Abandoned Concepts

by Twisted Eternal Wolvetta

This is an archive for my stories which were either abandoned, cancelled or never saw the light of day. Some collabs are also to be included. Characters haven't been tagged as there's too many. Some of these stories may also be reconsidered if they receive positive feedback. You'll find more information inside. Warning: Writing quality and sanity varies (Renascence 2010 uploaded).

8. Renascence 2010 C04

Renascence 2010 | Chapter 04: Crystalline

Fortunately for the Gakuenchou the corridors of the Meister dorms were easy to memorize and navigate. The past month of constantly moving around the building had drilled it inside of her mind forever and before long she was a few feet away from Shizuru's dorm.

The door which led to Miss Maria's office was just a little further down the corridor opened, and to Natsuki's surprise Shizuru popped out. Their crimson and emerald eyes met, the Archmeister smiling, lifting a hand to wave inside the room—Miss Maria, she assumed—and then closed the door.

"Oh… What were you two talking about?" Natsuki tilted her head as she walked a bit closer, feeling the crystal in her pocket.

Maybe Shizuru might have an idea as to what its purpose was…

"Such a nosey one, the Gakuenchou." The elder was instantly rewarded with a flush, and chuckled softly. "We were forced to make an automatic system for the students. We simply can not keep up with their ranks anymore."

Oh, right… of course. Natsuki had forgotten how the students were always changing ranks these days.

"Ah, they are that closely matched, hm?" Natsuki gave a soft smile, hands crossed onto her cane. "I must say, I very much… Admire the system you have initiated in my absence."

There was something else Natsuki wanted to say, but at the moment the struggling expression on her face made Shizuru sure that it had to be important.

"If… If you wanted the position of Gakuenchou, I would say you deserved it far more than me."

"So that is what Natsuki was worried about all this time?" But surely not? The tawny brunette uncharacteristically furrowed a brow, a troubled expression flashing across her features before disintegrating. "You were worried this whole time because of that?" The Archmeister uttered, pressing a palm to the Gakuenchou's nape, just onto the collarbone.

"I… It wasn't that I was worried, because I know you wouldn't just… You deserve this position, Shizuru. A lot more than I do, especially now." Natsuki didn't flush; This wasn't a time for embarrassment or shyness, it was serious. She raised her hand to take the elder's, thumb brushing over the back with a faint sign of worry.

"At least until I'm better."

"Natsuki." For now the corridor remained empty, but the Archmeister still laid caution to the area, dutiful eyes scanning it for any presence of unwanted attention. "Do you remember that old saying about the Gakuenchou and Archmeister?"

"Old saying…? I don't think I do." Brows furrowing, she stepped closer, emerald doing a survey sweep as well before they returned to Shizuru's gaze.

"An Archmeister never leaves the side of a Gakuenchou. Whether they are enemies, neutral or lovers. Garderobe is unable to choose a new

Column

in only a matter of months, the duration being far much longer for the Archmeister and Gakuenchou respectively."

The elder paused, thinking, wetting her lips for a brief moment before capturing the younger woman's attention fully again. "Please remember Garderobe's history two decades ago. We did not have an Archmeister nor a Gakuenchou and Miss Maria solely led Garderobe. To this day we still do not have a Fourth Column."

"Ah…" Natsuki mulled over the information, nodding as her eyes drifted down the elder's front; Deep thought overtaking and overriding politeness.

Shaking her head and returning her gaze to Shizuru's. "That is true…" They were even lovers; Physical statement of that having been put on hold since her recovery started, but still… They were.

"Thank you, Shizuru."

"Now do not fret. The Gakuenchou's job is as much as the Archmeister's."

That was one way to put it at least… Natsuki blinked at the taller woman, removing her hand from the elder's to scratch at her cheek unconsciously, tearing her eyes away from her in the meantime.

"Now, now…" Shizuru took the younger woman's hand back, holding it gently. "Natsuki might hurt herself if she scratches more." Cheeky, she leaned in and brushed her lips against the slightly pink area of skin.

"O-oi."

"Now come." The Archmeister grasped her hand between both of hers, guiding her towards their shared dorm. "There is something else you are wanting to discuss?"

"Ah, yes…" Natsuki flushed, letting herself be led as she slipped her free hand into her pocket to grasp the crystal and hold it against her palm.

"I have something to show you."

The Archmeister drifted her eyes down to what Natsuki was holding with a curiosity, unlocking the door with one hand, focusing onto it for only a moment as she let it swing open leisurely.

They were soon settled into the settee, the Archmeister having opened the window to allow some air into the dorm.

"So what did you want to show me?" She asked the younger Column.

"It's this…" Taking the crystal from her pocket, Natsuki held it open in her palm, gently using the tip of a finger to trace over and touch it.

"Sarah gave me this when we were talking about… Haruka. She said the capsule had something in it, but definitely nothing to kill…"

"She also said Yohko couldn't figure it out." The Gakuenchou said quickly, the Archmeister taking it and tracing the details along the padding of her fingertips. "Something seems… fishy about it."

Shizuru rolled the odd device within her hands, the hue of the crystal-like mechanism a dark violet.

There was… something definitely eerie about this capsule. "A projectile syringe…?" She wondered, halting when she inched her nail into the side of it, a section of the device coming loose.

"What is that?" Natsuki blinked, leaning in closer to stare and try to figure it out for herself. "If it were a syringe, it was filled to the brim with something not lethal. I think I am to assume it was taken off of Haruka after the incident."

"…" The Windbloom native narrowed her eyes, sinking her back into the settee. "I do not like the feeling I am getting from this, Natsuki. Why would Yohko not know what this is? How could she have missed this?" They needed to find out what this liquid had been inside of this syringe. But Yohko? "Why did she not report this?"

Everything was far too suspicious.

"Natsuki, I do not trust Yohko with this. We must know what this held."

Shizuru didn't trust Yohko? Natsuki tilted her head, eyes darting up to the elder's as she sat up and away from the device. Yohko couldn't be trusted, was the insinuation Shizuru had given her.

"Then, we will figure it out ourselves…" She murmured, scratching her cheek again minutely before remembering and stopping.

Wait…

"My mother could help us!"

Although… wasn't she still in Aries?

"It would be difficult to find her…" Shizuru placed the device onto the coffee table in front of them, holding her hands into her lap. "Kruger Industries is in central Aries, yes?"

"It is…" "Crap". Natsuki mentally cursed, resting her elbows atop her thighs, her thumbs cupping the underside of her jaw whilst her fingers covered her lips. It wasn't like they could just waltz into the centre of their enemy's city and not expect trouble.

"It isn't like she could get out of Aries either…" Natsuki's forehead wrinkled, and Shizuru was sure the younger Otome would permanently engrave them into her smooth, pale skin. "She is the CEO and the public are obsessed with her…"

Staying quiet for a few moments, Natsuki rubbed her hands together and sighed softly. "She must be frightened over whether I'm alright or not. I miss her." She admitted softly, looking up towards Shizuru.

"Can we do anything to reach her?" The Gakuenchou twiddled her thumbs, looking a bit fearful. "Anything to reach Yukino, or Haruka? If we could just put a stop to all of this without any more violence…"

"I know, Natsuki. But I do not think it is possible to bypass it anymore." The Archmeister shot a sympathetic glance to her. Inhaling a breath Shizuru hummed. "What would you like to do about your mother? Should we discuss this with fellow Meister and Columns?"

"I… Am not sure. Perhaps not yet. I want to see her, a note or anything to make sure she knows I'm alright." Natsuki rubbed her hands together again, grasping onto her cane as she brought it over her knees to wear her fingers into the finely carved groove of the decorated and stained wood.

"...Who made this cane?"

"Mahya."

Surprise leapt up upon Natsuki's features and she fully turned to Shizuru. "Mahya did?"

"Correct."

"I would've never thought…"

She had switched the subject so she didn't have to hear Shizuru tell her that it would be impossible to contact her mother in any way. Fingers running over the cane, Natsuki stared down at it with a low hum.

"Remind me to thank Mahya…"

"Of course—but if we are unable to gain contact with her then we must discuss this with Garderobe."

Nodding, Natsuki closed her eyes and sighed. Everything seemed to be pressing harder and harder upon her, and she wasn't sure if she could muster the strength to press back; Not in this condition.

"But on a happier note…" Shizuru started, studying the Gakuenchou's stiff posture. "How about we see some footage?"

Having sifted through database after database she, Miss Maria and Yukariko had managed to find some suitable footage. It was a perfect video too, dating back to when Natsuki had barely become the Gakuenchou.

"Footage? Oh, right…" Natsuki opened her eyes, admiring the cane just once more before she looked up to Shizuru. "Ah… Who am I fighting?" She shifted a bit in her seat, looking a little eager.

"An AI of the Founder herself. The ceremony of becoming the Gakuenchou."

Every Column underwent these ceremonies, although it was only the Gakuenchou who fought the Founder herself. The other Columns would fight Garderobe's most powerful, wise and tactical Otome to have ever existed through the help of gynoids with the Otome's personality and intelligence installed into their AI. These battle gynoids also had some increasingly improving holographic technology added to them, disguising them to appear as if they were the Otome themselves.

Technically right then and there Shizuru could go and battle Hazakura Ayane, a Taiyun Otome who had been dead for almost a century.

Shizuru smiled, taking the device the Gakuenchou had brought her and handing it back. "I think Natsuki should hold onto this… I'll set up the projector so she can see."

Holding the crystal, the younger woman nodded a bit at first before pocketing it and slipping the cane to lean against the arm of the lounger. She watched the Archmeister take a slightly big device from a small storage closet, brushing it off and setting it on the table.

It seemed there was already a tape inside as Shizuru pressed a button, the wall lighting up with color and sound as she switched the lights off.

