Chapter 11

Good Ninja. Evil Ninja.

When the girls lay on Nishu's bed, their thoughts shifted and morphed during their unending sleep, drifting between memory and imagination. Sometimes there were flashes of family and the previous conflicts they took part in. Mostly they would dive into their own fantasies, indulging in the pleasures and desires they harbored within themselves.

Without exception, they all forgot their dreams upon waking. The images dissipated into the back of their minds, as slumberous dreams often do.

And now the girls sailed through a space so like their own unconsciousness. They were weightless, floating, yet still traveling to a destination unknown. Though there was nothing but blackness around them, their bodies appeared next to each other in clear detail. They smelled fresh air and a surrounding wilderness pine and oak, felt the soft touch of a slow summer breeze.

Nishu floated below and in front of them. Like the girls, he shone through the darkness as though his body carried it's own light. It looked as though Nishu was saying something, but they were too far to hear his words.

Hibari turned to her friends.

"W-w-where are we?"

Yagyu answered with a flat tone.

"The dimension through which yoma travel."

Ikaruga kept her voice calm, contemplative. She crossed her arms and breathed in the air.

"Perhaps not. This dimension could also be where the yoma is from."

Katsuragi blinked.

"Wait, I thought yomas are born from the depths of hell."

"Not necessarily. Yomas can be also formed from the negative emotions and distorted desires of humans. So this might not be the depths of hell, but inside that boy's head."

"It's empty. As expected." Yagyu smirked at her own joke. Hibari still kept looking down at the boy below.

"He's looking back at us."

They followed Hibari's gaze. Nishu cupped his mouth in his hands and shouted. Whatever he said was lost through the emptiness. When the girls didn't respond he turned to his pet yoma and shrugged. They still read his lips.

"He said our panties are white..."

All the Hanzo girls looked at each other with the most bewildered expression they've ever had.

"No they're not..." Katsuragi squinted, vigorously trying to understand the boy's logic. It looked as though she were getting a migraine.

Yagyu brought a hand to her forehead.

"He's just messing with us again."

The sensation of travel lessened. Their bodies lurched forward as if they were in a vehicle coming to a stop.

"Get ready girls. Let's take him down quick before he has time to create some new gimmick to beat us."

"Now you're speaking my language! He won't know what's coming!" Katsuragi grinned wide and smacked one fist into her palm.

Asuka said nothing. She kept her eyes on the boy, never turning or taking him off her sights.

Remnants of one of her dreams tapped against the back of Asuka's conciousness. Though the memory of it had disappeared long after waking up in Nishu's bed, it still seeped into her mind, the words and raw feelings taking root in her core.

Bits and pieces of that dream flashed in front of her. Inside the gentle wind came two whispered voices. One high pitched and whiny. The other calm and mature. Even with the images hazy, and the voices muffled, Asuka still understood their meaning. Though the details within the dream had changed, she remembered.

Young Asuka sat in a brown wooden seat. A cream colored cloth draped over the wooden table in front of her. A chill wind brushed past her short cropped hair and ruffled her black shirt and pants. To her right was the glass door to her parent's apartment. Past the balcony railing to her left was a view of the city. Highways extended past the city limits before disappearing into the horizon. Cars of red, blue, and black lined up in the streets like ants. It was autumn, and orange-brown leaves fell from the trees and spilled into the sidewalk at the pedestrians' feet.

"So Asuka, how was your training today?"

Her mother gave her a quizzical expression. Asuka's mother was taller than most Japanese women, so even though she leaned forward to rest her chin in her palms, she looked downwards at an intimidating angle.

Asuka winced and clenched both her fists on the top of her thighs. Her eyes slid to the right. Head down leaned down. Her mother tilted her head to one side, noting her daughter's body language.

"Well? How can I be sure you learned anything if you don't tell me what happened?"

There was always an air of immense patience and understanding coming from her mother. Her tired eyes and calm smile always disarmed those around her, soothing whatever conflicts she came across. It was the biggest thing Asuka hated about her parents. They were so agonizingly dull.

Asuka's mother wore a white blouse and a green plaid ankle-length skirt that flapped in the wind. A white cloth wound around the base of her ponytail in tiny bunny loops. She continued to stare down at her child, observing, waiting as though she had all the time in the world. Asuka rolled her eyes and gave an open mouthed groan.

Screw it. She thought to herself. Let's just get all these stupid lectures over with.

"Boring. So boring! A complete waste of time. Absolutely nothing happened. All we did all day was sit on some stupid rock!"

"Your grandfather wants to teach you patience."

"No. He wants to punish me for what happened with me and those older kids. But I did nothing wrong! Those guys deserved what was coming to them!... Six teenagers picking on one of my classmates. Six on one against a middleschooler! They're lucky to walk away with just black eyes."

"And missing teeth. And broken arms."

Asuka couldn't help smiling. Her mother's expression changed into a sharp glare, and the little tomboy cleared her throat and forced herself to remain passive.

"It's not about what those kids deserved, it's about you constantly rushing into violence. You can't keep picking fights, Asuka. Shinobi stick to the shadows. Violence should always be the last resort."

She let out an exasperated breath.

"I don't get it... How can I consider myself a good ninja and not an evil ninja if I have to let innocent people get hurt? If I see someone harming others, am I supposed to let them get away with it?"

"Darling, we're not mad at you for defending the weak. We're mad at you continuing to pursue those boys even after the fight is over. Tell me you haven't already staked out where those bullies go to school."

"... I have..."

"And where they live. And where they get their lunch. And where they hang out on the weekends..."

The little girl crossed her arms and looked away. She scowled into the distance, watching the people below go about their daily lives.

"I can't let them get away. I need to make sure they never harm anyone again. I'll keep fighting even if I have to beat them down again and again."

Her mother sighed.

"And what about the ones who were attacked?"

"What about them?"

"You know more about those older boys than you know anything about the people they were picking on. You're more concerned with challenging others to a fistfight than taking care of those you wish to defend."

The little girl shrugged.

"They get picked on because they're weak. I assume they realize that and learn to take care of themselves. I want to focus on the problem. They're not the problem."

"Don't you think you're turning evil yourself, Asuka? Think about how you've been interacting with others. Impulsive, violent, vengeful, having a habit of taking things a little too far? Sounds like a problem to me."

Asuka he scoffed and rolled her eyes. She understood what her mother was saying, but didn't want to give her the satisfaction in winning this conversation. Her mother giggled, which drove Asuka nuts.

"Your classmate. The one you saved. Did he ever try to talk to you afterwards? Who knows, I'd think he'll want to be friends with you now. You should talk to him sometime. Invite him over."

An uncharacteristic sneer spread across her mother's face.

