It was her sword, hers.
Senna was never that good with swords, so she rarely carried them, but that was a weakness that she couldn't afford. She needed to be prepared for anything, so here she was. Her sword, a thin and sleek rapier, lay on the ground in front of her. In the hands of a proper Nemoto knight this weapon could become so much more than what it was now: a spirit weapon, a sword that put others like it to shame. And more, when properly attuned to it's wielder the blade almost seemed to take on a life of it's own, a life driven to serve the ideals of it's master. Senna had never chosen to pursue that level of familiarity with a sword, but now that she had chosen to face this weakness of hers she decided to at least give it a try.
The frail teenager grasped the sword in her hands and began to feel it, to understand it; the grip, the weight, the balance, everything that made this sword unique she could sense as if it was second nature. Yes, her clan was one with swords, and even if she couldn't be a true master of the blade she would embrace this side of her. She began to meditate with sword in hand, and the world around her seemed to fade into a dream.
She saw her failures;
The first time she picked up a sword, she nearly killed herself. She had been foolish, and tried to attack in a way that her frail body couldn't support, she spent the next few weeks resting in the hospital from the broken bones and strained muscles.
The first time she took a lesson, she lost track of her ally and nearly cost herself her mission.
Her exam... the nightmare replayed in her mind, the images of chaos and death as vivid as if she was watching them in person. The short-yet-terrified screams of the dying assaulted her ears.
The train mission, she had to make her first conscious kill, and even then she failed to keep her charge safe. What a disaster.
'You think you have any right to protect people? What a joke.' the voice in her mind mocked her, insulted her, it wanted to break her. 'You've already had your chance! You failed! And what happens if you gain this power? You're not a fighter! This will not change anything! You'll just manage to screw it up a whole new way! Just admit it! JUST LAY DOWN AND DON'T GET UP!!!'
Senna was quiet for a second.
'Things might have turned out badly before... but.. if I don't keep trying, how can things get any better?'
'And if they don't get any better? If all this turns out to be for nothing?'
'Then I have to take responsibility for that, but if I don't try and something bad happens- I'd rather live with the problems I couldn't solve than the ones I never even tried to!'
The voice was silent.
'That reasoning? Yeah, we can work with that. But you're nuts, I hope you realize that.'
'Thank you...'
Senna began to wake up, she could feel her chakra moving in ways completely new to her, and yet it was all very familiar. The sword in her hands now glowed with a powerful aura, it had accepted it's new wielder.... for now. Senna took some time to admire her new weapon, amazed by how it had suddenly become more familiar to her than even some of her own machines. Her astonished admiration only ended when a loud voice projected itself into the training room she was in.
"Lieutenant Nemoto to the briefing room! Lieutenant Nemoto to the briefing room!" the voice shouted over the intercom, Senna sheathed her sword and departed. No sense in holding up the guard, they were respectable people after all...
WC: 657
Senna was never that good with swords, so she rarely carried them, but that was a weakness that she couldn't afford. She needed to be prepared for anything, so here she was. Her sword, a thin and sleek rapier, lay on the ground in front of her. In the hands of a proper Nemoto knight this weapon could become so much more than what it was now: a spirit weapon, a sword that put others like it to shame. And more, when properly attuned to it's wielder the blade almost seemed to take on a life of it's own, a life driven to serve the ideals of it's master. Senna had never chosen to pursue that level of familiarity with a sword, but now that she had chosen to face this weakness of hers she decided to at least give it a try.
The frail teenager grasped the sword in her hands and began to feel it, to understand it; the grip, the weight, the balance, everything that made this sword unique she could sense as if it was second nature. Yes, her clan was one with swords, and even if she couldn't be a true master of the blade she would embrace this side of her. She began to meditate with sword in hand, and the world around her seemed to fade into a dream.
She saw her failures;
The first time she picked up a sword, she nearly killed herself. She had been foolish, and tried to attack in a way that her frail body couldn't support, she spent the next few weeks resting in the hospital from the broken bones and strained muscles.
The first time she took a lesson, she lost track of her ally and nearly cost herself her mission.
Her exam... the nightmare replayed in her mind, the images of chaos and death as vivid as if she was watching them in person. The short-yet-terrified screams of the dying assaulted her ears.
The train mission, she had to make her first conscious kill, and even then she failed to keep her charge safe. What a disaster.
'You think you have any right to protect people? What a joke.' the voice in her mind mocked her, insulted her, it wanted to break her. 'You've already had your chance! You failed! And what happens if you gain this power? You're not a fighter! This will not change anything! You'll just manage to screw it up a whole new way! Just admit it! JUST LAY DOWN AND DON'T GET UP!!!'
Senna was quiet for a second.
'Things might have turned out badly before... but.. if I don't keep trying, how can things get any better?'
'And if they don't get any better? If all this turns out to be for nothing?'
'Then I have to take responsibility for that, but if I don't try and something bad happens- I'd rather live with the problems I couldn't solve than the ones I never even tried to!'
The voice was silent.
'That reasoning? Yeah, we can work with that. But you're nuts, I hope you realize that.'
'Thank you...'
Senna began to wake up, she could feel her chakra moving in ways completely new to her, and yet it was all very familiar. The sword in her hands now glowed with a powerful aura, it had accepted it's new wielder.... for now. Senna took some time to admire her new weapon, amazed by how it had suddenly become more familiar to her than even some of her own machines. Her astonished admiration only ended when a loud voice projected itself into the training room she was in.
"Lieutenant Nemoto to the briefing room! Lieutenant Nemoto to the briefing room!" the voice shouted over the intercom, Senna sheathed her sword and departed. No sense in holding up the guard, they were respectable people after all...
WC: 657