Description: Kyoto, known as the City of Ten Thousand Shrines, loses ten of the more major ones in a single coordinated attack. And it would have lost more if it weren't for that meddlesome Hotaru, her trusty student Shibata, and an angry Shinsengumi spirit...
Kyoto has stood for well over a thousand years, most of which as the imperial capital of Japan. Since its construction in 794, it's seen a great number of changes: it suffered damage in the Onin War of the late 15th century, was walled up and restructured in the late 16th century, and in the nineteenth century 28,000 homes had been burnt down in the Hamaguri Rebellion. As further injury to the city's prestige, the Imperial Restoration in the late 1860s forever earmarked Kyoto as the place Emperor *used* to call home.
The city does have a nickname as "The City of Ten Thousand Shrines", though. Even though the emperor moved away, Kyoto is still the heart and soul of the country, host to... well, about two thousand shrines, but you can't blame a country for trying.
- TWENTY MINUTES AGO: The Heian Shrine -
A small but (for now) orderly mob has assembled just outside the Heian Shrine. It's just after dark, so candles have been lit as a vigil. The original Heian Palace was built 1219 years ago, but it was burned down. This is a reconstruction at 5/8 scale of the original, because not enough land could really be purchased to build it full-scale.
Signboards held by the protesters read: 'EQUALITY NOW', 'STOP THE DISCRIMINATION', 'TREAT RYUKYUANS AS PEOPLE', 'RESPECT OUR TRADITIONS TOO'. Local officials have proper registration forms on file for the group of protesters, which identifies itself as the "Association of Marginalized Japanese Citizens." As such, appropriate police coverage has been assigned to keep the citizen protest from getting out of control.
All according to plan. Even major cities like Kyoto have limits to their resources, no matter how great. And the more resources devoted to the protest... the less attention will be given to the numerous shrines and historic places distributed all throughout Kyoto.
- RIGHT NOW: Ginkaku-ji -
Jisho-ji, a kannon hall in the Zen temple facility commonly known as Ginkaku-ji, is generally off-limits to the public. The building itself is only two stories -- not very large by Kyoto standards, but its historical significance is great because of its founder, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who created the temple as a nice, quiet place to retire, without being terribly far from the center of the city.
Honoka sees the roof of the temple ziggurat as a nice place to watch the mayhem unfold. She's perched on the roof, listening to a two-way radio in one ear, and the calm tranquility of the nearly abandoned temple grounds in the other. Surely some monks are present... but surely they didn't notice the black-garbed figure scale up the side of the temple that no one's really allowed to mess with, right? Every so often she glances down to a dimmed tablet computer, watching the protests unfold with some amusement. So far speakers at the protest have told the long, tragic stories of the poor treatment dealt out to the so-called "Burakumin" people of Japan -- those who had held a lower caste, deemed as sub-human -- and even treated thusly by discriminatory people even after the caste system was destroyed in the Meiji Restoration. Another speaker just finished their speech about the poor treatment of the Ryukyuan people -- Okinawans and folks from the Ryukyu islands can't seem to catch a break, either! The current speaker, though, wears a bear mask -- and this male figurehead seems to have the black-garbed figure's full attention at the moment.
Not a day of life has been the same since the disasters began. A few weeks ago, Hotaru Futaba had been focusing on entrance exam preparations inbetweenher time spent teaching entry level self-defense classes at the YFCC and more full fledged Kenpo classes at the family dojo residing on the property she became the sole heir to.
That changed when the Earth itself revolted in large scale around the globe. Concerns about grades, cram courses to make up for missed studies, and routine course instruction became irrelevant in the face of so many disasters. While many were suffering around the world, it was to the people in Japan itself the girl turned her focus to. Every day brought her to different locations in need of aid. Helping with providing translation support for some of the international relief organizations that flocked to the various regions, distributing food and supplies to those initially displaced by the eruption of the iconic mountains, and sometimes escorting stragglers from more dangerous locations to shelters established for their protection.
She hasn't been alone in her endeavors. When the young Southtown Hero informed the students of her dojo of her intention to close it until the disasters passed, a number who were able volunteered to accompany the girl on their missions of mercy throughout the region. Tonight's effort is helping with the soup kitchen hastily established only a few days prior, operating via donations from those agencies still operational enough to funnel provisions to those who can best put them to use. The food supplies of most families have run out while cities have shut down under the steady fall of ash and the demands for emergency food distribution have only increased with each passing day.
Dressed in a practical black shirt and brown trousers and lacking any of the stylized Chinese inspired attire she always wore when making appearances in competative fighting venues, Hotaru would be easy to mistake as being any other young but concerned citizen of Japan, reaching out to help wherever she can. She's joined by some of her students in the line. Ryan, a very young boy with scrappy brown hair keeps the bread rows stocked. Shibata is to her right, a taller, lanky student who can't be too far off from his sensei in age, serving pasta onto the plates of the weary and down trodden who have flocked to this food shelter during the waning hours of the day.
It is Hotaru's opportunity to let their honored guests pick from the three different pastry-based desserts available for their fine dinning pleasure this evening, though for those who seem willing or needing, she offers additional words of comfort and support, occasionally mentioning some of the rumors she's heard about a possible larger evacuation happening soon to get more people as far away from the relentlessly falling ash as possible or gossip about the latest that the scientests are supposedly saying about the mysterious erruption that has shrouded the nation under so much ash.
Pausing between patrons, she wipes her brow with her arm then rubs her hands over a white towel that has become grey just from dusting the ash even that gets inside the small industrial building being used. Judging by the size of the line, they have at least another hour of this service to go before everyone who showed up tonight will have been fed. After a long day of helping out in other areas around Kyoto, it will be nice to sleep at least, she thinks to herself.
With casual pace, Mr.Burr smoothes the any wrinkles in his jack. A sticky-roller is used to get unwanted fur, hair, or other such particles off his clothes. Peering into the small restrooms mirror, he combs his hair, adjusts his tie, and with a quick flip puts on his bowler hat. Grabbing his trademark cane, he steps out of the restroom, ignoring any strange stares he may recieve for his choice of attire. He puts a tip into the tip jar as thanks for the use of their facilities, and steps out into the night.
The air is to his liking. To one end, down a ways, courtesy of his 'manipulations', there is the distractionary protests going on. To the other, located at the building not far from where he stands, shall shortly be quite another. He takes in a long, calm breath, enjoying the atmosphere as he waits for what is to come.....
