Martial Monks

[Cloud]

The harsh clink of metal ricochetted against the monastery's polished wood floor. Footstep by footstep disturbing the peaceful silence that lay about. Long decorated scrolls fluttered and waved in the small breeze that blew across the quiet plateau. Paper lanterns rustled and flickered as their candle illuminated the scenic palace, barely drowned out by the glowing auburns of the rising sun. Deserted and forgotten by many, the buddhists lasting pride had been awaken once more.

A small noise of content arose from the throat of the man who entered such a serene arena. The mountains had served favourously and yet, even though the hike had been long and tiring, the blond hunter felt almost refreshed to be there. He felt at ease, for once, as though his body no longer felt the pain that coursed through his veins and slowly dug his mind into the darkness.

Kneeling at one end of the dojo, Cloud lay his weapons down before him - closing his eyes as he inhaled deeply. Allow me to train, a-while, he prayed silently, not wishing to disturb the ancient spirits which dwelt in their eternal sleeping haze.

[Mikaela Antony]

The sound of a slight form in knee-high leather boots grading the last bit of the rocky outcropping barely interrupted the silence. The shish of a calf-length tailored jean skirt accompanied the sound of crushing rocks. Mikaela's breath caught in her delicate throat as the temple came into view; it probably didn't help that she was wearing a tight brown corset, though. Her blonde-haired master was already inside, having only slightly outpaced her as they reached the top. Mikaela was in excellent physical shape, and thus was not breathing all too hard at the high summit. She took a deep breath and sighed it out before walking, crunch, crunch, to the Temple entrance.

She whispered a small prayer and spoke. "You know, you didn't have to leave me behind just because you're overly excited to be here.." Mikaela's smooth voice, heavy with Spanish accent, flowed like rich velvet. In truth, she herself was excited to be here. She just took longer to look at the scenery than Cloud did, and had lagged behind a bit. She placed her weapons down next to Cloud's, her brown leather gloves still on her thin hands. She closed her amber eyes in another silent prayer, asking for permission as well, and stood back up. She took notice of a small rack to the side of the entrance, walked over, and slipped her fur-trimmed jean jacket off and set it on the rack.

"So what are we doing today..?" Mikaela slipped her gloves off and stuffed them in her hanging jacket pocket. She fluffed out her blonde waves, having gotten slightly damp outside from all the mist and fog. God, it was so beautiful though. "Training...Or Meditation?"

[Cloud]

Raising a thin eyebrow, cobalt-grass eyes still closed, the blond shook his head with a small inwards chuckle. "You should be able to keep up with me by now, Mikaela," he mocked his apprentice softly, re-adjusting the dark shades that hide his poisoned eyes from view as he rose to his feet.

Raising his arms above his head as he laced all ten fingers together, Cloud stretched lightly before turning to face the woman stood behind him. This young spainard, she fought well - he couldn't help but hope she didn't make the same mistakes as he had. Secrets that he hid well out of fear of his fellow's opinions.

"For now, we will train. No weapons," he smirked, running a gloved hand through his blond spikes before steading himself. "If you feel to tired to fight, I'm sure the spirits will let us meditate for a while," he teased, referring back to his elder methods of provoking his students.

Eh, it worked most of the time.

[Mikaela Antony]

Mikaela narrowed her amber eyes at her master. Why did he pick at her? Then again, one could ask why she picked at him. When he mentioned training without weapons, a smirk formed at h er pale pink lips and the corners turned up in pure perfection. She immediately took a low, guarded stance, and waited for his attack. But when he poked at her again, she stood upright and placed her hands promptly on her hips.

"Really, now, Cloud..." Familiarity equaled picking. "I'm the younger one, I have more energy remember? Unless you feel too old to fight, then I guess we can meditate.." Mikaela rushed forward and struck fast and low, aiming for his abdomen, but stopped a mere centimeter away. "...Or if you're just too slow now.." She smirked again, a devilish glint in her amber orbs. She smiled politely at Cloud and stood properly. She turned, back to Cloud entirely, and strolled liesurely back to her position, showing confidence, and some arrogance. She repositioned herself and shot Cloud a wink.

"Give it your best shot."

