I should technically update Beautiful Chaos first, but I'm more in the mood for CoF right now. Also, I'm writing this without internet so I can't look back at my last BC chapter to see where I left off, as I just can't remember. I can however, remember where we left Church and the new arrivals, so I'm picking up here.

Anyways, feedback is always appreciated, thanks to those of you who spoke your minds and put forth your ideas for this past week. All feedback, positive or negative, so long as it isn't straight up bashing, is more than welcome. Keep it up, guys!

Church's mind drew a blank for a moment as he saw the keen edge of a razor-sharp katana slicing through the air towards his neck. He'd been in danger a lot lately, but none of those cases had been so sudden. He had had plenty of warning when facing Echidna or infiltrating Vance castle, or even when he decided to throw himself into battle alongside Nyx, although he hadn't been very useful.

This was a bit different, in the fact that Church had expected this woman to be glad that he had rescued this silver-haired girl in his arms, whom she obviously knew. Instead she had charged at him with killer intent right from the start.

And of course, this red and white clad beauty was unbelievably fast. By the time Church had even registered the fact that he needed to move, she was about to behead him. Church, finally managing to react but knowing that he would never evade the blow in time, tried to throw his arm up to block the sword howling towards his neck. He knew that this maneuver would probably cost him his arm, but if his bone stopped the blade, anything was better than losing his head.

He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of the excruciating pain that he was expecting, but instead of a burning slice into his forearm, something slammed into his chest, hard enough to send him flying back four or five feet. This sudden blowback caused the sword that would have ended Church's life to swipe through thin air instead.

Unfortunately that life-saving blow had also knocked the wind out of him, and he was unable to get to his feet as he tried to catch his breath. He heard some shouting in a foreign tongue from both women that sounded vaguely Oriental in some form. Church couldn't distinguish which Eastern language it may have been exactly.

After a few moments of rolling around trying to get some air back into his lungs, Church managed to rise to a sitting position. He cast a wary gaze towards the two strangers, their shouting having subsided into calm, yet confused muttering and gestures. The silver-haired woman, who Church assumed had pushed him (What amazing strength!), was gesturing towards the man as she spoke to the raven-haired woman, whose beautiful face gradually changed from confusion to horror.

The sword-wielding beauty turned towards Church and bowed lower than the otherworldly soldier thought possible, her body forming an acute angle that didn't seem comfortable in the slightest. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I just assumed that you had… to Shizuka… I'm so sorry!"

Church's voice was still a little strained due to his temporary breathing impairment, but he tried to assuage the woman's fears, as she was obviously truly regretful for her actions. "It's uh… OK, Miss. No harm done… to my neck at least."

The mention of the harm almost done just caused the dark-haired woman to bow a few degrees further. Church thought he might have even seem some tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. "Aaauu… to think I almost killed you for rescuing Shizuka-san… please forgive me…"

The horned-headband girl, who Church now assumed was Shizuka, scratched the back of her head as she grinned at Church. "Sorry about pushing you so hard. I didn't break anything, did I?"

Church shook his head, but offered a reassuring smile to the two women. "The only broken thing at this point is my pride. You're insanely strong, you know?"

Shizuka gave a small laugh as she rose to her feet. However, her easy grin transformed into a grimace as she stumbled into the other woman's arms halfway through her rise, clutching the wound on her chest as she did so.

"Shizuka-san! What's wrong?!"

Shizuka let out a few huffs as her breath grew more ragged. "I-it's fine Tomoe-sama… just a scratch, for sure. It's not so deep."

The woman that Church assumed was Tomoe looked over Shizuka with obvious concern. "But you're breathing is so heavy, Shizuka-san. Such a shallow wound shouldn't cause you such pain…"

Church knew very little about medical care and examination, but a few ideas ran through his mind as to why a light scratch would be more serious than it appeared. "Um, I don't claim to know too much about stuff like this, ladies… but, er… poison, perhaps? Or something similar…?"

Shizuka's brow furrowed in thought for a moment, before she nodded in agreement. "That does make sense. A Fang assassin would be likely to use poison…"

Tomoe panicked for a moment. "I-is it fatal!? What should we do?!"

