Oh, Gods...(Candira and Razgriz)

Katsumi was having a hard time not taking his insistence on no rules and his informal manners as an insult. It was even harder biting her tongue when he told her he wouldn't hold back because she was "sexy." She supposed it was flattering to hear such a thing, but under the circumstances, she felt more like he was underestimating her, and that simply would not fly with her. Her eyes narrowed and as he offered to give her the first hit, she felt as though he were daring her to make a fool of herself. Normally, she was a smart fighter, and fast. She used aggression against her opponents.

Today, however, she felt like kicking some ass, not merely putting someone in their place. So it was that as soon as the words left his mouth, she spun into a vicious roundhouse aimed right at his head. Her legs were already powerful, and she'd put as much of her weight into it as she safely could, her follow through using enough force to take most men to the floor.

But Njord wasn't most men, and she was aware that he was probably built like a rock. Just because she hit him hard didn't mean that he would go down. As soon as she was back on the ground, she put some distance between the two of them, focusing squarely on her opponent and nothing else.

Her sensei, who was both surprised and a little bit proud, was nothing to her. The woman had merely stepped back, relieved that the tension in the room would soon be put to rest. Katsumi was one of her best students for so many reasons, but Njord's alarming stature, build, and sheer cockiness meant that the girl was going to have a hard time with him. No matter how frustrated, Katsumi would need to keep a clear head if she was going to win.

And the sensei might have to step in if things got too far out of hand. Pressure points were a gift of hers, and if she hit enough, she was confident that she could take both of them out with little trouble.

Njord didn't even flinch as she launched right into the attack, only smiling as he felt her foot connect with the side of his head. It resulted in his neck bending a little from the impact, but aside from that, there was no real reaction. Sure, he felt the force of the kick...But it didn't really hurt. In fact, he would go so far as to say it didn't even tickle him. Still, she had the semblance to retreat and try again; she truly was a smart fighter it seemed.

But, for the sake of appearances, he commented, "Ohoho, that was quite a good shot indeed." He then pointed to his temple, "If you're going to kick someone in the head though...Aim here." His other hand then pointed to the ridge of his chin, directly behind his jaw, "Or here. That's a one-hit knockout every time. But try not to angle your foot out so much; put as much energy into the heel as you can. Otherwise you're wasting impact force."

He could see the utter focus in her eyes; she was locked on him, like a wolf in the hunt. He then adjusted his posture, suggesting that it was really time. "I can tell your form is quite good. This is going to be fun." he chuckled, putting his fists up in a type of boxer's stance. Njord realized that he might appear slow, but that was part of his 'trick'. Almost no one would expect someone of his size to move with any measure of agility.

There seemed to be a certain solidity to his new stance, like he was a mountain given life. And such would be applied to any blows he might deliver. And like a boulder starting down one, he would be slow at first...But then strike quicker than anyone would think.

His first strike came as he closed the gap, aiming a jab that would be easy to dodge before following with a downward strike that would intentionally graze Katsumi's front. His fist collided with the ground and broke through the solid foundation of the dojo. Some of the students went-eyed, even more so when the Swede stood up and continued on the offensive as if nothing had happened. It was a testament to his power, that much was certain. But how long this would last, no one could say.

It really should have fazed her more that he didn't even stagger after her kick. If it had been anyone else in the room, they would be on the floor, desperately clinging to consciousness. Her fellow club members were freaking out. As he launched into his own attack, they remained ignored. Katsumi easily avoided his fist the first time it came at her. She just narrowly escaped the downward blow. He did manage to graze her, and it was nothing to sneeze at. She held her chest in just a jot of pain as she put more distance between them, using her long legs to her advantage. He'd put a hole in the floor and her only thought was that she would have to watch where she was going more carefully.

The others seemed to be under the impression that the Nordic monster was trying to kill her and we're losing their minds accordingly. Sensei merely stood back, wanting to see what would happen next. Watching alone had told her that this was no ordinary opponent. If she intervened too quickly, it was likely that her student would become a target in the future because Njord wouldn't be satisfied. Best to let Katsumi handle things. Besides, it was just more interesting this way.

