I could only watch helplessly as Trinity did what she could against the woman that trained me. Tatiana was laying on the ground nearby still gripping her stomach as a mix of a pain whimper and sobbing escaped her lips. Katherine’s had two versions training, two of which I feared for a good portion of my life. The first was when she would train me using a very flexible and wicked cane that she had made from a branch of a tree. If my poster was off it my punches were not on target, if I lost focus when meditating while keeping my projection aura up. Well my knuckles, back, thighs and bottom paid the price. The other version of her training was not training in the slightest. It was just a pure beatdown, and she took pleasure in it.
Trinity let out a scream of more rage as she threw a collective series of punches at the woman. Katherine ducked and dodged these attacks with a grace that only she had. Her hands held behind her back as that cocky and arrogant smirk of her’s only grew bigger. She twisted around Trinity and once kick sent her stumbling forward into turtle pond with a loud splash. Katherine then lept backwards and landed on top of Trinity’s back while she still on her hands knees using her like a platform. “Come on, Cindy, you are wasting my time, and the more time you waste.” She lept off Trinity’s back and as my friend stood up in anger, Katherine caught her right under the jaw with a sharp kick knocking her back into the water. “THe more your friends and partners are gonna suffer.”
Tatiana eventually pulled herself back up to her feet. Although she had said she had only unlocked her jepei aura in the last few months, she had a good hand on the basics and I had a feeling that even when she didn’t have it. Mr. Wallace was training to at least know how to defend herself, that or she had taken karate classes at some point. She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with her now dirt stained arm. “Aren’t you supposed to be good at this?” Tatiana asked as she looked back at me.
“I-I can’t.” I whimpered back. I had no idea what to do, I couldn’t use my jepei to fight her or she would feel it was me. I could barely fight while suppressing it as much as I was, one wrong hit would break that dam and it would explode out.
I also realized that I never was ready to face this woman. Every punch and kick she threw sent horrible memories flashing through my mind of what she had done to me. Wounds that had long since healed were starting to burn as if they had just returned. One wound that I never let fully heal was sending shockwaves of pain through my body. Tatiana mumbled something under her breath her she calmly walked forward to Katherine. “How can you help us if you can’t even help yourself?”
As those words escaped her mouth it was like a switch that flipped inside of me. My eyes narrowed into tight slights, my vision was tunneled direction onto the woman that ruined my life. She was not using her own jepei to fight us, she probably saw that we weren’t worth that. She was just taking joy in causing pain, and that was all she had caused me was pain. I made excuses on why she treated me this way. I wanted her to love me so I ignored the years of abuse, I ignored her sins and forgive for each one.
I keep one emotion deep inside of me.
And as that emotion crept out from the rock I hid it behind. I felt my jepei aura starting to surge around me and I let it flow freely, however there was one twist to it. Jepei auras can change depending on our emotion, happy, sadness, august, sorrow, all of them control it changed it just a bit that you could hide it even when it was flowing freely. My mother had felt them all, except for one that only a few had felt from me.
Pure rage took over my bright violet jepei aura and turned it into a dark purple color, one that shook and danced like it was a roaring fire bent on destroying anything it touched. I had never roared before in my life but this time one escaped my lips, a mix of mine and Aisu’s voices. As I ran forward, Katherine turned my way, her head tilted in confusion but that smirk stayed the same. Katherine thrusted her foot out in a kick, but I ducked underneath it and closed the distance between us in a few moments. I reeled backwards and turned that anger and hatred filled projection of mine into amplification. That power surged through my veins turning them a deep purple like venom was coursing through my veins. I screamed in rage as I landed the first punch on a clearly caught off guard Katherine. My punch slammed into her chest. I heard her actually grunt a bit from the pain and took one step back. However I was not done, I was not trying to be proper, I was not trying to use any style, form or technique.
I just wanted to hurt her!
I let loose a barrage of punches where I could, wherever I could land them. I moved on pure instinct as she tried to push me off her, but I ducked under her attempts pelting her sides with punches, ducking under her attempt to back hand me. I pounded on her back with both of my fists! I jumped up and wrapped my arms around her neck, wanting to choke the life out of her! I remembered why I had stuck all the way over here in the first place!
I came to kill her!’
She reached around and grabbed me by my tank top and dragged me off her throwing me towards Tatiana and I slammed back first into her knocking us both to the ground. I stood up as Katherine closed the distance between us in an instant and now she was letting off a bit of her own projection aura, and she was pissed. I could feel it. She kicked me so hard in my stomach that I saw stars as I gasp escaped my lips. I flew backwards and slid on my side a few yards before rolling in a heap on the ground. All the wind was knocked out of me as my vision returned to normal but the rage and hatred I had was burning brighter than ever. I got up to my knee right as she went to kick me across the face.