Placing her free hand on Tomoe's shoulder, Shizuka did her best to allay her concerns. "It's no real danger, Tomoe-sama. I think the enemy wanted us alive… moreover, I've been unconscious for a while at least… any fatal poison would have done me in by now."

Church cocked an eyebrow at the two women. "Is there any chance that this assailant is still around? Should we be worried about a knife in the back?"

Tomoe glanced around, eyeing the shadows with her unique purple eyes. "That's true… Shizuka-san, do you know where our attacker went?"

Shizuka scowled at the bitter reminder of her defeat. "No, sorry Tomoe-sama. She could be anywhere… I assumed she had gone after you after subduing me."

The raven-haired warrior frowned. "Indeed. I fought her to a stalemate a little while ago, but she disappeared into the shadows before I could land a significant blow..."

Church glanced around as well, although he didn't know who he was looking for. "Well, um… do you two need any kind of assistance? I mean, I have some supplies back with my horse, if you need anything…"

Shizuka looked more than willing to accept any type of generosity, but Tomoe, not so much. "Oh no, we could never ask you to do that, not after I so wrongfully attacked you for saving Shizuka-san!"

Said saved woman softly elbowed Tomoe in the side. "We'd be glad to accept some help if you're willing, er…?"

"Church."

"Hmm, interesting name. I guess you've figured out ours already?"

"Sure have, Miss Shizuka."

The silver-haired woman gave another easy smile, something that seemed to come quite naturally to her. "Oh, you can leave out the Miss part. It makes me feel way older than I am. I'm still a beautiful young girl, y'know?"

Church could sense a slight flirtatious undertone in Shizuka's words, and he decided to play along, if along a more subdued path. "Well, you won't see me disagreeing with that statement, trust me."

Tomoe completely missed the little exchange, but Shizuka offered a slight smirk and a playful wink in response to Church's words. Instead of being uneasy about flirting with a virtual stranger, Church found himself quite at ease with the whole affair. Something about Shizuka just gave off an easygoing and playful atmosphere that just about anyone could step into. She was clearly the amiable type: Church's favorite kind of person by far, especially when it came to women.

"Well, I left my horse and supplies over this way. Care to follow me?"

From the shadows that surrounded the scene, Irma frowned in dissatisfaction. This stranger had come out of nowhere and thrown an unknown variable into the equation that the Fang assassin had so carefully calculated.

Now the one person she had subdued was free and conscious, the Shrine Maiden was there to support her and on the lookout for trouble, and this stranger was around, with combat abilities that were completely unknown. In the blink of an eye, the odds had turned against her. She had figured that she could have taken down both women if she caught them alone and unawares, which had worked for the ninja woman at least.

But now things were different. Irma had no delusions about her own strength compared to the Shrine Maiden's. In a direct confrontation, she would likely be defeated, as she almost had been the first time fighting her. At this point, the assassin had no chance of success. Even if the ninja was weakened, she was still a formidable enemy, and an opponent of unknown strength was never a good thing. Furthermore, they were now fully aware of her presence, and a sneak attack would be nigh on impossible.

With that conclusion reached, Irma decided it would simply be best to keep an eye on things from afar, and wait for a better opportunity than the one she had currently. Besides, she had all night to make a move.

Fortunately Snow had been either too old or too lazy to try and wander off in Church's absence, even though the mare was tied to a pillar of rock. That being the case, all of the things he needed to make a fire were there. He had made sure to collect wood along his journey so far for situations like these, where trees were sparse or even nonexistent.

The evening wasn't all that cold, but Shizuka seemed to appreciate the fire more than the other two people present. Then again, she was wearing a lot less than Church and Tomoe. Despite Tomoe's protests, Shizuka had treated and bandaged her wound herself with whatever Church had had available. He silently thanked Rachel for having the foresight to pack medicines and bandages and whatnot for him. That woman was a lifesaver, even if it wasn't for him.

Things had fallen into silence for a few minutes after everyone had gotten comfortable: Church figured it was because everyone was on edge, considering there was some sort of assassin on the loose. He did his best to keep an eye out for the mysterious assailant, but the night had quickly become so dark that he could see almost nothing beyond the fire's light. He noticed that Tomoe had been doing the same, but had likewise been thwarted by the blackness.

Shizuka appeared to be completely unconcerned by the thought of being ambushed again, but Church could tell that she was listening for anything out of the ordinary, although how she could do so with the crackling fire was beyond him.

