Haunted by the past (solo)

Yasu exhaled slowly as she watched the trees. They didn't mind the wind, plucking flowers from its leaves and showering them on the grass below. Some were over-laden with greenery, leaves flopping across the branches as if they'd taken a rest on their way to the ground. The boughs swayed and bobbed as though they were swimming through the air. When the forest wasn't so dense, sunlight didn't splinter through: it flooded.

Branches and twigs nestled between wildflowers that paved the earth. Yasu stepped slowly, her fingers coiled around her bow. The twigs did not snap or break beneath her feet, they were too full of summer to be so brittle. Hoods of coiled shadows hung in the groves around her. The sap sweet fragrance of the forest washed away the fresh garlic that nestled underfoot. Yasu continued her stalk through the woodland, heading upwind to find some game. The sun bounced off her silver hair, igniting each strand of white and steel. Still-hunting was her forest-bathing. The muffled orchestra of songbirds was engulfed by a nearby stream. Boulders colonized the edges of the pond, burnished with pillows of moss. They caused a rocky gurgling as water met stone; swelling and swishing around. Sweet fragrances folded in the vaporous mist around the water. It seemed to flit in and out of Yasu's awareness as she stalked between shafts of light.

A noise behind her had her turn, feathered arrow nocked and drawn. Her eyes found the source of the sound within a second and she froze. 'Woahhh!' The man's hands shot up as he staggered back with a clumsy smile. How had he even gotten this close without her realizing...Was a question she should have asked. Yasu lowered her bow, 'What are you doing sneaking up on people in a wood?'

He had sandy blonde hair and a rugged look that Yasu found instantly appealing. She should have known better... He stepped closer, still smiling. The sun caught his grey shirt, casting small shadows around his frame. 'Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I wanted to talk to you.'

In the back of her mind, beyond the serenity of the forest, sirens were blaring. She returned the arrow to the quiver and lowered her guard. 'Why?' her voice was measured and confused. He wasn't in control yet.

'I live right on the outskirts of our forest' Her gestured across his shoulder, all the while stepping closer. 'I've seen you a few times, coming to hunt. I even heard from the bar down the road that you bring them all their game. I just wanted to say hi.' He held his hand out to Yasu.

'I'm Riku'.

Yasu closed the gap between them, passing her bow to her left hand as she took his.

His hands were rough and cold.

The impact pulsed from the back of her head. Her knees buckled. Trees felled into the wilting colors of her mind.

Shit like this is why I drink...

Bleary eyes blinked awake. The faint smell of blood pooled behind her head. Yasu was on the ground, staring up to the patches of sky that blinkered between shifting trees. The water gaggled behind her. They hadn't even bothered moving her. Bold.

The silver-haired woman pulled herself up to sitting, her hands dredged into the mossy ground, trying to keep herself steady. Blood stuck her hair to the back of her head, dried into her shirt. The world wobbled back into focus. They'd hit her hard. Hell, they might've thought she was dead, a part of her felt like she already was. Though, technically, she was. What happens when you're dead and you die. Weirdly, Yasu had never thought about that before. Her life in Rukongai was about survival, she didn't make a habit of considering her demise. The humidity of the forest was starting to bear down against the woman and beads of sweat prickled against her skin. She dragged her feet in closer, bringing her hand to the back of her head. The pulsing throbbed through her entire body. A hand covered in blood. She needed to get fixed up. Quickly.

The bastards had even taken her shoes. That was just the icing on the cake though. Survive, then get your bow back. Yasu's silent determination helped her shakily get up to her feet. The moist ground was a cooling comfort for her body. It was a long walk back to find help though. The forest stretched into a tunnel ahead. Yasu's hands swam through the air ahead of her. She stumbled a step, catching a sharp rock underfoot as she fell. The world seemed to collapse on top of her. She was sick. Tears streamed down her face, her head bobbed up and down as she fought consciousness. She was confused, dehydrated, and disorientated. Survival. The rest could fall away. The shock stopped her now shredded foot from hurting, she was numb to the world. Yasu dragged herself back up and continued to stagger through the forest. The symphony of sounds had jarred into an overwhelming cacophony. Her damp clothes clung to her body as her heart pounded against her weak frame. Shades of green blurred into a pallet of garish light. She longed for darkness. For cool silence. Her body was slow and sluggish. Her legs dragged heavily against the ground. She was tugged at branches and trailing dirt and blood in her wake. This was the kind of prey animals dreamt of.  

