[BitPR²] Mortal World IV

[strawberryman]

[Izumo, Japan]
(???)

Katsuo's gauntlets flash into existence before the landscape even unfolds around him. He calls out a few times.

Then a few more.

Then, he advances cautiously...

[Ikari, Japan]

The bee squad sits down for lunch at the second day of their scouting efforts. By now, Minako had cataloged much of the city mentally, the predatory nature of hollowfication enhancing her mental efficiency. But from the other end of things, Felicia was getting bored.

...all right, fine. I get the gist. What's really important is where those sneaky bastard's entrances are. We've gotta get those jerks riled up. Ready for stage 2?

...and what is stage 2?

Well, it's time to start tuning the city up. Brains, you know the routes. You lead the way. The rest of you... start breaking crap. From the outside, it looks relatively normal until they get up to leave. Then, the main water filtration for the area suffers a sudden failure. A few car accidents happen around town as bee-like creatures latch onto people and take control of their motor functions. A power outage hits a district with a rather large hospital inside...

(Ikari Morgue)

...of course, the main remaining leadership of the Kuzunoha clan is likely busy, as a Moto Corporation car pulls in front of the Ikari city morgue. Satomi steps out calmly, followed by one of her business-suited musclemen, a nondescript man with scalp hair. Another drives the car off to park while Satomi steps into the station, approaching the front desk. "Satomi Moto. Officer Kondo contacted me."

---

Misaki, meanwhile, quietly approaches the Moto's car as it turns into a space in the carpark. The unawares agent steps out... just for the girl to push a taser into his back, sending him spasming to the ground before kicking him in the head, rendering him unconscious. She zipties the man and drags him to the trunk, folding him in before contacting the others via commlink (does everyone have those nowadays?).

"Satomi's backup is neutralized. No other threats visible."

[Kuroimaken]

[Izumo, Japan]

He didn't expect anyone to actually answer, did he? It's a disorienting, bizarre landscape that at times seems to blur, as if watched through the haze of a burning flame. The space around him almost feels as though the environment builds itself as he advances; should he choose to double back, he'll find no familiar landmarks or trees.

All the while, Katsuo feels watched.

[Ikai City - City Morgue]

"Roger that. Get back inside."

A scrawny, creepy-looking receptionist with buck teeth takes his face away from a newspaper towards Satomi. "One moment, please."

A side door opens as the receptionist guides her through the labyrinthine structure of the morgue. It takes a little while; it appears the building is bigger than it looks from the front, thanks to being larger.

There's certainly more than enough time for Misaki sneak back in from the back and slip into position.

As it turns out, the gruff old man voice seems to belong to an officer no older than thirty. He takes off his cap and bows towards Satomi as she arrives.

"Moto-san. Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience."

[Elsewhere in the city]

"That's far enough."

Toki Kuzunoha was by all means a physically impressive man. Although he had clearly pushed past thirty, his body bristled with a vitality one would be hard-pressed to find on anyone younger, and his eyes, though lacking in signs of age, clearly noted a much more experienced man than he would otherwise claim to be.

What might surprise the Bee Squad is that he somehow found them when they were all together again after wreaking havoc incognito all over town.

"The three of you will tell me everything you know. And then you'll leave. Or I will terminate you."

By all means, the onmyouji didn't seem as if he would take no for an answer. But for a magic user, he seemed buff enough that the girls just MIGHT believe he's stupid.

[strawberryman]

[Izumo, Japan]
(???)

Katsuo breathes calmly, looking around for any landmarks or... anything of note, really.

[Ikari, Japan]
(City Morgue)

"Affirmative." With that, she slips into the building, traversing the halls like some kind of shadow. As she does so, she gives a slight twitch as Youta's voice buzzes over the radio.

"Don't see any threats from the roof. Looks like she's all alone."

---

Satomi is just as imposing and somewhat recalcitrant in person as she was on the phone.

"Officer Kondo." She speaks with her usual cold, detached tone as she gestures to her escort to hand over the paperwork the "officer" had sent to Miss Kato. It is all filled in and as far as he can tell, correctly. "Let me get this out of the way; I approach everything in my life with the face you see now. I am not obligated to show my emotions. With that said, let's move along." A convincing act. Perhaps if "Kondo" didn't know better, she might have fooled him into thinking she was just hiding her emotions effectively.

(Streets)

Haruka looks up to Toki with a sneer. "I have no idea what you're talking about, musclehead. Why don't you go home and wrestle another man in oil. Could you be any more obvious?" ...wow. That is mean.

Cut the act, he's not going to buy it. It's time to prove yourself.

Etsuko steps up next, glaring up at him while Kohaku and Minako... sit slightly back, obviously considerably more cowed than Haruka or Etsuko. "...and how are you going to do that, freak? Give us a pounding? I don't know if you noticed but we outnumber you. It's better if you just buzz off or give up."

---

Felicia opens her eyes, letting her mental link go for a moment as she looks around her (disturbingly pink) room, and up at the ceiling. "You watching, Argos? I need you ready with a garganta in case he breaks my toys."

