Fuka: the Final Chapter (Haruka)

[Corwin]

[18:45] <--->
[18:48] "Haruka-chan!" Yukino's voice calls from behind her. "The command post has been set up at the church, and all the squads are in place. What are we going to do, now?" It is
  friday, near the end of classes, though the Executive Committee was allowed to cut them to set up their equipment.
[18:48] The search for Harada and Senoh proved fruitless, and while not giving up on their efforts, there is the safety of all students to consider. That called for renewed patrols,
  among other things, and the inevitable diversion of resources towards that end.
[18:54] Haruka spins on her heel to meet her loyal secretary. "We go to the church! We wait, and we watch!" She clenches a fist and smacks it against the opposing palm. "Whoever this creep
  is, he'll try again, and for the sake of our lost comrades, we will catch him in the act. I don't care if it takes us all weekend. We -will- brave insomnia for the sake of Fuka Academy."
[18:54] Haruka heads for the church with all due haste, assuming that Yukino will follow her as usual.
[18:56] She does, meekly, trailing half a step behind Haruka. "Are we declaring a curfew again?" she asks, glancing at a notepad in her arms.
[18:59] Haruka nods! "Oh yes. And if anyone complains, they can try and take it up with me. This is for the good of the Academy..." She rambles on as she marches towards her impromptu
  headquarters. Hah, at least -some- members of the student council are watching out for the students' safety.
[19:05] "I'll make it six in the afternoon, then," Yukino reports, making a notch in the pad with a pen. "At least the athletical clubs would be able to exercize, but all the people
  with part-time jobs or social club activities will be protesting again."
[19:09] "Some sacrifices are necessary at a time like this. I'm sure they'll understand it was all for the better once we've nabbed the pulpit and everything's over. I say, if they
  miss their club activies, they can use the time to form a neighborhood watch and keep an eye out from their dorms."
[19:11] "I'm sure they will understand, even if they grumble," Yukino agrees, muttering quietly, "And it's culprit, Haruka-chan."
[19:14] Haruka ignores the correction, as always. "That's good." She stops in her tracks and whirls around. "Now, this is important: is the command post fully stocked up on snacks? And
  drinks? We'll be watching the screens all weekend if we have to, and there won't be time to leave for meals. The moment we break our vigil is the moment some pervert could slip over the
  walls, after all."
[19:17] Yukino checks something amongst her notes. "We should have enough for the weekend, given our number of volunteers and our stores," she reports.
[19:21] Haruka nods decisively. "Excellent," she says, resuming her march to the church. "Then as of this moment, Operation Fuka Full-Alert Safety Watch is in effect!"
[19:23] Getting settled into their base of operations goes smoothly, and by the time Haruka had familiarized herself with everything, Yukino approaches her with a hot coffee can in
  hand. "Nothing to report, so far," she says, just as Haruka's radio crackles with static.
[19:25] Haruka nods, not expecting to crack the case in an hour but eager for results nonetheless. Her hand practically leaps for the radio as a call comes through.
[19:26] "This is squad three," a male voice comes through. "We've spotted a suspicious older male walking with a girl! Orders?" Squad three is stationed near the third dorm, mostly
  populated by junior high students. Of note is that Harada Chie lived there.
[19:28] Haruka's eyes go wide. "That's Harada's dorm! Squad three, move to intervene! TAKE THEM DOWN."
[19:31] Sounds of a scuffle come through the radio, mingled with static. Yukino looks worried, but doesn't speak.
[19:33] "Target is secured," the report comes after several tense moments. Female screams are heard over the radio.
[19:33] Haruka remains intently focused on the radio, one hand holding a mug of coffee in a clawlike grip. "Excellent!" she cries into the receiver. "Identify the intruder!"
[19:48] "I'm not an intruder!" she hears someone yell, before sounds of violence filter in through the connection. "It's Tate from 1-A," the squad leader reports. "Should we take him to
  headquarters so he could reflect on his crimes?" In the background, someone is calling for her brother.
[19:49] "See that he gets the chance!" Haruka instructs her underlings. "He should know there's a curfew in effect."
[19:51] More violence comes through before the radio at the other end stops transmitting. Time passes, as Yukino wrings out her hands, and eventually Tate Yuichi is frogmarched into the
  church. A girl with pigtails follows him, occasionally hitting the Exacutive Committee members with her little fists. "Let him go!" she demands loudly.
[19:58] Haruka bolts up out of her chair and marches over to Tate. "Not until I'm through with him," she announces to the girl. "We're in a state of emergency here. There's a curfew on, and
  when you break it, you not only underscore the authority of the Executive Committee, but you endanger yourself as well! Not only that, but you endanger your fellow students."
[19:58] "My men should be out there looking for intruders, not disciplining laggardly students! If some horrible happened right now, it would be on your head, Tate. Two students are
  missing, and I'm not going to let anyone else join them."
[20:00] "It was all my fault!" the girl protests piteously. "I was the one who forgot something in school and wanted Oniichan to escort me! If you want to punish someone, punish me!"
  She stretches out her hands towards Haruka, a tear appering in the corner of her eye. Yukino seems aghast. Tate, for his part, just looks tired.
[20:02] Haruka rolls her eyes. "Enough! Men, escort them to their rooms immediately. We have a job to do and we can't be wasting time on these two. Return to your stations as soon as you've
  got them back to their dorms."
[20:07] "Yeah, won't happen again," Tate says in a defeated tone of voice. Freed from his bindings, he doesn't resist as the squad leads him back.
[20:09] Haruka just shakes her head once the two are escorted out. "Honestly, you think they'd value their safety over everything else," she says to no one in particular (I.E., Yukino).
[20:10] "You're right, Haruka-chan," Yukino quietly agrees.
[20:10] The wait is tiring. Yukino keeps on supplying Haruka with coke, coffee and other sources of caffeine, but the monotonous routine is difficult to fight off. Two more people are
  caught breaking the curfew, one of them brought to tears by Haruka's lecture. But as night creeps on--
[20:14] The sky is lighted, everything becoming bright. The windows of the church reflect the light, breaking it, and the results are surreal. The glow disappears as quickly as it
  occured, and as Haruka's vision adjusts, reports begin filtering in from all squads. Even students stationed as far as the other side of the campus have witnessed it.
[20:14] "Squad three hasn't checked in," Yukino reports, then. Given the direction of the flash as witnessed by Haruka and seconded by the other teams, it should have been right next to
  them.
[20:26] Haruka lunges for the radio, incandescant afterimages swimming in front of her. "Squad three! Squad three, do you read me? Argh!" Tossing down the receiver, she bolts from the church
  and heads right for the mysterious flash, asssuming, as always, that Yukino will be right on her heels.
[20:27] Yukino runs at her side for a change, effortlessly keeping up. "Are you sure it's a wise idea, Haruka-chan?" she asks, looking ahead. Haruka can see fire in the direction of the
  third dorm, but there are no lights in the windows. "Maybe we really should call the police this time?"
[20:31] "The police aren't here -right now-," she huffs as she runs. "I am! Call them if you have your phone, but this is my school-" She pauses for breath. "--and it's my job to take
  care of it!"
[20:36] Flashes of light illuminate the night sky as Haruka and Yukino rush ahead, but if the previous light was that of a sun, these are nothing but blinking stars. Arriving on the
  scene, Haruka is able to see that the dorm building is entirely dark, with a single, notable exception. A fire burns inside a room. "It's Harada-san's apartment!" Yukino calls out from her
  side.
[20:36] The ground and the building's side alike have deep gouges in it. There is no sign of the Executive Committee members.
[20:39] Haruka glances around for Squad Three and wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Cowards!" she shouts with her fist in the air. "Get back here and do your duty!" She turns to her secretary.
  "Yukino! Call the fire department, I'm going in!" This said, she barrels into the dorm before Yukino can utter any misgivings (not that they would be heeded anyway).
[20:44] Yukino's protests are quick enough that Haruka hears them as she rushes in, but they don't deter her from her goal. What does, however, is the stream of frightened students
  rushing down the stairs and towards the outside.
[20:48] Well, better they be out there than inside a burning building! Yukino can deal with them...right? Still, this doesn't stop Haruka from trying to impose some sort of order on
  the masses as she struggles through them. "Single file, no shoving! Older students, watch your underclassmen!"
[20:51] To her credit, the students do attempt to follow her orders, but the chaos is simply too great to contain. A small enough path opens for Haruka to get through, and she rushes up
  the stairs to Harada Chie's room. Kicking the door open, she is greeted with... underwear. Lots and lots of underwear. Most of it is sizzling, though some is covered with ice or torn to
  pieces.
[20:54] "What the...?" Okay, so either Harada or her roommate had some -very- odd habits. Who needs this much underwear? Definitely a sign of someone with a few disturbing fixations.
  Well, she can ponder introducing the Lingerie Limitations Act into the student council later. For now? Is there anyone lying inured in the room, buried under debris perhaps?
[20:55] She doesn't even bother thinking about why bits of the wreckage are iced over right now.
[21:02] The room doesn't look structurably stable, but that doesn't even pause Haruka in her tracks. The room is unoccupied, and a good thing, at that -- it looks as if a fireball
  exploded within, before things really got serious. Haruka notices that both beds look slept in, that coming clear despite battle damage.
[21:02] Approaching the window, which is gone along with its frame, she is able to spot Yukino right away. Her assistant is waving a flashlight around, and seems to be calling out
  something. The noise of the students, now having vacated the building for the most part, drowns out the words.
[21:08] Haruka grabs a piece of debris, a bit of broken board or something, and uses the jagged end to pick up a piece of frozen underwear. Hey, it's important forensic evidence! Nothing
  should be iced over at this time of year! She exits the room and bangs on the nearby doors as she heads back to the stairs, making sure no one's still hiding in their room.
[21:11] Haruka discovers a pair of students holding each other as they huddle. At the sight of a dark figure holding a sharp stick and a pair of panties, they scream their hearts out,
  pressing their eyes firmly shut.
[21:14] Okay, so that backfired spectacularly! She drops it and does her best to shout over the screams. "Students of Fuka Academy! On your feet, stand to attention, lest you disgrace
  the fine name of this school! We're evacuating, so march down those stairs before I write you both up for a week of detention!"
[21:15] "Y-Yes, Suzushiro-san!" the two squeak, her commanding voice easily-recognizable, while her healthy lungs don't have much trouble overriding their cries.
[21:17] Haruka herds the students down the hall to the stairs, checking for any other stragglers along the way.
[21:19] There are some, as expected, but her authoritative approach easily lets Haruka order their evacuation.
[21:22] Haruka brings the lot of them down the stairs and out of the building, barking orders all the way. She dragoons a few older students into sorting the younger ones into groups and
  watching over them once they're all outside, then returns to Yukino.
[21:24] Yukino is not where she left her, but Haruka sees a flashlight off to the side, in a copse of trees. Others can be seen in the distance, likely the other squads converging on
  their location.
[21:25] Haruka makes a beeline for that light.
[21:27] The flashlight is propped against a low bush, and the scene it shows stops Haruka in her tracks. Members of the third squad are lying on the ground, unmoving. Yukino is pressing
  a handkerchief to the leader's forehead, and Haruka notices in alarm that it is growing wet. A radio lies on the ground nearby.
[21:30] Haruka immediately exclaims "What happened?" in spite of the fact that Squad Three is clearly down for the count. Without waiting for an answer, she grabs the radio. "This is Haruka,
  with Squad Three. All units, report your status!"
[21:31] "It doesn't work," Yukino says tersely, looking towards her. Haruka notices that Yukino's eyes are tearing. "Why is this happening, Haruka-chan?"
[21:34] "I don't know," Haruka says in a low voice, fists clenched at her sides. "But I'm going to find out. And when I find out who's responsible, I'm going to throw them out a
  window. And if we're on the ground floor, I'll drag them upstairs and -then- throw them out a window!" She looks at the fallen students. "Can they talk? Is anyone awake?"
[21:36] "I-I found a pulse," Yukino says, her voice shaky, as she returns her attention to the downed leader. "But they won't wake up. And Minoru-san took a nasty hit from that tree
  trunk when he fell." It's not difficult to see what Yukino is talking about; one of the trees in the grove carries a trail of blood.
[21:38] Haruka frowns. "Go get the nurse. I'll take care of them for now."
[21:39] Yukino seems frightened, but nods at Haruka and rushes off, leaving the flashlight in the copse. The nearer squads are finally reaching them, and Haruka can faintly hear their
  confused chatter.
[21:40] Haruka picks up the flashlight and waves it in the air. "All squads, to me!"
[21:41] The beacon serves her well. The first two teams reach Haruka almost simultaneously, and she hears that their radios work just fine, even though discipline collapsed at the
  unexplained phenomenon, combined with their leader losing touch with them.
[21:43] "Report in!" she says to the squad leaders, motioning for the others to look after the injured students. "Did anyone see or hear anything strange before that flash of light?"
[21:48] With Haruka behind the helm once more, reports begin filing in in an orderly fashion. Haruka finds out that most squads didn't really see anything beyond what she herself had
  experienced. Special squad thirteen, however, which had been in rotation at the top of the church's bell tower with orders not to leave their post for anything swears their observer saw an
  angel descend from the heavens.
[21:53] An angel? The observer was probably hallucinating from being on duty too long. Not everyone has Haruka's stamina, after all! Still: "Send him to me," she instructs squad
  thirteen. "I want to hear this in person." In the meantime, the mass of students needs to get away from the burning building, somewhere safe and indoors...doesn't the school have an
  auditorium? That would do.
[21:56] With Haruka's swift commands, the bulk of her forces begin guiding the students towards the school complex, plenty of space being available to house them safely and with
  reasonable comfort. The rest remain to tend to their comrades. As this progresses, Yukino returns with Miss Sagisawa, the latter looking like she was woken up in the middle of the night and
  carrying a first aid kit.
[21:58] Haruka directs the nurse to the injured students. "We don't know what happened," she explains to the nurse. "There was a flash of light, and some kind of explosion. We'll know more
  once squad three wakes up."
[21:59] "Kikukawa-san filled me in along the way," the nurse returns, kneeling next to the students. "Some more light here, please," she requests, looking at Minoru with a frown.
[22:01] "Haruka-chan, I ran into Chitose-san along the way," Yukino tells her quietly, letting the woman work. A shy-looking girl Haruka thinks might be from class 1-B approaches, her
  eyes downcast. "She was the watcher of squad thirteen," Yukino adds.
[22:03] Haruka nods. "Chitose-san, report!" she says to the girl. "We need to know what happened here. Anything you could tell us would be helpful."
[22:04] At the nurse's glare in their direction, Yukino steers them away from the bushes. The night is dark without flashlights around, but the fire in Harada Chie's room provides some
  measure of illumination, at least.
[22:07] "It was an angel, Ma'am!" Chitose blurts out suddenly, looking Haruka straight in the eyes. "I swear it! The sky just shuddered and... and tore, like tissue, and they just came
  through. They flew down on glowing wings, and then the sky came back together and there was that flash and I couldn't see anymore." The words come out fast, as if she is afraid to stop and
  take a breath.
[22:07] "You told us to take breaks and switch frequently, and we did, Suzushiro-san! I wasn't tired or sleepy or anything!"
[22:13] Haruka considers this for a moment. "An angel?" she wonders. Then: "An angel." Some internal train of thought seems to have derailed. "Thank you, Chitose-san. You can go back to your
  post for now."
[22:16] The girl salutes Haruka sloppily and runs off, back in the direction of the church.
[22:17] "What do you think it means, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asks her.
[22:19] Haruka takes a moment to mull things over. "Angels...impossible underwear collections...people sleeping in other students' beds...there's clearly something -very- wrong with the
  student body here! We should look at the water supply first. Call the police, tell them to run a check for hallucinogenics in our water!"
[22:21] "Umm, perhaps we should talk to the evacuated students, first?" Yukino proposes meekly. "They must be getting restless in the auditorium by now."
[22:22] Haruka nods in an authoritative manner. "We'll do that first!" she proclaims, as though it were her own idea, heading for the auditorium thereafter.
[22:26] The students are indeed restless, but quiet down as Haruka appears. The leader of squad two, Hayate, approaches her with a clipboard. "Everyone is accounted for, except for
  Ayanokoji Maya and Kuga Natsuki," he reports, handing his report to Haruka. "No one's seen them since curfew hit, either, but by all accounts they were in that room." Ayanokoji Maya is Harada
  Chie's roommate, Haruka recalls.
[22:31] Haruka idly wonders what kind of wild party the two girls must've been throwing that would lead to them blowing up the wall, and muses out loud to this extent. "Destruction of school
  property, unhealthy fixation on underwear...those two are in very big trouble once we find them," she says, clearly discounting the angel story. "Tell all units to watch for them," she
  says.
[22:32] Haruka also wonders what Shizuru is up to right now. Shouldn't the president be, you know, visible at a time like this, helping to calm people down? Typical, Haruka does all the work
  and Shizuru drinks tea.
[22:34] It is twenty past one o'clock, so the president is likely tucked in somewhere while leaving all the hard work to Haruka, as always. "Yes, Ma'am!" Hayate responds, moving to
  execute her orders. The gathered students look at Haruka expectantly, a voice asking, "What happened there?" which is immediately followed by, "When can we get back?" "I'm not returning!"
  "What about sleep?" and other questions.
[22:39] Haruka ascends the podium and motions for silence. "The investigation is ongoing. We've called the police, and--" Then, sotto voce to Yukino: "We called the police, right?" Back to
  the crowd: "--and you will remain here until they have examined the dorm and pronounced it safe to return."
[22:40] "We have no reason, I repeat, no reason to believe that angel distended from the heavens and attacked the dorm. I will now see to it that you all have blankets and remain
  comfortable until you can return to your rooms."
[22:42] "Not yet, Haruka-chan," Yukino whispers back to her. "I'll handle it. And it's descended." She leaves the auditorium afterwards.
[22:48] The Executive Committee swiftly arranges for mattresses from gym to be distributed to make the students' stay more comfortable. Once things calm down some, however, Haruka is
  forced to rotate her members, as the residents of the female dorm remember that they are in their night clothes and boys are around. Thankfully, the Executive Committee boasts of enough girls
  to accomodate Haruka's plans.
[22:49] Yukino seems to have disappeared, but Haruka doesn't have time to notice until the students in the auditorium have been adequately taken care of. She does hear more than a few
  complain over how their cells have stopped working.
[22:51] Haruka decides to check her own. Well, if she brought it with her.
[22:53] She did, and it seems to work just fine. One of the boys she left with the wounded members of squad three reports to Haruka, informing her that an ambulance came for them. As if
  anticipating her question, he tells her that none regained consciousness so far. Miss Sagisawa is said to have gone along with the ambulance.
[22:56] Haruka mutters under her breath. Well, so much for interrogating them tonight. In the meantime, she'll wait for the police to arrive, periodically checking in with her flunkies and
  reassuring the displaced students (in her own peculiar fashion, at least). You know, keeping busy. At a time like this, sitting still is excruciating!
[22:58] A police car finally drives down the access road to the dorm in question. It can't get all the way to it, so Haruka is there to guide them, of course. A pair of cops are within,
  looking young.
[23:00] "Finally," Haruka announces. "It's this way," she says, starting off towards the damaged dorm (and instantly absorbing the officers into the ranks of her subordinates whether
  they realize it or not).
[23:02] It seems to work; the cops don't object visibly, at least. The fire is still going strong in the room in question, and Haruka can't help but wonder whether it's the
  unmentionables keeping it fueled.
[23:06] Haruka points to the damaged room. "There it is. Two students were in the room, but there's no sign that they were hurt. Probably they were playing with matches or something else they
  shouldn't have been. That Kuga was always kind of a rebel," she says. Then she adds, "One girl says she saw an angel come down. I think someone spiked our water. You need to look into that."
[23:09] That certainly gets looks from the officers. "Spiked water," one repeats. "Have you drunk any, by chance?"
[23:11] Haruka manages to look offended. "Of course not! I've only drunk coffee for hours. I've got a job to do here and I have to stay alert."
[23:12] "Alright," the officer agrees, taking out a notepad and pen while his partner heads into the building. "You mentioned a Kuga?"
[23:16] Haruka nods. "This was the room of Harada Chie and Ayanokoji Maya. Harada was already missing, and reports indicate that Ayanokoji was in the room with Kuga Natsuki at the time of the
  incident. Now neither of them can be found anywhere on campus. I'm sure those girls were playing with something they shouldn't have been, then got scared and ran off when they made a mess."
[23:18] "I'll need their descriptions," the officer tells her. Sounds of compressed gas being released draw Haruka's attention to the burning room, where an extinguisher appears to be
  at work.
[23:22] Haruka describes Natsuki first: blue hair, green eyes, tendency to wander around in a biker's suit, tall, dark and brooding more often than not. She's less sure about Maya's details
  but offers whatever she can remember.
[23:25] He frowns at Natsuki's description, but doesn't mention anything. The fire seems to be under control, and only the lights the officers and she herself carry provide the
  necessary illumination. "We'll probably have to return in the morning to take a better look," the other officer suggests upon rejoining them.
[23:25] "None of the lights work. The electrical system is probably fried. Did you call the fire department?"
[23:26] "I was just about to," Haruka says. And, well, she -is- just about to, now.
[23:29] "Could be best to wait for morning, too," the first cop mentions. "Might as well let someone sleep through the night."
[23:33] "Hey, it's their job! They're supposed to be on call! -My- job is watching out for that terrified group of kids in the arboretum, and they'll sleep a lot better in their own
  rooms. Thank you for your help, but I'll take things from here."
[23:35] "Right, then. We'll be back with forensics at first light, Ma'am," the first officer says, his companion heading back for the squad car, to return with yellow tape briefly
  afterwards. "Don't let anyone inside in the meanwhile," he adds, before taking her contact details.
[23:37] Haruka nods, and heads back to the auditorium once she's done with the police officers. If those kids are going to be there all night, someone needs to be watching over them!
[23:39] <--->

[Corwin]

