-- My, what a long time it has been! Hello to everyone! I come bearing a reward for your patience! This chapter is all one long battle scene, so make sure you've got some free time before you start. Some happy news from my end; my Navigator, Kairi-Oneesama, recently got engaged! I wish her all the happiness she could ever ask for. Actually, the fact that my Navigator got engaged as I was writing this story is an amazing coincidence, but I'll explain why in a later chapter; can't give away too much! As for myself, I finally got a summer job, which is why finding time to write is becoming more difficult. For you, my loyal crewmates, I shall continue to do my best! Here we go! -The Cap'n --
Part 10- The First to Fall
(Further down the mountain, about midway from the peak, Raven, Breezy, and Terra are preparing to square off against the Advance Guard. After being blocked by the wall Terra created, Ushima raises a fist and hammers it against the stone. The entire structure creaks, then great cracks begin to spread outward from the point of impact. Seconds after, the wall shatters with explosive force, causing a downpour of rubble and clearing the way.)
Ushima: We go now…stop intruders…yeah…
Terra: Not happening.
(Terra raises a fist as her eyes gleam yellow. The falling stone begins to move as if possessed of its own will. The rock pieces all join together and converge on the giant, wrapping around his wrists and ankles as gigantic earthen tentacles. These then base themselves into the ground. Ushima tugs hard, but even he cannot pull up the entire mountain.)
Terra: Now I'll just tie you down real tight and we can-
(At that moment, Terra cuts off and freezes as Nezumi pops up from thin air, nose to nose with her, still bearing his squinty-eyed grin.)
Nezumi: Boo! Hee hee!
(Nezumi's hand comes up, swinging a kunai. Terra spots it and jerks her head back just in time, losing a couple of strands from her bangs, but otherwise taking no damage. She jumps to put distance between herself and Nezumi, losing her concentration in the process. The rocks around Ushima clatter to the ground, freeing him. Nezumi glances up at Terra, still grinning obnoxiously.)
Nezumi: Hee hee…Rakushou.
(Terra raises an eyebrow, annoyed with his tone.)
Terra: What does that mean?
(Nezumi only chuckles.)
Nezumi: You'll find out.
-- Just so the readers understand, that term means "easy victory" and is sometimes heard at sporting events in Japan when one side is particularly confident. Nezumi is taunting her. – The Cap'n --
(Terra doesn't understand the putdown, but she growls anyway.)
Terra: I'll give you a "rock show". Take this!
(The earth-mover pulls back an arm, then pushes her open palm forward, aiming at the ground. With a great shuddering rumble, the rocky ground beneath her arm begins to jut upward in jagged spiky projections, aimed at an angle towards Nezumi. The effect continues outward in a wave, heading straight for the mousy-faced man. Nezumi grins wider, showing his buck teeth, then leaps upward in a backflip as the wave of spikes passes under him. Terra smirks.)
Terra: Shouldn't have done that! I've got you!
(Terra gestures and each of the rocky spines changes its angle with a loud grinding sound, turning to point straight up. Nezumi glances down in mid-flip and smirks right back.)
Nezumi: Wrong…amateur!
(Nezumi halts the flip in mid-air, coming down face-first, and stops himself by grabbing onto the tips of two spikes and holding his body up, suspended in the air. While Terra is still surprised, he begins walking towards her by swiftly moving from spike to spike on his hands. In the space of a blink, he is upon her. He bends his legs upward behind his body, pulls them back, and drives Terra into the ground with a fast double-kick. He comes out of the attack, pulling his body upright while standing on Terra's fallen form. Angered, Terra swings her fist, raising a small wave of rock to shove him off. She stands as Nezumi jumps away, and dusts herself off.)
Terra: Okay…this might take longer than I thought.
(Up above, after being freed from Terra's hold, Ushima has tried to resume his single-minded trek upwards. Just then, a shadow flits over his head and Breezy lands in front of him, once again trying out her "tough" expression.)
Breezy: Not another step! You guys aren't going anywhere until the others get back here with Frost! You have to get by me first!
(Ushima screeches to a halt, and pauses to consider things. He scratches his head and takes nearly a full minute before he speaks.)
Ushima: Master say all people who interfere is obstacle. All obstacle must be smash!
(The giant pulls back his fist and swings it in a low arc. Breezy waves her arms and rises upwards, easily dodging. Ushima glances up at her, momentarily confused.)
Ushima: Huh…? Intruder girl flies…Then…
(He lifts one foot and stomps the ground hard, turning everything he stands on to gravel. He squats down and picks up a huge handful of the pebbles, then begins flicking them at Breezy one at a time with his thumb. Each one flies at her with the force of a bullet, but Breezy is easily able to dodge by pushing her body in a different direction every split-instant with a new air current.)
Ushima: Intruder is fast…Hah!!
(The huge man pulls back and throws the entire handful, leaving no gaps in the assault. Breezy simply grins and swings one arm upward. A fast rush of air rises directly in front of her, deflecting every single stone. Ushima pauses again, momentarily stumped. After a second, his line of reasoning leads him to lean down again, this time seizing a boulder that is nearly as big as his own eight-foot-tall body. He throws this, and despite its size, it moves just as fast as the pebbles.)
Breezy: You can't win by just throwing things! Cyclone…
(Breezy turns her body in midair, pointing headfirst at the incoming projectile. She makes the wind swirl around her body in a tornado and starts spinning. She then flies straight at the boulder, rotating so fast that she is little more than a blue and green blur.)
Breezy: …Dart!!
(Breezy contacts the boulder and the stone is instantly torn to shreds, the rapidly moving air current behaving like invisible razor blades. Ushima stares at this display, his jaw hanging open. Breezy slowly stops twirling and hangs in the air. Her long ponytail is wrapped around her body nearly two full times and her eyes have been replaced by rotating swirl marks.)
Breezy: Whoa…someone make the mountain stop spinning…
(The wind wielder shakes her head hard to clear it, then gazes down at Ushima, looking completely serious for the first time.)
Breezy: My turn.
(A little further below, Raven is hovering in front of the rocky outcropping, staring down Hitsuji. Usagi stands just behind the old woman, glancing around and wringing her hands.)
Raven: It's you, right? You're the one Penny told us about. The one who causes people to fall asleep.
Hitsuji: Indeed. I wish you had just given us the information peacefully, child. I did not want this to end up as a battle.
Raven: Oh? And why is that? Is fighting too hard on that ancient body of yours?
Hitsuji: Too hard? You misunderstand…
(Raven blinks and the old woman is right in front of her in the air, two kunai drawn and in her hands.)
Hitsuji: I just think it is wasteful to kill young ones with so much to live for.
(The old woman slashes with each knife. Raven pulls away, getting a long rip in the back of her robe from one blade while the other grazes her face, just beside her left eye. A tiny cut opens up and a few strands of hair fall away from her side-bangs. Raven raises one shadow encompassed hand, and takes control of the knives, sending them flying in the other direction. Hitsuji does not release her grip, and is sent rocketing backwards with them. Usagi gives a frightened "eep!" and jumps aside as the old woman crashes through the mountain wall.)
Raven: Whoa…didn't mean to do that…but, one down, I guess. Now to-
(Raven cuts out as Hitsuji pops out of the hole in the mountainside like a wine cork and rushes her.)
Hitsuji: Ohitsuji no Kido- Ningen Taihou!! (Path of the Ram- Human Cannon)
(Raven is so shocked that she doesn't even try to evade. Hitsuji smashes into the Titan, ramming headfirst into Raven's midsection. Raven lets out a hard cough as she is struck, then drifts unsteadily down to a rocky ledge, the wind knocked out of her. Hitsuji flips through the air and lands back where she was at the start of the fight. Raven clutches at her stomach and struggles to breathe.)
Hitsuji: You see…you have so much potential for a happy future, child. Give up. Leave this place. I do not wish to hurt you any further.
(Raven glowers up at her then raises her hand again.)
Raven: Be more concerned for your own neck!
