Misaki-chan

As the screen shut off, the crowd was left chattering amongst themselves. Already Misaki could see people finding familiar faces and teaming up to take down the robots. But she did not follow their lead, since she was never the type to work in a group when it could be avoided. Instead, her eyes quickly scanned the room, looking for anything she could use a weapon (since after all, it'd be stupid to try and destroy robots with a high current). Spotting a wooden bat being held by the baseball player standing all alone, she smirked as she sauntered over there. Already she had a plan formulated in her head as to how to get it. "Hey," she greeted, allowing her tone to take a slight flirtatious tone as she approached him. "Hello Sweetheart," he replied. She internally cringed. "So I was wondering," she continued, fingering the cloth on his shirt, "maybe we could work together, you and me? After all, you're big and strong and I'd love to have the help." He cockily grinned, obviously under the impression that she was interested in him (though he was nothing special; his intelligence was an insult to the human race and he was far too buff for her tastes). "Well, I'd love to," he said as he smacked his bat against his beefy hand. "So shall we go and destroy some robots?" With a flirty grin, she replied, "We shall." Tugging on his sleeve, she led him out of the room and into the large hallway. Unlike the hallway she had taken to get to the room, this one had a long row of doors. "How about this room?" he asked as he pointed to a door. "Sure," Misaki replied as she followed him in. The room wasn't lit, but she could see the dim glow of the robots' eyes. Right away, the man began to swing his bat, crushing the robots one by one. It didn't take him long to take out the group, since there weren't many of them. While he was taking them out, she watched him do it, not seeing the point of doing it if he was taking care of it for her. As the last robot fell to the ground, destroyed, he smiled triumphantly. "Check that out! The Brucemeister winssssss!" She put a smile on her face to match his as she stepped closer before gently placing her hand on his face. "Congratulations... Brucemeister." His hand fell onto the small of her back as he roughly pulled her closer, pressing them together. He leaned his face closer, his breath stinking of hot dogs, he asked, "So, how about a good job kiss?" She leaned closer as well as her hand slipped down to his next, their noses touching. "I'd love to..." Squeezing tightly, Misaki held onto a pressure point on his neck, one she knew for a fact would knock him out quickly. True to her knowledge, in seconds the man was sprawled over the floor. As she picked up the bat, she gave him a pat on the head. "... Take your bat," she continued. "Have fun without it." Slinging it over her shoulder, she slipped out of the room and shut it behind her. "Fool," she muttered to herself as she stalked down the hall, the sound of her heels echoing. "Shouldn't be so trusting."

Six months ago... A thunderous applaud grew louder as Misaki bowed, sweat slipping down her painted face. Moving back a few steps, the curtains swept shut, hiding the smiling cast on stage. As soon as it closed, praise bounce around the area. "Great job!" "You were amazing as Odette Misaki!"" "Your fouetté rond de jambe en tournant was perfect!" She put up a smile as she said, "Thank you everyone. But this show wouldn't have been great without you all!" Small chatter filled the air as everyone headed to the dressing rooms, more than ready to get out of the ballet shoes and costumes, until only she was left. It was only then she let her smile drop, leaving her face blank. "My fouetté rond de jambe en tournant was flawed," she muttered to herself as she began to spin, ready to practice to move until she was satisfied. "Really now? I thought it was quite lovely." "Well then, you must not be cultured enough to know any different," she replied as she glanced over in the left wing, where the source of the voice was. Standing there was a man, clad in a black suit. Well-kept. A bit cocky. Does repetitive motions. Knows how to handle people. So obviously from the government. Here for a reason. Probably The Hunt. "Ouch," he said, acting as if he had actually been hurt, "Cruel." "Well, I feel that is the truth. So let me guess, you want me to compete to enter The Hunt?" "How did you-" "You're from the government and you're here for a reason. It's also that season. Honestly, you shouldn't ask such stupid questions." "Well," he said, "since you already know why I'm here, I'll leave the details here on this chair for you to look at later." "No need. Not interested," her reply was as she kept spinning. He asked, his voice full of shock, "But why?! The Hunt-" "-is a boring event. If I wanted to join, I would have done so before," she interrupted. "But as you should know, it is very rare that-" "-people are recruited. I know. I'm not an idiot like you. Like I said, not interested." He fell silent for a second before saying, "Well, I shouldn't be saying this-" "Then don't." "-BUT," he continued, ignoring her statement, "this year is going to be different." This caught her attention. She slowed to a stop as she asked, "Well, do you care to specify?" He gave a catlike grin. "If you want to find out, you have to enter." And with that he gently set the stack of papers on the chair nearby and walked away. "Even if I'm an uncultured idiot, I still believe you were great!" The stage fell silent as she stood there, alone. Slowly, she made her way to the packet and sat down, flipping through the pages. "Hm. Well, still looks boring, but I do want to know what's going to be different..." Present day Misaki walk down the long stretch of a corridor, no one but her in sight. Six months ago, she had been approached by that government man and now here she was. She had beat everyone else (obviously) and was now about to see what the difference was now from past years. A door soon came into view, at least twice her size. For a moment, she studied the patterns held on the door before pushing it open. Inside was a rectangular room, already filled with people and a huge screen at the other end of the room. She headed for the wall, leaning against it as her eyes studied the people around and listed off all the sports she knew they played. Baseball. Football. Cricket. Croquette. Frisbee. Archery. "Heya all." Everyone looked up at the screen, where a moustached weasel, wearing a deer stalker hat and holding a pipe in its hand was. "My name is Weasel. Before I explain anything, to all the returning and new participants of 'THE HUNT', welcome, and congratulations." The participants remained silent to the greeting. "We have lost a few players the last year, so there will be a few newbies joining us. This year, as usual, I will be your host for the games. Specially for this event, I am granted access to all the networks under the sky and will be the one answering all of your questions and passing you messages from the organizers." He stopped, taking a puff from his pipe before continuing. "... The games will start tomorrow and your goal this year will be the same as always - Kill all your enemies before they reach their goal." The room filled with excitement, though she couldn't see why. It was the same as always. He lied. "Well, I guess that's all the explanation you need for now." The weasel took another puff from his pipe. "Ah," he continued. "Since we have the time, let's do a trial run shall we? I have released some robots in this building. Their aim is to destroy the power generator of this building. Find and destroy these robots before they can destroy the generator." Boring~. "Ah yes. I forgot to mention. The robots are charged up with an exceedingly high current. You will not want them touching you... And one more thing. As the doors in this building runs on electricity, if the generator gets destroyed, you will probably never be able to get out of this building in a while..." The weasel took yet another puff from his pipe. "... Destroy all the robots and get to the generator room. This is your goal for now. That is all. Good luck." With that, the weasel disappeared from the screen.

