TFF Academy - Story Thread

[Epsilon]

[For convenience purposes, I copied and pasted the previous story posts so that future participants will have an easier time following the RP.]

DO NOT POST COMMENTS HERE. POST THEM IN THE OTHER THREAD. THIS THREAD IS FOR STORY POSTS ONLY.


GAME START!!


It was another fine spring day at the TFF academy when the new semester started. Needless to say, many new transfer students and teachers have arrived at the TFF academy, some giddy with excitement at the prospect of a new beginning, some frustrated by said prospect, and some just couldn't care less.

Zeni Zackariya, also known as double Z or ZZ for short, found himself wondering about the new life awaiting him. TFF academy's spotless reputation and high-flying standards made it the best academy in the nation, and he couldn't help but feel intimidated by the fact as the school finally came into view through the train windows.

He already had in mind what he wanted to do. He would take part in as many student activities as possible and finally overcome his anti-social side. His days as a hikkomori otaku were over. This was it, the new beginning he had been waiting for.

Just then, a sneeze, followed by a strong gust of wind, raged through the carriage. ôHuh?ö Zeni looked around, only to see a carriage-full of raised skirts. ôwhoahà.ö Through the sudden nosebleed he spotted the one who sneezed, an auburn-haired young boy, about 9 or 10. ôHuhàhe couldnÆt have just sneezed andà.ö Suddenly, a slight jolt as the breaks went into action snapped him out of that particular train of thought. As the train slowed down he found himself pressed against the doors. ôHeeaghhàö


ôWe are now arriving at the TFF academy. Please make sure you have all you belongings with you before you disembark. Please watch your step as you leave the trainà.ö The cool voice said over the PA as the doors slowly slid open.


What happened next was nothing short of a stampede as Zeni found himself stomped on by a flurry of rushing feet. ôUghàö He looked up and saw a stampede of students and adults of all ages, all rushing out as a single human block out of the station. ôMy first dayà.ö


ôPlease be informed that this week is punctuality-awareness week. All late-comers will face the disciplinary committee. This message was brought to you by Okinawa Watermelons, TheyÆre BIGà.ö


ôOkà.and IÆm late tooàö Zeni looked down at his watch. He got up and started running. ôIf this will become a daily routine then I probably was better off being a hikkomoriàö He sighed as he pushed and shoved his way out of the station and into the Academy city streets where he finally found himself in a sea of students, all rushing up the street using every manner of transport in creation, from skateboards and hoverboards to gundams and entire summoned guardians.


ôNow I gotta get me one of those.ö Zeni nodded, before bringing his attention back to his current goal û making it to school on time.


Fortunately, his troubles were solved as a solution cameà.in the form of a speeding bike.


ôHi, IÆm Aaron, IÆm new here. People normally call me AMM. WhoÆre you?ö The biker asked, sliding open his visor and looking back at Zeni. ôWaità.you look familiaràö The bike, meanwhile, was still speeding down the packed street.


ôWàWATCH OUT!ö Zeni screamed pointing in front of them. AMM looked around just in time to see what it was.


ôAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!ö


"OI! Watch where you are going, you ruddy hooligans!" Mr. Abramczyk snapped, as he barely managed to get out of the way of the rampaging teenagers.

 

[Zenithos]

The following is Legacy's part.

And thanks Epsilon, for the new thread. I really appreciate the help :lol:

What was that?!

Legacy quickly pulled off his earphones and glanced behind him after hearing somebody scream. A pair of thoughts went through Legacy's head: either the volume on his iPod wasn't cranked loud enough, or it the pissed-off Phoenix Coyote fans were back.

The Calgary Flames fan thought about the latter for a moment. His favourite team did just beat them 6-3 on their home ice. It wouldn't be a surprise if they're pissed and if they were back to get Legacy after his long chain of taunts...

He then realized the source of the screaming was from a teacher located behind him. He then realized what the teacher was screaming at.

"Look out!" a student on the bike yelled.

Legacy quickly leapt out of the way, just missing the speeding bike. Sure, he was wearing his #3 Dion Phaneuf jersey today and that would have made him feel like the monsterous Calgary defenseman, but getting injured even before the season - correction - schoolyear, started just wouldn't be a good idea.

