The Altar of the Ikusahime - - - "The nature of the Ikusahime is to manipulate and abuse. In their quest to 'save the world' more than one has managed to sack villages and slay the innocent en mass. They are fueled less by the desire for good, and more by hate and rage in a mad dash to crush the spirit of not only their mutual enemies, but also each other. They take the person they love and sacrifice them in order to control those wretched gods. With such a nature, they are not to be trusted, no matter how innocent they seem." - Dammerung Otome Academy, first year textbook. - - - They flew in formation flight over the streets below, never rising above the skyline. That, the natives had warned, was almost always a fatal error. Snipers, the airborne 'dark gods,' and heavier artillery owned by the enemy almost always cut down an Otome flying too high, and they would, much like boastful Icarus, have their wings taken from them. Ashura had brought along a small group of Iolite Otome from Dammerung Academy, and they had taken point, showing them the way to the battle. Natsuki, Shizuru, Nao, and Mai flew in wedge formation behind them, Mikoto resting on Mai's back. Allies on the ground waved up at them as they passed by. "How long has this war been going on again?" Natsuki inquired over the GEMs, a bit too far behind to speak conventionally, especially with the roaring wind as they traveled. Ashura did not look back, keeping her eyes trained on the buildings and streets below in case any ambush parties should show up to ruin thing early. "It's more like a string of wars. There are calms in between. This current war has been going on for about forty years. The history of HiME and Otome warfare stems back centuries, however. The first major one was in the 28th century after the Otome first began to represent nations, replacing their armies. The HiME tried to assassinate them, which eventually turned into a war." Shizuru had been pondering the true motives behind the conflict since she first heard of it. It's a war of attrition then, is it not? For a conflict to go on so long, I wonder if they simply fight because they are raised to hate. In Natsuki's silence, she managed to speak up, hoping that she was not too bold. "And what reasoning would the old HiME have for assassinating these early Otome?" Ahead, Ashura frowned. They truly were clueless. Perhaps that was a good thing, the Column leader thought. "As I said earlier about the Last Ikusahime, they are creatures with natural blood lust. They are aggressive to a fault, and saw the Otome as rivals that needed to be crushed underfoot. The Otome efforts to maintain global peace failed because of the HiME, and it is because of them that the world grew to remember total, devastating conflict. Their desire to kill remains strong to this day, as you can see by the bodies of my allies below." Natural blood lust? Shizuru somehow doubted that. For mortal enemies, it was common to demonize one's foe. They were probably over exaggerating. She remained silent, however, and continued on. They traveled a mile or two before they managed to link up with someone on their side. An Otome in flight was racing up to meet them, falling in beside Ashura, turning back for a moment only to give a courteous nod towards their new guests. Her robe was sky blue, accentuated by streaks of white, her hair blonde like a wheat field. That must have been the Kyanite mentioned earlier, Shizuru thought, basing her assumption on the color of the woman's robe. "Kagutsuchi has withdrawn. Yafusa's on his way out, but taking his time. He might still be a threat," Sanada Eiko reported. "Yatagarasu and St. Vlas moved in and caught Emerald's squad in a pincer attack. They're two streets over. We have to hurry." "Understood. Lead the way," Ashura said with a nod. She pointed to Eiko and introduced her quickly to the Earl Otome. "This is the Kyanite, Eiko. She'll take point. Just follow along." The visiting Otome nodded and did as ordered. Ashura and this new Eiko woman banked hard to the right, their Iolites following behind as they changed streets. Natsuki and her team did the same, eventually heading down another, larger, road where they could spot another group of Y-Types engaged in combat with a giant black bird of some kind. It was flying a few feet off the ground, its dark talons ripping and tearing at anything in its path. There was no sign of the second god, however. Perhaps it had been forced to retreat. Natsuki could hear a melody on the wind, sounding very much like a flute. "What is that music?" Ashura responded quickly, materializing a large falcata sword in her hand, preparing for combat. "The HiME who controls Yatagarasu – her weapon is a flute. She controls the beast with songs from hell. Try not to listen, lest you succumb and fall into a trance. Vlas also attacks in such a fashion. Keep your wits about you and look after each other." As everyone raced in, Natsuki stopped herself short, landing on a balcony of some decrepit building. Her robe buried itself in the structure as she materialized her own weapon. She aimed the cannon as the others closed the distance, and fired one large shot straight at the beast's chest to give them cover. Yatagarasu flapped his mighty wings and avoided the blast, and Natsuki drew her attention to the HiME Heirs and their male militia counterparts fighting on the ground, firing at them as