[Okinawa, Japan]
(Sunset Izakaya > Next Day: Umeko's Apartment)

With the business proposition out of the way, Kimura lightens up on things a bit (which is saying something) and just enjoys the drink, discussing things like what it was like for Umeko to be an olympic athlete, travelling, and how things were going for the openly-lesbian couple. She thankfully doesn't get drunk enough to ask about their arrangement with Von Geister, but she comes close before Umeko steers away from it, giving a slight smile to Naomi in the process.

But, darkness falling over the city, eventually Kimura has to saunter off and take a cab to her hotel, while the pair make their way back to the apartment. Ume herself didn't drink enough to be more than tipsy, but she curls up into bed rather quickly after slipping out of her business-like clothes, out like a light in a matter of minutes.

The next day, Naomi likely wakes up to the smell of... pancakes? It seems like despite looking like she's nursing a slight headache, the athlete is still making breakfast for the two. Blueberry, it looks like.

[Draken]

Felicia's response is a breeze of the Void.

[Kuroimaken]

[Izumo, Japan]
(???)

Katsuo breathes calmly, looking around for any landmarks or... anything of note, really.

[Ikari, Japan]
(City Morgue)

"Affirmative." With that, she slips into the building, traversing the halls like some kind of shadow. As she does so, she gives a slight twitch as Youta's voice buzzes over the radio.

"Don't see any threats from the roof. Looks like she's all alone."

---

Satomi is just as imposing and somewhat recalcitrant in person as she was on the phone.

"Officer Kondo." She speaks with her usual cold, detached tone as she gestures to her escort to hand over the paperwork the "officer" had sent to Miss Kato. It is all filled in and as far as he can tell, correctly. "Let me get this out of the way; I approach everything in my life with the face you see now. I am not obligated to show my emotions. With that said, let's move along." A convincing act. Perhaps if "Kondo" didn't know better, she might have fooled him into thinking she was just hiding her emotions effectively.

(Streets)

Haruka looks up to Toki with a sneer. "I have no idea what you're talking about, musclehead. Why don't you go home and wrestle another man in oil. Could you be any more obvious?" ...wow. That is mean.

Cut the act, he's not going to buy it. It's time to prove yourself.

Etsuko steps up next, glaring up at him while Kohaku and Minako... sit slightly back, obviously considerably more cowed than Haruka or Etsuko. "...and how are you going to do that, freak? Give us a pounding? I don't know if you noticed but we outnumber you. It's better if you just buzz off or give up."

---

Felicia opens her eyes, letting her mental link go for a moment as she looks around her (disturbingly pink) room, and up at the ceiling. "You watching, Argos? I need you ready with a garganta in case he breaks my toys."

[Izumo - ??? ]

Nothing. Everything looks the same over and over no matter where he looks. It's very disconcerting, really.

Katsuo can feel something calling out to him though. Or someone. He knows which way to go, even if the path is anything but obvious.

[Ikari - City Morgue]

But Kondo DID know better. There was something distinctly off. He couldn't put his finger on it, though - and there was no room to change the plan at this juncture. She didn't have to make a point of that.

Officer Kondo guided her into the morgue proper before making his way to the back, where they usually kept the most recent cadavers. He briefly double-checked the tag on the drawer...

...and pulled a very-effectively-playing-dead Misaki.

[Ikari City -Streets]

"I'm giving you a choice. I would appreciate if you didn't insult my intelligence in return. I know you've been causing these disasters to lure us out." He took a deeper breath, and the sound of his muscles tightening against his clothes for a brief moment was heard.

When it stopped, though, something else felt off. It was something akin to... time dilation. For an instant, the world felt like it slowed to a crawl. Naturally, the truth was much simpler.

"Sakeishoukan: Dark Blue Moon."

He had attacked their minds directly somehow. The sensation of time slowing down was actually a momentary reaction to a primal sensation of fear and danger as their brains recognized their situation and position as inherently deadly to their continued existence. As he stepped forward, and time "resumed" its natural march, the Bee Squad may or may not have the time to shake off that sensation. He lunged with a speed a couple of steps away from low-powered Shunpou, his palm swinging in a wide arc like a sword - and if struck, Etsuko would find his hand cuts just as well.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Sakeishoukan: Chain Binding Summon.

[strawberryman]

[Izumo, Japan]

Katsuo continues trudging along... however, if he feels it's far enough away, he'll crouch down and then vault into a long jump. Which of course for him is just as good as fast movement.

[Ikari, Japan]
(City Morgue)

Satomi looks over Misaki calmly. "Yes, this is Shizuka Misaki. She works under my employ as a security analyst." Not actually false, under the records that is exactly her job. Her eyes track down to her right wrist, a pair of crosses loosely tied around it.

"...is it not policy to collect possessions? It seems your examiner missed something." Hasunaga may be able to detect a slight raising of Satomi's hackles. Can she tell something is up? She doesn't do anything untoward just yet...

