Far East Branch - Lobby

The events that followed Soma's return to Headquarters were filled with excitement, not all of it good. Sakaki had been overjoyed at Shio's retrieval, thanking him profusely for the safe return of his missing test subject. The rest of the First Unit had been similarly relieved, with the exception of two of them. Ichiro had been assigned on a separate mission and Lenka was unaware of her existence in the first place. Unfortunately, the celebrations were temporary, as it didn't take long for them to realize that another one of their female members was missing… and as with all things in the Far East branch, the news spread like wildfire.

And the result was utter bedlam.

. . .

"What the fuck did you do?!"

The walls trembled under the impact as Soma's back collided with the metal wall of the lobby. Soma glowered at his teammate, prying Ichiro's iron grip from his shirt collar. His eyes narrowed slightly at the effort, finding the task far more difficult than it should have been for a human male. The dangerous glimmering in his irises made him wonder if there were a correlation between the two, but he only had a moment to consider it before going immediately on the offensive.

"I didn't do anything!" Soma snarled in retaliation, his own patience exhausted.

Ichiro was forced back a few steps from the force of his shove, Soma eyeing him dangerously. Onlookers watched the two of them curiously, backing away from the escalating argument. The two veterans had been on each other's bad sides for the better half of the past few months, and everyone was well aware of it. Now, they were at each other's throats and it seemed that once again their violet-haired New-Type was to blame. But this time, there would be no diffusing of the situation. Both were too far gone. Their feud had reached dangerous levels quite some time ago, and Neo's most recent disappearance was the last straw.

"Bullshit. You're always doing something! Why is it that every time she's left with you, Neo disappears?!"

"Me?! You're the one that pissed her off!"

"Excuse me?" Ichiro's voice dropped to a low rumble at the implication of Soma's accusation.

"She was already irritable before we left. If you hadn't pushed her, she wouldn't have been upset!"

"And if I hadn't left her with you, she would still be here!"

Days of sleep deprivation and compounding stress made for a dangerous combination as both men's tempers reached fever pitch.

And in the next moment, the lobby had become a battlefield.

Like a pressurized chamber, months of building tension finally unleashed as the two veterans came to blows, leaving splintered and overturned furniture in their wake. Other God Eaters scrambled out of the way as their bodies went tumbling across the open lobby. A wooden table collapsed beneath Ichiro's weight as he felt on top of it, caught by surprise by a swinging fist. Another quickly followed, but he wouldn't be caught off guard a second time. Soma's eyes widened slightly as he left the solid ground, rotating through the air as his own momentum was used against him, sending him crashing into the ground behind his original target.

Years of training with the New-Type had clearly had an effect as Soma could easily see the similarity between the two's fighting styles. He had in fact fallen victim to one of Neo's own moves, the very same that he had observed during her roughhousing with a much younger Ichiro. Growling, he made a note to avoid making the same mistake as both men scrambled to their feet, quickly resuming their brawl. The sound of fist falls echoed through the open lobby as the pair vented their rage upon the other in the center of the slowly crowding room.

Soma had the advantage of superior strength, his Oracle-enhanced biology giving him more power behind his blows. Ichiro had the advantage of precision, honed over years of training against a much faster and stronger opponent. Soma was slightly alarmed by the other veteran's strength and endurance, unprepared for the difficulty level of their battle. While he was caught off guard, he couldn't honestly say that he was truly surprised. He had been chosen as Neo's handler for a reason.

The result of their opposing skill sets was an even matchup as neither one of them could overtake the other. Soma couldn't compete with Ichiro in terms of technique and conditioning. His lacking skill in hand-to-hand left him wasting energy with every swing and tiring him rather quickly. Conversely, Ichiro couldn't stand against Soma in terms of raw power and durability. Neo was stronger than Soma physically and much, much faster, but she was also very fragile by comparison. She wasn't designed for extended combat and the ongoing fight with him was beginning to wear on his stamina.

It had come a stalemate.

Both were reaching their limit but refused to back down as they glared daggers at one another. Panting, they squared off again, preparing to continue to their argument while the room's occupants looked on. Other God Eaters watched with eager eyes from a safe distance in the hopes of finally seeing this battle of titans reach its exciting conclusion…

But a winner was never decided.