Yasu didn't know how long she'd been moving. A cloud of sweat, vomit, and blood hung over her body. Dampened by the cool mud that cut across her wounds. The forest was a treacherous walk for someone on the brink of death. Her eyes fogged with a haze she'd been unable to shake. Darkness swelled at the corners of her vision. A cool light lay ahead; a dusty clearing.

Her knees buckled.

Darkness took her once more.

The liminal plane of existence lies between conscious and unconscious. Yasu woke in that transition. Dead but alive. The air didn't stick or cling to her anymore. The green hues were replaced with a pale white. Pain felt three steps behind her and she was floating. Her arms moved through the air like syrup, her wounds bandaged and secured. She glowed like a fallen star. The adjacent doorway began to oscillate. It twisted like a kaleidoscope, filtering through the rainbow and settling on white light. It hummed around the room, bouncing from each wall with a new vibration that carried her towards it. Certainty moved her feet to dance. Her body flowed and ebbed like liquid silver as she let the light take her.

Hallucinations had carried her this far.

They fell away like flakes of embers, dissolving into the air.

Her blood-smeared hand fell against the door and her body followed, slumped on the ground, a flower wilted from drought. Yasu was no longer a shining star. Voices roared above her like a storm outside of her comprehension. She was carried, clumsily, slowly. She was heavy, death was heavy. It filled her hollow body with terror and seeped pain through her nerves.

Within the pit of darkness, a deluge of light began to pulse. It beat like the chords of her heart-strings and pulled back delirium. The emerald life force throbbed through her veins and choked back the dreams. The dragon-scale hue enveloped her, as blurred figures rushed around. Survival began to clamber through the pit, clawing up to the surface. Her steel eyes opened, catching glances of worry and fear. Resolve hardened her skin, fortifying her wounds with grit.

Blood stopped escaping. Wounds sutured closed.

Yasu's mind released her back into herself.

Trauma would scar more than wounds but at least it wasn't the end. More would come, worse would always follow.

You could have died a caterpillar...

Her thumb peeled against her patchwork skull, counting each stitch with rejuvenated wrath. Yasu's temperament had been clouded, haunted by gloom. Her friends were not professional healers, they had done their best. The hidden truth: without her reiatsu, Yasu would have died. This realization would not appear for years. It had been three days, she could walk without stumbling now. The world didn't blur with motion anymore, so it was time to find them. Yasu's bow was the best thing in her life. It was a true extension of herself. The weapon was art. Elegance. Beauty. It was hers, the only thing ever made for just her and it had been taken away. Probably sold by now. So she'd have to find the man first. Pain throbbed through her temples. She closed her eyes, exhaling as gently as possible, abating the migraine that lingered.

Yasu felt weak. She'd been in tight situations before, broken bones and fractured ribs, but this was different. She was a gouged shell of herself. It consumed her when it so desired and she loathed being at the mercy of pain. Her memory was hazy, her mind had transformed the world to help her survive but it wasn't made for recall. It felt like a dirty mirror, the reflection was there but it was murky and unclear. She'd been stupid to let her guard down so easily, to have been so oblivious. Now she was paying the consequences. She had never killed anyone before. She'd hurt people and killed animals but that was a line she hadn't crossed...yet.

The sunshine had been drowned out by the wind that had shifted around Rukongai for the past few days. It spewed debris and rocked each derelict building she tried to hid in. Yasu rolled out of her chair, controlling each step as she moved through her small home. It was sparse, cold and drafty but it was hers. She was quietly proud of the place, not many people had their own space and she didn't need much. Just her bow... Yasu was a ranged fighter, she knew how to play to her strengths. The cold metal twisted against her dexterous palms as she arranged her knives. Once sharpened, she began to kit up. Six blades holstered on her hip, four at the small of her back, three nestled against each rib. Shards of light glinted against her cold gaze, harrowed by what was yet to come. They'd left her for dead, she wouldn't be so careless. Her arm guard concealed her favorite blade, it was for emergencies only and its handle was wrapped in the same leather of the guard itself. Full quiver across her shoulder, ready. Yasu tied her hear slowly, cautious of her still-healing wound. She stood in her doorway for a moment, letting things fall behind her. It felt like a farewell. The decision had been made and its consequences would have to fall into place because there was no moving forwards without this. It was ride or die time. The wind rocked trees against one another, like a storm in the middle of the ocean, waves colliding. Yasu felt that.

