Your Enemies Are Closer

Aldnoah Zero © Aniplex

Your Enemies © fhclause

This was her first.

It had started with a bad morning. She woke up with her neck stiff. She got sore bums when she accidentally rolled out of the bed to avoid the blinding sun and landed with her bottoms first. She had nothing for breakfast except a burnt-from-stale bread and a quarter of milk when she realized she was out her favourite cereal. She texted Inko about her lame breakfast and didn't get an immediate reply. The birds were too enthusiastically chirping outside her window that they gave her a headache and the morning was too cold and her heater wasn't working.

But what made it worse was, she saw something that no one should ever see first thing in the morning.

The face of Inaho Kaizuka.

There, standing with his immaculate, standard military uniform, he stared at her with a steady, burgundy eye—his other eye covered with a black eyepatch—that expected her to invite him in without a word. But Rayet wasn't as easily intimidated by his stare like most people did.

So she crossed her arms and demanded, "What do you want?" He didn't reply, but instead handed her a white plastic bag. She peeked inside and was surprised to see her favourite blueberry-chocolate pancake was inside. Suspicious, she frowned at him. "What's this for?"

"Inko asked me to get breakfast for you."

It took her a while to think why Inko would ask him of all people until she remembered that the young Kaizuka lived in the same building apartment as her. It was a total coincidence and she didn't know until she stumbled upon him at the main entrance of the apartment two weeks ago. Even then, they rarely see each other and when they did, they did not talk to each other, only nodded in recognition when she went for her morning jog and he to work. He was not exactly what she would call a friend—an acquaintance at best; an annoying stuck-up at worse—so she didn't feel guilty at all for not trying to strike up a conversation with him.

So of course he doing something nice like this made her uncomfortable. She had an irrational urge to suddenly throw the plastic bag at him, but that would be a waste of food. "Thanks, I guess."

He nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly turned his head with a blank stare. "You should wash your face."

"Huh?"

"There's a drool mark."

Her face burnt red in embarrassment as she furiously wiped her chin. Then she realized he was already leaving without any retribution, and with the lift's door about to close, Rayet did a second best in this kind of situation.

"I hate you!"

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This was her twelfth.

Forget about the second, third or so on. The twelfth one was the one the she meant the most.

Three years ago, the first Aldnoah Reactor was activated on Earth and Rayet decided to not be a part of the military anymore. But sometimes, Shinawara High School would call her as a part-time instructor to teach the kids how to use the Kataphrakts. There should not have been a school that taught teenagers to be soldiers anymore, but Rayet knew that peace is a fragile thing. Even though these teenagers probably won't be able to apply what they learn in real life situation, it never hurt to be prepared.

Today was special though, because instead of standing in the control room overlooking amateurs occupying the shooting range field, she got to do something physical. She got to do hand-in-hand combat. But it seemed the principal thought it would be more special to invite a special guest for the demonstration as well.

Yup, you guessed it. Freaking Inaho Kaizuka, coming down with his infamous orange-coloured Kataprakt that sent the students into a frenzy—seriously, what's wrong with taking a jeep? It's not like he just descended from the Deucalion.

Was there no moment in her life where she could enjoy something without looking at his face?

Despite her thoughts, Rayet kept her composure. This was actually a good opportunity for her to take revenge on him for pinning her down in that bathroom that time. Sure, she was grateful that he saved her life, but Rayet had always been proud with her hand-to-hand combat skill and the only reason he won was because he took her off guard.

After they changed into appropriate outfits, they took their positions. Fighting beside him in the war; she knew how he worked. He would take time to analyse the situation and look for an opening. Her solution was to give him none, so she furiously attacked him without a pause. There was no bionic eye to help him, his left side was vulnerable and he merely learned hand-to-hand combat to protect while she, to kill.

Rayet wasn't sure if it was because she was too eager for a payback to pay attention, or if it was because he was too occupied deflecting her blows or if the students were too excited to be around a legend, but one of the students stepped into the training mat just as she was about to hit him.

It happened all too fast; a hit on a shoulder, an uncapped bottle of water flew into the air, a hand roughly pulled her down, a hard land to the floor, the flying bottle landed straight onto her shoulder and she was suddenly wet all over.

