“Rinako... are you sure you wanna do this?”
With a firm face, Rinako attached a silver necklace and let it come to
rest on the nape of her neck. Ayane gave it to her, back in the old
days. Rinako hadn’t worn it for over two years but now she felt like
she had to. It would let her know that she had her love’s support in
defeating Zanga. Currently, she and Minato were in their dorm room,
preparing for the fight ahead.
Today was the day.
One week had passed since his challenge was extended to Rinako. Now it
was finally time for the Ikatsuji girl to settle the score. This was
unlike any battle she had ever fought. Never before had she felt such
anger, such fury burning within her soul. Yet she was still so
deceptively calm. Rinako had been training hard for this, and threw
that time she felt herself strengthening very rapidly. The brown-eyed
woman was reaching a whole new level. But Minato was worried.
She couldn’t explain why she was worried, but she was scared for
Rinako. Something was brewing inside her sister, but Minato just
couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
Rinako fastened the bow of her school uniform. Usually, she would have
worn a Gi for a fight outside of Tomeishuu High but this fight felt
so... personal. Not only was she defending Ayane’s honour but also
Tomeishuu itself. It felt right to wear it.
While preparing herself, Rinako continued on. “You’re not talking me
out of it, Minato. I’m going to destroy that guy.”
Minato pleaded. “I’m worried about you, sis. This isn’t like you. You
know how strong this guy is too, he’ll be dangerous.”
Rinako eyed herself in her mirror. “Y’know, I’m getting real sick and
tired of hearing people moan on and on about how strong the guy is.
I’m not backing down, Minato. I’m gonna finish this. He can’t get away
with what he did and I’m the only one who can stop him. Don’t worry
about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Rinako, you do know that Ayane is much better, right?”
The CBL girl’s head jerked. Ayane was a lot better. And it made her
very happy to know that she was. But every time she heard that, it
weakened her desire to fight Zanga, which had to happen. He had to
pay, even though Ayane was recovering.
All the same, Rinako was ready now. It was time. “Lets go.”
**********
“They’re finally here.”
Shizuku, Ranji and Zanga watched intently as there targets stepped
into focus. They were at the usual place for duels outside of the
schools; that dreaded open stone arena behind Mizube Ai Park. On the
other side from the Kyoto New Force Strikers, Rinako stepped through
the small opening between the trees to enter the much larger, yet
isolated place.
Rinako scowled at this arena. This was where Ayane was defeated. And
soon enough her bright brown eyes were filled with rage as she caught
sight of Zanga, eying her with that focused frown of his. The Cross
Blade Lancer’s leader was ready to go over there right now and skip
the pleasantries, but a staying hand on her shoulder kept the girl
from flipping out. It was Mishizu’s.
“Take it easy.” She said. “Don’t let anger cloud your judgement.”
Rinako just nodded difficultly and waited. While she calmed herself,
Izumi, Minato and Natsumi stepped through the small gap into the
secluded area. Normally, Rinako would not have allowed Minato to watch
a fight like this, but she was far too distracted to really have paid
much attention to this. Izumi wasn’t supposed to be there either. This
was technically a Cross Blade Lancer fight, however she was there to
watch for Zanga’s movements. If Rinako was defeated then only she and
Mishizu could stand against him. Hopefully, that wouldn’t have to
happen.
Natsumi and Minato took a seat on the slight hill on the side of the
grassy up growth around the stone arena. Izumi stood upright, with
Mishizu just to right of her, a few metres apart. Ranji and Shizuku
noticed this and backed away from Zanga, to stand on their side of the
grassy surroundings.
Rinako stepped forwards onto the stone arena, locking her mystic eyes
on the man who defeated Ayane. She had only seen him twice, this was
the second time, but it felt this was their first meeting. The two
fighters stepped before each other, staring fiercely into the other’s
eyes.
Zanga suddenly spoke. “...So you are the oldest daughter of Ikatsuji
Genzo, are you?”
Though she was still angry, Rinako set aside some of this anger to
address that. How did her know her father? “How do *you* know that?”
Zanga beamed a grin. “Because he was the only person my master could
not defeat. My master... Ietsuna Minamoto.”
So it was true. Zanga did know Seiryoku o tsukaihatasu ken. That art
was the bane of her family and her fighting style. It just made
winning this fight more important to Rinako. Not only would he pay for
hurting Ayane, but also in doing so, Rinako would do the one thing her
father could not. Overcome a fighter of the Burn Out style. While
Rinako wrestled her thoughts in a consuming reverie, Zanga just spread
his legs out, clutched his fists and focused his attention on what
really mattered. With Rinako’s defeat, the whole of Tokyo would shake
at his name, and the Burn Out style would return to its former glory.