well. One was incinerated by the beam, the others scrambling out of the way, falling back to cover. First blood, she supposed coldly. The Iolite Otome immediately rushed in to meet the HiME Heirs head on, the two factions of non-elite soldiers clashing in the streets with their staves and sabers, respectively. The two domestic Columns intercepted Yatagarasu along with Mai, Shizuru and Nao. The bird attempted to strike Mai with its beak, but the redhead managed to evade by dropping down out of the way. She countered with a fireball, but in her haste to form it, it ended up too weak to have any effect. It burnt out upon impact. Mikoto hung on to her Otome for dear life as she dashed away before a sharp wing could slice them in two. "Firing on their right flank," Natsuki warned. She released another shot after her line of fire was clear, blasting away a large slab of metal and concrete that the enemy had been using for cover. It shattered and left those behind it with no where to hide, and the Iolites acted accordingly. They intercepted them and attempted to push them back. Natsuki continued with her additional fire support against the ground troops as the fight against Yatagarasu raged on. Shizuru's chain whips flew out, one wrapping around a talon. She pulled the giant bird down, but he shook himself free, avoiding a second follow up attack. Eiko, using her Kyanite GEM's Element, rushed in to try and make a hit as the bird hesitated slightly. Armed with twin Pata swords, she tried to spear one into the demon's side. He flapped a wing and tossed her like a rag doll. The blonde fell to the street below, scrambling to get to her feet and fend off the HiME Heirs around her. Ashura dropped beside her to give her support, cutting away at them with her falcata. Everything was lost in the chaos of battle. Dodging and weaving, attacking and withdrawing – it was all difficult to keep up with, a dance that even veterans never got quite used to. They were comfortable with the confusion. It was familiar. They'd dealt with it plenty of times before. They just trusted that they could rely on each other when the time came. A melody continued to play, floating above, sending the bird into a frenzy. The HiME. Just like the Schwarz Slave masters, Nao was sure that if the HiME could be killed, the Child would follow. Nao scooted around the edge of battle, airborne, her eyes scanning buildings and streets. Then, she saw her. She was sitting casually on a rooftop, legs crossed and hanging off the edge. Her fingers flew over the instrumental Element, her pale hair flowing in the breeze as that sad and almost wailing melody fueled her Child's behavior. Nao, her own Element at the ready, started for her. Sea green eyes snapped up and locked on her. The playing ceased long enough for the woman to call out her Child's name. "Yatagarasu!" A loud screech forced Nao to look down, seeing the demonic creature racing up at her. He lashed out with his beak, and Nao backed away as the HiME leapt down the building to head to another safe place where she could continue her concert. That melody continued while the dark crow lashed out at Nao once again. Natsuki fired to try and stop his assault but he avoided it. It never the less bought Nao some time, and she rocketed back at top speed. She hadn't intended to go quite that far, ending up on a different street. She landed on the ground, skidding her feet along the frozen asphalt as both Shizuru and Mai tangled with the bird demon. The sudden change in speed seemed to disorient her. She was used to that feeling from years of training, but it had never quite been that bad before. It was crippling! She found herself clinging to her head, feeling the world spinning around her as that flute melody continued to play. She sank to her knees, her legs giving out, and hit the ground, the world disappearing and fading into something new. - - - To try, judge and to sentence... let me see what your soul is made of. The words were light and barely audible, her mind straining to detect them. She focused on fleeting flashes of faint light as the world returned. It just wasn't the world she remembered being in. There was no fighting. The others had vanished. Hell, it didn't even look like Earth. It was... home. Before sin, before bloodshed, before everything. Nao almost wanted to cry. She ran through the familiar yard, rushing past the oak trees and the swing tied to one of the branches. She ran up the stone stairs that led up to the house. It was silent. Absolutely silent. She didn't hear the wind, her own footsteps, or the life around her. Dead silent. She didn't care. She was short. No longer did she stand the proud fourth Column, but existed only as a young child, a scruffy mop of red hair on her head. She ran through the back door and into the house interior. Everything was exactly as she remembered. All her toys left where she had always left them. All her books lined up on the shelf. Her backpack sat next to the stairs, left there from when she had gotten home from school. She continued on into the living room, raising her arms up as she saw a tall and slender figure walk through the house. The gentle redhead smiled at her kindly as Nao felt herself beaming. Mama! Her lips moved to speak that word, but she did not ever hear the sound leave her lips. Mama bent down and picked her up, lifting Nao into her arms and giving her a tight hug that