"Unity" Nao was fashionably late. She had no desire, after all, to go to that dump of a garage that Natsuki worked at during the day. The "HiME Rangers" had held a conference there after hours on more than one occasion to discuss various things. Kuga had a set of keys that opened up the work area of the building, and no one ever bothered them. The place was out of the way. And, Nao thought as she meandered towards the door, because it was disgusting. It smelt of gasoline, grime and sweat. Ignoring it as best she could, Nao opened the staff door next to the main garage vehicle doors, and found that things were as they usually were during such gatherings. The 'staff lounge' of the shabby little garage was a couple of couches and chairs situated next to a mini-fridge in the main work area. A pool of grease was next to the closest couch, and a disassembled motorcycle was not more than six feet away. Midori's truck, Natsuki's bike, and Shizuru's Jaguar were parked inside to avoid being seen by Searrs or the police. The building was dim, the early arrivals having only turned on one of the overhead lights. Nao inwardly groaned and externally gave a long face at the sight before her. She was not the last HiME to arrive. Yukino, Shiho, Akane and Yukariko were unaccounted for. The rest, however, were seated on the furniture or standing next to it. She didn't say anything at first, lurking after having silently entered the building, listening to their banter and preliminary discussions. After a minute, she slinked forward, and caught the attention of a one Tokiha Mai. The former unofficial leader of the HiME gave a small smile after hanging up a cellphone, and waved. "Good evening, Nao." "Did I miss cake and ice cream?" Nao asked, preferring to stand behind the couch that Midori, Mikoto and Akira sat on, as opposed to sitting down. Mikoto's eyes widened, and despite now being nineteen years of age, still looked very childlike. "We get cake?" "She was just kidding," Mai said with a small sigh, sitting in a chair facing the others and hoping that she wasn't obligated to make Mikoto a cake after getting her hopes up. "Maybe we should start. I don't think the others will arrive. Akane and Yukino might be tied up with their jobs, and the other two haven't called back yet." Natsuki sat in a chair that essentially placed her at the 'head' of the group, and Shizuru sat cross-legged on the right arm of the chair, staying dutifully at her love's side. Nao thought it made Shizuru look very much like Natsuki's bitch. She was quite tempted to say such a thing out loud, too, but decided against it as the biker began to take charge and get things underway. The brawler prepared to shut down her brain as a defense against what was sure to start the most idiotic of conversations. "We're here to discuss..." Natsuki began. "...the threat of Mordor." And, leave it to Midori to make a joke and end up being the only one laughing at it. Mai put a hand to her forehead and sighed over the interruption. "...what to do about Searrs," Natsuki at last concluded after giving the archaeologist a stare down. Midori was accepting enough of her defeat, and grabbed a beer from the fridge as Kuga continued. "I'd noticed a little more activity from them lately, but things had been relatively quiet for several months. Their down time must have had to do with finishing those... what were they?" "Otome," Shizuru supplied, looking down at the biker who was at a loss for words. She, for a split second, felt a little like Yukino. "Yes, Otome. They must be an offshoot of the project Alyssa was a part of, now that Searrs was able to look into the Carnival up close and gather more data. They said we weren't their enemy, and I doubt Searrs would waste the effort to kill off powerless HiME. Their goal is probably the same as what we always thought Searrs' was. To take us back for genetic study," Natsuki essentially 'briefed.' Akira shrugged. "Don't they already have genetic information from you?" "I was very young the last time I was around First District," Natsuki explained, but hoped to stay as ambiguous as possible. She still, after all that time, did not feel comfortable with opening up about her past. At least not to the group. "The powers hadn't really manifested. They might be looking for changes now that we're older, and especially now that we've had our abilities neutralized." "To perfect their little HiME freaks," Midori offered. "What was with them losing their armor and weird robes? I haven't seen a girl shed articles that fast since..." The rest waited. Midori just ended up smiling sheepishly. Nao, however, offered a conclusion. "...since Fujino and Kuga got