Neun, the Ressurected Girl
Chapter 3
EALF Disclaimer:
This fic has been declared under protest by the Entrail Animals Liberation Front for cruel and unusual treatment of stuffed animals involving the user of a washer and dryer.
"We demand freedom from cruel and unusual treatment!"
"Yeah!"
"And more entrail animals/Natsuru slash."
...
"Wait, what are you doing?"
su -c 'mv entrails_protest /dev/null'
"NOOOO!"
password:
Disclaimer:
This fanfic is created under the principle of fair use and measures have been taken to not plagiarize existing IP. Properties referenced include Kampfer and Guyver.
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Neun could no longer see straight as she rushed towards the bus stop. Kaede had already left when she reached her house and she could only hope that she reached Kaede before the bus came. Her vision finally failed her and she ran into something. Everything was collapsing in on her, and it appeared her luck had finally caught up with her. She tried reaching out but could no longer had any tactile sense to know whether she was actually doing anything as the world seemed to fall out from under her.
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Kaede turned to the sound of running to see Neun. Her heart missed a beat. When the average lifespan of a Kampfer had been measured in days she'd seen this more then once. She simply lacked the knowledge or mindset to really make sense of what was actually happening, but whatever it did made it so they were never the same person afterwards. She'd struck upon the idea of using her mental magic to convince them they were already dead. It worked, after a fashion.
It was very difficult for her to use her magic in such a fashion and rapidly tired her. She would have preferred to not have to use it when she wasn't someplace it was safe for her to rest a while, but Neun was fading fast. She'd just have to hope for the best.
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Akane groggily woke up to find a supreme and utter lack of the girl she'd brought home last night. It occurred to her that maybe she'd dreamed the whole thing. Afterall who in their right mind would follow her home after she tried to kill them, and acted like a raving psychopath? And it wasn't like she hadn't had some very lucid dreams before where she [content removed] and then there were the ones where [content removed], and then there were the ones wher4e she went to school without any underwear and only realized after she sat down for class and everyone knew about it.
Or maybe she was remembering it actually happening and just that she'd been paranoid everyone knew about it until she'd been able to remedy the situation.
*Yawn* It was too much bother to dwell on. Walking out to the washing machine she proceeded to open the door.
"What's the big idea leaving us in here?" And tossed them in the dryer, walking away from a pair of screams as the dry cycle initiated. Whether they were of terror or excitement she didn't bother to contemplate.
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As Akane brushed her teeth it occurred to her that there had been a tiger in addition to her foul mouthed rabbit in dire need of drying out. Who was Neun's Messenger. Who didn't remember ever meeting outside of her dream where Neun had been over, and asked they be secured elsewhere. Hence why they had been in the washer, and the reason they hadn't been moved to the dryer yet was because she'd been too focused on trying to figure out some plausible way she could get into Neun's panties.
And that meant Neun had already left, and .
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Midori looked down at the collapsed forms of Neun and Kaede-sama lying on the naked pavement. She had felt something was wrong and rushed to Kaede-sama's side to find this puzzling sight. Not that the how or why was really important right now. Kaede-sama needed her help.
She paused to brush the back of her hand against Kaede-sama's cheek. She'd been her idol, someone who rose above the petty politics and seemed to genuinely care. She would not allow someone to sully her. (1)
"Hey Ugly!"
"If it isn't Miss Deadeye herself." She responded smoothly as the transformation occured, her slight subtle rebuke accomplishing vastly more then the red head's excessive and redundant noise.
"You bitch!" Again with the pointless noise.
She sent a bullet grazing off the red head's shoulder causing her to drop her gun as she reacted to the resultant pain. Before the red head seemed to really recognize what was going on she had kneed her in the solar plexus causing her to drop and the pointless noise to cease as the needs of respiration overwhelmed her need for endless chatter.
She internally smiled in a way that didn't quite come to her face. The girl had solved her problem.
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Akane stared balefully at the revolver the other girl cooly pointed in her direction. First she'd shot her, then she'd beat her up, and then she'd forced her to do manual labor! Stupid, stuck up bitch. Although seems as it had been Neun she was carrying she could [content removed].