Before the two could close the gap between them, a new challenger appeared, sending both men crashing to the ground in opposite directions. Having been drawn by the commotion, Major Amamiya had rushed into the center of the arena, making both men painfully aware of how she had earned her position. A powerful fist drove into Soma's abdomen, throwing him backwards. In the same movement, her body swung, lifting her leg behind her in a sharp kick, sending Ichiro to meet a similar fate. Within moments, the battle had reached its end, with neither one of them the victor.

. . .

Following their skirmish in the lobby, both were subdued and received a violent lashing from the Major, arguably worse than their tussle had been. Afterwards, the veterans begrudgingly agreed to a ceasefire, mutually deciding that locating their New-Type was far more important than killing each other. Doing so was considerably easier now that they had alleviated some stress through their altercation. Joining forces, Ichiro and Soma became temporary allies once again.

Thus began the search for Neo although admittedly, it wasn't enthusiastic at first. In reality, her absence had come as little surprise to most members of the Far East branch. After all. Neo's disappearing act had become somewhat commonplace after occurring so many times in such short periods of time. It had happened so often that many came to accept her departure as a naturally occurring phenomenon every so often… but this instance bore a stark difference to her other journeys outside of the wall.

Neo never returned.

The hours soon turned into days, with each passing one steadily increasing their concern until it reached full-blown panic. Search parties were dispatched, with different teams scouting different areas, and members of the First Unit leading the charge. Kota and Lenka searched high and low, taking areas to the north and south. Soma and Ichiro searched the east and the west to cover even more ground.

By the third day, other members began volunteering to join in what was now being classified as a search and rescue. Gina and Kanon offered their assistance along with Tatsumi and Brendan. Even Shun offered his aid after observing their limited success… and the surprises didn't stop there. Stanger still, even Gunter, the Far East's skirt-chaser extraordinaire, had joined the brigade when the news reached him that Neo still hadn't been found. His volunteering had surprised even his two closest friends, who were nearly floored to see such a level of concern from their free-spirited companion.

Soma and Ichiro were also slightly suspicious of the philandering soldier, but both gratefully accepted his help for the time being. As it stood, they needed to utilize every pair of eyes that they could get their hands on. And that was exactly what they did. With so many squadrons, the Far East branch was able to expand their search to all corners of the surrounding areas from the frozen hills of the Tranquil Temple to the wet marshlands of the Wailing Plains. The First Unit hoped that with the additional manpower, they would have better luck in locating their missing teammate…

… but their efforts were in vain.

Despite days of searching, all of their groups had come up empty. There was simply no sign of Neo anywhere. She had seemingly vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace and leaving not a single trail behind. With each passing day, it became increasingly difficult to find any evidence of her chosen path, were any available to be begin with, and with her tracking beacon dysfunctional, there was no hope of pinging her location. They were completely at a loss.

By the end of the first week, it was becoming apparent that they weren't going to find her any time soon or possibly find her at all… and none of the First Unit members were happy about it.

Sakuya had withdrawn, spending more and more time alone in her quarters, conducting what the others could only assume to be an individual investigation. Kota had all but deflated, his sunny optimism beginning to wane under the barrage of their countless failures. Alisa wasn't doing much better, often found sulking in her bedroom in between searches and missions. Lenka was growing agitated, concerned for his missing team member as well. While the two of them had never been particularly close, he cared for all of his unit, Neo included.

Similarly, Soma was also growing frustrated. While he had little love for his fellow veteran, he couldn't deny the accuracy of his statement. He had indeed lost their New-Type yet again and as seemed to be the case rather often, he hadn't the slightest idea of what he had done wrong. To his knowledge, he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary that would have triggered a reaction. In fact, they had been almost on civil speaking terms just prior to her disappearance. He had actually been planning to finally talk with her, in the hopes of some form of reconciliation. But he had waited too long, losing his opportunity… and now, it seemed that he may never get another one.

The only member taking the situation any worse was Ichiro. Similar to his counterpart, he was greatly struggling with the loss of his other half. The veteran God Eater, beloved by many for his gentle demeanor and kind disposition, had become distant and aloof. He was irritable beyond measure and his patience had dwindled. Nowadays, his dangerously short fuse threatened to make even Soma appear the very picture of tranquility. He spoke to very few in between his endless searches and those he did address rarely received more than a short, curt response.

