Grand Showing!  Mahorafest Begins!

“Sakon, you're alive!”
“But just barely. Mind if I take a break?”

- Mitsunari Ishida and Sakon Shima, Yukimura Sanada's Dream

June 22, 2007
Mahora Academy, Main Street
0950 hours, local time

The streets of Mahora Academy were lined with people waiting for the beginning of the biggest party of the year. The main route was filled with the participants of the opening parade, with everything ranging from a giant Ball Mobile Suit balloon to a full-scale replica of an Imperial AT-AT walker.

Near the parade route, a gaggle of girls from Negi's class were watching the goings-on, and the incoming visitors, in surprise. “Guys, they're letting people in already!” basketball hotshot Yuuna Akashi exclaimed.

“Then we'd better get back to class,” class swimmer Akira Okochi replied, and the group of girls left to return to their classroom.

Overhead, a squadron of seven biplanes flown by members of the Aviation Enthusiasts' Club roared toward the main thoroughfare. In the cockpit of the lead biplane, the squadron leader spoke into his headset, “Right then, let's show 'em what we got!”

“Yes, sir!” the other pilots cheered back.

As one, the seven biplanes began trailing colored smoke as they split into a fleur de lis formation, eliciting cheers from the crowd below.

“Cool!” Makie Sasaki exclaimed.

“And loud,” Akira said with a smile.

Near the head of the parade route, the Kuro crew had gathered into a loose group near a small convenience store. Seno stood leaning against a lamp post, wearing his black shoes, his UNSC hat, blue jean shorts, and a red T-shirt with a blue outline of a dragon along the lower edge of the front, swooping up over the right arm, and dominating the back of the shirt. He held a folded map of the festivities under one arm, and a 20-oz bottle of Coke in the other, half-consumed.

Motoko stood next to him, wearing a pair of Seno's khaki cargo pants and his Hardy Boyz black T-shirt. She idly reached over and grabbed the bottle of Coke from her husband, twisted off the cap, and took a drink.

“You see that walker they've got down there?” Seno asked, pointing down the parade route to the gargantuan four-legged machine. “Looked really detailed from the glimpse I got of it. I bet they've got a local 501st garrison here.”

“That's the Imperial costumers, right?” Motoko asked.

The swordsman smiled at her the way a teacher would smile at an exceptionally-bright student. “Yeah. Even though the 501st includes clone troopers as well as Imperial guys, I'm not really too keen on joining them cos I hate the Empire.”

“And you don't have the armor, either.”

“Nope.”

Inside the store, Kazue browsed the refrigerated section, smiling when her eye fell on a simple, triangle-packaged piece of onigiri. She quickly paid the cashier with a few coins from her jacket pocket before exiting and loitering near the door. Opening the package, she bit into the onigiri greedily, only to grimace in disgust.

“...What is this trickery?” she mumbled. “It tastes...this isn't authentic at all.” She looked up, horrified. “The onigiri is a lie!”

A few people wearing full Halo 2 UNSC Marine gear passed by, those within earshot stifling their laughter. On their backs were various airsoft replicas of weapons, but mainly, it was the BR55 Battle Rifle. One though had an M90 Mk II Shotgun.

The rest of the crew was likewise gathered loosely near the convenience store. Naru, Kitsune, and Haruka stood clustered around a map of the campus activities that Haruka was holding, discussing this attraction or that ride. Shinobu stood near Mutsumi, half-hiding behind the Okinawan native from Kazue. Even though the ghostly ninja was pact-bound as a servant to Seno, whose spirit-bound blade he owned, the young domestic engineer was still a little spooked by her.

The oddity among the group, was the single oddity. Dressed in the same manner as a Halo 2 ODST, was Lorenzo. On his back, was a BR55 as well, and on his thigh, an M7 SMG. Its stock was collapsed and the foregrip folded, it looked like an oversized pistol, but this airsoft gun has given Lorenzo massive welts when Kaolla took hold of it and shot him in the back after he completed building the M7.

“Oi, Seno. I'll see you all later. The university kids are gonna need me soon,” Lorenzo said, as he headed off.

Seno looked up at the CIA agent, and nodded. “Hey, give me a call if they got some new Halo 3 stuff over there, like a beta or anything.”

Apparently, earlier, Lorenzo got in touch with a University section of the Halo/Bungie Enthusiasts and the Mahora Military Enthusiasts. They created a cosplay/airsoft/civil defense type of group named Fireteam Charlie. Most of them were of course, Japanese. None knew how to act like actual soldiers. A few did, but weren't as good. Their cosplay quality though, was amazing. So Lorenzo stepped in, became de facto squad leader by majority vote, and was asked to come and help promote their group to university and town residents alike in their booth.

And that was where Lorenzo was going to stay. Or so he thought. The group actually sent him out to do promotion. It was at this point Lorenzo was glad for the breeze and the small air conditioning unit and properties of his costume.

“Seno, do you notice something missing?”

The swordsman glanced around a minute, then looked over at his wife. “No?”

Motoko gave him a sideways glance, then gestured around at their party. “The two most dangerous members of our group are nowhere to be found?”

He paused, realizing she was correct, and frowned, tossing the empty Coke bottle into a nearby trash can. “Sabashii's probably off chasing skirts. Just listen for shrieks. As for the ol' jackass? Probably finding trouble. Or lurking. He'll show up eventually.”

It only took a fraction of a second. There was a sound that was something akin to the “whuff” of air rushing out of something, mixed with radio static. The white haired girl that suddenly appeared with her back to Seno's smirked, then reached over and smacked him on the back.

“I don't chase skirts, I woo women. I used to chase skirts all over the world, until I got to Scotland, then boy was I surprised!”

She grinned, a fangy grin, before her expression became sober. The girl looked to be about Mahoran school age, thirteen or fourteen. She was tan though, extremely so, with white hair and those same eyes. Shinobu might have noticed it first, just from the aura. This girl was indeed the group's lecherous companion. Except, breastiful. Very, for a fourteen year old.

“Heh, my entrance was pretty cool huh? I call it 'Sonido'. Well. Kubo Tite called it Sonido, I just stole it. Regardless. I have some things I have to do. After I do them, you won't see me for a while. It will use up my reserves to get it done. Be on your guard. There are things afoot that are making my spider senses tingle. No good can come of this.”