(Raven's magic covers Hitsuji's robe this time and Raven swings her arm to the left. Hitsuji's body follows the motion and goes crashing through several rocks. Raven turns her arm the other way and a similar series of crashes occur. Finally, Raven raises her arm up high then brings it down fast, sending Hitsuji dropping down into the ground right at Raven's feet. Raven glares down into the new human shaped crater.)
Raven: How about that?
(Hitsuji lies motionless in the hole for a moment, then comes springing out like a jack-in-the-box, catching Raven with a rocket-like uppercut to the chin. Raven falls backwards off the ledge, her lower lip split from the attack, and just barely manages to start levitating in time to avoid what would have been a very nasty drop. She hangs in the air, wiping a trace of blood off of her mouth and staring at the old woman in disbelief.)
Raven: (thinking) This can't be! How can she still be jumping around like that after taking so much damage? What is this lady?
(Down a bit further, Terra raises up a circular platform of stone from the ground. She hovers up into the air, moving up high over Nezumi. She then goes into a dive, aiming the point underneath her conveyance straight at her adversary. Nezumi laughs out loud at this.)
Nezumi: How stupid are you? A head-on attack…
(Nezumi jumps up right as the stone crashes down where he was standing and pulls out three kunai from a pouch on his belt. He lands on the end of the rocky platform, grinning obnoxiously.)
Nezumi: …is way too easy to dodge! Bye now! …Huh?
(Right as the ninja had moved to send his knives plunging into Terra, he had discovered that the spot where she had stood moments before is now occupied by an exact replica of her, formed out of solid rock.)
Nezumi: No way! When did she move!? Where-!?
(As he glances behind him, expecting an attack, the statue's face shifts into a smirk, then begins to crumble away. Beneath it, Terra is revealed, having only covered her body in a thin layer of stone. She then gestures at the ground, and Nezumi gives a gasp and turns around, just as his feet are swallowed by the rock he stands on, anchoring him in place. The earthmover laughs as the rest of her disguise cracks off.)
Terra: Thanks for acting just like I hoped you might. Bye now!
(With an upward raise of Terra's arm, Nezumi finds himself rising very quickly towards the underside of a ledge that juts from the mountain, trapped by his feet. However, instead of looking fearful of the impending squish, he grins even wider.)
Nezumi: About time this got interesting…Juunikyuu-- Kai! (Zodiac-- Release)
(The rock hits its mark, striking the outcropping with an explosion of gritty dust. Terra pumps her arms upward, certain of her victory.)
Terra: Oh yeah! Told you I could beat 'em! …Hmm…better be sure though…no point in letting him get the drop on me.
(Terra hops onto a new platform of earth and rises up. She uses her power to grasp the stone she sent skyward, prepares her stomach for what she presumes will be a messy sight, then pulls the rock out of the way. As soon as she does, her jaw falls open at the sight. Nezumi is nowhere to be seen, having left a couple of rough holes in the stone where his feet where trapped. The rocky outcropping has a man-sized hole going straight up through the bottom.)
Terra: What in the-!? What'd he do, eat his way out of that!?
(Terra then stiffens as the voice of the ninja whispers right in her left ear.)
Nezumi: Well…actually, yeah, you might say that. Hee hee!
(Terra turns, then recoils in open-mouthed disgust at the sight. While it is interesting to see that Nezumi is standing upside-down on the bottom of the ledge, as if his personal gravity were reversed, what catches Terra's eye is the drastic change in his appearance. Nezumi's face has taken on an even greater likeness of a rodent, with his nose and mouth stretched out in front of him in the shape of a rat's snout. His ears have become papery-thin and stretched out a bit, and the entire face is covered with a layer of greasy-looking fur in the same shade as his dirty blonde hair. His hands have likewise sprouted fur, and each finger is topped with a long, needle-like claw. On his toes, visible thanks to his shoes being the open-toed ninja variety, the same transformation has occurred, and each claw on his foot is anchored deep into the rock, enabling him to perform his feat of standing upside-down. As a final touch, a long, bald rat tail sticks out from behind Nezumi, only serving to make his appearance even more hideous. The ninja smiles, and his new mouth opens slightly to reveal a long row of nastily pointed teeth.)
Terra: What the-!? Aggggghhhhhh!!!
(Terra's eyes widen in shock and pain as Nezumi lunges at her with his mouth open, and clamps his teeth shut on her left shoulder like a steel trap. Nezumi shakes his head from side-to-side, like a dog savaging a bone, sending incredible waves of pain through the heroine's body. She focuses one eye on her foe through the sting of the bite, and waves her free hand at the rock above her. In his current inverted position, Nezumi does not notice what happens until he is struck in the throat with a fair-sized stone. He gags and releases his hold only to lose his grip with his feet and be sent falling. Terra gingerly touches her shoulder which is bleeding thickly from the messy bite wound.)
Terra: Ouch…you mousy…creep! I'll turn you into Swiss cheese for that!
(She points her intact arm at the mountainside, and hundreds of shards of rock rise up and begin pelting towards the ninja as a rain of stone needles.)
Terra: Lots of luck dodging in open air, freako!
(Nezumi simply wrinkles his rat nose in a smirk, then turns his body upright in the air to face the incoming stones. He waits until they are close enough, then begins hopping from rock to rock, using the projectiles as a stairway back up towards Terra. Terra blinks, then lets out a frustrated growl.)
Terra: Then see how you like…this!
(Her eyes gleam with yellow light as the remaining shards of rock all fuse together into one massive earthen juggernaut. Nezumi laughs out loud at this before pumping his legs and diving straight towards it. He opens his tooth-filled maw again, and begins biting very rapidly, in no time chewing a hole straight through the immense stone.)
Terra: Oh, come on!
(Getting a bit tired of floating, she points to the mountainside again, and it curves inward, forming a fairly spacious alcove. She drifts down to this spot and hops off her ride, only to be joined momentarily by the snickering Nezumi. He grins at Terra as he picks a pebble out of his front teeth. Terra glances at her wound again and presses her other hand to it, trying to stop the bleeding.)
Terra: What the heck are you, anyway?
Nezumi: Hee hee! I'm Usankusai Nezumi of the Zodiac. Nice to meet you. If you meant how I look…the power to shift between human and animal is possessed by all twelve of us top clansmen. This in-between stage is our "released" form. In it, we can take the fullest advantage of our abilities. This form is our greatest weapon!
Terra: Terra of the Teen Titans, West Division, not exactly pleased to meet you! But I am glad to hear that; if that's the best you've got, then I can take you apart!
Nezumi: Heeee! Don't bet on it. No matter how many stones you throw, I will evade, and these unbreakable jaws of mine will chew you to pieces!
(Up above, Breezy has been showering the giant Ushima with wave after wave of vacuum blades, not aiming to kill, but hoping to at least wear him down to the point where he will not counterattack. As Ushima chucks another man-sized stone at her, she aims a perfectly vertical vacuum that splits the rock down the center, and hovers calmly as the two halves fall on either side of her. She stares down at Ushima, looking sad and angry at the same time.)
Breezy: 'Scuse me…Mr. Giant? Can I ask you something?
(Ushima pauses in mid-throw and focuses his dull gaze on her.)
Ushima: Huh? What intruder girl want?
Breezy: Why are you and your friends doing this? What did Frost and her village do to you guys?
(Ushima drops the stone he is holding, not even noticing as it falls on his toes, then scratches his head.)
Ushima: Don't know…Master come to Ushima and say, "Come with me. I will make you strong." Master say, "I need you so I can take back what was stolen from me. I grant you power beyond any human. In exchange, you do whatever I tell you." Ushima promise to do as Master say! Ushima keeps his promises! Why intruder girl stop Ushima?
Breezy: What you're doing is wrong! These people who live here…they have lives and feelings, just like you! You can't just go around hurting people, promise or not!
(Ushima blinks, then shuts his eyes. He looks as if he is concentrating hard on something. After a second, his face begins to turn red, then copious amounts of steam begin pouring out of his ears; the effort to think is clearly taking a great deal from him. His eyes snap open as he inhales sharply. He then growls and looks up at Breezy, seeming angry.)