Getting back up, Legacy resumed course. He put his earphones back into his ears and continued, quietly following along with "In Da Dome" as he walked.

 

[Epsilon]

As students dived out of the way of the speeding bike, one particular student mused that the probability of an injury or fatality would be high if the bike continued along its course. Knowing that a part of his mind would nag at him if he didn't take action, he mentally summoned his staff. 'Red Scorpion...' The staff materialized into his hand as a whip before he had it shoot out and attach itself to the speeding bike.

The amount of momentum it had was great so it took a great deal of effort to remain fixed in his position when he wrapped the whip around the vehicle. But it did force the bike to a stop. The danger had passed so he mentally willed the whip to change back to its normal form and go back to subspace. He slowly approached the bike to check if things were alright.

The bike's occupant took the time to collapse to the ground in an effort to regain his breath and slow down his heartbeat. He looked up to see a young Chinese male who wore a pair of glasses. "D-did you help me out back there?"

A silent nod.

"Um... thanks, man."

"You're welcome." The Chinese youth looked at his watch. Mentally calculating the time it would take to get to homeroom, he deduced that at a normal jogging pace, he can make it with fifteen seconds to spare. "You'll have to excuse me. I must get to class."

AMM saw the back of the student jog away into the crowd and was barely able to notice that the school bag his saviour had carried had a Greek letter on it. If he recalled correctly, that character was 'Epsilon'. But those thoughts washed away when he looked at his own watch and realized one thing.

"I'M GOING TO BE LATE!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[Mereo Flere]

Mereo watched the students rush to class, in a greater hurry than they usually did. It was amusing, to say the least. People were crashing into each other, trees, the ground, and any other obstruction that got in their way in the mad race to school. However, it wasn't enough. All that energy was being wasted.

After all, as the Physical Education teacher, it was his duty to ensure that his students would have healthy bodies. Even though they would hate him for it now, he was sure that they would thank him when their bodies became as beautiful as his own.

"Well then," he said, looking for his watch. "I'd say it's about time to release it."

And with that, he pressed the big red button on his remote. What happened next was that the entire street to the school began to move. The ground beneath the students sped away from the academy, disappearing before the train station, and reappering just before the final steps to the goal. In essence, the place the students were had become one giant tread mill.

"That reminds me, Epsilon was already supposed to be here by now. I hope he didn't get caught up in the chaos."

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

Mr Abramczyk walked over to Mereo Flare, as silent as a volcano, just before it erupts. With the characteristic twitching of his eye, which signified that he was only moments away from exploding, he spoke three words.

"You. Bloody. Idiot."

 

[Mereo Flere]

Mereo shrugged off DAA's glare. He was used to it by now. "Hey, don't say that. After all, it was your idea.

"Who was it that said 'Those bloody runts wouldn't last a second out on the battlefield. We should put all of them on a giant treadmill or something, and toughen them up' again?" It was true. It had been DAA's idea. Then again, it probably had more to do with the fact that the other man had been intoxicated at the time, and that Mr. Flere took ideas way too literally.

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

"Grr... I don't have time for this." David grumbled as he turned to go.

"Don't forget, the club sign ups take place this afternoon, and the Dean wants us all there, clean and sober, otherwise he'll shut 'em down. Got it?" he added over his shoulder.

 

[Mereo Flere]

Mereo gasped, even as several frustrated screams took place in the background as many of the people found themselves slowly losing ground. A lucky few had managed to keep up with the treadmill, but still couldn't seem to get anywhere.

"Clean and sober?" He supposed that, as a teacher, he really shouldn't be drinking on the job, but he couldn't help it if he got a little tipsy in the morning. Still, if he had a little drink right now, he was sure to be completely sober by the time the club sign-ups came.

But he had a duty to his students to see their trials and tribulations, watch them overcome the obstacle he had put in their place. However, liquor was liquor.

"I have no time for this," he said, pushing the big red button a second time. The treadmill came to a sudden stop, though the ground didn't seem to match up with the rest of the area, and several students were sent flying through the air with their momentum. Not bothering to check on them, Mereo bounded off to the lounge, to grab a quick beer hidden in the back of the fridge.

 

[Epsilon]

It was exactly two minutes after the first bell had rung and the students had not settled down for their first lesson and continued to chat amongst themselves. Although one can hardly blame them since their teacher had a unique problem.

