[August 27, 2418 - Monday, 1:28 PM]
A few weeks went by since Usagi's interview, the media now all over the MHI-30 case to try to find any witnesses or potential suspects. Headlines and updates came and passed by day by day, each new update revealing a new person to be interrogated.
One woman sat on the edge of the roof of a skyscraper, looking down at her phone as her tattered white poncho flowed gently in the wind. She noticed her name posted as a potential suspect then turned off the screen on her phone, letting out a sigh as she looked up at the blue skies above.
"I'm a suspect now huh? After 30 years, my name gets dragged once again. How annoying..." The woman said with an exasperated tone then took a folded note out of her pocket and read over it.
"March 23, 2396
Dear Onaka Nagagami,
I know you have banished Kyoto from the clan due to her assumed involvement with Nanako's untimely passing, but I sincerely believe she is innocent regarding Nanako's murder. Could she have spoken up? Yes, even she admits that..."
"However, to punish her so wildly over something she didn't do is insanity. Therefore, on this day forward, I will be her advocate and I will prove her innocence and bring her back to the clan. Prepare for a long legal battle, Lady of Perfection,"
"You should consider this mercy that you're getting me and not my wife. She will have you seen a Sadducee or a Pharisee, whichever you wish to go by. Injustice like this, even if I see you as family, will not go unseen,
Sincerely, First Class Lieutenant of the SPA,
Erik Bin Izuna. (5)
The woman smiled at the letter to her older sister then folded up the note once more before slipping it back into her pocket. "Don't worry, Mr. Izuna...Your mission will be seen through. As for Nanako's murderer...I'll catch them as well."
The guy next to her yawned loudly, leaning back on the bench on the rooftop and looked up at the woman. "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, are you done brooding yet, Kyoto? These crimes are not gonna stop themselves, plus we've got a quota to meet for St. Fraskia."
Kyoto looked down at her friend and scoffed at her, grabbing her white sash from the edge of the rooftop and wrapped it around her head. "These pointless busy work tasks from Headmistress Yuta is not going to get me closer to the truth behind the MHI-30."
Kyoto sighed as she looked ahead at the neon city of Fujitori, clenching her fists and looked down at her lavender edged katana. "I already know who did it...but I'll hunt for The Hare later. Jeht comes first and if he thinks being some kind of Noble Hero is gonna save him, he's got another fate coming."
Kyoto's friend stood up with a soft exhale, grabbing his commander jacket and swinging it over his shoulders like a cape then fastened one of the chained buckles to keep it steady. "Well, if that's the case then I suppose I'll help you, but remember that you still work for St. Fraskia as a Captain."
"I know that...and we are part of the Defense Force, I know, Rein.." Kyoto scoffed with a hint of annoyance then stood up, crossing her arms as she looked down at the city below. "I suppose we can start with this drug trafficking stop..."
"That's what I like to hear! Oh yeah, remember that you're gonna be meeting up with Hisumi later to teach her how to...y'know socialize after being in a crime organization all her life," Rein said, resting his knight's greatsword against his shoulder.
Kyoto scoffed lightly and rolled her eyes. "I'd rather meet and deal with that new kid in the SBI than train some awkward ex-criminal, but fine. Let's just get this over with."
{Chapter 22: The Banished}
Kyoto drove down the busy streets of Fujitori in her car, glancing at her mounted phone to check the directions to the mission location while having Rein on call in the background. "I'll be there in three minutes. Are you already scouting the area?"
Rein stood on a balcony of a hotel he checked into moments before, using his binoculars to peer into an abandoned complex behind the luxury hotel. "Yeah, and I can't tell if they are the usual Dragon Yukuza or if they are like... Judgement Organization members."
Kyoto rose an eyebrow and shifted in her seat, gripping her steering wheel tighter. "Nani..? The Judgement Organization? Isn't this supposed to be a job for Squad V? Don't tell me Captain Ashikaga is out drinking again...without me at that..."
"No, Orishi is dealing with her own mission right now. You know, being an actual Captain~" Rein teased with a light chuckle, lowering his binoculars then exhaled softly hearing the dead silence on the other line. "It was a joke, Kyo."
"I know it was, and it was a piss poor joke. You know, I could say a billion things to you right now! Arashiii...uzai. Jesus, anyway. What's the update? Are they doing anything strange?" Kyoto asked, driving into the Moe-Moe Hotel and parked her car in the parking lot.
