Tough as Nails [Anguis Tenebris and Aiko]

Birdsong filled the trees as flowers and plants grew, flourishing in the newness of spring. Bees buzzed, and the scent of life filled the air. It was peaceful, just as the forest ought to be. This was why the young Neko enjoyed it so much. However, she came here to do something more than relish in nature's tranquility.

Aiko had been in Team Dragonstorm her whole life, adopted by the Kaiju Draligon and mentored by a man she saw as her best friend, Arik. With their help, Aiko had become interested in becoming a real part of Team Dragonstorm, like them. She wanted to go on serious missions and handle them perfectly, much how Sly and Lexia did together. You could say everyone in the Guild was her inspiration to be the perfect fighter, but unfortunately she never got the chance to prove herself. . . Until now.

The young adult had been tracking an assassin known as Anguis Tenebris in hopes of taking him down in order to prove herself. Aiko was hoping to catch him here, in this very forest. So the Neko slunk about in the undergrowth, axes in hand as she glanced around the woods for any signs. Her tail flicked behind her. There were no signs, yet. . .

Anguis walked in silence as he moved through the forest. He had been told of a customer with the password who wished to meet in the forest. He was always suspicious of clients, you never know why they want another person dead. But that was none of his business. He was just a tool for them to use. But the meeting place tipped him off that something was afoot. Why meet him in the middle of the woods where no one is around.

Anguis kept his guard up, ten of his spirit strings floated around his body. There were almost invisible to the naked eye. One would have to focus directly on the strings to see the distortion they created. He ignored the birds and other animals so he could hear if an attacker was approaching.

Aiko's ears were pricked upon her head, stretching them as best she could-- then, thanks to her hearing, she can be almost instantly alerted if she detected a sign of a human presence. However, the birdsong disturbed her, so her senses were muddled, much to her disappointment. But she kept trying, listening for any signs. The Neko sighed as she heard nothing, and she picked up her pace into a sprint, running through the woods with the wind whipping her hair and branches slapping at her body. She kept sprinting until she reached a clearing.

There, Aiko paused, panting. She glanced around her. It was a small clearing in the shape of a circle, with no trees and shrubs growing in the center. How strange. . . With this in mind, Aiko was sure that this place was not natural, but manmade. How else would the plants grow in a perfect circle like this?

Axes still in hand, Aiko paced around the clearing, eyes peeled for any sign of Anguis Tenebris' presence. She also took a moment to appreciate the nature, but she had to remind herself that she wasn't here to watch baby bunnies. She was here to prove herself and teach this Tenebris a lesson about killing.

Anguis kept walking through the woods until he saw what looked like an opening in the trees. Assuming this is where he was supposed to meet the client, he approached he clearing. It was there he saw a young girl brandishing two axes. She seemed to be looking for something. Could she be looking for me? Does she intend to take my life with those things? I guess it is up to me to teach this girl a lesson.

Anguis pulled on his gloves to make sure they were tight before walking into the clearing. His strings still circled around him. "Looking for me girl?" An evil smile started to form as he approached the girl.

Finally, Aiko heard a voice. She turned around hopefully to meet the silver gaze of Anguis Tenebris, a sinister grin stretching upon his face. It was finally time for her performance. The girl smiled innocently, facing him. "You found me." She lowered her axes and placed her hands behind her back. "So. . ." Her electric blue eyes studied him, looking at him up and down. "You must be Anguis Tenebris." He looked like any other average man would, save for the empty look in his grey eyes. The only thing Aiko was confused about was that he appeared to have no weapons. This must be easy then, unless Tenebris perfected his art by using his fists. Aiko kept herself on guard, her fingers itching to grab her axes in case there were any sudden movements.

Anguis kept a watchful on where the axes moved. In a fight you never want to lose sight of your opponents weapons. "Indeed I am. Are you the client who summoned me?" Anguis looked over the girl and was rather unimpressed. If she thought those axes were going to do anything to him, she was surely mistaken. And her weak build wasn't helping her case. He kept walking forward until he was within twenty feet of her, meaning if she did anything, his strings would be able to eliminate her.

Because the girl didn't drop the weapons or sheath them, Anguis was prepared for her to attack. He guided two strings to be near her.

"I am." Aiko kept smiling innocently. She took out her axe and tossed it gently over her head, catching it and spinning it leisurely. "I understand that you are good at what you do. This is why I've requested your presence here." She had never really been almost face-to-face with an assassin before, let alone an assassin who would surely try to kill her once she spoke her next sentence. She was trying to feel clever, trying to make him feel threatened, but she had a feeling that it wasn't working very well, as Anguis Tenebris appeared to be unfazed.

Aiko spun her axes faster, causing the grass around to billow in its wind. "I want to put an end to it." She quickly threw her axe to her combatant, and it cartwheeled through the air towards him, aimed for his throat. While it flew, Aiko spun her second axe in front of her to shield any attacks that is to come.

