Later that day…

Ryuko, Mako, and Yori make their way into the Arena. Mako "Ooos" and "Ahhs" at the gothic architecture and knight themed people they pass, while Yori simply saunters alongside her like always. She, however, can't help feeling on edge.

"Are you alright Ryuko? You're tense." Senketsu asked.

"It's this crowd, somethin doesn't feel right." She mumbled.

"The tension is palpable isn't it?" Yori whispered to her. "I wouldn't worry, if you were the target you'd know by now."

"I agree, something else must be going on."

Finally she spots Akio at an archery range. She quickly moves to him, making sure to pull Mako along with her.

When they approach Akio speaks as he launches an arrow at a distant target, "Glad to see you made it, I doubt Siegfried would be happy if you missed his toast."

"We couldn't miss it; everyone needs to try my mom's croquettes!" Mako exclaimed.

"I take it her practice is on hold?"

Akio waves for them to follow as he leads them into a nearby hall, "It'll have to wait, Yori. There's going to be a duel, and Siegfried wants to get his toast done before it starts."

"Wow, I get to hang out with a bunch of new friends and watch a knight duel! I'm glad I got a lot of rest in class!" Mako shouted as she skipped next to them. Some of the nearby Knights jump in surprise and eye her friend warily. She grabs her guitar case in response but the knights simply shrug and look away.

"Who's fightin? Anyone we know?"

"No, but you'll probably want to watch anyway. I'm sure Kurt will be after you before the semester is out, and it's pragmatic to learn about your opponent beforehand."

She begins to ask about this new asshole, but stops as they approach a large set of doors. Akio places his hands on them, and with strength she wouldn't expect him to have he pushes the large metal doors open slowly.

As the door opens a light breaks over them, but this light wasn't the now familiar light of Satsuki's. This light was warm and comforting, like something from a dream or a memory.

When the light clears it opens to a large and simple kitchen. In its center was a long, aged wooden table surrounded by familiar faces. The room was lit only by the chimney in the back and the sun that leaks in from a hole in the roof.

"Ah, Ryuko, Mako, and Yori! Good to see you made it!" Siegfried jovially stated once he noticed their approach.

His Onion helm is off, revealing a slightly chubby young man with black hair and the beginnings of a mustache. His face seems to permanently hold a smile and his brown eyed gaze is a peaceful one, though she knows firsthand that doesn't mean he isn't prone to anger.

To his left is Tsun, his helm also set aside. He looks are princely, his blonde hair flowing to his shoulders and his sharp blue eyes holding a boundless determination she's come to expect from the man. He offers them a salutation that is full of pride and mirth.

To Siegfried's right sat Takaharu Fukuroda. He offers them a toothy grin and an enthusiastic wave. From next to him Omiko Hakodate offers her own sharp toothed smirk and a nod.

She could hardly believe she was socializing with those two at all. Sure they worked together through the course this morning, but wasn't it awkward to be so friendly with them considering what they've tried to do before? Perhaps it was Mako's influence that allowed her to let that slide. Besides, it's not like they knew anything about her dad's killer, they were just pawns thrown at her by Satsuki and her dumbass Elites. Since that was the case she could forgive them.

Mako greets everyone back as she passes around some of her mom's croquettes. She seemed to be enjoying herself, but how she got Guts to get her mom to send more croquettes she'll never know.

Everyone but Siegfried takes their seats, with Akio and Mako sitting on either side of her while Yori sits across. Siegfried moves to a pot on a nearby wood burning stove, and once there he fills a collection of large wooden mugs before returning.

"Now, before we enjoy this scrumptious looking meal Mako has provided, I say we toast!" He stated while he hands out the mugs.

When she gets hers she sees the mug is filled with a semi glowing liquid. "Uh…Is this even safe to drink?" she mumbled to herself.

"He does not seem the type to poison people." Senketsu said.

"What the hell? This stuff is glowing!" Omiko blurted, voicing her thoughts to the rest of the table.

