9. Down To The Last Drop


Moving out in the Kobus, and already in the Haja no Jin, they left the Teigeki's premises, with Maria in the lead.

"Yoneda-shire," she muttered through her communicator, "What's the current status of the Imperial Capital?"

His voice was somewhat weak and broken up, but still audible and understandable. "Be careful! The Kouma have split up into five groups with three units each, and are dispersed throughout the Imperial Capital."

"Where is the Taichou…I mean, Tenkai?"

"There's no sign of him, but that doesn't matter now! You should eliminate the Kouma as quickly as possible! You should split up!"

Maria protested, "But that would break up the Haja No Jin!"

Yoneda replied, "You haven't faced Kouma before, so I'll tell you what they can do. They're just big, ugly Wakiji without the armor and with wings! They don't use weapons, but they can smash just about anything with their bare fists! But here's the trick: you should finish them off quick before all the Kouma can combine!"

She asked, "What would happen if they combined?"

"Then we're all doomed. The last time it happened, it was nearly unstoppable. It took the Majinki and Kazuma Shinguji's life to stop it."

Maria slightly winched when she heard him reply. Better not tell this to Sakura because she might have nervous breakdowns or something.

"Understood, we'll break up and kill the Kouma as fast as possible. Over and out!" Then she turned off the channel, and switched it over to the Hanagumi. "Minna, listen up! The Kouma are the same as the Wakiji, with the difference that they can fly! But the key here is quickness! We should dispose of them as quickly as possible before they combine, or we're all doomed. So, we'll have to split up."

Kohran looked at her radar, seeing the scattered blips, and said, "But, Maria-han, they're scattered all over the Imperial Capital! We can't defeat them without using the Haja no Jin!"

Maria replied, "We have no choice! We have to split up or else!"

Iris then replied, "Minna, go ahead! Iris will try and keep her power flowing into all of you over the long distance."

Sakura was immediately concerned. "Iris! That could be too much for you! Are you sure you could do that?"

"Yes, because Iris wants to save onii-chan!"

They all smiled when they heard Iris' reply. There was no turning back now. All that mattered now were Ohgami's rescue and the safety of the Imperial Capital, and they all trusted in Iris' confidence.

"All right!" Maria said, "Teikoku Kagekidan, SANJOU!"


Kanna Kirishima was excited. Her body was tingling. A wide smile was on her face. Her fingers eagerly maneuvered the Kobu. Her feet couldn't stop swinging.

She was going to the battle of her life, and she couldn't help but feel excited. This was going to be exciting and challenging for her, and this would be the perfect opportunity to see how she was going to deal with the demons that destroyed the Imperial Capital long ago.

"Yoshi! I'll break all of you into half! I'm gonna kick all yer asses! Man!" She eagerly muttered to herself, her smile becoming toothier by the minute.

Soon enough, her visuals showed three Kouma destroying buildings with their bare claws. They all looked the same, with glistening black skin, with long limbs and huge black wings. They had no eyes, no nose, and no ears, only a sharp-toothed mouth and a gigantic brain that sloped down their craning necks. There were just as big as the Kobu, but far more ugly.

"Aaah! All of you look so damn ugly! That just gives me more reason to beat the crap outta you! IKUZE!!!"

Its steam thrusters on the max and its hover jets primed, the red Kobu lunged at the Kouma, its glistening steel claws ready to attack. The Kouma were surprised by Kanna's attack.

She charged at one of them, thrusting her claws at the thick legs. Green blood spurt out and bone was broken, but that wasn't all until the claws popped from the Kobu's fists, ultimately cutting the foot off. Blood spurt out from the demon as it whined, falling on the broken ground.

The Kouma screamed, watching as Kanna plunged her claw into the Kouma's brain, the claw popping again, the gray matter exploding. Angered, the two remaining Kouma flapped their wings and charged at the crimson Kobu.

She chuckled, feeling the battle rage consume her, feeling the ecstasy of a well-fought fight. "That's it, come right in…I've got a little surprise for ya…"

The Kouma were relentless, their wide jaws opened, saliva dripping, their claws desiring to shred the red Kobu into pieces. But Kanna was not intimidated.

"Just a little closer…"

They were a few meters away now. Their roars became louder and angrier by the second.

"Come on…"

Now, a few inches parted the two Kouma from Kanna. One reared its ugly claws to deliver a powerful blow.

"NOW!"

With no second to spare, Kanna drove her claw into the ground, making cracks all over the broken concrete surface. Then, summoning all her spirit energy, she bellowed, "Ruukyu Kirishima Karate! SUPER RINPAI!"

Her powerful aura coursed downwards, into the hot, molten lava down beneath the Earth's surface. Then, with only her own power and Iris' added energy, the ground cracked apart, and a large, formidable geyser of pure molten lava shot out, completely drenching the two Kouma in extremely searing liquid fire.

Kanna backed away from the scene. The two Kouma struggled to free their burning bodies from the lava, but to no avail. In no time, they were completely smothered, burning them up, reducing them to ashes, disintegrating them. A last yelp of pain echoed, and the Kouma were turned into ghastly black energy, which soon dissipated into the air.

All the time, Kanna had a smug grin. Now, she was laughing. She had won.


Maria Tachibana silently watched the three Kouma mercilessly ravage the buildings and people that stood in their way. She observed from afar, long away from the Kouma's eyesight, if they had any. Their eyeless rage seemed to have no direction, but they still seemed to get the demolition work done. Nevertheless, she did not risk it, because foolishly exposing oneself, relying on an unconfirmed advantage was stupid and uncalculated.

After a short while, it dawned to her that these Kouma were just thrashing things around. They were attacking random things, and there seemed to be no plan of attack. Apparently, the only order that they received was to just destroy anything. They were creatures of immense strength, but no apparent brain usage.

She then devised her own plan of attack. Basing her strategy on the hypothesis that one Kouma was enough to destroy her, her long-range capability was her only advantage. She had to maintain a far enough distance from the Kouma and destroy them via her Kobu's gun. If they got close to her, she was dead.

