“Let's just go straight to the airport then,” Ranko decided. “We can call while we're on the plane. Says here the flight's all expenses paid...”
“Um... Clothes?” Akane didn't seem entirely convinced this was the best idea.
“Oh don't worry, Akane, it'll be fine!” Ranko waved her hand casually, as if to dismiss Akane's concerns. “I imagine it'll be easy to get some new clothes once we start winning.”
Akane couldn't help but feeling this wasn't the best thing to do, but at the same time, she couldn't deny the allure of that money. Not that she was as money-hungry as her sister Nabiki, but being able to finally put an end to all the household debts, that was just too much to ignore, and too much to risk throwing away with her father's concerns.
“All right,” Akane whispered. “We'll do it your way. I just hope we're not entering something we can't handle.”
With that, the two girls made their way to Tokyo proper, dead-set on making it to the airport before the plane left.
–
“Death Watch?” Kasumi asked, curious at Nabiki's explanation.
“Yeah,” Nabiki replied as she sipped her tea, looking at her sister next to her before turning her gaze to her father and Mr. Saotome on the other side of the table. “A modern-day bloodsport where competitors from all over the world rip eachother apart with hopes of winning the grand prize: A hundred million US dollars, or 9,924,000,000 yen. Enough to set someone up for life if they don't die in the games.”
“And... Akane and Ranko both volunteered for this?” Soun asked, blinking in stark disbelief that his daughter would risk her life so stupidly.
Genma, for his part, seemed unsure what to think. On the one hand, this was an enormous risk with almost no room for error. On the other, this was an excellent chance to show the world the power of their Art. “Well, if anyone can survive, it's those two,” he mused aloud. “We've trained our girls well, I think.”
Those comments earned a harsh stare from the Tendo patriarch. “Are you insane, Saotome!?” he barked at his old friend. “They're going to be going up against the most vicious people out there! Do you really think that this tournament is above board!? This is too risky!” Soun immediately got up and headed for the door, a stern look on his face. “They should be on their way home now. I can still catch them halfway, get this nonsense out of their heads!” Without waiting for anyone else to speak, Soun left the dojo and made his way to the school.
Kasumi blinked a few times, looking at the doorway. “I don't know if Daddy's going to get through to those two,” Kasumi contemplated, as much to herself as to the others. “You know how stubborn they are.”
“True enough,” Nabiki agreed, nodding. “I told them this was crazy. Though... Shouldn't they have gotten home already?”
This time, it was Genma who stood up. “They might have just went straight to wherever the event's being held. I'm going to go to the school, figure out where the girls are being led to, in case Soun doesn't find them. Not that I expect my girl to have any trouble, but Akane... I'm not so sure.” With that, Genma also left the home, leaving Nabiki and Kasumi on their own.
“So, how does one watch this?” Kasumi asked. “If Daddy and Mr. Saotome can't find Akane and Ranko, we could at least cheer them on here.”
Nabiki nodded slowly. “Well, it's not exactly legal, but I know more than a few bars with special rooms for viewing Death Watch contests away from the public eye.” She sighed and shook her head slowly. I must be the only sane person left in Nerima, she thought dejectedly.
–
Ranko and Akane made it to the airport relatively quickly, a fact that both girls were thankful for, given the insanely crowded Tokyo subway system.
“Okay, three hours left,” Akane quipped. “Let's see... Gate G-3...”
“This way!” Ranko exclaimed, pointing to a hallway. “That'll take us right there.... And judging by all the tough looking girls, that's probably where we need to be going.”
Akane looked in the direction Ranko was pointed and saw a huge group of girls, seemingly from all over the country. Some were schoolgirls like Ranko and herself, but many were also large, burly women who looked like they spent their days killing things.”
“Woah,” Akane whimpered. “You sure you wanna go through with this, Ranko? Soon as we get on that plane, there's no turning back, and those people look really nasty.”
“Don't worry!” Ranko said reassuredly. “They may be big, but they don't have our skill!” With that, Ranko ran toward the gate.
Akane blinked for a moment before running after her friend. “Hey, wait for me!”
Upon getting to the gate, the two girls looked at the ticket again, making sure this was the right plane. The flight was heading to....
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(Posted Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:05)
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