Meet Lady Snowblood To her, the world was covered in darkness, and yet she could see clearer than any other person. The manifested auras of thirty of her personal guard stood out like stars against inky darkness as she led them through the plains. She carried a walking-stick before her, but had little use for it since she could literally sense everything ahead of her: the future was her vision, and she could see everything it had to offer, at least in short-term effects. She could feel the tree coming and stepped aside; she could feel half her guard splitting up, and let them go; she could sense that her target had been here, perhaps three days earlier, if her intuition was right... "Through here," she said, indicating a forest she could not see. The end of it was near; she reached it before everybody else, and took the spare time to catch her breath and clear her mind. Despite countless ages of training, she was distracted from her goal by the more pressing engagement, but she could not falter. She could not. She had to move on, for her. Setting her jaw, the blind woman staked out ahead of the others, momentarily forgetting that she could not disregard them. The group managed to leave the forest fifteen minutes later, exhausted and weary; their guide and master was already long gone, and she left no trail. She allowed them time to catch up, but looked impatient when they came by. A few of the more insubordinate ones gave her ineffective glares; one dropped his gear and growled at her. "You have the nerve to leave us behind like that? With the orders you were given?!" "Call it zeal," she replied evenly. She stood up and walked on, not allowing them to rest from their long hike. The man yelled at her, indignant. "Hey, I'm not through with you, woman! Come back here! The lord might have put you in charge, but I'm not going to obey you if you disregard us and your orders! ...Are you even listening?!" Without missing a beat, turning around, or even stopping, she answered. "With a level of noise like that, it's a miracle our target hasn't heard us coming." "WHAT?! You little..." Thwing! The man stood gawking, paralyzed, then fell to the ground suddenly. Dead. The blind woman slowly put her sword back inside her walking stick and continued. "I presume there will be no further delays." The rest of the guard set a record by scrambling so quickly. ......... Neither Rin Takamatsu nor Hsu Kai Lin were lazy people, but since they didn't know anything about fixing motorbikes, they didn't see the point of hurrying along anyway. Rin's beloved steed had broken down on them while they were on the road, and since the nearest town was in who-knows-where land, and the day was so beautiful, they didn't see why there needed to be such a rush. They deserved a rest anyway, and BaoBao had been crankier than usual. "It's because you keep her stuffed in that sling of yours," said Rin lazily. The thin stalk of wheat in her mouth wiggled left and right when she spoke: "I keep telling you to let her romp around and stretch her legs. Of course, she'll one day get too big for you to carry, and too bulky for me to worry about. You know how pandas are; she's not staying a cub forever." Kailin ignored her and continued to play with her adopted friend. Rin sighed in contentment and smiled, just happy that the two of them had some time to relax at last. What with vengeance, running from pursuers (or engaging them in battle), and general mayhem mixed in with it all... "Hey," she said a little later, "you two fine ladies hungry? I could go for a snack." "Oh yeah. Um, we ate all our fruit, and BaoBao finished off the bamboo." "She can have it," mumbled Takamatsu. She was almost too lazy to get up and scrounge, but luckily, her stomach was strong-willed. She forced herself up and went searching for the knapsack that kept their food, but rummaging around did no good—they were fresh out. "Darn," said Kailin when she heard the news. "Well, you're much faster than I am. You can go into town, find a mechanic and some food, and have them drive you here." Rin hummed to herself, glad that the younger girl was finally developing some more brains, and hopped to her feet. "That's a great idea. Of course, all those things cost money, and that last job we took didn't exactly make us rich. I hope you like noodles and rice, because that's all we'll be able to afford." "Sounds like a banquet," moaned the poor girl, obviously famished. Rin smiled gently, and took off running, though she had no idea where. She got about five miles into the road before feeling hopeless, and five more before ultimately feeling like she should give up. Perhaps if they backtracked... Rin the Ronin suddenly got a chill in her spine. She was all alone—except for one person, hiding in the tall grass. "Step out!" she shouted. The man stood up, grinning, bearing firearms that could tear through stone. Rin grimaced. "Ach, I'm in too bad of a mood to let you off easily! I hope you didn't plan on having an expensive funeral!" Minutes later, the intruder was dead and Rin was back on the road, only running in the opposite direction. So they had been discovered after all! Maybe they had only been waiting for the two Ronin to split up, and if that was the case, then Kailin... She can take care of herself, Rin forced herself to believe, but something was nagging at her, something that gave her a lot of doubt and fear. Kailin could handle nine, but what if she was up against nineteen? Or ninety? Or nine hundred? "KAILIN!!!" Rin screeched to a halt, sending dust high into the air, and coughed as she caught her breath. Not only was Kailin safe, she looked rather bored. "Back so soon? I didn't think there were any towns near here. Why'd