The clash of metal on metal echoed across the plains of the Silk Road, the road leading from Xian to Altin and Lama Temple. Knight landed back on the ground, skidding in the dirt a few feet trying to maintain balance. He kept his eyes on his opponent, carefully watching her every move.
Aella skidded in the dirt too but dug her twin short blades in the dirt stopping her faster than her opponent. She glowed for a brief second, sending power to her short swords, and then slashed both blades consecutively. Two violet crescents arched towards Knight at incredible speeds.
Unable to dodge, Knight slashed at both Wind Slash attacks cutting them into twos. One pair of the split attacks whizzed completely past him, but he wasn't so lucky with the other. The other split attack managed to slice through his upper arm. Though it was only a superficial cut and the pain not severely intense, the attack caught him off guard, severing his mental concentration. In his distracted state, Knight took his eyes off his opponent just for a second. With no time to react, Knight acted on pure instinct and raised his sword. He was rewarded when his blade clashed twice against Aella's blades.
Seeing the open opportunity, Aella leapt up over her opponent, landed on his back, and kicked out. This sent Knight careening face-first into the dirt. Knight groaned as the pain of the hard coarse dirt dug into his face. He flipped himself around and up to his hands and knees. He looked up to see Aella bringing her sword down upon him.
No way! Is she really gonna…?! Knight brought his sword up just in time to block the attack. Aella's sword was mere inches away from his face. Relief didn't come to Knight as Aella swung her other blade in a horizontal attack. Knight pushed Aella's first attack up and away just enough to be able to duck his head low enough to avoid losing his head. Even though he didn't lose his head, Knight did lose a few hairs with how close the sword came to him. Knight wrapped his leg around Aella's in an attempt to knock her off her feet. She, however, avoided being tripped by back flipping several times.
The distance between them closed quickly as Aella lashed out with another pair of wind slash attacks. Both were close enough where Knight was able to slash them apart. But just as his sword cut cleanly through them, he looked up to see that Aella had closed the distance between them with her Qucik Step technique.
"Disappointing… You've disappointing…" Knight heard her whisper. His grip on his sword grew tighter and a fire awakened inside him. Disappointing?! I'll show you! Images flashed of people he used to know who made fun of him. I'll show everybody! Aella's sword flashed for the kill but Knight met her attack with his sword. But her other blade was already in mid swing to finish the job. She kept her eyes on him as to assure her attack connected. Her blade suddenly made a clang sound of hitting another sword. Aella then realized the her 2nd blade had hit the back of her 1st blade. Knight had disappeared!
"What the…?!" Aella gasped in disbelief. She then felt a poke of something sharp on her back near her heart. "So fast…!"
Knight just scoffed. "You nearly got me. But where you're fast, I'm gonna be faster."
"You moved so fast that I didn't even see you move! There's only one other person who's ever been faster than me…" She sheathed her swords and then froze.
"What? Someone else knows this technique?" Knight gaped in disbelief as he sheathed his sword and wiped his face clean.
Aella, without turning around, looked ahead and replied, "Let's have lunch. I'm hungry." She quickly walked off to where their packs were left.
Knight eyed her credulously as he slowed his breathing from their training together. I have a feeling that there's something more to this… he thought to himself. "You didn't answer my question. I thought that you came up with this technique…"
"There is, another… a very powerful Adept who taught me this technique." Aella shook her head recalling her encounter with the mysterious man. "Another Jupiter Adept," she stated simply.
"There's another Jupiter Adept besides us?!" Knight exclaimed hardly believing it. Out of all the clans of the ancient days, Jupiter adepts as of late have become especially rare, if not all but extinct. Jupiter clan adepts were well known for their abilities of foretelling and wisdom, not to mention their dominance on the battlefield with their powerful lightning and wind techniques. But as strong and as wise as they were, they were the first clan hunted nearly to extinction by the other clans. The Jupiter clan was seen as threat forcing warring factions of the Venus and Mars clans to join together to fight them. Techniques of the Jupiter clan, from survivors as well as from books, were all but extinct. To think that there was one who is powerful enough to have learned the Quick Step! Knight quivered with excitement at the thought of learning more skills just as strong if not more so.
"And where is this person now?"
Aella shrugged her shoulders. "No idea… I was out with my friends one day, but my got ambushed. We fought back as best we could but were no match for them. Everyone else was killed. And I nearly lost my life too. But he came out of nowhere and saved me."
"Using the Quick Step technique?" Knight finished. Kinda like how you did with me?
