AU where Ai is a cadet in the military academy and Rin is her commanding officer.

Before delving into this fic, let me first provide some context.

In this AU, Samezuka is a co-educational boarding military academy, meaning that it accepts both girls and boys. All students are considered cadets, although especially talented students are invited to join a special advanced officer's program to become officers in the military. The students who undergo this program become cadet officers, and as such are the commanding officers of the other cadets in the school. Think of it as some sort of student council, except that you don't get in by votation, but rather by skill, and that it is possible for you to drop out of it or get kicked out at any moment. It also gives you full authority over the other students, who are considered your subordinates. Because these students are in training to become officers in the military, they will also have similar responsibilities. For example, a cadet major will have the same responsibilities as a major in the military, but their area of authority is limited to the student body. Regular students who are not in the officer's program are expected to give their cadet commanding officers the same respect that they would give a CO in the actual military.

A similar echelon, or chain of command, is also in place. While Rin will hold the title of Cadet Captain in this fic, please note that "Captain" here does not hold the same weight as being the captain of the swim team. Being a Captain makes her a second class officer, just underneath the position of Cadet Major. While "Captain" is the highest field position you can get, it is still not an executive position, meaning that a Captain will still have a superior. The anti-fraternization rule is also held in place, which means that romantic/sexual officer-subordinate relations are strictly forbidden.

Cadet positions and actual military positions are still different in rank. Ergo, Cadet Captain =/= Captain. Think of it like, a high school student body president does not have the same authority as the president of a country. Because saying "Cadet Captain" all the time kinda ruins it for me, I will be using "C/" to denote Cadet positions. Also, you technically must not call a Cadet Captain simply, "Captain", but for the sake of this story, let's just say that you can, ok?

Students are expected to wear the General Office Uniform (this is slacks and a blouse) as daily wear, but Olive Drab Fatigues are used in training for cadets, while officers don Battle Dress Uniforms (this is the one with the camouflage pattern that everyone is familiar with). However, students are encouraged to dress casually once a week as practice for infiltration, wherein they may have to pose as ordinary civilians to access information. This one day per week is implemented so that students are able to switch onto "civilian mode" if the need arises.

While most real life cadets and soldiers sleep in communal barracks, let's just say that Samezuka is a really elite academy, and that cadets are assigned to two in a room while officers are assigned to their own rooms, mmkay?

Military service and training in this AU is entirely voluntary.

Sorry for the longass intro, but I feel like it was needed so that you would understand what's going on. Please note that while this is inspired by actual practices and policies in the military and their academies, it is not entirely accurate, as I have tweaked a few details to benefit the story.

Military slang and terms will be used in this story, and if you aren't able to pick up on them through context clues alone, a "glossary" will be provided at the end of this story.

"Right shoulder, port!"

"1, 2, 3, 4!"

The cadets shouted in unison as they swiftly brought up their rifles, snapping them into position to rest on their right shoulders. At the back of the flight, a small girl fumbled with her rifle, falling out of time with the rest of her comrades.

Ahead of her, a tall redhead decked in her battle dress uniform turned away from the flight, her heels clicking in place as she did so.

"Forward!"

At her cue, the flight began to move, marching in time with the drum that beat behind them.

"Left, left, left right left! Left! Left! Left, right left!"

Ai marched along, feeling the sweat gather at her brow underneath the blistering sun. Her feet screamed for reprieve, boiling underneath the steel of her boots.

"Left! Left! Left! Right! Left!"

The flight marched on behind their leader as an orange haired commander looked on from a podium. Golden eyes narrowed as he observed the cadence of his subordinates, not failing to notice how one element faltered in time, breaking the almost perfect unity of movement in the flight.

"Matsuoka!" he barked out, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your flight is not in cadence!"

Without failing in her step, Cadet Captain Matsuoka raised her voice to command her flight.

"Check your alignment, check your cadence!"

"Left, right, left, right, left right left!" , the cadets chanted back in unison.

"Right flank, march!"

The entire flight shifted in direction like a snake, curling sharply to their right. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Mikoshiba's voice boomed over the cadet's chants, expressing his dissatisfaction.

"You are still not in time!"

The redhead sighed as she commanded her flight once more.

"Change step, march!"

The flight followed, shifting their weight forward as they aligned their steps to each other.

On the podium, Seiijuro smiled. The flight finally moved in unison.

"Halt!"

As the sun began to set and the bell began to ring, Rin commanded her flight to stop, hearing the collective snap of their heels as they stood at attention.