And with that done, the black Kobu left her post. With the element of surprise on her side, she silently aimed at one Kouma's ugly head. The cross hairs locked on.

Then, she fired.

The slug lodged itself into the Kouma's exposed brain, still moving, then, ultimately shooting through the head. Blood and brain matter spilled out as it wailed in pain. It soon collapsed, death finally overtaking it.

The Kouma shrieked, seeing their comrade fall. Then, seeing a big black Kobu pointing a gun at them, they charged at her, teeth bared, claws menacing.

With no second to spare, she locked on to the next Kouma, but they kept strafing from left to right, making it hard for her to aim. They were getting nearer by the minute.

Turning on her hoverjets, she backtracked as fast as her Kobu could. But as fast as she went, the Kouma were coming in quick.

She tried to aim, but the fact that she had moving targets and that she was also moving made aiming harder. She fired a volley of shots, but it was easily avoided. The shots that did hit only nicked the Kouma's tough hide.

They might not have any orders, but they could work well on their own.

They were quickly closing the distance, their claws now only a few inches from the metal hide of the Kobu.

She had to work fast.

Firing another volley, the bullets hit squarely on the Kouma's bodies. They weren't able to avoid them at such a close distance. Their black blood dripping, they slowly fell to the ground.

Gathering her power, she screamed, "Cherypoyka!"

Once she aimed her gun, she fired once again, but this time, instead of the usual bullets, a ghostly icy blue maiden was launched. Her pale blue face and body made contact with the Kouma, instantly coating their bleeding hides with thick layers of ice. The temperature dropped as their bodies turned rigid, an early rigor mortis. They were completely frozen, encased in a chamber of ice.

Then, they crashed into the ground, skidding violently into a halt. Chunks of Kouma flesh and limbs were torn off as friction countered the falling Kouma. Soon, they stopped, missing limbs.

They were as good as dead, frozen in ice, but the black Kobu walked over to their seemingly lifeless bodies and watched as they just laid there, motionless, and possible dead. She wasn't taking any chances, she decided. When she did, long ago, that cost her the life of her first Taichou, her brother. No more mistakes. No more faults now. Only results.

She fired two shots for each Kouma's head. They gave out no shriek as they turned into black energy, and eventually vanished.

It was over. She rushed ahead to meet the others.


Rocket after rocket, Kohran kept backtracking, her Kobu's hoverjets primed to their maximum, but the three monsters were too fast and too smart. They kept avoiding the fast shells, and some even grabbed it and tossed it away before it exploded. She had plenty of ammo to spare, enough to blow up half of the Imperial Capital, but if she kept missing and failing to make her mark, she might indeed blow up half of the Imperial Capital.

Conserving her ammo for now, she gave chase, letting the deranged Kouma chase her into the warehouse district of the city. The location formed a brick maze, and the seemingly countless warehouses made up its paths. She immediately ducked into one of the paths, and luckily, the Kouma didn't see her hide.

If she can't hit them head on, she might hit them when they least expect it. Dishonorable as it was, it may be the only way to defeat them, aside from rushing to them head on. That was Plan A. Plan B was to set her green Kobu into self-destruct mode, drive a stick into the pedal, and then let the machine slam itself into Kouma. That will blow them up, along with the Kobu, and probably make a gigantic crater in the warehouse district.

But she loved her machines too much, as if they were her own children.

So Kohran picked Plan A. Her Kobu dashed further into the depths of the district, and with the help of some steel crates, made her way up onto the roof of one tough, steel lined warehouse. She drove the machine onto the roof's ledge, giving Kohran a good bird's eye view of the three Kouma, still madly looking for her.

Any minute now, the monsters would eventually decide that they could use their wings and look for her. Then, her cover would be blown. She had to work fast.

Turning off her Kobu, as the heat it produced might be sensed by the Kouma's heat-detecting brains, she opened up the hatch and jumped out, bringing her with a steel case. Opening it up, it contained highly powered explosives, the same ones the Hanagumi used to blow up a cave suspected to be a base for the enemies several months ago. One bomb could be enough to blow the three Kouma up into smithereens.

Problem was, the bomb's design was made so that it wouldn't blow up even if you put it in a fire, stomp on it, put it beside another bomb, or any other method. It would only exploded when the timer ran out. It wouldn't work like a grenade; it was more like a stick of dynamite.

She had to fix the right timing. When she threw the bomb, it should explode the moment it landed on their black, disgusting hides.

She had five bombs and not much time. The Kouma were getting impatient. One of them was already flapping their wings in frustration.

"Okay…let's think this through…" Her brow knit in scientific thinking. "The weight of one bomb is 10 kilograms…Assuming that I can throw it at around…er…90 kilometers an hour…er…Ooooraaa! I can't base my theory on an assumption! I need solid data…er…Gravity is negative 9.80 m/s2…projectile follows a trajectory…final displacement should be zero…how much time does it take for the bomb to reach the Kouma…"

She took a glance at the Kouma. Their feet were already off the ground.

"Chikusho! No time to think! Just do it!"

She set the timer on the bomb to explode in ten seconds. Once the red blip was on and the counter was ticking, she quickly slapped it into one of the rocket launchers of the Kobu.

10.

No time to waste, as she jumped in the Kobu, bringing the rest of the bombs with her.

9.

She started it up. Its engine hummed back to life.

8.

The Kouma' necks snapped at Kohran's direction. The heat generated by her Kobu gave off her location.

7.

With no effort, they leaped into the air.

6.

They were moving targets, but as long as they were in the blast radius, aim wasn't important.

5.

The Kouma, reaching the peak of their leap, started to flap their wings.

4.

They dived in for the kill, like a hawk hunting for fish beneath the water.

3.

But this fish had other things in mind.

2.

She pressed the button, aimed at their general center.

1.

The bomb was launched. Speeding in a high velocity, it headed straight for the Kouma, which were heading for Kohran as well.

0.

The bomb's insides sparked. Kohran primed her Kobu's steam engine for the most desperate run in her entire life.

The Kouma sensed the metal canister. An enormous amount of heat was sensed. Immediately, they tried to turn back.

