Disclaimers: Surprise, still no money and still don't own these characters.


Chapter 11

Yokohama Base

Shirogane Takeru

It wasn't long before he was ambushed by his squad.

"Takeru-san! Kasumi-san! That was amazing!"

"Thank you, Tama."

Class Rep put an arm around Kasumi. "As if you two aren't good enough on your own. You just had to work well together too."

"Isn't that the purpose of this entire lesson?"

"That we work better together?"

"Well, yeah."

"Knowing it and putting it into practice are two different things, Shirogane."

"But I think we've been reminded of what we need to do if we want to save the world." Meiya sent a meaningful glance at Ayamine.

"Yeah..." Class Rep response died on her lips as she was struck by a blue projectile.

"Takeru! Kasumi! I want to know how you did that?"

As much as he was thankful for Mikoto preventing a potential verbal spat between Class Rep and Ayamine, he knew they need that confrontation before they can start reparing their dynamics. And with the CCSE closing in on them quick, he was willing to sacrifice some current feelings to improve the squad. I would have screamed at that idea before. Guess you can only be childish for so long.

He tapped Kasumi on the shoulder and pointed at his head. Kasumi, can you hear me?

Yeah. What do you need?

Can you distract Mikoto for a moment? I think Class Rep and Ayamine need to talk without distractions.

You want me to bring Tamase along too?

That would be for the best. Thank you.

She nodded at him. "Yoroi-san, Tamase-san. Can you show me around the base? I'm not too familiar with it yet."

The two of them looked at her. "Of course! Come on, Kasumi-san, let's go." And they are off. Your sacrifice will be remembered, Kasumi.

He directed his attention back to Class Rep and Ayamine, who were held in a staring match. "Alright, we need to have a talk."

His tone was severe enough for their concentration break. "Shirogane, this doesn't have anything to do with you."

"Oh, you bet it does. I am part of this squad, and so it has everything to do with me. It also has everything to do with Meiya, Mikoto, Tama, and Kasumi. And it most definitely has something to do with Instructor Jinguuji."

"Shirogane.." Class Rep narrowed her eyes at him. Yeah like hell I'm intimidated by that.

"We are in the same squad, and that's not going to change anytime soon. If one of us, any of us gets hurt, then it will affect every single one of us. If I'm not able to contribute my 100%, then that could mean the deaths of everyone. So don't go spewing stuff about how this doesn't have to do with me."

Meiya nudged him from behind. "Takeru, the topic."

"Right, the topic. Sorry...I know what happened during the first CCSE. I know why you failed."

"Someone didn't follow orders."

"Someone couldn't give accurate orders."

"Sakaki, Ayamine! Let him finish." Meiya was far more capable of shutting them up than he was.

"Thank you, Meiya. You two are wrong, both of you. You failed not because someone disobeyed an order, or because someone gave a wrong order; you failed because you can't even agree on why you did. That is how you start a strong foundation for teamwork. I don't expect anyone of you to start a drinking group with each other or have sleep-overs, but at the very least not be at each other's throat for everything."

He knew his words were harsh, but if it takes hurt feelings to get through their thick heads, then he wasn't going to pull any punches.

"Ayamine, the chain of command exists for a reason. There is a reason why Commander Radhabinod is where he is, and we are where we are. We are soldiers, and we are expected to follow those procedures. Do you not salute when greeting a higher officer? Do you not follow Instructor Jinguuji's words during training? That is called following orders. An order doesn't have to be something as grand as 'Die for me,' in fact, it can be something as small as 'Get me a seat.' We're inherently hierarchical. If there's no orders or steps to power, the only things we will achieve are anarchy and our own extinction. The grave flaw of a dead soldier is when he questioned his orders and his commander's ability."

"Class Rep, the role of a leader, is not an easy one. Leadership is about responsibility, not power. When you're a leader, and something goes right, you barely get your share of the credit, but as soon as things go wrong, you take the entire blame. And any man who does that by himself is suicidal at best. To lead someone isn't just about giving people commands and making sure they get carried out. That's called managing them, not leading. One of the most important keys to leadership is understanding the potential of the people you have. Everyone is special in their own way, everyone has their quirks and tricks. A great leader is one who can see those in people and put them together like a grand puzzle. A single puzzle piece is worthless, but the whole picture is priceless."

He took in a deep breath and looked both of them in the eyes. "In short, being in command means making tough decisions. Not being in command means shutting up and doing what you're told."

Class Rep was deep in thought for a moment. "Did you learn of our CCSE failure from a report?"

That wasn't the question he was expecting. "Yes, what of it?"

"Then who do you think was at fault then?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Were you not listening at all? The squad failed the CCSE right?"

"Yes."

"Then the entire squad is at fault. Every last one of you."

"But you can't blame everyone for a mistake of a few."