carried away at last year's Christmas gathering?" "Right, that," Midori agreed, covering up whatever other story she had been thinking of. Shizuru smiled and gave a small shrug. "You complained about there not being enough entertainment with my lack of a television." "Shizuru!" Natsuki chastised, her face a delightful shade of red, all of which made Shizuru smile wider. Natsuki coughed and got back to the discussion. "That... Topaz woman stopped her assault earlier on today, too. Maybe they can only materialize for so long. I hadn't expected the robes to be a materialization, though." "Maybe they're trying to show us up," Shizuru said with a wink. Mai spoke up again. "So, do you think they accessed my laptop before we got there, and maybe used it as bait? You said they weren't even searching the car. Isn't that a little odd?" "Yeah, it is," Akira replied. "We need to switch our cell phones and email addresses first thing tomorrow. I'm pretty sure they were waiting for us. Maybe we should stay at motels for the night." "So, then we're also going to have to—" Mai began to say, but was cut off by the door opening. Or, more accurately, the door slamming against the wall as it was practically kicked open. It bounced against the wall, leaving a minor dent that Natsuki grimaced at. Her boss was not going to like that. A tall blonde woman in a police uniform marched through the door with an air of absolute authority, and trailing behind her was a young JSDF logistics officer and another, lower ranking officer, both looking fatigued. Whether that was from how late it was, or from their companion's behavior, the rest of the HiME didn't know. Suzushiro Haruka, a lieutenant in the Kyoto PD, stood there with an irritated expression, her arms crossed. "What the hell is the big idea, making all this extra work for me?" Haruka barked. "I get dragged out of bed by my captain to go help out with a gang war raging in the East side tunnel. The last thing Akane and I here had expected was to spot you people down there! Right, Akane?" "Well..." Sergeant Kurauchi Akane trailed off, not sure how to answer. A pair of tonfas were strapped to her belt, the best substitute for her Elements that she could find. She simply decided to go along with her angry boss. "Yes, Haruka." The blonde looked back, irritated. "I mean, yes, Lt. Suzushiro. My apologies," Akane bowed her head quickly, which seemed to be more than enough to make Haruka happy once again. She glanced at Yukino, who just held up a hand as a way of saying 'just let her go, she'll tire herself out soon.' "To see the delinquent, the cross dresser, the drunk, and the lesbian rapist storm through my barricade without a care in the world shot my blood pressure through the roof! I know we're all in hiding from those Searrs freaks, but you don't have to run over cops just to see how much gore will wrap around your tires! I was nearly speechless!" Nearly, Akane thought dryly, recalling the woman's mad tirade just after Midori's truck had cleared the area. Her virgin ears were going to be bleeding for weeks after hearing such foul language. "As former Student Council president, I would have hoped at least you would have had the sense not to be so reckless, Fujino!" Haruka reprimanded, marching up to her long time rival and thrusting a finger in her face. "I thought we were all trying to keep low profiles." Shizuru blinked once before giving Haruka the traditional almost-but-not-quite patronizing smile she had always reserved for her. "Ah, Haruka, I'm terribly sorry. But why were you continuing to block us when the other 'gang' was running away? Shouldn't you have been going after them?" Haruka's left eye twitched at such a comment. Was Fujino calling her incompetent again?! "Kaichou, you should not be so precocious about things when you didn't even see what we were up to!" "Pretentious," Yukino piped up, falling back into her traditional role. "That's what I said." "Haruka, you think I am precocious? I am most flattered. I had always thought you did not care for me," Shizuru taunted. She ignored Natsuki sighing in frustration next to her. Or maybe it was jealousy, Shizuru thought. Yes, it was that. Natsuki did not like it when Shizuru tormented other people. Such sweet torture was for Natsuki alone. But, Shizuru mused happily, Natsuki got several other forms of pleasurable torture that Haruka would never receive. Right, she was supposed to be focusing on something, wasn't she? Right. The Otome! "Dammit, Fujino, I don't have to take this. We aren't in school anym—" Haruka's ranting was cut off by her more demure companion. Yukino stepped forward and sat herself between Midori and Mikoto on