Okay, hope that prologue whet your appetite for what's to come. Now, with this first chapter, the story starts properly. This chapter immediately introduces two new characters- one is the brand new Kampfer I mentioned in the prologue, who will play quite a big role in this story. I won't say any more than that. The other new character isn't mine per se, but actually belongs to Dawn's Luvr, who let me use the character for this story. This particular character was originally going to be introduced in the third and final story in this trilogy, but I decided it would be better to make an introduction in this part for more character development. I hope you like them both. Also, remember when I said there will be a few surprises in this fanfic? The first one is actually at the end of this chapter.

Updates on this fanfic may be slow. I still haven't quite got my writing groove back, so there's no guarantee that I'll always feel like doing anything. On the other hand, I may keep going until this is complete. You never know… Finally, if you're wondering what will become of my sidestories to Battle Against Fate, I may go back to those at some point, but not right now. I've had a bit of a creative block with those at the moment.

So, all that's left for me to say is I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Rebelion Against Fate, and please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer- I do not own Kampfer.

Chapter one- Encounter

It was a particularly wet morning as I stood by the bus stop. The rain was coming down pretty damn hard, as it had been long before I even woke up. However, I didn't mind too badly. I was huddled underneath my umbrella, playing around with my brand new iPod Touch- which I bought just yesterday. Maybe I shouldn't have, as it would be my birthday next week, but it had been tempting me for so long, I wasn't able to contain it any more… In any case, I was looking through the recent photos I uploaded onto my iPod yesterday. They were of me wearing a couple of new cosplay outfits that I'd been working on for some time, shortly before I went home to New York, actually. It had been a while since I last done any actual cosplaying, due to all the complications with me becoming a Kampfer, so it felt great to get back to doing what I enjoyed most. I even managed to drag Megumi into taking the photos for me! Actually, looking at the photos of me in my cosplay of Windia from Deathsmiles, I could tell that Megumi was a really good photographer. She really seemed to capture the finer details of my outfit, not to mention how cute I looked in it. That reminds me, I really need to update my DeviantArt account sometime… Flicking through the last of my Windia photos, I moved on to the photos of the other costume I wore that day- Cure Sunshine from HeartCatch Pretty Cure. Oh god, how much I love this one. I knew I had to do it the moment I first saw the character, and I knew I did her justice in the finished costume. Megumi also greatly approved of it! I couldn't help but give a sigh as I looked through the photos. I look so pretty… I was starting to fawn over my photos so much, I failed to realise the person creeping up right behind me.

"Heeeeeeeyyyyyy, Tara!" came a loud, and instantly recognisable voice. It made me jump so much, I ended up throwing my iPod in the air. Luckily, I was able to grab it again before it fell on the floor. Regaining my senses, I turned around to see Mikoto standing behind me. With that kind of energy, it could only have been her.

"Uh… Hi, Mikoto. Fancy seeing you here…" I said. That's odd… She doesn't normally catch the bus from here. She may have been to see Natsuru, but he lives nearer the next bus stop. What was she doing here? Mikoto was quick to notice the iPod in my hand, and saw the photo on the screen.

"Hey, that's a cute photo." she said, grabbing my iPod to get a better look. "Is this you? Nice bit of midriff showing, there."

"Y-yeah. Thanks." I said. "I'm wearing a cosplay outfit I finished recently. I kinda had a photoshoot with Megumi a few days back, and she took some awesome pictures of me in this costu-"

"Huh. Never knew you were into that sort of thing." said Mikoto, interrupting me. How can she be this perky first thing in the morning? Then again, she's always like that…

"Yeah, I've been cosplaying for a few years now, though I haven't done much since I moved here." I said. "So… Uh… What are you doing here? I don't normally see you at this stop…" One of my trademark subject changes, but it really was unusual to see Mikoto here.

