A/N: Yeah, I know...obscure first chapter. Things get clearer from here on, though...

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CHAPTER 2

Day One

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'Angel Unit...I wonder why it's called that...'

I yawned. It was currently 16:00 on my digital wristwatch. It was indeed a long travel even with the Avatar at its top speed of two-thirds the speed of light. Had I known that my destination would be this far, I would have left earlier...yesterday perhaps.

'I should've taken a closer look at those papers first time I got them...imagine being reassigned to the almost other side of the known universe...' I cursed dejectedly. 'Then again...there's nothing I can do now...'

The one-man craft zoomed stealthily across the galaxies. With nothing to do, the autopilot being turned on for most of the trip already, I laid the padded seat back, making it as comfortable as possible. After several minutes, my mind began to wander to the recent course of events...

Five o'clock in the morning found me silently traversing the Covert and Spec-Ops HQ hallways. I had my belongings with me, all of which fit into a shoulder-sling bag. I did not bother saying goodbye to anyone in the quarters, since they, all 'generals', all looked down on me for being a 'mere corporal'. Besides, I didn't actually know any of them anyway...

Upon reaching the hangar, where my Aviator was being readied by mechanics, I took the time to look around. I spent most of my time here, either tuning-up my vessel or chatting with the hangar crew, who were my only friends in the entire department. These would be things I definitely would miss...

Bidding them farewell, and they bidding me good fortune and Godspeed, I started up the Avatar's engines. With all systems go and the green light up, I effortlessly blasted off into space.

...and now, my radar indicated the destination coordinates quite nearby.

'Huh...? That was quick...oh, I mean...finally...' I disabled autopilot and slowed the ship down several notches. I glided for a few minutes, watching as the bleep on my radar steadily neared.

"Angel Unit HQ," I said into the com-link, "this is the Avatar. Do you copy?"

Nobody answered at once, so I began to wonder. Was anybody there at all right now?

"Repeat! Angel HQ, do you copy?"

Nothing. Static...

...and then someone finally answered. It was a good thing too, since I was starting to seriously worry.

"H-hello! This is Angel Headquarters! Who is this?" the voice was nervous, much like that of a novice...or someone in a rush. It was feminine.

'And real cute-sounding too...' I thought out of the blue, and then slapped my head for even thinking that.

"Well, finally, someone answers. This is the Avatar; pilot Colonel Jai Akira formerly of the Covert and Spec-Ops Unit. Do I have clearance to land?"

She hesitated. A moment later, a reply came. "Yes...er...affirmative. We have been expecting you, sir! You are cleared for landing. The front docking bay is opening now to receive you, sir..."

An aperture in the anterior top part of the rather small command ship began to open, the landing lights marking the path. Expertly, I guided the Avatar and landed perfectly in the docking bay, hovering a bit before touching down.

I got off my craft carrying my one bag, and noticed that nobody was around; no crew whatsoever! So far, the only indication that there was anybody onboard was the voice that answered just awhile and gave clearance. I guessed that it was also that person who had opened the docking hatch. I discarded the idea of calling for somebody, since it was apparent that there were very few people, perhaps even less. Though why it was so...I really couldn't imagine. Instead, I decided to explore on my own.

As I approached the door out of the hangar, it opened silently and I stepped out. Suddenly, I crashed into someone who seemed to be in a hurry. Pieces of paper were sent flying all over the place. Standing and composing myself quickly, I turned to the person to help whoever it was.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." she stammered, picking up the scattered leaves. The first thing I noticed about her was her bright pink hair and how it contrasted her white uniform, as well as her pale skin. She had fragrant blossoms tucked to the strands at the sides, which I thought were...cute. I guessed that she was about my age, maybe even younger by a bit...perhaps a new recruit, or something. She didn't even seem to notice me standing there like an idiot, thankfully. I regained my mind and began picking up the other pages near me.

I leaned to pick up another sheet when she, looking only partly in the direction, also reached out for it; it happened so that her hand was upon mine...but for only that split second. Immediately noticing that there was someone other than herself present, she gave a shriek and jumped backwards in surprise.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, miss..." I began, shaking my opened palms in front of me. Her face, even though in a shocked expression, was the most attractive I had ever seen before...though it was true that I hadn't really seen all that many females in my past. I then noticed that I my pulse was racing and I was at a temporary loss for any eloquent vocabulary.