The evening's cool wind brushed against her as Misaki walked through the silent cemetery. It hadn't been long since she had last came, her previous visit happening a week ago, but she had to come. She had to tell Kate what had happened. How it was all over. It didn't take her long to get to where her mentor's final resting spot was, since her frequent visits over the years has made it easy for her to get there without wasting much time. A gentle smile rose to her face as she sat down on the grass in front of the gravestone. She, like every time she did when she came, read the description inscribed on it as she placed a smooth bolt on top of her grave. Katherine Alexander November 21, XXXX - August 5, XXXX A beloved daughter, friend and mentor who shall always live in our hearts. "We did it." Her voice broke through the silence as she continued, "We finally did it. We beat the Armed Forces." She paused, as if she was having a conversation and not just talking to a grave. "Well, we had the IS's help, but still. It was mostly us." With a grin, she took another pause. "I also found out who caused the massacre you were a part of," she said as her face turned more somber. "It was Sakila. I've mentioned her a few times. Turns out she used to help the Armed Forces with their strategy since her uncle was Greyfield. Oh, and guess what? The guy has a daughter too. Sparrow. Though she's way better than her "dad". And you know Mokou? She got killed. Recently too. But apparently she was Yi's daughter. Pretty weird, I know. "Well, getting back to Sakila: In case you're wonder, I didn't kill her. I knew you wouldn't approve, even if she did cause your death. I let her live so she could be with the guilt of killing you and so many others for the rest of her life. But..." Her voice trailed off as she remembered what had happened earlier. "Hey, Vivi!" Sakila shouted out. The rest of the group kept going but Misaki, Vivi and Sparrow turned back around. "Guess what?" Her voice began to tremble as tears fell from her eyes. "I really considered you a friend," she shouted out. "And not just you! Misaki, too! And Sparrow! You're my cousin aren't you?!" The older girl looked away but nodded. Slowly, Sakila reached into her purse and pulled out a silver object. The sun finally peeked through the clouds, making it shine in the light. Misaki froze, only able to watch the girl as she yelled out, "YOU GUYS ARE GREAT! I'M SORRY FOR EVERYTHING!" And with that, she brought the knife in her hand to her neck and slit it. She fell to the ground, smiling. "...Really, sorry for everything," "No!" Sparrow ran to the fallen girl and dropped to her knees beside her. "This isn't how it ends! I promised..." She grabbed the knife and tore off her right glove, letting a picture fall to the ground. The girl cut her palm before pressing it to Sakila's wound. Tears started falling from her cheeks as the wound began to close. "Don't do this... Saki, you're all I have, I promised them- I'd protect you... Dammit, don't be too late." By now Misaki and Vivi had made their way over to the pair, checking anxiously to see if the girl was still alive. As her eyes began to flutter open, Sparrow shouted out happily, "Sakila! Sakila, you're alive!!" "What... What happened...?" she asked, her voice sounding weak and tired. "I reversed the effects of Reaper's Touch, making it heal, instead of hurt. How are you feeling?" "Like I just died." "You did," Vivi said. "I just have one question," she began, as she struggled to sit up. Sparrow put her arm around her back and helped her do so. "...Who are you all? Better yet, who am I?" "She forgot... She forgot who she was, what she did.... Everything." Misaki dug her fingernails into her palms. Her vision blurred as she felt something wet fall onto her knee. Quickly, she wiped away the tears that had begun to fall before any more could come. She didn't want to cry, especially in front of Kate. Her skin felt raw as the gentle breeze dried her tears. Once again, she wiped her face to get rid of any evidence she had ever cried. The whistling of the wind and the rustling of leaves was all that could be heard as she sat silently in front of the grave. "Say, Kate..." she said, her voice just above a murmur. "Do you think I should forgive her? Even if she got you killed?" The girl paused before letting out a chuckle. "What am I saying? Of course you want me to. You were always like that. Always wanting me to be more forgiving." "So maybe I will." Taking in a breath, she rose from her sitting position and stood up. "I better go," she said as she got up. "There's going to be a party for our success and I said I'd go." She began to walk away, but couldn't help looking at the now distant gravestone one last time. A soft smile appeared on her face as she whispered, "Goodbye Kate. Rest in peace."

"HEY ALL. IF YOU DON'T WANNA DIE, GET OUT OF THIS SILO NOW! Misaki!!!" She looked over at Vivi at the mention of her name. "We need you to seal off this place with your ability. Oh yea... we could seal the rest of the AF and Petya and Greyfield as well in the silo too... It would be fun." All the Rebellion and Battalion forces grinned. "LET'S DO THAT THEN!" They quickly evacuated and soon everyone was outside. After Misaki was sure no one they wanted alive was left behind, she placed her hands on the door and used her ability, causing it to go back to the way they had originally found it. With only seconds to spare, she looked over the door, double checking for any places she might have left distorted. "Hurry up Misaki!" someone yelled out from the group, now a few dozen feet away for safety reasons. "I'm coming!" she yelled back as she began to run over to them. The ground shook as the explosives went off, causing her to lose her balance. However, she was able to get back on her feet by doing a handspring. The shaking stopped after a few seconds, and then all was still. "We beat them," someone said. "We finally beat the Armed Forces. We took them down!" A collective cheer filled the air as people hugged and cried, for finally, finally the battle was over. They had won.

