Severing the Bonds That Tie
Silver streaks raced through the air towards Nui Harime and the stiff as a board Ryuko held firmly under her left arm. Kinagase's DTR roared and whirred following but the streaks failed to do much of anything to the blonde young lady as she danced across the boards of the ship. Then Nui stopped keeping her eyes locked onto the sight vehicle as it approached.
"You humans sure do waste a lot of time on silly things. You should know that those bullets don't work on me!" Nui smiled and bobbed her head to either side. Stationary or not the blonde was far more capable at dodging." Oh well. Guess not," she shrugged before several streaks of purple suddenly slashed up on the front of the DTR its frame being bashed into the air.
"Even if I didn't show up you wouldn't have gotten Ryuko out of Junketsu," Nui laughed as the airborn DTR started to shake and huff with steam. Everyone raised a stark brow hearing those words was like being given a death sentence." You see her and Junketse are sewn together with Life Fibers. If you cut her out of it she'll die from the shock," grim but cheery Nui said whilst looking at Tsumugu's DTR heat to a glowing red.
"Tsumugu!" Shinko shouted as the machine fell away from the human's body, the ejection switched must have worked on it. He flipped and landed a few feet behind the blonde his gun pointed at the back of her head.' That idiot he can't kill her from the distance,' the thought rang into the young man's mind as he drew up the sword in a charging stance.
The trigger was pulled but instead of a needle shooting out it was a smoke pellet that exploded upon contact with the air filling the entire portion of the deck with a thick black fog." Hey Kurosaki do what you need to do here," he shouted trying to flee through the smoky cloud that was surrounding the entire ship.
A sigh of relief left the black haired teenager's mouth. Then his frame left the clear air and appeared within the center of the cloud a loud screeching noise ringing out at blade met blade in a thunderous spark. Winds were whipped from within and the smoke bomb's effects were instantly eradicated revealing the sight of what had happened inside.
Shinko's blade was restraining both halves of the Scissor Blade his feet were currently dug so deep into a tile that it was falling away. Every part of the white and red Kamui was stiff from the exertion and his hair was already blown from its normal position.
"Ryuko please snap the hell outta this!" he roared kicking off of the tile and driving both teenager's back a few steps. His feet on sturdy ground the blade was swung up into defensive posture again, teeth grit the last Kurosaki was more than ready to go on.' I should have known they would strike together. I need to be more careful next time,' Shinko took second to adjust his footing, preparing.
'SLASH! SCHLING!' the noise of a blade whirring through the air and hitting another blade solidly. Ryuko's steely gaze of crazed eyes were locked on their clash the red blade slowly clawing against the shined silver of the other.
"You're weak just like every other human!" Ryuko shouted pushing down and buckling the knees of her adversary. Strong as he was Shinko was being overwhelmed by the released anger and power of Ryuko Matoi. Veins stitched out over his skin as the blade weight forced his muscles into overdrive." Give up! Humans lose!" he was nearly thrown back.
A purple blade came swinging in from the left and he ducked it a few stray locks of coal black hair falling in the wind in front of his face." Shinki-chan! You can't beat both of us," Nui laughed using a back swing to try her beheading attempt again, this time it was avoided by a push back the white clothed youth springing just enough out of the way, of course this cost him the exchange with Ryuko.
Panting Shinko re-positioned leveling his blade at his side like a samurai preparing to draw it again.' Shinko,' Sentokitsu said worried for his wearer's safety. Silence for the teenager often meant he was serious and that usually meant he was in trouble.
"Don't worry. They have pretty predictable movements," Shinko attempted to calm his Kamui while keeping tabs on both young ladies. Having seen Ryuko fight now with Junketsu he had learned that her recklessness had been limited, luckily hindering the chance of something unpredictable happening. His blue eyes looked off to the side, the shivering frame of a very certain young lady was no longer there." We aren't alone," he let out a sigh.
'CLINK! SHOOM!' Ryuko was met head-on with a slash from the left the silver blade meeting the red Scissor with a thunderous echo. Shinko kept himself positioned with his back to Nui Harime, he had to for this plan to work.