The floor beneath her half-lifted—she was on top of him, grinding her teeth for her bad luck to even care that Inaho Kaizuka was under her. "Rayet. Are you okay?"

Rayet glared at him and because he was the closest thing near her boiling point, she muttered, "I hate you." And then she realized that his eye was marginally wider than usual. Was he really worried?

Rayet quickly stood up, reminded herself how Inaho had no concern over her—or anyone unless they were useful assets in war. He said so himself.

But the young Kaizuka was walking towards her, with a clean towel in his hand. "I'm sorry."

He didn't actually sound sorry; in fact, his voice was as flat as usual. But he did try and it wasn't exactly his fault the bottle landed on her. "Whatever," she said dismissively, but took the towel nonetheless.

Fine, so she didn't really mean it when she said she hated him. But she would mean it next time.

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This was her twenty-seventh.

Rayet didn't even understand why she was keeping track, but it seemed important enough then.

She was shopping with Inko and Nina. Well, more like hanging around behind Inko and Nina, considering she didn't and would never understand the concept of 'shopping' where they would browse accessories more than an hour, debating which outfit was cuter, and squealed in excitement when they saw a pair of cute pants.

Pants are pants. How were they cute?

But Rayet didn't protest. She was just happy to see them happy.

Until she saw a familiar messy, black hair behind one of the racks.

He hadn't seen her yet, considering he was looking at the jacket his sister was showing to him. Rayet slowly stepped back and was almost out of their range of sight when Nina called, "Rayet-chan! Look at this!"

Then, of course Yuki Kaizuka turned towards their direction and enthusiastically greeted them while Inaho watched them impassively as if stumbling upon each other in a shopping mall was an everyday occurrence.

After buying some clothes and matching accessories—excluding Rayet who only bought a hoodie and Inaho who didn't buy anything but still had to carry most of the girls' shopping bags—Yuki suggested they had lunch together. Rayet didn't protest, because the food court they went to have the best fried tempura in town. They ordered three plates of those.

They were talking something about Count Mazuurek regular visit to United Earth—Rayet had an idea why—when she nipped the last tempura with her chopsticks. Immediately, another pair of chopstick clamped hers. Steady burgundy eye calmly stared her down, contrary to the firm force of his chopstick. She glared at him. "Get off my tempura."

"No. This is your ninth already."

"Wha—Are you trying to say I'm a glutton!?"

"If you say so…"

"I am not! And this is my fifth!"

"Ninth."

"Fifth!"

"Kids, please!" Yuki exclaimed. She wiggled her finger with a frown. "Nao-kun, you should never say to a girl that she's a glutton or even implying it. Rayet-chan, you should always watch what you eat, even if you never get fat. You'll never know what happens when you reach thirty! And this tempura—" She grinned as she squeezed the tail between her fingers. "—is mine."

Rayet watched wistfully as the last tempura got eaten. She sent Inaho another glare across the table and hissed, "I hate you."

The usual poker-faced young man glanced at her, with a little frown that seemed to be accusing her for letting the last tempura to get eaten.

Hmph. It's not her fault that he was so pedantic even when he got it wrong.

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This was her fortieth.

There was this guy in United Earth that kept asking her to have lunch with him every time she went there to visit Inko and Nina. Rayet didn't know who he was or even his name, but he talked to her as if he knew her. Nina had told her that the guy used to insult Rayet because she was a Martian, but had changed his attitude ever since she had saved him. Rayet still couldn't remember even then.

She was checking the system of a newly upgraded Kataphrakts—her other part-time job—when somebody called her name.

"Rayet-san!" It was that guy again. Ugh, he was so persistent. He jumped over the safety rail and leaned over the cockpit and—whoa, whoa, whoa! Why was he so close!? "Hey, cool! Are you testing the system? Can I help you?"

"What? N—"

"Here. The handle system will be better if you do this."

"I can do tha—"

"And these buttons are very helpful."

"Look, buddy—" She gritted her teeth when he interrupted her again to explain something she already knew when a familiar, flat voice suddenly called.

"Ensign Gino."

