Episode Two: Pant-Pant Sweat-Sweat; Finals are Scarier than the Enemy?

Darkness and Light. Two characters are being badly thrashed by the ancient Kijima Touta, while a girl runs up a flight of stairs, begging for Kairei to stop. Kairei is at an altar, preparing to end his own life and thus seal the Gate. Kijima heads for him, but the girl stalls him, and as she does so, the Gate closes...

Morning. Hasumi awakens from her dream...

And realizes she hasn't studied for her finals, which take place...

Today.

As Hasumi does some furious last-minute study, Takumi wanders by the TV (where the newscasters report catastrophic natural disasters... hmm...). Takumi and Hasumi rush for school, but miss the bus. While taking her finals, Hasumi dares to whine about the conditions (no roof, no AC, and a blazin' hot sun overhead aren't the greatest of conditions), and the students remind her that it's HER fault.

Yuuka and Hasumi exit the building together. Hasumi comments that she failed BOTH her finals, but Yuuka tells her not to worry. When Yuuka leaves, Hasumi takes out a family photo (Kasumi rubbed out, of course), and then starts thinking about how they're not really related, and how they could get married, and this, and that, and pretty soon she's talking out loud. She then notices Takumi standing next to her. Takumi, being the airhead around ladies that he is, has no idea what she's going on about. They talk about the finals, and Takumi volunteers to help her study. Hasumi, of course, is overjoyed until she discovers ...

... Chiryuu looking up her skirt...

And promptly bwhaps him away. He returns, then warns her about summer school. Hasumi, of course, had other plans in mind, all involving Takumi. She whaps Chiryuu away, and she begins to head home with Takumi, but then he remembers Aoba had called a meeting for the b-ball team. Aoba, by the way, is the team manager (I wonder why, and what exactly she does... -Y.)

Tenkuu and Chiryuu discuss the Dark World, and how the siege will probably be launched soon. Meanwhile, Aoba's launching a siege of her own on Takumi, although not quite in that sense. Takumi finds himself alone with Aoba, who didn't actually call a b-ball meeting... or if she did, it wasn't for b-ball and it sure doesn't involve the rest of the team.

Hasumi's in the bathroom studying for her final (Steve, don't get any funny ideas. -Y.)... just to show you how much she REALLY doesn't want to go to summer school, she's studying IN the shower. After she finishes her shower, she reaches up to the steamy mirror and writes "Takumi + Hasumi". Before she finishes, a well-manicured hand reaches up and changes "Hasumi" to "Kasumi". Short argument about school, Takumi, and the job of the Guardians.

Back at Gateway Campus. Before Aoba can ... er... put the moves on Takumi, a group of Remnants decide to drop in on the school. Cheerleadered by Aoi (who's doing some sort of weird fan dance on top of a truck), the Remnants get ready to rumble. Before Hasumi and Kasumi can sortie (I just like that word. -Y.), Michael Yamada pops in. Kasumi takes him on, and Hasumi goes out to save Takumi (I believe this is the part where she tells them to have some "middle-aged fun". ^_^ -Y.) on a red motorcycle.

Aoi vs. Kazuma is initated, while Kasumi vs. Michael rages on. As Takumi and Aoba run for safety, they run into Murasaki. Chiryuu enters the scene, and it turns into Murasaki vs. Chiryuu. Although Chiryuu's disappointed she's wearing pants, he's still willing to fight. Hasumi, wonderful driver that she is, manages to crash Kazuma and Aoi's battle. Kazuma launches into a "it's gettin' dark..." routine to try and get a kiss from Hasumi, but once she finds out that Takumi's safe, she drops his head (ouch) and runs off.

Kasumi and Michael are still at it. She finally ends the battle with Super Ethnic Champion Tabasco.

Although Takumi and Aoba find refuge in a small building/warehouse/shack(?), Kijima finds them. Just as he's about to send Takumi into the void, Hasumi blasts in. Meanwhile, Chiryuu and Murasaki continue to converse while battling; she insults him, he compliments her, and then he invites her to come home with him, since he doesn't have a freezer. Murasaki continues to attack him, and he finally ends the battle by unleashing a whirlwind that carries her away.

Hasumi vs. Kijima on a bridge, with Takumi as the prize. A hard-fought battle, which Hasumi realizes is going just like the one in her dream. She decides that even if she has to throw away her own life to do so, she'll protect Takumi to the end. He blasts away at her with some evil-looking spheres of black power, but somehow she staggers to her feet and attacks again. Disbelieving, he cuts all the way through her as she charges him, but she heals in a moment and stabs between his eyes with her Masamune. Hasumi is thrown back, her sword lost. Chiryuu and Tenkuu engage Kijima (sound like something you've heard before?), and Takumi/Kairei is finally given enough time to seal the Gate. As he prepares himself to do so, he tells Hasumi that this is what he must do as the Key. She runs to him, telling him that she'll protect him no matter what. As Kijima heads towards them, the bridge collapses, and they all fall into the frothing water. Chiryuu sees this and plunges in as well.

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