Prelude to War
A few days later...
Her kingdom lay in partial ruin. Cracks raced through the brown dirt floor, signs of great force. The air still had the scent of blood, heated blood that had been forced out of its owner by a nuisance. Wind rustled stiffly over the area its sounds whipping around upon the many vast crater-like holes that had been punched or forced into the ground. Then Satsuki turned from it, her eyes locking upon the battered from of one of the most persistent opponents to her cause.
Shinko was standing there holding his left arm and slouching down softly. His apparel was different by far than what he had worn the entirety of his time at Honnoji Academy. Bloody bandages were strapped to his skin tied by a very vigilant youth that was under Satsuki's command. He looked beaten and worn covered in the blue jeans and gray tee shirt.
"Shinko Kurosaki," the heiress said calmly staring at the rebel before her. Shinko looked up with eyes twitching in pain trying his hardest to look intimidating against the opposing Kamui wearer.
"What the hell was this really for? Who is Nui Harime? Why were you so nervous looking when she showed up?" the black haired teenager whined staring forward at her with aggression. He knew though that fighting her was pointless at this stage considering that Satsuki was wearing Junketsu and Sentokitsu was deactivated.' She isn't going to answer any of those things,' he said knowing that his father had not lied.
"Humph, you surely do not keep yourself going," Satsuki commented her long blackish blue hair waving in a breeze that passed over the war zone. She heard her the gritting of his teeth and the frustrated growl in his words." If you want the answers you will meet me in the Kansai region," she said much as she had to Ryuko Matoi only an hour or so prior.
"Kansai? What are you doing there?" Shinko growled, in reality it was a low whimper his wounds and pain too much to shout over. The queen of Honnoji Academy raised her brow, it did in fact look like a caterpillar.
"In one week's time the students of Honnoji Academy will begin their grand coup of the remaining resistances throughout Japan," she commented as Shinko nearly dropped to a knee in pain. Her solid eyes were narrowed upon the reflection in the pane of glass the reflection of her own image twisted above a downed person, dressed in plain clothes.
"I won't let you! I'll tear your army apart with these hands," brazen by the recent events Shinko stepped up. His knee buckled and he fell to all fours wiped of any sort of strength to stand up. With a push he stood back up stumbling back loosely like a drunken haggard, Satsuki stared at him disappointed.
"That is if you could stand. Your Kamui provided unexpected data that along with Matoi's will make this process go a lot smoother," she continued noticing the obvious lack of a Kamui surrounding him.' He appears to be too fatigued to even wear it in a deactivated state. He has been stressing himself this entire time,' the heiress noticed the glare in his eyes, it burned brightly with rage.
"That was your goal all alone? Fine Kiryuin, I'll bite see you in Kansai. Matoi isn't going to be the one fighting you either," he stumbled back a wound along his arms opening from beneath its bandage. Tears streaked from the corners of his eyes falling down his cheeks as Satsuki turned to leave.
"If you intend on attacking during the Tri-City School Raid Trip then I believe it would be in your best interest to get healthy," she strolled away calmly leaving Shinko to watch her strut confidently from the academy.
'She's right. I can barely walk let alone think straight but right now she has a lot more answers. My main one is if she knows Nui Harime is the other daughter dad wrote about,' he fell back onto a piece of rubble allowing the wind to sweep over him.
Shinko woke up next on the floor of a small room somewhere in the shaken remains of Honnoji Academy. To his right his Kamui lay folded completely unaware it had been deactivated or even moved from its previous location. He sat up black hair sticking with sweat to his face. The room was the same one he had woken up in this morning.
"You're up what a relief," a masculine voice, carried with arrogance said. A figure was leaning against the wall in a green jacket and pair of green and white sweat pants. A matching bandanna was strapped over his eyes, which had been sewn shut for previously mentioned reasons. His head was tilted down towards the battered teenager curiously.
"Sanageyama? What the hell am I doing here?" Shinko tried to act intimidating but found it harder and harder to even stay focused. His wounds had been a lot worst than expected and his nerves were way more damaged than he had thought as well.
"Is that how you act to the guy that picked your sorry ass up not once but twice?" the green haired former Elite growled angrily. Sanageyama must have been the one that scooped him up after the events of the Natural Elections, something that Shinko had done during the Elections.
"You're right sorry. My question should be why did you help me up? You're one of Satsuki's lapdogs and I'm pretty much the thing trying to tear this place down," his blue eyes looked at the teenager before him even more curiously.' Probably has something to do with my Kamui. Satsuki seemed rather concerned when she saw me without it on earlier,' Shinko said to himself with a pounding head.
