Ambush

Yet again, when Aisha woke up the next morning, her sides cried out to her in protest. Unlike the night before, the fey girl was completely lucid, but damn, she wished that they had at least set the quilt up on some grass, instead of just hard dirt and stones.

.

But she couldn't complain, in fact, she felt pretty good.

.

Because, in her arms, was a little sleeping Kaya, arms folded up and pressed against their stomachs as the small girl snoozed happily. Aisha couldn't help but grin, she was just so cute, and Aisha was so happy. It felt wonderful to sleep together like this, and despite the hard ground and the lack of any warm blanket, she felt more snug, more comfortable than she had in a long time.

.

Kaya began to stir, and Aisha's eyebrows raised slightly - she hadn't so much as moved half an inch, and yet, that had somehow woken the girl up?

.

"...Good morning." Kaya whispered sleepily, opening her eyes a crack, her dark eyes glancing affectionately up at Aisha.

.

"Good morning!" Aisha whispered back, smiling softly at the girl and leaning her head down, touching their noses together in a playful little nose boop.

.

A warmth seemed to spread across Kaya's face, her expression growing more relaxed, more happy. And after a bit of a calculating look, Kaya booped Aisha back, looking quite pleased at Aisha's stunned expression.

.

Kaya giggled after Aisha's blushed slightly, but soon shared in her stunned expression when Aisha pressed her lips against her forehead, the fey looking quite aggressive as she pouted playfully.

.

Kaya, in turn, responded with a shy little kiss of her own, right on Aisha's cheek. A little bead of saliva connected the short girl's mouth to the skin, and Aisha couldn't help but gaze intensely at it as it dripped onto her chin.

.

Filled with lust, affection, and a bit of competitiveness, Aisha couldn't help herself as she began to pepper Kaya's face with kisses, on her nose, her cheeks, the corners of her mouth - and relished as each smooch deepened Kaya's blush, a strange expression forming on the girl's face. Aisha paid it no mind, though, she wanted to make this girl hers, cover her face with hickeys, make her feel good, make her mewl and whine in her arms -

.

But was utterly shocked when Kaya was the one to initiate, a surprisingly sultry kiss to Aisha's lips, her tongue lightly passing over the fey girl's, teasing her.

.

And Aisha fumed. How was it that she was always getting one-upped in these games of seduction!? How was she always one step behind!? Always the one getting flustered - she was the fey, she was the cute one!

.

"Hey Kayan…" Aisha growled softly.

"...Yeah?" 

"Wanna feel good?"

"Huh!? Iiiiiiiiiihhhhhhhnnnnnnnn…"

.

Aisha pouted. Using her magic was just cheating, but she was a real sore loser. Besides, the way that Kaya was moaning, pawing desperately at Aisha's body, she didn't seem to mind.

.

Aisha quickly stole a kiss from Kaya's mouth, and as their tongues danced in their mouths, so did their bodies, writhing sensually, desperately.

.

She finally got it. She finally understood why people wanted to have sex so bad. It was because, at that moment, she wanted to overwhelm this girl. She wanted to be close to her, to hug her, to do all of that while they were both feeling good. She felt so amazing at that moment, so hot, so comfortable, so infatuated, but she wanted more. 

.

And Aisha almost screamed in frustration when Kaya broke away, smiling apologetically, blushing intensely, but still reluctant.

.

A frustration that didn't ebb, even as Kaya sat up, stretching out her arms and legs - all the while, Aisha clung to her back needily, but despite Kaya's affectionate little giggles and touches, she didn't yield to Aisha's desperate attempts at getting her back into bed. Attempts that didn't stop, even as they were made aware of another awake woman, the sound of footsteps on grass growing close.

.

"Did you two do it?" Liberta asked eagerly, watching amused as Aisha rubbed herself up against Kaya, pressing her small breasts against her back and whining.

.

"U-uh…" Kaya mumbled, blushing. "I would rather not disclose."

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"I want next time." Liberta blurted. "With both of you!"

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"M-maybe…" Kaya shifted around, flustered, as Aisha growled into her ear.

.

"I didn't think you'd be awake at this hour." Aisha mumbled, clearly still a little upset. To Liberta, though, it just seemed like she didn't want to share her girltoy, making her laugh.

