"The great Ojou-sama massed together those that remained in an attempt to free the Child, but the creators of the Otome did not allow her to claim victory. She fought and she warred, but Ojou-sama was pushed back. As she retreated, Yafusa's body was ripped apart and his spirit was drained, leaving behind only a crippled and violent shell of his once proud being. The noble wolf became a twisted beast as the screams of his HiME and Key echoed in the night, both bound to the torture he was to endure." -- 'Yafusa the Lame.' HiME Literary Archive. - - - Kyoto City Outskirts It happened so fast that she was left reeling. Haruka scooped up Yukino, Arika picked up Mashiro, somebody that she couldn't see got Midori or Akira, and everyone scattered away as fast as their robes' flight functions could carry them. Nao found herself inverted after accelerating too recklessly, her claw Element scraping along the ground as she sunk too low. The shot fired by that beast hit the spot where they had all been moments before, rubble and debris flying up and out in every direction. Nao got to her feet and pivoted back around with her weapon at the ready, not quite sure how to counter the attack but none the less determined to make an effort. Around her, the others were also coming to a halt. Haruka and Arika dropped their masters at what they thought were safe locations, telling them to stay low. Shizuru and Midori were close. The others were on the monster's far side, having taken off in the opposite direction. So was that a Slave? These HiME were degenerate Schwarz affiliates, perhaps? Nao skyrocketed up and out of the way as this Yafusa creature whipped around with a feral snarl, lashing out at her with his fangs. That, coupled with the shot he had fired moments before, attracted the attention of HiME and Otome alike. "Fire team, get back and help cover the Second!" A HiME shouted. At once, she and her cohorts withdrew from their current position to give assistance to their elite warrior, running towards the group with their saber Elements materialized. Seeing the approaching danger, Izumi and Naomi fled the fight with Kagutsuchi in the distance and raced towards them, already airborne. If Nao had planned to attack Yafusa directly, she didn't have the time. She dove back down to the ground to deal with those morons who thought they even stood a chance against her. Reeling her arm back, she swung her massive claw out against the closest one, knocking her back several feet. The brawler smirked in satisfaction. How pathetic. Haruka's flail tripped another, and Shizuru's chained weapon wrapped around a third, suffocating her until she was rendered unconscious. By the time Izumi and Naomi returned, however, Yafusa howled and turned again, jumping up after a hovering Arika Yumemiya. Her robe, locked in Zwei mode, took the brunt of the attack, but she was never the less tossed to the ground by a sharp metal paw. Stunned slightly by the attack, Arika didn't have time to get to her feet before Yafusa planted either of his front paws on both sides of her body, pinning her to the ground and showing off his giant metal fangs. In need of assistance, one of the airborne Columns summoned up their weapon. "Don't move, Arika," Natsuki warned over the GEM line. After all, one couldn't be terribly accurate with a massive piece of artillery. Arika wailed in protest, her instincts telling her to try and do the opposite with such a beast upon her. Natsuki's cannon materialized in her hands, and she pointed it down at the distracted wolf demon. Not a moment after she began to line up her shot, the creature turned around, staring at her with those blood red eyes. His blue and navy metal body, now caked with black from damage and filth, shook with what could only be described as rage as he spotted that weapon in her hands. Natsuki felt her spine quiver as an absolutely livid and pained screech left its mouth. Natsuki fired a chrome cartridge shot, but so did Yafusa. The two attacks met and nullified each other, and the wolf leapt into the air after her. Natsuki arched to the side, avoiding the pounce. The beast landed further away, already turning to try another shot. Yafusa fired, again separating the Columns and the other Otome. No one was hit, but the distance between them was growing. Only GEMs could be used to communicate. "The bunker entrance is approximately two miles to the west!" Izumi informed over her Iolite GEM. "Make a break for it. You all go first!" Arika and Haruka were the first to flee after grabbing their masters, taking precedence because of their obligation to defend. Arika headed down a street closer to Kagutsuchi's flaming