(14:36:11): <--->
(14:37:27): The sun rises, Haruka's bloodshot eyes squinting at it. There are limits to what even caffeine can do to maintain a person's alertness. Sometime during the night, Yukino returned to her side, bringing a pair of blankets with her. One of them has served Haruka well.
(14:40:04): Sleep? Sleep is for the weak! And...*yawn*...the overworked. Rought night. Someone had to be on point to take care of things, though, and it's not like the president or Kanzaki were about to step up to the task! Anyway, the police'll likely be checking in again, if she recalls correctly, and there's the fire department to deal with as well. The sooner these kids can get back in their rooms, the better.
(14:41:50): As if reading her thoughts, Yukino is talking to the fire department from her cell, as far as Haruka can tell from Yukino's side of the conversation.
(14:43:09): Haruka blinks wearily. Coffee...coffee is needed, posthaste. The fire department people can be properly harangued when they arrive.
(14:45:08): Yukino seems to have transfered a portion of their supplies from the base and to the auditorium during the night. A warm can of coffee is handed over to her, with a soft, "Here you go, Haruka-chan."
(14:48:45): Haruka takes it and drains half the contents in one swallow, only then managing a mumbled "Thank you" for her tireless aide. Ah, that's better. What would life be without stimulants? Less productive, that's what! "Fire department's on their way?" she asks Yukino.
(14:57:25): "In twenty minutes," Yukino responds, suggesting, "We could wait for them by the dorms?"
(14:58:32): Haruka nods. "Yeah, let's go," she says, inquiring along the way whether the surveillance teams picked up anything else overnight.
(15:01:34): Just shadows, it seems. After the angel report has made the rounds, people started seeing flying figures left and right. One such report even took place near Senoh Aoi's dorm.
(15:01:51): Needless to say, none such sighting had been verified.
(15:03:21): Haruka just shakes her head. There's something in the water for sure! Either that, or everyone just needs a big vacation. But then they'd get behind in their studies, so that won't do.
(15:09:06): And the teachers might have a problem with that solution. Mulling over the unbelievable reports, the slow walk to the dorm with Yukino passes in no time, and soon Haruka is ready to direct the arriving policemen and firemen alike. The fire department's examination doesn't find any problems with the fuse box, although every light refuses to work in the dorm. Police officers, for their part, definitely find signs of struggle in the room at the heart of the case. It looks suspiciously like gunfire was used, as well as a massive explosion occuring in the room itself that blew out the windows. Said explosion is said to be resembling a shaped charge, so the damage to the room itself likely had yet another source, the best guess being spontaneous combustion.
(15:18:14): Spontaneous combustion? That's absurd. More pressing, however: "Gunfire?! No one on this campus should be walking around with firearms, much less using them! It was probably Kuga. She was always a loner. I think it's pretty clear what happened here. Kuga was known to be in this room last night, and now Ayanokoji is missing, so clearly Ayanokoji knew something she shouldn't have, Kuga came here to threaten her, and...something terrible happened! She's probably behind the other disappearances too."
(15:19:44): "Haruka-chan!" Yukino admonishes her. "You can't know that!"
(15:21:41): "What? It's a perfectly logistical theory! Tell me why it couldn't have happened."
(15:22:42): "B-Because...." Yukino turns bright red, whispering in Haruka's ear, "Would Kuga-san destroy her own underwear collection?"
(15:23:02): "And it's logical, Haruka-chan," she adds with a resigned sigh.
(15:23:40): Haruka blinks, nonplussed for a moment. Then: "WHAT WAS HER UNDERWEAR DOING IN HARADA'S ROOM?"
(15:24:36): Yukino shrinks back at the outburst, while heads turn towards Haruka. "She brought it when she moved in with Ayanokoji-san, maybe?" Yukino asks, cringing.
(15:26:10): "Well, I'm working with limited information here and it was the only theory that fit the available evidence. When did Kuga move in? I should be informed of all student movements on this campus!"
(15:27:36): "The president might have mentioned it," Yukino says quietly. "Weren't you listening, Haruka-chan?" Looking back, Fujino really did say something the other day with that infuriating smile of hers and the same carefree attitude; Haruka just tuned the tea-sipping woman out.
(15:31:11): "The president says a lot of things," Haruka says dismissively. "This puts the case in a new light. I'll need time to revise my theory. Right now, we need to get the power back on." And if the fire department doesn't havy any clue...time to get an electrician out from the city, probably.
(15:51:37): The fire department theorizes it might have been ball lightning. This theory meets many skeptical faces, but no better emerges as Haruka observes them.
(15:53:37): Haruka doesn't have any idea what ball lightning is, and makes a note to have Yukino fill her in on this later (whether she will remember to ask is another matter altogether). The important thing to sort out right now is whether it's safe for the students to return to their rooms, and she asks as much.
(15:55:21): "There isn't any hazard," a representative from the fire department informs her, "and the investigation should be finished within a few hours. The room where the event took place should be kept off limits, however."
(15:59:39): Well, that about wraps it up, then. Well, no, four students are still missing, but it doesn't seem like there's any more information to be gleaned from the police and fire department reps. Probably time to make an announcement about the event to the student body, and tell those still waiting in the auditorium that they can go back to their dorm around noon.
(16:12:14): There aren't likely to be many students in school on a saturday, except for those with club activities taking place over the morning. The girls in the auditorium take the news with joy intermingled with a deep tiredness, although organizing their return is a logistical matter involving getting them covered up enough to step outside in daylight. Yukino disappears again in the midst of this.
(16:15:56): There are plenty of blankets there, right? If there aren't enough to cover all the girls in one trip, Haruka will have to organize them into shifts and bring one group back at a time. Distracting as this is, she doesn't really notice Yukino's absence after a couple minutes.
(16:19:42): Using the blankets draws grumbles from the crowd, but it's nothing Haruka can't handle on her own. Yukino does rejoin her later, asking, "Are we going to keep up with our patrols, Haruka-chan?"
(16:25:34): "Absolutely! -Four- students have disappeared now, and neither I nor anyone else will rest until this menace is overcome!" Yes, the work of a public servant is tireless and thankless, but someone has to do the job! Suddenly, she remembers something. "Yukino, do we have any word on squad three? Can anyone talk yet?" It's pretty clear from her attitude that she'll go to the hospital and interrogate them right now if it's an option.
(16:26:45): "They are still unconscious," Yukino informs her. "I've checked with the hospital just now, and Miss Sagisawa should be getting back soon. There's nothing more she can do. The doctors at the hospital are puzzled, too."
(16:31:07): Haruka frowns. "Patients that won't wake up, power that won't turn back on...I don't like this, Yukino. I'm not sure the water supply being tainted explains this anymore. It feels like there's something...sinister going on here. ...Of course, if those guys are faking it to get out of work, I'll overhaul each and every one of them. Even if I have to buy a boat to do it!"
(16:36:59): "I don't think they're faking it, Haruka-chan," Yukino says quietly, not correcting her friend this time. "It might be really dangerous here, right now." She bites on her lower lip. "What if we just go on vacation? You could let the president take care of things like she's supposed to for a change!"
(16:40:08): Haruka looks at Yukino likes she's gone mad, or suddenly sprouted antennae or something. "I can't leave at a time like this! I have a duty to the students of this school! And if past experience has taught me anything, it's that we can't rely on Fujino to do things for us." She sighs, in a bit of a huff. Then: "...Where would we go, anyway? Out of curiosity."
(16:40:53): "...somewhere far away," Yukino replies meekly. "Anywhere but here."
(16:45:12): "I'm sorry, Yukino, but that is just unacceptable. There's never been a time that this school needs us more, and I'm surprised to hear such a deflatist attitude coming from you. Where would we be today if Caesar hadn't crossed the Rubicon? Where would we be if the British had said 'Oh, this blitz is just too tough, let's surrender?' We'd be living in a different world, that's where! And we live in this world, so that's not what we're going to do. Never surrender! You can't back down whenever things get tough, Yukino, or people will walk all over you."
(16:54:22): "That's defeatist, Haruka-chan." Yukino does sound defeated as she says it, however. Declining to correct Haruka's impromptu history lesson, she asks, "Then, shouldn't we take that angel story seriously? It's the only lead we have right now."
(16:57:39): "For the sake of argument, how do you arrest an angel? Do you go to the church and say--hey, the church! We could ask sister Yukariko!" With that, she sets out for the church immediately, all enthused over their new lead (such as it is.)
(17:00:39): "Wait for me, Haruka-chan!" Yukino calls after her.

Sister Yukariko is found praying at the church, apparently not bothered by the mounds of electronic surveillance equipment mounted all around her. It must have been difficult on her, Haruka reflects, when Father Greer just up and left, forcing her to run the church single-handedly.
(17:02:26): Haruka marches down the aisle, relentless as always, but -does- actually manage something approaching respect as she interrupts the nun's prayers. "Sister Yukariko? I'm sorry to distract you, but we need to ask a few questions."
(17:04:13): "Amen," the nun says, trying to keep her composure in the face of the Suzushiro Inquisition. "Yes?" she asks, standing up from her kneeling position. "How may I help?"
(17:04:58): "Sister, can you think of any reason an angel would've attacked this school last night?" Haruka asks in all earnestness.
(17:06:06): Yukariko does not immediately answer. "Then, the rumors were true?" she asks Haruka in turn.
(17:10:56): "It's a possibility. We're still investigating in lieu of stronger leads. Do you know anything that would help us? How or why would an angel be at Fuka Academy?" Again, totally straight-faced. If it's the only avenue of inquiry, she has no choice but to take it seriously. It's elemental, dear Watson.
(17:13:37): "Perhaps my prayers for deliverance have been answered?" Yukariko mumbles, not really talking to Haruka. "The forces of light, sent by the Lord, to fight against the vampires and the demons!"
(17:14:28): "demons? What demons?" Haruka asks, still vainly trying to engage the nun in an actual conversation.
(17:16:20): "Oh, glorious day!" Yukariko exclaims, grasping Haruka's hands suddenly. "Let us offer a prayer of thanks to the Lord!"
(17:17:39): Haruka is actually taken aback by this, a rare sight indeed! "Uh, yes, let's...now, about those demons..."
(17:18:06): What Haruka can only hear as ominous latin chanting picks up around her, courtesy of Sister Yukariko.
(17:20:21): "Yukino? Do you speak latin?" she asks her aide, apparently still taking this whole display seriously (for the moment).
(17:21:09): A sideways glance at Yukino reveals that she, too, has joined in on the prayer, hands pressed together and eyes closed.
(17:22:33): "Um..." Sometimes there's nothing for it but to go with the flow. Haruka does the best she can to keep up with Yukariko, not that she really knows what the prayer's all about. But hey, whatever makes the nun more likely to cooperate. It seems she's not going to stop until she's run through it all, anyway.
(17:23:59): Haruka is right on the money, there. Sister Yukariko finally lets go of Haruka once her prayer ends. She looks refreshed, too, and Haruka notices with a start that it has been a while since the nun looked like that.
(17:25:35): "Well...feeling better now, Sister?" It does seem that way. Odd. Maybe there really is something reassuring about prayer. Haruka always found it easier and more effective to bully people until the problem got solved, really.
(17:27:21): "Much better," the nun agrees. "Our savior has appeared. No longer with the monster prey on the children of Fuka."
(17:29:21): "...Oh. Has he? Or she. Could you tell me who it is, Sister?" Haruka asks, somewhat bewildered now.
(17:30:27): "Oh, they have not shown themselves to me, yet," Yukariko responds, "but, perhaps, I must first make myself worthy of this honor. Rest assured, however, that I will be there on the side of angels!"

Yukino looks quite disturbed to hear this.
(17:31:44): "Well, the thing is, we're getting reports that an angel attacked the school last night, so I wouldn't so sure about whose side they're on."
(17:32:16): "The side of good, of course," Yukariko states matter of factly. Her voice holds no hesitation.
(17:33:51): "Really? What does that make Fuka Academy?" Haruka asks, sounding a tad agitated (if not offended).
(17:35:10): "I'm certain that once the forces of darkness hiding amongst the normal students, the devils in sheep's clothing, are routed, we all will have a pleasant life filled with overflowing youth!" the nun declares.
(17:39:20): A sigh. Why can't people just talk normal? "Forces of darkness. Oookay. Do you have any idea who these 'devils' might be?" Not that Haruka approves of any theory suggesting a conspiracy amongst the student body, but you never know. There might be a lead in there somewhere. Or Yukariko might be slightly bonkers, which does seem more likely the more one talks to her.
(17:40:15): "I already told you all those things," Yukariko says, sounding surprised.
(17:46:21): "Did you? Refresh my memory, I've had a lot on my mind this morning."
(17:47:30): "I'm sorry," Sister Yukariko looks contrite, now. "Fujino-san asked me to keep this between us. If she didn't tell you anything...."
(17:49:24): Haruka scowls. "No. No, she didn't tell me anything. I'll be sure to take it up with her next time I see her. Thank you, Sister."
(17:50:19): "May the Lord go with you, Suzushiro-san," the nun tells her warmly.
(17:50:22): <--->

[Corwin]

[16:24] <--->
[16:25] Haruka storms outside the church, Yukino hot on her trail. Inside, Sister Yukariko resumes her fervent prayers.
[16:27] "That Shizuru! Who does she think she's dealing with? I should be notified of any and all important developments, doubly so since I'm the only one who does anything about them!
  I'm going to find her and, and...discombobulate her!" The ranting continues pretty much nonstop as she heads back to the school proper, not really sure of a specific destination right now.
[16:28] "No, Haruka-chan, that's...." Yukino pauses. "Maybe it actually fits," she muses to herself quietly, following the blonde.
[16:29] Haruka stops. "Where would Shizuru be at this time of day?"
[16:31] "It's the weekend." Yukino considers. "Asleep, maybe?"
[16:32] Haruka clenches a fist and holds it before her in resolution. "Then we'll wake her up!" she says, continuing her march with a definite direction this time: Shizuru's quarters!
[16:32] "Ah, Haruka-chan, wait!" Yukino calls after her.
[16:33] "There's not time to waste, Yukino," Haruka shouts back. "This is a matter of life and death! ...Probably!"
[16:35] "But-- but the President wouldn't be there!" Yukino protests, struggling to catch up. "She moved in with Yuuki-san the other day!"
[16:37] Haruka sighs in exasperation. "Then we'll pay Yuuki-san a visit and just coincidentally have a talk with her new roommate? Honestly, why doesn't anyone tell me these things when they happen?"
[16:37] "You should listen to her more, Haruka-chan," Yukino whispers, looking defeated.
[16:39] "If she said more worth saying, I'd listen! Now come on, we're wasting time." Haruka sets off for Yuuki's place, at her usual brisk marching pace.
[16:41] The pair arrive at the dorm, and it doesn't take them much time to locate the right room. It is locked.
[16:42] Haruka knocks. Loudly, so that anyone inside can't pretend they don't hear her.
[16:42] If someone is pretending they're not home, they are doing a very good job.
[16:44] Haruka scowls. "She's stonewalling us, Yukino. Stand back, I'm going to break the door down. As much as I hate to damage school property, it's for the greater good!"
[16:44] "Why don't we just call Fujino-san, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asks, raising her hands placatingly.
[16:45] Haruka sighs. "Alright, we'll try it your way first," she concedes, getting out her phone and dialing up Shizuru.
[16:47] It rings once, twice-- as Haruka is rapidly losing her patience, the student council president's unmistakable voice answers with a "Yes?"
[16:50] "Fujino! Where have you been? I'm calling for an emergency council meeting -immediately-. Something major is transcending on this campus and I have reason to believe you know details you haven't told us."
[16:52] "Ah, is that so?" Shizuru asks. She sounds a bit distracted to Haruka, who can hear quite a bit of background noise. People, lots and lots of people, all talking as their words merge together. Wherever Shizuru is, it is quite loud. "Can it possibly wait, Suzushiro-san? I'm trying to buy icecream."
[16:56] "Ice cre--ICE CREAM?!" Haruka probably has a number of conspicuous veins bulging on her forehead right now. "Fujino, four students are missing, the school was set on fire last night, and *someone* on the grounds has a disturbing obsession with underwear--and you're buying ice cream! That's it. I'm calling for a vote of No Confidence the next time the council meets--but right now we have something more important to deal with than regime change.
[16:56] "Fuka Academy is in trouble and this is no time to think about dairy products. WHERE ARE YOU?"
[16:59] "Where? At the line for the icecream stall, of course," Shizuru responds pleasantly. "I was thinking of getting something strawberry-flavored, just this once. Which one do you think Yuuki-san would like?""
[17:03] "I think Yuuki-san would like a president who puts the best interest of the school first!" Haruka yells into the phone before hanging up in disgust (practically slamming it against the wall as she does so--hopefully it isn't broken). She takes a moment to seethe, inhaling and exhaling deeply, then turns to Yukino:
[17:04] "That's it, Yukino. We're taking over. A president who puts her own personal interests in front of the safety of the student body is no president at all! And I'm going to find Shizuru and tell her just so I can see the look on her face. TO THE ICE CREAM STALL."
[17:06] Yukino gapes, trying to speak a few times before actual words come out. "What icecream stall?"
[17:08] Haruka gestures vaguely in the air for a moment, not having thought this far ahead. "The one that sells ice cream." She thinks for a moment. "There was a crowd there..."
[17:09] Yukino winces.
[17:11] "What? There can't be that many. We have to get looking!"
[17:11] "Alright, Haruka-chan," Yukino agrees. "Let's take the bus into town, then?"
[17:13] Haruka nods and exits the dorm, making her way to the nearest bus station and continuing her litany of complaints all the way.
[17:16] Yukino tries to placate her. As they wait, Haruka sees her friend send off a text message. The bus comes, then, taking the two of them into town. There are no other students riding along from that station, though others get picked up from the other dorms.
[17:16] The bus suddenly stops, the driver having hit on the brakes hard. The cause for that is not difficult to make out -- an enormous fireball can be seen in the distance, right in
  the middle of the city.
[17:20] Haruka stands up and marches down the aisle to the front of the bus. "What--" She turns and looks again at the other passengers on the bus, then at the driver. As usual, she assumes the nearest adult into her sphere of influence: "Driver! Turn this bus around and take these students back to the dorm immediately! I'm going on ahead to check things out."
[17:21] Haruka identifies one of the older students and singles him or her out: "You! Call me when you're all safely back at the dorms."
[17:22] "Uhh, alright?" the girl asks, glancing at Yukino. She nods afterwards. "Umm, I'll do that." The driver, for his part, doesn't really feel like heading in the direction of the mysterious explosion.
[17:24] Haruka nods decisively and then, once again proving her top-notch credentials as a lead candidate for the Darwin awards, hops out onto the street and sets out in the direction of the fireball.
[17:26] Yukino dismounts after her, and runs to catch up as the bus makes a U-turn and leaves. "Are we going to walk all the way, Haruka-chan?" she asks the blonde, looking ahead. It might take the better part of an hour, Haruka notices, even if the push it.
[17:30] "No...we're going to run!" she says, and immediately does so! Good thing those phys ed classes keep the students in shape! Of course, any cabbies unfortunate enough to be on the street right now -will- be commandeered whether they like it or not, even if Haruka has to stand in the street to make them stop!
[17:32] It takes until they have both reached the main street before any cab is seen. The fireball has disappeared some time during their run. The streets are empty, Haruka discovers. Yukino is wheezing next to her, somehow having managed to keep up with her pace.
[17:34] "HEY!" Haruka shouts to the cab, despite being winded from that little jaunt.
[17:34] The cab stops, yet another achievement to Haruka's superior charisma.
[17:36] Haruka hops in and points in the direction of the fireball. "Take me that way. NOW. Don't argue, I'm on the executive council at Fuka Academy." She puases to look for Yukino. "Yukino, come on already!"
[17:38] Yukino's cooperation is easy to secure. The cab takes off! In a matter of minutes Haruka and Yukino arrive at what must be the scene of the explosion. Everything is charred for as far as she can see; it must have been a beautiful park at one time. Police and firemen are restricting access to the scene.
[17:42] Haruka searches out some police officer who looks high-ranking enough to be knowledgeable about the situation and attempts to browbeat them into cooperation! "What happened here? I'm a member of the executive committe at Fuka Academy and I have reason to believe some of our students were in the city at the time of the disaster. Was anyone injured?"
[17:43] (And wouldn't it be just terrible if Shizuru was unable to serve as president for a while?~)
[17:46] Something twitches in approval at that thought, in the back of Haruka's mind.
[17:46] "The school?" the officer Haruka had approached asks her, before telling her, "Come with me." He leads the blonde over to an emergency vehicle, where a girl is sitting, wrapped in a blanket. "Ayanokoji-san!" Yukino gasps from behind her.
[17:48] Haruka wastes no time in peppering the poor girl with questions. "Ayanokoji! What happened? Are you okay?"
[17:49] Maya looks at Haruka. Her eyes seem a bit glassy. "Suzushiro-san?" she asks slowly. "What are you doing here?"
[17:53] "I'm looking out for the safety of Fuka Academy's students," she says, with total self-confidence that this is, in fact, her primary concern. "Ayanokoji, what happened after you disappeared? Three other students have gone missing, and it is vital that you tell me anything you might know that would explain what's happening at Fuka."
[17:54] "I... disappeared?" Maya speaks, blinking in confusion. "I guess I... sleep-walked? I don't remember."
[17:59] "Try to remember," Haruka insists. Some might think it callous to press the recently injured for such details, but this is for the greater good! "Something happened in your room last night. Kuga was there. There was a bright light and we found the room on fire, with both of you gone." She searches her memory for a moment. "Someone said she saw an angel."
[18:02] "I don't know," Maya protests, shaking her head. "I went to sleep. That's it. Then these people found me, and told me I was walking here. I don't remember any of that."
[18:04] Haruka frowns, but relents for once. "Alright. But I want you to call me the moment you remember anything. Three students are still missing."
[18:06] Maya nods. She looks a bit groggy.
[18:08] Haruka makes a note to drop by the hospital and check on her later...-and- prod for information on her condition, maybe sneak a peek at her chart. If Maya was drugged, well, who knows where this mystery could lead! Actually, dropping by the hospital is a good idea anyway, since squad three is there. For now, though, she may as well try calling Shizuru again, see where she is.
[18:13] The EMT personnel provide Yukino with all the relevant information. They couldn't even get Maya's name from her previously, and exchanging contact information works out best for both sides. As Haruka dials Shizuru's cell, she reaches her voicemail.
[18:13] Shizuru's voice promising to call back right away, while asking that urgent cases dealing with the school be directed to Suzushiro Haruka along with the blonde's number sounds quite teasing to Haruka.
[18:15] Haruka grinds her teeth. Figures, of course, that Shizuru would be unavailable at a time like this. Well, that's it, Haruka's done looking for her. She certainly made more of an effort to deal with her than she had to, and there are more deserving students to worry about right now! So she may as well go to the hospital, since she's already in the city.
[18:21] Arriving at the hospital after commandeering another cab, Haruka finds that it, too, has officers crawling through the grounds. Far too many than she would expect to see, even on this day.
[18:21] "Can you believe it?" she overhears a cop tell his partner. "Just a high school girl." "Yeah," the answer comes. "Saw her face. A real cutie, you wouldn't suspect--" Their car radio blares on suddenly, complete with police codes Haruka has no idea about.
[18:25] Well, that's not any way Haruka cares to hear someone talking about her peers! She stops in her tracks to put them in their place. "Hey! Would you two show some respect? Ayanokoji's hospitalized and doesn't remember anything! Find something better to gossip about than a defenseless girl!"
[18:27] "Ayanokoji?" the cops ask, glancing at each other, before the one in the driver's seat bluntly asks Haruka, "What do you want?"
[18:29] "What were you two talking about?" she demands, answering a question with a question and an expression that makes it clear insubordination will not be tolerated!
[18:32] The are uncomfortable, now. "Run along," the driver shoos her away.
[18:33] Haruka blinks for a moment, presented with the baffling concept of someone not doing as she instructed. She stomps away with a scowl, though. If she made them squirm, well, that's something at least. Time to check up on squad three.
[18:44] Squad Three. The hospital staff does not actually have the boys listed under Haruka's classification, but with Yukino's help, they are easily located. They have been given double rooms, except for the leader who remains in intensive care. None have regained consciousness, yet; the boys also don't have any family waiting, although they might be living too far to be able to make it so soon.
[18:46] No one's woken up after all this time, huh? Well, that's what she'd been told earlier, yes, but maybe someone on the staff here has some clue of what's going on with the boys. In her usual fashion, Haruka seeks out a hospital employee and attempts to bludgeon them into cooperation.
[18:47] Once they found out where she's from, the staff begins to do a wonderful job of stonewalling Haruka.
[18:48] Well, how totally unprofessional! Don't they know it's her job to look out for her fellow students! If all else fails, maybe there's some paperwork she can look at when no one's watching her.
[18:50] Yukino provides a distraction! In that time, Haruka manages to slip into the nurse's station, while the nurse on duty tries to help with Yukino's sudden abdominal pain. Her friend's cries sound all too authentic to Haruka, but for the moment, she has herself a working computer with access to all the hospital's patient records.
[18:53] Haruka tries to make the most of the limited time she has! So...she decides to check up on anything relating to squad three first--they've been here longer than Maya, after all, so maybe the staff have some idea of why they won't wake up.
[18:55] The notes on their charts pretty much indicate a coma. The staff knows surprisingly little: the why and how are a complete mystery. The timing isn't, as the doctors have
  apparently managed to deduce that whatever happened, happened to all of them at once. There are some kind of notes about neural pathways and all sorts of terms Haruka can't make heads or
  tails of.
[18:56] Haruka makes a mental note to talk about it with Yukino later. Hopefully knows more about science? Anyway, time to see if there's anything about Maya in the system.
[18:57] Short term memory loss due to a traumatic event. They doubt that she had sleep-walked all the way due to the state her feet were in, but she was certainly clad in her night clothes when the emergency personnel had found her.
[19:00] Well, that's something. And you know...if Ayanokoji was too dazed to give her name to the EMTs, maybe the other students are actually here too and the staff just don't know who they are? If there's any way to search for other recent arrivals in the same age bracket as the missing students, Haruka will take whatever time she has left to do so.
[19:03] The search gains results. Two students fitting the criteria, outside of those she had already looked up, are listed in the system. Tokiha Takumi, hospitalized after a complication earlier that day. The time roughly coincides with the fireball Haruka had witnessed. The other is Fujino Shizuru, age 18, admitted to the hospital's morgue an hour prior.
[19:04] ...
[19:04] ......
[19:06] This is that horrible moment when someone has to decide between the socially-approved grief and the long-awaited schadenfreude. And the truth is, much as Haruka couldn't stand Shizuru, she didn't exactly want her -dead-. So...there's a long moment of dumb silence as the floor seems to drop out beneath her. Her fingers are motionless on the computer.
[19:08] 'And wouldn't it be just terrible if Shizuru was unable to serve as president for a while?' the cheerful thought returns.
[19:09] Haruka isn't to be deterred for long, of course. She didn't get this far by dwelling in melancholy. She's always been about looking out for her fellow students! This is the time to push aside any trace of weakness and marshall her resolve! If Tokiha was brought in at the same time, maybe he knows something, so Haruka will find out his room number and maybe pay him a visit. Yes, keep busy. That's the idea.
[19:11] Yukino is being collected by a pair of male nurses and placed on a gurney, despite her protests. Haruka manages to escape the nurse's station in the nick of time, before getting caught, but saving her friend might be a difficult task.
[19:13] Well, Yukino knew what she was getting into, right? If she gets in trouble for faking illness, it's just taking one for the team, right? Somehow it's hard for Haruka to convince herself of that right now, and she feels a strange urge to not let any of her friends out of sight. She rushes to the side of the gurney and grabs Yukino's hand. "Yukino! Are you alright?"
[19:15] "H-Haruka-chan!" Yukino calls out, her voice pained. "Not the needles, please, not the needles!"
[19:17] Haruka hangs onto her friend and won't let go! "I'm sure it's just indignation or something," she says to the nurses. "That and the stress. It's been a hard day. Students disappearing, explosion in the park. She just needs to go back to her room at the dorm. Don't worry, I'll take care of her," she says, with something of a warning glance to each of the men should they dispute her claim.
[19:18] "Indigestion, Haruka-chan," Yukino says, her voice weak.
[19:20] "Yeah, that," Haruka concedes, for possibly the first time ever.
[19:21] The nurses look quite sour. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that they don't like to have their time wasted.
[19:22] They can as irritated as they like as long as they don't try and stop her from taking Yukino away. "Come on, Yukino. You're okay to walk out and go take a ride back to school, aren't you?"
[19:24] Yukino nods, leaning on Haruka as she walks. Their progress is unobstructed, as the two make their way out of the hospital. "What now?" Yukino asks. "Are we going to try and call Fujino-san again?"
[19:28] Pins and needles at the back of Haruka's neck. She shakes her head. "I don't think that would do any good...look, the Tokiha boy's here too. He might know something-he came in along with Ayanokoji, so that might not be confidential. If you're feeling okay, we can talk to him."
[19:30] "I don't think it's a good idea to try it now, Haruka-chan," Yukino cautions. Haruka can see that one of the nurses has come up to the security personnel by the entrance. After a brief chat between the two Haruka has no way of overhearing, they turn to look at she and Yukino.
[19:31] Haruka nods. "Alright, let's go home." So saying, she escorts Yukino outside and looks for another cab.
[19:32] One is easily found outside the hospital, and Haruka could easily buy the vehicle if she so chose. The drive back to the academy grounds is swift, not much traffic taking up the road.
[19:34] Haruka is unusually quiet most of the ride back, alone with her thoughts (such as they are). Once they're alone, she'll tell Yukino about the whole thing.
[19:35] The base would likely be occupied, but over the weekend, no one is likely to be found at the student council room.
[19:35] That'll do for now.
[19:36] "What's wrong, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asks her. "It's not like you to give up so easily and go back."
[19:37] Haruka sits down, and looks pensive for a moment. "Fujino's dead," she states flatly.
[19:38] "What?" Yukino asks, trying to smile. "That's a really bad joke, Haruka-chan."
[19:39] "It's not a joke. The hospital computer said she was in the morgue." She's staring off at nothing in particular.
[19:40] Yukino tries to speak. The phone in the room chooses that moment to ring, and she moves to answer it mechanically. "Yes. Yes." The answers are listless. "She does."
[19:41] Her eyes widen, as she looks at Haruka with a horrified expression. "Kuga-san has been arrested for the president's murder!"
[19:42] <--->

[Corwin]

<--->
(12:21:12): Would it be much of stretch to assume that Natsuki was responsible for all the recent catastrophes? Students disappearing, fire in Ayanokji's room, the blast in the park, and now Fujino's death? Haruka always knew the girl was a rebel! Still, at a time like this is make sure all the students are present and accounted for--and make sure they can't wander off and get into more trouble. (Keep busy, that's the idea).
(12:22:51): Yukino regains enough of her composure to say something Haruka's mind can't quite process, hanging up.
(12:25:14): "Yukino," Haruka says, surprisingly calmly given the circumstances, "we need to make an announcement to the students."
(12:27:27): "I'm... not sure it's possible right now," Yukino admits, looking quite pale. "The majority of the students will only be back on Monday, and we can't let this become a rumor if we only announce to those in the cafeteria, or even present in the dorms. It's the weekend, after all, so many would not be there."
(12:32:58): Haruka considers this. "Fine. But I don't want anyone leaving the school grounds. It will definitely become a rumor if people go into the city and hear about what happened there. We'll just tell everyone it's not safe to leave because of the disappearances. Mobilize all the squads and post them at the exits. If anyone wants to leave, they can come to me. So I can tell them no."
(12:34:59): Yukino seems dubious, but nods. "Alright, Haruka-chan. I'll take care of this. Do you... need anything?"
(12:38:48): Haruka's stomach is nagging at her, what with running around the city all morning, but oddly she can't really think about eating something. In fact, it's hard to think of anything she really wants right now. "I don't know...Kuga doesn't have any relatives, does she? Is anyone going to be coming for her?"
(12:40:51): "A father is listed on file, but he never visited the school," Yukino reports, wringing out her hands. "I don't think anyone will come, no."
(12:45:26): Haruka stands up. "She may be a criminal, but she's still a student of Fuka Academy. Someone will need to talk to her..."
(12:47:16): "We're going, then?"
(12:48:22): "Yes. We're the executive committee. It's our duty. See that the squads are posted first. Then we'll go."
(12:51:53): "I will," Yukino promises, and begins dialing from her cell. She hands out orders, the gentle but firm way she usually uses.
(12:53:12): Haruka waits, doing her best not to think too in-depth about recent developments. Normally this is quite easy for her, but these are unusual circumstances.
(12:56:49): Yukino reports that the squads have been deployed, and then it's back to town for both of them. This time around, her friend had called for a cab in advance, to avoid relying on buses. Haruka doesn't question the effectiveness of the move, lost in her thoughts.

