Description: In the mean streets of Sunshine City, a gathering of schoolgirls is sending shivers down the spine of every right-thinking criminal. But what had initially seemed like a simple task is becoming more and more difficult with the dark and malevolent rumors sweeping the city. Plans are hatched, and an unlikely allegiance forged in these troubled times. Can the combined might of some of Seijyun and Taiyo High's finest female fighters turn the tide in this battle? And does Zaki's turn towards being a nice person signify that the end of the world is truly upon us?! All will be revealed, soon...
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A stalemate grips the outskirts of Sunshine's forbidding industrial district. Initially the ultimate battlefront for Zaki's first incursion into the city, it transpired that - whilst with sufficient momentum and bloody-minded drive it was possible to carry a fight deep into the maze of twisted metal and heavy pipework - actually holding any kind of position was the furthest thing from likely. The sukeban's titanic effort left her with a name and a primary target, but when she needed to return to Southtown, it was only a matter of time before the Ladies' Team were violently thrust from their makeshift outpost.
Their 'base' of sorts is now at the very outermost fringe of the area, a gutted building quickly repurposed by some of the more artistically inclined young women, bearing a deep purple banner with 'LADIES' TEAM' daubed across it in virulent crimson - complete with proper grammar, inferring it was probably another girl from Seijyun who took charge - and even has a sinister cartoon depiction of Aoi in the corner.
Tarpaulin has been pulled across the top of the two-storey hovel, lookouts posted at the uppermost windows; armed with a variety of projectiles, if very explicitly no firearms. Zaki doesn't like firearms. Of course, the girls assigned this task are hardly needed-- without Zaki around, their discipline has been scarce, and as the self-appointed (and rarely challenged) leader leads her newfound ally through the wasteland leading up to the scavenged property... well, it's hardly a lonesome journey. Girls hang about alternately chatting, sparring or sunning themselves in the bright blaze from above, their voices raised for about half a mile around.
They're not exactly subtle, and the signs of violence are copious.
"LISTEN UP."
Fortunately, no level of violence or noisemaking can keep Zaki's deep, booming tone from rattling off the outlying wreckage to fixated every one of the several hundred young women immediately. She has them well-whipped enough, at least, that when she's /present/ there can be near total control. She did promise Miu to bring them back in line, and well, that seems to be what's happening - given the sometimes bloody and mostly criminal trail leading through Outer Sunshine to the Ladies' Team HQ, it's probably 'about time'.
Leaping atop a pile of broken furniture and discarded weapons about a dozen feet from the repurposed home, Aoi stares around at the swiftly gathering throng, lashing her chain through the air before it comes to a fierce, slapping rest against one calf. Her other hand is raised, closed to a fist as she whips her vulpine gaze around the crowd. If the show's for the newcomer's benefit only, it sure doesn't seem poorly received the others.
She has their attention.
"I'm back, and I'm here to stay. That means it's time to focus up; we came here with a purpose and we're not fucking leaving until we /achieve/ that purpose. Abobo is going down. This city is a mess - and we're partly to blame for that. All that other shit, all the petty crime and the brawling, it stops. Right now. Treat Sunshine City like it was your goddamn home, because from this moment onward, it /is/. If anybody disagrees with my decision," she barely needs to say it, and she knows it; beneath the mask, she smirks, "Then they take it up with me, but not until they get through Kurosaki." A finger snaps out from her fist, the arm lowering to single out the Crow Girl. "She's second only to me in this, and you listen to her like she /was/ me."
Her arm lowers, hand clapping to her hip as she lifts her chin to sweep another, regally defiant stare around the girls; they've all crawled and scrambled from their various positions now, arrayed in a ring, some with weapons bared and others stifling yawns and giggles. But for a band of barely-controlled gangster schoolgirls, they're looking composed enough to pass some sort of muster; if not be precisely 'socially acceptable'.
"Seems like you all get it. Good. Kurosaki? You wanna address the troops?"
Miu doesn't have Zaki's flare for drama; she's leagues away from that kind of intensely magnetic personality. What she does have, is a reputation painstakingly maintained for being... creepy. This is an atmosphere she has maintained since her mysterious arrival in Sunshine City, cultivating very much a sense of 'otherness' about herself. Zaki is the leader, yes, and there's no disputing that. But the rumors have no doubt spun well ahead of the pair as they made their way to rally the forces. What is Miu's purpose here? What does she /want/?
There's actually a subtle shiver which runs down Miu's spine as she observes the control that Zaki has over the girls. They are, if anything, /too/ disciplined. Too willing to bow down to Zaki's personality. The Ladies' Team isn't quite a cult, and it isn't quite an army, but it is getting far too close to that for her comfort. Thankfully, she is also very good at keeping herself calm and composed. The outer image she presents is the exact one which needs to be presented at this time.
She wears a mask of cool indifference as she eyes the assembled 'troops'. Her hands rest easy at her sides, a tiny dark counterpart to the towering Sukeban. Zaki has laid down the law, and she has no doubt that, for the next few days... hopefully not weeks ... she will be obeyed in anything she might want to ask these girls to do. Because she is taking on the mantle of Zaki's authority. There is some irony in the fact that she had agreed to come here and do this, in part, to avoid having to take that exact position.
"None of us want to be here." She says. "But, there is a sickness in Sunshine City. Not even I know what it is, exactly, but I know that if we leave this job half-finished, it will follow us back to Seijyun. We've stepped into the Dragon's lair. Now we must slay it or be consumed in fire." Playing on this 'Dragon's Tournament' nonsense which seems to be sweeping the city. No doubt the idiot fighters who are coming to test their strength will be blind to the ... force that she can feel settling over this place. The whispers of dark mists, dark killers, and the prickling sensation that there is far more to Sunshine City than some drug dealers and merely human filth.
"Don't go out after dark. Don't go out alone. I want groups of six, at a minimum. There are... forces at work here, we must understand. Dangerous forces. But when we are ready, I promise you, we will do what we came here to do... and then we will return to Southtown."
Miu does not speak up, she does not shout, and she does not sound fired up for the fighting and danger to come. She sounds resigned to it. As though she is laying out the itinerary for this month's study hall. She doesn't want to be here, doing this. She's telling the absolute truth when she says that. But it is necessary, and now that she is here, and the weirdness of the world is bubbling up all around them... she will do everything she can to ensure that it takes as few lives as possible. And in order to do that, she does not need to be liked, she does not need to be a leader... she needs to remain as emotionally detached as possible, so that nothing clouds her eyes and causes her to make a fatal misstep.
"Isn't there -already- a Ladies' Team?" pipes up a cheery, somewhat impudent voice. "Wonder if they'll take offense at having their name taken," it says. It's somewhere in the middle of the madding crowd, which is not -so- madding. With her (lack) of height and her slim build, the Ansatsuken prodigy that goes by the name of Sakura Kasugano's managed to slip into the meeting--not -expressly- invited, but here all the same. Maybe she'll provide that necessary spark of enthusiasm and hope to this meeting, because so far it sounds like a funeral dirge. Gosh.
Dressed out in a purple, short-sleeved t-shirt and loose black warmup pants, white sneakers, she doesn't look like a gang member, but she's pretty good at blending in when she needs to. Her feet hit dirt not too long ago, and despite the turmoil of Sunshine City, she didn't have to put too many people on their backs to get some respect. A couple, sure, but she is able, when she wants, to project an aura of 'don't mess with me'. Something she picked up from Ryu, probably.
Obviously Kurosaki and Himezaki know way more about the goings-on in Sunshine City than she does--she's only had the short brief from Imawano and Zaki the other day, plus what she's picked up from watching the news, but Miu is right... there -is- a darkness here. She can feel it. A sickness of the soul. She slides through the crowd, like a ghost, until she reaches where Zaki and Miu are--and to the gasps and whispers of shock, she -joins- the two where they are, tossing a casual salute at Zaki. "Yo. Hope you don't mind," she quips, lacing her fingers together and flexing them, popping the knuckles.
