Welcome to Gaia! ::

Morning was slow in coming, Tamao had grown increasingly frustrated by her predicament. Sleep paralysis was one thing, but to be caught like this, and unable to free herself? That grated at her pride, it made her feel weak. And after her abysmal showing in that fight earlier, her pride had already been suffering. She was pretty sure that the blonde wasn't doing this out of malevolence, but that certainly didn't excuse her questionable actions! Both now, and earlier, in the bath... Her cheeks tinged pink for an instant as she remembered such a crude activity. How the blonde could even do something so... so shameless, was beyond her! And to act like it was nothing more than innocent play, to boot! She groaned in annoyance once more, and tried to think of something to do to help while away the hours before morning would finally arrive. For a time, she simply closed her eyes, and tried to go back to sleep. Impossible, she was too unused to physical contact like this, it would be impossible for her to relax and go to sleep. With any further rest no longer an option, she instead returned to her memories of the previous days. Or weeks, or however long she had been in this strange place. The young woman who had first welcomed her, and sent her to fight that monstrously powerful foe in the basement. Dungeon? How she had healed slowly, so slowly, and only now was even close to feeling like she was back in fighting trim. How the blonde had scarcely been out of her sight ever since her first appearance. Why? If they were to be enemies, why would she stay so close? Was she attempting to find Tamao's weakness, or maybe figure out her tactics? Something so underhanded didn't seem like her, but that could just be a sign of how skilled she was in duplicity. No. In the end, that just didn't feel right to her, and she trusted her feelings. No, there had to be something else. What of that other girl, the one she'd only seen for a moment when leaving the bath? She had been a predator, yet she had not attacked. Could it be, had the blonde been staying close to protect her? That, more than her current predicament, grated at her sense of pride, that she needed to be protected, escorted to and fro like a spoiled and helpless princess. No, she could fight for herself! And even if she were to lose, then so be it!

Her train of thoughts was cut off as she felt the blonde shift against her. Had morning finally come? Would she finally be able to get away, get out from the blonde's grasp? No, not just yet. Even if it was morning, the blonde hadn't actually woken up. Instead, she had just shifted against Tamao, before sinking into a deep slumber once more. Oh come on! As if the situation wasn't annoying enough, to find out she was one of those who overslept, too? Well enough was enough, she'd just have to try waking her up. She first tried to just get out of the blonde's grasp, but that didn't work, same as before. Son instead, she tried bringing a hand up, to shake her shoulder, try to wake her up. No, that wouldn't work either, her arms were practically stuck at her sides, she could just barely move her one arm a few inches forward. She could try poking the blonde, but that likely wouldn't be enough to wake her up, either. The only option left, then, was verbal.

"Hey, wake up! It's morning already, so would you just wake up?" She could just manage to lift her head enough to look behind her, to try to see if it had worked. The lack of a reply, or even of any movement, was disheartening, however. She'd have to try again. Actively squirming now, she tried to turn her head enough so she'd at least be speaking at the blonde, rather than faced away from her. Maybe then she'd be more likely to hear it? It was worth a shot, at the least. Really, what else could she do but try? Actually moving under her constraints was a rather difficult challenge, trying to even just turn in place was much more difficult than she had expected.

Eventually, though, she had managed it. She was all set to try speaking to the blonde again, try once more to wake her up, only to stop cold as a sudden realization hit her. She was facing her. That in itself wouldn't normally be such a big deal, yet the sheer proximity made it so. Their faces were practically touching, and the rest of their bodies weren't any further apart. Before she'd been able to ignore that fact because she'd had her back turned to the blonde, but now, now it was right there in her face. Flushed an embarrassed red, she tried to speak once more, only for an unfamiliar quaver to appear in her voice.

"C-come on, w-wake up alread-dy... Really, just w-wake up!" But still, nothing. Tamao sighed in annoyance, huffing out an exhalation of held breath. This air movement, right in the blonde's face, caused her to frown slightly, stir just the slightest bit. Well, it wasn't much, but it was something. Still, she certainly didn't have the lung capacity to maintain something like that for more than a moment or two. No, that was no good either. She tried again, harder this time, to try to simply move the blonde's arm off of her. She strained, muscles that were still a bit weak from her time spent healing already voicing their protest at this much force. And still, nothing. She wasn't about to give up, though.

Setting herself, she pushed harder, ignoring the now much louder protest from her back and shoulders, sweat popping out at her brow as she strained. Finally, the blonde's arm moved. Maybe not a lot, but a few inches. Not enough for her to escape, but- Her hopes were dashed as that slight of a movement seemed to cause the blonde to stir once more, to cause her to mumble in her sleep before shifting her position and settling back down.

Tamao sighed again, about ready to just give up. That had backfired, and strongly at that! It had been annoying before, but now? Now that the blonde had basically rolled over and gone back to sleep, she had been taken along for the ride. Now, Tamao found her new position even more embarrassing, with the blonde laying sprawled on top of her, her head resting on her chest. Sure, Tamao had finally gained one arm's freedom, but this new position was so much more embarrassing for her. Still blushing heavily, she tried to reach down with her now-freed arm to grab the blonde's shoulder, to shake her awake. She muttered a curse as she couldn't quite reach her, not from this angle. Letting her head fall back against the pillow, she heaved a sigh, frustrated that she was trapped, unable to get up. She'd been confined to the bed for so long while healing, yet now that she had recovered, she was confined yet again! It was almost unbearable!

Time continued to pass with glacial slowness, minute after minute. Finally, after what had felt like veritable hours of waiting, the blonde began to stir. Tamao didn't waste the chance as she raised her voice, to hopefully get the blonde to actually wake up. "Hey! Wake up, it's been hours already! And for the last time, get off of me!" Finally, miraculously, the blonde seemed to actually wake up. Slowly her eyes opened, as she yawned and stretched. Only then did she realize where she was, and in what position. She smiled happily when she saw Tamao, but the dour glare she got in return proved a dampener enough to cause her to back up, and finally clamber off of her.

Tamao had finally gained her freedom! She got to her feet, ignoring the pins and needles sensation from her legs having fallen asleep while trapped. "What in the world were you doing?" The blonde just grinned and waved off Tamao's concerns, not bothering to even answer the question with anything but vagaries. "Don't worry about everything so much, you'll get wrinkles. Today's an important day, too!" Tamao's glare deepened, was the blonde just trying to change the subject, or was there actually something important happening later? In the end, she sighed before turning back to face the blonde once more. "What's so important about today?"

The blonde finished stretching, after having gotten up a moment ago, only then answering. "Today's the day that you can take another shot at the game! If you think you're ready, that is. She said you're fully healed, enough that you should be able to move around as you like. No more wheelchair!" At this, Tamao couldn't stop at least a small smile from appearing on her face. Not being bound to that chair every time she left the room, that would be a pleasure in and of itself. Being able to walk or run when she wanted to, being able to train if she so desired, was it finally time? And more important, was she really ready to try the game again? Actually facing that monster in combat, she didn't see how another try would go any better than the first. Yet... she had lost, there was no arguing that fact. That galled her, she desired a chance to prove herself once more, to test herself anew. She wasn't weak! She could prove it!

"Yes, I'm ready. I'll try as many times as it takes." She clenched a fist in determination, getting to her feet as she visualized just what a challenge that might be. Fighting that... that monster again, that would test her to the limits. But she'd seen her move once already, she knew how fast she was, what a fearsome power she possessed. If she had that knowledge ready, then perhaps she could find a way to win? Only one way to find out! Now that she was fired up, she didn't even bother to change out of the pajamas that she'd been dressed in the night before. She did wash up, though. Certain things were just mandatory, no matter what the day held.

Once she felt she was truly ready, she re-entered her room proper, stepping out of the washroom. The blonde was still there, waiting for her patiently. "Oh, I'm so excited! I just know you're going to do better than last time, that must have been a fluke! You'll figure everything out, you will!" The blonde offered plenty of encouragement, but even then, Tamao felt hollow in the pit of her stomach. This fight, was she a little bit scared? To face that monstrous strength again, so soon after it had very nearly killed her the first time? Was she mad? No. No, this wasn't madness. This was the reality she had chosen, the path she had elected to walk. And now, this game, whatever it was, was only the next obstacle in her way. She simply had to win, there was no alternative.

She fell in a few steps behind the blonde as they both made their way down the hallway. Shaking her head at the offer of breakfast, she knew it would just make her nauseous. She didn't want to get distracted, not now. Now that it was so close to the time that the game was set to resume. She looked up when she heard the blonde say that she was to go straight down the hall, all the way to the end. It was there that she would find the first challenge. Yet, even as she said that, the blonde took a turn down a corridor, saying that she was going to grab something quick, and she would meet up with her shortly. Shrugging, Tamao watched her go for a moment. Should she wait for her? No. She had already set out, no time for hesitations. Now was the time to step forward and face her destiny head-on, with all her strength. Covering the rest of the distance in sure, even strides, she forced herself to calm down, to regain her focus before even reaching the end of the hallway. And then, she was there.

Tamao looked at the closed wooden door for a long moment, she had been told that when she was sure she was ready, she should come here. And while she wouldn't admit such weakness aloud, the fact that the blonde hadn't saw fit to stay with her and offer her support for what was to come, it kind of hurt. Over the past - how long had it been already? Weeks?- she had grown used to the blonde's presence at her side. To not have her here with her, when she was finally undertaking this 'game' in earnest, was disheartening. Did she not believe in her, did she not want to see her fail? No, that couldn't be it, she knew better than that. There had to be another reason. She took a long look behind her, as if the blonde would simply run up to her, having been delayed or detained. But no, she was still absent. Frowning, Tamao lightly slapped her cheeks, to help get herself focused once more. Whatever came next, she had to be ready. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and opened the door. She had never been in this room before, yet it looked almost painfully familiar. The soft gleam of the polished wooden floorboards, the name plaques hung along one wall, these details and countless more called to numerous memories within herself. A dojo? But why? So distracted by the familiar sight, she almost didn't notice that she wasn't alone. A figure sat, legs folded up under them in the formal position, turned away from her and toward the far end of the dojo. A bit uncertain, Tamao carefully stepped into the dojo, sliding the door gently closed behind her. She wasn't wearing any shoes to remove, just the same slippers she had worn up until now, but she did stop to bow as she entered, the old customs coming back to her instinctively.

