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"I will now begin the combat brief for tonight." Yuna stands from her seat and steps out in front of a wall, a map of the city beaming from a projector onto both the wall and herself.
“Here," she points at three spots on the projected image, "are the bridges that the enemy must cross to get to our territory. These are the obvious choke points that we can expect to fight them at." The crowd is mostly stone-faced, but a few nod in understanding. "The enemy surely knows this as well. Therefore, we must either face them on even footing on these bridges, concede the bridges to fight a defensive battle on our territory, or else subvert their plans, strike fast, and gain an upper hand before they understand what has happened to them."
The crowd murmurs. Yuna raises a hand, and it falls silent. The Tiger’s forces respect her such that one gesture holds power. "Of course, we will be relying on subterfuge for our approach. Our spy suggests that the enemy plans to mount their attack on all three bridges simultaneously- with their largest force in the center. This is to be expected. Without intelligence, this is the most tactically sound approach. They will be expecting us to respond in kind; but of course, this is our deceit."
She smiles slightly, a rarity at most times these days. Hikaru is only barely able to suppress the instinct to smile in return. Yuna continues, "They will attack the central bridge, expecting heavy resistance, but they will find only a skeleton crew. Meanwhile, the majority of our forces will be flanking their wings, shattering their defenses, and then encircling their main unit to crash like the tide from behind them."
Hikaru raises her hand, asking the leading question she knows her beloved leader is waiting for. "Yuna-san! How will we deceive them into continuing with their full-frontal plan, if they will be able to detect our magical signatures? Won't they adjust their attack strategy, and then we're back to attrition?"
"An excellent question, Hikaru." The praise, even delivered in Yuna's telltale monotone, causes Hikaru's inhibitions against smiling to fail immediately. Yuna continues as Hikaru's smile beams at her, "We will imbue some of our personal magic into stones and leave them on the central bridge, so that as their scouts draw near, they will have no idea of our numbers until they have visual contact. They will likely assume we merely inflated our numbers for deterrence and will press their supposed advantage. Meanwhile, our flankers will suppress their signatures until the last moment, under representing our numbers until combat begins. The flanks will obviously notice the play, but by then, it will be far too late for them." Yuna again smiles, a small, wry thing. It quickly subsides as she proceeds.
"The only problem with this approach is that our forces on the central bridge will be severely outnumbered. It will have to be some of our strongest and most reliable girls, or else we may as well allow them to march in uncontested. It will be a dangerous role, and so it will be given only to those who volunteer." Yuna's tired eyes sweep over the solemn faces before her.
A harsh quiet falls over the room for a number of seconds, before a hand shoots resolutely into the air. "I volunteer, Yuna-san!" Hikaru's voice cuts through the silence with determination.
"Are you certain, Hikaru? Your life will be in peril."
"Yes, Yuna-san! I swore my life to you long ago, and I trust your strategy!" Hikaru's conviction, sincere and absolute, rings throughout the room. A series of other girls, all fierce fighters in their own right, stand and join with a series of "I volunteer!"
Yuna smiles weakly again. "Well then, it seems we have our vanguard. Thank you, Hikaru, for leading the charge." Her face tightens as she raises a fist towards them and says, "I swear to all of you, hold the line and we will triumph! No matter the cost, the enemy cannot be allowed to take our home from us!" The newly selected vanguard raises their fists in response, and unite with their leader in a war cry. With one voice, their fates are sealed.
__________________________ Six hours later… ________________________________
A pained yelp from her right side startles Hikaru; her comrade has suffered another blow. The break in her concentration earns Hikaru a glancing slash from a curved axe blade, missing her shoulder joint by a few centimeters. She grits her teeth, suppressing a similar cry of pain. Her stubborn resistance seems to amuse the girl she has been dueling with, who stops her assault just to glare. Hikaru reckons the girl is keen to see her suffer now, since Hikaru only moments prior had dispatched the girl’s entourage. She understands. The two of them must have been new, or at least green fighters; a small part inside of her warns her that she’ll probably pity them in the days to come.
But there is no time for pity now, or any thoughts besides combat technique. Certainly no pity for the giant she was fighting, who she can only assume is a high school senior. The extra years of physical development give her an edge over Hikaru, and it’s all the younger girl can do to stave off the heavy strikes of the axe. The senior is also clearly well-studied, or perhaps well-storied, in combat. Hikaru’s own attempts to fell the Giant, precise and efficient rapier thrusts, are met with stonewall defenses. She feels, for the first time since she’d first sparred against Yuna-san, truly outmatched. She is not this girl’s equal. And this girl isn’t even the commander of the opposing army, which had met their vanguard on the central bridge in full force.
