Hello all! Love me, hate me, I don't really mind either. I have come up with yet another story, but luckily it's all done and ready to be posted in full. So I'll be placing everything up for people to read inn one go!

WARNING: if you're sensitive to blood and gore, there's some of that in here. If you're sensitive to cursing, there's lots of that in here. Feel free to abandon ship at any time.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own One Piece or any of its characters. The only things I own are the Faction and its various mentioned members, Reihai Island and Kanzaki and anything else related to her.

Anyways...Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Beginning of the Immortal

The sound of night had never been a pleasant one for her. It was always cold and her small frame never withstood the wind that would crash against it. She truly hated night time, and with it she hated the night shift. The girl looked down at her shackled hands, the chain only long enough to let her defend that which she's been issued to protect, and attack those who dare defy her Masters. Nothing more, nor less. The cuffs chafed against her tender skin long since raw from months of wearing them. Her eyes cast to the sky, glowing like the stars above as they zoned in on the moon that gently diluted the colors around her. She was an orphan, a child born of unknown origin in a place where being as such was the worst of curses. She had been adopted a few months ago by a couple that had come off as kind and understanding. They had told her that she would have a real family, something the five year old had wanted for as long as she could remember. She had been happy, arriving home to a large building with shiny floors and pristine walls. She had thought that she would be living a good life.

She was dead. Wrong.

They threw her into shackles and set her to work right away. Protect their home, they demanded. Make certain that no one undesired could get in, they ordered. The girl sighed and curled in on herself as a brisk wind swept over her. She had done her job, over and over, getting wounded time in and out. Her Masters, a pair of excellent doctors, always patched her up and threw her back out the moment her wounds closed up even a little. She wasn't very good at fighting, so this happened often not that anyone cared. She was a guard dog though it probably would have been much easier to get an actual canine to do their bidding, and nothing more. She wasn't their child, she was their slave. Thus she has gone to get patched up many a time already. She had little doubt that the orphanage to give her away had no knowledge of this. In fact, they probably encouraged it with gleaming smiles and trembling fingers as they counted the beli given to them for her. Her Masters weren't the good people she thought them to be. Doctors they were, but not of the healing sort; they preferred to take people apart rather than put them back together. She had been put through her first experiment only half a month ago, and she still had nightmares about it- most likely always would. They said that they would make her into something more, but she was not all too certain what they meant by that nor did she dare ask. Another gust of wind caressed her warm carcass, causing her to shiver and huddle into the thin jacked she was supplied with. The island was a summer island, but due to mistreatment and the previous 'attention' she had gotten her body has been left constantly cold. Even the most welcoming of breezes was bone numbing to her.

How she longed to run away. However, she had seen the corpse of the child hung from a tree. Another orphan she had known and whom had gotten adopted a year before she. She recognized the clothing; according to the house maids the child tried to flee from the doctors and that was his punishment. She had no desire to die, and she wasn't smart enough to ensure her freedom this she knew well. Her instinct to survive told her that she had no choice but to comply to their wishes. Their enemies were small in number, but they were persistent and incredibly durable. Each fight has managed in her victory, however the first time through she had nearly died. The same went for the few times afterwords. She had always managed to kill one or two and force them to retreat, only to nearly give in to death herself.

She could remember the day her Mother came out and drug her into their home, using sweet words and kind gestures to pull her into a false sense of security. The girl knew it was a trick, she wasn't stupid, and yet her body moved forward and followed the woman all the way into the foyer. It's not like running away would do her any good, and so she forced herself to further comply when the woman led her into a room unknown to the girl. She did not scream even as she was strapped to the table, or when a large needle was forced into the flesh of her neck. She did not whimper as her Father sliced open her chest with one of those small blades. She only began to panic when he removed ever so carefully her intestines. Seeing the organs, slimy and not unlike linked sausage, seeing all that blood. It terrified her. But by that point, she didn't have the bodily function to scream or even squirm; the injection given to her permitted her to stay awake but she felt nothing and couldn't so much as feel when she pissed herself. They didn't replace her organs with strange things, merely made to make certain that they were healthy though why they had to remove them partially to do so was unknown to her. When they were done fiddling with her innards, they sewed her back up like some battered rag doll and gave her a pill, forced it down into her throat and injected something into her through her eye of all things. Her body had felt like it was on fire. All the pain she hadn't felt during the surgery came crashing down on her. Her frame went into shock and she seized before her world turned black.