She stepped forward, eyes on the other figure's back. Just as she moved to within a comfortable distance to call out to them, just before she could speak, they silently got to their feet, and slowly turned to face her. The shock must have been evident upon Tamao's face, upon seeing that the other person was none other than the blonde!, for she grinned hugely at Tamao. But instead of the expected warmly affectionate greeting she normally would have received, instead the blonde merely inclined her head in a gesture of neutral respect. "Wait, you? What are you doing here?" The blonde didn't answer right away, instead she just stared back at Tamao for a long moment. "I should think that obvious. Your first challenge... is me!" She shifted into a ready position, revealing that she was at least somewhat skilled in fighting. Oddly enough, while she didn't hold a weapon, the stance she had taken looked remarkably similar to a basic kenjutsu stance. This alone was clue enough for Tamao, that the blonde did indeed have some skill with a blade. That meant that even if she wasn't using a sword now, then the odds of her using one later were greatly increased. Just to be sure, however, she still had to ask. "I see. So is this challenge going to be purely hand-to-hand, then?" She turned her head and nodded toward the nearby rack of swords- bokken, bokuto, and even a few real blades!- to emphasize her question. In reply, the blonde gestured with one hand toward the rack. "Not at all. I know you prefer to fight with a blade. If you want to use a weapon, all you have to do is take it." Her explanation finished, she returned her hand to where it was, ready once more. Tamao blinked and tilted her head for a moment. That was just one more example of how the blonde seemed to know her far too well. In all the time she had been here, wherever here was, she had not mentioned anything about her role as a swordswoman. She hadn't even had the opportunity to use a sword in that first doomed fight. Yet the blonde knew that detail like it was an absolute fact. One more instance that she couldn't explain. One more example of how these apparent strangers knew her almost as well as she knew herself. She shook her head, she had to stop getting so wrapped up in thought like this. She was about to do battle, she couldn't afford to get sidetracked like this! Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply. She visualized all of her worries, her doubts and anxieties, gathered together with that breath, then slowly exhaled it. Opening her eyes once more, there was steel in her gaze now. She was ready. Nodding once to the blonde, she walked over to the rack of weapons and eyed them critically. Finally, she made her decision, and picked up a bokken. If her opponent wasn't going to use a blade, then she wouldn't either. At least not a real sword. She didn't feel right without at least something in her hand, though, thus the bokken. Having chosen her weapon, she returned to the center of the dojo's floor, and nodded once more to the blonde. She was ready. A slight smile was her only reply, that and an inaudible comment. Tamao wasn't too skilled at reading lips, however, so the message's content went without recognition. Without another word, the match began. Their eyes met, gazes locked as neither made a move. This was the first step of the match, with either combatant probing the other's stance for weaknesses, for vulnerabilities. Time seemed to stop, to stand still and lose all meaning. There was no time limit attached to this duel, it would only be finished when there was an absolute winner.

The stare-down continued with no sign of ending, no clue toward just what signal the two of them were waiting for. Then, without warning, both of them rushed forward. Tamao held her bokken out straight at her side, in a one-handed grip. The blonde remained empty-handed, but continued to act as if she were holding blades instead of air. The two met with a clash, the bokken lashing out rapidly, in a strike aimed for one of the blonde's shoulders, to take the entire arm out of the fight. Unfortunately, it never made it that far, one of the blonde's hands flicked up, in a gesture that seemed almost careless, and simply deflected the strike. There had been enough force in Tamao's swing to numb an entire arm, yet the blonde hadn't shown the slightest sign of pain. Rather, she was already performing a counter-attack. Using both hands, she lashed out in a fluid series of chops and slashes. Tamao was light enough on her feet to keep moving, to avoid the majority of the strikes. One, however, got too close, close enough that she had to parry it with her bokken. Or rather, tried to. After blocking the powerful strike, she took a large step back as she eyed the result. There was a cut in her bokken? Not a crack, an actual cut? It looked like she had parried an actual sword strike, done with an actual sword. But how? The blonde wasn't holding a blade in either hand. She was still standing in that same kenjutsu stance, though. That had to be a clue toward how she could manage such a feat. She'd have to see it in action a few more times before she could realistically expect to figure it out, though. Continuing to use a simple bokken when her opponent possessed such a skill seemed unwise, yet she made no move to discard her current weapon, or to pick up a new one. Perhaps it was just her being stubborn, but she wanted to continue using the bokken. She adjusted her stance before rushing in once more. This time she used both hands to hold the bokken, in the standard form for kendo. Bringing the blade up, she held that position for a moment before bringing it hurtling down directly toward the blonde's head. A more serious strike than the previous one, she was beginning to understand just how strong the blonde actually was. Even so, the blonde still made it look easy, when she raised one hand and stopped the strike, the bokken striking the edge of her hand. Just as expected. Tamao was ready for it this time, and watched intently as her bokken met the blonde's hand, and was promptly cut clean through, the uppermost foot or so of the bokken spinning off into the air, to land a few meters away. It had happened again, how?!

There were still no overt clues toward just what had happened, but Tamao was a master of the blade. When it came to cutting, she had a wealth of knowledge upon which to draw. Turning her eye to the now much closer tip of the bokken, she inspected the cut itself. It was a clean cut, exactly as if it had been done with a metal blade. Normally, when a martial artist chopped through something such as a board, the cutw as more like a break, uneven and rough. This cut was different, that meant the method behind it was different, too. If not done through martial arts, and not through hidden blades, what other option could there be? One possibility remained, but it seemed very unlikely. She would have to test once more before believing that was the answer. Adjusting her grip once more, making adjustments to the now shorter blade, she readied herself for another exchange. Meanwhile the blonde seemed perfectly at ease waiting for her to go on the attack once more. Tamao dashed to the side, circling around the blonde before closing in. The blonde turned slowly, keeping herself faced toward Tamao. And then, they clashed, the bokken being blocked by one of the blonde's hands yet again. And just as expected, another chunk went flying. Then another, and another, as the exchange continued. Tamao parried the blonde's flurry of blows, all except one. She felt the wind of it's passing at her shoulder, along with the distinct bite of a sword cutting into her. So she was right! She had no idea how, but it seemed there was no disputing it. Somehow, the blonde's hands themselves were actually performing like real swords. This was something she hadn't expected, something new and unusual. Normally, such a unique foe might give her reason to worry. Buit rather than worry, Tamao was looking forward to it. What better way to see if she had indeed fully recovered from that first disastrous fight, than by facing a new and strong opponent? The grin that came across her face at that realization was a twin to the blonde's. Straightening up, she held her hand out for a momentary pause in their match, as she approached the weapon rack once more. Setting down the now almost completely destroyed bokken, she paused for just a moment before nodding and picking up a katana. She drew it from it's sheath, and inspected the blade itself. The edge was suitably sharp, but it looked like it had never been used before. Using an untested blade could be a gamble, but out of all the different blades on the rack, her eye had been drawn to this one. One way or another, her victory or defeat lay with this sword. She was just turning to return to the match, when she had to jump quickly to the side, to avoid the blonde's surprise attack. The blonde wasn't smiling anymore, either. Was it just being serious about the duel, now that Tamao had picked up a real sword instead of a bokken? There seemed to be a bit more to it than that, had something happened - had she done something- to make the blonde angry?

The only thing that had changed, however, was her picking up the sword. And since the blonde had given her leave to do so, then why would she suddenly get so upset like that? "What's wrong?" Tamao had to dodge, and dodge again, as the blonde seemed much more driven now. Tamao couldn't even find a window to attack, the blonde's onslaught was so unrelenting. As she kept dodging, giving ground as a barrage of seemingly bare-handed strikes pushed her back. The more she tried to parry, the more it seemed to her that the blonde was targeting the sword, rather than her? That didn't make sense, there had to be something else. She didn't have the attention to spare for such a quandary, however, as the attacks just kept coming. The blonde hadn't even paused in her attacks long enough to answer Tamao's earlier question. She seemed truly driven and intent, to the point that if Tamao didn't stop trying to figure things out and fight, she would certainly lose. Casting a critical eye at the blonde, she attempted to read her movements, to predict one of her attacks. She just needed an instant, just a brief moment, and then she could put a little space between the two of them, and get enough breathing room to gather herself and go on the attack herself. And then, there it was! Just as both of the blonde's hands began a downward swing, Tamao performed a rather clumsy reverse somersault, then quickly regained her footing. She wasted only a fraction of an instant before readying herself, then rushing forward to attack the blonde. She knew that she couldn't afford to take it easy on her opponent, no matter what. Drawing deep on her internal reserves of strength, she pressed her attack, her blade flashing in a complex series of strikes designed to match and even overwhelm a foe that was using two weapons. If the initial results were anything to go by, her efforts worked just as well when the foe was using two empty hands. She didn't let herself grow complacent, however, she knew that even a moment's hesitation or inattention could cost her dearly. So she forced herself to continue the attack, sweat gleaming at her brow, and muscles screaming in protest. She didn't know for sure just how long she could maintain such a frenetic pace, and could only hope that she could manage to defeat the blonde before that happened. Her sword continued to flash out toward the blonde, almost seeming to come from multiple directions at once. Yet even then, the blonde was still able to block each strike, one after the other. Oh, there were a few cuts that had come from imperfectly blocked sword strikes, but to a one it was all cosmetic damage.

Finally, Tamao's fatigue caused an imperfection in her series of strikes, a flaw which all too soon proved costly. Her blade had changed direction by just the tiniest of margins, the speed of her swing had decreased by only a small amount, yet that was enough. In an instant, the battle's flow abruptly changed. For a long moment, neither of them moved as the ramifications of the last exchange sank in. Tamao's hand went to her injured wrist, even as the blade which had been expertly knocked out of her hand sank point-first in the floor. Meanwhile, the blonde frowned, her gazing moving from her hands to Tamao, then back again, as if even she didn't quite believe what had just happened. Yet it certainly had, she had disarmed Tamao. Her frown deepened as she straightened up, hands falling limply at her sides. "That isn't right... You're stronger than that, better than that! You aren't holding anything back, are you? This is serious! Come at me with everything you have!" This last was almost a scream, as she reached behind her without looking. Grabbing the sword's handle, she ripped it free from the wooden floor in a shower of splinters and shrapnel, before whipping it at Tamao. the blade scythed through the air, moving quickly enough that it almost seemed to blur into a disk. Tamao could only stare at it as it rushed toward her, instincts gone in a moment of naked vulnerability. Thankfully, the blade hadn't been aimed directly at her, instead passing so closely to the side of her head that she felt the wind of it's passing. Eyes wide, she turned back to see the sword embedded in the wall behind her, still vibrating from the sheer force of the impact. Legs suddenly nerveless, she fell back onto her rear, utterly stunned. The blonde was right, she was stronger than this. She had dueled friends before, too, without holding back. Holding back one's full strength, even against a weaker opponent, was an insult to both the opponent and oneself. Why, then, had she done it? She wasn't about to blame her poor performance on her convalescence, either. Lowering her head, she was ashamed. Voice thick with emotion, she shook her head. "You're right... I don't know why, I just couldn't... I have no excuse, I lost..." Even if the actual duel wasn't finished, her lapse in pride had made her the real loser. She gasped in surprise, however, as she felt herself pulled up onto her feet once more, the blonde's fist clenched tightly around the fabric that made up the front of her outfit. She couldn't meet the blonde's furious gaze, however, and turned her head away. She flinched when the blonde's other hand grabbed her by the chin and forced her to look her in the eye. "Enough! This isn't how this is supposed to happen! What do I have to do to make you get serious, humiliate you?!" The sound of tearing cloth could be heard as the blonde savagely pulled her hand away, ripping off a large piece of the front of Tamao's top. Not enough to leave her fully exposed, but still enough to cause her to flush deep red and wrap her arms around herself.

