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For Your Smile ((Velvet Stars + Ecchi Kunoichi))

Velvet Stars

Velvet Stars

Planetoid
Joined
Jul 22, 2011
Location
USA
The sun slowly descended in the sky, its midday position creeping closer to a beautiful sunset and a fair evening. Only a few scatted clouds passed through the sky. It was the kind of day that called people out of doors to enjoy the last hours of light and warmth. On this particular day, it seemed like at least a dozen young children were taking advantage of every sunlit moment they could get, their gleeful shrieks filling the air even at a distance. That was only to be expected, though, with all the families who lived in the neighborhoods surrounding the park. Well away from the playgrounds where the children romped, there were paths for bikers, skaters, or just people out on a stroll. The peaceful feel of the place was refreshing after a long day.

At the moment, however, a young girl appeared peaceful for a very different reason. Her hand dropped clumsily away from an alarm clock that, until a second ago, had been jangling at the top of its little mechanical lungs. "Nnngh...five more minutes..." Kaori Ogawa mumbled, her face buried in a pillow. The light streaming through her window could not have existed for all the attention she was paying to it. What did gain her attention was the neglected alarm clock - but only because it slipped down from its place over her headboard, tumbling down to crash-land directly in the rumpled strands of dark hair atop her head. "Ow!" she yelped. It took a few seconds for her to push upright, revealing a soft-featured face and a pair of brown eyes that were pretty expressive...usually. At the moment, the only thing she was emoting was 'sleepy'. She blinked down at the object that had managed to wake her in its unintended way. "Okay, okay...I guess I'm up..." A yawn forced its way out of her, half-hidden by one hand, while the other picked up the clock. As she was placing it back where it belonged, her gaze fell upon the face. "Oh, it's that late already...?" She yawned a second time and sat down at the edge of the bed, rubbing at each eye in turn. If it was that far into the afternoon, she needed to do homework soon, and get to the park, and make sure she hadn't left her school bag at the front door again, and...

Her eyes widened. "Wait...the park! Oh no, I forgot about that! What time is it?!" Like a rubber band springing back into shape, her head swiveled to face the clock again. "Eeeek! I overslept again!" What had once been peaceful and quiet burst into a flurry of activity from the moment her feet touched the floor. "Ohh, I gotta change! My hair's a wreck! I'm gonna be in so much trouble, this is the third time this month!" She paused then, a comb poking out of her hair at an odd angle, clothing twisted around her from her interrupted nap. "I think it's three, and not four.......agh, doesn't matter!" She resumed her mad dash about the small bedroom, hands snatching up items as she went. Her school clothes flew into the air, only to land in crumpled piles well short of the laundry basket. She tugged a lightweight shirt on over her head, put on a skirt, then realized that the sweater was a lovely spring green paired with a skirt with oranges printed on it. "Eep, not this!" The skirt plopped onto the bed, replaced by a dark blue one that didn't clash so badly. A pair of socks dangled from her mouth as she brushed her hair down. It immediately bounced upward again, strands drifting towards the ceiling from an overload of static. Her feet stomped against the floor in annoyance at the sight. "Aw, come ooon, I'm laaate! There's no time for this!" The whining wasn't very effective. Instead, she let out an exasperated huff, ran over to her dresser, and put her hair in a ponytail instead. The short, straight bangs she usually had across her forehead were nowhere as neat as they had been earlier that day, but it was good enough.

Less than ten minutes later, Kaori sprinted down the sidewalk. She had stopped only to put on shoes, grab her keys, and lock the door. Even if running at top speed wouldn't make her any less late, going slowly wouldn't help at all, so she kept going for as long as she had the breath to spare. Standing at only 5' 3", she had a girlish face that made her look closer to 14 than her actual 16, a small bust line, shoulder-length hair, and the type of skin that burned before it would ever tan. Her build wasn't that of an athlete and she didn't have the curves to draw people's eyes from across the street. In fact, her appearance was more 'innocent girl next door' rather than eyecatching. She was clearly in good shape, though, since she managed to run most of the way to the park, despite its distance from her house. "O...okay...made it..." Only a little bit short of breath, she slowed to a walk gradually, glad for the cool shade beneath the trees. Her steps were brisk as she moved along the familiar park paths, eyes flicking this way and that in search of something. Am I too late? Ohhh, I hope not...we were supposed to meet at 4:30, right? Not at 3:30? Erk...did I get the time wrong again too?!

Caught up in her worried thoughts, she didn't even notice the person standing near the path until she bumped into them. "Eeep!" she squeaked out, startled by the impact. "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going, and..." The hasty apology cut off the moment she actually looked at the person she had run into. "Oh!" Her face lit up with a relief and delight that made her eyes sparkle. "You're here, hi!" Kaori smiled brightly at the girl she had bumped; instead of a stranger, this was someone she knew quite well. They had been friends for years - they had even met at this very park one sunny summer day. "Umm, did I make you wait long?" Unlike her polite words before, a genuine regret came through this time. "I'm really sorry, I went home after school and I guess I kinda fell asleep..." The truth was that she had hurried home just to take a nap. The petite girl had been yawning and tired looking all that day in school. Not that the day before that had been much better, or the day before that, or the week before that. Just the past Monday, she had to go to the nurse's office after she had zoned out in the middle of the hall and got hit right in the face with an opening door. Both from the memory and from her most recent mishap, she laughed in a bit of obvious embarrassment. "But I'm here now, anyway! How did it go today? It was practice day, right?" So it was an attempt at changing the topic. It was also a valid question, so it was fine! Well, as long as she hadn't mixed up her days or forgotten her friend's schedule somehow.
 
Haruka Nakamura, often known simply as Haru, sighed as she looked up to the sky through the branches of the tree she leaned against. Kaori was already over an hour late for their meeting. She began to wonder if this time would be a no show. She lifts her arm to check her watch, pushing back the long sleeve of her white shirt so she can see. It was 4:48 already. She sighs again and pushes off from the tree, deciding to walk around a bit and see if she might still show up. A breeze flutters over her short, dark hair, kept in a rather boyish cut with long bangs, her right eye partly covered by them. Aside from her white, long sleeved shirt, she wore a pair of jeans, and sneakers. Her bust was rather unimpressive, barely reaching a B cup in size, and not terribly noticeable in the loose fit of her shirt. She usually didn't even bother to wear a bra, both because she felt it rather pointless, and because dealing with them was a pain. Her hips were fairly narrow compared to many girls, and the loose jeans she wore only made her hips and butt seem that much more plain and unnoticed. Her overall build was somewhat athletic, firm, but not noticeably muscular. It was no wonder with her choice of clothing, and short cut hair that she was often mistaken for a fair faced boy. Haruka didn't care about that though, she liked her way of life, and her boyish appearance served her well in keeping the actual boys from leering at her, or trying to pick on her. Being among the top few fighters in the school's kendo club didn't hurt her tough reputation either.

She sighs softly as she walks along, watching the shadows begin to grow longer, and loosing hope. It was just as she was getting ready to give up and head for home that she felt someone suddenly run into her from behind. She whipped around, frown on her face as she lifted a fist some. "Hey, what's the big ide-" She cuts herself off though as she sees Kaoru standing there apologizing to her. Her raised arm lowers and her frown fades, being replaced by a softer, relieved expression. "It's about time, I thought you weren't going to come." She smiles lightly at her best friend, then waves a hand dismissively as Kaoru explain falling asleep. "Yeah yeah, don't need to make excuses. I do wonder what's been up with you lately though. You seem so tired all the time. You haven't got some secret, wild nightlife full of parties or something, huh?" She grins then and turns so they can walk together, nodding slightly to her. "Yeah, kendo practice. I've gotten pretty good at beating the other guys' asses, but I still can't seem to beat Kenji." She sighs softly and then looks over at Kaoru with a light smile. "Hey, we're still going out this weekend right? To celebrate my birthday? I hope you didn't forget that too." She would playfully nudge at Kaoru gently and giggle. Haruka was about to turn 17, and she wanted to celebrate with her closest friend as always.
 