Since then she had been through three fights, each more deadly than the last. The enemies continued to get bigger and stronger, more brave. She had even died. Died. And yet, she stood up moments after her head had been chopped off, and promptly set again to bringing down the enemy as though nothing happened. She didn't understand, but she chalked it up to be caused by the surgery. Her 'parents' little game. The girl sighed as she stood. She had died yesterday too, that was the forth time since her Mother took her into the house. She could feel their examining eyes on her, watching her every movement even if by transponder snail. Death was a funny thing, she realized since yesterday; it was like waking up from a nightmare. You open your eyes and realize reality, although for her reality was that the nightmare was never fake and that she had no choice but to finish it before it finished her. She still hadn't gotten used to death, she never figured she would, but she was starting to learn that there was no limit to how many times she could die as she first thought. Death was starting to become a rather incredible enigma to her. The drawback, however, was that she found herself restless during full moons, and that everything seemed enhanced. From touch to smell and sight, even hearing and taste were all to a new level of discovery. Her body was also always warm; another reason why the breezes seemed far too cold. She swore she was constantly running a fever. The girl found shelter in a near by shed, her 'dog house' as she referred to it as. It gave her a pretty good view of most of the grounds' entry ways and it was surprisingly well insulated. Finding that there would be no intruders for the night, she curled up on the little mat she had found in the trash and let her mind fall to sleep. It wasn't very welcoming.

(From the Ashes)

"Halt," the seven year old demanded, standing tall on the stairs in front of the main entrance to her Masters' home. "State your business and your name".

The man in front of her was a tall fellow, but older. He looked to be in his early forties, his mousy brown hair slicked back but graying and the stubble on his jaw was just as light. He however carried himself like a warrior, and armed himself as such with a dagger in each boot, a blade on each hip and one on each forearm. Slung across his back was a bow and quiver filled with arrows. He was basically armed to the teeth. The seven year old was by that time well versed in what was friendly and what was not. The man before her meant business, and she didn't like it. He stared at her with strange eyes, the whites black instead, surrounding golden irises like a void with no bottom. He dressed somewhat formally, button up shirt with a vest and black slacks. But he didn't speak like a gentleman nor did he exude such an aura. "Where are Narko and Kisa?" he demanded blandly to the child who stood before him defiant but weak.

"Away. My Masters are not here at this time. Come back in a week," she lied blandly. It was this she was issued to tell any visitor that didn't attack her first. So she listened. In reality the two had locked themselves up in their lab again, apparently on the brink of making a breakthrough. When the man didn't move, her hand fell to the gardener's sickle she was given to fight with which was slung over her back. "I won't repeat myself," although carrying it around wasn't all that beneficial to her. She was told to carry it, and like the broken dog she was she obeyed. The blade was dull and the staff rotting away but it had still managed to kill a few men here and there. Blood no longer bothered her like it used to, not even her own. Hell, not even her own death scared her.

The man looked at the girl, seeing before him a mighty woman instead. What an aura she exuded! The brat's long blue locks contrasted well against the irises that literally glowed even in the day. So the doctors succeeded did they? Good. "If you let me by, I'll set you free," he issued. They had promised a successful puppet after all. The girl before him was it, "I'll save you from this hell hole". The girl was not impressed in the slightest. Free her? Ha, there was no such thing as freedom. She did not move. Her eyes though bright in color, were dull and spoken of a broken spirit. A sight he was surprised to see. Was she so easy to take down? Last he came, the child before this one was still fighting. She still tried to smile and laugh and remain strong. He had to break her himself. This one didn't need that, his job already partly done. He didn't know whether to be pleased with that or not. "I'm Senki Distort," he introduced himself blandly, "I'm here to see your parents".

"I told you, they're not here".

"I know they are, girl," he issued, testing her loyalty to the law of her commander. "Let me through". He was surprised to find the dull sickle already at his throat. Her movements were slow and inefficient compared to what he's trained into others but the fact that she clearly had no training and yet managed to threaten him told him she had promise. He would have smiled for real if he could remember how to. "I see, you're the guard dog," he already knew, "I've actually come to talk with you. Who are you?"

The girl stared up at him and did not move an inch. Who cared if he wanted to talk to the mongrel tasked with protecting these lands? She sure as hell didn't. She stopped caring about a lot of things a long time ago. Caring was dangerous. Caring about anything was a waste of time. "They didn't give me a name," she denied blandly, "What do you want with me?"

