Fuka: the Final Chapter (Haruka)

[Corwin]

<--->

[20:27] Haruka grabs the wheel, at least long enough to steer the car back into the correct lane.
[20:34] Yukino doesn't fight Haruka who, not restricted by things such as seatbelts, manages to avoid a head on collision just in time, if the car rushing past theirs a second later is any indication. Only then does Yukino show any reaction; a sad smile comes up on her face.
[20:35] That's not exactly an encouraging reaction, given the circumstances. "Yukino...are you okay?"
[20:38] Yukino shakes herself visibly, turning her attention back to the road. It is a good thing she does, too, as Haruka can't see ahead clearly, even with the headlights on.
[20:40] Well, that's not a yes, but not being in mortal danger is definitely an improvement.
[20:43] The Toyota drives on. Haruka thinks that at the speed they're going, pushing the speed limit, they've put considerable distance between the hospital and them by now.
[20:43] "Haruka-chan," Yukino asks, sounding hesitant. "Taking a life... how did that make you feel?" She laughs afterwards, a quiet, hysterical laugh. "Oh, what am I saying?"
[20:46] "It made me feel...well, like the enemy. I don't know how else to put it." She looks down at her hands. "It'd be different if it had been someone who deserved it. Akane was just...not herself. She couldn't help it."
[20:48] "Do you think you could do it again?" Yukino asks. "If there's someone who did deserve it? Or another person who just can't help herself?"
[20:50] Haruka slowly, slowly turns to look at Yukino. "Why do you ask? Yukino, the only reason for it I could see is to save someone else's life."
[20:51] "Yuuki's life?" Yukino asks, sounding a cross between angry and frustrated. "That's why you killed Akane-san, Haruka-chan?"
[20:52] "Well, and mine," Haruka adds, albeit, a little sheepishly.
[20:53] Yukino drives in silence for a long stretch. "Would you kill for me, Haruka-chan?" she asks out of the blue.
[20:55] Haruka shifts in her seat. The conversation is growing awkward. "...I would if I had to, Yukino. But it shouldn't ever happen unless there's no alternate."
[20:57] Yukino doesn't respond, but Haruka can see the younger girl relax slightly in her seat. It extends from Yukino's posture, previously rigid, all the way to her grip on the steering wheel. "I think we're safe for now, Haruka-chan," Yukino announces. "What is our plan for now?"
[20:59] "We need to find the other Hime, starting with Miss Sugiura. She's a teacher; the others should listen to her. And--crap, I told my dad who everyone was." She turns to Yukino. "That WAS really my dad, right?"
[21:01] "I think so," Yukino responds. "I'm not sure. There's a limit to the ground Diana can cover. I had to focus on you once I found you, so I wouldn't lose you again. I didn't have Diana follow that man's actions outside the hospital."
[21:03] "Alright. It's probably okay, then. Do you know anything about Natsuki's whereabouts? Also...you said someone was fooling Minagi. Who is it?"
[21:07] Yukino looks tired, now. "Mikoto-chan?" she says at length. "Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe me now, Haruka-chan. I'll-- there must be a time when they all show their true colors. I'll find it and show it to you then."
[21:09] "I don't know about that, Yukino. The last few days have been pretty strange. I might believe a lot of strange things."
[21:09] "No. You won't." The words sound harsh, and regret flashes across Yukino's face.
[21:10] "...Alright. But you know you can trust me when the right time comes."
[21:13] Yukino relaxes again, when Haruka relents and doesn't take offense. A mirror appears in the air between them, facing Yukino. Haruka sees her glance at it briefly, before nodding and returning her attention to the road.
[21:13] "We're an hour's drive from where I've been staying lately," Yukino reports, the mirror dissolving into green mist once her attention is no longer on it. "It's safe. I'll be warned if anything happens there."
[21:14] Haruka nods. "Alright. How far is it from Fuka? And...where was I just now, exactly?"
[21:20] "A mental health hospital. It's a front for First District; looks legitimate even at a close inspection," Yukino tells her. "Don't dwell on it. You're not crazy. You had no business being held there."
[21:24] "First District...wait, I think those were the creeps that had Akane!" She exhales heavily, sounding exhausted. "Thanks again, Yukino. I really am grateful."
[21:25] Yukino smiles, genuinely this time. "You know I would do anything for you, Haruka-chan. You don't have to thank me."
[21:26] Haruka just nods. She doesn't have a lot else to say right now, at least until they get to safety and start planning their next move.
[21:30] It is still dark when they arrive. Their destination is some kind of fenced-off compound; several one-story buildings are grouped towards one side, and a taller one going at least a dozen meters up reaches up into the sky, needle-like. The road seems to proceed throughout the grounds, but Yukino claims that its continuation is actually a small airstrip.
[21:33] Haruka gets out of the car and looks around. "What is this place, Yukino? How'd you find it?"
[21:36] "An abandoned airfield. It's privately-owned; or was. Now I'm staying here and it's not abandoned anymore." Yukino giggles a little.
[21:36] "There's really nothing of note aside from some old crop-dusting planes, and I can't really pilot them. I don't even know how to refuel them, really. But what we do have is very good electronic equipment and an excellent defensive position, Haruka-chan! The control tower is fully operational!"
[21:39] "We'll know if someone else comes flying in? That's good," Haruka says, again thinking back to that dragon.
[21:41] "Diana is keeping a lookout," Yukino confirms. "Now that you're here, I can divert most of her proxies towards a new layer of defense around our base, and send the rest to spy on Fuka."
[21:42] Haruka nods. "Good. I'd like to know what's happening right now." She could always call one of her flunkies, of course, if she hadn't lost another phone.
[21:45] Yukino throws her arm in front of her in a wide arc, and octagonal mirrors appear in its wake. Observing the semi-circle, Yukino asks, "What would you like to see, Haruka-chan?"
[21:47] "Well, let's see...How does this work? Can you home in on people and things, or just places?"
[21:49] Yukino narrows her eyes, concentrating, and a bell-shaped flower appears in midair before Haruka's face, orbiting itself leisurely. "This is a proxy of Diana," Yukino explains. "I can send swarms of them, and see the images they transmit on my mirrors. Sometimes, it's a lot like zapping through the channels on the TV until you find something you like."
[21:55] "Alright, I've got a couple ideas. Let's check...the church at Fuka to see if Yukariko is back on the grounds, the infirmary just in case anyone's there and hey, Midori's the nurse's friend, so we might get lucky there. We'll want to look around the dorms of anyone who's gone missing, to see if they're back or if anyone new has vanished, and...oh, the auditorium and the executive committee room, for a start."
[21:55] Haruka appears totally untroubled by any breach of privacy this might entail.
[22:01] So does Yukino. "I've been keeping an eye on the church," she says, and one of the mirrors flips to show the building to Haruka. The police tape around it is gone.
[22:02] "It hasn't been used since Sister was taken to the hospital," Yukino continues. The mirror returns to its previous state, another taking its place. Several mirrors repeat the process, each showing a different dorm to Haruka.
[22:02] "It's night-time, so there wouldn't be anything interesting even if we go inside," Yukino explains, banishing them. One of the mirrors seems broken. "The infirmary, though, I can send a few proxies that way...."
[22:04] Haruka points to the offending mirror. "What was with that broken one?"
[22:05] Yukino winces. "They're not very good for defense."
[22:05] "...Oh. What happened to it? Did you see?"
[22:06] "I don't want to talk about it, Haruka-chan," Yukino insists.
[22:07] "Alright." Pressing Yukino on issues like this hasn't worked out very well lately, so Haruka just lets it drop. "Is Yukariko still *at* the hospital? Can we check that out?"
[22:10] Yukino seems troubled. "It's tiring keeping an eye on so many distant places, more so when they're distant from each other as well," she admits. "I didn't have enough there to ensure a perfect coverage, so I followed Mai-san. But Sister was still there when I last checked... it was fourteen hours ago, give or take."
[22:13] "Don't strain yourself, Yukino. It's been a long day. Anyway, I want to know about the infirmary first. Maybe follow the nurse if she's around? She might know where Midori is."
[22:13] Yukino nods, and this time, the mirror turns halfway, showing its contents to both of them. It is unmistakably the infirmary of Fuka Academy. It is dark, and empty.
[22:15] Haruka frowns. "Well, maybe we'll have better luck in the morning."
[22:17] "Maybe," Yukino says. "We should go to bed."
[22:19] Haruka glances around. "There are bedrooms here?"
[22:20] "There is a shed where the pilots used to stay at, and a room at the tower. That one's nicer; it's where I've been sleeping."
[22:22] Haruka nods. "Tower it is. It's better that we stay together, and it'd be tougher for any intruders to get at us there."
[22:24] Yukino is happy at Haruka's decision. "The room is kinda small, but we'll manage, right, Haruka-chan?" she asks enthusiastically, banishing her mirrors.
[22:27] "Sure. It'll be nice staying in a room without armed guards lurking outside. I hate hospitals; being there just makes you feel helpless." Speaking of hospitals, Haruka is probably still wearing a hospital gown of some kind? Getting actual clothes would be great.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[19:36] The pleasant smell of hot chocolate disturbs Haruka's rest, waking the blonde up in no time. Yukino is not to the be seen in the small room where they spent the night, but the door leading to the corridor is left ajar.
[19:38] Haruka gets up, rubs her eyes, and stumbles into the corridor in search of her aide.
[19:40] Yukino is in what must be the control room, observing several screens that flash and bleep ominously. She consults a floating mirror every once in a while -- that same damaged mirror Haruka had seen the previous night. A tray with a steaming container and a pair of glasses are laid out across a nearby stand.
[19:42] Haruka wanders in the general direction of hot chocolate, and yawns. "What's new?" she asks succinctly.
[19:42] Yukino doesn't seem startled by Haruka's presence. "We seem to be alright," she reports. "I don't think anyone followed us here, Haruka-chan."
[19:43] "Well, that's good. Any new envelopments with the Hime, or at Fuka?"
[19:52] "Some," Yukino says, finally turning to look at Haruka. "There's nothing new I learnt through my observations, but digging a bit at the information available netted something interesting." Yukino makes a gesture, and the room dims a bit, as voices sound in it. Haruka recognizes one of them as belonging to the spunky substitute teacher, Midori Sugiura.
[19:52] "I still can't believe it," Midori is saying.
[19:52] "It is a lot to take in," a male voice agrees; it doesn't sound much older than her own.
[19:53] "I suppose," Midori agrees, sighing. "Will you be able to help, Mamoru?" She laughs, then. So does he.
[19:53] "You're not the first to think it funny," Mamoru says. "But we really shouldn't discuss the plan on an open line like that. Where can we meet?"
[19:54] The conversation details an address in Fuka that Haruka is familiar with, as well as a set time. "That would be in three hours from now," Yukino reports.
[19:55] "Then we're going to be there," Haruka says. "Do we have any idea what they were talking about? And who's this Mamoru?"
[19:57] "He is a special investigator," Yukino informs her, the room becoming bright once more. "Until a week ago, he was involved in a top secret governmental task force battling corruption. Then, the task force was suddenly scrubbed. I'm not sure what Sugiura-sensei's relationship with him is, but this man is the only person she had been talking to, from what I can discover."
[20:01] "Huh. Maybe Midori's going to the government about the Festival?" She shrugs. "We'll find out. We can watch and listen through one of your mirrors until their plan becomes clear, then talk to her if everything seems safe. As a teacher at Fuka, I think it's important that we work with her if we can."
[20:07] "We could do that," Yukino agrees. Does she sound relieved? Even knowing her as long as Haruka had, it is difficult to tell. "I don't have anything in the area, but with the time I have, I could set up several proxies of Diana to relay everything to us."
[20:07] The meeting place is where the Suzushiro corporation is about to built a massive new dorm for the students. The location might be a bit remote, even considering the current dorms, but Haruka knows that a system of shuttle busses is planned to cater to the students.
[20:07] Besides, it would be better to have everyone together and with all the modern luxuries. But it would not be ready for another year, sadly.
[20:10] "Do it, then. This is our best lead right now." She looks speculative for a moment, then: "You know, Yukino, this Child of yours is really useful. Think of what the Executive Committee could do if it had eyes everywhere in the school. Think of what we could do to improve discipline! No one could get away with anything."
[20:11] Yukino seems taken aback, briefly. "Y-Yes, Haruka-chan," she says, stuttering. "But the price is a bit high, isn't it?"
[20:12] "Well, yes," she concedes. "We have to focus on stopping the Festival, first and foremost. We can think about other uses later."
[20:12] Flushing, Yukino ducks her head.
[20:15] Aside from the refreshments, Yukino has an actual breakfast prepared, which is laid out in an adjoining room. She joins Haruka for it, and it seems just like old times for a while. Noon comes far too soon, and about fifty minutes later, Yukino calls for Haruka.
[20:15] "Something's happening!" Yukino announces.
[20:15] Haruka rushes over to see!
[20:18] As before, Yukino dims the lightning -- a mysterious occurance, since the windows in the tower's control room lack shades that Haruka can see. However, things don't stop there. Mirrors appear in midair in the center of the room, glowing, and each begins projecting an image.
[20:18] It is a construction site, abandoned despite the time. Has her father called off the workers? Haruka doesn't know. A car drives up to it, coming into view. A young man in hi mid-twenties steps out of it, brushing a hand through his hair. He looks around, black sunglasses concealing his eyes, before leaning against the car.
[20:20] "Mamoru, I assume," Haruka says, watching.
[20:20] "It's not Sugiura-sensei," Yukino agrees.
[20:21] They wait for almost fifteen minutes, the man looking at his watch a few times in the interval.
[20:22] Haruka frowns. "She's late. Teachers shouldn't be late. If he looks like he's going to leave, is there any chance we could get out there in time to meet him ourselves?"
[20:23] Yukino looks at Haruka incredulously. "This is in Fuka. We are not. Even if we didn't need roads, it would take the better part of two hours."
[20:23] Haruka frowns. The laws of physics are so very inconvenient. "We'll just have to watch and wait, then."
[20:25] Half an hour later, Midori makes an appearance. Haruka and Yukino spot her before Mamoru, for Midori is traveling atop what can only be a Child. She approaches from the opposite direction, leaping past the construction equipment and into the yard, before her Child slows down, padding over to the gate.
[20:25] "Sorry I'm late," she calls over to Mamoru, who startles upon seeing her, but to his credit, holds his place.
[20:27] "What is that thing, a rhinocerotops?" Haruka wonders. "He doesn't seem too surprised about it. Or not afraid, at least. Wonder how much she's told him already."
[20:28] Yukino shrugs. "You're being awfully bold," Mamoru speaks, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
[20:28] Midori rolls her eyes, hopping off the Child. "What, with Gakutenoh? Like it matters anymore. Like much matters. Do you really think you can protect us, Mamoru?"
[20:32] "I'm not alone," he says. "Oiishi-san. He wanted to help so much, but they silenced him. There are others, though. Together, we'll expose their wrongdoings and bring them to justice! You hold the key piece of evidence yourself."
[20:32] "Heh. Evidence that the chairwoman is dead," Midori says with a snort. "They've been careful about erasing the proof, but not careful enough. So that girl-- she's not who she says she is. And it would be fine, except... except I think I know who she really might be, and that's impossible. It's impossible, isn't it? People can't live for centuries, unchanging."
[20:34] Yukino looks surprised at the turn the conversation has taken. Her surprise is wiped off when the image flickers, however, quickly turning to panic. "Haruka-chan!" she whispers harshly, and the image ripples again. "She's there. She's there!"
[20:35] "Miss Mashiro's dead?" Haruka blurts. "What?"
[20:36] "You don't mean--" Mamoru says, but the rest of the sentence comes out garbled. The image is not the only thing suffering from interruptions. "--must be. Previous Carnival--" Midori responds. The interferences increase.
[20:41] Haruka frowns. "Hey, what's the deal here? Yukino, do your mirrors need tuning?"
[20:42] "It's Searrs," Yukino whispers, aghast. "But she's dead, she's dead...."
[20:42] "How can they do that? Does that mean they know where we are?"
[20:43] Yukino's head snaps in Haruka's direction. "No, they can't, it's impossible," she says frantically. "But what if I recall them-- no, but abandoning them is also bad, the proxies are limited. Haruka-chan, what should I do?!"
[20:45] "Will we lose them if they stay there?" Haruka asks, calmly. "If not, we'll hear as much as we can before losing the transmission."
[20:47] Yukino nods erratically. "But if we recall the proxies, Searrs might be able to follow them!"
[20:47] "Then-- --Kagutsuchi, could-- --nly hope-- --sealed--" Nothing but fragments is coming through anymore, and the voices are distorted, making it difficult to determine the speaker.
[20:50] Haruka scowls. "I guess that's all we're getting for now. It sounds like she's trying to find out who's behind the Festival instead of 'winning' it, at least. There's not any way you can follow the two of them with the signal lost, I guess, so just try to get the...mirrors or whatever back safely."
[20:53] Yukino looks dubious but, beyond all, scared. The images comes out of focus, but not before Haruka can see a brilliant green beam slam into the ground dangerously close to Midori.
[20:53] The mirrors go blank at once. There is a pained gasp. Yukino collapses to the floor.
[20:55] "Yukino? Yukino!" Haruka kneels down by her friend, taking her by the shoulders. "What happened?"
[20:56] Yukino is insensate. Her pulse feels off to Haruka.
[21:00] "Yukino! This isn't funny, wake up!" Haruka slaps her lightly on the cheek. Just to rouse her, really! Glancing around the room...well, is any of the control center's communications gear operational in case she has to call for medical help? Not that she wants to, after her last trip to the hospital, but it might be necessary.
[21:01] Yukino groans, though whether from the slap or her condition, Haruka can't tell. Haruka thinks the gear is operational enough; the problem being that she doesn't know where exactly she is.
[21:03] Haruka follows up her previous attempt by...shaking Yukino lightly! "Snap out of it, Yukino. I need your help here."
[21:04] The back of Yukino's head lightly smacks against the floor as she is shaken.
[21:06] Oops. Okay, bad idea. If the girl insists on being unconscious, then Haruka will just have to carry her to the bed for now. Always the best place to recuperate.
[21:10] In a manner of minutes, Yukino recovers. "Oww," she whimpers, reaching feebly to hold the back of her head.
[21:11] "Finaly!" Haruka suddenly feels like she should've brought her friend some hot chocolate or something. "Are you alright? What happened?"
[21:12] "I'm linked to Diana," Yukino says, her voice weak. "I couldn't retreat every proxy of her in time."
[21:13] "That means...more broken mirrors?" Haruka speculates.
[21:14] "Not the mirrors," Yukino responds, shaking her head. The motion doesn't sit well with her. "It's too late to worry about that, now," she continues, fighting nausea. "We have to get away for now, Haruka-chan, until we know whether she managed to pin us down."
[21:16] "She?" Haruka asks, supporting Yukino as she tries to rise.
[21:17] "Arika Searrs," Yukino spits, with uncharacteristic spite. "We can't go against that thing. All we can do is run away."
[21:19] "What a minute, I thought she was dead?"
[21:21] "So did I," Yukino says, and as her anger fades, Haruka becomes aware of just how terrified her childhood friend is. "She was dead. Dead. Very dead. People don't come back from that state. So she's not a person. She's a thing. I can't fight that thing. Even killing it wouldn't work. Nothing would work."
[21:24] "We'll find a way," Haruka says, attempting to be reassuring. "We'll get all the Hime together and figure something out. But right now we need to move, don't we? One step at a time, Yukino. How do you feel? Can you get up?"
[21:24] "I can walk," Yukino says, frowning afterwards. "But I don't know about driving."
[21:27] "Well...if we have to, I can have Orihime carry you. She does that sort of thing a lot."
[21:29] Yukino doesn't seem pleased at the suggestion. "We could just give it a few minutes and see how I'm doing then. Where should we retreat?"
[21:31] Haruka considers this. "We could always go home. Maybe father could help us get in touch with this investigator friend of Midori."
[21:32] Another incredulous stare is directed at Haruka. "You think a cop could survive a meeting with Searrs?"
[21:34] "Maybe if he had a Hime to pull him out of the fire." she shrugs. "We're running out of leads, Yukino, we have to try everything."
[21:35] "Alright," Yukino says dubiously. "Help me to the car, Haruka-chan?"
[21:37] Haruka nods and lifts her friend to her feet, supporting her with one arm around her back.
[21:40] Yukino leans heavily on Haruka the entire trip, although she looks well enough to drive once she gets behind the wheel. "To your father, then?" Yukino repeats. "It might work, for now."
[21:42] Haruka nods. "I'm not sure where else safe right now."
[21:44] Yukino nods curtly, starting the engine. There is no key in the ignition. "He should have a company office within an hour's drive of Fuka, coordinating the island's development. We should have a better chance of finding him there, under the circumstances, then in Tokyo." She glances at Haruka for confirmation.
