Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce owns the Tortal crew is, but my characters I do control.

A/N: Here’s the second chapter. I hope that you like it.

Chapter 2: Guide

I awake in the morning before the sun rises. At first I lie there and stare at the ceiling. I then get out of bed, stretching and yawning. I pop my back and neck and then do some warm up exercises. When I finish, I crack my knuckles and get my katanas off the wall. Unsheathing them, I hold them both flat out on each pointer finger just beneath the handles and stare at the letterings, "To my darling little sister. I will always love you." I will make you proud sister. And avenge your death one of these days.

I then toss the blades into the air and catch them handle first. I rake my brain and choose to do a difficult pattern my dead eldest sister taught me. The dance ended with me resheathing my sword and bowing on one leg behind me for two minutes.

I put my blade away and get down my glaive. Glaive dancing is a lot harder than katana dancing. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. Slowly my eyes open at the same pace as my breathing. I then take a stance and start the first dance out slowly and speeding up. The dance isn't very long, but it takes tricky footing. I speed it up until my body is a blur. Humans may not be able to follow my moves, but another youkai-blooded person could, a little bit, unless he/she was full blood; then they could follow my every move. Nearing the end, I close the dance by slowing down.

I do other dances too. All of the dances I knew. Basic or advance, I didn't care. Some started out slowly, ending either slow or fast while other started out fast, ending fast or slow. All of the dances seemed the same to me while I was acting them, but watching, they looked different, which they were. My sister’s death four days before hand was still an open wound upon my heart.

Finished with my practicing, I put my weapons away. I open my door and get the hot water by it, and pour the water into my bathtub. I then strip out my nightgown and into my warm bath. I finish my bath and get out. I then grab the fluffy towel and dry off. Sighing, I get into another of my kimonos, but this time, a bit warmer one. I check my bags and refill my inkwells. Lifting it onto my back, I call Sakura to my shoulder.

For short I call my neko mata Sakura but I named her Gin Sakura because of her silver sakura shaped stop on her black rump. Her little white feet were a comfort on my shoulder, as was her tail draped around the back on my shoulders and neck. Putting my thigh length mane into a midbun, with a pony tail coming out of the middle of it, trailing down to my lower back, I walk out my room door.

All of the soon-to-be pages were all lined up, quite close to my door too. I look at Sakura and she mewed. Shrugging to her, I lock my door and get into line as well. My five companions come out of their rooms and get in line as well, after seeing me in it.

To my surprise, our instructor was female. Kel was her name, or what she preferred to be called. She had a kind tolerance, but no nonsense air about her. Just the very aura around her demanded respect, even if you didn't know all of what she had accomplished.

"Alright, now listen up. I want guides for all of the new kids... and no discriminating between sexes. Now peoples."

She will be with us for our eight years, us new comers that is. Then she will be resigning, allowing someone else to teach for eight years. That was the new law at the castle. Each knight was randomly chosen and what ever order that was, they teach. Then the next spirit crusher came and took their place. Four names were chosen out of every year of knighting.

Lady Knight Alanna was assistant instructor, which meant that she would take up the position of master instructor when Lady Knight Keladry's term was up. I felt sorry for those who would have her as their sensai.

"Alex Mandermin. Who's to be her guide until she knows her way around?"

One of the girls from my company stepped forward, arrogantly I should say, so that everyone could see who she was. Just because she was within my company doesn’t make us friends. She had her hair in two buns on her head with hair hanging out of them. 'Copy cat bitch.' Just because she's in my company doesn't make us friends. If anything, we're rivals or archenemies, whichever you prefer. Her eyes were painted purple and lips red. She preferred to that fake, cheap stuff. I prefer natural beauty.

Four boys immediately step forward and begin pushing and shoving eachother. I roll my eyes as Alex smirks at me. When I look back at her, she's glaring at me.

"I heard of an Alex who became a knight here... He bacame a corrupted knight and rose up against the king. Lady Knight Alanna killed him. Becareful, your name brings bad luck and the same might happen to you, only Alanna won't kill you…" I said in a low voice that only someone with youkai blood could only here me.

Alex's eyes widened a little in surprise. She then flipped her head away from me and looked at the instructor, who was breaking the boys up. My two friends held back their laughter with a snort of amusement.

"A different person, please volunteer to be Alex's guide."

A kinda cute boy stepped forward, before any more did the instructor declared him as Alex's guide before another fight could break out. The other boys were sent to her office so that latter, she could find a decent punishment for them.

"Who would like to be Emily Catchet's guide?"

She was a pretty thing, but kinda stupid, blonde. She was Alex's friend, or in the posse that followed her around back home. She was really slow at getting jokes and made up the stupidest comebacks that Alex would even give her "The Look". But I had to say, she had her bright moments sometimes when she would think up something brilliant, which Alex would immediately claim as her own.

A average looking boy stepped up and her was immediately chosen as her guide. It was obvious that it was now first come, first serve. I hoped that by the time she called my name, the wouldn't be very many people left.

A few others were called up and got their guides, male and female, bothers and sisters, cousins and friends. Then one of my best friends, Adianna Stykes went up there and was paired up with yet another cute boy. Gods! When will they stop coming? This is nuts! It’s getting ridiculous! Every other boy was cute or hot!

I shouldn't have thought that because my other best, Maelin Jakensons, came up next. A homely boy, and when I say that, I don't mean cute in any way at all, came up and was chosen as her guide.

'Oh... my... God! He's ugly!'

I heard a snicker and saw that Alex, Emily, and their guides were still there. They were seeing who we got as guides! Those conniving, scheming, devious bitches! I bet that they had something to do with this.

'Ooooo. Of all the uncoolest nerve!'

"And finally, who is to be Diana Haighla’s Guide?"

I thank the goddess that these weren't our chosen life mates. It would just suck for Maelin. I heard the "farts" snicker from where they were standing because nobody stepped forward. I bet that they had something to do with this as well.

Just then, as some boy was about to timidly take a step up, a familiar scent reached my nose as my head snaps to the dark hallway. Guess who takes steps out. Yep people, it’s the disappearing jerk that left just last night.

"I will take her 'as my bride' under my wing and show her around."

"Are you sure Sosonokatsu?"

"Positive Lady Keladry."

'So my mystery boy does have a name.'

I hear the 'rat pack' gasp as the hunk of a man, leads me off. Yeah, that's going to be their new names. Me and my friends split up. That’s the difference between Alex’s rat pack and us, we’re independent and without a leader and we all agree upon something before it is done.

Baka: idiot, fool, or stupid

Haku: white

Hanyou: half-breed

Inu: dog

Katana: a type of curved sword that Japanese samurai use, or in this case, Yamani samurai

Kimono: a Japanese out fit that girls wear

Kobudou: fighting in close combat with weapons

Obi: the sash around the middle of a kimono

Neko: cat

Sakura: the blossoms of a cherry tree

Sensai: a teacher or tutor

Sensu: a flip fan used in Japan

Youkai: demon

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews people. I look forward for the next ones. I will update the new chapters soon. I’m writing like crazy right now. I was hit with the idea train. You should’ve seen me the other night when the poem train hit me. I got fourteen poems in two days between school time and homework.