Planning and Deciding -Open if anyone-

[Hiraku Takashi]

As she got up Hiraku noticed that she had bit through her lip enough to draw a little blood. As she was licking it off Hiraku's thoughts began to wander about her history trying to gather some conclusions about what had done that to her. He knew it had to do with this Shinji person, but what could he have done to scar her like this. For a while it was like she was afraid of him, he shook his head nothing he could do and these thoughts were to obsessive. It was dangerous to dwell on stuff like this.

He looked over to her, he took in what she said, it was a few moments of awkward silence. “I understand” He said smiling “I don't believe discipline is needed unless there was something truly bad done” He laughed “I give credit where credit is due...You dodged my attack and had the speed to trip and move again...It's something we found your strength” He nodded they had. Put the right work-outs and training she could be quicker and faster than most demons. Granted she wouldn't super strong physically but she wouldn't need it.

He walked back to his position he looked up at the sky the sun starting its trek up the sky. They hadn't been out here that long maybe forty five minutes to a hour. He turned back to her, shoulder pointed towards her, in his fighting stance. She was ready; Hiraku knew this wouldn't be easy on her but she needed to be ready for anything. He leapt going the same speed he had been going before, he closed the distance again, let his arm go this time to the right.

[Mihoko]

She never thought of her speed as a strength. She grinned, feeling more confident. Maybe it was time that she actually took advantage of it. She was glad that he didn't make a big deal out of her mistake. It was a minor thing and he excused her for it. This time she wasn't going to let him down. She would definitely block. Mihoko took notice that he was getting back into his stance.

Okay, I can totally do this. You got that, Mihoko?! You've got this. Keep telling yourself that he's different. Hiraku is different. He's different and he won't hurt me. Remember all the great things he's done so far. When he strikes, don't panic!

She was trying to reassure herself and it was working. She waited patiently for him to begin. The cat girl remained focused and had her eyes on him the entire time. He leaped at her again and closed the distance between them once more. A gentle gasp escaped the girl's lips. Mihoko saw him strike and blocked him instantly. She saw a tiny opening, but wasn't sure if she should take advantage of the opportunity. With her free hand, she reached out and pushed on his abdomen lightly.

"I'm glad I spotted that small opening..." Mihoko smiled at him happily. She almost wanted to celebrate by jumping up and down, but she contained herself.

[Hiraku Takashi]

When he felt his attack connect with his student and he saw that she had blocked the attack. He realized that there was a opening but he began to wonder if Mihoko did. When he felt a small push on his abdomen. He knew she had saw it, he took a step back after she had connected. He had a smiled on his face; "Very good!" he said as he walked over to the bench and sat down. "Let's take a short break. Don't want to over work"

He leaned back and let his head hang back. The sun was high in the sky beating down on his face warming his body. His body relaxed and he looked back up "So how do you like training so far?" he then he started thinking what they should do next. She seemed to have the basics down.

He slipped back into some of his old memories. His first training session with Hiko. He was having trouble with the basic forms. But through Hiko's coaching and kindness Hiraku was able to get them down.

[Mihoko]

She grinned widely as Hiraku praised her once more. She finally jumped up and down like she intended to do before. She waved her arms around wildly. Mihoko was proud of herself. She mostly got over her first fear of coming into close contact with other people. The cat girl hadn't been exposed to her second fear just yet. She wasn't too worried about that since she trusted her mentor. She was told to take a break and watched as he sat down on a bench.

"I can take a break? Woo-hoo!" Mihoko jumped one last time before stretching. She lifted her arms at her sides and fell back, letting gravity do its thing. She was now laying in the grass, soaking up the sun's warm rays. She wondered what Emily was doing upstairs in the apartment. The doll was probably throwing a fit because she couldn't get out. The redhead just hoped that the doll wouldn't do anything drastic, like jump from the window. She didn't have her messenger bag with her so she wouldn't be able to patch her back up in case one of her limbs fell off. Her ears twitched when Hiraku asked her how she liked training.

"How do I like it so far? I'm really enjoying it! I think it's fun. You're training me at a pace that isn't too fast, but it's not too slow, either. Oh, you're not being too hard on me. I'm the type of person that gets frustrated very, very easily and so far, I'm not getting frustrated. You're doing an awesome job! Keep up the good work, teacher."

