Finally, another school year was about to begin at Akatsuki Academy, also known as Red Moon Academy. Students from all over the world approached its crimson bathed fields, crossing the massive rose garden that beckoned them into the inner walls of the castle like building. The aspiring students came from all walks of life, both human and not, but all of them had one thing in common, the desire to become hunters, protectors, those who swore to seek and destroy the darkness of the world, fighting in stead of those who cannot, in a single word... Chasers.

And, with these thoughts in mind, a girl wearing a hooded red cloak crossed the threshold into the castle's atrium, where all students were expect to gather for the intro ceremony...



Kurenai had travelled a long way until finally reaching Akatsuki Academy. If one were to say she walked ten thousand miles for real, they wouldn't be lying, for this was cose to the distance she travelled ever since she met Crowley, or better was saved by him. Ever since the Wandering Blacksmith, disappeared Kurenai has been searching for him and now she finally got a decent lead.

"An academy for warriors, huh? I wonder if most of them would survive even a month... no, a week, if they fought what Crowley and I had?" Kurenai thought as she looked around, casting a disinterested gaze over the greenhorns who thought that they would become heroes by coming to a places such as this when in truth the wold does not need heroes, what it needs, what it yearns for are slayers and this Kurenai knew all too well.

Nevertheless, "no amount of training is ever too much. This place might as well teach me something, if even Crowley graduated from here." Kurenai said, before finding a free corner and reclining her back against it, while trying to stay away from the soon-to-be dead wannabe heroes.



And, precisely that reason was what annoyed Senior Instructor Reiko Asamiya to no end as she gazed on the gathering students with her cold, analytic eyes from over the stairway that led inside the main hall. "Such a weak batch, I wonder what the Director has on her head? Most of these children wouldn't survive an encounter with Lesser Garou, breaking them now would be much more merciful." Reiko said to herself as she paced back and forth with her hand crossed behind her back, casting a look that made some of the present students feel like they were cockroaches ready to be trampled upon.

"Even so, there seems to be diamonds hidden among the mud. Let's see what their shine will be after some polishing." Reiko took a small breath as more and more students gathered, the only sound coming from her direction was that of the water font that filled a pond right bellow the stairs where Reiko stood.

Once the last of the students came in the gates were locked behind them by the staff outside, Reiko finally stopped in the middle of the stone platform and raised her voice, "Welcome to Akatsuki Academy, applicants. I'm the Senior Instructor Reiko Asamiya, however most of you might have heard of me by the moniker of Scarlet Sage. I'll be hadling your education along with the other teachers. Now that the introductions have been made, let me go straight to the matters at hand. I'm sure most of you think you are here to become heroes and heroines, to fight for justice and defend the weak. Thus, before anything more is said, I ask of you."

"What is a Chaser?"

Maya stared at Akatsuki academy as she swung her bag around her, unsure if she should just step inside. If she were to run away right now, she could probably get far far away before anyone noticed. Yet, something inside of her told her to stay, maybe give the place a chance. Perhaps it was some sort of love and compassion for her parents, and a true desire to change her attitude?

No. Fuck no. Her desire to stay the same is what kept her at Akatsuki. Getting to be a great warrior meant getting to fight lots of shit and bash some heads in, something that filled Maya with a sense of true being and purpose. If she couldn't be some prissy, social aristocrat, then why not use her talents for something truly interesting? Maya considered herself a loose cannon, although she could be more categorized as a loose nuke. With little direction or care in the world, perhaps a job where she could let out some of her angst would be a good thing. If she didn't kill anyone in the process.

Maya stepped through the gates, joining the crowd. The lady speaking seemed scary, although Maya was paying little attention. Although, at the question, she perked up.

"A chaser is a cool dude who fucks shit up!" She screamed over the crowd.

A particularly tall redhead looked over the crowd that had formed in front of him at the famed Akatsuki Academy. A burning cigarette hung lightly between his lips and an occasional cloud of smoke would exit his mouth every so often. The young man watched everyone with a weary regard and slight curiosity. Jamie Wolfe felt a twinge of annoyance as the gates were closed and locked behind them. Were they to be kept here like prisoners? Had he just accidentally walked into a trap? God, he hoped he was wrong. James crossed his arms as someone who looked to be an authoritative figure stepped onto a stone platform. It seems that she was going to be their instructor.

It was a woman that looked like a young and odd librarian. He smirked to himself, she didn't exactly have an intimidating face to match her stern personality. Finally, she spoke up, "Welcome to Akatsuki Academy, applicants. I'm the Senior Instructor Reiko Asamiya, however most of you might have heard of me by the moniker of Scarlet Sage. I'll be hadling your education along with the other teachers. Now that the introductions have been made, let me go straight to the matters at hand. I'm sure most of you think you are here to become heroes and heroines, to fight for justice and defend the weak. Thus, before anything more is said, I ask of you. What is a Chaser?"

Jamie decided to keep his mouth shut and see what people had to say, and boy he was not disappointed. One bright young soul piped in with an extremely intelligent response (not). "A chaser is a cool dude who fucks shit up!" James' eye actually twitched in annoyance. He seriously questioned if someone that dumb sounding should be trained to be a Chaser. "What have I gotten myself into..." He mumbled to himself.

Gaz approached the academy with his hands in his leather jacket's pockets and soon made it into the school, he didn't really have much to say about the ominous looking school, part of him thought that once he arrived he'd be jumped and probably made as some type of sacrifice to their weird god or gods. But soon Gaz made it through the atrium to notice other people, and at that sign he knew that he probably wouldn't be killed on the spot for showing up to the academy.

