The air was cold, cold enough to where he could see his breath as he walked from the entrance of the school down the middle walk way. It was a large school, a few stories high with an extensive amount of space behind it for training the students. Daizo Koga lived outside the school with one of instructors who taught at Kanna Academy, one of Japan's large and expensive military schools. In fact, all they had was military schools now. At Kanna Academy the students were taught not only the basics of education but also military tactics and things of that nature. However, the difference between Japanese schools and other countries' schools was the use of Magic. Japan was determined to get ahead in the arms race of the world, it was unknown how their people had the ability to use magic when others didn't, but most speculated that it was something in the water. Children were taken from their parents most of the time, other parents let their children go without having to be forced too. Those who were taken had to live onsite. Daizo was an exception. His parents were killed when he was young, but he was taken in by Major Koga and lived off campus with him.

Daizo hated magic. Hated everything to do with magic. He wouldn't use it, no one could make him. The irony was that when he was tested for the ability to use magic, the results came back that he was more than adept in the area of magic and even put in special classes. In which he was failing all of them, by choice of course.

With a heavy sigh, Daizo watched as a puff of his breath appeared and then dissipated in the cold. Of course it would warm up, it always did. But for now, the mornings were going to be chilly. As he walked past a few class mates he heard their whispers. Whispers, about him.

"I heard that he lives with Major Koga..." One whispered.

"He's the one whose parents were murdered by magic users, right?" The other spoke just as quietly.

The young man turned his head, stopping in his tracks and staring at them with a death glare for moment. "Hey, the name's Daizo. Got something to say, come say it to my face." His words were not scornful, but more cocky than anything. He removed his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms. "Well?"

The two other first year students looked surprised than scurried away from Daizo.

"Hey, first year. You better not be causing trouble." A small group of students came up behind Daizo.

"Me? Causing trouble? No, I'd never do that." He said with a smirk before turning to face the group. "Hello again, Akihito-sama."

Akihito, the third year student, growled at the use of the respectful term sama, because he knew Daizo was using it to mock him. "Look here, kid." He grabbed the front of Daizo's uniform and brought him to eye-level. "I could destroy you in a second. You disrespectful piece of shit."

"I'd like to see you try." Daizo reached behind him, removing his training knife from the sheath at the small of his back. It wouldn't actually cut any one but with enough force it would hurt if the blade was dragged across someone's skin. Also the sharp tip of it was enough to draw blood.

"What're you gonna do with that? I have magic. You refuse to use your's. I doubt you can even use magic."

Daizo's look of confidence never left his face. In a split second he used the hilt of his blade to knock the older teenager upside the head which caused him to release Daizo. "Anyone else?"

The others, now enrage by Daizo's arrogance and him hurting their self-proclaimed leader, lunged at Daizo. The younger student easily dodged the group and spun quickly to hit one of them in the back of the head, knocking them out. He ducked as a fist flew over his head and used the weight of his training knife to peg that boy in the stomach with great force, causing him to go down.

"Grab him!" The leader, who had now recovered from the blow, shouted.

Despite his dodging and getting several hits in, they managed to overpower him. He had two teenagers holding his arms, one on either side. He growled and glared at Akihito.

"You've only been here a few weeks, you think you can take us on and win? Without magic?" Akihito held an open hand beside Daizo's head, Palm just inches from Daizo's cheek. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't blow your head off right now."

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because that would be murder and you would be possibly executed for being such a dick." Daizo said, still smirking.

It was a cold day for not only Ari, but everyone in the city. However, despite the low temperatures, Ari wasn't shivering or freezing, except for her reddened cheeks brought on by the cold weather. Bundled under a scarf and a thick uniform coat doubtlessly allowed because of a generous donation to the Japanese government from the Katsuragi family, the academy was relatively lax with Ari in terms of clothing as long as she had her uniform. Perhaps it was because the Katsuragi could easily sway governmental officials, but whatever the case was, Ari was just glad she didn't have to suffer through the cold like the other poor kids. Still, there was something Ari felt towards them, like the feeling you get when you see a stray cat alone in the rain or one of those sad commercials asking you to donate your money for a cause. The swordsman felt compassion towards the unfortunate, a feeling her parents would strongly be against.

She looked up at the tall building, her eyes unable to see what lied behind the top of the school from her position. The overall size of the academy made it feel like it was something else other than a school, like a massive mall or a superstore. Regardless, even Ari was impressed with the campus' size. Other than skyscrapers, the only large building the swordsman could think of was her own home. With many vibrant walkways and rooms, the academy seemed just like the Katsuragi estate, but the school was much, much more bland in terms of appearance. There was no big windows or doors made of the finest wood, there was only gray walls and simple doors, like those you would see at a doctor's office. Ari, despite previously being impressed with the size of the academy, felt that it was hard to call the building a school instead of that big bland thing. The size was the only memorable detail for Ari, and everything else - from the walls to most faces of the students - were like lost and forgotten thoughts.

