"Recklessness" Knuckle mounted blades sailed through the air, slicing past the neck of a tall blonde warrior. The attacked failed to hit its mark, and Nao planted her foot down roughly to stop her momentum from taking her too far forward. She lurched forward and attempted to uppercut, the knuckle blades on her other glove aimed right at the armored stomach of the other woman. Her opponent had apparently been practicing her martial arts techniques, or that armor was enhancing her abilities. The blonde jumped back and out of the way, and responded by sending a flying knee towards Nao. The knee was caught with both hands, and Nao shoved her back, almost forcing the other woman to lose balance. As Lapis stumbled during their rumble in the Kyoto back alley, Nao brought her left hand forward to jab. The blades connected briefly with the Otome armor and skidded off entirely, only leaving a minor dent. Lapis' face was still holding a neutral expression as she struck out with her own hand, forcing Nao to back off a few feet. Lapis held her ground as Nao came back at her, leaping forward to strike with both her bladed fists at once. Using the small advantage the Otome robe gave her in terms of speed, Lapis lurched forward and extended her elbow. Nao slammed right into it. Wheezing for breath and in quite a bit of pain, Nao stumbled back, attempting to recover as quickly as she could. The Otome was not going to give her a moment to gain her footing again. She summoned her bow and fired, an energy arrow sailing right for the redhead. Nao leapt to the side to avoid it, and then promptly ducked under a second shot. Not a good situation. She felt overpowered, as ridiculous as that notion was. In the back alley, she would have no one to help her. The HiME did not know she was there. Nao scrambled forward as Lapis drew back her bow again. The sudden charge forced the Otome to stop her attack before it began and concentrate on her defense. Nao sent two consecutive punches at the blonde, but both were avoided. What did land, however, was a fairly strong shin kick. Lapis visibly winced at the sudden sting, even with the Otome robe protecting her. Although it seemed to have hurt Nao just as bad. She put her attacking foot down tentatively, as if it hurt. The brawler attempted to land an elbow after that, but found that it was caught by Lapis. The grip the Otome gave her was rough and painful, the gauntlets she wore giving her additional strength. Lapis flung Nao's arm down and then attempted to finish it all. She clamped her hand around Nao's neck and squeezed, shoving her against the building next to them. Nao struggled and gasped for air as she was lifted off the ground and pinned up against the wall. So hard to breath. That grip was like an iron vice. "Why do you all insist on fighting us so much?" Lapis said coldly. "Don't you understand that you're making our lives hell?" Nao grunted and gasped for breath, attempting to kick Lapis with her flailing legs. Her feet then desperately tried to find the wall in order to push herself off. It wasn't doing much good against the Otome. She cursed herself for not calling for backup first. Then, finally, she landed a kick against Lapis' stomach that seemed to do the trick. The Otome let go, allowing Nao to drop and then scramble to her feet, situating herself several feet away, falling into a fighting stance yet again. "No quips. You must be desperate." Lapis held up her bow again and fired three times in a row, Nao ducking and dodging each one. Lapis moved forward and landed a kick against the slightly fatigued and disorientated brawler. Nao choked on her own saliva and found herself trying to recover once again. Lapis activated her bow once again, and fired. A silver bolt of energy punctured Nao's side. Funny. She didn't even feel it at first. Then, all at once, the pain hit her. Blood poured from the wound, soaking into her t-shirt. If it wasn't black, it would have left a visible stain. That was okay. She didn't want Lapis to see her bleed. Nao put a hand to the wound to stop the blood, but found herself kicked to the ground. And there she lay, pinned with a boot to her neck, pressing down so hard she found herself once against struggling for breath. "I don't even see why. If you'd just take five minutes to listen to us you might realize we aren't trying to hurt you, you stupid git," Lapis hissed, pressing her boot down further. "You're the unenlightened HiME generation, you know. All others before you knew what they were fighting for. They knew their purpose. All you people did was kill the Obsidian Lord and complete their quest." Nao's hand found it's way to her back pocket as Lapis spoke. She gripped her phone and pressed a button, starting the video recorder. It was recording footage of her pocket, but still captured the audio. And that was what was important. "The original HiME were nothing less than goddesses