Suddenly Gaz noticed a chick wearing a red hood, when the girl looked in his direction, Gaz instantly know that he probably wouldn't like girl." Damn the girl's self entitled bitch face game is on fleek." He said aloud not caring if anyone heard him."Either that or she feels like she can kick everyone's ass." Gaz continued.

When the Reiko made her appearance and began making her welcome speech Gaz completely ignored most of it and when she was finished and asked what was a chaser Gaz asked a question himself." Hold up quick question, is this place just filled with a bunch of basic white skinny bitches ? Because that all I'm getting from looking at most these people here; some of you mother fuckers need to eat a god damn sandwich " Gaz asked Reiko before telling people what they should do. The second someone else yelled what they thought a chaser was Gaz just told what was on his mind. " A Chaser ? Fuck if I know, some motherfucker that runs around chasing things, probably someone who chases booty around, or chase around weird creatures of the night like something out of Van hellsing. Eh I'm going back to fuck if I know again."



XXVII was far away from the school and knew that she was going to be late, on her back she had a large duffel bag on her bag filled with clothes and her weapons, she stood on a far small cliff side and looked out to the academy, she felt that her goal to being a hero was closer to being in her grasp.

XXVII rushed down the less steeper side of the cliff moving with all of her speed and leaving a long giant dust trail behind her on the trail, XXVII soon tripped off trail and landed face first into red roses, and lost her duffel bag, XXVII got up from the rose garden only for her to cough up a rose and pull out petals from the back of her mouth.

XXVII looked around for her bag for a while and after finding it crushing a number of roses, XXVII grabbed her bag and uncaringly walked through the roses taking no real precaution to avoid the roses that she stepped on with her dress shoes.

When she arrived to the outside of the academy, it looked a little more scary up close, but she didn't let that stop her, she was determined to attend that school, she needed the experience and the training that they were giving because she needed it, she wanted to prove that she was the best clone even if she was striving to be the best second rate human being.

When she got to the atrium she was surprised that she wasn't late, she had her cobalt blue duffel bag on her bag as she stood next to a girl with a red hood and matching colored hair, XXVII stayed quiet as she stood next to the red hooded girl and listened to the woman in charge welcome them.

She listened to the scarlet sage ask them what a Chaser could be and Eiko was about to say what she thought they were, but then a couple people spoke up talking about what they thought it was, when she had a moment to speak Eiko shouted what she thought it was." It means your a hero of the Crimson sky !! Bound to protect people that can't protect their selves !"

Gyuuki

Gyuuki had been told the academy was a much nicer place when she left the village, instead she found an ominous landscape and a creepy castle. "At least its better than the wilderness!" she thought, it had been a harsh journey to here and she was glad that she managed to arrive in time.

There were many other applicants in the atrium, and meanwhile that made her nervous, Gyuuki was also glad that there were a handful of other youkais like her. To avoid bumping into anyone she walked close to the walls until she found a less crowded corner near two other girls. Soon after their instructor started to make a speech.

Sincerely, she didn't know exactly what a chaser was, she had been told they would have an use for her strong hands and for her that was enough. She didn't have much interest in what others would answer, instead she took the opportunity to nibble on some bread she had brought, however when the girl by her side started to answer she had no option but to pay attention. " It means your a hero of the Crimson sky !! Bound to protect people that can't protect their selves !" she said. In the youkai's view being a hero had a nice sound to it, but it also looked like a lot of work, considering how much trouble this world had.

Makoto Kanemaru

---

---

"Akatsuki Academy… This must be it."

Like any other dark and gloomy day, the large red moon loomed over the city's buildings. One of those buildings being Akatsuki Academy; Makoto Kanemaru's next destination.

The building was much larger than she had expected, even though it was to be expected. This wasn't a time to be distract though. With a wave of students – or 'critters', as she liked to call the smaller ones – attempting to sweep her through the gates, Makoto couldn't just stand around and let herself topple over. The crowd would only continue to grow with another ten students entering each second.

Then, a small thud.

"A-Ah, sorry about that! I didn't meant to, uh…" a squeaky voice apologised. If she remembered correctly, this was a school for the… older students, was it not?

"Huh?"

As she cocked her head around, the smaller girl shrieked. Makoto simply raised an eyebrow.

"Er, sorry, was I in your way or–"

"I-I'm terribly sorry! Please, d-don't hurt me!"

And just like that, the little critter scuttled off. Again, Makoto raised an eyebrow. Why did she have to run off like that?

Ah, of course. Hair worn down, eyes dark from no sleep, dressed in mainly black. Coupled with her naturally pale skin and naturally looming figure, it was a literal recipe for the perfect Halloween costume.

Okay, now she was just being a tad too harsh on herself. Makoto couldn't help it if she happened to be taller and paler than most girls, right?

Well, the truth's the truth.

"Welcome to Akatsuki Academy, applicants. I'm the Senior Instructor Reiko Asamiya, however most of you might have heard of me by the moniker of Scarlet Sage. I'll be handling your education along with the other teachers. Now that the introductions have been made, let me go straight to the matters at hand. I'm sure most of you think you are here to become heroes and heroines, to fight for justice and defend the weak. Thus, before anything more is said, I ask of you. What is a Chaser?"

Was that rhetorical?

"Hold up quick question, is this place just filled with a bunch of basic white skinny bitches? Because that all I'm getting from looking at most these people here; some of you mother fuckers need to eat a god damn sandwich."

Makoto blinked.