It was amazing. Just by calling the guy's name, with no shouting or any authoritarian tone one usually use when one was lieutenant, the guy still straightened up like a pole. "Sir!"

"Lieutenant Marito calls for all ensigns to the Meeting Room 4. Or did you not hear?"

"Eh? Ah…umm—"

His burgundy eye moved uninterestedly away from the stammering soldier to her. "Rayet, come with me."

Usually, she would raise hell at him for even calling her as if she was some obedient dog, but Rayet was just glad she could get rid of the guy and honestly, what Inaho did was pretty impressive. She leaped out of the Kataphrakts and skipped into line beside him, grinning all the way. "Although I could have handled that myself—just to be clear—that was pretty cool, Lieutenant Kaizuka."

One burgundy eye glanced at her but quickly look back to the front. "I was just relaying a message."

"Uh-huh," she grunted with amusement. This guy really didn't know how to take a compliment, did he?

"Have you finished testing the Kataphrakts?"

"No. Have a couple of them left. Why?"

"I would like you to check the upgrade on Sleipnir as well."

Rayet stopped in her tracks. Inaho stopped as well when he realized she wasn't following and looked back at her. Her eyes had widened. "Your Sleipnir."

"Yes."

"Your Sleipnir."

"Yes."

Rayet clutched her hair in frustration. "Why do you have to answer with one-word!?" Why he couldn't understand? Sure, his Sleipnir was originally a training model, but it had been upgraded so many times throughout the war that it was even better than some average Areion. Other than Calm and the maintenance team, he didn't allow anyone other than himself to touch that fighting machine. To understand how such legend worked—the Kataphrakt, not him—was a big opportunity!

Rayet took a gulp of air and closed her eyes. "Okay, no, relax."

"But I am."

"I wasn't talking to you! Ugh!" She snorted in disgust when she realized he knew—was that tilt at corner of his lips?—and was deliberately making fun of her. "I hate you!" she declared and stomped off.

God, she couldn't wait to get into his Kataphrakt and make the system so smooth that he won't be able to find a single flaw that he could complain about so he would just freaking go away.

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This was her sixty-fifth.

Rayet was pretty sure she never gave him an invitation, but Inaho had started to come over to her house at least once a week, with his eye-patch off, and took a nap.

Yes, a nap. As if he didn't have his own apartment to sleep in three floors above hers.

It started out as a coincidence in one, very late evening, as a hand stopped the lift's door from closing. Inaho blinked with his one eye when he saw her in the lift and nodded tiredly at her. Judging from his posture and more-than-usual droopy eye, it was a rough day at work.

And then he suddenly fainted right into her arms that she had to drag him back to her apartment because hers was the closest. She then plopped him not too nicely onto her couch, threatened him to do a bodily harm if he did not stay when he awoke ten minutes later because he was being an idiot when he should know he was in no condition to even walk, stuffed his face with enough pillows and a blanket and let him sleep in the living room. The next day, he was already gone, but on top of her small dining table, were three layered pancakes jammed with chocolate and blueberry that were still warm.

After that little incident, Inaho visited her more often, shoved into her hands with variety of takeaways, and went straight to her couch and dozed off.

If it wasn't because of the free food, Rayet would have punched him in the face for even making himself at home in her apartment.

A light snore, and Rayet glanced at the young man currently occupying her couch. He was taller than he was the first time she met him—the couch could barely accommodate his height, with his one leg bended and the other dangled on the floor. They were almost the same height back then, but now, he was a head taller than her, with broader shoulders, but still with the familiar smell of oil grease and burnt wire that mixed with sweat. Both his eyes were closed but the other that used to house a bionic eye was hollowed than normal. His fingers were long and thin, but deadly when handling a Kataprakt. His hair seemed to be longer—he probably hadn't had a haircut for a while—and was tousled even more from his sleep.

Even with his lack of social skill and overbearing personality, Rayet could almost understand why Inko and the princess had had feelings for him. He was actually pretty good-looking.

Rayet blushed in embarrassment—what was she doing!? This was Inaho Kaizuka! The arrogant prick who think the world revolved around him! Just because her fingers itched to brush back his messy hair, or traced the line his eyepatch made when he took it off, or stared at his sleeping face, did not mean that she was—

"Rayet."

