I've decided to write this story mainly for myself so it'll stop rattling around in my brain. Thank you for viewing it.
Super AU, very Nao-centric, but eventual ShizNat.
WARNING: Explicit language. It's not my fault, Nao swears. M for a reason.
I'm sweating my ass off. I've been standing at attention for about an hour at the end of a row of perfectly lined up soldiers. There are countless columns of us. Countless, because I'm standing at attention and like hell am I going to just start gazing around and count my competition. At least not with the dozen Commissioned Officers pacing up and down our ranks, different ones inspecting us for god knows what, and scribbling on insufferable little clip boards as they go. Not to mention the eight highly decorated figures in a bird's nest, observing the entire camp at a 360-degree view. So yeah, maybe I'll just stand still.
I know it's been an hour because the sun has thrown shade off the wooded area just to my right, and it's been agonizing waiting for the cool relief to actually reach me.
But, just my fucking luck, it never does. I sense more than see someone about two rows behind me shift their feet on the grass. I smirk.
Nice going, moron. One more down, however the fuck many to go.
"Sergeant Zhang!" someone yells.
I salute, and start to march the previously directed path towards an enormous tent.
That's staff sergeant Zhang, asshole.
My movements are robotic and could have been measured with a protractor. I wanted this. Badly.
Stopping outside the tent, I wait until a nameless cadet opens the flap. I receive instructions and a special pistol with rubber bullets. It's a routine obstacle course? I'm surprised, the past six days have been nothing but hellish testing on everything I've ever heard of –heard of, not learned- hand to hand, team fighting, sniping, search and rescue, naval operations, martial arts, flight paths, bombs and diffusion, interrogation, you name it, they pushed you to the limit on it.
This last day must mean that this is the grand finale.
Right Nao, this is where you show those pompous, good-for-shit, has-been overlords what you're made of.
I cleared the course in perfect time, according to the electronic board posted at the end of a roughly square-mile maze. I tried to withhold my grin as I caught my breath. But 399/400? That's not bad.
I was directed to a patch of field where my remaining competition were milling around, killing time until night fell and the results of this excruciating fuck fest of an application was over.
Kicking aside sticks and rocks on a farther off area, I started to hammer out as many crunches as I could. Half of the reason why was to kiss brass ass and show them I was the perfect, dedicated soldier, because only an idiot would think they quit watching, and half was to give me something to do instead of worrying about my results.
As I sweated, I reflected- something I usually avoided doing.
I was currently seven days deep of not showering, getting approximately 4 hours of sleep every night, having military issue what tasted like rat meat rations as meals, and I'm pretty sure I've got a broken pinky finger.
Why am I putting myself through this government-sponsored spa, you ask? I'll tell you.
Project Otome.
The first time I had heard the words; it was in a whisper from one of my NCOs to another when I was a cadet. That was five years ago. So naturally, if a cadet could hear of the military's plan to create an elite, specialized black-ops force, then the entire fucking world would know. It was brilliant in that way. By making this project known, it spread fear, rivalry, and hesitation to enemies. Me? I wanted in.
No one really gives a fuck about back-story, so let's just say Oliver Twist lived in Beverly fuckin' Hills compared to me. Become a whore to live, or join the army. Pick one.
Yeah. Me too.
Anyways, from that day on, I busted my ass to be promoted. Not for any particular reason though. I just hate being told what to do.
I also liked being able to kick the absolute shit out of anything that moved, that was pretty all right too. Later on in my career, people might be able to say I do what I do to help those who are as helpless as I used to be, but that's because they're liars. Fucking shrinks.
Moving on, I start to think about what I actually know about Project Otome. I know its headed by one person, some big shot who controls the entire damn country or some shit. I know that the people who make the cut are trained to be the best there ever was at what they do. I know that the lucky fucks who move on are asked to pretty much give the next 4 years of their lives to the military. And that's just for Otome training. We'll probably be weeded out in application, probably die in training even if we make it, yadda yadda. We were warned of all of this. All in all, it sounds like a blast to me.
