One Last Chance
By: LanaPanther
Warnings: Um, if you've read the rest of the story, you probably know what to expect. ^^;
::Chapter Eleven:: ::Counterpart #3::
"Okay, we're here, now what?" Kouji asked. All five of them had managed to get into the competition, with, Tasuki suspected, and little help from Chichiri's magic, and were standing outside the building at the moment.
"Yeah, this was YOUR idea gentlemen. What happens now? I for one have never so much as lifted a sword in my life, you know." Chiri told them flatly.
"Plus, it isn't fair to the people who worked hard to get in, but couldn't." Genrou added quietly.
"What do YOU care? You're the one who kills on a regular basis!" Tasuki said before he could stop himself.
"I think I need to start going to that support group we heard about, Kouji." Genrou said, seemingly ignoring Tasuki, and turning to her friend.
"Huh? Why?" Kouji asked, confused.
"Cause I'm seriously beginning to hate 'myself'." Genrou said darkly, narrowing her eyes at Tasuki.
"Hmm, does that one thing, you know, about death work both ways guys?" Chiri suddenly asked them.
"Umm, we don't know, no da. Suzaku never told us." Chichiri said, rubbing his neck.
"Well, we can find out." Genrou suddenly said, whipping out a switchblade.
"Wha- Wait! Don't-" Tasuki exclaimed, backing away with his hands up, but to everyone's surprise, Genrou suddenly took the blade, and made a small, a shallow cut on her right arm. Everyone was even more surprised when Tasuki gave a yelp of pain, and a similar cut appeared on his left arm in the same spot.
"Hold out your arm." Genrou ordered, and when Tasuki didn't obey at first, she grabbed his arm, jerking it into reach, and made another small cut, this time on him right beside the first, and hissed in pain when an identical one appeared in the same place on HER opposite arm.
"One, that's just WAY to freaky. Two, I think I believe you guys now." Kouji said in a shaky voice, while Genrou fished some gauze out of her backpack, and bandaged their cuts.
"Well, at least now we know their telling the truth, and that what ever this is works both ways, you know." Chiri commented, backing away from Genrou and Tasuki.
"Satisfied now?!" Tasuki growled at Genrou angrily.
"Oh yes. I REALLY wanted to know I'm a man in another world. Let me guees, is it called Hel-" Genrou started to growl back, but Kouji kicked her sharply in the shin, silencing her.
"Let's just go in." she suggested firmly. The others nodded, and walked through the doors.
"Stop." a man dressed in black said, stepping up to them. "You have to be searched before you can get in."
Tasuki, Genrou and Kouji all froze. They all had weapons on them. No person with an ounce of common sense would leave home without some, they thought.
"Of course, no da." Chichiri said with his ever present cheerful smile. The guards gave strange looks at the oddly dressed men, but decided to disregard it.
"Watch the hands." Genrou growled as one man patted her down along with the rest of them.
"They're clean." one announced after a while. Genrou looked confused for a second, and looked in her pocket were her switchblade usually was, only to find it had disappeared. She glanced at Kouji, who nodded slightly to her to show hers was gone too.
"Go to the ring." the man told them, waving them through another set of doors.
"What happened?" Kouji asked softly once they had gotten past.
"I took them magically, no da." Chichiri said as if it were the most regular thing in the world.
"Which of you is 'Genrou'?" a voice from their right asked.
All five kids turned, and saw a girl with long, light brown hair looking at them expectantly.
"Who are YOU?" Tasuki growled, thinking for a second that she was talking to him. Kouji knocked him upside the head, and glared when he looked her way.
"I am." Genrou said, crossing her arms and looking at the girl cooly without blinking.
"You're my first opponent. Hope you're ready. I'm Tory." the girl introduced, holding out a hand primly.
Genrou studied her for a second, then said, "I know who you are. And I'm guessing you already know who I am." She shook the girl's hand, eyes wary and alert.
Tory smirked. "I know more than you think. Gotten into any street fights lately? I'm shocked you haven't been carted off to jail yet."
Genrou narrowed her eyes, and clenched her fist around Tory's hand, making the girl yelp in surprise.
"If you play with fire, you're gonna get burned... Hotohori." Genrou told her quietly, tightening her fist even more.
"How- How did-" Tory asked, eyes wide, trying to jerk her hand back, but to no avail.
"Don't tell me you didn't know there were other people like you with all of your... 'informants' Hotohori." Genrou said, voice still soft, noticing Tory's eyes were watering from how hard Genrou's grip was. Genrou let go, putting her hand in her pocket, and looking at the girl expectantly.
" ......Other people like me?" Tory asked, eyes wide.
