Our story begins not with happiness or joy. This beginning is dark and gritty, the story of two young boys who suffer greatly. They lose something important, but in the process, gain a lot more.

This is the story of the Orimura Twins and how they lost what made them normal.

And how, in the process, gained the friendship and trust of some powerful friends.

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Dark Generic Warehouse

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I'm scared

I can't see, I can't hear anything but dripping pipes and myself breathing.

Why? Why am I here?

Nee-chan? Where are you? I need you Nee-chan! HELP ME!

I feel someone step up to me, his dark aura overwhelming my very body and I can't help but cry and whimper. I struggle against my bonds, hot tears spilling from the corners of my eyes as the tight blindfold they wrapped around me keeps me from seeing. Seeing him. I feel a sharp burning prick in my body.

At first, I feel a small tingle but then it grows. It grows and grows and grows AND GROWS AND- ARGH! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! ANYONE! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO FEEL THIS WAY ANYMORE!

MAKE IT STOP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! PLEASE HELP ME!

I scream, a loud painful scream. I hear the man laugh despite my screaming. I can feel him there, enjoying as I suffer.

The pain was receding now. The whole world was. It shrank and shrank until it was just me and the table I was strapped to. Sounds dulled until all I heard was my breathing and the slow beat of my heart. It was growing slower.

I let out a wail. I don't know if anyone heard me.

Time stood still, and a figure appeared before me. It was shrouded in shadows and I couldn't see even if it was a boy or girl. It was slowly approaching, passing the frozen evil man and stopping in front of me. It stood over me like Big Sis would do sometimes when I go to bed. Even with this stupid blindfold, I could tell that it was staring at my eyes.

Do you fear dying?

I trembled. I shook. I nodded.

I can help you. I can make you strong.

It extended a shadowy hand, inviting me. Making everything feel...better.

I can give you you anything you wish. All I need you to do, is let me.

I was barely breathing now. I couldn't think, it hurt to even move. But I still knew, I still wanted to be strong and not let the bad men hurt me anymore.

I weakly grabbed the shadow's hand.

Good.

Emptiness swallowed me whole.

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Orimura Household

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Chifuyu Orimura was a strong independent woman with steel enforced nerves. There was rarely anytime where she would ever show weakness. The few that knew her personally could say that only one thing could cause her to ever be anything but strong and independent. It was currently one of those times. The fourteen year old teenager paced back and forth, her arms crossed behind her back and rhythmically clenching and un-clenching. Around her, the household was a mess. Everything and anything that was even considered breakable had been destroyed. Shards of glass, piles of splintered wood, even mere specks of dust gathered in groups and lingered around the area. It had only been two hours ago when she was told that some strange group of heavily armed men had attacked the elementary school where her little twin brothers were. The targets had been them and the mysterious bastards had successfully kidnapped them. She had raised every single amount of hell imaginable as she demanded information from anyone to help her find them. Even with today's current society, no one was immune to a fiery woman with a temper that could move mountains.

"Chifuyu Orimura?" The young woman stopped her pacing and directed a fiery glare at the speaker who entered without knocking. He was a tall man, muscles lined his entire physique and the suit he was wearing barely hid any of the bulging mass of flesh. His Japanese was laced with a heavy and thick Russian accent. "I have an urgent message for you. It concerns your brothers."

The man didn't even get to blink before he suddenly found his face bought down to equal level with the fierce woman before him. It was an amusing sight. He was a large Russian bear of a man who dwarfed nearly everyone around him. Yet here stood someone HALF HIS HEIGHT who probably possessed enough strength to break him in half. Behind his sunglasses, the man's eyes twinkled in both amusement and nervousness. His face creased into a large grin, fight or flight instincts being ignored in favor of getting to see even more of this temperamental woman.

"TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM NOW!" Her voice was hoarse and deadly, the tone promising untold amounts of pain if he had been wasting her time. A dark aura built around her back, unknown horrors and promises of never ending torment.

"Little Boys been located in warehouse district to South. Wolf General already arrived with big group of crazy bastards," Chifuyu released him and stood up straight. The man rubbed his neck a bit before speaking again. "Follow Yuri so Yuri can lead you to…to...okay, maybe Yuri should follow you."

In the short time the man was trying to alleviate his throat pain, Chifuyu had called forth her IS machine. The machine's body was a stark and perfect white. Everything was white. Everything, but the wings. They were a complete dark blue with red tipped tail. The young woman wielded her trademark weapon within her hands already and a war cry flowed out of her lips.

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Outside the Dark Generic Warehouse

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"All right men, here's the situation. Two young innocent boys are being held hostage in there. We split into three teams! First team, rescue the hostages! Aid one Ms. Orimura in this task and do not, under any circumstance, get in her way!. Second and third teams, split up the area and put down any hostiles. Your General demands a quick, clean, and efficient operation!" The General huffed and glared at his men, daring them to question his orders, "Move out maggots!"

The Wolf General was a tall man decked out in equipment that looked nothing like modern military gear. He was shirtless for one, only a large pelt of a silver wolf adorning his shoulders and draped across his front provided any real protection. His pants jingled with every step, tiny bells that rang with the smallest of movements. This was only fair for the enemies. If the General were to go without any real noise, his targets would be dead before they realized they had been screwed over. The bells also provided another benefit. It proved to some of the unknowing men here that this man leading them was NOT a simple soldier. He was a wolf. A silent predator. He could tear apart the whole facility if he wanted to but didn't out of respect for the girl who actually had a personal stake in it.

The General's second in command, one Kousei Oga, spoke up, "We really going to let some girl go in there? I mean, I know she's got a real good fucking reason, but do we have to babysit her?"

Kousei was in a Chinese red and black battledress, the attire more fitting for a ballroom dance than a battlefield. Those that knew him considered this another habit of the eccentric man. Those who knew him well could tell that the man was treating this mission almost as if it was his sons in there. In any case, Kousei meant business. And when one of the most craziest men ever to walk the Earth takes something serious, that meant dark things were on the horizon. Anyone there with more than two brain cells to rub together knew that questioning the Great Wolf was usually a suicidal endeavor which was way only a man like Kousei could get away with it.

"She's riding an IS. And not one of those cheap factory built ones. The machine she's flying is suspected to be capable enough to destroy several cities across the world."

"And a small country," A man in the back shouted.

"And a small country," The General repeated, "She may be young and reckless but aren't we all when it's our family on the line? In fact, if you really have a problem with it, you can convince her to stay yourself."

The entire garrison froze. Only a handful of them had ever seen an IS machine up close with their own eyes. Most of them wished they never even heard of the damn things. The rumor mill regularly churned out information about the all mighty force that an IS machine commanded. Some of the gossip passed around even told of how IS users could easily replace the world's military. All in all, watching a crazed bastard like Kousei Oga, a master martial artist with the strength of over a hundred men, try to take on one would be a sight worth dropping all previous plans for. Sure, the man might end up getting killed but entertainment was entertainment.

