April tore her eyes away from the Elven council and picked up her pace to match Kuri's, falling into pace with the sisters.
After they exited the courtroom, Eref and Irstte boldly and stubbornly following them, April exhaled heavily before jumping in front of Kuri.
"Okay. Let's just agree this is a terrible idea and I'm not combat fit."
Kuri exchanged glances with her sister and looked back at the short girl.
"I cannot disobey a direct order from a higher power."
April blinked and scoffed in disbelief.
"Higher power? You're talking like those people in there are sentient beings of some sort. Just take a good look at me. Do I look like I can fight anything?"
She gestured to herself desperately. Kuri ran a suspicious eye down April's frame that looked more like sizing her up. The other samurai squinted at Kuri who smirked.
"Not in that dress, you don't." She grinned before Kakuro grabbed at her sleeve and shook her head.
"Sister, benefactor forbade you."
While April frowned in confusion and the older samurai groaned softly, the two guards stepped up to the girls.
"Everything well, Shinonome?"
Kuri turned to them swiftly.
"All is well, Eref. Irstte. Female talk."
She shot Kakuro an unamused look and gave April's head an awkward pat.
"Let's get you training ready."
She walked off and April frantically trottered behind, carrying her long dress.
"No! Train me not! I don't wanna!"
But her complaining was cut short when they reached a door that led into a spacious room; dirt on the floor, a sort of fighting circle in the middle, boulders on the left and right walls for some particular reason and flora at the far back.
April tried to look back the way they came but Eref and Irstte dragged her inside.
As she stumbled forward, a wind blew obnoxiously at her, forcing her to shut her eyes while trying to stop her dress from flying up. She coughed after the grudging wind ceased, spitting.
"Ack! What the heck was that about?"
She shook her head, rubbing her eyes and looking at the others. She found them studying her.
Kuri rubbed her chin thoughtfully before glancing at Kakuro.
"Is it too much?"
Kakuro narrowed her bioluminescent blue eyes.
"Maybe too little."
April glanced at the elven guards and found them just gawking.
What was with everyone?
She glanced down, her heart skipping a beat before she frantically clasped her arms over her chest. She was in a yellow, sizable, sleeveless tank top and yellow harem pants that were loose, billowy, and gathered at the ankles, but she was barefoot.
She immediately thought of Jasmine.
"Who the heck changed my clothes?!"
Her voice carried across the room, making Eref and Irstte break their stares.
Her tails shot back, straight like rods.
"Coa believes this style suits you better." Kuri circled the trembling girl.
"Who the butt is Coa and why is he a jerk? I look like a blooming bumblebee!"
"That is true." Kakuro responded flatly.
Kuri shook her head and grabbed the girl's willowy arm. She rushed her to the fighting circle.
"Make haste, Precious Thing."
"I'll make a hasty retreat!" April fought against the samurai's hold, slipping away.
Seeing the funny girl try to make a run for it, Kuri grabbed her by the tails and pulled her back.
The girl yelped as her body jumped into a fight-or-flight freeze, springing back.
"Don't…!" She whimpered, collapsing against the woman.
Kuri straightened her up.
"The sooner we start this so-called training, the sooner we can be done with it, Precious Thing—now woman up!"
April straightened up like a rod at the sudden roar, her tails withering and tucking between her legs.
"G-geez…"
She pouted, flushed and followed the woman into the large fighting circle that looked about sixty meters wide. She gulped and watched as Kakuro let her katana fall tip first and lodge into the ground.
"I could've at least been given shoes." April grumbled as she struggled to pull the weapon out.
Kuri closed her eyes and another random, obnoxious wind knocked against April, blowing her a few meters off. When she came to a stop, she noticed the ones that resembled slippers; black Kung Fu shoes with white soles on her feet. Her jaw dropped open, her mind racing as childhood dreams became realized in an instant.
"I love Coa," she whispered.
"Are you ready now?" Kuri called out to her, a few meters away.
April swerved back to her, the heavy katana in hand. She nodded and immediately shook her head.
"Before we start, I just want you to know two things… The first is that I have… an allergy to being cut, even by paper,"
The samurai tilted her head at her while she went on to continue saying:
"And the other thing is that I have this other… supernatural condition that makes me share whatever affliction upon my body with Saka… your benefactor." She picked at the katana's intricate carvings along the spine of the blade. "So if you hurt me, he's going to eat all of us."
Everyone in the room flinched at her words.
"I mean that literally!" April gasped.
Silence ate up all sounds as Kuri and Kakuro stared at the raven-blonde, their glowing blue eyes seemingly assessing the extent of truth in her face. April darted her green eyes around, the weight of their heavy stares making her take a subconscious step back.
"Why do you call him benefactor? He reeks of misery." She forced the words out.
The samurai twins finally move. Kuri sheds her helmet and her normal, rosy and curved ears show, the badger colored hair sitting on a bun at the top of her head.
"Long story, Precious Thing."
April blinked at the ears.
"You're human…"
"If you would call it that." Eref answered all the way from the front entrance.
"Don't worry about whatever bond you share with benefactor. As long as you're in this room, he won't feel a thing." Kuri swung her blade dangerously fast, too fast for April to see.
"Really?" April felt her tails wither. "That seems unfair."
Kuri shrugged and tossed her sword into the earth. "Either way, I want you to attack me."
April blinked and stood still.
"This sword's too heavy."
"It's all in the wrist."
"I don't have the power."
"You swung it before."
"That was a dream!"
