back to full strength?

it was a beautiful day. The sun rose slowly across the clear blue sky above yukigakure, sending an excited beam of light through the window of the girl known as the hell's angel. It crept slowly across the girl's sleeping form, seeming to crawl across the dark blue comforter keeping the young brunette warm inch by inch until it hit the exposed skin of her neck, warming her on it's path to lull her gently from sleep. Finally the bright energetic rays of solar energy found her eyes, seeming to almost tug at them gently to rouse the girl. As her eyes fluttered open the pleasant symphony of early morning music was silenced by the scratching of a record. She looked, and truely felt, like the living dead. A weak hand rose to wipe the sleep that fromed a crust over her eyes, rubbing at it until the less then pleasant excretion left her body to fall onto the bed beside her. "it's too early....Why does morning have to always come so god damn early?!" Still completely exhausted from her training and rounds at the village gate late into the night the night before she slid the covers off to reveal a set of black pajamas with small white rabbits with tiny pink bow ties on them. "UGh....." She rose quickly, grabbing her armor and a set of regular clothes and headed off to the bathroom. As the door shut the sound of running water and a pillar of steam ushered from the closed door. After around ten minutes she returned to the main room, a bit of water dripping down from the end of her pony tail, still sliding the leather top over her savar suit and grabbed the bag from a chair near the door, sliding it quickly over her shoulder. She left, using a shadow jutsu to slip under the door and locking it from the inside to ensure no one would be able to slip in while she was out and threaten her person effects. The sentiment was less needed with the new upgraded version of the amethyst that had once hung tightly to her ankle. Naturally it was simply reflex. The jutsu she'd been put under by maku ensured a quite a few things would be hidden away, though with the help of her weapon and the strange woman who lived in her head she'd successfully eliminated the blocks asside for one small one. Natrually Amber knew about the lock, as well as everything that was held within the box she had opted against informing kira about. it was for the best. If she knew the information within the box, namely that maku had almost killed her and then manipulated her memories to his whim she was fairly certain it would hurt her deeply. No, for now she would simply keep the information hidden. It was better this way. 

     
She made it swiftly to the edge of the snow country borders, her thoughts carrying her off quickly without the realization that she was moving as quickly as she actually was. When she looked up, the lost look in her eyes slowly draining away, She realized she was finally where she wanted to be and stopped her momentum swiftly. As her feet touched down against the snow covered earth, failing to continue the melodic thudding of her steps she slid several meters before finally coming to a stop in the center of her personal training area. "Well....Another day I suppose....." She took a deep breath, bending forward to stretch her calves one and one, followed by an arm over arm stretch and finishing with a back bend into a bridge. As she felt the muscles in her back release the final bits of tension from her slumber she pushed off lightly with her legs to flip head over heels, pausing for a moment in a hand stand before rounding off to land on her feet once more. 

     "If you're quite done child.....There are things we still must do. The next thing you need to work on is the water dragon jutsu. This jutsu is....Not to be overly dramatic, but wonderful especially to someone with your particularly powerful chakra. it's health is equal to your chakra stat. It's actual strengths however are not exactly the greatest. This jutsu is a massive jutsu similar in scale to the great exploding colliding wave, which is why I asked you to come here to train it. " 

     "Right......No need to accidentally destroy the village just to learn a jutsu I suppose. " She flashed the girl before her a bright smile, only after realizing that the spirit of her domia scythe, sorrow of humanity, had not been there moments before when she arrived in the area. "How..." She began to ask how exactly she'd shown up so quickly without the girl noticing, but decided swiftly afterwards to not even ask. It was for the best that she not waste time with this. "Alright...So how do I do this thing?" She asked. 

     First.....We need to enter the forrest. This will be our training area for major excursions. Within the forrest you should be able to train and practice within the confines of a safe zone where your chakra will not hinder your progression. Take a seat, cross your legs and close your eyes. Once this is done allow your mind to disappear. " As she spoke the screech of Sorrow could be heard as it came into being on the ground beside her. "As long as I am manifested in the real world we will be able to protect you from any outside dangers. Now go, I will meet you within the great forest. 

     She nodded, sitting down on the ground which was terribly frigid. She was fairly cold tolerant, of course, having an afinity for the water element in regaurds to it's solid form but still it felt fairly unpleasant. Her eyes closed slowly, her mind releasing any ambiant thoughts in a moment. She felt completely calm and slowly as her mind drifted out she felt the cold less and less. When she was finally out of her body, her mind shifting to the spot in her subconscous where she knew her trainer to be, Amber slid into the body, taking a passive role. Her eyes in the real world openened up to search the world around her for anything that might be deemed dangerous. Qucikly she was carried into her personal utopia. All around her large trees rose high above her head, creating a large canopy that blocked out the harsh sun, making the area around her fairly cool with just a hint of water vapor in the air, probably from the waterfall off in the distance. "Now what?"

