Steel clashed with steel as golden sparks danced across the sharpened edges of metal. Underneath the never ending rays of the sun which relentlessly beat down across the sandy ruins of Vacuo, a young hellion with a knack for anything with a blade and handle held her arms up high, a pair of blades tonfas strapped to her forearms as she held the handles tight in her grip. She then grunted, the palm of a hand colliding with her forehead and sending her back, stumbling until she fell and hit the hard rocky ground below.
"Come on now, you're getting faster, Jade." A woman with slightly tanned skin and long black hair tied back into a ponytail stated, long bangs covering her eyebrows. She too had on a pair of bladed tonfas.
"Yeah, I know..." The young girl sat up, shaking her messy green hair. She took a deep breath, slowly sliding over her weapons before reaching up and rubbing her eyes. "It's just not fair. You're so much stronger than me."
"Yeah? So what?" The woman knelt down, removing her tonfas from her arms and gently placing them down. "Most men are stronger than me. Does that mean you won't fight men?"
"No but..." Jade trailed off, groaning as she crossed her arms. "It's just not fair."
Flashing a faint smile, she knelt down across from her and gave a slow nod. "Okay. It isn't fair. So you make it fair. You clearly aren't stronger, so you need to become faster. Tire out whoever you are fighting, don't try to match their strength. Cut them down piece by piece, not in one quick slash."
"Or you know," A younger looking Shinrin walked past, his green cloak wrapped around his body as his near meter long braided hair swayed back and forth. "She could always learn to shoot a gun. It's way faster and far less messy."
Rolling her eyes, the woman shooed him away with a swipe of her hand. "Ignore him." She smiled. "It may be easy to pull a trigger and win, but there's not much skill there. Now to master a blade, well," She pulled out a kunai, twirling it in her left hand. "It takes a lot of practice."
"You don't pull a trigger!" Shinrin shouted as he walked away. "You squeeze a trigger gently, Olive!"
"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes, picking up her tonfas as she stood. "You want to practice a little more, Jade?"
"Yeah..." The young girl glanced up, pushing her green hair behind her ear as she stood. She reached down, picking up her smaller pair of tonfas with a deep breath. She took a deep breath, putting them back on with a determined look in her eyes. A moment later, metal began clashing with metal once again.
Sparks flew, bladed edges scratching against one another as Jade redirected the swing of Kagami's sword with a blade coming from her wrist guard. She gave a soft grunt, shoving her away as she took several quick steps back.
"You know, you're not that bad." She flashed a smile, flicking her other wrist as another hidden blade came from her wrist.
Kagami gritted her teeth, letting her feet slide across the ground. She took a deep breath, twirling her blade around in her right hand before she gripped it tight. She slid a single foot back, raising her blade up as she grabbed hold of the hilt with her other hand. "Thanks... I guess."
A soft wind blew through, rustling the branches and leaves in the trees as birds quietly chirped before one flew off, the rest of the flock following behind. The group of birds slowly flew up into the sky, following the sun into the outstretched horizon.
Clouds blew overhead, blocking the sun's rays for a moment as a shadow casted down upon Jade and Kagami. While Kagami's hair swayed back and forth with fluid like motions, Jades short hair waved back and forth with small and choppy movements. The two stared down at each other, their feet sliding across the dirt road underneath. Their breathing was soft, hushed, and near silent as their chest rose and fell calmly.
Still sitting in the middle of the road, several meters down from where the two jade haired girls stood, Shinrin had his eyes shut calmly. With his green cloak wrapped around his, hiding everything from his neck down, he didn't even seem to bat an eye at his daughter. His shoulders were square though and a clear look of irritation was etched in his face if anything at all.
On the other side of the two jadettes, just about as far as Shinrin was away, maybe even a little farther, the rest of team MACE watched. While Elise and Cheyenne stood and leaned up next to separate trees with weapons ready to fire incase of any funny business, Kris sat on the floor, jaw tight and eyes narrowed at the two before her. The redhead inhaled deeply, slowly pulling her red fedora over her eyes as they drifted towards the man cloaked in green. She couldn't lie to herself, there was definitely something up with him.
Taking a deep breath, Kagami slowed her breathing, locking eyes with the woman in front before shutting her eyes. Jade did exactly the same. The wind died down, everything going completely still for a single moment.
Kagami's eyes shot opened, the tea green color of them slightly tinted darker as she bolted forward towards her opponent. She brought her sword down at her side, giving off a war cry as she swung it around with all the strength she had.
