OSA Reimeiki

"I guess we have to go after Emily first. Oh, and Anna too, I suppose," Diya shrugs.

"Oh come on, can't we just leave them behind? Come on, you know you want to," Catherine nudges.

"NO! We have to go after them! They have my lighter!" Maria uncharacteristically stomps her foot.

Nicole attempts to placate Maria, "Whoa there, chill a face. Take a deep breath in... and let it out..."

Maria takes a deep breath in... and promptly begins coughing and wheezing.

"Ok... bad idea," Nicole pats Maria on the back, only causing her to cough harder.

"Well, do we go after those two or not? I really don't care either way, as long as it brings us closer to these puzzle pieces. Sensei will be waiting for me back in our time," Rosita says, tapping her broken watch.

"... Sensei? Is he Japanese?" Jessica asks.

"Err no, Sensei's just a bit eccentric and demands to be called that. And because Sensei is a ninja," Rosita replies.

"A ninja, eh? He must be really flexible then," John pipes in.

"Oh, and Sensei's a female," Rosita corrects.

"Oooh. A really flexible female ninja? She must be great in b--" John gets cut off by an irate Jessica, who claps a hand over his mouth and drags him away by the ear.

The group is left staring after the two lovers, hearing John's yelps growing fainter.

________

In the meantime, Emily had chased Anna into the corner of a dark alleyway, backed up against a brick wall, two stories high.

"Ku ku ku... there's nowhere to run now, Anna. You've reached the end of your line... or should I say, alley?"

"Ok, ok, you win. I give it back."

Emily stands for a moment, confused. "Give what back?"

"This," Anna holds out her fist, inside it, clutched a hunk of Emily's hair.

"NANI?! [WHAT?!] When did you--?" Emily reaches up, feeling her scalp. Sure enough, there was a bald spot, clear as day.

"WHY YOU!!" Emily launches into a flying kick, the full force of her fury behind it.

"Eep!" Using her expert dodging skills, Anna ducks.

"Did somebody say 'duck'?" A stranger mysteriously appears on top of the wall, wearing a tuxedo and a mask. Just kidding. The stranger was wearing a strange yellow-orange superhero suit.

Just then, Emily's foot smashes into the brick wall, causing it to crumble.

"Whoa-- Ahh!" The stranger stumbles a bit on the top of the wall, and right before it crashes into the ground, she leaps into the air and starts flapping her arms. As if by magic, she manages to stay airborne and circles gently to the ground.

Momentarily forgetting their conflict, Emily and Anna turn to the stranger.

"Who the heck are you?" Emily questions.

Anna lopes up to the stranger and sniffs her. "Ooh. Beijing roasted duck. Gooood."

The stranger rips off her duck mask, looking scandalized. "I would never eat my friends, what are you talking about?!"

"She's sorry she offended you," Emily apologizes on Anna's behalf, grabbing the back of her head and forcing Anna into a bow. "But still, who are you?"

The stranger dusts of her suit, and straightens up. "I am, the great duck-summoner, Ducky T! You can call me Kyna. I came here after sensing the aura of my friend, a sorceress in training leave our realm and enter a different one. To make a long story short... I ended up here. Wearing this." She plucks at her superhero costume.

"Whoa, ...weird," Emily stares, eyes wide.

"Hey you guys," Anna whines, tugging on their sleeves, "the others are coming."

"Huh? Where?" Emily turns around.

"Just around the riverbend!" Anna sings randomly.

Emily smacks her in the head. "No, really. Where?"

Anna points.

The silhouettes of a group of about seven people were approaching from the mouth of the alley.

However, the sound of marching feet were growing closer as well.

Emily's face darkens. "... AnnnnaaaaaAAAHHHH!! BAKA! [FOOL!] That's not them!! Those are the guards from the castle!"

A guard steps forward. "Quite right, you witches and you creature. You are all under arrest by the decree of Our Highness."