Ushima: Intruder girl lies! She trying to confuse Ushima! Trying to turn Ushima against Master! Ushima not fall for that! Master knows what is best for Clan!
(Breezy sighs, seeming even more sad.)
Breezy: I see… Well, if you won't listen to reason…I'm going to have to ask you to sleep for a while. Vacuum Storm!
(The blue-haired teen raises her arms, then begins swiping at the air in front of her as fast as she can, spraying out a multitude of vacuum blades. The first one catches Ushima in the chest, opening a long, but shallow cut, and presses him back into the mountainside. The other attacks are close behind it, further compressing the giant backwards into the mountain. Breezy finally caps off the attack with an intense rush of air, pushing Ushima into the stone another six feet. She aims one last scythe attack at the top of the man-made depression, and watches as a miniature rockslide seals off the opening.)
Breezy: Don't worry. There's just enough air flowing in through the rocks. You won't die. Sleep peacefully. I'm going to help my friends now.
(She flies straight up, but stops short upon colliding with the bottom of a rocky ledge. She falls, landing on the mountain path just a few feet from where Ushima is buried. She flips upward into a kneeling position, sniffling as she clutches at a large lump on her head.)
Breezy: Owwwww… Wah!
(Breezy squeaks in surprise as the nearby hole in the wall explodes in a shower of rock and a very angry Ushima comes marching out, covered in rocky dust, wiping a bit of blood away from the shallow cut down his chest.)
Ushima: That HURT!!
Breezy: Wow…you're pretty tough!
Ushima: Intruder girl try to make fool of Ushima! Now Ushima mad!
(Breezy leaps to her feet, striking a ready pose.)
Breezy: Okay! Now it's for real! I've beaten guys as big as you before! I'm not afraid!
(The monster-sized man lets out a low growl before clenching his fists.)
Ushima: Ushima have no time left for play. Master say "Finish quickly." Ushima not want Master get upset! Juunikyuu-- Kai! (Zodiac-- Release)
(Ushima's body begins to change, first starting with his skin turning an iron grey color all over. His nostrils become slightly wider, and a pair of black horns sprout from the sides of his head. His jaw takes a more square shape, but does not extend out that far. His black shinobi outfit stretches tighter as his form becomes even more absurdly muscular. He steps out of his open-toed ninja shoes, revealing his feet finishing their transformation into large, black hooves while an ox's tail stretches out behind him, flicking around with his anger. Finally, his height increases drastically, bringing his already incredible stature up to an even ten feet. Breezy just stares for a second as the ox-man flares his nostrils, exhaling a small cloud of dusty rock.)
Breezy: Well…I can't say I've ever fought anyone that big before, but-
(She gets no further, as Ushima picks this moment to charge her, horns lowered, bellowing like an angry bull. Breezy quickly leaps off the path, forms a cushion of air under herself and drifts up, out of reach. The ox-man skids to a halt on his big hooves and glares up at Breezy.)
Ushima: Come down here!
(Breezy responds by sticking her tongue out and thumbing her nose at him.)
Breezy: Nyaaaaah!! Come and get me, if you can!
Ushima: Okay…
(The giant crouches, then springs upward. Breezy doesn't think much of this, up until Ushima is right in front of her, drawing back a fist.)
Breezy: Huh!? How did-!?
Ushima: Legs lots stronger in this form. Intruder dies!
(The goliath swings, seeming right on target. Breezy raises both hands in front of herself, making a quick gesture. A swirling ball of air whips up between her and the incoming fist, apparently stopping the blow. However, it doesn't last long. Ushima keeps going, eventually pushing his fist all the way through the ball of air, destroying it with explosive force. Breezy is struck in the chest by an invisible force, and goes flying backwards about one-hundred feet before she manages to create the counter-current necessary to stop. She coughs, and is rewarded with a spatter of blood in her palm, as well as a thick, iron taste in her mouth. She winces and touches a hand to her ribcage. A loud, nauseating crackle is heard.)
Breezy: Owww…just the wind from his punch…if that had hit me, I'd be dead for sure…but I can't give up! Frost is counting on me!
(Back on the mountain, Ushima waits as Breezy comes streaking back and readies himself for another attack. A bit below them, Raven is trying very hard to keep her eyes on Hitsuji. The old woman is bouncing around especially quickly for one her age. Raven shifts to the side as Hitsuji comes darting towards her again, then raises her right hand, once again wrapping the elderly midget in a cloak of shadows. She then aims her left hand at the mountain, seizes a boulder with her powers and sends the two straight at each other as hard as she can manage. The woman and the stone impact with an explosion of grit.)
Raven: That had to have done it…hm!?
(The sorceress stares in disbelief at the sight of Hitsuji, backflipping away from the explosion, to land safely on the mountain path, only the slightest bit scuffed.)
Hitsuji: Aren't you sick of trying that yet?
Raven: That's- No way! That can't be!
Hitsuji: I see I must explain, or you will only persist in this pointlessness.
Raven: What?
Hitsuji: Of the twelve top members of our clan, child, there are three of us that cannot be beaten through normal physical combat; our powers make us all but invulnerable to physical blows. We are called The Absolute Defense Masters. I am the first of these three. My fellow clansmen know me as Hitsuji, the Iron Gate.
Raven: Absolute defense?
Hitsuji: Correct. With the power of the Ram, I may absorb any level of impact without being hurt. So, you see child, I cannot be defeated by the likes of you. Please surrender.
Raven: (thinking) So that's her secret…Hmmm… (aloud) Why are you people doing this? What do you hope to gain?
Hitsuji: I am following our Master's orders. As a descendent of the original Clan, my family honor demands it.
Raven: I can respect that…fine then, what is your Master hoping to gain from such pointless destruction?
Hitsuji: Our Master seeks to control all of Japan, thereby following the plans of the original Zodiac Master. After this, he will build on the original plan, taking our conquest to the United States. He may even seek to dominate the planet. I am only one of his underlings; it is not my place to question his wishes, or the methods he uses to achieve them.
(Raven seems to wilt slightly, as if these words are causing her pain.)
Raven: (thinking) This…this is no matter of honor. The leader of this clan is nothing but a cold-hearted conqueror. He doesn't care at all about the pain he's causing, the lives he's destroying… This, "Zodiac Master" is no different from Trigon. He has to be stopped!
(Raven shuts her eyes and begins to summon energy for another attack. Hitsuji sighs.)
Hitsuji: Very well. If you will not take my advice, then I am afraid I must dispose of you.
Raven: Can you do it? This might surprise you, but I've survived impossible odds on more than one occasion.
Hitsuji: I do not doubt that. Which is why, if I am going to continue against you, it is best if I do so…like this. Juunikyuu-- Kai. (Zodiac-- Release.)
(The old woman's tight, grey curls begin to spread outward from her head, covering her body like a wool blanket. The skin that remains visible turns a shade of off-white, then her face protrudes outward slightly into the shape of a ewe's muzzle. The rather simple transformation ends here. Hitsuji does not have any horns, as she is not a male ram.)
Raven: You think that'll help you? Beast Boy can transform better than that. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!!
(Raven raises up both hands, summoning at least ten stones of equal size to the one she threw seconds before. They hang in the air, bathed in shadow magic.)
Raven: I'm curious…just how great of an impact can your ability really take? Hyah!
(Raven moves her arms as if throwing something, and the load of rocks sails through the air, converging on Hitsuji.)