I'm lying on my back in a field in Fort Where Ever The Fuck, wheezing, and notice about ten other women who are working out, and doing general exercises have joined me. No one in the entire yard is speaking, and it's spooky. Whatever.
Night falls and we're all told to arrange ourselves at attention. I tell my tired body to shut the hell up and get my ass in line.
It's explained to us that two lists are posted and if you're on Alpha list, go here, Beta list, go there. One of them will be the cut team, the other will move on.
Shit, that's original.
I'm nervous as fuck but find my name on Beta list. We're told to find a sleeping mat and get cozy for the night. I'm wrestling with what this all means as my body retaliates against my mind for a week's worth of abuse and automatically shuts down.
I'm one of the first to wake up, but that is strange in itself.
They're allowing us to wake ourselves up? What kind of mind game is- oh shit.
I just know that we're the cut team. FUCK.
Eventually, as a herd, we're told to gather at attention in a different field. The brass in the crows nest are gone. Instead, I can make out seven people behind a podium, on a platform at the front, with one person at the microphone on it. Here it comes.
"My name is General of the Armed Forces, Fumi. Welcome to Project Otome, ladies and gentlemen."
Everyone around me cheers and fist pumps. I try to contain my joy, but it leaks out in a smile.
Instead of getting pissed, Gen. Fumi smiles too and waits for everyone to return to attention.
"I want to congratulate you all on a job excellently done. You have all been specifically requested for consideration by your squad leaders, asked to apply, and now have been hand selected by us, the officers who will be leading this project. We will now commence mass debriefing."
"Project Otome is exactly as advertised. A single, selected unit of 20 individuals who are the best the world has ever seen, able to overcome any obstacle that will ever exist. You will be strong, you will be deadly, you will be silent, and you will be next to invincible. This will come at the expense of your life. You will continue to live, yes. But only as your country and your duty demand and regulate. The training time for an Otomean soldier is 4 years. You will be divided into 4 teams. These teams will train individually with your appointed Officers. There will be two. Your officers will not only lead your group, they will become a part of it. Where you end, your leader begins, and vice versa. They will act as your mother, father, grandma and aunt. You will become entirely dependent on their guidance. Now. At the end of these four years, the teams will compete in a glorious battle to determine who the true Otome squad will be."
Gen. Wilcke leveled a stare around us, almost waiting for someone to speak up and wimp out. Nodding satisfactorily, she continued in a strong carry.
"You will now be broken into your teams and introduced to your officers and teammates."
She stepped down, and sat in the only chair on the stage.
A typical tall, dark and handsome duo of men stepped onto the stage.
Pretentious bastards?
As the man who introduced the two as LtCol. Reito Kanzaki and Maj. Takeda Kunoi began speaking, I mentally patted myself on the back at a correct evaluation and listened as he listed both of their various successes and qualifications. The taller one graciously welcomed the field to the project in a strangely feminine way and kept talking.
Please god, don't let me be assigned those assholes.
As it turns out, the Lt. Col and Major were taking the only men to pass, into their unit. Apparently, they were the only male squad. The other three were female.
And for the 80 thousandth time, I thank whatever god exists that I'm not male.
After Delta Team called roll, they departed. Next was Charlie Team with Col. Mio Sakamoto and LtGen. Minna Wilcke. They gave their introduction with grace and a couple of startlingly loud laughs from the Colonel.
I suppose I wouldn't hate their guts. The general is sorta hot?
Turns out, I wouldn't join them just yet. Beta team was called under the council of a weirdly pretty woman named Major Amuria and a handsome one called Colonel Parietta.
Another missed okay one. But Parietta seemed like there was a javelin up her ass. Whatever, guess I'm with General Fumi and the other one left up there.
But once again, it turned out wrong.
Only the one woman approached the podium while the General remained sitting. The woman started speaking in a husky voice that sounded like it would raise the hairs on your neck if it were whispered in your ear.