"BULLSHIT!!! That last hit should have went through... wait... NOOOOO!!!"

The words Game Over appeared on the screen of Iba Kaori's handheld console as Omega Mark II defeated her party. She grumbled as she reloaded the last save on her Final Fantasy V game.

"Ano... Iba-sensei? Shouldn't we be learning something now?" asked a female student who wore glasses and had some of her blue hair tied in a thin braid.

"Sanae, the first day's usually just a whole bunch of administrative crap. I've already sent somebody to get the copies of the syllabus to bring them to class so once he gets back, then we'll get a move on!"

Nakajima Sanae just sighed and wondered how long it would take for Epsilon to come back with those forms.

**********

'This is so annoying,' mused the Chinese male as he waited for the photocopier to spew out the rest of the papers that he needed. He was using the photocopier in the public lounge as the library one hadn't been working properly at the time.

"Looks like you're having fun."

He turned to see a man enter the room and head straight towards the fridge. Being a physical education teacher, he wore a simple tracksuit and faculty jacket.

"Is there something I can help you with, Mereo-sensei?"

"Perhaps." It took him a few moments to find that can of Yebisu that was hiding at the back. "Just how proficient are you in harnessing that mystical energy that's reeking around your body?"

"What do you mean?" asked Epsilon.

"I would appreciate it if you tried not to pretend to be normal around me. Considering I've been around for over a century, I know a thing or two about magical auras. And yours is pretty impressive."

A small frown appeared on Epsilon's face. He would need to revise his methods of suppressing his magical aura although a part of him piped up how futile it was considering the amount of power he had at his disposal.

Mereo opened the can and took a sip of the brew. "Can't you feel the restlessness in the air?"

"Yes. That's one of the reasons why I came to this place. The cycle has to be put to an end quickly."

"Just how do you plan to stop something that has been going on for over two centuries?"

Epsilon simply raised his left arm and allowed a small portion of power rise up from his palm. "Legendary or not, the Holy Grail is still considered an artifact. And I have many methods at my disposal to deal with artifacts." He clenched his fist to dissipate the small energy orb.

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

David opened his files, and examined his timetable of classes. A fairly quiet day it seemed, aside from two meets later that afternoon, not to mention the club do.

Sighing to himself, the teacher rose to his feet, as he needed to go to the washroom.

 

[Mereo Flere]

Mereo hid a smirk behind the refridgerator door as Epsilon did a small trick, though quickly returned to scouring the fridge for another snack. "The destruction of the artifact that created this does not guarantee that all that has happened will been undone. We can be sure of nothing unless we obtain and analyze the properties of the Holy Grail itself."

A light lit up indicating that the paper jammed, though Epsilon didn't seem to be paying attention to the photocopier anymore. "Something must be done. Allowing this to go on-"

"I know." Mereo sighed, closing the fridge door. "I know. Because of that, we must at the very least prepare the students for what madness may come of our actions, give them a fighting chance in the world or worlds they will find themselves in.

"We still have time to ready ourselves and our charges, even if our methods become rather...questionable."

"So, who else is on your side?"

"At the moment, only Abramczyk. We haven't had enough time to gather allies so you're the first, but some students should be joining us today."

 

[Epsilon]

"How many people are you talking of recruiting anyway? There are many members in the student body as well as the faculty who could provide useful benefits to help achieve the objective of securing the Holy Grail." Epsilon fixed up the paper jam and reset the machine to make the last few copies he needed.

"It's hard to tell how many participants we'll wind up with in the end. Hopefully, we can have a group large enough to deal with both the Kanto and Kansai Magic Associations. My guess is that the upcoming Holy Grail War will involve hundreds at least. Perhaps thousands. And that's not taking into account the potential casualties among the civilians." A grim look settled on to the elder man's face.

The youth grew puzzled. "Strange. If I recall correctly, the Holy Grail War is typically limited to the participating Masters and their respective Servants. Only one Servant from each of the seven classes can be active in the conflict. So technically, the participant cap would be at seven Master and Servant pairs."

"It's a bit more detailed than that but that doesn't really matter now. I've received disturbing news from my contacts in both factions. Apparently, they've both stumbled upon the same important discovery that has allowed them to create a special accessory which can nullify the spiritual enchantments surrounding the Holy Grail which protect it from falling into the wrong pair of hands on the physical plane. Previously, only Servants were capable of touching it since they were astral entities."