She shook her head then, and looked about to make sure there were no spectators gazing at her directly, before she vanished into thin air in that same static-laden sound.

“Make sure the sound system is working fine,” the black haired high-schooler popped off from atop the nearby float, to the student behind her who was adjusting volumes on the amplifiers just behind her.

“Do you want to do a sound check, Nanao?” the younger girl lifted her head from her work, her hand stilling on the amp as feedback boomed outward, and then faded.

“Alright, alright.. Gimme a few notes, and we'll do a warmup.” She stepped forward and grabbed the microphone, as the music behind her started, and the girl who had been kneeling stood, fingers moving across her guitar.

Nanao, the girl in the red corset leaned forward, voice belting out into the microphone on cue.

In the, spring of my life
I fell in love for the first time
Yeah baby, though I had faded many times before

God keep angels out of mischief
This is a quirk of fate
He is the one that I'm waiting for so long time

The girls leaned forward to their respective microphones, voice lifting as hers faded, looks exchanged as she turned and moved among them, mic lifted from its stand, smiles passing between them at their shared passion.

Baby I'm falling love with you
In want you & I want you
To need me so hard
My desire it makes me crazy.

Nanao turned then, walking back toward the front of the float, each step punctuated with the music her band mates brought to life.

A Little Black Butterfly
How can I be beautiful?
If I have a sweet voice like you
Do you think he will love me?
I believe in my passion
Passion is dedication
To something you believe...
Can't stop, oh, lovin' you.
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeaaaah

How do you know if the one you love is true?
Because he said so?
I am just hungry for love
I just don't want to be alone.

Too many people that I met
Too many people that I loved
But I am hard up for simple love and simple world

She moved there on the front of the float, as they continued to play, drummer, guitarist, bass player, all in unison, voices rising, creating a beautiful flow of music that was somewhere between rock, and pop.

Baby I'm falling love with you
In want you & I want you
To need me so hard
My desire it makes me crazy.

One hand reached out as Nanao fell into the flow of the music, her eyes closing, not seeing the parade-ready street, but the screaming fans she had grown used to, empty hand raising skyward.

A little girl, lovin' you
How can she be beautiful?
If she has a pure heart like me
Do you love her just a while?
If you want her to change she can change for you, right now
Even though she has gone out of your sight
Can't stop, oh, lovin' you

Three female voices rose again, all eyes closed, moving with the music, no thought given to anything but the song they were playing.

I wanted everything and so everything
I didn't want everything and so everything
I just want be beautiful and beautiful
I'm just lovin' you

The mic was slid back into place on the stand as her head weaved to the music, and she leaned forward, almost straddling the mic, her voice raising in unspoken words to tune into the music.

Lovin you, Ohhohhhhh!

She leaned back off the mic, stepping back amidst the group, voice raising without the mic close to her, filling the air around the float with the sound of the melody that they poured their hearts and souls into.

A little black butterfly
How can I be beautiful?
If I have a sweet voice like you
Do you think he will love me?
I believe in my passion
Passion is dedication
To something you believe...
Can't stop, oh, lovin' you.

A little girl, lovin' you
How can she be beautiful?
If she has a pure heart like me
Do you love her just a while?
If you want her to change she can change for you, right now
Even though she has gone out of your sight
Can't stop, oh, lovin' you.

Nanao fell silent as the other three voices lifted into their microphones, giving them their spotlight.

I wanted everything and so everything
I didn't want everything and so everything
I just want be beautiful and beautiful
I'm just lovin' you

I wanted everything and so everything
I didn't want everything and so everything
I just want be beautiful and beautiful
I'm just lovin' you

Her voice blended in with the rest of the girls in the band as she leaned forward again, one hand hugging the mic, while the other waved through the air, caressing it, almost imploring.

I wanted everything and so everything
I didn't want everything and so everything

And the music tapered off with the last lines, relying solely on their voices to carry the last of the melody.

I just want be beautiful and beautiful
I'm just lovin' you-ou..

The Kuro crew joined in with the rest of the spectators nearby who were applauding and cheering the simple sound check. It was shaping up to be a lively and fun-filled day. At the edge of the group, Shinobu's eyes reverted to their natural dark blue color from the tell-tale lavender of her Byakkugan aura-scanning ability, and she looked over at Mutsumi.

“Mutsumi, I saw another one,” she said, pointing toward the crowd she'd been scanning. “A white aura like ours. Standing over there by- Oh.”

At the same time that Shinobu looked back to see the person with her normal vision, Kitsune spoke up, “Hey, isn't that that kid we met in the library? Ma...something?”

“Masaru,” Haruka corrected, giving the fox a sideways glance.

“Yeah, right, somethin' like that.”

“Guess we get to go tell him that he's part of our destined group,” Naru said, starting toward him. She glanced back at Mutsumi, and called back over her shoulder, “Man, you really missed your count when you told us last year that we were all there was to this Chosen Heroes thing.”

Mutsumi smiled airily and rested a hand on her brow as she followed her friend and fellow Tokyo University student. “Originally, all of you were all there were going to be,” she said. “But I am hearing of troubling events through the Lifestream, and so I've had to...well, activate some more units, if you will.”

“That doesn't really bode well for us then, does it?” Seno asked, joining the group. He turned a glance back toward Kazue to see if she was following, then turned his attention back to the Okinawan native and laced his fingers through Motoko's.

“How many more will be joining us?” Motoko asked, squeezing her husband's hand.

Mutsumi took a moment to count on her fingers, then answered, “Counting the young man Masaru, six more. My predecessor had mentioned a seventh possibility, but I've yet to locate him or her, even using the Lifestream to aid in my search.”

“Strange,” Naru murmured, and by then the group had reached the lead float that Masaru was standing right beneath.

Masaru turned his head and adjusted his glasses much like he did before, when the group first met. He still carried that sword on his hip, but oddly, the normal people didn't seem to notice; either they figured it's because the young man was supposed to have it as part of the float crew, or it had some kind of magical stealth. Either way, would it really matter? Mahorans were all kind of dense anyway. An earpiece rested in his left ear, and it was obvious he'd been listening to something, quite possibly still was. He tilted his head slightly to the side when the group arrived, his voice as flat as always.