Honoka smiles broadly -- though it's a bit hard to see, as the smile is only shown as reflections from a dimmed tablet computer's screen upon matte-black facepaint. She unplugs the headphone from her tablet computer, figuring that anyone who can see the screen now is completely powerless to stop what's about to happen -- regardless of the audio now plainly audible.
[ BGM: Oki - Tonkori in the moonlight - http://youtu.be/MvYiLZ-M3VY ]
Ainu music can be heard in the background. The Ainu language has no written form -- like in ancient Western civilization, history is passed down via epic poems. But this is not a classic... but rather, contemporary. History in the making.
"But there are no more trees, no more beasts! There are too many rocks. Rock must be cleared. Rock must be crushed, split by the humble seed, watered and nourished, so that the trees may grow once more."
The speaker's voice intensifies to a shout. "CHILDREN OF THE SUN. May all that you have wrought with OUR labor be taken back to the earth. May the historians of the future be as kind to us as the books we burn have been to you, for we are but righting the wrongs of the past. And may fate guide our hand not towards revenge or retaliation, but rather to kindness and virtue."
"BURAKUMIN. RYUKYUAN. AINU. MAY ALL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD HELP US RISE AGAINST OUR YAMATO OPPRESSORS. LET US EQUALIZE OUR HISTORY -- LET US BEGIN WITH A LEVEL FOUNDATION -- LET US BEGIN ANEW."
Honoka stands up, raising a hand to shield her vision from the city light reflecting off the lightly-clouded sky, as she looks south to the long path informally known as the Philosopher's Walk. The young woman's heart thumps loudly in her chest.
Beat. Nanzen-ji, a Zen Buddhist temple acting as the south terminus of the Philosopher's Walk, erupts into a pillar of flame, casting a faint pink cast to the nighttime sky.
Beat. Eikan-do Zenrin-ji, home of the Seizan branch of Japan's Jodo-shu Buddhist sect, and its shroud of beautiful trees, similarly erupts into flame, coloring the sky a darker hue of red.
Beat. Reikanji, about halfway down the path. Beat. Honen-in, not far to the south.
Honoka feels she's waited long enough. Tucking the tablet computer under one arm, the young acrobat takes a flying leap off the top of the building. She tucks into a tight somersault, tumbling once, twice as she lands ... and then leaps to the boundary wall. Ten heartbeats, ten shrines bathed in the fiery yellow glow of military-grade plastic explosives.
And just as she lands atop the wall, she turns around to look at the kannon she had just been perched upon. Reflected flames dance across her broad smile. This is... what she had wanted. Justice.
And there, that? What better sound to go along with the sight of fire in the sky, and the rising pillars of smoke, than the sound of panicked screaming? Honoka flips open her tablet computer, for now at a safe distance from the fire, and watches the mob at the Heian Shrine. The 'peaceful protest' is now fighting the police. Because the Heian Shrine has joined the shrines in the dance of flame.
COMBATSYS: Honoka has started a fight here.
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Honoka takes no action.
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|
There is something in the air, Hotaru ponders quietly, as she slides another tray of unloaded simple desserts onto the lit counter for those in line to pick from. Ryan is running back to the truck to eagerly grab another box of plastic-bagged rolls to restock the bread basket and Shibata continues to dutifully scoup food onto the tri-sectioned plates being provided the needy in line.
Of course it makes sense to be uneasy. The fall of ash, the looming threat of possible worse detonation, the economic freeze crippling a nation that had done so much to rebound after the severe earthquake less than two years before, the uncertainty of where the next meal will come from for those gathered here... But there's something else.
At a nearby table, she overhears talk of the demonstrations going on tonight... Hotaru had, on occasion, been approached by those who actually knew who she was with hopes that she would provide her fighting prowess for security and protection details. Not all those displaced by the disasters are willing to huddle in the dark or band together for the greater good. A frightful many are taking advantage of the situation. Looting, rumors of assaults, people ambushed for what little supplies they still had. Her ability could be put to use in fighting against those forces but she had declined time and time again.
Her fight against the warring factions that siedged Southtown was the last time she had risked her life on the front lines of combat. After seeing the effect such violence had on her young protoge Kentou, she had reconsidered that such actions need be the burdens of others. She couldn't willingly lead anyone into battle against the darkness again. She didn't want that responsability.
Shaking her head, she takes notice of the next group in line, a middle-aged couple with their young son. The two adults exchange words - the protests had an ugly feeling to them, the father murmurs, while Hotaru quietly distracts their boy with a ball of fried dough coated with a light coating sugar. Is now, really, the right time to be bringing up the past? When the future seems so uncertain, why dwell on things that can't be undone, the wife agrees.
Hotaru glances to the side and notices Shibata has paused in his scouping of pasta, his hand white-knuckle tight on the handle of the spoon he has been using as he stares intently at the couple, clearly having heard the subject of their exchange.
"Are you alr-" Hotaru begins to ask when the door to the building slams open, a young man stumbling in with wide-eyed panic.
"The shrines, they-... those savages have... they're burning them all down!!"
The sound of the metal spoon clanging against the floor at her side snaps Hotaru's attention toward her student. But he's already moving forward so fast she barely catches a glance at the grim, resolved look on his face. "Shibata-san..." she barely gets out before he storms past her for the door. Taking off the gloves she had been using when handling the food herself, the girl begins to move after him. "Ryan, stay here," she urges when she notices the ten year old starting to move after his fellow student and their sensei.
And then she's out on the streets herself, sprinting after her student. Swift on her feet, she can keep up with him... but she doesn't ever remember him moving this quickly before? His vecotr is obvious - the horizon a swath of color that would be inspiring to admire if it wasn't already clear to her what was happening.
Someone is using the confusion to burn the temple grounds to ash. Even from what she can see, it's far too late to even try and do something about it. Firecontrol will never get here with how strapped they are, and the wooden buildings are largely aflame as-is. Why then is her student hellbent on getting there, moving through the streets as if his life depeneded on reaching the burning temple grounds? And why is he yelling such strange things, she wonders for a split second, vaulting over a corner-wall to gain a bit of ground on him.
"To me, Wolves of Mibu! Those rebellious dogs have shown their hand at last!!"
The explosions occur in sequence, as expected. Burr smiles darkly as the smell of smoke and flame begin to fill the area. Soon, maybe even the smell of blood will be added to it all. He takes out his pocket watch, giving it a brief glance before looking up at the wall, right where Honoka has positioned herself.
Right on time.
