Tale of Storys.

[CoolNard]

I am flying. Soaring - to the greatest and most divine of heights; to the coldest and most insurmountable of summits; to the hottest and most scorching of peaks; to the thinnest and most whimsical of clouds.

I am flying. Diving - to the lowest and most treacherous of grounds; to the deepest and most murky of seas; to the darkest and most suffocating of nights; to the brightest and most relieving of days.

In my aerial endeavors, all that's left in my trail is a vast, white, frozen sheet of landscape, glaring icily at its shuddering neighbors. People, plants, animals, structures, vocalnoes, mountains, clouds, air, water - they all petrify and crumple and perish - no matter how cold or hot or durable or protected, nothing can precede my instinct.

Now, Her Graciousness Shakura is in need of my power and has evoked... us. I fly to her side, for only they are worth realizing my light, for only they can cradle me with warmth.

A dragon that freezes as intuitively and helplessly, as a mortal breathes, I am... Xephrish.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

**Awesome dragons Nard-kun. I am glad that I left the last three up to you. Looks like Shakura has her own personal execution squad. The elites must be jealous.

Definitely will be source material for some interesting battles in the future.**

TATSU:
I awaken suddenly to a frigid bath. I didn't even remember falling asleep. In earnest, I gather myself and move out of the tub, grabbing on to one of the drying cloths that were stacked neatly on top of a low cabinet. I wrap it around my waste, and grab a second one and start to wipe the water from my chest and shoulders, trying to warm up in as little time as possible.

Once dressed back into my pants and white shirt I notice a small window just across from the tub. The two bottom boards had been removed from the pane. I bend my knees and look out. Night had fallen. I couldn't see anything out there. It was so dark, when I looked at the window, my own reflection looked right back at me instead. I had wondered why Aisha's house was so old and uncared for. All the windows were covered over and nailed closed. Was she hiding herself in here? Was she ashamed of this place? Random thoughts moved in and out.

In the other room Nozomi was asleep on a portion of the couch. Three bowls were littering the floor around her. Aisha was asleep in the chair, her shawl was draped across her front. The light from the fireplace waxed and waned, a orange glow bounced off the frames on the walls. The whole house was completely silent.
This moment comforted me. This security. This peaceful place.
I didn't want to sleep. Yes I was completely and utterly exhausted, but some sort of feeling was keeping me awake. For the entire time I had been in this city, I had continued to sense Swiftant's presence. It would come and go at times, but it has progressively grown more intense. It's almost as if I could reach out and touch him. I was trying to convince myself that I was just over worked, and I just needed to put my mind at ease for a few hours. But then suddenly-there is was-clear as a bell-I could feel Swiftant's being.

I closed my eyes and focused; placing the fingertips from both my hands on the sides of my temples. I whispered into my head "Swiftant?" It felt to me like I could hear someone's thoughts. In a blink I had seen a woman. It looked like she was standing in front of me. I was remembering what Yogensha had told me. How I had inherited a portion of his soul, and therefore I could sense people that I had met, just as he could in life. I always wondered how it was that he found me, and how he could see me from the other world. Was he able to see through me eyes? Was I seeing through Swift's eyes just a moment ago?

No. Only a dream. It has to be that. I need to lay down.

Dazed and confused, I didn't notice that someone had come to the front door of the house. Quickly and quietly, I grab Sora and slink behind a post. I couldn't make it out too well, there was at least two, the old wood of the porch gave them away. Aisha didn't mention that she was getting any visitors. Regardless of this, a feeling told me that on one comes here...
The two outside weren't salesman. Not at this hour...

The knob turned, and the door was slowly opened. I raised my blade. Stepping out, placing one foot directly in front of the other, I crept to the side of a bookcase, ready to strike. I could hear a woman whispering:

"Shh, don't make too much noise. I don't want to wake her up."

There in the dark, I recognized the masculine form. The light from outside was hitting him in the back, illuminating a fraction of his face, but I did know this for Swift. I hadn't seen him in a long time, but there was no mistake. It was him.

"Swiftant?" I speak aloud from my hiding post.

The two twirl around.

"Who?!" Swiftant blurts out.