Blushing furiously, Tamao glared at the blonde, who glared right back at her. "What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, still covering herself. "What's the matter princess? Embarrassed? Then fight me for real!" The blonde stepped forward, a malicious grin slowly spreading across her face as she approached. Tamao stepped back, feeling even more vulnerable than before. Losing her sword had been bad enough, but this? She shook her head, mutely trying to stop the blonde. This continued, with the blonde now backing Tamao into a corner, literally, until there was nowhere to go, no escape. Tamao pressed herself back against the wall of the dojo, as if she could burrow through it if she just pressed hard enough, but this accomplished nothing. She yelled for the blonde to stop, to let her go, but her entreaty fell upon deaf ears, as another swath of fabric from her ruined top was torn away. Tears of indignation and helplessness gathered in her eyes, but it truly seemed that nothing could be done to stop the blonde. As the last of her top was ripped away, and the blonde seemed intent to continue, Tamao tilted her head up, to look at the ceiling, to try to simply wish this horrible ordeal would just be over and done with. Vision blurred by tears, it took Tamao a moment to recognize just what it was that she saw above her, sticking out of the wall. Her sword! Desperation filled her with strength, drove her to ignore the humiliation she felt, and then reach up and grab her sword! As her hand wrapped around the hilt, the world seemed to shrink down until it was just her and the blonde, and the dojo. Suddenly, everything seemed so simple! She knew what she had to do. Just as the blonde was reaching forward yet again, Tamao used her free hand to grab the blonde's wrist, grab it tight, then turn on her heel and pull. The move, clumsy as it was, still succeeded in taking the blonde by surprise, and pulling her off balance. She was still able to react, to jump back and out of the way of the follow up strike, however. It did give Tamao the space she needed, to straighten up, and to pull the sword free from the wall. She shifted into a new stance, holding the sword with both hands, ignoring the state of her barely-there clothing. She met the blonde's gaze, but rather than speak, she rushed forward. The sword moved quickly, even more rapidly than before, as Tamao was fueled by adrenaline and pure determination. Her rapid swordplay knocked back the blonde's attempted counter attack, and pushed her back, too. This time, there were no mistakes for the blonde to take advantage of, no way for her to break Tamao's rhythm. Instead, the first thing to break was the blonde's concentration, which led to the first real blow of the duel. The flat of Tamao's blade connected solidly with the blonde's midsection, winding her. She still tried to attack, but it was clumsy, a feeble attempt that Tamao was able to deflect without trouble. As she did, her sword lashed out once more, the flat of her blade striking the blonde in the back of her knee, causing her to stumble to the ground. Tamao stepped in close, drawing her blade back and up, so she could deal the final symbolic blow, that of leveling the blade's tip at the blonde's throat. But it seemed that even winded and one leg numb, the blonde still intended to fight. Grimacing at the pain, she forced herself to her feet. As she did, she brought her hands together. Within her grip, a sword seemed to materialize out of thin air. And not just any sword, but one of the unique blades that Tamao instantly recognized as a part of her own collection of swords. Tamao's eyes narrowed at this apparent theft. How the blonde had gained access to her armory, when she herself had found it curiously sealed away, was beyond her. But she intended to find out. She didn't think the blonde was actually a thief, there had to be another reason. "That's an interesting blade, I have one just like it. Where did you get it?" The blonde didn't immediately answer, it was almost as if she had been waiting for Tamao to say something more. "Hmm, that's a good question. Let's just say it's like it's a part of me. Do you know it's name?" There was something in the way that the blonde had asked that question, that made it seem like the answer was very important to her. Even as she waited for Tamao to answer, however, she readied herself for another attack. This would almost certainly be her last, as her entire stance seemed much more clumsy and weak than before. Tamao didn't look much better off, however, between the vast majority of her clothing laying in tatters on the dojo floor, and the red blood that stained much of her one forearm from the cut at her wrist. Now that she had gotten over the intense embarrassment of what had happened earlier, her partially disrobed state was only a detail in the battle, nothing that would hold her back any longer. As she readied herself to meet the blonde's charge, she finally answered the blonde's question, just as she rushed forward for what would soon prove to be their final clash of blade and hands. "Of course I do! I know the names of all of my swords!" At the same instant as when Tamao said 'swords', they clashed. Their swords met in a great clatter, and one moved on to bite deeply into the side of their opponent. For a long, long moment, neither of the two moved. The first to show sign of their battle was Tamao, who stumbled to her knees in pure exhaustion, sword dropping from nerveless fingers. A moment later, the blonde collapsed onto her side, her opposite side becoming rapidly stained crimson. Tamao forced herself up, to rush to the blonde's side. Already, she looked frightfully pale, the wound had to be severe to bleed quite so profusely. Tamao looked around wildly, for the healer, for something with which to staunch the bleeding. As she did, the blonde struggled to speak. "You're a liar... You don't know my name, do you? I guess... you haven't won this round, not just yet..." She then coughed wetly, flecks of crimson on her breath, before slipping into unconsciousness. This left Tamao with nothing, nothing except continuing to try to stop the bleeding, and to try to make sense of what the blonde had meant by 'my name'.

Desperate to do something to stop the bleeding, Tamao grabbed one of the larger pieces of her top that littered the floor. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would be enough. Folding it up, she pressed it to the wound and held it there. As she did, she hoped that the sudden silence might draw the healer's presence. There wasn't much she could do, besides this. This, and continue to dwell on what the blonde had said. 'You don't know my name', but they had been talking about her not knowing the names of her swords. Add in the skill that the blonde had evinced, that of her body itself seeming to act as a blade. These two facts, added together, led her to a disturbing conclusion. She had no idea how such a thing was even possible, but what if, what if the blonde was in actuality the spirit of one of her swords? The very idea seemed ridiculous. Something like that... was impossible, wasn't it? Yet even as she thought that, it seemed to have the ring of truth. The only way she would be able to find out, however, would be for the blonde to get healed, then wake up, so she could talk to her again. Assuming for even an instant that her hypothesis was correct, she was fairly confident of which of her blades the blonde was supposed to represent. After all, she had used a blade near the end of the duel, and not just any blade, but one that seemed to be one of Tamao's, one of the unique swords from her considerable collection. It stood to reason that if the blonde was indeed the spirit of one of her swords, then that would be the sword that she had manifested. Thoughts such as these continued to run through her head while she continued to hold the now blood-soaked cloth to the blonde's side. Finally, several long moments after the fact, Tamao heard the door slide open as the healer entered the dojo. It took her just a moment to rush to the blonde's side. Wasting no time, she set her hands on the grievous wound, just as she had done to Tamao before. This time, Tamao was able to get a good look at the process in action, and saw that the healer's hands were emitting a soft glow. Nothing too noticeable, unless one were to look directly at it. This laying of hands treatment continued for some time, but eventually the healer sat back. She looked rather drained, as if the mere act of healing this severe of a wound had exhausted her. It probably had. After a moment, she turned to look at Tamao, to see if she needed any injuries looked at. Instead, Tamao just asked the healer if she had made it in time, if she would get better. The healer nodded, saying that there was an excellent chance she would be up and walking around after a good night's sleep. She followed that up with a question that Tamao should have expected, but nonetheless still reacted to when she heard it. Namely, if she had managed to win, to find out the blonde's name yet. Tamao nodded, saying that while she hadn't really found out for sure, she was pretty sure she was on the right track. A soft smile lit up the features of the taciturn healer's face, one of the first real signs of emotion that Tamao had seen on her.

With the blonde's condition stabilized, the only thing left do was to get her in bed so that she could finish recuperating. That, and waiting. The two of them were able to get the blonde situated on a gurney without too much trouble. As they carried her out of the dojo and down the hallway, Tamao let her mind wander. What she had seen, what she believed she had seen. What was truth, and what was merely a hunch? She was almost sure she could see what the game was, but that brought about an even more difficult question. How? How in the world had something like this come about? If all of her opponents were in fact the spirits of her various swords, what had happened that had given them human bodies? She didn't want to know just for her curiosity, either. Whatever force had caused this change had altered her swords, and without her knowledge or permission. They were her swords, she took care of them! To think that someone or something else had countermanded that simple rule, it was an insult. She needed to find out the source, to find out if somebody needed to be punished for their actions.

For now, though, the only thing she needed to do was wait for the blonde to wake up. She helped get her put to bed, and thanked the healer for her help. Then came the waiting. without knowing the layout of the place, Tamao didn't want to go exploring, risk getting lost. The healer had left shortly after getting the blonde settled in, so there was nobody around to guide her. Instead, she just slid a chair closer to the blonde's bed, and sat down to wait until she woke up. She didn't know if this was actually the blonde's bedroom, or just an unused guestroom like what she presumed hers to be. It didn't have any personalization, there were no clues that anyone had used it before this.

Several hours later, Tamao snapped awake, she must have drifted off while waiting. She'd been pretty tired herself, after the intense battle she'd had. Sitting up straighter in the chair, she noticed a blanket had been moved over her. Taking a better look around, she saw that the blonde was still sleeping, though it seemed more peaceful now. Even as she watched, the blonde woke up, eyes slowly fluttering open before she yawned and sat up in bed.

"Good morning, Tsurugi."

At first, the blonde didn't really hear what was said, she just mumbled a reply. Then the actual words Tamao had said sank in, and her expression lit up. "You figured it out! I knew you would!" Springing up from the bed, she was on her feet in an instant. It was hard to tell that she had even been injured before, let alone just how severe of an injury it had been. The bandage was still at her side, still pink from a modicum of absorbed blood. But by and large, it looked like the healer had been right, she was just fine after a night's sleep. Fine enough to even now rush forward and grab Tamao in a fierce hug, making her own injuries voice their discontent. She endured it for a moment, before carefully pushing back against the blonde- Tsurugi, apparently- and getting her to release her.

