So, I recently found this anime, and I just couldn't get enough of it. A show, about tanks battling. It's like it was made for me. Honestly, I'll admit I may have an unhealthy obsession with tanks. Kind of like Yukari, I guess. But I don't care. No one can deny the fact that they're awesome.

Anyways, this is an idea I though up and decided to write, so here you go. It should be known that this whole story is still a work in progress. Meaning that I may change this chapter in the future, and updates will not be very often. Just saying that now.

Bold = Stress of a word

Italics = English/Another language/Text

Italics and underlined = Thoughts

American Dream

Saunders University High School Ship

Sensha-Dou Club Head Office

11:00am

Kay could be described as many things. She was kind to everyone she met, even her opponents. She was playful and slightly abrasive, sometimes appearing boastful and rude, even though it was obvious that she was really friendly and well-intentioned. She had a strong sense of fair play, and didn't accept dirty tactics or cheating in the slightest. She was also women enough to admit that she could be somewhat naive at times. But what she wasn't often, was surprised. And yet, there she was. Surprised to the point of disbelief.

Kay was sitting in her desk in the office the school supplied when she took over one of the school's Sensha-Dou teams. Her principal had come in a few minutes earlier and gave her a letter, and she hadn't thought much about it. Those thoughts quickly changed after the principal finished explaining the nature of the letter.

After she had gone, Kay was left sitting at her desk, just staring at the letter, thinking that it might have just been some joke. So she picked it up and read it once more, just to make sure her it was actually authentic.

Dear Saunders high school.

As you already know, several of your students will be leaving for Washington High School in participation of the National Tankery Exchange Program. And in two days time you will be receiving the students from said school. However, unlike all the others you have received in the past who have been solely female, these 3 teams will be a combination of both female and male. We have decided to follow the rest of the worlds example and are attempting to convert Sensha-Dou into a co-ed sport. The reason being because male population of Japans growing desire to play Sensha-Dou. This desire has reached what could be called, a critical point. This will be a test case that may very well set the precedent for males in Sesha-Dou. They will be a trial run of sorts. To see how well they interact with all current female members and how they behave with our rules. If you find that they are satisfactory, a conversion will be put into consideration. As a result, the temporary rule change is in effect.

RULE CHANGE

Section 28 - Subsection A: Girls only are RECOMMENDED. Not mandatory. Males may participate in the sport if they so wish.

For now, this rule only applies to your school and the boys that will be under your command. If anyone attempts to initiate conflict because of the males on your team, simply show them this letter. However, a notice is being sent out to all other schools with Sensha-Dou programs, therefor, you should not encounter any trouble. The reason they are coming to your school is because Saunders is the richest high school with a Sensha-Dou program in Japan. Therefore, we believe you will be able to accommodate these gentlemen the best. Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions you may have.

-Japan Sensha-Dō Federation

She still couldn't quite believe it. A boys Tankery team, along with some girl crew members, were coming to Saunders High School. Boys, in an all girls school. How was that going to work!? And the letter wasn't a request, it was a statement. Straight from the JSF itself. So that meant it was unlikely that she could argue about it. Not to mention their Headmaster had come to her office some minutes prior to ask her to watch over them and make sure they're all sorted out.

She sighs and rubs her eyes tiredly. There wasn't enough coffee in her mug for a bombshell like this. But she decided that she might as well learn who she'd be dealing with, and flipped the page around to inspect the text on the back of the paper.

Here are the 3 commanders that will be joining your school. Attached is a file of their crews if you wish to look over them. All of them come from the same school, and are familiar with each other well.

The first boy had blond hair and blue eyes on an admittedly handsome face. He wore a green jacket and blue jeans, along with a silver chain necklace with a yellow lightning bolt.

Name: Jacob Abrams

Age: 17

Height: 158cm

Place of birth: Canada, Ontario

Position: School Bravo Platoon Commander/M26 Pershing Commander/Radio Operator

Description: Jacob Abrams was born in Canada, but moved to the USA with his parents for business reasons. Jacob is an experienced and very successful commander. He is a hard worker and often tries to win a match with the fewest casualties. He specializes in ambush tactics. It is believed that he will make a fine addition to the Saunders Sensha-Dou team due to his ability to improvise in almost any situation. JSF recommends consideration for promotion to co-commander status.

