A/N: A dark fan fiction awaits.
A collision of several anime. Expect Yuri, Yaoi, and and straight couples...furthermore, expect a slash, and merger of pairings that could never happen, purely because two characters aren't in the same anime in the first place. Expect everything I'm known for, twisting, and turning the very foundations as we know it...you have been warned.
The basis for this merger in so many anime, is that they all share one very similar fundamental. An idealist world...A complete world, that is changed, and built...now, each anime had different prerequisites, so bear with me for a moment as we address them. In some worlds, that view is seen as a new future that can only be brought on by select individuals.
In Sailor Moon those people are Usagi, the moon princess, and Mamoru, the prince of Earth. In Mai HiME, we see a similarity; a creation of a new world, and ascendance of the throne. For HiME the requirements are the obsidian lord, and the winning HiME from all of the battles prior to the final dance between princess and lord.
In Black Lagoon, the world is absolutely backwards and criminal masterminds run wild. The ideals of justice are turned into a near perversion for the sake of an individuals ideals. War is not one sided, light can not be without dark, and lastly, those who are the true sinners, remain in question at all times. No one is without fault, and every mind game has a reason to be there, even from the places that should be helpful, lawful, and good.
Next, in Gunslinger Girl, government agencies take it in their hands to alter the lives, and the world around them by the use of medical advances. While they are not trying to inherently change the world directly, and their brand of justice is founded in a strong sense of morality, the facts end there...what happens when you use humans as weapons...when you rip away what humanity they may have, turning them into tools, and little else?
Finally, we have Psycho-Pass...the world in which we're going to base this theory...revisiting the anime, (seeing as it was completed recently) questioning the world that the perfection that minds have created. What happens when you combine these worlds in a clash? Well, we're about to find out.
Warning: Rated M. Copious amounts of crass language, sexual situations, multiple pairings, and rude awakening throughout. AU, likely some OOC situations, if you don't like the basic idea, don't read it...because you're sure to hate the fan fiction, if that's the case.
I do not own any of the following: Mai HiME, Black Lagoon, Psycho-Pass, Gunslinger Girl, Sailor Moon.
Prologue 1:
Experimental Project; HiME
Picture it...a utopian world.
One idealistic, but fragile. Protected by those who believe so deeply in the truths and lies of a government that dictates everything, to facilitate a brighter tomorrow. It's seemingly perfect, because that's what everyone wanted to pretend that it is...after all, living in delusion is better than living in depression, right? The system seems to think so...I dunno really, I guess it could go both ways.
The questions are always there, inviting new ideals.
Think about all the things you wanted...think about all the things you could have...and because it was a perfect world, you could live your dreams as you wished, without any problems at all. You could become anyone you wanted with ease, and no one ever fought...everyone could excel, no matter what...and everyone, always, smiled and waved...loving thy neighbor, well it would be a law, not just some religious creed.
It's peaceful, right? Now, pretend that world was really there, but, that in truth it was a farce...kinda puts a damper on things, doesn't it?
Well, it does, if you were living with your head in the clouds, but, I don't suppose you were doing that..were you? No, people don't do that..because, that's not conducive to a proper, logical world. Oh, but you've dreamed, right? Dreaming isn't logical either...it's a fabrication of the mind...so, that's not really real, and not apart of the world, is it? Have you come down to earth now, can I ask some real questions?
Good...then let's begin.
Have you walked down the city streets, and seen litter on the ground? Did you pick it up, or leave it there? It's okay, if you left it alone...it's just another piece of trash, after all...isn't that the way the world works? They're wasteful, aren't they...well, life here, I guess it's the same way now...people, they haven't change...not much...they think they've changed...but really, we're all just pretending to be something that we're not.
Well I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Welcome to my life...our lives, in this effective dystopia.
In a world filled with instability, the minds of humans struggle to maintain some sense of reality. In recent years, we have seen the rise, and subsequent fall, of many ways of life. The world, and the people within it, battling away their guilty, imperfect ways, at every turn. Evolution is a very slow road, too slow for those who can't seem to wait for nature to take hold...however, that's an entirely different debate.
Anyway, several government agencies, through many centuries have tried, and failed, in building a successful system to analyze, and protect, the human nature. It has fallen from the brink of sanity, you see...it was to be expected. With technology on the rise, and several failed attempts to govern a perfect world, there was little choice in the matter.
Something had to plummet, break, and fall apart. That thing, unfortunately, was the very foundation of humanity as we knew it.
Somewhere along the lines, technological advances because our normalcy, and humans could not function without the very use of our creations. However, we discovered one troubling little detail about that. Computers, and the intelligence that it had, built a logical foundation. However, it lacks the ability to form reasoning capabilities. The system most noteworthy for finding a way to maintain such an irregular balance, was dubbed the Sybil System...however, even as perfect as the public thought it was, it is by nature, a flawed design.
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Every logical law, has a failure.
Every truth, must also have a lie.
Without human judgment, such a system would merely send our world into a cesspool that needed to be cleaned. It would eventually need to rebuilt from the tainted ashes. However, it could be argued that immoral constitutions of humans, were not, by logic, any better...so, what does one chose?
Man, or machine?
troubling question, isn't it?
That's why it's a god damned farce, in every way, that the so loved Sybil System, is actually a huge network of synchronized human brains...to make petty the argument, and to furthermore add insult to injury, these brains are not, by nature, law abiding citizens...rather, they're enigmatic thinkers, who were chosen selectively...so, one could say, the law is even more corrupt than before.
Something needed to change, and a group of ballsy men and women, took it upon their hands. They wanted to bring forth a new era...but you see, this era of which I speak, it hasn't been built yet. You see, the system, it's been been questioned, and threatened a few times before...in order to be successful this time, it would take a team...and just just one team..but many teams.
