Fandom Kill La Kill 2.0 (Accepting)

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Maria was shocked, not just at the girl's speed, but at her sheer audacity. To suggest that she receive the same treatment as the common ilk, and to claim any right to dictate her movements, or to lay any semblance of a claim to HER ISKANDER, HER PROPERTY! The beating of helicopter blades turned her head to the outskirts of the city. It appeared as though her entourage had come to collect her. She dusted off her suitcase and looked back at the tacky, dreadful school and it's tacky, dreadful president with contempt before leaving in a huff.


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.95f6e1241908ed86189c4fabfb98ddec.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="118269" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.95f6e1241908ed86189c4fabfb98ddec.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Iskander felt his consciousness swim about in the black space. All the pain of the outside world was dulled to a mere pressure as his mind slipped from the world. Suddenly he felt a crawling over his skin, the fibers of the jacket were reacting, healing him, he felt the pressure in his stomach, which he assumed was internal bleeding, eliviate. It felt violating, another being going over his body like that. He felt blood rushing back to his head and his eyes parting as the feeling of life returned to him. He coughed out a spray of blood as he tried to get his bearings. It took him awhile to comprehend what he saw. He was being carried over the shoulder of Lady Serenity, and she was reprimanding him. His face flushed with shame, and he pushed himself off of her hold, just barely catching himself on one knee.


"I'm sorry, Lady Serenity. I don't remember her being anything like that." He gripped his stomach. "She's just so strong, I felt her attacks go right through my Goku uniform. Like it didn't even try to protect me." He tried to steady himself on shaky legs before crashing back down on his knees. "I...have to... Get stronger... I'm sorry..." Iskander then collapsed as the world spun around him.

 

[SerenityAngel]

Serenity gave a glance of superiority to the girl named Maria and her utter defeat as the helicopter came for her. "Looks like your mommy and daddy want to take their little girl back already. At least they know when to reign in an unruly child." She said and took Iskander back into the school where he could rest but before they got too far he had coughed up blood and it sprayed over her uniform, discoloring it and staining it a bright crimson. He then pulled away from her and dropped to a knee. She didn't move to help him but she did look down on him, disappointed. She listened to him apologize and set a goal for himself and she scoffed. "She won against you because you were full of doubt. She has her mind cleared at least, even if they are selfish, they are her goals and aspirations. You have lost sight of yours. Iskander....I'm disappointed in you." she told him with a glare, "Was all that training you did for so long, all for nothing? Or was it that you wished to shame me with your lack of determination? Are you a slave to your family's wishes, the people who abandoned you and cast you away without a moment's hesitation? Or, are you going to go take back that which is rightfully yours and lead them as I have taught you to do? DON'T YOU DARE PASS OUT WHILE I AM SPEAKING TO YOU! Your GOKU uniform will not protect that which has a weak heart. If this is how you are going to be, Iskander, trampled on by a child, then why do you stay?" With that she let him pass out and summoned the school doctor to help heal him and let him rest. She made sure that Iskander would survive and heal properly as well as being comfortable before she left his side to attend to her other duties.


She detested the girl, Maria. Her ignorance and selfishness was not something she could find in any way admirable or honorable. But something the girl said made her chuckle a little and speak to herself as she walked her school's halls, "Hm hm..."Tacky" she called it." she then looked at her sleeve and now stained uniform, "Perhaps, but it serves more purposes than what she wears. Heh, she doesn't even know whom it is she wears, nor to whom she speaks. What a foolish girl. It will be a surprise if she even makes it into my school." At least I don't have to worry about pulling Junketsu out. It would be too soon for me to wear that yet. Perhaps the style of the uniforms could use some updating, but then again, why should I listen to a child who wears nothing but pink?"

@Cunning Commander

 

[Sugary_Paragraphs]

Kenzu breathed a sigh of relief as the girl had left.


Kenzu loved to watch fights, but what he didn't like was flying with his fellow students in the air. Although it was fun to fly...until you crashed into the ground...and other students landed on top of you. And if flying students came from normal fights, imagine a fight involving lady serenity.


"Scary." Kenzu shuddered before realizing something. Where WAS lady serenity, anyway...and what exactly was he doing? He was so busy watching he didn't even know what brought him here in the first place.

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.fe99e03cfe3ed5e71825aa374a28b18e.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="118395" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.fe99e03cfe3ed5e71825aa374a28b18e.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Thoughts swirled in Iskander's head as he floated through the abyss. His mind fixated on Lady Serenity's piercing eyes, the way they cut through him as she told him the cold truth. He felt a force tugging him deeper into the darkness, pulling him below. A voice called up from below, sad and hollow, though unmistakably his own. "She's right you know? All the strength, all the training, all our supposed talent, it means nothing. In the end we're resigned to our fate. It doesn't matter how we were cast out, trampled upon, neglected, because we will forever be a slave to the image of a hero. Someone bound by duty to his family, even if his own desires disagree. Ever since you were young, you wanted to be a Martyr just like this. Give in to it, you don't have the strength to stand on your own two feet, you can't even stand against the girl you played with as a child. Your heart is weak."


The voice had always been there, since he had first been thrown out to fend for himself, telling him to give in to the cold, or the hunger, to crawl back and beg forgiveness for his birth, for existing. Now he was offered forgiveness and all he wanted to do was crawl back again. What was the point? What had all the hardship been for? Why hadn't he turned back until now? Suddenly he felt as though he was being ripped forward by his jacket lapels. A voice roared at him, primal and incomplete.


"WHAT....DESIRE? WANT STRENGTH....WANT LIVE....YOU WEAK... YOU DIE WITHOUT DESIRE...DIE WITHOUT YOU...YOU MUST WANT..." The voice communicated through more feeling than word. Pangs of hunger and longing punctuated the sentences, it was half an order half a cry for help. What did he desire? Growing up in his storybooks like he did, he thought that strength was to never desire anything. When he was young, out on the streets the idea of nobility had been enough to keep him going. But now, what did he have to drive him forward? What brought him joy that he would sacrifice anything for?


