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Skye was irritated when she’d returned from chasing after Ahriman’s shadow clone. She hadn’t gotten far, since she was worried that it’s objective was to separate her from Mei’s group. With that in the back of her head, Skye had doubled back quickly, but had found that they’d already left.

It gave her relief to know that nothing had happened, but it also vexed her that the shadow was keeping tabs on them to begin with. As Skye walked back to her room, she was lost in her thoughts when a servant had stopped her, and asked that she go directly to Mei’s courtyard. After thanking the woman for delivering the message, she headed straight for Mei’s quarters.

As she passed through the hallways, the thought that the shadow was merely a distraction grew stronger. By the time she’d reached the courtyard, Skye was all but certain that the one controlling the shadow wasn’t just there to spy and distract..

‘Considering it led me on a goose chase, Ima bettin’ that Ahriman’s goal was ta separate us..’

However, as soon as her eyes fell on the happy and healthy three; Skye wondered if she was completely wrong..

“What happened? Did you lose it?” Hana questioned as soon as she saw Skye.

She partly shrugged; “It kept goin’ like it was just leadin’ me away somewhere, so I doubled back ta make sure ya three weren’t gettin’ ambushed-”

“Shhh!” Mei hushed loudly, interrupting Skye; “I don’t want Rukia to hear you two. Nothing bad happened, so you two can talk about it later.”

.....

They both shot her an exasperated look, but kept from discussing it further. A servant with a tray-full of snacks had arrived a moment after Mei had shushed them, so they let it go without a fight. They didn’t want to discuss such things in front of the servants anyway, otherwise rumors might spread.

With the presence of food serving as a distraction; they set up the blanket near the fountain. It had been turned off before the cold had set in, but the water in the center of the base wasn’t frozen any longer. Rukia stared at the different layers before pushing at the crystalline edges, which made them snap and crackle.

Another servant brought out a brazer for warmth while they ate, to complete their winter picnic scene. The thick, tatami-like blanket would insulate them against the cold ground, as well as keep them clean and dry.

The air was already warming, and the top layer of snow was starting to melt. Rukia was still happily crunching the icy edges along the fountain’s bottom when her mother called her over to eat. She ate heartily for a child, but quickly so she could return to her fun.

Skye had eaten quite a bit herself by the time Rukia was finished, although she was still hungry. The sweet cakes, tarts, and ornate candies called wagashi were tasty, but not as filling as rice or meat. Skye was just heading to the kitchens to ask for an early dinner to be served when an unfamiliar guard walked passed her wordlessly.

Because she was a Princess of Alcon, all guards and servants had shown respect to her, but this one barely looked at her. As he headed towards Mei, Hana stood up and asked what he needed of their lady..

“I have a private message for Lady Mei,” came the short, and slightly curt reply.

Mei smiled at him as he came to about six feet from her, until her eyes fell on his sleeve. It was the one opposite of the side Skye and Hana had seen, but since she was looking at him head-on, she could see it.

Mei’s stomach sank as she asked out loud; “Is-Is that blood on your sleeve?”

The man stopped moving-everything stopped. The moment seemed like a blur..

Skye saw the glint of the dagger as the guard raised it above his head, and readied to bring it down onto Mei. Before her mind could completely process the situation; Skye was across the courtyard, and stopping the dagger with her hand. Because it had a hilt, she was able to hold on to it after the assassin had run the blade through her palm.

Mei screamed as Skye’s blood trickled down, and dripped onto her face. Hana finally snapped out of her shock due to it, and yanked Mei away just before the assassin tried to burn her using Fire magic. When he released the dagger and went for Rukia next, Skye blocked him with a wall created by her Earth magic.

Hana left Mei’s side for a few seconds to go after Rukia, which the Fire ninja tried to stop. He nearly got knocked on his arse by a blunted ground spike when he stepped towards her, followed by a menacing threat from Skye..

“Go after my loved ones one more time, and no one will even be able to identify your parts..”

The assassin clicked his tongue, then spoke in Saianese like Skye had; “Tsk, Tsk.. You’re a princess. Should princesses talk like that?”

Skye glared at him; “Why are you here? Why are you attacking Mei and Rukia?!”

The ninja clicked his tongue again, but didn’t say anything as he stepped around the fountain. He was less than four feet from Skye as they stared each other down. As water started to sputter forth from the fountain, the air grew tense..

