Haihane and Akitsu were on the other side of the bridge. They were a bit of a distance away from the rest. "You still have that Sekirei crest on your forehead," Haihane said.
"I do," Akitsu replied.
"Enough talking," Haihane said. "You have dared to go against the Disciplinary Squad. There will be consequences," she added as she sprinted forward.
Haihane's clawed gauntlets snapped into place. Their serrated edges gleamed under the moonlight. Her eyes locked onto Akitsu and she lunged forward, closing the distance in a blur of motion.
"You're not getting away!" Haihane snarled as she slashed with her left claw, a vicious horizontal arc aimed at Akitsu's stomach. Akitsu twisted her body and narrowly avoided the strike. The claws sliced through the air with a shriek.
Haihane slashed from the right. She had a twisted smile on her face.
Akitsu ducked low, the second blow grazing a few strands of her hair. She leapt backward and landed lightly on the edge of the bridge's support beam. "You're fast," Akitsu said.
"I am just getting warmed up," Haihane growled and charged again. She raised her. Her boots clanged against the steel of the bridge. She launched herself into the air. She aimed to bring both gauntlets down in a crushing overhead strike.
Akitsu's eyes narrowed. She jumped out of the way. Haihane missed Akitsu and hit the steel beam. There was a metal clank.
Akitsu looked at Haihane. She raised one hand. There was cold mist swirling around her fingertips. "Flying Icicle," she said as a sharp, crystalline spear of ice materialized instantly. She launched it forward and aimed directly at Haihane's chest.
Haihane crouched low, her muscles coiled like springs. With a burst of momentum, she leapt into the air and twisted mid-flight. She dodged the icicle which shattered on the bridge support beam. "Talons of Execution," she roared as she descended in a spiraling dive. She extended her claws. She came down like a meteor, her gauntlets were slicing through the air.
Akitsu sidestepped and jumped out of the way. She dodged the attack.
Haihane slammed into the concrete with her claws first. The ground shattered beneath her and sent chunks of debris flying in all directions. There was dust and smoke around her impact crater.
Akitsu landed lightly on a nearby ledge.
"You are not getting away," Haihane said as she lunged forward. "Claws of Execution," she added as she started to slashed wildly midair. She aimed for her chest.
Akitsu raised both hands. "Icicle Thrust," she said as from the ground beneath Haihane rumbled. A massive spike of ice erupted upward. It was aiming to impale her from below.
Haihane's eyes widened. She twisted mid-lunge. With a brutal swipe, she shattered the icicle, and sent shards of frozen crystal outward.
"Nice trick," Haihane growled as she landed on her feet.
"Flying Icicle Expand," Akitsu said as a single icicle formed in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled it toward Haihane. The projectile sliced through the air like a frozen spear.
Haihane scoffed as she raised her clawed gauntlets. "This again?" she muttered.
At that moment, the icicle twisted unnaturally and spun with a sudden burst of energy. The single icicle splitted into five shards.
Haihane's eyes widened. "What—?" she said in surprise. She reacted instantly and slashed two of the shards out of the air with her claws. However, the third shard slammed into her shoulder. It pierced through her clothes and embedded deep into the muscle. There was some blood leaking from her wound.
"Gah!" she cried out. The fourth shard struck her thigh. It sliced through skin and drew a spray of blood. She twisted her body and barely dodged the fifth shard as it whizzed past her cheek, leaving a thin line of frost in its wake.
Haihane dropped to one knee. She was panting. There was blood dripping from her wounds. Her claws trembled slightly. "You're getting clever," she growled as she rose slowly. "But I'm not done yet," she added.
"Icicle Snow Storm," Akitsu said as she raised her arms to the sky and summoned a swirling vortex of snow and razor-sharp icicles. The storm expanded outward and covered the bridge in snow and ice.
"This isn't going to stop me," Haihane snarled as blood was still dripping from her earlier wounds. She charged forward, her boots pounding against the frost-covered bridge. She ran forward and launched herself into the air. "Shrieking Claws!" she roared as she twisted mid-air.
Her gauntlets ignited with a red shimmer. She unleashed a blinding flurry of slashes. Haihane spun like a cyclone. The sheer velocity of her attack generated a sonic shockwave that shattered the surrounding ice and sent shards flying in every direction.
Akitsu saw it coming but it was too late. The claws slammed into her abdomen.
She was hurled backward. There was blood spraying from her mouth. However mid-air as she flew, her fingers moved. "Reverse Icicle," she whispered.
Beneath Haihane, the ice melted into a pool of water. Then the water froze again in an instant. This time into a cluster of jagged, upward-thrusting spikes. They launched upward and one spike pierced her stomach. She was lifted slightly off the ground before she collapsed to her knees. There was blood pouring from the wound. She coughed and spat blood
Akitsu crashed into the icy ground and skidded across the bridge. Her body ached. She felt blood leaving her wound in the stomach. However she pushed herself up. She had one hand pressing to her ribs.
She could feel the pain however it was not enough for her to go down. She thought she could take more hits, a lot more hits. She thought of her Ashikabi. He had trusted her, to keep them alive. She will not fail him. She looked at Haihane who was impaled.
However, Haihane moved her hand. Her claws destroyed the ice icicle which had impaled her. It shattered and she got to her feet. She panted and looked at Haihane. "The Discipline Squad are the strongest," she said.
"I will not fail my Ashikabi," Akitsu responded.
Haihane jumped into the air. At that moment, Jasmine came running from the bridge. She had her Lasso of Submission in hand. She twirled it around, like a cowboy and threw on Haihane mid-air. She used her momentum and threw her way. "I will not let you hurt her," Jasmine said as she saw Haihane go flying away.
Jasmine ran over to Akitsu. "Are you alright?" Jasmine asked.
"I am," Akistu responded as she froze the bleeding with her ice. "We need to help my Ashikabi," Akistu said.
Jasmine smiled. She helped Akitsu by putting her hand under her shoulder. "He will be fine," Jasmine said. "However he will not be happy to see you are injured," she added.
"He won't toss me?" Akitsu asked. She looked worried.
Jasmine looked at her and smiled. "He will never," she stated.
Akitsu felt relieved. She had a feeling she was right.
"Let's go and see them," Jasmine said.