"It's me, Tatsu." I step forward from the shadows. "It's been a long time." I approach him. "Somehow I knew you would be coming here."

"Tatsu? What are you doing here??" His voice raises with surprise, his arms outstretched.

The commotion had awakened Nozomi and Aisha.

"Waaahhh??" Nozomi grunts as she rubs her eyes.

"Who is it?" Aisha sits up. Half mumbling to herself.

The woman with Swiftant cringes, and takes a step back.

Aisha's eyes widen "Suzette?! Ohh! Suzette! You came home!"

Aisha gets up from her chair and runs over the the front door.

The woman, apparently named Suzette, stutters over herself "Y-yes mother, it's me." Aisha bursts into tears and throws herself onto Suzette. "It's been years!" Suzette lifts up her hands and places them loosely over Aisha's shoulders. "I'm sorry mother. You know why I haven't come here. It was for you. I was protecting you." Swiftant, Nozomi and myself are silent.

Aisha forces back a tear. "I know, I know! But you didn't even write a letter. Nothing!"

"I was under constant surveillance from the Dragon military. There was not that I could do. If I had given them the smallest inkling of your position they would of began the hunt."

Aisha is silent.

I break the silence. "Aisha...I am sorry, but I have to ask. Are you in hiding from the Dragon nation?"

Aisha closes her eyes, and sighs heavily. " I suppose I can't evade the truth forever. I didn't want to have to remember. Yes. It is true. For years the clans have searched for me. I have escaped them, and have remained here for half a century. I committed the ultimate crime..."

Nozomi blinks in confusion. "Aisha, what is going on? What are you talking about?" Nozomi rubs her head. "You never told me about this before."

Aisha turns from Suzette for a moment and faces the three of us.

"I know Nozomi...Perhaps if I just showed you rather than explain myself.. Then you will understand. Hang on."

Aisha steps away from us all and places her hands together, clasping them tight. Then, in a bright white light, Aisha's form changes. She transformed into a dragon. About half the size of a regular dragon. Her structure was frail, even still, her wings drooped, and her greenish-yellow scales were flaked and cracked... This knocks me clean off my feet, I stumble back under this sudden change. What is this?

"Please don't hate me. I am a dragon. Yes, a dragon. A dwarf dragon. My clan perfected human transformation. It was us who were the ones who would go on operations of espionage and infiltrate human cities. Gain knowledge of it's fortification and then report back so the army could overthrow them In the end, I stole something of extreme value from the empire and then escaped with a human...This human, became my husband. He knew I was a dragon on the inside, but he didn't care. He forged a family...Had Suzette. When I told her about her heritage and showed her myself she became incredibly intrigued by the Dragon's world and left this sanctuary."

Aisha changes back to a human. "I haven't changed in years. In all honesty, I was hoping I would never have to again, for a moment there I was unsure if I could."

No one knows what to say... So this is why Aisha stays in hiding in here. The city must know of her, and have shunned her to the far edges of Shinkirou.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

As our group sat in Aisha's small living room gathered about immersed in conversation, the light of the morning sun poked though the gaps in the window boards.

Apparently all this time Swiftant was back with the Dragon Empire. There he had met up with Suzette, and there he had decided to betray the queen. In a way, I was still uncertain of his motives. After all, he was a man who worked for the Dragons. One usually doesn't decide to switch to the losing side. Did they think he was conspiring? Did he have regret for betraying his own kind for all these years?
But I wasn't about to confront him on the subject. I know I like my secrecy and rather keep things kept to myself. I only divulge what I must to make sure that I can function adequately with my partners...
In any event, I was glad that we had been reunited. I didn't want to generate any negative tension. Our group has been scattered for far too long. I wanted to enjoy this moment.
I looked at the two of them; Suzette and Swiftant. The way they sat in each others company. Were they a couple? She was definitely a pretty girl. Every now and then when our eyes met during Swiftant conversing she would smile.

Aisha came out of the kitchen with a kettle and a platter of cups. "Here. I have prepared some coffee. I have some sweet rolls as well."

I picked up a cup, and pressed my lips to the rim. The heat warmed my nostrils. I took a sip. "It's good." I spoke softly. Nozomi ended up eating all the rolls. There was not even a crumb left for anyone else. We all just laughed.

