A/N: This story was originally a series of posts that I put onto my Tumblr (shooter-nobunagun), however as it's still not the best place for chaptered stories, I am re-posting them here for ease of access and readability.
The light is harsh, almost too brightly artificial, even though she knows it is meant to give the crew a feeling of nature. But what could be natural about the undersea surface, the constant wavering of blueish-white glows, hovering with each and every wave? The climate control…constant circulation of recycled air, and although it is maintained at a habitable 70 degrees Fahrenheit, she still feels a chill as the Commander stares down from her post.
"Miss Nobunagun. Have you come to a decision yet?" The steel of her voice, the unwavering glint in her eye; almost two millennia old, and yet, nobody dares to question her judgement. Behind her St. Germain stands, always in her shadow, never overstepping his boundaries yet he sees and knows all. Beyond that it is just the alien DOGOO, its appearance strangely comical, yet eerie, at the same time.
They are all waiting. Each pair of eyes, never blinking nor wavering from her own gaze, the crew having cleared out for once, leaving behind just her and the top of the command chain. It is unsettlingly quiet—no clicks of the keyboards, no frantic commands, no background chatter.
Just.
Silence.
Her own breathing has never seemed so loud, nor her heartbeat so strong. For a second, she wishes that the rest of her platoon is present, for even if they could do nothing more but stand in silence as well, at least their physical presence, their support, would bolster her. But this is just between her and them; Sio Ogura and the Commander. She clenches her hands into fists, and time seems to slow as she focuses solely on that question.
Your decision…
Yes, that decision…the one she is not supposed to know about, but of course she finds out. And it unravels her, knocks something loose in her…the chain of events that has happened since then something that she had not dared to think back before now, but that one question…
"…Sio. We need…an answer…" Is that a tremble in her voice? Surely it must be a trick of her imagination, trying to convince her that somewhere, somehow, the Commander still remembers the feeling of empathy.
Surely they can't know…the things that have happened since…and now her mind is tricking her again, because suddenly she can feel him, taste him, even smell him…
…soft, snow-white hair, each strand wispy and fine as it brushes her cheek and she resists the urge to laugh, because it tickles and she is afraid she will not able to maintain her composure, not when he is tracing a single finger down, down, down…
Her mouth opens and she is surprised at her own voice, because her mind is still elsewhere, still feeling that finger…
"My answer…"
It is an odd feeling, to be in two places at once. Sio Ogura, the e-gene holder of Oda Nobunaga and codenamed 'Nobunagun', is standing before the command who is waiting on her reply.
Sio Ogura, the girl, is sprawled on a mess of crumpled sheets, her uniform all but shed, skin burning as he touches her ever so gently, her mind becoming undone just by that single, heated digit as it hesitates, then pushes deep inside…
Her eyes close and the memories rush forward.