Without two working wrists and hobbled by her pained ankle, she could only be as good as Amajiki needed her to be. She was both a help and a hindrance: Hideki targeted her more than he did Amajiki, so Amajiki had to guard her, but she was also able to use Toraichi to distract Hideki enough to keep Amajiki safe from his attacks.
The battle was slow—they coudln't win as they were, so they had to do their best to not lose and fend Hikedi off. However, when playing such losing games, Hisako knew mistakes were inevitable and painful.
It was as inevitable as she knew it'd be, but far more painful than expected.
Amajiki went in for an attack, same as usual, but maybe that was the mistake. Hideki didn't parry or block; he grabbed the blade. No blood fell from his hand—he grabbed the sides and held the blade from his skin.
He clenched like he could break the blade, and swung his hammer. Amajiki knew to let go rather than yank away.
Amajiki released the blade, and it disappeared as Between Rounds began. Amajiki waited with bated breath for his weapon, circling Hideki as he circled him. Two great Doorkeepers locked in combat.
Hisako held back, Toraichi raised, but on the defensive. She kept her feet busy, walking back and forth out of nerves rather than strategy. She kept her ears pricked for the sounds of friends or foes approaching.
The ball settled on the roulette wheel, and the glow retreated as a weapon flashed into Amajiki's hands.
Before Hisako could see what it was, Hideki moved toward her.
She couldn't move fast enough. Her ankle snapped out of position as she jerked back, and she fell back. She twisted to her side to try to catch herself, but she flipped onto her back when she realized she was about to show it to her enemy.
Hideki was a racing blur, but she swung Toraichi anyway, throwing the blade up between them.
The first thing she knew was that the hammer hit her. Twice the strength of Nanae's punch and half the impact area. It hit her just below the shoulder, and she immediately lost feeling throughout her left arm, and an icy cold split her collarbone.
She gasped, then flinched with a yelp when something wet and burning dripped down Toraichi to her weak hand. Her left hand had already fallen away and was left cold; the dichotomy felt searing.
Her vision unblurred as adrenaline shielded her from the mind-frying pain, and she saw blood on Toraichi. The end had sunk into Hideki's left shoulder.
A shoulder for a shoulder, but he wasn't as hamstrung as she was. She could tell by the manic look in his eye and the fact that his left arm was still moving—trembling and fingers twitching.
Amajiki was there next, armed with brass knuckles that sparked with electricity. He slammed against the side of Hideki, staggering him back and leaving his muscles jerking with electricity. He cried out as Toraichi ripped free and grit his teeth as the muscles jumped involuntarily on his arm.
Hisako curled onto her knees behind Amajiki and pushed herself upright, sweating and shocked even with the pain muted.
"Are you bleeding?" he asked hurriedly.
"Only on the inside," she wheezed.
"What's broken?"
She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I can't feel anything." She flexed her other arm, lifting Toraichi with her aching wrist. The blood made the leather of her gloves and the hilt stick—it was a sickly feeling. "Mmm," she groaned. "Everything feels wrong."
"You need to get to Serizawa-san. You'll feel the damage soon, and you're too hurt to help me fight."
She let Toraichi return to her door and readied herself. "Cover me, and I'll go get him."
"Good plan," he hummed. "How about I come with, and we meet them halfway?"
Hisako laughed weakly. "I hope you can distract him enough for the both of us, then."
Amajiki eyed the circling man. With them unmoving, on the defence, he stalked them freely like a wild animal.
"I think you're enough of a distraction for me," he replied quietly.
She froze, the chill spreading across her body. She was the injured lamb running from the wolf. Amajiki was perfectly fine—he could escape easily.
"Do you trust me?"
She couldn't speak. Her breath caught in her throat, and her mind locked up. She hesitated, but she did trust him.
Between Rounds activated, and then Amajiki was gone, leaving only the soft golden glow of his ability between her and Hideki.
The wolf strode forward with certainty, fangs bared in her face.
"He left you. Is that the kind of Doorkeeper you want to guide you into the future?" he hissed. "Family would never leave you. Family is eternal."
She could only snarl back. She had no teeth, but, for now, neither did he. She only had her bark. "A real family doesn't hurt each other. Your idea of family is outdated, Sasaki-san."
"The people who preach that have never known true family," he spat.
His hands reached out. The hammer traced the golden light protecting her ruined arm. His other hand traced a line across her throat.
"I made my own family," she hissed back. She stood tall on her mangled ankle. "I'd die for them. Would you?"
"Of course."
"For the smallest branch member of your family? The lowest worker, the weakest keeper?"
"The branch family serves the main family, and the main family serves the future of the clan," he replied.
She chuckled. "You're comically evil. I know, like, four of your family, and even I know most of this family thinks you're horrible."
"They can think whatever they want so long as they obey."
She laughed loudly. Between Rounds was ending—she could all but hear the slowing rattle of the ball finding its resting place. "I've always wanted to meet someone like you. Do you hear yourself speak? Do you actually believe all that hot air?"
His hand clenched around his hammer, and the other hand grabbed at her throat without touching. He got close enough for Hisako to see the veins in his eyes.
"Do you believe Nanae will be able to look at you the same after this?" she whispered.
His eyes widened, then narrowed in fury. She felt the pressure of his hand threaten Between Rounds.
Then, the golden light snapped away.
The hand closed around her throat, and she relaxed, slowing her heart as best she could. She'd only ever seen it in games and movies, but she imagined the lack of oxygen to her brain would quickly knock her out.
So she threw them upward with her ability as hard as she could.
He held on, maybe out of shock.
They went flying—tumbling and cartwheeling upward without finesse. The orchard became a smear in a few heartbeats, like skydiving in reverse. The valley looked small, like she could cover it with both hands.
