May felt her surroundings twist as she was launched away by chaos' soul bomb throw her away....and then, suddenly, they snapped back. She found herself standing in a very stark japanese room, with sturdy woven floors, and paper doors, the decor spartan...and geared to a fighter, judging by the armour and swords in the corner.
Directly in front of her, a young man of about twenty, with a mop of unruly black hair and small rectangular glasses and a nervous and defiant expression, standing in front of a girl of about seventeen with long, midnight black hair tied back in a high ponytail, with his arms spread defensively. Sheets of paper were spread around them, some still fluttering to the floor, as though from a recent spill.
The girl herself was chalk white, staring at Mayumi in stark terror, almost shivering with fear.
It was then that Mayumi realized she was holding a thick official feeling paper in one hand, and a sheaf of papers in the other, and glaring at the hapless pair...
What the...ah fuck...
May's glare instinctively softened to a scowl as she glanced around, trying to understand where she was.
Wait, that, that looks like Keitaro. And Motoko, brain, shut up.
Frowning, she glanced at the paper. A report card. Great.
You know this scene, and you don't like it...great, just f'ing...wait, I'm Tsuroko. I'm married. FUCK. Okay, plan, don't pause, dammit! Move on, and plan.
Sighing, she glared darkly at Motoko again. "What's the meaning of this?" she asked, advancing a step.
Have to keep up the act...dammit, I don't like this...
Motoko's mouth worked, but no sound came out. Keitaro seemed to sense the girl's distress, and intervened directly.
"Hold it! I know what you must think, Tsuroko-san, but Motoko's giving this her all!" the young man insisted, throwing his arms wide in her defense.
May kept up her glare, tapping a foot against the floor as a nervous habit.
"She still should not have lied to her family," she growled back. "It's easier to accept failure and encourage one to continue if one is honest about it."
Keitaro winced a little at that, but encouraged slightly that Tsuruko's sword had yet to clear it's sheath, he spoke up again.
"I...Did she lie? Or maybe just not tell you?" he asked nervously. "I...Motoko-chan isn't the type to deliberately decieve anyone...She's blunt to the point of being rude." He reasoned.
"I'm not saying what she did was right...she should have told you. But..." he trailed off, still looking for words.
May frowned, sighing. "I'll grant you that, Urashima," she replied, playing with the seam of her blade's sheath and hilt.
"I'm still disappointed in her, and I'd like to hear her plans from herself instead of her boyfriend..."
Little more blatant than Tsuroko in manga, but I don't think I'll be doing it as long...
Keitaro twitched, and sure enough, Naru was standing in the doorway. At the word 'girlfriend' she turned up her nose and stalked off, back through the assembled residents of the inn. Keitaro sweatdropped. "Aw man..." he hesitated, glancing at Motoko, who was no longer frozen, but still nearly quaking as she looked up at Tsuruko...
May raised an eyebrow curiously, moving closer to Motoko and ignoring Keitaro for the moment. She bent down so she was face to face with Motoko, hugging her knees.
"Anything you'd like to say, imouto?" she asked softly, smiling.
I wonder how they'll take random switch of attitiude...this should be interesting if nothing else.
Keitaro hesitated briefly, but since Tsuruko looked as though she would be reasonable, he contemplated leaving to chase Naru...but one look at the still frightened Motoko's face, and he decided it couldn't hurt to wait a bit. It's not like Naru being angry was a NEW thing...
"Ane-ue..." Motoko stammered hesitantly. "G-Gomen ne..."
May smiled, loosely hugging Motoko. "Maa, it's alright now I guess..." she laughed, releasing her 'sister'.
"But really, what have you been up to lately, imouto?" she asked, seemingly relaxed. Glancing at Keitaro, she tried to shoo him out with her eyes and a flick of her head.
Keitaro nodded hesitantly, and slipped from the room.
Motoko double blinked, a bit perplexed at the apparent calm. "I've...I've been studying for entrance exams...again." she said softly, then steeled herself grimly. "I've failed them already..."
May patted Motoko, continuing to smile a little. "I know. Now...I'd like to know...why are you trying to get into Toudai?" she asked softly, sitting.
"You could easily teach with a degree from another school."
Motoko turned to Tsuruko, a suprised and serious expression on her face.
"Ane-ue...?" after a slight hesitation, she frowned, biting her lip and blushing uneasily. "Toudai is said to be the best...I can be challenged there...I want to be more than I am now..."
May raised an eyebrow, watching Motoko carefully. "So you want to focus on an academic challenge?" she probed, tapping a finger against her cheek.
Slowly, her eyes tracked around the room, looking specifically for the weapons besides the one she was carrying.
Tsuruko's quick scan of the room found a suprising array of weapons for a seventeen year old girl's room. In one corner, she saw a full suit of samurai armour, and beside it was a rack of polearms on one wall, and on the adjacent wall was a sword rack, and below that was a smaller one, with a single sword on it, with a ward hanging on the rack...
"Not at the expense of my training!" Motoko blurted...nearly shouted in her sudden anxiety. "I just...I want to be good at other things, as well..."
The kendoist paused, eyeing Tsuruko nervously, then blurted out her confession. "It's him...ever since he came here, I've been making fun of him and attacking him...but...he's really struggled to better himself." Motoko hung her head.
"I find myself envious." she admitted, with a slight blush on her cheeks. "He's grown...into a slightly less obnoxious man, while I'm still the same unfeminine sword girl..."