.

"It's not that comfortable sleeping in these conditions." She sighed. "I'd rather go hooome."

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"Come here." Aisha demanded, detaching from Kaya and motioning for Liberta to come closer.

.

Curious, the elf got on her hands and feet, crawling forwards until she was face to face with Aisha.

.

For a second, Liberta panted heavily, seeing Aisha so close, with that slightly frustrated, curious look. Would her turn come so soon? God, she hoped so. Aisha was unbelievably attractive, and she heard so much about fey in-

.

"Eyah!" She yelped, when Aisha all of a sudden squeezed her breast through her tunic, the sensation not at all sultry, more just surprising.

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Pouting, she watched as Aisha took the same hand to her own breast.

.

"You said you were a D, right?" She mumbled.

.

"...Yeah." Liberta said slowly.

.

"Mnnnngnnn…" Aisha murmured. "I've gone up a few cup sizes…"

.

"Isn't that good?" Kaya chimed. "You're still growing!"

.

"I'm 23." Aisha grumbled.

.

"Oh. You're still pretty young though…"

.

"I stopped growing when I was 14…" Aisha mumbled. "So why…"

.

"I want a kiss." Liberta pouted, interrupting Aisha's musings. "You tricked me."

.

Aisha stopped for a second, stopping her own thoughts as Liberta's words processed through her head. The delayed reaction on her face was quite funny, a little tilt of the head, her mouth opening slightly, as if to say something, but no words coming out.

.

Eventually though, Aisha obliged, meeting Liberta's lips as she held the elven woman's sides, turning her onto her side so that she could cuddle up into her chest and stomach. 

.

It was surprisingly soft, and sweet, a welcome contrast to Liberta's usual brash, aggressive attitude. The woman was surprisingly cute and squishy, at least, for an adventurer, and her kiss was also strangely chaste. There was no aggressive tongue-wrestling, or any pawing or groping like Aisha had expected, instead, Aisha found that she was held loosely, just tight enough to not fall out of Liberta's arms, while a tongue gingerly ghosted across her lips.

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Combined with the feeling of the elf's soft breaths, her chest rising and falling rhythmically… it was all just so soft, surprisingly cuddly for someone usually so unrestrained. Not that it was a bad thing, through.

.

And when Liberta pulled away, Aisha was surprised once more by the embarrassed look on her face. Something she had never seen before.

.

"Libby?" Aisha cooed.

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"U-uh…" Liberta blushed, unconsciously pulling Aisha a little bit closer. "I -it felt good."

.

"It looked like it did." Kaya remarked. But was that a bit of jealousy in her voice?

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Regardless, Aisha begrudgingly accepted that she had gotten an acceptable amount of cuddles for the morning, and that it was now time to get up and actually start her day. She never really considered herself a morning person, but found herself more disciplined than most in the early rising regard. She couldn't imagine waking up before sunrise, but after the light began to shine onto her eyelids, she just found that she couldn't continue to return to that deep slumber.

.

A problem that she clearly didn't share with her fourth party member.

.

"Hey." Aisha nudged Rennala with her foot, rolling her a bit like a big log.

.

"..."

.

"It's time to wake up."

.

"...We can give her a few more minutes." Liberta said oddly gently, for someone acting in defense of her 'hated enemy." "She did have second watch."

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"Why is second watch worse than the other watches?" Aisha asked.

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Kaya chimed in. "Because you've already fallen asleep, it's more difficult to go back the second time, after you take your watch. The cold air wakes you up, and by the time that your watch is finished, it's difficult to fall back asleep."

.

Liberta nodded.

.

"Oh." Aisha mused. But speaking of watches… "Hey, I was never waken up for my watch."

.

"I woke up Rennala after my watch." Kaya offered. "Um… she's asleep, though. Maybe she passed out…?"

.

"I decided to stay up." Liberta said softly. "I couldn't sleep."

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At those words, Aisha nodded, not trying to pry any further. In a way it was kind of reassuring - most who had been on the road for so long, had some kind of baggage that kept them up at night. It was more jarring to see someone that didn't - not that Aisha even had met an adventurer without some mental irregularities.