The next files picture portrayed a boy with black hair and eyes that were such a dark brown that they looked black. He wore a black jacket and black pants, and had a black wrist band as well.

Name: Ethan Lazarus

Age: 17

Height: 167cm

Place of birth: USA, Washington

Position: T29 Commander/Gunner

Description: While normally a quiet boy that often keeps to himself, Ethan's grades are unmatched by anyone else in his previous school. He is long time childhood friends with Jacob Abrams, and primary attack method in Tankery is long range firing. He is an excellent shooter, and is 20 points above the American Tankery Successful Shot Average.

The final pictured depicted a younger looking boy with short brown hair and green eyes, along with a mischievous smile.

Name: Michel Heller

Age: 16

Height: 149cm

Place of birth: USA, Texas

Position: M18 Hellcat Commander/Gunner

Description: Michel, often referred to by his nickname 'Yin', is a troublemaker at heart. Often loving to tease and cause problems, his former principal says that he is a handful to deal with. However, his highly effective ability in Tankery at stealth and harassment tactics makes him an excellent choice for the Saunders Sensha-Dou team.

The boys seemed to her like good choices. Jacob being a skilled commander meant that they could discuss tactics together. Ethan seemed like a very good gunner. If the American Successful Shot Average was measured the same was as it was in Japan, then 20 points above average was an impressive score. Finally, 'Yin', as he was called, seemed like a problem. Saunders tactics didn't use scouts often, so his skills seemed they would be wasted. Not to mention the amount of problems he could cause if he was as much a trouble as the paper said.

Her attention was diverted when the door opened. Her best friends, Naomi and Alisa, stepped inside. "Hey Kay. We're here. What did you want to talk about?" Alisa asked.

Kay sighed and said, "I need a second opinion."

They sat down in the chairs in front of her desk. "A second opinion about what?" Naomi asked in her usual calm voice.

She simply handed them the letter. They took it, and after a few minutes of reading it, Alisa erupted. "Boys in Sensha-Dou!? That's ridiculous! How could they ever let boys into our sport!? And why us!? They'll only weigh us down!"

"According to the letter, it's because we are the richest high school with a Sensha-Dou program, and therefore they think that we'll be able to accommodate them the best." Naomi said calmly as her eyes continued reading down the page in her hand.

"I don't know what to do. Some of the girls won't like having to work in close proximity with boys, and even more probably won't like that they'll be playing Sensha-Dou." Kay leaned back in her chair with a sigh of exasperation.

Naomi looked up from the paper. "And what are your thoughts?" She asked.

Kay took a few seconds to contemplate her response before saying, "I'm personally okay with it. I'm just worried about how they're going to do here and how people are going to react."

"We don't have to stand for this! Let's just tell them that we refuse to take and house them! Make them go somewhere else! Or better yet, just go home!" Alisa yelled.

"It's not that simple. This isn't a request. They're coming, whether we like it or not, and their coming in two days." Kay said.

"Then we might as well accept it and tell everyone the news." Naomi said simply.

"How can you both be okay with this!?" Alisa yelled in disbelief.

Naomi just shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me. Boys, girls, I don't care who plays Sensha-Dou. It's all just a game. I don't really care if boys are allowed to play it just like girls can. Besides, outside of Japan boys do play." She said.

"Exactly. But I can't help but worry about how well they're actually going to get along and work with so many girls." Kay stated, a tone of worry laced into her voice.

Alisa scoffed. "I bet all they have are T1 light tanks. This is going to put us at the bottom of the barrel." She complained.

"It says here that there'll be three tanks. They are a M26 Pershing, a T29, and an M18 Hellcat. All of those would mean a significant increase in firepower to our current arsenal. The M26 Pershing's armor, the T29's gun, and the M18 Hellcat's speed are all better then anything we currently own." Naomi said, effectively proving Alisa wrong right off the bat.

Kay leaned on her desk. "Alisa, I understand that you don't like this. But please try to be nice when they get here." Kay asked.

She scowled. "Why should I be nice to them? They're trying to ruin Sensha-Dou."

"Please Alisa. For me." Kay pleaded with her childhood friend.

At first, there was no change. But eventually, Alisa's eyes softened, and she sighed reluctantly. "Fine. I'll try. But I still don't like this."

