Everyone was genderbent.
Waking up with a pain splitting headache that shot up the neck and deep into her skull, the leader of team MACE gave off a muffled groan while shifting around. After having fought what was basically a human Grimm, the entire team was exhausted. Especially their leader, who began to grow restless.
"Ngh... what... agh..." The leader of team MACE sat up with a groan, the thick, soft blanket falling down onto the mattress below. "What's... that smell?"
"It's some weird natural candle Elliot wanted to burn, Kikan." A slightly high male voice uttered, showing signs that they hadn't hit puberty yet.
"Elliot... Kikan...?" The leader mumbled quietly.
"Uh, yeah?" A lower male voice spoke. She could hear the quiet sounds of someone cleaning an air-compressed rifle. "That's been my name since I was born. You too. Did you get hit in the head that hard during practice for the tournament?"
"What do you mean... who the hell are-" Stopping in mid sentence, the leader of team MACE's eyes opened, glanced down at the bare torso beneath. Slowly, a pair of hands cupped around her chest where a pair of breast should have been. "What-?!" Cutting off again at the sound of a much deeper voice taking place of a usually feminine one.
"Hey, Chris, go get Kikan a glass of water. I think he's had some weird dream or something?" Another, much softer, male voice spoke up.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Chelton." The higher voice complained, followed by the pitter patter of footsteps.
As the voices filled the room, Kagami... or more so Kikan stared at his bare chest, eyes filled with confusion. He slowly moved his hands around, trailing across the grooves that made up his abs. "What... the hell...?" He muttered to himself, eyes shifting from his torso to his well-built arms. "What in Oum...?" He twisted his arm around, eyes widening as he stared at his upper arm.
He quickly looked up, glancing around the room which somehow was a dorm in Beacon Academy. Better yet, all the beds were evenly spaced out across the floor rather than all being stacked on top of one another. "How in the world did..." He blinked once, eyes immediately growing even wider as he saw the three others in the room.
At a desk, a young teenager with shaggy light brown hair and antlers was leaning on his left hand, glancing back at him with raised eyebrows. He was dressed in a white shirt with a pair of dark khakis, underneath his arms a piece of paper with a drawing on it. "Kikan, you feeling okay?" He asked in soft and tender tone. His voice reflecting to his strong yet toned down body.
"I-" The leader of team MACE went to speak, only to quickly go silent at a darker short haired male sitting on the floor in a pair of camouflage boxers and a white sleeveless shirt. His arms were tanned from hours working under the sun and flexed with even the slightest movements. In his lap was a gun that was easily recognizable. "I um-" He couldn't find the words to speak as the other brown haired boy tilted his head to the side.
"Dude, you look paler than usual." A red haired, younger boy walked in from the bathroom, holding a small glass of water. He was much shorter than the rest of them, and his arm muscles weren't nearly as developed as his teammates, much like how his voice was higher pitched. What was most notable was his hair though. It was greasy and long on one side while shaved off on the left side as he wore a green spiked choker in blacked ripped shirt with red underneath and dark green pants that were roughed up.
Taking several deep breaths, Kikan glanced between the three others before sharply inhaling. In a blur of green, he was suddenly in the bathroom, door locked behind him. "What... what in Oum's name is happening?" He panted, hands resting on the counter as he stared into the sink. He slowly looked up, his tea green eyes locking with the reflection in the mirror. Gulping, he slowly ran his hand through his hair which was cut just a little bit longer than the dark brown haired boy. "Oh hell no." He let out a huff of air, looking down. "Why... whay... why is... everyone a guy?" He groaned, shaking his head.
Suddenly, he popped his head upward, blinking rapidly. "Everyone... is a guy." He slowly nodded, looking down at the green joggers he was wearing. He glanced around a bit before grabbing the waistline. "I mean... I might as well at least look before i figure this out..." He slowly pulled on the elastic, blinking a few times as his head tilted to the side. "Huh." Seemed to be all that escaped his mouth. "It's not as exciting as I thought."