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The fact that even Liberta, their solid, stubborn rock of a party member, had sleepless nights… it made Aisha feel better about the nagging, sinking in her stomach, that seemed to be present at all times.

.

"Why?" Kaya asked.

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"Just…" Liberta hesitated. Aisha raised an eyebrow. That was also something that she never saw Liberta do. "I was just thinking."

.

At that point, Kaya also seemed to get the hint, nodding as to not press any further. Liberta didn't acknowledge the gesture, too busy staring off into space, before her gaze locked onto Rennala, still sleeping happily on the quilt.

.

"How should we wake her up?" Aisha asked mischievously.

.

.

.

Rennala grumbled as she walked alongside Aisha on the road, cheeks still slightly flushed, and hair still a bit frazzled from the morning's events. Her feet dragged along the road as she walked slowly, and her eyes stayed locked onto the ground, looking almost entranced by the gravel.

.

"You're not upset about this morning, are you?" Aisha teased. "I'm sowwy."

.

"No you're not." Rennala huffed. "And it's not that, I'm just… not used to… ugh. It's been a long time."

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"Since you've been on the road like this?" Aisha offered, to which Rennala nodded.

.

"Why did you stop?" The fey asked curiously. "Or well, why'd you even start? You don't seem to like the work."

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"I have to make a living somehow." Rennala sighed. "It just so happened that killing and destroying things is what I'm best at. I quit as soon as I had enough money to live comfortably for a while."

.

A strange bitterness welled up in Rennala's words, and suddenly, Aisha felt a pang of guilt in her chest.

.

"Sorry." She offered, seriously this time. "I…"

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"I would have had to come back again anyways." Rennala sighed, reassuring AIsha. "I don't have infinite money. It's… it's no big deal."

.

"Why do you not like the work?" Aisha asked. "You're really powerful! That kind of thing doesn't come without practice!"

.

"I wish I could be better at something else." Rennala said, kicking a rock and breathing out a sigh of frustration. "But this is all I know. All I was taught, and all I've ever been good at."

.

"Who taught you how to fight?" Aisha asked.

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"My mother."

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Aisha raised an eyebrow. It was rather uncommon to see children grow up with parents. Doubly so adventurers. Anybody who had suitable guidance in their life probably would never get into this god-forsaken line of work.

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"What was she like?" Aisha asked, curious. "I don't usually see people with parents. Or even people who remember them."

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For a while, Rennala seemed to freeze in place, legs still moving ambiently, but face stuck in a tumultuous, thinking expression. But eventually, the woman just shook her head, clearly uncomfortable, and Aisha decided to not press any further.

.

The silence that followed was uncomfortable, cut only by the sound of conversation behind them. Aisha tuned in, happy with the energy - it sounded like Kaya and Liberta were getting along well.

.

"-And then, as it turns out, he was using all the money to buy rare floofs!" Liberta said animatedly, recalling some old story as she gestured wildly with her hands. Kaya listened avidly, eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of 'floofs.'

.

"You mean those little plush thingies?" Kaya responded excitedly. "Oh, I love floofs! I have a few of my own!"

.

"Oh, me too!" Liberta said excitedly. "I actually… oh, well, I used to own a lot more, but I kept bringing them on contracts and losing them."

.

Kaya laughed. "I could never bring my little floofs on any contracts. Little sharky could never."

.

"Oh, you know, the shark actually is supposed to have a name."

.

"Really? What?"

.

"I think it's in some tribal language, something like…"

.

Aisha felt a smile creep up on her face. She didn't know why she felt so happy - just seeing her group mates interact in such a mundane way, but it kind of felt… like something, for once, was going right. In her ocean of failures, at least she could get these girls together, if nothing else, she could use her social skills to hold just three friends.

.

"H-hey, um… Aisha…" Rennala whispered shyly.

.

"Hm?"

.

A single look at Rennala's slightly flustered expression told Aisha all she needed to know about the nature of the taller woman's words. In fact, she couldn't help but show a sly grin, the deeper fluster all but confirming.

.

"I… I heard… you… uh… this morning…" She whispered.

