Disclaimer: I do not own the songs 'Movin', 'Rocket', 'eX Dream' or 'Into The Ocean'. The belong to their artists, and I am just borrowing their songs so Fushia can sing them. I also do not own the Scissor Sisters, or their song, 'I don't feel like dancing'. I do not own Singstar.

© Deathcas, 2009

INFINITE ABYSS

Chapter 4: A Cooler Kind of Training

Chen-Chi Hyang groaned loudly, before she sat up, stretching her arms. It was five 'o'clock in the morning, and the sun was just rising in the distance. The sunrise was the colour of freshly spilt blood, oranges, and lemons. However, Chen-Chi did not have the time to admire it.

Instead, she got up, putting her slippers on her feet, and pushing her hair out of her eyes. She walked over to her desk in the corner, and picked up a box of matches, before she lit one. She then proceeded to walk over to a miniature shrine in the corner of her room, and light the candles standing next to it.

"Today I think I'll pray for good luck," She murmured, kneeling on a mat in her room. She placed her hands together, and bowed her head, murmuring something in Chinese. A strange scent wafted through her room, though Chen-Chi was used to it. It was the incense she used with her prayers all the time.

After she did this, she then proceeded to comb her hair carefully, making sure to remove all the tangles, before she went to her wardrobe, and chose her outfit for the day. A crimson, Chinese shirt with a gold dragon on it, and black, Capri pants, that ended just below her knees. She smiled, before slipping on her black and white Chinese shoes.

"Well, I'm ready," She murmured, before she sat back down on her bed, and grabbed the book she had been reading last night. She then proceeded to read for and hour and twenty minutes. By then, it was now seven fifteen, and she would need to go downstairs for breakfast, and then leave for school.

"Xialai lóutī cǐ piànkè!" Chen-Chi's mother shouted up the stairs. Chen-Chi sighed, grabbed her red backpack, and opened her door, before rushing down the stairs. She ran into the dining room, where her mother had prepared congee for breakfast. Her mother had seasoned it with mushrooms this morning.

She sat down quickly, and ate her breakfast at top speed, before she rushed into the bathroom, used the toilet, and brushed her teeth. She then rushed out, waved goodbye to her mother, and then rushed off to school, smiling as she went. She might be a super-powered host of a strange inner warrior, but she was still a teenager at heart.

And as a teenager, she could not allow herself to be late school.

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Fushia sat in the grassy oval that served as Terrascore high school's playground. For students who wished to run races, and play footy, this was the place to be. There were basketball courts in the ground, and a cricket pitch for those students who aspired to be the next Don Bradman.

"Geez, I wonder when the others will get here," She asked herself, ignoring the fact that the grass was wet, and that her butt was now wet too. "Maybe they slept in because of last nights events." As Fushia wondered where he friends were, her mind wandered back to last night. They had met the Warriors of Darkness, and each of them had picked an opponent.

"I can't believe I'm fighting the bad guy's boss," She murmured, remembering how she had mocked him last night. Maybe that hadn't been her brightest move. Of course, at the time, she had felt like she could do anything, but now she just felt like she had condemned herself to eternal suffering. Geez, the things she got herself into.

"Hey, you're Fushia, aren't you?" A voice exclaimed from behind her, grabbing her attention. Fushia turned to see the girl from yesterday, the one who had been riding the bike. Avai had said her name was Eliza Menindee, or something like that. The girl was staring down at Fushia, as if wondering what she was doing on the wet ground.

"Actually, my name is Derrick, but it's still pleasing to meet you," Fushia joked, putting on an even deeper voice than usual. Eliza laughed brightly. She had golden, curly hair, that bobbed up and down when she laughed, and she wore a blue, polo shirt, and dark blue track pants. Her skin was fair, with freckles, and her eyes were emerald green.

"Nice to see the new kid has a sense of humour!" Eliza exclaimed, crouching down next to Fushia to avoid getting her backside wet. "Most new kids are really timid when they first come here, but you seem rather confident!" Fushia chuckled, scratching the back of her neck.

"I've learnt there are greater challenges in life than simply coming to a new school, though I admit, I wasn't completely comfortable at first," Fushia admitted, as Eliza beamed at her. The girl was fairly friendly, and she seemed rather welcoming, all in all. Terrace did seem to be a fairly nice place.

"Still, coming to a new school is a rather daunting experience," Eliza said, standing up again, stretching her legs. "Lots of new kids, and teachers, and you had to come to a new town and all. You must have felt a bit nervous, right?" Fushia nodded, remembering. She hadn't liked the fact she didn't have any friends here, though she had made some new ones fairly quickly.

"Well, anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a morning jog to do!" Eliza said quickly, before she suddenly burst off, sprinting around the oval. Fushia watched, with wide eyes, before she smiled and laughed loudly. A sports nerd. No wonder Eliza had nearly run her over yesterday.