Hitsuji: Insolent child…you still do not understand… Ohitsuji no Kido- Ningen Pachinko!! (Path of the Ram- Human Pachinko)
Pachinko is a Japanese arcade game that is a bit like pinball. You start off with a set amount of tiny metal balls, and play the game to gain more. When you are done playing, you exchange the balls you have amassed for prizes. – The Cap'n
(Hitsuji zips forward again, aiming right for the closest rock. She lowers her head and plows straight through, shattering the stone. Once through it, she ricochets off the next stone she comes to, and shatters another one. She continues this at a blinding speed, even bouncing off the debris from previously destroyed stones at times, until every stone has been shattered. She then kicks off once more, this time aiming for Raven. Raven quickly raises a hand to erect a shield, and Hitsuji collides headfirst with the dark barrier. Waves of energy pulse out from the point of impact, then the shadow shield gives a thunderous crack before shattering like glass. Hitsuji keeps coming, albeit with diminished force, and smashes the top of her skull against Raven's forehead. The heroine reels backward, blinded by the intense pain, feeling as if she had tried to stop a cannonball with her face. Her hood falls back, revealing the moment when the skin around Raven's gemstone begins spurting blood from the force of the collision. Raven hastily brushes the thick red liquid away to avoid getting it in her eyes and readjusts her hood. Her only comforting thought is that she has managed to hold her focus on levitating. Hitsuji has used the force of the impact to backflip away and land on the edge of the mountain path.)
Raven: (thinking) Agghhh… Wow…that was even harder than her last strike, even with my shield cushioning the hit…is this the true power of that transformation?
Hitsuji: Now, child, since you have seen what I am capable of, I will offer you this final chance; surrender! Give up now, or I will have no other avenue but to kill you! Do not force me to waste such a promising young life!
(Raven wipes her hand across her forehead again to stem the flow of blood, never taking her angry glare off of Hitsuji.)
Raven: Not a chance.
(Hitsuji's face becomes angry at the stubborn reply.)
Hitsuji: What is the matter with you, girl!? Do you want me to kill you!? What is here that you could possibly need to risk your life for!? Is it Kosetsu Yukiko? You can't have known her for that long; has she already become this important to you?
(Raven is silent for a moment, then responds.)
Raven: Maybe…maybe, if I were just a normal person, I wouldn't give my life for Frost. Like you say, I barely know her. But, as the matter stands, that's beside the point. I'm a hero. I save the lives of people I don't know almost every day. This village is no different. Besides…
(Here, Raven gets a very sad expression. Hitsuji raises an eyebrow.)
Hitsuji: Hm?
Raven: Once, this entire planet was placed in jeopardy, and all because of me… I was lucky that time…my friends saved me, and allowed me to reverse the damage I had done. Now, this village and its people are in a similar spot. Is there any reason I shouldn't give them the same salvation I received? So…try to stop me if you want, but one way or another, I will defeat you, and I will save these people!
(Hitsuji sighs, still looking annoyed.)
Hitsuji: I don't know what happened in your past, child, and I don't have time for the story; I'm under orders to finish you quickly. Please brace yourself. I will try to make it hurt as little as possible, but I'm afraid my age robs me of some finesse.
(Standing on the outcropping where the Advance Guard first arrived is Usagi, both hands at her mouth, looking around at the three battles going on around her.)
Usagi: "Ohhh…what should I do…? I want to help my comrades, but…I don't want to fight! B-But if I don't help…Master will…ohhhhhh…"
(Usagi locks her attention onto Nezumi's battle with Terra. He is catching every stone that is thrown his way in his mouth and chewing them to gravel. He lunges for Terra as she raises another stone platform to evade. A second slower and her leg would have been bitten off. The rat-man grins with his big teeth up at Terra, who snarls back.)
Nezumi: (sing-song tones) Gonna rip you up, kid…
(The rodent ninja chomps his teeth and laughs. Usagi keeps watching as Terra descends some feet away from Nezumi.)
Usagi: "But then…e-everybody seems t-to be doing w-well…maybe they c-can win without m-me…"
(Down below, Terra raises up a wall of sharp stones and sends it straight at Nezumi.)
Terra: Try to eat this!
(Nezumi chuckles.)
Nezumi: How many times are you gonna pull the same thing? I can easily dodge- huh!?
(As he bends his legs to jump aside, Nezumi suddenly feels a sharp pain in the back of his left knee. After a moment, he spots the problem; a deep slice in his leg has just opened, and the blood is flowing quickly.)
Nezumi: (thinking) Wha-? Did she get me…? No…from before…
(In his head Nezumi thinks back to when he had tried attacking Echo. The pirate had dodged the attack and had slashed at Nezumi's leg with his cutlass sword.)
Nezumi: (thinking) All that jumpin' around opened it up… I can't get away…!
(Nezumi lets out a yell as the wave of stone spines hits him, several sticking into him like stony porcupine quills.)
Usagi: Nezumi-san!!
(Terra raises her hand and all of the stone spikes rise up, the ones stuck in Nezumi's body pulling loose to join them. They all merge together into one giant rock, which hovers over the rat-ninja's head.)
Terra: Now I'm gonna crush you!
(Nezumi stays where he is, the pain in his leg and the shock of all the punctures paralyzing his body.)
Usagi: "N-No! I c-can't let this h-happen!
(The shopkeeper throws her red cloak off, then clasps her hands together and takes a deep breath.)
Usagi: "I h-have no ch-choice…" Juunikyuu-- Kai!! (Do you know what it means yet?)
(The young woman's black hair retracts into her head, leaving it at a rather short length, then takes on a softer texture. Her over-long bangs do likewise, finally revealing her eyes to be a violet shade, slightly darker than Raven's. From all over her body, the soft black fur begins to appear, covering her form in no time. The suddenly fluffy ears move to the top of her head and extend, reaching about a foot in length. Her feet become longer and her legs curve slightly. Usagi twitches her now pink nose as the transformation ends, then shuts her eyes.)
Usagi: "I don't want to f-fight, but Nezumi-san needs h-help!" Usagi no Kido- Mienai Tosshin! (Path of the Rabbit- Invisible Dash.)
(There is a brief glimpse of one of Usagi's legs pulling back, then she vanishes. A trail of wind and flying pebbles marks a direct line from the point where she was standing to her frozen comrade. Nezumi stares at the rock over his head, waiting for the impact. He shuts his eyes, hears the loud crash…and notices about five seconds later that he was not struck. Two more seconds, and he notices that the world around him is a blur of wind and color, and he is being carried in the arms of a human-sized black rabbit in a ninja outfit.)
Nezumi: "Eh? Usagi-chan? What're you-?"
Usagi: "I c-couldn't just let you get c-c-crushed! Now…"
(Usagi sets him down about twenty-five feet above where Terra is standing and looking confused as to her opponent's whereabouts.)
Usagi: "…Stay h-here and take a m-minute to recover. I'll d-d-distract her."
Nezumi: "Usagi-chan, don't do it! I told you to hang back; you'll get hurt. That kid's actually pretty dangerous. Leave her to me."
Usagi: "Nezumi-san, please let me help! I d-don't want to s-see my comrades h-hurt any more…"
(Nezumi goes quiet, looking lightly surprised. The shopkeeper turns, gulps audibly, then resumes her imperceptible motion. She zips up right next to Terra and comes to a complete stop without even slowing down. Terra jumps in surprise, then becomes angry.)
Terra: So! Changing players on me, huh!? Fine! I'll take you both out!
(Terra swings an arm, aiming a wave of earth. Usagi vanishes and reappears six feet away from Terra on her other side. She calls out with an expression that shows she is attempting to look serious, but it is easy to see that she is truly scared out of her wits.)
Usagi: C-Come on! T-T-Try and h-hit me!
(Terra blinks, then tries a second time to bury the rabbit-woman. Usagi fades again, this time appearing right behind Terra and tapping her shoulder. Five cross marks appear on Terra's head as she turns and makes two slabs of stone rise up and slam together behind her. Usagi, once again, is not there, this time having dashed to the other side of the alcove in which they are fighting. Despite the fact that Terra has yet to score a hit, Usagi is wide-eyed and trembling so hard that she looks as though she may faint at any moment. Terra's expression, on the other hand, is that of someone about to boil over from anger. She glares at Usagi and speaks through gritted teeth.)
Terra: You know…I'm beginning to think…that if I really worked at it…I could get annoyed with you people…
Usagi: I'm very s-sorry…but I c-can't let you win h-here.
Terra: Oh, am I making things difficult for your clan to get its schemes in motion? Well, forgive me for valuing the lives of innocent people!
Usagi: N-no…it's n-not like th-that…
Terra: I don't want to hear it!
