Hide and Seek

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

The soft thrum of paws against hard ground was the only sound in the peaceful silence that belonged to the outskirts of West City. Travelling at a steady pace, the sight of the city approached closer and closer. Although having trained his body to run for such far distances Supaisu's sides still quickened as he breathed slightly faster than normal as he had entertained himself by playfully chasing after a group of birds. The Ikikesan was quite comfortable in the form of a cougar, with fur as dark as his natural hair colour. He was seeking out one person out of the whole city that was before him, and that one person had left a faint energy trail for him to follow.

Supaisu had been travelling from the moment she had passed by him, though he hadn't seen her. He was quite fast for an Ikikesan, but it had still taken him two days to get from where he was before to now. That was mainly due to the fact that he was travelling at a lazy pace rather than a full out sprint across the land. He was more than eager to see Sansho as the two had been quite close before the marriage arrangement was announced. However, the guard did enjoy taking his time when there was no life danger going on and chose to do that instead.

A yawn stretched the large jaws of his cougar form before he settled down into a sitting position on the grass. Silver grey eyes looked over the faint outline of the city as if he could see for miles. Instead of straightening up to shift back into his normal body, the man settled down into a lying position with one paw over the other. His head came down to rest on said paws, his unusual eyes continuing to look at the city outline. Supaisu didn't shy away from the fact that he had sorely missed the bundle of energy known as Sansho and hoped she would at least be happy to see a friend even if they were supposed to marry.

With a great deal of ease, the Ikikesan sent out a 'call' of sorts with a flare of his energy. It was nothing big and would only register with another Ikikesan in the city, or one who was as deeply in tune with the Earth as their race was. Supaisu could just have easily continued to follow the trail but this was far more fun. It reminded him of the games of tag Sansho used to initiate throughout the royal homes. His tail flicked back and forth lazily as he waited for her appearance, body never moving otherwise even as a small sparrow hopped in front of him.

[Sansho "Pepper"]

"Mmmph...!"

The delighted sound came from the tired Ikikesan as she stuffed a meat bun in her mouth, flopping down on the ground with a delighted smile on her face. Despite... everything that had happened, she somehow wasn't getting her ass beaten for stupidity, and was getting plenty of training!

... Okay, she still got some ass whoopings for stupidity but none about what had happened a couple of days ago. Despite the fact that she had been gone for too long and Kakiri had smart-mouthed Mister Vegeta to no end, he wasn't overly angry and seemed fairly pleased about Raditz.

That gave her pause. The puppy she had saved was actually... an old friend of Mister Vegeta's. That was.. Rather remarkable. At the very least, it meant that now she could keep her new friend! Though he had a bad habit of swiping her food... She was hungry a lot too! That was not fai-

For a moment, her eyes unfocused, her form stiffening as a sort of ringing hit her, shattering all thought process, and causing her to freeze in the middle of taking a bite of her next meat bun. After a moment, she blinked her eyes, shaking her head rapidly with a comical '..bbbrrrrrrr!' sound as she reached a hand up, smacking herself on the side of the head.

What was that...?

You idiot, it was a call!

I know that! But why's a call... She paused, focusing on the call. ... AUGH! Why's it so close?!

It's someone trying to find us, moron! Just ignore it!

The Ikikesan's brow furrowed as she frowned, bright green eyes focusing. What if they need help?

It's just a trap! Ignore it!

I'll just go see who it is! They're not gonna look up! I'll just fly over, see who it is, an' help them if they need it, or run away if it is a trap! She hopped up to her feet.

What would Vegeta say?!

That gave her pause. Then, she remembered. He's not here right now! He went off to see what had happened with the-.. Nevermind. She stopped herself quickly, remembering that the strange earthquakes that had occured earlier had sent her other half off in a tizzy. Ignoring Kakiri for the moment, she stuffed the last of the meat bun into her mouth, and made a note to eat more soon as she kicked off the ground, launching into the air and flying towards the source.

And then she was there, high in the air, squinting at the ground with her bright green eyes. She was clad in her training gear, which consisted of the skin-tight bike shorts and a sports bra. The wind whipped her dark hair about, but she ignored it, already used to it by now.

... A cougar? ... Uh oh.

