Description: The Shooting Stars valiantly assist the resistance fighters in taking a strategic location in Thailand only to run into not just Kurow but a mercenary shadow in the form of Marise. Hotaru, doubting her involvement with the war, still can't stand idly by while they provide such a stirring example, so she has to jump into it too. It's a long, gruelling battle, but in the end it comes down to a victory for the Good Guys, leaving only the completely unscratched young Futaba standing.
Just on the northern edge of Shadaloo terrritory lies a radio tower, a particularly important one at that; it's a key point for the war effort, a hotly contested point that both sides have been fighting as hard as they can to secure. It's a key tactical point -- if the allies could take it, it'd be all the more difficult for Shadaloo to keep pushing outward, and all the easier for the allies to push into Shadaloo territory; if Shadaloo secures it, it'd make allied communication much more difficult.
The best way to secure such a point, of course, is to send an elite operative. In this case, that elite operative is Kurow Kirishima, Darkside Student Congress leader and Shadaloo associate; he comes at the head of a small group of Shadaloo operatives mixed with his own similarly small goon squad, reinforcing the Shadaloo side. It's clear that he's the primary tactical asset, though; some of the troops already look a little haggard and bruised from the journey, whereas he's still in tip-top form.
Busy, busy, busy. Drake Vyril, a.k.a. Domino, will never use the phrase 'like a warzone' lightly again. Though most of what he and the Shooting Stars have been through since departing the waterways were small skirmishes. Nothing the rebelling military forces couldn't handle on their own. But according to the information the military has kindly provided for them, this radio tower is a key strategic location. One in which both sides are currently struggling to secure. So that's where the rag-tag group of do-gooders come in. Funny how things work like that, isn't it? A band of non-military teenagers, rushing headlong into war on foreign soil, believing they'll make a real difference in the outcome.
And so far, the lead Star strongly feels that they've done that very thing.
A group of soldiers are marching towards the radio tower now, preparing to reinforce their side of the struggle. Along with them - though in no way decked in BDU - is Drake, mentally prepping himself to assist in any way possible. Though he's not -in- the crowd of soldiers, he's only slightly off to the side.
"Arika, Eva," he calls over his shoulder, scanning for them. "You two ready, if it turns out they need our help? Any last minute preparations should be done now." Since their last encounter with Douyoubi, Drake's pretty much been his usual self again. Confident, composed, and fairly mirthful. Something some soldiers find fairly annoying, but more often find refreshing.
Good thing that at least one of the members of the Shooting Stars seems to be their usual selves. As for the punk rock princess? She's been fairly quiet and subdued. Not at -all- like her usual self.
Despite their chat after the incident, Arika has gone back into a shell. Emotions locked tighter than ever, she's been avoiding contact with nearly everyone. Biding her time until the opportunity presents itself for her to seek revenge.
Given a few days to heal, the minor skirmishes proved to be hardly a problem at all. Signs of the attack are still visible in small quantities though. Lacerations upon her back where larger wooden splinters tore the skin. A large bruise around the back of her shoulder where it dislocated.
And of course... an extremely haunted look which has taken over normally bright, deep blue eyes.
"Ready as ever," she states in a neutrally even tone, coming up beside Drake.
Looking through a pair of binoculars at Kurow and his army, Eva makes a worried sound. She promised Ryuujin that she would be safe, that she would stick to missions that did not require any direct clashes with Shadaloo's forces. And yet, going into the middle of it now, Eva realizes that's no longer an option. Taking a moment to clasp the pendant Ryuujin gave her around her neck, she then sets to loosening her shoulder muscles. "Their forces look tired, except for one. He looks to be the leader, but I'm not sure."
Eva's not in the same military gear as the soldiers present; just something similar that seems chosen more for practicality than actual identity: black boots with camo pants tucked in, a black tank top and a faded green army jacket. A green bandana covers her pale head, protecting it from the piercing rays of the hot tropical sun. Everything else, however, is in stages of sunburn, blotchy tan, and peeling skin. It's clear that, being of pale skin, she has no adjusted well to this weather.
However, someone's been through much, much worse. Eva places a gloved hand on Arika's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze if the punk rocker doesn't pull away. "Will you be alright?" she asks Arika, trying to keep the inquiry quiet so that Drake would not hear her. "Perhaps, after this... we should rest a bit. It's important that we don't push ourselves mentally here, or we'll be more at risk." For what? Well. Whatever Douyoubi did to Drake and Arika, Eva is sure that they've only seen the iceberg of what is possible.
Kirishima breaks from the rest of the Shadaloo squad, sending them off to work with the primary force, now hotly engaged with some of the oncoming 'heroic' forces arrayed to try to take the comm tower. Kurow prefers not to fight in too close of quarters with the rest of a group, usually; while he's usually predisposed to small, quick strikes, when he does go for something more showy, it's -- perhaps -- best that others maintain their distance.
Something feels off. That's the first thing Kirishima notices when he starts to really survey the battlefield; it feels like there's something more, something he should worry about beyond the dozens of men in battle dress -- and then he spots them. The Shooting Stars. He recognizes one of the girls, but the others are unknown quantities; as such, he decides it might be best not to take any chances.
He does the smart thing, of course; after all, he didn't get this far without being impossibly careful. He walks over, calmly takes the radio of one of the soldiers, and -- on the most open 'Shadaloo-aligned' band possible -- calls for assistance. Who knows -- maybe what he gets will be a tried-and-true Shadaloo operative, maybe an outside contractor... maybe no one. But it's worth a shot.
Upon occasion, that call is answered and answered swiftly.
Agents and contractors alike are sprinkled all throughout Shadaloo's conquered territories. Some in front of the lines of resistance, and some behind. Some agents do their best work deep inside territories where they may be more.. indiscriminate. Just so happens one such hired gun was returning from a trip to a nearby smaller village. By the plume of smoke in the distance, it's safe to say that said village was 'saved' before it could fall to rebel hands.
The orchestrator of such personal holocaust? Quite near indeed as a shadow steps from behind a small satellite equipment shed to the nearby communication tower. The bleak silhouette barely noticeable even to Kirishima standing a dozen paces away at best. The still image whispering in a tone that carries upon the wind, irregardless of the sounds of combat and destruction erupting nearby, "Satsuko of Blackjack heeds your call.. Commander.." A voice filled with self-indulgent amusement. Unlike some finding their souls worn thin from this war-ravaged nation.. Marise finds the cries of horror.. soothing.
If she had her way.. Many, many more nations will achieve such nirvana as this low-cultured mud hole. And Shadaloo seems quite the ticket of seeing that happen.
Drake doesn't see Kurow at this juncture, nor his estranged ally. This is because... he's not paying attention to them. They're still a distance away, and his teammates are talking to him. One is, anyway.
"Focus, Arika. Please? Don't get yourself hurt anymore, if you can help it."
Of course, Eva's more discreet conversation is noted as well. He can't hear it over the clamour of the goings on around him, but it does seem a bit at odd. Something the girl wants to convey without letting him in on it? Very strange, indeed.
But very soon, the contingent of rebel soldiers comes to a halt, preparing their strike. The leader issues his orders, then gestures to Drake. The hand then motions across towards the other side of the tower. Though the celebrity isn't a part of the military, he can understand what this means easily enough: he wants them to flank.
"Ladies," he says, voice lifting to get his teammates' attention. "We'll be going the long way 'round the tower. We should be able to slip around and flank the enemy thattaway. And I'm guessing there'll be a few soldiers with us. Clear?"
The gloved hand upon her shoulder is not shaken off, but neither is the squeeze really noticed. Eyes narrow and the diva stares straight ahead, giving a curt nod. Not necessarily directed at Eva, or at anyone in particular for that matter. Exhaling a heavy sigh, she's able to maintain that completely neutral tone to her voice. "I'll be fine." At this point, even the other female teammate might be noticing there's something odd about Arika's voice; the accent has nearly dropped completely and while her tone is neutral the voice seems almost refined.
Until Drake tells her to focus.
"If I can -help- it? Oh, yes. I forgot that it was my -intention- to be used as a punching bag for that Shadaloo bit--" Deep breaths to attempt to bring her emotions back under control; fists clenching at her sides. Back in that subdued and neutral manner she manages to spout out, "I will be -fine-."
Expecting folly for heading into the enemy 'territory' without knowing what to expect, Arika reaches out and yanks the binoculars that rest around Eva's neck, bringing them up to her eyes and peering through them. Troops, tower and 'Commander' are all noticed.
Binoculars are quickly dropped and she sidles over a little closer to the Stars leader, voice nothing but a neutral whisper. "The bloody bastard that tried to rip my throat out during karaoke themed SNF match looks to be over there..." Fortunately (or unfortunately as the case may be) Marise goes unnoticed at the moment. The diva is -far- too busy adding a secondary name to her list.
It's a good thing that Eva's binoculars were taken down from her eyes before Marise's shadowy figure was properly defined enough to be recongizeable. Then again, it may be unfortunate. If given time to accept the fact that she's here, Eva would get over the beating rage that would posess her. Nothing would matter except going after that woman- wait, no. That *thing* is not a woman by any stretch of the imagination. That *monster*.
Katelynn was considered by Drake to be an insult to fighters everywhere, but Eva considers this one to be her choice. But it's not because of the woman's views, or many of the more orthodox parts of her fighting style. It's the *unorthodox* parts, the ones that she used to violate Eva in a way that does beyond what is acceptable on the field, that make the girl feel like throwing up and beating the lights out of someone at the same time.
Fortunately, whatever change has come over Eva's personality has been too slight to be noticed. She's more direct than before, however, even taking the time to occasionally speak her mind or give her disagreements when she feels something needs to be said. That's been the only change, really, but one made neccessary by the situation around them. "Clear," Eva says, solemnly. Looking over to Arika as the woman makes an outburst, she chooses to say nothing at first, then she clasps her hands together, allowing the two to move forward as she whispers, gently, underneath her breath, a prayer. Not for victory, but for strength. Healing. Grace.
Watching from a hill not far off to the side of the fight over the radio tower, Hotaru looks over the fight taking place, hands clasped behind her back. She doesn't look to happy at the moment. She wasn't supposed to even see something like the fighting taking place down below. After having failed to complete too missions that the resistance movement saw fit to send her on, the girl had indicated to the camp leader that had been coordinating her that she was no longer going to be on their combat missions.
