Such wasn't the case in Akane's situation. When she'd been taken, her past hadn't been totally cut off from her, as she'd been taught something of her family Arts. It might not have been an ability to contact her sisters or father, but it was better than what some girls had. She knew of girls who'd had to deal with a horrid sense of loneliness at times, and that there were some who'd had people talk behind their back about their status, snickering especially about the 'full use' ones.
No one was going to misunderstand Akane's training though. If they happened to do that, they risked getting a blade poked into their bottom, and that was not a pleasant thought for any of them. So, she had a shield from all that sort of talk, and was able to extend it to those who might otherwise have been picked on for simply being slaves.
Not that she had picked up the naginata to be some sort of avenging angel. Instead, it had been decided for her, as those in charge had thought it best to fit the future position to the girl, rather than simply stuff her into where there was room. So, she was trained to use the pole weapon with good skill, managing to not only use the blade to cut or stab, but the other end to block and hit just as well.
This wasn't some blind decision, as it had been noted that the Tendo family had naginata style all their own. In fact, some of it had been taught to Akane as a child, and those instructing her in her duties had thought it best to continue on with that. Unlike her family's unarmed style in the 'Anything Goes School', the naginata wasn't something that had only been taught to a few. There were plenty of masters of that weapon available, and it was already something seen as an acceptable weapon for a samurai slave girl to use. She had even put her own little flair to it, though some had merely thought that it was her propensity for using strength over grace that might have caused that variation.
Whatever the reason, she had grown to be a mistress of the weapon, and could do some rather impressive things with it. It didn't matter if she was crowded in by close range attackers, as she could use the naginata to take on a mass of opponents with such grace and efficiency that it was like batting balls away. For her, that was a point of pride, as she was doing well in something that her family had a relatively long history with.
Her Master made that look so simple at times though. His speed, strength, and ability just made him one of the most skilled warriors that she'd ever seen. Had he been a slave himself, he'd have been a very desirable, but she was pleased that he remained free, and that he owned her. She actually liked him, and having someone who could not only teach her family style to her, but could treat her with dignity was a welcome turn of events. Because of that, she had no problem with having her skill with the naginata be 'his weapon', as one of her teachers had put it, and had never thought of turning it towards him.
So, she had a connection to her past, and something that she could use rather well, all in one weapon, while:
(Posted Sat, 17 Mar 2007 23:21)
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