[Episode 226546] [Episode 226546](Note: With a nod to the 17th Immortal for a quotation he made in a comment on the previous episode that I felt was right to use in this one. G.)
"SLAVES! IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESS! DESTROY THESE HERETICS!"
Hearing that shouted command from Hoss, Unchô tensed, swinging Lêngyànjù to the ready position as she stuffed the iPhone-like device into her skirt pocket as the thirty-five blank-faced women turned to stare directly at her. She didn't need to do a double-scan of the advancing students (plus two teachers) to know that she was in trouble.
She then tensed on hearing horse's hooves. "What's happening?!"
Shiryû, who still had her katana at Hoss' throat, then turned to see Ni ride into the front courtyard astride her beloved Hekk'up'ut', her own taiken-like sword drawn and at the ready. "It appears, T'ach'yet'-dono, that our 'friends' here decided to lay a trap to ensure anyone who tried to flush them out would be forced to murder dozens of innocent bystanders along the way!" she called out as Unchô shifted herself to the middle of the main pathway to the front door so as she could brace herself to receive what was about to drop down on their heads.
"My General, your orders?!" the lieutenant-colonel in command of the marines now at Tomobiki High School demanded as he stared up at her.
Ni glanced at the platoon's worth of Terran/Avalonians advancing on Kuohu's spirit-sister, and then her eyes narrowed as her own empathic senses reached out to scan them. A second later, she relaxed. "<<SAFETY ALL WEAPONS! STACK ARMS! RIDERS, KEEP WATCH OVER THE PRISONERS!>>" she barked in Noukiite as she stood up in her saddle, holding her sword aloft, and then she sheathed the weapon in her scabbard.
Seeing that, the marines all nodded as they un-slung their weapons, clicked the safeties on before unloading them, and then they moved to stack arms in triangles of five before them, slipping the magazines into their web belt pouches as they relaxed themselves. The cavalry riders on their scout flitters that were holding up the prison bars the Niphentaxians were currently hanging from remained at guard, all of them turning in their seats as they drew their own shorter carbines and aimed them at the prisoners. As the tôshi from Seito and Yoshû took that in, they then exchanged looks before Gentoku turned to a nearby sergeant. "Um, Gunsô-san, why…?"
He moved over to whisper into her ear, "The Lady General can empathically sense what is happening with all around her, Lady Sonami." He then winked. "There is no danger from these poor ladies to the Lady Haneko or anyone else. Don't fret."
Môki, who was close by and could overhear his answer to his friend's question, turned to flash a hand-signal to Unchô. Other tôshi from her school spotted that signal, and then they moved to whisper to their companions from Seito as to what was going on. As the forces from both schools relaxed, eyes turned to Unchô. Having also seen her friend's hand-signal, the raven-haired tôshi blinked, and then she relaxed herself, allowing Lêngyànjù's long pole to rest on the ground by her foot, that deadly dragon head-helmed blade sticking up into the air. Shiryû nodded as she sheathed her katana, and then she moved to stand to her friend's side. Seeing that, the Niphentaxians all fell silent as they stared in curiosity and disbelief at their captors.
What were they doing?
By then, Yûko Asô and her fellow teacher — junior ethics teacher Saeko Mikami — had stopped themselves a metre away from Unchô. Flanking them on both sides were their freshman daughters, Kimiko Asô from Class 1-2 and Misaki Mikami from Class 1-1. The others were moving to form a semi-circle around Unchô, all moving into a position of attention as their eyes fixed hard on the raven-haired tôshi.
Silence.
More silence.
Still more silence.
And then…
"WHY ARE YOU STANDING THERE?! KILL THEM!"
Unchô's and Shiryû's heads snapped over as they glared at Hoss. At that moment, the girl on the far left of the group of Terran/Avalonians now gathered around the two Seito tôshi (from Unchô's viewpoint) — Kaname Tsujimuro, both were quick to remember from what they had observed over the previous couple of hours in Class 2-4 — turned and walked straight up to the blond alien spy. Seeing that one of the Avalonians was coming towards him, Hoss then cackled. "Good! Release me, girl! Rel-…URRRRRK!"
