"Thank me." I muttered low, under my breath, so Rose next to me wouldn't hear or stir, "I was starting to get antsy, with all this waiting around."
Seriously, I could only spectate so much whilst knowing something is going to happen before the whole thing just drives me up a wall.
But it finally happened. Something.
Zekka just snuck out of the inn.
It's the middle of the night, and I don't need the greatest sensing ability in the world to tell that everyone's asleep, especially considering the day they had.
The girls passed the preliminaries with ease, even hit it up there with all the other top scorers.
Ever since the news came in, they'd been celebrating, going absolutely hog wild at the festival itself.
The cotton candy minder barely managed to wrangle the brats back to the inn, but as soon as they settled down?
Out like a bunch of lights.
All but Zekka, it seems.
Carefully now, I rose out of bed, careful to untangle myself from Rose's arms without waking her up.
The bed is super comfy, and Rose's naked form in it makes it even more enticing to just lie back down, let Zekka do her potentially very stupid thing, and reap the consequences…
I resist the urge to sigh and instead shake my head at the thought.
A kiss on the cheek leaves Rose with a smile, and soon enough, I'm up, dressed, and out the door, making sure to bring my sword along with me.
Just in case.
For now, though, it's time to put that ninja training back into use!
Eh, I doubt I'll really need it, but who knows. It usually pays to be thorough.
Even if Zekka had about as much stealth experience or ability as a, well…
Yeah, there really is no metaphor there to describe just how completely out of her element she was there.
I tailed her easily, keeping my presence hidden. At first, she tried to blend in with the town's nightlife, but that fell apart quickly when she kept getting caught up in the festival's late-night stands.
And by stands, I mean scams. So many tourist-trap scams. In ten minutes, she almost got scammed about seventeen times.
I counted.
I also saw that old man again, and for some reason, I felt the extreme urge to smack him over the head.
Thankfully, either she realized none of this was working, or she simply got overwhelmed and decided on a far simpler method of 'sneaking' out.
Booking it as fast as physically possible.
At least she didn't get scammed. Mostly because she was going too fast to hear any of the would-be scammers' attempts.
From then on, trailing her went much faster, right until she made it out of town, rushing into the wide open crop fields, and continuing further out.
I stopped and clicked my tongue.
I could sense someone else out there, far out there, someone I sensed the other day, in fact.
The same presence that was with Zekka, that ran around with her across the whole town, chasing that witch.
Nowhere for me to hide out here, though. It's all open crop fields, currently lacking said crops due to a recent harvest.
It is the perfect place for a fight.
Not so much stealth, though, unless I want to crawl along the ground.
I look up, finding the night sky rather clear, the moon very prominent, casting its silver light in showers across the realm.
Hmm. That'd work too, as long as I don't go in front of the moon, so to speak.
So, I took to the sky.
Thankfully, I didn't smash my head against any sky branches, breathing a small sigh of relief at this fact.
From there, following her was easy, as there wasn't really much else to look out for beyond her running through the field.
Not until she got to her intended destination.
Of course, it's not because of the place that she went there, but rather because of the person.
And I just have to say.
Out of everyone, I could have expected Zekka to come meet in a field in the middle of the night, but it certainly wasn't such a plain-looking brat.
In the sky, I stopped, floating far above the pair. As Zekka arrived a little before me, they were already talking, but about what I couldn't hear.
The person Zekka had come here to meet was a Japanese schoolgirl, a bit taller than her, and with the moonlight draped across her, I could make out that she had rather average features, and rather standard long black hair going down to her waist, and darker colored eyes.
From here, it looks like she's wearing some kind of schoolgirl uniform, judging by the skirt and sailor-esk top combo.
I don't know if being around girls like Rose and Kuroka has really skewed my standards on what normal looks like for a girl, but this brat just screams that.
Her very punchable, smug yet serious face didn't help matters there.
The only odd bit about her is the pole-looking thing covered in bandages, 'sheathed' if you could call it that, at her back.
My senses focused intensely on the weapon clearly bandaged up on her back. If I pushed, I could probably sense more, but as for right now, I'm trying not to reveal myself.
I cross my arms and shake my head. No need to rush; I already have an idea of why Zekka's out here. After all, what else could she possibly have borrowed a sword from Vanadis for?
I didn't need to wait long.
Zekka was the first to draw. I didn't hear the call of her summoning her sword, but I saw her mouth move and the light explode from her chest.