"What are you laughing about?" Benny asked from behind her, staring down at her in confusion. Fushia turned, still laughing, before she picked some grass randomly, and hurled it at the rather confused boy. Benny yelped, brushing blades of green grass from his hair, before he frowned at Fushia, who was still laughing. After another minute or so, she recovered.

"Sorry. I'm a bit hypo this morning," She admitted with a grin, "I got up early for once, and had Fruit Loops for breakfast, with a big glass of chocolate milk!" Benny froze momentarily, worrying about the sugar content in those food items, before pushing the thought from his mind. His mind was too tired to work properly. He was always tired though.

"Gah, why couldn't you eat sugar yesterday?" Benny mumbled, before he sat down next to her. However, after sitting for a second or two, and jumped back up, yelping. He had not realised the grass was wet, and now his backside was soaked. Fushia fell forward, laughing at him. Benny frowned.

"You could have mentioned the grass was wet," He muttered, wiping his backside, and pouting. He was tired, and he hadn't notice, and now he wouldn't be getting any sleep for the rest of the day. Why? His ass was cold, wet, and uncomfortable, and now he was feeling rather self-conscious.

"Sorry Benny," Fushia exclaimed, in the middle of her laughter. "I just thought you'd realised." Benny continued to frown for a few more seconds, before he sighed. He had to forgive Fushia. It wasn't like he'd ask the girl if the grass was wet, and even if he had, he probably would've been so silly that he would've forgotten anyway.

"HEY, CHEN-CHI'S HERE!!" Fushia exclaimed, jumping up off the grass, and leaping into the air, waving her arms, as if she was trying to fly. "HEY, CHEN-CHI, CHEN-CHI!! WHAT'S UP!?!?" Chen-Chi, who had been approaching them quickly, slowed down a little, giving Fushia a strange look. Benny just sighed, and waved, smiling weakly.

"Zao an ba ba," Chen-Chi said, smiling cautiously at Fushia. The orange-haired teenager gave her a strange look, before she smiled, and clapped her hands together, as if figuring something out. Benny glanced at her sideways. Awesome, but strange. Fushia was just a little much.

"Good morning to you too, Chen-Chi!" She said loudly, causing Chen-Chi to frown. How had Fushia known what she had said? She had spoken in her mother country's tongue, and most people get confused when she said things in Chinese. Benny tilted his head to the side, before his eye's widened slightly.

"Hey, I get it!" He said, before he smiled. "Miss Hanase told me that we were getting a new student a little while ago. She mentioned they had a talent for languages, because their father worked as a translator for other languages, when he wasn't doing architectural stuff." Fushia grinned, and nodded. Her father was a man of many talents.

"Damn, I was hoping to confuse you," Chen-Chi muttered, before sighing, and brushing some black hair out of her face. "Guess I'll have to try to confuse dear Benny here, though that's kind of easy." Benny frowned indignantly at that comment, and turned away, before he heard Chen-Chi giggle.

"You've got a wet ass," She whispered, laughing as Benny turned around, hands covering his backside. The boy's face had gone a bright, bright red. Fushia had fallen to the ground, and was now, as they say, laughing her ass off. Eliza, who was starting her second lap around the oval, gave them all funny looks.

"What are you fools doing?" A nasty voice exclaimed from behind them. Benny and Chen-Chi stopped laughing, and turned to face a rather sour-looking Avai, who had her hair in a high ponytail, because it was wet. Fushia ignored the purple-haired psychic, and continued to laugh her butt off. Avai frowned even more.

"Fushia, get up. You're getting more wet than you already are," She said simply, before she looked back up at Chen-Chi and Benny. "How typical. The silly, hormonal teenage girl decides now is the best time to frolic and laugh when the world is in danger. As for you Benjamin, I thought you knew better than to be silly at times like these."

"Just because you're my team-mate, doesn't mean I won't break your nose!" Chen-Chi snarled, as Benny bowed his head. Fushia was getting up now, still laughing. She had not realised that now was not the time. Avai glanced at her, clicking her tongue.

"Chen-Chi, your lame threats are wasted on me, and Fushia, for god's sake, will you STOP laughing at nothing?" Avai said, crossing her arms across her chest. Chen-Chi growled lowly, like a tiger, as Benny shuffled his feet, and Fushia looked up at Avai strangely.

"But laughing releases endorphins, which make you feel happy," Fushia said, before she leant forward, causing Avai to grumble, and lean away. "You should try it some time, Avai, or your going to turn into a lemon. Sour face." Avai stared at Fushia, twitching, as the weird girl went back to laughing.

"There are times one needs to stop being happy, and focus," Avai muttered, though she knew her words were wasted on Fushia. The girl was too…thick. Okay, that wasn't the best word, but she'd rather not say weird, or strange, because she was also weird and strange. Chen-Chi and Benny glanced at each other, amused at the fact Fushia would not listen to Avai.

