Chapter 5

"When you told me we would continue our training this weekend, I wouldn't have thought you've meant this." A kneeling Mayura sent him a glare.

"The Mizu Kagami (1) is a very important training when it comes to spell power." Shimon folded his arms. Couldn't she just have kept up her focus? Now they would have to repeat this unit.

They were facing each other in one of the training rooms at the Ikaruga estate. Between them stood a bucket of water. The object they have used for this exercise. "Since you have stopped just now you demolished the aura around you."

"Eh?"

"Which means we have to start again." He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall opposite of him. It was still early enough. Since they both had no missions they had a lot time to spend on training. "Another two hours."

Her big blue eyes widened in shock. "But we had did this for almost two hours." She leaned over and begged with her eyes. "Please, Shimon. Can't we train combat?"

Damn. If Otomi Mayura looked like this at you, how could you say no? Good thing he had a tough skin. "We'll finish this exercise first. Maybe afterwards."

She beamed. He never saw someone looking so happy at the prospect of very likely receiving more than just a few bruises and scratches. She really was one of a kind. There weren't many people who would go through hell for others. With Otomi it was different. He could easily picture her walking through a blazing inferno, if it could save her friends. For others she trained so hard. It was the reason why she needed to become much stronger. It was the reason why Shimon wanted her to become a mighty exorcist who would not only protect others but who would also manage to survive.

Shimon watched her closely. Her usually kind and soft expression turned serious as she looked into the bucket. Immediately he sensed her enchanted powers rising, coating her like a film. Although she had started as an exorcist two years ago she'd come very far. What added to her swift development was her natural amount of spell power that enabled her to enchant more than one equipment and chant many spells in a row. Now he was observing her spell power, to make sure it was smooth and without any interruptions as it rose. This training had two advantages. She was exercising to control her spell power and he could scan her for any weak points. The Mizu Kagami was a very basic ritual among exorcists because it trained the exorcist to detect auras and spirits. Normally Mayura wouldn't need this kind of training anymore. Yet, this was for her own good. If she wanted to fight in Magano again she needed to have full control of her spell power. So far everything had went well as her aura enveloped her body in even, slowly expanding waves. But he needed to make sure, so he would analyze her for another two hours. At the peak of her spell power she was the most vulnerable.

In the end they needed more than two hours for Mayura's spell power was larger than he would have expected it to be. Only when he was satisfied with her holding the massive power in balance, did he let her finish up.

Eyes closed she sighed and leaned back supporting her weight with her arms on the wooden floor. Sweat stuck to her forehead and ran down her neck. He immediately turned away when he saw where a bead his eyes had followed was heading to. Well, he wanted to get a towel and a bottle of water anyway. Trying to ignore her feminine body was becoming increasingly difficult when they trained. The best strategy so far proved to be escaping.

The training hall of the Ikaruga estate was huge but this room was exclusive for the main family and invited guests. Even if he found it unnecessary there were always soft towels, cool water and a fresh futon stored in the back room. Taking two bottles and two towels he returned to the main training room.

He was welcomed by a proudly looking Mayura. He handed her a bottle of water and one of the towels. After taking a big gulp, she rubbed her face and neck dry, thankfully eliminating the few things that could make him loose his focus.

After drinking some of his own water and drying his face he went to a low cupboard on which two wooden bokken were placed. He took both and threw one towards Mayura who caught the training sword with a little smirk appearing on her lips.

'Time to show me, what you've learned,' Shimon thought as he approached her with the sword.

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Slash, hack, dodge, evade, jump, pulling back, thrust... So far it had been the longest fight against Shimon she had ever managed to go through. Her shin hurt, her tongue bled. Her back as well as her knees were slowly giving in as she eagerly swallowed deep breaths. Even with a wooden sword Shimon could cause a lot of damage. He wasn't taking easy on her and she wouldn't want him too.

Yet, Mayura knew she could only take a few more strikes. It wouldn't be long until she would loose this fight because of her lack in stamina. She had been too reluctant. She knew she was not giving her all and his eyes challenged her to take this fight more seriously. With another blow paraded, she pushed hard against his sword until he pulled away to strike again. Using this moment for her benefit she jumped backwards and retreated to her bag as she watched his every movement. He was like a raptor stalling his prey.

In a quick movement she let her sword go and pulled two training-claws out of her bag. After all the sword was Shimon's weapon. Her's were the claws of a tigress.

Just in the right moment she was able to lift her arms and defend one of his severe sword thrusts. Before he withdrew he sent her a small smirk that made her feel more self-confident. On the same time it made her wonder: Had he intended for her to throw the sword away replacing it with her claws?