The Den was rather taken aback by his violent shift, but few were really surprised. The pair seemed to be nearly inseparable and shared an unshakeable bond. It was obvious that the two of them cared deeply for one another, despite his constant insistence to the contrary. It only made sense that Ichiro would take Neo's loss as badly as she had taken his own… but in reality, it wasn't only Neo's disappearance that was bothering him. It was the circumstances surrounding it.

As her handler, guardian, and friend of more than half of her life, Ichiro knew nearly everything there was to know about the violet-haired firecracker. He knew every almost facet of her operation from her thought processes and emotions to how both of them affected her behavioral patterns. They determined what she would do, where she would go, and how she was most likely to handle any given situation. Whether she would fight or flight. Whether she would hide or seek out open terrain. Whether she would burrow into the ground below or climb to the skies above. He knew her every pattern, every habit, and every complex component that made her tick. He had spent years learning to follow her every movement and for their entire relationship he had done so flawlessly.

Until now.

For the first time in his life, Ichiro couldn't predict her movements. He couldn't follow her, track her, or gather any indication of her current direction. Her behavioral motivations had shifted and she wasn't following protocol at all. In fact, she was doing the very opposite, and that was what concerned him the most. Her outburst preluding her departure still stood fresh in his memory. The way that she had lashed out at him in the hallway hadn't left his mind. He had seen the murderous look in her eye and heard the venom in her tone.

To some degree, Soma was correct, although he was reluctant to admit it. He certainly did fuss over her rather often, primarily because he had little choice in the matter. Neo was a full-time obligation and were she left to her own devices, it was only a matter of time before she would get up to some form of mischief. When it came to his companion, trouble was never a matter of if, but a matter of when. And while it was quite literally his job to worry over her, much of his concern stemmed from a deeper emotion.

His affections for her ran deep, and he was very well aware of it, having come to terms with his feelings for Neo long ago. And while she sometimes found his devotion to his given task a bit irksome, she also found it rather endearing, always returning it in kind. At most he would get the occasional scowl and rarely, an irritated glare. Most often, she would give him an adorable pout and a huff when she didn't get her way, melting his heart and threatening to crumble his resolve.

In all of their years together, Neo had been many things. She had been irritable and annoyed, doting and affectionate, gentle and kind… but never, ever hostile. Not to him. Yet, that day in the hallway, he had sensed nothing short of utter malice radiating from her gaze. He could feel the violent intent from her aura to her subtle movements. Even her voice had shifted, dropping an octave with a hair-raising rumble that made even Soma's stand on end. Neo wasn't herself… and that was exactly what frightened him the most.

And it seemed that that worry was only destined to escalate.

On the eighth day, the First Unit was summoned for an emergency meeting by Major Amamiya. As they had months before, the members of their squadron gathered for the announcement that they least wanted to hear. With the passing of seven days, Neo's status had been updated to Missing in Action / Discharged and within moments, both Soma and Ichiro's worst fears were realized.

With a week of no leads, the search was brought to an abrupt end. They simply couldn't spare any further resources with the Aragami activity escalating to heights never before seen in the Far East. There was nothing more to be done but clasp on to the hope that Neo was out there somewhere in hiding, choosing for whatever reason to remain out just out of their reach. The New-Type had spend nearly two years of her life in total solitude outside the safety of an Aragami Wall. If anyone were capable of survival, it was her.

. . .

Far East Branch - Veteran's Floor

Another day had come to an end, with yet another failed attempt at locating his missing companion. Following the end of the search, Ichiro had continued his efforts, leaving the rest of the First Unit to resume their normal activities and operations. Both the Major and their Squad Captain had agreed to the arrangement. Neither were truly willing to lose yet another member of their squad, and on some level, both were hoping that in the solitary presence of her closest friend, she would eventually choose to reveal herself.

Of course, it wasn't as though either one of them had much choice in the matter. Short of locking him back in an iron cell, there was little they could do to deter him from his desired task. Any and all field operations he conducted would come with serious risk, as he would undoubtedly be distracted, placing both himself and his team in jeopardy. This option allowed everyone to achieve their goals without sacrificing any extra staff.