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"Aw, you want a kiss too, don't you?" Aisha teased. "Did Libby and Kaya tell you?"

.

Rennala simply nodded demurely, her body language guarded and clearly extremely nervous. But despite so, her breaths came out heavy, and the deep shade of her flush betrayed what was giving her such courage to ask of Aisha such a thing.

.

"I did say I would repay you for joining us." Aisha smiled, before giggling slightly. "Alright."

.

Aisha stopped abruptly and took Rennala's face in her hands, giving the taller woman a quick peck on the lips before she could even react. A few emotions flitted across her face, but eventually, she settled on a disappointed look, lips in a slight pout.

.

"Hey, wh-" She sputtered. "I-"

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"That's payback." Aisha chided. "Do more nice things for me, and I'll give you more rewards."

.

"Payback for what!?" Rennala squawked.

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"Er, nothing." Aisha mumbled.

.

Before Rennala could press Aisha further, a cry of indignation sounded out from behind the two girls, too low and quiet to be Liberta's voice. Which left Kaya, but Aisha couldn't imagine the girl reacting like that to the kiss.

.

"H-hey!" The shortest girl cried anyway. "W-what was that!?"

.

"Yeah." Liberta pouted. "She gets a kiss too?"

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"Why do you two have a problem?" Aisha asked, baffled. "I kissed you two as well!"

.

"You're supposed to like me more than her!" Liberta said childishly, to which Aisha just rolled her eyes at, more interested in why Kaya, usually so timid, looked so red in the face. But she found that when she looked the girl in the eyes, she wouldn't meet hers' back.

.

"I… I want another kiss." Kaya demanded, walking up to Aisha and loosely wrapping her arms around the fey girl. "You said you would protect me…"

.

"I don't see how that has anything to do with this!" Aisha said, completely confused, so much so that she didn't even process the hug, just resting her arms on Kaya's shoulders.

"That means I'm special to you, right?"

"Well, I-I… sure, but-"

.

"Kaya already got a kiss!" Rennala protested. "I barely even got one!"

"More than you deserve!" Liberta shouted.

"Go fuck a tree, pointy-ear!"

"Oh, now all of a sudden you aren't too good to-"

.

While Aisha was busy watching the strange argument take place, Kaya decided to take her chance, grabbing the fey girl's head by the horns and wrenching her face-to-face. And despite the fact that Aisha's eyes fully locked onto Kaya's, eyes furrowing in recognition, she nonetheless let Kaya press their lips together. And for a while, she let the moment sit, as Kaya hugged Aisha tighter, the fey now a good few inches taller than Kaya.

.

"What's gotten into you?" Aisha mumbled, now also slightly flustered. "All of you…"

.

"I'm special to you, right?" Kaya mumbled back into Aisha's chest, pressing her cheek against her small breasts. "That means I get more kisses than the others…"

.

"Ah… if that's what you want…" Aisha whispered.

.

The moment was tender and soft, lasting a while as Aisha attempted to process what was going on, and understand the feelings being thrown around. They were all foreign to her. Despite being so adept at reading people, she found that she didn't understand the feelings that seemed to radiate out from the short, petite girl.

.

Liberta was just being petty, and a little jealous. So was Rennala. 

.

Speaki-

.

"Hey!" Aisha cried suddenly, seeing a fist thrown. "Oh lord, what are you two doing!?"

.

.

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Another half-day of traveling and the girls returned to Sakura city, this time, thankfully, re-entering without any altercation. The sun sat low, and while the day was still young, their bodies were tired.

.

"I'm going to bed." Liberta sighed, rubbing her shoulder absentmindedly. "Ough."

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"Me too." Rennala nodded, rubbing a bruise. "I'll meet you at the guild?"

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"That sounds good to me." Aisha nodded back.

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"Okay." Kaya said quietly.

.

And just like that, Liberta and Rennala split off from the group, leaving Aisha and Kaya by themselves.

.

"Um…" Aisha scratched the back of her head. "Do you have a place? Because I don't…"

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"You can stay with me!" Kaya cried, a bit more excitement showing than the girl wanted.

.

"Okay." Aisha smiled softly in gratitude. "Thank you."

.