"I… Um… Just wanted to see Natsuru before I went to school." she said. "You know he can transform on his own now, right?" She was right- Natsuru was indeed able to control his Kampfer powers now. As a result, Shizuku, being the Student Council President, decided to cut him some slack for once and let him attend school in his male form only. In other words, the female Natsuru would not be coming to school anymore. The official word was that she transferred to a new school over the summer, and as you'd expect, Natsuru himself was relived to never go to the girl's side again… Having said that, I could tell Mikoto was hiding something. If she'd been to see Natsuru, she'd have gone to school via the bus stop closer to his house, Now that I thought about it, she was travelling with her parents until recently, wasn't she? She came home on her own. Why was that? Though I can't deny she wanted to see Natsuru again, I don't think that's the only thing she came back for…

"Yeah. Learned about that from Akane." I said. "So, was that what you wanted to see him about? Or was it just to try and win his heart again, or something?"

I saw Mikoto's face blank out. She IS hiding something- she hasn't been to see Natsuru today at all! But before she could say anything, I suddenly felt something. Something I hadn't felt since a few weeks back… The next thing I knew, the two of us had jumped to opposite sides to avoid a watery projectile that had just been thrown at us!

"You okay, Tara?" Mikoto shouted across to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I shouted back. "But who the hell threw that?"

"I dunno." shouted Mikoto. "I've never seen anyone use water attacks on us before. It must be a new Kampfer!" No shit, Sherlock. You really think so? No sooner had we stopped to think about this, we heard a rather stuck up sounding laugh.

"Hee hee, so you guys are the ones I'm supposed to fight. You reds don't look like much, I'll give you that!"

We both turned to see our new assailant. She was a little shorter than me, and she was quite pretty. Her short hair was an aquamarine colour, and was tied in bunches. Also, her uniform was the same as mine and Mikoto's, and hadn't seemed to have changed at all in her Kampfer state. Oh yeah, she was also flatter than an ironing board… She had a look of supreme confidence- maybe cockiness would be a better word- on her face, like she felt she was better than anyone else. Lastly, her sleeve was rolled up just enough to reveal a blue bracelet. So she isn't a white Kampfer. That's a relief. But it still seems like we're in for a fight…

"Mikoto…" I said. "Get to school and tell Shizuku about this. I'll handle this new girl myself."

"What? No way! I'm fighting with you!" Mikoto protested.

"Just go!" I said. "I can handle this by myself. Besides, if we split up, she'll only be able to tackle one of us!"

"Awwww… Fine." said Mikoto, turning around and running in the direction of the school. That just left me with this newcomer, but I knew fighting here wouldn't be such a great idea. I needed a place where I could fight without drawing any attention. Knowing just the place, I ran off as fast as I could.

"Hey, come back here and fight, you coward! I'm not letting you escape that easily!" shouted the newbie, giving chase. Good, just as I hoped…

…...

I transformed as I ran along the path, hoping the new Kampfer wouldn't catch up to me too soon. The handle of my sword was a little slippery thanks to the rain that was still coming down hard, but I was nonetheless able to keep hold of it. Too bad my umbrella disappeared when I transformed- I'm getting soaked here! Still, now's not the time to think about trivial things like that. Thanks to the speed I was running at, I was able to reach my destination fairly quickly- an old shrine that had been abandoned for years. The whole place was open enough to have a battle, and since no one ever came here, we could fight unnoticed. Best of all, no one really cared about it enough to notice if it got badly damaged in the process. However, there was one other thing about it that made me want to use it- there were plenty of trees. Having made it to the shrine, the first thing I did was leap onto one of those trees to hide. From here, I should be able to observe my opponent, and see what she's capable of. Then I can decide on a plan of attack… Placing my sword on my back, I hid in the treetop, waiting for the enemy to show up. I didn't have to wait long.

"I know you're here! Show yourself! I'm getting so bored, and wet!" the newbie said, producing a few balls of water and throwing them randomly, in the hope of drawing me out. Okay, now let's observe her and see what she can do. She threw several more water balls around, not coming anywhere near hitting me. Even an idiot could tell she's a Zauber type. She threw even more water balls about, while complaining some more about how wet and bored she was. Is this all she's capable of? She doesn't seem to have any kind of idea what she's doing- she's not even thinking any of this through! I don't think she's just hiding her true power, either. It's pretty obvious she only became a Kampfer recently, like this morning or something. Okay, I shouldn't have any trouble beating her, but I should still be careful anyway. Maybe a distraction would work. I reached into my backpack and pulled out my iPod. Aha! Maybe this'll work! Oh, wait- I haven't put any music on it yet. Then again, I might just be able to- Turning it on, I quickly tapped on the YouTube icon, hoping that my Wi-Fi was still working. Thankfully, it was, and I was still logged in from the last time I used it, meaning I could go straight to my favourite videos. I touched one of them at random, and waited for it to load. Now just turn the volume right up, tap Play, and…