form, while Haruka went in the opposite direction, racing between a few high rise buildings still largely intact. Akira slashed down one member of that HiME fire team with her traditional tanto dagger and vanished as well, her swift feet carrying her into the ruined structures across the way and shielding her from view. Midori followed, her blades in her hands. She'd yet to turn on her REM device, saving it for that last desperate moment, as it only had limited power. Yafusa let out a different kind of noise, more like a pleading bark. Further down, at an intersection swarmed with both Iolites and HiME Heirs, Kagutsuchi paused and turned around, staring them down. Great, both of them at once. Nao fled after running her weapon through another member of that HiME fire team, shooting off after Haruka. Shizuru and Natsuki, trapped on either side of the wolf, simply communicated with their eyes and body language, understanding each other perfectly. "Go that way and I'll meet up with you later," Shizuru conveyed. Natsuki nodded in agreement, and the pair took off. Shizuru followed Haruka. Natsuki headed in the direction Arika went, staying low between buildings as her robe jetted her along. Kagutsuchi screeched at her, and took off after the lot of them, flapping his massive wings. Yafusa flew, his body not capable of running. The chase was on! Izumi and Naomi both harassed the dragon until they thought they'd given them enough time to flee, dodging and encouraging his attacks until the others were clear. His talons tore at the sky, his flames bit through the freezing air. - - - Southeast Quarter Natsuki perched herself on the terrace of a one fine building, her eyes darting around to see if she couldn't locate any of the others. She had almost traveled two miles, but crouched down low to avoid being seen, the dragon above circling and trying to find targets. She remained absolutely still, hearing rumbles in the distance. A wonderful first day at work indeed. She was on the twentieth story of some building or another, that wolf beast prowling the street below. Natsuki watched it limp down and turn a corner, sniffing out something else. Once he had gone, and once Kagutsuchi above had left to patrol another area, she felt it safe to stand. The moment she did so, she felt a sharp pain in her leg. The distinct sound of a firearm followed a half second later, from her left. She leapt off the building, dropping down to the ground where she assessed the damage. Something had punctured her robe and hit her flesh. She roamed her hands over her leg, and pulled out whatever it was. An... ice shard? She darted her eyes around again, and then finally spotted movement. A figure wearing a combat suit dropped down from an opposing building, landing without pain or difficulty despite not being an Otome, clearly in possession of some kind of superhuman ability. She was a few years older than Natsuki, with dark hair tightly held back to prevent it from falling in her eyes. In her hands were two identical pistols. One was pointed right at her, the small silver and navy blue gun looking diminutive but clearly packing some kind of punch. She never even asked Natsuki to surrender. The headmistress whipped her cannon around to fire upon her, but the HiME fired twice, hitting her in the hand. The gauntlet protecting her blocked the shot, the ice bullet scraping along and leaving a noticeable impression of where it had been. The force, however, forced Natsuki's cannon up into the air as it was accidentally tossed back. Natsuki hissed, and then jetted back to where the artillery cannon came to rest. "Eject secondaries!" Two small weapons were flung up from the gun's underside compartment, and Natsuki caught them both expertly. She pivoted back around as the HiME fired again, dodging the shot and returning a volley of her own. The two small pistols now in her hands emitted rapid fire shots of highly concentrated plasma, the reddish pink beams striking out towards the foe. The HiME leapt out of the way, and the shots hit the building behind her, debris falling off as the high powered beams impacted, shaking the structure all together. The HiME leveled her guns, as did Natsuki. Both stared each other down, locked in one another's gun sights. Things grew still. An old western showdown in a post-apocalyptic city. The Second, as she was apparently referred to, was the first to speak, glaring at Natsuki from perhaps twenty feet away. "I don't know who the hell you are, but if you want to live to see another day, you'll deactivate your robe," she demanded. Natsuki tightened her grip on the plasma pistol. "The beams on these pistols travel