Jade flashed a smile, calmly making an x shape with her wrist blades. She let them catch the sword, but rather than holding it up and pushing back, she used the force of Kagami's blow against her, redirecting the swing to her side. "Heh." She flicked her right foot, a small but sharp blade coming from the toe. She set her foot upward, aiming for Kagami's neck.
The younger girl's eyes went wide as she jerked her head back, the glimmer of the blade just centimeters from her face. She gulped, quickly stepping back before jumping away.
Smiling, she sprinted forward, letting the blades in her wrist guards vanish as she kicked out another blade from her left foot. "What? Too close for comfort?" She brought her foot up and around in a roundhouse kick.
Raising her sword, she brought it up towards her face, blocking Jade's shoe with a soft grunt. She pushed back, shoving her off her.
When Kagami did so, the older jade haired woman brought her other foot up, pressing it against the flat edge of the blade. While she was pushed back, she launched herself off the weapon, back flipping and landing on the ground with a soft grunt. She kicked her heels together, the blades from her shoes going back inside.
Kagami lunged forward, sword raised above her head. With teeth showing, she locked eyes with her opponent again. As each of them blinked, their eyes got a shade darker.
Watching the sword coming down at her, Jade reached into her waistband, pulling out a large butterfly knife. She flipped it around a few times before catching the handle and holding it tight. She held it up, blocking the larger blade almost easily. She grinned, looking back at the younger girl. "I hope you're better than this."
Grinding her teeth together, she shoved her away and jumped back, the tip of her sword sliding across the ground. For once, the young Huntress in training didn't have a smart response back. She took a deep breath, her hand clutching the handle of her sword as tight as she could, her knuckles turning white. Her mind was too concerned with winning to think of anything else. If she lost, these people would rampage this already broken city.
"What? You don't have anything to say?" Jade flashed a smile, sliding the butterfly knife away before pulling out two large kunai. Holding one in each hand, she ran forward with incredible speed.
Kagami inhaled sharply, changing the grip on her sword to a reverse grip. She brought her right hand up, blocking one of the Japanese daggers. The other lashed downward, nearly slicing away at the flesh on her cheek.
With her distracted, the older jade haired girl took her chances. She brought her leg around, swiping at Kagami's feet. Once her back struck the ground, Jade placed her hands on the floor, spinning around as her left foot struck Kagami's right wrist and her right foot struck the weapon in her hand.
The younger girl silently cursed to herself the second she felt her weapon being forced out of her hand. Now disarmed and laying flat on her back, Kagami gritted her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest. She rolled to the right, a throwing knife landing where her head once was. She then quickly rolled the the left, the other Japanese dagger lodging itself into the ground next I her head. She quickly brace her palms against the ground, her feet sliding up just a bit. She kicked herself up, back flipping away just as Jade's foot slid across the ground where she once was and kicked up dust.
Jade hissed softly, spinning around before reaching down and picking up her kunai, spinning them a bit before placing them away. She reached down to left leg, rolling up her pants just a bit to show a sheathed weapon attached to her leg. She grabbed the handles, pulling out a set of sharpened twin butterfly swords. She quickly slid her pants leg back down, tossing one of the short blades into her other hand. She quickly charged forward, clutching the weapons tight.
Still without her weapon, Kagami glanced up, her eyes scanning the area for her sword. Spotting it to her left, she stood up straight. She would have made a break for it, but seeing the sunlight reflect against cold steel, she jumped back, the tip of Jade's butterfly swords grazing across her ear as slightly cutting away a few strands of her hair. She grimaced, reaching up and rubbing her ear a bit. Her eyes narrowed as she bit the inside of her cheek.
Jade flashed a smile, staring back at the young girl. Blinking, her eyes darkened yet another shade as did her adversary's. She twirled the two short dao's, sprinting forward again.
"Bloody hell…" Kagami muttered, taking a step back. She held up her hands, glancing down at the back rings on her fingers. She took a deep breath, shaking her head before she turned her hands into fist. It wouldn't be worth it. She raised up her hands, colliding the metal knuckles of her fingerless gloves with the blades. As long as she didn't mess up, everything should be fine.
The older jade haired woman slashed from each direction, her single edge blades slicing through the air with swift motions.
Kagami grunted each time, her forearm muscles straining as she blocked each blow with the knuckles of her gloves. She gritted her teeth, waiting till both of the butterfly swords came downward at the same times. She tightened her fist, bracing her feet as she stopped the weapons once again. She took a deep breath, quickly moving her hands under the blades and gripping Jade's wrist.