the couch. "Haruka, please calm down. It's quite all right. We're interrupting the conversation. Everyone, I'm sorry we're late. Akane and Haruka were obviously delayed, and I just got off work a half an hour ago." "It's fine," Natsuki said. "We hadn't gotten very far. We were discussing the artificial HiME and their inability to materialize for more than a short while. Along with their motives, which we assume is to bring us in, as always." "I see." Yukino pushed up her glasses and typed a few things into a laptop she had brought with her. "I'm going to keep a record of everything observed. Just so we can put the pieces together as we go along. How many were there?" "Three," Akira said. "From what we know. Lapis, Onyx and Topaz." Yukino nodded. "They can materialize, but only for short bursts?" "Yeah," Nao said. "Then they turn into grade-A pussies." "They can materialize both weapons and armor," Natsuki said. "But I'm wondering how they do it. Alyssa could remotely activate her Child, but couldn't ever materialize a weapon. I figured that she could tap into the same energy we could. Which, as we know now, was the Obsidian Lord." "It's still around?" Mikoto asked, sitting up. "No more Carnivals! I'll rip it apart if it's behind this!" "But it was destroyed. We saw it. So was the HiME star," Midori countered. "Perhaps," Yukino began to venture, "Searrs developed some sort of battery pack that allows the wearer to materialize weaponry, but it only has a limited service time. What do you think, Shizuru?" "Possible, I suppose. Assuming Searrs found a way to replicate whatever the Obsidian Lord could do, or improved upon the project Alyssa was a part of." Shizuru leaned back against the chair, lost in thought. Mai interrupted, then. "Speaking of that, we should really try to find Miyu and Alyssa. They haven't called back yet. Does anyone know where to find them?" She only heard silenced until Yukino spoke up again. "No, I guess not. Just keep calling, perhaps? In the meantime, I'll see if I can't do some research into some kind of new device or new Searrs activity. I think we should all try to keep our eyes and ears out for Searrs and the Otome. Maybe if you can capture an Otome and pin her down, you can find the source of her power." "A good idea. We should all stay in the city and be on call for any kind of fight," Natsuki said. "What about Shiho and Yukariko?" "Shiho is at Kyoto University, and seems content there. She doesn't really speak to Tate or I much. She's probably still upset over the fact that we're dating. It naturally did not sit well with her," Mai explained. "I'll try talking to her and see if she can't help in some way." Natsuki nodded. But Akane piped up next to Haruka a second later. "I've tried calling Yukariko for months now, and I haven't gotten anything back. I know we're all a little busy, but I'm a little worried. Has anyone actually seen her?" Again, there was a long silence. Mai looked around. "No one?" "Haruka, Akane... since you're in law enforcement, maybe you can track her down for us," Natsuki requested, looking up to the pair. "When you aren't busy, of course. You'd have more resources to work with than the rest of us." "I'll do it," Akane said with a nod. Haruka sighed and tapped her fingers against her hips. "Fine, but if I get caught, it's on your head." "So! We're uniting again and reassembling the HiME Rangers to fight for justice!" Midori cheered, partially joking. A few others managed to laugh at the memories of a certain karaoke party that followed the original assembly. Nao sneered, pacing a bit behind the left couch. "Hardly. Searrs just needs its ass kicked." "For great justice," Midori added, grinning from ear to ear. "Which can easily be done independently," Nao countered. Teamwork was overrated. The last time they tried this, she lost an eye. And damn it all, she liked her eyes just where they were. Being half blind was not a pleasant experience, and she had no desire to repeat it. "Emails are good enough contact." "We can overpower them in groups." Midori seemed intent on continuing the second round of the teamwork vs. solo work battle that had raged during the Rangers' original assembly. "You know the stance. Just like last time." "Last time, we all killed each other. Or in Kuga's case, killed herself. Do you want to kill yourself, teacher?" Nao's words were, as always, laced with sarcasm. "I have more rope," Midori said. That shut her up. Natsuki stood up, not looking all too happy, perhaps because of Nao's verbal jab. "We're working as a team, and that is that. Like I said before, we should meet when there's a fight and stay ready for such an occasion in case we have