Chapter 10: The Teacher and the Student.
Ceil goes to the training room to try to use the buster that Colette has given her. Ceil keeps falling backwards. Colette enters the room and looks at Ceil who tries to hit the target. Ceil again falls backwards. Colette caught her.
"I know this is your first time using a gun. I am going to teach you how to use it properly," said Colette.
"I guess I should use the training now since I am probably going to use it sooner or later," said Ceil. Colette pulls out one of her gun blades.
"First things first. To get a feel of the gun use both hands like this," said Colette as she does so with her gun blade. Ceil copies Colette as the training continues.
"Got it," said Ceil as she waits for the next step. Colette inspect Ceil if she is holding the gun right.
"Ok now when you are firing you will feel the recoil of the weapon which is normal. What you need to do is try to keep your feet and body pushing the opposite way of the recoil so you won't fell backwards," said Colette. Ceil tries that and she manages not to fell backwards.
"Huh? I am not falling backwards. Instead I am fine. Though I miss the target completely," said Ceil.
"It is ok. Aiming comes later. Right now I want you to get the feel of the weapon first before we go to the next step is aiming," said Colette.
"Ok," said Ceil as she still continues with her training. Colette smiles as she looks at Ceil.
"I want you to practice shooting until you do not feel like you have the hang of it and is not going to fall back," said Colette. Ceil nods as she practice. She spends few hours and has the hang of it.
"Wow it is not that hard after you get used to it," said Ceil. Colette smiles then turns serious.
"You are doing well. Now the next step is aiming. I want you to focus shooting on that thing over there keep on trying to aim on top part. If you hit below that is ok. I want you to focus the top," said Colette, "If you can focus on that then we will go to the next part of the training."
"Ok," said Ceil. She starts aiming for the top part. She keeps on trying after few more hours she gets it. Ceil starts to feel exhausted.
"It is getting dark. We will continue our training tomorrow. What do you say," said Colette.
"Sure Tomorrow morning will be fine," said Ceil. Colette smiles as the two are heading out. Ceil looks at Colette.
"Colette," said Ceil. Colette looks at Ceil who looks not happy but distracted. Colette has a confused look.
"Yes?" asked Colette. Ceil does not know if she wants to ask her something personal but rather have it out.
"Have you ever love someone but did not know that they love someone else until the two are together?" asked Ceil. Colette sighs as she looks at Ceil.
"Follow me, I want to show you my personal paintings that I never let people see," said Colette. Ceil follows her as the two went to her gallery. There are her paintings that Ceil has seen and then there were four in the darkness like the previous ones. Colette brings them to the light one was a guy beating up a female. Another painting is a guy with a girl playing sexually. The other two are pictures that are somewhat incomplete.
"The guy you see there is a person who I thought love me for who I am. I love him dearly that I wanted to paint him and myself together. That never really happen. He is in three of my pictures as I still paint him," said Colette. Ceil examine the two incomplete and the picture where the guy plays with a girl sexually. All three are the same guy.
"So the girl in that picture you did is," said Ceil. Colette has a deeper sadness on her face.
"That is his first girlfriend. I never know her personally. She and I have several things in common. Though it torn me apart to find that out. His first girlfriend and I made a pact. If something happens to him, we both are going to be in his funeral and support each other. If I died, the two will have all of my paintings. If she died, I will marry him to keep him safe. If the two has a child, the child will know me as their parent's friend," said Colette as she start to have tears coming down her face.
"Are you still trying to forget the pain?" asked Ceil as she looks at Colette. Colette looks at Ceil in tears.
"The pain will never go away. However, I tried to look in the bright side. He is happy. It may not be with me but he is happy. I never like destroying happiness when I am seeking it for myself," said Colette.
"I see. We both have something in common then," said Ceil. Colette looks at Ceil as she is sad.
"We can talk more in the morning. Expect you to be up and already eaten by 8:00 in the morning," said Colette.