faster than those pea shooter ice bullets. I don't think you're in any position to be giving me orders." The HiME merely smirked – a sinister and haughty kind of expression. What the hell was so funny? Natsuki's own glare became heated until she heard a crack behind her. She kept her guns trained on the Second, but whipped her head around just long enough to see a metal beast tear through the building behind her, plowing through its walls as if it was nothing. Yafusa's red eyes closed in on her as she began to move out of the way. She backed up so far that she rammed her back into the building on the opposite side of the street, the wolf mere inches from her face. He opened his mouth, baring fangs, but paused. Metal red eyes scanned Natsuki's face. "Yafusa! Attack!" The Second cried. Another moment of hesitation. She gritted her teeth in frustration. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Exterminate!" Her back itched. Heat flared up from it, spreading through her body. Natsuki paid it no mind. She couldn't let that moment of hesitation go to waste. Yafusa groaned, slightly different from the previous noises – more intrigued than anything else, perhaps even pleased. Mistaking it as hostility, Natsuki shot up vertically, giving herself a few feet of breathing room, and fired her right pistol straight at Yafusa's muzzle. The shot hit, leaving a burn mark behind on the metal surface of the beast. Yafusa scrambled back, whining and howling in pain that for some reason made Natsuki's chest tight, feeling as if she'd just kicked a pet right in the face. He roared in agony and rage, leveling his single cannon at her form. She darted away again, spraying shots down at the Second before she could fire with those ice pistole, darting away. She de-materialized both her artillery and her secondaries, traveling light. She adjusted her course, flying down narrow streets towards the west once again. Yafusa fired at her retreating form, missing thanks to Natsuki's quick evasion. He arched his wounded face up to the sky and let out a long and mournful howl. - - - Kyoto City, Northeast Quarter Midori al-Aswad was not having a very lovely day. She and that ninja from Zipang had started out fleeing alongside one another, but had gotten separated somehow during their dashes from hollowed out building to hollowed out building, not wanting to risk it on the streets with that dragon out and about. She and Akira didn't have the same privilege that the Otome did. They had to run the two miles without break. While she was making good time, they would surely be the last to arrive. She watched HiME Heirs make their way down the cracked sidewalk outside, searching desperately for her. Her wakizashi and katana were in either of her hands as she stood behind a desolate looking wall to stay out of sight. When they had gone, she moved, rushing forward and into the next building, trying to stay behind them and out of their line of sight. Across the street, she saw Akira leap from one building to another, taking the high ground. Well, at least she was still among the living. Midori came to a halt as someone shouted. "There's one!" Dammit. She spun around to her other side, a male scout having spotted her from afar. A few males, perhaps militia of some kind, accompanied by female HiME Heirs, began to charge at her. So where to? The street to her right, where the other HiME team was, or to the left, storming right into them. Midori smirked. Well, why not just wipe them out with one shot? She ran to the right street, and naturally, that other HiME team turned round to face her. They charged as well. With distance between the approaching enemies, perhaps thirty in total number, Midori spun around to face them, the jewel on her hand glowing as it charged up and activated. "Gakutenou." She smirked as everyone stopped dead in their tracks as the large wheeled Slave appeared in the distance and raced up to Midori's side like some roadster out of hell. She leapt on Gakuenou's back, holding her weapons at the ready. She pointed right towards the HiME and their supporters, and gave the command for him to charge. She held on as she went from zero to breakneck speed in a matter of moments, Gakutenou's large blade aimed right for the center of the group. Then, she furrowed her brows in confusion. She expected to certainly kick ass, but for this? Every HiME de-materialized their weaponry and held their hands up in surrender as the men laid down their own arms. She ordered Gakutenou to come to a halt and he did so. When the potential attack had been stopped, the HiME around her spoke in awe, somehow familiar with what was before them. "Is