"Wouldn't that be nice? I could have a cute little shota boy to go along with this little shota girl in front of me."

The way Asuka looked at her mother may as well have been a dagger flung at her face. Mother couldn't help laughing again.

"Mom! Quit being weird! And don't call me a shota girl. Doesn't even make sense."

"Heheh. You should grow your hair out Asuka. Then you wouldn't look like such a boy."

"And then have grandpa start perving on me again? No thanks. I'm serious Mom, can you tell him to stop? Did you have to deal with his... weirdness when you were my age?"

"His reactions are the same ones you'd expect from male ninja, should you ever fight one. When you see that face it means your beauty has stunned them in such a way that they leave themselves open to attack. When you see that face, you go in for the kill, or use it as the right time to escape."

"... Has Dad ever made that face at you?"

Her mother blushed.

"Anyways Asuka, about those fights you pick. You know the saying? The harder you pursue evil, the more likely you turn evil yourself? The quote about men fighting monsters? Don't become what you hate the most."

She stayed silent. Both women looked away to peer at the urban landscape. Sunlight bounced off the glass windows and car mirrors, making the city glitter with small specks of yellow light.

"Asuka. The way you hold your swords. Did your grandfather teach you the names for that style?"

It was an odd question.

"The names...for the way I hold my swords? Not really... He just calls them 'blade' and 'sheath'. Standard grip and reverse grip, I guess."

"Show me."

Asuka reached to her waist and slid both wakizashi out from their scabbards. She brandished them, cutting at the air in front her. The names for both weapons sounded off in her mind. Red Blossom was pointed down from her left hand, the blade slightly shorter than the sword in her right. Green Willow pointed upwards from her right hand, the blue colored guard resting on the top of her thumb.

Her mother sighed again.

"I can't believe your grandfather doesn't use the old names for your techniques. In traditional martial arts, the names for such stances had Buddhist and Taoist roots. Under a traditional mindset, the way you hold your swords were called Heaven grip and Earth grip. One going up, one going down. Heaven and Earth. Yin and Yang. Want to know what's missing from the pair?"

"... Hell?"

"That's right. Want to know why? I believe it's because there are no truly evil people in the world. I don't think there is a single person who belongs in hell."

Asuka's mother glanced out into the distance, one hand pressing into her cheek.

"The thoughts and principles people follow are expressions of their spirit, hence 'Heaven'. That person's physical needs and desires are their 'Earth'. Neither are good nor evil. Instead, they mix into each other as two parts of the whole. Both are in constant flux, trying to balance each other out. Yin and Yang."

The tomboy looked down at her weapons. Flashes of sunlight glinted off the grey steel.

"There is good in everyone, Asuka. Just like how everyone has their own vices. I want you to remember that. Nobody is truly good. Nobody is truly evil. It's how they balance themselves that make a person who she is."

The echoes of the dream faded away.

Within the yoma's darkness, the Hanzo girls prepared for the battle ahead. Their bodies bent low, ready to spring to action. Asuka muttered something.

"Yin... and Yang..."

"You okay Asuka?" Katsuragi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm alright. I'm ready."

"Good! Let's rock this party!" The blonde pumped a fist to her side.

"Somehow... I feel like that should be my line."

Moments of darkness and floating through empty space. Nishu was able to move his limbs and turn his body, but unable to change his location. He looked backward, and the girls were there. They stared him down with faces full of hate. It would have been an intimidating sight, if weren't for Nishu getting a precarious view up their skirts. He wondered how they'd react if he teased them.

"Why are your panties are white!?"

The girls turned to each other and spoke, but Nishu couldn't hear them.

"Kid, I don't think they're in the mood to talk about fashion trends."

He shrugged.

"What else am I going to do while I wait? I don't even know where you're taking us."

There was a pressure on their bodies that moved them toward the unseen. Overtime the pressure grew softer as if they were in a vehicle coming to a stop.

"Top of the mountains. Massive plateau overlooking the city. Heavy forests surrounding it. Same forest as our first adventure. I didn't do that on purpose, I just tried to get us as far away as I can manage."

"You're kidding me. So it's an environment they're already familiar with. Alright fine. we'll work with what we've got. They're angry at us. Stark raving mad. We can use that against them. So here's the plan. We split up. If they all go for me, then you go into the forest and set up traps. I'll hold them off in the meantime."

"Kid, I think you're confusing 'holding them off' with 'dying horribly while I escape by myself'"

"Maybe. But you won't let that happen will you? Like you said, we're partners. My fate is yours."

There was a warmness and energy surrounding him. A kind of giddy, electric feeling that got the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Hah! Damn right! I get it now. If you're in too deep, I'll charge back in there and save you."

"Don't charge in. Keep your distance and be ready to shoot a line to pull me out."

"All right. I'll head to the forest and lay my seeds into the ground."

"... gross."

"And what if they split up as well?"

"Then we let them chase us. Don't fight them directly, just run away. Communicate with each other in our minds. See if we can get the drop on them somehow."

"You got it. Good luck, kid."

"Thanks. I'll need it."

Nishu readied his body, bending his knees ready for a full sprint. Behind him, the girls did the same.

The blackness disappeared in an instant, like the popping of a bubble. Each student fell through the air, the wind whipping at their faces and clothes. A mountaintop view spread out before them, a landscape of thick forestry and rivers down a steep slope. A rocky clearing marked their landing zone below.

Each student looked down, readying themselves for what was to come.

A Good Clean Two-On-Five

The boy hit the ground first, knees buckling at the sudden weight. He grunted and slouched forward, falling onto his hands and knees. The ground crunched and cracked beneath him.

"They're right on your tail kid, keep moving!"

Glom was already running ahead. His darkened form bounded across the rocks towards the heavy undergrowth.

He heard the girls land several yards behind him. It came as a series of taps, each pair of feet stealthy and silent even after falling from several stories up. Nishu turned to see all five girls already sprinting toward him. Their speed was uncanny. Within a few seconds they would already be at his throat.

He cursed under his breath. The girls were ganging up on him, most likely because they already saw him get injured.

Nishu jumped to his feet and charged forward across the uneven earth. He knew he had to get away, knew taking 5 trained ninja by himself was suicide. There would be no tricking them now, no waiting until they left their guard down. His mind reeled as he tried to remember each of their fighting styles.

Flashbacks of Hanzo National Academy... The moves of each girl as they ended the fights that others started... The way they defended their peers from bullies…..

And there was something more important to consider. How did they fight as a team?

A voice called out from behind, scratchy and boyish.

Secret Ninja Art: Dead Screw Dragon!