She was too young to be fighting their war; too inexperienced to deal with the situations that kept coming up at each site. Her last opponent had convinced her of that - that she really wasn't cut out for this type of life. She was ready to go home, where all she had to do was worry about training, competing, schoolwork, and getting along with classmates. Still, she wouldn't be leaving yet. Not until Sakura and the others were rescued. But she didn't feel like she could contribute to the war as a combatant any longer.
The camp leader had agreed and asked if she would help out with just simple reconnaissance instead of fighting. Hotaru agreed and he requested that she check out a quiet radio tower from a safe distance. See what she could see, then report back on the Shadaloo troop presence or anything else of interest. She could do that, she supposed. Which brings Hotaru to this hill now, binoculars hanging around her neck. What she sees right now isn't some quiet radio tower like she was promised she'd find.
And when her eyes finally picked Kurow out from among the Shadaloo present, she realized she had been manipulated into seeing this. She had told the resistance of her encounter with Kurow on the beach earlier in the week. Surely, the camp leader felt that if they pointed her at Kurow again, they might renew her interest in their fight. Shaking her head, Hotaru lifts the binoculars, intending to do one last sweep over the area before leaving. She wasn't going to fight their battles anymore. But then the shadows near the shed move, and the girl feels her blood run cold.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Kurow
COMBATSYS: Marise has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Kurow
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Drake has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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|-------\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Eva has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
It doesn't take long for Kurow to notice Marise; the Devil is almost familiar to him, in a somewhat curious way. She reads, to him, like an old associate... someone from times long past, someone from somewhere deep in his memory. "Excellent," Kurow says, looking to the woman and surveying the area one last time, trying to get a solid feel for its entire tactical 'spread.'
"There are three adept fighters attached to that unit over there," he says, gesturing off in the distance. "The two of us should be enough." ... and then he senses something else. It's only the tiniest little nagging at his feeling for the aggregate chi, but it's so familiar -- and so infuriating. He writes it off, however; if it becomes an issue, he'll deal with it, but for now it's at least not tactically pertinent.
He rushes in. The battle between the troops swells, oh so slightly inspired by the nominal leader on site's charge.
It might be a good time to get prepared, Hero Team.
Out of the various Shadaloo associates the Devil has come to meet, she admits she finds this Kurow an intriguing and lovely person. Now Commander Kirishima is a young man of great resolve, taste and genius. His work, thus far, has been quite agreeable. Which, naturally, only emboldens the ghost's resolve as she turns her hidden attentions to the slight movement along the hillside in the distance.
From the darkness a pair of inhuman, golden eyes dimly glow. Piercing shadows and turning its attentions towards the incoming, finding the pitiful life forces of the oncoming beneath consideration... Save for the three indicated. Shining like a triad of gleaming stars on the battlefield amidst a field of the mediocre.
"Delicious.." The Devil's only verbal response to the commander's order as the shadow steps backwards from view. Taking a less direct route towards the field of combat and allowing her superior officer to get their attention first.
Although.. Did she see something along the ridge? .. A familiar presence.. Nm. Never mind that. There is blood to be shed and souls to feed upon..
Drake wheels around on Arika completely and fixes her with a terse look. "You -know- what I mean. Keep your head together before someone takes it off, okay?" Though he tends to tolerate the lip he gets from Arika, he's not prepared to deal with it at this time. He needs her thinking clearly, or off the battlefield. He's no master tactician, but he sure as heck knows what a liability is.
But she mentions that guy from her SNF. He watched that earlier. It was... bloody. Gruesome, even. If this guy is present, Drake certainly wants to tear him down as well. Terse as he may be with Arika, he's still quite protective of her. As fro Eva's compunctions? They're not known to him. Nor is Hotaru's presence.
So without further adeu, the leader of the rebellion reinforcements gives the call to move in, and gives the signal for the Stars to move in as well. Drake relays this signal to his teammates, waving his right arm once. He then starts to dash across the field, skirting the full-on warring areas as best he can to approach the opposite side of the tower. Four soldiers accompany them, two in front of Drake, and two more pulling up the rear for security. So far everything looks clear enough...
Funny thing about all of this is? Arika -was- perfectly focused until her teammates kept picking at her about being 'fine'. Rest may not have been the best aboard the ship, but she took what she was able to before they made port and has rested enough on their journey here so that her injuries are few and far between; but for the obvious bruising and such. So, the terse look of Drake's is met with one of her own and all he gets in response is a nod.
During the exchange, her eyes never leave Kurow. From this distance she can't read his lips to figure out what he's saying, but it becomes quite obvious to her that he's talking to -someone-. Troops? Actions didn't seem as though he was speaking to a group. Only, the leader of the Stars has dashed off before she can warn him that he may be getting more company than he bargained for. Before she takes off after him she slips back toward Eva and mutters, "Watch your back, looks like he's got someone with him besides the usual troops that these soldiers can dispatch..."
Loyalty kicks in and she's dashing after Drake to fill him in with the same information. That, and well to watch his back since she knows full well what Kurow is capable of and she'd rather the model not be injured.
If Eva wasn't in a team and felt a distinct responsiblity to her friends' well-being (an extra body and mind can only help), Like Arika, it's loyalty. Drake is not a leader to her; he's a friend with the charisma to hold a ground together. However, he has weaknesses that Arika and she balance out. There's also a quality in the model's firey 'can do' spirit that echoes that of her twin's, a freewheeling personality that demands to be noticed. Like Arika, she wants to protect him, but her concern extends to Arika as well, having almost lost her once.
She still has nightmares of missing Arika's hand as it descends, swallowed by the darkness of the ocean.
"I will." Eva's eyes look over at Arika. Perhaps, when they get through this, they'll have to sit down and talk one-on-one, sometime. Perhaps, if Eva had proper rations, she could cook. A girls' night out! If Arika would allow for it... Eva would definitely look forward to it. However, such questions are best to be left for after the tide of battle has left.
Pulling in after Arika and Drake, Eva notices Kurow and manuvers in place to attack. Delicately lineated light blue chi streams down her arms and into her fists as she keeps running directly into the Shadaloo agent like a bull towards a matador, glowing arms folded in a protective barrier over her chest and head.
Her small hands tighten their grip around the binoculars as Hotaru watches Marise move over toward Kurow. She had been warned that the devil was to be found in Thailand, but not having seen her since getting here made it easy to forget that detail.
Shaking her head slowly, Hotaru remains safely atop the ridge from which she watches. It's only as she starts to lower the glasses that she catches a last second glimps of other familiar figures. "Eh?" Refocusing the binoculars on the advancing Shooting Stars, Hotaru blinks with no small amount of surprise.
She had ended her last encounter with Drake and Arika on a bitter note. But seeing the young model leading the group into a vicious battle causes her to reconsider what she thought of the both of them. And that girl from Pacific is there as well? That's a darn gutsy thing to do - the exact thing Hotaru felt she could no longer do, herself.
Breathing in then exhaling slowly, Hotaru stays put, watching everything play out from her vantage point. She has a hard decision weighing on her mind now. Wearing dark green and brown colors, she doesn't stick out so obviously like she would in her normal attire. With far more pressing matters to attend to down below, it's no surprise that she goes unnoticed for a moment longer, giving her more time to make her choice.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Kurow with Cerulean Bullet.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Making oneself an attractive target certainly has its downsides; Kurow finds this out first-hand as Eva plows into him full-force with that bull charge. It's only a split second choice to move to the left or to the right, only one having the chance to get Kurow out of the way... and he chooses wrong, skidding back. It's not too painful, though, evidently... judging from the fact that even Kurow, a relative lightweight for his level of skill, stays up.
"You're... from Pacific, aren't you?" the youth says, eyes meeting Eva's directly for the first time. "What a pleasant surprise." That's all he has to say -- all he really feels he needs to say. That infuriating aura seems closer, now, more potent somehow -- but he still can't place it. And, like all human beings, he still needs an outlet for the feelings it wells in him... unfortunately for Eva, she's -- convenient.
Reaching out with those nasty clawed gloves, Kurow does a quick hop toward the young lady, trying to sink them into her shoulder; if he catches them, he kicks off of the ground, launching himself into a series of nasty spins around her body, cutting deep into her skin before eventually kicking off with both feet, possibly sending her sprawling.
As the esteemed Commander leads the charge, one can only begin to wonder what happened to the figure he was speaking with on the hill? Perhaps that was merely a messenger or just a common lieutenant to carry out less critical orders while he dealt with these three 'himself'.
If only that was true.
For within the chaos of the fighting that breaks out, its easy for a darkness to slip between rocks and fallen trees. Golden eyes open into existence within the blackness, not unlike C.S. Lewis' Cheshire cat. Disembodied within her stealthy approach, the Devil focuses her attentions on the seeming 'leader' of this group of children. The one they speak to and move protectively in front of.. Her inhuman eyes all but piercing him through and studying every weakness.
You know what they say about cutting off the head of the snake..
The Devil lurks in the dark for just a little longer while those nearby may feel a slight uneasy, chilling sensation crawling up their spines.
A sensation that pales before the wickedness of Kirishima's fell assault..
COMBATSYS: Marise focuses on her next action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Drake moves onwards, ready to flank.. only a glance over his shoulder reveals one of his teammates has wandered astray. Well, crap. He can't very well let Eva run off on her own. Especially in a situation like this.
"Arika!," he shouts, hoping to get the blonde's attention. "Eva!" He points in indication towards her, and the clawed youth.
Well, it may not have been the plan, but taking down this guy would certainly appease a few grudges. That and he can't leave Eva alone with him after what he did to Arika. So Drake's course changes, leaving the two soldiers in confusion to close in on Kurow. The 'ghost's involvement is... unnoticed at this time. His attention is focused entirely on his teammate's trouble.
"HEY!," he shouts as he draws near. "Clip the nails, Jethro! Only chicks claw people!" The wrestler leaps into the air to cover the remainder of the distance, right fist pulling back. "Real men know how to punch!" And punch he does. Nothing special. No frills. Just a right haymaker rocketing towards Kurow's face.
