Training of Blood

Training begins
Hisashii, the youngest Reikon Kyuuban Elder, walked out of the lone cabin on Mt. Fuji, leaving behind the new Queen. His goal was to find the oldest Elder living and the Newborn he had with him. He was now in bat form, homing in on the Elder's unique energy signature, which for a reason Hisashii himself didn't know, was much more erratic than a typical RK's. Truth be told, it made tracking much easier, since it stuck out like a sore thumb.

He found the duo at the base of the mountain, waiting. He swooped down to the ground and took again his human form. "Kain-sama, how much does the girl know of us?" His voice, even hindered by the mask seemed to reverberate with a sense of power.

"Here already?" Kain's voice echoed within the mountain, as he then told the man. "She knows very little. Inclusive of training, you will have to give her lessons based on knowledge." Kain told him; patting his shoulder as Kain was on his way out, he asked Hisashii, "You should remain alone of the girl. Be wary of her raw powers, they surpass even your own. Furthermore, has Myst seen you?"

Kounaki shivered slightly, both presences were powerful...and they were menacing. The way they were talking to one another had frightened her, and then Kain looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry, he'll take good care of you!" Kain flew off in his multiple bat form, reached Hisashii's cottage and reverted to his human form. "They are beginning..." is all he told Myst.

Hisashii nodded as Kain took flight. "How about we start with a, for lack of better terms, question and answer session? I'm sure you probably want to know something, don't you? What you are, the woman who turned you, anything is fair game.

Meanwhile, at the cabin, Myst had just finished feeding on a deer. "They are? I hate when you bring bad news. So tell me, when we saved that girl, was that the start of another war?"

"A war? Oh my dear, it is something much more catastrophic." Kain said as he sat down on one of the chairs provided by Hisashii. "You see, the people we saw...they weren't necessarily human. But...they were far more bestial than that." Kain retorted to her, hoping she'd pick up on what he was saying.

If one could see inside Myst's mind, it was as if she was afraid to say what needed to be said. "Are you sure this isn't some joke or are you saying that those things were...no. They couldn't be. But if vampires are real, then that means that we're dealing with werewolves doesn't it? I'm starting to think every human myth is true at this rate."

"You're not wrong. After all, Angels exist, Demons exist and perhaps you could say God exists. Though we do not know that for sure...but let us not worry about these tedious things, we should watch their training from here." Kain said as he opened an unusual spiritual projection from a large orb at the edge of the room. He sipped some tea that he made just then, and looked on at the girl and Hisashii.

Hisashii readied his Gunbai. "Fine, I suppose we should get started. Your task is simple, Land a solid blow upon my person, and make it count." He backed off a little to provide his new student some thinking room and some space to move. "Come at me when you're ready."

"W-what?" Kounaki began to get panicked. She saw how easily Hisashii fought Myst, and was afraid she was going to get killed by his power. "B-but..." Kounaki then remembered something, this was training. She wasn't going to get killed, no, this wasn't like Myst's fight. She needed to tame her powers, and she bore the resolve to do so. Immediately she moved in for the attack, using her new-found physical strength to attempt to slam her fist into Hisashii's gut.

Hisashii easily saw the move coming and simply caught the fist in his hand. "You pack some punch, but not enough to impress me, not yet." A mere flick of his wrist, he was able to toss the girl like a ragdoll. "At this rate, I'll kill you without even attacking. Try harder. Until you need to drink blood or land a blow, we are not stoping your training, even if the world starts to end. Got it?"

Kounaki brought herself back up. She almost forgot that this guy was...over 500 years old. He had too much experience, and Kounaki needed to catch up, quickly! Immediately her feet moved, using a zig-zag pattern to briefly try and disorient her new teacher. Immediately she propelled herself from the ground, using a powerful kick to his side. As soon as she tried, Hisashii blocked her kick with his fist, before exerting slight force to smash Kounaki onto the ground.