She jumped.

Then, suddenly, with the force of an earthquake, the bomb exploded. Searing flames were emitted, and the Kouma were instantly incinerated, vanishing into black energy. The powerful shockwave was intense, as it scraped the metal roofs right off the buildings and sent anything in its vicinity flying.

It didn't even spare Kohran, as she was flung from the warehouse district right back into the city. She crashed into a fountain. There wasn't enough water to break the fall, sadly.

Inside, however, Kohran had a smug smile on her freckled face. She'd be able to repair whatever was wrong with her Kobu in a jiffy. All that mattered now was that she won.


A few minutes ago, Sumire Kanzaki just gave the performance she would never, ever forget. Preparing the best lines, fixing the proper expression, that was the best impromptu play she had ever acted in. Everyone was shocked, especially Sakura. Not only did she do everything right, she had gotten a powerful audience impact. But Sumire knew that that wasn't a play. Everything about it was real. About her feelings for Ohgami was real. About her loss to Sakura was real.

She had won so many achievements, gotten so many things in her 16-year old life. She had won the praise of all the citizens of the Imperial Capital, had immense popularity, was blessed with beauty and a good upbringing, anything any normal girl would die for.

But she lost what mattered most to her to a simple country bumpkin who was afraid of lightning and was horrible in plays. She lost to a girl whom she had detested ever since her arrival to the Teigeki.

But it never occurred to her why she was so mad at Sakura Shinguji. At first, it was only natural since she thought she had the privilege of doing so, seeing herself as Sakura's superior in everything, from good looks to acting.

But now she knew. Sakura was a complete opposite of Sumire. She saw what seemed to be so bad for her actually did good things for Sakura. Sakura was more cheerful and open-minded than Sumire, while Sumire had no problems about speaking her mind, no matter how good or bad it might be. Sakura did her best when she had someone to look up to and follow, while Sumire always wanted to be on top. They were the two sides of the same coin, but Sumire wanted to see herself on top when the coin fell.

It just happened, she guessed, that Ohgami had a liking for someone like Sakura. Why did she like Ohgami in the first place? For one thing, when he was around, she always felt good about herself. Ohgami was the first one to give her back her self-confidence when she felt down. He was the one who calmed her down when her frustrations were on high. He always had the right things to say whenever she needed someone to listen to her problems. An ideal man.

But Sumire had now decided that there still were plenty of fish in the sea. It just so happened that one, big, truly desirable fish just got away. THE fish, probably.

So she wasn't going to let this bring her down. Chuui would be disappointed if he would see her like this.

And now, when three Kouma were in front of her, claws ready to tear and teeth ready to bite, she decided that she wasn't going to lose to these ugly freaks. Her purple Kobu, her naginata, and her own determination were going to see to that. This was just another obstacle that she would slice, dice, and trample.

"KIAAAAAAA!" She screamed, launching herself into the fray.


Iris was alone in her yellow Kobu, silently letting her power flow into her teammates. She breathed slowly, not becoming too anxious or too excited. She had to stay calm, or the flow of her power might get cut.

She had telepathic contact with the other Hanagumi. She had watched Kanna, Maria and Kohran destroy the Kouma. In fact, she had recently watched Sumire fight and win.

Around her, there was an air of disturbing silence. No sounds of battle, no screams of pain, but there was only this deafening quiescence. There were no songs of birds, any wind ruffling leaves, nor chatter of people. Only dead silence.

But she was used to this. She was used to this dead silence. She was used to hearing only her breathing and her own thoughts. This was nothing new.

The first years of her 10-year childhood life were spent locked up in her room, back in France. Afraid of her extremely powerful psychic powers, her parents deemed it best for her to be restrained in her room so that she wouldn't cause harm to others. Then, she had no full grasp of her powers yet, but her skill in telekinesis was already threatening. And as the years passed by and her powers still continued to grow, so did the number of locks and safety measures to keep her inside.

It was not an idyllic childhood. She was alone, with no one to talk to and no one to play with. She usually resorted to making her stuffed toys move with her mind, but in the end, she was just talking to herself. With no friends to be with, and with no parents to love her, Iris was lonely, though lonely couldn't even begin to describe her isolation. But that all ended a few years ago, when a Japanese woman named Ayame Fujieda entered her room and asked her to join an elite team of warriors and actresses in Japan.

"You'll have teammates, people who will care for you and shed tears with you," Ayame once said.

"Teammates?"

And she left her room, her manor, and boarded the first ship to Japan. Destination: The Imperial Capital, The Teigeki.

And as she spent those months with five other older girls and one older boy, she learned how it is to finally belong to a group who actually loves and cares for her. They always tried their best to make each member happy, like a real family. What she missed those years in her prison in France, she finally experienced in Japan. Even if it were a badly made birthday dinner consisting of red carp, squid, and rice cakes, a horrible birthday party with a paper dragon and a bad dance act, or anything else, it was the thought that counted, and Iris couldn't be happier. At least she was finally with people who genuinely cared for her.

And now, when one of them was in danger, she would do anything to help that person out. And that person now was her beloved Onii-chan. Despite the grave situation, Iris was not giving up, after what her friends had done for her after those months together. She would do anything, no matter what it took.

And as her tiny body started to weaken and beads of sweat tricked down her smooth face, her determination only became stronger.


"Kiaa!"

Sakura had dealt the final blow to one Kouma. Her Kobu's katana was lodged deep into the monster's head, and once she pulled it out, it let out one final scream before completely dissipating into the air, like its previous fallen comrades.

She was panting heavily. The Kouma were fearsome, no doubt, but she had the skill and the luck to defeat them.

But she shook her head, shaking off the delusions of victory. This was far from over. So what if she defeated a trio of Kouma? The worst was still up ahead. No doubt, HE was already waiting for her.

Ever since she launched her initial attack, she felt a nagging feeling, like something that wanted to pull her somewhere else, somewhere far from the battle. It was like she was being summoned.

And it stopped, now as she defeated the last Kouma. She had apparently made it to where she was supposed to go.

Ueno Park.

Where it all began.

