"Again" The voice was deep, dark, and angry vibrating the room and Shadow's very bones.

A small Shadow picked up the raton kali sticks and started the sequence again.

One, two, three.

Right, left, back strike, tuck.

Left, right, back strike, tuck.

Over and over again. Her body was gleaming with sweat from the effort and focus.

"Move!" an ominous voice bellowed.

Her opponent didn't waste a moment. He started circling her before working to push her back into a corner. Shadow grimaced with the effort as she worked hard to keep up with the pattern and not trip over her own feet. Feeling the coolness of the wall pressing against her flesh, she shifted her feet into a cat stance. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she made her move against her opponent. It caught him off guard and he stumbled slightly to keep up with the sudden aggression.

One, two, three. Right, left, back strike, tuck. Left, right, back strike, tuck.

The sound of sticks hitting each other ricocheted throughout the training room. Shadow frowned, her face twitching with determination and nerves. Ever since she arrived at the Master's estate she had been a punching bag for the other trainees, but today she was going to change that or so she hoped.

CRACK!

Shadow couldn't suppress the scream that erupted as she went down to her knees, cradling her hand. The back of her knuckles were ripped raw with blood pouring from them and bruises already began to show. There was no doubt her hand had been broken. Her opponent stood over her smiling wickedly. He had done it on purpose.

"Shadow get up!" the voice shouted again, its owner drifted out of the shadows.

Shadow looked up to see the Master looming over her. He was a huge man practically a giant to the child. The Master was solid muscle and had harsh eyes that saw everything, judged everything. His big club of a fist reached down and grabbed her around the throat. Shadow's legs dangled useless to far from the ground as she tried to claw at it. It was getting to hard to breathe. Dark spots swarmed the edges of her vision. "Assassin's rule," he barked.

The boy, maybe a year older than Shadow, put his feet shoulder width apart and hands behind his back. A stance taught on day one as a way of showing the Master respect. His dark blue eyes stared straight forward.

"Always be prepared and never let your guard down. Kill or be killed."

"Did you hear that!? I did not pick you up off the streets and take you in so you could disappoint me! Things that are worthless to me will be properly disposed of."

Shadow nodded as best she could. Master's release was a rough throw and she crumpled on the floor gasping for breath. She stared up at him wide eyed.

"Apparently we need to make this more serious for Shadow. Grab the swords and go again."

At the words Shadow deadpanned, before bowing her head as she forced herself up to take the stance. "Of course Master."

A dagger sliced through the air, cutting an imaginary path through the room. Even in the dark she could see perfectly, no one was there. Just her alone with the darkness in the bedroom she had claimed. Tendrils reached out and caressed her tenderly. The shades she gave life to seeking to comfort their master. She released her power from them, returning them to nothing.

The dagger unformed back into the shadows from which she had summoned it. Her entire body was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. She couldn't stop the stream of curses that came out of her mouth. She hadn't thought about her early years of training for quite some time. She found that dwelling on the past was never a good thing, especially as an assassin. She swung her legs over the bed and got up to start stretching her muscles while glancing at the clock. It was 5:00am and in the middle of winter it would still be dark for quite some time. What better time to start training.

Shadow slipped into her assassin's garb. The long black pants were tight against her skin. She laced up her steel toed boots with soles that were soft and pliable. Next the wide sleeved gray tunic and then her favorite. She held up the black leather corset to examine it. The leather had been a special gift from the Master after her first successful job. Pounded until it wouldn't restrict her movement yet offered more protection than just cloth, it had become something of a signature of hers. Once it was secure she pulled a long black trench coat with a hood on. Weapons were strapped on all over her body from guns to knives and daggers. The only thing missing was her sword but that was only a shadow away.

Shadow pulled her hood up, creeping through the house to the boy's room. The door made no sound when she entered. She stood over him quietly. He looked so much more peaceful and bearable when he wasn't annoying her. Despite that, it was time to get up.

"Wake up"

All she received was a grumble from the boy as he turned away from her. Shadow poked him with her boot.

"I said, wake up Flitch!"

