Chapter 5: Crunch Time

Caine

(5 days after arrival in Kalichi)

"47…48…49…50!"

With a huff I roll onto my back and spend a few seconds catching my breath before starting a series of sit-ups, counting off each one as I go.

It's still night out if the crimson moon overhead is any indicator, although it's slowly losing some of it's radiance and fading into a dull glow that signifies the onset of 'day'. I'd gotten up early and started off with some simple exercises, stuff that I'd usually do with Dad. He'd often say that I shouldn't overdo it with the physical sets since I won't really start building up muscle mass until I hit puberty…a process that I'd spent some of last night reading up on in Dad's book that left me with alot more questions than it did answers.

Seriously, what's up with all that talk about growing hair in weird…places…and spontaneously getting erections, that'll be a learning process all on it's own. The body does weird things I tell yah.

Forget it, the long and short of it is that I shouldn't focus overmuch on the physical aspect of things.

With that in mind after 100 sit-ups I get to my feet, only slightly wincing as I do so. Taking a deep breath I slowly summon a Shade, letting it gently wrap once around my waist as it manifests itself.

Since strength training isn't going to be paying much in the way of dividends for awhile I'm going to be better off focusing on my control over Shade's and trying to cram in a bit of Magic, maybe Senjutsu training if Kuroka and Shirone are willing to teach me.

To that end I'd gone ahead and set up a course of scrap metal that creates a veritable maze of twists and turns that even a gifted rat would have trouble navigating. I snake my Shade forward into the mess and start paying attention to the diffuse feeling of touch that I'm receiving through it.

When I described Shades as essentially being additional limbs that we can control at will, I wasn't using that explanation as convenience, it's the plain truth. By channeling a small amount of our Valefor Magic into shadows around us we create and manipulate Shades in a variety of lethal and powerful ways.

This is all accomplished because Shades have a sort of tactile feedback sense to them. While it's not the same as physically putting your bare skin against something, I can get a limited sense of both temperature and touch from the Shadow appendage. The point of the exercise I'm doing right now is to learn to pay attention to what the Shade is experiencing even if I can't see it, as well as to remotely change it's shape so as to slip around the mess of metal.

The ultimate goal of this seemingly mundane exercise?

Control.

The entire usefulness of our Shades is centered on very precise movements and 'contractions' of said Shade. In order to make a blade-like extension similar to the one Mom used to behead those guys I have to compress the Shade much like I would attempt to crush a can or suck in my gut. Even then, assuming I can make said shape, I would still have to hold it in place, all the while most likely fighting other people who won't wait patiently for me to stab them.

Any Valefor that wants to have complete mastery of their Shadow powers can't afford to think about what their Shades are doing any more than I can afford to think about how to make my arm move.

And just like how babies first learn to walk, it takes constant and unceasing practice to fully master the ability.

…That said, I had no idea it would be so frustrating. Trying to make sense of the imperfect feedback is one Hell of a head scratcher.

Well, I guess that's the point of this stupid exercise then…

I completely lose my focus as there's a violent crinkling noise from the tarp covering the back door and I suddenly hear Kuroka's voice shouting, "Dammit Kid don't just go wandering off without telling us anything!"

I drop my Shade and turn around to reply with something no doubt witty until I see the look on the 2 cat's faces. Kuroka just looks straight pissed while Shirone has a slightly furrowed brow, cluing me in on to just how annoyed they really are.

"Um…sorry?"

I'm not fast enough to get out of the way of Kuroka's hand as she smacks me across the back of the head and I get the weirdest sense of déjà vu. Heh, Dad and Mom both used to do the same thing whenever I pulled off a particularly dumb stunt.

"…Why are you grinning after I just hit you? Are you into that?"

"Definitely a pervert…" Shirone mumbles under her breath which causes me to briefly chuckle.

"Nah, it was just that it reminded me of something my parents used to do all the time…also sorry about just up and leaving on you, I won't do it again."

They both stare at me for a moment before Shirone shrugs and gives one of her endearing yawns while Kuroka just heaves a sigh and rubs her eyes.

"Ok, as long as you get it now…ugh, it's way too early for this crap. What were you doing out here anyway?"

"Practicing."

"Practicing what? Standing still? Because if that was the goal you're doing a great job."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and instead reply, "I was working on my control over shadows, standing still means I'm doing it right. Also I was doing some aerobic stuff earlier too."

Kuroka gives me a funny look while Shirone apparently deems the conversation beneath her interest at this point and goes back inside the house.

"What's up with the sudden zeal Caine? I totally get that being powerful is how you survive in this city, but you don't have to dive headlong into some wacky training regimen that'll kill you before Kalichi does."

I just shrug and sit down on a nearby pile of debris, responding with, "I'm on a bit of a tight schedule here. Actually, on that note, how does Adder typically fight? Does he use Magic, is there some natural Yokai power I should know about or-"

"Ok, stop right there."

Her eyes dangerously narrow and I realize immediately diving into Adder's strengths and weaknesses probably wasn't the wisest of moves.

She takes a seat opposite me and crosses her legs in a manner that would look relaxed if it wasn't for the chilly aura she's giving off right now.

"Why, exactly, do you want to know about Adder?"

…I don't think I'm gonna be able to talk my way out of this one. Instead I just sigh and reply with, "You know how David is gonna be fighting against Adder in a couple weeks? Well he said he almost certainly wasn't gonna win against him so I offered to help out, 2 sets of hands are better than 1, right?"

Instead of replying Kuroka looks at me with borderline shock and slowly says, "Wait…let me get this straight…the Paladin is going up against Adder?! When did you hear that?!"

"It was, uh…after you went back inside the Church. Adder's going to be in some other part of the city for awhile but then he's coming back for David."

