Far East Branch Headquarters - Veteran's Floor

"Any pain?"

"None."

"Here?"

"Mm-mm."

"There?"

"Heh… ha ha ha!"

"Sorry."

The blankets rustled under shifting weight as Two God Eaters sat in the corner of the quiet room. Neo relaxed comfortably, legs crossed, fiddling with a loose thread at the edge of the bedsheets. Behind her, Ichiro sat, looking over her shoulder blades and arms, checking for bruising or abnormalities. Injuries were commonplace for the New Type, as she had a tendency to rush headlong into battle with little regard for her own safety, but this was excessive even for her.

His fingers gingerly handled the damaged blue folds, frowning at its shredded state. Sighing, he let them fall to the bed, shifting his attention elsewhere. Brushing her hair to the side, he looked over the back of her neck. The skin was smooth and relatively unblemished, any damage done long-since healed. With the exception of a few unusual marks, everything seemed to be in order.

"Everything okay, Ichi?"

"…Yeah. Everything's fine. Nothing that won't fix itself in due time so long as you've been feeding. You have been feeding, right?"

"Plenty."

"Good. In the future, please take better care of yourself."

His words belied his tone, as he stared intently at the skin along her collarbone. They drifted upwards towards her neck and then downwards again. His eyes narrowed as he compared the coloration between the different parts of her body. The skin was damaged and slightly mismatched along the base of her neck.

The scarring had begun to fade, but there were still hints of trauma around the center of her neckline. Had she always bore this scars? Where had they come from? They certainly hadn't come from any combat mishaps. They were too deliberate; too carefully placed. In fact, they almost looked irritated like a rash or burn. What had caused these markings?

"Hey…"

"Hm?"

"Where did these -"

"Neo."

His question was cut short by a curt voice and a sliding door. Soma stood in the entrance way with irritated expression on his face. It looked like he was in a mood again, though he hadn't the slightest clue what had set him off this time.

"Eep!"

Neo shrieked, startled by his sudden appearance. She sunk into the bed, lifting the sheets and covering herself from the head down in one rapid, practiced motion. From the doorway, Soma fell silent, his annoyance momentarily forgotten. The door's lock setting had been left open, leading him to believe that the room was either unoccupied or at the very least, that he was free to enter. But upon seeing his friend's startled reaction to hide herself, he quickly regretted his decision.

"Relax. It's just Soma."

Ichiro responded calmly to his unceremonious entry, disregarding the evident anger on his face. Whatever had agitated Soma was of little concern to him. It seemed that everything bothered him to some degree or another and he had grown accustomed to his temperamental nature.

"Soma?"

At the sound of his name, Neo slowly emerged from beneath the covers, fearful no longer. It seemed that whatever she was hiding didn't apply to him… and he wasn't certain how he felt about that. As the blankets lowered, he immediately noticed the stark contrast to her usual attire. She appeared to be bare from the neck down, with far more skin exposed than he had grown accustomed to seeing.

And his annoyance returned full-force, quicky escalated into aggravation as his temper flared.

"Mission."

"…Now?"

"Yeah."

"Coming."

As Neo shifted, the sheets fell to her waist, and it became evident that she wasn't bare at all. She was simply wearing a corset top today, and upon closer inspection, he could easily see the transparent straps to her undergarment reflected in the light. And as she swung her legs over the bed, Soma suddenly realized why so much skin was exposed. She wasn't wearing her accessory.

Turning, she looked back to her companion.

"You coming, Ichi?"

He shook his head.

"Not this time. I have research I need to look into. Go enjoy yourself."

"Kay."

Neo gathered her blue material, wrapping it carefully around her neck.

"We'll be waiting." Soma turned to take his leave pausing in the open door. "Utsugi doesn't know. Keep it that way." Then he stepped into the hallway and was gone.

. . .