Shit.
Left alone with the two soldiers, Arika has to make a quick decision. Teammates need help, but she can't leave the two men out here to die in the middle of a battlezone either. Swiftly glancing back over her shoulder to check on the remainder of the troops, she motions for the two men to continue on the path they were heading; to flank the tower.
Hopefully the Stars will be following behind them shortly.
But now it's time to spring into action. Eva is in the vile clutches of those claws.
Hesitating briefly, a hand shoots up to her throat as the memory of what happened last time she was up against those things floats the the forefront of her mind. Lashes close partially and she winces. Then she's off.
Circling around to the side, she aims a sharp jab with her right hand to Kurow's left cheek. Not bothering to focus on whether the jab makes its mark or not, her left hand is set in a palmheel strike and already being shrouded in a bright violet energy so that it can be slammed forward as the other hand is pulled back.
COMBATSYS: Eva blocks Kurow's Circle Slash.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Marise
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
..... In the confusion of the battle, is seems that Eva jumped ahead of her group. Shoot. She'll definitely have to make up for that. "Does it truly matter which school I'm from?"
However, Kurow will be first to let Eva know the extent of her mistake through undeniable pain. The claw sinks into the girl's shoulder, drawing blood and a pained grunt. Thankfully for Eva, this proves to alert her to the rest of what the assault will entail; she throws up her fists in a boxer's block, sacrificing the sleeves of her coat and the skin of her upper arms to the onslaught of Kurow's attack.
Even with the block, it was painful; when Eva pulls away, blood trails down her arms and collects in the tops of her gloves in a display that looks more painful that what Eva currently feels. Yes, it hurts, but she's too busy darting back to cover for her teammates' attention on Kurow. "My apologies," she says to Arika and Drake as she passes them, running over to the soldiers. "I'll cover the soldiers."
COMBATSYS: Eva assists Arika.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
Watching intently, Hotaru sees Eva lash out an attack against the claw weilding Kirishima followed by his retaliation in return. She unfortunately knows full well what it's like to be on the other end of his bladed attacks. It's with some relief that she sees Eva managed to defend against the attack to some extent. And then she notices Marise once more, a living shadow slipping forward to close the distance between her and Drake. This could get ugly fast.
She can't just stand by idle while the heroic Shooting Stars demonstrate what it is they really stand for. The reluctance to get into the middle of this remains, but for a moment, the inspiration of the example the three below are setting is enough to swallow her doubts.
The binoculars fall to the frond-covered ground where Hotaru's feet were an instant before, but the girl is already running down the side of the embankment, arms out at her sides as if small wings to aid her balance. Maintaining the speed even as she touches the ground, the girl leaps up just enough to plant a foot on the shoulder of a Shadaloo soldier. Her momentum carries her forward from there, her feet deftly finding purchase on the heads and shoulders of the more tightly packed men.
Her target is clear - the clawed Shadaloo Lieutenant. If he doesn't see her coming in time, the attack will seem to have come out of no where as she tries to latch onto his arms with her own hands, barreling into him with a flurry of kicks and stomps as she'll literally run right up the front of him and leap off with a kick to his head in the end. Unfortunately, moving as fast as she is, there's no time to pay attention to the others facing off against Kurow. Hopefully no one gets in the way of the pig-tailed bullet!
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Kurow with Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Arika's Diva Allegro.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Marise
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Marise
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
Springing up into the air, Kurow narrowly avoids that sharp jab to the cheek; however, the haymaker catches him right in the leg, and when he lands, he gets an unpleasant surprise in the form of Hotaru running up his chest and kicking him in the head. He's sent down to the ground in no time at all, folding under the assault; needless to say, his own lack of performance is not particularly... inspiring to the Shadaloo troops.
Pulling himself up, Kurow glances between the assembled heroes. All four of them are on him, in his estimations because Satsuko isn't getting herself involved; perhaps they'll have to have a little talk later. Right now, however, it might be better to focus on the fight... and so, he looks between the various assembled opponents, and makes a split-second decision.
He locks onto Drake, who appears to be the nominal 'leader' of the group. If he can feed that man a little humble pie, he think, he can make the rest of the group nervous -- and then they'll fall, one by one. There's a glint in his eye as he looks, for the littlest moment, at the man's legs.
The ninja moves like a freight train, low and fast, for Drake's legs. "Kirishima-ryuu..." he hisses, diving forward in an attempt to bowl him over, trying to put Drake suddenly /behind/ him. If Drake does indeed end up there, Kurow keeps on running, leaving a chain of chi claws behind himself, each and every one carving into the model, as he finishes, "Kyoujuu Reppa!" Evidently, the art of clawing isn't women-only.
The little soldiers are ignored, even as they rush about the shadows and engage one another in the ensuing fight. Their lives will be extinguished in short order. They are, ultimately, meaningless. Born for the single purpose of giving the strong a satisfied grin before exiting the Earth.
But these three? Oh.. Now they are meaningful. They have a greater purpose. A more significant, noble reason.
To be Food.
As the trio engages her commander in full, the darkness chooses this moment to strike. Not waiting for 'Domino' to recover from his swing, the shadowy ghost rises from her hidden position like a cadaver lifting from the grave a few paces behind the wrestler. Golden eyes gleaming with wicked splendor as violet-painted lips pull back into a smile with teeth far, far too sharp.
Ebon tresses, like long, flailing shadows in her wake, erupt into violent motion! Her silken locks lashing forth like a dozen black garrotes, seeking to coil themselves around each of his limbs and throat, squeezing the life from him and disrupting his life-force with their embedded soul-bleeding technique! Not the least of which, potentially holding him steady as Kurow blinks into existence beside her and begins his own painful assault!
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Drake with Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Drake 1/--=====/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Marise successfully hits Drake with Onigumo Wanami.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kurow
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Eva 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\ <
Drake 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
Drake lands gracefully enough with a smirk. "Hmh. Not so tough," he muses to himself.
That's unfortunately when the shadowy woman seems to appear clean out of nowhere. And while Drake sees her in ample time to evade her oncoming attack - whatever it may be - she does something he didn't suspect at all. Her hair. Her freaking HAIR is attacking him. Drake's face has only one second to achieve the masterpiece that is the unspoken wtf... and he succeeds. Hard.
Unfortunately after that one second, Drake finds himself bound in hair. Never you mind the sheer -confusion- that goes with this, and the strange novelty that it isn't at all unlike being in a live action horror movie. The choking, crushing, and.. strange, strange sapping energy that comes with it happens to be his primary focus. Except it just so happens to line him up perfectly for Kurow's assault. The model is bowled over with a gagged 'hrrk', and while still mid-fall, the claw energy shoots through him. The whole attack is a lot more painful than it looks, really. This is mostly because Drake can't really breathe enough to make a sound.
But rest assured, two things are an absolute fact for the lead Star:
1.) All Hell's broken loose.
2.) He only has his eyes open by pure adrenaline alone.
The wrestler jerks free of the hair, tugging and ripping at it, using this moment of pure and complete numbness for its full advantage. He then pushes himself to his feet, burning amethyst eyes locked squarely onto Marise. It's -her- fault, after all. He rushes towards her swiftly, arms lashing out to attempt grabbing her by the shoulders...
COMBATSYS: Drake can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Marise endures Drake's Total Eclipse.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
Upon grabbing ahold of Marise's shoulders, the model clenches his teeth and glares daggers at the female. "You... SUCK..." Yeah, so he's not terribly articulate when hanging on by a thread.
Nevertheless, it in no way inhibits his combative prowess. The female is yanked forward, and he locks her head between his legs. His arms then loop around her midsection, hoisting her into the air in piledrive position. His arms then begin to crush in an inverted bearhug, the streamlined muscular toning coursing through his arms digging into her abdomen to cave it in towards her spine as far as a few seconds will allow.
Then the second phase of the Total Eclipse begins. Drake leaps high into the air, pulling forward into a perpetual flip. As he rises, the flip grows more rapid, and by the descent, the two bodies have blurred into an opaque swirl of motion. The full momentum of the flip and their combined bodyweights comes crashing down atop Marise's head at the finale of the piledriver, and Drake releases her to tumble back to his feet.
Though as he stands there, it becomes increasingly apparent that the whole shock of what he just endured is starting to register. His posture slouches first, mouth starting to hang open a little. His fists then loosen. His right leg dips slightly. Soon after, the Star leader crumples into a motionless heap on the battleground.
Okay, so Freddy Krueger just dodged her punch. No biggie, right?
Wrong.
From the diva's perspective, the dodge of her attack put Drake right in the line of fire so to speak. She launches herself forward to put herself in the way of Kurow's attack, but she's distracted by...
Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair...
Flow it, show it...
Long as God can grow it...
...No, she's distracted by the fact that ebon tresses are suddenly coming to life.
Shit shit shit!
"DRAKE!"
Watching with wide eyes, Arika is trying to fight off the surge of emotions that are trying to burst free from the neutral surface. With their 'leader' down she glances to Eva. Looks like as the most senior member of the team still standing, she's got to take care of things. Good thing those soldiers didn't get -too- far. Two fingers slip between her lips and she gives a shrill whistle to get them to return. To Hell with the damned radio tower at the moment. "MAN DOWN. MEDICAL ATTENTION NOW. NO... FIVE MINUTES AGO." While she wants to run to Drake to ensure his safety and check his injuries herself, she's hoping he'll understand that she just can't afford to do so yet.
Lurching forward toward Marise, she turns to Hotaru and motions to Kurow. Who -cares- if the other girl pissed her off? Who -cares- if the other girl isn't even on the Stars? She's here now, help is a good thing, differences can be worked out after... and if she doesn't like authority or direction, maybe she'll realize that Arika can use the assistance to keep those God damned claws off of her. As the punk rock princess draws closer to Marise, she draws her right hand back in order to slam it down vertically toward the devilish hair in an overhand brain chop.
"Bitch."
Unlike the other two, Eva welcomes the sight of Hotaru, albiet worriedly. "Hotaru?" Why is she here? She might get hu- ... Wait. Hotaru is just as capable of coming here as Eva is, and just as capable a fighter. Perhaps even more so; even if Eva won their sparring match, it was just that. A spar. It was a friendly duel, there was only room for a respectful display of skill before the match ended with the two fighters walking away with experience and gained respect for one another.
