Sakila

..........midnightsecretary.......coughcoughcough..... Yes, I know what you're thinking. And it IS what you're thinking. Somewhat. I've graduated from shoujo to josei >//////////<

She didn't know how long she ran for. All she knew was that her clothes were soaked by the rain once again. She felt the phone she'd set to vibrate go off softly in her purse. She concentrated, cloaked it, and pulled it out. Vivi. She let it go to voicemail as she walked through war-torn streets still somewhat reeking with the scent of blood. An old man sat unnoticed by a shop corner. Almost absentmindedly, he dipped his finger in the bowl in front of him and wrote a word on the wall. Sakila laughed lightly at the reference. It said "Blood." She remembered it faintly. It was from a book about war, written many years ago, about a period even more years before that. Even then, there were wars. Even then, there were catalysts. How far have we really come then? As humans? Another call. This time from Misaki. Do people pick a side simply because there are sides to be picked? Is it really that black and white? If you want power and money, you join the AF? If you want to stop the torment, you become an 8th or a Rebel? She hadn't known what to do afterwards, so she returned to where she'd met the strange man from the IS. If it's like that, then what am I? Am I good? Am I bad? Am I a traitor? Or have I been betrayed? And if so, then by who? Uncle? Brent? Vivi, Misaki, Sparrow? Mokou? The IS? My parents? ...My own feelings? She deactivated Hidden Dragon and leaned against the wall numbly. Her shoulder still ached from the recoil of the pistol. Now what? Well, you reap what you sow. I guess the best thing to do at this moment is wait for word from the IS. ~~~ (I'm kinda stuck now. Can't really do much until I'm contacted by Waylon or T or something, I guess.)

(Sorry, been a bit busy.....) "What? She was just here," Sakila heard Misaki reply before slipping out of the room, cloaked. Sakila went up and down the main hall of the Battalion HQ before spotting Mokou in one of the rooms. She needed to do this. Without her parents, Sakila felt like she was without an identity. She was simply a tool, a fly-on-the-wall. But now, she had a chance to be someone. She didn't want to wander through life invisibly anymore. "Sakila, what's up?" "We need you for a brief moment. Can you come with me?" "Sure." The redhead stood up from her desk, placing the papers she'd been checking in a folder. She followed Sakila down the corridor. "So, Mokou, we haven't talked much for a while, huh?" "Yeah. Hey, about earlier today..." Sakila stayed silent. "...I was wondering..." No comment. "What exactly—" "Don't wanna talk about it." Mokou shut up for a while. They passed the meeting room and Mokou raised an eyebrow but said nothing. At the far end of the building, Sakila opened a door and stepped outside into a deserted back alley. "Sakila? What are we— huh?" Sakila pulled the pistol from her boot. "Wha-wha-what?! Sakila, what is that thing?!" "A gateway to visibility." And with that, she shot. The recoil from the small gun was greater than she thought and her shoulder was thrust back painfully. Cracking it forward again, Sakila simply watched as Mokou slumped to the ground. She chucked the pistol back into her boot and pulled Mokou's immobile body up by the hair. She placed her palms firmly against both sides of the redhead's head and held her body in place with her legs. Switching on Hidden Dragon, Sakila sharply twisted Mokou's head to the left, breaking her neck. She let the body fall and didn't look back at the scene as she fled.

OMG i know! Totally been waiting for these! I personally like the fact that Bossun's being a bit more aggressive than usual ^^

Whoa, four chappies out together! Well, on my MangaReader app.

Dear Anonymous, Please stop trying to show off how much money you have. I'm not poor, okay? My parents like to be thrifty. They're aware of how much money they spend. It's not like they don't buy me a $600 dress because they can't. They don't buy it for me because it's a stupid investment. -Sakila ~~~ Dear Anonymous, You're probably the only person I can properly and honestly write off as "nice" so I want to ask you: Am I a good person? Truly? -A Doubtful Me