"Well, I do see your point, some of the people here don't really look that physically fit…" Makoto muttered, looking over the crowd herself. After glancing over, she looked back at the… rather tall boy.

"…also, maybe a sandwich wouldn't do so good on its own… Having a healthy meal and exercising each day should be able to build up some proper muscle, you know?"

If her father were to hear of this conversation he would most likely be face palming right now. As much as he loved his daughter to bits her oblivious nature was sure to send anyone into rage.

"The average teen does have what it takes to build more muscle as they grow older, regardless of their race. It's the truth."

The few surrounding students where probably quaking in their shoes as to what could possibly follow up next. Makoto's blank, seemingly clueless expression was making it even more likely.

"A chaser is a cool dude who fucks shit up!"

"It means your a hero of the Crimson sky !! Bound to protect people that can't protect their selves!"

It seemed the question wasn't rhetorical after all.

Come to think of it… it's actually a much more complicated question than that…

Maybe Makoto would wait and see what the others said first.

Juniper awaited amongst the crowd, practically bouncing. She was physically trying to stay still, but it was pointless. She was far too nervicited. She was here! Akatsuki Academy! The place where heroes are made! She scanned the crowd, looking for someone even remotely as animate as herself. There were a couple of faces that looked suitably upbeat, but most of her future classmates were wearing stoic masks. Lame! How were they not all buzzing? What kind of person wants to look stern and serious when they are literally going to a hero academy?

Skipping inside, her pink hair and dress making her stick out like a sore thumb despite her miniscule size, Juniper noticed a girl dressed like Little Red Riding Hood leaning against a tree. She smiled and waved vigorously at the fairytale girl, but got nothing in response.

"Damn, that girl's self entitled bitch face game is on fleek." a masculine voice said from the left of her. Looking over, she saw a tall, dark-skinned, snowy haired fellow. "Either that or she feels like she can kick everyone's ass." He continued. Juniper moved a little closer to this boy. She took sassy over serious any day.

The gates were locked behind them, a newcomer squeezing past at the last possible minute. Whilst everyone else panicked, Juniper just grinned. There was no need for her to panic. She had total faith in her trusty War-Pick,which she drummed on delicately as she waited.

"Welcome to Akatsuki Academy, applicants." Began an important looking woman from a platform "I'm the Senior Instructor Reiko Asamiya, however most of you might have heard of me by the moniker of Scarlet Sage. I'll be handling your education along with the other teachers. Now that the introductions have been made, let me go straight to the matters at hand. I'm sure most of you think you are here to become heroes and heroines, to fight for justice and defend the weak. Thus, before anything more is said, I ask of you. What is a Chaser?"
What on earth was a mon-ik-er?

"Hold up quick question, is this place just filled with a bunch of basic white skinny bitches? Because that's all I'm getting from looking at most these people here; some of you motherfuckers need to eat a goddamn sandwich."

Juniper, being the skinniest and whitest of bitches, looked up at the taller boy. "What kind of sandwich? Like a hotdog or a jam sandwich or... or an Ice-Cream Sandwich!" Juniper's face lit up immeasurably at the thought of an ice-cream sandwich. What kind would she have? Strawberry? Chocolate? Vanilla? Mint choc chip? Neapolitan! Definitely Neapolitan! And two chocolate wafers on the top! No, no, fairy bread! Make it a proper sandwich! Fairy bread, jam and Neapolitan ice-cream! Yes, she would like a sandwich like that very much.

When she snapped back to reality, two of the students were yelling answers to Reiko's question
"A chaser is a cool dude who fucks shit up!"
"It means you're a hero of the Crimson sky!! Bound to protect people that can't protect their selves!"
Juniper's arm practically wrenched out of the socket as she threw her hand in the air "Oh! Oh! I think I know!" she cried. What was it her Dad said? "A Chaser is... it's a person who hunts down evil creatures called You-Kai who feed on the weak and foolish. And.. something about a Prince who killed a bunch of people a long time ago and that's why the moon's all red or something. And not all the Yoo-kay are evil, so Chasers should only hunt the bad ones!" Her Dad had talked with her about this, but she couldn't remember all the details. Ah well, it probably wasn't important.

The young man had already arrived several days ago, but he stayed a hotel until the Academy's opening day. He didn't have a lot of money but the place was cheap so it worked out in his favor. But as he entered the school grounds and silently inspected the horde of fellow students that entered with him he began to feel disappointed. A lot of these people seem like they came here for fun or something, he noted mentally, keeping his mouth shut as he found a good place to stand. Being somewhat taller than the most of the other prospective students it was easy to see everything. Gil wasn't the tallest but he was tall enough. In fact, because his height allowed him to easily focus on the platform where someone would surely address the crowd, he didn't notice the many staring eyes that rested their gaze on the massive handgun holstered at his waist. There was a good number of people with weapons here, but perhaps the sheer size of his Aerok fascinated the other students. After all no normal teenager, or even an adult, would be able to wield a thing like that.

It didn't take long for the Senior Instructor to take to the stage and address the new students. Gil didn't find her opening speech particularly interesting until she asked everyone what a Chaser is. Seemed like a rhetorical question to him, but soon enough people began shouting out what a Chaser meant to them. Someone said it was being cool, another didn't even seem to have ever heard of Chasers, and yet another declared it was being a hero. Gil let out a sigh and closed his eyes, shaking his head. When he opened them again he looked back to Reiko on the stage. My father told me about her, the Scarlet Sage. She already knows that this bunch is largely unfit. I just have to hope that none of them will drag me down with them... With another glance around the crowd, to see if anyone else would say something he figured was stupid, he noticed a few... odd people. Not everyone here was human. His annoyed expression settled into a frown as he looked to the dark sky above. They must be desperate if they are willing to accept both fools and monsters into their ranks...



