25! TWENTY FREAKING FIVE! THAT A FREAKING QUATER TO A HUNDRED!

okay, hysterical happiness aside, this is quite a achievement for me. Never would i have expected to reach 25 chapters when i first started.

All that effort has to go to you, my readers. Without the knowledge that i have people reading my work, i probably wouldn't have done so far.

On a different note, i would like to make clear the current climate as regards to the progress of the story. i am noting that the time of the story should be following real world time, so gensokyo should be in the time of summer. Of course, if you have read Undiplomatic combat, i wrote it as being in autumn. That will soon be modified.

Youkai market

Dutch clutched the piece of paper with guarded curiousity. It had been slipped into his pocket while he was socializing with the youkai in the league. He acted normally as if it had never happened and continued to chat with the youkai.

A hidden attempt to spot who slipped him the paper ended in failure. All he could see was a flash of sliver as the door to the tavern closed and he wasn't even sure that it was the same youkai that had slipped him the paper.

Excused himself from the activities of the tavern he headed out. The youkai were disappointed that they had to cut short the celebrations but a quick assurance that he would be around for at least the whole day renewed their spirits. Already as Dutch left, the general cacophony had mutated to new forms.

Outside, Dutch felt the piece of paper. He extracted it from his pocket and read the words inside.

'Come to the guild. Use your seal to enter and head to the lodging section. Go to the tengu lodgings and enter the third door you see. It will be unlocked. I will be waiting for you there.'

Having read the paper, Dutch folded the paper and tore it up. He then tore up the pieces and stomped them into the gravelly ground for good measure. You never know if someone might be reading your written words. Dutch knew of several instances where improperly disposed of written words undermined a secret.

Asking one of the demon guards for directions to The Guild, Dutch set off. It was not too far from The League and he could make good time with a casual walk.

He smiled eagerly. From the message and the flash of silver, he already guessed who his mysterious contact was. She had much to learn. Perhaps he could impart some of his knowledge to her at their secret rendezvous.

Nah.

Dutch snorted as he seriously considered the idea. She doesn't need to learn to hide. Her very job is to be out in the open for her subjects to see.

As he approached The Guild(Which idiot named this building he wondered ), Dutch saw a pair of imposing tengu guards standing outside the door. They both turned to him silently challenging him with their eyes, a noiseless demand passed from youkai to human.

Dutch simply flashed his seal. Both of the tengu guards showed a split second of surprise when they saw the seal of the Tengu Lord, the look flashed across their faces for mere moments. They quickly regained control of their expressions and nodded. Dutch walked past them, a ghost of a smile on his face.

When he pushed open the door, he was once again confronted with a sea of stares. The ambient noise that made up a room full of people died down as the tengu and humans inside looked at him. They knew of his reputation and most actually stared at him as he passed, as if trying to understand how such an unremarkable human could be under the employ of one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo.

Dutch kept a blank face as he traversed the gauntlet of scrutiny. Keeping a fast pace, he was soon on the other side of the room. Without a pause, he entered the off-shoot labeled; "Lodging Wing."

Behind him, the whispers started.

Guild lodgings

Tenma waited with eager anticipation.

'Stop it!' She commanded herself. This was behaviour unbecoming of the tengu leader. Where was the calm exterior that she was so famous for showing in times of crisis?

But try as she might, she could not rein in her emotions. Everytime she thought of Dutch, her heart would race and her hands trembled. She could not explain this feeling to herself and all her experience was failing her right now.

She stared at the unlocked door hopefully. Maybe Dutch could help her when he came. After all, it had only started recently. In fact, Tenma realized, it started to pop up after she met the human. Could it be some strange outside sickness that he may have bought with him? If so, why was only she affected?

A creak made her snap her head up. The door was opening. Tenma's heart started to race.

The door opened to reveal...nothing.

Tenma stared dumbfounded at the entryway that had just cheated her feelings. She got up and headed to the open barrier, hoping, just hoping, that it was a trick played by Dutch and not just the wind.

But the corridor was empty. The only notable activity was the sound of activity from the entrance room down the corridor. Tenma walked out to the entrance room. It was devoid of the human, just whispering tengu and a heavy heart, Tenma returned back to the room, letting the door close with a click behind her.

