~ Kiba Shi Ryu (Private)

[Fallen Hours™]

Steel flies, precise, incredibly fast strikes come again and again; cutting through air. She's holding back; but her power is too much. She's just holding back so if she was to strike a human they wouldn't die. They are incredibly powerful moves and complicated. She has her hair back in a bun, but a few locks of hair hang loose. The rest of the gym is empty, so she has all the room she needs as she moves, crouching down and then leaping up, bringing her katana down...

On another sword. She jerks away, holding her blade directly in front of her as a confused look flits through her face.

[hieisorcerer]

Aven clapped, he was impressed, and unusual for him he was alone. His partner Lucario had decided to stay home. "Very nice work. Can't say I recognize the style, but it was very nice. Precise movements, almost surgical your blade is truly an extension of your arm." He rested his hand on the pommel of the sword at his waist. "Ah of course, where are my manners. Allow me to introduce myself, I am William Aven. I go by my surname."

Aven had watched and memorized as much as he could. It was different than he had encountered before, but now that he has seen it, he might be able to counter it. "You up for a match miss? I have to warn you though, I'm no ordinary swordsmen."

[Fallen Hours™]

"It's my only style. 'Kiba Shi Ryu.'" Tsukiko kept a calm disposition about the offer to spar, but the look in her eyes was a wintry rejection. "If I was to fight you, you would not prevail without a quick trip to the hospital wing. My speed is more than ten fold of what you saw just then, to allow you to fight me would be particularly a one-sided spar, especially with you carrying a rather heavy blade, and I carrying this."

But as she turned, her blood boiled. She felt like a weak dog crawling away to lick her wounds... Stop me. She commanded firmly in her mind.

[hieisorcerer]

Battle Theme

Aven moved faster than any normal human ever could, his sword stayed sheathed yet there was a broadsword in his hand, which was pointed at Tsukiko. "I did tell you I am no ordinary swordsmen. This is low gear. My sword may be heavy, but I am strong. You may be fast, but I will keep up." Aven lowered his sword, though it was still ready. "What say you now?"

Aven jumped back, and stood in a ready position. He had not had a good match in quite a while. Lucario was a good sparing partner, but he couldn't hold a sword. "You failed to introduce yourself miss." Aven said calmly, his eyes not leaving hers.

His King of Hearts crest began to glow a bright red, a testament of his will to fight.

[Fallen Hours™]

But as he moved in front of her, the katana by her side flashed into her hand and was brought high above her head, in what could have been a death blow. Her heart didn't move any faster than usual, but her assassin's instincts had kicked in and an 'x' shaped scar on the bone of her wrist was revealed as her gi's sleeves slipped back just a bit. She held her katana with her left hand, careful about where she placed it.

"You idiot!! I could have killed you!!" She snarled, absolutely furious at his recklessness. And it was true, easily in those few moments she could have. A blue sheen flickered across her crimson eyes. "Tsukiko Yasu. Currently furious and if you come any closer, I'm not going to hold back a bit."

[hieisorcerer]

Battle Theme

"Not likely, I was holding back quite a lot. Though you by no doubt have skills, I am not ordinary in the slightest." Aven moved again, faster this time his attack easy to block anyone could see he did this on purpose. More a show of speed than skill. He jumped back then launched himself forward again, faster still launching multiple attacks, each harder to block than the last.

[Fallen Hours™]

For her small stature, she was quite a lot stronger than she appeared. She blocked each attack without any trouble, but she didn't attack him. She was waiting for her turn and her eyes narrowed into sharper, crimson jewels. She stayed completely silent her speed showing up in efficient grace. She was faster than Aven by quite some amount and he would be able to tell. Noctis wanted her to stop; but no one was going to stop her now. The Council had done a hard training job on her and even if nobody liked it, they always prevailed in a fight.

She then did something pretty d**n amazing; but for her, it was normal. She backed away, and as it took a full hold she became just an after image, reappearing up crouching horizontally against a wall, before diving at Aven from where she was, keeping an unemotional front. "You're throwing yourself away!"

[hieisorcerer]

Battle Theme

Aven didn't let himself become annoyed, he knew going into this that it would be difficult to get her to fight. The gap in there speed was obvious, though it would be easy enough to remedy soon enough.

Aven disappeared, weights falling where he had been standing. "On the contrary, I'm living through this." A blue light emanated from Aven's eyes as he appeared several feet away, his sword raised. He might as well give it a shot, he hadn't tried this yet so it would be good practice. "Burning Slash!" He roared, flying forward his sword glowing a dark red.

[Fallen Hours™]

Her sword missed him by just that much. But she was still on the defense, so as his sword glowed a dark red she rolled to the side just as it pulled through the air where she used to have been. "You know, I don't believe I permitted cheating." She snarled, sheathing her blade then. "You should stop now, before I stop holding back." Yes she had been holding back and the firmness in how she looked at him was evident. "If I was in a real fight, perhaps the fighting wouldn't bother me. But here, sparring, that is an offense, William." She called him by his first name. She didn't care about him gong by his last name.

"And openly provoking me is idiotic, especially if you want to actually spar with me. Immoral b*stard is not a persona I wish to name people, but manners are something any swordsman or woman learns. Your master failed, obviously." She spoke to him in a dark tone - sharp, staccato.