It didn't take long for Epsilon to piece the rest together. "But anybody with the device can simply claim the Holy Grail if they find it."

Mereo drained the beer can and tossed it in a recycling bin. "Bingo. I was informed about this discovery about four months ago so I would assume that the two factions have been working furiously to mass produce the accessory so that their members can go out and search for the Holy Grail." He was about to unwrap his snack but he decided to save it for later.

"That's certainly an unpleasant twist of things. I would like to talk further but I need to get these forms over to my classmates as soon as possible. Good day, Mereo-sensei." Taking the large stack of papers in his arms, the Chinese youth exited the room and started to walk down the hallway to his classroom. Just as he was passing the library on the way, he heard a monotone female voice call out to him.

"Tong Cheung-Hin."

As far as he knew, only one person would address him by the full Chinese name that he had made up when he first assumed the disguise three years ago. He turned his head to the right to see a girl with short grey hair, golden eyes and glasses standing just outside the library door with a thick book in her hands.

"We need to talk."

A quick glance of his surroundings showed that nobody was within hearing distance of himself and the girl. Good... that meant he could let some of real personality out. "Very well. We can go for a little lunch rendez-vous on the roof and let the gossip mills fly! Wouldn't that be fun, Nagato-san?"

"................"

He allowed himself a few gleeful chuckles before he focused on playing the part as the serious Chinese student again and continued on his way to drop off the papers. 'Yep... I'm certainly looking forward to lunch time now.'

 

[Legacy|iB]

Lunch time...finally!

Legacy was quick to leave his last class before heading out to lunch.

Classes were annoyingly routine. Admistrative bullshit now, followed by boring lectures and material the next day, probably. Legacy had better things to do in his time. Well, maybe not, but that was a difficult thing to determine.

After making a brief stop at a locker, Legacy picked up the only items that mattered. Namely, a hockey stick, a set of pucks, and his skates. He was tempted to change out of his Phaneuf jersey in favour of perhaps an Iginla or a Lombardi, but he figured it would be fine.

Shortly after the surprise appearence of the treadmill in the middle of the street on the way to school, Legacy had seen a building very similar to an ice rink. An ice rink meant only one thing for the rabid hockey fan.

"Get out of the way!"

Legacy pushed through the hallways, giving the occasional shoulder or body check to the person standing in the way.

"Waaaah!" screamed a poor student as Legacy launched him into the air and crashing into a wall as he sped by, more by accident and more of the other person not noticing the red jerseyed Calgary Flames fanatic running through the hallways.

Looking back, Legacy couldn't help but be reminded of when Dion Phaneuf sent the Senator's Denis Hamel flying after a solid hit. Good ol' Dion...

Making his way to the building he had spotted earlier, he was relieved to found that it was, indeed, an ice rink. It was strange to see an ice rink here, but it wasn't like Legacy cared.

An ice rink meant hockey, and for Legacy, hockey was the most sacred and important thing.

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

Lunchtime saw Mr Abramczyk standing in the quad, dressed in the schools' Junior Training Corps uniform with a swagger stick under his arm. Fixing the sorry crowd in front of him with a jaded eye, he sucked in a huge lungful of air.

"GET ON PARADE, YOU 'ORRIBLE SHOWER!!!!!" he bellowed at full bore, frightening birds from the trees for a radius of a mile.

 

[Epsilon]

Epsilon grinned as he saw how harshly Abramczyk worked his subordinates. "Heh... that teacher down there has a good set of vocals, ne?"

"................" was the only response from his companion on the rooftop.

He glanced back to see her expression practically the same from this morning. "I see you're not in the mood for small talk. Very well. Go ahead and spill out your concerns, Yuki-chan."

"You are exceeding the parameters of the mission."

The Chinese youth had known that this subject would come up. "I did no such thing. I never made any attempt to get myself involved in the problems of these humans. But one of them was able to detect my magical aura. Well... I suppose it's a consequence of not being an expert manipulator of data like yourself."

"There is a human term that precisely describes my feelings towards your previous statement. I believe that word is 'bullshit'."

