The sound of wood chopsticks scraping plastic fills the dojo as they eat their meals in silence. The air feels ten times more dense than usual. Klara and Daisuko aren't here with their easygoing demeanors to lighten the mood, leaving Valeriya and Iko to languish in each other's company. Every so often, their eyes meet, clash, and then avert. Not even Oka, hiding at the very back of the spirit's skull, is spared from the atmosphere.
Where are you, Daisuko?
"I'd like to know that myself." The spirit whispers to Oka.
"Could you go check on her? It's getting late and I'm getting worried."
Of course.
It's basic logic not to drink before driving. That's why Daisuko drinks while driving. It's fine, as long as she gets back to the dojo before the alcohol kicks in, she should be fine. With that said, she steps on the gas and goes way past what should be safe for mountain roads. Just a little more and she's done a full perimeter check.
Her mind begins to wander back to what Iko said last night.
'It's never too late for regret.'
Says who? Why should she regret something that can't be forgiven?
'You're scared that the weight of all your sins might end up crushing you.'
So what if she's scared? It's only natural to be afraid. It's only natural to run away. What's so wrong with running away? What sin is she committing by running away? She was just a kid when she did all that. She thought she was doing the right thing at the time. Even now that she's older, a part of her still feels like she did the right thing.
Daisuko sighs. All these mental gymnastics are tiring. She doesn't know what to think anymore. She doesn't know what to do anymore.
'It's never too late for forgiveness.'
For some reason, that thought strikes a chord within her. Forgiveness, huh? She's always hid behind the excuse that it's too late for her to be forgiven. But the more she thinks about it, the more she begins to realize that's all she's been doing. Hiding. Like a coward.
She grips the steering wheel until her knuckles turn bone white. Is it really so wrong? Is it really not too late? Is it really still possible for even someone as wretched as her to be forgiven? For maybe the first time in her life, she feels as though she can see clearly. She sees herself as what she is: a coward, a murderer, a sinner. But not one beyond forgiveness. She just needs to try. All it takes is a seed of regret. Just the tiniest amount. Something, anything to grow into absolution.
It's in the nature of a patrol to search for something while at the same time hoping not to find anything. That's why when Daisuko does smell something, a strange magical signature, she heaves what might be the deepest sigh she's ever sighed. She should have thought this through some more. She's finally realized that if she can smell them, they can probably smell her too. Oh well, nothing to do but to step on the gas even harder. Daisuko drifts from the main road onto the mountainous path leading towards the dojo.
She takes in a deep breath through her nose, trying to sift through what's the scent of the alcohol and what's the scent of magic. Is it getting closer? Right as she thinks that, a shadow passes overhead before crashing down onto the hood of her car. A girl with long red hair wearing a surgical mask crouches in front of her. It takes her a second to realize she recognizes her. It's Kasai, that girl they sent into hell. Her eyes have a red glint that pierces through the windshield and drives itself directly into Daisuko's heart.
"Scary," she mumbles under her breath before casually drawing her gun and planting two bullets into the girl. Much to her surprise, the bullets actually connect. That never happens against other magical girls. Guess she was just careless. The girl sways slightly before falling off the side of the car.
"...Guess that's that–" Too quick, too optimistic. She feels a furious bump from underneath ripple throughout the car. They, whoever 'they' are, managed to puncture one of her wheels. Another furious bump, another tire gone. The car veers off the road. She tries to stop it but the most she can do is slam her foot on the brake pedal and try to minimize the damage. Entire swathes of bamboo are bulldozed from the speeding car before it comes to a complete halt.
My royal observation is that we're in a difficult position.
"Yeah, I noticed!" Daisuko sniffs the air, the magical signatures aren't far behind. She'll have to hoof it to the dojo from here. The issue of whether she can actually outrun them or not is a problem she'll deal with when the time comes. She runs vertically up a bamboo shoot, her body completely horizontal to the ground, and stands atop the thin canopy. She has to be careful with her balance, her weight resting on a single leg. Behind her, she sees four figures quickly darting towards her.
She can't make out their features from this far away but she knows that these are, without a doubt, The Lady of Tokyo's minions. If these were simple I-C's, she might be able to take on all four with Clarent by her side. But judging from the smell, these guys are most definitely something else.
I royally decree we tactically retreat.
"Oh really?" Sarcasm permeates Daisuko's words. She wastes no more time, running along the bamboo tops. She resembles a stone being skipped along a pond. She runs as fast as she can but even at her top speed, she senses them gaining on her.
She peeks over her shoulder and is immediately met with a flash of steel. That's all she sees before her instincts activate. "Shit–!"
Daisuko's legs spring into action, sending her leaping high into the air. She does a backflip just because she can. She holds out a hand as if grasping something. Raising her voice as loud as she can, she calls out her sword's name.
"Divine Sword Clarent!"
…
"Divine Sword Clarent?"
…
"Any minute now, your majesty!"
I will not have my sword stained by the blood of these mongrels.
Ah right, she had forgotten. It's not her sword. Not really.
"Oh come on!" Daisuko lands on the top of a bamboo shoot before drawing her handguns. She immediately brings them to bear against her assailant– a girl with short blue twintails wielding twin rapiers. A series of 'BANG's destroy the silence settled over the forest. The barrage comes solely from one gun. First rule of Jujutsu, never expect the first shot to connect. Rather, it's more efficient to use it to force the enemy to dodge into a position favorable for you. No matter where she dodges, Daisuko's poised to follow up with her other gun.