The carnation pink blooms were showering around her like rain. The wind was strong, and the temperature was cool. The sun was nowhere to be seen, probably hidden behind the towering buildings of the Imperial Capital. The sky was gray, and it seemed like it was going to rain.

Then, memories began to seep in her conscious, flooding her every thought out. Memories of her first meetings with Ohgami, her months with him, as subordinate and captain, as friends, her visit to Sendai with him, their first date, everything came in like an uncontrolled tidal wave. Her determination began to falter, for along with those memories came the guilt, of not being able to protect him.

"No…no…not now…" She shook her head, clearing her brain. This was not the time for tears or guilt. She had a mission to do, and that was to defend the Imperial Capital.

Pushing a button, pulling a lever, she directed her Kobu to walk, deeper into the cherry blossom haze.

Then, as the minutes passed and the wind died down, her sensors caught a massive amount of dark energy, to her northwest.

"There…I'll finish this, once and for all."

Readying the katana, her Kobu silently walked onwards, to the northwest. The cherry blossoms were falling, and the wind was quiet. Nothing made a sound except the Kobu's large footsteps and the thumping of Sakura's heart.

She made her way to fairly small clearing, with a dirt road and a flight of stairs. A few benches lined the road. It was somewhat dark, since there were more cherry blossoms here than the last place.

Then, her sensors picked up something. She turned on the monitor to see what.

A small girl was running. There was glee in her face, like she was playing tag with her friends.

"Eh…what's a child doing here? It's dangerous here!"

She briskly walked over to the child, when suddenly, she tripped, crashing into the ground. She sped up.

But then, she stopped. Someone was already helping the child up. Two, in fact.

A man dressed in a naval uniform, with spiked black hair and a woman wearing a pink kimono and a ribbon in her hair, plus a sword strapped to her belt, carefully helped the kid up. The woman dusted the girl's clothes, and the man helped her stand up. Thanking them, she went on her merry little way, disappearing into the trees.

Sakura took a closer look. This whole thing was oddly familiar.

She zoomed in on the woman. She looked familiar to her. The pink kimono, the ribbon, the sword…everything. Then, she realized that the woman was…

"Me? That girl's me? What's going on?" Sakura muttered, confused.

The dialogue between them was audible enough to be picked by Sakura's sensors. She heard them and was shocked by what she heard.

"That uniform!"

"Yes?"

"Are…are you Ensign Ohgami Ichiro?"

"Yes, I am."

"I thought so! I'm supposed to pick you up!"

"Oh…are you…a…member?"

"Hai! I'm a new member myself…so, let me take you to the Teigeki, then.""Hai. Arigato gozaimas, Sakura-kun."

They stood up, and side by side, walked off, slowly vanishing.

Then she just realized that they were just manifestations of her own memories with Ohgami. This was the first time they met.

"Ah…memories are sweet, aren't they? Especially those spent with loved ones, eh, Sakura-kun?"

His voice was familiar.

Then her sensors suddenly went ballistic, detecting an abnormally gigantic mass of dark energy coming from everywhere. Eventually, the sensors shattered. But the monitors showed nothing, only trees and Ueno Park.

"Where are you…Ohgami-san…iya…Tenkai?" She asked aloud.

"Why, I'm right here."

Then she heard a tap. It came from the Kobu's right shoulder. The outside camera took a look for Sakura.

There he was, casually sitting on the Kobu's shoulder. His long spiky black hair cascaded down his leather-clad body, and his crimson eyes looked past the camera, into Sakura's eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Tenkai…"

"Right. Ichiro's gone, Sakura-kun. Only Tenkai remains."

He jumped off the shoulder, landing a fairly faraway distance from the Kobu. He put his feet on the ground gracefully, like an acrobat landing.

"You're either brave or foolish, Sakura-kun, to face me alone," he said, his usually calm and caring voice turned mocking and intimidating.

"Don't call me that. Only Ohgami-san calls me Sakura-kun," she answered spitefully.

He chuckled. "Right, right. Forgive my manners, Sakura-kun...er…Shinguji. This body has too many habits I need to break."

"The only thing I'm going to break is YOU, Tenkai!" Sakura screamed angrily, and priming her Kobu's jets, lunged at Tenkai, her sword menacing.

But with every slash Sakura would make, Tenkai deftly avoided them, sidestepping and flipping away as if it was second nature.

"Hold still!" Sakura demanded, making another unsuccessful strike. Tenkai landed on his feet with a tap after the last somersault.

His face was twisted into a mocking sneer. "Your Kobu is too slow. You may have won against Yamazaki's Kamui, but I am totally different."

Then, he disappeared, vanishing completely from Sakura's sensors.

And as if the wind carried his voice, he murmured, "I'm more mobile."

And in an instant, he was already in front of the pink Kobu.

"I'm much faster."

He jumped up, and slammed his palm on the Kobu's outer shell. It shook.

"And I'm much, much more powerful."

A snicker, a gasp, then from his hand came forth a gigantic purple beam of energy, completely engulfing the Kobu from head to toe. The place flashed violet as the Kobu was flung along the crest of the wave, burning and melting its metal shell. Trees burned in violet flames as the armor crashed into the ground, digging a trail as it noisily halted to a stop.

"So, how's that?" Tenkai mocked.

When the steam and smoke cleared, it showed what was left of the wrecked Kobu. Its front was completely destroyed, some of its metal parts melted and dripped down the sides like heavy mercury. No doubt the engine too was destroyed, and the systems inside were most likely smashed as well.

Inside, amidst the beyond-repair control panels and the burning cockpit, there was no pilot.

"Eh?" Tenkai mumbled.

"KIAAAAAA!"

It was an attack from above. Sakura, with Arataka ready, slashed downward, bringing the full force of the katana and her own body weight, amplified by her own spiritual energy, down with the blade.

If it were successful, it could slice Tenkai in two."Not fast enough," he murmured.

Then, he whipped out a katana and blocked Sakura's attack. The blades locked into each other in an exchange of powerful energy. Ueno Park was illuminated in vivid purple and pink lights, and bolts of energy shot out from the conflict, burning up more trees and scorching the ground.