She stormed ahead, purpose guided her feat along the steady ground. Soft leather rolled silently through the wailing winds around her. They'd never hear her coming. Everything else hewed around her, felled into her blood-lusting tunnel vision. Her expression was set in stone; cold and rough. She'd find him, she knew it. Regardless of how long it took. Yasu stood in the forest, staring down at the pool of blood that had dried into the moss carpet. Bows broke and cracked around her. The maelstrom was on its way. She stalked through the woodland, her body knew the path she'd arrived on. His gesture had been the only honest moment of their interaction. It was hard to track them after the days that had passed, especially when her forest was crumbling around her ears. Nothing would stop her though, she was a shark who'd had a sniff of blood, the rest was instinct.

The forest was a hidden treasure, the paths made were by individuals; not worn engravings of time. She'd followed the breadcrumbs to a cabin. Her heart swallowed her doubts, beating steadily as her hand hovered down to her hip. It was him, everything about the place screamed as much. A million small details filtered through her eyes and told her gut she was right. It was early, most people were still in bed. Pines surrounded the hut, they brushed and bent through the squall. The flash of silver was lost in the brown and green that began to toss around the forest. Yasu was up in the tree before anyone could've seen her. She crouched across a branch. Hidden and prone. Now she just had to wait. This was like breathing to her; stalking prey, guarding her trap.

Cold air rushed along her skin, prickling against the hairs on her arm as her tower shuddered and swashed around. Her cold gaze was unwavering and unrelenting. Deep in the foray of concern, she wondered if everyone felt such clarity before they killed someone. If it truly did splinter your soul. Within the soundscape, footsteps clomped nearer. It was astounding how loud people were when they felt safe. Yasu's senses peaked. The door swung open and wrath boiled through her bones.

He was alone. Hubris... The shards of memories slotted into place within Yasu's mind. He'd spoken down to her unconscious body, kicking and stomping until his own rage was satiated. He'd told his friend to take her shoes, to feel her body before she was dead.

The first knife went through his foot, stapling him to the ground. Panic stretched through his eyes as another knife came hurtling from the treetops. The second caught him right between the third and fourth ribs. Blood poured through his shirt as he screamed and yanked the blade from his foot. His shoulder took the next strike.  He flopped and yelled around like a fish gasping for water. When she emerged from the buckling forest, terror finally reared its head. He knew, as well as she did, it was the end. His blood-soaked hands wrapped around the blade he'd pulled from his foot. He was a whimpering mess. He couldn't even stand. Yasu tossed another dagger between her fingers, circling her prey. 'Where's my bow?'. Hope was a rejuvenating ideal, even a slither was enough for most people. He clung to it in desperation. 'I sold it! I can tell you-' Her foot pinned his neck to the earth. The dagger in his shoulder crunched further through his back. His weak hands clawed against her boot and she stared into his eyes. Just like he had, the coward. 'Who?'. His voice cracked against the force, 'Jiro'

...

Shock. Rapid breathing. Cold.

Her foot had crushed the knife in his chest, lacerating his liver. Hepatic avulsion. He was drowning and fading.

Yasu left him there.

You could have defined yourself by the dark days...

Jiro was a thug. A stout man, red-faced and bulbous. Animals like Jiro traveled in packs, they were a tribe of brutes that formed a brash collective. They wore their meager success around their necks, adorning trinkets like tokens of grandiose living. Yasu had avoided tangling with his gang before; It was an unnecessary battle. Their numbers had grown through the years and she knew of at least two districts under their control. She knew where to find the guy and she hoped it wouldn't come to blows. Her head was pounding again, she'd walked out of the forest slowly. Determined to leave on steady steps this time.