He thought back to his childish admiration of heroes. How fervently he wanted to be one. How he had tried to model every trait after knights and noble warriors. He wasn't a hero now, he was a mercenary, working a contract of four years for Lady Serenity. Where had he gone astray? Where had he ceased trying to be a hero? Iskander felt a steady pull upwards, and there was a weight in his chest, as though his heart hadn't been beating and just now came to life. He wanted to be a hero, he wanted everyone, Lady Serentiy included, to look at him as the brave warrior who brought justice and light to the world, who never submitted to the darkness. The voice boomed again. "DREAM...FOOLISH...I...LIKE...BECOME ONE..."


Iskander bolted upright in his hospital bed. His breathing was heavy and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest, but he was smiling, there was a fire in his eyes. He looked down, in his hand were all the pieces of finery and filigree from his jacket. All the pieces which had reminded him so of his old noble clothes. They glowed with the deep red of the Goku uniform fibers.


When the doctor finally discharged him, he marched, or limped, to the sewing club laboratory. The pieces of life fiber in hand. Iskander called the president to the operating room and thrust the scraps from his jacket into his chest. "Mix these with some others, and slice them up as fine as you can. You're using those needles to give me one hell of a tattoo." When he tried to protest he grabbed the smaller student by the collar and lifted him up. "Look, you've been unable to make a jacket that's forty percent life fiber, so why not stick to my thirty percent jacket and infuse my skin to make me ten percent life fiber?" He finally acquiesced and laid Iskander out on the table.


At first the freshly drawn patterns across his chest, back, and upper arms were all thoroughly coated with cooling solution, to deter the life fibers from waking up. But that soon passed, it hurt worse than fire, more than being cut open. Iskander could feel the fibers burrow into his flesh. It burned and bled as they pushed through the skin into the muscle. The pain was blinding, Iskander could feeling the now harried palpitations of his heart as it fought shock and cardiac arrest. Only by the grace of fate did the pain subside. The fibers settled into their patterns, he could feel the way they had increased the power and speed of his muscles. His whole body felt charged with power. As the fresh marks were bandaged, Iskander put on his jacket over the bare skin, and for the first time felt the Goku uniform as it should be. His lips formed the word he had heard in his dream.


"One"


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.gif.8cc5b07c4b87ac53bece5d92a7b18dec.gif" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="118393" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.gif.8cc5b07c4b87ac53bece5d92a7b18dec.gif" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

 

[SerenityAngel]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/kiryuin_satsuki_by_cosom-d7y1fh5.png.fa5773b0155f0d170b579e61228a3bd9.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="118433" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/kiryuin_satsuki_by_cosom-d7y1fh5.png.fa5773b0155f0d170b579e61228a3bd9.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

Serenity, having eyes and ears all over the school and especially in the sewing club tat produces the uniforms, heard about the procedure that Iskander opted for and endured. She made no move to stop him because it was his choice. It was his life and he had to carry its own weight. When she heard that he had pulled through and that it was a success she smirked and she would have to test him now to see if weaving life fibers was a worthy act. If it did nothing then it was for nothing but if it helped him even a little then it was worth it. She already knew the feeling of being one with life fibers and how they made one stronger but to have it done to such a minimal extent was rather impressive. She grabbed her sword and made her way to the school arena and sent a message to Iskander to meet her there and be ready to fight. Her eyes were cold and dark and distant in warning that he better not disappoint her. Her long golden hair billowed softly in the soft blowing breeze. The only thing that marred her appearance was the bright red blood stain that Iskander had put on her to discolor the uniform. She continued to wear the uniform with pride for the day as things would be fixed later. She would test this new upgrade to his person herself, weather he wanted to face her or not. She would not be denied but he could rest assured that she would not send him back to the hospital.


She would be needing a new uniform, that was for certain but there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. She needed to test Iskander on more than one level. She needed to know if she could risk having him by her side in such a state. Would he be able to withstand the life fibers being woven into him like that? Was this act one of devotion, preservation or determination? She would find out soon enough.. She would be relying heavily on him and the other three soon. She felt something coming close and it would greatly impact them all and they needed to be ready for it. Her most of all

@Cunning Commander

 

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<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.9e69d1a495ecf99747736cc3a0391943.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="118767" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.9e69d1a495ecf99747736cc3a0391943.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> It takes a great deal of steeling one's self when you receive a challenge to a duel. After all, your life, and more importantly, your honor, is on the line. It was even more serious when Iskander was called to fight Lady Serenity. The first thing he had even noticed about her was her remarkable skill with the blade. His own movements had felt many times slower as his eyes had tried to follow her graceful slashing attacks. He massaged his bandaged tattoos, with each passing minute the material felt less foreign. His goku uniform now felt like a second skin, and it was considerably lighter with all the pieces that had been removed to make the new designs on his chest, back, and upper arms. In his right hand he held his student records, which had been a bear to take from the information club, and the medical report which had been compiled on all theoretical consequences of combining human DNA with life fibers. He hadn't the time to read it, of course, but he had skimmed it. Something about consumption factors, adrenaline levels, and enhanced cell replication. The language was a bit above his head. In Iskander's left hand he held Oathborn. That sword had been a gift for entering into Lady Serenity's service, it was to represent the unbreakable nature of the bond he had to her. The blade had somehow been tempered with life fibers, it was nowhere near the strength of Bakuzan, or a Hardened life fiber blade, but it was far stronger than normal steel. The blade's shape had been the template used for the weapons on Iskander's Servitude Regalia, though those were devoid of the finery that adorned the original and were not even a tenth as strong, the disposable life fiber blades were as good as a regular sword and could be produced ad infinum, plus a few nastier surprises. Oathborn had been a symbol of Iskander's new life, now it was time to bring it before Lady Serenity and renew his promise. As he entered the arena, he left his goku uniform hanging in the locker area. He stroked the three stars on the collar, the last vestige of rank he held in this life.


Iskander walked into the arena with nothing covering his chest but the bloodied bandages from the surgery. He moved to stand across from Lady Serenity, staring back at her, trying to match her intensity. When he stood on the edge of the dueling field Iskander stopped and faced Lady Serenity. In his right hand was still the school's student records on him. Every official document pertaining to his existence here. He swung his arm upwards and let the papers scatter in the winds. On every one of them he had stricken through the name 'Tepes' with thick black ink. Letting the pages fall to the ground, he drew Oathborn from its scabbard and dropped into his fencer's stance.


