When Shadows Rise

by Lisa Williamson

  Mamaru gently changed subjects. “You are a very good teacher. Have you found the Senshi easy to work with.”

  Suteko snorted then caught herself. It was rude to snort. “Some of them, yes, are easy and willing to learn.” She turned and removed a bo from the wall. Gesturing for Mamaru to step back she started a simple pattern. “The class you watched before? They are willing to work together. Though the moves are basic,” she twisted and turned then leapt still speaking easily. “They all wish to learn and don’t have to fight ego.” She somersaulted over the bo snapping it out and to the side. “Venus, Mars and Jupiter work well together but are struggling when we add in Rage.” She ran up the wall, returning the bo to it’s place and flipped lightly back to her feet. “But the others, they do not come together. It is hard to judge those who will not work together.” She bowed to Mamaru again and then to the mat. “I am willing to try them separately but to work together is the goal, is it not?”

  “Very true. I will have Usagi talk to them.” He stepped back as Suteko moved toward the doorway. “Have you worked with Gregor on how best to combine our teams?”

  Suteko stopped for a long moment, growing still. “I haven’t had much contact with Matten-san. He is busy running sweeps.” She gathered her gear, readying for the next class.

  Mamaru was surprised. He knew that the big Kouhei wanted to test the Star Knight, what was keeping him back “After you finish here tonight why don’t you come to dinner with us? Maybe the two of you can work out a better schedule.

  Suteko kept focused on her hands as she packed her bag but she nodded. “It would be best, yes, I should be done around seven, if Setsuna brings Hotaru. Where should I meet you?”

  They set up a meeting and Mamaru left as the Senshi of Pluto and Saturn arrived. He nodded to them and headed to the men’s bathing room. He spotted Grego and the owner of the Dojo talking. He didn’t know Jaeoh but he remembered the once leader of the Kouhei. The fact that he hadn’t introduced himself puzzled Mamaru. It looked like the two men were in an intense debate, so he continued past them.

  Gregor and Jaeoh continued to argue. Rage did not understand why Draco was holding back. Hhis leader was still a skilled finger. Their spars had shown that. Being set to the practice sessions with the inner Senshi were more of a stretch then the group who just left Unicorn's training room but not enough. He wanted to test Unicorn along with the outer scouts. “Come on, enough baby classes. Give me some time with the true fighters.”

  Jaeoh took a breath and held it. He understood Gregor’s need to test himself. Luckily he had convinced Michuru and Haruka to come in and work out with Gregor. "Use the room out front, you’ll need the space with those two. They should give you a workout.”

  Gregor nodded with a grin. Definitely should get a solid work out with the two warriors. He still wanted to spar with Unicorn but it could wait. She was scheduled with Pluto and Saturn. “Hey think we could go watch Unicorn take on Her royal Timeness and scary spice?”

  Jaeoh chuckled and shook his head. “Your spar should be in about a half hour. If you wish we can look in on Setsuna, Hotaru and Suteko.” Jaeoh didn’t want to admit he had watched Suteko’s classes over the past week. She was a very patient teacher but he could see she wasn’t stretching herself much working with the inner Senshi. Hopefully Hotaru and Setsuna would be more of a workout.

  Together the men went into Jaeoh’s office. The room had one way glass looking into the sparring room. Pluto and Saturn had changed into simple gis. Suteko was still in her oddly embroidered gi. The diamond backs that slide down the front were not commonly found in any traditional school. She was facing off, waiting for the two women to decide to act. These two women both knew staff work and it was obvious they wanted to try out their skills against Suteko’s. Bowing to each other the two held their staves in ready. Suteko was barehanded, her face betraying just a tiny smile. “Start!” she commanded.

  Hotaru looked to Setsuna then lunged forward snapping her staff at Suteko, or more at where she was. The Star Knight dodged to the left, then to the right as Setsuna engaged. For five minutes she allowed the two stave fighters attempt to touch her. With a series of back flips and jumps she avoided each attack the two made. When in a rush Hotaru’s staff cracked into Setsuna’s, Suteko leapt up onto the crossed weapons balancing on one foot. She spoke softly to her students.

