The letters slid under her door were beginning to annoy her. Every one saying the same thing. "Attend classes, please do not skip every lesson, failure to comply, blah blah blah". Hiruka shook her head in exasperation. She didn't want to be here, why the hell would she bother going to a class she had no interest in? She walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside to look out at the moonlit grounds, watching the shadows chase each other across the quad. She shivered in her white silk shift, hugging herself and stepping away as she wondered how many of those shadows weren't shadows at all.

She'd been holed up in her room since arriving, leaving only to eat, speaking very little to the other girls, save Violett, when she could stand to see her. She again checked the locks on the window, paranoid, as she had every right to be. Moving to the bed, she laid down, absently pulling down on her white lace panties, mentally cursing X-S for not buying anything plain. She brushed the long strands of hair from her face, covering her eyes with her arm.

This isn't so bad, I suppose. Better than X-S.

Sighing, she turned on her side, looking to the window, her back to the door just as shadows moved in the crack between it and the floor. She didn't hear the soft click of a key being turned in a lock, nor the quiet skitter of the chain being drawn back, a magnet on the outside maneuvering it away. The first sign of danger she noticed, was when the shadow of a large man blocked the light from above, arms reaching toward her. She cursed, rolling off the bed, feeling fingers catch in her nightgown, tearing it away.

She crouched on the other side of the bed, glaring at the two strange men in her room, black coveralls and masks cloaking their forms. One spoke, raising an official looking paper up for her to see, the Shokushu school crest proudly emblazoned on the page.

Please come with us Ms. Kaihaku. You are to serve detention for repeated refusal to attend classes, as required by the school administration. Any efforts to resist will be met with force.

The man lowered the paper, looking at her expectantly, his partner slowly moving around the bed, cornering her. She darted glances between the two of them, then growled, nodding and standing up straight, hands covering her breasts.

Fine. Can I have my clothes back?

The man handed the torn garment to her, slightly relaxing his stance as she seemed to acquiesce. Smiling coldly, Hiruka reached past the shift, grabbing the man's wrist and sliding forward, elbow striking like a hammer into his breastbone. As the breath left him in a woosh, she turned, wrist still gripped, and twisted his arm behind his back, kicking in the back of his knee with one foot. As he collapsed, she used his falling weight to roll forward, the momentum hurling the man through the locked window, and into the night beyond.

Just as she started to roll to her feet, Hiruka felt two sharp jabs into the base of her skull, a harsh voice nearly in her ear.

Have it your way.

She couldn't even scream as the man triggered the taser pressed to her neck, her body jittering and shaking as consciousness fled her.

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She awoke with a groan, hand shaking as it rose to feel the back of her neck, two slightly bleeding holes just above her tattoo still tender. She looked around, taking in the clean, metal paneled room, noting the drain in the middle of the inward sloping floor, the drawers lining the wall, and particularly, the gleaming table, nightmarish combination of examination table, dentists chair, and gynecological stirrups. She glanced down, shivering as she realized how cold the room was, and she clad in only her lacy panties.

The gray woman had grown impatient with her waiting. This, in itself, was common. The girls were almost always late. The difference here, then, was the target of her ire. The hired help should have known not to be tardy, given that collecting the tardy was part of their duties. When the black-clad man finally delivered her charge for the night unconscious and stripped of her clothing, she'd verbally berated him for a full fifteen minutes of yelling, echoing rage before letting him escape to his other duties. This put her whole schedule back, forcing her to reconsider some of the punishment she'd had planned. She stood on the other side of the door leading into the room and sighed softly to herself, remembering Father's copy of Art of War and its warnings about plans and enemies that they came in contact with.

The single door into the metal room slammed open with a resounding clang. Miss Steel, wrapped in her vest and shorts and nothing else, strode quickly into the room and threw the door shut behind her. The latches on the far side clicked into place as inhuman eyes settled on Hiruka.

"I've already read your detention slip, so we can skip that formality. The next question is of intent. What, exactly, possessed you into believing that you were above the rules, young lady? Are you arrogant, or just stupid? Whichever the case, I'll do my best to cure you of it before the night is through, you can be assured of that."

The single bare bulb flickered for a brief moment, half-concealing what may have been the slightest curl of a sadistic grin on gray lips before it vanished back into the stern glare boring into the girl.

Hiruka rose to a wary crouch, eyeing the strange woman carefully. Slit eyes, unnatural skin...definitely a monster. Covering her breasts with one arm, she stood, angling to keep the table between them.

I was not aware the rules were enforced in such a violent manner, or I would have considered attending classes. Perhaps you can chalk this infraction up to ignorance, and let me go? I promise to obey the rules, so long as I am left alone. I just want to live as best I can here.

She kept her tone polite, her gaze firm, not wanting to show the very real worry digging at her resolve. She did not like the look of this place, even less of the woman opposite her. Perhaps she had a means to open the door, and in the worst case scenario, Hiruka would try to take it from her by force.

I do not believe I am arrogant, miss. I was told nothing of the school when I was sent here, might I mention, against my will. If I honestly thought my best interests were in mind, I would happily have attended classes before. Circumstances lead me to believe the opposite. I believe you are probably going to prove that point in the near future.

