Soldier's Forge Chapter 1, a sakura wars fanfic

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Soldier's Forge, Chapter 1:

Lying serenely between the state between sleep and thought, Ichirou Oogami bathed in the warm bask of the sunlight as it slowly crept into his room. Human beings, one of nature's most adaptable creatures, are able to adjust to sleeping patterns that need not conform to specific times or conditions, but whether from instinct or behavior, most tend to retire at night and work in the morning.

Oogami rose slowly, bleary eyed, and reoriented himself. Today was Sunday, which meant that his obligations as squad leader were not needed; at this hour, most of the Hanagumi would be asleep anyway. Unfortunately, years of training at the Navy had instilled within him a habit of waking up early, and to this Oogami had no answer. He washed and dressed himself with the efficiency expected of men in the Navy and made his way out into the hallway.

As it turned out, his hypothesis was correct. All the rooms adjacent to him were closed, and no sound could be heard in the area. Smiling, Oogami made his way downstairs into the kitchen, knowing that within the hour his comrades would begin to filter in for breakfast.

Glancing at the still unfinished construction in some areas of the theater, Oogami once again was grateful for being alive. The Hanagumi undoubtedly had a dangerous job – to protect Teito from the forces of evil. With such a broad mandate, their squad faced everything from demons to war machines, and by some stroke of luck they all managed to somehow stay alive. Berating himself, Oogami mentally rectified his last thought; almost all of them managed to stay alive. Suddenly melancholy at the memories of Ayame, Oogami turned his thoughts to the present. Soletta Orihime and Reni Milchstrasse, the two newest members of the group, had performed admirably in their most recent engagement, and were fitting in well. Fujieda Kaede was also filling in the void left from Ayame's departure, and while she would never replace the memories of Ayame, she was a welcome complement that exceeded everyone's expectations. And, as of now, peace seemed to reign in Teito. The Kouma-machine hybrids were all destroyed, the demons in retreat or sealed.

And yet, Oogami knew that the peace could not last forever. It was a thankless job that they had, to be ever vigilant for the danger that would strike when they were least prepared.

Oogami arrived in the dining room and headed for the kitchen. They usually rotated breakfast amongst each other, but since Oogami was up early he decided to prepare breakfast.

"Miso soup, pickled cabbage, sushi, and rice should be fine", thought Oogami.

Oogami's expectations of a typical breakfast were shattered when he entered the kitchen. The large preparation area was in complete disarray; ingredients and cookware were scattered chaotically. Stacks of plates once neatly lined up littered the counters, and some were shattered. Cupboards looked rummaged through, and bags of ingredients spilled over.

"Wha—what's this?" asked Oogami rhetorically.

"Squad leader! What happened here?" answered a heavy female voice. Oogami turned to Maria Tachibana, who had just entered the kitchen to be dumbfounded by the spectacle.

"I came down to make breakfast and found it like this," replied Oogami. "Looks like breakfast will be awhile. I'll clean this up."

"Let me help," offered Maria.

"Thanks, Maria," said Oogami. "Although I wonder what did this? Could it be the dog?"

"He's usually kept outside, and the courtyard was locked. I don't see how he could have gotten in," answered Maria. The pair set about rearranging the kitchen and disposing of spilled items. When they finished, both visibly slumped in exhaustion.

"Whew, alright. The others will be getting up soon. I'll start with breakfast. Thanks for the help, go on out and relax," said Oogami.

"Sure?" asked Maria. Oogami nodded, then started with breakfast preparations. Just as he was starting on the soup, a shot rang out. Oogami jumped, spilling some of the soup around him. Running towards the pantry, he saw Maria standing with her revolver drawn.

"Squad leader! There's something here – it jumped out at me when I was getting my coffee!" exclaimed Maria.

Oogami picked up on this and methodically appraised the scene. Coffee was spilled. Several containers were knocked over by something that made a beeline out of there. And Maria stood there with a gun. Tracing the line of debris, the trail ended out the kitchen into the rest of the theatre.

"Did you see it?" asked Oogami.

"Not really, it was so fast. Let's see where it went," replied Maria.

Oogami led the way out into the dining room, followed by Maria with her gun drawn. As they walked in, Sakura Shinguchi entered the room.