"I can and I will if they are in the same group. When you're out there fighting and makes a mistake; if your teammates don't fill in for you, you'll be dead before you can blame someone. We are training to be soldiers fighting in a real war against merciless enemies. We're not studying to be office workers struggling in companies against deadlines. You can't go blaming people in this world; it's just not an option you have the luxury of having. Either everyone succeeds and live to tell tales or all of our names will be on the next memorial stone."

He didn't know when he started getting overwhelmed by his emotions. By the time he caught his mouth, Meiya was holding his trembling shoulder and tears were welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry...I got carried away there. But my points still stand."

"I think you should give them some time to think things over, Takeru." Ayamine and Class Rep was shaken up from his rant, so maybe that was the best course of action. Rome wasn't built in a day.

"Don't push yourself too much. Just think about what I said. That's all I ask."

"I will." Ayamine was the first to get over her shock, or she just had an easier time controlling her emotions.

"Thank you... I think I'll head in early for tonight. Say sorry for the other guys for me."

"Take your rest, Takeru." Meiya pushed the other two away towards the PX.

He couldn't remember all the details so he could only hope he didn't step on any landmines. Or maybe that'll make them more serious about this problem.

~~~~Break~~~~

He threw himself on the bed. It was still 2 hours before curfew, and he had nothing to do. He briefly considered visiting Sumika, but his mental state right now would more than likely overwhelmed her in that form. A soft knock came from his door.

"Come in. It's unlocked."

Meiya carefully opened the door and walked in. "Takeru, I thought you'd be asleep."

"Nah, it's still too early for me."

A brief silence passed.

Meiya took a deep breath. "I thought about what you said."

"It was a bit too harsh. I apologize."

"On the contrary, I think that was exactly what they needed."

That wasn't the answer he was expecting. "I'm sorry?"

"I, too, have tried to talk to them about their misconceptions of their roles. Perhaps I was too considerate of their feelings that I failed to get my point across. I believe your forceful lecture has proven a sufficient wake-up call for them."

"...I'm glad I was able to do something."

"Those things you said, about taking orders and giving orders, they weren't just empty words, were they?"

"Yeah...I've seen for myself how disregarding orders can lead to catastrophic consequences. But I've also seen how a wrong order can destroy an entire operation. They've both got their points; I just wish they would find a middle ground."

"Thank you again, Takeru." Meiya turned to leave.

"Anyone would have done as much in my place."

"Yet, you and I both know that those people are rare in this world."

He could only nod at that statement; it was a sad truth of life.

"Good night, Meiya."

"Good night, Takeru."

October 25th, 2001

Shirogane Takeru

He could feel a soft hand running through his hair. "Ugh...Kasumi?"

"Takeru-chan, good morning."

"Morning. What's with this new wake-up call?" He pointed at her hand, still in his hair.

"I got here early."

"Alright, I'm up." He pushed himself off the bed.

"Bye-bye."

"See you later, Kasumi."

~~~~Break~~~~

The PX was still empty when he got there. The only person in his squad there was Ayamine.

"Morning, Ayamine. I didn't take you for an early riser."

"I didn't sleep last night."

"Right..." He was unsure of how to break this hanging awkwardness.

"I've been thinking about what you said yesterday."

"Sorry if I was out of line."

"I wasn't looking for an apology when I said that... Do you believe what you said?"

He carefully went back through every point that he made yesterday. "Yes, I do."

"I see..." She turned to face him. "Takeru-sama, give me an order."

"What?"

"Just give me an order."

"Uh...get me a drink."

She looked at him for a second and stood up. What the hell is she trying to prove? She walked towards the lunch line and poured a cup of orange juice.

"Here you go."

"Thank you, but why?"

"I was just testing whether or not I can follow orders."

"Oh...so?"

"I think I can get used to them."

Relief washed through his body. "That's all I ask for."

"Though I do mind it less if it's you giving them."

