Furuzeki Warzone IC

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Hotaru continued to walk down the street. Her brief skirmish with Yuko was still present on her mind. While she was a member of the Aries, she never thought that she'd see her former teammates fall to such measures.

"Is she really going around stealing the rings from the dead? T-That's so inhuman. What the hell is the matter with magical girls in this city? If the mascots were contracting us to actually be waging a war…Then why did they bother keeping us with human thoughts and fears? That's not suited for mere weapons." Hotaru thought to herself.

Then she looked to the sky. Something was coming. She could sense it. Then it came, a blast of magic that was black with strange patterns of rings in the center. Hotaru was not able to dodge the attack, so she was sent flying backwards. She crashed onto the ground. Tears started to flow down her cheeks.

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This was followed by a heavy foot stomp into her gut. Hotaru felt as if she was going to vomit because of the pain. Then she saw the face of the woman that attacked her. She was clearly somewhat older than most of the magical girls in the town. The attacker was tall and had a developed chest. She also had short black hair and a shirt with a black ribbon around her neck. This was the only "cute" part of her magical girl uniform.

"U-Umi?" Hotaru muttered while still disoriented.

"No, you idiot." The attacker said. "Don't confuse me for my sister. Saru had said you had newer powers to change your looks. I couldn't be sure if it was you attacking Yuko until my magic picked up flame elementals. You're the only one in this town that has such powers."

"N-Nanami? W-Why?" Hotaru said in a strained tone.

Nanami loomed over Hotaru. She looked at the younger magical girl with a frigid stare. She just rolled her eyes.

"To teach you a lesson. I saw what you did to Yuko. That was uncalled for. Besides, I don't want you getting in the way of our plan. If I am going to get revenge on the Witch for murdering my sister, I will have to be stronger than she is. If you haven't noticed, I've been practicing. I don't know how you were able to drive that bitch away but I really wish you would have died with her." Namani said venomously.

"I hate you, Higanbana. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…" Nanami said irately while she stomped on Hotaru's stomach again. "Umi loved you for some stupid reason. You're nothing but trash."

Hotaru coughed this time feeling blood trickle out of her mouth. She hadn't felt this much pain in months. She had flashbacks to her fight against the Witch and wanted to draw that same blind rage right here and now…However, she just couldn't.

"It was because of your rashness that my sister was killed and now I hear that you're about to do something just as stupid. Saru-san told me that you found a new partner. Trying to start a new Cream-colored team while there's still a bunch of us left? I really should just end the threat of a vermin like you. You have no right to call yourself a magical girl."

Nanami then gave Hotaru one last kick to her side. She now had a crude smile on her face. "This is my final warning to you. If see you or your new girlfriend anywhere around town, I am going to make sure you never see the light of day again. I'd do it now but I made a promise to my sister to keep you 'safe.' So good-bye Higanbana."

*******
Hotaru awoke to find it drizzling on her body. Groaning, she finally opened her eyes. She then began to drag herself up. Everything hurt. Her head was dizzy. She stumbled to her feet and with a dodder in her steps, Hotaru slowly regain her senses.

The rain continued to fall while she pulled out the boy's jacket from her bag. She just drapped it over her shoulders like a cape. It wasn't much to protect her from the elements but at least she wouldn't catch too bad of a cold.

She then reached the apartment that she called home these days. It actually was a place rented out by the school for girls that didn't want to live in the dorms. Hotaru opened the door and turned on a light. The dim light revealed a bunch of drawings taped to the wall. These were done by Umi in order to give more life to this place.

Saru was sitting on the table, its wings were flapping and it had a large smile on its face. "You look like hell, Higanbana." It said.

"No thanks to you." Hotaru said. "I thought I told you to scram. You told Nanami about Yuri. You're an asshole. Get out, just get out."

The monkey shook his head. "I will be staying here tonight."

"Whatever." Hotaru sighed. "I'm staying in tomorrow morning. I deserve a break for all the shit I had to go through today."

She then slammed the door to her room closed.
 
The next morning the sun was shining, the birds were singing and Yuri awoke with a headache! The constant murmur in the back of her head was much more active then it had been in several days. The new resident, along with her first meeting with Hotaru was a double whammy she had not had to deal with before. Still, she plastered on a smile and headed into the kitchen, her family no more the wiser of what she was going through.