The Flower Spirit girl was already at the Akatsuki Academy before they opened their doors. She hadn't officially enrolled, per se, but they allowed her to stay on the school grounds for the past couple weeks leading up to the new semester. Erisa had no money and nowhere else to be, and perhaps the Academy understood that the young Youkai was well-meaning and in need of some assistance. Either way she was here now, waiting to properly join the school that was supposed to help her with her goal. Erisa was easily able to spot other Youkai among the students, even the ones that appeared human like she did. It was a feeling, like an instinct, to recognize the non-humans at a glance. Knowing she wasn't alone in her plight made her feel a bit more comfortable, but the overwhelming majority of students were humans and Erisa already knew that humans didn't often accept "monsters" like her into their midst. At least the people running the Academy were understanding. They even gave her weapons, so surely they were great allies to have.

As Reiko asked what a Chaser is to the crowd and various others began answering the question, Erisa became confused. While most already had an idea in their mind of what a Chaser is she had absolutely no clue what that term meant. She had only ever heard it in passing a few times. "What is a Chaser?" she mumbled to herself aloud, bringing a hand to her chin as she contemplated. As far as she could tell Chasers were humans that hunted down Youkai. But wasn't she about to become a Chaser then? Yet Erisa isn't human, so it isn't an exclusive term. Perhaps it is a job rather than a classification. Not all people who hunt Youkai would be Chasers, in that sense. The more she thought about it the more uncertain she became. Speaking of "hunting" Youkai didn't sit well with her. She was here to get assistance in "cleansing" the world and bringing back balance to nature. Erisa knew she was going to kill Youkai, but that isn't her specific goal. She decided to wait for Reiko's answer, as surely the Senior Instructor had the correct answer in store and wasn't asking because she didn't know.

James took this time to watch everyone, he wasn't here just to recreate himself, he was here to make friends. Deep down inside James just wanted a real family, at the moment good friends would have to do. He already picked out one guy who he was definitely not going to befriend. It was some jackass with white hair and yellow eyes. "What an asshole," James said to himself, kind of hoping the guy would hear. Wolfe was in a fighting mood today I guess. Jamie doubted that the guy's abilities lived up to his obnoxiously large ego. To be fair this was all speculation so hopefully he wasn't always that annoying. James also noticed a girl that was taller than average smash into a poor short fellow. The reaction was quite hilarious to Wolfe. Since when did height become such an intimidating factor? James had no doubt that there were shorter people here that were stronger than him. The Scarlett Sage was one example of that. It had taken him a while to recognize her but now he was almost positive that she was the world's strongest mage. He had heard a lot of stories about her, especially about her skills as a Chaser. James admitted that she would probably be a good teacher.

James turned his attention to a Youkai who said that Chasers were valiant protectors. Truthfully, James was always a little suspicious about the Youkai, seeing what the more vile ones do to people tends to give the good ones a bad rep.

Jamie finished his cigarette and let it drop from his fingers to be stomped out by his shoe. The last thing he needed was an account of accidental arson on his hands. Actually on second thought, he was actually kind of nervous about being in a new place, literally on his own for once. James pulled out another cigarette and lit it with his lighter. Inhale, nothing like nicotine to calm his nerves. Some people said that smoking kills you, but not James. He just shifted his lungs into a more durable material. The cells that made up his organs were significantly stronger than other humans. So, not only could he smoke freely but he suffered no ill effects from it. Either way it was still a bad habit he had to admit, but fuck his flaws. James was drawn out of his thoughts when a cute little pink haired girl spoke up and said what seemed to be the true definition of a Chaser. She seemed to know her stuff. No one else really stuck out to the Wolfe, but hopefully he could manage to make some friends. He could be charming when he wanted to be, right? On another note he kind of wished their instructor would hurry up and tell them what the fuck a Chaser was.

“What a Gothically styled campus. I suppose it gives the school an air of prestigiousness and history. Fitting for such a place. A far cry from the bleeding edge feel that YTC tends to give off. How... what’s the word... messy? Yes, messy... perfect~! If it’s a mess, who will notice a few bits and pieces vanishing?” grinning as he waited in the main hall he noticed a bunch of people going to annoy the hooded person in the back Well if you didn’t want to be annoyed, stop trying to hide yourself. Pointless

Looking up her saw the Senior Instructor, Reiko Asamiya introduce herself. What beautiful, cold, eyes, it’s like how I look at an experiment. I think I’ll like her fiddling with the sleeves of his lab coat Charlie tilted his head and began patting himself down before finding his ray gun, comfortably nestled against his heart. Looking up, he finally started paying attention again and noticed the Senior Instructor call herself the Scarlet Sage

Is she a sage in the sense of a wise man? Or is she one of the deluded magic types? shaking his head, Charlie realised it was of no consequence what she thought of herself, as long as her teachings can help him, she could call herself a deity for all he cared. Well they aren't mutually exclusive anyway, you can be a wise deluded soul. A right answer can come from an incorrect place after all However when Senior Instructor Reiko finally asked the first question Charlie couldn’t help but feel his laugh breaking out.

“Ha... HahahHAHA HAA!” holding his hair out of his eyes while clutching his stomach, Charlie doubled over trying to breathe “Wh-What is a Chaser? Is it a miserable little pile of secrets?” biting his lip, Charlie held back his laughter, an occasional giggle escaping, an odd side effect of his Manifestation.