Why did she have such dated technology, Natsuki wondered? Was it a fascination? She watched the contraption silently; although she had to admit, it strangely suited the Archmeister.

"Who is that?" Natsuki peered over, interested as she saw what seemed to be a much younger version of herself coming into the screen, holding an arm up to rally the crowd.

"That's you, silly Natsuki."

"Oh…"

She was centred within the shot, the arena looking far smaller than what it really was, pillars rising and setting into place as the seating platforms stretched around the fighting area.

Her Robe was… although she had already been shown photos of it, it still looked so… not ridiculous, not in that sense, but impractical? Natsuki honestly wondered what Shizuru had done to alter the Robes, seeing as she had improved so much of the academy already.

Natsuki did take note of the Kruger insignia which had weirdly extended, the silver clipping into her hair somehow. She felt pride somehow, even with the embarrassment she also felt, knowing all too well the Archmeister would've made fun of it.

"Wait…" She frowned, her emeralds flickering over towards Shizuru before quickly setting her eyes back onto the projector. "Wouldn't going against the Founder be a death wish?"

"Normally, yes, very much so." Shizuru had settled in beside her, watching Natsuki watch herself on screen. "But here, she is not at full power. It is more of a proving rank than to really injure you, though if you were careless…" The Archmeister trailed off, and Natsuki realized why as she watched.

The Founder's giant scythe's hilt caught her in the stomach, footage of her doubling over just to roll away from the blade piercing the dirt and sand where she had been kneeling.

"Oh."

Many reckless and cocky Otome through the ages had fallen to this AI, the intelligence of the gynoids merely being improved over the decades as technology allowed it. It was to a point that one day, if in the wrong hands the dead could rise once more…

Something which should never happen.

Within a little discomfort Natsuki continued to awkwardly watch her past-self. Absently she noted her hair had been much longer… reaching midway down her back even with it tied up in this footage. She also held a stance she couldn't quite register properly; it wasn't… lacking confidence exactly… inexperience?

She seemed a bit confused… Shizuru watched Natsuki, flicking her eyes to the screen again. Oh, her favorite part was coming up…

Crimson back on the Gakuenchou, she watched with bated breath.

"Oh!" Natsuki sat up against the lounger more, watching as the version of her in the footage shouted and summoned a tripod war cannon, firing once at the Founder and disabling her.

"That was really quick…"

Wasn't that… overkill tho-

The pink-haired Founder was stunned, the hologram buzzing just a little at the impact, static forming across her artificial body before disintegrating, rising her scythe and prowling towards the newly appointed Gakuenchou.

Although it was just an AI… this copy of Himeno Fumi was still a monster.

"That is scary…" Natsuki murmured softly, leaning faintly into the elder at her side as she continued to watch. Why hadn't that cannon disabled her completely?

She watched as the footage showed her seemingly thinking the same thing before she dissipated the cannon and strode confidently to meet the Founder in the middle of the arena.

To say back then she could swap emotions so quickly just like that was… well… something at least.

There were multiple cameras around the area, from what Natsuki could make out, one camera zooming into them a little and focusing on them. The Founder was surprisingly tall… or had Natsuki simply been shorter back then?

Staring at her, the AI simply heightened her guard, placing the scythe between their bodies, the hilt angled so one of the monstrously sharp blades was pointed to her past-self's torso.

What was she about to do…? That was far too close for her liking. Natsuki winced, watching as her past-self had the cheek and gall to give a formal bow to the Founder.

"How she didn't kill me then, I do not know." Natsuki placed a hand to her cheek, actually worried for a moment before she realized that it was her, and she was in fact, still here.

The Founder's personality seemed to strike within the AI, and almost naturally the gynoid bowed back, the present day Gakuenchou's eyes flashing with surprise, her lips covered with her fingers, leaning her chin against her hand, the weight supported against the armrest.

Only for a moment did this bow last, and the past-Natsuki leapt back quickly, the Garderobe founder swinging her scythe millimetres away from her head.

"We used to watch these a lot, did you- Oh, there you are!" The camera had panned over towards a special section of the crowd, and the Gakuenchou gawked at a very young and very worried looking Shizuru.

"Look how cute you are…!"

The Archmeister may have blushed, though Natsuki would've never noticed, too entranced with what was being displayed upon the projector.

For only a moment longer did the camera pan amongst the location, a younger Miss Maria appearing, just as stoic as always, though less aged.

Natsuki blinked, her and the Founder abruptly being focused onto the screen.

They were less fighting and more as if they were sharing a dance; The Founder parading about as Natsuki backed off and only parried with what seemed to be just the barrel of her cannon, the tripod itself still implanted in the ground.

How the hell was she even pulling this off? She wondered, quickly stealing a glance towards the Archmeister, Shizuru watching contently. She frowned, guiding her eyes back to the footage, her and the Founder spinning once, and the AI taking flight.

What transpired next was rushed, the cameras having difficulty, even with their motion tracking and automated systems, the Gakuenchou firing another round of materialised bullets. The rounds surprisingly tracked the Founder's position, but the disguised gynoid was far too quick, dodging each bullet deftly to charge downwards towards the younger Natsuki.

Swiftly the woman leapt out the way, the scythe-wielding AI slicing through multiple pillars of the arena, sending sand billowing in her wake.

Rolling once the swift wind from the hits knocked her over, the younger Natsuki took her stand again and took a different stance with her cannon. She heaved it over one shoulder, taking a knee and aiming as the Founder strode calmly towards her.

She noticed a camera closeby, flush with adrenaline as she winked towards the focal lens, shooting the cannon off once more.

"Wha-" Dumbfounded Natsuki stared at the screen, dropping her arm away from her jaw, her limbs limply resting either side of her. "W-why did I do that?!

Second hand embarrassment—or was that actual embarrassment entered her stomach, and Natsuki winced, her ears pricking upon the invasion of the Archmeister chuckling. "Stop it!"

Upon the screen the Founder was hit full force by the sheer intensity of the blast, this time the hit sending her flying backwards. She skidded along the sandy floor, a wave of it following after her as her hologram deactivated, her artificial form stilling.

"I used to act like that?" Well, to be honest, she noticed herself becoming cheekier of course, but this younger version of her had definitely taken it to another level.

"Natsuki used to be much more… free-spirited." Shizuru smiled faintly, standing to switch the projector off.

"Is that a good thing?"

"It was refreshing, actually. I am very happy to see that part of her returning… One can only stand such stuffiness of a diplomat for so long… I missed Natsuki's silly side."

"S-silly… you can say that again," Natsuki mumbled, disappointment enshrouding her for a momentary pause upon the realisation there was no more footage available. Well, of course there was more, but watching more would probably just confuse her.

"We can watch more when we return from the hike, Natsuki… Though, perhaps something else… Ah, I know just the one we can watch…"

"If it is like this then…"

"Ara, whatever does Natsuki mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean!"

---

"Remember, Natsuki. You will adapt to your weight when in this stance." The Archmeister murmured, sat upon one of the three chairs in front of the Gakuenchou, Maria and Mai occupying the other two. "If you fail, simply start over."

Leaning in to not be heard by the student preparing herself on the other side of the arena, Natsuki murmured softly. "Why am I not fighting you, Shizuru, or Mai?"

"You know how good Tomoe is at fighting, Natsuki," the redhead of the group spoke, the Zipang royal sitting up against her chair properly. "You need to fight a student, most of your memories involve students when sparring, don't they?"

The Gakuenchou's emerald eyes surveyed Tomoe slowly, the younger female spinning hand wraps around her hands carefully but quickly, steel-grey eyes never drifting away from the white material.

"Yes…" She wasn't scared, was she? Shizuru, Mai even, would go easy on her. But this girl? She had no idea. "Okay… I will try." The Gakuenchou fidgeted a faint bit, dressed in a bit tighter way which consisted of purple shorts and a white tank top.

"When was the last time you fought?" The student asked. It wasn't rude, but it was straight to the point.

The teal-haired woman was dressed similarly to Natsuki, except with different colours; a red tank top and white shorts. Her feet however were utterly bare, as was Natsuki.

The student awaited her answer, Tomoe bringing a hair band from out her pocket, gathering her hair behind her to tie it back.

Natsuki was actually surprised the Amethyst could, considering how one side was so short.

"I… Do not remember." Natsuki is getting so tired of saying this… She gave a faint smile, shrugging as she too lifted her hands to tie back her now shorter locks, strands hanging loose by her cheeks either way.

"Maybe this will bring back a few memories." She added in, having risen from her seat and leaving her cane behind. She had a strong limp but soon made it faint, struggling to even do that much.

Raising her hands to assume a stance, she hoped she had at least done this part correctly.

"Marguerite." Miss Maria barked, the Windbloom native tilting her head towards the epitome in response. "No rough housing."

Tomoe nodded slowly, directing her focus upon Natsuki once more, mute and unmoving, merely sunk into her own stance at the ready.

Natsuki had no clue how to start this… Moving would mean a limp no matter how hard she tried to disguise it… Perhaps a quick strafe towards Tomoe? Then what?

Natsuki stared, unknowingly becoming more and more unnerving as moments passed. Gathering enough courage, she took short but quick steps towards the younger Meister and reached for her to attempt a grapple.

The youngest of the pair didn't move an inch and the Gakuenchou assumed this was what Miss Maria had warned the girl about. To be a living test dummy, she wondered?

At the last moment the student dodged her, tracing a few steady steps backwards but never setting to strike.

Put a bit off balance, Natsuki winced when she landed on her left leg. It was weaker than the other due to muscle atrophy and… maybe favoring. The right had been stronger out of the wheelchair, so naturally, she would have used her cane with the left to keep from falling.

Standing tall, she regarded Tomoe with a faint bit of pessimism. If this girl was not going to fight at all… How would she learn? Raising her hands again, emeralds narrowed before the elder tried a strike towards her stomach.