Since the silver-haired girl's hearing was the only means of detecting the enemy at the moment, Church was reluctant to break the silence and possibly disrupt her vigilance. This silence only added to the awkward feel of the night, but fortunately for all of them one of their number decided to break it.

"Church, I can't remember if I thanked you for saving me earlier. So, y'know…"

Church nodded and offered a small smile, while wondering if Shizuka's hearing was so good that she could talk, hear the fire, and still listen out for the enemy effectively. Maybe she could.

"It was no problem, really…"

"Oh, I'm sure. After all, you got an eyeful as a reward for your time, right?"

Church couldn't hold back a blush as he recalled the up-close and personal sight he had gotten of Shizuka's body while freeing her. Hell yeah it had been worth his time. Naturally, Tomoe was having the same reaction, albeit for different reasons.

"S-Shizuka-san, please don't make such suggestive comments! I'm sure Church was thinking nothing of the sort when he rescued you!"

Shizuka offered the only present male a knowing wink as she answered. "Of course he wasn't. Just a joke, you know?"

Church was fully aware that Shizuka knew he had enjoyed the view earlier. He knew he had a terrible poker face when it came to women. "So, uh… is it alright if I ask who you guys are? I mean, if you can't tell me or don't want to or anything, that's fine…"

Tomoe gave him a gentle smile, one that seemed to fit her quite well. "We'd be happy to share. I'm an emissary from Hinomoto: I've come to negotiate with the Queen here for aid in dealing with problems back home, or failing that, to win the upcoming Queen's Blade tournament to take the throne for myself and aid my homeland with the political power I will then possess."

Shizuka pointed to herself as she began her introduction. "And I'm just a really close friend of Tomoe-sama's, here to make sure she doesn't get conned or something in all of her naive purity and innocence."

The slighted member of the duo shot an irritated glare at her companion, who waved it off with a playful smile. Church could tell even this early in his acquaintance with them that the two women were quite close. "Sounds like a really important mission. Isn't Hinomoto that uh… island place out in the ocean somewhere? Sorry, I'm not too keen on geography."

Really, the only reason that Church knew what Hinomoto was at all was because Hachiel had asked if he was from there that one time roughly a week and a half ago. Likewise, he knew very little about the tournament Tomoe had mentioned, as he had never really had a chance to discuss it at length with anyone.

Shizuka answered Church's query, twirling her index finger around the silver hair that ran down one of her shoulders as she did so. "Yeah, it's out in the East. Speaking of which, where are you from? I'm guessing it's around here of course, but you never know, right?"

Church went down the list of places he had visited so far on this Continent. He ruled out the obvious places as viable answers and tried to pick a locale that hadn't given him any trouble at all, but realized that there were none. Almost every town he visited was chock-full of adversity and random bullshit.

"Alabaster Town, which is a little ways inside Vance territory."

Tomoe nodded, accepting the lie without issue, but Shizuka gave Church a wry look with those clever silver-green eyes of hers. "Oh really? What are you doing way out here then? We're hours from the Vance border. You don't look like much of a merchant either, considering that you've only got one horse…"

Church could feel the suspicion emanating from the woman, but tried to keep up the lie rather than tell the honest truth. After all, saying he was from a country in another dimension would hardly be more believable. "I left the village and the territory because Count Vance is pushing up taxes to exorbitant levels. A lot of other people from the territory are doing the same, although I bet they'll close off the gate eventually."

Shizuka still seemed a little hesitant to believe that, but she let the subject rest. Still, it didn't take long for her to find something new to prod him over. "So where do you plan on going? Got somewhere particular in mind, or are you just riding until you find someplace you like?"

"I'm heading for a village in the mountains that I hear is a pretty nice place. I think it was something with a B…"

Shizuka seemed to believe this one right of the bat, which worried Church considering that this one was indeed the truth and the questions she had actually contested had been lies. "I think I know what you're talking about, but I can't remember its name. By the way, sorry if I'm being a bit too nosy: it's kinda like second nature, being a ninja and all."

Church did a double-take at that piece of information. "Wait, wait, wait… you're a ninja? Like… a kunai and shuriken and replacing yourself with logs kind of ninja?"

