Luxe's Training; The First Week

After a night spent with her husband, Sadako was up just before dawn, and slowly made her way from Aura's room to Mana's. She'd kissed the forehead of her first sleeping daughter, overwhelmed with silent tears. It was so strange, to be a mother again. The love she had for these two was so great, she hardly knew what to do with it.

Smoothing Mana's hair, she smiled as the little girl murmured in her sleep about her Mommy. It was such a sweet joy for the blue-haired woman to hear.

Gliding from the room, she sent out a current of air for Mamoru, who appeared in the doorway across the hall. He walked with a slight limp, and Sadako frowned.

"Were you not healed properly?"

Her voice was soft as she spoke, not wanting to wake anyone. His followed suit as he replied.

"Not completely," He paused as he felt the healing energy Sadako sent to him, and smiled. "Thank you, my lady."

"Not a problem. Would you like to come with me to train Luxe this week?"

"Of course, my lady. I've vowed never to be far from your side again."

That was enough for her. Sadako drifted out to the front doors of the Labyrinth, and they opened for her without even a groan, and closed behind her and Mamoru just as soundlessly when they were clear.

"Now, we wait for Luxe."

Sadako was only waiting for a few seconds when Luxe stumbled out in front of her in flash of light. Lu looked around for a second until she caught sight of Sado.

"Oh! Heeeeey!!!" Luxe said laughing and scratching the back of her head.

Raising an eyebrow, Sadako smiled.

"You're early."

Mamoru stood at Sadako's side, looking Luxe over with a detached air, seeing the need for physical training galore. Oh, this would be fun indeed….

"Oh course! So excited! Let's do this!" Getting in a ready stance.

The Weapon-Meister pair looked at each other, grinning mischievously.

"Very well then."

Whispered Sadako, and suddenly Luxe was wrapped up in gale-force winds, hurried into the Labyrinth and shoved into one of the vast, empty white rooms, sending her flying to land sprawled. White seemed to stretch on and on and on and on and on...

"First things first."

Sadako appeared first, then Mamoru beside her.

"Physical training. You're as thin as a rail, and I can see hardly any muscle on you. You can't rely on your flash skills forever, Luxe."

Kneeling in front of her friend, Sadako thought up the facility that they'd need and the room morphed to her vision. It looked like a normal dojo, but the walls were lined with weaponry and weights. Drifting to the shelves, she picked out a few leg and arm weights. Just light ones to start off.

"In this stage of training, you're forbidden to use your flash techniques. If you do, you fail as my student, and I'll have nothing to do with you from now on."

Well, that wasn't really true; she wouldn't be able to bring herself to abandon Luxe like that. However, it was the motivation the spunky green-haired teen would need. The leg and arm weights, about 50 lbs each, strapped themselves to Luxe's limbs, and Sadako smiled.

"Your first objective is to stand with that extra two-hundred pounds on you. Can you do it?"

"Sado chan, do you think I spent the last two years sitting in my riceball shop? I've been training and let me tell you, I'm a hundred times stronger than I was back then."

Luxe could stand with the weights on with ease and still move around quite fast.

Sadako smiled, impressed.

"Really, now? Not bad. Good thing I was just testing you, with those."

For Luxe, things were about to get a lot more difficult. The mass of each weight quadrupled as Sadako waved a knapsack-like weight forward. This clung to Luxe's back, at least five hundred pounds alone.

"Now, you're to run five miles that way, then all the way back. No cheating. I'll be watching... And you'd better not be longer than three quarters of an hour."

Sadako disappeared, becoming part of the very air around Luxe as the scene changed, showing a long and winding dirt road that lead toward a pleasingly emerald forest. Luxe'd best get going...

Luxe's knees buckled a bit from the sudden increase in wait but she was able to stand back up straight. Luxe started running before Sadako had disappeared, eager to start her training. Lu was able to keep a steady pace and finish the five miles within the time limit. By the end Luxe was panting so heavly that her breath was coming in gasps and she had to sit down and rest for a minute.

"You forgot the coming back part."

Sadako's voice rang out with a slight laugh, appearing before Luxe to ruffle her green hair as the figure was hunched over.

"Get going, you. You have an extra ten minutes to get all the way back."

Sadako disappeared again, still laughing lightly. Perhaps she had been a little ambitious to start off. However, she was sure that this would all be worth it in the end.

Luxe smirked looking up at her friend. She then gathered her strength and took off running as fast as her legs could go. Lu made it back just in time. She leaned forward and panted like crazy.

"There you go! Great job, Luxe."

Sadako smiled, wrapping Luxe in a great oxygen content to let her get her breath back sooner. Snapping, food suddenly appeared around them, actually brought in through the door on air currents. The delicious smell of dumplings, chow mein and all sorts of other foods reached Luxe's nose.

"Hope my cooking's as good as yours, Luxe-chan. Rest and eat for a moment, then the real training begins~"

What Luxe didn't know was that this food was infused with chakra from the Kaze crystal that kept the Twilight Palace afloat oh so long ago... It would increase her strength and stamina tenfold, and allow her to draw on the chakra of movement for strength, whether it be from the air currents all around or the movements made by her opponent.

(COOL!!!)

Luxe's excitement all came back to her when she smelt the food.

"Sado-chan you never sieze to amaze me."

Luxe took a bite of a dumpling and smiled at the wonderful taste.

"Finally something other than riceballs! This is really good! Your kiddos are really lucky to have you as a mom!"

As Lu ate she felt strength flowing through her. It was a wonderful feeling."

"A-ah... Thanks, Luxe-chan."

Sadako smiled brightly, glad that her cooking was enjoyed. It would take the rest of the evening for the chakra to really set in and start working away at her systems, but it had needed Luxe's muscles to be limber in order to make the change... Hence all the running with weights.

So, now they had a little while to relax... Well, after stretching, that is. After Luxe was finished, Sadako lead her green-haired friend through a few sets of meditative stretches, just so that her muscles wouldn't be sore. Today was an easy day... The rest wouldn't be so simple.

Imagining up a bedroll for herself and Luxe, Sadako gently set herself down upon it.

"So what is it exactly that you want me to train you in, Luxe?"

She asked, quietly. Already, stars were peeking out, just like the real ones... This room was quite convincing; one actually thought themselves outside~

Luxe sat down and stared up at the fake but pretty stars.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just sick of the same old same old and being a special jounin. I feel weak. I trust you though. You're the only one I'd ask to train me since I've known you for so long and you're such a good friend."

Luxe said with a small smile.