could not be felt. Her senses were numb. She would have been frightened had it not been for the figure embracing her. Nao rested her head against Mama's shoulder, hugging her back. Nao had not seen Mama since cruel and overbearing Daddy sent the young child off to Garderobe. Nao reeled back as she realized that she was not hugging her able bodied and beautiful mother, but a cold and lifeless shell of a women who was lying in a hospital bed. Her eyes – eye?! - widened in shock and a hand flew up to her face, feeling a bandage over one of her green orbs, blinding that side of her vision. She released a scream, but that too was silent. A string of incoherent words in another language filled her mind, and she could not determine what they meant. Finally, at long last, one clear string pierced through. Interesting. Such... honest courage your soul displays beneath that rough exterior. Nao woke. At least, she thought she woke. She was back on the street, on Earth. There were no sounds of battle. All she heard was the sound of silence yet again. A dead world. A fake world. She wasn't awake yet, but... or was she? She was lying on the ground, her robe having de-materialized after having passing out. She trailed her eyes up to look around her, when she spotted something red. Her gaze became fixated on it, entranced by the rare sight. A spiderweb that was colored red, somehow, and stretched between two large pieces of broken concrete. A long legged and very large arachnid called it home. The spider, which would have cast paralyzing fear into anyone else, descended from the web and crawled forward. Nao reached out a hand to touch it, never having the same phobias as most people. She smiled slightly, feeling drugged and out of her mind, and brushed her fingers against the spider's legs. Come to momma, it's all right... she cooed, but again, the words never reached her ears. Her lips continued to move silently. The back of her mind warned her that things were not right, but the rest of her could not fight back. She extended her hand, hoping that the spider would crawl on so that she might bring it closer, but was taken back as she felt the first sensation since she entered the fake world. Pain. She snapped her hand back to her body, and stared down at her palm. It was bleeding, pierced by the spider's large fangs, leaving behind a wound that rapidly became red. Bright red. Venom? No, too bright. Nao. JulietJulietZhangJulietJulietYuukiJulietNaoJulietNaoNaoNao. Malicious laughter. Nao! - - - "Nao, dammit, move!" Mai screamed. Green eyes snapped back to attention and her body leapt back in shock as she was greeting with the sight of a large horse with glowing eyes. It howled in disapproval of her waking. Nao vaguely saw Mai streak down from the sky in a quick but controlled dive, and winced as the Otome slammed into her. The diving tackle sent them flying back several feet, and Nao's bare arm scraped along the rough asphalt below, tearing away some of the skin. She groaned in pain, and energy arrows sailed over them, narrowly missing. Had it not been for Mai, they would have hit her. Nao looked down. Her robe...? Gone, thanks to being knocked out. She felt burning on her hand. From the tackle and skid? But she landed on her arm. She held her right hand up, staring at the palm that had been bitten by the spider. She dropped her jaw slightly. It still hurt. It still hurt and the flesh was red, formed into a vague circle. A bite? But... it was a hallucination. She got to her feet, arm bleeding lightly. "Didn't have to be so rough," Nao complained. She tapped her GEM and summoned up her robe again. "Move!" Mai barked. The two dashed away from each other as another volley of energy arrows sailed through the air. They slammed into the building behind them, fired by a young woman armed with a bow. Nao narrowed her eyes. She'd seen that thing before. Instructor Steinburg had something so damn similar for an Element that it was disturbing and out of place. God, Earth was so fucked up. She dodged another shot and growled as the horse thing turned back to her. The glowing eyes. Had it been the thing that caught her in that... that... whatever it was? Mai shot forward and flung out a whirlwind of flame at the HiME with the bow, leaving Nao to deal with the thing that had sent her into that bad trip of a dream. She summoned her Element and charged forward, lashing out with her claws. They hit and scraped along the Child's body, but no marks were left. Tough guy, huh? The glowing eyes continued. Nao raised her arm to attack again, but faltered, caught and mesmerized by the gaze. Her charge fell short, and she moved from running to walking to simply stopping. Her will to fight was drained from her, mocking laughter echoing in her head. She stared opened mouthed at the creature before her as Mai continued to brawl with the HiME. The floating Otome managed to turn her head around again, cursing under her breath. "Nao! Wake up!" Mai yelled. Mikoto came running in from the other street, dropped off by Mai earlier. Armed with her staff, she swung out at the Child, but it did no good. "Mikoto, grab her!" The feral girl picked Nao up like a sack of laundry and sprinted out of harm's way as Mai charged up her weapons to release an onslaught of fire. The flames lashed out in every direction, enveloping everything in scorching heat. Both the horse god and the HiME controlling