For a moment, when Haruka mentioned secrets, the smaller girl winced inwardly. She didn't like the idea that her closest friend felt like she was hiding things from her...or that she had noticed something being off. Her concern evaporated on actually hearing the rest of the statement, though. "Wild parties? No way, Haru!" She giggled at the thought. "My mom would banish me to the moon or something if I hung out anywhere like that, or stayed out after curfew. I've just been staying up late a lot, that's all."

Such issues were far from her mind as they walked along. Kaori was just glad that she hadn't been too late after all; it was good to spend some time together at the end of the day. "Hey, don't worry about it! I know you can do it, if anybody can." There was no hint of doubt in her voice on saying that. She was patiently waiting for the day when her friend was announced as the next kendo captain, and made it to as many of their competitions as she could, just to cheer her on.

She smiled back at the other girl, laughing. "Of course I remembered! I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world...Haru-sempai." A playful twinkle was in her eyes at those last words. More than once, people new to their school had mistaken her friend for a boy from afar, and at least a few of those girls had been quite upset to discover their admired upperclassman wasn't a man at all. She nudged Haruka back as they walked, not hiding that she was teasing her about that again. The path they were on wound towards the center of the park, where a small lake was located. With benches placed at regular intervals and a number of waterfowl that passed through, this was one of the places that she had always liked to visit. When it came into view, there wasn't anyone else around that Kaori could see. As the path brought them along beside the water, she noticed something different: in one corner of the lake, there were tiny bubbles floating up, and ripples spread out from there. It was as if someone had dropped a large rock into the water just before they arrived. That's strange...I've never seen anything like that before.

The area was quiet; there were no ducks splashing in the water or squirrels scampering across the grass. Even the birds that chirped away in the trees seemed to be further away. But it wasn't until a familiar tingle started creeping up her spine that Kaori knew why things didn't feel right, why it was so quiet and still here. Oh no...no, not now! Please, go away...! There was no mistaking that feeling, but it was quite possibly the worst time for it to show up. Couldn't she spend some time with a friend without something weird happening? She sighed; even if what she felt was already gone, that meant it was somewhere else, causing trouble for someone. Normally she'd go and look, but she didn't want to leave so soon...
 
Haruka looked around at the park as they walked along the path. It seemed so odd suddenly, almost as if it were more quiet than it should be. She shrugged it off though, focusing on Kaori again and smiling at her. "Well, you should go to bed earlier then. You need your beauty sleep or you'll end up with bags under your eyes, and probably look ten years older than you are, you know. And you don't want to have to go to the nurse for walking into another door." She giggled softly at the thought.

Haruka winced slightly as Kaori called her sempai, knowing she was teasing her about some of the younger girls at the beginning of the year who had been fawning over her, when they thought she was a guy. She sighs and shakes her head. "Don't you go sounding like those underclassmen at the beginning of the year. The way they watched me and followed me until they found out I was a girl.. was creepy. I swear some of them are still probably stalking me. I get this weird feeling in the locker rooms when I'm changing like they're around the corner watching me." She sighs slowly. "Anyway, about the weekend, where do you want to go out to? We could go for pizza, or sushi. Maybe a movie, or karaoke... though I really suck at karaoke.

She looks over to Kaori again, watching her. Something seemed a bit off suddenly, as if Kaori was worried about something. "You alright Kaori? Anything wrong?" She looks genuinely concerned for her friend, hoping she wouldn't need to rush off. She'd noticed that would happen sometimes, as if Kaori always had something important to run off and do, but would never talk about. Haruka lately had been getting this growing feeling that Kaori had something she was hiding, like some secret project.
 
Kaori's gaze flicked away from the ripples on the lake's surface, not because she decided to, but because her foot skidded over a pebble. With her focus on things besides walking, it nearly made her trip; as it was, she stumbled visibly before catching herself. "Whoops!" When she glanced over at Haruka, she saw her friend watching her. There was an expression on her face that Kaori had been seeing directed at herself more and more often. I've really been worrying you a lot, Haru...I'm sorry, but... For a second, maybe, a hint of sadness showed in her eyes, but she was smiling by the time she straightened up from the near-fall. "What? Oh, no, I'm fine!" She laughed at her mistake, adding, "I think you're right, I need to quit staying up so late. Next thing you know I'll wake up in the middle of falling down the stairs or something!"

Still smiling, she went back to the conversation they were having before she almost fell over her own feet. "What do you mean, you're bad at karaoke? I think you do about as good as me. Yuuka's the one that makes us all sound like wailing kittens, but she's in choral, so that's different. But if you really don't want to do that, we could have pizza at that skating place again. That was fun, right?" As she spoke, the tingle along her spine spiked in intensity and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. They were close enough to the lake for her to vaguely see a dark object moving inside of it, as if there were a large fish swimming about far below the surface. "Hey, Haru!" she blurted out, "I'm kinda thirsty, let's stop over there and get something to drink?" She pointed towards where a number of lights illuminated a small building; there were bathrooms over there, as well as a pair of vending machines. With a smile, she grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her in that direction.

Mere seconds after they reached the machines, she glanced over her shoulder again, only to freeze in place as she saw it. It looked like a young girl with dark hair of an uncertain color; the soaking wet strands lay on either side of a pale yet attractive face. Her body was cloaked in a long dress, most of it hidden due to the figure's position in the water. This would have been a strange sight to nearly anyone, but for Kaori, it was something more. I can't wait...if anyone else shows up, it'll be dangerous! "Umm...I'm gonna go to the bathroom, be right back!" She was already running before she finished saying so. The moment she was out of sight, though, she changed direction, dashing behind the building instead.

Shortly after she disappeared from view, a strange sound filled the air in the park, dispelling the silence. It was a song...but not from the little birds in the trees. This song sounded like one from a human's throat, rising and falling in a wordless melody. The source was the figure standing within the lake, its pose and expression as melancholy as the music itself. Despite the lack of lyrics, the message was clear: the stranger's heart overflowed with the pain of loneliness and longing, the sort that could only be dispelled by companionship. All it would take is for someone to come to the water's edge...
 
Haruka turns suddenly as Kaori almost trips, her hands reaching out to help catch her. "Whoa, careful.." Once it seemed Kaori had her balance back, Haru's hands pulled away from her shoulders as she sighs softly. "Yeah, I think you really do need to get more sleep. I don't want you falling all over yourself and getting hurt." She smiles a bit at her friend as they continued walking again.

"Yeah.. Yuuka's pretty good. You're probably better than I am though. Singing isn't really my thing." She nods then to the suggestion of the skating place. "Yeah, that was pretty fun. When I was able to stay standing anyway. You would think having martial arts experience, I could stay upright on skates..." She grumbles a bit as she recalls all the falls, and the resulting bruises the day after, shaking her head some. "Maybe just a movie though, or something like that. Something I can't embarrass myself at."

She blinks as she finds herself suddenly being pulled along toward some vendors outside a building. "Uhm, alright. What do you what to dr-" She cuts off as she watches Kaori rush off saying she had to go to the bathroom. "Running off suddenly again." She sighs and shakes her head, looking to the vendors. She's just about to put in some money and pick out a couple drinks for them, when she hears a strange, sad song in the air. She turns, looking out to the water, listening to it, and slowly finds herself walking back toward the lake, almost as if her legs were moving on heir own.
 
((Warning: massive post approaching! If I went too far/did too much on this one, I'll start over and break up the action more, I think I kinda got carried away... ^^;;; ))

The strange, haunting melody continued its spread through the air. Each note was similar to a single thread in a bolt of cloth; they could stand on their own, yet together it formed a very different image. Though the figure's head remained bowed, sorrow flowed freely in that voice. An undercurrent of hope trembled beneath the sadness; a wish that, somehow, its isolation would end and there would be cause to forget its loss. At the same time, it was an invitation of sorts. If there were others who could sympathize with its unhappiness, who were themselves unhappy about some element of their lives, perhaps they could come together and find solace in one another's company. A listener so inclined would only need to venture closer, to where their eyes could meet. Even if no one present could share in the singer's feelings, certainly there was many a soul that would be moved by the sight of someone in need of comfort.