of war. Entire civilizations pledged their loyalty to them. The empires under their rule were perfect. It was only the battling between HiME that ruined the utopia. That is what Searrs wants. A new Golden Millennium, the HiME in charge of nations, ruling without question. Perfection and peace. They don't want to kill you. They want to make you rulers." Lapis' eyes were filled with anger, as if Nao was somehow ruining whatever dream had been planted into her head. "If you want to deny yourself the chance, then that's fine. But stop getting in our way, damn it." Nao felt too dazed to adequately pay attention to her ranting about world domination. She took a deep breath as Lapis adjusted her stance and said, "Shut... the fuck up!" With what strength she had left, the redheaded brawler twisted Lapis' ankle and pushed Lapis off. The Otome stumbled back and Nao stood, her head dizzy and her balance nearly failing. She looked drunk, hobbling away. She had to get out of there while she had the chance. It hurt like hell, but she ran as fast as her unsteady legs would carry her, taking her back out into the public. Lapis had an arrow ready to launch, but paused after she saw Nao disappear in the crowd. She deactivated her robe and de-materialized her weapon. Best to stop before the Emulator overloaded. There was no sense in going after her now. Lapis turned, picked up the bag she had discarded earlier, and walked back towards the waiting vehicle. A man pulled the rear car door open and she sat inside. He closed the door behind her and returned to the driver's seat, taking her away. An Emulator Well, a device that Miyu had destroyed before, sat tucked under the seat. Lapis opened her bag and looked at her newly bought gifts. The other Otome would hopefully appreciate the effort she put into it. She checked the mirror. No sign of her foe, already lost in the sea of people. In the meantime, Nao continued to stumbled down the street aimlessly, her bloodied hand covering the wound Lapis had left behind. People turned their heads to look in awe, all unsure of what exactly to do. Her vision blurred. Her ears rang and felt like cotton had been inserted into them. Her palms sweat, a cold sweat distinguishable from the kind she had built up during the fight. Her body couldn't hang on. She collapsed face first onto the sidewalk, and was instantly swarmed by a mass of concern citizens and pickpockets. - - - The next morning, a Saturday, Shizuru arrived at Mai's apartment and set off towards Fuuka Academy with the Kagutsuchi user. It had been agreed on by the HiME that the pair should try to speak with Fumi about what had been occurring in Kyoto. It had been established that the pair would have the best chance of getting out any information. Shizuru had been the pride and joy of her graduating class, and Mai was a hero. The ride wasn't terribly long. Perhaps an hour and a half with the amount of speeding Shizuru tended to do. Mai found herself clinging to the seatbelt on more than one occasion, the Kyoto native making full use of the black Jaguar's horsepower. Too much time had been spent around Natsuki, apparently, who only thought that speed limits were speed suggestions. They pulled into the parking lot of the school, and Mai found herself overwhelmed with nostalgia. Nothing had changed. The campus was barren, save for a few people attending some sort of sports game. Mai involuntarily squealed as she took the whole scene in, Shizuru laughing a bit at the sound. "Oh, my goodness, it's like stepping back in time! The track is packed, so there must be a meet. Shizuru, can we go watch?" As Shizuru parked the car and shut it off, she gently shook her head. "Remember that we're here for a reason. Fumi was nice enough to come in on her day off to meet with us." "I want to see who got my dorm room," Mai said, ignoring the previous statement. "Don't you want to know who the kaichou is?" "The kaichou is a one Takahashi Jin." Shizuru unfastened her seatbelt and exited the vehicle, waiting impatiently for Mai to do the same. The redhead did indeed follow, giving Shizuru a somewhat surprised look. "You know?" Shizuru shrugged as the pair began to walk towards the headmaster's office, her hands in her jacket pockets. "I have emailed Headmaster Himeno a few times, and occasionally check the school website to see how things are doing. That is all." The pair took the back trails towards Fumi's office, heading towards the infamous flower garden that sent a thousand memories flying at Shizuru like a deadly swarm. Her lips twitched into a small grin at the thought of the untrusting junior classman who had won her heart all those years ago. So many happy memories in a place that had once sent all the HiME into the pits of their own darkness. She chuckled lightly as they found themselves at the door of the headmaster's place. She nodded to the gentlemen tending to the flowers