"Right, face!"

The flight immediately turned sharply to the right, facing forward as Rin herself turned and took her position in front of the flight.

"Parade, rest!"

At her command, the cadets immediately stepped to the left, bringing their hands up quickly to rest at the smalls of their backs.

"Good work today, everyone." she stated loudly. "Our timing needs a little bit of work, but other than that, I suppose it's okay. However, it took more time than I expected for us to all follow cadence. Your Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Mikoshiba has called your attention to your cadence at least six times in the past hour. That means less improvement than I had hoped for for our unity. Before I dismiss you, everyone, drop!"

There was a collective groan from the cadets as they dropped to the ground, supporting their weight on their hands.

"Give me three weeks pushups! Move!"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" the cadets shouted out, some of them weaker than others from exhaustion.

"Mass command, cadence command!" cried one of the cadets.

"Commencing exercise! 3, 2, 1!"

The cadets began in the execution of their order as Rin looked on, her cheeks flushing as she took note of the small body in the back of the flight who struggled with the menial task.

Nitori Aiichirou. She was a delicate little thing, all pretty and cute in this world of hell.

"Matsuoka."

"Sir." The stern voice of her superior brought Rin back to reality, and she turned around quickly to face him as he looked at her with pursed lips.

"It seems as if Nitori is holding the flight back again."

Rin nodded sagely, sparing a glance once more at the girl whose arms shook with effort.

"Do something about it, Matsuoka, she's holding your flight back. You can only punish them for so long before they decide to throw a blanket party for her."

Rin nodded, shuddering as she did so. A blanket party was a practice wherein cadets and recruits who held the rest of the flight back were held down with blankets and beaten up by their comrades with bars of soap wrapped in towels. It was a far more cruel punishment than anything that any officer could give, as it symbolized betrayal among brothers and sisters.

"Sir, understood, sir."

"Unity is very important, Matsuoka. You of all people should know that."

"Sir, of course, sir."

Seijurou and Rin shared a moment of silence as they listened to the cadets count their movements in unison.

"Ma'am, your order to to perform three weeks pushups has been properly complied with, ma'am!"

Seijurou nodded as he heard the cadets finish their exercise, saluting to his subordinate as she saluted in return. Lowering his hand, he turned around and walked back to the headquarters, leaving Rin with her flight as she turned to dismiss them.

Tik tok, tik tok.

Cold droplets of water hit warmed, flushed skin as Aiichirou breathed out in contentment. Sighing, sheran her hands over her pale body, scrubbing out the sweat and dirt that seemed to have clogged itself into her very pores. The noise of chatter and laughter rose above the spray of the showerhead as she heard her comrades chatter amongst themselves. Aiichirou sighed, flicking back her silver hair as she ran her hands over her face.

She had pulled the team down today.

Again.

It was always like this. Be it in marching, physical training, shooting, or even the most basic of rifle commands, she always pulled the team down.

She was the weak link in the flight, the goat of Samezuka.

Shutting the showerhead, Ai grabbed her towel and made her way to the communal faucet where the mirrors were.

Looking at herself in the mirror, it was so painfully obvious to Ai just how out of place she was in Samezuka.

In a sea of sun-kissed bodies darkened by hours of training under the cruel rays of the sun, Ai's body stayed pale, a strange, luminous speck within the mass of people. Amidst bodies hardened by hours upon hours of rigorous training, Ai's body retained its curves, her face even retaining a bit of baby fat.

Even Ai's eyes did not match those of her comrades.

Her comrades had steely glares of determination, blazing with a fire to conquer.

Ai had the eyes of a lover, sparkling with raw hope and lust for life.

Ai was clearly not cut out to be a soldier.

What was she even doing here?

Dressing herself quickly, Ai did her best to ignore the thoughts that permeated into her mind.

Ai was weak.

Ai was useless.

Ai should just quit.

Ai wasn't meant for this.

Shaking her head in a desperate attempt to escape those thoughts, Ai sprinted out of the bathrooms, ignoring the confused looks of her comrades.

Weak. Useless. Dumb.

Quit. Quit. QUIT!

Ai continued to run aimlessly down the halls, pushing out the voices that made their way into her skull.

Quit!

Ai finally reached a dead end, and she leaned against the wall, panting as she did so. As she slid down to her knees, Ai grit her teeth as her fist made contact with the wall.

She wasn't going to quit.