Katsumi's attention was focused entirely on Njord. She had been right about his power and his underestimation of her as an opponent. He seemed to be of the opinion that she was too weak to do any kind of damage. When he came after her next she managed to catch his arm and use his momentum against him. She threw him as though he were a sack of rice and then immediately recovered, hurrying to try and pin the giant down.

This was certainly more entertaining than Njord even hoped for; Katsumi's performance was excellent, even if her attacks weren't damaging him all that much to hurt him. He could feel the impact for sure, but none of it really registered as pain.

Still, that goofy grin remained as their 'dance' continued; by this point, his movement had become quicker, not quite as slow as it was on the start-up. It was almost like he was pushing her challenge line in every way possible. Still, even he could be caught off-guard. Evidenced as such when he went for a hook that would have landed on her temple, but she was able to anticipate and used it against him.

He let out an 'Omph' as he was flipped over her shoulder, his massive form colliding with the hard floor as; before long, she had him in a pin as if to make him submit to her. "Nicely done" he stated, smiling at her before continuing "I'll admit, usually I'm one doing the pinning...If ya catch my drift, hahaha. Always fun to switch roles though!"

Then, despite the awkwardness of the way she had him hung up, he moved to stand. Up and up he rose, until he was practically carrying her on top of him; in what seemed like a very unreal timeframe, his fingers curled into a claw-like arrangement and the hand struck her in the chest, hard enough to rob her of breath. Only for a few seconds though, but that was enough to shrug her off of him and onto the ground.

"But...Only for so long." Njord added as he stood over her, arms crossed over his chest. "I know you have more than that though. Come on, do something that will take me down. I know you're stronger than that."

The thud he made when he hit the floor was really far more satisfying than Katsumi had thought it would be. Kicking ass wasn't normally something she did for recreation, but when she found someone who needed to be taken down a peg....well, it was a good thing this was a friendly competition. If she could get him to stay down long enough, she might even win. Wouldn't that be a nice feather in her cap?

But she doubted he would stay docile for long. Sure, she'd caught him by surprise, but fighting him was basically like attempting to break a brick wall with your pinky. She doubted he'd stay pinned for long. And she was right. Freakishly strong, he somehow managed to stand while she had him in the hold. And then she couldn't breathe. She fell to the floor slowly--more slowly than usual, she thought--and stayed there for a moment while she caught her breath, coughing as her lungs reinflated. She looked up at him from the floor with narrowed eyes as he taunted her.

Son. Of. A. Bitch. He was still as smarmy as ever, and now he was mocking her. Still, she didn't stand much of a chance if she didn't find some kind of weak spot. If she tried to move, all he had to do was move a foot and she would be pinned. He was too big and too strong to take on from this angle, but she would be damned if she lost the match to a hooligan who'd done nothing but disrespect the ideals of the dojo since his arrival. He was literally asking her to do some damage. He was presenting quite a target as he stood over her and frankly she was too pissed to care if it was unsportsmanlike.

With the force that could have knocked a man off his feet, she used her long legs for a kick that landed decidedly below the belt. her heel connected with his manhood in a way that had some watching cringing and doubling over in sympathy. Though she was not proud, she was very satisfied with her choice. Before he had much of a chance to do anything else, she slipped away from him and out of range. Like she'd ever be pinned under a guy like him.

If there was a ever a time where the phrase "Karma is a bitch" could be played out visually, this was one of those moments. Njord had managed to overpower Katsumi, and hotheaded as he was, he enjoyed the wares of both physical and psychological warfare. It seemed he lived his words spoken to Sensei: He was in this to disable Katsumi, to make her unable to fight in every way possible.

Little did he realize the true magnitude of his error. And how painful the corrective lesson would be.

For all his strength, for all his prowess despite his size, he still had a crucial weak point as a male in his prime. And Katsumi seemed to have no problem exploiting that weakness.

Even as Katsumi jumped back, Njord just grinned, apparently having taken the blow without so much as a blink. "Come on, is that...." he started to say, then trailed off as he felt electricity paralyze him. His face screwed up and his eyes crossed in a comedic manner before his oversized mitts went to clutch his groin as he suddenly doubled over agony, waves of pain washing over him as the full effect of the woman's brutal shot took effect.

