Edited 27/6/17: Correcting spelling and grammar errors. Also, Linimal should be Liminal, only just realised this after 11 chapters, oops.

'Flamethrower tank is now full. You may resume use when ready.' An automated voice announced as the two combatants were fighting for their lives against a monstrosity made of black ooze which well hell bent on ripping them apart.

''Chris! I'll hold it off, hurry!'' The dark-skinned woman shouted as she poured shotgun fire into the beast.

''Alright, don't die on me Sheva!'' The pale-skinned man replied as he sprinted towards the flamethrower.

He reached the weapon and hoisted the fuel tank onto his back, readying the weapon for use.

'AAAAGGGGHHH!'

He suddenly heard a scream. He faced towards where the sound was coming from, only to find his partner on the ground, covered in black tendrils, writhing in pain. The beast was looming over her, rising a mass of tendrils for the killing blow.

'Sheva!'

Before Chris could make it to her, the trendily smashed into Sheva. Blood splatted across the containment facility as her body was left bloody and lifeless.

''Aww C'mon!'' Zombina yelled when the TV scene darkened as the words 'YOU ARE DEAD' appeared in blood red. Yuuto was sitting next to her on the couch in his apartment, with a controller in hand, pondering what they did wrong. They were playing Biohazard 5, or Resident Evil 5 as is was more commonly referred to by the gaming community, and they thought it would be fun to play the co-op campaign on the hardest difficulty for tonight. They had done well initially, but when they finally came across Uroboros, one of the bosses in the game, it seemed they'd hit a brick wall. This was their fifth failed attempt in a row that evening.

Zombina placed her controller on the arm rest nearest to her, and slumped into her seat in defeat. 'How is it fair that it can do that much damage in one hit?!' She complained to herself.

'Well we are playing on Professional Mode after all, what did you expect?' Yuuto replied flatly, also feeling dejected by their constant string of failures. He pondered for a moment, rubbing his hand over the medical tape on his right cheek. ''Maybe we should've stuck closer together.'

'Yeah, and have it kill both of us in one hit?'

'Good point. Just a shame the game only gives you three seconds to revive on this mode.'

''I know, right? You'd think that they could take a couple hits at least.' Zombina pouted as she continued to rant about the game's difficulty.

''Well not everyone's an undead badass like yourself, Zee.''

The zombie looked to her side to see her blonde-haired squad mate, wearing a pair of denim jeans, a plain white T-shirt, and a burgundy coloured hoodie on top with the sleeves rolled up, as well as his signature pair of black leather fingerless gloves. He had his eyes narrowed, looking at her own heterochromatic eyes, and wearing a cheeky grin on his face. She herself was wearing her usual black tank-top and her green denim short shorts, which were rather revealing. She burst into laughter upon seeing the look on his face. She managed to calm herself down enough to retort.

'Geez, Beesh, how long did it take you to come up with that masterpiece?' She was grinning the whole time as she quoted what he said to her after the operation they were involved in the week prior.

'Very funny.' His face lit up at her question, his cheeky grin turning into a sincere smile. ''Seeing you gave me one, I thought I'd return the favour.''

Zombina blushed slightly at the statement. 'And it only took us like, two months of knowing each other to give each other pet names?'

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. ''You make it sound like we're dating.''

At that, she moved closer to Yuuto and rested her head on his shoulder, and placed a hand on his leg. 'We could always change that if you want.' She said in a sultry voice.

Yuuto's smile faded as he nudged her hand off him with his own, as she stared wide-eyed at him, not expecting his cold reaction. ''I'm sorry, Zombina. I like hanging out with you and all, but I just don't feel that way about you.'' Before she could say anything, he cut in with a smile. ''And before you say it, it isn't because you're dead.'

The red-head felt slightly more at ease at his statement, but she didn't feel any better about being rejected by the man she had grown attached to in the last couple months. When Yuuto first arrived at the Interspecies Cultural Exchange headquarters in Tokyo, it was a surprise for her and her team to hear from Ms Smith that he would be joining the squad and training with them. She knew that in time there would be more people joining MON after they proved themselves to be an effective anti-linimal special ops team, and it wouldn't have been a forgone conclusion that their future squad mates could very well be men, but with the current state of the Interspecies Exchange Bill, they hadn't been expecting a human to join the squad. Nonetheless the team trusted Ms Smith's decision, and they welcomed Yuuto Kazama with open arms, and they have been training together ever since. In that time, Zombina herself was put in charge of his combat training and his integration into the squad. During that time though, the two agents had grown quite close to each other, to the point that they considered each other best friends. At times, she thought that he might be the guy to finally sweep her off her feet, but as luck would have it, it wasn't meant to be. Finally, after being lost in thought for a while, she spoke up.