I can't say I understand all of it, or why things happened the way they did, I'm still just a test subject, after all...but, I'll explain it the best I can.
It was a pretentious team of doctors, that pushed the envelopes of the human body even further than before.
It was a group of bureaucrats, that sat down to kiss the ass of every law abiding citizen in the world.
It was the rebels, the criminals, those without reasons to live, and lost souls, that became that became judgment's left hand.
It was the ones who wanted to make the change, calm, clear, and concise, that gave birth to right hand of redemption.
Finally, it was the cohabitation, and cooperation that created the principles that we, of a small underground organization, live by today.
In world, governed by machines, there are a chosen few, who rise up above the very foundation that the world today has become. We are sinners, and, we live a lonely life, watching over the systems put into place. There is a thing that is known as a Psycho-Pass. It monitors the way people think, and the stress levels of a given area. It was the first machine ever to color emotions into a hue, a pattern that could dictate ones emotional, human well-being.
However, it is as I said, there are flaws in that system...the saving graces are not enough.
And now, those of us who've been chosen, for a variety of reasons, have no other place to call our home. We wish that we did, and sometimes, we get a little homesick, but the truth is, for most of the members found here, myself included, we have no home left to return to. Those of us that have families wouldn't be remembered...
Why is that? Well that's easy. Our existence has been completely eradicated from every bit of paperwork one could think of. I can't speak for everyone here, at this nameless organization, but I can speak for myself.
My family name is Kuga, personal name is Natsuki...I'm of the HiME division.
I'm a human born person...a natural person...who was, at one point, merely a mortal. My mother died when I was little, and I've no idea about my father. Like most here, in the agency, I was brought here, and raised with a selected group of girls. We signed our lives away, and were injected with a powerful scientific matter. We were told that with it's capabilities, we could produce photons at whim, and, use them to our advantage. There were twelve of us who agreed, and without a second thought we were branded with a mark that identified just what we were.
We've all aged, some more than others, and the HiME division of the agency is made of twelve young women, who've signed their lives away in service to our agency. It's still nameless to us, and, really, we've no idea who's actually pulling the strings, but we don't care. Life here has become a routine, and it's all that we know...it's more than some could ever hope for...but for me, I don't know...I guess, I always wanted to be something more, than just a test subject.
All I know, is that I didn't really care about my life, not when I was a kid...I was one of those lost souls...I wanted a reason to live and now, this is my fate...but, you know what, I don't think it's cruel...I kinda like it.
...
"Hush, little HiME, don't make a sound. Tonight's a bloodbath, so gather 'round. Dance with deceit, hate, and blight. Call forth children into the night. I promise you, that I won't bite."
It was with a cold sweat that she woke up breathless and confused.
Her eyes were dilated, and she was naked, feeling the chill of the cold metal that she found herself placed upon. The room was a sterility. Four metal walls, and a door made of the same, bolted and shut tight. "God, damn it." Now she remembered. She recalled everything clearly now. With a few more steadying breaths, she ripped the leather strap from her arm, and the device the so held her near, breaking her bindings with ease. Around her wrist, a plastic band told her, of just what she was, but, she knew anyway. "Of all the times to have a nightmare."
"Very good!" A voice came over the loudspeaker. "Natsuki, your tests went well today. When you're feeling better, you may proceed back to the dormitory." The woman watched as Natsuki began to strike a match on a box, and she realized Natsuki had put something rather uncanny to her mouth. "What are you doing, Natsuki? You don't smoke."
"This shit will kill me one day anyway." Natsuki bit out, with the butt between her teeth, sighing as she looked over at the table, where dirty needles sat on the metal tray. "Next time you pull a stunt like that, tell me." She growled a bit aggravated. "If you don't, you'll possibly cloud my emotions."
"They're already clouded." The woman's voice said again, a bit dryly. "They'll always remain that way."
"Even more than they already are." Natsuki spat, as she lunged herself off of the table. "Besides, you won't find anything there." She walked over to the only locker in the room, her leathers waited to be donned. "You should give a little warning before inducing bad dreams...you don't know what might happen."
"If we did that, Natsuki, all of your results would be inconclusive, we need accuracy." The woman's voice said again. "Because, you're a criminal, just like the rest of us, you don't have any rights anymore. You should be happy, you weren't put down when the MWPSB had the chance."
"That may be so, but they wouldn't dare, I could rip that agency a new asshole at any given time, so could most of the others around here." She didn't pay any mind to the fact that cameras, and insanely smart artificial intelligence units, were watching her every move. She'd grown up with it, after all. "Those guys are as good as gone, when we finally get our chance."
"Don't get cocky, Natsuki." Shino scolded gently. "If it were that easy, we would have already done it."
"How's my index rating?" Natsuki asked then, though she doubted it changed much. "Not all dark again, is it?"
"Still higher than normal, but as you know, you'll never drop to a safe level, not ever again." The voice told her, with a bit of sadness at that. "Still, for having a Crime Coefficient of well over several hundred, you've been cooperative." The voice sounded confused, if not inwardly consumed by such musings. "How odd really...you're a good little puppy under all of that brashness, aren't you?"
"Get real, Shino." Natsuki scoffed as she zipped up her suit. "Even I know better than to begin disobeying entirely...that, and my body is nearly completely altered at will. I'm only human by a marginal percentage best...at least, when you consider what I can really do." With that, a chuckle slipped from her lips. "Even if I am considered a criminal...I'm not out to get into more trouble than necessary."
"Be that as it may, Natsuki, remember that you aren't the toughest girl here, even if you think you are." A screen opened out of thin air, and a woman's face appeared before her. A blond, voluptuous woman, sat in her chair, one leg over the other, exposing her womanly thigh. "A little loyalty goes a long way around here. If you'd stop running off, you wouldn't be shot down and paralyzed so often."
