Stardust A sense of shame made its full impact when Akira and Akane, after seeing the Children flee from Dammerung, returned to the HiME base. Mai watched as their faces contorted with grief as they were told what had happened. Shiho now stared back at them with lifeless eyes as she sat before the statue of Yatagarasu within the Altar of the Ikusahime. Flowers rested below the statues of Julia and Gakutenou, the fallen mistresses spared the pain of a lifeless, post-Separation existence. Akira turned her head to the side to hide her sorrow while Akane wept openly. And through it all, Mai began to hate herself. She was the strongest, was she not? She was the legend amongst the legends. She had won the Carnival and triumphed against the odds. The modern HiME sung songs about her deeds, however exaggerated they were. She must have looked pathetic now. In her time on Earth, she had not been able to save one comrade from defeat. She was too hesitant, too late, too slow. Why did it always take her so long to find her primal sense of aggression? She had the greatest power, but she was so hesitant to use it. She sickened herself. Had she just been a little less peaceful, she might have been able to do something. Mai watched silently as Mashiro, who had been nothing more than a naïve queen a few days ago, took charge of everything. It was in her nature to do so. As Kazahana she manipulated, and as Windbloom she commanded. She was comfortable in that role. Mashiro had no trouble facing the prospect of killing a friend for the sake of ultimate peace. Mai was both discouraged by and envious of that. "The Star might be in proper range by this evening," the Queen of Hell stated, hands on her hips like a true monarch. "If that is the case, then we will destroy it. There should be just enough of us left. It is likely that the Obsidian Lord will send Otome after us. I know you may love many of them, but you can't let your attachments get the better of you. It is far too late to be a victim of your emotions." Mashiro stared at her for a moment, and Mai turned her gaze to the floor. She could sense the other woman's disapproval. "At this point, you must hold nothing back. We must end what man has tried to recreate. Never forget that there is no demon in the shadows waiting to take your soul. Your enemy is a machine – a computer program gone rogue. It does not deserve your mercy. If you simply render Natsuki unconscious we should be able to get to the Obsidian Lord without the host body interfering." "And Alyssa-chan? Shizuru?" Akane tentatively asked. "Alyssa Searrs should not be alive. Do not complicate things. You can and you will destroy the Emulator. We attack Dammerung immediately after the Star is gone to prevent the Lord from using any more tricks. If Shizuru stands in your way, then stun or kill her. Losing Natsuki and Shizuru is nothing compared to the extinction of life on Earth. Keep your priorities straight. Remember that you are living proof that life continues after death. We'll all get another chance, but only if we ensure the survival of the whole." Akira nodded. "I understand." "Is Ann going to be able to use Yafusa in time? We'll need those plastic cartridges or whatever they are in order to blow up the Star." Akane was clearly uncomfortable with Mashiro's ideology, but was willing to try anything during the final act. Options were limited. "I will work with Ann. I'm familiar with all the HiME abilities, so I will teach her the basics of Yafusa's power. So long as she can get him to fire shots from his remaining cannon, we should be fine. Her body needed time to recovery from the HiME transfusion, but she is up and moving in the infirmary." Mashiro waited for further questions, but none came. Assuming they were done, she finished things. "Go get some rest and prepare for the battles at hand. You'll need all the energy you can get." Mikoto plopped herself down on the floor and looked up at Mai with a grin, despite all the ongoings. "Mai, I'm glad you're still safe! I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stay closer, but Nao-san had plans." "Yes, she certainly did." The monotone voice cause Mikoto's expression to change. Mai was depressed. "What is the matter, Mai? Are you scared?" "No." Mai turned to look at her long time friend and put a false smile onto her face in order to put Mikoto at ease. "No, Mikoto, I'm not scared. Please don't worry yourself." Mikoto didn't appear to be all that satisfied. "Mai definitely does not look fine." "Well, I'm not exactly the most chipper thing right now, given how everyone's killing each other and the world is ending!" Mai excused with a gentle laugh. She patted Mikoto on the head. "Now, really, just focus on what we have to do and stop worrying so much!" Deciding that she was not going to make any progress, Mikoto rested her chin against her hand and watched as Mashiro left the Altar. When the new 'leader' vanished, Akane and Akira came to Mai, apparently too hesitant to speak freely with Mashiro there. Akane appeared naturally distressed, and though Akira tried to maintain a poker face, she too was uncomfortable. Mai decided that if she wanted to be just as useful as her counterpart, now was the best time to start. She had to be their support in this time of crisis. "It's so insane. This all happened so fast. We went from post-war peacetime to the end of the world in about ten seconds flat," Akane lamented. "I barely remember the Carnival, but I can't believe Searrs or Schwarz, or whoever, just copied the Obsidian Lord in its entirety. What idiots." "But you know," Mai said, "this is probably the only real chance to put an end to Searrs' legacy. We