Kuroka is silent for a moment before she suddenly hisses and I instinctively lean back away from her.

"That overprotective Ass! Does he have a death wish or something?! Why didn't he tell us about this?!"

I'm about to mention that given her and Shirone's past with Adder maybe David is just trying to spare them this nasty business when Kuroka suddenly sighs and closes her eyes.

"Ah who am I kidding…of course he didn't want to get me and Shirone involved…that damn bleeding heart…"

I don't really know what to say to that and kind of awkwardly shift on my seat before I suddenly hear Shirone speak up behind me with, "What are we going to do Sis?"

I glance at her and see a moderately worried look on her face before Kuroka gives a quiet exhalation and slowly replies with, "…I'm not sure. I want to help the Paladin, but…what about you Little Sis, are you really alright with going ahead with this? You know that this is going to end up ugly."

The white haired Yokai briefly looks like she's wavering before suddenly turning to me of all people and asks, "Why are you going to help Paladin?"

"Well he helped me out when I was trailing Wyert and told me how to find Heresy Park, so-"

Kuroka interrupts me with a terse, "Which you then repaid in full by giving him the chance to find and rescue Lisa. You don't actually owe him anything Caine."

I flounder for a moment, really not wanting to give my real reason out loud and go with, "If what you've been telling me about this city being a cesspool of morally bankrupt individuals is true then it sounds like David is one of the few out there that's actively trying to help people. That's the exact opposite of Adder and I think that's worth fighting for, if not downright encouraging-"

"Quit bullshitting me Kid, your aura is practically reeking of lies. Besides, if you were really intent on actually trying to help people who need it, throwing yourself headfirst into a fight that'll get you killed right away isn't the way to do it. Now what's your real reason."

I throw up my hands in frustration and half-shout in exasperation, "Oh for the love of-fine! I'm doing this because I'm more than a little pissed about what Adder did to you and Shirone and because David and Lisa and kind of even Sister Bianca are friends of yours! Beyond the fact that I owe you both for saving my life and showing me how to survive here it didn't sound like Adder was just going to give up on you and go away, so why not settle this now rather than later? And finally, well…Ugh, I'd like to know the both of you a little more, can't do that if we're dead…there, I said it! Happy?!"

The Sisters don't make a single sound until all of the sudden Kuroka buries her head in her hands and groans out, "Ugh, a knight in shining armor…what dorky fairy tail did I walk into here?"

I huff and reply, "Well sorry for actually trying to be a good person then…"

Which makes it all the more surprising when she suddenly chuckles and scratches behind my head, just like she did after I told her about my family being killed off. I give her a confused look to which she responds with a bizarre looking smile.

Well, it's bizarre in that it looks frighteningly genuine and happy.

"Thanks Caine…and sorry about kinda biting your head off a second ago…I'm just not used to having someone be, well…genuinely interested in me and Shirone's well being."

I embarrassedly duck my head and try not to show my rapidly reddening face after that whole outburst. Once I'm sure my face is back to normal I glance back towards Shirone and find her staring at me with a her usual stoicism, not giving away a single one of her thoughts. Even her tails are completely motionless.

"…Big Sis? I want to fight with Paladin."

While my eyes briefly widen in surprise Kuroka just smiles resignedly and says, "Yah…I had a feeling you would. You're not as bad as Caine over here, but you have a habit of going the extra mile for the people you like Little Sis."

The smaller Nekoshou just gives a small shrug but her tails gently sway in response to the roundabout praise.

"UGH…alright I guess we're going ahead with this little suicide pact then…Paladin and Lisa are going to owe us one after this."

She stretches before standing and looks at me out of the corner of my eye.

"You were wondering what Adder's powers were right? Here, catch."

She swiftly bends down and tosses a chunk of concrete to me, picking up one of her own as she does so.

"Try to crush it with one hand."

I briefly raise an eyebrow but just shrug and do as she tells me to do, tensing my arm and squeezing as hard as I can. My arm shakes a little bit before the block shatters into pieces, chunks of rock and dust falling to the ground.

Kuroka just nods and with barely any visible effort she clenches her fist, shattering her block into a spraying screen of broken sediment. I frown at the display and can't help but feel a little emasculated. The cat see's my expression and grins before she slyly says, "Little Sis, show him."

Feeling more than a little trepidation I watch Shirone pick up a massive metal bar at least 2 centimeters thick. I frown as I again notice the almost imperceptible change in their aura that must be their Senjutsu power activating…right before the little girl that looks no heavier than a paperweight bends the thing into a circle with hardly a change in expression.

…Ok, I'm definitely jealous.

"How the heck did you do that? That's awesome! Is it from Senjutsu?"

Shirone keeps her apathetic expression but straightens her back a bit, obviously proud of the praise.

"Mostly, but my Little Shirone is more of a Toki prodigy while my specialty tends to have more of a Youjutsu slant. Toki gives incredible physical prowess while Youjutsu relies more on the use of illusions and other bits of misdirection. It's more complicated than that in practice, but it's a good jumping off point. The point is, we're pretty strong yah?"

I give an affirming nod and reply, "Definitely. If I had to put a ranking to it I'd say you 2 are either top-tier Middle class Devils, maybe even High Class at a stretch."

"Oh, quite the flatterer aren't you?"

"That wasn't-"

She waves her hand and airily replies, "Yah I know, I know. Point is, we're both powerful and the Paladin ain't no pushover either. And Adder could almost certainly take on all 3 of us and win. Care to guess why?"

I think about it and slowly say, "Well he's a Yokai of some sort, maybe descended from a Dragon or lizard type…does he know Senjutsu as well?"

She shakes her head.