The drive is reasonably brief, and then, Haruka and Yukino find themselves at the entrance to a police station. Haruka had never been there before, but Yukino claims it is the right one. There, behind those doors, Natsuki Kuga should be in lock-up.
(13:01:54): Haruka doesn't really have anything to say here, actually, standing outside the police station. No "Well, let's go," or "Let's get this over with," or any other pat phrase. That would be tacit acknowledgement that she has some doubts about herself, which of course cannot possibly be true. With some approaching her usual decisiveness, she simply nods and heads inside.
(13:03:54): Yukino follows silently. The station is busier than Haruka had expected it to be, but whether that is due to the day's events or a normal state of affairs, she cannot really tell. A receptionist in uniform is talking to an elderly pair, and as Haruka watches, they thank her and move away from the desk.
(13:06:35): Haruka steps up to the desk. She doesn't bother wasting time on pleasantries: "I am Haruka Suzushiro, of the executive committee at Fuka Academy. You have one of my students in custody. I need to speak with her immediately."
(13:08:02): The woman blinks. "Whom do you need to speak to, again?"
(13:09:05): "Natsuki Kuga."
(13:12:51): "Please wait here for a few moments," the receptionist requests, heading further into the station. She converses with an older officer, eventually returning with him. "Detective Oiishi will show you the way," she tells Haruka.

The officer comes up to meet the blonde. He is a bit on the heavy side, but looks quite sharp. "Suzushiro Haruka, was it? A pleasure. I'm Oiishi."
(13:14:04): Haruka nods. "Thank you, Detective Oiishi. Please lead the way." No need for her usual bluster when everyone's cooperating, right?
(13:17:13): "I must admit," the detective says, leading the way further in, clearly past the public area open for visitors, "that I hope to get something out of this as well. The girl, Kuga, hasn't said anything since her arrest. If her friends were to convince her to cooperate, I'm certain the judge would show leniency."
(13:21:50): "I'll do my best to persuade her," Haruka says, following along."Could you tell me the circumstances of her arrest? She was one of four students that went missing recently, and I have to take advantage of any possibility that this disaster might lead us to the others."
(13:23:55): "From eyewitness accounts, we've managed to establish that Kuga Natsuki was in the company of Tokiha Mai, Minagi Mikoto and Yuuki Nao, all apparently students of the prestigious Fuka Academy--" Oiishi smiles apologetically at Haruka. "Oh, right, you would know all about that, won't you, Suzushiro?"
(13:25:35): Haruka simply nods. "I would, yes. Please go on."
(13:29:39): "It seems that Kuga got in an argument with the others, and set off some kind of explosive device. A bomb, I might say, that didn't harm anyone, while blowing out the window of the second story waiting hall she was in. In the commotion, she managed to escape. After that, several gunshots were heard from behind the hospital, and once the hospital security moved in, they found her crouching over the body of Fujino Shizuru." The detective eyes Haruka. "The murder weapon was not found, but with the two gunshot wounds found on the body, it seems like very strong circumstantial evidence. Perhaps, Fujino got in the way of Kuga's escape, and had to be silenced? What do you think about that theory?"
(13:36:27): "Kuga was always a rebel, so it doesn't surprise me to see her in trouble. There was an explosion at Fuka recently as well, in a room Kuga was known to be staying, which makes that part of the story easy to believe. But her and Fujino were friends, and it's not like Kuga had many others."
(13:38:14): "I see, I see," the officer repeats, stroking his chin. "It did sound more like a crime of passion. Fujino was found badly beaten, you see. It must have angered Kuga to have a friend stand between her and freedom."
(13:43:01): Haruka just nods, doing her best to skirt around notions that make her think of Fujino as more than a hated rival and quite uncharacteristically failing. "Do the other girls all agree on what happened? What was the group doing together in the first place?" Particularly Yuuki Nao, who's never been one to associate with her fellow students more than necessary, though Haruka leaves this part unspoken.
(13:49:05): "They all came with the younger Tokiha, along with one Okuzaki Akira, who was by the other boy's bedside at the time of the incident, it seems," Oiishi informs Haruka. "Sadly, Yuuki had already left when our men arrived on the scene; quite understandable, I'll say, as even the staff fled in the wake of the explosion. Tokiha Mai was deep in shock, and was allocated a room by her brother. It was decided not to hospitalize her, from what I could understand. And for some reason, Minagi is keeping silent. Would you have any idea why? If she is trying to protect Kuga, she is committing an obstruction of justice."
(13:56:53): "Minagi feels like she should protect her friend, I'd guess. Or she's in shock," Haruka says. "I don't know if she'd be a reliable witness anyway," she adds dismissively. "She's young and absent-minded,"
(13:58:57): Oiishi nods as he walks. The interrogation room is just ahead, now. "Good luck, then, Suzushiro," he tells Haruka. "She's restrained, and I will be watching, but if you feel in danger, please call for me right away."
(14:00:20): Haruka nods, though hoping that's not necessary. Natsuki's more likely to talk without anyone else there, also. Without another word, she enters the interrogation room.
(14:03:04): Yukino watches Haruka head inside, remaining in the corridor with the detective. And then, the door closes behind her, and Haruka is left alone with Natsuki. The bluette is seated by a table. A can of what seems to be hot coffee stands atop it, unopened. A large mirror which Haruka knows to be one way covers most of the wall facing Natsuki.

Natsuki herself is dressed in an overall of some kind, hardly something Haruka would expect to see her in.
(14:05:47): Haruka crosses her arms in front of her, striking an authoritarian pose. "Well," she says with a sigh, "do you want to start?"
(14:06:13): Natsuki does not react to Haruka's presence.
(14:07:04): Haruka steps over to the table, plants one palm down on it and leans forward, waving her free hand in front of Natsuki. "Hello, Kuga? Is there anyone home?"
(14:07:42): Natsuki looks up. Her eyes are dead.
(14:12:39): Haruka actually pulls back, in surprise and bewilderment. That's not a normal expression for Natsuki. Well, not for anyone, but definitely not for Natsuki. She sits down across from the girl (assuming there's a spare chair) and tries another approach. "...Natsuki. I know we're not friends, but I have a duty to stand up for all students of Fuka Academy, no matter what." Even when they kill each other, apparently. "I need to know what happened. You're not the only one in trouble. Two other girls are still missing, and anything you could say to help me would me involatile."
(14:15:30): Natsuki stares at Haruka, who doubts the bluette even sees her, before leaning back. A metal rattling sound alerts Haruka to the handcuffs holding Natsuki's left hand secured to the desk.
(14:21:31): A grimace. This isn't getting anywhere. Is the other girl totally cataclysmic? "Look, did Fujino do or say something to provoke you? I know you two were good friends, and it would've taken a lot for her to make you angry...but I know Fujino was keeping something from the rest of the executive committee, too. Yukariko told me about it, so I know." She doesn't know, of course, but maybe she'll learn if she acts like it?
(14:30:12): This gets a reaction. Natsuki looks at Haruka, again, and this time Haruka sees a sign of life in Natsuki's eyes. Unfortunately, the emotion she spots is anger.

"Where do you get off talking about Shizuru that way?!" Natsuki explodes, jumping to her feet. The table groans in protest. Haruka can see the handcuffs clearly, now, fully taut. "You've always been jealous of her, so now you make up all that shit about her? Does that make you feel better?"
(14:37:30): Well, that's better than no reaction. Sort of. "You're right, I never liked her," Haruka admits, her voice rising to meet Natsuki's. "But I know she was involved in -something- that she wasn't telling the rest of us about. This isn't about making her look bad. This is about protecting everyone else at Fuka. That's my -job-." She pauses a moment to breathe, runs her hand through her hair. "So you tell me what I need to know and I won't have to make assumptions."
(14:39:19): "She wasn't involved in anything," Natsuki says, sitting down in disgust. "Go away and leave me alone, Suzushiro."
(14:44:40): Haruka stands up and slams her fists on the table. "No, I won't! Senoh and Harada are still missing, Ayanokoji's totally cataclysmic, and the boys from squad three are in -comas-. I'm not going anywhere until I know why and how to make whatever's happening stop. Someone said they saw an -angel- attack your dorm last night. Do you have anything to say about that?"
(14:46:08): Natsuki shrugs. "An angel attacked us, someone said. It must be true."
(14:48:52): Haruka just fumes for a moment. She starts pacing to work off her irritation. It doesn't work very well. "And you're not going to do anything about it, I guess? You don't care about anyone but yourself. Poor Natsuki's got the whole world on her shoulders, she can't be bothered to think about someone else."
(14:51:11): Natsuki laughs suddenly. It is unnerving, hearing such a normally cheerful sound distorted with hysteria. "Not going to do anything about it? After what happened?"
(14:56:59): Haruka isn't deterred by an apparent descent into mania! "You don't have to do much! Stop being a martyr for five minutes and HELP ME. Fujino watched out for you all the time." Probably more than was deserved, in Haruka's opinion. "Do you really want to repay her by sitting in a cell and stewing in your own self-pity?"
(14:59:31): "No. You know what, Suzushiro, you're right." Natsuki straightens up her back, and suddenly, the chain no longer connects her to the desk. A snapping sound, a horrible sound of twisting metal, grates upon Haruka's ears. "I can't really repay anyone while sitting in a cell somewhere."
(15:02:17): "I AM right, and--" Then the proper synapses connect and she notices that Natsuki is, in fact, no longer restrained. Well, she wouldn't attack Haruka in a building full of cops, right? Right? That isn't her most pressing concern, of course. Instead, its--"Hey, how'd you do that?"
(15:06:14): Natsuki snorts. "That really shouldn't be your first concern." The bluette picks up the chair she had been sitting on, and props it against the door. "Strange. Just hearing you prattle about things you don't begin to understand shot that whole self-pity thing straight to hell. I suppose I should thank you for that."

There are muffled sounds coming through the other side of the door. Natsuki places a foot against the propped-up chair. "Decent soundproofing," she muses.
(15:09:32): Suddenly it seems like a good idea to loiter around Haruka's own chair, in case she needs to hurl a heavy object in the general direction of Natsuki's head in the near future. She takes up a position next to it, on hand resting on its back. "This is the part where you tell me everything you wouldn't tell the cops, right?" she asks, apparently in all seriousness. As long as you ACT like you're still in charge everyone else will fall in line, right? Right. It's always worked before.
(15:16:45): "You really are something else, Suzushiro," Natsuki says with a crooked smile, before her face darkens. "Don't get in my way."

She suddenly removes the chair, and the door flies open. The first cop rushing inside runs straight into the backswing of Natsuki's chair. Even as he drops, she lunges forward, kneeing a young officer in the gut and disappearing into the corridor.
(15:18:51): "HEY!" Ignoring the warning, Haruka darts into the corridor after her, pretty much ignoring the fallen cops (hey, getting hit once in a while is part of the job description!) She's not about to stop until she catches up to the other girl.
(15:22:42): The officer is still conscious, and protests as Haruka steps on him on her way out. However, this places her in a position to see Natsuki facing off Detective Oiishi. He has a gun drawn at the rampaging girl, but she ducks behind his arm, striking at his joint, and spin-kicks him in the head. As the cop sags to the floor, dazed, Haruka sees Yukino leave the observation room.

Her friend looks terrified, taking a step back when her eyes meet with Natsuki's. The latter bends down to pick up Oiishi's gun.
(15:25:43): Haruka should've brought that chair with her! It'd be easy enough to bring it down on Natsuki's head as she picks up the gun. Oh well, too late now. Good old-fashioned catfight looks like her only option. She lunges forward at full speed, trying to tackle Natsuki and take her to the ground.
(15:29:38): Stars. An explosion of stars.

Haruka comes to at the sound of hurried footsteps, instantly realizing she lost consciousness. Recent events are a jumbled blur.

Yukino's worried face comes into focus, occupying much of her sight.
(15:32:05): "...Yukino?" Haruka manages after a moment. "Natsuki spontaneously comploded, I think..." she mumbles, still in a daze.
(15:33:21): "Oh, Haruka-chan," Yukino mumbles. She reaches for Haruka, helping her settle into a sitting position. "Are you alright? You hit your head really hard against the wall."
(15:34:27): "Oh, is that what happened?" Haruka murmurs. She reaches up to make sure her head is, in fact, actually still there. It's hard to tell at the moment; it could just be a throbbing lump of pain convinced it was still her head.
(15:36:18): There is a nasty bump to corroborate Yukino's story.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," a familiar male voice says. Detective Oiishi is crouching by Haruka's side. His expression is pained, and he's holding a wet handkerchief to the side of his face. "Ah, that would leave a bruise," he adds, removing the cloth. Haruka can concur that it does seem quite likely.
(15:38:25): A glance around the room. "Where's Natsuki?" The obvious answer being that she got away, Haruka turns to her friend. "Yukino, didn't you try to stop her?" Yep, never mind the fact that Natsuki took out three cops on her own.
(15:39:32): "I--I tried, Haruka-chan," Yukino says hesitantly. "But I'm sorry! I let her get away in the end!"
(15:41:57): Haruks struggles to her feet, wincing as her head spins. Or maybe the room itself is wobbling. It's hard to say. "You--ugh--you have to be stronger, Yukino, or people will walk all over you." It has to be said, even at a time like this. "Detective Oshii, she's not about to escape from a building full of police officers, right?"
(15:44:26): "I'm afraid she already has," Oiishi says, steadying Haruka as she stands up. "The Kuga girl was trained well. Tell me, Suzushiro, is that normal for your school?"
(15:46:07): "Well, they definitely make us run a lot of laps in gym," she mutters, rubbing her head. "I don't remember combat training being part of the curlicue. I should look into that."
(15:48:06): "Curriculum," Yukino murmurs quietly by her side. At least she seems to have recovered, if she's correcting Haruka again.

"Gym, you say," Oiishi repeats dubiously. "Do you know where Kuga is headed?"
(15:52:03): Haruka shakes her head, which proves inadvisable. "No...but I'd keep those guards posted at the hospital, just in case," she says, picking up her usual trait of ordering people who aren't actually subordinates. "Of course, I'll go back to Fuka and alert my men to be on thye lookout for her," General Suzushiro adds.
(15:54:09): "You believe that now that she's been caught, Kuga would try to eliminate any witnesses?" the detective asks in surprise. "It doesn't make much sense, not with the evidence against her, but she doesn't seem to be acting entirely sane...."
(15:55:40): She shrugs. "She might want to see her friends for other reasons. Tokiha, for one. I don't know, it's just an idea."
(15:58:14): Oiishi nods, appearing to think about it. "Yes, it does make sense. You certainly have a way with words, Suzushiro. I'll dispatch a patrol to the academy in case she goes back there as well, hmm?"
(16:01:23): "Sure," she agrees, still a little wobbly on her feet (she's been running around all morning with very little to eat) but not about to show any sign of weakness. "Yukino? It's time to get back to Fuka. We're in a state of emergence here: no one leaves, and anyone coming back in doesn't go out again."
(16:02:36): "Emergency, Haruka-chan!" Yukino exclaims. "And you shouldn't be going back! You should be resting, or you'll collapse again! Have someone at the hospital take a look at you!"
(16:03:59): Haruka thinks a moment, remembering the last visit to the hospital. "I'm not sure we want to go back there, Yukino. They didn't want us to leave last time. Needles, remember?"
(16:04:46): "I'll take the needles if you'll just get some rest!"
(16:06:49): "There's no time to rest!" she intones. "Leadership does not afford such luxuries. I--whoa--" Taking a step forward, she falters and catches herself against a wall.
(16:09:18): Yukino looks very sad. Haruka is momentarily taken aback; her friend hadn't seemed that way ever since she had saved her from bullies for the first time. Was that in kindergarten?

"Maybe you should listen to your friend, here," Oiishi says, stuffing his handkerchief into a pocket after wringing it out over the floor. "My men are professionals. They won't let Kuga back into the school."
(16:10:59): "Fine, fine," Haruka concedes, relenting for once. Unwilling as she is to ever sit idle, what else can she get done right now? Granted, she intends to corner Yukariko as soon as she gets back to Fuka...
(16:20:13): Detective Oiishi arranges for an escort to the hospital, which manages to resolve any problems Haruka and Yukino might have had with the staff. Haruka is admitted for observation, kept overnight despite her protests, while Yukino takes the empty bed in Haruka's room.

It is late morning on Sunday when Haruka is finally discharged. Her bump remains, hidden as it is by her hair, but other than that and the dressed bruise she had discovered on her solar plexus -- where Natsuki had elbowed her, according to Yukino -- she is fit to go on.
(16:34:44): First priority: get back to Fuka and impose some sense of order on the place (no doubt it's totally slipped into anarchy with the executive committee away for so long). Once she's checked in with her subordinates, found out whether any other strange events had happened and so on, it'll be time to interrogate Yukariko. And no amount of creepy latin chanting will get her out of an explanation this time! Of course, if any of the other students involved in the incident in town are back at school, she'll also want to talk to them.
(16:36:30): As their cab takes them to Fuka Academy, the first thing Haruka notices is the students coming and going, laughing and generally enjoying their weekend. Squad Eight stands a bit off to the side, observing the proceedings but otherwise not interfering in any way.
(16:38:48): What the--? "Yukino, I thought I said to keep everyone within the school grounds. It's for their own safety! We can't let people wander to and fro like this."
(16:39:20): Yukino shrugs, looking confused. "That's what I told all the squads, Haruka-chan...."
(16:41:35): Well, there's nothing for it but to march up to squad eight and -demand- an explanation. "Hey, you guys!" she shouts. "What do you think you're doing? My orders stand even when I'm not standing, you know!"
(16:45:51): "Yes, Ma'am!" the all bark as one. "But Vice-President Kanzaki wanted to know what was going on when he returned and, well...."
(16:47:45): Haruka scowls. "I see. And where has he been this whole time?" she wonders aloud. Clearly everything falls apart without her around. Kanzaki is far too lenient!
(16:49:39): "Uhh, Ma'am, we... didn't ask?" The bespectacled leader cringes, but holds his ground bravely, even as the other four members move half a step back.
(16:50:45): "Alright, well, where is he -now-?" she barks, meaning to take up the whole matter with the vice president (well, president now--clearly word about Fujino hasn't got around) as soon as she can find him.
(16:51:34): They look at one another. "The student council room?" one of the boys ventures.
(16:53:05): Well, that's a decent place to start. Off she goes to the student council room, with Yukino (presumably) in tow.
(16:54:04): Yukino is never too far behind.

Vice-President Kanzaki Reito is indeed in the student council room. He sits behind Shizuru's desk, looking up something at her laptop. A steaming cup of tea is set out on the table by his side.
(16:55:39): "Kanzaki!" Haruta says upon entering, practically spitting the name as though it was an accusation in itself. "Why have you countermanded my orders and allowed the students to leave campus? Do you have -any- idea what's happened the past couple days?"
(16:57:51): "Now, now," Reito says softly, turning to face Haruka and Yukino. He raises his tea cup, offering it in Haruka's direction. "Why don't you pour yourself some tea?"
(17:04:04): This prompts something akin to an explosion from Haruka. "Tea? What is it with you people? Always calm, always sitting around drinking. This is not how to responsibly address the duties of elected office. If I was the president--argh!" She fumes for a moment, then forces herself to calm down. If he was away from the school for days, this is kind of understandable. Kind of. "Okay. Here's the situation: president Fujino is dead, the police had Kuga in custody for the killing until Kuga beat them up and broke out, Senoh and Harada are still missing, and squad three are in comas at the hospital. This is not the time for tea. Do you undertsand?"
(17:05:16): Reito's tea cup drops to the floor. It breaks, hot liquid splashing all over his shoes. "What?" he asks, without his usual aplomb.
(17:10:17): That's better! Kind of. "It happened yesterday, in town," Haruka says seriously. "I don't know all the details yet. I was in the hospital myself until this morning because Kuga went berserk when I tried to ask her about it. I haven't made an announcement abouit it yet, but you see why I wanted to keep all the students here?"
(17:12:04): Reito regains his composure, as something... authoritative, for lack of better word, seems to come over him. "And needlessly fuel everyone's paranoia?" he asks Haruka, leaning back in his chair. "But moving on, was there some reason why I wasn't informed of any of this?"
(17:15:22): "Reason? You mean, aside from you not being here when it happened and me being in the hospital until this morning? I'm sorry I'm not telepathetic." Setting her belligerence aside for a moment: "Look, something strange is going on in this town, and the students should be kept here, safe, where we can keep an eye on them. I don't understand how this is hard to understand."
(17:17:23): "You do have my number," Reito points out. "You insisted upon having it, in fact, denying that it was in fact for personal reasons." A slight smirk appears on his face. "Perhaps, however, you are right. The students should be here so that they could be protected from Kuga-san by you...." Reito trails off, frowning. Haruka has a strong feeling he's acting. "Didn't she put you in the hospital during her escape, you said?"
(17:23:06): "Not just from Kuga, from..." She gestures vaguely in the air for a moment. "Look, don't play around. Kuga's not the only problem. Two students up and disappeared and they still haven't been found. Someone said they saw an angel attack a dorm! If the students aren't moving around, it's easier for us to spot anything out of the ordinary. It's that simple."
(17:23:51): "I would think spotting an honest to goodness angel would be easy regardless of student movement," Reito counters. Yukino shuffles her feet by Haruka's side.
(17:26:05): This provokes a scowl. "Alright," she says, with a suggestion of finality in her tone. "Alright, sit here and drink your tea. I'll sort everything out myself, as usual."
(17:28:50): "We won't be interrupting the students' regular lives with nonsense about angels," Reito says firmly, the tone of his voice giving Haruka pause. "I will contact the police and private firms for the extra security we need as long as Kuga-san is at large, but there will be no ridiculous blockades, certainly not self-imposed." His lips twitch in what might be amusement. "Feel free to impose a curfew if you wish, however."
(17:31:04): "I will," Haruka says, almost grinding her teeth as she speaks. "Thank you for your help, -president-," she adds, storming out of the room before he can get in another word. She stops some way down the hall, fists clenched. She desperately wants to kick the wall right about now, but that would be damaging school property.
(17:32:23): Yukino is suddenly there, waving her hands placatingly. "I'm sure it was just the shock, Haruka-chan," she tries to console her friend.
(17:35:36): "He was smirking at me," Haruka growls. "Smirking! Of all the the--ergh!" She smacks her fist into the opposing palm with this incoherent outburst, hard enough to actually hurt her hand, but she barely notices. "Okay," she starts, after calming down a little. "If he's not going to lift a hand to sort things out, we'll do our own instigating. And I know just where to start."
<--->