couldn't do much last time because we had to keep our identities a secret from the rest of humanity and we had no real way of tracking a fully operational Searrs. Now everyone knows what we are, and we can just wipe out whatever Searrs technology is left." "Starting with that thing in the sky that turns moons into giant Pokeballs," Akira said dryly. "Are we all agreed that we'll do whatever it takes to win? Even if Shizuru or Natsuki have to die?" Akane squirmed a bit at the thought. "If we absolutely have to... but poor Alyssa." Mai smiled. "Mashiro's right, you know. There's always another lifetime waiting for us all. Hopefully free of renegade computers and monsters." - - - It was, without question, the hangover from hell. Ann was going to swear off alcohol if she made it out alive. HiME genetic modifications left a bad aftertaste. Her muscles felt stronger and her stamina increased tenfold, but she felt downright sick. Her head hurt. Her lower back burned. Her extremities felt like they were covered in a layer of ice. It was only in the last hour that she stopped being lightheaded and nauseous. She would have loved to suffer in private, as she did with regular hangovers, but the young queen of Windbloom had started to channel the spirit of a drill sergeant. Ann was forced to workwith all those impairments. "It is vital that you learn how to master the basics before we head into battle," Mashiro repeated. Her voice was soft but quite stern at the same time. Like a nagging mother. Azumi, though irritated at her loss of power, had come in to help Ann adjust. "You concentrate your photon generating power just below your open palms. A pair of pistols will form just below your hands." "It's like summoning your Otome Element. Just focus on a pair of small ice pistols. The same ones that Azumi used," Mashiro added. Guns. Why guns? Ann was familiar with guns, but they were not her specialty. That was Natsuki's forte. Yet, if her rambunctious kohai could switch from flail to falcata sword after the Topaz was disabled, then she could certainly put forth the same effort. She had to in order to honor Haruka's fighting spirit. It wouldn't have been proper, otherwise. She held out her hands and tried to focus on those stupid little guns that Azumi had used with wonderful precision. A dim glow generated in her palms as photons gathered. The HiME brand on her back began to burn with increased fervor. Gritting her teeth as she focused, Ann snapped her eyes open as the tension left her completely. She turned her gaze to her hands and saw two pistols hovering in mid air. She grabbed them before they could fall to the floor, and felt her body return to a relatively stable condition. Holding up both guns, she examined them with a scientific eye. Small and with no apparent method of reloading them. Ammunition was generated from her power, then? She heard that firearm Elements used by other Otome worked in a similar fashion. "Try to hit that bottle of rubbing alcohol on the table over there. Get used to the way they work," Azumi suggested, pointing to a small container of the aforementioned liquid. She had only ever fired a single gun at a time before. It was tempting to use her left hand to steady her regular gun arm, but that was now impossible. Instead, she tried to keep her arm as level as possible on its own. Aiming the right side gun at the bottle, she squeezed the trigger. With light contact, an ice shard fired from the barrel of the gun and slammed into the wall just beside the bottle. Ann frowned. Stupid things, they were faulty! Azumi frowned. "You're not even ten feet away." Ann fought the urge to tell her to do awful things to herself. Instead, she tried it again. This time, the ice shard penetrated the bottle itself, shattering the glass. Ann switched arms and aimed with the left, lining up the gun with a surgical tool resting on the other end of the table. She fired and smiled in satisfaction as both Mashiro and Azumi ducked for cover as the tool flew through the air after being flung off the table by a troublesome ice bullet. "Okay, enough!" Azumi yelled. "Dematerialize those things for a minute." Ann did so, but with minor disappointment. "Don't worry, dear, I would never think of deforming that pretty face of yours. I wouldn't be able to live with myself." "Try to punch me, Otome." "Punch you? I have no objections with doing things rough, but shouldn't we start slow? Perhaps put on some nice music and light a few candles?" Ann said, mildly surprised at the request. "Fine, I'll attack you. Block it." She wasn't kidding. Azumi, now with standard human reflexes after losing her power, threw a punch aimed towards Ann's stomach. Fearing that nausea would return if she were hit, Ann moved to defend herself. Everything felt different. She was faster. The incoming punch seemed slower than it normally would have. All her sense and reflexes were heightened. Ann grabbed the incoming arm and deflected it with surprising ease. She slammed her palm into Azumi's side and watched as she was pushed back several feet, Ann's strength now far superior. It felt like she was wearing a robe. "Your body has become enhanced. It's not quite at the same level of a Meister Otome. Perhaps a Coral or Pearl," Mashiro said. "But it's permanent, whether or not you have a power source. If the Emulator goes down, you should easily defeat an unarmed Otome." Well, it was a start. She was beginning to feel comfortable with it all, foreign though it felt. With further practice, she would be able to at least do something. If she was unable to successfully fight with the guns, a likely situation, she could always fall back on her martial arts skills. She