Inside, Dutch stood leaning against the wall, all smiles.

Tenma eyes bulged, her hair unsettled for a second. "H-how did you get in?" She stuttered in surprise. Her heart started to return to normal, reaching a state of equilibrium in the presence of the human. Her hair too, sank back into its customary position.

Dutch chuckled. "The door was open. I let myself in."

Tenma could not find an answer. There was only one way in and out of the lodging wing and she just went through it. So she just stood there, a stunned expression painting her face.

"I must say though. The attire you picked for your journey is beautifully simple, Lord Tenma. It really suits you."

Tenma blushed deep red. "How did you guess my identify?" She asked, secretly impressed by the calling out of her identify so quickly and also revelling in his compliment which sounded like music to her ears.

Dutch smiled. "You're the only one that knows I have a seal and I saw a flash of your hair when you left the tavern. It was just a matter of putting two and two together. Althrough you are not traveling with your actual name, are you? What should I address you as?"

Tenma regained control of her expression and returned the smile. "Teri. I go by Teri."

"Te~ri." Dutch slowly drawled out the name as he got the feel of it. Tenma's blush returned slightly, giving her face a light red tint as Dutch used his own lips to voice her alias.

"Alright, got it. No more speaking of your other name, Teri."

The rugged human stirred as he pulled himself off the knotted, wooden wall. How? How did he manage to look so confident even while going about such a mundane action? Her tengu eyes, far more perceptive than a human's, could make out the way the fabric of his clothing pulled across his steely muscles. She felt an involuntary sigh aching to escape from her lips and squashed it just as quickly.

"But enough of me. I didn't expect you to be here. A funny coincidence, don't you think?"

'Damn you Yukari.' He mentally cursed.

Tenma nodded; "I made a stopover here. But I agree, it is a coincidence."

'Thank you, whoever sent him here." She mentally thanked whichever god was responsible for her good fortune.

Dutch nodded. "Well, let's make the best of it. I'm feeling particularly wanting of a drink. Shall we return to the tavern bar?"

Tenma gave her silent agreement. As the two left the room and headed out, Tenma realized something. While she was with Dutch, her heart was strangely calm, very different from the racing feeling just minutes earlier.

Tavern

The League

The duo sat at the table, sipping their appropriate drinks. Occasionally, passing youkai would give them their greetings and would be given the same in return. Overall, it was one big group of happy people and youkai. Ignoring the fact that the youkai and humans were the kind that could wipe the floor with you.

"It's funny. I expected to be fighting for my life here, not greeted by a big welcome." Dutch muttered jovially while returning the wave of a youkai.

Tenma smiled. "Those inside The League know they are the best. Why would they spend energy to prove it? It's those not in the league that you have to watch for. Please, you need to be careful here." she finished her sentence, her humour dying as she realized that inside the youkai market, Dutch had a large pool of potential challengers to fight against. His humanity did not exactly fill her with confidence.

Dutch gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll be as careful as possible."

'After I have completed what I came here to do.' He thought snidely.

Just as he finished his speech, Ushi appeared, holding a piece of paper.

"Hey Tenma's humie, you got challengers. At the arena." The gate guardian said. Dutch accepted the piece of paper as the bull youkai took one of the untouched seats at their table. Tenma's eyes flashed with disapprovement as she heard the title again but she held her tongue.

"Speak of the devil. " Dutch said as he read the paper. "I got at least 14 challengers out to get me including the top. Well, I can only guess that's the top from the death sign next to his title. Death-Legs? What sort of stupid idiot named this youkai?"

Ushi bellowed in laughter. "That, Humie, is one of the best gits in the arena. You're the first to call that git's title stupid. Not bad. Just don't get beaten by that git. If you do, that git gets to enter the league and I hate that git."

Dutch nodded. "And why would you hate him, dare I ask?"

Ushi banged his fist on the table. "That git always uses any tactics to get victory. No sense of real fighting."

Dutch raised a calming hand. "No need to kill the table. But I see what you mean. So in short, don't get defeated by Death-Legs." A youkai with no qualms to using any way to win? Well, it's time for the youkai to meet a human of equal thought.

