Love Live Rising

War has changed.

Early in the 21st Century, several nations across the world began to privatize their military. Soon, hotspots and unstable countries around the globe became easy clients for these new Private Military Companies.

War essentially became a business.

As time went on, technology grew stronger. There were several, important breakthroughs in cyborg technology, and these PMC's were quick to adapt to the new trend of taking their troops and putting them through cybernetic augmentations.

It was almost funny. When countries took their own military troops and played Doctor Frankenstein with them, the public went crazy. But PMC cyborgs? Those weren't even taken into account when it came to official war death tolls.

I don't know why, but one of these PMC's set their sights on us, and nine years ago, me, my best friends, my fellow idols…we were murdered…and then, they brought us back to life as combat cyborgs.

We had no will of our own, no memories of who we were, no emotions. We were simply tools, war machines for Predacon Enterprises. We were given new identities, codenames, an activation code…and weapons, and enemies to use them on.

I am Honoka Kousaka. I am the Leader of Muse, the former school idol group…now, machines of destruction.

I, however, am free. I was set free by a lightning strike…right before I attempted to slaughter my very own sister, my own flesh and blood (if there is any of that actually left in me).

They took me in…Yukiho, Arisa, and Maverick Security.

-o-o-o-

"Onee-chan…" Yukiho stood on the other side of the glass, outside the see-through chamber where her big sister now sat in the Lotus position, her face out in display, her eyes closed, her expression serene in what appeared to be peaceful sleep, her High Frequency blade set before her on a traditional Japanese sword rack.

Her old cyborg body was now renewed and improved, and the insect-like face of the Predacon insignia was gone, now replaced with the old, comforting symbol of Muse, displayed in proud pink on Honoka's right shoulder pad.

The Predacon brainwashing and programming had been removed just the previous day. Honoka had been asleep then…and she still was. Yukiho didn't really know what she would say to her or such when she finally opened her eyes…

Yukiho reached her hand out and pressed it against the cool glass.

The auburn-haired girl's teal eyes turned to look at her beloved, whose hand was covering her own just now.

"Hey," Arisa smiled gently, soothing Yukiho's troubled heart. The younger Kousaka smiled back. "Hey, you. Sorry, Arisa-chan…it's just…so much has happened so quickly…I…I haven't seen Onee-chan in nine years…and just a few days ago, she tried to kill us both…what am I supposed to say to her when she awakens?" Yukiho asked, her eyes trembling. She curled her hand into a fist, and the blonde next to her took Yukiho's hand in both her own.

"It'll be alright, Yukiho-chan. I know you don't hate her for what she was forced to do. Just stay calm when she wakes up, Ok? She'll surely be confused, or perhaps…I don't know…even-" Then, came a voice through the chamber's sound system.

"CR Chamber systems detect high brain and muscle activity. She is waking up! I repeat, Miss Honoka is waking up." Yukiho and Arisa both gasped, looked at each other and then, back at the cyborg woman in the chamber, whose hands were twitching on her knees, and her eyebrows were furrowing together and her lips pursed, opening and closing slightly.

Yukiho knew that look. Her big sister was never a morning person.

Honoka's eyes slowly opened, revealing stunning electric, baby-blue orbs, eyes that were quick to blink several times, and then, look around the chamber she was in.

The ginger then looked ahead of her and saw a man standing on the other side of the chamber's door, a tall Russian with a heavy blue jacket and cargo pants, a moustache and short black hair. His eyes smiled at her. He saluted.

"Hello, Miss Kousaka. I am Boris, C.E.O of Maverick Security. We are a Private Security Provider." He explained amiably. Honoka looked at him carefully, and she looked down at her sword.

"Yes…well, "security" can mean many things." She spoke almost nonchalantly. Everyone was surprised, but Boris was quick to chuckle.

"Heh…well, da, can't argue with you there. Now, do you remember what happened? What brought you here?" The Russian spoke carefully, as if testing the waters, waiting for Honoka's reaction.

The ginger replied calmly, but with a definite tone of melancholy.

"I was sent by Predacon Enterprises to kill a journalist. And she…is…standing right outside this chamber, is she not?" She then looked outside, and saw her little sister and her old friend and fan, looking right back at her with tears in their eyes, but soft, encouraging smiles on their faces.