Motoko stared at the ground, her thoughts spinning. How...why am I confessing this? Ane-ue has never talked to me this way before...
May smiled, nodding slowly. "It's fine to pursue your own goals, imouto..." she giggled softly, patting Motoko. "I'm just a little worried about you losing focus trying to concentrate on all of your goals..." she murmured.
Humming, she shook her head. "Don't worry so much about growth, just keep reaching, and you'll grow."
Ahh...where the hell is this coming from? Anybody? Answers please?
Motoko nodded, shivering. "Then...you won't take me home yet?" she asked softly, looking up at her sister. "I'm sorry I've disappointed you again..."
May shook her head, smiling. "No, I'm not going to take you home. If you don't want to be, and reasonably so, there's not much reason to try and make you."
Trying not to roll her eyes, May hugged Motoko. "You haven't disappointed me much, it's only one year..."
Motoko looked up at her older sister, tears of relief glimmering in her eyes. "Ane-ue..." she murmured, then hugged Tsuruko, hard, crying a little in relief...
Oh..great... May thought wryly, rubbing the younger girl's back.
"It's alright, Motoko-chan..." she murmured almost on reflex, sighing.
Well, I've ruined my scary elder sister image, but we aren't dueling...I think that's a good thing. Now how to excuse myself from the home life...somewhat indefinitely...
The Kodak moment stretched on for a few moments, Motoko's relieved shivers the only sound in her room. Momentarily, Motoko's door slipped open, and a tall, bosomy girl, with long dark hair pulled back into a swirling braid, her long bangs swept slightly to the side revealing a sleeply curious look, and a lazy smile at the taller of the two black haired women in the room.
"Ara, Ara..." she giggled, turning to the young girl beside her, a tanned blonde foriegn girl, dressed in a flimsy seifuku. "You were right, it is Tsuruko-san..."
May blinked in surprise for a moment, her mind slowly catching back up witht the situation and people she was confronted with.
Ahh...Mutsumi and Koala. ALright, should be able to deal with this...just hope Koala doesn't have some reason to attack me.
Covering her expression with a slight smile, she raised a ahnd and waved at the two girls, loosening the other arm to allow Motoko to pull away if she wanted to. "Mutsumi-san, Koala-san," she greeted, trying to bite down on a surge of nervousness.
Motoko somewhat embarrassedly took the hint, her cheeks flaming red as she pulled away from her sister.
Mutsumi giggled again at the expression on Motoko's face, then turned to Tsuruko, giving a friendly wave. "We just came to tell you, your commercial is on TV, if you want Motoko-chan to see..."
Motoko blinked, and looked up at her elder sister puzzledly. "Ane-ue?"
May blinked in surprise, standing and walking towards Mutsumi and the door. "Commercial?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
This...ah hell, what the fuck is going on NOW? she complained to herself, wishing a glare at the world in general wasn't out of character.
"I think I better see this...as I don't remember placing any commercials..."
Kaolla seemed to take this in stride, and led the way to her bedroom. "I've got a custom built TV in my room." she announced blithely, grabbing at Mutsumi and Tsuruko's wrists, and yanking them toward her room.
"Ara..." Mutsumi blurted as she was hauled off of her feet...
May sweatdropped, obligingly following the younger girl. Not like she had much choice in the matter...
Okay...so the Shinmei Ryu is advertising...could things get weirder? Yes. Just hope they don't.
The sliding door to Kaolla's room snapped open...to reveal a jungle. There was a palpable rise in humidity in the doorway as the little blonde girl led them in, carefully navigating around obstacles. Even Mutsumi's sleepy expression seemed impressed as she looked around.
From behind her, Tsuruko heard Motoko mumbling, realizing her 'sister' had followed the group. "Where did she find the time to replace these...?"
May eyed her surroundings, shaking her head slightly as she continued on behind the smaller girl. Agh...humidity, someone kill me now... she complained to herself, suddenly wishing for home, and the cold air of a north midwestern winter.
Fortunately, their trip was uneventful, and they finally came across a little electronics setup in the middle of the jungle-esque setting, with a TV in what looked like a 'pause' mode, a picture of Tsuruko, back to back with a girl who looked to be...yes, it was...Yomiko Readman.
Motoko blinked, glancing at Tsuruko, then back at the TV in confusion.
May blinked, frowning. "Press play? And record it, please, I definitely don't remember doing something with that woman..." she murmured to Koalla, sitting down.
Something to do with those two? Possibly...
Kaolla did as requested, and immediately, tacky fight music, heavy on the bass began to play.
First, a series of flashing pictures burst onto the screen, in time with the music. A big man, with long white hair, and a trenchcoat. A youngish, ponytailed schoolgirl with a machine gun. Minako Aino in her 'Sailor Venus' guise. A young boy with glasses, and a large, strangely shaped staff. Tsuruko herself, brandishing a sword. A tall, lanky green haired man, executing a mule kick while drawing a gun. Sakura Kinomoto, in a ludicrously fairy-esque dress. Next, Yomiko Readman, a row of index cards spread in a fan from one hand.
Finally, there was a black sillouhette, of what looked to be a ponytailed girl, with a question mark in the middle. Words flashed across the screen.
"Will the mystery combantant be recruited to the champions, or be stolen by the challengers?? Find out in three days!"
With that, the screen went dark...
May sweatdropped, glaring at the TV. "Someone...when this is all over...is going to get hurt for this..." she muttered, sighing. "And this makes life INCREDIBLY more difficult..."