" Look at this, my home full of people. Why just yesterday this place was empty, and today I have four young people to keep me company." Aisha's eyes twinkled.

"I am glad that someone people from the outside has come. It is evidence enough that there is still hope for those outside of this hidden place. Here in Shinkirou, citizens are ignorant to the struggles of the humans who face the dragons everyday. They are safe here, brainwashed into believing that the world is but a desert wasteland, and there is only life far,far away, hidden from the dragons. Most people here have never met a dragon, so when they discovered who I was really they were unnerved. People hate what they don't understand, and I haven't been understood at all. I so am the one who covered these windows and keep myself in here. Only going out at night if I have to."

Suzette looks deeply troubled by her mother's words... "mother if I had known how it has been for you all this time I would have come sooner, I wish I could have. But fear also kept me away."

"It's alright." Aisha smiles. "I need to end this way of life."

I get up and go over to one of the windows.

"You shouldn't be afraid of who you are." I speak aloud.

"They have no right to treat you this way. You shouldn't live like this."

I stretch out my arms, tense my biceps, and tear a piece of board from the window. A stream of light floods the room. The red light of the rising sun breathes a breath of life into this dingy space.

I squint my eyes and stare into the sky.

I turn to face everyone. They are all staring at me.

"You are one of them Aisha. You have been here alone all this time, now you must let yourself be free. You aren't dead. This isn't a tomb."

Aisha begins to cry."Thank you." She probably never heard anyone say something like that before. I kind of felt embarrassed, not because of what I did, but because I made her cry. She doesn't know how to contain her emotion, she isn't used to contact with others.

"Excuse me." I grab my cloak and head out the door.

I stand there alone on the sidewalk. My hood raised. I stare down at my hands, then up to the clouds, they are deep hues of violet... I move my feet, then a pause.

Footsteps.

It's Swiftant.

[CoolNard]

**Before you guys read any further, I want to let y'all know I've really set their levels as high as I think it should be. Brace your minds XD And at the same time, listen to this song, it's Treachery from Bleach, and it's really fitting.**

Shakura is beckoning me, I cannot waste further time. I take the sea route, approaching the Dragon's Lair from Etrirea's corner; I have no intention of freezing her Silverness' territorial possessions, either.

As I draw nearer to the familiar Dragon Mountains and the all too nostalgic Dragon's Lair, I know the other two, like me, are not even bothering to mask their battle prowess. I can feel the abrupt, unnatural and imposing pull-down by W.S. Gavrik's gravity and the rapidly alternating and suffocating climates that leave virtually no living organism biologically unaffected by Qayroph. My own bright flare covers the mountains in a screen of white light and my scales harvest glaciers on land and icebergs on water. Even if we could suppress our auras, we wouldn't, because our natures were so threatening and belligerent that we would end up killing each other.

Ignoring one another, we spiral around the topmost tower of Dragon's Lair in impassive and hypocritical synchronization. Finally, swooping through the tallest, largest, semi-oval carved openings and perching ourselves on our respective crystal pedestals. In the midst of the entrance ceremony, I overhear Shakura's voice.

"You'd best be kowtowing now, Thrandos, along with the other elites..."

"OH, HO, HO, HO," another voice booms, "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THE GOLDEN GENERAL WAS BEING OBSTINATE, AGAIN!" World Smasher Gavrik, the Gray Dragon Noble of Gravity, slumps down on his altar. Gray polishes his hide, fangs protude intimidatingly from his joints, large flapping scales stand erected from his head stretching down to his tail, giving him the majestic disposition of a king. His eyes illuminate through my light and frown at Thrandos with a murdering menace. They always seem to be brimming stealthily with infinite wisdom and power.