Feeling that she was gazing at the building for too long, Ari made her way inside, where she might enjoy some respite from the cold weather even it hadn't affected the swordsman as bad as it affected others. Some of the students glanced her way, most likely due to her status, but for the most part no one really paid any attention to Ari. That is, until the swordsman stumbled onto a confrontation between several students. She watched the fight unfold in front of her, partly wanting to break it up and partly wanting to watch the fight to figure out what exactly was the cause and who started it. However, Ari knew that if she sat there instead of doing something, the officers and teachers at the academy might consider the swordsman an accomplice, or punish her for showing bad initiative by letting the fight continue to happen. "What's this? Aren't the third years, our senpais, supposed to set a good example for the first years, their kouhais? Am I not wrong, Akihito-sama?" Ari asked as she approached the three men who had thoroughly beaten Daizo in an already unfair match. A hand rested on her hip, while Ari's other arm was limp to her side, but ready to draw her blade if the swordsman needed it. Hopefully, Ari wouldn't have to draw it, but bullies and delinquents were always the unpredictable sort.

---

The first couple of weeks for Anna were not what she expected at all. At first she imagined being welcomed with open arms and a grand celebration welcoming the new students, there would be a party with drinks and snacks. A large area where all the students would get to connect and introduce themselves, a chance to make new friends and find old ones. At the end of the day there would be class assigning, each student would be given their uniform and schedule, a brief period to see if you match with anybody else. Some would say the first day was like that, others not taking to the venues, but Anna, she didn't have a choice. Pre-enrolled in the Special Forces Program there was no time to dilly dally. The young blonde was immediately forced into harsh physical exercises. It was unexpected but she stuck it out, she had to, it was the program she chose and a goal she made for herself to be the only family member to accomplish something great.

As the first couple of weeks went by the exercises didn't seem so bad, of course her body adapted to the pain and stress, it was easier to achieve. The Special Forces Program was definitely not for everyone, those students were pushed harder in every area of expertise, including academics, the scoring method was a lot stricter for the students marked with a S.F.P. on their student profile, teacher would adjust accordingly. Magic was also pushed as far as the student could go, they trained and challenged as hard as they could to the students, sometimes borderline abuse or torture, but these were the students that were gonna win the war.

Anna set herself goals every morning, practicing her program's pre-exercises before the real challenges set in. It would be a course of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, planks, weights, and then a 3 mile run. Each S.F.P. student was to do this at the start of their class, but Anna wanted to do it as soon as she woke up, doubling the daily exercise, pushing herself to go beyond. During her morning run around school grounds she came across a loud and vibrant argument between a handful of students and young boy. Obviously third years versus a first year. Anna stopped for a moment, she wasn't close enough to hear anything but she caught her breath momentarily, keeping an eye on the situation. She saw a girl approach the group, stepping in for the first year from the looks of it, with a sword in hand she obviously has experience. Looking at the scene that sword might cause some problems, seeing as that it was five third years against the two, they won't hold back, which would cause the other girl to step in, resulting in a possible serious injury. Her thought process made her come to the conclusion of interrupting. Anna ran over to the commotion, wearing the school workout uniform, containing of baggy sweats and long sleeve shirt, meant to trap heat and make the muscles expand while burning fat. Though there was a small detail on her uniform compared to others, a patch, sowed into each of her different uniforms at the left shoulder, an emblem representing her enrollment in the Special Forces Program, it bore the same weight as one would say an elite unit badge. Approaching the group she slowed down to steady jog and stopped on the other side of the boy, showing no fatigue and making her small but mighty presence noticed.

"I suggest we all walk out of this before the authorities come, and you and I both know who's side of the story they're gonna believe, third years or not."

Being of older age and higher school progression doesn't always mean superiority, an S.F.P. student does not go unnoticed. She held on to her bearings hoping her intervention would be enough to stop any further commotion, she would hate to see the sharp blade that belonged to the other girl make its appearance.

Breathing a bit heavily after the struggle, Daizo still wore his air of cockiness and lack of fear. Which for him was probably a bad idea around these volatile students. However, cocky as he was, he was definitely glad when the other first year student stepped in with her sword. She was lucky to get to carry around her weapon. He had gotten in trouble enough in the past few weeks he had his weapons taken from him, only to be used during training sessions. But of course, they were wise to take his things away, who would want a mastermind such as himself to go around sniping his enemies? Daizo waited for Akihito to reply to the first year, and hoped that sword of her's wouldn't have to be drawn. He wouldn't want someone to get in trouble on his behalf. Besides, he was sure he could get out of this one himself, though he would never say that out loud.

