don't you have people who want to know what you think?" Huashi rolled her eyes in exasperation, because didn't family always want to know what you thought? Her mother was always so worried that loong period of time daddy had been imprisoned...

Oh right... weren't you supposed to ask people their name, when they asked for yours?
"Ohh, what's your name?"
See, she remembered!

Nice to meet you, Miss Huashi," Suzaku watched as she swung round the branch and smiled slightly, a smile that instantaneously faded at her words. It wasn't exactly that he didn't have anyone who would want to know his thoughts. Euphemia would he thought, but he did not want to bother her with his thoughts.

"They shouldn't have to deal with my thoughts," he gave a sad smile and then a slightly larger smile. "I am Suzaku," he looked up again, "What are you doing up there?"

Shaking her head rather vigorously, Huashi frowned down at Suzaku.

"Isn't that what family is for? Sharing what you don't want to, so they can make it all right?" It was slightly simplistic, yes, but Huashi had never had to deal with a family who didn't care. In fact, they all cared very much, her mother and the other kids and all the rest.

What was she doing up here? What was she not doing up here!
"I like trees! And I need to keep an eye out for suspicious people," Huashi said with a nod, though she didn't mention Kotarou; if she did, that would make the point moot in keeping an eye out, now wouldn't it? It was, after all, for him that she was keeping watch.

Suzaku's smile faded completely at her words. His grip on the stick tightened and he looked at the ground. "I don't have a..." and then he stopped, because this little girl couldn't be more than thirteen and she did not deserve for him to pour his sorrows out at either.

She liked trees; well that was a simple enough answer. He concentrated on that, and not on what she had said before, about...

"Suspicious people huh? Am I one of those?" He guessed he was, he was in this clearing waving a stick about. That made him sort of suspicious he guessed.

While Huashi briefly frowned at Suzaku as he started and then trailed off, she let that go, and when he identified himself as a possible "suspicious person", she laughed.

"Of course you are! All adult humans are suspicious! Though you smell nice," Huashi said with a smile, because she saw nothing wrong in reassuring him with this; he was clearly not evil, nor a demon (she'd only seen one so far that might be), so while he still merited suspicion, she could be nice.

"Huashi!"

Speaking of reasons for suspicion, a grubby eight-year-old had just stumbled through the trees to Huashi's guardpost, and stopped to catch his breath below her branch. "I didn't find Ichi yet. Where d'y-" he stopped as he noticed the man standing in front of them. He recognised him, vaguely, from the lobby and from mealtimes, but that wasn't cause for him to be any less wary. The guy was a Player. "Why's he here?"

"Kotarou!" Aw, he hadn't? That was no good. If he didn't find her, Huashi was sure he would worry all through the day, and people who did that got cranky.

"Oh, he's trying to think and train and the same time, but it's not working," Huashi said brightly, but had already changed to a more ready position. She was sure of her ability to defend herself (or her ability to run away) if Suzaku proved to not be as nice as he seemed, but with Kotarou here...

Frowning, she hoped hSuzaku hadn't paid any attention to where Kotarou had come from; Kotarou had obviously gone looking for her where they stayed for now first, and if Suzaku noticed the direction, he'd be able to find their hideout.

All of a sudden there was a second child in front of him. He was grubby and looked like he had been living in the forest. Which, when Suzaku looked at the first girl, she did too. The girl called the boy Kotarou. She looked like she was getting ready to fight him and Suzaku wondered why he was so suspicious all of a sudden.

Well she had said all adults were suspicious, which he guessed they were. "I won't hurt you." He said simply, he put his stick down on the floor. "I promise. Who is Ichi? Is she another friend of yours?"

"Ichi's none of your business," Kotarou snapped, forcing himself to stand his ground around Huashi. Where was Ichi? She was meant to be protecting him, and here was some strange man in their part of the woods. "Why are you training here? There's a building for players to use. Over there." He pointed. Included in the gesture was the idea that Suzaku should go there, right now.

"Ichi's not here~," Huashi said, her voice ending slightly sing-song. "She's an adult," Huashi elaborated with a nod, which, in her mind, said all. That was, that Ichi did not live with them.

Because almost all of the adults were in the buildings, of course, and while Huashi might, potentially, want to sleep in there, it didn't feel safe. The only big buildings she'd been in was when... when... She didn't want to think on that.