Epsilon gave a mock gasp. "Kami-sama!! Yuki-chan just swore for the first time! If only I were recording this!!" He gave a hearty laugh before settling back down. "Just to clarify things since the big chief never thoroughly explained this to you... it's not a matter of skill in being able to manipulate data. It's the amount of data I possess. There are over 8,000 spells available to me in my 'library' for lack of a better term. Each spell has their own properties and specific effects on the physical atmosphere. The kind of data manipulation you can do is straight forward since your data is not as extensive as mine. Considering how high my load is, you have to give me credit for being able to keep this low a profile. If you were given my workload, the lowest physical manifestation that you could achieve with your level of data manipulation is demi-god."

He paused a moment before continuing on with his rant. "Mereo-sensei is convinced that I'm a powerful human sorcerer and has invited me to participate in the Holy Grail War. Needless to say, my involvement in that event could be a big step towards accomplishing the long-term mission objective. It's certainly a much better approach than your non-interference methods. If the Data Integration Thought Entity had a problem with it, I wouldn't even be here right now."

"The Holy Grail War is a human conflict. They should be the ones to determine the outcome of events, not us."

A chuckle came from Epsilon's lips. "I see you've been reading too many Star Trek novels in your spare time. Gotta love the Prime Directive. I won't be putting everything I have into the event. I'll let the humans do the important stuff while I act as support if that makes you feel any better."

"No, it does not."

"Then you just have to deal with it. The thing is your approach is way too conservative and that type of conservatism is something that can't be afforded on a mission of this magnitude."

 

[Mereo Flere]

Lunchtime sure came fast. In fact, it felt as if he hadn't done any classes at all.

Judging from the various groans and complaints heard throughout the school though it appeared that he had done his job well. For now, he could rest easy knowing that they were one step closer to being healthy young men and women.

Or, he could have, if there were not more pressing matters to attend to.

Microphone in front of him, Mereo turned on the TFF Academy's PA system. Speakers everywhere activated, drawing the attention of anyone in earshot. "Attention Aaron Mithell, Zeni Zackariya and Legacy-wait, what kind of name is that? Oh, right-please report to the office now. Repeat, Aaron Mithell, Zeni Zackariya, and Legacy are to report to the office immediately."

And that was all. Hopefully, the trio would show up; he had a few things to discuss with them.

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

"ARE YOU BLIND, YOU 'ORRIBLE EXCUSE FOR POND LIFE?!" Mr Abramczyk shouted at one of the new recruits, before going into a shouted explanation about what the recruit was doing wrong.

"RIGHT, YOU MISERABLE CREATURES!! NOW THIS TIME, JUST FOR ME, LET US GET IT RIGHT!!" he shouted.

 

[Epsilon]

"Besides... what makes you so sure that conservatism is the right approach for this problem, Yuki-chan? The humans of this new reality are more used to unusual stimuli thanks to their access to higher levels of technology and magic. As long as our actions remain in the best interests of the Data Integration Thought Entity, there's no limit on our options," stated Epsilon calmly.

"If you go forward with what you have planned, your actions could accelerate the rate of data degradation which would lead to the cascade failure."

"It's bound to happen whether he does something or not, Nagato-sempai." A new voice called out from behind the duo near the staircase which connected the academy building to the roof. A girl with blue eyes and long blue hair stepped out.

"Mereo-sensei's wish caused a major influx of data when the universes were fused together to create this new reality. There's no way to repair the damage with conventional methods. This is why we need the desires of Sleeping Gods such as Suzumiya Haruhi to be directed at fixing this problem and restoring the universes to the way they were: separate and stable."

Epsilon gave a small triumphant smirk. "Even Asakura-san agrees with me here." Then he paused as he spoke to the girl in question. "But I doubt you came to meet us on the rooftop just to say you agree with me."

Asakura Ryoko smiled serenely as she gave her next piece of news. "That's correct. Actually, the purpose why I came here is because my request has been approved and the necessary changes have been made."

"What do you mean?" A strange sensation flooded the male's body just as he finished that question. Then he recognized the new link between himself and Asakura.

"I know I'm inexperienced but please look after me from now on, Epsilon-sempai!" She bowed from the waist to the male in question in a polite gesture.

Epsilon was speechless as his mind started thinking of ways in which he could make good use of his new backup.

