In case anyone forgot, the "^FROM BEYOND^" indicates that it's the same person's POV (Point of View), but it's a different scene. The "-" indicates that the POV changed from one person to another.

Now, on to the story.


Slaine was awaken in the morning by a pinging sound from his phone. He opened his eyes, really wanting to have the power to destroy things with his mind. He saw Inaho laying on his lap, laying splayed out everywhere. It was another side of her he was happy to see. She didn't snore; she just fidgeted whenever he moved. When he tried to move his leg from under her, she flipped her leg back onto him. So the pinging noise continued to annoy him, and Inaho pretended he was a stuffed animal. Despite all of that, he couldn't find it in him to move. He was happy that Inaho liked him enough to sleep around him. He was happy that he managed to rest near her, and not embarrass himself.

He felt like he had gotten closer to her, especially after their conversation last night. He had no idea that she understood what he felt so well. He was sure that if she was to have PTSD from anything, it would be the loss of her eye. He had never seen her have a panic attack either. He wondered if she tried to hide it like he did; if she tried to act like it never bothered her, or shouldn't because he didn't have time for it.

He may not have known Inaho as long as everyone else, but he did know that she never spoke to anyone about her feelings. He was still angry over her getting shot, and not saying anything. But what if her inability to speak with him about it was like his inability to speak about his scars? What if he was pushing her too much? She wouldn't even bother to tell him if he were.

Slaine continued to move himself from Inaho and succeeded in substituting a large pillow for him. Inaho didn't wake; so he figured it was fine. He checked his phone and saw the numerous messages. They were all from Tristan Rior, a Stygis Squad member. Slaine felt terrible. It'd been awhile since Slaine had spoken to any of the members, sans Harklight. He stepped out of the room to speak with Tristan.

"Tristan? You called. What happened?"

Slaine heard a sigh of relief. "I'm so happy you answered. We found something out about the Extraterrestrial Beings. This is big. I wanted to contact Ms. Kaizuka, but I thought I should tell you first. You know, in case this is something you might not want getting out. Plus, those UFE guys might catch wind of this."

Slaine was already getting dressed. This sounded serious. Slaine got into his car, and constantly checked if he had any new messages. All he knew was that the Stygis members he stationed in his research lab had found something about the EB. He sincerely hoped that they found something about their weakness. He had an incoming call. He answered.

"This is Slaine."

"It's nice to know you're alive." That voice belonged to Emperor Rayregalia. Slaine was instantly suspicious. It was too coincident that the emperor would call when a big discovery was made.

"Emperor Vers Rayvers. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"It's about the successor. Before I can address that publicly, I need to address the catalyst for the war."

Slaine's stomach twisted. There were too many people involved in the Interplanetary Wars. Were they supposed to address the first war as well? It wasn't like they could return the moon. It wasn't like they could even pay for the damages. What could they do to settle the war they already conceded?

"Who?"

"Saazbaum."

Slaine was thankful that there wasn't a video opened. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. He was so angry. Saazbaum was a man -among many -who'd been subjected to an emperor's stupidity. He didn't deserve to be blamed for trying to avenge his wife. He didn't deserve to have his memory destroyed because Rayregalia didn't stop the war when he should have. Did the emperor really want Asseylum alive? Did he even care for her? He recklessly married her off just to spite Slaine. What went through the emperor's mind?

"What about everyone else? Me included."

"We can't very well have too many martians responsible. Plus, you're the reason this meeting can happen without bloodshed. Asseylum was attacked on Terra, after all. It's only reasonable that someone else had a hand in it. After some investigation of the Deucalion," Slaine physically bristled at that. "I discovered that the other person responsible was Wulf Areash."

That name… no…

"Is that so? What do you plan to do?" His mouth said, although his mind was on autopilot.

"I plan to expose both their names at the UFE meeting." This was a ploy to buy the emperor more time to decide who he wanted as a successor. He wasn't even trying very hard to cover up this distraction, but it would be more than enough to distract the public. Slaine wanted to curse the bastard. He knew the surname Areash. It was Rayet's surname. Wulf must've been someone close to her.

"How'd did you come about this information? It's something they'll want to know. They won't believe us."

"I'll have your fiancee explain. The daughter of that man did manage to temporarily kill my granddaughter."

Slaine didn't know what to think. He had arrived at the lab, but he didn't remember why he was there. "What does that mean?"

"It means that that girl, Ray… Ri… Rayet. Rayet tried to finish her father's job, and she walks around blame free. My question is simple; why? It's because she's a soldier." Slaine was mistaken on the gravity of what the emperor wanted to do. He didn't want to drag a martian through the mud, he wanted to drag the UFE through the mud. By blaming Rayet, he would be blaming the UFE for harboring Rayet when they kept persistently demanding the name of the persons responsible.

This was low, but something felt incredibly wrong. "What do you mean have my fiancee explain?" Slaine's voice demanded. He felt conflicted. He didn't want Inaho's name smeared in any way, and he also wanted to know what really happened. Anyway things went, Inaho would be reprimanded because she withheld this information and allowed Rayet to be free.

"She was there. You should wait until later today to hear about this. In the meantime, I'll be at my mansion. My Knights will attend the meeting as well. We are in a state of peace, after all." With that, the emperor hung up.

Slaine fought the urge to slam his hands on the steering wheel. Instead he called Inaho. It took a few tries as she was probably busy.

"Slaine?" She said quietly, almost like she was still asleep.

"Inaho…" He didn't want to sound like he was attacking her. Especially not since they had gotten along so well. "Did…" He couldn't sugarcoat anything. "Did Rayet try to kill Princess Asseylum?"

Inaho was silent for a moment. "Yes."

"Explain."

Inaho huffed. "It was during the first year of the war. Rayet was showering with Asseylum. I don't know the specifics, but Rayet strangled Asseylum, and I resuscitated Asseylum. Asseylum forgave Rayet, but Captain Magbaredge and I kept them apart."

He couldn't stupidly ask why she hadn't told him. It was obvious that the situation was handled as Asseylum forgave Rayet, but nobody else would see it that way. Especially not with the way Rayregalia would introduce it. The man made no sense!

"Who's Wulf Areash?" He already had his suspicions, he just needed to have it verbally confirmed.

"Rayet's father." Inaho said immediately, and then paused after a second of silence. "Why are you asking me?"

"Rayregalia brought it up. He's blaming the war on Saazbaum and Rayet's dad."

Inaho remained silent. "This is ill-advised." She shuffled around. "If this happens, the Deucalion will be reprimanded as well as the United Forces of Earth. It will cause a panic as people still believe the Versian are trying to control the governments. Did the emperor think this through?" She sounded exhausted.

Slaine agreed with her assessment. "What do we do?"

"Don't worry about that. I'll think of something. Why aren't you here?" She asked quietly.

Slaine looked down. Too much had happened in a short amount of time. He forgot to call her. He didn't even think about calling her about where he was. "The lab called me, my research lab. They found out something concerning the EB. I'll tell you when I-"

"No, don't tell me until after the meeting." She sighed. "I understand that you might feel apprehensive after hearing about what happened between Rayet and Seylum. I'm… thankful that you spoke with me about it."