Misaki panted as she swung her pipe into someone's chest. She was getting a bit tired from all of this fighting, but she kept going, not wanting to leave herself vulnerable for a minute. As her foot connected solidly into a guy's stomach, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She made direct contact with a guy's face as she used her free hand to answer the phone. She yelled into it as she swung her pipe, "WHAT? Kinda busy here!" "Misaki! We need you to come over to the storage room and open this door!" The girl winced as she recognized the voice as Jackson. Damn it. Shouldn't have yelled. She asked, "Where is it? I need directions you know you." "They're in the north wing." "North?! I thought they were in the west area!" "We thought wrong. So get over here." "Fine," she said. "I'll be there soon as I can." She hung up and took care of one last soldier before slipping away from the battle and running towards the north. It didn't take her long to get to the storage area and she soon saw Jackson and a group with him. "Hey!" she yelled out. They looked at her as she approached and joined them. "So is this the door you need opened?" she asked as she pointed to the metal door keeping them out. One of them replied, "Yep. So you can get it open?" She smirked, "Of course I can. Just watch." Stepping in front of the door, she quickly examined the door as she snacked on an apple. Titanium doors. Ten feet wide, maybe twenty high? Estimate it at at least a foot or two thick. "Hey! You going to open it or are you just going to stand around and eat all day?" With a glare, she replied, "Can you do this? No? Then shut the hell up." That shut them up quickly. She turned back to the door, quickly finishing up her snack before pressing her hand against the door's crack. Taking a breath, she focused her energy on the door, distorting it open and leaving a big hole. A pang of fatigue hit her as the group entered hastily, obviously eager to get in. Misaki gently leaned against the wall as soon as she entered the warehouse. She had used too much energy at once and needed to give herself a second to catch her breath. Jackson threw her a chocolate bar as he said, "Here. For your hard work." She smiled. Chocolate was hard to come by nowadays, and it was rare she ate some. "Thanks," she replied. After devouring the sweet, she felt much better. For the first time, she looked around the warehouse, and was amazed at the amount of weapons in it. Daaaaaamn... I knew the Armed Forces loved their toys, but this.... Wow. "Oh my..." She turned around, seeing Vivi, Sparrow and some other people as well enter the warehouse. They were also in amazement of the amount of weapons in the warehouse. They looked around for a few minutes before someone asked, "What now?" Everyone turned to look at Brent and Jackson. Before either could answer, Vivi said, annoyance lacing her voice, "Hey guys, looks like someone let Petya escape. Here he comes again." "No threat," Misaki said, giving a shrug. "He's not that good at close combat and he seemed useless without his weapons. In this place where he cannot use his weapons, he's more like a sandbag." "True... But what if he is an idiot?" Everyone turned to look at each other anxiously. "Shit..." But before they could make a move to stop him, he was there. Petya and Greyfield entered, his army following closely behind. "Misaki, can you get Petya restrained?" Jackson asked. "Of course boss! Will do!" She looked around the warehouse, looking for anything that could restrain him. Her eyes fell upon a metal rod, perfect for restraining. Misaki dashed over to it and grabbed it before jumping in front of Petya. Taking advantage of his surprised state, she quickly distorted the enchanted alloy rod around him, effectively restraining him. "Gotcha!" she smiled. "We knew you would meet up with Greyfield after that. You think we would leave you unattended by yourself in your home ground?" Vivi shrugged as Greyfield was tied down on the other side. "There's only one entrance here and thus, allowing us to know where your positions will be when you arrive. Tough luck general..." However the general was calm and collected, no panic shown on his face. He yelled out to his subordinates, "All of you! What are you standing there! Attack them!" Everyone in the silo turned to the enemy force preparing for their attack. However they didn't move. A figure appeared from behind the forces. A cool voice echoed in the room as it said, "Hey Greyfield, Petya, long time no see." It was Yi. She grinned devilishly as she looked at them. "Get us out of this Yi!" Petya shouted to the woman, but she just kept standing there, smiling. "Forces!" She yelled to her troupes suddenly. "Kill everyone here." As she walked away, the enemy pulled out their weapons and got ready to fight. "Oh yea..." the woman added, her smile growing. "It's okay to get rid of those two as well." Her chuckles quietly echoed as she exited. "Now what?" someone asked as everyone stared at each other, waiting for the first move. Just then, a yell came from on top of the stairs. She was close enough to just barely hear what was going on, though couldn't see what was happening because she couldn't look behind her. Not when the enemy was attacking. "Vivi! Does Kuu have any USB capabilities?" "What? What for?" "If you guys are able to hold them off, I'm sure I can use my phone to hack into the missile control system! Whaddaya say? You thinki it's possible?" "Humph... What a waste of time..." Misaki smashed her hammer into a guy's knees as she kept on listening to the conversation. She could see some soldiers trying to get to Sakila and Vivi. Wanting to help them keep the soldiers at bay, she headed over to them as quickly as she could. "Fine then. I asked because I thought it'd be more strategic. Me backing you up isn't as great as you backing me up. Not sure if you remember, but I'm not a close-combat person," she could hear Sakila say more clearly as she got closer. A pause happened before Sakila continued, "There, that should keep us for a while. Go!" She watched as the girl ran forward, kneeing an oncoming soldier in the stomach before elbowing his back and bringing him to his knees. She kicked his face back up and slammed her the heel of her boot against his face, knocking him out. Another soldier ran towards the control panel, but Sakila stuck out her foot and tripped him. "Over here, she said, as the soldier turned towards the signs of her voice. She gave him a swift chop to the back of the neck, making him expose his neck, which she stabbed with a pen from her purse. She was about to climb up to join them when she felt a sharp slap against her back. Biting back the pain, she turned around and quickly used her sword to slash the neck of the soldier who had attacked her. Her mind hastily counted how many soldiers there were for her to face. One, two, three... Ten, total. Even though her back was still stinging, she didn't show she was in any pain. Instead, she continued to fight, letting Sakila and Vivi take care of the programs. Suddenly, the small girl jumped down next to her from above. "By the way," she yelled up to the other girl, "I reset the password to the rebellion battalion shared password!" From the other side of the silo, she could hear Petya, who had somehow got free, yell out, "Hang on, comrades!" as he ran over to Greyfield to free him. OK, how did he get out? For real. Cursing, he said, "Shit... Greyfield, keep these fools from me as I backing up the system! Still, ain't so bad. But i'll already alter the system to my PC! "You're f***ed, Vivi..." He attempted to shoot his AK at her, though didn't since the gun seemed to had malfunctioned. "Cliche! The gun's stuck! Shit!" Petya cursed as he threw it to the ground. She took this as her chance to get him bound up again. After grabbing a titanium pole she saw lying around, she ran towards him, having to stop every few seconds to take down an AF soldier. As she got closer, she could hear him yell out, "Back the f*** off, you moron!" as he aiming his jammed AK. Petya turned to Vivi, who had ran over as well, and asked"Alright, ya wanna the bombs?" He then turn his head to Sparrow. "And you, I'll wouldn't gave my life to Nubi-f***ing-Nelle or Secret Shitvice" Since he wasn't paying attention to her at all, she attacked. Tackling him to the ground, Misaki speedily wrapped it tightly around his body. She then took his gun and twisted the AK's barrel, making it unusable. "Maybe now you'll stop rudely pointing guns at people."

Misaki grabbed an apple out of her bag as she swung her sword, getting the knife out of the Armed Forces guy she was currently fighting. It didn't take her long to take the guy down, seeing how only seconds later she slashed his leg. Taking a bite out of her apple, she immediately spun around before swinging her sword, blocking the knife attack that had been coming at her. She clamped her teeth into her snack as she grabbed her pipe and swung it, knocking both of the soldiers out. She was currently trying to keep the never-ending stream of lackeys who was attempting to help Petya, who was being surrounded by her comrades. Quickly, she swerved to the left, avoiding a blow from someone throwing a punch. She made solid contact with the man's stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. The apple fell from her mouth, bouncing off the fallen man. She frowned, "Geez. Made me lose my snack." With a sigh, she looked at her dirtied snack sadly before going back to what she loved doing: Kicking some Armed Forces ass.

"Who says you're worthy enough to be able to take my life, anyway!?" Sakila shouted back before running at full speed towards one of the surrounding buildings. The girls watched her run off, not following her. After a few seconds, Vivi said, "Find Sparrow." It happily bounced around before leading the way. Within a few minutes, they could hear the commotion from the battle. "There she is!" Misaki shouted out as she pointed to the girl holding a scythe. "And there's Petya!" "Thought that guy was already abandoned?" "Looks not. At least to the ex-leader that is..." "Right." The small girl bent down and pulled out the blade from within one of her shoes before flipping on the power switch. "Kuu... Get to the technician now." She ordered. The bird complied. She then pulled out a sword from her jacket before throwing it to her. "A present," she said. "Enhanced carbon steel I got from that guy. Mentioned something like being stronger than tungsten or something..." Grinning widely, she said, "Thanks Vivi!" Without waiting a second, she grabbed the blade and pulled on it, extending it. She saw that the younger girl had ran off to go help Sparrow, so she decided to follow suit. It didn't take her long to get to them. As she approached closer, she could hear Vivi yell out, "Sparrow!" as she kicked away the weapon Petya was trying to stab their comrade with. "Need any help?" "I'll be happy to help as well," Misaki yelled out as well as she joined the two.