Kounaki screamed in pain as she smashed into the ice. But then transferred the kinetic energy from her hands into her legs, attempting to kick the man that just pummeled her into the ground with a powerful flip-kick. However, that was also redirected as Hisashii fluidly evaded it by shifting to the left, immediately afterwards she flicked Kounaki again, causing her to pummel onto the ground.

"Your strikes aren't getting anywhere. Stop being arrogant and realize who you're up against!" Hisashii told her, as Kounaki continued struggling to get up from the icy floor.

"Why don't we talk for a bit? I'm sure by now you're tired of ending up on your backside. I must know, why did the Queen choose you? From what Kain-sama said, she hadn't Turned another in over twenty years. She imparted much of her stored up energy into you, but why?"

She stood up again. And replied to his question, "Honestly...I don't know. I was lying there, on the floor, blood dripping out of me bit by bit. Her compassion was enough to save me from being destroyed. For some reason, my family was kidnapped. And yet she entered to prevent me from dying. She is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. Will I forget her favor? Never. If I must, I will submit myself to her. I will become her guardian, just like Kain-san. But for that, I want strength! I want the power to protect her as she protected me!" Kounaki shouted, and her voice was heard by the spectating Kain and Myst.

"Did you heart that, Myst? The child is already grown attached." Kain commented, chuckling in the process, "She's quite a bit like you."

Hisashii chuckled. For a Newborn, the girl was stubborn as could be, but at least she had something to hold onto. "I like the fire in your eyes. You know your Queen is watching us. Show us all the depths of your loyalty to her, and when the time comes, perhaps you can join the ranks of her few guardians. But that, child, is years ahead of you. You're only hours old."

Myst smiled. "She's the type who likes to repay debts. I like that in a person. She's stubborn, almost as bad as myself, but how long can she fight on? Hisashii barely exrted any energy between our fight and that little smack-down. I should have expect this, fighting Elders is hard work."

"I will fight! For her and for myself. I must learn...to protect what I couldn't back then..." Kounaki said, as suddenly there was a sword that manifested in her arm. "...Huh? Where did this come from?" A voice pulsated inside her being, "Hehe. You have shown us some outstanding resolve. Now give that guy a good beating!" Kounaki realized who it was, and smiled at the weapon given to her. Clutching it with both hands, "Alright! Let's do this one more time!"

"Fine. As a courtesy, I will fight you seriously." Hisashii declared his intent. He readied his Gunbai once again and charged in, swinging the massive war-fan as if it were a twig.

Kounaki's reflexes picked up and she attempted to parry the Gunbai with a side-stroke of her blade, but its strength was enough to cause her to move to the side. However; Kounaki clutched onto a spike of ice that had been present. She surprised herself with her newfound movements, and then understood that it wasn't solely her own, but the person inside of her was assisting. So she moved once more, attempting to strike Hisashii multiple times with several Kendō strikes to his upper body.

Hisashii hadn't expected Kounaki suddenly becoming a good fighter, not that it was possible to see coming anyway. That kid...what IS she? It was simple enough to try and block, but the girl was getting faster. A few tears appeared in Hisashii's shirt where the blade slid past his guard, which moments before had been impenetrable. "Good, keep this up and soon, you will be a great Reikon Kyuuban." he said as he aimed a kick at Kounaki's chest.

Immediately she used the sword to block the sudden kick, but was swept aback. Catching her breath and gripping onto the icy floor, she told the spirit inside her, "Remove this sword...I need to use my own power!" Kounaki's thoughts amused the spirit, as it grinned and told her. "Are you sure? There's a lot that you will have to improve on you know." Kounaki coldly replied, "I am ready to take it, without your assistance." The spirit did as she commanded, and removed the sword.

Kounaki's movements suddenly stumbled greatly, and her knee smashed onto the ice as she began to pant. "H-Hisashii-sensei...I would like to implore you to teach me combat...before we do this test again...but only after a small rest..." Kounaki suddenly collapsed onto the ground, falling unconscious due to overexertion of her ability.