He tips his hat to her from where he stands, before looking back at the throngs as they fight both out of fear, and out of what they believe is right. All is as it should be.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|
[ BGM : X JAPAN - Heath Solo - http://youtu.be/5E5Lea8vT_k ]
The Kogetsudai, a pile made out of sand, it is intended to be an idealized representation of Fuji-san, the national symbol of Japan. The pile is meticiously groomed into a perfect conic section, with a plateau at the top so as to be more resistant to the elements. Combing the pile and the bed of sand surrounding it is a daily ordeal, and one cherished by the monks working at the shrine.
Dude's out of a job now -- because as the two-storied tower collapses from the fire-weakened supports giving way, the entire second story slams right down into the middle of the sand pile. Sand flies everywhere, a pale echo of the gouts of flame erupting from the temples just moments prior.
"And now... phase two," Honoka says, leaping down from the wall next to two sleek black motorbikes -- one for her, one for Burr. Leaping astride the smaller bike, she straps on protective goggles and kicks the motor to life, then starts driving off to the west.
Figure, dressed in all black, with black face paint... racing right towards Futaba's relief kitchen. This... was not planned out on her route. Signalling to Burr with a quick jerk of her head to the right, she starts to move off to a different route around the food distribution point. She knows the way, even if the foreigner doesn't.
Hopefully the pair will have less resistance this way...
COMBATSYS: Shibata has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Hotaru has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
The race toward the temple grounds is inexplicable to anyone seeing it in action. In the lead, a lanky but tall Japanese youth with short, dark hair. Trailing behind but slowly gaining on him, his sensei and fairly well known martial artist, twin-pigtails trailing behind her as she pours on the speed to try and catch up, feet skidding around corners, legs bounding over vine-covered restraining walls and low fences.
"This ends tonight!!" comes the declaration from Shibata. One second Hotaru has him in sight, but then he's gone, having stepped into a sharp turn while barely losing an iota of speed. She knew he had been dedicated to his training - indeed, he's come a long ways during the year he has attended her dojo - but the footwork he demonstrates now is unlike anything she knew he was capable of! "Shibata, where are you going!?" she manages to exclaim out without losing the rapid rhythm of her own step, rounding the corner after him only seconds later.
Next time she sets eyes on him, his silloutte is shown in relief, his stance having shifted, his arms no longer swinging freely at his side as he maintains his incredible run. Rather, his left arm trails behind now, his fingers curled over empty air. The stance looks unlike anything she had ever taught him or anything he should have picked up from the intro courses at the YFCC, Hotaru spares a split second to ponder before.
Shibata takes to the air as if he had sprouted wings, leaping over a tall wall to vanish over the other side. Sucking in her breath, Hotaru springs likewise, using her hands to vault over only a few seconds later in this unexplaned contest between master and student.
He seems fixated on a specific destination, she realizes, all of his turns, adjustments, and corrections taking him toward some spot important only to him - what does he see in his mind's eye? What has possessed him to run here so? They were too far away to hear cries for help... at first she thought he might be answering a distressed call for aid, maybe someone trapped by the surging walls of flame. But the look on his face, the dark edge she saw in his eyes in the split second glimpse she had, spoke nothing of rendering assistence... and that shout from just a moment before was as an oath spoken from the depths of his soul. This was something else entirely.
Rising to her feet, Hotaru presses on. His speed is even greater than it was before. He has moved his right arm up now, held in front of him, fingers splayed. Is that the sound of a motorcycle engine revving up? His left arm is bent back. The strange posture would seem like it would slow anyone down, but his speed only increases, becoming nearly a blur to even Hotaru's honed vision.
"The stench of your guilt..." Shibata growls, his voice cutting deep than it had only minutes before. There's a glint in the firelight, it reflects red, the color of blood. Is that a katana in his left hand? It's pointing forward as the boy surges.
From a distance, Hotaru realizes he's on collision course with a vehicle that has come around a dark corner, hauling speed as if in a dread hurry to be somewhere.
"Seals your fate..."
The deadly, precision lunge is directed at Honoka - the timing is flawless, the threat every bit as real as the flaming inferno she has left behind, and that unnamed katana drawn from the sheath of the past - that too is somehow very much real. A wake of debris marks the path toward the fated intersection. Where the sword came from Hotaru can't imagine. Why her student is about to engage in such open mayhem against all she has tried to teach him is even harder for her to fathom!
She will make it there in another four seconds - four seconds too late to be anywhere to stop the intersection about to take place.
"Shibata, don't-!"
"Die!"
COMBATSYS: Hotaru takes no action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
Alongside Honoka, Burr drives the vehicle she provided with ease, keeping pace. While he puts on goggles, he put on no helmet! As she instructs to go around the food cart, he does just that. She knows the route, after all!
While he has been expecting trouble from somewhere during this occasion, as it always tends to show itself, he is unprepared for the sword-wielding person attacking his compatriot! Seeing as Honoka is quite a ways away, there is nothing he can do directly at the current time to assist, with how fast the attack is coming in.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr takes no action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Honoka interrupts Gatotsu Ishiki from Shibata with Strong Kick.
- Power hit! -
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
Honoka narrowly misses a parked rickshaw as her motorcycle zips through the crowded back streets of Kyoto. Many of these buildings are houses for long-lasting families, she notes -- causing the young woman to wonder if they too will burn when the fire spreads from the shrines.
She sure hopes so.
The stench of your guilt seals your fate? Honoka had heard -someone's- voice intoning into her head. But she hears lots of voices, this is a busy town after all -- made even busier from her recently-instigated actions. It's just not that often she hears them over the loud exhaust note of a high-powered motorcycle, volume amplified by the echoes off of the clustered stores and residences.
And she -really- doesn't expect to get some freak jumping at her -- nor does she expect a sword! Who the hell carries a sword around these days anyway?! Bunch of savages in this town...
Honoka's reactions are much quicker than her thoughts, though -- and her first impulse when seeing someone charging at her on the right is to turn left! .. It'd be a good idea if she weren't on a motorcycle...
But, in some freak turn of fate, Honoka pitches the entire front fork of the motorcycle into the ground. Momentum of a bike of this caliber sends the rear end of the motorcycle up -- MUCH to Honoka's dismay -- and sends the rear wheel SLAMMING into the sword and its carrier. Honoka reflexively pulled her foot back to keep it from getting sliced to ribbons, but in the collision, the bike gets jarred out from under her.
