The swords were raised up in the guard position, then a voice
cried out, "Begin!"
There was a flash of silver and a ring of steel as the blades
crossed, the taller opponent clearly having the advantage over the
other one. A point was swiftly called,. then two, until the match was
declared for the tall fighter.
The shorter woman gave a respectful salute then walked over to
the sidelines, pulled off her mask and then shook out her mane of long
blonde hair. "Tell me again why this is a good idea?" Illyanna sighed.
"You use a sword in battle," Kitty smiled from her seat on the
sidelines as she quietly said, "and magical or no it's a good idea to
improve your basic skills." Her eyes widened as she saw the other
fighter nearing them, "Incoming."
Illyanna swiftly turned to see the taller woman pull her own
mask off, revealing long waves of orange-red hair and intense eyes.
"Arisugawa Juri," the woman introduced herself as she offered her
hand, "it was a good match."
"I didn't even score a point on you," Illyanna said with a
sigh.
Juri smiled just slightly, "You have the speed and agility to
be good at this. All that is required is the dedication and focus to
train those talents."
"Thank you," Illyanna blushed.
"It's a pity I'm returning to Japan soon," Juri admitted as
she looked over Illyanna thoughtfully, "I would enjoy training you."
As Kitty listened to her she wondered if Juri had intended to
put two meanings into her soft drawl, but decided not to take any
chances. She stood up, smoothly taking Illyanna's arm in a very
girlfriend like way as she smiled up at the duelist. In her perkiest
manner Kitty asked her, "Would you care to join us for lunch later?"
Juri smiled slightly, a nod of her head showing she clearly
understood Kitty's gesture. "No, thank you. I'm meeting friends," she
said gracefully.
"Juri-san!" a pink haired woman called out and her darker
companion waved, so Juri excused herself with a smile and walked over
to them.
"Thanks for the rescue," Illyanna sighed, "she's just a bit
too intense."
"You're welcome," Kitty said softly, an odd look on her face.
She hadn't even thought about it, really, warning Juri off like that.
Illyanna quickly collected her fencing gear and they headed out of the
YWCA into the warm night air together.
"Do you want to head right back to the Sanctum, or go out and
grab some dinner first?" Illyanna asked Kitty softly.
"Dinner sounds like a good idea," Kitty smiled up at her as
they walked on. "How about the Witching Hour?" she asked.
"Good idea," Illyanna grinned.
It didn't take the two of them long to find the familiar
stairway down below street level. They walked side by side through the
old fashioned front door, nodding to familiar faces as they went. John
Constantine sat at one table, Mister E at another, Satana, Hellstrom,
and many others.
"Hey there's the Doc," Kitty pointed him out without being too
noticeable, "but who's that lady he's sitting with?"
The white haired young woman had a certain elegance about her,
an almost regal quality. She was beautiful, but in an alien, unearthly
way. It wasn't anything terribly obvious, but the impression you were
left with was that she wasn't quite human.
"Clea, I think," Illyanna frowned as they settled down into a
secluded corner table. They ordered something to drink to start with
before she added, "He told us about her when he was talking about his
battle with Dormamu."
"There's someone I wouldn't want to cross swords with," Kitty
nodded thoughtfully.
"You might have to one day," Illyanna pointed out with a
smile.
"What?" Kitty blinked, "Why?"
"It's the Sorcerer Supreme's job to defend this dimension from
beings like him," Illyanna explained patiently, "and we're the
apprentices of the Sorcerer Supreme. If the job ever... comes open,
we're next in line."
"And if I don't want the job?" Kitty asked softly.
"Probably would fall to one of the baddies," Illyanna said
thoughtfully, "Baron Mordo, maybe, or Doctor Doom."
"There's a pleasant thought," Kitty sighed.
A waiter arrived with their food order, dropping off the two
plates efficiently. "Did we order this?" Illyanna blinked.
"The cook's precognitive," the waitress explained quite
cheerfully, "this is what you would have ordered from us eventually."
Illyanna tilted her head to the side, "I guess that makes
sense."
"Enjoy your meal," the girl gave a cheerful wave before
leaving. She was waved down by another patron, "Wanda, good to see
you." With that, she took down the Scarlet Witch's order and bounced
off once again.
"Illyanna," Kitty said softly, looking across the table to
meet the pretty blonde's eyes, "how did you fall in love with me? I'm
not that attractive, bookish, even shy at times. It's something I
still don't understand."
"For someone so smart," Illyanna smiled slightly, "you can be
really stupid sometimes." She took a little sip of her drink, "You are
beautiful, at least to me. You're kind, generous, and gentle, you
opened up yourself to me, a near stranger who moved into your room and
invaded your space." A pause, "But that's not why I fell for you."
Kitty waited, and Illyanna remained silent. "Why?" she finally
had to ask.
"Because where you are," Illyanna said softly, "is home to me.
We could be stranded on a desert island together and I'd be content,
knowing you were there with me."
"I didn't know you could be so poetic," Kitty reached out to
put her hand on Illyanna's. Softly, "I'm still all mixed up about
this, though. I do know that I care more for you than anyone else on
Earth." A smile, "The rest, I think, will just take time."
"I'm patient," Illyanna smiled at her as she gently squeezed
Kitty's hand, "I can wait."
A few tears glittered in Kitty's eyes, "Thank you."
"Now let's dig in before dinner gets cold!" Illyanna laughed.
Over at their table Dr. Strange looked over at Clea grimly,
"It's certain, then?"
"Yes, Stephen," Clea said softly, "my Uncle has returned." A
short pause, "And the Dark Dimension needs your help to be free of
him."
"But," Stephen Strange started to say.
"You are the only one whom has ever defeated him," Clea said
intensely. "You must help," she reached out to take his hands.
Stephen sighed, "Normally my duties as Sorcerer Supreme would
bind me to this dimension." He thoughtfully gazed to where his two
students sat, "But perhaps they are ready..."
To be continued...
Author's Note: Juri and friends are from the anime Revolutionary Girl
Utena. Mister E and John Constantine are both mystics from different
DC comics series. Finally, Satana, Hellstrom and Clea are all Marvel
comics sorcerers.
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