And what was up with her having to be the one to bring out a futon, while all that stuck bitch did was tuck that other presumptuous bitch in? She didn't even get to be the one to tuck Neun in! How was she supposed to accidentally unzip her top now?
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Midori looked indifferently at the red head as they walked out of Kaede-sama's place of lodging. It had been a clean tidy environment that was like a breath of fresh air compared to her own quarters
"Hey Ugly." The red head declared in a perturbed voice that substituted in a meaning she seemed to lack the eloquency to express in a more intelligible fashion.
"I could kill you now." She paused and walked around the red head making a point to be utterly casual while unnerving her. "But then you know that I could kill you any time, don't you?"
It was like looking at a mouse staring at a giant snake, only she liked to play with her prey. Oh, that was interesting.
"But first I'd [content removed] and once you finally decided you couldn't live without me then I'd kill you. Like I did your prior partner." Midori smirked as she proceeded on to school.
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Neun awoke gasping with an impression she had been drowning. Where was she? What had happened? Her mind refused to make sense of her senses for several minutes until there was a pleasant sigh beside her. Looking down she saw Kaede snuggled up against her, sound asleep with a look of absolute contentment on her face. She couldn't help but stare at the vision before her as memories started to filter back.
She'd been... dying? The experience was so weird that in the face of her current tranquil environment she was ready to conclude it was nothing but a nightmare, a ghost of something that haunted the realms of her subconscious. Yet as more and more of the past day came back to her she could not deny it, and that her friend had saved her once again from something she really didn't understand but recognized on some level would be the end of her.
And Kaede had saved her.
She didn't know how she could repay that, but she felt she should at least try. Easing herself out of Kaede's grip she made her way towards the kitchen, where she could at least attempt to do one of the few things she knew how to do.
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It was a difficult dish to make correctly and one that took a considerable amount of time, but it seemed extremely appropriate for something she was making as a show of gratitude to be so. First she'd need to cut the potatoes into fine little cubes, then she'd need to spice them correctly and cook them as if she was making hash browns of them. Then she'd need to combine that with eggs and the appropriate cheese in the right ratios and mixture composition. (2) She'd developed it from a combination of relatively inexpensive ingredients she'd learned to make more appetizing through use of spices and better techniques, and that expensive and rare quantity that was cheese. Kaede's kitchen amazingly had everything she could possibly ask for along those lines, and quite a bit more. Caviar included.
Well there was nothing to it but to do it.
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Kaede was won over all over again, and felt fully justified in her decision, after taking the first bite. The way the flavors combined was simply divine, and yet Neun was showing that cute uncertain side of hers she had presented the dish to her. It would be a crime against humanity to let someone who could take simple ingredients and make something this good die, particularly when they were so willing to share the fruits of their gifts.
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Akane sat in the library mentally divided. On one hand there was Neun. On the other hand she was finding herself looking at revolver girl in an entirely different light. Even though she was supposed to be the enemy, she really seemed to know her stuff. She hadn't even thought of half of the more "compelling" stuff she'd brought up today.
No. She already had Neun... Well Sakura actually had Neun, but that was beside the point. She was going to be the winner in the end and no dangerously attractive attractive brunette with split hair was going to tempt her away from that.
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"Bathing together?" It wasn't like she hadn't relied upon public bath houses for as long as she could remember, but that was a little different from what Kaede seemed to be implying. Which instead of bathing in the same large room and sharing facilities seemed to involve a lot more skin contact, in a confined space. Maybe it was just all the talk about girls being after her that had her on edge. It wasn't like there was anything intrinsically wrong with them bathing together.
"Is there something wrong with bathing together?" Kaede asked completely oblivious to her thoughts or the concept of anything being wrong with it.
Neun felt embarrassed and silly for thinking such things about the girl who had only a few hours before saved her life. The previous days events must have really gotten to her to think such things of this pure and innocent girl. "No, nothing. It's just I've never done such a thing."
"You'll like it. You can relax and let someone else wash your hair and back." Kaede responded excitedly, causing Neun to smile in response.