"FWAH HA HA HA!!!! Welllll, why not... We just WASTE him, theeeeennnnnn!!!! It'd be the peeeeeerrrrrfectt EXCUSE to go... WIIIIILD!!!!!!!!" Qayroph, the Orange Dragon Noble of Seasons, screeches and gasps in crazed excitment. He has two devilish curved horns ramming out of his right temple; the ones on his left temple were, somehow, plucked out, in an unprecedented, legendary war with W.S. Gavrik. Half of Etrirea's landscape was then supernaturally rearranged and thought to always have been that disproportionate and inaccessible. How that started and ended is still unbeknownst. Qayroph's temperament is one of the most unstable out of all the Dragon Nobles, but his powers allow him to vent his madness by forcefully tearing the seasons apart and inducing his own. Screaming and sinking his teeth into anything that moves, Qayroph's capabilities are a far cry from the elites, despite his rocky mentality. His tail is also an immunity scepter that adjusts his body's temperature, with regards to his temperament. This protects his body from the effects his own power, as well as, boosts his offensive elemental abilities.

"Let him be," I, the White Dragon Noble of Dry Ice, hiss, "He won't be standing for long, anyway." Sure enough, Thrandos already has both his hind legs bent at an awkward angle on the ground; the rest of his limbs struggle and quiver to keep his form straight in our presence, the red flag on his head is indignant but limp. The rest of the Dragon Elites have the whole of themselves parallel against the ground, as if it is cemented to them and they are part of the palace's decorations. Some must have been like Thrandos, albeit they didn't have the immense strength needed to maintain a posture. I cannot blame them, of course, against the amalgamation of my negative 200 degree celcius, W.S. Gavrik's gravity 70 times of the earth's and Qayroph's emission of unadaptable, extreme climates, even the Dragon Elites can so much as live, in our presence.

But there is no difference, my light is so overpowering that only dragons of the noble class can behave obliviously to it. Dragon generals and below cannot see more than white light, although they will not be blinded by it. We must be enigmatic shadows to these fools.

Her Graciousness Shakura, as usual, sits gracefully on her throne, which is fully immersed in rare gems and crystals. Authority and the scent of imminent death exude from her so outwardly, even I feel a shiver of fear. Her whole private chamber glistens and reflects the sheer power of all present there, on all present there. It is enough to blow Etrirea to bits, a small region compared to where we have come from.

"Enough!" Shakura commands in a growl, and the whole room stops and waits.

"I, Shakura, the reigning Silver Dragon, now evoke The Three Royal Dragon Nobles from their shackles of confinement!"

[CoolNard]

Qayroph, with his theme.


Xephrish, with her theme.

I think it kinda bears a resemblance to Kanji's image portrayal of Xephon.

W.S. Gavrik, with his theme.



Disclaimer: I didn't make these pictures in any way.

[CoolNard]

"Excuse me," Tatsu suddenly cuts in, before standing up to retrieve his cloak from the coat rack and leave the house. Silence ensues from Tatsu's abrupt departure, until Suzette nudges me.

"Pssst! Go check on him, Nozomi and I are more than enough to handle things here!" she whispers and slides toward Aisha's side, who is snivelling and snuffling her tears in sniffs. Nozomi shoots me a haughty look that clearly reeks of her exasperation with "guys", then bounds off to Aisha's other side. Resigning the situation to the girls, I, too, make a beeline for the mahogany entrance.

Upon pushing the door open, a wave of sunlight greets me and renews my vision. Greenery; thick, antiquated backwoods. Deciduous willows and sprouting mosses line the outskirts of the forest; bushy thickets and dangling vines form cobwebs of entanglements and overlapping layers of brambles. The wilderness here seems almost dusty to the eyes. It is no wonder Aisha could live in undisturbed seclusion, with this impregnable boscage.

And there is Tatsu, his hands in his pockets, and his legs straight and locked to the ground of the porch. The wind picks up, having every forest feature respond to it, but Tatsu remains still, even though his clothes and hood get ruffled roughly by the now running wind. It is as though Tatsu is an unbelonging part of a portrait. He is gazing up at the sky, but I cannot quite make out his expression, with his face behind his headdress. Unknowingly rewarding my patience, he randomly takes an unguarded step; I decide to put his progress to the test.

I glide toward Tatsu, downward from the bellowing wind, which imbues immense effect in my cloaking skill. Unless he can detect an ant skittering across the spectator stand, in the middle of a gladiator match, Tatsu will never know what hit him. Then, as I near him, readying myself with the intent to strike...