"Ok....I...*cough*....felt that one..." he spoke in harsh wheezes; he certainly wasn't expecting that! Many of the students chuckled and some even gave Katsumi thumbs up for putting him on the ground like that. It wasn't like it was unwarranted either; he had literally asked her to do some damage.

And down the giant went. There was nothing quite like seeing one's enemy humbled. The Sensei was still in shock as Katsumi pulled herself up and delivered a swift kick to Njord's temple, now that it was so much closer to the ground. She would have to apologize for using such a tactic later, but right now, she could barely mask her
If a man had one weakness, it was the one she had just exploited. It was cheap of her to use it against him, but he had asked her to hurt him.

And hadn't he said that there were no rules in a true fight? Karma certainly was coming back to him.

Once her hit was delivered, she quickly put distance between the two of them again. He was powerful and he had staggering recovery speed. Finishing the fight would be difficult if he pulled himself back together even after her shot.

Njord felt the force of the kick, stars going across his vision as her heel landed squarely on his temple as he had suggested to her when this fight first started. Where one source of pain ended, it was replaced by another; any normal man would have been out cold by this point. But Njord seemed to still be able to maintain consciousness, despite the fact that he was resting his head on one arm laying on the ground, butt towards the ceiling.

Still, he then did the strangest thing after a minute or two of him trying to catch his breath and steady himself: He started laughing. First it was a low chuckle, then it got louder, before long he was going at it like a hyena. Some of the students exchanged worried glances, wondering if Katsumi's unorthodox yet effective combination had rattled the Swede.

His laughter quieted as he managed to rise to one knee, shaky still from the brutal blow to the head and groin. "Seems you heeded my advice well, little lady." he said to her, that smarmy smirk back on his face. He then pointed at her, "But don't you dare apologize afterwards! I can sense you want to, but this is the true essence of battle!"

He then stood fully, a little steadier than before. The way his body tensed suggested that he was ready for more, and if one looked closely, it seemed to have taken a faint red tinge. "I'll admit...You're even better than I anticipated". Lowering a little, he then added, "But you're still no match for me."

Njord then seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye, before reappearing directly in front of the young woman and barreling his entire form into her, arms crossed in an 'X' pattern to focus the force across her ribcage. It would hurt for sure, but nothing would be broken. She was now sandwiched between his body and the wall, which had web-like fractures blossoming from the impact point. A significant amount of heat radiated from him, almost as if he were burning with fever. Even as he pressed himself closer, forcing her legs to part.

"What do you say, Katsumi-chan? Ready to give up yet?" he then asked her, grinning all the while.

Her guard had been up during his recovery and his speech, but a person can only reasonably anticipate so much. How does one react when there is no time to take counter-measures. There was a little bit of a scream as he rammed to and she collided with the wall. The force would have been enough to knock a person out cold. As it was, she was merely in great amounts of pain. Her body was trembling and she was essentially a rag doll as he taunted her, keeping her trapped to fit his twisted form of battle. If there were ever a person who embodied sadism...well, then again, he appeared to enjoy being hurt as well. What a crazy bastard.

She got her breathing under control and looked up at her tormentor. She spit in his face. "Even if you manage to beat me, what will you gain? It's obviously not a challenge, so what's the point? Why bother playing these games when you know you'll win?"

Her eyes stayed burning, her own spiritual energy appearing to strengthen and grow. She managed to straighten and strengthen her body again, putting forth noticeable resistance. Katsumi's eyes took on a brighter quality, though she was by no means any stronger than before...physically. Her body was a tensed coil behind the tremendous force of his own, so when she finally let loose, he felt it. Another blinding blow to the groin.

Njord the warmth trickle down his face as she spat at him, the shining stream ending in the overgrown beard. He didn't move, nor did the grin ever break from his face, even as some students wondered if he was starting to get to Katsumi. Normally she was so level-headed...But for her to go for a blow to the groin, not to mention spitting in his face.

