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Chapter seven: The power of one percent!

The courtyard had been transformed from a simple quiet field into a veritable riot of sight and sound where all manner of guilds had arrived to attract eager and worthy apprentices. And all of them were looking for the best and brightest Veil had to offer.

The artificers guild had miniature golems running around its booth. The illusionists had miniature fish of a thousand different shapes and colors swimming through the sky. And the patissiers had all manner of wonderful dishes and delicious aromas to tantalize the taste buds.

It was a competition to outdo each other and some won more notice because of it.

Whether anyone wanted to join or simply observe was another matter entirely. Either way it was a feast for the eyes and a treat for the senses.

Shiro was taking the time to relax and enjoy himself, all the while nibbling on candied fish and wandering idly between the booths.

Oddly enough it wasn't as popular as he thought it would be. Koji had immediately declined when offered some and Nelo had politely refused to even touch it.

Shiro just shrugged. More for me. He thought as he bit off another piece. The rich flavors of cod and sole played a delicate counterpoint to the soft chewy texture.

Shiro stopped short, his candy all but forgotten as he wandered past a familiar face.

"Musashi!" He said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, it's a job fair isn't it? I'm in the market for an apprentice. Since I only work at the docks part time. I thought this would be a good place to advertise my side business."

The sign above Musashi's booth said: Machinist for hire. From airships to zenobytes. We can fix anything.

It left Shiro wondering what exactly a zenobyte was. "Any luck?"

"Not yet. Almost anyone whose shown interest has been snatched up by the artificer's guild. Kids these days are more interested in building golems than repairing them."

"Oh. That's too bad." Shiro was tempted. But the thought of coming home covered in machine oil and engine grease was enough to make his fur crawl.

Musashi seemed to sense his reluctance. "Well, you'd better not hang around too long or the best jobs will be taken."

"Eh!" Shiro's ears tilted forwards in surprise. "Later Musashi. Say hi to Forty-Nine for me."

* * *

After wandering around for over an hour Shiro had come to think that picking any one job was simply a waste of effort. Finding a job wasn't even a problem, it was finding an interesting job that had him vexed.

Ugh. He thought to himself. Why is picking out a career so hard? Don't wait! Decide your future today! It's only the rest of your life that it impacts . . . "The Mobile Defense Force." The name alone was enough to grab his attention. "What's that?"

The man inside the booth had rough cut on his face. "We're a series of autonomous task forces serving as an independent branch of Avalon's standing militia."

"You mean you're just like the Academy's defense force." Shiro felt his tails twitch in agitation.

"Hardly." The man seemed offended by the thought. "We defend all of Avalon Island; while also taking on major outside contracts. The MDF maintains diplomatic ties with most of the major nations beyond Arcadia's borders. Most of our members often spend their time traveling all over the world."

"Even Seirei?" Shiro's heart soared at the prospect of seeing home again. Even if only for a short while.

"It's possible." He started tracing his scar. "We've accepted contacts from them before. Here's a pamphlet if you're interested."

Shiro took it gratefully. "Thanks."

* * *

Shiro lay with his head in Nelo's lap. They were far enough away from the hectic rush that the job fair had become to safely watch all those who hadn't made up their minds suddenly struggle to find anything that was left. And those that weren't panicking.

Flipping idly through the pages of the pamphlet he thought. Well, they probably have parental backing anyway.

Holding up the pamphlet he read out loud. "Members of the Mobile Defense Force are divided into separate companies who work on a contractual basis. Azure Sky, Grand Ocean and White Wind are some of our more prominent members." Shiro reached up to grasp the sun with his hand. I can only go so far on my own without someone to teach me. "What do you think?" He said to Koji. "Should we join up?"

"Are you kidding me?" Said Koji. "Do you know how many chicks fall for guys in the MDF? Why wouldn't I want to join up?"

Shiro sighed, sometimes it seemed as if Koji had a one track mind with a train going nowhere.

"Only one problem." He pointed out a line of fine print. Masters and Adepts only.

