Hey Readers! This is my first piece of fan fiction. Thank you so much for taking the time to read it! I really enjoyed "Library Wars" when I read it and watched the anime (indeed, it was one of my first glimpses into the genre!) so I thought it would be cute to imagine what happened after. I would love to hear your opinion of it in the comments :) Thanks again!

Chapter 1

Iku took a deep breath as she looked over her gear one more time. She had fussed painstakingly over what to bring to the activity she had dreaded so much when she had first joined the Library Task Force. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around why camping was considered a valuable training exercise for new recruits. Their battlefield, after all, was in the heart of a concrete jungle, rather than a tropical one, where floors were for the most part flat and smooth, the air was kept at a comfortable temperature, rain was left snugly behind windows, and there were certainly no bears (other than those of the literary or Genda variety). Furthermore, comfortable beds dwelt in close proximity to the bathhouse and washrooms, all of which were comforts that Iku would rather have (although, training had brought her to the point where she was fairly proficient at going to the bathroom outdoors [a fact her mother still, thankfully, did not know]). She had complained fiercely over the whole idea when she first heard about it as a new recruit. Back on her first trip she had been scared of bears and could hardly keep pace with Tezuka and Instructor Dojo as they hiked. She blushed at the memory of how Dojo had forced her to accept help from Tezuka and how the older team members had pranked the new ones by shoving a bear-like object into their tents. She had responded the same way Dojo had in his training days: fists flying in an impulsive act of self-defence. She and he were so similar, although it had taken her a while to see it. Things had changed a lot since that first overnight training trip. She had lived through battles and had kept her wits about her. She had seen laws changed. She had come to know and trust her team even more than she could have possibly imagined. Her distain for certain leaders had softened to respect and had slowly but surely blossomed into more than that. She had needed to prove herself time and time again, but she relished in the respect she now felt. As the first female task force member, she was always under scrutiny, but she was proud of the name she had made for herself, even if there were certain episodes of clumsiness and embarrassment that were mixed into the equation.

Now that guns were slowly being filtered out of the Library Force and MBC, strength, agility, quick-thinking, endurance, and teamwork were more important than ever. She tried to think of how this trip could be used to build those skills in their new recruits. After all, she was going to be one of the leaders and it was her duty to make this training meaningful.

Of course, she had not yet come to the point where she was trusted to be fully in charge. Technically, Dojo and Komaki would be there as Genda had been when she first started. But, she did have a number of recruits that she was responsible for alongside Tezuka. She and he were now seasoned force members, after all, and it was an honour that they had been chosen for this role. At least, she chose to think of it as an honour. In response to the upsurge of applications to join the Library Force as issues of censorship were becoming more commonly known throughout Japan, many task force members were called in to help meet the rigorous training demands.

Iku was excited and optimistic for this trip. The weather was supposed to be a bit on the cold side, but she had made sure to pack enough warm clothes that she would not be bothered by it. There was also a chance of rain, but she hoped that with enough positive thinking that this would cease to be a possibility. She lifted her bag with a grunt. Hmm, maybe I need to lighten the load a bit? I can't be huffing and puffing around the new recruits. She sighed and opened the bag once more. In the end, Shibazaki came in to assist her in prioritizing her needs vs. wants. Even though her old roomie was up to her neck in her duties and information gathering, she always took the time to help Iku when she needed it. Especially if she, in return, wanted a double date in the near future and needed Iku to convince Dojo that bowling was a good idea.