"Ok…does he have any other powers then? Like breathing fire, paralyzing poison or-"

"You're overthinking this Kid. Pay attention, this is an important lesson I'm about to tell you here, one I think you definitely need to hear. Adder doesn't have any extra powers or anything like that. He's not a Devil, Fallen or Angel, his Yokai heritage doesn't give him any specific advantages aside from his admittedly tough scales, and he wasn't given any sort of formal training whatsoever. He was born in Kalichi, raised in Kalichi, and that's what makes him very dangerous."

She shakes her head as if she can't find the best way to get her point across.

"Look, you're power over Shadows is already pretty impressive and I don't doubt for a second that you're barely scratching the surface of what you can really do. But there's all sorts of other Supernatural beings out in the city that are way stronger than me or Shirone, probably what you would call 'High Class Devil' strength, all with their own little tricks and powers. Adder's fought a number of them, and won every single time."

Shirone adds, "There was that Stray Devil that had been a knight that he beat. And the Fallen Angel with 4 wings."

Kuroka nods and fixes me with an intense stare.

"This is kinda hard to explain, why don't you tell me what you think we're trying to get across?"

I fall silent for a time as I try to puzzle out what the 2 Nekoshou are trying to specifically tell me. They're making a big deal out of Adder not having anything special and still taking down very powerful opponents that had no shortage of individual talents…something about not underestimating your enemy?

Probably not, that's an easy concept to get across…

…Something about being born in Kalichi? What does Kalichi offer that would let someone win against a superior opponent without fail all the time?

…And she kept saying Adder has nothing. Well he's gotta have something, otherwise how does he keep managing to pull off these apparently underdog victories? I rack my brains as I think back to all the things I've seen during my short stay in Kalichi and can't find anything specific, it's all just one overwhelming jumble of different creatures and-

…Hold on.

I lock eyes with Kuroka and Shirone, who migrated to her Sisters side where she's having one of her ears gently scratched and slowly say, "You said Adder had nothing, right? Just a naturally tough guy who doesn't really have any perks aside from impressive, but natural, physical strength and speed, correct so far?"

They both nod.

"I think you were should have said he has everything, not nothing. Kalichi. The Underworld's biggest melting pot of species and mythologies. Adder's strength is his experience. You said he grew up here, that means he grew up among Devil's, among Yokai, among Fallen, among Humans, among all sorts of beings. He's able to win against these 'stronger' guys because he's seen so much and knows how to beat it all with nothing but what he's been given."

I narrow my eyes and finish with, "You're trying to tell me that practicing with any one, or even a few, powers and disregarding the more practical side of things is going to lead to an early grave, no matter how much more lethal it technically should be."

The 2 cats are quiet for a moment and just as I'm wondering if that was the wrong answer Kuroka gently smiles and says, "You got it. I guess I could have just summarized this as, 'don't get complacent', but it's more important that you understand the reasoning behind that statement. I've lost track of how many people I've seen get hurt or killed in this place because they either didn't know how to react to something they'd never seen before, or just straight up panicked. Plenty of underdogs have thrived in this city because they have some sort of ace in the hole that people who would have otherwise mopped the floor with them weren't prepared to fight against. Heck, how do you think the Paladin, a simple Human with no Sacred Gear and who's not getting any younger, is able to constantly take down all sorts of Supernatural beings not just limited to Devils? Trust me, he's been around these parts for awhile and knows a thing or 2."

I sigh and look up at the sky, now fully transformed into it's daytime cycle, and think about what Kuroka said.

She's 100% correct of course, and I can't help but wonder if my parents ever underwent this kind of experience in their lives. I know us Valefors were heavily involved in the seedier side of the Underworld, in fact Kalichi was probably one of our recruiting grounds. What I'm wondering is if Mom ever went through what I'm experiencing right now…is that why she was so strong? Did she ever live in a place like Kalichi in order to hone her strength? To not become overly reliant on just what she was given?

Guess I'll never know…but I'd like to think she did.

And as her Son, I'm not about to let her down. I'll thrive in this place like no Valefor before.

I stand up and face the 2 cats head on before asking, "Kuroka, Shirone? I have a favor to ask. Could you 2 teach me Senjutsu? In return I'll try to show you-"

Kuroka lifts a hand to forestall my words and says, "It's fine, we were planning to show you how to do that eventually. Senjutsu can be pretty handy if you know how to use it."

To my surprise it's Shirone who then speaks up with a deadly serious tone.

"But you're going to listen to everything we tell you, no arguments. Senjutsu is powerful…but that power can be costly. If we don't think it's safe to keep teaching you, we're going to stop."

…I think that's the most I've heard Shirone say at one time.

It also drives home just how serious they both are. In response I just give an equally serious nod and say, "Fair deal."

With that out of the way both cats relax a fraction but look confused when I go back inside the house and walk back out with the book on Elemental Magic in my hands.

"What's that for?"

"What you told me about Adder gave me an idea. If his style of fighting is centered solely on physical action, messing up that rhythm might give us an opening to exploit…ah, here it is. [Shock Bolt]."

Shirone gives the page a brief glance alongside Kuroka and then they both look at me blankly. In unison they both say, "We can't read that."

I stare at them dumbly for a second before I smack my head in frustration. Of course they can't read it idiot! This book's in English and most Yokai around these parts are probably only familiar with the Japanese language.

I'd forgotten yet again that a Devil's innate ability to be verbally understood wouldn't extend to written language. Thankfully I'm fluent in the English language and a bit of Spanish and classical Arabic. I might be able to teach the 2 cats enough so that they can read these books, or they can show me Kanji. Or is it Hiragana and Katakana? Guess that's one of the differences I'll be learning then…

Regardless I go ahead and tell them, "That's my bad, I forgot that these are written in a different language. Long story short I was planning on trying to learn at least one bit of elemental Magic before the fight but couldn't decide which one to go with. Well, now I know. Fire, Ice, Wind, Water, Earth…all can be effective in their own right but it takes time to master them, time I don't have. Electricity though…even a low powered bolt to a bit of soft skin might briefly stun him, lock up his body for a moment. So [Shock Bolt] is gonna be the go to Spell for these next few weeks. The others can come later."