Yet beyond the sight of the average person, there were signs that the song was not just a song. The tones used were part of a spell, one that cast out an alluring net to drag in those that heard it. To someone with the eyes to see such things, the waves of sound spread out like ripples through the otherwise silent space, and all they touched became haloed in a shimmering, watery glow. The magic beneath the music then pulled in the largest of these motes of light in much the same way that a bottom feeder sucked in its prey. If not for the late hour, there would have been countless people within hearing range; as it was, the lower number of targets allowed the spell to be more focused. What might take several minutes might only last a moment or two...too short of a time for anyone to interrupt or for the sole listener to break the spell. Beneath the curtain of her hair, the being within the lake smiled as she sang, each slow step carrying her closer to the bank and nearer to the human soul that her song had captured. One hand reached out, droplets falling away from the pale, delicate fingertips as they crossed the last inches between their two forms.

Then, in the split second before that hand could touch the other's cheek, a sharp, high sound blared out of nowhere. It cut through the gentle song, disrupting the melody and slicing through its spell in the same instant. Its source was...a lamppost? No, a figure atop said lamp, balanced on one foot at its tip. A ray of sunlight glinted off of the polished, brassy surface of an upraised horn as the note slowly faded. Despite the fact that it was only a sound, the figure in the water jerked backward as if struck, releasing a mournful cry. But if that person's behavior was odd, it was the person atop the lamp who truly looked strange in comparison.

The newcomer was obviously female. Ribbons in a rich shade of blue pulled light blonde hair into two high-set ponytails; the strands fell past her waist and nearly to the top of each leg, where the ends formed a springy spiral curl. Her face was clearly visible, revealing a pair of dark green eyes under long bangs, most swept to one side and pinned in place by two star-shaped hair clips. While a folded-back collar framed her neck on either side, the front of her clothing stood open, revealing a white shirt that covered her chest; its neckline began low enough for the upper curves of her bust to be visible, displaying a fair amount of cleavage.

At the waist, the outfit clung to her sides in the fashion of a corset, yet the pairing of golden buttons and white braid across the center more brought to mind the neat, crisp uniform of a marching band's members. Triangular lines swept out over her hips, the metallic hued outlines overlapping a matching blue skirt with fluffy white ruffles at the ends. Long, over-the-knee socks sported a pattern of yellow stars down the side, leading to the deep blue shoes planted upon the top of the lamp. Their visible heel didn't seem to disrupt her balance at all, despite a set of thin x-shaped straps and small star buttons being all that held them on her feet. The height of her position made her height difficult to guess at, but her face and form were quite youthful; she looked about 17 or so. All the while, her expression remained serious, as if she had been the sole witness to a grave injustice in the making.

Before the figure below could react, she lowered her instrument and spoke, voice ringing out in the silence that had fallen. "You, who would play with human hearts and take advantage of their kindness...I won't let your treachery go unpunished!" Her hands made a quick gesture, sending flared sleeves adorned with gold braid and white ruffles flickering about both arms. The instrument disappeared in a flash, and in its place, a strangely shaped wand appeared. About as long as her arm from wrist to elbow, it had the same metallic gleam as the horn, and the top of it branched into two rings that overlapped at right angles. At the bottom of each ring dangled a small musical note, while the space between the loops was occupied by a spherical jewel that seemed to float in the exact center. It pulsed with clear, bright light from the moment she took it in her hands, and that light only intensified when she pointed it at the pale figure within the lake. "Shed your illusions and reveal your true form! Monster of deadly harmonies...Siren!"

Rage twisted the placid, mournful features into a vicious scowl as the figure backpedaled into deeper water, only its upper body remaining visible. "How dare you...!" No longer was her voice melodious and sweet; it rasped nearly like the cawing of a crow. Even as she spoke, a ring of blue-white illumination whirled around it. It lashed out at the light, only to screech in pain and drop away, its body writhing as the original appearance melted away. The beautiful, gentle face became a vision of angular lines and a hooked, beak-like nose, further marred by the look of hatred that spread across it. Hair that was once silky and glistened in the light became as scraggly as a bit of frozen grass in winter. The small hands with their delicate fingers displayed sharp claws at their tips instead of nails, and those fingers were now webbed, inhuman things. Her flowing dress turned dingy in coloration, the fabric mere rags hiding the slick, clammy skin of an aquatic beast. "You have no right to take what is mine," hissed the monster. A thick, broad tail with mottled scales thrashed beneath the surface as it completed its shift away from the shallows.

"Maybe I don't..." In one smooth motion, the figure leaped down from her perch. There was little more than the ruffle of fabric and the quiet thump of her shoes hitting the grass when she landed, positioned exactly between the siren and the human that had been ensnared. "But you have no right to steal the light and life from the people of this world just because you have no soul of your own!" She rotated the wand around, holding it before her like a conductor's baton. "It's time for you to return to where you belong, and I'm going to make sure you go there." This time, the only reply was an angered growl. Without warning, the surface of the water exploded upward like a geyser in one, two, three different places after another. "Oh, she's mad now..." the girl murmured. Then she glanced over her shoulder and shot the person behind her a quick grin. "Don't worry, I'll deal with her. You just get out of here while you can, okay?"

Then the water came crashing downward all at once. It smashed into the ground with enough force to send dirt and grass flying into the air; there was a visible crater left where the girl's feet had been. She, however, wasn't there any longer. "Hey, I didn't know you sirens were slow and bad singers!" she shouted from the right. This resulted in more jets of water hurtling at her, which she continued to flee from at the last possible second. It was risky, but as long as she could draw the siren's attention away from the other human, there would be a clear chance to escape. Doing this, she made her way halfway around the lake in a matter of minutes and at a full-out sprint, dodging blasts of liquid all the way. Mockingly, she yelled, "Ugly old hag! You probably don't even know th--" Her sentence stopped abruptly as the smaller channel of water drove hard into her side. The sheer force of it knocked her off the ground, then into a trash can, and caused her to crash upon a metal bench several feet away. For one long moment, she didn't move, and it seemed that she might not get up until...

"Oww...that was pretty sneaky..." her voice groaned from within the debris. She was drenched on the side that had been hit, and the water had proven pressurized enough to tear through her jacket and a piece of her shirt as well. Despite the bare patch of skin visible just above her right hip and a number of small rips in her clothing from her landing, she got to her feet with only a slight wince. "I take it you don't like being called ugly? Or is it the age thing?" As she spoke, her wand vanished from the grass where it had fallen, and, with a small flash, reappeared in her hand. She quickly glanced over to where she had started, making sure the person she had tried to guard was still safe. If she wasn't careful, the siren might decide to spite her by snatching up the other human and dragging that person under the water. "How long have sirens been around, a couple centuries?" she mused aloud, intentionally raising her voice so the monster would hear. "Wow, talk about being an old maid. I guess you have to use pretty desperate measures when there aren't any lonely sailors around." Seeing the water froth up, she held her ground, prepared to leap away once more...only to stare as the liquid rose in the air in the form of a whirlpool instead. "Yup, it's definitely the age thing."

At least half a dozen of these waterspouts swirled about, trying to suck in whatever they could reach. To her amazement, this included creeping partway onto land already soaked by the siren's earlier attacks. "Neat trick, but that's not going to stop me!" She swept her wand outward in a half-circle in front of her, leaving a number of glowing dots in its wake. These swiftly condensed into many beams of light that shot outward...only to break against the waterspouts with no effect. "Shoot, it's not strong enough! I could use that...but I need to save it for the siren, not just her defenses. I need a clear view!" With that, she began to run, attempting to move beyond the rippling curtain of water. Yet before she took more than a few strides, the spouts slid back into the water and followed her movements, blocking the siren from view and preventing another barrage of light from reaching the target. "...that is so not fair!" The suction was too powerful to risk dodging between them; more importantly, if she went into the water, she lost what little advantage came from not being in the siren's element.