That came from Kaname snaring the chains holding his arms up to the prison pole, and then with a violent jerk of her arms that ended up dislocating both of his shoulders, she wrapped the steel lengths around his neck before yanking hard on them both. A faint yet clearly discernable SNAP! echoing from the direction of his upper spine then caused his face to freeze in a look of disbelief before the breath escaped him as his head dropped to one side, his eyes rolling up into his skull. The observers on both sides of Hoss cried out on seeing their co-worker's neck so easily broken, and then the one to Kaname's right screamed out, "SHE KILLED HIM!"
That caused all the agents to begin to scream out in panic, which made all the tôshi tense as the Avalonians now before Unchô turn immediately as they began to advance on them, Kaname herself moving to silence the woman that watched Hoss die right before her eyes. Before she could grab the chains holding the prisoner up, though…
"STOP!"
Silence crashed down on the scene like a guillotine blade as eyes turned back to Unchô. People then looked on the Avalonians before gaping in shock on seeing that all thirty-five of them had returned to a position of attention, all having about-faced to gaze on the raven-haired tôshi, patiently waiting for her next word of command. Noting that, Shiryû then tensed as it hit her. "Oh, gods!" she hissed out, that making Unchô stare at her.
"What?!"
"That device you have! It's a controlling mechanism for these women!"
Hearing that, Unchô blinked, and then she moaned. "Oh, great…!"
Near the border with Nerima…
"Um, Shasta, did you know ANYTHING about this?!"
Shaskaar shook her head. "No, Ukitsu-sama! I knew NOTHING of this! I swear!"
The leader of Gogun rose her hand to silence the silver-haired Niphentaxian as she and the other tôshi on the street where Shaskaar and her co-workers had lived stared at the sight of twenty-eight Butsumetsu Girl's High School students all standing to attention and facing one Hôsen Ryofu. She had been immediately joined by Shimei Ryomô and — much to Hôsen's private annoyance since she knew she had asked Bun'en Chôryô to make sure the younger girl stayed away from her — Kôdai Chinkyû, they flanking the aqua-haired tôshi as they gazed intently at their potential opposition.
"What do you think, Ryomô-san?" Kôdai hissed to Hôsen's cousin.
"All probably at the same skill level as Ranma-san," Shimei said as her exposed eye and ki senses scoured the dark-clad beauties before them. "And all clearly now linked that iPhone-like thing Hôsen found. Probably one of Shasta's friends that lived here…" — She nodded in the direction of the building that had housed all of Shaskaar's former co-workers, still guarded by a platoon of wide-eyed Ground Self-Defence Forces infantrymen. — "…kept that device on them to call up these girls in an emergency. And this would certainly qualify as that, I think."
"So what do we do?!" Kôdai demanded.
Hôsen's eyes narrowed, and then she sighed. "Let me try something." She then pointed to the kendô-ka that had attracted Shimei's attention moments before. "You."
The girl in question, a lovely junior student with centre-parted reddish-blonde hair to mid-back and deep, warm chestnut eyes, tensed. "Hai, Ojô-sama?"
Hôsen blinked as she took that initial response in. "What's your name?"
"Hiromi Ayukawa, Ojô-sama. Member of Year 2, Class 6, Butsumetsu Girl's High School," the girl automatically answered, her accent instantly belying her point of origin despite the emotionless tone of her voice. "I was born on 28 December 1992 in Satsuma in Kagoshima Prefecture. I moved to Tomobiki with my parents and my brother four years ago. I am 154 centimetres tall and I weigh 44 kilograms. My three sizes are…"
"Stop!"
Hiromi instantly clammed up, clearly unbothered by Hôsen's barked command. "Oh, shit!" Shimei hissed out. "They've all been turned into living androids!"