So, post-collision, she leaps free of the wreckage, giving Hotaru's student a good solid stomp to the shoulder in the process.
Her launch free of the bike is not immune to the force of momentum, however, which has every aim of sending her flying into the side of a building. Reflexes being what they are, Honoka is able to change her direction to some degree, but still manages to slam her back into the wall to put an end to that pesky momentum.
Hopping back to the ground, she gives a quick survey of the situation. Bike, leaking gasoline from the katana rupture? Check. Some random kid with a sword? Check. Burr still shadowing her on his bike? Check. ... And what the heck, the sound of footfalls to the north? Honoka looks in the direction of the blown-away debris... and finds herself face-to-face with Hotaru.
"I don't have time for this..." she grumbles irritably. Nope. She doesn't look like a criminal AT ALL. Signalling to Burr, she calls out, "HEY! Could use a lift!" The student hit HER, it's not like she should have to stick around, right? Right?
[ - Intersection view: http://tinyurl.com/o4lb99s - ]
The exchange begins and ends in an instant, the collision of high speed forces - one driven by the fossil-fuel powered engine, the other compelled by an undying devotion to the city being desecrated for its long history of transgressions.
Hotaru sees it all playing out - the scenario too strange for thoughts as her student strikes with killing conviction for the torso of a motorcycle-riding young woman. Shibata is a blur of energy. His blade did not taste flesh yet but already the katana begins to slide back, preparing to strike again in its relentless pursuit of the sentence so loudly decreed that its echo still can beheard from the rooftops of the quiet neighborhood.
As Honoka's foot drives down for his shoulder, Shibata's right hand is thrust upward, fist clenched, arm moving with piston-like force, attempting to punch the girl into the sky for her trouble. He misses, instead finding himself driven to a half-kneel with a grunt from the power behind stomp before rising again and turning to face toward Honoka, his sword held at his side, his stance tall and unyielding. Dark eyes fix on the girl. What the rebels have started this night - it begins and ends now.
Hotaru skids to a stop, the wheels of the wrecked bike still spinning as it comes to a rest eventually. Honoka will find the girl's eyes wide - she's just seen her student charge a stranger with a sword. What is she even going to say to that? 'Hey, sorry he tried to skewer you? And I hope the bike isn't too bad off in spite the fact that it's spewing fuel out all over the place? And, uh, um-' She's drawing a blank.
It doesn't help that her next thought is that the girl is dressed a bit strangely. She glances to the side without saying a word; the once beautiful shrines are now pillars of flame. She blinks slowly, focus coming back to Honoka. Is this... could it be... She's distracted by the approach of another bike.
"The fire at the Wadamoya... the attempted torching of Kyoto..." Shibata intones, lifting his sword and using it to indicate Hodoka directly. "Time and time again, your kind seize the tools of the coward..." He shifts his stance, right shoulder forward again, his body tensing. "I will extinguish the corrupt flame that burns within you-"
"Shibata!" Hotaru snaps her attention back to her student, "I don't know what you are doing, but-" The girl takes a step closer to him but the young man doesn't so much as glance her way.
"Girl." He cuts her off just as she cut him off. "If you harbor even the slightest appreciation of the need for order, you will not permit this insurgent free passage." His right hand slides forward again, propping up that delicate seeming blade just so, the end of it braced against his left hand.
"Are you saying that she is the one that..." Hotaru's voice is soft, the girl overwhelmed with a wave of disbelief.
"Her collaborator approaches now." Shibata's knees bend while Hotaru looks toward the approaching second motorcycle. Does he expect her to go kicking the next driver off too? Wait, why is that even a question in her mind? Why is he saying all of this stuff? The girl looks at Honoka, half trying to see how she's reacting to all this beyond the striking urge to leave so fast, "W-why do you need to get going so fast? I-I- mean, I'm sorry, are you okay?" She's still clearly bewildered at the entire exchange thus far, but she can't escape that rising feeling of suspicion either. What if Shibata is... in spite his madness... right??
COMBATSYS: Shibata focuses on his next action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Hotaru takes no action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
Burrs motorcycle comes to a halt beside Honoka. Scooting back, he allows her to drive, since she knows the location! He eyes the pair, his gaze piercing and with that same even smile "Such a poor way to treat a lady. I suggest you go about your buisness, young man, and be careful with that". His smile widens a bit "You might poke your eye out". For now, otherwise, he does nothing but brace himself just in case he has to do something before Honoka can pull off.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr focuses on his next action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
Fire at the Wadamoya? What the frickity frick is this guy talking about? Why is this... kid talking like some grumpy old guy? And how the heck does he know she's responsible for the fires?
She eyes the youth raising his sword against her. She doesn't know how they know ... anything, but the fact remains that his companion seems to be cluing in as well... means it doesn't really matter what she =says=, she's now guilty until proven innocent.
"Mm. Shibata, is it?" She glances over towards Hotaru. She's heard of Futaba before, and ... well, she'd rather =not= be on the girl's bad side, but it looks like that's inevitable at this point anyway. She passes the girl a simple shrug in reply, her black-smeared face betraying just the smallest hint of a smile. She turns over to Burr, withdrawing a small object from the front pocket of her jacket. It looks like a cigarette.
It's not. It's a kitchen match. Scraping it against the grip of her glove padding is all it takes to ignite the flame, which she then hurls at the gasoline-soaked wreckage at Shibata's feet. Apparently the shrines blowing up just wasn't enough fire for the girl.
COMBATSYS: Shibata interrupts Huge Thrown Object from Honoka with Gatotsu Sanshiki.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Shibata blitzes into action and acts again!
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
The second rider pulls up. This one is male, Hotaru notices, risking a moment of taking her attention off of Honoka and trying to keep her obsessed student from making things even worse than he already has. Middle aged. And not behaving at all how she would expect for someone pulling up on a scene as completely out of left field. No inquiry as to the condition of the girl in black. No concern over the wrecked motorcycle. Just a passing remark about improper behavior and some reserved counsel regarding the dangers of trying to stike people with a dangerously sharp katana.
Okay, as impossible as it seems, Hotaru can't help but realize that somehow, in spite that voice that doesn't belong to him and words that don't belong to him and /skills/ that definitely don't belong to him, Shibata has lead her straight to two suspects most likely connected to the conflagration lighting up the skies with spiraling cinders carried by countless superheated updrafts. There's that fleeting moment where she wonders if it's a dream... in an instant she decides there is no time to be spared pursuing that thought. The fires are every bit as real as that katana in her student's hand.