"So... You are my sword, yet you're also a person. What happened? Can you tell me that, or is that part of the game?"

Tsurugi didn't answer right away, seeming to mull it over for a moment. "Well you are right, first and foremost I am still your sword, just with a new ability. As for who or what caused this, I really can't say. Not because it's part of the game, but because I don't know the answer any more than you do." As Tamao listened to this explanation, hearing it spelled out for her made her face the reality of what had happened. She had dueled against one of her swords, she had faced it's strength and somehow survived. What came next? She knew she would still have to face the others, but as that realization came to her, a harrowing thought added itself for her consideration. Even if she was a bit afraid of the answer, she still needed to know. No matter how uncomfortable it might be, she needed to be ready. This question, at least, Tsurugi should be able to answer.

"So, are all the swords as, er, lascivious as you? Because quite frankly, that's been a bit much to deal with." Even having to talk about the occasional moments where Tsurugi had been a little too friendly was embarrassing, to have to deal with things like that on a regular basis? That was just too much.

So it was that Tamao was surprised when instead of answering, Tsurugi couldn't stop herself from laughing at the question. "Haha, you're still embarrassed about before? Come on, M- wait, you know who I am, I can call you that now- Mistress, there's no need to be so worried about something like that. You grabbed me long before I grabbed you, even if I was just a sword at the time!" This scandalous accusation left Tamao blushing deeply, turning away to try in vain to calm down. Tsurugi came up behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder and turning her around to face her. "Come on, it's nothing to be so embarrassed about, so please, just calm down." She could tell that it wouldn't be that easy, so she sighed and released Tamao's shoulder, stepping back.

"To answer your question, all I can say is that we're each different, there's no simple rule for how we are. Some of us might resent you for controlling us. I don't. There's probably a few others who feel the same, too. You'll just have to wait until you meet them to find out." The serious reply was marred somewhat a moment later as she flashed a mischievous grin before making grabby hands at Tamao. "But if you're that worried, I'll make sure I'm the only one to do that to you!" And predictably, Tamao blushed deeply at such a proclamation, shaking her head but unable to speak to voice her dissent.

Tsurugi laughed a little before she let her arms fall to her sides. She simply looked at Tamao, for such a long moment that Tamao began to feel self-conscious and began to turn away once more. Tsurugi frowned and reached out to her, but didn't actually stop her. "Wait. Don't look away from me. You don't know what it was like, being trapped in sword form for so long. It was cold, it was dark, it was lonely. I hadn't been wielded in so long, I thought I would remain forever, locked away like a prisoner. I couldn't move, either. Alone with my thoughts, for an eternity in the void." She hung her head, mood growing more somber, as memories of that dark time returned to her in full force.

"But then, you came, and you found me! You picked me up, you took me for your own! I was so happy to be used again! If not for that, I don't know what would have happened to me, I might have lost myself... You saved me, and for that, I owe you everything. even so, this game is more important than that, it's vital to continuing your own path." She smiled, though the smile was marred by the lingering sorrow from before. She didn't want to say the full truth. that her actions had been an attempt to make Tamao's time now more lively, happier, before the others came. Some of them resented her, and they would do their best to make her suffer for her time spent as their owner. All she had wanted to do was give Tamao some happy memories to help keep her strong later. Unfortunately, it seemed that the avenue she had chosen had backfired. "I... I was just so excited to have a real body! Actually being able to feel, a real sense of touch! Softness, hardness, warm and cold, you don't know how lucky you are to have had it all your life! I'm... sorry I got carried away, I'll be more careful..."

It seemed she had learned her lesson, Tamao hoped that meant she wouldn't be so hands-on in the future. Hoped, but at the same time, she doubted it. Time would tell. In the meantime, there was no sense in letting her stay miserable. "It's alright, there's no need to get so upset over it. Really, I'm not angry, just... caught off guard. That... wasn't something I had expected, not at all. Just, try to be more careful, alright?"

Tsurugi seemed to brighten up at this, the idea that she had disappointed Tamao had been eating at her like rust. To find out that she was willing to forgive her, it was like a burst of warmth. Unable to stop herself, she reached out and hugged Tamao tight.

Sighing, Tamao realized that she should have expected such a reaction. She tried to endure, knowing that realistically, Tsurugi couldn't stay like that forever. Yet...

"Tsurugi?"

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Move your hand."

"Yes Mistress." She pulled her hand back up to a more appropriate location, making the hug more proper. She broke it after a long moment, before stepping back. "So, do you think you're ready for the next challenge? Everyone else is waiting for you still."

Tamao didn't answer right away, considering it. The fight with Tsurugi had taxed her strength to it's limit. She had been injured heavily, and embarrassed just as much. Was she ready to go through all of that again? Wait, that wasn't the right way to look at it. Her swords, all of them. They were waiting for her, waiting for her to test herself against them, and learn their names. Waiting, waiting just like Tsurugi had. She couldn't do it, she couldn't keep them waiting any longer than she had to. Even before this, they had served her faithfully, she owed them that much, at least. "I'm ready. Can you suggest who I should challenge next?"

Tsurugi thought it over for a long while. All of the different spirits gathered here, which would be a good second challenge for Tamao? Not one of the strongest, she wasn't ready for them yet. Then who? That still left a large number of potential opponents. In the end, she couldn't decide. It was more fitting for Tamao to choose, anyway. This was her path to walk, after all. "I don't know. But remember, whoever you do challenge, I'll be there at your side. If you need my help, I can lend you my power." She didn't know if Tamao's pride would allow her such an advantage. She hoped so, she'd need all the help she could get against some of her future opponents. They would use every advantage they could get to defeat her, she would need to do the same.

Tamao considered the offer. On the one hand, having Tsurugi help her felt dishonorable. It made the challenge a two on one, and that simply wasn't fair. But on the other hand, Tsurugi was her sword, and she had always fought with her swords. Why was it different now that she had a body? It wasn't, not really, that was just in her mind. "...alright... If nothing else, maybe in one or two of the challenges."

This was a pretty steep concession on her part, so Tsurugi wasn't about to try for even more. She just nodded, before taking a look around the room. In all the excitement, she hadn't had anything to eat, and she was pretty confident that Tamao hadn't, either. That meant one thing. "There's only one more thing to do before your next challenge, and that's breakfast! You need to eat more, build your strength up!" With that, she bustled Tamao out of the room, and down the hallway. A meal would be delivered, but to Tamao's room, not this one. All they had to do was go there, and then they could dig in. As she made note of this, Tsurugi thought once more just how odd it was. The meals, the cleaning, all of that. Who was responsible for it? None of the others would deign to do such mundane work. Well, one or two might. But still, that left a lot of work that was seemingly being done by magic. She had yet to see even a single servant in all her time spent in this place. While she felt at ease here, she didn't know where it was any more than Tamao did. She just didn't dwell on it very much. There were always more important things to worry about, so she had simply never bothered to seek out an answer. As long as everything got done, did it really matter?
[9000 x 2 = 18,000 out of ??? ]