outside, treating them oh so delicately. They followed a familiar path up to the office once owned exclusively by Mashiro. Mai held her breath. It was the first time she learned of her role as a HiME. It had been here that her life had gone to hell and...well, it hadn't really come back yet. She found herself looking at the ground as Shizuru knocked on the door to the headmaster's office. A few seconds later, it opened, and Mai put a smile onto her face as a familiar pink-haired woman greeted them. "Ms. Fujino and Ms. Tokiha, I'm glad to see you," Fumi said politely. She stepped to the side. "Please, come in!" "Thank you very much," Mai replied as cheerfully as she could manage. Shizuru followed after, hands still buried in her pockets. She gave Fumi a gentle nod. Was she embarrassed or something? Mai gave her a mildly confused glance, but Shizuru spoke in her usual polite voice when it came to superiors. "Good morning, Headmaster." "Please, girls, take a seat." Fumi moved herself behind her desk, wearing a well tailored suit. She sat down, and the two younger women did as well. Fumi gave them a smile. "So, you wished to discuss something in relation to our little condition, then?" By condition, she mean HiME powers, of course. Shizuru nodded, taking charge after Mai gave her a look requesting such a thing. "Yes. We wanted to ask if you have been noticing anything peculiar lately. Have there been any threats or attacks made toward you? Have any unusual women been seen on campus?" Fumi shook her head. "No, I have noticed nothing. I have never been attacked here, fortunately. I am sorry that the rest of you have to run around so much. Perhaps the academy gives me suitable protection. What is this about strange women, however?" "A recent thing," Mai explained. "We have been attacked by, well, we've been battling with women who call themselves Otome. They're a Searrs project, rather like Alyssa was. They can materialize, like we can – could." "I see." She put a hand to her face, in thought. "But Alyssa was subject to the Obsidian Lord's power, was she not? How can Searrs create a working mimicry of us?" Shizuru smiled. "That's what we've come to ask you about. We did not have much preparation time to learn about the HiME during the Carnival. We are still largely unaware of how HiME work. We know that the Otome are powered by some sort of technological equipment. An Emulator, and then some sort of other device that can redirect Emulator energy over a certain area." "Then it must mimic the Obsidian Lord. Perhaps that was one of Searrs' objectives – to monitor it and the waves it emitted," Fumi responded. "What was the Obsidian Lord, exactly?" Mai asked. "It – it's an it, right? – seemed sentient. It was like a being, but not. I never understood, really. Time was of the essence, so we had to fight, but a great deal was left unexplained." Fumi stood from her chair and took a few paces away, turning away from the both of them. She fixed her gaze on the landscape outside of the window, unable to look at them directly. "I know. I know it was unfair. There was so much you all had to learn, but everything just moved so quickly. The Carnival was over almost as soon as it began. You didn't truly understand what you were fighting for aside from saving the people closest to you. There were many more layers to it than that. It was the Last Carnival. The one that ended it all." Shizuru and Mai listened intently. The Kyoto woman spoke. "You were the first HiME to realize their destiny, I'm sure. You're older than the rest of us. I take it you're privy to a great deal more information that we ever were, then. Especially being so close to Mashiro-sama." "Yes. Mashiro, who as you know was the winner of the previous Carnival, educated me about everything." Fumi crossed her arms. "The Obsidian Lord is not a being. It's a machine – an extrasolar machine. It is not native to this world, and has been on Earth since the waning years of the Ice Age." The two girls stared blankly at her. "Are you two still with me?" "We fought Klingons in the Carnival?" Shizuru asked. Mai found herself raising an eyebrow in confusion. The kaichou watched Star Tr-- ? Fumi's laughter interrupted her train of thought. "Well, I wouldn't say that. The Lord was supposedly, at least according what Mashiro said, meant to monitor human aggression. It activated once every three hundred years to see how we were making progress. It used HiME as it's method of testing, appointing twelve girls after it originally came online. It allowed them access to Elements and Children, all of which were sort of digitally stored on the Lord itself. That last one I'm not entirely sure of. Mashiro mentioned the Children were originally the Lord's escorts, but were later loaned to the HiME during Carnivals. It was a bit confusing." "Where did it come from, then?" Mai asked. "No one knows. There is no mention about the