Misaki smiled as the two ran towards her. "Sakila! Sakila!" she shouted out. Vivi shouted out as well, "We finally found you!" "LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Sakila jumped up, her wet hair slapping her face. Falling to the ground in a clack was her phone, once clutched in her hand. They froze, shocked at her reaction. She continued to scream, "Why the hell are you here?! Can't you take a hint?! I DON'T WANT TO BE FOUND. Give me a frickin' moment to myself will ya?!" "Saki--" the tall girl started before being interrupted. "SHUT UP! You're annoying! You're so annoying! I bet you're thinking 'Oh, poor Sakila! I bet she didn't do it! I bet she has a reason! She would never do such a thing!' That's it, isn't it? That's what you're thinking! "Well, guess what! I've killed my entire life! I doubt any of you would ever understand. Do you know just HOW MANY PEOPLE I've betrayed?! I went against everyone who's ever helped me! Everyone who's ever given a crap about me! I've been the reason families have been torn apart. I've been the reason mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, so many people have died! But you know what?! After all that, the last thing I want is pity! If anything, you should hate me! "You should despise me! Vivi! Your little brother? He was injured in that village blasting all those years ago, right? Well guess whose idea it was to bomb that specific area? Mine! I'd researched everything my parent's library had to offer on war strategies an that was a very strategic area! So I persuaded uncle to go ahead and attack there." Her head whipped towards Vivi, who's eyes were wide from shock. "And Misaki, I've been doing a little research on you, too. It seems you had quite the mentor. Kate, was it? Well, that was me, too. That massacre, I pulled the strings, allowing it to happen. I based it on the tactics used for the War of 1812 and changed the details so it would be to uncle's advantage." Her stare immediately locked onto Sakila. She could feel herself starting to shake, though from the cold or from the confession she didn't know. Fear. "NO! KATE!" Footsteps. "Don't worry.... I'll... Be fine..." Blood. "Kate...." Coldness. "Who... Who could do this..." Rage. Misaki gripped her katana sword, feeling her once-buried rage coming to the surface. She did this. She got Kate killed. "All of it. Every life I took, every person I betrayed, it was all for the sake of my parents." She slowly drew her sword and extended the blade. She caused Kate's death. "And now. I thought I had finally succeeded. With Mokou gone, I thought I'd finally gained the visibility I'd longed for all my life." Sakila slumped to the ground, sobbing. Her fingers started to fade, as did her feet. Misaki! You shouldn't kill! An eye for an eye is not the answer! "See? This power, it curses me even now." It started to spread to her shoulder, her legs, her stomach. She was slowly disappearing. Misaki paused. Kate... Kate wouldn't want this to happen. She wouldn't want me to kill for her. "I thought I'd be fine with it, as long as I could be with my parents... But now," she choked out, "all of it's useless. All my life, I've been killing for people who've been dead for years." The girl closed her eyes, only a light outline of her able to be seen. Control your anger. Control it. "Please... just kill me now." Screw control. She lunged at her, pinning her to the wall while holding the sword's blade against her neck. "You want me to kill you?" she growled. Sakila opened her mouth, but didn't respond. She pressed the blade against her neck more. "Do you?" she repeated, her eyes blazing with anger. She choked out, "Do it! I-I'm a monster!" Misaki! Don't kill her! You know for a fact that her death will solve nothing! She wanted to kill her so bad. So, so bad. But she could practically hear Kate talk to her, tell her not to. So she wouldn't. No, she would give a punishment far worse than death. Without letting up pressure against her neck, she leaned close to the side of her head. She could feel the ragged breathing brushing against the shell of her ear as she whispered, "Well guess what?" She retracted the blade from her neck before putting it back in its place. However, she didn't let go of Sakila. "I'm not going to do it. Because death is not the answer. Because you don't deserve death. No, you deserve to suffer, like Kate did. You deserve to go through a lifetime of suffering for what you did to Kate. And death won't cause you the suffering you need to go through." Using one hand, she took rope from her bag before wrapping it around Sakila's barely visible form. "So I'm not going to kill you. No, I will do much worse. I will let you live, because that is your punishment. To live with what you did." After making sure the knot was secured, she wrapped the remainder of the rope around her forearm. She turned to Vivi, who had watched the scene that had just played before her. "So what should we do with her?"

"Is it done?" Vivi asked as her and Misaki stepped into the construction room. The man turned around before saying, "Chibi, what'ch you doin here now? It's not even a day yet!" "Well, urgent business." "Told you the fastest I can go is a few days..." the guy stared down at the half finished bird. "Well, then get as much done in an hour. I'll take it back here after I'm finished." The guy signed and picked the bird up and tweaked it a little. "... You always come and give me trouble..." He handed the bird over to the small girl. "I've just screwed it back. I took the chip out from your bird and replaced it with a larger and probably faster chip already, but I haven't added the 'function' that you require yet... So there is really not much difference. Well, the battery is probably quite low now and may only last up to 4-5 hours so you might want to be careful." "Right. Thanks." Vivi took the bird before turning it over and flipping the switch. "Vi-Vivi!" It chirped. "Good." The girl gave an approving nod before turning on her heel and walking out. The dark haired girl quickly followed, her heels clacking behind her. "Where to now?" Misaki asked when she got caught up to her companion. "To find Sakila," Vivi answered before turning to her bird. "Do your job Kuu." "Sakila! Sakila! There!" the bird screeched as it flew straight ahead. The two started to run after it, not wanting to lose the one known way to find the girl they were looking for. They ran for a while, though she wasn't sure how long it was before the bird screeched out again, "Sakila! Sakila!" There, sitting in a fetal position, head buried in her knees, was Sakila.

Misaki stared at Vivi before looking at the broken door, then back at Vivi. "Wha-what happened Vivi?" she asked. "Nothing happened." Vivi replied blankly. "I just didn't like the colour of the door." Without saying another word, the young girl headed casually towards the exit. She watched for a few moments before yelling out, "H-Hey! Wait!" Quickly, she ran to catch up to Vivi. "Where are you going?" "Out." "Well, not without me you aren't."

