Fight Scene from Girl Punches Out (Sen No Sen)

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few seconds. Emily’s heart was divided. The loudest noise in her head demanded that she kill this woman, tear her life away. The notion that it might be the only way to end the threat she posed to her family and friends was not a part of this calculus, true as it probably was. A single strike to her throat would suffice. She found the prospect repugnant, even viscerally nauseating. Ba We would have struck her down in an instant, without any hesitation. Why couldn’t she?

As her breath moved in the familiar pattern, Emily could feel the hatred in Miss Park’s heart. She tasted her fear, as well as her resentment. But what did Miss Park resent her for? “She sought me out,” Emily thought. “She attacked my family, destroyed my life.” There was nothing to account for it. But deep down, without exactly knowing what it could mean, she felt how her apparent serenity galled this woman. Fear and resentment were not a stable combination. Emily waited for the attack she knew must come. She remembered Connie’s warning about her skills.

Cover Variations for 3rd Emily Kane Story

Kusanagi, Song of Death is almost done and I've been tinkering with cover possibilities. They're sort of opposites of each other. Don't ask me how that happened. Let me know which one looks better.



The central image is taken from a photograph by Angelo Colucci, who has generously given his time to help me with this project. I found a version of this image on Flickr and was immediately struck by the combination of weariness and resoluteness it expressed. Emily Kane is a reluctant warrior. She doesn't take up her sword lightly, but once she begins to fight, she finishes what others have started. The girl in the image holds her sword with a combination strength and weariness: strength enough to hold the sword in one hand, weariness visible in the way the jacket hangs off her shoulder. She looks out the blank windows, as if she's just finished one battle and wonders whether she'll have to fight another.