Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.
A/N: Hurrah I'm not dead! I realized I needed an outlet for my action mood and after a while I came up with this. Then it took me a while to outline it but hopefully because of that there won't be plot holes and inconsistencies. This isn't a Wolf's Rain crossover fic, but I did use some elements of it. One more thing! When it comes to their clothing please use suspension of disbelief and assume that they return intact.
Chapter 1: "Legend in the Making"
The moon hung towering in the midnight sky over a cursed city. It had not seen sun in years, not since humans began their research. A lone wolf moved through the streets, lightly stepping through puddles while following her target.
It's because of you… Natsuki thought to herself, watching a woman get into a luxurious car, It's because of you they died!
The navy-furred wolf watched as the vehicle sped up. Her resolve to kill sounded in her ears to the beating of her heart; pounding stronger as she picked up her pace. She followed her target through the streets, waiting for the moment to strike. Everything was going according to plan, from the turns to the street light timing. The car reached a lengthy strip of road that led up to a large skyscraper; in exactly two minutes it would pause at a red light. No one would be around.
The wolf darted out of the way of a light stream and increased her speed tenfold. She darted toward the lone building along the otherwise empty road and with impressive technique ran up the side. Upon reaching the rooftop, Natsuki walked to the edge that overlooked the street that the car would be on. Her emerald eyes peered over the awning and focused.
The car slowed to a stop and waited for the light to turn green again. The animal's claws dug into the surface as it dove off the roof at the car.
Natsuki leapt onto the hood of the car, denting it enough to break the engine. Steam hissed as it touched the rain, surrounding the figure of the snarling beast. She glared through the windshield at the screaming driver before throwing herself at the glass. In one blunt thrust of her shoulder, it shattered around them and the driver who was too frightened to move became victim to her fangs.
"What the hell is going on!?" yelled the blonde woman as she opened the panel separating the two sections of the car. She came face to face with Natsuki's blood dripping teeth.
"Shit!" The woman leaned back as fast as she could, barely dodging the snapping jaws. The only thing that caused Natsuki to miss was the fact that she could not stay balanced on the hood and lean forward enough. Instead she got a mouthful of seat cushion which she promptly spat out before turning her attention to the blonde who had now gotten out of the car.
The wolf jumped off the car at her target that stood there, appearing to be holding something though it could not be seen. Just as Natsuki was about to make fatal contact, a massive spiked club formed in the woman's hands. In a swift batting motion, the wolf was smacked away in mid air, causing her to tumble through the mud.
"Like that'll stop me!" she growled, standing up and ignoring her wounds.
"Come on then!" taunted the woman as she readied her weapon. On cue, Natsuki jumped at her again, this time aware of the weapon she was up against. She dug her teeth into the wood of the club, attempting in vain to snap it. Instead it allowed for the woman to pivot on her heel and let go of the bat, sending the wolf soaring through the air. Natsuki skid back through the dirt upon landing, all the while keeping focus on her foe. As expected, the club she had bitten into had vanished from around her, while a repaired version of the weapon had materialized in the woman's hands.
If only she hadn't stayed still for that moment. If she had not stopped, none of it would have happened. A frightened voice of warning cried out.
"NATSUKI!"
Shizuru? Three loud shots were fired. The fighting came to a sudden halt as the wolf toppled over onto the road, blood seeping out of her lungs. Natsuki's vision began to blur, trying to see was making her dizzy so she closed her eyes and listened.
"Now now Suzushiro-san, you shouldn't play around like that. If I hadn't intervened she could have killed you."
A man…?
"Oh shut it! I was doing fine!"
"If you insist," said the man as he leapt off the rooftop, sniper rifle resting on his shoulder for a second before disappearing into thin air, "Let me clean up this mess, you can take my car."
The blonde huffed and walked away, leaving the wolf alone with the man who approached her. He crouched down by Natsuki and placed a palm on her wounds.
"Immortal until slain right?" he mused, feeling the resonating aura around the creature slowly fade. "Spirit particles… We can only manipulate it, you are it. Is that where your arrogance comes from, wolf?"