Kaya grabbed Aisha's hand in her own, a gesture that surprised the fey but welcomed, humming happily as she was led through the narrow alleyways that made up the capital.

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Twisting streets with high walls passed in a blur, blending together disorientingly. Aisha thanked Kaya mentally - she wasn't even sure she would be able to get back to the guild without her help.

.

"So, Kaya…"

.

"Yeah?"

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"You like boys?" Aisha asked.

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Kaya flushed red, but still answered. 

"I don't really like anybody in particular. It really depends on the person."

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"That's…" Aisha suddenly frowned, staring intently into the distance. There was… something off. Something oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. A strange, chilling feeling.

.

The feeling didn't pass.

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"Are you okay?" Kaya asked softly, tugging on Aisha's hand.

"It's… nothing." Aisha mumbled.

.

She continued to stare at that spot in the distance. There was definitely nothing there. Nothing physical, at the least. But there was just…

.

(Behind you.) Aiyu whispered.

.

Aisha was easily able to react to the knife that was thrown at her head, the projectile whizzing past her head and thunking into the bricks in front of her. A few more followed in quick succession, but it was quite easy to react to the projectiles.

.

(I should have known that fox bitch wouldn't be so happy as to let me walk out of there…)

.

The masked assailant that came at her was less easy to see - Aisha was startled to see the bricks shift in front of her to reveal a camouflaged, black clad ninja, already mid swing at Aisha's neck.

.

She hissed as the blade bit into her shoulder, but was able to grip the handle before it could be retrieved. Wisely, her opponent let the weapon go, backing off before Aisha could grasp the assassin's hand.

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The distraction was enough to let a knife pierce her back, cutting through her body and poking through the front of her stomach. The wound stung, but was laughably non-lethal to Aisha, though she kept the knife in to deflect another strike from the assailant at her front.

.

She attempted to grab the ninja again, but her swipe was dodged nimbly, and another knife sunk into her back.

.

Frustrated, Aisha turned around to deal with the assailant behind her, but was forced to dodge again as another projectile was launched from a third angle, from above this time. She ran towards the nearest wall for cover, putting her back to it as her eyes flitted from each ninja to the next, keeping track of each of their movements.

.

(This is getting annoying.) Aiyu whispered. (What are you doing!? Unleash your power!)

.

"Not yet." Aisha mumbled.

.

Aisha didn't intend on showing anything until she was sure she could kill everyone around her.

.

Caution was key here. This would not be the first time she would have to fight like this. If Azamu was bold enough to send one group of assassins, she could send more as well, and any information she revealed here could be used against her.

.

So Aisha closed her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath as she began to slowly draw mana into her eyes, feeling her body change. Blood vessels began to shift, cells began to harden, change shape.

.

And when they opened again, they glowed an eerie, mechanical red. Jagged, unnaturally angled lines radiated out from her corneas, like the silicon paths from a circuit board. They glimmered with a strange reflection, shifting unnaturally in the light, despite not moving.

.

A technique she had stolen from the mechanical angel. She had seen it in its memories, its data. Designed based on biological systems, replicating the circuitry with her own cells was easy with the amount of control she could exert on her body.

.

Aisha scanned the battlefield again and easily dodged another knife thrown at her chest, instantly locking on to the ninja and rushing towards him, drawing the blade she had stolen and beginning to chase. Information flowed into her head as she looked, saw every muscle twitch, saw every movement, every bead of mana.

.

Human male. 71 kg. 8% body fat. Mana concentrated in upper legs for faster movement, and in joints to facilitate harsh landings and sudden movements.

.

Left handed. Cyanide pill sewn into right shoulder pad.

.

Slight preference to dodge away from cover.

.

The blade of the sword Aisha had taken began to creak as she began to take aim, the steel beginning to glow a sinister purple. Kunai flew past her head, some striking true, but Aisha ignored them. Ammo for later.

.

And with a casual toss, the blade smashed through the ninja's mana shield with a loud shattering sound, sinking deep into the ninja's chest - just like she had predicted, or rather, how the man's biologics told her he would act, he dodged left as he saw Aisha pull her hand back to throw.

.

(One down.)

.

