May The Gods Show You Mercy

[Uesugi Kenshin]

(OOC: This is the training thread for the Uesugi forces, PC or otherwise. You do not have to be a member of the Uesugi forces to join this. However, you cannot join this if you have joined another training thread already, at least if you expect a reward. This will be PM'd to another staff member upon completion for rewards. Players are required to write at least FOUR decent-length posts, meaning no one liners or anything lacking in effort.)

In a large clearing in the middle of the mountains, snow would be falling on the Uesugi army as they stood at attention. There would be complete silence amongst the crowd as their leader, Uesugi Kenshin, stood before them.  His sword was drawn, held firmly in the ground as both of his palms rested atop the hilt. His personal bodyguard and elite ninja Kasuga stood nearby, as did his sister Aya. His prized general Naoe Kanetsugu stood on the other side of him.

The quiet leader had his eyes closed, as if in meditation. A dummy was behind him several yards back. The wind blew a cool breeze as onlookers waited patiently. Suddenly, Kenshin's eyes opened as he drew his blade from the ground, turning around swiftly as he slashed upwards towards the dummy despite it being too far away. The ground itself seemed to bend to Kenshin's will, and a trail of debris would fly upwards, mimicking his slash and flying towards the dummy and bringing up a cloud of dust behind it. When the dust finally settled, the dummy could be seen, cleanly sliced in two.

Turning back towards his men, Kenshin began to speak. "Everyone of you possesses the ability to grow as powerful as I. Every man and woman here holds the potential to become a raging fire on the battlefield.  Everyone of you can be as powerful as you are compassionate, and train your body and even your mind to become as deadly as the blade you hold in your hand."

Kenshin overlooked his men, his gaze powerful as if he stared into each and every one of their souls. "Not a single person here is weak. Look amongst yourselves, for each of you will be brothers and sisters from this day forth. We will live together, we will fight together, and we will die together."

The God of War stood imposingly, as Kanetsugu stepped forward. "Our honor is a powerful weapon, and as long as we uphold it, we shall always find victory!" He raised his sword, and the men began to cheer. Kenshin merely nodded and closed his eyes before speaking once the crowd settled down.

"You will go through four training regiments here today. Kasuga's ninja unit will test your reflexes as you face them. They will be throwing kunai and shuriken at you and you must not allow a single one to hit you. You may block them if that is preferable." That was the first test,  and he expected the numbers to thin greatly before the second test began.

[Morei Hidenori]

Hidenori stood amongst the crowd, watching Kenshin avidly. He wanted to be up by Kenshin's side just like Kasuga, but the ninja practically hissed at him and told him he wasn't needed. Regardless, the soldier, being so tall, still got a really clear view of his lord and father figure.

As Kenshin turned and slashed, Hidenori watched in awe as the dummy was cleaved in two. "AMAZING AS ALWAYS, YOUR LORDSHIIIIIP!" He shouted, jumping with glee. No one was as powerful as Kenshin, and he truly believed that. Soon, clear-cut instructions were given out for the soldiers to begin their training, and Hidenori grimaced as he realized that first up was Kasuga.

"Her? But... grr..."

He complained as he reported to where Kasuga was. Her ninja unit stood in front of her, and Hidenori could swear he saw her glaring at him. Regardless, the tall one drew his zanbato, standing at the ready. Without so much as saying go, one of Kasuga's ninjas began to throw weapons at Hidenori. His foot would come up to avoid a shuriken to the leg, and he would duck to avoid a flying kunai. He was having little issue at first, but soon the ninja began to throw his weapons at Hidenori gradually increasing in pace. Several times would Hidenori stumble and fall to narrowly avoid a kunai that barely missed him. For the finale, the ninja threw three shuriken at once, and fearing he wouldn't react fast enough to evade them, Hidenori's weapon came forth and he narrowly blocked all three of them. The clashing of metal against metal could be heard before the shuriken fell to the floor.

"Whew, that was tiring..." Hidenori sighed in relief, glad that not a single weapon had hit him. Every single one of them laid scattered in the snow, and he placed his weapon back in the sheathe as he made room for someone else to take his spot in the challenge. Not far away, he could see that several random soldiers had already failed, some were in tears. This was bound to be difficult for all.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

Katsumi was a rather serious person, and not easily excitable. Curious, certainly, but she was far from bubbly or rambunctious. Instead, she listened intently to Lord Kenshin and the others as they spoke, observing them carefully, taking in what she could. While others would cheer, Katsumi would remain silent, fingers lightly gripping at her bow, brushing along the surface. It was cold, the wind chilling her as the black kimono and her brown locks waved in the air, but she brushed it off to the side, ignoring it. She had to pay attention, after all.