Rayet jumped from her seat. "Wh-wh-wha-what!?"

One sleepy eye blinked. "Are you okay? Your face is red."

"No, it's not! And it is dark! You didn't see a thing!"

"Hmm." Inaho sat up, rubbing his eye with his palm. "Are you sure? You're not looking at me."

"I am looking at you!" she argued, whipping her head to look—no, glare—at him. He kept his stare a moment longer; his naked, blind eye stood out against his boyish face. She remembered the first time she told him to take off his eyepatch when it was obvious it bothered him when he slept. He had looked uncertain but she rolled his eyes and told him that an additional eyepatch did not improve his personality whatsoever, so she would appreciate it if he could just cut the crap and stop acting so missish.

Then, he had smiled—or at least she thought it was a smile. His lips were twitching in a weird way that she had never seen on him before and she was pretty sure a real, wide-with-teeth-showing smile was too difficult for Inaho Kaizuka to do anyway.

He never wore the eyepatch again when he slept on her couch.

Rayet frowned at him. She didn't understand what the big deal was. It was just a freaking eyep—

His lips twitched again.

"What the hell are you smiling for?"

"Was I?" he murmured. But the corner of his lips lifted even more, as if he knew something that she didn't. That annoyed her, but before she could tell him off, he tied back his eyepatch and stood up to leave.

He stopped right before he stepped out of her door. "Ah, I almost forgot. Here." He waited for her to give him her hand before putting it onto her palm. "The key to my apartment."

"Wh-wh-wha-what!?"

Inaho blinked slowly. "I'll be away for Britain for three weeks. I would have given it to Yuki-nee, but she is escorting Count Mazuurek to Poland to learn more about their culture."

Rayet's thoughts were running a million per second that she couldn't digest what he had said at first. The key resting on her palm felt heavy, even though it was as small as her pinkie. Wasn't it Earth's tradition to exchange keys if the people involved were…close? "Then keep it yourself!"

"I'm afraid I might lose it."

She scoffed. "As if!"

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "You can have all my food in the fridge."

A slight hesitation. "…All?"

"I will even cook you something and keep it there."

Rayet crossed her arms, chewing on her bottom lip. Damn, he was good. "Fine. But if you don't come back in exactly three weeks, I'll throw your key out to the sea."

"Fair enough. Goodbye."

Three weeks later, he didn't claim his key back. She didn't know how he got into his apartment without it, and she didn't give it back to him either. In fact, she kept the key because, one, if he did ask for it, she could throw it right to his face and two, there was always cooked food in his fridge with her name on it.

Rayet decided she didn't hate him for this.

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This was her eighty-third.

It was the Empress of the Vers Empire's birthday and despite being a well-known royalty on both Earth and Mars, Asseylum decided to make her birthday party private and for close friends only. But because she was also a royalty, it would be more than just ribbons and balloon decorations and a small numbered cake. It would mean champagne fountain, a small orchestra group, dancing and a five-tiered cake. And a very, very long dinner table.

It was during the third course—how many freaking courses there were, anyway? —that the Empress's consort, Count Cruhteo stood up, clanging his fork on his champagne glass. The conversation quietened as everyone turned to him.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. I was actually reluctant to come here tonight as I know that all in attendance here are all close friends to Asseylum. I was afraid that my presence would be a bother. But Asseylum had assured me that it would not be so, that I would be accepted with wide arms. She was not wrong. I am honoured to be your friend and I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for allowing me to be here tonight.

"I understand that it is a custom on Earth for the celebrated one to receive presents for their birthday. But it seemed the opposite had happened this morning, as I received a great gift from my dear wife."

At this, Asseylum stood up, with a smile and a pink face. She faced the crowd to say something but suddenly covered her pinked cheeks with her hands and tried to seek cover behind her husband's arm. She mumbled something that no one could hear, but it made Count Cruhteo chuckled. "What my wife was trying to say is: we are expecting a little extension of ourselves in the near future. She is three months along."