"Onee-chan…" Yukiho reached out again, placing her palm against the glass. Honoka slowly, carefully stood up on slightly wobbly legs, but she slowly made her way towards her sister. Yukiho smiled wide, a tearful smile, as Honoka reached up to touch her own cybernetic palm against the glass, on the other side of Yukiho's.

Honoka smiled wide.

"Onee-chan…okaeri."

"Tadaima…Yukiho."

-o-o-o-

"I want to know where they are." Honoka spoke into her headset as she practiced her katas in the Virtual Reality training room, slashing away at the practice dummies set around her in an intricate, breath-taking yet deadly blade dance.

"They…?" Spoke the geeky, cute brunette girl with glasses on the console monitoring Honoka's practice. She brushed her long hair behind her ear. "You mean…"

"The rest of Muse. I want to know when and where they are deployed. I'm going after them." Honoka spoke with conviction.

Shario Finieno, (Shari, for short) lay back on her chair and stretched.

"So…you basically want little ol' me to hack into Predacon Enterprises' specialist deployment files, zero in on the Muses' signatures as well as satellite imagery of their mission areas and whatever sighting there may be on them by opposing forces?" She spoke with a tone of dismay, but a smile spread her lovely, pink-painted lips as she went on.

Another practice dummy was sliced clean in half down the middle. Honoka sheathed her sword on the scabbard attached horizontally behind her waist, sliding the blade almost all the way in.

"Exactly."

Honoka could see the light glint off Shari's glass lenses as she stepped out of the VR training. The cyborg grinned.

"Go get Yukiho-san and Arisa-san. I'll be done before you're back~!" And then, she immersed herself in her hacking duties. Honoka patted her on the back as she stepped away from the room.

-o-o-o-

Honoka sat on the cargo bay of a C-5 Galaxy transport plane.

Called the "Nomad", this would be Maverick Security and Honoka's mobile base of operations, now that the Leader of Muse was a full-time employee. Yukiho and Arisa were part of her support crew, alongside Shari and a few other Maverick Security field experts.

Shari's hacking had excellent results. They found where every Muse was operating and had a bead on them 24 hours a day. (And while she was at it, Shari also got an ex-boyfriend of hers working at Predacon Enterprises fired, just to troll the poor bastard)

They were on their way to a war zone in Indonasia, where one of the founding members of Muse was in command of Predacon forces deployed there just a few days earlier.

Honoka's hand tightened its grip on her knee.

"Honoka-san, Honoka-san!" The ginger cyborg was broken out of her concentration by the brunette hacker, who excitedly skipped over to her, clutching something small in her closed hand. "I got it! It's finished, at last~!" She said with joy. Honoka smiled.

"Really?" She asked with relief. Shari gave her a "V" hand sign and opened her hand, holding the object there between her thumb and index fingers. Honoka blinked twice. "Uhhh…is that…lipstick?"

Shari beamed.

"Ohhh Honoka-san, this is far more than that! You see, every Predacon Captain is kept in check, controlled and under their radar by nanomachines. This little darling here…" She cradled the gadget like it was a fragile jewel. "This little cocktail will render the nanomachine colony inside each Muse member's body stunned, or numb, in a way, basically knocking her out cold for at least twelve hours! Plenty of time and then some, to pick you up, get them to the CR Chamber to undo the brainwashing, and even time for idol practice!" She gushed, and Honoka had to smile ruefully at that last part.

Could they, though? Could Muse, once they were all back together, and free of Predacon control…ever really go back to being idols…?

But, really…the flame still burned inside Honoka. She still craved the chance to dance and sing again.

However, there were more pressing matters at hand. She smiled at Shari.

"Perhaps, Shari-san…perhaps, one day, we'll perform together again. But before that…I have to set them free." She spoke with her signature conviction. She looked back at the gadget in Shari's hand. "So…that cocktail is stored in a…lipstick…because…?"

The brunette with glasses winked at her, pursed her lips and made a "chu~" noise. Honoka had no idea cyborgs could blush.

"You see, Honoka-san, at least 50% of your fellow Muses' bodies are cybernetic, and most likely equipped with body armor and the like, so the only real vulnerable point for you to insert the neutralizing agent into them is…well, by the lips. It's the most guaranteed spot for the cocktail to work. The effect on your friends should be practically like flipping a switch." Shari explained carefully as she handed the lipstick to Honoka.