"She didn't pick it up." Vivi frowned at her phone, obviously unhappy that Sakila didn't pick up. Misaki took out her phone as well as she said, "I'll try..." Quickly, she dialed the number she had become familiar with and put it up to her ear. Ring.... Ring.... Ring.... She sighed, knowing the girl wouldn't answer. She hadn't to Vivi, who was a lot closer to her than she was, so why would she pick up to her? "... How is it?" one of them asked. "No luck. She's not responding." The three of them let out a collective sigh. "Misaki! You're next!" The trio turned to the man, who came out of the conference room. The girl turned to the both of them and patted hard on her chest two times before heading for the room. Jackson and Brent sat across the room, piles of paper and pens scattered over the table. "Misaki. Sit, please." She gave a small smile but replied, "No thanks. I would prefer to stand." The Rebellion's leader gave a nod in understanding. "So, can you tell us where you were since Greyfield's capture to the scream?" "Well, I was on my own until I heard the information of Greyfield's capture through some Armed Forces guys." One of them asked, "Why were you talking to the AF?" She frowned, not liking the hint of suspicion she was hearing. "I wasn't. I heard them coming, so I hid. They were talking about the capture and I overheard. They saw me and tried to fight me." Jackson let out a laugh. "Let me guess, you beat them up badly?" "Of course. You know I don't half ass anything." Misaki slipped an apple out of her bag before taking a huge bite out of it. "After that," she continued as she swallowed, "I saw Sa- She stopped. "Misaki?" Brent asked. "Are you ok?" The girl tensed. "Yeah," she said, "sorry, needed a second to recollect my thoughts. So, after I beat those Armed Forces guys up, I saw Sakila talking to the Armed Forces army. Well, mostly just the woman there." "What woman?" "She was maybe late 30s, early 40s. Long, black hair. Around my height, looked cold." Jackson frowned. "Yi," he said. "What did she do?" Misaki replied, "She told Sakila how bloodlines and family connection don't matter in Nubinelle and how she was in charge of the Armed Forces now that Greyfield was captured. She was going to end what she thought was incompetence during Greyfield's leadership. Then she threw several knives at her troops, killing them. She also fired Petya, telling him not to show up again or else his head would be on her wall. The last thing she said was that while she doesn't hate us, the missiles will still be fired." "I see..." one of the muttered as they both scribbled on the paper pads. "And after that?" "I confronted Sakila and the group she was with. Several minutes after I arrived to the group, a truck came with Brent in it and picked us up. After that I came here and went to the meeting right away. Until we heard the scream, I was in that meeting room." They nodded. "OK. So, next question," Brent said. "Do you remember when Sakila left?" "No. I didn't see her leave," she replied. "Do you know where Sakila is now?" Jackson asked. "No, I do not. Vivi and I have been trying to call her though." "If she reaches you or Vivi, come to us immediately, understand?" "Yes sir." "Good. You can go. Send someone else in, would you?" She nodded before leaving, taking another big bite out of her apple. She yelled out, "Someone go in there, wouldja?" as she walked over to Sparrow and Vivi. "How did it go?" the younger girl asked as she looked away from her phone. She replied, "Fine. Nothing much, just was asked about what I did from Greyfield's capture to the scream." Lowering her voice so only the other two could hear, she continued, "They also asked me about Sakila. Told me that we had to tell them if we got a hold of her. Looks like she's their prime suspect."

"The gen'ral's been sacked. An' some weird guy was trynna mess with Sakila. 'Ave you guys seen 'er?" Misaki looked around, searching for the girl she thought was present. "What?" she said, "She was just here." Where is she? Weird... The people in the room chatted amongst each other for a while. Eventually Jackson said, "We should start. As much as I'd like to wait for Sakila, we need to talk about the matter on hand. So-" "Wait," Brent interrupted, standing up as well. "Mokou isn't here either." While Sakila being there was not as big a deal, Mokou's absence was one to cause slight alarm. If it was thing about Mokou everyone knew, it was that she would never miss a meeting. Even when she was sick as a dog, she wouldn't miss a meeting. Worry filled the room as statements and questions bounced around. "Really?" "Where is she?" "Something's wrong..." "What's up?" "She wouldn't miss a meeting, no matter what..." Suddenly, while soft, a scream could be heard. Many stood up, looking in the direction the scream came from. Misaki said, "What was that!?" Footsteps echoed in the hallway. People started running out of the room, obviously worried about what happened. Misaki followed, pushing her way through the crowd. Eventually she made it and saw it. A girl, crying and shaking. She had blood on her, though she was pretty sure it wasn't her. A few were crouched by her, one asking, "What happened?" "M-Mokou.... M-M-M-Mokou's..... D-D-D-D-D-" "WHAT?!" someone yelled, obviously impatient. "SHE'S DEAD!" "WHAT?!" The worry had been bubbling in the group escalated to full out panic. "How did this happen?!' "What do you mean she's dead?!" "Who did it?!" "How did you find her?!" The girl answered the last question. She was gasping for breaths as she explained, "W-Well... I-I was taking a short cut... Went through the alley.... Found her... Dead..." Her weeping took over her words, as incoherent sounds came out of her mouth. Shock covered the faces of everyone there. Misaki only froze for a second before running into the alley to see for herself. Mokou was pale. All life that had been there had been drained out, like the blood pooling around her body. Her expression was soft, unlike the cold looks she normally had. All of her worries and fears seemed to have drained away as well. No mask to hide behind, just the simple truth. The girl leaned closer, examining the wound inflicted on her. This wasn't fatal. Others tried to look at the body before someone pushed their way through. "Out of the way!" they said. Following them was someone wheeling a gurney and a group in blue jumpsuits carrying things like bags and cameras. "This is now a crime scene!" one of them yelled out. "SO GET OUT!" The group that was looking at the body was pushed out of the alley as the blue jumpsuit group began their work. Waiting for them was Brent and Jackson. "Look," the Nubinelle leader shouted out as he shushed the loud crowd, "We need to find out what happened. So you will give your statements to me and Brent one at a time. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good." he continued. "We will be doing it in the main conference room. You will go one at a time. Understand?" Once again, everyone nodded. "So who wishes to go first?"