[21:46] Haruka nods again. "Hey, Yukino," she says, glancing pointedly at the ignition. "Is this one of those new mind-controlled cars?"
[21:47] "Mind-controlled cars?" Yukino asks in surprise. "Those exist?"
[22:22] Shifting gears, Yukino sets off to their destination. She's driving far slowly, but Haruka is unable to concentrate too much on the scenery. Her wounds begin to hurt, again, forcing her to wonder whether supporting Yukino in that state was a good idea.
[22:22] But even with the pain she is in, Haruka is able to find certain clarity by the time they arrive. Yukino parks the car, gesturing discreetly to a large building across the street. It belongs to the Suzushiro corporation.
[22:23] Finally! If they're not safe with her father's people, they're not safe anywhere.
[22:24] Unless he thinks she's a mental hospital escapee, a nasty thought intrudes on Haruka's conscious mind. Which he has every reason to.
[22:24] Bah. She can show him Orihime if she really needs something to convince him. Or she can just ask him to look into who actually runs that hospital.
[22:27] "Should we both go in?" Yukino asks. She sounds uncertain. "I could keep an eye on you from here, if we need to get away in a hurry."
[22:28] Haruka shakes her head. "Let's both go. We have to be safe here."
[22:29] "Alright, Haruka-chan." The car stills, and Yukino exits it. She looks much more steady, now, Haruka notices as the younger girl makes her way over.
[22:30] That's good to see, at least. Yukino worries too much. Having unwavering confidence in your abilities is half the recipe for VICTORY, after all. Anyway, time to head inside.
[22:32] With Yukino hovering nearby, Haruka makes her way across the street, nimbly avoiding traffic. A receptionist is there, as well as several guests going in and out. No one is paying much attention to the two.
[22:34] Haruka approaches the receptionist, striding through the front office like she owned the place because, well, she kind of does. "I am Haruka Suzushiro," she announces to the receptionist. "I need to contact my father immediately."
[22:39] That certainly gets a reaction. The woman looks Haruka over, before typing a few things on her computer. "Of course," she tells Haruka, looking back at her. "If you would go to the meeting room on the twelfth, you would find Mr. Suzushiro there. He left specific instructions that he be notified if you happened to show up."
[22:40] Haruka nods. Of course father would be prepared! "Thank you," she says to the receptionist before proceeding to the elevator and then the twelfth floor, Yukino in tow.
[22:43] The elevator is empty, and after a similar routine is repeated at the reception desk on the twelfth floor, Yukino and Haruka are shown to the meeting room in question. Several people in dark suits exit it just as the pair approaches. The only occupant remaining is a man Haruka knows well; her father. He looks worried, but she can spot the telltale signs of anger in his rigid posture as well.
[22:46] Haruka bows respectfully. "Father," she starts, "I regret worrying you with my actions, but it was not safe to stay at the hospital. I did not know this when I spoke to you previously and did not have the chance to call when I became aware that the hospital was a front for a malodorant organization."
[22:48] "Malevolent, Haruka-chan," Yukino whispers from her side, fidgeting.
[22:48] "What do you mean?" he asks, not betraying his thoughts.
[22:53] "The ambulance that was sent to retrieve me after I called for one did not reach me; instead, a group working for the First District--and organization devoted to exploring the Hime--found me first. We have Yukino to thank for discovering this and notifying me of the danger. I am sure this will become apparent once you apply your resources towards investigating the hospital."
[22:54] "I apologize again for not confiding in you earlier and causing you undue concern. I realize this is a problem I may not be able to overcome on my own."
[22:57] "Why didn't either of you come to me with this right away?" Haruka's father asks, tapping his fingers against the meeting room's oval table. He glances down, showing mild irritation, and stands up, crossing his hands behind his back. "We might have been able to catch them in the act. Instead, they have the initiative. It would not be easy to fight them in court now that they've made the first move."
[23:01] Haruka recalls that it was Yukino who broke into the hospital and took Haruka out, but she's not about to throw her friend under the bus. "They took my phone, and I'm sure they would have monitored the call if I'd told you how things were over one of their phones. Given the saturation, I had no choice but to simply leave as soon as possible."
[23:01] "And these people don't care about the courts," she adds darkly, remembering the facility she raided with Nao.
[23:04] "Situation, Haruka-chan," Yukino corrects her quietly, back into their little routine.
[23:04] "This is where you're wrong," he tells her. "Considering the nature of the place you escaped from, as well as the method, they are trying to declare you incompetent. In effect, a person who cannot make decisions for themselves under the law, and is a menace to themselves and others. I've been trying to block that, but it's not easy and has been tying up my time and effort in courts."
[23:08] Now *that* stops Haruka in her tracks for a moment. "What? They're trying to say that I'm crazy? That's...that's crazy! They just want me back in their custody for their experiments." She frowns. "I didn't expect them to be *this* bold. If we have the men to spare, we need to research who runs the hospital. Find proof to subliminate its connection to the First District. That's what they don't want anyone to know about!"
[23:13] "We can't do it covertly," he responds with a heavy sigh, even as Yukino whispers, "Subliminate, subliminate, what's that?" Gesturing for Haruka and Yukino to take seats by the table, he reclaims his.
[23:13] "For obvious reasons. Any direct attacks on it would be futile as well; while successful in the longer run, it might be just the ammunition they need. For now, their moves have been restricted, but even a flimsy excuse we provide for them might be exploited. They are bound to have judges in their pocket."
[23:17] Haruka glances at Yukino. "You know, to...prove something, back it up, show it has substance...subliminate!" she mutters to her friend. She sits down at the table and turns back to her father. "We might be able to do it covertly," she says. "I don't want to just volunteer Yukino for anything, but she has ways of finding things out. Yukino...what do you think?"
[23:18] Yukino follows suit. "Well," she says, biting on her lower lip. "We could try infiltrating a First District facility. Without being noticed. Ten minutes there and I will have all we need and more." She looks expectantly at Haruka afterwards.
[23:20] That's what Haruka wanted to hear. Yukino taking decisive action! ...Or, contemplating taking decisive action. Hey, it's a start. "If you can do it without attracting attention, that's our best option."
[23:29] Yukino nods. She doesn't seem particularly confident, but doesn't withdraw her suggestion. "There is another angle," she voices, looking at Haruka's father. "There was a committee... a task force occupied with certain dealings in high levels of government. It might have had something to do with First District.
[23:29] All the electronic information has either been destroyed or locked away securely, but maybe...."
[23:30] Haruka nods. "I'm sure anything we could find out about that would be useful."
[23:39] Her father agrees. "We'll look into that. I haven't heard of this task force, but I trust your information is reliable?"
[23:39] Yukino nods.
[23:39] "Well, then. That's all I needed to know."
[23:41] "I should probably keep a low profile in the meantime," Haruka admits. "With them trying to have me committed and all."
[23:43] "You would be safest here," he says. "Even more so at our company headquarters in Tokyo."
[23:44] Haruka nods in agreement, accepting her father's judgement for now.
[23:45] "I'll make the arrangements, then," he says. Standing up once more, he walks across to the large double doors and opens them, pausing at the entryway. "Wait here. It won't take long."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:06] "What now, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asks. Now that they are alone, in what should be a safe place in the depth of a Suzushiro-owned building, the fight seems to have left her, leaving Yukino that same meek follower Haruka had grown accustomed to.
[14:10] Aww. Haruka was starting to appreciate the assertive Yukino. The other girl *does* need to stand up for herself more. Oh well, home wasn't built overnight. "I guess we should get some rest. Are you tired?"
[14:12] Yukino makes a groan that would sound positively adorable under different circumstances. "Don't worry about me, Haruka-chan," she says quietly. "You're the one who needs to get better and regain her strength."
[14:15] Haruka shrugs. A couple bullet wounds aren't going to phase Haruka Suzushiro! ...For very long, at least. "You fainted this morning when we were listening in on Midori. Are you sure you're okay?"
[14:20] "It was not as bad as the other times," Yukino mutters quietly, before shaking her head. "I'm fine, Haruka-chan. Really!"
[14:20] Hiro Suzushiro returns at that time, his posture rigid. "There's been an incident at Fuka," he says, closing the door behind him. A remote is in his hands, and he activates a projector with it. What seems to be a pillar of fire is seen on the still frame presented; the location clearly somewhere near the Academy. Haruka can see the church's unmistakable bell tower in the background.
[14:21] "What the--when did this happen?" Haruka demands.
[14:25] "A few hours. This information is being ruthlessly suppressed. This picture alone cost... much." Hiro doesn't elaborate on that. "I can only conclude that the First District had moved in soon after the incident resolved. Even our holdings in Fuka had been seized; we have no one on the ground to appraise us of the situation."
[14:25] "But we might, and that's why you came to us," Yukino says quietly.
[14:25] Hiro remains silent.
[14:27] Haruka looks at the picture. Does it look like the work of that dragon that torched the First District facility, or...something else?
[14:29] It shows an enormous pillar of swirling fire, parting the very clouds.
[14:31] "Yukino, do you know who this is?" Haruka asks her friend, remembering something Yukino had said about Searrs.
[14:31] Yukino gives her a strange look. "It's... fire, Haruka-chan. There's no one here."
[14:32] "I know. That wasn't my question. Do you think any of the Hime could've done this?"
[14:34] "Oh!" Yukino considers the question. "Well... I know Mai-san's element is fire, but I've never seen her do something like that," she says hesitantly.
[14:36] "What about Searrs?"
[14:38] Yukino looks upset. "I wish I knew more," she says self-deprecatingly.
[14:40] Haruka frowns, and turns to her father. "Then we don't know anything more than you do," she says to him. "You'll need someone on the ground there to find out. Someone who fits in at Fuka and won't look auspicious. Someone who *should* be there to keep the students in order at a time like this anyway," she adds decisively.
[14:42] But first: "Give me a phone," she says to the room in general. Surely someone will oblige!
[14:44] Yukino provides one. "I think it should work," she tells Haruka, flipping it open. She emits a small sigh of relief when the screen clears, the phone connecting to the network.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:45] Haruka takes the phone and dials a number. Time to check in with Nao!
[14:47] "This is Nao," comes an unusually subdued voice, lacking either arrogance or a sultry tone. "What."
[14:47] "It's Haruka. Are you at Fuka right now?"
[14:48] "If you mean the island, yes. If you mean the school, soon enough," replies Nao. "A lot happened. Again. I was wondering when you were gonna call."
[14:49] "What's going on there?" Haruka demands. "I've got a picture of this pillar of fire, but that's all."
[14:50] "There was a fight. Someone attacked Sugiura Midori. The fire was Mai, trying to fly over and save her. She didn't make it."
[14:52] "That was MAI? Okay, who started the fight? Was anyone else hurt? ...Is Midori dead?"
[14:53] Yukino shifts uncomfortably as she listens in. "Sugiura-sensei is dead?" she asks, audible over the phone.
[14:54] "Some strange girl with magical fucking wings and a laser rifle. My policy from now on is to kill anything with wings, by the by. Don't surprise me." Nao pauses. "And yeah. She's dead. I couldn't get there in time, either. Something attacked me, as well- have you been alright? Did your wounds heal? Where are you?"
[14:57] Haruka nods silently to Yukino before resuming the conversation. "Wings and a laser rifle, right. Don't worry, I haven't got either of those. Unless our R&D people have been working overtime. I'm at one of the Suzushiro corporate buildings with father and Yukino. I'm not in any state to fight someone, but that doesn't mean I can't tell Orihime to do it for me. Who attacked you?"
[14:59] "I don't know. It was..." replies Nao, struggling to describe what attacked her. "There was this.. flower, just floating in midair. The next time I looked it was gone. I thought I was being followed, so I went to the park- I could easily pick out anyone weird there. Then.. things got weird."
[15:00] "Weirder. Something tried to grab me from the earth. I didn't get a good look. The funny thing was that nobody seemed to notice when I broke out the claws and swiped back. Like they couldn't see anything weird happening."
[15:02] "...Right," Haruka says slowly, none of this making a whole lot of sense to her. "What about the fire. Did they not even notice that?"
[15:02] "I'm pretty sure everyone noticed the fire. And the tornado."
[15:03] "Tornado?" Haruka repeats, looking at the others with her. "We didn't hear about that."
[15:03] "Uh. What?"
[15:04] "It was like right on fucking top of one of your construction sites."
[15:04] Hiro shakes his head silently in response.
[15:08] "That...must be where Midori was meeting her friend from the police. I know they were attacked, but we couldn't see what actually happened. Midori had found something about Miss Mashiro being dead, but we didn't hear the details."
[15:09] "Well, yeah, we knew something was up with that already. I showed you that obituary, didn't I?" asks Nao, frowning. "Anyway, I met that guy. He was... he said he'd make sure he got her last message to me. I wanted to stay with him, just in case- you know. But he insisted."
[15:10] "You lost him? Did he explain anything first, at least?"
[15:12] "Only that Midori had been doing research into this, and that she was going to return my call," replies Nao. "What was his name, Mamoru or something? He was pretty upset by Midori's death... well. Who wouldn't be..."
[15:12] "He took Midori's body away, anyhow. I had to carry Mai back to the dorms."
[15:14] "Mamoru, yes." Haruka presses on. There'll be a chance to mourn later. This is a time for *action*. "How's Mai?"
[15:17] "Mai's going nuts," replies Nao, succinctly. "She couldn't take Midori's death. When I showed up at the scene, she didn't seem to recognize me- she attacked me! Me! If it wasn't for Mikoto..." Nao breaths in, slowly. "Anyway, she's asleep in her dorm. Mikoto is with her, so she should be fine. I've got things to do though. One of the teachers at school is a First District agent-"
[15:17] "-and I'd like to have a few words with him. Privately. In a place where he can't get away. You guys don't have any of those black limos lying around I can borrow, do you?"
[15:18] As Nao speaks with Haruka over the phone, her augmented senses pick something. She's not alone in the woods.
[15:18] Haruka appears to take this request at face value. "Father? Do we have a limo to spare for Nao?"
[15:19] "We have plenty, but there is a blockade over Fuka that is as real as it is illegal," Hiro reminds his daughter. "I presume this is where your friend is right now?"
[15:19] Haruka nods.
[15:19] Yukino snorts in disgust when Nao is called Haruka's friend.
[15:20] "Even if we could get a car past the First District goons, would it not just paint a target over your friend, who is currently free and running about?"
[15:20] "Hey. Haruka. You said you could send Orihime out, right? She'd be real handy around about now," remarks Nao, clicking her tounge and starting to pick up her pace, looking for her company.
[15:22] Dark human-sized shapes are moving through the forest. They don't blend in too well considering there's still plenty of light out, but then again, Nao isn't certain a regular schoolgirl would've noticed them.
[15:23] Haruka glances at Hiro and Yukino, and considers for a moment. How far away is she from Fuka? How long would it take help to reach Nao?
[15:23] "Call me again in twenty minutes," whispers Nao, clicking off the phone and setting it to silent.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[15:24] Click. The line is cut.
[15:25] Haruka frowns. "How far are we from Fuka right now?" she asks her father.
[15:27] Hiro is poised to respond, but it is Yukino who speaks, cutting in before he could manage to say a word. "What is wrong with you, Haruka-chan?!" the mousy girl practically yells. "Sugiura-sensei is dead! It's probably Searrs! And now First District is there too, and you're wounded and can barely walk and you want to GO THERE?!
[15:27] Why? What did that vile Yuuki girl cast on you to make you go to such lengths for her?!"
[15:28] Yukino's eyes are wide. She breathes heavily. Even Hiro seems taken aback by the outburst.
[15:33] Haruka stays calm. "Yukino, this isn't about Nao. This is about FUKA. Someone wants us to fight, and we can't afford to do that. We have to work *together*. All of us. Do you understand?" She takes Yukino by the shoulders, and squeezes lightly.
[15:35] Yukino assertively throws Haruka's hands off. "What I understand is that if you go there, you will die!" She gestures at the pillar of fire, still featured prominently over the white screen. "Can you stop that? I can't! And the Searrs demon is lethal to me simply by breathing! And-- and First District-- if they get their claws-- in you again--" Yukino seems to be having trouble breathing.
[15:38] Haruka blinks, then finally relents and drops into a chair. "It's alright, see? I'm not going anywhere." Wow. For all that she'd always thought Yukino should be more assertive, this is a little disturbing.
[15:40] Yukino is still hyperventilating, but she's not yelling anymore.
[15:41] Haruka reaches out to take Yukino by the hand, more gently this time. "Yukino," she says in a worried tone, "are you okay?"
[15:43] Yukino's eyes are stormy. "Do I look okay, Haruka-chan?" she quietly asks, sitting down heavily. She grasps her head in her hands. "We're going to die. We're all going to die."
[15:46] Haruka kneels down in fron of Yukino, peering up at her. "That's not going to happen, Yukino. Not on my watch. Have some faith in me. You do trust me, don't you?"
[15:47] Yukino keeps on repeating the same line. Hiro looks disturbed. "Are all the other Hime... like that?" he asks.
[15:50] Haruka shakes her head. "Most people don't deal with pressure like I do, but no, there are all sorts. Look, is there a bed here? Yukino needs somewhere quiet to calm down."
[15:51] "I have a sofa in my office here," Hiro tells her, coming closer to them. "Yukino is welcome to use it."
[15:52] "That'll do." She pats her friend on the shoulder, hoping to not be thrown off this time. "Come on, Yukino. Let's lie down for a bit. You'll feel better later."
[15:54] Yukino does not resist at this time, having reverted to her meek persona once more.
[15:56] Haruka escorts Yukino to the sofa and lays her prone on it, then sits down next to her (this is probably necessary to facilitate the other girl's recovery) and waits for Nao to call back.
[16:28] Ten terse minutes pass, before Hiro returns -- when had he left the room to give Yukino and Haruka privacy? His face is even more grim than when Haruka saw him last.
[16:33] "What's wrong?" Haruka asks flatly.
[16:33] "I've tried to get one of our commercial sattelites over Fuka as soon as I got the news," Hiro tells Haruka. "It finally reached the target area a minute and change ago. We won't have much time to observe, but that is all we can do right now."
[16:34] Haruka nods. "Alright. Let's see what we can while we have the chance."
[16:37] Hiro takes her back to the meeting room. Haruka doesn't see anyone as she makes the brief journey there; the employees have either been dismissed outright or told to leave the floor at the very least. The live feed is already on, showing Fuka on a macro scale, albeit the resolution is excellent. Smoke is trailing from two areas; the Academy and a part of the city.
[16:41] "Two fires now? What happened in the city?"
[16:43] Hiro commandeers the wireless mouse and keyboard the room holds, adjusting the video feed. It zooms on the city, towards an area Haruka recognizes as the city hospital. It is on fire.
[16:44] "...Oh. Sister Yukariko was still there the last I heard of her. I wonder if she was involved in this. Do we know when the fire started?"
[16:45] "I know as much as you do," Hiro says, and only knowing him all her life allows Haruka to spot the frustration hidden well behind his mask.
[16:45] The fire does not look to have started within the last two minutes, to Haruka.
[16:46] Haruka nods, sharing the frustration. "Yukino has ways of seeing and hearing things far away, but I don't want to push her in her present state. I'm going to try calling Nao again," she says, and promptly does so.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[16:48] "Is that you, Haruka?" comes Nao's voice, difficult to hear over some roaring wind.
[16:49] "Yeah. So, the hospital's on fire, huh?"
[16:49] The ninja throws Nao a dark look, but this doesn't get him to speak, either.
[16:49] "What."
[16:50] "Okay, never mind. I guess you're not there. What's your situation?"
[16:51] "Well, maybe I should be there! I've secured Ishigami, and am going... someplace. Give me a number to call you back on, now isn't such a good time. Oh, yeah, there are soldiers crawling over the school looking for people like me. I don't think they're doing anything to the regular students."
[16:52] Haruka grinds her teeth. Soldiers? At Fuka? Sacrilege! Anyway, she looks to her father for a number for Nao to call back and then relays it to the other girl.
[16:53] "Yeah. Alright. I should be able to talk in a little while. 'till then." *click*