What is more, Misaki is wearing the double-dagger piercer bow cross along with her gauntlet cross. Hasunaga should know that this is a sign of distress or caution. Something felt off to Misaki, as well.

(Streets)

While the others fall back, Etsuko grabs at Toki's arm, proving much stronger than she looks... however, Toki is still the superior. A scream echoes through the alleyway as blood spurts everywhere, Etsuko's hand cleanly lopped off as she falls to the ground, cringing.

Haruka screams as well. "POLICE! HELP!"

...well, this was an interesting strategy. Perhaps it'd give Toki pause.

[Kuroimaken]

[Izumo - ???]

It's not that far. The voice feels like an echo; though it has a distinct origin, it reverberates along invisible walls before it reaches Katsuo. Through the fog, he sees a small, feminine shadow.

It seems to be girl, clad in a pristine white kimono. The cloth bears an elaborate rim and a gracious pattern of autumn leaves. The girl is holding a red mari ball, bouncing it around, and apparently has not seen Katsuo yet...

____________

[Ikari - City Morgue]

Hasunaga frowned at Satomi's remark. He seemed momentarily distracted by her comment, though in truth he was trying to regard what Misaki's warning could be.

"It is. Strange, our coroner typically doesn't miss anything..."

He reached for Misaki's wrist, and looked the cross up and down. In the process, he "accidentally" pricked the tip of Misaki's index finger on the double dagger cross.

"Proceed as planned."

"I'll have to add that to the investigation later."

He turned around and counted two more drawers before he pulled it open to reveal Yoshiro's "corpse". By comparison, it looked much worse. His skin had a distinct bluish green tint - as if it'd spent a fairly long time underwater. His facial features were still recognizable, however.

[Ikari- Streets]

"Cute of you. But they can't see us."

He didn't seem to be lying. No one had so much as looked in their direction or even batted an eye at the girl splattering blood all over the sidewalk.

Trying to run away would result in the girls hitting an invisible wall.

"We've been operating in the shadows for well over a thousand years. You really thought we'd let something as simple as crowd control escape us?"

He compounded on his attack with a quick thrust towards Etsuko's stomach.

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]

((Getting this bit out of the way first, and I'll respond to the other bits in my next post.))

Satomi moves over to Yoshiro with no facial quirks whatsoever. She is silent for a few moments, then nods. "This is my son." Then, the guard drops, a fading spectral knife in the back of his neck. She looks over, back to "Kondo", then back, facing the source and exposing the back of her own head, a knife sticking out of it.

Misaki is crouching on the tray, facing Satomi with a cold glare.

"How disappointing." Misaki gives a look of shock before the entire room is bathed in fire.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in Russia]

Comparatively speaking, the old bat is spending a lot less energy than the stranger's bike.

He did fly across the bloody Atlantic under his own power, after all.

For the most part, he chooses to follow from above, using nearby ascending currents to pick up altitude and occasionally speed. Right now he's the biggest bird of prey someone has ever not-seen. He wasn't lying though. He has no unfinished business; right now his interest in the stranger is built on nothing but ennui.

Some hours after it gets dark, the stranger takes his bike off road and then stops it under an old fir tree. After setting his bike to lean against it, he sits down and lays back. "Say, do you believe in God?"

[Kuroimaken]

For his own part, Hasunaga doesn't let the shock of what should be a woman choking on her own blood clearly speaking detain him.

His armor forms within a fraction of a second as he grabs Misaki and smashes through the nearby wall - partly of his own volition, and partly due to the force of the explosion.

It takes him a few seconds as he coughs in the ground to regain his senses. By now he has released Misaki, though they're both still encased in an oversized version of his armor.

"*kaff kaff* You alright?"

[Dorizzit]

Izumo, Japan

Naito's response to the sudden shift in worlds is much similar to Katsuo's. Naito immediately goes on alert, channeling energy into the unique Quincy crosses at their wrists in order to materialize their bows. Before doing anything else, Naito takes a careful look around, examining the surrounding area for anything suspicious. Once Naito is satisfied that the entire surrounding area is homogeneous, they pick a random direction and start walking.

[Kuroimaken]

[Izumo-???]

While it IS true that, much like for Katsuo, the landscape for Naito is a barren wasteland, it is a different kind of barren wasteland.

In the sense that it's sterile and void of natural life. The ground is completely paved with stark white bricks... and in every direction is a building built in a style best described as classic Roman. They all look like forums or courthouses, too.

For now, Naito hears no sound save for any produced by walking, but that is sure to change...

[Dorizzit]

Irritated by the silence and lack of any relevant stimuli, Naito fires a shot into the air without breaking stride. If anything is in this world, hopefully that will draw them in.

[Kuroimaken]

Alas, poor Naito. If only the universe responded to such thinly-veiled provocations!

But that is not to be.

Like with Katsuo, he feels something calling out to him. Not a voice... more like a tug at his Reiatsu. It isn't particularly strong, though.