origin of the Obsidian Lord, aside from it coming down from the skies like a fireball." Fumi shrugged, looking back to them. "You can understand why this was never mentioned, however. If word of this were to leak out, the international community would be in an uproar. The HiME have been keeping it a secret since the Original Carnival. There is one document from that era that goes into greater detail, but it is safely locked away. I fear telling you the location. Midori may have a field day with it, after all. It's over 8,000 years old." It was a joke, but neither Mai nor Shizuru laughed. "It's puzzling, though," Fumi said, putting a hand to her chin. "I had wondered how Alyssa was able to materialize, even if Searrs engineered her. The same applies to these new Otome, as well. The Obsidian Lord emitted waves globally, but only the HiME could patch into them. Assuming Searrs mimicked the waves perfectly, they would still need HiME bloodlines for their soldiers to materialize anything." "You mean being a HiME is genetic?" Shizuru furrowed her eyebrows as she asked the question. Fumi nodded. "Yes. All of the HiME that have ever been are descended from the original twelve. Carnivals have occurred all over the world. Greece, Persia, Sumer, England... but the Original Carnival was global. One HiME was appointed from each region of the world. Mashiro and the lot of you, most likely, are descendants of the original HiME from Asia. You all contain the blood altered by the Obsidian Lord when he first began his reign." "Fumi," Mai began, looking around a bit out of habit, "...where did Mashiro-sama go after the end of Carnival?" Fumi closed her eyes and did not respond. Shizuru and Mai looked at each other, unsure of what exactly she was getting so upset about. "Headmaster Himeno?" Shizuru prodded. "Mashiro-sama is dead." Silence followed until Mai exploded. "What do you mean she's dead? We destroyed the Obsidian Lord! Everything should have been fine! What happened to her?" "She and Nagi entered the Gates of Valhalla. That was the end of it." Fumi seemed very tense. She obviously did not want to talk about it. All along, Fumi had known about what fate Mashiro would suffer. She had prepared herself for it. But it was still painful. "What on Earth does that mean?" Mai continued. Her patience was wearing thin. Why was it the people who actually knew about the secret plots during adventures never liked to talk about them? "Valhalla..." Shizuru trailed off. Mai looked at her, and Shizuru noticed, prompting her to speak further. "Valhalla was the hall of the dead in Norse mythology. If she willingly entered a place with that name, then did she...?" "Euthanized herself. Nagi did as well." Mai dropped her jaw, her mind reeling. "What?! How could she... why would she...? It doesn't make any sense! After all that fighting and hardship, she just killed herself?" Fumi sighed. "You have to understand, Mai. When you win the Carnival, you become an immortal. The Obsidian Lord prevents your cells from aging so that you can live on as the Crystal Princess. Mashiro was to remained in that crystal you saw to help fuel the Lord in his ventures. The only way for a princess to free herself is for another to win after three hundred years. Likewise, the Obsidian Lord's host body lives on to act as a guide in the next Carnival, to make sure all HiME are brought together for their bloody fight. The Guide, the Host and the Princess. All are vital to the system." "Which means that Reito and Mai would have become immortal, and Reito would be like... Nagi? Nagi was the previous host for the Obsidian Lord?" Shizuru correctly guessed. "The host is always someone close to the HiME most likely to win. In this case, Reito and Mai had a budding relationship. A foolish guess on the Lord's part, as she ended up with Tate, but you see his intention. He selects the one person the HiME is most unwilling to defeat. In Mashiro's case... she and young Nagi had a severe case of puppy love. That is why Nagi was selected and corrupted. His duty after his Carnival was to live on and make sure you all fought. It was not his true will. It was what he had to do," Fumi explained. Mai looked to Shizuru, who said nothing. Her disposition seemed to change entirely. Her jaw was set and her teeth clamped tightly against each other. Seeing that Shizuru was not going to respond, Mai continued. "So, instead of living a continued immortal life, they just kill themselves?" "There is a heavy burden that comes with immortality. Your loved ones pass away. Everyone you know withers away. It becomes a curse after a while. The Gates of Valhalla were constructed by the Lord after the Original Carnival after the first Crystal Princess and Guide snapped," Fumi explained. "It is supposed to be an honorable process that liberates the soul from the body. That was what Mashiro kept saying. That was what she wanted by the