Not like it is here. Speaking of that....
Eva should have realized the familarity of that cold chill running up her spine.
She should have not broken from the line so quickly, or taken that punch. If that hadn't happened, if that hadn't happened...
"..... Marise...." Bright blue eyes lock on the dreaded figure. ".... What the *fuck* are is a slimy maggot like you doing here..." Eva has no clue if Marise even *remembers* who she is; a predator never remembers what they had from one day to the next, correct? It's obvious that *Eva* remembers. Remembers enough to utter a rare curse word near the utterance of that disgusting woman's name. ".... You...." No. Kurow is a bigger target. He seems to be the leader. Take him down, and the soldiers will retreat. Eva already made one mistake; she won't make another. ".... I'll have my revenge on you another day."
So she goes after Kurow instead, jerking her coat off to try to snag it around the ninja's head.
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Kurow with Camera Obscura.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
The jacket has held up well, even against Kurow's earlier assault. Snagging around the young man's head like a net, Eva viciously jerks the jacket down, tugging Kurow downward towards Eva's sharp knee, which she imploys into Kurow's face a total of three times. She then disengages him, the jacket whipped free from his head with a force that would normally leave an opponent spinning.
Success! Hotaru's blindsiding assault manages to catch Kurow offguard. It's rather ignoble, ambushing him like that. But brainwashing her friends kinda ranks up there on the chart of 'Things that don't earn you an honorable warning' with the young Kyokugen student. Landing from her backflip, the girl turns around to watch Kurow recover. Remembering what she saw of Marise before diving into this fight, the girl cries out, "Drake, look-!" She's too late though and the wrestler gets double-teamed to oblivion. It is quite the humbling reminder of the power of the two Hotaru has dared fight at one time or another.
There's nothing she can do for Drake directly now. All she can hope to accomplish is to make up for what he just suffered by bringing some pain back to the two that caused it. And maybe help turn the tide of this fight a little more.
As Drake laches onto Marise to twist, squeeze, and bend the devil woman, Hotaru keeps her attention on Kurow. She's not even sure if he's attached a name to the one-girl stampede that hit him a moment ago, but she's not about to give him time to think about it too hard. Arika's call to stick to the clawed young man merely confirms Hotaru's plans and the pig-tailed girl nods back at her one, sharply, communicating with a glance that she's definitely open to suggestions at this point.
Her next attack comes in the form of a low, horizontal jump kick, leg snapping out directly in front of her as she tries to drive her foot into Kurow's back, taking advantage of the opening provided by Eva's tricky technique! It's not quite a Hien Shippu Kyaku, but she's working on that!
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Hotaru's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
Thud. Thud. Thud. Those three vicious, nasty knee strikes hit Kurow in the face, wounds starting to build up even this soon in the fight; while he was able to hold his own quite well against Edge and Gan, evidently the trials of day to day life as a conspirator have started to take their toll. When he finally pulls himself away, his nose is bloody and his face, needless to say, hurts a large amount.
However, he's still got something else to deal with -- the oncoming girl-bullet that is Hotaru. The kick seems slower to him than it probably actually is, and he has no trouble rolling to one side and extracting himself from its path; finally, things are starting to look up a little! Picking himself back up, he glances between the three targets that are still moving, trying to determine which of them is the most attractive option...
... and, of course, settles on the one who actually hit him that time. He leaps toward Eva, sailing through the air with a leg raised up; the pain doesn't come, however, until she's already past the young lady's head, swinging his leg back, aiming his heel for the back of her head with downright vicious force.
COMBATSYS: Marise interrupts Quick Punch from Arika with Maou Tsuke.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/----===|
As the Commander strikes the young wrestler with nearly his full might, the Devil can feel the slender body shudder under the impact. Serpentine locks disengage from his body, fully expecting it to slump lifelessly to the ground and turn her attention to the next child that the two dark creatures can execute next.
That is.. when she feels Drake's hands grip her bare shoulders. Her inhuman gaze twists to him in surprise, but only for a moment as she's quickly swept away and off her feet! Folded and twirled about like a baton before -DRIVEN- into the ground with a hefty explosion of debris!
A strike that would have murdered virtually any other living creature.. And, for fleeting seconds, it seems that the wrestler had succeeded in his final actions as he collapses to the ground a bleeding wreck. The Devil seems collapsed upon the ground, broken in several awkward angles and motionless..
"K..Kyeh heh.." Like a limp puppet, the creature shambles to life. Lifting upwards as each of her seemingly boneless limbs snap back into place.. Her head, hanging at a ninety degree angle, simply snaps back into place with a soft crack.. a quick shake of her head dashes away the dust from her person, "..Not bad.." She whispers in an amused tone of the fallen.
At the sharp whistle, the Devil snaps her attention to the oncoming rock princess and her barked orders. The medics? Oh, she'll kill them in a second. That boy's spirit is going to have a nice new home.. that is, once his harem follows his fate.
The Devil spares the Pacific student a side-glance as the vindictive is hurled. Her only response? A sly grin as she puckers her lips and kisses the air in her direction. Ah.. Hatred. How she adores seeing that lovely emotion in children.
Although, she can't help but feel someone else's hatred for her. Nominally because their overhead chop impacts soundly onto the Devil's skull. The blow forcing the taller woman's head to bow beneath the strike, but only a fraction. Inhuman gaze calmly turning then to this presumptuous European trash as an arm suddenly 'shoots' out from her sleeve. Her clawed hand quickly -palming- Arika's face the moment that word escapes her lips. Elongating arm -pushing- the girl outwards like a freight-train and -shoving- her into a nearby tree trunk with enough force to crack the mass down the middle.
"And... you are..?" The Devil murmurs.
COMBATSYS: Kurow has saved the state of this fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Arika 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Arika has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
> ////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Kurow has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Marise
COMBATSYS: Marise has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Prime restarts a saved fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/----===|
Did she call it, or did she call it?
With a clawed hand palming at her face and her body being forced with the same movement toward a tree trunk, she hits it with a resounding *THUD* as a small crack appears in the bark. Arika's lips curl with a slight moue momentarily while she catches the wind that was knocked out of her with the attack.
Gripping the wrist of the -thing- that has hold of her throat, the punk rock princess gives a small twist and carefully pulls herself away from the claws. Fingers move up slowly to her face to check for any marring as vanity kicks in briefly. The tiny frown turns into a wry smirk and she begins to bounce from one foot to another along the length of the rubbery arm that's now laying upon the ground. Each small bounce brings her closer and closer to the devil.
"Wanna play the name game, do ya?" The diva is near snickering now, despite the pain and the fact that watching Drake fall in such a manner has torn her completely asunder. "Let me point this out to you, Bitch. Don't think it's any of your business."
Throwing her body into a sharp pirouette, she springs her foot up as though to kick the devil-woman in the head. At the last second though, she slams her right fist forward in a tight jab. Her left fist immediately following it with a palmheel strike to the chest. Bright violet energy flares from the left hand before the projected impact.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Eva with Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/----===|
Kurow's vicious assault succeeds, his foot landing square in the back of Eva's neck. Bright blue widen in blind pain, and Eva's body finally lands in the dirt, several feet away. Yet, for some reason, Eva does indeed get up, but without much in the way of wits about her. Instead, she runs away, as if going towards Kurow to deliver an attack...
...And diverts herself, completely missing any oppurtunity to direct an responding attack on the ninja. In reality, it was just a way of getting his attention so that, if possible, Hotaru's next attack may succeed. That is, if Kurow was fooled in the first place. Instead, the girl goes to Drake's limp body, looping an arm over each shoulder. If she can manage it, she'll attempt to drag the model's body into some underbrush, if only to make sure that he doesn't sustain more damage, friendly or otherwise. "... Drake... hang in there..."
COMBATSYS: Eva assists Hotaru.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/----===|
Her last jump kick missed Kurow entirely and Hotaru lands on her feet, sliding to a stop to turn around and face the clawed fighter again. She witnesses Eva getting struck and can do nothing for her now. But when the girl heads back in for Kurow, Hotaru does likewise, taking to the air again herself.
She's already at the apex of her jump before she realizes that Eva isn't actually attacking him but perhaps forming a bit of a distraction. All the better. The Kenpo artist's next attack comes in the form of a flip into a diving knee toward Kirishima's shoulder. If she can connect, she'll swing her other leg around forward to strike him in the face and then leap backwards, pushing off of him into a swift backflip through the air in order to try and avoid retaliation. "Kya!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Rengeki Shuu.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/----===|
The ninja is offered something of a break; he knows full well, when he sees how Eva's moving, that she doesn't intend to go the whole way. He's seen that posture on stronger sorts than she -- however, analyzing it takes his attention off of Hotaru. He takes the young woman's knee in the shoulder, but the full force of the attack never reaches him; he lets the momentum carry him back, out of the path of the second strike.
The youth looks to each of the assembled fighters, in turn, then to 'Satsuko,' trying to determine a plan of attack. The Demon of Koga is quite powerful, he can tell that much after even this short of a time; she also appears to be getting combatively harassed by Arika. It's time to focus fire again, he tells himself, as he locks his eyes directly on her.
The Kirishima ninja is easily one of the fastest men on earth, if nothing else; he clears the distance between himself and the pair of fighters almost without a problem, leaving Hotaru behind for now. /She's/ trouble; he knows better than to court trouble when there's something less troubling at hand. With a forceful lunge, he tries to catch Arika's legs, then give her a simple, hard toss to the ground with a forceful, "Haaaa!"
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Marise with Diva Allegro.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|=======\==-----\1 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/---====|
The ivory-pale arm just begins to retract into the Devil's sleeve.. as her wrist is quickly grabbed. Golden eyes widen a fraction at the audacity as she digs her heels, watching the young teenager race along her limb and rush into striking range. Quickly retracting her snaking arm the moment those feet leave the twisted maiden, she quickly throws her opposite arm in an attempt to fend off the oncoming onslaught. Completely unsuccessful, as the initial kick doesn't seem to affect her much.. but the second component? The moment that glowing fist strikes her, a plume of hissing smoke explodes from the impact as the Devil staggers back. A screech of pain erupts from her, slowly devolving into an angered snarl.
