It had been years since the legendary thug saw these posters around the city. To describe it as crude was putting it lightly. Though she was once a crime lord, the lack of morality from Millennium when they waged this full scale propaganda campaign against Hyakkiyako's school was far more evil than anything she could imagine. She had a big imagination but this dug into the deep side of the human psyche–calling upon the vile side within.
TOTAL NINJA DEATH!
She couldn't believe the posters returned to the city alley's walls. Pictured were crude images of Hyakkiyako students being decapitated or hung over the gallows, and before it used to be Rio standing in the background watching the execution unfold, normally with a thumbs up or some other approving gesture. The image was ingrained in her mind, she could spot the differences from miles away if need be. So…
Why is it this time a caricature of a girl with brown hair and blue eyes was watching over the total ninja death? She never saw a student that had that look, dressed like a doll in a frilly dress rather than any of the school's uniforms.
Looking around, the Cat Thug made sure there weren't any passing students or mechanical adults around then ripped down the poster. She crushed it up and tossed it deeper into the alley, then moved along to emerge on the other side of the open streets only to find more plastered everywhere. On store fronts, advertised outside coffee shops, people conversating cheerfully about total genocide of Hyakkiyako. Seeming the propaganda took over night and cemented itself in public consciousness within hours. A black truck with Millennium's symbol on the trailer was parked nearby on the road, and Chihiro of Veritas was communicating with someone on the phone. The cat thug eavesdropped for a time.
"The sky is still normal but energy signatures are rising to new levels. Can you contact the Engineering Department to haul in guard bots? I have a feeling it will appear any day now."
Then her face changed to one of confusion. "They're… building something for Noa? So she intends to finish building the weapon to stop Alter Code: F, I can't blame her for getting plan B started. We don't have many chances to succeed."
Techno garbo to the Cat Thug who was unaware of what their plans entailed, but these posters were their school's doing. She stomped over to Chihiro and nabbed her arm. A fang showed as she exclaimed, "Hey four eyes! What's the deal with the posters all about?!"
"Huh?!" Chihiro hung up her call before any more information could be leaked. She nudged the thug away before replying, "Dude, I don't know! It wasn't us who put up these posters this time, our hands are clean of this mess."
The Cat Thug grimaced. "How am I supposed to believe you when Millennium's fingers were behind this before? What explains this truck here eh?" She knocked on the black trailer with a fist.
Chihiro placed her hands in her pockets, averting her eyes towards something else. "Delivering suppliesーHey look isn't that one of your Trinity friends over there?" Pointing to the lavender uniformed vigilante of justice struggling to climb up the side of a building's pipe, reaching for a poster placed high above. From a distance, one could tell she wasn't going to reach it but she still tried her best! The pipe rattled, it creaked, then snapped from the weight. The Cat Thug ran trying to catch her but it was too late, and an awful crack sound was the loudest among the metal clattering against the pavement.
"Reisa!" The Cat Thug hesitated to touch the girl curled up and holding her bloodied head. Personally she was squeamish towards unsightly blood and had to look away from Reisa whimpering. Reisa didn't cry though, she promised to herself to never do so since heroes never cry. The Cat Thug wouldn't fault her for breaking that vow now since the fall was long and the wound was dangerous enough to warrant immediate attention.
After the pain subsided a little, Reisa sat up and rubbed her eyes like she just woke up. "Did someone say my name..?"
The Cat Thug lowered her hood and grasped the lavender student's shoulders. "Reisa, what were you doing up there?! Are you okay?"
Reisa looked at the cat-eared girl strangely before turning to point to the rooftop. "I think I was chasing something up there then I fell. That's… pretty clumsy of me." She stood up and brushed her clothing down.
Something wasn't right about the way she talked. "Thanks for picking me up but I think I'll be fine. Just a bit of lightheadedness and a bruie. Err… What's your name?"
"..." An awful dread over took the cat thug.
"Sorry, I didn't know that was a sore question..." Reisa backed away from her. "I'll be going to see a doctor now. Bye!"
"W-w-wait!" The Cat Thug's voice cracked and she wanted to chase her down but just couldn't. Doom kept her paralyzed and all she could do was watch the lavender student go ever more distant.
Chihiro had seen so much change occur that this was just another story to add to the records. It was not something that pleased her, neither was total ninja death or alter code. Her world, the world, kept getting worse.
The truck door opened and Hare leaped out. Upon hearing her, Chihiro scratched her head. "I need a smoke."
"Falling back into old habits? You know better than to return to Rio's vices."
"I had a taste and now I wish to forget. Just like her…"
"Everything seems to be going on the upswing, Sensei."
"I won't relax quite yet…"
Arona stroked his hair, again he lied in her lap on the classroom floor slowly drifting away to sleep. She did her best to make his grief easier to bear but as an A.I there was only so much she could do to influence him, and the dreams that brought him here only allowed a short time to discuss. Arona wanted to make the most of it but Sariel was silent for the most part.