In the next instance, she was armed, Tensei in her right hand, the burrowed blade in her left, a bit of clothing in the wind from where her chest was bound.
Huh. We should probably look at getting Zekka something magic that'll fix itself rather than explode whenever she summons her Sacred Gear, right?
For the moment, I banish that thought, as Plain Jane follows Zekka, her hand grasping at the pole along her back.
In a similar fashion to Zekka's chest wrapping exploding as she pulled it off her back, the bandages around it also rip and tear off, revealing a naginata, a traditional Japanese polearm, which is kind of like a spear, but with a bigger, more sword-like blade.
My eyes narrowed, as now unveiled, I could feel the aura that the weapon let off.
It felt…similar to Zekka's Sacred Gear. As though related, but not quite. There was an edge to plain Jane's that Zekka's didn't have; hers was more malicious.
The scattered bits of cloth and bandages fell through the air amongst the two girls, and as soon as they all settled upon the ground.
They charged.
My eyes immediately activated, not because I needed them to keep up, but because I wanted to make sure I missed nothing.
Right from the get-go, the two girls slam into each other in blurs, going full speed right off the bat.
I have only fought one person who wielded a naginata before, Sona's Queen, whose name I literally don't care enough about to search through my mind at the moment.
Plain Jane here? Easily outclasses her in speed, technique, and raw skill.
As if that's a surprise, she'd need to match Zekka blow for blow.
Seconds tick by, and sparks fly as their blades clash and scrape by, sending the remains of their swords' sheathes and crop leftovers, scattering across the fields in small cutting whirlwinds.
They dance around each other, and to my surprise, Plain Jane draws first blood, nicking Zekka across the cheek.
Zekka's eyes briefly twitch, going to the small spray of blood in the air, acknowledging it briefly, before turning her gaze right back toward Plain Jane.
I caught it in her eye as moonlight reflected off it, that tiny shift.
Her face twitched, almost into a smile, before she swung back out and immediately dealt the knick Plain Jane gave her back, right across the upper arm.
Plain Jane scowled lightly before immediately continuing her assault, just as she had been.
Several more seconds stretch on, and more and more blood waters the soil around them.
Nothing serious. Only minor knicks. Wounds that have already stopped bleeding are sealed up during the fight. Even then, I know Zekka can heal from it, as long as it isn't anything major.
So on it went, without even a second to break.
When something new happened, it didn't grant a reprieve; no, it only pushed their little duel to the next level.
Plain Jane assumed a stance, the aura around her changed, and she swung.
She didn't use magic; it was a sword form, not one I recognized, and it was a shame I couldn't hear the name, because a wave of sheer slashing force ruptured out around her, carving into the dirt around her, and sending even that blasting away.
Zekka barely seemed able to evade it before she replied in kind, her aura charging, packing into her blades, before she unleashed four forms all at once.
I only recognized half of them, two that she used during my test for her. It was a chain of slashes that created thunderous cries with every swing as Plain Jane, shockingly, went strike for strike with each one.
Yet, despite her clearly countering Zekka's technique, I didn't see surprise or fear on her face.
No, this girl was damn near about to break into a smile.
I didn't need to be there to hear; I could read it all from her lips as she uttered it.
"...More."
"...To greater heights!"
Ah, my little battle manic you, I'm so proud~...
They slammed into each other, blades locked, the ground around them cracking, as the aura in their weapons lit up, flickering…in the same way it did when Zekka's Sacred Gear talked aloud.
Interesting. I figured Plain Jane's weapon was a Sacred Gear. As if I needed more evidence.
Yet, I have yet to see anything so far that could be its power…
In quick succession, their weapon lock breaks, with Zekka skidding back, and Plain Jane in rapid pursuit.
Zekka's aura changes; her…chest shrinks, only slightly, as she taps into her sword's power, and her resulting aura swells.
Fuck me, that'll never not be ridiculous to say.
Anyway, all that power is sent right back into her blades.
But her opponent is already moving.
I see it before Zekka's eyes and senses catch it.
By then, it's already too late.
A single sword swing that turns into two.
Attacking from both above and below, at the same time.
It's all real. Every glint, every flash as the blade passes through the moonlight- it's all the same blade.
The sheer speed you need to have to pull something like that off, hell, the speed you need to have to block that?