Was she apologizing? He wanted to tease her, but decided that he had too much to do. It figured that one call from the emperor would put him in a sour mood. He'd foolishly believed that the emperor had mellowed out where Slaine was concerned. It seemed the old man was only capable of being calm when he was plotting to cover his own back. It frustrated Slaine tremendously that the emperor was blaming Saazbaum and Rayet's father when the war easily could've been stopped by the emperor and Slaine. The emperor continued to attack Terra even when Asseylum's confirmed survival was revealed.

Slaine wasn't blameless either, but his actions could be viewed as patriotism to Vers. However, he knew that what he'd done to everyone was simple treason and petty anger. Because he'd been shafted from both Terra and Vers, he felt justified in destroying them both. Nothing good could've come from the war. Both had lost too many resources, people, and patience. No one truly wanted peace; they just wanted to stop dying when the war didn't have a purpose anymore.

And now Inaho would have to do damage control because the emperor wasn't a complete idiot. He knew that blaming the entire war on a Count would spell trouble for Vers. Someone else who was involved had to be blamed, and they had to be born on Terra. Rayet just happened to fit that description since her father was dead.

"How's your shoulder?" He asked to cover her awkward apology.

"It's manageable." Which was probably code for "it freaking hurts, but I'm not going to complain because we're too busy". At least she implied that it hurt.

"Are you sure it's… manageable?"

She hummed her answer. "I can move it, and it's not too swollen that anyone will notice. You should go to the lab. I'll handle things here. Bye."

"Bye." He wanted to say more, but he didn't know what.

Slaine looked up and noticed that he was at his research lab. When did he get here? Probably in the midst of a disturbing conversation that would nearly unravel the point of Slaine and Inaho's alliance.

He walked briskly to the elevator, and went to the fourth floor. Slaine had reserved this building as soon as he was given enough freedom to leave his guards. He didn't require bodyguards anymore, but he should probably make Inaho have them. His Stygis Squad was given the location and his number. He wanted the first rights on everything concerning martian technology, and the EB were exactly that. Inaho could only contain so much from her superiors, but he didn't want her to lose her position for him. He didn't want her to lose everything for him. He was hardly worth all of that.

Slaine saw Tristan pacing through the entrance of the lab, which wasn't half as glamorous as Inaho's. Tristan saw Slaine, and sighed in relief. He saluted to Slaine.

"I'm so happy you're here so soon. Let me show you what we found. Sir Harklight should be here soon." Tristan said, walking swiftly to a backroom. Slaine expected to see the actual evidence, but he was shown a projection from a room. It was one of the fallen EB from China. Apparently they couldn't care much for Japan nabbing the two EB from them because of the agreement that Japan forced upon them. Inaho's group had one and Slaine kept the other.

Slaine's eyes narrowed at the sight he was witnessing. The bright, mystic light was going haywire. The EB, although theoretically dead, was still able to activate its aldnoah. Slaine was folded his arms watching the light spark. Since he was given the ability over aldnoah, he could tell that the aldnoah was signaling to something. It's the same sensation he felt when activating his Tharsis.

"This is bad, isn't it? I mean, what is it doing in there? I don't even know if the other one is going crazy. What do you think?" Tristan asked as Harklight entered the room, observing the same phenomena.

"I believe that this is aldnoah in its purest form." Harklight said, standing next to Slaine.

"I believe it's signalling something or someone. None of the others have done this. Perhaps these were actually important kataphrakts?" Slaine suggested. He looked at the different angles of the fallen, dull gray enemy kataphrakt. Was it sending a message to everyone it knew? If so, were they screwed? He would have to tell Inaho about this. There was no way he couldn't.

"Thank you for showing me this, Tristan. Make sure to tell me when this stops." And it would stop. Whatever the flickering aldnoah was trying to convey was being deciphered by someone. Slaine debated between telling Rayregalia and keeping him in the dark for now. The emperor had more pressing things to worry about. He would call Inaho, but she wanted to hold off everything until after the meeting. He just needed today to start making sense immediately.


Inaho was actually developing another notorious migraine. It started with the emperor's little bomb, and Slaine's sudden disappearance in the morning. She woke up, fully expecting to see him, but was disappointed. Of course the world kept turning when she wanted to do something uncharacteristically her. She wanted to be able to joke around with Slaine, to freely hug him, to actually be near him, but that wasn't her. She wasn't an expressive person. She would do almost anything to have the bravery Yuki-nee had when she was with guys. Yuki-nee was so lucid and easy-going. It was like she was born to get along with people.

But no. Inaho didn't get opportunities like that. She was awaken to cuddling a pillow. Did she cuddle with Slaine before he had to leave? Her face felt hot from the thought. She couldn't even calmly think about their kiss yesterday without feeling giddy. It was a good feeling, too.

But her mind needed to be focused on more important matters, such as: Rayet, the emperor, and Slaine's research lab. Rayet's innocence would be questioned immediately. Rayet had a track record for hating any martian. She never hid her animosity from anyone. Inaho would have to do some magnificent spinning to keep Rayet from taking the entire fall. Not only because it was falsely placed and they were friends, but because Asseylum would surely do something reckless.

Asseylum thought with her heart when she couldn't find logical solutions. It made sense because she wasn't properly taught diplomacy. Asseylum wasn't an idiot; she just felt too strongly to things. Inaho was sure that hearing Rayet's name being dragged through the mud would either help or hurt Asseylum's image. Seylum had been given training on how to be a leader, an empress, but the moment of truth was approaching if it did anything.

Seylum was not the only wild card. The entire UFE would be up in arms at this discovery. They hated the thought of any resident of Earth being held responsible. Surely this big reveal was covering something. Inaho couldn't tell because she was so preoccupied, and that worried her. Something much bigger lay ahead of her, and she was too busy preparing for the rain when a tsunami came her way.

Usually, Inaho would call Inko, Nina, or Rayet for advice, but this was over all of them. Inko was still recovering from her father's death, Nina was slowly falling apart but wouldn't let Inaho help her stay together, and Rayet was a part of the problem. Calm would be the next best thing, but he'd been saddled with work for three now that Nina was requesting a well-deserved break. Inaho called the one person who was always available.

"Yuki-nee." Inaho spoke as soon as it answered.

"Nao, what's wrong? I'm on my way."

"I need your assistance."

Yuki went silent. "Will you tell me over the phone or no?"

"This is better said in person." Inaho said, getting completely dressed for the meeting in approximately three hours and 18 minutes. The meeting that would have the UFE and the emperor with his Orbital Knights. The same people who wanted her tortured and murdered. Something in her wanted to eliminate them before they caused further problems, but they were important for peace. A peace she debated was even real.

Inaho hung up the phone as there was nothing else to say, and she received a call from Ogura Yoshio. "Hello." Inaho said, answering the phone. Ogura shouldn't have her number, but it only made sense for the representatives of the Japanese branch to be that close.

"Ms. Kaizuka, I've put someone in charge to be your personal assistant." And that was all the woman said, as if that was enough. As if she had the jurisdiction over Inaho's personal and public appearances. The only one in charge of her was her superiors, and Ogura wasn't it.

"What brought this decision on?"

"A meeting was held," Inaho's eye twitched slightly, "and it was decided that you should be watched. You are the face of the peace between Vers and Earth. You will need to monitored. The Versian Advisor will also need to be monitored. We can hardly have children acting without supervision. While your image is incredible, it could be better. Your progress with the Versian Princess is also below our expectations. We expect progress by the end of next month."

