… And Justice For All

Scene 1: On the Road

Summary: Clare still vows to avenge Teresa by killing Priscilla, but she also chooses to follow her "mother's" wishes by remaining a human. Therefore, we have one smokin' hot badass HUMAN woman trying to kill another lady with as much power as an Abyssal One, and eventually bring down the Organization.

Rating: T for language, content, and eventual violence; may change rating to M in future chapters.

If you have a complaint about something, I'd be more than happy to hear it in a review, SO LONG AS YOU'RE REASONABLE ABOUT SAYING IT.

These people correctly guessed the name of Clare's mysterious mentor: Targul, shadowzerover5, and the Gundam Kaizer. Therefore, this chapter is for them.

Last time, on "… And Justice For All"…

Clare, after witnessing Teresa's beheading, has sworn to avenge her "mother" by taking the head of the murderer – Priscilla, who is perhaps the most powerful Awakened Being in history. Not only that, but she also vows to do so while remaining a human, as per Teresa's final wishes. Clare convinces a lethal stranger to teach her how to fight and survive after witnessing him decimate a pair of Yoma with his bare hands and come out unscathed.

Four days after we last left off…

Clare, subconsciously thinking back to her time with Teresa, asked her new teacher, "So, mister, do you have a name, or can I give you a name and just hope it's your real one?" as a playful smile graced her lips.

The target of the question was preoccupied dealing with his map as he answered, "Could've sworn I'd told you already: my name is Shisui."

Raising an eyebrow, Clare asked, "Shisui, huh? That's an interesting name."

Eyebrow twitching as he oriented based on the sun (to make sure he didn't have the map upside-down), he replied, "Is there a problem with my name? If so, then don't think for a second I won't ditch you in the next town… whenever I find it, at any rate."

Quickly realizing what she'd said, Clare held up her hands in a placating gesture as she apologized, "No, no, I'm sorry if I offended you, I was just curious and commenting on how it sounds so different from most other names I've heard. Not that that's a bad thing, of course!"

Sighing, Shisui elucidated a bit: "I'm from another continent. Over there, names like Teresa and Clare are as unheard of as Shisui is in this region."

Clare made a remark along the lines of "Oh, I see," but Shisui wasn't paying that much attention at the moment, since he and his new protégée were, without a doubt, lost.

Sighing in exasperation, Shisui was, at least, able to find the road, after which he said, "All right then, we'll just camp out here until someone with a reliable map comes around. Until then, we'll go ahead and start your training."

With this declaration, Clare practically leapt into the air with joy while Shisui dug around in his pack. "And for right now, we'll begin with physical conditioning." (1)

Producing a set of weighted bands, he continued, "You had the right idea trying to run laps around a given area with Teresa's sword on your back, but it's too inefficient. I have, in both hands, a total of sixty pounds of dead weight, which you are going to wear as you run laps. Sixty pounds may not sound like all that much right now, but each week from now on, I'm going to increase your weights by five pounds on each limb."

As the Slayer in Black (a nickname the Claymore leader from the last town had bestowed upon Shisui) explained that it would gradually increase her movement speed, endurance, the physical strength of each arm and leg, and also improve her cardiovascular system, he went ahead and helped Clare strap on her weights, showing her how best to add and remove each brace, so that she could eventually do it on her own, and quickly if she had to.

Shisui then drew his sword, which while nothing like a Claymore's broadsword, was easily just as lethal. It was a cobalt blue katana which, for some reason, he called "Samurai X", and even though it didn't have anywhere near the mass behind it that a Claymore did blow per blow, it was relatively faster, more accurate, and evidently much sharper.

After a second of contemplating how he wanted to go about it, Shisui became a blurry outline for a bit as he ran through the forest, cutting down trees four and even eight feet thick in single swipes – while the blade wasn't that long, it was still making gashes that size, though Clare couldn't imagine how.

Ten seconds after he started, Shisui appeared back where Clare had seen him last, and he resheathed his sword before pointing at what he'd done and saying, "All right then, now I'm going to explain your first exercise in detail. With sixty pounds of dead weight slowing you down, I want you to traverse the 200-meter course I just prepared for you, and considering that you're being held back, in addition to the uneven terrain… 1:45 is about as fair of a target time as I'm going to give you. I don't expect you to finish in that time on your first attempt; instead, I expect you to fail miserably, at which point we record your time. Then, I expect you to try it again, and most likely fail again, but do slightly better than before. We're going to stay here and have you train like this at least until you can do it in 1:45 or less. Oh, and remember that if you can't do it in less than a week, I'll be upping your weights. On Wednesdays, you'll be carrying Teresa's sword, which is going to slow you down further. Have you got it so far? Good, because it only gets trickier from here on out. Once you can do it in under 1:15, you won't be running on the ground anymore – instead, you'll be jumping from stump to stump, and eventually I'm going to expect you to manage three laps in the space of a minute. Don't look at me like that, Clare. Face it: you and I both know that a single-digit Claymore could complete twenty laps or more within as many seconds, and being slowed down by more than five times their normal body weight. Compared to that, I'm spoiling you with four sets of training wheels. HOWEVER, since I'm making you carry Teresa's sword on Wednesdays and you'll have to try to hold off my attacks with it on Thursday (still running and jumping through the course with weights on, I might add)…."