The next takedown was easy. A moment of hesitation caused by the death of her companion, rendered her just a second too slow to react as Aisha twisted on a dime, launching herself at the ninja with an incredible velocity and knocking her to the ground.

.

The assailant struggled a bit, but was completely powerless against Aisha's monstrous strength - she would have struggled even against her base musculature, but against her magically reinforced limbs, the ninja couldn't even budge her wrists, as the fey placed them on top of the ninja's own.

.

Aisha saw the woman's face twist in pain as ice began to form beneath Aisha's palms, cutting off the circulation to her hands as her wrists were frozen to the ground. The same treatment was given to the woman's ankles, rendering her completely immobile.

.

But even as her hands and feet started to turn cold, dying painfully, the ninja's face didn't betray any emotion. She had been trained well.

.

Aisha would have complimented her, if not for the fact that the third ninja was making a hasty retreat, making his way across the rooftops with alarming speed. The buildings deformed as he made his way past them, molding to allow for an easier path before deforming back into shape, shielding him from Aisha's line of sight.

.

At that distance, a projectile kill would be impossible to land lethally.

.

So instead, Aisha climbed on top of a rooftop, closing her eyes again. The biological circuits in her eyes shifted again, and when she opened them once more, they no longer glimmered with that reflective sheen.

.

Instead, they burned incredibly bright with an incredible intensity.

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There was no need to predict any actions with this spell. Aisha simply looked at the retreating ninja, gazing intensely.

.

An incredible flash of light cut across the dusky sky, for only a split second, accompanied with the screaming of machinery. And afterwards, a body fell to the ground in a heap, two burning holes etched into his chest.

.

Aisha grimaced as her eyes burned with the residual heat from the laser, feeling the tissues beginning to scar, and subsequently repair. Dammit. She would have to adjust that spell - the one advantage that the angel's body had over hers was that it was much more resistant to heat.

.

But regardless, she was satisfied with her kills. She had even left one behind to interrogate.

.

Oh wait. She had forgotten about the cyanide pills. And sure enough, when she returned to the frozen ninja, she was dead, mouth slightly foaming at the corners.

.

Aisha frowned. Damn, all the information in the world couldn't help her if she just forgot about it in the heat of battle.

.

She took a deep breath in frustration. She could have easily killed all three in an instant. But instead she had wasted her time, taken a few hits, and for what? She still had no information on these ninjas. The scanning spell had been useful for combat information, but having no experience in Sakura, the information was pretty much useless.

.

The one thing that she did know was that they had been sent by Azamu. There was zero doubt in her mind about that. But it was a conclusion that she had come to even before she was attacked.

.

The failure nagged at her, but something else did too. Did she forget something?

.

.

.

Aisha sighed in relief as she rushed back towards her friend, seeing her relatively unharmed, if not a little sweaty, and also surrounded. Three of the ninja surrounded her, all brandishing blades, while Kaya was unarmed. Her backpack laid strewn on the ground a few meters away from her, both straps slashed through, broken.

.

It would be a trivial matter to rush in and take the assassins out. Maybe Kaya would start pining for her even more as Aisha saved her.

.

But as Aisha readied a spell, she paused, seeing the completely calm expression on the short girl's face. The expression extended to her body as well - she held a strange, but sturdy stance, clearly from some martial art, though Aisha didn't have nearly enough experience to know from which.

.

The ninja behind Kaya stepped forward and struck, and Aisha instinctively jerked forward, ready to intervene, but stopped again when she saw Kaya whirl around, facing the ninja head-on. Instead of stepping away, Kaya stepped into the strike, using a palm to deflect the ninja's sword hand away from her.

.

And with a second motion, Kaya's fist slammed into the ninja's neck with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the ground instantly, and Kaya didn't even bother to watch as she turned around, facing the two left. All the while, the expression on her face didn't change a bit, staying completely calm, stoic.

.

The other two decided to attack Kaya together, swinging their swords in horizontal arcs. But Kaya was easily able to dodge the strikes - and this time, when she went for the ninja's neck, he tilted his neck to the side, dodging the punch and readying a response of his own.

.

