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by GhaKha on Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:25 pm
Flying gracefully through the air...
Falling as a rock through invisible walls...
Hands bound by only mind,
Mind bound, by simple hands.
Flying Graceful, as a bird.
Falling quickly,
As a stone.
Frost stopped writing in a small notebook.
He was sitting in the main courtyard next to the large tree that took up most of it's space, admiring the morning sun as it warmed him and the grass just below his feet. He loved the mornings most of all for it was always quiet and there were hardly ever students wandering around, save for the odd initiate who was lost.
He closed the book and stood, his balance a little off due to the steel weights that held a firm grasp on his legs. It was part of training to keep them on, every waking minute, they were a nuisance in the beginning but now he was used to them.
Frost neatly tucked his notepad into the back of his trousers and happily walked onwards towards the mess hall to get breakfast whilst idly cleaning his red, circular glasses with a near expressionless face that would he was focused on something in his mind, or entirely devoted to keeping those glasses clean.
He entered the mess hall, it was a little busy but in it's being the morning, people were still relatively quiet. Most of the students looked half asleep. Confidently, Frost walked past the line of younglings waiting for food, and could already feel them staring with slack-jawed awe. Many students knew who he was. Powerful. Deadly. Even the necklace he wore was rumored to be made from teeth of his fallen enemies, but really it was just whale bone. Frost thought it best not to look them in the eyes and so he continued onwards past them, to the buffet-style area where all food was kept. He helped himself to bacon and eggs, chicken and a cup of apple juice before taking a seat in the middlemost area of the hall. Across him sat a young child who had a small number of scars on his hands, it was obvious he didn't do well with weapons.
"H-hi..." he said shakily to Frost, "are you Frost? The powerful Ninja?"
Frost paused... "and who might you be? A youngling, not too strong, nor great with bladed weapons, I'll bet the others tease you for it because you can't defend yourself. Your slim body and weak posture also tells me that you aren't confident in yourself or your abilities, and probably lacking in the hand-to-hand combat skills. You don't weight much more than two of these chairs, and you're an orphan."
The boy sat with open eyes, his frame shaking a little more, "H-how did you know all of that?"
"I was like you once. Don't let anyone know I told you that. Trust your mind, I can see that it will do you well in the future. Try your hand at advanced tactics and disguises. Perhaps Spiritual refinement... I'll wager you're a quick and dexterous student within those classes. Remember -- Those are the most important ones. You won't spend a lot of time on the field, but you'll save more lives than you can care to count."
Frost ate some bacon and took a quick swig of his juice before reaching back and withdrawing his notepad. He opened it with on hand, the other stuffing yet more bacon into his mouth, and read quietly, and gently...
"I am but a tiny sparrow, You are but a great man. With one great move you could kill me. Do you think it not wise. I am but a tiny sparrow, you are but a giant man. With one great move I could kill ye... With one great action, I could kill ye. I am but a giant sparrow, you are but a tiny man, now with my foot I shall kill you, o, simple, helpless man."
"W-what...?" Said the young boy.
"When you understand it. I will give you this book." By this point Frost was finished eating and drinking. He stood and left for his quaters, the boy watching him with a strange fixation.
When Frost entered his room, he sighed deeply as he looked onto the big room. It's walls were wooden and the floors were too, just like all the other rooms, but his was larger, only a little, but larger. In the center of the room sat a wooden training mannequin that barely represented a person. Around its chest hung four Kusarigama. Below it peacefully sat two iron pauldrons and spiked bracelets. Frost took the Kusarigama and sat them around his neck as they were on the training dummy, the blades and weights sitting idly by his breast. He then withdrew his notepad and sat it neatly on the floor before the mannequin with quiet breaths. He took in one more look of the room then left again through the halls that lead to many students rooms and back out again to the courtyard.
Frost was met by the young child again who looked up at him as if he was a towering giant before a tiny pebble, the child stood bravely and spoke
"Spar with me." and to that sentence Frost could barely keep back his amusement.
"No."
"Spar with me, Deacon Frost!"
"Perhaps when you're older, kid." He replied before patting his head and walking onwards to the large tree, out in the morning sun, blossoming beautifully. But the child persisted, still, and ran out in front of him,
"I beg of you, spar with me! I am the sparrow, you are the giant! I will strike you down."
"Silly child. The sparrow represents the greatest gift a Ninja can hone."
"The power to gracefully strike down his enemies, beautifully like a humble sparrow!"
"No. You haven't got it yet."
Again, Frost strode onwards and again he was interrupted.
"Spar with me! Teach me the meaning behind those words."
Anger sparked into Frost like a harsh rasp of cold air. "Fine!!!" He said loudly as he grabbed the boys collar and dragged him to the training quarters and then into the next empty room.
He swung the kid onto the cold floor who sprung quickly up.
"Take a weapon from the rack over there." Said Frost as he pointed to a small weapons rack that held swords and daggers. The child grabbed the first katana he could and rushed back to Frost with a strange might. The sword was swung down, but too slowly, with Frost easily stepping out of it's path.
"Know your target as well as you know yourself." He kicked the kid to the side along with the sword.
The kid sprang back up, and again moved to swing horizontally, just enough to cut Frosts knees. The blade swung, hit nothing, and continued to the side. The momentum caused the kid to lose balance but he quickly recovered.
"Remember, to train your mind more than your body. It is easily tricked if it is weak."
A powerful rage took over the child who began rapidly moving towards Frost with intense and rapid stabbing motions, all of which he dodge simply by moving to the side and out of it's path.
"You have potential. But you are unfocused. You are too easily fooled." The sword disappeared into thin smoke and the kid rolled forward, Frost kicking his should to make him fall onto his back.
Frost stood over him, idly dangling the sword above his face. "Take it." He said as he dropped the sword and stood straight. The kid was quick enough to punch the blades side to make the handle turn in the air to the side. He grabbed it and stood and again, began his rapid stabbing towards Frost who simply smirked as he dodged the flurry of attacks.
There was a tiny tear noise. One that only a trained ear could hear. A single thread was cut in Frost's trouser leg and by sheer instinct he spun, kicked the kid into the air, grabbed his Kusarigama and released it forward, before quickly drawing it back and letting it sit around his neck.
The kid hit the floor hard and sat up, crying loudly, clutching his hand which was now bleeding heavily. Two of his fingers sat on the floor, the hand now missing them.
Frost smirked and bent down to the kid.
"You'll go far." He said as he pulled out a small, grey tube made of cardboard. He opened the top of the tube and dipped his finger inside into a strange, brownish paste. He then rubbed the paste onto the wounds and the bleeding stopped almost instantly.
"This is my own recipe. It cauterises the wound, which means it stops the bleeding. I'll have the ingredients sent to your room. If you mix them in the wrong order, then it will create an acid. If you use the wrong quantities, then it will create an explosive. I am confident you will pass that test. Don't worry," he winked, "It took me four years. I think you'll manage it in three."
Frost stood, turned and left the hall, and as he passed a couple of students told them to fetch a medic for the kid who no longer cried, but sat with an eerie smile.
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