AD 2207, 5/18, 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi – Kagutsuchi Port
The light of the setting sun reflects harshly off orange glasses and into a wild white streak in the otherwise pitch-black spiky hair of Tager. His crimson muscles bulge slightly as his heavy metal gauntlets delicately manipulate the beeping communicator. His tusk-like bottom teeth emphasize his worried frown quite strikingly as he speaks into the receiver. "Kokonoe?"
"Tager, what's the situation?" The cranky voice of Kokonoe, Sector Seven's greatest mind, frankly cuts through the static.
Tager once again scans the streets below his perch. "No sign of them yet, Kokonoe. Are you sure they'll come back this way?"
Kokonoe scoffs. "Of course, I am. Mutsuki isn't gonna risk the monorail, and he sure as hell isn't walking back to Ookoto. They'll be there any minute, so stay sharp."
Tager nods absently. To think Nirvana would cause this much trouble… He scans the horizon once more, then narrows his eyes. A blur of purple and silver is heading straight toward him. It must be his target.
"Kokonoe, I have a visual." Tager tenses, preparing himself to intercept.
"Good. We need Clover and Nirvana off the streets ASAP. If Mutsuki gets in the way, beat his ass. Understood?" Kokonoe's frank and cold demeanor would chill most people.
Tager simply hums. "Roger. Kokonoe, if there is more interference, who should I prioritize?"
Kokonoe huffs. "It's probably not gonna come to that. But if it does, Clover. That kid's a walking time bomb. No telling when he'll go off." There are some beeps and a grumbling voice on the other end of the line. Kokonoe scoffs. "Alright. Looks like you're on your own for a while Tager. Don't screw this up, Tager."
The communicator clicks off the frequency, and Tager leaps down, planting his metal fist firmly into the metal of the port itself. The resulting dent provides Nirvana extra incentive to screech to a halt only a scant few meters from him.
Tager stands and enters a stance, combat-ready. "Carl Clover. I need to take you to the Sector now. Come quietly, or there will be trouble."
Clover glares at him with his only physical cerulean eye, his silver half-mask glowing slightly with an azure hue. "I won't be going anywhere with you, Red Devil."
Mutsuki frees himself of Nirvana's grasp, entering a combat stance of his own with that oversized rectangle he calls a sword. "C'mon Tager, we don't need to do this. Tell Kokonoe that Clover's safe with me."
"I can't do that, Black Knight Kagura. Please, do not interfere." Tager feels electricity begin to channel into his fists.
Mutsuki huffs and shrugs, his purple eyes narrowing as he fully drops into his stance. "Alright, have it your way, man. Clover, sit tight for me, okay? This might take a while."
Mutsuki opens with a forward stance, charging Tager with an uppercut-like swing of his blade. Tager swiftly dashes back and throws a counter punch, which Mutsuki blocks with the flat of his sword. Mutsuki drops into a low stance, then swings at Tager's midsection. Tager shunts the blow aside, but Mutsuki uses the momentum to spin and stab at Tager's now exposed leg. Tager grunts as the sword lands true, though he manages to move his footing to get his metal thigh guard in the way, softening the blow.
Tager makes the next move, and this time, he tries to grab the errant 'knight,' but Mutsuki dashes away from him too quickly. Tager uses the opportunity to throw an electrical projectile, which Mutsuki only just intercepts with a dark projectile of his own. The two men narrow their eyes as they size the other up, circling.
Clover and Nirvana are watching closely from a safe distance, wary of Tager's partner being around. They are right to be afraid, as Bullet comes rushing in from the shadows. She jumps and attempts to snatch Clover from Nirvana's arms, but Nirvana merely shifts him and extends her claws into the air, forcing her to land awkwardly.
"Dammit. You're coming with me, Clover." As Bullet charges them once again, her partner is charging Mutsuki with a low tackle.
"Tager! Call her off! This fight is between you and me, got it?" Kagura barely shunts around the charge, but Tager forces him to block the electrically charged backhand that follows.
"No. We're going to be taking Clover into custody, Mutsuki. I told you not to interfere." Tager feels his frustration growing as the situation unfolds. He truly hadn't wished to resort to violence. But he supposes it was inevitable. Mutsuki and Clover are too stubborn for their own good.
"Have it your way, then." Mutsuki glares at him defiantly as he throws his blade forward, flat side first into Tager's chest. The cyborg glowers as the blow forces him back a step. Mutsuki reclaims his blade and jumps, throwing down a hefty crosscut that Tager barely manages to block with a grunt.
Tager then snatches Mutsuki out of the air and slams him hard into the ground. Mutsuki lets out a pained groan, but swiftly slams the flat of his blade into the side of Tager's head, forcing him to relinquish his shin.
Bullet shouts triumphantly as she lands a hard kick to Nirvana's face, forcing Clover out of her arms. Her feeling of accomplishment is short-lived, as he dives from the air on his knight's horse, aiming the lance squarely at her head. She leaps away, and Clover lands safely astride the metal steed, which enters a cautious guard stance.
Bullet huffs. "Give it up, Clover. Just come along quietly, and maybe Kokonoe will take it easy on you."
Clover scoffs. "You never learn, do you?" Nirvana rushes towards her with a haymaker.
Bullet grunts as she moves around the blow, still feeling the burn in her legs building from the strain. She needs to end this quick. She rushes forth like her namesake and snatches Clover from his horse, slamming him into the ground mercilessly. The flagpole she receives to the face from her troubles draws forth a string of curses that would make a sailor blush with shame.
Meanwhile, Mutsuki is proving to be a more even match for Tager than even he was expecting. They're both breathing heavily as they trade even heavier blows. This isn't a war of attrition, but an all-out slugging match. Mutsuki finally manages to land a glowing uppercut swing, smirking toothily.