Sakila mentally hyperventilated. HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, I HAVE NEVER BLUFFED LIKE THAT IN MY LIFE! The whole situation had been scaring the crap out of her. The family bloodlines, the status, everything! She had no clue what she'd been talking about. But it did keep her alive for a while. Operation "Engage the General in Conversation So As Not to Get Blasted" successful. She didn't know what to do now, sitting with Misaki in the backseat of Brent's van. "So," the voice from the front seat. "Mind telling me what the hell that was?" "Uh..." She looked at Brent's stern eyes reflected on the rear view mirror to Misaki's curious gaze to her lap. "I had... Reasons for not telling you all. Greyfield is—was my mother's brother." "Was?" Misaki questioned. "Mom's dead now." Let's leave it at that. "...How did you catch him?" "Uh, he trusted me, sir. Thought I'd spill some secrets." "Did you?" "No." She twisted her hands in her lap. "Good. We wouldn't want that, right?" "...No." The tension in the air grew thicker as the van drove on. "Sakila," Brent began, "You did well, tricking Greyfield. Now, we can find out where the missiles are being held." I could have told you that from the beginning. But she couldn't reveal everything, could she now? The pistol pushed against her ankle as she shifted her legs. "Oh, yeah," Misaki started. "We left the rest of them back there." "It's okay. Any of your partners are being picked up and taken to Battalion HQ for Greyfield's questioning," he explained. Sakila leaned her head against the window. What next? ... ... ... "We're here." She jolted upright when she heard that and yawned. Had she fallen asleep? Opening the door, she leaped to the ground and made her way to the building.

(@Chii-chan: Made it so that Mokou helped you out, you're conscious now, probably ready to fight by now. You're with Mokou.)

Desire Climax, Kamisama no Iutoori, and Kimi Shika Iranai The first two are pretty mature. And Kimi Shika Iranai's Akane is annoying. I wanted to punch her various times Edit: and Kimi Janakya Dame Nanda Edit2: and Nagetachou Strawberry Edit3: and Orange Edit4: and Ookami-heika no Hanayome

(I'm gonna stop here and wait for everyone else. Wouldn't be right after such a plot twist.)

"You think your men can just attack us?! Halt, all of you!" Sakila stepped forward between Petya's men and the 8th Battalion/Nubinelle Rebellion soldiers. An unconscious Greyfield was being taken into custody. "You...." She smirked. "You might have been his general. But I'm his niece! I'm the sole survivor of his bloodline! And so, my status is higher than yours." (Ah, and I didn't kill him, by the way. Probably against the rules or something. But Brent has him in Battalion custody. .........huh, betrayal, uncle incarcerated....Avatar, anyone?) (And I think my last post bent the rules a bit, eh? I dunno ^^")

Sakila walked back to the site to find Petya gone and Ash still on the ground. Running over, she found a familiar red-haired girl hunched over Sparrow. Sakila slid the pistol inside her right boot. "Mokou! The troops have arrived?" "Ah, Sakila! Why are you never at your post?" "Sorry, sorry!" She laughed. "What are you doing?" "Poor thing's taken a beating. I'm hoping I can try to help." "Ah, I see. Good luck with that." Around them, the sounds of supervising troops and evacuating villagers could be heard. After a while, Sparrow woke up. "Wha... The Gen'ral! Where is 'e?!" "Calm down!" Mokou forced the girl back down. "Sakila, I'll handle this. Go help out." "...Alright." She walked off, her pace a bit uncoordinated. The pistol pressed against her ankle made her shudder. Slowly, but surely, rain started to fall. For now, it was a nice enough drizzle, but the atmosphere foreshadowed that something worse was to come. She wished she'd had her usual outfit. She wished she could have the hood up to protect her head from the summer rain. She wished she knew what to do. There were so many factors in play. "Sakila!" The bald-headed man stood with an umbrella in front of her. "Uncle? I thought you were sending someone." "They were engaged in something else." Her uncle stood above her with the umbrella, shielding her from the rain. "So, where are the hostages, Sakila?" "In the rightmost cell underneath us." He grinned. "That's great! I'll get some of my m—" "Uncle. Why did you tell me to join the 8th Battalion?" "Huh? To find your parents, of course." "No.. Uncle, you've been telling me from the beginning that the 8th Battalion... was evil. That they were the reason my parents were gone. You told me to become an 8th because you said you needed information on their activities. And for these past years, I've lent you that information." "That's... that's true, Sakila. And now, we have a trump card, right? Those hostages. We can make the Battalion our pawns." "Incorrect. The Armed Forces have always been one step ahead of the Battalion. And that's because I infiltrated their organization. A double agent. But now, I'm having second thoughts..." Her uncle's face started to turn red. "What are you talking about, Sakila?! You dare to defy me?! After everything I've done for you?!" "I doubt you've done anything for me. You know, I recently discovered that my parents are under the supervision of the one who created the Inhibitor." "...T? Wh-what?! It can't be! It... it must be Brent! He must be working with T!"" "No, you're working with T! See, uncle? You'll believe anything I say. You can't help me, uncle. The only reason I put up with you all this time was because you were family. And now, you're of no use to me." With that, Sakila disappeared and sidestepped to right. Pulling a knife out of her purse, she pierced it into her uncle's back. A cry of anguish could be heard and then the man fell to the ground. She knew she'd only been able to succeed and not fall prey to his ability because he trusted her. "Goodbye, Uncle Greyfield." Taking out her phone, she called Brent. "Sir? Greyfield is down." Sakila waited and watched silently as troops surrounded her. One factor, down.