Consciousness returned with a start, and as warmth returned to Tamao, she was finally able to open her eyes and sit up. What had happened? She looked around with a start, unsure of how much time had passed. The first thing she noticed was the young girl she had challenged, getting up off of the floor just a short distance away, a moue of mild annoyance on her face. She followed the girl's line of sight, and was surprised to see Tsurugi, standing guard at her side. That surprise was colored by healthy embarrassment a moment later, at what Tsurugi said.
"If anyone's going to kiss her, it's going to be me!" Tsurugi turned back and visibly relaxed with relief when she saw Tamao was conscious and aware. She didn't look too badly injured, but it was clear that she hadn't fared well in her battle. Tsurugi shook her head, before lowering her voice. "How could you go into battle and leave your sword behind?" She held out a hand to help Tamao up, pulling her to her feet.
"I would have, but it seemed that my sword was sleeping off a bit of excess..." Tamao frowned, before turning her gaze to her opponent. The young girl stood at the ready; it seemed she was willing to let them finish their hushed conversation. She could clearly remember just how strong the girl was, passing up Tsurugi's aid in such a situation would be foolish. She'd need all the help she could get. All the more now, she was still injured from the first half of the battle. Half-glancing at Tsurugi, she asked a question that she already knew the answer to. "She's pretty strong, isn't she?"
Tsurugi didn't need time to think of an answer. She nodded, keeping her own gaze locked on the other spirit. "She is. I had hoped that you wouldn't fight her until near the end, when you had more of us to call upon..." She didn't dare say anything more specifics than that. Even if Tamao had already claimed her loyalty anew, she wouldn't risk breaking the rules of this game by giving any clues toward who this newest spirit was. Tamao would still have to discover that for herself.
Tamao nodded; that was just as she had expected. Still, hearing it confirmed was a good thing. Why was finding out her opponent was so strong a good thing? First, because a strong opponent was something any follower of the path of the sword wanted. And second, it appealed to her pride. After all, if she had been soundly thrashed by one of the weaker spirits... She shook her head and straightened up, preparing for battle. That first effort had been foolish, but it had also served as a proper warm-up. She was ready now, she wouldn't be so easily beaten again. She moved her hands together, as if holding a blade, before asking Tsurugi if she was ready.
Rather than answer verbally, the sword spirit only nodded, before she seemed to fade away. At the same time, what presence as remained seemed to drift over and gather in Tamao's hands, before it took the shape of a sword. Her sword, and First Tsurugi's other form. As soon as she held one of her own special swords, Tamao felt stronger, as if merely having one of them with her made her stronger. Of course, it was only too obvious that a sword user would be stronger while wielding a sword. But this was more than that, she felt an actually sense of invigoration, of being revitalized. A faint smile came to her face; she knew that the two of them could win this. Feeling more confident than she had felt since first arriving in this odd place, she nodded. Loosing one hand from it's grip on Tsurugi's hilt, she gestured to the young girl, inviting her to attack as she resumed her stance.
The girl still showed no emotion, that fleeting expression of mild annoyance the exception to the rule. When she saw Tamao invite her to attack, though, she didn't pass the opportunity up. But rather than simply charge forward at her ready opponent, she paused a moment, before holding a hand out, palm pointing at the ceiling. Almost as if she were asking for some pocket change or the keys. The similarity ended there, however, as she then lifted her hand sharply upward, clenching it into a fist as she did so. The air around her seemed to pulse with power for a moment, dark and terrible in it's intensity. It exploded outward, and a blast of air rushed out in all directions. A strong wind, but not nearly enough to make Tamao lose her footing. No, it was just a side effect of loosing the girl's power. A moment later, a tremor ran through the floor, like a small earthquake had started. This similarity was increased a moment later as the polished boards under their feet began to crack and pull apart, several fissures opening up in random locations across the room. The crevices exposed in this way seemed deep, and dark enough to hide their exact depth. But they weren't empty, not completely. There was something in them, several somethings which were even now beginning to rise up with slow but implacable movements.
These unknowns were revealed a moment later as they clawed their way to freedom. They were corpses, in various stages of decay. Bones gleamed dully through rent and torn flesh, ragged tatters of cloth hung on ghastly frames. The most startling feature were their eyes. No longer human eyes, they were empty sockets that held glowing pinpoints of sickly yellow light, light that seemed to burn hungrily even as each focused squarely on Tamao. There were at least a half-dozen of the corpses, and it sounded like there could well be more on the way.
Normally, Tamao might have been off-put by the sudden appearance of the risen dead. But she could feel Tsurugi's presence in her sword, and knowing that she wasn't alone made her confident in their combined abilities. So she didn't hesitate, instead she rushed forward, closing the distance to the closest corpse in an instant. She could see that they weren't terribly fast, that alone told her what she needed to do to win. If they were already dead, she didn't need to hold back, either. Her blade cut through the air in a series of rapid strikes even as she juked and weaved between the shambling mounds of decayed flesh. She came to a stop in a low crouch, behind the zombies and in front of her true opponent. Exhaling, she stood up, whipping Tsurugi to the side to dislodge the inky black ichor that clung to the blade. This seemed to be the signal the corpses had been waiting for, as they all burst apart in unison, heads and arms falling off in a flurry of activity.
Tamao adjusted her stance before pointing Tsurugi at the girl, her intent clear. "You are our opponent, not those who have already fallen. Come, let us begin." She felt like her true self again, like she had regained that quiet core that gave her strength in the midst of the chaos of war. She was as ready as she could possibly be. Even the injuries she had incurred before wouldn't stop her, she barely felt them. Instead, she just felt that familiar emptiness, that encroaching void of intent that let her react by instinct, moving before conscious thought had caught up to her surroundings. Now the true match would begin.
It seemed that her foe could sense this change, for they seemed to grow more serious, too. A frown of faint concentration flickered across their face, and the ground trembled once more, before the fissures sealed closed once more, cutting off the appearance of any more of the fallen. She readied herself, before rushing toward Tamao in a blur of gray and white. This was even faster than she had moved before, she wouldn't hold back any more. She spun as she arrived immediately in front of Tamao, before bringing an elbow back in a sharp jab aimed at Tamao's midsection.
A blow that was only just barely blocked by Tamao raising one knee and dropping one elbow, both striking the shorter girl's elbow solidly and blunting the force of the blow. She then countered by extending her raised leg in a sharp kick to the girl's side, striking at her waist. Only a glancing blow, she hadn't had the full range of movement needed to use her full strength. But it served it's purpose, slowing the girl down and blunting her momentum. This gave Tamao a brief window to take the initiative, following up her feint of a kick by bringing down both of her hands, still grasping Tsurugi, in a move informally called a double axe handle slam, aimed at the base of the girl's neck.
The blow landed with a jarring impact; she had used enough force to have knocked out someone of normal durability. But her foe was anything but normal. Oh she was brought down to one knee, but she was up again just as quickly, springing back and colliding with Tamao in a full-body collision. Their disparate sizes worked to the girl's advantage, her smaller size focused the impact on her entire body versus the force of her own blow being applied to a smaller percentage of Tamao, thus leading to a sharper reaction. Tamao stumbled back, almost losing her footing, but just barely recovering. Just in time to bring Tsurugi up to fend off a fresh flurry of bare-handed strikes. They came fast and frequent, a rapid succession of strikes ranging from open-palm thrusts to stabbing jabs to basic punches. Each was blocked, but just barely, and she began to lose ground, backing up against the shorter girl's onslaught.
Finally, she had no choice but to break off, blocking one last blow solidly before jumping back to put some space between them. Breathing hard, she blinked sweat out of her eyes. No matter how much her waning confidence had been salved, she was still tired, and fatigue would only increase faster and faster as the battle dragged on. She would have to try to finish things quickly, before she was overcome. So she shifted her stance, lowering her center of balance and moving Tsurugi to a side grip. Now, she was leading with her left foot, while her right hand held Tsurugi back and parallel to her outstretched left arm. This was a gatotsu stance, one of the sword styles that she had learned in her travels. It was a series of thrusting attacks, designed primarily to take advantage of the range of a battle. To be able to attack with a riposte at any distance gave an undeniable edge, and she would use that now.
She could see the distance to her opponent, though it would not stay that far for long. Already, she knew that the girl was going to rush in to close the distance, before she could land her own thrust. Or at least, that was what the girl was expecting. But with the gatotsu's versatility, she could wait until the last possible moment, and still unleash what was basically a long attack at short range. She just had to wait for the right moment. She kept her breathing light and even, even the slight shift in stance from taking full breaths might well cost her the edge she clung to even now. And there it was! The shorter girl rushed forward, covering the distance in a brief moment. At the same time, Tamao stepped forward quickly, launching her attack, aimed squarely at the point where she expected the girl to arrive. She thrust Tsurugi forward even as she sprang into motion, barely even touching the floor in her single-point attack.
The clash took only an instant, the results coming so quickly that they weren't immediately visible. Tamao held her stance, even though the girl was now behind her. Tsurugi was still pointed directly forward, the tip holding almost perfectly still. Meanwhile, the shorter girl, still unnamed, stood ready in the opposite direction, both hands up and ready in a martial stance. A moment passed, during which the victor wasn't apparent. Then, motion returned to the combatants. Tamao sunk to one knee, a cut at her hip taking the strength from her leg. The other girl seemed triumphant, as she turned to face the fallen Tamao. Only then did her own damage become apparent, as one of the long, pointed horns at her temples cracked, the tip falling off even as she continued turning, a movement that slowly turned into a clumsy pirouette as she finally fell to the floor of the dojo. A flower of blood blossomed at her bare shoulder, from a small but deep wound that had cleanly targeted the joint.
Tamao sighed, only feeling a moment's peace before forcing herself to stand up once more, her wounded leg not able to take her full weight. She likely wouldn't even be capable of hobbling over to her fallen opponent. That issue was put to rest when Tsurugi returned to her other form, supporting Tamao and helping her approach their opponent. When they arrived, Tamao sank down to kneel next to the girl. She was still conscious, looking back at Tamao with an only faintly visible frustration in her expression.
"Is it over, then?" Tamao asked. Even without being sure of who her opponent was, she could tell they were proud. Their life was in no danger; the girl might well insist on continuing the fight until she was unconscious.
The girl stirred, a flicker of pain vanishing from her face almost too quick to be seen. She tried to rise, to at least sit up, but finally had to settle for bracing herself with one arm. "Not until you know my name. Until then, I will fight." As she said this, she frowned, and a moment later she began to gather her power. Similar to when she had summoned the group of zombies, her power took a dark hue, an inky black miasma. This close to it, Tamao could clearly feel the foulness of it. This was a dark energy, an evil energy. She didn't pull away, though. Instead, she tried to accept it. To taste of it's power, and in so doing try to find the name of her second foe.
She had a large collection of swords, but that made no difference. She knew each of them well enough to never mistake one for another. Didn't she? She closed her eyes and concentrated. This energy, she recognized it. But where, when? It came back to her in fits and starts, slowly weaving together a memory of finding a sword. Yes, she could see it clearly now. A frozen wasteland, an immense throne carved from unmeltable ice, and the bones of the fallen scattered like autumnal leaves. And there, embedde4d in a pillar of ice, was a sword. At first, the blade itself seemed hazy, indistinct. But as the Tamao of her memory stepped forward, the fog seemed to stir and writher, almost like the subtle shifting of phantasms, dancing in the evening. There was a chill in the air, more than simply the frigid temperature. There was death here. She remembered reaching out, squelching the hesitation she had felt, the trepidation over touching a blade that was assuredly cursed.
And then, she made contact. The blade's hilt was cold to the touch, a cold that seemed to leech the warmth from her hand, replacing it with a spreading numbness. As it spread, she felt something deeper, a tugging at her very life. She held firm against this vague insistence, even as she discovered that the sensation was coming from the blade itself. It was still stuck in the ice, and somehow she knew. The only way she would be able to pull it out would be if she honored it's silent demand. It wanted to taste of her life, her very soul. If she took that step, she would be tainted by the blade. She understood that. This was not the only cursed blade she had encountered, after all. But she had endured against all the others, and she would endure against this latest challenge, too. So she had invited the sword's essence to taste her life, her soul. As she did, she felt a deep chill settle in her bones. At the same time, she heard a voice, ancient beyond years. It spoke to her, and as she remembered that voice, she realized she knew that this latest foe was that blade.
Looking down, she held a hand out, open to accept one of the girl's smaller hands. As she helped the smaller girl up, she met her gaze evenly, and nodded. With that, she took the final step, and said the girl's name aloud, signifying the end of her second battle. "Then the duel is finished. Frostmourne..."
As soon as she heard her name, Frostmourne stopped for a moment. Then she sighed and straightened up, now standing in front of Tamao and Tsurugi. She nodded, bowing her head. She had fought, and her name was discovered. As well, she could feel that Tamao had rediscovered their agreement; she could feel it, she could still taste of Tamao's life and soul. Before that, the only taste of Tamao's life she had gotten was at the end of their first exchange. Her hunger had gotten the better of her, and she had nearly taken her entire soul. Tsurugi had stopped her, otherwise she would have done precisely that. With those three conditions met, she could stop fighting for a time. "Then it is done. I shall rest now." Without saying another word, her form shimmered for a moment, until it diffused and shifted into that of a sword. One of the points of the cross guard was missing, broken off. It lay a short distance away, where Frostmourne's horn had fallen in that last exchange.
Tamao sighed, taking a moment to simply breathe and fully take in the quiet sense of victory. She had managed to win against a second blade, one who had seemed far stronger than she was ready for. Opening her eyes, she reached out to grab Frostmourne's hilt before using it to help pull herself up. Her leg was still weak, but in victory she found the strength to move past the weakness. She wouldn’t be very fast, but she could move under her own power. Which was a far sight better than the aftermath of her last fight. She'd still need to rest and recover before seeking out her next fight. Turning to Tsurugi, she managed a hesitant smile. "Thank you for your help, I couldn't have managed to defeat her otherwise."
Tsurugi returned the smile, pulling Tamao's arm onto her shoulder so she could help her back to her room. "Of course I'm going to help you, I'm your sword!" With that, they set off back to their rooms, Frostmourne now safely in Tamao's grip. As they left the dojo, though, Tsurugi couldn't help but ask. "How could you let her almost kiss you like that? What about me?"
[ 6451 + 3237 = 9688 out of ??? ]

Besides touring here for the beautiful flower design. The people of the village maintained the flowers. Even through all the snow. All the cold. They manged to build an artificial sun system. Flowers were growing. Rebirth. It was something alright.. Maybe he would have his second chance at life.. He had came here for a reason. They had some pretty unique water techniques here and he needed to learn them. He just needed to watch them a few time. Then he would understand them fully and he be able to perform the techniques. He simply started to run along the side of the flowers. He could take in all the different smells. He only closed eyes for a moment to get lost in the smell... and in one moment.

