Disclaimer: Aside form the OC's mentioned within this story, I own nothing
Things were normally silent in the vast empty realm known as The Otherworld; a never-ending gray desert would be the one thing separating the domains of the denizens from one another, although on this day two of these denizens would be out in that very desert fighting one another while strange buzzards began to gather overhead.
The first was a short woman draped in a black cloak emblazoned with a star on the back of it, various scars lining her body as she fired shots from the heavy cannon she was holding. However her opponent was no slouch, the taller scythe wielding woman would gracefully dodge the other's shots while occasionally slashing at her foe playfully as two giant sized floating skulls hovered quietly behind their mistress.
This was just another skirmish in a long series of battles for the pair as the shorter female's blue eye flashed with a matching colored flame, the cannon in her hand shifting as the barrel separated and reformed to resemble a mini-gun as she began to open fire upon the one known as Dead Master. This would surprise her opponent who seemed to gasp silently before breaking out into a run to avoid the hail of blue-colored shots as her servants charged at the shorter woman, the one whose devil-may-care attitude had seemed to be the very instigation of fights between herself and the scythe user.
The one known as Black Rock Shooter would lean back to avoid a series of chains as Dead Master spun her scythe with the intent to decapitate her opponent, only for the blue-eyed female to counter with the sword she carried along her back as the loud clang of metal broke through the silence as the shorter woman quickly spun away from her taller aggressor before sheathing her blade and holding out her hand to the other woman.
The scythe-user would simply smirk before readying herself for another clash, it wasn't the first time Black Rock Shooter had held out her hand in this odd gesture. Otherworlders weren't exactly known for being cooperative with one another in any sense, but the black-haired young woman seemed insistent upon taking Dead Master's hand and forging a new friendship with her.
But the fight was all she knew, so she would spin her scythe and grin maliciously as she readied herself for round two.
Mato Kuroi would awaken with a gasp as her alarm clock chimed loudly, normally she would be excited about finally getting to start Junior High now that she had reached the proper age for her Seal to manifest. Just like her mother and grandmother before her it seemed like the young black-haired girl was destined to carry on the family's long lineage of having a powerful Seal, the Kuroi family was one of three families in the city known for their abundance of abilities. The other two being the Aino family who governed the slums and ghettos of the city, as well as the Tsubaki family who resided in the more prestigious Ambrose Palisades and basically ingrained themselves in every branch of government.
It was said that the normal folks ran the city like a well-oiled machine, but at the end of the day it was the Sorceress's who dictated the way of their fair city.
"Mato, it's time to wake up. You wouldn't wanna miss your first day of school would you dear?" Her mother would quietly open the door to her daughter's room to see the younger girl with a happy grin as she bolted out of bed and made her way to the washroom to brush her teeth and begin readying herself for the day ahead of her, trying her best to banish the strange dream she had before waking.
"Who were those girls, and why did one of them look just like me?" She would finish brushing her teeth, spit and rinse just in time to catch her mother stepping into the washroom and placing a tender hand upon her daughter's shoulder while staring at their reflection in the mirror.
"Today is such an important day for all of us Mato the legacy of the Kuroi family is tied to our Seals, so great is their power that they have elevated us to one of the Triumvirate that help guide our city to prominence." It wasn't the first time that the lady Kuroi had given her daughter this speech, from the tender age of five Mato Kuroi had consistently been told of how important her future Seal would be and how such power could change her life as well as the lives of others around her that the pressure of these expectations weighed heavy upon her shoulders. "I know that when the Seer looks into your heart today, the people will marvel at just how wonderful you are." Her mother would smile proudly as tears began to well up in her eyes, as if she were witnessing the magnificence of her daughter's future accolades from the sidelines.
"I know Mom. I promise you that my Seal will be the brightest one to shine at the Ceremony today so that even grandmother resting up on high will be able to see my brilliance!" Mato would flash a bright smile, her pearly whites glistening as if to preview the brilliance that was expected of her.
Yomi Takanashi had spent her life in constant motion as her father's job seemed to dictate, as a man who lead one of the premiere financial planners in the industry his services were constantly required by those in power. But little did their family know that this meant that they would be called to this particular city, rumored to be run by spellcasters despite a prominently and publicly known group of government officials.
"Remember Yomi, the rumors floating around town are just that: Rumors. This is a normal town with normal people trying to live their lives dear, so just remember to keep your nose to the grindstone and do the best you can in your studies."
Yomi would nod quietly as she listened to her father's wise words, trying to ignore the burning pain she felt in her hand as she scanned the kitchen of her latest home: immediately calming down upon catching sight of her mother's treasured crystal swan and smiling happily. "Mother, I wish you were here with us right now. Things have been so different since you were taken from us, father's been so focused upon his job lately that he doesn't seem to notice how much has changed for us." The sharp pain in her hand would snap the bespectacled girl out of her reverie as she clenched her pained appendage, the smile never leaving the young woman's face as her father picked up his briefcase and headed for the door and giving him a kiss on the cheek as he left for the day.