Misaki ran, trying as fast as she could to find someone in the Battalion to ask about the capture. Ugh, I picked the worst time to replace my cell phone. I really do need to get better at memorizing phone numbers.... As she turned a corner, she saw a big group of people from the Armed Forces. No one seemed to be paying attention to her, so she hid nearby and listened to what was being said. "Ahaha! That's wonderful, girl, but you're a bit late to the spot!" From what she could see. Sakila was there. She extended her sword, ready to use at any moment. The woman who was speaking, radiating a controlling aura, smirked. She pulled out two knives, ready to use. Misaki almost began to run towards the group to protect the girl when the woman continued. "Your family connections and bloodline don't matter here, in this ruined world. We go by merit. And merit picks me!" She pointed at herself. "I am in charge of the Armed Forces!" Wha- Family connections Bloodline? What is she talking about...? Sakila isn't connected to the Armed Forces! ... Is she? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of such a thought. Really Misaki! There is no way Sakila is a part of the Armed Forces in any way! Meanwhile, the woman looked around before letting out a sigh. "Girl, I'll show you something." She pulled out several more knives, and threw them. They all hit men in the Armed Forces. They fell over, blood staining the ground. She watched, shocked that the woman would do such a thing. What the-?! Killing her own men?! "There's going to be some changes in the Armed Forces. Too much incompetence under Greyfield, but all that is about to end." She said before turning to glare at Petya. "You are dismissed from the Armed Forces. If I see your face again, I will have your head and put it up on my wall as a decoration." She then looked at Sakila. "Could you do this?" she asked as she motioned to the once-live soldiers, killed only to make a point. She continued, her tone full of disgust. ou know nothing about our world. You are too soft. Despicable." "And hear this, rebels. I have no animosity towards you, personally. However, the missile launches will still go as planned. You don't have much time left. We will retreat!" With a wave of her hand, she marched off, her newly gained armies following. Sakila and some Battalion troops were left. She began to start walking towards her when she stopped. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have thought twice, but now she she knew that Sakila had connections in the Armed Forces. Did this make her a bad person? Was she not to be trusted? She mentally slapped herself for such a thought. Really Misaki! You shouldn't jump to conclusions like that! It's not her fault she had family to the Armed Forces! After all, it's not like she was helping them or anything. She's helping us take them down. "Hey!" She looked at Sakila, who was yelling out to her. She waved her over, which Misaki followed. As she got closer, the girl asked, "How's evacuation going for you?" She smiled back. "Good," she said. "How about you?" "It's going ok. Some people refuse to leave their houses though." "You too?" "Yeah. I-" Before she could finish, Misaki interrupted, pointing at the old fat guy on the ground, "... Is that Greyfield?" "Yep." "You caught him?! Damn, nice going! Thanks to you, we have a way to extract info about the Armed Forces!" Excitedly, she high fived the girl. "Well," Sakila said, "that is if he talks." "Aw, I'm sure we'll find a way." She looked at the unconcious ex-leader of the Armed Forces again before asking, "Say, how are we going to get this guy back to one of the HQs anyway? It's probably not the best idea trying to carry him there." Sakila pointed to the distance, where a truck could be seen. "I called the Battalion HQ right after I got him. They said they would send over a truck to pick him up, and by the looks of it, they're here." The two waved over to the driver, signalling where they were. After a few minutes, the truck stopped in front of them. Brent stepped out before patting Sakila on the back. "Good work," he said. "You have definitely helped our cause." As two men came over and picked up the man, carrying him into the van, Brent asked, "Need a ride back to HQ? We'll probably be having a meeting discussing Greyfield's capture." "Sure!" they said in unison. They quickly crawled into the van and with that they were off. Misaki watched the scenery contiously change as they drove. With nothing else to think about, her mind wandered back to what she had heard. She isn't bad. She isn't. ... Right?

Misaki let out a sigh as she walked around the area she had been assigned. She had been trying to evacuate all the people she could, but couldn't get everyone since there were people refusing to leave their house. "Geez," she said to herself, "Don't they realize it'd be better to go to the shelter?" Drip. Drip. Drip. She looked up, seeing the rain that was bound to start pouring soon. A small grin graced her face. She had always loved the feel of it on her skin, hitting endlessly. She also loved the rainbow that came after it. Her grin turned bittersweet as her mind wandered off to a happier time, a nicer time. Rain was pounding harshly against the glass. Misaki sat by the window, pouting."Stupid weather!" she said. "And why is that?" The 11 year old girl turned away from the dreary sight outside to look at the speaker. "Because!" she explained. "You said we could practice outside today but now we can't!" The woman came closer, handing the child a cup as she curled up next to her. "The rain isn't that bad you know." "What do you mean!? The rain is stupid! After all, it kept me from being able to fight with you...." A small grin came onto her face as she brushed a few curls of brown hair aside. "But don't you know what comes after a rainstorm?" "Mud?" "No silly! A rainbow!" "You mean those N shaped thingys that are in books? The ones that are colorful?" "Yes, those. That's why I like the rain. Because it brings such a great sight into the world." It fell quiet between the two, the pounding of rain the only thing heard. It stayed like that for a while until a small confession, just above a whisper, was said. ".... I've never seen one before. A rainbow." "Then how about I show you one now?" The girl gasped as she asked, "You can do that? You can show me a real rainbow?" "Of course! just let me grab something, ok?" She nodded as she watched the woman run off, her wild brown hair bouncing all over the place. She was back a few minutes later, some paper and a pencil in hand. Misaki's huge grin fell into a small frown. With disappointment apparent in her tone, she said, "You're going to draw it for me?" The adult pouted. "What?" she responded, "And here I thought you wanted to see my ability." Shock covered her face as she asked, "You're going to show me your ability?!" The woman had often refused her requests to see her ability, with reasons such as "I'll show you one day" and "Not now". But finally, she was going to see it! The disappointment that had been there before immediately left as she excitedly bounced up and down. "Show me, show me, show me!" she chanted. With a grin, her mentor sat down and began to draw. She peered over her shoulder, watching in wonder at her skill. Once she finished drawing a rainbow, she looked at the girl and asked, "Are you ready?" "Yep! Show me!" With one hand on the paper, she snapped her fingers. All of the sudden, the rainbow, once confined to the paper, popped out of it, sparkling. She audibly gasped as she touched it, the cool glass feeling nice to touch. "It's not the real thing," the woman explained, "But it looks pretty, don'tcha think? We can go see a real rainbow once the storm is over, ok?" "OK! Thank you Kate! You're the best person ever!" By now, the rain was dropping more steadily. She was drenched, but she really didn't care. She was lost in the memories of her dear mentor. But even so, she could hear the sound of shoes hitting wet ground. Talking too. "Man! I can't believe it started to rain!" "Stupid weather..." She quickly hid behind a corner, pushing all childhood thoughts out her head in order to be ready to pounce if the men walking by were from the Forces. Judging from their uniform they definitely are. Misaki extended her pipe, ready to beat the crap out of the two when she heard one say, "Crap! Louie, come on, we're being called by one of the generals." "What for?" the other asked. "They want us now! Greyfield has been caught by the Battalion!" Her mouth fell open, shocked from the news. Greyfield?! Caught?! How the hell did- "I know we're being called, but let's take care of this Battalion bitch before we do, ok?" She looked at them, now much closer than she remembers them being a few seconds before. She readied herself as one of them laughed. "Look at her! Ha, I bet she probably doesn't even know how to fight." She yelled, anger apparent in her voice, "Well then I guess it'll hurt twice as much when I beat the shit outta of you two!" Before they could react, she lunged at the two and swung. It hit one of them right in the head. With a thud, he fell onto the ground. The other looked at her, going from being confident to scared, "Wanna be next?" she growled. With a quick shake of his head, he ran away as fast as he could. She smirked as she watched him slip on the ground. Her eyes fell on the unconscious soldier, a plan now formulating her head. With deft hands, the uniform was quickly stripped from the man and folded under her arm. She left him, lying soaked against a brick wall in only his underwear, a small skip in her step as she smiled. Nothing like some good ol' embarrassment. Plus, never hurts to have a uniform in case infiltration is needed.