"I'm programmed to think like a wolf, remember?" Natsuki growled then, something she did partly out of instinct, and also out of annoyance. "With those little machines floating around in my blood stream, it's in my nature to do things alone."
"You're lucky you're of the HiME division. You don't need a representative with you at all times, that's a privilege, don't forget that." Then, the screen made a blip, and faded away as easily as it had first appeared. "You can trust us, you know."
Natsuki didn't say anything, but nodded her head as she walked over to the door, placing her hand on the touch screen she found there. "Project HiME, classification, Duran. Requesting entry access."
The door slid open with a chirp at that, and she stepped through, proceeding down the long, narrow hallway. Her footsteps echoing with a clicking sound with each and every forward step. This hallway was filled with with one way glass. Six doors on each side, twelve doors in total. Each examination room could be seen from this long passage that was otherwise empty. A few rooms were vacant, examinations already complete.
In others, some of the women, all fellow HiME, were still dressing in standard issue attire...leather body suits that hugged them, perfectly.
Natsuki didn't bother with waiting around, as she went into the room the was the furthest to the left. Entry was always so easy, and she didn't even need a command to do it. When she walked in however, she was met with a sight that wasn't to her liking. "Why hasn't she woken up from the simulator yet?" Natsuki asked as she stood next to the woman who was not only her partner, she was her wife. "Shino, answer me!"
"Sorry Natsuki." A different voice said. A computerized voice Natsuki knew well. "Shino wasn't overseeing her treatment, she was only overseeing the right side six, I was in charge of overseeing the simulation of Shizuru, and the others on the left side." The voice however, didn't come from someone who was purely a machine, but rather, a cyborg.
"Doctor Gal." Natsuki greeted with a mild, but welcome surprise. "I thought you were still on field assignments. I didn't know they brought you back home."
"I arrived this morning, so, I thought I would sit in on the newest injections." The doctor said, though the voice seemed to come through the room's speaker system, it was clear Gal was on the move. "Shino was nice enough to lend me a hand, considering my assistant is still out." That time, the voice came in more clearly, and, the door opened. A stubby little robot looking apparatus, a shell for the person living inside, came skating to the metal bedside. "As you know, Shizuru's been in a paralytic state for days now. The simulation was to attempt to install a new set of photons into your bodies. However, Shizuru is still incompatible."
"It doesn't surprise me." Natsuki agreed a bit annoyed, as she looked over to back wall, and pressed several large blocks that turned into screens and access panels. "When Shizuru took out our most recent target, we had to use direct force. Eight shots of any gun in paralysis mode would take weeks for recovery, if they did at all." Natsuki knew however, that had been the only way to control the raging beast that loomed inside. "What I want to know is, why haven't her machines gone back to normal function."
"A great question to ask." Gal nodded, slightly enthused. "The answer is, we simply don't know." Gal laughed a little at the growl her answer received, and at that, she began to open up files on the super computers located within the room. "Shizuru is very strong, but she loses control when she's sent into combat mode. Project Kiyohime wasn't a task to be taken lightly when we first started."
"I understand that, but don't you think this is all just a bit much?" Natsuki asked, putting her hand on her hip, while the other, pulled her long midnight hair away from her eyes. "Shizuru could have been killed."
Gal didn't hide her own vexing sigh at that. "Originally, we wanted to give a different girl those injections, however, we needed someone with restraint." She went on to explain. "The power was going to be strong, but we never realized just what kind of effect it would have on her mind...Shizuru isn't the only girl to have problems controlling her combat mode. Hers is simply the one that seems to be the most difficult to understand."
"Yeah, well you better figure out how to wake her up...and without forcing Kiyohime back into combat mode." Natsuki finally said with a sigh, and an angry glare. "We can override it if we have to, but, you know I hate doing that."
"It won't come to it, at least, not this time." Gal said expertly as she closed down a few of the computers near by. "As long as you wait, she will eventually wake up on her own sometime today. She endured the simulation just fine, Natsuki, so we know that she's active...once she comes out of sleep, we'll inject her, and run them again tomorrow." Even though it was an afterthought, Gal knew it was an important one. "There is one problem though. It seems as if her Crime Coefficient is in the thousands. That number exceeds normal levels, and even exceeds above the dangerous level. Until that number drops back down, we can't release her into the field. If we did, most security systems would kill her on sight."
"I understand." Natsuki said then, as she closed down the apparatus she was looking at. She wasn't satisfied with the report, but she knew there wasn't much that could be done. She pulled a white cloth out of Shizuru's locker, and draped it over the woman, to give her some level of modesty. "We were put on suspension until further notice anyway, it was a mess out there."
"It doesn't surprise me in the slightest." Gal said, with just a hint of reprimand to her tone. "According to agency orders, you were told to suppress and capture, those that weren't handling the stress factor well. You were ordered directly not to kill, and Shizuru..." Gal sighed at that. "You are all fitted to be human weapons, Natsuki, remember that. You may not just be tools, but your body can act as one."
"I know." Natsuki said then softly, as she took hold of Shizuru's hand, holding it in hers. "I don't have any trouble controlling myself. My hues always stay roughly the same."
Gal nodded. "Project Duran finally works as intended." She had a little bit of pride at that. "However, you should remember the times when it didn't work, and high stress levels in an area could send you into disarray." She put her hands into her pockets of her white lab coat, her shoulders slumping a bit. "Shizuru's probably undergoing one of those events right now. We can't exactly control it, we can only correct it when we find the glitch in her nano machines."
"That's like finding a needle in a haystack." Natsuki sighed, defeated. "It'll take forever, and Shizuru can't wait that long."
