Cloris Notaki

Whilst Jex was fighting a formidable ghost from his troubled past, he wasn't the only one who had met a powerful adversary.

As the ringing of blades and fierce battle cries filled the air with a terrible symphony Cloris found herself against a mysterious opponent.

Every foe in the Smiler army was fearsome but he was even more so then the rest.

"Notaki Ninjatō. Ibu Notaki's choice of weapon from the Notaki arsenal." The masked assailant of Cloris stated in a monotone voice. "The Notaki Family; a family of elite espionage agents hailing from The Orochi Isles. They are known for their powerful flame magic and the magic weapon arsenal they have maintained for generations, the very same arsenal which you know wield. Of course, you and your brother are failures seeing as neither of you possess or possessed rather, the power of your family's flames. Instead, you rely on the ability to instantly conjure any weapon in the Notaki Arsenal."

"How do you know that? The Notaki family's existence has been a well-kept secret for generations." Cloris shouted as she made a flawless slash with her blade only for it to be dodged with the greatest of ease.

"Unlike you, I am a real master of espionage. I know everything about you. Even how you fight. You can't land a blow on me, even if you switch to the Notaki Nagamaki for a greater reach advantage." The masked man said as he stood a fair distance from Cloris in spite of being armed with only a small dagger.

'How did he know what I was gonna do, is he reading my mind?' Cloris thought, as panic took hold of her heart.

"Now it is my turn." 

The masked Smiler charged at Cloris with seemingly no regard, his movements appeared sloppy and open to counters.

Yet Cloris still failed to land a single blow on him as he ducked, rolled, and twisted past her barrage of blows and in range for his own attack.

Within seconds he had broken in past her defense and raised his dagger to her throat.

'Can't dodge, he's too close, can't counter, there's no time. I can't go like this.'

Just as Cloris accepted her grim fate, she felt a gentle breeze and soon she was pushed out of the reach of her foe.

Okami glanced over at her for a mere second as she too was occupied with a foe of her own.

Cloris could tell that Okami's fight required the utmost attention, yet she still risked her life to protect her.

'What am I saying, I can't give up now, I am The Phantom of the Notaki. The most elite family in The Orochi Isles. I have to win this.'

"Wakizashi!" I shouted as I dispelled Ninjatō and conjured the small blade I had previously impaled Krim with, it was the armament I was most familiar with I was never as good of a fighter as Ibu, but in the past I'd only ever been able to take him off guard with Wakizashi.

"You sure are quick with that little blade, if only you could move Uchigatana with that speed. Wakizashi is just too short." Those were the words of her brother that echoed in Cloris' mind.

"You are dumber then I thought, you'd give up your range?  Your only advantage?" The masked man chuckled, no doubt his face matching that of the crescent smile on his ceramic mask.

Cloris held Wakizashi firmly in her hand, it took less then a second for her to readjust to its lesser weight and range. 

In a burst of speed unexpected even by her perceptive enemy she lunged at him cutting deep down his face and splitting his mask in two.

If he hadn't dodged at the last second, he would have been more then wounded.

Yet her flurry was far from over. Even now that he had a grasp of her speed the Smiler could only avoid her onslaught by focusing everything he had into evading.

'Not good, I'm off balance, I have to get back in the game. But the blood is getting in my eyes, I can't see her. It's no use. I have to use it.'

"Now!" Cloris shouted as she placed her other hand on the pommel of Wakizashi and thrust forth with all her might.

But the Smiler jumped back out of her range.

"Good for you, something must've stirred up within yourself, you accessed power I didn't know you had." The man said as he held his hand to his head in pain.

Yet his lips mirrored the crescent moon in appearance with a sinister smile.

"I guess I won't be able to disrespect you as badly as I planned, I have to use my own magic." He continued as he moved his hand and revealed his eyes now a gold in color. "I call it, Clairvoyance."

Cloris didn't let up though, even in front of foe's new ability, she had hoped that perhaps if she was quick enough, she could avoid its powers whatever they may be.

However, her even with her speed the Smiler was now effortlessly dodging her strikes.

'Is he faster? No, that's not it, it's as though he dodges before I even strike, like he knows what I'm doing before I do. It has to be Clairvoyance.' Cloris concluded in her head.

"Problem little runt?" The gold eyed man spoke as he dodged a lunge then grabbed Cloris by her long blue hair and pulled off her wooden bear mask. "A wooden bear, same crest as the Notaki family, I wonder if that's why Tuma made it Azure Ursine's as well."

Okami looked to the battle between Cloris and her assailant yet even that fraction of a second where she wasn't paying attention to her own foe almost cost her life.