[Corwin]

<--->
[21:02] The church, a last refuge for those overwhelmed by their impassioned youth. Sister Yukariko is not praying when Haruka and Yukino turn up for a visit, instead mopping up the aisles.
[21:04] "Sister Yukariko?" Haruka says, striding down the aisle. "Can we speak with you?" She peers around the church, hoping to find it empty of listeners. "In private if possible?"
[21:08] "Oh, of course," the nun says with a smile, gesturing off to the side. As she walks across the church, Haruka notices that she is being lead to the confessional.
[21:10] Well, that's not exactly what Haruka meant, but...you know, it might work. Though she can't help but feel that maybe Yukariko should be the one confessing here.
[21:12] "Have you decided to accept Jesus as your savior?" Sister Yukariko asks, once they are inside. Her hands are clasped in elation. "To embrace Him to your bosom? To love and cherish God?"
[21:13] "Sure thing," Haruka agrees.
[21:16] "Oh, how glorious!" Sister Yukariko exclaims. "Let us sing a song to the Lord!" Without waiting on Haruka, she begins a religious hymn of some sort. Haruka doesn't really understand Latin, but she assumes it is one. Probably. It is also being sung really off key.
[21:17] Dammit all, not again. "Sister--SISTER YUKARIKO!" She practically has to shout to be sure she's reaching the woman. "I have a sin that I must confess!"
[21:18] The hymn pauses. "I will listen to your sins and accept them, as Jesus teaches us!" the nun responds perkily.
[21:20] "I am guilty of...jealousy!" Haruka admits. Her attempts at instilling the proper drama in this phrase are pretty damn bad, but it probably won't take much to convince Yukariko.
[21:20] Sister Yukariko nods gravely. "Go on," she invites Haruka.
[21:22] "Someone I knew and worked with held a higher rank than me and I felt it undeserved. Her name was Shizuru..."
[21:23] There is a pause. "Was?" the nun asks carefully.
[21:24] Oops! Well, sometimes even a total lack of tact can nudge someone in the right direction. Haruka looks up at the grate between the two of them. "She was killed yesterday, Sister."
[21:25] The nun gasps, making a cross in the air. "Oh, how drea-- oh, just--"
[21:27] "Sister?" Haruka sidles right up to the thin wall between them. "Are you alright?"
[21:28] Sobs are Haruka's answer. "Oh, Lord, how you test us!"
[21:29] "Sister, please listen to me. The Lord helps those who help themselves, right? I don't know what happened, but I'm trying to find out. I think you can help me. Are you listening?"
[21:30] The nun doesn't answer, but Haruka sees her nod behind the screen.
[21:33] "You told me that you and her talked about something, about the 'dark ones' or whatever threatening the school. Whatever Fujino knew, she can't tell us anymore. I'm responsible for the students now, so I need to know. I need to know everything you can tell me that would help keep them safe."
[21:37] "After... after the attack on Mimi--" Haruka vaguely recalls that to be a choir girl attacked by a 'vampire'. "--I kept on blaming myself, because I should have been there for her, walking her back to the dorms," Sister Yukariko begins recounting. "I prayed to God for an answer, and when another girl almost became this monster's victim, God answered!
[21:39] He granted me the powers to face the creatures of the night, a divine weapon to use against them!" She shudders. "But I was afraid, too afraid of the responsibility that came with that gift. It took Fujino-san explaining what it meant to me, and got me to embrace it. I could not well deny my nature, the one God gave me."
[21:40] "What is it, Sister?" Haruka presses, not having the slightest clue what the nun's talking about, but not about to stop her when she's spilling the beans. "What is this power? Fujino knew about it already? How?"
[21:43] Sister Yukariko raises her head to look straight at Haruka. The determination in her eyes isn't different from normal, but it seems that this time, there's something else mixed with it. She steps back in the small space, and stretches out her hand towards Haruka's face, almost touching the divide.
[21:43] In the darkened confessional, Haruka sees it instantly. Fireflies band together, appearing all over until they have formed an intricate, white bow. Sister Yukariko's other hand is holding a notched arrow. It is pointed straight between Haruka's eyes.
[21:45] Well, that's a little unnerving. Or it would be to most people. Haruka, of course, is -totally- secure in the knowledge that the nun has no reason to shoot her and therefore will not. More pressing is the question of "How the hell did she do that?" which she promptly asks the nun (though without the profanity, of course).
[21:47] Before the nun can answer, Yukino runs into the confessional! She shoves by Haruka, pushing her back with her right arm, and glares at Sister Yukariko, who seems taken aback by the bespectacled girl's fury. "Leave Haruka-chan alone!" Yukino demands.
[21:49] Haruka does her best to hold the (surprisingly determined) Yukino back. "Yukino, wait, we were just talking!"
[21:51] Yukino is immovable. Sister Yukariko takes another step back, taking her out of the booth, the bow faltering and finally fading away. She then turns and runs away into the depths of the church.
[21:53] "Sister Yukariko, wait!" Haruka does her best to struggle away from Yukino and out of booth; the bookworm can't be as strong as Haruka, can she?
[21:56] It's strange, but when she was trying to move ahead, Haruka simply found that she couldn't. Leaving the confessional, however, meets her with no resistance. The nun had run away, although Haruka can hear her receding footsteps echoing within the building.
[21:58] Haruka bolts after her, following the sound of the footsteps. This is the only real lead she has right now, and she's not gonna let it get away!
[21:58] Haruka catches Sister Yukariko's trail as the woman slips into her room, bolting the door afterwards audibly.
[22:01] Haruka hammers her fist against the door until it goes numb. "Sister Yukariko! Come out of that room right now! Or let me in! One or the other!"
[22:02] "What more do you want?" Sister Yukariko's voice comes through the heavy wooden door, slightly distorted.
[22:06] "I need to understand what killed Shizuru!" Haruka yells through the door. "The police arrested Kuga; Shizuru was shot but Natsuki didn't have a gun. I--" She recalls the mysterious bow she just saw in the booth, and two trains of thought collide. "Oh."
[22:10] "Fujino-san warned me of the anti-Christ," Sister Yukariko whispers, Haruka having to strain to hear her. "The devil in a young boy's body, the evil puppeteer behind the scenes. She told me to close myself to his lies and believe in the Lord's salvation. For her sake, I will! I will redeem the strayed sinner Kuga Natsuki!"
[22:13] Haruka presses her ear to the door, increasingly confused by every word Yukariko says but intending to push for as much information as possible. She can sort it out later, if need be. Maybe Yukino could make some sense of things. "Okay, that's good, only Kuga wasn't reasonable last time I saw her..."
[22:14] Latin chanting is Haruka's only answer. Sister Yukariko is praying, and quite fervently at that.
[22:17] Haruka leans against the door and sighs. Well...that was *kind of* helpful. "Devil in a young boy's body?" That's probably just religious babbling, even if it did come from Fujino. Trying to get anything else from the nun is probably a lost cause, so she turns back down the hall to find Yukino, mentally banging into a wall all the way:
[22:18] Natsuki shot Shizuru, but she didn't have a gun on her. Natsuki shot Shizuru but she didn't have a gun on her. ...There's probably something there.
[22:19] Yukino waits for her in the main hall of the church, looking worried. "You should be more careful, Haruka-chan!" she admonishes. "When someone pulls a weapon on you, you can't just stand there and wait to be attacked!"
[22:21] "Yukino, she's a nun, she can't attack anyone." Satisfied with this unassailable logic, she continues unabated: "How'd she do that, anyway?"
[22:22] "I didn't see how she did it," Yukino responds, ducking her head.
[22:23] "You didn't," Haruka repeats blankly. Well, Yukino couldn't have seen it, she was outside the booth. Wait a minute. "Hey, how'd you see her do it in the first place?"
[22:24] "There was a flash of light from inside," is the mumbled answer.
[22:27] Haruka nods. "Okay, I guess that makes sense." And that must be true. Yukino wouldn't lie to her, would she? "This doesn't make any sense. Yukariko said that Fujino said that the antichrist was coming as a devil in a young boy's body. But that's just crazy." Of course, trying to reconcile this flat dismissal with a bow magically appearing in the air is difficult.
[22:28] "Was that what... Fujino-san said?" Yukino asks, stumbling over the president's name but continuing bravely nonetheless. "Maybe what Sister told you was what she wanted to hear."
[22:30] "Maybe. So what did Fujino actually say?" Haruka wonders aloud, turning to Yukino and clearly hoping she can make some sense of all this psychobabble.
[22:33] "A warning about a young boy?" Yukino ventures.
[22:37] "There are a lot of those here. Can we really check every one of them?" Then she gets that glint in her that suggests an Idea has afflicted her senses. "Maybe we should! We could interview every boy on campus until we find the culprit. It would take a while to interogative everyone, but anyone innocent would have nothing to be afraid of, right?"
[22:41] "It would start a lot of rumors, Haruka-chan," Yukino says, blanching. "Really, really bad ones."
[22:44] Haruka frowns. "Alright, but we have to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Watch for troublemakers and have the squads report any unusual behavior to me. Kanzaki might not let me lock this place down, but the curfew remains in effect."
[22:44] "Of course!" Yukino readily agrees. She also seems quite relieved.
[22:46] Haruka nods decisively. "Alright, let all our men know. And I need to know if Tokiha and Nao have returned to school. Them and...who was the other one? Akira?"
[22:50] "Okazuki Akira," Yukino dutifully fills in. "He and Minagi Mikoto were with the Tokiha siblings and Yuuki-san."
[22:51] Another nod. "Right. I need to know which of them have returned to school. I want to see any of them we can find in medias res."
[22:53] Yukino looks surprised to hear the expression, but merely ducks her head again. "I will instruct the squads to be on the lookout."
[22:55] "Alright then. Now we watch...and wait." She glances around the "command center." "How are we on snacks, Yukino?"
[22:56] "Full stocked up, Haruka-chan!" Yukino reports, seemingly her old self again.
[23:05] So, Monday morning. Fujino's death would have to be mentioned sooner or later, and Haruka doesn't see much need to put it off any longer. Would it be better to make the announcement in the morning and have everyone bummed out during classes, or in the afternoon, thus sending everyone to their dorms depressed? Maybe it would be best to cancel classes for the day. That might not be within Haruka's authority, but when has that stopped her?
[23:10] Haruka calls for the student body to gather in the auditorium late in the day. It should be the last thing the students do before being dismissed for the day. Ostensibly the meeting is about "the events of the weekend." And, well, that's pretty much true.
[23:14] If she expected Reito to oppose her on this, it doesn't happen. The announcements go through the system, and entire classes are taken by their homeroom teachers, grumbling copiously along the way but following the student council's dictacte nonetheless. Haruka can overhear quite a few complaints that President Fujino wasn't the one who called the assembly, or that she isn't seen on the stage.
[23:18] No, that would make for quite the unpleasant atmosphere indeed. Haruka waits for the auditorium to fill, waiting to one side of the stage in the meantime. For once, she's a little apprehensive about speaking in public--just a little, but she's never had to announce someone's death before. The whole experience is rather new and strange, really.
[23:19] The new president, although only he, Yukino and Haruka know of that, is standing in the first row, a bit to the side. He nods slightly at Haruka.
[23:23] Well, showtime. Such as it is. Haruka ascends the stage, walks to the podium, and adjusts the microphone (whether it needs it or not). "Good afternoon," she starts, more serious (and probably much less belligerent) than the students are probably used to hearing her. "I'm sure those of you who weren't here during the weekend have been hearing rumors. I'm here to put a stop to them."
[23:26] "You might've heard that there was a fire at the school on Friday. This is true. It was consigned to one dorm room and we're treating it as an accident until we know anything concrete. The students inside were not harmed. That isn't why I brought you here, though."
[23:29] "You may also have heard that there was an incident in town. -This- is why I've brought you here. An unexplained explosion struck the city park on Saturday. Several students were present and some remain hospitalized. Noe one was killed by the blast, but..."
[23:33] "Some of you are wondering why President Fujino did not call this meeting herself. It is with great sorrow that I tell you that President Fujino was involved in an alteration at the hospital afterwards and killed. Police are investigating and suspect another student was responsible."
[23:33] "This is all I can tell you as of this moment, but I know we can all agree that this is a terrible tragedy for Fuka Academy."
[23:34] The murmurs spreading through the auditorium erupt into yells! The cacophony is instant and total. Cries of disbelief and actual crying mix with angry shouts and people gossip at the top of their lungs, shouting over their neighbors to share some all-important tidbit they and only they know, which is somehow relevant. Through it all, Yukino is trying to reign in the crowd, not having much success.
[23:38] Haruka, on the other hand, has a microphone. "Quiet!" she announces, stern but with just that suggestion of force which implies she can be a whole lot more unpleasant if she needs to. "This is not the time for discord and disorder. We should mark Fujino's passing with respect and peace, not murmured rumors in the hallways."
[23:41] Haruka has to work for her money, microphone or not, though it does help even things out. The crowd's noise level become just barely manageable, again.
[23:47] "I asked for SILENCE." Haruka belts into the microphone, loud enough for screeching feedback to ring around the auditorium. "Enough idle chatter. The person next to you doesn't know any more than you do," she says to the crowd in general. "No one knows the full story. As soon as I do, I'll tell all of you. I won't see Fuka Academy disintegrate into a handful of gossips. We should be united right no, even if only in grief.
[23:51] "Suzushiro is right," Reito announces, coming onto the stage with a wireless microphone of his own. "We should unite in these difficult times, and have a moment of silence for our dear, beloved president."
[23:53] Haruka narrows her eyes a tad at seeing Kanzaki break in, but...he is the new president. They should hear *something* from him. Haruka nods in agreement and lowers her head to set a good example for the audience.
<--->

[Corwin]

(15:09:18): <--->
(15:12:12): A moment of silence. Haruka lowers her head, and she doesn't need her eyes to know that many if not all students follow her lead. The sounds of sobbing fill the auditorium, lending it a somber air. An air that is shattered when someone shouts, "There was a gunshot!"
(15:21:49): Haruka looks up, tries to home in on the disruptive student. "Excuse me? I think I asked for a moment of silence."
(15:23:28): A redhead in a junior high uniform is high-tailing it towards the exit, causing disruption where she goes. Even as Haruka spots her, the girl escapes the auditorium.
(15:25:53): "Hey!" Haruka barks. "This is a time for us to stand together, not run away!" She turns to Yukino:" Did you see who that was?" she mutters, intending it to be sotto voce, but inevitably getting picked up by the mike.
(15:27:15): Yukino climbs up on the stage, somewhat clumsily, and approaches Haruka to whisper in her ear, "Yuuki Nao, of the junior high section."
(15:28:29): Haruka's eyes widen, and there's barely a moment of hesitation before she leaps off the stage and bolts from the auditorium in hot pursuit!
(15:29:52): The microphone lets an ungodly screech as it is dropped on the ground in Haruka's flight. There is no sign of Nao when she gets outside. The church bell is ringing loudly, incessantly.
(15:30:49): Well, that's as good a start as any! Off to the church again.
(15:33:39): It takes a while, the church being some distance from the auditorium. When Haruka gets there, an officer is on the scene, talking on his radio. The bell is still ringing, and looking up, Haruka spots a suspicious red splatter near the top of the bell tower.
(15:35:30): Oh boy. That's not encouraging. She staggers to a halt next to the police officer. "What happened here?" she demands, hands on her hips. "I'm on the executive committee of Fuka Academy and I need to know NOW."
(15:36:23): He holds up a hand to forestall Haruka's protests, listening to the radio. "Found it," a voice comes from the device. "There's a pulse, but she's hurt badly. Call an ambulance."
(15:37:13): Haruka just growls and darts inside the church. She doesn't have time for public servants who don't acknowledge her authority!
(15:38:49): Haruka scales several steps at a time. Upon reaching the topmost room, she finds another cop crouched over a nun's body. The back of her head is bloody.

"What are you doing here?" the officer asks, finally spotting Haruka. "Go back, kids shouldn't be here."
(15:42:24): "Yukariko!" Haruka exclaims. Then, to the officer: "It's my -job- to know what's going on at this school. How -dare- you tell me I don't belong here! Someone will have to decide what to tell the student body about this and that person's me, so don't talk to me like a civilian! How is she?"
(15:45:10): "Doesn't look too good," he says with a frown. "At least I don't think her life's in any danger, but I'm not a doctor." Truly looking at Haruka at last, he asks, "So who are you again? The president?"
(15:47:10): "I am Haruka Suzushiro of the executive committee," she intones, as if anyone worth talking to would recognize the name. Then, softer: "The president was actually killed on Saturday, so I'm basically the authorities right now."
(15:48:36): He winces. "When it rains, it pours. Who would want to attack a nun?"
(15:50:38): Haruka just shakes her head. "I don't know," she says. Well, the antichrist might, possibly, but it hardly seems right to mention that. "You didn't find anyone else here?"
(15:52:36): "Nothing I'd like to put in a report," he says dejectedly, seeming to forget who he is talking with. "That wound of hers? There's no way she could have gotten it and ended up here. So... what? Someone grabs a nun, flies up with her all the way to the top of the tower, smashes her head against the wall and then flies her even further up to deposit her safely inside?"
(15:54:33): Haruka happens to note that there's also a purpling bruise on Sister Yukariko's forehead.
(15:55:25): Haruka just shrugs. She doesn't have any idea either. "I don't know," she says, opting to climb all the way up the bell tower and take a look around in lieu of any better ideas.
(15:57:03): Haruka climbs atop the bell tower. It looks quite dangerous and slippery there. A strong wind might be enough to displace her, and the ground is far below.

There are deep puncture marks going from the top of the tower all the way down.
(16:01:27): Well, that's not encouraging at all. Someone or something on campus can claw through stone? How the hell do you put out an APB on that? All units keep an eye out for Freddy? Shaking her head, she goes back down to Yukariko.
(16:06:09): Something tells Haruka that warning the campus to be on the lookout for Freddy would not go well, indeed.

"Hey, get down from there!" the cop on the ground calls, causing his partner to look outside and offer his hand to Haruka, urging her to take it.
(16:07:38): Haruka takes it. It's not like she wants to be out there; she just had to investigate. It's for the good of the school!
(16:09:08): "Don't do nothing dangerous, Miss Executive Committee," the officer scolds her. "We've had enough trouble for the day already."
(16:11:37): At the rate things are going, Haruka would be surprised if that's all the trouble there is on any given day. "Something cut into the stone," she says. "All the way down the building. Some of your bellicose people should look at it."
(16:22:43): This gets Haruka a dubious look.
(16:24:35): "I'm not kidding!" she says, sounding affronted. "Take a look"
(16:26:34): He does, although without leaving the safety of the room, showing a modicum of common sense. "Maybe," the cop says slowly afterwards. "There's definitely cuts. So what's your hypothesis? A mountaineer did it?"
(16:28:23): Haruka shrugs. "I don't have any idea. But they weren't there before today," she says, confident in the truth of this statement even if she's never taken the time to parse over every inch of the church before (as she most likely has not).
(16:29:49): The dubious look returns, but the cop doesn't comment. His radio crackles; an ambulance is on the way.
(16:33:05): Haruka has half a mind to accompany the nun there--if the Tokihas are still at the hospital, almost everyone able to give her answers is there. She decides to check in with Yukino first and see if any of the students involved in Saturday's events have been seen on campus (well, apart from Nao--where the hell did she run off to, anywa?)
(16:34:03): And where is Yukino?

From atop the tower, the sudden glow that illuminates the skies is unmistakable. It is bright enough to temporarily blind Haruka.
(16:35:15): Haruka covers her eyes, though too late. "Not again!" she gripes. Did she get a chance to see where it came from?
(16:37:06): It is quite unmistakable. An out of the way building-- does it belong to the junior high or the high school? Haruka never had classes there. There is nothing past it but a flower field Mister Sakomizu is maintaining, and then, the forest.
(16:39:59): Immediately, she's running again. Down the stairs, out of the church, leaving the cops behind, and bolting towards the...incident, whatever it turns out to be. Hopefully she won't be just-a-bit-late for this one, as she always is, and she'll actually get some idea of what's going on for once!
(16:41:03): As Haruka runs, she hears gunshots. They are coming from the dorm Tokiha Mai and Yuuki Nao reside. Two... make that three shots.
(16:43:31): Haruka speeds towards the dorm, then. At least that particular disruption is clearly still in progress. The fact that this puts her in clear danger isn't really a consideration, of course. NO one should be involved in a gunfight at her school and she's going to stop it! ...Somehow.
(16:47:53): Groans. The sound Haruka hears is encouraging, for it doesn't carry the finality of death with it.

Clearing the building's corner, Haruka spots a pair of cops spread out on the ground. One is clutching his knee, while the other doesn't move. While it is getting darker, Haruka can see blood on the first one.
(16:50:21): "Hey, what happened? Which one of you was -shooting- on my campus?" Of course, she then notices that one of the cops isn't in any condition to answer, which is worrisome in its own right. "Who was it?" she asks the conscious one. "Kuga?"
(16:52:32): Through gritted teeth, he nods. "Ken, how's Ken?" the cop asks, gesturing at his immobile partner.
(16:53:04): Haruka kneels down, checks for a pulse. She's hardly a nurse, but surely anyone can tell this much.
(16:53:55): To her relief, this officer merely seems knocked out.
(16:55:13): "He's okay," she says. "Just unconscionable. Now, what happened here?"
(16:59:22): "Wh-- whatever." His breath comes in sharp gasps. "We were stationed in case Kuga tried to get here. And she did, just after that flash. Wouldn't stop, just hit Ken like a freight train. I had to-- had to--"
(17:01:03): "Had to what?" Haruka presses. "What happened? Where'd she go?"
(17:02:28): "Shot her," he responds. "She was armed and dangerous. Oh, so dangerous-- smashed our radious and took our weapons afterwards. You have to get inside, call someone!"
(17:04:59): "Wait, you shot her--and she still got away?"
(17:07:11): The cop's wound looks like it's taking an ever-increasing toll on the man. While anyone should be honored to converse with the leader of Fuka Academy's Executive Committee, his bleeding isn't stopping. In fact, there's quite a bit of blood in the area, Haruka realizes, along with a trail leading off.

"Call dispatch... or Oiishi-san..." the cop requests.
(17:09:35): Haruka rips off her armband and kneels down by the cop to tie it around his leg just above the wound. Hey, that's what people do in movies, right? It should help. "Stay here," she says. "I'll take care of everything." After that, it's time to follow the trail.
(17:13:26): The tourniquette stops the blood, though Haruka dimly recalls that blocking the arteries for too long would lead to amputation of the limb in question. She follows the trail. It unmistakably leads to her original destination.

Haruka is blinded. She dimly realizes that she had been tossed to the ground. The world flashes in a mosaic of green and black.
(17:15:54): Well, hopefully help will arrive before amputation is necessary. Anyway, she has other concernes right now...argh, not *again*! That's her first thought once she's capable of forming them again.

Whoever's running around with the flashbulb really, really needs to stop. Haruka rubs her eyes.
(17:18:19): Haruka had once looked directly at the sun, right after Yukino had told her that it would make her go blind. It didn't, but her vision took time to fully return. Haruka remembers that experience well, now.
(17:21:07): Haruka climbs to her feet, at least, holding her arms out before her and looking for something to steady herself against. No doubt this looks quite silly, but dignity isn't the main concern right now. "Kuga!" she shouts. "I know you're out here."
(17:23:01): She is too far away for her shout to carry all the way to the building, Haruka thinks. But something else does. Gunshots, several of them, two at first and then more. It sounds like an entire clip being emptied, all from her destination.
(17:24:02): Haruka blunders towards the sound as best she can, trying not to stumble headlong into trees.
(17:28:39): "Haruka-chan, over here!" a voice whispers harshly. Hands take her own, pulling her aside.
(17:29:27): Haruka doesn't fight this, just stumbles along with a muffled "Wha--?"
(17:30:55): Something wet is placed across her eyes; a towel, she thinks. "Are you alright? Did someone attack you?" Yukino asks her quietly, making Haruka crouch.
(17:33:50): "Something did...there was a flash of light and now I can't see. Did Kuga come this way?" Something else occurs to her: "Yukino, do you have your phone? There are two wounded officers back there." It doesn't occur to her to ask how Yukino knew what was going on in the first place and got there before her.
(17:34:57): "It's not working, Haruka-chan," Yukino says, sounding desperate even as she tries to keep her voice low. "Nothing is. We have to hide here. I'll keep you safe, I swear."
(17:36:41): Fire alarms are going off in several buildings, Haruka realizes, unseeing.
(17:37:02): Yukino, keep Haruka safe? Didn't it usually work the other way around in the past? Anyway, Haruka tries her own phone, not expecting much. "Kuga's out here, and she's been shot, and--what the hell is going on now?!"
(17:39:34): The familiar signal of her phone turning own doesn't sound. The same holds for when Haruka tries pressing various buttons blindly.

