Hoshikita was begrudgingly mopping the floor of base number seventeen, where he was working under the command of Captain Maria. Maria was a lovely woman, with a tall and slender frame and sharp features. Despite her beauty, she had a cold personality and was generally feared by those who worked under her. She was known to be very strict with her subordinates, and she had shown this to the young ensign very early into his service under her. After the Captain had caught Hoshikita napping in the quarters while on duty, she had displayed a cold rage that sent a chill down the young ensign's spine. Then, not content with just issuing a verbal warning, she had decided to charge Hoshikita with mopping all of the halls in the base.

It was truly a cruel punishment, because due to Hoshikita's incredibly long legs and the relative shortness of the mop, he was forced to squat near the ground as he mopped the hallways as best he could. Truly, it was a humorous sight for all of the other marines that passed by him while on duty. He grumbled to himself, resenting the captain for choosing this task in particular to assign to him and himself for choosing to fall asleep in such an easily found location. Next time he chose to take a nap while on duty, he would certainly be forced to find a more discreet hiding place in which to catch up on his sleep.

Hoshikita was enjoying a small moment of respite while he went to change out the water in his bucket, as he was allowed to stretch his legs as he walked towards the laundry room where a large sink was located. Once there, he set the bucket under the faucet and pulled his pack of cigarettes out of his vest pocket. His first thought was to have a smoke during this time, and he kept an eye around the corner at all times for any signs of other marines or, even worse, the captain. While he was taking a final drag from his cigarette, just about to stamp it out and return to work, he heard shouting from down the corridor.

The ensign walked out of the room, curious as to what might be going on and if it was just Captain Maria chewing out yet another of the Marines. The noises sounded more aggressive than mere reprimand however, and this was confirmed as three other ensigns came running down the hallway with their muskets at the ready. "What's going on out there?" He asked them as they passed. He had thrown his cigarette into the sink some moments before and was now standing at attention to greet his fellow Marines. One of them stopped to in form him while the other two hurried onward. "There's a raid on the base. All hands are to report to the front gate. Captain Maria has already engaged the enemy." He explained before rushing to meet back up with his unit. Hoshikita stood there for a moment, somewhat stunned by the information. He certainly hadn't expected to have his stationed base attacked on his first day of assignment, and the chaos of it all was somewhat overwhelming.

Hoshikita stood there in a daze for a few more moments, but the sound of water rushing over the brim of the steel bucket brought him back to clarity. Not bothering to turn off the water, he rushed off after the three ensigns who had just passed him and towards whatever dangers awaited him there. His long legs carried him quickly towards the main gate and he could hear the sounds of battle as he continued to grow closer. Sword clashes and musket bangs filled the air, and Hoshikita wondered for a moment if it might be a better idea to turn around and find some place to lie low while all this was going on. He quickly shook off those thoughts though, as he could hear the pained screams of his comrades just up ahead, and this was also a time where he might earn some recognition for himself as a Marine, rather than just as a lazy screw up.

The battle was well underway as Hoshikita arrived, and he was able to immediately ascertain that they were currently being raided by pirates. The Marine Ensigns and the grunts of the crew were doing battle just inside the main gate, and the tides seemed to be in favor of the pirates due to the presence of two men who were easily swatting away his comrades with their strength. Captain Maria seemed busy with a man who appeared to be the leader of the pirate band, and they were battling just outside the main gate at a level far beyond Hoshikita's. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no one in the Marines of equal caliber to stand up to the two men having their way with the battlefield. It seemed like the pirates would beat out the Marines if nothing was done, and Hoshikita hesitated for a moment on the outskirts of the battlefield.

Despite his initial reluctance however, Hoshikita willed himself into the battle and began to lash out at the other grunt pirates with furious kicks as he made his way towards the two men in the center. He was a league above in speed compared to most of the men in the room due to his long leg heritage, and he darted through the room using hit and run tactics on the enemies that were already distracted by his fellow ensigns. It seemed as if the average fighters in this crew were rather weak, and Hoshikita had been training in martial arts from a young age, so the difference in skill was readily apparent. As more of the pirates fell, his comrades were able to gain some ground in the battle and things seemed to be looking up.

