

Clash of the Clans: Shinobi 7 Companion Book #1

L. Benitez

Copyright 2015 L. Benitez

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of

the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial

purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own

copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Disclaimer:

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~

For Rosemary, Patrick, and their awesome family-crew!

~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~

~Foreword~

I cannot express how much fun I had writing this short companion book for Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior. If you have read the first book in the Shinobi 7 Series, this short story is a bonus for you to enjoy. If you have not read Trials of a Warrior, this booklet will not ruin any twists that the first book holds, merely peak your curiosity.

As read in Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior, the evil shinobi clan known as Blackthorn has started a war in the world known as Shaaku Den. The only warriors left to defend the innocent people are the Kitsune Clan, where the members of Sector 7 are introduced. Sector 7 must not only train to be soldiers, but they must grow together as a team and learn to rely on each other through the times of battle.

In this companion novel, there is no war in Shaaku Den, and the Blackthorn Clan was never formed. Therefore, all thirteen ancient shinobi clans are still around and the pressure of battle doesn't weigh on the students of the Kitsune Clan. However, peace and harmony isn't awaiting the six members of Sector 7... misadventures lie ahead!

A big thank you goes to my grandma, who was my first beta-reader. An equally large thank you to Ethale Lynn, who used her own writing powers and helped me out as well. Recognition and thanks goes to my karate class, aka my second family. I've had a lot of fun times and my passion for the Martial Arts grows stronger every day. I've met great people during my adventures at karate tournaments.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this story, dear reader, and thank you for joining the members of Sector 7 on their next adventure.

So it begins...

(maniacal laughter off in the distance)

~*~*~*~

Master Kitsune Golden Tail called a meeting in his home in the late evening, at the exact moment when the sun said goodbye to the skies. Thursday's training day had ended for the students of the Kitsune Clan and they were free to depart to their sector houses and have fun with their teammates. However, as for the three teachers of the Kitsune Clan, they were expected to report to the old grandmaster's home.

The first one to arrive was Kenji Shinichi, the weapons master of the Kitsune Clan. He not only ensured he was first on his master's front porch, he made extra sure to arrive five minutes earlier than the given time. Therefore, Shinichi was able to stand on the tall bamboo front porch and watch the sun disappear beneath the great wall that surrounded the school. It didn't take long for the darkness to cover the skies. Shinichi lit a paper lantern, took off his sandals, and entered his master's home.

"Good evening, sir," was the formal greeting that met Master Kitsune's ears. Shinichi bowed his head in respect and shut the sliding door behind him.

"Yes, good evening, Kenji-San," the grandmaster smiled. Master Kitsune was in the same spot he always was; in his living room, sitting down on a worn-out tatami mat, with his legs crossed and arms tucked into the long sleeves of his orange gi top. He had a pleasant expression on his gaunt face, and Shinichi noted how his master's black beard looked more scraggly than usual.

The student was about to ask his teacher if he wanted tea, however, Shinichi never got the question out of his mouth.

A loud bang sounded off, followed by a growled profanity. The sliding door was opened vehemently, almost to the point of breaking at the hinges. On the other side of the threshold was the second teacher of the clan; Zuko Hayashi, the combat teacher. "Aye, I brought my own sake!" Zuko bellowed, already a slight slur to his tone of voice. The smell of sake was strong and Shinichi crinkled his nose, taking a step away from his fellow teammate.

"Please, come in Zuko-San," Master Kitsune invited.

Zuko wasn't about to refuse. The seven-foot-tall man stooped over and stepped inside his master's home. Zuko was a big man. He stood at seven feet but his spiked hair gave him another foot easily, the muddy brown contrasting against his reddish-orange skin. Unlike his teammate, who wore the traditional uniform, Zuko had a sleeveless gi that showed off his bulging arms and many scars. The most notable scar was the one that ran down the middle of his right eye.

Master Kitsune simply smiled when his second student stomped across the room and sat down at his usual spot. "So, are we gonna eat? Pass the soy sauce, Kenji-San," Zuko barked.

"I did not hear a please," Shinichi objected.

"Pfft, who needs a please? Sheesh, you big stiff, just hand it over."

Master Kitsune finally took a wrinkled hand out of his sleeve. "Now," he said, and just a simple word held authority. "We will wait for our final guest," the teacher told his students.

Shinichi nodded once, acknowledging his master's order. "Where is she? She's late on purpose, isn't she?"

Zuko laughed. "Of course she is! She knows that if she's late then the food will get cold, and that's how she likes it."

The door to Master Kitsune's home opened and closed for the final time. Standing at the entrance was the final teacher in the clan, the second-in-command of the Kitsune Clan. She was a warrior who stood at six feet even, with dark brunette hair that was tied up in a traditional bun. Jade-colored pupils shined across the room, narrowing into slits when they met the old pair of golden eyes.

"Akira Miyamoto," Master Kitsune then announced. There was a difference when she stepped into his house and when the other two did; her presence was not acknowledged, it was established.

Light footfalls filled the home for a moment, until Akira entered into the living room and sat herself down between her two teammates. She was straight across from Master Kitsune, and he tipped his head in the slightest to greet her. This was a motion that the other two didn't catch and have never caught from all the other times before.

"You're late," Shinichi chided.

Akira reached forward and grabbed her teacup, bringing the steaming liquid to her nose and taking a whiff. "I know," she replied simply.

Zuko laughed and Shinichi merely rolled his eyes. "Honestly, if Sensei sets a time you should try and make it, not let all of us wait on you," the weapons teacher then growled.

Akira shrugged her shoulders. "Eat your cold food, Kenji-San."

That was the end of that. The three black belts began to eat their meal with their beloved teacher, the grandmaster who built the clan and gave them a home. The great walls that surrounded the school have been the home of many, but it's been home to the three teachers the longest. This clan was a home that each teacher would draw their blade to save, go to battle to protect. There were many things that Master Kitsune questioned in his life... the loyalty of his students was not one of them.

Conversation erupted around the table. There was a glass top table that had fried rice, white rice, vegetable stir fry, and beef tempura being served. Zuko talked loudly and energetically about his time with the students. Shinichi talked in an even tone about his time training the students the basics of the bo staff. Akira didn't talk, period. She sat there and ate her rice, each bite carefully picked up by her chopsticks.

If Zuko wasn't so focused on telling his story (while guzzling his sake), and if Shinichi wasn't so focused on keeping Zuko under control, the two would have realized why Akira was being silent.

It was because the second-in-command knew what the meeting that Master Kitsune called was about. She knew very good and well how the night would turn out, and as much as she tried to act indifferent, on the inside she knew it was coming.

"So," Master Kitsune finally said.

_Here it comes,_ Akira thought.

"Battle Month is this Saturday, two days from now," the grandmaster announced.

Zuko clapped his large hands together. "Excellent! When can I take my twerps from Sector 12 and get outta here? Tomorrow? Tonight? Where's this Battle Month being held, anyway? It better not be the Tiger Rage Clan, because they're a buncha whiners who can't take a punch!"

Akira rolled her eyes. "There's such a thing as excessive contact, Zuko-San," she muttered.

"You're just bitter that Madoushi Yamashita was disqualified and your student lost the match," Shinichi added.

Zuko scoffed and waved his hand back and forth. "Lemme tell ya something, concussions build character!"

Master Kitsune set down his teacup. It was then that the students knew to be quiet. "As I was saying," the older man said, and there was the slightest irritation in his tone, "Battle Month is this Saturday. It's being held at the Black-Sho Clan, all the way in Viper Country. Jian-Sho, the clan master and my dear old friend, has personally invited me and the three of you to attend. Of course, we're also encouraged to take a sector of ours to participate in the Battle Month tournament."

The combat teacher whooped in excitement. "Yeah! So, are we gonna leave tomorrow or tonight?"

Akira and Shinichi both shook their heads.

"Neither," Master Kitsune answered. "Because there's only going to be one of you leaving, and whoever does depart will leave with one sector." Shinichi raised his hand in respect. Master Kitsune nodded for him to continue.

"Sir," Shinichi began, "I would like to volunteer myself and Sector 4. I have worked extensively with them on their weapons kata, open hand kata, and sparring. I believe they are the ideal sector of our student body to choose, and I believe that I am the proper choice to go and coach them."

There was a moment of silence.

"No way!" Zuko then objected, almost on cue. "Sensei, let me take Sector 12. I've been brawling those brats since they've been here. Madoushi Yamashita is the perfect representative for our clan, he's one of our best fighters. That guy can take a punch, I'll tell ya."

"There's more to Battle Month than fighting," Shinichi nearly snarled.

"The other stuff I don't really care about," Zuko grinned.

"Honestly, there is more to the Ninjutsu Art than beating each other up! There's the balance of the mind, body, and spirit."

"For spirit's sake, we're a shinobi school, it's our job to turn those fresh meat kids into fighters!"

"It's our job to show our students the way of harmony!"

Master Kitsune cleared his throat. "Ahem."

As soon as that was done, Shinichi and Zuko ceased their bickering immediately. That left Akira the only one shaking her head. She knew what was coming, alright.

"Kenji-San, you wish to take Sector 4, correct?" Master Kitsune asked Shinichi.

"Yes, sir."

"And Zuko-San, you wish to take Sector 12, correct?" Master Kitsune asked Zuko.

"Aye, sir."

The bright golden eyes stared straight ahead, looking to connect with the jade-colored pair once again. Akira wasn't going for it, she stared down at her rice bowl. "Akira-Chan," Master Kitsune said.

"Sir," was the woman's short reply.

"Who do you wish to take?"

_Yup, here it is,_ Akira thought dryly. She finally locked gazes with her teacher. "No one," she replied. She expected to see the look of dissatisfaction on her master's face. "It is not my wish to go to Viper Country and participate in Battle Month," Akira explained.

"Why is that, Akira-Chan?" the grandmaster asked.

She sighed. "You really want to know?"

"I never ask questions that I don't want to hear answers to," Master Kitsune answered, his voice slightly sharper. "Yes, I want to know."

Now all eyes were on the second-in-command. Zuko even stopped holding his sake to hear what Akira had to say. The shinobi woman sighed for a second time. "Because I don't want to be in charge of a bunch of kids," she answered plainly.

Shinichi raised a black brow in questioning, "You know most of our students are between twelve and twenty, right?"

"I don't care. I'll be a glorified babysitter if I go, and I don't want to do that," Akira growled.

Master Kitsune began to stroke his beard. "Alright, I've made my decision."

Shinichi bowed his head. "Thank you, sir. I will—"

"Akira-Chan, you will depart for the Black-Sho Clan tomorrow morning."

The second-in-command groaned. "Sensei, why me? Clearly Kenji-San and Zuko-San want to go. I really don't want to, sir. It's already my job to make sure this clan runs smoothly and the students keep in line."

"Yes, and you do such a great job," Master Kitsune replied, offering a small smile. The smile was not returned. "You're going because I said so, my dear Akira-Chan."

Akira crossed her arms and blew a strand of her hair out of her face. She was upset, yes, but she also knew this was going to happen. Therefore, the initial annoyance she would have had was dulled down considerably. "Whom am I taking?" she asked.

Master Kitsune stopped stroking his beard. "Sector 7," he answered. There was a slight smirk on his wrinkled face.

Akira was forewarned about going to Battle Month. Not about who she would take there. "Sector 7, really?" she asked, her voice rising a few octaves. "Oh come on, Sensei! Sector 7? The only senior in that team is Kuroi Kaze, the rest are fresh meats. Those other five have never been to a tournament, and I'm gonna have to deal with them whining and crying. I really don't wanna deal with that, Sensei."

Now Zuko and Shinichi were the ones shaking their heads.

"Sector 7 is going with you," Master Kitsune affirmed. That was that. No room for objection was left.

"If I may," Shinichi then said, "Sir, Sector 7 only has six students in it. They're one member short."

Master Kitsune nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. Sector 7 will have to work twice as hard to make up for the missing person. Six will have to have the power of seven." He put his hand back on his beard and scratched his chin a few more times. "No..." Master Kitsune then drawled after some thought, "Six will have to have the power of one."

Tabby's POV: (Point of View)

~Here you go, off to compete~

~Nerves stack up inside of you, getting closer and closer to bursting~

~Will you pop? Or will you get yourself evened out?~

~*~*~*~

The bright sun rays slipped through the octagon shaped windows and shined right into my eyes. I woke up squinting with an explosion of bright orange and red colors behind my eyelids. This is why I should sleep with a pillow over my head. I quickly took the pillow out from under my head and slammed it over my face. "Five more minutes," I grumbled.

It only took a mere five seconds before a distinct sinking feeling shot down my spine. I shot out of bed, my pillow flying somewhere in my room. "The sunrise!" I shrieked.

Oh no, no, no, no, no!

The sunrise is supposed to be the start of the training day. All the students wake up, eat breakfast in the Mess Hall, and are expected to be lined outside in the grass field by the time the sun is up. Here the rays have just blinded me and I'm still in bed and my pajamas. In other words, I'm not just late, I'm super late.

The morning gong rang, sealing my fate. A gong sounds off to signal the start and end of a training day, without fail, every single morning. The fact that I'm still in my disheveled state when I heard the gong means how badly things will be for me later on.

I quickly rushed to my dresser and tried to keep it together while I changed into my workout clothes. The Kitsune Clan assigned every student an outfit to train in... and a purple nightgown wasn't part of the ensemble.

"How can I be late?" I shrieked to myself, "I've never been late before! This is impossible!"

Once I was dressed in my proper clothes, I skidded out of my room and down the hallway of my sector house. "Cassie-Chan! Yami-San! Luna! Are you guys here?" I cried out.

Where were my teammates? Surely they didn't just leave me alone. Cassie or Yami are always the ones who wake me up, it's been that way since day one. I've only been at this clan a month, just like my other four teammates. The five of us are considered 'fresh meat' in the clan and if a fresh meat is late for training...

I remembered the punishment that Kuroi once told me about:

"One time I saw a kid do eight-hundred push-ups," Kuroi said gravely.

He's my sector leader who has been here the past three years, the only senior member among us in Sector 7.

"Eight-hundred push-ups?" I questioned back to him.

Kuroi nodded. "He had to do two-hundred of them on his tongue."

"No way," I gaped.

"That's physically impossible," Yami then stated.

Kuroi shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm just telling you fresh meats what I saw."

"What happened to the kid who had to do it?" Cassie inquired, joining in my curiosity.

My team leader threw both his hands up. "I'm pretty sure he's dead."

The memory ended.