"Humph, that was impressive Sparrow," Vivi commented as the soldiers ran away. "It seems like your name has penetrated the AF. I'll remember to use it next time when anything happens." "Not the time to joke around Vivi..." Sakila frowned. "Did you hear what he said? Missiles? Explosives? This isn't good. We need to hurry and evacuate the people here! And we need to inform the higher ups to prepare for battle and get some troops over here as soon as possible. Oh yea by the way, thanks Sparrow." "No problem," Sparrow replied, giving a slight nod. "I'll call the Rebellion's HQ about the info," Misaki said. "Sakila, can you take call the Battalion HQ and have them send people to help start evacuating residents in the area?" "Already on it." Misaki grabbed her phone, speed dialing the Rebellion leader. The other end rang a few times before an answer came. "Hello?" "It's me." "Helpful. So what do you need Misaki?" "It's a long story, so I'll just cut to the chase. Sparrow threatened some info out of an Armed Forces guy. Looks like Petya and his forces are going to be where Vivi, Sakila, Sparrow and I are in a few hours. They're bringing some explosives as well." "Damnit! Where are you exactly?" Misaki quickly recited the address of the cafe where they had been. "Got it?" "Yep. Sending people over there now to be ready to fight." "Send some more as well to help with evacuating. I've got Sakila getting some Battalion people over here to help, but we're closer. So please?" "Got it. Are you going to start evacuation?" "Probably." "Be careful." "When am I never?" "Almost never." She laughed as she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, looking at the person who was tapping her. "Can I talk to Jackson for a minute?" "Sure," she said. "Boss? You still there?" "Yep." "Good. Handing you over to someone else. They want to talk to you."

"Maybe the cafe we passed?" suggested Misaki. "I hear it's good from some of the others down at HQ." "Works with me!" "I'm ok with that." And with that, they began to walk towards the cafe. Vivi and Sakila engaged in a conversation that seemed to have nothing to do with what had been happening, though on what exactly she wasn't sure. She wasn't paying much attention as her thoughts were still stuck on what they were discussing before. God... So much in one day... First the Inhibitors, then the bombs and now a guy who seems superhuman! Geez... But I wonder what's up with that guy... T... I mean, out of the suggestions Vivi made, one having to do with the brain makes the most sense but Sakila's right about the fact that he would lose a lot of energy... "Misaki?" She snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at the other two. "You ok? You're pretty quiet." Misaki threw a grin on her face. "Yeah," she said. "I'm fine~! Just still trying to process everything that's happened today, ya know?" "I am as well. It was a lot to go through for one day!" "We're here." "About time! I'm starving!"

THUD! SLAP! SMACK! Misaki glared angrily as her weapons came into harsh contact with the dummies. She had escaped to the training room after the meeting, needing a place to take out her fury about everything that was happening. She kept switching after every few blows, her hands nimbly grabbing and distorting her weapons. Her energy was draining, she could feel it, but she didn't stop. "Hey. Hey! HEY!" She stopped her swing, panting heavily as sweat dripped down her face. She turned towards the voice, letting out a raspy "Hey." The small girl threw a water bottle and a bar at her, which she caught with ease. The two had come to know each other when they fought against the Armed Forces in a battle and had since then talked occasionally. She fell to the floor as she chowed down on the bar, desperately needing the energy. As she began to drain her water, her companion said, "So whatcha up to?" "What does it look like? Beating the shit outta dummies." "Because of the meeting?" Misaki looked at her, tacitly giving a reply. Vivi sat next to her, taking out her little bird she carried around often (though now it looked rather... broken). She passed it to her before asking, "Can you fix Kuu? He got screwed up during the battle and I know your dad is a clockmaker so..." Her muscles tighten a tad at the mention of her dad, but she took it, carefully turning it in her hands. "I can try," she said. "No promises though. I only have basic knowledge." "Well, I'm too lazy so." And with that, she began to screw with the bird. She really had no clue what she was doing, she just distorted what looked like needed distorting. She wasn't very confident though. She hadn't needed to fix something in a while, and as a result, was rusty. But somehow, someway, about a half hour later she did it. The bird's eyes flashed on as it screeched out, "Hiya~! Hiya~!" It hopped around as she threw their hands up in joy, grinning madly. I did it! I honest to god did it! "Yes!" she yelled out. Vivi said, "Thanks for fixing it." "You're welcome!" They sat in silence for a second, the only sounds coming from the rather loud mechanical bird. The small girl got up before walking over to the wall and grabbed some tape. As she wrapped it around her fists, she said, "Come on, let's kick some dummy ass." Misaki let out a laugh before getting up herself, stretching her pipe out. "Ready?" "Ready!" Giving each other a small nod, they began, launching themselves towards their dummies. THUD! SLAP! SMACK!

Misaki entered the room. She was one of the first one there, with only Jackson present. "Where's Tasha?" she asked. The Nubinelle leader responded, "Out getting Sparrow." "What did she do now?" "Nothing, but we need her to fight." The conversation fell into an uncomfortable quiet. She hated it. She completely, utterly hated it. Stupid silence. I hate it. In all the quiet, her mind wandered back to the meeting that had been held only an hour earlier. You know, he never did tell us why he was so worried. "So," she said, deciding to repeat her thoughts aloud (and also to keep the room from being so damn quiet), "you never did tell us at the meeting why you were so worried." Jackson avoided answering, "It's better if I were to tell everyone when they get here." She frowned. "Can't you just say?" she asked. He repeated, "I will tell everyone when they get here! So just wait." Misaki would have asked again, but his tone warned her not to. It was a don't push it sort of tone, the type of tone the leader didn't normally have. So she didn't. They fell back into that uncomfortable silence, with only the sounds of the tapping of impatient feet echoing in the room. Soon, other ability users entered the room and the silence was filled with small talk. Once everyone was present, Jackson stood from his seat and said, "We have a situation on our hands, one that could threaten our cause. We MUST stop it from progressing any father than it has! So here's the plan..."

Misaki slipped into the conference room, being as quiet as she could so it wouldn't be noticed that she was a little late. As she sat down, Jackson said, "It's been a while, Brent." "You too, Jackson." They shook hands, then sat down. Before anything could be further said, Mokou ran up to Brent, gasping for breath. "Brent, sir, we found an ability recruit." Brent frowned. "A recruit? Now?" Jackson clapped his hands happily. "Oh, good. You haven't gotten an ability user in a while. I'll go organize my troops, and hopefully we can get this coalition working." He stood up. Misaki watched as he left the room quickly. Brent let out a sigh as he asked, "The name?" Mokou frowned, then replied, "I believe it's Rose. I found her wandering, and I decided to escort her. She's with the troops." "It's hard times for rookies. With the Armed Forces attacking so regularly, rookies tend to be the first to go. Huh, but we can't leave her. Let her sit in the meeting with the other ability users." Mokou frowned. "A rookie? What are you thinking?!" Brent raised a hand. "It'll be one of the best ways for her to gain experience without getting shot at. Now, go." Mokou frowned once more, but left without another word. The meeting room sat silent for a few minutes, no one saying a word. Well... That was a quick meeting. Someone spoke, "Um, sir? Is the meeting over?" Brent jumped a little before looking at the speaker and replying, "It seems so. Everyone from the Battalion, we should go hurry to get back to base to get our ability users. As for the Rebellion, you should ask Jackson what to do." The room filled with the sounds of people getting up and leaving until only members of the Rebellion were left. They sat there for a second, glancing at each other before getting up and leaving themselves. Misaki headed towards the training room, fully intending to go back to practice fighting some more when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and asked, "Yes?" The man, who was slightly shorter than her, said, "Jackson wants all ability users to get ready!" She grinned as she replied, "For battle?" When he nodded, she let out a happy squeal before continuing, "So where does he want us?" "Main meeting room!" "Thanks!" She ran off, eager to get to the room since the sooner everything started, the sooner she would finally get to fight.