"It's not working, Haruka-chan!" Yukino says in desperation. "You were too close, dangerously close!"
(17:41:01): "Close to what? I didn't see it? Well, I did see it, but then I couldn't see what it was. ...Look, just tell me what the hell is going on here, alright? You've got eyes right now, I haven't."
(17:41:52): "Green sparkles," Yukino says quietly. She shivers, holding onto Haruka.
(17:43:03): A shiver passes through Haruka as well, unbidden.
(17:43:21): "Green sparkles? Yukino, talk sense." What was the girl's problem? Going on about protecting Haruka and then going all weak and clingy?
(17:46:40): <--->

[Corwin]

[19:18] <--->
[19:24] The end of everything. Why does she desire an answer from Yukino? When people become fireflies, a pact shatters. Or is it the other way around? Haruka's mind tries to wrap around that concept, but finds itself unable, shutting down slowly. Haruka's consciousness is drowning in a swamp of foreign thoughts, and she knows she can't hold out for long.
[19:28] Apparently she'd known that all along. Then why'd she ask? Too many questions. Usually the right thing to do in situations like that is bully someone into giving her the answers...that or take a nap. Yes. Naptime sounds good...
[19:31] "Wake up!" Haruka is slapped none too gently.
[19:32] "Mmf. Ow, Yukino!"
[19:33] "Are you still dreaming?" The voice sounds halfways between exasperated and amused. And very, very familiar. "Open your eyes."
[19:34] Haruka does so, though all the while blurting out nonsense before taking in her surroundings. "What happened? Where's Kuga?"
[19:35] Haruka is facing her. "Does it matter?" she asks with a snort. "Forget about Kuga. This is more important."
[19:37] A blink. "What? DO you know how little sense that makes? What the hell have you been doing to our school?"
[19:39] Haruka looks annoyed at the question. "I'll have you know that I haven't done anything but defend it! Where do you come off accusing yourself of such villainy?!"
[19:40] "WHERE DO YOU COME OFF LOOKING LIKE ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" Haruka shouts, clearly having more pressing concerns. Where the hell is she, anyway?
[19:42] Haruka is in an underground cave of some sort, along with Haruka. Pillars rise towards the ceiling, twelve in number. "Are you retarded?" the other Haruka asks her. "Did you really forget everything?"
[19:45] "If I'm a retread then SO ARE YOU. I obviously haven't forgotten everything--I know who -I- am, which is why I'm TOTALLY confused that I'm talking to myself. Whatever you think I should know, I think I never knew in the first place. So quit with the insults and explain yourself, me-who's-not-me!"
[19:49] "Are you sure?" the other Haruka asks her. One of the pillars feels familiar, even though Haruka is certain she had never laid eyes upon it before.
[19:50] Haruka gets up, wanders over to the offending pillar, and raps on it experimentally with her knuckle. Mystical explanations for all this aren't at the forefront of her mind.
[19:52] There is a very strong sense of belonging, a connection formed between them. Now, she can feel herself relating to most of the other pillars in the room, especially the one directly opposed the one she touched. "It's alright if you don't understand everything," her double speaks. "You just need to trust me, because hey, who can you trust if not yourself?"
[19:54] Well, that's a pretty reasonable statement, honestly. She walks over to the opposing pillar and presses her palm against it. "Okay, you make a good case..."
[19:56] Shizuru. The thought comes to her mind, unbidden. "Alright," Haruka's double tells her. "Here's the deal. Lots of things happened, and then they unhappened. And they are happening again. Only I don't like it. With me so far?"
[19:57] "Halfway there," Haruka admits. "Keep going."
[19:59] "Better than I expected," the other Haruka admits herself. "They're gonna be dropping like flies, so I figured, why not cheat? Everyone is. So this is me, cheating." Her outline shimmers. "I can't be here. But you are here. So all's not lost, because in the end, you are me."
[20:00] "Right. So, got any pointers as to what I need to do? Because if anyone should know, it'd be me, right?"
[20:03] "Crush all enemies to the school, of course! Lead Orihime in my stead!" Haruka's double poses righteously. She is translucent now, made of green fireflies.
[20:04] Fireflies, huh? Seems familiar. "What's Orihime?" she shouts, as though speaking louder will make the vanishing Haruka more likely to hear and answer her. The Crush All Enemies part she gets, obviously.
[20:06] Haruka smirks at Haruka, and then, only one of them remains. The other is replaced by a heavy, monstrous mace, floating in the air where she had been previously.
[20:08] Well...that's certainly a crushing implement. It looks too heavy to carry, but maybe appearances are deceptive given that the mace is also floating in the air. Presuming the weapon's intended for her-since, y'know, it -was- her a minute ago--she walks over and tries to pick it up.
[20:09] It is her weapon, Haruka knows instantly. And then she knows no more.
[20:09] "Haruka-chan. Haruka-chan!" This time the voice calling out to her is Yukino's.
[20:10] "Whuzzuh--Yukino! How long was I gone?" she asks, instantly sitting up to attention.
[20:12] Everything is blurry. "Several hours. It's night-time, now." Yukino sounds very worried.
[20:13] "HOURS? That was a long conversation. Or...I guess it would be a monorail, since it was just me talking." She peers around. Has she not been moved during all that time?
[20:15] Everything is still blurry. Haruka doesn't think she sees any bushes, however. "Do you want a doctor to look at you?" Yukino asks. A humanoid outline is facing the seated Haruka. "I woke you up because it seemed like you were having a nightmare, but maybe I should've let you sleep it off...."
[20:17] "This isn't the time for sleep, Yukino!" she says, standing up. "This is the time to CRUSH OUR ENEMIES!" she adds, smacking a fist into her palm. "What happened with Kuga? Where are we now?"
[20:21] "We're at the hospital, Haruka-chan," Yukino fills her in. "When you, erm, fainted, I got some help and we brought you here. And it really is night, so please don't disturb the other patients or the nurses might try to kick me out again."
[20:23] "Alright, but I need to know everything that heppened, Yukino. Did Kuga get away? How is Yukariko? Did the doctors pick up those wounded cops? I have to know what forces are available before I can start making battle plans."
[20:29] "W-Well... no one found Natsuki-san," Yukino responds, her voice hesitant. "But... but one of the officers died tonight...."
[20:32] Haruka makes a fist and pounds it on the hospital bed. "That's it, Yukino, I've had enough. As of this moment, Fuka Academy is officially at war with...whoever it is we're at war with." She gets a faraway look in her eyes, which may or may not be noticeable in the gloom. "I had a vision while I was gone, Yukino--"
[20:34] "I was in a cavern with twelve pillars, and I came to myself and told myself that it was up to -me- to fix things. I need to lead something called Orihime to defeat our enemies. Do you have any idea what that is, Yukino? It was me telling myself, so I'm sure we can trust in it, whatever it is."
[20:37] Yukino's breathing has picked up, Haruka can tell from knowing her friend all these years. "Ori... hime?" she asks, shaking her head. "No, Haruka-chan. And twelve pillars? Talking to yourself in a cavern? Did you hit your head? Oh, I just knew I should've called the doctor as soon as you woke up!" Yukino sounds very distressed.
[20:40] "No, Yukino. This is all true. I've never been more sure of anything in my life," she says. "I am not a mystical person, but this feels right. And there was this huge mace there..." She looks around, as if surprised to not see it there. "It was huge," she repeats, gesturing. "And it would make the whole crushing-our-enemies part a lot easier."
[20:42] "A... mace?"
[20:43] A nod. She waves her hand, as if expecting to make its appearance. "Yeah. It felt like it was mine, somehow."
[20:45] With a flash of light, it does, displacing the air. The mace feels right in Haruka's right hand. Something crashes to the ground.
[20:46] Another nod, this one demonstrating clear satisfaction with this turn of events and barely an iota of surprise. "See? This is it."
[20:48] Yukino is crying, the sound unmistakable. "No... not Haruka-chan..." she repeats quietly in between sobs.
[20:49] "What?" Haruka says, banishing the weapon for the moment (assuming she can). "Yukino, what's the problem? This isn't the time for crying. This is great! The next time someone tries to mess with Fuka, I'll knock them out a window. Assuming I find them," she adds, not having a great track in that regard.
[20:52] The weapon obeys Haruka's every command. Yukino isn't consoled by Haruka's words, however. Narrowing her eyes, the blonde can just barely see the outline of a fallen chair by her hospital bed, Yukino kneeling on the floor next to it. Her hands are covering her face, her small frame shaking.
[20:54] "Yu-Yukino?" The urge to roll her eyes is strong--shouldn't Yukino have grown up a -little- after all these years? But instead she kneels down by her friend and puts an arm around her shoulder. "Look, everything's going to get better from here on out, I'm sure of it. And I'd never lie to you, would I?"
[20:55] This just gets Yukino to cry harder.
[20:56] Hugs work, maybe? There might not be any option but to wait it out and let Yukino get in her share of crying now. It's not like she can do anything else without running around waking up the whole town, and maybe Yukino will feel better afterwards.
[21:00] Hugs work with Yukino, when Haruka is handing them out. It takes several minutes, but the bespectacled girl finally calms down.
[21:00] "Better now?" Haruka asks, without most of her usual bluster.
[21:01] Yukino nods. Haruka's eyesight is getting better, to a point she could probably get by fine with a pair of glasses of her own.
[21:04] It'd better return fully in time, or...she's going to be really upset with whoever's responsible! "Okay, it's time to get some rest, Yukino. We've got a lot to do tomorrow and there won't be time for naps."
[21:05] "Alright," Yukino agrees. She hiccups, and her voice is pitiful.
[21:13] Haruka doesn't think she can fall asleep again that night, but exhaustion takes its toll. Her dreams are filled with images of her classmates dressed as harem girls, while she lords over all of them as the supreme ruler and president of Fuka Academy, a naked Shizuru serving as her throne.
[21:16] Well, after receiving a prophetic vision from herself earlier in the day, how weird can this really be. It's a good thing guilt tends to be suspended during her dreams, so she can at least relish Fujino being put in her place until consciousness returns.
[21:17] But it is not her rightful place, her mind reminds her. Fujino belongs in that cavern.
[21:17] Having a conscience is such a bitch. Oh well.
[21:19] Yukino is sleeping next to Haruka in the bed, just as they used to do as kids. Haruka's vision had stabilized enough that she's merely nearsighted, now.
[21:22] Hopefully she won't have to read anything or drive in the near future. Not that either of these activities are of significance to her in the first place. She sits up and looks for a clock (or a watch, if her or Yukino have one on).
[21:22] Haruka didn't have one, but Yukino was carrying a digital watch. Its screen is blank.
[21:24] Figures. Well, she can at least estimate what time it is by looking outside. She swings her legs out from under the sheet, stands up, and walks to the window (assuming there is one).
[21:25] It's early by the looks of it, but noticeably morning and not one of those ungodly hours of the night. She had spent enough time awake pulling all-nighters to tell the difference.
[21:27] Okay. This is no time to waste time! Enough of that's happened already, so Haruka has every intention of tracking down whatever Fuka students still reside in the hospital and interrogat--er, interviewing them about the weekend's events. She stops and looks at Yukino, still sleeping. The girl would probably worry if she woke up and Haruka was just gone. And she's worried enough already. Haruka decides to wake her before going.
[21:29] Yukino wakes up, rubbing at her eyes with her palms.
[21:30] "Yukino? I'm going to make the rounds and talk to any other students that are still here. Are you feeling up to it? This is the day we turn things around!"
[21:31] "Alright, Haruka-chan." Yukino does not sound particularly excited at the prospect. The right term would be defeated. However, she reaches for her glasses bravely, before putting her shoes on.
[21:33] Good enough for now. Haruka would prefer a lot more enthusiasm from her assistant, but it's a start. It -is- early in the morning, after all. If she remembers correctly, the Tokihas, Ayanokoji, and that Akira kid were here over the weekend. If Ayanokoji's anything like she was on Saturday, she won't be of much help here, so she decides to track down Mai first.
[21:35] Tokiha Mai was not actually admitted to the hospital, but it makes sense that she would be next to her brother, and his room number Haruka certainly remembers.
[21:36] That's where Haruka's going, then!
[21:38] The name on the door informs Haruka that Takumi had not been released from the hospital, yet.
[21:39] Excellent! Well, sort of. Anyway, she'll check the rooms on either side before pestering the boy (wasn't he pretty sickly to begin with? Surely his sister will be more able to give a good account of things).
[21:40] One of them is unoccupied, while the other has an old man that Haruka catches changing. Yukino eeps, covering her eyes.
[21:42] Gah. That's not how you want to start off a day. Well, maybe Mai's in the room with her brother? Could be. Yukino stayed by Haruka's side all night, after all, and they're not even family. She raps lightly on Tokiha's door--a formality, since she opens it at the same time.
[21:46] A green-haired boy is holding a cut apple in one hand, feeding a bedridden boy his own age a piece. The two freeze as the door opens, only their eyes moving to take in Haruka and the blushing Yukino. The first boy flushes bright red.
[21:47] "Excuse me," Haruka starts, with more politeness than she usually bothers extending to others. "I was looking for Mai. Has she left the hospital?"
[21:49] "My sister?" the orange-haired boy half-seated on the bed asks confusedly. "You're... Suzushiro-san, aren't you? Why do you need to see her?"
[21:52] "I need to talk to everyone who was in town on Saturday," she states, matter-of-factly. "As a representative of the executive committee, it's my duty to find out anything that will help us find our missing students. Since Mai was there, I wished to hear her virgin of events."
[21:53] Everyone but Haruka goes into a coughing fit at her declaration. "It's-- it's none of your business!" Takumi exclaims, flushing to match Akira. "You can't just go and ask that-- that stuff, even if you are from the Executive Committee!"
[21:55] "I have a right to know!" Haruka proclaims, unaware of any Freudian slips as always. "With Fujino gone it's my job to keep Fuka safe, and I can't do that as long as I'm kept in the dark."
[21:57] Thunk. An apple slice slides down Haruka's forehead. Takumi looks surprised, as he glances at his empty, outstretched hand. Akira stands up, covering the hospital bed protectively. "You should go away now," he warns.
[22:01] Haruka splutters and wipes her face clean. "Of all the--" She forces herself to be calm (or as close as she can manage). These kids are her charges, after all!  "I don't think you two understand how serious this situation is. The school itself has been attacked twice now. A police officer was killed, as was president Fujino."
[22:03] "Kanzaki's made it clear we can't depend on him to take action, so it's up to me to figure everything out. You don't have to tell me where Mai is if you don't know, but anything you know about what happened Saturday would help everyone back at the school, not just you. I know you're hurt, but this isn't the time to worry about ourselves. We have to work together."
[22:04] "We were too far away," Akira says guardedly. "We only saw the first explosion. That's all we know." Behind him, Takumi gasps.
[22:08] Haruka nods. That's much better! "Alright. Did you notice any strange behavior from Kuga? The police think she was responsible--" for what, she'll just leave vague for now, "--and I'm not sure I can disagree given what I saw at the school yesterday."
[22:10] "For the attack in the city?" Akira asks. "No. It is impossible." He crosses his arms in front of his chest. "Hmph. Can't you even tell that much?"
[22:11] "As I've said, I wasn't there. I can only deduct the facts from what people tell me. So what makes you so sure?"
[22:13] He rolls his eyes. "If you don't know even that, you're wasting our time. Go bother some old folks next door."
[22:18] "We already did. Look, I'm sick of everyone dancing around this big secret and not actually telling me what's going on. You, Yukariko, the other me...Well, that stops today! I know enough already that I'm not going to quit until everything's clear and the problem's solved. So you may as well give up and come out with whatever it is you're hiding, because I can tell you're hiding something."
[22:18] She glances at Takumi. "We can go outside if you don't want to upset your sick friend."
[22:21] "I think you're the upset one," Akira says arrogantly. "The 'other you'? What, do you have a twin?"
[22:25] "...Look, we're not talking about me here! This isn't complicated. I'm going to find out what I want to know. If you don't tell me, I'll hear it from someone else, but it'd be better if I didn't have to. The more stalling you do, the more I think you've got some dirty secret here. There's an empty room next door and we can talk it over alone if you want. So, what's it going to be?"
[22:28] "You've met Kuga, haven't you?" Akira asks dourly. "More than in passing?"
[22:29] "A few times, but I wouldn't say we were friends. She was a loner and seemed to like it. The last time I talked to her was at the police station on Saturday."
[22:32] "Does she look like a person who would set off explosives in the middle of town?" Akira's voice is filled with scorn. "The Executive Committee must have information on the other students. So what do you think?"
[22:38] Haruka doesn't care for the boy's tone at all, but at least he's cooperating now. "The police think Kuga killed Fujino. They also said that Fujino was shot and that Kuga didn't have a gun when she was caught, so you're right about things not adding up. So tell me what I should believe, if you know everything. The last time I saw Kuga, she wanted to take on the world. Maybe she means well, I don't know!
[22:39] "But whatever she's trying to do, she's obviously in over her head, because people keep dying."
[22:41] "Are you retarded?" Akira asks incredulously. "Kuga killing Fujino? What is she, suicidal?!" He snorts. "Cops will be cops, I guess. If they're wrong about this, why believe anything else they claim?"
[22:45] Suicidal? Well, Fujino probably wasn't very dangerous...why would killing her be suicide. She doesn't voice that, though. "Right, well, setting aside all logical explanations, we have an angel attacking the school and -something- gouging chunks out of the church's stone walls. Have you got an exclamation for any of that?"
[22:47] Akira sighs theatrically. "No. Go try your local church. Idiot."
[22:47] "Explanation, Haruka-chan," Yukino murmurs dutifully from behind her friend.
[22:47] "I would, but someone tried to kill the nun!" Haruka shouts, clearly losing her patience.
[22:48] "Wasn't me," Akira says curtly. He looks at Yukino. "How about you?"
[22:50] Bafflement and incomprehension turn Haruka's face into a scowl. then she turns to her friend: "Yukino?"
[22:52] Yukino shakes her head frantically. "Of course not, Haruka-chan! I was with you, remember?"
[22:58] A nod. "That's right," she agrees. Then she turns back to Akira. "Well, look at it this way: Natsuki was shot by the police before escaping last night. I don't know where she is now, but if you *are* her friend, then you should be doing everything you can to help her." She turns to leave the room. "Think about that. You can find me at the school if you remember anything else."
[23:00] "I'll be sure to do that," Akira sneers, but Haruka thinks his voice shakes slightly. Takumi has remained silent throughout this exchange, but a parting glance at him reveals the reason. It might be the first time Haruka had seen someone shocked into speechlessness.
[23:04] Haruka leaves the hospital room, wasting little time before complaining once she's out in the hall. "Oooh, that little brat!" she gripes, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Who's he to insult me like that? I'm only looking out for his best interests!" A sigh. "We'll check in on Yukariko now," she says, setting out for the front desk.
[23:06] The nurse manning the front desk is somewhat hostile to Haruka; the blonde can't remember if she were one of the nurses involved in the debacle that got them nearly-thrown out of the hospital before, but if not, her fame preceeds her in this place. Despite such harsh conditions, Haruka is able to learn that Sister Yukariko is indeed not in any mortal danger, but is resting under police guard and is not allowed any visitors whatsoever. Her doctors had even refused one Detective Oiishi access for the time being.
[23:08] Well, so much for that idea. She may as well visit Ayanokoji while she's there. Not that Haruka expects the girl to know anything useful, but it might not be a bad idea for -someone- to drop in and say Hello.
[23:11] Maya has been discharged that morning, as it so happens. Aside from her temporary amnesia and a few abrasions on her feet which were treated at the hospital, there was no need to keep her as an inpatient. Haruka is told -- by a different nurse that doesn't seem to recognize her, this time -- that as long as her friend comes for her check-ups twice a week, there should be no problems with carrying out a fully-productive, happy daily life.
[23:13] Well, that's one bit of good news, at least. It's probably time to head back to Fuka, then. Isn't she missing classes by now?
[23:18] <--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[16:38] Nao finds it difficult to sleep during the night, but she manages to catch some rest before being woken unceremoniously by the invading sunlight. It makes her eyes water.
[16:40] Nao slowly sits up, trying to rub the water out of her eyes. There weren't any dreams or nightmares tonight, just a very empty, and somewhat uncomfortable sleep.
[16:41] It doesn't really help, although covering her eyes with her hands alleviates the pain until she removes them and tries to look around again.
[16:42] Great. Wearing glasses doesn't compliment her features (and worse yet, they'll probably fall off at an inopportune time.) If they're a little better than yesterday, it'll be enough, but otherwise, maybe she really does need to see an optometrist.
[16:46] As Nao considers her options, she hears more than spots someone arrive at the auditorium. The concept of stealth seems anathema to this person, she feels instinctively.
[16:46] Yuki comes to attention. "Welcome back, Suzushiro-san!" she says brightly, smiling at Haruka.
[16:47] "Too loud..." complains Nao, finding her covers and hiding back underneath them to block away the sun.
[16:50] Haruka strides in and surveys her troops--er, fellow students. "What's the situation?" she demands of her aide.
[16:51] "Everyone staying at... that dorm... has been made comfortable here instead," Yukino reports to her, having recovered from whatever seemed to be ailing her back in the hospital. Yuki nods at that assessment. "We're pretty confident we got the lot of them here, Suzushiro-san, and the rest have been confirmed as staying over with their classmates."
[16:52] At the sound of Yukino's voice, Nao turns over under her covers so she's facing the other way.
[16:53] Haruka isn't quite up to harassing blatantly lazy students just yet, but it'll be on the agenda once she's talked through the situation! "Good," she says. "No one other than Sister Yukariko injured? Did we hear anything from the police?"
[16:54] "They've been awfully tight-lipped," Yuki responds. "That alone should tell us something."
[16:57] Haruka frowns, but the usual Why Am I Not Told Everything rant doesn't quite happen. "Alright. Has Tokiha returned to the campus? Has anyone spotted Nao since she ran out on my speech?"
[16:58] Nao is invisible as long as nobody looks at her.
[17:01] "Nao? Yuuki Nao?" Yuki asks, blinking. "She's right here. Came in last night." Thinking about it, she adds, "Haven't heard anything about Tokiha. Were we supposed to be on the lookout for her, Suzushiro-san?"
[17:02] "I'd like to talk to her," Haruka says. "She was there in town when everything went hardwired. And she just disappeared from the hospital last night, right? What's up with that?" She glances around the auditorium. "But right now I need to see Nao!"
[17:03] "Alliterations," Yukino sighs softly. "She's right there, Haruka-chan," she says, pointing at a blanket-covered form.
[17:04] "it'stooearlygoaway" mumbles Nao, pulling her pillow over her head and apparently trying to strangle herself.
[17:06] Haruka marches right over to the blanket-shrouded form and attempts to yank it off. "This is no time for lollygagging! Fuka Academy is in *trouble* and I have reason to believe you hold vital information!"
[17:06] A fuzzy red-tipped form is lying there. If she squints, Haruka can see that it is indeed Nao, hugging a pillow to her face.
[17:07] Nao rolls over and peers up at Haruka through heavily lidded, extremely bloodshot eyes. "If it happened before last Thursday, I don't know about it," she grumbles, squinting up towards Haruka with a horrific bedhead.
[17:08] The light, it stabs its lances into Nao's eyes and through them!
[17:08] The eyes promptly shut, and with them, Haruka is saved from a vision into something truly hellish.
[17:08] "It happened last night," Haruka says. "Some of it. Other things happened on Saturday." The two of them squinting at each other must look truly undignified.
[17:09] If it does, no one is commenting.
[17:10] "Oh. Well. Someone fired a gun? Yesterday?" she insists, drawing herself to the knees and holding a hand in front of her eyes. "Then there was that weird green light. Uh. I think that's it? Seems like you saw it better than me."
[17:13] Haruka suddenly seems to remember that she and Nao are in a room full of other students. "Look, let's talk about this in private. Hey, Yukino? We've going to the student council room."
[17:15] Nao looks like she wants to complain, but staggers to her feet regardless. She apparently slept in her uniform last night, and it looks pretty rumbled. "Nngh. Sure. Whatever," she manages. "You got a shower in there?"
[17:15] "Are you sure you want to do that, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asks quietly, suddenly by the blonde's side.
[17:17] Bafflement. "What? No? This isn't time to worry about your appearance. The fate of Fuka itself might hang in the balance!" She takes Nao's hand and practically drags her away; she seems to just assume that Nao will follow her automatically. "Yes, Yukino. Now, come on."
[17:18] "'sjust a school," mutters Nao, letting Haruka drag her away.
[17:18] Yukino is following a few steps behind them. Behind Nao, the red-head realizes after a short while. Directly behind her, in fact.
[17:19] "Just a schoo--JUST A SCHOOL?! I've never heard such utter nonsense in my entire life! You should be proud to count yourself a student of Fuka Academy!" Haruka proclaims, pumping her fist in the air.
[17:20] There is a quiet sigh behind the two.
[17:21] Yukino has nothing to fear from Nao, so it's difficult for the redhead not to just laugh. "Do you have to scream? I'm right here, you know," she drawls, unable to summon up anything resembling enthusiasm.
[17:23] "I'm not screaming. I'm enthusistatic," Haruka corrects. "You could stand to learn a thing or two about enthusistatim. Ah, here we are." Well, hopefully. True, Haruka can't see well right now, but she should know how to get to this particular room with her eyes closed.
[17:24] And she's hardly to nearsighted that she would walk into walls. As she opens the door, Haruka finds the room empty, though realistically, she wouldn't expect to see Reito there at such an early hour.
[17:24] Nao doesn't, and wouldn't know where she was if she did. "I'll be as enthusiastic as you want at lunchtime," she yawns, stumbling after the girl and holding her spare hand to her eyes. What cruel genius included all these goddamned windows, anyway?