Relief spread across Kay's face like a wave of water. "Thank you Alisa. I appreciate it. Now, let's figure out how we're going to break this to the rest of the girls, shall we?"

Saunders University High School

12:30pm

"That went much better then I expected." Kay said with a smile as she walked out of the gym. She had called an assembly to inform the school of the new students. To her surprise, there were few cries of outrage and anger. Most of the girls seemed happy, actually.

"That's probably because most of them think they'll be able to get a boyfriend now." Naomi said as if reading her thoughts.

"Speaking of which, should there be a policy against dating in the school?"

"That would probably make some people mad. And there's no telling how the boys would react." Naomi pointed out.

"Hmmm. I suppose I'll forego suggesting any rules against dating to the principal for now. Let's see how things turn out first."

"When are they supposed to be here?" Alisa asked.

Kay looked over at her with an annoyed gaze. "Oh, I don't know." She checked her watch. "Just two more days. Were you even listening at all earlier?"

"It's not my fault that I was distracted! Our favourite sport is going to be ruined!" She defended.

"Things will probably change little if boys start playing Sensha-Dou Alisa." Naomi said.

"You don't know that!"

"I do know that these boys aren't going to completely ruin the game."

"No you don't!"

"Alright! That's enough! Alisa, you don't have to act so upset. You'll be able to hook up with plenty of the boys. I'm sure they won't reject you." Kay teased.

Alisa's face went red. "That's not what this is about!" She sputtered.

"Sure it's not. Your afraid that none of them will like you back. Just like Takashi."

"Takashi-Chan doesn't even know I like him!"

"Your right. You looooove him."

As Alisa's face reddened further, and before she could start yelling, Naomi pushed the two apart and said, "How about we start worrying on where these boys are going to stay, hmm? I'm assuming their classes for this year have already been given to you?" She asked Kay.

Kay restrained herself from teasing Alisa further and instead answered, "Yes. They came with the letter. They picked before they came here. Do you girls know where they might be able to stay?"

"I know where we could put them." Alisa growled.

"Since it'd probably involve physical injury or mutilation, I don't think I want to hear it. They can't stay in the regular dorms, that much is obvious. Although the girls on their teams could. I guess we could set them up in an apartment complex like other girls and we are. Let's head back to my office and talk about it." Kay said as they all walked back to the Student Council room. All the while wondering what the new boys would be like.

Washington High School Boeing C-17 Globemaster III Enroute to Saunders

1:00pm

"Uuuuggggh. I hate planes." Jacob moaned from the bathroom.

"Who would have thought that out fearless commander would have airsickness?" Yin said, to which Ethan raised his hand.

"I've known him for years, but funny enough it only happens on planes, not helicopters. He's also gets seasick. So I'm hoping that the ship we're going to will be big enough to fool his brain into thinking he's on land. Otherwise we'll be in trouble." The tall, black haired boy explained.

"Should we help him?" Gerald, Jacob's German gunner, asked, followed by Jacob throwing up in the toilet again.

"Nah, I think he'll be just fine. Right commander?" The younger boy asked with a cheeky grin, to which Jacob responded with a middle finger.

"We won't be able to call him that for too much longer. We're going to be getting a new commander here soon." Ethan said.

"I wonder what he'll be like?" Yin said.

"I'm sure she'll be great." Ethan responded, emphasising the she.

"Oh yeah? How do you know it'll be a girl?" Yin argued.

"Because Sensha-Dou is a girls only sport you dumbass!" Jacob yelled before throwing up again.

"Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We'll be arriving momentarily. Please enter your tanks and prepare for landing." The captain said over the intercom.

Ethan helped Jacob stand up and walk to his tank. "Come on Jacob. Almost over."

Everyone got into their tanks and strapped themselves in. A few minutes later, the plane shook as the tires kissed the runway. And a few minutes after that, the plane rolled to a stop, and the back cargo door opened.

Saunders Airfield

1:10pm

"A Globemaster? Impressive. Not as impressive as out Galaxy, but still impressive." Kay commented as the large cargo plane's tires touched down on their ship, the 'USS Gorge Washington.' As the plane taxied off the runway and its engines rolled back, they all hopped in Kay's Sherman and drove out to the airfield to meet it.

They pulled up as the plane taxied off the runway, making sure to keep a hundred feet between them and the back of the plane just to be safe. Kay got out of the drivers seat and sat atop the turret with her two friends as they waited for the boys to exit.