Yasu sat in the shade, drinking the last drops of water she'd brought. She swilled the bottle around, watching the small waves slide up and down the container. The skies had grown darker as the day had drawn out, she was probably in the last slither of light the day would bring. It seemed apt. Yasu wiped the sweat from her forehead, checked her stitches, and hauled herself back up to her feet. The heavy winds had cleared the streets; throwing spirals of dust and crap around the place. Just like home. Jiro's usual spot was a sake bar, it was nearby. Laughter roared above the sound of shuddering air, of course, they were already drunk. Yasu straightened up her spine, enjoying clicking of her bones shifting into place. Jiro was a bully, he intimidated people for a living and he hurt people for fun. He didn't deserve to live but Yasu didn't have a specific reason for him to die. They'd operated side by side without conflict for this long, he was a 'businessman' after-all. But Yasu needed her bow and if she had to pry it from cold dead hands then she would.

'Eyyy! It's robin hood!' Jiro swayed up to his feet, spilling half his cup across his gaggle of friends as he mimed cheers to Yasu. She didn't get the reference. He dropped back into his chair with a thud and assumed their business was over. Yasu was a stone, an immovable object of will. He slowly caught on. A hush whispered through their gang and Jiro leaned back against his chair, it was amazing such a flimsy wooden construct could hold him.

'What do you want Tanaka?'. The stench of alcohol whistled through his gravel tones. Yasu exhaled slowly, feeling a rush of nausea swing from the back of her head. She swallowed it, hoping he couldn't see the sweat forming over her face. 'A guy, Riku maybe, he sold you a bow? My bow.'

A sinister grin stretched across the gorilla's face. He nodded. The wind shook the bar and the dim lighting flickered on and off. Dark corners of the room began to swell. Beads of sweat rolled down Yasu's face. 'Yeah, I got yer bow, Tanaka...In fact, I'll even give it back to ya for free. You just gotta do a little somethin' for me first. One those quid-crow-pro things ya know'. He rose from his chair, lumbering through his posse as he swung an arm around Yasu's shoulder and steered her into a private space. She blinked hard, willing away the shadows as she stepped along with the man. Her body was rigid and shaking, a cold sweat seeped from her pores. He was too bladdered to notice. The wind whistled like a kettle left to boil for too long. It was loud in here. The wave passed and she tuned back into her new accomplice. 'So you just gotta kill 'em, and the bows yours.'

'I'll take my bow first then'.

Her voice didn't betray her. He withdrew his arm from her shoulders. 'Naa, see that won't work. 'Cuz I don't trust ya to do it. So ya gotta kill him first, then I'll give ya the bow. Come on, he's just upstairs. I was meant to do it myself ya see, but now I've had a few ...Well, I'm not sure it'll be a fair fight ya know...' Yasu knew what he meant. She didn't know the guy upstairs but her brain was struggling to differentiate morality anymore.

'He did business with you?' She was trying.

'Well, until recently sure, but he's stopped holdin' up his part of our deal so, ya know'. His chubby finger drew a line across his neck. Yasu exhaled, finally regaining some grounding in her feet.

'Fine'.

The man clapped to himself as sat back at his table as Yasu headed upstairs.

Kill another bad guy, get my bow, sleep for three weeks.

That was the plan.

Upstairs wasn't for customers. It was a storeroom and a shady back office. Most people around here were involved in something nefarious. It seemed the manager was no different. Yasu felt like her head was splitting apart. The pain was throbbing through her eyes and her focus was blurring. She needed this to be over. Now was not the time for tact. She booted open the door. Laying three daggers into the man's chest before he even crossed his desk. He fell, face first into his work. One man, unarmed: he never stood a chance.

Yasu stumbled. Falling back against the door frame as colors titled. The building shook again. Rattling and creaking against its joints. She closed her eyes, praying for a remit from the pain. She stepped forwards, catching her head before it rolled too far off balance. Her hands braced against the walls. Raucous laughter continued downstairs. The dead man was quiet at least. Higher cognitive functions were not processing. Yasu needed to lie down. She would, soon.

