Far East Branch Headquarters - Veteran's Floor
The Far East Branch was in an absolute uproar following Ichiro Hamasaki's return.
God Eaters from every corner flocked to greet and welcome their ex-commander back into the fold. Unfortunately, very few of them actually received audience with him, as he was proving incredibly difficult to find. The first few days, he had been locked away in his bedroom, working to restock his food rations, clean up endless piles of random items, and undo the countless Fenrir Points' worth of damage done to his furniture. After finally correcting the dreadful state of his living quarters, he had turned his attention to scolding the offending New Type and giving her a thorough lesson on basic housekeeping etiquette.
After completing that monumental task, he had been called into the administration to give multiple reports accounting his absence, his return, and more importantly, how both of them had happened in the first place. Not to mention the new recruit and her twin sister that he had stumbled upon along the way. He had spent days recounting the story over and over to multiple members of the administration, the Major, and other groups, who were undoubtedly were suspicious of his recollection.
And they were right to be, as for obvious reasons, he had omitted many important details of the story. Specifically, he had excluded some of the highlights, including the fact that he had been trained and ordered to exterminate their star New Type, failed to do so, and in fact ended up saving her life anyway. He had also conveniently forgotten to mention the experimental compound he had injected himself with as well as his unexpected run-in with whom he how knew to be Shio, an Aragami humanoid capable of complex learning, speech, and various other skills that she was continuing to gain by the day.
When he had finally finished writing nearly three novels' worth of reports, he had meetings with the brass, involving logistics concerns. Having been appointed Squad Leader of the First Unit, vanishing into thin air, and returning weeks after his replacement, he had unintentionally created some problem regarding leadership.
The squadron had functioned equally well under both Utsugi's and Hamasaki's leadership, with both men's command showing great success. This had created a conundrum, leaving everyone to wonder what exactly they were planning to do about it. In the end, Ichiro had readily conceded, choosing to fall in line behind their new Squad Captain without any complaint. He had never wanted the position in the first place, and at the moment, his focus was far more concentrated on his research than field operations.
And as such, he was more than happy to finally get some much needed rest after days of being bombarded with meetings, paperwork, and repetitive explanations. At least, that was what he had hoped to do. But naturally, his simple plan had gone horribly awry because nothing was ever simple when Neo was involved.
"He should be in his room today. I know you've been looking forward to meeting him."
"Yeah, no kidding. I hear the guy's been super busy."
In the hallway, Fujiki, Utsugi and Soma were making their way towards what used to be the old commander's room, prior to Neo's takeover. At this point, none of them were really certain what the living arrangements were supposed to be anymore. Of course, the New Type didn't seem to spend much time in her own room to begin with, so it wasn't really that surprising. The two classmates chattered casually amongst themselves, leaving Soma to brood silently behind them.
"Of course, he's been busy. He basically turned the entire base upside down! He probably got in a lot of trouble."
Lenka laughed at Kota's comment. It hadn't been entirely inaccurate. While he had only spent roughly 48 hours settling in the recruits, Hamasaki had essentially been in constant motion for days making up for his absence. So much so that despite having been in the base the entire time, he hadn't manage to catch even a glimpse of their missing comrade despite residing only two doors away.
"Oh, hey guys."
"Oh, Sakuya. What up?"
Kota waved and smiled, earning the same in response from only one of the women. Approaching from the opposite end of the hallway were two of their female squad members, exiting from Sakuya's bedroom. They seemed to be spending a great deal of time together as of late. As two women of the First Unit, made sense that they would get along rather well. As they approached each other, Kota laughed.
"Looks like the gang's all here, huh? Um… well, almost."
"Looks that way. What are you guys up to?"
"Actually, we were hoping to find our two missing members. Utsugi still hasn't gotten a chance to meet Hamasaki and I don't think he's been on any missions with Neo yet either. Seemed like a good chance to do both at the same time, ya know?"
Sakuya smiled and nodded in the direction of the old commander's bedroom.
"Well, you're in luck. I saw him going in there a while ago. And Neo rarely leaves, so they should both be in there."
As though in confirmation to Sakuya's assertion, a familiar voice was barely audible through the door.
"Ugh… Ichi…"
Neo's presence was confirmed within the bedroom, and from the sound of it, Hamasaki was present as well. But from the tone of their New Type's voice, it seemed that the two of them were preoccupied.