"Oh." Well that isn't a problem for me . . . "But what about journeyman who want to join."

Koji shrugged. "I've heard rumors that they've made exceptions in the past. But you have to be sponsored by a teacher or an adept for them to do something like that."

"I could sponsor you."

"Don't even joke about something like that Shiro. It isn't funny."

"No seriously." Shiro flashed his badge. "Look."

"That's . . ."

"Renia said I had adept potential so she bumped me up in rank." It tripled my homework requirements too. Nelo had been a more than welcome aid and companion in that regard. She had an astounding level of insight into some of the more esoteric arts he was coming across. Add to that my own martial arts practice and there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything.

Koji had already gotten to his feet. "Then what are you just sitting there for. Come on."

* * *

Shiro and Koji stood at the far end of the courtyard; where space had been set aside for the MDF to hold its tryouts. They had both been required to sign waivers attesting to their mental and physical health before even being allowed to participate.

Shiro had felt more than a little apprehension when placing his signature next to the warning writ in bold red lettering. Especially since it absolved the academy of responsibility caused by, as the waiver had stated: 'grievous bodily injuries sustained while undertaking preliminary examinations'.

Koji had signed his without a moments hesitation. "Life has sharp edges." He had said. "Your going to get cut. So why waste time worrying about it?"

Shiro had just shook his head. It was hard to refute logic like that.

The ooh's and aww's of the crowd brought him back to the present.

A gryphon and its rider had just passed through a cloud and were making a spectacular entrance.

A master of the heavens, ruler of the skies that surrounded it, it shot like a falcon from the sun, wings gripped tightly to its body it dropped into a breathtaking dive.

Moments before impact it slammed its wings open, catching the wind and gliding a hands span above the earth its feet touching lightly upon the ground.

Not a feather was out of place as the rider dismounted to a surge of applause.

It was enough to make a weak mans heart burst in his chest. To a crowd of teenagers and young adults, it had achieved the desired effect. They were now one step away from hero worship, with enough daredevilry thrown in to impress even the most stoic of onlookers.

The man who had been riding, for they could see it was a man now. Stood with a regal pose. His long silver hair had been braided into a tail that fell past his waist and every possible inch of him was covered in black leather armor trimmed with silver that complemented his fairness of form.

Shiro caught his scent on the wind. Even for him it was impossible to identify, it was neither human or elven, and their was always the possibility that he was something else, but he wasn't surrounded by any magic to speak of. Even his eyes were hidden from the world, covered as they were by a strip of black fabric tied around his face. He was truly a mysterious man.

"Thank you all for coming." His soft voice made more than a few female onlookers swoon. "The Azure Sky will be holding its tryouts today. If you would all follow me." He set off at a brisk pace, the gryphon following at his side.

Most of the crowd split off into groups as other proctors made similar appearances and announced the names of their companies.

Of a crowd of hundreds only five dared to follow the handsome stranger and his strange companion.

"I've heard about him." Said Koji. "Zeyd Argus. They call him the Gryphon Knight and."

"Uh, Koji?" Shiro tugged on his tail, a surefire way to get his attention. "I don't think that he's the one you should be looking at."

"What do you mean . . . whoa."

A statuesque gryphoness in hauberk and light chain mail stood before them. Her muscles were like whipcords, long and lean. And she held her arms across her ample chest, her wings flared to block the sun. She had all the bearing of a military commander, or an amazon warrior. "Have I given either of you two permission to speak?" Shiro hadn't even sensed the transformation taking place. Nor even felt a subtle stirring in the energies around her. She had been a gryphon. Now, now she's like Renia. Something else, something more. Nelo, Renia, and now her. They're all the same. Within moments Shiro had filed away the tidbit of information in the back of his mind.

Opening his mouth to speak he suddenly thought about what she had really said and then closed it. Stupid trick question.

Her beak cracked sideways in a wry approximation of a smile. He felt her approval like a warm breeze. Shiro doubted many had ever given her reason to be impressed.