The silence suddenly heavy with confusion and wonder until Inko squealed in delight and Nina shouted to everyone that the Empress was pregnant. There was also a great deal of hugs and cheek-kisses among the ladies and handshakes and pats on the back between the men.

The party then resumed with vigorous excitement as Nina chatted excitedly with Asseylum, Lieutenant Marito clanged his champagne glass against Count Cruhteo's, Calm offering a plate of cupcakes to a pouty-looking Inko and Count Mazuurek trying to persuade Yuki to dance with him.

In all this excitement, someone—the man who made this happiness possible—was missing. Rayet took a plate of cakes and walked around the ballroom. She almost missed him, standing alone in the darkness of the balcony. She stepped out the French doors and leaned against the balustrade beside him. He was staring at the stars.

"You're missing the good part of the party," she said as she offered him the plate of cakes.

The corner of his lips twitched. "Thanks," he murmured and put the plate on top of the balustrade. He pinched a small portion of a cake and put it into his mouth.

Rayet glanced over her shoulder before staring back at the stars. "I think Count Mazuurek is going to get harmed tonight."

"Why?"

"He's been trying to make Yuki-san dance that dance they learned in Poland."

Inaho glanced over his shoulder. His sister had her hands on her waist—a pose she did when she was angry—but her eyes sparkled. He turned away to look up again. "He'll be fine."

"Hmm."

Silence settled between the two, both were aware of the fanfare behind them, but comfortable enough with each other's presence that they didn't feel lost by ignoring the fun. Then, Rayet chewed her bottom lip, a question that she had wondered a long time ago crossed her mind but did not care much for the answer until recently. She didn't know how to ask him—she didn't want to ask—but her brain didn't cooperate with her mouth. "Are you disappointed?"

Rayet bit her lips. What kind of question was that? Of course he was disappointed. The man had practically done everything to save Asseylum. Even if she didn't ask him outright, even if he never mentioned it, anyone could see that he was practically in lo—

"No."

Rayet blinked. "Huh?"

"No, I'm not disappointed." He turned to look something behind him and Rayet followed his gaze. The empress and her consort were dancing a waltz together—Count Cruhteo bent to whisper something to Asseylum, which she responded with a giggle.

Rayet couldn't help but smile. "They seem happy."

"They are happy."

The conviction in his voice made her looked back at him and there it was—something Rayet never thought he was capable of—a real smile. It all made sense to her at that moment: Despite being an initially a political marriage, Asseylum and the count had somehow turned it into a love match. And Inaho knew and he was glad for it.

Still, she had to hear it from his lips. "Are you happy too?"

Even though it was dark, the stars were bright enough to make his burgundy eye twinkled as it exchanged gazes with hers. He bent closer until their breath mingled, but Rayet was too entranced by the changes of colours his eye made with the stars to back away. "Yes," he said, but his lips were still moving. "But do you know what makes me happier?"

Suddenly, she forgot to breathe as heat radiated from her face. She gasped when their nose bumped and felt his heat radiating from him. She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head.

"This."

She felt something wet and cold touched her cheek and Rayet snapped her eyes opened. She gasped disbelievingly at him as his shoulders shook with mirth. She punched his arm. "You jerk!"

"I'm sorry," he shakily snorted as he tried to hold his laughter in.

"Ugh! I hate you!"

Inaho grabbed her incoming wrist. She struggled at first and groaned in frustration before she stopped to glare at him instead. His other hand wiped away the cake's cream he had put on her cheek. He was still smiling when he looked at her. "I am happy, Rayet. Thank you."

Her face flushed at that and she looked away begrudgingly. After he let her go, Rayet walked back to the ballroom.

But not before she threw a piece of cake at his hair.

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This was her ninety-ninth.

Rayet didn't understand how it was a good decision, but the Empress of Vers Empire decided to appoint Rayet as her main escort. Did she forget that Rayet once tried to kill her? What? The baby was coming out soon and she preferred it to be in her homeland and needed an escort ASAP? That's great, but hey! Rayet tried to kill her once before! Hello!? Oh, wait. Rayet was a safe choice because she was a natural? Because she wasn't a part of United Earth's army nor Vers? Umm, okay… But she still tried to kill the empress before! Did the empress not hear her the first time!?