"Is this person bothering you?" a security guard suddenly asked, stepping up next to Tory, and looking at Genrou threateningly.
"No, please leave for a minute." Tory ordered, and the man, still looking suspicious, went to talk to some other guards.
"If she has a character on the side of her neck, than she's the one we're looking for, no da." Chichiri stated, walking up behind Genrou.
Tory's hand shoot to her neck, eyes looking at all five of them in shock, and stammered, "What- How-"
"Your vocabulary astounds me." Kouji said darkly, and Genrou pulled down on her sleeve, showing Tory her glowing sign.
Tory just stared with her mouth hanging open, and Chiri said, "I've got one too, on my knee, you know. We're still looking for the others with the mark. How many more have we got to go, Chichiri?"
"We only have three left, since Tamahome's not dead, and we've found Hotohori now. Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Nuriko." Chichiri answered, looking thoughtful.
"We've been lucky so far. Don't know how hard it'll be to find the others." Tasuki stated, crossing his arms.
"I guess we'll see you later. We've got a tournament to prepare for, and plans to make." Genrou told Tory, and gestured for the other four to follow her to the hospitality room.
********************
"Okay, now what? You know, I think you scared her, Genrou." Chiri asked tiredly, collapsing onto a couch with a little paper cup of water.
"She'll probably beat me in the first match, but I'll try to talk to her some more before she does." Genrou answered, sitting cross-legged in an arm chair.
"We probably just posed as a threat to the President's daughter in her guards eyes. How do we know they'll let you near her again?" Kouji groaned, looking around for some aspirin.
"She didn't seem to be scared, no da. Just surprised." Chichiri pointed out.
"She LOOKED like she thought we were some insane escapees from the emperor's dungeon." Tasuki muttered.
~Tory's P.O.V.~
'Who WERE those people?!' I thought, shaking my head clear of my shock.
'That red-haired girl... She had a mark just like I did! What did she mean by 'others'? How many more of us ARE there? Argggghhh! This is too confusing! The anxiety is giving me wrinkles!' Tory frowned, and then turned to one of her guards.
"Shawn, after the match, please bring those five people who were talking to me earlier to me, will you please?" Tory asked, or rather ordered.
"Right. I'm probably going to need a few others to come too, though. They looked like a rough bunch." he answered, and jogged off when Tory nodded.
"Now I'll find out what's going on here." Tory said softly, looking determined.
By: LanaPanther
Warnings: Um, if you've read the rest of the story, you probably know what to expect. ^^;
::Chapter Eleven:: ::Counterpart #3::
"Okay, we're here, now what?" Kouji asked. All five of them had managed to get into the competition, with, Tasuki suspected, and little help from Chichiri's magic, and were standing outside the building at the moment.
"Yeah, this was YOUR idea gentlemen. What happens now? I for one have never so much as lifted a sword in my life, you know." Chiri told them flatly.
"Plus, it isn't fair to the people who worked hard to get in, but couldn't." Genrou added quietly.
"What do YOU care? You're the one who kills on a regular basis!" Tasuki said before he could stop himself.
"I think I need to start going to that support group we heard about, Kouji." Genrou said, seemingly ignoring Tasuki, and turning to her friend.
"Huh? Why?" Kouji asked, confused.
"Cause I'm seriously beginning to hate 'myself'." Genrou said darkly, narrowing her eyes at Tasuki.
"Hmm, does that one thing, you know, about death work both ways guys?" Chiri suddenly asked them.
"Umm, we don't know, no da. Suzaku never told us." Chichiri said, rubbing his neck.
"Well, we can find out." Genrou suddenly said, whipping out a switchblade.
"Wha- Wait! Don't-" Tasuki exclaimed, backing away with his hands up, but to everyone's surprise, Genrou suddenly took the blade, and made a small, a shallow cut on her right arm. Everyone was even more surprised when Tasuki gave a yelp of pain, and a similar cut appeared on his left arm in the same spot.
"Hold out your arm." Genrou ordered, and when Tasuki didn't obey at first, she grabbed his arm, jerking it into reach, and made another small cut, this time on him right beside the first, and hissed in pain when an identical one appeared in the same place on HER opposite arm.
"One, that's just WAY to freaky. Two, I think I believe you guys now." Kouji said in a shaky voice, while Genrou fished some gauze out of her backpack, and bandaged their cuts.
"Well, at least now we know their telling the truth, and that what ever this is works both ways, you know." Chiri commented, backing away from Genrou and Tasuki.
"Satisfied now?!" Tasuki growled at Genrou angrily.
"Oh yes. I REALLY wanted to know I'm a man in another world. Let me guees, is it called Hel-" Genrou started to growl back, but Kouji kicked her sharply in the shin, silencing her.
