"Out of all the possible articles of clothing we had to wear, it had to be these?" Gamagoori groaned, staring down at his Nudist Beach uniform.
"I don't care about what you have to say. I look great in this." Everyone turned to the changeroom, to see Hoshi dressed up in her uniform.
She has suspenders that go over her breasts. Over her breasts and attached to the suspenders are gun holsters. Barely covering her crotch is a belt with pouches on it. The belt holds her sword. Black knee socks cover her legs, and gray combat boots cover her feet. The most prized article of clothing, her scarf, is still wrapped around her neck.
Everyone noticed the scratch marks on her arms, her leg and the bite mark on her left arm. They were old scars, and strange looking. They had some sort of meaning.
That was the first thing Inumuta noticed when she took off her maid's outfit. All the scars on her body. Even her snakebite piercings are old scars.
"That's the only reason you like it? Because you look good in the uniform?" Sanageyama asked the girl. Unlike the rest of the Elite Four, he still has his Goku uniform.
"Well yeah. I can kick ass and look down right hot, at the same time. It's a win-win situation." Hoshi replied, pulling at the suspenders. they snapped onto her skin, and she rubbed her chest. "Ow. that kinda hurt."
"You're such an idiot. Of course it would hurt. You're snapping suspenders onto your bare skin." Inumuta failed to hide the smug smile on his face.
"What's with that chest action you got going on?" Hoshi asked, as she walked towards the teal haired boy. "This shit is so weird. You're chest is bare, but your arms are covered. Nudist Beach is weird."
"Didn't you say you liked their uniforms?" Nonon asked, tilting her head at the strange girl.
"I said I like my uniform. All of you guys have weird ones." Hoshi replied, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed the hand and flipped the person over her shoulder.
"That was really harsh, Hoshi-kun." Aikuro muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Anyways, we have another evacuation ready. I assume you've all been told where you're going?"
Everyone nodded their heads.
"Good. I hope to see you all later." Aikuro gave everyone a smile, but it soon faded as he turned to go to Ryuko's room.
"Why aren't you staying with your cousin?" Gamagoori asked the girl with the half shaved head.
"Which one?" Hoshi hissed, as she thought about Satsuki. She cried out in frustration, and slammed her hand against the wall. "I almost killed my cousin. I'm supposed to protect my family, god damn it."
"Would you make Ragyo an exception?" Inumuta asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.
"I think I will." Hoshi smirked, as she strutted out to the helicopters. She would only be bringing pilots. She'd protect those evacuating herself.
"You two have been getting a bit cozy with each other, as I've noticed." Sanageyama smirked at the teal haired boy, still typing at his computer.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Inumuta replied.
"I'm blind. I can feel the romance between you two. You act like it's not blatantly obvious, but even the blind guy can see it." Sanageyama chuckled.
"It's must be such a disappointment for her that she can't use Spirits to their full potential." Jakuzure sighed, watching Hoshi's group take off on the screen.
"Spirits can destroy Life Fibers, but she can't use it on the Cover or she might kill the person inside, so she can only use her blade to free them." Gamagoori added.
"Do you think she'd have her Spirits kill Ragyo? The woman is fused with Life Fibers, after all." Sanageyama pointed out.
"She'd never make a Spirit kill a human." Inumuta sighed, recalling his second meeting with the magical girl.
"That bitch is not human." Sanageyama grumbled.
"She may be fused with Life Fibers, but she is not entirely made of them, therefor she is still human, and Spirits do not kill humans." Inumuta stated, matter-of-fact. "It's against the laws of the Spirits."
"Don't tell me the blossoming relationship between you two is just so you can get data." Jakuzure sighed.
"Shouldn't you all be going somewhere?" Inumuta asked, turning to face the computer screen in front of him.
"Whatever. Let's go, Gamagoori. The Northern Kanto gang needs me." Sanageyama said, and the muscular man followed him to the helipads.
"Don't make a mistake you'll regret, Inumuta." Jakuzure said, before leaving.
"I don't think I'll ever regret Hoshi." Inumuta said, once he was all alone.
***
"Let's go!" Hoshi shouted, as people ran over the hills and to the helicopters. "Don't look back!"
