1 Sunny skies, Rushing water (Training, Open) Fri Sep 20, 2013 9:26 am
Ukiyo
Dead
Ukiyo sat beside the Naka River, her arms wrapped around her legs and pulling them tightly into her chest. She watched as light reflected off the water, flickering on and off of the current's peaks. The sun overhead was intense, with no clouds in sight. Waves of heat poured down as if trying to persuade her to swim. Ukiyo looked up towards the luminous orb and squinted, her cheeks scrunching in an attempt to keep them from closing.
I like these days. The dry, intense heat; it's nice. Very welcome after all the humidity, anyway. And yet here we are, by the river. Ironic, isn't it? We wouldn't know. Oh? Why's that? That word has no meaning to us. Huh? Really? Well, uhm, it means...well...it means... crap. I think it means, like, when you expect one thing to happen but then something completely utterly different happens. I think that's it. We know what you think it means. However the concept of expectations isn't one we have any sort of association with. Animals have expectations, they learn the past and try to predict the future. They act out their lives in order to fulfill this prediction, and when something goes their way or doesn't, they label it according to that prediction. Ironic is just one of those labels. You do that too though. You've been trying to get me to change this world. Doesn't that mean you have some sort of prediction? No, not quite. We don't try to imagine what the future may be like, or even what we wish it to be like. Our soul concern is with the present. We completely indulge ourselves with our immediate needs, and act accordingly. I still don't get how that explains your, er, "plans". They are not plans. They are what we strive for currently. We have an objective, sure. But it is not one we plan for. We merely try to achieve it immediately in any way possible. That is what it means to act in the present, to not predict and not assume anything about the future. I wish I could live like that. I'm fearful of the future, honestly. I love the present, I relish every moment of it, but in the end I fear what will become of you. Act in whatever way you believe will benefit us and you should have nothing to fear. Hm.
Ukiyo leaned forward and stretched her legs, lifting herself up. She walked calmly to the edge of the water and bent down. Cupping her hands, Ukiyo gathered some of the river and stood back up. She closed her eyes and breathed at a steady, deep pace. Slowly, the water in her hands began to diminish, absorbing into her palms. As it did so, Ukiyo tensed her feet, then her legs, and eventually her whole body. She channeled chakra through herself as a medium into the ground. Blades of grass began sprouting all around her on the relatively barren ground, covering the clay-like dirt with lush greenery. Ukiyo opened her eyes and eased her body, then looked around her. She smiled, seeing the grass almost glow in the sun's bath. Turning back to the river, Ukiyo watched as it crashed against the bank, splashing the ground around it and sprinkling her plants. Hm.
567
I like these days. The dry, intense heat; it's nice. Very welcome after all the humidity, anyway. And yet here we are, by the river. Ironic, isn't it? We wouldn't know. Oh? Why's that? That word has no meaning to us. Huh? Really? Well, uhm, it means...well...it means... crap. I think it means, like, when you expect one thing to happen but then something completely utterly different happens. I think that's it. We know what you think it means. However the concept of expectations isn't one we have any sort of association with. Animals have expectations, they learn the past and try to predict the future. They act out their lives in order to fulfill this prediction, and when something goes their way or doesn't, they label it according to that prediction. Ironic is just one of those labels. You do that too though. You've been trying to get me to change this world. Doesn't that mean you have some sort of prediction? No, not quite. We don't try to imagine what the future may be like, or even what we wish it to be like. Our soul concern is with the present. We completely indulge ourselves with our immediate needs, and act accordingly. I still don't get how that explains your, er, "plans". They are not plans. They are what we strive for currently. We have an objective, sure. But it is not one we plan for. We merely try to achieve it immediately in any way possible. That is what it means to act in the present, to not predict and not assume anything about the future. I wish I could live like that. I'm fearful of the future, honestly. I love the present, I relish every moment of it, but in the end I fear what will become of you. Act in whatever way you believe will benefit us and you should have nothing to fear. Hm.
Ukiyo leaned forward and stretched her legs, lifting herself up. She walked calmly to the edge of the water and bent down. Cupping her hands, Ukiyo gathered some of the river and stood back up. She closed her eyes and breathed at a steady, deep pace. Slowly, the water in her hands began to diminish, absorbing into her palms. As it did so, Ukiyo tensed her feet, then her legs, and eventually her whole body. She channeled chakra through herself as a medium into the ground. Blades of grass began sprouting all around her on the relatively barren ground, covering the clay-like dirt with lush greenery. Ukiyo opened her eyes and eased her body, then looked around her. She smiled, seeing the grass almost glow in the sun's bath. Turning back to the river, Ukiyo watched as it crashed against the bank, splashing the ground around it and sprinkling her plants. Hm.
567