A/N: Before starting the next chapter, I noticed that thanks to my phone's autocorrect and the writer fanfiction has, some words or names tend to be wrong and some sentences has whole words missing, so if you find anything of the above, notify me please. As they say, two pairs of eyes are better than one. Now, let's get the party starting!
A/N2:The chapter will be rewritten,as part of the rewriting project
The Ether Conflict
Chapter 12: Don't Forget Us
Opening her eyes slowly, Miho looks up at the overcast sky, with snowflakes falling slowly to the ground, joining the rest in the snowy field she is currently in. Blinking a few times, she uses her left hand to rub both of her eyes, before sitting up from where she is lying. Everywhere she looks, there is only a snowy plain, not even trees exist. She doesn't feel cold or tired. Standing up, she hits her clothes a bit so that the snow that's stuck on them will fall and looking a bit around she says loudly,"Is anyone here?", but she gets no response. "Hello?", she says loudly, but once again, only silence greets her. Getting a bit worried, she starts walking towards a random direction. "Sister, mother, are you here?", she says a bit louder, fastening her pace as panic slowly settles in her mind. No, I must not panic! I am sure there is a reason why I am in this place. Maybe it's just a dream and I'll wake up soon enough back to the lab, she thinks to herself, her pace slowing as she calms. Looking behind her though, she suddenly sees the wrecks of many tanks and the bodies of highschool girls lying everywhere. There is also a flaming Tiger that seems like it is coming towards her. Instantly panicking, she starts running away from the tank, screaming and crying, the tears hitting the snow that gets crushed under her feet. After a full minute of sprinting,she stops to catch her breath, dropping to her knees as it seems she has pushed herself. Looking at the ground momentarily, she lifts her head to find that she is no longer in a tank graveyard, but in the middle of a plain again. In front of her is a figure, more specifically a black wolf. It stands there motionless, its red eyes peering into Miho's, as if peering straight to her soul. Miho falls to the ground with a scared expression on her face but the wolf is just keeping its gaze on Miho. After a full minute, Miho finally relaxes her body a bit, seeing that the wolf is not a threat, but keeping her guard up just in case.
"I don't suppose you know were we are Mr. Wolf, do you?", Miho says with a smile, standing up.
"Actually I do", a voice answers and the wolf bursts into a black cloud that starts spinning counterclockwise, shaping into the figure of a human. Seeing this, Miho let's out a small yelp of surprise, as she gets startled from what she sees. "Is that all you got?", the figure mocks, before the smoke dissipates to reveal the owner of the voice. It's a woman that looks to be at her late 20s - early 30s, at least 170cm tall, has a well developed body, long black hair and ruby red eyes. Her clothes are a bit questionable, wearing only a black corset that seems to be a tight fit and leaves her bare abdomen to be seen by anyone. She also wears a black miniskirt, red stockings and black high heels. But the most shocking features are the black bat-like wings in her back and the ram-like horns that protrude from her temples. Miho is paralyzed with terror, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. She stumbles backwards, tripping on her own legs and falling to the ground. "Why are you so scared? It's not like am a Demon!", the woman says with a hair-raising sadistic grin. Both of her hands get enveloped in black smoke and when the smoke dissipates, they are covered by two black gauntlets, covered with red lines, that go until just below her elbows. Miho's brain screams at her to start running, but no muscle will budge. "I would suggest you run little lamb", the woman softly exclaims, before disappearing.