had good marks at Garderobe for her various hand-to-hand fighting classes, and had used them extensively during her Otome career. Mashiro and Azumi both seemed pleased at her progress. Azumi began to move on. "The second phase of your basic training is..." Without warning, all the lights within the subterranean HiME base went out. Crashes and multiple swear words could be heard outside the infirmary. Everything was pitch black. Azumi expected the backup generator to kick on, but it did not. Was this an EMP attack sent by the Otome? But she hadn't even heard an explosion of any kind. She sighed in frustration, grabbing hold of the table in order to keep her bearings in the dark. "...to navigate in the dark. Great." Mashiro could be heard summoning her Element, and a moment later, the room was dimly lit by Maitreya's blue energy lines that ran along the blade. It didn't provide much illumination, no further than a foot or two, but it was better than nothing. It was something to follow. Another glow outside of the infirmary indicated that Mai was doing the same thing. One of her Spirals was lit up like a torch, giving the main room a source of light as she entered to see what was going on. "Well, that t-took me longer than expected, but I fi-finally did i-it." The distorted voice the came over the base's loudspeakers was clearly, without question, an electronically altered version of Natsuki's. Ann's group was frozen in place for a moment before Mashiro let out an angry sigh. Ann could see the faint red lights of the base's security cameras focus on one precise location – right where she and Mashiro were. Were they Natsuki's eyes in the dark? "Your security was quite impressive, but I'm afraid t-t-that it was still no m-a-atch for me. We machines know each other, you see. Part o-of the same worker's union." Somebody, it sounded like Minako, shouted out in the dark. "Get the backup generator online this instant! All security officers get our computers back!" The various displays and computer terminals came to life, their default screens replaced with a red Searrs emblem. The illumination from the displays lit the main room just enough to where people could see without having to rely on Mai's Element. Apparently, the OL did not approve of Minako's instructions. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." One of the defense turrets sprang to life and fired a shot. The bullet penetrated Minako's stomach and burst out the other side before slamming into the floor. The grand leader of the HiME fell into a pool of her own gathering blood and several grunts ran to her side. Mai, hoping to prevent the machine from doing any more damage, instantly reacted by flying up and hurling a stream of fire at it. The room was bathed in a warm glow as the machine burst into flames. Mai searched the room for any more of the devices, usually meant to keep out invading Otome. "A-a-as you can see, I am now everything here. Your whole base n-now belongs to me. I s-see everything and control e-everything." The OL paused as if considering something. The voice dipped to Reito's before turning back into Natsuki. "In my absence, the HiME gene pool has been a-allowed to run rampant. I'm afraid I must... correct that." "Azumi, how many of those gun turrets are littered around the base?" Mashiro quickly asked in a hushed voice. A defeated sigh. "...Lots." "What's the best way out of here?" Ann inquired. "We'll never make it out the main entrance. It's littered with them to act as primary defense against Otome. There are service tunnels beneath that. We could try those." "Everybody get out of here!" Mashiro shouted at the top of her lungs as gunshots echoed throughout the base. Screams could be heard in the distance. "Evacuate the building immediately! Use the service tunnels! Members of the Twelve, go get the defeated HiME from the Altar!" "I don't see why anyone listens to her." The voice now fell into Nagi's voice pattern as Mai and the others ran across the main hall to reach Mashiro. "S-she's mean. She's a bad person. She doesn't even care about any of you. She doesn't care about anything. All she cares about is be-eing better than everyone else." The remaining Ikusahime gathered together as 'Nagi' continued to rant and rave. Azumi took the lead, as she was most familiar with the base, and she led them to a southeast passage that branched off from the main hall. People were crowding the area in a desperate attempt to escape. Those who had illogically fled out the main entrance fell victim to the automated gun turrets that were strategically positioned along the path. Dull booms from guns and cannons could be heard even as the evacuees jumped into the service tunnels below the main entrance. It became a chore to run as a group. People shoved their way between them and divided the Ikusahime. Mikoto, shortest of the lot, disappeared under a wave of frantic HiME personnel. Mai used what space was available to float in the air and look for her companion as the whole crowd headed down the tunnel. "She betrayed and killed all her friends just so she could win the Carnival. You can't trust her. Broke a young man's heart for the sake of victory. S-she thinks you're nothing but pieces on a chessboard. So long as you do what she wants, she won't care if you drop d-d-dead when it's over." The emergency lights in the service tunnel blinked out of existence at the Obsidian Lord's digital command, and everyone was left in absolute darkness. Knowing that the crowd would need her guidance, and knowing that she could not find Mikoto in that situation, Mai shot ahead of everyone and lit her Elements. She became the beacon in the darkness, leading