'None of us want to be here'. If she'd allow herself, Zaki would actually laugh at that; while the sentiment is a worthwhile one, there are a number of young women among the gathered throng who have craved this manner of outing since they first pledged their allegiance. A tall girl near the front of the crowd, almost within striking distance of Miu, does bark out a harsh expression of amusement, her braids swishing as she tosses her head to shift focus to her leader-- who stands silent as Kurosai speaks. Her gaze is met with an impassive stare, vulpine eyes drilling straight through her. Aoi knows her well, and knows her type...
Nakano does want this. She wants to cause pain, and be recognized for it.
Despite Zaki's best intentions, they're not saints. Her ruthlessness breeds this unsavoury element even as it commands nearly absolute authority from them all - even, for the moment, this girl who would challenge that authority in a heartbeat if she held the physical capacity. Leadership isn't easy; one slip, one misstep, and even the most magnetic of personalities can lose control over their baying pack.
In some way, bringing Miu here, pressing her to speech... it was a means of demonstrating that.
She's even less likely to admit that it serves a purpose with the Ladies' Team; Miu goes where she doesn't, advising them to be afraid and resultingly cautious. As the foremost of them all, Aoi can't afford to show her trepidation in such a way - she's been relying up until now on the trendsetters and the most fiercely loyal amongst the 'troops' to lead the way following a set example or a whispered word in private. But having a second, an outsider, one who commands respect because it's asked and jealousy because of the former... they will rise to her challenges, and it doesn't matter how they judge her. She's a voice of reason held firm by a savage anchor, her words given weight - at least to those who don't know her - by Zaki's indomitable presence.
When she's done, Zaki doesn't speak immediately, merely nodding as she step-hops down from the pile, landing with graceful ease and simultaneously bringing a firm hand down upon the tiny Crow Girl's shoulder. The resultant slap carries around the throng-- it's perhaps a little harder than it needs to be, but the intention is good. Indeed, the sukeban is smiling with relative warmth behind the choking leather.
"Alright," she booms out, turning about to shift her attention equally, "Everyone stand down for now. We--"
Interrupted. That's... a new one, at least insofar as it doesn't result in Aoi immediately spinning about to send her vicious chain careering into a fresh young face. Unlike her previous meeting with Sakura Kasugano, today her mind is sharp and she's alert enough to pick out the voice in an instant. One more thing she'd never admit in this setting; she actually HOPED Taiyo's fighting prodigy would find them, before the situation here got any more complicated. It's hard to plan on something like that, but... if she could have, she would have.
There's a 'moment' as Sakura approaches, the kind where everyone holds their breath, where a perceived insult is met with the expectation of violence - or at least further insults. Even were Kasugano not stepping forth to nonchalantly thrust her head into the lion's mouth, this would be the case. As it is, once she oversteps the line even Nakano would not overstep, the tension is completely, absolutely palpable. It's an instant where Zaki has to consider the absolute best course of action, where her mettle is tested. She decides quickly.
She takes a step forward, looming over the shorter girl, 5'10" in her heels and darkly brooding as always.
And then her voice rumbles from behind the mask...
"Fuck," the single, explicit syllable - uttered in jarring broken English, as is Zaki's style - doesn't resound with , "Why would I mind? Not like we've got any beef with your schoolmates, or that /other/ team." It's one of the few times the deep-voiced sukeban actually sounds more good-humoured than bitter, though anyone who didn't know her passing-well would have to hesitate to peer through the desert-dry sarcasm. The shift in her posture, shoulders lowering and head tossing amicably to send her long, jagged ponytail abounce, is the plainer tell. "A bunch of washed-up old women desperate for a bit of glory before they drop six feet under? There's more talent standing within six feet of /me/ than they'll ever find in their wizened bodies."
A beat, and she snorts out a laugh, breath heavy against buckles and leather.
"Before you all get back to your busy schedules," Her voice lifts again to make damn sure everyone scattered around them hears and heeds, "Say a big Ladies' Team welcome to Sakura Kasugano. I'm not expecting you to take her orders, but you respect the hell out of her; because /I/ do. Don't need to take it on face value, though..." Tailing off, she takes a step back, spreading her hands in an invitational shrug that takes in both Sakura and Miu. "Why don't you show us exactly why we should /all/ respect you."
Vulpine eyes flash as they dart between the two, mirroring the sudden savage interest of the assembled gang.
Zaki really doesn't have to elaborate further, does she?
"Because I'm not here to play games."
Miu's response to Zaki's statement is arctic cold. "I was on 'that' Ladies' Team. I'm not part of this one. And I don't care if they listen to me or not. If they don't." And somehow, unerringly, Miu's gaze falls on Nakano. Despite not having even acknowledged her since that bark of laughter. "Then they will die."
And it isn't a threat; it sounds, vaguely sad. Miu isn't going to be the one doing the killing. She is here to try and prevent them all from getting themselves killed. Chewed and spat out by psycho-killers and monsters that should never have existed. If they aren't going to listen to her, then she isn't going to struggle to maintain control of them. Zaki's word lends a certain amount of weight...
But nobody would truly understand what she's talking about until the first bodies are buried. It is a sad truth, and one which Miu hates, but she can ... read this crowd. She knows that they aren't impressed by her presence. She doesn't care. She isn't here to be impressive.
Finally, the dark-haired psion acknowledges the Ansatsuken prodigy. Strange purple eyes slide over the newcomer; probably the only person in the crowd (including Miu) who isn't the least bit deferrential towards Zaki. She knows of Sakura of course, though she'd never really met her herself. She shifts on the spot, sliding around to give the other girl a comfortable amount of room.
"I don't suppose your Master will be joining us?" She murmurs, quietly. Quiet enough, in fact, that it seems mysteriously unlikely that anyone not one of the three will hear, although they can hear her... very clearly indeed. "I would ask mine but... I have no idea how to get in touch with her. If this is like the last time... I worry I will need you both."
~Cryptic~
She's so -serious-. Sakura is definitely going to be the lone woman out on this team.. thing. Between Miu and Zaki there'll be no having fun around here. Times like this she wishes Hinata were here. Even when the chips were down, that girl had it together -and- wasn't dour. Kasugano gives Zaki a look as Miu speaks about death and dismemberment, so to speak. She might be right but there's no cause to talk like that, really. But it's not for Sakura to put that down. Hell, maybe it is that serious. It sure sounds like it. Given an opportunity to speak, she raises her voice. "Hey! I'm not gonna be -giving- you orders, 'cause, I don't want her," tossing a thumb back at Zaki, "tryin' t' choke me out with that chain of hers." Big, bright smile.
"But if you need my help, or I need yours, then I won't hesitate to jump in and I hope you don't either. You're all tough girls," and here she seeks out Nakano's gaze for a moment, "but this is way bigger than just being tough." Sakura fades back from the spotlight a bit to address Miu's question. "Uh, well," she says, laughing a little and putting her hand behind her head, "He's not really my -master-..."
... in fact, he's steadfastly refused to teach her except by example. Of course, Sakura's 'learning by correspondence' has definitely taken hold anyways. "But... I don't know. I don't really like, talk to him on a regular -basis- or anything. He's got a talent for just showing up places but it's kind of hard to get him to show up to places you want him to be. He's weird like that." Sakura rolls her eyes.
"I'm not sure he knows how to use a phone..."
There it is again, the promise of death. Behind the mask and beneath the shell, Zaki's less hardened than she would have the world believe; but her convictions at least are true, and upheld to the very depth of her psyche. The scarlet-haired sukeban maintains that she'd take life if she had to, that life is worth losing for a greater purpose - including her own, if that's what it took. A death wish she most certainly does not have, but the world is a cruel and brutal place. Being ruthless means accepting that.
"Try not to kill them yourself, eh, Kurosaki?"
It doesn't preclude poking the darkest kind of fun at the Crow Girl. Already she's lowered the veil and spoken deep truths to the dimunitive psychic, already she's given more of herself than she has to almost anyone. She doesn't owe anything nicer or better here and now - in her stomping ground, on her terms. It's also abundantly likely that a mote or two of Sakura's brash enthusiasm has filtered through even to Zaki. Less so, the apparent /shared/ enthusiasm of the other girls for the previous generation. The Ladies' Team boss lets out a scoff.
