UnLimited

Worrying

"What happens now, ma'am?" asked the Student Council Vice President who was standing in the middle of Sister Margaret's office. She had gone to the office on her own volition, worried about what might happen to her best friend, and practically sister, who was currently in an isolation cell in the Detention Center. She had tried to visit her there earlier but since Chiffon was in isolation they wouldn't allow any visitors, not even the Vice President of the Student Council.

The old woman was facing away from her, her seat swiveled towards the windows behind her desk so she could look out onto the campus. She was silent for a time, deep in thought, and the young girl wondered if her question had been heard at all.

The Academy headmistress was having trouble making a decision, and it was an admittedly difficult one. Chiffon's actions demanded severe punishment, no matter the situation that caused those actions. Perhaps if the first-ranked third-year had simply pacified Miyabi Kannazuki instead of beating her to an almost literal bloody pulp, she would have been able to arrange for a customary punishment of solitary confinement for several days and a thorough warning to restrain herself from such behavior if, heaven forbid, something like that were to happen again. But this was far too grave an act for such a light penalty. Chiffon had lost control and gone too far, and while she could understand why the girl did what she did, that did not mean she agreed with it.

Dealing with Miyabi was simple enough. While the pain of her beat-down and near-death experience surely was more than enough, she would of course be removed from the program for instigating the whole thing as well as seriously wounding a fellow student in Chiffon's Limiter. The fact that her record has shown past violent and unsavory tendencies more than sealed her fate in that regard.

But what to do with Chiffon? That was the big dilemma. Sister Margaret prided herself in being fair in her dealings, particularly when it came to punishments, but in this case her judgement was clouded by the fact that not only was Chiffon the first-ranked third year and Student Council President, the young woman was also someone she was fond of. Very few people commanded her respect, fewer still her love, and Chiffon was one of the latter lucky enough to have garnered that love. Plus the fact that Chiffon was simply reacting to the violence and aggression that Miyabi Kanizuki had displayed, though again the reaction went too far.

Nearly killing a fellow Pandora and several Limiters with an excessive use of force was a serious offense though, and the rules were clear on the matter: the perpetrator was to be removed from the Pandora program and expelled from the Academy. Her unique position as the leader of said Academy, however, allowed her to bend and potentially even ignore the rules if need be - and in this case she felt that she needed to.

But how best to do it? A severe enough punishment still needed to be meted out in order to show that such actions are still not condoned, but she would not go so far as the rules demanded. Against the Nova, the world needed every capable Pandora available, and Chiffon was by far one of the most capable in the entire world. She was worth keeping in the program for as long as possible, particularly considering how the war had been going as of late.

After a while she realized that she needed more time to think on the matter since she was nowhere near to figuring out a proper solution just yet. Bringing her attention back to the young dark-haired woman standing in front of her desk, she swiveled her chair back around and, noticing how Ticy was nervously shifting her weight from one leg to the other, finally spoke.

"Miss Phenyl," she paused to collect her thoughts, "I have not yet come to a decision on what to do with Miss Fairchild for her actions. However, since she is currently indisposed, for the time being you shall be acting Student Council President and will be responsible for the duties of that office until further notice. Is that understood?"

Ticy exhaled slowly, somewhat relieved to see that Sister Margaret was taking longer than usual to decide, which meant she was trying to help Chiffon as much as possible without shirking her responsibility to punish her for her actions. At least she hoped that was the reason for her delayed decision. She nodded, her green-gray eyes looking sadly at Sister Margaret for the fact that she had to make such a tough decision. She knew that the two of them had a closer relationship than most. "I understand, Sister."

"Good. I will call on you when I need you, Miss Phenyl. Now you are dismissed," Sister Margaret said and watched the young woman bow her head respectfully and leave the office, the door shutting quietly behind her and leaving the Academy's headmistress to her thoughts.

-xxxxxx-

Kazuya was released from the clinic the day after the incident at around noon with a clean bill of health and as the second week of his stay at West Genetics Academy began, he could not help but wonder what kind of experiences his sister had had while she was a student here. The very thought of her sister getting into the sorts of trouble he had been through so far was ridiculous to him. The sister he remembered wouldn't have gotten into trouble here, would she? He filed away a thought to perhaps ask Dr. Elize about it the next time he saw her since she and his sister were classmates and friends before.