(Up above, Nezumi is seen as he finishes tying a long length of white fabric around his shoulders and chest to stop his bleeding. He then begins speaking in a voice that can't be heard over all the battling around them. However, Usagi's long ears perk up and twitch slightly while Nezumi talks, then she gives a small nod and clasps her hands together.)
Usagi: Usagi no Kido- Tsumujikaze Ori! (Path of the Rabbit- Whirlwind Cage)
(The young woman vanishes from the visible plane once again, then Terra feels a strong wind pulling at her. After a second passes, the wind becomes stronger, and a small, tightly compressed whirlwind has sprung up around Terra, with just enough space inside the vortex for the heroine to stand. Terra tries to rush through it, but the wall of wind shoves her back, making any motion impossible.)
Nezumi: Good, good. Usagi's got her contained. Now…
(The rat-faced man turns, dashes straight up the mountain wall, and jumps, turning his body so that his face is directly above the ceiling of the alcove where the tornado is positioned.
Nezumi: Ounezumi no Kido- Ha Haguruma! (Path of the Rat- Tooth Gear)
(As he descends, he opens his mouth as widely as he can and begins to spin his body like a top. His open mouth resembles a white, rotating blade. He collides with the stone just above the alcove and bores right through, like an excavation drill. Terra glances up and sees the ceiling of the niche begin to crumble away, then Nezumi bursts through, still spinning.)
Terra: (thinking) No! If that hits me, I'm lunchmeat! Gotta get out of this… Wait!
(The whirlwind is shown from the side as Nezumi's rotating body drops into it. There is a horrible grinding noise as he connects, then Usagi stops running and the whirlwind fades. As the dust settles, Usagi peers down into the five-foot hole that Nezumi has dug as he pulls free.)
Usagi: "So…d-does this mean we are s-successful?
Nezumi: "I think- wait a moment…no blood, no trace of her anywhere…Usagi, look out! She's coming! Listen for her, quick!"
(Usagi raises her ears again as her eyes dart around in all directions, then slowly point to directly beneath her feet.)
Usagi: "No!"
(Usagi tries to leap away, then falls as the ground below her dissolves into sand. Usagi drops about twelve feet, finally landing on soft bed of granular earth at the bottom of a crater roughly ten feet in diameter. Near the top edge stands Terra, on a tiny ledge, smirking down at the rabbit-woman. The earth-mover makes the stone rise up out of the pit, then explains.)
Terra: Too bad. When the dentist's nightmare over here tried to get the drop on me, I pulled myself underground at the last second. Now, you just sit tight, bunny-girl. I'll deal with you when I'm done with smiley up here. And don't bother trying to get out; all the ground in that pit is loose sand. You'll never get enough traction to climb a wall this steep.
(Usagi gasps, then tries anyway to dash up the wall. As Terra said, the loose sand on the wall crumbles, and Usagi falls back, trapped where she is. Terra turns her full attention to Nezumi.)
Terra: Now…where were we?
Nezumi: (grins) You were losing.
Terra: Was not! I had you stuck like a pincushion.
Nezumi: Ah, that barely tickled…
Terra: Is that right… Okay, funny guy, how 'bout this; since you just chew up whatever I throw at you…chew on this one!!
(Terra points a fist at him, then opens her hand. The ground at her feet cracks, splitting into a deep crevice. The crack travels in a direct line towards Nezumi continuing to create a canyon-in-miniature. Nezumi grins his obnoxious grin.)
Nezumi: You're joking me, right? I already told you…
(He jumps up, easily avoiding the yawning fissure.)
Nezumi: Any idiot can dodge a direct, head-on attack! Hee hee! Still an amateur!
Terra: But not just any idiot would do it by putting himself right in the open air! Hyah!
(The rock mistress raises her arms over her head, palms up. Twin pillars of stone rise up on either side of Nezumi.)
Terra: Since those teeth make your head invulnerable for the most part, I'll just squash your whole body at once! You might be able to chew one of these up, but you won't have time to get them both. Do you know what that means?
(Nezumi gives a gasp as the tops of the pillars curve towards him like the heads of a pair of monstrous snakes. Terra spreads her hands wide.)
Terra: You lose.
(Terra claps, and Nezumi is crushed as the two columns smash together, forming a stone arch. Terra drops her arms, and the archway collapses, leaving Nezumi buried in rock. Terra winces as the bite on her shoulder twinges, then grits her teeth and turns to Usagi.)
Terra: Now…what to do with you…
(Usagi whimpers, scared more than usual after witnessing Nezumi's fate.)
Terra: Maybe I should just leave you here…it's not like you can get out…look, I'll make you a deal. You promise me that you won't follow this Zodiac Master anymore, and I'll get you out of there. Good enough?
Usagi: I…I…
Terra: Go on.
Usagi: I…I c-can't!
Terra: Wha-?! Hey, I'm giving you every chance here! If you insist on following this Zodiac Clan, then I have to count you as an enemy. You don't seem like a bad person; don't make me have to flatten you.
(Usagi begins to tremble, and the beginning of tears form in her eyes before she speaks again.)
Usagi: I…I d-don't want to be h-hurt…I d-don't want t-to fight…and I especially don't w-want to d-d-die…but none of that m-matters right now…because no matter wh-what happens to m-me…I must obey M-Master Sarujima!
(Terra's eyes widen, then become furious.)
Terra: I don't believe you… That man is killing people! Don't you understand that!?
Usagi: Yes! B-Better than anyone! B-But-!
Terra: If there's one thing I really hate…it's the power-hungry conqueror type! One of them forced me to attack my friends once…and I made him pay for it! If you're going to follow a person like that…then you're going to pay too!
(Terra rises up on the crest of an earth wave, her angry eyes overflowing with yellow light. The mud wall widens and expands until it could easily fill the hole Usagi stands in, then rushes downward, aiming straight for the trembling rabbit-woman. Usagi stares around her in panic, sees nowhere to run, and drops to her knees, covering her face with her hands, screaming horribly in her terror. Just as she is about to be buried, there is a blur of motion from the side and a shadow falls over her. Terra's eyes widen, and she halts the earthen tsunami a hair before the shadowy figure would have been hit. Standing over Usagi is Nezumi, back in his human aspect, wearing his usual grin. Why he is smiling is a wonder, however, as his body is in horrible condition. His right leg is covered in blood and bent at a bizarre angle, his left arm is hanging limply at his side and is turning a reddish-purple color at the shoulder, a curtain of blood is covering the left side of his face, stemming from a cut on his forehead, all of the punctures on his chest are bleeding straight through the cloth he wrapped around them, and if his pained breathing and the crackling noise from his chest is any indication, several of his ribs are broken.)
Nezumi: Uh-uh…(gasp) N-No you don't…
Terra: What are you doing!? Get out of here! You're wearing the shadow of death; you can't expect me to keep attacking someone in your condition!
(Nezumi coughs, and keeps smiling.)
Nezumi: Listen; I don't- (cough!) I don't care what you do to me. You can even kill me if you want…(gasp) …but just…don't hurt Usagi-chan…she doesn't want to be here…it's not her fault.
Usagi: Nezumi-san no! Y-You are in no c-condition to be protecting m-me! Lie still before y-you open your w-wounds even more!
(Nezumi actually laughs.)
Nezumi: Sorry, but I can't just lie down and let you get hurt. I'd never forgive myself. And I won't let Master touch you either! You're the whole reason I joined this clan, Usagi-chan! I love you!
(Usagi takes a step back, stunned.)
Usagi: What…? But…but y-you always…
Nezumi: The reason I sneak up on you? You're really cute when you're scared, that's why! I've always rather preferred the shy-type, and you definitely fit the bill. Girls with attitudes are just annoying. Your quiet shyness makes you cute, Usagi-chan. Of course…
(He turns his head to grin at her here.)
Nezumi: I bet you'd be a lot cuter if you'd smile more often.
(He turns back to Terra, and his face finally becomes serious.)
Nezumi: You got it? Touch one hair on her and I'll haunt you till the end of time, you stone-throwing little…
(He trails off as he collapses. He is not unconscious, but seems to have lost the ability to stand.)