"Swiftant," Tatsu announces, on my behalf, "old pal," he finishes and glances around at me, grinning, from ear to ear. I cannot resist a little curl on my own lips.

"Tatsu," I retaliate in acknowledgement. Upclose, I realize the Tatsu I had known is no more. His shoulder-length hair has grown to his burly chest and is combed neatly to its sides. His face is more bulky and squarish, matured. The eyepatch he once had over his right eye is replaced by a rather hardened but predominant scar. His chin is ruggard with short stubs of shaved facial hair. His garb is battered and tattered, with patches of make-shift fabric sewn messily all over. Tatsu's torn sleeves reveal two full-fledged human arms, ripped with potent tissues of brawn and force; his muscles have fully developed, dressed in absolute sturdiness and robustness. My curiosity concerning the whereabouts of his one artificial limb is reasonably piqued.

But what catches my attention most is his weapons: Despite being tucked away in his robes, I do not remember his accessories having such fiery personalities, before, I can almost feel the flames resonating from his clothes. Sora has a different kind of grayness to it, against my recollection. Perhaps, it is rust from the incessant battles Tatsu has undergone, but like the rest of Tatsu's arsenal, I sense an enveloping will from it. Is it..? No... That can't be. Were his powers always that fearsome?

"Well, Tatsu, business is important, but how would you feel about a little match with your old sparring partner? For old time's sake?" I challenge him, flatly, still feeling sore about my failed ambush, and simultaneously, thrilled at an impending rematch that now boasts very different fighters. My eyes blush red.

"Hah, although you've become more of a chatterbox than you used to be, you never were a person of words, Swiftant," Tatsu retorts.

**Wouldn't it be, like, really something if the outcome of this story were to become the origins of Bahamut?? XD~! So the last sentence here would be, "And Bahamut was born."**

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

**Tat would slay Bahamut. Down with the King of Dragons! XD**

"Well, Tatsu, business is important, but how would you feel about a little match with your old sparring partner? For old time's sake?" Swiftant challenges me, his eyes shine red.

"Hah, although you've become more of a chatterbox than you used to be, you never were a person of words, Swiftant," I retort.

I position myself, lowering my center of gravity straight down. Moving to the side, angling my pelvis, I bury my left foot into the soil, as I move my right to correspond with my left, Sora clinks in its holster. I decide to test his motives. If he wasn't my ally he would draw his arms upon me, and strike me.

The man I see now was much more confident and self contained then he used to be. His aura has changed, but his appearance had not. The sakkat still decorated his head, and his cloak, sleek and smooth, shown with a deep shade as dark as night, sat lazily upon his shoulders... Before the ambiance was fierce, and violent. It burned with the hottest flames and the strongest desires. That flame still burned just as strongly as ever, but it was tamed. Though it's power hadn't waned, instead it had reached a whole new plane of existence. I gathered from it, a surge of familiarity. This subtle, yet inexorable sensation of being one with the universe reminds me of myself now, and the kind of person I have become after meeting Yogensha.

I had felt all this just now, whilst peering at him like this. He stood there, his posture perfectly upright and confident. His stealthy deeply violet garb taut against his torso. His aura had now manifest itself before me. It was ablaze. The red flames flickered and mixed with the shades of purple that he had fancied to wear. I could feel his strength. I was almost certain that he had met Yogensha. How I had wondered.. Upon meeting the old sage, my abilities and awareness have increased threefold. I was curious to know if his was the same.

Memories of our first encounter in the forest of Thâk Sûl flash before my eyes. I raise my hands outstretched before me, and I wait, anxious to put Swift's speed to the test. I gesture my readiness, and he begins to proceed. As Swiftant moves towards me in real time, an image of his former self flashes side by side with his present one. Two beings of the same stature advance. In my mind we are battling each other, Sora clashes with his katars; Zeus and Raijin. Flashes of silver light up the heavens. The earth quakes under our ferocity. The young arrogant flame shoots about like a rocket.

Then I snap to reality. Swiftant dashes at me, his quick movement casts a purple flash across the earth, leaving an afterimage from his outfit. His eyes are red, and a grin makes up his appearance, his smile is contagious, I can't help but the same encroach on mine as well.