“Once you are dealt with,” Zanga started quietly. “The good name of
the ‘illustrious’ Ikatsuji family will go down in flames and Tokyo
will be mine. Now lets begin.”
{For you, Ayane....} Rinako clutched her fists. “Lets go!”
This was it. The two stared each other down, and shortly, Rinako was
thinking out her pattern of attack. Since this guy was so strong, it
would do Rinako no good to face him head on. One edge Rinako had over
Ayane was that now she had an understanding of this man’s strength and
could use it as a weapon in this fight.
He would learn what it meant to fight an Ikatsuji...
No longer was she doing to leave this on its own, Rinako leapt towards
Zanga, her body hissing through the chilled early morning air. She
branched out her arm in a straight angle, narrowly attempting to hit
Zanga’s jaw. Zanga himself just grinned. It was a foolish mistake to
try and attack him like that. Did Ikatsuji learn nothing from
Yosukube’s defeat? He quickly brought up his right arm to defend
himself, and Rinako’s punch was nullified. He swiftly smiled at Rinako
as an insult for such a performance, but before he knew it, her second
fist was rooted into the rook of his abdomen. Rinako quickly swerved
to one side of her adversary, pulling her elbow back and bringing into
down on the unguarded back of the Slash Fang warrior.
Zanga let out a surprised grunt, and was pushed forwards as he felt
Rinako’s elbowing driving into his back. When his feet stopped moving
from the force, he looked back at Rinako through those blood red eyes
of his and smiled.
Rinako resumed her fighting stance and kept her eyes on Zanga’s
movements. This was how she was going to defeat him. Fake him out then
strike at his weaker openings. Soon, Rinako’s feet were doing all the
work she needed, making a b-line straight for Zanga, drawing back her
fist as if to punch him. He watched the girl near him and instantly
swung his leg around to kick at her cranium as soon as she came close
enough. He was not wise to Rinako’s plan at all... The fiery young
woman quickly crouched down to the cold stone ground, Zanga’s leg
swinging a good three inches over the highest strand of her hair.
While her opportunity was fresh, the eldest Ikatsuji sister extended
her leg, pressing her palms into the ground, then span in place, her
leg whipping along the floor in a circular motion. Zanga was still
retracting his leg from the previous kick at the time, so he had no
way avoid this. His large but lissom form crashed into the stone,
roughly scratching his back. Rinako quickly stood up, keeping her
watchful eye on his next move.
Over at the sides, Mishizu and Minato were already cheering Rinako on,
while Izumi and Natsumi stayed fairly restrained.
The others were beginning to believe that Rinako could really do this
but Izumi was still worried. She didn’t like Rinako, but Izumi did not
want to see her lose to an outsider either. {You’re a good fighter,
Ikatsuji.} She thought. {But anyone who can put the boss in hospital
is more than just good...}
Zanga stood up from his floored state, wiping the dust from his ivory
white jeans. That was fairly skilled move for such a young woman.
Zanga himself was only 18 years of age but he knew that Rinako’s
talent for fighting was unique. It would make battling her that much
more... interesting.
Before long, Rinako came at Zanga again, her skirt thrashing about her
thighs as she dashed at him. When they got close enough together,
Rinako attacked Zanga with a firm roundhouse kick aimed at the
temples, which was narrowly avoided by Zanga’s evasive retreat. While
he sidestepped out of the way, Rinako leaned forward and struck him
dead on the chest with an elbow strike. Zanga dropped his guard from
the surprise, much to Rinako’s delight. Now there was an opening.
Rinako quickly grabbed a hold of Zanga’s neck, letting herself fall
backwards. Her opponent was pulled down with her, and while she was
descending, Rinako tucked her legs between her chest and Zanga’s. As
Rinako’s angelic frame hit the stone ground, Rinako quickly pulled her
legs further up and pressed the soles of her shoes into his abdomen.
Soon after Rinako let out a hearty cry of strength and pushed her leg
upwards. Zanga was tossed over Rinako in one fluid movement, and his
body was sent sailing into the dusty ground across from the Ikatsuji
girl.
Her elegant palms made contact with the ground again, and Rinako
pushed herself off of it into a standing position. That full body
throw of hers; ‘Kutsugaesu’ (Demolish) was designed by herself and
Ayane, back in their training days. It was Rinako’s way of saying that
Ayane was with her in this. Feeling a kink in her neck, Rinako rubbed
it with her hand, still keeping an eye on a rising Zanga.