A few seconds later, the large back door of the cargo plane opened slowly, and out came the tanks. The first tank to come out was an M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer. One of the first American tank destroyers used in WW2.

"You know, now that I think about it, I thought Hellcat's were banned because they were considered open-top tanks? Why would it be allowed?" Kay inquired.

"Take a closer look." Naomi answered and pointed at the roof. "Its had a top built and placed onto it." Sure enough, it did in fact have a roof on it.

Kay shrugged. "Well that's one way to solve the problem."

The second tank to come out was a hulking monstrosity of metal and noise. The large body of the T29 Heavy tank. One of six prototypes designed with a large gun to combat Germany's strong heavy tanks.

"You know, maybe now you'll have some competition, eh Naomi?" Kay taunted. Her only response was a small smirk.

As the tank came out, Kay heard one of the plane crews yell out, "Try not to break down on the way out!" And she snorted. He was obviously hinting to the fact that prototype tanks often came with a field of problems. She only hoped that wouldn't be the case for this particular tank.

Then, the third and final tank rolled out of the back. The M26 Pershing, the answer to soldiers pleas back in the war for a better armed and armoured tank. Even though only a few actually took part and had very little impact in the wars outcome.

After the 3 newly delivered tanks were out of the Globemaster, they roared their engines and drove up to their location. The Pershing at the front, Hellcat next, and T29 at the rear. "At least they can move in formation." She thought.

The commanders hatches on the tanks opened and a person jumped out of each. One of them, a boy with blond hair and blue eyes, just like Kay, stepped forward. He cleared his throat and spoke in perfect Japanese, "Hello. My name is Jacob." He held out his hand. An American custom really, but one that wasn't unfamiliar to the girls of the American themed school.

She smiled brightly at him and shook his hand. "Welcome to Saunders! My name's Kay. These are my friends Naomi and Alisa." The exuberant teenager said and motioned to the girls behind her. It seemed to Jacob like Alisa was glaring at them all with undisguised hatred. Meanwhile, Naomi didn't even look like she cared to be there.

Jacob nodded. "A pleasure to meet you. Behind me are my friends and fellow commanders Ethan and Yin." The two respectively waved.

"Nice to meet you to. So, I know you all just got here, but think that it would be good to first give you a tour of the school after we drop off your tanks at the garage. Hop in your tanks and follow me. I'll show you where you can keep them." Kay said before she turned around and hopped into her tank.

Jacob paused for a second, catching sight of Kay's stockings and short skirt. He thought he'd gotten away with it before Yin said, "Got you eyes on the prize already commander?"

Yin received a swift smack up the back of the head. "In your tanks! Now!"

Everyone hurried to comply and got into their tanks, tracks clacking against the pavement as they followed closely behind Kay's M4. Jacob wasn't a pervert by any means. But he, just like every other boy on the entire planet, was still a boy. Which meant that sometimes he still acted like a typical one. He was still much more respectful of girls then most boys though.

A few minutes later, they pulled into a large hanger filled with tanks that he assumed was the tank shed. The boys didn't bother trying to hide their impressed gazes at how many Shermans there were. Shermans of all types were lined up side by side in neat rows for what seemed like forever. Each one was sparklingly clean, and looked identical to others of their type. But it wasn't only filled with tanks. The garage was also heavily populated by female students, many of which were working on the tanks.

"Impressed?" Jacob jumped in his seat when he heard Kay's voice in his ear over the radio.

He put his hand up to his headset. "Very. I've never seen so many Shermans in one spot before." Jacob responded.

"That's Saunders for you. Strength in numbers. Okay, you guys can pull your tanks in right here." Kay said as she stopped right in front of several open spots. They each pulled their tanks into the spots right next to each other. Everyone got out of the tanks and walked over to Kay, Alisa, and Naomi, who had dismounted their own tank and were waiting for them.

"Okay! From here on, Alisa and Naomi will show you around the shed. Jacob, follow me please. I'd like to talk to you for a sec." She said before walking off.

Jacob caught himself staring for a few seconds before he shook his head and turned to the group. "Alright everyone! Be respectful to these girls or so help me I will drag you through a minefield with your own tank! Ethan, your in charge while I'm gone!" Ethan nodded and Jacob turned and ran after Kay.

