Kataoka and Takebayashi are the first two to fall.
"They got sniped." Isogai's alarmed voice rings through the speaker comms. "It must've been Chiba and Hayami."
Kataoka was in charge of our defense, Kayano realizes as she makes her way through the forest alongside Kurahashi, and Takebayashi had that paint bomb plan.
These targets were strategically chosen.
"Damn it," Maehara mutters through the comms. "We really need to watch out for those two."
Kayano considers offering to track and kill one of the snipers—They probably won't expect someone like me to be fast enough to take them out—but then Kanzaki's voice responds.
"Don't worry guys. I can take care of it."
~.~.~.~.~.~
Chiba and Okajima are the next two casualties.
Karma internally curses himself for forgetting about Kanzaki's experience in battlefield tactics and navigation. Well, at least Okajima's dying scream was admittedly kinda hilarious.
"Ah, sorry guys," Karma murmurs into his comm. "This was an overlook on my part."
"She's probably headed towards our flag," Nakamura says from beside him. "Should I go and try to take her out?"
"No, this was my mistake." Karma leaps off of his boulder. "I'll handle this."
~.~.~.~.~.~
"I've just defeated Sugaya as well," Kanzaki's voice reports.
"Nice!" Sugino's amazement is amusingly audible through his voice in the speaker. "Keep it up, Kanzaki!"
"Where are you right now?" Isogai asks.
"East of their flag. I can see—"
Then there's a small yelp and Kayano stiffens.
"Kanzaki?" Kayano says.
No response.
Kayano shares a glance with Kurahashi.
Then a faint voice comes from the comm.
"...then all I need to do is lie in wait for you along the way."
It's Karma's.
Kayano grips her knife tighter.
"What happened?" Kurahashi says anxiously as more silence ensues.
Kayano turns to Kurahashi. "Karma got her."
"It's all right." Isogai then says through the comm. "Kanzaki was a big help. Now we can advance without worrying about Chiba. Everyone, continue as planned!"
~.~.~.~.~.~
Karma has to admit that killing Kanzaki with his own hands brought him a feeling that he missed. The sure slash of a knife, the decisive strike on a target—sensations that were reassuringly familiar. That he could trust.
He lifts the comm mic to his mouth. "Come in, Red Team. I'll take the lead from here."
A chorus of "Okay"s come from the speakers.
"All right, Mimura," Karma says, making his way back to his boulder, "see that high point to Karasuma's right? Head there, and don't let anybody see you."
"Okay."
"And Terasaka, you and the other two stooges are on defense at Face Rock." Karma can feel the pieces of a plan beginning to fall into place in his mind. "It'll be a pain if they make it past there, so guard it closely."
"Karma," Mimura reports. "I'm in position."
Karma lets out a hum. "You should be able to see the enemies' positions from here. Report to me, and I'll make orders based on that."
A pause. And then, "Sugino and Fuwa, I think, in the forest on the right flank."
"Nice, Mimura." Karma lets his lip quirk upwards in a small satisfied smile. "Next up, Hazama. Advance."
~.~.~.~.~.~
There's a mix of screams that sounds like Fuwa's and Sugino's, and then it gets cut short.
"What's happening?" Kurahashi says frantically into her comm, but there's no response.
"I think their group got ambushed," Kayano says. "There's no way Sugino would've lost in a direct close quarters confrontation."
Although... it's a bit strange how they managed to prepare an ambush in that area. It's so deep into our own territory.
And then sure enough, Isogai's yell rings from the comm. "Damn it, stop becoming one with the darkness!"
"Okay, that's definitely Hazama." Kayano leans her face towards her comm mic. "Isogai, who else is there? What happened?"
"Sugino and Fuwa are dead," Isogai says after a moment. "I just took out Hazama. I think she was alone. But it looks like we won't be able to pull off our simultaneous attack plan..."
"What should we do now?" Kurahashi says.
And then it hits Kayano.
"Isogai," she says, a bit more sharply than she expected, "our positions are getting leaked."
"Wait. Oh. Oh." She can hear the realization fill Isogai's voice. "You're right. That explains how they even knew we were there." There's a short pause. "Thanks, Kayano. Okuda and I will look for this spy. You guys—"
A rustle sounds behind Kayano and she whirls around, knife raised. Isogai's voice is faintly audible from her comm, but her focus is seized by the movement and noises that flutter from the trees above her.
"Be careful," she says to Kurahashi, moving to stand back to back with her. "They're coming."
~.~.~.~.~.~
"Oh, I see what you're doing," Nakamura says when Karma returns. "Dwindle their forces by taking them out one small group at a time."
"You got it." He pulls himself up onto the boulder. "Now that we've disrupted their forces with the ambush, Okano and Kimura should be able to do some decent damage."
"But the Blue Team does have some good fighters." Nakamura has a hand on her chin. "Maehara and Isogai could probably be a match for them."
"Yep. That's why I told our fighters to use hit-and-run tactics. Dash in, make the kill, escape." Karma mentally runs through the list of Blue Team members. "And there isn't anybody capable of matching their speed. There shouldn't be, at least."
~.~.~.~.~.~
Kayano lunges in front of Kurashashi and blocks Okano's knife just a heartbeat before the hit connects.
Surprise flashes across Okano's face, and she leaps back.
"Wow," Okano says with a smile. "I didn't think you would be able to keep up with my movements."
"Sorry for hiding it." Kayano smiles apologetically.
I've always been able to.
Then she dashes forward to slash at Okano, who ducks to the side and dodges it. She retaliates with a slash of her own, but Kayano leaps backwards out of its range before it can reach her.
Droplets of red and blue paint jump in the air as the two of them skirmish in a flurry of lunges and swings. Kayano darts side to side, deflecting and dodging each of Okano's attacks, slightly gritting her teeth as her own attacks are met with the same evasiveness.
And then Okano spins, sending her foot flying forward with a blade at the end—
—and for a moment, Kayano sees how Okano's arms tilt away from the side of her body.
There.
Before Okano can land the hit, Kayano rushes forward and leaves a streak of blue across her unguarded side.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A/N: In the original civil war, I remembered how disappointed I was that Kayano got taken out so quickly (without a single kill), especially when the whole thing happened like RIGHT after her reveal and she showed us how powerful she actually was. So here we go! In here, she's able to save Kurahashi and take out Okano before Kimura arrives, and... we'll see how it changes things :))
I hope that this chapter wasn't too boring! I understand if it was, since most of it was pretty much a written version of the actual civil war-but from here on out, things are going to get shaken up quite a bit, and I'm super hyped to have the next few chapters posted!
And Happy New Years Eve everyone! Thanks for reading as always! 3