time she knew me." "But there will be no more Carnivals, will there?" Mai asked. "I won't have to...?" "No," Fumi said sternly. "This was the last. The HiME descendants have been striving for ages to put the Carnival to a permanent end. It was only now that we were able to summon the power to resurrect the HiME after their fall. Mashiro was learning the spell since the previous Carnival. She was learning it with the support of the three Elders. Two Crystal Princesses and one Guide who refused to enter the Gates of Valhalla, suffering immortality in order to liberate the rest of us. They followed Mashiro and Nagi into the Gates after the Lord was destroyed." "...How long were they around?" Mai hadn't heard anything about that, of course. "The Guide and one Princess were the survivors of the Carnival 600 years ago, which was in England. It raged under the cover of the Hundred Years' War. The other Princess was the victor of the one 900 years ago, which was in... China, I believe." Fumi shrugged. "I don't know much of them. Mashiro seldom spoke of the Elders to me." Mai slowly nodded. "Well... at least it is over for good, then. Even if it means we can't use our powers, at least the future generations won't have to deal with it." "Yes. But still, how Searrs was able to get HiME blood in their hands, I don't know. Perhaps they artificially inject the HiME with the proper blood. Or they were hunting down the other descendants who did not manifest powers." Fumi turned to stare at the both of them. "If that's the case, then they probably have a master list. Maybe you can get Yukino to hack into their database and find such data. I don't know. I'm afraid I can't help you much." "On the contrary," Shizuru spoke, "you were a great help to us." Mai, however, had one final question. "Fumi-sama... how did you know Mashiro? Surely you aren't an immortal." Her gaze was sad. "I was approached by Mashiro when I was a little girl. She was always in my life. Originally as an older sister figure, then someone I was to protect and learn from. Mashiro... during her Carnival, her Key and most loved individual was her elder sister. That sister was my ancestor. I am technically Mashiro's great-great and so forth niece." "I see." Mai didn't know what else to say, and found herself lost in thought. Fumi, however, continued to dart her eyes to the clock on the wall, now feeling like she wanted to escape. "I have to go make a speech at the track, girls. I'm sorry, but that will have to conclude our talk. Please email me if you have any more questions. I'll answer as best I can." Mai and Shizuru stood, bowing gently. Mai smiled. "Thank you for your time, Headmaster." "Stay safe. Keep on the look out for suspicious activity. Fuuka tends to be a magnet for it." Shizuru winked, though she still looked downtrodden. "I will, kaichou-sama. Do keep in touch." Fumi waved at the pair as they retreated. When they closed the door, Fumi released a long sigh. Very... bad memories. She looked down to a picture of both her and Mashiro. It was difficult not to miss her, even if she was nothing more than a servant, as the members of her family before her had been. She took a breath, and went about her duties as Headmaster. - - - Where was she? White walls. Bright lights. Was she dead, finally? Had Lapis finished her off? She rolled her green eyes around idly, not even really aware she was doing it. Then, she realized, after seeing not angels or demons, but doctors and nurses. Instantly, her blood pressure went through the roof. Her hands tightened around the sides of the gurney, and her muscles tensed. She inhaled and let out a scream, muffled by the oxygen mask on her face. No, no, no, nonono...! She couldn't be there. She couldn't be in a fucking hospital. Not again. She tried to pry herself off the gurney, but found herself held down by a team of nurses. Why, why did she have to be there of all places? Not again, ohgodgetmeoutofhere, please, please please! I can't do this again! Her prayers were answered. Not by god, but by a needle containing a sedative. Nao fell back into blissful and drugged slumber. - - - Natsuki had been visiting Alyssa when her cellphone rang. It was Midori. Apparently, Nao had listed the former teacher as an emergency contact, and Midori wanted to drag Natsuki along to the hospital with her. The biker agreed, said good bye to the golden haired Valkyrie, and raced to the hospital. There, they said in a waiting room. A nurse had told them to wait a moment, and that moment lasted a good half an hour. Finally, however, the nurse returned. "Ladies," she said, "you may see Ms. Yuuki now. She is still heavily sedated, but is awake enough for the moment. You've been told of her condition, I trust? A large puncture would in the abdomen and various other trauma around the body? Does she... well, this is a bold question, but does she have an abusive boyfriend or