to spring into action. Yukino and I will research Searrs. In the meantime, we'll see if we can't capture an Otome. Is that understood?" Everyone replied with either a nod or a similar affirmative answer. Except for a certain redhead. "Dammit, Kuga, when did you get to be the leader?" "When you let me," Natsuki countered. Mai looked away with a small sigh, focusing on the floor. Maybe it was for the best. "It's three in the morning," Shizuru informed. "We should go home and get some rest if we want to deal with any of this tomorrow." "Jesus, I have work in three hours," Midori groaned. She stumbled up from the couch and wobbled towards the garage doors. "I gotta go. Talk to you all later." Haruka marched after her, getting right in her face and then looking her up and down. "Teacher, are you really safe to drive? You were drinking alcohol. Let me test your blood alcohol level before you go." Midori put her palm against Haruka's face and shoved her out of the way. "Your breath smells like garlic." Haruka screeched as Midori meandered to the doors, opening them so that she could get her truck out. She climbed into the vehicle and started the engine up, giving everyone a wave after making sure no weapons had been left behind in the bed. With a wink, she shifted to reverse and backed out of the building, driving down the street that would take her back home. The others watched her go for a moment, then prepared to leave themselves. Work and school awaited most in just a few hours, after all. "I'll take everyone home who doesn't have their vehicle with them," Shizuru offered. She looked back to the biker and said, "You go ahead and head home. I'll meet you in a bit. Okay?" Natsuki nodded. "Fine, but hurry up." "I know, I know, you cannot fall asleep without something to snuggle wi—" Shizuru began to say, but a gloved hand clamped down over her mouth, shutting out the words. "S-Shizuru!" A string of giggles from nearby friends sprung up, and Natsuki once again turned a shade of red. Damn that woman! Natsuki marched to her bike and started it. "Everyone get out of here so I can lock up!" "Awfully bossy for someone who got held back two grades," Nao chided as she walked to the door. "Sorry, Shizuru, I don't need any rides from you tonight." "I am crushed," Shizuru replied in a similar tone, getting into her own car. Nao left, and the rest of the HiMEs followed, Shizuru acting as taxi for several. Natsuki was the last to go, glad for the moments of silence that followed. She pulled her bike out of the garage and locked up again after removing all evidence of their nightly visit. Everything settled, she got back on the bike and raced back home, avoiding all major roads in case the police or Searrs were still lurking about. Work in five hours. Lord almighty, those Otome needed a nice slap across the face for the fatigue she was going to feel in the morning. Maybe she should take a sick day. For that matter, maybe Shizuru should too. - - - They lived so far out in the woods that the only sounds to greet them in the morning were chirping birds and a babbling brook, rather than honking horns and police sirens. It was absolute bliss, even for the urban-centric Natsuki. She held a phone in her hands, and dialed a familiar number while her partner stirred next to her. "Hello? G'morning, Vic." Natsuki suppressed a groan as she attempted to, and failed to, ignore the lips and teeth clamped down on her collarbone. She slammed her hand down over the bottom half of the phone just long enough to take in a much needed sharp breath. "Yes, I'm not feeling very well." Now as hard as it was to believe, that was a lie. She felt very well right now. Too well for this particular phone call. She tried to bat Shizuru away as a hand slid up her thigh. "No, I don't have a hangover. I think I caught that flu Oda had. I'm sure I'll be fine in a day." She saw a certain someone mouth the word 'two' before the lips returned to the sensitive flesh of her neck, hands roaming up her stomach and towards her chest. Phone conversation needed to end now. Bad talkative boss. The urge to moan was almost too much to suppress. "Yes, sir, I will. I..." Her boss interrupted her again, and she bit her lips to stop any wayward noises from escaping her throat. She no longer tried to shoo Shizuru away for the moment, and instead found herself caressing the other woman's hair as the Kyoto woman continued with what she was doing. "Okay. Goodbye. Have a nice day." Sweet freedom. She found herself instantly pinned down on the bed the moment she hung up the phone, and finally released the moan she'd been holding back, surrendering herself to the crimson eyed brunette, at least