that Gakutenou? I knew the Twelfth was just an imposter!" "But the Twelfth can summon the pole-axe Element without difficulty, so how could the Element and Child be split between two people?" Another argued, Midori staring on in awe. What? The rest of them shushed that pair, thinking it rude for them to not even speak to the one who could summon the Child. A woman in her thirties, no doubt the leader of that particular force, gave Midori a polite bow and began to apologize. "I'm sorry, miss, we were unable to tell if you were with the Otome or the HiME. I couldn't recall your face. You must be a reinforcement from the Tokyo sept. Forgive us. I'll have a team escort you back to base, if you'd like." Midori paused. Now what was she supposed to do? If she said she had to go meet at the Otome clubhouse instead, she'd be mauled by the lot of them now that she had been surrounded. If she said yes, then she would be leaving the others behind. They would think her dead, perhaps. She sighed. She could always find a way back. If the enemy thought she was one of them, then she could gain valuable intelligence if they were a genuine threat – or determine whether or not the Otome were even justified in fighting with them. In hopes of seeing both sides of the war, Midori nodded. "Very well." The elder woman smiled a bit before turning to her comrades. "Tanaka, you and the scouting group take her back. We'll hang behind and clear up the area if any Otome stragglers are still around." "Yes, ma'am," the man said. He nodded to Midori and pointed down the street. "We'll take point. Please follow us back and we'll get you situated and introduced to the Twelve in no time." He began to walk, but Midori patted Gakutenou and smirked. "You guys can always hop on and make some decent time. This baby seats four, you know." - - - Kyoto City, Southeast Quarter Shizuru let out a shaky breath, the first and only sign of her losing composure in a fight. Her double katana was stretched out into its chain link form, and was wrapped around Kagutsuchi, who had caught up with her despite Izumi and Naomi's attempts to distract the dragon. He struggled against her weapon, which was holding him in place long enough for Nao, Izumi and Naomi to close in and attack. He was simply too powerful, however. He flapped his wings, pulling back, and despite Shizuru's grip, she felt her feet slide out from under her. She landed unceremoniously on her back, before realizing an error on her part. While she'd been holding Kagutsuchi so the others could attack, it had really been Kagutsuchi holding her so that something else could take her out. Yafusa, perched on top of some sort of structure, loaded a silver cartridge into the chamber of his weapon. A solitary female stood next to him, encouraging the attack. Shizuru widened her eyes and attempted to pull back, but her weapon was now caught around Kagutuschi's form, refusing to untangle. She stood up again and pulled with all her might. Nao was shouting something at her, but she couldn't hear. Knowing Nao it probably wasn't productive and more along the lines of 'what the hell are you doing, Viola?' Yafusa ducked, letting his cannon line up right with her body, ready to impale her with an array of ice shard. Something gray moved above, and she turned to look. By the time she had gazed up, she felt the object roughly grab hold of her stomach. She found herself suddenly airborne. "Fire!" the Second had commanded. Too late. It missed, the two women racing off out of harm's way. With Shizuru in her arms, Natsuki flew down and out of the way, getting clear of any potential follow up shots. The Amethyst Element vanished as Shizuru got out of range, ready to be called upon again later. Shizuru found herself smiling, her arms having found their way to Natsuki's neck. "Ara, it was about time you were good for something." "You're welcome. Now don't get too comfortable." Natsuki, once they were with a few feet of the ground, dropped her girlfriend down, who landed elegantly despite the sudden release. She gave Natsuki a wry smile and summoned her weapon once again. Arika was coming up from the south, armed with her sapphire weapon. Her trademark Bolt from the Blue sailed out towards Kagutsuchi, who narrowly missed. The explosion that followed took out the building behind the great Child, and he took to the skies to avoid being hurt. Likewise, Natsuki materialized her cannon once again and fired right under Yafusa, the cement structure giving way. He tumbled into the ancient subway track below, the stone and rock pinning him for the moment. "Now's your chance," Naomi shouted, and the group took off towards the