  “Now you see the drawback of two staves in a room.” Smiling she back flipped away landing lightly on her toes. “While the staff is a formidable weapon, it has drawbacks. You need to recognize and deal with them.” She turned to Hotaru. “If you had short gripped your staff it would have not tangled with your taller ally. Now I know you both can wield your weapon well. Lets try something else.” She had them lean their staves by the door and handed them bokken. Each hefted the wooden blade and smiled. It wasn’t often they got to use swords. Suteko pulled a shorter bokken from behind her back when she thought no one was looking and saluted her students. Once more the sound of wood on wood filled the room.

  Jaeoh kept his eyes on Suteko as she taught. She was a natural with students. Testing them but not in a way that belittled. She challenged her students but he could see she held back. Either Gregor or himself could probably give her a good work out but he wasn’t sure.

  In the conversations he had with Hana he was interested in the brother who didn’t remember her. As good a Unicorn was, her brother was rumored to be better. The best of this generation. That said a lot.

  Glancing over he saw that Gregor was watching the two outer Senshi, paying attention to how well they worked together versus watching the Star Knight. “These two have potential. We should pair them with Venus and Jupiter.

  Jaeoh agreed. It would be interesting. “But we need to see their hand to hand first.” As if she heard, Suteko disengaged her bokken, which seemed to then disappear. With a flip she disarmed her opponents.

  “Now what do you do?” Setsuna and Hotaru dropped into Tae bo stances and nodded to each other before leaping forward. The next fifteen minutes was filled with kicks and punches. Most of which Suteko simply dodged. A few she let land and then flipped her student to the floor. At the end of this session her students were sweating and panting and she did show a fine sheen of moisture. “All right, I think you two work well together. Tomorrow lets bring in Iriko and see how you work around a weaker team mate” She then bowed to her students and sent them off to shower. She walked to her bag and pulled out a watch, wincing at the time.

  “Gregor you need to go work out with Neptune and Uranus now.” Nodding he left the office and after a brief comment to Suteko headed into the front practice room. Suteko dropped into a lotus and obviously cleared her mind. It looked like she planned to mediate for a bit. Jaeoh left his office, closing the door quietly.

 

  Chapter Five

  The Monster is loose

  A week later the dojo was empty as she entered. Done in red and gold with weapons hanging at eye level for a typical Japanese man. Suteko bowed to the mat before stepping forward. Taking a deep breath she centered herself and started the slow warm up she had practiced since she was a child. The slow flowing movements cleared her mind and allowed a bit of peace. Moving from kata to kata removed the tension of the past week.

  As she finished the complete movement, she was back at the middle of the room centered and at peace. Opening her eyes, she briefly studied the items on the wall, then reached for the gilded fans. Though not commonly used in her family school or by the Knights, Suteko found the flow of the twin fans loosened her mind as well as her body. The years of fighting floated away.

  As she spun, dipped and leapt her focus narrowed down to the movement of her hands. She heard soft footsteps from outside the room. Her inner senses processed and disregarded the information as her chi told her she was in no anger.

  Gregor stopped and watched the lone Star Knight.
As Rage he could fight with anything that came to hand but he knew that he tended more toward brute force. The woman on the mat flowed like water over stones, wind through the trees. The flash from the gilded fans showed that these were more than ornaments.

  Suteko flowed again and again, completing three sets before coming to rest, eyes closed before the wall. A light sheen of sweat covered her face as she stepped to the wall to return the fans to their place. Without turning she spoke to Gregor. “Did you come to practice or spar?”

  Gregor lifted a brow and grinned. He hadn’t had a proper work out since meeting the Star Knight. “This should be interesting,” he thought. “Hand to Hand or with weapons?”