"Morons. Do you not realise the bell as rung?" A cold voice murmured from behind them, as Kadoku appeared, and then walked on, entering the school building, with the others running in behind him. Miss Hanase, who had been watching them from her window, smiled.

"Amazing. The weight of the world has been dropped on their shoulders, and still they manage to cope," She whispered, before she sprinkled some strange, brown dust onto a flower, and smiled as it bloomed.

"Look out bad guys, here we come."

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"Now, repeat after me," Miss Hanase said loudly, her voice loud, and clear, "Nanji desu ka." Everyone in the classroom repeated after her, some sounding ridiculous, while others sounded like they were actually Japanese. Benny was one of the people who could not pronounce Japanese words. Miss Hanase simply chuckled.

"What exactly does that mean, Miss?" A girl, Melissa Grey, questioned. Melissa had long, brown hair, with a side fringe, and beautiful, brown skin. She wore a pastel, pink, long-sleeved shirt, and black jeans. Miss Hanase beamed at her, watering some flowers on a desk nearby.

"Nanji desu ka means 'What time is it', in Japanese," Miss Hanase explained, admiring a few, bright yellow daisies. "Now, open your textbooks to page fifty-four, and do activities three, and five." There was the sound of rustling pages, as students began to do their work. Well, most students anyway.

Fushia stared out the window, as ominous clouds began to consume the skies, blocking out their bright, shining sun. She glanced at Benny, as the boy's eyes changed from a pretty blue, to a dark grey, and purple. Fushia smiled, before she turned back to the window. A few droplets of rain started to fall.

"Guess I get to play in the rain," She murmured, as the bell signalling the end of the second period rang loudly, and recess began. Chen-Chi let out a loud groan. She hated the rain. Fushia chuckled, as she stood up, and ran outside, to dance in the oncoming storm.

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Avai sat at the back of the classroom, bored out of her mind. First period, Science, had been uneventful. Second period, Japanese, had been alright. Recess had been funny, watching Fushia and Benny get themselves soaked. Maths had bored her to death, though watching Fushia struggle was funny. English had been simple. Miss Hanase had allowed them to read silently. At lunch, Avai had stayed in the classroom, to finish her book. She did not know what the others had done.

Right now, it was PE, but because it was raining outside, and the gym was being used by other classes, they had to stay in their classroom. Miss Hanase said they could do what they wanted, while she watered her plants. So, naturally, Avai had been unable to find anything to do, and was bored to death.

"Maketaku naishi, Nakitaku naishi, warette tai kara, MOVIN' MOVIN'!" Fushia shouted at the top of her voice, grabbing Avai's attention. The strange girl had been singing to herself all lesson. Avai had noticed that earlier on, though she had pushed the fact aside.

"What are doing, Fushia!?" Chen-Chi exclaimed, as Fushia jumped onto her desk, finally grabbing everyone's attention, including Miss Hanase's, and Kadoku's. The crazy teenager broke out into random dance moves, while she sung, in her odd voice.

"Ukabu, gimon gimon gimon naze ni hajikeru, gimon gimon gimon naze ni sou naru, gimon gimon gimon ima wa dou omou, gimon gimon gimon dare mo ittenai!" Fushia sung again, doing the strangest of dance moves. Benny grumbled, wishing she'd sing a song in English.

"I WANT TO SWIM AWAY, BUT DON'T KNOW HOW!" Fushia burst out, swaying left and right. "SOMETIMES I FEEL JUST LIKE I'M FALLING IN THE OCEAN!" Everyone in the classroom stared, as she kicked her pencil case off her desk, scattering pencils, rubbers, and other random objects everywhere. Papers and books went flying through the air, and a few people yelped.

"FUSHIA!?!" Chen-Chi exclaimed, shocked beyond belief. Fushia ignored her, and leapt over onto the other desk in the front row. Benny fell backwards off his chair, in surprise, as Melissa yelped, and quickly grabbed her stationary set before Fushia crushed it. Rachel and Matthew Bamforth, a pair of a fraternal twins who also sat in the front row, sat still in their seats, staring up at Fushia.

"BURNING FOR YOUR LIFE!" Fushia continued, with another new song, "ITSUKA MOETSUKIRA, KONO INOCHI WO SASAGATEMO, FOR THE PERFECT DREAM!" Fushia leapt into the air, doing a head bang. Avai stared at her, open-mouthed.

"Um, Fushia?" Miss Hanase said, staring up the crazed teenager. "What are you doing?" Fushia continued to dance, before she leapt off Benny's table, rushed to the back of the room, and in one swift motion, grabbed one of Miss Hanase's watering cans, and poured the contents on Kadoku's head.

And everyone froze for a moment, staring at Fushia in shock, and terror. No one EVER dared to even speak to Kadoku, let alone pour water all over his head, and shame him like that, in front of the whole class. Kadoku stared at her, his face blank, like a void.