for the moment. Both had only gotten about four hours of sleep before they each had to call in sick to work, which had technically been Natsuki's idea, but Shizuru was more adamant about it after the other jokingly mentioned it. Shizuru and Natsuki were 'sick' quite often, it seemed. But they had sick days to spare, and it was a waste to not use them! They'd be staying in bed all day, anyway. Close enough. And, after the bliss was over and all favors had been repaid in full, the two wandered back off into dreamland. It was still early, after all. They woke up again around eleven, or at least Natsuki did. It wasn't often that she was the first one awake, being such a heavy sleeper. But, she lie trapped in Shizuru's embrace, not willing to move lest she disturb the other woman. Natsuki took the time to look down at her lover's peaceful face, marveling at how beautiful she looked and how she was not worthy of having such a... Natsuki smacked Shizuru in the face. "Wake up." Shizuru brought her hand up to her cheek and made an annoyed grunt. "Ow! I do all these wonderful things to you and this is how you wake me? Ingrate. I've never been with a woman who had such a callous bedside manner." "What?" "I mean, you're the only one for me, my Natsuki." Natsuki grumbled and rolled onto her other side, facing away from the other female, ignoring any stray thoughts that would have made her jealous. Peering over the edge of the bed, she located most of her clothes, but it didn't really matter much. She gathered them up, slid out of bed, and tossed them in her basket of dirty clothes before walking off towards the shower, knowing full well Shizuru was watching her every move with a halfway amused expression. Shizuru restrained herself for several long minutes before she too made her way to the shower. So another hour passed before either of them decided that clothing was not simply optional, and both sat down to lunch, having slept through (kind of) breakfast. Shizuru made the pair sandwiches, well trained by that point to engorge the other one with far too much flavored mayonnaise, no matter how much it disgusted her. Honor thy fallen comrade well, Shizuru thought about herself in the third person, for she is completely and utterly whipped. After both had finished their meal, business took hold. "I'll run into town and get new phones," Natsuki said. "Do you want to come with me?" Shizuru was about to say something less than pleasant, given their day thusfar, but did not. Instead, she genuinely smiled and said, "When was the last time I declined a motorcycle trip?" "You mean, when was the last time you declined to cling to my waist and have an excuse for it?" "That too." Natsuki chuckled quietly, taking both their plates back into the kitchen and rising them. She paused before re-entering the living area where Shizuru still sat on her ankles, not quite sure how to bring up a particular subject. They both hadn't really talked about it for a long time, and it probably still wasn't a conversation Shizuru wanted to have. Never the less, it had to be done. So, Natsuki took a breath and walked back, sitting down beside her so close that their shoulders were almost touching. "Natsuki?" "Y-yes?" "Personal space," Shizuru said, looking down at her shoulder and Natsuki's. Probably not a usual comment of hers, but she had a bad feeling. This was indication of a serious talk. "Want to talk to you," Natsuki began to say. Damn. "I'm not deaf, I can hear you two feet away. Silly girl." Natsuki ignored her and brought the subject up before she lost the nerve. Not that she was a coward or anything. "I've been thinking that we should get an apartment in the city. In addition to this place. We have the money. It would be a lot easier, especially with Searrs' recent activity. If they were to attack now, we'd have to drive all the way back here to get our weapons, or drive all the way over there to assist. We're a ways out." Shizuru nodded but said nothing. "It'll be cheaper in terms of commuting," Natsuki offered. She tried to be uncharacteristically aggressive despite her still very shy and reclusive nature. "We could sleep in later too." "Ara, well that makes everything better," Shizuru joked. At least something had made her smile. She went quiet after that for several minutes, Natsuki staring at her, awaiting a response. "I... don't know. It sounds logical enough. I simply do not feel comfortable, even now. But if it is what Natsuki wants." Natsuki took a breath. "Sometimes, you simply have to face your fears. I've come to realize the world is actually quite forgiving. You're not the same person you were then, you know?" "Forgiving..." Shizuru