Sensha-Dou Club Head Office

1:25pm

"Please, take a seat." Kay said as she sat down. She leaned back and put her feet on her nicely crafted oak wood desk. T

Jacob sat down in front of her desk and admired the room. It was beautifully decorated with all kinds of war paintings and many different model tanks. Mostly American.

"So, the first thing I wanted to ask was the specifics of all your tanks. Just so I know exactly what it is I have to integrate into our team." She said.

He looked at her. "I'm surprised you don't know already."

"Well I can't know the specifics of every tank ever made, now can I?"

He shrugged, seeing as that was a good point. "Well, my M26 Pershing has 102 mm of frontal armour. But it's sloped at a 46 degree angle, effectively making it 140 mm. It has 76mm in the sides, and 51 mm in the back. And it's able to move at about 48 kilometres an hour or so. Does that answer your question?" Jacob asked.

140 mm of relative armour, a 90 mm gun, and a top speed of almost 50 km an hour. That easily made it more powerful and balanced then any of the tanks they had. It had more armour then any of the tanks they owned, and had a gun on par with the Firefly's.

Kay nodded and said, "That's quite impressive. That'll surly give us an edge in the future. Next?"

Jacob nodded and moved on. "Ethan's T29 has approximately 100 mm of frontal armour. Which is also sloped, and at more steep an angle then my Pershing. So it has about 165 mm to 180 mm of effective frontal armour, depending in the location. Its sides and back are respectively 72 and 51 millimetres thick. And it has a powerful 105 mm gun. It's rounds are so heavy that it requires two loaders, but despite having two people it still takes about 10 seconds or so for them to reload it since the shells weigh so much. Maybe it'd take a little less time on a good day. But despite commanding a heavy tank, Ethan's really taken to being a long range sniper because of his powerful main armament."

Kay nodded happily. Its 105 mm gun was easily stronger then their Firefly's 17 Pounder, and its sloped armour made it the most heavily armoured tank on the entire ship. Though she found it slightly odd that they used a heavy tank for sniping. "And finally?"

"Finally, is Yin's M18 Hellcat. It's undoubtedly one of the fastest tanks ever made, and definitely the fastest tank of the second world war. It can reach speeds of around 90 kilometres an hour if it's on the road, which is faster then the top speed of an Abrams. But the only reason it's so fast is only because it has really poor protection. It only has 13 mm of armour all around, and just a little more on the turret. It can be knocked out from just one shot by most tanks. That's why Yin has adapted to using his speed as a defence."

Kay tilted her head curiously. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"He'll swerve like a mad man if under fire, and will often drive straight into an enemy's formation and circling within and around them. Both making him hard to hit, causing chaos within their ranks, and being incredibly annoying. Because of his thin armour, he's also become good at stealth and camouflage."

"How good?" Kay asked.

"Really good." He stressed. "On more then one occasion during matches, our opponents would drive right by his hiding spot without even knowing. I've done it as well. Hell, our team even had a competition once. The deal was that whoever could find Yin's hiding place would get a new upgrade for their tank."

"Wow. So how long did it take to find him?"

"We didn't. After two days we gave up."

Kay actually blinked and had to pause for a second, thinking she'd misheard. "I'm sorry. Two days? He sat inside his tank for two days?" She asked incredulously.

Jacob snorted and shook his head. "No. He decided after 8 hours to just leave his tank there and wait for us to find it. Hell, it was so well hidden that after we gave up, it took even him two hours of searching just to find it. And he was the one who hid it."

Kay smiled and had to fight a snicker at the thought. "I see. Thank you for telling me all that." She got serious. "Now, the real reason I asked you to come here is because of one glaringly obvious fact. Your group is half made up of boys, and they are in a girls school." She took her feet off her desk and leaned on her elbows with a serious look. "Now, I understand that boys will be boys and girls will be girls. But if I hear one report of a girl being upset, harassed, or harmed, I will not hesitate to send you all back to the USA. I don't care what the JSF says. Are we clear?"

Jacob nodded. "I understand completely. I'll talk to the boys and try to get them to understand, but I still can't control them. But if I threaten them with sever enough punishments, they should hopefully think before they act."