everyone along the path to what was hopefully freedom. Mai squinted her eyes to try and make out anything ahead of her, but found that it was too difficult. "You want her as a leader? She murdered f-f-five of her closest friends. Burned them alive. Watched them w-writhe on the ground in pain as the life drained out of them. She's just an evil woman. Stop listening to her and just get on with the Carnival. A-a-at least I don't lie about my intentions. She's probably just going to lead you into a death trap so that she can win for a second time." The doors at the end of the service tunnel slammed shut as Mai approached them, the locking mechanism going into effect. She dropped to the ground and tried to disengage it, but it was no use. Instead, she shot herself back several feet and charge a powerful shot with her Elements. Releasing the wave of fire, it slammed right into the metal security doors and burrowed into them. Mai gritted her teeth as she held the flame stream in place. When she finally lost most of her energy, she cut off the flow and stared at her handiwork. There was a massive hold in the door, the metal melted down and blasted out. The edges were still red hot. She could still feel the heat on her body. Back to Natsuki's voice, growing more infuriated. "It's not like any of you will be safe outside. I can infect any electronic system in Kyoto. My eyes will be everywhere and you will have nowhere to run. Because she's waiting for you. And I'll tell her exactly where to go to collect your heads. Do you apes hear me?!" Mai was the first to clear the security door and make it outside, leaving behind putrid smoke for crisp, fresh air. The service tunnel let out just below the main entrance, and the few gun turrets on the outermost edge of the main tunnel pivoted around to face her. It was only when Mashiro left that they seemed to properly activate. Mai dashed forward before they could fire and released a burst of fire to destroy them. Only one went up in flames, as she could no longer use her full power thanks to the feat she had just performed. Mashiro hurled the Maitreya blade like a large boomerang and watched as it flew through the air, slicing the other turret in two. She recalled it immediately, and it returned to her pale fist. The stood off to the side as the other Ikusahime left the service tunnel, each of them drifting to the side in order to regroup. The other evacuees fled into the forests surrounding the base, seeking cover in nature – a place that should have been the only area where a renegade computer could not reach them. They all paused when they heard a deep rumble from within the base. Turning to look at their former home, their jaws dropped as the central complex exploded. The force nearly threw them to the ground, and debris soon began to rain from the sky. Everyone covered their heads and cleared away from the area, all Diadem devices powering down. Azumi instantly knew what had happened. The Obsidian Lord had surely overloaded the HiME Emulator and destroyed it! That was the only explanation for the sudden loss of Diadem power. A solitary voice, growing ever more distorted in the wake of the explosion, was all that remained. "I'll kill you, Kazahana! Their Emulator is gone! I w-o-on't let any of them inte-r-feeere! Y-you're all mine now!" - - - "Onee-sama!" Shizuru accepted Tomoe's gracious hand as she stepped off one of Kiyohime's heads. The younger woman had remained exactly where Shizuru had told her to stay before the battle on Mount Hiei. Shizuru was pleased to see that Tomoe looked much more energetic and far healthier now. She had desperately needed time to rest, and it seemed to do wonders for her. Shizuru's own sore muscles were now complaining of the same issues, but she somehow doubted that she would ever get a chance to properly rest. Battling Yatagarasu, fighting Midori and Gakutenou, and then finally trying to evade Mai in the mountains. It had all taken a terrible toll on her body. Hoping to at least catch her breath, Shizuru daintily sat down on an old stone planter than had long since been devoid of any life. Tomoe quickly knelt down and grabbed hold of her canteen, then offered it to the other woman. Shizuru accepted it with a faint smile. "Thank you, Tomoe." "I'm glad you're not hurt, onee-sama," Tomoe said as the veteran warrior took several gulps of water. "Were you successful?" Shizuru brought the canteen away from her mouth for a moment, eyes unfocused, lost in thought. It took her a moment to respond. "Yes, I was." "I'm glad." Shizuru turned her eyes to Tomoe's smiling face and found her own lips locked in a frown. Of course she was glad, Shizuru thought to herself. She was tenacious and willing to defeat anyone who stood in her way. She never cared who she trampled on in her quest for power and glory. Whatever tenderness Tomoe had was often covered up by her arrogance and combative nature. Shizuru hated looking at her sometimes. At fifteen, she had been the same exact kind of heartless bitch. To be reminded of that was too much. It not only caused her heartache, but it allowed her to slip back into the same attitude. Shizuru shoved the canteen into Tomoe's hand without any of her trademark grace. "For someone who is so concerned with my well being, you would do well to be a little more observant." Tomoe was taken aback. "Pardon?" "Can't you see that every time I defeat one of them, a vital part of me is lost? For a moment, I was even taking sick pleasure in the battles! My success and their defeat is not something to be praised," Shizuru snapped, staring up at the other woman with fierce red eyes. Tomoe looked offended, but managed to