The Slash Fang warrior stood up with an irate look on his face. This
Ikatsuji woman was making him look like a joke. Tossed around an arena
like a novice. A vein throbbed at the temple of Zanga’s head as he
watched Rinako from the distance. That relaxed look on her face was
annoying him. She was going to regret that. All of a sudden, the
leader of the Kyoto New Force Strikers ran at Rinako, bringing both
fists to his side. Suddenly Rinako was aware. This man was changing
his approach to the fight. Zanga yelled fiercely and swiped at Rinako
with his palm outstretched. Rinako span to one side, completely
avoiding this, and while Zanga was distracted by the failure of his
attack, Rinako elegantly kicked him in the small of his back.
Zanga growled angrily. “Damn you... you fool!”
Rinako grinned at the now flustered fighter. “What’s wrong? Are you
pissed off ‘cause you’re finally fighting someone who can beat you?
You’re just a little kid who’s gotten out of hand with his favorite
toy. You’re pathetic.”
Slowly, Zanga turned around to face Rinako. Why was this woman running
rings around him? She wasn’t that much stronger than Ayane. It was not
possible for her to be doing this to him. Unless...?
Over on the KNFS side of the arena, Ranji was looking quite pensive.
“Control your anger, Zanga!” He yelled. “You’re giving her the edge.”
Shizuku looked over to Ranji. “What are you talking about? Are you
forgetting his strategy?”
“He’s getting annoyed.” Ranji said bluntly. “He loses his focus when
he gets exasperated by a fight. He’s giving Rinako the break she needs
to win.”
Shizuku just smiled and stared back at Zanga and Rinako. “You worry
too much. It isn’t cute. And I know how much you pride yourself on
your male beauty.”
Ranji rolled his eyes. “Don’t insult me, Shizuku. I’m not as naïve as
you seem to believe. But of course, we could always test that out on
the battlefield... I know how hard it you find it to keep your hands
off me.”
“Oh, shut up.” Shizuku quipped sharply. Back on the battlefield,
Zanga’s blood red eyes opened then shut quite slowly. Ikatsuji was
getting over-confident, which was something she should not have been
doing. All the same, it meant that she was deluded with herself now.
It was time to unleash the big guns. Zanga let himself become still
for a few seconds. Very rarely did he use this kind of technique on
someone so early in a fight but Rinako’s attitude was bothering him.
There was no way he would allow this... mere schoolgirl to humiliate
him. A burning Ki set in around Zanga’s fists, his hands were now
glowing with a bright white light. Rinako watched this with some
curiosity. He was going on the offensive again. That didn’t seem like
much of a concern for his fighting style. Burn Out style liked to
counter the attacks of their enemies and then finish them off when
they lose the majority of their energy. Either Zanga’s training was
incomplete, or he made his own adjustments to it. Which also meant
Rinako was better off expecting anything. Regardless, the young woman
held firm, readying herself for the attack to come. Then Zanga’s
scarlet eyes shot wide open as he charged at her.
“Anata wa kowai desu ka? Ikuze! Hakai no iki o kirashita!”
{Are you afraid? Let's go! Breathless Destruction!}
Mishizu, Minato, Natsumi and Izumi gasped in shock when the
spiky-haired martial artist tore into Rinako with a chain of
devastating attacks. Rinako just lost her breath when she was struck
in the stomach, and her face jerked horrifically to the left by the
force of a right hook. A palm strike hammered into the shocked girl’s
abdomen, and her upper body lurched forwards. Now that Zanga had her
in a good position, he continued his ‘Breathless Destruction’ by
violently ramming his bullet-like knee into Rinako’s ribs. The girl
coughed up a shred of blood, yet still she could only draw in breath
whilst Zanga’s elbow collided with her lower back. Rinako did make
some desperate attempts to defend herself, but all (weak as they were)
were nullified by the speed of Zanga’s blows.
“Doko ne ikimasu ka? Goku wa aite imasu!”
{Where are you going? Hell is open!}
The ruthless chain of blows continued for several seconds, and Minato
found herself looking away in worry after hearing her sister’s cries.
As hard as it was, Mishizu was managing to keep herself out of the
fight, it was something that she had been warned not to do by Rinako
long ago. Izumi had her eye on Mishizu. Though she doubted that
Mishizu was *that* reckless, there was always a chance that the genius
would step in. And Izumi had to be there to stop her.
One final punch to the side, and Rinako was grounded. Her body
clattered against the stone floor and a trail of dust blew past her.
Zanga just leaned over and drew in breath. That little move absorbed a
lot of energy. But its results were worth it. The Slash Fang fighter
grinned, crossing his arms in certain victory.
Sono no sono desu! Anata wa shinda desu ka?
{That's that! Are you dead?}
Rinako slowly managed to heave herself up, groaning a little. Her
cheek had been cut, patches of blood speckled the side of her mouth,
and there was a throbbing ache at her ribcage. None of them were
broken, but a few must have been bruised internally.