Following it will lead him to a courthouse that's much bigger than the others... an obvious trap.

[strawberryman]

[Izumo, Japan]

Katsuo approaches quietly, watching for a moment before speaking. "...hello?"

[Ikari, Japan]
(City Morgue)

What Hasunaga's armor doesn't handle, Misaki's blut covers the rest. She pushes Hasunaga away, slumping down as her ears ring and she comes down from the adrenaline spike.

"-port! Hasunaga! Shizuka!" There's a surge of relief as Misaki hears Yoshiro's voice over the radio. And... people begin to mill in to look at the explosion. And the naked girl and a police officer just outside of a smoldering hole in the side of the City Morgue building.

(Streets)

Etsuko's body goes limp as Toki hits her.

...but of course, it's just a ruse, as Hell Wasp pops out nearby, aiming one of her arm-lances at Toki's abdomen. "How about we zzee how tough you are when you're not beating on a teenage girl, pedophile!"

Haruka, meanwhile, also shifts out of her body, towering over even Toki as she takes up most of the alleyway. She gives a commanding buzz to Minako and Kohaku, who shiver and then also abandon their bodies, the full bee squad assembled.

Queen Bee buzzes, a host of small bee-like creatures with hollow signatures swarming for Toki, stinging, clawing, and grasping for his spine. "Then I suppose we'll just have to deal with you, freak."

Honey Bee wordlessly inhales, honey beginning to drip in an even greater volume from her mouth, freezing on the concrete below, but still quite sticky even in its frozen state.

Rumble Bee... just holds back for now, forming a defensive barrier between Toki and Hell Wasp and the other two.

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Moto Corporation)

Satomi sits in front of the monitors providing a video feed of what her duplicate was seeing. Sitting in a secret, well-fortified panic room with Kato at her back, she doesn't so much as blanch when the feed cuts out. Closing her eyes, she takes this in calmly. "How very disappointing."

"Kato, distribute the package we prepared to the press. It seems my information source proved reliable. And prepare for an attack. I have no doubt..." She suddenly stops as a blade of light forms through her chest through the back of her chair. Then pulls out.

Kato strolls in front of her with a small smirk. Satomi chokes on blood as she speaks. "I had... wondered w-when you would betray me, Kato."

"...did you really think after all this time, I was serving you out of loyalty?"

"N-not at all, Kato."

Kato leans forward with her smirk growing into a sick grin. "You were the glue holding a bunch of murderers, thieves, and mercenaries together. It was mutually beneficial. Until now. The Moto family doesn't need a schemer for a leader, they need someone who can take the fight to these pathetic worms. You've just given me all I need to take over. You just died in an explosion in Ikari. The only person who even knew you weren't going, was me, because you don't trust anyone. Not even that bitch pet of yours. You should've done this a long time ago, but you've gone soft." She stabs Satomi again, pinning her against the chair, before turning to the console and entering a few cursory commands into a prompt.

A virus, tactically placed in a defense database, activates.

A missile-bearing drone on a military base on the edge of Tokyo flares to life and speeds towards Ikari. It wasn't armed with a nuclear payload, sure, but missiles are missiles.

Kato turns to Satomi with a smirk. "You should have done that ages ago, but I think you're still holding out for your wimp of a son."

Satomi gives a wet chuckle.

"...what's so funny?"

"You acted exactly as I was counting on, Kato. And now... this is your problem. I will survive. But you? You've just ensured your death in my place." She looks up to Kato with a small smile... before exploding.

The room is fortified, so it doesn't spread very far through the rest of the underground complex underneath the Moto corp headquarters, but Kato is still thrown through a wall after the fact, smoldering as she had just barely enough time to survive via blut. She growls from the ground, picking herself up.

"...bitch always has to have the last word..."

[Dorizzit]

Not particularly concerned with the situation, Naito storms forward and breaks down the door to the building with a shotgun blast from one gauntlet.

[Kuroimaken]

[Ikari, Japan]
(City Morgue proximity)

"We're uninjured, mostly, but the operation is officially gone belly-up." Hasunaga replies. "Shizuka, we're retreating to point B. There's a change of clothes you can use there. I can cover you that far and cloak myself from there."

No time to argue. Hasunaga reverts his armor to its more compact - and stealth-capable - size, causing the naked girl to disappear even from his vision.

"There's a range limit to my armor, so don't stray too far.

Margrave. I need a curtain on my location."

As if on cue, smoke grenades pop open in their general vicinity, courtesy of Margrave's launcher.

________________

Hell Wasp will find her thrust meets no resistance from Toki. Mostly because he sidesteps and deflects her strike towards the ground. Provided they don't know any kung-fu, they probably won't recognize a soft-style defense. Following up on his rotation, he moves elbow the bee girl in the back of her head.

Then comes the swarm. They seem ready to engulf the older Kuzunoha... and then that brief pulse of time dilation strikes again. However, Queen Bee, Honey Bee and Rumble Bee do not sense it; from their perspective, the swarm simply loses power and falls, all of them dead in their tracks.

