Blood Stained Roses

by Kyen/Blaque Midnyte
 

Summary/ History: Long ago, when all the stars were still young and fertile, there were not just five goddesses – there were five gods as well, their beastly counterparts. There were ten stars as well, and each of the gods and goddesses ruled one of the stars. They created life on the stars to help them prosper, and fawned over their new creations like mother hens over their chicks. But then VICTIM came.

                The gods soon realized their mistake when their people could not defend against VICTIM and the gods themselves could not directly intervene in their lives through their own laws. So, the five gods watched as their stars were destroyed. In despair, they fled and the five goddesses were left to fend for themselves. VICTIM came one on destroyed four more stars…but then the people rose up to defend the last star – Zion. The goddesses, wishing to help their people, granted to them five great beings – the Ingrids – and retreated to Zion, where they wait for the day they too must rise to defend their planet with more then just their gifts and the belief of the people.

                Now, the VICTIM have become stronger, craftier, as they take on the leadership of a new deity and the Goddess Pilots are hard pressed to compete with them. More lives are lost and they inch closer to Zion with every attack. The Goddesses need help, and it comes. Five new heroes have risen up to help defend Zion from the VICTIM! But who are these mysterious beings? Who pilots them, or do they pilot themselves? Where do they get their power? And why do the Ingrids seem to both be drawn to them, awed by their strength, and disgusted all at once? And why the heck are five women usurping the top candidates’ thrones?

Curriculum 1 ~ Disturbance

                “Do I need to go over the procedure again?” Azuma asked the five recruits before him. One of them, leaning against a window, arched an eyebrow and another snorted. “Fine then. Well, we’ll be there shortly, so gather your things.”

                “A rather idiotic request,” sneered a third from a chair in the corner near an artificial palm tree.

                “True,” returned Azuma quietly, but the recruit did not hear. With a growl to himself he turned and left the room, leaving the five to do as they wished for the remainder of the flight.

                He entered a small room off the right of the one that contained the new recruits and let out a long sigh. He rubbed his temples and wondered how he was going to get through more then a year with these new candidates. In barely five hours with them he had his fill. The one that had sneered at him was the wise crack of the group and was hardly intimidated by him, but that might also be due to the fact that the candidate was less then an inch shorter then him. All five sported one attitude or another, and they definitely be challenges, but they had proved themselves capable of handling the stress that came with training. And they would be very late entries, so they had to take an advance skill level. They would be with his hardest group – the one with Candidate # 88 in it.

                “Sir,” a voice said behind him. He spun around to see the quietest of the candidates standing there, hands behind their back, straight and poised in a position that he had seen used in pictures when people did not fight in Pro-INGs, but on their stars and served in what was called an ‘army’.

                “Yes, Candidate?” he asked, staring down at the shorter person.

                “G.O.A. has come within sight,” the candidate informed him. “And the captain has asked us to find a secure spot for landing. We have an extra chair in our hold if you wish to join us. If not, the captain has informed me there are several extras in the technicians area.” With that the candidate nodded and turned sharply on their heel before exiting and leaving Azuma to his own devices.

*~*~*~*

                Kizuna punched in the code to her dorm with a depressed sigh. Today had been no better then any other day. Once more Zero had gotten zero gravity sick and had messed up his cockpit with his regurgitated lunch. Thankfully, it had been a substitute teacher instead of Azuma, who was rumored to be off on an important mission for the heads of G.O.A.

                Kizuna cared little though. All she cared about was getting to bed so she could forget about the awful day she had had. When she entered the room, she wasn’t surprised to see Ihkny, Saki, Wrecka, and Tsukasa already there, chatting amongst themselves. They never had problems with their partners, except maybe Ihkny, but hers were of a different sort. She also had this feeling there was something out of place in the room, but she set it aside, her mind to numb from trying to deal with Zero to try and figure it out right then.

                “So, everything cleared up?” asked Wrecka as Kizuna collapsed into bed in her pajamas.

                “Yeah,” she sighed. “He’ll be back up by tomorrow, but we’ll be skipping class again to get him used to zero gravity AGAIN.”

                “Poor Zero,” Ihkny said softly.

                Tsukasa snorted, “Poor Kizuna you mean!”

                “Thanks,” Kizuna muttered as she let out a deep sigh.

                “Excuse me, but is this where the Repairer Partner for Candidates 85 through 89 stay?” asked a soft voice and all the girls sat bolt upright.

                “Who are you?” demanded Tsukasa instantly as they looked upon their intruders.

