Fleeting Shadows (KNY x OC)

-11

The training grounds of the Shadow Estate is still pretty much damp from the rain earlier morning and Sayomi wishes to train at this hour now that it's evening, staring blankly at the area with her sword in hand.

She is to be on patrol duty in an hour so this should be quick.

"A litte dirt won't hurt." She mumbles  beneath her breath and shrugs off her gakuran jacket, placing it over the small banister and sitting on the steps to bind the edges of her hakama pants.
Right when she's done, she unsheathes her blade and begins executing her forms. She now truly does feel lighter wielding her sword.

"Woah, is that the new Pillar?"

"You mean, Rengoku-san's former tsuguko?"

"Yes, that's her, you idiot."

"I wonder if she'll be teaching during Pillar training. Her technique looks cool!"

"I do hope Kanroji-san will be there too."

"Stop being a weirdo already."

Sayomi pauses for a bit at the commotion coming from a group of lower ranked hunters on their way to a mission observing her practice from a reasonable distance. She turns to them and gives them an acknowledging wave, prompting one of them to muster up the courage and approach her with a few, nice words on hold.

"Evening, Takashi-san! I'm sorry if we creeped you out, your swordsmanship just looked amazing."

Sayomi gives him a grateful smile with an offer in hand. "Oh, you didn't and thank you. I mean if you're all interested, I could teach you during Pillar training."

It doesn't even take a second for the boys on the other side to react with a bellowing whoop and the one in front of Sayomi scratches the back of his head in discomfort at his companions' inability to shut up.

However, Sayomi finds it heartwarming that there are those eager to learn despite the hellish circumstances. The student soon becomes the mentor, so it seems. With a gentle pat on her junior's shoulder, Sayomi encourages him to go ahead and complete their mission for the time being, the group pumped up once more after her motivating promise to train them during the special training sessions.

The bid her goodbye and rush off to wherever they are needed.

She has half an hour on her hands just before she leaves and sets up bundles of straw mats and bamboos around the grounds to cut. She takes the first form stance and studies the path around the obstacles where she ought to deliver slashes from.

As she burns the image into her mind, she takes a huge breath in and prepares to lunge.

In what feels like time slowing down, Sayomi finds herself sprinting towards the obstacles with her footprints turning into unknown, dark spots and slithering around her legs as they begin to coat her lower body all the way up her torso. The moment she makes another movement, she appears to vanish for a few seconds before materializing in and out like she's glitching through space.

Clearly disturbed by what's happening to her, she stumbles back against one of the straw mats and falls flat on her back, her body having returned to its normal state.

"What the hell was that...?" Sayomi finally manages to breathe out after an agonizing, ten second silence flat on the ground, still internally questioning everything that has happened to her so far. She is pulled out of her shock in the meantime as her crow flies in and circles above her with a reminder that it's now her shift.

Her expression falls more frustratingly at the realization of her white shirt now soiled from falling.

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