"It will take time, but, it isn't impossible." Gal shrugged, watching the emerald eyed HiME. "It isn't life threatening either, so long as Shizuru stays well enough away from any modules that may scan her mental capacity." She of thought herself overtly successful, when in regard to the HiME project. She was spearheading the very notion that this could be done, and, she couldn't deny, it was a fruitful endeavor. "She'll be alright, Natsuki."
"Doctor, I understood clearly, that one day we would end up taking real assignments in the field." Natsuki said then, looking down at her lover. "I wanted that so badly that I could taste it, even as a kid. I wanted to get out of the sterility of this damned facility...even if it was only to perform work." In fact, Natsuki loved to work, it was the only time she had any true sense of freedom. "But some of the HiME, they aren't meant for fighting. In fact, sometimes I wonder if all of this work, developing some of them as prototypes, was actually in vain. Even if you can replicate each injection, who's to say if it would react the same in a different person?"
Gal stood, unmoved by Natsuki's words, nor by her convictions, already knowing well of the determined young woman in front of her...Gal had chosen all of the girls directly, hand picked them all, her choices very selective, and always precise. It was because of this, she felt at east enough to speak her mind, if only to calm Natsuki, who, was quite dangerous when uneasy.
"I can tell you, that it would not." Gal said then, as she pulled a vial of medicine from one of her pockets. "It's complicated, but each and every combat mode reacts differently."
"Our powers are different." Natsuki offered with a soft breath. "Some can really be described as more ruthless."
"You each trigger it differently as well, Natsuki." She withdrew the medicine with a syringe. It was an agent used as a suppressant for the machines looming within the blood of all HiME. "When we began searching for compatible hosts, we used your blood as an incubator and adjusted the cells in that blood completely." Without even a second glance, she began to administer the medicine. "Needless to say, we could have run these tests on two or three more dozen girls. In fact, in the future, we just might...but that's far off."
"But why is she the only one struggling? In the simulations, Shizuru was one of the strongest HiME." Natsuki didn't understand it, and it concerned her greatly. "She was the most powerful, and one of the most levelheaded."
"Simulations are merely that, Natsuki." Gal finally said, she had a theory, but it was purely that. "Even while put to the tests, you all have some level of awareness. You know it's not real...even when you die, you know you'll simply wake up." Gal assumed that was the cause. "During the incident, you were all apart of a real field mission. Dead people wouldn't wake up, and I'm sure Shizuru knew that. A level four security code over any densely populated area is a cause for concern. When people are feeling stress, with quantities that high, they feed off of it."
"Yeah...but it didn't help that the cybernetic team was involved either." Natsuki looked around the room, at the lack of any warmth, the void of any solace. The reflection in each piece of metal acted as a mirror, and sometimes, it was one Natsuki hated looking into. "Public security needs to get their heads out of their ass."
"Just as the cyborg team has their problems, the HiME team have ours." Gal said, though she knew it wouldn't put any ease to Natsuki's mind. "Humans are imperfect creatures, but that's why, we can take a theoretically perfect system, and work well along side of it."
A knocking on the metal beckoned Natsuki to turn around. "Are you spouting bullshit again, Gal?" It was a particularly venomous friend of theirs, and Natsuki's fellow HiME. "Give it a break will you, cyborg division section two has nothing on us. Once we get used to field work, we'll wipe the floor with those uptight bastards, right Natsuki?"
"We will." Natsuki agreed, though, it was clear that the rivalry wasn't nearly as heartfelt, if Natsuki were to give her opinion on the subject.
"You're still pissy that Shizuru fucked up the first real mission, aren't you?" Though, Nao immediately softened as she took a few steps in, realizing belatedly, that she hadn't heard of a single peep from the woman of the hour. "She still isn't awake yet, eh?" Nao asked then, and when Natsuki shook her head, the woman with lime green eyes sighed. "Stupid bitch." It was murmured under her breath, but Natsuki still heard it, and the cool understanding that was laced there. "Anyway, I don't know about you, but we're all starving. Today's simulation put us through the ringer, you could probably use some food too."
"Yeah, I guess." Natsuki then, as she stepped away from Shizuru to let her rest. "Gal, let me know as soon as she shows signs of waking up. I want to be here when she does."
"You can count on me for that, Natsuki." Gal nodded, waving as Natsuki and Nao headed out of Shizuru's room, escaping the medical bay.
There were several levels to the HiME wing of the large facility, but most of them were under a security clearance. That meant that those on the HiME division themselves, couldn't enter those rooms. It wasn't as if it mattered anyway. Aside from the sterility that most of the agency offered, there were a few places, that the group normally congregated in, purely because they were warm, and filled with worldly comforts.
The truth was, aside from the confinement the facility undoubtedly commanded, they were free to do what they wished, and, the agency was really a small city in and of itself...there was never a lack of things to do...only the lack of outside air, trees, shopping centers, or things that would be found outside of metal walls, or underground facilities. Even then, there were outdoor training and relaxing spaces, so they weren't always locked away inside of the building.
The HiME division wasn't exactly segregated entirely from the other divisions either, so, it wasn't any surprise to see the canteen filled with people, and those behind the counter, bustling around in the kitchen, were of friendly company. While it was true, that not everyone could be friendly with each other all the time, there was one event, that had become a sporting event in and of itself.
"Go team HiME!"
The shout could be heard well before they reached the cafeteria. "Was that Midori?" Natsuki laughed a little bit, hearing the cheers.
"It sounded like it." Nao scoffed, not at all enthused. "Probably another cook off. Midori lives for them, you know."
"Oh, god." Natsuki agreed, nodding her head. "If she tries to rope us into it, we're running away."
"Duly noted." Nao said then, as they walked through the big metal doors, where the cafeteria opened up.