"Oogami! Something terrible! I heard a gunshot while I was practicing out in the courtyard! What's—"

Sakura looked at Maria, and then froze in terror. It wasn't the gun Maria was brandishing, but rather a peculiar feeling she had in her legs, as if something furry was brushing against them. Looking down, she saw…a squirrel burrowing into her dress.

"Eyaaah!" She screamed and brought her sword in a wide arc that caused both Oogami and Maria to fall under. Tripping over her dress, she fell down and the squirrel ran out the door. Maria took aim and started firing one shot after another, but the squirrel was too fast for her to hit it. Oogami knew that with the noise they were making, the other members of the Hanagumi would soon converge towards this location.

Just as Oogami finished the thought, the doors swung open and Iris Chateaubriand, hand in hand with her bear Jean-Paul, and Reni Milchstrasse ran into the room.

"Iris heard lots of loud bangs! We came to see…brother?" Iris looked at the pile of Sakura, Maria, and Oogami as they were getting up. Reni stood by Iris silently.

Sakura was still collecting her breath, and Maria was busy reloading her pistol. Seeing that the two were busy, Oogami said, "Iris, there's a squirrel loose in the theatre. It somehow got in from the courtyard."

Iris's eyes lit up as the thought of something as cute as a squirrel raced through her mind.

"Waaah! A squirrel! Yay yay yay!" cheered Iris.

"Iris, it's nothing to cheer about. It wrecked the kitchen, it assaulted me, and foremost, it ruined my coffee. I'm going to find it," said Maria as she finished loading her gun. Spinning the chamber, she closed her firearm.

"Iris doesn't want Maria to shoot it! It's just a squirrel!" wailed Iris.

"Heya, squad leader. What's the ruckus?" said Kanna Kirishina as she walked in. Sumire Kanzaki entered right after.

"Ensign?" she asked quizzically.

"Ah, Oogami. What's with the scene? I thought something in my room exploded," added Kohran Li, dressed in her typical red outfit.

"Ok, ok. I'm sorry about the noise, but a squirrel got into the theater," announced Oogami. There were several faces of disgust, most notably from Sumire, while Kanna and Iris were obviously enjoying the situation. "I'll need help catching it – we can't let it run around in the theater."

"No problem, squad leader. It's just a squirrel," said Kanna.

"Oogami, really now. Do you expect me to run around trying to chase a squirrel?" replied Sumire indignantly.

"No one gets their leave for the day until we get it. That's an order," replied Oogami. Groans came from everyone. Oogami's eyes lit up in anticipation as he set about to do what he did best. "I'll formulate a strategy to capture it. Meet in the foyer in five minutes."

"Alright! This is perfect…I'll be right back!" yelled Kohran as she ran out to her room. A second round of groans over the prospect of minor incendiary hazards rose from the crowd.

"Ok, dismissed!" ordered Oogami. He paused as Orihime trudged her way in.

"Ensign, I just had the strangest dream about fireworks…" yawned Orihime.

Oogami was at the foyer for the VIP entrance, along with the rest of the team, sans Kohran.

"Hmm, Kohran's not here, but that's ok. Let's get started. We need to locate the squirrel, and either drive it out or catch it. I found only one of these…" Oogami held up a butterfly net. "…which means that only one person gets it. I'll take care of that. Meanwhile, I'll need everyone to divide into teams of two to search the place. When found, one person will stay at the door to keep it from leaving, while the other one lets us all know. That way we can block other escape routes and drive it back out into the courtyard."

"Now for the teams," started Oogami. "Sakura and Iris will start here and move upwards towards the main stage, checking the rooms to the left. Sumire and Kanna…"

"Hmph," responded Sumire. "Ensign, why do you always insist on pairing me up with that behemoth?"

"Hey, hey. Why do I have to put up with the stuck-up princess here?" replied Kanna.

"…will check the rooms to the right." Oogami grinned. "It's good for both of you. Be nice."

Oogami turned to Maria, who was polishing her gun. "Maria, you and Reni head east, and check the kitchen, the cafeteria, and the gift shop."

Oogami felt a tug at his leg. Looking down at Iris, he sighed. "Reni, please make sure Maria doesn't shoot the squirrel." Iris smiled.

"Squad leader, really…" began Maria. "I can take care of myself."

