Author's Note: Before I begin, I would like to say that my previous story, Creep, is on hiatus. I am remaking it and having a lot of trouble finding a proper setting for it. It will return, but I am uncertain as to when.

I warn readers of this story that this chapter does not contain much communication between Natsuki and Shizuru. The second chapter will have a bit more. I plan on advancing slowly when it comes to their relationship. I won't rush it. I apologise for any grammatical mistakes.

Shizuru watched as trains passed by, leading to all sorts of directions. With her back erect and her legs crossed, she waited patiently for her train to arrive and take her away.

"Miss Fujino," said Mister Tanaka, her old butler and long time friend, "it is quite chilly. Would you like my coat?"

She turned to the old man with his hunched back and his strong build. Shizuru smiled at him and politely declined his offer. Her eyes soon found the charcoal clouds which churned unhappily as they hid away the sun.

"Mister Tanaka," she said finally as she rubbed her bruised cheek, "may I ask you something?"

"Anything, Miss Fujino."

Her eyes travelled towards Tanaka and she could feel her smile falter slightly. She said to him, "How is Tokyo?"

Her old friend stared down at her for a long minute before he said, "Well, I haven't been there myself. Mister Fujino, however, claims that it is quite a revolting place. He says that it has been modernised by American culture and that he fears going back there."

She did not speak for a while as she thought on this.

"Miss Fujino," said Tanaka, "I assure you, you will have a splendid time at your new home."

She smiled at Tanaka, despite the bad feeling which made her body tingle with anxiety.

Once she heard the screech of metal grinding against metal, Shizuru turned to see that her train had just arrived.

She quickly stood up and bowed to Mister Tanaka. Shizuru straightened up and touched his arm affectionately as she said, "Thank you, Mister Tanaka. For everything. I am truly blessed to have known you."

Mister Tanaka laughed, which was rather rare.

"You remind me so much of your mother, Miss Fujino," he said. "Good luck."

She nodded to him and headed for the train without looking back, her bags trailing behind her.

After the war of the HiME's, the tension of the Carnival simmered down, Shizuru Fujino soon became school council president.

It was very much expected. Haruka was loud-mouthed and did not know how to motivate a crowd. Despite her HiME status, she was simply not meant to lead.

Haruka took her loss rather badly, but thankfully, she no longer had her HiME powers and was unable to go on a rampage with her ball and chain.

All was well for the time being. With the new school year finally here and the lack of powers to keep under control, Shizuru felt quite confident being the new president. She was quite certain that many people liked her and that they would do as she said. Haruka was a bit rowdy at first, but Shizuru soon satisfied her by giving her the position as Executive Director of the Suzushiro Directory, which may have sounded quite grand. However, Haruka's job was to do all of the things the other council members wouldn't, which wasn't all that grand.

Then came trouble.

Now, to say that it was trouble would be quite an understatement, especially for Shizuru, the newly elected council president. However, she had expected this sort of thing to happen at some point.

HiME powers returned. But they were more than just mere monsters and materialised weapons, if that wasn't enough earlier. There was also a grave twist to it. The participants were ordered to be shipped off to some island in the Pacific. After all, it was for the safety of the students around them.

Shizuru did not know what to think about this new policy bestowed upon Fuuka Academy. She did not agree with it, that was for certain. However, the majority of the students' lives greatly weighed out those of a select few (perhaps ten or more; Shizuru along with the rest of Fuuka had not been informed of them as yet).

The participants were allowed to visit at certain points in time in order to say hello to their family and friends. They were not completely cut off from civilisation. That was good, wasn't it?

Shizuru was particularly worried about Kuga Natsuki. She had been a HiME once, why not again? Shizuru would indeed be worried about her. She didn't know how Natsuki could handle herself in the wilderness, without guidance. Shizuru had been guiding her through the previous Carnival. Without Shizuru, it was a wonder how Natsuki would survive.

Shizuru would just have to wait, patiently now, before all the HiME's were sent away.

So, Shizuru waited for answers.

"Fujino!" snapped Haruka as she slammed a hand on Shizuru's desk. "Wake up!"

Shizuru's eyes fluttered open. She sat up and looked around to see that the student council room was morbidly silent. Even Haruka did not look as lively as she usually would.