Forgotten Carrier

Three members of the First Unit strolled casually across the dilapidated bridge. The setting sun cast long shadows along the ground and dyed the sky an orange-red. Behind them trailed a new member of their group. Shio skipped happily behind the trio, with a pale short blade carried loosely in her hands. According to Sakaki, it was date night and Soma wasn't happy about it.

Soma stood in the center of Sakaki's office, arms crossed, wearing his signature scowl. The old man had summoned him during his down time, much to his irritation. In front of him sat the doctor on his couch, grinning from ear to ear. Beside him stood the Aragami child, looking chipper as ever.

"Good day to you. Working hard, I imagine? Yes? Thanks to you, Shio's natural intelligence has skyrocketed. She's nearly at an adult level of comprehension and conversation."

Shio smiled, bowing gratefully at the two men.

"I did really good. Thank you! Thank you both!"

"Though she still retains some speech patterns. In any case, I asked you to come here as we have a pressing issue. I don't mean to frighten you, but… we have no source of food for Shio. Suffice it to say, this must be handled immediately."

Soma's frown deepened. He didn't like where the conversation was headed.

"I had a sufficient stockpile of cores… heh, or at least I thought it sufficient. But just yesterday, it seems I have emptied my coffers. I hadn't anticipated having two mouths to feed, you see. So, that in mind, I think it's time you took our ladies out for a night. Uh, a date, if you will. A full three-course dinner should suffice very well. Good luck."

"Good luck."

"Damn you, old man. You can't just force jobs on me."

Soma's temper ignited. He had interrupted his relaxation for this? It was bad enough that he was harboring the creature in his office like some sort of experimental fugitive. What's worse, he had then forced him to teach it. And now he wanted him to feed it. He truly was out of his mind.

"Need I remind you Soma, that Shio isn't the only one in current need of sustenance. Would you really stand up your lovely lady friend? Shame on you."

"Grr…"

Soma growled, glowering at Sakaki and his devious grin. Reluctant as he was to admit it, the doctor had a very valid point. The only reason that they had exhausted their resources so quickly was because of the two ravenous women relentlessly consuming them. And more surprising, Neo's appetite at times proved even larger than Shio's. Either way, regardless of whether they had one hungry lady or two, this result was inevitable. They were bound to run out of cores eventually.

Seeing that he had no further complaint, Sakaki beamed at him.

"Lovely! Now, go forth and feast! I put my faith in you. I believe you'll find your date for this evening in her usual location."

Fuming, Soma stormed from the office and down the hallway towards the stairwell.

"Hey, Soma!"

"What?!"

Soma snapped, his patience wearing dangerously thin. Kota stepped back, startled by his tone. He was used to the veteran's attitude problem, but this was aggressive even for Soma. Even Neo raised an eyebrow at him, surprised by his outburst. It had been a long time since she seen her friend in such a state. What had made him so upset?

"I… I was just saying it's pretty cool how Sakaki fitted Shio with a God Arc, you know?"

"It's pretty."

Shio giggled, gazing adoringly at her pearly blade. Neo smiled at the child, agreeing with her.

"Yes. It's beautiful, Shio."

At her gentle smile, Soma felt his expression soften slightly. Annoyed as he was by the situation, he couldn't deny the beneficial effect that Shio seemed to be having on their New Type. Since the two of them began spending time together, he had seen subtle changes in her mood for the better. There were small differences in her habits and mannerisms that went unnoticed by other members of the unit. For one thing, she had seemed far less conscious about her left eye.

Glancing to the side, he saw the faint glow beneath her thick bangs. She wasn't wearing her eyepatch this evening. And this was becoming an increasingly more common occurrence as of late. While she was careful to keep it hidden around particular parties, she tended not to wear it as much around him or in the field where the chaos of battle would keep it from attention. He had also noticed that she didn't wear at all in Shio's presence. The same was true of Hamasaki… and for some reason, that bothered him.

Sighing, Soma shook his head. He wasn't sure why he had been so irritable lately. He was under a tremendous amount of stress, that was certain, but something else was agitating him. But that was his problem. He shouldn't be taking it out on his teammates. At least not as violently as he had been.

