Post by ShadowedFlames on Oct 4, 2012 6:02:13 GMT -6
NOTE: This is not designed to be an RP-able minor legend. This is meant to further flesh out a facet of Mars' past history. Comments and questions are welcome. –SF
Everywhere she turned, she couldn't find an escape from them. Around every corner, behind every stone, they lay in wait for her. No matter how many times she cut them down, they would always reappear. An hour passed, and then another, as she fended them off from all sides, the only sounds in the air being her grunts and wordless screams as she fought a battle that deep within she knew she couldn't win.
That's when the voices started. Some high in tone, others a low, rumbling bass that threatened to shatter her bones from within. Some the quiet whisper of a child's breath on the breeze, some as loud as thunder cracking the skies above. Regardless of the tone, the voices said one thing and one thing only, assaulting her from all sides. Despite her training, this was one thing she hadn't prepared for, and it showed as her once-sure movements began to falter. Her defenses began to crack, and they took full advantage of this, the voices now seeming to come from them instead of the open air.
In a moment of desperation, she shouted to the skies above, seeming to draw power from a scream that came from deep within her. Her movements resumed their sureness, her hands and feet weaving a dance of death. The bodies piled up, but still they kept coming, the voices continuing their endless chant as they continued to buffet her from all sides.
So focused was she on the foes in front of her that she never felt or heard the one come up behind her. The pain in her chest was what finally alerted her, though no wound was visible to her. The figures in front of her disappeared into the ether, as a pair of hands that weren't hers appeared from behind her to wrap around her torso, pulling her backwards. The voices fell silent save for one, a whisper that, much like a lover's caress, sent shivers through her body as the last dregs of her resistance left her body. She was powerless to resist as the words finally registered in her weary mind:
"I need to stop going so easy on her."
Seijun Honoo came back to consciousness with a start. The sun was just starting to crest over the eastern horizon as she rose from her bed, her body protesting the movement after all of the exertion from the day previous. Since beginning her training in the fighting arts twelve years ago, she had never been this exhausted, or in this much pain, from one person.
One person.
Jupiter.
Unbidden, the memories of the previous day's events flooded her now-fully aware mind, and a cold chill spread from her spine throughout her body. They were supposed to be at their best at all times, for no one knew when they would be needed to stave off a threat to them all. Seijun had taken great pride in giving everything she had, in making sure she was ready at any given moment to leap into the fray.
And Jupiter thinks she should stop going easy on her? A low growl emerged from the slender throat of Seijun as she threw open the doors to her chambers and descended down the stairs and out into the sparring arena. At this time of morning, no one else was awake, which suited Seijun just fine as she wouldn't have to bother with modesty for other peoples' sake. Not that she normally would have cared what other people thought, but this morning she found that she gave less than a damn about what other people were thinking.
And still the sentence echoed in the far reaches of her mind. Like a battle cry meant to make its enemies falter, the words ate away at her. Seijun refused to yield before nine simple words, and her actions picked up in intensity, her normally-fluid movements becoming staccato and quick paced. It was a different look to her style of fighting, as each movement was designed to dispatch an enemy rather than slip into their defenses and simply injure them. She truly was dancing with death now, though it was difficult to determine who led this tango of mutually assured destruction.
Some time passed—Seijun was unable to tell how long, exactly—and when she became aware of her surroundings again, the sun has crossed the sky and was already beginning to sink into the western horizon. Her body was a bundle of pain, her stomach was crying for sustenance, and her mind had all but shut down in an attempt to keep Seijun from plunging over the edge and into insanity. Part of her subconscious knew that she couldn't keep this up; her body could only take so much before it would simply refuse to do anything.
The remaining moments she spent awake were filled by mundane matters, and it was almost in desperation that she fell onto her bed, hoping for an improvement on the morrow. Yet as consciousness fled from her, the words came back one last time, taunting her in her final waking moments. The Fates only knew when she would finally be able to get a restful night's sleep again....
(Upcoming in Chapter 2: Would you mind if I killed you?)
Also, I apologize for how short this chapter is. I planned on getting to at least four pages but the idea decided otherwise. Hopefully the next one will make up for the length.