Just before his body is about to make contact with my own, I close my eyes and vanish with a green blur into the descending greenery behind me. His fist was merely a fraction away from my chest. I open my eyes, and had in that instant analyzed where his spirit was just a moment ago, as if I could see that purple trail that he had left behind, I was able to propel myself to that location...

To my surprise, I stepped down at Swift's starting point. His back was to me, and I was yards away.

I was using our match to test out a technique that I had been gathering in my dreams. Yogensha is a dream spirit, he lives between realities. I was also becoming this way. I just needed a battle to test my theories. It was excellent that I was able to take advantage of this challenge. It would have been unwise had I tried something like this on one of the Dragon soldiers... This new power defied time and space. I was able to slip in between the in between. My leg muscle contracted, and a small pain shot up into me.

Thankfully my ideas were correct, and I was ecstatic over the recent discovery. I couldn't help but smile. It consumed me.

Swiftant stops short, his boots dig into the ground as he attempts to cut his speed, he spins around, his eyes flashing about, locating me standing where he started off.

I can see the awe in his eyes, but his expression doesn't change in the least. This time I do him the honor and dash at him. As my feet barely graze the surface of the earth under my quickened pace, I reach down, and grab the hilt of Sora under my cloak, unsheathing the blade, a shine sparkles reflecting from my blade to his. Zeus is already in his hand, and he speeds off to my side, I turn hard, and our blades clink. Back flipping into the air, Swift lands on a thick tree branch without even glancing backwards. Its as if his feet are magnetized to the bark below.

I push off from the earth with my right leg, and launch myself at him. Before I can even get to him, he gathered up Raijin from its place on his waist and he comes down at me. We clash head on in the air. I look him straight in the eyes. His visage is calm but electric. I see no hate or ill will in him. I wanted to make sure that my predictions were correct. My tests had bore fruit. I didn't want to leave it up to my instincts, I had wanted solid evidence.

Fulfilled, I push off, and land back on the ground. I twirl Sora in my fingertips and sheath the blade. Swiftant lands into a kneeling stance some feet away. He gets up and turns towards me. His katars are still firmly in his grasp. He looked at me and noticed Sora was missing from the field. I was satisfied with the match. It was more a test of speed, than anything. I was also able to analyze his intentions. My adrenaline was pumping, my blood was flowing. This burst of movement had excited me immensely. I was curious to see if Swift wanted a round 2... His cloak blew northward, his sakkat motionless.

"Well Swift." I shout out into the wind. "How was that?" A smile curls up into my right cheek.

[SweetSuicide]

** Sorry for taking so long to respond... been very ill lately... haven't really had any strength to do much... well... here I try..**

"Pssst! Go check on him, Nozomi and I are more than enough to handle things here!" I whispered to Swift as I slide toward Aisha's side, who is sniveling and snuffling her tears in sniffs. Swift walks out the door and Nozomi and I turn to my mother.

"Mom, things are going to be okay now. I promise. We're all here and we're not planning on leaving until you make us leave." I took Aisha's hand. The hand that I had left many years ago had aged. It was no longer young, warm and soft to the touch. But it was now older, colder, and tougher in my hands. I tried not to think of all the things these hands had done in the years I was gone but I couldn't help it. I started to cry a bit but fought them back for my mother's sake.

Nozomi held Aisha's other hand. I don't know this girl holding my mother’s hand, but she seemed to care more about my mom than I did. And it seemed like my mother felt the same way… I let these thoughts dance around in my head as we sat there. Aisha was calming down and as she sat there I heard the sound of swords clashing. I looked over at Nozomi and smiled. “Boys will be boys I guess?” She chuckled. She was very pretty. I got up and stood by the window. Swift’s cloak was blowing in the wind. He looked so handsome standing there. I couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t realize Nozomi had gotten up and was standing next to me.

“You really love him, don’t you?” Her voice caught me off guard. It caused me to smile more.
“Yeah. I think I really do.” I turned at looked at her. She was looking at Tatsu with the same look in her eyes. I dare not ask her because I didn’t want to get close to anyone besides Swift. I knew this life wasn’t always meant for happy endings. So I turned my attention back to Swift and Tatsu.