Tables were long, and made of wood, chairs were comfortable, at least enough that one could sit around, even after a meal had been devoured, if one wished to. There were also a few small circular ones, usually inhabited by those who were a bit more antisocial in nature. It seemed, the group of people had been poorly under estimated, as a crowed gathered around, watching three females in the kitchen.
Murmurs and offhanded statements were like a flood, and try though they might, Nao and Natsuki could only catch wind of a few of the louder ones...granted, even those were hard to understand over boisterous cheers. It was a way to pass the time indeed, and, food would be plentiful, so, they tolerated it. Though, they sat towards the back to avoid most of the ruckus.
"Our Makoto has your Mai beat." It was a woman from the Senshi division. "She's always the best when it comes to being well-rounded." She was a woman of fire, and a priestess no less. She wasn't one to take lightly.
"Don't count your chickens just yet, Hino." Midori shot back, pointing her finger at the woman of raven tresses. "We're sticking with traditional Japanese, that's Mai's specialty."
"Don't forget about Claes, she's really the best when it comes to deserts." That was a girl from Germany, a cyborg from Social Welfare, a public security agent for Section Two. "That will be enough for her to win."
"That pipsqueak?" Midori chortled back with barely retrained mirth, don't make me laugh. "Mai has everything covered."
"Look at all the food." One of the younger girl's from the HiME division said in awe, a goofy little smirk on her face. "So hungry."
"Yeah, it looks yummy, doesn't it? I don't know why we're even having a competition." That came from a woman with long blond hair, who was standing off to one side. "In my eyes, we're the ones who are going to win. We get to taste it all."
"Mikoto!" Natsuki shouted, getting the attention of her naive comrade. "Get away from the counter, and bring that blond bimbo with you." Then, she looked to Nao, rolling her emerald eyes at the thought of entertaining them at all, but knowing that if they didn't, Mikoto was liable to help herself to the morsels, before the competition was well and truly done. "What is her name anyway?"
"Who, the blond from the Senshi division?" When Natsuki nodded, Nao rubbed her face and shook her head. "It's Usagi, I think...I can't keep em' straight. Her and Minako look so much alike, sometimes I forget."
"Natsuki Kuga, you're impossible! You're even meaner than Rei is." The prattling blond finally said when she sat down at the table, looking indignant.
"She's worse." Natsuki told the blond dryly, pointing at Nao. "This one has a tongue like acid." When Mikoto finally reached the table, Natsuki pulled her down into a seat forcefully. "You stay here, let everyone else get their food first, understand?" She growled in a firm order.
"Hey, don't be so mean to her." Usagi said then, crossing her arms. "She didn't do anything to you...neither did I, actually."
"You two idiots will eat all the food, before we even get a chance at it." Natsuki shrugged as she leaned heavily on the table. "Besides that, I wanna talk to you about field assignments." Her emerald eyes looked across the room to Rei, the person she would rather be talking to, but the raven was caught up in verbal warfare with Midori. "Have the Senshi team gone out on any yet?"
Usagi shook her head. "There's only five of us." There was a candy bowl in the middle of the table, and she found that she just had to help herself to a peppermint. "And besides that, we're not meant for being out in public, like Section Two. We're more like you guys, we're supposed to go out when they need heavy backup." Her fingers deftly opened the wrapper, and with glee, she popped the tiny tidbit into her mouth, humming at the taste. "In truth though, our strengths aren't exactly our powers. We have those too, just like you guys...but, we've been having some problems."
"Well, this is most assuredly an obscurity, wouldn't you all agree?" It was another from the Senshi division. A small, mousy girl. A genus in her own right, came to sit at the table then, mostly due to intrigue. "Why are you sitting here, Usagi, these two certainly aren't your kind of company."
"Heh, you're right." Nao crossed her arms, her lime green eyes studying the icy blue ones, their new addition often didn't come around the HiME. "She isn't our kind of company...neither are you, but, you'll do as well." She slung an arm over Natsuki's shoulder. "My buddy here, has a few things to say, not that she told me about it, but I thought I'd humor her anyway."
"A Senshi...warrior of ice." Natsuki smirked at that...yes, they both were withdrawn creatures, in their own ways. "I haven't seen you around recently."
"I was injured during a live test." Ami, the Senshi of ice replied. "I never thought they would try to test HiME and Senshi, to see who would be the strongest." It mattered not, Ami had lost her fight, though in truth her opponent had been formidable. "Analytically speaking, we each have our uses and specialists, so I fear they won't ever find conclusive results."
"Shizuru felt badly about that by the way." Natsuki said then, recalling the aftermath of their match ups. "She didn't mean to hurt you."
Ami shook her head, not at all pointing blame at anyone. "I've done my research, I know some of the HiME are beyond my skill level. Shizuru is one of the strongest ones, my skills are no match for her. You see, I'm far better at tactical strategy, rather than my fighting abilities."
"Fair enough." Natsuki said, taking note that lunch was served. "You're the one with the brains out of all of you Senshi, tell me, what reason did they have to make you?"
"They didn't make us." Ami said then. "All of us, well, we exhibit extreme anomalies, one could say." Ami explained as best as she could. "We are completely human, one hundred percent, flesh and blood. The reason we're being used as a case study, is because we've all been born with rather odd innate abilities. Just like you HiME, we can also engage in a combat mode, but, we use tools to do that. We can't utilize our bodies like you do." In careful consideration, Ami sighed softly. "We're merely abnormal humans, that's all."
"No shit." Nao grumbled before Natsuki elbowed her in the ribs. "But why, are you screwed up?" Nao winced, glaring at Natsuki, a string of invectives that were in her eyes, didn't actually exit through her mouth, least she scare away the often shy Senshi.
"We didn't ask to be this way." Usagi said then, but Ami had already pulled out her pocket computer. "We're as normal as we can be, isn't that enough?"
