Again...From the Top This Time...

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

Bettering myself was first on my list of Hotaka-Annihilation. The boss was stronger, so maybe if I learned some of her stuff.....I could finally beat his ass. I made my own martial arts style, perfected my usage or daggers and hand to hand combat....Kinda. That still was enough though. I needed more power to get rid of Hotaka. He wouldnt understand until I killed him or.........Killed him. I walked into the Boss's throne room I twirled one of my daggers around my fingers. Then looked at her.

"Ok, this time again from the top....While youre not drunk." I said asssuming a ready stance.

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomoyo was stting in her throne room as usual when Kojiro entered, looking for a fight. She sighed; she had actually been attempting to get some work done--she was tired, very tired.

However, she supposed that for the good of one of her Kings, she could allow herself to fight.

"...Fine," Tomoyo said, long, white hair drooping over her face as she waited for the boy's intial attack. She didn't feel like fighting...

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

Hopefully, now the she....or umm he wasnt drunk, I could actually get a good fight going. I had to keep my skills sharp. All that I had protecting me was my skill. I quickly rushed forward with one of my daggers in hand. My boss was tough shit. She could take a beating shes been around since like....I dunno DInosaurs and stuff? As I finally reach Tomo I swiftly feinted a slash towards her neck as I leapt behind her and made an X-type slash on her back then I leapt back to where I stood. The after image of the feint still clearly visible, I smirked at Tomo as I made a "Come on" motion with me left hand.

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomoyo was not going anywhere; she did not feel like fighting at all; she was not going to.

As Kojiro leapt back, she did nothing, simply sitting there on her throne. Raising a hand dramatically (which made her feel a lot more like Shoko) she snapped a finger, and whispered one word:

"Symphony..."

There was a sparkle, and for the slightest moment one could make out the light from the nearest window hitting a circular shield that surrounded the Yami-ou and her throne, a slash imprinted in the front and a cross in the back before the flash was gone, the imprints absorbed by the magical defence.

And then, after the flash, Symphony was there.

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

"Boss......You fucking suck." I said a look of sheer disappointment crossing my face.

"I thought you were all "fierce" and shit? Youre supposed to be all "legendary" and "Vicious" WHat the fuck is this turtling shit youre doing?!" I let out a deep sigh as I noticed Symphony appearing.

"Why do I have to fight this stupid SHadow-Dead chick anyway? SHes fucking SUCK!" I said leaning up against the wall.

"I..." I said gathering a small dagger I had worked on that was specifically made to break through barriers (I had learned from the last encounter in my realm how annoying barriers could be)

".....Wanna..." I said gathering a bit of energy around the dagger and smirking.

"....FIGHT YOU!..." I said speedily running around the room three times to gather up my much needed kinetic energy to launch this quite effective piece of weaponry I had crafted. I through with deadly accuracy and speed. Only a chosen few could actually make out what was coming towards them. I was pulling any punches, she could take it. I aimed the dagger at her face. It would hurt, it might even sting a little, but it wouldnt kill.

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomoyo didn't say a word as Kojiro rushed him, and still said nothing a small crack appeared in her shield.

Pieces tinted stark black fell to the ground, fragments that Tomoyo looked down upon with disdain.

"Kuso..." she said, emotionlessly.

But the shards began to writhe, and they turned to liquid, moving and collecting themselves together until the formed the solid being of symphony, who now held her choice weapon--a long chain connected with a blade made of steal created by Sasuke, the only gift he had ever given Tomoyo.



Symphony bowed and she said, her voice sounding, somehow, less emotional than her Mistress's, "...I am sorry. I will pay for my incompetence, Mistress."

This phrase from her seemed to spark something in the Yami-ou, because a wry smile was brought to Tomoyo's features.

"...do it."

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

I didnt know what the fuck was going on, so I stood in the stance of another Martial Arts style I made up in my spare time. A style which I called Evasia. It focused on exactly what Its named porttrayed quick evasive maneuvers. The thing was that this style didnt have Evasive maneuvers for nothing, it was also used to strike at the more vulnerable parts of the body. Swift movements and everyonce in awhile a deadly or hampering strike. It was the second most defensive style I had. I stood in preparation.

[Sanada Tomo]

Symphony bobbed and weaved skillfully, striking out in as wide area as possible, for she knew through her mistress that Tsubarisu Kojiro was unpredictable due to his speed. Making a large arch with each of her weapons she moved in closer to Kojiro with each step.