Miho instantly gets up and starts running, tears running from her eyes. The woman appears where Miho was sitting and punches the ground, making a crater and throwing snow everywhere. "Good, you must be the first of my masters that dodged one of my attacks", the woman exclaims in genuine praise. Masters? What is she talking about and what is going on here?! I want my mother!, Miho yells inside her head, trying her hardest to not cry but failing. Meanwhile, the woman follows Miho with her gaze, putting her right leg a bit behind her left, bending her knees slightly and arching her back forward, as if she is ready to sprint. A red aura starts to emit from the soles of her heels, snaking up her legs in a counterclockwise fashion. When the aura snakes up to her thighs, she flexes her muscles and literally launches herself towards Miho, creating a huge shockwave behind her. Putting her right arm behind her right shoulder, she clenches her hand into a fist, ready to strike Miho. Miho turns backwards to see where is the woman and she sees a black blur coming towards her. Shifting her body to face the incoming blur, she barely manages to cross her hands in front of her face, before something metallic hits her and launches her at least ten meters horizontally, hitting the snow and barreling for another 20 meters before coming to a stop, facing the overcast sky. She can hear someone walking towards her and when she tries to lift herself, she finds her body too exhausted to do anything. Even breathing seems to be difficult. "I'm genuinely impressed with your resilience. No one has ever survived this strike. You must be a really strong girl, how old are you, six? Though not strong enough to be my master." Grabbing Miho from the neck with her left hand and lifting her in her eye level, she speaks with a smile," Sorry, but this is how things are done in these places. Blame the ones that sent you here. Anyway, lets get done with this thing." She cocks her fist back and her gauntlet slowly gets covered by a red aura. Miho is just too exhausted to even lift her hands, probably because of the extremely powerful punch she received. Sister, mother, please save me!, Miho thinks as she squeezes her eyes, tears running liberally. As the woman goes for the killing strike, a white scythe stops her hand, yanking it sideways. The woman immediately drops Miho and turns to face the wielder of the scythe. "Alvion why the hell did you-", the woman stops mid sentence as she sees who is wielding the scythe. "You are not Alvion. What's your name and where's my sister?", the woman says quietly, her voice filled with hostility.
"You mean this one?", the wielder of the scythe points a few meters behind them, where a figure that also looks like she is in her late 20s - early 30s is lying motionless, breathing laboriously. She has white long hair, bright blue eyes, angel-like wings coming from her back and a halo that floats above her head. Her clothes consist of a white cloak, a white tunic, a white skirt, blue pantyhose and white boots. Above the tunic is a metallic breastplate. Also in the sides of her thighs are tied metal plates for extra protection and her hands are also covered by metallic white gauntlets covered with blue lines.
"You will pay for this you whore!", the black haired woman screams and vanishes out of plain sight, only to reappear behind the girl with the scythe. The girl swiftly ducks, avoiding a punch and spinning clockwise, she hits the woman's leg, causing her to lose her balance and as she is falling the girl kicks her with so much power that she goes flying some one hundred meters away, her landing being marked by snow getting thrown in the air. Miho, using all of her willpower, sits up with great effort, only to see in front of her a tall girl with a scythe looking at her. "Are you okay Miho?", the figure says.
"S-Sakura? W-Wait, what are you doing here?! Isn't this a dream? And why do you look so different?", Miho says sluggishly, feeling like she is about to pass out. Indeed, Sakura has white hair and bright blue eyes, not unlike the ones the woman named Alvion has. "You normally have ginger hair and brown eyes, what happened?", Miho says in a distressed tone.
"It's a really long story. But one thing is sure, this is not a dream. Don't freak out, but...I think we are no longer in our world. Wherever we are, these girls behind us will know.", Sakura says with a very serious face. Helping Miho to stand up, she grabs the scythe with both of her hands and swings it horizontaly in front of her. The sound of steel hitting steel echoes everywhere. Sakura has managed to block a knife slash from the woman, the resulting clash creating a shockwave that lifts Miho off of her feet and throw her once again to the snow-covered ground.
"You are really good little girl!", the woman hisses through gritted teeth.
"Is that why you unseathed your weapon?", Sakura says calmly, having noticed the black dagger the woman is holding in her right hand. Pushing the scythe away from her, the woman jumps back to gain some breathing space and to get ready for her next strike. "If you think you will be able to strike me then come.", Sakura mocks with an emotionless tone. Grabbing the scythe with both hands, she swings it to the ground, the blade getting lodged in it and immediately a dome of semi-transparent blue color is raised around her. The woman launches herself to the blue dome, hitting it with such force that every hit produces a small shockwave. Miho is just sitting on the snow watching the fight, unable to process anything that is happening. To her, everything seems so surreal.
The dome slowly but surely starts to crack, the cracks growing with every hit and with a well placed one it gets fragmented in pieces, the blade piercing through. Sakura sidesteps to avoid the dagger and swinging the scythe horizontaly, she pierces the woman's abdomen. The woman starts coughing huge amounts of blood, grabbing weakly the scythe's poll. "Seems you've lost.", Sakura says calmly. The woman just looks at her, eyes wide open, a sinister grin on her face.
"Spoiler alert kiddo. We are not human beings!", she says, laughing like a maniac. Coating the black dagger in red aura,she thrusts it in Sakura's chest, piercing her left lung and missing her heart by millimeters. Sakura immediately let's the scythe and grabs the woman's hand.
