Heavenly lessons (D9 LM, expecting)

[Suzume Senseki]

earth-covered feathers
ruffling - heavenly lessons
by wood and weather

read the poem that had been left at Mirumoto Haruhi's door earlier in the day. Once again the Sparrow paced slowly as he waited, bokken on his hips, his half-smiling, mostly serene eyes alternating between the Cedar trees and the herbs and shrubs in the gardens.

[Mirumoto Haruhi]

Haruhi walked into the gardens with a smile.

"I'm not used to being invited places via poetry, Suzume-san. I might like to get used to it." she said with a bow.

[Suzume Senseki]

Haruhi walked into the gardens with a smile.

"I'm not used to being invited places via poetry, Suzume-san. I might like to get used to it." she said with a bow.

Hearing her footsteps, the Sparrow turns towards her to greet her with a smile of his own - if a somewhat shy one - and a deeper bow than hers. "I may need to get more practice in that art then, ne, Mirumoto-sama", he says, and the smile widens a bit. "Thank you for coming to see me", he adds - and just then, he notices the day seems to start getting a little darker.

He looks up, curiously, but soon his eyes meet hers for a moment. "I thought..." he starts, and his eyes drop to the ground before her again. "Maybe you could show me some of your lessons?", he adds, his voice warm and... somewhat calm.

[Mirumoto Haruhi]

Harushi nodded eagerly.

"Of course, Suzume-san, it's a great reason to spend more time with you. How familiar are you with Niten?" she asked.

[Suzume Senseki]

Harushi nodded eagerly.

"Of course, Suzume-san, it's a great reason to spend more time with you. How familiar are you with Niten?" she asked.

"I suppose... not much, Mirumoto-sama. We hear stories about it and its masters... including some that travelled to our lands. Like..."

And he goes on to tell the story of a Mirumoto Duelist that travelled across the lands to learn from the different styles of the Empire and defeated a famed Kakita duellist, in Sparrow lands, over a discussion about the meal the Kakita had been offered in a Sparrow village.

"But despite these stories, we... don't learn much about the style itself."

[Mirumoto Haruhi]

Haruhi nodded.

"It's a simple concept, but difficult in the execution. You have two hands and you have two swords. Both swords should be a natural extension of yourself when you truly understand the style. It just takes training to get them to work in concert, your mind wants you to focus on the longer sword, but they need to work in harmony." she explains

[Suzume Senseki]

Haruhi nodded.

"It's a simple concept, but difficult in the execution. You have two hands and you have two swords. Both swords should be a natural extension of yourself when you truly understand the style. It just takes training to get them to work in concert, your mind wants you to focus on the longer sword, but they need to work in harmony." she explains

He hears her attentively, his eyes shifting from her eyes to her hands, then to his own and back to her as she speaks. "Un... I understand, I think. It is... not easy to focus on two things at once, ne? But then... if one of the swords is not most important, are they... different, then? I mean... one focused on attack, the other on defence, perhaps? Or... they focus on different sides of the opponents' body?"

He feels he's probably way off-mark, but he's doing his best to try and understand it...

[Saibankan]

He hears her attentively, his eyes shifting from her eyes to her hands, then to his own and back to her as she speaks. "Un... I understand, I think. It is... not easy to focus on two things at once, ne? But then... if one of the swords is not most important, are they... different, then? I mean... one focused on attack, the other on defence, perhaps? Or... they focus on different sides of the opponents' body?"

He feels he's probably way off-mark, but he's doing his best to try and understand it...

Haruhi smiled.

"That's the beautiful t hing about it. When they are in harmony they can both work together for offense, worth together with defense, or have one handle one and one the other. You can catch many people out defending with the katana while counter attacking with the wakizashi."

[Suzume Senseki]

Haruhi smiled.

"That's the beautiful t hing about it. When they are in harmony they can both work together for offense, worth together with defense, or have one handle one and one the other. You can catch many people out defending with the katana while counter attacking with the wakizashi."

He looks at her eyes for a moment, then her arms again, a smile widening on his lips. "Un... I think I understand. Some of it, at least. It's... maybe something that your body must learn along with your mind, ne?" he says with a slight grin. "Like walking... or harvesting barley I suppose." A slight shake of his head. "I wonder if I could ever learn... some of it. Mirumoto-sama has spent her life perfecting that art, so..." He lowers his head, shaking his head again, then raises his eyes to smile at her again. "I suppose even the idea of learning some of it now might be seen as an insult. I apologise if it is, Mirumoto-sama, it's definitely not meant as one"

[Mirumoto Haruhi]

He looks at her eyes for a moment, then her arms again, a smile widening on his lips. "Un... I think I understand. Some of it, at least. It's... maybe something that your body must learn along with your mind, ne?" he says with a slight grin. "Like walking... or harvesting barley I suppose." A slight shake of his head. "I wonder if I could ever learn... some of it. Mirumoto-sama has spent her life perfecting that art, so..." He lowers his head, shaking his head again, then raises his eyes to smile at her again. "I suppose even the idea of learning some of it now might be seen as an insult. I apologise if it is, Mirumoto-sama, it's definitely not meant as one"

Haurhi shook her head.

"If you're willing to learn, I'm happy to teach." she said.

She blushed a little bit.

"It's..a nice reason to spend time together with you."