[17:25] Haruka assumes Yukino will close the door behind them all and just starts with the interrogation immediately. "Right, let's start with Saturday. You were in town with Fujino and the others, right?"
[17:26] "Right," replies Nao, sitting up straight. "It was my idea. I wanted to see what it was like."
[17:27] The windows have curtains Nao can draw over them, at least. Yukino indeed closes the door, coming to stand right in front of it, her hands gathered in her lap.
[17:27] Nao walks over and manages that, finding the dimmer surroundings far preferable.
[17:28] "What what was like?" Haruka wonders, confused. Eh, it doesn't matter. Understanding the inner workings of Yuuki Nao isn't really her goal here! "Okay. So where were you when the explosion happened?"
[17:28] "Uh, which one?"
[17:29] "Either one! Start at the beginning."
[17:30] "Ok. So I woke up on thursday with no memory," replies Nao, musing. "I sort of wandered out the dorm and got lost, but eventually found my way to the school. I beat up Natsuki because she slapped me, and then Shizuru dragged me off into some office and told me who I was. After that..."
[17:30] Nao's eyes only prickle, now. "After that?" Yukino asks.
[17:31] "Whoa whoa whoa. You're amniotic? How'd that happen?"
[17:31] Haruka seems totally unaware of the futility of asking this question.
[17:31] "...after that, I went to class. It was pretty boring," continues Nao. "I mean, it's really easy stuff, but apparently my grades were bad before? Anyway, then we had PE class, and Mikoto and I sort of trashed the other team, and then I fainted and woke up back in the dorm."
[17:31] "Er, I mean, the infirmary. And that's a REALLY GOOD QUESTION."
[17:32] Yukino makes her way to Haruka, and leans over, whispering something into her ear.
[17:32] Haruka waves this away. "Alright, well, go on, we can come back to that one when you remember."
[17:32] Yukino ducks her head.
[17:33] "Right. Anyway, after that, I got my stuff and went back to my dorm. Hung out with Mai and Mikoto a bit. Uh... Friday was pretty boring, can't think of anything there. Oh, yeah! Shizuru moved into my dorm for some reason. I think she felt sorry for me because this Senoh chick vanished."
[17:34] Haruka nods. "We're still looking for Senoh."
[17:35] "Yeah. Anyway, we didn't really talk too much. To be honest, talking to her is pretty hard," mumbles Nao, shaking her head. "Sorry, I don't mean to- anyway. I decided to go to town the next day, because, you know, I'd never been. So I grabbed Mikoto, Mai, and they grabbed a couple of guys, and we went to the park."
[17:35] "We were just messing around for a while; Shizuru went to get ice-cream, and we were playing tag, but then there was some huge explosion! I kinda panicked and ran off with the guys; we got seperated from the others. Had to feed Takumi some medicine, poor guy was having a fit."
[17:36] "We ended up waiting at the bus shelter, but Shizuru came by and picked us up in a taxi. Had to take Takumi to the hospital. We met up with the others there.. oh, right, Natsuki was there, too. She didn't come with us, so it seemed pretty weird."
[17:37] Haruka nods. "I know what you mean, I could never talk to Shizuru either. And Takumi is still in the hospital. He seems to be better now, though that friend of his was a hassle."
[17:38] "So Natsuki didn't leave with you all in the first place? You just met her by accident at the hospital?"
[17:38] "Yeah, that's how it happened. I felt pretty uncomfortable around her... I mean, she showed me around the school and stuff, but I had this impression that we didn't really get on very well. And, well, I did sort of wrestle her in front of everyone..."
[17:39] This bit stops Haruka cold. "Huh?"
[17:40] "Well, you know. Back on Thursday? I was pretty confused, and just wandering around being an idiot. I run into Natsuki, and she thinks I'm just pulling some trick, right? So she slaps me, and I sorta, uh, take her down."
[17:41] "...Oh. Well. Okay. Go on, then. You'd just got to the hospital?"
[17:42] "Yeah. We dropped Takumi off and waited a while, and then Shizuru showed up. We went around the back to chat, because it was kinda noisy. She had some stuff to give me, a debit card, and I had a couple questions about Natsuki and the others for her that.. well, you know. I didn't want to ask in front of them. I go back up without her, she wanted to stay outside for some reason."
[17:43] "I get to the top of the stairs, and go back to sit down. Then... there's this flash, and another explosion. I sorta panicked and ran off with the crowd again, I  mean, I was terrified! Well, no, I'm getting pretty used to it by now..."
[17:45] Haruka shakes her head. "These are sad times, when we get used to spontaneous combustion as part of everyday life. So, what did you do after that?"
[17:47] "I had trouble getting money out with my card after that," replies Nao. "I think it broke, along with my phone, still don't know why. After I got away, I sorta just.. tried to get away from people, you know? I thought there were terrorists around or something like that." She clasps her hands, and her eyes fall to the floor.
[17:48] "I found out later that the buses were taking people on even if they couldn't pay, so I got on one and went back home. It was pretty late. Shizuru wasn't there, but I figured she was still in the city or just went back to her place. I should've guessed something was wrong on Sunday, but... it's still coming back to me. What's weird and what's not."
[17:49] A nod. "I know what you mean. I know exactly what you mean! Every day lately, something terrible happens. I want you to know that I'm working to stop it, and I will not rest until Fuka is safe again! ...And my phone is dead, too. I think everyone's is. Maybe that's part of the conspiracy?"
[17:52] "Ah... really? Yeah, this is... pretty bad. Do you know what's going on? Can you tell me?" asks Nao, blinking up at Haruka with wide eyes. "I'm.. sorry, it just seems like half the people I know keep vanishing on me! That Senoh girl, Shizuru, and I haven't seen Natsuki, Mai, or Mikoto since I got back to school on Saturday..."
[17:54] "I'm...working on it," Haruka concedes, a little taken aback by hearing this kind of outburst from Nao. "And I think you can help. I'm sure Shizuru knew something about what's going on. I want you to think over your conversations with her and try to remember anything, *anything* that might seem odd."
[17:56] "It was mostly just about classes, who I was... there was something about vampire attacks? She doesn't like getting the police involved here when things go wrong?"
[17:58] "Tch. She takes after Natsuki that way, then. Has to do everything on her own. What did she say about vampires?"
[17:58] "Considering what happened to those that did, was she really wrong?" Yukino asks suddenly. "Two-- two are still in the hospital! And they're looking for the third! And it was just one night!"
[17:59] "Not much. There were some attacks, like, I think people were drained of blood or had bite marks or something. And then they stopped. It was a pretty abrupt story.. uh, what?"
[18:02] "Okay, look, calm down! Geez, you don't see me calling the cops right now, do you? Anyway, yeah, the attacks stopped, and Shizuru just said it was dealt with and I didn't have to worry about it. But obviously something's still going on. I think Sister Yukariko was involved too, somehow. Have you talked to her at all lately?"
[18:02] "Talked to who?"
[18:03] "Yukariko. I'm sure she knows something important, but she's in the hospital now and I can't reach her."
[18:04] "Sorry. I don't know that person," replies Nao, shakily. "What happened to her?"
[18:04] "Someone hit her very hard. Officers are now watching over her," Yukino says, her voice a bit harsher than before. "It happened last night, Yuuki-san."
[18:05] "I don't know!" Haruka says, exasperated. "She was attacked, *in her own church*," she adds for emphasis, clearly a great respecter of the sanctity of holy places.
[18:06] "It was a very vicious attack," Yukino adds, glaring at Nao.
[18:06] "How dreadful! I wish I could help you find the culprit... It's ridiculous. A nun would never attack anyone. Especially not in her own church. There would just be no reason for such a henious act! Why, it's a wonder someone so unscrupulous didn't finish the job!" replies Nao, thickly.
[18:07] "Maybe they had to flee before help arrived," Yukino notes coldly.
[18:08] Haruka quirks an eyebrow, not sure what to make of this whole act. "Uh, right. Okay, let's skip to last night. What happened after you left the auditorium? Did you see Kuga anywhere? I know she was here."
[18:09] "Not much. I didn't really see anything. There was that big green flash, but I had got lost around one side of the school by then. More gunshots, too. I ran off and hid in the forest," replies Nao, shakily. "I still don't know what possessed me to run out back then."
[18:12] "Well, I know I ran out because if there's a gunfight on the school grounds, the authorities *have* to put a stop to it." She nods. That's totally straightforward, right? Though, the redhead's motivation probably wasn't the same. Yuuki Nao, concerned citizen--that doesn't match up to prior experience. "Okay, so you saw the light. Did you have any weird dreams afterwards?"
[18:13] "No, no dreams last night," replies Nao, shaking her head, but she seems curious. "Did you?"
[18:14] Yukino looks troubled by the direction the conversation seems to be taking.
[18:14] Yeah, well, Yukino looks troubled by everything! That girl.
[18:14] "Well, yes!" Haruka confirms without elaborating. "Oh, right: did shizuru ever mention something called Orihime?"
[18:15] "Nope."
[18:15] "-wait, what?"
[18:16] "What do you mean 'what?' It's a straightforward question," Haruka says.
[18:16] "Can you repeat the question? I'm not sure I heard it right," replies Nao.
[18:16] Yukino makes a strangled sound, shaking her head furiously as she looks at Haruka.
[18:17] "Did Shizuru ever mention something called Orihime?" Haruka repeats, speaking slowly as though Nao had suddenly become a total retread. Yukino is ignored in Haruka's eagerness to get answers.
[18:18] "You can't tell those things to HER!" Yukino protests, whispering urgently in Haruka's ear. Nao has no difficulty hearing her.
[18:18] "Do you not like me or something?" asks Nao, standing up. "Got something to say?"
[18:19] Yukino's gaze drops down to Nao's hands -- her fingers, the red-head thinks -- before she raises it to glare at her defiantly.
[18:20] "Why not?" Haruka says to Yukino. "I don't even know what it means! What's the harm in asking?" Suddenly, it seems like a good idea to keep Yukino calmed down. "Look, no fightingm you two! There's been enough violet already!"
[18:21] "You're right. There's been enough violence already," echoes Nao, nodding in agreement. "There's only one reason to cause violence, and that's to stop more of it. Don't you agree? That's why I beat up Natsuki, and why I'll do the same to anyone who lays a hand on me!"
[18:21] Those words only serve to place the mousy girl further on edge.
[18:22] "Right, now we're getting somewhere! Yukino, calm down, alrigh--" She turns back to Nao. "Wait, what?"
[18:25] "Orihime. Where'd you hear that? A dream, right?" asks Nao, turning to face the older girl. "What happened in it?"
[18:26] Haruka doesn't see any reason not to go on about it. "I was in a cave with these pillars? And another me came and told me that everything was up to me now, and that I had to lead Orihime. I figure that if I said it, it has to mean something."
[18:27] "Pillars? Like, with markings on them?"
[18:30] As the cave with the pillars is mentioned, two things happen. The immense pain of losing her mother hits Nao all over again, and Yukino becomes pale, taking half a step back. The world suddenly takes a backstage, as Nao experiences a waking dream. The lavender-haired girl is there, reaching out for her. She's asking something, and if Nao focuses, she thinks she can almost hear the words.
[18:31] Haruka, for her part, does not experience anything strange, though her friend's paleness and the glassy look coming over Nao's eyes are difficult to miss even with her gutted sight.
[18:32] Nao stretches towards the girl all over again, her eyes starting to brim with unwanted tears. She stretches a hand towards the ceiling, and her breathing is very short and sharp. "Ka-san," she lilts, her voice cracking.
[18:34] "--live? You-- help-- Accept--" It is no more than a few words, not making much sense together. The girl desperately wants an answer, however, Nao realizes.
[18:36] "I.. I don't know..." moans Nao, stretching for the girl in any case. "What? What do I have to do?!"
[18:41] "Uh, hey, guys? You okay?" Haruka stammers, baffled by the two other girls apparently entering a trance state. Yukino's staring off into space, and Nao's...reaching for something nonexistant. Haruka waves a hand in front of Nao's eyes. "Hey, what's up?"
[18:42] Getting further drawn into the waking dream, Nao finds her senses getting warped. In particular, her depth perception is shot, bringing on a nasty bout of vertigo. The world seems bleaker, while the naked girl burns with color, her hair seemingly alive.
[18:42] "Another chance," Nao hears, pressure mounting on her very mind, assaulting it. "Another chance?" The words are repeated, and she thinks they form a question, now.
[18:43] "Chance for what? Hey, don't leave me out of the loop here!" She turns to Yukino. "What's wrong with you two? ...There *was* something in the water, I knew it!"
[18:44] "C'mon, you two. Hey, don't leave me out of the loop here!" She turns to Yukino. "What's wrong with you two? ...There *was* something in the water, I knew it!"
[18:44] Thud. Yukino drops to the floor unceremoniously, although Nao can barely notice it at the edge of her vision.
[18:45] Nao is hyperventilating by now, but Haruka, at least, can hear her whimper - "I'll take it, just give it all back to me, I - I - I can't stand between two lives!"
[18:46] "Yukino!" Haruka drops down next to her friend--sure, Nao's clearly got her own problems too, but Nao's generally been able to take care of herself. Yukino? No, she needs someone to watch out for her.
[18:47] Images assault Nao's mind, of a cave, of a laboratory above it, of a short-haired woman submerged in liquid in some kind of futuristic tank. The reset button, her mind labels it, and waiting to be pushed. The decision is hers. And then the pressure becomes unbearable.
[18:47] Yukino is unconscious. Haruka is certain she's breathing, however.
[18:49] Haruka pats Yukino on the cheek, that sort of mock-slap thing people do in the movies when they're trying to rouse someone from a stupor. "Hey, Yukino? C'mon!" She turns to Nao, and puts on her best Voice of Authority. That never fails! "Nao! Go back and get the nurse, at once!"
[18:50] Nao leans towards this girl. Is she trapped? Do things need to begin again? Is this the choice Shizuru spoke of? She wants to push it, to accept, to turn the next page.
[18:51] Nao leans... and keeps on leaning, until she tumbles over. Her vision goes grey, spots appearing everywhere across it, and when unconsciousness comes, it is a blessing.
[18:52] "Nao? Nao, hey! Oh, crap."
[18:56] Haruka puts Yukino down--gently!--and storms out into the hall, hollering at the top of her lungs for any student within hearing range to get to the nurse at the auditorium and bring her back here!
[18:57] The nurse doesn't happen to be in the auditorium, Haruka finds out, but the next attempt to locate her at the infirmary works quite well.
[18:58] Good enough! Haruka spits out something resembling a coherent explanation and then brings the nurse back to the student council room. If necessary, she'll flag down a group of her lackeys and have them carry the two unconscious girls back to the infirmary.
[19:01] Miss Sagisawa decides that yes, treating two students that collapsed after having fits all of a sudden would be better at the infirmary, and has them moved with the help of the Executive Committee.
[19:02] Haruka is right beside the two prone girls all the way. She doesn't intend to go anywhere until she's convinced they're okay.
[19:03] They don't seem to be waking up, but the nurse doesn't believe they are in any further danger. What bumps they suffered as a result of falling are expertly treated in that time.
[19:06] Haruka isn't going anywhere! She's had it with people brushing her off and then vanishing just when she's about to get an answer out of them. She's sticking right by her friend (and Nao) until they're up and moving again, and the authorities won't stop her (in part because Haruka doesn't acknowledge any authority above the Executive Committee).
[19:07] No authority figure seems to bother Haruka as she waits, as Yukino and Nao are given empty infirmary beds to rest on. The nurse remarks that she would have sent them to the hospital if it weren't for the recent events, which resulted in overwhelming its capacity.
[19:08] Nao is the first to wake up. It is near the afternoon, when she does. If there had been any classes, they are surely coming to a close, now.
[19:09] Nao sits bolt-upright, lunging for something. Her breathing is suddenly rapid, but it starts slowing down almost immediately, and she flops back into her bed, eyes staring at the ceiling.
[19:09] Haruka is more than glad to not send anyone else to the hospital. It's easier to interrogate folks here. "Nao?" she says, at the other girl's side quickly. "What happened? You went all googly and started talking to yourself."
[19:11] Nao's eyes hurt, despite the modest amount of light in the room.
[19:11] "I saw things," mumbles Nao. "Suzushiro... I did it. I really did it, I'll tell you everything."
[19:12] "It's about time someone said that!"
[19:12] "Wait, what did you do?"
[19:12] "But even that's not much," laments Nao, twisting her head from side to side and seeing who else is around.
[19:13] Yukino is lying on a bed next to her own. She seems to be asleep. Haruka is standing near. They seem to be the only ones in the infirmary at the moment, though the door is opened.
[19:13] "Close the door," she whispers.
[19:14] Haruka does as requested, then returns to Nao's side.
[19:15] "Shizuru was murdered that day," replies Nao, softly. "I saw her killer. Searrs Arika. I'll never forget her face. She was smiling, like it was.. all a game, all make-believe."
[19:16] "Arika?" Haruka stops to consider this. "Arika Searrs...do we have a student by that name? I only know of Alyssa."
[19:16] "Not anymore," replies Nao, with grim satisfaction. "I killed her."
[19:17] Haruka usually leaves such administrative matters to Yukino, anyway.
[19:18] "You--hold on, that's a joke, right? Fuka students shouldn't be killing each other!"
[19:19] "But I'll get to that," continues Nao, ignoring Haruka. "She attacks Shizuru from behind. I couldn't do a thing back then... but I knew. I knew that the others could fight with her, save Shizuru, so I ran up. I ran up the stairs, and told them, and Natsuki destroyed the wall and went to fight..."
[19:19] "...but it wasn't enough. Was it? I saw her get taken away by police.. but she wasn't the murderer! It was Arika!"
[19:21] Haruka has to wonder how Natsuki could just blow down a wall...but stops wondering when she remembers Kuga breaking out of the police station. "...Right. What happened to Arika, then?"
[19:23] "She threatened to kill me," replies Nao, thickly. "Because she thought I was a.. a 'Hime'. I wasn't, not then, but she would have." Was it really such a short time ago all this happened? "Shizuru had told me about a shrine. A place where once, before I lost my memory, I made some kind of contract..." [19:24] "A most cruel contract. I gained power there. More power than anyone should have," she muses, holding up a hand. There's a dull glow, and solid black claws form over her fingertips. Long and cruel, Nao flexes her newfound weapon, eventually curling it into a fist.
[19:26] Haruka shakes her head, thinking to herself: 'Shizuru...why didn't she tell the rest of us? I could've helped. She wouldn't be dead right now!' She steps back in surprise on seeing those claws, but soon realization dawns. "You too? The dream with the pillars, right? I told you!"
[19:27] In case this babbling is unclear in its meaning, time for a demonstration: Haruka reaches out her hand and calls force her spiked mace--which falls to ground with a *thunk* and the crack of broken floor tiles. Oops.
[19:28] "You did it, too? Then you know that price?" asks Nao, raising an eyebrow. "It must've been harder for you than me."
[19:30] "Price? Huh? I just gave it to myself." She shrugs. There are more important things to worry about right now! "This is important. I know it means something. I'm not sure what yet, but I'm going to figure it out!"
[19:32] Nao looks confused, a wonder, given her composure during the rest of the day. "Anyway. That's how it was. On Sunday, I met up with Natsuki. We were going to find Searrs and kill her. On Monday, Searrs joined my class. Imagine my surprise. She even spoke to me. Like she wanted to be my friend. She didn't know the meaning of the word!"
[19:34] "So what happened last night?" Haruka demands. She's having trouble getting past the Killing Fuka Students Is Wrong bit, but Nao having the same dream/ability is a compelling counter. "I mean, what really happened, this time?"
[19:35] "Yeah. I ran out the auditorium, you saw me," replies Nao, thinking back. "I found Yukariko and Natsuki squaring off at the church. Crazy nun was trying to redeem Kuga- get this- by shooting her full of arrows or something. I mean, what the hell? Yeah, I knocked her out. I could've killed her, but I don't do that to people. Not unless they try to off me first."
[19:36] "We ran off, right? Behind one of the school buildings- there was this field of flowers, there. We were going to ambush Searrs later- we figured she'd be coming after me sometime. Of course, she finds me before I find her, again..." Nao sighs, and props herself slightly higher on the bed.
[19:37] "Uh...huh..." Haruka says slowly. This is a lot to process for her! "Wait, was that flash of light you? Is it your fault I can't see right?"
[19:38] "Actually, I'm not sure," admits Nao, thinking back to how the fight played out. "We fought, and she had wings- this angel floating around school? There you go. I can't see straight, either- I saw the flash from point-blank range."
[19:40] The angel! About time that mystery's sorted out. Nao's turning out to be amazingly informative, if all this is true. "Do you have any idea where Natsuki is right now? Oh, and do you know who the Anticrisp is?"
[19:41] "Natsuki showed up at the end of the fight. I gutted Searrs pretty good, but to be honest, Natsuki finished her off," replies Nao. The claws vanish, leaving only her trembling hands. "She'd been shot. I couldn't call for help, though, I was covered in blood! How do I explain that? How do you explain any of this? I think it was the cops who shot her, too!"
[19:42] "My phone was pretty much dead- I think something Searrs did knocked it out. But I ran across Yukino when I was trying to get back to my dorm. What a sight I was. I figured something was up with her when the cops didn't come after me later."
[19:43] Haruka nods. That actually makes sense--the wounded cops she met said they'd encountered Natsuki. She says as much to Nao. "Wait, Yukino? What happened?"
[19:44] "She was hiding, but I called her out. She.. I asked her to call for help. Then I ran," replies Nao, lamely. "She probably thinks I'm too dangerous to be around."
[19:46] Haruka nods again. "I can understand that, you killed someone! I mean..." Haruka's still having some trouble processing the whole story. The Yuuki Nao she knows wouldn't fight to help someone else! ...Of course, the old Nao *also* wouldn't voluntarily admit to killing someone. Dilemma! Finding Natsuki would help to corroborate all of this--unless Nao and Natsuki are lying together! Bah, confusion.
[19:48] Still, Nao's story explains a lot. Not everything! But a lot. It makes more sense to believe her...but she can ask Yukino about that last part when she wakes up. "Alright. Okay. So, Arika was responsible for the explosions in the city too, you think?"
[19:50] "I think so. I didn't see her do them. She said she wanted to kill off us 'Hime', and that might've been a way of calling us out." Haruka can practically hear Nao's teeth grinding. "She would've killed me, Suzushiro. It was me or her."
[19:53] "Well, that's everything wrapped up in a nice little package. Except for the pieces that aren't. Like the whole Anticross thing. And what are Hime? Why would an angel want to destroy them? Setting aside that she clearly wasn't an angel because she was a JERK. I don't believe in angels anyway. Alright, the first thing we need to do is find Natsuki."
[19:55] Nao shakes her head. "There are other things I want to tell you. If you're getting involved, I need to tell you everything. It's the only way to avoid... accidents. There's one thing Shizuru told me about this power."
[19:56] "I took it to defend myself, right? But there was a price. If I fall, or if my Child falls, then the one I care about the most goes down with me. I think it's the same for you." Nao's face becomes determined, and she grips the side of the bed. "So just remember. You're not just fighting for yourself."
[20:00] Haruka looks aghast. "'Child?' You're PREGNANT?" Then the rest of it hits her. The one she cares about the most? Well, if Haruka falls, so does Fuka Academy! But she's always known that. ...Yukino? Haruka shakes her head. "I've always watched out for her before and I'm not about to stop now, so I don't think that changes anything," she says confidently. "All we have to do is not lose."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->
<Nao> "I'm not- no, don't even joke about that!" grouses Nao, pulling herself out of the blankets and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Anyway, yeah. I think so, I mean, it's pretty complicated and I can't really see the big picture. Sure, Searrs isn't around, but I don't think that's the end of it."
<Haruka> "I never joke about anything important!" Haruka insists. "But you're right. Yukariko said something about...'the Antichrist appearing in the form of a young boy.' And supposedly that came straight from Shizuru, so there might be something to it. I wanted to interrogate every boy on campus when I heard that, but Yukino thought it would be a bad idea." Haruka still sounds doubtful of that assessment.
<Nao> "She probably meant Nagi," clarifies Nao, snorting at the description. "He's this blue-haired kid. Shizuru didn't have nice things to say about him, oh no."
<Haruka> "Nagi?" Haruka wonders. "I don't know him. But that's a place to start. If Fujino said so, there's probably something to it." This last is a grudging admission, but it's pretty much apparent that her late rival knew what was going on.
<Nao> "I doubt we'll find him on campus," complains Nao, shaking her head. "Shizuru said that he played us- I mean, Hime, that's what I think we're called- off against each other. There were fights, people died. Were there ever weird incidents around the school before recently?"
* Haruka shrugs. "The vampire stuff, but then that stopped...I can't think of much else. Someone must've been good at keeping it all secret. I mean, look how long it took *me* to find out all this was going on!"
<Nao> "Right. As far as I know, Shizuru and the others wanted to keep a low profile. I don't really blame them... but maybe that was a mistake? Look where keeping secrets has got us so far."
* Haruka nods. "Yeah. The Hime have to stick together!" Not that Haruka is 100% sure on what a Hime actually is, but it seems the thing to say. "We need to find Natsuki if she's one. And I'd like to talk to Sister Yukariko again. Shizuru obviously told her something. Maybe she'll be a little more open when I show her this," she says, hefting that monstrous mace.
<Nao> "Natsuki was one. I don't even know if she's alive! The cops probably know where she is, right? They must have found her, alongside what was left of Arika. I just hope she ended up in a bed- even a prison bed- and not the morgue." Nao can't help but look at the mace with a shred of jealousy. It's not fair!
<Nao> If she's just got claws, and everyone else has big weapons like that, how can she even get clo- oh, well, she still has her Child.
<Haruka> "Well, I can call the police and see if they brought her in last night. Last time they caught her, they called us, but everyone's phone is dead now. They might've tried to call already, actually."
<Nao> "I can show you the place where it happened later, if you want," muses Nao. "Yukino, too. You believe me, right? I couldn't tell you both before, but it's different now."
<--->