She walked back downstairs and stood ahead of Jiro. His bellowing laughter cheered on his friends, 'Ah so quick Tanaka! I wish I had ten more like ya!' He nudged his friend, who left for another table. Yasu held her gaze steady on Jiro, his shape was a blur but his smell was enough. A cloth-wrapped bundle was dropped into her arms. She knew before she unwrapped it. His fucking grin just grew bigger. 'Here ya go. I guess it'll take a bit of repair, but-'. The shattered pieces of her bow fell to the ground in slow motion. She yelled, roaring like an animal as two arms appeared either side of her, grabbing her backward as she tried to throw her body forwards. His laugh echoed through the cavernous air.

Her bow hit the ground. An arrow pierced past her shoulder and caught Jiro right between the eyes. Yasu turned, the nearest brute thumped her in the head and her knees buckled. Darkness exploded over her eyes and screams followed. Shifting weights moved the ground as she tried to blink open her eyes. They were already open. She could hear fine, feel the ground, smell the blood mixing with alcohol. But she couldn't see.

Yasu lost consciousness.

Yasu awoke gently, bees hummed in her realm of awareness, and warmth brushed against her soft skin. A whispered breeze swayed against her silver hair. Confusion spiked first. It was dark still, so dark she couldn't see. She sat up, rubbing her eyes with increasing alarm.

She blinked hard.

Twice.

Three times.

She still couldn't see.

Her head throbbed within the darkness and tears rolled down her cheeks. It was a dream. It had to be a dream. She clawed at her arm, pinching it. Punching the floor. She scrambled around to her feet, groggily colliding with everything she couldn't manage. She was blind.

Yasu crumbled to the ground, wailing for her lost life. Screaming for help. If she wasn't worth anything before, she was worth even less now. She was nothing. She could hear her tears dropping to the ground, feel the heat within her body and she resigned herself to death. Her life was shredded like tissue paper, she never thought she'd be so fragile. Hours passed and her exhaustion faded into a restless sleep.

Yasu's breath hitched as she awoke, a blanket covered her body. She daren't move. A voice from the corner echoed through her frame. 'Finally awake again, Tanaka-San.' Yasu fought her dread-filled paralysis and dragged her body up to sitting. A cool breeze hit her tear-stained her face; she'd been crying in her sleep. She tried to turn to face the voice, feeling the shame of failure prickle against her cheeks. 'Well, you seemed to have calmed down a bit so I'll explain. You may call me Yuto-san. I brought you to my home, you're safe here. I'm going to train you and then I'll heal your eyes.' Hope was the most dangerous of weapons. Like a flower blooming inside her chest, air filled her lungs and her heart skipped at the thought. Danger encircled the idea. 'How?' Yasu bit back fresh tears, unable to stop her voice from breaking. 'In another life, I was a healer. It's a particular skill of mine and since your loss of vision is a direct result of that head injury, I'm confident I can return your sight.'

'Then do it now!' Anger propelled her voice to the empty corner. Silence followed. Long enough to make her fold in on herself.

His voice came from behind her next. She turned, entangled by the blanket. 'No. I will heal you but I need you incentivized to train first.' Yasu's fist coiled around her blanket. 'You have no choice Tanaka-san. If you refuse my help, you will remain blind and probably get yourself killed.' Yasu ripped the blanket from around her, scrambling shakily to her feet. 'Why do you even care?! You don't know me! You CAN help but for some reason, you're choosing not to? What kind of fucked up ego trip are you on?!'

Silence followed once more. Rage subsided again. She was a volatile ocean, boiling and overflowing with each tide. Yuto was old enough to have no care for such things, he was a patient man. An artist of sorts. He watched the silver-haired woman with intrigue. Wondering if she knew her full potential. He could see it clear as day, every inch of her soul was destined for more than running with thugs and hunting deer. He had lived a life ten-fold of her own and yet he couldn't just leave her. Yuto had never been a teacher of any kind, in fact, he'd shunned most social contracts in his time. When he'd seen Yasu months ago, even he hadn't predicted this. It was her delirium march through the forest that had sealed the deal. She probably thought she'd survived on grit and luck alone. Ignorance was, after all, bliss. When she'd killed the second man, he knew he had to intervene. Tanaka was an interesting specimen indeed. Though not without her bad habits. Natural skill alone was fine but if she was going to face real combat, she needed real training.

'We begin now'

Yasu flinched as a warm hand touched her own, it felt sure and hardened. Rough enough to be sturdy. 'Follow me, Tanaka-san.'