Senki moved around her dull blade, issuing his confidence and further proving his skill when he side stepped her sweeping attack. He counter attacked faster than she could so much as realize why she was on her back, waking up from a death blow. A moment later, she wanted to know just how he knew that she would be fine after dying. Or perhaps he didn't and it was a mere guess with little care of whether he would be right or not. She stood and attacked again, the grip on her dull weapon tighter though the grown man easily stopped it with move she'd never seen before. Weaving his arm around the blade and gripping the staff, Senki tore the weapon from her grip with such ease, it emphasized the fact that despite her might she was still just a little girl where as he was a full grown man with obvious training in combat. Seeing the blade pointed at her own throat not even a second later, she opted to yield. Smart girl.

"I want to talk to you," he repeated, "Is that so bad? Can we find sit and converse?"

Not like he was giving her a choice, the rusty dull weapon at her throat in his hand could easily kill her a good number of times over. She sighed and instead sat down right where she was, ignoring the cold wet of the saturated ground below. It rained the night before, but she didn't care. "Fine. Let's converse". Whatever that meant.

Pleased Senki took a seat in front of her, not caring for the mud sinking into his clothing. He wanted the girl to trust him, and if that meant that he would have to get literally dirty so be it. "How old are you?"

"Seven".

"They didn't give you a name. Why don't you name yourself?"

In return she questioned him with, "What's the point? I'm just a mongrel that they're using for their experiments and as cannon fodder towards their enemies. I'm lucky I hadn't died before I couldn't die".

So she knew. Of course she did. "Because then you have a sense of self. Fine, what do you want me to call you?"

The girl stared at the persistent man before her, and sighed, "Fine, call me Zero". It was the best thing she could come up with. Zero. Nothing. Null. Nil. Ziltch. She was all of these things. A zero.

It didn't surprise him that she picked out such a simple name. But he didn't care. With a name, he didn't have to say 'hey you' or name her himself as he's had to do in the past. She spoke though like it was a hassle for her to name herself. It probably was for her. Never the less he leaned forward, "Do you want to leave this place? To become strong? To take down all those in front of you?"

She liked the idea of being strong, to be able to take down her enemies through her might alone. Leaving was a dull matter in comparison to power. She didn't hesitate to accept. This man was strong and he could obviously teach her many a thing. But just because she already knew her answer didn't mean she wouldn't play it safe as possible. She knew she wouldn't be able to outsmart him, given that he was oler and smarter than she. Plus she didn't even know how to play on another's likes. "Why would you want to help me?"

"My reasons are my own," he returned as blandly as she had asked, "It's a yes or no question. Now answer".

"What will you do if I say 'no'?"

"You'll die".

A trivial matter. A real death didn't scare her, and she didn't think that he could actually kill her for real as it was. "And if I say 'yes'?"

Senki offered a smirk, though no amusement escaped his guarded eyes. The girl was funny. "Then I kill the good doctors and take you home with me where we'll train you into something to never be messed with. Ever. I'll turn you into the strongest soldier you can be".

This made her raise her brows, "Soldier?" She only kind of knew what one of those was.

"Yes," Senki replied, nodding to Zero. "A soldier. I am the leader of a secret branch of the Navy known as the Faction. There, children much like yourself are trained into soldiers fit for hunting down Pirates both Devil Fruit users and not. You however are a bit young, and obviously don't have the basic education to make you actually worthy of entering the Faction. So I'll take you home and train you personally until you're ready".

Something about that explanation didn't sit right with her. However she couldn't place it. She shrugged her shoulders, brushing off this sensation of worry. She didn't care if there was something he wasn't saying. "You gather children who can't die around you to become Pirate killing Navel officers?" she knew of the Navy. They were often taking children in to become soldiers and the like, but this man was different. He didn't dress like a real Navel officer with all the weapons slung all over his body and no uniform. He did say that the Faction was a secret, but she wasn't certain if she could trust the man. She could not read his eyes nor his body, though then again she had only started to learn to do that a month or two ago.

"No. I only gather children that feel like there's no reason to live or don't care if they die. No one else is like you; you're the only one that can't die where as all the other children can. You're a freak I'm willing to take in. What do you say, Zero? Would you like to become strong?"

Ah, that made more sense. Of course she was the only one to be unable to die; the doctors said that she was their first success. So she would be a freak still. Oh well. She didn't care what happened to her. Leaving the place would be excellent though. And she did enjoy the thought of being stronger. She leaned forward and took Senki's hand to shake. "Fine. Go kill the doctors". Her eyes widened when her scythe was embedded into her chest and swiftly removed. A killing blow. A surprised gasp escaped her parted lips, body falling to its knees. What just happened?