Something metallic grazed the top of his head as he ducked down, and he looked up to see Katsuragi's spining past him like a drill. Green wind spiraled around her legs and carried her further forward. Her golden grieves slammed into the yoma in front, left foot crunching against Glom's jaw. Dust and dirt were flung into the air as their momentum dragged the yoma's body across the ground. The sound of cracking teeth and stone sounded out with the rolling rubble.

Then Katsuragi stepped to the side, kicked Glom up like a soccer ball, and performed a bicycle kick on his limp body. Black liquid splattered across the trees while the yoma flipped down the mountain. A rough crash sounded after Glom disappeared into the tree line.

Katsuragi landed with one knee and fist on the ground. Green streaks of wind pushed at her body, tightening the revealing uniform and flapping her hair like a cape. Nishu slowed to a stop and took on a fighting stance. She lifted her head and stared him down with a wicked smile.

"Didn't I say I was going to break you in half? I think I'll do that now."

He breathed to steady himself. Then he returned her cocky smile with his own.

"Bring it."

Behind him, the group of girls were splitting off, creating a wide circle that closed in on him. In front, Katsuragi charged straight with reckless abandon. Nishu waited for her, watching every muscle on her body.

Katsuragi specialized in kicks. Often people would describe how she'd beat down the boys with high kicks that lifted her skirt for an uninterrupted view of her panties. The mix of revealing clothes and athletic, toned body was enough to make all her opponents weak in the knees, usually before one of Katsuragi's legs smashed their testicles. Heaven and Hell all in one beat down.

Haphazard kicks flew past him. He could feel the green streaks of wind graze his skin, sharp enough to cut her target. Katsuragi lifted herself for a double roundhouse followed up by an upwards kick that had her thigh touch her chest. Nishu kept moving away and to the side, circling so she couldn't get a solid hit on him.

A short hop into the air and Katsuragi launched a spinning back kick at the side of his head. Nishu ducked low to the ground, the kick missing his head by a hair. Katsuragi flowed with her momentum, the massive greaves dragging along the dirt as she bent low for a leg sweep. The boy jumped from all fours, his body parallel to the ground, the wind howling in his ears.

Except the boy had jumped forward instead of straight up, and the top of his head slammed into Katsuragi's face, knocking her onto her back. The boy's hands shot in front of him to catch his fall. And without realizing it he felt his fingers clamp down onto her soft breasts. She yelped and groaned in frustration.

Nishu did a push up from off her breasts and hopped away as Katsuragi swung her legs sideways towards him. Green wind encircled her, speeding her up by her ankles. Katsuragi spun on her back until she spun on her outstretched hands. She became a top, an upside down twister with her legs open wide in a perfect split. Nishu kept backpedaling while the harsh winds buffeted his body. An enticing, flowery aroma wafted across his face and into his nose, as he looked on at the blonde's short skirt falling to reveal her blue and white striped panties and slender legs.

The boy crouched down beneath the next hit and performed a leg sweep of his own. Katsuragi pushed off the ground to dodge it, responding with a backflip that aimed to cleave Nishu's head with an outstretched right leg. Nishu slipped left, the high-heeled metal boot grazing his right shoulder before it crunched into the ground. A cloud of dust exploded from the impact. Nishu held up his arms and shielded his eyes while his surroundings disappeared from view.

And within the dust cloud he heard the clank of metal boots thundering toward him. Nishu concentrated, letting demonic energy emanate from his body.

Haunted Trauma: Hidden Cage

Several pale threads unraveled from his jacket, they drifted upwards in an isolated wind, twisting in random patterns as if having minds of their own. All at once they straightened out and shot into the air. Unknown to the girls, the threads linked and grew to form a cage closing in around Nishu.

The rest of the girls squinted into the dust, watching the two silhouettes dance within. Except for Asuka. She stared not at the dust cloud but at her teammates. She assessed them, thinking about the way they fought during training. Not only their fighting styles, but their secret ninja arts too. Even their summons. She tried to run counter techniques in her head, simulations and predictions on how she'd go about defeating them.

But she didn't want to hurt them. She didn't want to hurt any of them. Neither her friends nor Nishu. Even despite their strange personalities they had still shared trials and precious experiences together. And as for the boy...

Doubt crept into the back of her mind. She felt her body grow cold, time slowing while she strained herself to think of a choice. Asuka wanted to avoid a direct fight as much as possible. But what could she do? How would the others react when they figure out her intentions?

"There!" Ikaruga yelled out. She pointed to one silhouette and sprinted with her body low, one hand on the hilt of her new weapon.

Yagyu and Hibari broke into a run. Asuka stood where she was. And on instinct the tomboy kicked a rock forward. It flew in a shallow arc, almost hugging the ground, until it landed beneath Hibari's sole. The pink-haired girl yelped as she lost her footing. She tripped and fell to the side, flailing arms grabbing on to Yagyu's collar and collapsing on to her.

"Hibari!"

"Yagyu! I'm sorry! I didn't mean that!"

"It's okay! Just got off me for now!"

Asuka mustered all her willpower not to smile. Instead she brought her head down and ran forward, matching Ikaruga's pace and charging at the two silhouettes alongside her.

Katsuragi and Nishu emerged from the smoke. Leftover dust drifted off their shoulders. Dirt rose from their feet skidding across on the ground. Katsuragi stepped forward to attack. She raised her left leg and did a roundhouse kick into the boy's midsection. But the boy stepped to the side, caught her leg in his arm, and kicked the remaining leg from under her. Katsuragi fell to her back, and the boy pulled her leg and spun. Two revolutions before Nisu threw her straight toward Ikaruga and Asuka.

Ikaruga slipped left. Asuka to the right. Both dodged out of the way. Katsuragi re-oriented herself in the air behind them and landed unharmed. The two sword maidens dashed forward, sprinting at the boy with their weapons ready. The boy held his ground and slid a metal rod down from his sleeve, parrying Ikaruga's downward slash with a wing block.

He let the blade slide down his weapon and stepped in such a way that Asuka was directly behind Ikaruga. He continued backing away in circular motions, orbiting left and right and lining the two sword maidens up one behind the other. Nishu moved so they couldn't attack him at the same time, intending to frustrate them and making it easier to deal with their attacks.

He and Ikaruga fought almost in sync. Between each strike was a moment of stillness, a quiet concentration between them both before their bodies blurred for a split second. Low hit, high hit. Three hit combos before they returned to their original distance. The metallic clash of their weapons echoed across the mountains, repeating itself as though they never disengaged.

Nishu was almost purely defensive, parrying each of Ikaruga's strikes and not even trying to hit back. The princess swung harder, faster, her frustration revealing itself in her scrunched-up face. Both Nishu and Ikaruga's weapons vibrated between the hits, the reverberations adding to the strange song of battle.