Apparently Asseylum didn't, because she was adamant to have Rayet escort her no matter what. In fact, she promised Rayet that there would be a special Vers Kataphrakt just for her, so she didn't need to worry about a thing. They would leave in a week, so she better made a preparation! Oh, Asseylum couldn't wait to tell Kanclain about this! She'll be going now. Ta-ta!

Rayet sighed as she stared at the back of the humming empress, her bulging tummy made her retreat slower than usual. But Rayet didn't have a heart to stop her anyway, considering the empress just made her agree without Rayet said a single word. Oh well, at least she would get a new Kataprakt.

A week later, they were all gathered near the Emperor's Hadriacus. Most of her friends were there, lining up as if they were sending her off to battle. Rayet chuckled. They really could be dramatic sometimes.

Captain Magbaredge and Lieutenant Marito sent her off with a salute, with the lieutenant gave her an extra ruffle on the head. Yuki-san gave her a music player. Inko and Nina gave her a big box, three-months worth of snacks. Calm gave her a set of comic books that he had been trying to convince her to read and Inaho, a small lunchbox.

He also had his most poker-face on.

Rayet rolled her eyes. "God. Stop looking so gloomy. I know my Kataprakt looks good and performs better, but I haven't destroyed yours yet."

The corner of his lips tilted. "Here."

Rayet took the lunchbox from him and open the lid a little. The sweet smell of honey, blueberry and chocolate invaded her nose. "Inaho—"

"Your favourite."

All the emotions she kept inside since morning exploded and suddenly her eyes stung and her throat clogged. It wasn't as if she would never see them again. It was just going to be for a few months, for god sake! It's not as if she couldn't call them either if she missed them!

A tear fell and she adamantly brushed them away. "Ugh, this is so stupid! I just—"

Something soft and warm touched her cheek and Rayet was too shocked to even close her eyes when she realized it was his lips. The kiss lingered but undemanding, and when he pulled away, Rayet could feel her cheek—her whole face—burning.

"Be safe."

It was the last word she heard from him. She wasn't sure how she got into Hadriacus nor was she sure if Rayet properly said goodbye to her friends before she embarked. She wasn't even sure if she said or did anything after Inaho suddenly kissed her.

They were already passing the moon base. Rayet buried her face in her hands in frustration. She should call and demand him to explain what he just did. She stood up to do just that when she spied the little lunchbox he gave to her. Her tummy suddenly rumbled and she walked towards it. Might as well eat it. Then she could complain about how there wasn't enough chocolate in it, how the pancakes were too soft, how—

Rayet blinked as she read the writing on top of the pancake. Tears suddenly threatened to come out again.

I will be waiting

"Idiot. Why do you have to do something like this when I'm away?" She brushed a stray tear. "Ugh, I hate you."

She never called him.

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"Oh, good morning, Inaho-san!"

[Good morning, Seylum-san. I trust you are well?]

She smiled at Inaho on the screen. "Never been better. Although, I would like for this baby to come out already. I miss lying on my sides and my back is killing me."

A small indulging smile as a response.

"Would you like to hear the usual report?"

[Yes.]

"We are all well here. Vers is trying to improve its agriculture and I think it will go well as long as we improve our watering system first. Kanclain suggests that we import some animals from Earth after the pseudo-Earth Sky has been installed. And, umm…"

[Yes?]

"Rayet-san has been grumbling for over a week now. I think she is trying to make some Earth food that she is fond of, but failing. Since you are on, maybe she cou—oh! Rayet-san! We were just talking about you!"

Rayet, who just came in, froze in her steps. She blinked at the person on the screen. "Oh, umm...uh…"

[Rayet.]

Her eyes widened as if she just realized who it was and bolted out of the room.

"Oh, Rayet-san! Wait! Ah, she's gone." Asseylum palmed her cheek worriedly as she turned back towards the screen. "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop her."

[No, it's alright.] There was a small silence before Inaho looked at the Empress expectantly. [Seylum-san, I was wondering if you can keep a secret?]