Mihoko sat up and gave him a thumbs up. She was somewhat being silly, but what she said was sincere. He was truly doing a great job. He definitely had the patience. The demon laid back down in the grass and yawned. She moved her feet back and forth like a pendulum. Suddenly, a beautiful monarch butterfly landed on her nose. It caught her off guard and she gasped. The feline wiggled her nose gently, trying to get it to move. It was a stubborn little thing; it wouldn't fly away. She gave up and let it rest there.

"So, you've still never told me much about yourself, Hiraku. I'm still pretty curious, you know. Since we're taking a break from training, why don't you tell me now? You can always leave out stuff that's too personal...." Mihoko was so determined to know about him. Before, she kept holding herself back and was afraid to ask. The urge finally consumed her and she couldn't help herself. She wanted to know his story. The first thing she wanted to know was if he always lived in the human realm or was he raised in the demon realm and then left when he got older. She wondered if he was the type of demon who didn't like humans all that much. It seemed diverse in different cities. Some hated them, some didn't care, and others were neutral.

"On that topic, do you believe that some demons can be saintly? I've seen a few humans that can be just as bad as demons. People say that monsters exist and they definitely do. The thing is, demons aren't monsters. Humans are told that monsters are nightmarish creatures with horns, split tongues, razor sharp teeth, and so on....," the cat girl paused for a second, trying to pick out her wording carefully. "We aren't monsters because of our appearance. We all can be considered monsters by the heartless acts we carry out. If a human mother drowns her child or kills her husband for no apparent reason, then I think she's a monster. ....Are you a monster, Hiraku?"

The girl's question was rhetorical. She wasn't expecting him to answer her. The reason she brought it up was pretty simple. It was a window to figuring out more about him. He might have his own opinion on what defined a monster. The monarch finally took off as she continued to lay in the grass. She was silent, watching a few clouds pass.

[Hiraku Takashi]

The sound of Mihoko's body hitting the ground brought Hiraku back from his thoughts he leaned his head back up to see her laying in the grass. Hiraku was enjoying the day; the sun being in the sky and keeping the world warm around him, luckily it wasn't so hot that it was unbearable like it normally would be. Hiraku removed his coat and set it on the bench beside him. He was wearing a black muscle shirt; the suns rays hit his arms even with his jacket off it still felt like a great day.

He smiled he felt really good being able to help her, he listened as she explained about loving the training. Her excitement radiating from her gave Hiraku more energy. He felt a sense of pride to, because when they were done he could say 'That's my student'. Even more than that she was his friend. He smiled even with that though he couldn't help but to view her as a little sister. It was a feeling he hadn't felt before and he wondered if this was how his brother had at one time felt towards him.

Hiraku saw that she had leaned up he met her gaze as she gave him the thumbs up and laid back down. A slight breeze picked up and blew his hair in his face again. He was being lazy and didn't feel like moving it again but he could see through. He noticed the butterfly that had made a resting place on Mihoko's nose. He looked at the bright colors on the wings. I wonder what type it is he thought to himself.

He felt his blood run cold as she asked him about his past. He thought about it a lot, he was always telling himself that he had come to terms with it. But the truth was he never had he still had nightmares about what happened harbored a fear of opening up to people because of it. He had always kept a distance between people when it came to his personal life because of what his dad and brother did. Even though he liked helping other people with their issues he never came close to getting help with his.

He hadn't opened up about since Hiko, he closed his eyes. Maybe it was time...to at least let one person in to his life. Maybe it was time to tear down the wall for at least one person. Hiraku sighed and opened his eyes. He got up and walked over to Mihoko and sat down next to her. "I don't mind...it's only fair" he laughed trying to hide his hesitance and more importantly his fear.

"Well...to start things I use to have a family. It was me, my mother, my father, and my slightly older brother. We lived together in the mountains for a long time. One day my dad left for work, while he was gone some hunters must of found out about where we lived and what we were...they came to kill us. My mother hid me and my brother but she was killed. Me and my brother left the ruins of the house the hunters had left. My brother wanted to find our dad. I didn't...I don't know why. I guess it was cause I felt like he abandoned us. But I didn't want to see him. So my brother left me there. I haven't seen neither my father or brother since."