"Indeed, this is my special brew. I'm afraid the recipe is a secret, but I can guarantee this drink would warm the bosom of a dead man and put a spring in his step to boot. While I'm sure this group is as hardy as they come, we all could use a pick-me-up after this morning's challenge."

"I don't know…"

"Don't worry Omiko!" Mako interrupted, "At least if we get sick my dad'll be able to save some of us! He's a back alley doctor, and…"

Ryuko drifts away from the conversation, content to let Mako sweep the others up into one of her rants.

"She does this often then?" Akio asked quietly from next to her after a moment.

"Yeah…"

Suddenly a loud bell tolls and drowns out all of their conversations.

"I'm afraid we allowed time to slip up on us comrades." Tsun said as he stood.

"No matter, we shall simply turn this into a picnic." Siegfried laughed, standing as well, "First, let us toast."

He raises his mug, and everyone follows suit. "To your valor, my strength, and our victory together…" he then clinks his mug against Tsun's.

"Long may Her light shine!" they both say proudly before laughing heartily.

She finds Mako, Yori, and Akio bumping her mug, stopping her from pulling out of the toast.

"Long may Her light shine!" Mako parroted.

Akio however leans in and whispers to her, "I know you don't like Lady Satsuki, but just go with it."

She grits her teeth for a moment, but can't help letting it go once she sees the happy expressions of the others. Tsun and Siegfried immediately begin chugging, but it's only a few seconds before Yori sits his mug down. She stifles a chuckle when she sees his croquette gone as well. She sees Omiko and Takaharu looking cautiously at their drinks, and she can't help doing the same for her own.

"Wow, Ryuko, you gotta try this!" Mako stated. Before she can react her mug is suddenly forced to her lips and tilted back. She is forced to swallow two large gulps of the fluid just to keep from spilling it onto Senketsu.

The taste is indescribably delicious, and she can tell Siegfried wasn't kidding when a warm feeling fills her whole body. On top of this any remnants of the fatigue she felt from the day were completely gone, she felt like she could run a marathon.

She looks over to Mako, her cheeks a deep blush and her eyes sparking with energy. She looks around to find everyone in a similar state.

Everyone except Yori, that is. The man seems completely unfazed by the drink, only having a small blush on his cheeks that doesn't even turn as red as his hair.

"What does it take to faze this guy?" she mumbled.

"He must have an extraordinary constitution to have been nearly unaffected by that, I feel rejuvenated simply by tasting your blood now." Senketsu said. She even looks down to see a bit of a blush on her shirt!

"Who knows," Akio answered, not realizing she was directing her comment to Senketsu, "more than any normal person."

"Well friends, let us to the battlefield to watch the duel." Tsun said as he refills his mug and nibbles on his first croquette while he leads them out.

When they return to the field the crowd has dispersed into a large circle similar to how they did when she fought Mariko. Most people clear the way for Siegfried, his large armor practically forcing them to move. They follow their large onion-like guide all the way to the inner edge of the crowd, and they proceed to sit in a group to eat their croquettes and drink their brew.

In the center of the field stood four figures, three on the right and one on the left. To the right was a woman in loose white cloths fortified by bits of armor on her shoulders and stomach. She is bordered by two more people, one a man with a halberd and simple chainmail armor, and the other a Knight in brass whose figure hints at feminine. The man has a half star on his armor and the women have one.

Opposite of these three stood a lone Knight whose armor made him look like a damn cactus. She didn't see any stars on his armor, but with the spikes she wasn't sure she'd be able to anyway.

"Kurt," a thin, flat-chested woman with a strange crown mask and flowing robes stated from the edge of the ring, "you and your cohorts Leon and Hazel invaded a school event without permission, and this makes your fifth sin. Not only this, but you have killed members of the Blades during the event."

The cactus knight simply scoffs in response and draws an impractically spiky sword.