"Damn…!" Kôdai breathed out.
Hôsen took that in, and then she closed her eyes. "Kôdai?"
The younger Rakuyô tôshi tensed. "Hai?"
"Order one of them to do something."
Kôdai's eyes widened. "Huh?!"
"Do it!"
The younger girl jolted, and then she blinked for a moment before she turned to the girl to Hiromi's right, a tomboy with deep purple-blue eyes and hair a little more reddish than Hiromi, cut shaggy short to mid-neck. "You! Tell me your name!"
The girl answered, speaking with a Chûgoku accent, "Eri Kishimoto, Ojô-sama. Member of Year 1, Class 6, Butsumetsu Girl's High School. I was born on…"
"Okay, stop!" Kôdai barked out.
Eri's mouth closed. Shimei then pointed to a girl to the right side of the column, a tall, black-haired tomboy with brown eyes, styling her hair in a wave from the left side of her head and cut very short to the base of the skull. "Your name?"
Silence.
Hôsen stared at the girl in question, and then she reached into her pocket to draw out the controlling device, handing it to her cousin. When Shimei took hold of that, the eyes of all the Butsumetsu Girl's students instantly locked on her. Seeing that, the three tôshi then breathed out. "They're bound to whoever has this," Shimei stated.
"By the looks of it," Hôsen said, keeping her hand on the device. "Eri-chan?"
Eri tensed. "What are your desires, Ojô-sama?"
"If I was holding this, why did you answer Kôdai's question?"
"You ordered Kôdai-ojôsama to ask me a question, Ojô-sama. Since you were the one holding the control unit at that time, I had to answer the question."
More silence.
"So what do we do with them?" Shimei wondered.
Hôsen breathed out, "That's a damn good question, Mô-chan."
"You may do whatever you desire with us."
ALL twenty-eight of the women standing before them had answered that.
Hôsen blinked, and then she smirked. "Okay…" she drawled.
Shimei and Kôdai both stared warily at her.
Fûrinkan High School…
"It is clearly obvious, Ranma, that since you and Tsueko-dono had that device in your hands when it lit up, whatever link binds them to that device now binds them to you."
Hearing that statement from Cologne, Ranma blinked before he moaned. "Oh, man! And here I was hoping to get AWAY from all the problems with girls!" he muttered under his breath before he gazed on the thirty-five women now standing in a semi-circle around him and Hakufu. In the background, the Noukiites had — at K'uch'uch'a's command after a shouted recommendation from Happôsai — moved both their Niphentaxian prisoners and the onlookers from both school and town well away from the scene. A cordon of tôshi, both the members of Ryûhi's squadron in the Kôshi Kasshi and the groups of students from Gogun and Yoshû, formed a thick cordon of warriors between the Noukiite marines and the group of Avalonians now partially surrounding Ranma and his girlfriend. Hitomi, the Tendô sister clones and Nabiki all stood behind Ranma and Hakufu, with Happôsai and Cologne perched on the shoulders of Ranma's sister.
"What do we do, Ma-chan?" Hakufu wondered.
Ranma sighed. "Damn! I wish Negako was here!"
Happôsai blinked, and then he looked southwest into Tomobiki. "She's busy right now with another group of these poor girls, Ranma. She's close to where Shimei Ryomô is now," he announced after a quick look with his own ki senses. "Hopefully, she can see what's going on and try to give some advice as to what to do now."
"You may do whatever you desire with us, Ranma-kun."
Everyone perked on hearing that voice, which was still inflicted with the lolicom-like pitch that everyone in Class 1-D would normally associate with Kei Arimori. Ranma blinked as he took in his former classmate's words, and then taking the unit from Hakufu's hands, he walked up to stare intently into the Ikoma native's eyes. "Why?"
Kei's lips widened into a smile. "Because I love you, Ranma-kun."
Silence.