Oh no. I'm gonna die.

Forget calling out for my teammates. I ran to the front door, slid it open hastily, and nearly tripped out the door. Maybe if I make it to the grass fields in time, I can just stand there I've like been there the whole time. But this is a shinobi clan, which makes all my teachers highly trained warriors themselves. There's no way I'm gonna slip past people of their level.

The brisk fresh air hit my face and sent a layer of goosebumps down my arms. It was the beginning of September, the month where summer bids farewell and autumn says hello.

I bounded down the steps of my sector house and skidded to a stop. In front of me were all five of my teammates, just standing there on the front lawn of our sector house. There was Sector 7's leader, Kuroi Kaze, Teruko Cassie, Hanran Nigaru, YamiTsuki, and Yami's little sister, Luna.

Speaking of Luna, the little kid was the first one to notice me. "Morning, Tabby-Chan!" she exclaimed with a smile on her face.

I looked at Luna with widened eyes. "What are you so happy for?" Surely she knows that our whole sector was late for training and now we're all gonna die. Surely!

Luna blinked a few times, even scratched her pixie-cut head of jet black hair. "I guess I'm happy because I had egg drop soup for breakfast," she then answered, "and I'm happy that Cassie-Chan let me brush her hair, 'cause it's really soft and stuff. Oh, and I'm happy that the bruise on my arm turned purple because I love purple! Yeah, all these things are great." She smiled.

I smacked my palm to my forehead. "No, Luna. We're all gonna die!" I hissed.

She looked left, looked right, left again, and back at me. "Right now?"

"Don't you see? We're late for training, Luna! It's way past sunrise. Now we're gonna be punished by one of the teachers, and it'll probably be Sensei Akira because she's the scariest." I huffed out a big breath of air. Why do I have to explain this stuff, she should know what her fate is.

Yami, Luna's older brother, stepped over closer to his sister and myself. "Um, Tabby-Chan, you didn't see the note I left you, did you?" he asked me. I shook my head no. "Oh, well I left you a note explaining that Sensei Akira left our sector a note," Yami explained.

"Ha! You left a note about leaving a note! You're so funny, bro," Luna chuckled.

I don't recall ever seeing a note. "I never saw one," I told him.

Yami bowed his head once. "My apologies, Tabby-Chan. I thought you would see it. Nigaru-San was the first one to wake up and he saw that Sensei Akira put a note on our door. She told us not to show up for training and to meet her outside the sector house at 6:00 sharp."

My eyes drifted up to the skies overhead. "That's like, forty-five minutes away," I awed.

Yami nodded. "This was the first morning ever where you could have slept in. I thought you would have wanted to. Sorry for making you panic." Yami was genuine, as he always was.

He was my best friend in the clan, only a year younger than me at twelve compared to my thirteen. He was a great companion, even if he was a little odd at times. Yami had bright silver hair and pale white skin. The best thing about him were his chocolate brown eyes; they always gleamed with care and concern.

"It's okay," I finally sighed, remembering how to breathe at the same time. "I was just scared, that's all. But it's alright."

"Scared? Ah come on, Tabby-Chan!" Luna exclaimed. She began to bounce back and forth on her heels and balls of her feet, until Yami held her down by putting a hand on her head.

The little girl was the youngest member of this clan at eight years old. She was Yami's sister, however, the two looked nothing alike. Where Yami was pale, Luna's skin was a dark tan. She was short and on the scrawny side, with wild hair that went in every direction. It was always amusing to see the two stand side-by-side knowing that they're related.

"So what if I had written a note about Yami writing you a note?" Luna then asked me. "Then that would mean that I wrote a note about writing a note. Ooh! And Sensei Akira wrote the original note, so that's three notes."

Yami patted his sister's head. "Sorry sis, but that's not our biggest concern right now," he said. He turned back to me, "So what do you think is going on? I don't see any other sectors waiting outside, I think we're the only ones Sensei Akira wanted to see."

I looked around me to see if he was right. The Kitsune Clan is a huge school that goes on for miles and miles, all surrounded by a jutted stone wall. There are thirteen sector houses, each built with pagoda-styled roofs and wood and bamboo. The Kitsune Clan divided their students up into thirteen sectors, each sector with seven members each. All the houses are lined up in a row, therefore I would have seen if any other students were standing outside.

Yami was correct, the only ones out here were the six of us. We were Sector 7, one member short of a completed team. I thought about my answer to Yami's posing question.

"I have no idea," I yawned. Yeah, I didn't think about my answer for too long.

Luckily, it didn't take long for the answer to present itself.

There was a shift in the morning air. I don't know what exactly changed, I just know that something in the present atmosphere wasn't the same as before. There I was, standing outside with my heart racing and tiredness still in my bones. Yami and Luna were standing right in front of me, with Cassie not too far off, and Kuroi standing with his legs apart and arms crossed like some big shot.

The only one who was quite a distance away was Hanran, the middle boy of our sector. Hanran was the type of guy who not only liked his space, he demanded it. He was farthest away from everyone with his back to us.

Actually, Hanran is what tipped me off in the first place. He turned his head and looked in Cassie's direction. "Nigaru-San?" Cassie asked after a long moment went by with Hanran still staring at her. Like me and Yami, Cassie and Hanran were close in age as well. She was sixteen and he was seventeen.

Hanran continued to be silent, however, he began to take slow and cautious steps towards us. "It's time," he said in a very low voice.

Before I could ask what Hanran meant, Luna threw her arms in the air and exclaimed, "I've got it!"

"Got what?" I asked her.

"I remembered the real reason why I'm so happy! It's because Nigaru-San caught a frog and he let me hold it. It was all slimy 'n stuff and squishy," Luna answered. Her brother shook his head.

"That was three weeks ago," Hanran merely pointed out.

"I know, I've been happy about it ever since," Luna grinned.

That was all there was to say about that subject. What Hanran was referring to became obvious; Akira appeared before us, the teacher we were waiting on. Just like that, our Sector 7 was in the presence of the Kitsune Clan's second-in-command, Akira Miyamoto herself. The woman had her fighting uniform on; a black cat suit with a crimson red sash, and two matching red straps over the shoulders to make an 'X' shape. These were not her usual clothes. She was dressed for battle.

_Oh no,_ I realized, _she's dressed for battle!_

"Hey Sensei, whaddya doing here so early?" Kuroi then asked. For the first time that morning, I heard my sector leader speak, and he still had the same brash and rude tone as last night.

Akira merely lifted an eyebrow. She slid a hand into her red sash and showed a silver kunai was between her fingers.

Kuroi cleared his throat. "I mean, uh, morning Sensei." He knew that kunai threat was for him. I smirked on the inside; my team leader always tries to act like a big shot.

Everyone else was polite with their greetings, all except Hanran who chose to stay silent. Big surprise. "I'll make my point right now," Akira then said, her voice loud and clear. "You're all coming with me to Viper Country, we're going to the Black-Sho Clan for Battle Month. We depart in fifteen minutes. Pack light and take your weapons with you. Once your fifteen minutes are up, meet me at the front gates of the school. Do not make me wait on you, Sector 7."

Once Akira finished speaking, she turned on her heels and started to walk in the opposite direction of the sector houses.

"Wait!" Yami shrieked.

Akira turned her head around and eyed him. "What?"

Just one look from our teacher, and Yami was frozen with fear. "U-uh-um," he stammered. He shook his head and got himself together. "Sensei, what exactly is Battle Month? I've never heard of this."

The shinobi woman didn't even blink. "Kaze-San knows," she answered simply. "Let him explain it."

After that, Kuroi came undone. "Oh spirits, why do I gotta explain it?" he growled, "I mean, it's enough that I've gotta mentor these fresh meats, now I've gotta clue them in on the obvious, too?"

Whish!

Kuroi fell to the ground with a loud bang... a kunai jammed through his shirt and keeping him pinned to the ground. He thrashed about, trying to loosen the kunai from the compacted dirt, but it wasn't working very well. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. This was too rich!

"Now you six only have ten minutes to pack," Akira then stated. She eyed Kuroi especially, "Better talk fast." With that, Akira walked off.

"I swear!" Kuroi hissed from the ground. He was a big guy; 5'10" in height and built like a bear with all his muscle. It was funny to think that a simple kunai from Akira's belt could keep him on the ground. But that wasn't a surprising occurrence for Kuroi Kaze. He was the one at this school with a "bad boy" reputation; he used to be the only one in Sector 7 until the rest of us joined about a month ago, after all. The only thing Kuroi cares about is being badass which means he's a guy who just wants to fight and brawl all the time. He's so annoying!

Kuroi did manage to get himself unstuck. Except, now his shirt has a big hole in it. Just like all the other shirts he's had on when Akira threw a kunai at him.

~*~*~*~

We made our way back inside the sector house without a word. Once we were inside, it didn't take long for the chatter to start.

"Are you gonna tell us about Battle Month?" I asked Kuroi.

He scoffed, "Do I look like I wanna waste my time explaining stuff to you?"

"You had no problem popping off to Akira," Hanran then commented. He spoke with his same indifferent tone of voice.

Kuroi ignored the middle boy. "Yeah, whatever. Battle Month is the biggest waste of time, ever."

"Yes," I said, "but what is it?"

My team leader probably figured that we weren't going to stop pestering him. He went into his room (which we separate by room dividers) and chose to talk when he wasn't in the open with the rest of us. "Battle Month is like a tournament. It's held by the thirteen ancient clans spread across the five countries that make up Shaaku Den."

I exchanged looks with Yami. We both had no idea what he just said.

"Wait, I'm confused, is Kaze-San telling us a story? 'Cause so far it's pretty dang boring," Luna commented. She looked hopelessly lost.

Yelling came from Kuroi's room. "I'M TELLING YOU LOSERS WHAT BATTLE MONTH IS!" he shouted defensively.

Luna didn't know why he was upset. "So tell us, old man!"

Kuroi stepped back out into the hallway with a new shirt on.

"Battle Month is a tournament that's held once every month at each different shinobi clan. Each grandmaster sends a group of students to the host's tournament and the students compete in three divisions. Open hand kata, weapons kata, and sparring. It's supposed to be an event that showcases the many aspects of Ninjutsu, and how each clan master teaches his student body."

Five out of the six of us stood there with surprised expressions, including myself. That plain and simple explanation came from Hanran.

"Wow, Nigaru-San. You sure know a lot," Cassie commented in a low voice. Hanran said nothing more and turned down the hallway to go pack his things.

"Hey, I was gonna explain the story!" Kuroi then growled. Hanran continued to walk away.

I smirked and looked at my team leader. "A little late there, Kaze-San."

He sneered at me. "You would know about being late, wouldn't you Meko-Chan?"

Okay, he's got me there. I frowned and went to go pack my things. Once inside my room, I found the discarded note that Yami wrote me earlier this morning:

Tabby-Chan,

Akira told us that we didn't have to train today. That's why I didn't wake you up, I figured you'd like to sleep in. Also, please don't forget to eat breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day.

— _Yami_

I crinkled the note up in my hand. "I missed that memo," I muttered to myself.

~*~*~*~

Our team spent the whole day traveling from our clan in Tiger Country to the Black-Sho Clan in Viper Country. It was a long fourteen hours but we finally crossed the border from Crane Country and entered into Viper. The time was 8:30 at night. Tomorrow was a Saturday and the day of the official Battle Month.

Personally, I'm still miffed about this whole thing. I'm not sure if I understand all of this correctly, and apparently Akira isn't interested in cluing any of us. I didn't get the chance to talk to my teammates during our travel, we were all too focused on trying to keep up with our teacher. Once we made camp for the night, I decided it was a good time to try and get more information.

Our small group camped at the edge of a forest line. There were two tents, one for Kuroi, Hanran, and Yami, the second one for me, Cassie, and Luna. As for Akira, none of us knew where she went for the night.

"I'll see the six of you at 5:00 in the morning, sharp. Be dressed and ready to depart," was Akira's last instruction to us. Then she disappeared behind the forest line, making herself scarce to see between the pine trees.

It was after our sector split up when I decided to ask questions. Specifically, ask Cassie questions. I would ask Luna, but as soon as her head hit the sleeping bag she was out like a light. Luckily, Cassie was still awake, and she quietly sat on her side of the tent with a brush in her hand. Her long and silky hair was usually tied in a side ponytail, but at night she took out her band and let her brunette locks waterfall down her shoulders.

"So," I said to get her attention. Her blue eyes flickered to me. "What do you think will happen tomorrow?" I asked.

Cassie shrugged. "I'm not sure. Hopefully everyone will have a good time." She offered me a small smile but I was too tired to return it.

"All thirteen clans will be there," I said with a shake of my head. "That hasn't quite set in for me, yet. If I understand right, we're going to be competing against students from those twelve other shinobi clans, Cassie-Chan!"

Her eyes widened. "We're competing?"

"That's what Nigaru-San said."

"Yes, but I thought it would be Nigaru-San and Kaze-San who would compete. I thought I would merely watch from the sidelines and cheer them on..." Cassie's voice got increasingly high-pitched as she spoke. All of a sudden, her calm and peaceful demeanor was replaced by an anxious one.

Oops. I did that to her, didn't I?

"Hey now, we don't know what we'll be doing," I said quickly. "I mean, Sensei Akira has barely said one word to us! I'm sure if we were going to compete against the other clans, she would give us a heads up first."

Unfortunately, I didn't believe the words that were coming out of my own mouth. Let's face it, Akira will probably tell us that we're going to compete five minutes before we're supposed to go up. She's not like Sensei Zuko and she's certainly not like Sensei Shinichi.

Akira is a lot more... hardened than those two. It's almost funny to think, since Akira is the only woman teacher in the whole school. But really, there's nothing funny when I think about the Kitsune woman. Not a single thing.

Cassie didn't believe my words, either. "Oh spirits, I really don't want to compete," she mumbled quietly. Her eyes were down in her lap and avoiding eye contact. "I'm not good with crowds, you know? I can barely handle our own teachers watching me. I can't even imagine teachers from other clans watching me. Anyone, really!"

If she lets herself get too worked up, she won't get a wink of sleep tonight. "Hey, it's okay," I told her, "I know because you have great open hand kata, Cassie-Chan. I've seen you practice behind our sector house in private before. I think you'll do better than you think!"

The older girl wasn't convinced. It was like the worry seeped inside of her like a tea bag.

_Good job, Tabby,_ my mind lectured.

With a defeated sigh, I leaned across the tent and blew out the candle. It was now dark. "Please try not to think about it and get some rest," I said. The guilt was really starting to set in.