"You all talk a pretty big game for going four-on-one on a man twice your age and still coming up empty.

Should I step it up?"

[Selinia]

[Okinawa, Japan]
[Umeko's Apartment]

Naomi had truthfully barely touched the overpowering beverage the night before - a couple sips to be polite, but the taste was off-putting enough to keep her from actually downing much. Still, the artist is never one to rouse easily, so it's a few minutes after waking until she is collected enough to take a proper seat at Umeko's table, still wearing a pair of fluffy green pajamas from her travel bag. She pours herself some coffee as she looks at Umeko putting the finishing touches on the meal.

"...those look criminally good. Ugh, and what time even is it? If you weren't you, and those weren't pancakes, I swear I'd be asleep at the table right now." Naomi rubs her eyes. She'd, perhaps unwisely, stayed up quite some time after Umeko had gone to bed. With the recent deal, she was feeling inspired, as the folder of new material in her laptop's hard drive could attest. No good lucking out like this if she couldn't produce anything! Still, it gave her the distinctly muddled look of someone running on less than full batteries.

Of course, that's what the coffee is for!

[Draken]

[Tokyo, Von Geister Manor]

A garganta opens into the gardens, a sprawling maze of acacias overlooking a plaza where three figures await for Momoka around a table. Von Geister, a man dressed as a butler, a harsh-looking woman.

"So she did end up stabbing you in the back in the end. What will your next move be?"

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(City Morgue > Operation Point B)

Misaki doesn't speak, and her footsteps are practiced enough to be silent as she presumably follows Hasunaga onward.

"What in the world happened?"

"She didn't seem to have a bomb on her. Did she just commit suicide?" Yuuta makes his way from the roof of the Morgue to the meeting point. Invisibly, Misaki's fist clenches.

---

The missile-armed drone, unassailed thanks to the same virus that activated it and set its target also scrambling the ability to stop it via attacking other systems, roars towards Ikari, its targets cemented. In less than two minutes, it would be in firing range.

(Streets)

Hell Wasp drops back for a moment... only for Honey Bee to hock up a massive glob of honey at Toki.

At the same time, Queen Bee shoots a barrage of stingers from her abdomen, at which point Hell Wasp stabs again, her lances moving with shunpo speeds as she thrusts.

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Von Geister Manor)

Momoka strolls in calmly, smiling at the garden and admiring its beauty, even given the potentially dangerous environment she was walking into.

Satomi Moto, meanwhile, sips on her tea so graciously offered by Xavier, clad in a plain royal purple kimono. "I suppose I will simply sit back and watch while Kato and her adversaries tear each other and my clan apart. The situation was untenable, unfortunately. I had to prioritize survival. Kato will die, and the clan will likely splinter. Yoshiro and Misaki will not be able to reign many agents in, that much I am sure of. And without my... clandestine activities keeping Moto Corporation afloat, it will likely fall apart, or be cannibalized. As for myself... I suppose I owe you much. I have no plans of getting involved in the spiritual for the time being, but if you were to ask of me a service, as a responsible businesswoman I would be inclined to acquiesce. Of course I mention I am a greater manager than..." She pauses, looking over to Momoka. "...you were expecting company?" She shrugs, obviously counting on Von Geister to gather the context of her comment despite not finishing.

Momoka walks up with a very slight bow, slipping her hands from her sleeves. "I very much doubt it. Greetings, Erscheinung Von Geister. I come without hostile intent, to merely talk."

[Okinawa, Japan]
(Asahi Apartment)

Umeko smiles as she slides a few of the pancakes already finished onto a plate, setting them in front of Naomi before going back to the kitchen. As she finishes a couple more, she sits next to her girlfriend, taking some for herself as she sets the remaining stack on the coffee table. "8:30. No work today, I'm off." Just before digging in, she turns, pausing for a moment before giving Naomi a kiss on the cheek.

"...I guess I just felt like doing something, since last night seemed like such a success." With that, she cuts in, letting silent chewing be the only form of conversation for a while before speaking up again. "...so... things are looking up for you. And, well, I'll manage. And I figured maybe we could go take a look at that lot out of town. We can rent a car for the day."

She chews a bit more, thoughtfully. "...and, maybe, just... talk about stuff. How're you feeling, anyway? Better today?" She's obviously referring to the newer parts of Naomi's anatomy.

[Kuroimaken]

[Ikari- Rendezvous point B]

"I don't know. Somehow I don't think that's the case." Hasunaga grunted. "Everything from her prints to her spiritual pressure matched. She wouldn't willingly fall into our trap just to kill herself."

The old teacher looked genuinely lost. He couldn't explain what transpired.

"Hee-uta. Why don't you tell us what REALLY happened."

That voice... it was Shinhee.

"Margrave's going to be delayed. Hee's taking care of a different problem now that the operation has failed as planned."