She stared up at Senki as he looked down at her with his strange eyes, deep frown on his lips. "I don't take orders". He watched as she slumped fully to the ground, dead as he had stabbed her in the heart. However seconds later, she stood, steam rising up from her frame.

"Noted," she blandly returned, a hand scratching at where the scythe had stabbed her. She'd never been killed by a blade before. Or that was until a few moments ago. "I'll wait here". Senki nodded and turned, leaving behind the worthless weapon and making his way into her Masters' home.

Their screams were like music.

(From the Ashes)

The place she ended up staying at was days away from her original home, an island whose name she never bothered to learn even as she stepped off of it and onto the small ship of her new Master. She did not dare to call him father, nor would he stand for it. They were student and teacher nothing more nor less. It was a small island compared to her first home, but it was large enough to take at least three days to cross. The house was large and pristine, kept by the hands of a few maids and a butler whom kindly smiled down at her when she entered the building. It was a false smile, one that did not reach the butler's eyes. And as she was led through the building of bland colors and no personality what so ever, she found that the maids moved like robots rather than people. What was wrong with them? She found, shortly after wondering this, that she didn't care. She was given an entire day to get used to the island, wander it as much as she pleased. She did just that. She only walked into her room to familiarize herself with it- it was larger than any other room she'd ever seen as she was honestly astounded that it was hers. But then she got over this astonishment and went on her way. She had nothing to her name, so it wasn't as though she had to unpack.

The island was covered mostly in forest, and only had one or two large animals that could very well kill her. They strangely enough didn't bother with her even as she stomped through the woods with little a care. She returned by sundown, and was rewarded with dinner. Her new Master told her that he would have killed her had she returned any later. Something told her that his version of murder was far worse than what she had come across in her short life before hand.

The next day started with training with her Master. Then she would train with a house staff member before stopping for lunch. She would then be thrown into the ocean, left to swim back to shore on her own, regardless of how strong the waves were. She would then be forced to train with weights to gain strength, then finally she would have dinner. After that meal she would be taught to read, right, and do math by the butler. Then it would be time for bed, and the next day she would start it all again. Acclimating to this schedule was difficult for her; she had never followed a schedule before and as such she had to figure out how she could time her actions to fit it accordingly. She made certain to eat breakfast swiftly, she found this would give her an extra five minutes to train before her Master came along. Lunch was small, just enough to fill her stomach, before she set to training again thus giving her the ability to do more without upsetting her stomach. Math was her down fall. She didn't understand why she had to learn to write it down if she could do it in her head. But the butler- whose name she never bothered to learn- insisted that she do it. A beating was in order should she not comply.

Her Master was always around but he rarely followed through with actually training her in the morning like he said he would. Instead, he threw maids and the butler at her to teach her the art of battle. He told her that they were failed Faction members, people who didn't manage to pass the final exam to become a full fledged member and hidden Navel officer. She couldn't have cared less. If they were going to teach her, so be it. As long as she got stronger, she didn't care who taught her. The maids were nice, some of them at least, and explained things to her in a way that she could understand. The butler however was more action over words, much like Senki, which was honestly fine with her. She could learn either way.

This schedule continued for seven years, and with each passing hour Kanzaki improved more and more. Come her second year with Senki, she could easily take down half of the maids with ease. The end of her third year, no maid could stand up to her might. The butler couldn't stand against her after her fifth year, and by the time year seven rolled around only her Master could still hand her ass to her. Anyone else he threw at her would fall at her feet regardless of what they tried. She was a monster compared to previous students- a total of three others all of which are dead for various reasons- as well as a good number of her underlings. By the time she turned fourteen, it was time for her to finally enter training for the Faction. He gathered her up and they left their island, destined for the Faction's head quarters where she would learn the laws of man, how they apply and how to work with a team. And where as she had learned nothing but straight up combat on Senki's island, training with the others around her age would allow her the ways of information gathering, team work, poisoning, and de-crypting. She would become stronger, and that was all she cared about. She honestly could care less about Pirates and their illegal ways. She could care less about the Government because honestly both are as bad as the other. Yet at the same time both are as pure as the other. Neither is always right, nor wrong.