However she then stumbled as Trinity came in and with a wrestling like dropkick sent her stumbling. Tatian then came in with a kick of her own that pushed Katherine backwards even more. Trinity looked down at me a bit surprised. “Well, that was interesting.” She said, hauling me up to my feet.
Katherine glare was the first thing that caught my eyes but than it morphed into a twisted smile. “That is right, Cindy, fight me like you hate me, fight me like I am gonna take everything from you!”
“You already did,” I mumbled. I turned my voice towards Tatiana and Trinity, “do not bother trying to use any style you might have learned. Hurt her, as much as you can, and don’t try it alone.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Trinity said as she ran forward with me. I could hear Tatiana behind me. However my eyes locked onto Katherine as that rage came over me once more, I might not be strong enough to kill her.
But damn it I would hurt her!
Katherine took a deep breath and as she seemed ready to absolutely destroy us piece by piece. She suddenly came to a stop mid step, she twisted past all of us and as she did she went from looking livid to that calm fake mask of smile she often wore. “Don’t be stupid right now.” She did that so quickly that she was just a blur and then that fake motherly voice came out. “Good morning there,” she greeted.
We all turned around to see a few college aged boys and girls standing around. Three boys and two girls, one of these girls had a child maybe 5 or 6 looking up at us in awe and wonder. We watched as Katherine walked over and spoke to these people. Of course one of them was wondering why on earth she had been fighting us like that, and I could hear explain that we were jepei users and this is how we played and trained with each other. If they hadn’t come then she probably would have beat us senseless.
However, the more she talked the more my rage and anger started to burn out. Those emotions were always fuels that burned away so quickly. I dropped down to my knees as all my adrenalina seemed to be fading and I was exhausted. Deep heavy gasps of breath escaped me as I tried to suck down as much air as I could to refill my now burning lungs. Trinity and Tatiana kneeled down beside me, each with a hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling over. Katherine eventually returned to us and I felt those hands on my shoulder stiffen up a bit. As she approached I heard a rare purr of joy escape her lips. “This training is over for today,” she announced with what I could only imagine was a true smile.
“W-Wait really?”
“Yes I am serious,” as my vision started to darken on the edges as pure exhaustion started to fill every part of my body. “You three were impressive today, Trinity so quick to jump into battle that you keep letting your balance get the better of you. Tatiana you are so worried about defense that you can’t focus on attack, and Cindy.” Her eyes locked onto me, not ones filled with hatred a moment ago, but her dark violet eyes lit up just a bit. “Cindy you impressed me cause you two still make one mistake in our little fights. There are times where technique is stronger, where styles give you an advantage in combat. However, you two never fight to truly hurt me, to hit me where you can, to fight as if your life's on the line. To type into a fuel that burns hotter than the sun. She did those things and actually made me want to try. Good job and I have a feeling that once you three have more time to be together, you will be something that i never could quite get my hands on.”
“And what is that?” I manage to spit out.
“Well some talk of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.” She spun around and started to slowly walk away. “However, I am looking for my three harpies of the new world, and I think that maybe I just found them.” She put her hands behind her back, her bun had finally come undone allowing her hair to cascade down her back like an avalanche of brown snow. “Come on, Tatiana, get my bag for me and we will get you to school. I know you probably took off to get some training in this morning. So come on, I will drop you off and explain why you were late.”
Tatiana hesitated but I grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s okay, go and do what you love.” She nodded before standing up and quickly grabbing her bag and a small backpack that I hadn’t even noticed Katherine had brought with her. I stayed there on my knees trying to stand tall until she was out of my eyesight. There I finally let that darkness that had been creeping around me finally fall onto my side. However my head didn’t hit the grassy ground, instead it hit onto a soft pillow I think. It took me a moment to realize that Trinity had caught me and rested me on her lap.
“Good work-” I could barely hear the word she spoke afterwards as my eyes closed.
But I could be certain or rather I was certain that she had not said Cindy.
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I sat up with a jolt, my eyes adjusting to the new soft light that was coming from above me. It took a few seconds for me to realize that I was not outside anymore. I was in a bedroom, dark red and white colors of the wall, the covers were soft to the touch, made of a very soft cotton. There was a large pc set up in one of the corners, three monitors, two keyboards and a controller sat between them. A large television was opposite this bed and was paused on a movie. I was tucked underneath the covers and Trinity was just coming out of a nearby closet, probably walk in. Now clad in pajama shorts and a pink shirt, her hair wrapped underneath a pink headwrap. “Oh, your awake.”
“Y-Yeah,” I mumbled as I removed my legs from underneath the blanket. Finding that i was not even in my training clothes, I am not sure who changed me into a comfy pair of pajama pants and a blue shirt. However my face burned a bit more as I looked at Trinity. “W-What part of modesty don’t you understand?” I said puffing out my cheeks about.
