Description: Down by the river (in India), Sakura and Hotaru meet again... with the same results as last time. But now there's curry. (Winner: Sakura)
India's got a lot of people. It's probably easy to forget that, living elsewhere, but when you're here, it's unmistakable.
Scores of people pass through Varanasi, India, also known as the "Eternal City," believed to be the very first city in all of India. Here, the cycle of life is celebrated on the banks of the Ganges River -- and within it, as almost all the visitors here seek to bathe in the waters themselves.
It's not very sanitary, but that's really not the point. It's tradition -- a tradition two Japanese girls aren't exactly here to be a part of. No, one part of the stepped banks, a good distance away from the river proper and quite a bit higher than water level, is cleared off for a very special fight this afternoon. Camera crews surround the cleared area, marked off with retractable barriers for the main event.
And Sakura Kasugano, one of the fighters, is a bit nervous for once. She has all the trappings of her usual self, save one -- her long white headband. She just... doesn't seem to be smiling anywhere near as much as usual. Maybe it's the heat? Could be a lot of things.
But, for once, she's on time, walking through the crowd and slipping under the barrier into the ring. Just for show, she puts on a smile, waving to the bystanders in a token attempt to get them fired up. "Hey, everyone... you here for a show today?" ... Second nature by now, really.
This -is- a very special city; even when one doesn't know the history behind the Eternal City, it's... it's something you can feel. Something palpable, tangible. The age of the city, the weight of the thousands who have lived, died, been born, worked in this city, presses down even harder than that blazing heat. Too, India is not always a peaceful country, and Varanasi has seen its share of violence... but for Hotaru, that doesn't diminish the awe she feels at being here.
The smell of the river doesn't deter her, either, nor the people; because of the heat and humidity, she's actually got on a pair of Karin-style biker shorts under a looser pair of white denim cargo shorts, and she wears a simple cotton tee-shirt in a blue that matches her hair. No ferret, no puppy, this time... but that's alright. Hotaru wouldn't trust them to this city.
She's actually the one who's late, getting out of an ancient taxi near the edge of the cleared-off arena, but making her way to the arena quickly.... if with a little trepidation. See, because...
She's fought Kasugano before. And it didn't go well. Hotaru still remembers how that kick nearly broke her in half. So she's scared. But she's also determined to do better, this time.
Some folks might consider it stupid for a fight to take place in the "Mecca" of the Hindu religion... but then again, Sakura's no stranger to fights upon holy ground, having fought in the Vatican. It's a celebration of the cycle of life, right? ... But there won't be any death here, though! Just a bit of drama.
And Sakura... well, she's here. Not saying much for her frame of mind, but she =is= attempting to keep a game face on. As she spots Hotaru pulling up, she turns and waves to her cheerfully. "Hotaru!" Faces turn to the new arrival, as Sakura waves, casually shifting her weight onto one leg.
And as Hotaru approaches, the ref closes in. Sakura gives a formal bow, before shifting into her formal defensive stance, giving the girl a quick wink. "You've been practicing hard since last time, right?" It's not meant as an insult -- heck, if anything, Hotaru ought to =keep= the psychological advantage here, considering Kasugano's current state of mind.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 0/-------/-------|
Hotaru has no idea what's on Sakura's mind, really; she doesn't know the girl that well, though she can tell that something's wrong. Sakura was much more... exuberant, the last time, even before the fight started. Already, Hotaru's doing her best to forget about the surroundings, to focus on the fight. She'll need everything she's got to have a chance at taking Sakura down.
Hotaru returns Sakura's formal bow with one of her own, precisely executed, then smiles gamely.
"I have been practicing, yes. I hope it helps." And then, despite her lack of familiarity with the Ansatsuken fighter, she frowns.
"Are you alright, Kasugano-san? You seem distracted..." But, probably before Sakura can answer, the announcer and ref is suddenly shouting "FIGHT!" and the world is brought into that sharp relief that only happens when things like death and pain and victory are on the line. And Hotaru resolves to ask Sakura after this fight, win or lose, what is going on. It's just in her nature. Another bow, and then Hotaru is in her fighting stance, the corners of her lisp tugging down slightly as she frowns, considering her best action... then deciding to just go for it, taking three steps before leaping up and kicking out at Sakura's side with a low, flying roundhouse kick.
"HYAH!" It's her way of announcing, 'I'm here, let's fight!'