 

[Epsilon]

'Heads are going to roll...'

Legacy was in a rather foul mood when he had heard that he had been summoned to the office for a conversation with some teacher who probably has a stick up his ass. His ice time was the most precious time of all and anybody who knew him made sure that they approached him with whatever issues they had once he was off the ice.

When he got to the office, he noticed two other students hanging around. He recognized one of them who had been on the out-of-control bike this morning.

"Mereo-sensei will see you now," said the female school secretary.

Legacy grumbled under his breath. "Tch! What a waste of time..."

**************

"So you're interested in playing a role in this game too, Ryoko-chan?" asked Epsilon. Once again, the rooftop had two occupants with Yuki leaving the two a few minutes ago.

"If possible. A proactive stance is needed to tackle this problem and it's best if we tried to do something about it quickly... even if we end up regretting it later if it fails," said Asakura in a firm tone.

"Do you have anything in mind in terms of a role? Your data manipulation abilities could easily convince Mereo-sensei that you are an Apprentice in Magic." He paused when he thought up of a possible con for that idea. "No... that may not work too well. His senses are quite sharp for a human and if we go by the story that you had truly been training in magic for years, he would wonder why he could not pick up some sort of active magical energy signature in your body."

He gave some more thought for another minute before he snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "I got it! Ryoko-chan, you're going to need to pull out a great acting performance if this is going to work!"

Confusion was spread across her pretty face. "Eh?"

"We'll just need to have your 'power' awaken during a battle and have Mereo-sensei or one of his close allies witness it. Preferably one related to the Holy Grail war. Maybe we could make use of the currently awake Servants..."

 

[Zenithos]

Zeni wasn't happy. Not a single thing had gone his way the entire day, and it was still his first day at the TFF academy! First he got stampeded into pulp at the train station. Then he got bashed by a speeding motorcycle. Then some whacko teacher turned the entire street into a treadmill.

Somehow, he was able to resist the temptation of releasing his energy seals. Counting 1 to 10 really does help. Thank you, oh great psychologists!

But he ended up late as a result...ok, blame the psychologists....

Then came first period. Introducing himself wasn't too difficult...it was warding off the club managers that irked him beyond hell. All of them wanted him to try out for a variety of things - kendo, archery, basketball....KNITTING?! BALLET?! Right....

Count 1 to 10....right....

Then first break came....bringing with it Fuyutsuki-sensei. "Zeni Zackariya?" He inquired, when he finally came upon the rather reserved youth, hiding out on the rooftop. "Section 2's having a field day. They're blaming us for losing you. Do you know how hard it is to..."

This is where counting to 10 fails....

"GET ON PARADE, YOU 'ORRIBLE SHOWER!!!!!" A voice shouted from the courtyard below, raising a flock of birds into the sky behind Zeni as he turned around.

"Fuyutsuki-san?!" Zeni suddenly shed his quiet, calm exterior as he turned to face the white-haired old man. "What on earth are you doing here?! H-How did you track me down?!"

"Never mind that." Fuyutsuki looked around to make sure they were isolated enough. There was only a small group of people a little way off. Two girls and a young man. Well, better now than never. "Listen," He said in a low voice. "There are NERV and SPIRIT elements in this school. I won't tell you how far we're involved with the school, but I can tell you this, your name went straight to Ikari's desk the moment you registered here."

Zeni groaned. "You know how hard it was trying to escape you people?!" He shook his head in utter frustration.

"Well, the thing is, the Holy Grail Wars...." Fuyutsuki started.

"That should be the least of your concerns. The DITE are here." Zeni sighed, motioning at the group of people gathered on the other side of the rooftop. Fuyutsuki recoiled in shock before giving the other group of people a quick glance. "And I thought you NERV folks would be better informed." Zeni sighed in exasperation. "That's Nagato Yuki and Asakura Ryoko over there, spearheads of the DITE here on earth. As for the young man, I have yet to acquire data on him. But his data matrix definitely gives him away as a DITE agent...despite the fact that he's been trying to mask it with the huge manna fallout he's been leaving in his wake."

"Shhhh....are you mad?! They can undoubtedly hear us!" Fuyutsuki whispered in a harsh, urgent whisper.