Takeru was not prepared to handle flirting in the morning.

~~~~Break~~~~

He was talking with Tama after morning practice when Class Rep came up.

"Shirogane, can I have a moment?"

"Sure. I'll catch up later, Tama." And off she goes.

"I want to talk about yesterday."

"Yes, of course. What about it?"

"I did some thinking and consulted with Meiya...And I want to say I'm sorry."

"I don't think there's anything you need to be sorry for."

"No...I was insensitive and...I kinda lashed out at you." She hung her head in shame.

Takeru lifted her head up. "I think it's a perfectly normal response to being criticized, especially about something you felt so strongly about."

"But..."

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes. In fact, it's one of the few things that makes us so alive. Having flaws isn't a bad thing; it's not addressing those flaws that tend to be the problem."

"Right...And I did think about what you said. I think that you're right."

Now that was surprising to him. He'd never seen Class Rep concede her views so readily. Either I made a genius speech, or Meiya did a lot of explaining afterward. "You don't need to force yourself. I don't have any ill-will towards you."

"No! I'm not saying that just to apologize. I really do think your ideas of how to lead people are correct, and that I need to change myself for the better."

"Well, I'm glad I was of service."

Her sullen face turned into a cheeky grin. "After all, I can't have you stealing my spot as Squad Leader. Heaven knows what you're going to do."

"Yeah, can't have that happening."

He was glad for the joke to lighten the mood.

Yokohama Base, Lab

Kouzuki Yuuko

"Argh!" She threw her head back in frustration.

It's been 3 days since she'd learned of an error in her formula and yet she hasn't got a single clue on where to start. She was the smartest person on Earth; however, she couldn't even find a blatant fault in her own work. Pathetic. Of course, this was like working an impossible puzzle with the solutions right next to her. The answer being asking Shirogane on where she'd gone wrong. However, her pride prevented her from using any hints, let alone asking someone 10 years her junior. Alright, he's not actually 10 years younger than me. But now looking at the millions of lines of genetic coding and information conduction, she felt the hopelessness sets in again. Maybe it isn't too bad to ask him, just this once. That line of thought scared her. She hasn't depended on someone her entire life yet here she was considering it. I can think of him as being millions of years older than me. That eased her mind a bit, but the mental dilemma remained.

Her hand hovered over the phone.

She turned it on.

She dialed Marimo.

"Hello? Professor Kouzuki?"

"Marimo, send Shirogane down here after you're done with him."

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"Later."

She'd gone and done it.

Now she only needed to wait.

Shirogane Takeru

He took his usual spot on her couch.

"Good afternoon, Yuuko."

"Shirogane."

"So, what do you need?"

She closed her eyes as if in pain. "I need to know where I went wrong with my formula for the 00 Unit."

He grinned at her. "Well, I wouldn't know where you went wrong."

She had a murderous gleam in her eyes. "Didn't you say you memorize the whole thing?"

"I did. Doesn't mean I understand a word of it."

"And the only way I can get that is to wait for you to write out 100 pages worth of research."

"I can't see any other way."

Yuuko slumped on the desk while making exaggerated hand motions. "I assume you will want something in return for this?"

That was his cue for the XM3. "You'd be right."

"Alright fine, come here. This has better not take up too much time."

He pulled out a stack of paper from behind him. "This is the first 20 pages of that equation."

She looked up at him. "Why?"

"Well, you can think of it as a gesture of goodwill."

"And you've had this all along?"

"I knew you would need it."

"I don't appreciate the cheek, Shirogane."

"I get it. I want to develop a new OS."

"A new OS? For TSFs?"

He nodded.

"And why would we need that?"

"Because it is the first step to having an entire army being able to fly like me."

"You're saying that with a new OS, anyone can pilot a TSF like you did?"

"No, I'm saying that with a new OS, anyone can have the potential to be like me. Whether or not they can live up to that is on them."

"And pray tell, what's so special about this OS you're proposing?"

The next 2 hours were spent talking through the structure of the XM3 and explaining Valgern-On concepts to Yuuko.

"I'll see what I can do. Though I suspect you will end up asking Yashiro to do it if I refuse."

"You know me so well." He threw her a salute as he walked back out.

~~~~Break~~~~

He opened the door to the quite room. Kasumi was sitting against the glass tube.

"I'm here."

"Takeru-chan... She said hi."

"Hi to you too, Sumika."

"Do you want to talk to her?"

"...Yeah, I'd love too."

He sat down on the metal floor and closed his eyes.

Takeru-chan?

Sumika? You're there?

Takeru-chan! You're finally back.

I'm sorry I was gone in the first place.

Hey, that doesn't matter now. You're here with me now.

Yeah, I am. How are you doing in there?

It was cold and scary before. But it's not so bad now that you're around. Kasumi-chan comes down here every night to tell me stories. You're so cool out there.

It's nothing special, really.

No, the way you do things and fight and stuff. I'd never expected that from you.

Wow, how low did you think of me before this?

Do you really want to know?

Never mind, you're right, I don't.

Are you going to get me out of here soon so I can see your stupid face?

Yeah, soon. I promise you.

'Kay! Good night Takeru-chan!

Night Sumika.

He nodded to Kasumi. "Thank you for keeping her company."

"She's my first friend."

"That's just like her, always making friends with everyone."

He leaned against the cold blue case. Maybe this time everything will turn out alright.


A/N: Hey, it's me again. There's some drama in this chapter and the XM3 made its appearance. Also the more observant of you may have noticed how attached I am to Kasumi's wake-up calls.

Caveknight32: Your reviews are so fun to read. Thank you so much. But still no spoilers for you :p

bluefish1945: Read fanfictions but don't do drugs. This has been life lesson by Shirogane Takeru.