Authors Note: Thanks to Luke-1539 for proofing this.

Disclaimer: Halo, Sangheili and Rtas belong to Bungie Studios. However, Original Characters, like Zeno, belong to me.

Chapter 4: Sword Training

Miko went into tour guide mode again on the way to the dock, where the phantoms that would take them to the Seeker of Truth were waiting for them. There were mostly minors on the phantom they boarded, though there were a couple of other specops and a zealot as well. The fellow specops gave him a curious look, no doubt because they didn't recognize him. Zeno suspected he'd be getting a number of those looks initially, until he was introduced formally.

As the phantom lifted off, Zeno suffered a bit of paranoia. He kept looking at the zealot on board, to confirm he was not Yuteri. Eventually he forced himself to stare at the floor instead. "Have a problem with zealots?" Miko asked quietly.

"After what I went through, can you blame me?" Zeno responded.

"No I suppose not. Do not worry. The ship that particular zealot is on is not part of this fleet. So the chances of meeting up with him are slim indeed."

"That is almost disappointing, actually," Zeno confessed. "I would love to see the look on his face when he sees I not only survived, but became a specops."

"As would I, Zeno," Miko said with a chuckle. "As would I."

The rest of the ride was uneventful and soon they were disembarking in one of the hanger bays of the Seeker of Truth. "Let us go to our quarters first," Miko said as the left the hanger bay. "Then I'll give you a brief tour."

"Great…Another tour," Zeno said mockingly.

"I am not going to talk your ear holes of this time," Miko said, sounding slightly insulted. "Just show you the important areas. Like where the showers, mess and training rooms are."

"And how do I know you will not go into a tirade about who did what in certain rooms?"

"Uh…"

"Thought so," Zeno grinned broadly.

"Warso." Miko punched him in the arm.

They arrived at their room a few moments later. It looked largely the same as the one on High Charity, minus a full bath. And one other important thing, or rather, lack of….

"Miko…There is only one bed in here…," Zeno said, his eyes widening.

Miko's face turned a very deep shade of purple. "Oh Forerunners…I have been without a partner for so long I had them take out the spare bed."

"Well I am not about to sleep in the same bed as you, or sleep on the floor for that matter!"

Miko looked almost disappointed. "Do not worry, I will get this fixed. I just hope the requisition office has not…Um…Reassigned the bed yet."

"Best go check quickly."

"Right, right." Miko left quickly, almost running, toward where ever the requisition office was. Zeno sighed and put the sets of clothing that were purchased earlier in the dresser on his side of the room.

"I see Miko went against Anko's recommendation to not remove the other bed." A familiar voice said. Zeno turned to see Sub-Commander Rtas in the doorway.

"Apparently so, sub-commander," Zeno said with a sigh. "I am assuming that was the only hint he gave him that he has a new partner."

"Most likely and I am surprised he did not catch on. But I suppose as long as he has been without a partner, he assumed he would never have one again."

"Assuming is never a good thing, I am told. You certainly got back here quickly sub-commander."

"The last individual I needed to find was not far from where I bumped into you two," Rtas explained. "What are you two planning on doing after settling back in?"

"Miko was going to show me around the ship, sir, but it seems he will be busy trying to get another bed for the time being. I take it you want do put me through more training?"

Rtas shook his head. "Unfortunately I have other duties to attend to today. Besides, I believe you are strong enough to take part of the daily training regimen with the rest of the troops now. I would also encourage you to train on your time as well.

"As for finding your way around the ship, I can show you a few key areas on the way to performing my other duties, if you prefer."

"I would greatly appreciate it, sir," Zeno said. "I know you will not talk my ear holes off in the process."

Rtas chuckled deeply and beckoned for him to follow.

Rtas was indeed short and to the point during his own, short, tour of the ship. As he didn't have time like he said, he just showed him the key areas closest to Zeno's quarters. This included the mess, training room and two different shower halls. "What is the difference between the two shower halls, sir?" he asked. "If there is any that is."

"The first one I showed you is an open bay shower," Rtas explained. "Which you are surely familiar with during your time as a minor."

Zeno nodded, remembering all too well the sheer lack of privacy in that style of shower hall. Lack of privacy and open invitation for his unnatural thoughts to surface, which lead up to the trouble he had with Field Master Yuteri "Yes, I am, sir. And the other one?"

"That is the officers shower hall. It has individual stalls with curtains or doors for added privacy. All specops and those of ultra rank and higher are permitted to use it."

"So there is the chance I may end up meeting the supreme commander in there," Zeno mused, mostly to himself. "Who is the current supreme commander?"

"Thel 'Vadamee," Came the response. "He has only held the position for about a year, but has already proven himself a capable, strong leader."

Zeno wanted to ask him if he knew how Thel felt about people like him, but decided it would be inappropriate. He figured he would likely find out soon enough anyway, so he opted to change the subject. "Will there be any training at all today, sir?"

"Today, no: with everyone preparing to depart there is little point to scheduling a training session. You are free to train on your own if you wish today, in fact I would encourage you to."

"I may just do that, sir. Who knows how long it will take Miko to get another bed."