"Hey!" Kuri blurred into reality in front of April covering the girl's mouth. "ドリームポケットを侮らないで.私にとって神聖なものなの." she added with a growly voice.
April blinked at her. "Wha duff bup meme?" She mumbled through the woman's hand.
Kuri narrowed her eyes. She shook her head and took a step back. "Precious Thing, attack."
April exhaled heavily, her trembling hands gripping the sword hard until her fingerprints turned bloodless.
"Someone tell my heart to stop ramming my chest. Oh, right; hearts!"
She took in a breath, tried to shake the nervousness out of her body and muttered a little prayer for herself.
"May I not die."
Kuri silently watched from the distance.
Time slowed to a crawl.
Silence filled the training area.
April felt her heart slow down. She lowered her head.
"What's that sound…?"
She slid her foot across the dirt, gradually standing with her legs apart, digging the soles of her shoes into the ground, the katana held behind her in an attacking pose, one that would enable her to spring forward; right knee pressing forward.
Kuri narrowed her eyes. "Who taught you that techni—"
The girl burst off from her spot and appeared in front of the samurai, the woman's eyes widening. April attempted to slash her. But even through her surprised state, Kuri sidestepped to the left, noticing the flash in April's eyes, grabbed April's wrist with one hand, and gently pushed her up and away.
April was thrown away where she landed on her feet with a grace her petite figure failed to exude, her back towards the samurai.
Kuri gasped again before she blinked. "Wait, Where's the katana?"
She turned around, pupils dilating before she narrowly avoided the blade that came on its own, slashing past her.
The girl standing with her back to her turned to face her. Kuri turned and watched as the sword stabbed against a far off boulder by the wall. But attached to it was a rope, a golden rope that seemed to be made of tiny millions of golden crystals. Glowing.
"That… that sand!"
Kuri brought her eyes back to the girl before she went rigid.
"April…"
What the others behind April didn't see was the glowing green iris with the whites of her eyes all black, her lower lip and chin covered in ash gray. April looked different, the golden ends of her hair, and the tips of her tails glowing.
"That is disturbing," Kuri declared, blinking rapidly.
The girl flexed her fingers and pulled. The golden rope attached to her wrist pulled the sword out of the rock and it clattered to April's feet.
"How is she doing that?" Kakuro mumbled at the edge of the fight circle.
Kuri was still watching when April charged, appearing in front of the woman in a split second, swinging the blade using the sand string.
Kuri fluidly dodged the attack, noticing how the girl's movements got faster and faster.
"Incredible!"
April pulled the string back along with the katana, throwing it back after.
Kuri rolled aside instantly, picking up her own weapon and raising it before the wild sword wielded by the two-tailed girl fell down on her. She sprung back to her feet and parried with April who swung from the distance, whipping it with unnatural fluidity.
Kuri was elated at this.
"Brilliant! You're using it as a chain sickle. Is that your Aura? Manifesting your sand into desirable tools for the occasion?"
The girl didn't answer. She swung the sand string, throwing her blade at the woman. Kuri caught the katana by the handle.
"Impressive but predictable."
April's eyes went wide.
Kuri yanked the string back, pulling the girl right to herself.
"How are you doing this?" She muttered, filled with curiosity.
Answering, or as if to answer, the girl threw herself into Kuri's arms. Kuri squinted at this, holding April with her waist. It was a fraction of a second later that April's elven fangs sank into Kuri's shoulder that Kuri's curiosity faded, replaced with a blank expression.
April bit into the samurai's shoulder like an animal.
"Aaangh!" Kuri buckled over, the others finally reacting.
"Sister!" Kakuro bolted towards them, followed by the two men.
"待って!" Kuri shouted and lifted her hand.
The white edge of the fighting circle got bolder and the three people outside collided against an invisible force, unable to enter the circle.
Kakuro punched the invisible forcefield with a desperately angry cry.
Inside, the raven-blonde was gnawing at the woman's shoulder, growling ravenously. Kuri dropped the other katana and grabbed her by the arm, peeling her off, armor stuck between her teeth.
Kuri scoffed dramatically, holding the writhing girl in the air.
"Precious Thing! You bit right through my armor!"
April, in whichever sense of mind she was in, clawed at the woman's armored arm, trying to reach her face, her mouth painted red by blood. The katana still dangled from the golden rope attached to her wrist.
"You've lost your mind." Kuri declared before the girl wriggled free and sank her teeth into her hand. "Ack!"
"Kuri, lift the force!" Kakuro roared at the edge of the circle.
But the older woman laughed like she wasn't getting mauled by a small girl.
"Stay back, all of you." She swung her katana and severed the rope attached to the other katana.
April's body froze, her eyes wide before she pulled her teeth back. She burst into animalistic cries of pain, falling to the ground.
Kuri knelt in front of her, lifting her up by the shoulder. "What's gotten into you?"
She flicked the girl's forehead.
April shot her eyes at the samurai before she pounced her, her fangs bared.
"Tch!" Kuri frowned and formed a notched fist, striking sideways at an angle to the girl's neck, just below the jawline.
With a soft grunt, April collapsed into Kuri's arms. Kuri caught her, her knees giving way as they fell back, April lying unconscious on top of her.
"Pugh! I guess she really didn't want me to train her." She called out to the others who were watching from beyond the invisible barrier.
She glanced at April's peaceful face. Her hand inched closer to the girl's bloody lip.
"お姉ちゃん,そんなこと考えないでよ!" Kakuro spat.
Kuri twitched, grinning wryly.