The ginger stared at it for a bit, before twisting the cap to reveal the electric-blue material of the lip balm.

She nodded, put the lipstick's cap back on and put it away in a safe place in her armor.

"I understand. Thank you, Shari-san."

Then, the plane's PA system echoed in the cargo hold.

"We are entering Predacon-controlled territory now. Jamming signals online. We are undetected. Leader, you're up, miss!"

Honoka took a deep breath and stood up, checking her equipment and weapons one final time.

"Ok, Honoka-san. I should get back to my station. Good luck! Go get your childhood friend back!" Shari cheered her, patting her shoulder, right on the Muse symbol, before stepping away and leaving the cargo bay.

Honoka nodded her thanks and stood up, stepping towards the back of the plane as the cargo ramp lowered and she was greeted by the dark, calm night, and the raging wind outside.

She took a deep breath before her faceguard slid into place over her facial features. She then gracefully jumped out of the plane, diving into the jungle below.

Muse Revengeance

Honoka stood on top of an old temple in the jungles of Indonesia. Broken, crumbled stone pillars surrounded her.

Her blade had tasted blood for the past few hours as she made her way here. And now, here she was, at her destination, the wind howling around her…but the wind could not hide the trademark sound of a cyborg flight pack's thrusters…nor the lyrical chime of a young woman's high-pitched laughter.

"So…you are finally here…Leader~" And with that, a figure flew high into the sky, reaching the crescent moon up in the night sky and hovering there, its mechanical wings spread like those of a bird of prey. Honoka's eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath, letting her faceguard slide back into its storage position.

"It's been a while, hasn't it…old friend?" She spoke clearly and carefully. She stood there calmly as her fellow Muse swooped down to the ground, hovering just a few inches above it.

A sleek, curvy cyborg body, her feet encased in what resembled boots with thrusters and falcon-like talons instead of feet, an automatic grenade launcher strapped by a holster to her left leg, green highlights here and there on her body, one hand encased in a gauntlet with five deadly falcon talons, the claws making twinkling sounds as they clanged every now and then, and she held something like a metallic ball in her other hand. And then, up on her head, she had on an eagle-shaped hood that covered almost all of her face, leaving her smiling lips visible.

"Indeed, Leader. It's been a while...we've missed you~" She spoke sweetly…before taking her hood off and revealing the face of one Kotori Minami, her golden eyes shining with killer intent. Honoka's eyes narrowed and she clutched her sword just a bit tighter. Kotori did a graceful spin in mid-air, black feathers fluttering around her.

"I hope you have enjoyed your trip through this war zone…this…zone of wonders~ Because this is as far as you will go!" Then, her hood slid back up over her face, and electric-yellow eyes shone from below the fabric of the hood. Honoka readied her sword…and glossed her lips with the electric-blue of the lipstick Shari engineered for her, and then, her faceguard came back on. Kotori spread her arms and flew up to cover the moon, her arms spread wide.

"Now…let us revel in the wonderful rush of combat! Let us dance with death~!"

Kotori's eyes gleamed with murderous intent as a flock of birds of paradise fled the nearby trees in fright as Honoka saw the slim glimmer of…razor wire spreading in different directions, slicing off everything they touched, such as the pillars around her. She sliced off a wire that was coming straight for her neck and looked up at Kotori, holding the ball in her hand like it were a ball of thread…where all the razor wires originated from.

"Little Bird…TERRORIZE!"

-o-o-o-

Honoka sliced off another Predacon cyborg's head as she reached the bow of the battleship hijacked by the PMC and their commander…another Muse, but her old friend was nowhere on board the ship.

Just then, she looked out at the calm sea when she felt her enemy proximity sensors go off. Something was approaching the ship…and fast!

Then, there was a massive shock that made Honoka stumble and the ship rock from side to side, a explosion of water off the ship's bow…the pulling of a bow's string and…!

Honoka's cyborg reflexes saved her from being impaled by a burst of three high-tech arrows with super-heated heads, now imbedded and melting the surface where she stood just a mili-second ago.

Arrows…Honoka chuckled darkly and turned around upon hearing the sound of metallic feet touching the ship's deck.