Be afraid. Be very afraid. LOL joking~! Not Hiya, Aries, nice to meetcha!! ^^ Get to know the forums a little bit, post around, make friends and have fun! And is that Miki?! \o/

Dear Anonymous, I truly love you, hun. I need you to know that. I'm terrible at those kinds of things. At cheering people up. At taking their mind off of things. I accidentally make insensitive comments and I just can't read the atmosphere. So when you called me back today, I honestly had zero idea what I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to say "Its okay to cry?" Or should I say "You have to be strong." I hope, oh do I really hope I did okay. I hope I was at least some sort of comfort. You were crying at first but then you laughed before we hung up. Is that a good thing? You thanked me for making you happier and I didn't know whether I should be conceited enough to say "You're welcome." Because was it really me? I feel like maybe... you comforted me. You made me feel like I didn't make a fool of myself while trying to be "the shoulder you can cry on." So thank you. We'll spend all of tomorrow on the verge of happiness. Love, Sakila

"That's all you want me to do?" "That's all, Sakila. I'll get one of my subordinates to help you later." "Alright, uncle." "Any word on your..." "No." She hung up. Sakila knocked on the door of the next house. "Excuse me," she said to the woman who opened it. "Yes?" It was a tired looking woman in an apron. She noticed a child playing in the background and the bump on the woman's stomach. Sakila cringed. "Um, I'm an 8th." She preented her official badge. "We're evacuating this area. We'd like you to gather your emergency belongings and head towards the south exit." The woman nodded and Sakila carried on to the next house. This time, a strong-looking man opened the door. The house contained only him and his slightly younger brother. She directed them towards the north pass. Sakila continued this, separating the strong and weak. She led the strong ones through the village at a fast pace. "Where are we going?" It was the neighbor of the pregnant woman who asked. "Er, we were thinking that some of you younger civilians could assist us until the rebels came. We just—" She was cut short by the sound of the voices of Armed Forces members. "That woman! I'll make her pay, if it's the last thing I do!" "Yeah, right! You were the first to run!" "Shaddup! That Sparrow! She thinks she can take me on, eh?! If only I'd been prepared then..." Yeah right, I bet she'd tear you limb from limb. There's a reason your boss is so cautious of her. She wondered where Sparrow was. Skirting around a building with her group, Sakila entered an underground tunnel. "What are we doing down here?" The same man from before. "Ambush," Sakila muttered. She led them through the labyrinth-like tunnels before opening a specific door and herding them in. It took them a while to realize it was a dead end, and by then, Sakila had already locked the door. "I'm really sorry," she said through the bars, "but I need you all to stay here. I'm sure you'll be fine. I only selected the hardiest candidates." With that, she made her way back to the surface. Gosh, where's that subordinate uncle promised me? As she climbed out of the secret tunnel, she found that someone else had joined the troops. General Petya. And ahead of him was Sparrow. Activating her ability, she sidled up to Petya's side and kicked the gun off target just as the general fired, leading it to hit a building and not Ash. "Oi, what the?!" The girl turned around and, seeing who it was, immediately got her game face on. Alright! Go Sparrow! (*cough cough* I hope this will make it up to Chii-chan at least a little bit. Sorry for forgetting ya >__<)

(Oh my gosh, I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON! I totally contradicted myself, didn't I?! Sparroooooooow!!!!!! I'm sorry!!!!! I am soooooo sooooo soooooooooooo sorry!! Can you ever forgive a total complete idiot like me?!)