"You don't mind if I bring a friend home for dinner, do you?" Yuri asked between mouthfulls.

"We always enjoy having your friends over," Yuri's mother said, even while mentally amending the nights menu.

"Especially your cute friends... Ow!" Yuri smacked her brother in the arm, though he was hardly hurt from it.

Soon after she was off to school, the subject matter barely keeping her interest and at one point got more caught up in the conversations going on in her mind then the one between the teacher and a fellow student. The only thing that saved her when called on was a classmate piping in with a question that let her find her place in the material they were studying.

Lunch was not a solitary affair, despite being alone against the tree. Instead she ate her lunch and took a nap, the conversations becoming more like background noise by this point. What little thought did intrude upon her mind once she woke, she should check in with Hotaru after class.

The reat of the day went by slowly, but eventually Yuri was free for the day and could go find her partner. Yuri let the one that knew Hotaru, Umi, instruct her on how to get there. It had to be weird, or so Yuri thought, for the ghost to see her old partner again, but apparently it wasn't. It was comforting. Yuri chewed on that thought as she knocked on the door to Hotaru's room.
 
There was a knock at the door. Hotaru chose to ignore it. But Yuri knocked again. She groaned, still hurting from the beat down she had received from Nanami. Hotaru wished that she could find a way to detach herself from the pain. However, the bandages she used to stop the bleeding made her look like a mummy.

Not bothering to check if she was dressed decently or not, Hotaru answered the door wearing a guy's tee shirt with a graphic of a popular rock band on it. It was also several sizes too big, so most of her shoulders were exposed. She also wore gym shorts. These were all that she could be bothered changing into after coming home. Her hair was a mess and it no longer retained her trademark pigtails.

"This better be important." Hotaru said as she opened the door. She then saw that it was Yuri. The white haired girl seemed really happy to see her.

"Huh?" Hotaru said.

She then slammed the door on Yuri while she dug around from a scrunchie. After finding one she turned her messy hair into a crude pony tail and opened the door once again. She wanted to hide the fact that she had been defeated. What sort of teacher would she be to this girl if she looked this way? Sighing, Hotaru knew that she couldn't just leave Yuri out in the hall.

"C-Come on in." Hotaru said. "Excuse all the newspaper clippings and logs. This place is kind of a mess still. I haven't had any guests in a while."

She then flipped the lights on in the living room. In the center was a single table that had a few tea cups on it. As Hotaru had said there were a lot of clippings on the table and around it. They all dealt with the murders in the town, which were in fact the doings of Witch and other magical girls.

"P-Please take a seat on the sofa, Yuri-san." She said while patting the leather cushion.

"So, what brings you here?" Hotaru then asked in a cheerful manner, trying pathetically to keep Yuri from noticing her injuries.
 
Yuri blinked as the door was slammed in her face once Hotaru opened it. It seemed her new partner was very surprised to see her. Yuri waited and before she had time to worry that maybe her presence was unwanted, the door opened once more. "It's really alright. I came unannounced after all," Yuri tried to comfort Hotaru as she apologized for the mess.

Taking her cue from her host, she did sit on the couch. She tried to take in the place, to get a feel for Hotaru. An opinion of her own, versus that of the ghost that was most up front. The ghost though was complaining about something Yuri had no problem seeing herself, but she wasn't going to just blurt it out before two steps in the door.

With a concerned look, Yuri placed a hand on Hotaru's arm. "Should I have not been so selfish last night? It seems you could have used my help. What happened to you?" She had chosen her path, and if by over committing she was at fault for Hotaru's injuries she would be ashamed of herself. What kind of partner could she be if she wasn't there when Hotaru needed her help.
 
Hotaru blinked for a moment. No one had been concerned about her wellbeing since Umi's death. It had been around a month since that occurred. She then removed Yuri's hand from her arm and then grasped it tightly.

"N-No. You weren't selfish at all." Hotaru said. "I was the one being selfish. I shouldn't have run off."

Hotaru then sat down on the floor. She then placed a finger on her chin. She was thinking of what to say to Yuri.