"Nothing as far as I can see other than their usual business. However, it looks like they are making pills? Some of them seem high off the substance already," Rein reported, leaning forward against the rails of the balcony with a soft exhale.
Kyoto walked toward the entrance with her large duffle bag in hand, the heels of her shoes clacking against the ground with each purposeful step. Suddenly, a figure crossed her peripheral vision, causing her to stop walking and hum softly.
Heido adjusted his sunglasses on his face with a smirk as he looked up at the blue skies. "Standing under the same skies, yet...Fujitori seems to have a better sight than most. How fitting for one outcast to find another in a city of Valkyrias and Heroes."
Kyoto looked back at Heido, slipping her free hand into her pocket and scoffed at Heido. "If it isn't my delinquent nephew. Here to drag me back to Grandma's house for milk and cookies?"
Heido took off his sunglasses and hooked them against the pocket of his open kimono then chuckled at his aunt's sarcastic remark. "You know, you and my ototo would get along greatly."
"I don't have time for this family reunion, I have a real job to focus on. Go back to Matsugaya," Kyoto said dismissively, walking ahead toward the automatic doors of the hotel.
Heido chuckled softly and followed behind his aunt. "You're gonna be fighting against the Mato Yukuza Division. They work with psychedelics like salvia and datura to bring their victims into a psychosis state. Even just the dust will affect you."
Kyoto scoffed at Heido's warning, unimpressed by his Yakuza knowledge due to him being a Yakuza Head himself. "You should be counting your blessings that I don't have you arrested right now with the rest of those delinquents. However, your information is valuable."
Rein continued to wait for any action as he sat outside on the balcony, his gaze like a falcon hunting its prey from above. As he scouted, he heard the balcony doors open then looked over to see Kyoto walking into the room with an annoyed expression as she had a persistent nephew in her ears.
Rein chuckled softly at her and looked at Heido, recognizing him and sighed softly. 'Sometimes even I forget she has family as well...'
Heido let out a soft laugh as Kyoto shoved him forward, coolly stepping out into the balcony and began looking at the Mato Yukuza across the street. "You know...for the 19 years I've been alive and the four years I've been in the SPA, I've always known something was fishy about your banishment."
"Yeah? Well, stop worrying about it. I am a Valkyria now, and that happened 30 years ago," Kyoto said, dropping her duffle bag then crouched down to unzip it and take out her katana.
"I looked over the evidence with Motosaki before coming here to find you, and they supposed found triangle saltura pills in your bag? The street king in me is telling me something is amiss here, and I feel as our answer lies here," Heido said, looking over at Rein and smirked at him.
"So you think a clue to the MHI-30 is connected to one of the missions Headmistress Yuta gave us? I don't know, it could be a string of coincidences..." Rein said skeptically, standing up from his seat with a light sigh and picked up his sword.
Heido hummed then looked at the Mato Yukuza hideout once again. "My mentor taught me there's no such thing as a coincidence in detective work. There's either truth or deception, there's no room for grey areas here."
As the three prepared their assault upon the Mato Yukuza hideout, one scouting member noticed the three of them talking on the balcony of the hotel then retreated into the building to warn his allies. The warnings spread like a whirlwind and soon reached the ears of the Mato Clan Head, his messenger bringing him the scout.
"What are we going to do, Master Sankaku? The St. Fraskia Agency has joined up with the SPA and found our hideout!" The messenger said with deep concern in his voice, lowering his head to the clan head.
Sankaku adjusted his half mask and looked over at the triangular mask on the desk next to him. "Is that so? Well, tell them to continue making and pushing the product. Meanwhile, you send more scouts on the hunt for The Hare. She can't be too far off."
"What about Burnout? For the last 25 years, Nousa— I mean, The Hare, and Burnout have been working close together and have been noticed by Hisu Fugigami herself as potential partners!" The messenger questioned.
Sankaku grabbed his mask and stood up from his seat, placing the triangular mask over his face calmly. "Stop your concern. All you have to do is follow what I say. The SPA is probably only here for the drugs, there's nothing we are doing that concerns their investigation."
"Investigation? You mean...the Nanako Case?" The messenger whispered then grunted as Sankaku shot him a glare.
"Just go do what I told you before my patience wears thin. I will go handle those old timers out there," Sankaku ordered, pointing at the door and watched as his messenger quickly left the office.