     "Now we train. This jutsu as I said will be a powerful force to assist you in combat. " As she spoke her hands moved quickly through a string of hand seals. It looked like the jutsu itself would require...Was that five? No six. It was definitely six hand seals, she observed silently to herself. As she watched the water from the nearby waterfall rose up. After about a minute a loud crashing sound could be heard behind them. her eyes raised to the spot behind Sorrow where, much to her surprise, An enormous dragon made completely of water stood. 

"Well.....Alright. " THe creature was huge. No huge honestly wasn't the word for this. It towered high above the two, it's great head shifting left and right and shifting the canopy high above them out of the way, shining little bits of sunlight through the openings made by its movment. "That.....Holy crap that thing is huge....." 

    "Yes. It is quite large of course. It is also fairly powerful. Now if we could get back to the task on hand. You don't really need to know it's height and size as much as how to summon the creature kira. Let us keep our eyes on the proverbial prize. Now this jutsu will take..." 

    She was cut off as the girl interupted her speaking the words "Six seals" quickly in a matter of fact tone that actually bothered the spirit of sorrow a bit. Still she was slightly impressed that the girl was able to discern this much about the technique just by watching her form it. " Yes....." Selene spoke, letting the annoyance out in a small hiss at the last constanant of her word before continuing. "Now what are they?"

     Kira's eyes lit up with the chance to show her skill. Her lips parted, her body language dripping with pride, and as she spoke the emotion immediately disappeared from her person. "I have no clue. I did count that there were six tho. " The black haired scythe spirit dropped her head into her open palm for a moment letting out another sight. 

     "Alright.....So here it is. Please try to pay attention this time Kira. It is imperative that we get your body back to it's peak condition as well as make sure any jutsu I could teach you quickly you learn. The jutsu is fairly simply. To a normal ninja this jutsu would take around fourty four seals. With our chakra level however it is much easier. For us it will cost only Six seals. 

     "Yanno....that is still quite a bit of seals. Most of my jutsu are like two or three. Come to think of it....All of the Jutsu I actually use regularly are one or no hand seals. Why does it have to have so many though?! I'd hate to have to do fourty four seals that's just rediculous. " Selene allowed the girl to finish her statement but was clearly annoyed with the girl's words. It was not her place to question the jutsu or complain about it's dificulty curve in using. 

      "Kira...Back on task child. Some jutsu take more hand seals then others....However that is not actually the point. Please concentrate. The first seal will be OX." As selene finished the statement Kira's hands slowly slid together, making the ox seal. She molded her chakra quickly, not actually realizing she was doing it. For a ninja of her caliber it was second nature of course. "Next we have Monkey, Hare and bat. " This time the two formed the seals in unison. With the last she looked up at Selene who explained the last few bits of the jutsu. With this finished Kira ran through it in her mind. 

    "Alright... so Ox Monkey Hare Rat Boar Bird.Ox Monkey Hare Rat Boar Bird......Ox.Monkey.Hare.Rat.Boar.Bird.Ox.Monkey.Hare.Rat.Boar.Bird.Ox.Monkey.Hare.Rat.Boar.Bird." with each time reciting the seals another bit of the puzzle was offered to her mind. Her brain worked in over drive as usual, analyzing both the formation of the jutsu for later use and the craftsmanship of the dragon before her. It was by far the most remarkable thing she'd ever seens. After reciting the hand seals over and over at least twenty or so times she began, forming each hand seal slowly and preparing her chakra to cast the jutsu. Ox. Monkey. Hare. Rat. Boar. As she finished the last hand seal she took the chakra that set molded in her stomach and waiting to be used and allowed it to pour from her body. There was another loud sound, this one like a rumbling of rock and tree a short distance off. Both girls looked towards the noise, There between the two girls and the huge basin of water from the waterfall another huge creature bounded through the underbrush. It looked perfect, copying the look and movments of the first dragon perfectly. As it reached them it stepped over the image of Selene to stand at kira's side. 

     "WOW.....This thing is kind of cool actuall. " Kira said, and in response Selene nodded. The two dragons stood stationary, the only prove that they were anything more then great blue statues coming every few seconds as the creatures took a long deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "So...What do we do with it now?" Kira asked once more. Her question was met in true Selene fashion. he great dragon behind the scythe of sorrow's avatar reared back it's head to let out a great roar. It lunged forward, one of it's great claws pushing forward to strike at Kira's dragon, aimed just to the left and below the defending dragon's left armpit. Kira snapped into action, giving her own water dragon jutsu the command to defend. It drew one of it's own claws quickly to clash with Selene's jutsu. Another claw came out to strike at Kira's dragon but once more the jtusu was stopped mid swing by another mighty fist. It's scaled hands were crushed inward now in a way that she was fairly certain would break the victim's wrist, whether it be via creature attacks or the downward crushing force the defending dragon was giving the girl. 