"I made my way a town near where we had lived and was living on the streets for the longest time. Most humans would pass by me giving me glares and all sorts of looks. But one human actually stopped and helped me. He was my master Hiko. He took me in, without any question. He never questioned where I came from or what I was. Eventually I came out and told him everything. He smiled...I can remember what he said 'Well that explains those neat eyes you have'. Soon after that he started training me, we lived together as a family. When I was older I wanted to explore the world. But before I could Hiko became sick and I stayed to take care of him...Eventually he died, but he wanted me to live a fulfilled life protecting people. Which is what I have been trying to do the best I can"

Hiraku smiled at the memory of Hiko "Hiko was the closest thing I had to a father in my eyes. So I honor his wish." He looked over at her and smiled then he looked back up to the sky. She then posed a very interesting question, ending it with 'Are you a monster?' Hiraku took a minute to think on his answer.

"We are all monsters in some way Mihoko. Whether you are demon or human. Some of us yes have the physical appearance so to speak. But others have inner monsters. Everything is part of a balance. Light and Dark. We all have both lingering inside of us. But we have a choice on which we would rather let determine our actions. Like you said there are humans worse than any demon I have seen. But I have seen demons like yourself for instance kinder than any human. It goes both ways." he explained leaning back using his hands to balance him.

"Just remember nothing is ever perfect. That goes double for living things. We all mess up or do bad things, it just depends on how you take it. If you take joy out of pain and suffering or if one bad decision will stick with you." Hiraku looked back down at her smiling "Did that help at all?" he asked as another breeze picked up filling the silence between them.

[Mihoko]

She noticed that he closed his eyes and her ears drooped. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything after all? She was getting ready to tell him that she really didn't need to know, but he opened his eyes and got up to sit next to her. Hiraku told her that it was only fair since she already told him so much about her. Her ears perked up again and he laughed. She could sense that he felt a bit uncomfortable. She turned her head to look at him when he started talking about his family. When he described the hunters who slayed his mother, her eyes widened.

His mother was very brave and compassionate to sacrifice herself to save her children. Mihoko thought about her own mother. She wasn't so brave that she tried to protect her two children from Shinji after Testament died. She wouldn't even stand up for herself. The cat girl clenched her fists, wondering if Hiraku would ever go looking for his older brother and father. She even questioned if searching for Zeke was a waste of time. Hiraku didn't seem to be searching for any of his kin, so why should she? He felt like his father abandoned him and his brother and she felt like her sibling left her behind, too. The two demons had a lot in common and she found it eerie.

If Hiko was still around, he would be really proud of his student. Hiraku was a lot like his teacher. He was compassionate and didn't care about Mihoko's background. It didn't bother him that she was a cat demon, either. He selflessly took her in. He didn't do it to glorify himself. She thought that she was the luckiest person ever to have met Hiraku. He looked over at her and smiled. Mihoko chuckled and smiled in return.

The two sat in silence until he answered her question. While they sat in silence, she scooted closer to him. She was told that everyone was a monster in some way. This surprised her. She wasn't expecting him to tell her that. Mihoko didn't want to be consumed by her 'monster'. Would she be letting it take over her if she killed Shinji? She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed, putting her hand over her heart.

"I guess it did. I just wish I could force out all the evil out of me so I wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. I don't want to hurt people, Hiraku," she said, her voice quivering. She was reminiscing on the events that unfolded before her when she pissed off the demons twenty four hours ago. She was only defending herself and she really didn't want to kill anyone. Mihoko looked up at Hiraku for a second and then wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him an awkward hug. She smiled to herself and hugged him a bit tighter. "I bet if Hiko was still around, he'd be very proud of you. You're like him in a way."

The redhead let him go and scooted away from him so he could have his space. She laid back down in the grass and rested her hands behind her head. Maybe she had already found her 'brother'? What if he was sitting right beside her the entire time and she didn't realize it? It didn't really matter if she and Hiraku weren't related by blood. They bonded so easily and they acted like siblings anyway. The two were very close. Her heart skipped a beat; she wanted to stay with Hiraku.

"You know, I wish my mama was as brave as yours. She only tried to stand up for us verbally. She never tried to physically make Shinji stop beating my brother. Whenever Shinji did....um, weird stuff to me, she would only beg him to hurt her instead. I remember playing outside with my brother when I went inside to ask my mama something...," she felt her heart skip a beat again. She clenched her fists and bit her lower lip. She could recall every single detail, but chose not to be very specific. "the door was opened slightly and I peeked inside. I saw her sitting in Shinji's lap. She was facing him. He was hugging her and kissing her. I gasped and he heard me. He looked up at me and I froze. He pushed her down and she didn't understand why until she looked over her shoulder and saw me. She told me to run, but I was too scared. Shinji was heading toward me and when I finally gathered the courage to run, it was too late...." Even though this man tormented her for so many years, she did find a savior. Hiraku was her savior and she wanted him to know that. She sat up and hugged her knees. She eyed him with a serious expression on her face.

