The Blitz [OPEN]

[High's .Valentine.]

She was utterly confused.

Utterly, utterly confused. She was in an alternate universe. There's no other explanation for this. This had already happened for her. Though she had never been so close to the battle...

In the distance, something loud and obnoxious made the ground tremble. Her ear drums popped. Stumbling, the young woman looked around in fright. Around her were humanoid figures, shrill and frenzied. Who the hell told them to get out of their bunkers. Don't they know that there are eyes in the skies? Dark shapes zipped overhead. The young woman ducked out of instinct.

Everyone spoke English. Nanako understood very little. But they pointed at the skies, and she peeked up. She couldn't see the planes against the night sky. But she spotted the outline of a giant clock. The Blitz.

No, no, no! She was Japanese! Her people were Germany's allies! What was she doing here?!

boom

Boom

BOOM

Nanako ran with the people. Where the HELL is her damn useless summon?!

"SHIZORE?!" Rubble pounded into her and everything was dark.

[/blockquote]

[Rocket!]

Engram coughed.

Bombs. Lovely things. Assuming you're the one shooting them, at least.

Engram coughed.

Dust also made for an interesting predicament. Though only a side-effect, he assumed, it was doing a wonderful job of blinding masses of people and giving him quite the--

Engram coughed.

Slamming his feet into the ground, Lieutenant Colonel Brice Engram surged forward and away from the building's shadow. No sooner was he out of the the building was he in the crowd, running with the masses of people fleeing the pealing whistles of the destruction that came from above.

Shoving more than a few people away as they rushed into the man himself, ("Damn tourists,") the colonel found himself lost very quickly.

Engram coughed.

He nearly tripped, the cough was so coarse against his throat.

Damn.

"SHIZORE!"

Double damn. Someone not focusing on where they're putting their feet. Someone in a trench coat of all things.

Obviously, sensibility isn't their strong suit. One grit of his teeth later, Brice found himself forcing himself through the crowd sideways in an attempt to--

Engram coughed.

Rubble fell.

Fortuitous for the colonel, really. Not a scratch, and he couldn't have been more than twenty feet from it.

But the woman was buried.

Triple d--

Engram coughed.

Engram swore.

Not one to waste time, the man found himself bringing out Awe, his broadsword, and charging across the still shifting rubble.

Night and the unfriendly aircraft would be his biggest enemies now-- the people wouldn't risk such a large and unsettling pile of rocks just yet-- but time before all. Not many people could endure this kind of physical trauma for long.

...

Well, looking around blindly, Engram decided poking around aimlessly would be rather pointless. Clicking his heels against a more solid chunk, the man called out, "Okay, who's not dead?"

[High's .Valentine.]

Why is it so hot...?

Nana couldn't fathom the thought of opening her eyes. They seemed to be swollen shut. Nor could she really move her limbs. She coughed out air but couldn't seem to gain it back. As if that's not enough, the lack of oxygen caused her to cough even more. Her lungs were filled with acid and fire.

She didn't want to die here, in enemy territory. Especially when she had yet to leave any trace of legacy behind for her non-existent descendants. Ah, but her brain refused to stay in one place for her to think calmly. If she had been any weaker and pitiable, she would have cried, not that she would have the breath for it in the first place, that is. Nana was angry though. Angry at being struck by her own allies. Angry at herself for panicking. Angry at him. Whatever happened to eternal loyalty? Had she given up her beautiful right hand for this?! Rubble and suffocation and death? She was going to strangle him. Oh wait, he doesn't die.

Whoever knew anyone would have this much energy to fume when they're buried under a ton of rubble.

Wait...if it was a ton, why was she still alive?

The right hand, the hand that did not belong to her, all knobby and dark and slender twitched, as if sensing her sudden revelation. This almost forced her to move. Even after it had been attached to her, it had never moved on its own accord before. And this was no normal subtle twitch. The fingers moved. There was no breath to scream bloody murder.

Thankfully, Nanako had only been buried under a few feet of stone and brick. Enough for her foreign hand to attempt to claw its way out.

Above, in plain view of the soldier, the rubble shifted.

[/blockquote]

[Rocket!]

...oh.

He was on her.

...

That would do it.

Scrambling over, Engram grasped he young woman's hand as he lowered his head to peer into the rubble. Reassurance is everyth--

...

The colonel only just stopped short of cursing. Best not to get into the habit of swearing.

"Alright, listen closely." he said, hurrying as best he could while still maintaining an air of authority. "I'm going to tr-- to lift the rubble on top of you. Soon as you can, get moving."

...

Tersely, he didn't bother with asking if she got it. Grasping the ledge as best he could, the colonel started to move...

[High's .Valentine.]

She didn't understand a single word of that. Not that she can do anything but grunt vulgarly in reply. Nanako still felt like strangling someone. And the load seemed to lighten slightly as the Colonel stood aside. Goddamnit, he was standing on top of her. Not that she had enough air in her brain to conceive that thought coherently. It all was a jumble of fury.

