"So... did you find him?"

"Yes."

"I take it you have your plan ready then, my soldier?"

"Yes, sir. And once we have him... we can tear Japan apart at its seams!"

"Hold, my soldier. His knowledge is useful, but to stall the railways will only start the inevitable. In order to fully bring Japan to her knees, we need to strike at her beating heart as well."

"WHAT!? You expect us to just-"

*SLAP!*

"I said hold! You will follow my plan, and only then will we gain results!"

*growls* "Yes, sir..."

"Excellent. Now, I wish for you to prepare to bring him into our ranks. You know who to bring, do you not?"

"Yes, sir. I am to bring her because of her Semblance."

"Correct. And once he is under our control... there will be nothing that can stop us."

"But what of this... SKL Program or whatever?"

"Well... Then I guess we'll have an unexpected benefit of terminating it as well."

"I hope so. So this way, it will not threaten our ambition..."

OPENING FILES:

CLASSIFIED

DECRYPTING...

FILES DECRYPTED

OPENING FILES: HAYATO HAYASUGI

Hayato Hayasugi is a young fourteen year old cat Faunus boy who attends Shinjuku Yamabuki High School along with his four of his other five friends. Hayato was born in 2007, and has lived his whole life in Tokyo in comparison to Omiya, which has become a hotspot of Satyra sympathizers and recruiters. His father and mother moved there before he was born to save him from the extremist views of the terrorist group.

When he was thirteen years old, his mother died during a Grimm attack, leaving him with only his father and little sister as his remaining family. He became more serious and withdrawn, focusing more on his school work and subjects in comparison to his obsession with Japan's Shinkansen network. He still likes it, but he has become less interested in it.

AKITA OGA

A fourteen year old human from the Akita region of Japan, his family moved to Tokyo to allow him to become more familiar with the Faunus and Mobian populace of Japan. He has a love for sweets, and he is very skilled in using a rifle.

Akita is a skilled hunter, having been taught by his father and grandfather, when he lived in the mountains. He is calm and collected, always trying to see ahead and anticipate an enemy's movement.

TSURANUKI DAIMONYAMA

A fourteen year old human, his family manages construction within his hometown of Kanazawa in the prefecture of Ishikawa. He may be strong and headstrong, but he has a good heart and will fight with all his strength to defend those he calls friend from any enemy, even Satyra.

He has a tendency to favor using drills in combat.

SHINOBU TSUKIYAMA

A fourteen year old human, he is a descendent of a prominent ninja clan going back hundreds of years based within the town of Yonezawa in the Yamagata prefecture. Like Akita, he lived in the woods with his family before a recent Grimm attack forced them to move to Tokyo for their own safety. He tends to be somewhat emotionless, but he still has his own likes and quirks.

His skills in ninjutsu make him a formidable opponent, so enemies have to be wary of him. He has a grudge against Satyra for attacking his father, who is a fox Faunus.

RYUJI KIYOSU

Ryuji Kiyosu is the eldest of the group at eighteen years of age. He is a skilled martial artist, having taken karate for years before a Satyra attack in his home town of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture caused his family to leave. Ryuji's younger brother and sister were among those injured, and while his mother lived, his father was severely wounded and is currently in a coma.

Ryuji is currently considering taking up Huntsman training to be able to fight back effectively against Satyra's members.

MIKU HATSUNE

A fourteen year old rabbit Faunus. Miku moved to Tokyo from her hometown of Hakodate City in Hokkaido Prefecture with her family as Satyra was making inroads there. She is a kind, sweet girl who is a skilled kendo practitioner.

She tends to get motion sick when on ships or on swaying platforms; this tends to make her feel bad about herself and her inability to fight on such footing. Despite this, if she doesn't get sick, she can prove to be a formidable swordswoman.

CLOSING FILES

TERMINAL ENTERING STANDBY PHASE

"What happens when you lose someone close?"

The screen flickered to show only a shadowy form standing before the viewer (you).

"People lose loved ones all the time, whether it be from cancer, war, accidents, old age, or other health complications. It can even be from fires, robberies, muggings... or even terrorist attacks."