The fist never made it to the target, and the Gakuenchou swore under her breath, the student leaping back and strafing around the elder's side. The thought only just registered within Natsuki's mind before Tomoe clutched onto her extended forearm, hooking and then twisting it behind the Gakuenchou.

"Ah!" Natsuki cried out, the pain a bit of a shock. Now, this was a fight…

Shizuru tensed in her chair, almost rising before she caught Miss Maria's eyes, and Mai's hand at her shoulder. Natsuki could do this.

Kneeling on her bad leg, the Gakuenchou winced but focused and sobered her expression to a stoic and stony glare down towards the mat. She knew how to get out of this…

In a quick move, she slid and extended her leg in between Tomoe's, roughly pushing herself up and slamming her shoulder into the younger woman's stomach, flipping her over her head as she stood. Immediately, she backed off and nursed her arm, a little surprised.

The impact of the fall had winded the student a little, meanwhile, Tomoe blinking before quickly scrambling to her feet, forcefully controlling her breathing to a bearable amount. She lifted her fists, her thumbs never hooking to rest against her fingers else at risk of breakages.

Tomoe honestly couldn't believe her luck. The higher ranking Amethysts and Diamonds were definitely a challenge, but a Meister? And the Gakuenchou of all people? She didn't care much for winning at the moment, but she desperately wanted to try and gather as much experience from this for her own advantage.

Shizuru watched, crimson eyes turning bright with an admiration for the younger Meister. Natsuki remembered the move… She was recovering. Letting go of a breath she had been holding, she serenely smiled with pride.

Natsuki appraised Tomoe with another gaze, swallowing as she tried not to focus on the more distracting qualities of the younger woman. She was pretty in a few ways, yes, but this was not the time nor the person these enlightenments should be about.

Setting her feet, the elder struck again, this time looking to hook an arm around Tomoe's leg.

Although she had the feeling Tomoe wouldn't fall for it, especially not such an… ungraceful method?

Just when the Meister thought she was going to get the student, the teal-haired woman dodged her, toppling the Gakuenchou with a well placed foot to the side. The Otome yelped, collapsing onto her side, just to have the Windbloom native shove her onto her front, annoyingly jamming her knee into her back, twisting her arm back around her.

That was a pathetic try. Natsuki sighed, wincing in discomfort and a twinge of pain at her back. "Be careful of my head…" She murmured softly, trying to twist her way out.

Tomoe's brows furrowed; She had been told that by the other three Meister watching, and now the Gakuenchou. Was whatever wound she had sustained not healed yet?

She couldn't see anything of significance at least and so she brushed it aside but still continued to be mindful of it, pressing more of her weight down onto the Gakuenchou's back.

"Are you going to get me off or just stay there all night?" She snipped.

Natsuki froze, mind running over the words of the younger woman. What…? Shaking that out of her head, she realized the true meaning and grumbled. "I'm trying." She huffed out softly, easing onto her knees with no trouble. Wrenching out of the hold, she swung Tomoe down underneath her and pinned with an armbar at her collarbone.

Naturally Tomoe thought about the attack which she had used against Nina but decided against it, seeing as something was up with the Gakuenchou's head. She struggled for another few moments, weighing her options quickly as the elder woman pressed further down onto her clavicle.

There was an opening to jump through however, so Tomoe took it instantly, partially rolling with the Gakuenchou who for a brief moment skimmed confusion across her features. The Windbloom native then forced her whole weight into rolling the other way round, flipping them and shoving the assaulting arm away from herself, pinning it onto the floor.

The other arm was already thrust against her throat, the Gakuenchou attempting to heave her weight from off of her larger form.

Tomoe was by the elder's side but swung a leg over the taller female, her free hand instead looping around the Gakuenchou's neck, but with not enough pressure for it to become a chokehold.

The wind being knocked out of her, Natsuki's head bumped into the mat a bit harshly and stars erupted into her vision almost immediately. It wasn't Tomoe's fault, the hand at her throat not bothering her as much as the sudden stabbing pain in her head.

Unmoving for a few moments, Natsuki's stillness alerted Shizuru who stood. Hearing the heels upon the ground, the Gakuenchou lightly tapped the mat with her palm; Emerald eyes dazed as she stared up towards the lights filtering her vision.

Tomoe promptly detached her hand away from the Gakuenchou's throat and removed herself entirely from the older woman, catching the Archmeister's gaze for a brief moment as she stood, the tawny brunette placing herself where Tomoe had just been those few seconds before.

"...Ugh." Natsuki finally sucked in a breath and huffed it out, raising her hands to cup at her temples in an attempt to soothe the sudden soreness. "Shizuru?"

"Your head, is it alright?" Shizuru asked her, kneeling down beside her.

Tomoe stood there awkwardly and peered over to Miss Maria and Mai, unsure with what to do.

"I think so… Rough landing." Natsuki murmured out, trying to keep still until the pain or the stars subsided. The pain dulled and ebbed away, but a faint headache remained. Slowly, she reached a hand for Shizuru to help her to sit up.

"Marguerite, you can return back to your training. I will return shortly." Miss Maria called towards the Amethyst, the student bowing her head in response to leave shortly after. "Gakuenchou, Archmeister." The epitome changed her target to the two women down on the floor, cupping her hands and pausing, waiting for the student to shut the door after her and walk down the corridor.

"There is something concerning Marguerite I would like to discuss later on."

"Um… Okay." Natsuki looked up to her, grasping Shizuru's hand as she slowly sat up. "Oh, my brow feels like it's going to explode." She murmured, rubbing the tip of her thumb back and forth over the area.

"Natsuki's brow will not explode. If it does, I will glue her back together."

"...Thank you, Shizuru."

The thought of it was both morbid and funny to her.

"Anyway, why is Mai here?" Natsuki looked over towards the Zipang Meister who was still perched in her chair, the vermilion-redhead cocking a brow and tilting her head.

"I swear I am here for a reason," the Otome laughed, seemingly reading her mind. "I am a combat tutor and all." The Meister waved her off.

"Ah, right… I thought you might be here just to make sure I wouldn't be hurt." Natsuki murmured, rubbing her temples a bit more. The seam at her skull ached, but she was sure it would go away soon.

"Shizuru, can you help me up?" She murmured out, reaching for the elder with both arms outstretched.

"Just like a bab-"

"-Shizuru!"

The Archmeister chuckled at being cut off, linking their hands together and hoisting the younger Otome up to her feet. She continued to hold onto the Gakuenchou's hands just in case the shorter woman would faint.

A little light-headed, Natsuki wasn't about to faint but held tightly to Shizuru's hands so she wouldn't let go. "That was... an experience." She murmured, hearing the elder chuckle.

"Natsuki remembered a lot of her training… It was very impressive to watch."

"Up until the point I was incapacitated…"

"But you still did well," Shizuru uttered, "Natsuki must be more confident in herself."

After all, Natsuki hadn't fought for over a year and couldn't remember many events towards it. So to instinctively react to this situation had been an incredible feat to say the least. "You did well for the first time in over a year, Natsuki."

"...I guess I did." Natsuki smiled faintly, feeling at least a bit better over the incident. "...Could I have my cane back now, please?" She flushed, hating to have to admit to a dependability on the wooden structure.

"Of course, I am sure you are tired after that ordeal. Would you like to go back to the dorm?" Shizuru asked her, retrieving the cane and passing it to the Gakuenchou, sliding it into her hand whilst her own stayed upon it.

"Since when did you two get so close that Natsuki doesn't explode anymore?" Mai piped up, amusement reigning within her tone as she studied the two, lifting herself from the chair. "Shizuru, are you sure you got the right Natsuki and not one from another dimension?"

Natsuki flushed, laying her free hand over the elder's atop her cane. "Changes in personality can commence upon head injuries… Maybe mine has been. Not that I… very much remember." The Gakuenchou sighed, leaning into Shizuru subconsciously.

"It wouldn't be very useful to ask what you've forgotten if you can't remember much, huh?" Mai asked, wincing before she recovered. "I'm just glad you remembered me."

"We've known each other well before I became the Gakuenchou… everything after that is either cloudy or I just can't remember." Natsuki stated, "Um… Shizuru, can we go back to the dorm now?"

Mai snorted and began her walk out of the room. "Enjoy."

Natsuki flushed again, reaching the hand over Shizuru's up to the back of her head again. "Mmph… I want to lie down." She murmured, looking up to the elder.

Alone, she took a cursory glance to make sure before leaning up to kiss the Archmeister's cheek. "Thank you."

---

24th March, Garderobe Academy.

The bleeping of her alarm clock pierced into her ears painfully, and she groped around for the blasted mechanism, putting an end to it as her palm hit the switch atop it.

Rolling over on her side of the bed, Natsuki groaned, shoving her head back into the pillow with disdain.

Whether or not she didn't care if it was the Amethyst and Diamond Hike… she just wanted to sleep!

"Natsuki needs to wake up…" A tired voice yawned, but the woman it belonged to was no longer in bed with her. She had learned that to effectively get the younger female up for the day, she had to escape the mattress lest she be clung to and coaxed into another plea for five more minutes.

"Mmph." Natsuki's reply came swift and articulate, the Gakuenchou briefly lifting her head. "It's too early, Shizuru…"

Stealing a glance at the clock through the eyelashes of her eye which wasn't covered, Natsuki cast it over towards Shizuru. "4:30am is early!"

"Why yes, it is."

The Gakuenchou gradually pulled herself up anyway, deranged hair flattened awkwardly to one side, groggy eyes blinking before scanning the Archmeister over again, "This prep thing doesn't start until 12. Why do we have to get up so early?!" She lamented, circling the heel of her palm against her temple roughly.

She felt like a zombie.

