I may not have said this yet but... this story will be 34 chapters long.
The Healing
"Well! Sorry to keep summoning you." Dr. Sakaki said to Aimee, leaning into her personal space again. Dr. Sakaki had called her into his lab that day for a request. Seeing that she had no reason to refuse him, she paid him a visit. But it wouldn't hurt if he would remember people's personal bubble. "But I have a very special favor to ask of you today... As always, I'll be sending you on an Aragami extermination mission. The team for this mission will be Sakuya, Alisa... and to complete the group Kota. Oh, and there's no need to muster up any more troops."
"Sure, I... I guess."
"I've done some contriving to make this seem like a routine mission."
"You're raising a lot of red flags right now, Doctor."
"No need to fret over, just get your mission done and all will be well."
"Hmph, fine..."
"That's all for me. I'm looking forward to the results."
"Apparently so am I."
*** Tranquil Temple ***
"(Gasp)!" Aimee let out a breath as the Vajra charged her to the ground.
"I'll give you a hand." Sakuya said as she fired at the Vajra to shoo it away from Aimee. The team had split up into two groups so they could cover more grounds quicker. Alisa and Kota were currently taking care of the Chi-You by the main temple while Aimee and Sakuya took on the Vajra by the Gong Tower. They were owning the Vajra at first, even took off its face armor, but then it decided to make a run for it up toward Kota and Alisa.
Aimee and Sakuya tried their best to keep the Vajra as far away from the Chi-You and the other group as possible. Kota looked like the Chi-You was doing a number on him from what it said on the radar. But after a few more hits and kicks they had taken off its leg armor and killed it, before Duke even got the chance to get a bite in. Not wasting any time, they ran toward Alisa and Kota on the other side of the main temple entrance while leaving Duke to eat the Vajra's core. Sakuya fired some Recovery Bullets at Kota while they ran, and one at Alisa who had suffer a little damage compared to Kota. But as they ran toward them, the Chi-You ran away... back to the area Sakuya and Aimee once were.
"Here!" Alisa shouted out to Aimee as she fire three Tea-bullets at her.
"Thanks! Alright, let's go!" Aimee ordered as they ran back down the stairs, giving Duke a chance to catch up with them.
The Chi-You was eating salvage material by the Gong Tower. Competing for attack space, Aimee jumped in the air to attack the Chi-You's wing arms while avoiding the others' Oracle Bullets. Kota's and Sakuya's were easy, but Alisa's boost enhanced bullets... not so much. The Chi-You tried to make a run for it again to Sector D, but that wasn't much of a run for them. Taking a couple harmless blows, Aimee eventually destroyed the Chi-You's wing armor and got it on its knees. Once down it was easy to finish off, Alisa and Kota had already lowered its health enough.
"All right, we nailed it this time too!" Kota cheered.
"Don't let your guard down til the end." Alisa lectured.
"Duke, eat it." Aimee said to her PAR, but just as Duke was about to devour the Chi-You's core...
"Hey, hold up!"
"!"
"Huh?" Sakuya gasped at the sudden intrusion coming from the stairway.
"What are you doing here, Doc?" Kota asked as Dr. Sakaki, being guarded by Soma, was making his way up the stairway.
"I'll explain later. Just leave that Aragami alone and come over here a second would you." Complying to his request, the team went over to where Dr. Sakaki took cover. They waited there for awhile, Aimee was starting to feel the cold through her bare feet. Dr. Sakaki began to check his watch for the time when Duke started to sense something as he took a more guarded stance. Dr. Sakaki noticed something approaching from around the corner of the wall, making him put his watch away in excitement.
"Ah, it's coming!"
"What is?" That's when they noticed a young girl coming out of nowhere and began to approach the dead Chi-You with no fear. Things went crazy when she started to eat it, it was like she hasn't eaten in days. "!"
As they ran toward the girl, she slowly turned toward them covered in the Chi-You's blood that messed up her rag Fenrir flag dress and her face. She looked friendly, but the blood dripping out of her mouth look menacing.
"Uh..." She spoke to them, wiping the blood off her face. "I am... hungry."