The island was one large submarine, so massive that it out did any other she had learned about in her seven years of training prior. The top, that which most people saw, seconded as a special get away for members of the Navy, run by those who failed the final test of the Faction which also had housing for them as well. Those that failed were permitted to leave if they pleased, though they were sworn to secrecy and they could only live on designated islands. Most opted to stay and some even rose families. Those that did have children more often than not sent them to the Faction to be educated in both general knowledge and battle. The children if they were lucky would succeed where their parents failed. This place also served as a reward for those below surface when earned. There were a good ten levels of metal that made up the massive thing, half of which were used to house the students there. The first three levels were for the younger ones, those that recently joined the Faction- kids that ranged from five to ten years old. The fourth floor was used for those aged between eleven and sixteen and the fifth for those that managed to survive as old as seventeen to eighteen- these were students that would soon be testing to become true Faction members. The remaining five levels were used for classes, food areas and self training. The only recreation was up top and was only given to those who listened and succeeded in their training on a regular basis.

Zero soon learned that the Faction was more than just a place for young people to learn to become Marines. They were in fact trained in the darker arts more than anything. They could spy and steal, pick locks even. What's more was that they were trained to specifically take down Devil Fruit users though some of them were just that. More often than not, Faction members worked in teams of four made of two pairs. The two people would more often than not be of the same gender, given that they were to spend almost all of their time with one another. They were to become two parts to a whole, and yet be capable of being their own whole should it be required. The girl followed her Master through the hall of one of the levels, her steps swift as she matched his pace and continued on as though he weren't being nodded to with substantial respect left and right. They made their way into a room with merely a white floor and darker gray walls, the place seeming smaller than it really was. Within it stood four males, one older than the other three. Most would consider him to be average in looks until he smiled, which by that point they would realize that he was rather handsome. Long, silver locks rolled down his back in a half braid, bangs and side-locks framing his tanned face while two vibrant green eyes were used to see. Upon hearing them enter, his orbs locked onto her Master and like the others he nodded with respect. He turned to approach them, the boys following him wordlessly.

"Good morning sir," the man's voice was smooth and calm, a warmth to it was surprising to her. His gaze darted down to meet her own before he again looked to Senki, "This is her?"

"It is. You're to complete her training. Put her with Aoso. Understood Kagami?"

Kagami nodded once and then looked to the girl again, "Of course sir. Will you be staying for the initiation?"

Senki shook his head and turned, "No I have matters to attend to. Don't ruin her," he issued before leaving without so much as a farewell to the girl he had risen for seven years.

Kagami watched Senki go and pursed his lips. The man was always so serious, but then again he's known him since they were kids. Senki had always been like that. Never the less he looked down at the girl whose face was as blank as a slate. He offered a kind smile to the girl, a sight she was obviously surprised to see. "Good morning to you. You're Zero then?"

"I am," she droned carefully. Was he defective? Then why was he teaching students? How could he smile so freely? She didn't understand at all and Kagami could obviously tell.

But the man didn't plan on explaining himself to her. Instead he looked to his students and issued, "Boys, this is Zero; she'll be Aoso's new partner. Why don't you introduce yourselves to her?" It wasn't a suggestion but an order.

The first to speak up was a blond boy. Dressed in all white, his clothing consisted of a high neck muscle shirt that clung to his still developing frame, and baggy shorts with cargo pockets. Up his right arm were black bandages, while on his feet were simple white boots. His hair, as mentioned, was blond and wildly spiky, though his eyes were an electrifying blue like the ocean or the sky. "You're going to be my partner?" the boy scoffed, not at all impressed, "You better not hold me back". He rolled his eyes when she only rose a brow, her face still blank. "And you're not fixed yet. Great". Not that she knew what that term meant. "I'm Aoso, I'll be your partner from now on…..I guess," it was embarrassing to be placed with a girl. All the girls he had ever fought or so much as talked to were pathetic. And though this one seemed different he didn't bother to get his hopes up.

The redhead next to Aoso wore an open short sleeved button up with pants tucked into dark brown boots. A belt with holsters or guns and ammo rested around his hips. His hair was straight and only reached barely passed his ears, a look of 'I'm strong, what of it?' rested on his face and leaked its way into the aura. His eyes were a shocking and intimidating golden color. "I'm Anzen," he introduced a bit more openly as he stared down at the girl. She wasn't much shorter than they but she was still a girl all the same. He wondered why she was placed with them when surely there was a girl in need of a partner. But he wouldn't deny her joining them; there were too many guys around for his tastes and the girl was cute. He thought she would be a looker in her later years.

The last one to introduce himself was softer spoken than the others but he still held himself to be strong. He was dressed in a light purple long sleeved button up which was tucked into black slacks and whose sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He had a simple brown belt to keep his pants from falling, while a black vest and red tie rested over the shirt. His hair was long and a few shades of purple darker than his shirt, braided fully as opposed to Kagami's half braid. His eyes were a stunning blood red, intense despite the attempt to make them seem more gentle. He bowed smoothly, his movements graceful despite his age and gender. His voice was also softer than the other two, but she could tell that he meant business as well. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for joining our team".