"Ok I will be there," said Ceil as she left to bed. In the morning, Ceil is up and have her breakfast before the other people come. It is 5:30 in the morning as Ceil wants to get an early start on the training. She practice from what she learned yesterday. By 7:30, Colette wants to be there early and start shooting several rounds. To her surprise, Ceil is already there training.
"I did not expect you are hear this early," said Colette. Ceil looks at Colette and smiles.
"I was here earlier. I ate and everything. I have been practicing for two hours already," said Ceil.
"Well then we can go to the next part. Moving targets," said Colette, "Now unlike still targets. These things move try to hit them with your gun as they come by. However, I am going to be out. I will come back with recordings of how well you did. We will continue this until you get the hang of it."
"Ok, I will be practicing in the meantime," said Ceil. Colette steps out of the room and start the simulation. Ceil practice as Colette tries to anticipate what Ceil is going through and what she had went through.
"Ceil, We both have pains and sorrows that we do not want in our heart. If it keeps up we both will be jealous and I know we both do not want that. Jealousy can do many things that both humans and reploids will never forget. I hope we find our happiness somehow without the person we love that love the other person. Even though the person we love is opposite. Mine is a human that loves another human. While yours is a reploid that loves another reploid. However, the pain is still there," thought Colette. A beeping sound lost Colette's train of thought as she check the score. Colette sighs as she goes in.
"Well it is not bad. 32. Want to keep practicing until we get to the next step," said Colette.
"Yeah, What would be the next step then," said Ceil. Colette sighs as she looks at Ceil.
"It will be dodging and shooting. When you feel like you are ready for that tell me and I set it up for it," said Colette.
"Ok I will," said Ceil. The training continues for few hours. Ceil feel confident of her skills that she is ready for the next step.
"I am ready," said Ceil. Colette set the targets to fire back. Colette looks at Ceil to make sure she will be ok.
"If I find any hits on you I will stop the machine and take you to medical ward," said Colette, "The last thing I need is you to be hurt. This training is putting dodging skills and shooting skills to the test."
"I promise not to get hurt," said Ceil, " I will do my best." Colette smiles as she waits outside. The very end Colette hears Ceil scream and is about to shut the training session when it says the word complete. The score shows 80. Colette goes inside and check on Ceil. Ceil is alright but looks shock and frighten.
"Ceil are you ok?" ask Colette. Ceil nods as she looks at the broken hologram that almost hit her.
"I manage to hit this one before I was going to be hit by it. I panic a bit. That is all," said Ceil.
"It is ok. I have done that before. Well now we can go on to the next step and that is what you did before but this time you will have an ally, me. We both will be shooting and your goal is to shoot those things again but try not to shoot your ally. I do believe there is going to be a time where you are going to be at work when CROSHA will go after you. If you do not want to hurt other people but the person who is attacking you. You need to be prepared for that. Also when the rest of us are around and you are attacked. I wanted to know that you will not hurt us," said Colette.
"Ok, then lets get started," said a voice in the background. Colette turns to see who it is. A reploid she had seen before in the roof.
"I guess two allies will not hurt in this training session," said Colette. Zero walks in and wondering what Ceil and the other two is going to do.
"Ready for training Ceil," said Colette. Axl gets his guns out as he is ready for this training.
"Is there room for one more?" asked Zero. Colette looks at Zero. Ceil swallow as she looks at Zero.
"That depends on Ceil. I mainly want her to train on how to use a gun but if you want to help her then be my guest," said Colette.
"It is fine. Zero can train with us. It would be helpful I believe," said Ceil. Zero walks towards the three people.
"I am also going to keep an eye on Axl. He has the tendency to be a klutz in practice," said Zero.
"I am not that much of a klutz. Yeah I am a klutz of certain things but that does not means that I am all the time," said Axl in defense.
"I want to make sure not in this training ok," said Zero as he gave a dead look on Axl. Axl looks scared as he is afraid of his own life.