They both glance at each other before shrugging and Shirone goes inside, no doubt for some breakfast.

Once she's gone I give Kuroka a sidelong look and archly ask, "You're aura is practically reeking of lies…care to explain what that was about?"

She has the decency to look equal parts ashamed and sheepish and replies, "I, uh…made that sound a bit more impressive than it actually is. An accomplished Senjutsu practitioner can read a person's aura and the flare of natural energy it makes as they feel different emotions, basically allowing them to get a general idea if the person's lying or not. I'm nowhere near that level so I sorta, y'know, made you hyper nervous so I could actually read your aura properly."

"…You crafty cat."

She uncomfortably shifts and hesitantly says, "Look, I don't usually make a habit of looking at my friend's Auras since that's a total invasion of privacy, but-"

"Don't give me your excuses Kuroka."

Out of the corner of my eye I see her ears droop slightly…and my mask breaks as I lightly grin out of the corner of my mouth.

"Because I don't need em'. I'm not offended."

She stares at me blankly for a seconds before she releases an irritated yowl and puts me in a headlock.

"You little rat! I thought you were being serious! That wasn't funny!"

I frantically tap her arm and after a few seconds she begrudgingly let's go, her tails lashing back and forth. Seeing her annoyance I can't help but grin slightly and reply with, "I've been told my humor can be quite a hassle to deal with. Good to see I haven't lost my touch."

"Ugh, I can totally see why," she responds with a scowl, although her face softens a bit and she continues with, "It's good to see you acting a bit more relaxed Kid. You were kinda…empty for awhile there."

I can't help but wince at her words but regain my emotional footing and tiredly reply, "Yah…I still don't know why I can't bring myself to grieve. I feel sad, lonely, miss them…but just can't go that extra step."

…Wow, I just spilled my whole emotional state out right there. Ah well…guess it just means I trust the 2 Yokai enough to tell them about this stuff. Sure enough there's the familiar sensation of Kuroka gently scratching my head, a sensation that's at least comforting if not physically pleasing.

"Don't worry about it Kid. Grief doesn't run in a straight line. Maybe you're just gradually acclimating to the idea over time, or maybe it'll hit you later."

I almost jump as Shirone speaks up from behind me with, "Grief is an emotion. If emotion was simple, we wouldn't call it emotion."

I can't help the slightly playful smile that comes to my face as I say, "I think you've said more words this morning than you have in the past few days."

Her eyes briefly widen in surprise before she gives a mild pout, causing Kuroka to chuckle before lightly bonking me on the head.

"Be nice to Shirone. This is a new record for her."

The 2 of us share a brief chuckle at that as Shirone returns back to her usually impassive expression and mutters something along the lines of, "Idiots…".

While I may still be in a daze about losing my whole family…little things like this leave a strangely warm feeling in my chest. Maybe it's just the healing process at work. Who knows?

"So this is about where you girls found me?"

"Yup. Bleeding out and half-dead. Good times those."

I arch an eyebrow at Kuroka's fond sounding tone.

"Ae you trying to give me a P.T.S.D attack here?"

She just smirks as she and Shirone walk on over to a small clearing where they sit down in a lotus position and fall silent for awhile, no doubt about to use their Senjutsu powers.

After I'd gone ahead and stated that I fully intended to help David take on Adder the Sisters had suggested that we move out to the forest surrounding Kalichi for awhile. According to them not many people brave to enter the tree line due to rumors of a ferocious Dragon that supposedly lives in a mansion located somewhere in the woods that feasts on intruders.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's just a superstition, although the cats certainly don't seem worried about it. I drop off the few things I was carrying, mostly just an old bedroll and some beat up pots and pans, before walking over to where the 2 Nekoshou are seated. Slowly but surely a fairly large structure made of interlocked roots, at least as large as the old hut back in Kalichi, is growing directly out of the ground in some rapidly sped up process of natural growth.

Well…not entirely natural, but whatever. It's close enough.

Yet again I'm stuck wondering whether it's possible to use Senjutsu to rapidly grow vegetable plants or something along those lines. Not that breakfast from a wrapper is awful or anything, but it does tend to get monotonous after a while.

My attention is brought back to the present as both Yokai pull themselves out of their meditative stances and stretch out any kinks that formed in the meantime.

"Well, it ain't home, but it'll do for awhile. So Kid, any words of praise for us? I mean we did just grow a house out of the ground in about 5 minutes flat, pretty impressive don't yah think?"

I keep my face impassive and simply reply with, "You should probably get fire insurance for this thing."

2 mildly annoyed looks are my only response and I turn around to grab the stuff I dropped earlier so as to hide my smile. Inside the little abode things are honestly way more comfortable looking, with soft green grass covering the floor and airtight walls. Pretty much the only 2 openings are a ventilation hole on the top of the thing and the entrance. Quite good craftsmanship really.

"So what's your game plan Kid?"

I give the question some brief thought before I unfurl my wings and reply, "Well we have some wide open sky now, I might as well get used to flying. After that I'll probably start working on [Shock Bolt]. You 2?"

"We're probably just going to finish setting stuff up here and then start working on our Senjutsu. See you later tonight?"

I shrug and easily reply, "Sounds good to me."

And with that I walk outside, push off the ground, flap my wings once…and promptly smack my face into a tree branch. Clutching my bruised forehead I don't quite miss the hysterical laughter behind me and heave a defeated sigh. Kuroka is practically rolling on the ground in laughter while Shirone has her face turned away from mine, no doubt trying to hide her own amusement.