relative?" "No," Natsuki said. "She has no boyfriend, and her only relative died last year." "I see. Well, at least this is not likely to be regular, then." The nursed waved them to a room with partially drawn curtains. "This way, then. The police may be along later to ask questions when she is fully aware." Midori and Natsuki nodded and went to the door. Midori reached for it, but paused for a moment, unsure if she really wanted to see Nao in such a state. With Natsuki leering at her, however, she took a breath and opened the door, putting a big as smile possible on her face. Her hands shoved into her sweatshirt pockets, the almost-thirty something archaeologist walked forward and looked over at the dazed Nao. Her hair was slicked back against her head, and she looked up at the ceiling with almost lifeless eyes. Her body would be fine, for certain, but it seemed like her mind was troubling her even more. It was only after Midori stood at her side that Nao drifted her eyes over lazily, taking a moment to even register who it was. She didn't smile. She didn't frown. She didn't do anything. She only stared at Midori for several moments. The ex-teacher was the first to speak. "Hey!" Midori maintained her grin. "I'm your emergency contact. I feel so warm and fuzzy inside. I never knew you liked me, Venom girl." A reference to her favorite super villain was not lost on the dazed brawler, and the right side of her lips curved into a faint smirk. She did not speak, however. Nor was the reference lost on Natsuki, who stood behind Midori a fair distance, not comfortable up close just yet. It was a similarity they shared – that juvenile love of comic books they had yet to outgrow. They'd ransacked each other's collections before to read ones they had never seen. Not that they were nerds, oh no. Never. Nao was still holding a copy of Batman ransom. It was only fair. Kuga still had an X-Men of hers. "I snuck you in a candy bar, since they probably feed you shit here." Midori held up a Twix. "Your favorite, right? I'll hide it behind the curtain over here. Nazi nurses probably do bed checks and who knows what else." The teacher slid over to the window and planted the candy behind the curtain, satisfied at her handiwork. It was when Midori moved that Nao noticed Natsuki standing there, silent as ever, unable to find words and uncomfortable with seeing Nao in such a state. Nao stared at Natsuki for a long moment, and she felt her fingers grip the bed again. She was glaring. Damn it. God damn it. Who let Natsuki in there? Who would...? Nao realized that Natsuki was confused at the glare she was receiving, but the redhead did not let up. Why would she want Kuga to see her like this. She was Nao's rival, for god sakes. Nao... Nao did not want to look that weak in front of the biker. Ever. Both were strong and determined women, and... well... "Get her out of here," Nao muttered. Her first words hissed out were to evict the biker from the room. Natsuki stared back in awe. "Nao?" Natsuki speaking just made it worse. Nao closed her eyes. "Teacher, get her out." Midori looked between the two, unable to grasp what the problem was. She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "Nao, I called Natsuki to come down here and visit. I thought a little company would be nice, and I know you two have that bad blood thing and all, but she genuinely..." "Can't you understand I don't want Kuga to see me helpless?! Get her out of here!" Nao was screaming at the top of her fatigued lungs by the end, and the commotion caused two nurses to enter to see what the problem was. Natsuki held up her hands and willingly backed away, escorted out by the pair of nurses, who ushered her back to the waiting room. Nao, her eyes still shut to hold back forming tears, took a few long breaths as Midori watched in shock. Nao sucked in the oxygen coming from the mask, calming herself down after the outburst. Why did Kuga have to be there? Nao had been seriously injured once, by her, and that was fine. That was a battle against each other. This was Nao being beaten down by someone else. It was entirely different this time. It was hard to explain. "Something the matter between you two?" Midori asked. "New subject, teacher." She felt the sedatives take hold again now. "You should go too. I'm fine." Midori shook her finger. "Ah! No, that would be irresponsible of me, now wouldn't it? I am not your current teacher, but as a former student, it is still my responsibility to see to it that all my little peons, students I mean, are taken care of." "Oh, please." "It is! It's in the teacher guide. Article IV, Clause C: If your student brawls with a super powered devil woman, it is your job as a teacher to make sure said student is healed of all wounds. I'd let you read this guide, but it's confidential." Midori grinned again, hands on her hips. Nao actually laughed. It was the drugs, she told