Heavy slashes rang out as a confused Nui looked at his somewhat predictable strategy. Ryuko was winning in the power department keeping the silver edge from touching her precious Junketsu. Sweat began to bead on the forehead of the young man as the heft of the blows began to pile up on his muscles and the thudding in his chest of anticipation began to grow louder.
Nui swung her purple blade forward ready to strike the distracted Shinko across the back, in that instant though two blackened blades yanked down on the edge of the sword. A tall young lady was crouched over at the edge of the sword her long hair partly covering her face and back, standard Nudist Beach gear covered her formerly naked frame. Twin black gloves held onto the hilts as Nui glared at her completely impressed.
"Satsuki-sama! You're still alive?" Nui gasped before yanking her sword back somewhat comically. Satsuki straightened up with a glare of menace in her eyes and the blades more than ready to strike again.
"I am. Getting rid of Satsuki Kiryuin will take more than that," she alluded to Ryuko, the white blur that was currently exchanging in a vicious slash-fest with Shinko several yards away.
"Teehee! I knew you were strong Satsuki but you are outmatched!" Nui giggled slashing down again one to find it blocked by the still leering Satsuki Kiryuin. The former head of Honnoji Academy soon erupted into action with a blurs of motion that seemed impossible for any normal person to preform. Nui was quickly dragged in a moment later as heavy strikes lit the air.
"You don't have to live like this Ryuko. You aren't a puppet!" Shinko hissed as they continued to create gales from the vast array of swings their blades were pushed through. The glimmer of blade on blade tinted his voice warped it giving a longer wait in response. In the meantime though they shredded away a large chunk of tile their feet both barely balancing on a hefty beam.
Ryuko slashed down and missed, her opposition had faded to the side using his blade to keep their distance." Puppet? I ain't no puppet! Junketsu's please if out of this world! You are the one that is letting these weak humans tell him what to do!" a red cut bisected the beam resulting in both of them hopping back overlooking the multiple foot gap with narrowed eyes.
"Junketsu and pleasure? Last time I check Satsuki got tore up pretty bad by it. There is no pleasure in being feasted on," Shinko roared bounding across the gap. Sentokitsu's power jolted him forward mid-jump doubling the speed and momentum behind the hefty silver blade. Ryuko though seemed not the least bit concern in fact she merely brought the red half of the Scissor Sword up casually.
"Is that so? Because beating the hell outta you felt pretty damn nice!" her voice raised as the sword screamed through the air. Red met silver in a clash that sent exploding stars out all around them. The entire ship rocked back and forth as the grinding of weapon on weapon continued. Somewhat arrogantly she pushed forward and threw Shinko back again his black hair bobbing when his feet barely dug into an opposite panel.
'I said this before but talking to her in this state is not going to work,' Sentokitsu continued to be worried. They were still outmatched even though the gap was closing Ryuko's ferocity stopped the rapid adaptation from going full blast.
Shinko took a step back retracting the blade back to the long sheath hanging across his shoulders. Both hands raised up in front of his face as an eerie silence came between them. Ryuko looked at him almost as if to see him in a new light, one of sheer stupidity; his only chance to win was using the blade and now it was stowed away across his back.
She rocketed off throwing the blade forward in a horizontal slash. A red line blurred through the air as a firm ringing echoed out across the front portion of the massive ship. Blood trickled down from a long cut down the center of the young man's face and more shot out as if fired from a geyser, she had landed a blow but how much was the question.
Then the Scissor Blade was pushed back to the two firm hands holding it just above the hilt pressing back with more force than Ryuko was coming down with. The grip was like that of a vice her strength was inconsequential in this case. Ryuko was lifted up in the same manner by the base of the blade, Shinko was completely overpowering her now.
"Shouldn't have done that!" a harsh tone appeared in Shinko's voice as his left hand freed itself from the blade. A thunderous roar soon followed as it collided with the corresponding cheek of his possessed foe's face. The ship rocked as the air hummed to life with a sonic boom Ryuko's entire white frame being launched hundreds off feet away from the ship's surface.