{Dammit!} Rinako thought. {How did I get in this shape so quickly?}
Right now, something had to be done. Rinako released the grip she had
around her lower abdomen and inched over to Zanga as best she could.
She awkwardly tried her hardest to punch him; her fist fell short of
its mark when Zanga’s body dashed to one side of her. Very quickly.
Soon enough he was right behind her, whispering scathing comments into
her ear. “You are just as weak as Yosukube.”
Rinako gritted her teeth at the mention of her love’s name, and swung
the back of her fist at him. Zanga speedily ducked this attack,
hooking his arms around Rinako’s waist while doing so. Now she was in
position for another blaster from the Slash Fang’s repertoire.
“Yosukube no you desu! Ikioi! Roketto tsuki saigai!”
{Just like Yosukube! (Momentum) Rocket Moon Disaster!}
The purple-haired girl was dragged off her feet as Zanga pulled her
over his body. Like a folded-up accordion, Rinako’s head and lower
back were thrust into the cold, dusty stone ground. He easily released
his grip around her waist; let her body loose, and slowly Zanga stood.
“The ‘mighty’ Rinako Ikatsuji.” He said mockingly. “You are worthless
just like that Yosukube girl. The legend of Rai shou en ken will die
at my hand. And the whole of Tokyo will know that the Kyoto New Force
Strikers were the ones that finally took you down.”
Over on the sides, Minato was seriously worried. “Oh god... Rinako.”
Natsumi held her girlfriend tight. She had to watch this play out. If
Rinako really was the... “It’s okay, Minato. Rinako can pull through
this. We just have to believe in her.”
Izumi’s eyes were vigilant. {Ikatsuji’s in a bad way. If she doesn’t
pull off a serious move soon...}
It was a wonder how she was doing but Rinako was already standing.
Just like Izumi, she knew she had to do something special and soon, or
she’d get overpowered by this soulless behemoth.
“Ayane... kore wa anata ni desu...”
{Ayane... this is for you...}
Rinako set her in an exact position, and held her hands to her sides.
It was time to tip the scales. The Ikatsuji girl slowly shut her honey
brown eyes, and focused herself. Zanga took note. The girl was tapping
into her Chi, obviously to produce a Chi-related attack. Before long
she was cupping her hands to gather up power, and her body begun
glowing with bright lavender energy. The blood-eyed young man across
from her just stared on, waiting for her next attack. But he would not
wait long. When she was ready, Rinako instantly pushed both arms
forwards, splaying out her palms to fire.
“Rai shou en ken wa himitsu no gijutsu hyaku-ichi yo! Atsuryokuha!”
{Rai shou en ken's secret technique 101! Pressure Wave!}
The arena was filled with a bright lavender light as Rinako’s blazing
variation of the Atsuryokuken, the ‘Atsuryokuha’ (Pressure Wave) shot
out from her spread palms. A blast of raw Chi surged through the crisp
air, ready to wipe out Zanga. He gracefully dived out of the way; the
Atsuryokuha cleaved a charred ditched through the stone floor.
In the direction of Ranji and Shizuku.
Ranji’s eyes went wide. “Look out!”
He and Shizuku tumbled out of the way, avoiding Rinako’s blast of
energy. She just ignored the minor explosion and thrust herself back
at Zanga, striking at him with a fierce elbow rush. Zanga guarded his
chest with both arms, and then piled on more powerful attacks with
lightning efficiency. He landed one heavy punch that made Minato
cringe.
He scowled at her. “Weakling! You are nothing to my power! Just like
the Yosukube woman! And it didn’t take much to dethrone her, eh?”
Zanga grabbed a delirious Rinako by the hair on the back of her head,
and smashed his fist into her face with the other. This continued in a
repeated sequence of strikes, that Zanga effectively named ‘Renzoku
Kaze’ (Series Wind). All through the blows, he threw more harsh quips
at Rinako.
“You’ll be joining your in the ward, Ikatsuji.” Zanga said, punching
Rinako firmly in the stomach. “You’ll be in a worse state than your
miserable friend. How did it feel, knowing that you could do nothing
to protect her from me? How did it feel, knowing that *I* was the one
who destroyed her? How does it feel, knowing that you cannot stop me!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
Rinako collapsed to the ground with one final punch. She was defeated.
But something felt... different within. Something just snapped inside
her. Not from the defeat, but from Zanga’s taunting words.
“Just like the Yosukube woman!”
“You could do nothing to protect her!”
“I was the one who destroyed her!”
