Anime Portal Station (Actually it's more of a break room.)

*Van nods his head*
Van: It sounds like the best plan we've got.
*AU Whip crosses his arms, sword long since sheathed, and he shrugs his shoulders*
AU Whip: ...Whatever.
*Van sweatdrops*
Van: Well, that's unanimous. After you~

*Kenshin nods and takes them into the village. As they walk through the "streets", a young boy runs into Mana. The princess catches him and pulls him away*

Mana: Are you well?
Young Boy: *he looks sheepish and a bit guilty* Yeah... Sorry, Miss.
Mana: *smiles sweetly* It's alright~ You be careful now~

*The little boy runs off, and Mana smiles to herself*

Mana: How sweet~
Kenshin: *sweatdrops* Ah, Miss Mana... Do you happen to still have your wallet?
Mana: *blinks* Of course. Why wouldn't- *despite her confidence, her hand moved to her side, as if checking her pockets, but her face blanks, and for a moment, she's still, but then she checks her other pocket, before opening up her inventory pop-up screen, which reveals she no longer has any money* ...EHHH!?
Kenshin: *looks back to the kid, sweatdropping* You have to be careful. People have a habit for pickpocketing things in this village.
Mana: I-I have to get it back!

: Have no fear~!

*A petite young teenager suddenly lands in front of the four, dropping in from a somersault, before turning around extravagantly and flashing a fancy pose*

: The one and only White Rose of Wutai, Yuffie Kisaragi is here~!
Kenshin: *maintains his happy and polite smile, not at all affected by the ninja's show* Ah, Miss Yuffie~ Nice to see you again.
Yuffie: Nice to see you too, Kenshin! *grins widely at Mana* Looks like my little trainee is doing good! But not as good as the awesome as the Great Ninja Yuffie of course~! *waves at the little boy who took Mana's wallet* Oi, Denzel! Get back here!
Denzel: *comes back with a sheepish expression and looks apologetically at Mana* Sorry I stole your wallet, Miss.
Mana: *looks completely flustered and incapable of drawing the proper outrage* A-Ah... It's okay, so long as I get it back.
Yuffie: Was there anything in it?
Denzel: *shakes his head as he moves to give it back Mana* No. She's broke.
Mana: *looks heartbroken* Uwah...

Yuffie: Ah ah ah~! *snatches the wallet away from Denzel as well as the shocked Mana*
Mana: *looks harassed* Nyah!?
Yuffie: *grins brightly* Got any <<Materia>>~?
Mana: *blinks* Huh?
Yuffie: You know, <<Materia>>! *pulls out a small emerald orb that gives off a bright and warm light* These awesome things that give you the ability to use magic regardless of your class.
Mana: Um, no, I don't...
Yuffie: *huffs* You are broke. *gives back the wallet*
Mana: *sniffs* Well you yourself are a lot of things, but for your sake, I will not grace you with such titles.

Kenshin: *looks curiously at Denzel* Miss Yuffie, is this not...?
Yuffie: Yeah, it's Cloud and Tifa's pride and joy~ But they shipped him off to me since Generation Jurisdiction has a stick up its ass, more so than usual, so I'm taking care of him~
Kenshin: *looks at Yuffie with a sheepish expression* Should you really be teaching him how to steal?
Yuffie: *grins unrepentantly* Hey, if he's living under my roof, he's gotta pay rent! I need to train him and Marlene so they're ready when we pull a heist against Rikku's team!
Kenshin: *laughs* If you say so.
Yuffie: 'Sides, Denzel's a good kid~ I can't corrupt him too much~
Mana: *has been too distracted by her wallet and checking all it's contents* I'm not broke, am I?

*AU Whip ignores Yuffie's antics*
AU Whip: You're a thief, right? We're looking for a pair of orange rabbits that live around here. Have you seen them?
*Van is more interested in the materia, his eyes glued to the orb with undivided attention*
Van: Magic... despite classes?

Yuffie: *takes full notice of Whip and she gains a look of anger* YOU!
Kenshin: A-Ah! Miss Yuffie-
Yuffie: *does a backflip and pulls out a shuriken* You and your sister stole my materia!
Mana: *shares Kenshin's look of worry* A-Ah! No, Yuffie-
Yuffie: Well I'm gonna get it back! You got luck the first time, but in the end, you're no match for the Great Ninja Yuffie! NYUK NYUK!