Very slowly, Hotaru centers her own stance, hands raised, palms facing each other, fingers loose as she slides her right foot forward slightly. Her heart races. This feels like old times - when she would risk life and limb jumping into catastrophes, wars, and crazed ninja machinations time and time again as long as there were people who needed her help. Carefully she calms her breathing. "You should... stay right there, sir." she declares to the new arrival. Is he a fighter? She doesn't sense a fighter's spirit in this one. Maybe he was along with the arson for other reasons. But that doesn't mean she will let her guard down now. "Law enforcement will be here soon, I'm sure... I think given the direction you are coming from, you should... answer some of their questions."
"Small girl, I sense in you the makings of a kindred spirit," Shibata declares, his stance adopted, his katana once again in that curious position, ready to be driven forward with incredible force into his designated target: Honoka. "Your heart aches for justice after a manner." There is a frown. Those eyes never leave Honoka even as he addresses the pig-tailed girl that should be /his/ student. "But the words... they are not etched there."
Hotaru flicks a glance to her side toward the sword-wielding young man. He stands a little over a half foot over her, which makes him not a particularly tall individual in and of himself. "W-words?"
The girl in black speaks up, addressing the crazed boy with the sword, but he isn't interested in her casual acknowledgement. "Silence cur!!" his shout explodes over her question. The guilty match is produced and he doesn't move immediately, though there is a change sensed. A power coursing through the boy, muscles drawing taut even though his posture adjusts only slightly. Whether he is preparing an ultimate defense or unrenting offense is hard to tell.
Hotaru shifts a couple of feet to the side, putting more distance between her and the sword wielding boy. Though she doesn't guess Honoka's intent, her instincts tell her that she needs to move.
"Aku-"
Shibata is lost in the instant fuel-driven explosion that detonates over his tensed body as Hotaru brings her arm up to cover her face from any stray debris.
The sword, guided by the right hand, is the first thing to launch from the flames as the Japanese youth charges Honoka again. The long sleeves of his loose fitting, white button-down shirt are ablaze and the wake of his instantaneous movement causes a backdraft of oxygen-starved fire to furl in behind him.
"Soku-"
There is no time to move. He is already there, a demon born from hellfire of Honoka's own making, driving the now scorching blade into her torso without remorse.
The stab is swift, ruthless, and deep. His right foot slams forward, his left arm slamming back, drawing the katana out before driving it forward instantly, intent on a second super-heated strike every bit as deadly as the first.
"Zan!"
The oath echoes along the streets just as it did over a century before.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru focuses on her next action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Shibata successfully hits Mr.Burr with Gatotsu Nishiki.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
Now normally, despite his more high-end disposition, Mr.Burr isn't TOO adverse to a lady being harmed. If she can fight, and is there by choice, then it's her own problem. In the case of it being his employer, as WELL as a lady, however, he tends to get insulted on their behalf!
It IS proper manners for a gentleman to assist his allies, is it not?
So it comes as no suprise that as the attack comes in, despite the small space in which all this is occuring, Burr steps in, a single arm shoving Honoka back a step, while the other comes in to deflect the blade!
Unfortunately, his gentlemanly attention is on HER position more than the weapon! His arm is a bit too high, and the blade sinks beneath his guard and into Burrs chest! He of course winces a moment, grasping the blade just long enough to pull it out as he turns to face this kid, Hotaru not even on his radar for the moment.
Despite the fact hes bleeding from the stab, he shows no other outward sign of it affecting him, and gives an even smile to Shibata, a mad intensity in his eye as he reaches up and tips his hat to the sword-wielder "Stabbing people without even introducing yourself? How rude of you!". He suddenly swings the hat at Shibatas face to punctuate the word 'rude', his even smile becoming a slightly mad grin more in line with his gaze
The flick of a match. The gout of fire that gushes out, another garish explosion to rock the poor beleaguered City of Ten Thousand Shrines. And when the explosion clears, Honoka looks down to find a katana driven into her torso. Staggering backward, she has enough time to feel the superheated blade withdraw from her, to hear her own blood spatter the roadway beneath her -- and to see her all-but-forgotten companion step in front of her to take another similarly gruesome strike to the chest.
Adrenaline has kicked in, as Honoka's body tries desperately to keep from simply shutting down after a strike of that magnitude. As long as Hotaru is there offering indecisive commands to be nice to everyone and wait for authorities -- commands which she might find charmingly endearing if blood weren't soaking her night attack gear -- Honoka sees only two possibilities -- fight Shibata, or flee the scene entirely.
And right now she's a mite too pissed off to just run away. Not to mention, Shibata's shown himself to be more than fast enough to catch up with her in her current state -- without Mr. Burr's motorcycle, there's just no hope.
Gritting her teeth, she takes a step back, taking the time to call down the street at Hotaru, "/YOU/ try staying still when people are ramming swords to you for no damn reason..." But never once taking her eye off the crazed student with the blood of -two- people dripping off his sword. No matter how much the city cries out, please won't someone think of the city?!
COMBATSYS: Honoka focuses on her next action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Shibata blocks Mr.Burr's Destruction Derby.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
With her eyes on the hat-clad man, Hotaru is blind ot the trigger that sets off a series of events that transpire nearly instantaneously. The flick of the match sparks the explosion that serves to propel her driven student into two fierce, unrelenting strikes with that deadly sharp katana and in the same moment, Mr. Burr vanishes from in front of her to project himself into the path of that second strike. That he failed to defend himself properly is hardly any surprise - that he got there in the first place is already a feat of incredible timing that startles the young martial artist long enough that she doesn't react immediately.
The katana plunges once into its intended target before driving deep into the shoulder of the second, unintended mark, and Shibata grits his teeth. Pulling back on the blade in the same instant Burr callusly extracts it himself, the lanky youth is ready to defend himself from the most unorthodox attack - one would have expected the cane to be put to use rather than the hat?
But the motion of Burr's arm betrays the weight of that bowler hat even if the cause for that weight isn't visibly apparent. A shift of his body brings his right shoulder in, raised a little, feet bracing against the concrete as the hat bounces painfully off his upper arm rather than clocking him in the face as intended. "The second malcontent makes his move..." growls the boy with the voice of a full grown man.
Rather than striking again with the ruthless speed he had exhibited thus far, he staggers back now, sword held in his left as he begins panting for breath. The will driving his relentless blitz hasn't waned in the slightest, but the physical body has limits. "Tch," he grunts, staggering back another step, right arm occupied with stamping out the few lingering flames in his scorched shirt. "This mortal's frame is unfit for the the burden of true justice..."
