A/N: Hey everyone! So I've been obsessed with this anime since the moment I saw it! I know there isn't a large collection of stories on here so I thought I would add one of my own! I'm extremely nervous to post it… it would mean the world to me if you guys would fave, follow, and review to let me know if I should continue it or not… I've been agonizing between posting it and not so please let me know what you think! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Nashiko Harade!

XXX

Growing up on Mars wasn't as weird as one would think. Nashiko Harada had never known anything different. She'd grown up on the streets for a few years before she became a part of Chryse Guard Security (or CGS)… well, not really a part of… more like belongs too. She, and many others she'd grown up with, were just property to most, if not all, of the adults. Luckily, she had amazing friends with her. Mikazuki Augus and Orga Itsuka were her best friends; they'd grown up on the streets together until the older boy had the brilliant plan to join the CGS. Orga and Mikazuki were easily accepted by the adults, Nashiko had to work for their approval. No girl had ever tried to join so, to get accepted, she agreed to get the surgery done for the Alaya-Vijnana System. If she survived, she would be a part of CGS.

Getting the surgery helped the three of them form a tight bond. Even after getting the implant, known as a 'whisker', the adults banned her from using the Mobile Workers. The Mobile Worker was a piece of equipment that could be used to transport materials or be used in a combat situation. They use the Alaya-Vijnana System as a man-machine interface, it allows the pilot to connect with the Mobile Worker's computer and immediately process the data.

Being the only girl to have a 'whisker', the adults wanted her to "stay safe". She was invaluable to them, unlike the rest of boys that she grown to know. Of course, being told no just meant that Orga and Mikazuki would find a way to do the opposite. Late at night, the two of them took Nashiko out to learn how to use a Mobile Worker. Having the 'whisker' meant that she didn't need much practice; she was quickly able to figure it out.

As they grew, Mikazuki and Nashiko became like siblings while she and Orga became something more. It was a transition that neither one of them had saw coming. It happened in a pretty funny and shocking way. Orga was going out to work before he turned to Nashiko and pressed a kiss to her lips. He had turned and walked a few feet away before he froze, realizing what he'd done. Turning back, he was about to apologize when he noticed the small, shy, happy smile on her face. Together, they decided to roll with it, giving a relationship a try. They'd been together ever since, five years ago.

Their relationship remained a secret from the adults running CGS. They wanted to move her away from the Third Group but, knowing how close she'd become to not only Mikazuki but Orga (who had recently taken the place of leader of the group), made it near impossible to take her. They looked for anything they could use as leverage, which is why the relationship was never spoken about around or among the adults.

XXX

"Found him." Nashiko said to Mikazuki as they walked into the (supposedly) secret hanger. They walked over to the older teen, who was laying on the platform at the feet of a large Mobile Suit. The Suit was being used for its Ahab Reactor to power the entire CGS base. She smiled when she saw that Orga was sound asleep, his face and body language relaxed. Nashiko knelt down at his side while Mikazuki stood behind her. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Orga." She spoke and a moment later, his golden eyes snapped open to look over at them.

"Hey, Mika, Nashi."

"Hey yourself. You're slacking off again." Mikazuki said as Orga sat up. Nashiko moved to sit next to the older teen. "Imagine if they find us again." Using his right hand, Orga scratched the left side of his ribs, smiling at Mizasuki.

"I know." He said before turning his attention to Nashiko. Her black hair was cut to mid-shoulder blades and was almost always pulled back into a braid to keep it out of her face while she worked. It didn't stop many of the fly-away strands, which fell around her face or out of the braid itself but at least she was able to see when she was working. Many of the boys thought her eyes were an extremely unique feature. Her right eye was a soft green while her left was a light hazel. She smiled at the older boy as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"Is he over there?" A voice yelled from the doorway, causing Nashiko and Orga to pull away. It was easy to see that it was Nadi Yukinojo Kassapa. He was the head mechanic and one of the only adults to actually treat the kids and teenagers like people rather than property.

"Yes." Mikazuki answered as Orga and Nashiko stood up.

"What's up, old man?" Orga asked as he put his left hand into the pocket of his cargo pants and took Nashiko's with his right.

"Don't ask me that. Maruba is calling." Nadi answered as the three of them walked towards him, Orga and Nashiko side-by-side with Mikazuki a few steps behind them.

"The president is?" The older boy asked.

"I told you not to come in here." Nadi said when the two older teenagers were closer to him.