O-kay...disguise may not last long from here on...Not to self: Try to not fight Motoko.
Motoko blinked, frowning at the TV. "The aura of the television changes when the commercial ends..." she observed grimly. "I think...you've been challenged?"
She looked to Tsuruko hesitantly, still slightly uneasy around her sister, but beginning to relax...
May sighed, nodding. "That would seem so..." she muttered, fingering her sword.
Going to need slightly different gear if I'm going to do it the way I want to, as well...if I ever even find out where the hell it takes place...
Kaolla beamed. "You're gonna be a wrestler? Can we go with you?" she enthused. "I've gotten pretty good practicing flying kicks on Keitaro..."
Motoko simply eyed the blonde girl and sweatdropped.
May sweatdropped, shaking her head. "I'm not going to wrestle, Kaolla. If this is the challenge I think it is, I'm going to have to kill them, eventually."
GREAT, very Shinmei of you.
All of them looked shocked at that, even they hyperactive girl, and the ever placid Mutsumi.
"Ane-ue...Are they demons?" Motoko asked urgently, a faint veneer of eagerness underlying her words. "I can help-!"
May shook her head, and odd veneer of seriousness covering hernormally amused expression, even in such situations.
"Not quite a demon..." she answered, shrugging. "But controlled by one that we cannot remove. And the stakes are such that losing is not an option."
"So, I will have to kill."
Motoko nodded decisively. "I will stand beside you. It's my duty as the heir to the school..." she asserted. "When will you go?"
May smiled slightly, suppressing the giggle already trying to climb up her throat. "I don't know yet. I knew it was coming, and that was the first shot, but that's it."
Eyeing Motoko for a moment, May's smile widened, softening. "I'll have to talk to you, in private, if you're to become involved in this war, imouto."
"Ara...You'll need to be in Tokyo by this weekend, Tsuruko-san." Mutsumi observed. "The commercial said it was in four days..."
Motoko nodded, a pleased look showing through as it was apparent Tsuruko wouldn't forbid it it. "Hai!"
Kaolla just watched the three older women, munching on a banana...
May blinked, blushing slightly. "Sorry, absent minded..."
Grinning at Motoko, her fingers continued playing with her katana. "We'll have to do some shopping then. We should find a secluded place to discuss a few things first, though."
Mutsumi smiled and shrugged. "It was a part we couldn't record. It's not your fault."
Motoko blinked, and pointed to the door. "Ano...is my room private enough?"
Nodding to Mutsumi, May frowned, eyeing Kaolla. "If this little one hasn't bugged it, yes," she answered, not taking her eyes off the blond girl.
"Ehehe..." Kaolla chuckled, scratching between her ponytails, not looking in the least bit remorseful. "You got me..."
Motoko frowned at Kaolla, and turned back to Tsuruko. "The wood behind Hinata-sou is fairly private..."
May nodded, standing. "Alright..."
Now if only she doesn't try to kill me or something for this...and knowing Chaos can set the rules...yeah, I'll need her on our side, but that also means...we'll have to cut the deception soon, everyone will figure it out some time...
Motoko turned to the still grinning Kaolla. "Suu-san, this is meant to be private. Please keep the others out."
Kaolla grinned and saluted. "Aye aye!" she beamed, and whirled around, setting to work on something on a nearby table. Motoko turned and smiled shyly at her sister. "Ano...follow me..." She said, picking her way from Kaolla's jungle-like room...
Motoko led her sister out of the house and into the woods, weaving through the trees and forest silently for nearly ten minutes before coming to a small waterfall. She approached a pair of large rocks at the base, and pointed. "We can talk here..." she said softly.
Tsuruko hopped onto one of the rocks, watching the waterfall as she waited for Motoko to sit.
"Hmm...to start off, this'll probably sound rather ludicrous to you..." she began, dropping her use of Motoko's name or a title for the moment.
Motoko seated herself in the seiza position, a confused expression flitting over her face. "Why?" She asked simply.
Tsuruko smiled, kicking her feet nervously. "Because it goes out into multiverses, the manifestations of Order and Chaos, and the changing of minds."
Motoko stared at her sister in suprise. "Ano...Ane-ue...Can you explain?" she asked slowly, still puzzled.
Tsuruko took a deep breath, wincing slightly at the term Motoko used. Yeah, this won't end well...
"Okay...to putit bluntly, Order was cornered into betting this world, and several other worlds with it, in a game with Chaos. It seems the competition will be a fight of some sorts, but Chaos controls the rules to the game. So certain people from other universes, that have...extra information about these worlds, were chosen to take on bodies from this world to compete..."
Motoko frowned, taking in several layers of information at once. She bowed her head, deep in thought, then looked up at Tsuruko, a grim expression on her face. "You're not my sister." she said finally.
"Then...who are you? And where is she?"
Tsuroko smiled lsightly, ugging her legs to her new body, shrugging. "I don't know what Order did with your sister, and me? Some people called me May, or Mayumi," she answered, seemingly always moving in a slight way.
Motoko frowned, her eyes narrowed. "I want to call you a demon, but I can't think what reason you had to be kind to me before."
She paused, conflicting emotions playing on her face for a moment while she toyed with her katana. "Explain to me why I shouldn't defeat and exorcise you from her body." She said shortly, but the slight crack in her voice betrayed the conflict internally...
