Author: Well I hope you enjoyed your 24 hour break.

Insignis: Whaaat? That's all?

Author: You were totally singing a different tune yesterday... -_-

Chapter 5 What Are Friends For?

The first thing I noticed when I woke up, was the splitting headache that was tearing my head open. Man, it's like someone drove a truck through the room and over my head...

Speaking of trucks... That was a real train wreck of a date last night... What was I thinking, going in so soon! It was definitely too fast! What happened after my botched date was a little fuzzy, looking around the room in confusion, I noticed the opened crate of beer that Lindow had apparently left me.

Oh hell no...

The night came back to me immediately, after blowing up my date, I had come back and just started boozing my night away, finally dumping my last drink unceremoniously down the sink and collapsed in the bed.

Damn that was stupid.

Continuing my mental admonishment as I headed off to breakfast, I could tell that not many people were up when I reached the lobby, hell, even Hibari wasn't up yet. Just what time was it anyway?

Nevermind, I might as well find something to do while everyone gets up. I figure one of the lower difficulty missions should be fine even if I'm alone.

Logging into Hibari's computer behind the mission reception desk, I was logged in with her username in a matter of minutes.

Note to Hibari: LessTatsMori74 is NOT a password.

Accepting the "Cowboy" mission after entering my name as the God Eater taking the mission, I quickly headed down to the God Arc area, with Licca nowhere in sight.

Lucky break.

Initializing the system program that released God Arcs, I quickly found my God Arc under the emergency maintenance list, apparently it had just finished a couple of hours ago.

Before I could grab my God Arc however, I heard the door to the storage area open and close along with the footsteps of what sounded like an engineer's boots.

Oh gawd, don't tell me that's... Licca.

"Hello...? Who's there?" Licca called out, rubbing the remnants of sleep from her eyes, trying to focus on the figure that was desperately smacking the computer as his God Arc slowly made its appearance.

"Ragner?"

"Uhhh... No Kusonoki! It's... Uhhhh... Ash here! I'm just uhh... Grabbing my God Arc... To uhhh... Go out! Yes! For a walk! See ya!"

-Sunken Ruins-

Damn this place could use a little sunshine. Before I could hop down off the ledge I was perched on, my iPod rang.

Plugging in my wireless headset, "Hello! Ragner speaking!"

"Ragner? This is Licca, where are you?"

"Huh? I'm still in my room."

"Can you please answer the door?"

"What?"

"I'm outside your room, knocking on the door, why can't I hear it on your phone?"

"..."

"Where are you really?"

"..."

"Ragner..."

"Sunken Ruins."

"What? Why? You don't have any missions this early."

"I needed to clear my head."

"And Sunken Ruins had really fresh air? C'mon Ragner... What's really bugging you?"

"I'd... Rather not say..."

"Is it... What happened yesterday?"

All girls are mind readers.

"Hahaha, of course not!"

"Then why are you so keen about avoiding the issue?"

"I'm not avoiding, I'm just starting the mission."

"Ragner... Look... I-I'm sorry... For yesterday..."

"Licca? It sounds like you're breaking up on your end."

"I'm not you idiot! It's-It's hard to talk about this sort of thing!"

Slashing a nearby Ogretail, I rolled to the side, avoiding a few spikes in the process. Talking while fighting, awesome idea.

"..."

"Hello? Ragner?"

"I-I'm sorry."

"For what?"

Rolling inwards, I held my God Arc in a dagger grip and jumped while swinging my God Arc diagonally upwards catching its midsection and cutting through the core. So much for extracting it.

"For trying to... You know..."

"For trying to what?"

"To... TO KISS YOU!" I practically yelled.

Great, that attracted two more Ogretails.

Aside from a sharp gasp, I couldn't hear anything on Licca's end.

Rushing forward, I slid under a spike attack that the closest Ogretail launched at me. Clearing the spikes with ease, I quickly leaped into the air, slamming my God Arc down right on the Ogretail's head slamming it headfirst into the ground.

"Licca? Are you still there?"

"Ha? U-um, yes! I-I'm still here! What d-do you want?"

Why's she stammering all of a sudden?