She saw a woman, a cyborg, hunched over after her landing. She stood up slowly, a long curtain of blue hair spilling over her back. Strapped to her back was a state-of-the-art hunting bow, and a quill of arrows hanging from her waist. There were arrows attached to her thighs and forearms, as well.

The Predacon captain turned around to face Honoka.

Blue and amber highlights on her cyborg body, two MP-7 submachine guns strapped to her thighs, and on her face, there was blue heart-shaped faceguard, like Little Bird, leaving her blue-painted lips uncovered.

"Leader. So good to see you again," Umi spoke stoically.

"Umi-chan…" Honoka muttered. The bluenette Predacon tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Umi-chan? Who is that?" She asked putting a hand on her hip. Honoka sighed, but readied her sword.

"Don't worry. I'll save you, old friend." She spoke with determination and assumed her stance after putting on her lipstick.

"Hm, whatever you say, Leader. I'm sorry, but you won't take me away like you did Little Bird!" Umi brought out her bow, reading three arrows on the string at once. "My love arrows will pierce right through your heart!" One of Umi's amber eyes could be seen glimmering with killer intent behind her faceguard.

"Ocean Breeze…TERRORIZE!"

-o-o-o-

Honoka disemboweled an enemy cyborg, quickly moving onto his partner, punting him in the face with a roundhouse kick and sending the bastard up and over the guardrail, straight into the melting furnace down below the catwalk they stood on. Honoka advanced, quickly ignoring the man's cries of agony as he was melted alive.

Upon reaching the roof of the weapons foundry Predacon Enterprises had taken over for their own warmongering profits, Honoka was met with the heat of the late-afternoon sun in this abandoned industrial district outside Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

On the other side of the rooftop sat a figure, a female cyborg, hunched over and making munching noises, as if…having a meal? Honoka tilted her head to the side…and she happened to see the cyborg was enjoying a bowl of rice.

"Hana-!" Just then, Honoka sensed movement behind her and she turned around just in time to save her head from being swiped right off her shoulders by an enormous, mechanical tiger's claw, which she barely managed to parry due to the weight and torque behind it, and she ended up taking a huge scratch to her faceguard, and some lost locks of her ginger hair. The huge mechanical, cyborg cat leapt and landed on all fours before her, a…female-sounding roar coming from its huge, saber-toothed maw.

A giggle came from the female cyborg behind the big cat. The cat turned to look at her and trotted over to her, curling around her body affectionately. The female cyborg giggled and gently ran her fingers over the tiger's sleek, shiny, black, orange and white striped frame. The big mechanical animal actually purred in a way that sounded very familiar to Honoka…and then, the back of the tiger's frame let off steam as it opened up and slid back to reveal…

"Nyaaa~! Man, it sure is kinda cramped in here-nya~!" A female cyborg emerged from within the big cat, her hair a short, rich orange and a smiling Maneki Neko mask slid over her face as she stretched.

"Now, now, kitten, we have a guest here. It's none other the Leader~!" The other cyborg petted her partner on the head, getting a satisfied purr from the girl, and she turned to look at Honoka.

"Hai there, Leader-nya~! It's been a while, hasn't it-nya?! We've missed you! Why did you have to take our big sisters away, though-nya? The barracks feel SO empty without Little Bird and Ocean Breeze there with us-nya…" The girl looked down, clearly sad. Honoka stepped forth.

"I saved them. I set them free…" She spoke, raising her sword. "And I'll set you two free, as well." She spoke as she painted her lips an electric blue.

Rin tilted her head to the side before hissing and sliding back into her tiger exoskeleton, but instead of "closing the lid" on top of her, she pulled out a portable railgun, massive in comparison to her own small size.

"You are NOT taking us away! I'm NOT leaving Kayo-chin's side! Never, ever!" She roared as she charged her railgun.

Hanayo chuckled, and wiped from rice grains from her lips. Her face was soon covered by a Hanya mask-style faceguard. And then, she stepped next to Rin, revealing her cyborg body, showing gold highlights. There were two SPAS-12 shotguns strapped behind her back, and in her hands, she was effortlessly and expertly spinning karambit knives, one in each finger, with several more sheathed on her forearms and torso.