"O-Okay," was the shaky reply.

~*~*~*~

We arrived at the Black-Sho Clan early the next morning. Akira stayed true to her word and returned to our camp at five in the morning. She merely said, "Let's go," before we took off again. Today wasn't like yesterday, our team wasn't rushed to travel. Akira probably wanted the six of us to conserve our energy, that or the school wasn't too much farther from us.

The forests of Viper Country began to get thinner and thinner as we walked. It was only an hour before I saw the outline of a building off in the distance. It was still far away because the building looked like the size of my thumb. I've still got a long way to walk.

Therefore, I chose to walk next to Kuroi. It wasn't for the sake of his company! I walked next to him to try and get information out of him. My team leader has been at the Kitsune Clan for three years and for two of them he was all by himself. He knows a lot about the shinobi clans, even if he chooses to be a jerk about it and refuse to clue his team in.

"Getting awfully close there, Meko-Chan. Hoping my badass skills will rub off on you?"

I purposely gagged after hearing Kuroi's comment. "You wish!" I exclaimed.

He smirked at me. Smirks from Kuroi Kaze weren't nice, they were always intended to be taunting. "So why walk so close to me, then?" he asked me.

Dang it, Kuroi caught onto my plan. "I'm just walking," I replied.

"So go walk next to your gal-pal, Yami-San." Kuroi often teased Yami about how sensitive he was and constantly told him to "be a man."

"Quit being a jerk. I just wanna ask you more about Battle Month." There, the truth finally came out of me.

Kuroi gave a short snarl. "I shoulda guessed that you or Yami-San would come bother me about that. It's not like I'm some expert or whatever, I've only been to a Battle Month once."

"Really? You've been there once before?" I asked with enthusiasm. My eyes instantly glued to Kuroi, I wanted to hear what he had to say more than ever.

He nodded. "Yeah. Once. Three months after I arrived at the clan."

Back when Kuroi had his old teammates, I thought to myself. A red flag went off in my mind. Kuroi never talks about the old Sector 7, never. I need to be careful and not ask him about that.

"Which clan was it?" I asked him. I lost a peg of previous enthusiasm.

Kuroi furrowed his thick eyebrows, anger making its way into his face. "This one," he growled, "the Black-Sho Clan."

Uh-oh.

I turned my head around to the front of me. We were almost at the building! A moment ago the place was miles and miles off, now it's almost in my face. What in Shaaku Den? I thought.

Kuroi saw my look of perplexity. "It's called an illusion, Meko-Chan," he told my dryly.

The Black-Sho Clan was all indoors with an infrastructure made of creamy marble. The building was shaped like a large rectangle but it was hard to tell because of how big the place is compared to how small I am as a human. The open doors were almost as tall as the ceiling, which ascended above us by two stories. We stepped through the threshold and into the clan.

"Wow," Cassie and I awed simultaneously.

The ceiling was made out of glass and the view of the bright blue skies was overhead. The floors were a simple concrete. On the outside wall of the clan, it was creamy marble that covered the building. Once I walked inside, the walls were a shiny black marble that gleamed and glistened brightly. That's so cool!

My awe didn't last long. I paid attention to what was in the room versus the room itself. There was plenty of open space around us and the room was already crowded with hundreds and hundreds of people. All these people... they're all shinobis... oh spirits!

The room had rings that the competitors would perform in. Five square shaped rings, each separated with bright red lines. There were four on the outside and one huge one in the middle. I can't say for sure, but I'm gonna go ahead and guess the center ring is for fighting. Plus there's bloodstains in the center one. That helps the guess, too.

"Kaze-San, we're competing against all these people?" Yami asked.

Kuroi nodded. "That's kinda the point, yeah. We represent the Kitsune Clan and all those other people represent their grandmasters. Look, there's Jian-Sho over there."

I turned in the direction Kuroi had pointed. All the way across the room was a man that looked elderly like our own Master Kitsune. Jian-Sho was a short man with tufts of white hair scattered across his head, small round glasses resting on his small nose, and a plain white uniform tied off with a black belt. He looked like a simple man, one that I would have never guessed to be the host of this Battle Month.

Kuroi must have read my mind. "Jian-Sho is one of the thirteen grandmasters, just like old man Kitsune," he told me.

"Looks are deceiving, I suppose," I muttered.

"I wonder if he's ever thought about growing a beard," Luna then commented. Everyone ignored her.

I saw Master Jian-Sho signal for someone to approach him. A woman walked over to him. "She looks like a geisha!" Cassie exclaimed.

The woman helped Jian-Sho sit down. She was a pale woman with skin almost white and hair that was raven black and covering half of her face. The reason Cassie thought she looked like a geisha was because of her clothes. She wore a dark purple kimono and a black obi belt to tied around her waist. The kimono sleeves were long enough to touch the floor.

"Geisha Rose," Hanran stated in a low voice. Only the ones who stood close enough to him heard what he said. This time it was me and Cassie. That was the first time I've heard Hanran speak since yesterday morning, after his explanation.

"Who?" Cassie asked, turning to face him.

Hanran had his arms crossed with the same indifference in his eyes. If he was nervous then he was hiding it very well. "That's Geisha Rose, Jian-Sho's student and the Black-Sho Clan's second-in-command."

"That means that she has the same position as Sensei Akira," I said. Kuroi snickered. "What's so funny?" I asked him.

He gave me a toothy grin, "I've heard rumors about how Geisha Rose and Akira can't stand each other. Hopefully we'll find out if that's true." Typical Kuroi, hoping to see a fight happen.

Geisha Rose made her way through the crowd. I couldn't help but watch her. I probably looked like a moron just standing there and staring. Geisha Rose stood in the center of the ring. "Welcome, my fellow warriors!" she then announced.

Immediately after she spoke, the people inside of the room ceased their talking. Everyone was eying Geisha Rose; the woman's bright red lips turned up into a smile. She apparently loves the attention on her.

"Today is a day of competition," Geisha Rose continued, "but most of all, today is a day we come together and observe the Ninjutsu Art. Today we will observe three aspects of our art: kata, weapons, and sparring. Open hand kata, the choreographed patterns and movements that is used for self defense. We will be looking for each performer to have grace, balance, power, and most importantly, focus. The same goes for weapons. As for fighting..." Geisha Rose paused long enough to smile even wider, if that were even possible. "All I can say is, you better block," she then said.

Her words sent a chill down my spine. I exchanged worried looks with Cassie. Yami looked unsettled himself, Hanran looked the same as he did before, Kuroi looked fired up and ready to brawl, and Luna looked like she was ready to laugh.

Geisha Rose wasn't quite done. "Let's start off this tournament!" she hollered.

"Yeah!" the crowd cheered.

"First up, weapons kata! So starts Battle Month!"

So starts the beginning of my dread.

Yami's POV:

~Grip your bo staff tighter, make sure it doesn't slip~

~Your heart pounds louder in your ears~

~It's your turn to compete, go out there~

~*~*~*~

Our team was shuffled to the sidelines by the teachers. The only ones allowed to stand in the rings were the competitors. It didn't take long for Jian-Sho's students to get everyone where they needed to be. I watched and saw how everyone had a place. The spectators were to stand or sit on the sidelines. The competitors had to wait their turn to enter the ring and wait around the perimeter of the red ring line.

As for the judges, they each sat at the end of a ring, five of them lined up in a row on top of tatami mats. Each judge looked like they were at Akira's skill level or higher. They were either second-in-commands, established teachers, or grandmasters of their clans.

In other words, I had to be sure to impress the big shots of the shinobi world! Yikes!

"Kaze-San!" I yelped. I tugged my team leader's shirt.

Kuroi groaned, "For spirit's sake, be a man! Whaddya want?"

"How are we going to do this? Who's competing in what?" I asked.

"I dunno! Our freaking sensei up and left us!" Kuroi growled.

"She's right behind you," Luna then said.

Kuroi turned his head around. Akira was behind him, just as Luna had pointed out. "Sensei, lovely to see you," Kuroi nearly snarled.

Akira smirked, "Sarcasm doesn't earn you points, Kaze-San," she retorted. She stepped into view for all six of us to see her. "There are three events and six of you. Usually there are seven members that a teacher brings, but as you can see, we're one short. Yami-San and Meko-Chan, you two are doing weapons. Luna and Cassie-Chan, you two are doing open hand kata. That leaves Nigaru-San and Kaze-San to spar."

I felt my heart drop down to my stomach. "S-Sensei!" I exclaimed, "I'm not very practiced with my bo staff kata."

"And I forgot my shurikens," Tabby added.

Akira shook her head. "Looks like you've already failed me and we haven't even started yet," she muttered darkly. I held my head down in shame. "Okay," Akira said, "Yami-San and Nigaru-San do weapons kata. Looks like one of you will have to do two divisions instead of one."

Kuroi puffed up his chest. "I'll do it. I'm the team leader, after all."

"You most certainly are not doing it," Akira snapped. Before Kuroi could argue with her, she continued, "Nigaru-San, you will do weapons and spar. Got it?"

"Yes, Sensei." Hanran seemed cool with the plan. He'll have to compete twice, how can he be so cool about it?

Akira nodded, finally satisfied. "Good. I'll be a judge today so the six of you can't bother me." She turned her back to us and started to walk away.

I looked at Cassie, who shared my shocked expression, then I looked at Tabby, who was just as miffed as I was. "Wait, Sensei!" I called out.

She stopped walking away and looked at me right in the eyes. "What?"

"Uh, er, um," I stuttered.

"Out with it, bro!" Luna whispered to me, elbowing me in the side.

"Don't you have any words of encouragement for us?" I then asked the shinobi woman. I let out a big breath of relief that I got the question asked. While I still had my bravery in check, I also said, "I mean, we're about to do something we've never done before. Isn't there anything you can tell us?"

Akira blinked once, unaffected by my plea. "Don't screw up," she stated plainly.

With that, our teacher left Sector 7 all alone.

~*~*~*~

I was holding my bo staff so tightly that my knuckles were starting to turn white. I can't help it, I'm freaking out right now! I've only got one more student ahead of me to do weapons and then it's my turn... and that one more student has turned out to be Hanran.

We were sitting together, waiting for the current student in the ring to finish up before Hanran went on. Hanran sat on his knees with his hands on his lap. He was very still and very quiet. I don't know how he manages to keep his cool. We found out we were all going to compete yesterday. And Akira never told us just how many people would be watching, let alone that we would perform in front of shinobi legends.

"Nigaru-San?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Are you nervous?"

"No."

Silence.

Hanran only said what needed to be said, nothing more and nothing less. He had his weapon wrapped around his waist like a belt. Hanran's weapon was a kusari-gama; a sickle attached to a long chain that was made to be over fifteen feet long. Hanran always carried his weapon on him, always. The Kitsune Clan gave out weapons to their students, the bo staff I've got is really Master Kitsune's weapon. However, that's not the case with Hanran's kusari-gama; he's had that weapon on him before he ever came to the clan. At least, that's what Cassie has told me.

The student that was currently performing was using a bo staff, just like me. She was from the Jade Dragon Clan, dressed in a jade-colored uniform. Every shinobi school had different outfits with one item in common; every single student had a steel-plated headband tied around their heads.

The Jade Dragon girl looked great, in my opinion. She had strong jabs and loud shouts in her kata. Once she was done, she bowed in front of the five judges and awaited her scoring. I watched each of the elderly judges faces. They gave the girl a 9.1, 9.2, 9.1, 9.0, and 9.3. The girl bowed to them and backed out of the ring.

In just a few moments, Hanran will enter the ring. "Nigaru-San, please explain something to me," I whispered to him.

"What?" he asked.

"How does the scoring work? The girl ahead of you had a 9.3 as her highest score, is that good?"

"That's average. The judges can give a perfect 10 as a score but they never do, because in Ninjutsu there is no such thing as perfection. 9.0 is their medium; if a student doesn't do very well and messes up or loses focus, they'll probably receive an 8.8 or 8.9, etc. If they do the kata just fine, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2 are used. If the student does exceptionally well, the upper 9's are to be expected."

Hanran really was great at explaining things. "Thanks," I told him genuinely. "How do you think you'll do?"

"Hanran Nigaru of the Kitsune Clan, you're up," a judge then announced.

For a quick second, Hanran's bright green eyes winked at me. "We'll see," he answered. He stood up and craned his neck from one side to another. He walked slowly past the red line, now entering the ring. Silence fell once again.

Hanran was a tall and lanky guy, at least 6'1". He stood at his full height with the bored expression on his face. Surely he won't look apathetic while doing his kata. The whole point is to look passionate and fierce. Hanran reached into his pant's waistband and slowly pulled out his kusari-gama. He let the sickle end slam to the ground and held the opposite end with the chain.

The judges looked like they were impatient. All the other students who went up had bowed and shot off with their kata. Was Hanran deliberately taking his time and getting them upset? Why would he do that?

He slowly sunk down into a deep back stance, lifting the right hand that held the chain up above his forehead like a high block.

...

...

...

BAM!

I shrieked in surprise. One second Hanran was holding his pose, the next second, he exploded forward with a front flip and a swing of his weapon. Whoa!

Never in my life have I seen Hanran move so fast. He swung his kusari-gama even faster. The sickle end of the weapon slashed through the air so precisely that it made a continuous whish sound as it cut through the air. The chain blurred in my vision, it was impossible for me to keep focus on the weapon's direction. Hanran swung it expertly, yes, but there was one second when I almost had a heart attack. His sickle nearly sliced a judge, specifically the middle judge that was sat down between the others. The judge didn't flinch at this display, however the two beside him did.

I'm sure almost cutting up a judge isn't going to score you very high...

Hanran retracted his blade and held the sickle's handle in his grasp. One hand had the kama side, the other had the wrapped up chain. Hanran began to step through stances and slash his kusari-gama, now simulating a close-range attack method, versus attacking from a distance with his swings. His moves were powerful. It was easy to imagine the damage that his kusari-gama could cause.

The worst part about it, however, was the look of rage on Hanran's face. He no longer looked bored. He looked deadly.

Hanran finished up with a final slash to the body while in a front stance. Then, he paused his motions, slid back to standing up straight, and put his kusari-gama back in his belt. He did not shout out a kiai or bow to the judges. He merely nodded his head once and took a relaxed stance.

A long and agonizing minute passed. I was rocking myself back and forth, I was so tense.

Finally, the five judges presented their scores: 9.4, 9.5, 9.4, 9.5, and 9.6.