      Kira nodded, figuring out quickly that the time for talking and teaching was upon us. Kira's dragon pushed against the attacking monster with it's great head slamming into the other water dragon's chest with a power of eighty and a speed of sixety. She noticed right away that the jutsu was fairly slow, even if not by assumptions. The attacking dragon stumbled backwards after the impact, barelly keeping it's footing before moving another step forward. Next Kira's dragon lashed out with it's only other means of defense, The two claws pushed forward to the water dragon jutsu. The two attacks slammed against the dragon's chest, carving out great chunks of watery flesh which released from their semi solid form the moment they were torn from the jutsu. "Hm....Interesting. :" She studied the damage done to the dragon, and then made a small note that bits of the dragon turned direcly back into normal water the moment it left the control of her chakra. The power of the jutsu was amazing, she thought to herself, though it could very well be partially because of the rediculous strength of her chakra. 

     "Excelent. Now......You understand the speed and power of the jutsu as well as it's ability to take damage. You must now allow your physical body to do the effect." WIth that the world around her seemed to ripple. Both of the dragons disappeared from her view as the forest seemed to warp itself back out of existence. Soon the world was pitch black, though only moments after that of course her eyes seemed to open and she was back in reality, shivering slightly at the cold of the jtusu. "Goddess....This ground sucks really bad to sit on. " She said before continuing to her origional train of thought. "Right....The water dragon jutsu. I need to perform it. " she thought back to her training, trying to remember the hand seals she'd used within the ficticious world they'd creatued within which to trian. Her hands slid together slowly to form the seals finally. "Ox Monkey Hare Rat Boar Bird.". she thought for another moment before deciding that this was infact the seals. she signed each cautiously. She'd seen the jutsu used in terrfying efficiency some time back, though she couldn't for the life of her tell you exactly win or lose. It was always an unfortunate situation but she would power through. As she finished the last seal, a single bird seal, she molded chakra within her stomah and turned her attention to the snow beside her. From the snow two great claws seemed to be formed incredibly small and out of clay. She poured more chakra into the jutsu and sure enough, from the great snow around them a huge chineese style dragon pulled intself into infinity. It rose up incredibly tall, a fact that she had just noticed maybe five to ten minutes ago but a fact never the less that was fairly dwarfed in real life. 

     "Alright...So I made the damn thing. Now what do I do?" Selene shook her head, opting for the agressive maneuver once more, which didn't surprise the dark goddess this time as much as it had the first. The dragon controled by selene lifted a heavy claw to slash at the other water dragon, it's sharp pointed claws aimed at the dragon's neck. Kira's dragon moved solely based on instinct, or so it seemed. She was certain that even if it were a jutsu it couldn't think for itself in order to attack and as such it was impossible that this thing didn't move based on her mental thought. She called out to the water dragon jutsu in her mind, allowing her chakra to pulse through the creature and hoping that this would cause the creature to move to block just as it had in her dreams. The two creatures clashed, and as they did a heavy spray of water drenched the battle field. Neither dragon still stood to tell the tale, each strike being returned with equal force instead of being blocked. 

     "That is about how it works Kid. You move it by moving your chakra, be careful of course. It looks like you understand the concept at least. " Selene was more then satisfied with the way the girl learned her jutsu. Kira had always been an incredibly quick learner she supposed but this jutsu, especially due to it's enormous size she expected would be more dificult. "Alright. Do you think you have a handle on this jutsu child?" Selene asked a question she already had the answer to. Of course the gril was prepared and ready to simply use the jutsu. To kira it wasn't terribly dificult. She studied the seals as the spirit of her scythe spoke and after having the hand seals all she needed to do was mold her chkara, which she did with little effort. 

(TWC 3003 requesting 3k towards water dragon jutsu and 15 stats. ))

"Now child. We must get the last few bits of your training finished up. This will be something more your speed I assure you. Summon Sorrow...." Kira looked down for a moment, remember that before they left the physical plane to go into their etherial training zone she'd heard the call of sorrow, that horrifying blood curdling scream that let the world know she would now be joining the fight, but as she searched the snow for her weapon she found it gone. It most have been desummoned as a part of the process by which she returned to the physical world, she thought to herself. "Sorrow......Cry havoc. Release within me the power of the full weight this world bares down on me. Bring out in this world the pain of the masses, the few and many. Allow their cries to not be in vane as I use their weakness as my own power. " At her command the enormous domia scythe came back into being, first manifesting as a long stripe of dark purple energy. After only a couple of moments the dark colored energy flashed bright white and the scythe came into being, held in her left hand with the base of the great weapon set against the snow to her left side. The metal felt good in her hands, almost warm amongst this frigid infinity. She thought back to the times she'd held this weapon, her source of strength, and the only protection she'd had up until the point when she'd met Youka in the land hidden by the rain. "Good. Now activate the mark. We must train to master it. All this will take is using it in combat and as such we will simply spar but know that we will fight as if we have everything to lose and nothing to gain. If you slip up I shall kill you and all of this will be for naught. Show me what you have child. " As she spoke the secondary unlock hatred formed in her hands. A disk of dark blue energy formed around her left arm just below the wrist and from it a long line of almost shadow like energy of the same blue color flowed down towards the ground. As it touched against the ground, curling uppon itself a few times it rose back up to connect with the line of energy held in her right hand. Once the weapon was fully connected it too flashed into existence, a pitch black shield that doubled as a chakram strapped to her off hand as the sword gleamed with a flash of silver and black in her right. 