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[16:54] Hiro purses his lips. The number he had given Haruka is one she knows well. It is his direct, private line. Aside from her immediate family, she doesn't believe anyone knows it. This is the first time she had seen her father share it with a stranger.
[17:02] Haruka takes a moment to sit and think about her next move. She's not in any fit state to go out and dispense JUSTICE in person, however much that fact may gall her, so she'll have to content herself with gathering info for now. "Our enemies--that we know of--are the First District and Searrs." She turns to her father. "What do we know about Searrs?"
[17:02] Haruka makes the assumption that info on the First District is nil, of course.
[17:04] "A wealthy American conglomerate. They have their hands in pretty much everything," Hiro states, focusing on the projection. Firefighters are trying to battle with the flames. The resolution becomes finer as he zooms in; there are casualties on the ground.
[17:06] "Including the Festival, apparently," Haruka adds, also focusing on the projection. Is the resolution good enough for her to recognize anyone there?
[17:07] It could be, though one would need to zoom in further. Hiro knows this as well, which could be why he kept it at that level.
[17:08] Haruka isn't having any of that restraint. "Father? There was a Hime at the hospital. I need to see if she's among the wounded."
[17:10] The sattelite zooms in further. Men and women, children and elderly -- the fire had spared none. Some, however, are bloody--
[17:10] The feed terminates with an infernal screech. Hiro presses several keys, wincing, and the sound is cut off.
[17:11] Haruka can't suppress a wince herself. "What was that?"
[17:14] Hiro is studying data that doesn't make much sense to Haruka. "Our sattellite suddenly went offline. It stopped transmitting all telemetry. I--" He pauses. Haruka hasn't seen her father quite so lost for words before in her entire life.
[17:14] "No, that must be the only reason. Our sattellites are heavily shielded from radiation, on par with the latest military hardware. The only way for it to not broadcast is if the sattelite is no longer there."
[17:19] "Searrs," Haruka concludes. "When Yukino's listening devices all went on the spritz, she said it was them. They must be responsible for this too."
[17:22] "For the first time, I'm not sure we're ready to stand against both of these organizations," Hiro says heavily.
[17:25] Haruka considers this. "If we can find out who's behind the Festival and stop *them*, we won't have to. That's what everyone's after--winning the Festival. If we ruin the Festival itself, there's nothing to fight over."
[17:27] "Neither would forget or forgive all their plans being ruined in that way," Hiro says doubtfully. "Perhaps, however, we could find a way to turn them against each other in earnest. Searrs and First District are competing, are they not?"
[17:28] "Nao and I went into that First District research futility with information from a Searrs informant. They're not the best of friends, that's for sure."
[17:30] Hiro perks up. "You have an in with Searrs?"
[17:32] Haruka grimaces. "Sort of. Nao and I caught him following us and confronted him. He gave us some information because doing so was useful to him, I think. I don't know how to reach him, myself."
[17:33] "It all comes back to Nao, again," Hiro muses, contemplative. "Alright. What about contacts with the First District?"
[17:35] "Nao said she'd caught a teacher who was working for them. So we're waiting for her again. I wish I'd thought to drag someone with me when I left the research faculty," Haruka adds, apparently forgetting that she was critically injured and being carried herself at the time.
[17:37] "Right now, I think we should follow up on Midori's investiture of the Fuka headmaster. I overheard a conversation this morning where Midori mentioned something about Miss Mashiro being dead...'for centuries,' which doesn't make any sense to me, but looking into Mashiro is better than sitting and waiting."
[17:42] Hiro nods in agreement. "I'll try to look into First District's dealings from my own angle. Splitting our attention between them and Searrs at this juncture would leave us with spread out too thin, having learnt nothing. Once your friend makes contact again, bring her in. Though it is a risk to hold all eggs in the same basket, that seems like our best bet at this point."