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Hotaru's Heavy Kick.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Kasugano is distracted, as Hotaru points out. She starts to open her mouth for explanation, already sensing what her opponent is about to ask, but the announcer's call is enough to jar her out of any such mindset. And since it's not her =true= mood... well, the faint pretense of a smile is dropped as soon as Hotaru charges up and kicks.
The flying kick is evaded easily enough -- even with Sakura distracted so, her reflexes are still honed enough to carry her in a sidestep to safety.
"Mmm," murmurs the Ansatsuken prodigy, nodding her head in approval at the technique -- not one she would have expected! But it won't stop her from closing in with a straight-up punch aimed towards Hotaru's shoulders. She shouts, "Hyaa!" as per usual, but she still hasn't =quite= gotten warmed up yet.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Sakura's Medium Punch.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
One good dodge is met with another, as Hotaru naturally drops herself low after the kick... and a good thing, too, as she knows Sakura tends to pack a punch. (Forgive the pun.)
With one leg extended, for stability, during this very low ducking, Hotaru suddenly pivots, looking to kick Sakura's ankles together, and hopefully make her stumble, at least, if not fall right the hell down. Sure, Sakura's distracted... but she's still a formidable opponent as far as Hotaru's concerned.
Still, it heartens her to see that Sakura's not -that- far gone... maybe she's daydreaming about something like Ryu and Shingo... but then... no, just ew.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Hotaru's Light Kick.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sakura
Daydreaming about Ryu? ... Trying -not- to daydream about Ryu, more like it. Sakura's not volunteering any details to her current state of mind though -- bottling it up's much easier!
Following Hotaru's drop to the ground, the Taiyo student drops as well, bracing herself with one knee low to the ground. Hotaru's foot would find itself colliding with a braced shin -- enough to bruise, but not enough to knock Sakura over or anything. "Heh..." she notes softly, before springing to her feet.
And up, and =over= Hotaru's head. Legs splaying to either side, Kasugano aims to leapfrog right over Hotaru, hands chopping down at either shoulder to crush the slightly shorter girl into the ground. Maybe she's getting =some= of her enthusiasm back? "Yut-taa!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Sakura's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Just in time, Hotaru flings her arms up, taking most of the impact on her forearms, her legs bent to let her absorb most of the rest of that impact. But oh man, that hurt even guarded, Hotaru shaking her forearms out a little as she rises to a more normal position then turns to face the landing Sakura.
"That hurt, Kasugano-san," she says plaintively, obviously teasing a little bit, as she then lunges forward, seeking to close any remaining distance and snag Sakura by the body and shoulder.
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Hotaru's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Getting hold of Sakura, at least temporarily, Hotaru attempts to affect a sudden change in Sakura's inertia and the direction of her momentum. Er, that is...
She pulls Sakura towards her and attempts to trip the girl onto the ground, nice and simple.
Flying over Hotaru's head, Sakura finds herself on the other side, skidding to a halt with both heels digging in on the ancient stone steps. "... Well, it =is= a fight and all..." she notes. From her faint smirk, she won't be staying in emoville for the entire fight, at least.
When Hotaru reaches out for her shoulder, Sakura still can get a sense that =something= is coming -- and it just so happens she has a reaction in mind. Shifting her weight forward, Kasugano throws herself into a roll as Hotaru trips her, redirecting that momentum into a slightly less painful tumble, before kicking back to her feet a good distance away.
And there's that smirk again. See? She's almost back to normal, even -- if the telltale rush of wind into the space between her palms is any indication. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for..." she calls out as the energy takes shape into a sphere -- and then Kasugano thrusts her hands forward at Hotaru with a cry of "Hadoooouken!" Nothing big, nothing fancy -- just your average four-foot wide mushrooming cloud of energy!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru reflects Medium Hadouken from Sakura with Kobi Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Sakura
That is actually pretty damn big and fancy. But then... maybe Sakura's never been on the BUSINESS end of one of these suckers. But that doesn't scare Hotaru; she's setting herself even as she sees Sakura winding up, calling energy, and Hotaru's stance lowers just a tad. As the last syllable leaves Sakura's lips... Hotaru's own chi is blazing up.
And as that blast comes in, Hotaru is... turning her back on it. To kick upwards, flinging a blue wall of energy up that deflects the Hadouken -right back- at Sakura.
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Hotaru's Reflected Medium Hadouken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Sakura
Ohhh, Sakura's been on the receiving end before -- both of her own Hadoukens reflected back at her, and of Ken and Ryu's much more powerful versions. Just not, y'know, in -recent- memory.