She stopped with the woman opposite her, taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst, wincing at the pain in the back of her neck. She held that inhuman gaze with a facade of calm, cold indifference, trying to control her emotions as best as she could.

"Just stupid, then," Miss Steel replied before disinterestedly pulling a scrap of paper from a pocket in the darker gray draped over her skin. "Well, then, Miss... Kaihaku? You are most certainly here for your own good. I do not mean the school, but rather here, in detention. Here, I will help you learn about yourself, and about your place in this world." The gray woman stepped calmly up to the other side of the table and tucked the detention slip back into her pocket. "No girl is sent to this school that does not need to learn this, and learn it quickly. Albeit, some already have had some... previous education... in the proper direction. I do so enjoy those classes. They're always a touch easier on both of us." The hungry, sadistic smile wasn't hidden this time as it slid from ivory-white teeth to yellow-green eyes. Steel shook her head after a moment, clearing the expression. "By the way, the fullest extent of my forgiveness is limited to ignoring your blatant abuse of the dress code. White lace? The color is correct, but we issue standard panties for a reason, young lady. Did you even pick up your uniform? They should have plenty there for you, and any time one issued to you is damaged." She folded her arms and stared coolly across at Hiruka, clearly unconcerned with getting a hand on her just yet. Another moment passed and she sighed, then shook her head with disappointment.

Hiruka shivered at the flashes of sadistic anticipation in the inhuman woman's face, the expression reminding her of X-S...before he did something truly horrid to her.

I am well aware of my place, miss. I've had it beaten into me for the last two years. As for previous education...you can take that kind of teaching, and keep it to yourself, if you please. I've had more than enough already.

She shifted her stance, edging back toward the wall, angling toward a drawer, thinking of possibly finding a weapon. She paused, glancing down at her underwear and reddening, looking back up with a sigh and a shrug.

I was not aware of the school providing more normal underwear, or I would have eagerly made use of them. I hate these as much as you disapprove of them, but they were the only kind my..."sponsor" sent. As for the uniform, I saw no need to acquire one, as I had no intention of attending classes. If you would release me, I will get one as soon as possible, then find whatever passes for a class schedule here. Does that satisfy both of your issues with my behavior, miss?

She maintained her calm, polite facade, though her tone was growing steadily colder. She didn't like this condescending woman, not one bit, and it was starting to show. If she came after Hiruka, she was going to have a fight on her hands, rules be damned.

"Well, yes, that would be acceptable. So you'll be obtaining a class schedule and your uniform as soon as we're done here? Excellent. That should prevent you from seeing me again, and I have completely naive little sluts running around above ground who need much more training than you do, Hiruka."

The gray woman stepped calmly around the table and stood at its side, leaning on one arm to relax. Her eyes followed the girl's path towards the drawer, and she smiled at some private joke.

"Of course, this place is filled with cowards and liars who would tell me their mother is a murderer to save themselves a single light blow, so you'll forgive me if I need a demonstration of what you've been taught," Miss Steel said as she pushed herself off the examination table and took another step towards the young woman.

"You can begin by choosing something from the drawers that you prefer. If you really have been beaten for the past two years, I'm sure you'll find something you enjoy in there."

The gray woman licked her lips slightly and drank in the stripped student before her as if she'd only just noticed how lovely, and how naked, she was. Behind her, the drawers sat silently waiting for her to pick out one of the floggers, whips, crops, or various other implements of pain waited for her. To her right, the door was unblocked, though the latches were almost certainly still in place on the other side.

Hiruka fought to keep the disgust from her expression, and the fear. She bowed her head, trying to appear meek for the moment.

I hate to disagree with you, miss. But I did not enjoy my beatings at all. My..."Onii-sama" saw to that. But if you need proof...

Taking a breath, she turned her back on the woman, pulling out one of the drawers, looking for something she could use. She winced as she eyed the various tools for inflicting pain, and sometimes pleasure, remembering her own experiences with many of them. One hand rose to her back unconsciously, tracing a light scar from one of X-S more enthusiastic "lessons". The memory set off a bell in her mind, giving her the beginnings of an idea. Closing the drawer, she opened another, searching for just the right tool.

I am sorry for the wait, miss. It took me a moment to find one similar to those I remember.

She turned from the wall of drawers, holding a coiled leather whip in her hand, approaching the gray woman carefully. She kept her eyes slightly down, not wanting to give away anything, not veering away as she moved right for her.

"Oh, how wonderful! That is a most excellent choice."

The gray woman clasped her hands together with a soft clap and smiled enthusiastically down at the silver-haired girl. She sighed happily and rested her hands back on the table, remembering briefly Mother teaching her how to use that weapon. By the easy way she remained leaning calmly against the examination table, she suspected less than nothing from the girl in her own defense.

Steel's bare skin shone dully from the single source of light up above her that threw sharp shadows over her face and under the furniture between her and Hiruka. If she watched for a moment, one of the less obvious features of the gray woman's would become obvious. She was completely still as she watched the girl, still to the point where she apparently wasn't breathing, still to the point where no apparent heart beat in her chest.

One hand slid out and opened towards the scarred woman.

"Give it to me so we can get started."