"Lady Serenity, today I face you as Iskander, nothing more, nothing less. I have no past behind me, and no future in front of me." He spoke, loudly, as the wind whipped across the field, heralding a storm. "If I do not prove my honor here today," he raised Oathborn, "if my oath should break, you may kill me and find a more worthy retainer." He pulled away the bandages, exposing the red lines of life fiber, each an inch wide, which had been permanently bound in him. "I believe in your dream, so much so that ten percent of my body; skin, flesh, organs, are now life fibers. I do this to become stronger. I give up my humanity so that the dream I believe in may flourish." Iskander felt the first raindrops strike his back. "Lady Serentiy, I accept your challenge!"

 

[SerenityAngel]

Serenity's air was almost touchable in the very pressure she exuded. Her stare was that of frozen stone. She observed Iskander coming into the arena, accepting her challenge with a folder in hand. She figured it had something to do with him and his procedure. When she saw the papers scatter to the wind she saw that it was his entire history and saw that the only change he made to it was that he had basically disowned his past. When his declaration of disowning his past and future and who he was and voicing his renewed promise to dedicate himself to her and her ideals. She raised her chin a little in pride and acceptance as he drew the sword she had given him, showing his dedication as he had never drawn it before, not even once. When Iskander pulled off the bandages to reveal the life fibers that were now permanently bound to his skin she nodded her head in understanding. She would not let this proof of his go to waist and she had the movie club recording everything, not that they would let any of Serenity's or any of the elite four go undocumented and this was a momentous occasion. She would be sure to show that girl Maria what true dedication looks like, by showing Iskander as her model.


"Excellent. I expect nothing less of my right hand. Dedicating ten percent of your body to strength and speed is indeed a worthy sacrifice to renew your promise." she then did him the honor of picking up her sword and showing it to him and the whole school as they started to pour in when they got wind of this challenge how she would react. She slowly pulled the black blade from its white sheath. The glint off the black blade was blinding as she freed it from its constraints and dropped the covering and let the blade itself, held securely in her soft but strong hand, settle to her side. Her free hand went to the buttons of her blood stained uniform and unfastened them so that the white blouse beneath was revealed showing that she was not going to hold back very much. That she was going to let lose a little, so much that her coat would only get in her way. She slowly took a few steps toward Iskander, "Do not hold back, Iskander. I want to see the full extent of your devotion. Demonstrate to me, and everyone, what it means to you to be so devoted, so honorable that you will transform yourself to hold your oath with pride, even by sacrificing some of your humanity." she said as her stance didn't seem to take on anything aggressive, only prideful and relaxed as if she were dealing with a child. "Should you land a scratch on me with Oathborn, I shall accept your oath renewed. If you cannot...well...I'll be looking for another whose promises are worth their weight and who has their goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them, even harming one they fallow."

@Cunning Commander

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.64845e206ed7b1e8e2e24674ede0198f.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119143" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.64845e206ed7b1e8e2e24674ede0198f.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Iskander felt the aura of pressure emanating from Lady Serenity as the rain began to fall. The tension was palpable as he stared back at her, trying to judge just where to strike. The first attempt could make or break this entire duel. If he overextended his strike hoping to end it quickly he would open up his defenses, but if he tried to feel out Serenity's defenses with shorter blows, she would most definitely counter and put him on the defensive, and defending against Bakuzan would be a disaster. Iskander flexed his hands on the blade, feeling the pulsating life fibers tighten and slacken in his arms and chest. Those new gifts could be the key to victory, everything felt in balance, he could feel the power in his body, and yet he felt light and lean. Oathborn felt like a toy in his hands, a very, sharp, important, powerful toy.


Despite the rain, and the pressure, and the weight of this event, Iskander was having an amazing time. He cracked a wide smile. At heart he was a fencer, a swordsman, and he had been waiting for a duel just like this for a long time. Dueling was an honest, pure form of communication between two people. This would let Lady Serenity hear exactly what he couldn't express with words. He grounded his feet and pushed off with his back leg, shifting his weight in a tight circle before rocketing forward towards Lady Serenity, slashing down across from her left shoulder to her right hip.

 

[SerenityAngel]

Seeing the swing coming and a smirk upon her delicate lips. The blade came closer to her and when it seemed like he would cleave her in two three was a sudden stop and a clash of metal rang through the arena but Serenity didn't appear to move at all but she was most certainly in a slightly different position. Bakuzan was being held up in a diagonal position with only one hand on the hilt and stopping Oathborn an inch away from Serenity's fare skin. Her sapphire eyes turned and looked at Iskander with a glint in them, showing that she was pleased tat he actually moved to attack her. She said not a word but the force behind her grip was frightening and pushed him back with what seemed minimal effort on her part. Once back to start she lowered her blade and began to walk closer to him. A straight face on her features as she moved very forebodingly before she sped up and brought her Bakuzan upward in a diagonal upward slice to encourage him to see her as an obstacle in his way that needed to be removed. Her speed was astounding but she was indeed holding back. She was not intending to kill Iskander but rater push him to his limits and show him that he was always more than what he believed he was. That he was stronger than even the life fibers that were now apart of him


She had slowed herself down enough for Iskander to either dodge or block the attack with his sword or by jumping away. Either way her reaction would be one long slender leg coming around and kicking him directly in the chest to send him to the edge of the ring. The blow would be so powerful that the impact could be felt by the onlookers and even the shockwave could be seen, showing just how strong and fast Serenity truly was and she seemed like she was barely putting out any effort. She stood like that for a few moments before bring her leg back down and her heel gently clacking onto the stone floor of the ring. Her long golden hair gently swayed in the wind that blew across the flat area, ringing a sense of tension to the fight that was more than palpable. "Do not think so much, Iskander. It is not helpful in the midst of battle. Let yourself go. Embrace who you had vowed to become. Let Oathborn lead you. Let it guide you and become one with you. Call to him and let the life fibers aid you in your triumph over this test." she told him strongly and lifted the end of her blade with a straight arm and pointed it at him, challenging him to transform and use his new power against her with all his strength. He could feel her encouragement and belief if him though she did not say it. This was his chance to see what he was truly made of and how strong he had become since he let himself chose his own path. His own fate. This would be the battle that would determine weather or not he could take his future into his own hands and make himself into what he wanted. Who he wanted to become.