She watched as hundreds of people climbed onto the helicopters. She pulled out her blade and sliced at the Life Fiber that reached out for her. She bared her teeth as something pulled at her hair.
Hoshi used her blade to cut off the bond that had wrapped around her hair. She whipped around, and saw thousands of Covers in front of her face.
"You touched my hair." She mumbled, violet eyes beginning to glow, red tinting them.
The fiber came back to life and reached for her hand. Hoshi wrapped her fingers around the fiber delicately. Then, she pulled, causing the Cover to come hurtling towards her. She used her sword to slice the Cover in half.
"Shitty piece of clothing." She hissed, as more fibers reached out to her.
"All of the people are evacuated. Return to the helicopters." Inumuta's voice rang in her ear piece.
"I have to give them more time, though." Hoshi said, as she slowly backed up, slicing at the fibers that slithered towards her. "These stupid bastards are getting a little too close for comfort."
"Well hurry up and get our of there, or you're going to become an energy source for a Cover." Inumuta growled.
"They won't take me that easily. Ragyo and Nui can kiss my Nudist Beach-uniformed ass." Hoshi smirked as she hopped into the back of a helicopter, and they began to fly off at incredible speeds, leaving behind the Covers.
"Will you save us, Hanbun-san?" Hoshi turned her head and saw a little boy, sitting beside where she was standing.
"Shin-bo! That's not a nice thing to call someone." His, what Hoshi assumed is his mother, scolded. "Sorry, for my son's behavior."
"Ah, it's fine. My niece used to be like that." Hoshi smiled at the woman.
"You look like you're in High School. How can you be an aunt?" The woman asked
"It's my cousin's daughter. I had met them a few years ago. He was a good man with an amazing daughter, and she always called people by their appearance. She was very blunt as well, much like her father." Hoshi smiled, thinking about her niece.
"Do you know if they made it to safety?" The woman was getting very curious.
"They died a long time before all of this happened. It was a car crash, and things just went wrong. A father died, and so did his daughter. They were both so young." Hoshi sighed. "But the past is in the past, and I must move on."
"That is very brave of you." The woman smiled sympathetically.
"Thank you." Hoshi said, bowing.
Hoshi walked away from the woman, and to the open door of the flying vehicle heading for the underground base. She gripped tightly onto a handle, and sheathed her sword. The Covers faded into small white dots, before disappearing completely.
When Hoshi finally arrived at the base, the people started to file out of the helicopters and headed for the living quarters, along with the people from Northern Kanto.
"You guys had it rough too, huh?" Jakuzure asked, watching all the new people walk in the direction of the living quarters.
"You look like it was relatively easy for you." Gamagoori said to Hoshi, who was keeping a watchful eye on the newcomers.
"Clothes are no different from humans. Both are selfish, both crave power. If you can get them to focus on the strongest thing, you attract all their attention." Hoshi replied, as she ran a hand through her hair, some strands falling out.
"Or maybe it's because they touched your hair." Jakuzure commented, watching the red strands of hair fall to the ground.
"That too." Hoshi smiled, as she started walking for the medical hall. "I'm going to check on Ryuko-kun."
"Anyways, I found this rascal living in the sewers with a bunch of kids." Jakuzure said, pointing at the boy to her left.
"I have a name you know! It's Mataro." The Mankanshoku boy whined.
"And my name is Nonon Jakuzure, but you can call me Nonon-sama, Slacker Junior." Nonon smiled smugly, pointing at herself with her thumb.
"Refer to others by their name before asking them to call you by yours, Jakuzure." Gamagoori scolded.
"I'm oh so sorry, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee." Nonon apologized sarcastically.
Back in the Mankanshoku Back Alley Medic Room, leaning against the doorway, is a stoic cousin. Hoshi was not used to seeing Ryuko so immobile, so helpless. All she did was stare, and ignored the words around her.
Hoshi ignored the words traded between Mr Mankanshoku and Aikuro. She ignored Mrs Mankanshoku and Senketsu. Hoshi ignored the giant that came into the room with Mataro. Her eyes are fixed upon her cousin's lifeless form.