"Aha! So that's where you've been hiding!" said the new Kampfer, around ten seconds after Guile's theme from Street Fighter 2 started playing from my iPod. She produced another water ball and threw it at the tree where I was hiding. Note that I said WAS. Right after I started the video, I placed my iPod on the tree, and jumped to another nearby tree. As expected, the attack hit the tree with my iPod on it, and it dropped from the branches. The newcomer caught it, looking a little confused.

"Huh? What's this? Grrr, where are you, dammit? I'm getting really dirty the longer I keep this up for!" she said. Be careful what you wish for… I took this opportunity to jump from my new perch and land right next to my assailant. Before she could react, I pressed my sword right next to her neck. I had her.

"Now, what was that you said about me not looking like much?" I said, taking my iPod out of her hand. I hope it didn't get too wet…

"Dammit! How could I lose like that?" The new Kampfer said.

"Quite easily, actually. If throwing water around at random is all you can do, then you're not going to get very far. I've faced much tougher than you…" I replied.

"A-are you going to finish me off?"

"No. I'm going to let you go. Killing isn't in my nature. Besides, the rules have changed. It's no longer Red Vs. Blue. It's Red and Blue Vs. the Moderators. We're not fighting this war for them anymore, and if you have any sense, nor will you."

"What are you talking about? I was told by my messenger that I was supposed to defeat the red Kampfers. So why are you now saying that we aren't fighting anymore?"

"We are. But it's the Moderators we're fighting against, not each other. Haven't you even wondered why we have to fight in the first place?"

"N-no. I only became a Kampfer this morning, so I thought it was something I had to do without question…"

"In that case, you should give it some thought. You have to think about why we're fighting, and whether or not you really want this. By the way, what's your name?"

The newbie stayed silent for a moment, but she could soon see there was no way out of this.

"Y-Yume. Yume Hanamura…" she said, weakly.

"Well, Yume." I said, dropping my sword and returning to normal. "If you have any sense, you'll help us. Anyway, you should go. You don't want to be late for class. But please, think about what I've said…"

I walked away, leaving Yume just standing there. Aw crap, my umbrella hasn't reappeared. Now I'm going to get even more soaked. Haven't gotten this wet since that day I ran into Josie when I went back to New York in the summer. Good thing Mom suggested bringing a spare uniform and a towel with me, just in case. I decided to run the rest of the way to school, since I didn't want to be late, either. I could only hope that Yume would consider what I just said to her. Since she goes to my school, I'll see if I can find her later in the day and have a proper heart to heart with her.

…...

As soon as I arrived in school, I dashed for the nearest empty classroom to dry off and change into my spare uniform. Ah, that feels a lot better. Now I just hope I haven't caught a cold or anything… I then headed to my classroom, where I found my classmates gossiping, and generally looking excited. Wonder why? If anything, I thought they'd have been upset about Natsuru's departure. But the general buzz was a little bit more positive than I was expecting. I found Akane sitting in her usual seat, so I walked over and greeted her.

"Hi Akane. How's things?"

"I'm good, thanks." Akane replied. "You?"

"Not bad, all things considered. Mikoto and I ran into a brand new Kampfer just now. A blue Zauber type, though she was pretty weak. I told her a little about what's been going on, but I don't know if she'll help us or not…"

"No way! Really? Did you get hurt?"

"Nah. Like I said, she was a cakewalk. I got pretty badly soaked, but that's about the worst of it. But we can worry about her later. What's going on around here? Everyone's looking a lot livelier than I was expecting."

"You haven't heard yet?" said Akane. "There's a new transfer student starting here today. I think the class representative is looking for a new source of income now that Natsuru isn't coming here anymore, and she thinks this new student may be a good alternative. That's why everyone's talking about her."

