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Chapter nine: Our first mission is? Training hell!

Dawn's early light pierced the forest canopy. Every day for over a month Shiro and Koji had arrived to practice survival exercises. Today they were supposedly taking it to the next level.

Kiara stood beneath the dappled sunlight. Her wings spread to absorb the warmth. "Magic in combat is divided into two basic forms, external and internal. And from there into two basic principles, offensive and defensive. Shiro your with Zeyd. Koji with me."

"Wait." Said Shiro. "Don't we get more of an explanation than that?"

"Of course. But I find the best way to teach is to engage the body as well as the mind. Just think of your torture. . . I mean training. As a way of learning to utilize both at the same time."

Shiro and Koji both shared a discomfited look. Kiara was absolutely ruthless when it came to physical combat, and now she was going to start using spells as well.

"Remember, on the field of battle you won't be given time to think. So its important to let your bodies remember for you."

Zeyd had already drawn his sword. "You might want to start running now."

* * *

Shiro found that it was remarkably difficult running with an empty scabbard bouncing off his legs, having almost tripped over it once already.

Zeyd had given him the scabbard along with the explanation that it would help serve as a focus for materializing Road to the Dawn. And he had been right. Shiro had practiced until he could grasp the hilt of his sword every time. Now he just had to learn how to move with it and not against it.

"The sword is an extension of the self." Said Zeyd's calm self assured voice. "It is a tool that can carve the soul." He was so well hidden that it was impossible to even tell where the sound had come from.

Shiro tried to sense Zeyd the way he had been shown. Since He had been forbidden to use any kind of teleportation magic until he had first developed his spiritual sense, it was difficult and slow going.

When he had first attempted to use the Dance of the Starry Sky against him, Zeyd had shown him just how flawed his technique really was. As well as the reason why he had been named the Phantom Blade.

It had been a humbling experience.

Shiro felt a vague outline, like smoke drifting on the wind. Zeyd was everywhere and nowhere. He was purposely scattering his spiritual presence in an attempt to confuse him.

He could sense Kiara and Koji quite clearly. Kiara was the wind, the way she moved, the way she felt. It was a strange sensation to adjust to. That people's spiritual presence would reflect their innate elemental natures. More so, that they could shape them to reflect anything they wanted.

Koji was earth, stubborn and unyielding, but with a sense of carefully contained power. Shiro could feel it. It was just sleeping, but once it was awakened . . .

Shiro brought his sword up just in time to block Zeyd's strike. A glancing blow the force of it shook his arms.

"You're still thinking of your sword as an object separate from yourself. The art of the Tenkoha is unity. A balance between mind and body." Zeyd's slim silver blade moved as if it was an extension of his own arm. "Envision yourself as the world. In one hand heaven, in the other the earth. Both of them exist, not as separate places but as mirror reflections of the other. They balance and define one another." Shiro was losing ground as Zeyd forced him back. "Bring them together."

It was a difficult enough concept to grasp, moreover, to do it in the heat of battle, Zeyd's assault barely gave him time to react, let alone think about anything that he was saying.

* * *

"Dancing blade of cutting wind." Koji slashed the air like duelist saluting his opponent. "Split the void. . ." He had almost completed the incantation when the rock hit him between the eyes, shattering his concentration.

Kiara had a handful of rocks and was casually tossing them into the air. "In battle. The time it takes to pick and choose the perfect spell is a luxury you won't have." The rocks hovered for a moment before flying at him in rapid succession. Each one left a small hole in the ground at his feet. "Master a basic set of spells that complement your own style and learn to invoke them without incantation."

She has to be kidding. "I can't possibly do that. Unincanted magic is way beyond my current level."

Kiara lifted a truly massive chunk of earth with a gesture. "Did I just hear you say the word can't?" The earth split apart into dozens of needle shaped shards.

Koji tried to invoke his spell again, only this time without any sort incantation. Before he could even get a sense of the magic taking shape the spell just sort of, fizzled out.

Shiro spared a second to glance over his shoulder. "Koji its easy. Just." Too late he realized he had dropped his guard. "Materialize your focus beforehand. . ."

"Taking your eyes off of your opponent." Zeyd reversed his sword, striking Shiro full on in the stomach with the pommel. "You've still got a lot to learn."