Tsurukolaughed softly, droppingonto her back. "Because for one, I don't think I can be exorcised from this body...two, you'll end up fighting a war you're completely unprepared for, and three, you'd be weakening Order against Chaos, increasing the chances your world will be destroyed by its own released flames..."
Motoko eyed Tsuruko. "I-I...don't think you're lying." she said finally, sighing. "But Ane-ue was always hard to read. Very well, I'll agree to listen quietly. Explain what you mean by that, please."
Tsuruko shrugged, sitting up again. "Her body may be restricting it's language, but I'm not all that hard ot read," she replied, flashing the younger girl a smile. "What I mean is, the team Order assembled was assembled from off-worlders because we know the abilities and vulnerabilities of our opponents. We've seen some of the key experiences of their lives, and how they've dealt with them. You on the other hand, do not know those weaknesses, in fact, I doubt you've even heard of what some of the opponents will do. And because our enemy is choosing the rules, that is the balancing point of the tournament."
"So, attempting to eliminate me would simply detriment yourself, as I doubt you wish the balance of Order and Chaos disrupted by a complete takeover by Chaos."
Motoko shook her head, glancing at the rushing water, concentrating. "No, I wouldn't. All things require balace to maintain the Wa." She said softly. "But the scale you're speaking of makes such a thing hard to believe..."
Tsuruko smiled, nodding. "I know, I told you this would sound rather ludicrous, ne?" she murmured, glancing at the waterfall, and then up the rushing water. "It's still rather unreal to me. But, I know I'll have to fight something, so I just think about it, and treat it like any other tactical situation I've thought my way through before."
At the base of the waterfall, a fish jumped as Motoko thought that over. She frowned and nodded. "I see. Are you kenjustu-ka? Why did you choose my sister's body?"
"I had some training in kenjutsu, amongst other things," Tsuruko answered, smiling. "I didn't choose the body, Chaos disrupted the meeting and choosing of forms, it's just how I ended up."
"Most of my practie has been in strange, cruel, unusual, and theoretical dirty tactics."
Motoko sweatdropped, tilting sideways and falling slowly off the rock. "You may have been better off with my sister in that body. Her level of skill is nothing short of astonishing."
Tsuruko raised an eyebrow, shrugging. "I'm aware of your sister's capabilities, Aoyama-san," she answered, taking a slow breath. "But even so, I'm not sure it would've mattered against some opponents, no offense to Tsuruko-san. If you're willing to help, we can also try to improve my abilities."
Motoko sat back down on the rock, smiling slightly. "I guess it wouldn't do to ignore the fate of the world." she said wryly. "Very well, I'll assist you. But, I want you to know...if I have reason to believe that you're deceiving me, we will be enemies."
Tsuruko smiled warmly, laughing softly. "I wouldn't it have it any other way. Betrayal meets betrayal," she murmured, standing. "Of course, jumping the trigger on suspicion can lead to unwitting betrayal of yourself as well."
Motoko matched her move, rising to a stanging position, and drawing her sword. "Hai." She replied, smiling. "But to be too trusting is to invite betrayal. Would you care to allow me to test your limits now?"
Tsuruko grinned, drawing her own katana, shifting her grip slightly, trying to feel out her new body. "Indeed," she nearly purred. "So you have to be cautious..."
Motoko smiled, and raised to a simple guard stance. "Quite. Just like the situation you mentioned. It's all about maintaining your Wa." A tiny grin formed now, the rushing of the waterfall punctuating her words.
"Attack me. You have three minutes. When those minutes are up, I will attack." She said softly, the grin sliding into a serious expression.
Tsuruko took a deep breath, still smiling. You know this body should be able to jump this...and much more...forget physics, just do it.
Setting Motoko as her target, Tsuruko leapt from the rock, trying to aim herself slightly low so she could stop herself on Motoko's perch...
Motoko slid forward to the front of the rock, leaving no room for Tsuruko to land and raised her blade, without swinging, waiting for the swing from her opponent...
Tsuruko shifted her body as well as she could in the air, twisting her hips with the movement of her arm sharply as she came into reach, trying to throw her body in the opposite direction of her blade as she slashed down and to her right...
Tsuruko's body responded instantly and exactly. Her sword came down, met partway by Motoko's reflexive block, at a speed that was even suprising to herself, tossing her onto the smaller stones farther from the waterfall, landing lightly on her feet.
Motoko seemed startled as Tsuruko expertly used Motoko's sword as a springboard to throw herself to the left. "You're not exactly an amatuer, are you?" she mused. "A simple move, but the co-ordination and reading of an opponent to do that is more than I expected from what you described..."
Tsuruko blushed, shrugging as she shifted on her landing spot. "I'm known to understate myself on occasion, but I'm pretty sure you're sister's body left some reflexes for me to use..."
Come out come out...
Tapping one foot against the ground for a few hearbeats, she broke into a run, slightly left, curving back in towards Motoko with an upwards slash, to be followed with a pivot and second attack...[/i]
Motoko's eyes widened for an instant before she vaulted off the rock, flipping and twisting in midair, and landing behind Tsuruko. "Fast..." she breathed. "Come on...don't hold back....Ane-ue." She said, smiling.
Tsuruko slowed her breathing, thinking, a few seconds ticking away eternally. "Right..." she whispered, turning into the dash again, closing in from Motoko's left.
This time though, she pushed herself far to her own left at the last instant, hoping to catch Motoko with the shift, her left hand following behind her katana in case Motoko parried...
Matching Tsuruko's speed, a startled expression on her face, Motoko sidestepped to her right, into the swing, raising her katana to block.