The figure gestured to show two towers getting slammed by airplanes on a monitor. "Take this day, for example. On 9/11 in one reality, over three thousand people lost their lives to terrorists who twisted the ideals of Islam to suit their political agenda. And in another..."

Another monitor flickered on to show a trio of towers getting slammed by airplanes. "...these three towers of one of the most powerful nations got hit as well, but by extremists who disliked the way that other people were born. Again, they twisted that around to suit their political agenda without considering the positives that some of those peoples' families were hoping for when they first genetically enhanced their children."

The monitors went dark as the figure then tented their fingers. "That is the thing about terrorism. It can strike anytime, anywhere, by anyone. They key is vigilance. To be vigilant for such actions can mean the difference between life and death."

CHAPTER II - RECRUIT

To Hayato Hayasgui, it seemed like Glob was mocking him.

Although it was a nice summer day, with not a cloud in the sky and birds flying overhead chirping happily, the mood was far from happy.

The reason why?

He had been rejected.

Not by a girlfriend, oh no. He was rejected from the most prestigious Huntsman Academy in Japan: Yamanouchi Academy.

He gazed down at the letter in his hand glumly. Even after all his efforts in trying to pass the tests, he had failed miserably. The headmaster there who had judged his scores said that although he had potential, he didn't have the aptitude to make it as a full-fledged Huntsman. However, he wasn't told what it was he was lacking, and instead he was told to try again when he felt he was ready. Despite his protests, he had been escorted out of the building and back towards civilization.

His dream of becoming a Huntsman was crushed.

Not even the mere thought of traveling on the Shinkansen back to his home was enough to make him smile again.

Hayato turned and tossed the rejection letter aside, only to think twice about it and picked it up. His father would be disappointed, he was sure. Then again, it wasn't unusual for many people to be rejected for one reason or another.

The cat Faunus sighed as he ran a hand through his brown hair. Things were just not looking up for him as of late.

And it didn't help his father was busy these days with some big project. So that left him to care for his little sister while his father was at work.

It also didn't help that his mother was dead, courtesy of the Kaiju Grimm, Mothra. He gritted his teeth, feeling anger burning in his chest. "Damn Grimm... If only they didn't exist... Then maybe... Just maybe, she..."

A cry escaped him as he punched the wall of the train station. A few people took notice, but they mostly went about their daily lives.

"Mom... I... I miss you so much..." he murmured.

He stood there for a few moments more before he heard a familiar voice.

"Hayato!"

His magenta eyes snapped open and he turned to face the speaker. "Tsuranuki!" he called.

The boy was running up to greet him, and with him were two humans and a Faunus girl. "Hey!" the boy called, waving an arm. Hayato recognized his friends and a real smile crept across his face in relief.

To be honest, just being with his best friends was enough to make him feel better about his circumstances. He ran over to meet them and he noticed they also carried letters from Yamanouchi Academy. A bit of anger filled his eyes briefly before fading. "So, you got your letters too?" he asked, trying to keep calm.

"Actually, well..." Tsuranuki Daimonyama held out his letter and sighed. "I got rejected. The proctor said that my choice of weapon was impractical. But what else can I use?!" he exclaimed. He proceeded to pull out his weapon of choice, a drill that was hand-crafted and powered by a portable Dust battery. "The Drill Pounder is a practical weapon!" He ran his hand through his own brown hair and sighed, his brown eyes looking down at it. "Unless they wanted something more… along the lines of a sword or something, which I can't use."

Tsuranuki stood at five foot eleven and had a lean but strong build, due to him working with his mother in his family's construction company. He wore a yellow t-shirt with an orange shirt underneath, and his legs were covered in a pair of long blue pants, and white sneakers with a white tongue and blue outer soles adorned his feet.

"Hardly," Akita Oga said as he held up his own letter. "I got the same thing. A rejection. The examiner said that my reliance on guns alone could be a problem."

Akita was the next tallest at five foot nine, and he had short dark purple hair with light purple tips. His purple eyes flicked over to his friends as he shifted. He wore a dark crimson t-shirt and a red sleeveless coat with red long pants and brown shoes.

Hayato looked to the other boy and the female rabbit Faunus. "And you, Shinobu?"

Shinobu Tsukiyama was silent, but he held up his letter too. "Same. Rejected. The proctor said that I needed to be more open minded about new fighting styles."