[CoolNard]

Originally Posted by Kanji_The_Wanderer

**Tat would slay Bahamut. Down with the King of Dragons! XD**[/b]

New character: Bahamut
Appearance... LOL

Jokes aside, nerve-wrecking and graphic choreography, Kanji! I could just imagine the jumps and lash-outs here and there. I have virtually nothing to add, so I'm gonna resort to the paraphrase/put-the-fight-in-my-shoes technique.


Tatsu crouches down on his haunches and plants his feet into the soil, then shuffles sideways. He has concentrated all his potential force into his feet, sealing any opening he may have had. Eyeing me with an intensity so paralysing, as if subliminally snuffing out worldly priorities, Tatsu physically answers my challenge - "you asked for one, and you're getting no less."

I nonchalantly tilt my head to one side - the side to which Tatsu has sidestepped to avert a head-on attack. I have not moved an inch the rest of my body, I will myself not to succumb to the prospective of rushing in blindly and being entranced by the fresh devastation of our powers. His strength is incomparable to when I last fought him, to when we burnt down Thâk Sûl's naturally overgrown vegetation. If I place a numerical ratio on it, I say his overall prowess has multiplied by, at least, 3- no, 4 times more, almost immeasurable by my memory of our previous encounter. The only reason I am able to stay unfazed and rational is because my own abilities have not paled in reflection to his. But I can't very well go all out; this is my first mock duel, and I have Suzette and the others to mind. I will need something more vivacious, than before, to give a revamped Tatsu a run for his money and not harm anyone, as well. I won't be able to avoid using one out of my seven aspects.

"Fiery, come forth," I command, in my heart. A spontaneous tsunami of unidentified rage courses over me and spreads though my veins. I feel ablaze, physically and mentally, for no causal reason. My body coercing my thoughts, I channel the surging, eruptive anger toward Tatsu. It looks like this will be my temporary basis for the strength I need.

Tatsu stretches out his hands before himself and, with his fingers moving back and forth in unison - first indicating at me then to himself, signals at me to wage the first move. Very well, I'm bringing it on, Tatsu!

"Lightfoot." Without further sizing one another up, I suddenly dart at him, my adornments flowing proudly behind; my skull-shaped earring sways nostalgically. Unexpectedly, my advancement seems to have unnerved Tatsu and he lets loose his openings, caught completely unaware. Is a showy facade all he has? Sorry, old buddy, but you accepted my challenge and if I don't keep to it, I'm not Swiftant. I dissimilate Fiery from myself to avoid afflicting a fatal blow, and instead, have it on standby, in a shadow image, lest Tatsu pulls a fast one on me. If he is, the unaccountable embodiment of my innermost aspects ought to snap him to his senses.

I smile, at an unforeseen but imminent victory. In that contrasting instant, Tatsu's dazed eyes focus and regard mine. I grin more, at an unforeseen and unpredictable myriad of life-staking exchanges and versatility. His expression tells me the feeling is mutual. I assimilate with Fiery, again, pull my fist back and launch a merciless swing at his heart...

... And miss. I am in appalled disbelief. What happened is a complete illogical upset. Just a hair's breath away from his chest, a distance from which I could already touch him, and he just disappeared. Gone, zip, nil, zero existence. It is like he disfigured time and space, and slipped through to another dimension, altogether. He certainly didn't possess this high level of a mechanism, elven or not. My fist swings downwards and hits nothing but air, the wasted force tipping my balance.

My sensory perception, ameliorated by Fiery's nature, warns me of the danger yet to transpire. Again, matter before mind, my feet veer forward, displacing me by hundreds of metres. Then, realizing a suspicious formation of a rapid, sharp fissure in the air pressure surrounding Tatsu's disppearance, I infuse mental control into my body and increase my velocity even further.

What cannot be more than a second later, I feel Tatsu's presence materializing at the exact spot I've just ejected myself from. I whirl back, without bothering to brake, the sides and rears of my boots scrapping sparks and smoke in the soil. As I drift along the ground using my dagger-boot, in an attempt to make an acute turnabout, my eyes eagerly devour the landscape in anticipation; and I see it - the astonishment on Tatsu's face as plain as day, presumably about my lightspeed getaway. Without Fiery's enhancements, I might have already been knocked out at the start.