Pausing a few minutes to intentionally build the suspense, he finally concluded, "I'll give you Friday to run through the course without weights at all, partially as a reward for putting up with my insane methods on the two days before, and partially to gradually let your muscles begin to rest. Saturday is pretty much going to be a free day physically, but I'm still going to be teaching you things, mostly how to use weapons and/or martial arts. You'll have to get up and exert yourself, but nothing anywhere near as strenuous as on Thursday. All right then, the explanation is over, now start running before I decide I have to chase you."

A few minutes later, when Clare was well out of earshot, but still easily seen, Shisui wondered aloud, "Hrm…. Should I have told her about the pitfall traps? Nah, they'll keep her thinking on her feet. Actually, I'm surprised she hasn't fallen into one of them yet. Hrm. In any case, I'll go get some lunch for when she's finished her first lap."

Suddenly hearing Clare swear at him from that great distance (Clare had nearly fallen into a trap, but was able to sidestep it at the last second), Shisui shouted, "HEY! I DIDN'T TELL YOU TO SLOW DOWN YET, DID I? NO, I DIDN'T? THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT! I SAID I WAS HARSH, DIDN'T I?"

Then, talking to himself again, Shisui added, "Believe it or not, you'll thank me for this hell eventually."

Three weeks later…

"Well, Clare, let me be honest with you. I never expected you to finish this segment of the training in three weeks. And you have completely shocked me beyond belief – you completed my original training requirements in just two weeks, and have surpassed them in the six and a half days since. As a reward for your hard work, you'll have the next three weeks to recover for the next part, which is actually going to focus on sword training. Until then, - excuse me, but do any of you three happen to have a decent map?"

The reason for Shisui's sudden divergence from the original topic was the arrival of three Claymores, one of whom he recognized from the bar last month.

She also appeared to be the leader, and said, "We haven't got a map, but so long as you don't get in the way, you can follow us to the next town, where you could buy one. Is that acceptable?"

Shisui suddenly gave Clare a look that said something along the lines of 'help me pack everything NOW or your next session will be ten times worse than the hell you just got out of', and with the young girl's help, EVERYTHING that had previously been unpacked was now packed and taking up the absolute minimum amount of space in less than two minutes – a feat which would've taken normal humans at least twenty.

As this was going on, one of the other Claymores whined, "C'mon Eirika, do we really need them slowing us down? If we left 'em here, we could get there and kill the damned thing by the end of the week; with these two tagging along, it'll take us twice the time!"

The third woman of the group added, "Not to be as rude as Alexis, but she does bring up a good point, Commander."

The commander of the group, now identified as Eirika, sighed and began rubbing her temple as she responded, "Look, I know that both of you were looking forward to some down time after this mission, but if we let these two come with us, then a) we have a bit more time to relax before things get crazy, and b) who knows? Maybe some fresh perspectives will help with stress relief."

Alexis countered, "You do know what they call you, right? 'Eirika of the Bleeding Heart'? You're not exactly helping your case. Everytime some helpless somebody-or-other sheds a tear, you always have to play the hero and get involved."

Eirikia asked, "Is it really so wrong that I genuinely want to help people?"

Before either of the other Claymores would answer, Clare interrupted: "No, it isn't. The world needs a lot more people with bleeding hearts. People like you… and Teresa…"

Alexis, confused, asked, "Teresa? Why on earth would the world need more traitors like her?"

This proved the wrong thing to say, as Clare immediately picked up Teresa's broadsword and lunged at the woman who had dared to speak ill of her goddess, savagely attacking in an overhead slash, shouting, "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT TERESA THAT WAY!" When Alexis was barely able to evade the attack in her surprise, Clare simply grit her teeth and ran at her target again, attacking with every fiber of her being. There was no rhyme or reason to Clare's barrage – there was nothing but the pain of losing Teresa, fueling anger and hate; fiery emotions which revitalized Clare's weary muscles, gave her a strength she hadn't previously possessed.

The third Claymore, whose name hadn't yet been spoken, quickly rushed behind Clare and attempted to restrain the young girl, but Clare heard the footsteps and was able to react on a split-second impulse, partially turning around. The warrior in training knew that she wouldn't be able to attack with her sword quickly enough, so instead, she stuck out her fist and held it there, effectively punching her new adversary in the gut.

Blinded by rage, Clare began raising Teresa's sword to cleave the stunned warrior in two, but Shisui quickly intervened, wrenching the blade out of his student's hands and tossing her face-first to the ground.