      Kira nodded, seeing the weapon form in her opponents hand. She called out to the mark across her arm, and as she did she felt a warm feeling envelop her body. Her body felt more powerful immediately, her chakra and speed raised by twenty stat points temporarily and brought up to one hundred and five for her chakra and ninety one for her speed. Her chakra pool felt much more powerful, almost back to it's normal levels she noticed, and after turning the weapon a few times she found that her body seemed to move more swiftly aslo. "Wow. " To be honest this was the first time she'd actually used this jutsu since it'd been drawn on her body and infused with her chakra. she spent an incredible ammount of time just pouring energy into it, fighting with it, and doing anything she could think of to allow the mark to bond with her body and learn her stengths so that it would have the ability to offer her it's strength and protection but she'd not yet had the chance, or moreso reason to test it out.She was more then happy with the results. This was exactly the feeling she'd felt the first time she'd activated the mark under youka. It was an almost intoxicating sense of power that filled her with confidence. Once the weapon was formed the two girls nodded to one another and the fight began. Kira lifted the large chained spiked ball portion of her weapon up by the heavy gage chain that dangled at her side. With a heavy tug she began to spin it about, quickly gaining speed. 

      Interesting, Selene thought. She is going to begin right off with the range. It was a good plan she supposed. There was a good chance that the scythe would allow her, if used correctly to stop her opponent from ever closing the distance. Kira knew that in a fight of sword and shield versus the enormous curved weapon she would lose. The sword was much faster and the scythe easilly able to be deflected away. If she didn't hit the first strike then she would be in serious trouble, and she knew that her opponent was good. This wasn't just some fighter wielding her weapon. This woman before her was not only the strongest wielder of the three forms of sorrow, but she was actually the scythe itself. This meant she would need to strategize. As the chained ball finally got fully up to speed, taking only four or five rotations before it was moving  quite rapidly, Kira shifted her wrist and turned it's trajectory quickly. The ball followed it's up stroke normally before turning downward to head towards her legs as it flowed down towards the ground. It slid between her legs, coming dangerously close to actually hitting her before sliding between her open stance to flow behind her. Just as it slid past her body she lifted her right leg, turning the toe up to roll it quickly around the chain of her weapon to create a small loop. around two feet behind her the ball stopped it's momentum due to the loop like hook she'd created and with a great thrust of her leg she kicked the ranged missile towards her opponent. It traveled strait as an arrow towards selene's chest with killing intent. The older woman knew the power of that weapon, She knew Kira's strength and calculating it along with the speed at which the ball moved she realized she would not realistically block it. She could of course soak the blow by pulling the shield up however the one hundred and thirty five sharpness of the attack and brute force of the enormous ball coming at her would crack the shield of hatred in half and send her flying back. She pushed off against the ground to rush forward, turning her body slightly to move to the side a bit as she ran. The ball floated safely past her as she closed the distance of five meters moving incredibly swiftly.  

    Shit, Kira thought. Of course the woman would dodge it. She had to keep her cool. She reached her outstretched hand to grasp the chain, baring down hard and looping her hand around it to stop the balls momentum and with a swing of her hand she redirected it to turn the weapon on a deep curve back towards her. With a quck tug she pulled the weapon from it's circular motion to come back towards her and as that was done she released the chain. her full body was put into the tug, her shoulder rolling back as she braced her feet to put as much power in as possible, causing it to almost come strait back towards her, turned just enough that it would end around a foot to her right side. As this happened her hand would release with the movement finalized and grip the scythe itself. She spun once, the ringing of chains filling the arena. Selene was now around two and a half meters from her but she had a plan. She released the scythe blade with another loud sound of metal on metal, sending it in an arc to intercept with her opponent. the blade would hold the same power and speed, coming in with a sharpness of one hundred and thirty five which was terrifying to say the least. her hands gripped the staff which had movement of the chain on both ends as one weapon returned and the other flew towards her opponent. Each ranged attack moved swiftly, having a speed of one hundred and ten that allowed the ball to pass between the two at the one meter mark. Kira reached out her hand as the two chains crossed, the scythe blade bearly in the fatal range for selene who was yet to move out of it's path. At the last second Selene ducked, the blade passing harmlessly above her head. She lost  quite a bit of her speed unfortunately but she was alive which was important considering. The ball passed Kira finally just as Selene got into range and she caught the chain once more, this time with only about two feet of slack and as she did she slid to the side and her body spun once to redirect the momentum. The ball whipped around her body once to cross over her shoulder just as Selene's heels dug into the ground to shift her momentum and get back into range of her oppoent who had put around a meter between them easilly. 