it were forced to rush out of arm's way, the Child transforming into something more bird like. When the fires had died out, the Child flew over head, forcing Mai to duck. The HiME leapt onto it, and the pair returned to the main battle, leaving the rest of them behind. Mai shot forward and planted both feet firmly on the ground next to Mikoto, who was still holding onto Nao, despite much protesting from the now fully aware Column member. Mai tapped Mikoto on the shoulder. "Put her down. Nao, are you all right?" "Yeah, I'm fine," she grumbled. "I don't know what the hell happened. Felt like I was on a bad trip or something. I just couldn't focus and saw nonsense... it was all because of that horse thing, I bet. Something about those eyes..." She was interrupted as a wolf howl tore through the air, Yafusa a great distance away but still within cannon range. His limping had stopped long enough for him to turn around for a final attack. Nao felt a single eye twitch, some nervous reaction, as she heard sounds of a chamber loading. She vaguely saw the beast's form in the far distance, his cannon aimed right for the building the main battle was taking place by. The one the others were next to. The one Natsuki was still standing on, taking shots at anyone she could. Nao snapped her head back and yelled into her GEM. "Scatter! Incoming artillery fire!" Mai instantly lurched forward as Mikoto jumped onto her, and then shot off with Nao into the sky as Yafusa fired a powerful charged shot from his cannon. The beam sliced through the ancient building, tearing it asunder. Nao couldn't see if anyone managed to get away. The top half of the structure buckled and crash, coming down in a plume of debris and dust. Metal scraps flew past her head, and she came to rest behind a long forsaken automobile left in the street, Mai dropping down next to her as the rumbling behind continued. When it began to settle, it only got worse. The Child with those mysterious, illusion producing eyes flapped its wings overhead, flying down at them like a dive bomber. They rushed forward again, on the run for now, sliding into buildings and down alleys to lose it. But the streets were lined with HiME soldiers and their militia loyalists. Nao, Mai and Mikoto were pushed further west, leaving the others behind, their fate unknown. - - - It was an empty subway tunnel laden with dust and broken concrete, and for the first quarter mile, it was desolate and barren. Little had changed since it was last used in the late 28th century, and Midori found herself absolutely enthralled with taking in every possible detail about the structure and design. She'd always loved history and ancient civilizations, none more interesting than the long forgotten Earth. She had released Gakutenou outside, and followed her militia escorts as they journeyed into the subterranean tunnel. They lead her around well placed booby traps, mines and other such devices, meant to prevent an enemy from entering the main part of the tunnel. She made mental note of their locations. No words were said between her and her escorts after they told her she would be meeting with a member or two of the Twelve, who would get her settled in. After a bit longer, they finally reached the first sign of life in the tunnel – a large group of sentries. Two heavy machine guns of some type were set up on either side of the tunnel, and an assortment of extensively armed personnel were in position behind them, guns trained on Midori's unknown and potentially dangerous figure. One of her escorts held up his hand to signal everything was all right. "Not a prisoner. Reinforcements. At ease, guys." "They only sent over one HiME?" One of the machine gunners asked incredulously, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "The Tokyo sept was promising at least a unit! Assholes." The leading escort looked over to Midori as they continued on, but she wisely chose to say nothing, not wanting to slip up so early. As the escorts took her farther into the tunnel, they came upon a large open area that was full of people. The tracks had long since been removed, and it looked far more like a bunker than anything else. A few open doorways and tunnels led further into the underground fortress. The main hall, however, was littered with various electronic screens which displayed either holographic tactical maps or real time video feeds from the city outside – the command center, perhaps. A great many people were armed to the teeth, and defensive emplacements littered the area, prepared to strike down any invader. Midori tensed ever so slightly. Okay, she may have gotten herself in over her head. Don't screw up, don't screw up... "Is that the replacement soldier Tina radioed in about?" A woman's voice asked in her native tongue. Had it not been for those few years in Zipang's language she had taken a while back, she would have likely missed most of the setence. Midori turned her head to the side and saw a beautiful, yet fatigued, woman descending a short flight of stone stairs. Her dark hair was pulled back and she was clothed in a fine red kimono with elaborate golden designs sewn onto the sleeves and front. She looked like a refined woman of Zipang, her face stern and all business. She didn't know what the proper cultural greeting would be, so she continued with silence, assuming that standoffish behavior would be better than giving herself away. She'd rather be considered rude than have a bullet through her head. "Yes, ma'am," the leading escort saluted, his body tensing up into stiff military form. "The return trip was enemy free, especially thanks to Gakutenou. The Otome are massing their forces to deal with our little diversion tactic. They didn't notice us." "I hope that's the case," she said softly. She bowed gently in Midori's direction, and the Aswad leader returned the gesture almost automatically. "Welcome to Kyoto-shi. My name is Akamatsu Minako, the mistress of Kagutsuchi. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." Midori was hesitant just long enough to draw upon her knowledge of the elder language. She tried to counter the introduction as best she could. "I am Midori al-Aswad. It's nice to meet you, ma'am." Minako rose one eyebrow in mild surprise. "Your surname is last. Are you not native to the Tokyo sept? I was informed that's where you were transferring in from." Midori's mind threw out a thousand different excuses as Minako's suspicions began to rise. She couldn't very well act like someone who had been in the region for years. She would just look awkward and out of place. So, hoping it did not sound rushed and inaccurate, she replied with a cover story. "I'm not a member of the Tokyo sept, no. I've lived alone for most of my life, running from the war. A few HiME gave me some food a few days ago, but fell under attack a bit later. I called on my guardian to defeat the Otome, and after that, they directed me here, saying I was special and should help." That was genius, right? Well, like something out of a corny fantasy novel, but just maybe... Minako was quiet for an agonizing moment, and Midori nearly buckled under her piercing gaze. The male soldiers were equally silent, waiting for their leader to give the okay. Their hands rested on their rifles, just in case. The mistress of Kagutsuchi managed a polite smile, however. "I see. Where did this take place?" She gulped. "A few miles outside of Tokyo." "What was the outcome of your battle with the Otome? Did the HiME survive the encounter?" Minako interrogated. She looked both genuinely interested and skeptically critical. "The two Otome were killed, and the HiME who gave me sustenance then fell back to the city to warn their comrades about the encounter. I was told to head here to meet with the Twelve." She held her breath after the words were uttered. "Then I am in debt to you for saving the lives of my soldiers," Minako said kindly. She extended a hand. "I'm stunned, however, that you possess the ability to summon a Child. You may say I am rightfully skeptical of such a claim. I will offer you food and shelter, but I want to see proof of the boast before hand. Please follow me." Minako swiftly turned, revealing that a golden and elegant dragon was sewn onto the back of her kimono, and began to head towards another open tunnel. Midori followed behind closely. The woman seemed to scream of leadership, and for that, Midori was grateful. She could see herself respecting such a person. Then again, they may have been dangerous to think. She was still technically, for now, the enemy. The carvings above the tunnel were in a language she could not read, but she did not want to ask any questions about it. The tunnel was dark, but almost immediately led into another wide and grand hall which looked like it was constructed some time after the rest of the structure she had seen thus far. The room was circular in nature, with twelve altars situated on the wall, spaced perfectly apart. Each had a different symbol painted onto it representing various animals. A dragon, a wolf, a hydra, and so forth. Various garments and conventional, non-Element, weapons rested on each one. Dull lamps lit the place just enough for her to see where she was going. Almost immediately after she had entered the room, two metal doors on the roof opened up, bathing the room in blinding white light from the skies above. Her eyes soon adjusted, then widened again. The room was high, perhaps fifty feet up, the ceiling level with the surface outside. From the open hangar like doors descended a metallic beast which soon transformed back into its standard state. It fell gracefully to the stone floor, and Midori was greeting with the crippled Yafusa, who knelt down to allow his HiME to dismount. The woman did so, hopping off and looking over to Minako with an inquisitive glance, her dark hair still pulled back tightly. "Who's this?" The Second asked. "Azumi, this is Midori. Midori, this is Azumi, the mistress of Yafusa," she introduced, then turned her attention back onto the Second. "You're just in time, actually. She's going to summon Gakutenou for us, assuming she can. One of the patrols picked her up inside the city." "I thought I heard something about that," Azumi said coolly. She placed her hand onto Yafusa's wounded muzzle and gently caressed him. "Thank you for your power, Yafusa. Rest." The wolf offered up some kind of grunt, and he vanished in a quick burst of icy blue. Azumi walked off to the side, behind Minako, and waited patiently. Minako gave Midori quick but precise instructions. "I simply want to see Gakutenou. This is the Room of the Ikusahime. We generally depart for battle from here, and use it to summon our Children. Simply call on him. Do not have him do anything else. Any aggression will be deal with by both Yafusa