control herself. Her words were delivered with forced calm. "I would rather you not die, onee-sama, so I will continue to praise your success, regardless of what you have against that." Shizuru sighed and turned her gaze to the clouds above, deliberately avoiding eye contact. Why couldn't this girl simply get it through her head? "Tomoe, I have tried to explain this several times. As much as I appreciate your assistance, I'm well aware that you're only doing it so that you might somehow win my heart. This will never happen, as it belongs to another. Things are becoming far too tense right now. As this is not your fight, you should simply find some kind of shelter and wait things out. You can return to Earl after all is said and done, regardless of who wins in the end." The green haired woman was silent for a breath or two as she continued to fight for emotional control. She spoke coolly, but anger was present behind her words. "I don't understand why you care for her so much. Natsuki never shows any indication that she even likes you, much less loves you. She only ever looks at you like you're one of her many soldiers. She never showers you with any kind of affections. She never does anything for you. She's a cold and emotionless bitch!" Saying something like that to Shizuru had always been, and would continue to be, a near death sentence. Tomoe was spared any form of physical pain because Shizuru hoped that Tomoe could somehow learn to become a proper human being. She was starting to feel as if that was a wasted wish. "Just because she does not shove her tongue into my mouth in public doesn't mean that she lacks affection in private. Natsuki has a bigger heart than most people ever will. Now stop being so stubborn and follow my suggestion. This is not your fight. Get out of here." Tomoe bent down and snatched up her glaive, her face locked in a snarl. "Fine. If you are so stupid to refuse my help when the odds are against you, then that's your business. An Otome came by ten minutes ago with a message from your overlord. She wants you back at Dammerung." There were tears in Tomoe's eyes as she marched away, her body language furious. Shizuru felt guilty for a fleeting second, but remembered that sometimes you had to be cruel in order to be kind. Now on her own once more, Shizuru turned her gaze to the old Imperial palace and reluctantly stood. Her legs ached as she strode back over to Kiyohime and climbed back onto the hydra, her purple kimono tattered and loosely hanging over her combat suit beneath it. As Kiyohime took her back to the heart of Kyoto, she could not help but mourn the fabric's poor condition even with the tragedy that had taken place that day. What a waste. - - - Harry materialized in the woods southwest of the hijacked base. When he was complete, he gave his mistress a gentle growl. Akane waved her arms in the direction of the Child like a pretty girl on a game show trying to show off the grand prize. "Ta da!" "It's as easy as that," Azumi said. "A metal tiger formed out of thin air. That's supposed to be 'easy?'" "It's the same process as summoning your Element, just put on a slightly larger scale. Use the same method to call Yafusa forth," Mashiro instructed. She seemed thoughtful for the moment. "You were forcefully introduced to him, however. Most HiME are bonded with their Child before the first summoning via an acceptance ritual. He may not initially be fond of you." Azumi snorted in amusement. "Yafusa is not fond of anyone. He's a cranky old son of a bitch thanks to his injuries." Ann held her hand up and began to concentrate on summoning the beast, but stopped herself before it could be done after a thought crossed her mind. "If he was Natsuki's old Child, will he obey me if I ask him to attack either her or her subordinates?" "She got into a fight with me when you all first arrived. Yafusa was hesitant at first, but was then more than willing to attack her. She shot him in the face, you see," Azumi recounted. "He's an aggressive brute, so that should be no problem. Now stop stalling and get to work." Ann suppressed a small laugh at Azumi's bossiness. What a dominatrix she must have been! She quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind before she completely lost herself in vulgar fantasy. There were more pressing matters at hand. She held her hand out and pictured both Natsuki and the wolf that was supposed to be Yafusa. She saw a vague outline form in front of her, just beside Harry. More focus made the translucent figure take a more solid shape. A lame back leg. An empty cannon slot. The wolf became more defined. Soon, the full robotic beast stood before her in all his wretched glory. He stood slightly lower than shoulder height, but somehow made it seem like he was looking down on Ann. Yafusa glared at her with his digital eyes and took a whiff of her scent, muzzle resting close to her face. He growled, but did not move to attack, which was probably all that could be hoped for. She tried not to feel any kind of fear, but couldn't help but find herself nervous in his presence. That sense of nervousness faded as Yafusa, like his fleshy counterpart, turned to Harry, the feline Child. After a low bark, the two began to run off, Yafusa chasing behind the tiger. "Hey! Hey, hey! Stop that!" Akane yelled, becoming the third member of their train as she sprinted after the both of them. Azumi began to chase after them as well. "Yafusa! No! Sit, sit! Bad dog!" Twenty minutes and one bruised knee (Akane) later, both Children were back under control. That catastrophe over, Azumi continued the lesson by going over all of Yafusa's abilities. Training session were had and with an