The Rogue Maidens - - - "An Otome is trained in the deadliest fighting style in the world. She has no rival on the battlefield, and no equal. This is why it is so dangerous to train Otome. It is a rare event, but if an Otome is to abandon Garderobe and go rogue, that one person can cause the same unpredictable damage as an entire barbarian army. Never underestimate a rogue Otome. Remember – you can only ever be an equal. Nothing more." - Garderobe second year textbook. - - - It was dreary and overcast. Snow was gently falling from the darkened skies and forming a thick layer of fresh powder on the ground. It made visibility poor and muffled a great deal of noise, and once again proved to be an annoyance to the Iolite guards who were tasked with watching the horizon for any threats. A young Otome was walking along the stone walls that protected their Hokkaido base from ground troops, squinting in order to try and see through the snow. It was horrible work. Outside in freezing weather with coastal winds assaulting her face – no one deserved it. Hokkaido was nothing more than an advanced warning base should HiME from Siberia ever try to invade from the frozen wastelands in the north. The only purpose the Hokkaido base served was to defeat or stall the enemy before they could reach the all important Kansai region. It was a pitiful assignment. Everyone stationed there knew that they were essentially the meatshields for the elite in Kyoto. Her hands were stuffed into her winter uniform's fur lined pockets. With a sigh, she let her eyes drift down to her feet, and there she saw an intruder. It was a fearsome creature, and one that she could not stand toe to toe with in combat. The woman let out a shriek and jumped up onto the stone wall's edge to avoid her enemy, alerting other guards. Two of the veteran Iolites, perhaps about ten years older than she was, ran over to assist. "What's the problem?" One shouted. She pointed shakily at where her feet had been moments earlier. "T-that! It's gross, kill it!" They groaned and turned back to head to their posts. Of all things to be afraid of. She was supposed to be a fearsome Otome warrior serving Dammerung, not some airheaded wuss. Tentatively, she stepped back down off the edge and tried to shoo her enemy away. The large huntsman spider with several spiderlings on her back inched forward, and she leap back several feet. She stomped her boots, hoping to drive it away. Finally, she built up the courage and marched forward, ready to crush it underfoot. "Disgusting beast!" She yelled. She prepared to bring her foot up to smash the spider. Two thick front legs silently dug themselves into the wall behind her. Another pair followed suit. The four metal forelimbs hoisted a large green body up and over, casting a shadow over the stone structure. On it rested a redheaded woman who didn't take kind to what the Otome was attempting to do. A yellow, partially severed blade was up and twitching in the air like a scorpion waiting to strike. A dark chuckle. "Funny. I feel the same way about you. I suppose that means that I'm free to grind your guts into the ground, like you would do to that beautiful creature." The Otome turned and instantly found her leg wrapped within five red, razor sharp wires. A woman pulled her hand back, and the wires tightened and cut through her uniform, biting into flesh and piercing skin. So painful was the attack that the young Iolite could not find enough controlled thought to bring her hand up and activate her GEM. When she finally made a move to try and trigger the device, the attacker swung her arm in a wide arch, and the girl went flying. With expert timing, the foe retracted her gauntlet-bound wires and the young Otome dropped into the freezing sea below, her leg mangled and shredded. There was a splash several moments later, and the girl never surfaced again. Hearing the splash, the other guards pivoted around to see what had happened. Many dropped their jaws in shock. A giant metal arachnid was scurrying along the wall like a mutant huntsman, and heading right for them. They materialized their Iolite robes and took to the sky to avoid the assault. The youngest of them was too inexperienced to do it with the proper timing. She fell victim to the rapid slash of the monster's giant yellow blade. "This is the outer defense team!" The elder Otome reported via her GEM. "We're under attack by the Mistress of Julia Araneae. Get everyone out here! Dispatch the daimyo's Z-Type!" "Copy that, we are d--" Whatever had been said was muffled beyond recognition. All three of the normal Iolite guards fell victim to a stream of webbing spewed forth from the great beast, and found themselves wrapped in a deadly and nearly airless cocoon against one of the base's buildings beyond the wall. Whether they would live or die would depend on how early they were freed from their prison. The spider continued it's run down the wall, swiping her tail out against any Otome soldiers that stood in her way. The Mistress of Julia Araneae had dismounted the Child and was now calmly walking along the wall, dressed in the standard combat gear belonging to the Twelve. Approaching Iolites, however, noted that something was not right. The hair was a different color. The skin was far more pale than it should have been. This was not the infamous Seventh. This was someone