"Is it too soon to say that I love you? I love you, Hiraku and I want to stay with you. I want you to be my big brother instead. If you're not thinking about looking for your father and older brother, then I don't want to look for my sibling, either."

[Hiraku Takashi]

Hiraku felt her head rest on his shoulder; he could also sense she had doubts about something, call it a sixth sense. "We all wish we could. But that evil is nothing to be scared of." He explained trying to ease her doubts. He knew that with he did inner doubts were part of the job description. Some other swords for hire just did what they are told and collect. Others questioned it these people where more select about the jobs they took. Hiraku also was select about the jobs, but that didn't mean he didn't have some blood on his hands.

Hiraku was then pulled into a hug he looked down to see Mihoko hugging his waist and smiling. Then she said that she thought Hiko would of been proud and that he was a lot like him. Hiraku turned a light shade of red, he never thought he could be on the level of his master. Maybe because of how humble he was he didn't know. "Thank you...That is good to hear from you" he said smiling slowly losing the color that had filled his face.

She had said she didn't want to hurt anyone, Hiraku looked back to the sky thinking for a moment then spoke in a collective tone "We never want to...Some things like that we never want to do...but there comes a time when we might have to make the decision...it all comes down to what we think is right to do." This is what he told himself when he was hired to kill leaders of gangs or some person that was a threat to the government, or to take out demons who were getting to strong for any of the other hunters to deal with even though none of them will admit it.

He felt her scoot away from him he looked over to her as she explained about her mother. He felt sorry for her and her mother, to never have the bravery to stand up for your own daughter or son. Then Mihoko explained what happened one day, what she witnessed and what she had endured. It made Hiraku sick, rage started to take him. As she told the story he was imagining it all take place. He clenched his fist that was on the opposite side of her, he was trying to hide his rage no avail. It started to spread on his face, he started glaring no one should have to go through that.

When she was done Hiraku's face eased up he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she hugged her knees. She then looked at him with a very serious look, he cocked his head to the side curious. 'I love you' she said, she explained what she come to decide. He couldn't argue with it, he smiled and hugged her "I love you to. Don't worry you will never have to deal with stuff like that ever again" he assured. But even still one day he knew they both would have to face their families. Hiraku just prayed that it would end well for the both of them.

When they parted he smiled and stood up holding out his hand. "Well shall we get back to training? Maybe now we can get in some more advance stuff." He then had a thought pop into his head "a lot of this takes repetition to get down. We will come out and practice every day. After you get that stuff down, you can start weaving what I have taught you into your own form. That way you can say its your own fighting style, and if you want I can teach you certain weapons basics."

He was planning on preparing her for anything, so no matter what she faced she could take it head on with confidence. Then when it came time for her battle with Shinji she would be ready.

[Mihoko]

Do we all really wish that we could force out the darkness that's in our hearts? Some people do while others might not care. Loneliness could be a gateway to letting our inner monsters consume us. I won't let him be lonely. It's impossible and very selfish of me to constantly keep an eye on Hiraku. I'd be no different than Shinji if I did that....

She saw Hiraku blush and she averted her eyes quickly. That was her first time seeing his face turn rosy. Mihoko thought it was adorable, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He thanked her for the compliment and she smirked. There was no need to thank her. She remembered when she met Dante and he told her that he would never hunt her down unless she gave him a reason to. She would never take a human life, but she wondered if sparing Shinji's life was the right thing to do. She wasn't sure and didn't feel like asking.

The cat girl had no idea that her story would irk Hiraku so much. She felt bad about unintentionally pissing him off. Mihoko felt him wrap his arms around her shoulder. He embraced her and said something that shocked her. He said that he loved her as well. Her lower lip quivered and she tried to hold back her tears. This was what she so desperately wanted. The girl wanted someone to tell her that everything would be okay; she wouldn't have to endure any more abuse.

