A/N: It's a short chapter, but very important. Again, thanks for all the reviews!

x17SkmBdrchiczxx: Lol! You make me laugh. All my characters are a little mental in their own way. :-D

RunnerNDA: Don't worry, Kimi will figure out soon enough that's she not alone. She's a little blinded and confused with her own problems at the moment, but hopefully she'll wake up. :-)

"Mistress Falcon?" Kimi called after she knocked. She stood in front of the door the servant had said was the Shang's room, but now she was not so sure.

"Kimi," Hatsumomo said. Kimi whirled around to face the woman. "What are you doing here? I said mornings."

"Yes, I mean, I'm here to talk to you about that," Kimi said nervously.

"I see. Come in." Hatsumomo unlocked her door and let the girl in.

"You see," Kimi said quickly while standing in the door frame. She had been counting on a quick getaway. "I can't do them. It was very nice of you to offer but I don't think I need them."

"Kimi, I've told you I'm not a patient woman. I don't stand for blatant lying or nervousness. Come back when you can control your emotions better. In the meantime, I will see you tomorrow morning. Be ready."

Kimi looked aghast. "But Mistress Falcon!"

"Out." And she moved past her and shut the door in Kimi's face.

---

Kimi woke to the banging on the door again. She jumped up, turned on the light, and pulled on some clothes. She had stayed up half the night thinking of ways to get out of it, but all ideas flew away when she opened the door to the intimidating Shang Falcon.

"I told you to be ready," she said.

"I am ready."

"Good. Remember your glaive. Let's go." And Kimi followed Hatsumomo to the practice courts. After stretching, the two got into ready positions.

"Did my mother ask you to do this?" Kimi asked as she blocked two blows from Hatsumomo and delivered her own. She twisted around and kicked high at Hatsumomo's side and tried to punch at the same time.

"No, I haven't talked to your mother in many, many years," she replied. She blocked Kimi's punch then kicked Kimi's legs out from beneath her. She helped Kimi up as Kimi forced a polite smile at her. "You need to keep balanced; otherwise anyone will be able to do that to you easily. When you kick, keep your balance by leaning back and put your weight in your hips." Kimi placed her feet evenly and did as Hatsumomo instructed while rubbing her backside. "The children of the nobles and Shang children all trained under old Nariko. Yukimi was one of my favoritefightingpartners. She and I were evenly matched as children." She explained as they fought. Kimi punched forward and lost her balance briefly, and Hatsumomo threw Kimi over her hip. Kimi slapped the ground and rolled away.

"So why are you doing this?" Kimi asked. She ducked a kick in the head and rolled away farther.

Hatsumomo halted. "Because I understand you. I was the same as you." Kimi looked confused, so Hatsumomo beckoned toward a bench. "Come, I have a feeling you will not cooperate until we understand each other." Kimi took a seat and Hatsumomo remained standing. "I want you to succeed, Kimi. This is the short and simple version of why I want to help you. No more, no less. But Kimi, you were born into two worlds with many possibilities. Do not feel you are dividing yourself by choosing both worlds and all possibilities. It will be the only way you will ever feel whole."

"I don't understand," Kimi said. No, she realized, you don't want to understand.

"When I was your age, I had to go through the same choice you are going through now. Shang children are brought to training from the time we are three or four years old, as you know, and so we are taken from our parents before real attachments are formed, and the lessons of our culture or fully pressed into us. The Yamani Shangs are not as strict as the Yamani. We are allowed to show temper, we are allowed to show distress and any emotion that grips us. But we are not allowed to let it rule us or guide our actions. I felt that I had to choose between the Yamani and the Shang. Most choose the Shang culture, so I had chosen Shang. My mother visited me once and was shocked by my behavior. She told me something I will never forget."

The Shang Falcon closed her eyes and went very still. "She said that she was very proud of me. I was becoming a Shang warrior, and I was turning into a beautiful young woman. But she said: 'Hatsumomo, you are able to be both woman and warrior. Child of mine, Shang is your title, Yamani is who you are. Warrior is your title, woman is who you are. Why have you forgotten who you are?'"

"Look at me, Kimi. I am both Shang and Yamani. I am both woman and warrior. I do not wish to be a rarity. You denied to speak to me in Yamani, as I am sure you deny many other things that remind you of your heritage. But by denying it, you are denying a part of yourself. Knight is your title, Yamani is who you are. Tortallan is who you are. Do not forget who you are. Think about it while you run two laps. Go."

Kimi was startled by the change in topic but quickly dashed off. Glaive pattern dances were next, and Hatsumomo criticized her heavily. Kimi managed to do fifteen pushups that morning. "Better," Hatsumomo said, "but I said twenty. Practice. Same time tomorrow?"

"Yes," Kimi heard herself answering. She couldn't believe she had agreed, and continued to be shocked with herself as she ran up the hill to the palace. The bells chimed for the pages to wake up when she arrived in her room, and Kimi washed and dressed quickly.

She desperately needed time to think, but she had no time that day. By the time she had retired to her room and finished her class work, she was exhausted. I'll save thinking for later, she thought, and quickly fell asleep.