[Cloud]

Pursing his lips slightly in amusement, Cloud narrowed his gaze beneath dark lenses. It would have been easier to fight without the glasses but removing them was not something he was going to do willing. Instead, he watched her take up her guard position, planning his move carefully in silence.

She was quick, he knew that much from fault of experiance. He also knew what it was like to be caught off-guard by one of her blows - not something he wanted to be on the recieving hand of again. Mikaela took a low stance, which meant it would be difficult to get past her with a similarly heighted shot. There was almost no point in attempting to inflict damage around her torso, it wouldn't be difficult for her to block his attacks.

So he was left with an attack from high. Being in the air or jumping in any way still put him in an extremely vunerable position, but it was a risk he was going to take. He had no other options.

Barely flinching as she changed her tact, or seemed to do so, the blond Hunter braced himself as she rushed towards him. Only to once again be mocked by his student. A thin smirk tugged at the corners of his lips as he regained his composure. "You know me, I'd never turn down a fight, kiddo'," he teased in return, clenching his hands to form tight fists - the left covered, the right bare, before running at her. Half a meter away, Cloud sprung easily with his ankles, aiming a powerful quick at her right shoulder-blade.

[Mikaela Antony]

Mikaela crossed her arms over her shoulder and blocked Cloud's kick with ease. Why was he going easy on her? And how could he fight with shades on? "Perhaps your shades are interfering with your skills, old man!" Mikaela pushed his foot off with a grunt as she poked fun at him. She caught his ankle before throwing him off, twisted his leg, and chucked it toward the ground; the effect, if he didn't catch himself, should be the rest of Cloud's body falling to the ground.

Mikaela's amber eyes glowed in the dusky interior of the temple, and she moved at near supernatural speed to pin him, her left arm locked around his left thigh, and her right elbow between his shoulder blades, pulling his leg up and backwards. She wondered how he could wiggle out of this one.. "Why do you fight with shades on, anyway?" Was it to fight better at night? If that was the case, they had ways of learning that... There was some other reason behind it, and Mikaela had her theories...

[Cloud]

Frowning at the deflection, Cloud grunted softly as his ankle was caught and his body thrust towards the ground. Extending his palms to block his fall, the hunter swung his body over - in effect, managing a handstand before pushing himself back to his feet. Under no circumstances would he allow her to defeat him, not when he had helped train her himself.


It was strange how she liked to mock him as the elder. By a year at the most was he her senior, and still it gave her every reason to use it as a drive in battle. "They are not interferring, Antony," he smirked, "You should be thinking about your moves rather than why I dress this way." True, if he removed the glasses, she'd see the poison in his eyes, and true, if his left arm were not covered so heavily, would she be able to see the charred markings that polluted his pale skin.

Not something he was particularly proud of.

Grimacing through gritted teeth, Cloud allowed his movements to cease - knowing that struggling would only make it worse. When still, be like a mountain... Be steady like a rooster on one leg... Sink like a heavy piece of metal. "Would you ask a demon questions? Or would you pick up your sword and take a strike before he could betray you?" he growled, tilting his head back slightly with an amused smirk.

[Mikaela Antony]

Mikaela narrowed her amber orbs; he was right. Damn. It still bothered her that he wore shades inside, in a temple at the top of a mountain shrouded in mist and surrounded by dark clouds. She stood upright, straight as a board, and just as still. She closed her eyes and took in a deep, cool breath. She raised her hands and clasped them together, her two index fingers sticking up and the rest laced inward in intertwined fists. She crossed her thumbs before her index fingers, creating a hand-sign that could otherwise be used for ninjitsu, but she didn't utter a single word. She let her breath out slowly, steadily, and opened her eyes, unleashing the intensity behind them on Cloud.

Mikaela took several steps in perfect heavy rhythm to Cloud and, in mid-step, disappeared; she reappeared right behind him and shoved a swift elbow into his back with none so much as the blink of an eye or a single sound. She didn't even miss a beat in her step, as her next one fell when she turned fluidly, almost dancing, and grasped him around his neck from behind with her right hand. Her left one snaked around his torso and she held him steadfast, tight and close. He'd gotten out of her last hold, he wouldn't get out of this one. She exuded a crushing force on his ribs, locking him in place, and whispered coldly next to his ear.