In other words, Hanran did excellently.

He backed out of the ring and was finally finished. Cassie and Luna ran over to him with big smiles on their faces, congratulating him.

"Okay, Yami," I told myself, "you can do what Nigaru-San just did. Just believe in yourself, believe in your inner power!"

"Pfft, what a pansy thing to say. Be a man and get in that ring."

I sighed and looked behind me. Kuroi was sneering at me. I don't want to know how long he's been standing there, I'd rather accept that Kuroi just shows up when I least want him there.

"Giving myself a pep talk isn't unmanly," I told him.

"YamiTsuki of the Kitsune Clan, you're up," a judge then announced.

I stood up on my shaky legs. Here I go!

With my eyes shut tight, I barreled into the ring and held the bamboo bo staff of mine out in front of me. "Judges, if you'd be so kind as to give me permission, I'd like to perform!" I announced.

The center judge (who Hanran nearly sliced with his kusari-gama) was the one who nodded. "Hai," he answered gruffly.

I began my bo kata, stepping through front stances and striking with side of the head strikes and uppercuts. My pace was slow, I certainly wasn't the fastest one who performed. But I also kept in mind what Geisha Rose had said about kata; grace, balance, power, and focus.

I turned over to perform my next movements and nearly tripped. It wasn't just my hands that were shaking, it was my whole body. I had one little stutter in my steps... for that, a judge on the end of the line made a face of discontent.

Oh no, I've blown it.

No Yami, keep going. Finish your form!

I braced myself and reared my bo back for the final jab. With a right front kick, I landed into a right front stance and cried out, "Kiai!"

There. I was done. I returned to my relaxed stance, bo at my side, and bowed to the five judges in respect. The shakiness was still there but not quite as bad. I guess as soon as I got it over with, my body stopped reacting harshly. That doesn't do me any good!

Now it was my turn to wait the agonizing minute it took for the judges to show their scores. They looked at each other and talked amongst themselves. Their mouths moved but they talked so quietly that I couldn't hear a word.

Finally, the wait was over. The judge's scores: 9.1, 9.2, 9.2, 9.3, and a 9.0.

In other words... I scored one-tenth of a point higher than the Jade Dragon Clan student! She got two 9.1's compared to my two 9.2's. Wow, I wouldn't have guessed that.

My happiness couldn't be contained. "Thanks so much!" I beamed.

"Just get outta there," Kuroi commented from the sidelines.

I bowed for the final time, nearly falling forward from all the excitement. Then I backed out of the ring and joined my teammates. "Way to go, bro!" Luna whooped. She jumped up and punched my arm in congratulations.

Tabby was smiling as well, "You were great, Yami-San."

"Thank you, thank you," I said.

Kuroi merely shook his head. "What's with all the tripping you did there?"

I stopped smiling. "Oh, you saw that?"

"Yeah, everyone who was watching saw that." Kuroi smirked.

Tabby hit my team leader's arm. "Quit being a behind!" she exclaimed. "You did fine, Yami-San. And look, we're doing great on the scoreboard."

Huh?

"Scoreboard?" I asked. Both Tabby and Luna pointed to the wall my back was to. I turned and saw there was a huge black board; thirteen columns, thirteen rows, and each clan's performance and scores were written in white chalk.

The Kitsune Clan currently had a total score of 93.2. We were in third place! The clan with the highest score was the Tiger Rage Clan with 94.1. We're not that far off from first place.

"I think I understand how this will work," I told my other teammates. "They're adding up everyone's score for one final result. That was just the weapons round. Now they'll add the scores from open hand kata, too."

Our group shuffled to the sidelines where the spectators of the event were. Once I had a chance to rest, I assessed the current situation for our team. Luna and Cassie are doing open hand kata next, then Kuroi and Hanran will fight in sparring. Akira was currently a judge and sat down in the third ring. She was watching weapons being performed with a stone face. Her face didn't change, even when she gave a girl a 9.0 score. The girl looked ready to cry.

_You know, maybe I should be glad that I went first,_ I thought to myself.

"Hey Yami, does the tea we packed taste off to you?" Tabby asked me. She was sat down beside me and holding the box of tea that we brought from the Kitsune Clan.

"It's just decaf," I replied.

Tabby scrunched her face up. "Decaf? What the heck! The whole point of having tea is to wake up and get a boost, why decaf?"

Before I answered, Luna ran past the two of us with her arms swinging in the air. "Hey Kaze-San, can I borrow some money?" she called out to our team leader.

"Absolutely not!" was Kuroi's shouted answer.

I looked back at Tabby. "That's why," I said plainly.

~*~*~*~

After twenty minutes, the weapons division finally ended and kata was ready to begin. The final standings on the scoreboard still has the Kitsune Clan in third place. I was overwhelmed every time I looked at the blackboard; it shows that we have a chance for first if we can get ahead with kata and sparring.

"Wouldn't it be incredible if we won, Tabby-Chan?" I asked. Tabby was still sat down by my side. However, I wasn't looking at her, I was still entranced with the blackboard.

I thought about how the Kitsune Clan got to be third place. We had two competitors compete in weapons, while some of the other clans only had one student to compete. Our overall scores were high once they were added up. Hanran's high score helped get us ahead and my average score helped keep us ahead.

A satisfied smile was on my face. "I mean, we're a sector composed of five fresh meats and one senior. Plus we're one person short. We shouldn't be in third place right now, you know? But we are in third place and it's incredibly overwhelming to think we could win. We have a shot, Tabby-Chan, a real shot for first."

No reply.

"Tabby-Chan?" I asked, turning to look at her. She was asleep, her head leaned back against the black marbled wall and her mouth ajar. "How long have you been asleep?" I questioned. This time I didn't expect her to answer me.

I woke her up and she thanked me. "That tea isn't doing me any good," she muttered.

"Come on, let's go make sure Cassie-Chan and Luna are warming up," I told her.

The two of us left the bench and we found Cassie in the very corner of the room. She looked like a wreck. Her arms were curled against her chest and fingers entwined together. "Yeah, I still feel bad about that one," Tabby whispered to me, although I had no idea what she was referring to.

We approached Cassie cautiously, like one would approach a wild animal carefully so it didn't run off. It was odd to think of my teammate as a wild animal in this example, but that's exactly what it reminded me of. Cassie was not "cool" at the moment. She was shaking as bad as I had been when I did my weapons.

"Hey there," Tabby greeted.

The older girl snapped her head towards us, her movements very sporadic. "Oh, hello," Cassie greeted back. Maybe she's the one who needs decaf tea.

"Um, hey," I said.

"Hey," she said back.

There was an uncomfortable lapse of silence. The three of us just stood there.

"Okay, bye," Tabby then waved. She left. Just like that, she was out of there.

Now it was just me and Cassie. "Don't be nervous!" I abruptly blurted out.

Cassie bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little wound up right now. I really don't like performing in front of crowds because— wait, is that Luna waiting to get in the ring?" As soon as Cassie said that, all bets were off. I sprinted towards the rings, with Cassie right on my heels. "There's nothing to worry about, right? Luna knows what to do?"

I shook my head. "I can't believe she's up so soon! I never talked to her about her game plan, I don't even know what kata she'll do. Heck, I didn't even ask!"

I'm such a bad older brother. This whole time I knew Luna would do kata and it never occurred to me that I should watch her practice, order her to warm up, let alone tell her what to do. Bad Yami, bad Yami!

Both Cassie and I skidded to a stop. Luna standing next to her assigned ring. She appeared to be fine. I started to step over to her, but Cassie put a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "I don't think you can approach the ring," she whispered to me.

It's too close to the time for Luna to begin. Not only that, I realized with utter horror that Luna was assigned to a ring Akira was judging in. Oh spirits, Luna will have to perform in front of our own clan's second-in-command.

"I have no idea what she'll do out there," I whispered.

At least this was a distraction for Cassie and she didn't have to worry about herself. She put her other hand on my shoulder and held me in place. "Just relax. I mean, Luna knows what kata is. Right?"

I didn't answer her question.

"Right?" Cassie repeated, "Luna knows what kata is?"

My head shook left and right with absolute horror. "I have no idea," I croaked. We've only been here a month and not every student learns the same thing.

The student that was ahead of Luna got his scores and bowed out of the ring. Now Luna was going to be announced. I looked at the judges she had lined up. There was Akira on an end, then four men following suit. The man on the opposite end looked like an elderly, same as our own Master Kitsune, except unlike our grandmaster this man seemed very vicious.

A judge began to speak, "Luna of the Kit—"

"Present!" Luna squeaked, raising her hand.

The judge gave her a menacing look. "Luna of the Kitsune Clan, enter the ring," he growled.

"Yes sir!" Luna replied. She stood up and went into the ring, a bounce in her step. The mean judge looked like he was about to yell at her.

"If Luna doesn't take this seriously that dummy won't score high," Kuroi growled. He and Tabby joined our group. I was so focused on my sister that I didn't realize that Cassie left my side. Oh well, I have Kuroi and Tabby now. The three of us watched Luna with anxiety.

She stood in the middle of the ring, looking at each judge, even Akira. "Judges," Luna then stated, her voice very solemn and deep.

_Oh, she's finally taking this seriously,_ I thought happily.

"Are y'all ready to get down?!" she then asked. My sister shot one arm high above her head and pointed her other hand to the right. "Hit it!" she exclaimed.

I followed the direction she was pointing in. There was a guy sitting on the sidelines with a single drum between his legs. He started to play the drum in a high-beat tempo.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum!

The little girl grinned, "Heian-Luna-Style!"

...

...

...

She started dancing. Luna started dancing. She... started... dancing. In the ring. In front of all the judges. Dancing.

"Goodbye chance at first place," I said mournfully.

Luna danced according to the beat of the drum (where did that guy come from, anyway?) and she moved around the ring while keeping her rhythm. Don't get me wrong, her dancing was pretty good. Except this wasn't a dancing competition, it was an open hand kata one. Shinobi warriors aren't supposed to dance.

"I'm gonna kill her!" Kuroi hissed. He was just as horrified as I was, except his first instinct was to become angry about it.

Luna cartwheeled to the side and landed in a kiba-dachi stance, which was surprisingly deep. She wiggled her arms about but kept her stance. Then she back-kicked and flipped into a front stance, still moving to the beat.

"It's like she's timing her kata to the drum beat," Tabby awed.

"She's dancing, yeah, but she's also throwing technique that you would use in a kata," I whispered.

"Still gonna kill her," Kuroi snarled. He was beyond upset, naturally.

Luna continued around the ring with kicks, blocks, punches, and more flips. She didn't exactly have a 'mean' look on her face; to her, this was all fun and games. The moves she was throwing was technically sound from what I could see, it's just that she was dancing with them. Finally, Luna finished her kata-dance with a hook kick that slid into a split.

"BOOM!" Luna grinned.

...

...

...

There was nothing but silence and menacing stares, especially from that one judge. Akira didn't look happy herself, in fact, she looked like that she would hit Luna upside the head. With a heavy sigh, Akira announced, "Judging scores."

5.0, 0.4, 0.3, 0.4, and 0.2 were the scores. Akira was the only one who gave Luna a full point. The mean judge on the opposite end was the one who gave Luna the lowest score. "Ah come on, you know you wanna bust a move yourself," Luna said to him.

The judge's frowned increased. He took down his score sheet, crossed it out with a black pen, and held it back up.

0.1 was the new score.

"I'll kill you, Luna!" Kuroi raged once again.

Just when all hope was lost, Akira stood up from her spot on the tatami mat. "If I may," she said, "While this was an unconventional display of Ninjutsu, the competitor still adhered to the rules we asked to be followed. There was unnecessary elements, such as the music and bad dancing, but this competitor still performed technique that would be used in a kata. Furthermore, she used moves that are meant for self-defense, which is what kata is. I ask that we consider these points before giving our final score."

I held onto Tabby's wrist, I was so nervous.

The second judge after Akira made an unsure face. "I guess you're right, Miyamoto-Chan," he then said. "There were moves that we've seen from other katas in that weird little number." He crossed off his score from a 0.4 to a 3.0. The third judge amended his 0.3 to a 4.0, the fourth a 0.4 to a 4.0, and as for the final judge... he kept his score of 0.1 the same.

"Now get out," the judge on the end growled.

Luna jumped up and out of her split, bowing to the five judges. "Okay, bye," she smiled. She backed out of the ring.

Finally, that nightmare was over.

Kuroi got to Luna before I had the chance to. He picked her up by the boot and held her upside down. "What in spirit's name were you thinking?" he demanded.

"What did I do?" my sister asked.

Tabby shuffled our small group into the sidelines, that way we wouldn't interrupt anyone. "What did you do?" Tabby repeated, "Luna, you went out there and danced! You were supposed to do kata!"

Luna looked at us from her spot upside down. "I dunno what kata is," she then said.

Kuroi swung her back and forth. "How could you not know what kata is, you big dummy?" he demanded.

"Really!" Luna insisted. "No one told me what kata was, and then when I watched others go in the ring, it looked like they were dancing. Except their dancing was all slow and lame, and they didn't even have a beat to shake it to. So, I gave that drummer guy some money and he played music for me while I went in there to show them my moves. My dancing was awesome, don't even lie!"

Now Kuroi chose to glare holes into me. "You didn't bother to tell Luna what kata was?" he snarled.

I made a face. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Wait, look at the blackboard," Tabby suddenly said. "There was only one Tiger Rage Clan member who competed in open hand kata. The clan's final score is 153.9 and the clan who was in second place hasn't scored high so far."

I jumped up and down in excitement. "Our final score after weapons was 93.2, now after Luna's performance we're up to 105.3. We're still third!"

Which meant that we still have a chance.

"If Cassie-Chan can get high scores, she'll rocket us to second place," Tabby pointed out. She didn't sound as positive as before, "but spirits, Cassie-Chan will really have to score high..."

Kuroi scoffed, "I don't see Cassie-Chan anywhere. No chance of that. She's too scared of her own shadow."

Unfortunately, my team leader was correct. Our only hope was nowhere to be found!

Cassie's POV:

~It's all about perspective, how will you handle the nerves?~

~Will you let pressure crush you?~

~Or will you push against the pressure to break free?~

~*~*~*~

At first, I was standing next to Yami and waiting for Luna to start her kata. Surely she knows what kata is, Yami seemed worried that she didn't. I know we've only been at the Kitsune Clan for a month, but Akira wouldn't have told Luna to do it if she didn't know otherwise. Right?