I could. Even if this is my first time seeing it, I'm unfortunately a bit too strong for such a technique to really do me in, especially considering who is wielding it.
Zekka, though?
She managed to block the swing coming down, yet, completely caught off guard by the one from below, she only managed to partially clash with it.
The result?
The blade goes straight into her chest.
Then, something changes.
I feel something like a malicious aura explode out from Plain Jane's weapon, and at the same moment, a chunk of Zekka's power is carved right out of her, as if her very energy were drawn out from her flesh, not just blood.
Gone. Deleted. Erased.
My eyes widened slightly, and tension built in my shoulders.
Zekka immediately backpedaled. Words were exchanged between the two, and I saw Zekka's eyes widen at whatever Plain Jane had explained.
They widened even further as she looked at her sword, her face shocked.
I clocked it in immediately.
Whatever she did, Zekka couldn't use her gear anymore.
She's a sitting duck.
Plain Jane stepped forward, her weapons raised.
I moved.
~ A New Sun ~
She didn't even realize it at first.
"Ganryuu, Ultimate Esoteric Technique, revised!"
Just how done she was.
"Swallow Flight Reversal, fivefold!"
It was only when ten blades fell upon her like red falling petals that she realized it.
She had lost.
Laundry Pole - no, Sasaki Yotsuba, had defeated her.
If this attack didn't kill her, what will come right after will.
Yet, as her mind quickly settled on that thought, she couldn't help but feel… absolutely nothing.
It was strange. Her mind was racing a million miles per hour, yet it was all blank to her.
Nothing of her life flashed through her eyes, no images of her friends, her grandmother.
Just. Blank.
She felt like she was away, somewhere else. Watching herself in third person, through a screen or words on a page.
Then, a question rang out in her head.
Why did she lose?
In the static ringing throughout her head that sounded like blades slamming against each other, she found the answer.
This girl, Sasaki Yotsuba, was so obsessed with revenge against her. That ancient rivalry with their ancestors was brought down to their descendants, and Yotsuba relished in it.
She craved this moment, this duel, for gods know how long!
Yet, what did she want? What did Miyamoto Zekka want out of this life?
"I don't want my life to end with a defeat." Her mind answers back at her through the static.
At that moment, she understood.
She had given up on fighting for herself long ago; instead focused solely on using her sword for others.
Her friends. What she's sought for so long…
Yet that clearly wasn't enough. To be strong, a bit of selfishness to fight for your own sake, whatever that may be, is necessary.
Although it's a bit too late for that retaliation now, isn't it?
The petals fall upon her-
The moonlight turns golden.
Yotsuba's eyes widen, seemingly catching it right before she does, but by then it's far too late.
That golden moonlight blazes like the sun between them, as a swirl of solar fire ruptures through the air.
In a singular motion, each petal, each blade, is blocked, smashed through by a fiery red blade.
Yotsuba is sent staggering back, her advance completely reversed, as she's sent wildly stepping back, attempting to prevent herself from falling over.
"H-Hagh!?" Yotsuba let out a rather unladylike growl as she managed to center herself at last, quickly turning back toward her, "Who dare-!?" She stops, her eyes widening in shock.
Right as, through the fire, a very familiar figure takes shape.
Zekka blinks, breathlessly falling to her knees, as whatever strength she has left saps itself out of her.
"...S-Sensei?"
Noriaki Kusanagi stands there as the fire dissipates, his back turned to her. He doesn't look at her, his gaze focused forward, right at Yotsuba.
He was wearing what he usually wore, but now, he held an odachi with one hand. A nearly crimson red sword, with kanji carved along the base of the blade.
Briefly, her eyes arched down across the blade, and her spine shivered at the sheer combination of aura it let out.
Divine, Holy Spirit, Dragon Slaying…
It whispered things, like all swords, and it was proud to find someone who could hear it, as it immediately started talking about all the things it cut into.
The Red Dragon, huh…?
"Zekka." He responds, snapping her out of it, "You are in very big trouble after this."
She knows she should be more worried, really, she does.
But, at the moment, she couldn't really help it.
"R-Right, sensei." She sighed as her shoulders slumped, more exhausted than anything.
Both in mind and body.
"A-Arahitogami…" Yotsuba, on the other hand, seems way more nervous, entering a stance with her weapon raised, teeth gritting, "Of course you're here, babysitting Miyamoto Zekka!" She exclaims bitterly.
