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Woopiee! Chapter number 10 and I'm already up to a whooping 900 views! Thank you all and I'll promise to write more!

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It must've been after three in the morning or something, when Raven finally stumbled back in to the apartment. He was laughing and I could smell a tinge of alcohol. Wonderful. So now I'm sharing a room with... Shin?! Shin was carrying Raven by the shoulder and placed him on the bed.

"Here we go..." Shin almost dropped Raven on the bed.

"Raven?!" I got up, tired, but I managed to make some sense. I must've scared Shin, because he jumped as soon as I appeared from the dark corner.

"Ryu? What are yo-"

"What am I doing? What are you doing?!" I almost slammed into Shin, pinning him against the wall.

"He just drank too much! I swear!" The tiger pressed me off of him. He was wearing the same clothes as earlier, only the top was open, so he was practically bare-chested. He also had a near-massive headset dangling from his neck. Must be from the club?

"I... Sorry" I let go. Great. I had jumped a friend, who had only been helping out another friend. Now I just feel like a jerk... "But... Don't you have to go to work?"

"Nah. I'll be fine" He smiled and looked down at Raven. Geez... He wasn't wearing anything above the waist-line. Must've embarrassed Shin at the club, royally. "So cute when he sleeps, isn't he?"

I glanced back at him. Then snapped my head at Shin. "Cute"? Wait a second... So... Shin... Raven... Wow. I'm blind all right. "You and Raven are...?"

The tiger took a moment, then figured out what I was going after. "What?! No! We're not... I mean, we haven't... You know?"

I know. Wish I didn't. One more couple, surrounding me. Then again, I was happy for these two. Not everyone would drag their mate from a club across town to a hotel room, without second thoughts. I nodded and pointed at my make-shift bed in the corner. "There. I set up a bed there. You can sleep here, if you want. I got the couch"

"Are you sure? I'd hate to-"

"I'm sure. Besides, I'm sure that he'd be happier with waking up with you in the same room, not me" I smiled again and wandered off in the living room.

Okay... Great. Shay and Draco are still here. Both have dozed off hours ago. I looked around for a moment. Nothing. No room anywhere. I'm not sleeping in Draco's room for sure. Kitchen it is.

I made a nice "comfy" bed next to the oven. At least this is a warm spot... And fell asleep, for the second time this night.

8am

"Ryu? What're you doing here?" Shay pokes my side with a spoon. Ouch. Not a nice way to wake up.

"Probably just really likes to cook stuff?" Draco's voice laughs in the back.

I groan lightly and get up. "You'll see, as soon as Raven wakes up" I walk up to a toaster and make myself a quick sandwich. Yum. Ham.

Shay and Draco both look at me, obviously confused, but they decide to drop the subject. I sit down next to the raptor and eat my sandwich. I forgot to eat yesterday, so I made another. Eventually, I ended up making five sandwiches and still felt like eating more. Unfortunately, we ran out of bread.

An hour later, we heard a loud crash from Raven's room. Shay was the first to jump the door. She opened it and peeked in, then quickly closed it and shoved us back in to the living room, blushing. Doesn't take too much to figure that one out. Draco didn't, however, and Shay kindly explained how Raven had a... "Friend" for the night.

A few minutes later, Shin stepped out from Raven's room and was followed by a blushing, awkwardly fidgeting half-raptor. Shin was less awkward but he had the same, innocent blush on his face.

"So... Uhm... I'm gonna go home... Now..." Shin started walking towards the door.

"Oh no you're not!" Shay almost pounced Shin. "Any guest of my brother, is my new best friend!"

"Shay. Back off" Raven immediately lashed out at his twin sister. "As said; he's my guest. Not yours"

"Okie doky bro" Shay smiled, as Raven pulled the tiger up from the floor. "Just try not to calm down a bit, okaaaay?"

Raven only coughed a bit, still blushing, but he pulled himself together and started preparing breakfast for himself and Shin. They started chatting and soon everything calmed down a bit.

"Hey, Ryu" Raven shouted out. "Go get Jack. Shin has something to tell him"

"Why me? If he has something to sa-" I was interrupted by a dagger-glaring, scary faced raptor. "I'm going". They only laughed, as I stepped out of the room.

I walked across the hall. Then remembered that I was still bare-chested. I tried to get back in the room but the door was locked. I knocked and the only response I got was. "Jack's not there, so come back later" from Raven. I tried explaining but they didn't listen.