"Whoa!" Kota freaked as she looked up at them. He raised his God Arc at her, but she didn't flinch or fear him. Making Kota waver on his action and lower his God Arc back down. Poor Duke didn't know what to do, the young girl made him want to lower his guard due to his Predatory Behavior. But... something inside him also made him want to attack...
"Well now, good to see you!" Dr. Sakaki greeted the girl, breaking through the tension as he walked over to them. "So you finally decided to show yourself!"
Then he turned to face Soma. "Soma, thank you for bringing her here. I can be with her now... thanks to you!"
"No need to thank me. But how about an explanation."
"Well, since she was being stubborn about not showing up. I eradicated what she's been feeding on in this area. Even the pickiest of eaters can't ignore the pangs of hunger, right."
"Man! Your sneakiness at least has no peers."
"Uh... Doctor... who is this kid?" Kota asked, interrupting Dr. Sakaki's and Soma's conversation.
"Oh, right. We shouldn't be chatting like this out in the open." Dr. Sakaki said as if suddenly remembering something. Then he looked over to address the girl standing on the Chi-You. "I apologize from keeping it from you all this time. You'll come with us, won't you?"
"I'm ready to eat!" She responded.
"Huh?" Soma was stumped by her weird answer, which caused her to try and correct herself.
"I 'was' ready to eat?"
"Well let's head back, I'm starting to freeze out here." Kota commented with a shiver.
"I agree, let's head back and warm up." Alisa said in agreement.
"Okay, come on little one." Sakuya said soothingly to the child which had her jumping down to join Sakuya by her side.
"Okay!" She cheered in compliance as the group started to head back. However, Aimee... remained unmoving.
"Aimee?" Kota called back to her as he noticed her not following the group, making the others look behind as well. "What's the hold up?"
"You guys go. I've got some unfinished business I need to take care of." Aimee answered to Kota, unmoving.
"What? But Aimee-"
"Come on, Duke. I'll need your help." Duke immediately left the others to walk over to Aimee's side.
"Aimee, it's too dangerous to leave you out here."
"I'll be fine, Soma. I just have to see something." Aimee reassured him. "Now get going."
"If you think we're just going to leave you out here, you must have lost your mind."
"Do I have to make this into an order?"
"Tst," Soma growled at her for her stubborn nature. Having enough, Dr. Sakaki decided to intervene.
"Just let her be, Soma. She can handle herself out here." He said, tapping Soma's shoulder before looking back toward Aimee. "Don't stay out here too long."
"Hmph, I'll try not to be long." She nodded to the Doctor as she waited for the others to go.
"Tst, if you're not back at the Den by an hour-"
"Please don't send out the search squad, Soma." Aimee teased in a groan. "I'll be back shortly."
Reluctantly, Soma left with the others. Leaving Aimee alone with Duke to finally do what she had wanted to do for a while now. Just as the others were making their way out of hearing range she called out...
"Hey, you... with the black hair. Hold on a second."
"!" The presence paused in his steps, he was heading in a direction opposite from the others. Slowly turning around... he looked to her in shock. "You can... you can see me?"
"I can see a lot of things apparently... Things that I had no idea that others couldn't see, the same goes for the other Guardians." Aimee explained. "At first I thought the others were just being rude, ignoring you guys like that. But then I realized... they can't even see you... I think us being able to see you has to do with us Guardians being the Middleman dosage. The Gods Eater can neither see nor hear you. And yet you guys follow them without a second thought. It reminded me of our PARS, and that got me thinking... you guys 'were' like PARs. God Arc versions of them to be exact, with unique souls of your own."
"!"
"I've noticed you a lot around Lindow. You must be his God Arc."
"..."
"But I'm sure you go by more than that. Can you tell me your name?"
"... It's Ren... My name is Ren."
"I see... that's a good name." Aimee smiled warmly to the boy, who smiled back at her.
"Ahh, it feels so good to be able to talk to someone. Talking... makes me feel so warm... I love it."
"Please, Ren, can you tell where Lindow is? I know you know, you never leave his side for very far."
"... He's here... but he's not looking very good..."
"Please... lead the way..."