Sankaku grabbed his metal bat and his Yakuza Captain kimono then swung his jacket around his shoulders. He began making his way out of the office and walked toward the balcony in the hallway, looking down at all of his men working on creating more triangle pills with a smirk upon his face.
~Sankaku's Memory of Nanako~
Nanako glanced down at her phone as she walked down an alleyway, occasionally looking up to see if she was correctly following the directions Jeht had sent her to the hangout location. Different sounds of dogs barking, sirens blaring, and engines revving intermingled in the air, each sound causing Nanako to become more cautious.
"So, you actually showed up. I'm glad you trusted me enough to come here," A voice sounded behind Nanako.
Nanako quickly turned around, noticing a man wearing a triangular mask walking out from around the corner. She held her breath with fear filling her bones, her eyes darting left and right for a potential escape. "U-Uhm...I was supposed to be meeting a man named Jeht here. He told me that he could get some pharmaceutical pills for my DRD..."
"Ahh, Jeht Mato? I know him very well, a good friend of mine. As for your Delirium Reality Disorder, he sent me to deliver these to you," The masked man said, reaching into his pocket and taking out a bag of triangular pills and walked over to Nanako.
Nanako's breath hitched in her throat as the man took her hand and placed the bag in her hand. She looked down at the bag to see only three pills inside then looked back up at the masked figure. "What are these..?"
"These are called tri-pills. Each pill works in three stages and should help you focus better on whatever you want. Take them, it's free of charge. And if you want more, remember my name... Sankaku," The masked man said, grinning wickedly at Nanako behind his mask.
Nanako nodded at Sankaku, unaware of his hidden wicked smile and give the man a genuine smile. She looked back down at the bag and exhaled calmly. "Okay...I'll try these out..."
~End of Sankaku's Memory~
"What a naive girl...a shame she left us so soon," Sankaku said, chuckling softly and walked off to make his way outside the cooking station of the hideout.
Kyoto dashed through the alleyways then began jumping up the walls before deploying her energetic wings to boost further into the sky, landing on the roof of the Mato Hideout. She stood up and noticed two Mato Yakuza members lingering on the rooftop, the both of them smoking a cigarette and chatting.
With her best foot forward, Kyoto charged at them at blinding speeds, striking the both of them upon the back of their necks with her scabbard then caught both of them before they fell off the roof. Pulling them back up on the roof by the collars, she tossed both of them down then took one of their clothes as a disguise.
{Rein: Krrrzzt...Valor incoming, status update.}
{Heido: Bzzzzt... Yakuza Sergeant here... currently infiltrating the lobby area...}
Kyoto sighed softly as she looked at her communication device pinned onto her belt then took it off, bringing it to her lips and pressed a button to speak. "Banished here. I am currently on the roof and it would be nice if you didn't ask for updates every five minutes."
{Rein: Krrrzzt... Well someone has to make sure you're still alive. Anyways, I am currently—}
Rein looked down at his device, realizing Kyoto had turned hers off then chuckled softly with a sigh. "That woman is something else. Alright, time to investigate these research areas."
Rein began trailing through the research facilities of the Mato Hideout, walking by each desk and snooping through documents left out on desks by the Mato Researchers. Finding nothin substantial, he began moving in deeper into the facilities into the testing facilities.
Reaching a large closed silver door blocking his path, he looked over and noticed he needed a Researcher's ID to enter through and huffed softly. "Why don't we have Droid Valkyrias like Young Saito in our ranks..? Someone with hacking skills could get through this easily."
"Hey! Who are you!? What are you doing here?" One woman asked, the sound of her unsheathing her dagger echoing through the empty facility.
Rein turned around and noticed three Mato Yukuza members standing before him then smirked. "Don't worry you all, I am here on official business from St. Fraskia. If you all just shut down your operations, no one here has to get hurt."
"Yeah right, like we'll listen to you!" One of the two men said, lifting his face mask then grabbed two smoke bombs from his utility belt then launched them both at Rein.
Rein watched as both bombs hit the ground and rolled at his feet, his gaze lifting up to the three Yakuza members with a hint of confidence. The three Yakuza members watched the smoke bombs exploded, releasing large amounts of psychedelic smoke in the area.
Suddenly, a red light flashed and erupted into a swirling stream of flames, the immense heat wave blowing away the smoke and revealed Rein in his Ruby Knight battlesuit. He laughed with gruff excitement, pointing his greatsword at the three.