So far he had been able to keep his more outrageous abilities a secret, though he wasn't sure for how long he would be able to keep up being simply an overpowered Limiter. In just the last week he had been tempted to use his offensive powers. While his father might disapprove that he had even shown the extent of his freezing abilities so soon - in the first week no less! - given the circumstances Kazuya was sure that his old man would understand. The one major mistake was losing control of his emotions at the Sophomore Carnival. That had been an unnecessary use of his powers, but it wasn't entirely his fault since the resemblance between Satellizer and his sister when looked at from afar and from behind was great enough to evoke his strong emotions for his lost sister.

His stomach growled and there was a pain in his abdomen from the lack of food, causing him to grimace. Thankfully since it was lunchtime the cafeteria was open so he decided to pass by and grab something to eat on the way back to his dorm.

It took him a little while since the line was rather long, but he managed to get a plateful of chicken, steaming white rice, and green beans along with some miso soup. Taking a seat an empty table, he devoured his food like the starving teenage boy that he was, uncaring that some people gave him odd looks for his rudeness - although he noted that at least a handful of people were impressed and amused at the speed at which he ate. As he was sipping the tea that he had gotten along with his meal, which was all digesting in his stomach already, he was interrupted by a petite silvery-haired girl with brown eyes who walked up to his table and sat down across from him as if it was a normal occurrence for her.

"Good afternoon!" she greeted him with a big smile, and right off the bat he found her to be cute. Then again, most of the females in the Academy were actually cute and quite attractive, a fact that did not escape him.

"Uh, hello?" he said tentatively, unsure of what exactly this girl was doing sitting with him. He didn't know her and had never even seen her before, though judging from the way she held herself she was likely an upperclassman.

"You're Kazuya Aoi right?" she asked, still smiling. The girl definitely seemed friendly enough.

"That's me," he admitted. Where was this going? He felt a slight unease at her sudden interest in him. "And you are?"

"The name's Attia Simmons. Fourth-ranked third-year Pandora from the great country of Italy. I'm sure you've heard of me," she flipped one of her ponytails with a flick of her hand as she introduced herself, letting out a light giggle.

"Ah, well it's nice to meet you Miss Simmons but, no offense, I actually uh... haven't heard of you... heh..." he scratched the back of his head as he gave her an apologetic grin.

She raised an eyebrow at him and seemed mildly embarrassed and a little offended for a second before the smile returned to her face. "Well, of course that's perfectly understandable. You've only just arrived here at West Genetics after all plus we're in different years. And I rarely make it out to the cafeteria."

"Yeah, I've really only been here a week so..."

There was an uncomfortable silence that fell between them, or at least uncomfortable for Kazuya. From what he could see, the girl in front of him seemed not to mind it at all, seemingly content to sit there and stare at him.

"So! Miss Simmons, is there... uh... something you wanted to talk about? I mean, from my experience, not too many people just go up and introduce themselves to strangers around here..." He had a feeling she wanted something from him. But what?

The petite girl leaned forward, elbows resting on the table and her eyes staring right into Kazuya's. "Attia, Kazuya. Just call me Attia. Anyway, you're not really a stranger to be honest. I've heard oh so very much about you and I was hoping we might become friends."

"Ah, I see..." he said, smiling awkwardly. He thought about it for a moment, still somewhat wary. "Well, I don't see why not?" Being friends with another highly ranked third year Pandora seemed like a good idea, especially since his other third-year friend happened to be on the verge of getting expelled from the program. Though he hoped and prayed that that would not be the case.

"Perfect!" Attia exclaimed happily, leaning back and twirling a pigtail in one hand, a smug smile on her face.

"Though if I may ask what it is you've heard about me..." He was curious to know what exactly people have been gossiping about him, other than the fact that he was a powerful Limiter. He knew that pretty much everyone knew that by now.

"Oh, this and that," she said vaguely as she looked about. Then her eyes fastened onto him with sudden intensity, "Tell me, have you decided on who you're going to pair up with yet? Every freshman Limiter needs a Pandora, you know."

The question took him by surprise and he fumbled for an answer. While he was interested in pairing with a Pandora to maximize his powers and Nova fighting abilities, he hadn't yet decided whether or not getting paired up was even necessary at this point since he was a Pandora-Limiter hybrid of some sort and didn't actually need a pairing. But before he could utter a word in response there was a sudden commotion by the entrance of the cafeteria, and both of them turned to see what was going on.