                The one who asked the questioned bowed, “Please forgive us. We are new and sort of lost. Do forgive our manners.”

                “Of course,” Ihkny said, always quick to trust. “This is the room you seek.”

                The person in the doorway nodded and entered, followed by four others. It was then that Kizuna noticed what had seemed out of place in the room – more beds had been added. Each of the five took one and as they settled all five repairers got a good look at them.

                The one who had first entered was a petite woman of maybe sixteen, seventeen years. Her hair was held in a tight bun atop her head, and was colored a dark honey blonde, small braids framing her face on either side. She had beautiful liquid amber eyes that were slightly magnified between then, narrow glasses. Her face was pretty, elegant, yet not haughty, and her lips were curved in a warm, reassuring smile.

                The one next to her had to be the youngest of the group, maybe fifteen at the oldest, and definitely they brightest, as in happiest, of them all. She had bright read hair caught in a curly ponytail high on the back of her head that reached her shoulder blades. Her eyes were bright and glowed fiery red or red orange, it was difficult to tell in the light. Her smile was wide and enthusiastic, with cheeks rosy from supporting such a smile for so long.

                The third was less the welcoming. Her hair was like spun quicksilver, spilling over her back in rolling waves and dangling over her left shoulder in a single, tight braid. Her face was sharp, yet not like the edge of knife as some people were. Her eyes were gently slanted and glinted a dark sapphire blue, a dangerous undertone of silver flashing through them in the dim light as she surveyed the group.  She was definitely one of the eldest, perhaps sixteen at the youngest. Her lips were set in a hard line, and nothing about her posture was welcoming. It was down right cold and aloft.

                The fourth was distinctly different from the third with gently curled blonde hair that caressed her shoulders and set off her eyes, which were the color of trees with all their leaves. Although her mouth was not set in a smile, her eyes radiated warmth. A relaxing warmth, to be exact, like that a mother would use to calm her child in a situation that did not call for words nor a smile. She perhaps the same age as the first, maybe a year older.

                The last of the five had to be the eldest, or the same age as the fourth. But she most definitely not the most caring of the group. If the fourth had been cold and aloft, then this one was artic in temperature and had completely detached herself from humanity. Her face was smooth and blank, no emotion passing over the stony surface. Hair blacker the midnight hung down her back in a tight, well formed braid with nary a loose strand and her eyes were slanted like the fourth’s. But instead of blue eyes, her’s were a bloody red, touched with what seemed very deep brown or black, and carried no emotion in them. She could have been a statue for how much she was keeping herself away from them.

                The first smiled and dipper her head deeply, “Again, forgive our manners. I am Kaori, this Juri, that is Alhana, then Rika, and finally Elaine.” Juri and Rika nodded, but Alhana and Elaine refused to acknowledge them. Alhana actually did, but it was with a mere flick of her eyes that was not noticeable.

                “So, whose repairers are you?” asked Wrecka, wondering if they could be in their class.

                Alhana snorted and sat up to draw back the covers to her bed, “You think we would travel all this way to be some cocky boy’s repairer? Dream on.”

                Rika frowned. “Alhana!” she chided the older girl and then turned to them. “Do forgive her, she seems to have forgotten all forms of etiquette.” 

                “No problem,” Kizuna said meekly.

                There was a knock and the door opened, revealing a female moderator. She looked at the older five, nodded, and told them to go to bed. Without complaint the elder five did as told, but the younger lay in their beds, watching the person across from the sleep, more then a little awed by their sudden intrusion.

*~*~*~*

                “Hey, where did they go?” Kizuna asked the next morning when she woke, the five beds across from her already made and bereft of their occupants. “It’s only six thirty.”

                “They must have left early or something,” Tsukasa mused. She shrugged and the other four went about their business. Kizuna followed after some prodding from Ihkny and they made their way to the mess hall.

                It was already crowded and by the time they got their breakfast the only seats left were those next to their candidates (with the exception of Ihkny who remained FAR from Hiead whenever possible nowadays). Kizuna sighed as she thought of her ‘rigorous’ day ahead – getting Zero used to zero gravity. But something else caught her attention though.

                “Hey, Clay, have you seen those five new girls anywhere?” Saki asked her partner.

                “Five new girls?” Clay repeated, lost. “What five new girls?”
                “The ones that came into our room last night!” Wrecka cried. “They introduced themselves and everything! I’m sure they were there, but this morning their beds were as before.”

                “Maybe you guys were just seeing things,” Yamagi told them as he stuffed some weird mush into his mouth.

                Tsukasa glared, “I doubt it. If so, then we’re all nuts cause we all saw the exact same five people and they all had the exact same names!”