Walking into the bathroom she noticed a significant presence of various bottles, but a supreme lack of soap as she knew it. To her eyes it looked like there was only the shampoo she occasionally allowed herself with the spare pocket money she was provided. (4) While Kaede was clearly had much more money then she'd ever dreamed of having access to it seemed rather weird she'd only have hair products.
"Where's the soap?" She found herself saying out load.
Kaede reached over and grabbed one of the bright colored shampoo bottles, which she now saw had the words "Body Wash" on it. "Here." It wasn't that she hadn't seen such things in the store before, but her assigned budget didn't allow for such things, which led to her wondering about assigned by whom until Kaede tugging on her clothes pulled her out of her reverie.
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Midori didn't even allow herself to appear perturbed as the meek girl with glasses asked to speak with her somewhere private. To do so would be to betray her supreme level of self control. As a important member of the Student console it was her job to listen to the other students issues and concerns. Even if they did make a point to go outside the proper chain of command and bypass their class representatives to see her directly.
After the meek girl with glasses seemed to be satisfied they were somewhere she felt comfortable to convey her concern she turned towards her looking ridiculously shy. Clearly the girl was some kind of wallflower, and there was actually a good chance that the issue was actually legitimate although of the nature that would cause major disruptions. Those were always so obnoxious.
"Midori-sama..." The girl stuttered out apparently so embarrassed by whatever the issue was combined with her apparent wallflower nature that she was having trouble vocalizing the issue. On one hand it was nice to not be addressed by some butchery of her title, on the other she had other things to do. Particularly as the chaos around setting up new reps and straightening out a racket would consume considerable time and effort to resolve.
She however smiled pleasantly and nodded for the girl to go on, being beyond allowing such petty stressors undermine her professionalism.
"Midori-sama, please take me as your disciple in the ways of perversion."
Say wha? The stream of words came out of the meek girl so fast they may as well have come from a machinegun and were followed by the girl prostrating herself before her. After thinking about it for five minutes it really didn't make any more sense then it had when the girl had said it. Maybe Shizuku was spreading rumors again. She liked to do that.
"Just helping to get you a date" her big toe. Not that she admitted having anything to do with it unless it was so blatantly obvious you'd need the be the Iraqi Propaganda Minister to deny it.(3) "Behind that stoic demeanor I know you're just a raging sex kitten waiting to get out" however took the cake for the most ridiculous and insane thing she'd said. One of these days she was going to teach that bitch a lesson, and then she'd have the last laugh.
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Neun let out little sighs of pleasure as Kaede found her knots of tension and began working them out. She'd never experienced anything quite like it, but it felt nice and she felt increasingly relaxed as the world seemed to simply slip away leaving behind a warm glow. She still wasn't quite sure why Kaede had felt it necessary to drag out a genuine massage table or why she had been so insistent on giving her a massage. At this point she really didn't care. She'd never been pampered like this and if Kaede was going to insist she was going to enjoy it.
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Akane transformed as soon as no one was in a position to see her do so. How dare that bitch turn her down after she'd said all those things that had turned her on. That was such a turn off, after she had spent all that effort to work herself up to asking her just so it would turn out like this.
A nearby bush felt her wrath as it was turned to shavings. For it to have turned out like this, just when it looked like her fortunes had really turned around. It just wasn't fair that it turned out like this. To be turned down just as she...
Someone started yelling, and she decided it was best to turn around and make her way to somewhere less conspicuous. Like the bathroom, in that stall they hadn't gotten around to fixing yet.
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"What's she playing at?"
"It's not like it was unforeseen. Even in the worst case scenario the situation remains well within our ability to control."
"She's defying us."
"You yourself requested her liquidation in favor of moving up the Secondary, and the only asset currently in play we cannot afford to simply liquidate is the very same one the Primary is protecting. Even in the case she did somehow manage to disrupt the overlay process, that is of little consequence as collecting the data we need is if anything impaired by its use."
"And what if she remembers?"
"You're overthinking things. That would require the soul to retain the mind enough to to carry with it its memories after it has left its mortal shell."