Ranma blinked. "Um, wh-why?" he stuttered out.
"Because you are unique and I have always been attracted to your uniqueness," Kei responded. "Unlike the majority of our classmates, who have either constantly lied to you about their desires to be your friend — or something more — or simply did not wish to expend the time and effort necessary to truly understand you."
He took a moment to absorb that, and then he smiled. "Arigatô, Kei-chan."
Kei's smile grew wider. "Dô itashimashite, Ranma-kun."
Hakufu moved up to stare intently at the others. "Do any of you feel the same way?"
"HAI!"
They ALL answered that, which made Ranma's jaw hit the ground. "Why?!" Hakufu asked. Immediately, a chorus of answers flooded out of the other girls' mouths. "WAIT! " Hakufu screamed out, which instantly silenced them. Taking a deep breath, Hakufu then pointed to Minako Sawada, picking her out by her bokken. "You answer first."
Minako smiled. "It is exactly as Kei-chan explained, Tsueko-san. Ranma-kun's uniqueness attracted mine — and everyone else's — interest. As we came to understand him better through continued observation, we felt both pity towards him because of his inability to properly deal with situations he had never confronted before…as well as admiration for his ability to walk his own path despite the many obstacles that have been constantly put up before him by certain people here, including the principal, his son, Ninomiya-sensei, Nabiki, Akane and Ukyô." The kendô-ka then winked. "But it is clearly obvious to us at this time that Ranma-kun's naïve behaviour had clearly become an act to better mask his relationship with you." Her eyes then narrowed. "Which is truly ironic given the feelings — or rather, the lack of feelings — Ranma-kun's so-called 'fiancées' have shown him for some time now."
Ranma smirked as he crossed his arms. "Noticed, didn't you?"
"We are all empaths and touch-telepaths, Ranma-kun," Ruriko Minegishi spoke up. "Their emotions are an open book to us even if our surface personalities were blocked from truly understanding what was happening after our souls were shifted into these bodies."
Hearing that, Ranma's and Hakufu's eyes widened. "So you know what happened to you?!" the latter then asked as she stared intently at them.
"HAI!" Again, everyone answered that question.
The tôshi from Nan'yô took a moment to consider that, and then she grinned. "So is there some way we can use that knowledge to get you all back to normal?!"
"HAI!"
"Even help you all remember what happened to you?" Ranma added.
"HAI!"
The couple exchanged a surprised and pleased look. "We're gonna be out of this is a very short while," Nabiki mused as she gripped Minami's hand.
"By the looks of it," her twin answered.
Ranma and Hakufu exchanged a look, and then the former smirked as he handed the control unit over. "It's your discovery, Fu-chan! Go to town!" he declared.
"Hai," the latter said as she took it in hand, and then she held it out so the thirty-five Avalonians around her could see it. "Okay, everyone! Listen VERY closely!"
The girls all braced themselves. "When I give you the order to do so, all the separated parts of your minds will merge together as one," Hakufu stated. "You will remember everything that happened to you when you were kidnapped by those alien creeps over there…" — She waved to where the captured Niphentaxians nearby. — "…so that you can report same to the proper authorities before they all get what's coming to them." Hakufu then took a deep breath. "And when this happens to you, you will all be strong and accept it. You are alive. You are still you. You have bodies far superior to anything alive on Earth now. And I can tell you were all given Ma-chan's knowledge thanks to Hitomi-chan there." She indicated Ranma's sister with a wave before shaking her head. "Don't think what happened to you was a tragedy. It was a step to a new beginning. A step to a whole new life. Understood?"
"HAI!" they all chanted as one.
Hakufu then smirked as a crazy idea then perked in her mind. "And for you to do that, you must…" — Big sweep of her hand. — "…KISS MA-CHAN!"