At four foot eleven, Shinobu was the shortest of the group, but he was also the most agile due to his training in ninjutsu. He had dark grey hair cut short, and a purple highlight stuck out on the right side of his bangs. His eyes were a lighter shade of violet, and he wore a brown sweater with green edges. Green pants and socks adorned his lower body and his feet were covered in shoes that conformed to his foot shape.

The rabbit Faunus girl held up her own letter. "I also got rejected. My motion sickness got the better of me..." She looked positively disheartened.

"Miku, don't worry," Tsuranuki said. "Guess this means we have to try harder."

Miku Hatsune sighed. "But where are we supposed to go now? I mean... we tried to apply to one of the best and got rejected."

Miku was the only girl in the group of five, but she was also the most skilled in combat as she was training to master kendo. She stood at five foot five, with long green hair in two pigtails. She wore the Japanese school girl uniform, but she wore dark grey boots with green tops and zippers that ended below the knee. She wore a pair of pink-rimmed glasses, and her white rabbit ears twitched as she shifted her feet nervously.

"Yeah..." Hayato looked at his own letter and sighed. "My dad's gonna be pissed..."

"No way!" Tsuranuki remarked. "He may be disappointed, but he won't be pissed! I know that much!"

The cat Faunus smiled sadly. "Yeah. But it still hurts... I really wanted to avenge my mother, but now..." He gritted his teeth as tears pricked at his eyes. "I... I can't...!"

Akita placed a hand on Hayato's shoulder. "We'll figure something out," he said gently. "At least, I hope so."

"A lot easier said than done," the cat Faunus moped. "Where else are we supposed to go? And what academy would take us?"

The group had no answer.

They turned and proceeded to purchase their tickets for the ride home. It didn't take them long to find their designated shinkansen train and they boarded soon after. The five kids found their car and sat down in their seats, each of them thinking about how to do something to protect Japan now that they had been rejected for Huntsman training. The only issue was, none of them really had any experience in fighting the Grimm. Oh sure they had some skills that could be translated into potential training, but unless they really had training, they couldn't hold their own.

All they really could do was run and hide. And none of them wanted to be stuck on the sidelines.

Not since they each had a reason to fight.

As Hayato peered out the window, watching the scenery go by, all he could really think about was what was coming. He knew that Kaiju Grimm made their appearance quite frequently, about every two months, and each appeared in a different location each time. Such as Mothra appearing six months ago right over Tokyo. That one was perhaps the worst attack yet, with millions of technos in damages being caused, and over five thousand Hunters lost, along with at least twenty thousand soldiers and over three thousand civilians deadm wounded, or missing.

He wasn't sure as to which one would make its appearance next, but he had a gut feeling it would be one of the more massive Kaiju Grimm. The more recent ones tended to vary in size from ten stories to fifteen, and each had their own special power. Much like the stories of Komozilla and other monsters created by radiation from the atomic bombs. (The radiation mutation was actually grounded in reality, as it had been proven by several international bodies that the radiation from the atomic bombings had affected the native Faunus and Mobian populations, leading to a new subspecies dubbed Kaiju Mobians. A notable research team had been formed to delve more into this unique breed, and their efforts were helping to catch these Kaiju Mobians and integrating them into society as a whole.)

Then there was the matter of recent attacks by Satyra. He knew of one kid who had moved to Tokyo because his family was attacked by Satyra for their efforts in vying for Faunus rights. That kid was a cheetah Faunus named Ryuji Kiyosu, and he was from a well-respected Faunus rights supporting family. They advocated equality, not superiority like most others would have, and that, to Satyra, was a danger to their movement.

In all honesty, it baffled Hayato. Why would Satyra attack Faunus who supported equal rights, the same rights that humans had? Was it because they believed themselves superior to normal humans and Mobians? If that were the case, then how could their ideology be countered?

He knew that many organizations were trying to debunk the superiority complexes of some well-known members, but none of them were successful and a few even did the opposite to justify their actions. The most notable in successes was the Vist Foundation, but even they were having issues with the group. It was like someone was trying to thwart their efforts for a united front against the Grimm. Or was it something more?

The cat Faunus groaned as he felt a headache coming on and he rubbed his temples with his fingers.