"Come on!!!" Fushia exclaimed, exasperated, pulling a dumb face, "SMILE! Get mad, and punch me in the face! Burst out into tears, give me a surprised face! DO SOMETHING!" Kadoku continued to stare icily at her, as the strange teenager in front of him started performing a frustrated monkey dance. A few people in the classroom risked a giggle.

"GODDAMN!" Fushia roared, waving her arms around at Kadoku. "EVEN AVAI DOES MORE THAN YOU DO!"Avai snorted, not sure whether to feel complimented, or insulted. Chen-Chi simply rolled her eyes, as Benny continued to stare at Fushia and Kadoku, wide-eyed.

"You're a retard," Kadoku said suddenly, causing most people in the classroom to flinch. No one had expected him to say anything. However, Fushia simply did a little dance, before she leapt across the room, and went sliding across the floor. Everyone face palmed.

"A REACTION!!!!!!!" She exclaimed, as Kadoku simply shook his head while no one was looking. Here he was, calling her a retard, and she acted as if he had just handed her eternal happiness on a giant, silver platter, with a side order of potatoes. Mind you, potatoes probably were her idea of eternal happiness.

"Fushia, I believe it is about time you cleaned up this mess, and sat back down," Miss Hanase exclaimed suddenly, reminding everyone of where they were. Fushia, however, continued to slide about on the floor like a demented fish. Benny continued to stare at her.

"Fushia, please, just clean up, and sit back down!" Miss Hanase muttered, shaking her head slightly, as the girl sat up properly, and pulled a face. She got up, and grabbed all the stuff she messed up, and shoved it back where it belonged, before she jumped back in her seat, smiling away like there was no tomorrow.

"Alright then," Miss Hanase said loudly, placing her watering can on the bench beside some orchids, "Because the bell for sixth period is about to go, I'd like you all to get your history books out." The sounds of chairs scraping, and bags being opened signalled that the students were doing just as they were told.

"The day's almost over," The teacher whispered, before smirking slightly as the sound of the bell resonated throughout the school building.

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"BOOYAH!" Fushia exclaimed, as the end of school bell rung loudly. She quickly stuffed her books into her backpack, jumped out of her seat, and rushed out of the room. Now it was time for the fun stuff to begin. Sure, being in Miss Hanase's class was fun, but Fushia reckoned that learning the arts of kicking bad guy's butts was going to be even more interesting.

She sped down the corridors, skidding around corners, and narrowly missing a few groups of chatting teenagers, as she headed for the school gym. Man, this was going to be heaps of fun. She was so caught up with her thoughts, she did not even notice a rather familiar-looking boy leaning against the wall.

As she zoomed past him, he looked up, a dark look on his pale face, green numerals flashing across his eyes. A nasty smirk graced his features, as he pushed off from the wall, and walked quietly out of the school.

"Pathetic, they're only just starting training?" Rihatsu muttered, glancing back at the school. He rolled his eyes arrogantly, and began to fade away into data. "This will be much easier than I expected."

And with that statement, he disappeared.

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"Now that we're all here, I think it would be a good time to begin our training," Miss Hanase exclaimed cheerfully. Fushia cheered, and Benny and Chen-Chi looked rather excited. However, Kadoku and Avai seemed rather bored. However, Miss Hanase was not fazed by any of this.

"Firstly, you need to understand that there are different 'levels' of power when it comes to controlling your Inner Warrior," Miss Hanase began, before whispering something. The strange owl Wysteria appeared, and rested on her shoulder. "There is the basic level, which is simply summoning them to come and aid you."

"COOL! SO, HOW DO YOU SUMMON IT?!?!" Fushia exclaimed loudly. Avai frowned, and blocked her ears, as Chen-chi waited, excited to see what would happen next. Benny shivered slightly, cold because of the breeze that was blowing through a window, and Kadoku simply remained emotionless, being the heartless person he was.

"Well, each of you have your own unique way of summoning them," Miss Hanase explained, as Wysteria nibbled on her hair affectionately. "I can't really tell you how to do it, but I just hope you figure it out quickly."

"Wait, so, we have to figure it out by ourselves!?" Chen-Chi exclaimed, as Fushia chewed on her tongue thoughtfully. No, it is not the apocalypse just because Fushia is thinking. She's an intelligent idiot.

"Yes, you do." Miss Hanase answered simply, raising her hand to pet the beautiful owl on her shoulder. Chen-Chi gaped at her green-haired teacher, unable to believe what she was hearing? She had no idea how to summon her creature to her. She had only seen her tiger guardian once, and that was because Miss Hanase had attacked her.

"Hmm, say, Miss, can't one of the more experienced warriors give us an idea on how to summon our Inner Warriors of Light?" Fushia asked, tilting her head to the side. Miss Hanase paused thoughtfully, before nodding, and glancing at Avai, then Kadoku. After a moment's silence, Avai sighed, and walked forward.