"Look at this drawing I made of us together!" She took a sketch book lying by her side and flipped to a crude drawing of herself and Sariel doing… something. He didn't care enough to listen to her lengthy explanation about whatever they were doing at the beach.
Noticing his eyelids weighing heavy, she smiled brightly. "Good morning!" She always said that as her farewell.
Good morning…
The phrase repeated and distorted as he was slowly brought back to reality. Good morning. Arona's voice was ingrained in his mind but it seemed to shift tones.
"Good morning."
Sariel sat up and rubbed the blur from his eyes. His sights moved over to an unlikely face, Kaya, bringing him a cup of coffee to share.
But why..? "Why are you here?"
Kaya squinted open her eyes. "Oh? My apologies for waking you up early but understand that I'm depending greatly on you. I need you in perfect condition to defend yourself. You were already ambushed by Hyakkiyako's ninjas once."
"How do you know that?" Sariel blankly stared at her.
"Your assistants, Serina and Mine, reported it to me." Kaya held out the cup once more. "You living is my biggest concern, unfortunately. While I am a member of GSC, I don't hold the authority to pull students from their schools like you can. Well, I can but…"
Sariel took the mug but didn't have any intention of drinking potential poison. "I don't like the way you phrase it. Don't forget you're relying on me. I can remove you from my plans just as easily as I let you in."
Kaya knotted her brows despite her flustered and reddened cheeks. "Likewise..! But I digress. Now drink it already. I want to know if it's to your liking."
Her insistence made him more suspicious. He swallowed his worries knowing that if she tried to pull any fast ones here then she'd be in for a world of hurt. Mine would chase her endlessly as revenge sabotage.
He pressed the mug to his lips taking a small sipーthen raised the mug to swallow a huge gulp, burning his throat and the roof of his mouth. The rest he spat back into the cup and coughed a fit.
"Whaー!" Kaya exclaimed and took the cup before he could drop it. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
"It's… Your fault." He said in between a cough. She returned a pout and stood up to leave.
"Ugh… Prepare yourself, we'll be departing for Trinity soon. And for the record, Miss GSC president loves the coffee I make." She took a sip specifically where Sariel put his lips on the mug before leaving.
A weird way to depart…
While his morning was being ruined, the students in Afternoon Sabotage were gathered in Schale office's hangar. A wide room with grey flooring and walls to contrast the bright white interior the rest of the building had. Despite being a hangar for tanks, helicopters, and the like, the room was cleared empty of most of its supplies and what was left were empty crates. However on these crates were wrapped packages donated by Momoka and Rin, if the name tagged weren't forged. They didn't seem to be, Yukino knew a lot about Schale's staff thanks to Kaya. Momoka and Rin had a certain way of showing their regards and the weapons Schale held weren't available to buy anywhere.
Yukino inspected these rare guns while her pink friend Niko was admiring her kimono and short skirt outfit on a mirror leaning on a row of lockers. The team present all wore a variety of red colored kimonos, one of the main colors Hyakkiyako students saw themselves in. The sash around Yukino's stomach was tightly fit and the wide sleeves often got in her way when she was inspecting the weapons. An annoyance for sure, and she hoped it wasn't going to get in the way in combat.
Niko spun around to the nurses who bore a nervous frown. "Come on, what's the matter?" She said while strutting towards them.
Hanae pressed her fingers together. "I don't think we're supposed to be touching those guns."
"It's fine!" Niko moved between them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. "Kaya gave us the green light to ready our arsenal. Let us use this as an ice breaker to get to know each other since we're on a team now. I'm Niko, a student of SRT. Over there is Yukino, she was the leader of our squad… When the others were still alive."
"What happened?" Serina asked but it was obvious.
"We tried to infiltrate and kill Hyakkiyako Sensei on Kaya's orders. The operation failed disastrously. Only Yukino and I managed to escape being thrown into cells." Niko tapped her chin playfully but couldn't hide tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "That's it really."
"I'm sorry to hear." Serina said.
"Don't be sorry. I'm fine telling others." She wiped her eyes and dawned a smile before poking the nurse's nose. "Tell me about how you got that scar."
Hanae furrowed her brows. "So I'm not just seeing things. Serina you lie!"
Serina waved her hands rapidly. "I-it's temporary! It'll go away sooner or later."
"So how did you meet Sariel?" Niko's ear twitched as she asked.
"I uh…" As embarrassing as it was to admit, she blushed. "I was watching his movements from afar after he defeated Wakamo. I wasn't stalking him or anythingーjust making sure he was okay. He wasn't aware of my presence until he was caught in an explosion, then I saved his life before his body fell apart."
The mouthful story made even Yukino give a weird glance. Thankfully Kaya entered the scene, wearing a kimono and skirt as well, and a fox mask wrapped around her head. "Are you finished up? Sensei is ready to depart."
