'Gui Gui!' Aaron called out excitedly, running through the halls, looking everywhere for her.

'Aaron, I'm here,' Gui Gui panted, having run after him immediately after recovering from her shock at his amazing learning ability. 'You have conquered the poles?' she asked, although she already knew the answer.

'Yes, how did you know?' Aaron asked curiously, looking at her in amazement. a mysterious smile played on Gui Gui's lips and she led the way to the training room. 

'From now, you will train solely on this rope until you have mastered the element of air. Be aware that after such training, your steps should be much lighter,' Gui Gui instructed, her tone suddenly serious. Aaron nodded gravely and then stared in shock as she suddenly giggled. 'As of now, your steps are as heavy as an elephant's.Eheheheh,' Gui Gui said between laughter. Aaron rolled her eyes at her before looking at the rope above him.  It seemed so far out of reach. A familiar nervousness overwhelmed him yet again. Here he was, expected to do another almost impossible feat. He sighed as he gazed up at the rope suspended 8 metres above him. Taking in a deep breath, Aaron allowed the now familiar calm to flow through him before he attempted the course. 

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Aaron had just entered the training room for his daily night training. However, he could not see Gui Gui anywhere. He roamed the large room in search for her but to no avail. 'Maybe she's just late,' he thought, walking over to the rope course to practice what Gui Gui had thought him the day before. 

'Aaron,' a voice called. Aaron turned around to face the one who had spoken and saw Jade smiling widely at him. 'Gui Gui has her hands full tonight, so I'll be teaching you for the night. Is that okay?' she asked, the smile never leaving her face. But somehow Aaron knew she was troubled. Perhaps it was the way her smile never reached her eyes. 

'Sure,' Aaron replied. He trusted Jade, especially since she was Gui Gui's best friend. 

'Then, lets practice,' Jade said before instructing Aaron . 

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Gui Gui stealthed through the city silently, much more silently than should have been possible. However, it was possible for her as with her tremendous skills, not many things were impossible to accomplish. Many would think that such skill was a delight to have, much more would yearn for the privilege to own them but right now, Gui Gui wished she didn't have the impressive martial arts skills that she owned. In fact, she wished that she had never learnt martial arts at all. It was all because of her gift in the ninja arts that she was now faced with yet another horrible task that she had accomplished so many times before. Yes, she had gone through the same thing so many times now, but that didn't mean she was immune to it. She detested the inhumane tasks that she had been set to carry out, but what choice did she have?  She continued running, making her way to her destination.  That night, her mission was to assassinate the master of the Endo household, Endo Ichiko.  Rumour had it that Ichiko was planning an attack on the ninja palace and the ninja king was not taking the risk, lest the rumour be true. So here she was,  on the order of her king, an order that she could not disobey. She sighed as she jumped across the gap that separated the rooftop she was on from the next. Standing high above the rest of Japan, she could clearly see the huge mansion size residence of the influential Endo Ichiko.  She had reached her destination and., leaping over th edge of the roof to land on the ground, she approached it with apparent dread. 

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Aaron set up in bed. Crying.  He heard crying. It sounded distant but yet near. Perhaps it was because of the special walls of the room he was in.He strained his ears to hear the sound clearer, to catch any whisper of the sound. He heard it again, sounding louder than it had been a moment before. It sounded pitiful,  so utterly tragic and sad. Someone was definitely crying. But it was already 5 a.m in the morning. Who would be awake, much less crying, at this time of the day? Curious, he crept out of bed, taking light steps towards the sounds of sobbing.  

The doorway was dark, dimly lit by a single beam of moonlight shining in from the window. As Aaron walked down it, he could see a figure in a distance. As he got closer, he found, to his utmost surprise, that he recognised the figure.  'Gui Gui?' he asked, blinking several times to make sure that  his eyes were deceiving him. His inquiries were answered by sniffles as Gui Gui tried to stifle her tears.  She was sitted on the ground, her back against the wall and her knees drawn up to her. Her arms were around her and her head was buried in her knees. She sniffed, hurriedly wiping the tears away from her face. 

'I..I killed again...' Gui Gui thought.'I killed Endo Ichiko...I...' She could not help it but tears flowed down her cheeks in waves once again, despite her greatest efforts. The fountain of tears in her had let loose and now she cried harder than ever before, her sobs uncontrollable. She could not face herself. She had taken the life of yet another.

'Gui Gui, are you okay?' Aaron asked, concern lining his every feature. He was sure the figure was Gui Gui now. None other had that soft gentle look about her and none other than her could cry and still look beautiful. But why was she crying? What had happened? His heart ached for her and he suddenly wanted soo much to carry the burden for her. With a pained look on his face, he knelt beside her sobbing and now shaking self. He saw her trembling, her despair and knew that the best thing he could give her now was comfort.  Wrapping his arms around her, he whispered soothingly, comfortingly into her hair. 'It's okay, Gui Gui. Everything will be okay.'

Gui Gui let herself relax in those safe arms of his. Slowly her sobs ceased and her breathing became silent. She let her discomfort, her guilt, momentarily wash away but she knew that they would never really disappear. They would leave a mark in her life for as long as she lived. They would never disappear but she knew such thoughts would not help her now. She let herself be comforted by Aaron's soft words of assurance. However, she knew that none of it was true. Nothing would ever be okay.

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