• Chapter 3

    When they got out to the training grounds, Lissette kept looking all around her, amazed by how many people were training.
    "Look out kid!" someone shouted as something sharp, pointy, and black flew inches in front of Lissette's face. Lissette caught it between two fingers, walked over to the person and dropped it into their outstretched hand. All of a sudden everyone around her stopped what they were doing and stared at her.
    "How did you do that?" the lady whose arm had shot whatever that thing was asked her.
    Lissette shrugged and walked back over to Atora and Gen. They both just stared at her wide eyed. Then Atora snapped out of it and gave Lisssette the biggest, creepiest, grin that Lissette had ever seen and said "Nice catch!" in a really perky voice. Then they started walking again.
    They soon came to a nearly empty spot in the woods.
    "We're here! Alright, from the way Lissette caught that thing back there, I guess she gets to skip a few lessons, which brings her to the same level as you, Gen. Okay, here's what we're doing today. Lissette, you try and attack Gen and Gen, you try to keep from getting hit. No killing each other or mortally wounding each other. Got it?"
    Gen and Lissette both nodded.
    "Ready...GO!"
    Lissette's swords shot out of her hands. She ran behind Gen to trip him from behind. His hands and feet turned into claws and he jumped out of the way just in time. What the hell was that? Lissette thought. Oh well, whatever it was, he won't get me with that again.
    Just as she finished her thought, he came right up behind her and slashed at her with his claws. She just barely got out of his reach, and swiped at his feet -err claws- again. This time she was able to trip him, and pin him to the ground.
    "Time out! We have a winner!" Atora shouted for everyone to hear.
    All the heads of people on the training grounds turned and stared at her. Atora pointed at Lissette. Lissette got off of Gen. Gen got off the ground, his face red with embarrassment.
    "Aren't you new here?" someone asked Lissette. She nodded.
    "I hear she just got here last night and she was passed out for most of that!" someone else said. Lissette's faced turned red at that last one.
    "Alright Lissette!" Atora said beaming like the perkiest person ever. Lissette shrugged.
    "He needs to watch his back better. Otherwise he's a goner." she replied.
    "What's going on?" Masamori said as he came to see why everyone was staring at Lissette.
    "Gen got his butt kicked by the new girl." someone replied. Gen turned red again.
    "You want to be next?" she asked them. The persons eyes widened and they shook their head.
    "Then leave him alone! He didn't do anything to you, so shut the hell up." she replied.
    Gen looked at her wide-eyed, then walked away.
    "Great, now she's pissed him off." the same person said. Lissette gave him her 'shut up or I'll kick your butt too' look. Masamori stared at her too.
    "What? Never seen a ten year old kick someone’s butt before?" she asked. She followed Gen into the woods.

    "Does anyone want to tell me how you got her to talk? Also, would someone tell me what just happened?" Masamori asked. Atora explained what had happened from the moment she had opened that door, to Gen having his butt kicked by Lissette. Masamori just stood there speechless. When he finally spoke, it was to say that they should go find Gen and Lissette, before one of them got hurt.

    Meanwhile, Lissette was having one heck of a time finding Gen, that is, until she caught his scent. Then it was to easy.
    "Leave me alone!" Gen screamed, then to make sure she'd go away, he threw a really big rock at her head. She caught it with her bare hands, and tossed it aside.
    "Doing that won't make me go away." Lissette said calmly.
    Gen just glared at her.
    "All I did was get back at you for throwing me to the ground like that last night." she replied coldly. "Now we're even. You can come back now, they stopped staring."
    Gen slowly climbed out of the tree and walked back towards the training grounds. Lissette followed.

    Back at the Yagyou, Atora was searching high and low for Lissette and Gen. (she didn't see them go into the woods, she was to busy staring at the chief when he arrived) The chief had given Gen and Lissette a mission. Atora thought it was a little weird that he was sending Lissette on her first day, but she didn't ask about it.
    What the chief says goes, no questions asked. Well, at least for now...Atora had just about given up, when Gen and Lissette came out of the woods.
    "Where have you two been?" Atora asked them.
    Gen just turned red at her question. Atora looked at Lissette.
    "He ran off and I went to find him." she answered.
    "Oh, well you two shouldn't do that anymore. While you were gone, the chief assigned both of you a mission."
    Gen looked shocked. Lissette looked confused.
    "So, I get to help kick some ayakashi's butt?" she asked.
    "Yes." Atora answered.
    "Let's get going Gen." Lissette said eagerly.
    Gen followed silently as Lissette followed Atora to the place the ayakashi was at.