"I was hoping you'd allow Miss to finish explaining things before you asked for a show," She muttered harshly, before she closed her eyes. "Now, watch a learn kids, this is how the experts do it." And with that, the purple-haired girl began to glow slightly, a violet aura surrounding her body.

It was an amazing sight. As she glowed, the rune bracelets encircling her wrists lit up. Each and every symbol stood out, glowing magnificently, and a strange, eerie wind began to blow around Avai. And then she started speaking some strange, ancient mumbo-jumbo.

"Ai vanrenaur lestavius kareun mystick tetrai Kyra estan demro cada han," She murmured, before her eyes flew open. They were glowing, her odd silver pupils like small, shiny stars in her eyes. Her iris' shone a dark purple, as they had the night before.

And then the fox from the night before appeared. It was silver in colour, with deep, mysterious purple eyes. It had sleek, beautiful fur, and he shone slightly, like a strange star in the sky. Behind the fox, Avai bent over, her hands on her knees. She was not used to doing a proper summoning.

"Wow, that's awesome!' Fushia exclaimed, staring at the fox in awe. Chen-Chi frowned, trying not to look impressed by Avai's actions. Benny, however, did not feel impressed. He felt weak in the knees, and a little confused.

"Wait, you didn't do that last night when you summoned your fox!?" He exclaimed. Avai frowned, not in the mood for explaining this. She had hoped that no one would notice the difference between her summoning last night, and her summoning just a few moments before.

However, Avai was lucky. She would not have to do any explaining at all, for her Inner Warrior of Light, Kyra, had decided to do it for her.

"I did not expect a human to notice the difference in the summoning, but it appears you have sharp eyes, little man," The fox whispered in their minds. Benny jumped, startled. Chen-Chi and Fushia both yelped, and Miss Hanase flinched. Kadoku frowned, his usually smooth forehead creasing. It is an odd experience, having another creature in your mind, speaking to you.

"You see, when summoning your Inner Warrior, there are three ways in which you can do it," Kyra began, her fox features twitching slightly, "The first way is to use the full summoning, which is what my host, Avai just did. It requires the summoner to use much of their mental strength, and it takes longer to summon your Inner Warrior this way. However, when you use the full summoning, your warrior's strength is enhanced."

"What are the other two ways?" Fushia questioned, interrupting the fox before she could continue. Kyra frowned, her tail flicking about slightly. Avai gave Fushia a warning glare, and the red head immediately silenced herself, smart enough to recognise a death glare when she got one.

"The second way is a shortened summoning," Kyra continued, sounding a little irritated now she had been interrupted, "In this summoning, you can call your creature to you faster, and though your Inner Warrior of Light will not be as strong as it could be, the shortened summoning is extremely useful in situations where the Warrior's host does not have time to do a full summoning."

"Ah, so that's the summoning you used last night!" Benny exclaimed, before he froze, glancing shyly at the silver fox. However, Kyra simply nodded, and Benny sighed. He had thought that the fox would be mad with him for interrupting, though it appeared that she would not treat him the same as Fushia. Meanwhile, Fushia grumbled, causing Avai to shoot her another death glare.

"The final summoning is known as the 'Melethia' summoning," Kyra murmured, her voice darkening slightly," But alas, I doubt that any of you young ones will be able to summon us like that yet. The 'Melethia' summoning his a summoning based on nothing more than trust, and desperation. The host of the warrior calls for them with their heart, in a time of need, and the warrior answers. It is the strongest of the three ways of summoning, but is also the most difficult, and it can cause the user great pains."

"And that's not the end of it," Avai exclaimed suddenly, forcing herself to stand up straight, "Summoning is only the first level, when it comes to using the powers of your Inner Warriors. There is the second level of merging and the third level of Thrienal. Merging is when you merge your body with that of your warrior, so you ca use the abilities when you need to, and Thrienal is the ability of calling forth the humanoid form of your Inner Warrior, which is the most difficult way of using your powers."

Kyra nodded, before she turned to Avai, who knelt down next to her, a frown on her face. As they did this, Miss Hanase walked forward, Wysteria sitting comfortably on her shoulder. The owl's wide, wise eyes twinkled brightly.

"So, as you can see, we have a long way to go," Miss Hanase said, smiling down at her pupils, amused by their expressions. Fushia's jaw was hanging open, her eye's popping out of her head. Chen-Chi was shell-shocked, a look of disbelief on her features. Benny had sunk to the ground, anxious, nervous, and tired. Kadoku looked thoughtful, and was busy chewing his lip. The ice wielder had known of the many ways of using his powers long before, but every time he heard them recited once again, he always felt a strange, discomforting emotion overtake him.