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

Hmmm...The Boss had really given me a challenge despite my complaint. I wouldnt disappoint her...Maybe I could get a promotion or somethin'! I concentrated. Moving so fast to dodge the weapons that itd appear that I wasnt moving at all. At the end of the second strike I rushed on Symphony and delivered a powerful blow to what would be her ribs. After wards I rushed back out and assumed my fighting stance once more.

[Sanada Tomo]

Kojiro moved more quickly than Symphony, yes. But what couldn't be seen until after the King of Hell had already stepped back was the lack of affect.

Yes, Kojiro's blow had struck, but it meant nothing, in the end, as a gash of black liquid could be seen coming from Symphony's abdomen. Symphony ignored her, her insides reforming and turning back into what appeared to be her skin.

Then her form turned completely to the liquid that had been shown before, weapons included, and she sunk to the stone floor, darkness seeping into it.

"You wanted a fight," Tomoyo said, her eyes looking sad. "I have given you one; you won't win--but you can train."

This was the first time that Tomoyo had actually cared to develop any of her Kings herself; but the War seemed unavoidable, and she was now considering the need to prep her allies for War.

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

I watched the reforming body before me and gave a mild grunt of dissatisfaction. Eh...If this is what I had to do to get a promotion then so be it. I had to be stronger AND faster. I smirked slightly at the bosses words. Training was good. A live sparring partner was truly great. As Symphony coalesced to the ground, I instinctively called on Apollo as I leapt into the air. Apollo formed up around my hand creating supercooled air far colder than that of the Mortal Liquid Nitrogen. I then slammed my first into the center of the the mass of black liquid hopefully freezing and shattering it. One could never be sure with the boss.

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomoyo didn't even notice the cold air as far as the fight was concerned. He knew that it was within Kojiro's tactics to change an atmosphere to weaken his opponent; but he wasn't doing it properly, not against Symphony.

Frozen to the floor from the sudden drop in temperature, Symphony waited, as she knew that her Mistress would want her to; she didn't panic--she had no idea what the word meant, though she had seen the expression on several Humans. It looked rather ridiculous to her.

From her solid station on the ground, she looked up at her Mistress, wishing that she had not allowed herself to be caught in such a trap.

Just as Tsubarisu Kojiro-sama punched her, Symphony instinctively readied herself for the impact--only to find that it caused her no internal damage at all. It was all very strange.

It was then that she remembered that Kojiro-sama was nothing but a Human with a power boost; of course he couldn't hurt her--they were only sparring, in any case. He probably wasn't using his full strength.

Tomoyo shook her head from her throne, seeing and feeling every nuance of caution that Symphony had bothered to use when it wasn't necessary. She knew that Symphony could see her, even in her animate form, and she shook her head more sharply, to show her personal disappointment.

Yes, Symphony had been out of practice in battle, but she couldn't believe that her own servant would be so out of...sync.

Symphony could feel this animosity from her master as her physical form--now frozen--broke into pieces; but not to worry. She would make it up to her Mistress. She already knew that Tomoyo didn't want her using full power, despite Kojiro-sama's defenses.

Apollo... she vaguely remembered him. Like brothers, they had been, with the other spirits. But never mind that. That was before she had been given a worthy purpose, a strong hand. That was before she had met Sanada Tomoyo. After all, this should not have been considered a personal match. Their Master and Mistress, luckily, were on the same side.

For now... that cynical thought, after years of watching Mistress forgive transgressions, penetrated her mind, no after thought or mental elaboration preceeding it.

Her now shattered pieces on the stone floor of the castle, Symphony did what her Mistress would undoubtedly want her to do--finish what she began.

The solid pieces of dark, glass looking material dropped into the shaping of the floor.

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

I jumped back instinctively as I saw this. You couldn't really tell what the Bosses next move was when she got like this...I stood there waiting. Apollo was at the ready, smiling gleefully at Symphony. Sometimes I wondered how I got stuck with this guy....I guess he was cool though.....

[Sanada Tomo]

Symphony was not about to waste any time playing around with opponent; her Mistress was already dissatisfied with her performance, and she knew that there would be repercussions later on.

Not willing to risk any level of capture or restraint, Symphony, faster than lightning, snaked a tendril of darkness from the ground, the dark substance taking the form of her weapon as it reached up and wrapped itself around Tsubarisu Kojiro-sama's leg.