Hiraku rose to his feet and held out his hand toward her. He asked if she was ready to get back to training. She grinned widely and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Of course I am!" Mihoko reached out and grabbed his hand firmly, standing up. Excitement overtook the young demon. She had been looking forward to learning the advanced skills. "We'll be coming out here every day so that means I'm staying here with you for a bit longer?" Her ears perked up and twitched rapidly. She thought that he was just going to teach her the basics and then they'd part ways.

"Right! I'd like you to teach me how to use weapons properly. My needles are thick and strong enough to use. It would be like wielding two swords.....sort of. If it's okay, I'd like to learn that tomorrow. For now, let's move on with the advanced stuff." Mihoko was still clinging on to Hiraku's hand and she blinked. She released his hand and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. She got in position and started punching at the air. She was already focused for her next lesson. "So what do I do when my arms are restrained? I was thinking about headbutting as an option, but I might accidentally knock myself out if I try that." She chuckled and bopped herself on the head playfully.

[Hiraku Takashi]

Mihoko grabbed his hand pulled herself up, Hiraku saw that she had been crying as she wiped tears from her eyes. Hiraku watched her, he could see her excitement pouring through her as she asked if she was allowed to stay. He laughed "You are allowed to stay as long as you want. Despite it's small size it gets lonely in there by yourself." he said.


She began saying how she wanted to keep using her needles as weapons. Small swords she compared them to, Hiraku laughed "more like daggers" he said smiling, "If you get this stuff down pat and after tomorrows practice, sure I will teach you the basics of sword fighting.


When she had let go of his hand he walked a few feet from her to get in position, then he heard the sound of a twig breaking. He shifted his head around looking for the source of the noise. All of his senses on high alert. His eyes shifted from side to side as his ears picked up sounds and his brain sorting through what they were. When he couldn't find anything he began to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him. He shrugged it off and turned back around to face Mihoko.

"When your pinned it all depends on where they are on your body. If they are holding your arms with their hands most of the time you can bring your knee up and hit them between the legs." He said "Headbutting comes as a last resort. You risk yes knocking your self out or becoming dazed which is never good." he explained. "Focus on trying to throw your opponent off of you when that happens. Knocking them off balance is a good way. Shifting your hips moving around then pushing upwards when your sure they are off balance."

He had heard rustling of the leaves as the wind blew. His senses shot up again, part of being a sword for hire you tend to get a little paranoid about things. He didn't want to be caught by surprised, after looking around with his eyes and not seeing anything out of the ordinary he let it go and focused back on Mihoko. "Do you want to practice trying to get someone off who has you pinned? Or do you want to move on with this?" He asked smiling.

[Mihoko]

"Oh? Then that settles it! I'll stay with you until I'm absolutely ready to return to Fortuna." While she compared her knitting needles to swords, he compared them to daggers. Mihoko giggled and stuck out her tongue at him playfully. It felt so good to be able to joke around with another person. Her eyes lit up. He would teach her how to use weapons the next day if she was able to catch on with what he was going to teach her next. She was ten times more determined now. Her ears started spazzing when she heard a twig snap. Hiraku seemed tensed and on high alert; what was he so worried about?

Something's bothering him and it's starting to make me uneasy. There are loads of people out today. Anyone could have made that sound. It could have even been an animal, right? No one would dare strike us during broad daylight, right? He shrugged it off and she relaxed. He described what to do if she ever got in a situation where she was pinned. She laughed out loud when he said to kick her opponent in between the legs. Mihoko figured that headbutting was a bad idea and she honestly was never going to try it. She made mental notes to herself as he gave off a list of ways to throw off an opponent. It sounded easy, but she knew that it was going to be difficult. The cat girl was small, fragile. She was going to have to put up a fight if she wanted to survive.

"I'm weak, Hiraku. I'm physically weak. How am I supposed to throw someone off whose stronger than me?" She asked, a hint of fear and frustration in her voice. She was too busy sulking that she didn't pay any attention to the sound of rustling leaves. She lowered her head, trying to come up with ways to defend herself in that sense. One option was to build up her muscles, but was doing so a waste of time? He asked her if she wanted to work on throwing someone off or if she wanted to move on with the advanced fighting. His smile eventually put her in a better mood. Mihoko smiled in return. She shrugged her shoulders before giving him her answer.