"Anyway, Avai, I suggest you keep Kyra out, as she will be useful for tonight's training," Miss Hanase continued, turning to the psychic, and her fox. Avai simply nodded, and stood up once more. Kyra turned back to the group of students, a smirk on her features. It was a rather unnerving expression, when seen on a fox.

"Be afraid, little ones, be very afraid," She whispered in their minds, her mystical voice echoing through their thoughts. "Tonight, you shall learn how to fight a dangerous, and powerful opponent. ME!"

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"BURN IN HELL!" Chen-Chi roared, once again pulling out a pair of red, wood chopsticks from her pocket, and holding them in separate hands. She then brought them together in front of her, so their tips touched, and her eyes flashed red for a single moment.

And then, from the tips, burst a large flame. Amongst the flames, a strong, frightening looking tiger appeared. Her muscular body, bright fur, and deadly fangs only made her look more frightening. However, the most horrific thing about her were her fierce, glowing red eyes.

"TORARAMA, ATTACK THE SILVER VIXEN!" Chen-Chi ordered. The flaming tiger roared, before charging angrily at Kyra, who was waiting for Torarama to come within striking distance. Of course, Avai and Chen-Chi's Inner Warrior's weren't really fighting. It was just training.

"Kyra, when the foolish tiger comes within attacking distance, I want you to dodge to the left," Avai whispered telepathically into Kyra's mind. The fox nodded mentally. Torarama roared loudly, before leaping at Kyra. Kyra smirked, dodged left, and then attacked with her own claws.

"You haven't lost any of your rage, Torarama," Kyra taunted, "You're still the same fiery fool I knew so many years ago." Torarama growled lowly, and turned, striking out at Kyra, her feline claws bared.

"AI, AND YOU'RE STILL THE SAME ARROGANT BITCH!" Torarama countered. Kyra raised her eyebrows, chuckling softly. Torarama simply roared in response, though she did not get the chance to attack again, as she turned, and quickly bounded back to Chen-Chi.

Meanwhile, Benny prepared himself for his attack. They had been taking turns all evening, each one of the warriors attacking Kyra individually, to get in some practice. Well, okay, it was only Fushia, Chen-Chi and himself who were practising. Kadoku had decided to spend his time talking in hushed voices with Miss Hanase.

"BY THE POWER OF THE HEAVENS, COME TO ME!" Benny shouted, razors of wind whipping around him, small crackles of lightning seen here and there. His eyes flashed like an angry storm, and then, a magnificent eagle appeared above him. It was at least double the size of a normal eagle, with black and brown feathers, and the fiercest eyes anyone had ever seen.

"The powers of the heavens will not save you from the nightmares I can bring!" Kyra murmured, in his mind. However, Benny simply shook his head, his eye's set and determined. He knew that the silver fox was trying to unnerve him, and he could not allow her to do that.

"WilderiusWindorius, I want you to attack her carefully, and remember, look out for any weaknesses, or errors," Benny whispered. The eagle nodded, and soared towards Kyra. Avai smirked, mentally informing Kyra to wait until the opportune moment to dodge.

"WIND RAZORS!" Wilderius exclaimed suddenly, flapping his winds, sending sharp, harmful winds at Kyra. The silver fox gasped, and quickly rolled to the side, and letting out an indignant huff. She had not been expecting that. The damn eagle was still as dangerous as he had always been.

"RETREAT!" Benny ordered suddenly. Wilderius nodded, and swiftly flew back to his master, before he disappeared in a puff of cloud. However, before Kyra had time to prepare for the next attack, a loud, angry howl echoed through the halls, and a large, angry silver-blue wolf came charging at her, a nasty smirk on his face.

"YEAH, KICK SOME ASS!" Fushia roared, throwing her hands into the air, dancing. Kyra muttered something inaudible, and leapt into the air, over Wolverine's head. The wolf snarled, and turned, before he leapt into the air too. The wolf was much more competitive than his master.

"Fool," Kyra hissed, before she clawed at his face. Wolverine snarled again, and attempted to bite the fox with his sharp fangs. Kyra growled, and suddenly disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the hall. Wolverine growled, and landed with a small 'bang' on the floor.

"AW MAN!" Fushia exclaimed, before she charged over to Wolverine, and crouched down beside him. "See, this is what happened last time. I know you want to kick butt, but we have to take our time doing it. After all, if we take it slow to begin with, and master our powers, then one day we'll be able to kick butt easily, and without effort!"

Wolverine nodded, and gave Fushia a wolfish grin, before he disappeared. However, before Chen-Chi could begin to attack again, Kyra faded away, and Avai held up her hands.

"Mercy, I've had enough of this for one night," She exclaimed, as Kyra disappeared completely. "I'm hungry, and I have homework to do." As she said this, she shot a nasty glare at Miss Hanase who paid her no attention, and quickly finished up her conversation with Kadoku.