"Don't touch that!" Cloris screamed fiercely as she swung at the man with her blade.

But no strike would reach him once again Wakizashi's disadvantage in range shone, the man slammed his knee into Cloris chest with enough force to force all air from her lungs sending her gasping to the ground using her arms to support herself.

"Ibu made it right? Let me guess, a birthday present?" The man said as he examined the wooden mask with an eagle's eye. 

"Give...it...back..please." Cloris begged as tears flooded her eyes, her pride was already destroyed, she couldn't lose that mask.

As her eyelids became too heavy to hold open and they finally closed, she was sent back in time, back when Ibu was alive.

She sat alone atop the crenellations of the Azure Ursine guildhall.

At the age of six the guild was still new to her, yet she always felt at ease staring at the moon of Torik, as a native to the southern island of Knut, Torik was impossibly foreign to her, it was loud and bright, there was always somebody awake, the whole island never slept, it was terrifying for her, yet she could still stare at the same moon she once adored back home and the thought of that gave her peace.

"Here again? Is it because what happened? That quest shouldn't have been given to you; it was way too hard. You didn't have a choice but to use your ability." Ibu spoke as he approached Cloris from behind and joined her atop the crenellations, his mask in his hand allowing Cloris to see her brother's kind eyes.

Even back then he could see right through Cloris, she had recently been on a mission that forced her to do something that terrified her, even as she stared into the comforts of the moon her legs shook at the mere mention of her quest.

"Even though you didn't have a choice during that quest, you shouldn't be afraid. Your powers are beautiful, what happened back home wasn't your fault, mother and father were already dead." Ibu comforted as he pat Cloris head.

"How can, you be sure? Maybe they survived? Maybe they were waiting for somebody to save them. It's just like the prophecy said. I killed them, my power is cursed." Cloris whimpered, the more she thought of that awful day the harder her tears fell.

Ibu pulled Cloris into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"The prophecy couldn't be more wrong, it said everyone who loves you and sees your Blue Sapphire Blaze will die didn't it? Well, I'm not dead, am I?" Ibu joked in hopes of lightening the mood even a little.

"Not yet I just know that you will though, my curse will kill you too." 

"There is no curse, our parents were superstitious, you know that." Ibu stated, yet it did naught to comfort the girl sobbing in his arms. "If it bothers you so much, I got something for you." 

Ibu reached into his pocket and pulled out a miniature wooden bear mask.

"I made it myself Its name is Wakaikuma, sorry It's a little small, sealing wood is hard to come by, but this will seal your powers, even though I'd still rather you use them more. Consider it a birthday gift. What you thought I forgot my own sister's birthday?"

Cloris immediately snatched the mask and placed into her face, but it was in fact too small.

Ibu nearly fell of the ramparts he was laughing so hard making Cloris blush in embarrassment.

"I told you it was too small, don't worry, I made a strap for it too, you can wear it like a hat, here let me." Ibu said as he used the strap to hold the mask on Cloris head. "There, freaking adorable, but only so long as you don't cry, if you cry, you'll ruin the whole look and Wakaikuma will be sad. So don't go crying, deal?"

Cloris nodded her head affirmatively as she wiped away her tears.

"Thank you Ibu."

Strength surged through Cloris' body, as a new force of power took place within her.

The man still held her mask in his hands, dangling it before her, with the evilest grin on his face.

"I won't ask again," Cloris growled as she stood back to her feet, her eyes now set ablaze with a brilliant blue flame.

"The cursed Blue Sapphire Blaze. I guess that explains why you're the last of your family, you killed them with that cursed flame didn't you?" The man said as his lips curled to match the crescent moon in the sky. "I guess you're not so powerless, let's see how well your curse holds up against my gift."

********

"I guess she's doing alright." Okami said as she let her gaze be distracted by Cloris' battle.

"Fool! You should've been paying attention to me!" Okami's foe shouted.

Yet before he could even move a shadowy dagger pinned him to the ground.

"He's right Okami. You are a fool; he could've killed you if I hadn't already cast Shadow's Ebony Blades. Stop being so dumb, you're gonna get killed, I can't keep saving you my cast time is far too slow for that." Shade said as he punched the pinned Smiler in the face knocking him out.

"You're worried about me? How chivalrous." She exclaimed in joy before hopping up and down. "I was really in trouble, that guy was using Earth Magic, the perfect counter for my magic."

"Why do you have to make such a big deal about it!!!" Shade shouted with a pronounced blush. "I would've saved anyone else too!"

The two would've bickered all day had they the time, but there was a battle to be fought and so the two ended their conversation briefly.

"Don't go dying on me." They both said in a voice only audible to the speaker.