"You're all here because you want to join the Azure Sky." She addressed them with a commanding voice. "And why shouldn't you? We're the best of the best. Neither I nor Zeyd tolerate anything less. However! Some ground rules must be set before we continue." Not one of them spoke. "The Azure Sky does not under any circumstances take sides in a conflict between nations. Even though we are part of the Arcadian empire, Avalon Island is still considered to be sovereign territory and is thus subject to its own governing body. Foolish as the council may be they are all we have. So we must act as their sword and shield whenever the need may be.

"We operate strictly from Avalon Island and our members are considered independent from Arcadia's military. Though from time to time some members do leave to join Arcadia's standing army." She marched back and forth, measuring them, weighing them in her mind. "You sorry crop of slackers are the best Veil has to offer? Pathetic. Rid yourself of thoughts of glory. You'll find none here. We are servants of the truth, protectors of the powerless. We act in defense of those who cannot defend themselves. That is our code and our measure. We are mercenaries, but we have our pride, our honor.

"Should any of you wish to leave do so now, and forever brand yourself a coward." No one dared move lest her raptor gaze fall upon them. "Very well, by the time this test is over I will have cut your numbers by half."

"But there are five of us." Said Shiro, forgetting for a moment he hadn't been given permission to speak.

"Then when we're done. Whoever is left over is going to need help finding their legs."

* * *

Five swords of differing lengths had been laid out on the grass. Along with whatever padding and armor Kiara had felt that they might need.

Most of it was in poor repair or completely unusable. For the most part it would only serve only to hinder rather than help.

Shiro passed the armor over in disgust. Making no secret of his observations he was completely ignored by his human counterparts.

Picking up a sword he hefted it experimentally. He had held swords before and this one felt wrong. The length, the weight, the balance. Even without formal training he knew he would be useless with it. In his hands it would be nothing more than a dull hunk of lifeless metal.

A far cry from the swordsmen he had seen practicing back home he tried a few of the maneuvers that he could remember. It was a pitiful and awkward display that earned him more than a few looks of disdain.

Once everyone had picked up a weapon Kiara began to explain the rules of the test. "This will be a fight to the finish. It doesn't end until either I win or you lose. Whichever comes first.

"Should any of you sustain life threatening injuries during the course of this test." She pointed to where Zeyd had moved off to the side and was currently affixing posts to the ground. "You will be instantaneously teleported to the penalty box. Do not be afraid. Your wounds will not be truly fatal." Half a dozen eyes turned to her in astonishment. "Grant me some small measure of skill at least. But you will feel them as if they were real. You will of course be granted time to recover. Should one of your allies last long enough you will thus be able to rejoin the fight. Treat this as if it were a real battlefield and maybe, just maybe, you'll survive." She hefted her own sword. Twice the width of a normal broadsword and more than half the length of her own body she held it with one hand.

Shiro could already tell that it would serve her as both sword and shield in one.

"The test, despite its rules, is a relatively simple one. Come at me as if you intend to kill me."

A redheaded youth swung his sword through a blistering display of swordsmanship. A cocksure smile graced his face. "The five of us? Against you? You don't stand a chance. I've been trained by the finest fencing instructors in all of Arcadia."

Shiro sighed. There was always an idiot. Couldn't he see that by forbidding them to speak they hadn't even been allowed to ask each other's names? They would be hard pressed to act as a team if they barely knew one another.

He shook his head. No. This fight is one on one. She doesn't have to engage us all at once. Just keep us off balance so we can't overwhelm her. "Koji. Drop your sword. It's a trick."

Koji snapped his sword in half and discarded the pieces.

Shiro just blinked. It was probably meant to shatter during the fight. She wanted to see how we would react to losing our only weapons.

"I can't fight with a sword anyway." He said. "So what's the plan."

"She's going to use her superior reach to keep us at a distance. The swords she gave us are too different to swing safely without us hitting one another."

"But she can still hit us." Koji thought for a moment. "You want me to open up a hole right?"

"Right!" Shiro smiled. Koji knows without me even having to explain it. This is going to work!