However, Tager quickly recovers in the air, and slams his fists down, knocking the other man back several meters. Mutsuki barely keeps standing, and Tager seizes the opportunity to land his magnetizing electrical bolt squarely on Mutsuki's chest. The projectile brings Mutsuki to his knees, singing his white shirt.
Tager then activates his gantlets, pulling Mutsuki towards him for a devastating throw. "Emerald… Tager… Driver!"
As the emphatic thud of flesh on metal rings out through the area, Clover grits his teeth. He's got Rook and Bishop working in conjunction to parry and block the offense of Bullet, but the woman simply won't relent. Nirvana is down in self-repair mode, Knight is out of range, and Pawn won't do much for him in this situation, so he can only bide his time for now.
Mutsuki hacks up a small amount of blood as Tager begins to lumber towards his target but shakily rises to his feet. With a burst of dark energy, he rushes towards the cyborg's back and releases a series of hefty cleaves and cross-cuts. Tager barely turns in time to defend himself from the onslaught. Both men heave and groan with exertion for several seconds, but Mutsuki eventually breaks through. He grits his teeth as his sword chips and cracks, the shockwaves traveling up his arms as he fully brings his assault down to bear on Tager.
Meanwhile, Bullet's assault is finally slowing, though Bishop is out of commission, and Rook is barely functioning. Clover manages to pull them both back and dodge around her blow, retrieving Knight as Nirvana finally becomes functional again.
Bullet's vision is tunneling now, focusing solely on him, and he smiles as he ducks. Nirvana rushes forwards with her own barrage of punches. "Rhapsody of Memories!"
As Bullet falls prey to Nirvana's fists, Tager finally succumbs to his wounds, falling to one knee in exhaustion and pain as Kagura slumps forward slightly, balancing precariously on his damaged blade.
He looks up to Clover and winces as he watches Nirvana pummel the buxom beauty. "Gonna have to talk to Clover about that…"
Clover smiles sharply, his eye glinting with satisfaction as he uses the lance of Knight to keep Bullet on the defensive, caught between the merciless siblings. This is what happens to those who attempt to separate them.
Kagura's voice breaks through the sounds of metal on flesh. "Hey, Clover! Watch it! The lady's had enough!"
Clover glares balefully at the older man. "She seems to be standing Mutsuki. I doubt we can make our escape until she goes d—!"
Bullet finally finds an opening and breaks free of the assault, her battered frame shaking heavily as she gasps for air. "Alright, you bastard. It's my turn!" She rushes forward and grabs Clover by the throat, slamming him down and dragging him forward with her.
Kagura rushes forward on adrenaline alone as he watches her left gauntlet extend into a cannon. But he's too slow.
Bullet lifts them both into the air, blasting Clover with an intense burst of flame. It damages his defending Rook into non-functionality and singes the puppeteer's hair and clothes before it sends him hurtling back to the ground. He lands with an emphatic crash, unconscious.
Nirvana slumps with his other puppets, inert. Kagura stops himself fast as Bullet turns to him. She's clearly running on empty, but he's pretty well spent himself.
"My, my. What a troublesome situation you've gotten yourselves into." The scent of roses fills the air and Kagura wheels around to see a young woman in a black gothic dress with white lace lining and red trim staring at him with scarlet eyes full of amusement.
"Rachel?" Kagura raises an incredulous eyebrow. She sure has grown.
The young woman, Rachel Alucard, raises a pale blonde brow of her own, her ankle-length ponytail flowing elegantly on the breeze. "It would seem that you are in need of assistance, 'Lord' Mutsuki."
Bullet rushes past him, towards the vampiric princess. "D-Dammit, stay out of— Guh!" A strong gust of wind slams Bullet back, rendering her unconscious.
Kagura winces, then glares at her. "Hey now, that was pretty unnecessary, don't you think?"
Rachel scoffs. "Please. You were seemingly incapable of resolving this yourself, and I'd grown bored of watching you scamper about. Now, bring that boy to me, would you? I wish to have a look at him."
Kagura stares at her in silence for a moment, scrutinizing her. Then he shrugs, and picks up Clover, bringing him towards Rachel.
She hums thoughtfully. "Hmm. Still wasting away your potential after all this time? How pitiful. Mutsuki, I know all about this pathetic scheme of yours. I expect him to be ready for a visit in no more than a week."
Rachel huffs at Kagura's expression of shock, tilting back her head haughtily as she turns and warps away, back to her castle, no doubt.
Kagura stands there for a moment but shakes off his daze when he sees Tager coming around out of the corner of his eye. He shakes Clover awake, and the younger man quickly calls out to his sister, who rushes with them to the ship before Tager fully rouses himself.
Later…
"What do you mean they got away?!" Kokonoe's anger finally causes her best soldier to flinch.
"I don't know. Mutsuki has gotten stronger since we last fought. But Bullet seems to be in worse shape than I am. I'm returning her to the Sector now." Tager grunts as he nearly trips over a dip in the dirt trail.
Bullet comes to with a pained groan. "C-Captain? What…!" Bullet stiffens and glares harshly at their surroundings. "Where's that witch?"
Tager blinks. "Witch?"
Kokonoe's disbelieving voice fills the air. "Now Rachel is in on it?! Oh, that's just great! Tager! Hurry your dented ass back here! We'll need to think of something else to get Clover."
Tager hums. "Understood. I'll do my best to hurry." Bullet cusses heavily under her breath once the line goes dead.
Tager shakes his head. "Things just keeps getting better, and better…"
Author's Note
A spin-off should be out by tomorrow, starring Bang and Amane. Please keep an eye out for it. As always, I welcome all criticism, and thank you for your time.