KNY Fanfiction - The Last Breath of Bravery

Past Wind Hashira

With wooden swords clashing against each other in the harsh winds and rain, Mr. Ogawa and Rasshu battle each other! One battling with the agility and flexibility of the wind that swirls within one's lungs and the other that fights with such gusto and aggression like a hurricane! Rasshu effortlessly dishes out her barrages of attacks trying to land at least one move but without fail, her sensei manages to de-sword her! Jumping into the air to land a critical hit atop of her head as he quietly exclaims that she's failed again! Rasshu's shoulders fidget as she accepts her defeat... sad that she hasn't seemed to make any progress with her training a few months lately... as she's been training with Mr. Ogawa for a year and three months now... She adopted many stances from him and she's even mastered the "lions stance" but she still wavers in her confidence from time to time...

After defeating his pupil, he remarks on her growth throughout her time training under himself but she doesn't seem to take his compliment seriously... as she laments that she may have become stagnant in her learning lately... starting to fear that this is maybe the furthest she may be able to go. Mr. Ogawa looks at the river that flows beyond his garden... Later that day while the sunset fills the sky with orange and yellow hues, Mr. Ogawa watches Rasshu below as she tends to his garden for him, watching her work diligently with the landscape before her. Observing and abstracting the signals she gives off with her movements, the old sensei devises a plan... Taking out a journal of his own, he jots down notes as he watches intently at the swift girl below, as when she is alone, she exudes a strong sense of pride and confidence... but when she is knowingly observed her strong resolve tends to fade... they've been working on that ever since she arrived here but... it is barely showing a change in her demeanor... so to force her into changing, Mr. Ogawa nods to himself, closing his book, he knows what he will do.

After putting up the tools, Rasshu reenters the small humble shack and takes a seat near her sensei. A glint shines in his eyes, the sensei speaks to Rasshu about her training; her success with mastering her first form, her being able to utilize different stances and basic swordsmanship, but her fighting style... Mr. Ogawa takes out a journal and sprawls it out toward Rasshu showing her strong points and weak points... While she looks through them nonchalantly, her sensei turns off to the side and says something that makes Rasshu freeze momentarily... "Wemu Benaio... who is he?" Mr. Ogawa politely asks. Rasshu's blank expression melts into a more... painful look... and then her voice becomes soft and fragile like a petal floating in the air as she tells him of her deceased brother... Mr. Ogawa nods as it confirms his theory... Wemu was a strong, straightforward, stoic man and when he died, Rasshu must've adopted some of his personality to cope with that fact... It's common to see this among humans... but sometimes it's a troublesome feat.

Mr. Ogawa whips out an ink brush as he crudely draws the basic anatomy of a human body, labeling parts that deal with her breathing style. He explains that she may project to be confident and proud but while trying to force that constantly, she's unintentionally shoving down her own true skills... The true skill is what determines your special fighting prowess; a stoic or proud personality will tend to lean towards brute power and direct attacks while a quiet and calm personality likes to deal with strategy and caution. This what Rasshu is actively pushing down... she's overall quiet as she tends to think out her situation precisely which is evident when she's "alone" but in the public eye, she sees this trait as undesirable so she actively over exudes a strong aura, creating conflict within herself! Causing her to overthink situations, forcing herself to act without a proper plan, trying to stay out of the shadows and fight head-on. Mr. Ogawa shakes his head as he asks Rasshu if that description sounded right to her. Looking down, she shifts awkwardly as her sensei calls out her fake confidence... With a swift swing to Rasshu's head, her sensei smote her with the wooden katana he always seems to have, causing her to grimace ever so slightly... He points to the training grounds outside as he tells her to go out once more, but Rasshu starts to shift uncomfortably as she states that it's past night fall, and demons could be out... Striking her once, her sensei threatens that she won't have to worry about those demons anymore if she continues to sit there.