else entirely. One of the advancing Otome dove down to fight toe to toe with her, lashing out with their quarterstaff. This HiME ducked below the weapon and shoved her claws through the Iolite. The sharp red metal easily tore through her robe and pierced her flesh. She fell to the ground. A second Iolite was caught by the deadly wires, pulled out of the sky and slammed into the stone wall below. "Attention, this is not the Seventh. Her powers have been passed to someone new!" One of the soldiers informed. Another Otome was defeated before her eyes in a most gruesome way – the figure simply clawed off the ear of the young girl and thus severed the GEM from her body. The robe instantly dematerialized as she screamed in pain. "What's the status on the daimyo's Otome?!" "En route. Kansai has also been informed." It would take at least an hour for Otome from Kyoto to reach Hokkaido. Had it been just one Ikusahime, the garrison probably could have held them that long. But a deafening roar from above quickly let the Otome know that the odds were not on their side. A dragon soared down from nothingness, passing through Diana's cloaking field, and immediately inhaled a deep breath, building up the fires within. Perfectly timed during a steep dive, the great dragon released the stored breath and incinerated two of the buildings within the fortified base. Iolites shot out of his way, and Kagutsuchi climbed back into the sky and vanished through the cloaking field once more. He could come in for another pass at any time. Eyes darted around. There had been no HiME. Where? A pivot in midair. There! The Mistress of Kagutsuchi was by herself and hovering above the battle. The senior Iolite rushed in to do combat. Using the momentum of flight, she swung out her staff and hoped that it would allow for extra damage. A shield of flame was effortlessly raised at the proper time, and the strike bounced off. She blinked. This was not Minako! Who the hell was this new redheaded person? Whoever it was, she quickly formed a counterattack. The Iolite was knocked out of the sky from a powerful stream of fire that was born from the upper two Inferno Spirals that danced around the Ikusahime's wrists. She dove down and began to scan the base for something. Many quickly understood what she was searching desperately for. The Emulator! There were only two in Japan – Kansai's heavily defended EM-02, and Hokkaido's EM-25 unit. Losing it would leave half of the Japanese Otome without the power to materialize. Five hundred soldiers without their weapons. They could not lose it. A group of four converged on the Mistress of Kagutsuchi, but were instantly rebuffed by a wall of fire. This strange new HiME held up a hand and shouted, "There are seven of us surrounding this facility. You don't have the GEM power to stop us. Flee before we are forced to harm you!" The request was most unusual for a HiME. They never offered mercy. Seven elite HiME were attempting to take Hokkaido? At the mere mention of that, several of the younger Iolites shifted in the air. The first bolted, shrieking away towards the south. Two of her friends followed. They would be branded as traitors and stripped of their ranks if they truly left. Several yelled at them to return. There was only one thing willing to physically stop them. A Z-Type Otome clad in armor of white and faint pink descended from the sky and grabbed hold of the would-be deserters. The Gentle Morganite was the Otome who protected Hokkaido's daimyo, but she was not living up to her name. She roughly yelled at them. "Get back their and help your sisters! We do not run away in the face of the Twelve!" It was with this statement that the Mistress of Kagutsuchi, for whatever reason, dove back towards the ground in the hopes of locating the Emulator. More Children broke through the cloaked dome around the base. Gakutenou, that obscure and absentee Child that few knew of, did a jet-charged dash straight through the wall and one of the buildings, his Mistress riding on his back. Kiyohime, who had seemingly grown in size tremendously overnight, tore up Otome at the command of yet another foreign woman. What on earth was going on? The Morganite dove down after the HiME searching for the Emulator, materializing her mace Element and gripping it tightly. Her feet nearly touching the paved ground of the base interior, she raced forward and darted between and around buildings to catch up with this mystery woman. As the strongest Otome in Hokkaido, it was her responsibility to ensure the safety of as many people as she could. She could not let herself be intimidated by this new Mistress of Kagutsuchi. She caught up with her a few buildings later. Morganite lashed out with her mace, but the HiME was able to deflect the attack with her shield ability. The foe then shot upwards a bit, spraying flames down at her. Morganite shot to the side and avoided the fires, countering by charging in again. She kicked, and the HiME physically caught her leg. Morganite tried to land the mace again, thrusting it upward. Another shield. It tossed Morganite back like a rag doll. Morganite landed on the street below and slammed her mace against the ground, her Element activating an earth-shattering move in the fashion of Miroku. Jagged spikes leapt up from the ground and nearly impaled the low-flying HiME. She darted away at the