"We stick together, and we won't need any more mastery than we already have. Kasugano's been through enough to know damn well... it's not individuals who make the difference, no matter how rough it gets." It's a huge admission, coming from someone who pins the fates of five thousand young girls on their own dark uniform. Who carries destiny on their back, by choosing. "Might be getting a little more help in this, besides."
She doesn't seem inclined to elaborate on that for the moment, breezing on.
"If you two'd rather wag chins than stay sharp, that's fine. Kasugano has a point about this being more than toughness alone; there's bad shit going down in Sunshine and we've just been a small piece of that. Out there," she jerks a thumb over her own shoulder, with the hand still holding her chain, which jangles ominously, "There's some big bastard hidden away by the name of Abobo. He's the one we need to take down to stop this." She says it with more certainty than she really has-- but then, she's at least certain that has to be the first step. "But getting any headway in that metal maze? It's hard. Really hard. We got inside for a few days, and held it, but they're jammed up like poisonous rodents. You knock out a few, you get a few more."
"'Course," she notes almost idly, half-turning away to gaze out over toward the city proper. A foot scuffs the ground, toe grinding a hole in the dirt; the gesture not tangential to her following words. "As well as this 'tournament'," the punctuation falls neatly into place. She doesn't attend many, but the whole fighting world knows what that term is really worth. What it too often truly means. "There's some scary mojo around. Killers in the night, broken bodies and shattered souls, and something's /alive/ down there. I can feel it."
Her fearsome presence isn't due only to her personality, after all. But she's not the expert here.
"I'm guessing you both feel it, too."
She's not 'guessing' at all. She knows, even before she lets the unspoken question hang.
Miu hadn't, in truth, had nearly as much time with Rose as she would have liked. But isn't that always the way? That woman... there was something about her. She couldn't put her finger on it, even now, but it was like she just... knew. Honestly, the fact that she hasn't heard of Rose, or Ryu, or anyone like them, turning up in Sunshine City is a relief. If they were, she would be even more concerned than she is already. She's not a coward, she knows what she is capable of and, unlike Zaki, she actually has taken lives. The Cult of Orochi didn't leave her many options. It is her fervent hope that if she plays to her dark reputation, she will keep more of these girls from having to be placed in that kind of situation than are absolutely necessary.
She brushes off Zaki's comment about staying sharp as though it were nothing.
She also allows the notion that she might be willing to kill girls like Nakano hang on unrefuted.
"I have felt something from the temple." She says, and nods her head to Sakura. "I would like to investigate, but I will not be going on my own." Kasugano had said that she wanted to help, right? That, if they needed her help, she'd be willing to give it?
There is practically nothing /to/ Miu. Such a tiny and fragile girl, but... she'd won the Neo League, she'd faced terrible evil, and she is the infinite calm to Zaki's infinite rage. She can only hope that Sakura is as... /genuine/ as her heart tells her she is, as she looks up to the Taiyo High prodigy. Taiyo and Seijyun, working together? It was hardly unknown, but... it is definitely the first time that the Crow Girl of Seijyun High has ever taken the first step in asking to work with anyone else.
"I would be honored if you would help me. My heart tells me that if we are going to find Abobo, first, we must find out what it is which poisons Sunshine."
She then bows, quite low, as a sign of respect. She... is definitely a staid and stoic little thing, with not an ounce of fun in her. But her respect is genuine, as is her hope. She needs /someone/ to watch her back...
If any of these girls were in Seijyun a few years ago--then they may be aware of the dark forces which can gather. Granted, those forces that were involved in the conspiracy didn't -kill- anyone, and they were, in any case, mostly fellow students (sort of), but the concept is there. Sakura is cheery, even in the face of this seriousness, but she isn't flippant at all. Rather, she has a serious expression on her face--looking out at the girls as if to give them a challenge. But it isn't her gang and so she doesn't try to motivate them as a group, because, like she said--she doesn't want Zaki trying to choke her out with that chain. She's just looking at them, measuring them.
Hoping they're up to the challenges ahead. Hoping -she- is.
Miu's addressing of her makes the girl turn, looking at the Black Crow of Seijyun. Of course she's heard of Miu--she follows the fight circuits avidly, even the ones she doesn't participate in, and so she'd heard of the mysterious girl who tore up the Neo League. "The temple? Sure, we can do that." Just as she did with Zaki a few days ago, she pulls out her cellphone and flips it open--right as she gets a text message. How is that obvious? Because her text message sound is a sample of Ryu shouting "HADOOOOUKEN!"
She doesn't even look embarrassed as she reads it. "Geez, Kei," she murmurs, then punches a few buttons. "What's your cellphone number? So we can coordinate on this thing."
The... difficulties in Southtown are the same incident that taught Zaki the meaning of teamwork. Prior to Justice High's infamous brainwashing experiment, she'd never have given a single person beside perhaps Yurika the time of day - and even then, in a fight, she'd be alone. Always alone. As the self-styled and, thus far, amply-proven strongest member of the Ladies' Team, Aoi has fought almost all of her battles before and since as a single ferocious unit. But stopping the Imawano clan required more than that, a whole union of students putting aside their differences to overcome an otherwise unstoppable force.
It's why she now stands with these two, as close to being equals as she can allow herself to be seen. Beneath the presentation to her loyalist troupe of neophyte warriors, she believes they're completely equal in this-- Kasugano is the better fighter and she knows it. Kurosaki? Still a wildcard in that regard, but her record speaks for itself, as does her tuition in the ways of the mysterious psionic energy she commands.
A fight between any two of them could be too close to call. Even if it's not all about toughness...
That counts for something, in her estimation.
"Straighten up, that shit just makes you look weak."
Bowing and generally being polite and pleasant? Not so much. Her words to Miu are gently mocking rather than utterly dismissive, but the edge in her tone is unmissable-- nor too in the flash of those vulpine eyes. It's the sort of behaviour that could drive them close to blows, but Zaki's sure the Crow Girl is aware of her own sensibilities; and she's not keen to debate it either way, merely feeling the right and need to express her opinion. Possibly because she's something of an enormous bitch. She's moving on, though, and swiftly.
"Seriously, Kasugano, the more the merrier on this. I trust Kurosaki's judgement-- she's got skills, and sense too, even if she sometimes talks too little and sometimes too /much/." A grin stretches her lips beneath the mask, mirth reaching the corners of her eyes. "But we're not all going. This position's important; we lose this place and we lose any chance at getting deeper into this. Abobo's somewhere nearby, somewhere beyond us. He /moves/ and we have him by the balls. This 'eldritch power' lets up... and maybe we go in, set a deeper trap."
Her shoulders roll in a shrug, and she - perhaps unexpectely - turns away from the conversation. Her vulpine gaze snaps to Nakano and past her, to the rest of the throng, as she throws a hand up and waves it in a broadly dismissive gesture, raising her voice. "Everyone scatter, you don't need to stand around gawking. Remember you're under curfew, travel in packs, and /don't cause trouble for normal citizens/. We need any of you, we'll holler out; until then, stick to the plan. And stay sharp. Eyes and ears, ladies."
They begin to filter away quickly, regular conversation resuming swiftly.
Miu does straighten... though she waits long enough that it implies she does so because she wants to, not because Zaki has commanded her to. The fact that Zaki is deferring to her... well, that's good. The last thing she wanted was to wind up butting heads over it. After all, Zaki is absolutely correct. This position is important if they are going to make progress... but as Miu considers the geography, what Zaki says about traps...
For a moment, all of Sunshine seems like a trap. Some invisible monster that she can scarcely comprehend. An invisible menace that has snared the girls of Seijyun and surrounded them, drawing them close towards its heart... but don't they say, that the way to a man's heart, is through his stomach? And these stretching menaces all seem like outstretched claws, guiding them towards--
Miu jerks, suddenly. Clearing her throat, and trying to dispel a rising panic that she cannot explain. Or, perhaps, more accurately, that she does not wish to acknowledge to herself. There is danger, here. She had forced herself to endure through the trials of the Orochi cultists, because they would not give her a choice. Now, she has a choice... and she is choosing to stand against it. It is an entirely different situation.