                “K, so you all are crazy,” Zero said and promptly regretted it when Kizuna hit him over the head. He yelped, but didn’t retaliate. He just shoveled in another mouthful of mush and commented, “By the way, Instructor Azuma wants us to go to the group class first.”

                “Oh,” Kizuna said in reply and set to finishing her breakfast, still lost in thought about the five, especially the stony-faced one, Elaine. She followed everyone else as they rose to go to class.

                When they entered, the top five were already there – Sure, Erts, Force, Yashimo, and Aracd. As always, the elder of the five were laid back and confident, Force wearing his signature smirk as he watched them walk in, his repairer mimicking him. Kizuna couldn’t say she liked him, but that was just her, and she didn’t work with him, thank the goddesses. She worked with Rome. A good-natured girl that Kizuna had come to like, and Erts was a nice boy, much nicer the Zero for sure.

                No words were exchanged, as usual, as they quietly waited for Azuma, which wasn’t long in coming. He growled as he walked in, again, a usual thing. “Right. Well, I called you all here today to introduce…,” he paused and looked around. “Where are they? I told them 7:30 sharp!”

                “Who?” Clay and Zero asked automatically.

                Azuma growled and turned to the computer, punching numbers in. Kizuna knew this was a little out of the ordinary (as those girls had been the night before, if they had been real at all). But what really threw her whole day (and everyone else’s) for a major loop, was when they appeared.

                The door slid open and a bouncy red head came in, grinning widely, dressed in the inverted version of the male candidate’s uniforms. Kizuna couldn’t help but notice the first thing it did was make her hair stand out all the more, and even a few small freckles dotted on her nose.

                “Sorry we’re late Instructor Azuma,” she chimed. For a moment, Kizuna wondered what ‘we’ there was, and then it was answered by the appearance of the other five girls from the night before – Rika, Kaori, Elaine, and Alhana, all dressed like Juri.

                “Tardiness is not acceptable!” Azuma spat.

                “Crawford demanded last minute check ups from us,” Rika explained evenly and calmly, her blonde curls pinned back in an oblong bun behind her head.

                Azuma frowned, “Fine. But next time I’m holding you after class.” Each of the five rolled the threat off like a bird’s feathers do water. It meant nothing to them, at least outwardly. Kizuna watched as Force and the three older top candidates grew frowns on their faces as they watched the five. Azuma cleared his throat, “Everyone, these five our to be the new candidates 90 through 95 – Juri, Alhana, Rika, Kaori, and Elaine. Get used to them.”

                “What?” Force cried as soon as Azuma finished his speech. “You can’t be serious! Women can’t be pilots!”

                “Teela is,” Zero said with a blank, innocent look. Kizuna cursed under her breathe.

                “Everyone knows Teela is a cyborg or something like it!” shot Force at him. He rounded on the girls, focusing on the youngest – Juri. “This is some sick joke! I refuse to work with women!”

                He would have said more, had not a looming figure come up before Juri, blocking her from Force’s few. A pair of eyes as emotionless as the jewel they were colored like met him. Alhana had her arms crossed, glaring at him, silver hair pulled back in a ponytail and her outfit revealing well honed arms and legs. Kizuna wondered who would win if the two fought.

                Azuma was glaring at Force, “Get used to them, soldier. You’ll be working with them for a while.”

                Force glared at Azuma then at Alhana, who still stood between him and Juri. His face broke out into its traditional sneer again, “They’ll be packing to go home before the week is out.”           

                “Overconfidence killed the cat as much as curiosity did,” Alhana said, her voice smooth and as cold as a waterfall chilled by melted snows.

                “What?” Force sputtered, the smirk gone, replaced by disbelief that a lower candidate, much less a women, had back talked him. He expected it from his fellow tops, but not this WOMAN.

                Alhana narrowed her gaze and opened her mouth to speak again, but another voice, colder and sharper then her own broke in, “Alhana, save your breathe for the session, not on a meaningless skirmish of words.” Everyone faced Elaine, who was watching Force and Alhana through impassive red eyes.

                Alhana nodded and backed off, giving a last glare at Force before taking her place next to what now seemed the obvious leader of the five – Elaine. From then on the class continued as normal. As today was a Thursday, it was lecture day. But still, Kizuna couldn’t quite ignore the face there was a heavy lair of disturbance in the air. She began to wonder how she would survive now with a class full of incompetent partners, warring peers, and a battle between the top male candidates and these new girls, who Kizuna was sure where seen as threats to their thrones.

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