Ushi nodded.

"Alright then, I'm not going keep my suitors waiting. Let's get this over with." Dutch said sarcastically as he got up. Tenma followed him, Ushi giving them both an encouraging wave as they both left the tavern.

"So where is this arena anyway?" Dutch asked outside the tavern.

"I'll lead you." Tenma said.

The duo continued along in silence.

"Hey, Dutch, can I ask you something?" Tenma asked.

"Go ahead."

"Why must you accept the challengers?" Tenma probed, a hint of worry in her tone.

"If I don't, the challengers will stir up a storm requesting my presence. That will usually result in me being in the limelight again. I would rather not have that."

"I see. Can I ask you something else?"

Dutch smiled at her warmly. "You can ask me anything."

"When you fought the mountain youkai, did you really tear out the heart of a youkai and eat it?" Tenma asked, mentally hitting herself for asking such a weird question right after she spoke. Why would he do that?

Dutch burst out laughing. It drew the attention of a couple of youkai in the vicinity as they turned to look at the sudden noise. Finding just a laughing human, they returned to their activities.

"So you did not do it? And what's so funny?" Tenma asked, confused by the apparent humour that Dutch could see but she couldn't.

Finally Dutch managed to control his laughter. Still chuckling he answered her question. "Eat it? Why would I do that?"

His answer made Tenma more confused. "So you actually tore out a youkai heart?"

Dutch nodded. "The bugger was holding me down and my weapons were useless. It just so happened that I had managed to open a hole in the youkai's body. So I went inside and took the heart. But eating it? Absolutely not. Firstly, eating when you are surrounded by youkai is a waste of time."

Tenma nodded. Learning that Dutch really had managed to tear the heart of a youkai simply made her respect him more. Even though it could be said that she held something more than respect for him.

"Although...maybe if it was seared with onions and with a side of rice, I would eat it." Dutch said with a straight face.

Tenma's face turned a wide variety of emotions as the words ran through her head. "I-I see." She finally answered in a scandalized voice.

Dutch grinned teasingly. "But just maybe."

He watched Tenma's face as she realized she was being toyed with. Her face lit up in a flush as her burgundy eyes sharpened.

"Dutch Kotozaki, did you just play a trick on me?" She asked in a dangerous tone.

The human's grin got wider. "I did say maybe."

The tengu lord struck at her tormentor with sudden force. Dutch simply moved his head back as the fist, traveling at the speed of a light punch, flew past the front of his head. Then, feeling particularly random, Dutch quickly and lightly bit Tenma's hand.

Tenma gasped in surprise.

Then, just as quick, Dutch released the hand. Tenma quickly retracted her appendage, examining it for any marks. Finding none, she gave Dutch a burning glare with contradicting playful eyes.

"If I had my guard, you would be dead." Her playful tone also completely contradicting her expression.

Dutch chuckled. "Then I thank my lucky stars that you are without your guard." He shot back.

The duo basked in the mutual humour.

"Although I must say, the texture of your skin is quite...soft." Dutch assuaged, grinning evilly.

Tenma blushed madly. "S-shut up."

Dutch let out a small laugh.

Soon the duo arrived at the entrance for the arena. The double doors, red and imposing, stood over the two. A crowd of youkai loitered at the entrance, giving the duo their full attention as the human and the disguised tengu lord entered the arena.

"So how do I do this?" Dutch whispered to Tenma as they passed the double doors. The body language of the youkai around them spoke more of a spectator than a participant. If they were the latter then life would suck.

"You put your name down as a challenger. Other challengers can sent you a fight request. You can either accept or deny the fight request." Tenma explained.

"It sounds so simple for such a bloody thing." Dutch noted.

Tenma nodded. "Also, it will be regarded as rude if a youkai of higher reputation sends you a fight request and you ignore it. Usually it means that you receive a lot more fight requests from the other challengers. And if you do defeat a youkai of a certain reputation, challengers will not be able to attack you until they have managed to beat a youkai of either the same level of reputation or higher you beat. Of course, this means that if you managed to beat the best fighter in the arena, only the best fighters will come after you."

"I see. Do I have to actually to beat the youkai? As in actually take him down?" Dutch questioned, a planning glint in his eyes.