Nezumi: Crap…
(Usagi stares at him with watery eyes.)
Usagi: Nezumi-san…
(She looks up at Terra.)
Usagi: P-Please…no more. We…We s-s-surrender…
(Terra hesitates, then an image of Beast Boy flits through her mind. She heaves a huge sigh and lowers her arms. The earth wave sinks into the ground.)
Terra: Who am I to break up something like this? If I hit this guy anymore, it would kill him; I'm not that heartless. Okay, your surrender is good enough.
(Terra raises a palm, and the ground of the pit begins to rise until it is level with the top. Usagi sighs and shifts back to her human form.)
Terra: I really am sorry if this is going to get you in a life-or-death kind of situation with your master, but as a hero, there are certain things I have to do, no matter what.
(Just then, as if she has only now realized something, Usagi freezes in open-mouthed horror then begins to shiver.)
Usagi: No…oh n-no…I failed…I f-failed for a s-second time…and now M-Master is going to…t-to…
(Usagi drops to her knees and begins weeping hysterically. From his horizontal position, Nezumi raises a hand to place on her shoulder, winces, and puts it down. He looks up and struggles to speak through his pain.)
Nezumi: Hey, Usagi-chan, I told you, don't be scared. I'll protect you. Master can kill me if he wants, but I won't let him-
(Usagi pulls her hands away from her face. A small opening in her bangs makes her left eye visible as she actually screams out her next statement without stuttering.)
Usagi: This isn't about me! It never was! Master won't kill me; he needs all twelve of us alive to complete his plans! He's going to do something far worse!
Nezumi: Huh…?
Usagi: It's the reason I joined the Clan. He made the same threat then if I refused to accept the abilities of the Rabbit.
Terra: What sort of threat?
Usagi: I failed him twice and now…now…he's going to kill my parents!!
(The shopkeeper screams the last words in the voice of a person who is dying from pain, and her crying fit returns, harder than before.)
Terra: What!?
(Usagi looks up, face soaked with tears, peeking out from behind her bangs with moist, violet eyes.)
Usagi: After I was drafted into the Zodiac I- (hiccup) –I sent my parents to take the business down the mountain; to get them away from here! I didn't tell them the reason…I didn't want them to be afraid… But- (sob) –Master's assassins hunted them down! He knows where they are! And now…because of my failure…Mom and Dad are going to…to…
(She trails off, overcome once again by tears. Up above, Breezy is dodging in every direction possible to avoid being crushed by Ushima's giant fists. While his greater stature has not decreased his speed any, it has not helped it either, so Breezy is able to dodge easily enough. The problem is, Ushima is not relenting for even a second, and a single blow, even a scratch, would be enough to pulverize the wind wielder.)
Breezy: Aw, come on! Can't we stop this? What's wrong with just explaining to your leader that you don't wanna do this?
Ushima: Stupid intruder! If Ushima fails, Master will punish! Master's illusions painful!
(Breezy's eyes widen and she gets a strange look in her eye. Ushima swings again, and she vanishes.)
Ushima: Huh?
(He glances around and finally spots her hovering straight above him.)
Breezy: That's just…too cruel…
(She glances down and her face is twisted into an angry snarl.)
Breezy: The Forces of Nature weren't like this! We cared about each other! We were a family! When my friends were killed, I cried for a whole three weeks! And you're telling me your leader would hurt all of you just for one mistake!? Who does he think he is!?
(She raises both arms and the wind begins to grow slowly more violent, blowing stronger with each passing second. She shuts her eyes and begins to speak again.)
Breezy: "From the air, to the earth, to the oceans, to the forests…"
Ushima: Huh? What intruder talking about?
Breezy: "We swear on our lives to protect the splendor of our beautiful home, and to uphold peaceful coexistence between all who reside within."
(Breezy clutches the whirlwind embroidery on her right shoulder and opens her eyes, glaring down at Ushima.)
Breezy: "We are Nature's right arm; an extension of her will! We are the Forces of Nature! You, who would shatter the peace of this beautiful world; prepare to suffer the judgment of Nature herself!"
-- Right, 'cause I know someone will ask, yes, this is the little creed of Breezy's former teammates, the Forces of Nature. I felt she should recite it at least once. –The Cap'n --
Ushima: Intruder talk funny. Hurting Ushima's head…
(The ox-man makes another leap, bounding towards Breezy. Breezy's face becomes even angrier and the wind surrounding her increases to a violent speed. It rushes over her body so fiercely that her ponytail flies upward until it is pointing straight up, and the rubberband holding her hair in place comes loose. As Ushima is about to land on her, the strong updraft catches him and he is sent flying upwards as well. Breezy gives him a cold glare, ceases the upward current, and speaks in a low voice as Ushima falls.)
Breezy: Gale of Sickles; Grand Cyclone.
(The wind-wielding teen stretches her arms out to her sides, then begins to rotate in the air, slowly at first, but gathering speed at a fantastic rate. The winds quickly begin to swirl around her form, creating a small vortex with Breezy at the nexus. As Breezy spins faster and faster, the whirlwind becomes much bigger and wider, easily three times the size of the one Usagi had formed. As Ushima falls and finally contacts the windstorm, Breezy initiates the second part of the attack; as she spins, she waves her arms up and down, in a piston type pattern. Each motion sends a sharp vacuum of air rushing out from her body. As the scythes of wind contact the whirlwind around them, they are swept upwards by the funnel. Ushima is hit by the scythes and is cut from fifteen different directions before he can blink. The ox-man gives a shout of pain as the lacerations all begin bleeding at once. Breezy slowly spins to a stop, calming the raging gale around her, and Ushima drops, landing on the edge of a rocky offshoot. Breezy brushes her long hair away, as it had once again wrapped around her due to the spinning, and as she drifts down to the mountain path, it falls to its full, unbound length, reaching about to the backs of her knees.)
Breezy: Like I told my friends earlier; don't even think about underestimating me.
(Ushima gives a loud groan, as his body shifts back to human form. However, instead of passing out, he actually struggles to his feet, bleeding thickly from his wounds.)
Ushima: Not…(gasp)…not y-yet! Ushima…keep…fight…win! Master…orders…!
Breezy: Hey, calm down! It's over! Don't hurt yourself! Especially for some leader who doesn't care if you live or die!
Ushima: Ushima is loyal to Master! Ushima will never fall!
(The giant rushes at Breezy waving his fists. Breezy's eyes widen in fear at the sudden attack. The behemoth follow close behind, growling loudly. Breezy leads him on a merry chase higher and higher up the mountain path, eventually coming to a spot where a very low cloud is drifting along right over the path. Breezy rushes into the cloud, pausing to catch her breath, hoping Ushima will never find her in the mist. However, her prayers go unanswered as the titanic ninja pops up right behind her.)
Ushima: Got you, intruder!
(Breezy shrieks and takes off running. Ushima stomps after her, but after three steps, he vanishes.)
Breezy: Huh?
(Just then, a gust of wind blows the cloud away, revealing Breezy standing on air. She had run out into the air on instinct, and Ushima had fallen straight off the mountain by trying to follow. He is now falling fast, and the closest possible ground for him to land on is fifteen stories down.)
Breezy: No! (thinking) I don't wanna win that way! I gotta help him!
(Breezy rushes to the edge and jumps off, aiming like a falcon in a dive for Ushima. She tries to aim a wind current to catch him but he is already too far below. She increases her speed and dives after him even quicker. Meanwhile, around the same time Breezy was launching her Grand Cyclone, Raven was hastily dodging Hitsuji's continuous flying assaults. The old woman had been shooting off of every surface there was like a pinball, much faster than before, and it is only by sheer luck that Raven has been hit only twice thus far. The sorceress is currently hanging in the air just over the mountain path, clutching at her side, gasping for breath.)
Hitsuji: I must say, at this point, your ability to keep evading is most remarkable. Truly, such skill and strength of spirit is at least deserving of a painless death. Therefore, you shall have it. Ohitsuji no Kido- Tengoku Kumo! (Path of the Ram- Nirvana Cloud)
(The old woman's eyes glow blue for an instant. Raven feels a deep feeling of warmth and comfort begin to creep into her mind.)
