Coughing up a bit of blood, Nana couldn't help resting a hand on her side only to winch in pain. She took a minute to try standing, and for that attempt all she could do was end up falling almost face first on the floor. She would have if she didn't resort to using the tree next to he to try steading herself. "He really hits hard when he wants to." She muttered, sliding down the side of the tree to take a minute to rest. She looked at her side, noticing that there was a bruise coming through the dark material. "That's a first…" She muttered as she covered the bruise again and leaned against the tree. "He's strong." She muttered to herself. "Too strong to be just a regular person." She told herself before smiling. "To be fair though, if he really wants to be the Second coming of the Demon King, that does make sense." She told herself before closing her eyes. "I'll have to keep an eye out on him."
He sneezed, and took a second to wipe his nose. "Guess someones talking about me." Setsuna muttered before shrugging. "Guess I shouldn't be too surprised." He muttered as he continued walking. "Asagi did mention that I'd be drawing the attention of the clans…" He shrugged as he put his hands behind his head, stopped and turned his attention towards one of the trees. "Long as they don't try anything, it should be fine." He muttered as he continued staring at the treeline. "I wonder if I can find a pizza place somewhere in this village." He muttered. "Probably." He muttered before turning his attention elsewhere and found someone falling from the trees and landed face first into the ground.
"Ow…" Setsuna just stared at the taimanin that was currently trying to pick herself up. "Not again." She muttered as she tried looking through her muddied glasses and took them off to try cleaning them. Without a word Setsuna walked up to her and took them from her grip. "H-hey!" Setsuna just ignored the Taimanin, instead taking the time to clean the glasses before planting them on her face. Her glasses returned, the girl in question stopped squinting and took a moment to get a better look at the boy that was in front of her. "Oh thank you… um."
"Setsuna." He introduced himself as he continued crouching in front of the girl. "You're…" He searched his memories for a moment, trying to recall who this girl was.
"Shinohara Mari." The girl introduced herself as she got to her feet and Setsuna followed suit. "Its nice to meet you." She bowed as Setsuna took the moment to pat her head to her confusion.
"Likewise." He muttered as he looked her over. "Well see you." He stated as he walked past the young blonde who just stared at where he was for a moment before turning back towards him.
"W-wait Setsuna-san!" Setsuna turned, looking at the young woman as he raised an eyebrow. "We're supposed to fight each other!"
"Yeah but I don't wanna." He stated as he continued walking off only for Mari to start following him. So, I'm just gonna be on my way… and you're following me." He grumbled before taking a breath. "Why are you following me?
"Well we are supposed to spar with each other, that way we can evaluate each others skills and see where we have to improve." Mari told him. "That's the point of this joint training exercise."
"Yeah well, I've already done that, twice in fact." Setsuna muttered as he glanced back at Mari. "And while I would love to see exactly what you are capable of, I'd like to take a moment to put a rain check on that so I can take a minute to just enjoy the scenery." He told her.
"I see." Mari muttered before smiling. "Well, it is nice to just enjoy the scenery for a bit." She admitted before taking a breath that made her chest puff out a bit. "Ah… it's been a while since I just took a minute to just walk through the forest.
"You don't usually come out here?"
"Not unless it's for training purposes." Mari admitted.
"Well, what do you do when you're not training?" Setsuna asked as Mari smiled.
"Mostly studying and going out on missions." She stated before looking down and started to turn a few shades red. "And when I'm not doing either I…" She finished by mumbling so low that Setsuna couldn't hear her but he shrugged it off.
"Well… good for you then." He told her as they continued walking on.
"So um, Setsuna-san?" Mari asked as he looked back at her. "May I ask a question?"
"Go right ahead."
"Is it true that you're Igawa-sensei's fiance?" Setsuna stopped, looking back at the curious girl as he gave her a deadpan look.
"No." He resumed walking. "Where are people getting that idea, I've heard it twice in less than an hour."
"Well, um…" Mari squirmed slightly, pressing her fingers together in embarrassment. "Over the past week, people have noticed that Igawa-sensei has started frequenting this one apartment complex with a young man in it. So word got around that... You two were…"
"We're not." Setsuna told her. "She's been coming by every day to check up on me, and drop a few things off." Setsuna paused. "Although I can kind of see where people were getting this misunderstanding now." He grumbled. "Buut there's nothing going on between us." He paused again as he looked at Mari. "Yet."