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

Supaisu continued to stare at the edge of the city for a little while longer, only blinking lazily once in a while. He was perfectly okay with doing nothing but laying in the exact spot he was at. After having searched diligently for the runaway girl, he was finally able to chill out as he normally enjoyed doing. Another yawn spread the massive jaws belonging to his cougar form. The sparrow that had landed in front of him before merely tilted its head then returned attention to the grass seed.

It was hard to upset the man, so thinking about the last day he had seen Sansho brought no negative feelings whatsoever. He was pretty much ditched at the altar by said girl, not that it really bothered him much. One of the large ears on top of Supaisu's ears flicked back and forth as the wind blew through it, and his eyes started to close half way.

Suddenly he felt a brush of Sansho's energy and his head lifted off his paws as he looked for her. A purr quietly sounded through the large cat's chest as he looked for her, pleased that she actually came to his call. Now if he could just find her so they could talk...

The Ikikesan slowly shifted back into his normal form and continued to look for Sansho. Supaisu wore his usual outfit, consisting of a triple layered kimono like top with a black embroidered one as the outer most layer. To go with his top, the man wore slightly loose matching black pants over top of comfortable boots. Smiling his lazy half smile Supaisu boredly looked to the sky. Although barely being able to make the figure out, he was incredibly surprised when he felt Sansho there and raised one hand in greeting before lowering it to wait for her.

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[Sansho "Pepper"]

... It's... Supaisu... The thought actually stunned both halves of the mind as she gaze down at the cougar, green eyes wide. She stayed posed in the air as easily as if she was one the ground, one leg slightly bent and the other stretched and relaxed, foot pointing down. The white boots she wore were resplendent in the sun, as were the white gloves she wore. She really had gotten used to the oddly flexible yet durable and protective gear in the...

What, week that she had been with Mister Vegeta? Her muscles were so sore that it felt like a month.

You idiot! I told you we shouldn't have come! The voice snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to blink.

I didn't think he'd look up! How often does our kind look up? She thought back plainitively.

Just shut up and run! Maybe he won't be able to find us!

That's stupid and you know it! He's seen us, we're just gonna have to go talk to him! And despite Kakiri's arguments, she was the one in control of the body. Besides. He was always reasonable... Maybe he could be talked into going away?

Truth be told... She was homesick. She had been homesick since she had run away eleven years ago. Seeing Supaisu now, who had been one of her best friends back home... Well. She was really homesick now.

Even if he was her fiance.

Giving a soft sigh, the slender woman flipped in the air to begin rocketting to the ground, twisting at last second to land on one foot somewhat easier then she had been a few days earlier. The forced practice from Vegeta, and the help from Raditz, was really paying off.

Besides the drastically different wardrobe, quite a bit had changed about the Sansho that he knew. She wasn't a slender, somewhat gawky teenage girl anymore. She had filled out, though it was sometimes hard to tell with the linen wraps she wore so frequently. However, the sports bra made a few things apparent. The training with Mister Vegeta was beginning to show as well. She had been rather toned before, from eleven years of constant training. But the intense training was far beyond anything she had ever done on her own.

The greatest difference, however, was the guarded, slightly frightened cast of her green eyes, and her hair. What had once been a long, lustrous braid, a wealth of black, reaching down her back, was now cropped as short as a young boy's, barely reaching her chin.

"... Supaisu..." She said slowly by way of greeting, her green eyes studying him, comparing him to the memories that were harder to reach every year because of the event ten years ago. He was no longer a teenager either. He used to be so much taller then her, but she had grown in her years apart, now only a few inches shorter then him. He had filled out as well, though he still wore traditional Ikikesan garb. Seeing his long hair actually made her miss her long hair. But shorter hair had been easier for her to take care of. And it was easier to hide when no one expected her to have short hair.

Like THAT matters anymore.

She ignored the angry thought and tilted her head at him.

"... What are you doing here?"

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

It was incredible to see one of his kind flying without wings and caused a tiny tinge of want for the ability. However, Supaisu enjoyed the tingling feeling of wind beneath his feathers in his giant eagle form. He had sorely missed the sight of Sansho even though her usual answering smile was absent from her face. The man watched as she descended at a rapid pace, not worried in the slightest for her safety as he trusted her to know what she was doing.

