Rivalry

[Jade]

" Hey there" Shouka stared at her oddly catching the glare, the past few months shed really noticed a strong tension between her and her younger sister... it had gone from there close relationship to her just.... constantly pushing her away. But it didnt matter she was her sister and she loved her " I bet your really excited about next week, your finally going to be a teenager"

[Reno]

Ami rasied an eyebrow, glancing at the ground. "I suppose." Truthfully, she rarely ever felt the feeling of age. She just grew there didn;t seem to be a time for it.

Ami suddenly smirked. But this year, she'd definitly feel it because finaslly she was going to learn how to fight.

[Jade]

" You know I always told dad that you where ready to learn when you where five, but did he listen to me? Nope!" she laughed slightly smiling as she sat down next to Ami " and daddy Josh um... I dont think he likes to teach anybody, but of course we both know that."

[Reno]

Ami rolled her eyes. "isn;t that the truth?" She leaned backwards glaring at the floorboards. "I never understood that, why he never offered to train us. He did for Tenks and Casey, is it just because were women or because of of who our real father is? It almost makes me feel offended, as if just because were some different gender with different blood we shouldn;t be treated like a normal human." Ami scoffed. "Prejudice of him if you ask me."

[Jade]

" yea... but he didnt teach Pann either... Mom always told me that dad didnt want her to learn to fight, same with us." she shrugged slightly " I remember when I was your age how much I used to beg him to teach me but he never would"

[Reno]

"It's not far." Ami hissed angrily. "She looked at the sky, her eyes narrowed. "Woman are just as capable as fighting as men. I mean, have you ever seen aunt Rina fight? she's insanly good and she's a woman." Ami shut her eyes, leaning backwards on her arms. She'd only seen Rina's skills a handful of times but everytime she was struck with awe just watching the older woman move. It filled her with a sense of... well she couldnlt name it but she knew she wanted to be like Rina. A strong-willed woman who had the fighting skills most people - most men - would die five times over to have.

[Jade]

" yea... same with mom... I guess... I really just dont understand him sometimes. But whats really important is that he loves us I guess..." she laughed slightly shaking her head " you know it might just be that dads afraid that you or I might become stronger than him."

[Reno]

Ami pasued at that, a frown marring her face. Of course. It would be shameful if a man lost to a woman in something men used to think of as THEIR skill. Physical strength. Also, maybe in some werid sense it was because they WERE Sephiros' children and he didn;t want to see the result of better offspring.

"pff. pathetic." Ami hissed, standing.

[Jade]

" Pathetic?" shouka stared up at her oddly " what do you mean?"

[Reno]

Ami just shook her head. "Nothing." With that she quickly retreated from her sister's oresence her jealousy reworking through her, and her angry towardss her second father was reappearing. damnit!

[Jade]

Shouka got up " Ami wait!" she frowned watching her run off " damnit... whats wrong with you..."

[Reno]

Ami just scoffed, ignoring his sister. She didn;t want to talk to her, like they were friends.

_________

Time passed, slowly it seemed but the minute her 12th birthday came, Sephiros kept his promise and took her out for her very first lesson. What overjoyed her even more was he refused to allow anyone else to come and watch. It was their only speacial bonding moment.

The first day was easy, quick laps and tests on health then a few fighting moves.

But quickly the question came. What would be her weapon? Tradiationally, the Hojo line were swordmanship, Rina, Sephiroth and her father all knew how to use blades in ways almost most could dream to. It was also the weapon Shouka had chosen to be mastered in.

But Ami was different from Shouka and her father. and she went with the only other skill Sephiros could only part-way teach her in: hand-to-hand. It was her mother's skill as well.

Years continued to pass and she honed her skills the best she could, training herself and going by her parent's example. She somehow ended up learning how to use a sword anyways, basic stuff like swiping and parrying. It had been her choice of course, to learn the way of a sword and her dad had been thrilled.

But as she grew older, her hate for Shouka grew as well. She found annoying little ticks about the woman, simple flaws that set her over the edge. Shouka always seemed so horridly sweet all the time, as if she thought she could attain something from being... nice. She liked to flick her hair and was always around dad like somke damn lab! Shouka was a dog who understood nothing in the art of fighting, not like she did. She was annoying, she should never have been born!