"It's her brothers in there Kousei. Her parents abandoned the three of them only just last year. In addition to school, the young woman has to take care of them. By HERSELF. I'm usually the first to question and think things through, especially on a battlefield, but right now, I'm willing to step aside to let her do whatever the hell she wants because I'm pretty damn sure she would fight Kami for them."

Anyone in the immediate area steeled their resolve tenfold and no longer felt morally wrong letting a young woman take the lead. Some of them had their own families and even little brothers themselves. Any father in that one group of men promised to aid the girl any way possible and make the sick bastards in the building doing Kami-knows-what to young children suffer for as long as possible. The entire garrison armed themselves and got into their groups.

The General himself would be leading the first team. At his behind, he had two of his most faithful gunmen and a handful of other sneaky or light footed people. Gunman one, Yami Hellion, was decked out in a complete black leather suit with trench coat. A sniper rifle barrel just barely peaked over his shoulders and his overcoat did well to hide the twin pistols he had at his side. Gunman two, his partner, was a lot less simple. For one, Desmond Wesson was armed to the teeth. The man wore a simple cowboy outfit that bulged at random points, barrels or stocks jutting out in an unruly mess. The cowboy tipped his hat to a nearby bespectacled doctor who looked as old as time itself before he snapped his fingers, shrinking everything down and letting his leather vest and cloth shirt re-adjust back into normal size.

"You have your orders men. Let these evil fools see the error of their ways when they realize that they garnered the attention of Wolves. ATTACK!"

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Testing Lab A

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The whole building shuddered without pause. Explosions sang throughout the night and battle cries followed by the screams of the tormented all combined into a twisted melody. The building gave yet another shake, the ceiling's structure weakening and letting bits and pieces of plaster fall down. The lead scientist, an old man with gnarled features that only a mother could stand, hissed as his fingers danced over a sputtering and winking computer keyboard display. The two prime specimens were already drugged and sedated. All he needed now was to escape with the two brats and then finish their injections.

"You two! Gather up all this equipment then load the test subjects! If it's too heavy, leave it!"

The old man sniffed in disdain as he quickly glanced through his written journals to ensure he didn't miss a single note. The boys had been delivered to his doorstep about two months ago. The benefactor who dropped them off offered him a generous sum to mold their young minds into something usable. The tearful screams and cries of pain was an added bonus. In addition to regularly injecting them with the drugs given, he was also tasked with establishing a sense of trust into them. All he had to do was get them addicted to what he was given and then let the two stew a bit. After letting them feel the horrors of withdrawal, he would then supply them their fix and make them understand that he was a friend and someone to trust. A little curiosity from his youth also led him to find out that he was injecting the young boys with mind control serums. Why he was doing so was unknown to him but he didn't really care so long as he was paid handsomely for a job well done.

Let the idiot who wanted child soldiers have them, he didn't care a lick so long as the people making the payment didn't screw him over.

Musings aside, the doctor packed away his personal effects into a bag before smashing his hard drives to pieces. No way were those lumbering jarheads outside getting any of his research!

"Doc, we're good to go," One of his guards said as he brusquely slung one of the young limp bodies over his shoulder.

"All right, head to the escape chopper first. I just need to activate the self-destruct sequence for the compound to ensure these fools don't follow us."

"All right."

The two guards scampered out as the doctor started to punch in a code onto a control panel. The doctor went through the input by muscle memory as he surveyed one of his few intact security cameras. That blasted gang of men had once again foiled his plans. This wasn't the first time those damned pests tried to destroy him and it certainly wouldn't be the last but damned if he didn't make it difficult for them. The one anomaly, a young woman piloting an Infinite Stratos, was something to behold though. While the gang of men who regularly crashed his parties were idiots who trained their bodies past the point of normality, the girl was something in her own right. She just burst through whatever defenses he had and tore apart whatever got in her way.

The old man smirked. If her strength was that great, how amazing would her brothers be?

Finished, the Doctor grabbed his bag and ran outside. He didn't get that far before having to slow down.

Not because he was a weak frail old man, mind you, it was because the floors were slick with blood and body parts.

"Wha-what is this?"

"Hello Doctor."

A man appeared from within the shadows. If it weren't for the blood staining his clothes and freaky laughing jester mask, the doctor would have mistaken him for one of the superiors.

"Wh-who are you?"

*SCHING*

The doctor screamed in pain as his glasses were halved and a perfectly linear wound burst open on his face.

"It won't matter in a couple of minutes good doctor. For you see, you'll be dead soon."

"I-I c-can pay you!"

"Money means little to me. What I am interested are those two boys you were experimenting on."

Recognition lit up in the doctor's eyes. His whole demeanor shifted and his fear became evident.

"Y-y-you're-"

"Times up," The man chuckled before he swiped side to side.

*SPOLRTCH*

The doctor let out a massive scream of pain as the man's chuckling evolved into full blown laughter. Leaving the old man to suffer, the jester skipped off into the shadows. Within seconds, he would be on his way back to base with his precious cargo. Those two would grow up to be great things.

"Ah yes, there is nothing more great than nurturing the next generation of warriors. And what better way to start than with children?"

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Storage Cells

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The General leaned back into his side of the door frame, quietly smoking a cigar. On the other side, Yami was placing explosive charges while Desmond reloaded his arsenal of guns. The rest of team One was currently tailing Chifuyu as she tore her way through the weakening opposition.

"Charges are set."

"Desmond?"

"Ready sir."

"Blow it open."

*BOOM*

Yami kicked the now broken door out of the doorway and fired into the room. Desmond, breathing slowly, fired six times. All six shots barely missed Yami by an inch and nailed their intended targets in fatal spots. One unlucky scientist, his whole body shaking, tried to fire his gun but his jittery hands made the shot go wild. The General slid into the room with a jingle and regarded the dead bodies with a whistle of appreciation as Yami disarmed the last remaining enemy.

"Desmond, keep a post on the door and watch out for anymore...opposition. Yami, interrogate our friend here for anything he could know. Don't be gentle," The General ignored the pleas for mercy and tapped his right arm. Half of the limb lit up in a haptic display of orange light and the General tapped a few glowing buttons before speaking into it.

"Kousei, give me a sitrep. I need information on our current charge and anything other than destruction reports would be appreciated."

"Well right now, we're- hold on. GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" The General patiently waited as someone cried tears of pain as crunching noises were heard, "Okay, sorry. As I was saying, we're advancing slowly through the whole compound. Turns out the warehouse was just a front and it actually connects with two other buildings and has about three basements in total. We've taken some hits but no one's gone down completely and right now, the enemy is slowly being taken."

"Very well. Continue," The General hung up the call and then waved his arm at a nearby computer. The display lit up and all forms of security was bypassed. The General sat down on one of the chairs nearby and started to scroll through anything interesting. Behind him, Yami had just finished giving his prisoner an involuntarily organic make-over that consisted of intricate patterns made with knives. The General huffed as his red eyes scanned through the files before he settled on one particular folder that surprisingly still had blocks placed on it.

"...Hmm, Project RA and BD? Yami, see if our friend here knows the password."

"I-I'll never tell you anything!" The scientist screamed defiantly as he tried to stem his bleeding face.