The fist of the leader tightened, her nails almost digging into her
flesh. This man hurt Ayane. Then he accused her of being unable to
protect her. A dark anger enveloped Rinako. It wasn’t anything
familiar to her, but she had felt traces of this rage for the past few
days. Almost like instant evolution, Rinako’s muscles tightened up,
her blood flow picked up pace, and force of her natural Chi was set
ablaze.
Over on the grassy side of the arena, Minato and Natsumi watched this
with fearful looks in there eyes. What was going on here?
Minato felt her heart beating much faster. “I... I don’t like this.
Something is wrong I know it... something’s happening to Rinako...”
Natsumi stayed quiet. She could feel the Shunshibaru crystal emitting
heat within her pocket. It was reacting to Rinako’s energy signal
again. She had to be the Seal Child. What else could it be?
That dark burning within Rinako did not die away; she could feel the
striking waves of lightning-hot Chi sinuously gushing through her
veins. But as this new feeling took over, her mentality sought
seclusion to accommodate it. Zanga stared arrogantly at Rinako;
unaware of the change that was taking place within her.
Or the effects it would have.
As soon as Rinako stood upright and gazed eye to eye with her enemy,
Natsumi knew that something was wrong. Her normally bright brown eyes
were replaced with pure white ones, no pupil in site, just those
haunting ashen eyes...
And the new sound of her voice. It sounded almost... apocalyptic.
“Now...” A darker Rinako articulated gloomily. “You’ll be tasting that
sweet blood of yours... you insignificant bastard!”
Natsumi’s eyes went wide... “Oh god! Aerolust!”
Minato was confused. “Aerolust? What’s that?”
“N-Nothing...” Natsumi tried hard not to sound suspicious. She didn’t
want to hide things from Minato, but it was better for her if she did
not know about that side of Natsumi. But that wasn’t the issue. The
issue was Rinako... or what used to be Rinako...
{Is she possessed by Aerolust? She must be. But I don’t think it has a
hold over her yet. Even so... it isn’t safe here... I still haven’t
found the Seal Child... I was sure that Rinako was the Seal Child...
the crystal reacted to her. But if she isn’t the Seal Child, then who
the heck is? And why did I-}
Natsumi’s thoughts were cut off by the sound of Zanga’s scream. The
Slash Fang warrior yelled in terror as Rinako’s fist crashed into his
ribcage. Even though it was only one blow, it was obvious that it had
cracked one of his ribs. Still, Dark Rinako just grinned, savouring
his agony.
“Enjoy that did you?” The possessed girl said. “Just like you enjoyed
kicking the crap out of my girlfriend? Well you should be happy to
know that more is coming your way, you son of bitch.”
Zanga didn’t even have time to think about the ‘girlfriend’ remark, as
his jaw snapped to one side with a fierce punch from an incensed yet
amused Dark Rinako. Nothing could stop her. Instantly she grabbed
Zanga by his spiky hair, in the exact same way he did to her, and
thrust her knee up into his face. The KNFS leader’s face was smashed
up by a deadly chain of knee kicks, knowledgeably designed and
executed by D. Rinako. Ranji and Shizuku gazed in wonder, while Izumi
and Mishizu looked on fearfully. Rinako was winning but... what was
happening to her?
Before his nose was shattered, Zanga stepped back. He had only been
hit a few times but he felt... terrible. Already.
{W-What... is she?} He thought desperately.
There was no way he could lose after coming all this way though. Zanga
had sworn an oath to his master, Ietsuna. That he would go to Tokyo
and defeat the last two students of Genzo Ikatsuji. The conquest of
Tokyo’s underworld was just a fortunate bonus. Avenging his master’s
honour came first. Zanga dragged his arms back and prepared for his
ultimate attack. He would take down Rinako, once and for all. Between
his cupped hands, a vacuous bright green energy began to develop. That
sorrowful breeze in the background was now overshadowed by the
sparkling sound of inner Chi fusing with the microbes of the
atmosphere. D. Rinako watched on in amusement. There was no fear or
doubt in her eyes. Now that the Aerolust had its hooks into, it felt
like there was nothing she could not do. After a few more seconds of
energy gathering, Zanga was ready.
“Korosu! Ore no kobushi wa tachiageru! Lust Breaker!”
{Kill! My fist rises! Lust Breaker!}
Zanga pushed his hands forwards and unleashed the sparkler-emerald
blast of energy known as the Lust Breaker. That compressed energy came
at D. Rinako very quickly, enveloping her with incoming green light.
Yet still, the dark schoolgirl held firm, waiting for the energy shot
to strike her.
Mishizu’s eyes went wide. “Rinako! Run!”