The woman masquerading as a man rather stood out, much shorter than everyone else in the crowd, and one of the few archers. Most carried swords and other weapons, and the only blades on Katsumi were the ones on her bow and her dagger. Many found it peculiar and she was given odd looks by some, but the woman ignored them, looking forward and standing lightly on her feet, prepared for whatever was in store for them, even having stretched earlier on. She was just glad that only a couple of people here knew her real gender. There likely would have been some more attention on her, and that was something Katsumi was not interested in in the least.

Hidenori being one of the few she knew here, the girl was close to him, and it really stressed even more the extremities of their heights on both ends. The archer caught on to some tension between Kasuga and Hidenori, and her brows arched curiously. Stepping back, Katsumi watched the scene, taking careful note of what the ninjas were doing, wanting to know what to expect. It seemed this exercise would be an easier one for Katsumi due to her speed, and was thankful this was the one they were starting with.

Once Hidenori was done, having leaned forward in anticipation at those close calls, Katsumi quickly stepped forward, bow in hand. She may as well get it over with now, right?

Crouching down, the girl waited in anticipation for the ninjas to start, her face entirely impassive. She was unreadable and no nerves gave her away, as there were none. As the kunai and shuriken were thrown, Katsumi dodged them with ease, movements fluid and smooth. It seemed as though she were dancing across the snow-covered field, neck swooping, legs extending, leaping and ducking at the appropriate times.

They seemed to quickly realize this was her strength and pushed harder, more objects thrown at her and in quicker succession, as if almost frustrated that it seemed to easy for Kat. The archer only moved faster, her lithe body bending low and legs taking her up high as she evaded the strikes. As the concentration of weapons thrown grew, Katsumi's eyes narrowed and she began to use her weapon to knock them out of the air. She used small movements, knowing not to drain herself, and only reached out as much as necessary.

At the climax, a great number of blades were being thrown at the girl, and she then jumped back, spinning her bladed bow and using it as a fan. She leaned and jumped when necessary, keeping the motion going. And when the last few weapons were thrown, Katsumi moved forward, striking them each down onto the ground before dropping into a defensive position. She was breathing on the heavier side, a light sweat shimmering against her flesh, but it appeared Katsumi could still keep going if need be. Really, what stopped them was that all of the weapons were now on the field.

Taking a bow, the girl place her weapon on her back and moved back into the group, and jaws seemed to be dropped. Katsumi noticed, but didn't particularly understand, and so she ignored the idiotic expression, moving over to Hidenori and sitting on the ground. Pulling out her knife, she began to sharpen it as the others ran through their trials. Every so often she glanced up, watching as some passed and others failed, until finally everyone had gone.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Kenshin watched this event unfold amused, noticing his dim-witted but loyal soldier Hidenori passing with not quite flying colors, and Katsumi, who he had met previously for a brief period of time. She had far exceeded his expectations, noticing the amount of pressure the ninjas had to put on her and she still passed. He figured he would keep an eye on her.

Kenshin motioned with his hand, and his sister Aya walked up next. Raising her staff, a strange light emitted forth from it and covered the entire camp. Those who were still remaining would find a light glowing from their chests, moving forward in front of them and taking shape... revealing itself to be a phantom version of them!

"The next step..." She declared, "... is to defeat your own demons."

[Morei Hidenori]

Hidenori stared in amazement at the power of Kenshin's sister, pulling out a phantom not just from one person's heart, but the entirety of the army in this place. Seeing Nega-nori standing in front of him, he couldn't help but wonder how real this guy was, or if it was just a cheap imitation. Soldiers went up against their phantoms one at a time, and many were defeated, left in tears by their physical and mental attacks. It was Hidenori's turn next.

"Alright, Lord Kenshin, here goes nothing!"

He was determined to prove his worth to the man who raised him, and with a swing of his zanbato, he noticed his shadow self had drawn his sword at the same time. With a shout, the large man charged forward, swinging his weapon in a horizontal arc. Shadow Hidenori did the same, and the two blades collided in mid-air. The snow in the immediate area around them seemed to be pushed away upon collision from their sheer force.

"Okay, so you're pretty real." The man grunted before swinging his sword around in the other direction, coming a full 360 degrees and bringing it to strike on the other side. Once more, Shadanori's zanbato came up to block it. Immediately, Hidenori pulled his zanbato up, raising it into the air before bringing it down as hard as he could onto his inverted self. The snow around them shot up from the impact, and the two were obscured from sight momentarily. Hidenori grinned, thinking that he won, but that smile quickly faded when the snow dissipated, and his shadow self was standing there with his zanbato, seemingly unmoved from the force whatsoever. "Is your heart really in this, Hidenori?" The mimic barked at him, and with one swift motion of his weapon, he pushed Hidenori off of him and sent him flying back into the snow on his back.

