KS: (snores loudly)
Ragna: How long has he been like that?
Makoto: About an hour, I'm guessing.
KS: (resumes snoring)
Litchi: Will someone please wake him up. That snoring is getting annoying.
Noel: But he looks so peaceful...
Carl: Regardless, that snoring is irritating, so we'll have to wake him.
Rachel: That task may be close to impossible.
Carl: What makes you say that, Miss Rachel?
Rachel: From what I heard, he sleeps like a bear in hibernation. It is also said that he could sleep through an earthquake if it happened.
Tsubaki: Is that true?
Rachel: I'm not entirely sure. It may be just some idiotic rumor.
KS: (snores even louder)
Terumi: (pissed off) FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEONE WAKE HIM UP BEFORE I RIP HIS HEAD OFF! (gets shot by a lightning bolt) OWWWWWWWW! WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?!
KS: (tired) It came from me, you prick.
Carl: Mr. KnightSpark, you're finally awake.
KS: Yeah, I am. (glares at Terumi) No thanks to that egg-sucking venom slinger over there.
Terumi: (scoffs) Egg-sucking venom slinger? That's the best you can come up with?
Rachel: I believe it is an effective insult.
Terumi: How so?
Jin: Well, you're always insulting people.
Makoto: And you do like boiled eggs a lot.
Terumi: Your point being?
KS: (grows tick mark) Okay, who let this snake out of the pit?
Terumi: I don't think you're even trying, kid.
KS: Alright. That sinks it. (dials phone)
Ragna: Who are you calling?
KS: (puts hand in front of Ragna's face) Hello? Yeah, this is him. Listen, I got a problem here and I need you to take care of it. Describe him, you say? Well, he's got green hair and a lame hat. That's all I have to say about him.
Terumi: (offended) Hey.
KS: You'll know him when he starts throwing insults at you. Okay, thank you. (hangs up)
Makoto: Who was that?
KS: You'll see soon enough. Now, on with the story.
Kokonoe was not what some people would call a open person. She is secretive to everyone around her, including her colleagues. Whenever someone gets to a certain topic that Kokonoe doesn't want to talk about, she either clams up or changes the subject. It was an endless cycle for her, and little did she know… it was going to end in the next six hours.
"Makoto, stop resisting," Noel said as she and Tsubaki dragged the beastkin toward Kagura's office. "He invited us here, so the least we can do is show up."
"But I don't wanna," Makoto whined. "Everytime we come here, that prick is always hitting on me."
"That's only because he like you," Tsubaki giggled.
"Kagura doesn't 'like' girls. He lusts after them. Whenever he's around a woman, he'll attempt every trick in the book to get up her skirt or in her pants or something. For once, I would not like to go through that trauma again."
Noel frowned. "Don't think of him like that. Kagura's a good person."
Makoto stared at her blankly. "He groped you, Noel."
"So?"
"What do you mean 'so'? I think I've gotten my point across. Kagura Mutsuki is a lonely, desperate perv and that's all he'll ever be."
Noel and Tsubaki looked at each other, then nodded.
"You get her legs, I'll get her arms," Tsubaki ordered.
Before Makoto could react, Noel and Tsubaki tied her legs and arms together so she couldn't escape or fight them off. They held the bound beastkin above their heads and walked into Kagura's office, where they saw the Black Knight talking on his phone.
"Yeah, I'll be sure to let her know. Don't worry, she'll tell you the whole story. What do you mean, 'you're lying'? I'm being honest here. Alright, I see to it that she sees and talks to you. Okay. Goodbye."
He ended his call and turned to the girls who had blank expressions painted on their faces, except for Makoto, whose expression was a cross between suspiscion and disgust.
"So… what can I do for you fine girls?" he asked, flashing his usual charm.
"Stow it, Kagura," Makoto spat. "Whatever sick reason you got for bringing us here, I swear by all that is holy you'll never breed for as long as you live if you try anything funny."
For once, Kagura took Makoto's threat to heart and jumped back, both hands covering his groin to prevent any incoming attacks.
