At the community center, there was an informal competition going on. In fact, it would happen about once a week, a number of people who practiced the art of fencing in an amateur capacity would come together and spar with each other along with a 'for fun' competition among each other with the intent of developing their skills. While officially it was 'for fun', the competitors would go at each other intensely, the sounds of vigorous parries and ripostes audible throughout the gym. A number of spectators would always watch with interest, the steel clashes and flowing of the matches almost mesmerizing.

It was a known fact that the swordplay art of choice in Japan was usually some form of Kendo, so that thsoe who wanted to try the more European approach had to rely on more informal sessions such as this. Some of the more exotic colleges and private schools offer more depth, though usually in those kinds of institutions you can expect to find many non-conventional paths there. On rare occasion, a recruiter from one such academy would be present, usually blending in with the crowd and making their presence less than obvious.

Tonight there were open signups for the fencing group. About fourteen individuals in protective gear practiced, sparred, and joked about in one of the larger and vacant rooms in the community center. In other sections there was a gym and a daycare for other clients to make use of. Signups were publicly known for the various clubs and activities offered at the center, most free of charge.

Keitha was absolutely buzzing with joy, which was out of the norm for her. Yes she was a joker and she laughed a lot, especially now that she was starting to get used to her new home. (The earrings helped immensely). But to be over brimming with happiness to where she was smiling like a lunatic was completely unheard of. The reason being though was understandable, she had finally found a place to fence. She had been searching like crazy ever since she arrived in Japan and when she saw the flyer on the billboard at school for small fencing competition at eh community center, she cleared her schedule of everything, unless of course she had do something in her Sailor Senshi form, which she prayed would not happen.

She arrived at the community center just in time for signups. She hadn't worn anything fancy, just some black jogging pants, a black sweater, and regular converse wit her long hair tied up in a pony tail. She had a duffle bag slung over one shoulder that held her fencing suit and foil. They weren't very fancy either, but hey they worked.

Keitha walked strait forward to the sign up booth that said fencing and signed up. She was given her number and was told to feel free to go ahead and change and that each duel would be called by number. She nodded and said her thanks, turning to head for the nearest ladies room to change.

The signups would go without a hitch, even with a remark that the fencing group would be glad to have another new participant in their events. The ladies room that Keitha needed would be readily accessible and fortunately completely empty to avoid any potentially awkward experiences as random public locker rooms may be known to cause on occasion. In the fencing room, there were four pairs already vigorously battling each other, while a few people lingered about on the sidelines talking. A man with blue hair and in full dress was practicing on a dummy, using a very smooth and graceful strike pattern but getting his foil stuck on occasion.

An instructor looking individual with a clipboard was going over the roster, looking about for the unfamiliar name that might be in the room. Another pair was talking just loud enough Keitha might overhear

"Did you hear that there are some weird kids running around town beating up monsters?"

"That's stupid, you must be watching too much anime again.."


Keitha would be able to do as she wished in the room once she was equipped in her body suit. She could check in with the various people or try to make some new contacts, or even challenge others to a duel to polish her skills.

After Keitha changed into her fencing uniform and entered the fencing room she stowed her bag in a nearby corner. Grabbing her mask she held it under her left arm and side while taking hold of her foil in her hand, she walked up to one of the instructors and asked them what she should do. They told her to feel free to do whatever she wished, from practicing on a dummy or to just practicing with another person.

Keitha decided before dueling with anyone that it would be best to practice on a dummy first to warm up considering she didn't know anyone. One her way over to the dummies she overheard some people talking about weird kids running around fighting monsters. She grimaced, she was one of those weird kids running around fighting monsters in weird outfits, that yes looked like some clothing that they put on those cartoon characters in those shows she had seen here and there. She sighed, glad that she had the secret identity of Sailor Jupiter, no one recognized her.

Shaking her head she reminded herself that she was here to fence and have fun, no Sailor Senshi business. Even if she did just get through running around fighting one of those said monsters. The energy spell Nazo had cast was still in effect and Keitha was planning on kicking some serious booty.

