Writing Spirit of A Samurai [PG-LV]

[Redemption]

[b][u][center]Spirit of A Samurai[/center][/u][/b]

[size=1]? CLASS, BE QUIET!? Mr Mathews yelled furiously at his History class. Everyone stopped talking except one girl who kept talking to her friend beside her. Today they had taken an excursion to the museum to get some hands-on experience with actual artefacts. It was a rare chance when the class actually got out of their classroom of Brisbane?s most prestige, co-educational high school, Grammar Metro.

? NATALIE TAYLOR!? Mr Mathews warned the talking girl with a raised voice. Natalie stopped talking immediately, her dark orange eyes now on the museum guide, Mr Anderson. Her hip-length, raven-black plaited hair flipped side to side as her head turned. Her body was fairly well built with a little muscle. Her stance was like a fighter?s; her head held high, her limbs ready to fly into action at any instant and a smooth, fluid walk. Mr Anderson sighed with relief.

? Thank you. Now, as I was trying to say, we?ll be moving onto the new exhibit on Feudal Japan,? Mr Anderson said as he walked into the gallery where artefacts of that era were displayed proudly.
? Oh yeah, finally the good bit,? Natalie whispered to herself. She loved Feudal Japan because of samurai warriors. She was fascinated about the way they lived, their moral codes and most importantly of all, their fighting style. Mr Anderson led the class over to a display of a samurai sword. Natalie felt drawn to the sword so she moved to the front of the class. Mr Anderson positioned himself beside the sword.

? Now, as you have already guessed this is a samurai?s sword, or more formally known as a katana. It belonged to a legendary female samurai. Mystery surrounds this sword and its wielder. However we have found one piece of writing that describes this infamous warrior. It goes like this:

[INDENT][i]The Tigress Samurai was a renowned and feared manslayer. She was a unique swordswoman. Her style was unlike any other ever seen. It was the combination of the best characteristics of every style she witnessed. She kept improving and eventually became the most known, and feared, swordsperson of her time. Her nickname was a testament to the way she dispensed with her opponents. Like a tiger that preyed solely on humans, once she had the taste of blood on her blade in battle, she was ruthless. She was also believed to be a sorceress as she could command fire and thunder at will.[/i][/INDENT]

This is the sword she wielded during the Revolution. Many died at her hands. We found the sword while excavating one of the battlefields of that era. It seems the Tigress Samurai discarded it after the final battle of the Revolution. Other than that, we know nothing about her,? Mr Anderson said.

The class was completely captured by the legend - Natalie even more so. She felt like she could relate to this Tigress Samurai in so many ways. She looked at the sword, carefully scanning over the details of the make of the sword. Japanese symbols were engraved flawlessly into the steel blade. A tiger?s head with its mouth open, as if it was roaring, was forged where the blade met the handle. Natalie moved as close as she could to the sword as her class dispersed throughout the museum, leaving her by herself. She looked around to check if anyone was looking. The coast was clear so Natalie grasped the handle of the sword. With an unsuspecting, powerful force, Natalie was thrown backwards, the sword still grasped in her hand. She skidded along the floor and finally stopped at the doorway to the exhibit. Natalie looked at the floor, her vision a bit blurred, and rubbed the back of her head.

? Ow! Geez that hurt!? she mumbled to herself. Her vision cleared and she looked up. Sitting opposite her, a girl, wearing a traditional Japanese robe, rubbed the back of her head. The girl stood up. Natalie had to blink twice to make sure she wasn?t having a dream because the girl was see through. Natalie sat there frozen. The girl looked around with a strange expression on her face.
? Where am I?? she said to herself. She looked around then straight at Natalie. Natalie felt a prickling sensation slide up her back as she realised that the girl had exactly the same colour eyes she had. Natalie looked at the girl more closely. Everything about her was exactly the same as her. The way she held herself, her appearance, her tone in her voice, everything. Natalie stood up and confronted the girl. They both looked at each other as if they were standing in front of a mirror.

? This is really weird,? Natalie said, looking the girl up and down.
? Yes it is. Definitely strange,? the girl replied. She poked Natalie on the shoulder. Natalie expected the girl to pass right through her but she felt the jab. She jumped. The girl recoiled her hand quickly.
? Are you a ghost?? Natalie asked out of pure shock. Her body was slightly shaking.
? A ghost? No. I am a spirit,? the girl replied.
? Who are you?? Natalie asked, not believing she was talking to a spirit. The girl looked very strange in her traditional Japanese robe.
? I am Riyo Murakami. Otherwise known as the Tigress Samurai,? Riyo replied. Natalie?s eyes widened so much that she thought her eyeballs would fall out.

? So you?re the Tigress Samurai?? Natalie asked in awe.
? Yes I am. Is it so hard to believe??
? Yeah! You lived over a hundred years ago!?
? That does present a problem. So I am dead? Fascinating. Obviously I have been awakened from my slumber for some reason.?
? This is so weird. Here I am talking to the best samurai ever. Wow. I wish I were a samurai. The magnificent blades you wield??
Riyo smiled. ? You have recovered from your shock. I seem to have a connection with you. Yet I know you not. You awakened me. You are my successor then.?
? What! No way!?
? Yes. Look at us. We are identical. I see the warrior spirit in your eyes. You are my successor. What is your name??
? Natalie Taylor. Hang on, that?s not my real name but call me that.?
? Natalie, I do not know why you have summoned me and by the expression on your face, you do not know yourself.?
? You?ve got that right.?

A voice thundered through the corridors of the museum. ? NATALIE TAYLOR!?
? Uh oh. I?m in trouble. Better catch up,? Natalie said.
? Natalie, I will always be with you from now on,? Riyo replied as she disappeared into thin air. Natalie watched this with a shocked look on her face but recovered. She sighed heavily.
? What a day,? she mumbled to herself and ran off to join her class.[/size]

OOC: Of course there is more to come. I am just unable to find the pieces of paper I've written it on. :animeswea

[Gentle]

[SIZE=1] :animeangr I wanna scream, cry, and everything else right now. The whole thing I wrote messed up so I have to start over. Brief summary.

That was really good piece and I don't even read fantasies.

I like how you described Natalie as soon as she was introduced so the reader could see what she looked like for the rest of the story. It helps rather than seeing a plain Jane instead. You did it very briefly, but it got the point across.

The name Tigress Samurai actually has a meaning and reason which is something you almost never see. It wasn't just a random title that sounded cool, (might have been) but atleast there was a background to it.

And I noticed that you spelled "aritifact" wrong. Just wanted to point that out. There might have been one more thing but I don't feel like looking back for it.[/SIZE]