by Hopeflower » Thu Nov 25, 2010 9:05 pm
In a small backyard, by a statue of a phoenix, two figures sparred furiously. Trading blows from fists, feet, and flame alike, Ira and Yoruichi dueled. Days of training had come to this - another match between student and teacher. This time though, they were definitely more even than the first time Ira had challenged the red-eyed young demon.
In a blur of movement, her feet swept out from under her, Ira hit the ground hard, tucking her chin into her chest so she didn't take a knock to the back of her head. She was panting, sore, and more than a little bruised, but grinning. Yoruichi offered her a hand that the redhead accepted, getting to her feet. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Yoruichi asked, brushing dirt from Ira's back, taking care to avoid the half-healed stab wound between her shoulders.
"Please," Ira scoffed, giving Yoruichi a playful nudge. "You'd need to pack a bit more of a punch to do any real damage." Despite her words, she rolled her shoulders and arched her back with a faint grimace. "I think I have as many bruises as you do now." She chuckled as Yoruichi rubbed her side, where a fresh bruise was forming.
"I doubt that highly, Ira." Since Jojo and Gaara had left, the house had seemed a little emptier, but to two girls who had spent a good deal of time alone, it was tolerable. The house was comfortable, despite the memories it held for Ira, and a lot of the time they could both be found either in the library or in Yoruichi's room, reading or just talking while Ira braided the red-eyed girl's long black hair. Ira no longer felt crippling pain when she flexed her shoulders, and was up to eighty percent efficiency while sparring. Despite that, however, it did still hurt her when she attempted certain tasks, and she had yet to try to fly. "My wings yearn to fly, and I can feel the sky calling to me," she'd once said when Yoruichi asked her when she planned to try, "but I won't risk crippling myself for life because I'm impatient."
"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come."
"Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." ~ Bob Ross
"The future is always uncertain and painful but it must be lived." ~ Unknown