Go figure. A new student, though- I wonder if that's Yume? Before I could think about this any further however, some of my classmates crowded around me.

"Hey, Goodman!" said one of them. "I heard you're going out with Takarashi-chan. Is that true?"

"Huh? Oh- yes, it's true." I replied. "Megumi and I have been dating for a few weeks now."

In that instant, the entire classroom crowded around me, knocking poor Akane out of her seat in the process.

"Wow! No way! I can't believe you're dating the former goddess of Seitetsu!" said another of my classmates, excitedly. Jesus Christ, what's gotten into them now! She wasn't the only one fangirling over me, as there were many more comments being thrown my way…

"I'm so jealous! Megumi's so beautiful and sexy! I really wanted to be her girlfriend!"

"Have you been out on a date? Have you kissed?"

"You're so lucky!"

"Have you seen her naked yet? Are her boobs really that big?"

Give me a break! These questions are starting to get really dirty now! The truth was, dating and kissing was about the most the two of us had done so far. Megumi didn't want our relationship to go any further until I was at least eighteen, which was fine by me. We still love each other, and that's the most important thing. Besides, I'll be eighteen next week. Not long now… By now, the class rep had just pushed her way into the crowd and broke it up.

"Come on everyone, there's no need to crowd around her." she said. "If you form an orderly line behind me- and charge a small fee, of course- I'm sure she'll be willing to tell you about any stories of hot lesbian passion with Takarashi-chan." Actually, no. I'm not. By this point, I was just about ready to bang my head on the desk repeatedly- if I was actually sitting down at a desk, that was. However, the bell rang, signalling the start of class. Saved by the bell, indeed. The teacher walked in as everyone settled down in their seats. I stopped to help up Akane- who was now covered in footprints and looking rather fazed- before sitting down in my seat.

"Good morning, class." said the teacher. "I hope you've all had a good summer. However, the time to relax is now over, as this term will be a busy one for you. Before we start, however, I have some important news to tell you. As you know, Miss Natsuru Senou transferred to another school over the holidays, so she'll no longer be attending class here. However, we now have another new student joining us from today, so I want you all to give her a warm welcome. And let's treat her a little better than you treated Senou, shall we?"

The entire class nodded in agreement, though I was willing to bet that wouldn't last long. With that, the teacher gave a signal, and the new student walked in. As she turned to face us, everyone gasped. She was really pretty, although something about her was a bit… off. She looked really nervous- not in the same way Natsuru was when she first enrolled, but really, REALLY nervous. Almost like she felt she didn't belong here. Well, I could sense she wasn't a Kampfer, so I didn't have to worry about that. She had short brown hair and matching eyes, quite deep ones, too. She also had a pair of headphones around her neck, and I could spot a Hatsune Miku charm hanging from her bag. However, I couldn't shake off this feeling I had about her. She may not have been a Kampfer, but she seemed really uncomfortable in this classroom. I wonder what's up with her?

"Anyway- class, this is Tetsuo Satou, our new student. I hope you make her feel welcome here, and try to get along with her, okay?" said the teacher. Akane and I nodded, but the rest of the class… Well, let's just say it was a case of history repeating itself. Everyone bolted out of their seats and crowded around Tetsuo, who was now starting to look even more worried. Can't say I blame her. Oh, and Akane had been knocked down and trampled again. She really gets it rough. In all the commotion, I could hear a few more inappropriate questions being asked, while I also saw the class rep moving into the crowd, along with the vice rep and the treasurer. Watching this, I started banging my head on the desk for real. Perverts, the lot of them. I could tell the teacher was also starting to lose her patience. Poor Tetsuo- it's always tough being the new kid, but it's even tougher when everyone's fawning over you and not giving you the time of day…

…...