"Well, that part is a bit grey. If any fighter forfeits, the victory will of course go to the other. But if a fighter due to something unexpected happening that would cause the match to end, it's usually the better fighter that the youkai will regard the victory." Tenma explained.

Dutch nodded. This knowledge was something incredibly useful and would greatly help him.

"So if I beat Death-Legs, then I will only have to beat those who think that they can actually beat Death-Legs?" He asked.

Tenma nodded.

"That should be relative easy." Dutch announced.

Youkai market

Arena

'In hindsight, that was a stupid thing to say.' Dutch thought as he dodged a randomly charging bull youkai.

The youkai bellowed as it crashed into the arena wall. Dutch wasted no time as he phased in his grenade launcher and sent a grenade flying.

BOOM!

The bull youkai flew over the human and landed with a meaty smack.

The other youkai fighters howled as their resolve strengthened to the sight of another challenger being taken out.

'Dammit! You are supposed to get more and more demoralized as your partners get taken out, not feel better!' Dutch cursed as he reloaded the grenade launcher. He phased out the explosive weapon and unslung his rifle, catching a flying eagle youkai with a burst of fire in midair. The bird youkai crashed onto the ground.

All in all, it was pretty much his own fault. The moment he put his name up for a challenge, request after request poured in. Feeling too lazy to fight them all one on one, Dutch decided to take them all on. Which resulted in the situation that he was in right now.

To be fair, the youkai were all pretty weak. Usually a couple of bursts or a grenade ensured their incapacitation. But there were so damn many of them. The earlier part of the battle was one of desperate close combat. Dutch had shot, dodged and exploded his way to the current position he was now at... That being almost completely at point blank range and his body showed it. Dirt, sweat and blood coated his fatigues and a gash bled over his right eye. That one was earned from a lucky slash from a sword-waving youkai that Dutch almost could not dodge.

'And they all want the honor to defeating Tenma's pet human.' The fore-mentioned human thought darkly to himself. Dutch vowed to question Tenma thoroughly just how his nick name came about.

He turned his attention to the spectator stands. The silver-haired tengu lord sat on the front row, her eyes watching his every movement. Any sound she made, if any, was canceled by the barrier that surrounded the actual battle ring. Even so, from where he was, Dutch could plainly see the concern on her face and posture. She also appeared to be trying to crush the railings from the way she gripped the metal bar.

Dutch gave her a reassuring smile. Right before elbowing the creeping spider youkai behind him hard in the head. A followup burst finished the job and another unconscious body landed on the floor.

Temporarily clear of close targets, Dutch took stock of his surroundings. Bodies littered the gritty floor of the arena, all still breathing. The remaining youkai still standing, stood close together, giving Dutch a varied visual show of different expressions all related to aggression. Dutch answered them with a taunting stare.

Then, at a shouted signal, the youkai fighters unleashed a barrage of danmaku in the direction of the human. Having seen the human decimate their compatriots at close combat, they were resorting to ranged combat to win the day. Thinking fast, Dutch hooked his foot in the fallen spider youkai at his feet and using his nanobot enhanced strength, kicked up the unconscious spider youkai. He gripped the spider youkai like a shield, using its body to block the majority of the blasts. Several shots did manage to get through the blockade and Dutch shrugged them off with gritted teeth.

The youkai kept up their attack, trusting that Dutch would fall sooner or later to the concentrated barrage. They let out a roar of triumph as they saw the human take several hits from the danmaku.

'At least they are getting smarter. But not smart enough.' Dutch thought as he saw that the youkai were all close together. He phased out his carbine and phased in his grenade launcher again. Aiming one-handed, Dutch sent a 40mm grenade flying at the group.

BOOM!

The fire stopped immediately as the grenade tore a hole in the youkai firing grip. The youkai closest to the blast were out for the count but the ones at the edges of the explosion were stumbling. Dutch wasted no time, having learnt his lesson to never give his enemies time to recover and plan, He swapped to his carbine and unleashing a storm of accurate fire down on the youkai.

Bodies rained upon the floor. When his rifle clicked on empty, Dutch quickly swapped magazines and continued firing, the whole process taking less than a second to complete.