* * *

Koji wiped the dirt from his chest while Shiro nursed his bruised ego. One of the first things they had learned was how to create a personal shield. It limited the damage incurred from most minor spells. Any more than that and a stronger barrier was necessary, which meant splitting their attention between offense and defense.

Kiara had seemed perfectly content to beat that particular lesson into their heads. And Shiro had to admit, it was proving to be an amazingly effective tactic.

"How long was that?" Said Kiara.

Zeyd looked at the angle of the sun. "About five minutes. Looks like they're starting to get better."

Kiara looked thoughtful. "Then I think we can give them some time to relax and lick their wounds before we start the next round. What do you say we take a break."

Zeyd played it coy. "I'm game if you are."

"Wait!" Shiro called after them. "How much time do we get?"

Both Zeyd and Kiara shared a look, before simultaneously collapsing into paroxysms of laughter.

Koji started to make himself comfortable. "I hate it when they do that." He glanced around surreptitiously. "You know they're out there. Just waiting for us to drop our guards before bam. They blink in and kick our asses all over again."

"I know what you mean." Shiro stretched himself out on the grass. The tension in his body evident in the uncontrollable twitching of his tails. He knew they were watching. But where from? "If I ever complain about my classes being dull again . . ."

Koji shuddered sympathetically. "I hear you. Right about now. I could really go for one of Professor Argyle's boring lectures."

"She really is insane right?" Shiro didn't know how much more his sanity could take. Day in day out. It felt as if they weren't making any progress at all. "Tell me I'm not the only one thinking it."

"Shhh! Be quiet man. She could still be listening!" Koji was already on high alert. Not just because of the lecture they'd get on not being prepared, but because she really could be listening.

Shiro reached out with his magic. Just because he couldn't sense her didn't mean she wasn't out there, somewhere close by. Watching.

He wanted to tear his hair out. Surprise attacks were the name of the game and it was driving him to paranoia. Still, there would be no forgiveness for being caught off guard in a real battle.

"Koji. Maybe this time," A plan was already taking shape in Shiro's mind. "we should set a trap for them."

* * *

Surrounded by an endless sea of green Zeyd and Kiara stood above the forest, looking down upon Shiro and Koji. Their precious students, where so much potential was simply waiting to be tapped.

Zeyd had felt that standing on the top of the trees was the best place to hide. After all. They would leave no trail, no traces to mark their passing, and hardly anyone bothered to look up anyway. The only problem was the exorbitant amount of energy it took to create a transparent floating platform. Still, it had more uses than one. And once you accustomed yourself to the sensation of literally standing on nothing, it was actually quite enjoyable. You just had to watch your step.

Lying on the platform next to Zeyd Kiara felt young again. "You know," She said. "This reminds me of the day we first met." They had sat together like this on that day as well.

"Mm?" Zeyd recalled that day quite differently than Kiara did. "As I recall you thought I was about to walk off a cliff and rushed out recklessly to save me." He pantomimed two people falling off a cliff with his hand. "Its a good thing that there was a deep river below us."

She chuckled. "You would remember it that way."

"All I remember is how the most beautiful woman I had ever seen was suddenly tearing my wet clothes off in a desperate bid to keep me warm."

"And when I saw your eyes looking up at me I fell madly and hopelessly in love. Is that how the story ends?"

"Oh no." He said. "That is only how the story begins. We still have much more to write about."

She touched his face. A gesture that he would allow to none but her. "Hopeless romantic."

He looked deeply into her eyes. To what only he could see. "When the lady I love gives my soul wings, how could I be anything but?"

Shiro's light suddenly flared brighter in his spiritual vision. "Well, well, well. Looks likes he's gone and done it." Zeyd stood up abruptly. "Shiro has finally managed to grasp the Tenkoha. The only question now is; how long could he hold on to it?"

* * *

Shiro grabbed hold of his scabbard with one hand. Suddenly he knew the mistake he had been making. He had been trying to hold everything with just one hand. Joining heaven and earth wasn't about joining separate elements.

He brought his hands close together.

Yin and yang, heaven and earth, spirit and soul. It wasn't about trying to hold both at the same time. It was about understanding that both were just two sides of the same coin and walking along its edge.

Shiro felt a surge of power begin to flow through him. His steps were lighter and his body felt as if it were floating on invisible currents. But it was hard, hard to hold onto the power. It was like grasping a lightning bolt with your bare hands. The Tenkoha was a conscious thing. Alive with a power all its own it was a living current of magic that could wash him away if he wasn't careful.

