Ark 25/Episode 38: The Fox and the Hare

Katsumi sighed and dragged her hand down her face. She was tired. “Not enough sleep last night…” Even the shower hadn’t woken her up. Not fully at least. She ran her fingers through her hair, water droplets falling from her bare body as she only had a towel around her neck, covering her goodies. A letter sat at the table near her bed and she picked it up with a frown. Her seal had been asleep for a while now, and no pain came from it. (http://th09.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/259/6/a/alphard_alshua_by_kanuunchou1-d5exhar.jpg) Her stomach growled and she didn’t have a chance to open the letter. The one that she found in the destruction of her home. She placed the letter back down before yanking on her usual attire: an overcoat, with a black bikini/crop top, jeans, and boots with gloves. She stepped outside, bag slung over her shoulders and stepped out, but not before placing an electric field around her home. Seeing as that if anyone were to break in, they’d be burnt to a crisp. She started off, going into the heart of High Tree. She gathered what she needed. Clothes and womanly accessories and weapons if needed to be used on. After a while though, she gave herself time to sit down and eat at a local area where they served meat and what not. She could smell bacon and it made her nose scrunch up. She was tired of that smell. It wafted everywhere. “Kami, Aki-Sama…” A voice in her head startled her. / “Yooooou raaaaaang?” / Kat hissed and covered her nose. “Damn you for making me have an extra sensitive nose…” / “D’aww, don’t be like that Katsumi-chaaaan.” / Kat waved her off when her food arrived but then someone rushed by, taking along her pack that she had at her feet too. Kat didn’t care at the moment, but she ate her food, not as fast though, and finished it within ten minutes time. She paid and stood before taking a deep inhale, catching a trail of her scent and another, and she headed off in that direction, a tick mark appearing on her forehead… He ran. He ran and didn’t stop. Not until he got home to where he was met with the boss. “BOSS. BOSS. I gotta load right here!” He stopped in front of said Boss and laid down the bag Kat had. He gave a turn and… Kat had just turned the corner and vomited what she just had at the sight of this monstrosity. ( http://i.imgur.com/5wP14ag.jpg ) Kat couldn’t help but scream her head off ( http://static.fjcdn.com/comments/4838526+_20d076c4672dd54ed0bd73e6d597a336.jpg ) “ OH MY KAMI! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT? IT’S SO GROSS, AKI-SAMA!” Boss turned his ugly face at Kat who was clawing at her eyes, crying hysterically. “How rude of you! Coming from such an ugly girl herself!” He was gay. Kami, he was gay. And he hit Kat’s nerve. “...Ugly? Take a look in the mirror, Chernobyl!” Kat held out her hand with her eyes lowered. “I just came here for my belongings. That little rat stole it from me.” Boss shook his hips and pursed his lips. “Nope. Finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers.” Kat felt a shiver run down her spine. “Y-you… You’re like a child or something in that grown… thing’s body!” She stomped her foot on the ground and electricity crackled at her feet. “Now… I’ll take what I want by force, too if you wanna play games… Hand over the bag.” Boss stuck his gross fat tongue out at her. “Not a chance, Ugly.” That was the last straw.

Usagi walked through the deep woods of Oasis and groaned. Ever since her fight with Kevin she felt as if she felt a lot weaker… She brushed her hands through her short, snow white hair and rested down against the stump of a tree. And after that little experience with Lee, she couldn’t help but sulk. For a couple of days now, she’d been away from the church, training by herself, but she knew it wasn’t enough. After getting back up from her seat, she continued walking on when the smell of food hit her senses and she drooled heavily.( http://i.imgur.com/lSiuGTs.gif ) She walked towards the scent when a commotion caught her attention along the borderline of High Tree with a woman with long black hair and gold eyes, going at it with a… “Oh my god, what the fuck are you!?” Usagi screamed out with horror written all over her face. Her appetite had gone down the drain as she stared at this man beast who looked like he got hit with the ugly stick too many times. Neither of them heard her so she sat back and watched.