Ai was strong. She could handle this.

And Ai...Ai wanted to fight.

She was not going to let down the team. She was not going to let down her country.

And if she was indeed the weak link in her class, then there was only one thing that she should do.

And with that, Ai made up her mind.

"Damn, how long was I out?" Rin groaned to herself as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, lifting her head from the table beneath her. She had another exam for strategy the next day, and she had accidentally fallen asleep at her desk again. Dragging herself out of her chair, she made her way over to her closet, pulling out a t shirt and a pair of shorts. Shrugging out of her uniform, she pulled the exercise clothes on, taking the pins out of her bun as her red hair fell out in a wavy ponytail. She dropped herself back on to her seat, tying on her running shoes with a yawn.

She had had enough sleep with that accidental nap, and there were training reports to be made and submitted the next day. Her brain was still all fuzzy, caught in that state between waking and sleeping. At times like these, there was only one thing she could do to wake herself up.

She could only run.

And, pushing herself off of the chair, she made her way out of the barracks, meeting the cool night air as she walked, fiddling with her earphones, before breaking into a slow jog.

Time passed, and she soon lost herself in the steady rhythm of her feet and the music, having accelarated to a full run. She had just rounded the third corner when she noticed that she was not alone. Just ahead of her, she noticed a flash of silver duck behind a building.

That was odd. Cadets were supposed to be asleep at this time. And, without missing a beat, she shifted her path to the building that the silver blur had hidden behind.

Ai crouched behind the wall, catching her breath from the run as she curled up within herself.

Damn, she had not expected any officers to be out at this time, much less the fearsome C/ Captain Matsuoka.

C/ Captain Matsuoka was both feared and revered among the cadets of Samezuka academy, and was even admired by some enlisted military personnel. She was known to be among the very best in the academy, with top marks in all her classes and an impressive physical record unrivaled by her fellow officers.

She was also exceptionally beautiful, with glossy red hair that fell past her shoulders and framed her face perfectly whenever she let it down. When she pulled her red hair up into her training bun, it only served to emphasize the sharp, seductive angles of her face.

"Well, I must say, you make for an absolutely shitty spy."

Ai looked up in shock, blue eyes widening as they met the cold red stare that looked disapprovingly down at her.

"Ma'am!" she rushed out, jumping to her feet at attention.

"At ease." Rin said with a casual wave of her hand, watching as Nitori immediately relaxed, shifting her weight on the balls of her feet.

"What the fuck are you even doing out so late? And man, you're as obvious as they get, shit."

"Ma'am, I...I...I wanted to get better, ma'am. Ma'am, I...I knew that...that..."

Rin huffed. "You're a fucking cadet at Samezuka. Stop stuttering, and tell me exactly what you were doing after lights out, cadet."

Ai cleared her throat as she took a deep breath and straightened up, looking past her commanding officer as she spoke.*

"Ma'am, I was trying to improve myself so as not to hold back the class, ma'am!"

Rin's eyes widened at Ai's words as a warm feeling of pride filled her chest. However, this was clearly against the rules. Plastering a stern look over her face, she replied.

"You are aware that this is in violation of curfew regulations, are you not, cadet?"

Ai shook slightly as she took in her superior's words. This was it. This was really and truly it. All she had just wanted was to improve herself, but now, she was likely to be punished for it. She closed her eyes, ready to receive her punishment. However, nothing could have prepared her for the next words she heard.

"If you're going to do extra training, do it with me. That way I know that you aren't doing anything sketchy. At the end of the day you are still my responsibility."

Ai's eyes widened at that, taking in the sight of the redhead plugging her earphones back in as she limbered up once more.

"Now, I'm going for a run. I want you to keep up with me as far as you can. Is that clear?"

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!"

And with a slight grin, Aiichirou took off on a run alongside her commanding officer.

*subordinates are typically not allowed to look their commanding officers in the eye.

GLOSSARY

Cadence: literally, this refers to the chant you sing/speak when marching together in time, but it has also come to refer to the way that the flight marches in unity.

Check your alignment, check your cadence: this is the command for the flight to attempt to fix their united cadence.

Parade rest: A rest position wherein the cadet stands with their feet shoulder width apart and with their hands clasped together at the small of their back, making their arms form some kind of diamond when observed from the front. This is one of the most recognizeable military poses, tbh.

One week (pushups): this is the term used for 10 repetitions of a certain exercise.