"Oh, Usagi, they don't mean it like that." Ami said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder gently. "Don't take it personally. Instead, why don't you and Mikoto go get something to eat. I'm sure that if you get in line now, they'll be plenty of your favorite treats."
"Can I?" Mikoto asked Natsuki as her eyes grew wide.
"Yeah shrimp, get outta here." Nao answered the two girls who were practically attacking the display on the counters with their eyes. "Go on, bimbo, you too." Nao shooed them off, not really wanting to have that many around the table anyway. "Scat."
"I understand if Usagi is a little grating on your nerves, but couldn't you both try to be a little nicer to her?" Her words were gentle, and quiet, just like the frozen winter she could call from her fingertips, at least while in combat mode. Still, her eyes were sharp, as they looked in Nao's direction. "In any case, we're also compatible with various mode of combat. Nano machines, photon induced shots, even simple computerized adaptation...however, that isn't what they find most interesting." Pulling up a chart that was locked down for Senshi use only, she gave her computer over to Natsuki.
"As you can see from the chart, all five Senshi were gifted, even as babies." Ami folded her hands, and put them atop the table, as she watched emerald eyes look at the complicated chart. With ease, Ami simplified the information. "Rei is a mystic of sorts, and her mind is very spiritual in nature. It allows her the awareness that most humans don't have. As you can plainly see, I have an extremely high level of intelligence, so, I'm a natural choice for study. Minako is empathetic, astonishingly so, and because of that, she feeds off of the emotions of others. Finally, there's Makoto, the girl with superhuman strength...and unlike the HiME, or the cyborgs, it comes to her naturally."
"You left out Usagi." Natsuki said then, as she handed the computer back. "What would they want with her?"
"Usagi, she's quite the wild card." Ami looked down at the table, feeling a bit of shame for what she was about to say. "She's irresponsible, flighty, and has a lack of respect for personal space, or learning new things." She seemed to taste each word that slipped from her lips. "Simply speaking, Usagi is a seemingly normal teenager, so much so, that she is a diamond in the rough." Then with a sigh, she looked back up. "Out of all of us in the Senshi division, she is undoubtedly the strongest. When she is pushed emotionally, beyond the point of rationality, she becomes stronger than even your strongest HiME."
"Well, that's a hell of an interesting statement." Nao groused, not fully believing the teen in front of her. "You mean to tell me, that I were to fight with flake in the wind, she could take me down?" Nao laughed harshly at that. "Complete and total bullshit, I'll bet my life on it."
"No, I fear it isn't anything to be taken lightly. Make no mistake about it. Think of it like a plug entering an electrical socket." Ami said then urgently. "Usagi has the ability to act as the socket...whenever she feels a true connection to a person, and that person has been hurt...the consequences can be dire. Granted, Usagi can not fight alone, she's passivise by nature."
It was Natsuki who caught on quick. "So, both Usagi and Minako are threats, because they react to their environment...in Minako's case, she could possibly jet out her emotions, and become what the MWPSB calls a Psycho Hazard..." Natsuki turned to Nao with a shrug. "I could see wanting to research that."
Ami hummed a bit, denying that to be the only reason. "If it were simply her, alone, Usagi would allow herself to get hurt, possibly even killed...but if she has to watch another person suffer, especially someone she cares about dearly, the tables turn rather quickly. The Senshi when compared to a HiME on a personal level are very weak, we don't stand a chance."
"And you believe, that you would, if you were all together?" Natsuki also felt skeptical. "Twelve of us, and five of you?" Natsuki shook her head. "Even if it was only five HiME in the live arena, I doubt you'd stand much of a chance...even our weakest HiME aren't exactly pushovers." Natsuki stood up and pushed her chair in. "I'm going to get food." She spoke abruptly. "See you guys later." In reality, she needed some time to think about that, some space away from everyone else.
…
"Well, this is a rather odd state of affairs." Fumi, an older woman who was apart of the project, was one of the oldest HiME to be fitted. She had been a teen at the time, and even now, though she was older than most, that didn't stop her from being youthful in spirit. "Natsuki, you usually doesn't bother with others outside of our group." The woman of pink tresses sighed, as she sat around the HiME common room. "I understand if you're concerned about Shizuru, but, to inquire about Senshi matters is strictly forbidden."
"Not really." Akira, a tomboyish girl with a scratchy voice, said as sat in a corner. "As long as we don't personally go snooping into files, we won't get into trouble." In fact, she was sitting in front of her laptop, tough, she was just looking at it aimlessly.
"Natsuki's in the clear." Nao nodded, as she put her feet up on the table nearby. "That Ami chick offered her computer to Natsuki directly. No one can blame Natsuki for sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, not when the information was freely given."
"Either way, I don't like it. The Senshi are nice people, you don't have to go around making trouble for everyone." Mai scolded, smacking the offending shoes, to force Nao to get her feet off the table. "I don't like that either." She said in response to the scuff marks left behind.
"It is something to think about." It was a soft voice, filled with reserve. The woman behind it, cloaked in her normal garb, blacks and whites, that could only belong to a nun. She was always such a gentle woman. "We HiME were chosen because we were gifted. I believe that God has shown us the way to enlightenment. Machines have confused many people, clouded judgment, and ripped away what little faith mankind could possibly have." She grasped onto her teacup, a little bothered by such a revelation. "Rei and I have become good friends, and we talk about that often. However, even as deeply as we believe in our own respective faiths, we both have come to wonder why exactly, we're truly needed."
"Our penguin is squealing again." Nao sighed, only to be thwacked in the head by Fumi. "Damn it." Nao grumbled as she sneered at Fumi. The woman paid her little mind as she continued to pass out the warm cups of tea she'd freshly prepared. "Fucking spoon."