They took their turn to take her appearance in carefully. She could feel them searching for weaknesses to exploit. As far as they were concerned, she had none. She was dressed in a simple black v-neck muscle shirt under a white trench coat marked with black to make it look ripped up. Her pants were neither tight nor loose, just enough for movement but not snag on things. These pants were tucked into open toed boots. What really caught theireye other than the reddish purple gaze that stared back at them with no fear, and other than the long blue hair she sported they seemed more transfixed by her halberd which she lugged around as though it wasn't heavy. The blond of the trio, Aoso, looked to Kagami and huffed. "Kagami, why is she my partner? Can't I just solo everything? You know I'm strong enough. And if nothing else I can pair with Azen or Alour or some other partnerless sap. I don't want a girl to be my other half!" The boy's temper amazed Zero. How was it he was a Faction member in training and yet had his emotions still? She didn't understand. Senki wasn't like that, and he was the Faction's leader of all things.

"Oh? Are you certain?" Kagami chuckled as he knelt and placed a hand on the boy's fluffy head, green store into blue, "I've seen her fight. She's very strong". This also confused the girl. When had he been watching her?

"I'm stronger!" Aoso replied pridefully. "I'm at the top of our cell and out of all the other kids! I don't need a partner, Kagami!"

"Why don't you test her abilities, then?" Kagami suggested, eyes then turned to Zero. "Is that alright with you? If you don't want to that's fine as well although that would mean I'd have to find a new partner and Senki wishes for you to be paired with Aoso".

If her now former Master wished it of her, then she was inclined to make certain that this Aoso boy became her partner. She looked at the boy with the striking blue eyes, "If you insist then I will spar," she replied blandly. Backing up, she stabbed the massive weapon into the metal floor below her feet. Being that the metallic floor was thick and meant to sustain a good amount of abuse and yet she so easily stabbed her weapon into it, the boys were silently impressed. But they weren't amazed; she had apparently been training with Senki of all people so she had better of been strong. Not even the faintest glimmer of interest showed in her glowing eyes. "I'm ready when you are".

Kagami was pleased to see her strength despite only being fourteen. Senki had really done well with this one. "I'll go over some rules. Go until third blood. Aim to harm but not kill. Yield when issued. Anything else goes". He waited until Aoso stood tall in front of the girl, shoulders drawn back and head held high. "Begin!"

Aoso nodded to let his instructor that he understood the rules. That's how it normally went. First one to draw blood three times wins, otherwise one blow kills are okay as well as anything else. Of course, no one started sparring until deemed ready or useless so most of the time the population of 'students' was kept fairly high. Being slightly taller than Zero, he only needed to make a slight step before lashing out with a kick at the girl. The attack was powerful and followed up with a spinning downward kick to her collar bone. That had been the plan. Had been. What Aoso didn't expect was that the girl was much faster than he gave her credit for. Her arm lashed out to block his first kick, but that didn't stop him from spinning. What did stop him, was the swift jab to his throat, causing his breath to suddenly hitch which in turn slowed him down and allowed to give him a brutal reverse punch to his false ribs. Aoso stumbled back, gasping for air and bent to hold his ribs. However, she did not approach him while he was prone to further attack.

It pissed Aoso off, the fact that she did not continue her onslaught even if it would have meant that he'd of lost in only a few seconds. Rather, her not attacking highly insulted him as it suggested that he was too weak to handle any more of her attacks. Him? Weak? He was the best out of the kids and could out do just about all of those living on the surface, adult or child. He was strong! He was smart and fast and admired by those weaker than him! Those stronger feared he'd over take them as he had so many before him. He was someone born with a natural skill at battle that was thought to be almost impossible for a child to have! And yet this little girl made him back off with two attacks and waited for him to recover! The little bitch would regret it! On top of that, she didn't even use that giant halberd of hers! Tch. She probably didn't know how to use it. Yes, that had to be it. She carried it around to make her look stronger when all she could to was throw a few punches and kicks. Aoso paused before suddenly grinning to himself. That was a good idea, what he just thought of...He'd force her to use that giant pointy stick and prove that she couldn't use it! That was an excellent idea!