"I don't need a weapon to kill..."

[Cloud]

Crouching to a light stance, the Hunter gripped his wrist tight with his right hand, his fingers clawlike and overpowering. In martial arts you fought as an animal, and in no case would Mikaela be fighting a human with intent of killing... he hoped anyway. A small growl emitted from his throat as he glanced sideways at his weapons. He knew well enough with the speed she'd found since he'd come home, and the strength, he'd probably be on the loosing end of this draw.

Unless...

Glittering irises narrowed in annoyance as she disappeared before him, running a few steps on instinct. Gasping in pain as her elbow made contact with his upper back, Cloud slipped his gloved hand into one of his back pockets as she held him tight. He grasped his cell between his forefinger and thumb, pressing down a few keys and feeling the shape morph in his palm.

"No?" he whispered quietly, fingering the small knife behind his leg, "Then fight me as I am. No secrets, no worries. Could you do that, Kid? When some vampire has a blade for you, and you have no way out - would you need a weapon to kill?"

[Mikaela Antony]

"What do you mean, fight you as you are?" Mikaela narrowed her eyes to slits as she let go and walked back to her spot. "I thought we were training..?" She turned on her spot, waving an arm in confusion as she turned, eyes still narrowed at Cloud.

"Unless there's something you'd like to tell me..." Mikaela spoke in a low voice, narrowing her eyes more. She just gotten out of reach of a knife and didn't even know it. She dusted her heavy jean skirt, a loud thud sound coming from the motion, and took up her low guarded position again. Her eyes meandered to the side as she thought on the question, and she suddenly felt foolish.

"I'm sorry, you're right." Mikaela quickly bowed forward. "A human can't kill a vampire without a weapon of some sort. Unless they have some mix in their blood..." At this, she raised her eyes to give a questioning look to Cloud. Was she right? She could swear she was. She straightened from her bow and spoke again.

"Forgive me. You are my master after all..." Mikaela nodded, and whispered under her breath, "even if you are an old man..." with a smirk pulling at her beautiful, pink Spanish lips.

[Cloud]

Nodding softly, he raised a hand to his throat, rubbing it slightly. "We are, but you've been training to fight creatures of darkness, not humanity. You're stealthy, strong and you wit is impeccable, you need to try your luck against something stronger," he spoke quickly, striding aside to retrieve his sword in its many parts.

Stiffening under her gaze, Cloud closed his eyes for a moment. She was his most trusted student, the one who he knew would go far. If she could hold out without killing him, he would be proud of her. If she couldn't, well he died in combat - for something he deserved to have died for. Humanity was the defiant race, they were there to defeat everything else.

Raising his hand to his glasses in turn, and lifting them to rest against his hairline. "If you trust me, Mikey, then I will trust you with things I do not tell the others. You dedicated your time to the war of humanity, and I have nothing but pride for you. But we will fight properly - win, and you have passed your training, lose and...well, I guess it'll be another year of subordinate combat," he mocked lightly, still holding a deadly serious tone to his voice as he gripped his sword tight with both hands.

"By a year!" Cloud smirked darkly, shaking his head with a small laugh as he darted forwards with the large metallic held tight behind him. He jumped as he had done once before, grunting deeply as he swung it over in his hands, bringing it down above his target with a harsher, more powerful strength sparking around his onyx pupils..

This was real training.

[Mikaela Antony]

Mikaela turned her head slightly to the side, as if to hear him better, as he began speaking to her, a somewhat and slightly alarmed - or concerned maybe - look on her face as he spoke of her abilities. She narrowed her gaze ever so slightly, wondering what could possibly be bothering him that put him in such a serious mood and so suddenly. Cloud made for his weapons, and Mikaela hesitated slightly, shifting her weight nimbly from foot to foot in her wide stance; more like shifting her hips. Her amber eyes were wide, but narrowed and sharp, and her nostrils flared slightly as she took in each movement he was making.