However once the door closed Yomi would rush upstairs to the washroom and immediately down a painkiller to help with the throbbing pain she was feeling at the moment, sighing in relief when said pain died down to a more manageable level of tolerance. "This pain in my hand, it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It seems to vary in intensity whenever we move to a new town, but it's never been as bad as it is today..ever since we settled here the throbbing has become unbearable." She would ponder the reasons why this strange throbbing continued to torment her as she stepped into the shower, hoping that the warm water would soothe the tension running through her as she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander upon the dream she had the night before. Visions of a black-haired sword wielder fighting against a scythe-wielding woman that looked eerily similar to herself, only without the glasses that she usually wore during her daily life.
"That girl in my dream appeared so confident, so sure of herself and her actions despite the chaos that was going on around her." Yomi would sigh quietly as she stepped out of the shower and looked at her reflection in the mirror, her dark hair was damp and clung to her shoulders as she set her glasses back upon her face before wrapping a towel around herself with a second heavy sigh. "I better get ready to go, it wouldn't be right for me to miss my first day of school because I'm dwelling on some strange dream." With that thought in mind Yomi would walk back to her room and dress quickly, not expecting the uniform of her latest school to resemble something of a wizard's robe and feeling equally bewildered as she found the hood that was no doubt meant to obscure her face from the public. "Just what kind of school did Father put me into?"
Yuu Kotari wasn't afraid of what this day would bring her in the slightest, to be honest she seemed rather upbeat about the chances of her being the first member of their family to manifest a Seal. Not only would it mean that she would gain a level of prestige amongst the incoming students in the school, it meant that there was a good chance that she and her family would finally be able to leave the dank depressing ghetto that they were living in and allow them to move into a house befitting a Seal-user.
"Yuu honey, you're going to be late." Her mother's voice would be full of hope, even though their current circumstances didn't allow for such optimism. However as Yuu would make her way downstairs dressed in the strange robe that seemed to be a part of her new school's uniform, her mother's face would light up with happiness as she knelt down to hug her daughter tightly as she could before pulling away in order to try and smother a coughing fit with her handkerchief.
"Mom, it's okay..you really shouldn't push yourself like this. Remember what the doctor said, you "knead" to take it easy." The younger Kotari female would look to her mother with a cheeky grin at her bread-related pun, earning a laugh from her ailing parent as she had at one time been the owner and proprietor of one of the more profitable bakeries in their city before the illness confined her to a bed as corporate interests took control of their once humble bakery and turning it into just another money sucking cash cow.
"That's my girl, kill 'em with kindness." The older woman would giggle as best she could before leaning forward to whisper into her daughter's ear. "And if that doesn't work, whack 'em bloody with a rolling pin."
Yuu would smile sadly as she tried to ignore her mother's murderous words, clearly time had done little to mend the wounds from losing her business as she gently helped her sick mother upstairs. "Alright mom, I think you've had enough excitement for one day. Time for you to get some rest." The smaller woman would calmly count the steps back to her mother's bedroom, mostly because it gave the older woman motivation to keep moving forward whenever her body demanded that she quit. Yuu would find this exercise beneficial as it helped her to keep some sense of sanity as their situation seemed to get even worse by the day, doing her best to keep a happy smile upon her face as she gently helped her mother back into bed. "I swear to you mom, I'll manifest my Seal before that Seer even thinks about peering into my heart. And once I do, we can finally get to a place where we can give you all the help you need." Yuu would gently pull the covers up to her mother's waist, about to give a quiet goodbye before noticing that the older woman had already fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit her pillow. The young girl would quietly tiptoe her way outside of her mother's room, knowing that the medicine she was currently on would keep the older woman out until after she had come home and began prepping dinner for the two of them.
"I HAVE to manifest my Seal, Mom can't live like this for much longer..a house like this isn't good for her health." Doing her best to smooth down her tawny hair, she would raise the hood of her cloak and begun the long trek to the Tsubaki Academy of Might and Magic. It was there that she would finally take the first step towards attaining the good life for her and her mother, freedom from the ghettos, and perhaps even finding some happiness for herself at the end of the day.
"Brothers and sisters, we live in a world bound by the rules and laws of people whose power vastly exceeds our own, individuals who see fit to poison our minds with their pretty little words and their fancy parlor tricks. I'm referring of course, to our dear lady Sorceresses whose powerful connections ensure that the common man: People like you and me stay down in the dirt where they think we belong!"