"I'm going to assume that the stupid monkey hasn't told you much about being a magical girl in this town." Hotaru said. "The mascots basically allow any wish or desire you might have to come true. However, in response you have to wage a battle against enemy mascot's teams. I really don't know who we are fighting this war for though. No leaders have ever appeared. At least not while I've been a magical girl, it has only been about eight months for me."

Hotaru then stood up and walked over the table that had all the clipping on it and she tossed them aside. She then picked a purple arm bracelet. Hotaru then walked over to Yuri and placed it in her hand.

"The goal for a magical girl team is to collect lots of these rings so that you can advance to whatever the next level there is. Since I was the runt of my old team I never was allowed to go into battles. My friend Umi always kept me at bay as well. She was a few years older than…I guess I reminded her of a little sister they lost or something. A-Anyway, sorry for that rambling. I got this ring after I somehow managed to defeat a rouge magical girl that is infamously nicknamed the Witch. She goes around murdering magical girls on my side and even members of her own team. I have no idea why, though…I tossed mine away ever since I found out we're effectively mini-soldiers. I guess I'm AWOL."

She kept stalling on explaining why she was hurt…

"Alright that's not the important part…I was attacked by members of my old team. Her name is Namani. She is the eldest sister of Umi and in general is not a fun camper. Her attacks are largely dark energy based and with how easily she trashed me…I think she might be planning an all-out attack on her foes. Which means us and the Witch…We're the enemies because neither of us have rings. We'll be given no quarter…"
 
Yuri listened to what Hotaru told her. She still wasn't sure what this battle was really all about, even with having ghosts from both sides with her. The mention of the Witch got the choir in her head growling. Many had a personal grudge against that one.

Upon hearing who beat up Hotaru, the ghost Umi expressed her outrage in a single utterance in Yuri's mind and then was silent. Brooding most likely. "Your partner's sister? Why?" Then Yuri shook her head. "Nevermind, I guess that part doesn't matter. What matters is we need to be more careful."

Yuri then looked around the apartment, then at Hotaru again. "You should come to my house for dinner! It will be good fun. You can meet my parents and my brother. Miaka will be there too. I... I think she's leaving town after tonight. I don't know. I'm trying to send her off with good memories. Her family life was different then most people's. She's got a good heart even if she seems rough."

Yuri earnestly put both her hands on Hotaru's. She wanted her to come, to get a chance for a few hours to forget this war. "After all, who knows when we'll get to do something like this again. You'll come, right?"
 
Hotaru sighed. "I can answer what she wants. Nanami was the real mastermind behind the Aries, which was the team I was on with my best friend Umi. Since the other side is so weak right now because of that bloody Witch, Nanami thinks that she can score a total victory against her…And then win the war. It's not a very sound reason but she's contemptible enough to do it."

However, before she could continue to rant about Nanami and the Witch, Yuri threw a curve ball out of nowhere. All Hotaru could do at first was raise an eyebrow. Being invited to dinner… That hadn't happened to her before, not even with Umi. When the silver haired girl grasped her hands, Hotaru couldn't say no.

"A-Alright…I'll come, I'll come. I don't really care who else is going to be there…Heck, even if Buddha himself was visiting. Besides, I never turn down free food."

Hotaru then gave Yuri a big smile. "Just let me get cleaned up…I don't want your parents to assume you are hanging out with a hoodlum."
 
"Okay," Yuri agreed and let Hotaru get a chance to clean up and change. In the mean time she glanced at the articles on the table. Each one was about a different girl, different ghosts wanted to read different articles, each their own story. She had to mentally tell them to stop fighting for the privlaged and if they reaaaaaally wanted to read their obituaries she'd spend a day in the library looking at news articles if that would make them happy, though she was pretty sure it would make her sad. The last part she kept from broadcasting though.

Once Hotaru was ready to go, they headed out. Yuri tried to pay attention to the landmarks on their way back, just to make sure she could find her way here again would help. Not that she really thought Umi or the other ghosts were leaving anytime soon. "What do you know about the..." Yuri stopped when she felt like she was being watched.
 
She watched them emerge from the crossdresser's hideout and she marked it's location in her mind in case she ever had to keep her promise. She was in her true form. The one that spoke of who she was now and not who she used to be.