Before I could watch the little girl's performance, I felt my wrist being tugged and the next thing I knew, I was away from the rings and towards the corner of the large room. The noise from the crowd muffled, and it was just me and the person who decided to drag me across the room.

"Nigaru-San," I said.

Hanran towered over me with his superior height; 6'1" compared to my 5'6". He crossed his arms and leaned his side against the wall. "Cassie-Chan."

It was more than surprising for a guy like Hanran Nigaru to pull me off to the side. He intimidates me, although I've never admitted this to anyone else. He acts very cold at times; days will pass and he'll say nothing to me or the others, let alone look in our direction.

However, when he did talk, he would usually say something to me and not our other four teammates. Why he decides to speak to me, I have no clue. I usually end up sounding like a big dork.

Like right now. Here I am, shaking with nerves to the point where my knees may buckle. Hanran just went out there and performed in front the judges like it was nothing. He must think I'm ridiculous for being so hung up and not doing the same as him.

Hanran stared at me while relaxed against the wall. He was so polar opposite of me, so kept together and relaxed. "How do you do it?" I asked him with an exasperated breath.

Thankfully, he didn't need to ask me 'do what', he knew what I was referring to. "Never let your enemy see your weakness," he answered.

Did Hanran pull me away from the crowd just to tell me that?

"They're not my enemies," I objected in a very low tone of voice.

Hanran smirked. It wasn't a nice one. "Everyone is your enemy."

I bowed my head low, that way my messy bangs could cover my eyes. I don't know how Hanran knew so much about the shinobi clans, I don't know why he's so skilled in his art, and I have absolutely no clue about his life before coming to the Kitsune Clan. He was a dangerous guy, even if he was my teammate. It was almost strange to think that someone who was just a year older than me at seventeen could be so mysterious. What kind of past does Hanran Nigaru have?

"You're not my enemy," I finally said, "Yami-San isn't my enemy. Luna isn't my enemy. Tabby-Chan, Kaze-San, Sensei Akira, Sensei Shinichi... they're not my enemies."

Hanran's narrowed gaze never lost composure. "Not in a game like this."

I caught on to the choice of words he used. "Game?"

"Yes. That's what all of this is, Cassie-Chan. A game. Competing, performing, judges, scoring... it's all a game." Hanran spoke very gravely. His body language matched his words, too. His arms remained crossed and his jaw was tightly set.

Well, if this is all a game, then surely Hanran must think I'm a ridiculous fool. Because that means I'm letting myself get worked up all over a game, or so he puts it.

"So that's why you've been so reserved today," I guessed aloud.

Hanran shrugged. "I'm in a room full of people I don't know and I don't trust. They're all capable of something, especially this bunch."

"What do you think will happen?"

"Anything," he deadpanned.

His answer didn't satisfy anything I asked. I let out another sigh. The anxiety was still there inside of me. How is it that Hanran thinks all of this as a game? We traveled all the way to the Black-Sho Clan for Battle Month! This has to be more than a game.

"Cassie-Chan, lean against the wall," Hanran ordered me out-of-the-blue. He did more than that, he reached forward, grabbed both my shoulders, and placed me against the wall to lean on. That was even more surprising than him wanting to talk to me. Hanran was not a guy who liked to be touched or invaded upon. He not only liked his space, he demanded it. No one got close to him. No one.

Yet, here we were, both of us side-by-side against the wall.

"Thanks," I told him. I felt more and more like a dork with each passing second. As mean as this sounds, I sort of wish Hanran would go away. I don't want him to see me so wound up. Those bright green eyes of his wouldn't stop staring at me. "Okay!" I then exclaimed, "why is it just a game? How did you conclude that?"

Hanran smirked. I think he was pleased that I finally cracked and asked him the question. "Well it's not real, is it?" he retorted.

"Huh?"

Now the older boy had amusement in his eyes. "This isn't real, Cassie-Chan. You're performing for a score. You're not out to defend yourself. That's the whole point of Ninjutsu, isn't it? Self-defense, fighting for your life, being able to handle yourself in battle. That's what makes a true shinobi. You think a score of 9.9 means anything in a real battle?"

His words cut me deep, like a knife slicing into softened butter. I didn't know what to say and those eyes of his only magnified his point. "Not really," I mumbled. I steadied myself against the wall so I could face him better. "I mean, I guess this whole thing is a game... when you put it that way."

Hanran's smirk returned. "That's how I look at it."

"So that's why you were so cool about using your kusari-gama? That's why you're so cool about sparring? You know, just cool?"

It occurred to me that I just called Hanran "cool" in the dorkiest way possible. Way to go, I grumbled to myself.

He nodded. "All fun and games, Cassie-Chan."

"This is fun?" I asked him. I had a small quivering smile on my face. It was a genuine smile, however, the first one I've meant to do this whole day.

At that, Hanran chuckled once. "Personally, this is a waste of time to me. I would rather spend my Saturday training at the clan, working on things I'd use in real life, for real battles. I don't want to be here, either."

Today must be the day that Hanran has decided he'll speak consecutively to me. This was the first time that he's opened up and told me what his opinions were. And here's the kicker, he did it on his own. I didn't ask him to tug me off to the sidelines!

Dreaded heat flushed to my cheeks. I was blushing. Surely Hanran noticed, he notices everything. "Er, well, thanks," I mumbled to him. I made sure to look down at my feet. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you decide to talk to me to begin with? I didn't take you for a motivator."

Hanran chuckled a second time. "What was your first clue?" he asked rhetorically. He answered my question. "Truthfully, Cassie-Chan, I'm interested to see you perform."

I wasn't expecting that answer from him!

"Really?" I asked. My blushing probably deepened in color, I felt my cheeks burn hotter.

"Yup." That was all he said.

"Why?" I pressed.

Hanran shook his head. "I think you'll do well. Now I'm interested to see if I'm right." He stopped leaning against the wall and uncrossed his arms. "I'm usually right."

After saying that, Hanran walked away, leaving me against the wall and alone with my thoughts.

~*~*~*~

Apparently there was a big fiasco that happened when Luna did her kata. Hanran pulled me away before she had her performance. According to Tabby, Luna didn't do kata at all, she just danced inside of the ring and threw sporadic kicks, blocks, and punches. Then Tabby went onto say how Luna paid a man to play music for her while she was in the ring.

I guess I missed a big show!

Now wasn't the time to worry about it, anyway. I stood next to the ring, waiting for another boy to finish up his open hand kata. He looked to be around Kuroi's age, no older than nineteen I'd say. He was from the Thorn-Goku Clan... the clan that was currently in second place on the scoreboard.

The boy's kata was very fast and powerful. He stomped through his stances, throwing a combination of blocks and punches as he went. The most impressive thing this kid could do was shout out. "EEYAAA!" he hollered as he performed his finishing move.

While watching him, I realized that his kata had everything mine would lack. I wasn't the fastest competitor out there, nor was I the strongest. This guy could make the expression on his face absolutely terrifying. I don't think I could scare a rock. The Thorn-Goku student emulated the definition of intensity that's needed for battle. How does Hanran think that I'll do well? Surely he knows that I'm not going out there and performing a kata as intense as the others.

I'm not capable of that. Plain and simple.

The Thorn-Goku Clan's student scored very well. Four 9.5's and one 9.6. He did better than Hanran, and Hanran's weapon kata was amazing. I didn't even notice that Akira was a judge in my ring, I was so focused on the previous competitors. But it was Akira's voice that I recognized when she hissed, "Over here!"

I wasted no time and scurried over to her. The other judges were adjusting their uniforms and fixing their mats that they sat on. They were tired too, just tired from sitting down.

"Yes, Sensei?" I asked once I arrived. I sounded nervous, that was nothing new.

Akira looked at me almost as seriously as Hanran did. "Are you ready?" she asked me.

_No,_ my head answered honestly.

"Well, I'm—"

"Good," Akira interrupted. She didn't let me give my full answer. "Cassie-Chan, do you remember what Geisha Rose said when she explained the kata division?"

I blinked a few times. "Um, she said that the judges will score you based on your grace, balance, power, and focus."

"Right," Akira nodded. She looked left and right, almost as if she were checking to see if anyone else was around. "There's a beauty to the Ninjutsu Art," she told me. If I didn't know any better, I would say that Akira was speaking gently with me.

Maybe she doesn't want to scare me?

"Beauty?" I repeated in disbelief.

The Kitsune woman seemed confident in what she was telling me. "It's not all about the battle cries, hard strikes, and fast movements. Every competitor who has competed before you has shown speed and intensity. Show them the other side of the spectrum. Think about that, Cassie-Chan. Go out there and show these stiff judges what beauty this art can have." One of her jade-colored eyes winked at me.

First Hanran, now Akira? I guess today is one of those special days!

I bowed my head in respect. "Yes, Sensei." I made my way back to my original spot and awaited my name to be called. I didn't notice how my legs were suddenly steady and I didn't notice how my lips stopped quivering. Although, I did happen to notice that Hanran was watching me like a hawk from the sidelines. But never mind that part.

The weight on my shoulders seemed to lighten. Now I know I won't have to go out there and try to copy the other acts that preceded me. I won't look like a fool trying to force something I'm not confident with.

"Teruko Cassie of the Kitsune Clan, you're up," one of the judges announced.

Once I entered that ring, the noise from the outside world diminished. I thought of my favorite flower, what I considered to be the most beautiful thing in nature... the jasmine flower.

My mother used to tell me that the jasmine flower represented grace. She would put small jasmine flowers in my hair. I pictured the flower in my mind; how pure and white the petals were, how delicate and precious the flower was to hold in my hands.

I began my kata. My movements were slow and languid. I went into a left front stance and kept dropping it down, lower and lower until my body was nearly two inches from the ground. It hurt, yes, but I kept thinking of the jasmine flower. I balanced myself on my front leg and lifted my back one up. And up, and up, and up. With one foot planted on the ground, I balanced myself straight in the air, with my leg lifted all the way above my head.

It stung, but I held my leg up and imagined the fragrance of the jasmine. It was relaxing to smell, every time I see the flower I try to stop and inhale its incense.

My back leg eased down until it was level and parallel with the floor. I threw three roundhouse kicks: one to the head, body, and groin. All this without a single bobble from my grounded leg.

I torqued myself over, spinning on the ball of my foot, changing my direction. I no longer faced the judges, now I faced the crowd. I was still on that one leg, while the one that just kicked tucked into my side.

_Beauty,_ I repeated to myself, _show them beauty._

All I wish is to emulate the pure grace of the jasmine flower.

The next thing to do was point my toes; not just the one that was steady at my side, the one on the ground as well. I raised myself up about an inch. Still on one leg, it was just the tips of my toes that kept me balanced on the ground. I swung my arms above my head, keeping my fingers together and pointed.

I held this position for one painful second. It felt like an hour.

With a faster pace, I jumped up from my spot, hoisting myself off of the ground for the first time in my kata. While in the air, I spun, a perfect twirl. I thought of the taste of jasmine tea; it was like drinking warm silk, the flavor was compelling but subtle at the same time.

I landed on my toes on the exact same foot that I was on when I jumped. I squatted down on the leg, the poor leg that I've kept pressure on since I've started. Lower and lower and lower. I was fully squatted on the one leg, while the other one stayed fully extended out in front of me, toes pointed. My arms were in front of me as well, holding a perfectly symmetrical shuto block.

It hurt, it hurt more than any stretching exercise I've ever had to do in the clan. But I didn't harp on the pain, I thought about that jasmine flower opening up for the first time.

The bloom of a jasmine flower occurs in the evening, when the temperature starts to cool down. Its bloom is a natural thing, a very breathtaking sight to see.

Beauty.

I dropped my hands out of a shuto block and set them on the ground. With strength I didn't think I possessed, I carried my entire weight on my arms, lifting myself off of my squatted leg. Both of my legs came to my chest and I swung myself backwards. Now I was in a handstand, with my arms vertical from the ground. My legs slowly unfolded from my chest and I held them straight above my body— toes pointed, of course. I held the handstand for another long moment.

Bloom.

With a shaky exhale, I flipped myself over, back onto both of my feet. As soon as my feet hit, my arms made a double down block, followed up with three level punches: face, body, and groin. I did a forward roll and came back up into a right front stance with a right high block and left ridge-hand strike. My left foot eased across the concrete until it was even with my right foot.

I straightened out my legs and put my hands on my sides. I bowed. I was finished.

Sweat dripped down my forehead and onto the concrete floor. I didn't speed through my kata, use extravagant force, let alone proceed with power. Yet, my body was spent like I had run a thousand miles.

_You used a different kind of power,_ my mind told me.

For the first time since I'd entered the ring, I looked up at the judges. Four out of five of them had a face of complete awe. Their wrinkled eyes were widened, not a single question of my technique was circulating through their minds.

The only judge who didn't look surprised was Akira— she had a gleam of pride in her cat-like eyes.

Oh spirits, I may just cry.

"Scores," Akira announced.

9.7, 9.7, 9.7, 9.7, and 9.7. Five-sevens.

I nearly toppled over. Yami and Tabby quickly stepped inside the ring, each one grabbing an arm of mine, and they helped drag me out. Just like that, it was all over.

"I don't believe it!" Yami exclaimed with excitement. "Cassie-Chan, you did it! You did it!"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Tabby added with the same enthusiasm.

Luna ran over and hugged me. "Wow, Cassie-Chan! Yours was super awesome, and you didn't even play music for it! You totally balanced on one leg like a pro!"

"Yeah," Tabby agreed, "to be able to stand as still as you did on just the tip of your toes? All on one leg? Wow!"

I didn't have the strength to say thank you and answer them, so I merely smiled and nodded my head. However, I did happen to notice the pair of green eyes that were still watching me from afar. I looked across the room at Hanran. "You were right," I mouthed to him very weakly.

He smirked. I guess he was able to read my lips. "I know," he mouthed back. That was all that was said between us.

"Oh, you must be thirsty, Cassie-Chan," Yami then told me, "come on, we have some tea."

Tabby scoffed, "You mean that decaf stuff? No way!"

Now that I think about it, my throat is burning for relief. "What kind of tea?" I asked with a soft whisper.

"Jasmine," Yami answered.

I laughed. Sometimes life could be a wondrous thing. "Yes, I would love some."

~*~*~*~

By the time I had the lukewarm cup of tea in my hands, the rings were already finished with open hand kata. "What time is it, anyway?" I asked Yami. I would tip my head up and look at the glass ceiling... but my neck wasn't craning that far back anytime soon... not after my performance.

Yami took no issue with checking for me. "Wow, it's already 3:00," he answered.