"Why does Satyra have to go to such lengths?!" he muttered to himself.

He had no answer, and actually, no one did.

But then there was that strange broadcast that had come up a few days ago. That one with the emblem the authorities had never seen before. The one that declared war on Satyra.

Hayato wondered just who was crazy enough to declare war on the Faunus supremacist group. Sure there were the Justice Friends, Global Justice, and even others who were strong, but not even they had the guts to go to war with an entire global-spanning terrorist group. Not even the Dragon of Denver was that crazy, and he was a walking tank! Or close to it, given his incredible durability and firepower.

His thoughts were interrupted by the announcement of their stop. "Oh... We'd better get off," he muttered as the others looked up or back at him.

"Hayato... Normally you'd be excited," Akita remarked as the group stood to leave. "Is it still because of your mother?"

The cat Faunus nodded. "Yeah. It's... It's been really hard on all of us, but especially my dad. He's been busy with some kind of project, and won't even tell me what it is," he said as they filed out of the shinkansen with the other passengers. "It's really bothering me. What is so important that he has to ignore his own children?!"

Akita sensed his friend's despair and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hayato..."

"What?" Hayato muttered.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe your father is not ignoring you?" the boy asked.

"How so?" Hayato moped. "He's been gone pretty much every day for the last six months, only coming home at around eleven at night, and then having dinner and going to bed." He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "He never talks to us, he's not even having meals with us anymore, and... for all I know, maybe the government did something to-"

He was cut off as Tsuranuki slapped him hard across the cheek. He looked up, shocked.

"Hey! Don't even go there, pal!" he growled. "That kind of thinking will only make you no better than that damn terrorist group!"

That was an issue, he realized. As of late, he had been becoming more and more resentful of humans as a whole, mostly because they were the one who had ordered whatever Hunters were in the area to attack Mothra.

And actually, he was terrified of the terrorist group. Terrified in what their objectives could be, what their motives were, how they recruited members, and how they became so blindly racist after joining. It just didn't seem right to him that they suddenly lost all sense of reason and became hate-filled beings who only acted civilized.

Hayato looked down, feeling embarrassed and depressed. "Sorry," he murmured. "But... I just can't help but be terrified of what they could do to us... to me... if they tried to recruit me. And I'm scared that if I joined, I could become hateful towards you... all of you..." He buried his head in his hands. "I don't want to be targeted for recruitment..."

"Then stay away from anyone who could try to," Shinobu said.

Akita's eyes hardened as he pulled his hand away from Hayato. "We'll be backing you up, so don't worry."

The cat Faunus managed a small smile. "Thanks, guys... I mean it..."

The foursome smiled and clapped their hands on his back, engulfing him in a group hug. The boy laughed, and was soon joined by his friends.

Off to the side, she watched the boy and his companions.

A sneer crossed her face.

The recruit was in her sight.

She prepared to make her move, only to be halted by her companion. "Hold it. He's not alone. Get him when he leaves the station," he told her.

The man did have a point, she mused as she drew her coat closer to her body. She took a glance at him out of the corner of her eye and studied him critically.

The man with her was a bull Faunus, with two impressive horns on his head. He was broad and well built, standing at an imposing six foot three, and he wore a business suit that was a deep tan with a black tie. His hair was black with flecks of grey in it, and his eyes were an intense green color. He was in his late fifties, and he was one of the more well-to-do members, especially given his job.

Frederick Jones, Senior was not just a supporter of the group, but he was also a backer and supplier of their weapons, given he was the head of Jones and Phillips Industries, a top weapons manufacturer in America. He was the one who had financed the formation of several cells in Japan, but so far their efforts weren't proving fruitful enough for His Eminence.

It was him that had spotted the young boy after the death of his mother during that Grimm attack. He had judged him to be ready, and so here he was, six months later, and ready to recruit the youth.

Mostly because of his knowledge on the Shinkansen and its operations.

He smirked as he looked to her. "As soon as he exits, he will be heading towards his home. He tends to walk alone, although sometimes a friend of his will join him. So you can jump them both. Once he has been recruited, have him kill the friend. This way, no witnesses live... And we have ourselves the biggest asset we can think of..."