Raven: No!
(Summoning her powers, Raven brushes the sleep-spell from her mind before its effect can take hold. Hitsuji's eyebrows lift momentarily)
Hitsuji: Impressive… I have never had anyone break out of my technique like that before… How long can you last, I wonder?
(Hitsuji aims another dose of her soothing energy. Raven deflects it, this time with far more skillful flair in her efforts.)
Raven: You can't get into my mind that easily. Even if impacts can't hurt you, I'll find some way to…
(At that moment, Raven is struck by sudden inspiration.)
Raven: (thinking) "Get into my…"? Wait a-! If impacts don't work, then how about…
(The shadow-mistress puts on a small, smug grin, now certain that she has found the key to victory. She opens her mouth to begin a spell, then stops short at a loud rumble from overhead. She glances up and spots an enormous funnel-cloud ravaging a section of the mountainside high above.)
Raven: (thinking) Breezy? What's she doing up there!?
(Noticing her moment of distraction, Hitsuji clasps her hands tightly.)
Hitsuji: It is finished, child. Tengoku Kumo!
(Raven's eyes widen as they are momentarily filled with blue light. The gentle comfort seeps back in, stronger than before. She drifts in a dazed pattern down to land on the path, trying as hard as she can to fight off the induced fatigue.)
Raven: No…can't…fail now…gotta… Azarath Metrion…Zinthos…
(Raven's body falls back, claimed by Hitsuji's sleep powers. However, as this happens, a wave of dark energy explodes from the blood-stained gem on Raven's forehead and forms into the semblance of the young sorceress. The astral projection hovers in the air for a moment before diving straight towards Hitsuji. The old woman does not move, believing this to be another physical assault. Therefore, she is quite surprised when the dark image phases right into her forehead.)
Hitsuji: What…? What in the name of the Seven Lucky Lords was that? What is this child- Ah! Aggggggghhhhh!!
(The old woman drops to her knees clutching her temples. All around her head, tiny bolts of shadow magic are dancing over her skin.)
Hitsuji: (thinking) My head…It feels as if my brain is on fire! What unnaturalness is this!?
(The old woman gives one last weak cry before the pain makes her collapse, her body reverting to its human state. Raven's astral form zips out and flits back to its proper body, but thanks to Hitsuji's art still being in effect, Raven cannot yet wake up. At that moment, Ushima has just fallen, and Breezy comes diving after him. As she aims her updraft, trying to catch him, Raven's unconscious form is blasted sideways by the wind, knocking her off the path and sending her tumbling down the sheer drop. Breezy glances over and spots her falling friend.)
Breezy: Raven!
(Breezy immediately changes the course of her dive, now aiming straight at Raven. She focuses some wind behind her feet, putting on an extra burst of speed. She stretches out her hand…)
Breezy: Gotcha!
(Having succeeded in catching Raven by the wrist in one hand, Breezy stretches out her other hand and pulls Raven back up, hauling her sleeping friend onto her back. Seeing no time to set Raven down, Breezy once again dives after Ushima, but the weight of carrying another person is slowing her down far too much. Also, with Raven unconscious and unable to hold on, speeding up with a wind spurt is out of the question.)
Breezy: No! I can't let him-!
(Finally, after his long fall, Ushima hits the ground with a loud, sickening thud. His eyes widen for a moment, then his gaze dulls and all of his movement ceases. Breezy lands next to him seconds after, her face now a mask of quiet surprise. She sets Raven down, then reaches out to touch the fallen giant, and finds his body rapidly becoming cold to the touch. Breezy falls back, landing hard in a sitting position as tears begin to well up in her crystal blue eyes. Her lip trembles for a moment, then she bursts into loud tears. Behind her, Terra lowers herself onto the ground, having floated down on a stone with Usagi and Nezumi beside her. Nezumi has now managed to get himself up on one knee with his right arm wrapped around Usagi to keep him up. Usagi is paler than usual with her hands at her mouth.)
Usagi: U-Ushima-san…! This isn't good…Master will be furious!
Nezumi: No way… nothing was supposed to be able to bring down the big guy!
(Breezy turns to the two ninja looking enraged and sad at the same time.)
Breezy: Is that all you can say!? This man was your teammate! Don't you feel any sympathy!? Who cares if your master is upset because you failed!? What kind of team are you!?
(Nezumi raises an eyebrow, confused.)
Nezumi: What's wrong with you? Aren't we your enemies? Why should you shed tears over the likes of-?
Breezy: I don't care if we were enemies! I…I don't want to kill anyone! Good or bad…evil or justice…no matter who someone is aligned with, if I resort to killing…then I'm no better than the ones who murdered all of my friends!
(Breezy turns back around and begins sobbing into her hands.)
Terra: Breezy, I…
(The earthmover trails off, uncertain of what to say. Up above, Hitsuji manages to wake up, this quick recovery proving that she is indeed made of sterner stuff than most women her age. Even so, as she stands and takes a step, she winces in pain.)
Hitsuji: What a terrifying power that stripling possesses…None of the visions, but that was remarkably similar to one of Master's illusions. Albeit, only one of about half-strength, but even so…Hm?
(The old woman glances around, puzzled by the silence, then looks down, spotting the others far below. She jumps and, lightly bounding from rock to rock, finally reaches the spot where everyone is gathered.)
Hitsuji: What is going- (gasp) Ushima!
(The old woman, who had been seemingly unshakeable until now, drops to her knees, a look of cold fear etched into her withered features.)
Hitsuji: (thinking) How…? Ushima was never the smartest being alive, but his strength was unfathomable. Even Torachi-dono's physical power is only slightly greater… To be able to kill him…what are these children…? Is this…what Asuma-san was warning us of? (aloud) How did this happen?
Nezumi: I didn't see; I'm not sure. Ask her.
(He indicates Breezy, who is still crying loudly, and sobbing out apologies through her tears. Hitsuji turns her gaze to the weeping girl, and raises a confused eyebrow.)
Hitsuji: Child...is there truly a need to be this upset? Things like this will happen during a war; you mustn't blame yourself. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
Breezy: No! You're wrong! Nothing can be said to make something like this okay! No matter what the circumstances, it is never okay to take someone's life!
(Hitsuji seems mildly surprised at this, then poses a new question.)
Hitsuji: Why do you care so much about this? We are a team of your enemies.
Breezy: I don't care! A team means family! All of my teammates were just like brothers and sisters, every one of them!
Hitsuji: Am I to take it then…that you believe the safety of one's family counts for more than upholding tradition?
Breezy: It counts more than anything!
(Hitsuji's wrinkled face momentarily flickers with a small smile.)
Hitsuji: Then…if you could see what has happened to this man reversed, would you?
Breezy: Of course I would! I only wanted to protect my friends! I never meant to kill anyone!
Hitsuji: Very well… I shall see your wish granted.
(Breezy glances up, and her tears momentarily stop.)
Breezy: Huh…?
Terra: What do you mean? You can't just bring someone back to life! It's not something that's just done on a whim; it takes a lot of power to re-create the sheer energy of a single lifeforce. I'm proof of that!
Hitsuji: The Tenth of the Transference Techniques, and the most powerful of them. With it, I can revive the lifeforce of another. It will take a moment for me to prepare it…In the meantime, I think it would be best if I awoke your friend… "Release".
(Raven begins to stir, then slowly opens her eyes and raises herself into a sitting position with a small groan. She glances up, notices the old woman standing over her, then leaps to her feet in a defensive pose.)
Raven: What? You decide to try killing me while I'm awake after all? Bring it on! Azarath Metrion Zi-mmph!
(Raven cuts off as Terra claps a hand over her mouth.)
Terra: Relax, Raven. Fight's over.
Raven: What?
(She turns to Hitsuji with a suspicious look. The old woman is currently making a number of strange hand-signs with a look of concentration.)
Raven: Then what's she doing now?
(Breezy sniffles and wipes her arm across her eyes.)