Hotaru finally snaps out of her hesitation, bolting forward after Mr. Burr. "I told you to hold still!" she exclaims. On one hand, she can't fault him for getting into the way of Shibata's flurry of strikes to save the black-clad girl another painful skewering. On the other hand, both of these individuals are beyond suspicious by now - they very well could be connected to the maelstrom of flame building just one block away and starting to spread, so she can't just let him do as he pleases!
When she makes her move, it is with the frightful speed that propelled her into some renown as a martial artist herself, feet snapping against the pavement. If she can close in on Mr. Burr in that instant, he will find the dimnuitive fighter attempting to get a solid grip on the arm nearest to her reach. The girl's forward momentum would translate into a furry of rapid stomping kicks as she makes good to use the well dressed man's body as a series of step ladders right up his side, driving her heels into his knee, thigh, stomach, before finally kicking off with a final stomp to his face and backflipping away!
Unfortunately, his immaculate black suit is going to have seen better days, as Shibata lunges nearly simultaneously with his sensei's assault, driving his katana into a horizontal slash across Burr's chest if possible.
"You will bleed for your sins against Japan until there is nothing left to shed, contumacious dog!"
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr blocks Shibata's Random Strike.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|-------\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Mr.Burr with Shin-Jou Tai.
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Mr.Burr 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
As Shibata comes in with another sword strike, Burr brings up an arm, the sword *CLANGING* off the metal bracing his arms beneath his dress jacket. Burr is still composing himself after the stab to fully realize what Hotaru is doing. Her stomps take him rather off guard as she walks over him, though he does make sure to keep his hand in his hand. Can't have THAT damaged from being stepped on, even by a lady!
Deciding to let Hotaru go for the moment, and instead focus on the one with the sword, he keeps his smile as he puts his hat back on "Well now, i believe it is only fair to meet a sword with a sword, yes? How unsporting of you....". With that he pulls out the blade sheathed in his cane, attempts to use the 'sheath' of it to deflect the katana, while aiming for Shibatas sword shoulder with his own blade!
If the attack impacts, Burr gives the blade a sharp twist before pulling it back again.
Honoka glares at the lightweight fighter who has now joined the melee. The Ainu has been able to ascertain the relationship -- clearly, this Shibata is someone dear to Hotaru and is clearly not acting like his usual self. Fair enough... and with a better read of the situation, Honoka gets to work.
"N-no... is it you, Miss Futaba...? I... I thought I recognized you from TV..." An arm brushes against her cheek, smearing away the sootlike black face paint she'd been wearing, revealing the pale skin beneath. Goggles get removed as well, allowing her brown eyes to see more clearly -- and be seen more clearly. "I... I'm so glad you came to save us from this madman..."
And then she goes off and helps her wayward stab-happy student by joining in to kick the crap out of her hired help. "I... wait! Stop! We were just-- just trying to get help!" Now that the attention is off her, Honoka can focus on selling the melodrama of the situation. After all, the first kick was just self preservation... the second-...
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD, you too?! You're hurting my uncle! Why?!" She takes a moment to claw at her face in mock grief -- real purpose to get more and more of the paint scrubbed off her face.
Honoka trusted you, Miss Futaba. And she trusts now... that taking Shibata out of the equation gives her and her associate the best chances of survival. "You leave him alone! Isn't the town burning down enough to worry about?!" Never mind that the fire lit just now was her own fault -- that was an accident. Really! It's really really hard to see things going on here. That's her story... and she's sticking to it. But right now, she just launches herself bodily at Shibata's back, hoping to grab onto him from behind and german suplex him right into the pavement behind her. It's something she saw on tumblr. "HRRRAAA!" And it's also something that doesn't betray the fact that she -actually- knows how to fight correctly.
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr successfully hits Shibata with Stab and TWIST.
>> Decisive Hit!! <<
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/-----==/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Honoka successfully hits Shibata with Strong Throw.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Shibata
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|==-----\-------\0 Hotaru
The young kenpo artist hears the clang of Shibata's sword against Burr's arm. That's a solid clue, before she even gets a hold of him and begins her own relentless assault, that in spite a lack of any discernable fighting spirit, he is every bit prepared to defend himself in combat. She hears Honota's words mid-sprint, though with how fast everything is happening, they don't actually register.
Her attack is carried out as intended, though her feet find their impacts against the suited gentlemen to not meet with the same sheer force she would have expected, and more than once she's certain her heel hit metal instead of just normal cloth. Was this suit built by Kevlar or something?
She lands lightly on her feet from the backflip off of Burr, quickly rising up into a still-ready stance in case she finds herself having to ward off any attacks. From her perspective, Honoka can easily see that the girl's reputation as an acrobatic martial artist is well earned. Blue eyes settle back on the suited man then now that the other girl seems to be off to the side. But it is then that she finally realizes what's being said -
Innocent bystanders? Her uncle? The weirdo wearing the armored suit and, uh, is now brandishing a canesword? Well, it is Japan, so... okay, maybe it's possible. The protests are convincing enough to cause her to second-guess herself rather than applying the usual relentless pressure she is capable of against opponents in the arena.
It takes time to reconcile the verbal claims now - she sounds very convincing and, when considered, what she's saying makes a whole lot more sense than whatever Shibata has been shouting all this time - against their odd behavior when this unfortunate encounter first began. Once viewed as a whole, however, the pretense begins to show some cracks, but that takes Hotaru a moment to reason through, leaving the young katana wielder on his own for a few dangerous seconds.
He tenses, shifting to a more defensive stance as he finds himself bracing himself against the incoming blow as Burr ripostes with the produced weapon, slipping in through Shibata's guard to drive the point into his left shoulder, provoking a shuddering gasp through grit teeth by the boy as he finds his sword arm severely injured. The exchange is just the catalyst Hotaru needs to finish sorting out her thoughts. Whatever has gotten into Shibata, there's no denying that these two suspects are not even remotely what Honoka is trying to sell them as being.
Shibata is caught from behind then, unable to turn on Honoka in time to stop her advance due to the blade just then being twisted painfully from the newly earned stab wound. Act or no, Honoka's momentum, posture, and grip are sure enough to wrest the youth from his feet and slam his upper back painfully against the pavement!