Hisashii placed the Gunbai on his back and lifted the girl, taking her up to the cabin so she could rest and recover. ''I can tell, I'm going to have my hands full with you. Perhaps that is for the best''.

Combat, Combat and More Combat!
It had been an entire day before Kounaki had woken up from her unconscious state. She had felt rejuvenated, and was greeted with Kain sipping tea near her bedside. "Welcome back, Kounaki. How do you feel?" Kain asked, and Kounaki responded rather happily, "I feel much better. Thank you Kain-san. Where would Myst-san be?" She questioned, and Kain simply responded with, "On the balcony."

Kounaki stepped out of the bed, with a towel wrapped around her - considering she unexpectedly was in underwear - and entered the bathroom with some clothes she found lying in the closet. "Strange. Isn't this a male's house? Or is he accommodating another woman..." Kounaki thought, before taking a simple tank-top and thigh-high shorts and entering the bathroom.

As soon as she finished her shower, she tied up her hair in a single ponytail, before heading out towards the corridor and to the balcony. She saw Myst looking out towards the horizon, and wondered if something was bothering her. "Myst-san? Are you alright?" Kounaki asked, as she stepped onto the balcony.

Myst hadn't expected Kounaki to be up and about and jumped when she heard her voice. "Yeah. Just tired. I'm glad to see you're feeling better. After yesterday, I thought you'd be alot worse for wear. You did get beat up pretty badly. Although something about you seems off compared to other RK. You've yet to have a desire to drink blood. Usually, a Newborn like you would need to drink after a beating like that. Maybe you're just the rare one that doesn't need as much, or maybe I gave you more of my power than I expected."

"Strange isn't it? But then, I remember that I have a yōkai within myself. I believe that my sustenance, currently, comes from something else. But what exactly do Oni feed on?" Kounaki pondered, and then asked Myst something else, "Um...Myst-san, about my declaration yesterday...I hope you didn't find that embarrassing..." She played and twirled with her fingers as her head was bowed, slightly in shame.

"Don't be ashamed. I thought it was rather touching that you'd go to such lengths for me as a way of saying thanks. I'm glad you appriciate the gift. I was actually afraid you'd hate me because I forced you into this." Myst said. "As for why you don't need blood like I do, perhaps that Oni blood of yours is surpressing your need."

"T-thank you!" Kounaki stumbled as she went out of the balcony. As she began to sprint across the corridor again, she accidentally bumped into Hisashii and immediately stumbled backwards, about to trip over.

Hisashii reached out and stopped Kounaki from falling. "Do be careful. I don't want you hurt before our next session. Let me know when you're ready to go back out to train, I think it's time for you to learn how to fight properly, don't you?"

"I think so as well! I'm going down to the summit of the mountain. I won't bring any weapons, I want to learn how to fight without a weapon before I equip that blade again! Alright, see you soon sensei!" Kounaki waved as she leaped from the nearest window down to the summit.

"Already so confident...hehe." Kain laughed as he saw Kounaki jump out of the window. "Remember the years I taught you for Hisashii? You were even more determined than this girl! It amused me to no end, I must admit!" Kain began to exasperate in laughter, clutching his stomach along with it.

"I remember. Although before I depart, I must ask you something. Why did you teach the new Queen those spells of yours so soon? I can't help but wonder what went on in your head." Hisashii wondered what could posess his teacher to pass on the techniques down to such a young vampire.

"What possessed me? Well let's see...frankly, it appeared that Myst was the sole Reikon Kyuuban worthy of inheritance. As to why? Hm...maybe it was because...she reminded me of her from a long time ago. You wouldn't know this, but your Lord Mother was quite the heroine in her time." Kain said, chuckling as he did so. "Either way, I'm off. I need to...take care of some matters." Kain transformed into a number of bats, flapping his wings as he flew away from the mountainside.