"What is it, Haruka?" asked Shizuru airily.

Haruka handed her a bulky letter with a candle wax seal. Shizuru took it from Haruka's hand and, with a suspicious gaze, tore it open with the letter-opener at the edge of her desk.

A collar fell out of it. No paper. Just a collar.

There was a long silence as Shizuru stared at it, confused. She looked up at Haruka for an explanation.

"You're a HiME now, Shizuru," said Reito, his tone even, but his eyes reflecting the morbidity of the situation.

And the plot thickens.

Shizuru was probably not very good at noticing things because she did not recall any signs of being a HiME.

She did not have any powers nor did she have a beast at her command. There was no marking on any part of her body and she did not have any weapons to summon at any given time. She was merely a student council president with ordinary responsibilities.

At first, Shizuru thought this was a joke. Then it dawned on her that jokes in general were not Haruka's style and she silently began to think of the possibilities. What could happen in this event? Probably nothing terrible. They couldn't let innocent teenagers get killed. It didn't seem fair. They couldn't let the students get hurt like last time.

But who said the faculty hurt any of the students? It was the students themselves that were driven to madness, to anarchy. They were the ones who turned on each other and hurt each other. Shizuru could not imagine the lack of order on an island full of hormonal teenaged girls. The thought was nearly frightening.

Shizuru slipped into a sort of depression, but no one really noticed. Reito probably did, considering that the two were best friends, but he did not voice his concerns. Her smiles were still flawless. Her grace was still surreal. No one knew she was going to be shipped off to the middle of nowhere in a moment's time.

One evening, as Shizuru walked down the pathway of the garden to find some peace of mind, there she was. Kuga Natsuki.

Natsuki and Shizuru didn't talk all that much. In fact, they only talked whenever they met up by chance. At least recently, ever since she met Tate. Not that Shizuru minded the boy. It wasn't his fault.

Shizuru went to the garden to find quiet, but Natsuki always tended to be an exception. She approached Natsuki slowly and said, "It is a surprise to see Natsuki at school for once."

Natsuki looked up from the flower she was holding and turned around to Shizuru. To Shizuru's surprise, there was nothing lively about Natsuki at that moment. Her green eyes were dull, her skin was pale (or paler than usual), and she looked very, very frail.

"Hey, Shizuru," Natsuki greeted gruffly, her voice quiet.

"Ara, what is wrong with Natsuki?" Shizuru asked as she leaned in a bit, her hands behind her back.

Natsuki opened her mouth to speak, but, when she found no words to speak, she shook her head and snarled, "None of your business."

With that, she turned away from Shizuru and shoved her hands in the pouch of her jacket. Shizuru watched as Natsuki shifted under her gaze and turned back to Shizuru.

"Don't you have something to do?" she asked irritably. Shizuru smiled.

"Not really."

"Eh…," Natsuki groaned as she brushed past Shizuru and stalked away. Shizuru turned to Natsuki and said, "Is it the HiMEs that has Natsuki so upset?"

Natsuki paused and glanced back. "No," she said curtly. "I'll see you around, Shizuru."

Shizuru watched Natsuki as she reached the doors to the main building and slipped inside. Shizuru kept her gaze for a few brief seconds before sighing to herself and looking up at the clouds. The sun did not wish to shine that morning, so there was little to be happy about.

Shizuru was to be shipped off by the end of the week. What would people say about her disappearance? What would her father say? What would he do?

The mere thought of leaving civilisation was scalding to the touch. She did not want to leave. She was uncertain as to whether she would return whole or not.

The last few days passed by quite quickly. Shizuru's heart fell lower and lower as she thought of the things she would miss. She would miss the students (the 'easy' ones especially), her tea (quite literally her anti-drug for personal reasons), her friends (or perhaps her only real friend, Reito), even Haruka's loud mouth (because, she had to admit, she made her look good). She would miss the garden and her warm bed and maybe even Tomoe, that bizarre green-haired girl who was always willing to do whatever Shizuru told her to.

The only thing to look forward to was the fact that she would be able to offer her services to Natsuki. She had asked Mashiro about whether Natsuki was also a HiME and Mashiro had smiled solemnly and said, "Why, yes. She isn't all too happy about it, but that is how things have turned out."