@Cunning Commander

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.3fe1678b7f3366681fe40335c4cb4491.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119194" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.3fe1678b7f3366681fe40335c4cb4491.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Iskander was l, as usual, blinded by the skill and grace of Lady Serenity. In a single breath she seemed to block and return the blow. He felt Bakuzan smash up against the guard of Oathborn as he parried her slash. From anyone else, a slashing attack would have been death for the fool attacker, against a prodigious fencer like Iskander it created myriad openings to sneak his blade through. Not on her though, the slice closed her stance almost immediately, and it was followed by a fierce kick up into his chest. Iskander felt the boot heel dig up into his chest, and yet, there was nothing frightening in taking the blow. He felt the lines across his chest tighten, his whole torso acted like a plate of steel. The kick drove him backwards, his heels skidding across the dirt, and this time he knew the life fibers were protecting him, the skin didn't even break, and there was no feeling of internal injury. He stepped back into his stance and smiled up at Serenity.


"Don't hold back Serenity," he called, dropping his formality, "I know that kick wasn't all you have. Give me all your strength! I've been waiting since I saw you to cross swords with you! Don't deprive this swordsman of his greatest challenge!" There wasn't a single event he had waited for more than this duel, but the pretext had never been there. There was something almost primal about his desire to fight her, it was second in his mind to his ideals, always waiting there in his mind, like breathing, a natural process. Iskander felt Serenity's commitment to unleashing his strengths bolster his resolve, he breathed a long breath out, smiling through his teeth. He let all the tension out of his limbs. It was a natural state to fight like this, he should feel natural doing it, and he wasn't ready to unleash his regalia, not when he was given his chance to fight his fight. Iskander felt the blade in his hands melt away, into his hand, into his arm, like it was a part of himself. He flourished his blade and lunged forward, unleashing a flurry of blows aimed at Serenity's joints and important points. He felt the tip of the blade like a long, deadly finger, he traced every line he knew of the human body. He traced the chakras, the pressure points, the points of the horoscope, from Aries to Pisces. Iskander felt his mind float away and his motions fell into a divine state of being, each move flowing into the next.


"Steel is my element. So long as my oath is strong, this blade will not break. So long as this blade does not break, I will not yield." The length of Oathborn pulsed with the same red that now permeated his body. "Serenity, I am your's, even if everything that is mine is stripped away from me I'll continue to fight for your dream, the dream that I wish to be made real. Even if I have nothing, I will fight on." Iskander switched to a guarded stance, like a knight with his sword centered before him. "Serenity! My body is made of swords!"

 

[SerenityAngel]

Serenity's lips curled up into a delightful and all be it frightening smirk to indicate pleasure, delight, mischief and a cunning and sadistic mind and intent. "You wish me to not hold back? Do you know what you are asking Iskander? You want me to let go and go all out on you? Are you sure about this Iskander?" she asked him and as he attacked her she simply moved back each step was as if she didn't even touch the ground. every thrust forward of his sword, Oathborn, she moved her body to refuse him to come into contact with her so that he only stabbed air. She didn't even use Bakuzan to block him. Her grin was ever present on her lips and almost foretold of the pain he was in for if he continued to ask that she let herself go. By tensing her hands and straining to move them they cracked and popped as she moved. "You wish me not to insult you by not holding back, then I am more than happy to accommodate you." she took a deep breath and let it out but with that breath came a powerful aura that comes out like a blast and pushed Iskander back to the edge of the ring again. She stood there, relaxed as the air around her swirled and burned with power and strength, showing that she was not going to hold back and he better dive and pull out every ounce of strength he has in his entire being in order to defend against her and pray that he could land even one blow.


"This is what you asked for, Iskander. Do not regret your decision. Do not disappoint me again." she said then with Bakuzan at her side, in her hands she rushed at him faster than the untrained or even trained eye could see and she was behind him, her knees up and tucked as if she had jumped, her hair swaying and trailing but trying to keep up. Her body twists and brought Bakuzan around in a horizontal slash to decapitate Iskander if he would had allowed it. She wasn't holding back and this power, grace and strength was frightening. The pressure was astounding and if anyone under a three star dared to get close, they would be seriously wounded. "Steel is your element, Iskander?" She asked loudly as if she were angry but she was just letting lose her strength and power and the emotions she had blocked out for years and years, every ounce of anything that granted her strength was poured into this battle. A rare opportunity to let off some steam that had built up over many years, since she was a child. "Well, shall I tell you my element? I'm much stronger than steal....stronger than that of death...life is my element. Life containes within it, anger, joy, sadness, strength, weakness, the four core elements, fire air, water and earth, determination, compassion and above all.....it contains within it...THE WILL TO SURVIVE AT ANY COST!!!" She said and let her blade carry with it the power that could shatter bodies all together. Cutting the wind so that it screams in pain and agony. This was what true strength and grace embodied was, yet there was such a calmness in it. A serenity for which this woman was named.

@Cunning Commander

 

[Sugary_Paragraphs]

"Man, the club president is going to kill me if I don't get this strawberry frosting to the club room in time! But that won't be a problem thanks to my new, super awesome shortcut...wait."


Kenzu stopped as he noticed he was at the school arena, causing him to groan. He had accidentally confused his new, super awesome, shortcut with his cool, super DUPER awesome shortcut. Now it's gonna be impossible to get this strawberry frosting there on time!


Hearing a commotion, he looked in awe as he saw lady serenity and that elite four guy duke it out, causing him to set the white box down and take out a random bucket of popcorn from behind his back. "Wow! So cool!" He exclaimed, already forgetting what he was supposed to do in the first place.


@SerenityAngel @Cunning Commander

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.f6f9866157e87ba68cf8e535f6b1081d.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119444" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.f6f9866157e87ba68cf8e535f6b1081d.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Iskander was having the time of his life. For him, there was something spiritual about a fight like this, it was more than a clash of steel on steel, or body against body. He could feel the desire to succeed flowing out of Serenity, he felt her passion for the fight, he felt when she held back and when she no longer did. Experiencing Lady Serenity's full power filled Iskander with excitement, he was practically giddy as he felt himself pushed back by her initial release. Next, he saw one of her feet move a fraction of a degree, and disappear. To a fencer, this meant an attack was coming, and blindingly fast too. Iskander felt the motion around him as one might feel the buffeting of the wind, rather than turning to face the attack he doubled backwards, allowing the black blade to pass harmlessly above him before he put his hands over the crown of his head and used them to vault up and over Lady Serenity. Even mid-fight, it was impossible not to admire Serenity's form, everything was poised and flawless, save for her hair, which flowed behind her like the tail of a comet.