His control over the Tenkoha faltered and faded away.

Shiro fell to the ground exhausted.

Zeyd stepped out of the forest and clapped his hands together. "Well done. Given time and training, you'll be able to grasp the Tenkoha for longer periods of time. Just remember how that first moment felt, and never neglect your own abilities. The Tenkoha isn't something to be relied upon."

The ground around Zeyd rumbled as thousands of tiny roots shot out of the ground, twisting themselves around his arms and legs the lifted him into the air.

Before the power had vanished Shiro had sent it into the earth, twining it around the roots of trees. The burst of magic had been eagerly absorbed and they had responded wholeheartedly to his call.

Even their branches had leaned down to wrap Zeyd in an iron grip.

Zeyd hung suspended in the air, considering the possibilities of what Shiro had just done. He had not coerced the trees into following his will. He had asked them. Nature magic of that caliber was a rare talent. Moreover, it spoke volumes about the strength of his character.

Coercion was easy, the temptation to enforce one's will was a quick road to power. Shiro had made only one mistake. He had not finished him when he had had the chance.

Shiro was already rising to his feet. "Damn. I was hoping to catch Kiara with that too. Still. One of you will do for now. I trust you won't need me to stick around and look after you." Shiro started to walk away. "Don't worry though, I won't forget that you're up there."

He hadn't even gotten five feet before he flinched. A stiletto as slim as a sliver of silver moonlight was pressed against his throat. The tip of it drew a small ruby of blood, a single crimson tear. "The path you are walking. The power you are seeking. Make no mistakes about it. It is the power to kill." The hand that held it was Zeyd's. "Hesitation can cost you more than your life. It can cost you the lives of those you choose to protect as well."

"Is that the only outcome?" Shiro stared unblinkingly ahead. "If so, then I'll cast away my sword. I won't become a killer."

Zeyd's hand stayed steady. Without unwavering resolve one could never hold true to such a path. Shiro . . . you are too kind to survive on the battlefield. Without the part of you that you sealed away in your heart, you may not survive. "Then. If that is the path you wish to follow. Become stronger. Become someone strong enough to survive without needing to kill." Zeyd returned the blade to its sheath hidden in his sleeve. "To protect what is precious. Or to take it away from others. That is something that only you can decide for yourself."

* * *

It was at the end of a second month of such training that they received an unwelcome surprise.

Koji had arrived early one morning, only to find that an unwelcome vistor had been waiting for him.

"Kai." He said. There was little love in his voice when he added. "Hello. Brother."

Kai just stood in the clearing where they had come to train. The forest, often rich with birdsong was quiet and still. As if it could not abide his presence. Or he it.

Kai's windswept hair and strikingly dark feature's bore a strong resemblance to Koji's own and Shiro could tell immediately that they were related. But there was a cruelty to him, an aura of casual indifference so unlike Koji that for a moment he wondered if they truly shared the same blood.

Kai held out a plain unmarked envelope with one hand.

"I followed your scent." He said as he handed Koji the envelope.

It was all the acknowledgment he bothered to give them. Turning around Kai displayed his back to them, all the while acting as if they were somehow beneath his notice.

Shiro felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in response to the unspoken challenge.

Ignoring his brother's actions Koji broke the wax seal. The stylized wolf swallowing the sun that was the Fafnir family crest falling away in large red chunks.

Koji's face fell before he was halfway done. "Its a letter from home." He said. "It's my old man. He's dying."

* * *

Nelo is . . . I honestly don't know what she is. Whatever she may be, she's definitely not a cat. That much is clear.

The way she acts, her casual acceptance of things. Even when we talk she seems to know more about the world than I do. She claims that it's because of the joining, that she received some of my memories along with my magic.

While I have found evidence to back up her claim. I don't believe it for a second.

Everything she is has led me to believe that something must have happened in her past that left her with the body of a cat.

Somehow, I think a part of me always knew that. I just didn't want to accept it.

Believing in a lie is always easier than facing the truth . . .

When I look at her the way Zeyd taught me. She seems, blurry. Sometimes I see a cat, sometimes I see a woman, and sometimes, I just see Nelo. I'm afraid to ask which one is really her, because if I did that, it might mean losing her.

It seems that we're both still keeping secrets from each other.