He just chuckled as she questioned his motive. "You speak as if you do not know, but I think you understand.". he then replied to her; seemed she was starting to get hyped up. He could tell by looking into her eyes, the true gateway into one's soul and heart.

But before he could add anything else, another fresh wave of blinding agony rushed over him; many of the students cringed at the ferocity of the strike, hoping he might be able to still have kids one day. Njord buckled again, still maintaining the hold but weakening the strength of it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?" he then joked with her, his smile turning halfway into a grimace of pain.

It seemed the pain wasn't enough to make him break the hold this time around. She found it difficult to believe that he was recovering quite so well. Even the sensei was cringing at this point, and she hadn't the parts to conjure such sympathy. Katsumi had never been like this in the past, and frankly, it was like watching reality tv at its finest. Watching her best student rage was fascinating. She would step in soon...maybe.

Other students watched in awe as Katsumi used the new weakness to her advantage and kicked him again, using all the force in her body to break the hold and escape the hold. She had a hand on her ribs, breathing a little more heavily than she might have liked. She would have loved nothing more than to put him in his place, but it was becoming more and more apparent that she simply wasn't capable right now.

The only thing to do to stop herself from getting hurt even more was to give up, but the idea made her physically ill. He couldn't draw the line and clearly didn't know when to stop, so she was going to have to be the one to do it. Damn it if she didn't want to drop him before she did it, though.

"Enough. I concede," she said through gritted teeth.

Njord groaned as she went for the groin a third time; by this point the students were convinced she had shattered his pelvis. Or something! He was insane to let her kick him there once, and delusional to let her do it three times. Still, his hold never faltered. But he knew he couldn't go too much further; he was already straining the limit of his bond. Any more and he might overwhelm it completely, and the last thing he wanted to do was make his brother mad at him for excessively injuring his charge...Even if she didn't know she was his charge to begin with.

"I concede" Njord then said right at the same time as her; though honestly, he was expecting her to be stubborn and continue opposing him. Even though he had recovered, it didn't seem like a good idea to keep taking those groin shots like that. He really didn't expect them to hurt as much as they had, but the fact was he wanted to walk at least somewhat normally after all this.

He then let her down, relieving her of the pressure to her chest. "Well...I can't say it was all too fun catching those shots from you. I will admit that I am impressed by you. I can see why you're Sensei's best student." he then told her honestly; it was like he didn't really care she kicked him in the junk repeatedly.

He then held out a hand to her as a gesture of good will, adding "That was quite an entertaining fight. Hopefully we may do it again some time".

If he hadn't conceded right when she had, she might have slapped him at his request to fight again soon--like it was a good tv show or something. She had, however, been impressed by him as well, and he was giving what she assumed was a compliment. She was still wound up from the fight, needed to calm down, but she could show him respect if she needed to. "Thank you. You're impressive as well. I don't think we'll be fighting again until my ribs heal, though," she said, sure that they were bruised.

She was a little surprised how well he was handling everything, including her repeated junk-bashing. But at least she knew now that if some hooligans cornered her on the street she was not afraid to crush whatever hopes they'd had of getting to her.

Katsumi straightened her gi and then pulled her ponytail out to go fix her hair. Her dark brown hair fell around her shoulders and she ran her fingers through it as she turned to leave. "Excuse me." With that, she headed off toward the locker room, other girls immediately falling in step with her to ask her about what had just happened. Sensei raised an eyebrow and then turned to him.

"Well, welcome to the martial arts club, Njord," Sensei said with a smile. "Though I doubt there's anything I can teach you. Aside from humility, of course. Get a bag of ice for your...injury. Then come back. You'll be helping to repair the damage to the dojo."

With that, she turned on her heel and told the others to get the proper materials.

Meanwhile, Katsumi was busy in the locker room. She left her hair down for the moment, brushing it out, getting rid of the debris while girls around her watched, desperately holding in questions for her. When she removed the top of her gi to look at her ribs, there were definitely bruises there. At least on the outside. "Ow...."