So she nodded at Kotarou's point that there was a building to train in.
"'S why I was keeping an eye on you. No one's done anything but walk through here!" She didn't sound accusing, only stating an observed fact. And people, even if they smelled like normal, non-sick humans, were suspicious if they deviated from what had been observed. Especially in a strange place like this. She had to keep herself and Kotarou safe until daddy could come, after all.

Suzaku remained quiet but nodded, Ichi was none of his business; he had just been making conversation trying to make the two less scared. Obviously it wasn't working and at the angry words of the boy Suzaku looked down at the ground.

It was the first time he had been told he was suspicious because he was an adult. But he recognised the sentiment immediately. Go away, you're not welcome here.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to intrude. I will leave if you wish..." He kicked the sword towards the bushes and made to leave.

"Aw, don't worry about it! Hey, I know!" Huashi suddenly launched herself from the branch, a perfect flip done in the air and landed in front of Suzaku.

"Have you seen a tall woman with black hair today? She talks about herself with her name," Huashi said, staring up at Suzaku. If Kotarou hadn't found Ichi, they may have to use more resources.

And, besides, she was rather sure he was all right, now, so she saw no problem in asking Suzaku if he'd seen Oichi. That she hadn't connected the "tall, black haired woman" with the name "Ichi" didn't come into her thoughts at all.

Maybe he'd been a little harsh, in rapid hindsight. The guy looked really down... Whilst Huashi jumped down, Kotarou dithered for a few seconds, feet scuffing against the grass, then ran over to the bush to retrieve the discarded branch. That done, he joined her in blocking Suzaku's path.

"And you dropped your sword," he pointed out, trying to keep his voice scathing. Or what he considered scathing. "Some samurai, huh? Tell you what, we'll give it back if you help us find her."

He hadn't taken more than a step when the child with a tail jumped down from the tree, and the little boy held his stick to ransom.

Suzaku raised an eyebrow, he obviously didn't care about the stick, but he needed something to keep his mind off... well everything...

"There's a dark haired girl in my dorm, it might be her, she might be there..."

Smiling brightly, Huashi turned enough to squeeze Kotarou's shoulder.

"Ohh, see! Maybe we're lucky, and it's Ichi, and she'll even be in the room." That would be perfect, so they could find out if the the way Ichi smelled wrong was due to some sort of sickness, and get her medicine for it.

And then Kotarou could stop worrying!

He smiled back, weakly, at the squeeze. Partly because he was still wound up by the day's events, and partly because he was trying to look tough and officious here.

"Right, then we'll go there."

Somehow, through possession of the stick, Kotarou had become de facto leader of the motley group. He waved his symbol of authority in the general direction of the main buildings. "Let's go, you two!"

Somehow from almost being banished from this clearing Suzaku had found himself helping the two children. He grinned at the little boy, who must have been even younger than Mei was. He was doing his best to look tough and it was rather comical.

Suzaku showed them the way to the Black Dorm and moved towards his room. "This is it," he pointed at the list on the door which had the name Oichi.

"Ohh, so that's her whole name," Huashi said with a nod, and gave a supportive bump to Kotarou's side (had he been taller, or she shorter, it would have been a bump to his shoulder). Suddenly, Huashi realized both she and Kotarou probably had a bed in a room somewhere in one of these buildings.

The thought hadn't occured to her at all, and, anyway, she wasn't sure she wanted to sleep with a bunch of strangers. She prefered to sleep in their hideout then; she'd made it comfortable, and it was dry and nice.

"Well, then!" With that cheerful call, Huashi opened the door and hoped Oichi would be there, so they could solve this one way or another.

Kotarou would have gone in with her, but his gaze was currently fixed on the list the guy had pointed out. Okay, that was Ichi's name, but above it...

"Why is my name on there?" He demanded, "I don't live in that room!"

Almost too fast to see, Huashi was back outside with Kotarou, peering at the list. He was right, that was his name, all right.

"Well, of course you aren't! But... I think they want us to sleep in one of these houses," Huashi said, the scoff in her voice and the roll of her eyes showing exactly what she thought of that.

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swordofzero - 2011-01-20 19:58 (UTC) - Expand

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