Metal clashed with a violent, short shriek, but Motoko didn't hold the block, angling her blade to let Tsuruko's slide off, with the remaining momentum, as Tsuruko's attack power was halved, but she no longer had a target, and swing continued wide...
Tsuruko stepped forward to compensate, twisting her wrist slgihtly and bringing her katana back in a fast thrust for Motoko's ribs, twisting her hips and moving her legs with the movement...
Motoko leaned back, seeming as though she would topple over, but with a brief flex of her legs, leaped back, adding distance between them, and the thrust came up short. She backed up, eyeing Tsuruko with a new wariness, and assumed another defensive stance, a slight smile on her face.
Tsuruko didn't stop with the momentum of her thrust, moving through the movement as her legs pushed her after Motoko, her second hand gripping the hilt now as she made for a fast and powerful downward cut that would lead into a turning sweep with her left leg and upwards stab with her right hand...
Motoko looked suprised for a moment, then grinned, and dove AT Tsuruko, sliding into Tsuruko's attack radius, and skidding to a stop, her feet stopping inches in front of Tsuruko's rush, and sliced upward, hard.
A resounding clash of metal echoed through the woods, startled birds abandoning their nests and flying away as Motoko was pushed back slightly....then held fast, stopping Tsuruko's rush, though her arms were straining to hold her sister's blade back.
They stood, frozen for a moment, then Motoko grinned, almost childishly. "Time's up..."
Tsuruko grinned, putting several yards between herself and Motoko in a moment, still feeling out her speed.
"Fun..." she laughed, not really relaxing herself, and watching Motoko for an attack...
Motoko smiled, almost conversationally. "You're actually stronger than me...and just as fast. How confident do you feel?" she asked, a small smile forming.
"Not at all..." she answered, forcing herself to loosen slightly, finally relaxing her posture.
Motoko actually laughed at that. "You should...you're doing suprisingly well. In fact, your swings match Ane-ue's closely...but if you like, I'll start slowly."
Tsuruko shook her head, grinning. "That's just my nature. I'm too susceptible to overconfidence if I let myself get confident, so just come at me as you wish..."
"As you wish..."
In a flash, Motoko leapt to the attack, sprinting across the distance that separated the two of them, her katana lazily drifting to the right, and as she closed the remaining distance, she swung, a right-to-left slash aimed at Tsuruko's shoulder...
Tsuruko brought her own blade up from below with both hands, parrying with the side of her blade and redirecting Motoko's high as she backtracked, putting some more distance between herself and Motoko...
Motoko smoothly sidestepped as the blades clanged together, not resisting the impact, letting her own blade snap back, and using only a sight tug to redirect her weapon into a low slash, gripping it with both hands as she lunged for the bigger woman again, upping her speed as she did, preparing to turn one slash into a flurry...
Tsuruko redirected forward, parrying low to block Motoko's katana, and pivoting as they met, bringing her left foot in behind Motoko's right, her left hand abandoning the hilt of her blade, aiming a hard elbow strike at Motoko's throat...
Motoko reacted on instinct, shoving hard into the block, forcing Tsuruko's katana back and snapping her wrist, throwing the weapon away from herself as she stepped into the area it had occupied, away from the elbow, and spun around, a low, rising slash headed for Tsuruko's waist...
Tsuruko moved with her blade, pivoting and moving as fast as she could into the space Motoko had been in an instant earlier, comign downwards with her own slash aimed to go down the length of Motoko's arm, her left hand reaching for the hilt to grab at the last moment...
Motoko sweatdropped, and quickly pivoted to the side, arresting her swing and moving up to block, but letting her blade slack in a parry, allowing Tsuruko's blade to slide off of hers, and stepped inside Tsuruko's reach, aiming a blow with the hilt of her sword, letting her bottom hand trail off...
Tsuruko dove beneath Motoko's hilt, closing even further, her left hand leaving her own hilt to ward off Motoko's. Drawing back her katana and thrusting upwards in front of her shoulder as she moved in, twisting ehr hips and shifting into a deeper stance than before...
Motoko looked genuinely startled at that, and hurled herself backwards, less gracefully then before, tumbling out of reach, though quickly rolling to her feet in a guard position, breathing heavily.
"I underestimated you." she said finally, with some chagrin.
Tsuruko blushed in embarrassment, shrugging. "I've had more practice closing like that, and more hand to hand training than kenjutsu..." she murmured. "Time up?" she asked curiously, shifting her katana slightly.
Motoko nodded. "Yes." she agreed, sliding her sword into it's sheath. "Your reflexes are almost identical to hers, but your fighting style is a bit more...makeshift." she said slowly, diplomatically.
"I suspect my sister's skills lie dormant within you..."
Tsuruko laughed, sheathing her own sword. "Probably..." she replied, leaning on a tree.
"Still plan on following me through the tournament?" she switched topics, her voice curious.
Motoko nodded. "It's in both our best interests to keep you alive." she said simply, shrugging.
Tsuruko frowned slightly, sighing as she held her elbows with her hands.
Not to self, sarcastic and pointed remarks are probably a bad idea.
"i guess..." she answered, looking upwards. "I'll need help with a few other things, and we're going to need to outfit both of us if this goes the direction I think it will..."
A faint wind blew by, rustling their hakama. Motoko blinked. "Ano...what does that mean?" She asked, puzzled.