Njord put his hand down as she left him to tend to himself for the moment. Definitely more interesting than I realized, Njord thought to himself. He knew he could have pushed her, made her go stark-raving mad with the utter intent to kill him, but then he would have had to use more force that ran the risk of killing her.

As it was, he knew she would have superficial bruising on her torso and some spots of damage to the ribcage. No hairline fractures or breaks, but enough tenderness to have her realize it was there.

"You wouldn't believe me, but I've suffered far worse than three kicks below the belt" he then said to Sensei, further adding to the need to temper his ego that she saw was necessary. Even if it was true to begin with. And as the students began getting materials, Njord was able to function relatively well despite the nature of his injury, and worked to help repair the damaged floor and wall.

Some of the male students gathered around Njord, asking him how he could even stay standing with what happened. Jokingly, he offered to teach them 'resistance' to that fatal nutshot...Which was unsurprisingly turned down after he explained what it was. Not something many people would want to endure. Better if they just avoided the blows by their own training if possible.

The girls didn't waist much time after Katsumi started to change to ask her a flurry of questions. Did it hurt badly? How did she manage to get away from him at all? Was it like hitting a brick wall? What did his body feel like against hers? The last question was met with a bland stare and a quick slap upside the head. When Katsumi came out of the locker room, her hair was back in its signature ponytail and she wore her uniform again. She walked slowly, but not from pain--more from lack of energy. She carried her bags with her and watched as the others made repairs.

Really, she ought to help, and she was just about to do so when the sensei called out to her. She bowed and sat before the older woman, a little embarrassed at her own failure.

"You did well, today, Katsumi. Njord is a dangerous opponent for many reasons...I think you would do well to decline any challenges that come from him in the near future. He was clearly holding back, and he is not at all a normal human being." Katsumi merely nodded, having made similar observations. Sensei continued, "Teaching him some humility will be a difficult task if we are to use force. You must out-think him if you intend to fight him, Katsumi. Be careful. Today, you needn't help with the repairs. Since your classmate caused the bulk of them, he'll be doing most of the work. The others have it in hand. Tomorrow, you'll arrive early to set up the dojo to make penance. Your ribs must be in a significant amount of pain..."

Katsumi just shrugged. "It's certainly not comfortable, but I'll be alright," she said with a frown. "Though next time, it might be nice if you stepped in sooner. I shouldn't have gotten away with what I did, and you shouldn't have let him continue after showing such poor restraint."

Well, the girl had a point. The sensei laughed nervously and conceded. "Fair enough. But I felt it important that you experience the full extent of his personality..."

And that was total bullshit. Everyone knew it.

"Very well, Sensei. Do you need anything else? Or may I go home?" she asked, desperately wanting to get back to chores that would ease her mind and sooth her spirit.

"You may go, Katsumi. Be well. And remember to come early tomorrow. We'll need you to get everything ready." With that, the women parted ways and Katsumi slipped out of the dojo relatively unnoticed.

Njord continued to work, a cursory glance revealing that Katsumi had stopped to talk with Sensei. Almost subconsciously, his hearing tuned and focused on the pair, picking up every bit of the conversation and all but drowning out the idle chatter and sounds of work. So, they picked up he wasn't normal. Still, he considered the 'dangerous' bit quite a compliment, and grinned ear to ear. It was always nice to get compliments, but even more so when it was two lovely ladies.

Though he had to stifle a laugh when they mentioned his holding back and subsequent lack of restraint; oh, if only the poor woman knew just how much he was truly restrained. Even with his bond, he could have hurt her far worse. Quite frankly, she was lucky to only get away with some bruised ribs, and that he had developed a significant amount of self-control. She would have hated him even worse if she knew just what he was like before.

Njord then told the other students to go home, something that came as a surprise. He reasoned that it was him that caused the damage, and that he alone should take care of it. Besides...It would help because he was interested in this Sensei woman.

And soon enough, it was just him and Sensei herself alone. The work didn't really take that long; the hole in the floor was the easier of the two, and simple patchwork would hide the fractures on the wall.

"So, I'm not normal, huh? Not sure whether to be insulted or flattered." he then joked with the woman, turning around to face her. "So...What made you come to that theory? If I might be so bold to ask, of course." Njord asked her with a slight smile.