'So where are you hiding the lucky girl?' Zombina asked with a smirk on her face.

''There isn't. I haven't had a girlfriend since high school.'' Yuuto paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. 'Ever since I joined MON, you and the other girls have been so good to me, well despite the odd occasion involving Doppel and her pranks that is.'

Zombina snickered as she recalled the incident that happened the day Yuuto first moved in to the apartment complex that all the MON agents lived. That night, Doppel thought it would be a good idea to sneak into his room, disguised as the creepy girl from The Ring, and scare the living shit out of him as a house warming present. Zombina happened to accompany her on this little adventure, but was told to wait outside, much to her dismay. Doppel had her dressed up like Freddy Kruger ready for when he would run out of his room screaming. She did hear Yuuto scream, but to her surprise, as she jumped out to scare him further, she was met by Doppel flying mid-air towards her at some speed, and they smashed heads before falling to the floor. It seemed the he chose fight over flight, and threw her out of his room as hard as her could, but when he made his way into the hallway, Yuuto found the two girls, unconscious on the floor. He dragged them into his apartment, and once they came to, he offered them some beers as a means of apology, and the three were good friends ever since, though they did pay the price the day after as they went through a particularly gruelling training session with massive hangovers.

Once Zombina had calmed down a little, Yuuto continued. ''Anyway, since then, you girls have treated me like I was already one of you. What I'm trying to say is that despite the short time we've known each other, you feel like family to me, like an older sister even.''

He then noticed Zombina adjusting herself to lie down on the couch, then she rested the side of her head on his lap, with a content smile on her face.

'You comfy there?' He asked sarcastically.

She looked up at him, showing a toothy grin. ''Yeah, it's no Tio lap pillow, but it's still nice.'' She winked at him as he shook his head in defeat. ''And about what you said about me being like a sister to you, I guess I can live with that. I don't really remember anything about my life before I turned, but I guess I always wanted a little brother.'' She looked back to the TV screen which still had the game over screen from earlier. Her smile faded as she was reminded of her current state of being, it never bothered he much before, but tonight, it felt depressing to her. Yuuto seemed to pick up on this as she felt him place his hand on her arm, giving it a gentle, comforting squeeze.

'You okay there, Zee?' He asked with concern.

Zombina looked at him and smiled as she placed her own hand on his, squeezing it in return. ''Yeah, I'm good, Beesh. Thanks.''

Yuuto smiled in return. ''Good, just don't expect me to start calling you Big Sis though. Yui's already called dibs on that.''

''That's okay, wouldn't have it any other way.'' With that, she rose from his lap and stretched her arms. She reached for her controller, full of renewed determination, and selected 'Continue' on the game over menu. ''C'mon, we've got ourselves an asshole to kill, and I need my best bud for it.''

'You got it.' Yuuto reached for his own controller as they readied themselves for another hellish encounter.

As if by some miracle, they managed to defeat Uroboros without taking a single hit, which was followed by a victorious high-five from the two agents. After they got a chance to save their progress, Zombina stood up and stretched to loosen her muscles. ''I should probably head back to my apartment now, you've got a big day tomorrow.''

Yuuto stood up with a quizzical look on his face. 'Big day? What are you on about?'

'Didn't Kuroko tell you?'

As if on que, his phone went off, ringing to the tune of 'The Day' by Porno Graffitti. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, it read 'Kuroko Smith'.

'Hah, speak of the Devil.' Zombina said, sporting a toothy grin.

'And she shall appear.' Yuuto added as he answered the call. ''Hey boss, what's up?''

'Ah, Bishie-kun, just who I wanted.' She paused as Yuuto swore he could hear coffee being slurped on the other end of the phone, which was hardly surprising considering who he was speaking to. ''I forgot to mention this earlier, but the higher-ups have asked us to attend a meeting tomorrow. It's about your future with MON. It starts at 9AM, so don't be late. Good luck!'

Before he could respond, she hung up, leaving the young man confused as to what just happened.

'I guess she has now.' Zombina chimed in while he was collecting his thoughts. She decided to get his attention by poking his cheek repeatedly. 'Hey, Earth to Beesh, you okay there?'