“I wasn't aware you would be joining us. To be honest, it might be welcome for once. With my girlfriend up there singing, I am for the most part, relegated to performing guard duty. She just recently became a musical name. With her talent and my connections, it was assured to happen, of course. Ho, ho ho...”

Masaru pushed his glasses up, and the light reflected off of them in the usual anime style sinister style; his eyes became invisible, only the light on his glasses showed as prominent, and he wore a creepy little smile. It was amazing how close anime could be to real life sometimes. He became serious after the slight outburst, obviously he had just been expressing his own shady brand of humor, at least one would hope so. He appeared a bit creepy when he did that. His eyes ran over each member of the group, before they fell on Seno.

“Things should be heating up soon. Mahorafest has a lot of things to do, and with the fighting tournament coming up, you all probably won't see a lot of me. At least not until the fighting starts, in any event. I'm going to be in the tournament as a representative of the martial combat club of my school. When she's done with her singing, I'll introduce you all to Nanao. She's a real cutie.”

He started to sing along with the next song that came up on his mp3 player, since Nanao wasn't singing at the moment and was taking a break between songs, most likely..and it was kind of odd, coupling the song he sang with, alongside his kind of stiff and somber look.

“Kyoo mo kootsuu ruuru wo mamoru yo. TEEN TITANS!
Suki-kirai naku nan demo taberu yo. TEEN TITANS!
Jishin kaminari kaji oyaji
Kokugo sansuu rika shakai
Kowai mon wa nani mo nai.
TEEN TITANS! GO!”

Seno just kinda...stared blankly at the kid when he started singing that tune. Then he planted his forehead in the palm of his left hand. “I know this kid is not singing some Teen Titans.”

“As if your playlist doesn't have some questionable material on it,” Motoko retorted, glancing sideways at her husband. At the look he gave her, she raised an eyebrow and merely stated, “Pokemon?”

“Hey, shut up.”

Down at the end of the group, Shinobu was quietly asking Mutsumi, “Should we say something now?"

The Okinawan native, ever with that airy smile on her face, leaned her head to the right, then answered, “Not right now. Perhaps later. We should wait for the opportune moment.”

Suddenly, from the various loudspeakers situated around the area, a male voice boomed out,

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE 78TH ANNUAL MAHORAFEST HAS BEGUN!”

Clearly, that was some sort of cue. The parade floats began to move, beginning with the float upon which Nanao and her band was to perform, and the cheers of the crowd rose to a much higher volume. Overhead, a number of dirigible airships filled the air, most of them passing over the major entrance area and releasing payloads of confetti over the city-academy.

A parade usher moved up to the Kuro group and began to usher them back toward the sidewalk. “Please stay off the parade route for your own safety.”

As the group complied, Mutsumi turned to Masaru and called out, “If it's possible, could you please meet with us at the Chao Bao Zi restaurant at 12:30 PM? Bring your girlfriend with you.” Then, in her characteristic persona, Mutsumi gave him a friendly wave before turning to join the rest of her comrades.

Back on the sidewalk, the Kuro crew began to move toward the Mahorafest Entrance Gate, a large bronze archway similar in appearance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. Naru was the first to speak up, “Okay, so we're supposed to meet Negi and his magic students at that Chao Bao Zi place at 12:30.” She looked down at the map in her hands. “Now where is it?”

“It's over here between the student dorms and the Girls' Middle School,” Kitsune answered, pointing a finger to the appropriate place on the map.

Haruka nodded. “That's the plan, so I guess until then, it's everybody for themselves. Just make sure we're all there at 12:30.”

“Sounds good,” Seno said, taking Motoko's hand. “Well, me and Motoko are off to the high school. Setsuna's part of their kendo club and she wanted us to come see her. See you kids around.” Once through the entrance gate, the swordscouple headed off to the left, toward the Mahora Co-Ed Academy.

--

World Tree Plaza
1000 hours, local time

The announcement of the starting of the grand festival was his cue to get to work. He was one of the guards posted to keeping any other people from approaching the sacred tree in the center of the Academy in order to prevent anyone from becoming tricked into involuntarily answering any question with a quick 'yes'. As he had been briefed before the start of the festival, it had been discovered years ago that the magics flowing through several points around the tree had this strange effect most whenever anyone was attempting to confess their love, and whenever any couple announces such love amongst themselves at the tree at this time, it becomes... well, practically bound by Law.

Mazushida threw away the now empty cup into a trash can before taking up one of the positions with his fellow at duty guards, his own student uniform shifting in size and shape and becoming a suit of armor which spewed steam from the joints before fastening and contouring to his frame. The armor was unusually slim, a dark and spiked suit which covered him from head to toe, his newly fastened helm adorned with metallic phoenix wings to each side and an ebony horn protruding from the forehead. The pink headband which had been present on his forehead, no longer present there, had moved and grown into a pink cape that flowed and flapped in the wind, trace cherry blossoms actually falling from the cloth only to fade from existence altogether.

Crossing his arms together over his tight-plated chest, he would lean against the tree and keep a look out. While his appearance gave a serious visage of a sentinel, his mind was on not only his job but the Mahorafest. There was one event he had asked for time off to attend, and he would not miss it for the world.

“... Henshin A-Go-Go... soon'll be time t'show off m'goods and skill.”

--

Mahora University Parade Grounds
1005 hours, local time

Lorenzo was being dragged everywhere. Their partner club, the Mahora Military Enthusasts, had an actual M1A1 Abrams, well, as close to the real thing. And he was being used to be somewhat of a display item.

It could be worse, he thought, as he waved to the Japanese people crowding around them.

Two streets over, Koike Fujimoto handed out fliers and posed for people. He wore full ODST gear, much like Lorenzo, but his helmet was on a table, and he sweated in the heat. Lorenzo had helped Koike in his costume, giving him a miniature AC unit, but still it wasn't enough. Across his back was a BR55 Battle Rifle.

“Oi, Koike, look for our esteemed commander. We're about to let him have a break,” one of their men said, a Marine who had his arms being held by two high school girls and getting his picture taken. Koike nodded and put his helmet on, and went to search for Lorenzo.