With that in mind, he collected himself and charged again, this time no plan in mind but ready to improvise all the way through until he won. He aimed first with a punch, which she blocked but opened her torso up to a second attack. He kicked, then kicked and punched and spun. A jump maybe would get him a score! Growing frustrated, Aoso suddenly made to trip up the girl with one of his feet. She jumped over the limb only to find a heel in her gut. A grunt escaped her, but no sign of surprise or pain fluttered onto her features. It was almost as though she realized her mistake the moment she left the ground. The kick was very strong, Zero would admit that, but it wasn't like anything she had felt before. It was weaker. Not by a lot, but the fact that it was weaker and her body had long since grown tough enough to withstand attacks like that one, no blood came to her mouth despite Aoso's hopes. Instead, she stood from her downed form and straightened her shirt before rushing him. She didn't waste any energy, when he backed off and readied for her to run into the kick he had set up for her. Instead, she went to him until a certain point, and then prodded him until he came to her. His most recent punch to her gut, which was blocked, opened him up for a full on spinning hook kick to his face. The sound of her boot meeting his face was loud within the otherwise silent room, but not louder than the sound of Aoso's body hitting the ground in a heap of stunned limbs.

The kick had been so fast, faster than her first reaction, that he didn't even have the chance to think it would come for him. Her kick, backed up by her heavy boot, was so harsh that it sent him reeling, his head flung to the side and pain blossoming all over that side of his face- the left side. He collapsed, but got up after a few seconds. Pain like this was new to him, he would admit, but not to her face. That was the kind of kick he's seen Kagami release, but stronger. How could a mere new kid be stronger than him? He did not want to admit it, but with it pooling into his mouth as fast as it was, he had no choice but to spit out the blood and the tooth along with it. He spat again, realizing that he had bitten his cheek as well as lost a molar.

"Stop," Kagami demanded abruptly. Zero paused without hesitation, though Aoso took a moment to realize that he had been ordered and discontinued his anger for the time being. "First blood goes to Zero," he announces, "Azen, give Aoso a hand. She needs six blood draws, together you both need three. Go!"

"Yes sir!" Azen had been growing highly excited with how the fighting was going. He had never met a girl like her, strong enough to down Aoso so quickly. The other girls preferred- and it was obvious- to avoid fighting if they could. There were some like this one, here and there, but none of them could stand up to Azen in the slightest. Seeing Zero at work, he realized that he should be careful, but not too much as that would take away the fun part of the battle. He entered the fray at Aoso's side, mirroring his stance and taking off at a charge at exactly the same time. While Aoso had again taken her on head on, Azen picked a side and began to attack there with jabs and kicks that he liked to believe were as fast as his beloved bullets.

Zero hadn't been expecting to have to fight two on one, however she welcomed it with open arms, harder blocks and faster counterattacks. The glow of focus in her eyes became brighter, her gaze far more honed as her senses assisted her more as the battle continued. Yes, battle. Because no one actually sparred in the Faction she had been told. They just called it sparring for some odd reason she never understood. The foot that connected with her face and then the other that collided with her shoulder belonged to the redhead and the blond respectively. Surprisingly enough, the first made her bite her tongue, while the other made her hit the ground hard enough that she skinned her shoulder fairly well.

"Stop!" Kagami demanded again. This time, Aoso managed to stop right away when ordered. After all, in one combined attack they had two blood draws and she only one out of six. "First and second blood, Azen and Aoso. Alour, assist them. Go!"

Alour had never been one for battle. That was, not straight on battle that the three of them had been dealing with for the passed fifteen minutes. He himself preferred underhanded attacks and strikes from the shadows. He loved the sight of someone's surprised face when he attacked. However, he could handle something like this fairly well too. It was just that he didn't like it. But there was no way he was going to disobey his role model, and as such he strutted forward to join the fray. Alour had always been tall for his age group, and as such meshing his attacks was a little hard on him as he could accidentally hit his partners rather than the target. However, the three of them had long since fixed this issue. Hearing the announcement of Alour entering the battle, Azen drew back, hands flying to the two simple six shot pistols that hung at his hips and aimed ready to fire. Alour took Azen's place, putting hand to hand combat skills to good use in putting his hands where Aoso could not, or even using his height to kick over or around Aoso to hit the girl. This kind of combo was new to Zero, and already there had been all sorts of bruises starting to line up and down her frame. Whether it was due to blocking or getting hit but not bleeding, she did not care. Her concentration hit an all time high when bullets started to be fired. She didn't expect Azen to take the risk of hitting his partners, however she soon enough realized that these three were a well oiled machine. Her eyes ever so slightly widened when one of Alour's hidden blades almost drew the winning score for them. And all the time, Aoso was smirking proudly. See?! She couldn't handle them! She wasn't good enough to have been privately taught by Senki him, Aoso's role model. With that in mind, he aimed for the final blow, something that would swiftly lead to her defeat.

