Destined to meet

As he swung at her sword hand, Cerulia moved her blade back and moved her shield to catch the blade in mid swing, lifting it at the same time to throw him off and get her own opening. However, she was unable to bring back her sword to inflict enough damage to him, so instead, the woman slid right next to him. As she was now too close to him for Nalik to bring his sword onto her, she felt another surge of confidence.

"Haha! Concentrating really hard, aren't we?" She huffed, pushing at the ground with both legs so she could headbutt him in the face (coming from below, knocking him in the nose). Sure, it was a really odd maneuver, but she couldn't even give him a simple cut from this distance. She was sure that, if she went for a stab, it would leave more than the intended scratch. So Cerulia went for a more direct approach to see if she could stagger him to deal a lighter blow.

Cerulia blocked his sword and tried to get in close. Then, she smacked her skull into his chin, catching Nalik by supprise and knocking his hat off. So she wanted to fight like that? Fine! He'd show her just how strong he was. "This is the headbut of-" The Inu shouted, almost too jumbled together to understand as he grabbed her shield and slid his right foot forward. Gritting his teeth as he slammed his head down on hers back as hard as he could. At this range his strength really gave him the advantage and he wasn't about to let Cerulia fly out of reach again anytime soon!

Cerulia began to see stars upon the strike back from Nalik, her body starting to reel back. Her forehead began to throb, but her main concern was her shield, as it was in Nalik's grasp. Using the momentum of her recoil, she bent backwards in a roll, making sure to pull her shield with her.

The world spun violently. She could feel the top of her shoulder blades meeting the stone beneath, her legs bent in the roll. The tug from her shield brought her opponent forward again (they both were a little dizzy, she could tell) so snapped her legs out in a kick right to his gut before completing the roll. The one wing behind her scraped against the stone too, but nothing seemed damaged just yet. She got to her feet a little further away from Nalik, so she could get to her feet (she staggered a bit, trying to blink away the spinning) and go for another charge close to his legs. She had a feeling that she could win, even if it was just with a small, minuscule scratch...

The woman kicked Nalik back as he quickly stomped the ground with his right leg to keep his steady balance. "Damn, that felt good...." He muttered to himself, leaning on his sword's hilt slightly. He thought for sure that would give her a bloody nose or something, but Cerulia was pretty tough! Then she started running at him with her metal feather sword. He had his chance.

The meister redied his sword and focused on it. Pulses of his wavelength traveled through the blade, sharpening it and acting like a chainsaw of sorts to whatever it touched. Then, he ran straight at Cerulia and slashed up at her blade! It wouldn't be possible to avoid the swords touching and her sword breaking under the weight of his empowered one. But the question was wether or not he'd be able to hit her. At the last moment, Nalik curved his slash to the side slightly so that it would harmlessly cut her shin if everything went as he thought they would.

Oh crap...!

Everything went into slow-motion for Cerulia. She could feel the blade's energy slicing into her feather, striking awfully close to her hand. Even with the fact it was a light cut, she just knew she couldn't let it end this way. No, she wouldn't let him win just like that...!

Her leftover wing opened a bit, stretching to point just under Nalik's arm. She made sure not to aim too directly, purposely pointing off his arm, and fired. The feather sliced again through the air, ripping through his shirt yet barely touching his skin. At the same time, her hand lightly touched the chainsaw-like sword, cutting into her palm. Her momentum (as it was going forward) brought her to run past Nalik and his sword. She was panting, her chest aching from the sudden rush of energy. It was over, she knew.

She dropped the shield, feeling as though the fight ended in a defeat for her; she shook her head as she breathed deeply for many seconds. "You...hah..." She rasped, turning to look at her rival. "You...are pretty...hah...good...!" Cerulia grinned as much as she could, even though she felt like crap.

The Inu just held the side of his head and shook it a little after their fight was over. "Damn....... Why is your skull SO thick!" He mentioned without even trying to come off as insulting. Finally, he got over the effects of his headbut. "You're pretty good too, Cerulia. But you did get too reckless a few times. If this was a real battle and I didn't curve my slash, you would have just lost an arm or worse."