"Yeah, it's nice I guess."

Shio's face lit up at Soma's backhanded compliment. She burst into a fit of giggles. Her infectious laughter quickly spread to Kota who joined her. Neo chuckled lightly, offering Soma an approving smile. And despite himself, he found himself smirking back at her.

Their lighthearted banter didn't last for very long. Three of the four members paused as a presence alerted their senses.

Kota turned, taking aim at the sound of heavy footsteps approaching them from behind. His shot hit its mark, piercing through the Ogretail's skull. Neo smirked, nodding approvingly towards him. He had been practicing. But their celebration was short lived, as they were quickly surrounded. The Aragami's pack had arrived and wasted no time in trying to turn all of them into a full-course meal.

Soma lifted his blade and swung, intercepting a lunging attacker. Kota fired two shots, felling a second as it approached them. Neo dispatched the third, with a bullet between its eyes. And the final two were destroyed by Shio, who leapt fearless forward towards her opponents. She swung her blade downward, severing the monster's neck, and with a graceful spin she bought it back up, severing the other. In two quick, precise strikes, she felled both Aragami at once, licking her lips as the blood splatted onto her white skin.

"Delicious!"

"Yeah?" Neo smiled, earning a giggle from the little girl.

"Mm-hmm!"

Beside them, the two boys gaped at them. They were well aware that Shio wasn't human, but that didn't help to quell their unease. There was something petrifying about watching a giggling child slaughter two monsters without a hint of remorse. And worse, Neo - an actual human - was joining her. It was like was like watching a deranged pair of siblings enjoying casual slaughter fest… and it was utterly disturbing.

"Wah!"

Kota rushed backward as a pair of lightning spheres barreled towards him. Startled by the sudden assault, he forgot the Aragami bodies littering the bridge. His foot hit the tail of one of the monsters, tripping him and sending him to the concrete. Thankfully, he wasn't alone.

Neo heard the sparks before she saw them, rushing towards the sound and leaping in front of Kota with a shifting weapon. Then, to Soma's surprise, she deployed her shield. With well-timed activation, her buckler absorbed both shots, leaving both God Eaters unharmed. It seemed that she had been practicing as well. A smirk tugged at his lips, feeling pride at her progress. He had been a help to her after all.

But their target wasn't done. Following the two spheres was the Fallen Chi-You itself, zipping toward them with angled wings. Lowering her shield, Neo twisted and swiped her scythe upward. The strike missed its mark but served its purpose. The creature halted its assault, dropping to the ground mid-flight to avoid her deadly blade.

"Thanks, Neo."

Kota quickly got to his feet behind her, stepping over the Ogretail and loading blaze bullets. Soma took advantage of the opening, leaping forward and bringing down his God Arc in a downward swing. It stepped to the side, countering with a spinning kick, which Soma avoided. From behind him, Shio entered the fray. Leaping over him, she descended upon the Aragami, her blade swiping it across the shoulder.

The battle quickly fell into chaos as Shio drove the monster back with furious swings. Neo provided offensive support, taking advantage of any opening she could find, and leaving Soma and Kota feeling a bit out of place.

Soma wasn't certain from which angle to approach target. Fighting around Neo or Shio was one thing but maneuvering around both of them at the same time would prove very challenging. Shio's attacks were rapid, but shorter range. Neo's attacks slightly slower, with longer range. With two weapons of different sizes moving at different speeds, it would be difficult to avoid being torn to shreds.

Kota faced a different challenge. He now had to aim his bullets around three rapidly moving targets and be sure to hit the right one. And with their Aragami companion bouncing in, out, and around the monster that was a big problem. Both women were erratic in their own right and trying to read even one's movements was bad enough. Reading both at the same time was nearly impossible. A split second would be all it would take for his bullet to hit the wrong target.