Three distinct yelps from behind. Asuka looked back to see Katsuragi, Yagyu and Hibari bounce off what may have been an invisible wall. It flung them to the ground skidding backwards on their butts. For a moment, silver threads shimmered into the air, each one crossing each other like the links to a cage.

It was then Ikaruga over-committed with her next blow. She tried to do a horizontal slash into his neck, but he tapped it upwards. Even as the blade passed over his head, he was already setting up for a vertical strike down her center. Ikaruga took a step back and raised her sword for a roof block. There was power in Nishu's blow, and the princess grunted while the flat of her blade pressed into her shoulder.

Using the bounce from his first hit, the boy set himself up for two more strikes. Ikaruga blocked them both before stepping back further, out of the range of his weapon. And rather than pressing his advantage, the boy took a step back himself, bringing his body out of range from Ikaruga's lengthy sword.

He smiled as he gripped the weapon with both hands. The steel of his rod flashed before them. Several black marbles appeared in the air falling until at different speeds. Nishu then held his weapon vertically and to his side, left foot forward with his shoulder pointed towards the princess. A baseball swing.

Rainy Day Recess: Marble Bullets

A satisfying thwack rang out across the mountains. The air around Ikaruga and Asuka became filled with metallic clacks. The marbles bounced off Nishu's rod and ricocheted off the walls in random directions. Both girls looked to the other.

"Asuka! Cut the cage!

"Got it!"

She sprinted back towards the fallen girls. More clangs sounded out from behind her. More marbles zeroed in on her path. Asuka turned around and walked backwards, slicing and striking at the marbles careening her way. Eventually Asuka reached the back of the cage and cut the threads with her swords. The cage snapped, metallic wires whipping about and creating a ghostly sound. The marbles within bounced out until they lost their power.

Nishu grit his teeth. Ikaruga now pressed onto him with calculated strikes, forcing him back on the defensive. She measured each step, making sure to be close enough to strike him with her nodachi, while being far enough to avoid his counters. Nishu growled as her sword tore through she skin on his forearm. Through the pain he smiled at his opponent.

"Not using draw slashes anymore, Ikaruga?"

She tilted her head down, a subtle smirk across her face. A blue aura rose from her shoulders.

Ninja art: Phoenix Talon

Ikaruga's sword became enveloped in blue flame before returning to its scabbard. The heat spread, but the wood did not break. And the invisible slime that coated the metal bubbled and fell to the ground.

"Don't think I haven't learned from our experience. I know your'e nothing without your traps."

"It'd be disappointing if you didn't. It'd be pretty disappointing if I was."

Ikaruga dashed forward, locking her ignited blade with his rod. Both metals glowed red hot as they rubbed against each other. Nishu could feel the heat spread from her sword to his hands. Pain crept in through his palms and up his arms. He pushed her away and leaped back.

But the length of her sword meant he was still in attack range. He grunted and kept his rod raised. Two diagonal slashes in the same line before an upward stab that would have impaled his throat had he not leaned backwards at the last second.

He jumped further back and whipped more marbles out from his left hand. But another burst of energy and she dashed at him low, spinning. The projectiles missed their target. A powerful stroke before her blade connected to Nishu's midsection.

The boy staggered sideways but kept his balance, still moving away and to the side. Ikaruga dashed to cut him off. Nishu raised the steel rod to try to beat her away. The princess bent low, bringing her massive sword back behind her. She was prepping for a horizontal slash into the boy's midsection, a mortal blow that would cut him in two.

But Asuka where she swung. The tomboy caught the blade between her swords and threw it upwards in a soft parry.

Ikaruga was caught off guard, the positioning and weight of her weapon had changed, she was too slow to adapt before Nishu struck the rod into her right forearm and thrust into her stomach. She doubled over and took a step back.

"Hurgh... Asuka... ?"

"That was your mistake! Swing smaller!"

The princess breathed deep before straighting up and returning to her battle stance.

Asuka charged in. She yelled her own war cry, jumping into the air in a wide arc and spinning so that the green energy from her swords formed a ring around her. Nishu bent his knees and kept the weapon raised for a block. Sparks flew from where they struck, until Asuka landed crouched in front of him.

There was a moment of hesitation before the boy raised his weapon and swung at his new opponent. Asuka pushed forward, blocking and slashing at him in tandem. She was faster than Ikaruga and even more precise. Her style was different than the Ikaruga in that while the princess attacked in rapid bursts, Asuka fought in a constant stream of movement. She parried with one sword and attacked with the other, each hit swinging in front of a vital.

Nishu stepped forward and back in rhythm to her. He adapted Ikaruga's strategy, using the length of his weapon to stay out of Asuka's striking distance but staying within his own. He couldn't to find an opening, so he decided to make one by striking hard and fast. Nishu brought his rod to his chest, dodging instead of parrying. In that moment he lashed out. With solid footing, energy traveled up his base and through his body before whipping forward through his arms. The rod whistled as it split the air.

But green energy shot out from Asuka's blades, slowing Nishu's attack. His rod clashed against her swords. Instead of retreating, he pushed forward for a second, aiming at the left side of her chest. She blocked the hit, but jumped back at the point of contact. To everyone else it looked as if the force of the blow had flung her back.

By then the others had already recovered and rejoined the fight. Ikaruga pressed forward once again. Nishu continued his retreat, but stopped to deflect several projectiles fired at him from above. Some projectiles flew past him, landing on the ground.

And his back slammed into something hard and cold. The boy looked backwards to see his reflection staring back from a wall of ice. And above that was the mirror image of Yagyu floating above him, flakes of ice falling from the tip of her umbrella.

He stared at the sky, weapon ready, waiting for Yagyu to land, only to flinch at a series of squeaks to his left. Nishu turned his head in time to see Hibari stagger toward him with her eyes closed, both arms rotating in furious windmills.

"Eeyaah!" Hibari grunted while she leaned into him.

The boy took one step away and noted the sparks of electricity flowing into her fists. He smirked at her fighting form, shook his head, and popped her in the face with a light jab.

The girl responded by squatting down and whimpering into both her palms.

And a voice from above roared in a fit of rage.

"You monster! worthless scum! Nobody hurts Hibari!"

Nishu looked up to see Yagyu's umbrella closed, tip pointed toward his heart. Silver hair and black cape flapping in the wind, she descended upon him like an angel of death.

He slipped to his right, the tip of Yagyu's umbrella cracking the space next to his left shoulder. Still crouched, he twisted his body, swinging at the silver-haired girl's face from below. Yagyu blocked it and made for a riposte. Nishu dove into a backwards somersault away from the girl.