last moment, countering with a blast of fire. Morganite raised her robe's energy shield and the flames parted against a nearly invisible defensive wall. "Miyu, occupy her!" The HiME flew away after shouting that command, going back to her search. Morganite attempted to follow, but a woman clad in leather fired a gatling gun that forced her to stay low. This peculiar, expressionless woman was not going to let her go. This was no HiME, was it? There were no markings. There was no diadem device. Just a simple mortal human. Pathetic. "Get out of my way this instant!" Morganite shouted. "I will not let you proceed." A monotone promise. Silver haired Miyu darted forward with speed that was not human, nor was it even Otome. The gatling gun arm instantly transformed into a long slender blade that likely cut through even the mere molecules that made up the air. Morganite could only brace for impact. - - - There had not been a true rogue Otome for decades. Those who joined Nagi's cause during the last war had been young students of Garderobe and were simply fighting for a rival faction. Shizuru and the others were fully trained, highly capable adults who were now acting independent of all political organizations. A rogue Otome was like a live wire – dangerous and unpredictable. Just one could lay waste to a good portion of land before loyalists could maintain order. That wasn't even taking this new 'HiME' power into consideration. It was a turbulent and confusing time, and Natsuki certainly hadn't been trained to handle something quite like this. But as a natural leader, she instantly took control of the situation. "Ann, I would like you to take Shizuru's place as Archmeister," Natsuki requested, sitting in front of a lineup of high ranking Otome members. Ann Lu had held the position once before, and kept it for a few years. Shizuru took over only after Ann was transferred back to standard Meister duty upon the request of her royal parents. She would know exactly what was required of her. She would serve as assistant to the headmistress and as Garderobe's elite warrior. Ann bowed her head. "If you feel it is necessary, Headmistress Kruger, then I will accept." "We also need to establish a communications line between Dammerung and Garderobe. Is there any way to do that?" Natsuki shifted her gaze to one of Earth-native officers in the command room. She sat on a large chair that overlooked the entire area. "Yes, ma'am. We can send a shuttle team to Earl in order to set up a network there and then modify Lalande Gate to carry the transmission waves. It will take a day or two at the most to get everything done. The details are all mapped out. It was a project for our orbital teams to start further on down the line. A mission plan, if you will," the officer informed. "Get on it, then." "Right away." "Is there any way we can get another Z-Type GEM for General Armitage?" Natsuki inquired. It was a waste to have Haruka use the Iolite GEM. It was generic, underpowered and not efficient enough for someone so well trained in the art of Otome combat. "Ashura-sama's GEM, the Spiritual Quartz, was recovered from the battlefields by a recon team a few hours ago. I can have technicians reprogram it for Armitage-san. She'd be linked to our main Emulator, assuming it will accept her into the system." Natsuki's gaze shifted to Haruka, silently asking her what she wanted to do. It certainly didn't take long for the outspoken woman to voice her opinion on the matter. Her hand making a fist and her eyes flaring up with determination, she said, "Damn right I want that GEM. Better than this blue tin can they have me wearing right now. I will do a jig if someone can find the master ring to the Topaz." "What are our rules of engagement should we get into a fight with them?" Ann asked. "For the diplomats, you are to only subdue and capture," Natsuki began. She let out a sigh and her face notably fell. "For those who were Otome? Follow protocol. Alive or dead. Use extreme caution with all of them. I would prefer them taken alive. For them to change so severely overnight... it simply must have been some brainwashing tactics on the part of the HiME." "I agree," Haruka stated. "It's too big a change for them to have willingly defecated." Silence. In the absence of Yukino, Natsuki took up the torch of being the speech Nazi. "...It's 'defected,' Haruka." "That's what I said." "Garderobe Otome are free to roam the city and hunt down those who have switched sides. Travel in groups of at least three, just in case. I'll keep the Dammerung Columns on regular duty to hopefully get some territory and reclaim lost strategic structure," Natsuki informed. An officer hastily stood up at his terminal and shouted, "Hokkaido base is under attack by the Twelve!" He quickly put the video feeds from Hokkaido on the main screen, showing the carnage that was ensuing. Those faces were all too familiar, though their machinated beasts were something out of this world. Natsuki gritted her teeth. Rogue Otome, indeed! "Ann, assemble a team and give assistance at once!" "Going." Ann gracefully sprinted out of the room and called upon those resting in the halls, all of whom had stored up their energy for just such and emergency. Natsuki was still for a moment, mentally warring with herself on whether or not she should join them. No. Should there be an emergency