Then the alarm rang, and that snapped the girl out of her trance. She unsheathed her sword and ran outside of the base, her eyes followed the endless rows of Covers. They were waiting for something, and so is she.
"Who strikes first? Clothes or human?" Inumuta asked himself, as he watched the girl get into a defensive fighting stance.
The girl took a step forward, before she swung her sword, causing several Covers to split apart and release the humans contained. Hoshi spun the blade, slicing the fibers that reached out to her. Hoshi froze when she felt a presence behind her.
"We're the mightiest five!" Sanageyama shouted, referring to Tsumugu, Aikuro, Jakuzure, Gamagoori and himself.
Hoshi deadpanned, and face palmed as she turned to face the Covers that had stopped attacking her. Hoshi let out a loud sigh at the blind boy's ridiculousness.
"Seriously? That's what we're calling ourselves?" Jakuzure asked, looking at the four boys around her.
"You just have to deal with it." Gamagoori stated, holding his weapon to his body. Oh he was just itching to use the weapon to kill these suit bastards.
"Fine. I guess I'll try my best." Jakuzure sighed, pulling out her blade.
Guts, came running out of the base. He ran to a rather muscular Cover and began to bark at it. Or in the dog's case, "guts" at the clothing.
"Could it be?" Gamagoori asked, preparing his weapon, as hope began to swell in his heart.
He charged at the Cover and pointed the Emergency Rescue Suction Device at it. He flicked the switch, and the weapon whirred to life, as it began to process. In seconds, a body shot out of the weapon and Gamagoori turned around to see her.
Hoshi ran and caught the girl in her arms. Mako's wide brown eyes shot open, and Hoshi set her on her feet, before hugging the bare figure before her.
"You worried me for a second." Hoshi breathed into the girl's ear.
"Did you save me, Hoshi-chan?" Mako asked.
"No, I didn't." Hoshi gave the girl a knowing smile. "I believe it was Gamagoori."
"Eh? Gamagoori, you saved me?" Mako exclaimed, turning around to face the giant man.
"I made a promise to your brother." Gamagoori stated, as he stripped off a piece of his Nudist Beach guerrilla uniform, and handing it to her. "Here, wear this."
"Eh? I'm naked!" Mako exclaimed, before she grabbed the article of clothing from Gamagoori and attempted to put it on.
"If you're done flirting, I believe there are more people we need to save." Jakuzure smirked.
"I AM NOT FLIRTING!" Gamagoori shouted, but his blush said otherwise.
A sudden screech surrounded the seven people, and they looked at the Covers. Some of them had transformed into harps, and they emitted an awful sound.
"B-bastards." Hoshi huffed, squeezing her eyes shut.
"What are they doing?" Sanageyama shouted.
"Is this the Cover Orchestra?" Aikuro asked.
"Are they calling me out?" Jakuzure's question seemed directed to herself more than to the others.
A sudden explosion caught everyone's attention. A furious Ryuko stormed out of the base, only covered by a blanket.
"Shut the hell up, bastards." Ryuko growled, before using her blade to slice all the Covers, causing the humans inside to fall out.
"Ryuko!" Senketsu exclaimed.
"Get away from me." Ryuko hissed. "I'll never put you on again."
"W-what?" Senketsu stuttered.
"Looking at you pisses me off. It reminds me that we're both the same kind of monster. That's right, I'm not human. I'm a Life Fiber monster!" Ryuko shouted, making everyone freeze in total shock.
"Ryuko..." Hoshi trailed off.
"No, Hoshi. Get away from me too."
That caused her cousin's eyes to widen. Not once, had Ryuko rejected Hoshi's comfort since they had met. Everytime Hoshi visited her during school, Ryuko was always a little bit happier. A little bit calmer, a little bit more peaceful.
She was now rejecting the person who could calm her down. The cousin who cared so much for her. Staring at her made Ryuko hate herself more.
Her cousin was so perfect. She is too perfect. A human with magical powers. Not a monster like her. Hoshi is an amazing girl who had great parents. Ryuko has a crazed mother, an older sister with no shame, a dead father who had made the Kamui she used to wear. Why did Hoshi have to be so much better than her? Why?