Her pinkish-red eyes glittered as she smirked. "All the more reason for me to move then," she purred seductively.

The bull Faunus nodded. "Then go, Suzaku. And may His Eminence watch over you."

The fox Faunus slipped into the crowd, slowly trailing their target...

Much to everyone's surprise, it wasn't Hayato who picked up the footsteps.

It was Tsuranuki instead.

The boy was further behind, and his eyes widened as he perked up. He looked over his shoulder with a questioning hum, and his eyes narrowed as he watched a fox Faunus woman with a bushy white tail stop to examine a storefront display, putting a hand to her chin as if trying to decide on what purchase to make. But something about her just screamed 'danger! danger!' to him. While he may not have been a Faunus or even a trained Hunstman, working with others at his mother's construction company taught him a lot about how to read body lanugage. So despite his headstromg nature, he could be quite observant when he wanted to be.

The woman was acting too normal, something that sent warning signs to his brain. His hand groped for the drill he had built, and as soon as its grip was in his hand, he looked to Hayato. Worry flickered across his face as he saw her look at the cat Faunus out of the corner of her eye, a smirk crossing her face.

"Hayato! RUN!" Tsuranuki cried as the woman suddenly lunged for the boy, a bright pink-white Aura flaring as she tried to grab his arm.

The human was already in motion as he warned his friend, his hand clenching on the trigger for his drill. The youth felt it shake as it spun up, the motor whirring in his ears as he thrust it forward, the tip driving itself into the woman's Aura, deflecting off of it as she hissed in pain.

"Damn you, brat!" she muttered.

Hayato's eyes widened as he saw her and fear filled his face as he backed up and ran for it, his other friends running back from their own travels to assist in the defense of their friend.

The woman looked at Tsuranuki and narrowed her eyes. "Very clever, boy," she mused. "You knew that calling in your friends would divert my attention and keep me from fulfilling my mission..."

Tsuranuki growled at those words. "Just what is your mission, lady?!" he snapped as he brandished his drill. "Because if it has something to do with my friend, then you're asking for a beatdown!" His own Aura flared, blue and white with golden yellow accents, as the woman stood up.

Despite not being accepted into Yamanouchi, the five kids had managed to unlock their Auras after some training with a Hunter from Britain, and although they lacked any Semblances, they were just happy to have some form of defense.

"Oh... headstrong, but observant? Very interesting," the woman purred.

The boy felt anger build up in his chest as she said this. He growled, but kept his temper in check. "Just what is your mission?" he snarled, his hand clenching the grip of his drill. "Answer me!"

The Faunus woman chuckled. "You wish to know? Well, I'm not about to reveal anything that His Eminence desires," she replied. "It's our code... and way of life."

Tsuranuki growled. "Answer... the... question!" he rumbled.

The woman shifted before she threw open her coat, exposing a black tank top that exposed her toned arms and shoulders nicely. Her bust was pretty ample, but not to an extreme, and she wore her coat like a cloak almost. She wore a pair of black jeans and black combat boots to finish off the ensemble. On her back was a katana sheath.

"If you can defeat me, which I highly doubt you can..." she chuckled.

The boy merely snarled as he hefted his drill and ran at her, a cry escaping his throat. He may not have made Huntsman material, but he sure as hell was not about to back down from a fight if one of his friends was on the line!

He thrust his drill forward as it spun up to maximum speed, and the tip made direct contact with the woman's Aura. Or it would have if she hadn't pulled out her katana to block. He grunted as he pushed, but even with his strength, he was not as strong as a Faunus. He shifted his feet to find leverage, but the woman grinned and flicked her hand, sending his drill away from it and making him stagger back. Tsuranuki grunted as he regained his footing, only to gasp in shock as she was above him, her blade drawn back for a fatal slash. He gritted his teeth and brought his drill up in a blocking manner, his Aura flaring at the exact same time. The combination of defenses worked and he was only knocked flat on his back, the wind knocked from his lungs. His muscles ached as he staggered to his feet, but he was not about to give up.

He had no idea that he was being observed by someone through the security cameras...

"Sir! We got something!"

"What? What is it?"

"That boy... the one with the drill. His compatibility rating..."

"What about it?"

"It's... it's amazing... He's got a 90% compatibility rate!"