at Kansai, who would be left to defend it? "Dammit, Shizuru," Natsuki hissed. - - - Otome watched in horror as their most experienced warrior was displayed before them. Miyu took a step down a flight of stairs that led up into a large building. Her sword arm was held high into the air, and upon it was the impaled corpse of the Gentle Morganite. Someone screamed out in anger and fear. The Otome faded away into a cloud of green nothingness, and so too did the daimyo of Hokkaido, wherever the old sovereign was hiding away. She lowered her arm casually, as if nothing was unusual. She slammed her foot down on the Morganite GEM, shattering it so that the electronic stone couldn't be used again. Midori, on the back of Gakutenou, called out that she was going to do yet another bombing run. With a shout of 'spiral dash!' she and Gakutenou plowed through a barracks building and utterly destroyed it. The Child then climbed higher, but Midori jumped off to make sure that Miyu was faring all right. Seeing so, Midori spun her labrys and rushed off to have a good old fashioned duel with one of the Iolites. The duel lasted approximately seven seconds before Midori batted the woman's staff away and shattered her robe using her mighty axe. Shizuru was off in the distance with Mikoto, both performing similar acts. In the midst of battle, Mai shot up like a human beacon, flames trailing behind her. It was a signal that she had located the Emulator, housed underneath the command center. Bodies, some injured and some burnt alive, littered the halls that she had been in. Children cleared the area as Kagutsuchi once again entered the battlefield and flared his wings once he was over the intended target. Shizuru pointed to the building in question. "Kiyohime. Destroy the structure." The hydra used its multiple heads to tear the building apart so that Kagutsuchi's breath would be most effective against the basement levels. Once done, Kiyohime slithered out of harm's way, going back to her feast, multiple heads stretching out to pick up and tear open ground troops. Seeing the act, most of the Otome in the area converged on Kagutsuchi in hopes of stopping him. The dragon snapped his fangs and flapped his wings of flame to drive them back. It was Mai and Miyu who helped him. Mai, acting as human flamethrower, drove them back with her deadly fire. Miyu's gatling gun once again formed and shot up into the sky, bullets forcing the Otome to evade. Most then tried to unite against Mai herself, knowing that if she went, so did the dragon. Her shield held some back, but it looked as if it was ready to break once they all moved in. All it took was a little distraction. With Mai holding their attention, Miyu firing upon them, and with Shizuru soon stepping in to lash out with the chained version of her bardiche, Kagutsuchi finally had time to inhale a deep breath and convert it into something deadly. Sucking in air using turbine like equipment, he then released the stored energy in the form of dragon's breath. The superheated stream of fire and energy screamed toward the ruined building below. The blast tore through the basement levels and melted down the Emulator within. The device gave way and exploded. It was one of the first machines to not require a human core, much to the Ikusahime's relief. There was no additional loss. At once, the Otome sentinels lost their power. Robes vanished. Some fell from the sky. Others fled on the ground. A few brave ones journeyed into an armory that remained standing so that they might retrieve conventional weapons. Whatever the case, the Ikusahime had done what they had set out to do. The north of Japan was now entirely unplugged. The Otome there were helpless, and the Ikusahime had sent a clear message to Dammerung and its leaders – the new Mistresses were far better than the Twelve had ever been, and would not stop until the Emulators around the world had been destroyed. It just didn't help that there were apparently, according to Minako, two hundred of them. Each of which powered five hundred Otome. Their quest was not exactly an easy one. Kansai would have been next on the list, but it was so well defended that it would have been suicide even for them. The others would have to go first. But where to start? Midori shouted out, "Well, where's the next closest one?" Mai had a small black device the projected a hologram map of the world, offered to her by the Mistress of Yafusa some time earlier. "Shanghai, Yakutsk, Hanoi... pick one." "We'll head to China first and then snake through the rest of this side of Asia. How's that sound?" A bullet whizzed by Midori's head as she finished her proposal. She was none too happy about it. "Hey!" Nao, feeling particularly generous, commanded Julia to bind the Otome in webbing, leaving her to squirm helplessly. The former Column then chuckled. "It sounds like you're planning a road trip. That's what it sounds like." "One of death and destruction, so you should at least be mildly interested, shouldn't you?" Midori countered, putting a hand on her hip. Nao shrugged and then pointed at another group of brave (or just stupid) robeless Otome. Julia bound them as well. "Fair enough, I guess." Fire continued to consume those who would fight against the Ikusahime. Mai was slowly reclaiming the anger that she had felt during the last days of her former life. The