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Akane peeked out of the stall. That had been close.
"You really should use one of the stalls that's open."
Who said that? Looking towards the source of the voice Akane couldn't help but exclaim, "Student President?"
"You say that like I don't have a right to be here." THE Student President said casually while drying her hands. It occurred to Akane that she hadn't heard the water running. Looking closer she noticed a glint of steel for a brief moment. THE Student President's long sleeves covered where the contract bracelet would be, if it was there.
From what the previous Blue had told her there were always two, and Midori had not been the elder Red she had feared, but a new Red she hadn't anticipated. Which meant THE Student President was...
"How's the report from the Library Committee coming?"
Thinking fast Akane tried the only angle she could think of, "There have been a lot of new requirements and we're still sorting out the best way to meet them." Namely neglecting to mention the only reason she hadn't finished and filed the report already was simply because they'd been playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer on the school computer system... and getting slaughtered repeatedly by CrazyKat. No way was she going to imply she wasn't still necessary and valuable to the continued operation of the student government. Particularly when the prior Blue had told her the Reds were supposed to be faster.
"I see." THE Student President said disinterestedly, seeming to be contemplating her hands or more likely the blade she had hidden there.
Seeing her chances of talking her way out evaporating, Akane decided discreetly moving toward the door wasn't adequate any more and made a break for it. Running directly into someone as she came out of the door, losing her glasses in the process.
"Are you okay?" The fact the voice was male, quelled the thought she should just go ahead and transform so that she'd at least go down fighting. Although it brought up questions of what he was doing here, although she had more immediate concerns.
Feeling around the incoherent blur that was her world she ended up mumbling "Where are my glasses?" to herself as they continued to make themselves scarce.
"Here." The male voice said and the world snapped back into comprehensible focus as her glasses were once more returned to her. In the process she realized she'd just run over the student president, of the boy's side.
"Uhhh... Thank you." She stuttered before making good on her escape through empty, abandoned halls.
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Agito watched the burnette rush off, and wasn't surprised to find his female counterpart coming out of the restroom. While there was never anything he could prove he'd seen this more then once, and they had a habit of being among those girls that mysteriously disappeared with neither staff nor students acknowledging they'd ever existed. The computers on the other hand didn't forget as easily as people thought they did and weren't as secure as the inept tech staff might think.
"Up to your old games, Shizuku?"
"Was there something you wanted?" She asked, pretending she hadn't heard his question.
"The budget report from the boys side is ready for your perusal." He said offering said document.
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Neun snuggled up to Kaede being careful not to crush her into her breasts like she had so many times before. It had been a truly wonderful day. She'd never felt like this, or at least she had the sense she hadn't given her memories didn't go far back nearly as much as her intuition.
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Kaede snuggled into Neun's ample bosom. She'd taken measures to insure the inevitable rebound didn't occur tonight, but occur it would. She wasn't sure what would become of Natsuru, but for now Neun was hers in every way that really mattered. Yet she wasn't really satisfied as she felt something was missing even as the warm well endowed girl gently snuggled against her.
It didn't feel empty in the sense manipulating someone with her mental magic to like her felt. It felt more like she could quite reach. That their connection was... Yes, that was fair. It wasn't like they'd really gotten to know each other, and as much as she might wish it otherwise she fundamentally knew this would be transitory.
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[The Entrails Animals occupying themselves in the dryer prior to Akane coming to take them out.]
Harikiri Tiger stood up on its tiny fuzz legs for it's turn. "Oh they're too scary" It said in its best mocking imitation of it's charge's voice. Walking over in a awkward stride it repositioned itself, and in its best imitation of Seppuku Rabbit's charge Why don't we throw them in the oven..."
"Ahhh..." Black Seppuku Rabbit interrupted point a stubby paw behind Harikiri Tiger.
Harikiri Tiger glanced over its shoulder to see a very tired and annoyed looking girl in glasses that looked extremely perturbed. It let off one of its trademark evil chuckles.