"You're not taking us away. We will take your head back home, and ring a bell with it!" Hanayo declared and took her stance next to Rin.

"Oni Giri!"

"Tomcat!

Honoka readied her blade just as Rin pulled the trigger of her railgun.

"TERRORIZE!"

-o-o-o-

The Predacon convoy now lay in ruins, trucks, Humvees, and even an Armored Personnel Carrier were now nothing but burning wrecks. She had also set several prisoners free.

Now, she now stepped foot in the mysterious formation of rocks known as Stonehenge.

Two more Muses were identified leading Predacon operations from here, and as she stepped inside the ages-old ring of rocks, and as the rain began to come down, Honoka looked up at one of the stone pillars…

Two female cyborgs sat there; one with one leg crossed over the other and the other dangling from the stone pillar, she sat like a regal princess, her cyborg body mostly all jet-black with hints of deep violet. Honoka could see rich, crimson hair fluttering behind her faceguard, which was barely that, but more of a masquerade ball mask, shaped similarly to a butterfly, giving Honoka a good view of her beautiful, youthful face and her stunning violet eyes.

"Maki-chan…" Honoka muttered to herself. She looked at the girl standing next to the former Nishikino heiress. A body not too taller than Maki's, with long, jet-black hair flowing behind her back, and one side of her face was visible, wearing a wicked grin and her eye, glowing a deadly crimson, and the other side of her face was covered by half of a smiling theater mask, a messy red on its mouth and an empty, blank white eye.

"Smile…smile…smile, smile smile smile~!" Nico suddenly broke the silence, making a little twirl where she stood, bringing out two deadly-looking sai. Honoka's faceguard slid away from her face. Nico's grin turned bloody.

"The Leader is finally here! She's finally here~! C'mon, Leader! Give us a smile~!" She gave Honoka her trademark "Nico Nico-nii" routine, and then stopped to look confused. "What the-? Why do I keep doing that?! Damn it, that's stupid! It's annoying! I…don't…like it!" Her smile disappeared, her crimson eye glowing dangerously, almost deranged. Maki sighed and smacked Nico upside the head.

"Get it together, you idiot! She's here to take us away. And we…are going to kill her." Maki spoke with regal authority, reaching behind her back…and pulling a black and crimson device…which quickly folded out with a mechanical noise…ending up as a huge black and red scythe with a wicked silver blade.

Nico then let out an "Ooohhh~! It's time to fight! Hahah, hehehe, yeees~!" and then, jumped off the stone pillar she stood on and landed gracefully on the wet grass below.

Nico looked at Honoka with a crazed, deranged look in her crimson eye and a maniacal grin on her lips, and also, her half-mask made a sound of optic camouflage engaging…and half of a skull appeared on the mask. She held her sai in a reverse grip.

"I'm going to carve a smile on your pretty little face, Leader! Prepare to face the Amazing Super Cyborg~!" She yelled. Maki jumped down and landed gracefully next to Nico, holding her massive scythe over her shoulder.

"Leader…you'll…be wild~!" She sang. Honoka's faceguard came back up into place after she painted her lips an electric blue and then, readied her sword.

"Diamond Princess!"

"Dead Smile!"

"TERRORIZE!"

-o-o-o-

She was nearly there. Honoka could feel it. She had almost completed her mission…now, here she stood, before a frozen lake in the middle of nowhere in the Russian wilderness. The wind howled around her, the ground and woods around covered in snow. Honoka could make out the howling of wolves off in the distance.

Then, there was the impact of something landing on the frozen water not too far off in front of Honoka. Then, the flickering of optic camouflage…revealing one of Honoka's final opponents in her quest to get her friends back and away from the clutches of Predacon Enterprises.

A cyborg woman stood in the middle of the lake, a voluptuous body with rich purple and emerald highlights, a chest that Honoka was 80% certain was completely natural. A long bo staff strapped to her back, glimmering with a purple aura. Long, purple hair put in a braided ponytail over her right shoulder…and no faceguard whatsoever, revealing an old but familiar face, with a mischievous smile on her luscious lips and emerald eyes that glimmered with evil and killer intent.

Honoka stepped into the frozen lake, and then, undid the binds keeping her faceguard attached to her head, letting the metal fall to the ice below with a soft clang sound.