"Yea… I begged him to teach that to me. But he refused at first saying I had no business learning such a dangerous skill. I didn't see the danger in it. He continued to resist. Said that people, bad people, would desire that skill in me and use me to further their personal goals then throw me aside. I told him I would never let that happen, and that I would never leave him alone unless I learned it. He eventually gave in. But I soon regretted it."
"Why?" Knight asked confused.
"Because… I…" Aella sighed a heavy sigh as if recalling countless painful memories. "He was right… Soon after I learned that technique, people did seek me out for my powers… And I've… done some things I'm not proud of…"
"Who taught you that technique?" Knight inquired, feeling himself getting excited at the thought of meeting this Adept someday and learning his Psynergy skills. But then the second half of her statement registered in his mind. "And what do you mean 'you've done things you're not proud of'?"
"I… it's a long story… but… Let's just say there are some things I would rather forget… Anyways," she diverted quickly as if trying to forget her past, "that man, the one who taught me Quick Step, before he disappeared, I asked him his name. All he was willing to tell me was that he was the father of the Jupiter dragon… Didn't know what that meant back then. Still don't… That's been years ago. I don't even know if he's still alive or not."
"Huh… weird… so is that was drives you? That day when you were attacked with your friends?" Knight hadn't seen this slightly more sensitive side of Aella. It was kinda refreshing seeing her like this and talking real with her. And he wanted to know as much about her as he could before she'd clam up about her past.
She shook her head. "No. Not quite. My father was a great ninja and one of the most skilled in his profession. He could infiltrate the most secure locations without making a sound and without raising an alarm." Her hands clenched as memories rushed back to her mind. "It's true that that event pushed me to become a ninja; but it's my father's murder that compelled me to become better than what I was. I wanted to be the best in the world so that one day, I could confront my father's killer and make him pay!"
"Your father was murdered?!" Knight exclaimed in shock. If he was as good as she claimed, then he was either caught off guard (not likely) or was taken down by an even more skilled person; maybe by that other Jupiter Adept.
"Yeah, about a year ago in a small city near the Karagol Sea."
Knight froze and instantly heard a voice echo the name of the city in his mind, "Cyril." He shook it off not willing to believe it was his hometown. Besides, Cyril wasn't the only city near that sea. Even still, the coincidence could not be ignored.
"He was on a mission from my master to retrieve something from there. Something so valuable that it was gonna take an entire squad of ninjas to retrieve it. They made their move. But the citizens from there put up heavy resistance. We took extreme casualties. And from I've been told, my father…" she paused, feeling anger well up inside her, "he was killed: burned to death by the hands of one of their citizens! A citizen! Not even a militia member! There's no way an ordinary citizen could have killed my father with how good he was! He had to have been set up by somebody. And I've dedicated my life to finding his killer and making him suffer!"
He didn't know what to say. There were an awful lot of coincidences with her story and with his own from that night. It was an event that he tried to forget. But, in some way or another, his past always seemed to haunt him like a recurring nightmare. No matter how he thought about it, something whispered in his mind, "She talking about Cyril."
"What about you? What's your story?"
Knight felt uneasy about telling her everything from his past. He knew that he could never go back there anyways. He was wanted as an outlaw and who knows what they'd do to him if they found him. Besides, he had no friends there or anybody who really showed any interest in talking with him. There were really only two people who really talked to him. Tinaro and Daishi.
"I… um… was involved in an incident that left me… without a home…" he half-lied. Or more liked half-truthed. "My parents were both killed bout a year ago and I've pretty much been on my own ever since."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Aella empathized. "So… is that what drives you so hard? That why you push yourself so much?"
"I don't… know what you mean…"
"Well isn't that what drives you? Revenge for your parents death?"
"I guess…" he trailed off. "I don't know…There's just no point anymore. I lost all my leads before I arrived at Xian… I just don't know what to do anymore…"
"I just don't understand… I thought for sure you had a good reason for pushing yourself so hard. Seemed like you were fighting for something… or for someone. But you just seem so… lost… Isn't there anyone else? Anyone else you're fighting for? Anyone at all? Not even in Xian or your hometown?"
"Well…maybe" he said gloomily. "I just… can't go back… not until I find out the truth. Otherwise I'll be imprisoned for crimes I've never done and never see her…"
"Her?" Aella intoned slowly.
"Oh…ummm…" For the first time in a long time, Knight cracked a small smile briefly before going straight-faced.