NPC: YUFFIE KISIRAGI has engaged you, Player: AU WHIP, in battle!!!

Mana: E-Eh!? You can do that?!
Kenshin: *has a sheepish expression that is accompanied by a sweatdrop* The mechanics in this village is different than what you would expect in the Kingdom of Arcana, that it is.

Yuffie: *winds her arm up like she's getting ready to throw a fastball* Take THIS! *unleashes the giant shuriken at AU Whip at breakneck speeds*

Mana: *looks to Kenshin worriedly* Kenshin, you must stop them!
Kenshin: I'm afraid I cannot do that Princess Mana. Only the opponent who instigates the fight can stop it. Otherwise, it's a battle until an obvious victor emerges.
Mana: Uwaaaah, is there anyway for me to aid him at all?
Kenshin: *puts a finger to his chin in thought as he looks up* I suppose you could always join him, that you could. But it's considered unfair and dishonorable to do because it would put Miss Yuffie in a disadvantage.

*AU Whip, nearly caught off-guard by the challenge, brings his blade down into the Earth to provide protection from the shuriken by grinding against it's spin*

Van: But... is it any more fair to just engage someone without their permission?
*Van watches AU Whip's battle with concern, but at the same time, his hesitancy shows that he wouldn't enter the battle either way*

Kenshin: Well, here, it's expected that all warriors are on their guard 24/7.
Mana: *sweatdrops* Sounds about right...

*The shuriken comes flying back to Yuffie, who catches it*

Yuffie: Heeeey, when did you get a sword? *waves the shuriken in a frustrated manner* No fair no fair! You can't get more loot than the White Rose of Wutai! *her expression grows determined* There's no way I'm losing to Team Rising Sun!

Ability Activated: <<Greased Lightning>>!

Yuffie: *dashes at impressive speeds towards the rabbit, aiming to use her shuriken like a sword and attempts to slash at Whip*

*AU Whip skillfully slides his sword from the ground and slides back, continually stepping just out of range of her shuriken as she swipes. He pulls his sword back and tries to jab at her opening. Van onlooks on the situation and sweatdrops*
Van: ...Maybe we should paint one of them purple...

Yuffie: *takes the hit and jumps back, examining the wound as her HP bar goes down some* ...! *looks extremely upset* Ooooo~! Now you've gone and done it! *in her shuriken, a red glow appears* Prepare to feel the wrath of the Great Ninja Yuffie! *with her hand, she unleashes a fireball that cuts through the air at the rabbit*

*Whip tries to block the attack with the sharp of his sword, pulling it over his face. However, the flames go through and hit him anyways, singeing away at his health bar and causing him to smoke from the front*

Van: Whoa! That magic, that must be the materia, right?

*Whip readjusts his sword and, in a flash, soars through the air, bringing his blade down over Yuffie despite his new fiery wound*

Mana: It would appear so.

Yuffie: *uses her shuriken to block Whip's attack* Whoa, you don't stop, do ya?! *shoves the rabbit back so she can escape the lock and does a backflip, landing on a nearby tree* Kinda like Cloud~ I could use a Chocobo Head Two on my team! Wanna ditch Rikku for me?

*AU Whip lands on his feet, crouched and ready to strike*
AU Whip: For the last time! I'm not my stupid alternate, and I have no idea who this Rikku person is!
: Ya' got that right!
*Blasting through the sky and landing on his feet, Whip strikes a pose: one hand far out left, one up 45 degrees from the first hand. He's dressed in jean shorts and a neckerchief covers his chest. His ears are tied together at their base, resembling a ponytail, and his gloves and new boots are very leathery and showy in nature*
Whip: No one can copy the one and only Whip!
*From the same direction Whip flew in from comes a girl, her outfit very revealing with a mango yellow bikini top-and-bottom, a rather large tool belt covering her waist, a giant scarf wrapping around her neck and travelling fluidly down to her legs, and large, poofy ribbons adorning her arms like sleeves. Her hair is held up by a single blue clip, keeping her slightly lengthy bangs in check but failing to hold back the rest of her hair from flowing to her shoulders, and she has two braids, both on her right side. She takes up a pose similar to Whip, standing by his side and holding her hands both straight up above her in a triangle formation. Together, they look like an incomplete sun, missing it's side*
: And even if it was Whip, he wouldn't leave Team Rising Sun to join your dumb group, Yuffie!
Whip: I thought we agreed on "Team Orange Storm"....