“So you want me to take it by force. Fine then.” In the blink of an eye Kat was right in in front of him before slammed her foot right into his face ( http://static.fjcdn.com/gifs/Clannad+power+kick+anime+clannad+http+myanimelistnet+anime+2167+clannad_3e43ee_4707495.gif ) sending him flying back into a group of his men. She landed back on her feet and glares at the one who stole her back and growled, and he sped off into the darkness. She huffed through her nose and steam came out as she bent down and slung her bag back over her shoulder and waved. “Ja ne.” She started leaving when a shrill cry filled the air and it made her ears bleed. She turned back, eye twitching and she cracked her knuckles. ( https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CGHqitWUYAAXWEc.jpg ) “Ugly wench! I’ll make you pay!” ( http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110325000455/villains/images/0/09/148382-bleach575_super.jpg ) Boss stared daggers at Kat and she shrunk. “I’m not ugly… Am I?”  She pulled her knees up to her chest and a dark cloud loomed over her. ( http://41.media.tumblr.com/89f846a9668fa242efbfe4ccd890debd/tumblr_nm8mrqE53L1s9bgq9o1_400.jpg ) “That’s right. You’re an ugly girl with an ugly face and an ugly heart. Don’t worry I’ll make sure to kill you now so you don’t have to scare anyone with that ugly face.” ...IT taunted her. She slowly stood up and dropped her bag, leaning back a little so no one could see her facial expression. And then came the lightning that surrounded her body and she lurched forward, her chi exploding around her and leveling the ground beneath her. ( http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/yakuza-mob-roleplay/images/c/cf/680584.gif/revision/latest?cb=20150607140422 ) Boss came at her with a spinning leg kick and she caught his leg with no effort but the rage in her face could explain everything as she cocked her arm back, pulled him forward and thrusts her fist right into his chest, and anyone within could’ve heard the thud and the sick crack within a mile radius. And then she let go of him before rotating her body and sending a kick to his face, and he flew into the pile of trash and broken glass and everyone stared at Kat. ( http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/yakuza-mob-roleplay/images/5/5b/Tumblr_m8i503VWGY1qhe17ko1_500.gif/revision/latest?cb=20150202234652 )  She still had that aura around her and they all rushed at her. “HOW DARE YOU ATTACK BOSS!?” They let out a war cry and Kat fell to her knees before pushing off her hands and focused chi at her feet before spinning around like a tornado, and it was the worst mistake any of them ended up in because… ( http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/yakuza-mob-roleplay/images/1/1f/Gunnm_lo_06_156.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20150130001159 ) Kat stopped and she was covered in blood, panting softly and her eyes were a blood red color instead of their normal grey color and she wiped blood off her face and grabbed her bag and went off into the Oasis forest to cool down… “I went out of control again…”

Usagi watched in amazement in the way she moved. To Usagi, it seemed as if it was almost the same as her own movement. It was when she did a bit of an overkill that Usagi made her choice. This woman was going to be her trainer. Usagi had followed Katsumi into the woods of Oasis and called out to her. “Hey, lady!” Kat turned around to face Usagi and raised a brow. “I don’t look that old.” Her eyes scanned over Usagi’s body and she could see the fighter just oozing out of her. “So, can you be my training partner? Just for a week? Please?” Kat stared at the little white haired girl, and know that Kat is 5’7” and Usagi is 5’2”. She couldn’t have been much older than she was. Kat was 18 and Usagi was only 17.

“...No.” And she turned away. Usagi stared dumbfounded at her and fell to her knees. “PLEASE. I AM BEGGING YOU.” Usagi stared at the back of Kat’s head and she started to cry. “Please… I’ll do anything.” Kat turned around to face the girl when suddenly she sighed and drew her leg back high into the air before thrusting it down, hopping that it would’ve connected with Usagi’s face, but Usagi was quick too, tilting her head to the right as she grabbed Kat’s foot and used her own force against her and pushed her back and sent her flying against a tree. Usagi got up to her feet as Kat did and they stood off into one of those Mexican stand offs… but there were no Mexicans…

“Alright…” Kat sighed. “Fine. I don’t have anything to lose.” She made her way deeper into the forest with bag in hand and soon they came into an opening where a pond stood in the center of it and in the center of the pond sat a sakura tree. Kat pointed to Usagi. “Strip.” Usagi’s face scrunched up and she sighed, doing as she was told. Katsumi sat down near the pond’s edge and urged Usagi to follow her example. “Do you have any elements within your body?” Usagi had sat besides Kat and sat indian style. “I have Light and Ice…A little air too.” Kat nodded and pushed Usagi into the water with a splash. For a little pond it was pretty fucking deep. Usagi rose out of the water and shivered. “It’s fucking c-c-cold, and th-th-that was uncalled f-f-for.”