Ryuko righted and shot back twice as fast as her departure from the oceans surface." I'm going to kill you!" a roar echoed from the red highlighted girl's mouth as she drew back her right hand for a strike. Shinko braced positioning his arms in a raised stance; left foot shifting to the side thirty five degrees, arms at ninety and one eighty.
Shinko's body was still smashed back even though the heavily balled fist struck his block. The Kamui added so much force to everything and this was no different as he slowly peeled back the steel when his heels decided to finally stop digging in. A spinning kick came in and crunched against the side of Shinko's head the air around him ringing with the impact before he was sent careening out over ship's surface slowing only when crashing against he damaged tiles and other things. His head and shoulders were laying over the far right side of the ship the salty brine splashing up as Ryuko approached.
Conscious or not he slowly counted the steps of his adversary as she strolled from one side of the ship to the other. Thirteen steps after the first and something happened massive turrets were lowered to her side. A smile crossed Shinko's face, fourteen strides marched her in position for the auxiliary weapons; the look over of the ship had worked out.
'CLICK!' the sound of button being pushed down with maybe a little too much force echoed across the buzzing ship's air. The noise of blades clashing from Satsuki and Nui were quickly deafened by the sound of heat racing down the barrels of the massive turret cannons.
"Like that would work on me!" Ryuko smiled turning as the massive fireballs smashed into her head on. The ship's surface temporarily heated before cooling back down the massive plumes of fire falling to the ocean in the wayside.
Black smoke raced into the air but in the center a white frame moved out of the way showing just how worthless the attack had been. She hopped up onto the edge of the barrel of the gun as if it were a mere log overlooking a river and ran up it blade drawn from its previously inactive state. Inumuta looked at her steely from his position behind the console, he was bound to get it now.
A loud crashing sound came instead as another white shape appeared before him. Ryuko's arms were held up by two hands and boots were pressing against the tile just before the console to prevent harm to it. Shinko's face was marked up pretty bad from being booted across the ship but they were closing slowly, the fierceness in his eyes seemed almost impossible to rid him of.
Shinko's left knee threw Ryuko back slightly, with her arms trapped it was the only way out of the situation. Shinko's hands then snapped down and he quickly threw a right hand towards her abdomen, a solid place to lay into someone for sure. The issue tough was that that abdomen was connected to the currently unsettled mind of Ryuko, and she did not care for his safety at this point.
The turrets were turned to the other side as a slash through Shinko into the turntable they were mounted on. His back bent unnaturally against it and a shiver of pain raced through his entire body, blood started to run from his mouth as well. His blurry vision picked up on Ryuko strolling over; nothing could have been done Shinko was too out of it and Satsuki was busy with Nui.
Red filled his vision and then Ryuko was gone, something had shot her away. Looking over he saw a DTR positioned with its right leg raised from where the amplified kick had hammered into her torso." Get up kid. You have work to do," Kinagase said body a stiff as board within the rather ridiculous contraption.
'What was that red scale?' he asked himself before popping back up and looking at Ryuko's frame currently getting up on the flooring below. His left hand grabbed at the sword over his back and his right was used a steady for it." Ryuko!" he shot off the blade glowing with a long stream of green that showed all the way from his leaping spot to the inevitable place where the blades met.
Streams of red, white, and green stars all exploded out between them ripping that area of the ship's few remaining tiles away. Ryuko though was on the defensive for the first time in the entire ordeal the strength pressing down reducing her to one knee. Shinko's body was glowing all all of the highlighted portions as his boiling blood gave extra fuel to Sentokitsu.
In an instant though that edge was gone a strike to the abdomen crunched him over. Ryuko swung down using the hilt of the Scissor Sword to bash the back of Shinko's head down, the result smashed his face into a beam leaving a dent. Blood fell from Shinko's face, as she stomped on the small of her one time ally's back arching him over unnaturally.
