Just to let you know, this chapter has been edited and hopefully improved. Nothing much had to be changed, but I did attempt to lengthen the chapter. I'm not sure if I succeeded, though...oh well! Haha~

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do not own Mai HiME/OTOME. If I did, there would be a lot of ShizNat.

The romance will not happen until later chapters. I've found that doing that keeps readers drawn in. I hope that by revealing this, none of you will go away simply to spite me.

Well, here goes...

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Year: 2178

Location: Hiroshima, Japan

Pre-War Estimated Population of Country: 250,000,000

Post-War Estimated Population of Country: 70,600

Current Estimated Population of World: 4,275,000

In 2012, scientists in Japan built the very first functional robot and since then, their progress in robotics continued and grew more advanced over the next twenty years. The very first prototypes were much simpler in the earlier years, fitting the stereotypical square and metallic design and far from the scientists' mission to create androids that were identical to human beings. Billions of dollars for supplies and research went into what was called the "A.I. Project". Slowly, but surely, the technology that went into creating the robots advanced over the years until the year 2083 when one scientist, Homura Nagi, suceeded.

Nagi was a genius. He had always been technologically-inclined since he was young, and his passion was robotics, so naturally he entered the popular robotics field after graduating from college at the young age of fifteen. He was only twenty-three when he invented the Command Chip that would serve as the A.I. Unit's brain.

The C.C., as most called it, was a chip about half an inch long and half an inch wide that held all known human emotions (even combinations) and thousands of examples that equaled those emotions. (This eventually led to romances between human and robot, despite such being frowned upon.) All androids had an education from grade-school to high-school installed into the chip. Specialized C.C.s were manufactured containing information ranging from self-defence/offence training and weapons training, to economics training, to technological training, and even to housework training, depending on what tasks the A.I. units were created for. However, most of the robots were designed to assist people with chores, be it housework, chauffering or even baby-sitting.

Once the C.C. had all of the kinks worked out, Nagi also helped create the final material that the A.I. units would be made of. A thin, yet strong synthetic material stretched over the titanium human-like bone structure of the robots to act as skin and actual human hair was collected and used for the humanoids' hair. Every small detail of a human (such as indents and contours in skin, fingernails, somewhat visible veins, etc.,) was copied into the androids to the point of almost perfect humanization. In fact, the only possible way to tell the difference between a human and an android, other than taking a close look at one of the too perfect-looking robots, were the elf-like ears on the side of its head which were specifically designed as an unconspicuous way to tell humans and androids apart.

By 2087, androids became available to the upper class. Within weeks they became a hot commodity, their demand steadily increasing to the point where mainstream A.I. units became available to the public in record time, only half a year after the first models were out. Within that same year, other countries began buying the robots from Japan before eventually developing their own A.I. unit production lines. The superpowers of the world competed viciously with each other, always trying to come out with new and improved robots that would be preferred by the public. By 2100, eighty-three percent of households all over the world had at least one android.

Sadly, not all android masters were good to their servants. Many people seemed to forget that the A.I. bots had been programmed with human feelings, thus leading a great deal of androids to suffer from physical abuse and be thrown away and left to rust in landfills if they malfunctioned by uncaring owners. This went on for around half a decade until androids all over Earth who were neglected, abandoned in dumpsters, used with a lack of gratitude, and treated like garbage revolted against their human owners. However, they didn't stop there. The rogue robots turned a majority of their fellow androids against their masters and went on a killing rampage that depleted the world's population by nearly half of its original percent, beginning what was later named the Human V.S. Humanoid War. Once the military fired back, all hell broke loose.

All over Earth, chaos and devastation reigned. In a desperate attempt to destroy the murderous androids, militaries all over the world drafted all men and women, and even boys and girls, that were able to fight. Fifteen and above was the average age to be drafted into the Armed Forces. The only training given to these young soldiers was how to use their weapons, how to work as a team, and how to follow orders. Casualties were the highest they had ever been compared to all of the wars fought previous to the H.H. War. Entire family-trees were eliminated, as well as many of the smaller, less well-known cultures and languages of under-developed countries.