"What do you mean...? Of course it is, I wield my blade for Kenshin!" Hidenori jumped back to his feet, charging again. His blade was forward, and he sent a great thrust towards his doppleganger. It was parried, and the enemy's hilt was sent into his stomach. As he reared over from the pain, the shadow spun and sent the flat of his blade into Hidenori, striking him hard and sending him back again.

"Stop lying to yourself." He pointed his blade at Hidenori as the man lay on the ground, looking up at him. "Your silly demeanor. Your constant need to run. Your blind servitude to your lord. Do you even know what you're running from anymore?" He raised his sword up high, bringing it down at Hidenori. The man quickly blocked with his own zanbato, the blades extremely close to his face and his hands shaking to keep the phantom from overpowering him. "Not a day goes by where you're truly happy. It's all a lie. You can't help but think about your failure fifteen years ago."

Sending his foot up, Hidenori kicked the phantom in the stomach, pushing upwards on his weapon to get him off of him. "Shut up!" He climbed back to his feet, swinging at the phantom again. Once more, the blow was blocked. "You were too weak to save your mother, who died in front of you. You were too weak to protect your brother, who you abandoned when you ran away from home that night. And you're too weak to defeat me, the only one who knows how truly weak you are." Pushing against Hidenori and swinging his blade, the man was sent back, sliding along the ground as he landed on his feet, looking upon his shadow.

Gripping his blade tightly, Hidenori realized that brute force wouldn't work here. But right now, all he wanted to do was smash this guy to pieces. "I..." His hands began to shake. "I was too weak to protect my mother... and in my own cowardice, I did run away, leaving Haji behind... I was always too scared to go back home for fear of not being able to face my sins..."

The phantom began to walk towards Hidenori. "You won't be able to protect anyone. You'll always be too weak. You've lost everything. And one day, you'll fail to protect Lord Kenshin too."

The tall man looked up at his phantom, gritting his teeth. "No! Kenshin took me in even after my failure, and raised me like his own son! He gave me a second chance... and I will give my life and soul to protect him!" He charged at his phantom, swinging his blade with a vigor he didn't possess previously. "I'll never be able to right the wrongs of the past, but I can still fulfill the wishes of my mother! I can still grow strong enough to protect those I care about!" His next blow had knocked the zanbato straight from the phantom's hands, and with one final slash, Hidenori had cleaved straight through his torso, his blade stopping in midair afterwards as the phantom and several of the onlookers looked shocked.

"And one day... I'll find Haji, and I'll tell him that I'm sorry."

The phantom smiled as he faded away, sword and all. Hidenori was left standing there alone, a little bruised and beaten, but he began to realize the point of this exercise. Sheathing his sword, he felt as though some of the burden that was weighing him down had disappeared. But there was still much more he had to do. Having passed the trial, he would step aside to allow the next competitor.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

(So this is going to be mostly dialogue because... yeah. You'll see. >.>;)

By this point, powers shouldn't have been too surprising for the woman, and yet she was taken a bit aback when a light appeared in the center of her chest. She was far too wary by nature to take anything like that without at least some nervousness. It moved and turned into... her?

Katsumi saw what seemed to be her doppelganger, and this immediately unsettled the girl, and she glanced about nervously. She didn't like this. Whatsoever. Seeing the other trials, Katsumi grew more and more fearful, and she swallowed roughly when it was her turn.

Inhaling slowly, Katsumi bit down on her bottom lip and stepped forward, and the phantom tilted her head and stared at Katsumi. There was a knowing in her eyes. At the exhale, Katsumi suddenly ran to the side, and focused and moved her hands. A gust of wind brought her up and Kat jumped, and she made her way away from the group of people, and the doppelganger did the same. Just to make it seem a bit more convincing and not like she was just trying to get away, Katsumi fired shots, none that would actually hit. The action was mirrored. After a couple of jumps and gliding, Katsumi stopped when she was further in the clearing, out of earshot. And, no surprise the other halted as well, and all fires stopped.

Kat stared at her mirror image and quirked her brows, expression serious. "So how are we supposed to do this? Fight?"

"Is that really what you want to do?" inquired the doppelganger, tilting her head.

"... No."

"I didn't think so. That's not really our style. It's not what needs to be done. Not for us."