Once again his vision translated back to that red scale as if the world had been tinted.' Seriously what is-' then ext stomp popped something as a loud cracking sound rang out." Ahh! Shit! Stop it Ryuko!" a violent obscene scream exited the teenager's mouth as he struggled to grasp at any sort of strength.
Viewing Platform...
"I can't take it anymore!" Mako shouted with her rosy cheeks puffed out. Her foot stomped like a child having a tantrum while down below the screams of Shinko echoed and contorted in the laughs of Ryuko.
"Makanshoku you can't go down there," Gamagori ordered looking at the carnage both fights were causing. Without Life Fibers none of them were going to get close enough to the scene to watch that happen. The giant's words though seemed to fall on deaf ears as with a loud huff of air Mako turned and ran towards the hub of the ship and in a sudden turn back towards the ramp for the DTRs." Makanshoku!" his voice carried like a lion's roar.
"Underachiever what are you doing?" Nonon said in bumbled tones. She still had not recovered from being thrown back by the simple swing from Ryuko earlier.
"Let her go. If anyone knows Matoi it is her," Sanageyama remarked his blind eyes watching as the young lady hurried towards the ramps. The confidence in her voice and the way her feet were moving showed that she had every ounce of heart in her body into this charge.' Kurosaki will need the reprieve too. I don't think anyone but her could give him that much time,' he thought adjusting slightly in stance.
Like a penguin Mako slid head first down the harsh near sixty degree angles of the ramp. Her brown bowl cut hair whipped in the wind as she held her breath and close both eyes. She only realized how unwise it was once she was going down it, at that point though she had the determination to go all of the way. As if shot from a rocket she made it to the scene in record time.
Dart-like Ryuko's closest friend crashed behind her landing hard on one of the many tattered tiles that were strewn across the surface of the S.S. Naked Sun. This of course gave Mako a brief glimpse before Shinko's spine went back to be Ryuko's favorite thing to stomp on, the hold of Junketsu was strong crazy strong.
"Don't you get it! You can't win here!" each and every word was used as a means of amplify the stomps but at this point Shinko had stopped feeling them his body was too worn down to pick it up. Behind her though Mako's frame rose as if it had been the thing that was getting stomped at least a dozen times over at this point." You can't win here!" it repeated and so did the stomps leaving Shinko sprawling.
Muffled and shaken the random sound of a chorus' 'Hallelujah!' raced out from the girl. Arms raised she struggled to get a solid footing but when she did the crossed hands went up and a heavenly light descended upon her, the chorus growing louder and prouder in the process. Ryuko's brows furrowed as she turned to her one time friend with a sickened look.
"Stop it Ryuko! I get it! You're upset that you can't take Junketsu off," Mako shouted her legs bowing as a red scuff started to burn on the side of her face. Ryuko looked perplexed at the brunette that was currently staring her down with a crazed level of boldness." You can't change to get a bath or shower! If it gets dirty you can't get it washed?!" she continued talking as if Ryuko had not just stomped someone two dozen times.
Ryuko spat and drew up her blade." I have no idea what you are talking about," she said a glint of malice within her eyes as the weapon was drawn out to her side. Mako though stayed with puffed out cheeks, this was the will of Mako Makanshoku one that would not be easy to overcome.
Satsuki's body was hurled to the ground a second later as Nui glared over at the scene with a devious glint in her sole eye." Hey Ryuko! Lady Ragyo wants that girl dead! So get on it kay?" the blonde shouted maniacally before planting her right foot firmly before the grounded Satsuki.
"That's okay with me!" the blade came swinging down but a blue-black frame tackled Mako out of the way. Ryuko's gaze watched as the girl was rolled across the ship her clothes being flung off and the black shape taking their place." Why you worthless piece of cloth!" Ryuko hissed through grit teeth stepping finally off of Shinko's back and towards her former friend.
"I'm wearing Senketsu?" Mako gawked at around the same time Ryuko last spoke. Indeed the Kamui had covered in in an act of protection that turned out to be even more dangerous than initially thought.
'You are. Mako just don't become anemic,' Senketsu stated calmly though he knew that Mako could not hear him. His sole eye locked onto Ryuko, who was trudging forward with blade drawn back up.
