Beneath the gray veil of dusk, Amy and Kimara snuck through the rusted back gate behind the local strip mall. Dressed casually, with their hair tied back and coats thrown over their training gear, the girls carried gym bags, their smiles hiding their real purpose.
"This place used to be a warehouse, right?" Amy asked, scanning the graffiti-tagged walls as they slipped through the side door. The interior had been cleared—an empty, dusty floor and exposed beams above made for a perfect sparring arena.
"Yeah. Dad used to store shipments here before... y'know, everything changed," Kimara replied, dropping her bag with a soft thud.
Amy stretched with a slight groan. "Alright, Kimmy. Show me what you've got."
Kimara grinned "So rules are no abilities right just hands?" She says unzipping her bag, revealing a silk-wrapped bundle. She peeled it back to reveal a pair of obsidian-hued daggers with crimson veins running through the metal. Each blade was slightly curved, honed to razor perfection.
"Whoa," Amy whispered, stepping closer. "Are those...?"
"Yep. Gift from my father on my birthday. He called them Wraithfangs. Said they're forged from Radie-infused steel—can cut through most power-based defenses. They're light, but deadly."
Amy opened her own bag with a playful smirk. "Not bad. But check these out."
From within, she pulled two sleek, black batons with gold-trimmed handles. A quiet buzz hummed as she flicked a switch on each—one baton sparked with glowing arcs of violet energy.
"Kinetic batons?" Kimara's eyes widened.
"Customs. Dad gave 'em to me. Channel my energy into the batons and they convert it into concussive bursts. Ryusei's way of saying 'Stay alive, kid'."
Kimara laughed. "He's so weirdly intense about that stuff. But damn, these are nice."
They took their stances, circling each other beneath the flickering overhead light. Their first clash echoed like thunder—steel on electric baton, sparks flashing in bursts as Amy parried a dagger swipe and countered with a graceful vault over Kimara's head.
The space echoed with every clang of steel and burst of air. Dust danced in shafts of light breaking through cracked windows as Kimara spun, twin obsidian daggers glinting like curved fangs. Amy's kinetic batons crackled with condensed energy, each swing leaving a faint trail of violet light in the air.
They circled one another, sweat starting to pearl on their brows. "You sure you're ready for this?" Amy teased, twirling a baton with a grin.
Kimara flashed a smile. "Born ready." Amy lunged first, her baton snapping forward like a whip. Kimara ducked, slid across the floor on one knee, and slashed upward. Amy leapt into a spin midair, narrowly dodging the tip of the blade, her ponytail whipping behind her. She landed with a flare of kinetic force that cracked the concrete beneath her. "Nice," Kimara muttered, flipping backward as Amy charged again.
Their clash became a dance.
Amy came in high with a double baton strike—left, then right. Kimara blocked one with the flat of her dagger, caught the second between the hooked prongs of her other. She twisted, disarming Amy for just a moment, and went for a knee strike.
But Amy dropped into a handspring, kicking up both legs and flipping backwards to recover her stance. The lost baton zipped back to her hand with a magnetic snap.
"Okay, show-off," Kimara chuckled.
Amy grinned. "Says the girl doing dagger ballet."
Kimara's next move was fast—blindingly so. She kicked off the wall and vaulted forward with a spinning slash, her twin daggers humming. Amy raised both batons in an X, the clash sending out a shockwave that shattered nearby crates.
Both girls slid back, heels scraping against the floor.
"You're really strong," Kimara said, breathless, a proud glint in her eye.
"Was that almost admiration?" Amy grinned.
"I mean it. I knew Kaz had good taste, but you? You fight with your heart."
Amy's smile softened. "So do you."
Then Amy lunged again—faster than before. Reflex took over. Kimara moved to dodge, but Amy's baton was already at her throat, the tip humming with blue energy. The air stilled.
Kimara blinked. Amy froze. "I—I didn't mean—" But Kimara just laughed, slowly lifting her hands. "Well damn, remind me not to make you mad. That was hot."
They both broke into laughter. Tension shattered.
Kimara clapped her on the shoulder. "Seriously, that was amazing. You've got instincts. The kind that make you dangerous—in a good way." Amy's face flushed, but she kept grinning. "Guess we're not just pretty faces, huh?"
They stood there a moment, panting, smiling—two girls with sharp blades and sharper hearts.
Kimara flipped back, dragging her dagger against the concrete to send a controlled arc of dark energy Amy's way. Amy spun midair, smashing her batons together and sending a kinetic pulse forward that canceled the wave out.
"You're holding back," Kimara taunted, panting slightly.
"Am not," Amy shot back, lips curled into a grin.
"Then prove it!"
Amy surged forward. Their weapons met in a shower of sparks and energy, their footwork a blur of trained motion. But then—Kimara lunged in for a fake-out slash, and Amy reacted on instinct.
Crack!
A kinetic burst surged through her baton and knocked Kimara back against a wall, breath stolen from her lungs.
"Oh no! Kimmy!" Amy dropped her batons and rushed over.
Kimara coughed, then broke into laughter. "Damn, Amy... okay, that actually impressed me."
Amy helped her up, sheepish but relieved. "I didn't mean to hit that hard. It just... kicked in."
"Don't apologize," Kimara said, brushing dust off her hoodie. "That was awesome. You've definitely got Yazumèi-level instinct. No wonder Kaz likes you."
Amy flushed but grinned. "Think I'm finally earning my keep?"
"You've more than earned it. Just don't let him keep all the glory."
Back at the Yazumèi estate, the warm scent of grilled rice cakes filled the air as they stepped through the foyer. Dim light spilled from the living room.
Kaz was there, phone pressed to his ear, pacing with practiced calm.
"Yeah. Tell them to send it before noon. Our men will be waiting. Good. Make sure it's sealed tight. If even one crate's missing, we're done."
He hung up and turned toward them, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Babe, Mara. You two look like you went shopping and wrestled a demon."
"Just aggressively bargain-hunting," Amy teased.
"Bargain hunting with bruises?" he chuckled, pulling Amy close for a soft kiss on the forehead.
Kimara plopped on the couch, grinning. "So? Who was that on the phone?"
Kaz sat beside her. "Our 'allies', the military . They're keeping their end of the bargain. We're getting our supplies tomorrow—equipment, tech, and some of those restricted Radie-meds. Enough to start pushing back."
Kimara's eyes lit up. "Finally, its about damn time."
Amy leaned into Kaz's side, content. "We're almost ready, huh?"
Kaz nodded slowly. "Almost. But with you two at my side... I'm not worried."
They all sat together, a quiet unity hanging in the air. Outside, the storm clouds gathered—but within the Yazumèi home, for just a moment, there was calm.