"Are you ok? You sound... Flustered."

"F-flustered? I-I'm not flustered! Wha-What makes you think that?"

Ok, I gotta finish this quick, I hate two on ones...

"The fact that you're stammering?"

Swinging my God Arc in dagger grip, I caught the first Ogretail across the face and let the blade stick with an eerie squelching sound as I grabbed the God Arc handle in my alternated sword grip. Following through with the swing, the first Ogretail slammed into the second through sheer momentum as I withdrew the blade sending it into devouring mode ready to devour them both at once.

That is, if I had actually bothered to make sure the second Ogretail was not ready to attack back.

Springing on its tail, the second Ogretail hopped and tackled me to the ground, sending my God Arc skidding away while I was pinned under several hundred kilos of Aragami.

"Ragner? What was that noise?"

Too bad I was too preoccupied to answer.

Roaring in my face, the Ogretail bent down and would have taken a chunk out of my head if I hadn't tucked it to the left.

Reaching into my pocket, I drew out a stun grenade and flicked the pin out before holding it to the Ogretail's eye.

"Eat this."

Detonating the stun grenade in the Ogretail's eye, it roared and reared its head back in pain, giving me time to roll out from under it and make a mad dash for my God Arc.

"Eat what?"

"Sorry, was talking to the Aragami."

"You TALK to Aragami?"

Awesome, now she thinks I'm a complete nut.

"It was a figure of speech."

Running straight for my God Arc, I barely dodged in time from the first Ogretail, taking a spring at where my body was a mere split second before I rolled.

Grabbing my God Arc and sending it into gun mode, I spun around and let loose a pair of spinning bullets before falling to the ground along with the Ogretails, panting heavily.

"Man, I didn't think going solo it would be this rough." I said to myself.

"Going solo? You're on a mission alone?"

Why for the love of all things good and holy do I keep forgetting Licca's on the line?

"Uhhh... Yeah, I am heheheheh."

"Don't heheheheh me Ragner! You're a rookie and you're winging it? You could die out there!"

"Thanks for the concern Licca, but as soon as I extract these two cores, I'm outta here."

"You'd better be!"

Shaking my head, I quickly devoured the two Ogretails, turning around to head back when I heard a roar from not far off, a roar that was definitely NOT from an Ogretail.

"What was that?" Licca said through the speaker, obviously hearing the roar through my mic as well.

"I... Have no clue. The mission said there were only 4 Ogretails. And I just killed the 4th one."

"Ragner, sometimes there are OTHER Aragami on the mission field, they're just not mission priority."

"I... Think that this is the worst possible time to learn that lesson."

Sighing into the mouthpiece causing static to erupt on my end, Licca could have been shaking her head by the sound of her voice, "Never mind that... What're you up against now."

Looking straight at the Aragami as it launched a lightning ball at me, I was too busy scanning it with my glasses to answer.

"Ragner?"

"Uhhh... Vajra."

The next thing I heard, was something I didn't want to hear. It blew my eardrums, "WHAT!"

"Vajra... A tiger Aragami that fires lightning from the cape-like organ..."

"I know the description! Wait, how would you know this? A rookie..."

"Uhhh, the info is scrolling across my glasses right now..."

"Across your what?"

"I'll explain later! Right now I have to... Ooooff!"

Mistiming my dodge, I rolled out of the Vajra's swipe too slowly, getting hit by its claw, and sent flying into the nearest solid concrete wall. Between my back and the concrete wall,

Unfortunately for me, the concrete wall won.

Biting back tears and spitting out blood from my mouth, I quickly ate a recovery pill before getting back on my feet and ready to rush back in.

Which I didn't have to do.

The Vajra saved me the trouble and leaped at me, slashing my arm with its razor sharp claws.

"Licca... Any tips on how to fight a Vajra...? I'm getting killed out here... And I don't think that's a figure of speech."

"RUN! RAGNER! JUST RUN FOR IT!"

"Wouldn't that be abandoning the mission?"

"Better abandoning than dead! GET OUT OF THERE!"

Roger that.

Pulling out my last stun grenade, I quickly tossed it over my shoulder as I headed back for the den as fast as my jelly legs could take me.