The hand-spring had launched him a bit further than he expected, the new strength in his limbs was proving greater than he had imagined. The vault carried him to the edge of the arena, where he twisted and landed facing the ground with both feet on the wall of the colosseum. He felt the wall crack under the impact, yet his legs did not even shudder. Instead he pushed off of the wall, soaring once again through the air towards his opponent, as he flew Iskander held the blade in front of him, feeling the wind flow over the metal like a wing. He flipped rightside up before landing near Serenity. Driving his feet into the earth, he twisted his upper body into a brutal overhead slash. As the maneuver reached the end, he felt the ground crater and crack around him as the force of the blow drove the area downward.


Iskander stood there, in the rain, waiting for the dust to settle, brimming with joy. "That's it! Don't spare me anything! I want to feel every cruel inch of your power!"

 

[SerenityAngel]

The sky wept refreshing tears from the heavens to wash away any impurity that soiled the earth below. Serenity was one of the many obstacles in the water's way so she was pelted with the water droplets as they fell. Soaking her form from head to toe. Drenching her uniform and leaving her clothes to cling to her even as she moved. As the water doused her and dripped from her finger tips and hair it did not bother her or even so much as register. She was fixated on the battle at hand.


The exertion of energy was enough to keep Serenity's body extremely warm and unflinching when it came to the cold water from above. Her eyes were fixed on Iskander and locked onto him like a target. She watched him avoid her attack by bending back and using his hands to push himself away. Her sapphire eyes fallowed him to the wall where it cracked as he pushed off to bring on his next attack which she stopped with great ease by quickly raising Bakuzan over her head an bracing the blade with her free hand. The clash brought another shockwave as Serenity's planted feet were forced deeper into the ground as it collapsed a little but she didn't buckle or even flinch.


Once the dust settled with the rain forcing it down Serenity decided to put in a few more attacks and wear him down before she ended the battle. She straight forward ran at him, Bakuzan's tip trailing behind her. When she was in close proximity once again she got into a real battle with him now. Her black blade was faster than normal men could see and she was not taking it easy on Iskander at all. She was going all out and mercilessly attacking him to the point he could only just barely defend himself even in his upgraded form. She was beating him to a bloody pulp at this point and she was not holding back. This was why Iskander fallowed her. Her strength, even when not using the power of a goku uniform it felt as if she was wearing a five star or even a six star uniform that left her unmatched. He would have to pull off a miracle or get a lucky shot in just to survive this fight, let alone win as he swore to do.

@Cunning Commander

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/861f8199d2a531c6581e1d43b3e98607_480.jpg.a8892cc15ae237aef8bd73711f698e23.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119608" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/861f8199d2a531c6581e1d43b3e98607_480.jpg.a8892cc15ae237aef8bd73711f698e23.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Iskander parried, deflected, dodged, and took Serenity's latest wave of attacks as he tried to muster some strength after his last gambit. At this point in the match, he had exhausted everything traditional fencing had taught him, and his continued existence relied on his ability to improvise a series of unorthodox choreographies. His body was keeping up well, even know he was feeling only the barest soreness in his muscles, if he had fought for five minutes at this level before the procedure he wouldn't have been able to stand. Here he was, in the pouring rain, steam spurting up whenever the water touched the life fibers, adrenaline flowing, mind clear, all the stress of the past days had melted away as he fought for his life. It was all a delightfully morbid situation, one that provided a remarkable amount of clarity and insight to his own feelings, everything that he had been bottling up for who knows how long know seemed simple. Iskander laughed, hard, even here, on the edge of a blade, with his life hanging in the balance, he loved it, he loved everything about his new life. Iskander looked past the flurry of steel, rain, and the haze of battle, and locked eyes with Serenity. Even in this moment of pure clarity, he wasn't sure how he felt about her.


Ever since he had met her, he had felt an overwhelming admiration for her. She held a sort of power that made you want to follow her, even him, at the height of his youthful arrogance, had been compelled to submit to her. Iskander wasn't exactly sure when those feelings of admiration had become accompanied by feelings of affection, maybe it had been when she first showed a more human side of herself, or when he had found out about her little weaknesses. All in all he wasn't sure what those feelings meant anyways. Was it love? Infatuation? Was it the sort of love he held for his friends, after all, they were his new family, or, did he have more romantic feelings towards her? Usually, swinging a sword, and especially dueling, put the whole matter into perspective, but now the revelation didn't come to him. There was still the matter of Maria, though without his role as heir he didn't have to marry her any more, but that didn't mean she would leave, there was still some sort of emotional flab left over between the two of them that needed to be resolved. He had missed her over the years, did he love her? Had he been secretly wanting to see her again after all this time? The whole issue seemed to demand more clarity than even a duel could provide. Perhaps if he lived to see tomorrow he'd visit the yoga and meditation clubs, they were sure to have some techniques to help him clear his mind.


His parries were matching Lady Serenity's blow for blow now. It appeared that splicing his body with life fibers from Servitude Regalia had the desire effect. The initial power of the uniform was average at best, but its nature lay in the ability "Extrapolation". As the fight progressed, the uniform's fibers learned to adapt to the blows of the opponent, the longer the fight dragged on, the more power the fibers accrued, the blades it produced, too, shared this ability. In the beginning they would break like glass, but in theory they could become as strong as Bakuzan if a fight lasted long enough. Iskander could feel the power stored in the life fibers, they glowed a bright crimson, the effect was not as strong as the uniform's, and he had no way to release it, but that meant that he too, could extrapolate. He began to push back against Serenity's blows with his own offensive strikes, his feet moving as gracefully as a dancer's. He was a whirling dervish with a blade, a twirling onslaught of determination and steel.