* * *

Kiara stood ready, waiting only for Zeyd to give her the signal that all was ready. She would have called the whole thing off this very moment if this years applicants had been anymore green. Even as a favor to Renia this was pushing things.

Only one of them had even bothered to actually inspect the equipment. And He had made no secret of his search. Even going so far as to tell the others.

They had ignored simply him because he wasn't human. And that attitude alone had predisposed them to failure. The Azure Sky was for the most part composed of people who weren't even human to begin with. And then the werewolf had snapped his sword in half. She gripped her own sword in anticipation. It looks like those two are already planning something. And that stance. . . this might actually get interesting.

* * *

Kiara attacked without warning. Her sword carving a furious arc through the air. Scattering them all in different directions. Already any chance of coordination had been lost.

There were cries of. "Poor sportsmanship." And. "No fair!"

She silenced them with a glare. "Do you think your enemy is just going to announce themselves to you? This isn't a duel. Defend yourselves or die."

Kiara brought her sword around to block a blow that caused her arm to shake.

The werewolf was grinning from ear to ear. "Wise words teach. Maybe you should listen to 'em."

Shiro was a blur of motion as he appeared from out of Koji's shadow. Kiara's eyes moved to track him right into the light of the sun. Momentarily blinded she could feel a rain of featherlight touches against her body. More, she could feel his surprise. Their speed, coordination, strength. These two have walked the line between life and death before. "Just like a wolf pack." Her sword stopped shaking. "Working together to bring down stronger prey."

Shiro moved just beyond her reach as her arm shot out. "Koji run!"

The werewolf broke off his attack as he too narrowly avoided tasting steel.

Kiara felt like she might actually break a sweat as she schooled them in the ways of the sword. Still. Manipulating your opponent's energy is the essence of the Shin Kami Ryu style. I wonder what he'll try next.

* * *

"It didn't work." Shiro grabbed a handful of grass. He had been so sure . . . At the moment of impact she flooded her body with energy. It countered my technique. "Dammit. I shouldn't have underestimated her.

"That was good for a warm-up." Koji stretched his arms. "But I guess we're going o have to do this the old fashioned way."

Shiro couldn't help himself. Koji's confidence was infectious. "With our fists?"

"Oh yeah."

Even if you flood your body with energy. There's a counter to that as well.

* * *

Kiara stood with one hand on her sword. What are those two plotting now? She could see it written in every line of their bodies. Of the original five only those two had shown any real potential. The werewolf's technique. Its unrefined. Like its been beaten into him. The potential is there. But its being smothered by anger. He's too headstrong to take orders well. And the other. He's holding too much back. It lessens his real strength.

Shiro and Koji were the only ones left now. Kiara switched to a two handed stance.

Still, for amateurs to have come this far on their own . . .

"Hmm?" Zeyd spoke in Kiara's mind. "Have you seen something you like? It's been a long time since I've seen you so interested. You almost never use your second hand anymore."

Eavesdropping on someone else's thoughts is a bad habit.

"Then I guess I'll make it up to you later." Kiara shivered as Zeyd used the intimacy of mind speech to caress her. Even though he was nowhere near her his touch was as real as if he walked up and placed his hand upon her heart.

She leaned back into that touch. And felt Zeyd's quiet strength surround her.

Those two are more than just talk. They're already fighting as a team. And . . . it surprises me to even admit it. But they're actually getting stronger as they fight.

"What a shame you're planning to end it then. I thought you would at least toy with them for a little longer."

I think the foreplay has gone on long enough don't you? She reached out to touch his face. For a moment, it was almost as if she could. Its time for the final act.

Zeyd's mental chuckle filled her mind. "Only you would equate fighting with making love. Still, in love and in life, both are an intimate and essential dance." Zeyd's link began to fade as he broke contact. "Make sure you teach them how its done properly."

* * *

It had only been a few minutes since Kiara had grasped her sword with her other hand but it felt like it had been forever. Her's was an absolute defense, a perfect guard that switched from offensive to defensive within heartbeats. They could find no gaps. Even approaching her was a dangerous gamble.