…

Rayet stuffed her face in her pillow for the umpteenth time for the last few hours. What was she doing? Why was she acting so stupidly? Why did she bolt out the room? Why couldn't she at least pretend that she didn't see him on that screen? Why didn't she say sorry for ignoring him the whole months she had been in Mars!?

She had been trying to sort out her feelings ever since she set out for Vers. The first thing she remembered she did was to impulsively erased the writing on the pancake and passed it to Count Cruteo as he was the first person she saw in the hallway. She had stupidly cried in regret in her room right after but the thought of eating it, even with the writing gone, had made her stomach churned sickly.

A couple of days after they had landed on Vers, Rayet called Inko and Nina to take her mind off things—him. But of course, being the witnesses of the whole thing—why the heck did he kiss her on the cheek in front everyone?—they barraged her with load of questions she was unable to answer. Did Inaho had really kissed her? They didn't believe their eyes because it was Inaho. What did he give her in that lunchbox? A promise ring? Has she called him yet? What did he say? What did she say?

At that, Rayet robotically said that no, she didn't call him. They had immediately understood, as Nina and Inko exchanged each other a glance, that Inaho was a sensitive subject. They promptly changed the subject and never asked again.

A month after regularly talking to her friends and pretending that nothing had happened—stray thoughts sometimes crossed her mind. Was he overworking himself again? Was he sleeping well without her couch? Surely a genius like him knew she kept her keys under the vase next to her door?—Rayet felt almost normal. She had just been shadowing Empress Asseylum back to her bedchamber and closed the door when she received a call. All the blood had drained from her face when she saw the ID. She took a deep breath before accepting it. "Hello, Yuki-san."

Rayet had waited in dread as Inaho's sister exchanged pleasantries and asked for her report of her stay in Vers. After a few minutes, the imaginary Yuki Kaizuka in Rayet's head demanding why she didn't call her precious brother yet, dissipated. Rayet was steadily reporting about Asseylum's condition when she heard him.

[Yuki-nee. Is that—]

Rayet had cut off the call.

When it occurred to her what she had done, Rayet had sent a written report and an apology for rudely cutting off the line. She had promised to send regular written reports instead of verbal ones for confidential reasons. But Rayet knew she was fooling herself. She felt too guilty—after a month of silence—to even risk herself to have a conversation with Inaho. She was sure he knew it was her on the phone then and that she had purposely cut the line off. Rayet was sure he knew by then that she was avoiding him.

Heck, he might have figured that she was avoiding talking to him after a week of silence.

And now, it had been three months since the kiss and Rayet still hadn't called him. Again, she scolded herself for her cowardice as she screamed in her pillow.

"Making pancakes can't be that difficult."

She jumped on her mattress, scrambling to sit up but didn't turn around. The smell of oil grease and burnt wire that familiarize itself in her living room back on Earth, filled her senses. She hugged her pillow tight. "You try to make pancakes with flour made out of sand and eggs that don't taste like eggs."

She felt the mattress dipped behind her. "Then I suppose you'll like what I brought you."

Another familiar scent hit her nose, but instead of filling her with joy, the bubble of shame and confusion that had been swelling since she embarked Hadriacus burst within her. It wasn't entirely his fault, she knew. She could have just asked him for an explanation instead of avoiding him, but when it came to him, Rayet was hardly rational. "Does this one has a writing on top too?" she asked snidely, but immediately clamped her mouth shut when she noticed his face.

Rayet didn't know that it was possible for Inaho to be cold looking. He always looked detached—uninterested—but never cold. But his lips were in a straighter line than usual and his visible eye looked like it was made of chipped ice. But what made Rayet even guiltier was the dark circle under his eye and the slumped shoulders he always had when he was tired. He was overworking himself again.

Inaho looked away, as if he read her mind. "I'm sorry."

She blinked. "What?"

"For the writing…and the kiss. I didn't mean to offend you."

She blinked again. "What?"

His burgundy eye flickered and she swore he was glaring at her—Inaho? Glaring?—before looking away again. "I brought some Earth ingredients and non-perishable food. Seylum-san has been reporting that you have been craving these items." Inaho closed the lunch box and settled it next to her lap. He stood up. "Good luck."