Yami just chuckled before he flipped open a wicked looking blade that had a razor teeth edge, "Tell us now and I promise to kill you as quickly and painlessly as I can. Refuse and we'll see how long you can remain conscious as I tear open your gut and then strangle you with your own innards."

The scientist wet himself before he whimpered, "P-p-project R-red A-angel a-and B-b-blue demon. P-p-password, C-Cain and A-Abel."

"Good boy," Yami humorlessly said as he slit the poor man's throat.

The General scanned the file and read through everything within seconds. By the first line, his eyes had widened and his whole form shivered.

"Sir?" "General?"

"...These...these bastards..."

Yami and Desmond shared a look before firmly pushing past their leader and stared at the information on the computer.

What they saw made them, cold-hearted men of war and death, gape in surprise and recoil in disgust.

"What kind of human does this to another?"

"This is the world that we fought to protect?"

"...The password bodes nothing but misfortune...Gentlemen, we no longer are dealing with humans."

The General reared up in regal anger and smashed the computer to pieces before he activated the announcement feature on his arm.

"...Attention Wolf Fang! This is a new order from your General! No longer shall we be merciful! Any opposition that you meet is to be wiped out! Any existing prisoners are too be executed! THIS IS THE CALL FOR ANNULMENT! NO HONOR, NO MERCY, NO SACRIFICE! TAKE THEM ALL DOWN TO HELL!"

Every man who heard the announcement stared at their own tool in surprise. The General had only called for Annulment exactly three times, all of them perfectly justified and within reason. Whatever the General had just learned may as well have destroyed whatever hope these fools had left. The Wolf Fang members shared a look before their faces hardened and they bought down their full might.

Back with the General, the man examined the data he had stored in his omni-tool.

It was a detailed listed plan to create war machines. Cold, heartless, relentless tools of battle that existed for the sole purpose to destroy and kill.

It used children as young as five years old and had a list of subjects pending testing.

There were about five hundred.

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With Chifuyu

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Chifuyu had long since left her escort in the dust as she tore through whatever defenses were thrown at her. The IS machine had blood speckled here and there and her face itself had a long red streak running down the left side. Face set in a snarl, the woman flew like an unstoppable juggernaut before reaching her destination. The hallway was slick with blood and gore that wasn't her doing but the young woman stomached the grisly scene before pushing onward into the lab. When she found nothing, she roared in rage that the heavens even heard.

"P-pathetic."

The young woman turned her vicious demonic gaze upon the limb-less doctor who laid against the adjacent wall. The old man, with the last of his strength, dragged his entire remaining torso across the floor.

"YOU!"

Chifuyu deactivated her IS and yanked up the mutilated doctor by his collar.

"You're the cause of all this! Where are they?! Where are my BROTHERS?" Her eyes were like fiery pits of hell. The very air around her was saturated with killing intent and the smell of brimstone.

May the leading devil have mercy on the poor fool's soul for the God above had already washed His hands of him.

The old man chuckled. It started off with a dusty tone, a raspy sound that was befitting to his current age. The old man somehow managed to speak, flecks of blood and spittle flying from his rotting teeth.

"You'll never find them, Ms. Orimura," The old man clucked his tongue, as if he could remove the filmy splotch of phlegm that was sticking to the roof of his mouth, "The shadows have them. No more shall you know of your sweet little brats. That ship had sailed long ago. Now? Now they are mere tools, forged and molded into the perfect weapons."

"Y-You-"

*Crunch*

The old man gave the trembling young woman his biggest shit-eating grin before froth split from the corners of his mouth. The ancient evil doctor gave off a few more gurgling noises before his head lolled to the side and his eyes took on a vacant quality before rolling backwards into his skull.

Chifuyu Orimura dropped the corpse and collapsed backwards. The scene swirled inside her head and her brain screamed commands but her body did not obey. Here she was, seconds away from whisking her brothers into freedom and safety, only to be brought down and find out they once again slipped through her fingers.

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With the General

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"You pathetic lot," The Wolf General growled, "You want mercy? There's no mercy for your crimes. Kidnapping, assault, imprisonment, slavery, BRAINWASHING CHILDREN!"

The General stood unflinching on a small pile of corpses as he glared down at an assembled line of soldiers and guards who surrendered. The beast-like man bared his fangs and raised his arm, prepping the firing squad.

"You wanna know what your verdict is? It's simple. Execution."

The General dropped his arm and his men fired. The shots screamed, the shooters stood silent, and the survivors suffered.

"Wulf!"

The General's head snapped around so fast he might as well have dislocated his neck. Only three people ever had the honor of calling him by his first name and right now, he was pretty damn sure his family was half-way across the world. Thus, he regarded Kousei with his most serious stare and kept his lips curled slightly to give a glimpse of his fangs.

"Kousei. I've fought with you in countless battles, seen horrors beyond human imagination, supported you when you needed it most, and treat you a brother. Such as that, I know you don't call my name less for good reason. Let's hear it."

Kousei was leaning over on his knees and panting, a testimony to how much energy he had expended in the fight. When the martial artist finally regained his breath, he looked up with his red eyes and spoke bluntly.

"Kids are gone. The higher ups to this operation got wind of what we were doing and managed to transport them elsewhere. The leaders here either don't know the location or killed themselves. In other words-"

"-We failed," The General said softly, "...How is she?"

"Broken."

"..."

"..."

"Alert the men. Get our trackers on the trail and have them follow the scent. No matter how small or how obvious a trap it could be, we have a duty to complete. Desmond, Yami, come with me. We're going to collect our young charge. Shikuro, Yakurizo, finish off the rest of these bastards. Someone go get Yuri and tell him to gather the dead into one pile so Derek can torch it all. Finally, have all the wounded and injured tended by Slawter's team. On the double people!"

The General spun around with a swish of his wolf coat and stalked off, face set in stone and eyes cold as ice.

The four Wolves walked in somber silence. Kousei shot an indifferent survey around, taking in the burning buildings and dead being carted off. Yami had his head bowed, lips moving in a slow tempo as he uttered a silent prayer for forgiveness. Desmond walked stiffly, arms held to his side and fingers twitching. The three subordinates all felt the loss as if it was their own kin. No one in the group liked to fail, no matter what. The fact that the innocent lives taken were nothing more than five year old boys was just icing on the crap cake that was served up on a platter of failure.

"Yami, Desmond," The General spoke. Both men perked up, "I'm going to assign you both a very important mission. Watch our young friend. She may be strong, have one of the strongest wills I have ever seen, and is completely capable of mass destruction but she is still just a young woman looking for a place in life. Losing what was left of her family will damage her greatly but stay at your task. If anything should befall her, you bring shame to our pack. Do you two understand?"

The two gunmen mutely nodded.

"Next time, we shall be ready. Next time, we shall not hesitate. Next time, the Wolves will emerge victorious."

The General looked up to the sky where the moon was dipping.

"Wolf Fang. Move out."

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Six Months Later

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"This is quite a find, my dear lady."

:D

"I'm surprised, really. I was expecting to find these two MUCH sooner...but alas, our target is a slippery bastard."

:/

"But all the same, this is truly good. I shall call the men at once. We shall prepare, we shall be ready."

:[

"...I see. Very well then, I will try to do my best."

XP

"You truly are as insane as any Wolf. I'm glad to have met you."

:3

"Good day to you too."

Wulf Shepard yawned as he collapsed his laptop. Speaking with that woman was always an unique and fun experience. The man stood up, joints creaking in protest, and walked outside of the safe house he had his men set up. Outside was a beautiful day, with the sun shining and birds chirping. Children ran around with giggles alighting the air and Wulf cracked a smile at the peaceful environment.

The man jogged lightly to his destination. The house had seen better days. The front gate was rusted, the door had been blown open and looked like it was nailed back into place by a monkey, the roof had shingles sticking out and a large gaping hole that was vaguely human shaped, and the once vibrant green grass now had patches of brown decorating random places. Wulf let out a huff, the state of the house a testimony to how bad things still were even after six months.

The General gently pushed the creaky gate open.

And then barrel rolled through before back flipping into the air and rolling onto the porch.

Behind him, three tripwire traps unleashed their payload of spikes and nets, a mild stun motion sensor grenade went off, and a monkey popped out of nowhere to clap its cymbals in an excited manner.

"...Why is there always a monkey?"

"We were hoping it would distract you long enough that the nets would work."

Wulf raised an eyebrow at his pocket assassin. The man blended in anywhere and had that same calm face on. His dark brown hair was neatly combed back and the butterfly knife he twirled in one hand gleamed in the sunshine. He looked like he was discussing the weather and not had just admitted to setting up a three combo trap that could have hurt someone.

"Report."

"Same situation. No visible change besides eating and actual facility use."

"Desmond?"

"Out shopping."

"Attacks?"

"Only the one in the first week. And that was by rowdy neighbors, not lethal killers."

"...Yourself?"

Yami snapped his knife close with purpose, "...I have been hospitalized by far worse things than a woman who wanted space. I will fare well enough."

"...I see...is she admitting?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Pack your equipment and whatever you need for a job."

Yami's face twitched, "Do you mean?"

"Yes."

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Later

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"Hello there."

"..."

"Have you been well? My men tell me that you have tried to regain some proper sanitary issues."

"..."

"...We've kept an ear to the ground for a long time now. With the combined network of some of my men and the vast expertise of your friend, we may have found a true lead."

"..."

"The information is seventy-five percent accurate but it's good enough. The rumor states that there will be a person at the next Mondo Cross tournament that will be scouting for potential. In truth, it's a ruse concocted by the evil bastards behind this original plot who now are looking for fresh material."

"..."

"Your part is simple. We need you to enter the tournament. None of my soldiers can pilot the damn machines and the women who can are not experienced enough to be noticed. If you enter, win some matches, prove that you're still one of the most fearsome people on the planet and find this bastard, we can nab him and then string him out for info."

"..."

"This rat bastard is a sneaky little man. First sign of any of my men and he'll probably bolt. Lure him into a good enough sense of security and...and..."

"..."

"Hello? Are you there?"

"..."

"Chicken. Apple pie. Scissors X. I want you to sire my next child. Bend me over the sink and make a woman out of me."

"..."

"...If you can do this correctly, we can get your brothers back."

"What."

"Oh now you're listening huh? Hmph, should have started with that."

"Y-you...tell me! Tell me more!"

The Wolf General pulled his face into a snarl that showcased his mouth that was filled with plenty of pointy teeth and sharpened white fangs.

"I've outlined everything you need to know in this document Miss Tabane sent me. Pay attention to anything highlighted in red and marked with a bunny sticker. I don't have to tell you which is from who correct?"

Chifuyu's eyes narrowed as she snatched the document from the man's outstretched hand. She flipped it open and started to pore over the words, seemingly committing them to memory. She absorbed all the info like a sponge, deciphering the messages sent from her one true friend and taking to heart everything else by the mercanary group. It was only just recently that she regained some semblance of humanity and started to do things on her own without the steady prodding of her friend and the people tasked with caring for her well being. She never knew a better friend than Tabane, even with her rather eccentric attitude and rather strange and overbearing but still endearing personality. The other two, Yami and Desmond, treated her with respect and cared for her whenever her friend couldn't. While she preferred her fellow female over the two men, she would admit that they were worse people out there that could have taken advantage of her weakness.

"How sure are you of this info?"

"I swear on the Great Wolf and all that is great and holy, this info should pan out. If not, then we'll just try again with much more determination, blood, and sweat.. We will save them."

Chifuyu took a deep breath, her whole being heaving with each labored intake. She closed her eyes, leaned back and thought of them. Those two. Their innocent faces, their little heads and bodies, their beaming smiles and happy child-like actions.

She wanted them back. She needed them back.

Chifuyu opened her eyes once more before they narrowed and she leaned forward.

"When do we move?"

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Mondo Cross Stadium Bathroom

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Rabat Wilston was a rather flighty individual. He had a narrow face, a pointy nose, and squinty eyes that made the meaning of his name seem justified. His actions spoke louder too. He was a scout, a seedy man with eyes for potential. He also loved spending his time staring at a female's body, drinking in the curves and different sizes. The man suppressed a moan of satisfaction as he sneaked into the stadium bathroom. Getting a seat to this event wasn't easy seeing as he looked the part of some rabid fan instead of some important figure head that could mean big money. Still, his superiors had provided everything he needed and the ratty man was happy to be doing his job.

Rabat snuck into a nearby stall and bolted it shut before he shimmied his pants off and acted like he was on the can. In truth, he was secretly texting a list of possible candidates and the reasons why to his boys back at some dark lab. They would re-watch any possible information available on the would-be possible test fodder and then make plans to kidnap/persuade them over to their cause. Heh, what great luck. The moment these hot women stepped through any doorway, they would be screwed. Literally and figuratively.

The rat bastard's beady eyes stopped on one certain test subject. Chifuyu Orimura, what a fine specimen she was. That woman tore into her opponents without abandon and had the fastest advancement record so far. Rabat grinned lecherously. She might take some convincing but with the proper enticement, they could nap this golden award. Then they would be free to test her out.

In more ways than one that didn't involve her in such a complex mecha suit.

When his phone pinged and signaled that the data had been sent, Rabat sighed in happiness. Just as he was about to pull up his pants and go back outside to enjoy the rest of beauties present, he heard the bathroom door swing open. Now normally he wouldn't have cared as much and just done his planned actions and left but that was scrapped when he heard the man who entered heave like the living dead and empty something into a sink. Rabat disliked having to ever deal with sick people, their weak frail systems forcing them to look all weak and disgusting.

As these thoughts swirled around in the ratty man's head, he heard the sick man outside collapse heavily onto the floor and cause something to slid across the polished white towels and bump against his foot. With a raised eyebrow, Rabat reached down and picked up a pair of sunglasses that had red lenses.

"Damn it," The stranger groaned, "Hey, anyone there? I can see the stall door closed."

Rabat cursed under his breath and debated what to do. He could reveal himself and help the sick bastard and risk getting sick himself. Or he could remain silent and see how it pans out.

That was when his phone started to ring a rather catchy tune and Rabat suppressed a groan. So much for remaining hidden.

"I'm in a stall pal. What do ya need?"

"My damn glasses went flying somewhere and I'm blind as hell without them. Any chance you can help me look for those damn things?"

"...You need red-tinted lenses to see?" Rabat asked in disbelief.

"It's a rare eye condition man. Look, you gonna give me hand here or you just gonna ask twenty questions about my personal life?"

"All right, all right. Sheesh, gimme a sec. Caught me with my pants down."

Rabat quickly got up and pulled his pants on. Unlocking his stall door, he took a peek out to see his would-be blind man on all fours and eyes squeezed together. The rat like man rolled his eyes as he approached the idiot who lost his glasses and bent down close to his level before presenting the optical tool into his face.

"Here ya go," He said simply as the man gingerly reached up and felt for his glasses.

*CRUNCH*

Rabat only had three seconds to scream as the man broke the bones in his hand before he was elbowed in the face and sent flying. Before he even realized what was happening, he was hefted up and slammed directly into the wall before being tossed over into the grand mirror by the sinks. Rabat managed to scream once more as the mirror shattered and glass shards dug into his back.

That wasn't the end of his pain either.

"Hello Rabat," A rather demonic voice said, "My name is Kousei Oga. Perhaps you heard of me before?"

Even through the pain, even through the bleeding and all the glass shards, Rabat felt a cold feeling travel up his spine. Kousei Oga was a name associated with two things in his underground world. The first one was running away from him as fast as possible. The second was dying tired because Kousei motherfucking Oga would catch you anyways and then kill you.

Rabat justifiably wet himself.

"So let's get down to business," Kousei continued as he yanked Rabat forward, "I'm going to be your interrogator for today. No one's around to hear you scream or come to your help. I like to employ two ways of torture. I'm going to aptly label them, easy way and hard way."

Kousei tossed his victim into a stall and onto the toilet Rabat managed to blink through the tears streaming down his face and witness Oga cracked his knuckles before smiling in such an evil way that would make demons cower.

"Do play hard to get and let me cut loose. I haven't gone ape shit on someone's face in awhile and I think you'll be perfect for this procedure."

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One Week Later

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"Gimme a sitrep people."

"Perimeter has been secured and so far we're still below radar."

"Good. Yami, continue on your way and secure the power generator. If you can disable it completely, good. If temporary, ensure it's at least ten minutes or else someone on our side will get hurt. Desmond, keep that scope up and tracking but don't drop any of them yet until you're sure they won't find the body or you can do it quickly enough. Everyone else, stay on standby."

"How much longer?" A feminine voice growled behind the General.

"Not long. These bastards don't know we're here and I know for a bloody damn fact that when they do, we'll get them way before they can react."

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Within

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Yami stalked silently through the shadows, eyes darting everywhere as he snuck along the wall. The security was flimsy, rushed. The factory had been only recently set up, meaning the boys were being held here for transit and not for...whatever these sick bastards wanted them for. The six months gone was time spent planning, training, and preparing. The cost of being ready came at the price of letting those boys remain in the custody of the enemy. Six months was pushing it. Right now, it was time to end.

"Two targets ahead," Yami breathed into a mic, "Desmond, get a lock."

The two guards in front of him were both watching a TV while seated at a table. Playing cards, beer cans, and cigarette trays littered the area and the guard on the right was fiddling with a knife.

"...I see 'em. Take your pick."

"Left."

"All right. On three."

Yami treaded forward softly, melding with the darkness and strafing around the two as he approached.

"1."

He was only ten feet away and close enough to shank the both of them but not close enough to do it before one of them alerted the base.

"2."

Yami held his breath and slowly stood up, right behind the left guard. He raised his hand, poised and ready.

"3."

A quick burst of gunfire followed by the sound of a blade digging into flesh ended the life of the two guards.

"All clear. Moving to point B for power knock out."

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Outside

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"On your marks."

Everyone tensed.

"Get ready."

The lights of the factory flickered a bit before completely shutting down. Cries of surprise and frustration arose from the building.

"GO! GO! GO!" Kousei gleefully shouted into his comm.

The assembled group of military men and mercenaries all charged as one, the ground shaking and rumbling as if an earthquake was striking at that exact moment.

Chifuyu flew sky high, her eyes as cold as ice and hard as steel.

It was time to get her brothers back!

"GLORY AND HONOR TO THE WOLVES!"

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Yami

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"Hey! What happened to the lights?"

"I can see anything!"

"Blackout? I thought those power generators were top of the line?"

"I knew we were doing a rush job but this is just ridiculous!"

Yami breathed in. Breathed out. Breathed in. Breathed out. One. Two.

"Who's there!"

In. Out. Three. Four.

"Show yourself!"

In. Five. Six.

'Where is this guy?!"

Out. Seven.

The last man let out a weak gurgle and collapsed in an undignified heap as Yami slid his extendable back into his sleeve.

There were eight men in this room. He had slit two of their throats, pierced the hearts of another two, gutted a pair, and then finished it with a knife through the the jugular. Now all he had to do was catch that last man and give him the 'special' treatment.

It was poor form to be the first to run. Even worse to just leave your friends unaware of the danger looming in the unknown.

Yami sniffed with contempt before effortlessly blending back into the black.

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Desmond

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The cowboy look-alike sat leaning against the wall as bullets impacted his hiding spot in a never ending cycle of repeating dull thuds. Desmond chuckled.

"The Soviet RPD light machine gun with a 100-round 7.62mm drum magazine, a nice combination if you don't want to reload often," He casually said to his Mob Boss friend Yakurizo, "It's something I think you would like."

The man rolled his eyes before he popped out of cover during a lull in the gunfire and shot off three rounds from his custom made revolver. The shells flew threw the air and punctured through the soft fleshy bodies of three men before being embedded into the concrete. That was a testimony to the strength of the firepower he was toting. Desmond only shook his head before taking a swig of moonshine from a flask.

"Dead Eye Time," The cowboy quipped as the world seemed to slow around him.

He moved out of cover, popped off seven shots, then dipped back into his shelter. To the normal eye, it looked like he had teleported and blurred. To the enhanced eye, it looked like he seamlessly leaned forward and then back.

All of his shots rang true and dropped their intended target.

"Always gets me everytime you do that."

"I thank you for the compliment. It's not everyday someone like me gets such praise from an accomplished 'business' man like yourself."

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General Wulf

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General Wulf calmly pulled out a fine leather case from his inner pelt and flipped it open. With a practiced motion, he picked out a cigar with two sharpened nails and stuck it in his mouth before closing the case and slipping it back into it's appropriate place. The General then leaned slightly over and lit his stick of tobacco on the burning corpse of a scientist.

"Good evening, isn't it?"

"Please, hel-"

"-You must understand. Someone of my temperament and status...I always react to any change in weather like an animal would. Being raised by them can do that to you."

"It hurts."