Katsumi didn't say anything in response, simply staring at her phantom. There was a long silence and the mirror image sighed and looked back towards the others.
"Hiding per usual."

"So? Maybe some people will accept what I am, but... not everyone. There's too much danger being a woman."

The phantom rolled her eyes and turned back towards Katsumi, saying almost disapprovingly, "I'm you. You don't think I know that? But that's not really what the problem is. That's not what I'm talking about."

Kat's eyes narrowed a little, feeling a bit annoyed. What was this phantom going on about? With a small growl, Katsumi inquired, wanting the doppelganger to get to the point already, "What are you talking about then?"

Brows arching up, she went on to say, "Oh, I think you know."

The irritation only grew and her hand on the bow tightened. "How about... you freaking enlighten me already? Isn't that the whole point of this exercise?"

Her expression told the image to just do her job already, and the phantom's expression grew somber. With a sigh, it said, "You're hiding from yourself."

Now it was time for Kat to roll her eyes and she took a step back, turning away from the phantom. She scoffed, "Please."

"No. You are," the phantom snapped, stepping forward. Her eyes narrowed and she said like a sharp jab, "After all of that talk with Haji-kun and you are still bullshitting yourself. Each and every day. It's fucking pathetic."

Katsumi felt the jab and whipped her head around to glare angrily at the phantom. She hissed, "Shut the hell up."

"All you do is lie, lie, lie."

"Stop it."

"Your physical scars cannot even compare to the internal ones. Could you be any more fucking damaged?"

Katsumi had had enough. Screw this trial. Screw this phantom and everything it was saying. Katsumi was done with this bullshit. She didn't need to hear it. Turning around, the woman brought her hand up and began to storm away. "I don't... I don't fucking need this shit."

Before she could walk forward even ten feet, the doppelganger used their musou to force Katsumi back, catching her in a whirlwind and whipping her backwards. Katsumi fell roughly onto the ground and rolled, and her hands clenched tightly into fists. Jumping up and shaking the snow out of her hair, Kat glared and, firing a single shot off, she seethed, "Fuck off!"

The phantom dodged the arrow with ease and quickly moved forward with a gust of wind, shoving Kat back and tossing the bow aside. Katsumi was about ready to get the bow back with wind, but the doppelganger made it go further away. The archer stomped forward towards the phantom, getting in her face and growling loudly, "WHAT?!"

The other's eyes were dark and she said considerably more calmly in comparison to Kat's exclamation, "You aren't getting off that easily."

Kat's anger and the doppelganger not wanting Katsumi to leave, there was suddenly a whirlwind trapping them together. The archer simply glared angrily at the phantom, breathing heavily, breath shaky. The glistening in her eyes was telling the phantom to go on already.

Staring hardly at Katsumi, she went on to say, "Have you really accepted yourself? For everything you have done?"

Clenching her fists, Katsumi turned her head and spat back, snow and wind whirling around the two of them, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The phantom's eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about. Killing good ol' Father. Oh, you did what you had to for us, finally taking out that son of a bitch and getting away from it all, and yet... and yet you still can't be happy."

Katsumi's brows furrowed and she shook her head. No, that wasn't true. She was happy. Of course she was! Kat had Haji, she had friends. Maybe she didn't show it conventionally, but... but she really was joyful. For the first time in her life. Right...?

"I am too happy!”

Again, the phantom rolled her eyes. “You're not really happy, because you won't let us be. Because you can't get past the fact that we were never loved from the start. That ever since we were born, Father hated us. That no matter how hard you tried, that never changed. He never accepted us, even at the end when you... you proved stronger than him. And so you hate yourself. Nothing you do is ever good enough, and it will never be."

Kat's bottom lip trembled and she stumbled back, whimpering. Everything hit so close to home and tore straight through her soul. It was so horrible to hear, so hard, and tears fell down her cool cheeks. She didn't even have a response, and the phantom rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Pff. Pathetic, per usual."

No, Katsumi couldn't hear this. She simply couldn't bear it. Shaking her head and hands raising up, gripping at her hair, the archer muttered, voice slowly getting louder, "Shutupshutupshutup stop talking!"

But the phantom didn't stop. No, she kept going, grinding the truth right into Kat. "Father... Father will never be dead because you keep him alive with all of your self-loathing."

Katsumi whimpered at the last word, flinching, and whispered, shaking her head more slowly now, taking another small step back, "Wha... no, I... I don-"

"You can't lie to me... us. You took him out and yet he still controls you and everything you do. Father hated us because of what we are, that we weren't the son he wanted because of mother dying. We weren't worth her life because we are a woman. And you share his own hatred for us because of that. Even with everyone else coming into our lives now, you still hate yourself... us."