"A foolish mistake to think we wouldn't come prepared! Now, prepare to fall," Rein said, his visor upon his helmet lowering with a flaming streak running across his eyes to form the protective lens over them.
"Nen! Sota! Flank his sides! I'll go straight!" The woman commanded, rushing forward with her dagger in reverse grip.
Nen and Sota both charged forward as well, the two men splitting apart to flank Rein's sides. Rein got into his stance, a smirk forming upon his lips behind his helmet as he braced himself for battle.
Nen came first with a liver punch, but Rein swiftly evaded the attack then countered with a blazing knee strike. While Nen was distracted, Sota drifted around him with a straight kick to his back, landing the attack and knocking him forward.
"Ika!" Sota called out, dashing forward behind Rein.
Ika went for a slice against Rein's chest, but his armor deflected her blade, allowing for Rein to thrust down his blade at her feet. Ika grunted as she barely dodged, but Rein twisted the handle of his sword to activate the energy lines within his sword and release a burst of flames around the area.
Rein chuckled as all three were blown away from his attack then rose his visor, looking around at them and dusting off his hands. "Well, I was kinda expecting a bit more, but you are merely researchers.."
Suddenly, a fourth researcher rushed down the room, striking Rein with a tornado kick with high momentum, knocking him away into the silver doors. Rein grunted softly as he stumbled forward then looked up, noticing a Mato Clansman protecting Ika and the others.
"Mr. Geto..." Ika said with a soft breath, standing up on her feet and fixed her lab coat.
Geto looked back at the three then scoffed lightly before bringing his attention back to Rein, his light green yakuza jacket flowing backwards as he flipped it back. "Leave this room while I handle this. You're no match for a Captain like this one."
"Oh, I know you. You're Geto Mato, one of the lead criminals in this syndicate. You must be the one behind all of this?" Rein asked, rolling his shoulders with a light groan.
"I am not the lead operative, but I do hold a high position here in this Yakuza. I am the Second in Command, and I'd advise you and your team to leave peacefully and no one gets hurt," Geto warned, getting into his stance and clenched his fists.
Rein shook his head and shrugged his shoulders with a light exhale. "Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that, Mr. Geto. The drugs you all push out are an illegal variant that prescribed pharmacists give out. Those tri-pills or whatever are beginning to affect our youth, as if it hasn't already."
Geto smirked at Rein's comment and chuckled, his mind unconcerned about what's happening on the outside. "As if we care? We gain more customers, more partners, and more money. They make the people feel good, they want to be free right?"
Rein laughed at Geto's attempt to excuse his actions, pointing at him a few times and exhaled loudly. "Ahh. So you don't have a real motive other than money? Jesus, and you all say the love of money isn't the root of evil? Who is your leader?"
"He is someone you should not concern yourself with, nor will you have the chance to meet as you will die here. So, enough talk. Let us fight!" Geto yelled out, running forward at high speeds and leaped forward with a dropkick.
Rein immediately dodged his attack then countered with a rounding body shot, but Geto evaded it into a leaping spin kick. Rein ducked under the kick and twirled back up into an elbow to Geto's side, stunning him for a moment to follow with a blazing back fist to Geto's jaw. Geto grunted as he rolled backwards then recovered onto his feet.
Noticing Rein grab hold of his greatsword, Geto gasped and swiftly dodged Rein's Burning Wave, time seeming to move in slow motion as Geto barely dodged the cutting wave. He scrambled into his feet and began diving and leaping to dodge each of Rein's Burning Waves.
"You're pretty fast, but you will not escape justice!" Rein taunted, thrusting his blade into the ground and unleashed his Orbiting Burning Wave, multiple fiery cutting waves firing off in every direction around Rein.
Geto barely dodged the incoming waves of cutting fires flying his way, the waves of flames slicing through equipment and the walls with relative ease. Geto rolled forward on the ground and stood up, looking back to see the silver doors melting slowly from Rein's attack.
"You thought I was aiming for you with that? No, you're the least of my issues. All I care about is finding your leader and bringing this operation down," Rein said with a chuckle, resting his sword against his should before making his way toward the melting doors.
Geto growled lowly then let out a kiai, unholstered his napalm pistol and fired off a hallucinogen blast toward Rein. As the blast of dust flew across the room, a cracked window finally gave out with a strong gust of wind blowing the smoke away from Rein and back to Geto.