Akihito seemed almost flustered to see Ari, a girl of her standing was definitely not one to be messed with. With her influence she probably could have him locked away or killed if she wanted to. He bowed at the waist. "Gommenasai, Miss." He gestured for the others to release Daizo. Just then another student came their way. Another young blonde, who appeared to be a member of the Special Forces. Daizo was free now and wanted to see where this was going. How did two females have more power than him? And not even magic based power or anything like that, just their standing had more influence then his.

It was funny how they were so willing to mess with him when he did, in fact, live with one of the instructors who could have them kicked out of the school, locked up, and dishonor on their families.

Akihito, with an angry expression said not another word, but stormed off away from the three, the others hurried behind him.

"Akihito-sama! Wait for us!" They yelled after him, trying to get away from the powerful girls.

Daizo smirked and chuckled. The teen threw his arms open at either side of him, arrogantly. "That's right, run you bastards! Remember the name, Koga, Daizo! I don't tolerate magic users abusing their power! Or magic users in general that is..." He muttered that last part. He turned to the two females and bowed his head. "Arigato." He thanked them both graciously. "I was in a real tough spot there for a moment, if it weren't for you both..." With a bit of embarrassment he placed one hand on the back of his head. "I probably would've been maimed... Man, where's the disciplinary committee when you need them. Anyway, I'm Koga, Daizo. Nice to meet you both." He tended to stick to himself and didn't really know who these two were, even though their names were known around campus, mostly Ari's but sometimes Anna's as well.

"Sorry, about that, we should probably get out of here before the disciplinary committee actually shows up." He said. Others had been watching, but no one had guts enough to try and stop Akihito, few had ran to get those who would stop the fighting so it was only a matter of time before they should up.

Ari watched Akihito quickly turn from someone who'd mug you in a dark alley to someone who wouldn't dare hurt a fly. She shook her head at them as they apologized, an obvious sign of her disappointment in the near instant change of the delinquents' moods. Begging for forgiveness because of my family's status is one thing, but... Ari's thoughts trailed off as Anna arrived to the scene. By just their appearance - both Ari and Anna's, the third year students ran off like children trying to hide from their parents to avoid punishment. The swordsman disapproved of their flight, rather wishing that they stayed to accept their punishment from the instructors. It wasn't honorable to bully another student and flee when you were suddenly in trouble.

"It is nice to meet you as well, Koga-kun." Ari replied, with a smile of her own. The swordsman's parents wouldn't have approved of her taking such a stance to defend a commoner, much less act friendly to them without given reason, but they weren't here, and Ari did as she wanted. "I'm sure you already... know this by now, but I'm Katsuragi Ari. You can call me Ari, if you wish." The few onlookers, if any at all, probably glanced at Daizo, perhaps in jealousy or some other emotion they felt upon hearing the swordsman's words. Nearly everyone wanted to be friends with someone rich, and some of the onlookers might've been jealous that Ari was being friendly with another student that she just met.

She gave Daizo a nod to confirm her approval to scram, seeing that there was no real reason to stick around after Akihito, but Ari waited long enough in case Anna felt the need to introduce herself as well. "And you are Mosuke Anna, right? Do you mind if I just call you An? An-chan has a nice ring to it." Ari stated, turning her attention to the operative at her side.

---

Anna sighed to herself 'Thank heavens, I was afraid this might end up badly, I don't even have hand-to-hand combat training yet.' As the elder group left the stress of the situation went with it. The boy named Daizo was rather quick to talk without putting much thought into it, probably why they got into that situation in the first place. None the less the problem was resolved and luckily no harm done. Daizo thanked them both and it was the first none official commendation she had received for her efforts. Even though she didn't do much her presence was enough to cause discomfort with the higher students, and that alone was progress to becoming something great in her family.

"Not a problem Daizo-kun, I'm glad we were able to help."

Her thoughts went to the other girl, if she remember correctly she was Katsuragi Ari, from a well known wealthy family. Being part of the Mosuke's she was told to stay away from rich and reputable families, Katsuragi was one of the examples. This was her chance to make friends, to cross a line no one has done before. As she spoke with Daizo she introduced herself with a preference towards Ari. The other blonde turned towards Anna, now focused on her, before she could speak up Ari had already started, calling her Anna-chan which brought a light flush to her skin. Someone of a much higher status referring to her with respect, it was something she definitely didn't expect.

"Th-that's fine," a little flustered, she straightened up and continued, "Ari-chan it is for you then," she said was a small smile and a tilt of her head.

As the three were talking Anna could here chatter around them and those who watched the big scene had comments to spare to themselves. Some mentioning the small gang the third years had, others remarking the incredible rebellion by the first years.

