Chapter 4: On The Hunt
"Goodbye, Onee-chan, please be careful too," Takumi said, before hanging up his cell phone in his room. Akira, the roommate whose secret identity he had recently learned, sat on her bed.
"What was your sister calling about?" Akira asked.
"She's telling us to stay inside; it's not safe to leave campus."
"I see," Akira said with a note of skepticism in her voice
"What's wrong, Akira-kun?" Takumi asked. "Do you think that my sister's not telling us something?"
"How would I know?" Akira replied with some irritation. "She still seems to think I'm not a Hime, and not even a girl, so she probably doesn't think I can be trusted, much less deal with what's out there."
"Or maybe she thinks it's not your battle, and doesn't want to get you involved in something so dangerous," Takumi said. The possibility of it being something supernatural had occurred to him, as it had been in his mind since the first time he was fully conscious when he was attacked by an Orphan and he had seen Akira dispatch the Orphan with equally strange powers. Akira also considered the possibility, but saw another question as more pertinent.
"What exactly would be 'my' battle?" Akira thought. She had been trained from a young age as a warrior, learning things such as fighting with her bare hands and weapons skills such as situational awareness and stealth, and most of all, that it would be necessary to risk her life or take someone else's in order to succeed.
But Takumi, the boy who was able to relate to her as a human being, not a Hime or a soldier, was one person she could not easily give up. She could not bring herself to kill him even when he had compromised the unique tactical advantage that hiding her gender- and thus the possibility of her being a Hime- had given. But now with the Carnival in full swing, there were only two paths ahead of her- get to the end with Takumi or lose him as the cost of her defeat.
Akira had no solution for what to do about her being entered against her will in a tournament in which she had to put the person dearest to her at stake. But she knew that she could not risk Takumi while rushing to confront an unknown threat.
"All right, we'll stay inside for today," Akira said.
"You're sure about this, Tokiha?" Yuuichi said after Mai explained what she was up against.
"Definitely," Mai said over the phone. "Tate, I know you wanted to visit Shiho-chan in the hospital today, but…"
"…I'll get killed if I go out?" Yuuichi said. "I don't think the risk is that great."
"That's only one possibility," Mai said. "Our killer could easily possess you, force you to kill Shiho-chan, and then either force you to kill yourself or leave you behind to take the fall for it."
"I doubt I'm going to get a good answer to this, but the obvious question is how do I know that you're not possessed at the moment, Tokiha?"
Mai paused before answering.
"You don't; we currently don't know the limitations of the killer's powers- the killer somehow was able to make the victims put their ATM numbers in- so I doubt it would work if you asked me something only I know. But one thing we've noticed is that the killer has grown careful about her mind control ability, and will kill anyone who suspects she has it. She wouldn't let me tell you this much."
Yuuichi sighed before answering.
"I suppose I understand what you're saying, but I'm still a little upset about not getting to see Shiho, especially since it's my fault she got hurt. And I'm also hoping that the cop from last night just snapped instead of being unlucky enough to get used as a pawn. But good luck and be careful, Tokiha."
"You too, Tate."
Mai then turned to Natsuki as the two prepared to leave. For the moment, those closest to her without powers would not become involved in the fight. This was her and her comrades' battle, and she was determined to put an end to Hitomi's activities before more people who had done nothing to deserve being slain by Hitomi and who had no power to resist her fell victim to her mind control.
Mai and Natsuki set out into the city. Their school uniforms might have been seen as evidence of their truancy, but the newspapers had mentioned that the tragedy at the restaurant had resulted In class being cancelled. They were looking for any signs of strange behavior. Through this time, Mai suspected she had seen someone following them, although Natsuki was unable to notice
Eventually, Natsuki and Mai found a multi-story parking garage Suddenly, Natsuki reacted in shock.
"What is it, Natsuki?" Mai said.
"I think I saw someone go in there," Natsuki said.
They entered through the side stairs and walked up several stories. Midway to the top, they exited and, turning right, went to a corner where relatively few cars were parked, but which had a door for maintenance access. While Mai was investigating possible hiding spots in the corner, she heard a click and felt a gun pointed at her head.
"Don't move," Natsuki said.
"Natsuki… what are you doing?" Mai asked. Unbeknownst to her, the blue probe slithered out from beneath Natsuki's skirt; it was merely a false assumption that it had to be on a visible part of her body.