--

Near Entrance
1008 hours

Setsuna walked quickly, keeping her head low and moving effectively through the growing crowd. She wore a brilliant, clean hakama and gi, and small, comfortable sandals. They made almost no sound beneath her. Despite her efforts to control them, nerves bubbled up in her stomach. Performing in front of Seno and Motoko-neesama was a big deal, and while she was very excited, she was also very anxious. These thoughts occupied her so completely, she almost didn't see the people walking casually in front of her, laughing and talking. Stopping just in time as to not crash into them, she let out a small yelp. The man glanced over his shoulder at the sound, and Setsuna turned bright red.

“N-Nii-san!” she stammered, coloring deeper. “Hello..”

Seno waved to the shorter girl, then gave her a thumbs up. “Mornin', Set. Looks like you're ready to go.”

Motoko smiled and hugged her adopted sister, then stepped back and tugged gently at her gi to straighten it out. “We were just on our way to come see you,” she said. “What will you be showing at the demonstration?”

Setsuna blushed at the pampering, while also trying not to laugh. “Oh, just simple stuff really...nothing major. I'll be doing a kiri-kaeshi display, with my shinai. And a couple of spars with some of the other students, though they'll probably just be really showy- for the crowd 'n stuff.”

Motoko nodded and stepped back, satisfied that she'd undone whatever untidiness she'd caused in Setsuna's appearance. “You've always been exceptional at kiri-kaeshi, so the crowd will definitely not be disappointed.”

Setsuna found herself smiling at Motoko's praise, her cheeks, as usual, more than a little pink. “I hope not,” she added quietly.

“And hell, you trained in Shinmeiryu with us,” Seno added, “so you better believe those spars are just for show.” He leaned his head to the side, looking over Setsuna in her kendo outfit. Red and white, of course, the traditional Shinmeiryu colors. “Man, this reminds me of the old days. 'Cept you were white-headed back then.”

Eying her nii-san with obvious humour, she gave way to a small smile.

“Indeed I did train with you,” she said, still smiling, “but don't be so cocky. You're a dropout, Nii-san.”

She ducked instinctively, waiting for a blow.

“As for my hair...” she muttered, still crouching, and rising a hand slowly to her head, patted it gingerly. She didn't say anything more.

“Dropout huh, yeah, that's right...” The swordsman nodded slowly, turned to the side, rubbed the side of his face, all of which were clear indicators that he was about to leap into an attack. But just as he would have tensed to strike, he turned and grinned at his sister-in-law. “But I can still kick your ass, can't I?”

Motoko rolled her eyes. “In a street fight, maybe. She'd maim you in a traditional swordfight, just like I do.”

The swordsman shrugged exaggeratedly and stepped toward the sisters. “Hey, I gotta cover the deficiencies in our little Shinmei band. Can't all be traditional duelists, cos then we'd get fucked up in a back-alley brawl.” He nonchalantly dropped his right hand on Setsuna's dark hair and ruffled the strands gently. “And you know I don't mean anything by it.” He tugged on her ponytail to ensure she understood what he meant by 'it.'

Setsuna chuckled at Motoko's response, giving her brother-in-law a big grin. She giggled, watching him parade about in an air of self-importance. Knowing it for what it was, of course, she smiled fondly at him. But when his hands brushed her hair, her eyes darkened a little. “We should walk faster,” she said. “I don't want to be late.”

Kazue, breathing quietly, stepped quickly and lightly to join the trio, bringing up a finger to hush Seno and Motoko from speaking. She came up from behind Setsuna and, when close enough, brought up her hands to meet with the girl's sides. And thus began the tickling.

“'Ello, Setsuna.” she crooned with a wink.

Setsuna almost jumped right out of her skin, being too caught up in her own hair-related thoughts to have sensed Kazue's presence. She shrieked, twisting from her captor's grip. “Just what do you think you're doing!?” she half yelled, whirling around. Her eyes softened. “Ahh, hello, Kazue,” she said, nodding in a quick bow.

Laughing, Kazue gave the younger girl a soft pat on the shoulder, but stopped herself from giving her an old fashioned hair ruffle. It was too close to showtime. Instead, the ninja stood back and smiled, eyeing Setsuna with pride.

“My, you look pretty!” She nodded. “But you should keep an eye on your surroundings. You never know when someone'll throw mud on you.” Kazue gave another wink. “On your way, de gozaru ka?”

Setsuna colored, smiling gently at the ninja. She shuffled her feet somewhat nervously.

“Will do,” she said with more courage than she felt, all this hype making her anxious. “Shall we continue then?”

Motoko nodded, then moved to join Seno, where she pinched his side and shot him a glare. “Of course. It wouldn't do for Setsuna to be late from stopping and talking to us. So let's continue.”

And thus the merry little band of reprobates set off on the rest of the way to the high school.

--

Mahora Academy, Near Co-Ed High School
1012 hours

Koike and Lorenzo sat around a fountain. Their heads, drenched in what was cold water. Koike actually stuck his head under a stream of water. Their necks were semi-sealed, due to the internal air conditioning still cooling their bodies. But the feeling of cold water was cooling to the face.

“Where to now?” Lorenzo asked. He was on break, after all.

“How about we see what's going on with exhibitions?” Koike asked, pointing behind them to the Mahora Academy Dojo.

“I'm not fond of swordies.”

“Why's that?”

“I prefer to see the ability to see the cutting of one's life thread through a 10 magnification scope.”

“...”

“Okay...let's just go.”

--

Mahora Co-Ed High School, Dojo
1015 hours

Setsuna entered the dojo ahead of the others, her face now a cool mask of confidence. The room was already brimming with people; an eager audience and club members alike.

“Don't forget to take off your shoes,” she said over her shoulder, directing this mostly at her nii-san as she smiled cheekily.

She gestured at them to take a place on the floor, making her way towards the front of the dojo. The other club members were hanging around there, talking excitedly. They greeted her cheerfully.

“Shouldn't we be taking our places soon?” she asked them seriously, though her eyes smiled.

“We were waiting for you, Setsuna-sempai,” one of the younger students said, and Setsuna just grinned at him.

Kazue waved, smiled, and said good luck as Setsuna continued inside, followed by the others. Pausing for a moment outside, she turned to sniff the air hungrily. Her nose enticed her mouth to water as the scent of takoyaki drew her nearer to a food stand just a few yards away. She returned to the dojo with a 'boat' of octopus balls (a toothpick in each) and a little short on change. She slid off her shoes while carefully balancing the boat on one of her palms before quickly making her way inside.