  Suteko turned and gestured. “That is up to you, Matten-san.”

  Gregor bowed to the mat, then stepped forward. “Free style, starting hand to hand then evolving,” he suggested.

  Suteko nodded and then bowed before settling into a guard stance. Gregor returned the bow and mirrored her. They looked at each other for a few moments and then moved as one. Each fought with very different styles. Gregor’s training was in a more street brawl style, relying on his size and strength against Suteko’s speed and flow. Neither style on the surface really matched but together they amazing to watch.

  Suteko’s lithe grace kept her ahead of many of the blows that Gregor threw, letting her touch him along ribs and biceps but the blows that got through were enough to numb part of her body.

  Both warriors tested and teased. Neither wished to seriously harm the other but needing to test the others abilities. After letting Gregor land a blow to her thigh Suteko bounded up and over him to snatch tonfa from the wall. She spun about and raised a brow to her opponent. Gregor turned and pulled a short staff from the wall. Suteko suppressed a grin. Gregor did not know her preferred weapon and she knew all the counters.

  They engaged and within a few blows Gregor found that staff removed from his grip. He was a bit surprised. He was rarely disarmed. He quickly moved to the short sword. Suteko tossed the tonfa and grabbed up the short staff. “Blade against wood,” Gregor smiled. He was master of the blade weapons and no simple hunk of wood would hold up.

  Once again they struck, parried and battled. The sound of their bare feet on the mat and the explosion of breath from time to time were the only sounds in the dojo.

  Suteko’s ducks and twirls met and matched Matten’s reposts, thrusts and parries. Neither opponent were going to give in though it was clear in this practice battle that neither would win. Finally a throat being cleared interrupted their concentration and they disengaged, each stepping back.

  Gregor looked over toward the watchers. Not surprisingly he saw Mako and Hotaru standing across the room near the door. Dressed for sparring they had obviously not thought they would find the Warrior and Knight sparring in the Sailor Scouts practice room. Bowing to Suteko, Gregor returned the sword to the wall as she replaced the tonfa and staff.

  He walked over to speak to the two scouts, expecting the Knight to follow. After as pleasant a greeting as he could manage he turned to thank Suteko for the workout but she was gone. “Where?”

  “She just vanished,” stated Jupiter with a puzzled look. “She was there one minute and gone the next.”

  Uranus nodded, looking intrigued. “There was something about her family secrets?”

  The two women spoke quietly as they prepared for their own sparring and Gregor left them to go bathe. While he had learned a bit about Suteko, she was still not telling all.

  Suteko stepped back into view in the women’s bathing room. The Kouhei was very strong and very good. He would give her little brother's best friend a run for his money if they ever sparred but on the other hand the big man was much more focused. The battles they all fought against evil had taught them to focus not on emotion but on the fight.

  She winced a little as the hot water touched a few forming bruises. “He is definitely strong and better than I thought.” Settling back she let her head rest on the tub and for a brief moment let her mind drift to happier days. Days before battles and monsters and even little brothers. She missed her home that was no more and the man who raised her to be honorable.

  While her ancestral home was lovely, she missed the city she grew up in. The colleges, the food and the ease of getting to a wilderness. Tokyo was just too big. She relaxed breathing slowly. The scouts were more focused than she remembered. The others, the Kouhei, while unknown, looked like they would be able to handle themselves. As her powers started to return she could sense any sentient shadows with a room. As much as she appreciated the others, she knew it was her destiny to finish this battle alone.

  She had to stop the Shadow Master before he turned his attention to her little brother. Being strongly linked to this side of the gate, the Shadow Master could over power the current guardian. She could not allow that to happen. It was her destiny to stop Kaneda.

  Deep in thought she pulled herself out of the warm water and pulled on the clean clothing she had brought. The dojo had a safe and familiar feel to it. A place outside of the strife that had become her world. When Setsuna brought her here she had been surprised. The tall elegant senshi at items seemed too ethereal for the company she kept.