"Makoto, it's not what you're think and please, not now. If it take anymore damage, it's going to be useless," he pleaded. That didn't calm down Makoto in the slightest. In fact, her rage gave her the power to break out of the ropes that she was bound in and charged toward Kagura until her face was an inch away from his.
"Then allow me to relieve you of that burden you call manhood," she growled. "And besides, with your track record, it's pretty much useless at this point."
"MAKOTO!" Noel and Tsubaki shouted.
"What?"
"At least let him talk before throwing accusations like fastballs," Tsubaki scolded.
Makoto let out a sigh of resignation. "Fine, I'll ease up on him… just this once."
Kagura fell to the floor, releasing a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Tsubaki. You just saved me from a fate worse than death."
Tsubaki let out a nervous chuckle. "You're welcome."
"What did you want us for, Kagura?" Noel asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I almost forgot," Kagura said, standing up. "I need you to get Kokonoe for me. It's very important."
"How important?" Makoto asked through grit teeth. Kagura was sweating bullets at her tone.
"It's… important. Someone really needs to talk to her about something. That's all I can tell you."
"Why can't you tell us more?"
"Makoto…"
The beastkin sighed once again. She hated it when Tsubaki used that tone of hers. It made her feel like a child being scolded by her mother. "Fine, if you don't want to tell us, then we won't force you to. Now, what do you want from us?"
"I need you three to get Kokonoe for me and bring her to a certain spot," Kagura explained. "This person wants to meet her badly and she's not taking no for an answer."
"Who is this person?" Noel asked.
Kagura shrugged. "She never said her name, so I have no clue."
"So, we're just bringing to professor over to some random person?" Makoto gasped. "What if she's a stalker?"
"Makoto, what kind of a stalker would ask for someone to bring the person they're stalking to a certain location just to meet them?" Tsubaki asked.
"What, you think there's more than one type of stalker?"
"Will you all just go and find Kokonoe?" Kagura sighed. The girls nodded and left his office, leaving the Colonel by himself.
"Finally. Now I can get some peace around here."
He sits at his desk and pulls out a PS Vita from his pocket.
"Okay, girls, let's go and take down that base."
"Will someone will be so kind as to tell me why the hell I'm here?" Kokonoe asked. She was in a hotel room with Noel, Tsubaki and Makoto, who brought her there without giving any reason why.
"Oh, we would love to tell you…" Noel started.
"But we can't," Tsubaki finished.
Kokonoe started to get frustrated. "Why not?"
"It's top secret," Makoto answered quickly while pushing Noel and Tsubaki out of the room. "Anyway, once you're done talking, we'll pick you up."
She closed the door, leaving Kokonoe by herself. Sighing, the grimalkin sat in front of an wide-screen television with a game console hooked to it. At first, she wondered what it was doing in her room, but she decided not to question it. She booted up the console and started playing.
"I don't get it. Why is it that the Vex keep moving even when they've been shot in the head? It's unbelievable."
Kokonoe has been playing the game for half an hour and was beginning to get hooked on it. She had to fight aliens with multiple weapons and abilities one could only imagine having. Needless to say, she was hooked.
"So, the chest is their weak spot, huh? Well, I think I found me an advantage."
She heard a knock on the door, forcing her to pause the game and walk towards it. As she opened it, she saw the face of the last person she wanted to meet.
"Bullet?"
The mercenary charged into the room and slammed the door shut, glaring daggers into the scientist.
"Finally, I'll get the answers I want. And I will get them, one way or another," she growled.
Kokonoe froze where she stood. Bullet had her trapped. There was no possible escape route in the hotel. Even if she could get away from her, Bullet would catch up and pin her down. She literally had no options left.
"Now… what do you know about the incident that took the life of my squadron?" she asked.
Kokonoe didn't answer. Bullet lost her patience and grabbed her, slamming her against the wall.
"What do you know?!" she yelled, fuming with rage. "Tell me, damn you! Tell me or… I'll…"
Bullet trailed off as soon as she saw tears dropping from Kokonoe's eyes. She appeared to be sobbing as well. This caught her off guard completely.