Light. Nowhere heavenly, but enough to prompt Nana to open her eyes to a very blurry mess. The other man worked quick and soon, she could move her limbs and was gulping air like a hungry wolf. Another minute and soon, she was crawling out from under the debris, struggling to get as far as possible.

Her glasses were long gone, probably just scraps of metal and shattered glass. The cape was tattered and ripped, and her clothes dirtied.Her hair in disarray, she squinted around, looking for her precious martial hat. Immediately spotting it, the young woman tugged it out of the pile and slapped it back on her head, wiping the disgusting gunk of blood and dirt from her forehead and cheeks.

She should be crying. Really, right now, Nanako should be bawling her eyes out. She was in enemy territory, she was in great pain, especially around her left knee and abdomen, and Shizore had abandoned her. It would be healthy for her to scream and sob.

All Nana could do was breathe. In and out, in and out over and over. As long as she keep concentrating on regulating her breath, the overwhelming tickling in her chest would go away. Whoever said Nana was a healthy woman. The girl glanced at the hand that had 'saved' her. A few of the fingernails had been chipped off, but she knew they'd grow back soon. Already, with much disgust, Nana could see that the forefinger nail was starting to grow back...

Savior or not, she shoved the hand out of sight. It was still disgusting. Nanako glanced at the other who had helped her out of the rubble with a dangerous squint.

"Who's side are you on?"

Of course, it should be all just gibberish to the colonel.

[/blockquote]

[Rocket!]

The colonel coughed. Again.

"I'll pretend I understand you tomorrow." he muttered, still gasping for breath from the effort. Jerking his head pointedly at the flow of the crowd, the man sputtered, "Let's get a move on."

Holding his hand out again to whom he hoped would wait before reassuming the role of aggressor, Engram looked plainly at the young woman who was probably foreign. It was a face that said, "Look, I'd like to live today. You coming or what?"

[High's .Valentine.]

Yes. It was all just damn gibberish. Nevertheless, as the Colonel began to move, Nana pushed herself up, wobbly and unstable. Ow, ow, ow...she gritted her teeth. Nanako hated men. Good for nothing worthless pigs.

Step. Fall. Her knee exploded in blistering pain.

"I can't," she grumbled. Not loud enough for the guy to hear. "I can't move!" she shouted after him. "Get back here! You have to at least finish the job, you British bastard!" Yes, at least shoot her in the head so she may have some dignity left. Goddamn it all.

[/blockquote]

[Rocket!]

Engram was sure Roesch wouldn't have this problem. Fan of books and many languages, the man would easily have been able to keep up with whatever the injured woman here was saying.

Gritting his teeth, Engram turned and walked back to the young-- and decidedly loud-- woman.

Injured.. what--

Ah. Leg, maybe a knee. No way she was going to make it through the crowd in one piece.

Muttering yet another curse, the man knew what had to be done. Walking towards the stumbling trenchcoat-wearer, the colonel could only turn and face his backside to her.

After a hesitant moment, he signaled her to hop on.

[ Piggyback ride time! ]

[High's .Valentine.]

What? He dare turn his back to her? She'll shoot him from the back. Oh. Wait.

Nana blinked and looked around. There was light thanks to the flickering fires of exploded kitchen stove and very few people were left running around. Still no Shizore. It was strange, he had always followed her around, an extra shadow. And just as she had grown semi-use to it, he disappears, gone like a distrusting crow. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up and stiffly wrapped her arms around the elder man's neck, inwardly hissing distastefully all the while. Why was he helping her? But she really didn't feel like asking. Was she paranoid? Hell yes. But she wasn't much for the idea of sitting around and getting caught and interrogated later.

So up she went...

"Where are you taking me?"

Even with the complete lack of communication, the colonel would have been able to hear that she wasn't the most grateful person he had ever saved...

[/blockquote]

[Rocket!]

The girl was definitely a hostile. Between her death grip on his throat, yelling, and his coughing, Engram was as good as gone.

Too bad leaving her wasn't an option, he mumbled to himself as a joke.

Brice decided to ignore her-- no point in talking when it wouldn't be understood-- and focus on the problem at hand.

The bombing.

They needed to find a bunker.

There wouldn't be any this far into town like this-- only outright homes would have enough ground for a bunker.

And basements weren't an option. The fun thing about living on an island country, Engram silently cursed.

...

Something he resolved to avoid doing.

So, he needed to get them out of the city and into the less populated part of town...

Too bad he had no idea where that was.

So, the crowd it is.

Grasping the underside of Nanako's knees, Engram charged back into the throng of people.

And then he coughed.

Nice weather, at least.

[High's .Valentine.]

It wasn't as if she wanted to cling to him so tight. He can go ahead and stop flattering himself. He wasn't as tall as Shizore, thankfully so she didn't have that far to fall if he decided to dump her on the spot. But he had to go and cling to her knee. The minute he touched the sore spot, she gave a grim hiss and clung to the man with an iron grip. There weren't even that much shoulder space to hold on to so she had to be intimate [hahaha] and wrap her arms around his neck and suck up the pain. His fault for being deformed. And what was up with the armor? This is the 20th century. Who the hell still wears metal plates on their torsos?