"Sister Yukariko has a point." Fumi told Nao directly, even though she had a smile on her face. "If you would keep an open mind, I'd think you'd understand exactly what she wants to say." As she turned to Mai, handing her a mug, she also took the time to give Mikoto the only glass of coco that was on the tray. "Haven't you all ever wondered why machines have forced people to become complacent, and lose their way?"
"No, and I don't honestly care to think about it either." Nao growled more in pain, than anything else. "It's better to just do as we're told, and kick some ass."
"That's all well and good for you to say." Akira was one of the few who had the gull to bring up fragments of a better avoided past. "You get medical incentives for your mother, so of course you would do as your told...mommy's little girl, through and through."
"Watch it." Natsuki muttered coldly as she stood up from her chair, having heard enough of the banter. "At least she has a mom to take care of, that's more than some of us have." Her leather gloves crinkled under the force of her grip as she strode with heavy steps to the door. "You're playing to your daddies little tune as well, Akira...don't spit things out so casually." At that, she left, her parting words simple, but laced carefully. "I'm going to check on Shizuru."
A loud beep came over the intercom. "Attention all HiME, prepare for team assignments." It was a woman's voice, though it was automated. "I repeat: attention all HiME, please prepare for team assignments." It fed through the entire building, so that meant all HiME, even those not in the room, would hear it.
"Aw crap." Nao muttered.
"They're changing us up again?" Mai asked as she looked questioningly at Mikoto, who merely shrugged.
"It isn't surprising. They do it every single time the simulator senses a change." Yukino, a short, brown haired girl said. "Someone's levels must have fluctuated somewhere."
"Team assignments have now been configured. Teams shall be broken up into groups of four." The electronic voice said, quieting the room. "HiME, team A." The voice began. "Mai, Project Kagutsuchi. Natsuki, Project Duran. Nao, Project Julia. Shizuru, Project Kiyohime." It listed their names several times in repeat, before continuing on. "You, are the new, first strike division if HiME."
"Fuck me..." Nao groused. "Worst team ever."
"Thanks a lot." Mai told Nao as she sighed at her. "I have faith in you too." Her words were a sarcastic retort.
Nao didn't have time for a rebuttal when the machine came to life again. "HiME, team B." The voice called out. The room quieted to see who's names would be called next. "Mikoto, Project Miroku. Yukino, Project Diana. Midori, Project Gakutenou. Akane, Project Harry." Again, the machine called out the list a few more times. "Team B, shall act as the second wave in all HiME related projects, missions, and simulations."
They all stayed quiet, for when the third team would be announced, though it was clear who had been put on that team. "Akira, Project Gennai. Yukariko, Project Vlas. Fumi, Project Suishouhime. Shiho, Project Yatagarasu." After all of the names had been repeated again, the voice issued orders. "HiME team C shall be on standby until further notice. Instant deployment of team C shall be at the request of of HiME teams A and B."
At the end of the orders, the routine ending speech was given. "These orders come directly from the Doctor Gal, of the HiME medical research labs, based on current simulation scores. If any of the HiME feel an error in judgment has been made, or, a member of the team is unable to follow these orders for any reason, please notify Doctor Gal, in the medical research lab...that is all, please, have a pleasant day."
…
"If those children can't be called, birth a ring, a gem so small. If that gem were to break, slaves will fall from heavens gate. If those slaves can't be tamed, an important person is to blame. If that person can't be found, painful cries will resound. If those cries are not quelled, the HiME heart is sure to meld. Bind tightly truth, trust, love, and care. That is the only way, the HiME will fare."
"I don't know of you're really ready to get up yet." Natsuki sighed, as she held her wife up, to keep her from toppling over. "You should stay in bed and rest." Natsuki urged Shizuru to sit back down, and pulled the white cotton robe around her lover. "I'd rather that you stay in the sickbay, until I know for sure you won't pass out again."
"Natsuki, I'm fine." Shizuru said then, putting her cold hand on Natsuki's warm cheek. "I'm a little tired, and quite sore, but I'm alright now."
"Kiyohime went berserk, we couldn't control it right away." Natsuki said then urgently. "Kiyohime was so powerful, and it managed to kill a few people before we could stop it." Her fingers dig in a little with concern, as she pulled Shizuru into a tight embrace. "We were considered criminals before, and we all had high numbers, but Shizuru, yours are still off the charts." Natsuki said then in a forced whisper. "It was insane. I never thought something like that could happen."
"Kiyohime has always exhibited immense power in the simulations." Shizuru said softly to appease her lover. "Just like your combat mode, and Mai's, Kiyohime is not a toy...but unlike yours, the power has always been very unstable. It takes great restraint to control it, and I fear Natsuki, that skill will only come in time for me."
"Not like this, it doesn't." Natsuki grumbled.
"Yes, it does." Shizuru said then. "Everyone else has grown into their protons, but mine were established in a different fashion. Kiyohime is a combat mode that's just a bit obscure in how it works, and it is very temperamental." She pulled out of the embrace a little, to look Natsuki in the eyes. "But we knew all of that, from the simulations."
"That wasn't a simulation." Natsuki said then, still a bit shaken up. "I'm the ace shot, I'm the fastest quick draw we have in the HiME division." Her skills in gunnery were unmatched by her teammates. "However, when I have to lodge eight paralysis bullets...count them, eight...there's a problem with how strong Kiyohime really is."
"It is a powerful thing. I don't deny that." Shizuru agreed then. "However, I don't have any memory of the incident, only that it happened, and only because I've been told." If she closed her eyes, she could recall the day, and even what she did before deployment, but then, things became fuzzy. "I'm sorry Natsuki, I never meant to frighten you so badly."