"Easy there. One wrong move and you are dead." The woman rips the scythe out of her abdomen and throws it back at her sister, who is slowly rising. Miho is just watching, wanting to help her friend, but fear holding her down. What can I do, what can I do, what can I do?!, she thinks again and again, but she can't find an answer. I need to do something!, she yells inside her head. In the meantime, Alvion is finally standing up, holding her scythe with her right hand, walking towards her sister and Sakura. "Can't handle a teenage girl Alvion?", Alvion's sister says in a mocking tone.
"Silence Elvion. I was just caught off guard. Even you had to unseath your weapon,hm?Who is this little girl?", Alvion says in a sweet voice, pointing at Miho.
"My supposed master. She actually fared better than the previous, but she wasn't strong enough.", Elvion says in a neutral tone, still keeping her dagger inside Sakura. Sakura's breathing is getting more laborious by the minute, as blood starts filling her punctured lung.
"And what are you going to do with her?", Alvion asks, earning a rather creepy face from her sister. "Very well, do as you please.", she responds back, stopping in front of Sakura. Elvion pulls out the knife and the ginger haired girl falls to her knees, covering the entry wound with her right hand and coughing even more blood. "Any last words?", the white haired woman asks, placing her scythe in the base of Sakura's neck.
Sakura, her hair and eye color having reverted back to normal, just looks to Miho with teary eyes and a sincere smile. "Sorry Miho, looks like you will be alone from now on...just make sure you don't forget us", Sakura says with a soothing voice.
Alvion swings her scythe and decapitates the teenage girl, the blade of the scythe passing cleanly through the neck. As the head falls to the ground, blood starts squirting everywhere, painting the snow red. Miho is crying, her head buried in her hands, the tears passing through the space between her fingers. She feels sadness, guilt, remorse, fear, but most of all she feels angry, really angry. With tears still flowing down her cheeks, she stands up, a hunger for revenge growing inside her chest. As both Elvion and Alvion turn to face her, they see the air around Miho pulsing outwards, the ground cracking from the invisible pressure. Miho's hair gradually change color from brown to black and her eyes to red. Besides her materializes a black wolf with sinister red eyes. Before any of the sisters can say anything, the wolf flash steps behind Alvion and bites her on her right shoulder, forcing her to leave her scythe fall on the ground and try grab the wolf's body, who keeps flailing around, trying to rip a chunk of his prey's meat and breastplate. Elvion tries to help, but she feels something wrapping around her neck and pulling her down. Looking down, she sees Miho tightening her grip on her throat, physically chocking her. Spinning her around herself, Miho throws Elvion into Alvion, who had just managed to get rid of the wolf by snapping his neck. Hitting Alvion, both sisters go barreling across the snowy ground for about 10 meters before stopping. Miho is slowly walking towards them, another black wolf on her side, growling and showing his teeth. Miho and the wolf start appearing and dissappearing in view and soon, the whole landscape starts shifting from a snowy plain to an underground laboratory. The wolf starts running to Alvion with the intent of ripping her throat in pieces, but before he can strike, the whole space changes to the underground laboratory, the wolf hitting a wall and breaking it in the process, visible cracks covering the concrete.
"Excellent, we got the results we wanted Subject 23, you can go back to your room.", a voice says through the intercom of the underground lab.
"Doctor Mannheim, you have pushed the girl too far, sending her in that place and causing one of the other subjects' death is unethical! How many girls have you sent in that living hell, only to get slaughtered?!", another voice yells, definitely belonging to an old man.
"As long as we have results, nothing is unethical Doctor Azarin. And may I remind you who is the head scientist of this project?", Dr. Mannheim says with an arrogant tone. Miho is standing quietly in front of the room's exit door, that resembles more of a bunker door. Gazing at it she whispers, "Hunt", and the wolf brings the door down, actually bending the 40mm thick steel door, before exiting the room and hunting everyone he sees. Alarms go off as blood is splattered everywhere from the ripped throats the wolf has bitten. Miho walks slowly out of the room and everything becomes black.