"Simple you helped me out after Harime attacked me. Of course you still owe me for the jacket you had wrapped around Jakuzure," the arrogant former Chair of Athletics commented. He had to give her the Three Star Jacket which was actually the only piece of his Goku Uniform that Nui had not tore.
"Makes sense. Speaking of Nonon how is she?" Shinko inquired with blue eyes glaring out at Sanageyama. The teenager got a quick glare back from the former chair of the Athletic Committee,.
"She was beside you in that cot until a few hours ago. She was still pretty banged up when she left too. Matoi did something to her during their fight that shook her up pretty bad," the former Three Star said turning his back away. A smile crossed his face, nothing was funny but irony was a different story." Not a minute ago you saiad that you were our enemy," he kept the grin.
"I'm just concerned about her safety. Gamagori has only been spouting helping out other students every day since I've been here," he responded coldly. Sanageyama stopped again this time almost dumbfounded.' Got him. He can't dey what Satsuki's shield kept telling all of us,' Shinko said noting the somewhat stupid expression on the blind fellow student's face. The grin that had been there was gone.
"You have me there. But Kurosaki if you think that we're going to be buddy-buddy like this when you attack in Kansai you'd be pretty stupid," the master of Kendo said walking to the door. His messy array of green hair waved as the sounds of body parts moving caught his attention.' Is he trying to stand up? He' passed out twice now there is no way he got healthy enough top get up,' Sanageyama turned to find Shinko leaning against the cot body rigid.
"Yeah, I've gotten that a lot. Thanks for answering those questions though means a lot to me," Shinko smiled sitting on the portable bed. Sanageyama scoffed and headed for the door hiding his own embarrassment at needing to be rescued in the first place.
"I'll give you one last piece of advise Kurosaki. In Kansai it is going to be an all out war, one where if you as an attacker are unprepared you'll lose," Uzu went to close the door before turning back in. The beaten teenager on the bed had been one of the most impressive he had ever met." That means rest up got it? I want to have our fight when you aren't holding back," the green haired student had so much confidence that he was anticipating another fight with Shinko.
The door was slammed shut and Shinko was left alone in the confinement on the infirmary. Defiant as ever he rolled off of the cot and stood up looking down at his Kamui which remained folded upon the floor.
'Rest up? Yeah right,' Shinko smiled removing his blue shirt, something he realized was a spare more than likely from Sanageyama. His battered reflection appeared on the glass that remained on the door. Long wrappings of bandages ran across his chest stained with spots of sweat and marked with streaks of blood. His Kamui had tore his body apart due to the prolonged exposure and intense fighting.
'Sento, the only way for us to get stronger is by working together. Even if that means tearing me apart we have to keep getting stronger and keeping Matoi safe,' he said slinging the Kamui's top half over his torso. The two green eyes instantly lit up upon skin contact.
'What happened Shinko?' the Kamui questioned staring around the bland infirmary room. It was not used to being woken up within the confines of Honnoji Academy let alone on its wearer's volition.
"Harime beat us still. But we're here and Ryuko's more than likely fine too," Shinko said unbuckling the spare jeans he had been loaned by Sanageyama. He reached for the bottom half of Sentokitsu a moment later.
'What about Satsuki? I barely remember anything beyond activating Bushido mode,' the red colored Kamui responded glaring at their reflection in the wall opposite.
"Kansai. She's planning a raid on the last three schools that aren't Honnoji Academy property, and her targets are in Kansai," Shinko said tightening the Kamui's belt around the waist. He reached and slid the gloves on as well, his frayed muscles twitched as he did so but ht hid the twinge of pain from his Kamui.
'I presume that means we are going to Kansai,' educated or inferring the Kamui said. Sentokitsu did not have an easy time by any means during the fight with Nui, he had to constantly take energy from Shinko to just keep up.' I'm impressed he even regained consciousness. His blood was taken down beyond our previous low,' the Kamui thought internally.
"You'd be guessing right," Shinko hobbled over and grabbed the one hundred percent Life Fiber boots. With a pull they slipped on and the Kamui had been reassembled to all of its glory.' Damn, my arms,' he winced realizing the grip upon the two boots did not let go, the muscles too fatigued and pressured at the same time to do that.
With excess force they were removed but the teenager hid the frustration of the injury well." How about I get something to eat before we talk more about this? I'm starved," he smiled placing the shaking hands into balled fist at his side before strutting out.
Mankanshoku House( Three days before the Raid)...