"I see you know what comes next." The woman said disdainfully, "Your corpse will be the souvenir of reprisal for those slain unjustly."

The other three in the ring all draw their weapons as well.

"Three on one and the Blades have their life fiber equipment…" A nearby knight said

"Yeah, and he doesn't even use any. Not to mention their all Ki users. Looks like Kurt's finally going down." Another added.

"What the…Wasn't this going to be a duel?" Takaharu whispered harshly.

"Well, it's more of a gank really." Akio answered.

"Well then that's bullshit! It's not fair!" Takaharu growled.

"This is the consequence for the choices he's made." Yori stated bluntly.

"But…"

"Yori's right. He wouldn't be in this dangerous situation if he didn't get greedy." Akio interrupted grimly.

Any other conversation is halted when there is finally movement from the ring.

The three make the first move, with the woman in white pulling out a white cloth as her allies move to either side of Kurt. The woman then slides her cloth along the blade, bathing it in a strange light as she does.

The first on the offensive is the halberd wielder. He starts with a forward charge. Even with his speed boosted by life fibers Kurt dodges his attempt in a way that allows him to close their distance.

Kurt slashes, cutting a gash across the man's arm with ease. The man rolls away and the brass woman moves to cover her comrade from Kurt's pursuit. She stabs, forcing Kurt back long enough for the third woman to join the fray. The woman in white moves even faster than the other two, but somehow Kurt is able to keep dodging in time. The brass woman falls back and quickly uses her own cloth to make her sword glow as well. The two women then join forces in attacking Kurt, who somehow manages both opponents enough to land a few hits.

The halberd man does something different with his own cloth. Even from where she was she could see his death grip on the cloth, and suddenly what looks like electricity forms on it. He throws up his fist and soon literal lightning begins to strike randomly around the group.

The fight becomes more of a chase after that. With Kurt dodging as best he can. Even with him inflicting flesh wounds with his armor she doubted he could keep up for much longer though. The halberd man moves in as the woman in white moves back and uses her cloth to bathe herself in a light that seems to heal her of any injuries Kurt inflicted. After the somewhat lengthy time it takes for the light to arrive and leave she quickly moves back in to join her comrades.

The evening sun turns the environment into a deep red. Red enough to add a surreal, or more like nightmarish, effect to what follows.

In a blink the two women's swords stops glowing their purplish white glow, and Kurt takes this moment to strike. Using his free hand he deflects the incoming stab from the brass woman's sword. Unlike the parries Mariko inflicted on her his leave the woman standing, and in the perfect place for him to ram his spiked sword directly through her.

Blood spews from the wound, and to make it worse Kurt forces his victim off his blade with his foot. The woman screams as she falls. The halberd man moves between Kurt and his ally while the woman in white rushes to the brass woman.

Kurt rushes forward; dodging nimbly over halberd man's swing. He closes in quickly on the woman in white and swings, forcing her away from her comrade.

The attack on the woman in white must have been a feint, with impressive intuition Kurt back-rolls past the incoming halberd man. The halberd man doesn't have the chance to regret his mistake before Kurt's sword is through his back. The cloth of his armor shreds and the armor turns to ash. The man drops his halberd, and once Kurt forces his blade from the man he collapses. Kurt reaches for the fiber, but it drifts from his grasp and floats instead to her.

As the fiber flows into Senketsu Kurt looks towards her. While she can't see his face through his helmet she can feel his hate filled glare.

The brass woman attempts to stand, revealing that the life fibers in her armor have allowed her to heal somewhat. The bleeding caused by Kurt's sword is too much however, and she falls back to the ground, though whether or not she's just unconscious she couldn't tell.

The woman in white lights her sword once more, then lets out a vicious roar as she charges at Kurt.

Kurt gets into stance, preparing to counter the woman.

To her surprise the woman's attacks don't become predictable and clumsy. Instead she begins striking and dancing around Kurt, the cactus barely able to keep pace.