D. Rinako did not run. She remained as she was and the Lust Breaker
hit her, exploding on impact. Minato let out a terrified yell as her
sister was enclosed with that furious bright jade energy. Ranji,
Shizuku, Minato, Natsumi, Mishizu and Izumi all looked away to prevent
from being blinded by the awesome power of the Lust Breaker. Zanga
looked on with a bright smile, knowing that Rinako would have been
knocked out by the strength of his best attack. Soon the rocks tossed
into the air and the whipped up dust died down, and the smoke
surrounding the blast point faded away. Then Zanga’s smile degenerated
into a shocked gaze as a figure was standing tall and proud amidst the
last few traces of smoke.
It was Rinako.
Her school skirt was shredded and aside from the few cuts she had
gotten before her transformation, D. Rinako was pretty much unharmed.
All three of the Kyoto New Force Strikers were completely unprepared
for that. Zanga was just plain incredulous. How could his legendary
Lust Breaker be defeated so easily?
D. Rinako’s grin widened. “What the hell was that supposed to be? A
term of affection? Sorry, son. I’m spoken for.” She then cracked her
knuckles. “But I have these two fists who’d love to meet you. Say
hello to Nishi (West) and Minami (South). They say that they want to
be stained by your blood. You’ll indulge them, won’t you?”
Zanga froze in shock. In just a few seconds, Rinako had become
stronger than him. But how? His questions went unanswered because
Rinako, on a power high, charged towards him, forcing her seductive
yet destructive leg into his battered ribcage. Zanga coughed up a
little blood and fell to his knees. D. Rinako was completely un-caring
of how weakened her adversary had become so quickly. She brutally
kicked him once more in the ribs, making him roll over onto his back.
D. Rinako leapt up into the air and landed on top of the blood-eyed
guy. He was mounted very quickly; furthermore, D. Rinako raised her
clenched right fist into the air.
D. Rinako grinned demonically at her fallen opponent. “You hear that?
It’s the sound of destiny crying out for your bones to be scattered
into the winds!”
After bellowing a sinister yell, D. Rinako pounded her face with
relentless force. Punch after punch was landed on Zanga’s jerking
face, its conditioning getting worse and worse with each strike.
Ranji was dumbstruck. “My word... Zanga...”
Mishizu’s eyes were filled with worry, confusion and fright. Rinako
was never this... excessive. Something was wrong. This wasn’t like
her.
“Rinako!” She yelled. “That’s enough! Stop it!”
But D. Rinako was far beyond hearing anything that Mishizu or the
others could say. Her relentlessness was beginning to shock even
Izumi. The possessed CBL leader struck at Zanga again and again and
again, the damage was so severe that a trail of his blood was spilling
onto the stone floor.
Minato could not hide her surprise and horror. “Rinako! What are you
doing...?”
One last blow finally broke Zanga’s thick jaw, with a gruesome
cracking sound. She retracted her hands quickly, already soaked in the
downed fighter’s blood. But with this, D. Rinako began losing her grip
on her sense of human decency. Her catastrophic new voice screamed
hoarsely once more, echoing around the arena.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
D. Rinako dismounted a now unconscious Zanga, and her lifeless eyes
tracked over to Ranji and Shizuku. They were her next targets. Minato
could feel this. Something was up with her sister and she had to do
something about it. Before she knew it, Minato was on her feet and
making a dash for her older sister.
Natsumi was now alert. Rinako was dangerous in that state. “Minato!”
She yelled. “Don’t go down there!”
Minato didn’t bother to look back. “I have to help her!”
The concerned young blonde quickly made her way over to D. Rinako, to
stop her from attacking people that were not at fault. She got beside
her zombie-like sister and held her wrist to hold the CBL leader back.
“Don’t hurt them, Rinako.” Minato began. “They haven’t done anything
wrong.”
D. Rinako looked back on Minato. She wasn’t even aware that the blonde
girl was her sister. And Minato was beginning to doubt that this thing
was still her sister. Those eyes... they didn’t belong to her Rinako.
It was almost as if... something was trying to take control of her...
“Arrgh!” D. Rinako grunted loudly and shoved Minato to one side. The
girl was of no use to her. Her pure white eyes then focused on Ranji
and Shizuku like a Deer between the crosshairs.
“Gyaaaah! Atsuryokuha!”
Instantly she drew back her hands and then pushed them forward, firing
another (but much more powerful) Pressure Wave. It was like a flaming
missile that sought out its targets. Neither Ranji or Shizuku bothered
to say anything, but rather they cleared out of that patch of grass
quickly, both darting either side of the shot. It exploded in a haze
of lavender spirit fire, the flames dancing along in the face of the
cool morning air.
Ranji looked back at the blast point of the Atsuryokuha. “What
strength... she’s even stronger than Zanga now... but how is this
possible?” He whispered.