Setsuna knelt at the edge of their performance area, her back straight. The other students followed her example, and soon everyone had taken their place. The audience too became seated, and silence fell over them. Setsuna's heart was beating wildly with anticipation, though she showed no sign of it. She wanted so badly to perform at her very best in front of her nee-sama. Her eyes fell over the stage before her; its smooth wooden surface seemed to stretch on forever. She inhaled deeply. This would be a piece of cake.

After removing their shoes, Seno and Motoko headed toward the spectator area, taking seats from which they could view the entire arena, as well as be seen rather easily by their half-demon sibling.

“Setsuna seems to have taken a shine to you,” Motoko commented off-hand as they waited for the performance to begin.

“Yeah, I know. Doesn't make any sense to me. I thought she was obsessed with you.”

The Shinmeiryu heiress smiled. “She's always looked up to me in the same way that I look up to aneue. I think, with you, you're the first strong male figure in her life that she's been able to look to.”

“I guess so.” Seno leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Even though she had that crazy-powerful Takahata guy as a teacher, she didn't have the sort of close connection to him that she's got with me, being her brother-in-law.”

“...damn,” the ninja mumbled softly, looking through rows to find an empty place to sit. Spying Seno's hair, Kazue slowly made her way through a few dozen people to sit nearly six feet from the pair. She settled down and popped an octopus ball into her mouth and waited for the show to begin.

At the entrance of the dojo, Konoka held her bangs out of her eyes with one hand as she deftly slipped her shoes off. Letting out a frustrated huff of breath, she noted that there were no seats left, so instead she settled herself against a wall near the stage. Idly playing with a strand of her dark hair, she scanned the room for her precious Secchan. When she spotted her, she smiled and clasped her hands in excitement.

Setsuna sat with her eyes calmly closed as the younger kendo students performed. She listened to the dull roar of applause, and hoped it would pick up. Upon hearing her name called, she rose gracefully to her feet and took her place. She cast her eyes over the audience. Her heart rate accelerated greatly. Kono-chan! Kono-chan was in the crowd! She wiped her sweaty palm down the side of her hakama, tightly clutching her shinai with her other hand. Now she really had to perform at her best. Clearing her throat, she addressed the audience.

“Hello everyone, and welcome. I hope you have all enjoyed the show so far. My name is Sakurazaki Setsuna, and I am going to demonstrate the Kiri-kaeshi, a common form of kendo routine. Basically,” she added, smiling slightly, “It will involve me smacking another student upside the head.”

The audience laughed here, and she flashed her siblings a nervous grin. She got a thumbs up and a wink in return.

“Let us begin.”

She bowed low to the audience, resuming her place. Her 'victim', a third year student at Mahora, approached her with hesitation. The audience laughed again when the trembling kid put her bogu armor on to protect her head. When she was ready, they bowed. And the show began. Setsuna moved at lightning speed, dashing behind the girl before she had a chance to blink. With a flick of her wrist, her shinai hit the girl across the left side of her head. Bringing it up again, she successively struck the girl, alternating between the left and right side of her armored head. The girl shrieked, to which the audience applauded, as Setsuna leaped skyward. With a terrifying crack, she brought the shinai down across the top of the girl's skull. Setsuna then twirled the shinai around at an alarming rate, switching it from hand to hand. She took a few steps towards the girl. The girl's step faltered. Setsuna simply spun her weapon faster. Without warning, she rushed the girl. The shinai spun around her head, striking it six times. When it stopped spinning, the girl swayed. The audience held their breath as she teetered. Setsuna grinned. Extending her finger, she gently poked the other student's chest. The girl fell instantly and lay unmoving on the floor.

“Don't worry,” Setsuna said, turning to smile at the crowd. “She's just a little dizzy.”

All through the display, Seno could only watch as Setsuna neatly and efficiently dismantled her opponent. He joined in the resulting crowd applause from the showcase along with Motoko; both of them could see the girl's desire for their approval written all over her face.

“Her skill and power are greatly improved, just as I suspected,” Motoko said over the applause. “I can only imagine what she could do with her own weapon.”

“Seems like she's as tough as you,” Seno replied. “If not, then close, and she's definitely got the capacity to be pretty cold-blooded in battle. She took apart that girl like she was going to get stabbed if she didn't.”

Glancing around the audience, Motoko's eyes fell on a dark-haired girl enthusiastically cheering for Setsuna. Smiling, the Shinmeiryu heiress drew her husband's attention to this. “Look over there, Seno,” she said. “Konoe Konoka, the girl that Setsuna's been assigned to protect since she was a child. Setsuna must know she's here, and that's why she worked so hard.”

The swordsman nodded. “And Setsuna's sweet on her anyway.”

“Probably.”

Konoka cheered after Setsuna's display, scanning the crowd idly as she did. She recognized Setsuna's sister Motoko, and her husband Seno sitting in the crowd, and many of their class-members.

Brushing the hair out of her eyes yet again; she really should get a trim, but she honestly couldn't be bothered; she made her way around the stage to come up behind the object of her affection, wrapping her arms around the other girl and squeezing tightly.

“That was amazing, Secchan!” she said in the kendo-girl's ear.

As the applause in the dojo began to subside, one pair of hands kept clapping. The obnoxious, loud, and singular applause seemed to slacken before slowing to a stop as a young man stepped out of the audience. He wore what resembled the traditional kendo uniform, but the sleeves were torn and instead of hakama, he wore hiked-up, puffy looking trousers. His entire outfit was a bright green, which contrasted with the darker, plainer colors that every other student adorned. His hair was a light brown and looked quite stylish despite his ponytail. As he approached the stage he could be seen carrying what looked like a kendo variant of a naginata.

The young man chuckled heartily, stepping up onto the stage and laying down his wooden naginata. His smirk was visible throughout the dojo though a lolipop occupied the right corner of his mouth. He looked at the girls and laughed again, this time retrieving the sucker from his mouth and licking it. He snickered once more, before stifling his laughing. “Underclassman Setsuna Sakurazaki, the pride of the Kendo club.” His glance switched from Setsuna to Konoka before falling back to the young kendo girl. He licked at his lolipop once again. “How many licks does it honestly take, Kohai-Sakurazaki? Well, hmmm?” He twirled the lolipop before crunching it audibly with his teeth.

