A solid strike to the flat of Kuroko’s forearm paralyzes it, forcing her to drop the girl to the floor. A nerve strike. The first time Kuroko’s seen it done in actual combat. Electricity spreads from her wrist all the way to her shoulder and her thumb. By the time she can move it again, it’s just in time for her to block the next attack. But the girl seems to have taken that into her calculations as she merely nerve strikes the blocking arm. Again, that electricity spreads through her arm, forcing it to drop, leaving her completely open. The girl gets a solid kick into her stomach. Even with the difference in their physical enhancements, the hit still stings. Not to mention she kicks right where those bullets hit her earlier, driving them even deeper. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep herself standing upright with all the damage she’s taking to her abdomen. The girl’s assault is relentless. Again and again, Kuroko’s guard is broken and her abdomen takes more and more damage. Sh

Haru heaves Kannibal onto her shoulder and walks out of the cockpit. “Excuse me. Excuse me.”She walks past the Elites sitting down in their seats. As she passes, she calmly, but firmly, tells them to get ready. “You, come with me.”Haru grabs one of the more stout Elites and drags her by the elbow towards the end of the train. Once she reaches her destination, she peers out of the back window into the darkness, searching for some kind of hint, some kind of sign that someone might be on their tail. “You see anything?”“No–”She doesn’t get to finish her sentence. A headlight suddenly pierces through the dark night. Then two, then three. Somebody yells. “TAKE COVER! THEY’RE HERE!”A smattering of bullets slams against the train’s rear, shattering the windows. There’s no time to dodge. Haru grabs one of the Elites next to her and uses her as a meatshield. Bullets tear through her flesh while Haru pulls out her handgun and cocks it with her teeth. The instant the barrage shows even a

“Tell me, girl. Do you have a name?”“Courier 6, Shindou Kuroko.”“A pleasure.”“Mhm. And you?”“Student Council Secretary, Gleam. I’ve called you here today because there’s someone I want gone.”Kuroko only nods. Business as usual. “Who?”“A close friend of mine has the potential of becoming a thorn in my side in the near future. I regret to say that our relationship has been strained as of late, and I fear that any further conflict will sever it completely. I know that a letter is not the best way to convey what I feel… but I can’t face her. Not right now. I just… don’t have the courage to.”Gleam hands a folded piece of paper to one of the masked girls, who then hands it to Kuroko. “To whom is this letter addressed to?”“Tsumugi Tsubame.”“Tsubame?”“Yes, yes, that Tsubame.” Gleam’s voice seems exasperated. Which makes sense considering she’s likely had this exact exchange about a million times. “Daughter of God-Queen Hoshi Tsubame, that’s her.” “I see.” “You’re going to need

“I see now the tune you wish to play, Tsumugi.”Gleam smirks a mirthless smirk filled only with venom. Her eyes do not realize anyone else is in the room. Right now, it’s just her and her mortal enemy, Tsumugi. “Then very well, let us make merry and dance.” “Calm down, Gleam. Your soldiers can’t enter the Curia, you can’t lay a finger on me here.” “Yeah, back off, bitch.” Haru sounds so brave but she’s saying this as she hides behind her wife. “Hmph.” Gleam draws her blade. A black katana with a gleam like a wolf’s fang. It’s as long as she is tall. “My soldiers can’t, I still can.”“Let’s not do this, Gleam.” Tsumugi slings her staff over her shoulder. As she does, a huge scythe blade extends itself from her shoulder to her knee. It’s like an invisible cloth was pulled off of it. Just looking at it makes Haru shudder. She blinks. There’s a resounding CLANG. The sound of metal clashing against metal. Somehow, in the tiny fraction of a millisecond Haru closed her eyes, Gleam ma

It’s a slow morning. All mornings have been slow since the war between Barrakuda and Girls Won’t Cry ended. Even before the deathblow she dealt Girls Won’t Cry, counter-terrorism and police work has just been a lot less pressing than her usual work. Usual work. It still doesn’t feel like she’s moved on from it, it feels more like this is just a quick break, and soon it’ll all come crashing back down. Kazuko slowly sits up, wipes her face down, and gets up. Her pajamas and sleeping hat, which is a thing that she wears, are wrinkled to hell and back. Which makes sense considering the dream she just had. Fighting back zombies with foam guns, not exactly the most pleasant but strangely exciting. Alright, that’s enough doing nothing. She heads to the bathroom and takes a shower. Less to be clean and more just trying to wash off the sleepiness from her head. When she’s done, she eats her usual breakfast of a bowl of leftover miso soup mixed with some leftover rice. She eats in the hybri