When the last youkai landed on the floor, Dutch breathed a sigh of relief.

"Victory. Tenma Pet Human. Condition, all other challengers unable to continue." The announcer intoned. Dutch gave the announcer the finger as he left the arena. Attendant youkai brushed past him as they moved to remove the arena of breathing bodies.

As he walked past the door, Dutch spied a familiar chair, in fact, the seat where Tenma had once sat, out of the corner of his eye. It was now conspicuously empty.

Further down the corridor, into one of the challenger rooms set aside for him he entered. She was inside, simply standing with her katana held by her side, her burgundy eyes a mix of emotions.

"Put that thing away before you hurt someone." Dutch said as he lowered himself onto a chair. The support gave him a rush of relief as his body released all its stored battle wear.

Tenma complied silently. A clatter sounded out the placement of the katana on the table. A short moment later, a pair of soft hands pressed gently on his shoulders and simply stayed there. Then the feeling disappeared and Dutch felt a light finger trace the almost fully healed gash on the back of his neck. It gave him light shudders.

"This one. It's recent, isn't it?" Tenma asked.

Dutch was reminded of his battle with the first assassin drone. "Got that one from a drone during your mission. Nothing serious."

The finger left his neck. Tenma walked around and picked up a cloth, wet with water. She bent down to his level and gave him a look. Aged youkai eyes met youthful human ones.

"Keep still." Tenma commanded as she reached over and started to clean up his face. Slowly, the evidence of the battle was wiped away by the wet cloth carefully and softly.

As Dutch complied with Tenma's demands, his eyes tracked her face. One thing he noticed was the sheer gentleness of her hands as they did their work. Even through the wet cloth, the softness of her movements gave him a feeling of contentment, similar to Vale. He wondered what abilities she possessed which could give him such a feeling. Then he saw Tenma's eyes.

The deep, dark red eyes of the youkai leader were frought with concentration as she cleaned, but there was hint of something else inside her. If Dutch could call it anything, he would call it possessive devotion. But it seem to only be a passing shadow as Tenma's actions reflected none of the feelings he saw, so for now, he filed it away for further examination.

As Tenma cleaned, she took the chance to examine the features of Dutch. While initially it all seemed unremarkable, Tenma started to appreciate the features of his face, how it all came together. She stared into his eyes, intelligent and lit up with the light of his youth. And then for some inexplicable reason, Tenma wanted to lean forward and kiss him, to explore the interior of his mouth with her tongue, to go where no one had gone as of yet. As she asked herself why, looking at the human in front of her, she felt driven by one strong desire.

To make Dutch hers and hers alone.

She kept her expression composed but the self-revelation shocked her. No, it did more than shock her, it rocked her world apart and rebuilt it from the ground up. It seemed so impossible that her, the thousand year old leader of the tengus, the largest organized youkai group in Gensokyo, would fall for a outsider human with a infinitesimal fraction of her age. But fall she did.

The longer she stared, the stronger the urge became and Tenma started to slowly inch forward. Dutch's face seemed like a vacuum to her, pulling her in.

Then the wet cloth dabbed against the red gash over Dutch's right eye and he winced. The movement snapped Tenma out of her trance. Her mind temporary clear, she fought down the desire. Now was not the time.

"Damn that stings." Dutch muttered as he resisted the sensation of cloth on open wound, unaware of the experience that Tenma just went through. He gave Tenma an accusing glare.

"Sorry." Tenma answered as she continued her work, now making sure to only wipe away the blood and not the wound itself. Soon Dutch's face was clean. Tenma surveyed her handiwork with a satisfied eye.

"How do you feel?" She asked as she put away the dirtied wet cloth. She stood up and faced away, forcing her untrustworthy body away from the human before he garnered another reaction from her.

"Frankly, I felt like a pile of meat that has just gone through a tenderizing process. There is more to come though, isn't there?" Dutch said as he sat up and faced Tenma. The tengu faced herself away from him and he could only see her back.

"Yes there is." Tenma answered as she picked up her katana. Unsheathing it half-way, she checked the edge, taking the time to also watch Dutch using the reflection in the blade. The young man looked weary but resolute.