I walked back to Jack's room door and sighed, then knocked. Gonna need some mind soap. Lulu opened the door, wearing a white, loose bathrobe, showing way too much. She seemed groggy, after a long night of sleep.

"Ryu? What're you doing here so early? And where's your shirt? This is a public hotel. There could be kids around"

"Umm... Never mind the shirt... I was wondering, if Jack would have a minute? Shin wanted to talk to him"

She seemed to think for a moment. A minute. Two minutes. "Lulu?" I asked, unsure if she'd fallen asleep standing.

"Don't rush me!" She snapped. "Fine" She turned to face the room. "Jackie! That tiger from earlier wants to talk with you!"

I could barely hold my smile back. 'Jackie'? But remembering the scary persona of this teacher, I did my best to keep a straight face. I heard the tired lion from behind the door responding.

"Sure. Just give me a few minutes"

He sure took his time. After almost ten minutes, I saw Jack approaching the door. He gave a quick peck on Lulu's lips and closed the door behind him.

I walked with him to our room's door and knocked again.

"Is Jack with 'ya?" Raven's voice laughed out.

Jack knocked, almost pummeling the door down with just one knock. "Yea, I'm here!"

The door opened and Raven was grinning at us. He handed my tank top to me and Shin threw the fleece over my head, before I got my shirt on. These two are ganging up on me already?

Shin asked Jack to sit down and asked for some privacy. Raven wasn't too happy but he complied with his wishes. Both Raven and I wanted to eavesdrop through the closed door but Shay didn't let us. Killjoy...

Almost an hour passed, until the door opened. Jack was sitting down, looking at the city through a window, seeming very pensive. Shin was also thinking. Raven got worried and sat down next to Shin. They started chatting again, as if nothing had happened. I went up to Jack.

"Everything ok?" I asked as softly as possible.

"Sure. Zero-D is all screwed up, my arm got blown off and now I'm not a general anymore. Things are just fine" He sighed, not taking his gaze off of the window.

"What happened?" Why would the Zero Division fire Jack? From what I could tell, he was a brilliant general.

"They blame mages for the attack on HQ. They want to start a war. And since I have been the liaison between mages and technicians, they want me to tell them where to strike. But I told them that it was only a rogue mage, and that there was no connection between the Council and Graverobber, they decided that I was a security threat and kicked me out"

"But if they saw you as a threat, wouldn't they do more?"

"They would have. But since my earlier project is so damn important, I need to teach Shin there how to use it"

"What was your project?" Something important enough to keep a possible security threat?

"Nothing groundbreaking... A ship of sorts. Land, water and air. But enough to keep the big Zero interested for five years..." He sighs again. "Oh well. River wants to see you at some point. He'll be down at the lobby with Iris at two"

"I thought that the training was put off, until tomorrow?" I still haven't recovered. My headache had relented for now but my muscles were still pretty tense.

"Yeah, well. Lulu decided that it'd be better for you to start today. On the bright side though, you're sparring Iris. Not River. He and Lulu will just observe, like the rest of us"

"Iris?" That immediately piqued my interest. But she has a scythe! That might be less fun... Wait. "The rest of you? How many are going to watch?"

"All of us, if Shin decides to stay" He smiles and pats my back. I can't speak a word out. I can't hurt Iris. But if I lose, I'll look like an idiot! I looked at Shin, who only nodded cheerfully. Great. So what do I do?

14.00

I had prepared myself for the worst. I had my fleece on and I had strapped the two shorter knives under the blade guards, under my sleeves. That way I could protect myself against the scythe and pull out the knives, if need be. The design of the small daggers was fairly simple. They were both short and could be used for throwing. They had small letters carved into them. Well... Not really letters. I couldn't understand the symbols. I asked Jack and Lulu but they seemed as confused as I was.

I waited next to the harp in the lobby. It took a few more minutes, until I saw the beautiful swan-like girl. Well... She seems more prepared to this than me! Her scythe is resting on her shoulders and she's wearing a sleeveless, white shirt. She has two small blade guards strapped on her forearms. Her pants seemed heavier and I wouldn't be surprised, if she had some shielding going on there.

"Hey Ryu! Ready?" She was talking as if we were going out to eat or something... Got to look smart!

"Yeah. You?" There. I sounded pretty confident.

"Why would I ask, if I weren't?" Great. I sounded like an idiot.