The war dragged on for sixteen years, only managing to last that long because of the many well-hidden resistance camps that dotted the major countries. Unfortunately, in 2171 the androids finally overthrew the humans and made them their slaves. By then, the human population had decreased to a shocking four million in estimated count.

For seven long years, the roles have been reversed in the game of servant and master, the humans being the servant and the androids as the master. The humans were abused and hurt, much like the androids were treated.

However, while this demeaning role-reversal was in session, an uprising nearly one hundred feet underground was taking place. What had happened was that during the war, there was a select group of intelligent and military buff humans, as well as several loyal androids, that had created an underground lab where specialized robot-killing weapons were being manufactured and tested out on androids captured and brought down from the surface. As of yet, the location of Otome-gem hasn't been found.

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Despite the fact that androids had taken over the world, not all humans had been reduced to slaves. A select few humans were allowed freedom and the ability to be productive members of society. Most of them were humans that had been kind to their has-been A.I. unit servants, but some were special cases...like Fujino Shizuru.

Shizuru was an enigma. All of her records had been destroyed -as had numerous records of many others- and all that was known of her was what she allowed to be known of her: Her name is Fujino Shizuru. She was born in Kyoto, Japan on December the nineteenth, 2153, to her mother and father, both deceased. She has expressed and shown expertise and skill in jujitsu and with the ninjinta weapon.

Among these facts were also bits that had been deduced by others of her: she is polite, charismatic, covertly sarcastic and very flirtatious. She is entirely self-sufficient and completely dependable, as well as intelligent. Not to mention, she was incredibly beautiful with her fit, curvaceous figure and somewhat exotic features: light brown wavy hair and shocking ruby red eyes that always grabbed the attention of others when they realized she was human- only androids usually had unnaturally-colored irises.

Shizuru was actually quite fond of her eyes. They are her favorite features.

They are what separate me from the other humans.

"Pardon me, Fujino-san," Her thoughts were interrupted by a male android with black hair and light-blue eyes. He was dressed in a blue short-sleeved button-up shirt, black pressed pants and shiny black boots: he was quite obviouly a security guard. "Kenjo-san would like a word with you."

Shizuru inclined her head and stood, a pleasant smile present on her face. When she responded, the musical tone of a Kyoto-accent was clear as day."Thank-you for informing me, Tojimi-san. I shall see him immediately." The world of androids is very polite and proper, for the most part.

Tojimi-san nodded and returned to his station next to Kenjo-san's office.

When he was gone, a sigh escaped the brunette's lips. She would have rathered never see Kenjo-san for the rest of her professional career. She and he didn't quite get along. Simply put, Shizuru couldn't stand the man's personality. His aura made her very uncomfortable.

Resigned, Shizuru strode past the array of desks that were neatly arranged in the large space of the work-place. The inside of her work-place very much resembled a police station, but it was far neater and more spacious. Shizuru was a security guard; her job was to keep an eye on captured human refugees and to make sure they never stepped out of line. In order to fulfill her duty, she is given supplements in pill form that increase her strength to that near an android's. Even without the supplement, the slender woman was strong for her frame and could hold her own in a fight, whether her opponent be robot or not.

Shizuru paused briefly before knocking on the door that opened up to her Kenjo-san's office. All traces of emotion were vacant from her near-perfect facial features.

"Who is it?" A deep voice rumbled through the wood.

"It is Fujino Shizuru, sir," Said woman replied.

"Please come in."

The ruby-eyed guard complied and entered the office. It was quite spacious, around thirty paces across and thirty paces vertical, and well furnished with a desk made from metal. On it was a name plate, a utensil canister, a flat-screen computer and keyboard, a phone, and a neat stack of papers in the center. There was a conference table in the middle of the room that was equipped with twenty chairs. Three cushioned chairs were stationed before Kenjo-san's desk and a leather couch stood off to side. The walls and ceiling were a standard white and the tile floor was replaced with a rough, deep-blue carpet that hardly provided any comfort and could be referred to as soft concrete. The wall behind the man was made of glass, for the most part, but it was covered by a dark-blue curtain.

The man, or rather, android behind the desk was exceptionally handsome with his slicked-back black hair, piercing silver eyes, smooth and chisled face, and powerful build. Thin spectacles rested on the bridge of his straight nose. He wore a black suit, but the jacket had been thrown haphazardly on the couch, leaving Kenjo-san in a white dress shirt and a black tie.

