[Fiction] In life there's no reset button...

[Sakurako Hino]

The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing on the trees. Winter is

upon the landscape. I stand on a hill, overlooking a stream. The grassy

hill is shaded in the canopy of the trees. Slowly shedding their

orange, yellow, red leaves on the ground below. A small 2-lane road

meanders between the hil I'm on and the next larger hill before me. I

wait. It's early morning. And I have plenty of time.

I had been there the night before, setting speakers up along a stretch

of said road, and connecting a sound system to them. Also I reading a

lay of the land. Figuring out where my higher ground was. I knew the

psychology of the prey I was after, and this hunt was indeed something

to be prepared for.

The prey is Kagemaru. The one responsible for my sister's death. Or at

the very least, the one responsible for orchestrating the deed. My

family was killed as well, due to his machinations. He was captured by

some of Tokyo's finest, only to escape custody some time later. When I

found out, I was a mass of emotion. So much so, I lost the friendship

of someone I had felt a connection to. Tonight, I take some of that

back.

Noon, the time I had prepared for. I knew that Kagemaru would be taking

a stolen car, one he took from a convienience store, through this area.

The reason why he dosen't use his high speed powers is due to the fact

he'd then stand out to any nova actively searching for him. Like me.

The coward decided it'd be better to car-jack someone and run off. That

just made him trackible. I knew these back roads. My family would go on

hikes here. Something Kagemaru didn't factor in into his escape plans.

I spot the white sedan starting down the road. I knew he'd be running

low on gas by now. And he was. By the time he reached the first stretch

of road, near the first set of speakers I set up, he ran out of

gasoline. He steps out of the car, and I trigger the sound system,

after I put ear-plugs in.

190db sounds of people screaming, women, children, and men, echo

through the landscape. Kagemaru covers his ears. He also hears a

digitially altered voice, mine, saying "Yoma calls for your soul"! In

his insane state that I know he's in, he would freak. He does. He starts

lashing out at the source of the noises, using his ability to manipulate

an ectoplasmic membrane that he can form around himself. Forming sharp

whip-tendrils out of the membrane and slashing through trees, and

eventually, finding the speakers. He screams out "SHOW YOURSELF!" in a

high shreak. I switch off the noises.

I take the ear-plugs out. Looking at the scene. I've lost some cover I

could use in the fight to come. But, in his ranting and raging I bet he

wasted some energy. There were still a few speakers left, and he hadn't

found the main CPU to the sound system yet. From my safe vantage point, I

grab a wireless headset with microphone. I press a button on a remote to

control a speaker right behind him.

"I'M OVER HERE!"

He turns around, and strikes the speaker, slicing it in two. I switch to

a different speaker.

"What? I thought you had better skill than that."

He lashes out again, with more insane wailing.

"SAKURAKO! I will find you you imp!!!"

He smashes a second speaker... Then a third. He's reducing my options.

He's already figured out where my speakers were hidden. Then the biggest

shock. BAM! right behind me, he strikes the main CPU with a tendril

spike. Smashing the CPU unit asunder. Then the biggest suprise. I'm

struck by another tendril.

The tendril wraps around me, like a boa constrictor. Kagemaru slowly

reels me in like a caught fish. All I can hear is his laughing.

"So, my little diva, looks like I've wrecked your concert."

He laughs maniacally, I can see whe wild grip of insane glee on his face.

he tosses me into the road. Still wrapped in a tendril. I can feel one of

my teeth fly out of my mouth, not to mention I spit out blood. Internal

injuries... Great. Just what I needed before the Europa trip. I try

getting up. No go there. My back is out of allignment, even worse than

the little sparring match with Jager. I can't even get up. My back's

locked up. The pain is excruciating.

He releases me, then walks up to me.

"You just don't get it do you. Your parlor tricks wouldn't have worked.

I'm too strong for you. You see how easily I found you. I could pick up

on your scent the minute I stepped out of the car. You didn't weagh that

factor didn't you."

I look up at him. He forms another tendril, this time with a javelin-like

point.

"Now, usually I don't like to dirty myself like this... But I'll enjoy

turning Hitomi's little girl into a b**ch on a stick. Now hold still, and

it'll be quick."

He's aiming for my head... Right for the node...

Oh god... don't let it end like this....

I hear something like a bee buzzing by my ear, then the report of a large

calibur sniper rifle in the distance.

"Uggh."

Something hit Kagemaru, right in the left shoulder. I start to lift

myself off the ground using my gift of flight. As I do so, I see police

cars screaming toward the location of the fight. Someone out there must

think the way I do. Kagemaru strikes out at me again, not seeing the

mass of police vehicles heading to his location. I dodge the strike, the

twisting motion unlocks my spinal column. The pain subsiding, I fly into

kicking range of Kagemaru. I feel my right knee hit his face, breaking

his jaw bone as I fly into him, the momentum of the collision smashing

the both of us into the culvert.

The blow knocked him out. He wasn't prepared for that hit. I back off,

knowing the police would be there shortly.

Then pain... excruciating pain. He got another javelin-tendril ready as

I had my back turned. He skewered my left side, right through the

shoulder. Damn...

"You know, you little bi**h, we would have made a great team. You an' I.

but your mom didn't see the potential. You should have killed me when I

wasn't looking. But you don't have the guts to do that now don't..."

"GUUGGHHH"

Another rifle report... I look over my shoulder, and see Kagemaru's

exposed braincase. The last shot connected with his nugget, blowing off

the entire frontal lobe of his brain. I vomit as I fall unconcious.

...Sakura-Chan...

...Sakura-Chan...

...Wake up, Sakurako...

I come to... The world around me is blurry...

I'm in the hospital. A doctor and his nurse is near me. They look happy

to see I'm awake... Could I have been that close to mother?...

"Miss Hino, I hope before you get into another scrap like that, you'd

consult us first, instead of having to rely on tips?"

It's the police chief, he's there with... Debugger?

"Hi, Sakurako. Didn't mean to blow things open..."

For a second I'm angry, but then I realize... If it weren't for her, I

wouldn't even be alive at all. Or maybe... maybe... I knew she'd say

something. Perhaps talking on the boards is a good thing afterall...

The doctor looks me over...

"Well, we had to stitch up an artery in your arm and abdomen, as well as

patch up the hole in your shoulder. Luckily he missed your lungs and

aorta. We also got your back re-alligned and gave you some blood. You

lost a lot of it. We'll refer you to a dentist to get a new tooth, as

soon as you recover and get your feet back under you."

"How long will that be?"

"Erm, looking at how you're healing up, about 1 week, maybe two. You're healing pretty good."

"How close was I, doc?"

The police cheif responds;

"Well, actually not that close. But you were lucky the police snipers got

to that location in time. That freak would have killed you easily. The

doctor said if you didn't get medical attention though... you would have

died of your injuries. Namely the internal ones."

...I'm silent...

[ 09-24-2002: Message edited by: Endeavor ]