repeated, but then trailed off, lost in thought. She turned to Natsuki and gave her what was obviously a forced smile on her part. "Why don't we buy a newspaper or an apartment listing while we're in town? We can look places over this evening." Natsuki nodded. "Very well. This will still be our main home, but it's best if we're close. Out here... I don't know, it's like racing into danger from the seclusion of the bat cave." Shizuru blinked. Sometimes it was hard for her to catch a few of Natsuki's references to media, having never been one for comic books while the biker had a small and secret collection hidden in their room. But due to much talking on Natsuki's part about the inner workings of tight wearing superheroes, she grasped the meaning of that particular reference. "Holy ambiguously gay duo, BatNat." Natsuki stared at her for a moment before breaking into a rare fit of laughter that only Shizuru seemed capable of generating. "What?!" "Saturday Night Live and the old Batman? Or did I miss something again?" Shizuru asked, hoping she hadn't referenced the wrong thing. It was all so difficult. She made an ass of herself half the time when it came to popular culture. She'd never really been one for television. Especially American television. Those people were too crazy. "Uh, no, you got it," Natsuki replied, her voice still full of mirth. Shizuru smiled in relief. Okay, so she wasn't laughing at her, just at the joke. Good. Natsuki stood up and moved towards the entrance of their home. "I'm going to go warm up the bike. Grab your coat and the spare helmet, and let's go." Shizuru obeyed, opening the closet while Natsuki went outside. She heard the distinct roar of the engine while she pulled on a well tailored jacket and removed the spare helmet Natsuki had stored on the top shelf. It was black and red, to match Natsuki's, bought not long after Shizuru's graduation. It had been her graduation present, actually. Natsuki's first attempt to bind Shizuru to her life, long before the biker had admitted to her own feelings. Because no matter how far Shizuru intended to run from society, she would still be obligated to be around Natsuki and the motorcycle. At least, that was the motivation behind the gift. It'd worked. She slid the helmet over her head and put the visor down, walking out of the house and climbing onto the back of the bike. The bitch seat, as Natsuki sometimes referred to it. It was the unofficial term used by bikers, apparently. Shizuru always huffed and insist that she drive if that were the case. Natsuki didn't seem intent on letting Shizuru be in charge of riding the motorcycle. The last time Natsuki let her was in high school and it hadn't been Shizuru's crowning moment. Nor had it been Natsuki's, swearing incessantly over the scratches that had resulted from... well, it wasn't important. No scratches on it now. Shizuru rested her hands on Natsuki's stomach, causing the other woman to involuntarily tense up, despite everything. Shizuru smiled at that. How... cute. "Ready when you are, darling." Natsuki twitched an eye at the term, but revved the engine and slowly pulled out of the bike's storage area. She always drove slower when Shizuru was with her. Not because Shizuru hated speed – far from it. She often egged Natsuki on to race other people, so unlike a responsible former kaichou. Natsuki just never felt comfortable, just in case she finally bit the dust thanks to some foolish accident. Shizuru was too pretty to have her face hit the asphalt at a hundred miles an hour. When they got onto the main highway, Natsuki picked up speed and gently smiled as Shizuru tightened her grip on her, lips hidden by the helmet. - - - Mai, as promised, walked down to Kyoto University that afternoon, running over a hundred different things to possibly say to the somewhat antisocial Shiho. The two hadn't been on good terms for a very long time, but for some reason it felt like it was the right thing to talk to her directly. One of the other HiMEs may not have had the same impact. Maybe Mai's direct involvement would properly display the severity of the situation the HiME Rangers were now in. She found her way to the dorms, where Akira probably was as well. Both started during the same year. So did Nao, but she had dropped out (or was rather kicked out) last term, which was none too surprising. Having vaguely known the dorm number in her head, she found her way to the proper door. And there she paused, looking at the outside of it, fixated on the number itself for several moments. She felt very... nervous, to put it simply. Even despite being the girl's elder. But, Mai summoned the courage and knocked on the door