She lands a stab in his shoulder, then his leg, then his arm. Her rapier is obviously sharp enough to pierce his armor as each strike sends splashes of blood spattering onto the dirt. She looks to take the victory with one more well-placed strike.

But it is obviously one strike too many. Kurt parries her blow, and the girl is stunned momentarily. Rather than finish her, however, he slams his sword into her leg. The spikes stab into her knee and force the girl down. Kurt then mercilessly kicks her over and places his boot on her neck, the bottom of which was apparently the only part not covered in spikes. He then holds her there, swatting her hands and legs away with his sword, incapacitating them continuously.

Eventually, the woman goes limp, and he removes the boot from her throat though not without hesitation.

"Wooow! That was amazing!" Mako said from next to her, her words muffled from the croquettes she had shoved in her mouth.

With his last opponent down he limps away from the field…

…and directly towards them.

"Ooo! Now he's coming over here, maybe I can get his autograph!"

"Kurt doesn't normally choose to give those out Mako." Yori said with a smile, but unlike usual he had a serious look in his eye.

"Get behind me Mako." She mumbled over to her friend as she grips her guitar case.

Kurt doesn't slow down as he closes in on them and their group parts to let him pass.

As he passes her he stops.

"You…You're Matoi." He growled.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

He says nothing more, but she could practically feel the killing intent radiating off him. He walks away into a distant hall.

"Well," Siegfried stated, "that was quite the match."

"Yes, it seems to have eaten any time you could have used to practice Miss Ryuko." Tsun added.

She looks to Tsun. She can feel the displeased grimace on her face, but he was right. Everyone was already filing out of the arena, and she wasn't too keen on testing her luck on what happens to students who stay in the school after hours.

"You could always practice at my place if you're desperate." Akio said.

She looks over to Akio. Sure she needed the practice, but she's only known him for like a day. It was too late to make it back to the Mankanshoku's if she went and practiced for even just an hour. It had to be way too forward to go to this guy's house…right?

"Of course she'll go! We can even make it a sleep over!" Mako decided for her with a slap to her back.

Later…

Akio turns back to Ryuko and Mako, the girls gawking a bit at his home. It was probably a bit strange to see a shack with actual yard space considering how cramped the rest of Honno City was. It was also a decently sized place, with enough room to have four bedrooms and the amenities needed for his family to live a relatively comfortable life. There was even a simple tire swing on a nearby tree, as well as his targets set up in various places in the yard.

Of course everything was worn down in a similar way the rest of the slums were, maybe they were expecting something more instead.

"Wow…it's…" Ryuko began.

"This is way different than I expected!" Mako interrupted, "I was expecting one of the Knights to live in a big fancy house like in story books!"

"M-Mako!"

He sighed, the latter it was then.

He waves them forward and opens the door, though he only makes it a few steps in before something small tackles his leg.

"Welcome home, brother!"

He looks down to find his little sister Akiko smiling up at him.

He smiles back warmly as he ruffles her hair, "Good to see you, princess."

Akiko giggles until she notices the strangers behind him, then her hug becomes a grip as she tries to hide from the two new faces.

"Is that you, Akio?" the voice of his mother came from an approaching basket of cloths, "How was…"

She stopped as she saw Ryuko and Mako, "Oh? Who are your guests?"

"This is Ryuko Matoi and Mako Mankanshoku; they're a couple of friends I met on the course today." He introduced as he moved to allow the two girls inside, Akiko still hiding behind his legs. "Ryuko, Mako, this is my mother Kasumi Takahiro."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Ryuko said with a bow.

"Likewise." His mother returned.

With a comical popping noise Mako forces the large bag she had on her back inside, and once beyond the doorframe she moves to his mom and begins to vigorously shake her hand, "Pleased to meetcha!"

"And this," he continued as he places his hand on his sister's little head, "is my little sister Akiko. Say hello, princess."

"H-hello." She said into his leg.