Satellizer L. Bridget had walked in just then and as per usual everyone moved out of her way, careful to keep their distance. She made her way to the Burger Queen counter where the line disappeared instantly and she walked right up to the cashier to order her food.

"She's quite something, isn't she?" Attia said with amusement as they watched her cradle the multitude of burgers she had ordered with her left arm. While he observed Satellizer, he vaguely heard the pigtailed girl give a tut-tut and in the corner of his eye see her shake her head. He made a mental note about that; she apparently disliked Satellizer.

At that moment, Satellizer's eyes swept the room while on her way out and she stopped in her tracks as her gaze rested on Kazuya. Even from this distance he could tell that she was surprised to see him. What was more surprising was that she had started to walk over, and in his peripheral vision he could see that Attia had stiffened in her seat in response.

"Kazuya," Satellizer stated simply as she stopped right by his table, ignoring Attia completely. Her half dozen burgers were securely tucked in between her abdomen and her left arm. There were a lot of eyes watching them and more than a few whispers going around, but she didn't seem to pay them any attention. Not that he minded them either.

"Hey Miss Satellizer," he responded in a neutral tone, again unsure of what to say or make of this situation.

"I... would like a word with you," she finally said after a brief hesitant breath, causing more whispers than usual to go around. The gossip would probably be all over the school within the hour - what did The Untouchable Queen want with the trouble-making Limiter? "Please come with me," the Pandora said firmly.

Attia cleared her throat then, more than a little angry at the interruption and even more so at being so clearly ignored. "Um, helloo? Excuse me? Don't you see that I'm talking to Kazuya at the moment? Why don't you talk to him another time, Sophomore?"

Satellizer spared her a glance, her face unreadable, before turning and walking away without another word.

"How rude that girl! Honestly, she's... Kazuya? Kazuya! Where are you going?!"

He had stood up then, grabbing his tray and half-finished tea. "I'm sorry, Miss Attia but I need to go talk to Satellizer. Nice meeting you!" In the back of his mind he felt bad for suddenly leaving his new friend there, but it seemed like Satellizer had something very important to say and something told him that he shouldn't pass up this opportunity to talk to her.

"But-!" Attia had a stunned look on her face while watching Kazuya chase after the retreating Satellizer, although not before making sure to put his tray full of half-eaten food away.

-xxxxxx-

The breeze was pretty strong up on the roof of the cafeteria where Satellizer had taken him, and he savored breathing in the refreshingly cool air. She was sitting in the shade by the roof access door and was munching on her burgers while Kazuya stood there awkwardly, watching and waiting with his hands in his pockets.

"Excuse me," he finally spoke up, feeling a little impatient, "But why did you bring me up here?"

She was on her last burger already, and he had to admit she had gobbled them up impressively quickly. He imagined she might even eat faster than him, not that he was going to race her at it to see who was faster or anything. Either she didn't hear him or didn't want to respond as she continued to eat until she had finished it completely, going so far as to lick her fingers clean. Once done, she wiped her hands with some napkins that she had brought along and finally stood up, turning to him with a strange look on her face. It occurred to him then that she hadn't gotten anything to drink and he wondered if she was at all thirsty.

"Kazuya..." she wavered slightly in whatever it was that she wanted to say. Then without warning she stepped close to him and before he could even react, to his astonishment, she grabbed his left hand with a gentle but firm grip, her surprisingly soft skin making his own tingle at the contact. Her hands were warm and her grip firm but gentle.

"What are you.." he started to say, confused. Since they were so close he noticed that she was blushing, and he could also feel the temperature in his own cheeks begin to rise at the contact. Then she brought his hand up to her cheek, placing it there and closing her eyes as she rubbed her cheek with his hand. "...doing?" His voice caught in his throat and his eyes widened. Her cheek was as soft as her hands and felt even warmer to the touch, and he couldn't help but think that this felt nice. Strange definitely, but nice. But what in the world...?

"Just as I thought..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It wasn't a fluke... You're different. You're... okay." Then her eyes snapped open and her cheeks reddened even further before she dropped his hand and then ran back into the building, leaving him dumbfounded on the roof of the cafeteria staring at the hand that she had held just moments ago.