She took a moment to catch her breath before looking up at me and flashing a sweet smile that made me heart beat even faster. "It's alright, we're both okay, aren't we? It was also my fault anyway..."

I recomposed myself enough to reply. "Uh, yeah. Um, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" She exclaimed, snapping her fingers as if suddenly remembering something. "I've got to get these papers to the Colonel..."

I began going through some of those I had in my hand. I saw that the first one was my bio-data; it even had my name and picture on it. Grinning broadly, I handed them to her. "Well, here you go, um, miss..."

"Milfeulle Sakuraba. I'm Second Lieutenant, and only instated into Angel Brigade four months ago, when I graduated from the academy," she said, taking the papers from me.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Second Lieutenant Sakuraba..."

She smiled nervously. "Just Milfeulle will do, mister...uh...?"

I merely nodded at the papers she had in her hands.

She scanned the first leaf for a short while, then looked back at me, and then returned to the paper.

"AAAHHH!!!" She yelled. It took a lot of self-control to keep me from bursting out into laughter. "S-sir! Second L-l-lieutenant Sakuraba r-r-reporting, s-s-sir!" She stammered in a sudden change of decorum, saluting nervously and hiding her face behind her long locks of strawberry-pink hair.

I just smiled back. Truth to tell, being so rigid and perfunctory didn't suit her all that well. I frankly found it more comfortable when people were friendlier around me...especially her, even though this was only our first meeting.

"Uh, there's actually no need for all those formalities, Milfeulle, please. Relax." I said, my own voice being rather nervous as well.

"B-but...but...I-I-I...you, y-you...I'm so sorry!!!" She almost yelled, bowing her head low, tears welling up in her blue eyes.

"It's alright; there's nothing to be sorry about. In fact, I think it suits you better when you don't act so formal. So, please don't cry, alright?" She was acting like a child at the time, and I really didn't know what else to do but try and calm her down.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand and nodded, now smiling. Her voice still showed her nerves, though. "Y-yes; I understand. Thank you." She then handed the papers to me, all of which I placed into my bag.

"Much better," I said, giving a thumbs-up sign. She did the same in response.

"Oh, I almost forgot...you must be tired from all that traveling. Come, I'll show you to your quarters. Get some rest for awhile and I'll call you when it's time for supper. Uh, want me to carry that for you?" She offered congenially.

"I got it," I replied, adjusting the strap of my bag's sling. Its weight seemed to be getting heavier, or maybe it was just me. In any case, I wasn't about to let a lady do all the work; it wasn't in my nature to do so.

We walked through the corridors of the ship. As if to confirm my suspicions, the only sounds audible were our footfalls against the cold steel floor.

"Pardon my asking..." I said after several moments, "but are we the only ones on the ship? So far, you're the only person I've seen onboard...no crew whatsoever."

She blushed faintly before answering. "Well, that's because everybody else is off on vacation...crew and all."

"And you were left behind? Why?"

"Well...ahahah..." She grinned sheepishly this time. "I was trying to land my ship in the hangar after my first mission a month ago. I crashed into the far wall and made a big hole there. Most of the others spent all that time until recently to repair the damage. As punishment, instead of giving me demerits or something, everyone was given this next month off...except for me and those who wanted to stay..." She narrated animatedly, without any hint of anger at what happened.

"And nobody opted to stay?" I asked tentatively, hoping that I wouldn't make her depressed.

On the contrary, she brightened up even more. "There was one...Vanilla H. She's very quiet...she's been in Angel Unit since the start, I think. I've been told that she hardly spends her spare time outside the ship. Oh, there she is..."

We passed a room that was open. Inside was a gigantic pillar-like machine, and next to it knelt a girl of about fourteen years of age. She had her eyes closed and her hands clasped before her chest; she seemed in deep prayer. All of a sudden, she woke from her meditation and looked straight at us. Her eyes were a bright crimson, and her face was snow-white and emotionless. All she did was give a slight nod, as if to acknowledge our presence, before returning to her former state of subconscious contemplation. Not wanting to disturb her any further, we walked on.