"With which unit?"

"It seems that the E7 unit has been resonating with him. I can sense it."

"You think so?"

"Hey! I may be an old mechanic, but I do know when a particular machine resonates with someone! It's not that much different from when a Huntsman resonates with their weapon, right?"

"Uh... not exactly, but I do get what you're saying."

"Hmph. So, the boy's got it, huh?"

"Yes. We have our first candidate."

Tsuranuki gritted his teeth as he was thrown back, a cry escaping his throat. He landed flat on his back, but he somehow kept a firm grip on his drill. He grunted as he struggled to push himself into a sitting position, his body screaming in pain at him.

He knew that he couldn't keep fighting at this rate. The woman was just too good a fighter. And even with his Aura, he couldn't do much else except slow her down. Satyra was a danger, and he knew it.

"So, boy, are you going to keep fighting? Because if so..." The woman licked her lips, tasting the blood that had splattered on her face from a cut to his leg. "I could keep going all day, killing humans such as you."

Tsuranuki braced himself for the pain he knew would come, and he began to struggle to get to his feet. If anything, he was not about to let Satyra get their hands on his friend! His Aura flared brightly as he cried out, but he couldn't keep going, and he collapsed. His body had reached its limit.

His vision began to blur as he finally blacked out, but before he did, he heard her speak. "Leave him. He's nothing."

"Yes, Suzaku..."

Suzaku Akimi ran a hand through her platinum hair as she looked at the wounded, exhausted human before her.

She had to admit, he had put up a hell of a fight. Or at least as best he could, given he was just a reject from that Yamanouchi Academy. But it had amounted to nothing. "Leave him. He's nothing."

"Yes, Suzaku," one of her companions said with a bow.

Mr. Jones watched critically as the group turned and proceeded to follow the other four children. "Are they headed out of the station?" he asked.

"Most likely," Suzaku mused. "We'll try and cut them off."

The others nodded. "Spread out. Form a net and herd them in our direction again. They won't get away."

The Satyra members spread out into groups of two, each running for the station exit, but via a different route. This meant that they could try and block in the kids. However, the kids knew the station better than they did, as they used this station to travel from place to place quite frequently. And it just so happened that they were far ahead of their pursuers.

Something that Suzaku found frustrating. That meant that His Eminence would be displeased. And the last thing she wanted was a strict reprimanding and punishment. She knew personally how harsh he could be with failures. Her last failure left her needing several transfusions of blood from the resulting punishment, and she was not about to be a failure again.

The fox Faunus burst into a sprint, her katana held to the side as she ran through panicked crowds and people.

Her prey would not escape again.

Hayato was scared out of his wits now. He could feel his heart racing in his chest as Akita, Shinobu and Miku formed a protective circle around him, their eyes and ears pricked for any sign of Satyra's recruiter.

Miku hefted her wooden kendo sword, and Akita's rifle was in his hands while Shinobu wielded a pair of kunai knives in his hands. While not advisable for Hunters-in-training to have weapons out, it was sometimes necessary to try and master them. But that was forgotten as Miku's rabbit ears twitched. She turned one to face the direction which they had come from.

"Company," was all she said as she brandished her sword. "I'll hold them this time!"

"Be careful..." Hayato murmured.

With a nod, the rabbit Faunus turned back to face the enemy as they came into plain sight. She could see three men, each of them armed with a knife or a cable. She frowned as she flared her Aura, green, white, and purple swirling around her body in a dance of color.

She braced for the coming confrontation, and she tensed her body.

"You will not pass," she said calmly. "Not one inch more. Understand?"

The men tensed and then lunged for her. But Miku was already in motion, her sword becoming covered in her Aura, boosting its hitting power.

The second round had begun.

A cry escaped her throat as she swung her sword, hitting one of the men in the chest and sending him staggering back. He rubbed his chest with one hand and looked up, baring his teeth in anger. He lunged again just as Miku's sword connected with one of his companions, causing him to fall to his knees and lose his lunch. The rabbit Faunus hefted her wooden blade, her eyes hardening as she waited for their next move.