and Kagutsuchi, and I'd hate for you to lose your Key." Key? Midori nodded. "As you wish." Okay, she'd summoned him a thousand times before and without problem. She prayed that nothing horrible would happen. She held out her arm and focused her mind on the large wheeled guardian, her REM activating long enough for the beast to appear in a flash of light. Gakutenou rolled forward slightly, then stopped himself, awaiting further instructions, confused as to what he was doing there. People from the outside peered into the room, stunned and awed. Even the two elite HiME next to her were in disbelief. Azumi grunted in a 'well, what do you know' fashion, and Minako furrowed her brows in confusion. "You may release him," Minako instructed. Midori did so, and the guardian vanished as easily as he came. "That's certainly a mystery for one person to have dominion over the Child and another over the Element. The Twelve will ponder than in a bit. Until then, I'll get you registered here. Midori al-Aswad, was it?" "Yes," she replied, watching the First pull out a small electronic assistant and begin typing away using a holographic keyboard. "Place of birth?" Midori couldn't think of anything more original than, "Tokyo region." "State your age and date of birth, please," Minako continued. "The fourth of April. I'm seventeen years old," Midori stated proudly. Both Minako and Azumi looked up at her with doubting expressions. Midori smiled again before confirming. "Seventeen." The two HiME looked at each other and Minako reluctantly put in the data, along with the answers of any other generic questions. As Minako worked on that, Midori watched as Azumi moved over to the wolf altar and donned the blue kimono resting there before exiting the room and wandering off into the rest of the base. When Minako had finished, she placed a light hand on Midori's arm to gain her attention once again. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be staying." Midori once again found herself following Minako as she was led out of the Room of the Ikusahime, back into the main hall, and down another tunnel. She found herself in a cramped barracks, and Minako took her down to an empty room a ways down. She opened the door and Midori stepped inside long enough to examine it. Spartan and very basic, but she had dealt with far worse. She would not complain. She did, however, turn back to Minako for a different kind of conversation. "If you don't mind my asking, could you tell me a little bit about the HiME and your history? As I said, I spent most of my life wandering away from all of this. I just want to get up to speed before bravely laying down my life for the cause," she said, attempting a light joke with the latter half of her request. Minako twitched her lip up slightly, so she assumed it wasn't a total failure. Minako motioned to the cot, and Midori sat herself down. "I guess that's fair enough. Even on the off chance you're an Otome spy, however unlikely given your ability to summon, they already know all of this anyway. Let me know where to begin. What do you know of the HiME already?" Next to nothing. She fumbled with her words a bit. "Ah... that you can summon those beasts somehow, in addition to weapons, and that you've just been warring with the Otome for ages. I don't know why or for how long, or anything like that." Minako snorted out a laugh. "Well, that just leaves about everything. I'll give you a quick overview, then show you where we keep our library, where you can use the database to look up the non-classified information to supplement what I'm about to tell you. It will go into far more details than I can in a reasonable amount of time. How does that sound to you?" "Perfect." Midori was inwardly giddy at the thought of going over the ancient history of the entire planet. She pictured herself staying glued to the display for hours on end. "Very well," Minako agreed, and then began her introduction. "The HiME are able to materialize weapons out of photons, and summon those beast in the same way. We call them Children. At the dawn of humanity, humanity encountered a sentient extraterrestrial device they called the Obsidian Lord. He gave twelve women HiME powers and the ability to see a glowing red star that no other humans could see. He allowed them to rule as great queens for years, and it was a peaceful time. He then shocked them by stating that the star would crash into Earth unless one HiME ritually offered her body to the Obsidian Lord. The process that determined who would be that sacrifice was call the Carnival. In every Carnival, the twelve HiME battled to the death until only one stood. Then, three hundred years later, the process repeated after the Obsidian Lord gave twelve new girls, descendants of the original twelve, the same powers." Midori nodded once, taking in every bit of information. Extraterrestrial device? Perhaps Earth itself was a colony of a larger organization? Even though that was eons ago, she still managed to wonder whether or not Earl was under threat of the same thing. "So, every three hundred years, a Carnival was held. In the early 21st century, however, the Last Ikusahime were able to destroy the Obsidian Lord and put a stop to the cycle. They, along with their Keys, were resurrected. Keys are a HiMEs most important person, and the fuel for a HiME's powers. Without someone special in your heart, you can't summon your