"My phone."
The device is new; a smartphone from which a cute raven dangles on a chain. She taps a few buttons, and then holds it out to Sakura, with her number emblazoned on the screen.
"I would like to move sooner rather than later." She continues, quietly. "And... for all that she seems to want to put on a show, Zaki is correct." Now that the other girls are fading away, Miu feels far less... like she's been put on display. Less like a toy being dragged out into the spotlight to dazzle. "I would like to spar you, before we move on, if possible. Somewhere private. If we wind up fighting side by side, it would be best if we knew how to compliment our styles."
Sakura can sense strength, of course--any fighter worth their salt knows to evaluate their opponents or potential opponents, instinctively and as accurately as possible. She isn't willing to say that she's better than Zaki. Or better than Miu. It isn't a lack of confidence that drives the assessment--anyone who knows her knows that her confidence is rarely, if ever, in question. It's respect for her potential partners that drives it. Not blessed with the psionic powers that Miu commands, Sakura's sense of the state of Sunshine City is largely instinctual, a form of that danger sense, combined with that tactical awareness.
Taking the number down, Sakura confirms it with a quick call to Miu--one which also gives Miu -her- number, in turn. "I signed up for the tournament; my first opponent is Athena Asamiya. I haven't gotten in contact with her yet but, after she and I are done fighting... I'll talk to her too. We can move on the shrine soon, though--I'll let you know when I'm scheduled to fight her. Hey, maybe if I can't go along, you and Zaki can go check out the shrine while I'm fighting..." Hmm. Maybe not.
"What do we know about this 'Abobo'?" she asks, as another text message comes in--from Kei again, as that voice sample rings out from her pocket--muffled by the cloth.
Zaki only catches the end of Miu's odd moment, as she jerks out of it, responding with a curved brow and a faint narrowing of her eyes as she attempts to reckon out a conclusion. Her knowledge of psychic ability, and the accompanying energy, amounts to little more than plowing through it - and a single battle with Cammy White, whose physical skills were so in advance of her own that the form of her energy made scant difference. The sukeban is a wilful individual anyhow; enough to resist the worst effects, and render her few experiences less educational-- the crux of a psychic's power seems to be bypassing the minds and wills of others.
'Problem?', she'd ask if the phone were not so soon presented. It's regarded with a brief eyeballing, lazy and careless - such trappings aren't Zaki's thing, as one of her newfound allies has been told already. The one who is regrettably not present. As it is, she just comes across as faintly rude. But the boss of the Ladies' Team is hardly a stranger to being perceived /that/ way. Perhaps to some extent it's the entire point.
"Cute," she deigns to comment with a hidden quirk of her mouth, "So what happens when /you/ get a message, Kurosaki. Does it play a sound of that gypsy bitch faking an orgasm?" She's all business, really, but there's absolutely no way to resist slipping that in. See, Sakura; she has a personality!
"Asamiya. That's a rough draw, Kasugano. Not sure if it's crueller on your body, your brain, or your ears." She reaches up to cup the underside of her mask momentarily, as if in thought, glancing off to one side with another flicker of savage mirth in her striking eyes. "Maybe all three. Still. Been a while since you've done anything, hasn't it? She'll probably be underestimating you. Use that."
Not that Aoi's in any way competitive, mind.
She doesn't refute Miu's commentary, no matter how it might be construed; appearance is important, which makes 'the show' equally so, not just to their allies but to their enemies. The first rule to maintaining a strong persona is having the facade of strength. There are many ways to achieve that, of course, but to appear weak is to invite the incautious foe to come in fast and hard. There are situations that warrant such a course, and this most certainly is not one of them. They're fighting uphill; experience has taught Zaki that.
"Abobo sounds like a real piece of work. What do we /know/? Not much. Got another, uh, 'friend' on that." It's not said in too shady a fashion, she's just not overly inclined to use the term without qualifying it. "He'll be a big bastard, strong and tough, by all accounts the kind of caveman you /expect/ these types to run with. Which makes me think there'll be at least one or two people close to him, smart and stylish, keeping the engine ticking over while he works the intimidation and brute force angles. One of them already approached me, is my best guess; wore a hood, spoke real nice, all mysterious and creepy. Said they'd be in touch, even..."
The roll of her shoulders tells very clearly that they haven't yet. Makes having a base all the more necessary.
"Beyond that, I'm positive he's somewhere out there. We scoured this city, and all signs pointed this way; I /know/ we weren't expected, so I'm willing to take that to the fucking bank. 'Course," she chuckles deeply, the sound booming from behind the mask, "They're also expecting us to keep battering at that door. Hitting up this shrine? Sounds good. But we're not taking an army. Two or three should do it. I know you're concerned, Kurosaki, but if it's too much to handle? /Come back/. We're all fast and smart, right?"
A beat, in which she cricks her neck to one side, ligaments snapping too loosely to be heard. She keeps limber.
"Or do we really need to prove that to each other?"
Miu's lips press together just the slightest amount as Zaki calls Rose 'that gypsy bitch'. The rest of the lewd comment is just icing on the cake. There's not many ways to rile Miu; there are perhaps three people in the world who have it in their power to make her genuinely angry... but disrespect of that caliber does rankle. She exhales slowly.
When Sakura calls her, the fact that it is the opening of 'Confession of Mask PV' by Velvet Eden (which ... does sound something like a woman crying out in pleasure) does not help her case. She shuts it up quickly, and clears her throat. "Abobo is tied to the criminal underworld here." She says, smoothly moving on from that faux pas. "My birds tell me that he has been here a very long time. It would be a mistake to write him off as a stupid man. But it is his physical strength which is his most notable trait."
She has never met Athena, either. The idea that Sakura is going to be asking others to help... well, she isn't sure. She dislikes that it may lead to things spiraling out of control; too many people trying to pull in too many directions, making it impossible to judge which course of action is the best... but on the other hand, she was expecting the fighters of the tournament to be steered towards herself and Zaki as the enemy, not as a force for (admittedly, morally dubious) good. In the end, these factors have to cancel each other out.
"I have no intention of dying. If we are overpowered, we run. We need to know this city. To avoid being cornered and trapped. I do not doubt that you are fast and smart, and strong, Zaki."
For a moment, Miu closes her eyes. Finding voice is... always hard. She doesn't /know/ these people like she knows herself. Zaki is always needling! Sakura, well, Sakura is a total stranger. She wants desperately to be wrong; to find that the temple is empty, that Abobo is just a gangster, that they can deal with him and go home, with the rumors of the world just rumors and not a drop of teenage blood spilt.
"You have nothing to prove to me. And neither do you, Kasugano-san. I... wish you luck with your fight. Two or three should be enough to discover if there is anything to be concerned about..."
Finally, she opens her eyes again, as a crow descends from above, to land on her shoulder. "Do not be distracted by the appearance of things." She says, to Sakura, /presumably/ about the fight, but, who knows? "If you can strike true, victory will follow."
Sakura just gives Zaki a Look(tm). The sukeban is probably impervious to it, but she gives it anyway, as is her due. "Thanks, I think," she says, dryly. She doesn't mention that she actually kinda likes Athena's music, perhaps not to the extent that others do, but she's been self-raised on a careful, discriminate diet of J-pop. "Honestly, right now, worrying about fighting Athena is the second to last thing on my mind. I'm not going to ask her to join us on our litlte Temple of Doom visit, mind," she qualifies, "but she's known for championing causes too, and... like you said," she says, looking at Zaki.
"The more the merrier. If this Abobo is as big and strong as you say, I think I might want an army behind me." She remembers fighting Gill, and that was a scary-as-hell thing. Probably Abobo isn't as bad, but if things out here are anything like she's been hearing, then they might be worse in some ways. Miu's ringtone gets another look, this one more quizzical than anything, but Sakura skips it easily enough.