"My arrogance?!" snapped Natsuki, though too weak to act, "We never did anything to you! You started this when you began overusing spirit particles for your own selfishness! That's what killed so many of us so of course we're going to fight back!"
"That's not how the people see it."
"Because they are sheep! They always follow what they're told!"
The man silently retracted his hand and washed it in a puddle of rainwater.
"Next time! I won't fail!" snarled Natsuki, earning a chuckle from her foe.
"You think there will be a next time?" he smirked as a pistol materialized in his hand, taking the spirit particles directly from the wolf's aura, causing her to wince in pain, and he took aim at her head.
The animal's glowing emerald eyes stared fiercely down the barrel of the gun, "…I'm sure of it!"
"So confident, even as you die," the man lifted his arm resting his elbow on his knee with the gun pointing up, "You don't have to you know, I have a proposition for you."
"I don't wanna hear anything from you!"
"Tch." The man turned on a dime and fired into the darkness surrounding the lone building. A painful yelp echoed through Natsuki's head. "So you'd take her in death with you?"
At the snap of his fingers, a guard dragged out a sandy-furred wolf by the heels.
"Shizuru!" with a rush of adrenaline, Natsuki leapt up and sunk her fangs into the man's extended arm. Even as blood spurted from the limb, he still was able to hold up the dead weight and toss the navy-wolf away to lie next to her unconscious friend.
"Take my help. I have an experiment in progress and now is the time when live subjects are needed. Now I can leave you both here to die, or you can become a part of this project and be injected with a serum that will save your lives."
"I'll take death any day over the help of a human!"
"Really? I guess it's just too bad for her then, to have gotten caught up in this and die because of your reckless actions."
Natsuki shifted her vision to the tan wolf beside her. She cringed. Her honour was pulling her in two directions. The man pulled a syringe out of his coat pocket and hovered over her neck. Just as she was about to snap at it, Natsuki's heart shifted.
No... she told herself, Letting a comrade die… that's even less honourable than accepting help from your enemy. One must always do everything in their power to save their friends; otherwise they are equally a murderer.
And so, with a heavy sigh, the navy wolf relaxed her muscles and let herself be injected.
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It's cold… Shizuru…? Are you cold? Natsuki weakly opened her eyes and looked around. The sterile scent indicated that they were inside, but her eyes were able to confirm that this was a lab of some sort. Above her was a series a bright florescent lights and to the side was a glass wall enclosing an observation deck. She stirred briefly, but mustered enough strength to roll over and get up onto her knees.
My knees? She asked inwardly before looking down in shock. Natsuki screamed as she fell off the table and scrambled to the other end of the room. Now in a cold sweat, the girl looked down at herself shivering at the sight. Her legs were sprawled out in front of her, long and hairless; she raised her arms in front of her face, observing her fingers as they moved. She started to feel around her face, noting the smoothness and flatness.
Tears began to well up in the girl's eyes as she looked ahead. In front of her were two metal tables placed side by side. One was empty, presumably hers, and the other had another figure covered under a sheet. Natsuki shakily got to her feet, using the wall to keep her balance. She took a moment to get steady and walked toward the other table.
"No…" she choked out, looking down at the person before her, "…What… What have I done to us?!"
Just then a familiar voice came over a sound system, "Ah you're awake. It seems the experiment was a success!"
Natsuki's eyes darted around the room and soon focused on the observation deck. She now got a closer look at the man from before. His wavy black hair matched his suit, and was followed by another man who opposed this colour scheme.
"Let's get introduced first. I am Kanzaki Reito, leader of the First District organization."
So that's who it is… The one who started this… The first human to be able to use spirit particles as a weapon…
Reito then turned to the man behind him, "Nagi will explain to you now the progress of the experiment."
The white-haired man, clad in a lab coat, approached the microphone and looked over at the two girls in the room below him.
"You two are the first generation of hybrids: wolves turned human. The serum seemed to have worked on the surface, you have transformed into humans as you can see, which will allow you to be the ultimate soldiers."
"What?!"
"You still have the nature of wolves, to produce spirit particles effortlessly. Now, as a hybrid, you also have the power to harness them and manipulate them into weapons as a human would. You are not limited like either wolves or humans are… you are unstoppable."