"Okay. We have two places, where we can take you two" River spoke up from behind Iris. "Both are not in the vicinity of Zero Division, so we should be just fine. A garage or the plaza. Simple enough. Where to?"

"Ryu chooses!" Iris smiles at me. Okay, she's giving me the option to choose. That means that if I choose right, I have the advantage. The garage would be ideal for close-combat and her scythe wouldn't have much room to move at the plaza. But it would be darker, so I wouldn't see properly and since she can see anywhere, from what I can tell, so she'd have an advantage. The plaza would give me room to move and see how she fights. Then it's just a matter of waiting for an opening. Makes sense...

"The plaza. But are you sure that it's safe? I mean... The people might get between-"

"That is handled. We had the whole place cleared"

"But if it's cleared... You knew what I'd choose?"

"We did. She's the best Seeker around, don't you remember?" River smiles. Oh that's just great. If she can foretell the future, I can't win a fight with her! I look at her, almost worried. She only responds with a smile and we walk out of the hotel. This is just fine and dandy...

We arrive at the plaza after a moment of walking (Note to self: These guys really, really, love walking) and River sat at a table on the side of the clearing. The others followed suit. Shay, Draco, Raven, Shin, Jack, Lulu and River had their eyes glued on us... Wonderful... Absolutely wonderful...

I look around the clearing. All the buildings are fairly low and since I can jump fairly high with these feet, I reckon that I could easily hop on the roofs. The plaza itself is all clear. Apart from the one table, where everyone sat, the whole, circular plaza was clear. Nothing to hide behind. Great.

I locked eyes with the blond swan that was just smiling, with that damn scythe over her, framing her slender figure.

Here we go... I guess...

Remember. Everything you want me to do, I'll do my best to comply. As long as it's not completely impossible. Prothero said with a serious tone.

And I'm here too. But remember not to use me for offence, unless you have an external water source. Celeana continued. She sounded like she was feeling better.

Yup. And thanks. I thanked both of them and they replied simultaneously; No problem. That put me to some ease and I felt a smile cross my lips, before I spoke out loud.

"I'm ready. Bring it on" I must've sounded more hostile, since everybody's face almost dropped. They all seemed to be far more serious now. Iris only smiled. I smiled back with a grin. Too damn proud. But I can't afford to go down too fast, too rough.

The next moment was kinda blurred. I felt the ground rise very fast. It sprang me into the air and I didn't have much time to react. I just braced myself and rolled as soon as I hit the ground. Damn that hurt! I must've broken something, because I heard and felt a loud pop from my left tail. It didn't bother me but it did annoy me, since it didn't seem to do anything. Just a pop. That's all.

I sprang up with my right knee on the ground and my left one was completely against the ground. I was trying to regain my balance, while I was searching for Iris. She disappeared? (Note to self: Mages love disappearing on people) I couldn't see her.

Okay. Quickly Pro. I need an arm-blade.

I felt a rush of power surging up my arm, as the blade formed around my forearm. It covered the whole arm, looking like a giant scythe, matching my arms length and looking as deadly as Iris's blade. It wasn't too wide, so I'd have to twist it, to use it as a shield. I whipped it behind me, trying to look as scary as possible. Damnit. I still can't see her!

A loud booming sound. The next thing I know, I'm surrounded by a sandstorm?! Dust everywhere. I can't see anything! I willed the Shadow into my legs and sprang as high as possible. I didn't dare use the wings I had seen earlier. If I wear myself out too early, I won't be able to fight. I got above the dust-cloud, only to meet the sharp end of a scythe. It came out of nowhere. I raised my left arm-blade to block it and managed to swipe at her with my tails. She stepped on my tail and kicked off of me. She also managed to pummel my chest with the butt of her scythe. Not too badly though, but enough to send me spinning back to the ground. I shielded my back with a thick layer of ice and hoped that it'd be enough. It was. Barely.

I dropped back in a low stance. I held the pure black arm-blade horizontally in front of me. I had pulled one of the smaller knives to my right hand. I didn't have a clue how to use it, so I kept it in a reverse hand, the blade on my pinkies side instead of the thumb.

Okay... She's using the air element right? To create a sandstorm like this?

Yeah. But she started it off with a ground attack. That'd mean that she's a hybrid-element as well. Celeana continued my though.

That's not good. If she can attack using the ground and the air, her attacks could come from any direction.