She moved parallel to them and leaped from one roof to another knowing the way to Yuri's house well enough to guess their rout and move ahead of them.

She had finally worked out why she found the girl's appearance strange. Yuri didn't know her. They way they spoke and the way Yuri behaved... But Yuri had pretended she did and knew her name so Yuri was hiding something.

She gripped her hammer and waited for them to round the corner, standing silhouetted against the sky... then they looked right at her. She froze, then jumped from the parapet and hiding behind it. That was not part of the plan... still there was always a backup plan. She stood again and ran for the other side of the roof, jumping down into an alley and before they could follow cut through the lobby of a hotel,changing as she did so before slipping out the vehicle enterance and crossing the street to keep her promise to meet Yuri at her front door.
 
"What do you know about the..."

Hotaru was going to answer Yuri's question but then she glanced up. There was the Witch looming over them on the rooftop. Why was she here in the first place? Thoughts raced in her mind. Had the foe finally figured out that she was Higanbana? That didn't seem very likely to her. Hotaru had kept a very low profile and even changed the looks of her magical girl form.

Then it struck her. It had to be Yuri. The news generally spread quickly that there were new magical girls in town. Sure, the number of mascots had gone down lately, but they were probably just in hiding. The Witch might have gotten the information that way.

"Don't worry about it. Just a random cosplayer, ya know?" Hotaru told Yuri. She shrugged both of her shoulders, acting as if the foe's presence here met little to her. "Just keep walking; pretend you and I were looking at birds." Hotaru then said in a joking manner after letting out a jovial laugh.

As they continued walking, Hotaru moved her fingers through her hair. She had decided not to put into twin tails and she felt weird for looking like pre-magical girl Hotaru. She really hoped that she wouldn't revert back to that personality at a time like this. It was only two days beforehand that she was talking to herself in that manner.

"Alright. That woman that you just saw was the Witch." Hotaru said. Without trying to sound emotional about it, she started to speak in a monotone voice. "She murdered my best friend Umi, as I've said. The Witch is probably the most evil person that I've encountered in this city…Though Namani is up there now to. A-Anyway. Avoid that woman at all costs. She goes after new magical girls all the time. I don't know if she thinks we need to be mercy killed or if she is that hell bent to destroy all her foes before they get a chance to threaten her grip on the East end."

"I'm going to sound like a horrible person….But I really want to break her. Not kill her…If I killed her, I'd be just as bad as she is…Just, she's been harming people left and right for no good reason….Hehehe…Sorry about that. Until figure out what exactly your powers are, you're a sitting duck. I might have to act like your shadow from now. I just am not sure how we'll go around doing that without it seeming awkward. With both the Witch and Nanami…Say how about just runnin' away from this city altogether? Living life on the lamb in the countryside for a few years, doesn't that sound safer? We're both without bands. We can blend in a lot better than any of the jerks in this town can…Oi, but that won't work. You've got a fairly normal life, from what I can tell." Hotaru said.
 
The witch, The Witch, THE WITCH!

There was an anger the arose, that Yuri was not a part of. The ghosts all had opinions, some seeming to agree with Hotaru's idea, others with some fairly colorful ideas on what they wanted to do, including visual aids that Yuri had to mentally shake herself because.

"Thank you for being concerned. Even if my family life wasn't the best, I still couldn't run away. I made a promise." Would she be targeted soon? If what Hotaru said was true, yes. Yuri rubbed her hands on her upper arms, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. Soon she would have to fight, and soon she would find out if the combined knowledge of the ghosts would be enough to keep her alive and defeat the one they all hated and feared. "But Hotaru, if you wanted to leave I'd understand. It might be smarter then staying and fighting after all." Her voice was soft and smile weak, but she wanted Hotaru to make her own choice. Maybe it would even be easier without a living companion?

"Ah, that's my house on the next block," Yuri pointed to a small house like all the other ones in this neighborhood. The outside was white and bland, with a close line running the length of the tiny yard. Also there was a large cherry tree shading a good portion of the front of the house and lilies growing near the picture window of the diningroom.
 
"I see." Hotaru said. "Well, it is my duty as your senior to make sure that you have someone to watch out for you. That's the promise that Umi made with me. As Umi's pupil, I shall share my pledge of comradeship with you. I'll be honest when I first found out that I was getting' a new partner I was against it. You seem like a legit person to me. Not often that happens."