"How many of you are there?" Natsuki asked, turning off Mai's phone as well as her own. "How many of you are looking for me?"
"You…" Mai said, noticing the implications of what the possessed Natsuki was saying, particularly asking a question to which she should already know the answer. While she was unable to turn her head, she was able to see, through a side mirror of a nearby car, a dark-haired figure approaching.
Elsewhere, Yukino saw what was going on, and placed a call to Midori's team, which was closest.
Midori heard her phone ringing, and she and Yukariko came to a stop.
"Hi, Midori speaking," Midori said.
"Sugiura-sensei!" Yukino said. "Mai-chan and Kuga-san found the suspect; but Kuga-san has been controlled into taking Mai-chan hostage! They're at the parking lot at…"
Yukino told Midori the address, but feared they were too far away for her and Yukariko to save them.
But then Yukino, scanning Mai and Natsuki's location yet again, noticed someone else she recognized.
"Why are you here?" Yukino thought.
"It's a lucky thing I saw you two dumbasses asking around," Hitomi said. "And it should be obvious to you now, if you know who I am, that it would be easier if you just answer my questions."
"If I do, you'll just have Natsuki kill me, then kill herself," Mai said defiantly. "Maybe you'll even have her torture me fi-"
Mai was cut off as Natsuki kneed Mai in her right leg, causing her to drop to her knees, clutching her leg.
"Easier for me," Hitomi said, "If you cooperate quickly, then I can have a little fun before I put the two of you out of your misery."
"FUN!?" Mai said incredulously, realizing that stalling for time was the best solution. "You think killing innocent people and forcing others to commit atrocities is fun?"
"Yes it is," Hitomi said. "And by putting people under my control, I enable them to throw off all their foolish inhibitions- their pride, their fear of the consequences, their sense of self-preservation, and most of all, their conscience! For those minutes, they can be as free as I am! This power does not only allow me to get what I want, but it allows me to do them a favor as well! Their lives are a small price to pay for that freedom!"
"Besides your approval of monstrous acts, you're not granting them freedom at all!" Mai said! "You're turning them into your puppets!"
Hitomi, ignoring Mai, handed Natsuki a piece of paper and a pen, Natsuki quickly wrote down the names of the other Himes looking for Hitomi while keeping her Element trained on Mai.
"See?" Hitomi said. "Thanks to your friend here, I was able to find out my other pursuers, even if you won't divulge everything I need to know. Now I no longer have any use for you, so I can enjoy myself for a little while. Behold my Child, Axon!
Axon rose from the ground, a tangled mass of oversized nerves. Mai looked on in terror, and with good reason; it could cause its victim to feel anything its mistress desired, from exquisite pleasure to agonizing pain. But with Natsuki threatening her, she could not summon Kagutsuchi or even her Element.
Suddenly, a red naginata sliced Axon in half, and another stroke cleaved it in half yet again. The Child disappeared in green flames, and the blue probe on Natsuki's neck vanished. As the flames disappeared, Natsuki and Mai turned to see their rescuer; a girl whom they recognized by her light brown hair, red eyes and the Fuuka Academy student council president uniform.
"Shizuru?" Natsuki said
"President?" Mai said.
Shizuru smiled and nodded.
"How… How dare you interfere?!" Hitomi said.
"You've done many unforgivable things- killing innocent police officers, massacring crowds of people and threatening to kill high school students merely for trying to stop the killings- someone had to stop you eventually," Shizuru said. "But even without all that, all the reason I need is that you threatened Natsuki."
Suddenly, Hitomi had an irregular heartbeat and clutched her chest.
"Ahhhhhh!" she cried out in pain and fear. "No….it can't end this way! I'm superior to you all! I can do whatever I want! You have no right to stop me... AIIEEEEE!"
As Hitomi's final cry echoed in the garage, her body disintegrated into green sparks and faded away. Natsuki, Mai and Shizuru looked on in surprise.
"Natsuki, Tokiha-san, are you all right?" Shizuru asked after taking a moment to compose herself.
"You saved us, Shizuru…" Natsuki said. "But… you're a Hime, too?"
"I didn't want you to find out," Shizuru said. "You'd have taken too much consideration toward me if you'd known I was also out there, helping you surreptitiously. But I couldn't hold back this time."
"I understand, Shizuru, and appreciate it," Natsuki said. "But tell me… when I was hunting Orphans, some of them disappeared suddenly. Was that you?"