But with or without any supplements, I don't have time to sink back and relax. Tatsu is strong, very strong, and he's been communicating that point very intensely to me, throughout our entire duet of duel. Crimson on the brink of my eyes and Fiery dispatched within myself, I register a twitch on Tatsu's face for an instant, so fleeting I can't tell if I imagined it or not. Is it, perhaps, the cost of his new powers? Either way, I don't feel any less confident than I did when I ambushed him, but I am definitely returning the blows this time, maybe, in a sort of repayment for the debt I'd ignorantly incurred in Thâk Sûl'.

The wind is throwing a fickle tantrum. Tatsu closes his eyes. Without opening them, he charges at me. Despite his hefty physique, few of his steps cover yards. Lightfoot?! Tatsu elaborately unsheathes Sora, his eyes opening in uncanny synchronization. My reflexes, aided by Fiery, aren't sufficient for an unscathed dodge, however, I still have enough to timely alter the course of collision and whip out Zeus, to deflect his whole attack. I make off for Tatsu's side, and at the moment we become in range of each other, his eyes and blade open fully. We clash.

The force practically expels us from one another. Déjà vu, from our first brawl. Somersaulting backwards, Fiery guides my feet to a tree branch. A higher-than-ground-level vantage point - a strategic advantage in battle. As I stay perched on the tree, calculating my next plan of action, Tatsu leaps at me unrelentingly. No choice, then; I produce Raijin, as well, from my holster and slam-dunk myself into his trajectory.

Prior to the impact this time, we refuse to budge, instead, we read each other, pervading into the other's irides. Tatsu obviously has used little or none of all his elven magic, but he isn't mocking me, either. He wants to test me and test himself. In honesty, I get the feeling that Tatsu has done everything he can to achieve that. Most of all, his strikes bear no menacing motives. I'm just thrilled to be part of it and inject my element of lightning into my katars to convey that. We smile knowingly, we laugh, and then we release ourselves.

In midair, I recede a tactful distance from Tatsu and execute a quick touchdown onto the ground, dropping one knee down on it to get a breather. Fiery's warnings have subsided, but I don't want to take it for granted. I draw myself to maximum height and face Tatsu, my katars still lusting for action, cackling with electricity. Or maybe, it's me. Sora is firmly secured in its sheath. His hood is lopsided, although he has a look of contentment across his face; it is a healthy red with fast-running blood circulation, from the fight and mental capacity involved in it. I imagine the same shows on my own face.

"Well Swift." Tatsu shouts out into the wind. "How was that?" A smile curls up into his right cheek.

"Not bad for child's play," I holler back, "considering you couldn't put a hole in my sakkat, and I couldn't lay a hand on that big hood of yours."

"Business, then?" he asks, as if expecting a declaration of Round 2.

"Business, now," I reassure him. And we head back into Aisha's house.

[CoolNard]

Tatsu and I enter the house to find Suzette and Nozomi sitting on the window sill. By the manner we are being greeted, our little test-drive must have been under their surveillance. They wave gleefully.

"Um... where's Aisha?" Tatsu finally asks, his eyes straining at the floor, apparently having difficulty concealing his guilt.

"I'll get her-" Nozomi starts but is hurriedly cut off by Suzette, who has placed her hand in front of Nozomi.

"She's fallen asleep on the couch," Suzette casually answers and shifts her attention to me, smiling zealously for some reason...

"That's alright, she doesn't have to be involved in this anymore than she is," I chip in at Suzette's cue, "Grab chairs, all of you, I have some important issues to address."

Minutes later, everyone is seated by the window, each sipping a mug of piping hot tea.

"Well, the first order of business is..." I rig my thoughts and voice with assertiveness, and solemnly scan their faces, "the whereabouts of Ichirin and Myzura."


**I have a lot of ideas but this is one that will naturally be addressed first, and I'm sure Kanji will want to address it himself, in and out of RP. We have to get it in line that Ichirin and Mu might not be returning but still leave that possibility opened.**