She then placed her armed behind her back. "Besides, if I ran away I'm sure the people that run this little war would probably send magical dogs or magical warriors my way. Hahahahah. Not worth the risk!"

Yuri then pointed out her home. Hotaru blinked, it looked almost exactly like the home her grandmother and aunt lived in. She expected a super fancy looking house. Yuri's personality seemed to fit more into the rich girl lifestyle than the middle class. Then again for the past eight months, Hotaru wasn't living the middle class lifestyle.

"It looks lovely." Hotaru said with a forced smile. "I like the flowers….Say there's a few red spider lilies. That's an interesting choice. I never knew that people actually liked growing…. Higanbana"

Umi's ghost would have to be the one that would have to explain to Yuri that Higanbana was Hotaru's magical girl name. Hotaru herself hated it…
 
Miaka rounded the final corner not knowing that Yuri and Hotaru were already watching. She picked her was over cracks in the sidewalk, around clumps of vegitation poking through and to Yuri's front door where holding the handle of her bag with both hands she waited. She hadn't seen Hotaru's reaction to the witch nor did the think that it would be anything special. Who outside her world knew about the witch and what she did? There was no reason to suspect Yuri and Hotaru were involved in that life and if Yuri was then whomever brought her in was as good as dead. But Yuri's parents still knew here so that couldn't have happened.
 
Yuri smiled, and turned to look at Hotaru. It seemed they had something in common besides the obvious. It was a little thing, being named after a flower, but for some reason them both being called after lilies seemed special to Yuri. She then caught sight of a figure by the doorway. "Miaka!" she called out happily, waving to her childhood friend and even skipping the last few steps until she was in front of the older girl. "I thought more the marrier, to I brought Hotaru to dinner to," she explained with a large smile.

Looking back and forth between the two girls happily, she then walked over to the door and unlocked it. "Mother, I'm home with my friends!"

The person that came out of the living room as the girls took off their shoes was not Yuri's mother, but her brother who looked over at his sister and her friends. "Some cute new friends, hu? Hi, I'm Masaki." He then gave what he thought was a debonair smile, which was actually pretty handsome, but was short lived as Yuri mockingly punched him in the stomach.

"I'm fairly sure Miaka is immune to your charms." Yuri said rolling her eyes.

Masaki looked back at Yuri's two friends to see if he recognized them from sometime before, confused because he was pretty good at remembering all her friends, so he could accuse her of only befriending the cute girls. He for the most part believed what he said, but he was also somewhat generous in his flattery of his little sister's friends just on principle.
 
Hotaru adjusted her glasses when she saw Miaka again. There was something off-putting about that girl. That wasn't even because she had said weird things outside of the record store. Her cool attitude and stance, made Hotaru ponder why she'd be that way. She gave the elder teen a slight wave but her facial expressions remained neutral.

When Yuri's brother greeted the trio, Hotaru chose to ignore him. She then began to dig through her pockets, pretending to look for something. She then stopped when she had noticed that Yuri had mockingly punched him in the gut. Hotaru then slipped her shoes off, not bothering to untie them.

"So….Um…What are we going to be doing here? Well you know before eating dinner?" She asked Yuri.
 
Miaka kept her hands and bag in front of herself only offering the other teen a forces smile in response to her wave and after entering she bowed formally so each person, even Yuri's older brother.

"It is a pleasure to be invited into your home." She said to Yuri's mother. "IF you would like any help with preparing the meal I would be more than happy to help you. My mother taught me how to cook."

It was true. Miaka was well on her way to being trained to be the perfect wife when everything changed, and after her offer she shot Hotaru an icy look because if Miaka was in the kitchen it would leave Yuri and the other girl alone. Miaka would almost prefer to be apart from the. Yuri's presence highlighted hos much had changed.
 
Yuri's mother had an apron tied around her waist and was holding a tea cupin her hands. "Oh thank you, but you girls should hang out together before dinner. You're our guest after all."

Yuri blinked at her mother, surprised by the ultra polite tone she had with Miaka. Normally her mother loved having Miaka's help, or chided her for trying to be overly adult. Either way she had never refered to Miaka as a guest. Maybe it was for the benifit of Hotaru?