Inaho felt her migraine officially setting in as she heard this. So the UFE had decided that she was developing too much power. She imagined that making Ogura, a rookie by experience in the UFE meetings, her superior was to remind Inaho that she wasn't as influential as she believed.

Inaho wasn't pleased at all. Ogura was an intelligent woman whose prowess in politics surpassed Inaho's. It was infuriating. She also didn't have time to deal with this particular set of nonsense. What grated her most was that a meeting happened, and Inaho was notified. She wondered if she should start to be as omniscient as Emperor Vers Rayvers. He was never out of any loop. And her demotion would most likely show as Ogura would definitely try to undermine Inaho's words in this upcoming meeting. This was not the time for a petty fight of authority; not when the emperor would try to make the Deucalion look bad.

"When did this meeting happen?"

Ogura laughed like a woman would among friends she didn't like. It was a unbecoming laugh, and it made Inaho lose all respect for the woman. "It happened two days before the engagement party of the Versian Princess."

This meeting happened the day the Deucalion was attacked by hired men. Inaho's mind raced at the timing. A meticulous plan such as the botched kidnapping of her and the very meeting that was supposed to demote her happening on the same day was not coincidence. Someone was planning her fall, and they were doing it splendidly. The emperor was only making it easier to destroy her. But why? It didn't make sense. This sounded like the UFE was siding with the Orbital Knights, or the emperor with his knights.

"Why wasn't I notified?" And you were. It didn't make sense for them to notify Ogura at all. Manabe could've told Inaho this, and she would have been less suspicious. Perhaps she was supposed to be suspicious. And why make a woman who had no appearance in the war, be a leading advocate for any peace negotiations? She wouldn't know the specifics like everyone else would. Everyone else in the UFE had actually fought against the Versians. And why couldn't the woman call Asseylum by her name? Or Slaine?

"You weren't notified because you didn't need to be. Kaizuka, this is simply you being able to relax as a normal highschool girl. You are exceptional. Maybe it's time for you to think of finishing high school and getting into a good college. I'm sure your sister would like to hear that."

Inaho calmed herself to think all this through. The first problem to handle was this woman. This woman was treating her like she was a civilian, and not a soldier. "With all due respect, Ms. Ogura, but the gravity of the peace treaty far outweighs something like school. I would prefer you to not mix your personal feelings towards me when discussing something as important as meetings for the peace treaty. I do not need a personal assistant to maintain my image to the public. My image is sufficient; in fact, it is more than sufficient. It is, as you said, incredible. The general public favors my appearance as it is. Also, I am not a child; I am a major general. I will be seeing you in the meeting. Have a good day." She said hanging up.

How dare that woman completely dismiss her like that. This wasn't a game. How did Ogura acquire her number? Who was this personal assistant that would surely make Inaho's job harder?

"Sounds like you had quite a conversation," Yuki said from in the living room. "Who was that?"

"Ogura Yoshio. She's a politician, and she is not accepting of my place in the UFE. I believe I haven't heard the last of her. She will probably make this problem I will tell you of more complicated."

"What problem? What's going on?"

"Slaine told me that the emperor will put blame on the people responsible for the war." Inaho said, setting her phone down and sitting at the table in the dining room. She hadn't even had enough time to make something to drink for Yuki. At least she dressed while speaking to Ogura.

"What…" Yuki's face went ashen. "Rayet."

"Yes, he plans on blaming Rayet's father for his part and Count Saazbaum."

"Slaine's adoptive father? The man who shot Asseylum? Who you fought?"

"Slaine's adoptive father. He's also the man who kept Seylum alive, while granting Slaine enough power to be a count."

Yuki frowned. "It doesn't make sense for the emperor to do this now. The war has been settled, and Rayet's father was a martian. Rayet's a martian. Isn't he blaming just his own people?"

"Saazbaum was a martian, but Rayet was on the Deucalion. This will make people think twice about the Deucalion. We allowed Rayet to temporarily kill the princess. Granted, I resuscitated her, but it doesn't make sense that Rayet is free to walk around after what she did. Even if Seylum forgave Rayet."

"You're right. What's your argument for when he brings it up? And now that Ogura is against you, things will go south quickly."

Inaho took her medicine for her migraines. She couldn't believe she hadn't taken any yesterday. Her pain medication was important. With the way things were going, she would have to get the surgery sooner than anticipated.

Yuki saw her taking the pill and sighed. "I think you draw their attention away from that somehow."

Inaho used her analytical engine to go through all the information she acquired. What could she say that would dull the effect of Rayet trying to kill Asseylum? She paused, and looked at Yuki. "I think I have my answer. You were very helpful, Yuki-nee. You should stay on the Deucalion while this meeting happens." She still hadn't told Yuki about what happened. She couldn't bring herself to tell Yuki about the attack. It would only make Yuki worried, and make her see Slaine differently. Rayet looked at Slaine differently. Except her look was with respect, Yagarai looked at Slaine in trepidation.

She couldn't change anything. All she knew was that too many things were happening at once, and that didn't mean anything good for her.

^FROM BEYOND^FROM BEYOND^

Inaho entered the meeting room, and saw nearly everyone already seated. She had shown up an hour earlier. Why was everyone already here? Was this a ploy to make her look incompetent? Could she trust anyone in this room? Manabe chatted along with Ogura. They looked calm, and that made Inaho feel paranoid. Was Manabe in on it? Who else was? Did they all want her gone?

She saw Scandinavian Branch leader Peter Eklund send her a look. He moved his head as if to signal her to come to him. She walked to him as if she didn't feel confused. He leaned against a wall, staring hard at her.

"You were at the last meeting." He commented. She was happy that he didn't need a translator like many of the other leaders and representatives did. She also didn't know how to respond to that. Was he someone she could trust?

"No, I wasn't."

"Why?"

She decided to just trust him. He was a child soldier like herself, and she needed to have at least one person on her side. "I wasn't invited."

He narrowed his eyes, and they flickered to Ogura. "That woman, then?"

"Ogura. She's spoken to my superiors. I believe that they plan to replace me soon. However, this thought is only speculation."

"You should trust your instincts. They're not unfounded. Three of the representatives around our age have already been replaced. I believe now that we've done all the work, the "adults" are going to take over. That is until the next EB attack."

Inaho looked at Peter ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"It happened a while ago."

"It doesn't change that your countries were attacked. It doesn't change that your countries weren't given proper time to recuperate before the peace treaty was announced."

"You fought as well. We can't change what has already happened. While you were gone, Ogura spoke about regulating the martians. She wants to put a PA for your fiance. It's to watch the martians closer. She doesn't trust your reports."

Peter was forthcoming with a lot of information that would've made Inaho skeptical, except that it all sounded completely plausible. The woman had admitted it. "Why wasn't I notified?"

"She said that you were preoccupied."

Ogura said Inaho had been preoccupied the very day she was attacked. Was Ogura behind the attack? Was she apart of the group? Was she even involved, or did the two happen simultaneously by coincidence? She didn't know.

Peter straightened his posture. "I can keep you informed. My country has given me the order to "watch" the other countries behaviors. If your country kicks you out, you're always invited to fight with my squad." He offered, and turned to sit with his group.

Inaho went back to her seat, actually considering joining Peter's squad if his country allowed. She would have more power, but she wouldn't have more freedom. She would essentially be in the same position, just under less fire from her own teammates.