He's strong…better back off, first.

She brought her sword up, removing the exchange, landed, and jumped a short distance away.

"Going away so soon, Shinguji?"

Sakura muttered, "I haven't begun to fight, you monster."

He snickered. "Then let's begin, shall we?"

He drew out his other katana and adjusted himself into a nittoryu stance, the exact same as Ohgami's, which was a double-weapon style of fighting. There was plenty of offensive capability, but it lacked defense unless the latter was prioritized, then the fighter had a nigh impenetrable defense, but not much offense. Therefore, any nittoryu fighter could only concentrate on one aspect of the style, and must swap when necessary.

If he fights like Ohgami-san, then I'll just have to attack when his guard's down. That's when he's on the offensive.

"Just to let you know," Tenkai proudly said aloud, "I'm improved the nittoryu. You won't break through my offensive, and you won't see my guard down. When this is all through, I won't even have a scratch and you'll be all diced up into tiny pieces, Shinguji."

What?! Can he read minds?

He smiled. "Yes, I can read your mind, you idiot. That means I can anticipate your every move because I'll know ahead what you're up to."

Then and there, Sakura decided that this was not the time to think of a battle plan, because Tenkai would just pull it out of her mind and read it like an open book. She would have to act on pure fighting instinct, let the battle become alive, flowing on its own, and she'd have to win too.

That made things even more difficult. Sakura was used to thinking of what move is best. She was a calculating fighter, not a raging berserker.

"Shall we begin, Shinguji?"

He had a mocking smile, and she had a determined look. None were intimidated, but Tenkai seemed sure that he would be the victor in this battle.

But she had to win, for Ohgami's, and probably the Imperial Capital's safety.

"Hajime," he announced.

Sakura was the first to attack, lunging forward and slashing downward in high speed. Tenkai, however, merely sidestepped to safety and his right-hand blade sliced, right at Sakura's face. But Sakura quickly brought up Arataka to block. The blades collided with a clang.

"Ha!" She shouted.

"Not yet," he murmured.

Tenkai's free hand quickly made a thrust, right for her heart. Sakura saw it too late, however. As she attempted to jump to safety, Tenkai's blade pierced right through her leg.

She fell, stumbling to the ground. Blood seeped out of her leg wound. She clutched it, trying to suppress the blood and the excruciating pain. She clenched her teeth, quietly whimpered, and tried to stand up.

Tenkai, however, was laughing, pointing at her as if she was some kind of sideshow. "Is this all the Hanagumi has to offer? I'm dreadfully disappointed."

She tore a piece of her pink uniform and wrapped it around the wound. She was able to stand up, but not without struggling. The makeshift bandage's pink color around her leg was already being overlapped by crimson blood.

"I'm…I'm not done yet…I'll save Ohgami-san, no matter what it takes!" Sakura shouted.

"Good girl," Tenkai muttered, "At least your determination will make this battle a bit longer."

They charged again.


"Where's Sakura?" Maria asked.

The team except Sakura was assembled at the front of the Teigeki. They came from their own battle and were supposed to report back here. Everyone was in her Kobus.

"Maybe she isn't finished yet?" Kanna wondered.

"Iya…Sakura-san's a good fighter. If everyone else was able to finish their fights, Sakura-san should be too," Sumire answered.

Kanna was amazed by Sumire's brief display of humility when her thoughts shifted to Kohran. She pushed a button and said, "Oy, have you contacted her yet?"

"Iya," Kohran muttered, "I can't get to her. It seems that her radio's not working."

Maria then said, "I'm worried. Maybe she got caught up in something…fought something more than the Kouma."

Kanna replied, "Are you saying that Sakura might be fighting Tenkai right now?"

The Russian nodded. "Yes, it's possible."

Sumire then asked Iris, "Iris, do you have contact with Sakura-san?"

Iris shook her head. "No…Iris can't reach her…something's blocking her transmissions…"

"Then there's no need to dilly-dally here," Maria said, "Sakura may be in danger and we have to go help her. Minna, spread out and try to find her. When you do, contact the rest of us immediately! Hanagumi, SANJOU!"

Turning up the Kobus' jets, they charged back into the city.

But Iris did not move. She had something else in mind.

Pushing her psychic powers to their full extent, she made a full sweep of the city. Amplified by the Kobu's Ryoshi crystal, each and every thought surged into her brain like a mad river. She then singled out each and every mind, looking for one particular, familiar psychic signature.

Then, it came to her. An image popped up in her mind.

Sakura was bleeding. Her arms and legs were slashed. Blood seeped out of the corner of her lips. She was breathing heavily, and could barely stand up. But she was trying her best to continue fighting.

"Sakura…"

With that, and a flash of light, the yellow Kobu vanished.


Her vision was starting to get blurry. Her breathing was ragged. She found it hard to speak. Her legs were wobbly. She barely had a grip on Arataka. She even found it difficult to keep her eyes open.

Her arms had numerous slices on them, and so were her legs. Her clothes had rips all over and blood seeped from the wounds underneath.

In short, she was losing.

But her own determination was the only force that kept her standing. Despite her injuries, she knew that she could take a lot more before she could be defeated.

With painful struggling, she brought Arataka back up again, and shifted her hurt body into her battle stance once more.

Tenkai could only laugh some more.

"And you STILL stand up? You ARE a glutton for punishment, aren't you, Shinguji?"

With a hoarse voice, Sakura replied, "I'm not done yet, you monster. I'll keep fighting until I die, Tenkai."

Then his smiling face turned into a mocking sneer.

"Then die."

Sheathing one sword, he raised his free hand and opened it. Then, a sphere of purple energy started to form, electricity surging around the violet orb. More beams of energy coming from his aura seeped into the energy, making it increase in size and power.

If Sakura took the full brunt of the blast, she would definitely be disintegrated. And they both knew this.

She had no more energy to move away. She could even barely lift her sword.

But she didn't lose hope. She was going to fight until the bitter end, down to the last drop. Gripping Arataka, she prepared herself.