Well, that was most interesting up to now, observing the others' reactions, that is. Such a bunch of clueless kids (some much older than the rest)... Kurenai really felt like laughing when she overheard the guy who talked about her as if he knew something. Let he think whatever he wishes to, Kurenai has no use, or will, to prove or not her skills to anyone here. Crowley taught her well, that's all she needed to know.

A few seconds later came both a girl dressed in thorn clothes and cuts over her skin, as if she had fell on the rose bushes outside, which was very likely true. She answered the Senior Instructor's question with over the top enthusiasm that almost made Kurenai facepalm. Couldn't she see that it was a rhetoric question and that most likely the answer was not a good one?

Smarter was the Youkai that came after, "a female ox demon? It's not everyday you see one of those." Kurenai wondered as she noticed that the pink spirit was eating some bread, instead of spending her time on useless discussions.

Still, there was something about that instructor that left Kurenai thinking. Almost as if she... knew that woman from somewhere, though it was not possible. Eventually, Kurenai chalked it off to a half memory of something Crowley might have told her and put it aside.

Soon after, she removed her hood, using her prosthetic hand, but remained quiet, only ever sparing the time to cast a look over those beside her. If they had anything they wanted to say, they could as well begin the talk, not? Otherwise, Kurenai preferred the silence.



Reiko's expression didn't changed in the very least after listening to the answers they were shooting at her, if nothing else, it only looked like her eyes grew colder and less human, especially after the smart one that thought that he could make fun of her. Were this any other situation, Reiko would have dispatched of this fool even before he finished his trash talk, but not now, not today. What was in store for these... walking headaches would be her final judgment and even if they survive it, time to work her reprisal afterwards was a thing she would have plenty of.

"Then again, not everyone can be like..." Reiko sighed before taking a breath and getting ready to speak again. If the applicants were smart, they would know it was time to be silent. "Wrong, all of you", Reiko said dryly, "the answer is-"



"A miserable little pile of killings, of course! But enough talk... Have at you!" A cheery voice said from just above everyone's heads, a little before a young woman who looked like a demon (a succubus, to be exact) landed right behind Reiko and put her hands on the Senior Intructor's shoulders, as if giving her a massage.

"You are awfully tense today, Rei-chan, we should let this tension go before someone dies, not?" The devil girl chuckled, after listening to Reiko's groan. Even he famed Scarlet Sage wasn't a match for a Ellie's hands and that she knew that all too well.

After dealing with Reiko's anger, Ellie turned to the applicants with a radiant smile in her face, before saying, "Welcome ladies, gentlemen and..." Ellie made a brief pause and shot a suggestive look to the crowd of would be students, before resting her eyes on Gil's general direction (perhaps she was wondering if his big "thing" was overcompensating?) and continuing, "hotties! I'm your one and only lovely Assistant #01, Ellie B'herit, but you can call me Absinthe Red (beware, though, I pack quite a punch~). I'll be helping you with all your needs while here at Akatsuki, so please, ignore that shameless imitator."

"Anyway, I guess it's about time for the main figure to present herself, right, Master?" Ellie said as she pointed to the doors behind her and Reiko, though no one seemed to be coming out of them, "Ara, Master? Where are yo..." Ellie began to say as beads of cold sweat formed on her brow. "Damn, I forgot to wake her up, again? Well, what's done is done. And if I'll get punished either way... at least I'll have some fun, first. As they say, just wing it." Ellie whispered to herself before chuckling at her own bad pun.



"Ok, it seems something went wrong with the plans, students. So, I'll give you the big news. Ain't I the best?" As Ellie turned back to the students, the smug smile in her lips made it look like she was orders of magnitude more haughty than she truly is. "Thing is, that none of you have been accepted yet and... our VIP rooms and five stars full course meals are only for the students and staff, so... you're all going to sleep here tonight and have packed bento for dinner~" Ellie gave off what might as well be the most shameless smile in recorded history, before continuing, "But fear not, your entrance exam will be tomorrow at two a.m., I hope you have a nice night~"

"Now, Rei-chan, let's go. I got that mocaccino you love ready for you. Also, we got another letter from Master Sol and Eva that you might like to read." Ellie said as she lured Reiko like a master angler who knew exactly what bait to use to catch what fish.

Soon enough the two crossed the doors which locked just behind them as a thick cover of rose vines covered it. The last thing to be heard of them was Reiko's muffled voice saying "You better not be lying about Sol and Eva, you know?"

Well, this was quite the shit show. There was some insane fuck talking about miserable piles of secrets, and it appeared the instructor was already about to lose her cookies on all of them. Sounded like a good time. She moved around in the crowd, deciding to stand next to the insane kid. At least he seemed interesting. How old was he, anyways? Too young. Damn. Either way, Maya paid attention to the demon-looking woman that flying around. At least she was cute, actually. Cute as fuck. Ellie, was it? Maya stored that information away for later. Gotta put the moves on somebody while she's here.

Maya's eye twitched as she heard they were going to sleep out here. On this shitty, stone floor. In the middle of fucking nowhere. With a bunch of people she didn't really give a shit about. And she was eating shitty food. And she was waking up at 2 a.m. This... was bullshit, actually. Maya felt like she was going to have a fucking aneurysm and a panic attack at the same time. She had no way to defend herself from all these god damn people. Maya decided to outlet her fear in a nice, constructive way.