west, following her lead. With Kagutsuchi on the evasive and Yafusa trapped, they seemed to be in the clear. They made the short sprint to the bunker entrance, which was located next to an ancient and ruined palace that still held quite a bit of beauty. They followed Naomi and Izumi underground, safe at last. Haruka and Yukino were already waiting (Haruka impatiently tapping her foot, of course). - - - Kyoto City, Southeast Quarter – One Mile Away Mai Tokiha was flying above the torn up skyline. The dragon was off in the distance, distracted by something, and she was fairly confident (as she had not seen otherwise) that the HiME could not take flight. Mikoto, clinging to her like a backpack, pointed out where the bunker was supposed to have been. She followed the instruction, not having anything else to go off of. She'd gotten separated from the others early on, and had entirely lost Izumi and Naomi. She began the gentle dive down towards the bunker, situated next to what Mikoto called the 'really old Kyoto Imperial Palace thing.' A human torch shot up from below however, blocking her path. Mai rapidly came to a stop, and was face to face with someone who... was essentially using her exact same weapons. The Kagutsuchi mistress stared her down, fire forming around the spirals over her limbs. Mai followed up with her own duplicate weapons, the GEM on her ear glowing red. The woman's eyes widened. "The Firestring Ruby?" There was an ancient legend passed down by the HiME Heirs about one of the first Column members, and how she had fought against the Last Ikusahime. She was a psychopath, a twisted replica of what the Queen of Heaven had once been, lost in her own insanity and obsession. The GEM itself, even if it had been upgraded to a Zeta variant, was considered tainted by HiME and Otome alike. Great, the First thought, I had to find the craziest Otome bitch of them all. She wasn't attack, which meant that Mai thought there was a chance to avoid some kind of fight. The woman merely stared at her. "I'm, ah... I'm Mai. This is Miko--" "HiME!" Mikoto shrieked, and pushed Mai's head out of the way long enough for her to swing her staff out at the woman, who ducked out of the way. Mikoto was part HiME herself, something she was actually quite ashamed of, but was ever loyal to Dammerung. Well, so much for peace. The First glared and ignited one of her weapons. Mai dropped down rapidly, Mikoto barely able to hang on, as this HiME woman released a plume of flame. Mai raced away and hid behind a building, the HiME giving chase. Mai went vertical, and was followed. They both arched up into the sky before Mai rapidly decelerated and halted. The First shot ahead and then began to twist around. She dove again, and Mai went horizontally forward, Mikoto yelping in shock, forcing the HiME to once again overshoot, her attack missing. Mai dove towards the ground, heading straight towards the frozen streets, and as she expected, her enemy followed her. So focused was this enemy that when Mai made an abrupt turn, pulling up just a few feet from the ground, that the HiME slammed into the asphalt and rolled to a stop. Mai smirked and gave Mikoto a thumbs up, glad she hung on for all that fancy flying. "I was the Otome top gun back in the day, you know." "Mikoto feels sick." Mai chuckled and offered an apology. She returned to a smoother kind of flight and headed towards the bunker near the palace, landing gracefully and letting Mikoto get onto her own feet. The pair rushed inside before anyone else could follow them, the First HiME just then recovering from her little spill. Damn that Ruby using showoff. No sense in sticking around. She took off back the other way, searching for other targets. The battle was winding down. - - - Imperial Palace Underground "Where's Midori?" Mashiro inquired after seeing Akira return without her. "Wasn't she with you?" The group had been escorted to an assembly hall of sorts, where they sat by themselves with only a few Iolite Otome on guard. Everything about the Otome's base of operations in Kyoto was cold and antiquated. It was freezing, pipes were leaking in various hallways, and what computer equipment they did have on display was busted up to the point of it not being worth the effort to use it. It was a dump, and perhaps proof that the war was so aggressive that they didn't have time to stop for repairs. Akira shrugged, still catching her breath from the two mile flight to the bunker. "We weren't really keeping track of each other. I lost her half way, and didn't hear from her after that. Most of the fighting was over by you guys. I'm sure she'll arrive eventually." "If not, we'll send a