Blue crystals begin to form..[priv]

Dray had woken up pretty early this morning. He was beginning his crystal release training. Neither his father nor mother possessed the ability to make or manipulate crystals so he had to do it on his own but his father could guide him through it he hoped. There was no reason to bath if he was still going to sweat anyway so he did not have his bath rather he slipped into some training shirt and shorts and walked out to the compound where his father was already waiting. He bowed before his fathere and he told him that they could begin. “very well” said his father. “I don’t know how to make crystals as you very much know but the concept is no different from making any ninjutsu. You just need a perfect chakra control and focus on what you want to crystallize and where you want to crystallize it so begin.” His father concluding as he sat in front of the house and watched Dray begin to mold his chakra. He was a genin and this was not very easy but he was trying his very best. He molded chakra and focused as best as he could but nothing happened. This went on for hours until he was soaked in sweat but still he would not give up. The training was getting him no where and his father just sat and watched him. “Think Dray, think..” his father said. “give it your all, used the power of emotions, attachment, tap into that core that ,makes you what you are, embrace everything that you have and that you want to be. That which you want to protect. Let that light guide you. Follow it and you shall find a way.” He tried harder but it was still the same story. He just kept getting covered in more and more sweat and by now even his clothes seemed heavy from the waters which they were soaked in. He was dead tired but his will not to give up was the thing that kept him going. If only he could see just a sign that he was doing things the right way then maybe he could gain some encouragement but so far nothing was coming in sight. The properties in the air weren’t crystallizing themselves, no particle on the earth was turning into crystals. What in the world was he doing wrong, he wanted to know but it appeared that there was no way for him to find out.

The training was getting him no where and his father just sat and watched him. Just then, he saw the earth rubble a bit as if something wanted to come out of it but then it stopped. His eyes widened as he felt like he was getting really close to this. He began to think of the emotions that his father was talking about. Which of those emotions did he have apart from parental care. He had to think and think fast too. He did not spend much time of his child hood in kirigakure to have enough friends or attachments so what feeling did he have that related to thick emotions..He was thinking hard enough but nothing was coming to him. His father began to speak words that weren’t familiar to him as he listened to them hoping that they would aid him. “Make your grip strong on the hilt of the swords but loose at the same time. A swords master must be firm with the sword but loose with its movements. Swordsmanship is like a mirror, in which you look at yourself before you wash your face in the morning. You see yourself, simply, the way you are. Five Secrets of bukijutsu. Move quickly. Sound, calm mind. Be light in body. Have a clever mind. Master the basics. Even though surrounded By several enemies set to attack, Fight with the thought That they are but one. The sword has to be more than a simple weapon; it has to be an answer to life's questions. The way of the sword and the Way of Zen are identical, for they have the same purpose; that of killing the ego. Sword and mind must be united. Technique by itself is insufficient, and spirit alone is not enough. The ultimate aim of duel lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of the character of its participants. Where questioning is rewarded, virtues are promoted, respect is demanded, and love is central........ Mechanical wings allow us to fly, but it is with our minds that we make the sky ours. The more you sweat in training, the less you will bleed in battle. Pain is the best instructor, but no one wants to go to his class. Only a warrior chooses pacifism; others are condemned to it. I have a high art, I hurt with cruelty those who would damage me. Victory is reserved for those who are willing to pay it's price. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. One mind, any weapon. We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training. One finds life through conquering the fear of death within one's mind. Empty the mind of all forms of attachment, make a go-for-broke charge and conquer the opponent with one decisive slash. In the beginners mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few. When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target. I am prolonging the fight because I can see that you need the practice. The Way of the warrior does not include other ways, such as Confucianism, Buddhism, certain traditions, artistic accomplishments, and dancing. But even though these are not part of the Way, if you know the Way broadly, you will see it in everything. Take arrows in your forehead, but never in your back. You can prevent your opponent from defeating you through defense, but you cannot defeat him without taking the offensive. You might as well stand and fight because if you run you will only die tired. He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is Enlightened. Act like a man of thought; think like a man of action. Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it. A swordsman know how well to fight and when to surrender but not without effort. Putting all these into use will guarantee you a brighter future. It was as if dray’s father had known that his son would one day find the book as everything he wrote in it was as if he was talking to him directly.”

He stood for a while as he listened to all that his father had said. The man was good with a sword and most of his saying was comprised of it. Those words that had just come out of his father’s mouth pumped a bit adrenaline in him but Just then, he remembered his first fight which was in the village hidden in the leaves. He had won the fight with his words but had lost the battle with his skills... “The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it. Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing. There is a time for silence. A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny and a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it's all over. Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness. When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. You might take me as an enemy but Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. Friends are born, not made. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have. I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.' The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach my full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. I infuse my life with action. I don’t wait for it to happen. I make it happen. I make my own future. I make my own hope. I make my own love. And whatever my beliefs, honor my creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what I can to make grace happen... Myself, right now, right down here on Earth. You may wonder why I feel no pain now... But sometimes, you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain, because life's greatest lessons are learnt through pain and due to this pain I have long endured, I have found one who is worthy to be called a friend. My parents left me dangling in the world with nothing but these words that have long protected me with all they have. I managed to live in this world and fought against a legend who later bacame my person. Now, am sure I have you even though I dont know you yet.
The periods of clashing with you both with my fist and jutsu have transmitted a little part of you to me. A part of your loneliness which I have come to pity. How you must have managed to live, to feed, to grow, yet, I charged into you like I was given a straight ticket to hell. I might not be execellent in tendering apologies but some if not all of my words have relayed how I truly feel towards you... Now, to fully channel my feelings to you, I shall bump fists with you.. With a simple tear falling from his face, dray stood upright once more as he stretched his hands forward. The veins in his body manifested on his arms and tightened themselves to show that dray was straining hardly. It wasn’t anger, it was determination. He put his hands together as he focused on the properties in the air or those that resided undergo. He did not believe how trying to create crystals were so hard but he knew that since neither his father nor mother could create the, they had to be really hard. He tried on for hours until he saw something bluish forming out of the ground. He focused more chakra in until finally, a short crystal rose from the earth with a sharp edge. Dray moved backwards as he saw it and a smile appeared on his face. He walked forward towards it as he bent down to touch it. It was beautiful indeed and the history books never told a lie. His father nodded where he sat and walked into the house but Dray was not done because he was only beginning his crystal release training.

WC:2012/1000
EXIT