"I'd rather we just go on. I can learn how to defend myself while pinned some other time. I'd like your opinion, though." She would change her mind if he thought it was more important for her to learn that instead. She'd rather be safe than sorry. Mihoko casually looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. She didn't hear anything strange, either. She wanted to think that Hiraku was jumpy because he wanted to protect her. That could have been the reason, but she wasn't sure. The cat girl wanted to protect him, too.

[Hiraku Takashi]

He listened to her concerns, "it's all about momentum. The littlest movement can knock any opponent off balance if they are not paying attention." he explained smiling. It was true he had seen people Mihoko's size throw people bigger than Hiraku off top of them. It was all in the movement of the body against the body on top of the person. The wind blew again and Hiraku could sense that something was waiting for the right moment to strike. Was he being paranoid? Probably. But he had a feeling in his stomach, that there was something or someone waiting for them.

"Then when can move on and pick that up when you get a little more down" he said moving his hair from his eyes. "Now I am not a very big fan of kicking mainly cause I never have had to resort to it. But its a great offense considering that is where most of your strength lies." His eyes shot left, he heard footsteps undeniable footsteps in the alley next to the building, on the other side of the fence. He could see a shadow through cracks in the fence. He sized it up as much as he could. A demon at best...but he should know not to have come alone... he thought to himself. Hiraku moved his eyes back Mihoko wondering if she saw the same thing.

"But with kicking you can reach most points of a opponent depending on the height." He explained hoping she caught on to he ploy. He didn't want the demon to know he was on to it. "Even with your build I would be as bold to say if you got the form down you could get a kick to my head." he laughed. More footsteps he shot a quick glance, another one moving next to the other demon. Could they be the demons from last night? he thought raising his eye brow. He eyes had already returned to Mihoko he smiled at her.

"Maybe soon we can have a good exercise about everything you have learned" he said letting his hair fall into his eyes walking over to where he had left his sword laying. He grabbed it "Actually it should be very soon". The sound of boards hitting the ground cut through the air as the two demons burst forth. They where holding swords both dressed in similar attire. Both had were wearing white hoods that had a mask covering all but their yellow glowing eyes, blank white robes that draped a few inches past their knees. "This ought to be fun" he laughed.

Hiraku looked at Mihoko and smiled trying to say 'don't worry'.

"Your going to pay! For what you did to our father!" the demon on the left roared.

Hiraku shrugged "If he wasn't using humans as slaves and food I wouldn't have to step in now would I?" Hiraku started placing his sword in it's belt loop. "Though you guys did get a little more daring to attack this place in broad daylight...I will give you that" he said smirking "But still you know you can't win this." he looked towards Mihoko, Hiraku was sure that with him beside she would do just fine. "You wanna take one of them?" he asked her smiling "It would be good practice." He wouldn't of asked her if he wasn't dead sure that these were very weak demons.

He turned back to face the demons and without warning he charged straight at them pulling his blade and slicing right in between them. Separating them, he watched them both jump to opposite sides of him. Hiraku twirled on his foot to the right deciding he would take this one. Arching his sword downward towards the demon barely missing it.

[Mihoko]

She let out a playful gasp. "What? Hiraku isn't a fan of kicking? Kicking is fun!" Mihoko giggled and showed off how well she could kick. She didn't know that kicking was great when it came to offense. She was going to have to try that eventually. The cat girl heard the footsteps and was finally catching on. She raised a brow and contemplated to herself. ....some people really stink at being stealthy. Who ever was trying to sneak up on the two needed to practice more. She forced herself not to crack a smile.

She liked how Hiraku was fooling the demons into thinking that they had no idea what was going on. She grinned at him and then covered her mouth. She was trying not laugh this time. Mihoko regained her posture, ready to fight. "I hope so! I want to test out what you've taught me." she watched as he went to retrieve his sword. He warned her that she was going to be putting her skills to the test very soon. Once the demons made their dramatic entrance, the feline noticed their piercing yellow eyes. She looked over at Hiraku and she could tell that he was trying to reassure her.

Oh, no. I could have sworn that I killed every last demon that confronted me at the bar. Maybe these two were watching me from a safe distance? This is bad. This is really bad. Maybe Hiraku went on a mission or something before going to the bar? The dark skinned girl was speechless. She relaxed once Hiraku spoke. She wasn't totally sure if the demons wanted revenge because of what she did or what he did. She would ask him a little later. He asked her if she would like to fight one of them. She nodded her head vigorously. "Definitely! ...Please be careful, okay?" Mihoko smiled at him. She wasn't scared for him, but she still wanted him to be cautious.