This was Mikaela's cue to gather her own weapon, and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that to Cloud. She moved, unsteadily at first, toward her long bo. The bo had two curved blades, one at either end, of pure silver, instead of steel. The long, double-blade wood staff could break easily in the middle, a long silver chain hiding peacefully inside; it was kept snug with padding so it could not be heard inside, so as to surprise anyone that fell prey to the extended form. A few small vials, each a different poison, hid in an invisible compartment near the middle, where Mikaela would hold it with her long, feminine hands.

She also gathered her six shooter and slipped it back into her boot holster; her sawed shotgun was against the wall. There would be no reason for that in this battle, and neither would there be for the gun, but she had to get used to the weight in swift combat. Her amber eyes slipped to the last piece in her scant armory; her multiple styles of blades. Her perfectly carved pink lips puckered in thought, a slight creasing forming in her brow. She wouldn't kill him in this fight, and they both knew that, so why did she need to grab them? She did anyway, kneeling to the cool wood floor, and picking up the delicate pieces.

She picked her right leg up off the ground, kneeling on one leg in effect, and slipped the glinting metal pieces into her thigh holster. It had originally been embarrassing for her, the location of the holster, but there was, unfortunately, practicality in it. Cloud had had to explain that to her on more than one occasion, much to her dismay, and even now, a slight tinge of scarlet reached her face; she much preferred keeping things covered, especially in male company. Her amber orbs glinted dangerously in Cloud's direction as she shoved her skirt back down, the side slit falling back into place as if it wasn't even there.

Mikaela stood then, picking her bo up with her. She didn't even get to ask a question of her master before he apparently had something very important to say. He reached for his glasses, and that was startling to Mikaela. He never did this, it must be serious... Her breath caught in a small, sharp gasp. His eyes! They were poisoned, that she could be sure of, and it had to be from demonic blood. She registered somewhere in the back of her mind vaguely what this could mean, what it could entail later on.. But they were gorgeous.

Mikaela barely registered he had begun speaking again, until she heard his childish nickname for her, and pursed her lips more than usual. She didn't like being called Mikey, and hadn't a clue how it had come about, but she listened intently anyway, even if she crossed her arms defensively over her chest... His words finally hit her, though... He trusted her... her more than the others... Why? Surely it wouldn't be based on skill, that would be disgusting. She stopped to think about it, and realized, more and more, as she thought on the poison, why; she wouldn't tell, wouldn't fight against him. He was on their side, after all... He was fighting for humanity. She couldn't fight against him because of that, perhaps not ever...

She bit a pink lip, turning it red from pressure and, almost, blood. "But we will fight properly - win, and you have passed your training, lose..." Win? Win...certainly not by death. . . Win by what then, a KO?

"Subordinate combat!?" Mikaela scoffed incredulously. She could probably use another year - nothing like being trained up - but she scoffed all the same, it was a bit off putting. She quickly gathered his serious tone, and grip on his blade, and took her stance.

"By a year!" He flew at her, and Mikaela was ready. She blocked the metallic blade with a loud - cling! - block from her bo. The force from it, though, was enough to make any normal person buckle; Mikaela, however, just bent a little under the extreme pressure. He was frickin' strong! The weight pressed down on her, and she let it bring his face within an inch of hers and grinned wildly at him as she almost hissed her words.

"It's enough to provoke you into childish banter about it.." If she was correct at her assumptions of his behavioral patterns, and she usually was, then she had right to assume it was a provocation. She pushed him off with a bit of an oomph, lightly staggering back; she hid it well, though. "Battle till what, a KO? Because I won't do it till the death, not with you..." Perhaps another hunter, if she had to protect.. and then she thought about that for a moment, what Cloud's revealing of his eyes meant. Would other hunters now hunt him? Her amber eyes betrayed nothing, as she put a hard look on her face; a mask. But ah, she was forgetting, it was fight time...

Cloud couldn't even blink and Mikaela was gone. Her voice echoed from some hidden place in the room. "I'll assume it's to a KO..." Her voice started from the rafters, echoed just in front of him, and then she was behind him. She kicked the backs of his knees, disappeared and reappeared in front of him, and elbowed him in the stomach, trying to knock the wind out of him. She caught him by the chin, though, with an uppercut.