And even as spaced out as she might be, she doesn't exactly need a refresher course. Eyes widening in panic as the blast gets kicked right back at her, Sakura's reflexes fire before she can really register the threat, sending her into a leap right over top of the blue blaze, with her toes almost but not quite getting clipped by the wavefront! "Whoa, close!" she calls out!
But... while she's =here=, she may as well try to attack. So maybe =that's= why a big Chuck Taylor is now sailing on a collision course for Hotaru's upper torso. "Hyaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Sakura with Tenshin Shou EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0 Sakura
Hotaru wasn't expecting Sakura to jump right over it--but she's ready for that kick!
... at least, she thought she was, but man, Sakura's legs are longer than she thought; she takes the kick right in the face, before she can do anything, and just stumbles back, shaking her head to clear it out before Sakura can capitalize too much on that.
Oof. Sakura's eyes go wide as she finds her foot a bit higher than expected! Landing in a low crouch, she throws her hands up in apology: "Aaaah! Sorry, Hotaru, I wasn't thinking!" ... Distracted? Oh yeah, that.
"Er, yeah... sorry!" The idea here is that this =is= still a battle, even though Sakura's head isn't fully in the game, even now. Just the same though, she's not about to start =wailing= on her opponent -- instead leaning in close for a quick mid-level kick to the stomach. "Hyaa!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Hotaru with Light Kick.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Sakura
Unfortunately, Sakura, you have no choice. The kick? It folds Hotaru like a card table; fate, positioning, physics, it doesn't really matter, what matters is that not only does Hotaru get kicked, she actually bounces on the ground a couple times, face-first. Oh yeah. That... that hurt a lot. Whew. Hotaru pulls herself to her knees, looking groggyish already, rubbing her stomach... slowly putting herself back together as much as she can.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/------=/=======|===----\-------\0 Sakura
... oof. "... Aaah... sorry, Hotaru..." Sakura rubs the back of her neck, growing a bit pale. Normally, she'd be talking smack, right? ... Or maybe not. That was a =serious= hit she just dealt. She doesn't know her own strength? Something like that.
"H... hey, hang in there. You'll probably be kicking my butt in no time, right?" Laughing faintly, she charges in close -- this time aiming to grab Hotaru by the arm and sling her sharply to one side. "Hyaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru blocks Sakura's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0 Sakura
Hotaru is slung! But, most of the damage comes from the twisting of her shoulder and that's -nothing- compared to the damage she just took from Sakura's Pistons of Steel--er, her Converse-clad feet. Man, Hotaru's prolly got a Converse shoe imprint in her stomach right now. But that's alright. That's what a fight is about. Hotaru shakes her arm out briefly and smiles.
"It's alright, Kasugano-san. This is what the league is about." Hotaru crouches, then suddenly leaps, flying high for a moment, over Sakura if she can, to snap a foot down and inflict some pain on Sakura's shoulder.
%"It's alright
COMBATSYS: Sakura blocks Hotaru's Koushuu Da.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Sakura
Well, Hotaru might think it a -bad- thing to have a converse imprint... but think of the marketing possibilities! A living, breathing billboard! How many companies would -pay- for that kind of publicity!?
Okay, enough of that. Sakura grins faintly as Hotaru wriggles free, backing aside. She may have lost some of her will to fight with the damage she's dealt to Hotaru just now, but the encouragement does help. "Yeah, I guess... thanks!"
That's said while Hotaru's leaping off of her shoulder, of course -- a move which Sakura braces for, lowering herself in sync with the motion to dull the effect.
But when Hotaru springs away for a landing, Sakura charges in to follow. Her goal here -- hop a bit, plant her feet on Hotaru's back, and spring backwards into a backflip. "Yut-taaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Hotaru with Sailor Shoot.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Sakura
If there's one thing that Hotaru is definitely taking away from this fight... it's that she's got to get better. Sakura is working her like a heavy bag and it's showing, heavily; after Sakura's feet get in on Hotaru's back and fling her to the ground, it's almost all Hotaru can do to get to her feet again; she doesn't look tired, but she's just beaten up, pain substituting for fatigue easily. Hotaru can't help but grab her back, for a moment, then straighten up, her expression growing more serious, more intent. She -will- do better. She has to think she will... or she's already lost. She has to fight off the pain.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Even as she's spinning into a backflip, Sakura can't help but feel =something's= off. Mentally, she's just been kinda floating through this fight, as if it were a dream bout of some kind. It just -seems- that way to her, much like she can't really grasp the reality of the past two weeks or so. How long ago was that talk with Ryu, anyway? She can't remember, right off.