"So there is one person isn't there?" Aella said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Whoever this girl he was referring to was able to make him smile, if only for a split second. He obviously cared very much for her. She could see the struggle in his eyes. He had lost his way and lost all hope of ever seeing this one person from his home.
"Well maybe I could help you out. My master has a lot of contacts all over this land. We can find the truth you're looking for." Aella smiled then girded herself. "Come on. Enough of this talk. Let's get back to work. This is only the beginning of your training."
"I just have a bad feeling about all this…" Knight whispered to himself as he gathered his stuff and followed her off to their next destination.
WK WK WK WK
When at last they had arrived in Altin, Knight and Aella were exhausted. It had taken them a week to reach Altin from the northern woods of Xian. That was partly because the route they took but also because of the training Knight had… endured. Endured was a good way to describe the training, Knight had thought. It was brutal! Aella certainly was no softy when it came to his learning the Quick Step. Nor was did she go easy on him when they dueled together. She had pushed him near the edge of death on more than one occasion. But he managed to survive her grueling training, not only mastering the Quick Step but also gaining much needed battle experience against an opponent. Knight was feeling pretty good as they strolled through town; tired, but still pretty good.
The mountainous region surrounding Altin was a majestic sight to behold, especially during the time of day that Aella and Knight were in. The light from Sol had just descended below the mountain tops, painting the sky in a myriad of vibrant sunset orange, yellow, and blue colors. The only word that could describe the aerial canvas was…
"Breathtaking…" Knight muttered as his eyes danced around excitedly at the sunset sky.
"What was that?"
At the sound of Aella's voice and the un-man like object of his admiration, Knight shook his head breaking off his daze. "I, uh… the… the sky…" he stuttered, hoping that she wouldn't laugh at him for what he was admiring. "I was… just admiring the sky. It's been a while since I've seen the sun set over the mountains."
Aella's eyebrow rose as she felt a small smile form across her lips. "Really? You've seen the sun set over these mountains before?"
Knight nodded his head. "Yeah… Well no, not these mountains in particular... Just another set of mountains out west…" he said as his voice trailed off. For a brief moment, he thought about his hometown and the spectacle he used to behold as he sat on the roof of his old house. That was a long time ago, he thought with a sigh as he pushed that memory back into the dark recesses of his mind, a place where other such memories were sealed away.
"I see…" Aella said softly as the pair continued walking. "Well, you deserve a break after all that I've put you through!" Aella chuckled and then looked over at the sunset over the mountains herself. Her light laughter gradually waned as she too was struck with the beauty of the painted sky. "And you're right…"
Knight looked over at her confused at why she paused briefly and what she was about to finish saying.
"…it is… breathtaking."
Knight smiled and bowed his head bashfully. As he looked back up at her while she still gazed at the sunset, he didn't see the ninja warrior who had trained him so vigorously the past few days. He didn't see her as the hardened fighter she tried to make herself out to be. It seemed as though she had softened towards him. She didn't seem as rough as before. He saw her in a different light. He saw her as a woman with not only her shapely curves but also the emotional component she tried to suppress and seal away. Knight smiled bigger and, unable to contain his attraction toward her, laughed a little.
At the sound of Knight's laughing, Aella turned to her apprentice and asked, "What's so funny?!" Though she tried to sound tough, her glowing face and placid smile betrayed her tone of voice.
"Ohh… nothing…" Knight, still smiling, thought of something different yet equally true to tell her, other than what he was really thinking. "It's just… I'm surprised that I'm still alive after all I've been through!"
Aella smiled back at his obvious flirtatious tone and moved her head to one side. "I'm not. You have a very strong spirit and an insatiable desire to learn. And you learned the Quick Step faster than I would have thought possible. Only 7 days! However, that may be because of the secret I've learned over the years when it comes to training." Aella paused.
"Ohh yeah? And what is that?" Knight asked interested.
"If one is pushed to the edge of death, they learn a lot faster."
"Hmph… suppose you're right…" Knight agreed with a laugh. "But thanks for teaching me that technique."
"Yeah, yeah. Don't be getting all soft on me. Like I told you before, this is only the beginning of your training," Aella smirked. "You won't be thanking me later. Trust me!" she said with a wink. "Anyways, we're here!"
Knight looked up to see that they were standing in front of the Altin village inn. He furrowed his brow in confusion. "I thought…" he began.
"Here…" Aella said flinging something behind her at Knight.
Knight caught the small pouch and instantly heard the clink of coins rattle in his grasp.