  Slinging her battered pack over her shoulder, she slid out of the bathing room and headed toward the street. She had to pass by the various training rooms in the dojo and she tried to ignore the pang it gave her to see students learning the basics. If life had gone normally she would be the one teaching classes pretty much like these. The small private classroom no longer held the two sailor senshi. Even the Kouhei she had sparred with no longer seemed present. She smiled as she turned to leave. Gregor was too curious about her. While she understood his motives she didn’t need any more questions. The Princess, her Prince and the Minervan knew too much about her all ready. She was sure that both of the time senshi knew everything about her and that was way too many. Not even her family truly knew as much about her. Since she was magically removed from her brother’s memory she had not confided in anyone her full history. She hadn’t even let the blasted cat in on the fact that memories from centuries ago had flooded her mind once she had time to rest.

  Being a reincarnation of an ancient Chi master and Lord of light was once more not something she wanted. It made understanding her powers easier but did not give her the true mastery that would destroy Kaneda for good.

  Deep in thought and not sensing any danger Suteko kept walking. She was startled when she nearly walked into a tall dark figure. Her left hand clenched and light spilled into the hall. Stepping back, she automatically fell into a guard stance before her mind registered that it was a man standing before her and not a Shadow born. She quickly doused her light, looking a bit sheepish. “Sorry, wasn’t paying attention.”

  Jaeoh stood very still. He hadn’t meant to startle the Knight before him. The woman moved as silently as one of his old team. The quick spar with Rage had reminded him of the old days and he too wasn’t paying attention. His voice sent a shiver down Suteko’s spine. “No reason, I too was distracted.” He bowed to the Knight. “I hope you enjoyed your workout here at the Dojo.”

  Suteko brought her large green eyes up to meet the black eyes of the stranger before her. About the height of her brother, the man was obviously a martial artist. Sleek muscles covered his arms and chest. Gi pants covered him from the waist down and he was barefoot. Returning his bow politely she nodded. “This place reminds me of home.”

  Jaeoh smiled his best non-threatening smile. Reaching out slowly he held out his hand in the standard western greeting. Before their hands touched one of his students called out to him. Turning his head briefly he gave the student a stern look for yelling in the dojo then turned back to the woman who intrigued him but she was gone.

  “She could give Hana lessons,” he smiled and went in to answer student questions.

  ***

/>   A few weeks later.

  Suteko grabbed the bus and headed toward Iriko’s apartment. The time since the battle had been spent regathering her strength and in small talk with the Senshi. She was more comfortable with the not quite strangers but she needed to get a place of her own. Staying with the gardener, while soothing, wasn’t right. Iriko’s apartment was comfortable for one but crowded for two. She pulled out the paper she had picked up before her work out and scanned the rentals. Prices were steeper than she liked but she could afford a single room if she managed to get some extra cash. She needed to pull out and convert funds from her stateside account.

  She leaned sideways, resting her forehead on the cool window, letting her senses slip. At the back of the bus she could feel Gregor. Sighing, she shook her head. The big man had been trailing her off and on since they had been introduced. She could feel his frustration with her. After a few moments she smiled. As the bus came to a stop she moved up the isle and hopped off. It wasn’t where she planned but she spotted a tea shop a few doors down. She headed over and took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. She waved to Gregor as the waiter came over with menus. She quickly ordered a pot of spring tea with rolls and sat back.

  Gregor grimaced as he walked over to the Knight. He should have expected her to sense him. From what information he had gathered he knew she was an empath along with a trained martial artist and Chi master, whatever that was. As he neared she politely stood and bowed with a gesture for him to sit. The waiter brought out the tea and rolls and placed them carefully before pouring them each a small cup. Thanking the waiter Suteko turned to Gregor, as always she used the more polite terms to speak to those not yet acknowledged as friends. “Matten-san was there something you needed:” Lifting one dark brow she sipped her tea, hiding a small smile.