Natsuki closed her eyes in concentration as her hand unconsciously found Shizuru's and held it tightly.
"Unstoppable you say? And you didn't expect retaliation?"
"You misunderstand. The experiment is complete. You are free to leave whenever you wish. Of course we will continue to observe you, but you are not forced to stay here."
Natsuki looked behind her and saw two guards open the door.
"You best be careful if you choose to leave. Winter is on its way… and you're humans now."
The girl cringed, "We can handle winter! I can't believe I was stupid enough to put both of us through this! I knew better than to ever trust humans and the second I stray from that this happens! Stay out of our way!"
Despite her lack of practice on two legs, Natsuki managed to lift the still unconscious Shizuru over her shoulder and leave. If it weren't for the nausea and muscle weakness she swore she would have killed those two. Though for now, even she knew that the best option was to run. To get as far away from the First District and sort things out wherever that may be was the safest option.
Meanwhile in the observation deck Nagi raised an eyebrow, "Oh? I didn't expect her to leave. Forgive my ignorance."
"You did your job. The serum worked. Continue as planned." Reito ordered while walking away, "Though if this information leaks and gets in the hands of Searrs, you will be the one to pay."
"Of course…" replied the scientist with a natural uneasiness before turning back to the security monitor to watch Natsuki take her leave, prepared to face the autumn chill clothed in only a thin hospital gown.
As soon as she made it out of the building's constricting hallways, Natsuki focused all of her strength into her legs and ran. She ran as far as she could through the dreary city, too fast for anyone to see. It appeared that even in human form the girl retained her physical abilities as a wolf.
So that's what he meant… a wolf's power comes from within and effects natural abilities, but that power can only be used in it's raw form. Humans however can manipulate its raw form, but can only take it from the world outside of them… So as a hybrid we can do both…
Natsuki cursed again and continued to launch herself forward by the decameter. Soon she reached the bridge that led off of the island city. She stopped to take rest and look at the horizon but was distracted when Shizuru began to stir awake.
"…Natsuki?"
The girl placed her friend on the ground, but held her up when she wobbled on her weak legs.
"Where… What… What am I?"
The girl stared solemnly into ruby pools and pulled her fiercely into an embrace.
"I'm so sorry!" she cried, "I did this! I turned us into humans! I disgraced us! I'm sorry! Hate me if you want, I deserve it!"
The older girl looked down at her fingers that laced themselves through Natsuki's hair, quickly becoming accustomed to their movement. Shizuru listened carefully to the girl's words and pulled herself from devastation with a meek smile.
"How can I think about hating you when I'm overjoyed you're alive?"
Natsuki's breath hitched and shivered, "But… we're… we're them!"
Shizuru shook her head, "Our bodies may be cursed, but our hearts are not… Now let's get inside, look, there's a building over there that looks unused."
Before Natsuki could protest she was whisked away by her friend's hand towards what appeared to be an abandoned loft.
In a short time they arrived and with a forceful kick from Natsuki the door broke from its hinges. She swatted away the dust cloud and led the way in crouched onto all fours before lying down on her side.
"My back aches like hell from standing like that."
"I suppose we have to get used to it," commented Shizuru as she followed though still standing upright before sitting down cross-legged, "What happened?"
Natsuki looked away; she couldn't bear to face her friend, but knew she had to at least explain what she had done.
"The leader of the First District… this… Kanzaki Reito… He shot both of us and said that if I made myself be an experiment for him he would save our lives… I was ready to die and accept my failure in avenging our parents… But you should not have been involved. I couldn't let you die because I acted alone… So I agreed… So foolishly I agreed… and it got us turned into… into them!"
The blue-haired girl began to fall into all out sobbing onto her forearms. She still was stretched out length-wise along the ground and was unaware of someone slinking up behind her. She took in a short breath when she felt a warm hand wrap around her waist and pull her close.
"I know you too well to try and get you to not feel guilty… you will always feel how you will… But just know that I do not blame you for it… However, it's only us now… I think it's for the best… if we were to feign death."
Natsuki turned her head, "What makes you say that?"