Is this girl trying to be intimidating? I really don't think she knows who she is dealing with. The girl spinning the axes caused the strings to move away from her. It almost made Anguis worry that she could see them.

When the first axe was thrown Anguis sidestepped the weapon, barely moving out of the way. Three of his strings sprung into action and wrapped around the girls left leg. Anguis quickly pulled and hoped to knock the girl off balance. The two strings from before wrapped around the girls second axe and attempted to pull it out of her hands at the same time as she fell.

The breath was taken out of Aiko when she suddenly stumbled, landing on her back with an "oof!". She felt her axe being tugged, and Aiko's head spun. How in Eslon. . . ? she thought. He didn't even touch me! Does he have telekinesis or something? She looked down at her leg and was surprised at what caught her eye: three strings, wrapping around her limb. Aiko's eyes narrowed, much more determined now that she knew what she was up against. Unsheathing her claws, she swiped at the air by the axe in her hand, hoping to snap the strings tugging on her precious weapon. Meanwhile, the flying axe rounded back in the air like a boomerang, heading towards Aiko, but also headed at Anguis' feet.

Anguis was surprised at how quickly she caught on to his trick. Damn, shouldn't have opened up with that move. He went to drag Aiko on the ground by her left leg, but was caught completely off guard by the returning axe.

Anguis was quick to return to his feet. This girl has the advantage here. This wide open field allows for her to use such wide ranged attacks. I need to move this fight some place more intimate. A place I can get closer. He then tried to retreat into the forest. Since both axes were in the girls possession, all he had to do was keep his eyes on her while he retreated.

Aiko pushed herself back up from the ground with a grunt, catching the returning axe in her free hand. She instantly glanced around, keeping her eyes open for the strings of Anguis Tenebris. They must be invisible, or else the Neko would have seen them coming before. She kept her eyes peeled, but instead of being attacked with more, her eye spotted the figure of the assassin retreating into the forest. Aiko's tail puffed up to twice its size, and her ears flattened against her head. Her axes spun in her hands.

"Where do you think you're going?" she shouted at him in a taunting tone, "We're not done yet!"

The Neko began to chase after him, spinning both axes to Anguis Tenebris at the same time. They cartwheeled over the earth towards him, kicking up dirt in their wake.

Because Anguis kept his gaze on the girl, he was able to spot the axes rolling after him. He lept to the side to dodge and continued his retreat. Once inside the tree line, Anguis deployed all ten strings. He commanded five of them to roam the edge of the trees in hopes of ensnaring his attacker. The other five strings on his right hand were for any kind of defense.

Anguis would keep an eye on the girl and command the strings to go in front of where ever she decided to enter.

Much to Aiko's disappointment and frustration, Anguis Tenebris sidestepped her attack and the axes stuck to the earth. Mumbling angrily, the Neko galloped up to her weapons, picked them up, and glanced to see that the assassin she was up against had retreated into the trees. Blue eyes now narrowed into slits for concentration, Aiko sprinted into the treeline, axes spinning and ready to be thrown. However, almost as soon as she entered the woods, she felt herself run into something that could only be one thing. Growling, she tried to tear away at the string  but could not see them, thus she was slashing at the air in a frenzy with her weapons, hissing furiously.

When the girl ran into his strings, Anguis commanded them to tighten, acting as restraints. He then walked over and added the ones in his right hand to the collection. "Really, did you seriously think you could take me on girl? I have taken on worse than you when I was 15." His voice was very monotone and dull. As if he wasn't interested in anything about this situation.

Aiko squirmed tightly in the grip of the strings, hissing angrily as she tried to move her axes, but to no avail. "Let. . . Me. . . Go!" She snarled, eyes narrowed dangerously at her captor. "Well, good for you, puppeteer. Son-of-a-Bitch Award of the Year goes to you. I guess you're going to kill me now, aren't you?" As Aiko shifted and thrashed, she hoped that this was not how her life would end. She was afraid, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it. She didn't want to die in fear, but in determination. After all, there was nothing she could really do but embrace it.

Anguis looked down at the girl who was thrashing in his strings. She appeared scared, but still had the drive to continue. If looks could kill, then Anguis would be dead a million ways to Sunday. He had to say he was impressed by the determination she could muster in such a situation. Most people would be groveling and begging for their lives, but she thinks she can still get out of this situation. Maybe I can use her. She does have strength and determination that would be useful in a straight up fight.

"Are you scared? Do you fear that your life will end at any second?" Anguis made one of his strings wrap around her neck. "One thought and your throat is crushed, bringing a slow painful death. Your entire existence boiled down to a number added to my kill count." He grabbed her hair and forced her to look into his empty eyes. "Number 168. Does that sound like a good way to be remembered?"

Aiko gritted her teeth angrily while she stared deep into the silver, emotionless eyes of Anguis Tenebris. Pain pierced her scalp as the assassin pulled it back to force the Neko to look at him. She tried to pull away, but stopped as the pain became more intense. Her ears flattened. She did not want to hear what Anguis Tenebris had to say. Aiko looked into his eyes for a silent ten seconds, unblinking before shutting them closed.