Ryuko gives a soft smile at the little girl, but Mako instead decides to zoom from his mom to his legs, "Aw, you are so cute! Ooo, what's that?"

He looks to where Mako is pointing, finding a collection of books strewn in a nearby corner.

"T-those are my coloring books." Akiko answered shyly.

"Oh, I love coloring!" Mako exclaimed as she moved over to the books, "Hey Akiko lets color together!"

Akiko looks to him, unsure of what to do, and he gives her a nod. She seems uneasy at first as she moves to Mako, but it only takes a moment…and one crudely colored drawing from Mako…to cause Akiko to warm up to the hyperactive young woman.

He looks over to his mother, "I hope you don't mind, but the two of them are staying over tonight."

She sighs, "I assume you're training with your friend?"

"Yes, ma'am" Ryuko answered for him.

"Well, keep an eye out for your father; he's going to be late from the docks again. Honestly, I wish you two would take a break once in a while, we're pretty well off for no-stars."

He smirked sadly, but decided against conversing further. He didn't want to have that conversation now, especially not in front of company. He led Ryuko into the yard, and from there they spend the next three hours sparing.

Later…

Ryuko groaned a little as she fought the urge to collapse into the grass.

She didn't expect Akio's training regimen to be so intense, at least she was finally done.

"Don't pass out just yet, Ryuko." Akio said through heavy breaths, "We have one more thing to practice."

"I'm not about to pass out asshole." She growled.

He chuckles, and she looks up just in time to see a stick flying at her face. After fumbling with the object for a moment she finds that it's not just a stick, but instead a bow.

"What's this for?"

"Archery practice." He stated bluntly as he waves her over.

"But why?" she asked.

He doesn't answer immediately, instead he begins gently moving her feet with his own, getting her into a stance.

"If Honnouji Academy has taught me anything, it's that you always need options in a fight. Especially when your opponent is leagues stronger than you are."

He hands her an arrow.

"Whatever, I held my own against Kiryuin once already, and I wasn't even using Senketsu right to start."

He motions for her to try and nock the arrow and shoot the distant target. She does it simply enough, but once the arrow flies away it misses the target. On top of this the string scrapes her arm, causing it to burn.

"Damn it!" she yelped.

"Are you alright, Ryuko?" Senketsu asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing." She mumbled.

"Overconfidence is a bitch isn't it?" Akio quipped.

She shot him a glare.

"Don't worry you're in good company." He added. She's curious only for a moment, but then he takes aim quickly and fires three arrows in quick succession into the distant targets.

"Damn show off." She muttered before adding, "It's not like I need to learn this shit."

Akio sighed, "Why don't we make a special rules bout then. If you can hit me once before I can hit you ten times then I'll concede that you won't need archery training. If I win, though, you train."

"Or how about I just don't do your damn archery training?" she retorted.

"Scared you'll lose?" he challenged with a smirk.

She couldn't suppress her growl, "I ain't scared."

"Good," he said as he walks a short distance away, "then let's get started."

They get into stance, "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because we're friends." She said as she activates Senketsu. When the light dissipates she expects to see him worried, but finds he doesn't seem bothered in the slightest.

He hooks his bow on his back and pulls out his curved sword.

She half expected him to use just his bow to prove a point. Of course this just made things easier so she wasn't complaining.

"You're free to make the first move."

She's sorely tempted to rush him, but even without a Goku uniform Akio was still a Knight, she couldn't just rush him. Even with her cautious approach she misses her swing with the flat end of her scissor. She is given a tap from his blade, while it's unable to cut her thanks to Senketsu she knew that was the point.

She jumps away from his subsequent swing, and then follows up with a rolling slash.

He dodges and tosses a thrown knife from his bandolier; it proceeds to bounce off her forehead.

"Stand still you…"

"Calm down Ryuko," Senketsu interrupted, "he wants you to lose focus."

"You think I don't know that?! Now shut up and let me handle it."