Yuffie: *stomps her foot on the tree branch angrily and points at the orange haired girl* Rikku! There's nothing stupid about the Awesome-Totally Fantastic-Super-Amazing-Team Yuffie!
: Try that name for starts~!

*A smaller orange rabbit that sports a very similar look to her "older brother" except for a mischievous dark chao printed on her shirt stomps on Yuffie's head and launches off, spinning around in the air before landing in to the right and completing the sun by striking the team's pose*

Tanya: Tanya of Team Star Burst reporting for butt-kicking awesomeness!
Kenshin: *sweatdrops* Looks like they found us instead.
Mana: *seems suddenly extremely depressed and forlorn as she stares at the two rabbits*

Yuffie: *angrily stomps her foot on the tree branch out of frustration* No fair no fair no fair! *glares angrily at AU Whip* I wasted perfectly good Fire materia on you! What kind of idiot doesn't tell me that you're not the guy I'm supposed to be attacking!?

*AU Whip is taken aback, and barks at Yuffie*
AU Whip: What?! But I've been telling you I wasn't him the whole time!

Rikku: Tanya! We're supposed to be "Team Rising Sun"!
Whip: I still kinda like "Orange Storm"...

*Van notices Mana's depression and inquires on it*
Van: Mana? What's wrong? You look kind of upset...

Yuffie: No way! You just fought me no holds barred without even telling me, ya big jerk!
Kenshin: *the sweatdrop seems glued on* Ah, actually Whip, she's right. You did not say anything about you not being your counterpart to her, that you did not.

Tanya: Oh! Sorry Rikku! *sticks her tongue out and rubs her head sheepishly*

Mana: W-Whip...

*AU Whip stops and scratches his head with one finger*
AU Whip: Oh, I guess I didn't, did I. Well, you still attacked first, so my retaliation is your own fault!

Rikku: It's fine, at least we got the pose down right! Everyone must've been star struck!
Whip: I thought we were "Team Rising Sun"?

Van: Eh? Oh, It's pretty upsetting that he joined a team in such a place, yeah...

Yuffie: *crosses her arms* Humph. I guess it can't be helped if you're an idiot like your counterpart.

Tanya: *grins excitedly and starts hopping up and down* Are we changing our name again?

Mana: N-No... Whip... and Tanya... *it's unsure if she's calling for their attention or trying to complete a whole thought*

*AU Whip bares his teeth*
AU Whip: What!? I'm nothing like that idiot!

Rikku: Of course we're not! Team Rising Sun is the best!

*Whip's ear swivels, and he turns attention to Mana*
Whip: Huh? Mana? When'd you get here?
*Whip coughs*
Whip: I mean, finally decided to show up, huh? Took you long enough~

Yuffie: *off of her fingers, she ticks of points* Orange. Stupid. Rabbits. Stupid. Annoying. Stupid. Use sharp objects to fight. Oh, did I say stupid? No? Then stupid~

Tanya: *deflates* Oh, alright... *spots Mana and starts waving* Oh, hey Mana~!

Mana: *takes the arrow of not being noticed with only a twitch* ...W-Whip? What's... your level...?

*AU Whip growls quietly, but then calmly composes himself*
AU Whip: ...I don't have to take this from some wannabe warriour.

*Rikku turns to Mana as well*
Rikku: Mana? The princess?

*Whip scratches his head in thought*
Whip: Huh, you know, I haven't really checked lately.
*Whip pulls up his game menu and scrolls through it a bit*
Whip: ....Hey Mana, not that I need you to or anything, but I'd rather you read it for yourself~!
*Whip flips his menu and turns it to Mana, displaying, among his other stats, his level, at 18. Van catches sight of this as well*
Van: ...That's... higher than....

Yuffie: Wannabe warrior!? *flails her shuriken around* At least I'm a higher level than you! You're the one who's on a lower level than your counterpart! I'm not gonna waste my time on someone as weak as you! Nyuk nyuk! *sticks her tongue out at AU Whip*

Yuffie Kisiragi has disbanded the battle...

Tanya: *laughs* Awww~! Mana's on a lower level than Nii-san and I! I mean, for me, that makes sense because I'm just too awesome for anyone to handle, but loosing to Nii-san is just pathetic~ PA-THEEEEE-TIIIIIC~!
Mana: ... *falls to the ground and is obviously extremely depressed* I'm weaker... than Whip...
Kenshin: A-Ah! Princess Mana, are you alright?!
Mana: *doesn't seem to be hearing Kenshin* Weaker... than... Whip...