I will save you.

"Die, Shinguji."

Then, with a slight push, the orb launched itself, expanding in its flight, turning into a gigantic beam, similar to the one that destroyed Sakura's Kobu. If the machine didn't stand a chance, how would a human fare?

She didn't want to think about it. That would be being pessimistic.

It was coming closer. She could already feel the heat of the blast.

But she wasn't closing her eyes. She was going to see this through.

It became brighter. In her bloodshot eyes, the purple energy was almost white.

She could already hear its crackling, electric sound. She felt her hairs standing on an end.

Then everything went black.

"Sakura, get away!" said a small voice.

"Huh?"

"Get away!"

More on reflex than anything else, with her remaining strength, she leapt away, falling back on the ground. She winced in the pain, feeling the same torture course through her body once more. Shaking her head from the pain, her blurry eyes tried to focus on what was that saved her.

It was a bright yellow machine, with steam furiously blasting out of smokestacks from its back. Its shaking hands were stretched out, and a golden force field was trying to block the violet beam. Its feet, being pushed by the beam's force, made a trail on the earth.

It was a Kobu.

It was Iris'.

"IRIS?!" Sakura yelled.

"Sakura!" she yelled through the radio, "The Kobu can't take any more of this!"

"Jump out, Iris! Jump out right now!"

The yellow Kobu's top opened, and out came a 10-year-old French girl dressed in a yellow Hanagumi uniform and had a pink ribbon in her hair. She jumped off the Kobu, and ran straight towards Sakura.

And just in time, too. As Iris jumped off and ran, the force field fell, and the Kobu was engulfed in the purple wave. No doubt it would meet the same fate as Sakura's.

Iris ran towards Sakura, who was lying on the soft grass. "Sakura, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine…where are the others?" She hoarsely said.

"Iris sent them a message. They'll be here shortly…is that Onii-chan?" She pointed at the longhaired man, who had just put his hand back to his side. His face obviously showed irritation.

"Yes…that's Ohgami-san, possessed by Tenkai. He's more powerful than I ever imagined."

She stared at him, muttering curses under his breath, shooting daggers at his blazing right hand. His red eyes were flaring in anger, and his enraged pale face seemed to have a weak shade of pink.

"Masaka…" Iris muttered. This wasn't the Onii-chan she loved.

"Iris…we don't stand a chance against him," Sakura weakly said, "C'mon, while he's distracted, we make a break for it. We'll hide for a while and wait for the others to come."

"Hai…" Iris replied, still shocked at her Onii-chan's shocking transformation.

Using her sword as a cane and Iris as support, Sakura struggled onward, hiding behind a bunch of trees. She stumbled down once she was hidden, panting for breath. Her wounds were taking their toll.

"Sakura, daijobu desu ka?" Iris asked, concerned.

"I'll be okay."

"Hold my hands," Iris requested, and Sakura obliged.

Iris' calm yellow aura flowed into Sakura's, giving her strength. Her body seemed lighter than before, and her vision returned to normal.

"This won't heal the wounds, but it'll help stop the pain for a while."

"Arigato, Iris…"

She was going to say more words of thanks, but a scream shot into the air.

"SHINGUUUJI!!!!! Where are you hiding?! You can't stay away from me forever! Meet your fate in my blades! COME OUT, DAMN YOU!"

She heard a blast. It was probably a burst of energy from Tenkai, then the sound of several trees burning followed. Tenkai was becoming frustrated.

"Just like before…" Sakura muttered.

"What do you mean?" Iris asked.

"Remember the time when I had that nasty bruise? It was when I challenged Ohga…no, Tenkai to a duel, long before this. I defeated him, sent his sword flying. When I was leaving, he slashed me. I didn't notice it, so I got hit. Then, he went into some kind of wild rage, screaming all sorts of things, like the strong being on top or something. He was mad when he lost, and probably frustration's having the same effect."

"He feels like he lost?"

Sakura nodded. "Tenkai's probably a proud person…amplified by that dark power of his, he wants to reduce his opponents to blood and bone when he's done with them…"

Iris looked back at Tenkai from behind the tree, wildly burning down the cherry blossom trees with his purple flame, screaming out their names. "But…it's strange…."

"What is?"

"Why isn't Onii-chan doing anything about this? Why can't I feel presence anymore? I can pick up the psychic signatures of every member in the Hanagumi, but…I can't…I should still be able to pick something up even when he's unconscious or sleeping, but…."

Sakura saw Iris almost at the brink of tears. She calmly placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Iris, Ohgami-san's still alive. I want, no, I have to save him. Please, don't lose hope now."

Iris nodded, forcing a weak smile. She wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

Sakura continued, "Ohgami-san…I don't know how I can say this, but he…well, he sort of…"

"Makes you feel good about yourself?"

Sakura smiled. "Yes. Every time I'm with him, I feel at peace, like I can let go of every problem that I have. I feel so secure when he's embracing me, like nothing can go wrong. I don't know if I'm being selfish, but that's how I honestly feel."

Iris placed her hand over hers. "Iris feels the same way. He's Iris' Onii-chan. Iris never knew how it's like to be in a family, since Iris was locked up in my room back in France. But when Iris joined the Hanagumi, for the first time, Iris finally knew what happiness was like. You're all part of Iris' family, and Onii-chan…he's Iris' big brother, and Iris doesn't want anything to happen to my big brother!

"Sakura! Let's do our best! For Onii-chan!" Iris exclaimed, her face showing genuine happiness and determination. Sakura could only nod.

Then, something went wrong. The temperature dropped. Her back went rigid, and chills shot up her spine. Everything seemed so cold.

Then she noticed that everything in front of her had a deep shade of violet.

"There you are."

Tenkai had found them.

No time to think. "Iris, jump!"

They had leapt out of the way just in time. The trees they used for cover were incinerated, reduced to ash. Tenkai was behind the flames, with a menacing grin on his pale face.

"Your time's up, Shinguji. Time to die."

She struggled to stand up, and almost failed, but grit teeth, a soft growl and her own courage kept her standing.

"Iris, find a place to hide. I'll do this."