"I am Brigadier General Natsuki Kruger. My counterpart, Major General Shizuru Viola is currently on a reconnaissance mission and could not be here. While I welcome you to Project Otome, I will spare you the usual shit about me. What you need to know is that I am as fair as the military will ever be for you. I will never ask something of you that I or MajGen. Viola would not do ourselves. I will now read the remaining names who will be in Alpha Team."
Well she's to the point.
She kind of came off as a bitch, but I internally smirked. I had to respect her style. Knowing I was last in the four teams, I was definitely on that list. All the same, I found myself pretty content with the Brigadier General. She didn't fuck around.
"PFC. Irina Woods
PFC. Erstin Ho
PFC. Arika Yumemiya
PFC. Akira Okuzaki
LCpl. Alyssa Searrs
LCpl. Shiho Huit
LCpl. Miya Clochette
Cpl. Yukino Chrysant
Cpl. Akane Soir
Cpl. Nina Wang
Sgt. Aoi Senoh
SSgt. Nao Zhang
GySgt. Mai Tokiha
MSgt. Mikoto Minagi
WO. Tomoe Marguerite
CWO2. Haruka Armitage
CWO3. Miyu Greer
2ndLt. Chie Hallard"
Shit, that's some serious rank power. A 2nd Lieutenant and a handful of Warrant Officers? And nothing lower than a Private First Class, too. Not bad at all.
I was a little intimidated at the array of titles. But rank wasn't everything. I've beaten a Warrant Officer in hand to hand combat and been mock-sniped by a Lance Corporal before. In the end, they're just letters and pins.
General Kruger led us to a different field about half a mile from where we were, and told us to arrange ourselves on the grass for a short, but more in-depth introduction.
As we sat in front of her, I realized something. She was the hottest woman I'd ever fucking laid eyes on. She had sweeping midnight blue hair, and intense emerald eyes. With facial features that looked sculpted, she held an expression of keen but not overbearing focus. Watching her stand still was like looking at a storm in the distance. Her body was a temple of physical fitness. Wearing just her khakis, you could tell that everything underneath was solid muscle. She spoke in clipped but forward sentences. No hesitation, just business.
Shit Nao, get your head out of her perfectly formed ass. You've been under her command for 15 minutes and you're already fucking up.
"From now on, the 18 women that you're sitting with are your world. I know you don't know their names, faces, or even really give a shit about who they are because you just tried to beat their asses to get your own spot. Well that's over. You're here. Eventually, you will get to the point where taking a bullet for each other isn't even a hesitation. Get used to that idea."
"From now on, you have no rank. You will refer to each other with first or last name. I realize you've worked to get that title and bled and cried and sweated for it. But this is a whole new world. And in this world, we're going to do unconventional things. Why? Because I fucking said so."
At least she gets the rank thing.
"I told you that I wouldn't ask you to do anything I wouldn't, and that's true. In fact, everything you do, I'll be doing it right along side you. You may address me as Natsuki or Kruger. We are a team now. You, as an individual will cease to exist. Selfishness, exclusion and competition within your team will have you out of here faster than you can say 'I didn't mean it'. I will personally make sure the only thing you do with your life is scrub toilets with your bare hands in Ft. Akiodo. Is everyone clear on that?"
"Yes ma'am!" we chorused.
"Good."
"Now, your days will be comprised of a schedule that I and Viola make up. But it will be constant, don't worry. You will sleep, you will eat, you will shower and you will have leisure time. What you should worry about is just how you do all of these things, as they are closely regulated in this squad. But the most important thing to worry about is the content of your day. I will work you harder than you have ever been worked before."
I could tell she wasn't threatening. Kruger wasn't even promising. What was worse than both of those was the fact that she was merely informing us. It made me want to smile at her for some reason.
"We will use today to walk you through the details of your daily life."
Kruger had the weirdest rules that I'd ever heard of a General implementing for a squad. We had to get our food at the dining tent, but switch trays with someone in our team. We all had to settle in seats as one, and then a song was played on a loop. This "song" was merely beats and measures as to when we could lift our forks, chew, swallow, drink, and wipe our mouths with napkins. Strict.