Well, I'm off to a flying start.

Or not.

It's a few hours later that I give up on flying practice and defeatedly glide to the ground. I managed to eventually get used to gliding on just wind alone, no Magic involved, but actively using air currents is gonna take a long time to get the hang of. There's plenty of Devils that just use their Magic to fly around, but what the heck are they planning on doing if they run out of Magic?

Running through a mental checklist of things I still have to do I arrive back at the clearing and notice that the sisters returned to their meditative poses, seemingly dead to the world aside from the slow rise and fall of their chests.

Putting my curiosity aside for the moment I instead decide to go through another set of physical exercises while I wait for them to finish whatever it is they're doing.

After an hour of sit ups, pull ups and other assorted stretches along with half an hour of letting my worn out body pull itself back together I notice something strange. While Kuroka is pretty much motionless the entire time, around every 20 minutes or so Shirone will suddenly jolt out of her pose as if startled by something, offering up an expression of either fear or frustration before returning to her meditations. Maybe somethings wrong with the way she's training herself?

My musings are cut short as all of the sudden Kuroka stands up with a tired sigh, stretching her neck and giving Shirone a sympathetic look. She pulls her aside and sends me a look that says, 'can you give us a moment?'.

Without a backward glance I slip off the tree trunk I was resting on and walk a couple dozen yards away or so, not far enough that I can't see them but plenty far away enough that I can't hear a word they're saying.

While my curiosity is in raging overdrive about what it is they're conversing about I'm not going to eavesdrop. I'd like to think I have some standards when it comes to privacy. To my surprise barely a minute after I walked off Kuroka gives a wave for me to come back, their conversation apparently a short one.

"Hey Caine, whaddya say to starting your crash course into Senjutsu tomorrow morning?"

I raise an eyebrow and ask, "So soon? I'm all for it, but I figured it would be awhile before you considered teaching me."

She gives an unconcerned shrug and says, "The hardest part of Senjutsu training is actually learning to sense the flow of Chakra, life force, Chi, whatever you want to call it and then refining it into a source you can use. Your 'practicing' is going to mostly consist of just sitting around and trying to find the flow of power that any Senjutsu practitioner knows like the back of their hand. And maybe we'll do a little practice fighting between the 3 of us."

I furrow my brow in doubt and ask, "Wouldn't that be a bit of a waste for you 2 to fight against me? I've gotten a pretty good gauge of your baseline power level and it's way above mine. Not to mention you're physically stronger and probably way faster. As much as it sucks to admit, you're not going to be getting much out of going up against me."

She just smirks in reply.

"Maybe we won't be learning much, but you will. Trust me Kid, we're not going to go easy on you and you'll be all the better for it."

I don't quite manage to hide my wince and just give a resigned sigh.

I'm getting flashbacks to training with Dad all of the sudden. He was downright merciless most of the time too…

"Ok kid first lesson in Senjutsu. Inner peace."

"…I don't suppose you have a more solid description than that?"

"Course I do! But that's essentially what it comes down to. In order to sense the flow of natural energy through the world and yourself you can't afford to have any distracting thoughts or emotions clouding your perceptions. I think the term is 'zen'."

…I can immediately point out a rather large problem facing me if I want to learn Senjutsu.

Namely the fact that it's practically the polar opposite of how I make use of my Devil powers. All forms of Devil Magic, whether they be family inherited or not, are used by feeling. For elemental Magic users they have to have an intimate understanding of what their respective element can do and feels like. Never mind the fact that we're essentially forcing our internal Magic to bend itself to our will, an action the complete inverse of 'inner peace' as Kuroka described it.

Heck, even my Shades are based off of an emotion. I'm pretty much strong arming a part of me to manipulate itself to my wishes, something that requires both concentration and intense personal will, as well as the ability to multi-task.

…Well, no sense in complaining about it, might as well get started.

I take a page from the cats book and adopt a cross legged position, close my eyes and start regulating my breathing.

This carries on for almost half-an-hour…but I still can't seem to force myself to obtain any measure of calm. There's too many thoughts buzzing around my head, too many residual emotions making themselves apparent…this is gonna be rough.

"Still can't manage it?"

I shake my head in response.

"Not even close. I can't even manage to clear my head, let alone start focusing on finding this natural energy or whatever."

She puts a finger to her lips in apparent thought for a moment before she perks up and brightly says, "I've got an idea! Come on over here for a second."

My curiosity piqued I walk over to where the Nekoshou is lounging…and stop dead once she motions for me to sit in her lap. She grins her cheshire grin and purrs out, "Well come on now, we need to see if this works!"

Fighting down my doubts I go ahead and do so, trying not to focus on how soft she is-

No! Inner peace dammit!

She hums in satisfaction and slowly puts her hands right above my abdomen, just above a certain…part of my anatomy. I fight hard to keep down a blush I'm getting for whatever reason and force myself to calm down as she suddenly whispers into my ear, "Good…now slowly relax…breathe in…and out…like that…"

This would probably be working better if her damn voice wasn't so sultry and her breath didn't keep tickling my ear!

This whole process lasts about 10 minutes with me fruitlessly trying to relax until I give up and say, "Hey, uh, Kuroka?"

"Hmm?"

"…I don't think this is gonna work."

"Why not?"

"Well…because I can't calm down!"

She gives me a perplexed look and asks, "Why can't you calm down?"

Snapping I hysterically shout, "Because I'm sitting on your lap, because you keep touching me, because you keep breathing on my ear and you know damn well why!"

At which point she breaks out cackling like a madwoman and chokes out, "Y-yeah, I know why! Haha! You should have seen the look on your face! Priceless! Ha! You're so adorable when you're embarrassed!"