abuse of Alyssa. The death of all her friends. The passionate woman had gone from desperately not wanting to fight to feeling extremely aggressive. Like her element, she found herself at the mercy of an unexpected change. Memories were funny things that way. She did not want to slaughter, but she had little sympathy towards the organization that had been the cause of her death in the first place. They looked at her like a demon, but she did not care. Someone had to end the war, after all. The last HiME had not been able to get much done. As the winner of the Carnival is was her responsibility to save humanity from it's own destruction. That was what the Ikusahime did, wasn't it? Save the world? Sometimes it wasn't quite as easy as just blowing up a star. If that made any sense whatsoever. With flame and heat, she drove back those few that remained. They fled her presence, running beyond the walls and into the forests outside. Hoping that they would not regroup and take back Hokkaido at a later time, she snapped her fingers and ordered Kagutsuchi to finish his renovation of the base. Midori, too, helped out with that. Both Gakutenou and Kagutsuchi quickly made work of the buildings that remained. They burnt the base to the ground. HiMEs climbed onto the backs of their Children, Miyu finding a place with Kiyohime and Mikoto hopping onto Kagutsuchi as she had done earlier that day. Miroku rested in her hands, feeling far more comfortable than her staff had ever felt. This was a much better weapon! Though she felt guilty for betraying Dammerung, it was all for Mai. If Mai said it was a good thing, then it simply had to have been. Right? "Psychopathic lesbians first!" Nao shouted. Despite the insult, Shizuru ordered Kiyohime forward slowly, heading towards the west. China and the closest mainland Emulators waited ahead. Midori, hoping to keep up morale, fell back upon her original persona. "Around the world in eighty days, for great justice!" The cloaked landscape faded and Yukino joined them on the back of Diana. Nao simply shook her head and, for the umpteenth time that day, wished that Midori would just shut up. "Will you cut that justice for all nonsense out already? You're one worrisome step away from 'in the name of the moon, I will defeat you.'" "Cool." Nao winced. The group traveled north over the land mass of Hokkaido, their Children cruising along nicely through the frigid air. They stopped at the far shores of the island, their stomachs rumbling and begging for nourishment. Mai and Mikoto, the ones most used to surviving in the wilderness, went to a stream and began to fish for their midday meal. Mikoto slammed her hands into the near frozen waters like an animal, reemerging with a large wriggling specimen. An hour later, the pair returned to a waiting campfire with enough winter food to fill their bellies. Cooking soon began, and they conversed to pass the time. It was when they had finished up their meal that Yukino spotted something on the horizon. She squinted, but could not accurately make it out. She naturally called upon one of her Elements, which showed her the image of an approaching group of Otome. But these were not Dammerung soldiers. She sprang up to her feet. "Ann and some of the others are heading this way!" Nao stood and smirked. "No freeloading off our food. That's just disrespectful." - - - Ann touched down several feet away from the Ikusahime, with a gaggle of fellow Otome on either side of her. Arika, Rosalie, Chie and Akane were silent and waiting for their new Archmeister to lead the way. Naturally, it was Shizuru who was the first to approach. It was the right thing to do, after all. It was her onee-sama that had come to collect their bounty, so to speak. The kohai and senpai stared at each other for several tense moments. "Please go back, onee-sama," Shizuru said. "Tell Natsuki that you simply did not see us." "You know that I cannot now that I have found you. As it would be troublesome to get into a fight with my darling protégé, I think it would be best for you to come with us. Do me that favor, Shizuru-chan," Ann pleaded. "I must refuse." "So be it." Ann Lu, for however much she loved Shizuru, was not one to disobey orders. A loyalist Otome through and through, the princess of Annam signaled for her team to attack, and the battle was on. They would make every effort to take them in alive. Neither side necessarily wanted bloodshed. The Otome slid through the air and found themselves an opponent. Miyu found herself with a conflict of interest. She could not allow anyone to harm Arika, as per her prime directive to preserve Alyssa's family line. She also had to destroy the Otome. Quickly making a decision, she shot forward against Chie, dashing with her sword arm stretched forward. Chie flew up and out of the way, flipping in the air and landing softly on the ground. The Deceptive Tourmaline GEM that she used did only had limited effective weaponry for someone like Miyu. She was left with martial arts as her most effective weapon. Chie flew forward and tried to kick, but Miyu dodged it like it was nothing. Hopping on the ground, she lunged forward with an uppercut, but it did not connect. Using her Element, she sent a charged blast against the android. Miyu blocked it with her sword arm and leapt up into the air, bringing the blade down in a powerful vertical