 But it never came, as Kaya began to follow through with her missed motion, letting the motion pull her forwards. And with a twist of the body, Kaya swept the ninja's leg, also dodging the sword swipe aimed at her head.

.

A gust of wind radiated out from Kaya's sweep, and on further inspection, blood ran out of the ninja's leg where Kaya had contacted him.

.

And as the fighters began to move again, it was clear that Kaya had them far outmatched. Her movements were strangely brutal, in a way. Not in the sense that she was overpowering her opponents - the opposite, in fact. Each movement was done with the least amount of effort possible to kill. It imparted a strange, uncanny efficiency to Kaya's movements, all while the girl held the same, emotionless mask on her face. It was strangely beautiful, but also difficult to watch.

.

A kick to the chest sent one of the ninjas to the ground, which was followed by a quick strike to the temple. It was chilling to see how the light drained out of the ninja's eyes, despite being Aisha's enemy - just a light tap from Kaya, and he was dead. It just seemed far too easy - it reminded her of… of someone else.

.

Aisha shook her head, getting that damn memory out of her head. She still didn't even know if Feng was real, or if she had imagined her.

.

Returning her attention to the battle in front of her, Aisha watched as Kaya delivered the final blow to her last assassin, ducking under a wave of imbued daggers while simultaneously launching a roundhouse kick at the ninja's neck. At first, it seemed like the impressive display of flexibility missed, grazing the assailant's chin, but a millisecond after Kaya's foot seemingly missed, a thin, wicked looking blade erupted from her heel, slicing clean through the masked man's neck.

.

Panting heavily, Kaya quickly scanned her surroundings for more enemies, before her eyes locked onto Aisha. And at the sight of the fey woman, her face visibly relaxed, and her body slumped like all the exhaustion hit her at once.

.

The calmness seemed to vanish from her body, like a wisp of smoke. Gone was the eerily calm, focused Kaya, and in her place was the regular, quiet but also strangely affectionate Kaya.

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"A-Aisha!" She huffed out, rushing over.

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"Hi." Aisha greeted casually, before frowning, placing a hand on Kaya's cheek. "Hey, you're cut…"

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"You have a kunai sticking out the front of your stomach!" Kaya cried.

"Huh?"

.

Aisha looked down, and-

.

Oh. Kaya was right. Aisha counted one, two - at least five daggers planted firmly in her back, each sunk at least a good four inches deep.

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"A-A-Aisha!" Kaya cried in a panic. "Oh my gosh, w-we have to get you to a cleric, o-o-o-or, or-"

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"It's fine."

.

Aisha calmly removed the knives from her back, in front of Kaya's stunned face, grimacing as the flanged edges caught slightly on her skin. But like magic, or rather, literally magic, her wounds began to close up, flesh stretching and growing just like new.

.

"Whoa." Kaya gasped. "That's… I've never seen that before. Except from some… really high level monsters…"

"I guess you could say that." Aisha grimaced.

.

"I didn't mean it like that!" Kaya suddenly corrected, her panic seeming… different than earlier. "I just… I've never seen a human heal like that. Even the clerics… it isn't that fast."

.

"I don't think I can call myself human anymore." Aisha mumbled, before her eyes locked onto the distance again.

.

"What?" Kaya frowned. "Of course you're human."

.

"I…"

.

.

.

Miles away, a pair of binoculars were stashed into a tote bag, the lenses dimming as the magic enhancing their focus deactivated, their purpose spent for now.

.

Following the motion, another object was also carefully placed into the bag. A notebook and pen, of cheap quality, bought from the nearest general store. Untraceable, due to the poor purchase tracking of the small shop, and the handmade nature of the objects.

.

The bag was then quickly slung over the shoulder of an average-looking man, who quickly leapt down from the rooftop he was perched on, satisfied with his work.

.

He walked casually into a crowded street, blending in seamlessly with the regular people of the city, all off to their own destinations. It would have been impossible to pick him out as anything other than a regular civilian.

.

Kaito did not know why he had been sent to watch his brethren fight the two adventurers. Nor did he question why. It wasn't his job to do so. Watching them die stirred a bit of resentment in his heart, but he swallowed it down. To let emotions cloud his judgment would compromise his disguise, his work.

.

But for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.