"These uniforms won't do for a war. We need combat clothing, and a few more weapons. I also need ot retrieve the normal mountings for Tsuruko's katana. Besides that, there's your brother-in-law to avoid or deal with..."
Motoko made a wry face at the mention of Tsuruko's husband. "He's away a great deal of the time. He shouldn't present a problem." she observed.
"What do you mean, by the rest, though?" she wondered. "Ane-ue's blade it fitted specially for her...it should be comfortable..."
Tsuruko looked down at the blade, shrugging. "If she doesn't have standard fittings for it, it'll be fine, but I preffer regular ones over a shirasaya built for combat..." she answered, stretching.
"As for the rest...I mean throwing knives, certain chemicals, magnesium, something to ignite that magnesium, duct tape, and some other stuff. Plus fatigues and light boots or tabi. These outfits aren't bad..." she murmured, plucking at the gi and hakama. "But they're not particularly built for rough terrain war."
Motoko frowed, thinking of the commercial she'd seen. "Tokyo isn't exactly rough terrain..." she observed tentatively.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tsuruko could see a short, humanoid sillouhette in the trees...
"This won't necessarily stick to Tokyo, and Tokyo's terrain might get...rearranged. This clothing isn't the best for urban warfare, either, though," she answered, eyeing the silhouette in the corner of her eye.
"Whoever's back there can please come out now, it's impolite to eavesdrop..." she said, loudly enough that they should've been able to hear...
Motoko started her eyes opening wide. "Ano...I don't sense any---!!"
The familar (To Tsuruko) form of Remy stepped out from the trees. "Quite so, but I had no wish to alarm young Motoko..."
Motoko simply stared in slightly disturbed astonishment...
Tsuruko blinked, eyeing the man for a moment. "Oh, you," she answered simply, humming. "What's happening? Know where any of the others are? Know anything about our bodies so I can begin plotting battle plans? How'bout some help in the outfitting department? Ready to hit me to make me stop asking questions yet?"
Remy smiled. "Not as such. I'm still in the process of gathering the lot of you. You've been scattered fairly effectively. I've come to you, though, with a problem..."
Tsuruko raised an eyebrow, glancing at Motoko briefely. "What about?" she asked, trying to suppress her overactive mind and its paranoid pessimism.
"I didn't get a chance to learn your names." Remy admitted. "But it's about the boy you were sitting next to...Chaos has placed him into a bit of a problematic situation..."
Tsuruko's relaxed posture seemingly vaporized. "Bean? What's wrong with his position?" she asked, all attempts at suppression of her worrying gone now. "I didn't see the whole commercial...agh, what's going on?"
Remy made a soothing gesture. "Relax, please. He's fine for the moment, and I've already pointed some of the others in his direction, though I think you'll have the best chance of waking him up." he replied.
"The problem is, if someone else with mystical or spiritual talent awakens him first, he could be easily subverted to the other side..."
Tsuruko shivered, glaring at nothing in particular. "Spare me the details, how the hell do I get him out of this situation, and where is he?"
"You'll find him in Tokyo." Remy began slowly, sighing. "In the bomb shelter of the Shizakura shrine, and sealed inside a giant Buddha statue."
Tsuruko nodded, her eyes flashing to Motoko. "Do you know where that is and how to get there?" she asked, trying to soften the urgent jerkiness of her voice, though she was already turning back to Remy. "How do I wake him up?"
Motoko blinked "I think so-?" she said, trailing off as Tsuruko turned back to Remy.
Remy grinned suddenly. "Kiss him...her, actually. He's currently occuping the body of a 'Steel Angel'..."
Motoko's eyes were large, sweatdropping at the strange surrealness of the conversation...
Tsuruko sweatdropped, unable to stop herself from snickering softly. "Figures...never could keep himself from getting stuck in a female body by chance..."
Shaking her head, she shrugged. "I can do that..." Taking a slow breath, she turned back to Motoko, smiling warmly. "Gomen, I'm a little...twitchy when it involves my friends..." she murmured, shrugging.
Motoko nodded seriously. "Time is of the essence, then...Ane-ue, where did he go?" she asked, startled back into her habititual speech.
Indeed, it seemed Remy hadn't stuck around to dispense any more information, and had vanished into thin air...
"Probably off into some nexus of the multiverse, or to go bug some of my fellows," she answered, sighing and biting her lip. "Do you mind heading for the temple as soon as possible? I kind of want to get hi-her, back..."
Motoko shook her head. "I can be ready to leave in less than an hour." she answered. "Will that be sufficient?"
Tsuruko nodded, waving her hand. "Yeah, can't really ask for antyhing else..." she murmured wistfully, beginning to walk back towards the waterfall. "I should probably just stay out here until that time."
Motoko nodded. "All right." she told the older woman softly. "I will return as quickly as I can." With that, the slender teen vanished into the trees, leaving Tsuruko alone with her thoughts.
Tsuruko sighed as she watched Motoko go, glancing up at the sky.
Looks so much like...quiet, please? We know our situation, and she can't be expected...yeah. Just...if something happens...I know. And...yes, I know about that too. Can we...? We probably should...just to distract ourselves from the musing. Musing's fun though...yeah, but it makes...hai hai. So? Yeah, guess we'll see...
Drawing her sword, Tsuruko closed her eyes, letting her body fall into place, beginning to relax into her reflexes. So...no, just begin, and run with it... Taking a step forward, Tsuruko began the movements, ifnormation flowing into her mind as it was executed, quickly shifting into the first kata of Shinmei Ryu, moving deeper into it, falling within an abyss of ground in skill and precision...