"It seems we have attracted some attention ourselves, and not with the situation that just ended, I think for the sake of everyone here it be best to stick together to prevent the harassment brought on by others, whether it be good or bad, it could cause issues for us individually."

Being the fact that the upper classmen had their own 'territories' so to speak, locations where groups of friends hung out, it was always a fight to get one of your own when you first start. Anna was always a fan of a shaded spot underneath a tree next to the large fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Of course such an area would be taken but by the time rumors have spread of this past event others would be willing to move out of the way, whether out of fear or praise.

"Look I've had my eye on this spot by the fountain, the shady one underneath the tree, I bet you by lunch the whole school will know of us standing up to Akihito. Maybe, just maybe we'll be able to take that spot, if we're gonna stick together then we need a place to hangout, what do you say guys?"

Daizo grinned at hearing the term kun after his name. No one had ever called him that in his lifetime, it was kind of awesome to hear it from it from two attractive ladies. When the one named Anna blushed at the one named Ari, his grin grew a bit wider. He had respect for women and all but his young boy brain was going to places it shouldn't have. Daizo started to move away from the scene of the crime, hoping the two would follow. "Stick together?" He wasn't sure how he felt about this, he was always alone, always had been and assumed he always would be. But on that fateful day he had managed to make two new 'friends' out of no where. All because he had caused a bit of trouble.

"Not sure how I feel about being part of a group. But who am I to say no if a beautiful girl or two wants to group up with me?" He was trying to be fly and compliment them, but he wasn't sure if it would just piss them off. Girls were so sensitive as far as he could tell. "What do you think about this, um, Ari? Sorry I don't want to be rude. You said I could use Ari, right?" He stopped for a moment and moved his eyes to the side, thinking about what he had said. It wasn't like him at all, he was respectful but not a pansy, he must've sounded like such a little bitch.

Their was a female voice over the loud speaker, it sounded a bit older than them, it spoke in a demanding tone, "Koga, Daizo and Ishii, Akihito come to the Dean's office NOW."

"Oh yes, the campus cameras win again." Daizo rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I gotta go. I'll see you both later I hope... If they don't decide to hang me upside down in a dungeon some where." He laughed at his own joke, winked at them both and took off toward the Dean's office.

Upon arriving, Akihito was already in the office. Along with a few members of the disciplinary committee, including the head of the disciplinary committee who knew him Daizo well. Her name was Sanada, Kanako an esteemed member of the school, a third year in the Special Forces program. How she had time and energy to put toward the committee, no one would ever know.

"Oh hey, Sanada-san!" Daizo smirked at Kanako.

"Don't even start with me, Daizo."

"Look, I didn't start the fight, Daizo threw the first punch!" Akihito told the Dean.

"Yes, but wasn't it you who was going to use magic on him, that was a level three spell, a powerful one that would have killed him."

"..." Akihito said not another word.

"As for you, Daizo."

"Oi, I'm innocent, they started it, sir." Daizo crossed his arms and looked away defiantly.

After much deliberation, Daizo was given yet ANOTHER warning, this would be his last, and Akihito had to serve detention. Which at this school involved harsh physical punishment, such as 2,000 pull-ups in one day. Oh yes, his punishment was well deserved.

---

The next day, it was another cold morning. Daizo actually had to wear his overcoat that day. That morning, he actually searched for Ari and Anna. Wondering if they were together, he headed to that fountain spot that Anna had mentioned.

Ari looked at Daizo in confusion, a puzzled look sat on her face as the boy grinned. She was trying to understand what exactly he was thinking, but Ari couldn't seem to place a thought to it. Pure as white snow, the swordswoman had never experienced or thought of what Daizo was thinking in that devious mind of his. Ari simply shrugged at her fellow classmate, and went along with it. With a glance to the cameras that were scattered throughout the hallway, Ari followed Daizo, perhaps along with Anna, to wherever he was leading them. The two of them had awkwardly become somewhat of friends after the incident, and even if Daizo was leading the girls into a trap, the swordsman knew how to defend herself better than the majority, if not all, of the students in close quarters combat. The pride of being considered the revitalized samurai spirit was valued much by Ari, and she knew better than to be lax on her training.

Her face turned to a light blush, like Anna's before, when Daizo had mentioned beautiful girls. She quickly coughed into her hand in an attempt to regain her composure. "Ahem," Ari said in the midst of a cough, and she quickly went to adjust her scarf as Ari tried to hide her embarrassment brought on by the compliment. "S-Sorry about that. You know how the cold weather brings sickness. Yes, you can call me by my first name, Koga-kun. Is it alright if I do the same?" The swordswoman asked. Despite her rich childhood, being polite with commoners wasn't a problem for Ari. She didn't look down on them like her parents did, but Ari had to keep it a secret from them in fear of punishment.