Miho opens slowly her eyes, gazing at the ceiling of her room. She stays like that for a full minute, wondering what she has just seen. Was it a dream? But it felt too real. Perhaps a memory? But then again, why would she forget something like that? And who was this girl, Sakura? So many questions and no answers. Sighing lightly, she clears her mind of any questions she might have. Looking around, she sees her sister sitting in a plastic chair next to the bed, sleeping but keeping her stoic expression. Oh, that's right, I fainted. Maybe it was from fatigue? Everyone must have been too worried. Trying to sit up and get out of the bed, she finds that something heavy is anchoring her in place. Looking at her lower half, she sees both Yuki and Yukari laying over the sheets, pinning her on the bed. Those two never learn,she thinks, a subtle smile forming in her face. She gently puts her right hand in Yuki's head, caressing her black hair. Yuki fidgets a little in her place, a smile forming in her face. As if she wasn't sleeping, Yukari pouts, grabbing Miho's left hand and placing it on her own head, before she too starts smiling and murmuring incomprehensible things. Of course Yukari wouldn't want to be left out, Miho giggles silently at her best friends behavior. This continues for about five minutes, the silence that hangs in the air actually being really nice, enabling Miho to short out her thoughts. Suddenly the door gets kicked open, by a certain blond girl with light purple eyes.
"Rise and shine everyone, time for breakfast!", Odysseus yells. Yuki and Yukari jump from the sudden yell like spooked cats, immediately hugging Miho and almost chocking her. Maho instantly stands up and turns to face the owner of this loud voice. "Good morning everyone!", she says cheerfully, carrying a tray which has food. "Miho has woken up?", she asks, noticing the flailing arms beneath the bodies of Yuki and Yukari. Both girls get up from Miho, who gasps for some fresh air. Maho is glaring at both girls with a serious expression, who avoid her gaze and look at the side while smiling awkwardly. "Anyway, here is the food, I'm gonna call the others." She hands Maho the tray with the food and starts running to find the others, with voices yelling at her not to run in the hallways.
"This girl, I wonder if she was behaving like that when she was at St. Gloriana. ", Maho murmurs, wondering how she got accepted but then remembering she faked her transfer. Handing the tray to Miho, to indirectly make her stay in bed, she grabs the plastic chair that fell from her sudden movement and sets it next to the bed, before sitting down. "Good morning Miho, how was your sleep?", she asks, a subtle smile on her face. By now, Yuki and Yukari have also settled down, sitting at the edge of Miho's bed.
Thinking that it's better not to reveal the strange dream she had, she puts a smile on her face before speaking. "Fine, but how did I get here? The last thing I remember was listening to Odysseus's story and then everything becomes fuzzy."
"You...you collapsed after hearing the Director saying that he had information concerning our mother.", Maho responds reluctantly. Miho's smile slowly gets replaced by a sad expression.
"Oh, yeah...now I remember...sorry if I made you worry", she says, a sad smile on her face.
"Don't worry miss Nishizumi, I'm sure your mother is okay!", Yukari says cheerfully.
"Yeah, she is probably looking for you too!", Yuki pipes in, not wanting to be outdone.
"Hey, don't try to steal miss Nishizumi from me!", Yukari raises her voice, glaring at the black haired girl.
"Same to you fluffball!", Yuki says back, also glaring at Yukari. Both Nishizumi sisters sweatdrop at the death glares that are exchanged between the girls.
"Seems that both of them swing the other way", a sleepy voice says, causing both girls to instantly get red from embarrassment. In the door stand the rest of the Anglerfish team.
"Miho, you finally woke up! We were really worried you know!", Saori scolds Miho lightly. Hana just smiles brightly at her friend, glad that she has finally awakened. Behind them stands Reiji and Tyler. "Good morning commander Nishizumi", Reiji says, even making a short bow.
"Morning", Tyler says simply, lifting his left hand as a form of greeting.
"Where is Annabelle?", Miho asks, noticing that the red-haired girl is not with her teammates.
"They should be here at any moment", Reiji says, looking at his wristwatch.
"Let me go to sleep!", a voice is heard yelling and soon enough, Odysseus can be seen physically dragging Annabelle from her feet inside Miho's room.
"Come on you sloth, you need to see how your friend is doing!", Odysseus says between her breaths, trying to drag Annabelle who is clinging to any surface she finds.
"No, I want to go to sleep!", Annabelle yells. Everyone is dumbfounded at Annabelle's childish behavior, except for Tyler, Reiji and surprisingly Mako, who has the "I know the feeling" expression.
"Shut up and just stand up you big baby", Odysseus says, lifting Annabelle and placing her in front of Miho.