[Corwin]

(14:46:35): <--->
(14:47:19): Yukino raises a hand to her forehead slowly, groaning.
(14:47:39): "Yukino!" Haruka exclaims, quick to rush to her friend's side.
(14:49:17): Nao stretches her arms while Yukino wakes up, working out a couple of kinks. Lying down all the time is going to be bad for her, she just knows it.
(14:50:30): Yukino winces at the sound of Haruka's voice. "My head," she complains piteously.
(14:51:31): "Yukino, what happened? Did you have that dream too?" Haruka presses, the very soul of courtesy.
(14:51:53): "Dream?" she asks, confused.
(14:52:39): "The cave and the pillars and the other you? That one."
(14:54:32): "No," Yukino responds, looking at Haruka strangely. "I didn't dream about another me." She's shielding her eyes with a hand, searching for something on a nearby table. Finally locating her glasses, the girl hurries to put them on.
(14:55:18): "I'm pretty sure that was just you, Suzushiro," reflects Nao. "It seems the experience is different for everyone."
(14:56:39): "Oh," she says, sounding a little disappointed. "Well, Yukino, I think we're on our way to cracking the case. Nao knows a lot about what's been happening the past few days."
(14:57:21): "I bet she does," Yukino says nastily. "Haruka-chan, you can't trust anything she says! She's dangerous!"
(14:57:37): "Oh, for the love of..."
(14:58:54): "Yukino, come on! This isn't the time for distression, we have to work together!"
(15:00:31): "I... don't even know what distression means," Yukino says dejectedly, hanging her head. "I-- alright, Haruka-chan. What do you need me to do?"
(15:01:27): "I think she meant 'dissent' or something like that," replies Nao, making an effort to control herself and mostly succeeding. "Look, maybe I'm dangerous, but only to people who attack me, alright?"
(15:02:05): "First, we need to find out what happened to Kuga. Nao thinks the cops might've picked her up again, so we should call them first." She looks around. Is there a phone in the infirmary?
(15:05:20): There was one all those times she visited before, and it hasn't been taken away. The phone sits on the nurse's desk, taunting Haruka with its presence.
(15:05:52): Yukino wilts as Haruka mentions Nao and Natsuki, but doesn't comment.
(15:06:30): Hey, it's normally Yukino's job to remember details like that, right? Anyway, Haruka dials up the police to inquire about their wayward peer.
(15:07:18): When Yukino doesn't reply to her, Nao just rolls her eyes back and flops back on the bed. If the girl doesn't want to listen, fine- she just better not do anything stupid.
(15:09:27): After three rings, the phone is picked up on the other end. "Detective Oiishi here," a familiar voice speaks, static distorting it slightly. "Hello?"
(15:11:11): "Detective Oiishi? This is Suzushiro, at Fuka Academy. Do you have any news on our missing students? Kuga?"
(15:13:02): "Ah, Suzushiro," he says, his voice oily. "I'm afraid I have bad news."
(15:13:37): "Go ahead," Haruka says, voice betraying nothing.
(15:18:22): "From questioning our officers at the scene, we managed to establish that Kuga did show up at the school. The dorm where one of your missing students was staying, in fact." He clears his throat.
(15:18:28): "We found a blood trail leading away from that dorm, and then... it was a mess. It's hard to believe that someone could survive losing so much blood, so we're treating the matter as a homicide.
(15:18:29): A very disturbing homicide, where the killer took the body with them for some reason."
(15:19:48): "...Right. Thank you for the update, Detective."
(15:21:15): "That dorm..." Oishi says, his tone thoughtful. "And the room, in particular. The other occupant is Yuuki Nao-san, isn't it?
(15:21:15): How curious it is, that one of her roommates disappears, the next is found dead, and the person responsible later shows up there...."
(15:22:54): "Yeah, that's interesting," Haruka says blandly. Given how pointless the cops were in dealing with Natsuki, she's got no use for them right now if they have no useful information.
(15:24:28): "You wouldn't happen to know how to contact Yuuki, would you?" the detective asks over the phone. "I believe it would be... very informative, yes."
(15:26:00): "You can always try her cel phone. I'm afraid I don't know the number, though." Not that it would be in working order anyway, of course.
(15:27:29): "Ah, of course, of course," he agrees with Haruka. "Still, for someone heading... what did you call it? The Executive Committee of Fuka Academy?
(15:27:29): It is quite regrettable that you don't have such information on hand. Unless Yuuki had not been coming to school recently, of course."
(15:28:16): "She was never one of our better students," Haruka says, quite honestly.
(15:29:16): "How unfortunate for us both," Oiishi laments. "Still, putting Yuuki aside, there is something else we should discuss, Suzushiro. One of the students in the high school section, in the first year, in fac--"
(15:29:36): Static. The noise is overwhelming, swallowing the detective's words.
(15:30:40): "Hello? Detective." She shrugs and hangs up the phone. "Well, that was useless," she says to the other girls. "They didn't find Kuga."
(15:31:22): Yukino nods at Haruka's words.
(15:33:17): "She must have got away, somehow," replies Nao, seeming somewhat relieved. "That means she might still be alive. Good. Did he say anything about Searrs?"
(15:34:58): "No, he didn't know much of anything. Looks like everything's up to us." Oddly, she doesn't sound upset about this last detail. After all, who's more reliable than Fuka students?
(15:37:33): "There's one place Natsuki might be. If she's not there, well.. she'll probably find me, if she's so inclined." replies Nao, wincing at the memory of how Natsuki was after the fight. "Can you tell me what you guys saw yesterday?"
(15:38:53): Yukino doesn't seem inclined to talk to Nao, even when the latter is apparently addressing her.
(15:39:11): "You saw more than I did, Nao. I keep showing up after the action's over with. Yukino? What happened after that flash of light?"
(15:43:43): Reluctantly, Yukino makes brief eye contact with Nao, before her hands form into fists. "She came and there was blood all over her-- her shirt and hands and everything, and she was crazy!"
(15:45:47): "Oh, yeah, you were asleep when I explained it to Haruka," reflects Nao. "Yeah. Sorry. I killed Searrs Arika. But it's like I said at the time. She killed Shizuru, and she would've killed me! I didn't have a choice!"
(15:45:56): "So what if I was a little crazy?" she continues, looking away. "Anyone would be..."
(15:46:29): Yukino looks at Haruka for guidance.
(15:49:58): "I know it sounds nuts, Yukino, but she's the only one we have right now who saw anything that happened in town."
(15:50:20): She hefts the mace again. "...and we're both Hime, apparently. It has to mean something."
(15:50:58): Yukino turns away. She seems depressed all of a sudden, but at least she's not glaring at Nao anymore.
(15:52:19): Haruka goes to sit down by her friend. "Yukino? You're with me on this, right? We have to look out for each other at a time like this."
(15:53:11): Yukino nods. "Yes, Haruka-chan. I'll look after you," she tells her quietly.
(15:54:06): Nao just shrugs helplessly. "I'm going to go look for Natsuki. Come if you want, stay if you don't."
(15:55:09): As seems to be her custom, Yukino leaves this decision to Haruka.
(15:56:27): She pats Yukino on the shoulder. "Good! Too many students have been hurt already and we stand a better chance of figuring things out if we stay together. So, the first thing we do is head for the last place Kuga was seen."
(15:57:20): "And besides," she says quietly (unusually so for Haruka!), "if you're worried about Nao, you can keep an eye on her this way."
(15:59:30): "I'm not too enthused about going back to the scene of the crime, as it were," replies Nao, uneasily. "I wanted to check out a place in the woods. We could split up for this, actually, and meet back here later?"
(16:00:19): "Or in the executive office. Or wherever."
(16:00:44): Haruka frowns. "We shouldn't split up. Something bad always seems to happen when we do that. Where is this place that you have in mind?"
(16:01:18): "There's a place in the woods where normal people would have trouble going," explains Nao. "There's some kind of magic ward there. If she was hiding, that's where she'd go."
(16:01:36): "We planned to ambush Arika there, away from everyone," continues Nao. "But you know what they say about plans."
(16:04:12): "Alright. *This* plan just means walking there, and simple plans are hard to mess up. So let's go." Yukino, being Haruka's shadow, will presumably be able to follow!
(16:04:47): "Yeah. It's a pretty long way," replies Nao, heading for the door. "It might be fruitless, and you'll be alone with me in the woods after dark. But if you're set, yeah, let's go!"
(16:08:45): Yukino indeed follows meekly a few steps behind, as Nao leads the way outside. The trio don't encounter any other students, though it took a while for Yukino to wake up, and the evening is rapidly approaching.
(16:08:46): The hill is steep.
(16:08:58): Haruka remembers she forgot something in the student council room.
(16:09:20): Unfortunately, she doesn't remember what she forgot!
(16:10:04): It seems to evade her, yes. Whatever it was certainly had to be very important.
(16:11:36): If it was *that* important, she'd remember it.
(16:14:12): The climb is difficult, or should be, but Haruka and Nao don't seem to be having any trouble going through the forest, almost competing with one another.
(16:14:13): A nagging doubt awakens in Haruka. What if Fuka will be in danger without her protection?
(16:15:45): Nao soldiers on, feeling a slight tingle in the back of her mind. "That's it," she remarks. "The fear gets to you around here. Just ignore it and move on."
(16:15:52): Well, that's a risk she'll have to take! Besides, she's out here to help Fuka in the first place.
(16:16:41): Haruka nods. "Okay." She turns back to look at her aide. "Yukino? Are you well enough to go on? You know I can't leave you behind."
(16:18:39): Yukino has managed to keep up, somehow. Haruka's cell phone rings.
(16:19:30): Whoa, what? Wasn't it totally fried? Oh well, no complaints about it mysteriously deciding to work again. She answers it: "Suzushiro here."
(16:21:12): "Ah, Suzushiro." It is detective Oiishi, although he sounds tinny. "We have to meet right away. Where are you?"
(16:21:12): Nao, for her part, sees Haruka hold her phone to her ear and speak.
(16:22:10): "At school," she says vaguely, intent on the hike. "What's new?"
(16:23:21): Nao stares curiously at Haruka, before flipping out her own phone. Come to think of it, she did just assume it had stopped working. And, well, everyone elses had...
(16:23:28): His words are starting to break up, but Haruka can still hear the note of warning in them. "I'll be there in five minutes. Are you in the high school section?"
(16:23:49): Nao finds that her phone doesn't have reception here, if its display is to be trusted.
(16:24:59): "No," she says into the phone. "I'm patrolling the grounds. Can you tell me what's going on?"
(16:25:44): Nao looks weirdly at it, and then puts it away.
(16:27:13): "It is very important that you--" The detective's words become unintelligible briefly. "I repeat, do not leave the campus. Stay constalt--" static "--ounded"
(16:27:14): The content becomes garbled, and the last word Haruka catches before the call ends is, appropriately for the situation, danger.
(16:28:26): Haruka frowns. "We've been in danger for the last week now. What is it this time? Hello?" She shakes the phone around, as if that would help.
(16:28:44): "Nao, how close are we? Something might be up back at school."
(16:28:47): Shaking the phone seems to cause it to go out.
(16:29:06): Worthless piece of crap!
(16:30:28): "We're pretty close," replies Nao. "Who was that?"
(16:31:41): "Detective Oiishi again. Telling us not to leave campus." She snorts. "You don't need to tell *me* we're in danger by this point.
(16:32:14): She does sound worried, but: "We stick together for now, though. Especially since we're close."
(16:33:16): "Yeah. There's probably not even anything here. Wasn't last time," replies Nao, shoving aside her fears and plunging onwards. "We'll hurry back afterwards, ok? We can run pretty fast. Being a Hime has some perks."
(16:33:40): Haruka nods and continues the hike.
(16:33:42): Yukino picks that moment to stumble behind the two, falling to her knees.
(16:34:14): *That* stops her, though. "Yukino?!" She rushes back to kneel by her friend. "What happened?"
(16:35:32): "Oh, I just tripped, Haruka-chan," Yukino responds, smiling at her. The smile looks a bit strained.
(16:36:37): A nod. "Alright, but let me know if you can't go on. I'll carry you if I have to!"
(16:37:15): Yukino ducks her head. Nao thinks she caught a hint of red on her cheeks.
(16:37:30): "It's a pretty tough climb," replies Nao. "Hey, you're not hurt, are you?"
(16:38:16): "I don't think she is. Just a little tired. It takes a lot of work to keep up with me!"
(16:38:21): "I'm fine," Yukino states firmly, getting back up.
(16:40:01): The cave is before them, at last. Nao's senses, already on edge the closer she got to it, go haywire as she takes a step into the clearing around it. Danger, and death, they haunt this place.
(16:40:02): There is a persistent smell of blood.
(16:40:48): "What is this place, exactly?" Haruka asks, a little wary.
(16:41:24): "I've done this before," mumbles Nao, swallowing. Climbed up here, danger, death, she's seen it all! "I don't know exactly," replies Nao. "I should ask Tokiha sometime. I think there was a fight, and.. well, you'll see."
(16:42:17): "Alright, well...let's go."
(16:42:47): "Please, Haruka-chan... don't go in there," Yukino says in a small voice, standing in the clearing. She is shaking.
(16:44:08): "Yukino? C'mon, you've got to toughen up! A Fuka student could be lying wounded inside. It's our responsibility to help her if we can."
(16:44:40): "Besides," she says, putting her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, "nothing can stop us as long as we stick together!"
(16:46:52): Nao moves into the cave, Haruka following, her arm around Yukino's shoulders.
(16:46:54): Blood. The ground is covered by it, and the smell-- the smell of death comes from the torn-up body offered to the visitors like a sacrificial lamb. Could that ever have been a real person?
(16:48:57): Haruka is more infuriated at this scene than horrified. "What the--what the hell? Nao, is that her?" Yukino would probably bolt if Haruka let her go, so she stays put by the entrance.
(16:49:40): Nao stares at what's going on here, wide-eyed, and clearly as shocked as Yukino and Haruka. She staggers against the wall, slowly backing away from the spectacle before her.
(16:49:48): "I.. I don't know," she replies, looking as likely to bolt as Yukino.
(16:51:11): Well, if no one else is up to the task..."Yukino? Don't move, alright?" She leaves her friend by the door, where she can at least stare outside instead of at the body.
(16:51:36): Haruka moves forward to examine the body. Not that she wants to, but *someone* has to.
(16:54:12): Haruka had never seen something like it. This person was beaten all over their body, and then torn apart, literally ripped into little pieces.
(16:54:12): She can only surmise it was once human by a few remaining shreds of clothing, all heavily matted with blood.
(16:56:12): "Let's go," replies Nao, her throat dry. She thinks she knows what happened, and finding Natsuki suddenly doesn't seem like a terribly good idea.
(16:56:28): She can't even teel who it might've been, then? "Ugh. This is terrible," Haruka mutters, backing away. "Nao...this wasn't here before? What do you think happened?"
(16:57:33): Female? Maybe?
(16:58:35): "I'll tell you later," replies Nao, her voice picking up slightly in speed.
(16:58:49): She starts backing away from the clearing and back towards the forest.
(16:59:15): Well, Haruka's not going to object to leaving, that's for sure. She collects Yukino and leaves.
(16:59:36): Yukino is as putty in Haruka's hands.
(17:00:16): Nao doesn't want to talk until they're well away from the clearing and back into the forest, a place that has felt safe to her since the first day she stumbled into it, half-dressed.
(17:01:34): Haruka, on the other hand, practically never stops talking. "When I catch whoever did that, I'm going to clobber them until they can't be clobbered any more. I swear on the name of Suzushiro!"
(17:02:14): "Don't you know fear, Suzushiro?" asks Nao, shuddering. "I'm jealous, can you teach me?"
(17:03:34): Yukino stands obediently by Haruka's side, her gaze vacant.
(17:03:49): "I don't have time to be afraid," Haruka declares, leading Yukino away from the cave. Though she *is* a fair bit nauseous, really.
(17:05:50): "You're an inspiration," mumbles Nao. "You said that cop called you, right? Yeah. Let's get back."
(17:07:06): "Come on, Yukino," Haruka says, noticing her friend's vacant state. "Things'll be better back at school."
(17:11:08): The stench of blood clings to the three as they return to campus. The sun is setting, and Nao spots flashlights in the distance; by the front gate, she estimates. Her eyes also begin to relax.
(17:12:09): "Actually," murmurs Nao. "This is... are those cops up there?" She squints, trying to see.
(17:12:44): Nao has yet to acquire the ability to discern between police-issue flashlights and regular ones, if indeed there is a difference.
(17:13:54): "Probably. Oiishi did call me earlier. Though they could be one of my security teams enforcing the curfew."
(17:14:22): "You know, maybe we should go get freshened up," murmurs Nao. "The... smell. It's pretty strong."
(17:15:18): "Where? Do you have a room off the school grounds or something?"
(17:15:41): "The dorms aren't on campus, right?"
(17:16:40): Haruka apparently forgets that not everyone lives at the executive committee's office. "Right," she says. "Let's go."
(17:19:19): Nao's dorm seems to have yellow police tape around it. It doesn't look as if the students have been allowed to return to it yet. No guards are visible, however.
(17:19:42): "Still blocked off," murmurs Nao. "Where do you stay?"
(17:20:09): Pfah, police tape. There's no reason that should stop the Executive Committe, right?
(17:21:51): "We'll try my place," Haruka says. It seems safer to try the dorm that hasn't been attacked repeatedly.
(17:22:40): "Yeah..." replies Nao, glancing at Yukino again. What's she got to be upset about? She was never drenched in the stuff! Some people are.. are... completely normal, and Nao just isn't one of them.
(17:24:54): Onward to Haruka's dorm, then!
(17:31:45): Haruka's dorm, which also happens to be Yukino's residence, are a bit of a walk from here. It takes them the better part of twenty minutes to close the distance,
(17:31:46): particularly because Haruka and Nao don't want to just cut through campus proper. Haruka's room is solitary, and Nao spots Yukino's name right next door, along with one Agata Shion.
(17:32:38): "We'll use my place," Haruka says, opening her door. Yukino's roommate doesn't need to know about all of this.
(17:33:33): "Sounds good. I need to wash my stuff," replies Nao, dully. "They'll probably be expecting me back in the auditorium, I think that's where my dorm is staying."
(17:34:29): "We can stop by there afterwards," she says, leading Nao and Yukino inside.
(17:34:43): Nao thinks she spots Shizuru's name on the door all the way down the corridor, but then she's inside Haruka's room.
(17:34:43): Headbands with invigorating slogans are lying all over the floor, and even crowding every piece of furniture within.
(17:36:50): Nao gazes after it for a moment, before trailing after Haruka into her place. "Got any spare clothes?" she asks, wanting to get out this well-overused uniform and into something a bit more comfortable... if ill-fitting.
(17:37:52): Ill-fitting it likely would be, for while Haruka's uniform does a good job of hiding it, Nao can't mistake the difference in size between Haruka's generous assets and her own. Or is that sizes?
(17:38:22): Haruka probably has spare clothes around somewhere and is quite ready to share them with her comrades. Hopefully Nao likes pea green.
(17:40:49): Nao can't restrain a brief look of disgust, but she quickly has a shower and gets changed. "I want to check something out," she says. "Back in a moment."
(17:41:10): She heads up a few doors to Shizuru's room- not too far, and tries the door. Maybe it's unlocked? If not there, there might be an open window, or a window that can be opened.
(17:42:19): Haruka waits for Nao to return and tries to coax Yukino into some semblance of coherence in the meantime. "Yukino? It's okay, we're back home now."
(17:42:45): The door is locked, but it is only made of wood. The only material able to stop Nao's claws to date had been Arika's strange weapon, and even the girl herself was no match for Nao, when she tore into her with ease.
(17:43:30): Yukino may not be catatonic as she walked all the way to Haruka's room with the latter's guidance, but she certainly doesn't respond to attempts to talk to her.
(17:45:14): Nao jams one of her needlelike claws into the lock, and does a pretty good job of mangling it apart before she gives the door a shove. Ideally, someone will actually have to try and open it before they realise it's been broken into.
(17:46:29): Maybe Yukino just needs to sleep it off? Haruka does her best to get the girl settled on the bed, at least. She'll probably have to wash the sheets later, of course.
(17:47:07): <--->

[Corwin]

<--->

About fifteen minutes after she leaves, Nao returns. Her somewhat frazzled look remains much as it has since she woke up in the infirmary, though she makes an effort to smooth over her features as she enters.

"There's something you should see," she says, glancing back outside for a moment.

"Yeah?" Haruka asks, glancing over at Yukino. She'll probably hold for the moment, right?

Yukino is in no hurry to rush anywhere.

Haruka nods, and opts to follow Nao.

Nao glances at Yukino like she wants her to come along as well, but apparently thinks better of it. She leads Haruka to Shizuru's room, opening the door easily (though a slight pair of holes in the lock give lie to just how she got inside.)

"There's a mirror in the bathroom," she explains, pointing the way. "Can you go there and tell me what you see in it?"

Haruka peers at Nao, one eyebrow quirked in curiosity. Defacing school property obviously isn't something she approves of, but these are desperate times! Anyway: "Sure thing," she says, entering the dread kingdom of Fujino.

A bed, quite above Fuka standards. A barren desk with a chair placed next to it. An open door leading to a small bathroom.

Fujino was leading quite the spartan life.

Except for the bed. But somehow, Haruka has trouble seeing Fujino sleep any other way.

Well, Haruka has to admit that her rival's restraint was actually rather admirable. She enters the bathroom to see what the deal is with this mystery mirror, expecting to see herself and not much more.

The bathroom is spotless. Every spot is cleaned to perfection, although it seems like it hasn't been used in days.

Haruka nods in approval at that, at least! So, the mirror then. ...Although, she can't help but be curious enough to poke around in Shizuru's medicine cabinet and the like.

The medicine cabinet is barren like the rest of the room. Haruka can't find any signs of it having been used before. The mirror reflects Haruka's face fairly truthfully.

Haruka shrugs and walks out to see Nao. "It's just a mirror. You feeling okay?"

"Just a mirror?" replies Nao, slightly unbelieving, as she walks past Haruka to make certain of this apparently incredible fact.

The mirror is capable of showing Nao's reflection, and if they huddle, that of Haruka and Nao together.

"Well, obviously I saw myself in it too," Haruka adds, tossing her hair. "Was something else supposed to be there?"

It is not a particularly large mirror.

Nao is clearly disconcerted by this development. "Yeah, when I looked in it the first time, it showed me Natsuki's reflection," she replies. "Then when I came out, there was a laptop on the desk, and.. now it's gone."

Normal behaviour is clearly too much for the redhead.

Haruka spares Nao another strange look. "I think maybe you need a good long nap, Nao."

"I've been sleeping all day! I.. I need to eat something, I haven't had anything since... yesterday morning," she reflects.

Haruka shakes her head. "That won't do at all! You need to stay fit in body and mind if you want to combat the forces of...whoever our enemy is." If there are any snacks in Haruka's room, Nao's welcome to them.

"Yeah, you're right," agrees Nao, heading out of Shizuru's room. 釘ut there was definately a laptop. I opened it, and there were some files, and... well, I'm not exactly sure who our enemy is. But I figured out who some of our friends might be."

Haruka is eager to learn this vital information! "Oh yeah? What'd you see? Tell me!"

"Well, from what I gathered, Shizuru knows that someone or something is out there, setting some events in motion. They've got something to do with Senoh and Harada's disappearance," muses Nao. "It seems that every three centuries, there's some kind of festival or fight or something called the 詮irst District" - don't ask, I don't know what it entails. We Hime clearly have something to do with it, though I still don't know what.

"There was a list of names, too. There were a couple I didn't know on it... Sugiura Midori and Higurashi Akane, do they ring any bells?"

"Sugiura is a teacher at Fuka. Higurashi was a student here, but she disappeared a while back. Not one of these mysterious disappearances, though," she corrects. "She eloped with some guy." She adds a *tsk* to emphasize how little she approves of setting aside one's studies in such a manner.

"We need to speak with her," replies Nao. "There were others. Mai, Mikoto, Yukariko, Yukino... and two more, but I really don't want to meet them again soon."

"So, this list. Was it like..." She gestures vaguely in the air for a moment. "...an *enemies* list? Was there anything saying what it was for, or--wait, Yukino?"

"It was a list of Hime, I think. We should all be friends! We should definately not be enemies. There were two names not on it, by the by- ours. It was dated before either of us changed, though."

"Well. Before I changed," she reflects, after a moment. "I don't really know your story."

And it'll have to wait, as Haruka suddenly has something much more pressing to worry about. She darts back into her room. "Hey, Yuikno?!"

Yukino stirs at the urgent call. She looks up at Haruka, eyes dull.

Haruka plants herself on the bed next to her friend, one hand on the other gir's shoulder. "Yukino! Hey, are you one too? Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Yukino trembles. "One? What do you mean, Haruka-chan?"

While Yukino and Haruka have their no-doubt sickly heart-to-heart, Nao attempts to solve her hunger problems by putting Haruka's kitchen to use.

"Hime! There was a list on Shizuru's computer."

Yukino looks aghast, shaking her head. "Fujino-san kept a list?" she asks in disbelief.

Haruka nods. "Nao found it on her computer. What's wrong? This is great! We can get everyone together now and really figure out who our enemy is."

"You don't understand!" Yukino exclaims. "It's-- it's not great! It's horrible, really horrible!" She sends a glare in Nao's direction. "She put you up to all this, didn't she? She forced you into everything, made you become a Hime. Didn't she, Haruka-chan?!"

"Because I really know what's going on, here," replies Nao, bitterly.

"You be quiet!" Yukino snaps at Nao, standing up abruptly. She shivers, and genuine hate shows in her eyes.

"Yukino, I didn't know anything about it before I had the dream last night! This isn't the time for bickering. This is the time for Fuka students to STAND TOGETHER. ...But Yukino, why didn't you ever tell me about this? I've been running around like crazy trying to figure things out the past few days."

Nao is taken aback, and can only stare back at Yukino with uncomprehending eyes.

"There is no standing together, Haruka-chan," Yukino responds, not taking her eyes off Nao. Purple lightning flashes in them briefly, gone so swiftly Nao is left wondering whether she imagined the entire thing. "Only one Hime can survive the Festival. I didn't want you to know, because I didn't want to--" Yukino's voice breaks, "--fight you. But... but if she's gone, it will be alright, won't it? You can go back to being the normal Haruka-chan...."

Nao's eyes begin to narrow, and she starts quivering, herself.

"What? No! No one has to fight anyone! And *you're* not fighting *anyone* will I'm around!" Haruka insists, wrapping her arms around her friend in an embrace that's both a hug and an attempt to keep her under control.