"I'll fight her because it'll be fun, but I'm not worried about winning." She's already learned not to think about that, really. 'The fight is all', and all that. She's done an admirable job of absorbing quite a bit of Ryu's philosophy on the fight, for all that she isn't his student, not really. "There's always something to prove, and even if there isn't, pitting ourselves against each other isn't a bad idea. If we know what each other is capable of, we'll be that much better if we have to fight against others."
Honestly, the crow thing? It's legitimately creepy, even when you know about it. Zaki has to suppress an odd, writhing shudder as the bird alights, eyeing it with a wariness she normally reserves for-- well, not many people, truth be told. All this psychic stuff, being something she can't either wholly understand or simply force her way through, does unhinge her somewhat. If only because she's so reliant on keeping her thoughts to herself, on maintaining a projection; the idea a person can look /through/ that? Bad. Wrong.
Maybe even badong.
Sakura is an ample distraction at least, and though her Look(tm) has little real effect, she does elicit a bark of laughter from the sukeban as she twists her words against her. It's well played. Part of what she likes - insofar as Zaki likes anything - about the Ansatsuken prodigy is her directness, her brash and actually deceptively aggressive manner that renders her totally unafraid to present such a face. If she possessed a greater grasp of levity she'd probably have to remark that Kasugano 'just don't give a fuck'. It wouldn't be entirely accurate, but perhaps appropriate. It works for her, anyway; Aoi doesn't even remember to twist her laugh into a snort or a sardonically bleak chuckle. It's almost a natural, normal sound. Sans the mask.
"Fine," she comments a moment later, tossing her head to send fierce bangs and ponytail briskly lashing once more. "Asamiya's got chops that none of us have. She's taken down a few people solo that I'd need half a dozen of my girls to stand a chance against." Her mind scans back a ways, to a fight she actually shared with Kasugano, albeit only in passing; Aoi was one of the few remaining on their feet when Ryu finally succumbed to the pressure of one of his infamous survival-based challenges. She remains in the now though, taking a step away from the other two, using the step to cover for a stretch of arms and legs. If they're going to fight...
"But I've said it before, teamwork is the key to this shit. If one person could take Abobo down, they'd have done it years ago; not like Sunshine hasn't hosted tournaments before. There are some brutal fighters around here. I've seen a few lately, heard about others. Whatever rot has steeped into this place, it'll take tactics and careful planning to wipe out completely." After all, she already attempted the 'army of schoolgirls screaming bloody murder' thing. Look where that got her. "Being able to punch each other really hard wouldn't hurt, though. Besides." A glance goes to Sakura, vulpine eyes smouldering. "Even if you're not obsessed with winning, I know you. You wanna do your best. That means staying /sharp/. So sharpen up."
A hand darts to one side, bearing that jangling chain into a sidelong snap before she twists her wrist, rolling it over and over to send the uncoiled length into a rhythmic swoop, cutting a blue-steel line in the air. A foot slides out, her other hand rests above her hip, and that's that.
A fighting stance, for as much as she seems to observe such form.
COMBATSYS: Zaki has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Zaki 0/-------/-------|
Miu's crow observes Zaki right back. The latest evidence suggests that birds are some of the animals closest to dinosaurs; that their tiny brains are mostly still living back in that age of claw and fang and death. Poets throughout the years have tried to capture what it is in the bird's eye. Most birds have likely spent ages wondering if these foolish people are going to keel over soon so that they can suck the jelly out of their eyesocket.
And as suddenly as it came, the bird flaps away! A surprised CAW echoing from its beak.
Miu is many things, but she is not perfect. Zaki has gotten under her skin in many ways, from insulting the woman she most considers a teacher in this world, to her constant loud brashness and reliance on violence. Miu /knew/ that she'd wind up fighting the Sukeban before all of this is over. What she displays now is a level of underhanded cunning that most would not think she is capable of. She's so /polite/ after all. So quiet and demure.
Nobody expects her to suddenly leap backwards, and fling a trio of burning black feathers from her sweeping arm, directing a burst of that dark power directly at the person she was having a casual, quiet conversation with just seconds before.
"Sakura." She says, as she leaps, and hopefully manages to find pavement under her feet again before someone is trying to hit her with a chain, fist or fireball. "I think you misunderstand. I do not mean that I know what you are both capable of; I don't have a clue. All that I mean is that whether or not you are stronger, or weaker, than I ... sense. I am glad to have you both by my side."
And that's all she has to say on the subject. Now that she has attempted to do the psychic equivalent of a sucker punch on Zaki, she is expecting a hell of chains (and possibly fists; by reputation she believes Sakura is not a fan of 'bad sportsmanship'). But if Zaki is so intent on making sure that they keep sharp... she is all too keen to demonstrate how swiftly sudden and painful danger can be brought to bear.
Even if the stinging touch of her psycho power is really more numbing than it is devastating. At least in such moderate doses.
COMBATSYS: Miu has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Miu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zaki
She didn't mean -right now-. Or did she? Faced with the sudden prospect of a fight, even a friendly one, Sakura just breaks out into a grin. But she doesn't just up and go into her fighting pose; she backs off a few steps first, not turning around, because turning your back on an opponent, even a friendly one, is both unwise and rude. Securing her phone in a more stable pocket takes just a moment; by the time she's done that, though, Kurosaki's already leaping to the attack. Well. She might be the weird Crow Girl of Seijyun, but Sakura can't fault her decisiveness of action.
"I gotcha, Miu," she says, offhandedly, switching to the casual use of Miu's first name in an instant, as she brings her hands up, bouncing on the balls of her feet, getting up her rhythm. "But we'll need to know what each other is capable of, if we're gonna fight effectively. S'why Ken and Ryu are so devastating, teamed up. They know each other--not just their skills but their strategies." As Miu attacks Zaki, so Sakura attacks Miu--running in, literally, with a lunging, quick elbow, driving her right arm around in a swinging blow aimed for Miu's shoulder. It's a small variation on an attack she uses quite a lot, but a blow to the sternum -can- break bones and dangerous ones at that, and Miu looks, well,, a little fragile. Then again...
... so does Sakura.
COMBATSYS: Sakura has joined the fight here in the center.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Miu 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Zaki endures Miu's Kakure Amagakeri.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-------
The feathers. They're a graceful, woefully unintimidating apparition, really; Zaki can sense that forbidding tone about them, but once she releases her preconceptions and expectations, they become little more than a vaguely pretty display. Black? Not commonly the prettiest colour, but the sukeban likes dark things. To say she was expecting Miu's sudden assault would be a fib if not an outright lie-- she thought the Crow Girl would go for her, though, and she's long since decided how she wants to deal with their first collision.
Which is why Aoi doesn't move, or raise a guard. A triple threat of fluttering, burning projectiles closes upon her, and then abruptly they impact. Her tall, lithe form jerks with each successive impact, though a gentle rocking of her pelvis and a twist into the hip guarantees that rather than blast her aside or backward, they actually work in her favour. It stings - notably so, in fact - but Zaki bites it down, spinning into a brutal pirouette that ends as she lifts and projects her left leg forward, stamping into one spiked heel...
Facing Miu once more, with her chain-bearing arm lashing out hard and... low? It's longer than it looks, her weapon, covering the distance with bone-rattling speed and face-breaking force, closing on the dimunitive Neo League champion around the same time as Sakura does. If Miu's not thinking quick-- or has the same plan as the sukeban-- she'll find the first few links merely sting as they strike against her right leg and begin to pile up.
The others join them to drive the full impact home, the weight seeming to snap into place suddenly, adding a crushing, driving force to the gathered links. There's no flashy energy; but Aoi's inherent strength seems to imbue the weapon she wields. This ain't yo' momma's chain-whip.
"I see what Masters was so high on," booms Zaki as she attacks, eyes bright and furious, "That crap hurts, Kurosaki!"
COMBATSYS: Miu dodges Sakura's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Miu dodges Zaki's Hakai no Tessa.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-------
Miu is not like Zaki. Aside from being much smaller, she is also not one for learning about the strength of her opponents by letting them smash into her. She, has learned from many painful experiences that she just can't afford to do that in a fight. So as she finds herself facing down two of her classmates, she is already moving to slide past their offensive.