She set her mask atop a dummy that was two down away from Jan. She hadn't really noticed anyone yet because she had been off in La-La Senshi Land, so she didn't pay him any mind. She took a deep breath bring the foil in a strait line in front of her body centering herself. Then in a quick fluid motion she transferred into her battle stance and started swinging the heck out of the dummy showing it no mercy. She wasn't really pulverizing it, but it had been a while since she had been in an actual fencing duel and not some combat covenant killing spree. That was her only excuse besides the fact that the dummy and the people dueling were not monsters and she should probably not be as harsh or rough with them, especially since it wasn't life or death combat.

As Keitha began to pummel the bag, the bag would begin to buckle a little under her fierce strikes. A few of the others paused to watch Keitha, impressed by the energy and form that the new member of the fencing group was putting out in exercise. However it is clear to those on the opposite side of the bag that the age of the item was starting to give way, plus the trace amount of time magic from Nazo's intervention earlier caused trace amounts of decay: nothing noticeable to healthy objects of people, but to something that was also getting hit hard...

The bag chain begins to sway and creak a little, perhaps not noticeable under the weight and sound of metal clashing and whaps against the bag. It would sway a little, and begin to creak dangerously close to falling over in the direction it is hit in. Finally, after the nineteenth strike by Keitha, the bag snaps off the chain and launches opposite the direction of Keitha. The bag swiftly flies into the direction of the blue haired man momentum almost sure to clobber the individual.

But he sidesteps it easily: it was approaching him from behind and there's no way he could have seen it, but he walked just far enough out of the way that it missed him, landing on an open space below. The male looks at the bag, then back at Keitha, smirking slightly.

"Impressive strength." he compliments. Meanwhile, a few others stared at Keitha, while the instructor sighed a little, walking over to the scene and looking at the chain that held the bag up.

"...I told them they needed to replace this thing...sorry about that, the adminisrator hates spending any more than he has to, he pulls the usual 'budget and timeline' crap and said we had another six months...that doesn't change the fact that he said six months six months ago..." he grumbles, moving to roll the bag out of the center of the floor.

Meanwhile, the blue haired man looks at the instructor and walks over to assist him, chuckling slightly.

"Is it a cost thing? I believe I can help with that. When you're done with that, just speak with me afterward."

"Ah Kaneko-san...it's quite alright. The administrator will have to buy a new one..."

"A cheap, low quality thing most likely. My interest in this club has been raised" he says, momentarily looking at Keitha before focusing back on the task. "I will provide entirely new gear." he says, while the instructor shrugged and gave up: it sounded like he wasn't going to be dissuaded from this.

As the bag is shoved out of the way, the instructor looks back at everyone else.

"Hey is this really something worth stopping for? Back to your practice" he says with a smile before returning to his post and helping a pair of small children learn the fundamental fencing techniques.

As Keitha attacked the bad she hadn't realized just how hard she was hitting it until it flew off in the opposite direction. She gasped, "Oi watch out!" As she said this the man stepped out of the way just in time. "Wha? Ya ave the reflexes of Super Man or somthin? I don even move tha fast." Keitha was found to be even more complex when the man said he would buy all new equipment and blushed as red as her as she realize she didn't just make the dummy go sailing, she broke. She sighed scratching her forehead, momentarily irritated with herself. She had caused a scene and broken something, when she thought about it, it wasn't that abnormal for her lately, but it still irritated her.

Keitha went over and picked up her mask that flew off the dummy when it broke. Luckily it wasn't broken, just a little dented int the net. She set it down on a nearby chair along with her foil and walked over to where the blue haired man was helping to train the kids. "Excuse me kiddos do ya mind me borrowin him for a moment?" The kids shook their heads and walked off to practice their newly understood fundamentals.

She smiled a little as they ran off, she had been about their age when she started fencing. She turned back to Jan and extended her hand, Ello mate the name's Keitha, Keitha O'malley. I jus wanted ta let ya know tha replacing tha dummy is unnecessary, I broke it, I ave ta pay fer it."

(Minor note: there is an instructor and there is the blue hair man, they are not on in the same)

The blue haired man looks up when Keitha approaches and tilts his head questioningly as she introduced herself. He extended his own hand to meet hers, moving his wrist up and down gently. When Keitha protested about him paying for the dummy, he smirks a little and shakes his head.