"This is bullshit! I had to walk for fucking miles just to get here, and we don't even get to fucking sleep in there? Do you know how many people have back problems?! Too fucking many! My parents will sue the shit out of you all if anything happens to me! Do you even fucking know who I am? I can't sleep in these fucking conditions! Get back here!" Yeah, you go girl. Maya continued to scream long after Ellie and Reiko left, considering it was one of two outlets of her fear. The other one was crying and acting like a baby, and Maya really wasn't about that life. That was for weak babies, and for people who weren't strong enough. She was strong enough, though.

Maya sighed after a while, her voice almost blown out. She looked over at the kid next to her, raising an eyebrow. She could fight him, at least. Probably. Unless he was like, 30 and just really tiny. Oh god, what if everyone here was like, adults? What if she was the youngest?

"How fucking old are you, twerp?"

~Null~

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Maya, Maya, Maya….the loudmouthed one with the string of curses to her breath. Out of all the new students, she was the one that seemed the most interesting. Sure there was the tall guy with yellow eyes and white hair spewing his arrogant nonsense, but Null felt like he would have just speared the guy through rather than playing with him. And he knew how much his master, the Head Director herself, disliked him skewering new students.

Who to choose, who to choose? There was that weird guy who was claiming all things were borne of science…he’d be fun to mess with. Then the smoking boy, who, really shouldn’t be smoking in such a complex. Then there was that pink-haired girl who actually said the right answer to Reiko’s question earlier but no one seemed to care. A shame, but it was only to list a few of the gathered students.

Still, Null needed someone to mess with and it just so happened to be the loudmouth with the problem with swears. No hard feelings right? It didn’t even matter that her anger towards Reiko and Ellie had already dissipated, her body turning to the one next to her. Oh well.

He was upon her in a moment, his arm resting on her shoulder and acting as a…well, an armrest. He brought a finger to his lips and smiled down at her before making a “shh” noise. The feel of something cold and sharp would be felt upon her neck, the edge of his sword. He snickered in response to whatever she would say. Hey, Aria didn’t say he couldn’t scare the living shit out of people, did she?

---

"Ahhhhh," sighs Lloyd to himself as he steps inside the Academy's gates, stroking his chin, "Akatsuki old friend, we meet at last."

This was only his first year partaking in the Academy and already his mind was racing on what mischief he can possibly do this year. Maybe pull a few pranks here and there, but what kinds? Let someone slip on a banana peel? Nah, too basic. Create a fight for some hot-headed bitches to kick their asses? Eh, possible. Hijack an announcement? Hmmm, thats another possibility. However, Lloyd should keep quiet for the time being, to make himself look good and all. I mean, there's already a few disgusted and annoyed faces looking at him already, and he didn't even make a comment to any of them. Hell, even a teacher just walked by with a glare that could kill. Then again, what does he care? He basically grew up on such behavior ever since he was a child.

As he walks in to the Auditorium where there was supposed to be an intro announcement, all he hears was talking and chaos throughout the entire place. He already knew he was late, but at least the chaos can help him sneak into the crowd and seem like he entered from the very beginning. For the minute while it lasted, he walks down the hall, flicking people's heads as they were talking amongst themselves, bro-fisting a few friend's fists, "accidentally" knocking into a few people, and just fitting in with all the chaos. Fun fun times.

@Mysaren@TheWindel

However, as soon as he was sitting down and getting comfy, everyone quieted down as Ellie came on stage. She was someone Lloyd can relate too greatly. She seems to also be a up-top and positive little mischief maker, as well as making comments that everyone either groans and gets pissy-wissy at. He rarely got a chance to meet up with her before, but regardless he remembers why she likes her in the first place. Yet soon, it was finally over. Well this was kinda fun if you'd ask him, even though it was sorta a waste of time. Regardless, he gets up and heads back to his hotel room, but not until over-hearing a conversation between a girl student, who happens to be Maya, and a male student, Null.

"How fucking old are you, twerp?"

Ehhhh. This girl was a little too high on the serious meanness for him. Sure, he can be pretty mean as well, but it isn't exactly "too serious", if ones knows what that means. Then again, he loves to bother hot-heads like her, so this will be quite hysterical, even if he gets punched in the face. So as he passes by, he just makes a little ol'e remark.

"Awwww, someone too insecure about their age? And I thought it only had to do with breasties."

He then snickers to himself about that comment as he continues walking out of the room.

Well, today looked like it was going to be a total bust. A little seductive looking Youkai was a bringer of bad news to the new "recruits." It seems that the administration had left out that the applicants here weren't actually accepted into Akatsuki Academy. It seems that he had been tricked. Not only were they not accepted yet but there was going to be a test to determine if they were accepted or not! Determination sparked in his eyes, it looked like was going to have to put some effort into this. He refused to go back to the old life he had, he needed to attend this academy. Whatever the cost.

So, what now? Were they just going to sit here for the rest of the night and try and get some sleep or try to make friends? In an academy like this with so many violent people it was probably a good idea to make friends and allies. Jamie would probably regret trying to stay up and make conversation instead of getting some needed sleep to prepare for the rough morning ahead. Lets see, if it was seven o' clock right now, if he fell asleep around nine or ten he could get four or five hours of sleep. Shit, he was going to be a mess in the morning. Did they expect him to perform well in that kind of condition? He wasn't a morning person in the slightest, shittier shit.

The foul mouthed, brute of a girl spoke up again. This time, she was not happy. She was spouting off about how highly regarded her family was and how she was going to sue the school. To James it seemed like a lot of angry bullshit that she would never follow through with. Just as he was going to pipe in about how annoying this whole situation, Lloyd shoved his way past James as if he was in a hurry to get somewhere. Wolfe couldn't help but snap at him, "hey watch it, asshole!" The guy seemed to be skilled in starting trouble. He definitely disgruntled a few people already. He even took a jab at the hot-headed girl, God, did he want to get hit? James had to tell himself to calm down. They had to sit here for seven more hours, the last thing they needed to do was waste energy on fighting.