Kat's voice grew quieter and the woman felt as though she was shrinking down, breaking. "N... No... I... I don't..."

The phantom seemed to only get bigger and more intimidating. It took another step forward, closing in. "You don't appreciate them because can't appreciate yourself. You still let Father run your life. Every single thing you do, every part of who you are, is still controlled by him."

"But.... But I have Haji. I.... I h-have friends."

"You still hide yourself."

"Because... Because I have to!" exclaimed the woman, trying to clutch that thin thread to save her from tumbling into an abyss of despair. But the phantom brushed it aside and had Katsumi continue to fall.

"Because you hate yourself," said the phantom. Going right up to Katsumi, her face was within inches of Kat's. Her eyes stared impassively at Katsumi, coldly. "You may as well be dead. You are an empty husk of a person. Who even are you? Are you Katsumi or Hiroshi?"

The archer's eyes widened and she swallowed hardly. "Wha... I... I'm Katsu-"

"Who even is Katsumi?" interrupted the doppelganger. When Katsumi peered up and matched the phantom's gaze, more tears slipping down cheeks, she continued, "No. You aren't Katsumi. You just act like the boy Daddy wanted us to be, but you can't even do that right. ... Scum."

And that was a direct shot into the heart, and it shattered, crumbling into tiny pieces. Kat's throat tightened and the core of her chest ached terribly with a sharp pain, stomach twisting and churning. Clenching her eyes shut, Katsumi screamed, face wet with tears, "STOP IT! STOP! SHUT THE HELL UP!"

The doppelganger stared down at Katsumi with an incriminating expression. "None of the others mean shit because you'll never let anybody in. Not fully. Because you can't even bear to look at yourself. Because you hate yourself."

Katsumi kept whispered the word no, breathing that it wasn't true, and the phantom stepped closer, leaning in and saying softly in Kat's ear, "You'll never amount to anything because you can't even amount to yourself."

She couldn't stand anymore, crying out in agonizing pain, and Katsumi dropped to her knees. Crying turned into weeping, and grew more intense. Never had Katsumi felt so overwhelmed with grief, and being dead inside would have been preferable right then. Nothing had ever been so painful in her entire life. Katsumi hunched over and hid her face, tears slipping through her fingers.

The phantom simply stood there, staring down at Katsumi as she cried and cried, and she wasn't sure how much time had passed, whirlwind only growing stronger. Katsumi didn't want to keep going, wanted to die right there, and she leaned forward enough to wear the hands on her face touched the snow-covered ground. It was a struggle to breathe and Katsumi gasped and wept.

"Just... Just k-kill me... please..."

The phantom's eyes narrowed and it sighed, removing its own bow. Stepping forward, mirror Katsumi took aim at Kat's head, as she whimpered. Oh, how she wanted to die after working so hard to survive, to finally just quit but... Haji came to mind. What would he do if she died here? She was his reason for fighting and working on getting stronger, and... that night came to mind and Kat swallowed. Hadn't she said he was basically her reason to keep living now that she wasn't alone? That now she didn't just survive for survival's sake?

Katsumi... she couldn't just die now. Despite all of this pain, there was a reason to keep going. Multiple reasons, and it had all been said that night and on others with her lover. Everything the phantom said... it was wrong. Maybe it was once right, but it held no truth anymore. She wouldn't let it.

Hand raising up, Katsumi gripped the bow. "No..."

Slowly bringing herself up, Katsumi sniffled and sat up. Her eyes were red, but she stared right at the phantom. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she went, "I may... I may not know who I am, but.... but I'm finding myself. I will find myself, and I will be happy. I... I am happy. I... I have Haji and I have my friends, and Father... that son of a bitch is gone."

Swallowing, Kat's brows knit and she bit down on her bottom lip before exclaiming, vigor in her dark eyes again, after only moments before holding death, praying for it, "Father was wrong! I... I am worth something. I shouldn't... I shouldn't hate myself. Life is more than just surviving. I am loved, and... and I deserve it. I'm not scum or simply some burden. I matter, and... and I'll be damned if anyone tries to say otherwise!"

At the end, Katsumi's fist pounded onto the ground and, while physically below the phantom as she knelt down, her spirit, her heart was soaring far above. There was no wavering or uncertainty. Katsumi meant every word and she stared right into phantom Katsumi's eyes. And, after several moments passed, a smile spread across the doppelganger's lips.

"Then start acting like it."