We were to be assigned a roommate for ten, two person tents. We then went about setting it up and filling it with possessions we chose from on a materials truck. My roommate was this annoyingly cheerful redhead with the best rack I can remember seeing. Her name was Mai Tokiha. I've never been a talker, but to test her out I gave her some scathing remarks and she fired right back. At the end of set up I smiled at her and introduced myself. I think we're going to get along just fine.
I didn't really have a problem with any of Kruger's insane policies until we got to shower. And trust me, I was so damn excited to shower. I felt like setting fire to the clothes I had been wearing. We all were that fucking gross. When we arrived we stopped and waited for instruction.
"When this team showers, we shower as one. And I mean that."
Kruger began. Oddly enough, I thought I saw the slightest color of red spread across the gorgeous woman's nose.
She cleared her throat.
"You are not allowed to wash yourself. Instead, you will partner up and wash each other."
Alpha team immediately started murmuring amongst themselves.
"Quiet."
Immediately, we stopped.
Okay, that was pretty impressive.
"It seems odd. But trust me. At the end of tomorrow, you will be too tired to even care about each other's naked-ness. You are grown women capable of killing human beings. Grow the fuck up and just wash a comrade."
Wow, I didn't know a General could actually blush like that.
I think the rest of the squad noticed our Officer's red face because Tokiha next to me nudged me and a couple of us snickered.
"Any questions?" Kruger said, verging on impatiently. "Yes, Arika?"
Arika, as she was called, looked a little stunned that our General knew her name. But only for a moment.
"Are we going to shower today?" she asked, half hopeful and half probably embarrassed.
Kruger smirked.
"Yes."
It was a little weird. I didn't even know these women's names but here I was, stripping next to them and about to actually molest one of them to cleanliness.
Still undressing, we hear Kruger inform us.
"For the first week, we will do a rotating partner system for showering. I will assign you. And since Viola isn't here, we have an uneven number. One person will be by themselves. Sorry."
Yeah, because that's an apology-worthy offense. Lucky fuck, whoever you are.
The lucky fuck happened to be my roommate, Mai, who looked oh so relieved. I shot her a glare, and she smirked at me in retaliation.
But guess who the unluckiest of all fucks was? Yeah, yours truly. For I found myself partnered with none other than Brigadier General Natsuki Kruger. Learning this, I found myself looking around for at least one pair of sympathetic eyes. I met one who belonged to I think Chie Hallard, was her name, and she just sort of pathetically shrugged at me and tried to keep a smile off her face.
We filed into the running shower area in all our naked, stinking glory and I pretty much forgot about how fucking mortified I was that I was about to rub down a woman who could crush me into oblivion. Because, just.. soap. Oh Jesus, it was a beautiful smell.
"Nao Zhang, right?"
I spun around and tried to think in a complete sentence. Yeah, I was right. Natsuki Kruger was the most beautiful woman alive.
NAO, YOU ARE STARING.
Trying to appear at ease, I gave me best, "who gives a shit" face and replied.
"Yeah. Natsuki Kruger, right?"
She grinned at my cheek and walked over to a shower head and grabbed a wash cloth and a bar of soap, lathering it.
Swallowing, I followed, not even paying attention to my fellow Alpha teammates. I stepped under the water and shivered a little. Shit, that felt so good.
I almost jumped out of my skin as I felt her touch my back with the cloth.
For the 80 thousand and first time, I thank god I am not a guy.
"You can just call me Natsuki, or Kruger. I don't care." She started in that dry and deep tone of hers. I could tell she was trying to not make me feel awkward. Something I sort of appreciated.
She was surprisingly gentle, and announced to me which part of my body she wanted me to move so she could wash it. It was strangely painless and relaxing. Even when she knelt down and started on my legs, it wasn't bad. Except for the fact that I was clenching my teeth, trying my damnedest not to shiver.