"For Natsuki's exercises." Shizuru bit back a yawn, and the younger woman groaned again, flopping her face down into her pillow.

"Can't they be skipped…? Or wait until later? I'm still so tired…"

"No." "Shizuru!"

This woman was the devil.

Shoving the blankets off of herself, she swung her legs over the side of the mattress, giving the older woman a deadpan expression, "You happy now?"

"Once Natsuki stands."

Rubbing at her eyes, the younger Column gave another slow and exasperated huff before she looked about the floor and nightstand. "Where is my cane…?

"Natsuki should be careful," Shizuru murmured, handing the cane over softly. "She has a long day ahead of her."

Now… to change.

---

Situated on the edge of the forest much alike when they were first waiting for the Gakuenchou to make her appearance, the Amethysts and Diamonds were hanging amongst one another.

"I wonder which teams we'll be in…" Erstin mumbled, a feeling of unease and nerves circling around within her stomach. She wasn't excited for this in the least and the idea of going up against older and more experienced students honestly terrified her.

There were a lot of them as well… There were fifty-one of them. She was virtually going up against half of the whole academy. And seeing as they were the guinea pigs… there was no telling what was going to happen.

Could they die?

"Assuming we need balanced teams then it depends." Chie spoke out, located beside the short blonde, her chocolate-brown eyes surveying the An Nam student. After a moment she smiled, clasping her hand to the student's shoulder. "Don't worry, your team will look after you and I am sure once you get into it you'll participate."

Erstin smiled at the older student, feeling a bit better about the situation now. "Thank you, Chie… I hope I'm on your team…" Erstin trailed off, other girls quieting as the Archmeister approached; No doubt to announce their teams.

"Girls, come up and pick a piece of paper. They will have the names of your leader, who you will line up with." The Archmeister signalled towards a lone box which Sarah carried, placing it atop a fold-able table beside them. The spiky blonde woman was silent, halting beside the box opposite Shizuru.

The Aries Column held a downcast expression, simply absorbing the information which Shizuru spoke of, the other Columns making their way towards them also, Natsuki via Shizuru's side and Mahya by Sarah's.

"As you know there are four factions which shall go head-to-head led by myself, Meister Sarah, Meister Mahya and the Gakuenchou."

Natsuki smiled at the girls, hoping none would be disappointed to earn herself a leader...

"First, the top three students… In order of rank." Shizuru gained a faint smirk, as the rankings had switched all week and Nina was now NO.1.

Nina stood still until a prod was given to arm, and she strode forward to take a strip from the box after rummaging. Producing it, she read it aloud for them all. "The Archmeister."

"NO.2."

Unlike the younger student, Tomoe manoeuvred forward instantly, slipping her hand into the box and picking a random strip of paper from it. "...The Gakuenchou."

Natsuki perked up, smiling down at the teal-haired student. Soon, her team as well as the others were fleshed out, and the Gakuenchou gripped her cane a bit tightly as she filed down for the girls in her charge.

"My, quite the diverse teams here…" Shizuru commented, eyeing Natsuki's selection with only a faint smirk on her face.

"Oi. Tactics all around might be good, but you're all defence with no offensive." The Gakuenchou threw a cocky grin to her, leaning forward into her cane. "I have tactics and an offensive!"

"Such manners lay forgotten." The tawny Meister brushed her fingers to her lips, her eyebrows rising softly, studying the younger woman contently. "Everyone." She called to the four selected factions. "We as your leaders shall guide you, however it is not our place to baby you."

Mahya faintly snickered, studying her team. She had a good feeling about this…

"We split up into four directions… I think the Kruger Clan will head North." Natsuki cheekily grinned to Shizuru, the Archmeister and the two others staring at her.

"...What did you name your teams?"

"...Mauryan Rose," Mahya snorted, snickering at Natsuki's disgruntled expression. She took a peek at the students which were in the Gakuenchou's team, a wobbling smile transforming into a fully fledged smirk.

They looked so flabbergasted…!

"Oi, oi! Sarah, what did you name yours?!" The Column prodded at the still silent Sarah.

"Administar Lily."

Seriously…? The Gakuenchou's expression fell, and she peered over to the Archmeister, unimpressed.

"Plumerias."

"You guys are so boring!"

Shizuru covered her mouth in a stifled fit of laughter, waving her hand against her cheeks to cool herself off.

"...I'm keeping the name." Natsuki pouted, crossing her left arm across her chest with a huff. "Come, Kruger Clan!"

Chie cocked a brow, a little amused herself as she followed slowly behind the cane-wielding elder.

Within every faction except Mahya''s there were twelve students each. Seeing as Yumemiya Arika had entered in her Coral year later before the rest it had unbalanced the year, causing a slight updraft for the hike and other important events.

For Natsuki's group the students who she could remember were Chie Hallard, Shiho Huit and Tomoe Marguerite. It was true that her team was… something at least, but they had a strong offensive with a decent amount of defence on their side, so surely…?

"We will need to be careful." Natsuki spoke, starting up a hill. "We need the high ground for sure. Now, Tomoe, I know that any scrap between you and Nina might be very volatile, but I don't think it would be best for you to face her if our teams were to scrap."

Chie watched the elder, hoping the hill wasn't too much for her. "I'll take the pipsqueak." She spoke, smirking more.

Simply following the Gakuenchou, the teal-haired student said nothing, glancing from out of the corner of her eye. She, Chie and Shiho were in front of the group of nine other students. Although Tomoe had honestly never had much care for them, they were just… there to take up space.

Her eyebrow twitched, drifting her steel-grey eyes over towards Shiho, an irritating creak illuminating from the Florentine, the older woman lazily spinning her cursed device—whatever that was anyway.

"Now then, once we find a high enough ground, I believe we should set up our base thick in the trees." The elder paused, lifting her cane to point at a thicket a mile up the hill. "There."

Lowly whistling, the pepper-haired student looked back to the others, making a gesture to have their water canteens ready. Natsuki's pack was carried on the elder's free shoulder, a belt wrapped around her waist for it to stay in place.

They had a long trek ahead of them, so for their sake they would need the canteens at their disposal at all times.

"Now that I think about it, we're the only team with a senior and their junior; that being I and Tomoe." Chie mused.

"Then we'll have an advantage in that…" Natsuki softly muttered, rubbing the shoulder of the arm that her cane was held in. Since she had to switch sides, she had forgotten how much pain was associated with breaking it in…

"Are you alright?" Chie asked, cocking a brow as she watched the elder.

"Fine, fine…" Natsuki brushed any concern off, though smiled back towards the younger woman. "Thank you, though."

For the most part during the journey it had been uneventual. With no materialization options the Gakuenchou pondered how the tactics would be used versus the combat. Although from what she had seen so far, Garderobe students had significantly become much more powerful, cunning and terrifying.

Again Natsuki caught herself wondering just what she would've been like if this system had been used during her time.

No doubt a much more formidable foe… But, she was definitely much different from before her coma… So she was told.

"Almost there, girls." Natsuki called softly over her shoulder, pausing herself as she heard a few of the girls sigh with relief. Easing her canteen from the belt at her waist, Natsuki took a long swig of the now lukewarm water. "We'll make camp, defenses, and then start."

Would… Shiho be useful with defence? She was puzzled, taking a quick glance towards the pigtailed girl. She had heard the rumours, after all…and seeing how the student held the device which was responsible for the rumours spreading like wildfire, Natsuki suspected they were correct to a certain degree.

Whether it confirmed the Florentine's odd behaviour was another matter entirely however.

When they came across the forested area for their base, Natsuki gently unclipped her bag to toss to the ground. "Alright girls, take to the shade to cool down. Drink your water, rest, get your energy back. I'll scout from the hill…"

Dragging herself up the hill, Natsuki found that this location would definitely bring them an advantage to any attacks. It was dimly lit and mostly shadowed by the thick canopy of the forest and the trees supplied plenty of hiding spots. It was the perfect location for conducting an ambush.

If they could get this place properly defended then they could recreate a little fortress.

Reaching the opening of the trees, Natsuki peered down the steep hill, the slope going at least a dozen yards. In the distance she could make out the outline of the mountains which surrounded Garderobe, the highly congested valley populated with a huge forest.

"This is a nice view." Natsuki murmured softly to herself, sure to keep her cane off the edge of any rocks or soil that might give way. She retreated from the cliff, though tossed a look over her shoulder.

"Ah, girls, we should set up a perimeter lock with our traps!"

"We already have a trap," Tomoe snickered over towards Shiho silently, the older girl having selected her own tree which was absent from other students, the spiral-haired Florentine amusing herself with her voodoo device.

Anyone who fell onto Shiho's hit list was in for chaos and fortunately no one in their team was angrily scribbled onto it.

"Oh." Natsuki looked up to Shiho, a little perturbed. That girl was a wicked one…

Maybe she just needed a bit of positive attention.

"That's a good idea, Shiho. Taking a tree and staking your claim." She called over, smiling up to her.

The student blinked, tearing her gaze away from the maki-maki and up to the Gakuenchou. She gave Natsuki an odd expression, the information digesting away inside of her brain. "It is just a tree…" She muttered under her breath, unheard by the others.

Either way however, Shiho stood, venturing closer towards the other students.

"Let's see…" Natsuki staked the ground with her cane again, taking a moment to close her eyes and focus on listening. There was a bit of wind, that could be a problem if they were to be tracked by smell. Leaves rustled by nature and not the human design, so for the moment, they were safe.

Chie watched her, a bit intrigued by this process. "I think we are lucky to be on the Gakuenchou's team. Even injured like this, she's twice as much as the others."

"P-please don't flatter me." Natsuki huffed.

She might be good, but so were the others and she was pretty sure Mahya was a master in tracking.