search group out to locate her," Natsuki essentially ordered. Midori was a competent fighter by anyone's standards, so she should have been fine. If she wasn't then Garderobe would no doubt be held responsible for her death and Aswad would break its treaty with Windbloom. She would give it an hour at most. "What were those Slaves, then? Do you think Schwarz is so old an organization that it started on Earth?" Nao asked. "The HiME are supposed to be cultists, right?" "That's something their mortal enemies say, so who knows," Natsuki replied. She looked down at her lower leg, which was being treated by Shizuru, who silently wrapped a bandage around the minor wound. "If they're cultists, I certainly didn't get that vibe from them. Just women with good aim." "You should try moving next time." "Thank you, Nao." "My pleasure." Mai waved her arm to signal for them to stop bickering before it truly got bad. "I don't know if they're Schwarz affiliated or not. Schwarz was cultist. These just looked like a slightly different breed of Otome, really. They didn't even seem to use gems to summon their Slaves, so I'm not sure. Something with the Twelve, though... did you notice their weaponry was different from the other HiME?" "You're very observant, miss," a voice behind her said. She turned to see a woman wearing a silver uniform calmly marching down the stairs. She was in the company of several regal looking officials, no doubt the leaders of the region. "Hello, my name is Ashura. I'm the Spiritual Quartz and the leader of the Five Columns. I want to apologize for the rough welcoming. We've been gradually losing ground here in Kyoto. The south half of the city has been lost and the HiME have been pushing forward all week. That was why we are so desperate for reinforcements." One of the diplomats, an elderly man with a bald head, got straight to business. "If Lalande is still settled, then the other colonies must be as well. What is the status on the Eridani and Altair gates? Can you get them fixed?" "An estimation is still underway, but they are likely to need total reconstruction or years of repair," this Ashura woman said. She tilted her head to their guests of honor. "Let's tend to them before we get ahead of ourselves, daimyo." Natsuki, taking up her traditional role as the leader of the group, took a few paces forward and gave them a quick bow. "I am Natsuki Kruger, the leader of the Garderobe Otome Academy on Earl and a member of our Five Columns. I've brought some of our political leaders along with several Otome to set up a potential alliance with you and the home planet." "I am the daimyo of the Kyoto region, Murayama Hiro. It is a pleasure to meet with you all," the leader said. "I am also sorry that things were hectic upon your arrival. Kyoto is more or less the center of the Eastern theater in this war. Both sides lay claim to it, you see. It's regarded as ancient and sacred ground." "I understand," Yukino said, stepping up to introduce herself. "My name is Yukino Chrysant. I'm the president of the Aries Republic, one of the nations on Earl. My Otome is Haruka Armitage, the Continental Topaz." "The Continental Topaz?" Ashura echoed in disbelief. So the original GEMs survived the trip to the colony world. "That GEM belonged to one of the original Five Columns over a thousand years ago. I'm amazed that it still exists." Haruka smirked and looked over to Shizuru in victory, a habit of hers if she ever thought (or on the off chance that she actually was) victorious or correct about something. The other woman didn't seem to care or even notice the non-verbal boast. Mashiro stepped forward next, still a bit overwhelmed with it all. She gave him a small curtsy and said, "My name is Mashiro blan de Windbloom, the queen of the Windbloom Kingdom. It's an honor to meet with you, sir." Arika kicked the back of her knee. "And this is my Otome guardian, Arika Yumemiya, the Blue Sky Sapphire" Mashiro replied, shooting the other girl a look rife with juvenile irritation. The young Meister smiled wide and took a few steps forward, grabbing the daimyo's hand and shaking it with great ferocity. "Nice to meet you!" She practically cheered. The daimyo, his attendants, and Ashura all looked quite frightened of such energy, but perhaps that kind of charisma would be needed in such a cynical world. Or it would just be annoying. Whichever. "Akira Okuzaki. I represent the nation of Zipang," she introduced, bowing humbly before him. "The rest of the Otome are volunteers. We're missing one diplomat, however. Midori al-Aswad has yet to arrive. We all got separated in the battle. She's skilled enough to fight on her own, but had