The man then calmly said, "Now listen up Clare, and listen well. I understand that what Alexis said must have hurt you deeply, but a casual, ignorant remark from a stranger doesn't give you the right to just fly off the handle and start trying to kill people. That rage of yours can be a powerful asset, but if you don't learn to control it, you will become its slave. And then, you won't be much better than Priscilla or any other Awakened Being. Looks like I'll have to teach you anger management next, rather than swordsmanship. Now then, once you've gotten control over yourself, I want you to apologize to Alexis, Eirika, and –"

"Lenneth."

"And Lenneth. In the future, I expect you to know when it's acceptable to go berserk, and when it isn't. Am I clear?"

Clare, much calmer now but still bitter, replied, "Yes. I understand you perfectly. Alexis, Eirika, Lenneth, I'm sorry for trying to kill you, attacking your teammates, and punching you in the stomach, respectively."

Shisui, now back to his previous mood, released his charge and apologized once more. "I'm also sorry about my student's behavior, but you must understand that Teresa was… very important to Clare. Perhaps more important to her than any single person ever was to another. And then, Clare was forced to witness Priscilla execute her… I won't tell you the rest of the story, beyond that Clare vows to avenge Teresa while honoring her wishes to stay human."

Lenneth and Alexis gasped, while Eirika merely raised an eyebrow. No matter how many times she heard that claim, she just couldn't help but be surprised. But then, she surprised everyone herself by replying, "And you've been training her, correct?"

Shisui nodded in affirmation, and Eirika complimented, "Quite frankly, I'm very impressed by both of you. I saw you a bit more than a month ago, and you hadn't begun then… Yet just now, Clare was able to temporarily subdue a Warrior ranked in the low teens, and kept a mid-twenty on the defensive for a couple of seconds – feats I've never heard of anyone but another Warrior accomplishing. If little Clare can progress to such a level in this short a time, then she might actually be able to achieve her ambition… in around ten years or so. Understand, though, that you'd still have trouble with even normal Yoma for a good while yet, since they wouldn't have to hold back like we do."

Clare, who by this point had managed to get up and retrieve her sword, looked at the Claymore leader with a blank face for a moment before turning to the side and spitting out a small glob of dirt, after which she softly replied, "Thanks, Eirika."

Clearly still bitter about the incident, Clare nonetheless remained silent and followed after the trio of Claymores alongside her teacher, who began a brief lecture about the proper time to go berserk, and how to recognize it. After around ten minutes of talking, though, Shisui got bored and pulled out a book of Sudoku puzzles and got to work.

When Lenneth and Alexis gave him odd looks, Shisui said, "What? A guy can't have a hobby?"

At that moment, though, Eirika stopped in her tracks and drew her sword, argent eyes flashing to gold. "It's here. Shisui, get Clare to safety – against an Awakened Being, she'll just get in our way. Alexis, Lenneth, this one's going to be tough."

A previously unheard male voice called out, "Right you are, woman!"

A truly enormous humanoid-looking behemoth with a face at once like a dog and a bull and wielding a massive axe-like sword shouted, "In my time as a warrior, I was ranked #8! I am Ingram the Bull! And YOU! ARE! DOOOOOOOOOMED!" (2)

To punctuate his boasting, Ingram brought his humongous weapon to bear in an attempt to crush Eirika and Lenneth, only for them both to dodge.

As the dust cleared, Shisui calmly put his book back in his pocket and said, "Eirika's right – Clare, get yourself to a point of relative safety, but stay close enough to watch. That way, you'll get another idea of the power you're up against."

Clare, who by this point had learned that sometimes it was best to do what one was told, quickly went to comply. Ingram noticed and attempted to reach out and grab her, asking, "Where are you running off to, little one? THIS PARTY HAS JUST BEGUN!"

Just as he was about to grasp the fleeing child, Shisui's hand was enveloped in a bright flash of light, and then the earth trembled slightly as Ingram's green scaled index and middle fingers hit the dirt, cleanly severed at the knuckle. Not quite as calmly, Shisui said, "No one lays a hand on my student without my approval. Much less a scumbag like you seem to be. Did you have to tie lunchmeat around your neck to make the family dog play with you?"

Alexis was openly laughing for a moment, until Ingram smirked and said, "That was quite a nice cut of yours, human. But if that is all you have to rely on, then you are, quite frankly, fucked."

Alexis abruptly quit laughing as new fingers burst from the severed stumps, while Ingram's predatory grin grew and grew until it had become a slasher smile as he flexed his new fingers, which were in perfect working order as if he'd had them for years.

Shisui rubbed the bridge of his nose, annoyed, Lenneth frowned, Alexis gaped, and Eirika, despite her skill and confidence in her team, summed up the situation quite well with two words.

"Oh my."

(1) I'm going to combine training methods I've seen in various manga, including Naruto, Buso Renkin, and others.

(2) Ingram is completely of my creation, at least to my knowledge. For his shape, imagine a Behemoth's bipedal form in Final Fantasy XIII. As for his voice… whoever it was that voiced VenomMyotismon in the original Digimon.

The next chapter will contain the battle with Ingram the Bull.