"The same thing that made you not cross the bridge back then. We both know it, that our pack would not allow for humans to be in it; even if we were wolves once… we… aren't anymore. Though I know for a fact I will never call myself a human either."
"And neither would I!"
"So we must stay true to our hearts… and accept our unalterable bodies."
"Not unalterable."
"N?"
"He said we're hybrids… That we can regain some of our abilities or something like that…" Natsuki's voice started to grow weak, "I'm sorry… But I'm so tired… Just let me rest for a while…"
The younger girl inhaled deeply and, exhausted from her weeping, she began to drift into sleep.
"Go ahead," whispered Shizuru as she pulled azure tresses back from Natsuki's face, "It's going to be alright… somehow… I know it will…"
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Two years later…
As usual, the rain fell over the city in the form of a light mist. It was not as though thunderstorms were always raging, but simply that the sun would never shine. Small droplets hit the windowpane of a coffee shop with a relaxing musical frequency. Unfortunately it fell onto the blunette's deaf ears as she furrowed her brows at the streets beyond.
Not a day seems to go by without that memory plaguing my mind…
"Natsuki?"
"N?"
"Are you alright? You've been staring outside for quite a while now."
She sighed and lifted her coffee to her mouth for a drink, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired is all."
The crimson-eyed girl moped, "You find our date so boring that you're falling asleep?"
Natsuki cringed, "Shi-Shizuru! Who said this was a date?"
"I'm sorry, I thought it was implied when the two of us went for drinks alone together and only one paid." Shizuru replied while holding her wallet up in front of them.
"Fine fine… If that makes you happy then you can call it a date." Natsuki snorted as she began rocking her chair back and forth, "Can we talk about business though?"
The older girl sighed and held onto her teacup. Here she was hoping to finally get an official date out of this girl and it turned into yet another meeting. She didn't mind too much though, they were already together all the time. Although in most of that time Natsuki would always be talking about business or revenge. She could hardly ever smile, at least not for real, but it was understandable.
You always carry that guilt don't you?
"Ah yes, business. Some of the cats have told me that something has been brewing between the lower ranks of Searrs and the First District."
"You mean their "street gang" division?" Natsuki mocked.
"This is bigger; otherwise I probably wouldn't have bothered with it, these two fight all the time after all. But no, this time Searrs' Miyu is said to make an appearance."
"What? Why would they send their second in command?"
"That's what we have to find out. It's all centered on a train shipment, which is what Miyu was sent to oversee go through. The First District's only part in this is seems to be to cause them trouble and disrupt their advancements; which is why the most we would have to worry about are foot soldiers from them."
Natsuki closed her eyes in thought, whatever they have that's so important… we need it.
"So what's the plan?" asked the blunette, "I say we hijack the train."
Shizuru sighed, "Rash as usual… For Miyu to be there means she will have her elite guards, not to mention basic guards for the area. Even we couldn't defeat that many people. No, all we do is get on the train and steal what we can and get off before it reaches the station."
"Alright fine we'll play it safe," grumbled Natsuki before smirking, "If you call jumping onto a moving freighter 'safe'"
The two chuckled and got up to leave. Natsuki led the way out of the shop, a few steps ahead of Shizuru who was putting on her jacket. She closed her eyes for a brief moment while flipping her hair over the collar and was about to speak when,
"Nao!" shouted Natsuki as she bolted out the door of the coffee shop.
What?! Shizuru quickly followed, "Natsuki where are you going?"
All she caught was the navy-haired girl darting into an alleyway and the clang of metal. She got to the corner just in time to see her friend soar from a dumpster to the roof of a building.
Mataku…Shizuru looked around for a moment to make sure no one was able to see her make the same high jump and vault herself over the ledge. She expected Natsuki to at least be on the same building, but she had already gotten quite far ahead. With a groan the older girl ran to the edge of the roof and kicked off, crossing the gap easily.
Meanwhile on Natsuki's end, she was so close to a red-haired figure. The fact that this figure was also able to jump across buildings just as swiftly gave away the fact that she was not some ordinary human.
"Damn it slow down will you!"