Queen Myst reminded you of Lord Scarlet? Hisashii decided not to dwell on that and turned into a bat to fly down to the training grounds once more. He tracked down Kounaki and reverted to his human form. "So, what do you want to learn today?"

"I want to learn unarmed combat. Before I can wield a weapon, I should be able to defend myself without one. Even if it is just the basics, I need to be able to fight without a weapon without being killed immediately!" Kounaki stated, as she began to take a rather fumbled and improper stance.

"First off, you're off balance. Move your feet a little closer together, bring your arms in, closer to your torso. If you want to fight, you need to learn to stand properly. A sudden gust could knock you over the way you are now, and that isn't good."

Doing as she instructed, Kounaki's stance was properly adjusted to provide her with a solid foundation. Kounaki then asked, "Alright! I've got that underway, but I think...I need to work on my reactions and durability. From our last fight...I found that my reaction timing was horrid."

"No. Your reactions were like a human's. Slow? Yes, but I expected nothing better. You weren't trained to fight, nor have you gotten used to your new level of power. I was a samurai for a few years before Kain-sama turned me, so I could read the bodies of my enemies. I knew what was coming. I'll do something different, but the same. I'll lower myself to that level to that you can learn to read my movements." Hisashii ran in after limiting his power to the basest he could get it, so that Kounaki could see him.

Kounaki saw him, clearly and within her vision. He lifted an arm, and attempted to strike her at the shoulder. Immediately, Kounaki used her right forearm to repel the attack, as she attempted almost immediately afterwards to use a palm thrust towards his abdomen.

Hisashii couldn't evade the palm thrust slam into his gut, sending the air right out of him. He countered with a sudden kick aimed at her hip, a rather painful reminder that one shouldn't pay let the enemy counter attack.

As immediately as her palm thrust moved, Kounaki was left gasping at the kick but grasped on the icy floor. Quickly she brought herself back up on her feet, moving in quickly as she used a somersault to try and land a powerful kick on Hisashii's head.

Hisashii watched Kounaki spring back quickly and launch into a counter. He knew the training already was paying off. He didn't dodge, but decided to do something his master would in the same situation. The kick made impact with the mask, creating a weak 'boink' sound. "Probably should have mentioned. My mask is unbreakable by normal means."

"That little...hmph. He's trying to imitate me. Doing a horrible job he is." Kain thought as he saw the training progress.

Kounaki was stumped for a second, and leaving out this detail, she swung her other leg towards his right shoulder, where he would normally wield his Gunbai. "Take this!" She shouted as she did so.

Hisashii rolled with the kick to midigate the damage. "Hm. You're getting quicker. Your reactions are improving. Are you ready for me to increase the dificulty yet?"

"Yes, sir!" Kounaki said as she took her stance back again while flipping onto the ground. She prepared herself, keeping her eyes out for sudden movements made by her teacher. He had centuries of experience, and Kounaki wasn't sure if she was even a day old!

Hiashii released a bit more of his power, cracking the ground from the force. His muscles tensed up a split-second before he jumped into the air and started decending quicky, aiming to land a smashing double-fisted punch down on Kounaki.

Almost instinctively, Kounaki's entire body turned around, using an elegant backflip to evade the attack as it barely missed her and smashed on the ground below her. She was getting better, but surely this wasn't enough. As she took brief hold on a large tree branch, she propelled herself in an attempt to smash a punch into Hisashii's gut.

Hisashii pulled out his gunbai to use as a makeshift shield. He was finally starting to enjoy the fight now that it was no longer one sided. ''Her improvements from yesterday...it's astounding how quickly she adapts. Only a single day and she's this powerful. How?''

Hisashii put a bit of his spiritual pressure into the gunbai and quickly pushed on it, creating a sudden whirlwind to push Kounaki back. He then slashed with the fan to create a small shockwave using what remained of the energy he had transfered.