"Yet?"
"I can't see the future." Setsuna stated. "So I can't say that it entails for the two of us." He paused, turning his attention to Mari. "Or the two of us'." He stated as Mari took a minute to stare in confusion before turning red. "Maybe something will happen, maybe not." He looked back ahead. "Who's to say?"
"R-right." Mari muttered as she looked down in embarrassment. Though she did take a second to brush her hair back subconsciously. "So~" She paused. "Um… where did you transfer from?"
"Hm?" Setsuna glanced in her direction again. "What do you mean 'where'?"
"Well, did you originally belong to the Exorcist Knights or the Onmyoji? Maybe the UFS."Before Mari could blink a tree next to them exploded as Setsuna hit it causing her to jump back and land on her but. "W-what?"
"Sorry." Setsuna muttered as he took a minute to breath and turned back to the girl and held out his hand. "I don't belong to either." He muttered as Mari looked at the destroyed tree and gulped as she took his hand. He helped her up and just started walking again. "I was told that transfers weren't really a thing here in Gosha."
"Well, it's… not." Mari whispered. "Well, it's not that they aren't common, it's just they're always allied with some other organization." She muttered. "Like Rebecca-chan, she's an Exorcist Knight from the EU, but she was transferred here for training with us a while." Mari explained.
"So you give training to people belonging to other organizations." Setsuna muttered. "What about independents?"
"We've never received an independent…" Mari paused as she looked at Setsuna. "You were independent?" He nodded as he continued walking.
"Yamamoto picked me up and recommended me, but before that I was independent."
"Wow~" Mari made a noise. "You were an independent,and yet you were recommended by Yamamoto himself?" She sounded amazed. "That's incredible, how did that happen?"
"I'd rather not say." Setsuna muttered as he made a noise."Maybe I'll tell you later." He stated putting a hand behind his head and continued walking. "Course if that's the case, you might have to remind me, cause I might forget." He stated before Mari turned her attention forward as she held out a hand.
"Someones coming." She told him and adopted a stance as Setsuna just looked forward, his hand grabbing the last wooden knife that he had on his person. Mari looked around for a moment before her attention turned downward, and she saw a shadow growing darker. "Move!"
Setsuna did as requested, dodging to the left as Mari went right moment before the earth beneath them practically exploded into shards of dust and debris.
'That's one hell of an impact-' Setsuna jumped when he saw something cutting through the dust cloud and found the tree he was in front of getting torn in half. He repositioned himself on the falling tree and jumped off it, flying overhead of his attacker and snapped his free arm out to slam onto the flat side of the weapon being thrusted upward at him. He pulled himself forward, rolling onto the weapons and followed by kicking off the weapon as he jumped towards Mari. Whoever was attacking him didn't press the attack, letting him regroup with the girl as she stood ready.
"Setsuna are you ok?"
"I'm fine, but I have a question." He stated. "Do you know an axe user?" Mari froze as she stared at the disappearing dust cloud.
"Oh no~" She whimpered. "It's Yatsu-sensei…"
In her office, Asagi just crossed her arms as she looked at the screen, Murasaki standing amidst the rubble of a part of broken land as she hoisted her axe over her shoulder. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting her to find them with everyone sparring…" She admitted. "Still, I can't say it's a bad thing." She stated. "I'll have to thank her for this later."
"Fuuma-sama."
Kotaro continued to run, heading across the training grounds as he continued his personal match with another student. "What is it, Tokiko?" He whispered under his breath.
"I've located Yorugami-san, he's fighting Yatsu-sensei with Mari-san."
"He's fighting Murasaki?" He muttered as took a moment to go into hiding as he put some distance between him and his opponent. "Continue to monitor him." He ordered. "I want to know exactly what happens from their match."