A cheerful nod. "Yep. Hey, I'm surprised you knew we could do that last one."

Due to extreme pop culture on Earth before NOVA, Church couldn't help but actually investigate the existence of a real ninja. "Hey uh… this is going to sound like a silly question but… how do you run?"

Shizuka quirked an eyebrow at the strange question. "How do I… run?"

"Y-you know… like, do ninja really do that thing where they lean forward and stick their arms behind their backs?"

Shizuka smiled as she caught onto what Church was asking. "Sometimes. It depends on what we're doing. If we're balancing on something or have loose weapons up our sleeves, then sure. Not really for anything else."

"One more question."

"Sure."

"Would any self-respecting ninja ever wear an outfit that consists almost entirely of orange?"

The look on Shizuka's face was answer enough, even though she verbalized her response anyway.

"...no. Absolutely not."

The threat of an assassin in the shadows was all but forgotten by everyone in the group except Shizuka, who was alert and on guard throughout the whole night. Yet somehow she managed to laugh and chat and entertain her friends all the while. Guess that was a ninja for you.

As the hours of the night wore on, everyone in the trio found that none of them really wanted to sleep. Church found that Shizuka was witty and charming and Tomoe was kind and endearing, and the two women found that Church was likewise good company. They hardly noticed when the moon passed its apex and began its descent back towards the horizon.

Maybe that was because there was a lot to talk about. Church had asked a lot of questions of Shizuka and just how far the abilities of a ninja went, although there was a lot she said she couldn't tell him. Unfortunately it turned out that cloning herself was an absurd notion. Bummer.

At some time in the early hours of the morning, Tomoe had fallen asleep as she sat, which was quite a feat considering the squatting position that she was in. According to Shizuka, she sat like that all the time, which Church figured would put her legs to sleep more often than not.

"Should we lay her on her side or something?"

Shizuka grinned at the thought of it. "Oh no, definitely not. She would never forgive me if I stained the top of her outfit. That white is impossible to clean."

"But won't her legs get sore? Or numb? She'll definitely feel it when she wakes up…"

Shizuka waved the problem away with her hand. "She's been sitting like that since she was a toddler. There was one time her sensei made her sit like that for eight hours for some sort of infraction. That being said, I'm sure she'll be fine for a few hours, don't you think?"

Church nodded with a grin, knowing full well that only good friends let other good friends suffer needlessly. "So, you two go back a long ways huh…? Or is she just comfortable telling you embarrassing stuff like that?"

"That'd be the latter. Unfortunately, we don't go that far back. We met a few years ago actually, but got off to more of a rocky start than you would think. Not that we aren't great friends now of course."

"Of course."

Shizuka fell silent for a moment and gave Church a curious glance that spoke of doubt. Needless to say this unnerved Church greatly. "Something wrong, Shizuka? You look a little concerned about something."

"So why exactly did you lie to us?"

Having talked for so many consecutive hours about so many things, Church wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about anymore, but he was worried nevertheless. "Oh? About what exactly?"

The silver-haired ninja glanced over at Tomoe, making sure she was still asleep. "You aren't from Vance territory, and the reasons you gave us for your trip are lies. Tax evasion is the furthest thing from your mind."

Now Church remembered the small lie he had told these two near the beginning of the night. He was curious as to how Shizuka could have possibly known he was lying, but he decided it would be best to just admit it.

"Yes, I lied about that. I'm sorry, but you wouldn't believe me if I told you where I was really from, so I had decided to just choose a village I had visited before as my origin. How'd you know?"

Shizuka twirled her finger around her hair again. "I'm guessing that you don't know this, but your left eye twitches just a little bit whenever you lie. Of course I didn't know that at first, but as the night wore on, it happened whenever I made some sort of suggestive joke and you denied that you were thinking anything of the sort. Which was obviously a lie, right?"

She finished that off with another sly grin, something that seemed to come naturally to her. Unfortunately this left Church a little confused. "I don't understand: are you mad at me or what? You seem to be in the same mood as you have been all night… which is definitely the one I prefer, trust me."

Shizuka shrugged before offering yet another amiable smile. "You might have lied about that, but I don't think that you're a bad guy. I mean, sometimes things just need to be lied about, right? As a ninja I get that, and I don't think that you deceived us for any other reason than to avoid a lengthy explanation. So no, I'm not angry. I still like you just as much as I did ten minutes ago."

