The ruckus grew louder with every passing second. Some of Hotaru's classmates rallied to his aid, barking like wild pups at the big oaf. Several villagers arrived with wooden sticks, or whatever bludgeoning items they could find. 

"Put the boy down!" They screamed, followed by distasteful comments about Saito. Ishawari shook his head in agreement, wondering how Saito will talk his way out of this one. 

It wasn't until Jin showed up did Ishawari feel some sense of relief. The two made eye contact, and Ishawari nodded. Their telepathy forged by years of experience as warriors was as instant as a casual gesture. They knew what needed to be done and how to do it. While the village was at an uproar, the two bodyguards were probably the most calm of the bunch. Ishawari scoffed as the man fell into her trap. Jin approached the bald man, knowing he'd underestimate her and lower his guard when challenged. The brute's attention now focused on Jin, Ishawari circled the man until he was directly facing his backside. The cut on Ishawari's right shoulder was still bleeding, only a minor flesh wound, but his dominate striking arm wouldn't be as effective now. 

[b]"I'm far more than that."[/b]

"Well, maybe you can show me!" The man responded to Jin's statement, licking his lips.

Ishawari eyed the man's left temple as his target, then pounced. When just within a hair's length, he squatted low to gather momentum into his legs, then jumped, spiraling his body midair to increase his torquing power. In a three-sixty degree motion, Ishwari raised his left elbow and slammed its hard, pointy edge at the man's eardrum. 

"ACK!" 

His equilibrium went, the world shifting around him in ways his motor skills couldn't adjust to. Hotaru felt the hold loosen, then kicked himself off from his grip and right into Jin's arms. He stumbled onto his knees, making it easier for Ishawari to jump on the man's back. He hooked his left arm around the brute's thick neck, then flexed his bicep tight as his right forearm locked the choke in place. The man struggled, desperately clawing at Ishawari, who could barely wrap his legs around the man's wide torso to keep him in place. The brute fell onto his back in an attempt to crush Ishawari, but the choke didn't break. With the man's front side exposed, several armed villagers attempted to club him, but he kicked out like a raging bull, scaring their advance. Pinned against earth and giant, Ishawari gritted his teeth, using all of his strength to choke the air from his lungs, refusing to let go until the giant body slumped unconscious. 

Ishawari released his arms, sucking in air as the man's body lay on top of him. Several of Hotaru's classmates approached, kicking and punching the unconscious man for hurting their friend. Ishawari wanted to tell them to stop, but he was too tired, and just laid there sandwiched between stinky skin and dirt. [i]So much for handling the situation[/i], Ishwawari laughed. He stared up at the cloudy sky, noting that the charcoal overcast from up north had caught up to Hanowa village. 

"Looks like it's going to rain soon." Ishwari said to nobody in particular, drowsy from fatigue. The villagers eventually came to his aid, rolling the man off to his side to free Ishawari. He slowly rose to his feet, greeting Jin and Hotaru while clutching his hurt shoulder, now ablaze with pain. His thoughts went back to his calm morning in the bath, and couldn't help but chuckle at how wrong his prediction was about today's uneventfulness.