He tossed away the small sucker stick and picked up his kendo naginata, bringing it to rest across his shoulders. He lowered his voice so only to be heard by Setsuna. “I bet she tastes sweeter than a thousand lolipops, coated with sugar and icing.” He finished the remark by licking his lips. "Mmmm..." But moments after his obnoxious, snarky expression turned into one of pure joy. In his mind he thought, Setsuna Sakurazaki, if I know one thing it that she's a loose canon when the honor of the one Konoka Konoe is jeopardized. She'll have no choice to fight...when I think about this I could've just challenged her to a match. This is more fun!

His body shivered in anticipation. He smiled sweetly at Setsuna as though he was just saying hi, and gave a quick bow to Konoka. “My name is Hiroyuki Murakami, Mahora's one and only Lucky Star, Mahora's jack of all trades. But I'm sure you already know who I am, as if I need an introduction, just like I knew who you were.” The young man behaved quite friendly as if he had no memory of what he just said, and he probably didn't have a clue. But hey, anything to make life more interesting.

Setsuna watched the young man with blatant distaste. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he approached, but she managed to keep her color in check. She ignored his question about the lolipop, choosing for herself it to be rhetorical. She didn't allow her facial expression to change either. But as he leaned down towards her and spoke of her Ojou-Sama, her dark eyes became stormy with rage. Her grip around her shinai tightened as her jaw twitched.

“It matters not what you 'bet',” she replied equally as quietly, taking a step towards him. “The likes of you will never enjoy anything like it.” She spoke calmly, almost with indifference. “As for who you are, Murakami-kun, I can't say I've ever heard of you.”

She turned away from him, flicking her hand dismissively. She was aware of the eyes of everyone in the room upon her. “I cannot, however, let your rudeness towards Konoka Ojou-sama stand,” she continued, knowing full well this was what he wanted, but knowing also that she wanted it too after that insult.

She turned back towards him, her resolve firm. Setsuna grinned. “Come on, then.”

Sitting in the stands, Seno and Motoko didn't hear much of the newcomer's commentary toward Setsuna, but they did hear her response, the righteous fire in her words. Both of them sensed the strong flow of her ki running just beneath the surface, surging in response to her strong emotional reaction to the boy's words.

“She seems mad,” Seno pointed out the obvious.

“Seems that he said something rather unbecoming about Konoka.”

“And are you even at all surprised that she's taking it in the exact same way that you or Tsuruko would?”

“No. So, you'll also bet on her?”

“Probably, yeah.”

“Oh, seems the kendo club keeps their dogs ignorant and uninformed,” Hiroyuki said in a singsong tune. “And I'm guessing it's irrelevant whether or not you've heard of me. You now know, and you'll remember too...” He grinned ear to ear and his eyes narrowed as he spoke these words. He loved how his taunt had worked in his favor and snickered at such. “Hmmm, Secchan was it?” Hiroyuki said mockingly. “so you say I'll never enjoy anything to do with your Ojou-sama, well... I have to say I'll enjoy this..” Hiroyuki kept his voice low. “And I know you only say that because you long for a taste yourself.” He snickered.

An idea sprung into Hiro's head. “So, with that said how 'bout a wager? To make this fight interesting? Say...the winner get's a kiss from your Ojou-sama?”

This'll blow the gasket, thought the satisfied Hiroyuki.

Setsuna stared. “Don't call me Secchan," she said, without much volume or emotion. “And I also suggest that you try to keep some honor intact, Murakami-kun. Behaving this way is very insulting.”

She managed to successfully ignore his comment about tasting Ojou-Sama, but couldn't help but feel some heat in her cheeks as he mentioned his wager. She looked at him a moment more, and then shook her head firmly.

“I am sorry, Murakami-kun, but I can simply not accept. I will not accept a wager on behalf of another.” She cleared her throat slightly. “If this wager is to be accepted, it can only be done by Konoka Ojou-Sama.”

Konoka reguarded the boy thoughtfully. “You know, Murakami-kun, I don't really like the way you're talking to Secchan. Or about me, for that matter.” She wagged a finger in his direction, “You'll never get a girlfriend if you continue to act like that.” She winked, and then linked her arm with Setsuna's. “And as for your wager...” she looked sidelong at her Secchan. “Absolutely not.” She unlinked her arm and skipped away, only pausing to place the aforementioned kiss on Setsuna's already pink cheeks. “Good luck, Secchan!”

After being accosted by people at the gate and such, two ODSTs in their socks came forward just as Setsuna was facing off with the newcomer. They both looked at each other and nodded. On their hips were both especially modified airsoft guns looking like the M6D Magnum pistol. Both were high powered AEPs, and a little bit of magic was used in the barrel construction, making the BBs used, a 6mm 88g all steel BB, electrified. Koike didn't know this, of course, but Lorenzo had taken a liking to the boy.

He somewhat rudely made his way to where Seno and Motoko were, well, near them. He got several angry looks from some people, and while tapping his pistol and the large battle rifle on his back did lead others to glare at him more. He was with the wrong crowd. Taking some choice words, he calmly told them he had come to merely talk to two people. Even though they didn't approve, they grudgingly let him through.

“Seno. Sitrep?” he said, as he neared the two. Spoken in English, and directed only at Seno, he war reaching to a back pocket where a nifty little gizmo was located.

“Just some kid asking for a beatdown,” Seno answered to Lorenzo, likewise in English. “Tweedle dumb there's picking a fight with Setsuna, and picking it good by the looks of things.”

Hiding his disappointment, Hiroyuki chuckled at the girl's comments, and nodded at Konoka's words. He blew a kiss to the brown-haired girl as she walked away. Before turning to the girl in front of him, he winked once at her. “Honor, huh?” he asked, reaching into his pocket and retrieving a small pack of chewing gum. Hiroyuki popped a strip into his mouth, dropped the wrapper to the floor, and brought his naginata down in front of him. “You're no fun, kohai-Sakurazaki...” sighed the young man, beginning to twirl his weapon. “But, I guess I'll have to make with what I have of this situation... No wager, no bet, no fun," he said through his audible chewing and popping of the gum.