Kat glared at Usagi and sighed. “Shut the fuck up and stay in there.” Usagi was having second thoughts about Kat. “You’re going to learn something called Tai Chi.” Usagi nodded but she wondered. “Isn’t tai chi a sort of calming exercise?” Kat shook her head. “My mother developed it to be an offensive and defensive technique. Now listen closely.

“Tai Chi mentions the eight basic methods of practice: Peng (ward-off), Lu (rollback), Ji (push), An (press), Cai (grab), Lieh (Break), Zhou (elbow strike), and Khou (shoulder strike).

When performing the eight basic methods, the force is directed from the middle finger of the palm. The five fingers are closed to each other and relaxed. The hand leads the elbow, and the shoulder follows. The shoulder also rotates with the waist. This spiral action, whether it is directed forwards, backwards, upwards, or downwards, must be crisp and well defined. At the end of the move the shoulders and elbows are relaxed and sunken. There is a feeling of fullness in the fingers. In Tai Chi the navel and the nose form a centerline. The left and right hand control its corresponding half of the body. When the left hand is traveling to the right, or vice versa, the hand should point toward the tip of the nose when traveling up, and toward the tip of the foot while coming down. This way the whole move will not deviate from the midline and the body remains balanced and comfortable.

To maintain the flow of Peng force throughout the form is a skill that can only be achieved with years of practice. The student has to pay special attention to appreciate this phenomenon. As to how deep the breathing and how large the force should be used during a practice to achieve the Peng force, I can suggest a simple criterion. Just as a person bends forward to lift an object from the floor, the power generated by this intentional and yet subconscious act is roughly equivalent to the force of the Peng. Once the person straightens up his body the force is not the same as Peng. So one can say the force either stronger or weaker than that of bending forward to lift is not Peng. If a student can sustain the right amount of force, his qi will not be lost. The alertness helps to detect the strength (listening energy) of his opponent.

Lu is another basic method of Tai Chi. It is also one of the four direct forces. Lu is frequently used in the Chen Style combat. The power point of Lu is on both wrists. When applied together with rotation of the waist Lu redirects the momentum of the opponent, leading him astride. The saying of “four teals of force can move thousand pounds” about Tai Chi actually is a reference to Lu. During the move the body has to be coordinated: the energy point has to be precise, the shoulders and elbows are lowered, and the qi flows down the spine. The neck and the tailbone form a vertical line and the posture of the body is kept straight. The spine becomes the central axis and the waist rotating around it like a wheel. When the waist and spine turn together smoothly, the force of the opponent is diverted to either side of the body. The more the hands and the waist coordinate, the stronger the power of the Lu. At the point of contact the move should be light, precise, quick, and continuous. With the rotation of the waist the forward momentum of the opponent is unchanged, nonstop, and unbroken. His speed is suddenly exaggerated, and a lack of compensation invariably results in a loss of balance. Lu can be performed with one or both hands. The one-handed move is used during the transition from Twist Step (Ao Bu) to Hidden Hand Punch. In this sequence, the right hand diverts the charging opponent by an upward and backward action. Simultaneously the right footsteps forward and a punch are delivered at a close range. The two-handed Lu is seen in a number of sequences, such as the Oblique Form, and Green Dragon rising out of Water converting into Both Hand Push. The force of Lu cannot be dissociated from that of Peng (ward-off). Otherwise its energy will crumble. As that happens, the rotational force of the waist cannot be fully expressed and the Lu generates much less power, leading to a substandard effect. This point deserves special attention.

Ji is also one of the eighth basic methods. It belongs to the direct forces and is frequently applied in the Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan. When used in a close range Ji can cause an opponent to lose balance. It is also an extension of Peng, aiming to compromise the attacker. Ji can be delivered in a number of ways: using one-hand, both-hands, the elbow, the shoulder, the chest, the back, the hip, or the thigh. The move can be adjusted at anytime. It can assault the opponent if he is holding back. When he moves forward, Ji can displace his momentum to miss the target. Ji is a technique used in close range, so the body must be stable. This provides flexible mobility and maximal adaptability during combat.