Shizuru had met her around the time she'd became class representative. Natsuki was ambitious and desired answers. Her inquisitiveness struck Shizuru as odd, seeing as Fuuka was not the type of school to encourage such bold behaviour. But Natsuki had been different. After all, her mother had died, murdered even, and Natsuki sought her answers with vigour.

Of course, the truth is hardly ever a pretty thing. Saeko, Natsuki's mother, was willing to sell Natsuki to the Searrs Foundation for experimentation. Upon hearing this, Natsuki was a wreck and found solace in Tate who had been her shoulder to 'cry on', despite the lack of tears. Natsuki was not one to cry, but one to sulk and snap. Shizuru had kept an eye on her, even if Natsuki had partially forgotten her existence after the Carnival.

Recently, however, Tate has been absent from both Mai and Natsuki's lives. Rumours of a fight had gone around and inevitably reached Shizuru's eager ears. Shizuru grew worried and tried to reach out to Natsuki. Natsuki rejected her advances and proceeded to mope in silence and solitude. By that final weeks, on that final day before Shizuru would be shipped away, she approached Natsuki once again in the garden.

"I'm not in the mood, Shizuru," snapped Natsuki, her eyes narrowed and hateful. "Leave me alone!"

"Ara! Why is Natsuki so defensive?" asked Shizuru, pushing her luck. Natsuki said nothing. She ripped a flower out from its bunch and crushed it in her hand absent-mindedly.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Shizuru thought about what to ask next as the petals of the decimated flower dropped from Natsuki's thin fingers, like blood. Her eyes were glazed over, her mind obviously far, far away in the deep crevices of her own sadness. Shizuru could see it quite clearly and recognise it almost immediatly, considering she had seen it in the mirror quite often.

"Now, what have I told Natsuki about killing flowers?" asked Shizuru, cokcing her head to the side and crossing her arms. Natsuki didn't speak for a long while as she seemed to try and find herself.

"I just need some time alone," was all she said, solemnly gazing into the distance. Shizuru felt her heart fall slightly, but heeded Natsuki's words. She supposed that she understood.

However, the rest of the day went by with Shizuru thinking about Natsuki.

Which probably explained why Shizuru had a dream about her on the night before her departure. She made a very brief appearance, but she was undoubtedly there amidst the chaos. She was sitting in that restaurant nearby, biting into an apple (or was it a pomegranate?). Shizuru had been drenched in blood across the street, calling for help. A red car zoomed by and Natsuki was gone.

So Shizuru was rather shocked when she was literally yanked out of bed that morning and gagged. She was blindfolded and her wrists were bound together by some rope. She felt strong hands lift her up and fling her onto the holder's shoulder before being hauled out of her room.

After a long ride, Shizuru was finally put on her own two feet and the gag was ripped from her mouth.

Shizuru did not dare make a sound. She did not know where she was and she was barefoot and standing around in her knickers and nightgown.

She felt something cold press against the side of her face, including her ear.

"Your father is on the phone," a delicate voice said. "If you haven't already told him that you are leaving Fuuka, you must tell him now and bid him farewell. You have five minutes."

"Father?" Shizuru said calmly.

"Shizuru?" growled the husky voice of her father. "What are you calling me so late for?"

"I'm leaving Fuuka," said Shizuru, trying to sound stronger than she felt. "I'm sorry I haven't told you earlier, but I have some business to handle and—"

"What business?" snarled her father. "Your business is at school."

"It is mandatory that I go," Shizuru spoke quietly.

"I demand I speak with the headmistress," he spat. "Where is she? Is she there? Shizuru? Speak up!"

"Time up," said a deep voice as the phone was taken away from Shizuru's ear and the babbling of her father was ceased.

"Where am I?" asked Shizuru.

There was a steady pause. Then there was some shifting and incoherent whispering that had Shizuru straining her ears.

Then the soft voice said, "Miss Fujino, you know that you are a HiME now, yes?"

"Yes."

"You also know that you are meant to be shipped away today?" asked the voice.

"Yes," Shizuru repeated.

"Admittedly, we have left out one great detail," said the voice. "You are not being shipped away merely because of student safety."

