soul_logs | I would walk five hundred miles [OPEN]

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I would walk five hundred miles [OPEN]

Characters: Teresa

of_the_faint_smile & OPEN
Location: The Park
Rating: PG - minor blood
Time: January 19th - Late Morning
Description: Teresa ventured beyond the city walls, and she returned to realize how debilitated she is and how this partnership system requires her participation.

Cross-posted to Livejournal

While she had heard the express instructions that wandering beyond the city walls was dangerous, Teresa had eventually given up making constant rounds in the city. There were patrols of people for that, and she had memorized the outside walls protecting the city by now as well as most of the streets. She was nomadic by occupation, and she couldn't well sit around all day. This slow decline into inactivity was unacceptable, and she hadn't found morning training all that interesting. The only reason she went was to observe other fighting pairs and to occasionally speak with Yuuri; his views on life and trust were fascinating.

So, she had finally acquired a large hunting knife and began to walk the desert. It was strange that walking fatigued her now, that while her stamina was great, she actually had to settle down to rest. The desert situation only seemed to compound that realization that she had been reduced to a well-exercised human without any of the benefits she remembered.

The desert was vast, and most of the common animals fled in her presence or watched from afar. When she had finally encountered a creature willing to engage her, she was curious of its healing abilities and the slow grinding drive towards thoughts that were forbidden. Her knife strikes were perfect as always, but it healed with each stroke of the blade for longer than she would have thought was possible. It was resilient, which was a surprise, and she was disappointed to realize that she was forced to withdraw and leg it back to the city walls before her human frailty forced her to deal with a greater humiliation than the deep gash to her thigh.

It was the first time she had ever had to retreat from anything before. It was a serious knock to the foundation of her beliefs that she was just plain stronger than anything she faced.

She had returned to the park lands where she made her 'home', ignoring the blood soaking her uniform leggings and eventually seating herself cross-legged near a tree. It had been a long time since she had bled without it stopping almost right away. This world had made her experience a lot of things 'for the first time', and she wasn't certain that she approved of it at all. Still, it was better than being dead.

Flexing her fingers, she laid a hand over the still bleeding wound, closing her eyes to concentrate on stopping the flow. She was again disappointed when all of her youki was sealed, and her lips down-turned into a frown of displeasure. "How bothersome."

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"There was a fast regenerating creature in the desert," she replied without shame. "While my skills were superior in every way, this human body appears to tire faster than I care to admit." It was during the necessity of retreat that it had caught her, but she had suffered far worse before.

It was just... her body didn't heal as well as it was supposed to. Where was her own half-youma regeneration abilities? This was a strange development indeed.

A slight quirk of the brow. "You mean to say that you are not human?"

Could have fooled him. He had gathered she was an adept fighter by her build, but not human? Then again, hadn't he already conversed with several who weren't? Including those who apparently had special abilities, of which had been removed from BREW. He assumed this was the case as well. One day he won't be as surprised, but it's still something to adjust to.

"In that case, you'll have to rethink your strategy when out in battle."

"Half technically," she replied simply. She had started out that way after all, but all that was left was her human consciousness. Well... apparently that had changed here in this world. "Are you fully human?"

He didn't carry the look of anything that was not human, but there were many different kinds of guests here. It never hurt to ask in order to get a plain answer in return. She wasn't the type to want to chase after her answers after all.

"Indeed. I suppose I'll now be required to looking for a partner," she replied and looked off towards the trees.

Half. That's interesting. Then again there were myths and fairy tales about such things—it's not impossible for it to actually be true in other worlds. "Yes, though my skills far surpass many," he replied with a smirk. There went his ego, though it was also true.

"It seems everyone is. While I'd rather not have anything to do with this world's little war, it's probably necessary out of practicality."

Really he'd rather just hole up somewhere and make pottery, but if he had to wait on the other people to send him home...well things change.

"Does that mean that you have skills with a weapon?" It was interesting that he allowed his ego to flare in such a way, and she was still getting used to speaking to humans on an equal level. "So either your words have merit, or you're merely deluded into thinking they have merit."

She wasn't particularly interested in this war either, but what good was a warrior without an area to protect? She wasn't about to walk for miles without a goal in mind; she had spent years doing that after all.

"We are not forced to fight," she offered. "You can find a soft spot of grass and stroke your ego alone?"

"Hmph. Even though I've retired," term used loosely, "a master swordsman is still a master swordsman."

"However," he added as he looked out toward the trees, "finding a soft spot of grass to just be alone is tempting. I could just let my stupid pupil fight for me."

"Oh, a master swordsman? That's quite a title," she replied in great interest. She wasn't going to fight him, but he seemed a little young to be retired. "Do swordsmen in your world actually get to retire peacefully?"