"But it's warm here all year." Orga answered and Nashiko rolled her eyes. She glanced over her shoulder at Mikazuki, who had stopped to look back at the Mobile Suit. That one machine was powering all of the CGS. There was no chance that a Mobile Worker could do that. They seemed so different and she'd never even sat in a Mobile Suit before.

"Gosh." Nadi said, scratching the back of his head. Nashiko could feel eyes on her but she didn't turn her gaze away from Mikazuki. "This engine room is top secret."

"Mika, let's go." Orga said, turning to yell at the younger boy.

"Okay." He answered immediately, making his way over to them.

XXX

With Orga going to see what the President wanted from him and Mikazuki running drills in the Mobile Workers with some other pilots, Nashiko took a chance to just hang out and watch. She really didn't do anything in CGS, some light lifting and a lot of working in the kitchen (both things she hated). She felt useless doing things like that, which is why she enjoyed working on the mechanics of the Mobile Workers and piloting them as well. Being able to read and write, a rare occurrence among many of the children, made her even more valuable to the CGS. It also helped when it came to working on the Mobile Workers late at night. She sat on top of a Mobile Worker, smiling as Mikazuki easily dodged the paint balls from the other pilot's machines. He was impressive for such a young pilot. Turning her head when she heard yelling, she watched a man hit one of the younger boys. His name was Takaki Uno and he was one of her favorite boys. She clenched her fists, she wanted to intervene…

Once the training was over, it was time for lunch. Nashiko stripped off her jacket as she sat down, tying it around her waist, leaving her in a tank top, a pair of cargo pants, and a pair of knee high combat boots. Once she'd settled into her seat, Orga pushed a bowl towards her. She offered him a smile and a kiss on the cheek as she grabbed the bowl and spoon, pulling it closer to her so she could start eating. Eugene Sevenstark, Norba Shino, and Mikazuki were sitting across the table from the couple as Orga explained their next mission. They were escort a young woman to Earth apparently.

"We're going to escort the Young Miss?" Eugene asked.

"She must smell so nice, right Mikazuki?" Shino said to the younger boy and Nashiko raised an eyebrow before going back to her food. Eugene scoffed at the other boy.

"She is human like us, so she wouldn't be any different." Mikazuki answered before taking another bite of his food. Orga smiled at the younger boy, leaning his head on one of his hands. Shino made a sound of shock.

"Forget it, Mikazuki isn't hungry for girls." Another boy said that came over to the table. Nashiko's eyes drifted to Takaki when he came up behind Mikazuki with a tray of water. He had a bandage over his cheek to cover the wound now. Taking the last bite of her stew, she pushed it away. There was still a couple spoonfuls in the bottom but she wasn't hungry anymore. Orga closed his right eye in annoyance at Takaki's 'it always happens' comment before turning his head to look at Nashiko's bowl.

"You're not hungry?" He asked. They'd been together long enough, five years now, that Orga is always trying to make sure that she eats and drinks enough and staying out of trouble, even if that means he's taking the brunt of any and all discipline. The others would do it for her as well but Orga was constantly doing it. She shook her head, leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. Around the others, they don't show a lot of PDA. Their friends don't tease them too much but it's more about the adults. It was a constant worry that if they found out Orga and Nashiko had a relationship, they would try send her somewhere else.

"You know, rather than the smooth-talking employees, the president takes note of our strength, after all." Eugene said, drawing Orga's attention from the girl to him. "And with this, we'll overtake the employees and be First Corps."

"No matter how senile old man Maruba gets, he views us as expendable, so he'll never think much of us." Orga said to him, tapping Nashiko's spoon against the side of the bowl. Eugene glared at the other boy. There had always been a rivalry between the two of them since Orga joined CGS and quickly worked his way to be leader of the Third Group, kicking Eugene out of that place.

"Isn't it because you're this way and you're the Third Group leader that we're still treated like this?"

"Stop it, Eugene." Biscuit said from the other side of Orga. Nashiko liked the boy. He was only a year younger than she saw, sixteen to her seventeen, but he was wiser beyond his years more often than not. She could assume that was why he was Orga's second-in-command. Of course, she was his third.

"Shut up, Biscuit. You stay quiet." Eugene said, turning his glare to the other boy, who like Orga, seemed unaffected by it. Nashiko hid a smile in Orga's jacket as Mikazuki reached up and grabbed Eugene's ear, pulling his head towards him. She could see the tears welling up in his eyes from how hard the younger boy was pulling.

"A fight, Eugene?" Mikazuki asked. "I don't like it."

"You're gonna tear it off." Eugene said and Nashiko could hear him trying not to cry.