It didn't matter. Today she would deal a blow. She felt it in her guts. With a lot more confidence she rushed to him. Two claws flew into his direction. He was fast in getting out of their reach. Suddenly he reappeared from the other direction. With the left claw she took the whole pressure of the blow, feeling a dull pain ringing through her arm. Hoping nothing was broken, she slashed her right claw at him. Still he was fast enough to escape but at least she had maneuvered him into a corner.

'You can't catch a flying bird,' she thought. Drawing a talisman she quickly chanted a spell, building a powerful shield around them. Both wouldn't be able to get outside until one of them was beaten. If he'd tried to escape, she could come at him. This last strike had to hit home. With a roar escaping her lips she jumped towards him as he took a big swing.

A cracking pain enveloped her body as Shimon had totally hit her shoulder but nevertheless she smiled as she saw that she had scratched his chest deeply enough to draw blood.

She huffed: "It's a draw."

Her legs gave in and Shimon caught her before putting her down gently. A small smile graced his lips. "You've improved." Taking a talisman into his hands he chanted a healing spell. The pain in her shoulder and arm were lifted and she sighed in relief. Having him acknowledge her development filled her chest with pride and let her beam. He wasn't a guy throwing compliments around freely. Every kind word was meant earnestly making them more precious.

Just then she noticed he still held her. A heat rose in her cheeks and he let go abruptly. Rising she sat down on her legs.

He sat down, too but left a lot of space between them. "That was it for today. Your fighting skills are good but you still lack stamina. Maybe you should increase the amount of your jogging units. Although, I must say, it was a smart move to push me into in a corner, desperate but smart."

It felt good to be complimented by him yet she felt a dark burden weighing down her heart thinking about how far she would need to reach to even remotely deserve her title. "I'm still nowhere near the power of a Heavenly Commander."

With cool eyes he mustered her, making her feel small. "Why are you letting that thought wear you down?"

She buried her fingers in the pants as tears were rushing to her eyes. "I never wanted to follow my father's footsteps. I never wanted to become an Heavenly Commander. I just wanted to be strong so that I could fight with Rokuro and Adashino-san, to be able to protect them. I'm not sure I will ever be strong enough to fit my title."

"You might be closer to your title than you believe you are." Shimon turned his body towards her, facing her directly now. "Byakko personifies protection. Also as one of the Heavenly Commanders you are a Guardian on the first line. The shikigami of Abe no Seimei are the protectors of the many exorcists fighting against the impurities. I think you're qualified for that. Being an Heavenly Commander doesn't mean to be one of the strongest."

She starred at him in wonder as she felt easier. The burden suddenly didn't feel so heavy anymore. He always found the right word to sheer her up, didn't he? "Thank you, Shimon, for your kind words."

"You don't have to thank me for that. Besides," He looked with her with a small smile. "It was your father who taught me this."

Otosan? She sometimes forgot Shimon had trained under her father's supervision until he was sent to the mainlands. What it must have been like to know her father before the event of Hiinatsuki? How must Shimon have felt when Otosan left to become a teacher at the Hiinatsuki dorm?

"We should call it a day now, Otomi. It wouldn't help us in making you fit again, if one of us caught a cold sitting around here soaked in sweat."

It bothered her. She didn't knew why it bothered her when Shimon addressed her with her last name but it did. "You can call me by my first name, you know?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"It just feels weird if you keep calling me Otomi." Fumbling with her fingers at the hem of her socks, she watched him nerously.

He bent his head to the side. "It is the proper way to address someone with their last name. Don't you call Benio still Adashino-san?"

Mayura shrugged and mumbled: "She didn't offer me to call her by her first name, yet. It is question of manners."

"I have manners, too." He looked reluctant and unhappy about the very idea calling her by her given name.

"But I am asking you now to call me Mayura." She looked at him more seriously, hoping it would change his mind.

"Fine then," A tint of red rose to his cheeks. Was he blushing? Was it possible he felt impolite calling her by her first name? She thought they were more than sensei and student. Maybe they didn't see eye to eye on this. "– Mayura."

Hearing her name come from his lips pleased her. Happy and satisfied she smiled at him. "Now that that's settled, would it be all right if I take a quick shower?"

His cheeks still looked a little bit red but he nodded in a swift motion. "You can use the shower in the back. I will shower in one of the training rooms – just in case."

She blushed remembering their first meeting months ago when she accidentally walked in on him showering. "I wouldn't... That was an accident."