you scream my name?" "Are you hurt, are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine. Why, what happened?" Rin told her; the concern on the young girl's face was evident. They had no choice but to ignore the bike and press on, with Hsu clinging onto Rin's back as she sprinted as fast as she could to the nearest town. She gave her motorcycle a sentimental rub before apologizing to it and running off. If somebody stole that thing, they would be better off going as far away as possible! Their journey was stopped twelve miles down the road by a colossal wall of fire. Kailin gasped in shock and fell off; she clutched her breast as the immense flames shot out right before them. She immediately set about trying to calm the flames with her power, but there didn't seem to be any use. The blaze was apparently deaf and stubborn. "Over here!" shouted a voice. Rin knocked Kailin to the ground and dove as a flurry of bullets came their way. Her father's sword was out and ready for combat; she wanted to fly in and pile up the bodies, but something stopped her. Before she could even strike at the nearest assailant, something hard slashed at her forehead, knocking her back to the ground in pain. She scowled and cursed, rubbing her poor head and demanding in a rather vulgar tone who in the world had the guts to do such a thing. The blind woman emerged from the crowd and stated clearly, "I do." Rin snorted and stood up to meet the new face; Hsu clutched BaoBao meekly. The other woman looked to be Rin's age, and had identical black hair, only hers was tied up with pins, and she had very dark glasses. The woman wore a lilac kimono and a straw hat; she carried a walking stick, which Rin assumed had been used to strike her. The woman removed her hat and bowed politely. "I am not mistaken when I address you as Rin Takamatsu, am I?" "Uh, no. Who wants to know?" "I already know," said the lady coolly, "as you can see. I think you have company; may I be introduced?" Rin snorted and crossed her arms. "No! Who do you think you are, anyway? Did you put that great big wall of fire in front of us?" "No, my subordinates did. But I was the one who asked them to." "What for? Are you part of the group that's following us?" "Which one?" "Any of them!" The lady frowned, not that her stoic façade could get any graver. "We are part of a group that is in pursuit of you, yes. I did not think we would find you so quickly. Word has gotten around that you were responsible for that laboratory explosion not long ago." "So what, you want vengeance?" "We are not affiliated with that laboratory," answered the woman. "Nor do any of us hold a personal grudge against you yourself. The woman called Rin Takamatsu is of very little consequence to us; it's your father we want." "My father? What for?" "Retribution," she answered, revealing the sword hidden in her walking stick. Rin growled. "What?!" "Your father owes our group money. And he also owes us his blood. Part of our job is to find him and make him pay his debts. But part of it also is to wipe out his line. You are part of his line. Therefore..." "All right, so what about all that nonsense saying I'm not important, huh?!" "You don't owe us money. You're just the daughter of the wrong man." "You wanna insult my father, you come closer and do it!" "I just may." Patta-patta-patta-shing! Before Rin could blink, the woman was pressed right next to her, the sword against her stomach and a small throwing knife pointed to her throat. Stunned, the powerful Ronin could barely even breathe. She had moved so quickly! And she knew exactly where Rin was! Fortunately, the tension didn't last, as the woman relinquished her hold on Rin and stepped back. "Draw your sword," she said. "I will not fight an unarmed opponent." Now enraged beyond help, Rin showed the world just how fast she could draw, and held her weapon aloft. Her opponent bowed and finally introduced herself. "I am called Snowblood. It is an honor to meet you." The two women chased after each other; they crashed and slashed violently. Kailin forced her eyes closed and refused to watch; BaoBao wailed and hid behind her legs. She could still hear them fighting each other, metal bashing against metal, grunts and groans coming from both women as they fought just to stay alive. Rin was by far more powerful, but Snowblood was quick, and she had the gift of premonition on her side. She could predict Rin's movements and sense where her energy would be spent, thus able to counter everything effortlessly. She couldn't possibly hold off the other woman's attacks, but with limited clairvoyance, she didn't have to: if Rin attacked, Snowblood would merely strafe or roll or jump away, and return to counter. It was a difficult opponent to fight against, needless to say. The two came after each other violently; once, while locked together, Rin growled something to her enemy. "Just promise me one thing, to leave the kid and the panda out of this. They've got nothing to do with it." "I swear it will be done. Our fight is with you." Rin smiled. "Gee, pretty honorable, huh? If I didn't have to mow you down, I'd almost like you!" "I see." Snowblood smirked, pushed, and sliced at Rin's face. She barely avoided getting her nose chopped off, but stumbled in the process. Snowblood was at her feet, stabbing and thrusting madly as Rin tried to regain her footing. Kailin, in the meantime, screamed for them to stop, but her words were useless. She kept her eyes on Snowblood's entourage, who so far had done very little, but looked ready to join the fray at anytime. "I think it's time I helped out," she said to her panda friend. BaoBao whined, almost saying "Don't go, it's dangerous". Hsu pointed her hands at the