As the loud speaker went off signalling Daizo to make his way to the dean's office, Ari turned to Anna. She thought it was weird that all three of them had blonde hair and blue eyes, but the swordswoman decided it was nothing more than a coincidence. "The fountain by the big shady tree?" Ari pondered as she considered the spot. It was shady, and once the cold weather stopped surely the sun would shine and they would all need to seek shade from the harsh light. Her thoughts quickly faded away when Ari's eyes had noticed a nearby clock striking a few minutes before she had to be in class. "I have to go, but I'll be there, An-chan! Bye, bye!" Ari replied, sprinting off to her classroom in a rushed hurry. She quickly stopped in her tracks after realizing something, and turned her attention back to Anna and waved at the operative.



Ari stood outside the fountain in her usual unregulated cold weather garb. She was here early to reserve the spot, and looked around for either Daizo or Anna with her hands in the coat's pockets. Early mornings at the academy were quiet, and her wait was rather uneventful until Daizo had shown himself. "Dai-kun! Over here!" Ari called out, and waved to him once her eyes spotted Daizo.

---

The sound of the intercom echoing throughout the school grounds startled Anna but she didn't make a sound. It simply caught her off guard, she wasn't prepared for a sudden loud noise to break to silence that fell among the surrounding students. Daizo was called to one of the disciplinary offices, Anna thought about going to back up the boy but his words were quick and his feet faster, before she had time to speak and offer a second voice on his case he was gone.

It took her a moment to realize what he had said, she crossed her arms and looked over to Ari, "What does he think he's achieving calling us beautiful and winking before we even had time to respond." She turned away from where he ran to and directed her attention to Ari, who spoke of the fountain, "Yeah, It'll be the perfect spot once the weather clears up Ari-chan," she gave her a gentle smile. She caught Ari's eyes darting to the clock and she followed suit, class was about to start. The other blonde said her goodbye and waved off as she took off for class, "I'll see you later, Bye Ari-chan." Anna turned towards her class and sprinted as fast as she could to get there.

---

The following day Anna stuck to her normal schedule and got up early before the sun rose to begin her pre-pre-workout. She began with her usual pull-ups and sit-ups, using weights to help build her small frame up a bit. As the sun started to peak out she figured the other students would be at school hanging out before class started. She wanted to be one of the first ones there so she might have to skip out on a couple of her exercises to make it.

She was wearing the same attire as the day before, school workout uniform, sweats and a long sleeve with the S.F.P. patch on the shoulder. She began her three mile run, taking route around the campus before finishing her lap into the front entrance and jogging towards the spot they all agreed to meet at. Ari was already there, she figured as much since she was busy running around the school. She saw the young girl's hand wave toward a direction different then where she was coming from. Anna got the spot standing next to Ari, bending at the waist with her hands on her knees catching her breath. She heard her call out to Daizo and was expecting him soon. "Good morning Ari-chan," she said through gasps of air.

Daizo saw Ari before he saw Anna. Ari called out to him, calling him 'Dai-kun', which made him smirk a little. It was surprising that the two had taken to him so well. No one was ever even remotely interested in him. Once he arrived he saw the two and with his hands in his pockets stopped before them. "Hey!" He smiled gleefully at them both, showing an almost childish characteristic in his smile. "Good morning to you both. You okay, Anna?" The young man noticed how she was bent at the waist and breathing heavily. She must have been running again, it was probably traditional for people from the Special Forces Program or whatever to over exert themselves by training non-stop. "Heh. Not sure if you heard, but Akihito got severely punished for the attack yesterday." He wasn't going to mention how he, again, got off with a warning, it was almost special treatment. No wonder people didn't like him.

"Also. I heard on the news today that the non-magic user groups have gotten more bold lately. They attacked one of the other schools. You would think they wouldn't put such things on TV. But man... so many could have lost their lives had the military not stepped in to arrest those who attacked the school." Daizo realized he was being not only random, but a downer. "Hah... I'm sorry Ari, Anna. I don't mean to bring stuff like that up. I'm just interested in it because. That could be me you know? One of those against magic users. Had Koga not taken me in."

Ari turned to greet both of her new friends when she had noticed both of them had arrived to the stated location. She was a bit tired, doubtlessly from having to wake up early enough to reserve the fountain for their group, but Ari had drank some of the expensive tea that her parents sent the swordswoman. It was only a matter of time before her weariness faded away, and Ari was back to normal. "Good morning, Dai-kun. An-chan." Ari replied to each of her friends with a smile situated on her lips, but it quickly faded away when Anna didn't seem to stop panting and breathing hard. "A-Are you okay, An-chan? I heard that if you put your hands on your head, and breath in through your nose and out your mouth, it'll be easier to catch your breath!" The harsh breathing from Anna bothered Ari, and she surely didn't want the girl to keel over in front of the swordswoman and be rushed to the school's infirmary.