The Devil decides she does not like this impudent foreigner much at all. Then again, Satsuko loathes all foreigners on some level, but the British trash just earned herself a higher place on the list. Does she have anything to say? Oh no, the dark maiden is through speaking to this pampered trash. Time to educate this little girl with precisely what she's dealing with...
The fleeing Eva is regarded with a brisk glance, turning one's back in mid-fight to her enemy to help an ally? Oh she sees it all the time in war, and fewer actions have gotten both killed. Wounding one and forcing another to carry the fallen is an assassin's favorite trick. Not to mention, her ally injured her greatly. Prudence dictates the weakened are destroyed first.
However, prudence also dictates that you focus on one target at a time. She can hunt that little whelp down later, for now..
The Devil's inhuman eyes flare as she quickly lifts her hands, unleashing a technique rightly considered forbidden by any God fearing living creature on the Earth. Hands swiftly configuring into a series of seals before slamming her palms together, finalizing the dread pact.
Lifting her arms to hide her face with voluminous sleeves before flying her arms wide in a quick flourish. Revealing one of the most horrific spectacles their young lives have yet seen. The Devil reveals a fraction of her true being, as her head -lurches- from her shoulders! Extending rapidly on a white, serpentine neck as her face has contorted into a monster of legend. Her jaws extended in an inhuman muzzle filled with vicious fangs, her tresses flailing like a dozen black tentacles as the monstrous thing seeks to secure the rocker in it's tendrils and -PLANT- it's maw on her shoulder, lurching the blood from her body in disgusting gulps should it connect! All while an unearthly banshee wail fills the field!
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Kurow's Strong Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Marise's Rokurokubi no Mai.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Something to be said for teamwork here.
Sometimes, it doesn't work.
Deep blue eyes currently focused on the creature feature in front of her. A dry smirk is upon the diva's face and she's about to make a random quip about Marise belonging on some late night 'B' movie. Just before it's forthcoming though, her peripheral vision catches the clawed ninja coming right for her.
Knowing full well that she's not got enough time to dodge out of the way of his tackle-attack, she forces herself to roll with it. Legs are shot out from under her and her body crashes to the ground. The way she tumbles though, it doesn't hurt as much as it likely should have and it enables her to avoid the serpentine head that's weaving its way toward her. Thankfully this is the case, because Arika isn't really looking to be lunch for something just yet.
Able to avoid that attack but not the God awful wail that comes with it, she lifts her hands to her ears as she pulls herself back up to her feet. Over the wail, she calls out, "EVA! WE NEED YOU TO FOCUS ON THE FIGHT! DRAKE WILL BE ALRIGHT!" It's said as much to pull her teammate back into things as it is to convince herself that he's not dead. He -can't- be dead. They need to secure this point so that she can tend to him, but right now everyone needs to focus.
Feet spring into action once more, bouncing back and forth as she tilts and dodges the monstrous black tendrils; the head all but ignored. Twisting herself behind the Marise-creature, she pirouettes herself into a powerful three-sixty and begins to draw her right leg up in a vertical manner. Rotating slightly at the hip she snaps her foot toward the devil-woman's back and attempts to send her sprawling into the tree that she made friends with earlier.
Perhaps Eva made her second mistake this battle. However, in her mind, getting Drake out of the way was to place him out of mind as well. Besides, who knows if Marise might try to snack on the downed fighter to keep her energy up?
All Eva can do now is get back into battle and make sure they make it through this gauntlet alive, at the very least.
As soon as Drake is pulled into the relative safety and shade of some ground cover, Eva is running, ducking further into the underbrush to make her entrance towards Arika and Marise's side of the battle obtain an element of surprise. Gaining as best a position she can find in the trace amount of time she has available to her, Eva leaps out like a jaguar going after a snake, sailing in a flying kick through the air, her foot pointed towards the outstretched neck of Marise as the demon woman attacks the punk rocker.
The backflip through the air allows Hotaru to land on her feet safely as Kurow clearly has his sights on another for right now. From her perspective, she can see that Arika is at risk of being trapped between the two who answer to the beck and call of Shadaloo these days. Unfortunately, the speed at which Kurow left her leaves Hotaru unable to try and intercede on the fighting singer's behalf.
The sight of the retaliation from Marise is almost enough to cause the girl to stop in her tracks. And if that most disturbing of attacks had landed she almost definitely would have been stunned into faltering. But Arika's defense holds strong and Hotaru's confidence along with it. And now with Drake safely off to the side thanks to Eva's risky rescue, she can concentrate in full on just trying to stay one step ahead of her opponents. Given the speed possessed by Kurow and the sheer evil tenacity demonstrated by Marise, that is far from a trivial hope.
Attempting to combat speed with speed, the pig-tailed girl leaps again, sticking to an aerial game against Kurow for the time being. Her jump may seem to take her quite a ways over him at first. But while in mid air, Hotaru spins around such that she's now facing back from the way she came, which means the foot she kicks out next is coming in for Kurow's head at perhaps an entirely unexpected angle. "Ya!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Hotaru's Light Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Kirishima listens to the back-and-forth between Arika and Eva -- or more accurately the screaming-at of Eva by Arika, /almost/ interested -- the idol seems to be more worried about taking down the team of Shadaloo affiliates than about making sure her allies are safe. Good, he thinks -- that willingness to compromise the personal in favor of the bigger picture will make the inevitable easier.
He doesn't get a lot of time to think on this, though, as Hotaru comes in with that quick kick... and as with every other time Hotaru's come in for his head, it always ends the same way. The youth reaches up, grabbing Hotaru's leg and casually redirects her momentum straight down into the ground, and actually pushing -off- of her somewhat forcefully. It's not enough to hurt her badly, but it's enough to give him that much more momentum to launch himself at the flying-kicking Eva, whirling into a ball of energy and claws that could very well severely injure the seemingly overextended young Pacific student.
COMBATSYS: Marise blocks Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Eva 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Marise interrupts Medium Kick from Eva with Maou Zansatsu.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 1/--=====/=======|====---\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
-SNAP-
Toothy maw clamps in mid-air, inches away from the evasive rocker as the screeching monsterousity flails ineffectually where her target was only moments before. Just a little too slow.. too slow. With a final shriek of frustration, Marise ends the technique.. The demon head recoiliing back into otherwise lovely, pale shoulders. Flailing tresses briefly obscuring the horrific ghoulish mask, revealing her beautiful.. if very exasperated.. face in the aftermath.
For the first time.. the Devil begins to entertain the idea of retreat. These children are clearly beginning to get the better of her fighting genius ally.. And she knows, herself, is no match for the accursed Hotaru who has joined the battle in full. Sometimes, it's better to cede the battle to fight again another day. She has their measure now.. and next time she'll make certain greater assistance is in the wings.
Her Shadaloo allies? Feh. Let them die. There's more where that came from and the pathetic wretches are paid little attention to. Kurow? Well.. She does appreciate the fellow, but if he dies here she'll have to label that as 'unfortunate' and move on.
Not to mention.. opposition is getting a little hostile now as she finds herself beset from a number of sides at that..
As Arika quickly lands behind her, the Devil wheels on her heel swiftly. The descending kick -connects- with her shoulder as the Devil simply steps -into- the impact. Literally parrying with her own questionably living body and deflecting the blow away with a slight shove.. "You'll need more than that.. Girl." A soft promise of a whisper.
At which point the meteoric girl leaps from the bushes at her side, long leg stretching forth in a lightning quick blow that indeed strikes the Devil -directly- along the back of her neck. Jolting her head to the side again, like an unliving Zombie, as her hand shoots from her sleeve to -snatch- the girl by the neck before she even returns to the ground.
Pale fingers digging into her soft neck as crimson suddenly wells up within the poor girl's skin, quickly merging into the Ninja's ivory skin. Literally leeching the warm blood right out from her throat.. all while holding the poor thing aloft for the oncoming Kurow..
"..Much more."
Great. Just great.
Arika avoids the attack of the creature feature, only to send her directly at the help she just called in? Sure, the forces of good seem to have the greater numbers, but the Shadaloo forces seem to have the greater power. A pointed curse is uttered beneath her breath as she literally rushes in toward Marise.
"Hotaru, I don't know what the bloody 'ell you're doin', but maybe it could involve 'ittin' something?" A snark? A light teasing? Gentle prodding to get the girl angry enough to actually hit something with a little bit of power? To anyone listening it could be any one of those things or all of them combined.
Still running toward Marise, she jumps into the air, spins around and thrusts her hip toward the devil-woman hard enough to hopefully knock her away from Eva. Upon successfully doing so, the follow through involves hands taking hold of hair and using it as way to swing the woman around toward the tree again.
"Alright, swamp thing... lay off the blood suckin' fiend tripe. We ain't in an Anne Rice novel 'ere..."
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Eva with Yasha Guruma EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
[ \ < > /////////// ]
Eva 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|====---\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Eva screams in fury as the blood is drained from her neck. The shock of it all is gone; it's just anger and confusion as she desperately tries to evade Marise's tight clutch around her neck. Try as Arika might, she's not able to free her companion in time. Kurow's fury of claws and energy crashes into the girl, electing a scream of pain from Eva's lips, then....
Silence.
Barely managing to land on her own two feet, the girl's torso sags low, threatening to give way completely to the tide of gravity. Bloody. Bruised. Torn. Aching. The coat around her waist loosens. She then straightens, blue eyes struggling to focus. "Don't... worry. ... You will recieve the sleep you were looking for... whether by my hand... or my friends'."
Taking her jacket in one hand limply, Eva hunches down. "Chiaro...." She then bursts into a mad dash towards Marise, jacket flaring blue to life like the tail end of a supernatural ghost, sheet and all."... Scuro!" Eva's chi, while a standard light blue, manifests with an element of her personality or philosophy, much like Drake's. Blue, but wispy as it trails off, seeming to be more a large will o' wisp than a standard ball of chi, especially when forced to cling to the form of an old army jacket. This is what's used against Marise, Eva waving and flicking the coat savagely at the devil woman's body in a gauntlet of blows, none delivered directly by fist by rather by the motion of chi trying to hit flesh.
