"Come on, higher!" She takes a step back, and jumps into the air, kicks upwards, claws in her foot moving out... Miss, the target higher. She crashes into the floor, pain, gasp for breath. She rolls onto her stomach, a hand places in her shoulder. "You can do better, come on, again." Many more tries, many more failures, much more pain. She whimpers in pain slightly, but shruggs it off, she has to prove she could do it... "There are more than just one method." She grits her teeth, she tries to think, but there is only pain. Revelation. A yell, she jumps at the wall, kicks right off it, and kicks down at the target, now under her. The targed shatters as her claws ripped through it. Smiles, and lands. Pain. A shard of the targed has inbedded in her foot, and she falls, with a scream of pain, her ankle twisting. She cries, from pain and because she had failed... A firm hand grabs her ankle... and snaps it into position. Scream of pain, whimpers as the pain dulls, slightly. She feels herself being turned around, a hand places gently in her cheek. She looks up, tears in her eyes, into the blue eyes of her teacher. "You did well..." Confort. She feels herself getting lifted, gently. "I'll fix your foot, don't worry... we can resume practicing when its healed." A whimper, pain, fear... "You have to understad... this is the only way you can live. I'm sorry, I really wish there was another way..." A whimper, in pain only, and leanes against her teacher. She understood. A kiss in her forehead. "Good girl..." "This is your first fight." She turns towards her teacher, and nods, nervously. She smiles, brushing a bit of her magenta hair aside. "I have something for you." She takes the package, blinking, and opens it. Black clothes, clean, confortable, warm... she smiles, hugs her. The woman kisses her in the forehead again, passing a hand through her hair. "... Take care." That night, she fought, killed, and won. She felt odd... it wasn't happiness, at all, yet it wasn't sadness. Her teacher said it was sorrow. Pain. Burning pain. She felt her blood running. A scream, then darkness. Waking up in a bed, chest hurting. Her teacher wasn't anywhere. They said she had gone to the challenge. For her. She ran, ignoring the pain. Once again, staring into the blue eyes of her teacher, but now, she was holding her. A large wound, blood pouring. Fright. Why? A hand, weakly placed against her cheek. "... Because... you have to protect... the ones you love..." A smile, tears, and then the hand falls. A scream of rage, sadness, and sorrow. Slash's eyes snapped open, and she sat up no the bed roll, looking around. The hotel was quiet... The catgirl looked down, and settled again, sniffling softly, and cuddled, trying to get the most of the clothes that had been recently repaired. She silently sobbed her way back to sleep.