weapons. In any case, the Obsidian Lord was defeated, and they lost their powers after the final battle. After they saved the world from future torment, they were simply hunted down like game in a forest." "By whom?" Midori inquired. "An underground organization that had been striving to create artificial HiME in order to rule the world. Those artificial HiME are, as you might guess, the Otome," she explained. "They are injected with nanomachines that imitate HiME blood so that they can tap into an Emulator, a device that replicates the energy waves the Obsidian Lord put out. They can summon robes and Elements, as you no doubt witnessed." "But no Children?" "No." Minako crossed her arms. "The Children, actually, were used to make some of the more powerful GEMs. Schwarz, the organization behind the Otome's creation, drained the Children of their power after foricing their HiMEs to summon them one last time using an Emulator. That, of course, killed their Keys, and they soon followed. What a wonderful reward for saving the world, hm?" Midori flinched, but she didn't know why. "Okay, so.. what about the war?" "Primitive X-Type Otome were made just before the HiME were killed. The HiME managed to defeat them, and Schwarz saw their little pets needed more power. So they started research on the Y-Type Otome. They weren't ready for a few more centuries. The nations of Earth disbanded their armies and replaced their armed forces with one single Otome warrior. It stopped wars at first, but then a conflict broke out in South America, and total chaos soon followed. Those who had HiME blood eventually tried to stop them, but were branded enemies. After that, they were hunted down and killed." The First sighed a bit, but continued. "The Otome dystopia involved finding anyone with HiME blood and exterminating them for the good of the world. The height of that took place in the late 27th century. The surviving HiME rebelled again, and the first real war started. Ever since then, we've been fighting like cats and dogs. They still want to kill us all off because of our legacy and their skewed view of it." "I see," Midori said simply, afraid she would interrupt her train of thought. Minako smiled sadly. "Just after the Last Ikusahime were killed, an early prototype of Schwarz who had fought in the final Carnival said something that the rest of us all still hold dear. She said that man was never meant to engineer HiME powers, and that they should have remained extinct after the Carnival ended. I believe she said that just after her failed war against Schwarz. We just want that – to make powers that should have never been stay gone. The fake and artificial weapons they hold are sins against nature and have only bred more war than your mind can fathom." She held her breath, but released it a moment later. Midori had never liked the Otome, actually. She had been raised in a world where they were the elite and everyone else was nothing less than the scum of the planet. They were dogs of war, hired out like whores to royalty and noblemen. They held dominion over what technology from Earth remained, no matter who needed it. Her people had perished slowly and painfully because of their elitism. Despite having been recently forced to share some of it, they still kept most of it under wraps. For that, she had little sympathy for them. Even with the quick description, she felt more for the HiME than she probably should have. Once proud warriors fallen from grace and treated like animals. That was like Aswad, was it not? She huffed bitterly. Yes, she felt for them. "Thank you." "I'll show you to the library, then," Minako said, changing her tone to something a bit more upbeat. She waved to the door and Midori followed her into the hall, once again playing follow the leader. Minako paused, however, after seeing two more girls in those ornate HiME kimonos – one in a deep violet and another in green – arguing. The woman in green, who had a spider sewn onto her robe, pointed at the other and stated, "I know you must have taken it. Who else would have?" "I didn't do anything with it. Ask Mei Lin and leave me alone, I'm busy." The woman in purple, a hydra on the back, waved her demands off and resumed examining a giant red bardiche that looked too heavy for a standard mortal to use. "With what, staring at the pointy thing?" "I have to go outside and fight. You know, that thing we do to pull our weight around here, rather than watching video streams or sleeping?" The woman in purple said sarcastically. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Natasha, Reina, what's wrong this time?" the First inquired. "We have guests and you're supposed to be professional. Knock it off." "She stole my book." "I did not." "Shut up, the both of you," Minako demanded with a frustrated growl. "I'd introduce you to them, Midori, but perhaps it's best if we wait until they act their age." Midori smiled slightly as they walked by the bickering pair, thrilled just to see someone act human after so long. There had simply been far too much seriousness so far. She herself was quiet and reclusive, but damn, it was getting to be too much. The two fighting HiME watched Midori until she faded from view, following Minako into the library. There, she paused, staring at all the books and the computers that housed a wealth of information. "Do you approve?" Minako inquired. Midori almost gave herself