"Let's just go in." she suggested firmly. The others nodded, and walked through the doors.
"Stop." a man dressed in black said, stepping up to them. "You have to be searched before you can get in."
Tasuki, Genrou and Kouji all froze. They all had weapons on them. No person with an ounce of common sense would leave home without some, they thought.
"Of course, no da." Chichiri said with his ever present cheerful smile. The guards gave strange looks at the oddly dressed men, but decided to disregard it.
"Watch the hands." Genrou growled as one man patted her down along with the rest of them.
"They're clean." one announced after a while. Genrou looked confused for a second, and looked in her pocket were her switchblade usually was, only to find it had disappeared. She glanced at Kouji, who nodded slightly to her to show hers was gone too.
"Go to the ring." the man told them, waving them through another set of doors.
"What happened?" Kouji asked softly once they had gotten past.
"I took them magically, no da." Chichiri said as if it were the most regular thing in the world.
"Which of you is 'Genrou'?" a voice from their right asked.
All five kids turned, and saw a girl with long, light brown hair looking at them expectantly.
"Who are YOU?" Tasuki growled, thinking for a second that she was talking to him. Kouji knocked him upside the head, and glared when he looked her way.
"I am." Genrou said, crossing her arms and looking at the girl cooly without blinking.
"You're my first opponent. Hope you're ready. I'm Tory." the girl introduced, holding out a hand primly.
Genrou studied her for a second, then said, "I know who you are. And I'm guessing you already know who I am." She shook the girl's hand, eyes wary and alert.
Tory smirked. "I know more than you think. Gotten into any street fights lately? I'm shocked you haven't been carted off to jail yet."
Genrou narrowed her eyes, and clenched her fist around Tory's hand, making the girl yelp in surprise.
"If you play with fire, you're gonna get burned... Hotohori." Genrou told her quietly, tightening her fist even more.
"How- How did-" Tory asked, eyes wide, trying to jerk her hand back, but to no avail.
"Don't tell me you didn't know there were other people like you with all of your... 'informants' Hotohori." Genrou said, voice still soft, noticing Tory's eyes were watering from how hard Genrou's grip was. Genrou let go, putting her hand in her pocket, and looking at the girl expectantly.
" ......Other people like me?" Tory asked, eyes wide.
"Is this person bothering you?" a security guard suddenly asked, stepping up next to Tory, and looking at Genrou threateningly.
"No, please leave for a minute." Tory ordered, and the man, still looking suspicious, went to talk to some other guards.
"If she has a character on the side of her neck, than she's the one we're looking for, no da." Chichiri stated, walking up behind Genrou.
Tory's hand shoot to her neck, eyes looking at all five of them in shock, and stammered, "What- How-"
"Your vocabulary astounds me." Kouji said darkly, and Genrou pulled down on her sleeve, showing Tory her glowing sign.
Tory just stared with her mouth hanging open, and Chiri said, "I've got one too, on my knee, you know. We're still looking for the others with the mark. How many more have we got to go, Chichiri?"
"We only have three left, since Tamahome's not dead, and we've found Hotohori now. Mitsukake, Chiriko, and Nuriko." Chichiri answered, looking thoughtful.
"We've been lucky so far. Don't know how hard it'll be to find the others." Tasuki stated, crossing his arms.
"I guess we'll see you later. We've got a tournament to prepare for, and plans to make." Genrou told Tory, and gestured for the other four to follow her to the hospitality room.
********************
"Okay, now what? You know, I think you scared her, Genrou." Chiri asked tiredly, collapsing onto a couch with a little paper cup of water.
"She'll probably beat me in the first match, but I'll try to talk to her some more before she does." Genrou answered, sitting cross-legged in an arm chair.
"We probably just posed as a threat to the President's daughter in her guards eyes. How do we know they'll let you near her again?" Kouji groaned, looking around for some aspirin.
"She didn't seem to be scared, no da. Just surprised." Chichiri pointed out.
"She LOOKED like she thought we were some insane escapees from the emperor's dungeon." Tasuki muttered.
~Tory's P.O.V.~
'Who WERE those people?!' I thought, shaking my head clear of my shock.
'That red-haired girl... She had a mark just like I did! What did she mean by 'others'? How many more of us ARE there? Argggghhh! This is too confusing! The anxiety is giving me wrinkles!' Tory frowned, and then turned to one of her guards.
"Shawn, after the match, please bring those five people who were talking to me earlier to me, will you please?" Tory asked, or rather ordered.
"Right. I'm probably going to need a few others to come too, though. They looked like a rough bunch." he answered, and jogged off when Tory nodded.
"Now I'll find out what's going on here." Tory said softly, looking determined.