"I think I know why the Archmeister loves teasing her so much," the boyish Aries native breathed into the teal-haired Amethyst's ear, leaning just a little towards Tomoe, her hands never moving from her sides, chocolate-brown eyes swapping between students and the eldest of the team.

"Get out of my ear, Chie… It's too hot for that."

"So in the winter, then?"

Flushing, Tomoe rolled her eyes. "Not even in your dreams… Hopefully." She huffed softly in the same fashion their leader had, taking another swig from her canteen.

"Let's set up the tent, girls." Natsuki spoke again, waving a few from the middle of their forest clearing, nudging her pack into the center.

Each group had a large standard tent to share between. This meant that within each team everyone had to help with the carrying of their precious shelter, the materials significantly weighing them down.

It would be a relief to have everything set up.

"Gakuenchou," Chie uttered, receiving the emerald-eyed woman's attention, the other students getting to work around them. "Will we be frequently moving or staying here?"

"I think we should keep moving. Preferably in the middle of the night. Of course, we do need to sleep, so maybe… dusk." Natsuki hummed softly, turning back towards their tent.

"You are a bit on the slow side, Gakuenchou." Another student spoke, coloring when a glare was whipped her way. "I-I only meant that… we might need to wake earlier to get where we need to go."

She shook her head, "O-oi! Besides, what are you doing?" She gestured to the student's dallying in throwing things from her bag into a little pile on the ground. "I'll worry about myself."

The unknown girl blushed heavily, quickening up on helping with the other students, hurrying over to them.

"Better." Natsuki whispered softly to herself, tugging at her earlobe a bit as she tried to think of her next move.

Chie snickered, nudging Tomoe a bit as she stood to start to help. "I think it gives character."

"The cane…?" The Windbloom student found it a little off-putting. She didn't even know why. "You sure like weird stuff."

"Everybody knows they need a little bit of weirdness in their lives, dear Tomoe." The Aries Diamond leaned in, her grin widening further.

"Stop it," Tomoe muttered, shoving the elder back with a hand to the mouth, heading towards where the others were amassed for building up the area.

"You are no fun!"

"Make sure the stakes are grounded completely, and stable." Natsuki called out, grasping a steel hammer for herself and nailing one in herself. The tent was large enough for them all, but it would make it very easy to notice…

"Girls, how can we camouflage this tent?" The Gakuenchou asked, feeling the stability of the stake she had nailed in.

"We're in a forest." The spiral girl was behind her some way, the Florentine snorting under her breath at the Gakuenchou. "Branches and leaves are everywhere—hey!" Shiho grabbed hold of the attention of three Amethysts. "Go and get us branches and leaves!"

"But we-"

"Get off your asses and do it!"

Natsuki opened her mouth at the display of command, the trio of students rushing off into the forest and collecting materials. She closed her mouth after a moment of gawking, frowning over to Shiho.

"They did it, right?" The Florentine looked at her, rolling her eyes.

"They did." Natsuki eyed the younger girl, rubbing her jaw. "Can you manipulate the covering so that it doesn't appear to just be a mass of leaves to others? Maybe so that it looks to be just a normal clearing, like how we found it?"

Blinking at the suggestion, the Diamond turned to it, the students around them looking over towards her wearily.

"What?" She grumbled at them.

Trailing around the rectangular tent, Shiho prodded at it, her posture leaning towards it with a hand clasped to her hip in thought. "Pfft, so easy."

"I can make it invisible, but light will give it away."

"Very true… Do what you can, I'll handle the light." Natsuki looked up towards the opening in the trees between branches and the leaves. Crystals formed up there could deflect and reflect light to other areas without the clearing or the tent being hit.

"I can do it." She murmured softly, nibbling a bit at her lower lip. She had been granted and earned back her powers for the hike, just to a lower extent.

By forming small crystals with her powers, she would be able to keep the light away from the manipulated tent. So…

Stretching her arms out and planting her palms to the bark of the tree, she examined the branches and leaves up ahead inside the canopy.

She hadn't done anything like this for years, she suspected. But she had done it a couple of times during her time just before being appointed the Gakuenchou, having been given the Ice Silver Crystal some time before.

Closing her eyes she focused upon the faintly buzzing interference of the GEM, the nanomachines working away from it and into her bloodstream. It was a slow process, as it naturally would be after not using her powers for so long.

Her hands felt colder as time rode by, and she opened her eyes, the trunk of the tree greeting her, gleaming streaks of icy veins slowly working up the tree.

"Yes…" Natsuki grinned widely to herself, the veins of ice hiding in the shadows of the lines of bark of the tree, climbing and spanning themselves along the canopy of its leaves and branches. Once this tree was finished, she slowly withdrew her hands and let the ice melt from her fingertips.

Flicking the water droplets from her hand, she stood in the shade from the crystal-veined tree, proud of her work. Now, the others...

The work hadn't gone unnoticed, the students of the team gawking between the Gakuenchou and the tree, unsure at which key feature they should be concentrating on.

Natsuki had known the method had brought attention, but like she had a choice in the matter. She felt the staring burn into her back and she glanced over her shoulder at them. "Chill."

Chie snorted, armful of leave and a smirk upon her face. "I definitely think your personality has changed… But it might be for the better."

Natsuki cocked a brow, though inwardly smiled as she moved onto the other tree. This time, the ice formed along her hands before she even touched the rough bark, and once she made contact, the veins formed and molded to her command faster than the first.

"I bet I could use this against people."

It'd be great to freeze someone's ankle or foot to the floor just before they got close to her! She might have weak nanomachines for the time being, but if she knew how to use them properly then she was just as potential as a Meister.

Eventually coating all of the surrounding trees, Natsuki stood back by the tent and examined their location. The crystals which had inched their way into the branches of the trees were almost undetectable but halted the light in its tracks, the opening of the forest holding no illumination of gleaming rays whatsoever.

The students were also making a collection of branches and leaves by the tent now, attaching them onto the tent whilst Shiho continued prowling around the structure, prodding and studying it.

She was proud of what she'd done, and stood tall as she surveyed her group. She was sure Shizuru would be surprised, and definitely proud of her as well. She couldn't wait until this was over to tell her…

"All light reflected. Now we'll have even more shade." Natsuki spoke again as she approached Shiho, observing the younger girl.

With the tent completely covered by the branches and leaves, Shiho shooed the students away from the shelter, bringing the voodoo device into both hands. "Keep out the way or you'll be invisible—for life."

Well, she didn't know about life, but whatever, it was fun to see their reactions.

Whirling the maki-maki around, the Florentine snickered.

"What a creep," Tomoe muttered, waiting for the process to finish by the boyish Diamond and the Gakuenchou, leaning against one leg before swapping her weight around.

"Maki-maki go round, maki-maki, maki-maki, red spirals, green spirals!"

"Is she always like this…?" The Gakuenchou arched a brow at the girl who was now sitting cross-legged before the tent.

"Orange spirals! Maki-maki goes round!"

"Yes." Chie bluntly spoke, an amused look on her face. "She usually does this alone." She shrugged, watching the odd-haired girl.

"Her unique powers are very useful… I'm surprised she hasn't been trying to contend for the number one ranking… Must be her apathy towards statistics." Natsuki commented softly, rubbing her jaw.

"Shiho likes to mess with people, not defeat them," Chie chuckled, crossing her arms.

"Maki-maki spiral! Kuuuarghhh!"

The screeching and cackling of the Diamond echoed throughout the forest, scaring crows and other birds from out of the canopy.

Natsuki wouldn't have been surprised if other teams had heard it...

It took a few moments, but the tent slowly began to fade seemingly out of existence, the branches and leaves becoming completely transparent until nothing was even visible.

If not for that loud outburst, Shiho would be scoring much higher than the other girls. Still, she was high above the rest. "Into the tent, girls." Natsuki chuckled, taking the flap and holding it up.

"In case anyone comes calling."

"Mm, good idea." Chie gave the voodoo girl a bit of a look, bowing into the tent and sitting against one of the walls.

It was already cramped enough as it was with all of them inside, Shiho entering the tent lastly and sealing the exit, shoving herself down between Tomoe and another student.

"Watch it," the teal-haired Windbloom hissed.

"Whatever, Marguerite, you'll live."

"Don't fight, girls… And keep quiet." Natsuki spoke, sitting in the middle of the tent as she listened. Eyes closing, she paid great attention to nature outside of their enclosure.

"There's nothing here." A muffled voice spoke, and she smirked, holding a finger to her lips for the other girls.

Nao glared around the area, standing at the entrance of the clearing. "Swore I heard that damn maki-maki girl…"

"I think it was further uphill…" An uneasy voice sounded—Erstin? "I don't like it here, something feels off."

"You scared the ghosts'll get you? Awhooo…!"

"Stop it, Nao!"

"It does feel weird here, though…" Nao admitted softly, taking another look around. "Come on… Let's get back to Mahya." The redhead glared around, quickly taking the blonde away from the clearing.

"Perfect…" Natsuki breathed softly, peeking from the flap of the tent.

The two students were long gone, having never even registered what was right in front of them.

But for how quickly they had got here… just how close was Mahya? This worried Natsuki a little, granting a frown to mar her features lightly. After a pause of thought and one last quick survey of their location, Natsuki brought herself back inside and closed the exit back up, turning her attention back to the cramped students.

"It is no time for personal space."

"We may need to stay inside for a bit longer. Try to keep quiet and focus on the nature around you." Natsuki added, gesturing to her canteen as she took a sip.

"Stay hydrated, but don't drink too much." She gained amusement, chuckling softly.

Deciding against speaking her warning of the aftermath of doing so, she fell silent, her only source of hearing sparking from the birds, breeze and breathing of students.

After a while it began to get boring with nothing of interest heard, and the Gakuenchou absently wondered if anyone knew where they were.