Shiro cried out. "Koji!" As a length of steel erupted from his chest.

"Wanting to save a fallen comrade. Honorable. But foolish." She dispatched Koji with a twist of her wrist. "Never take your eyes off your opponent." Kiara's voice was as cold as ice. "Closing your eyes is a good way to get yourself killed in battle."

Close my . . . eyes? Navi was the one who had said it. In order to open a gate you need sufficient magical energy and a clear idea of where your traveling to. That's it. That's how they do it.

He closed his eyes.

And started running straight at her.

Within his mind. Two opposing disciplines collided. And a new style was born.

* * *

Kiara clicked her beak in admiration as Shiro disappeared from sight. He blinked. Which means he's going to reappear. Her arm shot out like a spear. Here! Kiara's taloned claws closed around the collar of Shiro's uniform. "Nice trick. It almost worked."

Shiro held up his hands in apology. "Sorry, but I'm just the illusion." The copy vanished from her grip.

The real Shiro pressed two fingers to her back.

She felt a cold chill seize her heart. He's . . . behind me!

She was spinning on her heel, the momentum of her sword carrying her through a cut that would cleave Shiro in half.

Too late she saw it. Shin Kami Ryu's twin dragon technique.

The dance of the starry sky.

For the space of a single heartbeat, it looked as if there were six Shiros, all of them moving to a hidden rhythm, their motions as intricate as two dragons intertwined, drifting through a star filled sky. And then they vanished.

Shiro launched multiple offensives attacking from every angle, every direction. He was slowly taking the offensive, pushing Kiara to the limits of her defense.

Though both of them were moving in an intricate dance, a web of motions built of counters upon counters, each of them sought the gap, the thread which when pulled, would unravel the other's guard. Shiro could feel a desperate struggle to overcome doubt growing in Kiara's mind. His attacks were actually getting faster and if even one of them got through.

* * *

Kiara's sword passed through Shiro with a consummate ease. Had it just been an afterimage? No. She swung her sword in an arc. Weaving it through the air she created a wall of flashing steel. Normally this technique requires pushing the body to its limits. Using rapid flowing movements to create the illusion of being attacked by two opponents. Instead of relying on just speed. He's combined the original, not just with rapid bursts of teleportation, but with illusions as well. She felt a thrill of fear twist in her gut. What horrifying potential. For one so young to join heaven and earth and awaken the Tenkoha. It took Zeyd five years just to master the art.

Kiara found herself hard pressed to keep up her guard. It was a waiting game now. Both of them were pushing each other to the limits of their endurance. She felt her arms growing heavy, her sword slowing just a little. Had the tip dragged across the ground just now?

She blocked a series of rapid strikes. It was taking everything she had just to keep up with Shiro's speed.

He's become a completely different person from the one he was just a moment ago. She grit her beak and increased her concentration. But as long as he keeps aiming for the meridians he won't be able to keep up this pace forever.

* * *

"What's that kid trying to prove anyway." Said the redhead from before. "Does he think he's better than us." The others all nodded silently.

Each of them were nursing phantom pains, the illusionary wounds Kiara had inflicted on them. It made Koji sick to be witness to such weakness. After all. The dead didn't complain.

"Shut up. Punks like you don't know the first thing about real pain. We're wounded. But Shiro still hasn't given up on us. If this were real, he would be our only chance for survival."

"But it isn't real. So why bother."

Koji growled low in his throat. "Because it's real enough." He turned away from them, preferring to conserve his strength, wounded he may be, but he wasn't dead yet. "Go Shiro! Kick her ass!"

* * *

Shiro fell to the ground, he was panting heavily. Koji is. . . cheering for me? I can't lose. I won't lose. He closed his eyes. And felt nothing.

* * *

It would seem that that technique is still too advanced for him to use properly. Kiara spoke. "You've reached your limit."

"No!" Shiro struggled to stand, but his body refused to obey him. In all his life He had never felt so weak.