He himself had no qualms with marrying the woman approaching him. Before the announcement, they were best friends though he was a guard and she a princess. Their combination of calm laziness and spaztic energy just worked. Supaisu's eyes softed even more as Sansho landed before widening slightly. She had certainly changed over the past eleven years, not that he expected any different as he had as well. She certainly had been training, that was for sure, just as he had been.

An appreciative look crossed his features at her new appearance before vanishing. Instead his normal lazy smile shortened slightly as he saw her hair and her outfit. That was really going to take some getting used to. He was so used to the outfits at the coloney that this was a dramatic change, even if it was just her training outfit. His own training outfit was much the same as what he was currently wearing, though with a single shirt rather than the multiple layers.

"Wow," a soft whistle escaped the man due to her new look though he wasn't entirely sure about her hair. It wasn't bad, just different compared to what he was used to. Granted it was probably much easier to manage, though he didn't have that problem with his own dark ebony locks. "Hey stranger." Supaisu teased lightly as he did his best to ignore the difference. He really didn't know what else to say.

What did one say to their fiancee who ran away, left their intended at the altar, and was missing for eleven years?

The older Ikikesan looked down at Sansho, adoration radiating through his eyes entirely. He held no annoyance nor grudge for her being missing for so long without any contact to the coloney. As his lazy half smile returned, his arms lifted slightly as if asking for a hug.

"I missed you."

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[Sansho "Pepper"]

The air around them felt so... still. She knew that wasn't the case, and knew that there were birds, and other members of the wildlife around them, as well as the wind rustling through the foliage above them. But her heart was hammering in her chest, and there was an insane psychopath screaming in her mind.

You're damn right I'm screaming in your mind! Listen to me, you moron! Just run! This is a trap! Don't fall for it! Just go! He's going to make us go back! We're going to be forced to have babies! We won't be able to get stronger! Kick him! Punch him! BURN IT WITH FIRE!

... Obviously there would be no reasoning with her today. Instead, she set about to ignore her, trying to resist the urge to chew on her lip or a lock of her hair.

The whistle, the 'Wow', and the look on his face threw her for a loop, however. An all-too-familiar look of confusion flashed across her face as she tilted her head, resting one hand on her hip. She had gotten so used to training in these clothes, both from over the years and the heavy training lately, that it didn't even phase her. The clothing she ran away with was limitted, and she wanted to make it last. She had learned that changshans and other such garbs could get horribly expensive in the outside world, where people seemed more content to wear jeans and shirts. And the qipaos... Those made her heart stop, and she didn't even wear them all that much. She had only brought one or two with her, and she wasn't sure if they even fit anymore...

... Why was she thinking about clothes? She wasn't sure, but her green eyes met his silver eyes, still guarded, still fearful, even as she tried to hide it. A tiny smile began to creep on her lips at his teasing greeting, part of her beginning to relax. It seemed that Supaisu still had that lazy, gentle demeanor...

... Which might explain why it had taken eleven years for him to find her...

The adoration in his eyes, however, spun her for a loop. She had ditched him, left him at the altar, and had betrayed their people. She had thrown aside her responsibilities, and had betrayed, not only him, but his best friend, her brother. She had humiliated him...

And there he was, standing there, with adoration in his eyes, the smile returning to his lips, arms lifting for... a hug?

Then three words.

Her mouth actually fell open a bit as she stared at him, shocked out of her senses. It robbed her of whatever common sense she had, as she slowly stepped forward to embrace him, turning her head to watch him still.

"I.. missed you too..." Sansho responded, sounding dazed. She didn't even hear Kakiri's shrieks.

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

Supaisu was completely unaware of the inner turmoil that was being inflicted on the mind of the girl before him. He had not been so completely separated from himself as she had at the massive disruption of gaian energy. Instead he had been severely weakened and forced to remain on bedrest until he was strong enough to move about.

His own heart thrummed softly within his ribcage, a light feeling overcoming him at actually being together again with Sansho. It was a pleasant feeling to have and he couldn't stop himself as his grin widened by a fraction though still retaining that lazy quality that belonged to him.