Class began eventually, thanks to the teacher finally breaking everything up, and before I knew it, lunch had arrived. However, as I was about to head for the cafeteria, Akane and I received a message to go to the Student Council office. Shizuku wanted to speak to us, and I could guess why. We both made our way to the elevator, and pressed the button to call it. As the door opened, we were surprised to see Tetsuo step out! She didn't really stop to say anything, she just bowed to us and left without saying a word. She's sure quiet… Wonder why? Still, this wasn't the time to think about that- Shizuku still wanted to see us. We both stepped into the elevator and went down to the Student Council office. When we got there, we already saw Mikoto and Natsuru standing there, while Shizuku was at her desk, as usual.

"Hey guys, you okay?" said Mikoto, cheerfully.

"Yeah, I'm good." I said.

"I'm okay too." said Akane. "You guys?"

"Fine, of course!" Mikoto replied.

"Yeah, I guess I'm okay." said Natsuru, rubbing the back of his head. He looked kind of nervous.

"Tara. Akane. Glad you could both make it." said Shizuku. "Now that we're all here, I'll get straight to the point. As you know, it's been several weeks since we defeated Sakura and the white Kampfers. However, we all knew this wouldn't be the last we'd see of them. The fact that she's been missing ever since then is particularly worrying."

That was true. Ever since that previous battle, Sakura disappeared. Due to her popularity at school, it was actually pretty big news. Hell, I'm sure there are still posters doted around town asking to give any information that could help the police find her. If only they knew the truth…

"What's worrying about that?" said Mikoto. "If she's missing, she's probably been killed or something. Maybe punished by the Moderators for losing to us, perhaps!"

"Or maybe she's licking her wounds and coming up with a plan to defeat us once and foe all." said Shizuku. "As long as she's still alive, she won't stop until we're right back where she wants us- fighting each other. Either that, or until we're dead. We can't let our guard down for a second."

"We already know that." said Natsuru. "You didn't call us down here just to tell us this, did you?"

"Of course not." said Shizuku. "I was just getting to that. I don't know what Sakura has planned as far as we're concerned, but it does seem that right now, she's trying to start the Proxy Battles over again with new Kampfers…"

"You're talking about that new Kampfer that Mikoto and I ran into this morning, right?" I said. Shizuku nodded.

"Wait- what?" said Natsuru, who seemed to be the only one who didn't know about my little battle this morning. "A new Kampfer?"

"It's true." said Shizuku. "I sensed the presence of a new Kampfer this morning, and Mikoto confirmed it when she barged in right before school and told me about her. A blue Zauber type, am I right?"

"Yeah, that's right." I said. She said her name was Yume Hanamura, and she seemed kind of stuck up- although she's probably not like that when she's normal. She was pretty weak, though. I beat her in one attack. So, you think Sakura's trying to create some new Kampfers to fight in our place while she deals with us? Or maybe to force us back into fighting?"

"I don't know." said Shizuku. "Since we're refusing to fight, it's natural the Moderators would want to keep the Proxy Wars on this planet going. However, we can use this to our advantage. If new Kampfers are being created, we can try and get them to join us. We'll have to face Sakura and the white Kampfers again, and maybe even fight the Moderators themselves. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Yeah, it won't be easy with just the six of us." said Akane, making sure to count Megumi into the bargain as well. "Well, since we know about this new girl, maybe we should find her and talk to her?"

"I was thinking the same thing, actually." I said. "It shouldn't be too hard to find her, since she goes to this school. Maybe we should dig up some information on her as well. It could help us find out what class she goes to, as well as what she's really like, that sort of stuff."

"Good idea." said Shizuku. "A little extra knowledge won't hurt us. Alright, I want you to find out as much as you can about this Yume character. Then, we'll decide on a plan of action from there. I'll inform Megumi of the situation as well- maybe she can find out something about her as well."

We all stayed silent, but Shizuku could tell by our faces that we were in agreement. So, where do we start in trying to find information about this girl? While I was thinking about this, Shizuku spoke again.

"Oh yes, I also want to give these to you."

She opened a drawer and took out three passes, getting out of her seat to give one to Mikoto, Natsuru and myself.

"Those passes will let you go between both sides of the school as you see fit. Since Natsuru can now stay in his male form as long as he wants, he'll be staying over on the boy's side from now on. Therefore, we may need to go there from time to time- or Natsuru may need to come to the girl's side- in the event that something comes up. Hence, the passes. Of course, Akane already has one, as she's on the library committee, and I can go where I please in the school due to my position as Student Council president, so it's only you three who need one."

