"I hate ghosts...angels....and demons... they took away the part of me that was ever normal... that will never change...." Nino said aloud. "But to dream of having a life of normality...." he broke off and shook his head. "Get back to focusing on emotion.... try to find something beyond the regular emotions.....and then form your weapon...." He turned and stared out the window.
Isn't everything he just mentioned true for me as well? This war we were fighting was not fair to any of us, and I had just been introduced into this. I was unlike Nino and Matsu in that I had known nothing of this only weeks before now. that was a whole lifetime ago, back when everything seemed normal.
Normal. Was there even such a thing? Would my life ever truly be normal? No. I didn't see that ever happening. Weird and unexplained things seemed to follow me wherever I went. It was unfair, but that was my lot in life. It's not a lot, but it's my life.
Ok. Focus on an emotion. Anger and hatred seemed to be doing the trick, but I was not a hateful person. Sure, I may have come across as such, but inside, I was really very optimistic. However, I wouldn't think of a different life, a regular life. I would think of the future, of defeating the demons and living through all of this.
Finally, after over an hour of focusing and failing to conjure anything, finally something happened. "Nino! Look!" I called him over from his perch near the window. He hadn't really moved the whole time I had been training. A small spirit weapon was forming in my hand. It was a small gun, not very intricate or detailed as Nino's was, but it was something.
~Elle~
I was focusing, focusing, focusing. I listened to Ame's voice and meditated. I could feel all my worries and fears washing out of me. She was cleansing me for the real training to commence, so that I wouldn't have anything holding me back. And it was working; I was totally focused and worry-free. For the moment.
"Ok, let's start with something relatively easy... compared to what else I have in store. Let's see what you can do with martial arts," Ame broke through my thoughts. "I want to see what you can bring to the table."
I smiled. I had trained in martial arts for years, so I was even better than Emiko in that department. My parents had put me through gymnastics, acrobatics, the works to get an up edge.
"Don't worry about hurting me. Show me what you got!" Ame had a glimmer in her eyes as she beckoned me forward.
Standing, I got in stance and ran at her, swinging my leg at her head, but she dodged easily, ducking down. I swung my arm at her, which she caught and threw. I landed on my feet and kicked her feet out from under her, but she did a back flip, landing on her hands quite smoothly.
She was good, better than I had given her credit for, so I was really going to have to concentrate and really try to take her out. I took a deep breath to center myself. I could do this.
Continue?