Even now he was running out of time, any moment now she would strike. And then it would all be over.

Time.

Maybe there was still a chance after all.

"I won't give up just because things have suddenly gotten tough. I'll keep fighting."

"I'll make my own path."

Those words. For a moment Kiara caught sight of a man standing behind Shiro. The man who had spoken those very same words almost twenty years ago.

Renia . . . what game is this, why is it when I look at him I see . . . Tetsu. There was no longer any doubt in her mind. The way he fights, the way he acts. Even the way he moves is identical. He is the adopted son of monk Tetsu

Kiara swung her sword to dispel the ghosts of the past. On the field of battle there could only be this moment. To lose sight of it was to welcome death with open arms. "Even now you barely have the strength to stand. What made you think to try something so reckless."

Shiro's answer was a simple one. "I wanted to win."

"And that was worth throwing your life away? A victory bought at the price of your own life is meaningless! Your friends will never thank you for throwing your own life away."

Shiro shook his head. "You said. This fight doesn't end until I win or you lose." Her tail twitched as she heard her own words repeated to her. "Now I'm the only one left. The only one who can protect my fallen friends." He was actually doing it. "It wasn't throwing my life away!" He was getting to his feet. "Not even, not even if there was only a one percent chance at victory." His body was trembling, his legs struggled to support him, but still he was standing.

Shiro refused to let it end without a fight.

He shouted his defiance to the unseen forces that threatened to overwhelm him. "That's still a chance!"

Kiara glimpsed the falling sands of the hourglass. They had almost run out. The timer. He's been drawing out the fight. Even that little speech of his was a delaying tactic.

She looked at those sitting in the penalty box. They were a dejected sorry looking lot. This test was designed to be cruel, to shatter the illusions of those hopeful few, to make them realize that this wasn't a game. That their lives really were on the line.

Only one looked back at her with eyes alight with fire. Challenge was written on every line of his face. Where the other's have given up. He's still thinking of how to win. Even now he's planning something. Perhaps this one . . . no.

Kiara hefted her sword. Her mind was already made up.

* * *

The sun was hanging low in the sky. Already the fight had gone on far longer than he had ever expected it too. Sensing Nelo's discomfort Zeyd spoke to alleviate the silence. "It is a strange feeling is it not? To see the one you care for fighting and being unable to help them."

Nelo simply said. "Shiro is . . . pushing himself too hard."

Zeyd could feel the flow emotions at war within her. Secrecy battled with longing as a strange despair seemed to well up within her. And people think that I am a strange creature.

To Nelo he said. "Shiro is fighting. Not just for you and not just for himself, but to find the essential something that he lacks. Even though you wish to run to him, to offer that comfort which you can." Zeyd shook his head. "You must not. For ours is the harder battle. To wait. Never knowing if the ones we love will return to us. In the end, all we can do for them is believe. Believe in the strength that lies within their hearts. And know that they will do everything in their power to return to us."

"You know don't you?" He sensed a measure of calm rise from her, a stillness that replaced the despair. It was a terrible acceptance, a power born of unknowable consequence. "What Shiro is."

Two words only and fate cast its dice. Two terrible words and not even he knew where they would land. "I do."

"Then stop this!" There was fear there, but not for herself. "If he pushes himself too far."

"He could force open the hidden door and initiate his awakening?" Zeyd looked upon Shiro with sight unseeing. He was a stone to be cast into magic's depths, his presence would disturb the still and complacent waters. Possibilities surrounded him unlike any other. Where the future branched along but a few paths for others, Shiro stood at a confluence of potentials. Already his fate had begun intertwining with hers. Even he does not know what he is, but she does. "The secret you're keeping from him." Zeyd felt her heart begin to race. A twist in the weave, a subtle guiding of destiny's divine hand. It was all he could do to warn her. "Don't let it destroy you."

* * *

Shiro held out his hand. Everything. I'll put everything I have into one final strike. A light appeared there. I will create a path to the future. I won't let it end this way. He grasped that light. Even if I can't protect myself. I can at least protect those who are within sight. He shaped that resolve, forming it into a weapon.