He finally stopped twirling his weapon and brought it, along with his stance, into a ready fighting position. “I'll attempt to go easy on one of Natsumi's classmates,but accidents tend to happen.” He switched his stance ever so subtly and an almost silent chime sounded. “Good luck Secchan, good luck indeed...I'm sorry.”

Setsuna watched him as he took his battle stance. In a single glance she took in the position of his feet, his hands, even the distance between his body and his weapon, and the way he held it. She blocked out the surrounding sound, focusing solely on her opponent. Then she rushed him. Holding her shinai aloft, she swung towards the left side of his head with the front of the stick. At the last moment she flicked her wrist and the shinai swung back around, unexpectedly jarring upwards into the right side of Hiroyuki's face.

The kendo sword smacked into Hiroyuki's right cheek with a stinging sensation, and he gave a small annoyed grimace at the impact. A feint...cool, and this early too, thought Hiroyuki.

Hiroyuki shook his head and resumed chewing his gum. Luckily he had shifted the gum over to that interior of his mouth, which helped absorb the impact, so it only caused exterior damage. “What? Thought you'd catch me off guard and it'd be over like that? I can see you don't like talking.”

With that, he twirled his weapon in a fast spinning motion in front of him to get some distance. Forcing her back, and keeping the twirling nearly constant he took a step forward and used the momentum to launch an attack to Setsuna's mid-section. He smirked and decided that he'd like to mimic her opening strategy, and swiftly redirected his attack into an upward swing aimed at her weapon. The head of the wooden naginata struck her shinai, sending it upwards, but she saw this attack, and the next, coming, loosening her grip just slightly to let her weapon move even further out of line.

As predicted, he brought his weapon back down to strike her clavicle with what would be a fatal blow were it a real battlefield and his naginata sporting a bladed head, but she rose her left arm, stopping the blow by intercepting the haft with the back of her forearm. Even as this motion occurred, she drew back her shinai in her right hand and swung the bamboo sword at the side of Hiroyuki's head.

At the same time Set launched her counterattack, Lorenzo had pulled out a donut like machine from the pouch. As her blow struck, the mini UAV lifted from Lorenzo's open palm, the ducted fan providing lift while a small propeller and stubby wings added some forward flight and stability. There was a small camera in a swiveling turret in front. Pulling out a PDA, he got a direct feed from the UAV. Koike followed suit, and launched his UAV.

Koike was clearly favored by Lorenzo, seeing that he was the only one that got the nice cool toys. Nevertheless, Lorenzo handed the small, thin, PDA-like device to Seno.

“Touch the screen, blue button, when the match is over,” Lorenzo said in English. “It'll recall the UAVs to you. Press the red button when both have landed, and they'll fly back to Fireteam Charlie. I can collect the PDA from you later and get a video of the match together when we meet back up at noon. I have a feeling Set won't claim an easy victory from this one, but my break time is almost over.”

With that, he and Koike left, clipping the boots on and heading back to where they came from. There was a small tactical demonstration in a shoot house back in the Fireteam Charlie area using modified paintball markers, and they were going to be late.

Seno looked over the PDAs, shrugged, tucked them into his pocket, and turned his attention back to the match.

Amazing, she saw it coming! Hiroyuki thought as he swung up the lower end of his weapon to parry the strike to his head. As he changed his stance to break the weapon lock they found themselves in, his foot came down on the foil wrapper he'd dropped earlier, causing his weight to come out from under him. He fell back toward the ground, eliciting a few laughs from the audience, but as he fell, his right foot came up, seemingly random, but to Setsuna's keen eye, it looked like a trick attack in the making. She stepped to the side, bringing her shinai up from below into her opponent's ankle, but he managed to turn the force of the strike into more momentum that was then used to roll out of the fall and back up to a standing position.

The two opposing fighters commenced a momentary standoff, during which he rested his naginata over his left shoulder and tilted his head against it, giving the half-demon a cocky grin. Clever girl...

He rushed forward again, leaping up into the air and, like something out of a kung fu movie, drove the naginata at her once, twice, three times in rapid succession while still in the air. Two of these she managed to block, though the third snuck past her shinai defenses and caught her in the left shoulder, which was then used as a springboard to re-jump over her.

Finally, Setsuna thought to herself. This is finally getting interesting.

As he sailed through the air, she spun around, stepped back, and leaned down to lower her center of gravity, then brought her shinai up into a strong, solid smack right into his undefended groin. This brought about a bout of murmuring from the audience, including one short, barked-out “Damn!” that had to belong to Seno.

The naginata-wielding kendoist let out a wordless exclamation of pain that sounded like the death shriek of an eight-foot tall split-chinned alien, the sudden expulsion of air from his mouth causing his gum to fly out with it as he landed in a tangled heap and came up on one knee, free hand clutching his abused privates. “Damn, Setsuna the ballbuster,” he muttered. “This is...sorta...fun? Minus the aching nuts, of course.”

She leaned her head just slightly to the side, giving him an unamused stare at his words as the gum flew past her. “That's disgusting.”

He launched himself into a sudden attack, diving forward to baseball slide underneath her, defying several laws of physics, nature, and clothing limitations by managing to pass under and through her hakama without tripping her onto her face. Once through the other side, he planted the naginata against her back and used it as a brace to shove himself up into a roll before coming up onto his feet. Even as he did this, her shinai lashed out, snapping into the back of his neck as he shoved back against her, sending her down to a knee, barely managing to hold her balance.

She stood and turned back to him to find him advancing toward her with his body crouched down, sweeping the wooden head of his naginata in front of him as though it were a broom, in the textbook manner that a horse-mounted spearman would use it to strike foes in front of him as he rode his horse through enemy ranks. Hopping back from the sweeping attacks, she brought her foot forward and planted it on the spear's head, halting its motion, then brought her other foot up beneath it and kicked up, at once sending the wooden weapon flipping away from its wielder and striking the back of his head with her own weapon.

The blow knocked him forward, but he simply used that to add extra momentum into a rising backflip, both feet catching her in the jaw in succession as he went up, snapping her mouth shut and sending her sprawling backwards, her shinai flying away, as he landed awkwardly on one foot, swaying his entire body as though he were a master of drunken fist. After a moment, he recovered, then reached into his pocket and withdrew another stick of gum. “Sorry for spitting like that, Sakurazaki-san,” he said. “All the flavor was gone.” He paused to stick the gum into his mouth, then pointed to his pocket. “Want some?”