"Um, yeah Maria, I understand." Oogami didn't have to intimate further about what happened a few minutes ago. Maria turned away embarrassed.

"And finally, Orihime…" Oogami stopped when he noticed Orihime was dozing off in her chair. "Orihime?"

"Whahaa! Um, yes Ensign?" replied a startled Orihime as she bolted upright.

"You'll check the first floor auditorium with…" Oogami glanced around. Just in time, Kohran ran into the room.

"I'm here, Oogami!" panted Kohran.

"Kohran. Orihime, you can fill her in. I will be roaming among the groups. Let me know when you see it. One thing—I'm assuming that it didn't go upstairs or downstairs, and it probably didn't. Also, the faster we get this done, the faster everyone gets out of here. Ready?"

Statements of affirmation rang through the group.

"Alright, Imperial Assault Troops, go forth!" yelled Oogami.

"The main office is closed today, and the door hasn't been opened. I guess it didn't get in here," surmised Sakura. "Ok, let's move on Manager Yoneda's office."

Iris bounded ahead and knocked on the door to Yoneda's office.

"Yahoo! It's Iris, uncle!" announced Iris. No answer could be heard.

"He's probably not in now, so I guess it didn't go here either." Sakura beamed. "Our job is easy. We just have to check the music room and backstage. Ok, let's go Iris, then we can go see the movie we were planning to go to today."

"Yay, yay! Let's hurry and find that squirrel!" said Iris enthusiastically.

Checking the corners, Maria announced that it was not in this area of the kitchen. Reni did likewise for the other corner. Together, they had methodically checked the entire area, and there was no indication of the squirrel.

"Ok Reni, it's not here. Let's move on," concluded Maria.

"Acknowledged," replied Reni.

"Really now, I can't believe he continues to order us around as if this is a military exercise," said Orihime as they were sweeping the lobby.

"Mmhmm…" replied Kohran.

"You know, I think this 'squad leader' thing has finally gotten to his head. He's a good tactician, I'll give him that…"

"Mmhmm…"

"…for a Japanese man, that is, but to think that he lords over us because of it is ludicrous. He even woke me up this early on a Sunday!"

"Mmhmm…"

"And he knows that I don't like to get up early. He doesn't have any consideration at all and…" Orihime paused. It was apparent that Kohran was preoccupied with a gadget she held in her hand, and wasn't really listening to her.

"Kohran!" shouted Orihime angrily.

"Wahaa! Oh, sorry Orihime. See this?" She held up her device. "It's my new invention, the portable motion sensor!"

Orihime sighed, and then took the plunge. "What does it do?"

Kohran grinned. "I'm so glad you asked! It scans a certain wavelength of light and tracks changes in the environment. Kind of like our Koubu. See, this is me over here…" Kohran started waving her arms and a blip appeared on her screen. "And when you move, this will be you. Wave your arms."

Orihime frowned and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, that's it!" exclaimed Kohran while still looking at the screen. "With this we'll track the squirrel in no time. We'll get to it before everyone else! Let's go!"

"Kanna, don't you think you ought to go in first?" asked Sumire.

"What, you're afraid of a squirrel?" answered Kanna.

"No, it's just…they're filthy, they've got rabies, and I don't want to have anything to do with them. They'd fit in perfectly with you," jibed Sumire.

"Oh shut up, snake lady. You're just afraid of them. Ok, I'll look in here, you sit at the door and make sure it doesn't run out." Kanna pushed open the door to the costume room and turned on the light. Ruffling through the racks of wardrobes, she searched through an assortment of gowns, dresses, tunics, and hats. Looking around the stacks of boxes also proved fruitless. Searching the closet and seeing nothing, she stood and looked towards Sumire.

"Well, it's not in the wardrobes," announced Kanna.

"That's obvious. If it were, I'd have to get all of them thrown out and…" Sumire froze staring at Kanna.

"What, cat got your forked tongue?" asked Kanna.

"It…it's behind you…" stammered Sumire. The squirrel had wandered behind Kanna on a high shelf and was looking around the room uninterestedly.

Kanna turned and stepped backwards. The squirrel picked up on the movement and turned towards her as she slowly walked backwards towards the entrance.

"Sumire," whispered Kanna. "You stay here, I'll go get Oogami."