COMBATSYS: Eva has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Hotaru finds her self grounded after her attemped jump kick, landing hard with a grunt as Kurow deftly redirects her momentum to leave her flat footed a moment. It seems he's getting wise to her aerial game at the moment. She'll need to stick to less acrobatic attacks for a moment.
Arika's jab is heard and Hotaru grimaces a little. Maybe the singer doesn't fully appreciate just how difficult it is to land attacks against the obscenely agile young man! Hotaru is fast, but Kurow outshines her even the attributes she is strong in. Only the sheer numbers he's having to deal with at once have made him seem an easier target than he really is. And one by one, that numeric advantage looks like it might be dwindling. Once again, the girl finds herself in a position that won't let her help Eva out at all and she cringes, familiar with the spinning attack Kurow launches against Eva next. It seems that the Pacific High student is able to kepe going even after Kurow's deadly assault and Hotaru is remarkably impressed.
All she can do at this point is try to keep the pressure on Kurow. Buy time for the other two girls to be able to back her up. If she can just get him to quit running away from her so much! This time Hotaru charges him at an angle as if going to run right past him. Reaching out for his arm with her own hands, the girl attempts to use her momentum to wrench it back behind his back and flip him down to the ground face forward. Not to hurt so much as stall.
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Hotaru's Quick Throw!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Poor Hotaru. Her life, it seems, is pain at the moment. Kirishima sees the young fighter reaching out for him with that arm, and just as before, simply grabs it, redirects her to the side, and stays precisely where he is -- he has a good vantage point for dealing with the other fighters. "You should stop meddling in things that don't concern you, Hotaru Futaba," Kurow says, as he strides toward Eva again, evidently most intent on taking the Pacific High fighter down -- if they just focus on striking down one fighter at a time, things will get that much easier to manage.
This time, though, he doesn't go for something quite so vicious as that ball of pain, though; instead, he just tries to sink all five of the claws on his right hand, all extended oh-so-slightly with the power of his chi, directly into her back as she focuses once more on 'Satsuko.' "You should've left while you had the chance," he says to her, expression collected and impassive in spite of the forceful brutality he's putting out.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Marise with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Eva successfully hits Marise with Chiaroscuro.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ < > / ]
Eva 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Marise
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
No need for Arika to worry about dislodging poor Eva from her wicked grip. Kurow takes care of that in very short order as the poor girl is literally raked from her hand and sent away to a very, very uncomfortable place. The Devil's hand remains outstretched then as her grin widens a fraction more.. Fingers yet painted crimson from her stolen prize, only to seep into her white skin until not a blemish of red remains.
However, taking a moment to revel in the flavor of the girl once more keeps her open for the brisk hip-toss. Her living locks caught, silk worming around in the girl's grip, as the Devil is then -shoved- up into the same tree split tree-trunk as before.
"Think about it girl.." The Devil hisses, her back arching slightly as she remains pinned where she is, "...Your leader has fallen... Your little friend just followed the same fate.. You're at wits end child.." Purple lips pulling into a devillian grin as she relays these 'certain' facts. "....If you were wise.. you would run now before my ally rends you limb from l-"
That so-certain voice is interrupted as she hears a familiar whisper. Gold eyes widening as she jerks her head to the side, glaring at Eva whom actually -rises-, "I..Impossi.."
Witnessing the approaching girl, swinging that spectre of life-force in her direction, its the Devil Ninja's turn to be distressed. Writhing in her pinned position as she shrieks, "N..No! I watched you fall! FALL! KYIAAIIEEEEEE!"
The will o' the wisp begins flaying her pale skin, all but consuming the barely-human creature as her body erupts in sizzling and burning smoke.. Her unholy spirit shredded with terrible wails as she collapses to the ground and crawls on all fours.. and send scrambling away like the craven thing she is.. Quickly racing away from the battlefield and to the darkness that spawned her, trailing grey ash all the way..
One of the enemy down..
COMBATSYS: Marise takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Marise can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ <
Eva 0/-------/---====|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Wait, life for Hotaru is pain? What's up with that? So far as the punk rock princess has seen, Hotaru is the -least- injured party in all of this.
Watching Eva fall causes Arika to cringe slightly though. "Damn it all, Eva..." No. A fallen teammate needs to be seen to yet again, but instead of allowing herself to be utterly distracted she turns to the vile creature in front of her.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I've no intention of 'idin' me tail between me legs and fleein'." Reaching up to the tree she wrenches off a branch and brandishes it as a weapon. An advance is made upon the devil-woman and she appears to be about to strike her in the heart.
So much for not being in an Anne Rice novel, eh?
Before she's able to follow through though, she hears Eva. Thank God for small miracles. One less thing she has to worry about and though it means her little 'test' will have to wait, it appears that the girl has just taken down one of their assailants.
"Good job," she calls to the younger teammate before turning her focus on Kurow. "One down..."
Flipping the branch around and around in her hand, she contemplates what to do. Attempting to stake -him- might be fun, but then it puts her in range of those claws. Swinging it like a bat -might- work, but again, range issues. "Bloody 'ell..." Enough time wasted on this. She simply flings the wider end of the branch toward Kurow's head and watches as it spins round and round.
And...
... hopefully the distraction works.
Racing past the branch, Arika approaches Kurow. All caution thrown to the wind at the moment. Knee shooting upward toward his face, she retorts, "Looks like we ain't the ones that should've left..."
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Eva with Roppu Zuki EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kurow
[ <
Eva 1/---====/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Ryo heads back to the Thailand main area.
Ryo arrives from sub-stage 3.
Even if it may look like she's not contributed much in the way of damage, Hotaru may be the one factor that has turned this fight in the Shooting Stars' favor. More fighters mean that the fight has been spread evenly, and Eva knows the pig-tailed girl packs a mighty punch.
Smiling in relief as Marise makes her escape, Eva looks to Arika as the punk rocker gives her congrats. Tired, hurt, the girl is overextended in every way. ... She's distracted right enough that Kurow makes to snake his claws straight into the small of her back..
"....!" Eva's eyes go wide as the claws sink into her back, blue eyes staring wide up at the sky. "......" Weakly flailing, she pulls herself from the claws embedded in her back, the momentum from the push carrying her a short distance away before she looks over at Arika. And Hotaru.
And smiles.
"..... Get him for me and Drake." Eva's body, spent of its momentum, begins to collapse...
COMBATSYS: Eva assists Arika.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Eva can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
.... And collapses unconscious in the dirt.
Again Kurow handles her attack with ease, clearly outclassing Hotaru by a long shot. Perhaps the combination of knowledge he's picked up from their previous two encounters is making her style of fighting simple for him to understand by now. She wouldn't be surprised - if he could mimic the other moves she's seen the fighting prodigy pick up by simply seeing them in action, then it isn't too hard to imagine that he could outdo her in Kenpo with some effort.
Spun around, she takes a moment to get her footing again. But she doesn't need to see to know that the Devil woman was just delt a severe blow. Once again, the pig-tailed girl has entered the battle field with Marise and for now, managed to avoid being struck down by her.
The good thing is, for as flustered as she is in trying to nail down Kurow, she's only slightly winded, not having been struck back herself and also not having drawn upon her draining chi to attack him. With Marise out of the picture, the girl takes a moment to concentrate. Quick flailing uselessly at Kurow. If he is able move way faster than she is, she'll have to be far more precise with every attempt to attack...
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Arika's Heavy Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
The distraction does nothing; the branch gets casually moved around as if it's nothing, and when her knee shoots up toward his face, he just weaves out of its path with a sudden hard lean back. The move seems all too telegraphed to him; hard kicks have been the bread and butter of his opponents lately, and he's starting to learn to deal with them finally.
Hotaru leaves him alone, and he's fine with that -- he knows that something hard is going to inevitably come from her in a moment or two, but for now, he has time to attend to Arika, the more immediate of the threats. He can sense that he's alone now, even though he doesn't watch Marise go -- and it forces him to be all the more extraordinarily careful. And what's the best way to be careful?
Keep one's distance. Leaping back, Kurow tries to position himself near a chunk of tank armor, blown off in some brutal battle or another; with a little effort, he manages to pull it up out of its present half-buried state, and -- as he takes another quick step back -- just full-bore /flings/ it at Arika's chest with a sudden, "Do you /really/ think you're the ones in control of this battle now?!"
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Kurow's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-======|
Okay, is Arika -seriously- the only one that seems to think that -trying- to hurt their opponent is a good idea?
And so, with Eva falling just one Shooting Star remains. Which, in the diva's mind means only -one- chance to stop him. For whatever reason, Hotaru isn't busting out anything bigger than a few punches or kicks, and it's left her in a very precarious situation.
Yet, she's not retreating.
Foolish though it is to stay and fight; this is a WAR. Retreating can be left to those within the military for whom it makes strategic sense. Even though, retreating would -likely- be -great- strategic sense for anyone at this point... the punk rock princess cannot let Drake down. Besides, how often do celebrities do what makes sense?
Since chunks of tank armor aren't meant to be flying around a battle field that happens to have -no- tanks involved in it, Arika knows what she must do. She throws herself to the ground and rolls toward Kurow, narrowly missing taking the hunk of metal to the chest. "Way I see it, you ruddy wanker... it's two on one now." Provided Hotaru is intending on staying in the battle.
Not taking any time at all to think, the diva clenches her fists tightly and raises them up to eye level. Looks almost like she's about to jab at his face. Both hands swing out to the sides though and crush inward toward his temples. Should the first attempt hit its mark, the diva will continue to use his head as a set of bongo drums until he pulls away from her.
"You got it, Eva..."
The weight of expectations to continue performing at her peak ability in a war zone is starting to wear Hotaru out mentally moreso than phsyically. And dealing with Kurow's superior ability is taking it's toll on the girl too. On some level, at least she's divided his attention, preventing him from tearing through the others as quickly as he would likely have been able to otherwise.
But Eva's falling cry and Arika's taunting of the clawed fighter helps Hotaru get her head back into the fight now. She's had some time to prepare herself. It's time for the two of them to finish him off. Rolling her hand back, she baths her forearm with a blue aura as she concentrates a small sphere of force into the palm of her hand.