But there's no need, all the bullets connect. They rip through her body, tearing through flesh and bone like paper. A smattering of holes opens up around the girl's chest. More than a few of those definitely pierced her heart and yet, she doesn't so much as flinch. She sways slightly with every shot.
Daisuko considers the possibilities at play. She supposes that it's possible, no matter how unlikely, that someone with large enough breasts might be able to tank those shots effortlessly. Though while the girl seems reasonably well-endowed herself, her endowment is nowhere close to being able to stop bullets. Far more likely, something kind of magic is at work here. What kind? She has no clue. Dammit. She needs to get back to the dojo and fast. Looking ahead, she finally sees the dojo come into view through the bamboo canopy. She just needs to fend off her attackers for a little while longer.
She feels something snag onto the hem of her coat. Looking over her shoulder, it seems that the blue-haired girl managed to catch up to her. Daisuko whirls around, dragging the girl forwards, before planting a solid sidekick to her face. There's a satisfying crunch. Regardless of whether she can still feel pain, the sheer force of that blow knocks her off-balance. Using the instant she's bought herself, Daisuko lifts both of her guns up and fires into the girl's head.
Or at least, she would have. She never gets to pull that trigger. She hears the tell-tale 'bang' of a gun firing. Daisuko ducks just in time to dodge a bullet aimed right for her skull. In the distance, she spots one of her pursuers kneeling, a rifle in her grasp, her head tilted and looking through a scope. There's no time for her to absorb any other details. The bullets are already coming hard and fast. Her mindset flips on a dime from trying to win to trying to survive. She redirects her guns from the girl to the incoming barrage and shoots the bullets out of the air, her enhanced eyesight and dexterity being pushed to their absolute limit.
She breaks away from the blue-haired girl, and keeps on running as fast as she can, praying that she stays dazed. Unfortunately for her, God isn't listening today. She's relentless, already unleashing a spinning slash from her rapiers. Daisuko sways away from the strike before bringing her momentum in a u-turn, ducking in close underneath the strike, undermining her reach.
"Jackpot!" Daisuko exclaims as she fires two shots upwards into the girl's head. In response, the girl bends backwards so deeply that her back is perfectly aligned with the ground, the bullets missing. She delivers a swift upwards kick that Daisuko doesn't see coming. One of her guns is wrenched from her hand and goes flying. And as if that wasn't bad enough, she's tarried for too long, someone else has caught up. A pair of spinning chainsaws and a face affixed in an unnaturally wide grin greet her as Daisuko looks up.
"Oe?!" Daisuko jumps backwards, the chainsaw blades missing her head by mere inches. "It's me! It's Daisuko–!"
"Ah, nice to see you again!" She jumps at Daisuko, leg extended in a flash-speed sidekick. A chainsaw blade bursts from the sole of her foot.
"Yes, yes, you're very pretty but I would appreciate it if you stopped trying to kill me!" Daisuko quickly matches her kick by holstering her gun and catching the flat of the blade between her palms, stopping the blade just an inch away from her face. "Please!"
"No can do, the Lady of Tokyo's orders are to snuff out The Lady of Osaka's presence from the city. And judging from your smell, you're part of the enemy." Oe has an expression of pure, distilled mania on her face. "Now die, you little shit!"
Oe wrenches her foot from her grasp, pulling her off-balance and then jams her other foot into her stomach. Daisuko just barely manages to jump back in time but not without sustaining a wound to her stomach. There's an instant of pure, unrestrained agony as the pulp of her flesh is shredded out from her abdomen and spilled out onto the soil below.
"GHHH–! YOU… BITCH!" Daisuko grits her teeth. Every single fiber in her body yells at her to get her back for that cut but she pushes away her emotions and listens to reason. There's no way she can win against all four of them. As if to punctuate that thought, a bullet sails over her head. She quickly levies her gun against the shot's siblings and intercepts them with a fusillade of her own. No, the only way to win this is to get to the dojo. She breaks into a dead sprint, firing back all the while. "I'll get you all back for that!"
Just a bit more! Daisuko clings onto that thought.
"You're welcome to try, Gyahahahaha–!" Oe continues the chase, her eyes locked onto Daisuko's back. She darts from bamboo shoot to bamboo shoot like a feral hound chasing after the scent of blood.
Just a bit more!
Daisuko isn't sure if it's just the blood loss getting to her or what but she's pretty sure that they're faster now that they can smell her blood. Warmth trickles down her pants from the searing heat on her stomach. She tries not to look down at the wound but it's hard to ignore the persistent sensation of air stinging her exposed organs.
Just a bit–!"
There's a bang followed by a crunch that echoes through her skull. She keeps running, not realizing that the side of her neck is gone. Her strength is sucked out of her body and sprayed out into the open air. Green bamboo leaves are dyed red. One step in front of the other, one step in front of the other. That's all that running is, and yet, Daisuko finds herself unable to do even that. Her foot slips and she falls forward into the clearing.
"I… I made it–" Daisuko grins to herself. An instant after, Oe jumps down and drives a chainsaw through her heart.
Not good. The spirit says something insightful.
"You're… telling… me…" Blood seeps out of Daisuko's mouth. "Go… get out of here before I die."
…
"Hello…?"
…
He jumped ship, it seems. Ah, whatever. It's for the best, anyway. Still, she wishes she could have said goodbye. "You… son… of a bitch."