While Shinko had been building back up his muscles and training to adapt to fighting against such powerful foes Ryuko had fallen into a solemn slump. The sole daughter of Isshin Matoi barely moved over the past few days and only got up to use the restroom. Her blue gear-shaped eyes did not even have the resolve to look up at the Kamui hanging before her on the wardrobe.
Tears streaked down her face as the past days kept circulating in her mind. Boiling, that was the key thing boiling, the feeling in her chest when she saw the second half of the Scissor Blade brandished by Nui Harime. The same feeling she got upon hearing the same wretched girl giggle about killing her father and losing an eye in the process. Boiling, the same feeling that she got when Mako's skin touched her own when she went berserk. Boiling the feeling she got when Senketsu cried out for help during the transformation.
'Why? Why did you cry bitter tears Senketsu?' she asked herself the sailor uniforms gaze screwed shut by a lack of sustenance. It dark navy blue frame hanging there stationary and stoically as if it were some sort of royalty.
Ryuko felt every feeling pour back through her psyche as she rolled back over to face the wall. The anger and hatred towards Nui Harime and the Scissor Sword which her father had created. The sadness to find out that her father had so much more to say to her before passing but in her haste she led to the demise of the only family she had. The resentment towards herself for smacking away Mako and then going forward to attack her.
'Why did you let this happen Senketsu!' Ryuko frowned holding back tears as her hands gripped into the side of the pillow. The fabric began to tear as she rolled with eyes glowing in agony and hatred towards herself.
The scene kept itself on replay in her mind:
"Why? Why did you kill him!" she shouted striking the purple sword fiercely with her red blade. Nui Harime however was barely flinching at any of the strikes and humming a tune in the meantime. The purple and red blades slammed against one another again, the air sparked briefly before dissipating as once again she drew back her weapon for another heavy swing.
'Calm down Ryuko! Your blood is quite litterally boiling!' Senketsu advised to no avail as Nui slammed down their next strike. Ryuko grunted forcing the weapon up off of theirs and pushing Nui only a step back.
"You wanna know why silly? Well Ryuko-chan you should know," Nui commented in a riddle as their blades clashed wildly around. The blonde was something of a mystery herself and Ryuko hated that fact. They kept swinging for several seconds before the black haired teenager actually understood what had been said to her.
"What the hell do you mean? I didn't know anything about my old man!" the red sword undercut its purple counterpart and reached up but the doll-like teenager simply flipped out of the way. She landed a few feet back as the girl took the time to realize what had just happened." Tell me you little bitch!" her voice roared out as the red bladed weapon slammed hard against the purple bladed sword.
"That Kamui though is telling me you know a lot more," the one eyed girl smiled striking the sword away with what appeared to be a casual swing of her weapon. Ryuko's sword came down again from its knocked position and met a one handed wield of the other half, sparks flew but only Ryuko was exerting herself at all. Nui giggled pushing back from the action for a moment." Think about it Ryuko-chan he overstepped his bounds by making Senketsu," Nui laughed phasing through a blade strike.
Her right hand grazed the closed 'eye' of Senketsu and stars ran along the entire part. The black-haired girl felt her body chill for a moment as did the Kamui before being violently tugged away by some unknown force. Senketsu drilled both heels into the ground to keep Ryuko safe as they reached the edge of the ring, behind them Nui appeared once again with a broad smile.
'Her touch Ryuko. Why was it so cold?' Senketsu asked confused as the chill finally left the both of them. His senses barely picked up on Nui's presence behind them but Ryuko was already defending.
"I don't know! But this bitch killed dad!" Ryuko pushed back the ground cracking under her forceful movement. Nui still was stationary as if one hundred Ryuko's could not budge her from the spot." You bitch! I'm going to kill you!" another heavy strike crunched against the ground, Nui was no longer there
The scene continued on elaborate sword play. Some wit from Nui Harime, Senketsu's Nexus Thread being severed if only for second. And then the next part that snapped her out of it.
"Stop acting like we're friends you bitch!" Ryuko looked up swinging the red sword. It glanced off of its purple counterpart and Ryuko grimaced the blood flowing through the fabric effecting her in more ways than one. The next strike was stopped again and Nui smiled seeming ready to enter a monologue.
"The more you hate me Ryuko the more you love me! They are different sides of the same coin! I knew we were together Ryuko-chan~" Nui said almost in singsong as Ryuko grew even more angry. The ground began to shake as the boiling blood began to flow out in a larger quantity.
'And then even worst things happened. I snapped after this point even more,' she remembered as warm bitter tears flowed down her rounded cheeks. The mat began to be marked by the spots as she sulked silently.