A flash of gold careened towards him. Nishu stopped his momentum in time to avoid a Katsuragi dropkick, shards of ice exploding at the point of impact. He would have tried to hit back, but a powerful gust pushed himinto the wall, unable to move. The blonde bent her knees and pushed off into a high cartwheel away.

And below Katsuragi was Ikaruga dashing towards him. She positioned herself to his right, striking away at him with precision slashes. He parried each one, but knew that she cut off his escape. To his left Yagyu charged forward, both hands on the umbrella as though it were a lance. He yelled out, leaned his back into the wall behind him, and push-kicked Ikaruga in the stomach. Nishu held the rod vertically, moving it to the side to parry Yagyu's charge. He made to counter attack, but rather than parrying or avoid his hit, Yagyu blocked it and crashed into him.

Yagyu and Nishu locked their weapons. Both their hands shook, their grunts rising in volume. She activated a beam of ice from the tip of her parasol, and the boy felt the side of his face grow numb as cold air and shards of ice bounced off the wall. Stuck in place, he was helpless as Ikaruga stabbed her sword into his side. The blade did not penetrate his hardened shirt, but the blunt force and intense heat layered more pain on top of his earlier injury.

A sharp smile spread through Yagyu's face. Ikaruga tilted her head down in a hawkish stare. And they both leapt backwards just as Katsuragi charged down the middle. Still stunned, Nishu could do nothing but brace himself as the blonde leapt forward. Katsuragi twisted her body in mid-air, green energy spiraling around her, spinning until she was upside down and about to smash her ankle onto his head.

Just before impact, a tentacle whipped out from a nearby bush and grabbed onto his leg. A wave shot through the tentacle and pulled him off balance. Katsuragi's golden greave blasted through the ice, the entire structure collapsing as fissures spread from the hole. Another whipcrack and Nishu was bouncing across the earth.

He looked down towards what was pulling his body. Glom had transformed into a beast between a warthog and a wolf. It wasn't as massive as his earlier incarnations. Instead it was about the size of a great Dane.

"Gotta be faster than that kid! Come on!"

It pulled him across the ground, rocks and heated earth dragging across his back. Nishu looked up to see Ikaruga, Katsuragi, Yagyu, and Hibari chasing his prone form.

He grit his teeth as rock and rubble slid across his back. But even with everything happening he knew something was off. There was one girl missing... Asuka.

Two arms burst from the ground and wrapped around him. The right arm around his neck, the left arm bent and holding the right hand in place. Cracks shot out from around him, the ground breaking and caving into itself. Nishu fell, dragged into the hole, his hand reaching up and watching as light at the mouth of the tunnel grew smaller and dimmer. He panicked, thrashing his elbows toward his attacker, kicking out and slamming his back into the tunnel walls.

A familiar voice whispered into his ear.

"Nishu, calm down and liste!-"

But he didn't listen. He kept thrashing until her left arm loosened. Nishu grabbed the thumb of her right hand and pulled at her wrist. When he became free, the tentacle that wrapped around his leg pulled him back up at frightening speeds. It flung him out of the hole, upside down and eyes wide at the sudden view of the girls already preparing to cut him down.

Another tug. And rather than being lifted vertically, it pulled him just as their weapons clashed where his head was.

The ground exploded beneath the bush where Glom hid, and through the cloud of dirt Nishu could see Asuka's reverse grip blade missing the yoma's throat. Asuka folded her arms and flipped, letting her legs rise above her. She straightened her arms for a cross slash, cutting into the air below. The tentacle that connected Nishu to Glom was severed into four pieces.

Asuka landed and readied a fighting stance. She stood between Glom and Nishu, arms changing positions, head turning between the boy and the dog.

She had cut them off. There was no escape now.

Ikaruga and most of the Hanzo girls crept in front of him. Asuka stood behind him, blocking his way to the yoma. Glom growled at her, lips shaking while black goo dripped from between his teeth. She was unintimidated.

The girls did not attack. They stepped into a semi-circle, surrounding him. A moment of stillness. Each party stared each other down. Sweat dripped down the boy's head, heart beating within his chest. Hibari stood pigeon-toed, knees together, fists out like a comedic parody of Irish boxing. Ikaruga sheathed her sword and shuffled forward in small steps. Katsuragi bounced on her toes, exuding a lightness and buoyancy despite her thick body and heavy weapons. Yagyu had her left side forward, right arm holding her umbrella. Her one eye bore down on him with an unyielding fury.

He had to think. What has he seen so far? Katsuragi can use the wind to compensate for her heavy weapons. Yagyu fires ice from range before getting in close once she locks down the target. Ikaruga is more aggressive now, not afraid to close the distance... Hibari can't fight, but the electricity makes prolonged skin contact dangerous...

Nishu shuffled backwards as the girls moved forward. He scowled each of them down, daring them to attack. The boy was so focused on the girls in front of him he forgot about Asuka again. Both students spun around when their backs rubbed against each other. The boy took a swing at her as he turned, and she parried it with the blade of her left hand and while kneeing him in the stomach. Her kick lifted him into the air, slouched forward, the wind knocked out of his lungs.

Still hunched over, Asuka grabbed Nishu's arm with her right hand and pulled his body onto her shoulders. She spun twice, pulling again until he flipped over and fell on his back. A stifled groan escaped his throat.

He was on his dizzy, in pain and shock. In his blurry vision he saw the other girls striding toward him, and he crawled backwards to get away.

"Nishu!" Glom yelled.

A massive tentacle burst forth from the beast's back and curved itself like a sideways scorpion tail. Asuka leapt to the side, and it whooshed past Nishu before Yagyu opened her umbrella to blocked it.

Glom galloped forward, his canine jaws unhinging like a snake's, becoming a mass of flesh and teeth. Nishu felt glom leap onto his chest, paws shifting across his body while the yoma turned left and right and roaring at the approaching girls.

More tentacles sprouted out from his side. Leather whips lashed out at the group. Yagyu blocked everything before shooting a ball of ice into the yoma's body. It knocked him down, his entire left side frozen stiff. Nishu grit his teeth and let four marbles slide between his fingers.

Nishu flicked the marbles into the air, lining them up so they were all struck with his rod. They ricocheted off Yagyu's umbrella and bounced off the ground, spinning so they curved to their targets. Each projectile was blocked or dodged, but their brief pause gave the boy enough time to pick himself up. He kicked his legs up in a twisting motion, rocking himself back onto his feet with his weapon at the ready.

He spotted Asuka running over to the frozen yoma. Nishu dashed over to the pair, the rest of the girls emboldened by him turning his back.

Several clangs of metal echoed across the mountains. Nishu intercepted Asuka, his rod parrying away the swift strikes of the short ninja.