"She's always like that?" I asked when I was sure we were out of earshot.

"Yeah, most of the time. She doesn't talk much, but she's a good person, I can tell. A lot of people call her weird, though...that's just mean of them."

We turned to another corridor. This one was rather short, leading to a dead end not too far ahead, and had six doors, three on both sides, each with a name attached to it. I read what were written one by one as we passed. "Forte...Ranpha...Mint...Vanilla..." and ended with "...Milfeulle. These are your rooms, I take it?"

"That's right. These are the members of Angel Brigade. There're five of us now, not counting you and Commander Volcott. The guest room's this one at the end," she said motioning to the last door in the left side of the hallway, directly opposite the one with her name on it, "and it'll be where you'll be staying for the moment, until we're able to find a better place."

She opened the door and stepped inside, and I followed after her. The interior of the room was unexpectedly spacious; I was under the impression, owing to the appearance of the exterior, that the quarters were small and cramped...an impression that was certainly deceptive on its own. Of course, it wasn't all that big compared to the ones at Covert and Spec-Ops, but I had a feeling that it was going to suit me just fine; I didn't know what to do with all the extra space anyway.

A comfortable-looking bed lay at the far corner of the room, a closet stood near its foot consuming nearly the entire remaining wall. A broad writing desk, furnished with a single swiveling chair, sat almost adjacent the door we had just entered. A few fluorescent lights were spaced about the ceiling, effectively illuminating the space. There was a door that, upon inspection, led to a shower room. Aside from these, the rest of the room was empty.

"Heheh...sorry if the room's not too grand or anything. I know it's nothing compared to your former place, but it was the best we could do on such short notice," she said, her tone reflecting the sincerity of her determination in finding me more suitable quarters.

I dropped my bag and plopped down on the bed, placing my hands behind my head and dangling my feet over the side so as to avoid getting my boots on the clean sheets. "Quite frankly, I don't see anything wrong with this room. I don't have all that many things to put, anyway, right?" I said, nodding towards my bag.

"Maybe...but even then..." she began, again struggling to find words, "...these rooms are mostly for us Lieutenants. Even Commander Volcott has his room in another part of the ship..."

I interrupted in the politest manner possible. "That doesn't mean that I can't stay here, now does it?"

"Well...no, it doesn't..."

I sat up. "Just because I have a 'higher rank' doesn't mean that I should be treated differently from you guys..." I said, only later noticing the contradiction of my words when she looked at me questioningly. "I mean, I'd rather be treated more like a normal person rather than an officer of some sort...heck, back at Covert and Spec-Ops, I even used to sleep in my Avatar in the hangar instead of in my own room! And the rooms there were really grand. Maybe they just didn't suit me..." I added, stressing my point. I didn't want other people going out of their way just to give me something I didn't want.

"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed, "Wow. I guess if it was me, I'd have a hard time even getting out of bed! Are you sure that you'll be fine here?"

"Positive!"

"Okay then, sir...now if you will please excuse me, I have to get supper ready!" She said, growing more excited with each syllable. She then stepped...or perhaps more like skipped...out of the room, leaving me in solitude.

I stared at the door, recalling her leaving form.

'She's a strange person...' I thought, and then kicked off my shoes and lay back down again, smiling inwardly to myself. 'but it's rather nice...in a sense...'

I stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours; it was something I hadn't done in a very long time, though frequently before. Or did I somehow fall asleep? I couldn't remember, but the next thing I knew after an indefinite period of time, I heard someone knocking on my door.

"Yes?" I asked loudly, moving to a sitting position. The door whooshed open, and I saw the other girl standing just outside...the one with the mesmerizing eyes...

She looked at me once again with her vacant expression. She spoke this time, which, I thought was a big improvement. "Milfeulle says the food's ready and is inviting us to eat." Her voice was barely a whisper and, like her eyes, almost devoid of any emotion. There was something oddly...calming about her, though.

