Surreal called her new students early Saturday morning, writing down how long it took them to pick up, and who did it.
“Good morning,” she replied to Aya’s near unintelligible greeting and rattled off an address. “I expect you to be here, dressed and ready to train in forty-five minutes. And before you ask, no, I won’t accept traffic as an excuse of tardiness.”
“We’ll be there.”
Surreal put the receiver back in its cradle, grinning at Graysfang.
“He hung up on me,” she said.
*They’ve never studied for a witch before,* the wolf reminded her. *Shouldn’t you go easy on them?*
“Whatever for?” Surreal rubbed her hands together, still grinning with glee. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years!”
Graysfang gave a very human-sounding sigh and jump onto the couch. If he had to spend that long with an excited, impatient Surreal, he would at least make sure he was comfortable.
Fortunately for Graysfang, not to mention for themselves, Weiß managed to be on time. If Surreal was disappointed by that spare minute, the males were none the wiser. The quartet looked mostly awake, although Omi and Yohji would have been much better off with a few more hours of sleep. Ken had offered his arm in support so Omi wouldn’t jog his sprained ankle.
“Good morning,” Surreal said in a cheerful tone carefully chosen to rub them the wrong way. After all, training was more than physical exercise. “Why don’t we head inside and get started, hmm?”
Three nods, and Omi murmured a polite agreement. Surreal lead them into the warehouse she’d converted to a training facility. It was private, spacious, and well equipped. A loft stretched halfway through the building, accessible only by a rope – or air walking, but none of Weiß knew such a thing was possible.
“So,” Yohji drawled, “what are you going to teach us?”
Surreal gave him a disapproving look. Considering they’d all agreed to take orders from her, she had expected a modicum of respect. Apparently not.
“Today is our first day, so I’ll keep it simple. When you leave, you will have learned two things; that I won’t tolerate slacking, and that right now, you’re not good enough to give me a decent fight.”
Only Omi appeared unbothered by that.
“How long have you been in the business?” he asked.
Surreal’s lips twitched. “A lot longer than you’d believe. Unlike you four, I chose to be an assassin. Admittedly, I wasn’t given a lot of options, but had I truly wanted to be something else, I would have been. I chose this because I enjoyed the kill years before I became a professional.”
“Enjoyed it?” Aya questioned.
She looked at him calmly while she decided what to tell them. They had to understand that she was different, but not how different. “I was very young when my mother died. Life wasn’t much different for me than for any of the other kids growing up on the streets. There are always adults willing to abuse those who can’t protect themselves. I learned not to be a victim.” She shrugged. “Where I come from, murder isn’t a crime. I could have killed anyone in broad daylight and the only punishment would have been the retaliation of the victim’s friends. We are a different kind, and I won’t pretend otherwise. I wasn’t raised to be squeamish or to value life other than my own and those I cared for.”
Aya nodded, satisfied if a bit disturbed by that. The other three looked as if they wanted to question her, but held back. If Aya’s paranoia was willing to let that slide, they were reluctant to argue.
“That’s partly why I’m better than you,” Surreal continued with a smile, trying to lift the somber mood. “The rest is just your lack of experience and proper instruction.”
“Lack of experience?” Ken exclaimed, sounding deeply insulted.
*Quite the temper, don’t you think?* Surreal sent to Graysfang. *This is turning out better than I thought it would.*
*Make them like you, not hate you,* he retorted. *Make them better friends than Manx.*
Surreal nearly flinched at that. Better meant true friends, and those never came for free. She wasn’t sure if she was willing to pay the price of attachments. Not again.
“That’s what you’re here to correct, isn’t it?” she said aloud, ushering them over to a bench at one wall before they could reply. “Tsukiyono is excused since he’s injured, and I expect Fujimiya to speak up if sparring bothers his stitches. Is that clear?”
There was a moment of hesitation before Aya nodded. Surreal smiled gratefully, knowing that he would do as promised. He wasn’t the lying kind.
“Alright, please warm up.”
The three men did as told, and Surreal took a moment to appreciate the sight of them. She really hadn’t expected a soccer player to be that nimble… Shaking her head, she turned to Omi, who was watching her with some amusement.