Geto gasped as he was blasted with his own psychedelics, the smoke filling his lungs and causing him to sink down onto one knee, watching Rein walk through the doors. He began to laugh uncontrollably, falling onto his side in a fit of laughter and shivering.
{Rein: Krrrzzt... Valor incoming, I found some information that may need to be researched later. However, I found some documents that revolve around cloning and DNA mutations..}
{Kyoto: Piroro...Banished responding, you found what? Cloning and DNA mutations are something the Judgement Organization does!}
Heido listened to the conversation as he was interrogating a Mato Clansman, looking up from his device and rose an eyebrow at the man. "Cloning and mutations huh? What are you lot? A bunch of fallen angels?"
"W-What? Look man, I don't know anything about all of that! All I do is cook and redistribute, nothing like that!" The clansman protested, grunting softly as Heido's grip on his shirt grew tighter.
Heido scoffed softly at the man then released him then mashed the end of his bokuto against the wall near the man's head. "Let me get to the point, buddy...I am here on investigation of the Mato Clan on behalf of the SBI. Tell me...did you know a girl named Nanako?"
"Nanako..? Nanako? Hashi?" The clansman answered then grunted softly as he looked up at Heido. "Y-Yeah, I once did. She used to date another clansman named Jeht, or at least I thought they were."
"Is that so? Tell me something then...how would it be that Jeht was the last person to see Nanako and then she does? Or better yet...in her autopsy, it shows she had dangerous levels of satura in her system, how is that?" Heido asked in a threatening tone, his eyes locking onto the clansman like a bear ready to maul his prey.
"What are you accusing us of? That crazy bitch could've gotten them drugs from anywhere! It's been 30 ye—" The Clansman began then groaned as Heido smashed his knee into his face, his head crashing against the wall.
"You all are sorry excuses of Yakuza... letting your crimes leak outside the criminal underworld into the innocent public. You lie to a SBI Sergeant and a Yakuza Captain and disrespect women on top of it!? Huh?!" Heido roared, bringing his leg back and looked down at the man.
The clansman held his hand over his face with a pained groan, his eyes full of tears as he looked up at Heido. "We are not to blame for her death!"
Heido grinned at the man and sighed softly. "Wow. You really have no honor...I suppose it fits your clan since you all have none to begin with. If you have nothing to do with it, why did Jeht slip drugs into my aunts bag 30 years ago?"
The clansman grew quiet and stared at Heido, realizing he was the nephew of the Mato Clan's enemy, Kyoto Nagagami. "What?"
"Don't act like you're surprised now. After all, my grandma kept down many documents of her time as a teacher and you don't think she caught every moment aside from Nanako's death?" Heido grilled, crouching down to the clansman's level and sighed softly.
"Plus, Kyoto was the only one who was close enough to exposing Jeht then suddenly she gets banished and sent to jail for 3 years? It's all too convenient for me, so with knowing all of that; Where is Jeht Mato?" Heido asked, holding his bokuto at the clansman's neck.
"Well, well...Heido Nagagami, the Commamder of the White Wolves. I suppose you're here on your own for a challenge?" A man asked sarcastically as he walked down the halls.
Heido looked over and noticed Sankaku walking down the hallway then smirked as he stood up, pointing his bokuto at the masked man. "You look entirely different from everyone else here, so I'm guessing you are the leader?"
"And you are the son of Onaka Nagagami. A child like you should not meddle in adult's business. Go home to your mother while you still can," Sankaku said, standing firm in front of Heido.
Heido smirked at Sankaku and held his hands up then turned away to walk off, but he swiftly pivoted around for a swift slash, releasing a concentrated ranged slash toward Sankaku from his wooden katana. Sankaku sidestepped and evaded the slice, following it with a taunting chuckle.
"It seems kids today just have a death wish. Alright, I shall grant it to you!" Sankaku declared, charging forward toward Heido.
Heido ducked under Sankaku's swing with his bat, already loading up his counter then swung upward with with bokuto. Sankaku stopped Heido's attack with his arm, but Heido dropped his weapon then rushed around Sankaku and struck him on his back.
Sankaku stumbled forward but hopped forward, striking Heido with a superkick then leaped in the air for an overhead crescent kick. Heido blocked his attack and struck Sankaku on his stomach, following it up with a chop to his traps then launched a right hook.