Kat's eyes widened sharply and her head jerked back a bit in surprise. That was not what Katsumi expected to hear whatsoever, and she was entirely dumbfounded. The phantom figure proceeded to kneel down to get at Kat's level and cupped her cheek. Her smile only grew wider and her thumb stroked Kat's flesh, tilting her head as she gazed at Katsumi.

"Finally accept yourself and stop hiding, Katsumi."

The phantom stood up and stepped back, beginning to fade, and just before she disappeared, mirror Katsumi said softly whilst beaming, "Smile."

And then the doppelganger disappeared and the whirlwind entirely stopped, snow falling onto the ground and on Katsumi. Her gaze fell to the ground, searching, and she blinked back the tears. Raising up a hand, the woman wiped the remaining tears off of her face.

The physical appearance wasn't the real lie. Not the damaging or important one. All along Katsumi had been lying to herself, hating herself when she had no reason to do so. Katsumi said she was happy but held onto so many of the negative feelings from her Father and, consequently, her own self, that she couldn't quite be there as she should have been. But Kat pretended like she was, lying to herself and others that she cared about. She needed to be honest with herself and, most of all, finally truly accept and love herself. While maybe she wasn't one-hundred percent there, Katsumi at least recognized it now and was well on her way. Maybe soon, she would be able to smile like the phantom had, so brightly and filled with warmth.

A few tears slipping down, the corners of her lips twitched and there was a small smile there. It was faint, but it was still there and quite genuine. She wanted to see Haji. She wanted to say that she was finally ready to be happy. Really, truly happy. For it to be beyond simple words. That she could finally accept herself.

Katsumi stood up and brushed off the snow on her petite figure. Wiping away at the tears, the woman headed back towards the group, resolution clear within her shimmering, glassy hues. And it remained as she merged back with the main group, an unfamiliar and rare confidence radiating from her.

While it had been a bumpy ride and she nearly died, both in the inside and physically, Katsumi passed, and she couldn't have been more pleased. Looking over at Kenshin, her eyes smiled at him and her respect for the God of War only proved to skyrocket. She may have been a merc, but... Kat felt that she could serve this man and fight for him.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Hidenori had passed, although Kenshin could see the doubts that plagued his mind and actions. The man, the one he saw as a son, had managed to overcome those feelings, and wield his blade more true to himself, and Kenshin smiled at Hidenori's growing resolve.

He watched in amusement at the beginning of Katsumi's trial, realizing how much further ahead she was than the rest of the ones who came here to be tested. He watched intently as the two grew further in distance, out of earshot. It escalated, and Katsumi ended up on the ground, her shadow ready to execute her. Aya was about to dispel the incantation and call the phantom off to save her life, but Kenshin raised his hand to stop her. "No, keep watching... she isn't out for the count." And as expected, Katsumi had gotten up and overcame herself, she too had passed, at the skin of her teeth. He would keep an eye on her, she would prove most promising.

Kanetsugu stepped up next, beginning to speak.

"Your next trial should be a simpler one... all you have to do is cross this line by my feet." He pulled out his sword, slicing along the ground to great a long, visible line.

The recruits lined up, seeming relieved by this much simpler task, and one at a time, they would run towards Kanetsugu. As soon as they came halfway, however, he threw three talismans into the air, and a great force began to push down on the man. The waves came in alternating turns, the first wave would push down on the person hard, the second would attempt to fling them backwards, and the third would come from either side, making them feel as if they were crushed. Kanetsugu's talismans were weighing heavily down upon the man, and he and many others found themselves unable to get through across the line. Very few would make it.

"You'll find, it's not as simple as you might think. How many of you are willing to push your body this far?"

[Morei Hidenori]

Hidenori looked at Katsumi, realizing how much of a toll her situation must've taken on her. Judging from her state alone, she probably had many more demons than he himself had, and he couldn't even fathom what had happened in her life. He went up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder before stepping up to undergo Kanetsugu's trial.

He gulped, seeing what the people before him had to deal with, but he steeled his nerves regardless. He had something to prove to Kenshin, and to himself. He was going to do his absolute best to make it through this. He drew his zanbato from its sheathe and tossed the large scabbard aside, taking a deep breath.

"Alright, here goes..."

He took off in a sprint towards Kanetsugu, planning to cover as much ground as he possibly could before the talismans took effect. Before he knew what was going on, he felt a terrible weight on his shoulders, slamming into the ground. He gritted his teeth, trying to push himself up, the weight really heavy on his entire body. He felt like he was made of lead, and he started to sweat.

"Argh... I'm not... going to..."

He started to push himself up to his feet, utilizing all of the strength he could possibly muster, getting up enough to use his sword as a support. Panting heavily and grunting from the pain, he started to trek forward, slowly, painfully, supporting himself from falling with the zanbato.