entourage and screamed, calling forth flames to engulf them and chase them away. To her surprise, the very fires from the burning wall leaped forward and surrounded them all, some dancing on their clothes, others burning the dry ground before them. The wall slowly faded as its children were birthed; eventually there was nothing left except a few stray blazes, and no guards to speak of. Both Rin and Snowblood had stopped to observe the spectacle, and were impressed. "The factory's destruction makes a little more sense now," said the latter. Rin crossed her arms. "Yeah, Kailin's a real firecracker. Waitaminute, why are we talking?! You're gonna pay for insulting my father!" She swung... "But it is your father who will pay!" She countered... Kailin groaned. "Oh, here we go again. And they seemed to get along when they weren't trying to kill each other." BaoBao voiced an unknown opinion and leaped into her arms for a better look. With a reduced audience, Snowblood seemed to be fighting with less ferocity and more grace. Rin too seemed to have a more fluid form, and from time to time they even complimented each other. "Your teacher...must have been...very good!" "I was raised in the art of the shinobi." "Oh, it makes sense now! And all this from a blind woman! How do you do it?" A trace of pride was in the other woman's smile and voice. "I have the skill of foresight." "Oh, cheater!" "But you have exceptional strength. I must admit, you are the worthiest foe I've ever fought." "Same to you." They paused to catch their breath and assess their wounds, and exchanged a smile of understanding. "Not bad," said Rin. "It's been a long time since I've had to work in a fight." "I feel the same. And I apologize for insulting your father. I don't know him personally, so it was uncalled for." Takamatsu raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Wow, you're really something. Apology accepted. So you still wanna kill me?" "I'm sorry," she said with regret, "but I have no choice. I don't expect you to understand..." "Eh, you can tell me later—that is, if I live that long." They both smirked, and saluted with their weapons. "Indeed." They resumed their war—and Kailin resumed blocking the fight out. She hoped that Rin would come out alive, but she didn't want Snowblood to be killed, even if she was an enemy. The two of them fought each other for what seemed like an hour, maybe two, ignorant of everything else. And they seemed glad because of it! Honestly, though she had been the student of a great monk once, Kailin couldn't understand why some fighters seemed happiest in the midst of a battle. Eventually, Rin defeated Snowblood, but only by use of her superior strength. It was clear just how evenly the battle had went until that last moment, and if circumstances had been different, Rin might've been under Snowblood's boot. As it was, Rin stood over her opponent, knelt down, and offered her hand. Snowblood studied it deeply before taking it. "I see you have great honor too," she murmured, dusting herself off. "That only makes my job worse. Please understand, Rin. I have no choice in the matter. I must kill you or else." "Or else what?" she said curiously. "Come on, out with it. You could at least do me that courtesy." "I'm sorry, but...I cannot speak of it." Snowblood hid her face beneath her straw hat, bowed, and put her sword away. "Of course, do not think that I will enjoy it. Now that I've seen your character in battle, killing you will be even harder. Would that I could avoid it! You are too great and honorable an opponent to waste, but I truly do not have a choice. For the time being, though, let us part ways and recover." "Whoa, so you're letting me off the hook?" Snowblood smiled faintly. "For the time being. We will meet again soon, Rin. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully, we will both be stronger for that encounter. Until then, take care of yourself." She waved and was gone; Rin's eyes couldn't follow her as a smoke screen came up. She turned around, wincing from the fumes, and leered at Kailin. "Whaddyou make of it?" "Um...no comment?" "Come on." She smiled brightly and repeated herself. "Oh, you've got to have something to say!" She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "If I tell you, I'll be in trouble." "Yeah, but you got that panda to protect you. You know I can't win against her cuteness." Kailin giggled and tickled BaoBao; Rin cursed mildly as she remembered she still had a bike to fix, and dismissed herself to the whims of the road. Kailin followed, not wanting to be left behind. ......... "Lady Snowblood, this is Sashuo! I demand that you give me any report on the Takamatsu family! Lady Snowblood, do you copy?" "I copy," she answered, speaking into the phone. "Well?" he growled. "What do you know? Answer!" Snowblood paused for awhile before speaking. "I'm sorry, milord, but I don't have any information." ---------- To be continued. Xianq: Whoa, what a story! I think they like each other! Kris: No, really? Oh, the introductions! Xianq: Oh yeah! Hey there everybody, it's Bubblegum Black again, here with my partner BK Power! Kris: What's up, everybody? Well, our team finally gets to show what it's made of in the next chapter, and it looks as if G-Force might join us as well. Xianq: Hey, didn't Father Jacob say something about a tournament earlier? Kris: That he did. You think the three women in this episode will be there? Xianq: Definitely. I think he might ask us to fight in it, too. Well, as long as there's money involved, right? Kris: She never gives up... Xianq: Stay tuned for the next installment, "Battle Diva Royale"! I guarantee it'll be a blast!
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