The elbow aiming at her shoulder collides with the air where she had been moments before, as Miu turns herself around horizontally. In the same moment, Zaki's chain comes in low, and Miu flips into the air. Her leg propels her in a graceful arc, leaving behind a fluttering array of feathers; not just black ones, but white too. Her style of fighting really is very pretty, and it tends to be underestimated for that. Right up until the point when someone collides with it. As Zaki just discovered.
"It is my inner strength." Miu says, as she considers the pair in turn. "Although I can *try* to fight without it... if I did, any one of those other girls out there could give me, a great deal of trouble. With it, however..."
She does not want Sakura to be left out, though. She does not want to give Zaki too much opportunity to get used to her moves, either. At some point, she is still certain, they will wind up fighting for real, and she would be very foolish to demonstrate every trick in her arsenal before that threat has passed...
Miu takes off again, after her rebounding evasion, and this time she is coming in for Sakura. Her style is strange; very little true martial arts in it, just instinct and power. It really would be a poor showing without the energy backing it up.
But as her tiny fist is matched with a burning arc of searing white force, her will made manifest on reality, the rebounding return to the offensive is far more of a genuine threat. Aiming to just smack into Sakura's gut, and rely on the numbing force to back her up the rest of the way.
COMBATSYS: Sakura instinctively blocks Miu's Aggressive Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-------
This is it. It isn't long-range,, or even medium-range, where Sakura's fighting style excels the most. She has tools for every situation--closing in on an opponent, chasing a fleeing one, standing off and engaging in a distance fight--but in-close is where her skills are best. Partially this is due to build--she's small, and though she hits hard, she doesn't really have -reach-, even her longest-ranged weapons, her legs, aren't that long, compared to others. It's where she has to work not only with training and self-training, but instinct and awareness. Normally, she might not worry about taking a blow like that from Miu--but when it flares with that power, Sakura reacts without thinking.
Her left hand snaps down, catching that fist before it makes contact, though the burst of psychic energy transmits like an electric shock, making her hiss under her breath. Even though... she's smiling. Grinning. This is it, the fight. This is what she lives for, just like her idol. Drawing her hands back, she takes a skipping step back, and as her legs plant, her hands thrust forward--chi building between them, concentrating and then expanding into a sphere the size of a beach ball, then being expelled at Miu. Accompanying it is a sharp cry, syllables heard minutes ago, but in her higher-pitched, girlish voice. "HADOUUUUKEN!" She has few reservations about 'showing off her tricks'--but then, she's already a well-known fighter, and over the many, many fights she's had, it would be just a matter of time to find out what her moves -are-. So she doesn't worry about that.
"You should never try to be what you're not."
They're blunt, hard words from Aoi, reeled out with a cursory shrug of one shoulder as she hauls her chain back with an almost dismissively instinctive flick of the wrist. Miu is gone already-- she's fast, enough to be incredibly interesting to Zaki even before the preceding moment. Despite her attitude and demanour, the sukeban is of the same breed herself; more speed and grace than solid defensive tactics, or even brutally hard hits. She packs a punch, for sure, but her reputation belies the manner of fighter she truly is.
"Don't let the world dictate to you, don't let pressure trick you. Be who you are, Kurosaki."
Which is probably why she barely moves now, unwilling to give away all the tricks at her own disposal, watching through narrowed vulpine eyes as Sakura keeps on moving and attacking. Kasugano fights with abandon and honesty, much the way she speaks and acts - but then, part of that is how little she /is/ acting, isn't it? The Ansatsuken prodigy illustrates Aoi's words better than she ever could herself, drawing in that cerulean blaze and thrusting it forth with her heart's passion behind it. No conceit. No qualms. No surrender.
"Whatever it costs you!"
That's delivered with a lash of the chain, swooping around only to hook neatly around her wrist, snagged in her gloved fingertips to keep it controlled. And, for the moment, out of the fight. Despite the relatively exuberant delivery of those final words, Zaki goes on merely to take in a slow breath, releasing her own tensions as she opts to simply watch from afar. Stalking. Waiting. But mostly observing.
COMBATSYS: Zaki gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Sakura successfully hits Miu with Medium Hadouken.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|----===
Miu finds herself rather neatly countered. Taking the fight up close suddenly seems like a rather silly notion. She can /feel/ the energy swirling around Sakura before it is expelled, and every sense she has tells her that she can't get away from this in time. Nevertheless, she tries. Experience has also taught her that being hit by techniques like this, tend to take her out of the fight much faster than she would like.
Zaki is saying something deep about who she is, but Miu... is a little more focused on the ball of blue fire that she's dealing with. Leaping up, rather than catching it full in the face, Miu instead finds herself blasted backwards, and has to catch herself in the air.
Her power turns inwards, and she closes her eyes, exhaling long and slow. If she were just fighting Sakura, she would be taking this time to collect herself; to rethink her strategy and decide which angle to approach from next.
But she is not. She has Zaki to worry about as well, and if she lets the Sukeban catch her breath, she is going to come back harder than before. Suddenly dashing towards Zaki, Miu comes in headlong, crouched, as though she intends to go right through the taller, stronger girl...
Only at the last second, she leaps up, and aims to snare Zaki by the hair. Her hand burns with that power, though it is subtly muted compared to what it was before, as she aims to ease her pain AND keep up the fight. If she gets a firm grip, she'll take Zaki right down to the ground, and scoot backwards, hoping to keep the masked fighter between herself and the Ansatsuken prodigy.
"I dislike talking too much in a fight." She adds, either way (assuming she hasn't been smashed in the face before this point). "It makes it difficult to concentrate."
Sakura -was- going to say, perhaps even jokingly, "Hey Miu. Let's show Zaki we can work together!" ... but then she finds... well. She doesn't -need- to. Because Miu's already going after the sukeban. Sakura shrugs, internally; she'll save the quip for a later date, pinned on a mental corkboard. And she adjusts, turning towards Zaki. Just as Miu lunges for the hair, Sakura drives herself in, a few quick, light steps getting her in range, then letting her leap forward, herself.
Whether Miu takes Zaki to the ground, or Zaki punches Miu in the face, the sukeban'll definitely have to deal with the flying Ansatsuken prodigy--who is lookin' to literally smash Zaki's head in. Well, as much as she can at -her- weight class, anyways, utilizing the famous two-fisted hammer that's one of her trademarks--and if she hits? Then she'll slam Zaki in the head once more, because, hey. Free punchings.
As if she were responding to Miu casually, conversationally, Sakura remarks, "I like it. I mean, I know some fighters do it to make their opponents angry but I just think it's fun! As long as you're not making an ass out of yourself that is." Yes Sakura, you are, in fact, rambling just a little bit.
COMBATSYS: Zaki blocks Sakura's Sakura Otoshi.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Zaki
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|----===
COMBATSYS: Zaki interrupts Quick Throw from Miu with Chain Strangler.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Miu 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Zaki
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|----===
Zaki's grasp of a respite was, probably, tactically very sound-- after eating the explosive force of Miu's feathered assault, and the honestly rather rattling effect even upon the sukeban's fairly ironclad psyche (at least by creepy teenage gangster standards), she somewhat required it to remain in this bout. It's supposed to be friendly, after all; and while her style is by nature and essence ruthless and possibly even somewhat cruel, she doesn't want to be hurling herself headlong in an attempt to cause as much damage as possible.
Even if she didn't need the two smaller women...
Aoi respects them both. In a way that perhaps a half dozen people, total, can claim. They're neither of them quite up to the standards of the top two or three, but given her feelings about the rest of the world, it's a giant leap for schoolgirlkind. It actually makes her feel stronger. Their combination teamwork is sound, but in a sense... they're all working together here. If two are strengthened, then a third only heightens the benefit. Watching the dual charge, hearing their banter wash over her as she keeps pacing, taking one last step to get herself into position, the leader of the Ladies' Team feels her every instinct flare bright and sparking.