 

[SerenityAngel]

Serenity was unafraid and seemed to be unfazed as her and Iskander's eyes locked in the pouring rain. Instead of getting weaker and fatigued as the battle dragged on for what seemed like eternity but, the battle only seemed to draw out more and more of Serenity's hidden strength and energy. She seemed to be getting stronger and faster with each attack she brought out. She saw that Iskander's life fiber blades were getting stronger the longer the battle dragged on but right now he was using Oathborn and so she didn't care about those feeble blades and was more than happy to lend her strength to make him stronger. She was a bit surprised though when he began to fight back and push her back a bit. She noticed that the fibers had taken up learning her attacks and reading them on their own. This ticked her off. Even with as much as she used life fibers in everything, she hated them with every ounce of her being. Her eyes became a bit darker and she grit her teeth and let out a low, soft and menacing growl as if a tiger were staring at its next prey. With this sound she began to hit harder and faster and started to push him back again but she decided, with her anger coming to a boil to end this battle. She used one hand and brought it back and then forward to punch Iskander squarely in the jaw, sending him flying and landing on his back hard. She walked forward and stood above him. Her long golden hair dripping wet, her uniform now soaked through and giving a bit more of a view than normal at her cut and lean and curvaceous body and to be quite frank white bra. She loomed over him with a stern expression with Bakuzan in her hand ready to land the last blow. She raised it above her head but in doing so she left an opening for him to get his strike in and miraculously pull out a win.

@Cunning Commander

 

[Kimochi]

Kimochi was having a nice little walk across the blood splattered school. Lots of students were fighting, and one even tried to steal a one star Goku Uniform, but he was quickly stopped in his tracks by one of her chess pieces. "Huh? Oh, that." She gave it some thought for a few seconds, then decided to let him go for the sake of boredom. "I wonder what happens next, nya ha ha! I'll just wait and see." Kimochi took a seat on a nearby bench and observed calmly. "FREEDOOOOMMM!" The thief shouted like an overly excited Tarzan, and then the obvious happened. A two star tackled him, and ripped the Goku uniform off his body, peeling off some of his skin in the process. "Wow, so cool. I'm going to sleep now, c'ya in the morning Serenity." In the midst of all the chaos, Kimochi was just sleeping on a bench, presumably waiting for Lady Serenity to arrive.

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.daea289fa01bf076361fa1f7314af709.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119730" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.daea289fa01bf076361fa1f7314af709.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> The sudden renewal of force from Lady Serenity was unexpected but not unwelcome, Iskander was high on the thrill of the duel, every blow stoked his fire a little higher, the extrapolation ability straining to keep up with Serenity's rate of increasing attacks. There was an unexpected feeling in his muscles, it wasn't a soreness, not a normal fatigue from exertion, it felt more like a nagging pain, like something was digging into his body. It made his skin crawl. The rate of attacks was pushing his new extrapolation abilities to the limit, Iskander had no way to channel the energy he extrapolated from the blows, even Oathborn seemed to weigh more, the handle letting off a red sheen, the handle vibrating slightly from the power it could not release nor contain. Usually his goku uniform would turn the energy into the power that it used to make the life fiber blades. But he wasn't wearing his uniform, and he couldn't make any blades without it.


He did appreciate how he had been able to keep a fair pace against Lady Serenity. She was stronger and faster, but his new abilities had let him steadily avoid the worst of her assaults, perhaps if he actually wore clothes with life fibers next time he might stand a chance. That wasn't how he wanted to duel Serenity though, it would feel like lying to her, whatever strength he could make part of his body, that was what he could use against her, even if he had to put his heart between his teeth and swallow the sun.


Iskander felt a sudden shift in her attitude, Serenity's strikes became more savage, as if this duel had become far more than a matter of his own life. He knew that Serenity wouldn't hesitate to discard him if he failed to meet up with her standards, but she would never try to kill with such zeal. Would she? Was that a part of her that she hadn't shown him until now? The slashes made the whole of Oathborn shake, energy flowed up the blade, disappearing into his forearms before reappearing on his biceps as a bright red flare of light. As Serenity made a particularly cruel blow, just barely blocked by Oathborn, she reached back her fist and punched him. She punched him. Square in the face. Iskander was thrown across the field by the blow, Oathborn falling from his hands and skittering across the earth. He lay there in the mud, spread eagle, just about all the stamina he could muster had been spent, and that tumble had really cost him. He looked up to see Serenity standing over him, Bakuzan in hand, ready to end his gambit at redemption with one fell blow. There wasn't much he could do, he could just barely prop himself up to see her, let alone dodge and try to recover. Iskander felt his heart beating all the way in his head, a pulse shaking his whole body. A last burst of adrenaline shot through him as he saw Serenity ready her final stroke. Iskander through his right hand up in front of him, as though it could save him. Suddenly the nagging pain turned into a burning sensation, it shot down his arm, the lines of life fibers spidering down his forearm to his fingers. With them they carried the bright red energy that had been extrapolated during the battle. When that energy reached the end of his fingers, it congealed in a single point, a shard of crimson, which then shot off at incredible speed. The shard was hardly an aerodynamic projectile, and his shaking, battered arm was hardly a perfect vector of fire, but the shard passed up along the side of Serenity's face, leaving a small cut on her right cheek as it went. With that, the pain and glowing in his limbs subsided, the life fiber marks turning a dark, dormant red, his arms gave out and he lay in the mud, laughing and groaning and nursing his wounds.

 

[Sugary_Paragraphs]

"This is getting good!"


Kenzu stuffed another handful of popcorn in his mouth, eyes widening before spitting them out and looking down at his popcorn as if it had hurt him. "Aw! It's all soggy!" Kenzu sighed and threw the popcorn tub away. He then smiled and pulled out another tub, but this time, a miniature umbrella that covered the whole thing was attached to the tub. "Ha! Beat that, nature!"


Eating his popcorn, the oblivious no-star watched the right drag on, not noticing the rain water starting to deep in to the white box containing the strawberry frosting.