Boom.

He was knocked down on his but. Unexpectedly. He left his damn suit at home too. He flipped up on one hand and he opened his eyes. He saw something almost chilling.

"Whats wrong Elijah.. you act like you seen a Ghost.."

Elijah and reached for his sword instinctively. He pulled out his large blade. The Black blade started to absorb the light around him and he only stared at the little girl who looked remarkably like himself. He only looked at her a few times. Same pail color. However a pair glowing eyes. She was freaky if he did think so himself. She simply stood there licking a giant lollipop. It almost covered her face. She had on a long flowing dress and she just stood there looking at Eli.

"Elijah daddy sent me here to kill you.. but you arn't ready yet. I don't think you understand how unready you are.."

Eli only turned his blade a bit more.. he was going to cut her down.

"See Eli you have been training with them, Bird people for so long.. that you forgot what it is like to be a real boy. I am not even here right now... You are just trapped in a genjutsu.. Not even that little robot brain of yours can protect you.."

Eli's eyes opened wide.. and all of sudden she was gone. Eli put the blade back on his back. He sighed. He sighed slowly. In five years why wouldn't they have created more of them. Now he had younger siblings too. He had to kill father. There was no more time to wait..

A crisp wind blew strongly from the west, scattering fallen leaves in a minor kaleidoscopic array that paled beside the flowery splendor of Hidden Nano. Flowers of every shape and color bloomed in profusion, filling the air with a heady scent stronger than any manmade perfume. Cythera paused to breathe deep, feeling more at home already. She had only come home for a brief time, but even so, she was already feeling more relaxed. She obviously wouldn't be able to stay long, but a brief stopover to check on some of her information sources was well within her allotted time. After all, she was really no closer to finding her Principal now than she had been a month ago, taking an hour or two to check with her sources would hardly cost her more than she'd already paid.

All the same, her ethics grated at the lapse. Even if it was necessary for actually succeeding at her task, it still bothered her. She was supposed to be out there, guarding her Principal. Now she wasn't even out there trying to find them! That was patently unacceptable! She shook her head, knowing that she couldn’t let herself get distracted by her own feelings on the matter. She had a job, she had to find the most efficient way to ensure it ultimately came to fruition. If that meant swallowing her pride and asking others for any information they had, then so be it.

Her sources were a varied group of individuals. For most of the time, they kept to their own duties, just as she kept to hers. But occasionally, when she needed to find something out, she'd send for them. They had agreed to meet here, in Hidden Nano, and take a day, or as much time as was required, for them to tell her what they had found out about her issue. This issue was the same one she had asked them about some time before; this was merely an update to any previous information they had been able to unearth. She honestly didn't think there would be anything new to learn, her own investigations had indicated that much. But there was always the chance that they had had better luck than hers, or that they had managed to talk to the right person where she had failed. So it was worth it, to occasionally take the time out to check with them.

They had been asked to meet with her at a small open-air cafe. She had been there once or twice before, and it seemed enough like neutral ground that everyone was agreeable to meeting there. It was still more than half an hour before the agreed-upon meeting time, but she had been too restless to wait. If she found out something new, maybe she'd finally manage to track her Principal down! And while the chance of that actually happening were exceedingly small, she couldn't stop herself from hoping that the impossible would happen.

When she finally reached the cafe, she was only slightly surprised and disappointed to see that the others hadn't arrived yet. So she took a seat, and ordered a pot of tea. Her informants could well be thirsty when they arrived, after all. While she waited, she simply absorbed the ambience of her surroundings. A few fluffy clouds were stretched high overhead, occasionally cast a slight shade over the land as they moved in front of the sun. The wind was just brisk enough to be refreshing, after a rather hot and unpleasant summer. Even this late in the year, the flowers that gave Hidden Nano its name were still thriving. Indeed, it seemed the flowers only reluctantly left when winter finally rolled in, and even then, only for two or three months at the most.

Over the following moments, her informants arrived, slipping down into the other chairs at her table without waiting for an invitation. That was standard procedure for them all, avoiding introductions and greetings was simply a good habit to get into if one was trying to avoid being identified. Even then, they would undoubtedly be seen by others, but that much was well within the normal risk parameters they operated under. As such, there was no need for small talk, either. So she took one last drink from her cup before she set it down. "So, have either of you uncovered any new information?"

The first of the two spoke up, a nondescript-looking young man dressed in shades of blue. "Only sporadic sightings, there seemed to be no predictable patterns of late. The subject continues to disappear for random stretches at a time, before making their presence known in a new location for a brief flurry of activity. They were recently seen in Kirigakure, though it's uncertain if they are still there." They stopped there, with a questioning glance to Cythera, if she wanted any more in-depth analysis.

Cythera shook her head curtly. There was no need for anything more detailed, she had already heard much of the same herself. All in all, nothing new had been found, nothing to give her a fresh lead. She diverted her gaze to the other person, an older woman wearing a suit. She seemed like a consummate professional, but that same strict bearing occasionally made her noticeable. Most of the time, the loss of anonymity cost her the advantage, but occasionally it paid off in unexpected ways. Perhaps that unusual skill would bring something new to the table? "And you?"

"I found proof of a recent siting, in Mist again. Though that sighting is tied to a pitched battle, so it may not be prudent to try for contact now. There was one other small bit of unsubstantiated rumor, however..." She hesitated, as if unsure that the morsel of information was worth repeating. In the end, she simply shrugged and repeated what she'd been told. "I found a single unverified claim that the subject has taken an apprentice, and a herald as well. One is another like the subject, but the other appears relatively normal. I wasn't able to find any names, but I would predict them to be near the subject at any point in time."

This newest bit of news had caught Cythera by surprise. Everything she had uncovered before this had indicated they were a loner above all else. Now they were part of a group? That was a drastic change in personality and habit, it could be an indicator of some other sudden change. Did that put her own goal in peril? Impossible to say. "Understood. That will be all, until the next time. Dismissed." She nodded to the two as they got up and melted away into the crowds, disappearing rapidly. She knew better than to try to track them, they were almost as skilled as she was at the art of surveillance.

Instead, she focused on trying to come to grips with this newest information. If it was true- and that was a pretty big if!- then she almost had to go and try to verify it. Perhaps this change would grant her the means to gain the chance to talk to them, and find out what she wanted to know. The only problem with that method was the sheer danger she would be risking. The subject was dangerous, beyond anyone she had encountered before. More than that, they seemed to have no qualms about casual killing. She would be in danger regardless of any measures she might take. Did she have the courage to go for it, to risk her life merely to talk to someone who might or might not have a clue toward where her Principal had gone? She knew the answer even before finishing the question. She'd go.

But before she left, there were a few matters that she could still deal with first. Before anything else, she wanted to return to her home, to inform her parents of her progress. Not because she expected them to be worried, but merely because etiquette demanded it. Whenever she was in the area, she was obligated to meet with her parents before she resumed her own business. So she got up and left the cafe, after paying her bill, and set off for her home. It wasn't too far from where she was now, that was the reason that she had first started frequenting this cafe over any of the others in the village.

The brief walk was refreshing, in that it gave her the chance to relive earlier memories, before she'd begun on her chosen profession. It was a simpler time, when she didn't have to continually worry about her absent Principal, or about basic security issues, or any of the myriad of other issues that kept her occupied for a large portion of every day. But all good things inevitably came to an end, and all too soon, she found herself standing in front of her house. It looked different than she remembered it. At first, she couldn't put her finger on what seemed different, until it hit her. It seemed smaller. It had been quite some time since her last visit, and she had grown since then. But even so, it was kind of disconcerting to be confronted directly by such proof. She was no longer a child, she was an adult, for all intents and purposes. And if she was truly honest with herself, she would realize that it wasn't her home, not anymore. She didn't live there anymore.

As such, she didn't simply let herself in. She had returned her key when she left, with the understanding that her parents had their own lives. She wouldn't intrude on them now that she had come into her own life. So instead, she simply knocked on the door, and waited for one of them to answer it. It took only a moment, and then the door opened. She smiled slightly when she saw her mother, it had been some time since they last talked in person. It seemed her mother shared a similar sentiment.

"Bana!" She grabbed her daughter up into a tight hug, pulling her into the house at the same time. A moment later, Cythera found herself practically shoved into an armchair, while her mother was calling for her father to join them. She awkwardly looked around the room, recognizing many of the assorted knickknacks that decorated it. Most housewives collected porcelain statuettes or vases or perfumes. Her mother collected knives. There were khukuri, kardo, chakmak, daggers, stilletos and Bowie knives. There were cleavers and hatchets, trench knives and bayonets. Throwing knives, butterfly knives, jacknives. Quite an unusual hobby, until you realized that she was more than a simple housewife. She was a bodyguard, just like her husband. They had started the business together, and began making a name for themselves. Cythera was merely following in their footsteps.

Her father showed up a moment later. Where her mother had been obviously excited, her father merely showed quiet satisfaction at seeing his daughter again. They were roughly familiar with the circumstances that she was operating under, so there was no need for awkward questions over where her Principal was. Instead they kept the conversation light, commenting on some of the varying political climes, and how the recent changeover in Kages in several of the villages had led to a surprising amount of political unrest. It was a good sign for their business, but not so good for the common civilian. With increasing unrest, there would be more demand than ever for a bodyguard. And that meant they had an opportunity to fully cement their name in the business, make sure that it was them that people went to when they needed protection.