Terra: Breezy accidentally…hit this guy a bit harder than she intended and…well…he sorta…
(Raven glances at the deceased giant, and her expression turns to one of slight surprise, mixed with what could be regret. Apparently, she also had no desire to go as far as killing her enemy.)
Terra: And now, the old lady here said she could bring him back by using some…Transfer Technique, she called it.
(Raven frowns, trying to absorb this. She thinks for a moment, then her eyes widen.)
Raven: "Transfer"…? But then…doesn't that mean-!?
Hitsuji: Your insight and wisdom far outreach your years, child; indeed, to revive Ushima, I must sacrifice my own lifeforce. Every bit of it.
(Breezy looks up, now beginning to get very upset once again.)
Breezy: No! Granny, wait a second! I don't want you to die either! It's not fair! Don't-!
Hitsuji: Calm yourself, young one. I am old. I have lived a full life. I have already done everything I wanted to in this world.
Raven: Why would you do this? Are you not planning to fight us anymore?
Hitsuji: There is no reason left for me to fight. After seeing the skill you young ones possess, I doubt we could win at this point anyway. But...my one regret…is having made the mistake of following this clan. The wisdom you children have spoken is so basic that I am embarrassed to have overlooked it. Nothing good will come of mindless conquering and bloodshed, no matter what obligation one has to traditions; protecting one's family should always be the top priority. Therefore, I would make a final request to you young ones before I depart this world.
Raven: What request?
Hitsuji: Find my granddaughter. Tell her that we have made a great error. Tell her to leave the Zodiac Clan, and to get as far from this place as she can.
Terra: Your granddaughter is in the Zodiac?
Hitsuji: Yes. Although, she far surpassed me long ago. She is an Elite rank. You will know her when you see her; she possesses the powers of the Bird.
Raven: What? How? If you're the representation of the Ram, and she's your granddaughter…
Hitsuji: (chuckles) Back in the days before the original Zodiac Clan was formed, my father, the original Ram, fell in love with the daughter of his best friend, the man who held the powers of the Bird. That woman was my mother. When the two bloodlines joined, our Clans gave birth at random to someone who possessed one of the two powers, impossible to predict which until after they were born. Toriko was born with the powers of the Bird, and she managed to master them at the age of five; she is a powerful warrior. You may have to fight her to make her listen.
Raven: Alright. We'll let her know. Where can we find her?
Hitsuji: She will be in the Kosetsu Mansion, which our Master is using as our stronghold.
Terra: What? Then…you guys…did you…did you kill Frost's father?
Hitsuji: Of course not. Not only would we have no reason to, but for any of us, killing our Master would be impossible. He is far too powerful.
(The three teenagers gasp loudly.)
Raven: You can't be serious…the Master of the Zodiac…is Frost's father!? The Master of illusions!?
Nezumi: Yeah. That's him. It's because of those illusions that Master has never been beaten. Nobody can even get near him.
Terra: So it was an inside job…that's how they've stayed hidden for so long…
(Hitsuji's hands begin to glow with a light red aura. Her expression becomes even more serious and she raises her eyes.)
Hitsuji: Now pay attention. The last thing I can do is offer you some information.
Raven: What sort of information?
Hitsuji: Information regarding the rest of our Clan. I don't expect you to be able to win against them, but by heeding my words, you may all avoid being killed. The four of us are known as the Advance Guard. Of the twelve highest ranks of the Zodiac, we four are the weakest. The next ones you will likely face are the Intermediate Class. Any one of the four of them is capable of defeating all four of us at once. Do not underestimate them. Particularly…
(Hitsuji leans in closer here.)
Hitsuji: Beware of the Intermediate leader. Intermediate is his rank, but he fights with the power of an Elite. Furthermore…he is the second of the Absolute Defense Masters. Whatever you do, be very careful if you encounter him, and above all…do not initiate an attack on that man.
Terra: That makes eight…your granddaughter makes it nine…so what about the other three?
Hitsuji: The strongest of our female Elite Class, Torachi-dono, is very powerful, and a vicious fighter. Perhaps if you four and all of your teammates fought her as one, you may have a chance. But the last two…no matter what, you must not try to fight them.
Terra: Why? If we can handle one of the Elites by working together…
Hitsuji: Those two cannot be called Elite! They are far too great for even that. There is no word to give name to their abilities; they are in a class by themselves.
Terra: And one is your Master?
Hitsuji: Yes. The other is the third of the Absolute Defense Masters. He is the only man to ever come close to defeating our Master…but even he was beaten. That's how strong Master Sarujima is.
(The old woman turns to Raven.)
Hitsuji: You in particular, child, should steer clear of our Second-in-Command. Your powers make you a target for him.
Raven: What? How do you mean?
Hitsuji: I don't know if it is coincidence, or something he intended, but Tatsumaru-dono has gotten quite a record for himself. You see, he has never lost to anyone save for our Master, and those he defeats always end up dead from the power of his attacks. He has defeated and killed over two-hundred people who were foolish enough to attack him over the course of his life. But, for some reason, at least eighty percent of those who have died by his hands were those who specialized in the use of magic.
(Raven's sensory powers suddenly begin filling her with a deep feeling of dread upon hearing this. With a sense of great apprehension, she forces out a question.)
Raven: And…this man…your Second-in-Command…what power does he possess? Which of the Zodiac does he represent?
Hitsuji: Tatsumaru-dono is a special one indeed. He has inherited one of the most terrible of the Zodiac bloodlines; the fierce might of the Dragon.
(Raven's eyes widen with fear, but not for herself. She turns her gaze to the mountain summit, and whispers very quietly.)
Raven: (whispering) …Gabriel…
(Hitsuji's hands suddenly flare up with a darker red.)
Hitsuji: The time has come. I must perform the technique now, or I will die without helping anyone. Farewell, young ones. Remember my advice…and good luck.
(She raises her hands and claps them down on Ushima's chest.)
Hitsuji: Idou Jyuuban! Izanami no Gisei!! (Transference Number Ten- The Sacrifice of Izanami.)
-- Izanami is one of the two deities who created Japan. She died and ended up in the underworld. Read the full myth to understand the technique name. – The Cap'n --
(The red aura engulfs Hitsuji's whole body, then rapidly begins flowing out of her, and into the giant form. She gives the teens a weak smile as the technique nears completion.)
Hitsuji: Don't forget my request…and tell Toriko…that Grandmother is sorry.
(The last of the aura flows into Ushima. Hitsuji stiffens, then she slowly falls to the rocky ground, a weary smile frozen on her face. Two small kanji appear on each of her palms, the two symbols together reading gisei, or "sacrifice". On Ushima's body, all of the wounds he received from his battle with Breezy magically seal shut, then two giant kanji symbols appear on Ushima's chest, creating the word fukkatsu, meaning "rebirth". As Ushima slowly opens his eyes and sits up, the first thing he sees is the three teenaged heroines gathered around Hitsuji's body, two of them quietly crying, while Raven tries hard to keep her emotion-driven powers in check. A small gust of wind blows through, and Breezy glances up, face soaked in tears.)
Breezy: It's even on the breeze…(sob)…even the wind itself…is crying.
-- How sad. But, such things will happen. Speaking of tears, if there are any Naruto fans out there, I suggest you read a fiction I recently finished. It is entitled Two Halves, and is a brilliant piece of romantic work, far beyond my writing skill. I actually cried during the big kiss scene; I was that moved. Now then, next time on my little corner of the fanfiction world, Echo and the two captured ladies awaken and each makes their own daring escape, while Robin discovers a useful new talent of his own. Oh! One last thing! I see this all the time in manga that I read and I want to try it! Favorite Character Poll! Everyone vote on your favorite character in my stories! This might sound selfish, but the original Teen Titans are not mine, so they really have no place in this contest; Captain Sanji's originals only on the ballots, okay? Send me your vote with your review, along with your reason why, and I'll post the top five winners and number of votes for each with the next chapter! My crewmate's votes will be added, of course. Why bother doing this, you ask? 'Cause it's fun, naturally! Cheers! -The Cap'n --