Kay nodded. "Good. Now, before I forget, here is a list of everyone's classes and where you'll be staying." Kay opened her drawer and handed him several papers. "And here's a copy of the letter I received. If anyone ever gives you or the other guys trouble about being in a Sensha-Dou during a match, just show them this letter. It should get them off your back." She handed his a smaller slip of paper. "The next order of business is: What do next? Your tanks are stronger then anything we have, so no need to try and upgrade them. The only thing I have left to tell you is that the rest of your personal belongings will be arriving in a few days."

"Wait, what do you mean they're stronger then anything you have?"

"Simple. Your Hellcat is faster then our Locusts. Your T29 has a better gun then our Fireflies. And your M26 Pershing has more armour then anything we currently own. That is what I mean." She explained.

He blinked. "Huh. Cool, I guess."

The rest of the conversation took a half hour and mainly touched up on the topics of command and integration onto the Saunders Sensha-Dou team. The commanders agreed that a test of their skills should be of imminent priority. Following that they discussed the roles of their team. Jacob explained in detail how he was the bullet sponge, Ethan was the sniper, and Yin was the scout. Kay found the last two roles odd, since they had a tank destroyer as a scout and a heavy tank as a sniper. But she didn't complain nor comment. By the time Jacob left the meeting, it was mid-afternoon, at which point he set out to find his friends and their crew.

Saunders Tank Shed

2:00pm

After walking for several minutes, Jacob found his team in the tank shed, where Alisa was chasing Yin around with a metal pipe.

Somehow, the sight didn't surprise him. Yin's almost playboy personality, mixed with Alisa's seemingly aggressive one? The combination could have only ended with an explosive result. He noticed Naomi and Ethan standing together watching the two run around the tank shed, and he couldn't help but laugh by how similar they looked. Both had their arms crossed, a straight posture, and just the slightest hint of a smile on their faces. Their personalities seemed to link together with one another perfectly. Ethan never showed much emotion, and was usually very relaxed. And from what he had seen of her so far, Naomi appeared to be a naturally calm person and didn't really seem like an emotionally outgoing person. The only difference Jacob could see between the two besides their appearances, was that Naomi was chewing some gum. Something of which Jacob knew Ethan hated to do himself.

John walked over to them and watched Alisa chase after Yin with them for a few minutes. "What did he do?" He finally asked.

"Yin tried hitting on Naomi here, and then Alisa butted in and they both started arguing. Then Yin commented on her, 'flat rack.' This is what followed" Ethan replied simply.

"Oh..."

They continued watching the two, but after a while, Naomi said, "Should we do something?"

Both boys shook their head. "Trust me, Yin deserves this." Jacob replied, to which Ethan nodded in agreement.

She raised an eyebrow at them both, but shrugged. "If you say so."

"Oh yeah, here." Jacob handed his his class sheet and his address. "That's your classes and where you'll be living from now on. A lot of us seem to be in the same building." Naomi looked over and saw Ethan's address.

"So that's where she chose. I know that place. Me and my friends live close by. It's about a 20 minute walk unless you have a car." She commented.

"Well then it's a good thing I have a motorcycle. By the way, our personal items will be arriving in a few days. Including my motorcycle. And our classes start tomorrow. We have the rest of the day today to move in and explore the ship." Jacob explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and give everyone else their schedules, and make sure Alisa doesn't kill Yin. As much as it would make my day if she did." Jacob said and walked off.

Jacob's Apartment

7:00am

Jacob groaned as an ear splitting beeping noise penetrated his mind. He cracked his eyes open, the dawn of sunlight being the first thing he saw through the curtains. He only wanted to burrow back underneath his warm blankets and sleep. But instead, as the alarms continuous irritating beeping pried his eyes open, he forced himself to get up and shut off the alarm.

He had moved into the new apartment the night prior. It was relatively empty at the moment, but it was still nice. It compromised of a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. All the bases covered until he could get his personal stuff.

45 minutes later, Jacob was dressed in his new uniform and ready to go. The girls uniform consisted of a white shirt and black tie with a grey blazer and a red skirt. The only difference between the girls uniform and the boys uniform was that the boys wore red jeans instead of a red skirt. Something that everyone was thankful for.

He picked up his pre-packed bag from the floor and slung it over his shoulder before heading out the door. He headed to the stairs, seeing Ethan already waiting for him. Ethan had been put in a room a floor below his, and Yin a floor below Ethan's.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yep. Let's get this over with." They both walked down to the bottom of the stairs, where they found Yin waiting.