Shizuru stayed silent as her mind worked on overdrive. If not for the students, then what else could be so important that the school was required to ship off teenagers into the middle of nowhere?

"Your responsibility is to wipe out all the Orphans in that area along with its human inhabitants," said the voice. Shizuru frowned at this and turned her head to where she believed the voice was coming from.

"Orphans?" she echoed, wondering what this was. It sounded awfully familiar, but she couldn't put her head around it. "Children without parents are a threat?"

"Ever the joker, Shizuru," said the voice, far from amused by Shizuru's sarcasm. "No. I'm talking about the monsters that the HiMEs fought. Surely you remember them from last year's events."

Shizuru did indeed remember what an Orphan was. She mentally recoiled at the thought of going against such things.

"I am not accustomed to fighting," Shizuru admitted.

"That can be arranged," replied the voice. "The forest is an ideal place to hone your skills."

Before Shizuru could answer, she felt something hit her across the head and she passed out before she felt herself hit the ground.

"Natsuki! Natsuki, wake up!"

Natsuki groaned and let her eyes flutter open. She shot up and felt her neck. Cold metal greeted her callous fingers instead of warm skin.

Natsuki whirled around and saw that Mai was there along with Mikoto. Mai smiled sheepishly as Natsuki spun her head around and took in her surroundings. Natsuki rose to her feet slowly and watched as palm trees swayed in the light breeze and ocean waters rolled calmly and lapped at the sandy shore.

"Mai," said Natsuki, her eyes narrowing, "where are we?"

She turned to the young redhead only to get a shrug of the shoulders.

"Beats me," she replied. She handed over a cracked coconut. "You want?"

Natsuki ignored the offer and took a few steps towards the froth of the tide. She looked out into the deep blue only to see nothing but sky and ocean coming together in the distance. Nothing else.

"Oi!" Natsuki cried out with the maximum power of her lungs. Her voice did not travel very far and died out rather quickly. Natsuki growled and whirled around.

"I'm afraid you're going to be stuck here until further notice, Kuga Natsuki," said a voice from beyond the wall of palm trees. Natsuki ran towards the palm trees and saw no one. "You are to be detained here until you complete your mission."

"Where are you?" Natsuki screamed.

"Up here."

Natsuki snapped her head skyward only to see an intercom wrapped to one of the many palm trees. A cable led down that particular tree and ran along the forest floor. Natsuki was about to follow it until the voice of the intercom spoke up.

"I am not present in this forest, Kuga. I am in the comfort of my home, watching your every move."

Natsuki didn't bother listening. She went to follow the cable and soon came across a large hunk of metal. It was wide and bulky and buttons flashed upon its black surface. A satellite rotated on its head, picking up signals from far, far away.

"I told you," it said. "Now, Natsuki, you have been given specific orders before you have been deported here. I suggest you follow them."

"You're fucking ridiculous," Natsuki snarled.

"Do not make this difficult for the both of us, Miss Kuga," said the voice. "You must do as you're told. I don't make the rules."

Natsuki scowled and kicked the contraption. It didn't budge.

"Kuga," said the voice warningly. Natsuki commenced walking away. "Kuga! Listen to me. You will face consequences if you don't kill all the Orphans on this island."

"I'm not doing a damn thing until I get a ticket out of here!" Natsuki shot back. "I'm done! I don't want to be a HiME anymore!"

"That is just the way things are," said the voice quietly. "I'm sorry, Kuga, I really am."

"Just shut up already!" spat Natsuki. Suddenly, she felt a power sweep over her and Duran emerged from the ground. Natsuki stumbled back and leaned against a tree, stunned. She hadn't meant to summon him at that moment.

Duran raised his head and howled at the sun before turning to Natsuki for commands. Natsuki stared at him for a good long while, taking him in. She had not seen him in so many months. It was weird to finally be acquainted with him after so long.

"Duran…," Natsuki whispered as she put her hand on his metal muzzle. He growled and pushed his muzzle up against her hand. Natsuki smiled. "It's been a while."

"Kuga," the voice called out, "I don't mean to ruin the reunion, but you have a mission. I suggest you complete it."

Natsuki snorted and slid her hand off of Duran.

"Whatever."