Ren had lead Aimee to the broken back houses of the Tranquil Temple area. They were like the traditional bamboo paper houses of Japan that the country had once been known for. One of the houses with the damaged paper walls threw her attention as Ren lead her to it. Lindow had talked about this place before with her. How him and his sister, Tsubaki, and Sakuya use to live in this area before the Aragami took over. It gave Aimee reason to believe that this place was once his home...
It would make sense that he would run here. If you think about it, Lindow must felt like he could not go back to the Den, like it would be dangerous if he tried. Where would anybody go if they felt that way? Usually some place safe. And what better place would that be then the place they had grownup in.
"Lindow!" She gasped out as she saw him laying in the corner, leaning on a pile of storage in boxes. His shirt was ripped to shreds as dirtied bandages covered his wounds. He looked so tired and so... broken. His right arm... was no longer human. He had it wrapped up and contained in chains. Lindow didn't even acknowledge her as she called out to him and ran up to him.
"Boy... I'm starving..." His eyes had a crimson glow to them.
"Lindow..." Aimee called out to him as she knelled beside him.
"I'm hungry..."
"Lindow!"
"!" He finally came into realization of her presence as she placed a hand on his Aragami shoulder, his eyes had returned to their normal emerald. Tiredly, he spoke to her. "Aimee...? Hey, so it's you? Damn... I don't believe you. How could you come all this way? How did you find me?"
"A dear friend of yours that has been looking after you all this time showed me the way." Aimee said, pointing back at Ren. She knew he probably wouldn't see Ren, but she hoped that the thought would count.
"Wait... who are out?" Lindow said toward Ren before he grunted as he gripped his Aragami arm in pain.
"!" Aimee couldn't believe it, Lindow could see Ren. It must be because of his hyperactive Oracle Cells due to the Aragami Infection in his arm. She also noticed that his armlet was missing, that must've been why his Bias Factor was being left unchecked. He was mostly like her now, but much worse...
"Pretty cold of you, Lindow. You're spoiling our reunion." Ren pouted at Lindow before returning serious back at Aimee. "We don't have much time. You gotta get him out of here to get some help before the Infection spreads."
"What about you? I don't see your God Arc form anywhere." Aimee insisted, looking around the room for Lindow's God Arc as she lifted Lindow's arm around her shoulder to support his weight as she carried him out. Lindow was tired, and put up no fight as she dragged him out. But Ren simply shook his head at her question.
"You won't find me here. I was devoured by the Aragami during the fight."
"Can you move around far alright without it?"
"I've been doing it so far, it's just... strenuous. I can feel myself inside that black Aragami's stomach... it's warm... and cramp."
"We'll find you later, my friend. Just hold on until then, Ren."
"Thank you..." Ren sincerely said to her.
"Come on, I'll call Dr. Sakaki while we make our way back to the Den."
"But! What about the Director?!"
"The Director left for the UK on business a couple of days ago. What about him?"
"Nothing... forget about it. Let's just keep going." Ren insisted as they made their way back to the Den. Luckily for them it was late so not a lot of people in the Den would still be awake to see Aimee drag Lindow back to the Den in the state he was. Reaching for the cellphone she hid in the backside of her corset, she proceeded to call Dr. Sakaki...
*** Meanwhile, back in Dr. Sakaki's Lab ***
The others were flinching back away from the child in fear, while Soma simply stood by the wall and Dr. Sakaki stood behind the child, at the sound of the news. She simply looked up at them, smiling without a care.
"Um... what did you just say?!" Sakuya asked in disbelief.
"Uh... I'll say it as many times as necessary, this is an Aragami." Dr. Sakaki answered, pointing toward the child sitting on the floor.
"NO. WAY. HOLY!" Kota shouted in ineligible sentences.
"What! Oh..." Alisa was able to keep her cool, for the most part.
"Now, now. Calm down. This one won't prey on you, I promise." They seemed to have relaxed a little at that information. "As you, know, all Aragami share a trait known as 'Bias'."
"An Aragami's unique tendency for predatory behavior... That's the same thing our God Arcs uses, isn't that right?" Alisa explained.