An (press) is one of the eight basic methods and is another of the direct forces. It is a common technique in Tai Chi Chuan. An means to close and to shut down. Its focal point of force is transmitted from the center or the root of the palm, while the center revolves around the waist. The energy (qi) is accumulated in the tan t’ien. An can be delivered with one or both hands. The proper posture of An dictates that the shoulders be sunken and elbows submerged. With folding the chest and loosening the waist, the body is kept erect while the qi descends to the tan t’ien. The turning of the waist brings the whole torso into motion, coordinating the upper and lower body into a single compact system. “Both hands have to sink downwards, otherwise the shoulders would be elevated, rending the form useless.” Therefore it is critical to make sure the shoulders and elbows are sunken in order to express the power of An.

Cai is another of the eight basic methods. It is one of four indirect forces. In Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan, Cai is basically meant grab and hold (qin na). There are many ways to deliver Cai, including single Cai, double Cai, elbow Cai, and chest Cai. Almost any part of the body can be integrated into a Cai move. To understand and execute Cai in Tai Chi, the practitioner must first acquire the skills of detecting, neutralizing, and applying force. These skills are essential to perform this basic method of Chen Style Tai Chi. In Cai the movement of the body and the footsteps merge beautifully, creating agility and variations. Whether it is grab or counter grab, hold or reverse-hold, this basic method is very practical. When Cai is used, concrete and fathom forces are often alternated and intermingled, making it hard for the opponent to anticipate. The essence of Cai is to maintain a sharp eye and a quick hand, targeting the muscles and the joints of the opponent. The goal is to strike the bones and grab the ligaments, rendering him defenseless. These are the basics of grab and the essences of hold (Cai).

Lieh can be applied by single, double, outward, inward, upward or downward action. For example a single Lieh can be used when the opponent grabs my collar. Using the principle of leverage I spiral downward my body and roll my arm upward, attacking his elbow joint. The single Lieh can be delivered in a flash and causes significant damage. It should be applied with precision and caution. The double Lieh and the downward Lieh are easier to learn, but the amount of force exerted requires special attention. The execution of the outward lieh, inward lieh, and upward Lieh requires a sharper turn of the body. These moves are prone to cause injury to the elbow and arm of the opponent.

Zhou can be executed in a number of ways: single Zhou, doubling Zhou, flow Zhou, Zhou across the waist, Zhou to the heart, upswing Zhou, back-breaking Zhou, back-to-back Zhou. Single Zhou is used most often. For example in Shield Heart with Elbow, the move involves single Zhou. In 38 Section Routine switching from Oblique Form to Buddha Stump the strike is an across the waist Zhou. During the transition from Ground Hitting Punch to Double Kick involves the backbreaking Zhou. The last few moves in Cannon Fist consist of several Zhou moves: across the waist Zhou, flow Zhou, Zhou to the heart, and back-to-back Zhou. The move after “Go Straight with Left Palm into the Well” is a double front Zhou. In Xin Jia a step-back downward pressing Zhou follows Reverse Rolling of the Curtain.

Khou is one of the eight basic methods of Tai Chi. It belongs to the indirect forces. Khou is also an explosive strike delivered at close range. The method uses parts of the body between the shoulder and the knee to attack. For example: shoulder strike (inside or outside shoulder), and chest strike. If the attacker tries to encroach from the front, I will use Peng to neutralize his action, followed by chest strike to hit his upper body. If the attack tries to wrap around me from behind, I will quickly fold my chest and loosen my waist. This will be followed with a back strike to the chest of the attacker. There are also Khou striking with the hip and the buttock.”

Kat had spoken slowly, getting a nod from Usagi to show that she understood. “I suppose I could teach you some chi-blocking too. How are you with your swordsmanship?” Usagi found herself to be shrugging. “I rarely use weapons. I have knowledge of how to use them, but I’ve never had a time for them to be used.” Kat nodded. “After your training, you might even come up with your own fighting style. Tell me, what intrigues you?” Usagi thought back to the time she and Kevin were up on the roof. “The stars. Or to be more specific, the twelve celestial beings.” Kat’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. She hadn’t expected this answer. “Well, alright then… Let’s get training.”