"They probably already know about me." Zeni shrugged, looking down at the courtyard where Abramscyk-sensei was running his students through their paces with a whip of a voice. "...Can I never find peace?"

"Listen, Zeni, the Holy Grail...." Fuyutsuki started.

"I don't want to have anything more to do with NERV, SPIRIT, the Mages association, DITE, or all the other underground organizations running around in obscurity like they own the place. I am just a TFF academy student. No more, no less. I can't care less what they want with the Holy Grail. I barely survived the last war....which resulted in all...this..." Zeni gestured at the world in general. It seemed peaceful on the surface, with students rushing to lessons, teachers barking at tardy ones, birds in the sky, trees rustling, etc. But underneath.... "...A fusion of universes....the resonance cascade and gradual decay of stable energy flows...." Zeni shut his eyes, not being able to bear what he saw.

"But it could have been worse, and you know that." Fuyutsuki continued. "If you hadn't deviated from the plan and...."

"Continue picking on that thread, and I'll bite you and suck you dry, I swear." Zeni gave Fuyutsuki an ice cold glare.

"Attention Aaron Mithell, Zeni Zackariya and Legacy-wait, what kind of name is that? Oh, right-please report to the office now. Repeat, Aaron Mithell, Zeni Zackariya, and Legacy are to report to the office immediately." The PA announcement sounded through the warm spring air.

"I have to go. If you end up teaching any of my classes, we're nothing more than teacher and student. If you bring up any more of the underground world crap, I'll make sure you suffer more than just simple anemia." Zeni threatened, walking away.

"Remember, Zeni, the sleeping Gods, the Hinata Sou's wish powers, and the World Tree! The World Alteration powers they wield are the key to stabilizing the...." Fuyutsuki added, going after Zeni, before the door to the stairs slammed roughly in his face. "Ugh....that boy...humanity doesn't suit him..." He groaned, rubbing his nose. "Ikari will not be pleased..."

 

[Mereo Flere]

If Zeni had thought about it he would have realized that the voice on the PA system was all too familiar. It should have been, considering that it belonged to a person who had tried to kill him before. However, because he was too busy letting Fuyutsuki ruin his day (even more so than the giant treadmill did earlier), he never realized just who called him up.

That is, until Legacy, still grumbling about missing the hockey rink, opened the door and revealed Mereo's grinning face. In an instant Legacy and AMM were shoved aside as Zeni rushed at Mereo, tackling the older man to the ground. However, even as Zeni pressed his arm against Mereo's neck, Mereo continued to grin.

Legacy and AMM, having regained their balance, watched on, unsure what to do. The situation was too bizarre for either of them, but one thing was for sure: These two were seriously messed up.

"Are you quite done yet?" Mereo asked curiously after a long moment of silence had passed. "You and I both know that in your current state you can't do anything to me."

Zeni considered this and knew that the other was right. However, that made him only press harder against Mereo's neck. It wouldn't do much to the other man, but it certainly made Zeni a little feel better. "You tried to kill me, and that's all you can say?"

The grin wavered for a moment, and the tone in Mereo's voice turned serious. "I never tried to kill you. Your servant was the one I destroyed, and you just happened to get caught in the crossfire. Besides-I saved you in the end."

"By turning me into a monster."

"It was the only thing I could do. Besides, aren't you more curious over why I called you and the other two here?"

"No. Whatever it is, I don't want any part of it."

Mereo sighed; he had expected this much. "That's a shame. It's a pity that you don't really have a choice." Finally pushing the boy off him, Mereo stood back on his feet. Adjusting the clothes, he stepped back, allowing him view of each boy's face.

"You three are targets-yes, all three of you, not just my dear old friend here-whether you like it or not. If things proceed as I expect them too, as the madness escalates the Organizations, people will try to force you to aid them, or get rid of you so that you cannot get in their way."

Zeni wasn't surprised by this at all, having already been approached by one of them. Legacy seemed to be in thought. AMM however...

"Why are you telling us this?" AMM asked, speaking up for the first time.

"Because, I want to," Mereo said, turning his back to them. "And perhaps, I just want to use you as well."

 

[Eternity-Incarnate]

Just as Mereo finished his ominous sentence, a loud war cry sounded outside. Everyone looked around at the windows just in time to see a young woman in a hakama and gi, sheathed katana in hand, swing in and smash through the office windows, sailing in gracefully a shower of glass shards, before landing with a thump on top of the already abused Mereo-sensei.