“No thank you, Murakami-kun,” Setsuna answered as she rose shakily to her feet. “I'd rather not.”

There was a metallic, coppery taste in her mouth. Scowling slightly, she turned her head to the side, away from the audience, and spat, and was not surprised to see a mouthful of blood hit the floor with a wet splat. Another round of murmurs went out through the audience. She stared at him a moment more, readying herself for an attack from him, but not making a move to attack nor to retrieve her weapon. Her head was aching from the kick, but she didn't show it. She just took her stance and waited, hoping her head would clear soon and wondering if Ojou-sama could see the blood on her face.

Hiroyuki realized he'd done something he had not intended. He dropped the gum he had offered and rushed to Setsuna, extending his palm into the air to signify he was done. He looked at her skull once, a faint smile still crossed his lips. “Damn...I told you accidents happen but I guess I should have restrained myself like I said earlier,” he said with a slight chuckle, retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping some blood off of Setsuna's forehead.

“Enough!”

The voice of one Shinmeiryu heiress rang clearly across the hushed dojo as she stood from her place within the crowd, her right arm slicing out to the side. The blatant disregard to the rules and regulations of kendo, she had been willing to overlook as the match had not truly been officially sanctioned. But the line had been crossed when blood had been spilled, especially as it was Setsuna's blood.

The ambient temperature of the dojo seemed to drop about thirty degrees as Motoko fixed Hiroyuki with the most disapproving glare she could possibly muster. It wasn't the 'Demon Eyes' look; this situation far too serious for that nearly-comical gesture. “Murakami-san, I do not know what you wished to accomplish by challenging Setsuna-san and carrying on like a drunken baffoon, and I will not allow this to digress further. Are you so morally-bankrupt, Murakami-san, attempting to shame and ridicule a woman four years your junior?” She waved her hand toward the injured Setsuna to underscore her point. “I declare this contest to be over. You may leave this hall now, Murakami-san.”

Her tone, and the slight growl with the word 'now' made it obvious that her statement was not an offer.

Setsuna watched Motoko gratefully. Her head was pounding more than she thought it should have been, and she dropped to her knees as Motoko began to speak. She felt proud and ashamed at the same time. Her pride was in that she had such a strong onee-sama, but she had wanted to win in front of them. It wasn't like she'd lost or anything...but this wasn't quite the same. She stared at the ground, watching the blood pour from her mouth and pool on the smooth wood floor. Her vision blurred slightly, but she was determined to show no further weakness. She allowed herself a glance at Murakami-kun, and hoped he was feeling ashamed. He deserved to be, in her opinion.

Hiroyuki smiled up at Motoko, a brave and potentially-harmful reaction, all things considered. “Well then... whoever you are, I'm guessing a relative of Sakurazaki-san?" he asked, regarding Setsuna. “What I came to accomplish was to prove that the best of the naginata could beat the best of kendo in all of Mahora... Unless I have the wrong d?j?. And as for the comment of drunken baffoon, it's quite comical, and slightly accurate, but I don't drink. However, I tend to get sugar highs.” He pulled a lolipop from his sleeve and placed it in his mouth. His tone dropped from happy yet he retained his grin. “And I don't know who you are and I don't have to care, but to ridicule and shame someone like kohai-Sakurazaki was not my plan. In fact anyone can play by the rules, but I came here to see how well the Kendo fight outside the box!”

At this, Seno muttered, “He wants to fight outside the box, I can take him out back and let me and Kazue have a round at him...”

Unhearing of this, Hiroyuki tossed away the already-finished sucker. “And it is you!” he said, pointing at Motoko, “who shames this excellent fighter by treating her as if she could not defeat someone four years her senior! I may have been holding back but there was never a moment when I thought she couldn't have taken me out. Perhaps it is not I who lack faith in myself or opponents. I'm proud to have fought Setsuna Sakurazaki, a name I will remember!"

He turned to setsuna in time to catch the glance from her. He looked her in the eye, approached the kendo girl, grabbed her by the forearm and raised it into the air. “The winner, via disqualification of challenger Hiroyuki Murakami: Setsuna Sakurazaki!” Hiroyuki shouted, a shout that rang through the dojo. There was some scattered applause and more than a little murmuring.

He turned and whispered to Setsuna, “You've won this time, you earned it through your toughness. And remember, don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something. Fight for what you love, and never ever give up your happiness. Oh and by the way, you're the winner; so that kiss from Miss Konoe is yours," he finished up with a wink.

Setsuna didn't respond when Hiroyuki turned his attention back to her, though she did manage to make and retain eye contact with him. Her cheeks flushed at the mention of kissing Konoka, and she glanced quickly away. He didn't seem to be such a bad guy, when he wasn't putting on that arrogant front.

He released her arm and began to leave. Turning back to Motoko he said, “Oh, and by the way I have plenty of moral in my bank." He retreated to one of the doors and shouted out, suddenly adopting the closest thing he could to an English accent, “Ladies, gentlemen, and strange people I've just met...I wash my hands of this weirdness!" But before he could turn and open the door, he stumbled backwards over the fallen naginata, tumbling over, into, and through the door, and disappearing out of sight.

Faintly, in the distance, one could hear, “I'm not paying for that!”

Konoka had been seated in the stands, having graciously been offered by a group of third-years when they had noticed her exchange with Setsuna, her hands alternating between being clasped to her mouth, and held together tightly. When Motoko had spoken, the dark-haired girl had looked gratefully at the older swordswoman before rushing to Setsuna's side, reaching her just as she had slumped to the ground. “Secchan!” She cried, her voice echoing through the silence in the dojo.

“There was no need for you to 'hold back,'” Setsuna said quietly, almost angrily, for she didn't believe that he had.

She dabbed at the blood, but her arm felt like lead and so, when the attention of the room was on Hiroyuki's exit, she let her arm drop.

As Konoka approached her she wanted more than anything to reach up and slip her hand into hers, but she could hardly bring herself to even look at Kono-chan. Instead she watched idly as he took his rather messy retreat, before closing her eyes and falling face first onto the dojo floor.