Cythera frowned as her parents exchanged a serious glance. There was something else they wanted to say. Normally, their family had a dichotomy of being honest with one another. Even if the topic was uncomfortable, they had come to grips with the idea that the sooner it was in the open, the sooner it could be worked past. If they were hesitating to mention something, it had to be serious. Her frown deepened, as she finally gave in to her curiosity. "What is it, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. Bana, it's just... You've been at this job for some time already, and your Principal is still eluding you. There's no doubt of your skills, you would have found any ordinary Principal by now. That means they are deliberately avoiding you. Why not... Why not take a new case, a new Principal. There's been several offers that have come in lately, good offers." Her father shrugged, unsure of what else to say.

Cythera's eyes had widened in undisguised shock at what she was hearing. He couldn't be serious! To quit a job before its conclusion was unthinkable for a bodyguard! Their reputation was their life, and if word ever got out that a Demeter simply walked away from a job... She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. The fact that her father had even suggested it had thrown her for a loop. Had something happened, something serious enough to make him even consider such an action? They'd sacrificed so much already, all for the sake of their reputation and their business. Now, saying this, he was willing to simply throw that all away?! She finally found her voice, wetting suddenly dry lips. "Why?"

Her father's face flushed with shame, but it had to be said. He didn't answer for a long time, wrestling with the issue mentally. Finally, he sighed. "We've been keeping tabs on your progress. Do you know anything about the subject you're currently investigating? Anything more than their name and their current location?"

This seemed like an abrupt change of topic, so it took Cythera a moment to mentally change gears. The subject, what did she know about them? Their name, obviously, and just like her father said, she knew where they were now, supposedly. Anything else? They were older than her, and she knew they possessed a certain notoriety for something that happened before she grew up enough to pay attention to the world as a whole. But overall, her information was pretty sketchy. So she shook her head once more. "Not particularly, do you know about them?"

"We do." Her mother rejoined the conversation, looking just as grave as her father. Whatever they knew, it had to be truly serious. She turned her attention to the low coffee table that was next to her when her mother tossed down a thick folder. She recognized it as one of the dossiers they kept on certain people of interest. There was this much information on them?!

She looked to her parents for permission before picking the folder up, and beginning to flip through it. Gradually, her eyes widened once more, and her expression shifted to one of utter shock. The things she read... "This has to be some kind of exaggeration, right? One person couldn't possibly do that much damage..." She continued flipping through the folder, with each new story adding to the grim overall picture. "If they are this dangerous, then why haven't they been taken into custody, or been labeled a persona non grata?"

"Many of the villages tried, but nothing came of it. Anyone who tried to stop them directly was killed. The body count grew too big to deal with, so the bounty was dropped, and the mission retracted. Now that you've seen the file, you know the truth. You can't really be thinking of going to them and asking them questions, can you?"

Cythera didn't speak for a long moment, trying to wrap her brain around the facts that she had just found out. The one she had been trying to find was dangerous. She had known that much already. But this went past simply being dangerous, so much that there wasn't a proper word for it anymore. 'Guaranteed death' came to mind. If she were to go to them, she would die. She couldn't hope to escape, or to fight her way to freedom. It would be a foregone conclusion. If the one she sought wanted her dead, then it would happen.

But even so, her family had taught her from an early age that their reputation was linked completely with their livelihood. Regardless of her own feelings, regardless of anything, could she just throw that away, put all their work to naught? It didn't matter if there was a valid excuse, it didn't matter if her Principal was trying to avoid her. She had accepted the job, and she wasn't going to let herself be stopped, just because of the danger.

Her mother moaned softly when she saw the determination in Cythera's eyes. Even without saying anything, they knew that she had made her decision. But her mother wouldn't give up so easily. She stepped closer to Cythera, before reaching down and grabbing her hands within her own. Clutching them tightly, she tried to convince her. "Please don't do this! Don't let your pride be the death of you, Bana! We can always start over if we need to, but there's only one of you!"

"I'm sorry, I have to. I swore that I would see this through to the end, I can't give up just because I might get hurt..."

"There's no might about it, Bana. If you go to that... that monster, you'll die... Just seeing the folder wasn't enough. You never saw the destruction with your own eyes, it was horrible. I saw Hidden Cloud, after they came through. There was nothing left. I don't mean ruins, there was literally nothing left. The entire village was dissolved into some kind of sand. You can't fight that kind of power!"

Cythera wanted to try to reassure her mother, but she wasn't sure what to say. In the end, the best she managed was a meager hope. "But I'm not going to fight them, I'm just going to talk. Surely they'll see reason."

"Are you prepared to bet your life on that?" Her father had said that, sending a stern but inquisitive look her way. "I don't want to outlive my daughter, but if you're that sure, then I'll stand by your choice." Her mother tried to protest once more, but her father raised a finger to her lips. "Shush, we swore we'd support her, remember? We taught her everything we know, after all."

It took her mother a long moment to regain her composure. When she did, she still looked distraught, but trying to put on a strong front. "Alright. I don't like it, but I'll believe in you. Just promise me, if it looks like they won't help, try to get away!"

Cythera nodded, she knew better than to try to make light of the possible situation. "I will." After that, there wasn't much else to say. So she got to her feet, and said that she should probably get going, she still had a few other matters to attend to. Her parents saw her off, but made her promise to return for the evening meal, and to stay the night. She hadn't planned on staying in Nano that long, but she owed them that much, at the very least.

Her next stop took her to the far side of the village. Hidden Nano was a medium-sized ninja village, but only boasted minimal security. Ultimately, it was a small village, and had escaped the worse of the wandering disasters that seemed to strike more populated villages so often. Instead, Nano had secured it's safety through judicious usage of its natural wealth and unique defenses. The fields of flowers surrounding it were beautiful, but they were deadly as well. A stranger who tried to invade the village would find that out firsthand. But by and large, the flowers were mostly for decoration, Nano simply didn't get attacked. Once in a blue moon someone might start trouble, but that was a rare occurrence.

All of this meant that the village saved quite a bit of money, in not having to hire ninja to protect its borders. The ninja it produced on its own were numbered enough to do the job themselves. That money went into other avenues, improving the village's services, along with the general lifestyles of its inhabitants. Even then, a certain portion of the village's budget was always set aside for wartime actions. A smithy to forge armor and weapons, a small barracks for troops to be stationed, along with several other common features. One of those was Cythera's destination. Precisely, the small local academy that helped to refine a young ninja's knowledge, and to teach them more of the village's unique brand of techniques.

She had attended many of the lessons, and if she were perfectly honest with herself, there likely wasn't too much more left for her to learn. But that was not her prime goal in returning, instead it was more relevant to her current goal. Ultimately, she was 'doing the rounds', checking in with many of her associates, in the hopes that they might have more information to add to what she already knew. Her parents had added an immense amount of data to what she knew about her current target, but that didn't mean she wouldn't welcome anything more. As well, there was always the chance something new had become known for her Principal. They had disappeared without a trace all this time, to the extent that even her own considerable tracking skills had come to naught. For them to do that, it meant any number of things. It was possible they were actively avoiding her specifically. It was possible they were avoiding someone else. It was possible they were dead, and the body hadn't been discovered. She refused to consider that a real option, however. The only other possibility that she could think of was that they were undercover, or imprisoned. That wouldn't be much better.

She didn't rush to her next location, there was no urgent need to be done with it as fast as possible. But neither did she dawdle, she kept herself to a brisk pace. Fast enough that she wasn't wasting time, but she still had the chance to familiarize herself with her hometown again after all her time away. A few people even recognized her, and she stopped to exchange pleasantries with them before continuing on. It was nice catching up with old friends and acquaintances, but ultimately she was focused on her task. She surely cut a unique visage as she strode purposefully down the street, her formalwear much like a standard maid uniform, save in shades of green. Far from unusual considering the wealth of the average citizen here in Nano; plenty of other people sent their hired help out on tasks. But even then, there was something different in how she held herself, something that told people she was in the middle of something.

As such, she didn't even stop when a young man that she had never met before called out to her. She likely would have continued on, oblivious, if the man hadn't jogged ahead to stand in her way. She gave him a cursory once-over, evaluating him for hidden weapons or motives. He seemed innocuous, but appearances could easily be deceiving. He smiled at her in greeting, only to frown when she sidestepped and continued on her way.

He moved to catch up once more, this time reaching out with a hand to grab her shoulder. "Hey, I said wait up, honey! Where you going to in-"

He never got to finish his question, because the world seemed to spiral crazily for him. It only took an instant, and then he found himself wondering just what had happened. He moved to a sitting position and looked around for a moment, temporarily dazed. It was only some time later before he was finally able to recall just what had happened. The moment he had grabbed Cythera's shoulder, she had reacted. Her hand grabbed his wrist even as she turned into his arm. A sharp tug pulled him off balance, and she spun once more to turn the tug into a full throw. He was just a civilian, so she didn't end the combination with a finisher, instead just letting him land roughly on his back. With that done, she dusted off her hands and resumed her trek.

Meanwhile, the young man had been publicly humiliated, his friends had been watching after he assured them that he could get the pretty maid to join them for some fun. This insured that he would remember his humiliation, and he'd likely seek to pay her back if he ever had the chance. But that was a story for another time. For now, Cythera had resumed her journey, and soon found herself outside of the Nano Academy.

It was a small structure, by Nano's scale. Though compared to many of the mansions, almost any building was small. The Academy was easily over a hundred meters long, and half that wide. It boasted two stories, and the steepled roof likely held a good-sized attic. As well, she remembered it had a large basement as well, heavily fortified to serve its role as emergency shelter. The architecture was dated, in that the walls were intentionally left rough, large stones and cement. This, combined with the appearance of a thatched straw roof made it appear to be an immense cottage. Purely an affectation, and one that was only skin deep. The interior was fully modernized, giving the Academy every considerable luxury for its needs.

It was overdone. That was part of why her own time there had been thankfully brief, and much of her learning had been done elsewhere. The affectation of poverty overlaid the decadence, but neither had any place there. It was an Academy, a school. It needed little more than four walls and a roof, and places for the students to sit and the teacher to teach. Everything else was purely decoration, and wouldn't help anyone to become stronger. But it would never change, and that was its own way of doing things. She could respect the Academy's determination, if not its design. Waiting a moment to gather her thoughts and regain her focus, she looked at the doors for a long moment before letting herself in.

It was early afternoon, so most of the classes were still in session. She knew that they would be done soon enough, and a little bit of waiting would help her to plan out the rest of her day. So she moved to the classroom that she had come to visit, and took a seat on the bench outside the door. She could hear the lecture from inside, and thought back to what she had learned when she had actually attended the Academy. The Nano Academy specialized in the village's techniques, of course. As such, it assumed that all students were already fully versed in the arts of genjutsu, ninjutsu and taijutsu. As well, it assumed they had at least a passing familiarity with several other disciplines, ranging from botany and chemistry to history, anatomy and engineering. Technically, it could be considered a finishing school for ninja.

