Twin Flowers

The Twin Flowers is a style of combat created by Kagehana in the time between the First Age and the Second Age.

There are never more than 50 or so members in the Twin Flowers at any time due to its strict tests to enter the organization itself.

Entrance Test
The entrance test of the Twin Flowers involves many stages in order to enter the organization.

First Stage
The first part of the entrance test for the Twin Flowers involves the candidate showing that they can meditate for long periods of time with all kinds of stimuli ranging from hot water being poured on their bodies to lying on a bed of swords. Well over 70% of the candidates fail at this point in the testing as many do not have the concentration required to pass.

Second Stage
The second stage of the entrance test involves a candidate showing what their body can physically do in terms of running, lifting, punching, etc. More often than not a candidate will pass this portion of the test without any troubles.

Third Stage
While the first two portions of the entrance test may seem difficult enough, the third stage is the most difficult as it is when the candidate has to fight a random member of the Twin Flowers with live blades. In order to pass, the candidate must land three strikes upon their opponent before their opponent lands ten strikes. Of course, this has resulted in many candidates dying, but weeds out those who wouldn't be good enough to learn.

Style of Combat
The Twin Flowers' style of combat is highly based on wielding two weapons simultaneously while also looking elegant. It is also made to be able to fight against multiple enemies at once without having a disadvantage, though the highest number demonstrated by anyone other than Kagehana was 5.

Oftentimes, as a tribute to Kagehana wielding the Yugurenobara, the practitioners of Twin Flowers will wield a black blade in their right hand and a white blade in their left as Kagehana had wielded the Kagenobara and the Clone-Blade in her momentous fight against Aox in the Tournament of Heroes.

Techniques
The Twin Flowers school has several techniques, the ones presented here are only a portion of them.

Kaihou 嶺上
"Blooming Flower"

The Kaihou technique involves the wielder drawing their blade in one fluid movement and slashing their opponent as they resheathe the clean, unmarked blade.

Rinshan Kaihou 嶺上開花
"Flower Blooming on a Ridge"

The Rinshan Kaihou technique is a high speed movement technique that places the user behind their opponent as they slash them with one or more of their blades.

If the user is good enough, they can use the Rinshan Kaihou as an instant movement technique.

Katengecchi 花天月地
"Flowers Blooming in the Moonlight"

The Katengecchi technique involves a sweeping slash that attempts to disarm the opponent without opening the user to easy counterattacks.

Iroha Nihohetochi 色は匂へど散
"Colorful Flowers Blossom and Fall"

The Iroha Nihohetochi technique is one of the more complex techniques of the Twin Flowers school. It involves spinning around in an instincive, but graceful dance while striking the opponent with nearly every movement. Most initiates cannot discern how to do the Iroha Nihohetochi, much less actually use it. As such the Iroha Nihohetochi is limited only to the Twin Maidens.

Sakura Jujika 桜十字架
"Cherry Blossom Cross"

The Sakura Jujika technique is done with both blades striking the opponent simultaneously in an "X" pattern, slicing them into four sections. It can also be done with arcs of power (force, fire, ice, light, etc.) striking simultaneously after being launched from the blades. More often than not, the Sakura Jujika is a finishing move.

Advanced Techniques
Within the Twin Flowers, there are several techniques that expand upon or alter the basic techniques used by its members, those are the advanced techniques. None of the advanced techniques are used by Initiates or Twin Wielders.

Rinshan Jujika 開花十字架
"Flowering Cross"

Combining the techniques of the Rinshan Kaihou and the Sakura Jujika, the Rinshan Jujika is a technique where the user moves next to their opponent and slashes once before moving to their other side and slashing again. Often when executing this technique, the user leaves behind an after-image that lasts just long enough to give the illusion of striking from both sides.

Keten 花天
"Flower Heaven"

Keten is an expansion upon the technique of Iroha Nihohetochi and is used only by those with at least the rank of Twin Master. In order to use Keten, a practitioner of Twin Flowers must be able to use enough magic to be able to form and control petals of at least one material. When used, Keten surrounds the practitioner with petals that they can then use to attack enemies or defend themselves. More often than not, the practitioner will use the petals to augment the amount of harm that they can deal with the strikes from their blades.

Due to the difficulty of controlling several petals, it takes years to fully master Keten and even then most still use the petals as a cloud flowing from their blades to strike, stripping away flesh from their enemy's bones.

Kiku Gyokuza 菊玉座
"Chrysanthemum Throne"

Kiku Gyokuza is not na expansion of any of the base techniques, instead it is as close a copy as anyone in the Twin Flowers can get to copying Tirion's Spectral Slayer. The user of Kiku Gyokuza unleashes several arcs of multi-colored light with the elements randomly shuffling around in them with the one striking the enemy first being what causes the most damage, though the other elements ruin the effect by getting into the mix. When Kiku Gyokuza strikes something, it almost always causes an explosion, that is unfortunately unavoidable.

The Kiku Gyokuza was first demonstrated by Kagehana while training and attempting to copy what she had seen Tirion do in the Tournament of Heroes.

Mori no Dageki 森の打撃
"Sylvan Stroke" (lit. Blow the Woods)

Mori no Dageki is an expansion upon the Kaihou technique and is used to quickly clear an area of enemies by making the number of blades that the wielder is using appear to multiply by three. In other words, they swing their swords so fast that they leave behind after-images of dozens of swords striking simultaneously in multiple directions.

Hanabira Ugoki 花弁動き
"Petal Motion"

Hanabira Ugoki is an alteration on the Rinshan Kaihou that deals with increasing speed only to allow the user to get to or away from an enemy to use techniques or spells more easily.

Kaika Jujikakiba 開花十字架牙
"Blossoming Cross Fang"

The Kaika Jujikakiba is a technique that emulates one of the abilities of the past in that it fires of a wave of purely one material, though as the user has two swords, they fire off two arcs at an enemy that strike simultaneously.

The weaker version of Kaika Jujikakiba that utilizes only one arc is called the "Hoso dankiba 細断牙" or "Shredding Fang."

Levels Within the Style
There are generally only two Twin Flowers within the Twin Flowers school at any time, the leader of the organisation and Kagehana the founder. There have been a series of ten Twin Flowers since Kagehana created the organisation, not including the founder herself.
 * 1) Twin Flower
 * 2) Twinmaster
 * 3) Twin Maiden
 * 4) Twin Wielder
 * 5) Initiate

Known Members

 * Corona Couture
 * Blodwen

Notable Members

 * Kagehana the Twilight's Flower (Founder)
 * Twin Flower Terr 'Rhogar' Shardskin
 * Mina's First Second Age Hero

Relics
Items that the practitioners of the Twin Flowers regard as almost sacred.
 * 1) Yugurenobara (Wherever Kagehana is)
 * 2) Clone-Blade (Kept in main school and only Twinmasters are allowed to touch it)

History
The Twin Flowers has a long and rich history by the time the Second Age comes about, having produced the best fighters within all of Môsôoriku for many generations. As well, its practitioners are considered to be highly esteemed by many in Môsôoriku for having learned a style created by the greatest of Mina's heroes so far. It is widely thought that the next greatest of her heroes will come from among those who practice the Twin Flowers style.