The Orbital Knights, Emperor Vers Rayvers, Asseylum, Slaine, and Count Klancain Cruhteo entered the room in that order. They all took their seats, and Inaho assessed them with her analytical engine. They all shifted slightly, observing the pseudo leaders for the countries they attacked. She wondered what they were thinking. Could it be surprise that she was still alive? Or did that wear off when she showed up at the engagement party?

American Branch leader Nathan Wilson began the meeting in the same pretentious way he always did. "Let us start this meeting, shall we? Please, Emperor Vers Rayvers, you should go first." And Inaho knew what would be said. The emperor looked imperturbable. He gave a nod.

"It's nice to see everyone here." He said, and Inaho almost glared. Had he been at the last meeting? "I wanted to finally put to rest the people in charge of starting the Second Interplanetary War. During thorough investigations with the aid of the African and Japanese branch, it was revealed that along with Count Saazbaum -who has been dealt with -another person -who has also been dealt with -started the war. Wulf Areash."

The emperor continued. "While investigating if the man was alive or not, we discovered that he had many accomplices. One who is still living, Rayet Areash." He finished, and everyone gasped.

Inaho thanked her years of control. Because of it, she didn't show how upset she was. Many turned towards her in question. Chinese Branch leader Zhang Min, however, narrowed her eyes at the emperor. Slaine kept his face controlled. It was probably thanks to his years as a servant that he held his expressions together. Asseylum looked at her grandfather with a tight expression.

"Rayet Areash, a soldier upon the Deucalion, was thorough investigated. She was a person close to Princess Asseylum, who took advantage of that and strangled her. It is only thanks to our hero, Major General Kaizuka, that Princess Asseylum is alive. I believe that she should be punished for her indiscretion."

Korean Branch Jun Su scoffed. "You want to punish an earth raised martian to save your own agenda." He said, shocking everyone. "I'm only saying what we all thought. This seems planned. Prove that a war hero did do such things. Prove that no one else was involved. Like perhaps your advisor who continued the war, or you yourself for continuing it when you heard your granddaughter was alive. I believe we should let this die, like the people who actually started this war."

European Branch Orbert Brandt nodded. "I also agree. Blaming someone for the war now seems ill-advised. We agreed to a peace treaty."

The Emperor looked to Slaine who pulled out a stack of papers. "This is a list of people who signed a petition to each of your countries to demand the person responsible for this punished. I give you the names, and you want this to just go away? You want me to forgive that someone strangled my granddaughter, and still walks free without so much as a slap on the wrist?"

Nathan Wilson spoke up. "I agree with the emperor. It only makes sense to punish these people. Since Rayet Areash did try to kill someone that tried to save her life. It would be shameful to ignore this."

Russian Branch leader Vadik Kabinov crossed his arms in dissatisfaction. "Why are you against this? Is it because the girl belongs to the Deucalion? The Deucalion was created by a teenager and a captain, who obeyed a teenager. Just because this Rayet girl is young doesn't mean she shouldn't be responsible."

Zhang Min released a short laugh. "The Deucalion is the reason you're able to say that right now. They did lead the war. A teenager and a captain led the war while you couldn't figure out how to destroy a Versian kataphrakt."

Vadik bristled. The branches bickered among each other, until Ogura spoke up. "I think that we should allow the girl to be as she was. The princess holds no animosity for the girl. It's foolishness for us to when she doesn't. Also, can we blame a teenager for acting recklessly when she lost her family, and the enemy's granddaughter is right before her? This only proves that a child shouldn't be given that kind of power."

Peter laughed. "A child, you say? She wasn't a child when your government gave her a gun. It was war. While you were hiding away with all the other politicians, children were fighting for you. And this is getting off track. Disregard the Areash girl, the people responsible are Wulf Areash and Saazbaum, correct?"

Inaho wanted to applaud Peter's way of wrangling the group.

The emperor looked less than impressed. "Correct."

"Then that's all we need to know. We have peace negotiations to address."

African Branch leader Unathi Solarin decided to end the progression. "Why wasn't the girl arrested? It isn't like all soldiers are mindless animals. So what punishment did she receive, Major General Kaizuka?"

Inaho straightened her skirt, like she always did. "She was temporarily imprisoned. The Deucalion was short on fighters, and Princess Asseylum forgave Rayet. From that day, Rayet Areash and Princess Asseylum haven't been alone in a room together. They have only been in the same vicinity for work purposes-"

"Is that supposed to justify-" Ogura interrupted, but Inaho cut her off.

"I was simply answering the question. I didn't say it justified anything. To punish Rayet Areash at the same moment as the people responsible for the war, would be the same as implying that Rayet was a mastermind with the plot. She was merely a bystander, which is when her father was killed by a martian kataphrakt, and she was rescued. This matter has been settled by Princess Asseylum, who holds no ill-will towards Rayet Areash. A more pressing matter is who the next heir to the Versian throne is. Versian unrest has spiked because a wedding is fast approaching, and the emperor or empress hasn't been announced, which is untraditional." Inaho smoothly interjected.

The emperor looked at her, and she knew he wanted her dead. But he opened a box he shouldn't have. Rayet's animosity towards Asseylum was gone. Their tension was gone. The event happened two years ago. But for him to acquire this information meant he had somehow spoken to someone aboard the Deucalion. Did that mean that anyone in the Deucalion was siding with the emperor and Orbital Knight to have her eliminated?

Nathan Wilson nodded. "That is a good question. A poll was taken in my country, and the votes were divided between Princess Asseylum and Count Klancain. I believe that whomever you choose will lead to an upset."

The emperor looked unperturbed, but it didn't take a mind reader to know that the man was beyond angry at Inaho. Asseylum put a winning smile on her face. "I believe that this matter is between the emperor and his advisor. As the Scandinavian Branch leader said before, we have peace negotiations to address. The people responsible for the war were merely the people to first pull the proverbial trigger. We all knew that a war was inevitable. It is our actions now that reflect whether we learned anything. And what we learned is that we cannot co-exist if we do not at least try to tolerate each others' presence."

Inaho nodded at Asseylum when she looked to Inaho. Inaho was proud of her. That was so swiftly handled. Slaine looked impressed as well. "You are quite right, Princess Asseylum." Slaine said, and then he looked at the leaders.

"Last meeting, a matter was brought up that came to my attention: regulations. If we're going to integrate Versians with everyone else, there needs to be regulations. With this peace treaty in place, people are going to expect a gradual combining of the two. Anything abrupt will only add fuel to their anger." Slaine began, and everyone relaxed.

Inaho was happy that the previous conversation was over. Now, they could do what they wanted before. Either way, Rayet went unpunished, and the emperor could delay the naming of his heir.

Vadik Kabinov nodded his head. "I agree with that. How about having them undergo the same treatment as immigrants?"

"What about for history and laws?" Obert Brandt interjected. "Since the Versian haven't been on earth for quite some time, I imagine that they are ignorant of our laws and history. They may be getting a grasp of our different currency and government, but that's not much. The immigration system can be manipulated as well."

Unathi Solarin scoffed. "Then they will be treated like immigrants. Do you think every immigrant is savvy to another country? The language barrier is the biggest issue. Also the countries still haven't agree to have Versians into their land."

Zhang Min narrowed her eyes. "If that's how you believe immigrants are treated, then Kabinov's suggestion was good. Take a poll of your country's assessment of the Versians. My country has become more tolerant since they fought alongside the Deucalion, and helped my country heal."