"If he fails to obtain one today, let me or the commander know: we will happily assign him temporary sleeping arrangements until he succeeds." There was a slight smirk on Rtas' face.

Zeno could not help but laugh at that.

After he and Rtas parted ways, Zeno returned to the training room he was shown earlier. It wasn't quite as big as the one on High Charity, but it was still impressive. What caught Zeno's eye more though was the array of different weapons hanging on the racks on the walls. There were weapons of many styles, ranging from staves, lances, double bladed and single bladed swords It looks like every weapon known to Sangheili is here…, he thought with awe as he browsed the racks. Maybe…just maybe… Zeno started searching the racks thoroughly, looking for one specific weapon.

He found it after some effort and he plucked the hilt of the Kisen blade off the rack as if it was the most valuable thing in the room. To him, it was the most valuable thing. At last, after so many months, he held the blade of his keep in his hand again. With a purr, he ignited the blade, noting how the plasma was a different color. Understandable, as this was most likely meant for training, not actual combat: it wouldn't do for someone practicing to accidently cut their own limbs off after all. He also noted that the blade was a slightly different style, with the bottom blade coming out more to a point on the front. No matter, that didn't affect how the weapon was used.

Zeno started performing the basic katas he was taught back home and was pleased to find that his body still remembered despite the abuse it had been put through. He put himself through the motions again and again, feeling at home with this blade. Closing his eyes, he could almost see Kou coaching him, telling him not only what he was doing wrong, but what he was doing right.

He was so wrapped up in his practicing and memories, that he didn't even realize he was being watched.

"Interesting weapon of choice," a voice said suddenly.

Zeno, half out of being startled, half out of reflex, swung around, his weapon leading. The moment he recognized the speaker he stopped his attack, inches from Commander Anko's face. "Excellent control," the commander said, not even flinching.

"C-c-commander!" Zeno dropped his blade as he staggered back a couple of paces in shock. The weapons safety feature activated and turned itself off before it even hit the ground. Wordlessly, Anko knelt down, picked up the weapon and turned it over in his hands a few times.

"Kisen blade is its name, if my memory serves me, correct?" Zeno nodded silently. "A rather non-traditional weapon for our people."

"It was the traditional weapon of the nomads, from whom my line originates, commander," Zeno explained once the shock of his commander having startled him like that wore off. "Many in my keep prefer to use it over the traditional energy sword."

"I see," Anko turned it on experimentally, studying the blades orientation before turning it off again and handing it back to Zeno. "What is the purpose of the bottom blade? It seems to be in an awkward position for a battle."

Either Anko truly didn't know or he was testing him. Either way, Zeno knew it was best to answer honestly. "Defense mainly, sir, though it can used offensively if the right opportunity arises."

"Hmmm…Show me."

Before Zeno could explain that he had only seen the such a move a few times, let alone perform it himself, Anko ignited his own blade and attacked. Zeno was forced to reignite his blade quickly and fend of his commander's attacks. At the same time he thought feverishly, searching through his memories, trying to recall the circumstance that would be the trigger for the move.

Will not get it by being defensive, he suddenly remembered. Yes, that is right. The opponent must do a downward parry, at least for the move I know of. That of course required him to actually do some attacking of his own, so with little choice he did.

Anko took his attacks in stride, blocking and parrying easily. It took a while to actually coax the right parry out of the commander: whether that was due to Anko's experience or not was hard to tell. When he did, Zeno quickly brought up his elbow in an upward arc, the bottom blade leading. In the heat of the moment, Zeno forgot to actually hold back, his attack striking the commander on the side of the head. Anko's shields took the blow easily, but the shock on Anko's face was evident: he was clearly taken by surprise. When Zeno realized what had happened, he quickly backed off.

"Ah…." Anko said once the shock wore off, turning off his blade: Zeno did the same. "So it is more of a counter move."

"This one is at least, sir."

"There are more like that?"

"Yes sir, but I had not been shown the others."

"Why is that? I find it odd that your keep did not show you all relevant moves prior to your departure."

Zeno took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. He didn't want to lie to Anko, especially considering how kind and understanding he has been with him. Yet he felt very uncomfortable revealing his shame. "When my uncle discovered what I was, he forbade me from further training. I only know as much as I do because my kaidon stepped in and continued it when he could."

Anko made a noise deep in his throat and turned to one side, his arms now folded across his chest. "So your uncle, denied you the training you deserved simply because you were different and only your kaidon saw the how wrong that was?"

"He and my sister, sir," Zeno corrected. "Though in my sister's case there was little she could do about it."

"I am surprised he did not try to use his position to force your uncle to continue your training."

"I think he suspected he would have been more likely to get me killed, sir…," Zeno said quietly. "Considering my uncle actually did try to kill me when he caught me practicing once."

"Your kaidon sounds like a man with a good sense of perception and views similar to my own."

"You do remind me of him a lot, sir."