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[16:16] The ship Nao is on docks at its destination, not looking out of place with the other fishing vessels. Both she and her luggage are shown to one of the nearby houses, fitting it quite nicely with others like it in the village. Inside, though, state of the art communications equipment greets Nao, as well as more men carrying themselves like those who took her to this hideout.
[16:20] Luggage? What's that? Nao only has what she's wearing. She stares rather skeptically at the outfits of the men running around, but ultimately shrugs her shoulders. "May I?" she asks, glancing at the communications gear.
[16:21] Silent communication of some sort goes between the men present, but Nao is granted access to the system afterwards without a complaint.
[16:23] It takes her a moment to figure out exactly what buttons to push, but when you really get down to it, it's just an oversized phone, and Nao *knows* phones. Eventually she manages to input Suzushiro's contact number, and sits back to let it dial.
[16:24] Haruka picks up, apparently not having wandered far from her father's office during her stay at the corporate building. "Nao? What's happening?" she asks, straight to business.
[16:25] "Fuka blew up."
[16:26] Haruka sighs, an odd sound since it's mixed with obvious frustration. "So did the hospital. Who did it this time?"
[16:27] Nao is clad in a wetsuit that is still dripping, slightly. Her hair is soaked, and her skin is pale. Her eyes, however, are empty. "Searrs. The First District dispatched soldiers to the school to capture us. Searrs decided that blowing everything to smithereens was preferable."
[16:31] "They took down our communications satellite, too. I am totally convinced of the need to dispatch justice by means of a mace to the head once we actually find these people. Nao...is there anything left of Fuka? Was there time for any organized innoculation before the explosion happened?"
[16:33] "I don't know. I wasn't on the island when it happened," she replies, grimacing. "I captured Wataru Ishigami, one of the District's men. I'll be interrogating him later. We were rescued by ninjas. Would you believe it? It seems that Okuzaki Akira leads a fucking honest-to-god ninja clan. Tokiha Takumi is here, too."
[16:36] Haruka grinds her teeth, mentally tallying up the number of people who could now be dead as a result of the explosion at Fuka and quickly running out of numbers. And think of the *property* damage! Someone is going to PAY. "I need to be there for the interrogation." It's not a request. "Also, any sign of Mai?"
[16:37] "I put her to bed in her room. Mikoto was with her. I don't know where they are now, and my phone got busted again." Nao looks exceptionally pained. "She's alive, at least. Takumi's still here, after all. But what's happened to you since I left you?"
[16:40] "We've got time to talk now, so let's trade the last couple days."
[16:41] "Not much. As I said, something happened at the hospital in the city, but we lost contact with our satellite when we tried to get a closer look at it. Right now I'm at one of the Suzushiro corporate buildings with Yukino. I suggested to father that he have our men dig up what they can on Miss Mashiro, since Midori was working on that before she died."
[16:42] "I believe the event at the hospital was Akira's men recovering Takumi. Though I'm not sure that required a fire."
[16:42] "There definitely was one. Maybe it happened after they left. I think Sister Yukariko was still there, after all."
[16:45] Nao's face twists in frustration. "Great. Anyway, things were a bit more crazy on my end. After I left you, I met up with Mai in the hospital, and we talked for a bit. Mai was the one who blew up that facility, you know? It seems she was tipped off by some 'Diana' woman. According to her, Kuga Natsuki was being held there."
[16:46] "Diana seems to have strange and mysterious powers of telecommunication, enabling her to activate otherwise-broken mobile phones at long range."
[16:47] "Di...ana...Huh. Okay, so why did Mai torch the place if she thought Natsuki was there?"
[16:47] "Because Mikoto got shot," replies Nao, clenching her jaw. "It made her very, very angry."
[16:51] "Oh. Let's try to not let that happened again. Or at least make sure Mai's pointed at someone else when it does. Alright, we need to get together, all of us who are left, and make a plan. No more Hime getting picked off one by one, whoever wants us will have to face all of us at once. Can you tell me where you are right now?"
[16:58] "I'm at some secret ninja base. I'll see if they're willing to give you directions later," replies Nao, shrugging. "What kind of plan? I'm all out of plans. I need to interrogate Ishigami and see if these ninjas are actually going to tell me anything."
[16:58] Nao starts massaging her forehead. "And I still don't have a clue how to deal with the Hime Star. You've seen the news, right?"
[16:59] "No-oo," Haruka says slowly. "I've spent a lot of time unconscionable lately. What did I miss?"
[17:00] "Natural disasters are on the rise. There was a blizzard in the Sahara. Volcanic eruptions everywhere. The world is getting fucked up."
[17:01] "Fuka's gone. How much worse can things get? Alright, interrogate Ishigami and tell me whatever you learn as soon as possible. Do not hold back, Nao! He's a traitor to Fuka and he deserves whatever it takes to make him talk!"
[17:03] "I won't hold back," Nao assured her student representative. "I'll make him squeal." Nao plainly agrees with Haruka's assessment of Ishigami's morality; the thought of interrogating him brings a feral glint to her eye. "Have you got anything else? Had any more weird dreams?"
[17:05] "Nothing worth mentioning," Haruka says, deciding that a dream of her keeping a harem that included the late Shizuru Fujino isn't worth sharing for quite a wide variety of reasons.
[17:08] "Uh-huh. Alright. Anyway. As I said, after I spoke to Mai, I talked to Smith. You know that Arika girl? Shizuru's murderer? She doesn't stay dead. She's got.. cloned bodies in some lab, somewhere, and every time she dies, she gets a new one. If you run into her, don't kill her. Just make it impossible for her to do anything, even commit suicide."
[17:11] Haruka would like to kill her once just for the satisfaction of doing it, but nods anyway. "Yukino said something like that, but I thought she was just delicious and not thinking straight. Why did Smith tell you this? Isn't Arika with Searrs too?"
[17:13] "Smith claims not to agree with the methods used by the current leadership." Nao frowns, and seems to glance at the ground. "He's been feeding me some information because of that. But I can't trust him. He never tipped me off about what was going to happen on the island. He had to at least know about the First District incursion."
[17:14] Nao frowns, suddenly. "Speaking of Yukino. What's she been up to?"
[17:15] "Watching over me, mostly. Why do you ask?"
[17:15] "I'm trying to keep tabs on the other Hime when I can. If she's got information I don't, I want to know it."
[17:16] "I'll talk to her," Haruka says simply, intending to do that anyway for several reasons.
[17:23] "Alright." Nao is silent for a few seconds, and when she speaks, there's a hard edge to her voice. "Haruka, I don't know if we can stop the festival. I do know that we can tear apart the First District and Searrs, if we work together. If there's any way, they know it. If there isn't, then they all deserve to die."
[17:26] "I absolutely agree," Haruka says with equal resolve. "Call me as soon as you know anything. I'll see if Father and Yukino have anything new, in the meantime."
[17:28] "I'll give you the details of this place. When Ishigami wakes up, I'll get to work on him." Nao smiles, after that, without any malice or sarcasm in her face. "I'm glad I got a chance to see you again, though. Don't do anything crazy without letting me in on it, alright?"
[17:29] "Crazy? I don't know what you mean, Nao. No one's more sane than I am." As far as one can tell, Haruka is being totally serious.
[17:32] "Well. Try to spread that around a bit. We could all use a bit more sanity, I think. Let's speak again in an hour."
[17:32] "Sure." Haruka hangs up.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[16:59] Yukino is lying down when Haruka tracks her down. It's not too difficult; this time, Yukino hadn't fled the place Haruka left her at.
[17:00] Always a plus. "Hey, Yukino," Haruka says casually, "how are you feeling?"
[17:02] Yukino blinks her bleary eyes at the blonde. "Better, Haruka-chan," she says quietly. "I think I needed to rest a bit."
[17:05] Haruka sits down on the sofa next to Yukino. "That's good. Say, Yukino...your Child is named Diana, right?" Haruka asks. Skilled segue, go!
[17:06] "Yes, Haruka-chan," Yukino responds, sitting up. She looks confused by the topic her friend had brought up. "I told you that, remember?"
[17:08] "Yeah. Listen, I heard from Mai, and she said she got some info from someone named Diana a while back. Was that you?"
[17:10] Yukino looks away. "I was afraid, but Miss Kazahana... asked me to help. I couldn't refuse."
[17:11] "Who's Miss Kazahana?"
[17:14] Yukino blinks slowly at Haruka. "You've... forgotten who the chairwoman of Fuka is?" She grasps the sides of Haruka's head, turning her this way and that. "Strange, there are no bumps...."
[17:19] "Alright, but...do you know how she found out about it in the first place?"
[17:20] "I don't think you understand, Haruka-chan," Yukino says slowly, letting go of the blonde. "She asked me to find Kuga-san and let Tokiha-san know, and I did, with Diana's help."
[17:22] "Alright, and Kuga was at that facility when you found her?"
[17:23] Yukino shakes her head. "No, Kuga-san was being held hostage by Alyssa-chan and Greer-san. It was at some abandoned factory near the shore."
[17:26] Haruka chews on this for a moment. "Alright. According to Mai, 'Diana' told her that Kuga was at the research facility Nao and I broke into a couple nights ago."
[17:26] "You talked to Tokiha-san?" Yukino asks.
[17:27] "Nao's with her and Mikoto. And a clan of ninjas, I'm told."
[17:29] Yukino mood turns to the worse. "No doubt she's been feeding you lies, that vile scarlet woman."
[17:33] Haruka frowns. "Judge people by their actions, Yukino. Since all this started, I've only seen her trying to figure out who's behind the Festival and stop it. The Hime have to stand together, or we will most assuredly...um, fall apart."
[17:34] "But she's lying!" Yukino blurts out. "She's turning you against me!"
[17:37] "Yukino, think about this! When we broke into that research facility, I got *shot* and couldn't fight at all. Orihime had to carry me around. If Nao was trying to get rid of the other Hime, she had a great perpetuity to kill me right there, but she didn't."
[17:38] Yukino goes silent, not correcting Haruka. "What if she's just using you?" she asks suddenly. "You got shot. You! But she escaped without a scratch! Don't you see? She's just using you as a shield for her own goals, Haruka-chan!"
[17:39] "Then tell me what they are, Yukino. Because they look like the same as mine from everything I've seen so far."
[17:40] "She's having you take all the hits from her enemies while gathering the opposition together, sowing discord between you and your friends subtly. And then, when it's time to strike, she will!"
[17:41] Haruka shakes her head. "Yukino...is there any way you can prove this?"
[17:42] "All I have is my word that she's lying to you and trying to turn you against me," Yukino says piteously, looking away. "Once, that would have been enough...."
[17:45] Haruka considers this. Yukino's never been one to make stuff up...but then, she's never been this emotionally unstable, either. "Yukino, this is about more than you and me. This is about saving Fuka--or what's left of it--and I'm not going to exclude any student unless I can see for sure that they're a threat. Do you understand?"
[17:47] Yukino nods dejectedly.
[17:50] "Alright. If you're worried, you can keep an eye on her, but I'd rather watch out for the people we know are our enemies, okay? We're going to meet up with the other Hime soon, and together we can take on the First District or Searrs."
[17:50] Yukino nods again, this time with more spirit. "I will always watch over you, Haruka-chan," she says quietly. "I would do anything for you. You know that."
[17:52] Haruka nods, her expression serious. "Yes. I do." She stands up, and takes Yukino by the hand. "Let's go back to the phone in the office and set up a meeting place."
[17:53] Yukino doesn't resist, standing up when Haruka pulls lightly on her arm.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[18:56] Haruka picks up the office phone again and dials Nao.
[18:56] "Yes?" an unfamiliar male voice asks.
[18:57] Haruka frowns. "I'm looking for Yuuki Nao. She called me from this number not long ago. Tell her it's Haruka."
[18:58] "Alright." The line goes quiet, though Haruka is certain it hadn't been disconnected. The mute button must have been hit from the other end.
[18:59] Haruka waits impatiently, tapping her foot.
[19:01] Nao is on the line soon enough. "It's me. I'm in the middle of an interrogation, but what's up?"
[19:01] "I'm ready to meet up. Can you tell me where you are?"
[19:02] "Yeah." Nao gives Haruka the necessary directions to the fishing village. "I'll let them know you're coming."
[19:03] Nao pauses a moment. "What's your mode of transportation? Helicopter? Private jet? Catapult?"
[19:04] Haruka glances around to see if her father's in the vicinity. "I'm hoping for a helicopter, but I wouldn't rule out driving there in a car."
[19:05] He's not, but finding the man wouldn't be too hard for Haruka.
[19:05] "Who's coming, altogether?"
[19:06] "Yukino, myself...maybe a couple security guys if father insists on protecting me."
[19:07] Nao snorts. "You'll be the one doing the protecting, I'm sure. Alright. See you whenever."
[19:08] Haruka nods and hangs up, now needing to track down her father.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[18:11] Haruka's father is talking on the phone in his office. Finding him isn't too difficult.
[18:12] Haruka waits. Patiently, this time! There aren't many people she feels obliged to be deferential towards, but her father's one of them.
[18:15] She doesn't get the gist of the conversation merely from listening to his side of it, but Haruka's father mentions for her to take a seat. The phonecall ends with him giving a number she doesn't immediately recognize. "Your timing is impeccable," Hiro says.
[18:16] "Do we have new information?"
[18:21] "Yes. Well, maybe," he amends. "A contact of ours is going to fax us those committee files. Apparently, the original were all destroyed, but he has access to faithful copies."
[18:23] Haruka nods. "Excellent. Nao has gathered some of the other Hime and is waiting at a safe location. Yukino and I are going to meet her as soon as possible. What's the fastest mode of transposition that we have available?"
[18:25] "Depends on where you're traveling," Hiro responds. "A jet for an intercontinental flight. A helicopter for most places in Japan. A combination of the latter and a boat or car if there is no suitable landing pad at the destination." He steeples his hands. "However, what you need to be asking is which method of transportation is the stealthiest one."
[18:26] Haruka nods. "Of course. So...car, I take it."
[18:28] "It seems reasonable," Hiro agrees. "And after things turned the way they did, I don't suppose there would be talking you out of going. But you won't have to handle everything on your own."
[18:29] "You're right. The Fuka Alumni Association together couldn't talk me out of it. So, what do you have in mind?"
[18:30] "First District has a weakness. That is the most reasonable explanation for why they had the investigation shut down. If it is in the files my contact managed to scavenge, I will find it, and use it against them."
[18:32] Haruka nods. "Of course. Call me as soon as you know anything helpful?"
[18:35] "I'll do better." Hiro tosses a wallet over to Haruka. "This contains all the various contact numbers for me, as well as the locations of the forces available to the Suzushiro family. I'm afraid we don't keep a standing army unlike these enemies of ours, but our support structure would not lose to theirs!"
[18:37] Haruka catches the wallet, and gives another respectful nod. "Thank you, father. I am grateful for your assistance. I'll call and let you know when the Hime and I have decided on our next move."
[18:40] "I will hold the fort for as long as I can," he promises. "Haruka. For both groups to move so audaciously in the open, they must be hoping to achieve a swift, overwhelming victory. A prolongued conflict in the public's eye benefits neither Searrs or the First District."