Zero saw the finger tip thrust that was aimed for her throat, backed up by the kick that would most definitely break at least two ribs, and heard the bullets fired at her from the distance Azen stood at. She refused to die then and there. There was a goal she had to reach, and no one could stop her. Nothing could stop her, she wouldn't allow it. With that in mind, her eyes narrowed in concentration as her arms blocked the thrust and the kick first. Grabbing Alour's leg, she forced his limb upwards, his torso down, and twisted him to the side after promptly slamming her foot into Aoso's gut with enough force to make him groan in pain and back off. This was executed swiftly and smoothly, and because Alour's balance was suddenly thrown, she was free to use his torso as a shield; that's exactly what she did. The bullet that had been aiming for her left lung hit Alour in the right shoulder. The moment she saw the injury made, she released him and dove for her halberd. In the time that it took her to get there, the three boys were on her tail and rearing for revenge.

However, with her hands on her bladed weapon that she pulled from the metal flooring, she knew that she had become unbeatable for them. Bullets came first in a flurry, though with a forceful swing hard enough to cause a wave of harsh winds blew them away from her, keeping her safe. And while that gave the other two enough time to attack, she blocked with her blade Alour's stab to her lung while the staff was used to harshly whack Aoso in the face. By now, a half hour of fighting had been happening. That was a very long time for such young children, especially at the pace they were going. She knew that she needed five more blood points altogether in order to win. She knew how she was going to do it then and there. Spinning with her halberd close to her body, the staff of the weapon smashed into Alour's frame, earning her a groan of pain and the retaliation of the other two through a flurry of punches and bullets. Reacting to the bullets mainly- her foot was used to blindly kick Aoso in the chest- her halberd was swung up in a way that allowed her blade's tip to meet the flesh on Alour's neck, cutting it cleanly but not as a killing blow. At the same time, she swung the halberd back down, jabbing the staff into Aoso's chin after he's punched her in the back twice and sending him stumbling back again, angering him further. Four more blood points.

Alour however wasn't finished as a hand flew up to make sure the wound on his neck wouldn't be the death of him. He used his free hand to stab at her own neck, however the girl's smaller frame slipped through his guard, allowing her to elbow him so harshly in the gut that he had no choice but to back off. With Aoso charging in one more time. The girl saw his arm ready to swing, giving her the chance to send her blade swinging again. The tip drug along his arm and stopped there, though again she attacked with the staff, using its butt to jab him in two points in his leg that rendered those muscles useless. Aoso fell, unable to stand. The final attack was on Azen. She threw her halberd like a spear just as the boy fired at her. She ducked and rolled, barely missing the bullets that yearned for her blood. However, her weapon met its mark, cutting the redhead on the cheek even though he had spun in an attempt to save himself. She dashed as fast as she could and swung her leg around his neck before he could fully orient himself. With a push of her leg, he was forced to the ground which in turn allowed her to grab the halberd and slice through his back.

"STOP!" Kagami suddenly shouted. The fight was incredibly tense for being between a single girl and three boys. In fact, he had never expected that to happen. It was as though actual adults were fighting rather than a group of children. The silver haired man sighed but smiled, "That's the end of the match. Six blood draws to two, Zero wins". This announcement prompted those wounded to stand with subtle grunts or groans. Zero herself moved away from Azen and slung her weapon back onto her shoulder. "Well done Zero. However, it seems that Aoso is the worst off; he needs his arm to get fixed. Help him to infirmary one".

"Yes sir," Zero allowed before walking to the blond and offering the boy a hand from his kneeling position. "Come with me," she demanded of her new partner. He would have to direct her, but she would be able to help him there all the same.

Aoso scoffed, however. Losing to her and realizing that she was stronger than all three put together had yet to set in his prideful mind. He smacked her hand away, "I can get up on my own". That was the day Aoso decided he hated Zero. That was the day, as she walked out with his friend, Azen swore he would get Zero to like him. He liked strong girls, and the fact that she was pretty too really did help. His eyes watched her carefully, pure interest in his gaze. He wanted her. Alour had fallen in love with her the moment she stepped into the room. He knew that she was a bundle of darkness, but he didn't care. He would save her from her nightmares. He too liked strong girls, they made him feel safe and capable of relying on them. He swore to himself that he would win her heart.