Sensei watched as Katsumi left the dojo, pleased to see that her student was still taking her loss quite well, despite the spectacular fashion in which it had occurred. It was obvious the girl was upset, but at least she wasn't moping or yelling like a child. Still, she'd taken a beating and that was never easy.

As Njord dismissed the others he was working with the Sensei raised her eyebrow. His reasoning was certainly not flawed, but his motives were curious. At least he was an honest maniac. His question made her smile. "Those are some big ears you've got there grandma," she teased, alluding to Red Riding Hood. Really, calling him a wolf probably wasn't far off. He was clearly all about hostility underneath it all. Aggression was not lost on him.

"Eavesdropping is rude, but if you must know, it would be obvious to anyone who actually paid attention. Katsumi was clear on it before you even challenged her. Your build, strength, speed, recovery time, and stamina are all highly suspect for someone of your age, regardless of genetic mutations. Someone as large as you shouldn't move that fast. Someone as young as you claim to be shouldn't be as experienced as you obviously are. And someone as obviously hungry for action as you are, would never hold back. You've only given that girl a taste of your true abilities. I shudder to think of what would happen if someone unleashed your true potential."

She frowned. "You're not normal in any way--Sweedish or not. I must caution you to be more gentle in the handling of my students. Katsumi is resilient and strong, but she is the best of my disciples. No one else in class can touch her skill level on a good day. Even on a bad day, she is someone to be reckoned with. But she has a breaking point that you brushed against a little too hard today. This club is meant to center students, teach them discipline, allow them to use their bodies and minds in tandem to defend and destroy as needed. Combat on your level is not welcome or tolerated in this dojo. It is simply too dangerous. And you, my hard-headed friend, have a lack of discipline and a mouth that doesn't know when to stop. We'll have to work on that if you intend to remain here."

She sighed. "Now go home. I'm tired of dealing with people who break my things."

---

Katsumi was already on the bus bound for home. She'd be damned if she ever accepted a ride from Njord again. Not after last time. The price was just too high. When she came home, she put her things in her room, changed into her shrine maiden robes and hurried to help her mother with the chores. It was rare that she actually looked forward to them, but it meant that she could focus on something that didn't involve him.

Of course he knew they could see it; still, it was entertaining to see what exactly they managed to pick out. He imagined she would chew him out for being brash, of which he would find no fault. Confrontation always suited him best; he'd rather someone tell him they didn't like him to his face than pretend to avoid 'problems'. Honesty was always good, even if no one could really see the good being done.

Still, he merely listened as she rattled off her list of abnormalities; it was all true on many levels. Perhaps he had been a little rough, but he knew she could take it. Might be a little sore afterwards - as he was, though for a different reason altogether. Still, he wouldn't have done any more if he knew she could not have handled it. And then she brought up his true potential; oh, if only she really knew.

And then as she ordered him to leave, he shrugged and went to grab his jacket. Stopping at the door, he then said to her, "All of your points are valid...Except for one. Despite my 'lack of discipline', you noticed my restraint, yes? I know very well how to control my body, as you saw today." He then snickered, "I will admit, I am a showman of sorts. I lord my physical superiority over others, if only because I want them to try their hardest to take me down."

He then turned to face her, jacket slung over his shoulder, "However, for the sake of this dojo, I will dial it down. Where I am from, we are...old-fashioned. Some of our ways are more confrontational, some might even say brutal. I won't go so far as to say all Swedes are like me. Far from it."

He then added as a final note, "It will take some time for me to adjust, is what I'm trying to say." He wasn't trying to guilt her; no, he was using his cover as a Swede to his advantage. And that meant using part of his back-story as the facts for his facade as a student here at this school.

He then grinned and waved goodbye, bidding Sensei good night and that he looked forward to the next session.

Soon enough, he was at his secondary duty: Placing himself back on the top of her house, he twisted the chain on his wrist and soon went invisible. A wave of subtle warmth washed over the Sango household, a sign - unknown to the benefactors themselves - that they were protected by something powerful for this night.