Explosions instantly decked everyone behind her. "FU-CHAN!" Ranma screamed as he scrambled back to his feet, staring wide-eyed at his girlfriend…
Tomobiki High School…
"So to break you free of this current conditioning you all have, all I have to do is just order it, right?" Unchô asked as she pointed at the Avalonians she was now in "control" of, they now forming a half-circle around her and Shiryû.
"HAI," all the girls chanted as one.
Hearing that, the raven-haired tôshi took a moment to absorb that, and then she sighed. "Alright, fair enough then," she said as she raised the control unit so they could all see it. "All of you, listen to me well," she commanded. On seeing them brace themselves, Unchô closed her eyes. "You are not machines. You are not slaves. You are still yourselves, just living now in new bodies and blessed with knowledge that those who hurt you so hoped could be used for their evil purposes…" She then smiled. "But are yours by right of liberation and in the name of true justice."
"LIAR!"
Unchô felt her eyebrow twitch as she found herself glaring at the woman who was stilled tied up to the dead Hoss. Seeing that, Kaname tensed as she immediately turned. On seeing that, the helpless observer gasped as the raven-haired, grey-eyed teen marched on her. Just as her hands were about to lash out at the captured agent's chains, Unchô then barked out, "STOP, KANAME!"
The agent, who had squeezed her eyes shut in fearful anticipation of her being literally strung up on the chains holding her arms up, then shuddered before her eyes opened, and then she blanched on seeing Kaname looming over her, frozen at the point of her hands reaching out to snare the chains so she could do what she desired. As the poor Niphentaxian felt her bladder go, Unchô grinned. "Kaname, return back."
Kaname turned and walked back to join the others. "Anyone else wish to speak out of turn?!" Shiryû then demanded, pitching her voice loud enough to ensure all the captive Niphentaxians could hear her. On noting the fearful silence that answered that question, the silver-haired tôshi then nodded. "Good. Stay silent and you might learn something."
"Dômo, Shiryû," Unchô said before facing the Avalonians before her. "Repeat what I just said to you before I was interrupted," she then commanded.
All thirty-five voices perfectly repeated what she had said. Noting that, Unchô nodded as she added, "You will wake up on my command. When you do, you will have full conscious control over your bodies, full recall of everything that happened to you when you became Avalonians and…" — Here, she took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. — "…you will all accept what has happened with strength and grace. Do not let the actions of these slime overwhelm you. You're better than them. ALL those born of Avalon are better than them! Understood?"
"HAI!" thirty-five voices chanted as one.
"WAKE UP!"
They all jolted as if they were hit with Lum's electricity, and then they blinked as their faces melted from the still robot-like stares they had before to confusion before eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Soon enough, nausea then crossed many people's faces as many spun around and raced for the school, most likely for the washrooms. Seeing that, Unchô tensed before she shuddered. "Shit! What the hell…?!"
"He raped us."
Eyes locked on Yûko Asô, who was on her knees and hugging a sobbing Kimiko. She was beside Saeko Mikami as she held a wailing Misaki in her arms as Sakura Sakurambô and Kômei Shokatsuryô came up to provide comfort. Hearing that, Unchô snarled as she glared at the dead Hoss, and then she asked, "Was it just him, Sensei?!"
Yûko shuddered before gazing tearfully at the tôshi. "There were others."
"Then as soon as all of you have had a chance to see both a healer and a faith-healer, my provost marshal and her subordinates will take you all aside to take your statements for when these fools are brought before Her Imperial Majesty's Court of Star Chamber on Tengsei," an icy voice then said as Unchô and Shiryû turned to watch Ni walk up to them. "Rape is punished in our society by forced sterilisation, not to mention years of mental reprogramming at the prison on Hichkyech'eng." On her saying that planet's name, all the Niphentaxians closest to her began to gasp and moan in fear while the other Noukiites all grinned and cackled in expectation. "Not that they're already facing years of reprogramming there to banish their warped thoughts towards Princess Lum once and for all." A mirthless, icy laugh escaped the general, which made several of the Niphentaxians around her pass out. "By the time the wardens there are finished with them all, they won't want to return back to their planet. After all, they will end up facing apostasy charges when they show no belief in their 'one true faith.'"