Vividly in her mind there it was. A disproportionate form of Senketsu's spirit gorging itself upon her in a single bloody bite, the eye that had been so clear and calm a swirl that was awash with salty tears. It morphed along with her body the aggressive boiling blood to blame for the momentary de-Synchronization and re-Synchronization. Her skin paled to a sick green and her face morphed into the visage of a cruel demon, and still Senketsu was crying as her right arm became a bulky mass of muscles.
She raged forward at Kurosaki who had stood there to protect her from Nui. His Kamui deflecting her attack as distant stars showed off in the distance.' Like a dumb animal I ran after Satsuki, her lights were prettier,' Ryuko pouted vividly remembering the clinging of swords that had gone on behind her during that span.
Her memories of the fighting were shabby at best but more than vivid enough to harm her mentally. The sight of the ground shattering with one swing of her sword, the spark of light that followed as it met Bakuzan. The rubble that came falling around them breaking in the powerful breaks their weapons caused in the less than majestic exchange of powerful blows.
One piece crushed her, and the ground beneath her but her blood exploded through it like a magma torrent. Like a beast from some sort of movie she pulled herself from the crater and started clashing again as if nothing had ever happened. Satsuki was dominating her even then.
'Mako was the only reason I survived. She came in and snapped me out of it,' Ryuko sighed to herself the sulking continuing.
Mako's soft cool flesh touching her own, soon searing like a piece of meat on the grill was the first sign of weakness. Her memory was blurred of the exact lines but the image of Mako with a bloody nose and tears forming a giant bubble on her face slapping her over and over again was imprinted deeply. The sound of her head snapping backwards from one of the blows was what truly brought her back to reality.
'I only managed to mouth 'thank you' before passing out. Senketsu you were the only reason I could get that far weren't you?' she sighed the tears forming a larger stain against the mats.
Then the window to her room was kicked open by a weird gray haired student. Behind him a swarm of One Stars all wielding weapons of some kind a blandishments to hurt him." Matoi put on your Kamui please! The girl that stood up to Satsuki Kiryuin would never let another student get beaten up by these punks!" he shouted before Ryuko walked over to the window. This student was Shinjiro Nagita, a disgruntled former member of the Newspaper Club.
"Is that why you think I fight? Just to fight! Sorry you're going to have to get out of this mess yourself!" the shutters were closed upon the student's face throwing him back into the horde of angry students. Combat noises raged on until footsteps cast them away, someone had busted into a full out run.
The next day...
"Extra! Extra! Satsuki Kiryuin is making all of you into her child soldiers! Its all a ploy to further her corrupt goals of accomplishments!" the same student, with gray-blue hair cast down over one of his eyes shouted. To his right Mako stood nervously handing out the newspapers he had printed personally to rise up a rebellion.
"Uh, I don't think this is a good idea!" Mako said running around in a panic. Her brunette bowl-cut bobbing up and down as she did so. Shinko walked up before the duo of would be rebel rousers with a smirk on his face.
"I'll take one," he smiled holding out a right hand to the teenager standing before him on a literal soap box. Sentokitsu was watching on as this student reached down with a certain degree of hesitation.' He knows we're watching him,' the black haired teenager commented to himself gripping hold of the newspaper firmly.
"There you go Shinki~o," the gray-blue haired teenager responded. His voice cracked only for the briefest of seconds and the tone shifted to an almost feminine charm but it was hard to tell.
'Did he just call you Shinki?' Sentokitsu asked watching as his wearer analyzed the newspaper.
"Yeah, weird right? But whatever this newspaper isn't lying," Shinko responded as they read on. To their right a thundering herd of One Star Students all with Disciplinary Committee badges came hustling forward towards this teenager yet again." Hey wait!" before the Kamui wearer could react the weird student was hustling away followed almost unnaturally close behind by the band of One Stars.
Mako had been grabbed by Gamagori in the process of Shinko's glare. She had been put to work for the preparations as tomorrow was the day or reckoning for the Kansai region.
'Shit! Mako too! Ryuko's gonna be pretty pissed off it we don't help out her best friend,' Shinko sighed turning away from the now brief bit of a scuffled heading down towards the slums.
'Agreed though that student most definitely is a weird one as well,' Sentokitsu remarked as they ran towards the assembly line of covered trucks among other things.
Mankanshoku Residence( That same day, roughly the same time)...
The shutters to her room were slammed open again. This time the same student was peering in with a bruise over his revealed right eye and a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. Ryuko saw this and still rolled under the pillow unwilling to help such a pathetic excuse for a person anyway.