And that was a dilemma that both God Eaters were now facing. They were wielding God Arcs and Shio was an Aragami. Friendly fire of any kind could prove fatal if they weren't careful. And Neo was similarly at risk. Both were unaware of the danger Kota posed to their companion. Wielding blazing bullets, he was unintentionally carrying the New Type's Kryptonite.

As the Chi-You's arms lifted upward, they found a solution. Both women leapt away from the incoming shockwave as it launched itself into the air. When it landed back on the ground and with the pair safely out of harm's way, the men and women switched places. Kota took aim and fired toward the monster's head while Soma engaged with the lower half. Unable to block both assaults at once, his well-placed swing shattered the cells on its leg.

Turning, the Chi-You threw a spin kick which Soma blocked. But it was far from safe. On the outside, Shio and Neo had shifted forms and were now circling the target, firing at it from all sides. Combined with Kota's bullets, the monster found itself in the center of a firing squad with no place to turn.

It chose a target at random, unleashing a series of sphere's towards their New Type teammate. Dropping to the ground, Neo began to roll, passing under the incoming shots. Soma frowned slightly as she stood, returning to her task. Her behavior was starting to confuse him. While being defensive wasn't a bad thing, he couldn't understand why she was being so conservative. He had watched her absorb a Vajra's bolt without a moment's hesitation, and that had been of much higher voltage than the Fallen Chi-You. Kota had witnessed her ability the same as he had, so it wasn't likely that she was hiding it from him. What was she afraid of?

Spinning, Soma took advantage of its distracted state, swinging down on its extended arm and shattering its arm wing. Enraged, their target spun, catching him across the chest and knocking him backwards.

"Damn it…"

He lifted his weapon, prepared to block an incoming attack. But one never came. With Soma disabled, both women had shifted their weapons again, reengaging the furious creature and forcing its attention away from him. A clattering sound caught his attention from behind him. Turning his head, he noticed Kota on his knees, focusing intently on the ground. What was he doing?

Satisfied, the gunner rose to his feet and began loading recovery bullets. Soma felt his pain ebb away as the bullets struck him and turned his attention to the Chi-You. It was still engaged with both women, giving him a moment of respite.

"Hey, guys! Over here!"

Rising to his feet, Soma turned back at the sound of Kota's voice. But he wasn't in any danger. He saw nothing but the grinning man holding his God Arc. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary… at first glance. Looking downward, he noticed the pulsating device on the ground. He had activated a snare trap. In its livid state, the Chi-You would be highly susceptible to holds, giving them a crucial opening. So he had been reading the Norn.

Approaching Kota, he positioned himself for a critical blow. And from a short distance away, their target was approaching. Caught between the whirlwind of blades, the Chi-You was being driven in their direction.

Hm?

Soma's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused intently on his teammates' movements. He hadn't noticed initially, distracted by combat. But now idle, he could see the similarity between their motions. Every decision they made was synchronized. They were working in tandem, mimicking the other like a mirror image and working as two halves of a pair. But how was that possible? Not only was this Shio's first time working with Neo, but it was her first time wielding a God Arc of any kind. How could they possibly battle so effectively?

His mind drifted to their first meeting in Sakaki's office. He recalled the way that they had watched one another. How they appeared to read each other's intentions without uttering a single word. It had happened then and it was happening now. It was almost like a resonance, but without physical contact. Slowly, his eyes fell to the slain Ogretail at his feet. The image of the pack surrounding them entered his mind, each working with the other to perform a cohesive strike. Somehow, Aragami were capable of communicating with one another. Was it possible that the two of them were doing the same?

As the Chi-You drew near, Soma lifted his God Arc and began to charge. His buster hummed with energy as the target was nearly upon them. Feet from the trap, the women synchronized once again. Mirroring each other, they swept the monster in unison. Shio swept low, striking its feet, and Neo swept high kicking its chest. Their attack knocked it off balance and sent it crashing into the ground, trapping it in Kota's snare trap.

Locked in place, it was defenseless. Unleashing his stored power, Soma brought down his massive weapon on the monster's head, unbinding its cells and ending his struggle. Slain, the Chi-You fought no more.