[hieisorcerer]

Battle Theme

Aven's weapons disappeared and a new fire appeared in his eyes. "A, That attack was non lethal, if you had bothered to look to the energy in it, you would have known in an instant. B, I don't care what you say about me I don't give a rats a** what you think about me. You WILL not say anything about master. He was a great man. He taught me more than anyone else in this world." Aven knew what he did and said was wrong, but that was not what he was going for.

"You want manners?" Aven's entire demeanor changed in an instant, he went from bristling anger to calm and reflecting. "Then you obviously don't understand people." Memories flashed through his mind, his friends and family in danger, him fighting to protect them. "Hmph, I suppose it doesn't matter, you were right in part. You preach manners, yet you condescend to someone you don't know. I show you but a small portion of my personality, you foolishly assume it is me at all times. Not all swordsmen learn manners, Samurai learn manners. I respect the Samurai, they were the best of there time. Mordred was one of the greatest swordsmen that ever lived, and he was also evil. Had no manners. Gilgamesh, the King of Kings was a swordsmen one of the best, and yet he had no manners until a devil taught him to them. You catch me on a bad day and assume I am a manner-less brute." Aven paused, a new light burned in his eyes. "There have been many swordsmen who have been both great, and manner-less. Never assume, never deal in absolutes."

"I am the King of Hearts, I have risked my life many times for the safety of others. What thanks do I get for this? I get divorce papers, I lose my family the people I have fought to protect." Aven shook his head and pushed the thoughts aside, this was why he was here, to forget. He moved to the center of the room and summoned his sword again. Practicing through the more advanced of his techniques, anything to keep his mind away from his problems.

[Fallen Hours™]

She listened without much curiousity.

"Yeah, you do that while I go live a couple more centuries of youth...." Her eyes narrowed and grew shadowed. "The King of Hearts. I faced one of your kind in Japan, about a decade or two ago." She definitely didn't look that old... "You're strong; I admit, but you are too emotional in your work. You get involved. Hm... Japan... Those were the massacre days where the Council was reckless..." She mused. "The man would have been your master, or maybe your master's master. They got too emotional in a fight and got out greviously wounded."

She was still holding her mask and rather well at that. "Learn from their mistakes."

[hieisorcerer]

Battle Theme

Aven couldn't help himself, he stopped moving and started laughing. "I should have guessed from your speed. The assassin's great flaw. The Shuffle Alliance is about protecting, we tend to get attached to our work. I was cautioned against relying on my emotions in a fight, and I learned how to disconnect them while fighting long ago." Aven moved again, an after image all that remained. "Honestly, that's why I could never be an assassin. Too cold, I may not be the best at what I do, but I take pride in being able to protect everyone."

Aven sighed and shook his head, "That's where you're wrong. It wasn't their mistake to care, or get involved. They got wounded in battle yes, but for every wound they suffered a life was saved. When things began to become difficult for them to act alone, they sought students. And when things become to difficult for me to do, I will find a student. Every wound I take in battle helps me save a life. The Shuffle Alliance heals very quickly, serious wounds for us barely register as missing limbs, anything short and we will heal and rise again. If we must get hurt to save others, then so be it. Better I get hurt than the people I protect."

[Fallen Hours™]

"See, you talk about all this saving lives, but for the wounds on his body no lives were saved. It was only because of an experienced healer that his own life was saved, no matter what you say about quick healing. Not all wounds heal." Tsukiko mutters sharply, ignoring his laughter. "It is our job to be detached, unlike you people with your petty emotions." She didn't say it coldly, flatly, her eyes glancing to him once before returning to the roof of the gym. She didn't like the way he spoke of assassins. She sighed lightly and let her long curls cascade through the air, swaying slightly.

[hieisorcerer]

Battle Theme

"J. Robert Oppenheimer once said, 'I have become death, the destroyer of worlds.' It may be your job to be detached from your emotions while fighting, but to be detached at all times makes you weak. A vulnerability." Aven shook his head, he could see her point he really could. He himself detached himself when in a fight, but during everyday life detaching ones self was pointless to the extreme. "Without emotion many of the things you enjoy today would not be available. There would be a great deal less swords without people who love their jobs as blacksmiths. Sure clothes and shelter would be around, they are necessities. You say those of us with emotions are petty, you're wrong. It's the ones like you who are emotionless at all times that are petty."

Aven gripped his sword tighter, he would not end up like his master. Or his master's master. Or any of the other King of Hearts, he would live to a ripe old age. Aven would continue fighting until he can't, and then he will train another and pass on the crest. At that point he will settle down, "You misunderstand, the Shuffle Alliance fights to protect others. Every member has special skills, without the Shuffle Alliance there are many people who would not be here today."

"Edmund Burke once said 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' I refuse to do nothing. 'To follow by faith alone, is to follow blindly.' Are you following by faith alone?"

[Fallen Hours™]

"If there is nothing for me in this world, detachment is only a way to soften the blow. And I hold no faith, so I can not be following by faith..." Then the girl beside Aven was just an after image and she reappeared in the center of the gym, slowly unsheathing her katana once again and staring with -now- stony grey eyes, tilting the blade slightly. "Come at me again." Her voice was not dreamy, not at all. It was flat and looking at her now it was hard to imagine this girl had hesitated to attack only minutes before.