(Has anyone ever noticed that the number 34 seems to be popping up more than once in IRL? xD) (Aww, and thank you everyone for keeping me involved in the matter even though I wasn't here. <3 will try to do the same.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Yep. 34th district... Yes, I know that it's not part of my—will you just get some people here?!... Know what? I am calling Brent right n—Finally! Thank you!... Yes. Get on it ASAP." Sakila hung up. Next, Brent. She had him on speed-dial and quickly rang him up. "Hello?... It's Sakila. Geez, check your Caller ID, sir... Oh, right. We've gotten word..." She told him what she knew before finding Misaki finished with speaking to Jackson. Tapping Misaki's shoulder, she asked, "Can I talk to Jackson for a minute?" Misaki alerted him before handing over the phone. "Hello? My name is Sakila. I'm a Rank Three 8th Battalion member who's in charge of the 33rd district, the destination of the previous battle." "Ah, yes. I see, what is it you'd like to speak about?" "Regarding some recent speculations Misaki, Vivi, and I came up with. We were hoping to discuss these with you and Brent and any other certain members you find important. At this moment, it's highly exclusive information." "Makes sense. The evacuation is our fist priority at this moment, though." "Of course. Both troops are on their way. Thank you." She handed the phone over to Misaki. "Thanks." "No prob." "Alright, let the evacuation begin. We should do whatever we can ourselves before help arrives." She spotted a short, grumbling, familiar figure walking past them with a keg of beer. Yanking him back by the back of his collar, Sakila ordered, "Listen up, squirt. Need ya to go back to the 33rd district. We're evacuating the people out of here." The boy nodded and headed off towards the restaurant. She turned back to her companions. "How about we split up?" "Alright, Veevs, good idea. Shall I take east?" Vivi shuddered. "I'll take the surrounding west area," said Misaki. "The south is less densely populated, so I'll take north. You realize we will only cover a short section of the district this way, right you two? Be effective." "On it, mastah!" Sakila ran off towards the east, pulling out her phone and texting her uncle's number. "What do you know about Armed Forces and explosives?" "A lot," came the reply.

(First it cuts off the post, then the loading messes up, then it double-posts so much later?! What is wrong with this thing?! Ugh, sorry.....)

"What'll ya have?" A short boy arrived with a notepad and pencil stuck behind his ear. "No, no, no," the boss repeated from behind the counter. "It's 'What would you like?'" "Uh, yeah. That. So?" "Can I have a strawberry parfait here? What do you guys want?" "Oh, hey, wait a sec, I know you!" Sakila peered at the boy before realization struck her. "I know you too! Didn't recognize you with formal waiter clothes on. You're that shrimp with the big mouth!" "And you're that sister with the disgusting appetite, under-eye circles, and useless personality!" "What are you doing?!" The manager yelled from behind the counter. You don't insult the customers!" The boy rolled his eyes and continued to take down orders. While Vivi and Misaki gave their orders, Sakila thought about the discussion from earlier. Brain control, huh? Wait a second. So if it's brain control that was preventing us from using our powers, does that mean the Inhibitor has a different function? T wouldn't need the Inhibitor to block our abilities if that was the function of his. So maybe, the Inbibitor is... an amplifier? If he amplified his abilities throughout the area using the Inhibitor, then maybe he could do it with less personal energy while also bring able to disguise the true source of the blocking. Ah, well. It's just speculation. I'm not good at this stuff anyways. Sakila sighed as the boy walked away, having gotten everyone's orders. Just what in the world was going on?

Dear Anonymous, So many faces, so many facets, so many facades. To think that one person could have some many different sides, so many different personalities, it's almost... awe-inspiring. So do we really know these people we're always around? The girl you spent every single day with two years ago won't even acknowledge you existence when you pass by each other nowadays. The boy you shared all your homework answers with in the seventh grade doesn't even know that you lived the block over. There are so many things about these people we don't know. So many connections we haven't made. You automatically analyze just the bare minimum to judge a person. So I'd just like to ask, especially to you: who are you? Your friend, Sakila