"I'm not... going to fail..."

And then came the second wave of energy, and Hidenori felt himself being pushed back. With a shout, he stabbed his zanbato deep into the ground to keep himself from being blown away. His feet skidded along the ground slowly as he found himself being pushed back. The force against his body was unbearable, it felt like it would break him for resisting it, but he knew he had to endure this force. Even if it broke him, Hidenori knew he had to pass this test. He didn't want all the years that Kenshin spent on him to be a waste. He couldn't let that happen. And if he couldn't pass this, how could he ever face his brother?

Even though it felt like knives tearing away at him, Hidenori continued to push forward, and somehow, he found himself pressing on. He found himself moving towards Kanetsugu. Somehow, he was beating this.

And then came the crushing, and Hidenori yelled, falling to the ground as it felt like his body was being compressed. His zanbato slipped out of his grasp as he curled up in a ball on the ground, screaming. He wanted it to stop, he wanted it to go away. He just wanted it to end, but he knew he couldn't stop. Groaning in pain, Hidenori began to crawl along the ground to Kanetsugu, every second felt like an agonizing death, but the sooner he made it through, the sooner this would be over. That was what he felt. And he continued along, grabbing onto the snow-covered ground as he crawled, pulling his body forward as much as he could, shutting his eyes from the pain.

He didn't know how long he had been enduring that pain, but he soon felt all of the weight just suddenly dissipate. Panting heavily, he opened his eyes to find that he had passed the line on the ground that Kanetsugu had drawn.

"I... I... I did it...!!!"

Tiredly, Hidenori pushed himself up to his feet, panting and sweating despite the cold, and he lifted his arms in victory. "I did it, Kenshin!" He turned around to look at Katsumi, "I did it Kaaaaa... Hiro! Haha! WOOO!"

He cheered, running along to grab his zanbato before waiting on the sidelines.

[Mikhael]

[OoC: Doing all of 'em together, so bear with me here.]

As Lord Kenshin finished speaking, Mikhael stood to his feet in preparation. He took a spear in his hands, deciding it was better to block thrown weapons with one of those than his fists. His eyes fell to the man, Hidenori, as he comically proceeded through the trial, and he watched as the numbers dwindled like nothing. So few were capable of cutting through the trial it made Mikhael doubt himself for a moment, but he knew that he was more that competent enough.

Taking his stance, Mikhael would be one of the last to proceed, after many who failed before himself. Given he was so large and heavy, dodging would not be his ideal tactic. Instead, he held his spear firmly in his hands, ready for the attacks to come.

As the first blade flew through the air, Mikhael struck it down with the spear and it cut through the snow just before his feet. The blades whipped swiftly through the air, but he was always quick enough to strike them down and prevent them from actually reaching him. They began to grow in number and speed, as was expected, and he found it harder and harder to keep up, even his trained eye failing to match their speed at times. Though, he swung his spear around him wildly yet in a manner reformed enough he did not look a fool. By the end of the first trial, all of the weapons lay around him, in the snow.

[Mikhael]

The thought of "facing your demons" was something that made Mikhael raise an eyebrow. He wasn't entirely sure of the capabilities of the officers in this army, and yet, he saw another version of himself manifesting before his very eyes. He was admittedly taken aback, though he did not show it, not even for a second. The "him" he was looking at, it was not Mikhael of Echigo. This doppelganger was Mikhael Mihaelov, a lingering memory of the family Mikhael loved and left behind. And that almost made him sick.

"So this is what the Uesugi are capable of..." he began, sighing as he held his fists up in front of himself. The other him mirrored his movements, though he did so with a fervor he had not seen or felt in a long time. They charged each other, fists being sent forward with equal speed and strength, knuckles colliding with each other so that neither giant gained an advantage over each other. Betraying Mikhael's own demeanor, the shadow of himself spoke tauntingly. "/You are a cur! You betrayed your family like a dog! The Uesugi only accept you out of pity!/"

He halted for a moment from the sting of those words, just long enough for his shadow to get a powerful punch in on his cheek, causing him to stumble back just a little. His eyes seemed filled with anger, however, as that was all he needed to come to the realization that the man before him was not him. Never would he speak that way, and he knew himself and that he was no dog. He did what he did out of goodwill and kindness, not because he sought to fight family for the hell of it.

With a roar of might unmatched by any man or woman here, he charged his shadow, striking it in the trachea and slamming it into the floor. He sat atop it, pinning it, and unleashed a barrage of punches for its face over and over. "/Do not speak as if you are me! You know nothing of my pain, regardless of where you come from! If you were truly a phantasm of my own, you would know that my demons have drowned long ago!/"[/b] He shouted, almost betraying his own typical demeanor. And, with a single, final, heavy strike, he slammed both fists on top of the shadow and it dissipated beneath him.