"We need to find a way to weaken it." Natsuki sighed, resting her head on Shizuru's shoulder.
"It isn't strength that's the issue. That would be ideal if that were the case, but alas, the problem is more subjective than objective." Doctor Gal said then, when she came into the room. "Pardon me, but I was listening in, to be sure her combat mode was staying safely subdued." She looked down at her chart, and then back up. "Thankfully, it's remaining in the inactive position."
"Thank god for small favors." Natsuki was not at all amused by any of the jovial tendencies Gal was known for...at least, not at the moment. "So what gives?"
Gal put her file on the metal cart nearby, and then looked to Shizuru. The only indication of that, was the way Gal's apparatus, and her halo moved. "Anyway, as I was saying, Kiyohime is a very different module, so to speak. All of the HiME were fitted with combat modes that suited them, however, humans are adaptable, and things can change."
"I'm sorry?" Shizuru asked, not fully comprehending Gal's line of thought.
"It is both obscure, and complex. Something far deeper than you have the ability to explore now, I'm afraid." Gal said shaking her head. "Shizuru, your final analysis is complete, you're free to leave the medical bay when you see fit." Then, Gal turned to the door, ushering in one of the women from the Senshi division. "This is Rei, she's from the Senshi division, and her specialty is fire." The girl strode in, nodding to Natsuki. She was already acquainted to both of the HiME in the room, but she was friends with the icy HiME. "Once Shizuru has had time to rest, I'd like it very much, if you allowed Rei to help you both in the matter behind Kiyohime, and the combat eccentricities."
"Yes, well if everyone could leave the room, maybe I could get my wife to listen to reason." Natsuki told everyone, pointedly at her wife the most.
"I need rest, I can do that in my own bed, Natsuki." Shizuru said with great difficulty as she sighed, finally finding a seat in the wheelchair nearby with Natsuki's help. "I don't want to stay in this room any longer than I already have. So, if you would please just take me back to our room, I promise I'll behave, and I'll stay in bed."
"Fine..." Natsuki sighed, mostly in concern. "But you better not try to do anything besides acting lazy...you do need to regain your strength." She turned to Rei then, and nodded. "You and I can meet up later for coffee or something. I need to talk to you about those powers you have anyway."
"Sure thing." Rei nodded. "I'll be around."
…
The HiME, twelve strong young women, make up only one division of many, here at the agency.
It's nameless, faceless, and untraceable. That's for the best, because, we're not needed. Our very breath shouldn't even exist in the first place, but we do. Life here isn't exactly happy...but it's not sad, either. Having grown up with it, myself, I don't really think on it much.
It just is what it is, and, we don't really think about life outside of these walls. We're protected, and some of us like that...others don't. I'm not really bothered by it either way. I have a few friends here, but, I could also due without most of them. They're rivals, as well as teammates. Even if I feel conflicted about working with most of them, it isn't like I have a choice in the matter. I'm just happy that on the first assignment I ever went on, I got to see the outside world again...I got to stand on ground that wasn't completely sterile. There was even a puddle of melted ice cream on the sidewalk. That's a common thing for everyone, but, not me.
In any case, we're old enough now, advanced enough, to be useful in the outside world...so, getting field missions are going to be eye openers for us.
Some were very little, when they first came to the agency, and it shows when in simulation, or on assignment. They're naive in their own ways. Some, more bothersome than others. A couple of us, like Fumi, and Yukariko had a childhood outside of these walls, and were teens when the group had been chosen. Shizuru and I, we were also older than most of the other kids...so, we remember what life was like outside of these walls, at least a little. We understand a little bit more about the outside world, about laws, and simple human things...but we know that we aren't exactly apart of that world.
For example, although I'm still in a completely human body, the photons I can produce, allow me to pull machinery completely out of thin air. The other HiME can do it as well, theirs are just different from mine.
We don't belong anywhere because of that, but the choice, we all made it. We did it because we wanted to. I don't clearly remember why I wanted to be here, but, I can remember the day I arrived on a bus. There were hundreds of girls waiting in the lobby. All of them stood in lines to get their blood drawn, and I remember, they didn't have to pull mine...I'd just gotten out of the hospital, and had been brought here immediately.
So, instead, I went to round two, an aptitude test...but I failed it...a lot of us did, actually.
See, the test wasn't only about how smart we were...if that had been the only thing, there would have been several girls more qualified than most of us...however, that's what they were looking for. The ones with a failing grade. A mark, a hue, that seemed dirty, and broken. I've come to understand the reasons behind why we were the twelve that were picked. It wasn't just because we were the lowest scores...but rather, that those low scores were based on proton compatibility...the doctors that augmented us, didn't want us to be able to manifest and share powers.
They sought individuality.
Meaning, my protons would never be useful to anyone else but me...the failing grade I received, were the compatibility scores for the protons that were going to be injected into the other HiME.
I'm Project Duran...the manipulator of ice, and the ace shot around here. I'm one of the few HiME who has immense strength, with, or without my combat mode activated...but I'm just one of twelve...a component...a tool...but that's not all I am.
I'm also Natsuki Kuga, age eighteen...I'm also a newlywed, and my wife is Shizuru Fujino, Project Kiyohime.
I don't really know what our true objective is, up until now, we've merely been training, and awaiting a day when someone will come to get us, and tell us what he plans for us...whoever this guys is, I hope he's the kind of man that I can follow...someone worthy of being a division leader...but, then again, if this guy can build the agency from the ground up, and do it without being noticed, well, he's probably a damn good guy...
Well, that's chapter one of this saga...next chapter will be another prologue, and that one will introduce more characters, and dive deeper into the stories of the ones mentioned here... this is going to be a vast universe, and complicated story...so please bear with me.
*Edit* there is nothing worse than having a document that doesn't save edits the first time around... /sigh...