The guarded look in her green eyes confused the man, unsure as to what exactly the cause of her fear and guarded looks were from. Supaisu had an inkling that it was from the very fact that he was supposed to bring her home, but it wasn't like he was going to kidnap her from what ever life she had made for herself.

If he could convince her, then he would, if not then he was perfectly fine with that too. Nonetheless, the adoration he held for her never dimmed in the slightest and he waited for her choice as to his hug.

Slowly her arms wrapped around his wiry waist as her eyes remained on his face. Supaisu's arms encircled the small girl and he held her close as if she was an illusion about to disappear. "I was scared you forgot about me, or didn't miss me too." The older Ikikesan admited with a wry twist to his lazy smile.

He still had to lean down slightly in order for him to rest his head next to her's, though not as much as he previously did when she was just a tiny midget compared to him. Supaisu straightened from his small bear hug but kept his arms around her as if she really was an illusion. "You've sure grown up, midget." He teased lightly while he poked her nose with one finger before loosely resting it back in a hug.

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[Sansho "Pepper"]

Even after how different he looked after eleven years, that smile was still the same. That lazy edge that he never seemed to lose, even while on the job. He certainly was an unusual bodyguard at times, though his grasp of the druidic nature was astounding. Or at least, it had been eleven years ago. She didn't know how far he had come. She, at best, was just barely proficient. Still, she made up for it in sheer strength, though not much of that showed in the hug. She hugged him loosely, though that didn't stop him from pulling her close.

Her green eyes closed as his head pressed against hers. Sansho bit her lip before opening her eyes again, watching him.

"How could I forget you?" She asked in that innocent manner of hers before blinking at him as he straightened up. Her head tilted as his finger came out to poke her nose, her eyes going cross-eyed for a moment before she blinked out of it.

"I guess I did, huh...? I'm probably taller then Bunny now. Though Shouga's probably still taller then me, huh...?" It felt strange to say those names after being silent about them for eleven years, except within the confines of her own mind.

Our mind! Listen to me! Get out of here! Kick him in the nuts and run the fuck away!

She unconsciously wrinkled her nose at the thought of her other half.

Supaisu would never hurt us! Shush.

With that, she went back to ignoring Kakiri as best as she could, though her ears still twitched occasionally, as if hearing something that Supaisu couldn't.

Still, it brought to mind the fact that he wasn't out here on his own. She slowly stepped out of his embrace, tilting her head to watch him.

"You're... here to bring me back, aren't you? As much as I like your hugs... You're here for a reason." This wasn't the Sansho he knew, who was energetic, sure, and confident. This Sansho was peculiarly childlike, and her trademark smile was missing, though it had to be close by.

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

No matter how long it had been since they had last seen one another, or even since she last hugged him, it still felt like nothing had changed. But it had. It warmed him up to have her actually initiate the hug and then continue to have her arms wrapped around him even after she had been incredibly pissed to the point of running away due to their arranged marriage.

Supaisu's eyes brightened slightly upon hearing his friend's response. "I thought that you might not want to remember me." He chuckled lightly, his lazy demenor not changing at all.

The man grinned at her next statement and made a noise of agreement. "I think you might be, though only by a little bit." He squeezed her lightly, affectionately, still not quite believing that he had actually managed to find her after eleven years of her absense. An eyebrow raised slightly as Sansho's nose wrinkled randomly and he silently noted that her ears were twitching, either out of nerves or some vague sound he couldn't hear. His eyebrow lowered and his arms remained suspended for a second as she stepped away from him.

A flash of hurt flickered over his face before becoming covered up by his usual half smile. Even in a serious moment, Supaisu found it hard to actually remain serious. "I have never lied to you, and never will. Except when it came to that mochi." He looked down at the smaller Ikikesan, the same amount of adoration and care showing through his eyes no matter what she had done.

"The council wanted me to find you, and proceed with our marriage. I, however, refuse to make our bond without your entire consent. Even if means I have to persuade you. Plus, I did miss you and your hugs." Supaisu idly wondered why the change in her personality, and why she wasn't bouncing around like a little rabbit on drugs. However, he wasn't about to force her to tell him anything until she was ready. He was perfectly content with trying to persuade her to marry him, even if it meant that he had to stay away from the colony.