As days passed, Usagi had the same routine every morning at 3 AM for four days. Wake up, have a light breakfast, go for a three mile run around High Tree, come back to the pond, bathe, balance, meditation, focus, bathe, and work on two categories from the list of tai chi forces for the rest of the time until she got it, and Usagi learned rather quickly. It would only take at least ten hours for the whole cycle for her to finish before resting up again to redo everything.

Katsumi was never lenient with Usagi. In fact for Usagi to even be a millimeter off of her stance Kat struck her hard in the chest to make her cough up blood. Kat's training was merciless really. On the fifth day, Usagi was told to watch as Kat had got to work. “You might want to look away.” Kat took a few steps forward and dug her foot into the ground. “Henko.” A bright, blinding light covered the area and shielded her body. It was a full thirty seconds before Kat’s figure was revealed. ( http://orig06.deviantart.net/0878/f/2015/039/6/3/ahri_by_yy6242-d8fg60z.png ) She had ten tails waving behind her, a pure, snow white color and she was covered head-to-toe in armor. A basic pink, white, and black theme. Her bright pink eyes glowed as the sun began to lower. She had an orb, hovering under the palm of her hand, glowing a bright blue. She then removed one of her gauntlet gloves and brought her thumb up onto her mouth, piercing the skin and watched as the blood began to spill and she drew a bloody crescent on the palm of her left hand and it instantly turned black. ( http://i.imgur.com/YzTL73N.png ) “Summoning: Shizukana Yoru.” She held her hand out and the moon emblem glew bright. An astral body began to form in front of her and she smiled softly as her Mother formed in front of her. “Hi, Mom.” Kana opened her eyes and she smiled. “Hello, Katsumi.” Kat smiled at her mother and then Kana sighed. "Who's this?" Kana pointed towards Usagi. Before Usagi could answer, Kat did. "She's my student." Kana looked surprised. "She doesn't look that much older than you!" Kat blushed a bit and shook her head.

"Anyway, Mom. I wanted to show Usagi here an example of Tai Chi used in combat. Can you help?" Kana smiled and rubbed her daughter's head. "Of course. Let's get started."

Kana's hair covered her eyes but she was still able to see and feel when she felt her hand latch onto her wrist. Her eyes widened slightly and she gritted her teeth, closing her eyes and letting out a soft breath. She slid her leg until both where on the left of Kat instead of her being in between, her flexibility allowing to maneuver around positions as these. She thought back to her old use of Tai chi, her mind going back to Lieh. Lieh can be applied by single, double, outward, inward, upward or downward action. Using a single Lieh, it can be used when the opponent grabs any part of the arm such as the wrist as in the situation now. Using the principle of leverage Kana lowered her body and raises her arm upward, using her free hand to attack her elbow joint. The single Lieh can be delivered in a flash and causes significant damage. In doing so, she makes the girl release her grip on her wrist, allowing her to slide easily out, bringing her hands back using and them moving her body again in attempt to use Cai. Using Cai, Kana's movement of her body and her footsteps merge beautifully, creating agility and variations. Whether it is grab or counter grab, hold or reverse-hold, Cai's basic method is very practical. When Kana uses Cai, concrete and fathom forces are often alternated and intermingled, making it hard for the the girl to anticipate. The essence of Cai is to maintain a sharp eye and a quick hand, targeting the muscles and the joints of the opponent. Kana's attempts to strike the bones and grab the ligaments, rendering the girl defenseless as she aimed at her legs first, clenching her right hand into a fist, using just her knuckles to swiftly push it against the back of her knee, up to her side again, then going up in order to the area right underneath the meaty part of her bicep to her elbow and then her wrist using the both of her hands now again but on her right side now. As of now, the Kat's body would just be useless and she just fell back, laying still and not moving a centimeter. Kana's facial expression stayed the same as she pulled her arms back up to her chest, moving away from Kat just a few feet back, her feet spreading apart slightly, twisting into the roof as her hair shifted slightly, the sun casting her shadow, as she bent her knees slightly and prepared herself for anything more.