a nosebleed. - - - Shizuru gently opened her eyes, and immediately gasped as she felt an almost blinding pain stemming from her head and upper body. Her ears began to register gunfire and the clashing of metal. She was without her Otome robe, simply in her uniform, and as she darted her eyes around, she could see that she was trapped beneath a decent amount of debris. She maintained her calm, knowing that getting herself in an emotional state would only make things worse. She calmly put a hand up to her face, examining it for wounds, as it stung quite badly. She withdrew her hand after feeling liquid on the side of her head, and saw blood. She looked down at her body, trapped under a metal beam and various other construction materials that surely weighed enough to have done her harm. Her arm didn't feel broken, at least. Now, what had happened? She'd been brawling with Yatagarasu, and then something had simply exploded behind her. The building had been hit by something? She thought she had heard Nao warn them about something, but couldn't recall what. She tilted her head up again. "Natsuki?" Silence. She let out a shaky breath. If the building had been hit, and Natsuki was situated on a balcony for sniping purposes, then... "Natsuki?" She reached up for her GEM, but she couldn't get her hand far enough over to reach that side of her head to activate it. She simply had to get up. She struggled against the weight of the fallen debris with just her human strength, and let out a small yelp as she only shifted the pile and made it worse. She lay flat, sizing up the situation. Surely, there was some way out. Shizuru paused. She heard something. A voice? "Natsuki?" "Viola!" "Nat--" No, that wasn't Natsuki. She stopped herself from continuing. The voice was gruff, but in a very different kind of way. "Haruka?" "Viola, I hear you. Say something else." "Haruka, I'm over here!" She called out, trying to wiggle her arm enough to where the other meister could potentially see it amongst the ruins. When did the contracted Otome leave the safety of the Dammerung base? They had been ordered to stay behind. She could see the blonde woman storm up from the other side of a different debris pile, her flail in hand. She dropped it for the moment, examining the objects that were lying on Shizuru and seeing just what she could move that would not hurt the other woman. "You really did it this time, Viola. Meister Armitage to the rescue again. Hang on." "Again? I don't recall a previous incident where you ever saved me," Shizuru countered, the rivalry still strong despite their unspoken willingness to save each other's backsides in the thick of battle. "Don't look a gift mule in the mouth." "Gift horse." Yukino, over the GEM line. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." With her impressive strength, Haruka easily lifted most of the fallen objects off of Shizuru and tossed them behind her as if they were nothing at all. She extended her hand and pulled Shizuru to her feet – slowly, to make sure she did not faint. The Archmeister stumbled slightly, but summoned her robe once again, regardless. "You okay?" "I think I will live," Shizuru replied, and then immediately began looking around for the others. "What happened? How long was I out?" "Building came down, I guess. I just got here a few minutes ago. I don't know anything other than that. Arika and I have been searching the area for the rest of you guys. Nao and Mai are fleeing from one of the monsters and will link up with us later." "Natsuki?" "Don't know yet." Haruka shrugged, and changed the subject before Shizuru could get too terribly distressed. "I'll come back as soon as I drop you with Yukino. She's got medical supplies and all that. You need to go get patched up." "After I..." "Nope, now." Haruka grabbed Shizuru and took to the skies, despite the Archmeister's protests. She flew a moderate distance away before landing within a different abandoned building, where Yukino sat. The young president came forward and immediately pulled out a few bandages and disinfectant. Haruka turned back around and said, "I'll be back. Gonna go look for the rest. Call me if you get in trouble and Viola can't handle it." Shizuru suppressed a return comment and allowed Yukino to begin treating her wound. It wasn't something that would scar, but it hurt none the less, and had been bleeding like hell. She let her eyes wander over the view outside, searching for any sign of her lover. She couldn't help but let out a quiet whisper. "I need to go back out there." She moved forward, determined to go find her, but Yukino pulled on her shoulder. "You can't! You're going to – hey!" Shizuru fell onto all fours as the light headed feeling only increased to the point where her legs gave out. Her limbs felt heavy, like they were weighed down by iron cuffs. Cold sweat lined her forehead. She began to breathe deeply to recover from the sensation, but it didn't seem to want to go away. She sank further, coming to rest on the ground, fighting for consciousness. Yukino turned her over onto her back and, taking off her presidential white coat, rested Shizuru's legs on the garment in hopes of putting enough blood back into her head to eliminate the problem. As Yukino tended to her, Shizuru simply struggled to stay awake. There were more pressing things to attend to. "Natsuki..."
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