Her gaze darted from one object to another for a second, until an idea finally came to mind. "I've got it!" She spun the wand between her fingers once before tossing it into the air. Halfway through the mid-air spin, it flashed and shrunk; when it dropped into her hands again, the trumpet had taken its place. "Let's break apart those waves with a melody in another key! Dissonance Cadenza!" A series of discordant, off-key notes came from the instrument nearly as soon as she raised it to her lips. The sound not only clashed with the natural harmony within the rush of water, but - as strange as that was - visibly smashed against the waterspouts, tightening around them in repetitive waves of glowing golden notes. Gradually, the whirling shapes faltered, then slowed...and, as the opposing force began to overwhelm it, wobbled once before bursting apart. Water tumbled from the skies in a rush of moisture, like a sudden rainstorm that lacked the clouds to go with it.

In a matter of seconds, she was soaking wet, but her expression was delighted. "Hah! Now, time to finish this!" The musical instrument dropped down and away after a quick flip in her hands, seeming to shift in color and shape until it resolved into the wand yet again. "Symphonic--!" The wand was pointed directly at the lake, its gem sparkling like a captured star, but her phrase ground to a halt. "Hey! Wh-where did it go?" As the last drops of water hit the dirt, the surface of the lake calmed into its usual calm, flat appearance...and there was no sign of anything in the center, monster or otherwise. No music rang out to break the silence. Slowly, though, birds began to chirp in the distance, signaling the fading of sunset. "....aaaaaagh! She used the whirlpools as a distraction and ran away!" It was her turn to growl in frustration now. "I hate it when they do that!" Not caring if she was watched or not, the oddly dressed girl shouted at nothing in particular, then stomped a foot on the soaked earth repeatedly. "Now I have to spend all night tracking that siren down again!" She seemed to fume a bit more before dashing off into the growing darkness, and vanished in an instant.

About a minute later, not far away from the building housing the women's bathroom, there was a small flash of light. Kaori's face peeked out from behind the structure. Then the rest of her appeared as she crept out of her hiding place and began to sneak back into the building proper. Just have to go back in the bathroom and walk out, nothing to it. Careful...careful... She held her breath, not wanting to be seen or heard just yet. It wasn't like she had been doing anything wrong. Nope, not at all! It was just easier if she could pretend that she hadn't seen anything...then she wouldn't have to answer any questions about it. The bathroom door creaked audibly as she pushed it open, ducking inside as fast as she could. "Whew..."
 
Haruka walked slowly toward the edge of the lake, beckoned by the song of the siren in the water. She stands at the water's edge, looking into the eyes of the creature, entranced by it's song, leaning in to meet it as she reaches out toward Haruka. She was about to fall prey to the siren which had her in its grasp, until a sharp trumpet note rang out, snapping her out of the song induced trance. She watches as the figure in the water moves away, then looks around, wondering where the sharp musical note came from, and who was now speaking. She looks up then to see an oddly dressed girl balancing on a lamp post and holding a trumpet. She looked almost like she belonged in a marching band, but her uniform was much fancier and frillier than most marching uniforms.

Haruka slowly stepped back a couple paces from the water's edge, watching the odd girl and wondering what she was doing. Her attention turned to the siren in the water for a moment, wondering who she was as well, and why she was out in the lake like that. She watched in amazement, and horror as the figure in the water shifted in appearance, turning from a beautiful woman to the look of a hag. Her attention shifts again though to watch the figure leap down from the lamp post, watching as the two seem to argue back and forth. She looks to the girl who says she'll deal with the creature, just after spouts of water shoot up from the lake. She nods and starts to slowly back away again, but can't seem to fully pry herself from the scene.

She watches as the girl runs off, leading the siren away with her. Haruka can't help but follow after, at a safe distance, to watch. Her curiosity was just too much to resist. Who was this strange girl? It was odd that she seemed so strange, and yet at the same time.. so familiar somehow. She watches as the battle goes on, amazed at all the shooting of water, and what looked like magic energy. She barely realized she was getting pretty soaked herself from all of it, especially as the water rained down all around the shore of the lake. She watched as that wand the girl had turned into the trumpet again, and then back as she continued to fight the siren... which was now gone without a trace.

Haruka turns, following the girl as she runs off again, but looses her as she slips in between the buildings and vanishes. She sighs softly and looks around, then suddenly remembers. "Oh! Kaori! I hope she's alright." She begins looking around for her friend, going back to the drink vending machines. Just as Kaori was sneaking back inside the bathroom, Haruka remembered that was where she'd run off to before everything started. She turns, thinking she saw the bathroom door move as she approached it to knock. "Kaori? You still in there? Are you alright? Something.. completely unbelievable just happened... you really won't believe it."
 
The sound of a voice both reached her ears and vibrated through her back. Startled, Kaori leaped away from the door, then stared at it with wide eyes. I forgot, I don't have a reason to be in here still! Um, um, ummm! For a moment, she actually ran back and forth in a small circle. What do I use, what do I use...?! Then an idea popped into her head. It didn't make very much sense, to be sure, but it would have to do for now. "Y-yeah, I'm in here! I just, uh, dropped the change I was gonna use in the machine, and I had to find it!" With any luck, she wouldn't get asked why she had her money out while in the bathroom in the first place. "One second!"

After a moment or two, the door swung open, revealing a calm - but slightly rumpled, as if she had been sitting on the floor - Kaori, who smiled at her friend. "What's...h-hey! Haru, you're soaked." Though this was pointing out the obvious, the surprised look on her face was genuine. "Come in here, we can use some paper towels to dry you, I think..." In a flash, she grabbed the other girl's hand and tugged her inside. "Something happened? What, did it start raining?" The smaller girl chuckled a bit, then went to gather as many sheets of paper as her arms could hold. "They're not very good, but maybe we can get some of the water off if you wring out your shirt first."

As she started trying to dry Haruka's hair with the dry, crinkling towels, she added, "C'mon, Haru, I'm the one who comes up with weird stories. Do you really think I won't believe it?" Her smile was encouraging and trusting; from looking at her, there was no chance that Haru could say or do anything she would find improbable. As she stepped around to the back of the tall girl, there was a quiet squishing from her shoes. On realizing the sound and the welling of dampness between her toes, Kaori made a face. She must have stepped into a puddle on the way back to the bathroom...as if it wasn't bad enough to have wet shoes ever, this was not a good time for it! All she could do was hope that it wasn't noticed.
 
Haru stood there soaking wet as Kaori opened the door. She didn't have the mindset to wonder why her friend would have had her money out in the bathroom, or care really. What she had just witnessed was beyond anything she'd ever imagined could be possible.. in fact it seemed completely impossible. She started to wonder if maybe it was a movie scene or something being shot, and if all of it was just special effects. She hadn't seen any cameras though, nor any film crew... Maybe they were hidden to stay out of the shot? She shakes her head, not sure what to think anymore, only knowing that something incredible just happened.

She pulls back at first as Kaori starts trying to pull her inside, after pointing out she was soaked.. Haru barely even noticed that herself, still too awestruck by what she'd just witnessed. Maybe she would have cared to notice if she'd realized her white shirt was now somewhat see through, showing that she lacked a bra at all, as the fabric clung against her breasts.. It even showed hints of the little circles over each breast, nubs poking out at the wet cloth a bit. She finally relents to being pulled inside, but points out at the lake. "I just saw something incredible! It.. it was... it was impossible, but it happened!"

She sighs as Kaori tries to dry her with paper towels. "Nevermind that.. this is more important... I really don't know if you'll believe it or not.. it's.. just that impossible, but... Well, I don't know. It was almost like something out of one of those action TV series. I was out by the edge of the lake.." She paused, thinking to herself there... why WAS she out at the edge of the lake? "And well.. there was this girl in the water.. but it wasn't a girl, exactly... and another girl showed up with a trumpet.. that turned into a wand. She was dressed kinda funny, sorta like.. a marching band outfit I guess, but frillier. And I swear, the girl-thing in the water started shooting water at this other girl! And the girl shot back with.. I don't know, some kind of energy. Magic maybe? Gah.. I sound like an idiot..."
 