"What!" exclaimed Sumire. The squirrel dropped to the floor.

"Shhh! Be quiet, and don't let it past you!" Kanna edged her way out of the room and ran down the hall.

"Kanna!" screeched Sumire.

Oogami was walking the hallways when Kanna blurred around the corner.

"Squad leader, it's in the costume room. I already got Sakura and Iris, and I'm going for the others!" she stated.

"Great, tell Reni to stay at the courtyard door so she can open it when we get there," ordered Oogami as he took off towards the costume room.

"Orihime! Kohran! It's in the costume room!" exclaimed Kanna as she ran into the auditorium. "You're the last group, let's go!"

Orihime nodded and followed Kanna out.

"Coming, Kohran?" asked Kanna.

"Be right there in a minute," replied Kohran.

The squirrel stood on its hind legs staring at Sumire. Sumire was likewise standing and staring at the squirrel.

"St—just stay away from me, you hear?" said Sumire. The squirrel continued to stare down Sumire for several seconds. It suddenly looked to the side, and then darted off into the dark corner.

"Hmph! That's what I thought," taunted Sumire. At that moment Oogami, Sakura, and Iris came up behind Sumire.

"Ensign! It ran into the corner!" Sumire said hurriedly.

"Got it," replied Oogami. Orihime and Kanna joined the onlookers and everyone gathered at the door.

"Iris, Sakura, stay between the hall and the stage. Orihime, Maria, wait by the stairs; Kanna, watch the dressing room, and Sumire, hold the music room. If I don't catch it with this, we need to herd it to the courtyard." Oogami raised the net.

"Oogami!" Kohran shoved her way through the crowd to the front. "Let me help you find it."

Activating on the motion sensor, it began emitting a series of beeps. The screen showed one large blob, presumably the Hanagumi.

"Ok, everyone to their stations," whispered Oogami. The crowd dispersed, and eight white dots appeared on the screen moving to their locations. Eventually, the dots stabilized at in a rough circle surrounding the room.

"Kohran, can you see it?" asked Oogami quietly as he brandished his net.

"Still searching…wait, I think I have something," replied Kohran. She reoriented towards one corner. "About five meters that direction."

The machine showed one blip that began moving. Tracking the blip, Kohran turned from one corner to the next. The device continued its steady beeps.

Oogami started walking towards that direction when Kohran signaled him to stop.

"It's coming this way, watch for it Oogami!" she said.

Oogami nodded and started scanning the floor.

"4.5 meters…4 meters…3.5…see it yet?" asked Kohran. The sound from the device beeped faster.

"No, I don't anything. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Three meters…2.5…Oogami?"

"It's still not here." The machine continued to incessantly beep faster.

"One meter…zero…it's right here!" exclaimed Kohran. Looking up from the device, she saw nothing.

"Wait, that's impossible, unless…"

Oogami and Kohran, feeling sick, peered upwards. Latched onto the ceiling was the squirrel staring down dispassionately at them.

Sakura and Iris were standing opposite in the hallway between the stage and the small props room when they heard a bloodcurdling scream.

"Oogami?" exclaimed Sakura. Running towards the costume room, she spotted Kanna ahead, who had also heard the noise. Suddenly, Oogami fell out into the hall with his furry assailant at his face, while Kohran stood by helplessly.

"Iris sees the squirrel! It's so cute!" yelled Iris happily.

By this time, Oogami had been subdued and was lying on the floor. The squirrel, standing over its conquest, jumped off Oogami's head and darted towards Sakura.

"Yaaaah!" Sakura spread her arms wide.

"Other way, other way!" she screamed. The squirrel changed directions and ran down the hallway towards the music room.

"Heads up, Sumire!" yelled Kanna. Sumire, standing by the room, saw a brown flash streak towards her. It suddenly stopped at the feet of a panic frozen Sumire.

"Stop it!" ordered Oogami, who had just recovered from the brutal attack and was running towards Sumire.

"With what?" Sumire replied loudly. The squirrel turned its attention away from Sumire and turned the corner, blurring by Maria who at this time was trying to get a bead on it without everyone in the way. Orihime jumped over the path of the squirrel as it ran under her feet.

"Damn," said Maria as she ran to give chase. "Reni, get the door ready!"