"Well, it appears you lot have finished all your training for one night," Miss Hanase said brightly, clapping her hands together. "I must say, I was most impressed." Fushia was tempted to point out she wasn't paying attention for most of the time, before she remembered the fact that Wysteria, her strange owl, had been observing the entire training session.

"I'm going home," Kadoku muttered suddenly, before he headed out the doors. Miss Hanase smiled at his retreating back, before she turned to the others, and held out a hand towards the doors.

"You may all leave too. I am sure you are all tired," She said kindly. Chen-Chi and Benny both nodded eagerly, before they rushed out the doors. Avai simply shrugged, and clicked her fingers, teleporting out of the hall. If there was one skill she had mastered, it was teleportation.

However, Fushia did not leave. She stayed where she was for a moment, frowning up at Miss Hanase, a curious look on her face. Miss Hanase looked down at her, smiling. She knew the teenager wanted to ask her a question, though she wasn't entirely sure what it was. Even the wisest could not tell what others would say.

"Miss….What are we going to do about civilians?" She asked suddenly. Miss Hanase paused for a moment, thinking, before she smiled. Wysteria let out a small, strange sound, much like a mix between a soft hoot, and a squawk.

"Hm, that is an excellent question," Miss Hanase murmured, closing her eyes to chuckle softly, "And also an extremely difficult one to answer. However, I believe I have an idea as to how we can prevent civilians from being harmed in our battles for good."

Fushia remained silence for once, eager to hear Miss Hanase's idea. The teacher's smile widened, as she stared down at the strange, slightly deranged teenager in front of her.

"Considering Avai has fairly decent psychic powers, I believe I can ask her to summon a sort of barrier around the area where we encounter our foes," She continued. "It wouldn't prevent civilians from entering the area, but it would form a sort of separate dimension in which we can fight. However, it would be extremely difficult for Avai to maintain a barrier, and battle an opponent at the same time."

"What would we do about that?" Fushia questioned, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully. Miss Hanase's brow creased, before she sighed, and it smoothed out once more. Wysteria ruffled her feathers, her pupils darting around in her huge eyes.

"I believe we should try to find sparsely inhabited places for our battles," Miss Hanase murmured. She frowned suddenly. "And, Fushia, be very careful. The enemy will not be afraid to attack you while you are away from others, and in that case, you must be able to protect yourself, and avoid attracting attention from civilians. I doubt the enemy will want to attract attention either, but still, they won't be afraid to attack you if they find you alone, and seemingly defenceless."

"Alright, I understand Miss!" Fushia exclaimed, before she clapped her hands together. "I must get going now, or else my father will kick me all the way over the moon." And with that, she rushed out of the hall, out of the school, and down the streets towards her home.

Miss Hanase simply sighed, before she retreated back to her classroom. Might as well stay a little longer, and mark those tests from weeks ago.

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Avai grumbled quietly to herself, as she walked down one of the busier streets in Terrace. She walked straight past the small mall, and ignored shops displaying fashions, and music, and the like. She ignored the few cars on the road, and she ignored all the other people on the sidewalk. There was only one thing she noticed at this moment.

"Food," She murmured to herself, as she reached the doors of the nearest fast food restaurant. She didn't realise it was a Mexican fast food place, until the smell of strange spices, meats, and tacos filled her nostrils. She raised her head, which had previously been bowed, and glanced around.

"Ah, Taco Fiesta," She muttered, recognising the Mexican food joint. It was fairly new, as it had only finished being built a few months ago. She had only visited it once before, when it had first opened, and had been lacking in staff. It was a good place though. They served nice food.

Avai sighed quietly, as she glanced up at the glowing boards above the counter, showing the different items available. She stood back from the counter, out of the way of others, and shoved her hands in her pockets, searching for some spare change. She smirked when she felt some small, cold coins shift into her palms, and chuckled as she withdrew them from her pocket.

"Let's see, two dollars, two dollars thirty, three dollars," She counted quietly to herself, until she had found all the money her pockets had to offer. She had a grand total of seven dollars, and thirty five cents. She glanced back up at the boards with the food, and prices on them, and quickly chose from the more cheaper options. She would eat almost anything to satisfy her hunger. Summoning Kyra took a lot of effort on her behalf.

Sighing, she walked up, and joined the short queue in front of the counter, frowning, with her head down once more, avoiding eye contact with others. Aside from the fact she was a dark, slightly angry, and nasty person, she also disliked looking into people's eyes, for fear she would read their private thoughts by accident. Also, the fact she had strange, silver pupils also made her feel like avoiding eye contact with others.

Finally, after the two people on front of her had ordered, and been served, she reached the counter. Her stomach let out a soft growl, as she placed the money on the counter. She still did not raise her head, though a strange sensation suddenly filled her gut, and her bones.

"A small nachos, please," She said, keeping her eyes on the counter in front of her, the hairs on the back of her neck tingling, "And a small bottle of water."