At least there's no incentive to bury her face in his shoulder as another wave of pain hit her limb. After that, Nana couldn't really feel anything below the knee.

Really though...she was getting a bit worried.

"Where's Shizore...?" she mumbled weakly [purely disgusted on the inside of course]. The only person here who understood her momentary weakness is herself, fortunately. Her summon's disappearance was unsettling though.

So entranced in wondering where the Tengu ran off to, she did not notice the sudden gun shots, which had harmonized so nicely to the whistle of more bombs in the distance. That is, until the two English citizens in front of them collapsed in the muddy puddle.

The two had neared the edge of the city, and the streets had flooded over from broken water pipes. From the shadows of a demolished wall, three figures in trench coats and hats stepped out, pistols in hand. Two pointed their guns at the LTC and the woman on his back. The other shot down another English before joining his partners.

They spoke German.

[Deviating from history...XD]

[/blockquote]

[Rocket!]

German forces on the ground-- well, if that didn't make--

Gunfire.

The Germans.

Da... dang it. Turning around now would make them cannon fodder. Engram should know-- he'd pulled tactics like that on on people smarter than these kind folks.

Immediately far more tense, the man in less-than-rustic armor shifted his left arm down, reaching for his broadsword. It was no small weapon, and made of a durable metal.

But he hardly wanted to drop the ungrateful girl on his back onto the sword. That wouldn't be pretty.

Oh, for the love of-- can't reach it!

Still charging forward, but using the fast back pedaling crowd to their advantage, the gruff man turned and looked sideways at Nanako, looking pointedly at his sword.

If she could just get it up and over his shoulders, it could work a a first line of defense for the both of them...

[Akito]

A blood splatter. Heads fell like toys onto the ground. The bodies of the three German soldiers fell limp and lifeless onto the rubble, as if it had always intended for them to be that way. What passed by was a breeze that had taken their heads so cleanly and painlessly, their bodies had collapsed in the exact pose they had when they were alive and guns ready.

Five minutes. He could not leave her alone for five minutes. It wasn't totally unexpected, she had felt a sudden craving for something they called a hamburger and demanded it be brought to her. He obliged. Then the sudden raid and outbreak of explosives and gunfire; Shizore lost her in the chaos. He had searched desperately.

Now he stood before them, easily mistaken for an angel. Well, at least that is how many of the people he had passed so far considered him as. Unlike his Mistress, Shizore was literate in many languages; most he had learnt just by listening to the different people who conversed unaware of his nearby prison. Coincidentally, this 'English' and 'German' were among them.

This winged swords whom many had dubbed an 'angel of death' turned his gaze to the man carrying his Mistress and, without even so much as a breath between, he threw himself at the two of them with ridiculous speed; intent on cutting up the man who dared laid hands on his precious Mistress with a flawless swing of his blade!

[High's .Valentine.]

[Hah, I knew you were going to pop up. And hehe...hamburgers in England? Wot?]

She wasn't an idiot. Nana glared at the colonel before reaching for the sword at his waist. Guns vs. Sword? Well, at least she had a shield of metal and flesh. And the Armory. There's enough bullets in there to take out the entire country of England. Just as Nanako was about to tug on the hilt of the sword, her right hand twitched. And a whoosh.

The young woman wiped droplets of blood off of her cheek, grim but stable as the three German soldiers dropped to the ground. It was not an unusual scene for someone who travels with the 'Last Breath'.

"You missed the action," Nana hissed bitterly and squinted at her travel companion. Without her glasses, he was just a fuzzy [taaaaaall] shape to her. Before she could finish though, he was charging towards her, sword at the ready. Nana's heart skipped a beat and her grip on the colonel tightened.

"Stop!" Out of instinct, she reached underneath the cloak, left hand reaching for one of the three weapons strapped around her waist. With rapid speed for someone scared out of her mind, Nana pulled out Nobunaga and pointed it at the charging summon. "I said STOP."

[/blockquote]

[Akito]

It wasn't that Shizore didn't believe she would shoot, rather, he didn't mind if she wanted to shoot him. Such was her right as his Master. However, somehow, this didn't apply to who he should and should not attack; afterall, he was only doing it to protect her.

Still. He did not want to dirty her clothes with blood; so he stopped his blade before the man's throat, watching calmly as the man fainted from the near death encounter, crumpling onto the ground with Nanako on his back. Before she fell with Engram however, Shizore pulled her by her collar almost violently to him. He threw his precious sword to the ground and with both arms, he embraced her in a fierce hug. Mindful though he was of his strength.

Shizore buried his head against her shoulder and quiet sobbing moistened her clothes (contradictory to his want to keep her clothes clean). "I-I was so afraid, my lady,"