 

[SerenityAngel]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/kiryuin_satsuki_by_cosom-d7y1fh5scratch.png.62291c26670844d435c12c6bdf88c496.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119760" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/kiryuin_satsuki_by_cosom-d7y1fh5scratch.png.62291c26670844d435c12c6bdf88c496.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

The battle had made Serenity exert more strength than she had thought and it actually made her breath heavily. The rain falling and creating the foreboding atmosphere that suited the fight. Everyone held their breaths as Serenity held Bakuzan aloft and brought it down but as she did her eyes went wide as she saw Iskander's hand fly toward her and she felt something whiz past her as if it were a thread thin light. It made her freeze and the moment was still. The fibers on Iskander's body darkened and went into rest as the battle had abruptly ended and the result was made. At first there was nothing. No blow had been exchanged but after a few seconds a thin red line appeared on Serenity's cheek, becoming more prominint by the second before it began to drip down her cheek. It was certainly a shock to be sure and it made her lips curl up into a smirk. She then let Bakuzan cone to rest inside its sheath before she reached out her hand to Iskander to offer him a hand up after accomplishing his task. Once she helped him up she looked at the life fiber tattoo with a slight distrust of them but they served him well so she approved of them. "Well done Iskanderh. You've successfully managed to land a blow and you even drew blood. Not something that happens very often." she said and lifted her chin a little as if to wear her own blood like a badge of honor even if it deformed her flawless face a little. Depending on how it is taken care of, it could even scar and stay as a permanent mark of his actions to serve as a reminder to him to live for his own desire and his own goals and to use every opportunity even her to accomplish them." she was proud of him and gave him her hand at the end for him to shake to accept that he has proven himself that he was worthy to fallow himself and he redeemed himself. "I suppose we should get out of the rain before we catch colds." she then grabbed her coat and walked out of the arena and gently wiped the blood on her cheek so that it smeared but it would not stain her uniform any more than it already was.

@Cunning Commander

 

[Kimochi]

Kimochi abruptly woke up at the sound of battle, "Huh? Whaaa- Serenity-chan?" She appeared to be mildly drunk, something that was normal for her whenever she took a nap in public. As Serenity walked out of the arena, a smile arrived on her face. "Hey Seren-chan! I was bored without you, want to play a game?" This member of the elite four was definitely very childish, despite that Kimochi was excellent at fighting. "C'mon Seren-chan, don't you remember what we did last Thursday?" Kimochi grinned widely, this was her 'You can't escape me Seren-chan!' face. "Just a little while, pleaaasee? OH! Iskander! Play with mee!!!" The sleep drunken Kimochi grabbed the two of them and put her head on their shoulders, it was actually pretty cute.

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.60d654542df978138adf621d33371f9e.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119819" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.60d654542df978138adf621d33371f9e.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Iskander gladly accepted the helping hand up. He didn't know he could do that bit with his hand, the red lines which climbed down to the back of his right stung as the life fibers tried to further assert themselves into his flesh. There had to have been something about that in the med report, he'd get a lecture from Kiritsugu about it no doubt. It took few steps and a great deal of focus to steady himself, eventually he reached out and out and put a hand on Serenity's shoulder. He could worry about the breach of protocol later, for now he would treat this like the aftermath of any other match, she had been a worthy opponent and the two of them needed a rest and a shoulder to lean on walking away from this. Iskander breathed out a laugh. "Yes, I suppose we should go inside. I'm sorry about your face, if I'd scratched your arm or leg then you wouldn't have to worry about it scarring." He flexed his hand, the fibers still tingling in their new paths. "I wonder what that was? Maybe some sort of last-ditch self preservation method to save the host? Some kind of final discharge?" He shook his head and staggered forward, retrieving his uniform from the hanger by the locker rooms, as well as a set of towels. He tossed one of the towels, which had been laying on a heated rack, to Serentiy, it was important they dry off quickly. He ached all over, the muscle soreness was setting in now, he needed a hot bath, maybe a full trip to the hot springs. He'd never been to a Japanese Hot Springs, but there was one a few blocks from the complex where he lived. The only people who seemed to write about them were the artists who made this country's animation, if they were to be trusted, the Japanese Hot Springs were a den of peeping a other lechery.


"Oof!" Iskander almost fell over when Kimochi pulled on his arm. After a fight like this, everything weighed a thousand times its usual weight. Even Kimochi, who was several times smaller and lighter than him, felt like a sandbag pulling on him. Still, it was hard to stay mad at her, Iskander had a weakness for children and found her little act rather endearing, in a sibling-like, familial, almost possessive way. In addition she was a chess prodigy, and being raised in high society as he was, well, Iskander could forget his feelings for Serenity and Maria. Chess was his first great love. He had never bested Kimochi, and he had a feeling we never would. Still, though, it was fun to play, and she was a fellow elite to hang out with. "Kimochi, I'd love to play a game with you, just as soon as I-"


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.eee9c7aadaf0371b2425f9d07789f222.jpeg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="119825" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/image.jpeg.eee9c7aadaf0371b2425f9d07789f222.jpeg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> "As soon as what? You get yourself killed?" Someone called as a bucket of liquid was poured over Iskander's head. It was life fiber coolant, the tattoos steamed as the liquid touched them. Kiritsugu's voice was uncharacteristicly harsh as he marched into the room, his arms full of beeping sewing club equipment. "I swear, first you make me waste needles giving you these ridiculous tattoos," he gestured to Iskander's chest and arms "but then you don't even bother to heed my warnings?! I told you, 'don't go all out, you'll excite the fibers and they'll start growing again, and just look at your arm! You're lucky the nerves are still connected!" He massaged his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. He then plugged some sort of wand into one of the beeping devices and waved it over Iskander's body, the device crackling like a Geiger Counter. Eventually he stopped, the screen of the device flashing the number "11.92%" "Hell Izzy! Look at this! You almost jumped two whole percent since this morning! You could be dead!" At this point the emotions overwhelmed Kiritsugu, he stormed out of the room before the tears could start leaking from his eyes.

 

[Kimochi]

"Huh? Wait Kiritsugaaa!" Her efforts were worthless, the trap already ran away, and with that another play time opportunity. "Awww... Oh well, anyways Iskander, let's play that game!" Kimochi's enthusiasm and childlike appearance almost made her seem innocent, but we all know... She actually is innocent, joining the elite four on accident, who knew beating a grandmaster at chess could make you part of the elite four. She remembered it well, the blinding light that emitted from Lady Serenity everywhere she went, thanks to that her right pupil is permanently red. "Oh! Iskander, it's not chess, it's one of my video games, yayyy!" Kimochi grabbed his arm, and started pulling to get to the elite four's headquarters, her room was somewhere in there and in it was a pile of video games that are sadly and exclusively multiplayer only.