And perhaps it's just as well, as Sakura lands in a crouch, rising to face Hotaru once again. "Well... it'd be rude for me to go easy on you, wouldn't it?" she offers with a timid chuckle, curling her hands by her side as a bright blue blossom of flame sprouts into existence from her palms. "Inside you beats the heart of a warrior, Hotaru!" Look, it's... Sakura's misguided attempt at being cheerful! ... As she's throwing a five-foot-wide wave of concussive force towards the Kenpo fighter. "Hadoooouken!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Sakura's Large Hadouken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/-======/=======|======-\-------\0 Sakura
Rather than attempt to send the attack back at Sakura, this time, Hotaru chooses instead to quickstep to the side--more than once, that is, to get around the wall of energy. And the moment she's cleared it she's going in for the attack... perhaps suicidal given how beat up she is, but she knows there's no way Sakura'll give her the time to recover. So, she possibly ends this the way she begins, with a flying kick... She has no regrets. It isn't often she can fight such a superior opponent without worrying about various things like not getting -killed- outright.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Sakura with Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/=======/=======|=======\=------\1 Sakura
That's ... a positive outlook! But apparently it's one that =works= this time, as Sakura tries to skate out of the path of the kick. ... And fails, getting nailed in the sternum, arms and legs windmilling to either side as she's knocked onto the hard stone.
A few of the bathers in the river below even turn to find out where that large thumping sound came from. It's just Sakura! She kips right back up to her feet with a faint grin -- at least =now= her head's in the game a bit more. "Ow... I didn't ask the front desk for a wake-up call!"
But... just the same, she shakes it off. Considering the way the fight's going, she's got no room to complain! Kasugano charges forward in a headstrong fashion, aiming to clean Hotaru's clock with a rapid, leaping uppercut. "SHOOOU'OOOU KEN!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Sakura's Shou'ou Ken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Headstrong--that's a title Hotaru can claim, though it's more subtle than Sakura's brand of headstrong. In this case, however, she's very clearly not wanting to deal with Sakura's head-strong charge; she backs up a step then siftly steps to the side, letting her headbanded opponent sail by... or does she? Well, actually she tries to grab Sakura as she goes by and 'help' her by adding momentum... so that Sakura will go flying up higher than she may expect.
COMBATSYS: Sakura dodges Hotaru's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hotaru 1/=======/=======|=======\-------\1 Sakura
Well... there's something to be said for following through. Sakura can already tell that she's not going to hit with her punch as soon as Hotaru steps to the side -- but at this point, she's got no possible recourse but to simply keep moving, delaying her uppercut to just a half-second longer. It's just long enough to carry her out of Hotaru's range, and allows her to continue sailing skyward with the uppercut, albeit without the advantage of a target.
Of course, Hotaru can count on Sakura attacking as soon as she lands -- and that's just what happens! One hop, two hops, and then Sakura's sailing forward at Hotaru, wheeling a high overhead kick down onto her from above -- amidst a distracting, fluttering skirt. "Hrii-HAAAA!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru fails to interrupt Flower Kick from Sakura with Soushou Tenrenge EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|
Hotaru's all ready to do something -super spectacular-. Really. But instead... she gets a faceful of sneaker and that just sits her right down. *plop* No really, that's it; she's just suddenly sitting, and she doesn't look like she wants to get back up. Did she do better? Worse? Who can say, without a past record of that fight? But Hotaru didn't come away empty-handed, at least.
Oof. "Whew..." notes Sakura, hopping back to a safer position. She =did= note that Hotaru was gathering her will for =something=, so she's all defensive and such in anticipation...
... Only to see Hotaru sitting down on the ground. "... Okay, guess that's it, then..." she chirps, rubbing the back of her head weakly. For a fight she didn't really have her head in the middle of, it doesn't seem like she'd done too badly. "Heh... a little better than last time..." notes Sakura, standing back just in case Hotaru were to deliver a Metsu Spinny Shoulder Rush Thingie and deliver a disfiguring blow.
Hey, it could happen.
"Good fight, Hotaru-chan!" A faint, nervous smile follows!