"What's this for?" he asked.
"Ohh.. Well, you know… People usually use that to buy stuff…" Aella turned her head slightly and smirked.
"Obviously," Knight retorted rolling his eyes. "But really… why…?"
"There should be enough there." Aella turned to her companion. "Go inside and get a room for the night."
"Huh?" Knight asked confused.
"You heard me. We're gonna stay here for the night. We'll need the rest. And besides, it's been quite a while since I've been able to take a good hot bath," Aella said casually sniffing herself and feeling her frizzy hair, which was in desperate need of a good washing.
Knight raised an eyebrow at her only for a second before Aella moved in with her hand pointed below his belt.
"And if you even think of peeping, I'll make sure that you regret it," she said threateningly, a kunai knife pointed at his lower quarters.
"All right all right! I won't!" Knight said with raised arms signaling defeat. "Just put that away!"
Just as quick as it had been whipped out, Aella retracted the kunai once again. "Well just so we're clear."
"Ohh, we're clear," Knight said as he cleared his throat. He still couldn't help but smile as he started heading towards the inn. When he looked behind him, he realized that Aella wasn't following. "Aren't you coming in?"
Aella shook her head. "Not yet. I have some… business to take care of. It'll be quick. But you can relax until I get back." She turned her back to him about to head towards town.
"Oh yeah? Like what kind of 'business'?" Knight probed with interest.
"Well…I don't really wanna say… Just personal stuff…"
Knight could sense the anxiety in her words and the slight tension in her voice, even though she tried to conceal it. In fact, she had been on edge the whole trip it seemed. Being an observer of people most of his life, Knight had the unique ability to almost sense what people were feeling. He didn't need to use his powers to read people's minds for that. It was more like a natural trait that he possessed.
I wonder if… Knight thought as he gently, subtly reached out to her with his mind. Though the ability to sense what others are feeling is good, knowing what they're thinking is better, especially when it came to women. At least that was Knight thought anyways.
With using only the minute amount of Psynergy he was, Knight barely was able to pick up on any of her thoughts. All he could make out was just a static sound. If it were anyone other than an Adept, Mind Read would be no problem. But unlike normal people, Aella was an Adept. So that meant she could sense and even see the swirling energy around Knight whenever he used Psynergy. So using Psynergy and remaining undetectable with an Adept, especially a skilled one, was difficult if not impossible.
Knight increased the output of his Mind Read only slightly hoping not to gain Aella's attention; however, Aella jerked for a second as if hearing someone whisper in her ear. Aww crap, Knight thought as he backed out quickly.
"What was that? Did you…?" Aella eyed him suspiciously. Knight started to smirk which gave himself away. "I almost didn't even feel that. But when you pulled back, I could sense the trail you left behind which led straight to you. Plus…" Aella smiled. "…I heard you say 'aww crap.'"
"Ohh did you?" Knight chuckled nervously knowing that she'd bound to knock him senseless. "I'm sorry… I… I was just curious is all…" To his surprise, Aella didn't whale on him like he thought. She just kinda half-smiled at him mischievously.
"Ohh… you'll see soon enough," she said with a wink. "Just go inside and relax. And if you want, feel free to walk around town. But don't go into the mines. It's pretty easy to get lost in there. And I ain't goin in after you!"
"All right! I get it. Go on. I'll take care of things here. You do what you have to," Knight said.
Aella nodded and turned to leave. "I'll be back soon," she said. And with that, she ran off farther into town.
Knight gave her that second look, wondering what she had meant by "personal business" and why her tone sounded so… flirtatious. "Hmm… I wonder what she's up to."
WK WK WK WK
Aella had extreme reservations about going into the mines at night, but what choice did she have? The only way her informant would tell her anything was if they met in the mines. Ever since she'd mysteriously received the note right before she left Xian, she had been on edge. It had been very vague. The handwriting looked scribbled as if it was written fast or written by a preschooler. She wasn't even sure if this was a legitimate lead. Her instincts screamed out to her that this was a set-up. Everything about this whole situation told her that this was a trap of some kind. However, her determination to find out the truth to avenge her father's death drove her onward. She had no choice but to take any lead she could get.
She reached the main entrance for the mines a few minutes after leaving Knight at the inn. "It sure got dark quickly," Aella commented to herself. She peered around a tree to the mine entrance and, just as she was told, there was a single torch lit right inside the doorway with a red and black flag hanging off of it. "Looks like he's ready for me."