"That's correct! I'm sure that's common knowledge for you God Eaters." Dr. Sakaki praised, happy that at least one of his students was paying attention during his lectures.
"Did you...?" Kota asked over to Soma as if embarrassed that he didn't know that information.
"Of course!" Soma huffed out. Nearly over four years on the job, he had better known that information.
"This Aragami's Bias seems to be directed at the other Aragami of a higher order. We humans don't even fall under the category of food, as far as she's concern." Dr. Sakaki continued explaining. "It's a common misconception. Aragami aren't born with characteristics of their life form. Rather, they evolve in a break neck pace through Devouring. As a result of that, their diverse revolutionary potential is condensed into a very short period again. And that's what makes an Aragami what it is."
"You mean this child..." Sakuya couldn't even find it in her to finish the sentence.
"Right, just like mankind, they temporarily got stuck in a dead end in their process of evolution." The Aragami girl kept playing with her foot while Dr. Sakaki explained. "She's an Aragami evolving much like a human."
"A human-like... Aragami you mean?" Soma said in disgust.
"Yes, based on an examination I conducted earlier... the equivalent of her cranial nerves and synapse seems to be functioning exactly like a human brain. Clearly, she's got an incredible capacity to learn! Quite an intriguing specimen!"
"Doc!" Kota called out to him, raising his hand in question.
"Yes Kota?"
"I think I got most of what you said... actually, it was mostly way over my head... Um, exactly what does she mean when she says 'Food', or 'I'm ready to eat'?"
"Food!" Kota flinched back as the Aragami girl shouted out the word in confirmation.
"It sounds pretty ominous coming from her..."
"Like I said, the Bias Factor of an Aragami dictates its will not to partake on any being similar to itself. That said, in times of dire hunger- like now for instance- she's likely to gobble up anything, no matter how unpleasant it taste." Again they all flinched back away from her as she only smiled wider at them. "But that's an exception to the rule."
They all calmed back down as Dr. Sakaki continued on with his explanation. "As you know 'Aragami' is just a nickname. But there have been multiple entities adopting the form as what we humans envisioned as 'the gods'... This has been noticed worldwide. What thought process could lead them to adapt to this way of life? What process led them to worship gods? Don't you find this intriguing? And this Aragami child here, who's taken human form, is a completely rare case, you see. Oh, I degrease. That's it for today for this study group. If you don't mind I'd like for you to keep this a secret between us... Are we agreed?"
"But... we'll have to report it to the Director and our Adviser..."
"Sakuya... you're an exalted Gods Eater and protector of humankind... And yet you intend to tell your superiors I smuggled an Aragami into the Den, the headquarters at the battlefield?"
"Well, no... but what exactly did you plan to do with it?"
"Didn't I tell you before...?" Dr. Sakaki said, invading her bubble and making her lean back. "She's a valuable sample. She's merely the subject of a personal project, that's all. Don't worry. I made sure this place has its own security system and infrastructure. It's not connected to the other sections. Now I'm sure you wouldn't want someone to pry needlessly into your affairs, would you?"
"!"
"Ready to eat!" The Aragami girl cheered, breaking the tension.
"I'd like you to be her friend." Dr. Sakaki asked everyone in the room. "You too Soma... please, look out for her."
"Don't be ridiculous! It may be good at imitating a human... but it's still a monster."
"Soma-" Soma was just about to leave when Dr. Sakaki's phone went off. Reaching into his robe's pocket, he answered the call. "Hello?"
"Doc."
"Ah, Aimee!"
"!" That stopped Soma in his tracks.
"Good to hear from you, are you heading back yet?"
"We need to talk, make sure that you're alone in the room right now."
"Alright, give me a second." Dr. Sakaki said putting her on hold to address the others. "Okay, you guys have to leave now. I have to prepare a room for our guest."
"What? What did she say Doc?" Soma asked him, refusing to be shooed off.
"She said she's fine. She'll be back to the Den shortly, so don't wait up for her."
"Then I want to hear her."
"Soma, you're being unreasonable. Now just go to bed."
"I'm not moving from this spot until I hear it from her voice." Soma insisted, making the others stand their ground as well.