As soon as he managed to stand, he felt warm breath on his shoulder.
He shot back around to see the darkened Rinako standing menacingly
behind him. She made no quirky snap or comment, just clamped her hand
around the dark-haired boy’s neck. His stylish glasses fell to the
floor, and Shizuku looked on in terror. Ranji was struggling to
breath.
“Ranji!” She yelled.
The young Kyoto New Force Striker could not respond to Shizuku’s cry
of fright, he was struggling just to keep himself conscious. As much
as he suffered to free himself from D. Rinako’s grip, Ranji could not
do so and he passed out from the lack of oxygen. An inexpressive
Rinako tossed the boy to one side without any effort what so ever.
Mishizu and Minato could only look on, as D. Rinako was about to
strike down Shizuku.
“Atsuryokuken!”
Just before she could attack Shizuku, a cluster of sharp sapphire blue
energy suddenly knocked D. Rinako back. Minato, Mishizu, Izumi and
Natsumi looked over to the entrance to this area, and they where more
than shocked to see who it was.
Ayane.
With her hands burning with residual Chi, She was still clad in her
hospital smock; the bandages around her forehead were flowing in the
breeze like a banner. She would have been much happier about the
defeat of Zanga if she weren’t so consumed by what Rinako had devolved
into. That emotionless creature was not her angel. And only Ayane
could get her back.
D. Rinako looked over to the one who shot her down, but the slightest
of twinges went off in her heart from seeing Ayane. The tiniest bit of
Rinako that was not consumed by Aerolust was singing to the angels for
her love’s safety. But the overwhelming side of her that was overcome
by the Aerolust saw nothing but a challenge.
Ayane lowered her hands and slowly walked over to her troubled angel.
“R-Rinako? It’s me, Ayane. You do not have to do this... I am okay.”
Ayane came closer. D. Rinako’s resolve was wavering. “You must please
listen to me. This... is not like you. I can help you though. I love
you so much. Please just let me help you...”
The real Rinako’s voice was starting to come back. “A-Ayane...?”
The girl in question nodded, still getting closer to D. Rinako. “Yes.
It’s me. There is nothing to worry about now. I am here for you. I
swear I will always be there for you.”
And that tight hold the Aerolust started to have over Rinako begun to
fade. Her love was here, and it was beginning to fade. “Ayane...”
Before she knew it, D. Rinako was wrapped in the loose but caring
embrace of Ayane Yosukube. The phantom of the Aerolust then died down
and relinquished its grip on Rinako, bringing the young woman back
into reality.
Her newly returned honey brown eyes looked up into Ayane’s soft gold
ones. “A-Ayane? W-what are you doing here? What’s going on? What
happened to Zanga?”
Ayane smiled. “One of the SBA girls called me an hour ago to see how I
was doing. She eventually told me that you would be fighting Zanga
today. I was worried. I had to be here for you, just like you wanted
to be there for me.”
Rinako just let herself fall limp in her love’s arms. “For me... here
for me... Ayane...”
Minato, Izumi and Mishizu slowly approached the two lovers to see if
everything was okay. Natsumi stayed back, and took the Shunshibaru
crystal out of her pocket. It stopped glowing entirely. That probably
meant that Aerolust had escaped from Rinako’s body. Normally she would
have been worried that it could possess someone else, like Ayane or
one of the Kyoto New Force Strikers, but she doubted that was possible
just yet. It must have taken sometime for Aerolust to gather up the
energy to possess Rinako. It was obvious that Aerolust still lacked
the energy it needed to fully control Rinako, and now that it had been
expelled from her body, it also meant that it would take sometime
before it could re-awaken itself.
{We’re safe for now.} Natsumi thought. {But how long will that last?}
While Mishizu, Rinako, Minato and Ayane huddled together in their
relief from Rinako’s recovery, Izumi walked over to Ranji and Shizuku
who were still astounded by the explosion of power they had just
witnessed.
“Listen here, you two.” Izumi hissed. “Take your friend over there,
get him to some place where he can recover. You lost the damn duel.
Now piss off.”
Though Shizuku scowled back at Izumi, Ranji took that on board and
dragged his female teammate over to their leader. They had lost the
duel and as the rules stated, the Kyoto New Force Strikers had to
leave immediately.
Minato hugged her sister, happy that she was back to normal, but
confused by what was happening here. “What happened Rinako? Why did
you do all of that?”
Rinako absently shook her head. “I’m not sure. I don’t really know
what happened. I was feeling so angry during the fight something just
clicked and I blanked out. The next thing I know, Ayane is holing me.
What the hell happened?”
Natsumi then walked up to them. “I... I think I might be able to
explain that.”