"That late?"

"Yup, I can't believe it either."

I took a long drink of my tea. There was only sparring left, according to what Geisha Rose said earlier. Maybe this whole thing will be over in an hour and we can finally go home. I yearned to be back in the sector house at the clan, safe within my room divider walls, and cuddled around my soft comforter.

"Hey, Cassie-Chan?" Luna's voice asked.

"Hmm?"

"It looked like you were falling asleep," Luna told me, "and you still have your tea in your hands. I didn't want you to spill it."

Now that I think about it, I was dozing off, wasn't I?

"Thank you," I said, "I wouldn't have wanted to spill on myself." Although, the thought of dumping a bucket of cold water over my head seemed like a great way to keep myself awake. Maybe Tabby was right, this decaf tea was actually making me sleepier.

Luna was the only one who sat next to me on the sidelines. That is, until I felt a shuffle on the opposite side of me. Hanran sat on my other side. He had his eyes down and looked at his feet instead of looking in my direction. As silly as this sounds, it made me happy that Hanran went out of his way to sit next to me. Maybe he doesn't think I'm a dork, maybe he thinks I'm cool!

"Hey Nigaru-Sa—ah!" I shrieked.

As I was greeting him, my arm involuntarily jerked and I ended up splashing tea on Hanran's lap. My muscles are so stretched and worn out that they're going into spasms on their own accord!

_Good job,_ my head noted sarcastically.

"Gah, sorry!" I exclaimed.

Luna started laughing, "Hahaha! You got TEA'D, Nigaru-San."

Hanran merely took a rag that he had in his back pocket (how is it that he's so prepared all the time?) and padded the rag on the wet spot. That was all. He said nothing.

I felt like crawling under a rock for the rest of the day. Spirits, I think I'd rather perform in front of the judges again instead of sitting right next to Hanran after spilling tea on him!

"Sorry," I apologized again. "That was so clumsy of me, I'm sorry."

"It is what it is," Hanran answered simply. He didn't sound very happy with me.

"It was jasmine tea," I randomly informed him. "Decaf jasmine tea. It tasted kinda funny, almost like chamomile tea. But that's odd to think, isn't it? Jasmine tea tasting like chamomile? I mean, in what world does that happen? I think decaf tea confuses the flavor."

Yeah, I just babbled on like an idiot talking about tea. Luna tried to hold down her giggles. She found this whole thing hilarious, I guess. This is what I mean when I say that Hanran intimidates me!

"Sorry..." I stammered. Okay, now I'm done talking.

Hanran finally stopped looking down and stared point blank at me. "Cassie-Chan."

"Yes?"

"It's fine."

I released a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! So what's happening now? I see that the judges are clearing people out of the four outer rings. Are they only going to hold sparring matches in the big center one?"

Hanran didn't seem to mind me questioning him. "It would seem," he replied plainly.

"Ah man, that's gonna take awhile," Luna said.

"Not necessarily. First one with three points wins and they move on."

Only three points? That's unexpected. Here I thought that the sparring would be the biggest part of the day and would drag on and on. I saw the competitors who planned to fight stretch out their legs and practice kicks. Some of them were lightning fast; five kicks without setting their leg down and a follow up of even faster hand strikes.

Wow, I'm really glad that I don't have to spar!

Hanran gently elbowed me in the side. "Akira." He got up from his seat and I followed suit. Luna came too, of course, and she held onto my arm so I wouldn't fall if I lost balance. We followed Hanran to the middle of an empty corner ring, where Akira and the rest of Sector 7 were waiting.

"Ooh! I know what this is! This is a team hustle, right?" Luna grinned.

"Team huddle," Yami corrected.

"I ain't huddling and I ain't cuddling," Kuroi grumbled.

Akira held up her hand. "Quiet, all of you. While the other judges are setting up the ring for sparring, I've decided to go over the final game plan for today." She was in no mood for fun and games, that was for sure. "Now, the sparring in Battle Month is different from the sparring in our clan. You're expected to use precision and control."

Kuroi seemed to have a problem with that statement. He tensed up and it seemed like he was close to objecting. Did he want another kunai to pin him to the ground? I'm sure Akira's kunai will jam through this concrete floor.

"Speak," Akira growled.

"That's total bull!" Kuroi growled, speaking as soon as he was given permission to. "I've seen the fights before. Those guys don't use precision and whatever else. They brawl. That's what I wanna do, I wanna brawl."

Akira stared down my defiant team leader. "Do you want to win?" she asked him.

"Of course."

"Then don't get hit. Can you take a punch? Sure you can, everyone in this room can take a punch. You don't get points for absorbing damage. You get in, score, and get out. That's all."

This time, Kuroi didn't have any arguments for Akira's orders. "Fine," he finally growled.

The second-in-command smirked in victory. "I'm also changing the game plan. Meko-Chan, you are the only one who hasn't competed today, correct?"

Tabby didn't expect to hear her name. "Er, yeah," she replied.

"Good. You will continue to do nothing for today. Next time don't forget your weapons."

"Yes ma'am," Tabby answered dejectedly.

Akira turned to Hanran, who still stood on my left side while Luna stuck to my right side. "I said you and Kaze-San would fight, yes?" she asked the middle boy of our team.

Hanran nodded. "Yes."

Our teacher's gaze flickered over to our youngest member. "Do you know what sparring is?" she questioned.

Luna's eyes widened. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "And really, if I had known what ka—"

"Yeah, yeah," Akira interrupted. She released a heavy sigh, like she was trying to make a difficult decision. "Nigaru-San, you're out. Luna, you're in. Kuroi Kaze and Luna will represent the Kitsune Clan for the sparring division."

There was more than one harsh reaction after that statement.

Kuroi shouted, "Are you serious?" at the exact same time Yami shrieked, "Not my sister!" which was at the same moment Luna cheered, "Awesome!"

I was surprised to hear this myself, although I kept my mouth shut about it. "You've gotta be kidding me," Kuroi growled.

Akira glared holes into him. "I am not," she stated seriously.

"Sensei, my sister could get really hurt!" Yami pleaded.

"Hey!" Luna objected.

Everyone needed to calm down. I reached over and put a hand on Yami's shoulder. He was breathing so hard that his shoulders heaved up and down erratically. "We're only one point away from victory," Tabby told the team. "The Tiger Rage Clan leads with 153.9 and thanks to Cassie's high scores in kata, we're up to 153.8. We're so close, we even made it to second place! We can win this, we really can."

Kuroi crossed his arms stubbornly. "Except the Tiger Rage Clan has won the past ten Battle Months," he stated sourly. "The only real shot we had was me winning and Nigaru-San winning."

Akira straightened herself up and put her hands on her hips. "If you choose to believe we've lost, keep it to yourself, Kaze-San," she ordered, "my word is final. Get ready to fight."

Yet again, Akira walked away from us and rejoined the group of other judges.

There was an uncomfortable atmosphere left over after she left. The six of us looked at each other, neither one saying a word, merely soaking in the challenge of the last division.

_Please,_ I thought to myself, _we're so close to victory. Please let us do well._

Luna's POV:

~You already screwed up once~

~Whoops~

~Now try and redeem yourself!~

~*~*~*~

"Come on, little one. Let's go over to the fighter's corner," Kuroi told me with a snarl. He grabbed me by the arm and heaved me along with him. He walked faster than usual, in fact, he started stomping across the room and making loud noises.

I didn't get why Kuroi was so angry. Sure, Akira first said that Hanran would be the one to fight and then decided that I'll fight instead. So what? It'll be fun! I'm so excited, I get to stand in the fighter's corner with all the tough guys. Now I can be a tough guy, too. Or tough gal, doesn't matter.

There were at least forty or fifty students that were waiting to fight. They all looked to be Kuroi's age or older and all different shapes and sizes. Some were buffed out like Kuroi, some were tall like Hanran, and some were plain and normal like Yami.

I studied the clan members that surrounded me. They stared back with questioning looks in their eyes. They must be wondering how I had music playing during my kata performance. "I hired a guy to play his drum," I explained with a grin to no one in particular. The ones who heard me didn't answer back, they merely turned their heads.

Oh, so they don't wanna talk, huh? Fine, fine. I realized that there were no girls in this large group of people. I looked back into the rows and in every direction there were people. All the fighters were men.

Does this mean that I'm the only girl? Whoever it is I'm gonna fight is going to be older, stronger, and taller than me. That... that makes me think... that this is gonna be so much more fun. Ooh, I should try making a battle threat or something. That's what someone like Kuroi does, I think he's called it ruffling their feathers. You know, letting your enemy know that you know. That way you'll both know, you know?

"Hey bubs, y'all better watch out!" I said to the whole group of guys. After that I laughed because I don't even know what they're supposed to watch out for. Me, I guess!

Kuroi put a hand on my mouth and held me in place right in front of him. "Luna, don't you go— ah!" Before Kuroi could finish his sentence, I bit his hand. It got his hand off my mouth. "Don't talk to anyone," my team leader ordered while wiping my slobber off onto his shirt.

"Why?" I asked simply.

"Because I said so."

"What makes you say so?"

"Because I say so!"

I huffed out a big breath and turned to face Kuroi. He had that classic old-man-grump expression on his face. He really knew how to look grumpy and unfriendly when he wanted to. "Alright, old man," I told him, "I know something is up, and don't even lie to me and say that there's nothing up, 'cause I know there's something up."

"The clouds," Kuroi said dryly.

"The clouds what?"

"The clouds are what's up."

I looked up. "I don't get it."

Kuroi rolled his eyes. "Of course you don't."

Bah, he's just trying to distract me. "Never mind the dumb ol' clouds," I said, "I want you to tell me what's bothering you. Unless it's the clouds that are bothering you. In which case I don't know what to tell you, the clouds are a part of nature and stuff. According to Yami, anyway."

"Forget the clouds. Forget all of this." Kuroi turned me back around so I wasn't facing him anymore. You know, I'm tired of him handling me like I'm some kind of doll. I know he's bigger and stronger than me, but this is ridiculous!

"Is this about what happened to you and the old Sector 7?" I asked with a growl of my own.

His hands tightened their grip on my shoulders. "How did you know about that?"

"Tabby-Chan told me."

"Freaking Meko-Chan," Kuroi uttered, "I swear, that kid is gonna get it. What did she tell you, exactly?"

"She told me not to tell you that she told me what you told her." I realized what I said. "Oops."

"Go on," Kuroi pressed. His hands weren't coming off of my shoulders any time soon.

I thought about how to phrase my explanation. "Okay, she said that you have been to one Battle Month before. You were here with your old Sector 7 crew and all that junk. The last Battle Month you went to was held here, at the Black-Sho Clan! So it's like a reunion thing going on but you don't seem happy about it. I'm guessing that something bad happened, which is why you're in a super-extra-grumpy-Kuroi mode instead of your normal default-grumpy-Kuroi mode."

Kuroi didn't say anything but the tension on my shoulders did loosen. "That's all?" he asked.

"That's all," I promised.

My team leader didn't seem to be as defensive as he was a moment ago. "Fine, I'll tell you. I dunno why, you're just a dumb kid, but I'll tell you," he said in an exasperated tone. "I came here with my old team once before. We were lead by Zuko, not Akira. My team leader at the time, Shiro, was the one who called the shots. He assigned me to fight in the sparring division. He had faith in me, even though I was a fresh meat."

I smiled. "It's nice to put faith into meat."

"Anyway," Kuroi continued, "I fought my way through the sparring, just like we'll fight here pretty soon. It came down to me, Shiro, and our two opponents from the Thorn-Goku Clan and the Tiger Rage Clan. Shiro had the Thorn-Goku guy, I had the Tiger Rager. After hours of sparring, I just had one match left. Just. One. Match."

"They let you have a snack break, right?"

"No."

"Oh snap, that's awful."

"That's not the point! The point is that I had one final opponent keeping me from victory! And I choked, Luna. I lost to that damn Tiger Rager and Shiro lost to the Thorn-Goku fighter. The Kitsune Clan was so close to the finish line and we tripped. Zuko wouldn't let us hear the end of it, he harped on our loss the whole way home."

Okay, I would hate to be lectured by Sensei Zuko. I can feel Kuroi's pain on that one. "I'm sorry," I told him.

He shook his head. "Sorry ain't gonna cut it, kid. I just don't want a repeat of last time, alright? I don't want the feeling of failure, of almost being good enough. I got a bad taste in my mouth from that already, I don't want to taste it twice."

Kuroi was being very honest with me, a gesture that I appreciated. I punched him in the arm; it didn't hurt him, of course. "Hey," I said, "This doesn't have to be like all those other times! This time around, you're not the fresh meat, you're the team leader! Now I'm your package of fresh meat!"

"Yes, that's precisely what worries me."

"Well, it shouldn't. Who was that Tiger Rage Clan guy, anyway? I'm sure he's not so tough now. He's probably jellied up into mush, y'know, the kinda mush that squishes between your fingers."

My team leader gave me a look that said shut-up-now. "Uh, Luna? Yeah, the Tiger Rage guy is right ahead of you," he told me sourly.

I turned around and looked where Kuroi was pointing. There was a tall and muscled guy whose arms were so huge he had to cut the sleeves off of his gi top! Whoa, what does he do, lift brick houses during his workouts?

"You had to fight him?!" I nearly shrieked.

"No, the guy standing next to him," Kuroi corrected.

Oh. I looked at the guy who stood next to the big and bulgy guy. This other guy looked normal, actually. He was an average height, average build, and had average features like nicely cut brunette hair and a plain uniform. He looked like the very definition of average. "Him?" I asked.

"Yeah," Kuroi growled. "That's Takeo Akiyama."

"So that's his name!" a new voice exclaimed. To my surprise, Tabby was standing right behind me and I didn't even know it.

"What the? How did you?" Kuroi asked.

Tabby waved her hand in his face to shut him up. "Not important. So his name is Takeo Akiyama, huh?"

"You know him?"

"No, but I think he's downright adorable!" Tabby smiled. Her eyes were twinkling. "Watch, if he smiles you'll see he has dimples. I've been watching him all day!"

Kuroi shoved Tabby away from us with one arm. "Get outta here!" he commanded.

"Just be sure you don't hit Takeo in the face!" Tabby squealed. She left, thankfully.

Tabby's brief appearance seemed to make Kuroi in an even worse mood. "I swear," he grumbled under his breath.

"You want me to call you adorable, too?" I asked him, "I'll be lying when I say it, but I'll still say it."

My team leader smacked his palm to his forehead. "I just want this day to end."