He kicks out of the landing after impact, rolling to a low crouch. The resolve in his eyes has not waned in the slightest, but the attacks he has weathered are taking their toll. Shouts fill the night air along with a chorus of sirens. Kyoto was already a city in anguish but the anarchy breaking out tonight is bringing the already weakened municipality to its knees.
"The rebellion will fall as it always has," Shibata growls. "History will eventually forget what you have done here tonight but the Empire of Japan will last forever." He's a bit off in his history, alas.
The surge of energy around Shibata is every bit as palpable as it is unseen - dried leaves, smoke from the burning wreck, and pebbles blast away from the boy as he rises to one knee. Sword gripped in his left hand as blood wraps around his wrist in small crimson rivulets. "But I will never forgive your transgressions!"
Meanwhile, Hotaru makes up her mind at last, moving in after Mr. Burr, "If you would hold still and stop attacking with that thing," she cautions the man mid-step, hand snapping out to try and get hold of Burr by an arm and twisting it up and over Hotaru's shoulder to try and flip-slam the man to the ground on his back with a move that seems simple to observe but proves to be a surprisingly effective use of the limits of a normal human arm's ability to bend, "then I will be able to restrain him next."
What comes next is a feat that should be impossible for a boy with only half a year of entry-level martial arts training. It should be impossible for many who have dedicated many years to learning to move like this. "Struggle, surrender, it makes no difference, your end comes now!!" Shibata shouts.
In an instant he lunges back, putting a few yards between him and Honoka. Ignoring the damage to his left shoulder, the sword is braced again, the bloodied front of it braced by his right hand's fingers. And then he explodes toward Honoka, a literal sonic boom shattering the air between them as that razor point zeroes in on the girl. On impact, it very well might drive right through her and, given the momentum behind the attack, carry her right on back until the sword can skewer her to the wall, pinning the young arson there like a specimen in some one's morbid collection!
COMBATSYS: Hotaru successfully hits Mr.Burr with Ten Ranku-Tou.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
His strike complete, Burr resheathes his sword. Just in time, it seems, to be flip-thrown! "Oof!" is his response on initial impact. He looks up at Hotaru from the ground, eyes boring into her own "My dear, if you expect us to simply allow him to attack us with his weapon, or allow YOU to do harm of your own, then a pity your beauty does not match your intellect!".
He points his cane from the ground at Hotaru, and with a twisted smile, a beam of chi fires out the tip towards her face!
COMBATSYS: Honoka interrupts Gatotsu Zeroshiki from Shibata with Anomalous Space.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
Honoka's distraction -is- pretty flimsy, yes. She'd lost pretty much all hope of =actually= convincing Hotaru that she was on the good guys' side the moment she rolled up in black face paint and black ops gear. But the hope was to just distract her for a moment -- and in that part, she seems to have succeeded.
Leaping back to her feet, she maneuvers around to get a better vantage point of Burr and Hotaru. She =is= glad she had hired Burr, though leaving him up against someone of Hotaru's pedigree... well, she just hopes Burr can keep the young fighter distracted long enough to remove the sword from the equation.
It doesn't seem like Shibata is showing any particular signs of backing down though -- not that she expected him to. "Fine, then... keep talking," she beckons, reaching into her left sleeve. A rather bulky object that looks like a watch is strapped there, but she doesn't seem interested in that so much -- instead pulling a small metal ring out of her sleeve.
It becomes obvious what that is once Shibata starts charging at her. Her left hand snaps down, and her right hand snaps up -- and even in the low light, the fiery remains of the motorcycle is enough to reflect upon the metal cable stretched taut between the two. Honoka isn't going to get caught by -that- again, she's determined, and as the sword races for her, a hard shove to the left is enough to deflect the tip of the sword away from her vitals. She'd hoped to get the sword tip knocked completely away, but she bites back a scream as the blade lances into a rib bone instead.
To say nothing of the sonic boom that results, or the fact that she's /still/ being shoved bodily back by the sheer force of the swordsman's attack. Her back slams into the block wall of the building behind her, the impact strong enough to cause spider-web cracks throughout the wall.
Honoka plants her right hand firmly upon his right temple, and reaches into the young swordsman's mind.
And tells him /every single fact/ she remembers about the Meiji Restoration. Every condemnation, every single detail that shows that the entire feudal way of life was destroyed not by honorable combat... but because the emperor just decided the shogunate was better off not having around.
The immense transfer of psychic energy also stands to give the boy a =massive= headache.
Irritable from the multiple sword strikes to her side, she... thinks she's won. With a good hard shove to the side, she hopes to be done with the swordsman and move on to Hotaru. Burr can't hold out forever like this.
COMBATSYS: Hotaru dodges Mr.Burr's Cane Beam.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
The exchange between Honoka and Shibata transpires in one harrowing instant. The boy, achieving speeds that would rival masters, bursts forward, the loud crack of air being shattered by his movement washing over the other three with tactile force. But the black-clad girl isn't putting up with the relentless katana stabs anymore, it seems, willing to drop any remaining charade about what is really happening here, even if the young man's actions continue to defy clear explanation.
Her defense isn't flawless, but to say that it prevented the worst of what could have happened would be putting it mildly. The razor's edge still finds its bite, but it isn't the lethal skewering the attack was clearly, without reservation, intended to be. Her back meets the wall and, still pursuing whatever grim view of justice that possesses his thoughts, Shibata, pulls the sword back, already preparing to drive it forward with that now familiar stabbing gesture once again. His arm may lack the power it had at the onset of the fight, but he still moves with the conviction of a man that will /not/ be deterred.
Crumbled wall spills down at their feet as the posture is assumed once more - this one will be point blank, identical to the one that Mr. Burr sacrificed himself to save Honoka from before. The Ainu girl will know, with certainty, that it is the young man's intend to kill her where she stands with his next strike and only her own abilities can prevent that from happening.
Fortunate, then, that she chose her moments so precisely, that palm reaching his temple, that invasive intrusion into mind and soul executed in an instant. She will know it works when the sword doesn't plunge forward for its intended final stab. When the Japanese youth just stands there, paralyzed by a touch. His mouth opens then closes before he finally takes a step back, aided by Honoka's dismissive shove. The unnamed katana drops to the ground with a clatter as his hands go to the sides of his head, his guard dropped, his eyes closed, his teeth grit as a violent struggle is carried out in the silent chambers of his soul.
Having dropped Mr. Burr onto his back hard, Hotaru glances down to him. The gesture with the cane is all the warning she needs even before his chi is fired down the precision instrument, leaning around its trajectory just to be safe. After all, she saw him pull a blade from that thing, she's not going to just stare at it dumbly!