Still looming over the battlefield however, was the towering beast of a man and the devilish swordsman at his side. The other ensigns fell one after another to the black haired assailant's blade, and he watched his comrades fly through the air as they were launched by the giant's devastating strikes. Hoshikita looked over towards Captain Maria to see how she was faring, and while she still appeared confident, there was also no sign that she had the upper hand in her own confrontation. It seemed like it would be up to him and the other marines to confront the two demons before them, and Hoshikita questioned his own strength as he looked towards them. They certainly looked intimidating, and Hoshikita didn't have a vast wealth of combat experience himself. The Captain seemed to be occupied indefinitely, and the other marines were being thrown around easily by those two. It was true, that if there was any time to distinguish himself it would be now, but he couldn't help but be unsure of himself.

Still, as a proud Marine, he couldn't just stand idly by and shirk his duty while his comrades rushed in to stalwartly perform their own. He felt his feet moving of their own volition, and while rushing forward he steeled himself for whatever the result of the battle might be. The two of them were standing at the ready as the rest of the ensigns seemed to be surrounding them. The rest of the pirate grunts had been taken care of, and it seemed that only the strongest of the opposing crew remained. Hoshikita was already charging in to the fray alone, and he was ready to give it his all in this fight, afraid that if he didn't he might very well end up dead.

The two opponents before him seemed to be incredibly assured of their own victory, having faith in their captain's and their own ability despite the incompetence of their subordinates. Having grown cocky, they didn't think that any of the ensigns posed a serious threat and they scoffed at the lone unarmed man charging towards them, lazily drawing themselves in to a battle stance. Unlike the two of them, Hoshikita was taking his opponent's very seriously and had already devised a plan of attack that he felt would have a fairly high rate of success. He circled around in his movements so that the giant muscular man was between him and the swordsman, but so that he was still several meters away. It was at that exact moment that he revealed his trump card, and with a lightning fast series of kicks to the ground he darted towards the brick of a man at lightning speed. He seemed to disappear from view for a moment, and being out of line of sight of the swordsman, he was able to close in unabated and ready for a powerful strike. He stopped himself a few feet in front of the giant of a man who had turned towards him as he had circled around, leaving him wide open for a swinging upward kick to his jaw. Hoshikita did just that, and used his long legs to swing upwards and slam his sandal into the man's lower jaw, likely sending his head spinning and leaving him at least a bit shaken. After accomplishing his strike, Hoshikita leaped backwards out of the way just as the black haired swordsman came down out of the air with a piercing strike right where the young ensign had been standing.

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"Well well well, there seems to be one of you with a bit of skill it seems." The black haired swordsman said, drawing his sword from the stone that he had previously lodged it in. "Ensign Hoshikita Cross. I will be your opponent." Said the young marine, attempting to appear as confident as possible to save face in front of the other men. He was feeling better about his chances after laying a clean hit onto the monster of a man without suffering any retaliation, but there was still the issue of going up against a man with a sword unarmed. Soru was the only Rokushiki technique he felt he was skilled enough to reliably make use of, and that had limited uses in a fight. Hoshikita would have to rely primarily on his own power to see this through, and he took a deep breath as he readied himself for another attack.

The large muscular man in the back seemed to be leaving things to his partner, and had moved back a few meters to leave the swordsman room to work. Several of Hoshikita's fellow marines went to surround him and attempt to keep him from interfering in the battle. The swordsman himself had taken a battle stance and had his sword at the ready. It seemed as if he had a more reactionary sword style, and he appeared to be waiting for Hoshikita to make a move. At this time, a few of the other ensigns thought they would take this opportunity to launch attacks of their own, and several of them rushed forward in an attempt to cut him down with their own cutlasses. Unfortunately, they were easily outmatched by the skill of their opponent and the black haired swordsman was able to cut down the four who had charged him almost effortlessly. Hoshikita attempted to dash forward and intercept the strikes, but he was too slow to reach them in time and could only watch helplessly as his comrades fell to the ground.

