As soon as she had the chance, Sheena ninja'd herself out of the cafeteria and away from the conversation she'd been semi-forced to have. She probably could have just clammed up and told the boys to go away, but she'd kind of owed at least Endrance some kind of explanation. It wasn't everyday the embodiment of darkness pops up and delivers a
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"If you can fight a person, you can fight anything," Okita said, looking up at Junpei's eyes. He was watching their hands, using visual clues to help him. "Close your eyes." He had to learn to feel rather than see. Seeing would come second, and it would force him to really concentrate or he'd fall. Softening his touch, Okita began to press a little less against Junpei's palms. "The creatures you fight here will also try to eat you when they get this close, but you will be using your weapon as a shield. Finding the most opportune moment to dodge them means being able to feel their movements and read them accurately. If you move too early--" Okita pulled his hand away suddenly for a brief moment before putting it back up to catch Junpei before he fell. "--you will fall right into their jaws. Too late and the same thing. This exercise is meant to be difficult, but it is important you learn this."
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Then suddenly Okita's hands weren't there and Junpei stumbled forward, eyes flying open.
"Oh, shit!"
Thankfully, his teacher's hands were there to keep him from doing a ridiculous face plant right onto the floor. Or worse, Okita's chest. Righting himself, Junpei rubbed the back of his neck and averted his gaze from Okita, feeling embarrassed. He was right. He was going to be picking himself up off the floor a whole lot.
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He already had a plan formulating in his head about how to train this boy, but it was important not to frustrate him. Unlike the students at home, Junpei didn't have pain of seppuku hanging over him if he suddenly deserted. "You were improving, however. Remember that embarrassment, and remember how quickly the playing field can change." Putting his hands back up again, Okita waited for Junpei to do the same. "Try again. This time, you lead. Try to get me off guard."
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"Okay," he said, rolling his shoulders to try to make the relaxing thing easier.
Hands once again against Okita's, the boy looked at them for a long moment before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Still, for a second, he stood there making himself relax. With a few slow breaths, he exerted pressure against Okita's hands.
He moved them slowly to one side and, after a little bit back to the center. Then, after letting them stay there, he lessened the pressure before suddenly lowering his hands. Okita didn't say he had to stick with the side to side.
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He felt the pressure coming in and he pushed back, keeping his touch as light as it had been before. As Junpei moved, Okita moved with him, almost at the same moment. He was relaxing better now, which was good, but Okita had a good deal of experience in reading his opponents and feeling the way someone was about to move. It was in his back, really. He could feel the slight pull of muscle before someone decided to let go, the tense that came before pushing; and eventually, Junpei would learn that, too.
Which was why, when Junpei suddenly dropped his hands, Okita went with him after naught but a split second of hesitation. There was a dip in the boy's shoulders, ever so slight that told him which way he was going - just not how far. Okita decreased the pressure in his hands slightly when Junpei lowered his, pushing back fully again only when he was certain that Junpei had stopped. Then, he smiled again and said, "Tricky, tricky. Good - it's easier when you're leading, yes?"
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"Yeah, it is." Junpei brought his hands back up and tried again. This time he started to move to one side before immediately changing the direction back the other way.
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After a moment of silence, Okita asked, "Do you know what I'm doing differently, Junpei-kun?"
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"No," he replied. Then he thought for a moment. "Well... it's like you're not... assuming where I'm going to be moving. I dunno if that's the right word."
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"Your eyes can deceive you. Your ears can hear things and distract you. But your body-" He pressed a little harder with his right hand against Junpei's hand and then went back to the lighter pressure as before. "--will always know the truth. Do not try to read your opponent's face or listen to their taunts, feel what they going to do - watch their body and you will always be a step ahead of them." He paused and then laughed a little. "Now. What else am I doing differently?"
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"I got nothing else. Maybe it's the soft touch or something like that..."
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With that said, Okita stepped back and put his hands behind his back. "Try to think over what I did differently from you. Don't think too hard, but just remember this exercise. The softer touch is, however, part of it."
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"Okay, sensei," the teen replied. "I will. Where will I meet you tomorrow?"
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"I'm in M63, but my roommate may be in that night. If possible, come and meet me there. We may need to move to the hall or to a different room." If at all possible, Okita wanted to avoid the hallways, if only because he didn't want anything attacking them in the midst of their practice. Even if Junpei was experienced in fighting, his students were his responsibility, and he would fight and kill to protect them. But that didn't mean he wanted to. Scaring Junpei off by showing him Okita's darker side was exactly what Okita wanted to avoid. "If you cannot find armor, I'll wrap the pillow around your chest and secure it with a tie. Anything that can be used to soften a blow is good enough - and I hit hard enough to bruise through metal plating, so be ready for that."
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And maybe he'll have figured out what Okita did differently by then.
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Otherwise, he couldn't think of anything particularly important to tell Junpei. Oh! Except for-- "And, of course, don't forget your practice stick." He laughed and pulled his hair down, shaking his head to loosen the strands a little more easily. "That would be silly for me to forget to mention!"
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