"What do you mean?" Hasunaga replied in confusion. The Shikigami walked towards the rest of the group.

"There are two cruise missiles headed our way, courtesy of Satomi Moto. The whole purpose of this operation was never to take her out, but rather to dig out the mole in our midst, hee-ho.

I suppose the overkill comes as a surprise to you, doesn't it, Hee-uta?"

The shikigami continued after a brief pause to let the impending threat register. For a snowman, he could be surprisingly expressive, but he didn't look concerned as of now.

"You had good devices and protocol, but your pick of concealment was too poor given the circumstances, hee-ho. The Sanctuary is highly discriminating against substances with long-term destructive effects.

You can't smoke inside the Kuzunoha Sanctuary. Doc Tobioka even has to keep his doses of medicine spread out over dozens of cabinets just so hee can have enough on hand, because the Sanctuary's effect physically prevents enough of them with potential to harm being around at the same place and time."

_____________________

[Ikari City - Skyline]

"Man, I haven't let loose like this in a VERY long time."

Margrave had to hurry from his position back when he covered for Hasunaga and Misaki to the best point of interception for the missiles.

Now, he wasn't a marksman. That honor belong to his nephew, Chuck. That was why the young scion of the clan was his backup. If he failed taking the first shot, he wouldn't have the time for a second one - and even if he did, there would be collateral damage over several city blocks.

No. He had to stop it here.

"Vollstandig."

Margrave's Ransoutengai golem body seemed to become taller by about thirty centimeters as it added a hat and bigger boots to its ensemble. The coffin chained to his arms glowed a bright red as it separated into a "halo" of seven identical coffins, floating freely over his back.

"Just barely enough time to charge them all, I guess. Targets acquired.

Level Seven. Tartarus Limiter removed."

Twirling his twin guns into his hands before locking them into his central coffin, the other six containers took to an even spread to either side of him, spaced apart from each other. They hummed and thrummed with power as the ambient Reishi suffered a drastic drop and accumulated in the barrels of each cannon.

"Cerberus Overdose. Plague of Hades.

FIRE."

Anyone with the ability to see spirit matter would be treated to a one-time spectacle as a large patch of the sky turned a bright hellfire red. At subsonic speeds, the missiles were hardly visible from the ground, but the way the clouds opened as a result of
the ordnance employed to vaporize them out of the sky would certainly draw some attention from even mundane onlookers - not to mention the explosions overhead if that firepower proved sufficient.

Cerberus Overdose normally fired warheads with great destructive power at extreme velocities. Their biggest strength was revealed on point of impact. The initial detonation was severe enough, but its rapid expansion created a massive backdraft effect that sucked in anything within a certain radius over the span of a second and promptly re-ignited the ambient spiritual particles in a secondary explosion.

Plague of Hades was different in that the same principle was applied to generate a continuous stream of energy over a much larger area. Generally, there was some loss of power as well as maximum range, which combined with the charge time needed, made its use limited to situations in which great masses of enemies were headed straight for Margrave.

At these speeds, the missiles were likely to disintegrate entirely before their premature blast radius would so much as knock Margrave's hat off.

[Draken]

[Von Geister Manor]

"In so far as I was informed of the arrival and acquiesced to allowing it now. I hope you don't mind."

"As for you, miss Kobayashi, there is no real need to mention that. It is easy to keep hostility out of one's voice but it takes a unique type of madman to keep it out of your reiatsu. I know we are all a peaceful lot in here."

Xavier brings out another set of dishes for Momoka and pulls a chair aside for her.

"So. What news does the Seireitei have for an old enemy?"

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Rendezvous Point B)

Yuuta crosses his arms, giving a gruff countenance in face of this accusation, even as Yoshiro looks to Shinhee in disbelief, then to Yuuta. "...how in the world could this be true, Yuuta? You're... you've been one of my friends, for as long as I can remember. You were working for my mother the entire time?"

Misaki, meanwhile, pulls on a simple white t-shirt and slacks, pulling on a jacket she folded them in.

"...Very cute, Kuzunoha. I was here to keep you alive, kid. Don't any of you give me this crap. I'm not playing to your sympathies, I'm just going to lay this out here: Yoshiro can't lead the clan. And like her or not, Satomi has kept the Moto clan from going berserk for most of her life. As did her father before her. And his father before him. They haven't done anything pretty, but they've kept that band of psychopaths at worst and opportunistic killers at best in line. Do you really think he has what it takes? Do you, kid?"

Yoshiro stands in front of Yuuta, baffled for a moment before his face twists in pain. Before he can speak, however, Yuuta interrupts. "Are you going to peddle some crap about how she killed a fellow clan? That she got to where she is with a trail of blood? Well do you want to know what would happen if she didn't? One of those psychos I mentioned would have offed her and tried leading themselves. And those missiles are just proof. That isn't Satomi. Sure, she has insurance, but she doesn't just destroy a freaking city because she's losing." Everything he's said thus far has seemed... legitimate to everyone involved. "I guarantee you that she isn't in charge anymore, or she's dead, because you all had to keep poking the bear. Even if you pull out of this, the Moto clan is done for. But all those killers? They're going to go out and do what they do best." Yuuta spits.