After watching his comrades be cut down by the man's sword, Hoshikita could no longer keep his cool. Rage flared in his eyes as he executed another Soru, forcing his body to move at that speed once again despite having not fully recovered from his first use of the technique. Despite his lack of calm, his logic was still not completely lost to him, and Hoshikita was ready to employ a clever tactic to give him the edge in this battle. He stopped suddenly out of his Soru several feet to the left of the swordsman and extended his leg so that the pegs of his sandal were parallel with his opponent's sword. Then, with a quick flick of his foot, he attempted to wrench the sword from his enemies hand and leave him disarmed for the coming battle. Much to Hoshikita's surprise however, the black haired swordsman had not fallen for his ploy and had been able to pull his blade back in a split second. Then, before the young marine was able to react, the swordsman thrust the sword into Hoshikita's gut.

Hoshikita was only able to catch a glimpse of the flashing steel from the corner of his eye, followed by the sanguine tones of blood, as he stumbled backwards and tried to maintain his balance. His vision had blurred slightly, but he could still make out the faint grin on his opponent's face as he continued to struggle with the pain. Judging by where he felt the pain radiating from, it seemed the blade had struck his side and missed any vital organs, but that was only a small comfort. From this point on, the young ensign would be bleeding out from his injuries and a time limit had essentially been established on his side of the battle.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" The swordsman mocked as Hoshikita struggled to stay on his feet. Hoshikita gritted his teeth, not bothering to dignify his opponent’s taunting with a response. As he stood, he wondered once again if it might have been better to just find a place to hide out while all this had blown over, and whether or not he truly had a chance of defeating his opponent. However, he knew that from where stood if he lost here that there would be no second chances, and no one else was going to bail him out of this. The primal desperation that was emanating from his core pumped him full of adrenaline and worked to stem the pain and fear that threatened to swallow him up. Hot blood poured from the wound in his side, and each drop that hit the ground further punctuated to Hoshikita that he had no time to lose.

The young marine darted forward, dodging another sword thrust that was aimed at his left thigh before pivoting on his foot and attempting to roundhouse kick the swordsman in the head and end the fight then and there. Hoshikita was forced to stop his attack as the swordsman threw up his blade in defense and any further movement on the Marine’s part would lead to another heavy injury on his part. Pain still seared in his side, but he urged his body to keep going despite his wound. With a pivot of his foot and a rotation of his right leg, Hoshikita bent his knee suddenly and kicked out with bone breaking force. The enemy pirate held his blade to block the blow once again, and backed it with his left hand to reinforce it as best he could. This time though, with Hoshikita’s sandal to keep his foot from being cut by the blade, there was nothing holding the marine back and he slammed his foot straight down, crushing the swordsman’s fingers and heavily bruising his face. Then, not wanting to let off while he had momentum, Hoshikita brought his leg up once again, this time extended at a seventy degree angle from the ground and above the swordsman’s head. The black haired man was still screaming in anguish during these few moments and Hoshikita slammed his heel down on the top of the man’s head. The impact of bone against bone was audible, and the swordsman instantly fell to the ground unconscious after the hit.

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After witnessing his partner knocked out so suddenly, the larger pirate went into a rage. The marines that had surrounded him did their best to hold him off, but their strength was insufficient to pin down the massive brute. The towering charged at Hoshikita with rage in his eyes and he was truly a frightening sight to behold. To the young Marine, it was an image of a seemingly unstoppable force rushing at him with nothing but destruction on its mind. Hoshikita was still entirely focused however, and he resumed a battle ready stance to prepare for the incoming attack. He could still feel his injury from the earlier battle wearing on him and the continued use of Soru had also been extremely straining, but his adrenaline was still high enough to keep him going despite all of that. The towering man ran straight at him and pulled his arm back for a punch, and Hoshikita readied himself to dodge. He leaned out of the way just as the gigantic fist came rushing past him, and he continued to let his momentum carry him until his hands found purchase and he was able to pull off a cartwheel to put some distance between the two of them.