Nalik walked over and picked his witch-like hat back off of the ground. A small smile crossed his face while he was facing away from her. She had some real potential, but she lacked the endurence to make it count from what he saw. Maybe he could teach her a nice trick or two while he was here?

"You don't need help with your hand, do you? I'm not sure how deeply I managed to slash it. After all, it's only fair."

"Damn....... Why is your skull SO thick!"

Like that, the insult stabbed into Cerulia like a knife, causing her to stiffen with some odd mix of anger and (mostly) distraught. She didn't know exactly why it hurt a lot; maybe it was because she lost. It made everything that happened even more bitter. She took off the other wing, putting it down gently and steeling herself.

"No, I'm fine. I'll just wash it or something." She said, walking up to handshake the victor. "Good fight. I know, I'm reckless, but whatever, I'll just keep practicing."

Nalik shook her hand, looking into her eyes. He didn't really notice it before but, dispite being a bit lacking in curves, she was supprisingly beautiful.... Light green hair, cold blue eyes, and light skin that felt stronger than it seemed at first. She seemed to be slightly panting with small beads of sweat dripping off of her face, but Nalik could tell that even at this point she had the will to keep fighting for much longer if she had to. While most people would look at her and be relatively unintrested in a strong woman like her without much of the specific thing that would normally make a woman feel attractive, Nalik began to really appreciate what she did have.

"I- uhh, yeah... keep practicing...." He blurted out, hiding a blush when he realized he hesitated to respond after shaking her hand. Finally he let go and turned away for a moment. "Is there anything else you need me to help you with? I've got the rest of the day pretty much free."

Key stayed in her weapon form, forgotten for the moment on the ground where Cerulia had dropped her. She listened to the conversation between the two of them and found their clumsy attempts to hide their feelings mildly amusing. But the longer they spoke the more her initial excitement about finally finding a meister began to fade. She could see something developing between Nalik and Cerulia, and she was happy for the girl, but already she was beginning to feel like a third wheel...

She changed back into her human form and sat quietly on the ground. She smiled sadly at her two new companions. She was glad to have met them, but she had a feeling she was always going to be the odd-woman-out in this little trio. She was a terminal bachelorette and always would be. She had never had much interest in love since becoming a widow, in fact she was quite repelled by the idea; still while watching the quaint romance blossom between these two she had to admit that at least a small part of her longed for that kind of companionship. She shrugged it off for now and stood up.

"If you two love-birds are finished, I am pretty thirsty and Cerulia needs to clean out that cut."

Jeez... looking at me like I'm some freak. My head isn't even that big...! Ugh, what a jerk... Dogs really don't have any manners! She thought to herself as she shook his hand, not really sure what to do as he kept staring at her. He didn't even respond; his brown eyes just bore into hers, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't that Cerulia felt intimidated; no, it was just the manner at which he stared as well as the added silence. And this allowed her to forget about her upset state.

Once he finally spoke, she noticed he turned away right after a slight pink crossed his features. What was his problem? Did he feel sick? "Uh, nothing that I can think of. You can stick around if you wan-"

She was cut off by what Key said, making her turn to her with wide eyes. "LOVEBIRDS?! I do not understand what you're talking about! Also, the cut isn't deep at all! Don't need to fuss!"

Key took Cerulia's hand and looked it over. It really was not that bad but she still worried. This was the first weapon she had ever been compatible with, not to mention one of the first people she had gotten along with in years. She could not take the chance that anything would happen to her.

"It still needs to be cleaned, you could get an infection!" Key pulled the smaller girl along with her as she walked. "We will go back to your house and I will patch you up. Maybe next time your boyfriend won't be so hard on you!" She glared at Nalik. "It was only a sparring match you brute! You are certainly not going to impress her by taking a simple practice session too seriously!" She did not know why she was suddenly getting on Nalik's case. Actually the truth was she did, she was feeling jealous. She had finally found a friend and already she was feeling like the odd woman out.