"No," said the Neko, her voice still strong and determined despite her current position, "I prefer to be remembered as Aiko Papyrus Kaijin if you don't mind, thank you very much." Her tail lashed in frustration. "If you're going to kill me, just do it already. Quit it with the taunting and just get this over with." She tried to stretch out. She didn't like the feel of the strings around her body.

Anguis' face remained unchanged. "How about this then, I won't kill you. But for sparing your life, you will belong to me. This choice is yours, live on in servitude to me or die in this forest and left to rot."

Aiko stopped struggling and looked at Anguis in confusion. So he wasn't going to kill her? That was certainly a surprise. As she thought about it, the reality sunk in. This was a life or death situation. She could accept servitude, or die. . . Either way, she would never see Team Dragonstorm again.

Oh, peanut butter. . . What have I gotten myself into?

It seemed that there was no choice. If Aiko wanted to live, if Aiko wanted a chance to see Team Dragonstorm again, she knew that she had to do. She squirmed more in the strings, hissing angrily. Maybe if she accepted his offer, she could find a way to escape. . . "Fine then." She pouted. "I suppose I have no choice, then."

Anguis released her hair and collected her weapons. "Good. Then from now on, you are mine to command." Some of the strings loosened enough to slide along her body. Five moved to bind her wrists together while three wrapped around her neck, leaving enough string to make a nearly invisible leash for Anguis. Her arms were in a position that would be natural and comfortable for her. "Now, we will return to the nearby town. If you make any moves to escape or call out for help, those strings around your neck will prevent help from ever making it in time."

Anguis turned and began walking, both axes were in his left hand while his right hand held Aiko's leash. He yanked hard on the leash to get her moving.

The Neko stumbled and hissed at the leash's yank, her ears flattening against the back of her head. She absolutely hated it, but it worked since it got her to move. Her claws flexed in and out of their pockets as she seethed in anger. She didn't like the idea of having a leash. Or bound wrists. Or just being restricted in general, which is one of the reasons Aiko came to hunt down Anguis in the first place. So she trudged angrily after her new captor, hoping that people in the town would see her leash and figure that something isn't right.

At this point, Aiko could only hope.

Anguis walked with the girl in tow. As they approached town, Anguis pulled the girl close to him so they were walking side by side. "Don't make any sudden moves and you will be okay. We are just going to a hotel, spend the night there and be out in the morning. We should be ready to put this town behind us before light."

As they walked through the town, people didn't give the two a second glance. They couldn't see the strings around the girls neck and Anguis prevented anyone from walking into the strings. People were just focused on their own mundane lives to care about the kidnapping going on.

Aiko glared at Anguis Tenebris without moving her head, biting her tongue to prevent herself from saying anything. She was so close to him. Too close. She huffed, trying as she may not to touch him. She was too agitated to even talk to him, let alone look at him. She wanted to call out for help so badly, but knew she couldn't without being killed. There was help all around, but nothing could be done. Anyone who looked at them assumed they were either partners, friends, or family, which were all far from the truth. The thought of it made Aiko feel more helpless.

Without saying anything, Aiko picked up her pace to move slightly faster than Anguis. She wanted to leave and never look at him again, and didn't want to seen alongside him. That second one, she really wanted to do, and was actually possible. "Fine, then. Let's get there already."

Anguis gave a slight jerk on her leash as to tell her, I'm the one who sets the pace here. and kept walking in his normal pace. He agreed that he would rather get out of the open and back to the safety of his closed off room. But he wanted to establish that he was in control of how things went. And so Anguis continued his pace through town and prevented the girl from speeding up.

When they finally reached the hotel, Anguis went straight up the stairs and to his room. He quickly pushed Aiko inside before looking around to make sure they weren't followed. He entered the room and picked up the latest novel he was reading. Anguis preferred more traditional methods of passing time. Electronics were too loud and often dulled ones senses. "Make yourself comfortable, we have a long journey tomorrow and you should be plenty rested before hand." Angis made his way to a chair, dropped the axes next to him and started reading.

The walk to the room seemed like forever to Aiko. She kept on shifting her neck, unused to the collar wrapped snugly around her throat. While Anguis made sure she didn't speed up, she kept attempting to until she finally submitted. Thus, the Neko was relieved when she finally entered the coolness of the room. If she was stupid, she would bolt as soon as Anguis became engrossed in his book, but Aiko was smarter than that. If she was smart, she would have to escape when her captor was completely off guard, like when he was sleeping.

In response to the assassin, Aiko rolled her eyes and flopped on the bed. She paused, then pressed it gently. The girl smiled. It sounded like a water bed. She had her own back at home, and remembered that as a child she believed that there was fish living inside of it. Aiko rolled onto her belly and propped her chin on her hands, watching Anguis through narrowed eyes. However, she was more interested in her axes beside him, and her gaze slowly slid down to those instead.