But, hateful as it was to admit it, Shouka DID have more experience and was stronger. Ami couldn;t beat her, not even when they sparred could she even come close!

She vowed, with all her heart she would take down her older sister if it was the last thing she did!

___________________________________

"Happy 18th birthday!" warm arms wrapped around her and Ami squeaked in surprise. Just moments ago she had been flying to her Dad's (Josh's) house, prepared to go see him (because he;d never come to see her. Her fathers tried to stay as far apart from each other as possible, even if it prevented them from seeing their own kin. It was... insulting to say the least.).

Then suddenly she was being hugged, and thast voice only belonged to one person! It made Ami grin. "Aunt Rina!" She twisted around, mid-air, to return the hug.

"Hey Ami." Rina said affectionately, letting go after a mment. She looked the girl up and down. "Beautiful."

Ami flushed a bit. She'd rarely take in account to her looks, but with her dark-hair and red eyes she was.... alluring to others. She knew that, but she neglected to flaunt it. That wasnlt part of fighting. "Aunt Rina... why are you out here?"

"oh... just going for a little one-on-one with Seph today." She said it flippantly, uncaring, but Ami could see the light of excitement in Rina;s eyes. Rina was one of those people who loved to get the adrenline running and just fight until she couldn;t move, literally. "Gonna kick his ass." She murmured as an afterthough, a promise to herself. She;d NEVER beaten Sephiroth, but whenever the vow started and why it did, Ami didn;t know but she knew the day it happened she would be there to see it!

Just, she already knew it wouldn;t be today.

"Enough about me! where are you going miss. adult?"

Ami chuckled. "To see dad and mom."

Rina rasied an eyebrow, then nodded understandingly. "awe i see. well i shant hold you up! tell them i say hi though!"

Ami nodded. "Have fun with your uh... match."

Rina smirked, like a devil. "Oh i will." With that she took off, excitement once again roaring.

Ami chuckled, shaking her head in wonder then turned and continued her journey.

[Jade]

Josh sighed as he sat on the orch of his home staring out towards the sky. It was his daughters birthday.... that and it had been a little over two months since the las time that he had seen her. It almost drove him mad when she moved out to go live with Sephiros... it was the same thing that Shouka had done when she was her age.

Slowly he stood up looking around then just shut his eyes.

" You really should go see her, you know shes always asking about you when I go over there." Tifa said walking up behind him wrapping her arms around his waist.

Josh sighed leaning back against her " She chose which of us she wanted to be around... Just like Shouka did..."

Tifa sighed shaking her head " you dont really think they have a favorite do you? No thats just being unfair and you know that!" Tifa shook her head disaproovingly.

"Perhaps..." He opened his eyes then looked up at the sky, maybe he was just... too jealous... it wasnt like they where really his children... but he loved them so much... he just couldnt help but be jealous!

[Reno]

It wasn;t long before Ami say Josh's house in sight, a grin coming to her blushing face. She couldn;t forget what Rina had said though!

'Beautiful'

Was she really? Ami looked at her hands, once chubby now long and sharply nailed, as if they held all the answers. However the changes were everywhere! her whole body had the markings of a grown woman and... and she never noticed the subtle changes that had tooken place. Oike she had said when she was 12th, she never fekt like she was aging, but she was.

Landing on top of the roof of her mother and step-fathers house (like always) She glancing around looking at nature. It changed just like she did.

"Wow..." She murmured.

[Jade]

" Today is her birthday... you have to go see her" Tifa frowned nuzzling him slightly

" I know but... Sephiros..." he grit his teeth, he remembered when she was younger he used to let him come visit her... but Sephiros kept giving those looks towards Tifa, he couldnt stand it. He knew that they both had feelings for one another still, and that was what drove him mad more than anything.

" Oh right and like thats a reason to not go see your own daughter" Tifa pulled away disaprovingly " thats just a bad excuse and you know it."

"Tifa..." he turned around as he just stared at her