Though his maneuver was successful, it had not come without cost as the movement seemed to have opened the wound in his side even further. Blood poured from the gash in his flesh, and Hoshikita nearly faltered as he attempted to recover from his cartwheel. The enraged pirate wasn’t letting up in his assault however and he followed his punch up with another right hook that pierced through the air towards the young marine. Hoshikita, not in a position to dodge the punch a second time was forced to resort to the use of Soru once again. In an instant, he slammed his foot against the ground ten times and shot off to the other side of the room, grunting in pain as he did so. The effects of such strain on his body were incredibly taxing, and Hoshikita was finding it a struggle to find the strength to even move let alone fight. Each breath was laborious, and the muscles in his legs felt as if they were on fire. The more exhaustion he felt however, the more motivated Hoshikita became to see the fight through to the end. He certainly couldn’t allow himself to fall here after coming so far, and he’d have to force his body into action whether it liked it or not. Hoshikita knew that he didn’t have the power left in his legs to pull off another Soru, so he’d have to win this technique without any sort of special techniques. His vision was blurring and his sense of hearing was starting to become distorted, but he still willed himself forward and charged his opponent with as much strength as he could muster.

The towering behemoth before Hoshikita had not let up on his assault either, and after he had located the young marine’s position he had begun charging at full speed himself. Hoshikita was entirely focused as he sped towards his opponent, despite the blurring lines on the outskirts of his vision and the increasingly intense light headedness he was experiencing. Devoid of thought and relying only on instinct, he ducked out of the way of his opponent’s fist as a powerful punch flew through the air. From that position, he propped himself up with his left hand and pivoted so that he could launch a powerful kick aimed at his opponent’s leg. The bottom of his sandal made contact as he extended his leg with as much force as he could muster, but in his weakened state the impact wasn’t enough to knock his opponent off of his feet. Hoshikita could see the man wobble for a moment, but he was still very much standing and ready to fight. Another fist came slamming down towards Hoshikita and he barely sprang out of the way in time to dodge it as it made contact with the hard stone floor of the base. Another fist then came rushing at him and Hoshikita was forced to do a somersault forward to gain enough distance to avoid that blow as well. Truly, every muscle in his body was screaming at him to stop but he knew that he had to keep going. He turned on his heels to face his opponent and dashed around his massive fist, trying to get around to the behemoth’s back where he might gain some ground in the fight. The massive pirate seemed to be tiring a bit, and this could be his only chance to turn things around before his blood loss overcame him and he was out of the fight for good, so Hoshikita willed his legs to move with all the strength he had left in his body as he ducked underneath the giant’s left armpit and quickly pivoted on his right foot. Once there, and before the giant had a chance to turn around, Hoshikita executed a final roundhouse kick with all the might he could muster and slammed his sandal into the thick meaty head of the enemy pirate. The thud was audible and the large man staggered for a moment, looking dumbly at the bloodied Hoshikita and raising his arm in a fist weakly, before succumbing to the two heavy impacts to his head and falling to the ground unconscious.

The Marines that were still standing after the battle cheered at their victory and that of Hoshikita, and quickly moved to subdue the two pirates who had caused them so much grief. The heroic young ensign himself was feeling quite faint and went to go rest on the wall for a moment before one of the more medically inclined ensigns rushed over to tend to his wounds. Hoshikita was feeling quite pleased with himself after his own performance, and as he watched Captain Maria stride back into the room with the enemy captain grasped firmly by his hair behind her; the young ensign wondered what she would think once she learned of his heroism. At the very least, he hoped that he wouldn’t be having to mop any more floors in his condition.

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