“See something you like, sensei?” he teased.
She deliberately glanced at them again. “Plenty. I thought I’d look now, while they’re still pretty. When I’m done with them, who knows?”
Omi just laughed. “You’re as bad as Yohji!”
“I’m very good,” she informed him haughtily before turning serious. “You’re going to stay off that foot until it’s fully healed, but since you don’t need to stand to practice, I’ll supply you with some moving targets later. For now, I want you to study the others while they spar. I will expect to hear your opinions when they’re done.”
He nodded, excited to find out how different she would look at his teammates.
“I noticed you and Kudoh aren’t exactly bushy-tailed this morning. I can guess what he’s been up to, but I was rather surprised by you. Care to tell me what kept you awake?”
Omi shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “I was at the computer, and I lost track of time. Once I find a challenging system it’s hard to leave it alone before I’ve cracked it.”
“Like an itch,” Surreal said understandingly. “You just got to keep scratching until it goes away.”
“Something like that,” the blonde admitted, “but it sounds so childish when you put it that way.”
“You don’t have to be an adult all the time, Omi.” Surreal spoke with certainty, the rare use of the teen’s given name emphasizing her sincerity. “I play with Gray and spend time with friends who care little about how I make a living. I never picked up any hobbies when I was young, and I’ve regretted it from time to time. Enjoy childhood, and keep it with you for as long as you can. Don’t allow Kritiker to define who and what you are.”
They were silent for a moment.
“I’ll try,” Omi said quietly.
“Good.” Surreal smiled warmly before turning her attention to the three on the floor.
“When you’re done warming up, I’d like to see Hidaka and Fujimiya spar, then Hidaka and Kudoh.” She noticed Aya’s glare. “I don’t want to strain your arm more than necessary, so you’ll only go one round today.”
The redhead didn’t look pleased, but he nodded.
Ken made a show of cracking his knuckles, grinning as he gave Yohji a playful shove in the direction of the bench.
“I guess that proves it; she doesn’t think you can make it through two sessions!”
Yohji – now fully alert and looking much better than when he’d stepped out of the car – gave a teasing smile in return. “Or maybe she’s just picky about who keeps her company,” he said and slipped out of reach before Ken absorbed the words.
“That’s enough,” Surreal snapped when it looked like Ken would retaliate. “I’m not going to waste my time on brats who aren’t capable of focus.”
“Sorry,” the two mumbled, neither looking chastened.
Surreal nodded, accepting the apology. “Keep in mind that I want to see your skill, not how red you bleed. Wounding a sparring partner unnecessarily only proves you lack control of yourselves.”
Ken and Yohji looked a bit hesitant, as if they didn’t quite see the point, but Aya’s eyes held a gleam of interest. Surreal smirked inwardly.
*It’s a shame he wasn’t born among the Blood; a treasure such as him is wasted here.*
Graysfang sent her gentle reassurance. *You will bring him out of the shadows, and let him hunt freely. It will be good for both of you.*
Surreal didn’t have a reply for that, so she settled for raising an expectant brow at the three men. She was relieved that they took the hint and Ken followed Aya while Yohji plunked down on the bench beside Omi.
“Watch them,” she said simply, and turned to do the same.
Three minutes into the fight she had decided that Ken relied a bit too much on raw strength – which admittedly suited his weapon of choice – and had little experience with defending himself.
Surreal held back a smirk. He’ll have plenty of time to learn that not all opponents will fall easily under his claws, and how to deal with those who won’t.
He also needed to learn not to be ruled by instinct or temperament. He seemed to grow just a little angrier with every failed attack, and if Aya had been the kind to taunt, Surreal suspected that Ken would have lost his temper by now. Thankfully, Aya was silent. He was also graceful, controlled and apparently didn’t know the value of improvisation. There was a kind of formality to his movements that made Surreal doubt he could fight effectively when his focus shifted from technique to target. And judging by what he’d said a few days earlier when they’d discussed contract, there were crimes that he would respond to on a very personal level.