However, the person behind the counter did not move. They did not take her money, nor did they shout the order back to the workers creating the food. They simply stood still, as if staring at Avai in shock. After about a minute of this, Avai raised her head, and froze immediately, her silver pupils shrinking with surprise.

Standing in front of her, behind the counter, was none other than Veritas, also known as, Burritos, the Warrior of Darkness…In a strange apron, with the Taco Fiesta logo on the front. Her jaw dropped in surprise, as Veritas remained frozen, still staring at her.

At this moment, neither knew what to do. They couldn't just break out into a fight, because that would cause nothing but a mess, and a lot of trouble for both of them, yet they couldn't just act like everything was normal. There was only one course of action. It was to 'pretend to be acting like everything was normal, when it wasn't, and they were secretly trading insults to each, while no one else could hear them'.

"Interesting. I never expected to see someone like you here," Veritas murmured softly under his breath, as he took the money, and counted it, before placing it in the register. "Ordering nachos. I didn't know people like you actually ate. Don't you get your energy from the 'goodness of the universe', or some cheesy crap like that?" Avai snorted.

"Stop spouting bullshit, cashier boy," She muttered, her silver pupils glaring daggers at Veritas, "I'm not some cheesy moron from those crappy morning cartoons you watch. Besides, I never expected to see someone like you working in a place, though I should have expected it. Is this how your boss pays his rent? Forces his underlings to go work in Mexican fast food joints?"

"My boss pays his own damn rent," Veritas replied, before a smirk enveloped his features, "I work here so I can test Haseo's poisonous concoctions, and see which kills people faster. It's fun really." Avai growled lowly, as Veritas turned, grabbed a small box of nachos, and a tiny bottle of water, and placed them both on the counter.

"Enjoy your meal," He exclaimed, "Have a wonderful evening!" Avai simply grabbed her food, and drink, a nasty frown on her pale face.

"Go fuck a taco," Avai muttered, before she turned and rushed out of the Mexican food joint, keeping her head bowed, and her eyes on the ground. Her purple hair streamed behind her, as she ducked around a corner, leaning against a tree to rest. She glanced at her food warily, before she threw it in the bin, not trusting it. She glanced at the bottle of water, before she opened it, downed the whole thing, and threw it in the bin to join her wasted nachos.

"I don't think I like Mexican food anymore," She muttered, before she hunched her shoulders, and began to walk slowly back towards her house, frowning. "Fucking Burritos."

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"Dad, you want some help with the washing up?" Benny asked, walking into the kitchen. His father remained silent for a moment, his brown bangs covering his face as he washed dirty dishes his the warm, soapy water. Benny waited anxiously for an answer.

"No, it's alright son," Benny's father finally answered in his low voice, "You just go watch TV or something like that." Benny sighed, and nodded, walking quietly back to the living room, a small frown on his pale face. He didn't turn on the TV, however, and simply sat on the leather lounge, a miserable expression on his face.

"Dad, why don't you ever want to be with me anymore?" He asked himself, before he curled up on the couch, his eyes as black as the night sky above. With a quiet whimper, he buried his head in his knees, and hugged them tightly as he fell asleep on the couch, wishing his father would return to the man he used to be.

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"OH, I DON'T FEEL LIKE DANCING!" Fushia shouted, holding her Singstar microphone to her mouth. She performed an odd dance move, and continued singing, as her opponent, Felicity, stared at her with a bemused expression. They continued to compete against one another, until the song ended, and their scores appeared on the screen.

"Aw man, only three thousand and ten points?" Fushia exclaimed, falling to the ground and rolling around in misery, as Felicity jumped up and down in triumph. She had scored five thousand, three hundred, and fifteen points, making her the victor.

"I thought you had practised your karaoke, Fushia?" Fushia's father questioned from the door, holding a plate of choc chip cookies. Felicity squealed, and charged at her father, attempting to get the cookies he held above his head. Fushia, however, simply shrugged, and sat with her legs crossed on the carpet.

"I did, but evidently I just don't have the talent," Fushia said simply. "Besides, I really suck when it comes to singing that song. The Scissor Sisters sing in a pitch I just can't copy!" Her father laughed at that, before he gave Felicity the cookies she craved. The girl rushed off in delight, preparing to tease Coco with her cookies. Fushia rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, one day they'll introduce a Japanese Singstar, and then you'll beat your sister for sure!" Fushia's dad exclaimed, before he headed for the stairs. He was planning to go to bed, or at least to his room where his wife was working. Fushia just sighed, and flopped backwards on the floor, her arms splayed out on the floor, her legs spread and straight.

Her thoughts drifted back to the events of the day, from her singing in the morning, to her training in the evening. She had managed to summon Wolverine, her Inner Warrior of Light, and though she now felt exhausted, an odd feeling of excitement was bubbling in her gut.

"I wonder what tomorrow will bring, Wolverine, I wonder what it will bring…."