"I know." He rose and collected the used towels and empty bottles. "So I'll see you in a few minutes. Wait for me here when you're finished."

She quickly nodded watching him leave the training room. When the door closed in his hinges she let out a sigh. He just had to go and make things awkward between them after their relationship progressed.

Taking her bag she went to the backroom. A while later she stood under the hot spray of the shower, loosing up her muscles. Today had been a good training. At least she was able to get a hit on Shimon. Although it wasn't in her nature to hurt people, she knew it was expected of her in training, especially Shimon had encouraged her to give her very best many times before. His praising words from moments ago had been an outlet for the guilt she felt about hurting him.

The island. For a few days she had forgotten all about the darkness connected to it. She had gone to school, talked with her new friends and afterwards enjoyed the day. She would go for a walk, help Rokuro decorating the Adashino house and take Amawaka Yuzuru to some of the places in the magazine Arima had handed her, which meant eating, shopping and riding a roller coaster. It had felt like living in another reality, a past life without any worries about life and death situations. But she had known she couldn't linger in this illusion. To become stronger she had to train and she had to prove she wasn't corrupted. While she had done the Mizu Kagami under Shimon's watch she had felt nothing of an ominous presence inside her. It was time for her to be send on missions again. With that thought Mayura turned off the tap.

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Mayura – calling her Mayura wasn't easy for him. While she might had felt it weird being addressed as Otomi by him, Shimon had an issue with speaking to her on first name basis. It made him nervous. It was too private, making it harder to look at her in an exclusively professional way. And it certainly didn't help his confusion about their relationship. For when he had consulted Chiiko the other day to learn what he did wrong when he'd asked Mayura to accompany him to the shopping district, his little sister had teased him with remarks about something going on between him and Mayura.

And then were those moments, those unexpected moments, when he felt the need to reach out for her and when his heart flipped in his chest. Like this moment from before when he had caught her looking like a pristine flower in spring. After her shower her cheeks had worn the warm tint of pink, her eyes like a sea in the morning had born a dreamy look in them, her hair had been slightly damp and a pleased smile had grazed her lips. Innocently she'd stood there in the Ikaruga training room, oblivious to what she was doing to him. Those were the moments he would wonder how something so beautiful could exist in a world tormented by impurities. If she'd knew the thoughts filling his head in these moments. But it was better left unsaid. Those were childish thoughts, driven by instinct and hormones. They shouldn't get in the way of his duty and his ultimate goal. So no one will ever know. And for the name... He just have to get used to it.

Now they walked side by side through the residential districts since he had insisted to walk her to the Amawaka estate. At first she had declined his offer but he'd stayed persistent, although it made him feel like he'd forced himself upon her. The problem wasn't that she was a girl or that he thought she couldn't take care of herself. The reason he walked her was that he'd noticed the glances of others. Sure there were those people who admired her simply because she was an Heavenly Commander, but there were glances that envied her, frowned upon her and those that lusted for her. Those glances were rare but dangerous. He knew some exorcist used all kind of practices as outlet for their pent-in emotions. Some disregarded the law and turned to vandalism and violence. Others even used sex, which was usually no problem. But there were incidents in which Tatara-san, the most sincere among the Heavenly Commanders, had to intervene. Incidents when the physical act did not happen in mutual consent. And Shimon was pretty sure Mayura wasn't aware about that fact. Not because she was naive but she because she had yet to see the darkest sides of the inhabitants of the island.

On the way to the Amawaka estate they talked about her training, about possible strategies and points she had to work on. He learned that she was serious about going on to missions again and agreed with her on her being fit enough to execute exorcism. If there someone asked him, what was the best quality of Otomi Mayura, he would say it was her staying power. Although she was often unconfident and crestfallen she constantly overcame her fears and worked on getting better.

That's why Shimon, after they parted, was heading to the Reigetsukan manor, the house of the current chief exorcist Tsuchimikado Arima-san. Mayura had been told to take at least two weeks off but maybe Shimon could negotiate with Arima-san. Even a low resumption of taking missions would be an improvement. And after today Shimon was sure Mayura was far away from being corrupted by impurities.

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(1) The Mizu Kagami was that one practice in chapter 18 Mayura complained about to Rokuro when she began her training as exorcist where she had to stare perfectly still at a bucket full of water. It enables you to see your aura and ultimately you can see the aura of others and good and evil spirits.

A/N: How do you like the story so far? There will be more action and plot soon. I just need to work out their relationship and the character development. :P

Don't forget to click on vote, if you liked it.^^