"If you expect me to believe you are two innoncents merely caught up in a violent assault simply by chance-"
The Kenpo artist lifts her right foot, balancing on her left, before jamming it down hard heel first toward Burr's sternum while he lies on the ground.
"You should probably not be questioning my intellect."
While she's certainly no Chun-Li, there's power behind that strike. Maybe she's counting on his armored suit to keep it from being /as/ debiliating a kick as it might be against someone less capable of defending themselves because she certainly isn't trying to break a rib... right?
Shibata drops to his knees, gasping for breath, sweat pouring down his temples, "What even- what is... where am I?" he stammers, a bewildered tone harbored in his voice.
Following her stomp, Hotaru's intent will be to move toward Shibata if possible, her entire demeanor shifting - but her guard is certainly not down, her honed reflexes ready to deal with any attempt to attack her.
COMBATSYS: Shibata takes no action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr blocks Hotaru's Heavy Kick.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Shibata
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
The crushing stomp of Hotaru is stopped by Burrs open palm easily enough, though there is a grunt of exertion from the impact. He tries to squeeze just enough to give distractionary pain before pushing the foot back, not enough to do real harm or impact fighting, but enough to stop her long enough to do what he does next!
Namely, to shoulder roll backwards, careful to hold onto his hat with one hand, and return to his feet. He wastes no time returning to the motorcycle, and hop on "I believe we have an appointment to keep, my dear!"
COMBATSYS: Mr.Burr gains composure.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Shibata
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Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
Honoka had thought everything was going according to plan. Nanzen-ji, Jishiin, Eikan-do Zenrin-ji, Kumanonyakuo-ji, Otoyo, Reikanji, Anraku-ji, Honen-in... and Ginkaku-ji. All burned, and phase one of Kyoto's destruction well underway. Even if nothing else happens... even if the city manages to stop fire from sweeping west beyond the Philosopher's Walk... the young woman's attack made the history books.
The big question now, though, is whether she gets out alive. Honoka makes a point of keeping her right hand clamped to her side -- the wound she sustained could end her life if she found herself getting too careless about it. Narrowing her eyes at Hotaru, she realizes fully that the young Hero of Southtown is pretty ticked off now. And Honoka has seen enough TV shows from the circus viewings to know that when a ticked-off teenager faces off against two wounded criminals... well, the odds aren't in her favor. Even if that crap is just romanticized idealist nonsense from the Yamato clans.
"Everything will be fine, Shibata. You're confused right now. It's okay," she assures the wounded pupil, while staring directly at Hotaru, even as Burr races past her to get on his motorcycle.
Questions of intellect aside... two on one is not the odds Honoka likes to play with.
It's too fair.
"You're exactly right," she notes to Burr, quietly, reaching into a jacket pocket quietly. Almost lazily. Though it's not a kitchen match she retrieves this time -- it's a metal canister. Lobbing it at Hotaru, she suggests simply, "Catch."
Tough to catch that though-- as the instant the device leaves her hand, it begins hissing out thick, inky black smoke, and spinning in unpredictable directions. A tinny bounce accompanies each impact as it cloaks the area.
"You're right, Miss Futaba -- we're not innocent. But you... are a Child of the Sun. And your guilt is complicit."
With a roar of the motorcycle engine, the dialogue ends.
A tablet computer, forgotten and discarded from the collision, is still chattering away reports from the scene of Heian Shrine. Sounds of the riot have been replaced with sounds of the police officers, shepherding away the most violent of the protesters. And the echos of a police radio can be heard: "Imperial Palace and prefectural government barricades are now in place. They won't be getting us tonight, folks..."
COMBATSYS: Honoka takes no action.
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Mr.Burr 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Shibata
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Honoka 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 Hotaru
Burr's push back stalls Hotaru's step by a split second, but she otherwise doesn't seem to show interest in kicking him again as he rolls to his feet. Not that she's ignoring him - in fact, deciding that because she's focused intently on Shibata means that she would be easy to blindside would be severely underestimating the Kenpo artist's fighting prowess - but there is a higher priority now. Whatever mania had so driven Shibata for the last several minutes seems to have run its course, leaving in its wake a confused, shaken young man who is just now becoming aware of the bleeding wound in his left shoulder and the blood-soaked sword lying next to him. His hand goes to his mouth, shock settling in quickly.
Right now, she needs to focus on him. Whether she could actually stop the two suspects on her own she isn't entirely certain. They're both showing some signs of being worn down by the combined assaults, and there's an unquantifiable amount of blood around the scene of the 'attempted arrest' to suggest that neither are feeling top notch right now. But as much as she would like to try and stop at least one of them from getting away, she can't do that and address the needs of her student. She will, of course, cooperate with any investigation that is spawned by the catastrophic arsony, but beyond that, her duty has run its course.
As Honoka speaks, Hotaru's attention flicks to her for a moment. There's resolve in her eyes and no small amount of analysis. She isn't sure exactly what Honoka did to defend herself against Shibata's final charge. The lighting is poor and aside from the wound in his shoulder, she can't see anything amiss, which means the black-clad girl's capabilities are unknown.
She follows their goal of resuming their escape now, glancing toward the motorcycle then back toward the mastermind behind tonight's tragedy. The thrown object is spied the moment it is produced - she isn't really sure what it is but she definitely has no intentions of playing catch with it! Turns out she doesn't need to worry about it, the device spinning to the ground and spewing out smoke that does well to dampen what limited light is available in this location as-is.
Stepping forward, uncertain as to the nature of the smoke, Hotaru sucks in a deep breath then crouches to scoop Shibata's right arm over her shoulder and help him to his feet, "Come, we need to go," she urges him softly. Honoka's parting accusation rings in her ears. Guilt? This is related to the protests others were talking about earlier, isn't it. Is she operating on her own or are there countless others involved? "Nothing justifies terrorism, whatever their cause," she murmurs to herself.
The two will be able to escape on the motorcycle as intended as Hotaru settles Shibata down some yards away from the smoke cloud and begins to inspect him more carefully. Talking him through the aftermath of this experience is going to be some endeavor, to say the least.
Her own phone will be used to contact someone about this but with how strained the city's first responders are, will anyone ever actually find out about the strange incident that happened here other than the four who lived it?
Log created on 21:39:31 09/06/2014 by Honoka, and last modified on 00:50:48 09/08/2014.