The boy's eyes fluttered open with a groan. "What time is it?"

"Time to get up."

"You have got to be kidding me, Shadow it's still dark out." He rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head.

"I thought you wanted to learn how to fight."

"Yea, at a reasonable time." The little brat griped.

She had had enough. Darkness swarmed from the foot of the bed ripping the blankets and pillows away and tossing them across the room. The boy pointedly curled into a ball and refused to get up. Shadow growled. She grabbed the edge of the mattress and flipped it, boy and all. There was a loud moan as he hit the floor.

The boy's blonde head poked up from behind the mattress. He opened his mouth to protest but upon seeing Shadow's glaring face snapped it shut.

"You have 10 minutes," Shadow ordered, leaving the room "and for God's sake put on a freaking coat so you don't freeze to death this time!"

Taking a deep breath, she allowed the cold morning air to fill her lungs. She stared around the backyard. A fresh coat of snow had fallen the previous night. She grabbed a shovel from the nearby shed and made quick work of clearing out a ten foot diameter circle. Standing in the middle waiting for the boy, she calmed any lingering emotions. It would do her no good to take it out on the boy after going through all the trouble of keeping him alive so far.

"Okay I'm ready."

Shadow brought her gaze down to rest upon the boy. He was standing awkwardly in the snow just outside the circle. She made a beckoning gesture and he slowly came in. He had a death grip on the dagger and his knuckles were white as the snow. He was nervous. It would cause for an interesting training. Shadow started pacing around him taking everything in about the boy and causing him to fidget under the intensity.

"Alright then," she finally said "Let's begin simple. Show me how you move with the dagger."

The boy bobbed his blonde head hastily. He stood tensely and started making sloppy slashes into the air. Shadow hissed through her teeth at the form.

"You need to loosen up. The dagger should be like a part of your body. Feel the movement of your muscles and let it guide you into a dance with the weapon. It should be as though it's not even there."

Again a hasty bob, he was obviously still tense as he began again. Shadow glided toward him and made guiding adjustments. Shift the stance out to shoulder width. Force him to have more of a slight crouch and balance on the balls of his feet instead of flat footed. She showed and guided his arms through the proper flow. It was time consuming and slow. The boy was drenched in sweat in no time from concentration and effort. He was obviously putting in a lot of work, but still little improvement was shown after hours of practice. Shadow clenched her jaw. Lost in thought, she watched him move again and again. It wasn't right. Perhaps he needed more incentive. She flicked her wrists at the elongating shadows. They crept forward like creatures of the night to surround the boy.

"Um... Shadow what are you doing?" he stuttered out.

"Making it more real. Defend yourself and then fight back."

"I don't know about this," his glance slide around the circle "what if I miss?"

Shadow shrugged, "What would happen in a real fight?"

He swallowed unevenly without answering before settling into the best stance he had done all morning. Shadow watched with curiosity. She signaled the dark figures to press forward. The creatures moved forward ambling lurches. They only fully advanced to engage with the boy one at a time. She held them back purposely to keep the boy in one piece. Her shades itched her senses, it had been a while since they had feasted.

He turned and slashed to keep them at bay. Darting stabs and quaking blocks were made to hold back the enemy. But it did not last long. An unexpected kick removed his legs from under him and for the second time that morning the boy fell to the ground. The creature stopped its hand mere inches from the boy's throat to prove a point. Realistic or not, Shadow refused to raise another hand to either of the charges. Shadow sighed, releasing them all back to their original forms of the shifting shadows of trees. She walked over to stand above the boy. He was visibly panting and had pupils the size of saucers. He was afraid.

"You need to focus. If you can't learn to wield this dagger you will die. You and your sister are currently prey, being hunted down by the most adapt assassins and killers in the world. It is kill or be killed. You must always be ready for the unexpected. They are coming for you and they will not hesitate to kill you or your sister. Understood?" Her eyes bore into him for a moment before she spun around and stalked back towards the house.

"You did." His voice drifted to her barely a whisper on the wind. Still, it caused Shadow to freeze in her tracks.

Yes she had, and it haunted her like one of her shadows.