Motoko returned less than thirty minutes later, slipping into the clearing where she'd left Tsuruko, dressed in a hiking outfit, and carrying a small duffle, and a sword bag.
She watched Tsuruko's kata in no small amount of surprise, but her expression relaxed into the equivalent of a shrug. "I'm ready." she said quietly, barely loud enough to intrude on Tsuruko's exercises.
Tsuruko blinked, broken out of the flow of reflexive movements by Motoko. "Oro...okay..." she murmured, sheathing her katana and blinking. "Mm...probably not a good idea to carry this around with me..." she murmured, eyeing the sword.
Motoko smiled slightly, and shifted her grip on the kendo bag, revealing the fact that she was, in fact, carrying two.
"Here." she said, tossing the second to Tsuruko. It kept it's shape midflight, revealing that it still had something inside. "This should suffice for the authorities sake..."
Tsuruko nodded, smiling slightly as she caught the bag and opened it. She checked what was inside before slipping her katana in, carrying the bag back towards Motoko. "My clothes won't draw too much attention?" she inquired, eyeing herself. "Not that there's really much we can do about it."
Tsuruko found a practice bokken in the bag, but aside from that, it was empty.
"Ane-ue always travels that way." Motoko smiled wryly. "It doesn't attract as much attention as you'd think."
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed a straw traveling hat, frisbee style at the older woman. "I hope you don't mind, but I sent Shippu home...If we need him, you can call for him."
Motoko paused. "Gomen...'Shippu' is the name of ane-ue's bird..."
Tsuruko shrugged, catching the hat and putting it on, puzzling over it for a moment before figuring out how to fasten it. "It's alright...I probably wouldn't have known what to do with him..." she laughed, shrugging.
"Especially in Tokyo, being without the bird should be fine."
Motoko nodded, relaxing a little. "Mm. You might find a use for him later, though...she uses him as a scout, sometimes."
Motoko adjusted her grip on her duffle, and nodded to Tsuruko, her posture relaxed, but ready. "We can leave whenever you're ready..."
Tsuruko nodded, gesturing for Motoko to lead the way. "Hai, I'm ready..."
Motoko nodded, blushing a little, and slowly led the way from the woods, and showed Tsuruko to the steps of Hinata-sou. they made their way down, unhindered by any of the residents, who were apparently sitting down for lunch...
Motoko showed Tsuruko where her traveling money was and bought the two of them tickets into the city, and led Tsuruko onto the train. Once they'd seated themselves, Motoko turned to her 'sister'.
"Eto...Does this have anything to do with the commercial?" She asked, frowning. "What sort of contest is it?"
Tsuruko smiled slightly at Motoko, shrugging. "I'm guessing it has just about everything to do with the commercials if I was involved, particularly if Yomiko also was, since I don't remember her showing up around the Hinata. As for the contest, Chaos sets the rules, so we don't know yet, though the predominant guess was armed conflict."
Motoko nodded. "A tournament, then?" she wondered. "The commercial...but, that may have been misdirection, if Chaos lives up to his name..."
"It could be misdirection, or it could be misdirecting misdirection," Tsuruko answered, smiling. "And the fact that he is Chaos adds that he may not have patience for games based in orderly logic..."
Motoko frowned. "That sounds as though it's a setup to lose..." she ventured cautiously. If he makes all the rules, and chan change them at whim..."
"I'm not sure if he can change them once the contest begins, but yeah, it's on his terms, pretty much," Tsuruko answered, closing her eyes. "But that's why Order went through the trouble of bringing us into these bodies, we counteract that with foreknowledge of our opponents' abilities."
Motoko nodded. "A good edge...but will it be enough?" she asked thoughtfully. "He could send opponents with difficult advantages...like strength enough to throw cars...or fast enough to race the bullet train..."
Tusurko shrugged, "And each will be dealt with by the team as well as possible. Against strength, probably speed. Against speed, try to disrupt their movement. It isn't perfect, but it's what we have to do, and there aren't any other options for us besides potentially defection."
Motoko gave Tsuruko a sharp look. "Is that a viable option?" she asked, frowning.
"It is an unknown but potentially viable option," Tsuruko answered, smiling slightly. "For those that can afford it on their conscience, or the damage to other things."
Motoko nodded, looking slightly disturbed, then changed the subject. "Can I ask why we're going to the temple?" She ventured, looking uncertain. "You seemed upset when you were told by the...uhm..."
"One of our team members is stored there. Chaos knows about it. And apparently, there's a way for the other side to gain control of them," Tsuruko shrugged, trying to maintain her composure as anxiety began to storm in her mind. "They were also a close friend of mine. Obviously, I'd rather not fight them, particularly in the ways I plan on fighting."
"Control...?" Motoko frowned, thinking hard. "Are you and I in danger of this as well?"
Tsuruko shook her head, her hands tightening slightly around the kendo bag. "No, I think it has something to do with the body he's inhabiting, or the commercial wouldn't have been so exclusive to him."
Motoko nodded. "I see...There is something significant about him that the enemy wishes to posess?" she ventured uncertainly. "But he is vulnerable to them..."
"Something like that, I didn't recognize the sillhouette of the body he seems to be inhabiting, other than that it was female." Tsuruko shrugged, staring off into space even as she spoke. Calm down...you can't panic, just lose yourself in it all...