Yuto guided the woman through his humble abode, his modest hut was uncluttered by belongings; save for a few trophies of his past life.

Yasu's feet moved like boulders, the ground loomed ahead like jagged rocks. Uncertainty churned in her body, swilling around nausea until she felt the warm breeze against her skin. Yasu's head tilted back as she felt the fresh air flood through her veins. A tear trailed her cheek for the lost sight of such glory. Yuto released her hand. Yasu was barefoot and the grass slid between her toes as she sank into balance. She couldn't feel anything around her and panic spike again. 'Stay calm Tanaka-san. At the very least this experience will help you balance your emotions.' A surprising amount of indignation rebelled against the man's words. She woke up unable to see and hoping her vision would return at the whim of a stranger- she was allowed to be emotional. Yasu knew how mad the whole situation was but she had no other choice. It was better to have the option of vision than permanent blindness, right?  

'First, stand on one leg'. Yasu felt personally attacked. She could already predict her failure at this. The woman's hand instinctively brushed her hair back out of her face and she shook away the pause, unwilling to let it fill with sorrow. Yasu exhaled slowly and lifted her left leg. Her hips tilted to counterbalance, arms swinging left to right to hold her steady for three seconds. Yuto made no sound, for all she knew he'd buggered off already. Yasu huffed out her breath, bouncing onto the balls of both feet before she tried again.

These trials continued for the day. With little success. A clear sheen of sweat covered Yasu's body. Her frustration had mounted throughout the day and her nerves were ragged with exhaustion. She longed to open her eyes and see again. She'd spent most of her day imagining her surroundings. Though it was hard to hear anything but her own breathing. She ate slowly and clumsily before falling asleep.

Yasu dreamt of vivid pictures. Her dreamscape field: huddles of wild-flowers, swaying oak trees, bumbling bees, and a soft blue sky. It was glorious. It filled her soul with serenity. Yasu even dreamt she woke up in her room, she saw the dark wooden walls, a strange theatrical mask fixed to one. A plain stool in the corner. A few books. It was about as modest as she'd expected. But she could feel the floor against her back more, the blanket felt softer when she could see its beige hue.

'Day two Tanaka-san. We don't have much time to make progress, so today you can start shooting again.' Yuto spoke firmly as he guided her through his home once more. There was an uncanny incongruence to this reality. The stark difference to familiar and yet the moments which seemed so normal. Maybe she was in shock, clinging to the hope that this was all temporary. Her head didn't hurt anymore, so she could think a little more clearly. Even in her Stockholm state, Yasu knew she wouldn't be able to shoot a bow.

She stood in the grass, letting her toes sink back into solid ground. Yuto guided her hands gently to grasp a weapon. 'My bow was broken...' She whispered, hoping deep within that this man would be able to repair that too.

'That bow was trash. I made this for you, it's perfect'. Yuto was not one to mince his words. The weapon in her hand felt cool, almost like marble. It was soft, light-weight but sturdy. Yasu's hands inspected the weapon with a childish enamor. She remembered the arrow that split right through Jiro's eyes. Her hands absorbed every inch of the weapon. He was right, it was perfect. Yasu shifted the bow around her hands, feeling the weight in her arm as dropped into her stance. 'Back straight, don't bend your knees' Yuto's voice was more stern than she'd heard before but she'd seen him in action so she did as instructed. 'Good.' He moved her body around to face a different direction. 'Quiver at your left knee'. Yasu fumbled around to find an arrow, excitement pulsed through her body as she tried to nock the arrow correctly. It took a few attempts. 'Don't lock your shoulder, good' Yasu adjusted each part of her body to try and assume the correct form. 'Now anchor the drawback' She could almost see the target ahead of her. Yasu could already feel the certainty of her aim, the bow was a wonder. 'Release and follow-through' Yuto's words didn't need a direction, Yasu was focused within her darkness. She exhaled back into her realm of comfort and shot her arrow. She imagined an arrow plunging into the center of a target. 'Missed.'

The days swept in the same way, aiming for targets she couldn't see. Meditating. Hand-to-hand combat. Then sleep. Each day blurred into one, her bruises and scrapes felt superficial but progress was hard to measure by feelings alone. Yuto gave little encouragement so Yasu was only assuming she'd been getting better. Five days passed until she was led back outside to the grass.