strike. Chie rolled out of the way, and the blade hit the rocky ground below, embedding itself in the frozen soil. There, for just a moment, Miyu was held in place. Another blast of energy. It hit, leaving a small burn mark on Miyu's arm. The machine ripped her blade out from the rock and shifted her weapon into a grenade launcher, firing round after round at an evasive Chie. The Otome danced through the air as rounds exploded on the ground and sailed after her in the sky. She then had to contend with the gatling gun, which she held back with a quickly formed force field. She flew in closer, trying to leave Miyu with no effective range. Back to the sword arm. If she could just get Miyu to embed the blade in something again, then maybe she would have a chance! But Miyu was apparently too smart for that. No further vertical strikes were made. Horizontal slashes were their replacement. Curses. While they dueled, Arika shuffled her feet and frowned. "Nao-senpai, this isn't what we're supposed to be doing. It's wrong! Just come back and tell Natsuki that you didn't mean to do any of this!" "Step up and fight or step aside. I don't have time to waste on watching you whimper like a lost ten year old," Nao hissed. Arika's grip on her Element tightened, the slender blue blade resting against her thigh. "Nao-senpai... I have to do my best for Garderobe and all the others! I want you to surrender, but if I have to fight you, then I guess I have no choice. If I can beat Nina, then I can defeat you as well." It looked like Nao was waving her off, but instead she launched a quintet of wires at the young Meister Otome. Arika found her weapon wrapped up in the sharp red ribbons, and tried desperately to yank it free. With a good tug, Nao pulled the girl forward and she landed roughly on her face. Her sword then free, Arika climbed back to her feet and charged ahead, swinging her blade through the air. Nao ducked and found herself on the defensive. Arika struck again. And again. Each time, Nao ducked and dipped out of harm's way, amused at the effort that Arika was putting forth. She had guts, if nothing else. Yes, nothing else. She swung the sword again, but Nao caught the weapon with both of her metal plated hands, stopping it in mid air. Arika pushed forward with all her strength, and Nao nearly buckled. The robe augmented her muscles so perfectly that it was hard to combat. But she was one of the Ikusahime. She was born and bred to fight above and beyond what mortals could do. Nao planted her feet and leaned forward, her arms extending fully. The young Otome stumbled back and nearly toppled over again. She recovered and hesitated for a moment, pondering what she could possibly do that wouldn't result in Nao's death. Music was provided for the battle with the rhythmic cracking of Rosalie's whip, which was trying desperately to hit either Mai or Mikoto. It never did. Rosalie found herself airborne more than anything else, chasing Mai through the sky while Shizuru and Ann began their duel below. "I must compliment you on your change in weapon," Ann offered, pointing towards Shizuru's bardiche. A double ended scythe rested in her own hand, and a gentle smile was on her face. "I had always hoped you'd take up a pole-arm of some kind." Shizuru could not emotionally deal with idle talk to her mentor. Instead, she got to the battle at hand. Instead of falling back on the chain, she walked towards Ann and then, much like a snake, snapped her body forward in a run. She swung her blade out as if it were a light naginata as opposed to a heavy bardiche. It was met by Ann's double ended scythe. Blades continued to dart back and forth, neither Shizuru nor Ann able to land a solid blow against each other. Weapons clashed and sparks flew. One hit after another. Ann attempted to kick in the hopes of catching her kohai off guard, but found her leg making contact with the shaft of the bardiche as opposed to Shizuru's ribcage. Her robe prevented her from feeling any pain after her shin made contact with metal. Shizuru tried a vertical hit, but Ann blocked it with the pole of her own weapon, her hands spread far apart for optimum blocking. During that block, Shizuru was quick to bring up a knee, catching Ann in the stomach. It wasn't particularly hard. Ann grunted and took a step back, the robe taking most of the damage. Ann then slashed out with the bottom end of her scythe, and Shizuru weaved back and out of the way. A second attack quickly came, Ann shifting to the opposing end of her weapon and hooking the blade round Shizuru's leg. She pulled forward, tripping Shizuru. The former Amethyst fell to the ground, back first. "Kanin na," Ann apologized briefly. Ann attempted to stomp a foot down on Shizuru's stomach to knock the wind out of her, but she rolled off to the side and avoided the attack. She sprung to her feet, but Ann left her little recovery time. Weapons met yet again in a dazzling display of technique on both sides. Metal clashed against metal repeatedly. Ann attempted to elbow her kohai, but failed to land the attack. Instead, she found herself leaping over a well timed trip kick on Shizuru's part. Current and former Archmeisters refused to yield to one another. Skill was nearly equal. It was more about fatigue for the two of them. They were focused, nearly blind to the action around them. There were flames from