It was over soon enough and continuing our stream of conversation about the week I just went through, she handed me the cloth and we switched places. If I was too rough she didn't even hint at it. I probably did a shitty job out of nerves and speed, but she didn't say anything about that either.
She rinsed off and shut off our shower head. Together we walked back to the changing room to dry and dress. For some reason we were the quickest to get done.
"So Natsuki,"
She smirked a little at my forwardness, but I didn't give a shit. She's told us twice to call her whatever we want.
"Why all the…. Bonding?" I finished, careful with my wording.
But the dark haired woman just sat and openly laughed at me. Once, a short, amused laugh. But then she turned a little solemn and I watched her jaw tighten a smidge.
"It was the way my officer brought up Shizuru and my squadron. It's worked so far."
Maybe it was just me, but I saw something jump in her jaw when she mentioned the Major General. Huh. Maybe they don't get along?
By now, most everyone had finished and were dressed. Stepping out of the shower tent, Kruger told us we were free to roam around but had the first day of real training tomorrow.
"So don't fuck around, or you and everyone on your team will regret it."
With that, we were dismissed.
I watched Natsuki turn and walk into her tent, shutting the flap behind her. I realized then that hers was directly next to mine. Great.
Mai and I found ourselves around a fire with some Alpha girls for the rest of the night. I got along really well with the girl I had seen in the showers, Chie. She and her roommate Aoi were pretty okay.
We all called it quits when the sun went down and slept like rocks.
I've been in the military for 5 years; five years of basic training, specialized training, boot camps, badge earnings, drill teams, you name it. Five years in the military, and I have never in my life been this tired. It was day one.
Kruger, that sadistic, sexy, bitch, wasn't satisfied until every single one of us had puked, and that included herself. But since she was a goddess among women, it took forever until she was even tired. I had ungracefully hurled three times before she did once.
Granted, she lapped us every sprint, and every drill, but it happened. Mercifully, she retired us to the showers.
I also found that she had been right yesterday. In that moment, I couldn't have been paid to give less of a fuck as to who was next to me as I shed my sweat-soaked clothes. I wound up washing Miyu Greer as much as I would have wanted her to wash me. Thoroughly. If she thought it was weird, she can go fuck herself.
But instead of giving me a weird look, she just relaxed and let me man handle her. Rinsing, she roused herself and turned to me to return the favor. We didn't talk, but I grunted in appreciation. She merely inclined her head as an acknowledgment.
It continued like that for a full week. Where Natsuki was wound tighter than a snare drum and pushed every single one of us to our human limits.
In the evenings, we blessedly had them free, where we had more relaxed dinners without our rhythm song and got to know each other better. One night we all even got together for an arm-wrestling competition. Scaring the shit out of everyone, the winner turned out to be a young, energy black hole of a human being named Mikoto Minagi that Mai had taken to pampering when she got sad about home.
The end of the week got better as we were acquainted better and knew our daily routines. Chie, Mai, Haruka, and Miyu soon became my friends, and their roommates, respectively.
Our drills never eased though, and Kruger had never once joined us for leisure time, which we all agreed was odd because she was the leader of our team. She became increasingly short and Yukino, Haruka's roommate, even said she saw Kruger running sprints one night when she had to use the latrine.
Alright, seriously. That's just fucking inhuman. Someone test that bitch out for steroids.
But all the Alpha girls found ourselves becoming increasingly worried about our General as the month progressed. She was the perfect leader. Strong, smart, motivating, supportive- everyone admired our direct but genuine officer. Natsuki had a way of making the impossible sound like it was well within reason. If anyone had a problem, no one was scared of her to admit it because she would address it immediately. In the field, she talked with us and almost became our friend.
Still, she was almost cold when it came to personal gestures or questions. It would be almost like a flipped switch, one moment she would smile gently at an antic of Shiho or Chie and Aoi, and the next she was stoic and moving on. But one day, as we were doing our morning stretches, everything clicked into place.