I stonily glare at her before marching away, leaving her behind to work out her mirth on her own.

After Kuroka had her little fun she actually gave me some legitimate pointers on how to enter an actual meditative state so I could begin learning in earnest.

Still no progress though.

[Shock Bolt] was actually a pretty resounding success on the other hand. In the space of 4 days I managed to cast my first use of it and at this point I'm just making sure I can use it instinctively.

Then again, most elementary level Magic is elementary for a reason. Shaping my Magic into the spell 'formula' and then releasing it while envisioning electricities properties is child's play, even for newly reincarnated Devils that are still getting the hang of their powers.

It's not until you get to the intermediary level that things become pretty difficult, at which point you become jealous of how Devil's with a natural affinity for the elements can use them with just a shrug of intent, skipping all the Magic manipulation and careful envisioning of how the spell works in the first place.

SMACK!

…currently none of that is my concern.

Right now I'm more worried that Shirone might have hit me so hard that my eyeballs flew out my skull.

"…Are you ok?"

The albino haired cat's question seems to come from far away and I slowly blink away my daze. Thankfully the 5 blurry Shirone's I was looking at coalesce into 1 solid image after a moment.

"Yah, I think so. Just to be safe though, what day is it?"

Instead of laughing at my attempt at a joke she instead looks angry with herself and shakes her head before replying with, "I'm sorry, I didn't control my strength enough-"

"Shirone, we're sparring. You're not doing it right if you don't hit the other person hard. Besides, this way you can work on controlling that strength. It's fine."

With that I roll over onto my back and shakily sit up, glad she didn't fracture my skull.

2 days ago we started having mock fights between the 3 of us and a few things quickly became apparent. Firstly, if Kuroka or Shirone used their Senjutsu they could pound me into the dirt in seconds flat. Secondly, even if they didn't use Senjutsu, their life in Kalichi had naturally toughened them up, not to mention Kuroka said that David had given them combat lessons for almost an entire year, meaning they have toughness and physical knowhow.

Without Senjutsu we're more or less every matched. Dad had started my training early in life and while I never really practiced much in the way of 'official' styles, I certainly got good at dodging and learning how to duck and weave, since getting hit by a 7 foot tall Norse warrior is no bushel of roses.

Kuroka focuses more on what I'm pretty sure is an aikido centered art, often using some very painful locks and grapples to immobilize me. Shirone is a little more unconventional and if she uses a particular style I'm definitely not familiar with it. Since unless she's using Senjutsu she has to deal with her small stature and weight she usually just lightly dances around attacks until using very precise shoves to my lower body, typically kicking or shoving at my knee and getting in between my stance and using momentum to unbalance me.

It's actually kinda disconcerting just how well it works.

Of course, that slap she just delivered was Senjutsu powered since I had wanted to test my progress against them that way.

To my surprise she briefly moves her arm as if she wants to offer me a helping hand…before it locks up and a brief hint of nervousness shows itself on her face. Pretending not to notice her offer I force myself to my feet, hoping to spare her any awkwardness. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work and I briefly see her look frustrated over something.

...I'm starting to honestly get worried about Shirone and while she tries to hide it I can tell Kuroka is as well. These past few days she's been acting more and more stressed, and is getting sloppy in her Senjutsu training as well as our physical sparring.

Normally she wouldn't have clocked me into next week like that.

"Hey, uh…Shirone? Are you…well, are you ok? You've been acting a bit off today and-"

"It's your imagination. I'm fine."

With that terse reply she turns around and stalks off to the treeline opposite where we are, leaving me annoyed at myself for not being able to tell what's wrong.

With a heavy sigh I head on over to where Kuroka is currently practicing her Senjutsu and just observe her meditating for a few minutes, letting my tired body knit itself back together. It's been doing a lot of that these past few days.

"That was a short match Kid. Something happen?"

"Yeah, you could say that. Although I'm mostly pissed with myself truth be told."

The older Nekoshou brings herself out of her meditation pose and turns to me with a slight trace of worry in her eyes.

"…Was it about my Little Shirone?"

"You guessed it…I'm just worried is all. She's been acting differently these past few days and getting progressively worse in her practice. What's really driving me up a wall is that I don't know what is causing her to fall apart like that, hence I don't have a clue how to help fix it."

She gives me a questioning look and asks, "Who says it's your job to fix the problem?"

I scowl before tersely replying, "No one did, that's totally not the point. I'm making it my problem. Or do you need me to embarrass myself again and go off on a little speech about how I legitimately want to help the 2 of you?"

She gains a quirky little smile and airily replies, "While that'd be fun to listen to, I'll pass for now. That aside…while I appreciate the effort, this is something I need to settle with her. Maybe further down the road you can talk to her…ah forget it. Just let me handle this. We'll see you back at the hut. Get dinner cooking would yah?"

I can't resist making a face and sourly reply, "Would you prefer the rabbit food or the rabbit food?"

She snickers and gives me a playful smack on the head as she passes, causing me to wince as I have one heck of a bruise forming there.

"Beggars can't be choosers Kid."

Shirone

Breathe in…breathe out…breathe in…breathe out…

…Dammit, no good. With a frustrated exhalation I drop my lousy attempt at meditation and instead kick a patch of dirt away in annoyance.

…I hate being weak. My Sister is strong, like really strong. She always takes life's problems in stride and never let's them bring her down, she bounces back no problem with no lasting trauma…unlike me.

Even Caine, who's weaker than the 2 of us in most normal meanings of the word, isn't as hopeless as me. At least he has the ability to improve himself.

I bury my head in my arms and don't bother trying to fight the angry tears that leak out.

I can't use Senjutsu properly, I can't train with Caine or my Sister properly, and when the time comes to actually fight I'll probably be a liability…

"Something on your mind Little Sis?"