imitation cry of "load silver cartridge," several trees were sacrificed for the sake of Child education. While it was clear that Yafusa no longer desired to be a slave of anyone, he seemed willing to work with the newly initiated Ann. Perhaps it was the lingering scent of Shizuru that made him docile. It was when Ann's training took her into a clearing that she was allowed to experience another of her 'abilities.' Her eyes drifted skyward and there she saw the HiME Star for the first time. It had nearly frightened her to see something so foreign in the sky. Larger than the moon and jet black with a ribbon of crimson, it made for a startling sight. So, Natsuki hadn't been kidding about the strange star in the sky! She would have apologized someday had Natsuki not reordered her genetic code. When she heard rustling coming from the far side of the clearing, she summoned an Element and leveled it at the noise's origin. With her finger on the trigger, Ann watched as the figure emerged from the other side of the woods. Glad that she was not one to fire prematurely, she moved the gun to the side after seeing that it was Arika Yumemiya dressed in her basic uniform. Even if she wanted to start a fight for the same of Dammerung and Natsuki, she would not stand a chance without an operational GEM. "Ann!" Arika greeted, a grin spreading over her face. It was quickly replaced with worry. "Have you seen Mashiro? It's very important! She broke off her contract!" Not quite sure whether or not Arika was still loyal to the Otome, Ann tried to gain a new ally by revealing Natsuki's treachery. "She's safe. I escorted her out of the city when Natsuki sent the Earth Columns to assassinate her." "Natsuki did what?!" Arika gasped. She jumped in place a few times. "Well, then you definitely have to tell me where she is! She's going to need my protection!" "But you don't have your G--" "Arika?" Both turned to see Mashiro appear from the woods, joining them in the clearing. For however cold she had become thanks to Kazahana, her attachment to her current friends remained. Even if she had to force herself, in a way, to remember those emotions. Arika blinked at the change that was now evident in the queen. She carried herself in a more mature fashion. Her voice was melancholy and less harsh than it had been. It was like meeting a different person. Arika tried to ignore it. Perhaps it was just because she was having a bad day! "There you are. Are you all right? Ann said that Natsuki sent people to kill you!" Arika ran over to her friend and looked her over to make sure that she wasn't injured. Mashiro waved the comments off. "I'm perfectly fine. Ann was a capable bodyguard. You'd better not go back to Dammerung, though. Who knows what Natsuki might do. When was the last time you were there?" "I left immediately after the contract was canceled." "Who's in charge of the defense team?" Ann asked. "Rosalie is." Arika laughed a little. "This is like an interrogation or something!" Mashiro sighed and put a hand to her head, disappointed in herself. "I'm sorry, Arika. That's not what we're trying to do. It's just that we're in a bad situation. We're trying to remedy that, though, so we need the information." Arika leaned in and poked her friend in the side. "What's the matter with you? You're acting like you're forty years old!" "I am not." "Are too." "I am... oh, nevermind!" Mashiro growled, throwing her arms up in frustration. That action seemed to please Arika, as it was more like Mashiro's recent incarnation. It was after that Mashiro lowered her arms that an urgent thought came over her. She became distressed. "Arika! Do you still have your GEM turned on?" "Well, yeah!" She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "If you put the contract back up, I would just know automatically that way. Why?" "Oh, just great." Now Ann had caught on. Her eyes turned skyward and she sighed in frustration. Mashiro practically pounced on her Otome, fingers nimbly removing the piece of combat jewelry from the girl's ear. Arika shouted in protest as Mashiro hurled the Blue Sky Sapphire off into the woods with a throw that would make any baseball player proud. Arika's wail died down after a few seconds, replaced with whining. It wasn't much of a trade. "Aw, Mashiro! Why did you do that?! It's going to be so hard to find, now!" "Kruger can track down GEMs using Dammerung's monitoring equipment," Mashiro explained. "She'll know we're here and send Shizuru after us. We have to get moving faster than I thought. The Star is probably close enough to destroy by now. I'm getting the others together. Ann, wait here. Arika, you help tend to the ill while I'm gone. It's hard to explain what's wrong with Yukino and the others. Just give them attention and care." "W-well, where are you going?" Arika stammered. "You can't just run off and have grand adventures without me! You're... you're spoiled and helpless! Like a rich baby!" "Not anymore!" Mashiro turned back, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance. She continued on her way, then, and the other two women followed her. When she reached the group of refugees that had gathered in that neck of the woods, she gathered there attention by clapping twice. "Listen up, everyone! It's highly likely that Natsuki now knows that we're here! I want everyone to hike two miles southeast of here, heading back up in the mountains. Find a safe place to stay. Azumi will command the group after Minako's unfortunate passing. I know she will be a competent leader. My friend Arika will help care for the injured and ill. The Ikusahime will be leaving to destroy the Star and defeat the resurrected Obsidian Lord. Please