There was a steadily growing pile of used towels on the floor, but Kaori frowned anyway; at this rate, they'd be here all night trying to dry out her friend's clothes. She stopped when Haruka started talking about what she had experienced, glancing up from where she was picking up the trash. "That..." She paused for a second, not sure what to say. "...it does sound kinda weird, Haru," she admitted, "but if that's what you saw, then it must have happened. I dunno why, or how, but I know you." As she spoke, she gathered up the damp towels, went over to the trash, and dropped them in. "You wouldn't just make it up or imagine it. So I believe you."

Standing in front of the other girl again, she smiled reassuringly, then reached out to touch her friend's shoulder. "And you don't sound stupid to me. Maybe kinda confused, but unless you fell in the lake, you wouldn't be this wet, so something must've happened out there, right?" If she was just playing along, it didn't show in her face; there was no sign of doubts or anything to hide. To meet her eyes, though, Kaori had to look up...and in the process, she clearly saw the state the girl's shirt was in. A hint of color crept into her cheeks at the sight of it. T-this is no time to be distracted!

She forced her eyes up the rest of the way and met Haru's gaze directly. "Be-besides, if it had started raining you would've come inside, plus I didn't hear any thunder or anything from in here. So it wasn't just a storm." She moved her hand away then and shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it was some kinda movie or something? Like those people I saw dressed up last weekend, acting out scenes from that TV show. Maybe some fans did a really detailed video or something, with hidden cameras and speakers and stuff." It was the only semi-logical explanation she could think of, but Kaori winced at how it sounded when she said it.

"Anyway!" The word was a bit loud and a little overly-cheerful, like she was trying to quickly change the subject before anyone could think too hard about that flimsy explanation. "Do you want to head back to my place? You can dry off your clothes and stuff there, my parents won't mind." A hint of a giggle slipped free then. "You...might not wanna walk all the way home with your shirt like that." Though the look in her eyes was teasing, she twisted her face into an obvious pout. "Lucky, Haru...I wish I didn't have to wear them either..."

Yes, she had looked, but it was right there, how was she not supposed to see? Anyway, they had known each other for years, and slept over each other's houses often, so it wasn't like she had never seen them. Just...not recently enough to know that her best friend still didn't have to wear a bra, while Kaori's mother would have dragged her child back indoors by the collar if she tried sneaking out without one.
 
Haruka looks at Kaori, and sighs softly.. a sigh of relief. At least Kaori didn't think she was totally nuts. Being soaked was pretty good evidence to back up her claim though. She smiles lightly at Kaori, letting her friend continue to try to dry her off. She doesn't mind the subject change really, since she'd told Kaori what happened, and she seemed willing to more or less accept it. She nods to her slowly. "Yeah.. that would be fine. I guess I should get dried off before I end up with a cold or something."

Haru looks confused for a moment at Kaori's comment about her shirt. She looks down and finally realizes it's sticking to her chest and partly transparent, giving Kaori a rather nice view of her small breasts. She blushes lightly, her arms moving up to hug over her chest and cover up.. a hint of girlish behavior in spite of her otherwise boyishness. She looks up again, once more confused for a moment at Kaori's next comment. "Huh? Oh... bras... Well, I kind of wish I was wearing one now..." She sighs a bit, shaking her head. "Yeah, walking around out there like this... probably not a good idea." She was rather embarrassed about it, even just being alone with Kaori... it had been a while since they last saw each other with less on... long enough that Kaori really wouldn't have seen Haruka's breasts so exposed.
 
Ecchi Kunoichi said:
Haruka looks at Kaori, and sighs softly.. a sigh of relief. At least Kaori didn't think she was totally nuts. Being soaked was pretty good evidence to back up her claim though. She smiles lightly at Kaori, letting her friend continue to try to dry her off. She doesn't mind the subject change really, since she'd told Kaori what happened, and she seemed willing to more or less accept it. She nods to her slowly. "Yeah.. that would be fine. I guess I should get dried off before I end up with a cold or something."

Haru looks confused for a moment at Kaori's comment about her shirt. She looks down and finally realizes it's sticking to her chest and partly transparent, giving Kaori a rather nice view of her small breasts. She blushes lightly, her arms moving up to hug over her chest and cover up.. a hint of girlish behavior in spite of her otherwise boyishness. She looks up again, once more confused for a moment at Kaori's next comment. "Huh? Oh... bras... Well, I kind of wish I was wearing one now..." She sighs a bit, shaking her head. "Yeah, walking around out there like this... probably not a good idea." She was rather embarrassed about it, even just being alone with Kaori... it had been a while since they last saw each other with less on... long enough that Kaori really wouldn't have seen Haruka's breasts so exposed.
Click to expand...
 
Although Kaori felt a little bad for embarrassing her friend, she was relieved that she wasn't hung up on the previous events. Besides, catching a cold really might be a concern if they didn't do anything. "Don't worry!" she answered with a smile. "There's not going to be a lot of people around at this time of day, right? If we go fast, no one will even see you." For a second - just one teeny, tiny second - she was glad about that, though she didn't know why. Probably just so Haru doesn't have to feel bad, she told herself. I wouldn't want someone else to see me like that either! Still, she could imagine just how frustrated some of Haruka's admirers would have been if they could see the two of them now.

The sight of the other girl in her soaked shirt reminded her of something, too. "Hey, Haru? Remember that time when we were kids and we both fell in the lake at that picnic? How old were we? Ten, nine?" She giggled softly at the memory; at the time, she had been so flustered she thought her blush alone could dry her, but it was funny to look back on now. "Well, maybe you were nine..." After tossing out one last armful of soaked towels, she stepped over to the door and pushed it open. "I guess some things never change, no matter what..." The words were murmured, her back turned; for a moment there, it seemed that Kaori's thoughts were somewhere else.

Then she shook her head lightly and turned around, smiling at her friend once again. "C'mon, Haru, let's get going before someone shows up!" Depending on how fast the other girl wanted to go, Kaori would keep pace...not too unusual if they only walked, but if they happened to go at a sprint, that would be rather odd, if only due to the difference in their strides.
 
Haru nodded a bit to Kaori. "Yeah.. probably not. At least I hope there aren't many people out. We probably shouldn't go TOO fast though, or anyone who's out is more likely to notice us. We gotta stay casual." She grins a bit and looks to the towels being tossed.. Kaori had probably nearly emptied the towel dispenser by now. "Yeah.. I remember that. But I didn't fall in the lake this time. It was... whatever that was in the water, and that oddly dressed girl." She sighs a bit and turns to open the door so they could get going.

Upon stepping outside, something was different. It was darker than it should be at this time, and then there was a light rumble overhead. Looking up, Haruka saw the sky had suddenly completely clouded over, looking like rain. "That's.. weird.... it was clear just minutes ago..." She sighs a bit, thinking at least if it did rain, there would be a reason for her being soaked. "Guess we better walk fast." Though if Kaori looked long enough at the clouds, she might notice a large shadow moving through them, flying just out of sight.

Haru reaches to take Kaori's hand gently and lead her along at a brisk pace. Before they got half a block it began a light rain, drops gradually falling and slowly picking up number. At first it seemed like just an ordinary rain, nothing unusual as the thundery rumbling rolls overhead again. However, as the rain picked up, what seemed like steam began to rise from the streets, and from the girls' clothes where the drops landed. A few moments longer, and holes began forming in the fabric of their clothing wherever drops fell on them, but there was no feeling of burning or discomfort. Haruka didn't seem to notice it right away, simply walking on, but if Kaori looked at her, she would surely notice the holes burning into Haruka's shirt, and the legs of her pants, slowly growing larger and larger with each drop that fell and added to the destruction. Slowly, more of both girls' clothes would burn through, gradually exposing more and more of their skin.