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Akane wasn't entirely sure what to think as she got ready for bed. The day had been eventful, there was certainly no denying that. But it hadn't been eventful in any way she preferred. The Student President appeared to be the missing elder Red. She knew she didn't have any chance alone. Maybe if Neun helped her she'd be able to manage, but not alone.
Throwing herself on the bed she started to turn in, and then the thought The Student President probably knew where she lived entered her mind and sleep was not forthcoming.
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Midori looked around her austere quarters, thinking about the days events. Kaede-sama hadn't come to school, which meant whatever had happened with her and Neun had been serious enough to keep her away. She summoned one of her revolvers, and proceeded to carefully disassemble it lying all the little parts out in an orderly fashion. The situation was complicated, and she didn't have all the pieces, but she'd see it through.
Her hope remained that she could be friends with Kaede-sama's newest associate. She seemed genuinely nice, if lost, and she found herself growing fond of her. She didn't look forward to when they must inevitably fight, but believed it would be done with honor and respect for the other when the time inevitably came.
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Neun woke up with an aching head that felt like it was a giant balloon. A part of her mind wondered if there was some way to pop it and make her head go back to normal. Feeling bizarrely top heavy in a balloon head way that didn't make any kind of real physical sense she managed to not fall over somewhere as she made her way to the restroom to relieve herself.
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The situation had not improved by the time she found herself standing at the bus stop with Kaede. Indeed she felt increasingly... She yawned...
Wait, wha? Looking around Natsuru noticed Kaede standing next to him and almost jumped out of his skin. "Sakura-san?" He found himself stuttering out.
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Kaede's smile was thin but still managed to be pleasant as the inevitable kicked in. When things would flip flop again she couldn't predict, but it would be a while.
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"She has returned the test subject exactly as you desired, and contrary to your expectations."
"That changes nothing."
"She's a valuable asset, and has lasted much longer then any of her predecessors. Surely you recognize without cause there is no legitimate reason to liquidate her."
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Agito checked his ultraportable for the server changelogs and noted one Natsuru Senou had been added in addition to creating back records of attendance. What really stood out though was a quick check confirmed they'd done the same thing a fw days ago only to wipe it out. Whatever they were up to he might as well keep an eye on this ghost that had come back.
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1) As always perspectives are written normalized to a conception and implementation of what works with the characters behavior while creating a consistent dialogue. These are not intended to be the testimony of reliable witnesses.
2) I've not actually done a real in kitchen verification of the combination, although I've worked with the all the components, so I cannot verify with complete certainty this is actually a wonderful idea instead of what simply seems like one. It does represents a whole lot of work to do all that prep work with the potatoes and you'd need the right kind of cheese to really make it go off if my intuition on the matter is correct. That is far from certain as my customized peanut butter cookie recipe showed, although how that deviated actually resulted in something better then originally intended and exposed a source of relatively inexpensive highly quality caramel for baking purposes at least. Neun may or may not magically have that recipe in a later chapter, as I'm assured they are quite good.
3) For those younger folks who weren't aware of such things when that happened, let's just say he exemplified denying reality.
4) Yes, bar soap can more or less be used in place of shampoo. No, that doesn't mean shampoo and associated are redundant for those with the budget for it.
Author's Notes:
And that should complete our initial setup and introduction work.
The officially licensed release is out, and quite nice if I say so myself. Not big on some of their phrasing choices verse the fansub people though like "Bowels Familiar."
When setting up this fic I opted to emulate Anime's handling of Akane, which pretty much insured we had to have moment of Akane being an over the top ball of sexual frustration. I really can't say I'm happy with how that came out with Midori, but it fits the humor profile and my dissatisfaction can mostly be summed up as "she's not her manga self" and "I can't believe I'm doing this." At least it'll moderate out more in subsequent chapters.
I spliced the Agito character in because the existing character set didn't provide what I needed and he functions well for the desired task/role. Note that the character has been spliced in, not the associated suit. This version has been tweaked versus the canon implementation, but is close enough there's no real point denying he's not based off that character. Or if you prefer Agito here is inspired by Agito Makashima from Guyver, but not really based off him.
