Post by Enuyu Suhishi on Feb 14, 2013 12:03:12 GMT -5
There was a club coming at Enuyu's head, and another for her guts. She ignored the second and focused on the first. Her hands came up to intercept the man's wrist and arm; she turned, redirecting his energy and forcing him to overextend his reach, put all his weight on his leading foot.
Then the other man buried his club in her stomach and the air burst out of her lungs in an involuntary rush. But she kept going. She may have been small, but she was incredibly rugged.
She had to be...
*** *** ***
Enuyu's world was pain, and she could hardly see anything for the tears and stars in her eyes. The only reason she knew the ground was under her was because she couldn't fall any farther. She was fifteen and her father had struck her harder than she'd ever been hit in her life.
She whimpered. "Daddy..."
His voice was like a whip. "Do you think your enemies will have any mercy?! Get up!"
Somehow she sensed his foot was coming at her again. She tried to move, to get out of the way, but her body wouldn't respond. He caught her in the gut, and the blow threw her onto her back.
"Get! Up!"
She rolled, and his foot whistled through the space her ribs had just occupied. Her lungs still didn't want to work. Her muscles were burning for air. But she moved.
Her feet found the ground, and somehow she found the strength to stand on them. Through the tears and the stars she saw his leg coming again. There was no way she could avoid it. She didn't try to resist, she went slack, absorbed as much as she could. On instinct born of hours of practice her hands found their place on his foot and she twisted it while she fell, dragging him with her to the ground. They ended up in a heap, but his leg was in a painful lock she didn't dare to release.
Everything hurt like fire. But her lungs were starting to function again, and she heaped air into them. It was only after her second breath she realized he was tapping out on her arm.
She let him go and curled up in a ball around her bruised and aching center. After a handful of long moments strong hands helped her to her feet. She faced her father, and they bowed to each other in the middle of the otherwise abandoned practice ring.
The second the bow was complete and he was her father again and not her teacher he went to her, hugged her close, and held the person dearest to his heart. He didn't apologize. What he'd done was necessary. She'd understand that. Still, he'd made his little girl cry.
His voice was soft now. "You have to be strong Enuyu, and resilient. You have to be better than all of them. Men are not always honorable. And the dishonorable things they do to women are monstrous. So you must be strong."
*** *** ***
Her grip faltered for a fraction of a second, but it didn't matter. The man and his weight were where she wanted them. For the moment the other man didn't matter. Her foot lashed out and found a home in the side of the first man's knee. He screamed as it bent laterally, then broke. He fell in a heap, his hands grasping at the ruined joint.
His compatriot was flabbergasted. He'd never seen anyone seemingly shrug off a club to the guts; let alone some waif of a girl. He made ready to swing again.
It was then the sound of a group of feet, all moving in time with each other met her ears, and all eyes went to the three newcomers wearing uniforms.
Then the other man buried his club in her stomach and the air burst out of her lungs in an involuntary rush. But she kept going. She may have been small, but she was incredibly rugged.
She had to be...
*** *** ***
Enuyu's world was pain, and she could hardly see anything for the tears and stars in her eyes. The only reason she knew the ground was under her was because she couldn't fall any farther. She was fifteen and her father had struck her harder than she'd ever been hit in her life.
She whimpered. "Daddy..."
His voice was like a whip. "Do you think your enemies will have any mercy?! Get up!"
Somehow she sensed his foot was coming at her again. She tried to move, to get out of the way, but her body wouldn't respond. He caught her in the gut, and the blow threw her onto her back.
"Get! Up!"
She rolled, and his foot whistled through the space her ribs had just occupied. Her lungs still didn't want to work. Her muscles were burning for air. But she moved.
Her feet found the ground, and somehow she found the strength to stand on them. Through the tears and the stars she saw his leg coming again. There was no way she could avoid it. She didn't try to resist, she went slack, absorbed as much as she could. On instinct born of hours of practice her hands found their place on his foot and she twisted it while she fell, dragging him with her to the ground. They ended up in a heap, but his leg was in a painful lock she didn't dare to release.
Everything hurt like fire. But her lungs were starting to function again, and she heaped air into them. It was only after her second breath she realized he was tapping out on her arm.
She let him go and curled up in a ball around her bruised and aching center. After a handful of long moments strong hands helped her to her feet. She faced her father, and they bowed to each other in the middle of the otherwise abandoned practice ring.
The second the bow was complete and he was her father again and not her teacher he went to her, hugged her close, and held the person dearest to his heart. He didn't apologize. What he'd done was necessary. She'd understand that. Still, he'd made his little girl cry.
His voice was soft now. "You have to be strong Enuyu, and resilient. You have to be better than all of them. Men are not always honorable. And the dishonorable things they do to women are monstrous. So you must be strong."
*** *** ***
Her grip faltered for a fraction of a second, but it didn't matter. The man and his weight were where she wanted them. For the moment the other man didn't matter. Her foot lashed out and found a home in the side of the first man's knee. He screamed as it bent laterally, then broke. He fell in a heap, his hands grasping at the ruined joint.
His compatriot was flabbergasted. He'd never seen anyone seemingly shrug off a club to the guts; let alone some waif of a girl. He made ready to swing again.
It was then the sound of a group of feet, all moving in time with each other met her ears, and all eyes went to the three newcomers wearing uniforms.