"Wait, what? But I-" The meister stuttered, not sure how the heck to take being called a lovebird and Cerulia's boyfriend. He motioned at his bloody side. "Did you miss the part where she used you to- why would you even-!"

Without thinking, he randomly grabbed Cerulia's arm and tried to pull her away. "Come on, I'll show you how to get a wound clear of infection the easy way. All you need is some bandages and some good old-fashoned 'power-of-courage' to sterilize it! You wouldn't believe how many times this came in handy for me in a pinch."

Key pulled Cerulia back toward her. "You going to listen to him? He's the one that cut you in the first place! What you need is a motherly touch, which you obviously can't get from a dogman!" Key was feeling very motherly and protective of Cerulia at this point. She was tempted to shoot a few feathers at Nalik and run off with the girl, but that would be a bit overboard.

Before Cerulia could completely grasp the situation, she could feel herself getting yanked back and forth between the two, her arms aching under the strain. She felt light-headed still after the fight, so she got a little dizzy from the tug-of-war. Yet she felt a surge of anger as she realized they were treating her like some poor, injured little girl who couldn't take care of herself. The nerve...! Her mind screamed until she finally pulled her own arms in and pushed the two away from her. She glared back and forth between them, getting red in the face.

"I'm not a child! I can take care of myself! Who do you take me for?! I can bandage up myself! Go away!" With such frustration, she harrumphed and marched away, trying to make her way back home with the other two left behind.

Today would've been better if those two kept their distance! Cerulia raged, her mind all fired up after everyone pretending that she was gravely injured. She didn't even know what had provoked them into a silly argument over her well-being! She was her own person and had survived on her own. Who said she needed them now, especially for such a minuscule gash?

Her legs, as she raged madly in her thoughts, took her to an alley in between tall buildings, causing her to take a quick note on her surroundings and bring up her defenses. She listened closely to the faintest of noises, yet she still kept talking to herself. She even swore she could hear steps, so she stiffened as she walked. Maybe a drunkard? Yet when Cerulia felt something grab her shoulder, she ducked and tore away from the person quickly, tucking herself in and rolling a good ways away. She could see a smoke going into the air, causing her to cringe. What was it?

"Well, you'll be the one to die first!" She blurted out, bringing up her fists. At this point, she began to wish she hadn't left her new-found friends behind. It was like, all of a sudden, she needed them more than ever before.

Ugh... crap! She thought, avoiding each needle as best as she could; she ran away from the alley, trying to get out into an open space that would be easier to dodge in. She had no weapon other than her fists, which made it really hard to face this strange woman, whose cloud of assumed poison tried to reach her.

At this point, she really could do anything else but call out "Key! Nalik!", the only two people that actually seemed capable of assisting her. It felt, a little bit, like she was giving in. She was suddenly proven wrong in the fact that she could hold her own. In fact, she was hardly anything without a weapon in her hands and that stung, deep down in Cerulia's heart. It was a truth she always, always wanted to avoid for as long as she could. But the two names that escaped her lips were proof of the exact opposite.

Cerulia could not handle this alone. She was dependent.

Nalik sighed as he crossed his arms and stood there. Ever since Cerulia left he was trying to think about what would be the right thing to do. You know what? He didn't need her, all she did so far was scream at him and try to act like she was better than everyone else....

"Key! Nalik!"

The Inu's ears twitched as he faintly heard her call their names. What was going on? She sounded like she was in trouble! Without a moment of hesitation, he ran off twords the direction he heard the scream from, just hoping it wasn't too late.

When he arrived, he took notice of the Kishin woman with a large visable cloud of some form of gass around her.... That couldn't be good. As the Kishin chased Cerulia out of the allyway, Nalik quickly picked up a sizable rock and threw it at the monster from a distance, aiming right at her head. It wouldn't be a good idea to fight directly unless he knew what that cloud would do to him or his weapon.

Key did not hear whatever it was that set Nalik off. He suddenly took off in the direction that Cerulia had gone. At first Key decided to let them have each other. They were both a couple of stubborn jackasses anyways and she did not need them. She had been alone for so long anyways. It was dumb of her to think Cerulia could have replaced her little girls. No one ever could and she would have to just learn to accept that...