[18:41] "Then I'll have to make sure that's what happens," Haruka says, with total self-assurance, ready to grab Yukino and head for the car unless her father has more to say.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[17:33] It is dark when Nao is alerted to a black car arriving in the fishing village she is staying at with men of the Okuzaki clan. As they aren't expecting any visitors and it doesn't look like a full-scale assault, they believe it must be Haruka Suzushiro; she is the only one who knows the location.
[17:34] Nao is there to greet the car. Having gotten changed into ill-fitting jeans and a shirt, she doesn't look anything like her usual fashion-savvy self.
[17:35] It stops just short of Nao, pulling over. Yukino is the first to exit it, and her eyes lock onto Nao's form instantly, glaring.
[17:36] Which doesn't bother Haruka at all. Results, that's all that matters! Action, not fashion! She gets out of the car to greet her ally, hoping Yukino doesn't go straight for the throat.
[17:36] Nao looks back at Yukino. And smiles.
[17:37] Yukino gestures and the air around her shimmers, mirrors springing into being, surrounding her. "This was a trap, Haruka-chan!" she insists.
[17:37] "There's no way Haruka is dumb enough to fall for that," insists Nao, with a rude snort.
[17:38] "Yukino?!" Haruka barks, quickly stepping to the younger girl and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself!"
[17:38] Yukino scowls. The mirrors remain, though she doesn't make any further hostile moves. "She's smiling and it's creepy," she insists, glaring still.
[17:39] "Kikukawa, you would make an excellent policewoman."
[17:39] "Okay, but that's not enough reasons to attack someone in their own home. I mean, did I ever hit Fujino? No, never. So just follow my example."
[17:40] Haruka's words seem to have quite an effect on Yukino, who pales instantly upon hearing them. The mirrors shimmer and fall, dissipating before they hit the ground.
[17:41] "That's better," Haruka says, throwing an arm around Yukino's shoulder to guide her forward. "Now we're all going to talk this out together and really make a plan. And then we'll hit the people we're SUPPOSED to hit."
[17:42] Yukino's expression becomes meek the instant Haruka embraces her, the girl's resistance evaporating.
[17:43] "First District. Searrs," replies Nao, nodding. "They have to go down. I don't think there's any disagreement on this front."
[17:44] Haruka nods. "Exactly. So, everyone we could find is here, right? Mai, Mikoto?"
[17:45] "They're not here. I haven't seen them since I put Mai to bed." Nao faces creases with concern. "I'm fairly sure they escaped the blasts on Fuka. But I don't know where they are, and I don't know if they can find this place."
[17:46] Haruka nods again. "Well, maybe Yukino can find them for us," she says to her friend, encouragingly. "In the meantime, what did you find out from that teacher?"
[17:47] "He knows where the First District headquarters is. And he can get us inside, or so he claims."
[17:47] "Well, we'll just have to make it clear what happens to him if he *can't*," Haruka says with a decisive nod.
[17:48] "I've already done that. He's very docile," replies Nao, shrugging. "But when you get down to it, he's a pawn. He doesn't know much about the inner workings."
[17:49] "Well, as long as he can get us there, we can find someone who does know something."
[17:50] "Quite. We can question him further, later. At the moment, though, I'm waiting for Akira to show up. These ninjas seemed to have advance warning of the strikes, and I want to know what they know about the situation."
[17:52] "Ninjas..." Haruka shakes her head, skeptical. "How are there ninja clans in this day and age. It's like right out of an anime."
[17:54] <--->
[17:54] John Smith's phone wakes Nao up in the middle of the night. It is the first time she can recall receiving an actual call on it.
[17:54] "Talk to me," she demands, upon picking it up.
[17:58] "The timeline has changed," Jonn's voice tells her, cutting straight to the chase. "I don't know how it happened, but things are spiraling out of control. There's nothing I can do. Nothing. Searrs reacted to the massive mobilization of the First District in Fuka, and it went downhill from there."
[18:00] "Has First District retaliated?"
[18:03] "I don't know about their movements," John speaks. He's breathing heavier than usually. "I don't even know what got them to move. But the president must, and it has to be bad, because he ordered to use Apollo to level the island. It didn't have time to finish the job before moving out of alignment, but it's only a matter of--
[18:03] I don't know, less than a day for sure. And next time, they won't keep it in standby. As soon as it is in position, it would keep on firing until nothing is left."
[18:03] "Can it be stopped? I will take on any measure."
[18:06] "Yes. That's why I'm breaking--" He laughs, sounding amused. "I suppose it's not really radio silence. Listen carefully. You told me that you might know where Miyu is. I'm about to give you her control codes. With those, we can still turn this around. Write this down."
[18:08] Nao scrambles for a pen and paper, but her own voice sounds doubtful. "Go on."
[18:09] A series of nonsensical English words follow, no seeming link between them. "'Fairytale' is the final command," John continues. "It will allow you to activate Miyu's Platinum Mode, with the only weapon capable of facing Apollo."
[18:09] "Alright. But I- I can't promise I can find her. I only had the barest of glimpses. What exactly is Apollo?"
[18:11] Jonn laughs again. It cuts off when Nao hears gunfire in the background. "There is a way to stop Arika, after all. They made many bodies for her, but even Searrs couldn't afford to tie a separate Child to each. Arika is replaceable. Apollo is not. And they are ultimately one."
[18:13] "Apollo is her Child? The flying girl in armour?"
[18:15] "It's the weak point, if you could call a heavily-defended state of the art sattelite that." John sounds somber, then, as he says, "Please, Nao, save the world. I can only count on you, now." The next burst of gunfire sounds much closer, and the line goes dead.
[18:16] "Wait, I-" calls Nao, before her voice drops. "-don't have a clue..." she mutters, before shaking her head, and pulling herself out of bed. "GET UP! EVERYONE, UP, NOW!"
[18:17] Half a dozen men rush into Nao's room mere moments afterwards, armed with semi-automatic weapons.
[18:18] "We need to get moving immediately," she declares, starting to exit the room. "Haruka! Yukino! You don't need your beauty sleep, get up! Up! We're leaving!"
[18:19] Haruka is quick to get up, though not too happy about it. Sure, she's used to being up late at night, but usually she has plenty of junk food to sustain through those hours! Duty calls, though, and she's not about to complain. "Leaving for where?"
[18:21] "To find Miyu. My informant just called," declares Nao, once everyone seems to be getting ready to leave. "The source of the attacks on Fuka is by the Child of Arika Searrs. It's named Apollo, an orbital satellite that can fire beams of destruction. We can't kill Arika, and we can't fight the Child. Miyu is the only one who can help us."
[18:22] "Satellite..." Haruka trails off. "Well, that explains a couple things. What can Miyu do? Is she another Hime?"
[18:23] "No. I don't know exactly what she can do," admits Nao. "He was pretty convined that only she can help us, however. I don't think he was lying." She curses, spitting at the ground. "The satellite is in orbit at the moment, but it'll have lined up to fire again within the day."
[18:23] "You can't," Yukino says in disbelief, shaking her head. "Miyu, I mean, it's madness to use her!"
[18:24] "I know. She's dangerous, isn't she? I've been given her control codes," replies Nao, shaking her head. "If you have another idea for stopping Arika and her Child, I'm all ears."
[18:24] Haruka considers this for a minute. "Some of this might be on the level. *Something* destroyed the Suzushiro satellite; another one would make sense. But--hey, Yukino? What is it? What do you know that we don't?"
[18:26] Yukino's lips become a thin line. "Tokiha-san. She can do it."
[18:26] "Oneechan?" Takumi asks, standing at the doorway to Nao's room. "Do what?"
[18:27] "With Kagutsuchi? Kagutsuchi can fly into space?" asks Nao, disbelieving.
[18:28] "It's overwhelming," Yukino spits out. "That monster. None can match it!"
[18:28] "Fine. Either way, we have to go to Fuka. Miyu, Mai, whichever we find first."
[18:29] "Well, then whoever set up the Festival is also guilty of stacking the deck! Yukino, can you keep an eye out for Mai along the way? You've got more eyes than the rest of us."
[18:29] "Huh?"
[18:29] Takumi mirrors Nao's confusion.
[18:30] Haruka waves this away. "This isn't the time for silly questions. We need to move out!"
[18:31] "Right," responds Nao, turning to find one of the Okuzaki men. "You heard me. We need to go to Fuka and search. How fast can we get there? Can you help?"
[18:33] Only one of them remains in the room, the others having left. "It shouldn't be difficult, but our orders were to leave Fuka and protect... our allies." His eyes move towards Takumi ever so slightly as he speaks, however.
[18:34] "If Mai is on Fuka, and Arika incinerates the island, then- that speaks for itself," replies Nao, coldly. "In any case, we need to go there right now."
[18:36] "We have to help Oneechan and Akira-kun," Takumi adds.
[18:36] It seems to be enough, and the ninja nods. "I'll make the arrangements. We'll leave in twenty minutes."
[18:36] "I'll check with Ishigami to see if he knows anything about Miyu's location," adds Nao, storming towards his improptu cell. "Thanks."
[18:36] Haruka follows along, wanting to get a look at the traitor herself. If only to glare righteously at him!
[18:37] Ishigami is sleeping, although he can't be too comfortable.
[18:37] Nao wakes him up.
[18:37] "This is cruel and unusual punishment," he mutters, looking blearily at her.
[18:37] Courtesy of another bucket of water, of which she keeps several. "Ishigami. Times change quickly. Do you know anything about Miyu?"
[18:38] "This punishment is *totally* aggregate for a traitor to Fuka. Now spill it!"
[18:39] He looks alarmed at seeing Haruka there. Certainly more awake, now, Ishigami looks strangely at Nao.
[18:39] "It's a yes-no question, Ishigami."
[18:40] "Miyu Greer, a Searrs agent. Caretaker and bodyguard of Alyssa Searrs herself."
[18:40] "Do you have any idea where she is?"
[18:40] "With the young miss, presumably."
[18:41] "Who is..."
[18:41] "Where?"
[18:41] Ishigami frowns. "I don't have that kind of information. My superiors might, though."
[18:42] Haruka leans forward with her hands on her hips. "What's the problem, you surprised that we're smart enough to work together on this?"
[18:42] "Who's your immediate superior, and how can I contact them? It is very, very urgent and they will want to hear this."
[18:43] "You would know him quite well," Ishigami tells Nao, choosing to respond to her rather than Haruka. "He is your homeroom teacher."
[18:44] Haruka rolls her eyes. "We don't have time to waste. Tell us how to find the closest one of them."
[18:44] "We're going to Fuka anyway. If he wasn't at ground zero of the blast, he may still be there," replies Nao, shaking her head. "If you know of anyone else..."
[18:44] "Since I don't know where we are, that would be somewhat difficult," he deadpans.
[18:47] "Well, we won't have time to look anywhere but the island. Let's get going," mutters Nao, stalking out of the cell.
[18:47] Haruka takes just a moment to send a withering glare Ishigami's way and then marches out with her own distinctive stalk! She goes to collect Yukino in preparation for leaving.
[18:54] <--->
[18:54] The boat is utilized again. Takumi joins the passengers, as does Ishigami, who is being closely watched by two armed men.
[18:54] "We've just received word from our scouts," one of the ninja says quietly, approaching the Hime. "It seems that we can't get there all the way by boat."
[18:55] "We'll have to swim."
[18:55] "How far?" Haruka asks, skeptically.
[18:55] "It's not that simple," he says, shaking his head. "Someone has naval vessels deployed around the island. We'll need a distraction."
[18:56] "You mean.. battleships?"
[18:56] "Someone called in the NAVY? What are supposed to--wait...Yukino, can you scramble their radio?"
[18:58] The man nods grimly. "It's an entire fleet. We don't have information on any further First District mobilization, and regular armed forces wouldn't be able to keep it quiet for this long. It must be Searrs."
[18:58] Yukino looks pensive. "If it is Searrs, they have technology that shuts me down, Haruka-chan," she says quietly. "It's a really large risk for us."
[18:59] "I have a phone from Searrs. It survived everything the regular ones haven't," replies Nao, pulling out Smith's gadget. "If it's about their communications stuff, can you make use of this?"
[19:00] "Do they know you have it?" the ninja asks levelly. "If it has been compromised, they might track us down through it."
[19:01] "I don't think they do," replies Nao, doubtfully. "The man who gave it to me hasn't been working towards the company's overall interests."
[19:01] "In fact, he's the one who told me about Apollo. I think I can trust him for now."
[19:02] Haruka looks to her bespectacled friend hopefully. "Can you do anything with this, Yukino?"
[19:02] "They certainly would when we make use of it that way," he muses. "This will be a one-way mission, then. We won't be able to retreat this time around."
[19:03] "I might," Yukino says, though she still looks worried.
[19:03] "If we can neutralize Arika? The ships won't matter to us."
[19:04] He nods tersely. "So how are we doing this?"
[19:04] "I want you to try, Yukino. This might be our safest way of getting back into Fuka."
[19:05] The ninja takes that as his dismissal, melting away into the darkness.
[19:06] "Are you really sure, Haruka-chan?" Yukino asks again. "I won't be able to focus on anything else at the same time." She looks like she wants to say more, but then gives Nao a nasty glare.
[19:07] "I'll protect you, Yukino. Don't worry. I said we were going to work together on this, didn't I?"
[19:08] She sighs in defeat. "Alright, Haruka-chan." Yukino stretches her hand out for the phone.
[19:10] Nao hands it over. "If we jam their communications, we should be able to get past the blockade, right? Should I sink a ship along the way?"
[19:10] Haruka blinks at Nao. "You could do that?"
[19:10] Nao looks surprised. "You couldn't?"
[19:12] "Well..." Haruka considers this. "We'll find out if I have to."
[19:13] "I'm... ready when you are, Haruka-chan," Yukino says, clutching her hand around the phone.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[15:09] Haruka glances at Nao, requesting the phone in order to call her father.
[15:10] "I don't mind," replies Nao, glancing at Yukino in turn.
[15:10] Yukino stops examining it. "Is this really the time, Haruka-chan?" she asks diplomatically.
[15:11] "Hey, this is work-related," Haruka says, dialing the office.
[15:12] The line connects, Hiro's voice on the other side. "Yes?"
[15:14] "We're moving on to Fuka," she says. "There are ships waiting around the island. We can jam their radar, but if there's anything you can set up as a division, now's the time."
[15:14] "What."
[15:16] "I just thought I'd ask! We have information suggesting there's a weapon there that we can use. It's important that we get there to actually use it."
[15:18] He sighs. "Any other time I'd ask if this were a prank call. Haruka, you already have a weapon, from what you've shown me. What is so important that you're going back to Fuka for it? I thought we agreed that you would wait and regroup with your friends, first."
[15:18] "Let me tell him!" Nao seems almost giddy at the prospect.
[15:19] "I am with them. We're going together."
[15:19] "Oh, wonderful."
[15:21] "Two weapons," corrects Nao. "There's also a third option, now that I think about it."
[15:21] "It is!" Haruka grees, missing the sarcasm.
[15:26] "Haruka," Hiro speaks, sighing. She hears the telltale sounds of him leaning back in his leather chair. "Whatever possessed you to go into enemy territory and risk losing the only hope our world has, from all that you've told me?"
[15:28] "It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. Also, there are ninjas with me."
[15:28] She hears coughing from the other end of the line.
[15:29] Nao blanches, and snatches the phone away from Haruka at that comment. "Could you be any more imprecise?" she grouses, before holding it up. "Hello? Is this the Suzushiro bigshot?"
[15:29] "Who is this?" a male voice asks. "One of the ninja, I presume?"