"Tch!" It's less dismissive than focusing, the single hissed syllable marking the raising of Zaki's arms in a dissonant tandem. The left - chain-wrapped - moves to intercept Miu's arm, wrapping neatly around the structural base of her grappling attempt. She's strong, for all that she's slender; every last inch of the scarlet-haired sukeban seems to flow with honed muscle, her wiry limb keeping Miu aloft for the moment-- simultaneously keeping her and her searing psychic energies at bay. She's starting to bend her knees, but first has to deal with Kasugano, the purpose of her second arm being a simple intercepting forearm.
There's a sharp *whud* as the two near-legendary schoolgirls clash, the vibration running down Zaki's arm into her shoulder, but she's already moving, buckling inward as the right hand hooks in a little further. What follows is almost impossible to track without a good bit of distance; but she actually gets her fingers around the enwrapping chain, pulling the links free even as she maintains the grapple with Miu, disguising in her sudden crouching roll the very simple but very cunning action of looping her trademark weapon about the Crow Girl's narrow neck. It's brutally efficient, her roll seeming flamboyant as she drags the girl with her...
But then comes out on top, seemingly unharmed but for the effort of her manouevre, both legs slung atop the much smaller warrior to keep her in position as she /hauls/ back on the chain, steel links biting into bone and tendon, constricting air-flow and potentially bestowing a great deal of panic.
Ruthless indeed. She's up a moment later though, scrambling to her feet with the chain unravelling to whip through the air before her, vulpine eyes already scanning to keep half her attention upon Sakura. In a fight this close, she can't take her attention from either of them.
"GHCK!"
Miu's thoughtful response to Sakura's notions on banter is understandable, when you consider that she has just had the air quite thoroughly choked out of her. Sakura's fighting style is very well recorded; there's enough out there that someone who cared could piece together a good working knowledge of Miu's, as well. One thing that Miu is consistently known for is /not/ getting hit, and taking a fireball followed by a punishing chain lash is... jarring.
She knew the moment she felt the metal around her arm where it was going to go. It is easy enough to see how Zaki keeps her minions in line.
Miu's style of combat is, as has been mentioned, largely intuitive, however. She does /not/ panic. She is taken by surprise, but Miu keeps a cool head even despite that. There's not an inch of trust in her for Zaki, but she does know that the girl requires her at this moment in time. Beating her down savagely would work counter to their mutual purposes, and whilst she doesn't know for certain... she /feels/ like Zaki does not have that killing intent inside her. Certainly not right at this moment.
Suddenly she is spinning through the air as Zaki's chain whips back... and as she does, she lets her power out. The Crow Girl of Seijyun High hovers a good three feet in the air, a spinning dervish of gothy fashion and a testament to Zaki's prowess... positioned between the Sukeban and the Anstasuken student.
The world is suddenly full of feathers. Bright searing white and inky-black darkness, dozens of them fly out in all directions, ricocheting from the ground and nearby buildings before fading away into small puffs of black and white sparkles.
Miu herself, no matter what happens, is rather dizzy after the intense chain-based travel, and wobbles as she touches back to the ground. One hand resting on her head. Unsurprisingly, given her recent comment, and the redness around her abused throat... she does not have anything witty to say.
COMBATSYS: Miu successfully hits Sakura with Chou Hissatsu Amagakeri.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0 Zaki
[ |||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-======
Vicious. Sakura doesn't like the looks of that attack--a little odd, because she's got something very similar in -her- repertoire. But the chain just adds that je ne sais quoi, doesn't it? That touch of brutality and viciousness. In any case, Sakura was just using her momentum to springboard away from Zaki--but that puts her right in range of Miu's feather-spread.
And it -bites-. It hurts, throwing Sakura back, but the pain is a galvanizing thing. Being hurt sucks, but it's sometimes a useful focus. Clears the head.
"Phew. That Neo League title wasn't a joke, was it?" she says to Miu, a roundabout acknowledgement of Miu's power and skill. Throwing herself back into the fight is probably foolish, but she's going to do it anyway--sinking back on her right leg, using it as a lever, she pushes off--and starts spinning around as she arcs through the air towards Miu, her right leg out, scything through the air in that arc.
No, it isn't the Tatsumaki Senpuu Kyaku... but it's close, and that's why she calls it, as she shouts, "SHUNPUU KYAKU!!"
COMBATSYS: Zaki parries Miu's Chou Hissatsu Amagakeri!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Zaki
[ ||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Sakura 0|-------|-======
Splitting attention is dangerous, of course, and as Zaki struggles to right herself - actually doing so in a rather dynamic manner, rolling back from her improvised throttling to set both gloved palms to the ground and push herself into a flexibly gymnastic handstand, her gaze slipping about the battlefield as she twists her lithe frame around. The chain is pressed useless against the floor when she feels the spike in Miu's unpleasantly invasive energies, the smouldering monochromatic blur touching the edges of her vision an instant later. It makes her favoured response to such a vigorous assault unlikely at best, but...
Aoi Himezaki didn't get to where she is by being afraid to use every resource at her disposal, nor by failing to take risks. The easiest counter to that incoming storm would be to try and weather it, as she did the Crow Girl's opening salvo; or easiest in theory, in practice she's not sure how much of that she can take. With approximately negative two seconds to decide on a course of action, she narrows her eyes to blazing slits, and tries to focus in upon the eye of the storm. It's there, the tiny girl at the centre, her spirit screaming.
"Kuso!" The expletive bursts out as some sort of delinquent kiai to the flexion of Zaki's forearms, the elastic ripple running the full length of her body as she /launches/ herself upward, vaulting at a steep angle to actually end up spinning toward and through the swarming feathers. Their luminescence is met by her own, as flares of pale amethyst chi-flame sear down her limbs, her body spinning horizontally in a haze of responsive energies. Feathers scatter around her, and from the other side of the assault the sukeban emerges...
She's not even breathing hard as she flips head over heels, righting herself with a reversal of one powerful leg. Her direction shifts just slightly as she comes in to Miu's flank-- enough that she's got another instant in which to send that gathered chi on a crash course for her raised, spiked heel. It coalesces in a scalding flash, meeting patent leather as the collected strength of one of her better-known attacks is brought down--
Upon the rapidly spinning form of Sakura, a wordless yell punctuating the kick aimed for the top of her skull.
COMBATSYS: Miu dodges Sakura's Shunpuu Kyaku.
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Miu 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Zaki
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Sakura 0|-------|=======
The spinning kick is an intimidating reminder that she's still in this fight. Miu's Neo League championship status? No, it wasn't a joke. But, it wasn't through being the most powerful fighter in the tournament, either. Miu would be the first to admit that there were many fighters in there that she could not beat, or who she was extremely lucky to beat. By all rights, Rock Howard should have brought her low, and all the psychic force she could muster was not enough to knock Raiden down for the count. But... she DID have something to prove, then. To herself. To her teammates. And facing a wide array of competitors in a very short space of time has sharpened her skills to the point that even now, after such a long break, she won't forget how to deal with it.
Even though her throat still feels like it is on fire.
Miu actually goes low as the kick comes in. It takes all of her skill to slide underneath that leg, and carry on going. But she knows that Zaki is coming in from above, and as she rolls her way out of the slide, she slips up and to the side. Standing tall, she is now... /fairly/ certain that she has a few seconds whilst Sakura deals with Zaki's onslaught to catch her breath.
"That chain..." She murmurs, hoarsely. "Just as fearsome as I had imagined it would be. And your energy, Sakura..." She doesn't need to say any more to get her point across. Which is, good. Of all the people in the world to steal the voice from, Miu is one of the least offensive, but it isn't making it any easier to put the fire out. She just, needs to catch her breath, that's all. Nobody could begrudge her that in a 'friendly' competition.
COMBATSYS: Miu gains composure.
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Miu 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Zaki
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Sakura 0|-------|=======
COMBATSYS: Zaki successfully hits Sakura with Gankou Geri EX.
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Miu 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Zaki
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Sakura 1|------=|=======
Suddenly, Sakura is boosting the the fiber in her diet... with the ground. She hadn't expected Zaki to come after -her-, and she pays for it--in spades. That flaring heel literally smacks into the top of her head and flattens her; she emits a grunt as she hits, and when she rolls away from her 'landing' spot, her nose is bleeding. This -was- supposed to be friendly, right?
