As they approached their building, they first saw that it was entirely cleaned of those strange markings, and then saw people coming out to greet them. Men and women, smooth faces and wrinkled, and one man with wrinkled face and white hair stepped forward. "Thank you, girls. Those hoodlums have been a problem for years, everyone able to fight them, they recruited, so nobody was willing and able to drive them off. Now you've stood up to them, and backed it up, we can finally start putting this place into shape. They'll be back, though, and maybe you can trash them again, get them to start treating this place better?"

Ashi took her time to sort that through. "We'll do what we can," she said at last, and the old man thanked them again, as did the others. Then the girls went back into their apartment, where they performed their devotions. "Do you think we should consecrate this as a temple? Adi, do you know the rituals?"

She nodded to that. "It will take all of us, and we'll have to find the materials. But we can do it, and then Ayami and Akane will have a fit place to worship." The apartment was quite large enough, at least by their standards, to hold themselves and a few others if the other two needed an emergency shelter. It was more than large enough for proper worship; Adi's only worry was that they might not be able to find the right materials.

But that was a worry for later; for now, they had their sunset prayers to perform, and the Dome to go to. What was their challenge to be this time?

.oO()Oo.

It turned out to be nothing they'd expected, or could have expected. A floor panel dropped open so quickly that even they couldn't leap clear in time, and they landed in a lightless room, on a soft floor. "Welcome, my dears, to the Paths of Peril. Your job is simple: Find the way out. There are many hazards, and your efforts are being shown through the use of near-infrared cameras. In other words, the audience can see you, but you can't see anything. Good luck." And the voice cut off with a click.

Ashi spoke in their private language. "We stay together. No splitting. Weapons out." The others did as ordered. "Explorer formation," and the seven formed a circle, facing out. To fighters trained to dodge arrows by sound alone, that was nothing. Ashi started walking, very slowly and softly, kusarigama in her hands. Avi held her kanabo, Ami her sai, and Aki had her katana low and vertical. Ari's naginata was in high guard position, as was Ari's yari, and Aji's hands were filled with her butterfly swords. The seven moved through the maze slowly, carefully, steering by faint changes in air pressure and echo texture.

.oO()Oo.

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the commentator in his brassy voice, "this is new. I've never seen anyone adapt to the darkness so quickly, we might have to bring in the opposition sooner than expected!" and the audience cheered as a door slid open, almost silently. But "almost" was all the girls needed.

"Avi, with me. We don't know what this is, so we kill it as quick as we can," Ashi said. From twenty metres, their opponent dashed toward them, footfalls faint and soft, and when it was less than five metres away, Ashi flung her star-pointed weight at it and Avi leapt high to crush its head, she hoped. They were rewarded with a yelp and howl, and a groaned offer of surrender. In public language, Ashi said to the being, "We accept your surrender. Attempt ambush and…" The creature slowly walked away, and the girls resumed their careful exploration.

.oO()Oo.

"I never expected that, ladies and gentleman. The Carinan sabrevore is supposed to be one of the most persistent hunters in the galaxy! These girls are something to be reckoned with. Notice the way they move, soft, slow and careful. That's the only way to walk the Paths of Peril," he said, then let out a soft sound of surprise. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Master of the Paths informs me that the walls are now electrified!"

.oO()Oo.

Within the maze, the girls could tell instantly that something had changed: the ozone scent, the faint stirring of their hair from static. "Stay clear of the walls," Ashi said in their private language, and the others acknowledged: whatever the change was, it was not likely good. They kept moving, carefully following the left wall, but not touching it. They had grown up in a cavern complex; this was no great challenge to them. Robots, traps, such things slowed them, but did not stop them, and though they could not hear it, the announcer kept narrating their victories. At long last, they found the exit, and Ashi hurled a bullet at it. A wise choice, the egg-shaped metal projectile sparking as it hit. She quickly traded places with Avi; a hard blow on the briefly revealed handle smashed the lock, her mostly wooden weapon too poor a conductor to carry even an incapacitating charge. The door slowly opened, and they stepped out to cheers and howls.

.oO()Oo.

Back at their apartment, the girls were almost giddy as they lay upon their mats, heads resting on firm pillows, light coverlet drawn up over them, cuddled up close. Bellies full and thirst sated, softness beneath them and warmth from their comforter, warm air and each other, their Lord Father's beneficent gaze upon them, such bliss. What more could they need? Slowly, gently, they drifted off, and for the first time since leaving the Temple, slept entirely untroubled.

.oO()Oo.

They gathered once more at Ayami's apartment, and told her of their traversal of the maze. Her eyes went wide as the tale went along. "The others trained you very well; I could not have done that. Truly, Aku's fire burns within you," she said, her tone soft, awe-struck. "But come, Akane and I will take you to the gym where we train." And with that, she rose, put on her coat and shoes as her daughter shut off the forest sounds, then the group departed. As they went down the stairs, Ayami spoke further. "We're too many for my car, so we'll take a bus. The gym's a bit too far to reasonably walk. Do you know about busses yet?" The sisters shook their heads, and Akane couldn't repress a giggle. That earned her a warning glare from her mother, she put on a contrite look, and the sisters looked on in amazement. Ayami was so gentle with her! Such a breach of manners would have earned any of them slaps across the face at best! But they paid close attention to Ayami's explanation of busses. Very soon, they were at the gym, a large facility with few windows.

Ayami led the girls through the lobby, then down a broad, white corridor to a door lined in blue. She quickly tapped at a panel, then looked at the result. "Interesting. Girls, this is going to be a challenge for all of us. I asked for a random scenario, and we're going to be fighting with tanbo, in the High Jungle, heat and humidity at max. Oh, and no clothing, no equipment but the tanbo. I need to tell the computer about your darksuits, in a way it can understand," and she tapped at the keys. "There. The computer will automatically disqualify you if you pull anything from your darkness, but you'll be allowed to cling to the trees and won't be expected to remove your shadows."

Ashi and others looked between each other, confused, but Ashi nodded. "So… we're fighting with just tanbo, in a hot, wet place. That much I understand. Let's start."

The nine stepped through the door when it slid open, then Ayami and Akane stripped, placed their clothes and personal effects in storage niches with sliding panels on their fronts, and all of them collected tanbo, hardwood rods roughly 45cm long. Then a second door opened, and as their hosts smiled in anticipation, the girls gaped in amazement and incomprehension. They'd come to understand trees, but these, these were not mere trees. These were giants, wider than the Daughters were tall, branches thick as their thighs, leaves the size of their faces. And neither up nor down showed any end to the trees. Their hosts leapt lightly on to separate branches, then the Daughters sprang to trunks, clinging by the power of their bonded shadows.

Their hosts sprang at them while they were in mid-air, and managed to score stinging hits on Avi and Ari's feet before falling to catch other branches, swing themselves upright on a lower branch, then striking each others' palms in a strange, hands-high gesture. Then the Daughters sprang at them, one at a time, forcing the two onto a purely defensive fight; even two on one, any of the Daughters was far beyond a match for them, even with the handicap of the bizarre environment, and their hosts did the only thing they could: run and block and dodge. Yet as they fought on, the mother and daughter let themselves smile a bit. They could never defeat the Blessed Children and knew it, but they didn't need to. All they had to do was draw out the fight a little longer, and… Yes! They were starting to slow, starting to get a little clumsy. Still far above their level, but they were definitely losing a bit of edge.

"End program!" Ayami cried out, and the trees went away, replaced by simple columns and rods. They jumped to the ground and the Daughters joined them. "You fought well. I didn't plan this," she said, "but it was a good choice for a lesson," she said as she led them into the small antechamber, then gestured to a second door they hadn't recognized. "If you need to wash, you can do so in there." Ashi looked in, and saw a small bathroom. She went in, washed her face, one by one her sisters did the same, then their hosts took it in turns to shower and dress.

Back at Ayami's apartment, the needed conversation finally started. "In the areas you were trained in, you are without equal, barring perhaps the Samurai. Yet there are many areas you weren't trained in, including coping with varied environments."

The girls looked down, nodding weakly. Oh, how they had learned that lesson. Ashi reluctantly looked up. "Teach us?"

Ayami shook her head. "I can't. Not now, not with winter coming on. Comes the spring, perhaps, but winter's the worst possible time to start wilderness survival training."

The others nodded to that, though their understanding of seasons was still largely academic. "When we have consecrated our apartment as a temple," Adi asked, "would you and Akane like to come visit us for services?"

"A… temple? A real temple?" Ayami asked, eyes going wide.

"A real temple," she confirmed. "We already have an altar. It's small, but it's an altar, and we have appropriately coloured socket lamps. I'd prefer candles or torches, but…" she shrugged. "It's painted in black, the windows are red. It's very plain, as it should be. Though I have to admit, we've broken the discipline of the temple with sleeping mats instead of plain rock, and pillows on which to rest our heads instead of stones, and even a sleeping cover."

Ayami nodded. "The Temple's discipline, I found, is impractically strict for life in the greater world." Akane gaped at Adi's words, and her face grew sad and troubled. "What you've done is the minimum that most would call endurable. You will not weaken yourself with them." The sisters relaxed slightly to hear that. "And when it is consecrated, I would be pleased and honoured to share services with you. And I'm sure Akane will be just as glad." Akane looked decidedly nervous at that prospect.

Adi reached out her hand to her. "It will be fine, I'm sure. Aku is strict, but not cruel. If your faith is true, if you have done your best to follow His law, He will welcome you, and we will help." Akane accepted the offered hand, and tried to smile. "But sunset draws near. Would you like us to share prayers with you? Your shrine is small, but not too small," she offered, and Ayami's jaw dropped open.

"I would be honoured, Blessed Daughters!" she said in a voice filled with respect. "Go change, Akane," she said her voice once again cold, and she too disappeared into her room. It was not long until the two re-emerged, and Ayami opened the shrine and lit the lamps.

Adi nodded to her. "This is your shrine, Ayami. It is only right you lead the prayers," she said. Ayami protested briefly, but to no avail; Adi was firm, and Ayami, mask now in place, went to her knees, and led the service, Akane at her side. The shrine was indeed large enough for them all, but only barely, and the Daughters had to file out first at services' end. Ayami removed her mask, and her ramrod posture slackened very slightly, then she and Akane went back to their rooms to change again.