[15:31] "No, just an innocent little schoolgirl. Yuuki Nao, at your service. We're going to Fuka to stop it getting blown up. To do this, we need to first actually get there, and then find one of two weapons that are capable of stopping the aforementioned destruction. It's dangerous and risky and there is only one other option, one which we are not poised to exploit."
[15:33] "Why do you believe Fuka will be attacked again?"
[15:38] "A Searrs informant told me so." Nao frowns. "I believe he can be trusted on this, if little else. The means of destruction is a Hime's Child, which has taken the form of a satellite in orbit. It's capable of firing blasts that cause ridiculous damage. We don't have a day before it's ready to fire again."
[15:38] "Since it's a Hime's weapon, though, there's more than one way to stop it. We can either outright destroy it, or we can simply kill the most important person to that Hime."
[15:39] "And the reason behind the attack? Do you know it as well?"
[15:41] "Retaliation against the First District for storming the island, and the tidying up of loose ends. I believe Searrs wishes to eliminate any Hime it can't control, but they don't care who else dies in their efforts."
[15:44] "By going there, you'll be placing everyone around you at even greater risk," Hiro cautions. "Still. The ships around the island, the ones you need to distract, do they also belong to First District?"
[15:45] "It's because everyone is at risk that I'm going in the first place," replies Nao. "I... assumed they were tied with Searrs. I suppose that raises the question of why they would use a satellite instead of shelling the island from the coast."
[15:46] "It does," Hiro agrees, and Nao hears him sigh. "It is not a situation I would rush into headfirst, but I suppose if Kikukawa is along-- she is, isn't she? Perhaps it's not as foolish as it sounds."
[15:48] "Have you tried to contact First District forces you said were stationed on the island?" Hiro asks. "They might provide just the distraction you want, whether they do so knowingly or not."
[15:50] "It doesn't seem that we have time. The president of Searrs is in America, I think, which is well out of my reach, so I can't get at him to stop any attack. I don't know what other options we've got apart from going in," admits Nao. "I haven't tried to contact them, but I'll give it a shot."
[15:53] "There's nothing I could do on such a short notice," Hiro admits. "Nothing that wouldn't get a lot of good men and women killed with little to say for it, at least. Maybe, if there were more time, we could crash a sattelite into theirs. But as things stand... it's not something we can handle with only hours to spare."
[15:57] "I'm not sure that would do anything more than knock it off course," admits Nao. "In any case, see if you can find the Searrs headquarters. If we succeed here, getting at them will be just one more thing we'll still have to do."
[15:58] "I'll do what I can. And tell Haruka that if it comes to that, leaving to fight another day is better than the alternative."
[16:00] "A few days on and I'm not sure what will be left to fight for," replies Nao. "Later." Hanging up, she glances at Ishigami. "Can you get us in contact with any men still on the ground out there?"
[16:00] "I can try," he says, stretching his hand out for the phone.
[16:01] Nao begrudgingly hands it over. "We want a distraction to get in. Anything will do. Phrase it as... reinforcements, or the like. I think it's best for all concerned that they don't know you're working with us."
[16:03] He nods, dialing a number. Half a minute passes, and he hangs up, frowning, and tries again. Several attempts later, Ishigami shakes his head. "I can't get through to anyone I know was at Fuka, but I could try contacting the headquarters, or one of the local cells."
[16:04] "Can you get them to assassinate the President of Searrs?" asks Nao, hopefully.
[16:05] "I can certainly try."
[16:06] "It's best for us if both groups are at each other's throats." Nao pauses. "Call one of the local cells, maybe, and get them to try and break the blockade at some point. Then call the HQ and try and get them to kill the guy. Think that'll work?"
[16:09] "I'll tell them we captured a Searrs agent and got him to talk," Ishigami muses. "That just might do the trick. We lack any naval forces in the area, though, so any distraction would have to come from the direction of the bridge. It is the closest point to Fuka from the mainland, and in turn, to any blockading ships."
[16:12] "Make it happen, then."
[16:15] "I will require silence," Ishigami says, casting a glance towards Haruka, "for obvious reasons." He dials a number, and the call is answered this time around. The story he gives fits with what he suggested to Nao and Haruka; a Searrs agent had revealed that the defenses would be weak near the bridge section,
[16:15] and striking at them would allow the First District to breach the blockade and escape with the captured Hime. A second call later, to what he claims is the First District headquarters, relays the information that striking down the president of Searrs would defang them in more ways than one.
[16:16] Captured Hime, huh? Interesting.
[16:16] "How long do you think it'll take them to act?" asks Nao, once he's finished.
[16:18] "An hour for our distraction. Impossible to tell in the other case, since I don't make decisions for my superiors," Ishigami says, obediently returning the phone. "I suppose we are to wait, now?"
[16:21] "We'll have to," replies Nao, tossing the phone at Yukino. "In an hour, we'll jam their communications. We can take the boat part of the way in, and swim the rest of it, if necessary." She glances at Yukino and Haruka, shrugging. "At least, that's what I plan to do. I think you guys should do the same, but I'm not the one fucking with their equipment."
[16:23] Yukino seems to consider it. "It really does sound like a good plan," she says. "Haruka-chan, let's keep to the boat, alright?"
[16:24] Haruka nods. "Sure thing."
[16:24] Yukino gives Nao a triumphant smirk, before quickly schooling her expression and going back to examine the phone.
[16:26] "Sure. Just be careful," adds Nao, heading off to get changed into a wetsuit. "If they spot the boat despite all that, they'll probably blow it apart."
[16:29] Orders are dispatched, and the ship carefully maneuvers into position to exploit the First District attack. Forty minutes is more than enough to finish with the preparations. Aside from Nao and a several of the ninja, Takumi is likewise in a wetsuit of his own.
[16:29] Yukino likewise seems prepared, three of her mirrors out in the open and floating around the John Smith's phone. Static suddenly comes out of it, as the device seems to activate on its own.
[16:32] "Are you sure you're up for this, Takumi?" asks Nao, pensively. "More to the point, you'd better keep up."
[16:36] "I can't let Oneechan and Akira-kun face everything on their own," Takumi responds. He is about to say more, when-- "Nao? It's Nao, isn't it?" Arika's voice emanates from the phone, sounding slightly tinny.
[16:40] "That bitch, I should've guessed!" shrieks Nao, her cool evaporating on the spot.
[16:41] "Nao, hey Nao, don't you like me anymore? I thought we were friends," Arika says, sounding genuinely confused.
[16:41] Haruka leaps to attention. "Huh? Who is it?"
[16:41] Yukino's face is white, and the mirrors have stopped spinning in midair, trembling in tune with her instead.
[16:43] Haruka glances at her friend. "Yukino? Hey, Yukino! Stay with us, here! This is important."
[16:43] "Arika," growls Nao, clenching her fists. "Yukino, cut the damn connection! We can't let her find us!"
[16:45] "I can't, short of destroying it!" Yukino hisses, panicked, as she gestures at the phone.
[16:45] "Tell me, Nao," Arika says in the meantime. "When you don't see someone for a few days, do they stop being your friend? That would make me sad."
[16:46] "Do it, Yukino!" Haruka agrees, taking her stunned friend by the shoulders. "We can jam the ships without the phone, right?"
[16:47] "You aren't my friend! You were never my friend! You killed Shizuru, you filthy bitch, and you killed Sugiura, too! I'd never be friends with a murderer like you, never! Sad? You don't know what that means! You know, I was glad when I found out you couldn't die. It means I can rip out your heart and show it to you!"
[16:47] Yukino shakes her head wildly at Haruka's question, otherwise locked in indecision.
[16:48] Haruka grimaces. "Is there a real chance that they could track us through Arika's call?"
[16:48] "Oh, you silly girl." Arika laughs brightly. "You're finally ready to play with me! It's alright, you don't have to be shy. Daddy says no one likes a shy girl. I'll be coming to befriend you all over again!"
[16:50] Yukino whimpers at Haruka's question.
[16:50] Nao's eyes bulge out, and she lunges for the phone, intent on shattering it within her palm.
[16:52] "I'm so happy, Nao-chi--" Nao smashes the phone, then, her hand destroying it unopposed by Yukino's floating mirrors.
[16:53] Haruka sighs. "Right. Now we move on to plan B. Did we have a plan B?"
[16:53] "There's something fucking wrong with her!" declares Nao, putting a hand on the railing and shivering. "Plan B. Yes. Haruka, go out with Orihime and sink any boats between us and the shore. We'll swim in. You can probably slice their hull up from underneath."
[16:54] "I think you forgot the part where I learn to breathe underwater."
[16:54] "You could wear... a wetsuit?"
[16:54] "There are oxygen tanks, as well!"
[16:56] "Um, sure, I'll get right on that." She turns to Yukino. "Yukino, are you okay? Can you tell me how things look between us and the shore?"
[16:57] "Of course I'll help you with your wetsuit, Haruka-chan!" Yukino exclaims, before blinking. "What?"
[16:57] "Can your, uh, mirrors see anything? Knowing where the ships are would be better than just blindly looking."
[16:59] "It's not the mirrors," Yukino says, and she concentrates. Bell-shaped flowers come into being around her. "I'll do what I can, Haruka-chan, but if Searrs uses their weapon again near them, it would neutralize Diana. Please understand this. I won't be able to protect you, then."
[17:01] "Diana?" asks Nao, narrowing her eyes.
[17:01] Haruka frowns. "It's okay, don't risk it for now. I'm sure I'll be able to spot them easily enough once I get close. I mean, they're boats. They're big."
[17:03] Yukino gains a matching frown. "I'll come along with you, then. You can't see too well at range, can you?"
[17:04] "Seeing? At distance, remotely?" mutters Nao, darkly. "That's a nice trick you have there."
[17:05] "I don't know if Orihime can carry two of us and wreck the ships at the same time. But I guess we'll find out. Orihime?" Haruka calls out. Then, to Yukino: "This might be a little surprising."
[17:07] Yukino takes a moment to glare at Nao just as darkly. "I can swim, real--"
[17:07] She never gets to finish her sentence, because Shizuru appears before her in striking likeness, and at the same time distinctinctly unnatural. Her form flows at the edges. Yukino gives off a piercing shriek.
[17:09] Haruka grabs Yukino to calm her down. This usually works! "Yukino, it's alright. It just *looks* like her. Um, I don't really get why it looks like Shizuru either. None of us choose our Child, right? It's probably chromic payback or something."
[17:11] Haruka sees a glint of something in Yukino's eyes she can't quite put her finger on. And terror, a whole lot of terror. She continues screaming at the top of the her lungs, too, not giving any indication that she heard Haruka.
[17:12] "I am this close to punching you out, Kikukawa!"
[17:14] Haruka pulls Yukino close to her, so that the other girl can't see anything else, and practically shouts. "Yukino, snap out of it! I need your help now, do you understand? I can't go anywhere if you're all hystemical."
[17:15] Yukino is indeed hysterical, as demonstrated by her laughter.
[17:17] "Uh...oh...Orihime, I think you should go away for a minute." She rears back and slaps Yukino across the face, out of other options at this point. "Yukino! Get ahold of yourself! What have I always told you? You need to be strong!"
[17:18] Orihime abides by Haruka's orders soundlessly, as always.
[17:18] "You're consorting with the dead president's spirit!" Yukino exclaims incredulously after the slap brings her to her senses. "How can I possibly be strong in the face of that?!"
[17:20] "How do you think I felt when my dead rival came back as some kind of mechanical zombie and started killing people? It scares the hell out of me too, but it's not going to stop me."
[17:23] "You make a contract, it's the other part of your soul," Yukino rants, shaking her head in denial. "How can it be Fujino-san? How?"
[17:25] "I DON'T KNOW," Haruka yells. "Why is yours a some crazy plant thing? Why is Nao's a giant spider? Yukino, if this Festival thing started making sense now, it would be for the first time ever!"
[17:25] "...I might know."
[17:26] That, more than anything, startles Yukino enough to regain a semblence of composure. She looks at Nao with a mix of distrust and expectation.
[17:26] Haruka whips her head round to face Nao. "I didn't ask--wait, what?"
[17:28] "When Shizuru died, she hadn't made that contract," explains Nao, leaning heavily on the railing. "Nagi did say Haruka was a fake Hime. It might be that... she's borrowing whatever spark Shizuru had."
[17:29] Haruka considers this. "Nagi did say something like that...and I thought it was just him being a jerk."
[17:30] Yukino considers that as well, an expression of extreme distaste on her face. "Alright. Alright. Just... just keep it away from me, Haruka-chan," she says. "I'll help you swim. You don't need a thing like that for it."
[17:30] Haruka sighs. "Alright. But we'll need it to cut the ships' hulls."
[17:34] "And we need to move fast," continues Nao, far more comfortable with action than screaming. "They may be onto us any second." There should be some binoculars around, and Nao will use them to survey the sea ahead.
[17:34] Haruka nods. "Let's change and get going, then."
[17:35] There are no ships that Nao can spot with her borrowed binoculars, as the reverse would surely be true. Yukino allows herself to be led below deck by Haruka, and only then does Takumi hesitantly approach Nao. "That girl," he says. "Did she really kill Sugiura-sensei and Fujino-san?"
[17:37] "She definately killed Fujino," replies Nao, quietly. "I saw it happen. She tried to kill me, and... I believe she killed Sugiura."
[17:38] "Then, she's trying to kill everyone? Oneechan, too?" Takumi insists, his voice catching as he talks about Mai.
[17:40] "Her targets are the Hime. Mai has fought her, as well. Arika.. doesn't die when she is killed."
[17:44] Takumi nods curtly, and moves over to watch the dark waters below. As Haruka and Yukino emerge, both dressed in wetsuits, the latter stops in her tracks suddenly. Mere moments later, Nao and Haruka realize that it's getting brighter.
[17:45] Haruka peers up at the sky and squints. "We didn't order an airstrike, did we?"
[17:46] There is an unusually bright spec of light up in the skies.
[17:47] Haruka can only hope that it's Mai and not a beam of plasma aimed at them.
[17:47] Nao's eyes widen. "It's her! Get the hell out of here!" shrieks Nao, diving off the boat herself and plunging into the depths below.
[17:48] Yukino tackles Haruka off the boat a split-second later!
[17:49] "Oh, hell," Haruka blurts out, just before being tackled. And she was just about to turn and make sure Yukino and Takumi got off the boat first!
[17:50] Takumi is also in the water when Nao and Haruka's eyes readjust, moving awkwardly. One of the ninja is with him, aiding the boy. There is no sign of Ishigami.
[17:50] Haruka wastes no time in setting out for the shore, keeping an eye out for any ships along the way (at least, as much as she can do so).
[17:52] Nao swims underwater a short distance before starting a routine of popping up near the waterline to check for any boats, leading the way, as befits her speed.
[17:54] Nao swims ahead. Haruka flails ineffectually in the water before Yukino grabs hold of her, guiding the blonde below. There are bright flashes of light from above, and Yukino seizes before proceeding to aid Haruka swim away.
[17:55] Haruka was totally just about to go the right direction, really!
[17:59] As she comes up for a brief look some distance away, Nao glimpses their fishing vessel in pieces, what's left of it a burning wreck. The flames don't seem right to her. A few of the objects littering what used to be their ship are just the right size for a human, unmoving.
[18:01] Akira is going to kill her, thinks Nao, as she dives back under the water and continues on her path.
[18:02] Haruka the master swimmer keeps pace with Yukino as best she can, hoping to avoid any attention from the enemy at this point.
[18:04] Yukino does more than stay at Haruka's side, helping her friend put distance between them and their erstwhile boat.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