Honoka didn't even blink, not surprised in the slightest when she saw Nozomi reach into a pocket on her thigh and pull out her old, trusty tarot cards…some of them stained with blood.

"Leader…so good to see you again~ Have you had fun?" Nozomi purred as she shuffled her cards nonchalantly. "You've travelled the world, grown stronger than ever…you've taken almost all of us away to a place I can't see...you've defeated almost all of us…but now, your greatest challenge awaits. The cards tell me…you are someone important to all of us…far and beyond our days together as Predacon's finest warriors…a time long past…" She drew a card and looked at it with a stoic look. She put it back on the deck.

"Now, our beloved Leader…I give you a choice. A chance, really. The cards will dictate your destiny…and mine. All you have to do…is draw the correct card," Nozomi spoke as she approached Honoka, holding her hand out with two cards held between her fingers, their backs to Honoka.

"You draw the correct card…and I will give up and follow you without a fight, and my destiny will be in your hands. But…" her smile widened and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Draw the wrong card…and you will die~" She closed her eyes as she smiled and tilted her head to the side. Honoka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She reached out…and picked the card.

Nozomi's eyes opened just a tad, emerald irises glimmering.

Honoka took the card and looked at it…and then, she quickly dropped it to draw her sword and block a flurry of strikes from Nozomi's staff.

Honoka did a backflip to make some distance.

Nozomi stood in her fighting stance, her staff held in one hand behind her back…and her other hand, reaching out and holding the card Honoka drew.

"Ooohhh, I'm so, so sorry, Leader~ But you get…the Reaper~" She purred and then, held the card tighter, and it soon began to glow a vivid red…before Nozomi flung the card at Honoka like a burning projectile.

Honoka gasped and deflected the card with her sword…before she heard the sound of camouflage disengaging from just a few feet to the side. She turned and blocked just in time, as a super-heated whip-like weapon lashed out at her and bounced off her sword.

She heard a giggle coming from all sides, as if carried by the wind and snow around her. Then…she heard the sound of ice skates skidding around her on the frozen lake.

She blocked another strike from the ice-skater and swung her sword in another direction…and sparks flew as her blade skidded off a silver-colored shield. She kicked out and landed a hit on her new opponent's body, which sent the woman skidding off towards Nozomi.

The attacker did a series of flips and moves that belonged more in an ice-skating rig, combined with a ballet stage. The woman wielded and twirled her super-heated whip like a gymnast would a ribbon, and it all stopped with the woman landing gracefully next to Nozomi, and the whip retracting back into her shield.

Honoka looked carefully at her new opponent: another cyborg, of course, with a snow-white and sky-blue, sleek body, and again, her silver shield on her right arm with the bladed tip of the whip peaking out from below. No faceguard, and a very familiar face, with sky-blue eyes, pale skin and golden hair, done up in a high ponytail.

Eri Ayase grinned with killing intent in her eyes and stood next to Nozomi.

"And now, the stage is set~ Like I said, you picked the Reaper, Leader…so, you must now die~ Don't take it personal, really. It's all in the cards." The staff-wielder purred.

"Now, let us show you, dear Leader…our snow halation! Welcome to the ballet of death!" Eri claimed as she and Nozomi took their stances.

Honoka spun her sword in her dexterous fingers and took her stance soon enough.

"I will set you free." She spoke with conviction.

"Gypsy Danger!"

"Swan Princess!"

"TERRORIZE!"

~We were waiting for the light to shine upon us~

I will set you all free, my friends. And then, we are going after those who did this to us…and we will make them pay! This…will be our revengeance!

Love Live Rising: Muse Revengeance

Author's Notes: So…(Whistles) Um…did I overdo it? (Sweatdrops)

Maaan, I had no idea this "trailer" would turn out to be this long! O.o I just, I dunno, I was on fire! Put me out, please! (Runs around a basketball court engulfed in flames)

So…yeah, this is the "trailer", which I hope works as a guide or something to that effect for the one who'll adopt this story…and well, I'm quite inclined to say the highest bidder, or, well, most likely person to adopt this story is Revengermajestyliberator. :3

So…yeah, I hope you people enjoyed this so-called trailer, and now, I'm off to eat 'cuz I haven't eaten anything since lunch and it's night time now. XD

So, till next time!

Semper-Fi! Carry on!