three times, holding her breath until it was opened. The door swung open, revealing a much older and mature Shiho, who now looked very much like a beautiful woman. Her hair was tied back in a braid, not in her stereotypical 'octopus head' style. Maybe she had gotten sick of Nao's taunting. Her expression was one of neutrality. There was neither hate nor any hint of welcoming in her eyes. A sociology textbook was in her hands, Shiho having obviously been studying before Mai's interruption. "Hello, Mai." "Good afternoon," Mai said politely. She looked down the hall to avert her gaze for a half second. A nervous habit. "I need to talk with you for a few minutes. Something happened last night." Shiho stepped to the side, allowing Mai to enter her dorm room. Her roommate was absent, apparently. Shiho absently picked up a few articles of clothing lying around and tossed them where they really belonged. Fearing that something had happened to her beloved 'onii-chan,' she allowed Mai to take a seat in a small chair. "Is everything all right? I'm sorry I didn't answer my phone last night. I had the ringer off. I was out." "We were attacked last night," Mai said simply. Shiho's eyes widened. "It was Searrs. They're onto us again. And..." "I can't change my identity again," Shiho interrupted, "I've been working too hard in school to lose everything now." Mai took a breath. "I know. We aren't... we're uniting together and going to fight back now. We've had enough. The HiME had a meeting last night. Shiho, they've engineered at least three fake HiME that can materialize weapons and even armor. They were the ones who attacked us. That's the reason we've reached a breaking point. We can't allow any more girls to suffer the same fate as Alyssa." Shiho tossed her textbook on her bed, making a disgruntled face. "So Midori must have thrown another karaoke party." "Not this time," Mai said with a smile, trying to embrace Shiho's attempt at being lighthearted. "But we'd like everyone to help out. This is probably going to be a final stand against Searrs. I know you're busy with school, and I'm honestly proud at the work you've done, being at the top of your class. Things just might be a little hectic for a while, and knowing we have another person watching out for us would be comforting." The younger woman was silent for a moment, pondering what exactly that would mean. "If you need a place to stay or money, then I guess I can help out. But what do you expect me to do in terms of fighting? My Element was a flute, for god sakes. Without my Child, I'm nothing. I don't even have any kind of fighting skills beyond basic self defense thanks to a required class." Mai laughed bitterly. Shiho didn't understand. "What?" Mai waved the comment off. "Just that I can understand that feeling – being useless without our powers. It's difficult to go from being someone who could destroy naval ships and scorch the earth to... a chef that is not capable of harming another person. I can't fight either." "Then what do you expect to do for the 'Rangers' with combat abilities?" Shiho asked. That was a very good question. She still hadn't yet got accustomed with her new role. She could not longer fight. She'd considered taking up martial arts or learning out to shoot a gun, but what was the point? Shizuru had been familiar with staves since a young age due to her upbringing. Natsuki had devoted her life to fighting after her accident. Akira was trained to fight since she could walk and had mastered almost all forms of combat, as had Mikoto. Nao was a child of the streets and while she lacked formal training, she had endless experience. Midori seemed more than familiar with her weapon as well. And Mai? Mai knew CPR and how to speak English. If they were drowning off the coast of Los Angeles, she'd be fine. Otherwise, Mai only stood in the shadow of the aggressive princesses. "I can't fight, but I know a little about medicine and healthcare. I can be there to give them moral support if things go downhill. I can give them a place to stay and food to eat," Mai began. "I can't charge into the battle with them, but there's more to a fight for liberation than the fighting itself. All of us have something to offer." Shiho stared at her for a moment before laughing slightly. "You make it sound like a revolutionary war. I think you've been hanging around Midori for too long. Her romantic notion of justice and freedom is rubbing off on you." Mai shrugged and attempted a smile. "Will you help, though? If not in fighting, then just in moral support." "Yeah," Shiho said, "I guess I will." "Thank you." Mai stood, straightening her coat. "Call me if you need anything, then." Mai