Slinging her arm forward, the chiball hurls through the air with a respectable amount of speed directly toward Kurow. She has to shoot up at him at an angle though, so her own aim may not be as precise as it would normally be.
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Kurow with Drum Solo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Hotaru's Hakki Shou!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/-------/=======|
The 'drum solo' strikes Kurow dead-on, and Arika gets to do what is no doubt a very cathartic thing as she leaves him with a rather large number of facial bruises on top of the rest of his mounting injuries. He stumbles back away, vision starting to blur as Hotaru aims that all too familiar wave of blue energy at him.
When he senses that it's there, and takes stock of his mounting injuries, he comes to the conclusion that he only has one chance -- one opportunity to save himself. The young man's hand whirls out to the side the ball of energy flies up toward, in what might be the youth's last physical action tonight... and he is rewarded with the loud, resonant 'ting!' of claws meeting energy, the projection of Hotaru's aura flying off into the sky and dissipating harmlessly. "I know you too well, Futaba," Kurow says, evidently still not paying her much attention -- perhaps he's saving the best for last.
And then his eyes fall, once again, on Arika. "Please, allow me to demonstrate," he offers, voice dripping with condescension, "just what your leader learned not too long ago." Once again, Kirishima sprints forward, aiming himself straight for Arika's legs with a hard run that promises to knock Arika /over/ him... upon which time, of course, she'll be subject to the same tender ministrations of wave after wave of energy claws following just behind Kurow's dash that Drake was.
COMBATSYS: Arika blocks Kurow's Kirishima Kyoujuu Reppa EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/--=====/=======|
Like with any fight, it amuses the diva to no end to realize that she's the current 'threat' to the target. Amuses her because after the little run in with Hotaru at the park, she did a wee bit of research and -knows- what the other girl is capable off. Too bad that Kurow seems to be avoiding all of her attempts to draw attention away from Arika.
No matter. Despite how she looks, the punk rock princess is a big girl and she can handle it.
Especially when a warning is given.
Awkwardly being tackled over Kurow's head, she has no intention of just laying there and taking the pain. Landing upon the ground with grace and poise, she meets the wave of energy that's moving swiftly toward her. Head ducks in, arms curling up over it in a fairly typical defensive boxing stance. Forearms take the brunt of the energy claws; each one slicing into the skin leaving her arms rather battered and bloody at this point.
Having not pulled a single punch yet during this battle, she glances at Hotaru. Deep blue eyes narrow slightly and she points to Kurow. "'it 'im, would'ya?" Again, she's trying to rile the other girl up so that maybe, just -maybe- she can catch her breath before swinging in with another barrage of attacks.
COMBATSYS: Arika gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/----===/=======|
There's really no way to argue with Kurow's assessment. Try as she might, Hotaru can't seem to land anything on him after her initial blindsiding at the start of the fight. As her fireball goes flying off harmlessly, the girl grits her teeth, one arm reaching over to clench tightly at her wrist, perhaps feeling the expenditure of energy she's put into trying to hit him catching up with her.
It reminds her that she can't do that again, without taking a really big risk of exhausting herself. Long, drawn out fights are really not her forte. That she's lasted this long has more to do with the Kyokugen style of training she has been put through as of late than anything. Still, if he finds dealing with her attempts to land blows trivial, then all she can really do is hope to provide some small amount of distraction so that Arika can finish the job.
But then Arika needs to catch her breath and Hotaru knows it's back on her to try and at least stall Kurow for a bit if possible. The blue-eyed girl meets Arika's eyes for a moment, a limited amount of frustration reflected in her visage. Shaking her arm as if trying to brush away the pain that wracks it, the pig-tailed girl charges Kurow again, trying to pick up the pace. A swift stomp is made for his foot, of all things, before she snaps out with her other leg with an only slightly slower side kick. "Ya!"
COMBATSYS: Kurow parries Hotaru's Light Kick!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Arika 1/----===/=======|
As Arika takes her attention off Kurow in favor of putting herself back together, Kurow is able to focus more fully on Hotaru -- and the result, of course, ends up being exactly the same. At this point, he knows every inch of her perfectly, and as she stomps, he does just the smallest step back... and once again, directs Hotaru's momentum off to the side harmlessly. As he starts to move toward the punk rocker, Kurow starts to speak -- he addresses Hotaru, though, not Arika. "Just leave," he says to her. "I won't hurt you if you leave now. The other woman is gone. She won't be any trouble."
The fact remains, unfortunately for the wounded Arika, that he's coming for her. "You, however, do not get the same courtesy." He feels like he's startting to run out of steam, but if he can just catch Arika -- just once -- he thinks he can have her firmly in hand. It's a bit of a risky technique, but Kurow feels a certain burst of sureness in the way he's handling this... and that sureness comes out in his long, flat leap toward Arika.
If his technique is calculated just right, his claws will sink right into the area just beneath Arika's neck -- a familiar sensation for the musical star, no doubt -- and kicks off the ground, starting to whirl around her. His claws sink deeper and deeper in as he whirls around her over and over again, in a technique that would remind the careful observer of Heidern's Neck Rolling Slashes, before he eventually kicks off of her back and sends /her/ to the hot, sticky Thailand dirt, and him up into the air.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Arika with Circle Slash EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\\\\\ <
Arika 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Bloody arms are about to be the least of the punk rock princess' concerns, it would seem. Hotaru swings and misses yet again, and it leaves Arika feeling quite baffled. Isn't Hotaru supposed to have had more training? A few misses she could put off to having an off day. This completely surpasses that though. Perhaps it's a psychological thing; who knows? All the diva knows is that she seems to be a popular target.
Feeling the metal pressing in against her neck, Arika bites off two words before she's rendered speechless with a gurgle. "Fuck. You." Time to be showing a lot less of her 'refined' side and a lot more of the 'rocker chick' that her fans back in London know her for. Blood pools up around the claws as they sink ever deeper into her body and when she hits the ground, she actually lets out a burbled whimper.
Blood dripping from her extremities, and covered in the sticky dirt of the country she's set out with her team to defend, the poor punk rock princess looks more like the living undead than anything else. But surprisingly? Arika is still able to move. Still drawing herself up to her feet. Whatever is driving her is forcing her to go on, despite all odds that say she should be down.
Rushing Kurow, she slips in behind him and reaches under one of his arms in an attempt to lock him up in a seemingly simple half-nelson hold. If successful, she's going to lock him up nice and tight while attempting to hoist him up into the air. From there, she'll spin round and round until she's got him high enough before stopping as quickly as she can and simply manipulating her body weight throw -him- into the hot, sticky Thailand dirt. 'Gracefully' dropping him on his head and upper back while hoping he breaks his neck in the process.
Again Kurow handles her attacks like it's nothing, allowing him to stick to Arika in spite all of Hotaru's efforts to the contrary. It's hard to not get frazzled in a situation like this. Not since she threw herself at Grant has she felt so severely outmatched. If it weren't for the singer occupying all of Kurow's attention, Hotaru wouldn't still be standing at this point, she's quite certain.
And then comes his invitation to just go. Throw in the towel. Run for her life and just get out of this miserable war-torn country for good. It /would/ be nice to just be home, once again. Doing chores every hour of the day at the Kyokugen Dojo is worlds better than this. And besides, she didn't pick this fight, /they/ did. She had already sworn off combat missions in the first place. But to leave now? After having tried to throw her way into the fray on their behalf?
Hotaru shakes her head, putting such thoughts out of her mind. She can't leave now. She has yet to even get a scratch while the Shooting Stars have been clawed, strangled, kicked, and mangled into the ground one at a time. She can't take the offer, and as she makes up her mind, she feels her cheeks flush, a wave of shame for even considering it.
When she comes at Kurow this time, it's with a sequence of palm strikes, aiming for his chin, chest, stomach in rapid succession. And if he turns his back instead? She'll do the same three strikes right down his spin. The aggressive attack is slower than her previous strikes, but her goal right now is distraction. Arika is still standing, and all that matters is helping the singer land a hit at this point.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Hotaru's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Arika's Punk Rock Breakdown.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Kirishima is attacked from two fronts at once, Hotaru pulling out a veritable Zanretsu Ken of palm strikes, Arika coming in to lock her arms around him and teach him a little humility after his taunts and jabs. The youth is surrounded, and at first, it seems like he has no recourse but to let the blows rain down upon him.
He dives. There is a peculiar strength to the world's toughest few hundred fighters, one which allows them to do nearly anything if the circumstances necessitate it. This is precisely the sort of strength that allows Kurow to take those claws of his and actually /burrow/ into the earth, moving just deep enough to let both of them pass /over/ him before springing back up, rolling out of the small recession he's created in the ground and pulling himself back up to a standing position.
"Are you two done yet?" he asks, smirking. "I'm starting to grow tired of this -- especially your vulgarity, Miss Fade." Deliberate footfalls carry him right up to the far more injured of the two fighters, and aims a hard uppercut right for her jaw. "Please, keep that mouth of yours shut." He doesn't want to attack Hotaru yet -- he knows full well that he can't leave his back open to the injured Arika right now. Wounded fighters are always the toughest -- all the more reason to finish them off.
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Arika with Medium Strike.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 1/------=/=======|
Well crap.
Blood rage didn't seem to help Arika a single bit with trying to give Kurow what was coming for him. Watching him dive to the ground and bloody well -burrow- into the soil is just nerve wracking to the poor girl. So there should be very little surprise that the uppercut catches her dead on. Good thing she wasn't gaping or she might have actually bit her tongue. The punch causes her to stagger back a few steps but instead of falling down and playing dead, she uses those steps to carry her behind Kurow once more. "Don't bloody well care if you're knackered you idiotic," each word is now accompanied by a small spray of blood, "smarmy prat."
Attempting to hook her leg around the front and between his she adds, "Piss off." An arm reaches up to wrap about his neck to choke him as she reaches a bloody hand down to his stomach to claw him in her own manner. Pressure, upon pressure will be placed on him should this work as she attempts to force him on his side and into the soil from which the rat just crawled out from.
COMBATSYS: Arika has reached second wind!