One more roll--to get out of the way further--and Sakura bounces to her feet, reaching up to wipe the dirt and blood away from her mouth. At least her nose isn't continuing to bleed. "You're just as nasty as ever, Zaki," grins the Ansatsuken girl--a grin tinged with more than an echo of lingering pain. She'll probably have a bump on her head for a couple of days.
But she's learning about Miu--even about Zaki, who she knows a lot better--though she wouldn't say she -knows- either of them, not in terms of fighting with them. There are steps to be taken and steps that have been taken. This is one of them. Bloodied and bruised... Sakura still looks game to fight, as she raises her hands, fists clenched...
And energy starts flowing up around her feet, an orange-yellow-white haze that wafts like a heat effect.
COMBATSYS: Sakura gathers her will.
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Miu 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Zaki
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Sakura 1|--=====|=======
Friendliness is... well, it's relative. For Zaki, this is about the closest she ever comes to having simple, honest fun-- at least she's not currently concerning herself directly with the well-being of several dozen, hundred, or thousand unruly gangster girls. Nor is she ducking her incredibly irritating-if-somewhat-intimidated parents in her swanky, much-maligned homestead. There's no schoolwork to worry about, no idiotic adults around, nothing except two people she holds in reasonably high esteem; and beyond them, a goal that brings her one step closer to achieving her ultimate dream. Life may be a war...
But that just means the battleground can feel like home.
Landing from her brutal heel kick in a half-crouch, lunging over the lead foot as it sets firmly down, Zaki takes a moment to draw breath and release the tension in her frame before sweeping up to her full height. The chain trails, licking at her heels with a barely-restrained hunger as she glances between her two, somewhat hesitant opponents. Turnabout is fair play-- she watched them, bade her time, now they do the same. A soft snort emits from behind the mask, a shake of her head dispelling the humourous tickle Sakura's comment raises..
"We're supposed to be nasty? Here I was holding back." Sarcasm runs thick through her deep voice, and she briefly meets Sakura's gaze with eyes neither narrowed nor particularly brooding in their stare; her good humour is obvious, for an instant, before with a flaring grin beneath the mask she spins about and suddenly darts toward the smallest of the competitors. Her next comment is punctuated by a rushing jangle as the chain is once more flicked about her left fist. "Guess I'd better stop that /right the hell now/."
By which she means, keep on like she has been since they started. Aoi probably doesn't know how to hold back.
Most apparent, as she throws her full weight into a thrusting palm strike, angled downward from her shoulder to blitz into the Crow Girl's frequently sombre face, colliding with nose and mouth. It'd be intimidating enough if it wasn't for the steel links running horizontally across her palm.
In a way, it's a compliment. She's 99.9% sure the Kurosaki girl's entirely capable of simply not being there.
'Course, that 0.01% really can be a bitch. It's win/win; either way she'll be able to turn around and face something seriously potent from the Ansatsuken prodigy.
COMBATSYS: Miu fails to interrupt Power Strike from Zaki with Shubatsu.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Zaki
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Sakura 1|--=====|=======
Once again, the difference between Zaki and Miu is made abundantly clear. Zaki is enjoying this, and Miu? Well, Miu /isn't/. The stress of the situation, the burden that she is feeling settling over her shoulders, now that she is committed to this insane course of action, is not lessened in the least by impending physical violence. Fighting has never been an end in itself for Miu. She has fought for knowledge, and for survival. She has fought to better herself, and to stand up for what she believes in. She has never fought just because she likes to fight, and she does not start today.
Zaki is expecting her to flee again - it is the sane course of action. But she can feel Sakura's power rising, and she meets the vulpine girl's eye as she is charged. Her feet dig into the dirt, and her hand shimmers. Three feathers are summoned, but they are not thrown. Shimmering bright white and brilliant, then meld over her hand, and in the same instant that Zaki comes in for her, she lunges forwards! Fully intent on delivering one more blow before she calls it to a close - largely to avoid whatever horribly potent assault Sakura is gearing up for. The /power/ that the girl has over there is practically an attack on her senses all on its own.
Instead, Zaki's palm crashes into her jaw, and knocks her to the dirt, where she rolls several times before getting up to one knee. Her counter-attack had barely begun, a shimmering half-trail failing to even reach up to the other girl's shoulder. But... isn't this how she knew it would be? Hadn't she told Mukai that she /could not/ beat Zaki in a fair fight? The reality of it is... not surprising.
But it does sting.
"I've seen enough." The Crow Girl says, as she gets back up to her feet. Her hand wipes at her bloodied lip, and as her power fades from around her, the bird from earlier flutters down from the sky to rejoin her shoulder. Apparently trusting the other two girls to respect her announcement as much as Miu herself.
"As expected of you both. I hope it was helpful. I am going to go and prepare; I will wait for you to contact me."
At Miu's words, Sakura relaxes, the energy flow fading from around her. She's tense for a moment more, waiting in case Zaki's blood is up, but she knows that the sukeban has better control than that. "Would've been a heck of a fight," she says, frankly, as she lets the stored energy dissipate back into the earth. And it was definitely educational.
Rubbing at her jaw, then at the top of her head, she shoots Zaki a mock-glare, though her lips are curved in a grin as she 'complains', "Did ya have to kick me -right- in the head, Zaki? I mean, if that's you -friendly-..." Well, actually, she already knows what the girl is like when she's serious. It'll come in handy, that dedication to brutality and power. Definitely.
"Alright. I've got to go prepare for my match against Athena... I'll keep in touch with the two of you. If either of you want to come spectate the fight, well... I won't complain." Pause. Thoughtful look.
"Unless you cheer for Athena, I guess. Who knows, maybe not even then!" Already she's drawing back into her cheery schoolgirl self, it seems, with a little smile for her two 'teammates'. With Miu preparing to go, Sakura does, too--walking towards a corner where, for the first time, a canvas duffel bag appears. It's -just- like Ryu's. Only, sized for Sakura. And pink. With Sakura petal patterns, chibi-Ryu stickers, and Hello Kitty all over it. But otherwise. Exactly like Ryu's. One hundred percent. Really.
Jaw?
"Hmph."
She'll take it.
Zaki retracts her striking palm as a scorpion retracts its sting, the chain's dissonant jangle marking a return to a raised guard as she whips her gaze warily over her shoulder toward the Ansatsuken prodigy. No amount of good judgement on her part thus far can dissuade her from the very rigid belief that, in a fair fight, this one's all Sakura's for the taking-- she may wear a mask in both literal and figurative senses, but ultimately the sukeban is something of a realist. While this precludes neither effort nor tenacity, it's simply the case that with Taiyo's finest export placed as she is, by all rights she'll be eating dirt herself in 5... 4...
But then Miu's words are echoed by the casually-dressed tomboy, her infectious grin not quite infecting Zaki as it might someone with real feelings (pshaw); but causing her to utter booming chuckle as she lowers her arms and lets the chain unravel end over end until it strikes the dirt. Leaning back into her spiked heels, she relaxes with an outbreath. It's almost ritualistic, that, her need to release the tension she carries even outside of a fight. The moments following violence are about the only time she allows herself to 'rest'.
"As sharp as we were today," she speaks without the characteristic edge now, flicking her gaze between the departing girls who've already said their goodbyes - and doing very well at /not/ snarking out Sakura's lovely flowery duffel bag in the process, it should be noted. She's the honest, bare-bones Aoi that addressed Miu in the stadium, the same who Sakura would have seen in the aftermath of their battle against Justice. It doesn't come out often, but she's been allowing it to, lately, on occasion. "We'll need to be even better. Do whatever you need, Miu... and Sakura?" Her voice raises a bit at that, as she turns and starts to walk away herself.
Even with her guard down, she puts on a bit of a show, leaving Kasugano to wonder a moment before she finishes:
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
COMBATSYS: Zaki has left the fight here.
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Miu 0/-------/---====|
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Sakura 1|--=====|=======
Log created on 12:06:58 06/09/2012 by Miu, and last modified on 20:46:47 06/09/2012.