No one spoke for a moment. It seemed that a lot of the replacement UFE members were slowly understanding that they weren't in a loop. Publicly, not many countries knew that Versians assisted the Deucalion to defeat the two EB in China. That weren't many because too many people would be discomforted with the knowledge that Slaine still kept his Stygis Squad, and they all had their kataphrakts. Many people thought that the Versian should be stripped of their aldnoah and kataphrakts. Logically, it wouldn't make sense, since they were in a time of peace. Such a momentous restriction would lead to a revolt. Many people sympathized with the Versian, and they would fight for them. Many wanted the Versian de-fanged and neutered/spade. No matter what choice was made, someone would feel wronged and start a ruckus.

"What about laws?" Ogura asks. "Lately, many petty crimes have been committed. Many of our judges are stopped by the question of what punishment should be acceptable."

"This is proof that the integration is too abrupt. We need to slow it down." Nathan Wilson said, folding his arms. "It isn't like the Versian royalty has political power over any of our governments. So the judgment would be put into our leaders' hands. This would lead to corruption. Not many of our politicians would fairly judge a Versian, especially when most systems don't fairly judge its own citizens."

"I truly think it's wiser to have them treated like other citizens. Any special treatment, good or bad, would hold a negative connotation. People would either assume that the UFE wants to gain Versian favor or that we dislike Vers as a whole."

"I disagree." Asseylum said. "I believe that making the punishments equivalent to citizens would lead to the same problems as your immigration. Vers doesn't know your laws. Whichever way we choose, the solution will be abused and corrupted. I don't believe the UFE is alerted to simple petty crimes."

Vadik Kabinov scoffed. "So they should be given free reign to do whatever they want because they don't know something?"

Jun Su laughed. "In that case, we shouldn't have anymore meetings since it hardly matters what a Versian does."

Everyone erupted, some agreeing, most disagreeing. Until Slaine took the floor with his thoughts on the matter. His thoughts would mean more since he is technically a Versian citizen.

"It's only logical to punish Vers as anyone would a citizen if they're going to be seen as immigrants. What were the petty crimes again?" Slaine asked of Ogura who answered.

"Theft and other such misdemeanors."

"Then they deserve the same penalty. Thievery was punishable on Vers, more so than here. To write their wrongdoings as ignorance would send the wrong message as being too strict or lenient with their punishment."

Ogura nodded. "As much as I don't agree with that morally, it makes perfect sense. The problem with our suggestions seem to be that the Versians are uninformed of our many cultures. I suggest that the recovery of the schools that were destroyed be remade. We need positive infrastructure to our countries. No country is going to accept the Versians because they lost loved ones and their previous occupations."

Inaho nodded. "Japan has been increasing its emphasis on teaching to bring the enticement of teaching back into the economy. Too many people don't realize that without schools and colleges running again, no one will know where to go from there. The prices for college also need to be lowered, but economically, the price of college will need to be satisfied somehow. Construction costs resources, manpower, knowledge, and money. The war has bereft us of most of those necessities. Also, housing is a problem, since most areas in each country has been uninhabitable. It's why no country has rushed to this idea."

Unathi Solarin frowned. "You speak as if this doesn't concern you. Why don't we make the Versian handle the construction?"

Asseylum turned towards him."That's the same as implying that you believe all Versian should be held responsible for the war. It will completely defeat the purpose for announcing a peace treaty." Her retort was so sharp, Unathi Solarin simply huffed and muttered something under his breath.

"If we want to continue with discussing peace, perhaps we should address how having anyone accepted into the military is sending a bad message, and has been sending a bad message. It's been boldly announcing that each country is running low on men and will settle for anyone willing-"

Jun Su cut her off. "Please, enlighten me on why that's relevant. You go from schools to disrespecting the military. All of our countries were in a state of war where anyone was accepted, but you and your three middle aged sons seemed to miss out on the memo. Or did you also forget that we have to fight the EB? Do you even know anything about them?"

His snipe at her intelligence opened the gateway for everyone to speak about each other. Ogura looked red in the face from embarrassment. Inaho hadn't known that Ogura kept her three sons from the war. Was that why she was adamant about keeping Inaho out of it? Or was that the reason why she believed Inaho too inept for politics? Did she think her sons were too incompetent for war, or did she care about them that much? There was so much Inaho wanted know about her new opponent. Intellectually, Ogura had her beat, but Inaho had her beat in everything that mattered now.

The emperor slapped his hand on the table. "Enough of this foolishness. The military is a necessity, whether you believe it or not because this treaty has too many citizens on edge. They're all waiting for the shoe to drop, and the war to resume. Also, the Extraterrestrial Beings do not care about age. They attack indiscriminately. We've accomplished as much as is possible for today."

"Emperor Vers Rayvers is correct. We have done all we can. We've established that the Versians should undergo education on the knowledge of their resident country, they should be treated as any other immigrant, and that the persons responsible for the war are Wulf Areash -who died soon after betrayal, and Saazbaum -who was punished by Advisor Count Slaine Saazbaum. Let's adjourn this meeting until further notice."

With that, the meeting ended, and Inaho felt exhausted. Too much was said today, and Inaho only narrowly avoided stepping on glass. She stood from her seat, and made her way to Slaine. Slaine was whispering something to the emperor. She waited until they finished talking to speak with them.

"Emperor Vers Rayvers, it's a pleasure to see you feeling much better than before." Inaho said in a low voice so no one could overhear. He narrowed his eyes on her. "Likewise. You seem to be in better spirits than two months ago."

Inaho nodded, although it hurt thinking about her father even if they weren't related by blood. Slaine stood closer to her.

"I was planning on telling you both about what my lab discovered, since you'll most likely be alerted of it. My lab discovered that the EB that we acquired from China's aldnoah was pulsing. I believe that it's sending out a message. My lab is to alert me when the pulsing will stop. It's too chaotic within the room, so we could only acquire a recording."

What if those two EB were really important, and the pulsing was sending a message of how it was slain? If the pulsing was a message of the EB's location, then that meant something stronger was on its way. No one was prepared. The synthesized bullets hadn't worked as well as expected. The sooner the synthesized bullets were complete, the sooner they could defend themselves from advanced EB. Unless the EB evolved. There was no evidence that they did or didn't. She hated that they knew so little.

The emperor seemed to share her frustration. "We will simply have to follow your decision and wait this out. If the other EB isn't doing the same, then this should stay between us. You already know what these fools would do with pure aldnoah."

Inaho and Slaine nodded. "If the EB in my custody starts acting the same, then I shall contact you two. If anyone could find someone to keep this from leaking, it's you, Emperor." Inaho said, and the emperor gave her a small grin.

"Very true. I should leave before the others grow suspicious of our congregating." He slowly left the room, looking as normal as possible. Asseylum followed closely behind her grandfather, talking rapidly about something. It probably involved what was discussed in the meeting. Inaho was happy Asseylum's diplomacy and political knowledge was doing better. It was a shame that her political pull hadn't succeeded during the invasion. If it had, then the war would've ended sooner, but Inaho never would've gotten the opportunity to speak with Slaine like she did now. After all, she did shoot him down and he was tortured right after. He would never have spoken to her. It was surprising that he did now.

"Good job improvising. The emperor was completely beside himself. He had arranged the entire blame situation to avoid talking about a successor." Slaine praised.

"Why do you think he won't choose Asseylum or Klancain and be done with the hassle? Do you suppose he has someone else in mind?"