"Predicable..." Sankaku taunted, weaving Heido's right hook with immense focus then palmed his face, slamming him to the ground with great force.
Heido groaned lightly, his vision blurry for a moment but quickly returned to see Sankaku's foot hanging over him. Quickly, Heido rolled out of the way of Sankaku's stomp then lifted himself by his hands for two kicks upon Sankaku's chest to knock him back.
Heido rushed back to his feet and used his speed to charge straight forward, driving his shoulder into Sankaku's stomach for a spear. Both men crashed through a weak wall into a restroom, both of them falling over as debris came down from the walls.
"Oh...YEEAAAHH!!" Heido yelled out with enthusiasm, kipping up onto his feet then let out an excited bellow at the top of his lungs.
Sankaku looked up at Heido as he slowly rose onto his feet, noticing white energy shimmering into view around his body the more Heido's adrenaline coursed through his body. 'How could I forget the Nagagami Clan are also spiritually awakened..? This guy is different from the usual composed perfectionists...'
"I'm really feeling the heat now! Come on, Yakuza Captain! Show me what you've got now!" Heido roared and dashed forward, launching two back fists at Sankaku.
Sankaku blocked both of them then parried his tiger claw before responding back with a chop. Heido caught his hand then pulled Sankaku forward for a clothesline, but Sankaku ducked under him then spun Heido around for a smashing left hook against his jaw.
Sankaku quickly grabbed the back of Heido's head to smash it against the sink, but Heido placed his hands down quickly then leaped into the air and kicked Sankaku off him. As Sankaku's back hit the wall, Heido howled loudly and dashed forward for a Wolf Pack Onslaught.
Sankaku groaned repeatedly from each claw strike Heido landed upon him, the attacks coming in too fast for him to properly see. His patience began to wear thin and he launched a wild uppercut, catching Heido on the chin then smashed his metal bat against Heido's torso.
"Fly away!" Sankaku bellowed, awakening the energy lines within his bat to release a smashing shockwave to blow Heido away.
The shockwave began to blow down the stalls, sinks, and toilets along with Heido, the forces causing the walls to break down in violent fashion. Heido groaned as he flew over the rails of the cooking facility, but quickly grabbed onto the rusted rail then looked down, noticing his bokuto falling onto the ground 20 feet below.
Sankaku walked toward Heido, adjusting his mask and looked down at him with malice in his eyes. "You should've left when I gave you the chance. How sad to see such a young captain lose their life so pathetically."
Heido chuckled softly at Sankaku's taunt, closing his eyes then exhaled softly. "No, you seem to underestimate us Nagagami. I guess...my back is against the wall right now."
Sankaku rose an eyebrow at Heido's comment then grunted as Heido swung his body around the rail for a blurring kick, but he barely dodged it then reached for his time dilation device. Heido landed on the metal floor then rushed forward at blurring speeds, blitzing Sankaku with a shoulder check then followed with a European uppercut.
Sankaku grunted as he was knocked up on one foot, allowing Heido to follow with a tornado kick that sent him tumbling down the stairs. Heido landed on the ground then let out his battle cry, his Zanshin awakening at full force.
Kyoto heard Heido's roar as she dashed down the halls, her eyes flashing with increased determination as she deployed her wings and flew down the halls. She let out her own kiai as she flew into the cooking facility then awakened her battlesuit, the Banished Angel.
Everyone looked up at Kyoto in the air, noticing her beautiful black and white battledress with one gray wing keeping her airborne in the sky. Her spiritual pressure began radiating throughout the entire building as she let out a full battle cry, the ground rumbling as if to respond to her bellows.
Sankaku grunted softly at Kyoto then looked over at Heido, realizing he had called her to their location. "I suppose a wolf howls for his pack when he's losing."
Heido chuckled and got into his stance, clenching his fists as calm yet energetic white aura began to flow from his hands. "It's just you now, Sankaku! Once we take you down, this entire operation ends!"
Sankaku braced himself as Heido leaped down from the top step with a roundhouse kick, but missed as Sankaku ducked, a rush of wind blowing past him from the force of Heido's attack. Sankaku rose back up, parrying Heido's back kick then chopped his arm down as Heido went for a straight punch.
Evading Heido's back fist, he grabbed his sleeve and tossed him around his shoulder, but Heido landed on his feet then vaulted over Sankaku's back to get on the ground for a NY Flare, sweeping the heel of his foot against his side. Sankaku took the attack to catch his leg then spun him around before launching him into the cooking equipment.