"I-I don't know, okay?" Kokonoe choked out. "I've been trying to get some answers myself, but the higher-ups won't tell me shit. No matter what I did or how I did it, I got nothing. Nothing! If you want to know what happened to your squad… I'm afraid you're shaking down the wrong girl."
Bullet was shocked. All this time, she thought that Kokonoe had some clue about what happened, but in reality, she was as clueless as she was. Neither of them knew the truth about the demise of Bullet's squad and they might never know for sure.
"Oh god, I'm sorry," Bullet whispered. "I didn't know that you had no clue about it either. And here I am, about to beat the information out of you… god, I feel ashamed."
"Don't worry about it," Kokonoe sniffled. "I've had worse happen to me before."
"Really? Like what?"
"Like my mother getting killed."
Bullet gasped. "That's horrible."
"Tell me about it."
There was silence in the room once more. Kokonoe trudge back to the couch and plopped down on it. Bullet followed suit and sat down beside her.
"I always wanted to know something," Bullet said.
"What is it?" Kokonoe asked.
"Why don't you ever open up to anyone?"
Kokonoe sighed. "You're not gonna let up until I tell you, are you?"
Bullet shot her a smug look. "What do you think?"
"Fine, I'll tell you."
"I'm listening."
Kokonoe took a deep breath. "With my line of work, I didn't have time to interact with anyone. At least, not when it was something completely unrelated to my job."
Bullet nodded. "Uh-huh."
"I've been like a complete shut-in with my work for as long as I can remember, sucking on these damn lollipops to get me through the day." Kokonoe took the lollipop out of her mouth showed it to Bullet, then threw it away. "To be perfectly honest, I don't even like the taste of these things."
"Then why do you suck on them?" Bullet asked.
"Like I said, I need them to get through the day," Kokonoe answered. "Sometimes, my work can get really stressful to the point where I want to pull my hair out and throw stuff off of my desk."
Bullet's eyes widened in surprise. "You're that stressed?"
Kokonoe nodded. "Yeah."
"Wow. Surely, you cracked at some point."
"Again, I had the lollipop. If I didn't, the walls would've had a new paintcoat, if you get my drift."
"What's in those lollipops, anyway?"
"Catnip."
"Well, that explains a lot."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
Kokonoe and Bullet went on like this for hours. They both exchanged funny stories, like when Bullet mistook a short skirt for a pair of jeans shorts, or when Kokonoe ate a handful of spicy candy and her face was completely red for days. The list went on from that point forward and both women were completely tired.
"You know, I'm kinda glad you dropped by unexpectedly," Kokonoe sighed contently.
"Really? Why?" Bullet asked.
Kokonoe turned away while blushing. "I guess deep down… I just wanted someone to talk to. You know, just… normal, friendly chatter."
In a surprising twist, Bullet put an arm around her and brought her in for a hug. Kokonoe blushed when she realized her face was an inch away from her breasts.
"Yeah, it's nice having someone to talk to, isn't it?"
Kokonoe hugged her back. "Yeah, it is."
Bullet turned her gaze to the TV screen. "What's that you were playing before I got here?"
Kokonoe shrugged. "Just some shooter I bought. At first I didn't think it was anything special, but now I'm starting to enjoy it."
"Huh. What class are you?"
"Come again?"
"What class are you playing?"
"Um… Warlock."
Bullet turned to Kokonoe while giving her a geeky smile. "I'm a Titan."
It didn't take long for Kokonoe to connect the dots. "So, does that mean-"
"Yep. I play this game too. Really love it, by the way."
Kokonoe glared at her suspiciously. "I see… you're user name wouldn't BeatTheHeat190 would it?"
"And if it is?" Bullet asked cautiously, only to be caught off guard when the grimalkin quickly rose from her seat and pointed an accusing finger at her.
"I knew it! You're the damn Titan that stole the Scorch Cannon from me in the Prison of Elders!" she exclaimed.
"So what if I did?!" Bullet countered. "And if I remember correctly, a certain Warlock left me to die when we were facing Crota. You wouldn't happen to know about that, would you, MissScienceFiction?!"