wish us luck." The crowd cheered them on as the Ikusahime gathered together, Mashiro in the center of the cluster. They huddled, almost as if they were going into a sporting event. The first thing to do was to create some kind of plan. Mashiro knew very little about the Guiding Star gone rogue. Aries had studied it the most after the war, and only limited information had been shared with Windbloom. "I don't know any technical information about the structure," Mashiro began. "I do know that it was built around the time of colonization and that it obviously has the power to allow for global materialization. It's a large machine, so it might be easier to break down than the real HiME Star was. We'll have to look for any weak spots. I don't know if it has any point defense mechanism, so stay safe and be prepared to evade. Ann, you just let Yafusa do all the work and don't worry about anything other than telling him where and what to fire." "Okay." "Are you all ready?" Mashiro asked. "After this, we head straight for Dammerung to finish things." They all nodded. Despite however tense the situation was, they could at least look forward to the fact that things were finally at the end. Even if some people fell before the final killing blow, it would be worth it. The Carnival of Man was a sin against all that was meant to happen. It was a human error fueled by greed and the lust for power. They could not afford to let the same thing happen again in another lifetime countless years in the future. They summoned their Children and climbed onto their backs, rising into the air and heading up, and up, and up, and up. Soon they looked like nothing more than shooting stars sailing through the sky. Arika, still uncomfortable with all that was happening and her lack of information regarding it, yelled after them in an effort to be supportive. "Do your best, Mashiro!" - - - It took several minutes to break through the atmosphere, at which point the Children surrounded them in a field that locked in breathable air. It took the Children approximately thirteen minutes to reach the vicinity of the Guiding Star. The massive device was a blinding red after being drawn so close to the planet, and if one stared at it for too long it would pain their eyes. It was a simple sphere, lacking the fancy design the original HiME star sported. They flew around it, searching for anything to attack. Vague memories of Hollywood trench runs echoed in most of their minds, but even that did not seem helpful. When Mai and Kagutsuchi reached the far side of the Star, soaring ahead of the others due to the dragon's impressive speed, she located a small abnormality, a circle of some kind, that she assumed was for space docking. Upon closer inspection, she found a door and a control panel, and decided that yes, it was surely some kind of docking mechanism so that technicians could come aboard. She briefly left Kagutsuchi in order to try and open the doors. The others watched from a distance, ready to act as guardians should anything go wrong. Mai approached the control panel and scanned through the default menu. It was all in old world German, and she had trouble reading it. The dialect that Windbloom and most of the other Earl nations spoke had changed from the original language after years of separation. It was all slightly different. Going off root words and pictures, she seemingly found the controls to the door. After pressing the button on the touch screen, she frowned. Dammit, it needed a password! Her eyes widened when she realized that a timer had gone off. Oh. Oh no. Was this bad? It must have wanted her to put in the password before the end of the countdown as a security device. Shit! She panicked and tried to find a cancel button. Löschen. Was that it? It was red. Red meant stop. She slammed her finger down on it as quickly as she could. The timer stopped. She sighed in relief. As she began to retreat, she saw that many red lights now appeared on another display right above that one. She tensed and watched as several doors opened and either guns or missiles poked out from within. Oh, crap. There must have been a 'code' for cancel that only Searrs employees of the day knew. Stupid, stupidFoundation. She briefly considered resurrecting all the old Searrs people just so that she could kill them with her bare hands. Kagutsuchi instinctively fetched his mistress, and she hung on as he rocketed away at almost breakneck speed. The other Children seemed to catch on and began to fly evasively as the defenses automatically chose targets. A cluster of missiles was launched at the dragon, and Kagutsuchi spun and twirled through space as quickly as he could, soaring out of harms way and destroying any unavoidable missiles with his breath. Guns turned on the slowest of the Children, the bulky Miroku. Most bullets were deflected by his thick outer shell. The Child brought up his spiked bat to shield Mikoto from fire as he tried to get out of the way. The swift Harry shot out of harm's way before Akane could even worry about being hit by stray fire, Yafusa following suit. Gennai and the beast Maitreya stayed out of range until an opening could present itself, neither wanting to risk an assault until some kind of logical action could be taken. Ann decided to flex her new muscle. She patted Yafusa on the back and pointed to the sealed door that refused to open for Mai. Imitating Natsuki in hopes that it would be familiar to the wolf, she shouted, "Yafusa! Load silver cartridge!" A cartridge was loaded into his single cannon's rotating chamber. He lined up according to her wishes and awaited confirmation. Just as a cluster of missiles prepared to fire