The third man lunged towards her, a sinister brown Aura emerging from his body and focusing into his hand, a blade of pure bone emerging from his wrist. He said nothing as he attacked, forcing the rabbit Faunus to leap back to avoid being skewered. She landed and eyed the man's stance. A calculating gaze appeared in her pink eyes as she watched to see what move he would make.

The first man leapt up over his comrade and she gasped, flaring her Aura in defense as he fired his gun, sending fire Dust rounds her way. While the flames engulfed her, her Aura shielded her from the damage she would've sustained. But Miku wasn't down yet. Using the cover of the flames, she tossed her sword out, the tip slamming into the first man's groin, and a gasp escaped him. He collapsed to his knees, intense pain filling that area. Miku sprang out of the flames, her fist drawn back for a punch. Her teeth were gritted as her fist flew out, connecting with his face and giving him double vision.

The third man collapsed, falling unconscious as Miku retrieved her sword from in front of him. The second man grunted as he tried to get to his feet, only to fail as Miku was behind him, knocking him out with a blow to his neck. The first man roared as he lunged, but the young rabbit Faunus leapt away, landing on her feet.

People by now had scattered or were watching this from hiding. And Miku could sense them.

Her eyes narrowed as she hefted her sword.

The first man narrowed his own eyes as he aimed his gun and fired, only for Miku to run at him, her sword gleaming with her Aura. She cried out and swung it, using the Aura-covered blade to send the bullet right back at him. His eyes widened as he leapt to the side, barely avoiding a fatal shot, but getting hit in the side as a result. He landed on the ground, his hand clenching his side as he gritted his teeth in pain.

"Well... it seems you're a feisty little rabbit," the woman's voice purred as she stepped out from behind a nearby pillar. "Something a fox like me eats..." She licked her lips as she eyed Miku in a predatory fashion.

The rabbit Faunus girl held her sword at the ready, her eyes narrowed.

Miku was not about to back down, although she could sense this woman was dangerous.

The woman hefted her katana and sneered. "So, ready to play, little bunny?"

The girl's eyes flashed and she was in motion, running towards the woman.

The two clashed their swords, and people began to watch in shock as the two women went at it. The fox Faunus was much more experienced, but Miku was more agile as she was younger. She flipped over the woman's next slash and her feet lashed out to connect with her gut, but her Aura took the blow and she staggered back as Miku landed on the ground and lashed out with her sword to nail her opponent in the side.

But the woman was anticipating her move and she swung her katana, intending to chop the wooden sword in half. Miku's Aura engulfed the blade and the katana bounced off, allowing the younger Faunus to retaliate with a body slash that knocked the wind from the woman's lungs. She coughed as she rubbed her torso before she looked up, her pinkish-red eyes flaring.

"You are really pissing me off, little bunny..."

Miku was silent as she narrowed her eyes.

The two stayed there facing one another down, and then both ran towards each other, their blades flashing as they clashed.

"We got another one!"

"Huh? Who?"

"It's the girl. Her... Her compatibility rating is 90%, just like the boy!"

"Hmmm... Two at once? This..."

"This what, sir?"

"I don't know, but keep an eye on the others. I'm beginning to see a pattern here."

"Hold it! We got another one! A third! It's that cheetah Faunus!"

"Where is he?"

"He's currently dealing with that bull Faunus, and so far he's holding his own, but-"

"What's his compatibility rating?"

"90%... like the other two..."

"..."

"Sir?"

"...Keep an eye on him. If they're hurt, get them to safety. We've got three candidates..."

"And the others?"

"...Honestly, I hope no more are found. But given the circumstances..."

"We know. It's hard, but... what can we do?"

"Yeah. For now, observe them, and if needed, make sure they get to their units as well. It's of the utmost importance..."

"Let me guess. An attack is coming?"

"..." *nods*

"When?"

"Unsure. There's no set time to these. We just have to be ready, and soon..."

"Yes, sir..."

Name: Suzaku Akimi

Species: Faunus

Aura: Pinkish-Red

Semblance: Hearts of One

Description: Suzaku can manipulate the minds of others into joining the cause of Satyra. Her brainwashing is permanent, unless she gets hit hard enough to knock her unconscious during her attempts to use it. That will break the brainwashing of anyone she has affected. But so far no one has been able to do so.

Weapon: Heartbreaker

Description: A katana that can use Dust to generate shockwaves