The figure turned her head around, eyes widening in shock when she saw herself being tailed so closely. She skid to a halt in the gravel and moved completely to face Natsuki who had just landed.
"Who the hell are you!?" shouted the flame-haired girl.
"Nao… It's me… Natsuki…"
"…" Lime stared into emerald, as if to search for the slightest bit of proof that this girl was who she said she was.
"I know this isn't how you remember me, but just give me a chance to explain-"
Before she knew it the illusionary guise of a human girl faded and a wolf with white and red fur leapt at Natsuki. The latter quickly parried the attack with an arm block while jumping to the side, though the bite in her limb began to leak blood; if only for a moment.
"Look!" exclaimed Natsuki as she slid up her sleeve, revealing her already healing wound. Surrounding the repairing tissue was a large patch of blue fur which slowly disappeared once the gash was closed.
Just then, Shizuru bounded onto the rooftop next to Natsuki. Instead of reprimanding her for taking off so quickly her train of thought was cut off when she saw the wolf before them.
"Nao…" she muttered.
"No… you… you're dead."
"Only in a metaphorical sense," said Natsuki as she rolled her sleeve back down, "As you can see, a lot of unfortunate incidents have happened."
"You're humans…"
"No I'm not!" snapped the blunette angrily before composing herself again, "We're hybrids. Not enough of a human to be on their side, but not enough of a wolf to be accepted in a pack; which is why we didn't return."
After Nao had calmed down, Shizuru and Natsuki explained everything that happened.
"Of course, they're responsible for doing this to you," the wolf grit her teeth, "They'll pay for this my friends, at least if I have anything to say about it."
"You do not hate us then, for having this form?" questioned the eldest.
"No. It is unfortunate, but you know that enough already. I don't blame you though."
"So you'll keep our secret?"
"Yeah, I suppose it is for the best that you two are made to appear dead… at least for now," Nao turned to Natsuki, "As long as you promise to take your rightful place when this is over."
The girl's emerald eyes focused on the gravel below her.
My rightful place…? There is no place for me there anymore… not after what I've done… especially not the position of a leader…
Not taking the girl's silence too seriously, she knew her well enough to know what she was thinking; Nao placed her human illusion on herself once more.
"I have to get back now. My time here in the city was limited and only to take out some obstacles by the tracks."
"You're going after the shipment too?"
"Yeah, something's abuzz and I'm not just going to sit back. Still, there wasn't much I could do other than change the track direction. It's not much, but it will lead into the Northeast station instead of the Southeast one like they had planned. But knowing them, their intelligence personnel have already figured that out and new plans are being made as we speak."
"Don't worry; we'll take care of the rest. The next time you get a chance come to the city and we'll let you know what happened."
"Got it." The girl turned to jump off the roof, "It's really good to know you're both alive…"
The pair watched she Nao left and then looked at each other.
"Well then, let's get ready for the show."
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The winds on the bare plains surrounding the city were rough, swirling sand and dust in the girls' faces. They traversed the bridge and further into the deserted area. Their only guide was the set of tracks that seemingly lead into nowhere. The night sky was covered in clouds, though it was too dry out here to rain. The pair watched the horizon carefully, waiting for their cue.
After only ten more minutes, a light beamed in the distance and slowly grew larger.
"That's it," stated Shizuru as she closed her eyes and bent over to balance herself on her hands as well as her feet. Natsuki did the same. They clenched, flexed, and shook; bones snapping as they shifted into their most powerful forms. From the base of their spines grew large bushy tails while their respective midnight and maple tones covered their skin in thick fur coats. Nails and teeth elongated into claws and fangs, and ears moved to the top of their heads, though quickly pinning back to avoid the blowing sand.
The two hybrids then stood bipedal again, easily their former size and a half. They focused on the incoming vehicle and kicked off the ground. The roar of the train's engine grew louder as the pair closed in on it. They allowed for the first few cars to pass before leaping with all their might onto the side of the train. Using her large claws as anchors, Shizuru hung onto the side of the metal while Natsuki peeled it open.
Once a large enough hole was made they moved inside and began their search.
