Re: Wave Man Wanderings
Bereft of the advantages of technique and left to fall back upon inspiration and simple skill with the blade, the advantage in speed almost certainly falls to Tsutomu but for all his subtle shift in technique so as not to take unfair advantage of the other mans age, his eyes glow with obvious delight in all three levels of the spar, philosophical, social and of course, not least physical.
Kedo too disengages with his chest moving more swiftly than when he began, for though he is young and in good physical condition as a Bushi ought to be, when one gives oneself to steel adrenaline asserts its demands over all but the strongest, and seemingly unaware of the audience Kedo whirls back to let the second, shorter stave nestle in his hand like a bird caught from the air after his own answering bow.
When he returns, it is like lighting in a summer storm, flowing without warning from all directions with the harsh clikker-clak of wood on wood, delight giving way to the youthful joy of a Samaurai who knows that whatever tomorrow may bring, here and now it is good to be alive and with a friend. "The mysteries of the soul lie in the reach of every man and woman mortal-born, or so Shinsei seems to suggest." he answers within the whirlwind, dismissing the suggestion that there is anything to which even a simple Ronin might not aspire, "And as the Teacher himself said, knowing how he achieved enlightenment would not tell another how to do the same." (a point far more stressed in the schools thought coming out of the Dragon mountains than in most others - and that is hardly surprising, given the... strange... nature of some of the roads in those forbidding peaks).
He's quite lost now in the enjoyment of debate and spar, occasionally inserting - not weaknesses, but rather openings - in his defence purely for the pleasure of seeing their counter, as though seeking a perfection that is not housed in technique alone, or in victory, but rather in the synergy that comes of competition where you know your opponent almost as well as yourself, "Knowing that death is not the end of the path however, does nothing to prove the virtue of holding survival higher than philosophy." he interjects with a particularly beautiful double-lock and deflect of blades sweeping towards his face, choosing defensively to switch the argument back to its original course with mirroring physical motion.
[Private to Kaze no Kage: I don't know if this needs saying, but this is hellishly good fun for me at least, sorry if it's eating up your plot time. ^_^]