"I would think it's an Orbital Knight, in which case that's not good for you."

"What about you? I doubt they want me dead alone."

"Think about it. I'm the face of their military who slaughtered many Terrans. You're my fiancee. Those men who attacked the Deucalion were Terran. They probably thought I would automatically assume Terrans did it, and indiscriminately murder them, restarting the war. But I'm a wild card. That's why they wanted to attack you on the Deucalion, surrounded by Terrans. In the heat of the moment, a Terran would be the logical offender."

"That seems like they underestimated you."

"But I wouldn't have been the only one. With that many people around, every Terran would assume a martian did it, since you're the face of the war and peace efforts. They went to a lot of effort to make this plan. We just need to find some way to get back at them."

Inaho agreed. Without any counterattacks for the Orbital Knights' issued attack on the Deucalion, they would most likely assume that she and Slaine didn't know they were behind the attack. And they probably didn't expect Slaine to interrogate the assailants so thoroughly.

"One of your representatives is approaching with your leader." Slaine said to her. Manabe Kaito and Ogura Yoshio finally made their appearance. Inaho would finally be able to gauge how much grief she would suffer from Ogura's control.

"Hello, Kaizuka." Ogura said, purposefully ignoring Inaho's title. Kaito could do that because he was her superior, but he usually didn't. It was like the woman didn't care that Inaho earned her title from the war, and navigating a way for Japanese forces to eliminate kataphrakts. It was degrading, and Inaho didn't care for it.

"Hello, Ogura, Branch leader Manabe. Is there something you needed?" Inaho made her dislike obvious. The woman hadn't even addressed Slaine. Why was she so determined to undermine Inaho's accomplishments? Slaine was the advisor to the emperor. He could control the allowance of aldnoah as easily as the current emperor. Currying his favor was in Ogura's best interests, and she was ruining all her chances.

"Hello, Advisor Saazbaum, Major General Kaizuka. We have been ordered to show you, Major General, to your new Personal Assistant, Amane Kai." A short haired, spirited woman popped from behind Kaito. She looked like the stereotypical popular girl that always got her way. Her light brown hair cupped her face; she sported a heavy coat with a tank top, and a pair of pants that looked too tight to sit in. She shook Inaho and Slaine's hand. Her hand lingered on Slaine's.

"Ms. Amane will be guiding your public image, you scheduling, and anything else you need help with."

Inaho straightened her outfit, noticing that doing so had become her nervous habit. "I can assure you, I do not need a Personal Assistant controlling any aspect of my life. I have managed my own scheduling as I am precise, and I have never been late to any meeting of the UFE's. I can't think of anything I would need a Personal Assistant for, but it was nice of you to introduce me to her. I can recommend her to a friend of mine."

Amane decided to step in. "Oh, please, don't be so modest. You're a major general and you're engaged. Of course you would need help with everything."

"I have an analytical engine that could do what you do -has done what you do -inhumanely better. I assure you, I don't need any assistance." Inaho retorted, keeping her face neutral.

"Oh, I see." Amane grabbed Slaine's hand. "If at any time you need my help, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?" She said, leaning closer.

Inaho could swear she was seeing red. She felt anger of jealousy clawing at her ten times worse than it did with Asseylum. This was different than an unrequited love; this was a woman who didn't care much about living. Inaho wasn't sure she could resist pulling her gun out on the woman.

"Oh, don't be so worried. If we need you help, we'll call for you, but we won't need to anytime soon. Isn't that right, Slaine?" She asked, locking eyes with the woman who only sparingly looked at Inaho. Inaho was thankful her face was blank.

Slaine removed his hand easily from the woman's. "Of course."

He showed his business face, and nodded. "It was a pleasure to meet you all, but Inaho and I should be going now. There's much to be done before the next meeting." Inaho and Slaine both turned at the same time, leaving the meeting room.

As they walked down the hall, Inaho kept glancing at Slaine's hand. She instantly hated the woman. Inaho had only gotten to hold Slaine's hand after months of waiting. She didn't have that woman's boisterous personality and confidence. She couldn't take the initiative and just hold Slaine's hand. It was frustrating.

Slaine sighed. "She looks like she is going to cause us more trouble than that Ogura woman ever could."

"Undoubtedly. It's impudent of her to think that I -of all people -need a PA when I still have my engine. Even before my engine I was meticulous. They just want to monitor my movements and shut me out. Peter was telling about the meeting that I wasn't invited to."

Slaine turned his head towards her. "Who's Peter?"

"Peter Eklund is the Scandinavian Branch leader. He's considered a child soldier like us. Weirdly enough, he said if the UFE kicks me out, then I could join his team."

Slaine simply hmm-ed to signify that he heard her. He turned away from her and focused on the door.

"Slaine?"

"Hmm?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Not at all. I was merely trying to remember his face."

Inaho nodded. Maybe this was a situation like in her romance novels. Maybe Slaine was unnecessarily jealous like she had been when thinking of Amane Kai. Except Slaine could be certain that Inaho would never see Peter like that. Inaho didn't love anyone like she loved Slaine. Inaho didn't have the luxury of the same comfort. Inaho decided to reassure him that he had nothing to be jealous of.

She felt Slaine entwine his hand into hers. "What should we do when we get home?" He asked, and Inaho felt her face burn. He thought of her home as his. This situation was so domestic, Inaho almost wanted to pinch herself.

"We could decorate the house. We could watch a movie together tomorrow. A lot of new ones showed up at the theater. We don't go out enough." And maybe with this she could get Ogura off her back, and she could get closer to Slaine.

"I like that."


Lemrina Vers Envers is royalty. I am a person. I matter. I am Lemrina Vers Envers. Every day was a repeat of the same ritual. She had to repeat it because it was the only thing that made her life bearable. She was the cripple, useless princess imposter who would never amount to Asseylum's level. When it came to being the successor, her grandfather would undoubtedly choose Asseylum, the favorite. Actually everyone would unanimously choose Asseylum because they didn't know who she was. Lemrina couldn't win anything. She couldn't win her parents love. She couldn't win any love really.

The man she loved more than anyone, Slaine Troyard, was out of her reach forever. She was stuck marrying a narcissist who tried to earn her love and affection, but she wouldn't give it. She loved Slaine, and Slaine was in love with Asseylum. Well, that's according to the last time they spoke, which had been before she was shipped off to be engaged to another man. He hadn't even recognized her at the engagement party. Actually, I don't think he even thought of her. He had been mesmerized by his perfect, walking fiancee. The woman who was on par with him in battle prowess, intelligence, and skills. Lemrina hated Kaizuka Inaho with her entire being.

Kaizuka was everything Lemrina wanted to be; she had everything Lemrina wanted. Lemrina hated the woman who stole Slaine away; the woman who received a Viscaria from Slaine, when he could never present such a gift to Lemrina. Lemrina was incapable of answering his request. Lemrina was powerless, and her blood didn't grant her any favors. Kaizuka had become so powerful during the war, and she was older than Lemrina by only one year. Kaizuka didn't even have an advantage over Lemrina. Only Marylcian truly gave her respect. Only he bothered to check on her, and maybe that was because they were engaged.

Her existence quickly evaporated in her hands, and she was left with nothing because she was nothing.

It hurt. Watching the man she wanted to marry, wanted to please and love, smile at another woman, dance and touch another woman. Did he kiss her? Did he ever say "I love you"? Could she handle hearing him say those words to any woman not her? She clenched her hands in her fists.