Limping through the door to the God Arc storage area, my tail hung between my legs, I wordlessly handed my God Arc over to Licca as she sent it down for maintenance.

"Listen Ragner about..."

"Can we leave it for another time? I really need to get something from my room."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Licca stood aside as I grabbed a bottle of pills from my room, taking two before heading back to the lobby and dropping my half dead body next to Ash with a grunt.

"Hey Rag's, what's up."

I was really really not in the mood to answer him at this point in time.

"Dude, what happened?" he asked me again, clearing wanting an answer.

Well, if he wants an answer, I guess I'll give him one.,"I got my ass whooped…"

"Dude is that what you're worried about? Is that it?"

"Why don't you try having your ass whooped?"

"Ass whooped? The greaet Ash never gets..."

That's it, I've had enough.

Grabbing Ash by his smug little collars, I had half a mind to teach him a lesson he won't forget for quite a long time, "How about I whoop it right now?"

Blinking for a while as it sank Ash still continued, "You don't get what this is about do you?"

Is this guy for real?

"Yeah, really. I don't. Enlighten me."

Eyes rolling upwards indicative of thinking his next reply just sent me out the window, "You know what, I can't. But all I know is that I won't fail like you."

It's almost like he never thought about what to say at all. Sending him halfway across the floor, I stood there, panting heavily as I tried as hard as I could to resist the temptation of continuing what I started. A temptation I failed to stop in the first place.

"Was that it? If you got something stuck there..." Ash said, pointing at his head, "Calm down and talk. Or do you wanna hit me back again?"

This guy... Raising my fist up for another whack at this wacko, I finally started to think rationally again as I dropped my fist, "Talk about what this time. And as a warning, pick your words carefully."

"So, spill it or I'll make you spill." he replied, rubbing his newly acquired bruise, "And that hurt, asshole."

"It's meant to. Deal with it. I'm feeling slightly better now, depressed as hell. But damn that punch felt awesome."

"Why did you get "ass whooped"? I don't believe you would do anything I wouldn't call crazy, and dude... are those SLASH marks?"

"Yeah, from my new friend the Vajra."

"You one-on-one a Vajra? Dude I always wanted to..." Catching the look on my face, and my fist that was ready to make a new hole, he quickly adapted to the situation, "Oh uh... I mean, that was retarded, what was that for?"

"The mission details said 4 Ogretails, it said no shit about bloody Vajra."

"Then why fight it alone? Run the hell back and get back up."

"It's gone already. This isn't the only souvenir I got from him." I said, pulling my shirt up slightly so he could look at the bruise I got.

"Ouch, really did a number on you... So, when's the next mission hunt for this thing?" Ash said, staring at it intently.

"There will not be a mission hunt!" Tsubaki said, as she walked down the stairs towards us. Ash was extremely quick on the uptake, "WHAT! What do you mean no mission hunt!"

"A mission that difficult is out of the question for you rookies! The Retaliation squad will handle the Vajra. Ragner, go get that bruise checked out by your unit medic or the medical bay."

"SCREW THE RETALIATION SQUAD!" Ash yelled, as he slammed his hand down on the table.

"Yeah! Everyone knows the defense squad is so much better!" Bards yelled, mimicking Ash.

Glared at by Tsubaki, Bards quickly made a hasty retreat before Tsubaki could act on said death glare.

"Rags, can you move your body properly?"

"Sure, it's nothi... whoa!" I said as I fell to the floor spectacularly.

"I'll get you to Sakuya, right this bloody instant." Ash said, ignoring Tsubaki's glare of impending doom, Ash strutted up to the counter and grabbed the mic from Hibari, "Sakuya Tachibana, wherever you are, you are needed in the medical room immediately for urgent treatment of a patient. Please report NOW."

"I'm fine. I'll be fine in a few minutes." I say, getting to my feet shakily.

Walking up to me, Ash slaps me on the back, to his surprise, I don't yell out like he expected.

Here's to you! HA!

"Um... You're supposed to scream in pain?"

"And give you the satisfaction? Not on your life."