"How have you been Miho? You seem okay.", she says in a voice like she is about to die. Turning to face Odysseus she asks in an even more tired voice, "Can I go to sleep now?" Odysseus slaps Annabelle's head lightly in response, earning a cute pouty face from her. "You are a bully Odysseus", she whines softly.
"Yeah, tell me something I don't know already.",she says nonchalantly. "Oh, that's right, almost forgot about it!", Odysseus says loudly, but more to herself, before exiting the room and coming back with a small crate. "Actually, the snakes got some things from your home".
"From home?", Miho asks with a surprised tone.
"Yes. The information they uncovered about our mother, they found it on our home", Maho says softly to her sister.
Placing the crate down and opening it, she starts pulling different objects from inside. A game console, some pictures, a boko doll, a Panzerfaust and one of Vin's explosives.
"God dammit Vin, you want to blow us up?", Odysseus murmurs as she grabs the explosive and hurls it through the open window.
"You damn lunatic, do you want to kill people so badly?!", Tyler yells, seeing the explosive going through the window and down the building. A small explosion is heard, people shouting and running all over the place. Everyone looks at Odysseus who has a blank expression.
"I blame Vin, he put it in there", she says, checking the crate to see if there is anything else inside but finding it empty.
"Hey girls, what are you all doing here?", a voice is heard from the door. Turning to see who talked, Luminous stands in the door, looking at Odysseus who has placed everything the crate had in front of it.
"Hey Luminous, we are here to check on Miho", Tyler responds.
"Do you know this girl?", Maho asks her sister quietly, in which Miho moves her head negatively.
"Something happened to her?", the platinum haired woman asks in a curious tone.
"Just fainted due to stress and fatigue", Odysseus answers, putting everything she has pulled out of the crate back inside and leaving it next to the door.
"Well, good to see she is back up and running. By the way, my name's Luminous, I'm member of the Black Mambas. And you have been asked to come to conference room 2C. The rest of the commanders are waiting there.",she reports and walks away.
"Seems the meeting is about to begin. We better get going". Miho gets off the bed, before noticing that she is in her pajamas. "Umm, who changed my clothes?", she says slowly, eyeing everyone to see their reactions.
"So...does anyone know where the conference room is?", Tyler quickly says, wanting to change the subject. Saori instantly grabs his left hand and starts dragging him out of the room.
"I'll show you!", she says, before continuing speaking about relationships and boys, Tyler already having a face filled with despair.
"She is so obvious...", Mako says bluntly, exiting the room with Hana who is giggling in amusement.
"We'll be waiting for you in the conference room!", Yukari says, before exiting the room and following the others.
"Come on sleepyhead, we have a conference to attend!". Odysseus lifts Annabelle with both of her arms and starts running to the conference room, Annabelle having a neutral expression as if this is normal for her.
"This girl", Reiji sighs loudly, walking after the blond commander.
"Well, have fun you two. Talk to you later Miho.", Yuki says, closing the door as she exits. Silence fills the room as the two sisters stare each other.
"So...where you the one that changed my clothes?", Miho asks slowly, having sat at the bed, across her sister.
"Yes", Maho answers back with a neutral expression.
"Thank goodness, it would be pretty embarrassing if the girls saw me in my underwear.", Miho blushes at the thought of her friends seeing her in her underwear.
"Indeed. Though I have to ask, since when did you start wearing such intimate ones? Is there something or someone you are keeping secret from your big sister?", she teases her younger sister, giggling a little at Miho's reaction. Miho's face is as red as Annabelle's hair.
"Wh-wh-what d-do you mean i-intimate?! And I'm not hiding anything f-from you!", Miho stutters, unable to keep her embarrassment under control.
"Sorry, but I felt like teasing you", she says with an apologetic smile. "Better go and change or we will be late".
"Ah, yes!" She grabs her uniform and rushes into the bathroom to change.
"Though I have to say, black suits you well."
"Sister!", Miho cries out, earning another giggle from her older sister.
A/N: And there goes our little flashback of the past. Lots of unanswered questions once again, like, who were these girls that Miho saw? And what about Sakura? Only time will tell. Also, a small update, I might actually be in radio silence for a bit, having exams in university is really hard. Especially for the profession I have chosen. Anyway, as always, suggestions, questions, corrections, reviews or PMs are greatly appreciated. Also, English isn't my native tongue, so expect some grammatical errors here and there. If you found the story interesting and had a great time, favorite and follow. Have a nice day/night and until the next chapter, stay safe!