Kokonoe grit her teeth. "I got disconnected! The wi-fi was down for about six hours!"
Bullet huffed. "That's what they all say!"
"It really happened, damn it!"
In another room, Noel, Tsubaki and Makoto heard the racket coming from the room next to theirs. For some reason, they all looked pleased with what was happening in there.
"I'm glad it all worked out," Noel said.
"It was about time the professor came out of her shell," Makoto added.
"Still, shouldn't we get them to stop fighting?" Tsubaki asked. "They might damage the room."
"Ah, don't worry 'bout it, Tsubaki," Makoto replied. "If anything happens, Kagura will pay for it."
"Yeah, but still…"
Noel put a hand on her shoulder."It's alright, Tsubaki. Besides, I got you something that will keep your mind of off what's going on."
Tsubaki's interest was piqued. "What is it?"
Makoto realized what Noel was talking about and started to sweat uncontrollably.
"Oh no…" she muttered.
Noel leaned in and whispered in Tsubaki's ear. When she was done, a dark aura began to envelop her friend, causing her to back up a bit.
"Oh Noel, I didn't know you remembered," Tsubaki said in a menacing tone.
"W-What do you mean?" Noel asked nervously.
"It means… I can finally get back at those damned Fallen for killing me on that raid!" Tsubaki yelled, followed by bone-chilling cackling.
Noel slowly backed away from her. "I-I feel like I'm missing out on something here…"
Makoto sighed. "Of course you did, Noellers. If Destiny is mentioned or brought up in of her, then…"
"T-Then?"
Makoto turned to Noel with a grim look.
"Then there's no stopping the 'QueenOfCondemnationWings'.
KS: In case you didn't picked up on it early, Destiny was reference in this fic.
Ragna: Yeah, we already knew that.
KS: Really?
Noel: Tsubaki's really into that game. (sweatdrops) A little too into it...
KS: What do you mean by that?
Tsubaki: I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR ARMS OFF AND THROTTLE YOU WITH THEM, YOU DAMNED FALLEN!
Jin: Tsubaki, please calm down.
Tsubaki: DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, JIN! I AM CALM!
Jin: (sighs) Whatever you say, sweetheart.
KS: Wow. She must hate the Fallen pretty bad.
Noel: She does.
Makoto: Hey, I just remembered. Didn't you call someone earlier?
KS: Yes I did. In fact, they should be arriving right...
(door swings open to reveal XDANTE1, Deviljho's Hatred and Cosmo camellia)
Terumi: (sweatdrops) Oh, no...
KS: Hey, glad you guys could make it.
XDante: Nice to meet you too, KnightSpark. (glances at Terumi) You want him dealt with?
KS: If it's not too much trouble.
Hatred: Not at all, man. (drags Terumi by his feet) Let's go, snake boy.
Terumi: Oh, come on! What the hell did I do to deserve this?!
XDante: Aside from being a total pain in the neck?
Terumi: I take it back!
XDante: Too late. Already have a list.
Terumi: Damn you!
XDante: Well, I'm off. See you later, man.
KS: Same to you.
(XDante walks off)
Camellia: I have something for you, KnightSpark.
KS: Really? What is it?
Camellia: (hands over PS Vita) This.
KS: (takes Vita out of Camellia's hand) Hey, I've been looking for this all week. Were did you find it?
Camellia: Kagura had it. He was playing Monster Monpiece on it.
KS: (sweatdrops) He was playing Monpiece on my Vita?
Camellia: Yeah.
KS: Well, I gotta go and disinfect this now.
Camellia: Why?
KS: Because Kagura got his hands on it. Need I say more?
Camellia: I guess not.
KS: Oh, but before I go... (turns to the readers) have a nice day, everyone.
Nu & Lambda: Don't forget to follow, fave and review! (blows kisses)
Camellia: What was that?
KS: Just something I came up with. What do you think?
Camellia: Hmm... needs some work.
KS: Okay, I'll get right on that. Thanks again for getting my Vita back.
Camellia: (smiles) Anytime. (walks out)
KS: (turns on Vita) If Kagura messed around on this, I'm going to make sure he has the worst day of his life.