Whether it is the hug or something else entirely, Yukino's eyes suddenly droop, and she staggers. Struggling to keep upright, she leans on Haruka, finally breaking eye contact with Nao.

"That's not true," growls Nao. "It's a lie, a trick. It's that Nagi brat, isn't it?"

"That's better. When we fight each other, Fuka loses no matter who wins! Now, slow down. What's with this Festival?"

"You can see it too, can't you? That ominous red star?" Yukino murmurs. Haruka feels, as her friend's weight shifts, that without her support she would sag to the floor. "If we lose, our most important person dies. If we don't fight, if there is no victor by the time of the Festival... they also die. Everyone dies." She laughs, a short, sad laugh that sounds too tired to convey the hysteria Yukino must feel. "There is no escape."

Haruka scowls. "What kind of festival is that? That's insane! And moreover, I don't remember it EVER coming before the Executive Committee! We are *not* fighting each other. You understand me, Yukino?"

Yukino shows no sign of hearing Haruka. "I don't want a world without Haruka-chan," she adds quietly.

"Is there such a star? I never saw it," replies Nao, trying to regain her composure. "I remember it, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes."

She shifts on her feet. "Maybe it's because I was defeated already..."

Haruka nods. "Me neither, Yukino," she responds, equally subdued.

Yukino merely leans further into Haruka, no longer speaking.

"Alright, so...red star..." Haruka muses aloud. "It should be easy to see that outside, right? So that part's a cinch to confirm."

"There's some way around this. I think Shizuru knew what it was," murmurs Nao. "Yeah, let's have a look." She heads to the door, intending to confirm this part, at least.

"On second thought, maybe later," she says, glancing at the remnants of the accursed daystar.

"What happened in your dream, Haruka? You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. Shizuru's notes said something about some "Kiyohime" chick who apparently must not be unsealed, does that ring any bells?"

Haruka shakes her head, still holding Yukino. "No. I think I've mentioned most of it by now. I was in this cave, and another me came and said that it was up to me to lead Orihime now. I still don't know what that is, though. And I got my mace." Something else occurs to her, like a minor detail: "Oh, and there were these twelve pillars in the cave?

"And I walked over to one of them and it reminded me of Fujino somehow."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

"Did it have stuff written on it?" asks Nao, thinking back to the tattoo she saw on Shizuru.

Come to think of it, maybe she should have something like that, too. But now is not the time to look for it!

Haruka shrugs. "Not that I remember. I just knew that's who it resented, you know?"

"Wait, it what?"

"What do you mean, 'What?' I said just what I meant!"

"But that- I'm pretty sure our own powers don't hate us- that makes a lot of sense, though, if this really is supposed to be a fight to the death."

Nao rubs her head. "I dreamed of some girl in some kind of tube, filled with liquid. It was like some kind of science lab. I'm not sure what it was all about, but it was definately important. Finding her is some kind of... reset switch."

Haruka frowns. "I don't think we have anything like that in the lab here. Who was in the tube?"

"I didn't recognize her. And I really, really, really doubt it's anywhere obvious. I think it was some kind of cave." Sighing, she curls her hand into a claw, though not quite summoning the actual weapon.

"This festival thing is ancient. It's been happening every three hundred years, I think to the day. Why does it continue to this day?"

"Probably because there wasn't a Suzushiro around to stop it until now. I am -not- going to let it continue, that's for sure! Someone must be good at making sure word doesn't get out, because I know I've never heard of it before. I propose that we find this person and...throw them out a window!"

"How well do you know the chairman? What's her name, Mashiro or something?"

"I don't know her well. Fujino might have, but it's too late to ask her."

"Yeah. I heard from Mai that she knows more than she's letting on. But when I went to talk to her, it didn't go very well. She just.. refused to tell me anything!" Nao's eyes narrow, and a spot on her face twitches. "I don't know if she deserves it or not, but I definately want to defenestrate her. 'side from that, I was going to go check out the history books, see if there's anything there that might shed light on Fuuka itself.

"And there's the other people in that list, too. But they may not share our optimistic outlook. You got any ideas?"

"We talk to Sugiura," Haruka says decisively, clearly quite comfortable making decisions for the group. "She's a teacher here. If she doesn't know more than we do, she's still in a position to make someone else listen."

"I'm pretty sure we can make people listen to us," replies Nao, arching an eyebrow. "But do we really want this whole thing to become general knowledge?"

"Even if we don't, it would help to have someone on the staff along when we talk to the other students," Haruka says. She seems uncomfortable grappling with the notion that the voice of someone on the Executive Committee wouldn't be enough.

"Ugh. I dunno. What kind of person is she?" asks Nao, changing the topic from "should we" to "who is she"

"I don't know her very well personally, but she's definitely...enthusiastic."

Nao looks at Haruka rather skeptically, and eventually shrugs. "Good enough, I guess. I'm just worried that she can probably make life difficult for us if she's not, uh, friendly. I suppose it'll depend. Let's head off."

She pauses, as if forgetting something, and then glances at Yukino. "She coming?" she asks Haruka, sounding rather dour.

Haruka sets Yukino down on the bed for now. "Yukino? I'm going to see Sugiura. You need to get some rest, so just relax for now, okay?" She's not sure her friend is in a mood to talk right now, but it needed to be said anyway.

Yukino nods slightly, perhaps in answer.

Nao shrugs, and heads outside, managing about five steps before she realises she has no idea where to go.

"Alright. I'll be back. We'll talk then." She follows Nao outside. Probably Sugiura's classroom is the place to start? Maybe she's still on the grounds.

Nao trudges after Haruka, but apparently isn't done talking yet. "Your friend seems to hate me," she remarks. "You better not let her do anything stupid."

"Hey! 'Stupid' and 'Yukino' shouldn't be used in the same sentence. And the Nao she's used to isn't a very nice person, so it doesn't surprise me at all."

"Well, I'm working on fixing that," replies Nao, with a touch of hurt in her voice. "But this is actually for your sake. If she comes after me, I'm not gonna be held responsible for what comes next."

"Then I'll make sure she doesn't!" Haruka insists, because controlling people is just that simple.

"Good! I like you," agrees Nao. "You remind me of Natsuki. None of this screwing around, just straight to the point. That's *just what this situation needs.*"

"Except I attend classes," Haruka points out, not seeming entirely comfortable with the parallel here.

"I predict that the future holds much skipping of classes. Are classes even on? With all the explosions and injured people and whatnot, it'd actually surprise me if they continued."

"Classes are always on at Fuka! But I admit it will be hard to focus on that while we're trying to stop this Festival nonsense. It's just a sacrifice we'll have to make!"

"Sacrifice" is a word in pretty bad taste right now, you know."

Haruka just waves this away, like she would anytime Yukino corrected her.

It is evening as the unlikely pair reach what Haruka is fairly certain serves as Midori Sugiura's homeroom. The classroom is empty.

"It's empty," deadpans Nao.

"Shoot. I was hoping she might be working late or something." If there's a faculty directory available, they can always look up her phone number?

"We could catch her tomorrow when she comes in for work, though with all the students around it might be a hassle," muses Nao.

"Let's try the nurse for now. I think the two of them are friends, so maybe she'll know how to reach Sugiura. To the infirmary!"

Nao checks the clocks and shrugs. "I've seen way to much of that place lately," she mutters as she follows.

Yohko Sagisawa sighs as she lays eyes upon her two visitors, seeming to share Nao's earlier thoughts. "Again?" she asks tiredly. "What is it this time?"

"I just need to find Sugiura," Haruka says. "Do you know where to find her right now?"

"That's Miss Sugiura," the nurse says reproachfully. "What do you need with her at this hour?"

"It's a private matter, but it's urgent."

Yohko's eyelids droop. "Of course it is." She turns away to glance at a few papers on her desk, and Nao thinks she hears her mutter 'teenagers'.

All this serves to do is send Nao on an exceptionally morbid inner monologue about how she's physically fifteen, mentally about 25, and chronologically six days.

"Hey!" Haruka starts, slapping her hand down on the desk. "This is serious. She could be in danger!"

Nao chokes, and starts to cough.

"It's a matter of life and death, I take it?" Yohko drawls out, returning her gaze to Haruka.

"It could be!" Haruka replies, all seriousness.

The nurse looks past Haruka at Nao. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," replies Nao, shaking her head. Wait, that's not right.

"Did she go home? I knew it'd be too late."

Yohko smiles at Nao. "That was very clever of you, Yuuki."

"Don't tell me she gets this often," mutters Nao, sighing. "Come on, let's go. If she winds up in a ditch before tomorrow, I'll chalk it up to bad luck."

"I'm sure Midori-chan can take care of herself, but thank you for your concern," the nurse tells them.

"Hey! You can't just throw us out like that!"

"You are welcome to stay the night," Yohko tells Haruka with a smile, gesturing at the spare beds. "Please feel free to take whichever one you like."

Haruka just scowls and stalks out, fist clenched at her sides.

"Oh, really? Cool, I'll be back later," replies Nao, turning back to the nurse. "You'll be here all evening?"

"Plenty of work."

Nao seems quite cheerful at this development, and heads on out.

"'Matter of life and death' yeah, that's a good one, Suzushiro. Can't you lie about homework or something next time?"

Depending on Haruka for subtlety is generally a losing gamble. "I'm not good at being dishonest," she says. It sounds like she thinks it's an accomplishment. "Okay, who else was on the list?"

"Higurashi Akane. Tokiha Mai and Minagi Mikoto- I've already talked to them. Haven't seen them around lately, though, so I'm wondering if they got back today or not. Since my dorm is closed, if they're at school, they'll be in the auditorium, I guess.

"That crazy nun chick, too. If she sees me, she'll probably start shooting arrows at me, and I think I put her in hospital. Maybe she'll be stuck there until this is over, that'd suit me pretty well, but if not, itmightbebetterifyougoseeherwithoutme. Uh. Yukino, for all the frigging help she was. I killed Alyssa's sister, so that might not go so well, either. I'm pretty sure Fumi will follow Mashrio's lead, so she's probably useless. And Akane Higurashi. Is she even on Fuuka?"

Haruka shakes her head. "She eloped," she says, rolling her eyes. "I don't know where she is now. And I have no idea where Tokiha and Miangi have gone. Tokiha wasn't at the hospital anymore last time I was there. I can talk to Sister Yukariko, at least."

"Well, do that. Try and convince her that shooting people is bad and that if she doesn't do it, she won't get her head beat in. Yukino might be more talkative when I'm not around, too."

Nao frowns. "I'll try and do some research of my own tomorrow. There's a couple things I want to check out myself, so how about we meet up again after school or something and discuss what we learn? And, hey, you don't have a car or anything, do you?"

Haruka shakes her head. "No. I just take cabs everywhere. Alright, as much as I hate to split up again, that sounds like a plan."

"It'll be fine," replies Nao, waving her off. "You and Yukino can probably handle anything that comes up, and I can take care of myself. Probably. As long as I don't run into Yukariko before you talk to her, it should be ok.

"Ah, yeah, and we've gotta catch Sugiura when she comes into school, too."

Haruka shrugs. "Just stay away from the church. And she is still in the hospital, after all."

"Our bodies are pretty tough. I might hope, but I doubt she'll be there long. You might wanna call ahead."

"I guess that's not a bad idea. Alright, I'm going back to Yukino. Keep yourself alive, okay?"

"You know me, always looking out for number one," replies Nao, without much humour.

"Meet up outside the gates tomorrow morning, ok? If I'm not there, something's gone wrong."

Haruka nods. "I'll be there."

Nao waves at Haruka as she departs, heading off towards the library to indulge in yet more self-study (the only kind worth anything, in her limited experience.)

Haruka, of course, returns to her room.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Haruka returns to her room, finding it empty.

Well, great. Yukino's room is nearby, though. Maybe she went there? Let's check!

It is next door. Haruka finds the door locked.

Haruka knocks on the door. "Yukino? It's me, are you home?"

The girl that opens the door after the third knock isn't Yukino. "Suzushiro?" she asks, blinking. "Kikukawa isn't here. Wasn't she with you the entire day?"

"Well, she was, but she left without telling me. If she comes back, can you let me know?"

"Sure thing."

Haruka nods and returns to her own room. Let's see...If she were a distraught Yukino, where would she be right now?

Something tells Haruka that Yukino, whatever the state, would prefer her company.

Well, the phones are still dead, so there's nothing for it but to check every conceivable location: the Executive Committee's room, the auditorium (if there are still students there), their base at the church...so, Haruka will hit each of those locations, in that order. Well, and Shizuru's room first. It's right next door, so why not?

The lock clinks menacingly as Haruka steps into Shizuru's room. While Nao's work on it left it in reasonably working order, the more it is used, the more it breaks, Haruka thinks. Shizuru's room is unchanged from the last time she visited it.

The Executive Committee doesn't have a room for itself, per se, but the Student Council chambers double as it often enough. At this hour, Haruka finds the room empty.

The auditorium still has students staying in it, Haruka's troops organizing them and catering to their every need.

Well, Haruka needed to check up on things there anyway, so she corners whoever likes like they're in charge to get a status update. She also wants to know whether or not Yukino's been around, of course.

Without someone to relieve her, Yuki is still around. She dutifully reports that the last time she had seen Yukino had been when she was accompanying Haruka.

Wow, hasn't she been there all day? Haruka takes the time to see about getting someone else to take over so Yuki can get some rest, then sets out for the church.

Rather than gratitude, Yuki seems strangely disappointed.

The church. Yellow 'do not cross' police tape is surrounding the area. The building is dark.

The warning obviously applies only to people who are not on the Executive Committee. Haruka ducks under it and heads inside.

Her equipment is gone.

What?! That's school property! How dare someone remove equipment vital to the security of Fuka Academy! If it was the police taking it as evidence or something then, well, Oshii's going to get a talking to next time Haruka meets him! She has Yukino to worry about right now, though. Time to make a thorough check of the grounds (and maybe Yukariko's room. Maybe she kept a journal or something?)

Haruka has a pretty good idea of where Sister Yukariko's room would be, having cornered her there before. The door is unlocked, and stepping inside, Haruka finds it to be filled with crosses and vials of some sort of clear liquid. Other than that, and a nun's outfit hanging on the wall by the entrance, the room has all the usual necessities.

Unless the liquid looks like something other than water, Haruka doesn't care.

Haruka is reasonably sure it is water-like.

Well, Haruka's pretty much out of ideas by now. She can't just go back home while her friend's missing though, right?

Well, Yukino knows where she lives. When she wants to come back, hopefully she will. Haruka decides to go home and sleep for now.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Morning arrives. There are no signs of Yukino ever returning, Haruka discovers.

Well, that's disturbing. May as well check in with Yukino's roommate and see if she came back there.

It is still fairly early.

Haruka knocks anyway! Hey, it's not like it's Saturday. People should be waking up for school soon anyway.

"What is it?" an edgy voice asks. Yukino's roommate opens the door in pajamas; she has an impressive case of bed hair.

"Did Yukino ever come back last night?" Haruka asks, skipping the pleasantries.

"Of course it's all about her. No. Goodbye." The door is slammed promptly in Haruka's face.

Well, that was rude. Aside from checking in at the auditorium, though, Haruka can't think of much she can do to find her friend right now. So aside from that, meeting Nao and going into town to see Yukariko (not necessarily in that order!) looks like the plan.

Haruka runs into Nao as she approaches the auditorium. The red-head seems rested compared to the previous day.

But no less dour.

Until she sees Haruka, and cocky smirk arises (is that a fang?) "Mornin', Miss Bigshot Executive Suzushiro! What commands shall I relay to your minions?"

This gets Nao dark glares from a pair of said minions minding the entrance.

Haruka ignores any aspersions on her good name. "Do you have any news? For my part, I can't find Yukino."

"I have no news that good," replies Nao, cheerily, approaching Haruka at a brisk pace. "But Nagi found me last night," she adds, in a lower voice. "Seems that it's not just us who wind up in the ground if we don't go through with this festival."

"Hey! I won't have you talking about Yukino like that. This is serious. If we're going to work together, you will two will have to get along. Now...what did Nagi say?"

"He thinks I'm going to win!" replies Nao with a tinge of incredulity.

"Aside from that? Apparently whoever wins gets the power to save the world from that," she continues, jerking a finger towards the sky. "The Hime Star, that is. I don't know exactly what it's going to do, but it's pretty bad, I'm sure.

"There was some technical stuff, too. Seems our power comes from light. We're... what's the word? Photosynthetic soldiers? Don't see how that matters much, though.

"Only other thing is that I'm pretty sure he's baiting me into going after Mashiro. Said I should ask her if I had questions. Seeing as I've already gone after her once, with pretty terrible results... urgh. Maybe you'd have better luck, I dunno."

Rather absently, she digs around in her skirt and flips a newspaper clipping to Haruka. "Check this out."

Haruka nods. "I'll try. Maybe she'll llisten to someone on the executive committee." She takes the clipping and reads it.

It is an obituary from what looks like a local paper, for one Mashiro Kazahana. The paper looks dated.

Haruka's eyes widen. "She's dead?! And she's still running the school? There has to be a law against that. I don't think dead people are allowed to be in charge of anything."

"That isn't what's important here, Haruka-chan," replies Nao, doing a pretty fair imitation of Yukino's voice.

Which earns Nao a glare, but Haruka stays on-topic. "Well, I'm definitely going to mention it when we talk to her."

"Mmhmm. My first guess would've been a relative. Someone by her name apparently founded the school, don't you know? I figured her mother wasn't very creative."

Nao shrugs. "But you know what? Not much is gonna be a surprise to me, lately."

"Well, meeting with her is on my agenda now one way or another. She can't hide the truth from me!"

"Yeah. But first... Sugiura, right? Actually, maybe Yukariko," mutters Nao, losing some of her cheer. "Yeah, if I was Yukino, I might go see the nun..."

Haruka nods. "We have some time before school starts, so let's head to the hospital and check on her."

"Wait wait wait you want me to come with you?" asks Nao, blanching. "I did, you know, *bash her skull in*, she is not going to be happy to see me. I don't even want to be in the same room as her!"

Haruka rolls her eyes. "Fine, if you two can't sort out your differences, I'll talk to her."

"Hey, I can sort out our differences just fine! She didn't like the way I sorted them out. She might like your way better. It's less percussive."

Only figuratively. Haruka does kind of try to bludgeon people into submission--just with words! "Alright, well, I'll let you know how it went when I get back."

"Actually, I'll come after you," replies Nao, shaking her head. "I want to try and catch up with Sugiura, and there's a couple things here I want to look up, but I've gotta see some stuff in town, too. I'll meet you at the mall at, say, noon?"

"Sure thing."

"'kay. The town is pretty scary, Suzushiro, so stay out of dark alleys and don't accept any candy from blue-haired kids. Hey, see if you can track down Mai while you're there."

"Yeah. We should both keep an eye out for her and Mikoto."

"Right. Oh, and, uh, you know which entrance Sugiura might come through? Actually, what does she even look like..." mutters Nao, scrunching up her hair.

"Tall, red hair, boundless energy. We stopped by her classroom yesterday, so check there if all else fails."

"I like her already! Ok, see you later."

Nao skips off somewhere, most likely the cafeteria.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Haruka takes a cab into town, having had one called for her. Someone of lesser means would be feeling the costs, but Haruka merely brushes it off.

Arriving at the hospital, she discovers that the Sister is still being treated there, and has regained her consciousness. Receiving her room number is easy enough.

And this time, she'll bully her way into the room if people try to stop her!

A uniformed officer is sitting by the door outside the room, reading a newspaper. A coffee cup is placed on the ground next to his chair.

Haruka strides forward as though she owned the place and had every right to go wherever she wanted. "Good morning, officer," she says casually as she makes for the door.

He begins to answer, but jumps to his feet as Haruka doesn't stop before him. "Hey, where do you think you're going!" he calls to her, stepping between the blonde and the door to Sister Yukariko's room.

"I'm here to see Sister Yukariko. I'm a friend from school, I was *at* the scene when you boys hauled her away, and if you have problems with me being here, you can take it up with Detective Oshii."

The man is about to respond, before Haruka brings the detective's name into it. He shifts, almost imperceptively. "You know Detective Oiishi?"

"Yes, he's spoken to me several times about the recent strange developments. I was there when Kuga escaped from the police station over the weekend. If someone from Fuka Academy is involved, I need to know about it, understand? Now if you'll excuse me, I have a responsibility to check on the Sister."

"When was the last time you spoke to him, Miss...?"

"Suzushiro. Haruka Suzushiro, of the executive committee at Fuka Academy! If you call him, he'll tell you all about how I was there to help interrogate Kuga when she was brought in."

"So you haven't spoken to him ever since that incident?" the officer asks, seeming to ignore her suggestion.

Haruka crosses her arms and strikes an authoritarian pose. "I spoke to him on the phone last night, but got cut off before we could finish the conversation. If you'd call him, we could sort this out quickly. Because I'll tell you right now that I'm not going anywhere until I've seen for myself that Yukariko is alright, so it's that or we stand here glaring at each other all day."

"Yes, I really do think I need to call this in." The officer gets on the radio, the noise jarring to Haruka's ears. Due to using equipment much like his before, however, she is able to understand the gist of it. He is calling the station and asking for backup; apparently, a material witness had been found. Haruka's full name is being provided, along with her general description.

"Something wrong officer? It doesn't *sound* like you're talking to Detective Oiishi," she says sternly. You know, if he's not actively paying attention to her, it might be time to introduce his head to Mr. Chair.

"Miss," he says, turning away from the radio briefly, "if you would please stop telling me how to do my job? We can do this nicely, or I could bring you in for obstruction of justice. Does that sound better?"

Haruka rolls her eyes, but ignores him for now. Let him go back to his radio and get distracted.

"A pair of detectives from the station will be here shortly," the officer finally tells Haruka, once the conversation over the radio ends. "If you would just have a seat over there and wait patiently...?" He indicates an empty chair opposite him.

Well, this has gone from inconvenient to...more inconvenient. Given how little help the police have been thus far, she'd love to just clock this guy and go inside, but that would be a bad move when other officers are known to be on the way. She may as well wait and see what happens.

It takes twenty minutes. A pair of men who are unmistakably cops finally make their way down the corridor. One of them is old, with stubble and wearing a dirty coat. The other is far younger, perhaps in his late thirties or early forties. The two make eye contact with the officer by Sister Yukariko's room, who nods at them. At that, they make their way to Haruka.

"Suzushiro?" the younger of the two asks her.

"Yes, that's me. What's the situation, officer?"

"The way I understand it, you've spoken to Detective Oiishi last night?" he asks. "When was that, specifically?"

"He called me sometime in the evening. I don't remember the exact time. It sounded like he had something important to tell me, but I lost the connection before he could finish talking."

"Please try to remember," the officer speaking to Haruka insists. "Can you narrow it down somewhat?"

"I really don't know the exact time," Haruka insists. "I had a lot going on yesterday. I know I called him sometime in the afternoon, and received a call sometime later."

The older cop looks irritated to get that answer, but the other one seems to accept it. "Did you receive that call on your cell phone?" he asks instead. "There would be a record of it, then."

"Sure," she says, taking out her phone. "It's been buggy lately, though. It's a school-wide problem. Wish I knew what was causing it."

It's pretty dead. That might or might not be related to the crack running through it.

Haruka scowls. "It's broken now," she says, handing it over the more amiable of the two officers. "Why is this so urgent? Are there new envelopments in the case?"

"Just a few more questions first, if you will," he tells her, preempting the older officer. "You mentioned that the detective had 'something important' to tell you? Would you have any idea what that might be? Was it, by chance, related to the call you claimed making to him earlier that day?"

"No. He said he had some bad news, and talked about investigating the crime scene on campus. Something about a murder site where the killer took the body with them." She shrugs, not having any insight into the minds of such deviants. "And he started to say something about a first-year student before he got cut off."

The two cops exchange looks. The both look grim. "And Detective Oiishi was cut off as you were talking?" the younger presses on. "Interrupted in mid-sentence, you would say?"

"There was a lot of static, and then the connection just died. Look, are my phone problems really that important, guys?"

"What is important," the older cop speaks at last, "is that you're the last one who spoke to Oiishi before he disappeared!"

"Disappeared?" Haruka repeats.

"He left the station in a hurry last night, and no one's seen him since. He doesn't answer over the radio or to his phone, either. From what you've told us, it seems like he was headed to the Academy," the younger officer tells Haruka. "We'll comb the road and the campus; it would be best if you were to smooth things over with the school's administration."

"Of course. I'll be seeing Miss Mashiro as soon as I return to the grounds," she says, quite honestly (if for different reasons!) "Let me know if there's anything else the executive committee can do to help. Now, if there's nothing else you need me for, can you speak to the guard here? Sister Yukariko is a resident at Fuka and I would like to make sure she's alright. And I'm sure she could use some company."

"How long would it take us to assemble the men?"

"Ten minutes, no more. We just need to recall a few who are searchin--"

Nodding, the younger officer tells Haruka, "You have five minutes. She's still supposed to be resting, so don't excite her much. After that, we need to leave."

Five minutes? What a gyp. Well, she'd best take advantage of the time she has! Haruka goes inside.

A silver cross rests on the bedside table. Sister Yukariko's head is bandaged, and her nose seems broken. Her left eye appears swallen. She is awake, however, and turns to look at Haruka as the blonde enters.

"Good morning, Sister," Haruka starts, calmly enough despite being pressed for time. Yukariko looks worse than expected. "How are you feeling?"

The nun's good eye stares at Haruka incredulously.

"...Yukariko?" Why is she so surprised? Did she think Haruka was dead or something? She pulls up a chair and sits down next to the bed. "Look, I don't have much time here. I needed to tell you that I know about the Hime--I'm one of them now, so there's no reason to hide anything from me--and that we have to work together to...stop the antichrist. Do you understand?"

<--->