"Whoa!" One clansman yelled out, dodging Heido's body then watched him crash through the equipment and product.
"Stay focused, Oigo! Don't let him rattle you!" Kyoto called out, swooping down toward Heido and grabbed him by his kimono before launching him back toward Sankaku.
Heido somersaulted forward into an axe kick and a bellow, but Sankaku swiftly evaded then landed a body blow before drifting around him, driving his knee into Heido's stomach and blowing him away. Heido rebounded off one hand then laughed, his wolf tattoos beginning to glow as he felt conviction within his chest.
"Enough playing around! Like the Wolf of Zion, I'll howl just like my Lord! Some people like you just need the sword!" Heido bantered, landing on his feet before dashing forward like a blur.
Sankaku became alarmed at Heido's sudden surge of speed, noticing him appearing and disappearing at multiple angles. Heido began unleashing his Omni Wolf Barrage, his claw strikes landing upon Sankaku from every direction before he could even react.
"Right there!" Heido called out, striking Sankaku's pressure point in his traps then flash stepped in front of him, driving his fist into his core. "And one for your Do!"
Sankaku grunted and coughed lightly as his body failed to react in time to block Heido's attack, his mind failing to understand the rush of rejuvenating energy Heido had received. He slid backwards along the ground and huffed softly, his body faltering onto one knee.
Kyoto watched Heido's performance, a light smirk forming upon her lips as she saw a faint Sovereign Butterfly fluttering around Heido with white sparkles trailing behind it. "Hmph...I guess you did learn something from the streets..."
Sankaku stood up slowly with a chuckle, looking up at Heido and slipped his hands in his pockets then exhaled softly. "Well...that was a good warm up, and since we're getting serious, let's play."
Sankaku rose his hand then snapped his fingers, a greenish purple trail of energy forming above Heido in the shape of a triangle before exploding into a cloud of satura mist. Heido looked up with confusion, accidentally inhaling the mist then began coughing heavily.
"Oigo..!" Kyoto said in a worried tone, gasping as she watched Heido beating his chest.
"That's right...it's over for you now, kid," Sankaku chuckled and held his hand out toward Heido then paused as he heard Heido laughing.
"WOOOO!! Now that's the stuff right there!" Heido laughed, wiping his lips and exhaled deeply with his tongue hanging out. He shook his head, his hair whipping everywhere and becoming more wild. "You thought that would work on me? I am part of a syndicate of my own! I deal with this stuff!"
'What is happening to him..? He should be losing his mind right now,' Sankaku questioned mentally, staring at Heido in confusion.
Heido stomped his foot down then let out a primal howl, his white aura beginning to pulsate around his body in a swirling manner. He lowered his stance and ran his nails into the ground, hearing a calming voice in his mind reminding him to stay sober.
Heido rushed forward in a feral manner, swiping his hand at Sankaku's legs and managed to grab one. He roared as he flung Sankaku around before tossing him away then used a burst of speed to appear above him with a crushing chop to his ribcage and a primal kiai.
Sankaku groaned as he was sent through a table, his back bouncing back up from the ground. 'What is going on..? Why is he even faster now..?'
Kyoto watched as Heido thrashed Sankaku around without giving him a moment to recover, but could also see Heido trying to fight off the drugs by smacking his forehead, the same way Nanako would when she tried fighting off her own DRD.
Sankaku dodged Heido's Wolf Claw then palmed his stomach, but immediately ate a right hook as a punish. He staggered back then barely dodged Heido's kick and pressed his time dilation device, releasing a barrier of time dilation energy to slow down Heido.
"You're finished!" Sankaku bellowed as he picked up a katana next to him and swung the blade toward Heido's neck.
Before the blade could reach Heido, Kyoto appeared in front of him and blocked the attack with her own katana. Sankaku looked at Kyoto then smirked, pushing her back then unleashed a flurry of slashes toward her. Kyoto took on her Iaijutsu Stance, quickly sheathing her sword before unsheathing her blade to block ten of Sankaku's in one.
"Nagagami Arts: Calm Flutter!" Kyoto incanted, her katana gleaming a beautiful lavender color as she unleashed a series of five slices.
