Samurai skills and mystical arts(Natsume thread)

[Midnight Sun]

Natsume swings her blade as fast her limbs will allow, cutting out large chunks of the ice entrapping the door at amazing speed.  It shouldn't be long before she works her way through...

[Anastasia]

Natsume slices ahead, cutting into the ice barrier again and again! Fragments of thick, opaque ice clatter to the ground, as you work a hole into the wall. Pale snowstorm light begins to peek through, as the snowy day ahead can finally be seen. Just a bit more...

Kurumi shivers a bit at all this, though looks out at the area beyond as you cut. "Come on, Natsume! You're nearly there!"

[Midnight Sun]

A rush of biting cold air greets her as she finally slashes her way through to the outside. Out of one icebox and into another it seems, but at least this one was not trying to kill them...

[Anastasia]

Three more skillfull slices fully render a hole in the icedoor, a final clatter of falling frozen as wain, snowy cloud sunlight greets both of you!

Releasing a breath at this sight, Kurumi smiles. "Come on, Natsume...let's get out of here. Those Senshi or the police can deal with this...I just want to go home."

[Midnight Sun]

Natsume has one foot out of the makeshift door when she pauses in midstep. She looks back toward the mall as an odd feeling overcomes her. Its a complete frozen hell inside, and it had taken a noticeable amount of power to finally break them out. So what was holding her back? Why wasn't she making a mad dash out of there like her sister was?

No...I can't just run away...Not like this...

"Kurumi...do you think you'd be able to get home by yourself?"

[Anastasia]

Pausing as she just steps fully outside, Kurumi's face is a momentary mask of surprise before cramping up with worry. "Wait, Natsume! You aren't going to back in there? Come on...we need to get home, the both of us!"

Looking back at you with clear distress, "What if you get hurt or worse back there?"

[Midnight Sun]

"I'm always talking about how I want to protect to innocent people from the evils of the world," Natsume says quietly. "Well here it is, staring me in the face, and all I'm doing is running away."

Natsume slowly brings her foot back down...on the wrong side of the wall.

"All the training I've done, the abilities I've spent so much time trying to grow, all the ideals I've based my entire life on...if I run from this now, than what would've been the point of it all?" she explains. "I have to do this, I have to at least try..."

[Anastasia]

"But Natsume, what if..." Kurumi says, then deflates and sighs. "You're really going to do this, sis?" Pausing a moment and looking down emotionally, she then looks up and meets your eyes.

"You'd better damn come back alive, Natsume-chan!"

[Midnight Sun]

Natsume blinks in surprise, she thought Kurumi would put up more resistance than that. Then again, she really had no idea what kind of effect this entire ordeal was having on her.

"Hey, don't worry about me," Natsume says, replacing her former grim expression with a smile. "I can't lose to things like this."

[Anastasia]

Smiling back, though a weak smile indeed, "Alright, Natsume-chan."

I hope so...don't get yourself killed because you won't run away, Natsume. I'll never be able to face Grandfather or Mom and Dad if you do...

"Just...promise you'll retreat if gets to be too much." At that, she looks  up at you, lettin gher worry show through her eyes.

[Midnight Sun]

"Don't worry, I may be bullheaded, but I'm not stupid," Natsume laughs.

She quickly sobers from her sister's worried look. She slowly walks over to her and puts her hands on her shoulders...

"No matter what happens, I will never leave you alone," Natsume says softly. "I'll always come back to you, of that you can be certain."

[Anastasia]

Kurumi looks down, taking one shuddering breath before looking back up. Eyes shining with unshed, worried tears, "Then hurry up...if you get back quickly, we'll have a nice warm dinner, alright? All three of us."

Then, after another lingering moment, she takes a few steps back. "Get going, Natsume...."

[Midnight Sun]

"I'll be looking forward to it," she says as she backs up back through the hole. "Tell grandfather not to worry either. I'll do the Mugetsu Seijin Ryu proud!"

With that she disappears back into the icy hell from whence they came....

[Anastasia]

"Be careful, Natsume!" Kurumi calls, staring ahead as her sister dashes off into the unknown arctic world ahead.

Come back safe, sis. You promised...we'll even go up into the mountains after this, just our family... All you have to do is make it back, Natsume. Please.

---

As you dash down the cold mallfront, you see that all is as you left it. Ahead, at the center junction of the mall is the small, castle like building. Dozens of icy figures surround it, some walking, some not.  All are breathtakingly beautiful...Great samurai could take the time to compose heartmoving haikus here, perhaps.

[Midnight Sun]

She stops and takes a moment to consider her situation. First, she's outnumbered. Second, she has no idea how strong these ice creatures are. Third, she has no guarantee that defeating them would free all the people trapped in the ice, IF she could manage to defeat them in the first place.

It seems I bit off a whole lot more than I could chew this time

Natsume laughed softly to herself, this was almost too unreal. Deep down she was wishing this was a bad dream, even her hands were shaking...

NO! After I finished explaining to Kurumi about how I need to do this...I can't let fear hold me back now!

She takes deep, slow breaths to calm herself. Now was not the time for doubt or apprehension. What she needed now was a plan....

I can't face them all at once...if I could lure them in...somehow force them to come at me one a time. But how...