A student squirmed a bit, accidentally bumping Shiho. "Sorry." They whispered, the Gakuenchou snapping their gaze to them. "Shh… Listen."

She heard footsteps, and unless she was mistaken, Mahya's voice.

"Now why do you think this section of the forest is haunted?" Came the Meister's seemingly bored voice, Nao being heard scoffing.

"I didn't. Erstin did." The redhead adamantly spoke, crossing her arms. "Something just isn't right here…"

"Scary, scary."

But there was a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach… Mahya narrowed her eyes, darting her gaze between the trees which surrounded them. There were birds out so there wasn't something environmentally dangerous going off…

"We'll set up further up out of the forest," Mahya spoke after a while of the suspicious surveying, pointing over towards the trees which led to an opening.

"Maybe it's cursed." Nao grumbled softly to herself as she followed, looking around still. She did not like it here…

Lifting a hand, Natsuki chuckled softly when they bypassed them and were soon out of earshot. "Good job, Shiho… Excellent work."

"I only do the best—but on another note how are we sleeping?" Shiho shot a strange look to the rest of the students.

Spending a week in cramped conditions was going to be… less than amusing for her.

"Half will be sleeping, half will be scouting." Natsuki answered, gently peeling the flap and stepping out. Now then…

"Shiho, Tomoe, and Chie… Come with me. We'll see about striking first."

"Against thirteen-fourteen people?" Chie arched her brow, "I don't know, Gakuenchou." She followed after the older woman anyhow, the teal-haired student following silently with a Shiho on their tail. "We might be good but against that many?"

"Not exactly striking first… We'll just see where they are setting up camp. Maybe mess with them a little." Natsuki leaned into her cane. "Not after Mahya, though…"

"Then who?" Tomoe huffed, crossing her arms. At least it wasn't hot in the shade…

"Zhang." The Gakuenchou grinned widely. "Let's make the haunted forest real! Well, at least for her that is."

Definitely a change, Chie realised… but she liked it.

"Shiho, what else can you maki-maki?" Natsuki leaned down for her, very interested.

"...Trees, clothes," Shiho counted them off from her fingers. "Noise, small animals… water…"

With the word of water spoken, this caught Natsuki's interest. "Water?" She echoed, the curly Florentine nodding. "How can you manipulate it, exactly?"

"Hm… whirlpools, maelstroms, tidal waves, twisters…" The voodoo addict snickered. "If they are by water I could flood them out."

"Well… Let's not flood them out. But… A whirlpool is a good idea. We could scare them…" Natsuki stroked her chin again, chuckling darkly.

"Wait, you can make tidal waves?" She cocked a brow to Shiho, receiving a solemn nod in return. "Hm…" This girl was dangerous… She liked that.

Shiho couldn't believe what she was hearing. It had been the first time she had been positively looked upon for her abilities, and by the Gakuenchou of all people. This Gakuenchou was so different compared to what she had been before getting brained by the Brigadier General. In fact Shiho thought the elder was pretty… cool.

"A twister would be better for scaring them. Strong enough to pull at trees and their tent but not enough to do too much damage."

"I like the way you think, Shiho… Let's start the hunt." Natsuki smirked, following silently the trail of which they had left.

Shiho cocked her brows up, looking back to Tomoe as she started to follow their leader. Perhaps team 'Kruger Clan' had a shot after all.

The small group of four stalked after the larger abundance of women who manoeuvred throughout the forest. Never getting too close nor too far; falling under detection right now would be their end.

"Behind the trees." Natsuki warned, picking her cane up when the group they were stalking stopped. They had a faint hill to their advantage, and a running stream right by it.

Perfect…

"Please don't give our position away," she whispered over to the Florentine, Shiho huffing in return.

"I told you so, no ghosts, no scaries." They could hear the Altai from some way from their current location behind the trees, the redhead teasing the An Nam blonde.

"You sensed it as much as me."

"Of course not."

Erstin huffed, turning towards Nao to argue before her brows furrowed. "I feel it again…"

"H-huh?" The redhead eyed her up, looking behind her. Nothing… "You're just paranoid, Ho." She snickered to herself, looking at the water.

"Go," Natsuki breathed to the Florentine, lifting a hand up to indicate to the other woman.

Shiho didn't need telling twice, mutely mouthing the words which she had chanted—or near on screeched earlier—a tremor lurking in the stream beside the blonde and redhead, which neither had yet spotted.

"Then how come you're pale, huh?" Erstin jabbed.

"Says the one who's on the verge of wetting herself!" Nao cackled, their full attention on each other at this point.

"I am not going to wet myself!" Erstin flushed, crossing her arms as she bickered back.

Smirking as she peeked round the tree to see, the Gakuenchou had a sinister thought enter her mind. It wouldn't exactly be anyone's fault if a girl or two drowned, now would it?

No, that wouldn't be good. Shaking her head to rid those thoughts, Natsuki furrowed her brows tight and hummed softly. That was…. not something to be good even thinking about. Maybe she should talk to Shizuru later tonight…

But first… "Do it!"

It was amusing to watch the student, Shiho spinning the maki-maki, sitting in front of the tree and staring directly at the bark. Behind the arguing teens the ripples of the stream twisted and flowed.

The water was a jumbled mess for a moment or two until it became sharp, soundlessly lifting from the surface and into the air.

The lime-eyed Altain was the first to see it, forcing her eyes from Erstin to stare at the source of energy.

"Hey! Are you even listening?!"

Wordlessly, Nao reached out and slowly spun the blonde to face the twister.

"..." The two girls stared at it before letting out a piercing scream. "Mahya?!"

Snickering more as she watched the reaction, Natsuki grinned broadly. "Perfect…"

"What is it?!" The Column rushed over and then abruptly halted in her tracks, catching sight of the twister.

"Stand back."

"No crap." Tomoe snickered from behind the trees which they still hid behind, slapping a hand to her mouth to muffle the laughter as the redhead toppled over the blonde.

Snickering softly, Natsuki nodded to Shiho. "Keep it up…" She encouraged, baring herself from behind the tree and smirking down to them.

"What's wrong, Mahya? Afraid of a little… water?" The Gakuenchou taunted as she walked along the hill's peak. Boot getting shoved over a root, she stumbled and tripped, losing her cane in the process.

"Oh no…" Chie sighed, covering her face as she watched the elder roll, taking out that redhead in the process and splashing near the twister.

"Eh?" Stretching behind the tree to see what happened, Shiho's eyes widened, slamming the voodoo device to a halt and killing off the twister instantly. "What the hell is she doing?!" She yapped over to Chie and Tomoe angrily.

Meanwhile down the hill, Nao was knocked out cold, Erstin unsure whether she should be helping the Altain or the Gakuenchou who was splashing around in the water chaotically.

Surfacing, Natsuki yelped a little, the water cold and still churning a little. "H-help!" She called out, a wave hitting her in the face. "I hurt my leg!"

The blonde stared down at her, looking towards her leader. "What… What do we do?"

"Rescue—and then capture." The Mauryan smiled over to the An Nam native, jumping into the stream and over to the deeper. "Come now Natsuki, it is barely 4ft at least."

Up the hill and in the forest, Shiho still couldn't believe her eyes, the Aries tomboy covering her eyes and groaning.

"This is our leader, our Gakuenchou."

"We just can't… stay here," Tomoe watched the somewhat pathetic and laughable situation their leader was undergoing, the fellow Column dragging her out of the water and into the centre of the camp.

"And go where? Get captured?" Chie accused.

"Of course not," the Amethyst of the three wafted a hand, "We need to retreat, we can't do this alone."

"You're right… We need to retreat, regroup and ambush… Tomorrow, we can attack. It's getting too dark now." Chie murmured, watching Natsuki scramble about.

"I am aware of how deep the water is- Blech!" She spit some out when it got in her mouth, looking like a crazed cat.

"Maybe you are not aware I may not remember how to swim and my leg is hurt so I couldn't even if I tried! And standing?!" The Gakuenchou fussed more, Erstin somehow finding this more amusing than before.

"How the hell can you forget how to swim?" Mahya was left puzzled, but swung Natsuki's arm over her shoulder either way. "Stop struggling, you want to break your leg?"

"Um…" Erstin watched the two shuffle about, taking a look towards the hill. "Had that been Shiho doing all that…?" Remembering Nao who lay face first in the dirt the information hit her and she dropped to the redhead's side, shoving her onto her back. "Nao! Wake up!"

Not getting a reply out of the Altain, Erstin sat, thinking through her options.

She was tempted to just dump water on her.

"It happens." Natsuki hissed at Mahya, holding onto the other Column with a bit of a fuss.

"Come on, we've got to go." Chie corralled the other two, casting a glance over to make sure the Gakuenchou was alright.

Gathering water in her hands, Erstin dumped it onto the downed redhead.

"Ack! Ho!" Nao grumbled as she sprang up, rubbing her head. "What hit me…?"

"The Gakuenchou." "Eh?"

Detailing what had happened, the more information the An Nam woman offered her, the more Nao wanted to burst.

"So wait a sec. Our Gakuenchou," Nao was sitting cross-legged on the floor, directing an index finger over towards the woman being pestered by the students and Column. "It was their group all along, she tripped over, rolled down the hill, straight into me and then into the water?"

Erstin nodded mutely.

Natsuki grumbled, her cane having been returned and her leg wrapped in a few rolls of tight bandages. She hadn't broken anything, but to be safe, they made a splint for the pain. She could take it off later to try and escape, though…

"That is, without a doubt, hilarious." Nao uttered before collapsing into a fit of laughter, pointing all the while.

Hell, she didn't even care that she had gotten clean knocked out! She wanted that all across Garderobe!

"By the way, Natsuki." Mahya asked, propping a hand to her hip as she stood over the Gakuenchou who was sitting leaning against a tree close to the Mauryan's students. "Why didn't your students come down and help you?"