Trinity rolled her eyes as she threw her towel into a nearby hamper “Well excuse me for having one of my maids get you out of those sweaty clothes before we tucked you into my bed.” She climbed up onto the bed, each move making it move around just a bit. “And maybe you should not be so modest.”
“I am sorry and thank you for that, but…” I said in a serious voice. “I have scars that I don’t like people seeing. So please respect that for me.”
Trinity only nodded her head and I would not be surprised if we had this conversation again. I am not what body soap or lotion she soothed but it was one of the softest scents that was spreading through my nose. It was far better than when she smelled like weed after our trip to that building. “I am surprised with you, Cindy. I never imagined to see you go that hard, you fought like a beast today, and because of you I don’t have to go to a certain meeting today with a limp.”
“What meeting?” I asked laying back on my side with my head on this pillow. I had no idea what angel feathers felt like, but they probably felt something like this pillow right now.
“This evening Katherine is gonna take me to a meeting with her, and is gonna let me lead it.” It seems that my daddy’s and Office Cooper’s assumptions were true. She was not just sitting in these meetings and watching, she was the one starting to conduct them. “So I need you ready by 8:00 when we leave.”
“We?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes we, as in me and you.”
“Then I should probably go home and get ready.” I said as I tried to pull myself up to leave. “Where are my clothes so I can go and find something to wear?” I had to leave to go and get dressed as well as tell daddy and Office Cooper what was happening so we could plan for it properly. I was not gonna risk angering that woman anymore than I probably have.
“No you're not leaving,” I raised an eyebrow at her as she pushed back against her bed. “You are exhausted right now and you need to rest, plus why would you go all the way back home when I can loan you some of my things or just take you out to get something?”
“Because I like my clothes and I don’t want to keep wearing your stuff.” She made a slight face at that. “Not that they aren’t cute and amazing, I just want my stuff.”
“It’s not happening, if you want we can go and pick a dress out or something.” SHe then clapped her hands together. “I think you would look great in a certain dress I saw the other day, we could wear matching outfits. Show that I now have a right hand, one that can fight as well.”
“Trinity why can’t you just drop me off and.”
“Because I need you to stay with me.” She said dropping all of her joy for a moment, and now I could see that she was nervous. “I don’t want to be alone right now, and I need my friend with me for a few hours… please can you just stay with me today. Can we have fun and then go and be serious.”
“What is wrong?” I asked pulling her down so I could hug her. “There is something you are not telling me right now.”
She was starting to shake right now. “Today is the day my mommy died.” My eyes widened a bit at that. “I am sure that Katherine chose today for training as a way to punish me even more and probably choose to make this meeting today as a way to test me. I can’t focus right now.”
My eyes were suddenly drawn towards a golden urn that had been sitting on a small square table near the door. There were two pictures beside and a beautiful arrangement of flowers behind it. The picture showed a woman that looked much like Trinity, she was wearing dark clothes and had very tired brown eyes. However, she smiled as she had Trinity held in her arm, wearing a cute white dress that was dirty. The other picture showed a tearful Trinity beside her as that woman laid in bed, looking far weaker than she did in the other picture. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as held her closer to me.
“Did you know that my daddy has never brought himself to look at this urn.” She sounded on the verge of tears. “That he seems to avoid it sometimes, that he doesn’t even like me staying in this house cause he doesn’t like it. She was just a person to him, and he can say that he loved her so much but when she was pregnant and working two jobs to support us he was nowhere to be found.”
“Maybe he just feels guilty about it.”
She shook her head against my shoulder. “There is no guilt unless he looks at me, it's complicated and I hate him for it sometimes. I-I asked him to spend it with me today but suddenly he is so busy now, with everything that keeps happening. He has no time, so please.” She begged me. “Stay with me for today, help me feel better like you always do, keep me in check if I lose my temper. I need someone strong beside me to keep me sane, cause I am losing my mind here sometimes. A-And I don’t like it.”
“Why don’t you leave?” I said, maybe this was the time to finally get her to leave this place. “What if instead of me staying here, you come with me?”
“I wish I could, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want all of this and I want to make it better, that I will take what he built from the ground up and make it far greater than even he could imagine.” She whispered and after a few more moments of sobbing she pulled herself free of my arms. “If you need a break for a bit after today that is fine, but please just stay with me all day.”
“Okay,” I whispered as I hugged her again and while she was against my chest and I rubbed her back as she sobbed. I silently sent Aisu to leave the house and go find my daddy. If I couldn’t leave and make a plan. Then we would make one using my most trusted friend in the entire world. “Can we at least get something to eat?”
“Anything you want, my best friend.”
Her words stung more than they should, especially cause deep down I was not her friend.
And she never had been mine at all.
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