 

[SerenityAngel]

Kimochi grabbing her arm and begging her for a game of chess was as normal as it got wit this bunch but she didn't let any of its irregularity bother her in the slightest. She let the young girl beg and whine as she liked for a game but Serenity had never any real time for it. "Kimochi, enough. Not right now. I've too much to do at the moment. Getting cleaned up being the most important at the moment." She told her and as the hot towel was tossed to her she caught it with grace and without any shame at all began to undress so her uniform could be washed and fixed. she started up the locker room showers and got some water on her hand and wiped it upon her bleeding cheek. "It's fine. The cut was so thin and clean it won't scar if it's taken care of properly." she said but when she wiped the blood away there was no scratch left to worry about. Something was definitely abnormal about her but she didn't let anyone know about it. She quickly washed up and waited for her clothes to be cleaned and mended as needed. She saw Kiritsugu telling Iskander off and she sighed before she wrapped up in the towel and walked over to them, "Calm down Kiritsugu. He's alive and well. He just needs a little rest and he'll be fine. But Iskander, heed his warning next time. Don't use that much strength unless the situation is dire. Do you understand?" with that she went back to take a shower but flinched a little as she felt her own body turn on her a bit. "The time is coming soon....something is on its way here. Mother....I WILL take you down." she swore to herself and cleansed her body so that she was ready to go back to leading the school. She called to Kiritsugu for a new uniform but to make this one....a bit stronger and more elegant and befit her strong school. She was still nor ready to put on Junketsu but she also didn't want to have that child Maria to think that she is better than any of her students, even her no stars. She would show the brat that she is not at all special and should learn some respect for those above her and this lesson would be quite a painful one to learn. She would ensure that. She would not get off scott free with injuring one of her elite four. She would most certainly not.

 

[fshlkafhalkf;lkasdjflkasdj]

<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/861f8199d2a531c6581e1d43b3e98607_480.jpg.28e9d573e3db1360a1ded4dd9d6aa0c2.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="120356" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/861f8199d2a531c6581e1d43b3e98607_480.jpg.28e9d573e3db1360a1ded4dd9d6aa0c2.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> As he let Kimochi pull him towards the Elite Four chambers Iskander laughed, though it made his ribs hurt. True, he should have been resting, but if he were to go to sleep now he might damage his schedule. Better to spend some time doing nothing before he hit the hay for the night. He would have liked to take a shower though, his hair was still slick with rainwater and his trousers were caked with mud. Still, he had acquiesced to play a game with Kimochi, and he had to fulfill that before doing anything else. As she was the youngest and by far the least damaged of the four Iskander valued her morale highly, it was a good measure to see that the brilliant child wasn't forced into the horrors of war until her tactical genius would be needed. "Alright, alright Kimochi. I'm coming, no need to pull. I did just fight Lady Serenity you know?" Iskander then turned to Lady Serenity, who had brushed aside his comment about her scratch. "Just be sure that in your haste to save the world, you don't forget to take care of yourself." With that he followed Kimochi from the room.


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/0e7efa3565606fc05aafaaa4b452c586.jpg.1a103f8ed455d22f0b4dd182ebe6ecf8.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="120357" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/0e7efa3565606fc05aafaaa4b452c586.jpg.1a103f8ed455d22f0b4dd182ebe6ecf8.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Kiritsugu's mind was spinning with emotion as he entered his workshop. That IDIOT! Didn't Iskander know the consequences of meddling with the life fibers? It had been bad enough that he had forced him to put those parasites into his body, but he apparently had no desire to live for anything except his pointless warrior's bravado. Honestly, fighting Lady Serenity shirtless in the rain, what an idiot. Was he trying to get himself killed? He received the message from Lady Serenity after he had some time to despair over the idiocy of his neighbor. Apparently she had finished readying herself and wanted a new uniform. The order said she wanted something "Stronger and more Elegant" Kiritsugu sighed into his hands. What did that even mean? He had a great respect for his employer, but she was just so formal and utilitarian. He wanted to design cute clothes, not these grey battle suits. He had actually gotten quite excited when that girl in pink stood up to Lady Serenity, he thought that maybe if someone who dressed like that could show strength, maybe Serenity would rethink the motif of the school. Kiritsugu pushed aside a box of lolita-style life fiber bows he had been working on. Maybe he'd get to use those once the academy got a maid cafe. One day... One day... Kiritsugu rolled out the pattern he had used for her previous uniform, making a few additions in filigree, to make it appear as though she had increased in rank in whatever military she was part of. He tried to make the colors a little more vibrant, though not by much, he doubted even after pink girl would Lady Serenity let an overuse of color fly.


<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/e2cb60d25d11ff1bbad6ff8f7aa5dae9.jpg.d0f1155697dc70fe943fef24f35f12ef.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="120358" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2016_04/e2cb60d25d11ff1bbad6ff8f7aa5dae9.jpg.d0f1155697dc70fe943fef24f35f12ef.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> In a hotel room outside of the city, Maria sat glued to the small television set. Someone was broadcasting a fight between the dreary, tacky girl who ran the school, and Iskander. The camera had even caught the scene where he had thrown away his family name, zooming in on his freshly redacted papers as he did. She sighed through a mouthful of microwave popcorn. "What an idiot. But I guess the wedding's off then." She had never wanted to marry him, not even as children, that had just been a pretext she had used to come find him, she didn't know how she felt about him. Most of all she wanted to know why he left her, she wanted to know if their friendship had meant anything to him, or if he had been caught up in whatever quest he had gone on and had forgotten about the inconsequential girl he used to spend his days with. If that was it she could kill him on the spot and be done with it. If not, she would let him explain himself and figure out her feelings from there. On the hotel room's desk there lay a mountain of study materials, all to help her prepare for the Honnouji Entrance Exam, she wasn't going to fail the name of Bathory by becoming anything less than Iskander. As the fight on TV was heating up, she saw Iskander fighting in a way she had never seen. There was fire in his eyes and a smile on his face. Even in his old fencing videos he had never fought like that, with passion. The camera suddenly cut back to the tacky, dreary girl. Wrapping a strand of her own well maintained blonde locks around a finger, Maria tittered a laugh at the Serenity girl's untamed golden mane. Maria lobbed a popcorn kernel at the screen, it bounced off of the glassy projection of Serenity's face. Maria sank lower into the lumpy hotel couch and watched the fight escalate. "Kick her ass baby." She muttered through another mouthful.


@Kimochi


@SerenityAngel