*They pull back when they see a strike will connect, just as I asked; that’s promising. Their faults are nothing incorrigible,* she mused, *but it will take some effort.*
Graysfang sent amused agreement, making Surreal glance down at him.
*Sooner or later, you’re going to help me with them.*
Brown eyes flickered upwards. *Wolves can’t train cats.*
*They can and they will, unless they want to be washed with my soap again.*
A small shudder accompanied by a whine made her smile.
“Surreal-sensei?”
“None of that sucking up,” she chided as she glanced at Omi, sighing when she saw his unrepentant expression. At least he’s keeping his eyes on the match, she thought. I’m glad someone can follow orders. “Just ask your question.”
“From your file I could tell that you’ve got a Talent. Can I ask what kind it is?”
Surreal smirked. “Craft.”
Omi frowned, but it was Yohji who spoke, leaning around the boy to study Surreal’s profile. “What does that mean?”
“Magic.”
“Telekinesis? Telepathy? Pyrokinesis, maybe?” Omi was eager now, enough to look away from the fight.
Surreal shrugged and decided she would learn nothing more from the two sparring. She turned to face the blondes. “Craft can be used for many things,” she said, deliberately cryptic.
“How many? What kind of things?”
She raised an eyebrow. “If Kritiker doesn’t know, why should I tell you? I have no intention of helping them updating my file. I’m more than worth what they pay me, and that’s really all they need to know.”
Omi attempted a pout, complete with wide, pleading eyes. It was a good bit of acting, but Surreal had seen much better puppy eyes. Mostly on puppies, but still.
Yohji studied her expression and sighed. “You’re not going to give us a better answer than that, are you?”
“No. – Alright, boys, that’s enough.” She waved for Aya and Ken to join them. “I’m glad neither of you are injured, especially since your weapons make it difficult not to hurt people. Fujimiya, please have a seat. Kudoh, Hidaka, keep in mind that I don’t want to hear any more arguing from either of you.” Mostly because I don’t think it would be wise to provoke that vicious temper…
Ken headed onto the practice mats again, Yohji trailing behind him. Aya did a couple of stretches before settling down on the bench.
“How’s the arm?” Surreal asked, unable to ignore the niggling worry for the redhead’s well-being. “I can see you didn’t rip the stitches, but how does it feel?”
“… It’s sore.”
The hesitation told Surreal that he’d considered lying to her. She was unexpectedly happy that he hadn’t.
“We’ll have a look at it before you leave, then,” she decided, and turned her attention to the fight, glad that Omi was keeping quiet and not distracting her further.
She had to admit she’d been a bit curious about Yohji and his wire. Surreal herself had always preferred close combat weapons and relied on Craft for a longer range, as did most of her friends.
As she watched, she realized that the wire required a skilled handler to be anywhere near dangerous. In Yohji’s hands, it could be used to kill as easily as trap and disable an enemy.
It outclasses both bugnuks and katana for strategic value, but it also leaves him vulnerable, she thought as Ken nimbly avoided the coiling wire. If an opponent ducks at the right moment, he won’t be able to pull the wire back in time to defend himself.
*Maybe we should give him a blade. If the wire gets tangled, or something snaps the wristband, he’ll be an easy kill.*
Graysfang’s approval filled her mind with pleasant warmth. *Cats should have claws.*
*When we are done,* Surreal promised, *they will have fangs as well.*
They watched the rest of the fight in silence. Ken slipped inside Yohji’s guard a couple of times, but got tangled in the wire enough that Surreal could judge it a draw when she called a halt to the spar.
“And that concludes your physical evaluation,” she said. “Tsukiyono, yours will have to wait until you’re able to move freely.”
Omi nodded. “You mentioned target practice earlier; is that postponed, too?”
“No, I want some idea of your aim before I set a training schedule. The rest of you can wait for us, or if you’re in a hurry I can take him home.” Her eyes narrowed as they focused on Aya. “Either way, I want a look at that arm before you leave.”
“We’ll wait,” Aya said, and no one seemed to disagree.
“So,” Yohji cut in, “this test of yours… did we pass?”