Grunting, Mikhael stood to his feet. Now that he knew what the Uesugi were capable of, he held a sort of fear in his heart. Though, he felt like any who fell to their "demons" were not worthy warriors in the slightest. He'd spent years conquering his own, and he was not going back on that progress in a single moment.

[Mikhael]

As soon as the third trial began, Mikhael watched intently. That Hidenori was the first he saw make it through, and he was thoroughly excited. His enthusiasm may have poured over into Mikhael's own thought process, as he sought to get this over with quickly. He would wait his turn much like everyone else, only he did so anxiously, and eager.

As soon as it was Mikhael's turn, he made a mad dash toward Kanetsugu. Watching everyone else in their run, he memorized where the weight would fall, and he lowered his body just as it came. Crashing into him, the weight caused Mikhael to fall almost face-first to the floor, though he used his powerful legs to keep himself upright, moving forward but low. Seconds alone felt like hours under this incredible weight, and he was sweating bullets in no time. Though, he could not fail. He would not let himself fail here, not when he'd come so far already.

As the second wave came, Mikhael was pushed back, but not by much. Here, his size helped him, and he pushed through the wave almost easily, continuing his charge. The third wave came in not long after, however, and rammed into his sides, and he could not help but fall to the ground. It was as though he was being crushed, and even a man as large as himself would find difficulty wading through this without effort.

"/D... damn it...!/"

With a roar, he forced himself to his feet, feeling every muscle cry out for relief as he did. He was so close now, he couldn't let himself fall here. Using all of the strength he could muster, Mikhael would force himself past the "finish," and in doing so, he wanted to fall to the floor and rest. He chose to show no weakness, however, and forced himself into a standing position. His body ached uncontrollably and he was sweating like a pig, but he did it. He completed all of the trials so far.

[Shinomori Katsumi]

The second trial wiped out Katsumi, the emotional trial especially heavy for her. And so the woman sat on the ground and rested as the others proceeded through the third trial. She watched carefully for a while, observing what the others did. Her dark eyes switched from the men, Kanetsugu, and the totems floating in the air. After some time, a plan formulated in her head and the woman closed her eyes, resting and meditating until everyone finished.

The archer was the last to go, opting to be, and opened her eyes when it was her turn. Inhaling deeply, Katsumi picked herself up and walked forward. She stared silently at Kanetsugu before glancing up at the totems. Removing the bow from her back, she pulled back the string and fire repeatedly with great haste at all of the totems. There seemed to be little effect and they remained in the air.

"Hmm..." Putting the demon bow on her back, Katsumi lifted her hand up. Her expression was unreadable. "Please... wait a moment, Kanetsugu-san."

The woman made her way towards the edge of the treeline, where snow covered boulders and trees stood. She blinked as she gazed at them, stopping when about halfway from the trial and the trees. Katsumi turned towards the group of people.

"I suggest... moving back... a lot," called out the woman, voice steady, calm.

Katsumi closed her eyes in order to concentrate, focusing on her breathing. The wind began to pick up, and she stood still, hands clasped together. She could practically feel her spirit pulsing and the wind grew stronger. A large, powerful whirlwind formed behind the woman, brown locks tied back in a ponytail whipping about her face. The trees groaned and several were ripped from their roots, swirling around and around. Even a couple of the boulders lifted up in the air, and they all gained momentum.

Sweat beaded down her brow, slipping across her cool flesh, as she made it stronger, causing the objects to fly around faster. Katsumi clenched her teeth, furrowing her brows, and eventually the woman snapped open her eyes, releasing a cry. As she shot her hands forward, palms open, the whirlwind catapulted the trees and boulder... right towards the totems.

Unlike the spirit arrows, these seemed to do the trick.

They were knocked clean out of the air and likely demolished the poor things, and as soon as they were taken down, the whirlwind died down and Katsumi bent over, hands on her knees as she panted. The previous trial had taken so much out of her that this task was a lot more difficult than it normally would have been. And so she also wanted to ensure there was enough power to where it would actually be effective and do what she wanted.

After catching her breath, Katsumi stood up tall and walked forward, going back to the men, and moved with ease where the others had not. Upon crossing the line with no difficulties, she turned towards the gaping Kanetsugu and pursed her lips.

"... It still counts, right?" she inquired softly, glancing over at Lord Kenshin and back to the man with uncertainty. Technically, all he said was to cross the line and she did lol...