"You ready Yin?" Jacob asked.

"Oh yeah. I'm totally ready to enter a school where I'm outnumbered by girls a hundred to one." Yin replied with forged enthusiasm.

"We'll be fine." Ethan said.

"Says you."

The group set out for their new school. The walk was short but full of chatter. As they walked they encountered small groups of girls walking together, often taking glances at them and whispering so they weren't heard. As they got closer to the school they more and more people watched them.

"You'd think they've never seen the male version of our species before." Yin commented as they entered the main doors, making Jacob snort in amusement.

"Do you guys know where you're going?" He asked.

"Yep." Replied Yin.

"Yes." Affirmed Ethan.

"Alright then. I'll see you boys at lunch." Jacob said and gave them a two figured salute. The three boys split up and went their separate ways. Jacob walked down the corridor in search of his room. The stares and whispering continued down the hallway until he found his room. He walked inside and was pleased to see at least one other boy who he recognized as Yin's driver. he rest of the students, about thirty or so, were all girls.

Almost immediately as he entered the room, all conversation stopped and every girl in the room turned to look at him as if he were an alien. He did his best to ignore it as he walked to an empty desk beside Yin's driver and all eyes turned to follow him. As he sat down, he sighed and thought, "It's gonna be a long day."

Saunders University High School

11:05am

"Finally. I thought that class would never end." Jacob thought to himself as the lunch bell rang through the school.

He grabbed his bag and rushed out of the room. He followed the crowd to the cafeteria, and had to resist the urge to gap.

The cafeteria was enormous. It could have easily housed 5,000 people, though currently it didn't have that many in it. The lunch lineup wasn't as long as he would have thought, which was good. The food that was being served looked delicious, but before he went to get something, he tried to find his friends. He looked around and only saw Yin walking towards him.

"So? How was class?" He asked when he got close.

Yin rubbed the back of his head with an almost sheepish look. "Did you know that some words in English sound like insults in Japanese?"

Jacob blinked and tilted his head. "No?"

"Well, I do. Now."

"Do I really want to know?"

"You do not."

"Alright."

The two waited for Ethan, but when he still hadn't shown up after waiting for a few minutes, they decided to get some food and get a table before they were all filled up. The food at Saunders was much better then the food they got at their old school. The mixture of both Japanese food and American food gave them plenty to choose from. The large assortment of meat and vegetables, along with other food groups meant they could enjoy almost whatever they wanted.

They got their food and looked for a table. All they boys that they could see were siting at full tables, either with girls or other boys. So the two of them sat at an empty table in the corner. Despite classes having ended, the stares continued even as they ate.

"Seriously, we're just boys. Why do they all have to stare at us?" Yin thought aloud.

"I don't know. Probably because they've never seen a boy in their school before." Jacob pointed out.

"Okay, sure. But still. They don't need to constantly stare at us. It's creeping me out." He said as he looked around.

"Really? I would have thought that a guy like like you would enjoy being ogled by girls." Jacob smirked.

"Sure, but by a group. Not a whole damn school."

Jacob snorted. They continued conversing about various subjects, but after several more minutes and still no signs of Ethan, Jacob voiced his concerns. "Where is he? It's not like his to be late for anything. He's always on time."

"Who's always on time?" A voice asked. Both Jacob and Yin turned to see Kay, Naomi, and a frustrated looking Alisa

"Ethan. I don't know here he is. Any chance you girls have seen him?"

They all shook their heads. "So, do you mind if we join you?" Kay asked.

Jacob shook his head. "Go ahead." He said. The boys moved over so the girls could sit down.

"You know, I have to admit. You guys have some really good food here." Jacob said as he chowed down on some rice balls.

"That's Saunders for you. We spare no expense."

"Except when it comes to your tanks." Yin commented, making all three girls look at him.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Alisa asked rudely.

"Don't get me wrong, I like the Sherman. But it isn't exactly the best. It's armor isn't great, and its gun is the same way. Besides your Firefly's and M4A1(76), I haven't seen anything that can deal or block a good amount of damage. They're all Shermans." Yin explained.

Kay growled. "Hey, the Sherman is a great tank." She defended.