Hisashii's attack left Kounaki open in the air, but the amount of balance she regained, she used to create a cross formation on her arms, using that as a means to mitigate some of the damage brought by the shockwave Hisashii created. As she was pushed onto the floor, she rolled herself backwards, got into a four-legged position briefly and pushed with the balls of her feet, attempting to get a roundhouse kick into Hisashii's abdomen. "I'm getting better!" She thought as she did so.

The impact served forced Hisashii to lose his footing, causing him to rapidly flail his arms to regain balance, rather a comical sight until the Elder regained his posture. "Seems like you favor blows to the abdomen. If I was a real opponent, I could use this against you, and you'd be dead or close to it."

Kounaki regained her posture as well. "Then could you direct me to a few key weaknesses I could exploit? I'm not an experienced fighter, you see."

"I wouldn't expect you to be trained to fight. You're only a human after all. You've never had to worry about war on the scale I had. But, that's what I'm here for, to train you. But back to the task at hand. In unarmed combat, try aiming for the legs to keep your opponent off balance. Even more so if said opponent has a weapon. If that can't happen, try to disable the arms, especially the sword arm."

"Yes, sir!" Kounaki immediately responded, propelling forward and using an immediate low kick in an attempt to stagger Hisashii, all while thinking about how tough it must have been on him to train under Kain.

Hisashii had expected such a move, especially since he just told Kounaki to do it, so he jumped back to avoid being hit. "Let me give you some advice. Don't ever try something an enemy suggests, because they'll expect it.You probably would have been better off doing something else."

Kounaki grinned as she immediately used the remnants of ice as temporarily projectiles, using it to ensnare Hisashii's vision. "I think I know that much, sensei!" Kounaki used a powerful backflip, hoping to entangle Hisashii's right leg and smash him into the ice. "How's this!?"

Hisashii felt his apprentice coil around his leg and the next thing he knew, gravity became a harsh mistress as his body, unable to stop falling, smashed into the ice. The shards of ice Kounaki threw sailed harmlessly overhead. "You...you put me on my back. Good, my training seems to have paid off." the masked man panted. Even though he was using a fraction of his power, the effort took alot out of him.

Though on the inside, Kounaki was very happy, but she couldn't be overconfident. She needed to get as good as could within a small amount of time, and had unconsciously released more spiritual energy. "Let's go another level, sensei!" Her spiritual energy exuded, in a powerful violet and red shade. It was strangely dominating, but at the same time not inherently dangerous as a standard Reikon Kyuuban's power.

Hisashii stood and released another portion of his power, causing violet whips to appear around him, almost like cherry blossom petals, and fade away. "You're a monster fit to be a Reikon Kyuuban. We've been sparring since you woke up, and you show no sign of slowing down. I'm afraid you might overwork yourself at this rate."

"That'll be fine with me!" Kounaki moved swiftly, and not towards Hisashii, but just around him. In a matter of seconds, Kounaki's feet immediately shifted, as she drifted around Hisashii and turned to give a kick straight to his back.

Hisashii wasn't about to get shown up by the Newborn a second time, it would disgrace the title of Elder if it could happen again. With lightning quick reflexes, he spun and used the gunbai like a baseball bat, knocking Kounaki back. "Good try, Newborn. But not good enough."

"Argh!" Kounaki said, as she visibly began to pant. "This...is taking quite a toll on me. Sensei...I think we should stop here." Kounaki panted as she spoke, standing up while she did so.

"Good work. For being a day old, you have power. Get up the house and rest. You've exceeded my expectations child. You have a bright future ahead of you." Hisashii said, walking back to the path that led up to the place he called home.

"Yes sir!" Kounaki began to walk to the house, and she turned around and asked, "Aren't you coming along, sensei?"

Hisashii  shook his head. "No, I'm waiting for someone. I'll be along shortly. Knowing Kain-sama, he'll have tea waiting for you."

"Uh...sure thing!" Kounaki walked to the house, and as Hisashii said, Kain was there, sipping tea and waiting for her.

Fin