"Eh?!"
Kota gaped at the closed door, as another moan escaped into the hallway. He couldn't exactly say that he was surprised. The two of them had been separated for a while. It wasn't that unheard of for couples to 'bond' after time apart. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, after all. But why had they left the door unsealed? They did realize that the bedroom had privacy settings, didn't they?
"Mmmnn…"
Alisa jumped, her cheeks turning bright red as another, much louder groan came through the door.
"M-Maybe we should leave them alone for a while!"
Lenka averted his eyes in silent agreement. He was certainly excited to meet his new teammate… but definitely not in this state.
"This is your own fault. You need to know your limits."
"Hm?" Sakuya turned towards the door, a bit surprised to hear Ichiro's voice.
"Ichiii… come back to bed…"
"No. I warned you it would be too much for you to handle, but you didn't listen to me."
"When?! When did you warn me?!"
"I literally told you seven times. I warned you to pace yourself, but of course you didn't listen. You insisted on taking it all at once."
"…"
The five members of the First Unit stood in awkward silence. Everyone looked nervously at one another, with the exception of Soma, who scowled pointedly at a spot on the wall. They knew that they shouldn't be listening, but their curiosity was getting the better of them. Ichiro sounded rather annoyed for whatever it was they were supposed to be doing… and Neo almost sounded like she was in pain. They were beginning to grow concerned for her safety, but none of them dared to open the door.
Within a few moments however, the decision would be made for them.
"Help me…"
"What am I supposed to do about it?"
"Take it out…"
"How exactly am I supposed to manage that?"
"Pleaasseee…."
"I'm not listening to this."
"Ichiii… why…"
"Because if I help you, you won't learn anything."
With his final statement, the door slid open, revealing a fully-clothed and rather surprised-looking Hamasaki. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of all five members of unit standing in the hallway, all of them averting their eyes and clearly failing to look as inconspicuous as possible. Alisa spared a glance at him before quickly looking away, red staining her cheeks. What the heck had gotten into all of them?
"Hey. Did you need something?"
The group remained silent, including Utsugi who's surprise was currently overshadowed with embarrassment. As it turned out, he had already met Hamasaki once before in the wastelands. He hadn't expected the two of them to be one in the same. Beside him, Sakuya tried to look disinterested and Soma looked ready to explode… of course, this was Soma. When did he not?
Ever the blabbermouth, Kota's nervousness boiled over as he scrambled to find an excuse for their eavesdropping.
"N-No! I mean, yes! I mean - look, we didn't mean to listen! We were just coming to get you for a mission. I mean, to meet Lenka. Well, I guess both. We weren't expecting you to be busy!"
"…Busy?"
"We're so sorry! We can just come back later! Oh, and um… just so you know… the doors have a sound seal function and…"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Uggghhh…"
As another moan echoed, very loudly through the now open door, Hamasaki sighed and shook his head.
"Neo, please quiet down. You're disturbing our teammates."
"N-No! Not at all! It's our fault, really. We didn't mean to interrupt, honest!"
"Interrupt what?"
The ex-commander paused, looking hopelessly confused. What was going on with them today? Slowly, his eyes swept across the five of them, trying to figure what had everyone so riled up. He noticed Sakuya's averted eyes and Alisa's cherry-red face. He noticed Lenka's bashful expression and Soma's irritated one. And finally, he observed Kota who was rattling off apologies like he had just stepped on his favorite shoes.
Sparing a glance, Soma watched as his mind worked, picking apart Kota's ramblings and putting together the pieces of the given scenario. He could tell when he had reached a conclusion as his pale skin ignited, quickly putting Alisa's miniskirt to shame. He placed his head in his head in his hand and groaned in exasperation.
"Oh my God…"
As it all became clear, Ichiro suddenly began to wish that Neo had killed him in the Infernal Subway.
"That's… I wasn't - we weren't… listen -"
"Ichiii!"
"Never mind it. You mentioned a mission, didn't you? Sounds great."
Without a further word, their teammate walked briskly from the door towards the lift, eager for an escape from the noisy New Type. As the door closed behind him, the squad finally caught a glimpse of their indisposed team member. She was lying on the bed, tangled in the sheets with her arms wrapped tightly around her midsection… and beside her, lying on the floor, were three large empty ice cream containers.
