As the continuous dust and dirt clouds filled the room, Ichika gently opened his blurred eyes to see the handle of his sword, promptly making out the rattling noise it was making due to the room shaking and the massive violence that was permitting itself throughout the small space. He looked swiftly to the right to see a blurred version of what he made out to be Tatenashi - but the light enveloped around his screwed up vision didn't let him decipher much of anything. He could tell that there was something much more bigger then anything in the room, as an orange color took up nearly all of the other half of his vision. He could only assume it was somebody in an Infinite Stratos.

After struggling to a major extent, the dust moved under his hand as he placed two hands on the dirty floor to get himself back up, aiming to pick the sword up as his vision started to come back.

It didn't take him long to realize that he was bleeding...as a warm liquid started to flow down his forehead, gently allowing his nerves to race to conclusions.

Whatever blew up, either sent him into an object, or he landed with a supreme force. He could now make out Tatenashi, utilizing her familiar spear as she used attacks he couldn't even identify due to his dazed state. He felt like somebody hit him in the head. Shaking off the obviousness of his mental statement, he shouted and tried to console the situation, lightly asking if the two could stop fighting - but it didn't work.

If anything, it made the unknown I.S pilot more angrier.

Just as he gained his complete vision and composure back, Ichika made out the women in the I.S. She looked like she held a similar hair color and asset to the women who attacked him in that locker room during that Phantom Task confrontation. It was a bit weird seeing her again in a completely differently I.S, and also a bit angering.

Tabane had always stated that there was only a certain number of cores in the world, but why are there continuous new wares popping up everywhere?

He didn't exactly have time to loathe the enemy or brink himself in fascination, he had to stop the fight from going any further.

Quickly standing himself next to Tatenashi, he saw that her hair was a bit messy, as well as her outfit got majorly dirty with all of the grime and dust vacated from the shaking explosion sparingly fired by that I.S. She wore an angry expression as she stared intently at the other user, gripping her weapon with aggressive manner, shooting shortly spanned glances at Ichika as she swung it at the user, sending the other out of the room through the broken , voided wall that was once a pretty asset.

She grunted as she lightly tossed the weapon into her left hand and scurried towards Ichika, gazing upon his wound and the blood that had donned his chest. As the damage and revelation of their hideout made her furious, the very fact that Ichika was injured badly enough to cause blood made her even more angry. She wrapped her arm around him as she began to worriedly talk, causing blood to stain her hand as it smelt like metal.

"What happened to you? What hit you?" she loudly asked.

"I think some shrapnel or...I may have hit my head on that stand..." he sluggishly responded.

"There is way too much blood for that to be just a small hit from a stand. We need to get you to a nurse as soon as possible?"

"I'm more worried about you, who is that girl in the I.S?"

"Its one of the key members of Phantom Task we've been having trouble with the past few weeks, I am really surprised she found this place - somebody had to have put it out publicly or have told the group about it -"

Tatenashi was cut off from speaking when the women stepped back into the room with her machine stepping sound echoing the small area, shortly chuckling as she smiled, letting the small trickle of blood from her forehead to fall into her mouth as she began speaking.

"The cat is out of the bag now - everybody knows that Ichii-boy is with the Sarashiki clan now...I'm dissapointed, Tatenashi-san - I'd expect you'd keep your pets on leashes..."

`How did you find this place?"

"Every word that comes out of your mouth just dissapoints me more...there rae constant rounds ran over that litttle shit...everybody is infatuated with him. I'd expect you to be a bit more cautios-"

Her explanations were cut short by a sharp lined noise that echoed the area - ignoring her voice as it pierced through her aura and head. A very visible chromium line appeared in front of the women's face as it became apparent that blood was also dripping off of the line. Her eyes went blank as she began to close them, gently hunching over as her voice subsided.

Ichika took a glance around the hunched women with his small vision, only to reveal the familiar face of Criptrit, smirking as she started talking with the two, gently pulling back on the chromium line, letting the blood wind up in the small roll she seemed to have somewhere in her hold - not visible while it was in her hand.

"Well - it was about time she melted away anyhow...Are you two alright?"

"What kind of idiotic question is that? Ichika is bleeding like crazy here, we need to get him to a nurse as soon as possible..."

"Alright, alright. I was hoping to see more of your power there...but all you did was use a spear. That makes me sad."

"Can you take this at least a little seriously?"

"Fine..."

Ichika immediately felt a sharp pain on his forehead as he sluggishly opened his eyes to see a white ceiling. He tried to move his left arm up to put a hand on his head, but as he tried - he failed because of Tatenashi. She had been laying on his hand, her body denying his attempt to lift up his arm. She was staring intently at him, watching his every expression.

She put her own hand up to Ichika's head, making him a bit uncomfortable as her hand was a bit colder then his head, which held hot heat due to the injury. He made a stern reaction as she started to giggle - causing Ichika to get a little irritated.

"How can you be so carefree after that? Shouldn't we start running or letting the academy know-"

He was silenced by Tatenashi's hand ending up over his mouth.

This just made him more irritated as he tried to get her hands off of him. That didn't seem to work.

She gripped him tightly, not letting him talk and pushing his free arm down as he attempted to push her away with what strength he had that wasn't negated from his injury.

"Ichika...this kind of stuff happens all the time - that particular women was a constant pest that made all sorts of problems for us. You do bring up a good point, maybe we should be a little bit more alert."

Ichika struggled and tried to speak, but the hand on his mouth stayed where it was as Tatenashi began talking again.

"So, I'm gonna need you to be safer and more careful...and I don't say that ironically or smartly - I should have been more secrete in your recruiting. I didn't think it'd make such a ruckus but with how many girls go after you I should have expected this..."

Ichika once again tried to get her hand off his mouth, but he couldn't - causing his expression to grow tired as he just let her arms do whatever.

"That still reminds me, why are you always so cute?"

"I don't have an answer for that...can you stop getting so close?"

"Why is it bothering you so much - I'm the one that brought you here and made sure you were doing well after-all."

"Yes, and I thank you for that, I really do, but when you get close it gets uncomfortable and being uncomfortable leads to hurting because I move myself."

Tatenashi chuckled while ignoring his question. She only moved close to him.

"How about we get closer?"

"I just told you that getting close is making me uncomfortable."

"How about we date?"

"Why would you want to do that when you said yourself you're taking over my training?"

"A learner has to have a strong bond with the one teaching, right?"

"I-I guess that's true but that doesn't mean you have to get this-"

He was cut off by the feeling of her hand on his mouth once again. He sighed as he let his eyes fall in annoyance. He twitched to a heavy extent when he felt her lick his cheek and begin speaking;causing sweat to envelop on his head.

"Impress me, ok?" she spanned her words playfully as she crept back from him; keeping one of her arms wrapped around him.

'It doesn't take much to Impress Him - but he still hasn't seen the full extent of my power...having somebody like him in my grasp is just so exciting.' she thought maliciously to herself as time passed.

I am very appreciative of your patience for this chapter - I am still writing lots!

Are you still with me? - heh.

Got another story coming up as well called Courage if you would want to check it out. Next chapter of Awake Again will be uploaded within three days.

I hope you are all doing well and staying happy, please leave a review and tell me how your life has been and critiques ;3 I will always be writing in the i.s fandom and writing here in general - wherever my adventures take me ;)

- Jambles