nodded and moved towards the door. When she grabbed for the handle, she turned back to Shiho, who was watching her like a hawk. Mai was silent for a moment, wondering whether she should say it or not. She swallowed, her throat dry. "You should stop by the apartment sometime, Shiho. Tate misses you. I do too." The other redhead did not reply for a good long moment. "We'll see." "I'll see you around," Mai said in farewell. She exited the dorm room and shut the door behind her, releasing a long sigh. But at least she accomplished her goal. She looked back at the dorm room for a moment before walking down the hall and back out onto the street. She'd given Shiho quite a bit of time. Perhaps the bridge burnt between them was simply too great for any future friendship to be feasible. But Mai genuinely wished that the younger girl try. It was not only awkward for her and Mai, but for Tate as well, caught between the two of them on more than one occasion. But Shiho was, in some odd sense, like a sister she had become estranged to. And it had been that way for at least four years, starting from the time that Mai and Tate had formally started to court each other. Mai put a smile on her face, pushing the negative thoughts from her mind. Well! Lunch break was over. Time to get back to work. - - - A few hours later, in the late afternoon, Yukino was idly typing into her terminal in Kyoto's main military complex. It was always slow work. Perhaps she should have followed Haruka into law enforcement. They weren't busy either, but at least they did more than the military. Her tasks simply included observation of borders and shuffling around in-city troops. And because of that, her job was mainly sitting there and drinking coffee while occasionally sending emails to her superior officers. She sighed and sat back in her chair, looking at the large map of Japan on the far wall. Everything was nominal. "Hitome," someone addressed her by the fake name she'd used for the last year or so, "do you want anything from the vending machines?" It was one of the other logistics officers getting up from the oh so strenuous work. Smiling kindly, 'Hitome' shook her head. "No, but thank you for asking." The other woman left her seat and headed out into the hall while Yukino fought with her temptation to take a nap right there in her chair. She nearly did, her eyes closing for what she thought would be a blink but ended up with a prolonged journey towards slumber. Her terminal started to beep, but it took her a moment to realize just what the noise meant. But in a minute, she snapped to attention, her almost-nap over the second she saw the blinking light on the interface. She typed various commands and in half a second, a dozen windows of satellite and other video feeds were opened. Her eyes darted to each one. One of the outposts beyond Kyoto's city limits had activated a distress signal. She initially thought that in some unexpected turn of events that the remnants of the long since defeated DPRK had started some kind of guerilla operation. Instead, bringing up the outpost's video system, she saw a lone female armed with a bow and wearing a turquoise robe. A moment later, that video was killed, one of the energy arrows puncturing the camera as the woman returned to paying attention to the guards on duty. "Sir!" Yukino shouted, getting the commander's attention. "What is it, Lt. Ishiguro?" "Outpost 23-A is under attack by an unknown enemy! Camera systems are being destroyed. Looks like only one or two operatives," she informed, still rapidly typing into her terminal. Her commanding officer sprung up from his seat and looked to her screen. After a moment, he said, "Dispatch a regiment of Kyoto troops to deal with it. Now. Have regular police block off the road out there." "Yes, sir!" He returned to his own chair, watching feeds from there. Yukino put the orders into effect with two phone calls via her terminal – one to the base and another to Haruka. But, being discreet, she also made a third call, knowing Haruka would be too busy to deal with bringing in the 'real' reinforcements... - - - Next Episode: Army, Police and HiME scramble to reach the outpost before the Otome can flee. But what is that Otome after, and which group will be successful in getting to her? She dives into the JSDF database, but for what purpose? Episode 1.4: "Violation" coming soon! Notes: JSDF: Japanese Self-Defense Force(s) DPRK: Democratic People's Republic of Korea (in this case, remnant troops after a fictional Second Korean War) Ah, Kyoto Hunt. Bastard love child of Mai HiME, Mai Otome, and... Bubblegum Crisis. :P
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