"Wah, I... Look just go, I sacrifice my ass for yours. And I swear, I think Tsubaki does more damage than that Vajra. I didn't make that announcement for fun you know? I'll tell you my awesome plan once you're back down."

Smiling as I stretch my muscles all over, "Feel free to start now."

"I can't, Tsubaki will kill me. Look, just go. I'll go get you soon, I just have to distract her awhile."

Sighing in resignation, I head over to the lift mentally thinking of ways to get out of this and somehow fake a visit to the medical bay. Painkillers are painkillers for a reason. Grabbing a change of clothes to make my visit upstairs convincing, I returned back down to find Ash waiting for me in the lobby.

"We go find that Vajra and give it some REVERSE ass whoop."

"Man... Can't this wait til another day? God knows where the Vajra is right now."

"Look, we're going, and we go now cuz I want some action, but I need to show off to somebody."

Please not Sakuya, please not Sakuya, please not Sakuya, please not Sakuya.

"Who do you have in mind?"

"You! Dumbass! Now come on, but make sure your girlfriend doesn't tell anyone we've went."

It felt as if my face just got set on fire, "Sh-she's not my girlfriend! Anyway, she's having lunch right now..."

"Yeah? So I can have her?"

Looking away at the mention of Licca, I didn't exactly know what to feel, "Go ahead..."

"Well, I'll save that for another time, but we got more important stuff to do." Ash said, tugging my shoulder missing the wince that I made as he led me off, "Come on, we go now."

Going into the main God Arc storage area, I massaged the area that Ash had touched as I picked up my just used God Arc.

"Say, isn't she usually with you? Why didn't you two eat together, that's proper dating rules man."

I can't tell him about what happened... Not now.

"Things happened... It's complicated. Are we getting a Vajra or what."

"Avoiding the question gets you no where... But yeah, I'm itching to get this thing."

"Last I saw it was in the sunken city. Sector 34A, lets move."

"Right, let's do it!"

-Enter scene changing events, cue Sunken City intro movie-

"Uh... This DOES look pretty empty, you sure it was here?"

Sighing inwardly at this I knew this was going to happen, "I told you already... I have no idea where it went. It's been over 3 hours. It's probably moved on."

"Oh right, if that's the case... Wait, what the heck is THAT?" Ash yelled, pointing at a figure in the distance.

"Hey, that... Never mind. So then... Do we sneak or rush in like idiots? You, probably pissed at it might run in on it."

Not everyone is hotheaded Ash. There might be more Aragami in the picture that we don't know about. I'd rather look for those first. Placing my hand down on the ground, I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on nothing else but the vibrations in the ground... Focusing on the vibrations made by the far away footsteps, I phased out the roaring of the whirlwind and concentrated... Concentrated... There only seemed to be the footsteps of the Vajra, but it always paid to check.

"Just one Vajra. Nothing else nearby."

"You sense by doing that?"

"It's not really sense... I feel the vibrations in the ground made by footsteps... By feeling the vibrations made, factor in how far they are, how heavy they are and their pace, I can tell what it is and how fast its moving."

"In other words, we charge in like idiots?"

"Feel free to do so, that thing moves wicked fast. It can outrun you easily."

"But you agreed to go with me despite the fact that it's overpowered anyway." Ash said, readying his God Arc, "At the very least, we give it a few darn good slashes.

Flipping my trigger I send my God Arc into gun mode, "In time we will. But I'd rather weaken it first."

As Ash ran in from behind the Vajra, I took up my spot at a building's window, adjusting my aim with the link-in scope on my glasses.

"Alright then, just don't mortar me like the last time!"

That wasn't an accident...

Taking careful aim with my God Arc, I let loose two Divine bullets that shot forwards before making a 90 degree turn to aim right at its head.

Hearing the roar, I couldn't help but grin in satisfaction until I looked out the window again, apparently the roar wasn't because I shot it twice, but because Ash had went ahead and devoured it.

Oh well, as long as it goes down.

Before Ash can attack it again, the Vajra leaped into the air, obviously looking for the source of the shots. Launching a lightning maul at Ash, it lands deftly as the lightning maul expands and explodes around Ash, sending him flying backwards.