I almost jump at the sound of Sis's voice and frantically wipe away my tears. I don't want her to worry.

"No…I just wanted a moment on my own."

"Just because you try to be impassive most of the time doesn't automatically make you a good liar Sis."

I scowl and am about to angrily reply when she suddenly pulls me into her arms and comfortingly lays her chin on the top of my head, stopping any complaints cold.

I hate it when she does this, mostly because it feels so safe…and I don't really think there's any place in the world that will ever be safe for us. The only place I once considered 'safe' was when we were living with Mom and Dad...and it was destroyed in the blink of an eye.

"I hear you knocked Caine into next week…"

My eyes instantly turn downcast and I sadly reply with, "I tried to help him up afterwards but…I froze up again. I was fine when we were practicing, but as soon as it was over…He saw that and tried to pretend he didn't notice so it wasn't so awkward…I hate not being able to touch other people freely! I want to! I want to have him scratch my head like he does yours, I want to be able to playfully hit him when he says or does something dumb, I want to so badly but…everytime I try I…remember."

Sis just gently rocks me back and forth as I vent out my anger at the unfairness of everything, gently humming a tune Mom used to sing to us when we were little.

After a couple minutes of that I feel myself grow marginally calmer and take a deep breath, letting out all my worries as I exhale.

"Better?"

"Yes…thank you Big Sis."

She gently scratches my left ear and I start to gently purr, enjoying the sensation and letting it calm me slightly.

"…Was Caine mad at me for just running away like that?"

"Oh? Why do you ask?"

I resist the urge to yell at her to stop teasing me and instead say, "I still want to be his friend…friends aren't supposed to stay mad at each other, right?"

"Hmm…well get this Shirone, he was actually more worried that he wasn't able to ask you what was wrong than he was about anything else. It's going to be hard to stay mad at someone if you weren't mad to begin with."

I feel immediate relief but don't show it and instead scowl before saying, "He's too nice to us…what if we were just using him?"

"Well then he'd be very screwed to say the least…but I think he has good instincts. If we weren't honest with him he'd probably pick up on it sooner or later."

I just give a small noncommittal grunt that causes Big Sis to chuckle.

"Are you asking because you're his friend or because you're feeling a little…possessive?"

"I'm not possessive. That's yourself you're thinking of Sis."

"Oh I know what I want and I'm not afraid to go out and get it. Hehe…that Kid is gonna be a stud when he grows up with all this working out he does. Depending on how he turns out in the future I might even think about having a few kittens with him!"

I feel my face go red and decide to just stay silent. Whenever Big Sis talks about these kinds of things I just feel…strange.

"Oh, you 2 are back. Everything ok now?"

I give a shy nod while Sis saunters on by and easily replies, "Course it is, we know how to get over ourselves when we need to."

I inwardly roll my eyes at this, remembering how easy it is for Sis to get lost in a grudge. Not more than a few days after meeting Adder for the first time in awhile she practically went dead to the world for hours. There's a slight dance to Caine's mouth that suggests he's thinking the same thing.

"Well you're better at it than I am then. So how does dinner sound? We've got root stew with a side of edible greens with 'liberated' ration bars for desert, or the exact same thing except with a dash of sarcasm as an entree. Seriously, you're going to have to show me how to catch something more substantial in these woods or I'm going to die of hunger sooner rather than later."

Bis Sis just snorts and replies with, "Yah yah relax already Kid, I got it covered. In the meantime though, there's someone who wants to say something to you."

Her gentle push to my back causes my eyes to widen in surprise and any protest I might have had dies in my throat when a pair of red and green eyes lock on mine. I swallow audibly and say, "I'm…sorry about hurting you earlier-"

"If I say I don't want or need an apology enough times will you believe me? Seriously Shirone, it's fine."

…He really is way too forgiving. So instead of continuing to make apologies I instead hold out my hand. His eyes briefly widen and he shoots Big Sis a quick glance, that she studiously ignores, before he slowly reaches out and gently puts his hand against mine.

…It's uncomfortable, and my body is so tense it's almost painful, but I keep holding contact regardless. Nothing bad is happening, so there's nothing to worry about…just relax…

After maybe a minute or so of holding this position I let out a shaky breath and give Caine a slight smile.

"Thank you."

For some reason he looks awkward at my praise and just hastily replies with, "Uh, yah! Don't mention it…"

Big Sis suddenly squeals and half shouts, "Oh you 2 are just so adorable together! Shirone, maybe you should think about-"

I leap over and clamp a hand on her mouth and quietly hiss, "Friend. Not parent!"

Caine just looks confused at my sudden action and I internally sigh. Big Sis has her eyes on him now, he better watch out.

Caine

…For someone so loud and upfront with her emotions, Kuroka can be hard to find when she wants to be. So instead of actively seeking her out I instead take cover in the shadow of a large tree and gently close my eyes, listening intently for any signs of an approaching Kitty cat.

Not that I'd call her that to her face, she'd probably break my arm.

It's been almost 2 weeks now since we started practicing out here in the forest. 2 weeks of constant, unforgiving and unceasing one sided ass kickings courtesy of the 2 Nekoshou.

But it's slowly paying off.

Evidenced by me suddenly jerking my head back and narrowly avoiding a fist that would have otherwise connected with my cheek.

A couple days ago I'd be picking my noggin out of the dirt after that surprise attack.

I quickly roll back and see Kuroka slam her palms onto the dirt, causing a mass of wooden limbs to wind towards me like the world's weirdest snake stampede.

We'd agreed to have the spar take place with no restrictions on techniques in order to better practice real world conditions, as well as to familiarize ourselves with each other's powers.