Yuuto looked down at his phone, looking rather annoyed, then pocketed it once more. 'That woman…' He then noticed Zombina poking his cheek still. 'Oh, yeah. Big meeting tomorrow apparently. Just wished she told me sooner.'

'Whatever, you know now at least, instead of having it dropped on you tomorrow.' Zombina said as she made her way to Yuuto's front door, with him in tow. As he opened the door, she turned around and gave him a tight hug, which he returned in kind. ''Anyway, good luck tomorrow. It's going to be a big deal.''

''Thanks, I guess there's no pressure.'' Yuuto replied sarcastically.

Zombina broke off from the hug, making her way back to her apartment. As she left, she turned to her side and waved Yuuto goodbye. 'See you tomorrow, Beesh.'

'Yeah, see you later, Zee.' With that, he closed his door, and made his way to bed. ''Big deal, huh? Hope it's nothing bad.''

The next day, Yuuto found himself waiting outside the meeting room at the Interspecies Cultural Exchange headquarters, dressed in a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black suit trousers, and a black tie. He still wasn't used to wearing something so formal, but it was necessary while he wasn't training or on an operation. Next to him stood Zombina, wearing her own suit, which was made up of black trousers and a white button-up shirt like Yuuto's, with the addition of a black suit jacket, though the way she wore her shirt and jacket showed off a great deal of cleavage. Ms Smith was already in the meeting, but had asked the two of them to wait outside while they discussed other important matters concerning the Interspecies Exchange Bill. Yuuto couldn't help but fidget the whole time, he was that nervous, and it didn't fail to grab Zombina's attention. She placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned his head towards her to see a sincere smile on her face.

''Hey, Beesh. It's going to be okay, so don't sweat it.''

Yuuto felt slightly more reassured with Zombina there, but he still had worries. ''I know, but why would they call for me so soon? I mean, I did kind of overdo it with neutralizing Gaku Takahashi, but he had a hostage and- '

'Hey! Relax.' Zombina interrupted him while giving him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. ''You've got nothing to worry about. And besides, that asshole got what he deserved, and I'm proud of what you did to save that girl. If the Board's got a problem with it, then they'll have to deal with me! I won't have them dissing my- '

'Zee! To tight, to tight!'

She was interrupted by Yuuto, who seemed to be in pain. It took her a moment to realise that it was caused by her squeezing his shoulder too hard as she was ranting. With that, she removed her hand as quickly as she could and started waving her hands apologetically. 'Oh, crap! Sorry Beesh! You okay there?!'

''Yeah, I'm good. Isn't anything I'm not used to by now.'' Yuuto rubbed his shoulder, glad to be free of the intense pressure that was put on it.

Just then, the door to the meeting room opened, and Ms Smith reared her head around the corner. Yuuto and Zombina suddenly straightened themselves out at the sight of their superior.

'Am I interrupting anything?' Kuroko asked as she lowered her sunglasses and smirked at them.

''Oh, no. It's nothing.'' Yuuto replied flatly.

''Yeah, just idle talk, that's all'' Zombina responded with a toothy grin while rubbing the back of her head.

Unable to find anything to tease them about, Kuroko pushed her sunglasses back up and continued to speak. ''Okay. Anyway, the board of directors are ready for you now. Let's go.''

'Right.' He replied dejectedly, still somewhat nervous about the situation.

''Don't look so glum, Bishie-kun. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.'' Ms Smith gave him a smile before entering the meeting room.

Zombina patted him on the back for encouragement. ''Kuroko's right, you've earned what's coming.''

Yuuto looked back at her quizzically. 'Do you know what the meeting was going to be about?'

'Maybe, but telling you would ruin the surprise.' She grinned for ear to ear, winking at him.

'Might as well get it over and done with.'

With that, the two agents filed in behind Kuroko and entered the meeting room. The room itself was set up as you would imagine any meeting room, with several tables lined up end to end, with chairs lining each side, with a chair at the end normally reserved for the company director. There were several windows on the opposite side of the room from where they entered, showing a view of the Tokyo Business District. At the far end of the room, seated at the table furthest from them, was the board of directors for the Interspecies Cultural Exchange, five in total, which included the Chief Executive Mahiro Yokoyama, a stern looking man with white hair, probably in his mid-sixties.