Kat grunted and them screamed at the top of her lungs as she forced chi to move through her body. Although his joints had been blocked, she used was able to break through the holes within her body and chi leaked through her body, allowing her body to move once more. Her body ached with pain as she stood back up to her full height, coughing a bit of blood. "..." Kana roared, and Kat suddenly took off towards her. Her breathing got heavy as she made her way over to her running at a full speed before she began to run on all fours. Growling like a rabid dog,she lunged at her acting completely animal-like. She kicked off the ground and threw her body at Kana. Kat's eyes suddenly flashed bright red once more and this time, she grew claws and her teeth where sharpened into perfect points. Kat lashed her right hand out at Kana's stomach, leaving five slash marks against it before moving so swiftly that all she'd see is a blur before the female's body could be seen running from the opposite direction of the strike on all fours again running back around to her in a circle. She's able to become undetectable as long as they are in darkness or shadow, and with Kana's shadow as the sun goes down and the moon arises, there's no telling where she could be. People with Animal like sensory may be able to detect the female if there smell, eye-sight etc was keen enough, but until the moon rises, Kana's senses will just be as any other human. Once she vanished she'd appear to the right of Kana, slashing at her face with her claws, ripping the side of her face only to vanish again once the strike was made. She'd appear behind her again slashing down her back, then at her ankles. After a while all one would see is the female's body randomly flickering all around Kana's body slashing out at her body in places like her chest, back and thighs. Four strikes were sent out at her calves, two at her chest, and then six at her back. Each clawing slash was about an inch deep, blood bursting from each strike that was sent out. Due to her shadow technique, her speed would have been even further increased even with her strange ocular powers than increased every sense and strength of hers. At the last strike at her chest, her vision started to blur as she stood up to her feet, her body going into excruciating pain, almost causing her to pass out, but she held her own as she swiftly grabbed her wrists, and the aura around her darkened, growling before she chuckled and licked a bit of blood that slid down her face from her attack earlier before. Lu is another basic method of Tai Chi. It is also one of the four direct forces. Lu is frequently used in the Chen Style combat. The power point of Lu is on both wrists. When applied together with rotation of the waist Lu redirects the momentum of the opponent, leading them astride. During the move, Kana's body is coordinated: the energy point being precise, as she lowers her shoulders and elbows, and the qi flows down the spine. Her neck and tailbone form a vertical line and the posture of her body is kept straight. The spine becomes the central axis and the waist rotating around it like a wheel. When Kana turns the waist and spine, it turns together smoothly, the force of her opponent is diverted to either side of the body. The more the hands and the waist coordinate, the stronger the power of the Lu. At the point of contact Kana's move is light, precise, quick, and continuous. With the rotation of her waist, she did so so that the forward momentum of her opponent is changed, stopped, and broken. The female's speed was suddenly exaggerated, and a lack of compensation invariably results in a loss of balance, as much as to knock the female over. Lu can be performed with one or both hands. Once her attack when through, she proceeded with the one-handed move is used during the transition from Twist Step (Ao Bu) to Hidden Hand Punch. In this sequence, her right hand diverts the female by an upward and backward action. Simultaneously the right foot steps forward and a punch are delivered at a close range, causing her to go down to her knees. While she is in a close range, Kana uses Ji, which can cause an opponent to lose balance. It is also an extension of Peng, aiming to compromise the attacker. Ji can be delivered in a number of ways: using one-hand, both-hands, the elbow, the shoulder, the chest, the back, the hip, or the thigh, and in this situation, Kana uses her elbow, pressing it against the center of her chest and giving a powerful push back, sending Kat flying back a few feet, rolling on the roof, towards the move can be adjusted at anytime. It can assault the girl if she is holding back. When she moves forward again racing towards Kana, Kana uses Ji and displaces the girl's momentum, making her miss Kana and Kana grabs Kat's wrist before slamming her against the ground, making her hit the ground so hard that a crater about fifteen feet wide formed. Kana sat on top of Kat and held a blade to her throat. Kat grinned. "Not bad for a dead woman." Kana laughed heartily. "I still got it."

Usagi watched with a blank face before screaming at the top of her lungs. ( https://41.media.tumblr.com/3e419b0f1573727d077011f49483fde3/tumblr_inline_np9sbkeaZt1s76uba_540.jpg ) "YOU GUYS ARE MONSTTTEEEEEEERRRS!!!!"

It was Day Six, and Usagi had mastered Tai Chi as an offensive. Now it was time for chi blocking.

"Alright Usagi. Chi blocking is fairly easy. All you need to know is the body's pressure points and gates in order to lock it and keep your opponent from any enhancement in their punches. Listening closely now." As Kat explained about each and every one of the pressure points, and dear god it was boring as hell but she needed to pay attention. on the ground, Kat drew a diagram of a human body, front and back.