"I won't let you near my brother!" She shouted with anger. She clenched her fists and got in her stance. The demon laughed at her because of her puny size. She wasn't going to back down, though. He grinned and licked his lips before charging at her. She was surprised that he left such a wide opening for her. She learned another lesson today. Blind fury was dangerous.

She kept her stance and once he was close enough, she punched him in the abdomen. He grunted in agony and went to cover his stomach. Mihoko grinned and kicked him in the face this time since he was doubled over. She saw him lose his balance and fall over. She was waiting for him to get up, which was a bad idea. This gave him the opportunity to trip her. She fell back and he tried to get on top of her. The child screamed as he tried to pin her, but she continued to squirm.

"Get away!!" She punched him in the face and crawled away, trying to get to her feet. The demon grabbed one of her legs, attempting to pull her back. With her free leg, she kicked him in the face and looked back. She successfully gave him a bloody nose. "Whoa, I busted him open. I've never made someone bleed..." Mihoko wanted Hiraku to see, but she didn't want to distract him. He released her leg and she stood up. He got up and continued striking at her. She dodged most of his blows, but got punched in the face.

She spit in the grass and noticed that her saliva was mixed with blood. She wiped the blood from her mouth and used her swift agility to strike him in the neck. She watched as the demon fell to ground. He wasn't getting up and she didn't understand why. Mihoko tilted her head to the side and kicked at him gently. She wasn't sure if he was unconscious or dead. A blow like that couldn't have killed a demon. ".....Uhh...hello...?" The demon poked at him again with her foot.

[Hiraku Takashi]

Be careful? He was always careful...well most of the time. He laughed to himself, he watched the demon he had sorted to himself. It stood in front of him slouched over it's eyes barely noticeable. He could barely see the the glow of the eyes. Hiraku's gaze became cold as ice, it was battle time and he knew what needed to be done. This demon needed to die, he remember back to the small island they had inhabited. Using humans as cattle breeding them for food and workers. It was sickening, what made it worse was they also used their own kind for slaves. These demons must of some how snuck off the island and battle.

The glow of the yellow eyes in front of him came to full view, snapped Hiraku out of this thoughts and back towards the task at hand. The demon charged Hiraku, his attack full of malice and hate. Hiraku easily side stepped the attack and brought down the hilt of his sword down at the base of the demons neck. It groaned as it hit the ground with his elbows and knees. He was down but not out he just had to hit his second wind. 'I won't let you hurt my brother' he heard Mihoko shout. He turned around just in time to see the fight between his student...his friend...his sister and this monster. He watched as she used the things she was taught in this fight.

He was very proud but couldn't enjoy it for long demon that was laying at his feet seemed to get its second wind. "Your done!" it had screamed it was warning enough to Hiraku, he rolled backwards keeping his blade away from him at all possible. He felt the sword's icy touch on his arm as it barely glided over his skin causing a little bit of blood to spill. When he landed on his feet he looked at his arm. Barely even a scratch but that demon would not live to know the fear he should. Hiraku stood up he was done playing around.

His gaze kept it's coldness glaring straight into the demons eyes. Hiraku took a step closer bringing the sword up to his chest then when his other foot hit the ground he was in a dead sprint. He closed the area between the two of them in no time flat. He looked at the demons eyes he knew he was getting ready to strike and he knew where. Hiraku felt his right leg push into the ground as he rolled on the tip spinning his body to dodge the piercing strike the demon was delivering. "To easy" he muttered as he completed his spin bringing the sword around cutting clean through the demons neck separating from it's shoulders. He looked up to be sure it had struck. When he saw the body fall he loosened up and looked over Mihoko.

He was worried he had scared her showing his full battle side. He wiped his sword on the grass doing his best to clean the blood off of it. He knew he would have to do a better job when he got back up to his apartment. He looked back up at her his gaze softened and said "I see you did well...looks like he is out cold...." he trailed off then added "I hope I didn't scare you..."