Aella briefly looked around again and then suddenly disappeared, reappearing a second later right outside the mine entrance. She peered around the corner looking for and traps that she'd no doubt encounter somewhere along the way. Seeing nothing but the burning lamp right inside, Aella rounded the corner and sank into a ready position, just in case. Nothing happened. No traps were sprung or anything.
"Weird…" she whispered. "I was almost sure the entrance would have been rigged…" Aella's eyes fell upon the five foot torch pole that was impaled in the ground. With the darkness that loomed ahead, Aella cautiously extracted the torch and proceeded.
The mines were cooler than the outside air; and the deeper Aella went, the colder the air seemed to become. As Aella followed the mine car tracks, she still kept a watchful eye out for any kind of trap. To her surprise, she hadn't sprung any traps at all. She was beginning to wonder if her informant was even here at all. She trekked deeper into the cavern feeling the chill tingle her bones. It had gotten so cold that she could actually see her breath! Still, she continued.
After about twenty minutes of walking, Aella spotted a much darker spot ahead of her on the ground. As she lifted the torch up, she saw that there was a huge gaping hole in the floor! And right next to the hole was a pole with a black and red ribbon tied around it.
"Great…" Aella remarked exasperatedly. She approached the hole cautiously and looked down. The mine car tracks fell into the hole almost like a perfect ladder some twenty or thirty feet. At the very bottom, Aella saw another lit torch with the signet black and red ribbons.
"Guess I can just leave this one here…" she said as she impaled her torch into the ground. She descended the make-shift ladder and jumped the last five feet, landing on her feet in perfect silence. Aella grabbed the torch and proceeded deeper past the small doorway in front of her.
She entered a larger room oddly lit by a dim light emanating somewhere on the far side. The dirt she'd been shuffling in thinned revealing a stone tile floor. Large support pillars lined the room along with several odd frog-like statues. Aella glanced at the statues and their grotesqueness, but paid them no mind and continued. The moment her feet stepped down onto the tile, however, the air seemed to become heavy, saturated. Like there was some kind of evil presence inhabiting the chamber, bearing down on her like an oppressive weight.
"Something's not right here…" she said as she slowed her pace. "…I just have that feeling…"
Suddenly, the hairs on her neck stood up and she heard the sound of rushing, gurgling water. She leapt and rolled just in time to avoid a chilly blast of water. Luckily the torch hadn't been extinguished by either the water or her leap and roll. When Aella turned around and lifted the torch up, she saw yet another blast of water coming towards her. Using her Quick Step, Aella easily phased out of harm's way and behind one of the rock formations.
"What the hell?! What's going on?" Aella stuck the torch in the ground on one side of the rock, and then looked around the opposite side of the rock. Her eyes fell upon a blue creature, similar to the frog statue, with glowing red eyes and long slithering tongue. As the creature slowly started to turn towards where Aella was hiding, she saw the intricate designs on the creature's back colored bright blue and red hues. The frog-like creature dug furrows into the ground with its long red claws as it growled at her.
"That's…!" Aella exclaimed. "That's one of the statue creatures that flooded these mines before! But I thought they had been defeated by a group from Vale! I should have known the moment I saw those statues…"
The creature reared back and fired another devastating water cannon. Aella phased out from behind the rock right before the rock exploded under the pressure from the attack. Seeing its prey come out of hiding finally, the creature fired a rapid volley of attacks. Using her transcendent speed ability Quick Step, Aella avoided and dodged all the attacks that came her way. Each water discharge created small divots in the ground where they had missed their intended target.
Aella gradually closed the gap between them. She reached for her dagger and when she was within striking range, she leapt up to impale the monster in the head with her blade. However, before she could deliver he lethal blow, another water attack pummeled her by from the side. Aella was flung into the mine wall with such force that the wall cracked. The blow was so intense that she got the wind knocked out of her. Dropping to her knees, Aella gasped for air and held her stomach. Dazed and wearied, Aella was barely able to look up at where that last attack had come from. To her surprise, there was another water beast!
"Another one…! But…" Aella wheezed still trying to catch her breath. But why are these statues suddenly coming to life…? The two beasts had no reservations about holding back on weakened prey and went on the offensive. The first beast charged straight for Aella with surprising speed despite its size. Even though she had been hit, Aella was still able to easily avoid the water beast's diagonal slash by rolling out of the way. The beast dug four deep furrows into the wall where she just had been. Aella looked up just in time to see that the second beast had fired a water blast right where she had just rolled. Calling on her Jupiter powers, Aella managed to jump and elevate herself higher to avoid the attack. The water attack rocked the chamber causing loose rocks and dirt to fall from the ceiling.