"Probably because they knew there is power in numbers." Natsuki glared over to her, huffing as she crossed her arms, but wondered how she knew about that detail. "There is so much more to them and I that you haven't seen yet." She threatened, though the sopping clothes looked more like a wet rat.

"Numbers, you say?" Mahya tilted her head, glancing over her shoulder. "Hey, Shizuru, get here!"

"Shiz-"

Sat there, Natsuki stared as the Archmeister made her way from around the scattering of students, the younger women making their way for her.

"What the hell is even going on?!"

---

"Everyone, the Gakuenchou was captured." Chie quietly announced as they shoved into the invisible tent, grumbling softly.

"Wait, what?" Another furrowed her brows, rubbing her hands closer together.

"Our great leader went rolling straight into the enemy base," Shiho rolled her eyes, cramping herself between two disgruntled students.

"But either way." The teal-haired Windbloomian lifted her voice above the bickering of their leaderless group. "We need to come up with a plan, rescue her and then move site. We can't stay here too long."

"Tomoe's right… We can both lead until the Gakuenchou is rescued." Chie spoke up again, a few nodding and agreeing overall.

"We need a plan."

Why her? Tomoe wondered. Then again she wasn't complaining. They were both the highest ranking students of both their years present.

---

"Shizuru!" Natsuki barked upon realizing the elder woman had indeed struck some sort of twisted and sordid deal with Mahya. She looked betrayed; A glare and an almost pout as she nursed her leg.

"Why are you working with her?!"

"My…? Dear Natsuki, surely you know that tactics and seeking benefits is everything for an Otome?" An amused smile traced along the Archmeister's lips, halting by the Mauryan's side.

Opening her mouth, Natsuki stared blankly at her. "Sh-"

"Yes, Natsuki?"

"Why not seek benefits with me?!" The Gakuenchou fumed, brows furrowing and set tight. At first it had been a playful betrayal, but now it was feeling all too real for her.

Why had Shizuru chosen Mahya to group with instead of herself? It seemed her partner in many things didn't quite believe in her abilities like she claimed to…

"Surely you realise our situation?" The Archmeister spoke, nearing her, "This is an enactment of a real-life battleground. The Mauryan Rose and Plumerias teams came into contact, and we made a deal."

Alliances, short-term deals, were highly important but unstable during the times of war. This was something they needed to teach the students no matter what, because one day they would be up against one another.

"Hmph." Natsuki narrowed her eyes, taking on a stern expression not seen for some time; Especially not seen by the Archmeister.

"Then it seems you've made yourself a very powerful enemy, Viola." She turned her gaze and head away, effectively ending the conversation. A hand rubbed over the bandages holding her leg tight before she stilled it, focusing and using the water from her trousers to subtly freeze the splint.

That would help in the long run...

Still… she couldn't believe she was getting a hold of these… ice powers? To gather water in such a way to freeze it; it felt natural yet at the same time alien to her, as if she had never experienced it but had known about it.

Did anyone else have powers like these without the help of their GEM? Did they have to materialise before using them?

Shizuru almost gave a pout, but she noticed something… off about Natsuki. She had been nervous before the hike, and now there was that sudden underlying confidence, as if she knew something no one else did…

She narrowed her eyes, not finding any solid proof to secure her thoughts before she turned to Mahya. "Seems someone is too cranky to be caught!"

Natsuki was about to snap back, but managed to hold herself from replying, simply narrowing her own eyes and shooting them between her and the Mauryan.

They were planning something… knowing those two they had planned already...

---

"Alright, is everyone okay with this?" Chie asked, pointing to the lines and circles in the dirt she and Tomoe had drawn.

"What is the difference between this plan and the stalking that led to the Gakuenchou getting caught?"

"...To be frank, the Gakuenchou won't be there to fall into the water and ruin it…"

"We're going to have Shiho distract them," Tomoe murmured to the group, positioning the point of a stick against a particular circle which was further away from all the rest. "Two Diamonds will protect her whilst we halve into two groups, one a decoy and the other offense."

"Offense, we'll be on this side at the very edge of their camp and the lake. We're going to make ourselves look like the decoy. Shiho, we're going to need you to be loud, very loud, but behind the trees. Can you make an echo, as well?" Chie asked her, the odd girl furrowing her brows but nodding.

"Excellent… We're going to scare them, and then storm."

Their groups were sectioned out depending on their skills and levels and soon they had the suitable mini teams ready.

"Our signal will be Shiho," Chie confirmed, standing to get ready. "So when you hear her, charge."

The others nodded, and Chie brushed herself off. "Let's go get our leader back.

---

Natsuki focused on many water sources around her. The moisture in the air, the lake… Perhaps if she were cruel enough, she could freeze the very water in someone's veins… Their blood. Control, or kill?

Her mind busy, she almost didn't catch a glimmer of something high on the hill. Emeralds slowly dragged up to not catch suspicion, and she smiled.

Eyes resting on the flicker for only a moment until it disappeared, she guided her gaze back down between Mahya and Shizuru who were on the other side of the encampment, staring both women down.

Surprisingly the two hadn't seemed to notice what she had, the pair submerged in a map which high-ranking Amethysts and Diamonds surrounded also. Nina and that annoying Zhang was there, but other than those two students for the life of her she couldn't remember the names of the others.

Natsuki slowly shifted her splint-covered leg to be beside the other instead of propped up on the large rock they had moved for her. She would have to be up and running in a mere matter of moments…

Chie held up a hand, signalling Shiho to start and as loud as she could as her team snuck up to the side behind a few bushes.

Around the encampment the students and staff members were unbeknownst to their presence. The breeze shifted and the animals quietened, and perhaps some noticed the alteration in the atmosphere around them. But they sure did when a shriek pierced the skies, birds flying off into different directions in the tree canopy, laughter erupting as chaos spewed within the two-teamed camp, mini tornados littering the lake and grounds.

"Go, go, distract them!" Chie urged her group on, the offensive team bursting through and tagging every member of the team they came into contact with as they rushed forward to the downed Gakuenchou.

Amongst the chaos, Shizuru widened her eyes and turned her gaze onto Natsuki just in time for the thought-injured Gakuenchou to blaze right past her in a sprint, a faint shimmer of crystal laced in her splint. The offensive team followed her, the two-team camp caught totally off-guard with the noise and actions of the decoy team waiting across the lake.

They weren't there to make them surrender, however. Reaching the bank of the lake just as Shiho forced a huge wall of water up in a sort of tsunami wave, Natsuki let the offensive team jump through first before she followed. Turning mid-jump, the Gakuenchou thrust her arm out and froze the wall solid, making it translucent and landing on the other side with her full team and a smirk.

"Very powerful enemy, Viola!" Natsuki called back, her voice muffled behind the wall before she turned and gestured to her team to retreat.

They quickly caught up with the group defending Shiho whom was still cackling, overviewing the destruction she was causing in the camp, she formed one last giant twister, the force of the warping wind throwing some students over before she allowed the voodoo device to come to a rest, pointing a finger over to the interjoined team to laugh, tears in her eyes.

Natsuki grinned as she watched, an idle pride welling in her chest for her team. "Thank you, all… And very good job, Shiho. Let's get back, and recover." The Gakuenchou softly gave her shoulder a pat, smirking as she cast one last glance down to the two-teamed wrecked camp.

Shizuru would come to regret this...

"Now! We need to change location!" She called over the heads of the students, but not too loud for it to pass over to the encampment.

Hopefully they wouldn't end bumping into Sarah's group, she had a feeling that the Aries native would be an unbreakable wall for defence and stealth. Getting ambushed by the Administar Lily was the last thing they needed right now.

"Girls, grab your packs, and charge forward East." Natsuki advised, dismantling the tent in a matter of moments, shoving it into her pack and cursing softly. She had forgotten her cane…

"Gakuenchou!" Chie came to her side, holding a long stick. "I noticed you forgot your cane, so I found this for you…"

"Thank you." Natsuki smiled, accepting it. This could work, for now at least.

Well… that had been convenient…

Hours passed with nothing of particular interest happening, the spew of insects screeching overhead being all but an annoyance at this point in time, and Natsuki wished she at least had a hat.

She only stopped for a moment, gathering her hair to rub at the sweat occupied along the Column of her neck. Now she wished she had thought of tying it back...

Has she done that in the past?

She couldn't remember, but couldn't imagine having not done it. Surely she would when it was so hot, no? Especially during combat.

Humming lowly, Natsuki's eyes searched for a new base to call their own. "Ah…" She detected the mouth of a cave just under a curtain of moss, and nodded.

"Girls, through there."

"Because a tropical-forest cave is the safest place in the world," the word of sarcasm rang throughout the group, and some snickered, others glancing at one another in a worried sense.

"Precisely," Natsuki chimed in, turning back to the group. "They'd never think to check here!" And with Shiho's skills? The entrance would virtually look like a wall of rock which had collapsed from the overhang of the small slope above the cave! It was perfect!

"And… In a closed enclosure, I could cool us down. I'll check to make sure it's safe, of course." Natsuki seemed to rest their worries, stepping over a few rocks to brush the mossy curtain apart to peek in. It was damp and so much cooler inside already, causing her to stifle a groan of relief.

"Empty, seems fine. Come on!"

"Oi, Gakuenchou, get out," Shiho grumbled, snatching everyone's attention over towards her. She glared at the students, some looking away instantly. "I need… help… for covering the cave's entrance."

The group snickered, the maki-wielder flushing to then snap at them. "Shut up and get in there!"

An eruption of laughter struck the group until they realised the noise, shutting up.

"That was your own fault, Huit," Tomoe snorted at her, leaning up close to her before entering, brushing past the Gakuenchou.