Before I could reply, new things started to happen. Jian-Sho, the host of this whole Battle Month, stepped in front of the group. He addressed the entire fighting crowd. "Gentleman," he said. His old eyes then spotted where I was at. "And lady," he added. I gave the elderly man a thumbs up. "Are you ready to begin?" Jian-Sho asked.

"Yeah!" the whole crowd cheered.

The cheers all around me were so loud that I couldn't hear myself think. Everyone started to shuffle out of the corner and make their way to the center ring. "Believe in me, old man," I said to myself.

~*~*~*~

A brutal side-kick to the gut sealed the third point for the Tiger Rager and put Takeo Akiyama into the pending list for round two. He defeated the student from the Midnight Shadow Clan with ease.

I watched his fight with extra focus. Takeo was a counter-attacker, one who waited for his opponent to come in, block the strike, and make a strike of his own. He was a fast competitor, that was for sure. He didn't score with anything fancy, either. A well timed side-kick, and reverse punch, and a roundhouse kick to the head.

Takeo Akiyama was the complete opposite of Kuroi Kaze. My team leader was the kinda guy who punched first and asked questions later. But if he decided that he didn't wanna ask any questions, he'll keep on punching. Good ol' Kuroi.

I watched more fights unfold. Some were very exciting and some dragged on for almost five whole minutes. The judges stood all around the ring and watched closely during the fight. There would be some judges who called a hook kick, while some of the other judges thought they saw a ridge-hand first. Because of this, there were five judges who watched the fight. It came down to majority; three out of the five judges saw the ridge-hand before the hook kick, therefore the ridge-hand was called.

I kept waiting and waiting for my name to be called. I really wanna start sparring, I'm getting restless just standing here! Kuroi was getting restless, too. He won't admit it, but I know that's what has him pacing back and forth.

Finally, my name was called and I was ready to go. I looked across the way and waved to Yami. My brother still looked like he was scared out of his shoes. Well, he's gonna have to get used to being barefoot, because I'm fighting and there's nothing he can say.

"Luna of the Kitsune Clan, get in here," a judge ordered me. He was the same grumpy judge that scored me a 0.2 and dropped it down to a 0.1. Ah man, you mean that big ol' poo is my judge? Sheesh.

I didn't let that ruin my enthusiasm. I bounced into the ring and faced the mean judge, whose frown only deepened when he watched me. "Hello," I greeted to him.

"Hmph," he grumbled back. "Xing Lee of the Thorn-Goku Clan, enter the ring," he called.

Oh cool, I get to meet my opponent.

The big guy who I mistook for Takeo Akiyama entered the ring. When I saw him the first time, it was from a distance. Now he was only a few feet away from me and I saw how massive he truly is! He was six feet even, with muscles that looked too big for his arms. He had black spiky hair and a toothy grin. That grin almost looks like Kuroi's except there was something off about it...

I think he wants to hurt you, my mind told me.

_You think?_ I thought back.

That's what it looks like.

Maybe he's just bad at first impressions?

Yeah, that could be it!

I approached my opponent before the match began. "Hiya Lee-San, I'm Luna," I told him.

Xing's beady eyes peered down at me. His grin got even wider. "So you're the little bug I've gotta crush, eh?" he asked me.

"I'm not a bug," I automatically replied.

"Ha!" Xing scoffed. He then used a 'cute' voice, like I was some kind of little girl or puppy dog. "Aww, is the witty bitty girl afraid of getting hit?" he taunted.

I frowned. "Wait, so I'm not a bug?"

Xing changed his whole persona. "No, you little brat!" he yelled at me. "You're just a dumb kid who's stupid enough to come between me and first place! I'm sure you can go home to papa fox and cry about your loss later. But right now, get over to your side of the ring and let's get this beating over with." Xing pushed me with one of his big arms. "Shoo!"

Little brat? Dumb kid? Papa fox? Hey, he just insulted me and my Master Kitsune!

"Listen you," I growled.

"No, you listen, get on your side of the ring!" Xing interrupted. He shoved me for a second time. His shoves weren't like Kuroi's... they were rough and they actually hurt.

"Hey!" then came the voice of my team leader. Kuroi hurried into the ring and came flying at Xing. He punched him in the jaw and toppled him over to the ground. Xing was too big for me but not for Kuroi. As soon as Xing hit the ground, Kuroi was on top of him and pummeling away with wild punches. "Don't you shove Luna!" he hollered. I've never heard Kuroi yell so loudly. "The only one who can call her a dumb kid is me, you giant bas—"

"Enough!" the grumpy judge shouted. He hustled over and lifted Kuroi off of Xing, while the other four judges intervened to keep Xing off of Kuroi. "Disqualified!" the grumpy judge yelled. He pointed a bony finger in Kuroi's face, "You are disqualified!"

"Like spirits I am!" Kuroi growled. He was fighting against the restraints of two of the judges.

I watched all of this unfold like wild fire in a forest. Jian-Sho, Akira, and Geisha Rose stepped into the ring. "What happened?" Jian-Sho demanded.

The grumpy judge answered before Kuroi could. "This Kitsune student intervened the match and attacked a competitor. I want him disqualified immediately, both Kitsune Clan students!"

Wait, what? Me too? I didn't do anything!

"The fight didn't even start yet," Kuroi argued with a snarl, "and this Thorn-Goku punk was shoving my teammate. That's unsportsmanlike or whatever it's called."

Jian-Sho held up his hand, ceasing the arguing between the grumpy judge and Kuroi. Then Jian-Sho looked at me, his old eyes locking with mine and holding my gaze captive.

"Is that what happened?" he asked me point blank.

"You're asking the child?" Geisha Rose then questioned, her voice one of surprise.

Jion-Sho didn't even look at his second-in-command's face, therefore he never saw her wide purple eyes. "A child never lies," he answered simply. He was still staring right at me.

I gulped and rolled my hands into fists. "I went over to introduce myself to Lee-San and he shoved me. Before anything else happened, Kaze-San came into the ring and attacked him," I answered.

Jian-Sho finally set his hand down. "An offense on both sides," he hummed. He seemed to be deep in thought.

"Kuroi Kaze attacked Xing Lee," Geisha Rose stated. She seemed to be on his side.

"Yes, after Xing Lee shoved Luna," Akira defended.

"An offense on both sides," Jian-Sho repeated. The old man put a hand on Geisha Rose's shoulder so he could steady himself. "We will let the child decide," he finally said. "Luna, if you choose to fight Xing Lee, then the sparring will continue as it should. However, if you choose to bow out, there are two options. Either Kuroi Kaze will step in and fight for you, or the Kitsune Clan will simply bow out from sparring, period."

My heart started pounding louder and louder. "What happens if I choose to fight? What about Kaze-San?" I asked.

"He'll fight his opponent, Takeo Akiyama in the second rounds," Akira answered. "If you fight, that will not affect Kuroi Kaze's match. However, if you choose to opt out and he fights instead of you, the only way he'll fight again is if he defeats Xing Lee."

In other words, I don't have to fight if I don't want to.

Kuroi managed to break free from the other two judges and he hurried over to me. He bent down to my level and looked at me with his serious brown eyes. "Luna, let me take on this piece of trash," he uttered gruffly, "you don't have to fight this guy. You can leave it to me."

"But that just means you'll have to fight twice," I objected.

Kuroi grinned. "I know. I love fighting, remember?"

I bit my bottom lip. Xing Lee was ten times my size and had every advantage over me; height, strength, age, and weight. He didn't have that same edge over Kuroi, sure he was bigger than him, but not by a large margin. Xing has already said it himself, he was gonna try his best to hit me. He's not gonna hold back, period.

My eyes darted to the Thorn-Goku student. He glared holes into me. He was angry, yet there was also a gleam in his eyes that I didn't like... arrogance. He thinks I'm scared of him, doesn't he? He thinks that two little shoves from him has me frightened out of my wits.

"Sorry, old man," I whispered. I stepped into view for everyone to see me. "I'm fighting!" I proclaimed.

A look of disdain was across all the judges' faces, especially the grumpy one. The only ones who had different expressions were Xing (a look of confidence), Akira (a look of interest), and Kuroi (a look of anger).

"Alright, everyone, out of the ring please. Let's get this fight started," Jian-Sho said.

Now the only ones in the ring was me and Xing. Everyone else were merely spectators. "Judges, are you ready?" Akira asked.

"Hai," they affirmed.

"Xing Lee, are you ready?"

"Definitely," he grinned.

Akira's eyes focused on me. "Luna, are you ready?"

"For what?" I asked.

Everyone in the room released an aggravated huff along with a heavy sigh.

"Kidding!" I exclaimed, "Sheesh, I thought I would lighten the mood. I was wrong. I'm ready."

Akira rolled her eyes before concluding with, "Well then... hajime!"

~*~*~*~

Xing charged at me like an angry bull. His hands were reared back and ready to strike. He dashed across the ring with speed I didn't think he was capable of.

Wham!

He missed.

All I had to do was slip through the wide space between his legs and I was behind him. He threw a back kick and torqued over with a right back-fist and left reverse punch.

Missed. Missed. Missed.

I veered left to avoid his right back kick, ducked down to avoid his back-fist, and simply shuffled backwards to dodge his left reverse punch. "That's all?" I asked him.

Wow, it almost looked like steam was coming out of his ears. "That's not all!" he roared. He lunged at me with a front leg roundhouse, followed by a hook-kick, then side straddled right into a four-strike punch combo.

I jumped over his leg roundhouse, ducked under his hook-kick, side straddled away from his side straddle, and veered left and right to avoid his punches. "Hey, this is kinda like dancing!" I laughed.

"Shut up!" Xing screamed. He lunged at me for a third time.

"Out!" Akira then called.

"What?"

"Out, you stepped out of the ring. There are boundaries, Xing Lee." Akira narrowed her eyes at him. "You get two warnings, you have just used one. Step out one more time and you'll receive your final warning. Step out any time after that, and your opponent will receive a point."

Xing shouted, "That's cheap!" at the exact same time I said, "Awesome!"

Then my opponent decided he was going to charge at me again, so he stepped back inside the ring and came right for me. This time he didn't come at me with combinations. He decided that he would box me into a ring corner and throw combinations then. I scooted backwards, not wanting that creep to touch me again.

He got me in a corner of the ring and his mouth turned up in a haughty sneer. Xing threw a side-kick with all the strength he could muster.

Bam!

I was already bent down and ready to propel myself off of the floor when Xing had his foot up. Then when he threw his kick, I jumped over his leg, flew right for his face, and heaved myself over him. In other words, I totally just climbed over my opponent. He makes a great mountain!

Xing thought for sure his kick would land. He lost his footing.

"Out!" another judge called.

"Two for two, next out and your opponent will receive a point," Akira repeated. She had a smirk on her face.

Before Xing could turn around, let alone process in his tiny brain what to do next, I decided now was my time to shine. I put all my strength into jumping into the air; I jumped so high that I was eye-level with Xing himself.

Time seemed to go in slow motion for me. I sprang from the ground, Xing turned his head, and right in the last second he turned around and fully faced me. It was too late— my flying roundhouse kick was already tucked and ready to hit. The top of my foot tapped Xing's cheek, a very light and harmless tap. "Boop," I said.

"Point!" called the all four of the judges. The only one who didn't call it was (you guessed it) the grumpy judge. "One point for the Kitsune Clan," Akira announced cheekily.

"This is RIDICULOUS!" Xing then raged. He stomped forward and shoved me in anger. He grabbed a handful of my hair and tossed me backwards. I fell down onto my butt.

"Disqualification!" Akira then yelled, "Unsportsmanlike conduct! Xing Lee of the Thorn-Goku Clan, you are disqualified from this division and Battle Month. Get out."

Before Xing could say anymore, I jumped back onto my feet. "Put your hands on me one more time," I growled to him.

He gave me a ballistic look. "You just don't know when to quit, do you kid?" he demanded. Before Akira or any of the other judges could stop him, Xing shoved me one last time. At least, he tried to. Once his hand was close enough, I snapped forward and bit his hand. "Gyah!" he hissed.

I bit him so hard that he had four pointed bite marks from my fangs and blood starting to trickle. "Now get out," I told him. I spit on the floor. "And Kaze-San, can you get me a snack to get this taste out of my mouth?"

Kuroi's smirk had never been bigger. "Sure thing, little one."

~*~*~*~

I guess I could spend time explaining the events leading up to Kuroi's fight with Takeo Akiyama. But nothing happened, really. Kuroi got me a rice ball to snack on and shared it with me, Yami repeatedly asked me if I was alright, Cassie and Hanran told me good job, and Tabby kept spying on Takeo from the sidelines.

"Y'know, Tabby-Chan is being a big ol' creeper," I said to Yami.

He nodded in agreement. "I know."

Anyway, after my winning match, I put the Kitsune Clan in a tie for first with the Tiger Rage Clan. The Thorn-Goku Clan was who had second place initially, but after Xing Lee's performance, that was all tossed aside. Oh yeah, and it turned out that the grumpy judge was Xing Lee's combat teacher from his clan. He left as soon as Xing did.

"Good rinse!" I exclaimed once I saw them both leave through the doors.

"It's good riddance," Yami corrected.

"That too."

"Kuroi Kaze of the Kitsune Clan, enter the ring," Geisha Rose ordered.

My team leader had stepped inside the ring at the same second that his opponent did. "Takeo Akiyama," Kuroi growled to him.

Takeo bowed his head at him. "Kuroi Kaze," he replied curtly, "good luck to you."

It looked like Kuroi was about to insult Takeo, but Tabby interrupted and squealed from the sidelines, "Good luck to you, too!"

Geisha Rose stood in the middle of the ring with her kimono sleeves rolled up her pale arms. "Takeo Akiyama, are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Takeo answered.

"Kuroi Kaze, are you ready?"

"Duh."

"Hajime!"

As soon as Geisha Rose lifted her pale hand, Kuroi charged across the ring and narrowed in on his target. Getting charged at was nothing new for Takeo; he probably expected Kuroi to make the first move.

Well, Kuroi expected Takeo to expect him to throw the first move!

My team leader blocked a side-kick and lunged forward with a hook punch. Takeo blocked with his forearm and quickly used his elbow to block a reverse punch. Kuroi turned his reverse punch over into a knife hand, going from a body level strike to a head level one. Takeo blocked all of his strikes, then threw a front kick of his own.

"Point!" Geisha Rose called.

Three of the five judges saw the kick.