**********
One Year Later...
**********
Rinako Ikatsuji grinned deviously. It was her final year, and exams
would be starting soon, but she still had time to do battle in the
duel of control. A few metres away from her was Ayane Yosukube, with a
contrasting stare of focus on her. Unlike Rinako, she was going to
take this battle seriously.
They were at their old battleground for the duel of control. It had
been one whole year since Rinako’s possession by the Aerolust, and
many things had happened in between then and now. This was best summed
up when Rinako looked over at the two subordinates, Mishizu and Izumi.
Rinako grinned. {Geez. Even when the position of second in command is
at stake all they can do is fool around with each other. Geez, who’d
have thought those two, would make a good couple?}
“Rinako...” Ayane said annoyed. “You should focus on this you know.
Leadership of our gang isn’t a light issue.”
Rinako nodded with a defeated pout. The Cross Blade Lancers and the
Spring Breeze Assassins existed no more. A few months back they had
convinced the gang to merge into one group, a gang that had been
effectively named the Neo Blade Assassins. Right now, there was
confusion as to who should lead the group, so it was decided that the
next duel of control would be for leadership of the Neo Blade
Assassins. “Well, yeah. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun
with it right?”
Ayane raised an eyebrow. “Meaning?”
“Meaning...” Rinako grinned seductively. “How about a little wager?
Just between you and me? Make this a little more interesting?”
“Okay. So what do you want?” Ayane asked inquisitively.
That sexy grin on Rinako did not go away. “If I win, I want you all to
myself tonight.”
Ayane just shrugged. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“Yes, but you’ll have to get a few things. Some strawberries and
whipped cream would be nice...”
Now Ayane was confused. “Well... of course. Whatever you want.”
“You don’t understand, sweetie.” Rinako said directly. “That’s what
you’ll be wearing.”
Ayane’s eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Regardless of whether it turned her on not, there was no way she could
agree to that. Could she...? “You cannot be serious...”
Rinako rested her palms on her waist. “Oh what, are you chicken? Don’t
you dare pretend like you wouldn’t like it...”
Ayane sighed. “Okay. I agree to that. But if *I* win, I want us to
enjoy a nice quiet meal together in a new restaurant up in Shinjuku.
Are we agreed?”
Rinako wriggled her nose at that. “I suppose so. A bit boring, but
hey, I can’t lose either way! So, you ready?”
Ayane smiled and took on her fighting stance. “Prepare to hand over
control, Miss Ikatsuji.”
Rinako took on an equally flawless stance, beaming from ear to ear.
“You should be more concerned with surviving this fight, Yosukube.”
The two lovers smiled at each other once more and then before too much
time passed, the Burning Tiger and the Frozen Dragon lunged into each
other for the beginning of a deciding battle. Gone were their previous
hatreds and distaste all that was left were the feelings of affection
that the two shared. They would do battle to help the other improve
and reach new levels. The only sentiments that would exist on this
battlefield were the love they shared and the happiness they felt for
being with each other like this.
Things were finally as they should have been all along.
**********
I wake from a nightmare now
In the day it haunts me
It slowly tears me apart
With dreams of a distant love
I'm a wandering satellite
Somewhere in the wasteland
I see you smiling at me
A vision out of my dreams
Will everything change?
Take the pain away
Lead me with your light
Heading for the sun
Leave the sadness behind
Crossing oceans dry
Yeah
My world spinning out of time
Won't somebody stop me?
I may be losing my way
Will you make it right?
Take the pain away
Hear me as I cry
Heading for the sun
Leave the sadness behind
Crossing oceans dry
Deep inside I go
Spirit dreams inside
Spirit dreams inside
What can I do, I ask?
There's nothing left to say
What can I do, I ask?
There's nothing left to say
Why am I here?
Why am I lost?
Where is love?
Lead me with your light
Heading for the sun
Leave the sadness behind
Crossing oceans dry
Deep inside I go
Heading for the sun
Leave the sadness behind
Crossing oceans dry
Deep inside I go
Spirit dreams inside
Spirit dreams inside
Spirit dreams inside
Spirit dreams inside
**********
THE END
**********
Kaiser’s Afterthoughts
----------------------
* Yup. I know, the ending was inconclusive, but don’t worry I intended
it to be. I will do a sequel in a few months, since I’ve abandoned the
Darkest Body, Brightest Soul sequel. But for now, I’m restarting my
fantasy Shoujo-ai with a new story... Magical Sword Princess Aoi!
Watch out for it...
* Jaggy Love and Spirit Dreams Inside to not belong to me. And if you
have any comments or questions remaining about this story, feel free
to e-mail me.
Back to Rival Rage: The Beginning of Aerolust Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction