Aiko slowly pulled her arm away from Tasuki's firm grip and rubbed at it
soothingly. "As I tried to say before, I am the original seishi of wings.
You merely took my place because I was born a female, and Suzako did not
approve of that. If you want me to prove it to you further than the symbol,
than I challenge you to a race." Tasuki just blinked at her with wide,
purple eyes, but he still seemed to absorb what she had said. Aiko walked
up to Nuriko and removed her hair ribbon; she tenderly folded it, and
placed it in one of Nuriko's hands as she brought it up with one of her
own. She then took one of the many robes that Nuriko was wearing and began
to place it on herself, leaving a shocked look upon Nuriko's face. "What
are you doing?!" Tasuki shouted up at her. As she finished wrapping it
around herself, she turned towards him and tugged the knot tightly when she
stopped. "I'm simply evening the odds. You'd be too slow to keep up with me
if I did not add weight to myself." Tasuki clenched his fists tightly and
growled underneath his breath at her mocking figure. Aiko seemed to slowly
glide down the stairs and when she reached the bottom, she put a slender
hand upon Tasuki's broad shoulder and patted it slowly. "Let's start," she
began as she removed her hand and then slowly walked over to a large map
spanning an entire small wall near the stairs of Hotohori's throne. She
studied it carefully and then pointed to one spot just outside the doors of
the main room, "We will start there," then she slowly let her finger follow
a path she acknowledged to be the course and finished at another spot near
the pond where Miaka had gone to when she had first started to get to know
Nuriko, "And end there. I believe it to be a fair and simple course, enough
to show you my moves, are you ready for it. oh! That reminds me, I never
caught your name, what is it?" Tasuki just frowned, crossed his arms, and
looked away from her with the expression of a stubborn child. Nuriko came
down the stairs and walked over to Aiko. "He's obviously called stubborn,"
she joked as she gave Aiko her ribbon back, "His name is Tasuki." Aiko
looked at the ribbon in her hand and then gave it again to Nuriko. "I
shan't be needing that for the race, it'll give me more success. With my
hair flailing around me, it'll give him more le-way so he can at least keep
up with me during the race," she smiled proudly. A sharp growl of
frustration came from Tasuki, as he waved a finger at Aiko's face. "Let's
get this over with so you can stop mocking me and obviously see that I'm
far more advanced and skilled in the subject of speed then you'll ever know
or be!" he shouted at her, obviously aggravated. She laughed whole-
heartedly and then began to walk to the main doors. "So it shall began now.
Nuriko, please wait at the outer pond for us, it shouldn't take to long for
me to meet you there," and with that, Aiko left through the doors and
awaited Tasuki, who came stomping out after her, anger steam rising from
him.