A few minutes later, Kikan was quickly walking down the halls of Beacon's dorm with shaky breaths. He was wearing a pair of black pants and a green hoodie with the sleeves torn off and the Monomane crest on the back along with a long sleeve black shirt underneath. "This... this is pure madness. I need to figure out what's going on. Come on Kagami. Think." He mumbled, groaning as he rubbed his hands against his face.
"Kagami?" A soft female voice spoke.
There was then another voice, much similar. "Kikan, are you okay?"
"Do you need us to take you back to your dorm." A third very soft feminine voice asked.
Kikan froze in his footsteps, not even daring to look behind himself at the three speaking. "Dear Lord Oum and Dark Oum no..." His voice rose a bit before cracking.
"Hey, Fiddy, does he seem okay to you?" The first asked.
Like on cue, the second followed. "I don't know. What do you think, Fiffy?"
"He does seem a bit tense, Praccy." The third nodded in agreement.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." The jaded haired boy quickly shook his head around. "Please no. No, no, no." He whined softly, his jaw clenched as he slowly turned his head to look behind him. There, he saw three identical girls. Each incredibly skinny yet tall while wearing Haven's uniform a size too small that showed off their curves. He let out another soft whine, watching them each flip their dirty blonde hair a second after the last.
"What's the problem?" Smiling, the eldest sister put her hand under her chin.
The middle moving her hands behind her back. "You know we are VERY good at calming and relieving stress."
"Mathews would definitely agree with that." The younger added with a wave of her hand and a wink.
Kikan's eye twitched slowly before a low and soft male voice startled him from the opposite direction he was looking.
"What would I agree to?" His voice was filled with sass as he crossed his arms over his male Haven uniform. His hair a light brown and shaggy just like the deer Faunus.
At that, Kikan lost it. The world shattering around him as he let out a scream, bolting away and down the halls into what felt like a never ending void until he found himself walking the streets."Oh my Oum... I've gone completely insane." He panted, having no idea how much worse it was about to get.
"Kikan? What are you doing out here?" Another male voice echoed behind him, making his breath hitch before he groaned. As he turned around, he saw a orange haired man in Atlas armor and a sword at his side.
"Oh please no more..." He whispered to himself.
"Hey! Julius!" A redhead young man shouted, quickly running up behind him in red and golden armor. "We need to find- Oh. Kikan?" He blinked, his heavy sword swaying at his side.
"Quiet! Jesse!" The captain snapped, eyes adverting back to Kikan. "Okay, that's not the issue. There are these two criminals running around. Have you seen them?"
"I-I... I uh..." He couldn't even find the words to speak, his body trembling as he slowly looked across the street. There, he spotted a long purple haired woman in what could only be described as a strippers outfit colored lavender and a short blonde boy with wicked growing in his red eyes and a well fitted red tuxedo.
"Jesse! There!" The orange haired man shouted, pointed across the street.
The redhead quickly reached for his sword, running after. "Denise Ysus and Eros Sin! Freeze or we will use brute force!" He snapped.
Slowly stepping away with wide eyes, Kikan began to hyperventilate. "Holy hell... holy freaking bloody hell..." He shook his head before flinching at footsteps behind him.
"Hehe, finally found you." Back in an alleyway, a purple haired young man that was well built grinned, cracking his knuckles. His muscles flexing underneath a tight purple shirt and black pants. "It's about time I get to beat your ass."
"Hush, hush, hush, Thanatos." A soft and gentle female voice rose from the shadows, out walking a long blue haired girl shorter than the male next to. "Valerius wanted her alive. Do YOU want to face his wrath again." She has on a dark blue skirt with black leggings and white top with a red collar.
Shivering some, the taller shook his shoulders. "No way. The pink haired maniac is the sole reason real men wear pink. He could crush anyone with that bow and arrow. Not to mention that relentless strength underneath all that leather and clothing, Nihilus."
Groaning, Kikan reached up to rub his face harder as he shook his head around. "Why is she stilled named Nihilus after all this?!" He cried out. "Is that name seriously gender neutral?!" He screamed louder, hunching his body over as he curled his head inward. "Someone just tell me what the hell is going on!"
Panting heavily, the leader of team MACE jerked upward again. This time, pain shooting through the chest and deep inside the core. Letting out a groan, light filled the terribly confused pale green eyes as they glanced around. Seeing nothing more than a bunk in Julius Caesar's control along with seven DVDs spread about across the floor next to a television screen projector.