Somewhere far to her left flank, a girl is knocked to the ground and hardly has time to cry out before a small shatter of crystal replaces her voice. A fleeting flash of light likewise replaces her yellow uniform and her weapon, leaving a girl lying motionless in the street in her pajamas. Another friendly down. That leaves-
Her undue thinking nearly earns her the same fate, but the hesitation also gives an opportunity. A last-minute redirection of an overhead swing from the Giant buys her enough time to riposte. Thin rapier blade meets the Giant’s dominant shoulder, and she howls in pain. Weakened, she moves to raise her axe, but fails to do so before the sharp tip of Hikaru’s rapier scores her torso. She doubles over in pain, and barely has time to say “Wait-” before Hikaru has already pierced the gemstone vessel of her soul. Again, a quiet shatter, and again, an ex-warrior lying on the street in plain clothes. Again, a small part inside of her cries out, and it almost causes her to cry out too, but this is not the time nor the place.
Hikaru hardly has time to regain her footing from the previous lunge before another girl strikes at her, but this one requires less effort. Another novice. She swipes the girl’s sword from her hands after a mere four swings and stabs at her Soul Gem as well. Another faint tinkle of crystal, another small flash of light. That makes… how many?
This time she has a few seconds to survey the battlefield, and tries to sum the losses of both sides. She realizes that she can not count the bodies in a mere few seconds, gives up on trying, and instead counts those still standing. Of her own- just her and three, no, now two more. Of the enemy, one-two-too many more. The girl to her left, also recently free of an engagement, meets her eye and nods at her, but fear is visible in her quivering eyes. She opens the rank slightly and steps away to cover their exposed flank.
She gives up on thinking again as her next challenger rushes at her. The two of them are roughly equally skilled in their own arts and trade blows. Hikaru’s companion to her right, a typically shy girl with a naginata, finishes off an enemy that her current opponent must have known. Hikaru realizes the connection when she exploits the girl’s momentary lack of attention. She realizes how cruel it is, but it’s already too late, and both the new challenger and her sister, or friend, or lover, lie in the street within seconds of each other.
The little voice inside Hikaru screams, and it’s too loud to think about anything at all, and Hikaru begins to cry. The tears only blur her vision as another girl runs at her with a katana, narrowly missing the charge and standing behind her now-broken battle line. Hikaru turns to face the girl, out of dueling instinct, and a desperate thrust turns into a bind as their blades meet. She only realizes then, when her sword is bound to the other to keep her alive, that she had turned the wrong direction; that it was a tactical feint, and she is now going to be killed from behind. She even hears the heavy trod of running footsteps behind her, but will perish if she tries to turn back. It won’t even be honorable… a wound to the back, Yuna-san would think she was running away, and-
The girl with the naginata, wounded once already, cries out again as a thick two-handed sword cuts her down, and can’t muster even a whimper as her Soul Gem is crushed into the pavement underfoot. The enemy commander, the Wolf, has finally decided to present on the front line. She’d taken an animal’s name- common for Futatsugi girls, to help insulate their identities from the battles they waged on their home streets- and had gone out of her way to prove that she deserved the reputation of a bloodthirsty wolf. This particular display of cruelty, however, gives Hikaru an extra few seconds to allow the katana girl to overextend her side of the sword bind, allowing Hikaru to redirect the katana and swiftly thrust her own rapier into the girl's sword hand. She drops the Japanese sword with a yelp, it disintegrates in a bright flash as it meets the pavement, and she staggers, then runs, back to her allies on Hikaru’s broken and now empty right flank.
Hikaru turns to face the Wolf, who sizes her up with a sneer. Hikaru looks to her left to gauge her last remaining ally’s situation. The girl locks eyes with her again, and having a few moments, turns and runs. Hikaru’s heart skips a beat as it sets in that she’s all alone. Her tears dry up as her heart rate increases, adrenaline flooding every blood vessel.
The Wolf laughs, and taunts- “Looks like it’s just you now, little girl! Everyone abandoned you!”
The agonized cry inside of her soul turns into nervous murmurs at the sudden realization, the sudden dilemma.
Where is Yuna-san? Where are the others? They had promised relief, but relief is not here. Everyone in the vanguard is dead. She is about to die. Her breath staggers as the ideas race through her head, the Wolf’s howling laughter ringing in her ears.
Three possibilities- there were only three. Firstly, she can kill the Wolf and all one-two-three-four-too many of them left. That is Option One. Unlikely, she thinks. Option Two: turn and run while she has a bit of an opening. She actually could get away, she thinks, she has at least two meters between her and the Wolf. Plus, with her cruel streak, the Wolf might enjoy letting her live just to let her see total defeat if- ah, that is the downside of Option Two. If Yuna-san and the others really are fighting, really hadn’t led her here just to die, then it will all have been for nothing if the Wolf and her army take the bridge. Their homes, their families, all forfeit, and they’d be hunted to the last. They’d have to flee the city or die. Which leaves Option Three.
Hikaru raises her rapier, her quivering arm matching her quivering breath and voice. “You’re not gonna take this bridge! Not while I’m still standing, Wolf!” She steadies her stance, ready to pay for her words with her actions. “And, you’re wrong about two things.”
The Wolf replies, fangs bared with glee, “Yeah? What’s that?”