. . .
Sunken Grid
Following their awkward misunderstanding, Utsugi had gotten his wish, making his way through the damp waterway with his new teammate. Having traveled with him back to Headquarters, he had already gotten a glimpse of his fighting style. But there was no way that Neo was getting out of bed anytime soon, so he had chosen to accompany them anyway, likely just to get away from her griping.
Kota had tagged along, eager to go out with Lenka again, and Soma had been dragged along effectively against his will. Having been ordered to join, he had made a point to make his dissatisfaction as obvious as possible. He ignored Kota's presence, responded to their Captain only in short, disjointed sentences, and pointedly avoided Hamasaki altogether.
The tension in the air was palpable, with the majority of it concentrated between the two veterans. Lenka had noticed the noticed the sparks between them almost immediately the second that Hamasaki had opened the door and he continued to see them now long after they'd left. It seemed that the two of them weren't very fond of each other although he wasn't exactly sure why. It wasn't as though they were hostile. In fact, they almost seemed to have a mutual respect for one another. But there was clearly something very particular about each God Eater that other didn't like.
Growing tired of the rigid atmosphere, Lenka decided to break the ice, since their target was seemingly nowhere to be found.
"You know, it's funny. I never expected to find our mission Captain wandering outside of the wall."
Ichiro turned his attention to him, offering a friendly smile.
"Yeah, no kidding. I'm happy that you did though. You saved us quite a trip, and I'm not sure those two could have lasted much longer."
"No trouble at all. Where did you find those two anyway? Do you know them?"
Ichiro shrugged.
"Not really. I ran into a caravan on my way back and just kind happened upon them."
"Oh. Well, I'm sure they're happy you did."
"Probably."
The four of them returned to silence for a few minutes, with the air around them visibly more relaxed. It seemed that distracting them from one another was an effective method for keeping the peace. After a few more moments, Lenka spoke again. Something had been nagging at him since he had first heard his name, but he wasn't certain how to go about asking it.
"Hamasaki are you…" Utsugi paused his question for a moment, a pensive look appearing on his face. He was deciding on whether or not to continue to forward. "… are you close with Neo?"
His eyes narrowed slightly in response to his question. While his transition hadn't been blatantly obvious, he could tell that he had switched course mid-thought. What had he been meaning to ask him?
"How do you mean?"
"Well, Kota had mentioned you two were together, so…"
"Did he now?" His eyes slowly shifted to the gunner who laughed sheepishly under his gaze. While his smile never fell, his irritation was evident. So he was the who'd started all of this. Sighing, he shook his head. "Despite what everyone seems to think, that really isn't the case. We just have some history is all. We've known each other since we were little."
Lenka raised an eyebrow at his response. It definitely explained a few things. She had literally tried rip his head off when he had attempted to move into his old bedroom, and her presence there didn't seem to bother him. It was clear that they shared a bond extending far beyond simple comrades in arms. And yet…
Suddenly, the image of the New Type entered his mind, her pained groans ringing in his head.
"Ah, I see. Speaking of which… is she gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine."
"You sure? She seemed really uncomfortable. What exactly happened back there anyway?"
"Neo has always had a weakness for sweets, but very little self-control. It's partially my fault. I used to sneak her ice cream sometimes when we were kids and she's crazy for the stuff. I wouldn't worry about her too much. Honestly, this is probably the most harmless of her shenanigans. They're usually far worse."
His casual comment concerned him. He said it as though this woman had a habit of getting herself into serious trouble. As the image of her tearing through the lobby resurfaced, he shuddered slightly. If these behaviors were considered to be tame, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what would categorize as extreme.
Suddenly, the two veterans paused their movement. Soma's senses went on high alert as he sensed an Aragami nearby. He could feel it's presence, but it was approaching so rapidly, he couldn't pinpoint its location. Where was it coming from…? Beside him, Ichiro listened carefully, sharpening his senses. His ears picked up no sound but the gentle sloshing of the nearby pond… then, heard it. The familiar sound that he had come to recognize over years of training with Neo.
"Watch it!"
Kota warned a moment too late as a cascading series of sparking spheres soared toward them. But Hamasaki was already moving. Spinning, he placed himself behind his comrade and deployed his shield, leaving Soma unharmed. Still wielding his augmented weapon, his God Arc easily absorbed the electricity using very little energy. While it had originally been altered for Neo, it still served the same purpose.