"We only have about ten to fifteen minutes before it begins to slow down. As soon as we feel it, we get off. By then we'll be a safe enough distance away from the guards." instructed the older of the two.
"Right, then let's get started."
Over their limited span of time, the two werewolves moved from car to car, but found nothing other than standard supplies. Needless to say, they destroyed what they could of that, but it made them wonder why this was important enough for Miyu to be overseeing the transfer.
"Damn! Whatever it is is probably in the last car! Do we have time?" asked Natsuki as she broke through another doorway into the next car.
It took no more than a punch for the side of the car to break and Shizuru peered out to check.
"If we ignore everything else we can, but I think it's worth it."
"Right, we trash what we can until we get to the end."
And so crate after crate was tossed around and smashed, leaving practically no supplies left to be picked up at the station. Finally they reached the end, and as predicted, found what they were looking for. Or well, a sign of what they were looking for. The last car had a massive wall in the middle of it. Several locks and chains bolted the iron closed, but it would take much more than some bars to stop Natsuki's determination.
She began ramming herself into what appeared the weakest point but it didn't budge. When that didn't work she tried pulling at the chains though could not get more than one broken before the train began to slow.
"Natsuki we have to leave!" Shizuru urged while she picked up some papers from a drawer, the only piece of furniture on the entire train.
"No! We have to find out what's behind this!"
"We don't have time!"
Suddenly voices could be heard shouting a few meters away. Apparently some soldiers had been on board and finally made it through the wreckage. Two of them leapt forward, swords materializing in mid-jump, prepared to strike. However they were easily knocked aside by the back of Shizuru's hand and fell unconscious when their heads smashed right through the metal wall.
The train was almost at a stop, "We have to go!"
Natsuki snarled as she realized her efforts had been in vain. She knew they could not fight off all the guards at the station, and the only way to avoid that would be to get out now. However her mind kept her frozen in place, she did not want to leave this unfinished.
"Argh!" Shizuru's patience was wearing thin, she wasn't so much angry at Natsuki's lack of movement, more frightened. She clawed into the metal and cut a straight line down to the floor. She grabbed the papers in one hand and Natsuki in the other before diving out to safety.
They rolled in the dirt for a bit before coming to a complete stop. After some deep breaths of much needed rest, their bodies returned to their human shape. They lay on their backs, looking up at the deep violet clouds.
"Did you get the papers?" asked Natsuki between heaves.
"Yeah," Shizuru held up the folder, "It's still intact."
"That's good."
"Don't scare me like that again. If we had stayed on any longer we would have been caught."
"…I'm sorry. We were so close to finding out what it was though."
"There's probably more information in here, we'll check it when we get home."
"Yeah," Natsuki groaned a bit as she stood up, "Let's go. I need a good sleep."
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The girls returned to their loft, which over the years had been made to accommodate them both. The rooms were renovated, albeit poorly, and they had the minimal furniture and but no utilities. Luckily heating wasn't a problem since the building was equipped with a fireplace, however getting everything else had been a problem. Without jobs or the desire to get them, they had to resort to Natsuki's basic method of robbing. Though the beds and sofa had been from the garbage and she assumed no one would want them anyway, food and money had been outright stolen. Although through Shizuru's insistence, they only stole from aristocratic organizations and not from the common people.
Natsuki fell back onto the couch lazily and kicked off her shoes while Shizuru went immediately to the kitchenette to fix herself some tea. When they were both ready they sat side by side on the sofa and eyed the set of papers on the table. The navy-haired girl clenched her fist to get rid of her anxiety before taking initiative and opening the file.
She gasped and immediately picked it up with both hands to make sure she was reading correctly.
"What? What is it?"
Natsuki stayed silent for a moment, her eyes racing across the page. It appeared to be a profile. Statistics of all sorts were listed next to three pictures. She had seen all she needed to see and loosened her grip on the folder, letting the papers fall onto the floor while still staring forward.
"Natsuki?" Shizuru leaned down and picked up one of the papers, "What does it say?"
"…They've… made more like us."
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A/N: So how'd you like the first chapter? I know it might be kinda confusing so if you have any questions about the AU just ask me in a PM or review and I'll reply when I can.