As they entered the room, Ms Smith and the two agents lined up in front of them, with Yuuto standing between the two women. As they stood at attention, Kuroko spoke up. 'Mr Yokoyama, fellow directors. Allow me to introduce Yuuto Kazama and Captain Zombina of Monster Operations Neutralization Squad Alpha.' Yuuto and Zombina both saluted at the mentions of their names.

At that, Yokoyama spoke up. 'Ah, excellent. At ease, you two.' The agents stood at ease as per his request as he continued. ''We've heard a great deal about the two of you, Ms Smith can't help but sing your praises, especially with your most recent success at the Metropolitan Bank last week. Please continue the good work.''

At that that, both Yuuto and Zombina bowed to the Chief Executive. As the two raised their heads, Zombina added. 'Just doing our jobs, Sir.'

'Now, Kazama-san, if you would like to step forward, please.'

'Yes, Sir.' He took a step forward, now feeling the spot light focused on him.

'We are here today to discuss your place in MON, and in the Interspecies Cultural Exchange as a whole. As you are aware, you are the first human to join their ranks, and this is no small feat by any means, considering your recent success in apprehending Gaku Takahashi and saving Miss Suphira from his clutches. It is safe to say that your actions during that operation were the main cause for its resounding success. You should be proud of yourself.' At that, Yokoyama and the other directors clapped in applause in unison.

Yuuto bowed again at the praise he received. ''I appreciated the praise, but I couldn't have pulled it off without Captain Zombina and the rest of the team. I owe them a great deal.''

The applause came to a stop, as Yokoyama spoke again. 'Be that as it may, this still a great accomplishment for you. Captain, what do you have to say about your newest squad member?'

Zombina stepped forward, now level with Yuuto, and spoke up. ''Well to be honest, the girls and I were surprised at first when Ms Smith first told us that Yuuto would be joining the squad, but since then, he's been a valuable asset to us. It was actually his idea to change the code on the safe to delay the criminals, as well as shutting off the power to the building to distract them. We never could've pulled that sort of tactic off without his hacking skills, and that human scumbag might've gotten away as well if not for his intervention. He's more than proved himself in that operation alone.'' Yuuto looked to his side as she continued to speak highly of him, and because it was Zombina saying it, he couldn't help but smile.

''Thank you, Captain. Now, Ms Smith, what's your opinion of young Kazama here?''

From behind Yuuto, Kuroko took off her sunglasses, and spoke. ''Well, what can I say? Since we've hired Kazama-san, he's been a star. Not only has he shown great potential in training, he's been a major help in tracking down known liminal criminals. Outside of MON operations, he's been a big help in concerns of the Interspecies Exchange Program. Hosts and homestays alike have complemented his friendly attitude and his competence towards his work. In many respects, despite his short time with us, he's proved himself to be one of our best agents.''

Yuuto was now blushing from the constant cascade of praised he's been getting from everyone, though he was nowhere nearer to figuring out what the point of this meeting was, until the Chief Executive spoke up again. 'So, in your opinion, do you think Kazama-san would be able to handle command of his own squad in the future?'

Yuuto's eyes went wide with shock at the mention of 'Command'. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had only been with MON for a couple months, and the board of directors were already considering the possibility of giving him command his own squad. ''Surely Ms Smith wouldn't push that much responsibility on to me so soon, would she?'' He thought to himself.

'Of course!' He heard Kuroko exclaim. ''He seems to have a knack for inspiring others, and he's quite the tactician too. I think the position would be perfect for him.''

''Of course, she would. This is Ms Smith we're talking about.'' Yuuto thought as he subconsciously clenched his fists.

When Kuroko finished speaking, there were murmuring amongst the directors, before they quieted down to allow the Chief Executive to continue speaking. ''Now, for the main purpose of this meeting. Yuuto Kazama, with the increase in crimes involving both humans and liminals, it is hard for Squad Alpha alone to handle such a workload. MON needs to expand its ranks to handle this threat. What I'm saying is, we would be honoured if you would become the Captain of the new squad, Squad Bravo. Would you accept this position?''

With a deep breath and exhale, Yuuto calmed himself down and replied. 'Sure, why not.'

A/N: That's it for the 'Prologue' chapters for the story. Next time, I'll start introducing the new squad members for Yuuto's new squad. I've already got a good idea for the characters myself, but any suggestions are appreciated. As always, feel free to follow, favourite, and review if you'd like, and thank you so much for reading.