Chapter 26:

Honoka closed her eyes against the heat she felt nearing. Her mind flashed back to less unpleasant times. Like when Kenichi taught her how to use a bicycle, or playing Othello with Apachai or Natsu—

I can't die…

"Not like this,"Honoka stared up at the dimming light that she had nearly reached. The explosion was nearing her with rapid velocity as she fell, nearing her death. She was too far from the sides to grab hold, even if she could, her hands would slip from over-exertion and blood.

"Honoka!"

She turned to her left.

Ren jumped into the shaft.

"What are you—" Honoka looked down at the increasing flames as Ren tackled her in mid-air. Honoka coughed in surprise because he grasped her so hard and quickly around her waist. They flew across the shaft and out into an opening on the tenth floor where the elevator was missing, but the safety doors were open.

Ren and Honoka soared through just as the flames passed upwards, setting the sole of Honoka's shoe on fire.

They both fell to the ground at exactly the same time as the sound of the explosion, which gripped the entire hotel. It shook the building, and the flames from the shaft were closed in as the doors closed with a resonant 'ding'.

"Oh my God—"

"What's happening?—"

"Look at those children—"

Honoka ignored these shouts as she hyperventilated, spots still dancing in front of her eyes. Her chest rose and fell, in sync with Ren's, as he buried his head in the curve of her neck.

"You jumped across the shaft…to save my life," Honoka breathed.

Ren exhaled, his shoulders shaking. His head wasn't moving from her neck.

"R-Ren, are you okay? You aren't hurt are you?"

"Nah, nah…just a scratch," Ren smiled, facing her finally. "Just go on…the Chinese Ambassador is counting on you and Kensei."

"I c-can't leave you like this," Honoka protested.

"Honoka, I'll be fine," Ren rolled off her and panted. "Just go…I'll meet up with you later, right?" he grinned, giving her a thumbs up sign. "Kill 'em, for me, will 'ya?"

Honoka hesitated, before allowing her legs to lead her away. Over her shoulder, she gave him a watery smile.

"You got it, pervert."

…

Honoka sprinted down the hall, trying to figure out where Ma Kensei and Halima would be by now. Her image brought attention to her, with her singed brown hair and torn shirt that barely concealed her bra at this point. One of her shoes was missing, after it had exploded into flames.

"I should have worn the dougi," Honoka thought to herself, sweat dropping at the numerous people who kept on staring at her.

At that point, Honoka stopped and sensed a presence behind her. She turned to see she was being followed by a bunch of bodyguards who were wielding knives.

"You just missed them!" Honoka said. "We can still—"

Wait.

Honoka took a step back.

Her disciple senses told her there was something up with this particular group of bodyguards. Her masters would have commended her for tightening her fists and keeping her mouth shut, save only to whisper:

"Traitors."

"You must be Ryouzanpaku's disciple. Your head is worth a lot of money," one man took out a Swiss knife and pressed it against his thumb.

It started bleeding.

Honoka pressed her back against the wall. There was no way she could fight 40+ men in the hallway and catch up to Kensei.

Looks like, she stooped into a fighting stance, I'll have to get this fight on the road.

Honoka bit her lip.

"You wanna piece of this?" she demanded, "Come get some!"

All in a second, they all descended on her.

Honoka arranged her face into a determined look and soared in the air, gripping a guard's shoulder.

She vaulted the men and stepped on one of their heads, as she bent for a fraction of a millisecond to get enough momentum to dive out of the window behind the bodyguards.

"Catch me," she twisted, so her back faced the streets below her, "if you can!"

Honoka then focused on slowing herself down in the air so that her descent wouldn't be that painful. She landed in belly flop on a moving truck. She kept her head to the ground, trying to clear her messed up thoughts. She looked behind her.

"Ah crap," she sighed exasperatedly. "I didn't think they could catch me."

One by one, men fell from the second floor of the hotel onto the cars below them and each started bounding towards the truck.

"Get up, get up," she muttered hurriedly to herself, falling almost too often as she tried to reach the front of the truck.

A bridge came into view.

"Get down, get down!" Honoka nose-dived just as the truck went under a bridge.

As Honoka blinked as the truck cleared the bridge. She realized she was totally surrounded by ankles.

Honoka sweat dropped.

She steadily got up, despite the injuries obtained on her waist and tired legs. Honoka closed her eyes and exhaled calmly.

Clear mind…clear mind…

…

Meanwhile, Ren was escorted to the lobby by three Good Samaritans, who couldn't speak a word of Japanese.

"Really…" he insisted uselessly, as they ushered him down the stairwell, "I'm fine, seriously."

Ren tried his hand at Chinese, but he doubted they understood any of his corrupted attempts, as he hadn't spoken Chinese since he was a little boy.

"I'll take him from here," Midori Kinasaki extended a hand, speaking fluently in Chinese. "The ambulance is waiting outside."

"Seriously, Midori? You speak Chinese?" Ren queried, as the men left him with her in the lobby. He gave her a mock suspicious glance. "What else do Honoka and I not know about?"

Midori looked at her watch, ignoring his question. "The police will be here in approximately ten minutes. Luckily, the shaft that blew up was only in the western wing and didn't affect the entire hotel," she grabbed his wrist and rushed him away from the hotel.

"So what do we do now?"

"We—"she pointedly stared at him though, "—are going to stay out of Honoka and Kensei's way."

Ren opened his mouth then closed it.

"Understood."

…

"HIIYA!"

Honoka's knee jerked up for the final blow that sent the last opponent flying. Honoka paused, slouching and resting her palms on her knees in pure exhaustion.

She puffed, wiping the sweat away from her eyes with her wrist.

The truck's movement had a cooling effect on her skin, as wind blew past violently, with streets passing by in a blur.

"A-a-achooo!"

She sniffed.

"Master, where are you?" she murmured, rubbing her nose.

They couldn't have gotten far, Honoka thought, kneeling down, waiting for her chance to jump off the moving vehicle. The festival goes through China Town, the city square and part of the business district. But which is the closest to the hotel?

Honoka exhaled, tying her shirt in a knot by her waist so it couldn't get loose, as her feet slid off the curve of the truck's storage tank. Her left foot pressed against the tank as her right foot twisted so that she spun in mid-air, giving her a 360 degree view of the city.

I've got to find them.