"Oh no, I assure you it's not a concern at all. I've been a patron of this club since it started two years ago and if anything this is the chance to repay Instructor Ishikana for the hours of entertainment he has afforded me." he says, then standing straight up and looking at the wear of the equipment that Keitha had at her, before shrugging a little.

"I've been looking for an excuse to modernize the equipment here, and the administrator has been quite irksome for the maintenance. It's clear as this club continues to grow there will be more and more wear. The things you can get at a sale online from Kyoto won't hold up for long, and who knows, the bag could fall on Miki or Shinji next time." he says referring to the two Japanese children practicing with the instructor.

"Oh, and my name is Jun Kaneko. Please do not allow my reputation to precede me in this environment. I come here to sidestep all of that for awhile." he says with a confident grin, his eyes closed before he takes a step back. The young man had a profound charm about him: his skin and hair were flawless, while his body seemed to carry the tone of a man who works our several hours a day. He took a few steps back as he then looks at the bag on the ground with a slight frown.

"Of course, now that there is only one bag left I am reluctant to continue practice on that for fear of breaking it. It's about the same age as the first one." he says, pausing and rubbing his chin.

Keitha winced, she could tell this Jan guy was rich by the way he presented himself, and obviously how he said he was planning on buying all new equipment for the club. "Look I'm real sorry about the dummy, I know ya aren't tha owner or a instructor, but I do feel incline ta say me apologies to someone." He was right that someone could get hurt, she was glad that she hadn't hurt anybody in the process.

Keitha had to admit, Jan was handsome, there wasn't any denying that, but when he said something about reputation, she snorted in amusement. "Sorry mate I'm afraid I don even know who ya are. Much less yer reputation."

She then nodded in agreement with Jan, "I'm not too keen on takin a whack at em again either, and I would ask someone fer a duel, but ah I don do so well in jus randomly goin up ta someone an askin em, 'Oi you wanna duel?'" She chuckled

"An apology for an action beyond your control is appreciated in sentiment. However you also have to keep in mind that sometimes things happen for a reason. Whether they are minor events, meetings of people, or rising to one's calling. In the long run, all the strings are tied together in the knot of life." he says, going on about one of his personal philosophies that those with a business acumen would know about from interviews and articles published in numerous magazines.

"Good then, it makes it more interesting." he says when Keitha mentioned that she hadn't heard of him. Part of the reason he was in this club on the low was to escape some of the humdrum and the annoyance of his normal life, he preferred to indulge in something that most Japanese men wouldn't think of. When Keitha mentions a duel, he smirked with a nod, as he shifted a little, turning to walk to where his own foil and mask were located.

"Well then, why don't you and I have a round?" he says, holding the foil low and at an angle, walking to a wide, open section of the room that was adequate for a spar. He put on his mask and waited for Keitha to approach, his gesture and posture dictating that she could have the first move. Inwardly, Jun smirkd with amusement at the prospect of what was to come.

Keitha nodded not really wanting to go further on about the dummy, what was done was done, she apologized, and she was still a little embarrassed about it due to the fact that she had managed to break something her first day at the club while trying to make a good impression, "You have a point." she said. She didn't understand what Jan meant by interesting, he seemed a little on the peculiar side, but she figured he did that on purpose.

Keitha smiled when he proposed a duel, with those reflexes of his she couldn't help but wonder about his dueling abilities, she even figured she might loose, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try her hardest. She walked over to where she had set her foil and helmet. Putting the helmet on she grabbed her foil and followed him over to the area and took her own stance. She gave her own gesture that meant she was ready to begin, she then stepped forward in a fluid movement and slashed her foil upward. A bold and almost predictable movement, she made it on purpose out of pure curiosity to see how Jan would react.

Jun rose his own foil to parry the initial swing. If Keitha looked between the rails, she would see that his eyes were closed. He chuckles slightly as he brushes aside the foil and takes a step back. Jun's eyes would open to meet Keitha's as he calmly assessed his opponent in this duel.

"A bold, assertive move with little subtlety. Either an aggressive style or a move to feel out one's opponent." he says, then countering Keitha's initial move with a horizontal swing that angled down forty-five degrees mid-swing aimed at the lower body, but with restrained force such that a hit wouldn't cause much impact.