Iris was about to protest, but she could see Sakura's determination. She obliged, running a short distance away from the incoming fight.

Facing Tenkai, she brought up Arataka once more. "I won't allow you to do this anymore, Tenkai. I will save Ohgami-san and defeat you, without fail!"

"Fool. All you'll accomplish is your own death."

With his mocking grin fixed on his face, he raised his hand. The same purple energy gathered once more, until it formed again to an orb-like shape. Electricity surged around it, and its light and power grew stronger by the minute.

Sakura prepared herself, gathering as much Ki as possible from her own spirit. This would fuel the last and most powerful technique of the Hokushin Ittoryu: the Haja Kensei- Ouka Hoshin.

She only used the said technique for desperate situations, and Sakura guessed that this was as desperate as desperate could get.

From the tip of her sword, a ball of pink Ki energy started to form, its powers coming from her aura. It grew in size and power, with cherry blossom petals of energy circling around it.

She felt it reach the peak of its power. It was time.

"Haja Kensei! Ouka Hoshin!"

The ball expanded, turning into a large pink beam, its trajectory directed at Tenkai. Swirls of energy twirled around the beam as it headed straight for him.

But Tenkai made his own attack, opening his palm and from it, a black beam of energy shot out. Electricity crackled around it as it made its way towards Sakura.

The two beams collided, exploding upon impact. Yet they remained stable, pushing against one another, competing to see which would be the first to fall and hit the target.

In the center of the collision, small beams of multicolored energy streamed forth and sprayed all around the area, incinerating the surroundings, turning everything to ash. The energy spent was indeed intense, for nothing was spared as Sakura and Tenkai fought in a display of spiritual power.

Tenkai was all smiles. He was not even delivering his whole power into the attack. Yet a small fraction of that power was all that he needed to properly fight with his enemy.

As for Sakura, she knew what Tenkai was thinking, and she knew that she was already giving it her all in her attack. She could already feel her arms becoming heavy, and her legs were already beginning to wobble. Her breathing was becoming faster and more ragged as each minute passed. Her power was already reaching her limits and she was nowhere near defeating Tenkai.

But her own courage and determination was all that she had left, and that steeled her resolve to stiffen her arm and legs and still give everything just to defeat him, to save Ohgami. Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, she was not giving up just yet.

Then suddenly, from behind her, a yellow beam passed by her and slammed right into the black beam, joining the fight.

Sakura looked back, and saw Iris, her hands held up, releasing forth her energy.

"Iris! Arigato Gozaimasu!" Sakura yelled, muffled by the powerful sounds of the beams.

"Hai! Iris wants to save Onii-chan too, and Iris won't be able to do that by just sitting here!" She replied, with a smile.

Sakura nodded, and turned her attention back at the conflict. She saw the black beam only pushed back a little. She was going to need a whole lot more if she was going to win.

Then, all of a sudden, a dark blue beam shot from out of nowhere and collided with the black beam, followed only a few seconds later by a purple beam.

Sakura looked to her right. Two Kobus, black and purple, were by her side, their metal hands opened, sending forth Maria and Sumire's energy.

"Sakura-san! Let's defeat this monster!" Sumire yelled.

"Sakura, we must save Ohgami-taichou!" Maria shouted.

Sakura nodded, smiling, and looked back at the beams. Tenkai's beam was slowly being overpowered, but their combined might was not enough to completely defeat him.

Then, Sakura's radio beeped. Though the beep was barely audible under the powerful sounds created by the beams crashing, her ears caught it and flicked the switch.

"Oy! Sakura! Don't steal the show, yeah?! We all wanna piece of this beastie!" It was unmistakably Kanna's voice; her loud, boisterous voice was unique.

"All right, Kanna-san!" Sakura's spirits were lifting up.

"Sakura-han! Where's your Kobu?!" Kohran frantically demanded.

"Er…well…anou…" Kohran liked her Kobus to the point of doing everything with them, and saying that the pink one was blown to smithereens wasn't exactly cheerful.

"Daijobu, daijobu, Sakura-han! Let's just beat this guy up, save Ohgami-han and go home!"

"Hai, Kohran!"

The red and green Kobus came by her side, gathered their aura, amplified by the Kobu's engines, and then fired their own respective beams, joining the fight.

Tenkai's grin vanished as the last remaining members of the Hanagumi joined the fight. He could feel their united force slamming, pushing against his own power.

Then his legs started to move. Looking down, he could see his feet pushing against the ground, digging a trail.

He was being pushed back.

No one had ever done that before.

"It can't be…" Tenkai muttered.

He could feel it; their combined might was slowly overpowering his.

But little did they know, Tenkai thought with a slight grin, that he was only fighting them with only a small portion of his power.

But they had the gall to try and attempt to defeat him! They had the impudence to stop his plans! Tenkai's brow knit into a frown. He was becoming frustrated, incensed by their insolence.

The only fate that they deserved was complete obliteration.

So, he unleashed more of his dark power, pushing himself to his limits. He wasn't going to lose this fight. He would make them suffer.

Not after all I've been through…

On the other side, the Hanagumi could feel Tenkai putting everything in his attack. Then, it dawned to them that, a few minutes ago, they were fighting with every inch of their power against a mere fraction of his.

Now what chance did they have against the full, unbridled might of Tenkai?

"Sou na," Kohran said, watching her meters on her Kobu interface go haywire, "The Kobu's engines' are overheating! The steam pressure's going over the limits! Any more abuse and the engine will explode!"

"Sakura, I can't keep up anymore…." Iris murmured, her tiny arms weakening as her effort put the strain on her.

"Iris, minna, please don't give up," Sakura pleaded, but she could feel that the little strength that remained in her tired body was starting to fade.

Her head throbbed, her vision was blurry, and she was beginning to lose consciousness. She couldn't hear anything anymore, as everything seemed to freeze. The only things that reached her ears were her own thoughts, which seemed to be louder than before. After all, with her strength almost depleted, her mind was the only thing she could concentrate on.

No…not like this…

Her energy attack lost its luster and form. It was fading.