There came a sound like shattering glass and Glom broke free from the ice. His body bubbled and swelled as he changed shape, two tentacles lashing out and forcing Asuka to jump back.

Nishu and Glom stood side by side, surrounded by the Hanzo ninja elite.

"Just Give up and die already!" Yelled out Yagyu.

"Or come at us if you can! Let's see how long you last without your stupid traps!" Katsuragi stomped the ground with a sneer on her face.

"You'll pay for what you did to us! There's no mercy for evil people like you." Ikaruga stood up straight while her right hand gripped the hilt.

"Catchphrase!" Yelled Asuka. Hibari nodded in agreement, before turning to her in confusion

Nishu laughed, unintimidated.

"What the hell was that Asuka?"

"S-shut up! I couldn't think of anything so I borrowed something Homura would say!"

"Well then. Allow me to retort!"

He concentrated his energy, balled it up within himself, and released it. His words echoed while a silver aura rose from his shoulders.

"Shuttered soul: Desperado Dog!"

Ikaruga crouched down, blade at the ready. Her voice both reassuring and commanding.

"Stand your ground! That summon isn't very strong!"

Slime from Nishu's shoulders coagulated onto his chest, a tiny puppy head forming within the goop. It's full body splashed out, breaking into a full run straight toward Hibari. She screamed and held out her arms in terror, and every girl there turned their attention to her. Hibari waved her hands in a wild motion, eyes closed, head turned away. One fist accidentally connected across the dog's face, and with a pathetic whine it tumbled down the mountain.

Katsuragi's face went smug.

"Wow that was sad. -HEY!"

Before Desperado Dog first touched the ground, Nishu and Glom broke into a full sprint towards the trees. He had already gained about ten feet of distance, but one look back and he saw that the other girls were catching up to them. His legs pushed as fast and as hard as they could go, each stride a leap towards the forest shade.

Glom's voice growled between breaths.

"My essence has taken root beneath the trees. Every second it grows stronger, but you're the one who has to activate them with your mind. Way better than your stupid summon. I mean come on! Is dying all that tiny dog is good for?"

"It's not dead."

"What?"

"Desperado Dog isn't dead... For now let's make a trap closer to us."

He concentrated his thoughts again, willing his aura to manifest once more.

"Haunted Trauma: Hidden Cage!"

Strands of hair unraveled from his skin and drifted into the open air. They floated about in random directions before camouflaging themselves into the environment.

"Ok. that'll slow them down. Once we get to the forest, we'll…"

A glimmer above his head, a focused ray traveling across his path. There was something coming from above. His legs braced themselves into the earth, sliding along the rocks while he crouched low. Shining ice crystals exploded out from where he was about to be, and both males turned to see Yagyu in the air again, drifting down with both hands on her open umbrella. Glom gasped and laughed like an erratic child.

"Holy shit! She IS Mary Poppins!"

"Damn it now they got us both trapped! "

They stood side by side. Back to the wall. Glom crouched low and snarled at them, tombstone teeth wetting with saliva. Nishu scowled forward, rod pointed forward like before. Unseen slime coated the rod.

"Looks like this might be the end. You ready, Glom?"

"I bet I can last longer than you can."

"Remember that conversation we had about gang-banging?"

"Oh quit being a bitch!"

The Hanzo girls descended upon them.

But Ikaruga skidded to a halt and swiped her sword from her sheath, a firebird gliding toward the boy with one flap of its wings. He dove to the side, the flames burning away the silky threads.

The five girls rushed between them and cornered them to the back of the wall. Ikaruga and Yagyu against Nishu. Asuka and Kat against Glom.

Yagyu swiped her sword, flinging more ice towards the boy. His own rod became a blur, striking each of the projectiles as they reached him. And as he deflected them he was still moving, circling Yagyu so that Ikaruga was always behind her. This stopped Ikaruga from charging in.

Once he got comfortable with the timing in which Yagyu shot her ice crystals, he stepped forward and let one black marble roll out from his sleeve. He flicked it in front of him and smashed it toward the ground.

Yagyu stopped firing and tried to parry it herself, but she missed. The marble fell down, bounced off the earth, and ricocheted upwards past her thighs. It was a clean hit, and Yagyu stood pigeon-toed. Her trembling knees buckled and curved inward. A whispery, high-pitched moan escaped her lips and her eyes rolled back.

"That's for kicking me earlier!"

Ikaruga called out to Yagyu and headed toward her fallen comrade. Nishu turned to make his way towards Glom.

The yoma didn't last long. Asuka had charged in front, cutting the tentacles that whipped forth from the monster. Then she dashed sideways, cutting off his escape. Katsuragi rushed out, punting the dog on its chin and knocking it into the air.

But Glom recovered. He flipped along with the hit and jumped off the wall of ice over the two girls. Except that Asuka was already there where he landed. He snarled at her, spitting globs of slime from the back of his throat and through his teeth. Asuka rolled forward into a baseball slide, the projectiles slipping over her before she kicked Glom in the side of his head.

The dog rolled several feet before lying motionless on his side. Nishu ran toward him. A shadow passed below his feet. He slipped left before Ikaruga sliced in from above. She landed on one knee, nodachi impaled through the ground.

Nishu kept going, each stride a leap towards his fallen partner. Asuka crouched low, ready for his strike. But Nishu stopped and turned to face Hibari stepping for a running right hook. Her body twisted for a wild haymaker, static energy traveling from her chest to her arm. Nishu turned his shoulder to her, rod held to tap away her arm.

But Hibari tripped over a rock, and she squealed falling forward. Her head slammed into his chest. Electric shocks coursed through his body, stunning him. He groaned in pain as Asuka and Katsuragi closed in.

He watched them, body not responding, helpless.

Asuka reached the boy first. She grabbed his collar, fingers still gripping the hilts of her swords, and fell backwards. One foot kicked into his stomach, and he groaned again while she lifted him off the ground and threw him back. In his peripheral vision he saw Katsuragi do a front flip, right leg straight with her thighs all the way to her chest. Another clear view of her panties, before the leg crashed down, heel swirling with emerald gusts.

The kick missed. Asuka had pulled him out before the strike, his back crashing into the wall of ice, body upside down..

"Asuka what the hell!? I had him!"

"He was positioning himself to run away again. I was making sure we keep him cornered."

By then the electrical shocks had worn off. The boy struggled to his feet, trembling and wincing at the pain. Ikaruga and Yagyu were the ones closer to him now. Both ran with their weapons held behind them, leaning forward and slouched down as if to make themselves more aerodynamic. Nishu held up his rod with shaky hands.

Glom opened his eyes and sprouted tentacles where he lay, each one lashing out at all the girls at once. His spoke at the back of Nishu's head.