"This isn't a fight, right guys?" Orga asked.

"Of course." Eugeneagreed, hoping to get Mikazuki to let go of his ear. Nashiko and Orga both turned their heads when someone moved behind them.

"Sorry, Akihiro, for being so rowdy." Orga apologized to the other boy.

"It always is." He said as he was walking away. Nashiko watched him walk for a moment before turning back to Mikazuki and Eugene. She could hear Orga grunt lightly before pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

XXX

Hours passed and everyone did their own things to prepare for the departure to Earth. Nashiko had been working with Nadi to make sure that any and all equipment that they would be taking with them was going to work. She smiled when she felt a hand on her hip, turning her head, she saw Orga walking towards Nadi.

"How is everything going?" He asked but before Nadi could answer, Nashiko closed the panel of the Mobile Worker she was working on before walking towards them.

"Done." She said and older man nodded, typing onto his tablet.

"Well, that's it for all of the checking of the equipment we're taking." He said to Nashiko and Orga.

"Good job." Orga said, smiling at both Nadi and Nashiko.

"So the Kudelia comes tomorrow?" He asked the younger boy.

"Yeah, and we leave the day after tomorrow. It'll be about 5 months to go to Earth and back." While Orga spoke, Nashiko couldn't help but take in his appearance. He wasn't wearing his jacket or the red scarf that was always around his neck. He was just in a tank top, his cargo pants, and his boots. He was muscular from all of the physical activity that he does around CGS and the jobs he goes on. One feature that Nashiko always hones in on when he's without his jacket is the scar on his left arm. She'd met him shortly after it happened and proceeded to help him take care of it. Nashiko turned her attention back to the conversation when Nadi chuckled, talking about Orga getting the 'whiskers' and getting punched for being cheeky.

"Well, he's always cheeky so…" Nashiko said as she came to stand next to her boyfriend. Orga smiled as he threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her in closer to him.

"Crying would get you hit too." Orga said to Nadi, who he had turned his attention back to. What they loved about Nadi was that not only did he actually treat them like people; he didn't care about Orga and Nashiko's relationship. Usually, he encourages it. He wants the both of them to have some happiness in their lives. "In any case, we Third Group members are either toys to relieve stress or human shields." Nadi blew the smoke out of his mouth, looking at Nashiko.

"You know, there's one more thing I need for you to check." She blinked but nodded.

"Okay." Nadi gave her directions, something she thought she'd done before but she pressed a kiss to Orga's jaw (the only thing she could reach with their height difference) before pushing away from him to do her task. Orga watched her walk, a small smile on his face.

"But even after everything, I still have my pride. I can't show my weakness." Orga continued speaking. Nashiko stopped about halfway to where she was going, now one-hundred percent sure that she had already done what Nadi asked. She turned and began to make her way back towards them.

"To Mikazuki and Nashiko?" Nadi asked and the girl stopped. She was still behind a Mobile Worker so neither of them had seen her. She could hear Orga huff a breath through his nose. "It must be tough, Captain." She could hear Nadi's metal foot step on the ground, presumably to put out the cigarette he was smoking. Nashiko leaned against the Mobile Worker, smiling slightly at Orga thinking he had to hide something from her. She'd already seen him at his highest highs and his lowest lows. There wasn't much he was "hiding" from her.

XXX

The next day rolled around and that involved Nashiko, Orga, Biscuit, Eugene, and Mikazuki meeting Kudelia for the first time. Orga knocked on the office door and when they were given permission to come in, they all stepped inside and stood at attention, their feet were shoulder-width apart with their hands clasped behind their backs. They were all wearing their CGS jackets, cargo pants, and boots. Nashiko took a moment to look at the girl sitting on the couch. She had long blonde hair and bright viloet eyes. She was wearing a red and white dress with a black ribbon tied around her neck. She managed to suppress her jump when Orga spoke from beside her. "Orga Itsuka and four others from the Third Group reporting in."

"Yes, these are the boys who will escort you…" The president said, blatantly ignoring Nashiko's presence. She narrowed her eyes but kept them straight ahead at the wall. When the girl stood, Nashiko's eyes flickered to her before she trained them back to their previous location.

"Nice to meet you, I am Kudelia Aina Bernstein." The room went silent.

"Yeah." Orga said to her.

"Hey there, I…" Eugene began before the President spoke.

"Can't you even greet someone properly?"

"Unbelievable." A guard said from the president's side.

"Now about the plans from now…" The president began but the girl, Kudelia, wasn't even listening.