[Sansho "Pepper"]

Oh Mother Gaia, the mochi... That was the biggest disaster ever. And yet, had provided hours of wonderful torment.. And great bribery for a princess who sometimes wanted to convince her older brother to sneak out of the compound.

Still, the smile did not reappear on her lips as she watched him, eyes as wide as a rabbit's as the feeling of dread grew through her. She couldn't go back. She had to learn to be stronger, to protect this world. All of the children born on Earth knew the story of Planet Spice. Maybe they didn't know who had done it, or why, but they knew that they had lost their home. The Elders used it to convince them to stay together, to remind them that united, they had survived. But to her, what it had said was that she needed to be stronger, to protect everyone.

After all, I was just the little orphan, surrounded by people who were graceful and pretty and smart. I had to be good at something...

Sansho had never spoken about her biological parents. She didn't remember them, and she considered her adoptive family her family in truth. But there was still that lingering pain deep inside that made her wonder sometimes. As a little girl, before she had serendipitiously been adopted, she had remembered crying and calling for someone who wasn't there.

That... It scared her. She never wanted to be abandoned again... Ironic, considering she was the runaway.

As he spoke, she bit her lip, her ear twitching rather violently at one point as he mentioned the council. But then, Supaisu surprised her. Even Kakiri seemed taken back, though that didn't stop her from hissing and swearing in the confines of their mind.

Still.. It meant that he wasn't going to give up.

"Then you're going to be waiting for a long time... I can't get married. I can't bond." Partially because she was pretty much a psychopath now... "If I do that, then they'll want babies from me. And I can't do that... I'm training, Supaisu! I'm under someone really strong, and they're going to teach me to be strong enough to protect this world!" Her green eyes closed and she clenched one fist as she took a deep breath.

"I have to get stronger. I can't stop. And Mister Vegeta won't tolerate any distractions."

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

Supaisu smiled fondly at the memory of the mochi, it was an absolute disaster but he just laughed his way through it even as he lied through his teeth. He wished that things were still like that at home with the terrible trio together causing trouble. Sansho instigated, Supaisu went along, Shouga helped them get out of shit. His fond smile returned to his same lazy smile no matter what.

It was strange to see Sansho be almost like a rabbit rather than her usual eccentric self. He was almost worried for her. Maybe something happened during that event when the gaian energies were disrupted on a massive level. Maybe her personality was not her. He ignored that thought and merely watched the girl before him, hoping that she would agree to give them a chance or just allow him to stay.

He was a damn stubborn man, trained and raised to be so and would always be stubborn. The Ikikesan guard was never going to give up on her, just as she had thought. Supaisu just kept smiling down at Sansho even as she told him he'd be waiting. He wasn't about to change his mind just because she said he should. What was he supposed to do? Say okay, see ya! and then leave her alone? He adored the runaway princess, as both his best friend and as a strong woman.

"Then I'll wait for as long as I need to."

His answer was simple, and everyone who knew him also knew that once his mind was made up then there was no changing it. "I'll be here for you, no matter what." Supaisu's lazy half smile continued, though he didn't bother to ask for a hug no matter how much he wanted to. "I'm not leaving."

He was almost as stubborn as an ox, and it was surprising that his body felt most at ease with the cougar form rather than the ox. Name calling, fighting, anger, nothing seemed to bother Supaisu and could not break his calm, lazy nature. Sansho could get as angry as she wished, but he'd just follow after her and persist.

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[Sansho "Pepper"]

It was obvious now that she and Kakiri were going to have to have a long talk about what to do.

As he spoke, she could almost feel a manacle closing around her wrist, shackles that were invisible to the eye but weighing so heavy on her. Supaisu's simple words almost seemed a premonition to her, that eventually the Elders would have what they wanted.

It's not what I want! Why can't I do what I want! Why does everything have to be about their rules?! She thought frantically, ignoring another tug from Kakiri for control. For a long moment, she just stared at him before a soft sigh escaped her.

Vegeta was... not going to be happy. At that thought, Kakiri began to cackle. No, the brutal taskmaster was not going to be happy. She winced as she brought a hand up to slap against her forehead.