Mai as she battle Rosalie. A yelp from Nao after Miyu clocked her one for leaving a scratch on Arika. None of it mattered. They hadn't had a duel for years. The last time they fought, it had been a formal butou held by Garderobe's staff during the trials Shizuru had to go through in order to become Archmeister. That involved a fight with Ann, who had held the rank just before her. It had been incredibly close, as it was now, but it was Shizuru who came away with a very luck victory. She wasn't sure if her luck would hold up. Ann had not lost any of her fighting edge over the years. Shizuru darted forward with a flurry of lightening fast strikes, which Ann deflected. Shizuru retreated back a step, letting Ann spin her body and use the full force of her scythe in a downward swing. Shizuru intended to try and step on the blade, but timed it wrong and instead leapt out the way and forward again, catching Ann's chest with the shaft of her bardiche. She quickly knocked Ann backward, but she did not fall. Shizuru used the pole end of her weapon to strike out quickly, hitting Ann roughly in the stomach with the bottom of the weapon. Ann released a gasp of air as it was knocked out of her. Slightly stunned, Shizuru took advantage of her senpai. She slammed the pole end of her weapon against Ann's side, causing further damage. In desperation, Ann fell back on her robe's enhancing abilities, charging one end of her weapon with energy and lashing out with it. The wave cut through the air and Shizuru was forced to leap out of the way before it could slice her in two. She rolled once she hit the ground and then came to her feet again. Out of the corner of her eye, Shizuru saw Chie slam a fist into a top hat. Confused, poor Miyu couldn't brace herself for the hand that appeared as if from nowhere to hit her right in the face. The joke was on Chie, really. She instantly yelped and retracted her hand. Apparently an android's jaw was quite... hard. "Are you feeling fatigued yet, Shizuru?" Ann inquired. "No." A lie. Ann smirked, knowing that. It was a surprise that none of them dared to summon a Child. The former Otome refused to, knowing that their peers were expert monster slayers. It would have been a shame to lose their Keys so early in their quest. Children remained safely tucked away in the corners of their mind. Instead, they hoped that their natural strength as Ikusahime would overrule any augmented power supplied by the robes. Things seemed, so far, to be neutral. As Shizuru and Ann warred, Midori was trying in vain Red Ranger fashion to win Akane back to their side. She used her labrys to block a hit from the younger woman's tonfa. "Akane, you love starved twit! Listen to me!" "What did you call me?" Akane gasped, completely offended. How dare that desert ruffian insult her relationship with Kazuya? How did she even know? "Get rid of that GEM and get over here with the rest of us!" Midori shouted, tentatively slashing out with her weapon and driving Akane back a bit. "You belong in this group. You're a HiME just as we are. Remember?" A thud as Rosalie coiled her whip around Mai's leg and slammed her into the ground. "Remember what?!" Akane yelled in frustration. Talking during a fight – it was incredibly annoying and made it hard to focus on what she was supposed to be doing. Was it not common courtesy to shut up? "Oh, that's right, you were kind of unconscious for most of the thing..." Midori mused. She then shook her head. "Well, you fought Orphans before all of that! Fighting monsters with a big tiger at your side. That! Remember that!" "Natsuki's right. You are all crazy," Akane said. Why did she have to get stuck fighting the insane one? She rushed in using her robe and struck with her right tonfa weapon. Midori blocked it with the end of her weapon and then kicked Akane in the side. Spinning the labrys, she brought it down towards the young woman, who used both of her weapons to intercept it and halt it's movement. For them, it was less about the fight and more about Midori trying to force Akane into switching political parties. And she was oh so ever persistant. "Together we fought for truth and justice! Well, not together, but for the same cause! Separately!" "Will you shut up?!" Nao and Akane in perfect unison. Miyu had had quite enough of this. She had tried to keep her power levels down to standard levels, but this was dragging on for far too long. She darted to the left, grabbed hold of Arika and threw her off to the side of the battle. Nao yelled out complaints, but quickly retreated when Miyu held her sword arm aloft. Her yellow canary flew overhead and a golden light quickly spread over the blade. The metal turned solid gold. "Artemis!" Golden waves lengthened the blade and she charged forward with it, horizontally slashing it towards the ground. Immeasurable amounts of energy slammed into the ground and blinded all those who hadn't looked away. The Otome, sans Arika, were flung back and injured. All but Ann were knocked unconscious. Shizuru's onee-sama struggled to get back to her feet, but failed to do so, only capable of propping herself up on her elbows. The senior Otome let out a light groan of pain. After a moment, the light from Miyu's attack faded away into nothingness, and she retracted her sword all together, replacing it with her hand. "Arika," Miyu called out. The young girl