Hopefully, once Anna had caught her breath, Ari looked back at Daizo. He was oddly upbeat after being caught in a fight between students, and Daizo was almost smirking to himself as he mentioned Akihito's punishment. "I hadn't heard anything since the two of you were called to the office, but what about you, Dai-kun? I know you weren't the one that started the fight, yet surely Akihito-san must've tried something to get you punished." Truth be told, Ari wasn't exactly sure who started the fight. She had arrived on the scene after it was already underway, but the swordswoman felt that she had to break it up. Surely Daizo would have been punished if he was the one that started the fight, but his attitude was telling Ari the opposite. The boy was in a good mood, and didn't seem to have any sign of exhaustion on him, besides early morning tiredness.

Upon hearing the news about the attack, Ari nodded to Daizo. "No, no. You're fine, Dai-kun. I was watching the news myself after I had woke up. Not everyone feels the same sympathy to their cause, but don't you believe that it hurts their cause by attacking the schools? Certainly, the death of many students wouldn't cause their families to rise up against the government." Ari replied as her mind was conflicting her thoughts about the news report. Yes, people were angry about the enslavement of their children into the military. That was an obvious given, and one often saw protests throughout Japan, yet the intellectual side of the swordsman delved deeper. Ari felt it was suspicious that, if in the case there was any link between the protesters and the terrorists, they would choose to attack a school filled with the children they desperately wanted back home. Why were so many of the terrorists captured and arrested instead of being killed as well? There was too many holes in the news report, but Ari didn't dare bring up her conspiracy theory on school grounds in fear someone might overhear her words and turn the swordswoman in.

---

Anna was grateful that the two of the were concerned for her well being, both of them asking is she was okay. Which she was, as usual she just liked to push herself to be the best in the unit. It was great to have friends who cared about her, not many from where she was from would. These two were special, already making a permanent mark on her, they surely would be kept in her memories. Yet all they did was be nice and concerned for her. Anna was quick to hold onto people, especially those she thought were good for her environment. Ari mentioned a position that would help, and once she was able to take a second to process everything she stood up with her back straight and raised her arms, breathing in deeply through her nose before exhaling. After catching her breath, "I'm okay, thanks guys, just working out, gotta be the best ya know?" she said with a cheerful smile.

She didn't care too much about Akihito, he gave off a bad vibe and one she would not want to be around. However if she ever came across him again, surely she would have combat training by then, she would be ready to stand against him, magic or not. Unlike before where she had to rely on her status as a S.F.P. She tilted her head, a little curious as to why Daizo didn't get any form of punishment, usually both parties would receive something, one more than the other but it was a little odd that he didn't. "Yeah, no community service or anything Daizo-kun?" she said half foolhardily half curoius.

After a brief moment of exchanges between the group Anna had some thought about the recent news. She hadn't seen or watched anything, she didn't want to clog up her mind with such thoughts, often times depressing, when she could turn her full attention to academics and training. "I don't seem to pay attention to the news but that does sound, scary, I guess." She gave the recent news some thought, terrorists attacking the school, news could be labeling them strictly as a anti-magic organization, or it could be another country trying to take us out from the inside. She wasn't going to speak up about it though, it wasn't her place and she needed to focus on other stuff. "Regardless of the fact, I just hope that us first years will have combat training to stand a chance and prevent something so catastrophic from happening again."

Daizo listened to what the girls had to say. It seemed they were curious about what his punishment was, if he had received any. He then regretted saying anything about Akihito. Of course he didn't want the girls, or anyone for that matter to know that he had gotten off easy, and most of the times he did. Daizo shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and craned his neck to stare up at the sky for a moment, as if it held the answers he needed. The sky was a bit cloudy and blocking out the rising sun. The cold due to the clouds and the general weather, was starting to really get to him the more he focused on it. "Heh. Well." Honestly, he had no idea what to say. The fact that he never had real friends complicated things a bit, since he didn't know how to act around them. He didn't know to be honest to them. "Yea, Akihito wanted me to be punished as well, though I didn't do much." He rolled his eyes. "So I dropped down and gave them 100 push-ups. Easy. Living with Major Koga has trained me well enough to be able to do such things. Though I doubt Akihito could do 100." He grinned. The young man was lying and he didn't feel bad about it, because he didn't know any better as a trouble maker. Daizo was more concerned that they would be mad that he didn't get any punishment.

"To be completely honest with you guys. If you didn't know already, I don't like magic all that much. Actually I hate it." He lowered his voice a bit. There were rumors that anti-magic people, regardless if they were military or civilians, got shipped off to unknown places. "While I don't agree with attacking schools. I don't think they're all that bad. The government has brought this upon themselves, don't you think. We weren't all born this way. THEY did this." Daizo looked down with an angry grunt.