Natsuki eased out from the entrance, rolling her shoulders. "Mm, let's get this covered." She looked down to Shiho, giving the younger woman a toothy grin.

Shiho seemed to reel away from the look, flushing more as she held her device close to her chest.

What was that about? The elder of the team cocked a brow, bypassing the rest of the students who manoeuvred into the cave, Natsuki locating where the shining from the trees were located.

There were less this time, but fortunately the cave wasn't being blared down on by the Sun. It had just enough shade for it to become the perfect illusion.

She strode for the trees, pressing her palms into them and letting the crystal ice veins take their hold. She was hot and very tired, but seeing what she could do felt so refreshing…

Natsuki heard Shiho mumbling to herself, finishing before she came back with the same brow cocked. "Everything alright?"

Huffing, the pink-haired woman shook her head, her wild curls waving to and fro. "Nothing." She shot it back, the Gakuenchou falling silent as she focused on the trees, Shiho herself then forming the illusion that the cave was a mere landslide.

Perhaps this girl was unused to so much positive attention… That made her sad; Brows pulling in as she crossed her arms. "You are very adept at what you do, Shiho, far more than other students I've seen." She whispered over, to not distract and so the others wouldn't hear.

The girl blinked from her uncharacteristically silent spinning, and Shiho glanced at her before tearing her focus back to the cave, sinking it into the misapprehension that it was a scattering of rocks. Now all they needed to worry about was avoiding smashing their heads against the entrance…

"Very good work. You've got high marks, Shiho." Natsuki smiled at her again, reaching a hand out to feel out the real mouth of the cave, ducking in and waiting on the other side for her.

Like the tent earlier, it was rather cramped, but it did hold a bit of a better space for the personal bubbles of the students and Meister, only having to huddle a little, their knees touching.

"Girls, that was a gutsy move, and it paid off greatly. I want to congratulate you all." Natsuki whispered as she sat atop a large boulder smiling down at them.

For the time being though, she wanted a bit of time to herself… that whole episode had seriously exhausted her. Natsuki frowned, but only for a moment, drafting her focus between the students. "How about we take a well earned rest for now?" She suggested.

Her students only readily agreed, some of them piling their blankets and bedrolls out to lay. The Gakuenchou kept to her boulder, however, hands wringing together as she was pulled into her worried thoughts.

What had she done, just then? Crystals…? Her past self had never used it, at least she hadn't heard of anything, not even from Shizuru… Where was the elder, at that? She had thought the Archmeister would come to give aid…

Honestly she missed the comfort which Shizuru had been supplying her with. Perhaps it was more of a shock to be denied it…? But even so she hadn't expected her to team up with Mahya…

Thankfully the students were minding their own business for the time being and were generally pretty silent. Only the occasional shuffle or mutter was heard throughout the cave.

Naturally this lured the Gakuenchou back into her head, an abrupt memory filtering in, though hazy and confusing.

---

Readying for this mission was unnerving, even after the nobles had left the Conference Hall. She was far from alone, however, as the epitome still stalked close, as well as the Archmeister…

Shizuru. Taking a breath, slow to reassure herself of her no doubt success soon to come, Natsuki clenched her shaking hands once to still them. There were crows in her ribs, picking away at flesh and replacing with stone and muscle.

She was very nervous…

If not also afraid.

What had been discussed—it winded around within her mind, yet all those instructions passed along to her didn't solidify properly. Natsuki was left confused and unnerved at this mission—her first official one as Gakuenchou, and at this rate possibly her only one.

The Archmeister's presence was behind her, a larger set of hands clasping delicately onto the Gakuenchou's shoulders, steadying her.

"S-Shizuru…" Her throat was clogged with tension and she cursed, Shizuru gently spinning her around, not even registering Miss Maria who thought best to leave, dragging along anyone who hesitated.

"Natsuki… I know you are afraid." Shizuru seemed concerned as well; Were her eyes misty or was that the lighting?

She was speaking informally, quite the first time the Gakuenchou had ever heard her speak as such as well…

"It is welcome to be afraid, fear is what makes us human still… I am scared for you, Natsuki…"

The whole situation simply felt much worse for Natsuki upon even the Archmeister's tone; somebody she believed she'd never seen so emotional, let alone those feelings of concern, worry and fear focused upon her.

Natsuki didn't know what to do, too wound up into the words which had been drilled into her skull just those few minutes ago, Shizuru's touch doing nothing to help her out the situation.

"But, I also know that Natsuki is strong, and this will become a distant memory someday for her to share, and me to poke fun at." Shizuru changed demeanor so quickly, it forced Natsuki to let loose a soft chuckle.

"Mm, Shizuru… I'll be back soon. There's nothing in Altai that could dare to keep me from enjoying my new large office." She joked back, letting her hands drop from one another.

As much as she despised the paperwork… she sure would prefer filing them right about now instead of having to do this…

"A little ice and snow never bothered me," she continued, trying to jolt the negativity out of her system. It seemed to be working, the Archmeister's mere presence helping her to break it down into a more bearable sensation. "Hm… Shizuru," she murmured, drifting her eyes away from the older woman, suddenly feeling nervous for all the wrong reasons.

"I think I know what she may be about to say… Wait." Shizuru spoke softly with a faint smile.

"Wait, and come back to me."

---

"Shiz, hurry up and help me with this, you look like a pole in sand."

They themselves had ventured away from their swarmed position, many of the students still damp from the ice and water upon the Kruger Clan's rescue party. Mahya was by the Archmeister some way off from the younger females who had grouped together, setting the tent up.

"You've been on the brink for the past two hours."

"A-oh?" Snapping out of it, the brunette forced her hawking gaze from away from the forestline they had recently trekked through, now situated upon a steep hill overlooking the whole of their surroundings.

It was a risky area, but it held advantage against a breach. They would instantly know whether another team was coming, whether it was Natsuki's or Sarah's—or perhaps even both.

"You're not… whacked because of what Kruger said, are you?" She lifted a light brow, watching the Archmeister closely.

"Not what she said, though I feel a bit ashamed about that, but what she did… She's never manipulated anything like that." Shizuru seemed worried, and more than a little stuck in her own head.

"It was very impressive… Especially her running on that leg. I wonder what exactly she did…"

"Perhaps she partially activated her GEM? Although that is impossible, she should cancel it for her own safety…" With an arm crossed around her stomach, the Archmeister posed an anxious and inquisitive expression, her palm against her jaw, covering her mouth as she frowned.

It almost sounded… like Rena Sayers.

But that would mean Natsuki overloading all GEMs...

"Don't worry about it, Shiz, but seriously." The Mauryan was becoming increasingly annoyed now, struggling with the object she was attempting to carry. And honestly it was beginning to get embarrassing.

"You are correct, let us forget." Shizuru waved a hand, coming to her side to help her. Though, her mind was still occupied by Natsuki and the odd display of cold power she had portrayed.

It made her… uneasy. No Otome should have that sort of manipulation over their world like that…

Again her thoughts drifted over to the case with Rena Sayers, a crease marring her brow as she helped Mahya to lift the log of a fallen tree, balancing the weight of it between them so they could transport it to the front of the camp where a trench was being built.

Or even… why had they never even considered Shiho Huit either?

"Shiz, focus or get this dropped on your foot." Mahya dead-panned, the Archmeister haughtily tossing her hair back.

"I can carry this without your assistance, I hope you realize…"

"Sure you can."

If anyone had never seen the portrayal playing before them, which by around ninety-nine percent of their teams hadn't, then they would be surprised by such banter. Was this really how the Columns' were on a personal level?

Nina and Nao had finished with their sections of the tent, moving over to join with Erstin and Irina, the latter two staring at their team leaders, whilst the Altains appeared either bored to their wits or broody.

"Why are you two just staring? They're not doing anything interesting." Nina huffed, crossing her arms and looking at Erstin.

"I wanted Sarah's team."

"Sarah's? Snooping around and hiding everywhere?" Nao arched a brow at her, jumping into the trench and grumbling when her feet met with mud.

"Why?"

Shrugging the fiery redhead snickered at her. "Sounds boring."

"Not everyone likes the same th-"

"Hush, Wang."

Pointedly Nina stared at her, Erstin and Irina awkwardly glancing between the two before the spiky haired Altain stormed off silently, expression stoic, instead heading towards the group of students digging out the trench.

"Someone is on their lady days." Nao studied her nails in an almost uncaring manner, lime eyes questioningly glancing over towards the blonde An Nam and spectacle-clad Aries native. "What?"

"You're far more antagonizing to her than normal, or rather, than anyone…" Irina smirked, wagging a finger.

"Get that finger out of my face."

"You like Nina." The redhead cackled softly, dodging to avoid a swipe from the agitated girl.

"I do not!"

"Altain love! The taboo love of students!"

"Please…" Erstin meekly spoke, trying to stop the Aries native weakly. "Everyone is staring..."

"Oh, come on, Ers, you look like you're going to faint," Irina laughed, directing her attention to An Namian instead.

"And I, for one." Mahya appeared behind Erstin who yelped, spinning around with her arms to her chest. "Help us with the logs, alright?" She directed a thumb behind her to the Archmeister, the tawny brunette finally appearing to be back into her usual personality, fitting the logs into place at the front of the trenches.

"Ah, yes…" Irina grinned, flushing as she wandered over to help.

Whether or not Nina heard the outburst from them, she didn't seem to give any clue either way. Heaving an end of the log, the Altain grumbled softly and dropped it towards the trench, dancing back to not hurt herself.

But either way… when or if they were found, they sure weren't going to go down this easily. Especially when they weren't near water or had the shelter of the trenches to hide in incase that cursed voodoo woman showed her face again.

Still… Mahya winced, heading towards the Archmeister. Those tornadoes had just been overkill.

---

"I wish the ice would all just fade."