Motoko put her hand on Tsuruko's awkwardly. "We will retrieve him." She assured the older woman hesitantly. "Perhaps we can use him on Keitaro...Kami knows he could use a personal experiece or two about a woman's perspective." she growled.
Down girl... Tsuruko growled mentally, sighing as she nodded. "Probably most guys could..." she snickered, shrugging. "But eh, knowing him, Bean'll be incredibly shy like this."
Motoko smiled faintly. "I suppose it would be disorienting..." she agreed. "Will he be an effective ally? in fact, Will the others of your group?"
Tsuruko nodded, smiling a little. "Yeah, he'll do alright once he gets used to it. The others...mostly, yeah. I'm not sure about Kwok, being Kwok and Order having thought him potentially unfit for the team due to...occurences during the briefing. I'll trust Rat completely so long as I believe this is the only option for him. And the others should be fine," she shrugged, humming.
"Good." She replied, nodding thoughtfully. "Your friends have...interesting names." Motoko added, straightfaced.
Tsuruko laughed, nodding. "Chat room nicknames...Bean, Rat or Carthrat, Ra-chan, Kwok, Shukuen, Cy, Ryder, and Ginn...so yeah, those aren't our real names." Tsuruko shrugged, looking out the window.
Motoko nodded, adopting a pensive expression, and fell silent, casting occiasional glances at Tsuruko, and out the window, obviously thinking hard...
Tsuruko blinked as she found Motoko glancing ather, straightening and looking at her 'sister'. "Something you want to talk about?"
Motoko shook her head, smiling slightly. "No, nothing important." she said bemusedly. "I was just wondering about what kind of people we'll find your friends in...I assume they co-opted bodies, as you and the one we're going to save did?"
Tsuruko nodded, looking at her fingers in her lap for the moment. "Un...they should be," she answered, sighing. "Hopefully most of them will be as useful as your sister's body."
Motoko nodded. "Though even if they aren't, we may find different advantages. The key to winning a battle is mental...ane-ue." She smiled faintly. "Keep hope alive."
Tsuruko gave Motoko a wry look, like 'you think I didn't know that?'.
A moment later, her mind clicked back into the place, the moment of spacyness gone, replaced by a gentle humming of a tune that no one ever knew, because it was made up.
"Keeping hope alive for myself isn't something I'm very good at," she answered, grinning slightly. "I'm plenty stubborn at trying to cheer others, but not all that good with myself."
Motoko smiled back awkwardly. "I have similar difficulties." She confessed, shrugging. "Though you seemed to need it. You looked...lonely." She trailed off, blushing and looking away.
Just then, the automated voice of the train sounded after four chimes. Now arriving in Tokyo, Juuban ward. Connections to Nerima, Tomobiki, and Tomoeda leave from this station. Please disembark from the rear of the car.
Motoko shrugged, suppressing a reflexive sigh and welling of depression that came with the subject. "I'm used to being around certain friends a lot of the time," she answered, waiting for Motoko to follow before heading to disembark.
"Being lonely doesn't phase me much, I'm also used to dealing with it when need be. Don't worry about me until people begin dying."
Motoko looked concerned, and stood, moving to follow the older woman. "Keitaro says it's not good for the soul..." she murmured, blushing a little, and squirming slightly at the oddity of giving advice to her older sister, and slipping out to lead the way into the station.
Tsuruko followed Motoko closely,staying about three feet from her. They'd both need room to move if something happened, and paranoia wasn't totally out of place at the moment.
Smiling wanly, she shrugged again, forgetting that Motoko couldn't see the gesture. "Mm...probably, but that's not ever been much of a concern of mine. Deal whatever way's been effective so far, and dn't think much of it."
Motoko frowned. "You sound just like I used to..." she admitted softly, firmly pushing her way out of the crowded car and onto the platform.
"Probably," Tsuruko answered, knifing her way through behind Motoko. "I get a little strange away from my small group of friends. So I try to get back to at least one of them as soon as possible, to restore my own balance." Tsuruko laughed at herself, shrugging.
Motoko nodded, adjusting her bag selfconsciously, and looking around as she led Tsuruko through the turnstiles in the train station, looking for a map. As the two black haired beauties walked through the station, they began to notice they were drawing more than a few admiring glances...which Motoko was returning with a frosty, indifferent gaze...
Tsuruko's looks we're a little more harsh than Motoko's. More than indifference, they carried her buried anger, her hands twitching and flexing slightly, tightening around the the strap of her sword case, curling into a fist and then being relaxed at her side. Those looks of desire raised something she'd tried hard to keep buried, like everything else, a lingering wound from the abduction to this world that had been bound tight, but was breaking free.
Tsuruko was quite obviously very touchy at that moment.
Most of the gawkers got the hint, and Tsuruko and Motoko found themselves ignored once more as they proceeded out onto the street...
Tsuruko relaxed as the attention disappeared, closing her eyes for an instant to try and relax her mind.
You're over reacting.
I know, that's just how it is.
Mm. Yeah, for a while.
Really?
Of course, you just don't want to think about it like that.
She sighed softly, trying to crack her neck to distract herself. "The temple is on the outskirts?" she inquired softly, trying to refresh her memory. "Sorry, I can be rather forgetful, some times."
Motoko smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry. that's why I'm here. but it's on the fringe of this ward, not the outskirts of the city. It won't be more than 10 minutes walk, or five by bus."
It was then that the younger girl opened the door to the station, leading Tsuruko out onto the street...
OOC: XD Done! Continued in: WELCOME TO JUUBAN!