Hikaru tries her best to steady her trembling voice, injecting bravery into what was once hopelessness. “Firstly, Yuna-san would not abandon me!” The Wolf begins to laugh, and her cronies follow suit in the mockery. Hikaru takes a deep breath, and tries to remain resolute that the girl she trusts more than anyone and anything else in the entire world would not forsake her. “And also… also… I am not alone!”
“How do you figure that, little Horse?” The Wolf gestures around to the defensive side of the bridge frontline, which is now populated only by Hikaru and humanoid shapes on the street that used to be her allies and enemies. “Well, I guess you’ll be right soon enough!” Another cacophony of cackles from the Wolf’s pack.
“It may just be me left, but… I’m not fighting alone! And you are not taking this bridge!”
The Wolf grows bored of tormenting her, and begins to step forward. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get this over with.” Her forces begin to close in with her, when-
“Go forth, my Army Brigade!” Suddenly, Hikaru's undefended flanks are well-covered by the advancing guard of her signature move, the ace up her sleeve. “Charge!” Small, abstract shapes bearing her cavalry cap and copies of her sword charge forth, battering the Wolf's pack. Not exactly winning, Hikaru thinks, but getting what she needs. More time. Just more time…
Hikaru begins to feel the strain on her magical reserves after just a few seconds, and her body grows heavy after ten. Twenty-five seconds of her Army Brigade's assault is all she can muster before she falls to one knee, her breath sharp. The Wolf scoffs at the perceived waste of her time and points at the kneeling Hikaru. "Neat trick, but you only succeeded in pissing me off. Now I'm gonna take my time with you."
Hikaru smirks, and sucks in another labored breath. "No, please, take all the time you need. It's probably too late for us both, anyway…"
"Yeah? I hate to tell you this, but your little plan failed. Thought you could deter us by inflating your numbers, did you? Nah, we can count, stupid!" Her followers erupt into laughter again. Hikaru smirks at the ground as she realizes that the deception truly did work.
The smirk becomes a chuckle of her own as the horde’s laughter turns into a confused assortment of screams and the clash of metal. She wasn't forsaken after all!
The Wolf suddenly finds herself standing alone, between the kneeling Horse and a bloodsoaked Tiger approaching her slowly, the kanabo in Yuna's hand already dripping crimson. "S-Stay back!" She cries out in a panic, but it's far too late for negotiations. "You…monster… no, you're a demon! Stay back-"
The Tiger pounces, and their struggle is fierce but brief. The reinforcements let out a shout of victory as they stand alone on the battlefield. Yuna, meanwhile, rushes to assist the lone survivor of her vanguard.
"Hikaru! Are you okay?" She grabs her kneeling compatriot by the shoulders and then pulls her into an embrace.
"Yuna-san…! Yuna-san!" The dam of Hikaru's war face bursts and a stream of tears flow as she feels the familiar touch and warm embrace she thought she'd never feel again. The voice inside of her soul cries with her, only increasing the flow from her eyes and making her head swim even more beyond what the embrace alone had stirred up. She says what passes through her mind without inhibition, "I thought-" her voice catches and she has to swallow a sob to continue, "I thought for a second you'd abandoned me, but-"
"Never, Hikaru." Yuna holds her tight.
Hikaru sobs again. "I know. I had to remind myself. That you'd come back." She swallows again before she continues, "I remembered, no more doing things halfway. That if I do what Yuna-san asks, in return, you’ll save me again like always, right?"
"And here I am, Hikaru. Like I promised."
"Yeah. Like you promised." Hikaru squeezes tight in the embrace, as if afraid she'd float away. Her tears continue to stain Yuna's already battle-stained Magical Girl outfit, and she gives voice to the other things she'd held back. "How much longer will we have to… keep doing this? Keep… killing people, Yuna-san?"
The question shakes Yuna, who has no words at first and only can stroke Hikaru's head in response. After thinking for a few moments, Yuna inhales a shaky breath and replies, "I don't know, Hikaru. I hate this. We should be working all together, but with the Witches all dried up, what else can we do?!"
"Why did this have to happen, Yuna-san?" Hikaru sobs and squeezes her beloved Yuna-san for comfort again, and before Yuna can think of an answer, she hears a man shout not far away.
"Is that a person? Hey, hello… oh no, I think she's really hurt! Somebody, call an ambulance! Oh my god, there's another!"
Hikaru hears it too, and snaps to sudden attention, looking wide-eyed at her leader for a plan. Yuna growls softly to her remaining army, "Scatter! None of you want to be seen near all of this."
And they scatter into the night.
Hikaru, her magic exhausted from her act of valor, is unable to move anywhere fast. Yuna sweeps her off her knees and swiftly jumps away, carrying Hikaru to safety. Hikaru clings tightly to Yuna as they move, and although her question of why this happened remains unanswered, her mind is made up: whether there is a reason or not, as long as she continues to support Yuna-san, she'll be doing the right thing. She closes her eyes as the flashing lights and pulsing whines of emergency sirens race to where she'd been, and she thanks God- no, thanks Yuna-san for her life, which she almost lost tonight.