"So when's the next one?" Dutch asked as he phased in his diamond knife and twirled it, dancing the blade in intricate patterns. First it started with a simple circle, a slow spin controlled by his hand, the blade seemingly passing through his fingers. Then deviations occurred, a tap here and there, changing the flow of the blade until it seemed to be an organized and yet chaotic mess. Soft flesh repeatedly brushed against the steel-coated diamond edge with an almost impossible impunity.

It wasn't for showing off but instead it was an exercise to prepare for the next battle. It was a long time since Dutch had done this exercise but it always accomplished its dexterity mastery mesmerized Tenma.

"Right now humie." Ushi said from the door. The bull youkai held a great big smile.

Dutch gave him a glance as he caught the flat part of the blade in his hand and phased it away. "Why is it that every time there is news of a fight that I must join, it's you delivering it?"

Ushi laughed. "No idea humie. But I gots something good for you. The next one is Death-Legs. That git liked your fight so much, git bumped up to the next one. Good fight too, I agree. Although I dislike your way of fighting, it's amusing to watch."

Faced with the prospect of taking on the top, Dutch grinned. "And we are still in the afternoon. This is a good day." He said as he headed to the door. Ushi stopped him with a beefy arm.

"Humie, that git wants a two on two fight. If you can't get a partner, then the git will send a lesser git to support you and believe me, those gits only help their master." Ushi warned him.

"I'll go." Tenma said as she sheathed her katana. Dutch gave her an incredulous look as she joined them at the door but held his words until a time when he was alone with her.

"Who are you, tengu git?" Ushi asked her with a critical eye. He had seen her with the human earlier but she could be just another glory hunter looking to beat Dutch for all he knew.

"Teri, I know Dutch personally." Tenma answered, looking Ushi in the eye. The bull youkai snorted in approval once she had held her gaze against his for an appropriate length of time. Tenma ducked under the beefy arms of the youkai and gave Dutch an awaiting stare.

"Move on ahead first. I got something to ask Ushi." Dutch said. Tenma complied with his request, moving away from the duo, far enough that she could not hear the conversation but still well within sight.

She saw Dutch ask Ushi a question and Ushi giving Dutch a death glare. Then Dutch answering in an explanatory fashion and Ushi laughing out loud. Ushi gave Dutch a clap on the back that made him stumble forward before leaving, chuckling to himself.

Still hurting from the back slap, Dutch stumbled over to Tenma. The tengu leader gave him a questioning look.

"Just something related to arena rules. Something very useful." Came the answer. Its speaker gave Tenma his own questioning look in return.

"A better question is what do you think you are doing, volunteering as my partner?" Dutch shot back.

Tenma's resultant look feigned innocence. "You needed a partner, I volunteered as one. What seems to be the problem?" Secretly, she was thrilled to have a battle with Dutch at her side. His description of how he fought during his tengu mission was illuminating but when held up against action, words pale in comparison.

"The problem is exactly who you are. Wouldn't it be an irony if your journey was cut short because you decided to join a fight and got beaten?" Dutch hissed, lowering his volume to avoid drawing the attention of any passing youkai.

"You greatly underestimate my skills, human. I've survived the youkai invasion of the moon. A simple battle in the arena will not break me." Tenma answered in condescension, her tone and words plainly expressing her disapproval of Dutch's sentiment.

"A battle that happened over a thousand years ago. Which fits my point exactly."

"Which is?" Tenma asked as her eyes sharpened. This conversation was rapidly straying into territory that displeased her greatly, to put it softly. Any tengu worth their weight hated to have their combat skills doubted. It was a slight to their honour.

"Your fighting skills might have dulled under your time spent doing your duties. Oh and you draw too much confidence from a battle which took place a long time ago." Dutch answered frankly.

"How dare you! You push my patience human. Do you know who you are talking to?" Tenma answered back with a snarl. A passing attendant youkai gave the duo a curious look. Sensing the atmosphere, the attendant doubled his speed and disappeared around the corner.

Dutch face took on a look of almost smug vindication. "I am talking to Teri the tengu adventurer. I am NOT talking to a tengu of high position within the village that may have almost destroyed her own cover by mouthing off because she couldn't control her own bloody anger!" Dutch's voice became a soft angry growl the longer he spoke. When he finished Dutch realized that he was genuinely angry.