Yasu stood, silently waiting for instruction. There was no breeze today, just calm air. 'Tanaka-san. Today we fight...' Yasu's ears pricked up at the words. Her heart responded first. 'Before we begin, let me apologize for misleading you.' The words crashed through her, shattering that seed of hope that been nourished each day. 'You're not blind.' Yasu felt faint.

The darkness that consumed her vision began to fade into the corners. Light streamed in, like a stage opening ahead of her. Yuto stood ahead of her, a peculiar bow in his hand. The dark tendril's coiled back around his weapon. He wasn't as old as she'd imagined, his hair was a soft grey, his featured angular. Yasu didn't know how to respond. Her mind swallowed the images around her, the green bow by her side, offset within the soft grass. The porch of his small wooden home. 'You liar! You fucking liar!'.

He lowered his bow, a stoic expression seemed unfamiliar to her eyes. 'I needed you to train seriously. To see if you were really capable'

'Then tell me! Don't fucking lie and make me think my life is over! I thought I was blind!' Yasu grabbed the bow by her side, clipping the quiver of arrows to her hip as she turned away from the man. 'You're a fucking psycho!'

'We're not done Tanaka-san.' He didn't move.

Yasu whipped back around to her captor. 'Yes, we fucking are! You kidnapped me. You brought me to the middle of nowhere and told me I was blind! We're done!' Yasu's rage was starting to lose steam.

'I saved your life. I healed you. I brought you back here and protected you. I trained you, I made you a new bow and now, I'm going to fight you.'

Yasu was lost for words. She longed for this to be a dream. Whatever shred of trust she had in people was ruined. He ruined it. Her nerves were shot, she was over-stimulated and fried. Revenge was a hard mistress to conquer though and so satisfying to succumb to.

Her hands moved of their own volition. Her body responded; the first arrow shot its way towards Yuto before she'd realized their fight had begun. His smoking bow, sliced through the arrow, swallowing it into its black smoke. He drew back his bow, formed a black arrow from the darkness before released it towards the woman. Yasu threw her body under the arrow, watching it in awe as it shifted like fire around itself. Her distraction had cost her. She landed with an arrow slicing through her leg. Yasu knew better than to stand still. Yuto had taken a similar approach. Two ranged fighters seemed like an odd combination. She loaded her bow. 'Back straight' he yelled, letting loose a flurry of arrows towards her. Yasu cartwheeled out of the way, leaping into the air as she fired two more arrows towards the man.

She landed on top of him, swinging her bow down against his shoulder. It really was a thing of beauty, the perfect weapon for all forms of combat. Shards of shadows rebuffed between their weapons. The recurved of his bow ground through her skin like butter, slicing across her with a speed she couldn't match. Yasu retreated back to a distance, shooting covering fire around his sprinting body. He swung his bow back down across her, shifting his weight as his foot collided with her arm. She bobbed under the bow, grabbing his ankle as she spun into him, throwing an elbow to his neck before he lunged back away from her.

He loaded his bow again, holding his draw as the side of the arrow seemed to grow. Yasu leaped up to avoid the strike, still managing to be propelled backward by the crater formed in the ground. She skidded along the ground, hearing him leap through the smoke as she blocked his first kick. Struggling to regain her footing, he forced her backward. There was no time for thoughts, just action, and reaction. She was losing, she could feel that much.

Her back arched as she sprung back off her hand, twisting in the air to swipe her bow through another arrow. She landed in a coiled mess of dirt. They moved together like a dance, two magnets repelling and attracting in sync together. It was a long fight. One that Yasu was destined to lose. But it was, to date, her most important lesson.

She twisted and weaved through the air, blocking and evading an onslaught of attacks. Yuto was impossibly fast, he seemed to vanish and re-appear around her at will. Yasu was exhausted. The final arrow hurled towards her chest. She yelled, throwing her full force behind her bow as she swung clean through the air, exploding the darkness into dust around her. She fell to her knees. Panting heavily. Yuto's footsteps drew closer. He stood ahead of her, silently allowing his bow to fade back into a sheathed sword. 'Keep training Tanaka-san. Next time, I won't go so easy on you.'