As the morning progresses, the advancing army gets inside the minimum range of the defensive artillery, and by midday, the infantry begins its ground assault. The defenders are valiant, but they are also outnumbered, and it's not long before units begin to break through.

Only to find themselves in the kill‑zones.

The Yamakasai general, knowing that the perimeter defences wouldn't hold forever, purposely deployed his troops to encourage the attackers to penetrate in the right locations to be funnelled directly into kill‑zones. And it's at one of those kill‑zones that the husband‑and‑wife fire‑team of Hanna and Rob Skarlett find themselves shortly before a breach is made.

"How many of these have we helped at now?" Hanna asks, waiting for the moment the enemy breaks through.

"This is the fifth," Rob answers.

"And how many more are we going to help at?" Hanna continues.

"As many as necessary," Rob answers.

"That's a shit answer," Hanna replies flatly. "We should be finding Maria and Danny, or hunting Tsubaki and Kaede. Be a much better use of our training."

"Where would you start?"

Hanna makes to answer, but halts when she realises she doesn't have one.

"They'll show up somewhere," Rob assures. "Both the general and Hideyoshi know to radio us as soon as they are made aware of any sign of them."

"And there's no point in heading out of the city to find them," Hanna sighs.

Rob doesn't reply, instead simply putting his arm around Hanna's shoulders.

"I wanted to be a teacher or a child carer," Hanna reveals suddenly. "Y'know, before that crash."

"Seriously?" Rob doubts.

"Yeah," Hanna confirms. "Not really the sort of person most suited to such a career though," she admits.

"I'll admit, I find it very difficult to imagine you as a teacher or carer," Rob teases. "Out of interest, why do you mention it now?"

"Because‑" Hanna starts.

"Breach!" the nearby sergeant shouts.

Hanna and Rob duck as gunfire spreads around the kill‑zone. A second later, the squad replies in kind, pinning the encroaching enemy unit, and a few seconds after that, the Skarletts start picking off enemy soldiers with pinpoint shots.

On the opposite side of the city, still outside the perimeter, Tsubaki and Kaede finally find a way to get into the city without being seen. However, Kaede isn't particularly keen to use it, nor does she want to risk sending Maria and Danny down it.

"There's got to be a better way in than this," Kaede protests.

"We've been searching all morning," Tsubaki reminds. "We need to get into the city one way or another, and this is the best we've found."

"It's the least guarded," Kaede corrects, "and for a very good reason."

"The volcano's activity is at an all‑time low," Tsubaki explains. "The chances of any sort of eruption, however minor, are negligible. That means this lava diversion tunnel will remain empty."

"There's an active lava flow just half a mile away," Kaede informs.

"So? It won't be going in here," Tsubaki concludes, entering the tunnel.

"How do you know it's a way in?" Kaede calls after Tsubaki.

"Tunnels need maintenance, which means service accesses," Tsubaki explains.

"But‑" Kaede stops herself, realising Tsubaki's mind will not be changed. "Kitsune dammit. I hate it when she's right. OK, come on you two."

With trepidation, Kaede enters the tunnel, flanked by Maria and Danny.

An hour later, all four would‑be infiltrators are still in the diversion tunnel.

"So much for these service tunnels of yours," Kaede complains. "We're four miles in, and we've not even seen one yet."

"We've passed seven," Tsubaki informs coolly.

Kaede halts suddenly. "Seven‽ Why haven't we used one already?"

"Because I'm looking for one that will lead inside the dojo."

"What makes you think there'd be one?"

Now it's Tsubaki's turn to stop suddenly.

"Ha!" Kaede gloats. "I knew it!"

"I am not a person you want to piss off," Tsubaki cautions without turning around. "Especially since I know your dojo's secret entrance.

"Like that's the only one," Kaede smirks smugly. "Just admit you screwed up."

"I will admit that I may have reached a mistaken conclusion," Tsubaki replies.

"Close enough for me," Kaede shrugs, her smirk slightly reduced, but still present. "So, what now?"

Tsubaki thinks a moment. "There's no point mincing around down here. We'll go up the service tunnel fifty yards ahead."

Five minutes later, the group arrives at the surface‑level access of the service tunnel.

"Wait here," Tsubaki commands as she prepares to lift the manhole cover. "Need to check the coast is clear." Tsubaki lifts the manhole cover slowly, just enough to look out. "We're half a mile from the dojo, and it looks totally‑"

Something tears through Tsubaki's left ear.

Tsubaki drops the manhole cover into place loudly, then clamps her hand over her left ear. "Shit! I've been shot!"

"Get to the bottom of the ladder, and I'll look at it," Kaede volunteers.

"I'm not putting my well‑being in your hands," Tsubaki denies.

"You need someone to make sure the wound is clean and properly protected so it doesn't get infected," Kaede insists.

"Dammit… Fine," Tsubaki relents.

At the bottom of the ladder, Tsubaki allows Kaede to examine her damaged ear, though she only does so once she has her fire sword in hand.

"I'd prefer practicing field medicine without the threat of death six inches from my hip," Kaede comments as she bandages Tsubaki's torn ear. "All the same, that's the ear patched up. Well, what's left of it, anyway."

"What‽" Tsubaki asks angrily.

"That was a supersonic rifle round," Kaede explains. "A subsonic round would have made a neat hole, but supersonic rounds tear rather than pierce."

"Kitsune damn that bat!" Tsubaki exclaims, shoving Kaede away as she stands. "This makes the hunt more difficult…"

Kaede sits up, having fallen backwards after the unexpected shove. "How many more times are you gonna shove me on my arse? And both times it was despite me trying to help you."

"The first time, you made a sexual advance," Tsubaki reminds.

"My point stands."

"I could kill you and blame it on Kasai‑dojo."

"Go on then."

"You're more useful alive."

"Thought so."

A few minutes later, on the front line, Hanna and Rob are helping at a sixth kill‑zone.

"This isn't going well!" Hanna yells above the cacophony, forced to duck to avoid being riddled with gunfire, chipped masonry bouncing off her helmet.

"They're flooding the kill‑zone!" Rob yells back, switching to full auto and unleashing a full magazine at the enemy. "Looks like this one'll be overrun," he concludes, ducking to reload.

"And still no sign of anyone we're looking for!" Hanna replies.

"The chances were pretty‑ Hold on, getting something," Rob requests, listening intently to his helmet radio. "Interesting."

"I wonder what'll kill me first: the suspense, or the invaders," Hanna presses.

"Someone sniped a tanuki just half a mile from the dojo," Rob informs.

"Tsubaki Moto," Hanna growls. "And we're the wrong side of the fucking city!"

Rob takes a final look over the kill‑zone. "No point staying here: it's about to fall. Let's fall back to a safe place, and I'll get more details."

Fifteen minutes later, Hanna and Rob have retreated a mile from the front, and are hiding in an abandoned shop, where Rob is in the middle of obtaining more information about Tsubaki's whereabouts.

"…OK… I see… OK, that's good to know. Thanks for the update." Rob terminates the connection. "She was spotted emerging from a service access to lava diversion tunnel hachi," he informs Hanna. "No‑one saw Kaede or our friends."

"Well, we know where one of them is, and that's good enough for me," Hanna decides, removing her flak jacket and helmet. "What?" she asks in response to Rob's disapproving look. "It's easier to hunt without those bulky things."

"…dammit, you're right," Rob agrees, shedding his armour, revealing his vest is damp with sweat.

"And that there's the other problem," Hanna smirks, her bra and pelt equally damp. "Now let's go hunt a tanuki," she adds with a growl that matches her thunderous expression.