I don't even try to dance around the approaching tidal wave of wood and instead unfurl my wings and flap once, hard, shooting me into the air and causing a large cloud of dirt to spread outwards. Not wasting my momentary advantage I shoot out my right hand, extend my pointer finger and shout out, "[Shock Bolt]!"

A thin line of electricity shoots out fast than the eye can blink-

-only for Kuroka to already be leaping out of the way, a ball of blue fire already forming in her hand as she does so.

Well crud.

She slings her arm around causing the fire to fly towards me in an arc and I desperately tuck one wing into my body and flap hard with the other, barely propelling me out of the way in time.

I got hit with Senjutsu based fire a few days ago and have zero intention of repeating the process. That stuff hurts.

I hit the ground and immediately shoot out a Shade in her direction, hoping to immobilize her or at least divert her attention. Just as I'd expected she see's the Shade approaching and leaps upwards onto a tree branch to avoid the appendage…allowing me to send my little surprise her way without being detected.

Just yesterday I'd simultaneously figured out how to use 2 Shades at once as well as to manifest them out of a Shadow that isn't mine, a pretty big step on the road to having tight control over my family powers.

I'm going to ignore the fact that my 2nd Shade is noticeably slower and less dexterous, alongside the unfortunate reality that controlling 2 at once messes with my control over both of them.

Of course, since Kuroka isn't expecting the 2nd Shade at all this should turn out nicely.

I grin as she prepares another ball of fire in her hands…just as my unseen Shade prepares to latch onto her wrist. That grin transforms into a smirk and I move the appendage forward…only for it to phase through her wrist with a strange glow of blue light as it does so.

Dammit! When did she create an illusion?!

The next thing I feel is a hand on the back of my head before I'm yanked backwards and a fist strikes me right in the gut, causing me to cough out a lungful of air and spit.

I land hard on my back and immediately see Kuroka playfully pounce onto me before straddling my waist and cocking a fist full of blue flames next to her ear.

"Give up~?"

I can only wheeze painfully and wave my hand around, which she thankfully takes as my surrender and drops her hand.

"I gotta say Kid, you improve pretty damn fast. Was that a 2nd shadow thingy you used back there?"

My gut finally uncompresses enough that I can suck down a breath of air and it takes a second before I can reply.

"Sure was. Not that it seemed to help much. When'd you drop that illusion, I didn't even notice you do it."

She grins and crosses her arms underneath her chest-don't stare-and proudly says, "When you took your eyes off of me when I threw my fire at you. Remember to not let your gaze wander Kid, that's a habit you're gonna have to break."

I heave a sigh and tiredly reply, "One of many things I'm gonna have to work on…"

Still on top of me she suddenly leans forward and rests her chin on her crossed arms, face uncomfortably close to mine with a slightly peeved expression evident on her features.

"Kid, there's only so many hours in a day and only so many days in a week. I just said it but apparently you need to hear it again. You've been making killer progress. Just keep doing what you've been doing and you'll be well on your way to being a real survivor. Just try not to die in the meantime."

"Sound advice that."

We both fall silent for an intensely awkward minute.

"…Kuroka?"

"Yes~?"

"You can get up now. The match is over."

"I know."

"…So can you get up please?"

She pouts and whines, "But I like it here!"

"Didn't you just say there's only so many hours in a day and all that?! C'mon let me up already! You've been doing stuff like this all week!"

With one final pout she huffs and lifts herself off of me…but not before her tails brush across my face and she flashes a roguish smile as she saunters away.

I sigh as I feel a now familiar sensation of a brief tightening in my lower abdomen for a moment before it goes away.

I really need to read up on the whole deal with puberty again…because I'm pretty sure that's what's happening to me right now.

3 weeks came and went pretty fast.

Well, time flies when you're having fun, right? Probably time flies when you're getting beat like a rented gong as well, but I'm trying not dwell on that right now.

"Hey Kid, we're gonna leave you behind if you don't step on it!"

I roll my eyes at Kuroka's usual impatience whenever she's not the one taking up everyone else's time and cast one last glance at the clearing we were staying before walking away with the 2 other cats.

I take a surreptitious look at them and can't help but smile a bit. Shirone seemed to pull herself together after Kuroka took her aside for a chat back then and made rapid progress on whatever it was they were doing with their Senjutsu powers. She actually managed to use some of the same blue fire that Kuroka employs so freely just a few days ago and her expression of joy could have brought a smile even to Lord Phenex's renowned poker face.

As for the older Yokai…well as always it's hard to tell with her. She doesn't seem to be any different and it bugs me that after 3 weeks of fighting and talking with her I still can't really read her from body language alone.

As for me? Well, pretty good progress on all fronts…except Senjutsu.

3 weeks and I haven't gotten so much as a wiff of natural energy. Kuroka tried to let me down easy and said that the average Senjutsu practitioner can take months before they're able to properly sense the flow of Chakra, but I don't aim to be 'average'. I'd be willing to bet the 'average' ones are the first to go in Kalichi.

"Are you ok?"

I snap out of my reverie and look at Shirone, who's giving me an inquisitive glance.

"Yah, I'm good. Just got lost in thought for a moment there."

She simply nods and goes back to watching the path while I hoist the lockbox with all my accompanying volumes more securely in my arms and trail behind the 2 cats.

We're headed 'home'.

The hour is approaching, to give it your best, you've got to reach your prime!

That's when you need, to put yourself to the test, and show us the passage of time, we're gonna need a montage!

...That song was playing in my head for way longer than it should have. But that's the obligatory training montage interspersed with a little insight into Shirone's state of mind.

Next chapter is gonna reveal another story that parallels Caine's, and yes that's a cheeky cocktease.

Sorry bout that :D

Thanks for all the views, follows, favorites and reviews up in this bitch (,,,where did that come from?)