[14:14] The entire underwater trip is one big blur to Haruka. She is exhausted by the time her feet meet solid ground. Visibility is still an issue, but at least tree-shaped objects can be spotted up ahead, instead of the nothingness that so identified her underwater journey. There are flashes of light somewhere in the distance. Yukino is besides Haruka, already helping the blonde take off her oxygen tank.
[14:16] Haruka is glad to be rid of the weight. She points to the flashes, hoping Yukino can get a better glimpse of what they are. "Yukino, what's that?"
[14:17] Yukino concentrates. "It's coming from the direction of the destroyed bridge, Haruka-chan," she reports a few moments later. "I don't have any proxies nearby, though, and I can't afford to move any at this time. We have to move towards the treeline."
[14:18] Haruka nods. "That's probably our division starting, then. Don't worry about it. Let's get to Fuka."
[14:21] "Diversion?" Yukino asks quietly to herself, before shaking her head. "Right. First, let's get to safety. There's something important I have to tell you, Haruka-chan."
[14:23] Haruka heads toward the vague blur that she can only hope is the treeline, waiting until she's reached cover to stop and ask, "What is it?"
[14:27] Yukino is looking around, and then a mirror appears in her hands. "I can't do more than this under the circumstances, Haruka-chan," she tells the blonde quietly. "We might be spotted if I do. But you have to see this." She thrusts the mirror into Haruka's hands, as an image appears in it. It is of Tokiha Mai and Okuzaki Akira, the latter dressed in some kind of ninja outfit that leaves his face uncovered.
[14:29] Haruka watches. "Is this happening right now? Where are they?"
[14:30] "Shh!" Yukino instructs, placing her index finger to Haruka's lips.
[14:31] "I know, I don't like it either," Akira says, sounding frustrated. The sound is quiet enough Haruka has to strain her ears to hear it. "But it's the only way! I can't let Takumi die -- can you?!"
[14:31] Mai turns away, an expression of shame on her face. "But I can't fight you," she protests, the words sounding half-hearted to Haruka. "Even if I accepted what you're saying, Takumi would be damned either way."
[14:33] "We know that's not true," Akira responds, scowling. "You've read Sugiura's thesis as well. You know there's a way out, a loophole. The fake Searrs Hime counts! The doorway would open for the two of us! But I can't do this with you, Mai. Now tell me -- are you going to do everything in your power to save Takumi's life?"
[14:33] The image freezes then, and Yukino looks apologetic. "That's all I could record before I had to redirect Diana's resources, Haruka-chan. I'm sorry."
[14:36] "It's okay...how long ago was that?" Haruka asks, trying to stave off the unpleasant realization working its way up through her subconscious. "Do we have any idea where they are right now?"
[14:39] "Just before I had to direct everything towards preparations for the disruption of Searrs systems," Yukino tells her. "It would be very dangerous for me to have Diana look through the island right now, with Arika on her way, if not already here." She seems quite worried. "Haruka-chan, this time... this close to it... I might die."
[14:43] "I'm not going to ask you to do that, Yukino. Don't worry." She glances around, looking to see if anyone else from the boat has struggled ashore nearby. "Those two sounded like they were trying to make some sort of deal. I don't know why Akira would need to, though. He's not a Hime."
[14:48] "I--" Yukino pauses. "Haruka-chan," she says quietly. "I think what they were talking about is true. It's possible to partner up, only as a last option, and try to survive that way."
[14:53] Haruka stares at Yukino for a moment. "But we're not going to do that. We're here to *save* Fuka, not to play along with...whoever's-running-the-Festival's sick plan. If we see any other Hime, we're going to talk things out first, okay? ...And besides that, I don't understand how Akira could make such a deal in the first place."
[14:57] "And if talking it out fails?" Yukino asks. "What are we going to do then, Haruka-chan? You already killed a Hime. Things can never go back to what they used to. If faced with that choice again, what would you do? What would you have me do?"
[15:01] Haruka is silent for a long time, before admitting grudgingly, "We'll do what we have to do. But we make every possible effort to avoid fighting other Hime. Whatever happens, follow my lead, okay?"
[15:04] Yukino nods in agreement. "We went a bit off course," she says, changing the topic. "I think we're not too far from the factory where Miyu Greer fought with Mai-san and Mikoto-chan. We could make it over to the academy within the hour without really pushing ourselves, if we wanted to."
[15:05] Haruka nods as well. "Let's move, then."
[15:26] Yukino leads the way to the chairwoman's home, agreeing with Haruka after a brief consultation that if anything helpful could be found on campus, it would be there. It is getting brighter again as the two reach the garden maze adjacent to Mashiro Kazahana's abode, although this time it signals the imminent arrival of dawn.
[15:28] Now's not the time to be getting lost in the maze (such diversions were never Haruka's style anyway--it's so much more effective to just bash through any walls that get in your way!) If Mashiro's place is locked up, Haruka will have no choice but to break down the door and agonize over damaging Fuka property later.
[15:33] Luckily for Haruka, Yukino has no visible problem guiding them through the maze. As they pass the gazebo at its center, however, she stops abruptly. Raising a mirror so that Haruka could look into it along with her, Yukino brushes her hand over it. The image shows men in dark suits, complete with sunglasses, standing guard before Mashiro's residence. They are carrying handguns.
[15:36] Haruka frowns. "Orihime could take them, but we can't afford the noise it would make. Is there any other way inside the building? Could we sneak around back and get in through a window, maybe?"
[15:39] Yukino is thinking hard about it. The image in the mirror wavers several time during that, showing both the front and back doors, both guarded, the patrols around the building and eventually what looks like a sniper on the roof with a pair of projectors that are inactive.
[15:39] "Maybe from below..." Yukino muses quietly at last, perhaps to herself. Turning towards Haruka, she says, "There are many tunnels below Fuka. I think I heard Sugiura-sensei talk about that once, and many of them are inter-connected."
[15:42] "Alright. Where's the closest entrance?"
[15:48] Yukino purses her lips. "There's no entrance, per se. I think there was a collapse near our warehouse some time back. The one we store all extra academy equipment." Haruka can't remember any such event, but it is usually Yukino's job to keep track of them.
[15:49] "Good enough," Haruka says. "Let's move."
[15:53] With Yukino leading the way, the two Hime are once again able to avoid any patrols and make it to the warehouse in question. The door is locked, though Yukino thoughtfully brought a key along with her, letting them inside. There are no guards placed in the area.
[15:53] Once indoors, however, Yukino frowns. "Where was it? I know we warded the area off with yellow tape since it was dangerous." No such tape is apparent to Haruka's eyes.
[15:54] "Well, you said it was around the warehouse...is it outside somewhere, maybe?"
[16:03] "No, I'm pretty sure it was here." Yukino sighs. "Alright. How about a direct approach, Haruka-chan? I can conceal our presence to the outside world briefly, and you could smash through the floor with your mace in that time."
[16:09] Haruka nods. "It'll have to do," she says, materializing her mace.
[16:11] Haruka feels strange for a moment, almost surreal if she had to put it into words, but then Yukino nods at her. "It is done," she says, and points at the dusty floor occupied by several equally dusty desks and chairs.
[16:13] Haruka goes to work on the area pointed out by Yukino. Though, if any part of the floor looks noticeably less dusty and, perhaps, recently repaired, she'll move to that.
[16:14] Nothing does, unless one counts the path she herself is making. Haruka would need to move the desks out of the way, first, but it doesn't seem like a particularly daunting task even for a wounded Hime, unless she decided to bench-press them.
[16:16] Haruka just tosses the desks to one side. Hey, she can afford to make noise at this moment, right? With that done, she swings her mace around and brings down on the floor.
[16:17] Her side hurts at the exertion. The mace comes down on the floor, creating a web of cracks through it. Another blow hammers clean through. A tremor goes through Haruka's legs.
[16:18] Haruka pants and peers down at her handiwork. Does it look like they can access the tunnels from here?
[16:19] The hole goes a long way, beyond what Haruka can see. The floor at the very edge of the hole where Haruka is currently standing groans, collapsing.
[16:20] Haruka hops back! Or at least tries to scramble away from the hole, if she can.
[16:24] The jump is ill-timed, and Haruka tumbles down the hole, which becomes even larger. Yukino squawks as the floor beneath her gives way as well, calling out for Diana. Large vines rush to meet Haruka and Yukino from below, halting their fall.
[16:24] "Umm. I can't maintain our cover and get us back," Yukino admits. "Let's get all the way down and hope no one looks in the warehouse?"
[16:25] Haruka nods. "Yeah. And thanks for the save."
[16:29] Yukino smiles, and Diana takes them down, all the way to a large cavern. "I guess Sugiura-sensei really knew her stuff," Yukino comments quietly, looking around. It is dark, but not so much Haruka can't see.
[16:31] Haruka nods. "It sounds like she knew a lot of things we don't. I wish we could've got to her before Arika did." She glances around the cavern. Visible exits?
[16:33] Yukino doesn't respond to that. There are two exits, one of which looks artificial, as if something crashed through the cavern wall. There are bits of stone lying around in a pattern supporting that theory.
[16:34] Haruka wanders over to examine the breach. "Hey, Yukino. What do you think caused this?"
[16:36] "Something crashing into the cavern wall from the other side, maybe?" Yukino responds, her lips pursed. "Something rather large."
[16:38] Haruka peers into the hole. What's on the other side of the broken wall? "Something that's not here any more, I hope."
[16:42] "Seems that way," Yukino agrees. There is another cave past the hole, extending beyond Haruka's sight. "This place is a true maze."
[16:45] Haruka frowns. "I've never been good at those. Is there any way Diana can find the way through for us?"
[16:46] "I could use her to scout ahead of us, we could pick a path and have her check another, or we could just wait here while her proxies explore every possible avenue," Yukino muses, thinking over their options.
[16:49] "The second option," Haruka decides. "We don't have time to stand around and wait. Have the praxis check the caverns on the other side of this hole. We'll head the opposite direction and see if whatever broke that wall was headed somewhere important."
[16:50] "Proxies, Haruka-chan," Yukino murmurs with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