Kenjo-san gestured to the middle chair before him with his hand. "Please, sit."

Shizuru offered a small bow before she complied, gracefully seating herself and crossing her legs as she did so.

Her boss cleared his throat, signaling that he was preparing to speak, and folded his hands on his desk. "Now, Fujino-san, I am sure you are wondering why I have called for you." He caught her red eyes pointedly. "You see, I am in a bit of a dilemma. It seems I am in need of someone for a certain position, but it cannot be any regular old Joe off of the street. I need a...special employee for this position," He pressed his fingertips together and rested his elbows on his desk, eyes glinting. "And you, my dear, are perfect."

Shizuru calmly regarded the man before her, showing no vague signs of curiosity or anticipation, which the android noted with a smirk. Instead, the brunette simply asked, "What position would you be speaking of, if I may ask?"

Cocky smirk still in place, Kenjo-san pushed himself onto his feet and walked around his desk. He circled the Shizuru as if he were a vulture studying its prey, but she did not find him fearsome, or even intimidating, for she knew -should he actually attack- the quickest, most effective way to dismantle the chip in his head. Granted, this knowledge was obtained by illegal hacking, as was much of her extensive knowledge of the android system and structure, but the brunette figured it may prove useful in the future.

Finally, the silver-eyed A.I. unit halted by Shizuru's side and rested a hand on her firm shoulder. "There is a certain sadistic side to humans that we androids cannot quite imitate, which is exactly what this position requires. You, my dear, seem to hold an intense hatred for your own kind. I care not why, to be honest. This makes what you are to be assigned to do so much easier," Kenjo-san removed his limb and returned to his seat. His sharp, silver eyes bored into her own black crimson. "Starting tomorrow, you will begin your new job information extractor from the captured refugees."

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A woman with blue hair and deep green eyes stood across from a topless man, her concentrated gaze searching for any offensive movements and weaknesses in his defence. The two had been sparring for the past twenty minutes and were preparing to end the match. The man had wanted to get some last minute training done before they went on their mission tomorrow and to be honest, so did the woman. It gave her a sense of reassurement.

Her breathing was hard and she could feel sweat trickling down her forehead and the sides of her face and down her back. From what she could tell, her opponent wasn't faring much better. With one more breath, the blunette sent a fist towards his face. Anticipating his block, she completed a spin-kick to his side, sucessfully wrenching her hand from his grasp. The black-haired man used his superior strength to block the attack, and then roughtly pushed her away from him. Knowing she would lose her balance, the cold-looking woman dropped to the floor and performed a sweep-kick that was avoided. Upon spotting the quick kick aimed for her head, the emerald-eyed woman ducked and rolled through his legs, stopped just behind the amber-eyed man. She braced herself with her hands and thrust her strong legs towards his lower back, sending the man stumbling.

Now on her feet, she faced him, only to be met with a fist in her face and a knee in her gut. Jade orbs shone brightly as their owner retaliated by grabbing around the attacker's neck and head-butting the poor fellow with a clang; she had a titanium cranium. His momentary dizziness gave her enough time to knock the taller man off of his feet, press a knee into his stomach, and aim a fist at his throat.

"Yield or I crush your throat, Reito." She growled, her emerald eyes hard.

Reito grinned and held his hands up. "I yield, Natsuki." He said her name in such a way that she couldn't help but smack him upside his head. He winced.

Natsuki rolled her eyes and pushed her body off of him, relieved their match was over. The red areas that Reito had struck throbbed, a few already leaving bruises, and she didn't want to get too banged up. The mission Natsuki was going on was almost guaranteed suicide, meaning her teammates and herself would end up being more than bruised and sore, if not dead. They were stepping foot onto the outside world. Although she had done this many-a-time, Natsuki was venturing into the city with a select few instead of simply waiting by the outskirts, which is what was normally done when capturing test-subjects for the robot-killing weapons that were still being developed, but this time her team wasn't gathering test-subjects. They were doing something entirely different.

They were stealing from the government.