Hotaru smiles a bit and mmmphs... then flops onto her back, arms splayed out. "You won again, Kasugano-san. But it was fun. And the ground here doesn't hurt like the way that ship decking did..." Then she's sitting up, dusting herself off.
"It was an honor to fight you again," she says, as she stands, and performs a formal bow to the victor.
"Yeah, kinda fun! Heh-heh!" Her aloof behavior can probably be attributed more to her mood than any kind of unsportsmanlike tendencies, though the two might be easily confused in this situation. Even still, Sakura -does- bow back in reply, before flashing a thumbs-up at the girl. "Hey, y'wanna go grab some curry? They got this really good spot don at the marketplace..."
Hotaru rubs her stomach... perhaps checking for waffle-like ridges imprinted on.. and also checking her stomach's tenderness. Hmm... might be alright.
"Sure! But... you're paying, right?" Because she won. As Hotaru gathers her things she hmms softly, then says, "Ne, Kasugano-san... have you seen Hinata lately...?"
COMBATSYS: Sakura takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Sakura 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sakura has ended the fight here.
"Hina-chan? I, er... watched her last fight..." Walking over to the ref for the final goings-on, she waves back to her adoring fans (what few of them there -are- here in the Indian holy site), before turning back to Hotaru with a nervous grin. "... Haven't really been out and about much, though. Why, what's up?"
Hotaru slings her small overnight bag over her shoulder and shakes her head. "It's nothing... I just haven't seen her in a while and all... I know she's been busy with that Second Victory tournament, so I guess she's been doing a lot of training." Hotaru lifts her free hand in a friendly wave to the few fight fans, then smiles. "So where is this curry place...?"
"Hmm... well, =maybe=." An official tosses Sakura's bookbag to her; she then slings the bag over her shoulder and continues to walk. This fight is =over!= "Ah, it's right over that way..." She laughs a bit, still faintly distracted for whatever reason. "Well, I can't figure they're training =together=, but yeah. Kain, um... well, I'm a bit worried for her sake, but I'm sure she's fine..." Clearly, Sakura hasn't been worried enough to check up on her, though. She walks along the street, veering off towards the city center. Still a bit of a walk though.
Hotaru's fine with walking, she doesn't mind it.
"So, ne, Kasugano-san... what's wrong? You've been distracted by -something- this whole time... is it boyfriend problems?" Hinata... well, she's not dead yet so Kain must be at least -somewhat- okay. Yuri should worry, she's got to deal with that psycho lunatic Iori after all, he'd probably gut Yuri for saying the wrong thing.
Shaking her head, Kasugano runs her fingers through her hair. "Nah, me and Shingo are fine. Just, y'know, hanging in there, right?" ... Note that she doesn't exactly =answer= the question, though -- instead, abruptly jumping track to an earlier topic. "This curry place is pretty sweet, I've heard. They've got a bit of Japanese rice, even though it's hard to find here, and the spice is -super- hot." She giggles slightly, at that.
"So you like your curry as hot as you can get it? I don't mind it too hot, really... but Itokatsu likes to have curry too and he can't handle the spicy stuff even if he wants to try it. So I usually have mild..." She notices that Sakura isn't exactly interested in talking about herself so she lets it go... for now.
"Yeah! I like spicy stuff. I mean... it's not my =favorite=, but I like all kindsa different foods! I love sampling the best food I can at wherever I go, really. It's just, like... if you aren't gonna test the local cuisine, why bother, right?" Laughing a bit, she nods, pushing on towards the restaurant. "That's the one!" she points out, as they approach.
Hotaru nods in agreement, and smiles. "I never understood people who wouldn't ever experiment with their food... I mean... what kind of life is it if you don't try new things out?" Except alcohol, but that's a different matter, really.
"It looks pretty crowded... but that means it's good, right?"
"Basically!" Sakura nods in agreement there -- at least with conversations about something neutral like food, she seems to be a bit closer to her normal temperament.
"Mm... yeah, it'll be fine though." She waves cheerily to the cook as she comes in sight -- and enough of the locals step aside. They =were= watching the fight, after all! "... H---hey, awesome! I'll... I'll have the local special, then. Whatever you folks recommend!" They understand English, right?
The curry could be too hot for Hotaru to handle... but if Sakura can do it, so can she! Hotaru smiles bravely and echoes that request, glancing nervously at a bowl that may contain the local special... that has a curry that glows with the power of a thousand suns.
At least it'll be a unique taste sensation right?
Log created by Hotaru, and last modified on 15:27:28 04/16/2006.