[Mihoko]

Mihoko got on her knees and reached out to the demon that was laying beside her. She was going to check the male's pulse. She stopped, only an inch away from his neck. She was hesitating, fearing that she did kill him. She took a deep breath and exhaled before checking his pulse. A weight had been lifted off of her shoulders when she felt a light pulse. She wondered if Hiraku was going to finish him off. The cat girl wanted to interrogate him to get answers, but wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

If we do let this man go, he might report back to his clan. I'll be on their hit list, too. I always give people a second chance. My kindness is probably my biggest weakness. .....I'm being stupid. I want to know this man's opinion about Hiraku, but he's only going to give me the negatives. He's told me enough about him. I don't need to keep forcing him to tell me anything else. Maybe I still have my doubts? ....I did say that my kindness is my weakness. I've already torn down my walls and I'm vulnerable. You won't betray me, will you, Hiraku?

She looked on as he fought the remaining demon. She noticed how precise and how focused he was. It was as if Hiraku was a totally different person. Her eyes shimmered in the sunlight as she gazed upon Hiraku's arm. It had been sliced by his opponent's sword. The cut wasn't bad at all, but there was a bit of blood. She was sure to tend to it once the battle was over. Mihoko was the nurturing type so she would take care of it regardless.

The cat girl thought back when she was just beginning to train with Hiraku and he gave off an unsettling feeling the first time she was learning how to block. His cold stare was giving off that same feeling and it made her stomach tighten. He lifted his sword to his chest and sprinted toward the demon. He easily avoided his attack and she blinked, realizing what he was going to do. Before Hiraku beheaded the demon, she averted her eyes. She heard his sword slicing through the demon's neck and then heard as the body collapse to the ground. Mihoko didn't like this side of him. Once it was over, she looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her.

"Mhm. He's just unconscious. Thank goodness," she was genuinely relieved that this heartless demon was okay. She was such a naive little girl. She was getting ready to unmask him when Hiraku spoke up again. "what? Oh, no. I wasn't frightened.....I just-----....it's nothing." She wanted to know what they were supposed to do with the other demon. They couldn't just leave it. The humans wouldn't be happy to find a dead demon and an unconscious one near the playground. She ran her fingers through her hair. She seemed a little frustrated.

"You've cut your arm. I don't want it getting infected so I'll sterilize it in a bit. We need to figure out what we're going to do about these two. ....If you'll let me, I want to question this one when he comes to. I have rope in my messenger bag. Hopefully that will be strong enough to restrain him...." Mihoko finally took the mask off of the demon. It wasn't every day that someone runs into demons with the same piercing eyes. Maybe the ones that she killed the night before truly were in the same clan as the ones that pursued them.

[Hiraku Takashi]

He frightened her. He knew he had by the sound of her voice when he asked if she was okay. He hoped that one day that she would understand that it is sometimes necessary to kill. But for now he was going to let her keep the little innocence she had left. He let his gaze move around the area carefully checking for anyone or anything else that might be around. When he didn't see anything else he sighed and walked over to Mihoko and the demon. He knelt down and covered his mouth with his hand.

He listened to what Mihoko wanted to do. He laughed when she brought up his arm. "I guess...What about you? Where you wounded?" he asked looking up at her he noticed the blood in her mouth. He must of gotten one in, he didn't see any more marks or bruising. At least she has blocking down he thought sighing. He then noticed she had taken off the mask. He grimaced he never saw under any of their hoods.

The skin of the face of the demon look like it had been burnt off. Pieces of the original skin where slowly coming back but not enough. The lips had been cut off. He took a closer look at it's unconscious face. It's cheek bones had been broken, then a small bit of info he had heard clicked in his head. These had been the island spies, they molded their face so they could wear other make up over top of it to look like anyone or anything. He had never heard what they done to themselves to do this, or seen it. He shuddered still at the sight of it, "I think your right I want to have a few words with our friend here..." He said starting to rummaging through the robes of the demon.

He felt a note in the pocket and pulled it out standing up as it came out. It was folded over twice, Hiraku began reading as when he unfolded it. 'It's up to you to get revenge for your dead clan. You know who to hunt. Hiraku Takashi.' Hiraku looked up from the note shaking his head. He sighed and went back to the note their was one more line. Then a initial. 'After you reap your vengeance. I have another important mission for you signed S'

Hiraku's eyes narrowed, this note meant this wasn't over here. No...It was just beginning. He crumpled up the note and put it in his pocket. This sealed wanting to get info from this demon, if their was someone after him he needed to know who, and where they resided so he could pay them a little visit to set down the law.