"You." She said to Mikazuki. She stepped over and stood directly in front of him. "What's your name?"

"I am Mikazuki Augus." He answered.

"Can you show me around, Mikazuki?" She asked. Both Mikazuki and the president seemed confused. "Fumitan, I will leave this up to you." She spoke again.

"Understood." The other woman said from the couch. Mikazuki left with the girl before Nashiko turned back to listen to their plans.

XXX

The day turned to night and Nashiko tried to sleep but the small uncomfortable bunk wasn't cutting it. Orga wasn't back yet either. With a sigh, she stood up and threw a jacket over her black sports bra before carefully making her way towards the door, careful not to step on any of the boys sleeping on the floor. Once outside, she walked around for a little while before she found Biscuit, who was also looking for Orga. A few more minutes of searching found the older boy. Nashiko walked over to him and sat down. He turned his head to her, offering her a small smile.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" He asked but held his arm out for Nashiko to slide closer.

"I should be but you weren't there." She explained quietly. When she first got her 'whisker', she would almost always get nightmares. The only way those seemed to stop was if Orga was asleep beside her. Now, the nightmares have long since passed but she'd gotten so used to the older boy sleeping with her, it was hard for her to fall asleep without him there. She felt Orga lean his head against hers before pressing a kiss to the same spot, turning his head slightly as Biscuit came over. He had given them a moment of privacy before making his way towards them.

"You can't sleep, Orga?" The other boy asked him.

"You neither, Biscuit? It's just too suspicious." Orga answered.

"Indeed. She herself is only a bit naïve girl, but her birth and status are real. She's so important that even Gjallahorn could directly act. Then why chose our small company?"

"In any case, we have no choice. Even if it is a trap, we'll crush them, trap and all." Orga began to stand when he noticed how limp Nashiko was against him. Glancing at her face, he saw that she was fast asleep. He smiled and Biscuit chuckled slightly. With his help, Orga was able to pick the girl up bridal style and began to carry her back to the room.

"Orga!" Biscuit said, getting his attention. He turned his head and saw, in the sky, a flare. That meant that someone was coming towards the base.

"Nashiko." Orga said to the girl in his arms, shaking her slightly. She blinked her eyes open a few times before he sat her back on her feet, holding her arm to keep her from falling until she was a little more awake. "We're under attack." He answered before she could ask. Suddenly, she was wide awake. She nodded as she and Orga made their way to the hanger. Once inside, Orga threw Nashiko his shirt and tied his jacket around his waist, asking Eugene what the situation was. Nashiko grabbed Orga's adapter and walked up behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder as she pressed it to the 'whisker'. When she heard it click into place, she took of her own jacket, handing her adapter to him. He looked down at it before looking at her back.

"Just in case." She answered, pulling her braid out of the way. Orga nodded hesitantly before attaching the adapter. She put her jacket back on before turning back to face him. While she did pilot the Mobile Workers, it wasn't something that Orga wanted her doing in battle. She was good when it came to the drills but a real life battle was so much more different.

"What are you doing?" A voice said. They all turned to see one of the commanders and a man named Todo walking towards them. "You all have to attack the enemy head on, Third Group!"

"Do you know who the enemy is?" Orga asked him as he turned to fully face them.

"They're…" The man paused, as if unsure what he should say. "They're Gjallarhorn." The teenagers were all shocked.

"Why Gjallarhorn?" Eugene asked from where he was sitting on his Mobile Worker.

"How would I know?" The commander answered.

"Never mind that! Just deploy!" Todo said to them.

"What will First Corps, our Main Forces, be doing?" Nashiko asked the men.

"How do we coordinate?" Orga asked and both men looked surprised by their questions.

"We will attack from the rear. A pincer attack." The taller man said but he refused to look at them. Nashiko had a feeling that he wasn't telling the truth. Orga closed his right eye in annoyance and that told Nashiko all she needed to know, he wasn't believing them either. "So until then, you hold off the enemy."

"You got that?" Todo asked as they turned and left.

"Darn. I guess we have to go." Eugene slid inside of the Mobile Worker, closing the hatch behind him.

"I'm detecting an Ahab Wave besides our own reactor." Biscuit said to the two of them.

"What?" Nashiko asked while Orga looked at the younger boy in shock.

"If the enemy is Gjallarhorn, it could be…"

"Orga! Hurry up!" Eugene yelled. He turned to Nashiko, wrapping an arm around her waist before pulling her in for a kiss.

"I'll be back before you know it." He said to her, beginning their familiar system of goodbyes for when he goes on a mission.