"Wouldn't that be a bit suspicious, though?" I said. "If people see us going between both sides, they might wonder what's so special about us that we've been given passes…"

"Not to worry." said Shizuku. "Officially, I've chosen you three to be on the Student Council Committee, so no one will suspect why you're suddenly able to go to either side. Don't worry, I won't actually have you doing anything Student Council involved- it's just a cover."

I sighed. I did actually turn down Shizuku's previous offer for me to join the Student Council a few months ago. But still, it was a good cover. Now we can keep in touch with one another that little bit more efficiently!

"Tee-hee, how awesome is that?" said Mikoto, grabbing hold of Natsuru's arm. "You really learned to change back on your own, haven't you, Natsuru?"

"H-hey!" said Natsuru, looking a little flustered. Akane watched on, and became jealous…

"I can't believe how low you're willing to go!" she cried out, grabbing Natsuru's other arm. "Natsuru chose me! He said so himself!"

"Heh, he must have been joking." said Mikoto, poking her tongue out at Akane. "We've been together since we were kids! Of course, I'm the only one for him!"

"You both forget…" said Shizuku. "He went out on a date with me. That's more than you two have done."

"You tricked him into thinking you were luring out the white Kampfers! How is that a date?" said Akane.

"I never said anything like that. I asked Natsuru out on a date. He only seemed to think it was just a ploy, even though I insisted otherwise. So why don't you both forget about him and leave him with me?"

"No way!" said Akane.

"Uh-uh. Natsuru's mine!" said Mikoto.

"Uh… Guys…" I said. "Maybe now isn't the best time to-"

I was too late to try and break this up. Once again, Akane, Shizuku and Mikoto were fighting over Natsuru. This had been happening more or less non stop over the summer, and if anything, things had gotten even more heated between them. As I watched them tugging away at Natsuru, I took a look at his face. He looked like he was about to snap in the not too distant future.

I wasn't expecting it to happen quite as early as I thought…

"Will you guys just CUT IT OUT ALREADY?" he yelled, tugging himself free from the girl's hands. They looked over at Natsuru, who looked furious.

"N-Natsuru…" said Mikoto.

"Seriously, I've had just about enough of you guys constantly squabbling over me! Can't you just leave me alone? Or is that too much to ask?"

"But Natsuru…" said Akane. "I thought you chose me? And didn't Sakura say back when we fought her-"

"Whatever she said, I didn't chose any of you." said Natsuru. "At least, not in THAT respect. I like you all. You mean a lot to me. But I'm not in love any of you!"

That left everyone shaken up a touch. Even me, actually. Can't believe he actually put his foot down…

"Then who have you chosen? Sakura?" said Mikoto.

"Of course not!" said Natsuru. "Not after what happened back then! She only loves my female self, but I chose to be a boy. Trust me, I'm way over Sakura. But that doesn't mean I want to go out with any of you. I'm glad you're all my friends, but that's about as much as I want!"

We all stayed silent for a few moments, until Natsuru turned around and walked out of the office. As he reached the door, he stopped to give one last word.

"You're right, Shizuku. We have to keep our guard up. But if the three of you are going to keep fighting over me, Sakura can take advantage of that and defeat us easily. Just try to keep that in mind…"

"Natsuru, wait-" said Akane, but she couldn't stop him from leaving. I looked at everyone. Shizuku had been silent ever since Natsuru snapped. I could only imagine what was going through her mind right now. But Natsuru had a point. If Shizuku, Akane and Mikoto kept fighting over him, it would leave us badly open to an attack. I turned around and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" said Shizuku, quietly.

"To the boy's side." I said. "I think Natsuru needs someone to talk to right now, and I don't think he'd trust any of you to do that without trying to make a pass at him. I think he'll be more willing to open up to me."

"I suppose he would." said Shizuku. "Alright, go. Talk to him. Just make sure you display that pass I gave you so they'll let you in."

"Sure." I said, putting the pass around my neck. With that, I walked out of the office. Wow, what a mess.