That surprised him. Such matters should be handled with a calm mind, not raging emotions. And here he was, losing control of his own. Feeling slightly hypocritical, Dutch reined in his anger. As he fought the anger down, he wondered how Tenma could have drawn such a reaction from him.

Tenma opened her mouth but stopped short of saying anything. Looking back, she had to agree, the human made sense. She did let her anger cloud her judgement. Like Dutch, she too fought down her anger. She had more important things to tackle.

"You are of great importance to the village. Like it or not, your safety is far more important than me beating some random youkai. If I can minimize the amount of danger you have to face, then yes, I would. Even if it hurts me." Dutch whispered, his tone softened. And he really meant it, he realized. He really would do all he could.

"And I don't intend on losing." Dutch finished.

Tenma shook her head, her thoughts clear. "Intentions do not decide the battle Dutch. Actions do. You will have a better chance of winning if you have someone you can trust as your partner. I'm going and that's final."

She then affixed Dutch with an enchanting gaze that froze him in his tracks. "If you really want to minimize the danger I receive, watch my back as I watch yours." Her voice seemed to flow, as though silk.

Her piece said, Tenma walked down the corridor, her posture radiating victory. Whether it was an omen for the next battle or an actual signification of a victory, Dutch could not clearly tell.

He stared at her dumbly as she continued down the corridor. Just how she managed to halt him with a single look was something he was very interested to find out. Noticing that he was standing, in a daze, in the middle of the corridor like some love-struck idiot, Dutch followed after Tenma.

Tenma grinned victoriously to herself as she heard the human follow after her. It appeared that she had some degree of control over him. All she needed was to fire off some of her emotional performance and he would be in thrall to her.

Youkai market

Arena

Battle ring

The duo entered the ring, the first to arrive. Dutch gave the empty surface a glower as his eyes made a full circuit around it. The floor was clean and clear.

"Alright, where is this great fighter that I am supposed to take on?" Dutch announced as he waited, his voice taking on a mocking note.

"Heehee~ so eager to fight me?"

Dutch and Tenma turned to face the speaker. His opponent was clad in hardened leather armor that only covered the bare essentials. Under the armor was a rust-colored tunic. For the lower half, the legs were covered by an exquisite pair of auburn pants, just how those pants managed to emphasize the legs they clad so well, was a mystery. The pants were complimented by a belt with a burnished leafy buckle. The opponent was armed with a long metal staff, inscribed along its entire length and giving off a slight glow. A dark brown cape, the hue of coffee beans, finished the deal. The cape, the pants the staff, this youkai was a real thing of beauty. For it appeared that his opponent was in fact a she.

'Dammit, Ushi, why didn't you tell me my opponent was a she? I expected a he from the way your description sounded..' Dutch thought as his eyes moved up her frame.

The first thing that drew his eyes was the eyes of his opponent. Her slit amethyst eyes had a playful fire in them, completely unlike the reputation that Dutch had heard. Her honey gold hair was held together in a leaf brooch and her young face glowed with anticipation.

"Hmm...Your reputation deviates greatly from what I see." Dutch said to his opponent. The youkai smiled at his answer.

"The reputation I heard of you does not. You really are as affable as they make you out to be. At least when you are not fighting." She retorted.

"Honored to hear that. Your name? Mine's Dutch Kotozaki and my partner is Teri." Dutch asked, his lips pulled up at the corners by the exchange of words going on. He wondered what was going on in the audience's minds at this moment. Probably disappointment considering that they hadn't even come to blows yet.

The youkai girl grinned. "I apologize, but I cannot tell you. I do thank you though that you told me your name. Titles are simply a mask that hides the true fighter."

Dutch chuckled. "So says the one that wouldn't tell me her name. Very well, Death-Legs, very well."

"Hey, can we start soon? Or are the two of you gonna talk the whole day away?" An annoyed voice issued from behind Death-Legs.

The honey haired youkai turned around. "Simmer down won't you? This is the first time someone has not broken out into an angry rage from words." Her shift in stance exposed the speaker to both Dutch and Tenma's eyes.