The assassin ran at Skye, which she wasn’t expecting, but met him head-on regardless. He had a short sword-type weapon, so all Skye could do at first was dodge. Until Hana called out to her, and tossed her the only blade on her that she had.

Skye knew that if the assassin got passed her, then Hana may not be able to defend Mei and Rukia without giving up her life in return. The thought made Skye’s adrenaline spike, and all of her active traits heightened tenfold. The surge in her magic had been massive, and the assassin had felt it as well.

“Seems like my second goal was fulfilled without my first, but a payday is a payday. And I can’t collect until my Entire task is complete..”

Skye scowled as she demanded; “Who is paying you?!”

The assassin grinned; “You will never know, princess, so let’s just get this over with..”

As he’d finished speaking, the assassin created a massive fireball the size of a small carriage. He looked over towards Hana, Mei, and a crying Rukia with intent in his eyes. Recognizing it, Skye felt something inside her snap, and a cold rush of apathy for the assassin consumed her.

With no warning or precursor movement; Skye was practically in front of the assassin with unrealistic speed. In a panic, he released the fireball, and defended himself against a Very hard-hitting princess. After she’d most definitely cracked a rib upon her first hit, he was doing all he could to dodge her.

The assassin had been told that she possessed multiple traits, and what they were, but he didn’t think that she’d be so proficient at hand-to-hand combat. One of the times he’d dodged an attack from above, her fist had left a seven-inch-deep hole in the ground. It was in that moment that the assassin realized that he not only misjudged the princess, but..

“I am definitely not getting paid enough for this..”

“Tell me who’s paying you, and I’ll double it!” Skye called out as the assassin avoided another one of her attacks.

The assassin smirked; “Sorry princess, but that’s not how shinobi work. I figured that Jin Laos would’ve taught you the Golden Principles by now. How far along are you in your training, exactly?”

Skye grimaced; “That’s none of your concern!”

The assassin had been constantly moving since Skye had gone on the attack, but had suddenly stopped. It jarred her a bit, but Skye didn’t stop as she ran at him full-tilt. Right as she came within three feet of him, the assassin threw dirt in her face..

The split second it took Skye to wipe at her eyes had cost her a very hard, and appallingly accurate gut check by the assassin. The moment she tried to bend over, her nose was met with his knee. Skye swore that she’d felt her teeth go through her lip as well, but it had been her tongue.

Before she’d had a chance to assess and heal herself, the assassin continued his assault on Skye. Whenever she jumped away, he was right next to her; kicking her side, or knocking out the back of her legs..

He was toying with her.

Skye recognized it after a couple hits to her head.. ‘Tis exactly what Genie warned me about.. Me moves are predictable after a wee bit of fightin’.. How do I change it up?! This shit’s ingrained in me!’

As Skye was being pummeled, Rukia cried and screamed for the bad man to stop..

“Leave Auntie Skye Alone! Why are you doing this to us?!”

The anguish in Rukia’s voice struck a nerve with Skye that made her snap back. Realizing that her problem was that she moved and thought in a pattern, she decided to try and go on pure instinct instead..

As soon as Skye’s tactics had changed, so did the battle. Instead of going in for targeted hits that would create damage, she went for any opening that the assassin had. A few he had done intentionally to draw her in, but Skye had somehow sensed the coming blow, and backed off before he could even ready his fists.

At his wits end and desperate to get some distance, the assassin ignited the air all around him. It wasn’t anything too dangerous, but it was enough to get Skye to back up several feet. The Fire mage grinned when he saw how cautious she was being now..

‘She gets particularly leery when I use my magic.. Maybe she isn’t as dumb as she looks..’

The two had been running and fighting all over Mei’s courtyard, and hadn’t been quiet about it, either. The assassin knew that his employer couldn’t keep the guards away indefinitely, and that someone would most likely be coming by sooner, rather than later. Deciding to finish up his task quickly, the assassin needed just a minute or two to tweak his calculations and control..

Locking eyes with Skye, the assassin tilted his head slightly as he asked; “Before I kill you all, might I ask one question?”

Skye glared at him, a firm ‘Fuck No’ on the tip of her tongue. But she bit it, and let him ask..

“Why did you get involved in another kingdom’s problems? It has only brought you and yours misery.. Why did you stay knowing that people like me would come for them?”

Skye grinned and replied without a pause; “That’s exactly why I came. To defend my family against people like you..”

The assassin stared blankly at Skye for a moment before he smiled back, and shrugged while saying; “Then I suppose you won’t mind burning to death for them...here and now..”