[LoweGear]

Something odd for today... while this still ties in to previous installments, I've taken an unusual route for this one. All will be revealed slowly soon.

This is Past, Part IV - Present.

Strange title yah?

Spoiler for Spar:

Why have you told me all this? About his past? Why?

You are the only one who will appreciate and understand my story. You’ve already done so much for him. Now, it all depends on you Ms. Mathis.

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I saw her by one of the HQ’s massive open lawns, performing sword slashing drills with an imaginary blade. It might appear strange, but given the restriction on non-commissioned mages using devices inside TSAB property, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Even without a weapon she still maintained the grace and swiftness that she has in combat, performing backslashes, overheads, and stabs with a minimum of effort. Usually she’d have Asuka as a partner, synchronizing their every move to better perform possession. But it’s always been a treat watching Kay practice by herself, the rare times I’ve seen her do it.

“ITTOU RYOUDAN!!!”

Asides from that habit of hers, as she cleaved an imaginary enemy in front of her.

“He’s dead.”

“Very funny wise guy.”

I threw her a can of cold canned juice I had bought just in case. She guzzled it down in less than a blink.

It’s only been less than an hour since we’ve last seen each other, and yet seeing Kay tired from her practice drill… I realized that it has been a while since I’ve watched one of her sessions. Felt like a much longer time since I’ve seen her.

I’m not sure, but I’m uncertain of what to say. We talked for lengths about the renewed Necron threat only moments ago, but I couldn’t find the words to talk about even that now. The silence between us is so serene, just watching her lie down on the grass, I thought it’d be a shame to disturb her with such a matter.

Or maybe I really didn’t know what to say. It’s awkward, especially to a girl like Kay.

Something came over me that moment. A whim I could not control, yet didn’t try to stop. I deployed Sofia, materializing as the Staff of Wisdom without the Necron modifications on my right hand.

“Spar with me?”

I realized that this wasn’t the ideal place for such an activity. But something told me that if I didn’t do this now, I’d never have another chance.

She stood up with that sly grin on her face, stretching her arms. “Better than slaying invisible enemies. No holds barred!”

I didn’t like the sound of that, considering where we were. “No magic. No Spells. No enhancements. Just you, me and your skills.” I said just to make it clear that we don’t plan on destroying TSAB property. Not that I needed magic. Not to brag, but Kay’s close combat skills are inferior to mine.

Unfortunately, she seemed to sense my confidence. “I’ll have you know stiff guy, that I’ve been practicing my skills a lot more than you know.” She said, with the same old cockiness I know. Then she did something unexpected to me…she removed Khaydarin from her eyes, and laid them down on a nearby bench.

“You two, stay there and watch me beat this guy.”

All of this time, I’ve never seen Kay remove her visors, not even once. No matter what happened, you can always see them wearing them, framing her eyes. Not even during similar sparring sessions. For the first time, I saw for myself those ash grey eyes once hidden by the orange lenses, staring at me.

For a moment, those eyes mesmerized me. Her face looked livelier unframed by her visor, and the beauty I knew she had, became more apparent. She was stunning.

If this was some ploy to psyche me out, then I realized it before I stared too long. I readied my stance, my left side facing Kay, with Sofia aimed steadily at her, keeping my eyes on Kay’s stance, awaiting her next move. Good thing it takes a lot more to make me blush, and this isn't enough... I hoped.

She drew out the golden diamond shaped pendant that was Galatea’s storage form. So far so good. With Sofia’s range against the katana, this should be easy.

“Asuka, you join Shinji and Rey at the back.”

She materialized her katana, now sporting a golden sheath I’ve never seen before.

“Like it?” She asked me rhetorically, as she drew both sheath and sword behind her, putting her right foot forward, and keeping her right hand above the hilt, ready to draw. Power over speed? It’d take too long for Kay to draw the sword and intercept me in that stance. It baffled me even more, making it more imperative not to let my guard down.

Even if it was simply a sparring match, none of us would be too happy if we lost out of laxity.

I expected her to start the match with two words, and she did.

“IZA SHOUBU!!!”

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