"Ryuko stop it! I know this isn't you!" Mako cried her frame shaking nervously as the wearer of Junketsu kept forward as if honed to her. A gulp sunk in her throat as Senketsu's fabric bounded up tightly.
'Ryuko you'll never forgive yourself if you do this,' Senketsu pleaded as Ryuko strutted over with the aggression of a starved lioness. Those words did not stop her a hitch as the Scissor Sword got larger and more menacing, a death blow was incoming.
"I should have done this a long time ago! You are just a piece of dish cloth!" shouting at this point Ryuko brought down the sword. Across the faces of the Nudist Beach resistance shock and horror arose, the sound of blade splitting the air grating like nails on a chalk board. None of them could have done anything distance and time proved too insurmountable. That would be except for one...
'SLURK!' a gushing sound rang out as the blade hit something fleshy. White cloth turned crimson as blood flew from the cut even though the blade was still there. Shinko's left shoulder had a six inch deep cut from where the weapon had landed hi body stiffening up in pain.
"You moronic idiot! They care for you damn it! Killing them would ruin you," Shinko kept back tears the pain stinging his every nerve. His blue eyes had flashed to red, the Life Fibers were snapped awake, the cause of the red scale from earlier for sure." I don't care about what you do to me. But what you do to them, to yourself, is something I can not just let happen!" his right hand reached up and grabbed her by the adjacent shoulder.
"I won't just let it happen!" he bashed his forehead into her's. The blade currently slashed into his shoulder tore away more flesh, and more of the Kamui as he did so. Blood hurled itself out of wound, he did not feel it though.
A spidering of red thread appeared at the impact sight a glowing star transcending between their foreheads. A pulse sent Shinko reeling away but it also left Ryuko stunned and in shock. His back hit the floor hard and now without anything blocking the bleeding his shoulder wound exploded into a full on rain of blood.
Ringing, Shinko had learned everything that was replaying in Ryuko's mind. False scenes of Ragyo, the total erasing of anything other than Ragyo's influence, total manipulation of her entire mind and body.' That's why you're doing this. I can't believe it,' he hummed to himself before closing both eyes pain overtaking him in one large ripple.
'SLASH!' a black blade ran across Junketsu's chest stumbling back the dazed Ryuko and knocking back the assailant. Satsuki though landed on her feet confidently and delivered another slash between Ryuko's breast, it was only a few inches in size but for the purpose if was going to serve it was more than enough.
'Kurosaki risked himself to open up this position. Not taking advantage of it would be criminal,' Satsuki's mind raced as she looked over towards the stunned Mako." Makanshoku listen to me put Senketsu into the wound I created. Then it should be able to unwind the threads that Nui has stitched Ryuko into Junketsu with," Satsuki grunted spinning her blade to take and incoming strike from Nui away.
"All right! Here I go!" Mako ran forward with all of the comical speed her legs could give to her. Shuffling like a kindergartner in a race the former No Star stopped before Ryuko feeling the Kamui slither up her arm." Ready Senketsu?" she asked feeling the fabric prepared to leap over into his former host.
'Yes!' he flew from the outstretched hand and like an arrow towards Ryuko's chest.
The black fabric jetted into the wound like a bullet, accurate and deadly at the same time. Mako smiled believing her work to be done, until she was sucked in with the Kamui the sound of a bottle top popping ringing out as well. Ryuko's eyes widened as the forceful entry into her body made everything go away a mere blur of reality fade in an out as if she was dying.
Seconds passed and nothing happened to Ryuko externally the ship was stock quiet as they awaited the result. And then a massive wave of power swept over the ship sending all of them backward in the recoil of strength.
Whatever Mako and Senketsu did within Ryuko's body, it was something of a miracle one way or the other.
Hey, I know this chapter was a little late but final exams among other things tend to do that to any student. Hope you enjoyed this chapter because man it was so fun to write out. It was my third favorite episode from the anime so a little bias.
Anyway thanks for reading,
~Herodan3