The first thing that they could see was long, navy blue hair. Next they saw a pair of azure eyes pushed together in a scowl. The owner was dressed in a green-blue shirt and skirt. She had a belt with a dull droplet buckle and a small coin pouch attached to it and she was armed with an aqua war fan.

"And you are?" Tenma inquired, a nonplussed tone to her voice.

The scowling youkai grimace deeped. "Mekan. Magical kappa. Can we get this fight started?"

Dutch chuckled. "Your partner is rather unhappy."

Death-Legs smiled. "She's like that to any new person. But I see her point. We came here to fight and fight we shall."

Dutch phased in his carbine and Tenma unsheathed her katana. Death-Legs simply gripped her staff and Mekan grinned as she unfurled her war fan. Both sides stared at each other.

"So which one are you taking?" Dutch asked Tenma as he checked between the two. With his weapon variety, he could easily take on either one of them. Although Mekan was grinning as if they already won. Probably overconfidence on her part.

"I think I'll take Death-Legs. You take her partner." Tenma answered as she held her katana with both hands.

Then Mekan reached into her coin purse. Taking out a trio of wispy orbs, she threw them onto the floor. The three orbs each sank into the ground. A second later, three rock golems, each armed with a massive claymore and floating fireballs attached to their shoulders burst out of the ground.

'Golems again? This is started to get old.' Dutch cried out mentally.

"How about we share?" He said as the three golem closed in around them.

Mekan grinned as she flicked her fan upwards. Two of the three golems charged them, creaking with the sounds normally heard during an unwanted landslide.

Tenma said nothing as she stepped out of the way of the swings of one of the golems. In a single quick move, she stabbed one of the golems in the back of the head. The magical construct crumbled into a pile of dirt, the orb lying on top.

Her partner missed this vital scene. He was too busy avoiding the clumsy swings of the other golem. Rolling out of the way of a whooshing sword, he brought out his carbine and fired off a couple of bursts. The energy bullets struck the golem's head, blowing a large chunk off it. Like Tenma's opponent, it crumbled into a pile of stone, the orb lying on top.

The duo returned their attention back to their original opponents. "I hope that was not your best shot." Dutch fired off tauntingly. Tenma silently nodded. The thrill of defeating an opponent was something she had not felt for a long time. She savored the feeling and the expectation of more to come.

Mekan grinned cunningly. "Definitely not. They are just the damage soaker." The kappa answered before gesturing with her fan. Behind Dutch and Tenma, a rumble of rock reverberated through the air.

The two turned to see their just defeated opponents rise up from the ground. The newly risen rock golems held their swords up, ready to attack for their controller. At the same time, Death-Legs, Mekan and the remaining golem advanced.

Dutch cursed as he realized the gravity of the situation they were in. First off, they were surrounded. Secondly, the golems apparently could not be put out of commission for good. He and Tenma stood back to back as the two different groups closed together to form a circle around them.

'I bet Renko and Maribel are having a better time than this.' Dutch grumbled as Death-Legs charged in, swinging her staff.

Moriya shrine

Lake Suwa

Renko crawled out of the water, completely sodden and exhausted. Sanae landed beside her, the total opposite of her current state.

"You improved." The green blue shrine maiden said as she helped Renko up.

"I don't think lasting a a minute longer is an improvement." Renko forced out through her shivering body. The mountain wind combined with her wet clothes created a barrage of cold that worsened her exhausted state.

"I'll get some warm tea. Stay here." Sanae said she noticed Renko's shivering state. She left for her shrine, flying off.

Renko sat against a tree. "Sure, I'll be here." She said to no one.

'I bet Dutch and Maribel are having a better time than this.' Renko thought pitifully.

Mayohiga

With a final burst of effort, Maribel grabbed the ring.

And suddenly she was on solid ground, not hovering in midair over a pool of liquid danmaku. The ground was hard and it was dry but at least it was something she could lie on.

Yukari clapped happily. "Very good. Now we can move on to the next phase of your training."

Too tired to even groan, Maribel simply breathed, savoring what peace she had before Yukari left her in her training from hell.

'I bet Dutch and Renko are having a better time than this.' She thought miserably