herself. "Idiot." "The line between genius and idiocy is very fine. It's okay. I understand your confusion." She plopped down on the bed beside Nao. "Phone." "Wha?" Nao managed to point to her belongings. "My phone. Bitch was rambling about something. Recorded it." Midori went over to the bag of items and rummaged through it, pulling out Nao's cellphone. She held it up to make sure that was what she meant. "The most recent file, then?" "No, I record shit when I pass out," Nao quipped. She must have been feeling better. "Teacher?" "Yeah?" "Did those bastards on the street lift any of my cash?" Of course, the contents of her wallet were of most importance. Midori fumbled through the bag and then the wallet. She looked up with disappointment. "Sorry, babe, they got ya." "Bastards," Nao repeated. "You'll have to recover quick so you can properly punish them." Nao only grunted a response as Midori began to babble about something else entirely, trying to be entertaining and uplifting. It was... kind of working. Again, Nao thought, it was probably the drugs. Blessed Dr. Feelgood and those drugs. Midori resigned to watch the recorded video later, once she was in private and no eavesdropping nurses could listen in. Outside, in the waiting room, Natsuki watched, saying nothing. Quite obviously worried, but knowing that she was not welcome, she stood her ground and watched as Midori paced comically as she ranted about whatever it was she was ranting about, Nao nodding along on occasion, putting up with it for now. If Natsuki was wanted out of the room, then so be it. The girl beaten got to determine the rules. That was how it worked. As to why she was not welcome... Natsuki could only guess. Rivalry, the desire not to look weak in front of your nemesis, or that third option neither of them had brought up. Her phone rang. The number was familiar. "Kuga here." "The usual place." The phone went dead. - - - Akane and Haruka checked the address the latter woman had written down earlier. This was the place. A little run down shack on the outskirts of town, the windows having been boarded up. The place was scheduled for demolition. Akane parked the car and the pair exited, heading up to the building in full police gear, tonfas and guns holstered and at the ready. Then again, who would they encounter out here? A couple of squatters at the most. Haruka sighed. "So, this was the last address, then?" Haruka asked. "The very last one rented out by the last known name Yukariko had been using. That was maybe a year and a half ago," Akane replied. She held her hand up to the door, as if she was going to knock. Haruka blinked. "What are you doing?" "Knocking?" "Why, to give the rats a warning?" Akane sighed and put her hand back down. She opened the door and swung it open. The house was dark and covered in a fine layer of dust. Spider webs decorated the doorways and windows. It looked like a haunted house. A few blood drops were on the ground. The air was stagnant. Akane and Haruka entered, the lieutenant putting a hand to her nose initially. Lovely home. "It looks like she was robbed. Certainly shows signs of a struggle," Haruka commented, looking over the living room. "If anything happened, it was never reported." Akane moved towards the back rooms, taking out a flashlight. "I'll check this bedroom." "Fine." Haruka was then left the living room to examine for any kind of clues. She began to rummage carefully, gloves on, making sure not to disturb anything beyond what was required. Bookshelf filled with holy texts and assorted fiction. Dust covered television. A few photographs of her and that creepy teacher, and...a baby? Little did either of them notice a small device attached above the door, which silently began to pulse. For twenty minutes they searched the place. There wasn't much indication as to what had happened other than a general fight. There were no unusual withdrawals from her bank book. There wasn't much missing, from the looks of it. Aside from Yukariko, that was. Haruka had a feeling that that damned teacher had done something to her. He'd always been disturbing, even to the student body. She'd demanded that he be let go several times, but no, the request never went through. "Haruka?" The blonde coughed and smirked. "Lt. Suzushiro?" Akane corrected, waving the other woman over. Haruka proceeded into the master bedroom, the back wall partially destroyed. Sunlight crept in and splashed against the wall. Akane pointed to the bottom of the wall, near the bed. "What do you make of that? It looks like scratches, or writing, or... something." - - - "X-Type, Highly-advanced Materializing Equipment Five Columns Connected, S.Y." - - - Silent footsteps carried a woman wearing silver and blue through the open front door and towards the back rooms, a gem on her earlobe. Her dark hair was cut around the jaw, her lips tight as she approached. Her hand hovered next to her