Haruka spots an overhang from a building as the rain begins to pour even harder, her clothing starting to melt away even faster, and would lead Kaori over. "Let's stop and see if it lets up some..." That was when she would notice her shirt felt odd, as if some of it wasn't there, looking down to see her sleeves almost gone, and parts of her shirt missing, then she looks to Kaori to see what damage she might have on her outfit as well. "W-what.... what's going on? What happened to our clothes?" She blushes lightly, looking over herself and seeing her pants legs were nearly gone as well. "What kind of rain is that..."
 
Quite willing to go at the pace the other set, Kaori trotted alongside Haruka. It wasn't until the amount and speed of the precipitation increased that she felt it: the faintest of tingles, like a half-noticed itch at the base of her spine. In mid-stride, she twitched, and her expression slowly altered to something more contemplative. Something else? But...it's far away, I think. Or small. Or it's hiding itself... Letting her friend's hand lead her along, she scanned the area as best she could. Before spotting anything else, however, she got an eyeful of her shirt. W-what the...?! Where'd all these holes come from? Her top looked less like a shirt and more like a piece of unevenly woven netting by the second - especially over her chest, where more of the rain was falling than the area immediately below it. The edges of her skirt were also marked with holes in scattered places; she could feel the wind blowing around her legs with each step she took.

She glanced over at Haruka, wondering if the other girl was affected as well; maybe it had something to do with herself and not with the weather. That idea was dashed the moment she saw what was happening to her friend's clothes. Oh wow, I can almost see right through it... Kaori's cheeks flushed red; she was looking more at the sight of the many holes in the shirt and shorts of the person whose hand she held, rather than anything else around them. From the look of her skin, the effect that was damaging their clothes wasn't harming her; in fact, it didn't seem like Haruka even knew what was happening yet. Kaori bit her tongue in an effort to keep from saying anything. The tingle that trooped its way up her spine was getting stronger as the rain did; she wasn't sure what that meant, but she couldn't risk letting that slip if she blurted out something about the girl's top and bottoms. Do I look like that right now...? Her blush deepened at the thought. It was one thing to remember the past, or to tease someone about it; if things went on like this, they'd be seeing more of each other than they ever had!

When they finally found shelter, Kaori was relieved, and for more than one reason. Whatever she had sensed was coming closer to them, or they were nearing it...and she didn't think they would have much left in clothing if they kept going. One of her sleeves felt like it was held on only near the armpit, leaving her shoulder mostly bare; her chest area was heavily exposed due to a number of small holes that had combined into large ones. Her skirt was far shorter than it had been when she left home, there were flashes of bare skin here and there all across it, and more than one patch of flower-printed underwear was visible below both pieces. A few larger droplets had plunked onto her as they ducked under cover, thanks to her being a bit slower than her friend, and where those had landed bits of her bra and panties had large holes as well. Her shoes were in even worse shape than her clothes, thanks to a puddle she stepped in while her attention was elsewhere; her left foot was mostly open to the air, and a patch of her skirt on that side was nearly gone, leaving just loose hanging flaps of fabric to cover her. "I...I really don't know," she admitted. "But it didn't hurt, so I guess we're safe, even if our clothes aren't."

As she spoke, a strange hum sounded in her ears. It was too low to be audible, but the vibration seemed to work its way through her feet all the way up to her head. At the same time, the odd sensation in her back spiked up; not only did her hair stand up on her neck, but she jerked visibly, hands swatting at a non-existent bug on reflex. Wh-whoa! I've never felt that before! That...it's got to be something important. "I'm gonna see if I can figure out what's up, Haru. I'll be back, don't go anywhere, okay?" Instead of waiting for an answer, she dashed off - though not without feeling guilty about it. If there was going to be trouble, she had to get someone to stop it quickly, before people got hurt!

Not long after that, beside a rooftop a block or so away, a curious figure could be seen perched upon a telephone pole. Tendrils of mist rose from the ground; from that height, it was possible to see the lines that marked lanes and borders on the street dissolving in the rain. Paint on buildings ran as if freshly placed, and cloth items everywhere were little more than gaping holes between the objects that supported them. Fortunately, the disturbance only covered this block and one other, rather than the entire city...but all over, the few people who didn't make it indoors before the rain started to fall were huddled beneath metal overhangs and plastic umbrellas, and sounds of panic rang out sharply in her hearing. "This has gone on long enough! Whatever's doing this needs to stop..." The figure stretched out one arm, and in a burst of light, a wand appeared in a feminine hand. Unlike everyone else caught in the deluge, her garments remained whole, if not wholly dry. "...and I'll be the one to do it!"

It was the same strangely dressed girl from the lake, and her gaze was fixed on the clouds overhead. She twirled the wand between her fingers as if it were a baton, then flung it into the air. It flipped twice before she leaped up after it, only to be gripped tight in both hands in mid-fall. "Capriccio Ostendi!" The gem at the center flared into a dazzling light, one that became the starting point of an extending ray. This blue-white beam shot up into the sky, piercing the clouds; from a distance, it would look like there was a spotlight mounted on the roof, but one that shone with much greater intensity than usual. Once she stood firmly upon that flat surface, the female swung the wand in slow, widening arcs, until finally the beam shifted from white to a deeper, richer blue. A look of triumph flashed in her eyes at the sight. "Found it!" The beam snapped in on itself, shrinking down until it touched the jewel and dissipated. "Now to get that thing down here and..."

Her murmured words trailed off into silence at the sight of what was emerging from those clouds. If placed on one end, it would stretch at least five stories high, possibly more. It moved through the air in long, undulating shifts of its body, yet these propelled it from a distant shape in the sky to a large figure that took up nearly all that she could see. Yet it was getting bigger the closer it came. The head was appropriately huge; from her position, the front of it was dominated by a broad snout and a massive maw. In contrast to the reptilian shape and texture of the main body, a long and flowing beard ringed the head and rippled back along what appeared to be the spine. Sparks of electricity arced and danced through this fringe, causing it to flare and settle as if it had a mind of its own. From their field of steel blue scales, eyes of a sharp golden yellow fixed themselves upon her; pitch black pupils narrowed to slits as the enormous beast descended, stopping directly above the building where the female stood. Her voice came out as a mere squeak at the sight, her own eyes wide. "This might be bad..."
 
Haruka blushed lightly, as she spotted hints of the patterned underwear Kaori wore under her now swiss cheesed and ruined clothes. Her own outfit wasn't doing much better though, hints of the white cotton panties she wore under her pants peeking through at the back. She sighs and looks out into the streets from under the overhang, wondering just what was happening. "Well, we have to get somewhere safe inside.. We might just have to make a mad dash for your place and hope no one is around to see us like this..." She looks to Kaori as the girl says she's going to find out what's going on and rushes off. "Kaori wait!" She frowns, not knowing what was going on.. but it could be dangerous and she damned well wasn't going to let her best friend rush out into it by herself. Haruka takes a breath and rushes out after Kaori, trying to find her. "Kaori! Where did you go?!"

Haruka runs about, looking all over for her friend, but seeing no sign of her now. "Damnit Kaori.. you better be okay." She continues running around again, pushing through the rain, all the while her clothing slowly disintegrating as more and more holes appear and grow wider all over. Both of her shoes were nearly gone, her toes poking out as her socks were also dissolving away in the rain and shallow puddles. Soon enough, there wasn't enough left of her shoes to do much good, or hold them on, so she kicks them off and goes barefoot as her socks melt away. She stops to catch her breath, wondering where on earth Kaori could have gone...

It was in this moment of resting, finding another building overhang to take shelter under, that she noticed a bright blue light shooting into the sky. She rushes back out into the rain, running toward the light to find out what was going on. She hopes maybe to find the cause of all this there, and maybe find Kaori as well, hoping she would have also gone toward the light. She stops and watches as she sees that oddly dressed girl again, the same one from the lake, watching curiously as the rain continued to pour around her. "Could... could that girl be the cause of all this? That thing in the lake... now this strange rain...?"