looked up with tears in her eyes, her sword dropped out of shock. "I will not fight you. Tend to them and give Headmistress Kruger a message. Next time, it is death. Do not pursue us." Miyu turned on her heel and approached the others. Children were summoned and quickly shifted to their flight modes. All the HiME and their comrades took to the skies and soared off towards the north, heading towards China. Arika was left on her own with a host of injured and unconscious allies. She activated her GEM and called for support, but with the Hokkaido base destroyed and most of the garrison there unfit for anything, she had a long wait ahead of her. "I so didn't sign up for this when I joined Garderobe," she whined. - - - Natsuki had been livid when her team had come back empty handed and harmed. It was unforgivable. How could Shizuru do that? How could Mai? How could any of them stoop so low as to fight with their former comrades? Two days passed until they were finally up and activate again, mostly because of the nanomachines accelerating their healing process. By then, the rogue Otome and their cohorts were in China and causing all sorts of havoc there. Regional leaders there would have to deal with it. The communication lines went down shortly thereafter. Not one to miss up an opportunity, Natsuki pushed as many Otome troops forward as she could in Kyoto, taking three blocks in one day thanks to the absence of the Ikusahime. The remaining members of the Twelve were all that truly stood in her way. Formidable though they were, they weren't quite as powerful as their counterparts. Natsuki would try to bait them back to Kyoto by driving the Heirs and the Twelve out. Perhaps if the Kansai region was in peril, and their main allies threatened, she could lure them back into her territory. While planning her next operation, Natsuki Kruger was given the first good news in hours. "Ma'am? The gate has been updated and a communication link with Garderobe has been established." She smiled. "Get me through to Sara Gallagher." "Yes, ma'am." A few minutes of delay. "Natsuki?" "Sara, we have a bit of a situation going on here. There are now rogue Otome. Shizuru Viola is a confirmed defector. If she shows herself at Garderobe, apprehend her at once but do not harm her. The same goes for Mai Tokiha and Nao Zhang." "So what they said about Shizuru was true, then? Dammit. I understand and will comply. Do you need any reinforcements, Headmistress?" "No, I can make do with what I have. No need to drag the Pearls into this as well. Continue classes on their regular schedules," Natsuki instructed. "Is everything well there?" "Yes, everything is fine. Windbloom has been cleaned up from Shizuru's jailbreak, and security has been tightened should any more incidents occur. Now that this thing's running, you can let us know when any of the HiME try to head to Earl again." "I will certainly do that," Natsuki said. "I will give you status updates as needed. Feel free to contact me if you need assistance with anything." "Yes, Headmistress." The line was closed, and Natsuki leaned back in her chair, drinking a warm cup of Oolong tea. She sighed. Of all the horrible situations to be in. A group of rogue Otome who had apparently been brainwashed by some strange Proto-Otome cult. On another planet. Never in a million years did she think she would ever be in that kind of situation. The only thing missing was a tentacle monster to truly ruin what was left of her life. But the day was still young, wasn't it? - - - In the bowels of Dammerung, the most ancient Emulator in existence silently picked up on the transmissions coming from the Lalande Gate. From those messages, the Emulator's computer instantly recognized a particular wave structure. No technicians noticed, but the Dammerung Emulator silently went to work on establishing its own connection with two very important devices from Earl that were unwittingly transmitting signals through the Gate. 'EM-02 establishing network with Trans Global Materializing System (TGMS1). EM-02 establishing network with EM-178. Connection confirmed.' - - - A young Coral was staring up at the moon during one very clear night. She had her chin resting against both her hands, elbows positioned on the windowsill in her dorm room. Her fellow roommates were either studying or sleeping, and she wanted one good long look at the stars before she retired for bed. They always had a soothing effect on her. But it was, coincidentally, on that night that she saw something most unusual in the night sky. Or, rather, she noticed something simply blink out of reality. She had been told that the Guiding Star was something that only Otome could see thanks to nanomachine injections. She was quite surprised then, when the blue star simply disappeared from its place underneath the large moon that hung overhead. She blinked. Eyes squinted to see if she just wasn't having vision troubles. Dammit, she didn't want to have to wear glasses. To make sure it wasn't just her, she tugged on the arm of her roommate and then pointed to the sky. Both were in awe. The Guiding Star was, quite simply, gone. - - - AN: Mainly just fighting. Sorry if it was a bit boring. I got a bit lost on this one. Not too happy with it. Huntsman spider is a reference to Nao's solo chapter in The Calm.
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