I still have so much to do…Ohgami-san…

She could barely keep her eyes open. Her eyelids seemed heavier than anvils.

Ohgami-san…can you hear me…

Her knees were shaking. She had difficulty keeping her ground.

Please…hear me out…

She dropped, falling on her knees. She could barely lift her sword now, though it was still aimed at Tenkai.

You were always here for me…

Her breathing was hard and ragged. Her heart was beating furiously.

To hold my hand…to help me up…to care…

Her fingers were losing their grip on the hilt of Arataka.

Help me now…taskete, onegaishimas…

The blade's tip was moving downwards. The beam was lost.

Ohgami-san…

The blade dropped, thrusting into the ground.

Ohgami-san!

The Hanagumi's combined attack was losing against Tenkai's. They were being rapidly pushed back, now that Sakura had fallen.

OHGAMI-SAN!

Then, her thoughts, her desperate thoughts, exploded into a scream.

It was piercing, striking the ears of everyone in the vicinity. Despite the powerful sound created by the clashing beams, her scream was still heard.

Tears had started to fall from her reddened eyes. Her voice was losing its power, yet she continued to scream out his name.

Tenkai could only laugh. "How pathetic! Losing your wits at a time like this! HA! Death is too good for you! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Then suddenly, his purple beam disappeared. It dissipated, turning first into tiny violet molecules before fading into the air.

"Eh?"

With his beam gone, the Hanagumi's slashed through the air, directed at Tenkai. It engulfed him, scorching each and every part of his body. He screamed out loud in immense pain, as the beam brought him crashing through trees, splitting each and every one, until he collided into a wall. But the beam did not stop. It continued to push against him, drilling into him, like a corkscrew. He could only scream some more.

The Hanagumi's power finally expired, losing their hold on the beam. It dissipated, fading into the air. Their engines overheating, the Kobus emitted billowing steam, engulfing the park. The robots were useless now. Every circuit and part had already burned out.

Iris ran over to Sakura, who had fainted. "Sakura! Sakura! Wake up, Sakura!"

Her eyes slowly opened, to see her teammates circled around her, with victorious grins on their faces.

"Minna…did we do it?" Sakura weakly asked, trying to force a smile.

"Hai, Sakura," Maria calmly replied, handing her Arataka, "We did it. Tenkai's defeated."

Kanna helped her up, and helped her climb onto her back. "Hey, Sakura, nifty trick, you did, screaming like that! Must've scared the heck out of Tenkai!"

She gently shook her head. "No…it was all thanks to Ohgami-san."

Sumire was surprised. "Chuui? Why Chuui?"

"He heard me, helped me out, as always," Sakura said, gently smiling, "Ohgami-san helped us. He came through for us."

Tired, the Hanagumi walked through the hot steam, to where Tenkai had fallen.

"Sou na ya…." Kohran moaned, "It'll take WEEKS before the Kobu can be repaired! I have to fix the engines, replace the circuits, replace the Ryoshi crystals, repair the silsius armor, haaaa…So much to do…"

"But you can do it, Kohran!" Iris cheerfully said, "You can fix them, right?"

Kohran smiled, saying, "Mochiron! I just said it'll take weeks, but that won't mean I'll stop, nee, Sakura-han?"

She just nodded, and looked past Kanna's shoulder, past the fading steam, beyond the broken trees, at the end of the burnt trail, at the nigh-shattered wall.

Tenkai was there, on the ground. His dark clothes were torn. A scorch mark blackened his chest. Blood trickled down his lips and from his wounds.

Sakura climbed off Kanna's back, and slowly, but carefully, walked over to their fallen enemy. Aside from his body, Sakura couldn't see his face, as his long black hair covered it.

"Careful, Sakura," Maria told her, "We don't know if Tenkai's up to something or not."

"Understood," Sakura replied, and began to lift his head, parting the hair that covered his face.

His eyes were close. His bloodied mouth was slightly open. She could hear him softly inhale and exhale.

But what struck Sakura the most was that color had returned to his face. It was no longer the pale white of Tenkai's.

"Ohgami-san?" She gently whispered.

His lips moved. He was mouthing out something but no sound issued forth. She moved closer.

"Not yet…not yet…" He murmured. His voice was barely audible.

"What are you saying?" She asked.

"Sakura!" Iris called, "Is Onii-chan all right?"

"I'm not sure," Sakura replied, then faced Ohgami, "Ohgami-san? Please, I don't understand what you're saying,"

He spoke some more, his voice gradually gaining volume, "Sakura-kun, minna, it's far from over. You just knocked the wind out of him, but he's still here…inside me…"

They were beyond shock. Ohgami's words split them open like a butcher's knife.

"But I don't understand! Why is it that you're talking with us now?" Sakura demanded.

Eyes closed, he replied, "You…you made him exert all of his energy on the attack. He forgot about me entirely. He lost his hold on me, so I took the chance to stop him. I heard you, Sakura-kun, you woke me up…"

Sakura saw his tired fingers rise up from the ground, and they gently stroked her warm cheek.

His eyes opened slowly, finally seeing the girl he had been aching to see for the longest time. "Arigato, Sakura-kun…"

She felt tears welling up in her eyes once more. She was getting that old feeling again. "I…it was nothing," She replied sheepishly.

"Demo, Sakura-kun, you still have a lot to go…Tenkai should be completely destroyed, and you should do that before he wakes up again."

His gaze strayed from Sakura, to the whole Hanagumi, who had all sat down to hear what he had to say.

"Minna…arigato, for coming…to try and save me, but there's no time…If Tenkai wakes up again, the Imperial Capital, and everything we have worked so hard for…will vanish…"

Maria asked, "Then, Taichou, what are you proposing to do?"

"It's simple, really," he said, forcing a smile, "Destroy the host of the parasite, and the parasite should die as well."

The words were, at first, incomprehensible, but when they started to sink in, so did its meaning.

"Iya…Chuui, you aren't saying…" Sumire murmured, her face full of disbelief.

He replied, with a slight smirk, "Yeah, Sumire-kun…all of you…kill me."