Letting out a huff of air, Kagami reached up to rub her face slowly. "Nothing... but some crazy dream." She sighed, shaking her head as she shifted around. Her body was still aching like mad from the fight with Valentine. She then glanced over, seeing Elise sound asleep while sitting on the floor and leaning next to the bed. One of her arms was stretched out across the mattress as her ponytail had several loose hairs.
She rolled her eyes at that, letting out a small sigh as she brace her palms against the blanket and moved her legs off the other edge of the bed with a muffled groan. She tried not to strain her chest, but with that sort of twisting movement it was difficult not to. She slowly inhaled, her head rolling back along with her shoulders as she shut her eyes. "Oum, if I never have a dream like that again it will be too soon..." She sighed, her body relaxing as she slowly stood up.
"Come on, Elise, you can't sleep on the floor..." She cringed slightly, walking around the bed towards where her teammate was. Pausing once she got there, she raised her arm over her mouth, coughing a few times while wincing at the cough that irritated her chest further. "Agh..." She groaned. "I'm sick AND hurt. By the gods, Baren would have a freaking field day with me..." She uttered quietly under her breath, kneeling down as she slowly slid her arm underneath the brunet.
Shifting around as she felt a blanket being placed over her, Elise let out a small and very hushed groan. With half her face pressed against a pillow, her shoulders slowly burrowed their way underneath a blanket as she curled up. Her green eyes slowly flickered open, strands of her brown hair falling across her vision. "Ka...gami...?" The name barely escaped her mouth as she watched her leader walk over towards a container with a post it note stuck on the type. She let out a huff of air, her head curling up as her eyes shut once again.
The jadette blinked, glancing back just in time to catch her teammate falling to sleep on the lower bunk. She faintly smiled, turning her head back around towards the container. She reached out, snatching up the post it note that read: Nilly made venison soup for you. He said he didn't want to write a note so I did! P.S. He makes the BEST food. -T
She rolled her eyes at that, setting the note aside before brushing her green colored hair behind her ear. "Those twins really aren't that bad." She muttered to herself, wincing slightly as she sat down on a chair. "Not really hero type either... but maybe the title anti-hero..." She smirked, taking the container of soup in her hands. It was still slightly warm, making her realize it hadn't been too long since Nihilus or his sister dropped it off.
As the lid popped off, a sudden burst of incredible sense of flavor shot through Kagami's nostrils. The sensation quickly forcing her mouth to water as she exhaled deeply, her shoulders rolling back as she slouched. "That... smells absolutely amazing." She licked her lips as she raised the rim of the container to her mouth, sipping at the broth with a relaxing huff of air. "And it taste just as you think..." The corners of her mouth raised a bit more, her eyes glazing over and softening as she raised her hands up.
The following morning, team MACE was sitting at their usual table in Julia's mess hall, her soldiers all eating around them. Pots and pans clanging softly in the distance as an uproar of talking and bustling filled the air as everyone tried to eat as quickly as they could.
"So, you're feeling better?" Cheyenne asked, putting a spoonful of cereal into her mouth with a crunch. She quickly swallowed, her eyes shutting for a split second before opening. "You were out for nearly thirty six hours. That's a lot of rest."
"Yeah." Kagami nodded back slowly, eating the leftovers of the deer stew. Though, she didn't let her Faunus friend see her taking bites of the meat. She couldn't do that of all things. "My chest still feels sore, and I woke up last night sweating, and I don't think I have a fever anymore. Especially after drinking that broth."
"I can second that stuff being really good." Elise raised a hand, half a pork chop hanging from the corner of her mouth. "Those twins brought a second helpings of it over. It was also supposed to be for you but I kinda ate it." She smiled bright while slurping down the meat.
Cheyenne and Kris both looked at each other, shivering slightly with their tongues stuck out. "Ew, just ew." The redhead muttered as she ate some French toast. "I still don't get why we're still not turning, you know, criminals in, but whateveeeer. I guess if you trust them... which I still don't." She paused for a moment. "Not... fully that is." She huffed a bit before wincing, a pair of arms wrapping around her head as she was pulled back into a rather large busted female.