She glances down, noticing she was feeling more and more raindrops against bare skin.. Her shirt was pretty much obliterated now, nothing more than a few strands of white fabric clinging to her body around the rounded separations that bared far too much skin.. both of her small breasts were exposed now, nipples perked in the cool, moist air. Her pants were little more than tattered shorts now, her chest being about the only thing saving the front of them, and some of her shirt over her belly... The back of her pants were wide open now, just a thin strand holding the waist together and keeping them from falling completely.. and the back of her panties had one large hole in the back as well, and several smaller all around, pretty well showing off her naked butt.

Haruka quickly rushes under another structure, her back turned to a building as she looks at the strange girl. "Hey!" She calls out loudly to her. "What the hell is going on?!" Then she sees the creature descend suddenly and land on a building not far away. "What the hell..." She watches, waiting to see if this would be another battle like the one at the lake.. It was at that time the rain seemed to finally start getting lighter, until only a few occasional drops fell here and there.
 
The sound of a third person calling out reached the girl; she spared a moment to look in the direction it came from, only to see a hint of another human ducking out of sight. Due to the distance between them, she couldn't tell who the person was, but she replied anyway. "Please, stay under cover! I'll take care of this!" She remained on her guard, cautiously eyeing the massive creature that hovered over the roof of the building next door. Without needing to move and in complete disregard of the space between the structures, its sinuous neck uncoiled, bridging the gap until its head was roughly on eye level with hers. She swallowed hard, realizing that her height and the length of its teeth were about the same.

Then a deep rumble, like distant thunder, emanated from the being's mouth. This wasn't a growl, but normal speech; anyone in the area would likely hear what it said, simply because of the volume. "Child of man, whom are you to speak thus? You hold no sway over the likes of me." A gust of wind powerful enough to blow her hair and clothing straight back, as if trapped in a wind tunnel, rushed from its nostrils. It took a moment for her to realize it had just snorted in dismissal. "If you are wise, you will not interfere with my doings."

For a moment, she actually appeared unsure - a distinct contrast to her confident approach at the lake. Then she gathered herself and pointed at the massive creature with the wand. It looked for all the world like a child threatening an elephant with a toothpick. "If you didn't want someone to try and stop you, you shouldn't have done something to put people in danger! And I'm not going to stand back and let you get away with it!" Without wasting a moment of time more, she leaped backward, placing greater distance between the creature and herself. This gave her time to raise the wand high, where it caught the light and seemed to gather it in. Then, in a burst of rainbow colors, it shot outward as a hail of bright beams with arrow-like points. The ones that didn't strike the creature dug deep into the thick concrete of the roof; then each one flickered a few times before popping out of existence. The ones that did land...burst apart with the speed and ease of a person blowing out a candle, doing nothing at all besides releasing a torrent of pinging sounds.

There wasn't anything wrong with her attack, she realized after the initial shock. It had been performed right, it just wasn't powerful enough to harm her opponent. In the time it took for that to sink in, another blast of air nearly knocked her off her feet. She gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes nearly shut in an attempt to hold her ground through the dust and debris that wind flung into her face. As a result, she didn't see the attack hidden within the stream of wind. When it faded, she did turn, but only to sprint to a taller structure nearby. Maybe the problem was in where she was aiming, not what she was doing. Certainly something this big had a weakness somewhere!

It was while she was running that she felt it - a short, stinging pain across her skin that hurt as much as a papercut. This was followed by a sudden brush of cool, damp air across her chest. A quick glance downward revealed that the softer fabric of her shirt had been ripped open in long, horizontal slashes, leaving her jacket tattered and large holes within the garment itself. The edges were different from the damage caused by the strange rain; these were as even and smooth as if cut by sharp scissors. The only sign of the damage were thin marks across the bared skin of her chest, not even deep enough to bleed...but she had felt the impact of that wind. It would have been much worse if her clothing hadn't taken the majority of the blow.

Even as she thought this, another attack struck her in mid-stride. This one did bowl her over, sending her tumbling in the air a moment before she crashed down with a thud. "Oww..." Instead of being on top of the small structure that hid this building's rooftop entrance, she had crumpled against the wall, a wash of sharp pain informing her that the wind wasn't an ordinary force of nature. That thing was controlling it somehow, using it against her...how could she beat something that turned the air she breathed into a weapon? To her horror, she didn't have a chance to think of a good idea; she was barely starting to climb to her feet when one taloned foot slammed down on top of her.

True terror filled her thoughts - it was going to crush her flat! But a second later, she realized that wasn't what it was doing. The talons had, instead, plowed into the concrete on either side of her. The creature's claws were of such a length where it could do so and only pin her there, rather than turning her into a human-shaped crater. With the weight of it bearing down on her chest, she couldn't use her wand at all, or move for that matter. "Foolish child. It would be nothing for me to end your life if I so wished. I warned you - do not interfere, lest you pay the price..." She struggled, trapped and helpless. Even if she moved her limbs, how could she keep it from just pressing down and crushing her? She had to distract it somehow, buy herself time... "What...what are you?" she gasped out at last.

She never imagined that it would start laughing at her...

((Edited because I didn't mean to quote previous posts.))
 
Haruka watched in awe as the dragon creature swooped in and faced off against the girl from before. She heard the creature's booming words, like thunder clashing overhead. She had no idea what was really going on, but she was intent and focused on the scene before her none the less. She watches, being rather unable to do much else, as the girl is pushed back by wind gusts, seeing the tearing in her odd costume uniform. She started to guess these were attacks by the dragon creature. It dawned on her, that her earlier thought of the girl being the cause of these things was incorrect.. rather she seemed to appear when these strange creatures did and fought them, as if trying to stop them from doing what they pleased. Somewhere inside, Haruka started to take the side of the girl, wanting her to win, and hoping there would be a success this time, just like at the lake. However, that did not look to be the case, not this time.

Haruka's eyes go wide as the dragon steps down on the girl, trapping her on the roof. Haruka frowns, hands tightening into fists as she stood there, thinking there had to be something she could do. This dragon, logically, had to have been the cause of that weird acid rain. It was the reason she was going to end up walking home practically naked. But that... magic girl, or whatever she was, didn't seem able to stop this one like that siren in the lake. She was trapped and helpless in its talons now. Surely she could do more than simply stand by and watch! A few moments later, the dragon would feel a rock bounce off the side of its head, and if it looked down to the street to see where it had come from, it would see Haruka standing out in the street, in her nearly gone clothes, holding some sort of long piece of metal that looked like a small rusted pipe in her hand. "Hey! Let her go you giant freak! Go pick on someone your own size!" Was she really this bold? Or maybe just really foolish.. Either way, maybe her distraction would give that girl time to do something, and Haruka's inevitable death in the jaws of that dragon thing would mean something... Or at least, that's what was running through Haruka's mind.
 
While the girl struggled to free herself, the massive rumble of the beast's laughter faded. She had managed to shift the wand into her hand, but couldn't maneuver her arm well enough to aim; if she fired an attack at the moment, it would likely be dodged or miss entirely. If it even worked...and the more powerful an attack was, the harder it was to aim. If the creature was aware of the girl's thoughts, it did not show in the moments between the end of its mirth and the rapid downward swing of its head. When that broad snout hung mere feet away - and with its size, feet felt to her like inches - it began to speak. Each word was accompanied by a wave of hot breath with a strange scent of ozone, like the smell of wind after a storm.

"How quaint! To think that the children of man have become so unaware that one would confront one of my kind without knowledge. Your foolish courage amuses me, thus I will inform you of whom it is you face. Perhaps then you will know to avoid tampering in the matters of a storm drake." Her confusion only increased at the use of that phrase, but before any more of an explanation could come, an interruption arrived in the form of a rock. It bounced off the drake's scaly head with less impact than even the girl's magic, but it did serve to get the creature's attention. The dragon of thunder blinked; then its eyes narrowed, and the sinuous neck swiveled, turning its head toward the street.