     "Not bad Kid. you're fighting seriously. I respect that. " The two girls studied one another in a game of mental chess that was fought out as their physical battle continued. Selene drew the sword back before lashing out but Kira had an answer. The ball came around just as the sword came out, threatening to take her arm clear off as she stabbed towards the Hell's angel. Selene responded quickly by turning her body outwardly, her sword arm bracing for the movement as it flared around her body and away from her opponent to get back into range. With the staff back on the ground and her opponent in melee range she knew she was in quite a bit of trouble. The sword strike came back, this time in the form of a downward strike that would easilly have sliced through her shoulder were it allowed to hit. Kira's now free hand gripped the weapon once more quickly, thrusting it foward as the sword came in for it's slash. the two met with the staff catching the flat of the blade to turn it away from her body. It floated past her harmlessly to her left side. This was where things would get interesting. her left hand released the staff for a spit second to grasp the chain moving away from her swiftly, the one attacked to the scthe blade and with a turn and a tug it was now moving back towards her in a deep arc. As she did she spun her own body in order to increase her momentum. The next two swords strikes were met with the free tip of her staff, which pushed foward to catch Selene's arm and push it away, easilly diffusing the power of the gir's strike. each strike was a bit more powerful until the last strike was at her full strength, threatening to break the girl's wrist. Selene turned her wrist over, curving the blade in an arc downward that dipped her hand just under the staff to float past her body on the left side easilly. As it finished it's curved she brought it back down again, this time aiming for Kira's left shoulder with a high cross. The scythe finally made it's way back into range as the next strike came. She had to strategize the movements perfectly. She caught the blade just a few inches past it's curved sharpened edge and with a turn of her wrist pulled it towards her, the odd shaped blade losing momentum quickly. She moved foward in a lunge, watching the tip of the sword carefully. If she missed this even in the slightest it would end in death, she thought to herself. The blade hit her shoulder on the flat side, part one coming into play exactly as she'd hoped. 

     As soon as she felt the metal she moved her body, ensuring that the blade would not bounce off before it did it's worth. She turned her right shoulder downard to spin, lifting herself off the ground as she performed a fake crane kick that closed the distance further at an odd angle. The blade caught her shoulder as it turned away from the attack, metal ringing against other metal which gave her just enough power and defense to push the stike away from her body without slicing into the soft meat of her shoulder. her left hand reached out, letting go of it's hold on the staff to allow it to fall to the earth for only a minute. Her left foot hooked around the staff portion of her weapon quickly, catching it and holding it up as she turned and with a slight shift of her heel it was thurst back into her awaiting hands which closed down quickly. She was now set up just to the side of slene and far out of her attack range. Her body continued to spin, part of her signature Hyper dance style. the blade, now on a much much shorter leash came around behind her as she turned. As her opponent came back into view Kira let the weapon loose, aiming it to cut the girl's arm in half. The attack was strait verticle, and the dispacement of selene's attack caused problems. her shield arm crossed over her sword arm quickly, catching the chained blade at an odd angle that allowed it to glance off, and as soon as the crash of metal on metal was heard she turned to spin once more, uncrossing her arms as she prepared for her next attack. The scythe flashed purple and disappeared as the sword came around for it's next scythe. Kira desummoned it quickly only to summon it once more reformed and ready for her. She shifted her body off to the side, rolling her left shoulder under her center of gravity quickly to barelly dodge the attack, and as she finally set up once more, pushing back to move away quickly the scythe came back into being, landing in her awaiting palms. 

      "Very good Kid. You aren't allowing me the chance to get a good strike. It also helps that that cursed mark is increasing your stats. " Selene spoke quickly as she too jumped backwards to put distance between the two so that they can set up for another round. 

(TWC 2434))

As the scythe spirit moved back the demon of chance along with the hells angel came I to sync. "Alright kid, let's show her what we can do together. Were going to combine our fighting styles. Just follow me lead." The girl nodded to seemingly nothing at all as the voice in her head spoke of strategy. As Selene jumped back Kira lunged forward, closing the small bit of distance to be the aggressor in this round of combat. She flashed the scythe blade in a figure eight around each side of selene's body, just inches from her, causing the girl to shift her blade before she watched to movement with her eyes. Noticing the feints she pulled her sword a back in to set up for a stab at Kira's chest as the scythe went around.