He surprised himself with how much he could vent to them. He had never talked to anyone about this, besides Major Koga, who he argued with all the time. Not to say he wasn't grateful for the man raising him. "I'm sure you guys have heard. My parents were murdered by magic users... Most people seem to already know this. It's annoying."

"A hundred push ups? That must've been tiring, Dai-kun." Ari replied. Despite Daizo outright telling a lie, Ari didn't believe it was one. A hundred push ups paled in comparison to Akihito's two thousand pull ups, but Daizo was still a party in the fight. His punishment was fitting for his involvement, and Ari believed every word to be true. "I just hope you don't get yourself into any more altercations. I heard once we leave the academy, punishments are much harsher than they are here." The swordswoman had heard that one soldier had to march for miles just for eating while told to stand attention. Ari shivered at the thought, and the possibility that she might be punished in such a manner in the future for something. Still, the rumor had certainly stirred up Ari's resolve to be a good student, and a greater soldier. Her parents were betting much on her future, and they had already used a number of their resources to affirm Ari's success.

When Daizo had brought up his distaste for magic, Ari was taken aback. Not because of the fact that magic had landed the children in the academy, but that his parents were murdered by magic users. She wasn't expecting the conversation to take such a dark turn. "I-I don't know what to say. I'm... sorry to hear that, Dai-kun." Truth be told, the swordswoman felt uncomfortable as the conversation dragged on. Daizo had proclaimed his hate for magic, and Ari had scored high on the attribute test. She was more than capable of using her magic, and the swordswoman even used it during her training. Her parents and family were even highly respected within the Japanese government, yet here Ari was, listening to anti-government protests. To Ari, she felt like that she was in the wrong boat. Worrying what Daizo might think, the swordswoman kept her nature hidden and said no more.

---

'Murdered?' Anna thought to herself, that must have been harsh to go through. She couldn't imagined what kind of state she would be in if one of her parents were killed, let alone both of them. She felt sorry for the kid but it seemed as though he handled himself well and it wasn't need to bring up another sympathetic comment that he's probably heard a thousand times over. Ari said only what Anna thought, but she felt as though another topic should be brought up among the small group. She thought for a moment, she didn't want to bring up the news that was of recent, that may strike up the event of his parents again, but she also didn't want to be boring about it either. She could just imagine how it would be if the other two found disinterest in her statement.

Anna cleared her throat softly, enough to not make it too obvious that she wanted attention, but just to change the subject. "Do you guys know what the plan is for training? I mean besides school cause those are just boring classes with little effort to pass, I'm talking about Special training. Ari I'm sure you're going for CQC am I right? And Daizo, actually I don't know what you're training for." She wanted to get to know the group a bit more than the brief conversations they held and the slight bond they formed when they first met. These were her friends now, people she cared about, people to occupy her down time outside of class and training, speaking of which. "Oh um, I was thinking, even though this is our first time hanging out outside of that incident and this looks like it would be tradition every morning. Are either of you free after school?"

Daizo could tell he had made the girls uncomfortable, but knew not what to do about it. He made a small exasperated sound and looked down. "Sorry, didn't mean to make things awkward. It's so normal to me now. I just spout it out whenever. I figured everyone knew anyways..." The youngster kicked himself internally for bringing it up. When Ari said nothing more, Anna took the stage, so to speak. Asking them two about themselves and such. "I'm doing sniper training. as well as a bit of hand to hand and knife play." Daizo sighed, he was being boring wasn't he? "Erm. Yea, I'm free after school. Do you wanna spar or something? When I'm not lazing around, I'm training."

---

Months and months had passed. The three had become rather close despite their differences. The topic of Daizo's parents and him disliking magic hadn't come up again, thankfully. They began to hang out inside and sometimes outside of school. And occasionally they even sparred together, but nothing would prepared them for what the school had planned for the Final Exam. Of course, it was tradition, but everyone who took the exam or proctored it was sworn to secrecy. No one ever wanted to talk about it anyways, far too traumatic. Not even Daizo's own adopted father would tell him about the Exam. Daizo and his friends would soon find out what horrors awaited them when they arrived at school that day.

The youngster Daizo had finally become more open and friendly thanks to his two friends. They sat together at lunch nearly every day by the same fountain that they had taken over that day at school. When they arrived at school that day, all the first years were ordered to report to docks at 1 PM sharp. Otherwise classes would go on as normal the continuance of the day. of course Daizo would travel with his friends to the docks.

"So, what do you guys think they are making us go to the docks for, some kind of field trip to celebrate the end of the school year? Yea, that's a joke... Probably some kind of special training. Either of you worried? I am, at least a little." He had eaten lunch with them both and was told to grab any weapons he had before heading out. All the first years were told too grab whatever they could carry. His knife was reinstated and he had his special sniper rifle with him, that was all he needed for any training. Whatever they threw at him, he could handle.