on the stationary Child, Ann yelled out for him to fire. The silver cartridge shot through space and slammed into the door, large spears of ice ripping through the metal upon impact. When the ice vanished, a gaping hole remained in the tough outer armor. Gennai closed in and repeated the same kind of attack, bashing through the hull of the Star after a few strong hits. Both Yafusa and Gennai cleared away as the true powerhouses charged shots. The vulnerable internal workings now exposed thanks to punctures, Kagutsuchi and Miroku launched fireballs into the wounds. The blasts tore through the structure and caused the glow of the giant machine to flicker on and off, clearing doing some major damage. As the two Children charged again, Yafusa and Maitreya launched their own ranged attacks. A chrome cartridge and a lower powered flame shot caused additional damage. It was a second wave from Kagutsuchi and Miroku that put it all under. The star was not destroyed completely – that would have only been possible with all Children or heavier weapons. As time was limited, they could not destroy it completely. But with all the damage inflicted, it was damaged beyond repair. The bright glow vanished altogether as large hunks of metal began to float away from the structure. When the defenses ceased to fire, Mai closed in again to check the control panel. Dead. The internal core of the machine was exposed and melted down. Mashiro, satisfied with the destruction, signaled for them to return to the planet and head for Dammerung. The Obsidian Lord's last line of defense was gone. All surviving Ikusahime were free to attack the digital tyrant once and for all. They fell into an abstract formation and followed Mashiro back down through the atmosphere, falling down back towards Kyoto while wrapped in a blanket of fire. - - - - TGMS offline. Global materialization no longer operational. The Obsidian Lord had dealt with a wide variety of 'difficult' HiME over the many years it had been in charge of the Carnival. No single person had angered him quite like Kazahana Mashiro did. If the dark prince had to chose just one person to represent his supreme antagonist, it would be that lilac haired bitch. Even before her three hundred year learning process, she had been too intelligent and manipulative for her own good. He'd been proud of it for just a moment. His warrior queen. And then... oh, and then she turned on him. She was a filthy, treacherous snake. - EM-02: Establishing global link with EM-03 through EM-178. All Emulators connected to Kansai systems. - Global materialization operational. There. The Lord once again had access to a global materialization system. He didn't care to be dependent on just one Emulator. There was so much more to the world than the Kansai region. When this was over, his minions could travel to any location and manage to use their robes without troublesome reconfiguration. It was not as good as the TGMS was, but it was something. A crutch to be used in the absence of a leg. "That Nagasaki-born bitch is coming here to kill Alyssa," Natsuki said, referring to Mashiro. "I will find a way to get Alyssa out of there, when this is all finished. I will release Natsuki, as well. I will no longer need this bag of meat when the Carnival is over. Then you can all live as a happy family again. Will you help me defend that young girl, Shizuru?" "I have already said that I will. Do not make me repeat myself," Shizuru practically pleaded. Natsuki gave her what was supposed to be a calming smile and caressed Shizuru's cheek. Tracing the elder woman's jaw with her fingertips, Natsuki came to rest on Shizuru's chin. She lifted it up, so that she was facing her directly, and planted a gentle kiss on Shizuru's lips. The Mistress of Kiyohime turned away after Natsuki released her, unable to look her in the eyes. Natsuki frowned at that, but decided that Shizuru's full emotional slavery was not necessarily important. So long as she would fight, it would be fine. The possessed headmistress turned and walked back to her usual seat, and Shizuru quickly came to rest against her legs. While the Obsidian Lord's katana was present, a new weapon now found a home in Natsuki's hand. One of Kuga Natsuki's Desert Eagles. She had it recovered from the old Searrs facility where the original Natuski had perished. Memories told her exactly where it had fallen, and lo and behold, there it had been. She'd cleaned it and loaded it with freshly made ammunition. The black hand cannon was comfortable, and in a way, Natsuki herself seemed more docile with it there. The Obsidian Lord did not complain about that one little bit. As the Obsidian Lord patiently sat and waited for 'her' guests to arrive, it's direct connection to all electronic equipment reported in with an odd anomaly that should not have occurred. The Obsidian Lord did not will it. The Obsidian Lord had not even thought about it. -EM-03 through EM-178: Cores manually overloading. Detonation imminent. - EM-03 through EM-178: Emulator security doors sealed. Access to cores denied. - EM-02: Isolated from network. - Program 'OL-001' detected. Termination of processes b-- The Obsidian Lord blocked the attempt with great speed and efficiency. He prevented the information from reaching Natsuki's brain for fear of revolution, his fear likely to cause the woman to break free. One camera in the room panned over both the Emulator's inhabitant and the partially skinned but operational Miyu. The Yggdrasil unit's arm began to twitch, as if something was invading his control. Anger surged through his digital veins. That artificial little reject.
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