   She's good, Selene thought biding her time for a moment as the blade made it's second pass. She knew she needed to wait until the weapon was clear of her body for fear of a change in the second strike that her counter would walk her I t, severing her body easily in half and ending the spa there. As the blade passed her left shoulder she lunged forward, the distance Kira's reach kept on her no longer a factor and thrust the blade to Kira's sternum. The attack was countered beautifully as Kira's left hand left the scythe, letting it flare to the side away from her body giving her much needed momentum which she used with terrifying precision. Her body flowed backwards, bending back to dodge the strike as she flipped head over heels, her right leg coming up in the backflip to send a kick at the flat of the sword of hatred to knock it away. Her power along with the angle of the strike proved too much for Selene as her wrist buckled, loosing the sword which flies away from her to clang against the ground five meters away.

   "Shit" Selene spoke, her eyes turning to the weapon as it flew towards the ground out of her reach. . Her arm was pushed all the way across her body as a defensive measure to protect her thin wrist from snapping under the force, using momentum to displace the power of Kira's strike in a way that was incredibly unfortunate for her. As she struggled to regain her footing and take up defence once more Kira's feet touched down against the ground for a split second before she pushed off ok the toes of her feet to move swiftly forward again and make up the distance. Kira knew she would be fine as long as she didn't give her opponent the chance to regain her weapon, the advantage the small melee weapon had over her gone as it laid in the snow well out of reach, and she knew it was important to capitalize on this,

"Excellent. Now we need to keep her from getting hatred sword back and watch for the chakram. It won't be terribly useful as a defensive weapon most likely so she'll be looking for a time when she can throw it to regain her advantage shift to her right side to put yourself between her and the blade and keep pushing the attack but give yourself enough distance that a chakram throw would be did gable. " she followed the words exactly, though amber had little need to actually speak them. Their minds worked in perfect unison as they fought, each idea coming to both consciousnessses at the same time. She shifted her body to move herself to the side just as suggested, bringing the scythe blade strait down on selene's right shoulder. The spirit of the scythe of sorrow brought the shield upto set on the attack location, not moving it until moments before the wicked curved weapon was prepared to cut through it. As it came down she shifted her knee to turn the shield at an angle and pushed off. The blade met the shield on it's flat and she pushed it away easily, sending it out to her side and causing Kira to grip the weapon tightly to avoid losing it as her opponent lost her own weapon. As she brought the scythe back around to reset Selene moved forward to throw a quick kick at the girl's mid section , the blade of her foot extended to strike the center of her stomach with heavy force. Kira curled her body in, bending her back in a way that sent her airborn, as she lost footing. She fell to the gound, rolling several times with the scythe raised a bit to bounce off of the snow covered earth but her opponents attack once more barely missed her.

   Kira scrambled to get up the moment she stopped moving. Her body hurt quite a bit from the collision with the ground which she was certain without the thick protective plates of her armor would have cause significant damage to her body. As usually she was far more then thankful for the technologies of Sakura corp. Selene reached down to pull the chain attached to her sword, drawing it back with a heavy jerk. As it came within range she turned her body to dodge the metal projectile, extending an arm to grasp the weapon by the holtX each action happened in unison causing Kira to be back on her feet and preparing to continue the fight just as the sword was caught and brought back down to a defensive possition by the spirit of her scythe sorrow of humanity.

    "Once more" Selene spoke any hint of interest or kindness lost in her tone. This fight was to be serious and she knew it. Kira tested her body for a few moments to ensure she'd not harmed something in the fall, but each piece of her body reacted exactly how it was intended. The next round continued without word or signal. The two simply locked eyes, killing intent meeting the will to survive and began their fatal dance once more.  Kira rocked back in her stance, allowing Selene to be the aggressor this time around and putting the power of her eyes and the skills of her analytic mind to work. Each movement of selene's body came in almost a sense of still phrame, the subtle shifts of every body part or muscle group easily noticeable thanks to the sleed she seemed to move. The next attack was another quick thrust meant to bury the tip of Jarred's sword into her stomach but slower then usual. As she moved her arms to put the scythe I to position she noticed the smallest shift in her opponents hips, and recognized what was going on. She shifted her block pushing the two hands holding the great curved weapon strait downward and as she did she released the back half which fell towards the ground near her right foot. The sword was easily knocked away, an event Selene not only expected but banked on however the next exchange surprised her. Kira planted the base of the weapon in the snow as Selene shifted her weight to kick at Kira with her left leg in a lunging front kick and the scythe rose up under her strike, lifting her leg up and over Kira's shoulder and out of harms way. The after effect was Selene doing a vertical split as Kira pushed in on the attack before finally pushing off and sending her opponent flying backwards and to the ground hlpless. Before she had the chance to land however Kira began her counter attack, continuing her rush forward to pepper the girl's body with punches only half of which the woman could move the shield latched I to her left arm around to block. As she hit the ground she was stunned for a moment by the shock of the counter and the repeated strikes to her torso. At least eleven hits connected before she was given the chance to call back by a proud standing Kira who offered her an almost cocky smile.