"Thanks," I said cheerily, "It's nice to meet you, uh, Vanilla, was it?"

Silence was the only reply. She began walking down the corridor, perhaps towards the kitchen.

"H-hey! Wait up!" I called out, hurriedly putting on my boots. I didn't know where the dining area was, and decided that it was easier to follow her instead of finding my own way. I quickly got up and began sprinting outside.

I slowed suddenly as I saw her stationary form in the middle of the hallway, her back to me. It was when I caught up to her that she began walking again.

"Thanks for waiting for me..." I said, walking a little behind her.

She took small, unhurried steps, making the stroll all that more prolonged...or maybe she was trying to let me go ahead and leave her alone...

I wanted to make sure. For all I knew, I could be following her elsewhere. "Uh, excuse me, but are we going to the dining room?"

She only nodded in response.

"Oh, uh, okay, thanks," was all I could utter.

We proceeded in silence for a few seconds. I was surprised when it was she who finally disturbed the stillness.

"Doubt enshrouds silence, and silence, doubt; it is not with eyes that we perceive truth..."

It was enigmatic, probably her own, but at the same time something that proved her point clearly. I took a while to ponder on it, then I finally came to the ultimate conclusion that it meant she could be trusted, despite her peculiarities.

"I see...well...thanks again," I said, now walking at her right, alongside her, feeling much more at ease. She, however, remained stoic the whole time.

The quiet continued for the rest of the way, which wasn't all that long. Upon reaching the mess hall, which, to my surprise, was fashioned so unlike a "mess hall" in the most common sense of the word (it looked more like a restaurant of sorts), we found Milfeulle putting the finishing touches on a feast that lay on the center table. There was rice, bread, roast, stew and curry, as well as several cakes and pastries with decorative icing.

I stopped at the doorway. "Wow! All this only for the three of us?" I asked, incredulous, while Vanilla continued to a chair at the dining table as if the scene before us all was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Er..." Milfeulle stammered, "...I just thought that you might be hungry, so I made some extra..."

My stomach growled in assent as I made my way towards the banquet and took a seat. "Heh...maybe. It looks and smells really good! You cooked all of this?"

She sat beside me. "Yes, actually. I hope you enjoy it; I just love cooking!"

We all said grace, as discreetly insisted by Vanilla, and then we ate. If the food looked and smelled good, it tasted even better. Milfeulle looked thoroughly pleased when I mentioned it...she must really take her cooking seriously. Vanilla remained silent the whole time, merely nodding, sometimes not responding at all, when we tried to make conversation.

The quiet, cyan-haired girl finished eating first. She prayed thanks, deposited her utensils and empty plate in the nearby sink, washed them clean, and proceeded out of the dining hall without as much as a sound. We finished soon afterwards, with plenty of leftovers to go around.

"Since you were the one who prepared the meal, I insist that I wash the dishes. It's only fair," I said matter-of-factly, getting up and taking the used tableware.

"No, you don't. It's my job, and I also like doing it anyway," she persisted, scrambling to take the china from me. Her hands brushed mine for a fleeting second, and she suddenly withdrew, a slight blush creeping up her face. I almost dropped the plates as a consequence.

After a short, awkward silence, I spoke. "Okay...here's what. I'll soap and wash, then you can dry them. How's that?"

She smiled. "Alright..."

And so it went as such; I, a so-called Colonel at the renowned Transvaal military, washed dishes, then handed them over to the Second Lieutenant for drying. To us, the situation wasn't all that odd.

"Don't you think that sometimes she gets lonely...?" I asked shortly after we had finished all the work and were making our way towards our quarters.

Milfeulle looked only half as worried as I did. "It's just the way she is, I guess. I just sometimes wonder how she came to be like that..."

I stretched out when we got to our respective doors. "Well, g'night. Thanks for being so welcoming. You know...I've got a feeling I'm going to enjoy it here."

"I hope so. Well, sweet dreams, Jai..." she said as she entered her room and closed the door quietly.

'Sweet dreams...?' I stood still for awhile in complete silence, and then smiled to myself. "Yeah...good night too..."

I knew that I was going to have pleasant dreams that night...