( http://img.over-blog-kiwi.com/0/73/68/52/201311/ob_7624b1ee265b41881040b03f0a4dc610_acupuncture-points.jpg )

"Study over these and then we'll get on hand to hand work while in combat." Usagi felt as if she were back in school during history class. "Yesssss, Maaaaa'aaaaam." After six hours of focusing on each of the pressure points, Usagi and Kat had finally gotten into a hand to hand battle.

They had went on for a good 10 hours, and Usagi had been taken down with the same move every time. It was always the puncture against the small of her back that rendered her useless. She'd told Kat not to aim at her stomach, considering that she was told that she was to bare a child by an ass who left shortly afterwards. Hopefully, he would come back...

It wasn't until with was around 12 AM that they had their final round and Usagi had Kat on the ropes. "Impressive. You sure do learn quick don't you, ya pesky hare!" Kat thrust her fist right into the center of Usagi's chest but using her drunken boxing, Usagi managed to moved back with the flow of the punch before turning right and getting behind Kat, her hands curled into fists and she drove her knuckles in deeply as they punctured her pressure points on the underside of her bicep, her arm pit, her ribs, her hip, and then the back of her knee and her achille's tendon and Kat fell down to the ground, panting hard. "Con....grats... You've mastered two arts... and now let's get you... a new element.... Starting tomorrow..."

On the last day of the week, Usagi was sitting across from Kat who was in deep thought. Kat's physical body was currently dormant as her astral body was in the netherworld with Usagi besides her. "So this is where your family lives?" Kat smiled. "Yours too. Or your mother and father at least." Usagi stopped in her tracks and couldn't believe what she was hearing. "My... parents?" Kat nodded. They felt that it was time for you to gain their ability. They don't need it anymore. So you'll have to live it on for them." Usagi nodded and she felt as if her heart was nearly going to pop right out of her chest.

They'd arrived at a palace where children ran and adults tended to the house. Kat and Usagi were greeted with warm smiles and hellos and they'd returned them. Dimitri, Kat's cousin, stood at the gate and he tackled his baby cousin. "Hey! Kat, I've missed you!" Kat caught him and laughed. "Dimitri, I have a guest. We're going to see the Yamainu Leaders. I'll come back for you later." Dimitri nodded and let them pass and Usagi was met with the sweet smelling aroma of an ocean breeze. Back in Italy, Blake had always taken his daughter every summer to the beach. It was around that time her mother, Rin, was still alive too.

"We're here." Katsumi and Usagi stood on the other side of scarlet red doors, and it reminded Usagi of blood. Slowly the doors opened and Usagi was met with the smiling faces of those she had long forgotten. "Daddy... Momma..." Blake and Rin Shiro, looking fine as ever, opened their arms as their daughter jumped at them. Usagi had tears rolling down her eyes and she sniffled. "I'd... never thought I could see you again..." Blake rubbed his daughter's head and sighed. "We're always watching over you... Sometimes it's not a good thing either. You'd better find that damned mutt and keep him on a leash of you're going to hold his child." Blake had a tick mark show on his head and Rin laughed. Her voice was the kind that would make any man melt into the palm of her hand and Usagi had missed hearing her speak. "You have to go back soon so take this as a parting gift from your father and I. We love you very much dear, and I hope that child becomes big and strong... Just like you, my little rabbit." Rin placed a kiss on Usagi's forehead and it began to glow and her body was suddenly up in flames, but it didn't hurt her. No. it felt like a warm, fluttery feeling. Blake placed kiss on the exact spot as his wife did and them the flame had turned into a shade of blue. "You managed to get your ancestor's elements, but didn't get ours until now. Good luck, darling. You have a long journey ahead of you."

Those words had brought Usagi back into the real world along with Kat and she smiled. "It's time for you to go home now. Get some rest. Surely this won't be the only meeting that we'll have. Ja ne~" Kat had given Usagi a hug and got up from her seat and made her way elsewhere. She left Usagi alone, letting her past in her newly found element and once she found it in the pit of her stomach, she changed into a newly defined and... revealing armor.... but it felt nice. Her armors were practically made for her. Usagi sighed heavily and started making her way back home towards the church. "Family..." It was a nice thing to have, and the best thing to cherish in her life.