(Twc 3788)

Selene pushed off of the ground with her left arm to raise back to her feet. She had definitely gotten the bad end of that exchange, she thought to herself, but then analyzed exactly how she'd been caught so far off gaurd. Of course, she thought. She knew the firl's perception was terrifyingly effective but she had forgotten just how much so. To Kira the world moved naturally in slow motion, each movement taken in and analyzed in a fraction of a second and she'd given the girl just enough time to notice the small shift in weight that made her attack possible. This was a mistake she wouldn't make again. Once she was certain her body wasn't broken and she was ok to continue, which took a bit considering the pain that resonated through he chest making it hard to breathe or even think, she set up in her stance once more to signal to Kira that they could in fact continue. She would take the defensive possition this time as Kira had before. Her head still swam from the flurry of powerful punches that she'd just taken and she needed to let the haze of confusion release from her tired body and mind.

"Kira, this time the attack won't be so easy. She's allowing you to strike but beware, on defense she still has superior protection and a much faster weapon. If you get into a bind you'll have to use the shadow sewing or shielding jutsu to get yourself out of it. " ambers words filled her mind and though they were all thing she knew before hand she still took the advice to heart. She would need to strike carefully while she waited for the perfect opening. The strategy was much more difficult while on offense of course but she was certain that she could handle it. She rushed forward just as before to stop just within range. Once more the blade came down on her opponent in a figure right that was set to barely miss, baiting the counter from her opponent but this time things would end differently. Selene watched the blade pass her right arm at a fairly high speed, waiting for the second strike to pass before moving in again. She expected this to be a bait and prepared to meet feint to feint in hopes of throwing her her opponent and confusing her. She thrust forward, this time at an upward angle to slip under the bottom of Kira's ribs, knowing just as her opponent did that if it hit she would slip past any form of resistance to bury the weapon deep into the girls vital organs but this time she pushed the attack at full strength. Her foot hooked around the chain that set at her feet in a single movement easily missed by the naked eye. She expected a disarm from the ordeal and held contingencies to stop helplessness as the sword left her hand. As the blade came towards her Kira pulled her arms into her chest, whipping the tip of her domia scythe upwards before thrusting the base back down. It caught the sword in the center of it's flat side, right where the steel dipped inward to allow bold to run down the blade and the force knocked the weapon easily from her hands, a strike that was assisted by Selene releasing the blade moments before contact was made. It flew strait downward like an arrow to bite into the earth burrying over a foot of it's blade into the snow where it stood strait up in the ground. As the sword fell she kicked the chain up, catching it in her both hands to slide her skin against the cold metal to allow two feet of slack between the left and right hand hold. As soon as Kira's strike connected and pushed through she dipped the scythe blade down to keep up the downward momentum and bring the terrifyingly sharp blade down on selene's left shoulder, her bottom arm pulling in to pivot the weapon and increase her power. The blade met chain with a loud flame of etherial steel against steel but Selene kept her hands apart and one higher then the other. The force of her attack was disrupted easily as the scythe slid down the chain and off to the side thanks to a swift movement on selene's part. As the weapon slid the defending woman curled the chain around her wrist so thst the blade would meet chain the whole way down and as it hit her hand it bounced a couple of inches but then continued to glance off to the side. Kira struggled to bring her weapon back up as it's downward momentum finally ceased but released the scythe as Selene began to strike I'm the same way she had just. She moved quickly forward as her opponent fought to keep hold of her weapon once more and more importantly bring it back I to a striking position. As she heard her enemy's foot steps coming quickly towards her she released the scythe to allow it to fall to the earth at their feet.

Sorrow was light thanks to it's material components, or lack there of as it was a blade forged of magic steel that was as dense as lead but light as aluminum, which was both a positive and a negative given the circumstances. This was one of the few situations where it worked to her advantage. As it fell Kira brought her fists up striking the side of each of selene's attacks with a knife hand block that seemed almost too quick. Had she been wearing anything but the full body savar suit it would be evident that the mark kiru had given her was now stretching across her entire shoulder and chest, weaving a black tribal pattern across her body as she shifted it to stage to granting her an increase in speed and chakra higher then before. When Selene figured it out t was far too late to do anything about it. Her palms faces the girl with each block, pushing attack after attack out of the way and putting more and more force into the disruption until the final two shots pushed selene's arms completely out of her core, opening her chest completely to Kira's counter attack.