His will transformed into power.

A shining sword blazed in his hands. He knew its name, knew it had always been a part of him, it had merely been waiting for him to call it forth. Thank you. He whispered its name. "Road to the Dawn."

Witnessing Shiro's resolve Kiara lifted her own sword in response.

Her blood was singing in her ears. This was life, were everything balanced upon a single, pivotal moment. She would meet his challenge head on. Everything would be decided with one final blow.

Koji looked on in awe. Nelo stared with unblinking eyes. Zeyd saw better than any of them.

Both Shiro and Kiara stood upon the edge between life and death. A line that they themselves had drawn between them. They were both infinitely far apart and close enough to touch.

The gulf between their worlds closed. Both were waiting, for some unseen hidden signal.

It happened faster than the eye could follow.

Their swords clashed as the wind stopped. For a single moment everything in the world seemed to stand still.

Not even a single blade of grass had been disturbed by their passing.

Shiro fell to the ground. His sword was nowhere in sight.

Try as he might he couldn't move. He had gambled everything, holding nothing back, committing even his reserves to the task.

It hurt to admit it. "I've lost."

Kiara stood over him. Her shadow was a comforting thing. It shielded him from the light that revealed his failure. "You put up a valiant effort. You even managed to step beyond yourself. Forcing yourself to the limits of your own power. But know this." She lifted her sword into the air. "The will to win alone cannot change the course of a battle. You need something else, something; infinitely precious. Those who do not even value their own lives, can never understand this."

Shiro closed his eyes as the sword came down.

When he opened them again Kiara was releasing the barrier that surrounded the penalty box. "You fought well." She could have been saying it to any of them. "I will inform those of you who passed of my decision tomorrow."

"Shiro?" Nelo lifted his hand and placed it against her face. "Are you going to be okay?" She was afraid for him. She had come so close to losing him and it hurt that she couldn't even admit it to him.

"Just, let me lie here for a bit. I don't think I could move even if I wanted to." A soft silver light enveloped him. He felt a renewed sense of vitality begin flowing through him. "Zeyd?" Asked Shiro.

"Try and hold still. I'm not much of a healer. And even when Kiara holds back, she still tends to push people a bit too far."

Shiro was incredulous. "You call that holding back?"

"Of course. Or do you really think she'd be going all out against a student?" Zeyd was shaking his head. "She didn't cast a single spell or tap into my powers at all."

"Your power?"

"That's what we familiars are for." He looked at Nelo as he said it. "We're a source of strength to be drawn upon when in need. Still, It's been a long time since I've seen anyone push her so far. Manifesting that sword of yours was a masterstroke."

"My sword." Shiro began looking around for Road to the Dawn. He had lost sight of it when Kiara had struck him with the flat of her blade. "Where?"

Zeyd placed a hand upon his heart. "In here."

He was right. Shiro could feel it. Like a comforting warmth he need only call it forth. It was forever a part of him.

"You do realize that your going to have learn to use that thing. Swinging your fists around is one thing. Swinging a sword like that one is another matter entirely."

Shiro felt himself groan in response. Learning to fight with a sword meant only one thing.

More homework.

"Cheer up Shiro." Said Koji. "That blink thing you did was awesome. And that sword. How you managed to create that thing." He was shaking his head. "Spell born weapons like that are . . . well, they're really rare."

"Yeah. I don't think I'll be able to do it that often though." He tried calling the sword forth and felt only a strange emptiness waiting to be filled in its place. "It really uses up a lot of energy."

"Still. You really showed her. That was on hell of a fight." He flicked his nose with a finger as the others, dejected and defeated slumped off in disgrace. "We should do something to celebrate. How about it?"

Shiro didn't know if he was up for a round of what Koji considered 'celebrating'. "Wouldn't it be a bit premature to celebrate without a reason?"

Koji's eyes were alight with mischief. "Ha! Reason's wait for no man. We're going to celebrate anyway." He hauled Shiro to his feet. "To the red light district!"