Gaz nearly chuckled when he heard some of the reactions that the girls made when he mentioned to eat a sandwich, when one of them asked what kind of sandwich Gaz looked up in the air and was about to say " Really!" Gaz turned to the small chick and his yellow eyes seemed to just glow as he said." Any fucking kind really, half the chicks here look like they belong to some kind of cutting board school for the flat chested, I almost feel like a pedo bear for trying to steal glances at chest and asses here, I'm almost completely sad that I even hoped some of these chicks had back when they didn't even have any front."

After not getting a real answer to his question Gaz put a finger on his yellow doctor's mask." So I'm just guessing that the skinny bitch thing is true then." He said aloud. Suddenly a succubus came from the ceiling and put her arms on the headmaster's shoulders." Well then I guess I was wrong then, at least there's one chick that has some front, even if she'd probably kill me with the one thing I want." Gaz still spoke aloud.

The second Gaz heard the guy call him an asshole, Gaz turned and pointed to the guy with his metal glove on his hands." If you gonna call me an Asshole then say it to my face, and we can square up." Gaz told James. He stared at James with his yellow eyes glowing as if they were something that belonged to an animal." So you gonna stand down and bitch out, or are you gonna throw your mittens up and and square up with me ?"



When Eiko heard that she was wrong she looked at the scarlet sage and cocked an eye brow, she only managed to exclaim." N-nani ? I-I mean what ?" XXVII almost dropped her duffel bag but kept a firm grip on it, she didn't want to accidentally break any of her stuff in her bag, she looked to the girl next to her hoping that she didn't act like she was an idiot." I came here expecting to be one of the great heroes." Eiko said to herself hoping the girl next to her didn't hear her.

" How will I conquer my sisters if I don't become the hero ?" she asked herself. Suddenly there was a woman that came from the ceiling she was wearing a revealing outfit and XXVII oddly couldn't take her eyes off her as she spoke, she listened to the woman in revealing clothing talk about them not being accepted." This handling of welcoming, gotten extremely unprofessional." She commented on what the woman said to them, she didn't like how this was all being handled, but it could just be because of the cloning facility was more strict than this school probably.

Eiko set her duffle bag down in front of herself and knelt down to the floor, she didn't care that the school seemed to just drop on them at the last second that they needed to sleep where they were, she put her hands onto her thighs and closed her eyes, she didn't go to sleep but waited, she knew it would be a long wait, but she was willing to wait, she started to ignore everything around her not focusing any of it and choosing to block everything else out, she would only do something if someone bumped her.

@TheFourthIV@KoL@Brithwyr

Maya glared at the person holding a knife to her neck, eyebrow raised. "You having a fucking laugh, mate? Get that shit off my neck or I'll kick your fuckin' ass, mate." Eh, they were kinda hot, at least. Either way, Maya didn't appreciate shit like that. Being the daughter of a noble meant she was well acquainted with violence and the like. However, it was't exactly herself she was worried about. "Come on, dude, there's like, a younger person here. Stop joking around like that, you're gonna scare somebody."

Maya, despite her assholishness, at least cared about the safety of those around her. At least, the idea of a little twerp like the insane one beside her caused a twinge in her chest. She knew what it was like to be harassed and bullied, and the thought of it happening on her watch made her blood boil. Speaking of bullying...

Maya turned to the asshole who yelled about her boobs, flicking him off. "If you wanna make somebody angry, gotta try harder than that, dude! You're bit generic when it comes to the rebellion shit, you realize that, right? I get it, you wanna be all cool and shit, but you gotta be creative! Flicking people and yellin' about their tits is grade school, mate! Now say somethin' to my face and see how long that smug grin lasts, kiddo!"

There we go. Satisfied with her yelling at everyone, Maya took a deep breath, calming down. Then, she turned back to Mister.... Miss? Maya wasn't sure about their gender, so she just went with Mister. Mr. Knives Go Near People's Necks. "Seriously, though, kid. You slip and accidentally slit my neck, my parents are gonna shove a lawsuit so far up you're ass that you're gonna taste all the money you're losing."

Whoops, so much for not causing any trouble. It seemed that Yellow eyes over there got a little offended by his remark. Poor guy's ego was bigger than he could handle James guessed. Especially since the insult wasn't even aimed at Gaz in the first place. Gaz whipped around and taunted him.

"If you gonna call me an Asshole then say it to my face, and we can square up."

Jamie chuckled and took the cigarette butt out of his mouth and dropped it into a nearby trashcan. He turned back to Gaz with a smirk on his face. Usually he didn't like to spice up trouble but this guy was annoying and an ass to women. Gaz was face to face with him now, chin up and chest puffed out. James wasn't having it.

"So you gonna stand down and bitch out, or are you gonna throw your mittens up and and square up with me?"

"Look bud, first off I wasn't even talking to you so don't get your panties in a bunch. And if you get offended by being called an asshole then you're more of a bitch than I thought. if your fight is as big as your brain then I'm seriously concerned for your safety."

James stood casually with his hands hanging by his sides. To be fair he had no idea what this guy could do so he'd let him make the first move. The guy was hot-headed so he hoped Gaz would try hitting him head on and reveal what he could do.

"You've pissed off a lot of people already, maybe you should just keep your mouth shut so you don't get your ass beat, kid."