Church grinned slyly at her, for some reason finding it very easy to flirt with this particular woman. "Really? And how much is that exactly?"

"Oh, I'd say it's a pretty good bit… I mean, you're an awfully charming guy, y'know?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

The question was met with a cheerful giggle, and Church was reminded of the times he had made other women do the same. He was pretty good at this wasn't he?

"Maybe a little… you know, I'm surprised you didn't flirt with Tomoe-sama this whole time. I thought for sure you'd say something. Not that she would have been as receptive as me, of course."

Church looked over to Tomoe, who was still fast asleep in the same position she had been sitting in. She was very beautiful, without a doubt, but Church wasn't the kind of guy to hit on a girl like that, especially if she seemed to be the type that wouldn't appreciate it.

"Well, I guess I was enjoying myself talking with you so much that I didn't even think of it."

"Well isn't that sweet of you? Still, I would think it'd be hard to just forget she's there, considering that she's probably the most beautiful woman in a hundred miles."

Church wondered if this was another flirtatious ploy. He felt a little ashamed to be so easily pulled into it, but he really did enjoy doing so. "Oh, discounting yourself so quickly? Isn't that a little hasty?"

He had expected a smile, or at least a wink or something, but Shizuka actually frowned, and there wasn't a trace of that playful lilt she usually had in her voice as she answered. "Who's making fun of people now, huh? Look, you don't have to say things like that just to make me feel better. I know where I stand in comparison."

Church could've sworn he had heard a hard, bitter edge in Shizuka's words, but convinced himself that he was merely imagining it. They were best friends, right? Surely something as petty as appearance wasn't enough to damage their relationship? Still, Church could feel how the mood had shifted in such a short time. He figured it was for the best to try and return things to the lighthearted state they had been.

That said, he spoke his next words with a smile, though he certainly didn't have to fake the earnest tone of his voice. "No offense, but I don't think you actually know where you stand. I've never met a woman with silver hair before. I think it's beautiful."

Shizuka hardly looked convinced, but she managed to get a slight smile back on her face. "Silver, huh? I honestly think it's gray more than anything else, but thanks anyway. Do you always try so hard to make people feel better?"

"Well it's not really that hard. Telling the truth is easy."

"Is it?"

Church usually felt smooth when he said stuff like this, but he never knew how he actually appeared to those he was speaking to. Maybe he just looked like an idiot? He certainly hoped not. "W-well, I guess it can be a little tough if it's embarrassing, but for the sake of proving my point I still have to say it right? I mean, don't get me wrong, Tomoe is very beautiful, but I don't think she's any more attractive than you are... Y-y'know..."

Shizuka wondered if it was pathetic to be happy over such praise, but found that she couldn't help herself. Besides, she found it both funny and cute to see someone who was generally calm in flirting all flustered. Or maybe the man she was talking to was just cute when blushing for any reason. Though speaking of blushes, she was fairly certain she was sporting one of her own.

"I... don't think anyone has ever said something like that to me before. Thanks."

She said that so plainly that Church couldn't help but feel as though his words hadn't been taken to heart. Before he could say anything else though, the ninja in question laid back onto the ground and waved at him from there.

"I'm gonna go ahead and get to sleep now. If you're worried about the assassin, I'll know if she gets close, alright?"

Church hadn't expected the night's conversation to end so abruptly, but now that it was over he realized just how tired he was. "Er… okay then… I'll just put out the fire, I guess…"

Shizuka allowed herself a wide smile as the darkness fell to conceal it from anyone else. The good thing about being able to know when people were lying was that you could also know when they were telling the truth.

Unfortunately our Eastern beauties aren't going to be around for long, which is a shame considering how well Shizuka and Church would have gotten along. But on the other hand, we're actually going to have the angels with us at length soon, so there's something to look forward to. After all, they usually show up for one chapter and then disappear.

Anyway, don't forget about the "Future Projects" poll if you're interested in voting on that, and if anyone reading this is a fan of Naruto, I've started a fic for that too called "Manifest Destiny," so feel free to check that out. As always, thanks for reading, and remember that your feedback, be it praise or criticism, is welcome at all times.