Happy birthday Maurice!

It didn't take the group long to reach the Rebellion's HQ. When they arrived, Tasha was standing outside. As she saw them, the woman grinned and began to wave largely. "Hey!" she yelled out as they exited the van. "Glad you got here so quickly. Jackson and some others are on their way, so we're just waiting on them. It shouldn't take too long~" Brent smiled at her as he responded, "Thank you for telling us. The Battalion is waiting on a few people as well, so we may have to wait for them as well. So where is the meeting being held?" She replied, "In the conference room. I'll take you there right away!" As a result, they all began to follow the second-in-command to where the emergency meeting was being held. Misaki quickly slipped to the front of the group and asked, "Hey, Tasha, how long you think we'll be waiting for Jackson and the others?" The woman turned to her and answered, "Probably at least 20 minutes, why?" "Because I wanna slip off to one of the training rooms to get some training in~" "But you need to be at the meeting!" "And I'll be there! I swear!" "Fine, go! But you better be back in time!" She let out a small squeal of delight as she patted her on the back and said before running off to the nearest training room, "Thanks! I swear, I won't be late!" Luckily, a room nearby was free, and so she entered. She loved being in the training room, with the slight scent of sweat in the air and all the things to beat up. Her eyes gazed around the room, deciding on what would be her targets today. After deciding on several punching bags, she extracted the five inches iron pipe she kept on her belt from its loop before gripping it tightly. Misaki then pulled outward, extending the metal to become three feet. After taking a deep breath, blocking out all sounds and thoughts, she began. It felt like she wasn't even touching the ground as she ran towards her first target. With her weapon in hand, she swung it, a solid thud echoing from the bag. She continued, the blows coming from her not stopping. After a few minutes, she switched weapons, her pipe shrunken and replaced by a steel hammer that had gone from five inches and 3 1/2 feet, before continuing her blows. She didn't think, just acted. To her, it was just her, her weapon and the dummy. Misaki was so absorbed in her fighting she didn't hear (or even notice) the person from the door call out, "Misaki! Misaki!" until she felt something hit her back. In the moment, she swung her hammer, ready to hit whatever/whoever had hit her. "MISAKI DAMNIT IT'S ME!" She stopped. Nothing moved or spoke. Only the sounds of her pants could be heard. She stared at the visitor, not exactly processing why they were there. The other person seemed to figure so as they said, "Misaki, come on. Jackson and the others have arrived, so we'll be starting the meeting now."

Misaki was standing in front of the HQ when people began rushing out of the building. Finding it strange that people were leaving so quickly, she quickly grabbed ahold of one and asked, "Hey, where are you guys heading in such a rush?" They informed her before pulling out of her grip and leaving, "We're heading towards one of the villages! The Armed Forces has it under attack and they need some backup!" She watched the person run away before shouting out, "WHAT?! God dammit, I always miss the action!" "What action," Sayuri asked as she walked back, her blonde hair gently swaying. Misaki told her what the 8th Battalion member had told her. The response she got was not surprising. "For real?! Man, I can't believe the Armed Forces are doing such cruel things..." She would have made a comment about how they have been for quite a while now, but knew it was a bit of a sticky topic to discuss with the woman. She really should stop believing that the Armed Forces might actually go back to the way it was when her grandfather was in it... But today's is not the day to crush grown women's dreams. Suddenly, a tune began to play, alerting Misaki that Jackson was calling. "Sorry boss," she said as she answered her phone, "still working on getting that team." "That's not your priority now. I need you to bring Brent and his team down to HQ since he's not answering his phone and you're nearby. We need to discuss what happened today in the field." His tone, laced with worry and urgency, made her ask, "What happened sir? Did we have a lot of causalities?" "No. Something that is a huge threat. I'll tell you at the emergency meeting. Anyway, hurry and get him!" And with that, Jackson hung up, leaving her with questions only he could answer. Emergency meeting?! Man, what the hell happened out in the field to require an emergency meeting?! She stuffed her phone back into her leather pouch as she hastily walked into the Battalion's HQ. Sayuri followed in a jog, asking, "Hey, what was that about? And what's with you? You looked... Kinda worried." Misaki brushed it off before asking (though more like ordering, judging from her tone), "I need to get to Brent right away. Sayuri, could you do me a favor and get together whoever helps hold down the fort here and get them to meet us out front? I need them all to get down to the Rebellion's HQ.I would, but things have probably changed since I've been here and anyway, it's easier to get everyone rounded up if two people are doing it." The woman paused for a second before giving her a nod and heading off into a different direction. Once she saw that Sayuri was doing as she asked, she made a beeline for the 8th Battalion's leader's office because knowing Brent, he was probably thinking of a new way to help the people in his office with his phone on vibrate. I hope it's still where it was when I left two years ago. Thankfully, he didn't move offices so she managed to get there pretty quickly. She slammed her hand against the door a few times before entering. She normally would have waited, but the urgency that was in Jackson's voice gave her the feeling that it needed to be discussed ASAP. The office of the Battalion's leader was just like she remembered it when she had entered last time (to turn in her resignation). The room was covered in papers and goods and sticky notes and in the middle of it all was Brent, hunched slightly over his desk looking at a map. He looked up at her, surprised to be seeing her in his office before saying, "Misaki! What a surprise, I wasn't expecting you. Do you need anything?" Misaki replied, "Well, more like what Jackson needs. He wants you and whoever helps you with the Battalion stuff to come down to our HQ now for an emergency meeting. Apparently something really bad happened and he needs to see you." "How bad?" "Like, really bad and threatens our goals to overthrow the Armed Forces bad." He frowned as he responded, "My men and I will be there shortly after I round them up." "No need; I already got Sayuri doing that for you. They should be waiting out front." Brent threw her a "thanks", but seemed far more occupied in what the new, terrible threat was and getting to the Rebellion's HQ. It was no surprise, since it the Armed Forces had something that could ruin their goals, it would make it so much harder for them to stop their tyranny. Misaki followed Brent as fast as she could, the sounds of their frantic footsteps echoing off the hallway walls. It only took them a few minutes to get outside, where a van with some of Brent's men were waiting. As soon as she saw them, Sayuri poked her head out of the driver side window and yelled, "Hop in! Next stop, Nubinelle Rebellion Headquarters!"