She dodges the next knives with ease, but he dodges her swing and quickly clips her ankle with a slash. After three more attempts at the slow and steady approach end in failure she loses her cool.

"Gah!"

"Ryuko!"

"I said let me handle it!"

She charges at him dodging on instinct now rather than thought. She then gives a flurry of swings that nearly hit him, but he still manages to dodge and land another hit.

"That's it!" she roared as she switches her blade around. She was officially pissed, after all she's been through she couldn't lose again!

"Ryuko calm down! Do you really want to hurt him over this?" Senketsu asked

"No, but…." She groaned, she couldn't see any other way to hit him without using it.

"Hmm…very well, I will help you hold back enough not to hurt him."

She nods, "Scissor blade: Decapitation mode!"

While she and Senketsu were arguing Akio had switched to his bow and moved a fair distance from her. He now has an arrow knocked and ready.

"With his shooting speed he could land the hits he needs to win before we can close the distance. Be careful Ryuko."

She took in a breath, "Finishing move!" she yelled as she charges forward as fast as she can without Senketsu's full help. Akio fire's a shot, but rather than dodge and slow her momentum she charges on. She can't help but smirk as Akio shows the first sign of surprise in the whole bout. This delays his next shot allowing her to close in.

Akio pulls out an arrow, but there is no way for him to arm it before she is on him. He takes an uneven step back as she swings and falls, and she follows him down. Her scissor kicks up a plentiful amount of dust that immediately forces her to close her eyes. Something that tastes like sawdust gets into her lungs and forces her to cough.

Senketsu powers down and she feels Akio beneath her, but her coughing forces her to do little beyond roll off of him. She rubs her eyes to clear them enough to see that Akio is in a similar state. Through blurry eyes she quickly scans around for her scissor, and after finding it quickly taps Akio with it.

"Ha…Looks like…I win!" She said triumphantly through coughs.

"Actually…" Senketsu began as Akio lifted a broken arrow up through his own coughing fit

"…he was able to hit you in the stomach with this." Senketsu finished. She looks down to see the other half of the arrow wedged in her garter belt.

Suddenly there is a creaking noise that forces their attention to the tree, which now sports a huge gash in its trunk. The limb that holds the tire swing also has a chunk missing. It soon snaps from the weight and both it and the tire hit the ground with a thud.

She looks over to Akio, who gives her a worried look, which she returns with a nervous chuckle.

"Big brother, supper is…M-My swing…" the teary voice of little Akiko suddenly says from the entrance of the house.

"Oh! My! Gosh!" Mako shouted before she begins to go on one of her odd tirades.

The rant is quickly ended however as Akiko begins to cry.

"D-Don't cry, princess! Look there's some other branches!" Akio stuttered as he jumps up and quickly begins to remove the tire swing from the limb, "Ryuko will help me fix it since it's kind of her fault."

"Hey, how is this my fault?!"

"You cut the branch!"

"Well it wouldn't have been cut if you wouldn't have picked a fight with me dumbass!"

"Well I wouldn't have done that if you just practiced your archery without complaining like a baby!"

"BABY?!"

"Will you two stop arguing and fix the swing already?!" Mako said from her new perch on a tree limb. Her and Akio can't help but double take between where she was to where she is.

"Alright. I guess we can practice shooting some in the morning then."

"Ugh, fine, let's just fix this and get something to eat, I'm starving."

A/N: First of all I'd like to apologize for the terribly long wait on this one. Everyone who has favorited this so far knows why I initially stopped, but life decided to throw a couple more curve balls after that. Then on top of that when I finally finished this chapter the first time I re-read it and didn't like the way half of it turned out so I went back and re-did it.

Secondly I'm thankful for all the support I got on this despite the fact that it looked like this was on the way to being a dead fic. I'm going to try my hardest to finish this even though I'm a long way from the end. The only real problem down the line is writers block and a busy work schedule. For now I may take a while to update, but once the holiday season ends I should be able to update more regularly again.

Thanks again for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter.