Love Live Rising: Muse Revengeance

By Major Mike Powell III

A storm raged over Tokyo that night. Furious rain pelted the earth, thunder roared periodically and lightning lit up the dark sky.

In a tall building in downtown Tokyo, the rain pelted the ceiling-to-floor window of the top floor.

Inside, a woman typed away on her laptop.

Her auburn hair was done up in a lopsided ponytail with a blue ribbon, a gift from her significant other, who was currently in another room, preparing some coffee for her. All-nighters were becoming routine for the auburn-haired young woman.

She hadn't slept well since that fateful day, so long ago.

The woman sighed and pulled herself away from her keyboard, sat back on her comfortable desk chair and spun around. Tired baby-blue eyes looked out at the Tokyo skyline, lightning cracking in the distance.

She sighed.

"Onee-chan...what happened to you...?" She thought outloud to no-one in particular. But she was heard; a medium-sized dog, lifted its head from its place in a round dog bed. It whined a little, almost as if agreeing with its master, even if the canine never had the chance to meet her elder sister.

The woman let a small smile curl her lips upward, standing up from her chair and walking over to her furry, adorable companion. She knelt down to pet its head, gently scratching between its ears and petting its fluffy neck with her other hand.

"That's right, Skye-kun. You never met my Onee-chan...I'm sure it would've been love at first sight if she saw you." She petted Skye, the still-growing Husky puppy, some more and stood back up, sitting back down on her chair and turning back to her laptop.

She was Yukiho Kousaka, C.E.O of her own journalism firm.

9 years ago, the school idol group Muse, which her big sister Honoka was the leader and center of, had made it to the main event of the prestigious Love Live! competition.

They were singing a second song, after the crowd's "ENCORE!" chant.

And just when they reached the end of their song, "Bokura wa Ima no Naka de"...there was a huge explosion that made the stage crumble and plummet...with Muse still on it.

At least a dozen people were seriously injured, Yukiho and her girlfriend, Arisa included, and they still had the scars to prove it...

But the nine Muses...they were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Then, a few days later...they disappeared.

They were never declared dead, and Yukiho didn't know if they were even cleared from the ER, even to this day.

The families of the Muses were devastated, especially upon finding out they didn't even have their daughters' bodies to bury.

Yukiho and Arisa cried for days.

They were so devastated; they abandoned their dream of following in Muse's footsteps and becoming school idols.

They graduated high school together and went to the same college, where they studied to become journalists, determined to one day uncover the mystery of Muse's disappearance.

Most people thought that the attack on Muse at the Love Live! was an act of terrorism. Some speculated it was a scorned, insane fan. But a few years later, Yukiho came across some evidence that the tragic Love Live! event was actually a premeditated, calculated attack.

She and Arisa drowned themselves in their work, trying to unravel this mystery with this new, if not scarse bit of information.

Eventually, Yukiho came across some disturbing information.

She found a security camera feed from the hospital Muse was sent to.

It turns out the girls of Muse never even made it to the ER.

One day, Yukiho received a package in the mail, a disk, addressed to her by somebody named "Deep Throat". She put the disk in her computer and saw a street camera recording: set of suspicious looking vans cornering the ambulances carrying the dying school idols, and men in black suits of armor and automatic weapons shot the emergency personnel, took the bodies of the Muses and put them in the vans.

Shocked and...furious beyond belief, Yukiho wrote several articles based on what she saw.

Unfortunately, she was being censored.

The recordings she found were all mysteriously deleted or went missing.

Yukiho and Arisa persevered, hoping to bring justice for what was done to their sisters.

And then...the attacks began.

Yukiho and Arisa were ambushed one night by what they later found out were combat cyborgs. They would've been hacked and slashed to pieces by the assassins' blades, but they were saved by another cyborg with silver hair and blue eyes that jumped in right on time to engage and slice the assassins apart with his own sword.

The young ladies were picked up by a helicopter with a Private Military Company logo on the side.

Maverick Security, was the name of that PMC.

It was later revealed to them by Maverick's intelligence group that 9 years ago, the girls of Muse were abducted by a PMC named Predacon Enterprises, to be "resurrected" as combat cyborgs.

Yukiho and Arisa were shocked beyond belief, and Arisa burst into tears right there.

Maverick Security offered their help and protection to Yukiho, Arisa and their associates. Yukiho readily agreed.

And so, a few months and at least three assassination attempts on her and Arisa, Yukiho sat in her office, writing a new article trying to expose Predacon Enterprises for what they did to her sister and her friends.

Just as Yukiho was about to start typing again...Skye suddenly shot up on his bed, rushed over to Yukiho's side and began to growl at something outside the window, his ears flat against his head, his teeth bared.

"Huh...?" Yukiho looked down at her furry friend.

"Skye-kun? What...what's wrong?" Yukiho looked out the window, seeing nothing unusual, just some lightning cracking every so often. She looked down at Skye. "What? Are you scared of a little lightning? But you were sleeping just fine...?"

And then...Yukiho and Skye were both driven to the ground, the woman falling over her own desk, covered in tiny glass shards; the office's window was completely shattered.

"Gah! What the?! Wha-?!" Yukiho cried out as she opened her eyes, and as she looked back at where her window used to be, her eyes shot wide open and she froze in terror.

A figure stood behind Yukiho's desk, illuminated by a stroke of lightning outside.

A sleek, shiny cyborg body, with orange highlights here and there, the hips, waist and chest of a woman, an orange symbol on the right shoulder...a symbol that looked a lot like...

The cyborg woman's face was covered by a sharp, sleek face mask and her hair was shoulder-length, and a stunning...ginger.

And most importantly, she held in her right hand a deadly-looking, serrated katana that crackled with electricity.

Yukiho backed away on her behind, her mind trying to assimilate the situation, and who this cyborg could perhaps be..."O-Onee...?!" she whispered in shock before Skye charged at his master's assassin, but Yukiho snapped out of her daze to grab her puppy as he charged and hold him against her chest. "Skye-kun! Hang on! It's...it's...my-!" She was interrupted by the door to her office being kicked open and several men in military fatigues and automatic weapons burst into the room and spread around, all aiming their guns at the cyborg.

"Yukiho-sama! Get out of here! We'll hold her back!" The head of her security detail yelled at her. The cyborg tilted her head to the side, but didn't speak. She took a step forward, and was immediately fired upon by the soldier nearest to her.

"Leader…terrorize!" The cyborg spoke the Predacon Activation Code and attacked.

She shrugged the bullets off as they bounced off her cybernetic body and she effortlessly sliced the man across the chest, killing him instantly.

The cyborg pulled her sword back and wiped the blood off, and then turned to look at the other soldiers.

"Yukiho-sama, come on!" The chief yelled again and moved in to grab Yukiho by the elbow and drag her and Skye out of the room. "You men! Hit her with everything you've got!" And he ran down the hallway, heading for the stairs, Skye howling and whimpering in Yukiho's arms as they did.

"W-Wha...Ah! Arisa-chan! Where is she?!" Yukiho cried out in anguish. She yelped in fright when she heard the automatic gunfire in her office, the sound of steel cutting through the air, and the screams of dying men.

Her chief of security turned to look at her and give her a slight smile. "Don't worry, ma'am! Arisa-sama is waiting for us in the chopper on the roof! Hurry!"

Yukiho's mind raced a mile a minute as she climbed up the couple of flights of stairs leading to the rooftop.

'That cyborg...she's...that's...oh God, I can't believe those Predacon bastards! How could they send HER to silence me...?! Oh my God...my own...!'

Eventually, Yukiho and her chief of security burst through the door to the rooftop and were quickly met by the raging storm outside.

"Yukiho-chan! Oh my God, what's going on?!" Arisa quickly ran into Yukiho's arms, barely giving her time to put Skye down on the ground.

Yukiho immediately wrapped her arms around her beloved, and the blonde buried her face in Yukiho's chest.

"It's Predacon...they're trying to silence us again! And...and they sent...they sent Onee-!" She was interrupted by her chief of security crying out in pain and shock, standing just a few feet away. The two young women turned to look at him...and saw him with a sword sticking out of his chest.

"Contact! Open fire!" The soldiers standing next to the helicopter were quick to draw their weapons and open up on the cyborg assassin, who turned to the incoming bullets, dashing towards them, literally blocking and deflecting the shots with her blade.

The soldiers were quickly disposed of by the cyborg's expert sword play, and all that was left was the two lovers, staring in fright at the cyborg woman.

"Oh my God...oh my God! Yukiho-chan...are we...is this it...?" Arisa whimpered and fell to her knees, with Yukiho holding her on the wet floor.

"...I'm sorry, Arisa-chan...I'm so sorry...Onee-chan...I failed you..." Yukiho sobbed, holding Arisa as tightly as she could.

The cyborg calmly walked up to the huddling ladies and raised her sword high, ready to deal the final blow. Yukiho and Arisa cried out and shut their eyes tightly.

And then...lightning struck.

There was the deafening sound of crackling electricity, an agonizing, loud female scream, the sound of metal cracking and shattering, and then, a loud thud.

There was the sound of distant thunder.

"Huh...hah...? Eh...?" Yukiho was the first to speak.

"Uh...wha...? Y-Yukiho-chan?" Arisa pulled away from Yukiho's chest, looking up at her beloved's face, which was as confused as hers.

"Arisa-chan...? We...we're not dead! But...she...!"

They both turned to look at their would-be assassin.

"Huh?!" They both said in unison.

The cyborg woman was lying on her back on the ground, her sword standing imbedded on the floor, still crackling with electricity.

The cyborg's body was charred black and smoking in several places, sparks flying out here and there.

Her right hand was twitching every now and then.

And then, Yukiho and Arisa looked at the cyborg's face...which was no longer covered by the mask, which was now shattered and showing most of the woman's face, and her eyes were open but unseeing...baby-blue.

Arisa gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, and she looked at her beloved, whose eyes were wide and shedding tears.

Yukiho slowly and carefully crawled over to the downed cyborg and knelt next to her, looking right at her face.

Skye moved over to his master, sniffing around the cyborg's head. The Husky sat down on his hind legs and looked up at Yukiho, barking softly.

"I...I can't believe it...it's...it's you...O-Onee...chan...Onee-chan!" Yukiho then wrapped her arms around her long-lost and thought-dead sister's torso and lifted her to wrap her arms around Honoka's back. The ginger didn't even blink or move or anything as Yukiho cried into her (still human) chest. "Onee-chan...Onee-chan!" She sobbed in a mix of joy and sorrow.

Arisa meanwhile stood back up, also crying, but she soon came to her senses and climbed into the helicopter, quickly working on its radio to contact Maverick Security.

"Hello? Hello? Is anybody there?! Arisa Ayase here!" She spoke into the headset.

"(Static) -llo? Arisa-sama? Is that you?! What happened?!" came the voice of a woman.

"Courtney-san! Yes, it's me! Listen, Yukiho-chan and I were attacked! It was Predacon! They sent a cyborg to murder us!" She reported. The woman on the other side, Courtney, gasped.

"Oh my God! Ok, Ok, please calm down, Arisa-sama. What's the situation?"

"I-It's...it's bad, really bad! Um, our entire security detail is down...Yukiho-chan and I are fine, our dog too...but...but...the cyborg they sent to kill us...it's...she's down, she, she was struck by lightning!" Arisa revealed.

"Damn...I see...Huh?! Struck by lightning?!" Courtney asked in shock and confusion. Arisa gulped.

"Y-Yeah! She was...she was going to kill us, but...a lightning struck her, and now, she's like...I...I don't know! She's knocked out...or dead...I don't know. Please! Get us out of here!" Arisa requested, and then, Yukiho came up next to her on the helicopter's cockpit. She grabbed the headset from Arisa and spoke into the microphone.

"Courtney-san! Get us out of here...and send a special pick-up for the cyborg. We are bringing her with us!" She spoke with a calm and sure voice.

"W-What?!" Courtney sputtered. "What do you mean...? You want to bring that assassin here? Why?"

Yukiho closed her eyes for a moment, letting the memories of her sister go before her mind's eye, before speaking again.

"It's my sister, Courtney-san. That cyborg...is my sister, Honoka Kousaka. I lost her once before. I'm NOT losing her again! I'll pay you double, whatever you want, just bring my sister there with us and help her, please!" Yukiho cried, her eyes shedding renewed tears.

She heard Courtney sigh before somebody else spoke on the microphone, a thick Russian accent coming through.

"Roger that, Comrade Yukiho. We'll bring all of you to the safe house. Then, we'll have our medical team look at your sister, see what can be done. Da?"

Yukiho shed tears, but smiled slightly, sighing with relief.

"Thank you, Boris-san. Thank you. Please, hurry. Over and out." She spoke before ending the call.

She sighed and climbed out of the helicopter, out into the quiet night. The storm had passed.

She walked back over to her fallen sister and knelt down, gently running her fingers through the cyborg's ginger locks.

"Onee-chan..." she whispered and hesitantly moved her hand to her sister's blank eyes, gently closing them.

Arisa walked up and then knelt behind her beloved, hugging her around the shoulders from behind, nuzzling her wet auburn hair.

"She's back, Yukiho-chan. Don't worry. They'll save her." She whispered. Yukiho sniffled and covered one of Arisa's hands with her own, squeezing gently.

Skye, meanwhile, sat on his hind legs, whimpered a bit, and then, howled into the quiet night.

To Be Continued…?

Muse Trailer Coming Soon

-o-o-o-

Author's Notes: Oh…my…God. WTF am I doing?! Orz

Ok, so, I had this idea buzzing around in my head for like, weeks and weeks, it was driving me friggin' nuts! So, I finally had enough at like, midnight last night, and typed this all down in a Skype chat window. XD Thank you, Omega-kun, for bearing with me, and even encouraging me here. Thanks, man. :3

So…what IS this? Well, uhhh…I have no idea. XD It's a mish-mash "Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance" reject or rip-off, I dunno. LOL

Ok, maybe I'm putting myself down a little too much…orz

But anyway, this will NOT be a fully-fledged story. What this is…hmmm…I think it's called a prompt? It's like a story for adoption.

The next "chapter" will consist of a "trailer" of sorts, and then, that's it.

Like I said, this story is an idea for adoption. So, if one of you beautiful guys and girls is crazy enough, and can write well, then by all means, contact me if you wanna adopt this ugly little child. LOL

So…I think that's all, yeah. So, please, do review and stay tuned for the trailer, coming soon…I hope. Orz

Seeya around~!

Semper-Fi! Carry on!