<--->

[Corwin]

<--->

Haruka follows Yukino through the catacombs. They seem to go on and on, with no end in sight-- but that is an illusion, as she discovers when the path ends twenty minutes later.

"Diana can't find anything down the other path, either," Yukino informs her friend. "I can't tell how anything could have existed in an entirely closed off space, and something certainly did, since we saw evidence of it breaking out."

Haruka kicks the closest wall out of frustration. "Well, whatever-it-was got out of here somehow, right? There has to be an exit somewhere." She summons her mace again and starts tapping on the walls. "Maybe somewhere the rock's thin enough to break through."

It is, at least for someone like Haruka. She believes she can easily make holes in the walls of the tunnel.

"We could make our own path," Yukino agrees, and after a brief moment of concentration points to her left. "That way should lead to Miss Kazahana's house."

"Alright. Stand back, Yukino." Haruka waits a moment for her friend to get out of the way, then swings her mace around at the designated spot.

The wall crumbles. Another cavern is beyond. It contains a monster, a beast unlike no animal Haruka had ever seen. Beside her, Yukino draws a sharp breath. "Orphan!"

Whatever it is, they'll probably have to go through it to get where they need to be. "What is this thing, Yukino?" she asks, standing at the breach with her mace ready in case it attacks.

Yukino's mirrors surround her like a shield, and Haruka feels a strange sensation of being observed. Looking below, she sees an unnatural, inhuman eye stare back at her.

"An Orphan, Haruka-chan," Yukino tells her. "We have to destroy it!"

Haruka charges forward towards the orphan, dodging around that creepy eye for now.

The Orphan doesn't even attempt to evade. As Haruka's mace slams down on its head, the monster dissolves into a puddle, splashing all over the cavern's walls and ground. Some of it gets on Haruka's clothes as well, though a brief glance back at Yukino reveals that vines spared her a similar indignity.

Haruka frowns, but this isn't time to worry about her wardrobe. "What -exactly- was that, Yukino? It didn't even try to fight back. And what's with that eye?" she adds, looking around for it.

It's gone, now. "You must be too strong for an Orphan, Haruka-chan," Yukino suggests. "And maybe they live here. Maybe one lived in that other cavern we found."

"Maybe," Haruka says skeptically. "Watch out for eyes in the walls, will you? I don't like how that one was looking at me." She takes a look around the new cavern. Any exits?

Yet another closed space greets Haruka, but before she can get discouraged, Yukino informs her that they're closer to their goal. Another wall is indicated and broken through, and Yukino has enough information to deduce that the caverns are roughly similar in size. It would take four more repeats to get to their destination.

The Orphan's residue clings to Haruka like a second wetsuit.

Haruka ignores it as best she can, maybe trying to scrape some off on a wall whenever she slips through another breach, but otherwise not wasting time on getting rid of it. She proceeds with bashing through walls, checking the new caverns for other icky inhabitants as she goes.

The last wall is giving her trouble. Even after several attacks with the mace, Haruka just can't smash through it.

"Yukino? I can't bust through this one. I'm going to have to ask Orihime to cut through it, if she can. You might want to wait in the next room if you're still unaffordable about her."

"And leave you alone with her?" Yukino asks, almost spitting the last word.

Haruka sighs, the sound laden with exasperation. "Yukino, what's wrong with you? Orihime's my Child, so she's not going to harm me. And she's not even human, so what else do you think is going to happen? I asked because I know she bothers you. Do you want me to stop worrying about your feelings, Yukino?"

Yukino's expression wavers. "I'm sorry," she says, sounding contrite. Her head lowers, bangs dropping over her eyes. "It's just... losing someone, it's not easy... I...." She searches for words. "I don't want to feel something like that ever again."

"It's alright. That's what we're here for. To make sure it never happens again. Okay...here I go. Orihime?" She summons her Child and then points to the offending obstacle. "Cut a path through that wall."

The Child takes form and its arms elongate, slamming against the wall like bronze whips. A flash blinds Haruka, while a tremor going through the cavern makes it hard for her to retain her footing. Orihime strikes again, then a third time, and this time Haruka can handle the results, better prepared for them.

Not succeeding in her first attempt, Orihime's limbs retreat, becoming long, sharp blades, and the Child stabs deeply into the wall. With the piercing wail of metal on stone, the blade-arms sink, finding purchase.

Yukino watches, holding her hands over her ears.

Haruka doesn't appreciate the noise much herself, but it's a necessary evil. She watches with her arms fold across her midsection.

The right limb goes up while the left cuts down, and then they spread outwards, carving out a doorway. With an almost-human groan, what Haruka now realizes must have been a barrier placed by the wall crumbles altogether. The stone follows suit shortly, no match for Orihime's blind persistence.

Orihime withdraws its limbs, the ends smoking slightly and appearing dulled, but Haruka can hardly focus on them. The chamber beyond is none like the caverns she had been traveling through; it resembles a high-tech laboratory. Equipment she cannot even begin to understand is arrayed in its center, around a large sealed container.

Haruka enters the lab, beckoning for Yukino to follow her. She's ready to have Orihime vanish again if it looks like she'll need to for Yukino to focus, but otherwise she'll have the Child stand guard.

Yukino manages to hold her composure, following Haruka into the chamber. There is a proper door, bolted shut, set to their left. A monitor is set by the container.

Haruka's happy to leave that door bolted for now, just in case someone from outside tries to interrupt their search. She heads to the container in the center of the room, leaving the monitor for Yukino to check out.

It looks like a fridge to Haruka. Yukino studies the console. Her tongue is peeking past her lips ever so slightly as she focuses her attention on decyphering the information presented.

Well, this is a weird place for Mashiro to store her ice cream, that's for sure. Haruka attempts to pry the lid open.

The crate groans as Haruka puts her back into it. The lid distorts, not opening fully, but just enough to send a cloud of noxious gas into Haruka's face!

Haruka lets it drop and backs off. "What the--" she gasps, coughing. She's quick to put some distance between her and the container, trying to wave away the fumes.

The lid remains distorted, gas continuing to flee at an alarming pace. Yukino looks up from the console, startled. "What did you--"

Alarms blare suddenly, the lights turning off to menacing, blinking red. Why do emergency lights come on so often when the regular ones work just fine, Haruka strangely wonders, feeling faint.

Haruka uses what strength she has to try and hammer the lid closed again. If that doesn't work: "Orihime, get this damn closed--" She breaks off in a fit of coughing.

Orihime adds its own quiet strength. The container's frame groans in protest, bending back enough to stop the gas's escape for the most part. A perfect solution would take much more time and effort.

Yukino looks horrified. She is like that a lot, Haruka idly muses. Her brows feel funny.

Haruka rubs at her forehead, stumbling over to the monitor. "Yukino, what the hell is this thing? Did you find anything on the computer or whatever?"

Her hand comes back sticky and wet. Something drips down her face, getting in her right eye, smearing all over her cheek.

Yukino. Is she talking too quietly? Merely mouthing the words? Haruka briefly entertains the idea that she had gone deaf, but the sound of steel tearing apart convinces her of her mistake.

A gloved hand punches through the container's top.

Haruka makes her way over to Yukino, at least. She rubs her sleeve across her face, hoping to get the...whatever-it-is off her. She has just enough presence of mind to shout "Orihime, to me!" before the Child or the thing in the fridge can start a fight.

Her sleeve comes back drenched with blood.

Well. That's not encouraging. She glances around the room quickly. Is there anything like a towel/blanket or bandage around?

The room looks a lot like a medical facility, if it were run by Doctor Frankenstein. There's plenty to bind whatever wound Haruka might have with.

The hand withdraws with the scraping sound of metal against metal, before punching through again.

Haruka grabs something to wipe off the blood and whatever else happens to on her at this point, taking another strip to tie 'round her head as an impromptu bandage/headband. "So, um, Yukino. Ideas?"

Yukino snaps out of her stupor. "Run!"

The lid is torn in two. A figure sits up, wrapped in bandages. It turns its head towards Haruka, a red eye looking straight at her. Haruka sees no signs of humanity in that alien gaze.

Haruka doesn't run first and ask questions later! She asks questions first and just possibly lives to run later! "So. Miyu Greer, I presume?" she says, with as much self-assurance as she can muster will dazed from toxic gasses and mysterious bleeding.

The mummified woman, the latter becoming evident due to her curves as she stands to her full height, slowly turning around, continues to observe Haruka. Her gaze falls on Haruka's mace, and then glides over Orihime.

"Valkyrie discovered. Proceeding with existing orders." She points her right hand at Haruka, and it reconfigures into a machinegun before Haruka's eyes. "Search and destroy."

Miyu fires.

Okay. THIS is the part where Haruka runs away. "Yukino, Orihime? Back to the caves for now!"

"Orihime? Stopping the bullets would be great right about now!" Haruka ducks behind her Child, assuming there's a moment to do so. "Yukino! Miyu's a machine or something, right? See if the monitor shows any way to control her! I'll hold her off as long as I can!"

Orihime moves before Haruka even finished speaking, at the exact moment Haruka's mind formed the request, she notes with a strange detachment. Bullets hit the Child, ricochetting wildly. None hit Haruka.

"It controls the statis tank, Haruka-chan!" Yukino exclaims, wringing out her hands. Her outburst succeeds in drawing Miyu's attention.

Crap crap crap! Orihime, protect Yukino! Haruka herself seeks some piece of machinery to dodge behind. "Any ideas on how to get her -back into the tank-? This is supposed to be ourtramp card, there's got to be something we can do!"

Yukino doesn't have time to answer. It is doubtful she even heard the question in full, considering Miyu fired at her as soon as she switched targets. Orihime's flowing form manages to protect Haruka's friend, although the equipment she was next to is ruined. One rebounding shot comes dangerously close to Haruka's head, the blonde ducking just in time behind a small metal cabinet on wheels.

The large eye Haruka had seen previously appears below Miyu, tentacles shooting out of it. The bandaged woman leaps clear, the jump taking her almost to the ceiling, and shoots down at her attacker from the apex.

Haruka takes advantage of Miyu's distraction to regroup with Yukino and Orihime. "I guess the eye's on our side. For now." She repeats her previous question for Yukino, assuming Miyu remains preoccupied for a few seconds.

Haruka makes a break for the door as soon as there's a moment to move. Hopefully the eye will provide a distraction? Otherwise, she'll have to dart into a new hiding place. She can at least command Orihime to take Yukino back out into the cave, for now. The other girl's just a liability right now./

Haruka's chest pulses, making her stumble as soon as she gets to the doorway. A glance behind reveals Yukino cowering behind Orihime, the latter defending Yukino from a hail of bullets once more.

Haruka pauses, while remaining ready to duck and roll if Miyu turns her way again. "Orihime! Carry Yukino here while protecting her from the bullets if you can! We can't fight in this little space!"

<--->