She had found more than her fair share of soft spots of grass; she wasn't certain what was wrong with him. "Either you have plenty of friends hounding you, or you're not looking hard enough at the ground."

"It depends. Some die, some grow old. In my case I was just fed up with what was going on and wanted nothing more to do with it. After the Bakumatsu—a war in my world," he added, realizing she probably wouldn't know what that was, "the need for samurai has dwindled."

At her second comment, though, he gave a small "Hah!" before grinning. "Fortunately I only have one person who bothers me and he's more than enough. However, I have my own reasons for throwing some support for this war, if not to quicken my own return home. But who knows, I may change my mind."

He then glanced at her. "And you?"

Ah, the thought of growing old was an strange one. She had never consider it as a possibility, even though she was technically getting quite old herself as a warrior of the Organization. She found it amusing that he had quit, an act she had technically done as well. "So you quit? Your peers don't hunt you down and remove your head for that?"

He was an interesting man, and there was something companionable about him. Perhaps it was his need for a quiet place to contemplate or whatever it was that he planned on doing. "And what reasons would those happen to be?"

She shrugged easily. "I'm here because that funny device brought me here. I have no part in the war just yet."

At the term "peers" he smirked in amusement. "There is only one other who knows the art of the Hiten Mitsurugi Sword Style, and that is my stupid pupil. Otherwise it doesn't matter what I do." And it was arguably for the better.

"At least for this particular war, it seems that Shibusen wishes to protect its people. I still don't understand how this world works, but it's less about the politics and something greater than that. That is something I can respect. Otherwise, you sound like me."

Hiko wasn't one to really associate himself with people. Not because he was an anti-social lone wolf—they were just too damn annoying most of the time. There were the exceptions, of course, so the fact that he's actually stayed for this kind of idle chatter at least showed he was willing to put up with this particular woman. Especially since she's the first one he had talked to that didn't just blabber on and on about stupid things, nor was she particularly loud.

"Must be nice," Teresa replied, though she didn't entirely understand why a sword style determined who was peers with who. Worlds were sure different. "Is your pupil stupid because he can't perform the style?"

She supposed that Shibusen wanted to do that, but she hadn't been involved in a full-out war before. She had heard rumours of them, but she had kept to her assigned territory. "I care nothing for politics, and their system of combat is bothersome." She didn't want to waste her skills, but looking for that right person to 'wield' seemed like a terrible idea.

She wasn't actually certain why he was hanging around, but he was less obtrusive than some. She didn't mind that, and the occasional conversation was good to remind her that she still had some level of social skills.

"No. In fact he has succeeded me. But the reason he is stupid is because that's just who he is. He's rash, foolish, and too idealistic for his own good." These were words of love. Really.

"You mean the Meister and Weapon partnership?" Hiko shrugged. "I prefer using my own skills, but there is some merit in this 'teamwork' they propose."

She didn't claim to know anything about succession considering she was the highest ranked warrior of the Organization. However, she tilted her head as she considered his tone as well as words. "So you care for him considerably and dislike the fact he pulls you into situations you'd rather ignore?"

Well, as far as she could tell, she would be using her skills anyway. It was having to use something with her soul that made her uncomfortable. "Are you a meister or a weapon?"

He snorted at that. "I care about him only as much as I need to. But he does have a tendency to drag me into his own problems. I still believe that his being here is one of the reasons why I am."

"A meister."

Teresa couldn't help but find his reluctant affection to be all too similar to her own towards Clare. She was certain that there were considerable differences, but she chuckled in amusement anyway. "Perhaps he simply misses you, and he compelled BREW that your time is best spent here."

Nodding her head, she made certain to file away the knowledge. "I'm a meister as well. It seems you will be able to use your skills to the betterment of everyone else here."

That earned a looked of irritation. "If that's true, then he deserves a beating."

"Undoubtedly," he answered with a small shrug. Hiko then looked back toward her wound. "However, if you wish to continue to be of use, you should at least properly dress that wound soon."

"And are you planning on giving him one?" She wasn't certain if he was the type. She hardly knew him, but it was amusing nonetheless.

Looking down at the wound that persistently bled, she supposed that he was right. She would have thought it would stop by now, but the fact that it hadn't was concerning. "I suppose I should see that clinic then," she said as she rose to her feet in a single smooth motion. "Enjoy your time to think," she said before starting to walk off.

"Most likely." Really, it was highly unlikely that he wouldn't. Kenshin always seemed to come up with sound reasons for Hiko to at least smack him across the head.

But as she stood and finally seemed to do the common sense action, he nodded. "I will."

And then he, too, continued toward where she had indicated would be a quite place of solitude.

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I would walk five hundred miles [OPEN]

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