"As it should," The General remarked dryly as he flicked some ash onto the legless lead scientist. The man, having expended all his lung air screaming, could only whimper as the hot ash stung, "You'll die tonight. Oh yes you will. Whether by blood loss or by what I'm about to finish, you're going to suffer. Do you know why?"

The General struck the propped up and bleeding part-man as his voice grew harsh, "Using children as test subjects for war?"

Wulf spat out his cigar, where it landed atop a desk full of paperwork and open folders with the label "BD/RA", and grabbed the now crying man by the face before resting his clawed thumbs on his forehead. He ignored how the pile of processed trees suddenly burst into flames as he continued to glare straight into the soul of the man he held at his mercy.

"Tell me, what kind of man decides to create a lavishly funded, highly efficient, and morally indifferent, arena with a heavy reliance on brutal human experimentation and conditioning techniques, for children? You kidnap these little boys and girls with hopes in their eyes and innocence in their hearts before throwing them into a cesspool of suffering and torment? What do you achieve from this? Super soldiers? Warriors of immoral creation? A sick pleasure?"

As the General continued to speak, his thumbs slowly trailed downwards until they were pressing right into the man's eyelids. The unfortunate survivor had long closed his eyes in terror and realized that trying to make the problems go away without his sight would not save him from what was to come.

"May the Devil King have mercy on your soul because it's obvious Kami and the Gods had washed their hands of you long ago."

Outside, some people winced. Some shivered. Others decided to leave quickly.

But all could hear it.

The sick squlenching noise followed by popping that ended with an ear-rendering screech of pain.

=I=N=F=I=N=I=T=E=

Holding Cell

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"ICHIKA!"

Chifuyu screamed, bursting through the doorway.

"ICHIRU!"

The one pathetic guard left was thrown screaming into the wall as Chifuyu tossed him aside like a rag doll. She cared not for the sound the man's body made when it impacted nor did she care when his loud voice was silenced immediately. Her only focus right now was to get in, grab what was hers, and get out with them both and those who took them properly 'repaid' in full.

She happened upon many cells, sometimes empty, sometimes with some occupants Her eyes absorbed in the hollow and frightful looks on some of the poor creatures she saw stashed in cages of iron and chains but she knew that the team tasked with following her would take care of them. She was not here for them. She was here for them.

Reaching the end of the rather macabre circus-like display, she found what she was looking for.

She was shocked beyond belief at what she saw.

Ichika was standing there, his eyes devoid of any emotion and his posture rigid, as he had remained like that for hours. He wore dirty rags that barely held together and had dried blood caked in many places. The little boy didn't seem to care. He was just motionless in his one little spot and if it weren't for the verysmall movement of his chest, she would have feared that he had died standing and without even knowing it.

Ichiru was a whole different story. He was chained to a wall, eyes wild and feral as their darted from one point to another, never lingering longer than a minute upon anything. He trembled, shying away from his own brother as he tried to wrestle for freedom from the iron-clad chains he was trapped in. The boy made a strangled noise, like he was barely breathing and Chifuyu's heart sank when she saw his eyes express nothing but fear of his surroundings.

It was hard to say which one of them had the worst state of being currently. Both were skinny enough to show some ribs and actually had some flies hovering around them.

The teenage girl didn't waste time, gripping the metal bars of their cell and tearing them apart and tossing them aside. She dismissed her IS suit, landing gracefully and all but charging at Ichika.

"Ichika! It's me! Nee-san! Don't worry, I'm here now. I'll make everything better!"

She enveloped her little brother in a hug but gasped when the boy only shook her off and pushed her away.

"No one can touch me," The boy droned, his voice hollow and listless.

Chifuyu stared with horror at his words and tried once more to reach out to him but instead, the young child dodged her embrace and climbed atop the dirty bunk bed in the corner, nestling into a corner. Chifuyu blinked back tears. He was glaring at her, treating her like a stranger.

A sound from the wall diverted her attention to her other brother.

Ichiru was trying to make himself as small as possible, tucked tightly into a ball and trying to block out his surroundings with his hands over his ears.

Chifuyu took a step forward and growled at the shackles that was imprisoning him to the wall. With a quick partial summon, she took one swipe and destroyed the chains.

"Ichiru, come here it's-"

"DIE YOU BASTARD!"

The older sister was startled and then screamed when she realized what had happened. The moment the chains clapped free and dropped to the floor, Ichiru had vaulted forward at his own twin brother who met his war cry head on. The two of them were brawling as children were prone to do but the difference from such an innocent act of horse play was dirtied with how harsh and heavy the two were beating into each other.

Chifuyu jumped in between the two, trying desperately to separate them even when their blows changed course from each other to her.

"Let go of me!"

"I have to kill him!"

Chifuyu cracked under their voices, strength leaving her. Despite their distance shortened, the two continued to attack her instead of returning to their grudge match.

"If I want to survive, he has to die!" The two of them shouted out as one.

"NO! STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!"

"NEVER!"

Chifuyu felt her arms go slack and fall down. The two boys, no longer held back, continued to hit her in her weakened state.

"It's fight or die!"

"I wanna live!"

"Don't, urgh, don't you two recognize me?" Chifuyu managed to mumble numbly. Their blows, while numerous, were still fairly weak. Still, she felt a pricking sensation at the corner of her eyes.

"WE DON'T KNOW ANYONE!"

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

"STOP GETTING IN OUR WAY!"

Chifuyu felt tears streak down her face. Her two sweet little brothers, twisted and beaten to such a traumatic extent that they didn't even recognize her...

*Bang* *Bang*

The two of them collapsed, pitching backwards from needles in their shoulders. Ichika let out a strangled cry, trying to wrench the object free as Ichiru had already succumbed to the sleeping drug. Chifuyu whipped her head around to find Desmond and Yami holding tranquilizer guns, each with a smoking barrel.

Yami stalked over, dropping to one knee and pressing it firmly on the boy's chest as he continued a strangled hoarse cry while writhing around as if in massive amounts of pain.

"What did...you-" Chifuyu asked in a haunted voice.

"Do not worry, they're just sedatives..." Yami replied, as Ichika stilled, "All right, we have to get a stretcher and extraction team ready. We have many hostages to transport and- ARGH!"

The assassin felt all the air in his gut leave him as he was slammed into the wall. He managed to clear his head long enough to meet the furious and crying face of Chifuyu Orimura.

"THEY'VE BEEN BEATEN, DRUGGED, AND BRAINWASHED! AND YOU THOUGHT SHOOTING THEM WITH MORE WOULD HELP!"

Yami would have said something, but having one's windpipe be slowly crushed can do wonders to stop someone from speaking. The man managed to put his on the gauntlet-covered arm of his charge, making a small choking noise as he attempted to pry her hand free.

"Orimura! Calm down now!"

"AND YOU! YOU'RE TO BLAME AS MUCH AS HE IS!"

Desmond clinked his teeth together in a wordless snarl. She was obviously at a breaking point, some part of her rationality having snapped.

"I will drop you if I have to," Desmond stated in a low voice.

The two continued their stare down, one minding and one not minding as the only other awake occupant in the room was turning purple.