Yatsu Murasaki didn't say a word, just lunging forward as she thrust her axe as if it were a spear. Mari dodged to the side as Setsuna responded by leaping back. She turned her axe and swung it to the side, nearly hitting Mari before bringing the weapon overhead and nearly caving in Setsuna's skull. 'She's swinging that thing like it's a toy.' He dodged and threw his knife before rushing forward. Murasaki weaved to the side to avoid the weapon and followed it with a full turn before bringing her axe into a rising swing. She missed her target, but the gravel she tore from the ground forced him to retreat for a moment. Turning, she looked to see Mari was charging her and brought he axe back in order to thrust it forward. Mari dived, letting herself go under the blade as she slammed her fist into the ground and a chunk of earth shot out of the ground. 'Earth-style huh…' Murasaki jumped, stepped on the rising chunk of earth as she used it asa springboard to go even higher before bringing her axe down. Mari dodged as as the earth cracked and tried getting a hit in only for Murasaki to slam her foot into the girl's stomach and threw her back. Setsuna just watchedMari go flying as she went back clutching her stomach and trying to get her breathing back in order. "Mari…" He muttered under his breath as he watched her stand. 'That kick would have probably destroyed her organs if she hadn't jumped back in time…' He noted as he looked at Murasaki as she put her axe over her shoulder. "Interesting." He muttered as he drew his new teacher's attention. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to actually kill the two of us." He stated as Murasaki charged at him, stopped short and brought her axe into a wide swing. Setsuna responded by raising a knee and slammed it into the flat of the axe and sent it upward. "No time to chat huh?" He asked as he lowered his leg a Murasaki switched her grip to bring her axe down on his head. He dodged and the earth cracked. "Well, if that's how we're doing this, fine." He made a noise as he got some distance between the two and Murasaki charged. "Every time she swings that axe, it's got enough force behind it to be a one-hit kill… if I get hit once…'
Murasaki stopped her charge and twisted to the side, finding that Mari had rejoined the fight and tried to strike her. She reached for the girl and found the girl grabbing her wrist in an attempt to stop her. Mari followed it by delivering a kick to her teacher's ankle to knock her off balance before following it with a punch that was aimed for the back of her teacher's head. It never landed. Murasaki swung her captured wrist and dragged Mari across the ground before throwing her elsewhere. Mari flipped in mid-flight, landed on her feet and went sliding back for a bit as she regained her balance. By the time she did she found the axe closing in on her neck before she leaned back to let it glide over her. Setsuna reached for something that was being thrown across the air and grabbed it for a moment to see what it was.
Fabric. No skin, no blood. Mari dodged at just the right time.
Mari slammed her hands on the ground and raised her legs to the sky in an attempt to kick her teacher in the jaw but missed as her teacher leaned to the side. Mari followed it by spinning on her hands and started throwing kicks at her teacher as she was pushed back. When Mari righted herself again, she slammed a foot on the ground as chunks of stone started floating around her before she punched each of them, launching them at her teacher as Murasaki spun her axe to knock them away before making an upward swing to create a wall of debris.
"Gotta say you two going at it are making me feel a bit lonely Murasaki swung an arm out at her side in a backhand and found herself swinging at air. She found one of her legs being knocked out from under her as she stumbled and turned in nthe opposite direction and saw that Setsuna was about to plant an elbow in her jaw She turned with the hit, letting it slide by her head as she latched onto the boy's shirt and threw him into the air.
Or rather she tried to, Setsuna had latched onto her arm and unlike Mari he didn't let go. He pulled her up with him as Mari came from behind, ready to throw a punch at the woman's back. Murasaki simply swing around, having the boy glide across the ground and slammed him into Mari as she sent them both into a tree.
Or rather she sent them through it.
"Ok… that kinda hurt." Setsuna muttered as he looked at the dizzy-eyed girl that was in her lap. "Yo, Mari." He patted her cheek a few times. "You still alive?"
"No~"
"Well if you were dead I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to talk." He remarked as he patted her cheek a few more times. "Come on, Murasaki doesn't look like she's done with us." Mari muttered something he couldn't quite make out as she came back too. "There we go, ready for another round?" He asked. "I gotta say, she's trong, being able to swing that great axe around as she does and throw us like we weigh nothing. That's not an easy feat."
"Well, Yatsu-sensei is physically the strongest taimanin alive." Mari muttered as she got up. And Setsuna followed suit. "Not even Igawa-sensei can beat her in a contest of raw power."
"Is that so?" Setsuna dusted himself off. "No wonder the others are terrified of her." He muttered with a light smile. "And to think she's still holding back." He mused. "I like her, I wanna see what she's really capable of."
"I don't think that's a good idea…"Mari muttered.
"Probably not." Setsuna admitted. "But what can I say; I like strong women." He muttered as hunched forward. "Anyway, let's get back to it."
Asagi crossed her arms as she watched the life feed continue to play before a message came up on screen. Answering it, she found Yamamoto looking back at her. "Yamamoto-dono what is it?"
"We have a situation."