Time had gone by fast for Ari, but it had seemed the same for Daizo and Anna as well. Over a course of several months, the three learned more and more about each other, and were slowly turning into the epitome of friendship. They ate lunch together, spent time together outside of school, everything normal friends would do, the three had done. Ari was glad that she had met her new friends on that cold day months ago. She was already alienated by the rest of the students, and they would beg before her for forgiveness (in Akihito's case) or they would only act as her friends due to the Katsuragi's wealthy status. Daizo and Anna were different from the rest of the students, and it was something Ari valued.

The day had gone by as usual, and it was the same as any other day except that the first years were ordered to arrive at the docks at exactly 13:00 hours. They were told to bring their weapons, and Ari brought her sword and her Minebea 9mm. She had to hand them over to the staff to make sure they were safe for the upcoming exam, and when Ari had received them back, the blade was dull on her sword and her pistol was given rubber bullets. The need for safety had made Ari wonder what the exam was over, yet her mind was puzzled. No student or staff member would speak of the exam, only that they were sworn to secrecy over the matter.

"I wonder what special training would require such safety measures. Perhaps the academy plans to test our abilities after we've all studied for a year?" Ari replied as the group threw away their trash and made their way to the dockyards. "Otherwise, I'm at a loss. I tried to ask some of our upperclassmen, but they wouldn't tell me anything. Did you manage to find anything out, An-chan?" She glanced at Anna, wondering if the operative had any knowledge of the adventure the three would soon partake in.

---

Anna had prepared just as every other first year had to, turning in her gear and receiving back in condition not suited for lethal actions. She had a general idea to what was going on, but only because her S.F.P. teacher accidentally slipped something out during a heated discussion with a student who would refuse to participate in an exercise. Though she didn't tell anybody because she didn't want to bring up a huge commotion with the school. That was until Daizo and Ari were really questioning it. She turned to Ari, "Yeah it's something like that, a test I guess, I heard it from one of my teachers though he didn't really explain it. Just yelled about how everyone was going to be hunted." She thought about it for a minute, "Maybe it's a self defense test, though I don't know why we're going to the docks.

Once at the docks all the students were divided into separate boats, approximately 16 per boat, each boat went into a separate direction. Aboard the ship the students usually kept to themselves, everybody armed in their profession, many with similar gear. Though the three stuck together during the long quiet trip to wherever they were going, no instructor spoke and no student asked. Upon arrival the ship was docked but the platform hadn't dropped yet. A tall and broad man stood on one of the upper decks over looking where the students were waiting.

"Welcome first years, don't worry, the other ships are doing the same as you, just on different islands. This here is an island specifically left to the wild, no form of human habitation besides this dock. You are all here for your final exam, an exam where you will be hunting a fellow student, naturally as you are hunting, someone is hunting you. Each of you will be given a tag with a number on it." As he spoke a female instructor handed everyone a tag and a ring. "That number is yours, protect that tag at all costs, that ring is also important, you must wear it if you want to survive. It protects the wearer from taking serious damage from a magic spell. Which means magic using students are free to practice your abilities. We divide this years class to make sure each island had an equivalent amount of different students, however between all 16 of you, there are only two Special Forces members and eight magic users. Each of you will be left off this boat one at a time, with a couple minutes apart to gain some ground. As you leave you will be given a card with someone elses number on it, that is your target, but remember, you are being hunted as well." Next the man explained the point system and the technicalities of the rest of the exam.

Anna looked over to her friends, she was a little worried but also filled with determination, "This would be our first real op huh guys, with free ruling combat so to speak, but being stuck here for five days? This is quite a test." She was worried if the others could handle themselves in survival means, she doesn't know what the basic training holds so she could only guess that they do. The three would be separated in this free for all exam, though a couple may form an alliance to help each other. They never even step foot on the island so how would they know where to meet up.

As the students began to leave one by one, some of them taking the card and running quickly into the forest, and some casually walking. Anna was confident in her strength to hunt and protect herself, though knowing who was her target was rather difficult, as shortly after being told they would be given a card with a number of who to hunt, everyone hid their tags so she was only able to remember a couple of them, her chances were shot. The group diverged as one of the three left the ship and entered into the exam area, another student was called before Anna. She had to wait a few minutes but once given the okay she said bye and good luck to the last member of her little trio. She took the card and stepped off the boat, her gear strapped tightly on her body, armed with a standard assault rifle and pistol, only added with a couple of her own mods including a grip and a variety of sights and barrel extensions. She headed off into the forest quickly finding a bush she could sit in to plan her approach on her target. She took the card and peeled off the covering that revealed her target, Anna's eyes widened large, it was Ari.