"Good job, everybody. Just excellent work."

Yoshiro stares in continued disbelief...

"Get away from him, Yoshi-kun." Yoshiro turns to Misaki.

"Moto agents are infiltrators and actors, Yoshi-kun. He can't be trusted." Misaki's eyes have glazed over slightly as she takes a step forward.

"And what about you?" Misaki pauses, for the moment held off by this comment. "You're the biggest actor of them all. The bloodiest killer. You're a nightmare, a legend, even the hardest Moto agent gives you your space. But you're not Satomi either, you're just a sword. You don't even love him, you're just a crazy ****ing st-" Misaki leaps forward, a flash of reishi forming as she flicks out the Seele Schneider hidden in her sleeve, and she swings upward to cleave through Yuuta.

Yoshiro was never a very spiritually active quincy, but he had the quincy blood. And with the distance Misaki had to cover, compared to his proximity to Yuuta, he had one split-second instinctive motion to take. Even as Yuuta revealed his true nature... all the years he'd given were just as true.

He leaps in the way.

Blood sprays everywhere. Misaki was unable to stop. Yoshiro falls to the ground, his left arm hitting the ground before him, his shoulder cleanly cut through. He can't help but scream.

Misaki stands in shock. As does Yuuta.

[Kuroimaken]

[Ikari City - Rendesvouz point B]

Why Shinhee bothers to let Yuuta run his mouth is up for consideration. Hasunaga is clearly stunned by this particular turn of events, so his reaction to the events that follow is significantly slowed.

It takes him precious seconds to regain action, but Shinhee is without emotion. (Given that he's supposed to think like Shinji does, this can be a bit chilling on its own in hindsight, however.) The comparatively tiny snowman rushes over to Yoshiro's fallen arm and grasps the severed portion of the stump; the limb turns blue as his power spreads through it. He soon turns to do the same to Yoshiro's bleeding arm and open wound.

"Misaki. If you rush to the Sanctuary, hee will live - hell, he might even get his arm back. Now take him and GO, you don't have much time!"

Shinhee's decisive action snaps Hasunaga out of his trance as he moves to restrain Yuuta.

As soon as Misaki is out the door with her crippled boyfriend, Shinhee will start talking again.

"Whoever it was that just tried to level a city block with you and us in it is still someone we can't a-hord to keep loose, Hee-uta. On the upside, most top-down organizations are at their weakest when leadership changes, hee-ho.

You're right. Yoshiro-kun ain't got what it takes to be a leader like Satomi Moto. But hee DOES have what it takes to be BETTER than her.

Hee-you did your level best to protect him. From now on, hee'll have to stand on hees own two feet."

[strawberryman]

[Ikari, Japan]
(Rendezvous Point B)

Misaki stands in shock for a few more moments before grabbing Yoshiro, who really does not have enough strength or state of mind to object.

Yuuta doesn't resist, looking grim. "...it's probably Kato, her right-hand woman. That's the only person Satomi would let close to her plans."

"...it's best for him if he just keeps out of it. He doesn't have it, snowball. The way I see it... the kid's legacy is gone. It would be better if he just left it be. There's a few loyalists in the clan who could be trusted, but even they won't be enough. Putting Yoshiro in charge is just painting a giant target over him."

"I'll help you take care of whoever just tried to probably kill us all, if you want to trust me. But I did this for the kid, and... I just can't sit by for you propping him up to have his throat cut." ...there is genuine emotion in this as he observes Shinhee, a pained somewhat fatherly affection for a boy he'd rightly looked after since he was young.

---

IhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kunIhurtYoshi-kun

Tears well up in Misaki's eyes as she runs for the sanctuary with all haste, Yoshiro's screaming abating as his consciousness fades in and out.

I hurt Yoshi-kun, I'm horrible terrible no good how can he-

"M-Misaki..."

Misaki doesn't stop, whimpering as Yoshiro speaks up.

"He was t-trying... to protect me... please don't hate him. B-but..." He winces as Misaki reaches the sanctuary entrance with a hirenyaku. "...you were too... I j-just... I j-just..." He trails off, tears rolling from his eyes as Misaki traverses the halls, screaming for help.

He doesn't deserve me I should die I should die die die

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Von Geister Manor)

Momoka seats herself calmly, taking the tea without hesitation. I mean, what, should she expect poison? Everyone was civilized here.

"No direct news. Other than the new Commander wanting your head. We are doing all we can to deal with the upheaval. Speaking of which, I do hope you forgive me for that. I agree it was necessary to release the Seireitei from Izanami's corpse, but... crashing into the earth seems like it could be highly counterproductive. The debris should still help you accomplish your goals, whatever they are, should they not?" She hands it off quite skillfully, making one note before letting him respond.

"In the interest of fairness, I should note that I am essentially here gathering information of your means and ends."