"Kid! I set up another cage! Do your thing before they notice!"

Yagyu stopped in her tracks and leaped over to shield Hibari. Ikaruga cut down the writhing tentacles, with Katsuragi using the intense wind from her boots to do the same.

"That won't work we already tried that before!"

For a second, the square links of a cage gleamed in the afternoon sun before disappearing once more. Marbles rolled out from his sleeves into both of his hands, some of them balancing on the side of this metal rod. His voice came out distorted.

Rainy Day Recess: Marble Bullets!

He flicked the marbles in front of him, all of them falling and rising in such a way they lined up while he struck them down. Ping sounds rang out across the mountains, multiplied by the number of marbles hit. The sounds merged until the echoes mixed with the real thing. Each of the girls switched to the defensive, standing their ground and swatting away the marbles. Hibari stood behind everyone, hands covering the top of her head.

And the girls smiled.

Ikaruga's blade lit aflame once more. She leaped back and slashed at the links of the cage. Each thread broke with the sound of snapping metal wire.

"Fool." Said Yagyu.

"You're gonna have to come up with some new tricks, 'cause that one's getting REAL old!" Katsuragi yelled out.

The blonde thundered forward, arms swinging, ignoring the balls that pelted at her sides and face. When she was in range of the boy, she raised her left leg as though to smash his chin with her toes. Nishu frowned and took a stance, aiming to strike her on the head. The blonde hopped forward, but instead of following through with an upward kick, she turned around and switched to a leg sweep.

"Nishu!"

Another tentacle broke through the yoma's skin and launched itself toward its master. A ball of ice struck it down, before more ice exploded across the yoma's side. Yagyu, now recovered, launched herself forward and stabbed into Glom's ribs. The black dog trembled as a prison of ice formed over his body.

While Nishu was still in mid-air, the blonde crouched low and kicked out. She put her hands behind her back, palms on the earth below. And she spun. Her heavy greaves gave extra weight and power to her movements. Katsuragi's opened into a split that exposed her blue and white striped panties for all to see. She was performing a break dance windmill technique, the green breeze circling around her and capturing the metal balls mid-flight. Nishu spun upside down within eye of the tornado, able to see nothing but streaks of green, the blue-white of her panties, and the smooth skin of her toned thighs. Katsuragi's voice echoed above the gale.

Secret Ninja Art: Tornado Spindle!

While he was in the air, he heard Ikaruga's voice.

"Hibari! Combined Aerial Rave!"

"Okay!"

In the next moment the windstorm ended, and he saw a glimpse of Katsuragi cartwheeling to the side to observe him from below. Another look and there was Ikaruga and Hibari rising to meet him in mid-air.

Nishu was disoriented, unable to tell what direction was up or down. The only thing he could do was raise his arms and legs to cover himself. In the next moment pain exploded through his entire body. He opened his eyes and watched Ikaruga and Hibari completely defy the laws of physics. The two of them were air dashing, creating energy behind them and using it like a platform to jump at his flailing body. Both blunt and bladed strikes pelted him from all sides. Electricity and flame melding together until he could do nothing but yell out and wait for the end.

The strikes stopped just for a split second. And he saw them both suspended, energy enveloping their bodies, preparing for one last blow. He gasped as he tried to recover, forced the demonic energy in his body to heal the wounds. But he was too slow. Ikaruga drew her sword from its sheath. Hibari thrust both fists out like some kind of gym-clothed superhero.

Too late to do anything. No surviving this. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact. Asuka's roared out from below

Hanzo Style Storm Kick!

There was an impact. Just not the one he was expecting. Nor the sounds he thought'd he'd hear. An arm around his waist, strong and firm. The sound of steel clashed against steel. A gust of wind that surrounded his body, much slower than the Katsuragi's. Hibari squeaked a single quick breath.

"Asuka!?"

Going Rogue

Asuka had grabbed him and pulled him out of their final hit. She kicked Hibari in the stomach, sending her flying to the side. For a brief moment, the two them locked eyes, the world slowing between them. Asuka then let go of Nishu and raised her weapons against Ikaruga. Since Ikaruga's nodachi was heavier, and carried the momentum of a full swing, her hit knocked Asuka back, breaking the wind that carried the two. Her body struck Nishu's, and they both bounced off each other falling to the ground.

Nishu landed on his stomach. At his side the earth split apart to let Asuka slide into the darkness below. The boy couldn' move, exposed to the assailants surrounding him.

Ikaruga concentrated the blue flames from her sword and fired a blast down to Nishu's prone body. Katsuragi kicked forward, turning with the hit, sending a wheel of green wind toward the boy. Loose rocks were launched upward. Dirt and dust rose into a cloud as their projectiles collided into a whirlwind of greenish-blue flames.

And just before they hit their target, a boulder broke out from the ground in front of him. The explosion shattered the ice wall from behind. Blue and green sparks spiraled out from the point of impact. Pieces of rock rained down on them from above. Hibari and Ikaruga landed and completed the semi-circle around the smoke.

Nobody moved as they watched the dust settle back down. Within the cloud the boulder broke and fell to the side with a heavy thump, revealing the silhouette of their teammate behind it.

"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing Asuka!?" Said the princess.

Asuka stood in front. The boy and the dog lay motionless behind.

Nobody said anything. Their expressions shifted between shock and anger. Hibari's voice shook with hesitation.

"What's... What's going on?"

Nishu coughed and brought a shaky hand over his mouth. Dirt and dust drifted into his lungs. He squinted at the girl in front of him. Asuka was standing straight, legs apart, hands up and gripping at her scarf. With steady hands she pulled the cloth up to her mouth.

"As... ka...?"

Katsuragi growled.

"I see what you've been up to. You've been trying to save him haven't you? You were trying to make it look like you were being clumsy when right from the start you were trying to sabotage us!"

The cloud of smoke and dirt cleared away. Now everyone stood under the light of the sun, plain for all to see. And the boy gasped at Asuka's appearance.

Nothing changed except that her scarf had become a mask. The crimson red had shifted to wrap around her ears, covering her nose and mouth. The only thing exposed now was her hair and eyes.

Yet there was never a moment where he had admired her more than now. Asuka wasn't a schoolgirl playing costume. She was a ninja. Tride and true. The crimson red of her scarf gave off a heroic vibe just as much as any cape.

And not just the mask. There was something about the way she stared forward. Her head tilted down, eyes set into a hard scowl. If everyone were in a manga, then the usual roundedness of her eyes would be redrawn into harsh, sharp corners and straight edges.