Rayet was almost a second too late before realizing that he was leaving. She shot off from her bed and pulled his arm so roughly that he reeled back and almost toppled them both if Inaho didn't grabbed her elbows and righted them both. They were so close; her nose almost buried in his chest, his hand gripping her arms.

She took a shuddering breath—the hand that pulled his arm was still holding him quite tightly—and looked at him. She wasn't wrong; he was glaring. Somehow, that made her smile. That smile quickly turned to chuckle. His body went rigid and she realized that she had rested her forehead on his chest. "I'm sorry too. I should have called you."

A slight hesitation, and the hands gripping her arms slowly rested on her waist. "I was…hurt, when you called and talked to everyone else but me."

Of course. As unfeeling Inaho always looked, Rayet always knew that he felt deeply. He might never utter them in words or expression, but he always proved them with actions. His love towards his sister. His loyalty to Empress Asseylum. The way he joked with her with that deadpan face. The food in his fridge with her name on it. His smiles.

Heck, he even came here to just give her food after what must be a tiring journey from Earth to Vers with the possibility of her not wanting to see him. Of course he was hurt.

Her hands locked behind his back as she pressed her face deeper into his chest. "Sorry."

He buried his nose in her hair as they pulled each other closer. Funnily enough, Rayet didn't feel the slightest embarrassed for being hugged, despite her awkwardness with touch and affection. In fact, she felt a sense of relief, like a calm stream of water after being dammed for so long. It felt nice.

Though Rayet being Rayet, calm didn't last long. She tilted her head up and glared at him. They were still embracing each other. "How the hell was I supposed to understand? You think sending a smile or two my way will tell me what you think? And what's that kiss and 'I'll be waiting' supposed to mean? I'm not Inko or Nina. You can't just imply things. I can't—"

"I like you."

Her breath whooshed out of her. "Wha—"

He pressed her closer. "I like you. More than an acquaintance. More than a friend. I like you."

She had her mouth agape at his declaration, but when her brain finally digested his words, she tilted her head daringly. "Prove it."

His lips twitched into a smile and he kissed her.

.

.

.

*EXTRA*

Rayet glared at the sleeping figure on her bed. After a rigorous kissing session, Inaho had promptly fell into her arms, snoring. What was it with him and falling asleep into her arms? Shouldn't the princess stay awake after the prince had kissed her? Wasn't that how Earth's fairy-tales goes?

He shifted in his sleep, and a lock of hair fell onto his hollowed eyelid. Rayet brushed it away, wondering if having a significant other, automatically turned her fussy. She had absent-mindedly fluffed his pillow before gently laid his head on it and removed his eyepatch so it wouldn't irritate him. She frowned at that thought—Her? Fussy?—and directed her ire at Inaho. Her fingers were still softly brushing that lock of hair. "I hate you."

"Twenty-seventh."

Her fingers froze as a soft burgundy eye looked at her. Some sort of stupid, sleepy smile was on his face and it made her flushed and her stomach flutter. "What?"

"That's the twenty-seventh time that those words mean the exact opposite."

She frowned as suspicion tickled her senses. "Inaho, you did not just keep tra—"

"Thirty-one times you really did mean it. Fourty-four times you said them just to fill the silence. Twenty-five—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's more than a hundred. It had only been a hundredth time. Including just now!"

That burgundy eye looked steadily at her. "Twenty-five times you said them in your head and on your face."

Rayet stared at him incredulously before a silly thought crossed her mind. She moved closer to straddle him as she chuckled. "Oh my god. I kissed a freak. A pedantic freak."

His eye darkened slightly as it glanced towards her lips before moving back to her face. "In those twenty-five times, fifteen of them meant the opposite and—"

She kissed him to shut him up.

A/N: Welp. Good luck me for not trying to ship these two in a romantic sense, because I did anyway. This fic had been staying in my computer 90% written for a year, before I decided to finish it. The 100th 'I hate you' moment had me stumped the last time I opened this fic and it wasn't until I decided to actually continue last night that I was satisfied with it. I hope you did too.

Thanks for reading and kindly leave a review ^v^