Bolting around the corner, the squirrel spotted an acorn sitting in the middle of the hall. Without stopping its dash, it jumped and snatched the acorn and continued towards Reni, who stood by the door of the courtyard. Oogami skidded around the corner, followed by the rest of the Hanagumi. Without warning, an explosion in front of him blinded Oogami.

"Argh!" grunted Oogami as he tripped over his feet.

The white light left stars in his eyes, and his ears rang from the sound, but before he realized it he met the floor with a resounding thud. Something warm and soft fell on top of him, and with that he felt a large convoluted jumble of mass fall around and on top of him.

Reni had turned her eyes away when she realized that the squirrel had tripped one of Kohran's devices. Following a deafening explosion, she looked back at the billowing smoke coming from the now defused trap. Judging from the explosion type, she surmised that it was a rigged flash bang meant to temporarily paralyze the squirrel, however the squirrel was now contentedly munching on the acorn at her feet.

In addition, the squirrel stood victorious in front of the still recovering entangled mass of bodies, all piled in one way or another on top of some part of Oogami.

"That's probably going to hurt later," thought Reni. Looking in the direction of the courtyard, she whistled. A few seconds later Hund, the small white dog of the theater, bounded over. Tilting her head towards the squirrel, Hund picked up on the command immediately. Walking over to the squirrel, Hund nudged the squirrel out into the courtyard with his nose. Reni quietly shut the door.

"Oogami? What is going on here?" started Manager Yoneda as he walked into the hallway with Kaede.

"Ah, ah, O-Oogami!" stammered Yoneda as he absorbed the chaos in front of him. Kaede carefully hid a grin.

The group collectively seemed to regain their senses together and started getting up. When they realized what they looked like, they all bolted upright, red-faced and embarrassed, with the exception of Sumire.

"Comfy, Ensign?" she quietly teased. With an annoyed look on her face, Kanna reached down and yanked Sumire to her feet.

"Manager Yoneda, it's not what it looks like," started Oogami.

"Oogami," sighed Yoneda. "I'll see you in my office in a while."

"Yes sir," replied Oogami dejectedly. He turned to address the rest of the Hanagumi. "Sorry about everything. You're all free to go." The rest of the Hanagumi silently dispersed to clean themselves up, while Oogami started towards Yoneda's office.

After a cursory self-cleansing, Oogami stood before Yoneda's office. Knocking, Oogami entered the room after Yoneda's confirmation and saluted.

"Yoneda, Kaede." Oogami greeted somberly.

"Sit down," gestured Yoneda as he poured himself a drink. "Just give me a brief report."

Oogami gave an account of the events of the morning. During his report, Kaede frequently had to stifle small giggles while Yoneda listened carefully. When he finished, Yoneda sat silently in contemplation.

"You know, Oogami," said Yoneda after several seconds. "This was actually something I was thinking about for a while. Oogami, don't you think the rest of them rely a little too much on you?"

"Not really. I know they'd do just fine by themselves," Oogami answered immediately. "I have the utmost confidence in all of their abilities. They work well as a team."

"Yes, they do, but Oogami, when you've been around as long as I have you will realize that someday you won't always be with them." Yoneda absently stared at the photo he had on his desk of his old comrades. "When that day comes, I want to be sure that the team can carry on without you. While it's not pleasant to think about, it is your duty as the squad leader to prepare them for this. It's…it's…" Yoneda frowned as he fumbled for the right words.

Yoneda gestured to Kaede, who continued the briefing. "Oogami, what he's trying to say is just try to spend some more time with the Hanagumi. Get them to work together more. If they understand each other better, they'll work as a team better, ok?"

Oogami nodded in confirmation.

"One more thing, Oogami," said Yoneda. "Being a squad leader is much more than being a tactical genius or piloting the armor. You have an instinct for seeing people as they are. The other members are all actors, on the stage and off. Work on that, and you'll do fine. That is all."

Oogami pondered Yoneda's words, then exited. Yoneda glanced at the door, and then nodded at Kaede, who departed. Finally, he glanced at his desk where he looked at the reports of the numerous city defense forces being established worldwide. Next to those reports was one additional report pertaining to Ichirou Oogami's readiness to be redeployed elsewhere.