The hands around her neck loosened, but it was too late. Her eyes slipped shut, and the last thing she saw, satisfyingly, was the whites of Hideki's wide eyes.
***
"Shoot," Masaru hissed.
Between Rounds ended, and he was left with a longbow. The quiver rattled against his hip as he sprinted as fast as he could, but he wasn't even able to see the gate yet.
Not fast enough, he thought. Mochizuki-san might already be dead.
He hadn't heard any more explosive attacks, but, in her condition, it would only take a little pressure applied to the right area; she couldn't fight back—not in any way that would matter against Hideki.
"Where are you?" he screamed into the orchard.
The edge was just in sight—the thinning of the trees and the main dirt road that sat on the other side of the gate. He could hear the fight, and Shouhei's battle song returned to his ears.
"Here!"
Nanae ran into view, joined by Hachi, Miyu, and Serizawa.
"We're here, Amijiki-san!" Nanae called. Her step hesitated for a moment. "Where is Hisako?"
Serizawa picked up speed, blitzing past Masaru alongside Hachi. Hachi reached for Serizawa's kunai, and the greener Doorkeeper shockingly gave it to him but held onto the infinitely unspooling chain.
Masaru didn't have the time to react.
Nanae asked again: "Amajiki-san. Where's Hisako?"
"I had to leave her back there. It was faster than sending her for you."
"She's not here!" he heard Serizawa shout.
He sounded scared.
"Neither of them are here!" Hachi howled in frustration.
The scolding Masaru expected never came. He looked at Nanae with confusion and found her staring up at the sky, eyes wide and mouth ajar.
"Amajiki-san," she breathed.
He looked up, following her gaze.
"They're falling," Miyu said. "She threw them into the sky with her ability."
Nanae grabbed her cousin by the shoulder. "You need to catch them."
"I'm not catching your—" Miyu stopped at the blanch of Nanae's face. "I… I can do my best, but I won't prioritize Sasaki-sama."
Nanae bowed her head to the branch member. "Thank you."
Miyu's hands reached up, and a bloom of hard light appeared, creating a bubble that grew and grew.
"They really are falling," Masaru murmured.
As they grew closer, it was clear that Hisako was unconscious. She was a ragdoll in the air compared to the more controlled form of Hideki.
"That's them?" Serizawa jogged back to them.
Hachi joined them a beat later. "Stinger can grab him away from the cushion."
Serizawa eyed him warily and completely handed his weapon over. "When are you going to get your own weapon?"
"Hachi can't summon his weapon," Miyu said, matter-of-factly. "I can't believe you let him hold yours. Doesn't it feel wrong?"
Serizawa shrugged, abashed. "I didn't know that was bad!"
"It's not bad," Nanae snapped. "Focus on catching them!" she barked.
Hachi began to spin Stinger overhead, and Miyu focused on expanding the bubble.
"It is odd," Masaru whispered to Serizawa, "but it's not wrong. It's just… Stinger is a part of you, and you're letting Hachi take it. That's a lot of trust."
"I trust Hachi," he said. He was quiet, but the orchard was also quiet enough for everyone to hear him.
Hachi smiled but tried to hide it, and Nanae glanced softly at Serizawa before returning her attention to Hisako.
Masaru clenched the bow uselessly as the bodies neared. His heart nearly stopped when he thought Hisako wasn't going to hit the bubble, but it was just paranoia confusing his eyes.
Hachi snapped the chain out, and Miyu adjusted her stance slightly to shift the bubble.
Hisako fell onto the bubble, which bounced and deformed to cradle her.
Hideki caught the chain of Stinger with his uninjured forearm and spun his hammer into the tangle. He twisted midair and pulled as he threw himself to land on the opposite side of the bubble to Hachi, forcing the chain across and threatening to crush Hisako.
Everyone reacted in a moment.
Masaru nocked an arrow and aimed, ready to fire the moment the bubble was out of his way. Serizawa raised his hands, eyes locked on Hisako. Hachi gave the chain more slack. Nanae could only watch.
Miyu was the one who controlled it all. She curled her hands in, and Hisako fell into the bubble, which then rapidly shrank to curl around her as a shell. She twisted her hands, and it slammed into Serizawa, absorbing him too. Then Miyu took off, taking the sphere with her. Nanae followed, cautiously looking behind them at her furious father.
Hideki yanked the chain, pulling Hachi across the field. Masaru loosed the arrow. Hideki's attention shifted, swinging his hammer to snap the arrow in two. Hachi abused the distraction and landed a hit to Hideki's already wounded shoulder.
Hideki snarled, and Hachi cackled.
"You never thought you'd see the day, did you?" Hachi shouted. "Branch against main, dog against master!"
He swung his arms, and the chains flew, engulfing the two in a hurricane. Hideki could only knock away so many parts of Stinger before another part of the chain lashed at him. Masaru kept him busy with more arrows, leaving him open to the bruising hits.
"Bruising" wasn't enough to win, though. Hachi must've thought the same, because he jumped up into the fray, parts of the chain wrapped around his knuckles to reinforce his punches.
Miyu appeared moments later, reemerging from past the melee. Her hands flew out, and light travelled along the ground to join the attacks against Hideki without disturbing the chain arena.
Hideki tanked a punch from Hachi and grabbed him by the jaw. He drove him to the ground, taking a spike of light through his shin in doing so, but successfully winding and halting Hachi's unrelenting attacks. Masaru steadied an arrow, but the attack against Hachi disturbed the flow of chains.
"Enough!" Hideki roared. "All of you are so lost. I can see where I've failed as your leader."
He swung out the hammer and sent the chains flying. The force yanked through the chain, jerking Hachi across the ground a meter or so before he could scrabble to his hands and knees.
"I'll correct you after this mess is cleaned up," he swore darkly.