Anko smiled, turning back toward him. "Then it is an honor that I do." Zeno felt himself blush a little at that. "You have the potential to be a great swordsman, Zeno, but you have a lot of work to do. For instance, your form when performing that counter…" The commander stepped forward and pointed out a scorch mark on his left shoulder piece. "That was from your own blade: if your sword had been a real one, you likely would have severed your own arm."

Zeno felt the blood drain from his face when he realized that. "In truth sir, that was the first time I performed that move myself."

"Then you are especially fortunate that you were using the training version of the blade. Many rookies gravely injured themselves trying new moves when using real blades. There are two other things I feel I should point out as well."

"What are those, sir?"

"First, have your shield systems active at all times when training with the sword, even with the training ones. It will help you know when your form is still hazardous to your own well-being."

"Noted sir. And the other?"

"Second, your other arm: you have a hard time keeping it out of harms way. I could have severed it severed it several times if I had wished." Zeno subconsciously rubbed his arm, shivering. "You either need to tame its desire to be removed from your person, or keep it busy with something else."

"That is right…," Zeno said, remembering something. "The Kisen is usually paired with a shield, or another Kisen. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to start on either road."

"Then your training is only half done. We need to rectify that." Anko said. "But which path did you want to take, Zeno? Duel wield or shield?"

Zeno didn't need to think about it. "Duel wield, sir."

"Well then, the sooner you start the better. Speak to my son, he is getting proficient in duel wielding the standard blade and can get you started. Once he has no more to teach you, I would recommend a rookie named Bero 'Kusovai: he has a natural talent for swordsmanship and is already a master."

"Your son…Rtas."

"Ah, so you found out." There was a faint smile on the commander's face.

"I noticed the resemblance, sir, though I am surprised you referred to him as such."

Anko's face darkened a bit. "Much like your kaidon did with you Zeno, I took Rtas under my arm myself due to…Unique circumstances."

Zeno knew better then to pry. "Understood sir. Thank you for your recommendations."

Anko nodded. "I look forward to seeing you progress Zeno. Walk the Path, brother."

"Thank you sir, and you too."

After Anko left, Zeno did some more practicing on his own before heading back to his room. Upon entering, he saw that Miko did manage to get the bed back, but Miko himself was missing. Clicking his lower mandibles in a Sangheilian shrug, he stripped himself of his armor plates, setting them on the armor rack by his bed before heading for the showers.

When he arrived at the officers shower hall, he was a bit surprised. He was expecting only a few stalls, but this shower hall turned out to be massive. There were stalls along three walls and in the center; there were ranks and benches where individuals could place their armor and towels. Immediately he recognized that there was still a chance of those nasty unnatural thoughts of his to surface in here, namely while people were dressing and undressing. Fortunately, it didn't look like there was anyone in here now, so Zeno felt safe enough to take an unused towel from the stack, chose a bench and start stripping off his battlesuit.

He had just finished doing so when he heard the unmistakable sound of one of the shower doors opening directly opposite of him. Great, I am already failing in this Recon business, he thought with a frown as he fought the urge to look over his shoulder to see who it was. And perhaps see how good of a body he had....

Damnation! Already he was having those thoughts! He could hear the individual humming softly to himself, in some tune he did not recognize. Slowly, despite his resolve not to, he looked over his shoulder and soundlessly gasped at what he saw. The individual had his back to him, but Zeno knew he was instantly due to the mottling on his back. Damn you Miko…Must you remind me of what I am every time you are undressed?

Miko had yet to dry his back, which gave his skin a slick sexy look that made Zeno's head spin. Quickly he turned back around and took a few deep breaths, trying to clear the thoughts from his head. After a moment, he realized that those thoughts were the least of his worries when he looked down. Not again! Forerunners help me! Zeno thought with a gasp at the sight of his own shaft. Thinking fast he threw the towel around himself and ducked into the nearest stall. There he quickly figured out the controls and turned on the cold water, thankful this happened within short distance of a means to 'de-erection' himself. He was also thankful that the cold water did its work quickly, as he certainly did not want to give himself hypothermia.

"Either the hot water switch is broken in there or you like cold showers, Zeno," Miko's voice said suddenly, slightly muffled by the door and the sound of the water.

Great, just wonderful. He saw me…, Zeno thought. "How did you know it as me?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice even.

"The scar on your back, plus there are not many Sangheili that are as dark in skin tone as you. Oh! I put a dry towel on the hook next to the stall for you."

"Huh? Why?" Zeno asked, perplexed.

He could almost hear the smile on the Miko's face. "'Cause you ran in there without taking the one you had on you off first."

Zeno looked down, only to see a now very wet and soggy towel on the floor at his feet. "Oh…Um…Thanks."

"No problem. Try to pay more attention next time OK?"

'Pay more attention'…Indeed…, Zeno thought as he heard the him depart, his expression one of worry. He hoped to the gods that Miko didn't see why he ran into the stall with a towel still on. Yet the thought of him actually seeing it….

Quickly, he squashed the naughty, unnatural thoughts that were starting to surface before they could cause another 'problem'. Zeno instead forced himself to focus on washing and not on how good it may feel for his shaft to be in Miko.

Kia's Dictionary

Warso = Basically means 'smart ass'.