Symphony didn't want Apollo to get involved--those of her kind could only restrain each other's powers, and that would require Tomoyo's action--she didn't seem in the mood, and after all, she didn't Kojiro to die...

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

I was once again caught off guard by my own body. I had to get used to this. My reflexes were faster than even I was. I was just standing there preparing for the next attack. I then noticed that Symphony had tried to capture me. The crazy thing is, I only noticed this from seeing the after image of myself with a tendril around its leg. I didnt have anytime to stare in amazement.....I was already amazed enough, but I couldnt let it be known. The shit was just great. I found myself imagining how fast I'd be if I could have full control over my reflexes and body. That was definately something worth training for. I then crossed my arms and looked at the Boss.

"Tch. Can we fight now please....I'm tired of fighting this Shadow thing......." I asked respectfully.

I figured shed just probably wanted respect. She WAS my boss, so maybe shed fight me now.

[Sanada Tomo]

"No," Tomoyo said coldly. "You are a poor fighter and you must train. You cannot count on your reflexes forever. What if I was to empower Symphony with my own magic ability and raise her speed? All you ever do is run, Kojiro, and you will never spar with me again until you break that habit. You cannot train your other powers if you are constantly running."

A Dark pentagram bubbled to the surface of the floor, the sign covering most of the surface of the throne room floor, including Tomoyo's own chair. Only small corners of the room were left exposed, but the glow that shone from the design reached to the corners as well, and Tomoyo frowned as her throne room was filled with deep, violet light.

"I will not fail my Mistress..." the words echoed as the violet light formed a barrier; Tsubarisu Kojiro-sama was not going to escape this time; he was not going to run. She would catch him. Symphony refused to bother her Mistress for power--she was her own power, and she would not fail her Mistress!

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

I looked at the Boss seriously for the first time since I Had met her. A "poor fighter"? What the fuck kind of shit was that?! Everyone was a poor fighter when you put them up against something that they couldnt win against. I never heard such bullshit before in my life.......Aside from Hotaka's Word of God shit. A barrier. This would be great: Close Quarter fighting. Judging from the size of the barrier, I still had pretty much the entire room to move around in. I snapped into the Seven Hell's Rising stance, which sent forceful winds towards Symphony. I stood at the ready. This bitch thought she had me trapped? Tch........I smirked.

[Sanada Tomo]

Symphony allowed herself a the warmth of a small smile, though no one could see it because she was nothing but a shadow.

Without warning, a fissure ruptured the ground, effectively paralyzing anyone within the barrier. The ground trembled, and even the shadows inside the barrier shook with the force of Symphony's attack.

[Tsubarisu Kojiro]

At the moment I saw the ground rupture, I knew then that I had to escape. I looked around quickly locating a small fly...It fell to the ground paralyzed. My eyes widened as I rushed to an edge of the barrier shifting into the Herculean Might stance. This stance emphasized largely on strength and might. I took a deep breath. Remembering video games that I had played recently, most barriers guarded against one type of attack. This one had to be physical since "That was all I could do". All barriers had a damage limit and were usually made to withstand damage over a large area aka explosive fireballs. I would instead concentrate my attacks on one area. Using my blindingly fast speed. I took my barrier piercing dagger for extra insurance and placed it between my knuckles. I punched the barrier in a single spot in what had to be at least thirty times, but it looked as if I only struck once. Smiling at my opening and leaping through the hole as the wave of paralysis over came the barrier. I let out a gasp of disbelief as I noticed my left arm fall limp shortly after I escaped. Shaking my head quickly and regaining my senses, I vibrated my molecules and overcame the paralysis. That was too close. I had to try harder.

"Whats the point of me traing with you if I cant notice any progress?!" I yelled

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomoyo smiled wickedly once more. "Because you haven't made any. Look."

On the ground, as the dark violet substance that was Symphony's barrier healed the small hole wrought through i, a thin script made of blood replaced it, the lines etching themselves into the ground by way of magic as another fissure erupted through the room.

But this new script that had formed on the ground reached all corners of the room, the heiroglyphs forming and extending through the rectangle that was Tomoyo's throne room, every inch of the floor covered in characters made of blood. The fissure erupted through both forms of the writing on the floor, sparks of pain running through each letter.

Symphony was not in the mood to mess this up. His arm had already suffered damage; she had to finish the job. Concentrating from her place, still in the floor, the characters of blood began to extend, again, beyond the floor, regular pulses of fissure exploding from them as they began to write themselves on the wall, turning the entire room into a cage of pulsating agony.