"Dad's most likely in the living room watching news or I'd say we could watch a OAV before dinner. Which means we can either go into my room with no brother..."

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad!"

"Or we could hang out outside and not stuff you all in my room. What do you think Miaka, should we let my brother in on our secret secret girly stuff?"

Either Masaki didn't have any homework and was bored or he had homework he was trying to avoid, either way it seemed he was interested in hanging out with the girls as he put his hands together in a mock plead. Yuri wondered if it was just because there was a new girl in the house. Or maybe he missed Miaka? That was almost weird, but more likely the reason.

Except...
"I'll even give both you girls the 5 yen tour!"
He was flirting with them both?!?
 
The refusal of help was another stark reminder that things would never be the same again but Miaka felt nothing. She merely rejoined Yuri just in time to be. "Hitting on the oldest daughter of the Onigaueara family..." she remarked knowing that Miaki would know who they were and their reputation for ruthless mob tactics. "Very brave..."

Without another word she moved away from the boy and took Yuri's arm to pull her towards her room. Even if Hotaru was here Miaka didn't want to be around Yuri's family for the moment.

When they were alone she let out a breath and leaned against the wall, letting go of Yuri before looking at her. She was trying to read the girl's expression. There was a lot that might not fit going on today and Yuri had to have noticed, but Miaka couldn't explain why, especially not with a third party around.

"If seems I am forgettable after all..." she said flicking her hair back with her hand. "Life is full of surprises." she was trying to play it off as nothing, because it was nothing. The only thing that was strange here was that Yuri still remembered and Miaka was becoming more and more determined to know why.

"Do you mind giving me a minute alone with Yuri?" She asked her steely gaze turning to Hotaru whose name was still not remembered. "I want to ask her something."

She didn't know this but her stance, her tone, even the slight frown on her face Yuri had only seen when she was abut to attack. When nothing mattered but swift, decisive action. When the girl stepped aside and the Yakuza princess took the wheel.
 
"Yeah…I guess that's fine." Hotaru said with a shrug. Hotaru then waved them off. She was now left alone with Yuri's brother. She kind of wanted to groan but that would have been rude.

"Great…Now what am I supposed to be doing here?" Hotaru thought.

"So, would you like the 5 yen tour?" Masaki asked.

"Not really." Hotaru said.

"Awww. That's no fun." Masaki said.

"I'm not that fun of a person to hang around, duh." Hotaru said back.

"Hmmm, you remind me of a kuudere! Ahah, you just need someone to help you discover your inner warmth. That'll be the perfect role for me to fill." Masaki said.

"I highly doubt that. You've obviously watched too much anime lately." Hotaru said.

"I do not…." Masaki retorted. "I see you are tough nut to crack, but I'm good at reading people! Hmm…Need an ice breaker! Right. How do you know my sister? I can't say I've ever seen you at her school. I keep a record of all the cute girls she's friends with."

"Oh. That sounds rather creepy, no wonder they all run from you." Hotaru said sarcastically. "You're right. I don't go to school with her. I belong to the newspaper club at the library and she's expressed interest in joining. She invited me over tonight, so we could discuss the boring details of becoming a member."
 
Everything was just off! That was the only way to describe it. Fortunately the peanut gallery that now lived in her head didn't make any overt comments about it, this was after all Yuri's normal life and while they had their opinions and shared it freely, they were being on their best behavior. Maybe because Yuri was troubled and they couldn't really help her.

Things should have been great with Miaka back in her life, but something was off, and Miaka's behavior was only part of it. Giving Hotaru a weak grin of gratitude she opened the door in her room, hoping Masaki would be the gentleman she knew he could be... when he wasn't an idiot! Yeah, she was going to owe Hotaru later.

"So what's going on?" Yuri asked once her and Miaka were in her room and she flopped onto her bed. Yuri's room was almost atypical for a girl of her age. There were posters of J-rockers, cute pink stationary on her desk, and shiny bits of inexpensive jewelry hanging in an open jewelry box. Yuri moved her stuffed animal, a prize Miaka had won for her when they were much smaller, to the corner of the bed so her friend could sit or lay down next to her. She only hoped Miaka would explain herself.
 
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