*AU Whip's vein pulses, but he keeps a lid on himself*
AU Whip: Levels don't decide how good of a fighter you are! That wound I put on your seemed to hurt well enough! And you're the one who's running away from this fight by cancelling it!
*Rikku puts a hand on AU Whip's head, and points the other at Yuffie*
Rikku: Yeah! You hear that, coward!? Whip here could send you running from Team Rising Sun like a chocobo!
AU Whip: I'm not on your side either so get your hand off of my head.

Van: D-Don't feel so bad Mana... It's only a level's difference....
*Whip props himself up on one knee by a stone that happened to be lying around*
Whip: I can't help it, not everyone can be as amazing as I am! You're just gonna have to try harder to keep up Mana!
Van: I don't know how effective your encouragement is... <<;

*From one of the nearby establishments, a young lady whose midnight blue hair is tied up with a large bow looks out the door, holding her yellow kimino as she approaches the group*

Kenshin: *smiles at the girl* Miss Kaoru~
Kaoru: Hi Kenshin. *looks to Yuffie and Rikku* Hey, I know you guys do this everyday and all, but can you keep it down a bit? Ayame and Suzume finally fell asleep, and Yahiko and I are having trouble focusing with you guys yelling everywhere.
Yuffie: *sits down on the tree branch sideways and swings her hanging leg* Sorry 'bout that Kaoru~
Kaoru: *shakes her head and looks to Kenshin* Sometimes, I swear, she's the twin sister of Misao.
Kenshin: *laughs* They do give that aura, that they do~
Denzel: *hasn't left the battlefield and seems to be looking on at AU Whip in quiet awe*

Mana: *suddenly pops up from her corner of woe and looks extremely determined and fiery now* Keep up? Fool! *grins wickedly* Whip the Rabbit, you have merely stumbled upon a lucky chance! Soon enough, as it always has been and always will be, you will be the one striving to keep up with me!
Tanya: *claps for Mana, laughing* Wow, Hana-nee's speech thing really worked for you, Mana~!
Mana: *blinks and her eyes narrow in the distance, as if she's seeing her older sister's face* So it was your doing, Hana...

*Rikku bashfully scratches the back of her head*
Rikku: Sorry, Kenshin, Kaoru~

*AU Whip at first is too busy paying attention to everyone else to notice the kid looking up at him, though eventually, he notices Denzel watching him and tries not to meet their eyes, growing uncomfortable*
AU Whip: ...
*Eventually, he can't take it*
AU Whip: ...What are you looking at?

*Whip accepts Mana's challenge, his old attitude beginning to shine through*
Whip: What was that!? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my awesome power! After all, I'm stronger now and I"m only gonna get stronger!
*Whip points his finger an inch from Mana's eyes*
Whip: So get used to calling me "Whip-sempai" from now on, because I'm your senior in strength and skill!

Yuffie: *jumps down from the branch and throws a friendly arm around Rikku, drawing her into a one-armed hug* But you guys are gonna have to deal with it for awhile! Rikku and I aren't anywhere near finished yet!

Denzel: *becomes a little reserved at AU Whip addressing him, but his eyes find the rabbit's sword* You're a Swordsman Class, right, mister? *his eyes become sad and he seems to be talking more to himself than to AU Whip* Cloud was going to teach me how to use a sword, but after everything that's happening between Generation Jurisdiction and the Kingdom of Arcana, Tifa and him wanted to send me with Miss Yuffie because I'd be safe here with Marlene.

Mana: *has turned away from Whip the moment he mentioned "Whip-sempai" and has given her attention to Van* Are you interested with materia, Van?

*Rikku, struggling against Yuffie's arm-hold, throws her arm around Yuffie as well, pushing her cheek against the Wutai warriour's*
Rikku: You got that right! Not until I prove the Rising Sun's are better than a couple of amateurs~!

*AU Whip becomes interested upon mention of Generation Jurisdiction*
AU Whip: ...Is it that dangerous there? That they'd send you to this village of thieves?

Van: Huh? Oh, I-
Whip: 'THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING IGNORING ME LIKE THAT I'M YOUR SENIOR SO YOU SHOULD BE SHOWING ME SOME RESPECT!
*Whip bats at Mana's head, causing Van to sweatdrop. Clearly, strength was not a statistic he leveled very frequently.*