Yin snorted, much to her ire. "Oh yeah, then why was it crushed so often in the war?" She opened her mouth, but Yin continued. "The truth is, the Sherman was never designed to be a tank to tank vehicle. It was designed to be a infantry support vehicle. It wasn't even given good anti-tank ammunition during the beginning of the war. They were given old outdated ammunition. Face it, the Sherman has its flaws and makes it a bad tank in certain departments as a result."

Kay narrowed her eyes. "You may not know this, but the Allies won the war thanks to the Sherman tanks."

He nodded. "Yes, and were slaughtered in the thousands to get it done."

She clenched her fist and opened her mouth to speak again, but Jacob quickly interjected.

"I don't think Yin is saying the Sherman was a bad tank. I think he's just saying it wasn't a great anti-tank vehicle." He said, and Yin nodded. Kay didn't seem happy, but she didn't argue any further.

"On that topic," Jacob said. "I've been meaning to ask you Kay. Do you have any other tanks besides the ones you've told me about?"

"As a matter of fact, we do." Kay said proudly with a small glare at Yin. "We have some M4A6's, a few Locusts, some M4A3E8's, and a couple of M4A3E2 Assault Tanks."

"Sherman Jumbos? Impressive." The M4A3E2 Assault Tank, fondly referred to as the Sherman Jumbo, was a more heavily armoured version of the Sherman tank. "Are they serviceable?"

Kay blinked. "Uh. Well, actually..." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"Oh great. Here it comes." Yin said.

"Shut up." Jacob silenced him.

"The Jumbos aren't really used much. Not on my team at least. Most of our members really like the fact that it's slower, even if it's by a little bit. So not many use them. That, and everyone just prefers the regular M4's. So most of the Jumbos are kind of... In pieces." Kay gave an embarrassed grin.

"Well, that's disappointing." Yin commented.

Before Jacob could tell Yin to shut up again, Ethan appeared out of nowhere, sat down, banged his head against the table, and groaned loudly. "I hate my life."

Both boys blinked. It was unlike Ethan to show any level of emotion, especially the level of annoyance he was showing right now.

"Ethan?" The boy didn't answer. "Buddy?" Still nothing.

"Hey bookworm, whats got your panties in a twist?" Yin asked in his usual elegant way. Jacob had to resist the urge to face palm.

Ethan let out a loud sigh and said, "Apparently, girls seemed to be attracted to me for whatever reason. I counted 14 girls who asked to go on a date with me, and I had to run around to the school to lose the rest of them. That's why I'm late." He finished, not raising his head from the table.

"Wow. First day of school and Ethan's already reeling in the ladies." Yin said, earning him a slap to the back of the head.

"Did you say yes to any of them?" Naomi asked curiously.

Ethan's head finally rose and looked her in the eyes. "No. They probably haven't seen a boy in months, and that's likely the main reason why they asked. They simply want a boyfriend for the sake of having one, which is contradictory to what I desire. I want someone to love me because of who I am, not just because I happen to be conveniently available. And, if I am ever going to date someone, I want it to be someone I know. I don't want to date them just because they're free." He said.

Naomi blinked, apparently not expecting that. "...I see. Not any people have your way of thinking. It's nice to see someone who does."

"Thank you."

Jacob looked at the empty space on front of his friend. "Aren't you going to get something to eat?"

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

"Rejecting all those girls must have really ruined your appetite, huh?" Yin asked.

"Shut up."

"Well I'm definitely surprised. I thought that, if anyone would be rejecting people, it'd be the girls. I didn't expect it the other way around." Kay said.

"Yeah, well, Ethan isn't exactly a ladies man. But getting back on topic, do you have any other tanks?" Jacob asked.

"We have a few other variants of the Sherman, ones with no significant changes, but besides that, no." Kay replied. "And even though we have other tanks, the ones we usually deploy are just the regular M4's, 76s, and Fireflies. Though sometimes we'll bring others, we don't do it that often." She explained.

"Gotcha."

Before long, their conversations came to a close as classes prepared to start, and the teens went their separate ways. Ethan stated that he would be hiding in his tank until the next class began. The girls left together while Jacob and Yin announced that they would go their class before it started. The rest of the day was sure to be exciting.

First chapter done! I hope you all enjoyed.

Please review and tell me what you think, and I'll see you next time.