"If I might interject," A new voice growled, "Would someone be so kind as to explain to me WHY THE HELL YOU ARE ALL FIGHTING RIGHT NOW?!"

Chifuyu dropped the assassin, the man taking a deep breath of air while the cowboy bowed his head in shame. Chifuyu refused to be put down though, and stared defiantly back into the face of the General.

"Orimura."

"Wulf."

"What is the problem?"

The room was silent, save for Yami's gasping.

"I asked you a question."

"Your men were insensitive to the treatment of my brothers."

The General reared up to his full height, allowing Doctor Slawter through who immediately beelined for the two boys.

"I see..."

Ichika let out a low moan, his eyes fluttering.

"I thought I gave you two enough to drop a horse!" Slawter yelled, hands still going through the on-site check up as fast as he could, "They both should be unconscious right now!"

"Bastards appear to have used more drugs on him than the other one. It's best that we- LOOK OUT!"

Chifuyu didn't know why she had swung at the old man. Maybe it was because of how uncaring and rough the doctor was being, maybe it was because she had just been put through something no self-respecting guarding/older sister should ever have to when it came to her younger brothers. She didn't know, she couldn't remember, and at that exact moment, she didn't care.

The claw met with tender flesh, eliciting a grunt of pain from the victim.

When Chifuyu regained control and focus of her surroundings, she realized that the blood staining the clawed tips of her suit's hand was that of Yami Hellion.

The assassin clutched at his face, obviously in a large amount of pain but unwilling to voice it. Slawter jumped up from the position he had been pushed and immediately set to tending his colleague. "

"Miss Orimura," General Wulf Shepard hissed, a warm breath flowing from in between his chops, "I believe it best that you leave. Now."

The teenage girl could only stare at her hand, wondering why she had swung.

Yami had been a nice man to her. A caretaker, ensuring she was in fine health and proper condition whenever he was watching her during the past six months. Not once had he been angry with her, not once had he raised his voice or uttered any harsh words. He had been the epitome of kind and caring. Desmond was more aloof, keeping to the background but also always there when she had needed him to help with some trivial matter or when she had done something that she would regret later when her mind was clear.

In short, they were both very kind and caring men. Kind of how her father should have been.

And she had just potentially seriously injured one while threatening the other for doing their job.

The teenage girl collapsed to her knees, armor dismissing as she felt tears come fresh.

"Why?" She managed to choke out, "Why did all this happen?"

=I=N=F=I=N=I=T=E=

Hospital Waiting Room

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_\_Beep. Beep. Beep. _ \_

"The situation has been salvaged to the best of our abilities," Slawter the ancient doctor stated as he went over some files, "As it turns out, we managed to save about two hundred children from this horrible experiment. Unfortunately, many of them will still require therapy and possibly continued controlled watch."

Tabane Shinonono pursed her lips and scanned through the manila folder of the case while her mechanical bunny ears twitched, "Did we manage to get enough data to pinpoint who were responsible for this?"

Wulf Shepard, clutching an extra large cup of coffee in one hand, spoke up, "Sadly, no. It appears to have been a separate research branch that was given the green light to do whatever they wished for results. Honestly, I could care less where the orders came from so long as I know where they are and I'm allowed to hunt them down like curs and...'eliminate' them."

Slawter, grabbing his own cup and presenting Miss Tabane a small carton of strawberry milk which she took happily, flipped open yet another folder.

"So what is the plan for your men now?"

"Simple, break bones and people until we find what we want. I don't care even if the whole organization is some sort of medical company with the top safety ratings, I'm going to hunt down the man who gave the green light and introduce him to my pets. The non-human ones I mean. Then have a nice friendly chat with the director or whatever about the merits of worker morality."

Tabane, sipping at her milk with a smile, let out a hum noise as she reached into her special custom made scientist coat and pulled out a pair of stethoscopes with bunnies for the ears and placed it around her neck while snatching a file out of Slawter's pocket and skimming through it.

"Ichika Orimura was supposed to be a melee fighter of some sort. He was conditioned daily with heavy weights way past normal human abilities and beaten nearly once a day every day. His muscles are stressed and torn to an almost irreparable state and injected with some form of nerve numbing serum to get rid of the pain. Various cuts and scars dot and line his body, mostly from swords and sharp weapons. There are few bullet holes that pock mark his body too. It also appears his liver was damaged due to an excess amount of poisons and untested steroids being put into him and it appears that the poor boy has developed a rather heavy immunity to mostly any form of medication."

"Ichiru Orimura was trained as a support type. Any weapon that required ammo and could be fired from a distance was drilled into his skull. While not suffering the same treatment as his twin brother, he still was beaten quite brutally whenever he did something wrong. His fingers are calloused and show signs of mistreatment, probably from having him reassemble guns without knowledge and breaking them for every time her made a mistake. Beaten senseless without the aid of drugs, he's suffered several head injuries and might cause impairments of his intellect or worse. Currently, Ichiru is in the better state as his wounds were apparently healing as he got better and less beatings came."

"Many other kidnapped people of lesser ability were also kept as part of the experiment and treated as expendable lab animals, with many, and I stress this, dying in trial runs of treatments to ensure that they would be successful on these two. Any enhancements that proved lethal were not applied to them. They all were tortured frequently, both psychologically and physically, in various experiments to test how pain and distress affected their abilities while also sentenced to..."

"To...?" Tabane probed as Slawter paused in his analysis.

"To arena style death matches...I can't say for sure but I think these two might have...might have killed another living being."

Tabane was struck rigid for a few seconds before poring over the report presented to her in more detail as Shepard took over the explanation.

"In the end, this branch of research had been operating for nearly a year. They had connections in every country and either kidnap or buy these children into their program. I can't tell how many they've snatched or if there are more branches like this but I have to say that the worst part of this all was how it was allowed. All those guards, those scientists and researchers...how could they allow themselves to sleep comfortably when doing such immoral things...dear Kami, I don't even want to remember the morgue they had set up."

Tabane tossed her carton and folder over her shoulders, ignoring Slawter's surprised squawk as she grabbed the much larger man in front of her by the shoulders and spoke clearly to his face.

"It's not your fault. You're doing more than anyone else can say so and you're doing it for free! You are a good man and someone that should be an inspiration to many others. I wish there were more people like you in the world."

General Wulf actually blushed at the praise, shaking his shoulders gently to ward off the younger girl's hands as he readjusted the wolf pelt he wore like a coat.

"No matter...I have to say that I must send my men off. Each one of them has their own life and business and I can't have them remain in one spot too long or else our enemies will catch on and try to attack us all. They'll fail of course but not without civilian damage. The point I'm saying in all this...is what do I do about the Orimura's?

"Don't worry! Chi-chan and I will do whatever we can to make sure the Ichi-kun duo never leave again! I'll have sentry robot bunnies on the clock 24/7 around their house and arm several laser and missile launchers in case anyone even DARES to come near us without proof of friendliness."

"...You are a scary woman indeed..."

"I'm still trying to understand how someone like her, no offense, can be this smart."