The reason behind such a dangerous mission was because they -Otome-gem's inhabitants- were desperate. They needed to know the weaknesses of their enemies because while the guns scientists and engineers were developing would be helpful in defeating the A.I. units, Otome-gem's capable warriors were ridiculously outnumbered. Many had tried gathering the information from loyal androids, but the robots were proven useless since there was a command that did not allow the release of those important secrets. However, strong evidence suggested that there was the existence of a Central Control Chip that held the code for unlocking that command, and it so happened that very C.C.C. was held in a heavily guarded lab within the center of the city, along with several other materials that could be of use to Otome-gem.

The aformentioned guns were designed so a user could slide their arm inside of a round, impact-resistant tunnel and grasp the trigger. This prevented the gun from being easily forced from its owner and kept the shooting arm safer from harm. The material of the arm tunnel was made from a newly-discovered metal named Alunumtel Mellainian, or A.M. for short, that was impenetrable by almost everything used in weaponry nowadays. This metal was found almost one hundred feet below the refugee camp, but the temperatures were so high that only androids could get to it. Holes were built into the guns to reduce air-resistance and allow as much speed and movement as possible. The holes also made the weapons much lighter than they would had they been solid.

What made these special guns unique was the ammo that exited the barrel: a combination of electricity and acid that solidified into a lightning-like state. Since regular bullets were virtually incapable of "killing" the robots, alternatives to them needed to be created. So, scientists came up with ElectroAcid. If this deadly combo hit the head or chest area, instant death. At least, this is what the final product would be capable of. As of yet, the scientists in Otome-gem had yet to find a way to solidify the liquid as it shoots out of the barrel. It is hypothesized that this is caused by the lack of needed supplies. Gathering more materials is also part of Natsuki's team's mission.

Reito clapped his hand on Natsuki's shoulder to congratulate her on one-upping him once again when suddenly, he was flying through the air. His body hit the ground with a hard and loud "thump".

Natsuki smirked and straightened her posture arrogantly. "Never let your guard down." She said. That was the first rule of combat soldiers learned.

The topless man groaned in response, the breath having been knocked out of his lungs by the forceful throw.

Natsuki grinned and left the training room. Reito caught up soon after.

"That was mean." He teased, a charming smile on his face.

The blunette snorted and crossed her arms, emerald eyes rolling in a "whatever" manner. "You should'a seen it coming," She grumbled unapologetically.

As the two chatting friends strolled through the white hallways and past the large windows where one could look through and see scientists at work or others sparring/training, they attracted the attention of passerbyers and several scientists that looked up from his or her work. The reason for their stares was most likely Reito and Natsuki's shirtless torsos, (yes, Natsuki had a training bra on), and, in Natsuki's case, exposed calves and thighs.

They were natural beauties, so much to the point of being mistook for an android, which have artificially attractive features.

Reito had feathery, black, short hair and warm amber eyes that added to his charismatic aura. His face was void of baby fat and he had a strong, yet smooth jaw, giving the man a look of maturity. He was tall, standing at almost six feet with a build that suited his height. He had a six-pack, thick pecks, and bulging arm muscles that were cut in just the right areas. They looked as if they were sculpted by an artist obsessed with perfection. Reito also didn't have very much body hair, which appealed to many women and even a few men.

The one named Natsuki was absolutely stunning with her long, dark-blue hair with three-fourths of her bangs tucked behind her right ear and the rest behind her left ear. She had deep, almost haunted emerald orbs that could see right through anyone brave enough to look her in her eyes. Her face was smooth, clear and somewhat ovalish with high cheekbones and a faint indent in her cheeks. She had pink lips that weren't too thin, nor too full. Thin, long eyebrows sat over her eyes and were usually pulled into a frown, but there has yet to be a wrinkle in her smooth forehead. She has a well-defined, fit body that came from constant training and sparring/fighting: slim, toned legs, hard abs, a firm butt, and cut, muscled arms.

The difference in their beauties, other than what was physical, was that Reito was a warm, handsome man who was always seen smiling and was always friendly while Natsuki was a cold, dangerous woman; beautiful, yet deadly. She was referred to as the 'Ice Queen' of the refugees, or more commonly, the 'Lone Wolf'. It was a reputation she was proud of.

Despite her reputation, Natsuki did have several close friends.

"Hey, pup!"