"All Takeo Akiyama needs is two more points to win," Hanran said. He was standing with me and the rest of our team on the sidelines. The only one who wasn't present was Tabby, who was still off on her own to go goo-goo over Takeo. Hanran looked deep in thought, his eyebrows were crinkled and his eyes were glued to the ring.

Kuroi didn't like that Takeo got the first point but he wasn't giving up that soon.

"How can Kaze-San pull through?" Cassie asked Hanran.

The middle boy shook his head. "He just needs to get it together. Takeo Akiyama knows that he's going to brawl him. He needs to—"

"Use percussion!" I suddenly cried. "Just like Sensei Akira told him!"

"Precision," Yami corrected. "The word she used was precision." Yami put a hand on his chin, "And Sensei Akira is right, Kuroi needs to stop swinging wildly. Takeo Akiyama expects him to do so."

"Shouldn't someone tell him?" Cassie asked.

"Point!" Geisha Rose's voice then called, interrupting our discussion.

I wasn't looking but I think Takeo Akiyama scored on Kuroi with a back-fist. Plus, the fact that Kuroi's top lip was curled back in a snarl told me that he was hit, too.

Snap, I think I know what's happening here. Kuroi is having a backflash. Or flashback, I forget which way it goes. He's thinking too much about three years ago when he was with his old Sector 7 and he's not focusing on the match.

What's he really afraid of? Does he think that we'll be disappointed in him? Is that what happened in the aftermath of his last Battle Month? I remembered what Kuroi told me just a little while ago:

" _I just don't want a repeat of last time, alright? I don't want the feeling of failure, of almost being good enough. I got a bad taste in my mouth from that already, I don't want to taste it twice."_

So that's what his problem is; he's afraid of tasting failure twice.

Geisha Rose threw her hand down for a third time and so started the next match. Kuroi still insisted on being the aggressor as he barreled at Takeo. The two clashed together in a flurry of kicks, punches, and blocks. "Point!" Geisha Rose then called.

I held my breath. Oh no, oh no, oh no!

The judges called an uppercut from Takeo into Kuroi's gut. However, only one of the five judges saw it. It wasn't enough. Takeo still needed one more point to win.

That's it, I can't take it anymore!

"I'm proud of you, Kaze-San!" I shouted out. Kuroi's eyes darted to me. He could hear me even if he was in the heat of battle. I continued, "You're awesome! Even if you're a grump, I'm still really happy you're my team leader! Win or lose, there's no way you can fail me!"

Cassie and Yami looked at me with confusion, even Tabby from across the ring heard what I said.

I merely smiled and threw my hands up in the air. "You've got this, man!"

I didn't expect Geisha Rose to glare at me from the ring, a look of pure scorn in her eyes. Is she upset that I'm cheering on my teammate? "No talking from the sidelines," she ordered with a harsh voice.

There was no way that I was going to argue with her. Turns out that I didn't have to. "There are no rules against it," Akira retorted. Geisha Rose now eyed the fellow shinobi woman. Akira merely shrugged, a smug smile on her face. Smiles from Akira Miyamoto were never kind. Never.

"Continue the fight, boys," Geisha Rose then growled, focusing back on the match.

As soon as the next round was announced, something about Kuroi's demeanor changed. He didn't rage towards Takeo, he stayed in his same spot that was a safe distance away. Takeo didn't advance on him, he stayed in his same spot as well. Takeo expected Kuroi to come after him, but with my team leader staying put, he wasn't sure what to do.

"He's changing tactics," Cassie whispered in awe.

Kuroi held up his hands in front of him. "C'mon, Akiyama-San. You only need to score on me one more time."

Takeo hesitated for a moment and then decided to be the aggressor for the first time in the fight. He was out of his element. He fell for Kuroi's bait.

The Tiger Rager came forward with a double roundhouse kick to the head. Kuroi veered left and stomped into a reverse punch to Takeo's ribs. I heard the loud sound it made when my team leader's hit landed.

"Point!" Akira called.

Five out of the five judges called the punch, much to Geisha Rose's chagrin.

"That's it, Kaze-San!" Yami suddenly cheered. He was just as excited as I was, "You can do it! Just fight and have fun!"

The two fighters clashed again. Takeo was miffed that Kuroi was able to land a strike and Kuroi took advantage of his lapse. The Kitsune fighter threw a combination of kicks; side-kick, roundhouse, hook, and a final front snap. The hook-kick landed and the front snap was just a bonus.

"Point!" Akira called once again.

I saw Geisha Rose literally snarl when the score evened up two-to-two. "What's her problem?" I asked Hanran, "it's not like Akiyama-San is her own student. He's from another clan."

Hanran was leery of this as well. "Perhaps she bet on the Tiger Rage Clan to emerge victorious," he suggested.

"Bet as in bet money?" I asked.

"Yes, I imagine that would be what she bet," Hanran answered in a that-should-have-been-obvious tone of voice.

"Just checking," I muttered.

For the final time, Kuroi and Takeo clashed with each other. Both men needed one point to score and both men were the aggressors who charged. They were opposite sides of each other and both of them had clear target areas open. Takeo had a rear legged roundhouse right at the moment Kuroi had a reverse punch.

WHAM!

"Point!" Geisha Rose called, her own voice shrilled. "Takeo Akiyama, roundhouse kick to the side of the head!"

My heart sank at her words. "No, Kaze-San had his reverse punch!" I objected. I wasn't talking to anyone in particular, although Cassie made sure to hold me and keep me steady.

The other four judges deliberated this call for a moment. Three out of five of them took Takeo's side... they thought the Tiger Rage student was the faster one.

Just like that, we came in second for Battle Month.

"Wait," Takeo unexpectedly said. He held his hands up. "Kuroi Kaze's reverse punch landed first."

"No, it didn't," Geisha Rose argued. Her voice was almost as poisonous as the look in her eyes.

Takeo eyed the Black-Sho woman with firm defiance. "I said, Kuroi Kaze's strike landed first. Who are you to say otherwise?"

Geisha Rose's nostrils flared. She said nothing more. "Are you sure?" Akira asked in her own wary voice.

Takeo nodded. "I am a man of honor. I did not land the first strike, the winner is rightfully Kuroi Kaze of the Kitsune Clan." Takeo then faced Kuroi and bowed in respect. "I enjoyed our rematch," he told him with a genuine tip of the head.

Out of everyone, my team leader was the most surprised. "Er, thanks," he stammered. He probably didn't expect his opponent to be so cool. I had the biggest grin on my face. All of us were happy.

Akira exchanged looks with Jian-Sho and the old man nodded to her. "It's decided then," the Kitsune woman announced. "The winner of Battle Month is the Kitsune Clan!"

~Here you are, Akira Miyamoto, alone with your thoughts~

~*~*~*~

She wished that she could be back inside the walls of her clan, back inside the only home she's known since her beginning as a warrior. Akira slumped against the trunk of the oak tree. The hard surface felt good against her back.

It was now Sunday morning, only an hour into the new day. The crescent moon was high in the skies without a single cloud to keep it company. It had been peacefully quiet for the past three hours, which was right around the time that Sector 7 stopped making noise and fell asleep in their tents.

"I would expect you to be asleep after such a big day."

Akira didn't flinch when there was an abrupt voice that spoke into the quiet atmosphere. She merely closed her eyes and eased her head against the oak's bark. "Don't tell me," she said, "Kenji-San talked you into checking up on me?"

Master Kitsune stepped out from the shadows, chuckling as he did so. He sat down next to his student and was shoulder-to-shoulder with his second-in-command. "Actually, Kenji-San was tending to his rock garden the last I saw him."

"Pfft. That's such a Kenji-thing to do," Akira scoffed. She tucked her hands into her lap. "So, you came alone, sir?"

"Hai. I am capable of traveling by myself, don't forget. I may look old but that means nothing when you have my kind of capacity." In that moment, Kitsune Golden Tail looked like what his name meant— a sly fox. He laughed once again and put an arm around Akira's shoulder. "Why aren't you happy?" he then asked.

"I'm happy."

"No, you're the same as you were before you left my school. Tell me, Akira-Chan. Why aren't you happy?"

It was true that Akira was stubborn, but it was even truer that she knew when enough was enough. She could only avoid her sensei's questioning for so long.

Master Kitsune was the only person in Shaaku Den that she would listen to and take orders from. He was like her father; although they didn't share blood, she had bled for him many times over many battles. And she would bleed for him again in a heartbeat; her life was dedicated to the clan.

Akira fluttered her eyes shut. "Coming here today... reminded me of the old times." Finally, an answer that was whispered in a raw tone of voice. "Remember when you were the one who dragged me to these tournaments, sir? Remember how it used to be me, Kenji-San, Zuko-San and—"

She didn't get the last name out of her mouth.

"Coal-San," Master Kitsune finished.

"Yes, sir," Akira nodded. "Remember those days? How Zuko-San used to be so eager to fight that he would forget to eat and end up fainting in the ring. How Kenji-San used to practice his weapons kata over and over the night before, without a wink of sleep or rest. Remember how Coal-San used to fight with one hand behind his back just for the sake of being a show off? Or even me, how you practically had to shove me inside the ring the very first time I did open hand kata..."

There was a mixture of many emotions embedded in the tone of Akira's voice. Amusement, irritation, embarrassment... and most of all, sadness. It was the sadness that shined in the eyes of the Kitsune woman, and it was sadness that Master Kitsune could see in her overall demeanor.

The student wasn't done, either. "I remember the one year Zuko-San lost his match because he drank too much sake. That was the same tournament that Kenji-San used his double-swords and received high praise from Master Ging-Shin."

Master Kitsune chuckled once. "Ah, yes. You were a handful at that particular Battle Month, too. I remember Jian-Sho telling me that you were being belligerent towards Geisha Rose before your match with her." He made a few "tsk-tsk" clicks with his tongue. "You never could get along with your competition."

"Ha!" Akira scoffed. "My competition couldn't get along with me, not the other way around. Geisha Rose has and always will be a little priss. You should have seen her with her kimono sleeves and how she pranced around today. I would have loved to get in the ring with her, just for old times."

There was no mistaking the wicked glint in Akira's eyes.

"Now, now. Jian-Sho wouldn't want his prized student and second-in-command with a black eye," Master Kitsune replied. He had a small smile on his face as well, which was one of knowing.

Again, a silence fell between the teacher and his student.

"Be honest, Akira-Chan," Master Kitsune finally instructed. "Is this why you didn't want to take Sector 7? Because you didn't want to be reminded of the old days?"

He may have told her to be honest, but he never once told her how soon she needed to reply. Akira was looking at the moon as well and acted as if she was never asked a question. Yet, she was asked a question, and with a deep sigh she prepared to answer.

"At first," Akira merely said.

"At first?" Master Kitsune repeated.

Akira nodded. "At first, I didn't want to attend Battle Month because I wasn't ready for reliving all the old times. Of course, this was something I knew I'd have to get over quickly, whether I was ready or not, I was going."

The old shinobi slyly grinned at his student. "Of course," he agreed.

"However," Akira continued, "I didn't realize there was something new to experience. Today I wasn't the student, I was the teacher. I was you, Master Kitsune. I witnessed first hand at what it was like to be you. And Sector 7? They were just like me... me, Kenji-San, Zuko-San, and Coal-San."

Master Kitsune smiled. "How did that feel?"

For the first time in a long, long while, Akira smiled because she was happy. She didn't smile to intimidate or make someone feel uncomfortable. Finally, there was happiness underneath all those other emotions. She reached into her red kimono sleeve and took out a pure gold medal that was tied off with black silk. The ultimate prize for the winning clan; a golden medal.

"Pretty good," Akira answered. Master Kitsune returned her smile. There was happiness inside of his old eyes, too. Akira put the medal back inside her sleeve. "I'll let Sector 7 keep it in their sector house... for a little while," she said.

"Good," the grandmaster replied. He started to stroke his beard. "So, you felt like me today, did you?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's good, that's good. But you know, I would have made sure that Luna knew what kata was before assigning her to the division. That's just me, though."

Akira rolled her eyes. Really, there was only one thing left for her to say to the old fox. "Whatever you say, sir."

~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~

The End

~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~ ~*~*~*~

Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, won't you please take a moment to

leave me a review at your favorite retailer?

Arigato!

~L. Benitez

# ~About the Author~

L. Benitez was born and raised in Southern California and is now a resident of Mississippi. She wishes she could have been born and raised in an ancient ninja clan— so much for that wish.

She is a dedicated practitioner of Shotokan Karate and a huge fangirl of the Martial Arts. L. enjoys writing and drawing her own illustrations; she aspires to continue doing what she loves. She's a fan of anything action-packed and adrenaline racing. When she's not sketching or writing, L. likes to cook, read, and play with her Siamese kitty. She tries her best to mimic the awesome ninjas you see on TV— but ends up looking like a dork. So instead L. settles on the title 'ninja-in-training'. Let's face it, if L. really was a ninja, you wouldn't be able to see her, would you?

For updates on the Shinobi 7 Series and other upcoming works, follow L. Benitez on her social media.

Facebook: <https://www.facebook.com/shinobi7series>

Email: authorlily7@gmail.com

Smashwords profile: <https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/AuthorLily>

Plus you can follow her official author blog, where you can read exclusive Shinobi 7 Series fictions, see character profiles, and receive updates on L. Benitez's work! <http://lbenitezauthor.blogspot.com/>

# Other books by L. Benitez:

# Shinobi 7: Trials of a Warrior (Book #1)

# Poisoned Battleground (Book #2)

Don't miss L. Benitez's second installment of the Shinobi 7 Series...

# Shinobi 7: Poisoned Battleground

Ready for round two, Sector 7?

Shaaku Den's six unlikely heroes have just survived their first battle and defended Swan Bara from the evil Blackthorn Clan. Although a battle has been won, the war is still upon them, and Black Rose has other tricks up her kimono sleeve. The fate of Shaaku Den must still be fought for, and the Kitsune Clan will give it everything they've got!

Lead by the shinobi woman Akira Miyamoto, Sector 7 accompanies their sensei to Viper Country, where they encounter a long surviving shinobi clan known as Tiger Rage. It doesn't take long for the night in the Viper Mountains to turn dangerous, and once again the fight is on for the Kitsune Clan. Friendships will be tested, good intentions will turn bad, and nothing is what it seems. All a part of the trials Sector 7 must face to become true warriors.

Will Sector 7 be able to remain a team, even with fate trying to split them apart? They may have unknowingly stepped into the Tiger's Den...

Book #2 coming out December 6th, 2014