Blanket party: As stated, it's when a less than stellar recruit or cadet is beaten up by their comrades using bars of soap wrapped in towels while the victim is held back by a blanket. As one of the 5 points of military discipline is "the fault of one is the fault of all", the entire flight is punished for the mistake of one person. You can only imagine how fed up an entire flight would be if the same person kept messing up and getting them punished, especially since the punishments doled out aren't exactly a walk in the park. This practice is portrayed in the movie Fullmetal Jacket, in case anyone is curious to see how it goes down.

Goat: this is the term given to the cadet at the tail of the class (aka the worst student)

Enlisted military personnel: this isn't exactly a "term" that needs definition, but I feel like I need to clarify this. Students in this academy are cadets, they are still undergoing training to enlist in the actual military. Those who have graduated from the academy and are officially in the military roster are "enlisted military personnel".

Training bun: again, not exactly a "term" per se, but it may still cause confusion. Basically the standard hairstyle for females in the military is that of a neat bun with no stray hairs flying into your face. Kinda like a ballerina bun.

OKAY GUYS SO I FOUND THIS SITTING IN MY LAPTOP AFTER QUITE A LONG ASS TIME AND JUST NOW DECIDED TO PUBLISH IT.

IT ALSO CAME WITH THIS ABSOLUTELY HORRID AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END, WHICH I SHALL INCLUDE FOR POSTERITY'S SAKE.

Here it goes:

Hi guys, so this piece of shit is the result of my being an officer in the reserve corps and having a HUGE, IRRATIONAL crush on one of my cadets, and it also just so happens that officer-cadet relations are strictly forbidden, but do you know how fucking hard it is everytime I see her and just ugh, she's literally all I can think about, she makes me go crazy, but I know that even without the anti-fraternization rule in place, I'd still be too chicken to go after her.

I also found out last week that she's taken (by a guy, so not only is she taken, she's also STRAIGHT.), so expect an angstier version of this AU to come up soon. I can't even think about the fact that she's FUCKING TAKEN and FUCKING STRAIGHT without crying, and to add to that, I have to see her all the fucking time, and I just REALLY needed to make this trashy fluff fic to cheer myself up ok? Funny story, I actually got drunk the day I found out that she was taken and apparently started crying and repeating, "she's so beautiful...she's so fucking beautiful...I just want to give her the world...she's so beautiful...I love her so much...she's so beautiful...she's taken...she's so fucking beautiful...she's so fucking straight" over and over again while my commanding officer held me. Not to mention that crying is actually a thing I try not to do in public, especially since, well, nothing against people who cry a lot, but the way that I was raised enforced the idea that I had to always fight and couldn't show weakness, so crying IS a big deal for me cause that's something that I personally do not allow myself to do.

It doesn't help that my physical description of Ai here JUST SO HAPPENS to be close to my subordinate's physical appearance (I didn't even notice it until I was in the middle of writing and realized that hey, I could very well be describing her!), and that Rin's physical, emotional, and mental description is almost exactly like mine, (I already knew that from the start: the reason why I love Rin so much is because he is literally a genderbent me in anime form, except maybe I'm not exactly THAT beautiful as I make Rin to be, but we just...have more or less the same physique? So yeah.)

Man, she even has the same problem that Ai has in the beginning (she's hella sloppy), and I wish I could fix that personally, but ugh, that's like favoritism if I take her aside like what Rin did, man, and she's nowhere as hardworking as Ai is so...this whole fic is really just one big fantasy for me.

SO DO YOU NOT KNOW THE PAIN, I COULD VERY WELL BE WRITING ABOUT US, HER NAME IS EVEN SIMILAR TO AI'S AND I NEARLY WROTE HER NAME INSTEAD OF AI'S AT SOME PARTS, UGH I CANNOT EVEN.

If you read up to this part, thanks, it means a lot.

Also, for anyone out there who have actually been in the military and sense something off with the commands, please do understand that military practices and commands vary from country to country. I used the commands and practices that I am familiar with, but it may be different in your experience. English is also not my native language, so forgive me if some commands are slightly off, as I am not used to commanding in English.

Sooo...yeah...thanks for reading...excuse the quality and the rant, I needed this.

EDIT: After that cadet graduated, I lost all contact with her. I've moved on.

This fic was originally one very, VERY long oneshot, but I've decided to break it up into chapters and edit everything I've written in a white heat of angst and rage. Would you be interested in seeing the rest? Leave a comment if I should or should not continue it, as it is quite long and would require time to edit.