Then she considered the panicky way Nalik had taken off and started to worry a little. She got up and ran in that direction, though not as fast as Nalik. Miss know-it-all could take care of herself after all. She certainly did not need Key to...

Then she heard someone screaming about killing someone else and all her anger was forgotten. She sprinted in that direction, praying she was not too late.


She was about to unleash another barrage of needle shots when a large rock whipped by her head, just clipping her ear. She stopped and grabbed her ear, feeling warm blood drip down her hand and wrist. Embra looked back to find a large dog man chasing her... one of the girls friends!

"Bastard!" She screamed in a fit of rage. She dug deep and released her plague cloud as violently as possible, it began filling the entire street, her rage fueling her diseased power.

"This is your fault you monsters! You think you can just go around carelessly killing innocent girls and nothing will happen to you!? BASTARDS!"

Cerulia felt deeply grateful that Nalik appeared, tossing something at the crazy woman's head. This allowed her to turn and back herself up against a building, waiting for Key to get back. Her thoughts were scattered as she backed away from the woman as far as she could. This, however, didn't help; she let out a wail and the sickly green fog began to grow in size, covering much of the street and spreading out towards her. She held her breath, narrowing her eyes as the cloud reached her.

Yet, she couldn't hold on for much longer. She tried to get out of the way, heading further down the street as quickly as she could, but when she did take a breath, she could smell... cupcakes?

Right after that sensation, she could feel her throat going a bit sore and she coughed once and twice, her vision blurring just slightly. Why couldn't she breathe?! What was the smoke doing to her?! The sensation faded a bit when she struggled and gasped for air, but she rubbed out the blurriness as much as she could. She knew she needed Key for this fight, as the long range weapon would help her avoid the cloud and other shots that the woman would make.

"Where's Key, Nalik?!" Cerulia yelled, facing him and gesturing him to come over to her and to get out of the smog. "I need her!"

The meister turned away from her slightly. The fog seemed to have formed some pretty bad marks on her.... It was tough to look at her in this state. "I don't know, I didn't think to bring her. I just heard sreaming and, well, you know...." He pulled his scarf over his nose, not wanting to risk getting too much of the gass in his mouth just in case. "Well, whatever! Just be glad I came back to save you this time!" He redied his sword, looking back down at her.

"I can probably stop her if I can get a good shot in, but I need to get close. Any ideas?"

As Key ran up the first thing she noticed was a screaming kishin girl with a nasty looking green cloud around her. The cloud was getting bigger and Cerulia was inside it. Nalik stood just inside the cloud, obviously looking for an opening. Key did not slow her pace at all, she rushed straight into the fog and toward Cerulia. Her lungs and eyes burned and her skin felt raw but she charged straight at Cerulia.

"You ok kid?" She asked as she leaped into the air and changed to her weapon form.


Her eyes were gushing tears in her hate fueled rage, but she noticed someone running up and calmed down just enough to see that it was the third member of the group... the weapon. This was bad, she would have been lucky to take on even the skinny girl alone, no way she could take them all.

Maybe you should stop trying to kill people all together Embra... Her baby sisters voice was like claws digging into her brain.

"SHUTUP!!" She screamed as she turned and ran into another ally. She wanted nothing more than to kill them all but if she did not get away now, they would certainly kill her instead.

About to suggest Nalik to try and get in close while she distracted the Kishin, Cerulia was startled as an object-- or rather, a being-- flung itself at her, changing into a familiar form and clasping itself onto her back. Key.

With great joy, she flapped the wings, clearing away as much of the smoke as she could. "I'm okay!" She managed to cough out, her eyes widening a little more and a smirk playing on her lips. "Let's try to take her on, eh?" And at that, the woman began to shoot one feather at a time, trying to keep the air around her and Nalik clear of the wretched gas.

As she caused the commotion, she nodded toward Nalik. "Try to get in closer now! It should be easier with all that's going on!"