She moved much more swiftly then; she twirled her bo once very quickly, pinning him to a support beam with the curved blade at the end of her bo.The blade was very close to Cloud, so close, in fact, that the cold of the silver could be felt against his neck, she was sure. One swift move and he would be beheaded... She arched one perfect, dark blond eyebrow at him, looking much like a golden-hued statue dedicated to some forgotten goddess of death, her eyes darkened to almost a honey brown hue. She tilted her head just slightly; a quick, sharp movement.

"K. O. ?" She didn't move the blade to slice at all, just a bit closer to Cloud's neck. She wondered how he could get out of this one, not if he could... Or at least that's how she prepared herself for his combat in the past... She had always lost in the past, why should this time be any different.. That threat of an extra year, though, made her roll her eyes with a small growl, and she swiftly slipped some glinting blades from her thigh holster through the side slit in her skirt, and readied them for if he managed out of this and moved off. She could aim any blade and strike with deadly accuracy.

Mikaela smirked lightly, playfully, arching her brow again. "You should probably agree, your age has made you slow..." Hmp, a satisfied grin settled on her pink lips and she held back the nigh-inevitable chuckle.

[Cloud]

A harsh, almost animalistic, growl emmitted from deep within the blond's throat as his frontal attack was blocked. He pressed on, pushing his weight against her while keeping his balance on the grip of his sword. His feet did not reach the ground from where he was poised, but for the few seconds of contact, he remained airborne; keen not to lessen his attack by touching ground and having his weight shift slightly in the process.

It's enough to provoke you into childish banter about it..."

Pale cerese lips parted halfway to form a half-smirk, his tongue touching the backs of his pearly stones - partially visible in his guestured grin. "Exactly the excuse I'd expect to hear from such an infant," he sneered softly in whisper, raising an eyebrow with a coy expression.

Thrown back by her reaction, for a matter of split seconds, Cloud fumbled the hilm of his sword - clicking the silver-steel combination blades out of place and grasping a piece firmly in each hand as he glanced down to judge his height. His distance to fall. Performing a half-somersault at his last second, the Hunter landed with his feet firmly on the ground... One leg was thrown back to stop himself from skidding against the polished flooring, the other forwards slightly and bent at the knee - supporting his body perfectly.

"Perhaps a KO, yes. But think of it like this..." he straightened slightly, quickly fixing his mid-guard stance, as he spoke, "We'll battle untill one of gives in... Untill one of us cannot face another blow." Cloud's voice was deadly serious, his expression likewise - but there was a challenging, almost excited spark to those poisoned eyes... those eyes focused so intentively on his student.

And dammit! Why did she keep disappearing?

Suddenly alone in the arena, so it seemed, the blond narrowed his eyes with a small 'hmph!' as he remained still where he was - cobalt-green irises flickering from one end of the dojo to the other. A quick blow to that back of his legs had the man stagger slightly, surprised by the force and by the pain that shot down to his heavily-booted ankles. By now, being caught off-guard by her attacks was really starting to become a pain in the neck.

Literally.

Pinned back to the beam, Cloud lifted his head; trying, as was instinct, to keep the bo-blade as far away from his neck as he could. Both of his own slices of metal lay crossed over his chest, a symbol of defense of which he was using to push back against Mikaela's weapon. "Not likely," he muttered, a dark smirk playing across his face as the intoxication seemed to glow dangerously around his trapped pupils.

It was from that glow that Cloud stole his strength, that playful smirk of his lingering as he followed her suit and vanished to her vision. "Maybe you're right... but it had also made me wiser," his soft vocal teased lightly as his own invisble blade thrust against the silver curve, shoving it far enough away for him to slip away towards the shadows.

In the shadows, he could manipulate. Something the demons had gifted him with that he truely did enjoy. There were no limits to the darkness.

Re-appearing a moment later upon a shadowed rafter, Cloud sighed quietly, shaking his head and letting out a small, deeply-amused, laugh. This high up, falling would do him more damage than the strike he would, with do-doubt, recieve. Light as an ether, the hunter wandered a few paces along the wood - treating it as a balancebeam with more grace than the acrobat. His sword was pieced together once more, to which he was careful not to over balance against his body's weight. "Now, why won't you kill me? You know the others would, you know you should," he questioned, gazing down at her with an eyebrow raised as he steadied his footing - prepared, or so he hoped.