Soma turned and raised his God Arc in preparation, the remaining two arming their weapons as well. Their target had finally arrived. The Fallen Chi-You revealed itself, tearing towards them with terrifying speed. Its palms sparked dangerously as it approached.
Kota took aim and fired, anticipating the monster's movements and launching blast bullets into its path. But the sparking variant was much faster than its cousin and leapt easily around the explosions, undeterred. The gunner quickly backed away to create some distance as it drew near. This was not an enemy that he wanted in close range.
Switching places with him, Lenka rushed forward. Passing both veterans, long blade raised, he lunged toward their adversary. Raising his shield, he blocked the incoming kick and looped around, offering a counterstrike. The Chi-You leapt away from his swing, the tip of his blade grazing across one of its legs. Following, Utsugi pressed forward with a frontal assault and pressing it back towards his heavier hitting allies. As a long blade user, he excelled in precise, rapid strikes, placing him in a favorable matchup against the quick-hitting Aragami.
With its back turned, both veterans moved forward. Together, they swept low, bringing their busters against the back of its legs. Their swing knocked it off balance and tumbling backward… but it didn't stop moving. True to its martial artist design, the Chi-You used its own moment to hit the ground and roll, allowing a quick recovery. The moment it stood, it followed up with a roundhouse kick. Soma easily deflected the blow with his shield, providing an opening for their Captain.
Looping around him, Lenka reached forward and chomped his God Arc onto the Chi-You's stabilizing leg. From the Soma's other side, Hamasaki appeared and swung downward, across its raised one as it lowered. The blaze augment in his sword burned through the monster's susceptible flesh, tearing it open and earning an infuriated snarl in response.
Fed up with its surrounding pests, it lifted its arms into the air. Alert, all three men scattered. The arms came downward, firing an electrified burst at its feet and launching itself into the air. From afar, a pair of blast bullets intercepted the Chi-You en route. Tracing its trajectory, Kota taken had aim and successfully fired into its path.
The explosions collided with his back, sending it spinning as it tumbled toward the ground. It quickly recovered, but the other three had followed it. The moment it stood, Soma blade came down in crushing blow across its arm, unbinding the cells and shattering its feathers. From the other side, Hamasaki chose a downward sweep, spinning full circle and whirling his buster against its legs. Hitting close to the original wound, the cells came unbound. From above, Lenka shifted into gun form, firing a shot onto its head before landing behind it.
Enraged, the monster roared. It whirled in a circle, warms outstretched. Lenka quickly shifted to shield form, blocking the impact. The two veterans weren't so lucky. Neither of their weapons were designed for quick deployment and both of them were struck, tossing them backward to the ground.
Free from its surrounding opponents, the Chi-You changed course. Lifting into the air, it took flight and zipped toward their gunner like a sparking bullet. Kota scrambled out the way, narrowly avoiding its fist as it came down, slamming into the ground beside him. Backing away, he ducked under its spinning leg. Lenka growled in frustration. There was no way he could hit a target moving that quickly so close to his ally. Shifting into blade form, he rushed to his aid.
Soma and Hamasaki rose to their feet, searching for their missing target. They found it a good distance away, mercilessly assaulting their defenseless teammate. Lithe as he was, he was quickly losing ground against its frightening speed. Lifting their weapons, both veterans bounded towards them as their Squad Captain closed the distance. He leapt from behind for a sneak attack…
But to no avail. In its enraged state, they couldn't match its agility. Unable to move quickly enough Kota took a backhand from the arm wing, tossing him off of his feet and to the ground. Following its inertia, it spun, lifting its leg and striking the incoming Captain. The kick hit him right in the chest, batting him into the air and leaving him to crash to the ground a short distance away.
Kota coughed, trying to regain his breath. He screamed at his muscles to move, but they couldn't. He trembled, stunned by the current coursing through his body. He was trapped. Paralyzed, he could do nothing as Chi-You rounded on him again. His fists sparked as it rushed toward him and Kota braced himself for what was likely to be his end.