James wasn't going to shift yet, although he guessed turning into Gaz would have a comedic effect. Although in a place like this, nothing was too mind boggling. He saw a kid juggling balls of fire in the courtyard earlier like they were baseballs, what people could do was almost limitless at this point.

@Spriggs27

@Mysaren@TheFourthIV@Spriggs27


"If you wanna make somebody angry, gotta try harder than that, dude! You're bit generic when it comes to the rebellion shit, you realize that, right? I get it, you wanna be all cool and shit, but you gotta be creative! Flicking people and yellin' about their tits is grade school, mate! Now say somethin' to my face and see how long that smug grin lasts, kiddo!"

The snickering continues as Lloyd continues walking casually away. Sure, that may not be one of his more proudest jokes, for he has certainly made better, but alas...

"You wouldn't want to try that with a sword down your throat...." he says to himself in regards with Maya.

He may be a douche at times, but he's sensible. Just then, he makes a shove against James Rolfe, half way towards the exit.

"Hey watch it, asshole!" snaps the student.

However, that seemed to have attracted another guy, that guy being Gaz.

" If you gonna call me an Asshole then say it to my face, and we can square up." he says to the other guy.

Lloyd heard that and his snicker turned into a giggly chuckle. This was a nice way to start things off. He already pissed off two guys and one girl. Now if he can bother a teacher or something, that will make his day. But alas, he continues heading towards the exit.

Gil remained stoic as Reiko began to answer the question, only to be interrupted by a floating succubus that descended from above. They even have Youkai among their ranks... he thought with a frown, putting his hands in his jeans' pockets and focusing on Ellie. When she sent a glance his way, combined with her expression and remark about "hotties", Gil felt a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't that he was embarrassed so much as he didn't like the idea of a demon saying he was attractive, even if it was a passing joke. But perhaps that was in his imagination anyways. He's in the middle of a crowd, the odds are that he was being singled out was pretty low even if he was a bit on the tall side. If this Red Absinthe was going to be one of his superiors at the Academy then Gil knew he was going to have to adjust a bit.

When the Headmaster didn't appear on cue, the young man let out a sigh of disappointment. One thing after another is making me question how valid this school is. Perhaps I would be better off seeking allies within the YTC instead... The announcement that the crowd of students hadn't been accepted yet and would have to perform a test in the very early morning, however, got Gil's attention. So they plan on weeding some of us out. Hopefully the vast majority. Maybe my father was right about this place. The idea of abandoning the Akatsuki Academy was soon abandoned itself as Gil decided that the next day would surely bring about a much better impression of the Chasers. While many seemed to be eager to complain about their living situation for the night and the earliness of the test, both of these factors played into Gil's strengths. He was used to adapting to the environment and he was used to discipline. Sleeping on the cold hard ground was well within his capability and he was smart enough to make sure he was rested for the upcoming entrance exam.

That is if everyone would let him sleep. Already the mass of teenagers were voicing their complaints and arguing among themselves with their inflamed emotions burning hot. It even seemed that two guys nearby were about to fight. At this point Gil just couldn't keep his thoughts entirely to himself. "These people are going to be failures," he muttered, turning to look for a comfortable place to lay down. "If these are the Chaser hopefuls then we have no hope." At this point he felt he said too much. The young gunslinger didn't want to leave a bad impression on those who may have heard him, even if it was likely that a good number wouldn't even remain long enough to become his peers. Others may feel the need to make fools of themselves but Gil was the type that wouldn't stop judging, not even himself. It was time to distance himself from the squabbling and make himself comfortable. An exam awaited him in seven hours, more than enough time for a good rest.



The Flower Spirit seemed oblivious to the emotions of the crowd as she focused entirely on Reiko, patiently awaiting the answer as to what a Chaser truly is. Unfortunately the answer would never come as Ellie decided to interrupt the Senior Instructor. Erisa was left a little disappointed by this, but at the same time she felt elated that a Youkai was so esteemed in the Academy. This place probably wasn't prejudiced in the least. Surely this was a sign that everyone here was able to band together in camaraderie due to their common goal of becoming a "Chaser."

But Erisa was wrong. As soon as Ellie announced they would all wait until morning to see who gets accepted or not, many of the humans around her seemed to be less than pleased. Whether it was impatience or something else, Erisa couldn't understand. Human emotions were strange and unpredictable. In her mind she was content with waiting a few more hours for placement. That would give her time to meet some of the humans here and learn more about them. But apparently not everyone shared that sentiment. Some people even seemed like they wanted to leave, but the large doors that had closed behind them were locked. Perhaps that would make people feel unsettled, knowing that they weren't free to move as they pleased. That was the kind of thing that would bother Erisa, if she didn't still want to be here. The crowd began to disperse in its own way, mostly of people finding places to relax comfortably but a sizeable portion remained interacting. Some in a not-so-kind way.

Two human males were getting loud and argumentative, clearly about to get in a fight. A female was getting mean with another male right next to them too, perhaps prepared to make it an actual brawl. Erisa figured this was the perfect opportunity to interact with people, perhaps a way to leave a good impression for her future classmates. She wouldn't want to be known as someone who was weird or super quiet, even if those wouldn't necessarily be false descriptions. The silver-haired girl approached the angsty and angry group of teenagers. "We shouldn't be fighting, guys," she spoke up, her delicate voice trying desperately to both sound like she isn't pleading and to sound like a normal human. Both were wrong, but she attempted to fit that bill. "We might need our energy for that exam we were told about. We're all here for the same thing, right? No reason to not all be friends."