"Huh?" Jade blinked, about to jerk her hands away but too late.
Kagami slid downward, going between her opponent's legs while still holding onto her wrist. She jerked her down by the arms, sending her off her feet before ramming her combat boots into her stomach and sending her flying.
Falling through the air, the older jadette quickly put away her short swords, landing on her hands and knees with a soft grunt. When she looked up, she gritted her teeth, seeing her combatant heading straight towards her, once again with her sword in hand. "Damn it..." She gritted her teeth, pushing herself up to stand.
The young Huntress in training gave off a small war cry, her feet quickly tapping across the dirt road. Just before Jade could rise to her feet, Kagami was already next to her, ready to swing her sword.
A second before Kagami had the chance though, her eyes caught sight of a small red dot on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as she quickly side stepped, sliding across the ground next to Jade. She brought up her sword, blocking a bullet from striking her.
Jade blinked once, growling softly as her hands balled up into fist. "Daaad!" She snapped, glaring over at said man.
Kris was already on her feet, eyes wide. Elise and Cheyenne already had taken aim, fingers resting at their triggers. "Kagami...?" The young redhead spoke up.
"I'm fine." Her leader glanced back at her with a deep breath. "It's alright, I'm fine." She gave a reassuring nod, her eyes reverting to normal. Her eyes then trailed from her two other friends' lines of sight, glaring over at Shinrin.
Said man was standing, his hair and cloak swaying ever so slightly. With his arm raised out of his cloak, revealing what her looked like underneath. And boy was it a sight to be seen.
He was large, probably larger than the average man. Plus, he was shirtless. His muscles stretching out all across his torso and arms. He had on a pair of dark green pants as well as a pair of black boots that had been scuffed up over the years. Unlike most Monomanes, his skin was a tad bit darker and covered in scars from battles or even simple bar fights. Across his left shoulder was three Bs that were tattooed in a bloody red color. He had two bandoliers over each of his shoulders, each packed full of different size bullets. He had two more around his waist, these with a couple pouches. On both of his thighs he had two pistol holsters and on his back a long rifle. Though one of his pistols were still strapped to his leg, the other was in his hand.
A casing shell popped out of it as he lowered his arm down, letting his cloak wrap back around himself. "What?" He asked calmly, though it was clear he was aggravated.
Jade growled softly, blinking as her eyes went back to normal. "I told you not to interrupt!"
"She was about to kill you." He responded, sitting back down as he shut his eyes. "What else was I supposed to do?"
Growling more, she took a step towards him. "Back off! That's what you do! This is my fight, not yours!"
Kagami blinked a few times, taking a deep breath as she waved her hand back at her friends. "It's okay... calm down guys." Cheyenne and Elise both glanced at each other, lowering their weapons hesitantly. Elise took a deep breath, narrowing her eyes over in Shinrin's direction. She was currently yelling at herself inside her head for letting herself be distracted by Kagami's fight and not watching the man she was suppose to keep an eye on.
"She was about to harm you." He took a deep breath, opening one eye to stare up at her.
All she did was growl, whipping her head around and looking away. "Well stop it. I want to beat her fair and square." She paused and narrowed her eyes back at him. "Or lose."
He snarled quietly, taking another deep breath before shutting his eyes again with a grumble.
"Sorry about that." Jade muttered, turning around to face Kagami as she raised her hands. "Now let's get back down to this." She grinned.
Kagami took a deep breath, nodding. "Right." She twirled her sword in her right hand, lifting it up in front of her face.
Bolting forward, Jade sent out a swarm of kicks to which Kagami deflected with her blade with some trouble on keeping up with her speed. But that wasn't the older jadette's end game. Now closer, she sent out a kick while reaching behind her back and under her shirt, pulling out a karambit.
Kagami grunted softly, shoving her foot away. She watched as the older woman spun around, her eyes widening at the curved black blade that came from Jade's hand. She took a step back, her teeth clenching as she felt the sharpened edge slide through her skin and pale green fabric wrapped around her left arm. She stumbled back a little, raising her sword up only to fail at blocking the smaller blade from slicing into her right shoulder.
"What? Can't move fast enough with that big sword of yours?" Jade called out, slashing away as quick as she could. And to be fair to all, that was rather fast.
The younger jadette grunted, her body being pushed back as a small drop of her blood dripped. She hissed, taking a deep breath.
Grinning, she twirled the karambit around in her finger, holding it in a hammer style grip. She sent her fist forward, ramming it into the side of Kagami's face. The blade itself was now curled up under her chin, the tip just waiting to pierce flesh.