An auburn-haired young man would smirk quietly as he listened to the southern drawl of a local preacher continue his sermon about the evils of a Sorceress-run government while sitting quietly in the passenger seat of a small, beat up Volkswagen beetle while the woman beside him would sigh angrily as they inched their way through traffic.
"Of all the days for us to get stuck in traffic, why'd it fucking have to be today!?" The silver-haired woman would shut off the radio in disgust as her young passenger glared over at her in annoyance. "Don't you start with me Lye, you know crackpots like that are the reason that Sorceress's still rule the roost in this world."
The auburn-haired male would roll his green eyes nonchalantly as he looked out the window with a glum expression upon his face, not liking the hustle and bustle of the city around him. "Gimmie a break Bismuth, you honestly think that a guy who preaches for people to open their eyes and see the truth of their hopeless shackles can really be all that bad?" His question would be rewarded with a sharp smack to the back of his head by his driver/caretaker as well as another growl of annoyance to boot. "Heck, if anything we should be helping to spread this guy's message. It would certainly help our mission along if we start a coup amongst the normies around here."
The woman known as Bismuth would frown slightly at her young partner's words, she knew full well that even though he was trying to sound tactical when he spoke that the truth of the matter was that he had zero desire to be on this particular mission. "Listen Lye, I get that you like to get in, tear up shop, and get out but we're not here to inspire some radio swamp preacher to lead innocent people on a bloody riot. That's not how we operate remember?" She would look to the young man for some kind of affirmation that he had heard her words, only to be met with a prominent middle finger for her troubles.
"I get it kid, you hate the Sorceresses for what happened to your folks ten years ago back in Shinjuku. But killing them off one by one solves nothing, they'll just transfer their powers to another Sorceress..or God forbid some unfortunate Seal-user who's ill-equipped to handle that kind of power. And we both know what that does to the poor soul." Both of them would go deathly quiet as they envisioned a young woman being overwhelmed by the power given to her by her Sorceress mother, the skin blistering and turning black before letting out an otherworldly wail. Eventually scientists would come to refer to these lost souls as Banshees, to this day there had been barely any progress on a cure for Banshee-ism and thus agents like them were often left with the painful choice of either slaying the miserable saps or tranqing them and sending the bodies back to their constantly moving HQ. Ensuring that the test subjects would never see their families again. "I know you want revenge..but don't forget that there are still some good people left in the world, and they don't deserve to get caught in the crossfire."
Bismuth would sigh gratefully as the massive gates to the Academy came into view, knowing that at least the first leg of their ride was close to being over. "ETA ten minutes to Showtime kiddo, you got everything you need?"
The young man known as "Lye" would nod calmly as he quickly draped the robe of his uniform over his shoulders while looking at the massive Academy slowly growing larger in front of them.
"Yes ma'am, got all the necessary supplies and credentials needed to enter the Academy. After which I am to infiltrate the student body and do my best to blend in while clearing out the Kill List whenever the opportunity presents itself."
The silver-haired woman would nod curtly as she prepared to disengage the lock on the passenger side door, quickly remembering the last phase of their little rundown.
"State your name for the record."
The auburn-haired young man would wince quietly, hating this portion of the task but records had to be kept updated at various points during their mission. Especially in the event that an agent's next of kin had to be contacted.
"My name is Lycurgus Emil Caulfield, rookie agent grade three with the Anti-Magicks Coalition Defense council. Current mission: Infiltrate the Tsubaki Academy of Might and Magic and discover the meaning behind Project Seal while simultaneously eliminating any and all targets on the councils black list."
Bismuth would look over at her younger partner pointedly taking note of the icy tone in his voice and planning to chastise him later on for allowing his emotions to get the better of him. "State the alias and/or codename that the council assigned you for this mission rook."
He would nod slowly, not particularly liking the alias he had been given this time.
"Current Alias: Genji Kurama., transfer student to the Tsubaki Academy and younger brother to Special Agent Bismuth Church hereto after referred to as "Kokoro Kurama"
The silver-haired woman would grin mischievously and pinch her subordinate's cheek before he could have a chance at bolting from the car. "Have a great first day little brother, remember that Onii-chan will be here to pick you up this afternoon once school lets out." With that last jab at his dignity hitting home, she would finally release the lock keeping him inside the beat-up beetle as he left the car while muttering a string of curses under his breath.
To the Black Rock Shooter fans who may or may not be reading this, as you can probably tell this isn't the BRS you're used to reading about.
I based this AU on an old rp I had going with an ex a few years ago, although that started more in the middle of the story where the OC and Yomi were already pretty well acquainted with one another. Rest assured that such actions won't be so easily repeated in-story and will loosely follow the plot of the rp in question.
Honestly, my only experience with Black Rock Shooter is with the OVA (even though the anime version of Yomi tends to wear glasses, this will change as we progress past a certain point in the story)