to travel on foot like I did." "Hopefully she didn't stray too far to the south. That's where fighting is heaviest. Plenty of snipers and ambush teams hiding in the rubble. I'll see if I can't get some support to sweep the area for her. One moment." She tapped her GEM and began to speak over the communication line. "This is Ashura. Sanada, see if you can't sweep the southeast quarter one more time before coming in. We have a diplomat from Earth missing." "I'll keep my eye out for anyone, then. We've successfully pushed the HiME back a block, but another wave is on the way. The Kagutsuchi and Yafusa users are fleeing, but Yatagarasu and Saint Vrus are reported to be closing," Sanada Eiko replied over the line. Ashura sighed but thanked her, closing the connection. "That was Sanada Eiko, the Penitent Kyanite, another member of the Columns. She's on her way to give another look over the area where you came from, but reports that another wave of Heirs are on their way. I'm afraid I'll have to be leaving you shortly. The Columns will need my support. Your volunteers are free to either join me or remain here." "What exactly are the Twelve and the HiME Heirs, exactly?" Natsuki asked. "What separates the two from each other, and what can they do?" Ashura frowned. Had Izumi not informed them of that beforehand? How careless. "They are similar to the Otome in many respects. They are actually our forerunners, but were plagued by many problems – their nature is one of violence and tragedy. About ten thousand years ago, the first Ikusahime ruled the world and summarily sent their people to die in a global war. Every three hundred years after that, the cycle repeated until the Last Ikusahime destroyed the motivator behind the dance of death. There were always Twelve in those Carnivals. The Twelve you will see fighting our people are just like them. They control those dark gods and can summon unique weapons via an Emulator they stole from us. The Heirs, while having HiME blood, aren't special. They are like the Iolites – generic warriors who can summon a default weapon using the diadem devices on their arms." "So, it was just a battle royale, those Carnivals?" Nao asked. "How stupid." "Essentially," Ashura continued. "After they escaped that fate, the Last Ikusahime were so used to war that they simply started slaughtering the recently created Otome. The original Five Columns were defeated by them, though it seems you have those very GEMs, oddly enough. The HiME are simply corrupt and pledge their lives to murder, willingly sacrificing those close to them so they may gain power. That is why we fight." "Ashura, we're going to need some help out here. The two gods have closed in. They're attempting to retake the block," another Column, the Life Giving Emerald, stated over the line. "Meet us in the southeast quarter. See if you can find Bloodstone and get some Y-Types to support you." "I'm on my way," Ashura replied. She gave her guests a parting glance. "If you can, help." Everyone turned to Natsuki for leadership. Making a quick decision, she marched forward, Shizuru having taken care of patching the light wound up. Midori was still a priority, which meant that if they had to risk battle to recover her, so be it. "Haruka and Arika, you two stay here and watch over your masters and Akira. The rest of us will head out and give Dammerung support in hopes of retrieving Midori from the battle, should she be pinned down somewhere." Those who would be heading back out materialized their robes without hesitation and followed behind Ashura as she led them back up towards the surface through that rusted and decrepit base of operations. As they walked, Shizuru leaned in, "The wound will not hinder you, will it?" "I've fought while accidentally commando, I've fought with insults written on my forehead in permanent ink, and I've been used as bondage bait for more monsters than I care to remember," Natsuki said. "I think this is hardly the worst situation I've been in." - - - Next up is "The Alter of the Ikusahime" to look at the other side of things, and check up on Midori. To answer some quick questions: Renny-chan – No, the 'Twelve' are entirely different people. They just use the old HiME weapons/Children. Zelene – Since both Mai and Mashiro are Kagutsuchi users, only one of them will be getting him. As for Mashiro getting her powers back to some degree, its not out of the question. Whether the new Twelve or our resurrected HiME need diadems or not will be answered in future chapters. Although I don't remember if Midori had to use the REM or not to get Gakutenou in Otome.
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