A Soul on Fire: The Lost Year of Sailor Mars
CHAPTER 1: Descent
Everywhere she turned, she couldn't find an escape from them. Around every corner, behind every stone, they lay in wait for her. No matter how many times she cut them down, they would always reappear. An hour passed, and then another, as she fended them off from all sides, the only sounds in the air being her grunts and wordless screams as she fought a battle that deep within she knew she couldn't win.
That's when the voices started. Some high in tone, others a low, rumbling bass that threatened to shatter her bones from within. Some the quiet whisper of a child's breath on the breeze, some as loud as thunder cracking the skies above. Regardless of the tone, the voices said one thing and one thing only, assaulting her from all sides. Despite her training, this was one thing she hadn't prepared for, and it showed as her once-sure movements began to falter. Her defenses began to crack, and they took full advantage of this, the voices now seeming to come from them instead of the open air.
In a moment of desperation, she shouted to the skies above, seeming to draw power from a scream that came from deep within her. Her movements resumed their sureness, her hands and feet weaving a dance of death. The bodies piled up, but still they kept coming, the voices continuing their endless chant as they continued to buffet her from all sides.
So focused was she on the foes in front of her that she never felt or heard the one come up behind her. The pain in her chest was what finally alerted her, though no wound was visible to her. The figures in front of her disappeared into the ether, as a pair of hands that weren't hers appeared from behind her to wrap around her torso, pulling her backwards. The voices fell silent save for one, a whisper that, much like a lover's caress, sent shivers through her body as the last dregs of her resistance left her body. She was powerless to resist as the words finally registered in her weary mind:
"I need to stop going so easy on her."
><><><><><><><><
Seijun Honoo came back to consciousness with a start. The sun was just starting to crest over the eastern horizon as she rose from her bed, her body protesting the movement after all of the exertion from the day previous. Since beginning her training in the fighting arts twelve years ago, she had never been this exhausted, or in this much pain, from one person.
One person.
Jupiter.
Unbidden, the memories of the previous day's events flooded her now-fully aware mind, and a cold chill spread from her spine throughout her body. They were supposed to be at their best at all times, for no one knew when they would be needed to stave off a threat to them all. Seijun had taken great pride in giving everything she had, in making sure she was ready at any given moment to leap into the fray.
And Jupiter thinks she should stop going easy on her? A low growl emerged from the slender throat of Seijun as she threw open the doors to her chambers and descended down the stairs and out into the sparring arena. At this time of morning, no one else was awake, which suited Seijun just fine as she wouldn't have to bother with modesty for other peoples' sake. Not that she normally would have cared what other people thought, but this morning she found that she gave less than a damn about what other people were thinking.
And still the sentence echoed in the far reaches of her mind. Like a battle cry meant to make its enemies falter, the words ate away at her. Seijun refused to yield before nine simple words, and her actions picked up in intensity, her normally-fluid movements becoming staccato and quick paced. It was a different look to her style of fighting, as each movement was designed to dispatch an enemy rather than slip into their defenses and simply injure them. She truly was dancing with death now, though it was difficult to determine who led this tango of mutually assured destruction.
Some time passed—Seijun was unable to tell how long, exactly—and when she became aware of her surroundings again, the sun has crossed the sky and was already beginning to sink into the western horizon. Her body was a bundle of pain, her stomach was crying for sustenance, and her mind had all but shut down in an attempt to keep Seijun from plunging over the edge and into insanity. Part of her subconscious knew that she couldn't keep this up; her body could only take so much before it would simply refuse to do anything.
The remaining moments she spent awake were filled by mundane matters, and it was almost in desperation that she fell onto her bed, hoping for an improvement on the morrow. Yet as consciousness fled from her, the words came back one last time, taunting her in her final waking moments. The Fates only knew when she would finally be able to get a restful night's sleep again....
(Upcoming in Chapter 2: Would you mind if I killed you?)
Also, I apologize for how short this chapter is. I planned on getting to at least four pages but the idea decided otherwise. Hopefully the next one will make up for the length.
Sailor Mars // Tori Montgomery (Image courtesy of lunaii.com and used by permission)