"Slawter, don't even start with that nonsense. Miss Tabane, might I also ask of you for something?"

Tabane's 'ears' twitched.

Even with the childish way Tabane had spoken earlier The General could feel the seriousness behind her tone. He held no doubt in his mind that she would do all that and more if it meant protecting her friends. He smirked, baring his fangs.

"Allow me to leave two of my trusted men under your command. Both are lethal and trained killers who also have had prior experience with body guarding and defenses. You should already know who I speak about. I do have to say and plead that you do NOT use them for your own amusement. As much as I like to sometimes torture my own men, it does not bode well for their mentalities when they have to do mundane things that might cause them high amounts of stress, making them irate. Something I do not wish to be around the children at all."

Tabane giggled, ears twitching like crazy, "Don't worry! At worst, I might make them get me chocolate or watch over Chi-chan during her...'special' days."

Slawter crossed himself for his brothers while the General actually let out a choked noise, "Dear Kami, please don't. Yami and Desmond are two of my best men and their loyalty is something fierce but I would hate for all of that to be shattered due to a scheduling and task presented that would indeed end up getting them killed or driven insane."

Tabane let out another giggle as she flounced away.

Slawter and Shepard shared a look before the doctor sniffed and said, "I just want you to know, they'll probably be pissed at being assigned this."

The General smiled, "And that is why you are the doctor, not the leader."

=I=N=F=I=N=I=T=E=

Tabane sobered up before she reached the door of the room where the a good portion of the Orimura family was currently residing in. The bunny eared scientist smiled and nodded with the guard posted as he opened the door and bowed as she entered. Shikuro Aono calmly closed the door, lighting up a cigarette despite the sign of 'No Smoking' before he snapped his fingers. The corridor, for a few seconds, seemed to shine as several wires were pulled taut and revealed in the pale dim light.

_ \_ Beep. Beep. Beep. _\_

Two young boys, unconscious and hooked up to an entire network of plastic tubes and wires, were both at ease and surprisingly looked peaceful.

One young woman, seated between the two, eyes with dark circles underneath and hands entwined with both children, sat unmoving in a chair as she kept her grip tight on both of them, being firm but gentle.

Out in the corner and hidden from plain view, Yami Hellion sat in his own chair, fiddling with a knife as he stood guard like a watch dog. Outside, Desmond was posted in the parking lot, the entire floor around the cowboy drowned in cigarette butts. It would have looked like a normal scene with a man waiting for someone in the hospital if not for the fact he was dressed like a cowboy and was also currently hoisting a rather large sniper rifle with the muzzle end pointed right at the window of the room. The assassin perked up when the door opened but calmed down when he recognized the person who entered.

"Chi-chan~"

"..."

"Oh Chi-chan~"

"..."

Tabane pouted.

"What is it?" Chifuyu croaked out.

Tabane's eyes widened before they narrowed and the scientist raised her fist and shook it in an adorable fury, "Chi-chan! You can't be doing this to yourself! You should at least be drinking some water so you don't sound like you had too many cookies at once!"

Chifuyu actually gave her friend a deadpan look before settling deeper into her chair. Tabane was about to rant at her once more but stopped when the elder sister continued speaking.

"Go ask Hell-san in the corner or there if he has any food or water."

Tabane glanced over to the indicated direction and shared a look with the assassin. The man pulled out a bag from somehow and pulled out some water, some cold milk, some dried fruit, and a packet of cookies.

"By any chance can you convince her to take a shower also?" Yami asked as he handed over the delights.

Tabane munched on a cookie while Chifuyu took a mouthful of water. It was quite a sight, seeing someone with their hands locked and unmoving, trying to unscrew a water bottle with their mouth while drinking it.

"Hmm...I don't know..."

Yami held up another pack of cookies, this time chocolate flavor.

"Chi-chan! Go take a shower! Don't worry, me and cookie man will stay here and watch the two of them like mother bunnies!"

"..."

Yami regarded his charge before turning on the heel of his foot and settling back down into his seat. Tabane could only pout at her ignored request, even though she still got the cookies.

"They won't let go," Chifuyu stated with a tired voice, "I can't leave them...even if I wanted to. Ever since we got here, after all I whispered, pleaded, said, begged to them in their sleep, I think they finally understand that I'm not some stranger."

The other two remained silent, feeling a 'but' coming on.

"But...but what can I do? I can't guard them forever...how can I take care of them? Where would I get the money? The job security... how can I feed, clothe, and protect us all..."

"Don't worry Chi-chan," Tabane said in her most serious voice, "The bad people will never get close to the Ichi-kun duo again. I'll make sure of it and all of our new friends will make sure of it."

"I can provide some basic necessities while you get back on your feet," Yami said from his chair, seemingly bored but with a hidden deep edge to his tone, "The life of an assassin is dangerous but rewarding. I can supply enough funds to last at least a few years if needed."

Chifuyu shot him a look. Yami met it eyeball for eyeball and only tapped the white bandage that adorned his cheek.

"Scars only make men more handsome," The assassin joked in a deadpan voice.

"And we all know that pretty boy assassins are the world's greatest commodity."

"Screw you Desmond, how long have you been listening in?"

"Long enough. Let me add this much. It won't matter who comes and tries to take these two, I'll hunt them down and feed them a face full of lead for their troubles. You can count on that."

Tabane giggled and clapped her hands.

"See Chi-chan? What is there to be worried about? You have these two great and handsome men on leashes waiting for your beck and call!"

Yami snapped his butterfly knife with a definite click while Desmond spat something out of his mouth that apparently landed in a far away trash can with enough force to make it go 'ding'.

Chifuyu sniffed before going through another messed up process of drinking of water.

The General knocked on the door, fur pelt coat shishing as he entered. He surveyed the occupants before settling his gaze on Chifuyu.

"I suppose you know why I'm here."

"Your voices carry through the halls."

"I see..."

Tabane munched on a cookie while Yami produced two glasses of milk and handed one to the bunny eared teen.

"I hope you know, that there may be a way to settle some of the more...rowdy attackers if you wish."

"...How do you propose that?"

"Simple. You show them. All of them."

Here, the General bared his fangs, "Show them why one certain Chifuyu Orimura is not someone to fuck with."

The teenager girl blinked at the man's worlds but cleared the confused look from her face immediately and spoke in a hardened tone.

"I can take care of my own problems."

"Ah, yes. I wouldn't dare do something disrespectful as to direct your actions but," The General handed Tabane a manila folder, "In there, it might help. I narrowed down some places that you could go...'visit' and introduce yourself. Might make for a wonderful night and stress relief."

Chifuyu's eyes hardened and zoomed in on the folder.

"I'll do it. When my brothers are better."

"And I'll help!"

"Tabane..."

"Oh don't worry," The girl said with a devious grin, "I also want to see how well some of my new weapons are going to work. It would be wonderful if we had some willing participants for the testing."

The General laughed.

"The Wolf General salutes you!" He barked out with a wolfish grin. "I decree from this day forth, the Wolf Fang family shall have a new ally. Through darkness and light, we shall have each other's backs!"

And so began a very strange but powerful friendship between two families.