[Mikaela Antony]

Now it was her turn to get upset at his disappearance. Dammit. "Wiser..?" Mikaela slowly unscrewed the center of her bo. She decided to use a line Cloud had earlier. "Huh, only by a year, if you're even that lucky!" She turned at that instance and shot three silver blades from her right hand to where shh knew - didn't know how, just knew - Cloud was hiding. She took her turn to disappear and showed up just in front of him, a somewhat indescribable look on her face; it was between caution and scolding.

"Kill you?" Mikaela spat in disgust. She started twirling her bo, the chain slipping out and the single piece now becoming two. "Kill you?!" She asked more alarmed now. "What, why should I? You want me to kill" Mikaela whirled her blade-edge of the bo dangerously in front of her body, it coming within inches of Cloud as she walked forward. "..you?"

Mikaela moved forward, hoping to press him back. "Are you kidding me?" The bo whirled. "Kill you? My master, my trainer? You're on our side. You're not a half breed, that's obvious. Someone else did this to you, and I can tell you don't like it.. and yet you want me to kill you!?" Mikaela spun half her bo to her right side, holding the left half of her bo in her left hand as a handle. The silver chain, heavy and bulky as it was, made no sound.

"Fine!" At the same time Mikaela spoke this, she struck. She embedded the swinging blade of her bo into the wood just behind Cloud, on the beam he was walking on. She was a blur of blond, dark blue, and brown as her foot slammed into Cloud's abdomen and she knocked him flat on his back. She used the other end of her bo, the stationary end, and blurred into a swing around the rafter, the chain falling across Cloud's chest. When she swung back up, not even a split second later, she pinned him underneath her. He wasn't going anywhere. She quickly maneuvered the rest of the length of the chain around the rafter and Cloud, going around seven times in all.

Mikaela grabbed one of the knives she'd managed to lodge under where Cloud had been standing - all in the strategy - and yanked it from the wood, holding it tight under his neck. She leaned heavily on top of him, getting close enough that her lips were next to his ear. "So tell me, if you're so eager to die.." she whispered, her words venom, "How many ways are there to kill a demon?" She wouldn't kill him, not in the least, but she was pissed. How could he ask her that?

[Cloud]

“Oh, I’m just that lucky,” he smirked, wincing as the three blades dug into the wood beneath him. How did she even know? It wasn’t possible... she wasn’t supposed to know... Actually, the more he thought on that, the more he realised that she had picked up a lot since he’d disappeared. She was a much stronger fighter than he remembered.... not to mention wittier.

Turning smoothly to face her, Cloud raised an eyebrow at Mikaela’s tone – slipping back a few steps ass she began moving forwards. “You have been trained to kill! We are nothing more than programmed robotics of a murderer. Don’t you see?” he growled, his daring eyes sparking with mischief and interrogation.

Of course, he did not really want to die. It was merely the principal. He had taught her to fight, to follow orders, to be prepared at all costs to kill. He wanted her to prove her differences to him; to prove she was not some mindless being, and to prove she could make her own way without help or decisions of others. The mistakes he had fallen too were not ones he wanted her to repeat.

Caught off guard by her sudden yell, the Hunter let a low gasp on pain escape his throat as he felt the wind rush from his lungs and his back slam against the thin plank beneath him. Pale fingers loosened, from the impact, against the leather gripping of his sword, the heavy weapon slipping from his grasp and falling to the floor below with a loud clang and clattering.

He had barely a second though before he was pinned beneath his student. He grimaced in pain, gritting his teeth as Mikaela swung the bulky chain over and around his chest. Struggling against the weight of both woman and silver, the blond hissed in response, “Does it look like my methods work?” Okay, he made one small, yet significant, mistake and doubted his own abilities because of it. He had more things to worry about, at the time, like, trying to stop himself from swallowing to ensure he didn’t hurt himself against the blade, or, about how unnerving it was to be trapped beneath a somewhat attractive woman with no clear was of getting out.

Not that he was thinking about that... Of course it was all about the blade at his neck...