Katsumi was up at the shrine, cleaning. She was washing the floors of the main shrine as usual--about half-way through now. The easy motions and hard work let her work out her own feelings until she was calm again. The shrine was just up the street from her home. Despite Njord's protection of her home, she was still wide-open to attack. Of course, she was blissfully unaware of that.

Her mother, however, was aware of the difference. It was slight in her estimation, but she was aware, none-the-less. Though the presence was clearly benevolent, it worried her that there was a presence at all. Something was clearly happening around her, and it wouldn't be long before the wrong kind of attention was garnered.

She blessed water and sold prayer scrolls, even doing some fortune telling for tourists. Still, in the back of her mind, she knew that something strange was afoot. Just as this thought entered the woman's mind, Katsumi finished her floor cleaning and went to dump out the water, heading behind the shrine to the wooded area. She would gather a few herbs here as well, to help with various rituals. Their garden was small, however, and some of the things she needed grew wild here--a perfect reason for her to venture off alone, humming to herself.

It was then that Njord got another visit from his friend, Kumi.

"My, my. It seems like you completely forgot why you were here today. Your brother isn't happy with you at all. Then again, his anger is nothing compared to the suitor." The girl appeared before him seeping up through his shadows, though no one else would be able to see her. He could tease her all he wanted for her fashion sense, but there was no way he could escape his brother's wrath--nor the person they were both working for.

"I do believe protecting the girl doesn't involve beating her up. What is wrong with you?"

Njord was busy minding his own business, his concentration focused on keeping his presence dispersed and active when Kumi decided to return again. The field didn't flicker in the slightest, even as he said with a slight smirk "Guess I screwed up a little, eh?"

And she didn't hesitate to tell him exactly what he did wrong. Part of him already knew that he had gone too far with today's transgression, but there was a reason for it. Something that he had the most experience in: Strategy out on the field.

"All she has is a few ribs bruised up. It's mostly superficial anyhow; the only thing she'll have by tomorrow is the bruised skin. No pain...Trust me" he then told her. "Besides...I wanted to get a feel for how she could handle herself against a stronger opponent. And you know as well as I do she'll need all the exposure she can get."

Truth be told, Njord already knew that less-than-savory individuals and groups learned exactly why B had asked him to guard Katsumi. The more she was around him and the more conditioned she was to aggressor forces, the better off she would be. Of course, he knew that B and D would not be pleased with him being the one causing the damage. "If my brother sees fit to punish me for this, then so be it. I got carried away a little, I'll freely admit that. But I was also performing a duty that needed to be done" he then told Kumi, his resolve as headstrong and steadfast as ever.

His nonchalance was aggravating. He couldn't at least pretend to be sorry, could he? Nothing at all to help himself out of the hole he was digging. "Listen, you, even in your current state, your power is far too great to fight the person you've been trying to protect! You overdid it by a lot! She can defend herself against humans, but even if she trains for the rest of her life, she'll never be able to ward off the characters coming for her! She's powerful, but she hasn't fully awakened spiritually. The whole reason you're here is to protect her from the people coming after her."

She sighed and held her head. "You have to choose your battles more carefully. If you had approached her as a colleague, you could have talked to her rationally, calmly, talked her into training with you for self-defense, or even training to defeat demons if you'd presented a strong enough case. Now you're just a maniac with boundary issues."

Kumi could see him making his job more difficult because he wasn't exactly known for diplomacy. "Maybe it's not the way you like to do things, but you have to accommodate for the fact that she's a normal human. Humans don't tend to think like you--let alone females." She frowned and looked up at him. "Please, try to be more gentle. Your brother's mad because he's worried about what B will do to you--not to mention him. And I like my master, so try not to get him in so much trouble, okay?"

The Swede grinned as she explained the ramifications of his actions; true, as she was Katsumi couldn't hold a candle to even the weakest of those that had their sights on her. "All that tells me is that I need to push her more, have her spiritual energy increase quickly so that she can defend herself. Even if I was the nicest person in the world to her, I doubt she would want someone acting as her 'knight in shining armor'. She's strong and independent...Kind of like yours truly, hahahahaha".