Yesterday, her sister and grandfather accompanied Slaine to a meeting. She knew she couldn't help him, although Lemrina wasn't stupid when it came to politics. She could make an absolute mockery of Asseylum. She had made a complete mockery of her half-sister.

If Lemrina wanted to speak with Slaine, would he reject her? Would he say he was busy with his fiancee? Did she want to chance the rejection? Lemrina closed her eyes. She would chance it. It was better than sitting in a large house, living comfortably, completely shunned and forgotten. It was as if her grandfather wanted her to stop existing. He always shut the door in her face when she wanted to assist him. Did he not forgive her for helping Slaine's ascension into being the pseudo-emperor?

It hardly mattered. If she tried seeing her grandfather, he would ignore her presence and kick her out. She called Slaine. It was 11 in the afternoon; he would most likely be busy, but she couldn't surrender this opportunity to pessimism.

"Hello, Slaine?" She asked when the phone was picked up. Perhaps he wasn't busy after all.

"Princess Lemrina? It's been a long time since we've spoken to each other. How are you? Is Count Marylcian treating you well?" She was giddy at his display of concern, but she was stupid. This concern wasn't love, or the love he'd shown her before. This was simply friendly concern. No, not even that. He called her by her title rather than her name. It felt like their familiarity decreased, which only made sense, since they hadn't spoken in months.

"I'm doing well, all things considered. It has been quite some time since we've had the chance to speak with one another. Are you available to go out today?" She tightened her grip on her dress. This was the moment she was dreading.

"Oh, no. Sorry, I can't…" He never finished as another voice interrupted him. We can see a movie some other time. You haven't seen Lemrina in a long time. Go see her. The voice belonged to Inaho.

They had a date set out, and Inaho was just giving that up? Lemrina hated Inaho all over again. She just gave up the chance to go on a date with Slaine! She was so confident that Slaine would never see Lemrina as anything but a princess he had to entertain. She wished he had simply rejected her.

"Are you sure?" Slaine said to Inaho.

Yeah, Amane will be around. Go. Talk with Lemrina and maybe visit your Stygis Squad. You haven't had time to speak with them either.

"Alright, then. Hey, Lemrina, sorry about that. I can pick you up, if you want."

Lemrina would snatch this opportunity. She cast a look to Marylcian who was preparing to go to a meeting with Orbital Knights. Sometimes she forgot that Marylcian was her fiance, that he mattered. "Yeah, I should be ready in a few minutes. You know where I am staying, correct?"

"Yeah." He answered, and Lemrina smiled for the first time since Slaine proposed the treaty. She watched her fiance leave, and she couldn't care less. She was finally happy.

"See you then." It strangely felt like she was betraying Marylcian's trust, but her conscience disappeared at the prospect of a date with her ex-fiance. She wanted to impress him, despite her disposition. Despite her discrepancies with Inaho's physique.

^FROM BEYOND^FROM BEYOND^

The biting weather and bodyguards couldn't even come close to diminishing Lemrina's happy mood. Slaine had shown her most of the city. She'd seen the frost that could be mistakened as snowfall. She'd been taken to restaurants and cafes to try everything Slaine said he liked. She had even gone to the library that Slaine seemed to really like.

"Why do you like this library?" She asked, not quite understanding the allure, but perfectly fine with doing whatever Slaine wanted. He probably liked it for the atmosphere. It felt cozy and quiet. The type of place Slaine seemed to always gravitate towards.

"I actually don't care much for libraries. I only like this place because it's where Inaho always goes. She always looks so comfortable sitting by a window or heater. She can't handle the cold like we can, so she always goes where there's heat." Slaine explained, and then kept going on about how adorable his fiancee looked whenever she tried to stay awake longer than she was able to.

"You really like her, huh?" She asked casually, but inside her heart fell and shattered into irreparable pieces. She would finally hear the words that were steadily haunting her. She thought he loved Asseylum. It had been fine that he loved Asseylum because Asseylum wouldn't love him back. But it was completely different with Inaho. Inaho loved Slaine; it was obvious in how he spoke of her actions and of how she looked at him during the engagement party. When they danced, she wanted to claw her eyes out. Marylcian hadn't even bothered to ask her to dance because it was obvious she couldn't. Whomever suggested a party like that had been sadistic towards everyone like her.

Slaine went quiet at her question, and Lemrina clutched her hands to her chest in hope that she might still have a chance. Even if it would make them star-crossed lovers, it was a chance she would never take for granted.

"Yeah, I really do. I think I might like her more than I thought. I spoke with Asseylum during the party. I told her that I loved her." He said wistfully, and Lemrina couldn't hide the absolute shock on her face. Could she be so bold as to say the same thing? "I told her that I loved her, and that my love for her took over every action I made. That I let my love for her turn evil. But I don't love Asseylum anymore. When she tried ignored me and to kill me, it opened my eyes to how stupid I had been. You always told me that I was being naive when it came to Asseylum."

That was only because she wanted Slaine to herself. She did all the groundwork for someone else to reap the rewards of her actions. Inaho hadn't worked half as hard as Lemrina did to get Slaine.

"But I want to do right by Inaho. What would it look like with me pawing after Asseylum when I know that Inaho loves me." He blushed a bit. "She loves me, Lemrina. It's so terrifying because she loves me, and I know that I'll mess this all up."

Lemrina remained silent as he confided in her. He had never confided in her about his feelings unless she forced it from him. Slaine was always so gentle with her. With Inaho, he wanted to be even gentler. She didn't want to hear anymore of this.

"I've been telling her stuff that I haven't told anyone else, and… and she understands. She can relate to it. I don't… it's just…" He closed his eyes. Inaho understood the consequences of war, of being a soldier or a civilian forced into being a soldier. Lemrina could never understand what that meant. She had lost Slaine because she couldn't understand what it meant to not be royalty. She never stood a chance with him because he would always think of himself as a servant, while she was the princess. And a princess could never love a servant.

"Why don't you tell her how you feel?" She asked quietly when she really wanted to scream. Why didn't he finally drive a sword into her chest, ending her feelings for him?

"I'm waiting for the right place, the right moment. I want everything to be perfect. But… Lemrina… I'm sorry." He said looking away. Throughout having her heart shattered, she hadn't realized that he was calling her by name and not title. It hardly mattered now.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm such a bastard. I know how you feel about me. You never hid it, and I didn't even have the courage to properly respond to them, and now I'm ranting on about Inaho when… I'm so sorry. I can't do anything right."

At least he's not completely oblivious. Perhaps Inaho taught him a thing or two about being sensitive to other people's feelings, but knowing Inaho, she probably didn't.

"It's alright."

"It's not alright." He looked at Lemrina, and bowed his head. "I'm sorry for wasting your time. I… I'll be honest. I never loved you as much as you loved me. I was always twistedly in love with Asseylum, and all I ever did was use people. I used your feelings for me to trap you and Asseylum, while I destroyed the planet that I love. The planet that Asseylum loves."

"Slaine, I won't deny that I love you. I won't deny that it hurts hearing about Inaho, but… it's relieving to hear that you're happy. It's truly a relief that you're loved, and it's not frightening or forceful or out of obligation." It was for the better that Lemrina was never engaged to Slaine for long. Her love was entrapment as his "love" for Asseylum was obligatory. He loved Asseylum because she was kind to him and no one else was. Lemrina loved him because he represented what she admired most: power that he gained and respect that he earned. Everything he became was because he worked towards it, and she admired and envied it. Her love forced him into a box she designed with her ideals for him. If she had married him, he would've been miserable.