"Good morniiing!" Jess hummed, squeezing her sister tight with a smile. "It's nice to see all of you are still alive after that mayhem you four pulled!"
"Guagh! Can't! Breathe! Jess!" Kris struggled, her face turning the same color as her hair as she clawed at her sister's arms.
"Good to be back amount the walking." Kagami gave a small nod before taking a bite off a potato.
"Welp, all ends well finally." Elise leaned back in her seat a bit, arms outstretched above her head. "We could finally relax for a little! Maybe go to a beach or camping! Ohhh, that sounds so fun!" She nearly bounced around, only to stop as a hand was placed on her shoulder. Blinking, she glanced up at the orange haired female. "Julia?" She raised an eyebrow at her expression.
"That's... going to be easier said than done. You see..." She trailed off, retracting her hand with a sigh. "I have some bad news. You might want to listen too, Jess."
"Huh?" The elder Eve released her sister before pulling at the red and golden sleeves on her top. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
As Kris gasped for air, collapsing onto the table, Julia slowly shook her head as she placed her hands on her hips. "It seems the General wishes to recall all troops back to Atlas in signs of recent events. Which means..."
"You're all going to have to pack up and leave, aren't you?" Cheyenne asked quietly.
"Mhmm." The Captain confirmed with a slow nod. "Ironwood is recalling everyone. And once he seals off those doors, no one will get in and no one will get out."
"And this is why I hate the military." Elise muttered before blinking. She quickly began to wave her hands. "N-Nothing against you guys! You guys are cool!"
Kagami rolled her eyes, looking up at the captain with a small sigh. "So I guess this is goodbye for now?" Pain stiffened off the words she spoke.
"It's never goodbye, Kagami, it's always see you later." She smiled, holding out a hand. "And I promise you, you ever want to join my little band of sword wielding misfits, I'll always have a spot open for you."
The jadette scoffed, reaching out and holding onto her hand tightly. "I can promise you I'll definitely think about it. For now I have my own misfits." She smiled, motioning her head towards her teammates.
"Then you take care. Broken ribs shouldn't be messed with." She pulled her hand away.
Likewise, Kagami did the same. "And neither is almost two dozen stab wounds to the back."
Coughing a bit, Kris looked up at her sister while rubbing her neck. "So... this means you're leaving again."
The older redhead's expression changed from its usual spunky self to a more lonesome feeling. "Guess so." She smiled softly, reaching over and ruffling her sister's hair while pressing down on her red fedora. "You take care of yourself. I'm glad I got to see you this much."
"Yeah..." She gulped, quickly rising to her feet as she wrapped her arms around her big sister. "Don't get into too much trouble. And don't get hurt. Well not too badly. Just... stay safe in Atlas. And... I'll miss you. A lot." She gulped.
"Me too, sis, me too." Jess gently wrapped her arms around her, holding her caringly while stroking at her hair. This unlike her usual rough hugs. "I always miss you."
"Um wait." Cheyenne blinked, scratching at her antlers. "Guys. If they're leaving, where are we going to stay?" Her eyebrows rose.
"Oh!" Elise smiled, raising her hand. "I know a great place! It will be perfect! It will be like a sleep over that last forever!"
"What..." Kagami muttered, nearly deadpanning as she looked at her teammate.
Hours later that night, Kagami, Cheyenne, Kris, and Elise were all bunched together under a blanket on a folded out hide away bed. The group laying in the living room of Elise's parents. To the right was a recliner piled high with the girls' clothing, and in front, just inches from the foot of the bed, a television stand. And zero room for walking. In the background, the sound of three newborns crying out filled the night air. All which were followed by soothing sounds of Eleanor whispering to them and Klein's low voice trying to sound gentle.
With her eye twitching, Kagami stared up at the ceiling while clutching the top of the blanket. "Worst. Idea. Ever." She stated, adding as much emphasis to each word as she can.
"AGREED!" Kris and Cheyenne both shouted in a hushed whisper, eyes just as wide as their leader's. Meanwhile, at the end, Elise was sound asleep. Her snoring only being muffled by the sound inside the apart and the sounds coming from the city of Vale.