The girls collectively nodded and joined Kaya on their way out.
"Peace…" Natsu said.
"...Or sweets." Said Natsu.
"That is the question." She held up a cupcake that was the focal point of her perception. In the background was a blurry crowd, and looking past the confection she saw Sariel leading a mixed group of students.
"Hey Natsu, look at that!" Airi tapped her companion's shoulder and aimed her finger towards Kayoko then Hifumi then Kaya. "It's like the Eden Treaty all over again! But Nagisa is the only one able to respond to them. But he can't respond. Should we get Mika?"
"No… A new peace is coming. Gehenna and Trinity students are joining the birthday party hand in hand, and together they will eat cake." Natsu then ate the cupcake whole.
Airi brushed her chin remarking, "Sweet…"
Sariel found himself again in the pristine white hall leading to Nagisa's terrance. Everytime he ventured here he stopped to marvel in awe of the grand roman architecture that gave a feeling of reaching Heaven's gate. With such a large group of students following him, it seemed more like an invasion at the gates. Sariel had the key however, looking over to Hifumi, she responded in kind with a confident head nod and smile. But looking ahead, Mine would be there at the doors holding her shotgun close.
Sariel stepped closer with only his footsteps filling the serenity. "I'm going to see Nagisa."
"I cannot permit you to." Mine set her sights on Hifumi. "But you're an exception, Hifumi."
"As your leader I order you to step aside." Sariel said with the swipe of his arm.
Mine bore a frown. "Please understand that Nagisa's health and safety supersedes your sabotage. Though I called for your help, there are some things I just cannot allow. Girls!" She exclaimed. Hanae and Serina looked at each other and reluctantly walked to Mine's side. They didn't raise their weapons but Mine did.
"That door looks like glass, I can easily blow it up."
Hifumi grabbed Mutsuki's arm. "N-no! We don't have to fight!"
"Even we're less strict than this. Come on, let's see the coward behind those doors. That wimp eventually needs to answer, right?"
Kayoko grabbed Chinatsu's shoulder. "Relax. I would rather not sabotage the neutrality we have with Trinity."
A sweat leaked down Sariel's forehead. The students behind him were getting rather antagonistic and worse yet, the two girls entrusted to him had turned sides. A gunfight here would only end in disaster and his true enemy wasn't Nagisa Sensei. The only option, he figured, was to leave and fight Hyakkiyako Sensei with his own leadership.
"..!" Mine flinched upon hearing the grand doors crack open. The first and only time Sariel would see pure and utter shock on the stoic nurse's face.
A blinding light shined from the crack before it fully opened blinding Sariel in this white light. What was the need for such a holy intro when confetti could've done the job without searing his eyesight.
Sariel lowered his arm and there stood Nagisa Sensei finally free from his self made prison. But he looked at the crowd of students with utter confusion. "..."
"Gah!" He scrambled to the edge of the door curling up into a ball. "T-too many people!"
"Nagisa, are you ok-"
"Nagisa!" Hifumi interjected and ran to her beloved Sensei's side. Upon hearing her voice all his anxiety vanished in an instant and like distant lovers they rejoined in arms. "Hifumi-chan!"
It was love, but like, weird. Nagisa Sensei had a long tongue and licked Hifumi's face like a dog and she found it ticklish which led her to giggling and snorting grossly.
"I wish Sensei did that to me." Hina commented.
Kayoko sighed. "You don't…"
"This is so cute! Hifumi is so cute!" Aru cheered.
Mutsuki shot her a glare. "You find this cute..?"
Rushing footsteps from behind took their attention and turning around they saw Hanako and Koharu coming to a slow stop. Out of breath, Hanako said "You can't… see…" she stopped to grip her knees while Koharu fell on her knees panting.
"Perfect that everyone is here." Sariel said loudly, fed up with the amusement and pretensions to his plan. He offered his hand to Nagisa Sensei. "I brought my sabotage club here to request your help in sabotaging Hyakkiyako Sensei and bringing his assassinations to a close. Though my club has grown big, I can't lead them alone. So Nagisa Sensei, what do you say?"
"I was always envious of everyone's bravery in my stead. I could never muster the strength to stand up for myself. But when I saw you that day, I felt like something changed inside of me. I was always worrying about you and where your sabotage led you." Nagisa reached out and grasped Sariel's hand, cementing the cooperation between senseis. "I have to stand up for you. I believe you can change Kivotos to what it was rather than what it should be."
"Then it's settled. Hyakkiyako is hosting a masquerade party soon and that'll be our opportunity to infiltrate and sabotage. This plan of mine will be the ultimate sabotage. I called this operation; faith."
A/N: sorry. stuff happened and depressed got the best of me. i think ill be okay.
the new pv has me excited and im interested in the white phantom thief, akira. apparently shes one of the seven prisoners. shes very cute and i want to include her in this story sometime in the future.