So keep yourself out of reach.

That's it! I dashed towards (I hope) the low roofed buildings. I pressed the shadow back to my legs and leaped. I managed to land on the roof, after stumbling a little. The storm wasn't here. I could see the whole plaza.

The tentacle hand-thingy please, Prothero. I commanded calmly.

The arm-blade quickly shifted to a long, spiky whip. I hurled it into the dust cloud and bursted the spikes inside, hoping to at least graze her. I did. I felt my arm snatch on something! Instinctively, I wrapped the spike around whatever I caught and yanked it towards me. The scythe! I turned my arm back into a regular form and held on to the heavy scythe. 'Disarming the opponent is only half the fight', my old teacher's teachings leaped back to mind. This was a good point, especially with mages. The storm seized as soon as I caught the scythe. Did I win?

"Nope"

What?! She's behind m- I get slammed with the bulky end of the spear. The scythe in my hand crumbles to fine sand. I fall down from the roof but manage to wrap my tails around her legs, pulling her down with me. She didn't see this coming, so I managed to pin her down on the ground, under me. I wrapped my right tail around her scythe and threw it to my side, disarming her for good this time, as I willed a blade at the tip of my left tail, pressing it against her throat. Both my hands were pinning her hands to the ground and I was sweating like a pig. She wasn't much better. She cracked a smile and whispered.

"You're good. But the fight isn't over"

"What do you mean? You're pinned to the ground, you have no weapon and I have this" I raised the pointed tip of my tail against her throat, in case she didn't see it. "So I can't see, how you could-"

A huge gust of wind threw me on the ground and I got the wind knocked out of me. I found myself in the same position, as two seconds ago. Except that it was reversed. Her scythe had leapt to her hands and the tip was pointing at me. She was just standing there! I get up. No. I can't? My arms feel like lead. My legs are no better and the same with my tails. My whole body was underground?! I was lying down, but the concrete covered me.

"You were saying?" She giggled. She spun the scythe around and offered the butt of it towards me. I felt the ground around me letting go and I grabbed the scythe. At least I didn't go down easy...

"Sorry" I felt slightly frustrated but happy at the same time. I couldn't win her in a fight. I didn't want to. But I also couldn't.

The group at the side of the plaza was still coughing from the raised dust from earlier. Jack seemed calm, as did River and Lulu. Everyone else was coughing their lungs out. River walked up to me.

"You did quite well. Normally, I would tell you to not stop, until the opponent is either dead or at least decapitated" At least? That seemed a little rough. "But you let your guard down too soon, too much. Although you did do your best to keep her as far away from her weapon, as possible. You did forget who you were fighting though. And that is not a smart thing to do"

Lulu was the next to chastise me. Except that it felt like sudden castration, instead of an instructors advise. "Idiot! You don't rely on the Shadow that much! You do that and you end up consumed by it!"

"Relax. You will be able to teach him more. But from what I could tell, he did display remarkable control over it. Did he not?" River interrupted politely. Lulu only whipped her head in disapproval.

"Hmph. Even if he did, that doesn't change the fact that he used the Shadow"

"I couldn't use ice. There wasn't any water around!" I snapped at her. I was sick of being treated like child.

"But there's plenty of air! Why not use that?!" She snapped back at me and I could see her building rage almost visibly.

"I learned about these things a week ago! You can't expect me to know that so soon!"

She didn't respond after that. Only stared daggers at me. I glared back and we started walking back to the group, not speaking a word to each other.

Raven rushed up to me. "Duuude! That was awesome!"

"You couldn't see anything after it started, could you?"

"Nope. But it still must've been awesome!" He laughed. Shin laughed too. If these two were the same species, I'd swear that they're twins!

Iris took my hand. For the first time, I actually took time to study the scythe. It was a huge beast of a thing! Almost twice as big as Iris! It was all white. There was a small black cross down on the bottom of the shaft, but other than that, it was perfectly white. The blade itself must've been twice the width of my shoulders. I couldn't understand how it was possible to lift that monster!

I held her had, slightly tighter, slightly more confident. I smiled at her and we walked. I felt happier now and I managed to chat with Iris. All of us were content. Raven and Shin, Jack and Lulu and River. None of us seemed out of place anymore. I smiled and walked, holding Iris's hand in my right hand. I couldn't be happier, even if I just got my ass handed to me by a girl that's a quarter shorter than me.