"All right!"

Kota pumped his fist into the air in celebration and Soma shook his head. He really was far too excitable. In front of them, the pair had lowered their weapons. They were drenched in red, but neither one of them seemed to care. Neo looked pleased and Shio looked positively delighted… and both of them looked ravenous. They eyed their prey hungrily as Shio began to skip toward the nearest Ogretail.

"Let's eat! It's time to eat!"

Neo smiled and followed her, wandering inconspicuously toward the slain creature behind Kota. With his attention diverted, she began tearing into her meal as quietly as possible.

Shio knelt before her dinner, poised to gorge herself. Then she paused. Turning, she faced Soma.

"Soma! Soma, you wanna come eat too?"

Soma's face froze. Kota laughed nervously; a bit taken aback by her unusual offer.

"Hehe, whoa there, Shio. We don't eat Aragami. We're human, you see?"

The child tilted her head quizzically, her eyes looking between the two of them. She looked utterly confounded.

"Human? But… But… Um… Soma's Aragami says he's hungry and he wants to eat."

"What the -?!"

Flabbergasted, Kota turned his attention towards their veteran, hoping for an explanation. But instead, Soma erupted. With his rage hitting fever pitch, he unleashed all of his pent up frustration, pain, and aggravation. How dare she make such a heinous assumption? How dare she call them one in the same?

"Shut up! That's… I'm not a monster! I'm nothing like you! Nothing!"

"The hell, man?"

Then, his entire body went rigid. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had made a terrible mistake. Slowly turning his head he saw his friend kneeling behind Kota. She was frozen in place, her bloody hands still wrist deep into the Ogretail's frame. She was eerily still, her eyes staring gazing blankly forward. Then he saw it. She wasn't still. She was trembling. And the trail of crimson on her cheeks wasn't from her prey. Tears were streaming down her face, running the blood down her cheeks in deep red lines.

"Neo -"

Standing, she turned and bolted. Soma dropped his weapon and followed her, pushing his Oracle Cells trying to reach her. She leapt, grabbing onto a dangling beam and climbing her way over the pile of debris. He pursued, climbing after her as quickly as he could. He had to reach her before she crested the hill. If he allowed her to reach open terrain, that would be it. He would never be able catch her.

His muscles screamed in protest as he threw himself up the jagged debris, following after her. He was gaining ground… temporarily.

What…

As the gap closed between them he noticed something change about her aura. Her body hummed with energy, a crimson hue radiating from her brown skin. She was entering a burst. How was even possible? Then, something occurred to him. He had actually never seen Neo burst before. He had seen Alisa apply boosting shots, but he had never seen her activate one herself. Her God Arc didn't allow her too. While its devour allowed her to absorb Oracle essence, it didn't allow her to use it on herself. Then, his mind drifted to the image of her blank expression staring mindlessly into the lens of a camera… and the hastily scribbled note scrawled underneath of her profile.

Due to recreational burst and overdrive, Codename Reaper will be hereby retired from combat and active service.

Recreational? Could Neo enter a burst at will…?

Panicked, Soma groaned, pushing his body to its absolute limit. He had to reach her. He couldn't let her escape. Nearing the top of the hill, Soma closed the distance. Scrambling after her, he reached forward grasping for any part of her that he could reach. At a first level burst, she was already beginning to move faster than him. His fingers wrapped around the edge of her scarf, gripping it tightly…but he couldn't get a good hold. The damaged material slipped through his fingers as she leapt from the top of the hill.

He was too late.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she took off like a rocket, rushing across the landscape at breakneck speed. Accelerating, her silhouette shrank faster and faster, before finally disappearing into the city beyond. His fists clenched as he glared after her retreating form. He hadn't meant to…

Staring blankly at the abandoned buildings for a few more moments, he turned and slowly made his way towards his startled teammates. There was nothing more to be done. They had to return to base.

It was nearly sundown.

Neo was gone.

…And it was entirely his fault.

"Fuck!"