* * *

"I'm getting old." Kiara relaxed into the bath. Letting the hot water soothe her weary muscles. "There was a time when I could put youngsters like that in their place before the first sands began to fall."

"You're not old." Lifting a decanter of Arcadian ice wine, a chateaus de fuyu, Zeyd filled her waiting cup. "Like a fine wine." He let healing magic flow into her body as he massaged her tense shoulders. "You just get better with age."

She gave him a coy look. "Flatterer. Still. It would be nice to take on some students one last time. And those two certainly had potential."

Zeyd probed a tense spot. A stubborn knot of muscles that just refused to relax. You just had to make an entrance didn't you? You hardly need to prove anything to me . . . "I sense a 'but' coming."

"You know me too well." Kiara felt the tension flow out of her as Zeyd's mental admonishment did more for her tired body than all the steam in the world. "Neither of them has what it takes to survive on the battlefield."

"I think your just saying that because you're scared of the past."

Kiara refused to walk down that tired road once more. "I raised my children. I watched them die. I won't see those two boys throw their lives away the same way."

"Two young men."

She felt her feather's ruffle in response to the correction. "What?"

"I saw two young men put their lives in each other's hands. Just as you and I do. And just as you did with Renia before me."

"It isn't the same." But deep down in her heart she knew it was. "They should stay behind the wall. Where it's safe."

Zeyd spoke with the weight of ages behind his words. "Those two will never need to find danger. Danger will find them."

He was right and she knew. At least he has the good grace not to be smug about it.

Zeyd was eavesdropping again. And here I thought you liked me when I was smug. He shifted from just simple massage to something more.

"So what should I." She looked at her lover, her partner, her bondmate. "We do?"

"You said yourself they had potential. Bring it out in them. Teach them how to survive."

She stepped from the bath. "Do you really think they have what it takes?"

"Heart of my heart. Anyone who can catch the eye of a wild gryphon." He began to towel her off. "Must have something going for them."

She grabbed the towel from him. Punctuating each word with a whip from the tip. "Rogue, knave, fool."

"A fool?" He danced just beyond the edge of her reach. "If I am it is only because love has made me so." He reached for the decanter.

"Forget the wine." Her touch was promising, her caresses tender with wanting. "I have something else in mind."

"You would keep Renia waiting?" He said.

She nipped him possessively. "Let her wait."

* * *

"So Shiro manifested a sorcerous weapon as well as showing the potential to use the Tenkoha." Renia sipped at the wine Kiara had brought. "He will go far."

"Provided he survives the coming trials." Said Kiara. While she had her own questions that needed answering, making Renia wait for her report had seemed a more than fitting punishment. Her wine glass hummed as she traced the edge with a taloned finger. Zeyd had made the wait more than merely enjoyable. She caught herself before her thoughts began to leak out. The humming stopped. "Renia. Why did you not tell me he was Tetsu's son?"

Renia had the good grace to look embarrassed. "Would it have made a difference?"

"No." Kiara half-laughed. "But damn that boy takes after his father. He simply does not give up. And those eyes. I half expect Tetsu to walk around the corner any moment now and leer at my chest."

Renia giggled. It was a thought worthy of a more than merely promiscuous monk. "Tetsu asked only that I take care of Shiro while he remains at Veil Academy. And I can say nothing more. We dragon's are tight lipped creatures you know. And no amount of ice wine will make me spill that secret."

Kiara knew it wasn't that at all. "Hmph, you dragons and your so-called 'promise'. Its a wonder Tetsu didn't take unfair advantage of you. That one always was a lecher."

Renia lifted her glass to the moonlight and proposed a toast. "To old friends."

Kiara followed suit. The crystal clear liquid in their glasses shined like ethereal fire. "To better days."

Somewhere in a bar not too far away two friends made a similar toast.

"May we see many more of both!"

* * *

We ate and we drank, we ate and we drank. Now my head feels fit to burst. Never again will I try to drink a werewolf under the table.