Sakila woke up the next morning with a crick in her neck and tears nestled in the corners of her eyes. Yawning and stretching, she found herself home, in the study. She'd done this before, gone to sleep while reading. An empty container of yogurt lay next to her and her spoon was clutched in her right hand. "Morning...huh?" Warm light drifted through the windows behind the desk. Sakila grabbed the empty container and threw it at the waste basket in the corner of the study. It missed. Pouting, she stomped her way over to the basket and angrily dropped the container inside. She stuck her tongue out at it before skipping over to freshen up for the morning. Her clothes were a mess, all dirty and muddy. After a quick shower, she changed into flowy green shirt and jeans and boots. She transferred her yogurt into a oversized matching green purse. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Sakila decided to throw on a dark green scarf and sunglasses before grabbing a cold bagel and her cell phone and running outside. There was a reason for her much more feminine attire. She trekked through the village before coming up to a familiar house. It was much more grand than her own. Ringing the doorbell, Sakila waited until the butler opened the door and ushered her to the family room. "Sakila." "Uncle," she greeted. "I have something to discuss." "What's so important that you couldn't talk to me over the phone like usual? This must be exceptionally interesting!" He grinned and crossed his arms. "Back in the day, did you ever hear about something called a... limitation device?" "Limitation device? No, nothing of the sort. But it sounds powerful." "I think it may have been the influence for the Inhibitor." She explained what she'd read. "Really?" At this, her uncle leaned forward. "It could be very beneficial for us to find out more about it, then.... But I don't think I've ever heard of it." He scratched his bald head. Sakila giggled. He questioned, "What?" "Nothing." "Really now?" Unfolding his arms, her uncle stood up and leaned over the table to come face to face with Sakila. "Listen, all jokes aside, this is important. Find out all you can about this...limitation device from the past. Understood?" "Yes, uncle." "And Sakila? Don't forget your goal." "Of course not." With that, they bid each other farewell. Sakila walked around, wondering what she should do now. Well, if it's a machine, maybe Vivi knows about it. Or has heard about it. Maybe... She took out her cell phone and tapped her way to Vivi's number. They set up a meeting place and Sakila felt happy to have Misaki along as well. The girl was good with metal and that could be a plus. Sakila took a detour, stopping by her apartment and bringing the book she'd found with her. She wasn't planning to show it to Vivi, though. Not yet, at least. But she kept it for reference. Maybe her library contained more books with information about the device. She'd have to look around later. Sakila made her way to Vivi's hideout, finding it empty. She settled down and pulled out some yogurt. Flipping through the book once more, Sakila tried to find some clues. After a short while, she heard noise outside. "Hello?" Sakila immediately slipped the book discreetly back into her purse. "Oh, Vivi, hey."

(Wait, it's already a week?! I thought we were just going to fight among ourselves for awhile.... "Basic fighting" like KKLT said.... Ah, well.)

She'd grown tired and realized she'd hadn't had her daily dose of strawberry. Sakila deactivated her ability and slipped into the village streets. Everything was slowly returning to normal and she couldn't be more relieved. "Oi, sister!" Turning around, Sakila found the boy from the outdoor market. He carried a bag in his hands. "You! Uh, what's up?" "Guess what, sister! You won't believe who I saw last night at the skirmish!" "Who?" "That Armed Forces man!" The boy walked alongside Sakila, chatting amiably. He reached into the bag and pulled out a ripe strawberry. Rubbing it on his shirt, he handed it to Sakila and took one out for himself. "Thanks. So, wait, that Armed Forces man... General Petya?" "What? That loser?! No way! I saw me the leader!" "You mean... Greyfield?" "Huh? No, the leader." "But... Greyfield IS the leader." "Whatcha talkin' about?! That Greyfield dude was totally peein' his pants in front of the REAL leader." "Real leader, eh? What's his name, do you know?" Sakila wiped the juice from the strawberry off her lips and slowed to a stop. They'd reached her apartment. "I think he said he was... T." "So he's that scared of T," Sakila muttered to herself. "Sister?" "Oh! Nothing important. Thanks for walking me home, kiddo. And for the strawberry. And the info. Get on home now." He sighed. "I dunno what's going on, sister, but that man is trouble." "Yeah... Seems so." Sakila sent the boy on his way and made her way to her apartment. She stepped inside the lonely, dingy home. She was sleepier than anything and decided to hit the hay after a quick meal. She opened up a container of yogurt and settled down in the extra room her parents had converted into a study. Picking up an old, worn book, Sakila began reading. "The country of Japan is an island nation off the coast of Asia..." Flipping through the chapter, Sakila found an interesting tidbit of information. Exceptionally advanced in technology, recent Japanese endeavors have resulted in the creation of a limitation device." Wait, what? "This limitation device is able to affect the abilities of humans. The fastest runners are now slower than a sloth. The strongest weightlifters now kneel to the power of a feather. The creator of this device is the genius technician—" She flipped the page, her breathing stalled. "Australia is..." What? The page... It was gone. Someone had ripped out the last page. No way! Not when she was about to figure out something so helpful! Feeling frustrated, Sakila threw the book across the room. She leaned back against the computer chair and angrily licked her spoon clean. But at least she had learned something. The current Inhibitor may have been influenced by this limitation device from the past. Who was it? Who was this inventor? She needed to let...her uncle....8th Battalion.... Sakila yawned. Alright, it wasn't THAT big. She could research about it a bit more tomorrow and report her findings. But for now... Leaning forward and placing her head on the mahogany desk in front of her, Sakila closed her eyes, a mountain of resources surrounding her.

Dear Anonymous, Finally!! Finally, sweet revenge! I don't think I could be-- Wait, did you just... did you just IGNORE me?! After all that plotting and scheming and yelling and hair-pulling, I was ignored?! Humph! I hate you :L -youdon'tevendeservetohavethissigned

To know if the above person is really alive