His view was suddenly blocked as Hamasaki appeared in front of him with his massive shield deployed. Its fist hit the shield, sending vibrations through his arms as it absorbed the impace. From the side Soma appeared and swung his blade in a massive arc. The monster hopped over the incoming swing before returning its attention to the other God Eater once more, hammering against his shield in rapid succession. It wasn't going to hold much longer and the monster knew it. Now focused almost entirely on the two most vulnerable members, the monster was no longer paying attention to the two behind it.
The battle's final moments happened in an instant.
With a powerful kick, Hamasaki's shield was disengaged, slipping it from his hands. From behind, Utsugi was rapidly approaching and Soma charging his blade. The two worked in tandem with one going low and the other going high. Soma jumped into the air and Lenka rushed by sweeping his blade across the monster's ankle. Balancing on a single leg, the Chi-You had no way to stabilize itself as it tumbled backward. As its body hit the ground, Soma came down from above, bringing a charged strike down on top of the creature's head.
With that final impact, the target was no more.
And on the ground, Kota stared with rounded eyes at the God Eater in front of him. Crouched on the ground, he was still upright. His God Arc lay discarded on the ground. His arms were crossed in front of him, still locked into place. Had he blocked the kick… with his arms?
He didn't have time to question it as the veteran quickly stood and approached him. He offered a hand to Kota, helping him stand as the current finally left his body. He dusted himself off and gave a grateful smile.
"Thanks, man… I thought I was done for."
"Not if I have anything to say about it."
Approaching them, Lenka smiled.
"Nice work, everyone!"
The First Unit celebrated their hard-won victory. All of with the exception of one. Ignoring their conversation, Soma extracted their targets core and walked away. He had done what was required of him and say no more reason to stick around.
"Geez, what is with that guy?"
Lenka shrugged, reaching for his phone and calling for exfil. There was nothing to be done about it. When Soma was in a mood, it was best to leave him be. He had completed his task, so he didn't see the point in pressing him further. Hamasaki however, disagreed.
Soma stomped toward the exfiltration zone, his footfalls splashing water as he walked. His patience had reached its limit and he wasn't sure how much longer he could control his temper. The past few days had been more than stressful. He had prevented Neo from being nearly devoured alive, injuring her in the process. He had been dragged through the Tranquil Temple, eradicating their target's food source and forcing it out of hiding. And the target itself had quickly become his greatest source of frustration. An Aragami in the form of a child, concealed within the Den and somehow convincing everyone that it was almost human. No matter how successful her masquerade, she was still a monster. Why could no one else see that?
"Soma."
His mouth twitched as someone called out to him, yet another source of his irritation: Hamasaki. After vanishing without a trace, he had left the Den in absolute chaos and his friend in a state of disrepair. Then, after weeks, he had returned, strolling through the front door as though he had simply been on vacation and infuriating that same friend to point of physical violence. Part of him was highly amused at the sight of Neo slapping the living daylights out him. Three different times. He certain deserved it for all of the trouble he had caused.
"What?"
"Thank you. I never got a chance to tell you before."
Confused, Soma turned to face him.
"Huh? What for?"
"For keeping your word."
What the hell was he talking about? He hadn't the slightest clue what Ichiro was going on about. To his knowledge he hadn't promised him anything…
Take care of her, Soma
That's right. Before his exit, he had left Neo in his care. He had asked him to watch over her in his stead and he had done so. Upon his return, she was safe. Extremely upset and perhaps a depressed, but very much safe.
"Yeah."
Saying nothing more, Ichiro smiled gratefully before continuing on his way. Soma smirked in response watching as he walked by. But as he passed him by, his grin began to fade. Something was off about him. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but Hamasaki had changed. He had been watching him during their battle and he had noticed the subtle changes in his combat capability. His style hadn't changed, but it was somehow more effective. His swings were stronger and his movements were faster.
It shouldn't be surprising. He had survived in the wilderness for all of this time. Surely, one couldn't expect to do so without showing some considerable improvement… but how had he even survived? To his knowledge, Hamasaki marked one of three God Eaters to have successfully survived outside of the wall: himself, Neo, and Utsugi. Doing so was no easy task. And in his injured state it should have been impossible. But as their eyes met, he suddenly realized.
His irises were different. The change was so subtle that he began to wonder if he had simply imagined it. He recalled that Hamasaki's eyes were very dark, bordering on almost black. But now they seemed a shade lighter, just enough to discern the brown coloring underneath Had they always been that shade? His eyes narrowed as his comrade walked away from him.
Something wasn't right.