He simply chuckles, "Babysitting? No, no…she's a mostly big girl. She can take care of herself just fine." He replies, plainly, "Fortunately, there's also the aspect of, I care about the dork, and when she's about to get cut up by an attack I don't know if she can handle, well…" The aura in his blade sharpens just a bit. "I tend to take exception."
Yotsuba gulps, her grip on her weapon so hard her knuckles pale, yet she doesn't seem ready to back down: "If that attack was going to kill her, then she doesn't deserve to carry her name…"
"If, huh?" He parrots mockingly, almost amused, "You mean you didn't intend to kill her with that?"
Zekka couldn't help but perk slightly.
Yotsuba also perked up, her body freezing at his words.
Out of the corner of his face, Zekka caught Noriaki smirking.
"I," With a click of her tongue, Yotsuba lowered her sword, body trembling, although from what exactly Zekka couldn't tell, "want to beat Miyamoto Zekka at everything."
…Huh? Zekka's mind blanked out again.
She caught Noriaki rolling his eyes a bit, but Yotsuba continued, practically confessing, "She placed higher than me in the preliminaries, at music, I…lost." Her shaking increased a tad but settled as she sighed before she took her blade and pointed past Noriaki, at her, "With this, our score is one-to-one. We're even."
Zekka couldn't help herself.
"Yotsuba-san," she weakly called out, "as a swordswoman too, I-"
"Should die as one properly, right?" Yotsuba finished for her with a scoff, "As if you have any right to say that."
Noriaki turned his head back, looking toward Zekka, his expression screaming 'Really!?'
Zekka preemptively flinched. She's going to pay for that one later, isn't she?
That said, Yotsuba spun her weapon around, settling it at her side as she fixed her disheveled uniform.
At last, Noriaki simply huffed and turned his gaze back toward Yotsuba, "Well, this complicates things, doesn't it?" He muses aloud, "I could tell Zekka really enjoyed fighting you, so killing you now would just be a waste."
Somehow, the idea that he might do that hadn't crossed Zekka's mind yet.
Now that he's saying that he won't, she can't help but feel a bit…relieved, somehow.
"Yet," he continues, voice growing ominous, "I have a sneaking suspicion you're working for someone I'd very much like to know more about."
Visibly, Yotsuba's entire body tensed.
"And let's be real here." He continues; she could hear his smile as he went on, "Even without that gash across your shoulder, you have no way of escaping me. Much less fighting me off."
Wait, a gash across her shoulder?
Zekka had to tilt her head and look really closely, and it took her more than a moment…
But she spotted what Noriaki was talking about. Across her shoulder, beneath the white of her uniform, was a long dark mark.
When did she…?
"Even fresh," he continues, purely matter-of-factly, "you'd be a boring fight for me. Not worth my time. So. You can either come peacefully, or-"
Zekka barely caught it.
The moment Yotsuba charged, her eyes narrowed, laser-focused right on Noriaki.
She raised her weapon, aura exploding off it as she swung, straight for his neck.
A killing blow, straight off the bat.
Noriaki moved only thrice.
[DEAT-]
Her weapon tried to call but was interrupted by the clanging of metal, as Noriaki's sword met her blade.
One swing from Noriaki completely threw her entire form off, sending her weapon in an entirely different direction.
The second smashed her weapon straight out of her hand, causing it to embed itself into the ground next to Zekka.
The third wasn't a swing; it was a step, as he walked right through her guard and smashed his knee straight into Yotsuba's torso, folding her around him in an instant.
The girl collapsed backwards onto the ground, breath and consciousness leaving her.
"...that." Noriaki sighed, in sheer and utter disappointment, "It's always the honor types, ain't it?" He remarks, looking back at her.
Right as Zekka fell over herself, the blood loss from some of her bigger wounds, but especially the one on her chest, finally sapped whatever little strength she had left."
As her vision swims, he blinks and mutters, "Oh, shit, right." He quickly walks over to her side.
"Don't worry, Zekka. I've got you. You go ahead and rest, alright?" He states, a small smile on his face, she feels his hands settle atop her head, "For what it's worth? I saw the duel. You fought like hell, girl. I'm proud of you, and I just know after this you'll be hitting even higher and harder."
His words brought a small, weak smile to her face in turn.
The last thing she sees as darkness takes her is golden light flowing down upon her.