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
At this point, having her strikes fail to connect against Kurow comes as no surprise. The means by which he /avoided/ them on the other hand does. Taking a couple steps back as Kurow launches back up and strikes viciously at Arika, Hotaru gasps as her poor partner ends up on the receiving end of yet another vicious blow... only to get back up and strike back at him again. The tenacity of her partner is literally awe inspiring at this point.
Hotaru has little choice but to continue practicing striking out at the air as she tries to at least tire Kurow out. It may not lead to much, but it's all she can do at this point to keep attacking. A swift kick for his back, attempting to knock him into Arika's grasp is attempted. Otherwise she stays silent, trying not to distract herself with listening to either of their banter at this point.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Arika's Dominant Diva.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Hotaru's Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
"You really simply refuse to quiet yourself, don't you?" Kurow asks of Arika, as she pulls herself right back up -- damned tenacious little brats, he thinks to himself, in spite of the fact he's three years her junior. The world is starting to seem a little slow to him, in a strange way -- his adrenaline is going full-force, and it lets him see the attacks coming from what feels like a mile away. His body moves like a snapped whip to one side, bringing it just barely out of the way of both the oncoming kick and the grab at his throat; he finishes the motion with a short backward roll, one which he springs back up from with ease.
"You're both far too outclassed for it to be worth your while to stay," he says, voice taking on that same commanding, forceful tone he took with Akira some time ago. "You, Hotaru, have forgotten your sense of self-preservation... and you, Miss Fade, have a marked lack of ability to follow orders." Now it's time for /his/ hands to spring out toward /her/, but he doesn't go for her neck this time -- no, that would be generous.
He goes for her jawbone. If he gets his hands on it, what he does is nothing more than whirl around and forcefully /yank/ on it, trying to dislocate it, looking Hotaru squarely in the eyes when he finishes. It seems almost like he's saying, with his expression, '/Why/ do you persist? This is going to be you in a minute.'
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Kurow's Quick Throw.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ \\\ <
Arika 0/-------/-------|
Arika not only -looks- like an undead zombie now, but she's feeling like one too. She may still be standing, but she knows it's not going to be for long. The expenditure of energy and physical prowess during this showdown are finally taking their toll upon her. Resigned to the fact that the fate of this battle lies entirely upon the girl that can't actually -hit- the ninja, she struggles to keep her composure for one final attempt at winning things for the side of good.
So, why is it that she feels Obi-Wan? Must be the 'you're my only hope' that keeps going around and around in her head. The Stars only hope at this point.
Everything around her stills. Everything is moving swiftly but in slow motion at the same time. Deep blue eyes settle intently upon Kurow and the rest of the world is blocked out. With things as they are, it's very easy for her to spot the hands springing toward her jawbone. Moving as though in a dream, she twists herself out of the way just in time to avoid having her jaw dislocated.
Uppercuts seem to be the order of things for those that are in this state. Slamming an open hand toward his throat she keeps her fingers tightly together. All but the thumb which reaches for his jugular should the punch actually hit true.
Oddly enough, not a word is spoken during all of this. Quite frankly, she really just doesn't have the energy for an endless litany of useless banter at this point.
It really is nerve wracking - the precision with which he continues to avoid their attacks. Hotaru knew Kurow was good. Well, not just good. /Incredible/. But the way he has been handling her attacks goes beyond anything she's ever dealt with in her life. When he comments on her lack of self-preservation, she exhales sharply, a slight sound of frustration.
When he reaches for Arika, his back once again to Hotaru, the Kenpo artist draws upon more traditional styled attacks. Normally less effective for her due to her stature, but at this point, her normal litany of attacks have certainly done nothing impressive.
This time she leans forward as if trying to drive her shoulder into his back. But her real attack is the elbow strike the lunge concealed. If her elbow connects, she'll dig it in, swinging that arm up to land a second, lighter blow with the back of her fist.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Kurow with Strong Punch.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kurow counters Strong Punch from Arika with Random Weapon.
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
[ <
Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Kurow retreats oh so slightly from Arika, seemingly... /afraid/ of her? No, that's not right at all -- it's a tactical decision. On the one hand, it puts him right up next to Hotaru. This, of course, means that the Futaba heiress's elbow catches Kirishima right in the gut, propelling him back toward Arika's strike... but it's a fair price, Kurow thinks, as his hands dart into his pockets for a split second. There is only a flash of red as Kurow and Arika draw ever closer...
... and Arika finds her hand caught in -- a ribbon? Yes -- specifically, it's a red hair ribbon, one which might seem rather familiar to Hotaru, due to the fact that it's /hers/, which he took from her in the last battle between the pair. "Is that all that's left in you?" he asks, keeping that ribbon in a deathgrip as he moves around behind the fighter, wrenching her arm into the small of her back.
Suddenly, the youth's knee slams right into her back, sending her forward and leaving her open to stomp her back down into the ground, yanking on her arm in the process. Only then does he let go, saying, "Then rest," before pocketing that little momento of his last encounter with Hotaru once more.
Looks like things are finally winding down for the diva; but at least Hotaru was able to sneak an attack in while Arika's battered body played distraction against Kurow once more.
So very sadly, the punk rock princess really isn't expecting one of her own tactics to actually work -against- her. A somewhat surprised look is displayed upon her face as the ribbon is used to wrench her arm in behind her body. Sprawling forward from the knee slam, she shoots her hands out just in time to avoid swallowing a mouth full of dirt.
End of the line.
But at the order to 'rest', she just can't do it. Not without at least one -more- attempt. It takes everything in her being to push herself up off of the ground. Arika is running on sheer hatred and adrenaline now. Staggering a few steps, she gives her head a shake. The blood near her throat seems to have coagulated mostly; either that or it's so very full of dirt it's no longer flowing freely. Chambering her right hand into a furious little fist, she swings forward toward Kurow with a jab to his jaw. Her normal follow through would be a palmheel strike to his chest, but instead she swings it a little higher and attempts to catch him on the cheek with a blast of violet energy. After the punches are unleashed though, the diva crumples to her knees on the ground.
COMBATSYS: Arika has reached third wind!
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Hotaru 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Her own strikes finally sink in and Hotaru steps forward to press her attack. But Kurow wraps himself around to the other side of Arika and the pig-tailed girl stops just shy of striking the rocker instead, her fist stopping mid-way enroute to strike Arika's face.
Taking a step back, she realizes just what that flash of red was that she saw in his hands, her eyes widening slightly. So that's where that went... Swallowing as her own hair adornment is used as the tool to pin Arika's arm and send her to the ground, Hotaru winces at the painful blows he delivers to the last standing Shooting Star. It's not fair that Arika keeps taking all these hits just because she can't take Kurow down. She has to try harder. Faster.
"It should be clear by now," the girl finally breaks her several minutes of silence. "You just don't have what it takes to beat her, Kirishima. The one that should be leaving here is you!" When he pushes Arika down, Hotaru is already leaping over the other girl, diving into him knee first like before. If she can connect, she'll swing her other leg around and kick him soundly in the other shoulder before leaping off his shoulders into a backflip.
COMBATSYS: Kurow dodges Hotaru's Rengeki Shuu.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Kurow with Diva Allegro.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Kurow
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Arika 0/-------/--=====|
Kurow does the only thing he can -- he dives, when Hotaru comes in, telling the youth he should be leaving. Her knee flies harmlessly over him... but puts him right in the path of Arika's glowing fist. It's almost nothing... but it's enough, in this state, to just barely push Kurow over. He falls, looking up toward Arika with baleful eyes... and, with his last breath, as the Shadaloo forces start to retreat from the radio tower, swings a quick snap kick right for /her/ cheek, evidently quite a fan of an eye for an eye.
The momentum, however, carries him down into the ground. He doesn't get back up.
COMBATSYS: Kurow can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|
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Arika 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Kurow successfully hits Arika with Light Kick.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|
[ <
Arika 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Arika takes no action.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Arika can no longer fight.
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Hotaru 0/-------/------=|
Very little a girl on her knees can do when a kick is coming toward her. Not in the condition Arika is currently in at any rate. Though she attempts to tilt her body to the side to avoid it, her movements are sluggish. To say she's tired is an understatement. Injured, exhausted and worried about her downed teammates, she watches the Shadaloo forces start their retreat and the forces the Shooting Stars came in with begin to converge toward the tower.
Definitely something has been learned here today...
... do -not- grievously injure the very non-boyfriend of the punk rock princess....
... it makes her ANGRY.
Pulling the lack of energy she has left together, she manages to crawl away from the remainder of the fray. The crawl brings her right up to Drake where she gives him a very tired look despite the fact that he's more likely than not still comatose. "W-we won..."
And there she collapses beside him, having done all she can for now. Despite trust issues, Arika has faith that the forces they came with today will make sure they're cared for medically considering what a great victory it was for them.
Her diving attack missed though Hotaru has come to expect that now. She's changed tactics. If he wants to avoid her so much, she'll just keep forcing him back into Arika's attacks for as long as the other girl can keep dishing them out. And it seems that this time it worked. The two go down swinging for each other, Arika's final strike, powered by the strength of vengeance that drives her, takes the fighting prodigy down at last.
Standing, the girl turns around to watch Kurow collapse and Arika crawl over to where Eva had safely towed Drake earlier in the fight. A gentle breeze blows through her hair as she quietly glances around, watching the tide of the battle change with the shifting of the wind. It's a victory, though the various bodies that line the ground all around indicate that it was not without its costs.
But the front has moved forward thanks to what happened here. Silently, Hotaru glances over the fallen Stars, smiling quietly at the sacrifices each of them made for each other to make this happen. Apparently some are a lot better at this war stuff than she is, the girl decides with a rueful shrug. At least they have Kurow now. The master mind behind Vega's mind controlling assembly line. The young man responsible for so much hurt, so much pain in the days that have been and the days yet to come. Of that she is sure. Perhaps holding him will be a key to saving Sakura and the others.
Lifting her hand, young Futaba waves to nearby guerilla fighters, "Hey! hey! We need field medics over here! And come help me secure-" But as her attention turns back to the place Kurow had fallen, the school aged boy is no where to be seen. Gasping, Hotaru glances back and forth, eyes wide with surprise, "...he's gone..."
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has ended the fight here.
Log created on 22:30:50 06/18/2007 by Hotaru, and last modified on 06:26:33 06/27/2007.