"Now I've got you" Kira spoke taking another round of swings at Selene as punishment for overestimating her. Without the shield to block Selene could only close her eyes wincing in pain as strike after strike rained down on her defenseless body calling out a fine mist of blood from her lips. The flurry was stronger this time, though whether she'd been holding back for fear of a counter or because she felt the need to go easy on the spirit was unsure, but each punch now felt like it pounded through her very being to rip out the other side of her skin. At least one of my ribs is broken, Selene thought to herself as she fell to her knees, her eyes unfocused as her body trembles falling forward into the snow. The cold ground felt amazing, after the I initial impact of course, which could only be described in terms of the feeling you get when one of your bones is being forced out of your skin from the other side. She laid there for several minutes before her body became enveloped in a dark purple energy that Flores from head to foot down her body like a cloak, covering her exposed skin completely and hiding it from view.

"Oh my god Selene are you ok!?" Kira asked rushing to her sode. The moment she reached her she dropped her knees into the snow to help the girl rol over into her bac, her momentum being met only with a pain filled groan and sharp wincing from the spirit of sorrow. "Selene I'm so sorry I think I went to far oh my god oh my god oh my god I'm soooo sorry. Please say something" the glow coming off of the woman's frame continued to grow, an almost dark light that raised the question if and how it could be light at all. Selene never spoke. She drew shallow breaths punctuated by a wheeze that suggested a bone, most likely one of her ribs, had slid in to pierce her lung taking a better point of the life giving oxygen away from her body. After a few moments the glowing body seemed to shatter like diamond dust, and the microscopic fragments of the woman slid into the pure white snow where they were lost forever. Kira dropped her head I to her hands to weep but was interupted by a familiar voice.

"Do not wep for my body. The body you fight can be broken but I am ethereal and immortal child. Still.....thst was some hell of a punch kid. You have grown incredibly since we first joined up again I'm the outskirts of ame....it seems she has been able to achieve a perfect synchronization with you also. These are all incredibly good news. I did not expect you to shift to the second level of your cursed mark. That was my downfall to be sure. " Kira's attention was brought immediately to the mark she'd activated and the incredible power it had given her.

"Yea the second level of the mark is pretty strong. It gave me the same increases but at more then double the original level's potency which allowed me to manipulate the opening you gave me. " as she spoke selene's eyes scanned the ground almost like there was a precious item missing from her sight. To be honest it was a bit embaracement to admit that she'd been bested by the girl, the same girl whom she had spent so much time protecting.

"Yes. I noticed the increase too late but you collapsed through and preserved your own life exactly how I expected and hoped, remember that it is imperative that in a real battle you are not swayed from the goal of protecting those you care for no matter how much the enemy pleads. You have done well." As she spoke she bent down to scoop something from the ground at her feet where she was. Within her hand, which was evident as she opened it to offer sight of the object to the demon of chance and hells angel who inhabited the same body, was a small fragment of metal that looked familiar.

"Wha....what is it?" Kira looked at the item now offered to her with eyes thst would question the cosmos feed paranoia. Her question was answered after a few moments but not by selene.

Behind her the dark goddess amber herself seemed to appear out of nothing. She stood calmly in a long flowing black dress with her hair, which was blonde this time and reached down her back to stop just before her butt, flowing free behind her. "This is the key to our final unlock. The last piece of sorrow's arsenal the twin daggers know as disdain. The power of sorrow has always been in it's versility. The weapon has forms to fit your needs no matter the circumstances. With this you will be able to forge the close quarters u lock and with the trinity available the weapon's true power can be reached."

(Twc 5701)

"Understood." Her head swam with the thoughts of what this new strength could give her. She needed to take time to go find the materials or a sword smith to craft the etherial weapon. She supposed she would make it herself as she had the last two, crafting each piece with care to ensure the weapon was perfectly tailored to her needs. "So what now?"

"Now we finish this training. You have fought to your fullest under the effects of the seal, unlocking it's power. Now you must allow your heart rate to slow. Let the mark take note of your body at rest and finish the last bits of it's study of your form. Once it gets a good feel for you in all states while active you will be able to master this tech and move on to the next task." Kira nodded. She allowed the chakra to flow through her body, feeling the pulsing of her energies as it moved through her body. She shifted the chakra through each appendage making use to fill the entirety of her body piece by piece, she did at least until she was stopped.

"Kira stop. Thst is uneccisary. Just let the energy flow naturally. You need to be in a state of rest not deep meditation. Just talk. Have you spoken to maku and youka since the illeness went away?" The question bothered her. She realized quickly that she'd not actually had the chance to check in with her team mates due to the efforts it took to heal her body from the brink of death.

"Um.....no actually. I really need to check in on them. Perhaps we should finish this later. Or better I'll finish this up on my own I really have to go, " as she spoke she pushed off of the ground to get to her feet quickly heading out of the area and back to the village.

(Twc 6015 claiming mastery of specter mark and 30 stats))

Approved for appropriate rewards