-xxxxxx-

"Well, I'm glad we get to take a break from everything that's happening on campus," said a smiling Kaho to her companions sitting on either side of her, chasing away the silence that had settled among them when they piled into the train earlier.

Arthur, sitting to her left, turned to face her and flashed a toothy grin, "I'm excited to go visit the city! I haven't been yet since we got here."

"That's because we've only just gotten here, Arthur! This is the first opportunity we've had to go into the city at all," replied Kaho matter-of-factly. It was true. While they had been there longer, since Kazuya had arrived a month and a half late into the semester, the two of them hadn't had the chance to go into the city yet what with all the work they had to do with their first year classes plus all their extracurricular activities, most of which recently involved Kazuya getting into trouble.

Arthur laughed sheepishly. "Oh. Right."

"Where's Ganessa? I thought you would've asked her to come along," Kaho commented with a questioning glance at the blonde Limiter.

"Ah, she said she wasn't feeling well..." answered Arthur, frowning.

Kaho looked at him with surprise. "Really? I'm shocked you're here with us and not at her bedside!"

Arthur grimaced at that. "Actually, she insisted I went along with you and would have none of it when I told her I wanted to stay to make sure she got better quickly."

The elevated train rumbled along, beginning to cross a massive steel rail bridge that spanned the wide river separating the West Genetics Academy from the bustling city. It was a beautiful day with the clean blue waters of the river sparkling in the sunlight, a few thin clouds floating across the sky, and the agreeably warm temperature.

Only a handful of students were in their compartment since it was the middle of the week, and they were quiet throughout the ride, the only noise coming from the chatty trio. Or more accurately the chatty duo, since Kazuya had been quiet all day.

"So what do you want to do today, guys?" Kaho asked them, though her gaze settled mostly on Kazuya.

Arthur looked thoughtful. "How about we explore the city and just see where the day takes us?" A grumble from his stomach at that moment made him pat it with his hand and chuckle. "Although... I'm getting kinda hungry so maybe we can grab some food first before we do our exploring."

"Kazuya? Are you okay? You're awfully quiet," remarked Kaho, looking to him with concern, Arthur leaning forward to eye him with worry as well from the other side of Kaho.

"Huh?" Kazuya said, not having paid any attention to what his friends were saying. He had been too preoccupied with worrying over what was going to happen with Chiffon, not to mention mulling over the recent actions of one Satellizer L. Bridget.

It had been several days since he had been released from the clinic and since that rooftop incident, and he hadn't seen any signs of Satellizer at all. Not that he was actively looking for her, but he had always at least glimpsed her every now and again. When he told Arthur and Kaho about it they had been most alarmed and confused about the incident. For them, her actions were extremely odd and off-putting, and Kazuya had to admit it was a little strange. As usual, they warned him to try harder to stay away from her, though he still didn't understand why they felt so strongly about not interacting with Satellizer when so far she hasn't seemed like the bad influence or troublemaker that they made her out to be. If anything, he'd been in more trouble than Satellizer thus far.

Thinking about that made him remember Attia Simmons, that upperclassman Pandora who strangely enough introduced herself to him out of the blue. He forgot to try and find her and apologize for running off like that, and he also forgot to mention the event to his friends. Perhaps they knew more about who this girl was and how to find her, so he made a note to talk to them about it later.

And to top it all off, so far there had been no word on what was to happen to Chiffon. The only news to come from the Academy administration was that Ticy Phenyl, Vice President of the Student Council, was now the temporary President until the matter with Chiffon was fully resolved. That of course had made Kazuya even more worried that the worst might happen.

He hadn't even wanted to come with them into the city, but they had pestered him relentlessly and he finally relented since they apparently weren't going to give up asking him to go with them anytime soon. It helped that he figured he wouldn't be able to study and train properly anyway what with everything that was on his mind. Plus he recalled that his father had told him to enjoy his time at the Academy while he could, though so far there were more harrowing and trying moments than enjoyable ones. Maybe this little break from the Academy life would be helpful.

"Daydreaming huh, Kazuya? Are you thinking about Sat- owwww!" teased Arthur, receiving a sharp elbow to the ribs from Kaho before he could finish, the young girl giving him a glare before turning her attention back to her brooding friend.