Man, even I didn't see that one coming.

Using the last of my Oracle points, that I dropped a few Divine bomb shots from the building right into the Vajra's face.

"Shit... Gay bastard", running back after hitting the wall, Ash was not out of the fight just yet, "Time for payback!"

As it entered rage mode with Ash halfway to the Vajra, an idea struck me in the form of the stun grenades in my pocket.

Hm, I wonder if I can load stun grenades into this thing...

Popping my head out of the new vantage point I found, I see Ash sliding out from under the Vajra.

Good, he's clear.

Pointing my God Arc down at the Vajra's head again, I pull the trigger to launch a stun grenade right at the Vajra's face, making it explode on impact.

Awesome shot, now it's really seeing stars.

After Ash manoeuvres behind the Vajra and cuts off its tail, Ash freezes up while staring at it.

Dude you have an opening and you don't even want to use it?

Leaping out of the building after eating an oracle pill, I point my gun vertically downwards firing off the last of my oracle points as Divine bomb shots unbinding the oracle cells in the Vajra's head.

Alternating back to blade mode in the middle of my descent, I yell out a battle cry, while slamming my blade into the Vajra's head and right through it, causing it to howl as it rolled over.

Is it... Dead?

Seems to be as I poked it again with my God Arc getting no response from it. Sending my God Arc into devouring mode, I extracted the core from the Vajra without problems.

Now to address the next issue, "Hey man, why'd you freeze up like that?"

"Freeze up? When did I ever do anything like that?"

Acting cute. Great.

"Don't bullshit me man. You were just staring at that tail."

"Was I " Ash replied, blinking.

"Uh, yeah duh?"

"Nah, must've been your imagination. I don't freeze in epic battles, that's wasted moments, buddy."

"And you were wasting quite a bit of time on that epic tail."

"Urgh... Look, we beat the lightning lion, that's good enough. Now we better get back before Tsubaki finds out we've been breaking rules."

"Amen to that... I wouldn't be surprised if Tsubaki eats us alive... Some things even Bias Factor can't save us from huh?"

"I'm too scared to even think about that. But don't worry, I THINK I managed to convince Hibari to not tell on us when we went for your "checkup"."

What checkup? I didn't go for any... Oh...

"Right. Touch her ass to convince her?"

"What kind of conclusion is that? I'd never ever do that!"

"That's not what I heard yesterday."

"Who did you hear that from anyway?" Ash yelled as an anime sweatdrop formed behind his head.

"Tachibana." Arriving right at the entrance of the den after our chat, we returned our God Arcs to Licca who was waiting for us.

Returning his God Arc and hurrying off Ash couldn't leave without dropping a comment, "Have fun with your girlfriend."

Blushing simultaneously at the remark, Licca and I stared at each other for a good 5 minutes before Licca decided to start, "So uhhh Ragner, you said that you were not in the mood the last time we talked?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry about that, I uhhh, really needed to get something for all the scratches I got from the Vajra."

"So you feeling better now?"

"Definitely. Thank you so much, for everything. I owe you one."

"I'll collect." Licca replied, in a singsong voice with a smile.

"I'm sure you will."

"So... About that time..."

"What time?"

Turning bright red Licca looked down at the ground, "That time... You know... After the... Date?"

"Oh! Uhhh... What about it?"

"I wanted to give you this."

Rushing forwards and wrapping her arms around me, Licca gave me a hug. Normally I would have enjoyed it, but this time, I had a giant bruise on my back and the painkillers were wearing off so instinctively I pulled away.

"Ragner?"

Oh boy, now I've done it all right, she looks like she's about to cry.

"No! No! It's not what you think! I enjoyed the hug! It's just that..."

"What is it?"

"I think it's better if you just see for yourself."

Pulling up my shirt, I showed Licca the bruise that the Vajra gave me.

"Oh my goodness..."

"Yeah. Well, I better run before Ash gets any funny ideas, see you around yeah?"

"Sure! Wait! You promised to tell me about your glasses!"

"Maybe another time!" I yelled happily, rounding the corner.

End of Chapter 5