Inside this fair city though, a war was brewing. Blood had already been shed and countless shops had been robbed. Some civilians were beginning to fear walking the streets in late evening. They all would strike like ninjas, unseen but leaving a trail of carnage behind. And when there is criminals and bandits running rampid across the streets of a once peaceful city, there is only one person who they can call. Only one person who could catch them like a million lien bounty was on their heads.
"Officer Scath!" A tall and skinny secretary stumbled into an office, his blonde hair cut short. He pressed down on his hat, keeping it steady while waving a stack of papers around. "There was a breech or a break out at Vale's maximum security facility! From the inside!" He spoke rapidly. "Dion Ysus somehow escaped again! He passed all facial and identification codes with ease! And we still can't figure out how-!" He was cut off, a tennis ball whacking him upside the head and bouncing off.
"Jonny." A stern voice shot through the air, making him yelp quietly. "With all the crime going on, I am surprised it didn't happen sooner." A female Faunus with black hair done to her shoulder looked up, narrowing her brown eyes at him. It was then her canine ears twitched as she held up her hand, catching the tennis ball.
All across her desk was several files along with random papers of sorts. Plus a few bags of puppy chow and many more tennis balls scattered across the room. The trash can itself was overflowing with crumbled up balls of paper, many circling around it. An the walls, pictures and mug shots were connected with red string, all stuck up by clear thumb tacks.
She tossed the green ball rather hard, letting it strike against the wall with a thud. She quickly bolted to the other side of the room, papers flying upwards as she picked up a few papers. "The jail was broken into a few nights ago. Most likely for some petty thieves and drunks who are needed for dirty work." Raising her hand just in time, she caught the ball she threw, tossing it again. This time, it came centimeters from Jonny's face.
She bolted to the other side of the room, picking up a case file. "And markings of the BBB are coming across so many buildings and walls. Even cars." She groaned, raising her hand again as she caught the tennis ball with a fierce force. The impact causing a small shockwave that ruffled her hair and police uniform.
"I-I know, but Officer Scath, the chief-" He was cut off, raising a finger before lowering it.
"I don't care what stupid little no good jay walker he wants me to go after." She sighed. Tossing the tennis ball away. "There is something far worse and we need to figure it out."
"Th-That's why I came..." He muttered, holding out the file. "Ysus has old connections with Sanguine. Maybe he is going back to meet up with her."
She blinked, suddenly snatching the papers away with a smile. "That's wonderful, Jonny! Thank you! And if he does work with her... we're getting one step closer to her and that monster of her's..." She looked down at her desk, more importantly a file named Tenebris, Tohopka.
"That's why I got them for you, Officer Scath." Jonny smiled with a slow and shaky nod.
To that, the Faunus officer sighed. "Jonny, how many times do I have to tell you." She looked over at him. "You can just call me Keegan."
Hehe, hey guys. You know, my like 22 followers. Hello! Sorry for not posting anything in like three months. I kinda sorta somewhat fell into a rut and it was pretty bad. I literally just didn't want to write anything. Which is so not me. I just got really depressed. Because life sucks. And is a bitch. But you know, whatever. Things weren't going to well, and they're still not, but I finally got myself to write a chapter. I'm way too deep into this to stop now. But I ended up getting second place in Fortnite Battle Royale on my first match for the day, bought LEGO Batman the Video Game for my Xbox, which was my first ever game ten years ago for Wii and damn the nostalgia was real, and put on my Overwatch gloves as I drank a nice cup of chamomile tea out of my Beacon mug and decided to finally sit down and write. I still need to finish the Rainbow Time Dancers chapters before the next nine chapters of MACE for plot reasons, so I will have to get around to those eventually. Again, I'm sorry about the three months of no posting. I will try really hard to get back into weekly chapters, but with how things are I can't make any promises. I am also sorry for the probably massive swarm of grammar errors in this too. I would put this nowhere near the top of my list in things I've written. I'll have to rewrite it at some point. Anyway, take care! I can promise you this isn't the end. I have plenty upon plenty plot mapped out in my head. Till next time, later!