waist, fingers twitching. Her breath was, for the most part, held save for when she was in desperate need of one. Her throat was dry, but that didn't matter. She had a task to accomplish. She could hear the two officers in the back, and saw the blonde one vaguely as she moved. Neither noticed the silent woman behind them. Just the way she liked it. She held out her hand and drew, a quick burst of energy forming a gun in her hand. It pointed right at the blonde's back. The woman smirked in satisfaction as her finger gently pulled back on the trigger of the weapon that looked like a sawed off shotgun. A little more tension did it. "What?" The blonde ducked down to look at something as the gun went off. Haruka spun around. A burst shot of what looked like ice was impaled in the wall. Haruka spun around again, drawing her gun. She was expecting a traitorous Natsuki. What she saw was not that. She was facing off against a woman dressed in a silver and blue robe, clearly an Otome. She held a familiar looking pistol in her hand. She... did not look happy. The Otome and Haruka stayed there, guns pointed at each other, for several long and tense moments. Showdown at the O.K. Corral. Neither said anything, each waiting for the other to make some kind of move that would leave them open, or give the other a chance to fire. Akane was off to the side, a tonfa in hand, hugging the wall. The Otome surely knew she was there. Haruka smirked and slid down, sliding her back parallel to the ground as she kicked something or another, she didn't see what, towards the Otome. The woman fired, the ice burst missing Haruka by a hair, Matrix style almost. Haruka fired back twice, but the Otome had already gone to take cover. Akane acted next. Knowing the Otome was probably in the hall, she kicked part of the brittle, broken wall out and motioned for Haruka to go. The blonde lieutenant snuck out, as did Akane. They rounded the side of the house just as the Otome exited the front. Shit! Both ducked under the shots of the Otome and slid behind their car. Haruka fired over the top twice, three times and four. Eight rounds gone and not a one had hit. She heard the distinct hiss of tires being shot out, the Otome puncturing them on purpose. So much for an escape. "Don't you think you can get away with putting holes into a cop car, missy!" Haruka yelled. The Otome responded by firing a few more times, adding even more dents and holes to the vehicles. The entire far side that faced the Otome was turning into Swiss cheese. Haruka crawled to the back of the car and poked her gun and head over briefly, firing another two rounds. The Otome evaded by ducking back into the doorway. Ten rounds gone. Five left. She ducked her head down again as it was nearly taken off by a well aimed ice shot. Akane was on the phone, rather than the police radio. "Yukino! Yukino, this is Akane. Haruka and I are in trouble! Call the others! Track us!" They fired and fired until... Haruka's gun clicked. It was then that the Otome ran forward, leaping over the car. The blue robed woman disarmed Haruka and gave her a swift elbow to the jaw. The blonde went down, but not without a fight. She kicked at the Otome's legs. Did nothing but piss her off more. The woman kicked Haruka in the jaw, finally causing the stubborn officer to pass out. Akane swung out with her tonfas after dropping her phone. Both attacks were avoided. She swung out again. It failed to hit. She attempted a quick knee to the other woman's gut, but she was pushed back. Akane gathered herself for another attack with her tonfas, but dropped one as a stinging pain gripped her hand after hearing a loud bang. She looked down. An group of ice javelins had pierced her entire hand, leaving an almost stigmata like trail of blood behind. In that moment of shock, she felt a fist hit her jaw, and she knew no more, thinking only of the pain and her husband. The dark haired Otome tapped her gem, opening communication. "Onyx." "Did you complete the mission, Crystal?" "Affirmative." "Proceed to extraction." - - - Reason for shotgun instead of Otome Natsuki's artillery: Figured whoopass mobile artillery guns of doom would be hard to manufacture as of 2014. Also, how do you tell the difference between the original Crystal and Ice Crystal Natsuki? The original isn't useless in a fight! Aw, I didn't go there. :D Next Episode: Natsuki meets with a Searrs contact to discuss the Emulator, and then proceeds to have a discussion with the still bed ridden Nao. Their talk is cut short with a rescue mission to bust Akane and an angry and determined Haruka out of Otome jail, all while attempting to find the Emulator in question. And a certain fifth column shows up, the experimental member of the Otome, armed with... familiar weapons. Haruka kicking ass and taking names, well, and the HiME too, in Episode 1.7: "Guts!"
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