Kaho reached up and patted Kazuya on the shoulder, smiling as if Arthur had never even spoken. "What's on your mind, Kazuya? We're here for you, you know."

His brown eyes closed briefly and he put on a smile, looking at them apologetically. "Sorry. I've just been thinking about what's going to happen..."

"To the Student Council President? or actually, former Student Council President," Kaho guessed, finishing his line of thought.

"Yeah." He nodded, breathing deeply. "I'm worried that they might kick her out of the program because of what she did, even though it wasn't really her fault... If I... If Miyabi hadn't-"

"Listen to me, Kazuya," Kaho interrupted him, gripping his closest shoulder and pulling on it to make him turn to her. Her eyes were sharp and critical as she held his gaze unflinchingly, her seriousness surprising him. "I very much doubt they're going to kick out one of the greatest Pandoras in the world today, so you shouldn't worry about that. And as for the whole worrying thing anyway, can you please do me a big favor and stop worrying today. Just for one day this week. That's all I'm asking. You've been through a lot in just your first week and you of all people deserve some time to relax and get away from it all. That is why we're going to the city today, isn't it?" She growled as she inconspicuously bumped Arthur, "Isn't it?"

Arthur finally got the hint and piped up, nodding furiously from behind her, "Yes! Of course! That's exactly why we're going into the city. Taking our mind off of everything, you know, trying to relax, have some fun, and- OW! Now what was that for?!" Kaho had elbowed him again in the ribs, harder than the first time.

Kazuya leaned back, resting his head on the window behind their seats, and shrugged. "I guess. It's just that there hasn't been any word as to what will happen to her so I'm really worried now. But... I suppose you're right. I'll try my best to stop worrying today, but just so you know I don't really take too many breaks like this... so I have no idea what to do. Relaxing isn't really something I'm very used to."

What few breaks he took in between training and studying before he even went to the Academy was spent either watching action flicks or TV shows as well as documentaries on the Chevalier. Never had he gone out to towns or cities for recreation, at least not since his sister died. One of the very few things he didn't take to heart from Rudolphe was this idea of relaxing and taking breaks, which supposedly was a good thing and part of training. In Kazuya's mind, there was precious little time to spare for such things. Actual training was far more important since the Nova could appear at any time, and he had a very big score to settle with them.

He sighed inwardly thinking about all that. In just one week things had changed so rapidly for him. Before his enrollment in the Academy, he most likely would not have agreed to going into the city like this to, as they said, 'relax and have some fun'. He had no friends save for Rudolphe, Onya, and his tutors, if they could even be called his friends. In fact, now that he thought about it, he still barely knew Arthur and Kaho, even though they were basically all friends now. Why were they trying so hard to be his friends anyway?

Kaho studied him for a minute and then let go of his shoulder, nodding approvingly. "As long as you're trying, then that's good enough for me."

The train began to slow to a stop as an automated voice told them that they were arriving at the Shintoshi City station. The compartment jarred slightly as the brakes took effect, and then the doors slid open with a hiss, prompting everyone to get up and start moving towards them.

"Okay, first can we please get some food? I'm really really hungry," groaned Arthur as they made their way out of the train and onto the platform.

-xxxxxx-

Satellizer was on her way back to her room after another long day of classes, still thinking and feeling foolish about what happened on that cafeteria rooftop and worrying what Kazuya thought of it, when she caught sight of the trio ahead clearly blocking her path. She stopped, her eyes narrowing slightly as she regarded the three girls who she knew to be upperclassmen. Recognizing one of them clearly, she had a good idea as to why they were there.

"Well hello again, Satellizer L. Bridget," said the girl in the middle, hands at her hips and a smirk twisting her lips, brown eyes staring intently at Satellizer. Her silvery-white hair was tied up into two curly ponytails that fell to either side of her head. "Or should I call you The Untouchable Queen?"

Author's notes: I think it's been a long enough while since I've updated this story. Rest assured that I have not forgotten about this and that I will be focusing on this more in the coming weeks. This is a short chapter, I know, but just a little something to remind you all that this fic is still ongoing. The next chapter I expect to be anywhere from 8k-10k words minimum and the chapters after that will hopefully be around an average of 8k words. Perhaps skewing longer actually, but it all depends of course.

More chapters sooner rather than later, I promise!