There, another human stood; like the others that had scattered in such a panic, that one was clad in the barest of rags. Unlike them, this human had not fled the area entirely, but instead seemed to be threatening it with a fragile bit of metal. When it snorted, a cloud of heavy gray jetted from both nostrils - one that released a tiny lightning bolt into the sky as it floated off. "Hmph. You, mere mortal whelp, are in no position to call me a freak. Perhaps I shall teach both of you a lesson in humility..." The dragon's tail unwound from its lazy mid-air wave with the speed and grace of a snake preparing to strike. Its focus remained on the ground below; because of this, he did not see the way the girl's eyes widened at the sound of that second human voice. Despite being trapped, she tensed, one hand clenching hard around the wand.

"Don't you dare!" A split second from the fur-fringed and steel-scaled tail-tip reaching the figure on the ground, an explosion took place on the rooftop. Rather than fire and smoke, this blast took the form of brilliant light and a spray of sparks both golden and azure, all radiating outward from directly beneath the dragon's feet. It reared back, tail lashing upward with enough force for the wind to dislodge structures from at least five buildings as it passed by. Its roar was echoed by the crack and boom of thunder above, lightning lancing across the sky in apparent sympathy with its pain. The glow that formed the center of the explosion seemed not to harm anything in comparison.

When it flickered and died, the dragon hovered above the roof, the pale scales of its underbelly darkened as if coated with smoke. The girl had gotten to her feet, though her figure swayed dangerously for a moment. The front of her shirt was ragged and tattered, barely covering her chest at all; the layer that covered her sides seemed a bit tougher, but that only resulted in drawing more attention to the bared curves of her top. Her side was also largely exposed, revealing part of a full figure with a trim waist. It was amazing that any of her clothing remained with the damage it had taken, and any vigorous movement would probably dislodge more of it. "Leave her alone!" She visibly panted with exertion from the attack she had just unleashed, but still brought her wand about, gesturing at the dragon with a look of determination. One of her sleeves - the one above the hand that still clutched her unusual weapon - split apart and fell, leaving her arm bare to the shoulder. "I don't care what you are, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you from hurting anyone!"

It seemed that the dragon would have lashed out at her in response, but suddenly a mysterious orb of ghostly blue zipped between them. Unlike the other strange creatures, it didn't speak, but a high pitched sound seemed to follow it through the sky. After a speedy rush past the dragon, it stopped to hover inches before the creature's face. The girl watched it, her posture cautious, yet she didn't seem startled when a smaller but similar bit of energy glided over to her. After a concerned look toward the stormy creature and the girl on the street, the odd pair dashed away across the rooftops. It wasn't long before the dragon gave chase, the weird storm of acid rain remaining until the clouds slowly faded. Where it passed, the sky became overcast, though it held back from raining.
 
Haruka watched, her nearly bare chest heaving with deep breath as she tried not to give into the fear screaming at her, telling her to run away. She stands firm though, her grip on the metal pipe tightening as she moved into a more defensive stance, relying on her kendo lessons as she watches. She knew she didn't stand a chance, but she wasn't going to go down without at least trying to put up a fight. Her whole, barely clothed body tenses as she watches the tail turn and strike down in her direction. She lifts the pipe as her only defense, her eyes shutting tight as she knew this was the end for her... but it never came. Instead the tail swept back away as the dragon roared, some of the wind gust pushing Haruka back, knocking her back on her bare ass, wincing as she hit the street.

She looked up, wondering what had just happened, and saw the fading of a bright light, then saw the dragon hovering above the buildings, and saw the burned looking spot on its belly. She wondered if it had worked, if somehow she'd given that girl enough time to retaliate... and she didn't even have to die to do it! She quickly pushes up to her feet, brushing off her backside, which now after landing on the wet street, had no sign of her panties left over it through the gaping hole in the back of her pants... The waist of the panties, and pants were the only things still holding them on at this point. She blushes lightly as it becomes very obvious just how exposed her butt was as her hand ran over it to brush away dirt and water. She looks down at herself, seeing that her shirt was even less now.. just a few strands.. more like threads, wrapped around her torso.. both nipples perky and hard from the chilled, moist air.

She looked up again, her attention quickly stolen by the new flashes of light hovering between the girl and the dragon. She watched as they flew off then, and amazingly the dragon chose to chase after them rather than continue its attack on herself or the costumed girl. "What the hell... is going on today... This can't be real..." She looks up to watch for the costumed girl.. deciding she really needed some answers. If she saw the girl running off like before... she would chase as hard and fast as her bare feet would allow her to. This time she wouldn't stop or give up if she lost sight.. no she would find this girl and get some answers out of her one way or another.
 
The lights had served as a distraction...but only long enough to give the girl a few second's worth of a head start. What many would mistake for the growl of thunder was the angered voice of the creature upon realizing what had taken place. "What was that?" the girl gasped out as she leaped from a rooftop. Bits of cloth fluttered to the ground in her wake, the torn edges of her skirt's ruffles breaking free. She staggered slightly on hitting the ground below, shoes clicking loudly on that landing, but she regained her balance and started forward again.

Beside her floated an odd ball of light that shone white with hints of flickering blue across it. Strangely enough, the voice that answered her seemed to come from it, ringing out in a feminine yet somewhat high-pitched tone. "An illusion, but only temporary. It was the only way to make certain that you would escape the storm drake." Unlike the girl, it didn't seem that the light-thing needed to breathe, so it continued speaking. "A creature such as that is far beyond your abilities at this time. We may need to keep a...what do you call it? A low profile, until it ceases its seeking."

"Wh-what? But I can't just..." She paused, twin ponytails flying behind her in her forward dash; she sprinted down the street from one shadow to the next, then clambered up a fire escape. "...let it do what it wants." Finished with both her climb and her statement, she ran at top speed across a rooftop, then jumped to another. There she stopped, hidden under an overhang. The air rumbled with barely contained thunder as the drake passed by overhead; if it noticed her position, it didn't seem so. "You said so yourself, Mystica." The girl's voice was nothing more than a whisper as she stared at the orb - or whatever the source of that voice was. "If I don't want my world to be swallowed by chaos, I have to stop these things! We can't just give up."

The blue-white object shone even less than a nightlight in their hidden spot. "I am in agreement. However, we can do no good for your people or mine if you are defeated. Dragonkin are ancient and wise, with powers far greater than that of any lone human. I will not have you make an enemy of one...not unless there is no other way. We will have to allow its behavior for the time being, lest our efforts come to naught." They fell silent for a long moment, only for the second speaker to break it. "There should be time now."

"Got it." The girl slipped out into the open, much of her body exposed under the illumination of electric lights; her movements only weakened the clothing she wore, and much of her costume hung off her shoulders or drooped off one side. The only area completely covered was her torso, where there were multiple layers, or where the jacket remained in mostly one piece. Still, it only reached below her chest and to the top of her hips, serving as little protection. Ignoring this, she sprang down into an alley.

Anyone passing by would likely see a strange glimmer of light from the other end. If such a passer-by stopped to look, they would see something very odd: the remaining clothing on the girl would flare into shapes of deep blue light. It didn't seem to radiate upon her form, however, leaving it exposed entirely as she stretched both arms high above. Balanced on one foot, she spun; once, and the jacket was gone. Twice, and the shirt and waistband broke apart in a similar rain of music notes and gold sparkles. A third, and the rest was gone as well, the shapes and lights twirling about her in loose rings before tumbling to the ground beneath her feet.

It was then that the girl's body itself shone, a glow that crept inwards until it encircled her from head to toe. This shifted in a matter of seconds, becoming a different arrangement - a different figure, somehow. In the wake of the odd light show, all that remained was a gentle wavering glow, like a distant torch. Several minutes passed, but even though the ball of light quickly flew off, there was no sign of anyone else emerging. The world had become peaceful and quiet once again, only the rolling wave of dark clouds headed west signaling the strange happenings that had just ended.
 
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