"What type of prison is it, General?"
Ni gazed on Kimiko, who had pulled herself away from her mother as she wiped her eyes. "It's a cryogenic prison, My Lady. You're frozen in there with cybernetic probes put into your brain to erase whatever evil thoughts you had there. The success rate for those who are put in there is quite profound, indeed."
Unchô smirked. "A fitting end for their kind, indeed," she declared.
Grim nods from those around her echoed everyone else's thoughts to that end.
Fûrinkan High School…
"So you guys were all treated the same way as we were?!" Hitomi growled.
The just-freed Terran/Avalonians now attending Fûrinkan High School nodded as a group. Many of them looked anguished and hurt while some glared intently at the captive Niphentaxians nearby, though they had all fought down the temptation to march over there, grab some rifles from the Noukiite warriors covering them and deliver some of their own justice at the three weeks of humiliation they had been subjected to since they all underwent their "body-swaps."
"Pretty much so," Minako answered as she allowed Nabiki to hold her close. Kei and Ruriko were being held by Ranma while two first-year girls, Tomomi Yoshino of Class 1-B and Sayuri Fujiki of Class 1-E, were being comforted by Hakufu. Hitomi held both Nagisa Ishida and Naoko Kubo close, each of the clones of the Tendô sisters also holding a pair of very hurt young women. "Chances were there it would have gone straight to rape if they got the chance!" She grimaced. "I remember the creep that did this to us. Real sick pervert named Hoss. If I see him…"
"He is dead, Minako."
Everyone gasped on hearing that calm voice utter from somewhere close to where Happôsai and Cologne were, and then Ranma sighed. "How are things elsewhere, Negako?" he asked as he gazed on the approaching grandmaster of Saikô Jinseijutsu-ryû.
"The word is being spread by the tôshi to all those who found these devices to ensure all the others in the same situation as your former schoolmates with us now," Negako stated. "I am sure that all the others affected this way will begin their recovery within the hour. Seup'it' has enough healers and faith-healers at hand to assist."
"'Faith-healers?'" Nabiki asked.
"Their term for a healer that is trained in psychology and psychotherapy."
A nod. "Ah!"
"How many were affected, Negako-sama?" Kaori asked as she pulled two third-year girls, Mizuho Sugiyama of Class 3-C and Chiharu Sakakibara of Class 3-D, close to her.
"Nine thousand, seven hundred-and-seven."
Silence.
"TEN THOUSAND?!" Nabiki screamed out. "WHY?!"
Negako seemed to smile. "In their eyes, their faith gave them the 'right' to do that, Nabiki. What would one expect of people such as they?"
People around them began to shudder. "They're monsters!" Kaori hissed.
"Damn straight about that," Atsumi said as she pulled two of her sister's peers from Class 1-C, Marina Terashima and Ayumi Takeuchi, closer to her.
"How do we stop them?" Minami wondered as she pulled two of her twin's peers, Reina Yasukawa of Class 2-B and Seina Hibino of Class 2-E, tightly against her.
"Have you ever studied the speeches of Winston Churchill, Nabiki?"
Nabiki perked as she stared at Negako. "Not really."
"Then keep this in mind," the grandmaster stated as she turned away, crossing her hands behind her back. "Someone asked Winston this: 'What is the difference between a fanatic and a zealot?' He responded with this: 'A zealot is one who can't change his mind. A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.'"
Cologne nodded. "Wise words."
"Indeed," Happôsai stated as he puffed his pipe
Meanwhile, close to the border with Nerima…
"ARIGATÔ, RYOFU-SAMA! ARIGATÔ! ARIGATÔ! ARIGATÔ! ARIGATÔ! ARIGATÔ!"
"H-hey! Cool off, will yo-…MLLUMPTH!"