Though he really had to laugh when she mentioned about what B would do to him and his brother. "Oh please. B couldn't touch my brother even if he wanted to. All my brother would have to do is sneeze in his general direction and the old stick would 'B' gone". And honestly, he didn't care if B decided to come after him. Hell, he welcomed it. Of course, he would have a problem nonetheless if B did target his brother; oddly enough, one of his buttons was someone pulling a cowardly move like that, even if they had no chance to begin.

"But, I suppose I don't want to trouble my brother too much. Besides, B's a good man, and I'd hate to see something happen to the nerd." Njord then commented, "I already told Sensei that I would tone it down, so I'll say the same to you." Giving a slight sigh, he then asked, "So, how do you recommend I go forward?"

"Oh, so now you're willing to take advice?" She put her hands on her hips and frowned. "You know, just once, I would love it if you would take me seriously before you get into trouble for being so block-headed." Kumi sighed and looked up at him. "If I were you, I would approach her physically. Apologize to her for going too far. Stuff like that goes a long way with straight-laced people like her. Maybe tell her you're into the supernatural and were hoping to learn something from her since her family runs a shrine. Back in Sweden you were a savant or something. No reason to not believe you--after all, you know all about it already. Maybe if you show her more than just muscles, she'll appreciate your company a little more."

Kumi shrugged. "I don't know, but be on the look-out. I hear whisperings that something in this area is going down. Something decidedly sinister. I'm not sure what--I wasn't able to get details from our other informants, but it seems like they're going to try it soon. Stick to her like glue, Njord."

"Maybe I should join a witch coven while I'm at. Tell her I'm into summoning demons to do my bidding." he joked; really, tell her he was into the supernatural? That was a HELL of a conversation starter. But, still, maybe it wouldn't hurt to bring up that she worked at the shrine. Try to make her more comfortable around him. After all, that was part of his job description. But then...His way of making women comfortable around him would NOT fly with his brother. Not with the reputation he had.

"I think I'll start with apologizing, though. I'll wing the rest from there." he then replied; sure, he might not know what mortals considered to be qualifiers of intellect, but he was definitely a lot smarter than most might give him credit for.

Just then, he felt a disturbance. Wasn't overtly powerful, at least not to him, but he could sense the ill intent from a mile away. And he was sure Kumi felt it too. "Seems like they might be trying it now". Njord commented, the aura around the house thickening as a warning to the intruder. But just like that, the presence vanished. "Think I might have spooked it" he then added, his vision encompassing and combing through the local parallels to search for the anomaly.

Though she was not amused at his jokes about joining a coven, he had a point. It might be too out of the blue to bring up the supernatural as a common interest, but it was at least a place to start--an idea. Which was more than she could really say for her big dumb friend. Then again, he was a lot smarter than he let on.

Kumi tensed as the malevolence washed over her as well. But just as soon as it appeared, it vanished. "Don't be so sure. Where is Katsumi?" She looked up at Njord, concern written all over her face. "Is she at home, or at the shrine?"

---

Presently, Katsumi was in the woods behind the shrine, gathering herbs in a bucket. She was the picture of a classic shrine maiden--beautiful, vulnerable, and pure. What a cliche. But there was comfort to be found in the overly-familiar. She felt happiest when tending to her duties as a shrine maiden. When she had what she needed, she realized that she'd gone a bit further in than she'd intended.

"Oops. I'd better get back. I have more chores to do..." she murmured. And just as she was about to head back, she sensed the same sinister presence, but then it was gone. Frowning, she looked around her. "What was that?"

Just then, a young woman stumbled onto the path. She looked frightened and disheveled, and she had scrapes on her knees and palms. "Oh, thank God! Please, help me! They're after me!"

"Who's after you?" Katsumi asked, hurrying closer to the woman. "What's happened to you? Are you alright?"

"Please, don't let them find me..." The woman looked at Katsumi with frightened, tear filled eyes, her entire body trembling.

"Come with me," Katsumi said, taking the woman by the shoulder so she couldn't hurt her hand. "Let's hurry to the shrine--you'll be safe there."