"Ryuko Matoi, if you taught me one thing," this student's voice rang out almost like Satsuki's. A moment later a series of fist were smacking into her flesh and dragging him away from the small shack of a house. The sounds continued including the cracking of a trashcan and the sounds of a breaking bone filled the air yet again.
Clawing noises rang out as he peered back up towards the window sill more damage plain upon his face. The Uniform he was wearing had been torn apart at the shoulders and his sole eye was starting to blacken." It was to fight for what you though was right! You see what I'm doing: fighting against Satsuki Kiryuin in your stead!" one of the much larger students grabbed him away and threw him to the pavement.
"That's something you taught me Ryuko! So put on Senketsu and help!" Shinjiro shouted once more before being slammed back first onto the ground. Once again the shutters were closed with a heavy thud, their hinges bracing from the impact.
Ryuko felt something spark back inside of herself. Heat, not the kind fueled solely by rage or anger but by righteousness burned inside her stomach. With a single motion Senketsu was drawn from his hanger.
Outside the No Star had been beaten several blocks away and backed into a corner lot. His back was against the side of a house and the One Stars marched forward aggressively. The ground they trod upon seemed to shake as the teenaged boy turned and looked away in every possible direction for escape. There was none as he was placed in a dead end.
"Why not pick on someone who can defend themselves?" Ryuko jumped down from atop the back house, right hand gripping the clip that rested on the glove. With a yank it was free and a large pour of stars came out as the Kamui and its wearer transformed again." Or in this case someone better than you!" the Scissor Sword spun around in her right hand its edge gleaming out with a star.
One swing tore through the three or four One Stars chasing this student. The red line moved forward through their entire bodies severing the upper half from the lower half. Like dummies the bodies broke apart into tiny portions made of nothing more than wood bounce together by small red threads.
'R-Ryuko, puppets?' Senketsu questioned watching as the cords snapped back to the No Star student. Ryuko's face was utterly confused and twisted as she turned around to face the student again.
"You set me up? What is this really all about, I bet Satsuki put you up to it," Ryuko growled turning the blade around. Its edge was shining for sure ready to bisect any incoming threat on such a pathetic level.
"Really Ryuko-chan? I thought you knew me better than that," the voice said with a smile. It had changed and cracked into that of a girl for sure, a girl that most definitely was not normal.
"Nui Harime!" Ryuko shouted angrily. The disguise faded away from the Grand Couturier a moment later revealing that it was most definitely her.
"Yeah Ryuko let's fight again," a cheery laughed escaped her.
"Move faster Makanshoku the Raid Trip begins tomorrow!" Gamagori screamed. The giant much like Sanageyama before him was not wearing a Goku Uniform but a yellow glorified track suit. White stripes ran down both sides of his arms and legs while the logo for Honnoji Academy was placed firmly upon his chest, it was clear that he was going to Kansai.
"Yes," Mako said nervously rushing the array of baskets that were coming her way to the next student. Her hopes for Kansai were high until she realized that it was going to be a 'Raid' trip instead of a field trip. A glowering eye from the giant made he pace speed up again this time so fast the person to her right did not even touch the basket.
"Hey Mako you can stop," Shinko said walking between the convoy. He was still dinged up in a few places but overall he was doing a lot better and probably could take on the swarm of One Stars if they were ordered to attack him.
"She will do no such thing. Lady Satsuki ordered her to work on the Raid Trip as such here she is," Gamagori responded with eyes shining down upon the shorter student. Shinko looked at him with a half smile.
He was about to responded when a loud scream pierce the sky ways.' That was Ryuko's voice,' Sentokitsu pointed out plainly as Gamagori turned back to his group of workers.
"Damn it. I have to make sure she's okay. 'Cause if she's not who is going to kill me if Mako gets hurt in Kansai," he mumbled to his Kamui before turning away from Mako and Gamagori. With blue eyes filled with sorrow he gave a quick glare back towards Gamagori." Tomorrow where are you going to be?" he grunted.
"Kobe, I presume you will also be there?" the blonde former Three Star responded.
"Yeah, and I'm going to ruin your fun first," with that he had to bolt towards the panicked screeching. It had stopped but the foreboding feeling in his gut was one he could not ignore.
There you have it. Shinko recovers only to find out an insane prospect from Satsuki Kiryuin. Not only that but Ryuko is attacked by Nui Harime in a clash of wills and emotion. What is next in this crazy whirlwind of events?
Seriously thanks for reading,
~Herodan3