While still in the air, Aella charged up her powers and then extended her hands and arms outward releasing a bright web of lightning. The effect lit up the room bright enough and long enough for Aella to see her surroundings. Her eyes went wide when she saw that two more frog statues had come to life, making the total four. The two newcomers fired shot of water at Aella as well. Luckily, she was close enough to the wall where she could springboard off of it and avoid getting hit. The attacks further rattled the chamber causing more debris to fall from the ceiling and walls.
"Argh… What's going on with these things? Doesn't matter! I'll take you all down!" Aella reached for her kunai knives and charged them up with her Jupiter powers. As soon as she touched ground, Aella cast the four sparking knife blades at each of the four water beasts. The blades crackled with static as small bolts leapt off of them. Each kunai flew true to their course hitting each of the four water beasts, discharging their electrical shock throughout their bodies. Aella smirked at the demise her opponents were suffering through. Though they had surprised her in the beginning, they were still no match for her skill in the end. Each of the four beasts shook violently for a few seconds as the electricity short-circuited them. The intense discharge of electricity liquefied the four water beast as they all became large puddles on the ground.
"That did it…!" Aella boasted proudly. "I knew that would work…" Her grin soon faded when she heard the sound of gurgling water. She steadied herself trying to figure out what was coming now. But when her eyes fell upon those four puddles, her expression dropped; those four puddles rose off the ground and morphed into the shapes of the beasts she had just defeated! She pulled out two kunai (one in either hand) and readied herself in a defensive position when those watery, transparent figures suddenly became solid, as they were before they were "defeated." The four beasts had Aella surrounded and eyed her ferociously, ready at a moment to attack.
Aella growled. "Argh… What's going on here? Why won't they die?"
"Ha ha ha ha…" a man's voice slowly laughed.
Aella tensed even more and looked around trying to pinpoint the location of the laugh. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"My my… Almost thought you had lost your edge, Aella…"
"That voice," she whispered. "It sounds so… familiar. But it couldn't be…" The girl's ears focused in on where the male's voice was coming from. She looked over towards the water beast closest to the entrance and saw strolling from behind it a tall figure dressed in drab ninja clothing. She instantly recognized the man; but did a double take, as if not believing it was who she thought it was.
"But seems you still have it… mostly…"
"You! Zabuza! What are you doing here? And what's the meaning of this? And where is the informant? Or was that a trap just to lure me down here!?" Aella demanded.
"Hmph. No, no trap. See, I'm here on the master's behalf. You're no longer his right hand man. Or should I say right hand woman?" Zabuza smirked as he stretched the truth a little bit.
"What are you talking about? He specially picked me to do this mission! I'm…"
"…distracted," Zabuza finished, cutting her off her no doubt defense that she was still the master's right hand woman.
"Huh?" Aella tilted her head slightly not sure what he meant. Distracted? I'm not distracted by anything. What is he talking about?
"That's right. It's him. That boy… He's distracted you. You should have been able to easily dodge any attacks from these beasts. But your vision is clouded and your movements not as fast or sharp. The master's lost faith in you. He thinks that you've grown soft over the past few weeks. Probably 'cuz you've been around that boy so much."
"I'm not distracted!" Aella shot back angrily. "Nor have I grown soft! I know what my purpose is! And as far as the mission that he assigned to me, I was to gain his trust by whatever means necessary then bring him to the boss. However…"
"…However, you've failed to do so. And how many weeks has it been? Surely it doesn't take you this long to gain somebody's trust? I don't remember you ever taking this long before on a mission like this… Wait!" Zabuza stopped himself with a chuckle. "Could it be that you're falling for this guy…?"
"What!? No way! I've made it clear that I don't have time for anything like that! And I don't want anything to get in my way of avenging my father's death! I can't afford distractions! And I'm not distracted by him or anybody else!" Clenching her hands around her kunai blades, Aella could feel her Jupiter powers tingling with anger as sparks leapt off the edges of her kunai's.
"Hmph. You're awfully defensive about that… Makes me wonder if it's really true…" Zabuza trailed off. "But it seems he was right to question your loyalty."
"I am still loyal to him despite what you may think. And I'll still complete this mission like I have in the past," Aella replied defiantly.
"Oh it's not what I think… But still… The master wants to know for sure that you are still loyal to him. Wants you to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt," Zabuza crossed his arms and smiled evilly sending shivers down Aella's spine.