Sankaku blocked the first slice the dodged the next two before clashing with the fourth. Upon the fifth slice, Kyoto feinted the slash then sheathed her sword and caused Sankaku to lower his guard. Once Sankaku went for a counter strike, Kyoto fully sheathed her blade which unleashed the fifth delayed slash across Sankaku's body.
Sankaku groaned as he was pushed back, the slice leaving a cut across his torso and slightly splitting his mask. He held his midsection and panted softly, dropping his sword then looked at Kyoto, locking eyes with her.
Kyoto stared at Sankaku, recognizing his eyes and gripped her katana tightly. 'I know that's you Jeht Mato...I am 70% certain that it's you. You are Sankaku...you won't hide forever...'
Sankaku chuckled softly and pressed a button that was in his pocket, an explosion sounding in the distance which set off multiple alarms. Heido and Kyoto looked around, multiple more explosions sounding in the distance which began to grow closer.
Without any wasted time, Kyoto flew toward Heido and grabbed him before flapping her wing and taking flight. She grunted as she flew as fast as she could with her single wing, the explosions growing larger behind her.
Kyoto flew through a window and gasped as she felt her wing give out, both her and her nephew beginning to descend down from the 20th floor. The two of them held onto each other as they began plummeting to their doom, their fates seemingly coming to an end.
"You will not die here!" Rein bellowed, riding forward upon his fiery horse, his steed racing toward the two Nagagamis and allowing him to catch them.
With the two in tow, the trio began escaping from the Mato Hideout, the building crumbling down as the explosions continued to take them down. Kyoto looked back at the burning building, noticing Sankaku standing in the distance watching them tauntingly.
---------------------------
Tsubami looked at her phone screen, watching Heido on camera as she had him on a video call and chuckled softly at him. "Well, I'm glad you had one great time, cousin. If only I could join, but I guess...I'm stuck on babysitting duty."
"I wouldn't necessarily call this babysitting, like you legit don't have to be here," Emma scoffed, continuing to paint her picture for Ms. Mori's art class.
"Right, it isn't like you're forced to be here, Miss Student Council," Rebecca said and leaned against my body as she read her book.
I had my head down on my desk, fast asleep in tbe student council room which had seemed to become the official hangout room for everyone in Tsubami's friend group. The day for us passed by extremely slowly, like the slowest it's ever been on the face of God's green Earth.
With Grandma Hisu's new restrictions, I've literally been stuck with the Head of the Fugigami Clan and my five...no six musketeers, wait seven since we're counting Nanako. It was growing easier to tell which girl Nanako was inhabiting due to her increasing affection toward me.
Raising my head from my sleep, looked over at Rebecca, noticing her humming sweetly as she read her favorite book, her head leaning against my shoulder. 'Yep...it's Rebecca, plus she's the last of the girls I've got to know...'
From my observations of Nanako from the last weeks, she seems to inhabit a girl for an entire week before shifting over to another. It's been easier to find her on weekdays since I'm always around the girls, but the weekends are a wild chase because everyone wants a piece of Motosaki Izuna himself.
"You know Motosaki... you've been going on these elaborate dates with everyone else, but when is it my turn?" Rebecca asked, looking over at me and poked my arm gently, becoming more comfortable around me.
"What..?" I asked, my voice muffled as my head was down in my arms.
"I wanna spend time with you too...it's not fair that they can keep taking you away from me too. Sharing is caring like Aisha says right?" Rebecca said in a teasing tone, wrapping her arms around mine with a hum.
'I spend half of my weekends searching for you, Nanako...no one is taking me away from your jealous ass,' I said mentally then sat up and looked at Rebecca with a smile, a soft exhale escaping from my nose.
"Alright, Becca...How about we spent the entire week together? This week will be your week, alright?" I offered, placing my hand over hers.
Rebecca felt her heart skip a beat, her shyness now kicking into overdrive as she began shifting in her seat. "An entire week together..? U-Uhm...I think that would be wonderful..."
Despite my warm smile, deeply inside I knew this challenge with Nanako would be the hardest to discern. After researching Nanako a bit more and interviewing Usagi, Nanako always becomes extremely shy around the person she likes, but...
Rebecca is naturally shy. That is the issue, it isn't like Otsuki's reserved demeanor or Aisha's bashful state, nor was it like Emma's timidness. It wasn't even like Naomi's flustered state. Rebecca's shyness matches Nanako's level of shyness perfectly.
It was now like dealing with a Harmless Yandere multipled by two...