"Well you can't hang around me, if you're so set on staying..." Pepper didn't even bother trying to talk him out of it. She, just like anyone else in the colony who knew him, knew that trying to talk him out of something was one of the dumbest things that a person could do. He wasn't about to give up, and he had his teeth into the idea. "I don't think you can, anyways. Mister Vegeta won't like it. You'll have to stay somewhere in the city or something, I guess..."

That.. brought to mind something else.

If you're so insistent on letting the idiot hang around, you moron, then you better tell him. Kakiri snarled at her.

"Supaisu... I... Well. No one... knows who I am out here. I'm not Princess Sansho Shichimi Togarashi... I'm just Pepper." Her green eyes gazed at him seriously.

... And actually wondered how Mister Vegeta, who was a prince himself, would react to that. The idiot was a princess.

[Supaisu Tsuyoi]

He had never argued against the betrothal or the fact that the Elders even did arranged marriages throughout the higher class Ikikesa. Supaisu had known that there was a chance that he would end up being told who he was going to marry rather than finding a wife for himself. His life revolved around the royalty anyway so being paired with one of his charges only made his life brighter. He enjoyed being around the ball of energy known as Sansho. But this girl in front of him seemed almost emotionally wounded by something as she wasn't being erratic at all.

Perhaps the disturbance in the Gaian energy had caused this. Or maybe it was just the thought of being tied to him for the rest of their lives. The latter thought hurt him, but he showed no outward signs of it. Instead Supaisu remained his normal, unmovable calm as he lifted a hand to brush through the hair in her face endearingly. Not hanging around her? That wasn't about to happen. It didn't matter how much she thought she could protect herself, there were still many dangers that she needed help to face. Mister Vegeta? Probably her trainer then.

"I'll do what I have to to ensure you're happiness and safety. Don't worry about me." Supaisu would figure things out for himself. Buying a place would be easy. The Ikikessan coloney had done a lot of trading with the humans when they first arrived, so the royalty had money enough for him to find a temporary home. "I am still your friend, aren't I? No matter if we are supposed to be together in a bond, I want to be your friend too."

An eyebrow rose up slightly at her next tidbit of information. Just Pepper. His lazy half smile turned just a bit smug, which was a change for the unmoving guard. "You've never been Princess Sansho Shichimi Togarashi to me unless you are in trouble. You are Sansho, my sweet friend." Supaisu folded his arms across his leather covered chest in order to prevent himself from hugging the girl again. It had been too long since he had seen her and he had missed her sorely. A warm smile softening his face further as he watched the changed princess.

"I'll do my best to remember that, but I will not let you forget that you are Sansho when we are in private then. Pepper it is."

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[Sansho "Pepper"]

One of the things that Pepper was beginning to learn in the outside world was something simple that was merely called 'choosing battles'. Though it killed her to just give up to Supaisu like this, she tried to see it from a battle standpoint. She gave a bit of ground now, letting him hang around, but still had solid ground against her arranged marriage.

Part of her wondered suddenly what the disruption to the Gaian energies had done to him. She remembered Kakiri speaking to the other Ikikesan, Shio, and the mention of the seizures.

I should tell him what had happened...

Oh sure. Let's just tell him everything. In fact, let's go sit around a campfire and sing pretty songs to each other before we all hang ourselves. Kakiri snarled. Pepper, however, tried to ignore her.

Something surprised her. The smug smile, almost a smirk, threw her for a loop. Supaisu had been playful, but that smug look had never crossed his face before. He had always been unmovable, calm, and cheerful. Never... ... Smug. She just stared at him for a long moment before chewing on her lip.

It would be so much easier to forget about Sansho... She thought wistfully as she quailed at the memory of royal obligations. She still strongly doubted that she would ever be the princess or woman they wanted her to be.

I just have to get stronger. Then, they'll see. Everyone will see.

Which reminded her.. She needed to get back to Capsule Corp. Before Vegeta returned from whatever he was doing. She had a ton of training she needed to do still...

".. I... Um... Thanks..." Chewing on one thumb, her ears twitched almost violently for a moment before she moved her hand around to scratch the back of her head. "I need to get going. I still have so much training to do before Mister Vegeta returns." The Ikikesan princess gave him a nod towards the city. "Can you keep up?" The familiar grin of Sansho split across her features before she launched into the air, kicking up a dust cloud as she shot towards the city.