"And how does he want me to show him that?" Aella asked with raised eyebrow. "Haven't I proven that to him already?"
"Mmmph… Well he wants you to severe any connections you might have to anyone you might have gotten close to. Put simply, he wants you to kill that boy," Zabuza stated coldly.
"What?! But… I thought he wanted this boy alive?" Aella's eyes went wide as she felt her mouth drop slightly. Kill Knight? She couldn't wrap her head around that idea. After all the trouble she went through to get him this far, why would he want her to kill him? Something just didn't seem right. There must be something more he's not telling me… He couldn't want me to kill him… besides… I lo…
"The boy doesn't matter to him anymore. Kill him and prove your unfailing loyalty to the boss."
Aella was stunned. Her eyes fell as if being told the worst news of her life. For some reason, she felt herself quiver with emotions. Being told to kill was nothing new to her, nor did it faze her like this. Why…? She thought in a small voice. Why do I feel this way? Why do I feel so weird? This shouldn't bother me at all. Yet… in some small way… it does…
Her mind went back to her first meeting with Knight and just how much he had impressed her since the very beginning. Then as she watched him over the next few days and seeing the tragedies he went through with the dojo and his girlfriend (now ex-girlfriend), she began to feel a bit sorry for him. And when she had seen him nearly beaten in the woods north of Xian, she couldn't help herself. She stepped in and saved his life. But what seemed to stick out most to Aella about Knight were the words he said to her right after.
"…you're a sweet young girl with a good heart and some amazing skills. But someone like you deserves someone better than me. It's best if you just move on and forget about me. It was nice to meet you. And I wish the best for you."
Aella never considered herself sweet or someone with a good heart. She had done some, simply put, shady and terrible things in her past. He was a very smart guy and surely he must have known that somehow. But he never once judged her. He accepted her for her. He showed her that she could love…
What am I thinking? Maybe Zabuza is right… maybe he has made me soft… But, she began rationalizing. But, unlike everyone else I've ever known, he is true and genuine. And he is a nice guy through and through… I don't know if I could go through with this…
"I…" she began slowly. "I see no need to kill him though. Surely he must see his potential and what a great asset he'd make…"
"Hmph. The boss thought you might say something like that. Which if you did, he authorized me to tell you this. See, your boy is not who you think he is."
Aella's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"He hasn't told you? About his past? About where he's from?" Zabuza inquired slyly. "I don't blame him really. A lot happened to him…"
"What?! Spit it out already!" Aella yelled in frustration as she stepped forward.
Zabuza lifted his hand to stop her. The water beasts got low as if to attack, but they didn't. Instead they merely growled at her, waiting for their chance to get her. Aella stopped but continued to stare her comrade down. But with the way he was acting right now, she was beginning to wonder if he could be called that at all.
"You may already know that he's an exile. However, what you don't know is that he was exiled from the town of Cyril."
"That's…!" Aella's eyes went wide. "That's the town my father went to a year ago in that raid! But…!?"
"Mmmhmm… That's right!" Zabuza commented with a wavy tone. "See, not only was your father there but Knight was there too, though he went by the name of Ryouto. In fact, he actually played a role in ending your father's life!"
"What!?" Aella felt herself go numb. "He couldn't have! My father was burned to death! at the hands of a Mars Adept! But Knight is a Jupiter Adept! He just couldn't have…!"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Zabuza cut her off. "I wouldn't have thought it possible either if I hadn't seen it. He killed three of my men and then killed you father. Burned him alive, quite literally, with his own hands. He fought like a man possessed." He smiled as he saw the conflict building up in her. "You see, he is the one you've been searching for! He's the one responsible for your father's death!"
"No… He… I don't believe it…" Aella stood there with her mouth open trying to comprehend his words. Her mind flashed back to the time she had spent with him and even before when she was watching him. He was a nice guy, gentlemanly, and genuine. He just didn't seem like the kind of person to kill anyone. There was just no way he was responsible for her father's death!
"I… I don't believe you…" she said with a slight quiver in her voice.
Zabuza smirked. "I have no reason to lie to you about this. If you would have asked him and he told the truth, you would know that I'm telling the truth. But, now that you know, what are you going to do? You gonna let your father's killer go unpunished? Hasn't that been the reason why you've trained so hard? To avenge his death? Well he's your chance! What's it gonna be?"