As a wide-eyed Shimei, Kôdai and Ukitsu watched, Hôsen was now being showered by tearful kisses by a group of VERY grateful Butsumetsu Girl's High School students. As the aqua-haired tôshi found herself nearly choked to death thanks to a hug from behind by a VERY passionate Jun Mikoshiba (the black-haired tomboy that Shimei had tried to question earlier) as Eri kissed her hard on the lips, the three other tôshi watching this could only shake her head. "Man, this one is DEFINITELY for the record books!" Kôdai stated as she rubbed her forehead. "First time ever that Ryofu-sama got into a fight and wound up getting a chorus of new fans as a result!"
"Definitely," Shimei said, nodding.
"Do you blame us, Ryomô-sama?"
The blue-haired tôshi from Nan'yô perked on hearing Hiromi's voice, and then she blinked. "What do you mean by that, Ayukawa-san?" she asked.
The kendô-ka smirked as she placed her bokken down, and then swiftly undid her jacket, shirt and tie to expose the muscle shirt — with no bra underneath, Shimei was quick to note on seeing the dark circles of the other woman's nipples now straining against the fabric up front — she had on underneath. She then displayed herself as the tôshi leaned in to read the caption in English over the image of seven samurai with shields, each marked with the kanji 南, 揚, 洛, 許, 吳, 成 and 豫 — the first symbol used in the names of the Seven Schools — marching from left-to-right (as seen by the viewer). The caption took liberties with a line from Psalm 23:
On giving them the chance to see that, Hiromi then turned around, showing the image of the same seven samurai holding up swords with severed heads impacted on the tips. The caption over that read this (with a thumbs-up symbol at the end of the words):
Taking THAT in, Shimei, Ukitsu and Kôdai all blinked, and then the former shuddered before a roaring laugh escaped her. Soon enough, the leader of Gogun and Hôsen's second-in-command were also busting a gut as Hiromi turned around to make a "ta-daa!" gesture with her hands. "They're on sale all over Kantô," she reported…
…just as an explosive cough escaped Hôsen as she doubled over on herself, nearly showering a wide-eyed Eri with bloody mucus as she collapsed to the ground. "RYOFU-SAMA!" she screamed out as Jun moved to support the shaking and coughing tôshi while others gathered around to give comfort. "Ryofu-sama! What's wrong?!"
"MOVE!" Shimei screamed out as she and Ukitsu lunged over to comfort the fallen Hôsen as Kôdai allowed her lover to rest her head on her knees. "Shikuko!" Shimei screamed out as she felt the other girl's heart. "What's wrong?! SHIKUKO!"
Coughs escaped the shaking Hôsen as her eyes painfully fluttered open. "Damn…!"
"SOMEONE, GET A DOCTOR!" Ukitsu screamed out.
More coughs. "N-no…" Another cough. "It's okay…"
"Don't SAY that!" Shimei wailed.
Hôsen tried to smile. "He's here, Mô-chan…remember…?"
"DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT DAMNED BIRD, YOU IDIOT!"
Shimei shuddered, tears spilling down her face, as she moved to cradle Hôsen closer to her. "Can't avoid it…" the latter hissed as her eyes began to tear themselves, a hand reaching up to gently cup her cousin's cheek. "Never fails whenever Sekitoma comes to me, Mô-chan…" A weak smile twitched her lips. "Still…"
"Don't talk, Shikuko!" Kôdai tearfully pleaded. "Save your strength!"
Those eyes shifted over to gaze upon her lover's face. "It's okay…" Hôsen whispered as her hand shifted over to touch her schoolmate's face. "I love you…my sweet, beautiful Miyako…!"
"Ryofu-sama…!" Eri moaned as she began to cry.
"It's alright, Eri. Shikuko will be fine."
Eyes snapped up and around to see a familiar red-haired Noukiite standing nearby, a beautiful red phoenix now perched on her shoulder. As they took that in, we…
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