Jun seemed to enjoy the engagement however, there was no need to go too vigorously or forceful yet: savoring the spar took time and buildup. The famous flurry of swing and counter would being soon enough most likely.

Keith grinned, this Jun guy was pretty good and light on his feet. He was interesting and she couldn't quite understand him, or why his eyes were closed. She narrowed her eyes in observance trying to understand, maybe it wasn't as complex as she was thinking it out to be, but none the less she could tell he was highly observant.

She chuckled, "My ya came ta tha conclusion fast eh? Well I could give ya tha answer, but I'm afraid that's give ya an unfair advantage." She said smirking a little. In doing this however she momentarily lost her focus and stepped to defend his swing almost a second too late. When she went to defend the only reason she wasn't hit was because caught the base of his blade with her own and side stepped.

She grit her teeth, she wasn't breaking a sweat yet, but she wanted to go on the offensive, but at the same time she didn't. She wasn't sure if he was wanting her to attack so he could see how she fought or not. Making her mind up she decided to go ahead and pic the in between approach to to offensive and defensive, disarming. She quickly side stepped again so she was in front of him and swung her blade to clang into his and twirled her wrist in a circular motion, hoping he tried to resit so it flew out of his hand.

Jun simply smiled in response to her quip, taking a step back once his attack was narrowly parried. He watched Keitha with interest, taking note of her facial expression, her eye movement, her muscle twitches, her shifts in posture, and her next strike. As Keitha moved to side step, Jun did the same in the opposite direction, spinning his blade to match the movements that Keitha made, spinning his own blade at the same time, not resisting the movement like some might be inclined to. Rather, he went with the flow, taking a step back and then swinging the blade hard down the line of Keitha's foil, clanging against the hilt with the spot just below the tip of the foil which might shock her from the noise or impact.

"You need to not telegraph as much. Too much setup for a disarm. If you were to act with less hesitation, then your moves on your opponents will be harder to react to." he says calmly, then taking another step back as he studied his opponent.

"You are more calculating than some might think. But too much calculation loses to impulse and practiced instinct." he says as he puts his free hand on the side of his hip while keeping his other with the foil raised, offering Keitha the next move.

A few others were watching this duel, whispering among themselves. One said that Keitha almost managed to land a hit on Kaneko, whilst another protests that assertion, indicating that Kaneko had never once before been struck.

When Jun swung and made impact with Keitha's blade she nearly dropped it to the ground, thankfully all she did was visibly flinch. She frowned gritting her teeth, she was always calm and outgoing, never really caring what other said, but she never really enjoyed being criticized over her fencing abilities, it was what she took pride in. So when Jun made his comment it irritated her, even if the advice had been constructive and not rude.

Keitha narrowed her eyes behind her hood copying Jun's gesture to signify that it was the beginning of another round of moves. After doing said gesture she lunged forward repeating her first upper cut, but this time in a more diagonal motion, to hopefully catch him under his arm, and if not that to at least startle him.

She hadn't even noticed the few onlookers, she wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings outside of the match. She wasn't angry, but she was a little miffed at his calm coolness about telling her that she over calculated. The thought of this made her want to attack again, but noticed that he was right, if she started acting irrationally like she had been just because she was being a little bratty, she would be televising each and every move, thus loosing.

Jun upon having the next attack swung at him with substantial had to quickly react to guard. He seemed to almost slip, as if Keitha's attack was on the border of penetrating his solid to this point defense. His expression grimaced behind his mask for a moment, before he chuckled under his breath and then tightened his grip on his blade.

"A little fury on that one. Vigor. What motivates that energy?" he says calmly as he then raised his foil to his shoulder level before lunging forward with a downward vertical slashing movement, intending to make a contact on Keitha's upper right chest, though the move was also telegraphed fairly if Keitha was paying enough attention.

Outside the match, a few more fencers began to gather around the others. The spar between the newcomer and the patron were of growing interest. While Jun is making his move forward, he chuckles a little more beneath his breath.

"Why don't we give them a show then? Don't hold back, show me your very best." he says provoking Keitha.