A familiar consciousness re-entered Nishu's mind. Glom had finished thawing. His prison cracked and shook while his body writhed within. Through the ice Nishu could see Glom getting smaller, returning to the normal size dog he was used to. The ice prison burst. Icicles fell from the yoma's wet body, and he stood shivering, too cold to even shake the moisture off his fur.

"Asuka..." Nishu breathed. His own body was recovering as well. The broken bones became realigned, skin closing the scratches and wounds.

Asuka's voice was low. Quiet. Gone was the excited and modest spirit of her earlier speech. Now her tone was more blunt, to the point, yet somehow more contemplative than before. It was a voice whose' words meant more than what they said.

"That's enough. We've won. There's no point in taking this any further."

Ikaruga held up a hand, palm down. It was a motion that beckoned her to come back to their side.

"Asuka, you're being foolish. Think about it. You're trying to protect the lowest, most vile form of evil out there. We can't let him live."

"There are worse evils than what he's done."

Beneath the girl's voices came the deep baritone voice seeping into the boy's mind. It spoke quick, fueled by fear.

"I'm almost ready kid. Can't move, but if you can pick me up then we can make a break for it."

"Wait Glom. If we run now, they'll all just chase us down. Asuka wants to capture me just as much as the others want to kill me. None of them are letting us escape. This battle is a three way now."

There was a signal sent to his mind. subtle and soft. A forgotten thought. Yet he recognized it all the same. He looked to his right and saw trees shaking across the mountain. Birds flew up in a state of panic.

Something was coming. But he didn't want them to know. It was time to do something stupid. But also honest.

"I have something to say..." Nishu's voice rang out loud and clear. He was on his hands and knees now, pulling himself up and using the steel rod like a cane.

They all turned to stare at the injured boy. Their gaze bore down on him like hawks circling a rabbit.

"Asuka you... You look like Strider!"

It took what may have been a full minute before any of the girls even registered what he said. It was so random. So irrelevant.

"So... goddamn... stupid!" Yagyu grabbed at her temple with her free hand. Her eyes scrunched up as though she were having an aneurysm.

But Asuka raised her forehead while her eyes shone in excitement. Even through the mask he could see her mouth curve into an ecstatic smile. The harsh edges of her eyes returned to the cheerful circles. Both fists to her side in a gesture of power.

"Oh. My god. Hell. Fucking. YES! I'm so happy you said that!"

A wide grin spread across Nishu's face. He shot one fist into the air.

"Hell to the yeah!"

Hibari crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side.

"Sure but... she's more Hien than Hiryu though."

Asuka turned to her and pointed at her face.

"But the red scarf! Totally Hiryu!"

"But the ponytail though! Totally Hien."

Ikaruga turned her head back and forth between the two girls. Her lips parted, completely unsure of what was going on.

"What in the world is a Strider!?"

Katsuragi gasped and raised her forehead.

"How the hell do you not know Strider!?"

"WE'RE LOSING FOCUS!"

A vein throbbed near Yagyu's temple. Her jaw clenched, her one eye baring down on the boy and watching his every move.

Meanwhile Glom's muffled laughter punctuated their words. A giddy, uncontrollable laughter that was only more noticeable because he was trying to hide it. He closed his mouth with a wet tentacle while each new breath brought a burst of spit from his mouth.

The girls returned to their original expressions. Hard stares clashing against each other. An electricity punctuated the surrounding atmosphere.

Yagyu stepped forward. Her head hung low, eyes glaring at her teammate.

"Asuka... are you going to continue calling yourself a ninja when you're against killing? Isn't that against everything we've trained for? Everything taught to us?"

There was no reply.

"Does this mean you're going rogue? A renegade ninja just like the Crimson Squad? What do you think will happen when we tell your Grandfather, or even your grandmother? Is the scion of the greatest ninja couple in the known world turning evil?"

Several more seconds of nobody moving a muscle. Asuka did not respond. She looked over to lock eyes with Nishu, then stared forward at rest of the girls.

"Well?"

Asuka didn't respond with any overwhelming emotion. Her speech was plain, matter of fact, as though she were mentioning the color of the sky.

"We're ninjas. We're not meant to just yell out our intentions for everyone to hear. It's the flash of our bodies and the shine of our blades that reveal our true nature. If you're going to fight, then show me what you've got!"

Ikaruga stepped forward. She sighed, shoulders up and down in a heavy breath. She smiled wide, beaming at her junior.

"Well said, Asuka. Since when have you learned to talk so big?"

They both of them smiled, but Asuka never moved from her spot. Ikaruga gripped the hilt of her sword.

"Hmph. However, realize you're going against your teammates. Your friends. And you're doing this even after all the experiences we've shared? Please Asuka, just stand aside."

"I'm sorry. I can't do that."

Asuka bent her knees and raised her blades. Earth-grip blade in front of her for defense. Heaven-Grip blade behind her ready to attack. Dangerous eyes peered out from crimson cloth.

Ikaruga took up her own stance. She stood straight up, front foot raised with her toes on the ground. One hand crossed her body and hovered over the hilt of her sword.

"Fine. Just wait until your grandfather hears about this."

Every girl there took up their own stance. Asuka's eyes darted left and right, eyeing her classmates, anticipating which of them would attack first. Calculations went through her head for how she'd counter their offense. And she knew they were doing the same.

Nishu almost wanted to cry. Nobody had ever defended him like she was.

A deep, baritone ring sounded within his head. It was Glom speaking through his mind.

"Kid. Don't forget your original plan. The seeds I planted into the ground should have grown by now. Get to the forest. It's there you can show them who's king!"

He winced. Even Asuka couldn't take them all at once. And even if she could he still had no intention of being captured by those who she trained under. He needed to keep moving, keep changing his position until he had more of an advantage. Something to take control of this battle. Nishu needed to get to the forest.

The ground rumbled.

Before the girls could begin their fight, the thumps and violent cracks of broken branches drew closer. What was a distant sound within the wilderness grew louder. It was a million dogs barking at once, in a singular voice, the snarls and howls syncing together to create a noise that sent chills down the student's spines.

Desperado Dog crashed through the tree line and charged at them. It was the size of an adult rhino and galloped like a horse. Its tongue flopped out as it ran, black drool sliding off to hit its face. It's a mouth was a tunnel of teeth and tongue. DD had become what children have nightmares about.

Every girl focused their attention on the strange creature charging toward them. Multi-colored energies rippled from their bodies, each girl ready to strike down the monster the instant it came within range. At the corner of their eyes they saw Nishu and Glom make a break for the forest shade. Both stumbled their injuries at first, but picked up speed as their bodies regenerated.

"Keep track of them, Hibari. Don't let them escape."

"I'm on it." The pink-haired girl spread out her arms like an airplane and sprinted after them.