Shizuru nodded in response to Natsuki's question, and suddenly, Shizuru's phone began to ring. She checked the caller ID, noticing "Kikukawa Yukino".
"I think Kikukawa-san realizes that I'm skipping out on council work," Shizuru said. "Don't worry, I can make up a plausible excuse."
"But Yukino's…" Natsuki said before Shizuru picked up her phone.
"Hello, Fujino Shizuru speaking," Shizuru said
"President Fujino, what happened over there? Are Mai-chan and Kuga-san safe?"
"H-how did you know?" Shizuru said.
"I've been watching from afar. I see you, Mai-chan and Kuga-san in the garage where the mind controller once was."
"Yes, Natsuki and Tokiha-san are well. I'll put you on speaker phone."'
"This is Mai, the mind controller possessed Natsuki, but the president destroyed her Child, freeing her."
"This is Natsuki; Shizuru defeated the mind controller; something happened after we destroyed her Child and now she's dead."
"It's good to hear that you're safe; let's talk later once everyone's back on campus." Yukino said, then hung up.
"Sorry I didn't tell you, Shizuru," Natsuki said. "Yukino was the one who found out what the killer looks like with powers that enable her to observe from a distance while remaining undetected."
"That's how I managed to track her down," Shizuru said. "I'll have to thank Kikukawa-san for that later."
"Good work, everyone," Midori said, after hearing Shizuru's report. "And we're glad to have you with us, President!"
"It is my honor, Sugiura-sensei," Shizuru said, bowing. "Please treat me kindly in your group." After a brief moment, Shizuru spoke again. "I do have something else to point out, though; this girl did not appear to be in the Fuuka Academy's database, meaning she was most likely not a student."
"That's odd," Natsuki said. "I could have sworn the First District was gathering the Himes together. Wouldn't she factor into their plans?"
"But, as far as I could tell, she had an Element and a Child," Mai said. "What is she if she isn't a Hime?"
"Maybe we Himes are not the only ones out there with powers," Midori said. "And for that reason, we need to band together. I know that some of you have… differences with each other, but it's likely that more like this girl will come, and they will get progressively more dangerous. We'll need to stick together for challenges we can't face alone."
The rest of the Himes nodded in agreement. After a moment, even Nao responded in kind.
A part of Nao she was reluctant to admit to herself, much less others, was uneasy at the possibility of more individuals like Hitomi existing. She had heard what had happened, and realized that if she had tried to face Hitomi alone, she would have been turned into a puppet and placed at her opponent's mercy. From here on out, survival required cooperating with the others, and while Nao was reluctant to get along with her fellow Himes, she realized she had no choice but to do things that were difficult for her in order to survive.
The same went for the rest of the Himes.
Elsewhere, the one who had attempted to advise Hitomi became aware of Hitomi's defeat and death. Her dying without inflicting a single casualty on the Himes was disappointing, but she was reckless and he could not expect much more from her. There would be others like her who could carry on against the Himes, and were more likely to listen to him. If even one of them succeeded, all his plans would come to fruition and he would have power beyond imagining.
Author's Note:
Again, thank you for the reviews. The first "story arc" has concluded, and I'm hoping you will continue to stay tuned as the battle between the Himes and the SUEs goes on.
To stelar: The story is largely a question of, as I stated before, whether Mary Sues would be able to survive without preferential treatment, and what kind of people they would truly come off as. Hitomi's actions would be seen as justified as some others, but viewed in more objective terms as in here, she comes off as a monster without a conscience or SUEs will represent various types of Mary Sues and the effect they have on; so far, you've seen a classic Mary Sue who's loved by everyone and a sociopath who does what she likes and expects no resistance, and more kinds will come up in future chapters.
Please keep in mind that at this point, the Himes have only had their first actual confrontation with a SUE, and are, at this point unaware of the existence of a separate class of superpowered individuals. More details about the SUEs will be revealed in the chapters to come. Another part of the story is that characters who are forced to deal with their flaws and undergo personal growth will triumph over those like the SUEs, who, complacent in their own supposed perfection, do not believe they have to do any such thing. The story will also deal with the Himes working to deal with their own personal problems (for example, Yukino will become more confident and courageous over time), which often tie into their battles against the SUEs and, in the end, enable them to realize why the SUEs cannot and should not succeed.