She had learned of many of the village's techniques, a wide assortment of them. Many focused on flowers, and using them in battle in one method or another. But there were also a handful of other techniques, unusual ones that were centered on different elemental types. It was during this that she had first learned that she had a special skill with Fuuton techniques, wind-based skills. As such, she had allowed that to shape her studies, but she had occasion to pause now, and wonder if perhaps she had been too hasty in discounting everything else. Merely because she had held no aptitude for them, that was no reason not to learn those other techniques. After all, if she was diligent in her studies, then perhaps she could even master the manipulation of other elements, and widen her own repertoire of skills. It would be a worthy goal to work at during her rare moments of free time, if nothing else.

So she took the time to pay attention now. To the variety of techniques that the teacher was describing, what handsigns went into the activation of each, and the assorted pros and cons of each of them. Some techniques were ideal for fighting at range, while others were best used at point blank. Still others, while they could be used offensively, only shone when they were used defensively, or even in a support role. There was a lot to take in, but she was a quick study. As well, she had already garnered a basic understanding of several of the techniques during her time here before, so this was in all actuality more of an expanded refresher course than anything else. She even found out a few odd tidbits about the techniques she had already mastered, bits of data that she had all but forgotten.

Finally, well over an hour later, the class was dismissed, and she waited patiently to speak with the teacher. Only after the last student had dawdled on their way out the door, did she step in and approach the desk. This was not the same teacher who had taught her. But that was fine, she wasn't here to ask after her own information. Instead, she had decided to try something unusual, and see if she couldn't luck into a bit more information than she already had. Namely, if either her Principal or her current subject had ever spent time at the Academy, and if so, if there was anything that could be told about them.

Normally student records were closely monitored, but the teacher seemed to tell there was a serious cause for her questions. And where there was a serious cause, there was usually an interesting story. The teacher, after all, was an inveterate gossip, and they could hardly resist prying into some new secret once they got wind of it. Cythera had known that going in, and that had been what she had pondered while in the hallway. Namely, what was the minimum she could tell the teacher to entice them to part with their knowledge, while still protecting her own interests. It wouldn't do for her to tell too much, and tip off her Principal as to what she had been doing. It would require a delicate balance of truth and omission, but she felt she could handle it.

So she began by giving a reasonably curtailed account of what had happened. Just that she had been hired on to guard an errant traveler, and how she'd had no luck finding them. She admitted that her own information sources were woefully inadequate, and that there were only two real leads that she had found so far. One, that her Principal had been to Hidden Nano in the past. And two, that the subject who had known the Principal in the past had been there as well. What she wanted to know, was if there was anything the teacher could tell her about either of them. If they had come through the village some time before, there was a chance they may have stopped at the Academy, learned something while they were here. She didn't even consider the idea of the two traveling together, there was simply no logical basis on which to make such an outlandish assumption. Instead, she relied upon the data to tell her what was possible. And that included a long stretch of time, during which either of her quarries may have passed through this village, even before she had heard of either of them.

As far as gossip went, this revelation was relatively minor, but it was still something new. So the teacher relented, and had Cythera accompany them to the archives. That was where they kept a record of every student who passed through their doors. After all, the Academy wasn't free, and any ninja who could pay that kind of money for a speed course in Nano techniques would be worth keeping an eye on. The files were formed when each student first entered the Academy, and were continually updated as more information became available. Nano wasn't known for its information gathering, but it did have money enough to hire others to do the job for them. As such, the archives had remarkably in-depth records on a large number of students, both regular and temporary. Many visitors didn't realize that when they agreed to enter the Academy for merely a day or two, that they would be subjected to the same level of scrutiny from then on. If they did, it would likely stop a large number from ever entering in the first place. That made it obvious enough that Cythera would be punished to the fullest extent of the law if she ever breathed a word of such measures to an outsider.

She had no intention of doing that, especially if playing nice could get her the answers she wanted. So she just nodded when the teacher warned her about bandying the information around too freely. With that said, she was finally given access to the files. Both were reasonably in-depth, though the one on her latest subject wasn't as comprehensive as the one that her parents had put together. All the same, there was a chance that there would be something in it that she hadn't heard before. She was even more surprised by the file on her Principal. She had known that they had passed through Nano on at least one occasion, but the size of the file indicated that they were either more important that she had ever been told, or instead that they had been much more active before she had been set to be their bodyguard. Hardly able to stop herself by this point, she began skimming both folders, trying to absorb as much of the information as she possibly could. There was no telling how soon she'd be cut off, and have to give the folders back. She'd have to make the most of every second.

Even then, all too soon they heard somebody walking past. And just as she had expected might happen, the teacher panicked, worried that someone would see them breaking the rules. So the folders were pulled out of her grasp and unceremoniously stuffed back into the filing cabinet drawers. Cythera felt a minor bit of vindictive pleasure when she saw they were probably put away in the wrong spots. But all the same, she quietly thanked the teacher for her time, and when the coast was clear, she slipped out of the school. Her task had taken some time, mostly due to the waiting she'd had to endure. But there was still enough time for her to do her other stops, before returning to her parents' home for the evening.

This time, she recognized the young man as she approached, and recognized the raw animosity he was giving off as he glared at her. She still had no idea just why he was so angry; after all, he had been the one to accost her! But it was obvious he was talking her earlier dismissal personally. So she slowed to a stop until she was standing a few meters away from him. When he realized she was acknowledging him, he smiled. But there was no warmth in the smile, it was a cold, vicious thing. "Oh now you notice me? Well it's too late for that. You see, you made me look bad in front of my boys, and I can't have that. So I hired someone to put you in your place. It wasn't cheap, but I wanted the best. So I got the best. You'll have the pleasure of being cut down by Tamao Suzumi."
[6018 + 7176 = 13,194 out of ??? ]

Edward entered the village, a smile upon his face as he looked ahead towards the path before him. He had come here searching out the abilities of others. He sought to learn another form of the magnet style. He knew that this was the place of the three brothers. Among them, one existed who could produce and manipulate magnetic fields. It was said, according to legend, that he did so by ingesting a large amount of iron as a child. This of course was utter rubbish. The ability to manipulate not only metal but electromagnetic fields themselves was in itself a kekkei genkai. Similar things could be said of the other brothers. Among them was an ice user, and ice was also a kekkei genkai. As a matter of fact, one couldn't be certain they were brothers. They, themselves certainly didn't behave like brothers, ready to kill each other if they were no longer useful. That combined with their apparent kekkei genkai suggested they were brothers only in name.

Edward found himself on a path surrounded by fields of flowers. It was a truly strange place, so vibrant, and flowers were just... everywhere. It sickened him.
21933 cp
Spendable cp: 392
Words: 196(2x)
reserved cp:2772
Magnet Ninja Art:: 0/1500
Magnet Ninja Art: Infinite Meteors:: 0/800
Magnet Ninja Art: Electromagnetic Vision:: 0/2000

Edward continued to walk along the flowered path, frowning as he went. He knew that it was probably a bad idea to start causing a ruckus with the ninja here just yet. But seriously, where did all the bloody flowers come from. The buildings themselves also the displayed the brightly colored plant sexes as well. It was as if the entire village had dedicated itself to nothing but this. But Edward knew that the three brothers had come from here and they didn't use these wimpy plants in their jutsu. The only problem was how could Edward find and recover their jutsu in such a place as this. To be fair, he was only interested in the jutsu of the magnetic field user. But, none-the-less it was going to be a pain here, as even just navigated would require him to look over a visage of bright yellows, purples, reds, pinks, and blues. He himself was clad in his silver, white, and green robes, customary of his clan. On his back was the large, black Imperial Broadsword, as tall as he was. Part of him just wanted to bring out his blade and swing it, sundering the flowers and erupting them into a blaze. He just wanted to see the pretty little plants just wilt and die.
He would glance back then as he went, noticing someone clearly foreign to the village as well. At that, she... had large horns. He would turn around as he could see her taking notice of him as well.
Hardly in a good mood, he yelled out to the woman, "Hey, goat-girl, who do you think your looking at?" He stood confidently, stepping towards her slowly. He displayed no sense of caution or fear, only a level of confidence and bravado that said he believed he could take anyone on, anywhere. While it was hardly the case that he reallly could, he was a child who wasn't afraid to fight. Then again, he could back up his stance and words plenty, being a chunin not too long since emerging as a genin. Unfortunately, this also meant his chakra levels hadn't had the time to develop to that of most chunin.
22269 cp
Spendable cp: 728
Words: 336
reserved cp:2772
Magnet Ninja Art:: 0/1500
Magnet Ninja Art: Infinite Meteors:: 0/800
Magnet Ninja Art: Electromagnetic Vision:: 0/2000

Edward drew closer as well, frowning as he faced the girl, no taller then him, who wielded a scythe, the staff of it against her shoulder. He could see her approaching him, and actually smiled a bit as he could feel a confrontation come on. It was boring here with this place, with all its pretty little flowers. He wanted something interesting, some action. He knew not what he faced, but he was too self-confident to be afraid. Even as he saw the storm gathering, even as the flowers around them had begun to weaken, he wasn't afraid. To be fair, he had hoped this would happened to the flowers anyway. And aside from that, he couldn't directly connect this all to her.
Finally, though, she would speak, threatening to tear out his tongue. His eyes narrowed. His confidence matched her own. Oooooh, scary, go on little satyr girl, why don't you go out and play with the pretty little flowers, and maybe put that big girl weapon down before you hurt yourself?" He stuck out his tongue, ruining the apparent seriousness of the moment, and displaying no fear towards the girl. Either he didn't recognize the unusualness of her bravery, or he didn't care, his own allowing him to match it. His eyes would widen just a bit as he felt the aura about her. Not directly of course, but there was something about her, something off. It told him that she certainly wasn't normal, even aside from the scythe and goat horns, let alone that she didn't belong in a place like this. His hand came to rest against the hilt of his broadsword. He was fool-hardy, true, but he was aware enough of this feeling that he could tell appearances might very well be deceiving. And with that feeling, he would connect the death of the plants to her.
"So what the hell are you, exactly?" He didn't move to strike though.
22594 cp
Spendable cp: 1053
Words: 325
reserved cp:2772
Magnet Ninja Art:: 0/1500
Magnet Ninja Art: Infinite Meteors:: 0/800
Magnet Ninja Art: Electromagnetic Vision:: 0/2000