Kagami froze for a moment, her breath hitching as her jaw clenched. She inhaled sharply, spinning her sword in her right hand. The blade locked with the small curved one, knocking it out of the older woman's grip. She exhaled heavily, taking several quick steps away as she gulped.
Jade smirked, jumping back. She slid across the dirt road, snatching up her small weapon and tucking it away before standing. "You know, this has been fun and all, but it's time we end this." She reached down to her left hip, pulling out a her large Bowie knife. Holding the blade in her right hand on a reverse grip, she began to circle around the younger girl with a smile. "I hope you're ready for this." She smiled even more, planting her feet down into the ground. She raised her left hand, keeping it flat. She then slammed her right hand into it, grinning as her hands began to glow.
"Crap..." Kagami trailed off, gritting her teeth as she took a step back and raised her blade.
Chuckling softly with a grin, Jade couldn't help but tilt her head to the side. Suddenly, behind Kagami was a mirror image of Jade. "Hello?" They both said at the same time with the same exact movements. Another popped up on Kagami's left and then her right. Four more appeared in between those.
"Oh for the love of Oum..." Kagami slowly looked around, her eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open.
"What?" Each of the eight figures of Jade spoke, chuckling. "Is there a problem?" They each twirled their Bowie knife before jabbing the tip into the dirt road. They began to run in a circle, kicking up dust to lower Kagami's visibility.
"Oh bloody hell...!" The young Huntress in training shouted, eyes wide as each of the eight jumped up, blades above there head and ready to strike. Each came down at the exact same time, same movements and breathing patterns. There was no possible way to see which one was the true Jade.
Kagami gritted her teeth, her body tensing and preparing for the worst. She bit her lip, shutting her eyes for a second. It then hit her. Not pain, but the only idea and only option she could think of at the moment.
She jabbed her sword into the ground, kneeling down on one knee next to it. "Now or never..." She muttered, taking off the glove on her left hand and placing the palm of her hand onto the ground. She inhaled as deep as she could, giving off a small and last cry of hope. Her left arm began to glow, the fabric wrapped around her forearm bursting apart and into pieces, falling slowly into the ground. The same happening to her sleeve. As the markings on her arm began to show, she gave off another cry, a bright light flashing all around.
Each of the Jades gained a confused expression, tilting their heads to the left as their eyebrows rose. "What...?" Each mumbled.
As the green markings on Kagami's arm faded, she snatched up her sword, standing up with quick feet to see what came next.
One by one, each illusion and copied version of Jade shattered like glass, falling to the ground and disappearing. Kagami counted each one, starting from behind her and to the left and going around until the one behind her and two her right shattered.
The young jadette quickly whipped her head around, eyes locking onto Jade.
The older woman's eyes were wide and filled with bewilderment. She blinked once, her teeth flashing as she grinded them together. "Oh shit-!"
She was cut off, Kagami stabbing the ground with her sword and using it to send her body upward. She kicked her in the chest as hard as she could, sending her flying.
Jade tumbled across the ground, stopping herself from rolling just as the dust began to clear. As she went to get up, she felt the tip of a blade press against her neck.
Breathing heavily, Kagami stood above her, pointing her sword down at her. "I believe... that's match." She took a deep breath.
Looking up at her, Jade almost seemEd confused, up until the point she shut her eyes and smirked. She let go of her Bowie knife, holding up her hands. "It seems so."
For a moment, the young girl paused, but after a couple seconds she pulled her sword back. She twirled it, sheathing it and putting it away. Slowly, she reached her hand out towards Jade.
"You really want to do that?" The older woman asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kagami gave a slow nod, her panting slowing down some. "I do. Like you said, you're a bandit, not a criminal. You have honor. And there's no honor in accepting defeat poorly."
Jade smiled a little more, reaching up and grabbing her hand with a firm grip.
A while later, as Jade and Shinrin made their way back to the base camp for the Bad Blood Brothers, Shinrin slowly glanced over at his daughter with raised eyebrows. "Are you happy now, Jade?"
Nodding slowly, she cleaned off her karambit. "Yeah, in a way. I'm disappointed I lost but..." She smiled. "It was fun. A lot more fun than fighting any other soldier or Huntsman." She tossed away a white rag stained in red, putting her weapon away.
He gave slow nod back, looking forward at his group of bandits. The bandits he promised he would take care of. He gritted his teeth, not letting her see. "That's good." He nodded again, hands balling into tight fist underneath his cloak. "As long as you're happy, so am I."