"(Sigh) Fine, you know sometimes I think I spoil you, Soma." Dr. Sakaki groaned out before taking his phone off of hold and talked to Aimee. "Hey Aimee, your comrades refuse to leave until you talk to them. Say something to them."
With that Dr. Sakaki put his phone on speaker and lifted it out toward the others.
"GO THE FUCK TO SLEEP!"
"Well I'm out!" Kota rushed out of the room, Alisa soon following behind.
"Me too!"
"I think I'll get some shut eye as well." Sakuya said, rushing out of the lab with the others. At times, Aimee could be really scary.
"Hmph, don't take too long getting back here, brat." Soma huffed toward the speaker before closing the door behind him as he left.
"Okay, they're all gone. What's this about Aimee?" Dr. Sakaki asked her after taking the phone off of speaker.
"I found Lindow..."
"What?!"
"I said I found Lindow."
"W-w-wait, wait. You found him? Where?"
"He was hiding in the residential section in the Tranquil Temple area. He's in pretty bad shape. He needs a Doctor."
"Can you describe to me what his conditions are?"
"It's hard to do that right now while I'm dragging him back to the Den. I have to keep a look out at all times while I'm moving. You'll see what I mean when you see him."
"Alright, hurry back. I'll clear the Entrance and Lab Floor and hack into the cameras to turn them off so you can sneak him in undetected. The last thing we want is for the Den to be in an uproar while he's in a critical condition."
"Hm, agreed."
*** Half an hour later ***
True to his word, Dr. Sakaki had cleared out the area so Aimee was alone when she dragged Lindow into the Den on her shoulder. Taking him down the elevator and into Dr. Sakaki's lab without bumping into anyone. Lindow rested on the floor as Dr. Sakaki looked him over.
"This is grim... and you say that you found him like this?"
"Yes."
"And what of his God Arc?"
"Apparently in the belly of an Aragami along with his armlet most likely." Aimee answered before looking at Ren who was knelling by Lindow at her side. "Ren, can you describe to me what the Aragami looked like?"
"It was like a black Vajra with the face of a man."
"Who are you talking to, Aimee?"
"Ren, the spirit of Lindow's God Arc. Apparently God Arcs are more like PARs than we originally thought. Although they have the means to talk, the God Eaters can neither see them nor hear them. Apparently we Guardians have the right P Bias Factor balance to see them though. He says that the Aragami that ate him was Vajra-like but black and had a man's face." Most likely like the species as the one that killed Alisa's parents...
"Amazing, truly amazing!"
"I'm surprised you so easily believe me, Dr. Sakaki."
"With an Aragami girl sitting on my couch, I'm starting to believe in things that most would demise as implausible." Dr. Sakaki said, pointing at the young girl leaning over the couch on her knees as she looked down at Lindow.
"That girl's an Aragami?"
"You're taking the news very well."
"It's not like my attitude will change anything. I will just see where this goes. She seems friendly enough. But... what are we going to do about Lindow? Can you help him?"
"I can try. We're going to have to hide him until we can get his condition under control. Keep this a secret from the others. We don't want the others to get excited and swarm around him as he's trying to recover. The last thing we want to do is stress him." Or bring attention to him...
"Agreed..."
"Good. Now I'm going to have to examine him to see how far in the Aragami Infection has effected his body. The little lady on the couch is going to be rooming in the room to the right, so we'll have to stash Lindow in the room to the left. I'm going to need some medical supplies, can you break into the Sick Bay and steal some things for me without getting caught if I give you a list?"
"How dare you! That is a vicious stereotype of my people! Just because I'm a Gypsy doesn't mean I know how to steal."
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend! I-"
"Ha ha! I'm just yanking you, Dr. Sakaki! I can totally get those things for you."
"Oh ha..." Dr. Sakaki nervously laughed.
"But seriously, I was trained to do stealth like this. It doesn't mean that all Gypsies know how to steal." Aimee said seriously as the laughing finally came to a stop with her.
"Y-yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it."
"Good." She smiled at him. "Well stash the body and make the list, I've got a grocery stop I need to make. And it'll be easier to do on a late night run."