Aella stared dumbly at the man not entirely sure what to make of all of what he said. Something told her in her heart that he wasn't lying about this. However, another part of her refused to believe that Knight could have any part of her father's demise. She knew him, spent time with him, and had gotten to know how great a guy he really was. He was the nicest guy she had ever met. And even though they had just met, she felt like they had been friends for years. Even despite her tough, ninja exterior, he still treated her like a woman and not like an object. Nobody had ever made her feel the way he made her feel, which is why none of what he was saying about him seemed to line up with what she knew about him.
I can't… I can't do this… I… Aella clenched her fists. I have to know the truth for myself. And I know who I have to talk to.
"Get out of my way. I have to talk to him myself to see if what you've said is really true or not."
"I would, but… to be honest," Zabuza began, "See, I've never really liked you. I was supposed to be his right hand man. Yet he chose you right out of the blue. Even now, he still wants you back… But I don't. And like you, I have goals of my own. One of those, of course, is having you out of the picture."
"What?!" Aella tensed feeling a familiar tingle of static ripple across her skin. "You treacherous bastard!" she yelled throwing her kunai knives at him.
"Ah ah ah!" Zabuza said waving his finger at her. The water beasts growled fiercely as one of them shot a burst of water at the blades, deflecting them away harmlessly. She stopped suddenly being brought back to reality that she was surrounded by those things. "I can't have you running off to go warn him or anything. Nor can I have you kill him. Not yet at least. Not till I'm done with him…"
"Why? What interest do you have in him?"
"Surely you must know of the legendary sword Kurotenma?"
"Yeah I know of it. That's the cursed sword forged long ago said to rival the power of the Sol blade or even the Muramasa. But… what does that have to do with…?!" Then it hit her, the reason why Zabuza was so interested in him. Kurotenma was a blade so evil that when it was forged, it took upon itself a glossy black hue. And only the most powerful Adepts were able to wield the blade with little ill effect, or so it seemed. But still, even some of the most powerful Adepts could not fully suppress the raw tainted power of the blade. Eventually, all who wielded the blade were corrupted and were either consumed by it or were driven crazy. Somehow, Knight had that very blade! It's not possible! She thought with shocking revelation. How can he…? How did he…?
Her mind then flashed back to a few months before her father's passing. He had whispered to her the existence of a blade of such strength that was hued all black. She had thought he was crazy for even trying to find such a thing, but now she realized he must have been telling her the truth. He had found that blade! I knew there was something different about his sword. I felt it the moment I was close to it. Didn't wanna believe it. I just never thought he could've gotten something so valuable. Wait… if my father truly did find that blade, but now Knight has it…
"Ahh so you realize it now. Yes. He has it. Knight has the blade Kurotenma. And even though the boss wants that blade, I'll have it for myself. I can't have you interfering with my goals. So you can understand now why you are gonna die right here, right now. It was nice working with you." Zabuza started walking away from her towards the door when he sensed a flare up of electricity behind him.
"Hold it, Zabuza! You're not going anywhere!" Aella yelled. She summoned her Jupiter element and fired an intense bolt of lightning towards Zabuza.
Zabuza, with his back turned towards Aella, merely smiled at her attempt at his life, again. He weaved a familiar spell and instantly a wall of ice formed between him and the oncoming bolt. Aella's eye went wide seeing the display of a Water Adept's powers. When the lightning hit the thin barrier, the ice shattered and the electricity dispelled. Zabuza, not fazed at all, spoke calmly saying, "To be honest, Aella, I thought you would have attacked me sooner and more often. I'm kinda disappointed. I was prepared anyways. Have fun with my little pets. May we never see each other again." Zabuza went through the doorway and summoned a substantial barricade of ice to seal off the entryway, leaving Aella stuck to deal with the four beasts.
"Damn it!" Aella cursed. "I didn't know he was a Water Adept…! I should have sensed it before this …" Aella knew that breaking through that thick ice wall was going to be very difficult. But she still had to try. She had unfinished business left to do. "Knight won't stand a chance against him. Not against a Water Adept who has a slight elemental advantage over Jupiter Adepts…" Aella clenched her hands as she sensed the water beasts fire their water attacks at her. Dodging the first volley easily, Aella eyed them with new vigor. "But looks like, in order to find answers to my questions, I have to take care of these guys first."
Zabuza smiled evily hearing the battle commence behind him. "And now to collect my prize!" He summoned his powers to bring him back to the mine entrance. His plan was in full effect now. Even if Aella managed to survive, she wouldn't be able to stop him now.