But the equal ground that Inaho forced Slaine to stand on made him free to express himself. Inaho wasn't his superior, and she constantly reminded him that she wasn't. She was the first person to say that they were equal, and for it to actually be true.

"Are you happy with her?"

"Incredibly. I actually have never been this happy before. Lemrina, she wants me. She needs me. She's incredible."

She still didn't want to hear about how amazing Inaho was when Lemrina was stuck marrying Marylcian who she didn't even like. He treated her well, but she didn't know him. He was an over-privileged child with no real power. Just like me, but at least he earned his title. He's not all bark and no bite.

Slaine opened his mouth, but heard his phone go off. He quickly answered it.

"Inaho, wha-" His face went from shy to concern. "I'll be right there. Just calm down, okay?" He said in a calm voice, but he was already retrieving everything. He didn't even look back at Lemrina as he ran for his car, soothing Inaho through whatever was wrong with her. And that thought was frightening. Something was happening to the woman who discovered how to take down a kataphrakt in less than three days. Something was happening to the woman who was powerful at the age of 17. That thought was chilling, and also Lemrina's cue to leave the library.

As she went outside, she realized that she'd been discarded and forgotten -once again -to a woman Slaine loved.


Inaho didn't remember much about how she arrived at Dr. Yagarai's room on the Deucalion. She remembered that she was talking to Amane, which had been exhausting as the woman kept wanting to know all these things about Slaine, and where he could be. It had unnerved Inaho that a woman would so adamantly try to chase after Slaine right in front of her. So Inaho had told Amane that she needed to go. The woman laughed, and left her number for Slaine. Inaho burned the piece of paper, and smiled about it.

She was still certain that Ogura's plan was for Amane to unnerve Inaho when it came to Slaine. Whatever the ploy was, it was working spectacularly. Inaho had been fine with the entire thing until she started walking back to the living room, and felt a migraine form instantly. The pain from it drove her to her knees. Inaho had grabbed her phone, and called for Slaine.

She didn't know why she hadn't called for Yuki. Yuki would've been there just as quickly, but she called for Slaine all the same. And now she was waking up in the hospital bed of Dr. Yagarai's. She looked around to see Slaine sitting in the stiffest position she'd ever seen him in.

"Slaine." She called, and he immediately turned to her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, while calling for Yagarai.

"Manageable."

"You do know that I always translate that into "I'm in a lot of pain, but I don't like to be honest about how I feel", right? Just tell me how you're really feeling." He coaxed. She felt much too tired to battle around his demand with her words.

"I feel like my head is going to melt or explode. I want to lay down in my own bed. I really don't like Amane at all, and I'm blaming this on her for being annoying. And I'm happy that you're here." She admitted, feeling childish in complaining about trivial things, but the smile that Slaine gave her made it all worth it.

"I'm happy you told me." He said, putting his forehead on hers. She could feel his breath on her ear. She shivered, and looked at him. He had the most confusing expression on his face.

"I shouldn't have left you."

"I told you to."

"But it isn't like I couldn't have rescheduled seeing Lemrina."

"She called you. She wanted to see you, Slaine. I was fine."

"You're obviously not now. I could've done something sooner."

"Stop it, okay? I'm fine. I'm right here."

He looked at her, still leaning somewhat on her. She didn't mind the proximity; in fact, she relished being able to be this close to him. "What did Amane want?" He asked while brushing her hair from her head.

"Nothing much." She didn't want him to know the woman wanted to know everything about him.

"Inaho." He said in a chastising voice that reminded her of Yuki.

"Fine; she wanted to know where you went, what your favorite food is, and a bunch of other invasive, superfluous things that were none of her business." Her voice got harsher as she finished her short rant. He chuckled, and played with her hair some more.

"Is she what had you so riled up? Don't pay her any attention. I think she gets paid to make you angry."

"Yeah, and if anyone hears that I…"

"It's fine." He said. "You'll be fine."

She hummed her agreement. Dr. Yagarai opened the door, and paused seeing them. Slaine sat back in his chair, and gave Yagarai a look. "So? How is she?"

Yagarai gave Slaine a look, but went to his desk, flipping through pages. "You're lucky this happened now, and not two hours earlier. My office was swamped with officials. Anyway, I did scans, and there are some things that are disconcerting. Your analytical engine is malfunctioning again. You'll need to undergo surgery soon, but you'll need to be at a low state of stress. The past few days and today must've been very stressful. I would order you to relax, but I understand why I can't. I procured some medication that should help with your... other issue and the stress. All I can recommend is that in three months we do the surgery."

"What does the medicine do?" She asked, already thinking about the consequences of her getting easily affected by some woman that didn't matter.

"It slows the effects of the AE, and it makes you sleepy. There are side effects, however; tell me if you have stronger migraines, loss of vision, nose bleeds, and/or the loss of mobility. I don't recommend you take this medication every day. Every week should be fine. It stays in your system for a while. When it's close to the time for your surgery, I'll take you off the medication, okay? But be sure to contact me if you suffer any of those side effects."

She already knew that if any of those happened, she wouldn't say a word. How could she when she had so many things that needed to be done? None of the UFE would cancel a meeting because she was experiencing a migraine or nose bleed. They didn't even want her around much. She was in a precarious situation and her disposition wasn't helping at all.

"I'll call you, since I know she won't." Slaine said, with his arms crossed, looking at the medicine's label. "Are you going to run more tests?"

Yagarai shook his head. "No, I believe that will be all for today. I suggest that -for now -she takes one pill and then rests for a while. I heard from Darzana and Koichiro that the military is giving everyone on the Deucalion leave time. So you'll have some time to relax and unwind."

She was relieved to hear that all she would have to worry about was the UFE meetings and peace treaty negotiations. Amane wouldn't be such a problem when she didn't have more pressing, and emotionally draining, things to worry about.

She was happy that she would have more time to spend with Slaine, Yuki, and all her friends.


And here's another really long chapter. I thought I wouldn't keep writing them, but it is what it is. I might not have the next chapter up for some time because my mom's in a hospital, and I don't want to be focused on her and finals. I now know what the expression "stared blankly" means, and it's pretty frightening to see. Anyway, expect some extras and maybe the next chapter before the end of the month.

I wanted to thank everyone for commenting and following. I'm going to answer your questions here, if you don't mind.

PlotBunnies4u: I love Soulmate fanfictions! I might write one when I'm done with this one, or maybe make a really long one-shot. I have discovered that I can't do two similar genre stories at once (which is half of the reason why I haven't been able to finish Inexpressible), but I really like your idea.

For the Guest concerning time travel: I actually debated what I wanted the EB to actually be, honestly. And this idea crossed my mind, but then my characters decided that that wasn't what they wanted, which sucks because time travel is such a good idea. Except I suck at Fix-It stories. But I think you'll like what my idea is going to be -hopefully.

For the second Guest: Inaho will get her turn to be amazing, but I wanted to humanize her character. I wanted to show the gradual affection between her and Slaine before showing them doing something too spontaneous, but don't worry the awesomeness is on its way. And thank you so much for liking the story. I will, however, keep your suggestion in mind for future reference. :) I hope you liked this long chapter, too.