[Kuroimaken]

[Ikari City - Rendezvous point B]

"Hee-you don't give him enough credit for all he's stood up to fight for and defend so far.

Which includes you."

Hasunaga sighs as he keeps Yuuta restrained through his armor, and goes to find something more permanent to serve as bindings.

"Hee-uta. I don't doubt you did what you did for Yoshiro's sake. Any father in your position would've done the same, and hee-you are as close to a father as he's ever had.

Believe it or not, Yoshiro's going to come out ahead for this. To quote Nietzche, 'that which does not kill us makes us stronger'. And he's been getting stronger and stronger since this crisis began, hee-ho.

Your part in this conflict is over. And it's not because we don't trust you, but because your role in Yoshiro's life continues after this. Hee's not capable enough to know who to bring back into the fold, and who will come for his head. That's going to be your job, hee-ho.

Misaki also has an important role in hees life. You're going to have to learn to accept that her love for him is real, and so is hees love for her, even though hee's too stubborn to admit right now. It's gonna take a while, but she'll forgive you for what you did, and you'll see what I'm talking about."

It may come off as odd that Shinhee is speaking almost exclusively in the future tense at this point. His tone indicates he is convinced of what he's saying, but not in a way he's trying to convince Yuuta. He's speaking rather matter-of-factly, like he's spoiling a movie he's seen once already.

__________________________________

[Kuzunoha Sanctuary]

Shizuka meets Tobioka at the entrance. Other Kuzunohas are working to keep attention away from the bloodied couple.

"This way, quickly."

Tobioka rushes along like Misaki had never seen him move. His "nurse" Shikigami floating around are working to slow down Yoshiro's bleeding as Shinhee's crude first aid has worn off by now, while others carry him on a gurney into the Sanctuary proper.

The two of them vanish behind a medical room as Momoko stands in Misaki's way and gently, but firmly asks, "You'll have to wait here. Yoshiro is going to need surgery, and you're not sterile.

You look like hell, Misaki-chan. Let's get you checked up and into clean clothes. Doc Tobioka is probably going to be done by then. He's the very best at what he does."

____________________

[Somewhere in Russia]

"You're going to need to offer a bit of a narrower definition, I'm afraid." Sagarosso replies. "I've seen entities back in the day whose powers could be described as God-like. From the human's standpoint, you and I both share divine characteristics of some sort. But if you're referring to the Catholic or Christian definition of a God, then no, not really.

I mean, I've met a lot of people who believed in that God. They're generally *****. And this is coming from someone who witnessed Aztec blood rituals."
__________________________________

[Izumo-???]

The little girl grabs the ball and looks startled towards Katsuo. "W...Who are you?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in Russia]

"I was speaking slightly more generically", the stranger replies. "A supreme being of sorts. Someone who stands above and divorced from all of this. Someone to whom our squables are meaningless, save, perhaps, for any compassion they might feel for us. Do you believe in something like that?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Somewhere in Russia]

"By that token, the only thing separating myself from God is whatever definition you have for 'supreme being'. But no, not really. Mostly because that definition is inherently flawed in a way. In order to feel compassion, one must be connected in some fashion empathically. In order for THAT to happen, you need at least some level of observation, and for THAT to happen, the subject observed must be interesting in SOME way. Which would make God's detachment from its creation ultimately impossible.

To sum it up, either we delude ourselves into thinking God is somehow compassionate for us for reasons we cannot comprehend or God simply doesn't care, in which case his existence is immaterial since he has absolutely no impact on our lives.

In any case, why do you ask?"

[Draken]

[Tokyo, Japan]
(Von Geister Manor)

Momoka seats herself calmly, taking the tea without hesitation. I mean, what, should she expect poison? Everyone was civilized here.

"No direct news. Other than the new Commander wanting your head. We are doing all we can to deal with the upheaval. Speaking of which, I do hope you forgive me for that. I agree it was necessary to release the Seireitei from Izanami's corpse, but... crashing into the earth seems like it could be highly counterproductive. The debris should still help you accomplish your goals, whatever they are, should they not?" She hands it off quite skillfully, making one note before letting him respond.

"In the interest of fairness, I should note that I am essentially here gathering information of your means and ends."

"The leader of the Seireitei has always wanted my head, like that would solve any of his or her issues."

"As for your interference, it put a small delay on my plans. One I can schedule to about six months as the orbits of the worlds turn to each other. The earth will soon find the trail of matter that your world leaves behind, the meteor playing of your builders did much to thicken the cloud as well. So yes, no hard feelings, I know how to wait."

"As for my ends, I want a world of my own. Always have. I believe that isn't much to ask."

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in Russia]

"I ask because I'm fairly sure such a being exists", the stranger remarks. "I also think you're wrong. Just because God does not need us, it does not follow we do not need him. The Shinigami... obey? Worship? I'm not quite sure... this thing called the Soul King. Or Spirit King. Something like that. Ever heard of it?"