"Wotcher, Mereo-sensei!" The young woman greeted cheerfully, sitting astride Mereo's chest. "Hiya guys!" She looked up a the shellshocked audience.

"And who might you be?" Mereo-sensei grunted, trying to shove the girl off. No luck. Despite her lean proportions and seemingly lightweight frame, this girl weighed a ton. "....and would you mind getting off me?"

"Opps, Sorry, sensei." the girl tapped herself on the head playfully before leaping off. "I'm Eterna Flamewright."

"I don't recall asking for you to come to my office though..." Mereo said, getting up and doing his best to straighten his clothes. "In fact, I don't recall seeing your name in the new students list."

 

[Legacy|iB]

Wait...wait...wait...!

Legacy looked from the new arriver, to the other two students - both of whom he had seen earlier in the day - and back to the teacher. And back again. And again. And again.

Legacy was left to comprehend just what Mereo had just said. Organizations? Killing? What the hell?! And now somebody with a sword comes jumping through the window and cutely intervened in the entire situation.

At the moment, Legacy felt like he was on the ice, waiting for the referee's call on a penalty with nothing for him to do except skate around. He felt like a player not involved in a brawl, just casually hanging around the outside as a buddy exchanged punches with the goof on the other team. Both situations had a similar feeling - being useless and being not able to do anything.

And back to the discussion about organizations and them either recruiting or killing. When Legacy thought 'organizations' he thought of a hockey team, and if they're recruiting, that wouldn't be too bad. Then again, being rid of if getting in their way? If anything, teams would only trade their players. Not even the old Soviet hockey teams would go as far as to kill their players...

Thinking back to how he was called off like this only agitated him even more. He felt like Craig Berube or Krzysztof Oliwa on a bad day after being checked by the opposing team's pissant. He threw aside his hockey stick and his gloves, the usual symbol within the NHL for a fight.

"Okay that's it, which one of you hosers pulled me off the ice for this shit?!" Legacy barked.

 

[Mereo Flere]

"I don't recall asking for you to come to my office though..." Mereo said, getting up and doing his best to straighten his clothes. "In fact, I don't recall seeing your name in the new students list."

"That's because I just transferred in!" Eterna said cheerfully. "Since I'm new here, he said that I should come to you. Please take care of me!"

Mereo groaned as Eterna made a quick bow, ignoring Legacy in the background. "It's the first day! All the freshman are new! And who is he?"

"Oh, a very nice teacher. Called himself Mr. Abramczyk. He said that you'd want to meet me in person. Said I was a candidate or something."

"I see." Mereo nodded, finally taking the chance to analyze the girl. Sure enough, she was another special one. In fact, she reminded him of someone else... "One more thing, did you have to come through the window?"

"Mr. Abramczyk had this nice catapult all ready and aimed at this office. He said he wanted to test it out anyway, and it was the quickest way, so..."

Mereo held up a hand, cutting Eterna off. "I understand now. Welcome to the TFF." ...really, the man held a grudge. Accidentally launch his body crashing into a flying city with a guitar just once and the man would never forgive you.

Speaking of unforgiving people, one of them was just about tired of being ignored. "I said...WHICH ONE OF YOU HOSERS PULLED ME OFF THE ICE FOR THIS SHIT?!"

Mereo paused, looking at Legacy. "I forgot, are you the one with or without the silly name?" he asked curiously.

"..."

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

The door clicked open behind the small group, and they saw a young woman with wheat coloured hair enter, carrying a number of files in her hands. Her rust coloured, mid-calf length skirt rustled softly against her sleeveless grey business jacket as she gently placed one foot before the other.

"The files you asked for, sir." she said, placing them on the desk.

"Oh, I don't believe you've met," Fuyutsuki-san said. "This is Miss Marian Campbell, one of our schools' Councillers."

"A pleasure to meet you." she said, dipping her head, which caused her loose French braid to slip over her shoulder and curl around her neck like a cats' tail. She began to study the three students through her low-intensity reading glasses that covered and protected her soft, dark blue eyes. A small smile graced her lips, which were free of makeup, and made her heart-shaped face seem to light up.