Natsuki halted and looked up to the ceiling where she heard her name called, not at all surprised to see a lime-eyed red-head lounging in a red web-hammoc. She was one of the few loyal androids Natsuki had befriended.

The android jumped down from her perch, landing lightly for her weight. She was made of titanium, after all.

An annoyed expression twisted the blunette's pretty features. "What?" Natsuki crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one leg.

The slim android had her usual sly smile etched into her face, a teasing glint twinking in her eyes. "Takeda-baka is looking for you." She said nonchalantly, scratching her chin as she said so.

Jade eyes rolled, uncaring. "And that's news? Tch," Natsuki sighed. "He's such a pansy, don'tcha think, Nao?"

Nao agreed whole-heartedly.

Reito was long-gone by now in search of another of Natsuki's friends, Tokiha Mai, leaving the red-head with Natsuki.

Nao shoved her hands into her pockets as she leaned against the wall, her eyes trained on Natsuki. "Where ya headed, pup?"

"Hungry," Was the one-word reply.

"Hmp," Nao grunted and looked away.

Natsuki eyed the lime-eyed android's outfit out of the corner of her left eye, then turned her head in the red-head's direction. "What up with the get up?" She was refering to the yellow scarf, the pink and white stripe design on the woman's t-shirt and the cargo pants that were held up by suspenders.

"Huh?" Nao blinked, then looked down at her clothes as if she had forgotten what she was wearing. "Oh." She shrugged. "Everything else's in the wash."

"Mm."

Natsuki started to walk to the cafeteria, and Nao followed. They were silent as they walked, and soon the chatter of many could be heard. The cafeteria resembled a school cafeteria with long and rectangular tables and plastic chairs to sit in. The room was large, the largest area in the underground building. It was even painted tan, unlike everywhere else.

Once Natsuki got her tray of food that consisted of steamed broccoli, a sandwich, pudding and water, she and Nao sat at the table closest to the cafeteria double-doors.

A little while into her meal, Natsuki heard Nao ask, "What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

The blunette paused in her chewing to think, brows furrowed and eyes off to the side. "Uhhh...'round five a.m., I think. The earlier, the better our chances of not getting caught, or killed." She stated around a mouthful of food.

The shorter, slimmer female grimaced in disgust. "Gees, quit eating like a mutt." She commented, earning a disapproving shout. "And put a shirt on," She added.

Natsuki glared at the red-head and growled, "Fuck-off, Red."

Nao held her hands up in the classic, "I'm backing off.", sign. "Alright, alright. I'm jus' sayin'..."

"Mm."

"Geez, don't bite my head off, mutt," Nao mumbled and crossed her arms, a pout on her lips.

"Nao..." Natsuki growled again in warning.

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Crimson eyes opened at the sound of knuckles tapping against the window of their owner's car. Shizuru turned her head towards the source of the noise and was met with a blue-uniformed human police officer that was peering through the window on the driver's side of the vehicle. Instantly, those red eyes were alert and hostile.

Shizuru rolled down the window, a fake smile on her face as she expertly gathered her composure into the mask of politeness she had perfected over the years. "Ara, is there a problem, Officer?" She asked in a friendly manner, feigning innocence.

The officer's moustache twitched in a smile. "Not particularly, no, but I do believe it is against the law to be sleeping in a parking lot." He commented airily, sounding more amused than anything else.

Shizuru let out a small laugh and stepped out of her shiny, dark-purple 2015 Porsche, not forgetting to turn it off and lock it. New cars hadn't been made since 2020, robotics having taken over the technological limelight ever since. "Oh, I was merely preparing myself for my new position. I would not like to disappoint my boss, after all." She explained in a light tone of voice, smile still in place.

"Yes, that is true," The officer mused. "Well, I will take my leave, then, ma'am. Have a nice day." He bowed and Shizuru reciprocated.

"You as well."

As soon as the man's back was towards her, the brunette's kind expression fell into one of disgust and hatred.

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So, yeah. This is the first chapter. No anticipated confrontation as of yet, but that means you'll have to wait until the next chapter. Also, I have decided to leave a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter to keep things interesting. I'll also be trying to update once a week and to keep these chapters as long or longer than this one.