"You better." She said, placing a hand on his cheek before turning and making her way towards another Mobile Worker and pilot.

XXX

Nashiko watched the battle for as long as she could before she turned to one of the other boys that was helping get the Mobile Workers ready to head out. "Is there an extra Mobile Worker?"

"Uh… yeah. Right over there." He said pointing to the last two of them. She nodded, taking off her jacket and throwing it on a desk. "What? What are you doing?" He asked in shock. She took her braided hair and used a string she found on the same desk to tie it into a bun.

"What does it look like? I'm going out to help." She answered, making her way towards the Worker.

"But you've never piloted one of them!" He said, following behind her. Many of the boys were aware of the President's order that she wasn't supposed to use a Mobile Worker. They also didn't know that Organ ad Mikazuki had been teaching her since her 'whisker' had healed.

"Apparently you don't know me very well." She said with a wink as she climbed on top of it and opened the hatch. "Has this one been checked over already?" She asked and the boy stood still for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah…" She slid inside, peeking her head out and nodding to the boy.

"Alright. Thanks." She closed the hatch and attacked her 'whisker' to the Worker. She sat still for a moment before letting out a breath that she relaxed and settled her hands on the controls. "Okay, just like in practice. Just like having Orga and Mikazuki with you, teaching you." She said to herself before letting go of the control and putting on her headset. She immediately heard Orga's voice giving orders and it made her feel a little better. She made her way out of the hanger into the battlefield. No one really paid her any attention, which was perfect for her because when Orga found out she was out there, he was going to explode. She could hear everyone talking and Biscuit confirmed her and Orga's suspicions about the First Corps, they were escaping from the back and leaving them all to die. Of course, Orga had set a brilliant plan into motion to use the First Corps as decoys and from what she could hear in the headset, it was working perfectly. That was until a Mobile Suit entered the battlefield. Nashiko sighed, careful not to talk because she knew that Orga was connected to her Mobile Worker. Two more Mobile Suits landed next to the first and Nashiko seriously doubted their chances of survival.

"No way. We can't win against Mobile Suits." Eugene said.

"What are we going to do?" Shino asked.

"We have to run." Danji spoke and Nashiko was a little surprised he'd been put in a Mobile Worker.

"Where to?" Akihiro spoke next.

"That's right." Orga said, drawing her attention to where he stood on his own Mobile Worker. "There's no place to run. There never was. Right, Mika?" The boy answered affirmative and Nashiko rolled her eyes.

"So, what should I do next, Orga?" The younger boy asked and Nashiko remembered the boy saying that same line for years. She smiled slightly.

XXX

Nashiko fired a couple more rounds at the Mobile Suit. Nothing she'd tried so far was piercing the amour. As she turned back to take a few more shots, she saw the Mobile Suit kick a Worker, the one she was pretty sure Danji was in.

"Danji!" Shino yelled, confirming her suspicions.

"No, Danji!" She yelled before she'd thought about it.

"Nashiko!? What the hell!? Where are you?" Orga all but yelled into the headset and she knew that she could deny it to longer.

"I'm in a Mobile Worker." She answered honestly, turning her guns towards the Mobile Suits head.

"Are you insane!?" Orga asked. "Come back now!"

"Can't do that…" She answered through gritted teeth as she avoided a shot from the Suit.

"Nashiko…" Orga began.

"She's already out here and she isn't dead yet. We need all the help we can get Orga." Eugene said to him as he and Nashiko passed each other. She was about ninety-five percent sure that the older boy was gritting his teeth.

"Fine but you keep moving and as soon as Mikazuki makes it back out there you're heading back." He responded to her and she hummed in response, firing one again at the Suit's head. She had its attention for a few moments before it turned towards Orga. It head opened up, revealing a cannon. It fired several times at Orga and Eugene.

"I'm gonna die!" Eugene screamed.

"I will not die. I will never die." Orga said into the headset as calmly as one would imagine he could. "Not like this. Not here." Nashiko stopped the Mobile Worker and opened the hatch, she pulled herself out to sit on the edge, leaving her headset on to listen to Orga speak. "It can't end here. Right, Mika?" As soon as the younger boy's name left his lips, there was an explosion in front of the Mobile Suit. It turned out the explosion was caused by the Mobile Suit that powered the entire base… and Mika was piloting it. Nashiko stood on top of her Worker, watching as the suit stood up to full height. Its colors were so bright; white, blue, gray, and some black compared to the dark green, grays, and blacks of the Gjallarhorn suit. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. The fight was far from over but at least they had a chance.