A heavy sigh broke the silence of the darkened room as the veteran sat tiredly on the couch in the center of his quarters. His sullen eyes stared lazily at the album in his hands, drifting over the photographs one by one. In them he saw Neo, young and vibrant, a captured physical memory of a time long past. His fingers mechanically flipped through the pages, watching as she grew from a happy child into a bitter adult, as his mind wondered where it had all went wrong. What had happened to change her in such a way? Was it a result of her time in the wilderness? What, if anything, could he have done differently to prevent this downward spiral? Was leaving North America truly the best decision for them?

"Where have you gone, Neo?" Ichiro muttered quietly into the emptiness of the room, gently placing the album on the coffee table and he leaning against the back of his sofa.

A melancholic laugh escaped from his lips as realization dawned on him. In his nearly mindless state, he had found himself sitting towards the edge of the couch… precisely the last place that Neo had slept on her last night in his bedroom. It seemed that even in his subconscious state he was searching for her, seeking out even the tiniest thread of her existence.

He really was hopeless.

His sunken chestnut eyes slowly drifted across the room towards the dresser against the far wall. Carefully, they lowered to the bottom drawer, the lowest compartment of his furniture that remained forever unopened. And he had hoped that it would remain that way, praying that the day would never come… but it seemed that despite all of his desperate efforts, that such a time was fast approaching.

"Goddamn it…"

With a guttural groan, Ichiro hoisted himself from his sitting position, forcing his body onto its feet. He could accomplish nothing sitting around worrying. His time was better spent getting some much needed rest in preparation for another attempt in the coming morning. He would not waste any more effort concerning himself with possibilities. Instead, he would focus his attention on trying to prevent them.

. . .

Down the hall, another veteran lay wide awake in his bedroom, eyes gazing at up the ceiling from his bed. While sleepless nights had become all but a daily occurrence for him, this one seemed particularly unpleasant. Perhaps it was the added physical strain that was keeping him awake on this night, from him and the rest of the team pulling extra weight in Neo's absence.

It wasn't exactly a secret that Neo was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefront, but Soma had never truly realized just how much hunting she actually did on a daily basis. Between her typical field operations and secret feedings, she had nearly halved his average workload. This meant that now, he had to redouble his efforts, taking on twice as many missions to make up the difference in her lost efficacy. His body was no doubt feeling the burden of the added stress, his muscles aching and begging for release from their constant strain.

But despite the groaning of his frame, he knew that there were larger problems keeping him awake. Among the chief of those concerns was worry for his fellow teammates. The first of which was the white-skinned girl hiding in Paylor Sakaki's office. Despite her safe return to the Den, Shio's condition had been far from improving. In fact, it almost seemed to be deteriorating, and at an alarming pace.

It seemed that there were two sides of her, vying for control. Her episodes, while initially sparse, were steadily becoming more and more frequent. Every so often her body would glow with a ghostly light and her mannerisms would begin to change, similar to how he had seen at the Forgotten Carrier. There seemed to be little rhyme or reason for the occurrences and he hadn't any idea what was causing it. The only thing he knew for certain was that feeding seemed to temporarily halt the process, retuning Shio to her original state.

But upon returning to that condition, her mood would quickly darken as she looked curiously around the room. With every passing day, without fail, she would ask the same question: where's Neo? And each and every time, he had no choice but to answer her honestly… that he knew little more than she did. With every repetition the child grew more and more solemn. Eventually, she even began to question what it was that she had done wrong. And again, Soma could only offer her a similar answer: he didn't know.

In reality, he had been wondering much the same thing. He spent nearly every day wondering what he had said, what he had done, and what could have led her to run away from them. More importantly, why hadn't she returned? He wanted nothing more than to seek out the answers, but he knew that he couldn't. They were stretched far too thin as it was and with Neo gone, Soma had become Shio's primary caretaker, second to Dr. Sakaki. When he wasn't fielding missions, he was by her side, tending to her needs and keeping her company. As a result, the onus of finding the New-Type's whereabouts was left entirely to his teammate.

This concern was only adding to his anxiety. The other God Eater had been an absolute wreck even before calling off the search. Now, he was spiraling out of control. Soma couldn't imagine the stressfulness of the situation. Locating their New-Type was no menial task, especially when she didn't want to be found. And currently, the weight of that task fell solely on his shoulders. Much as he disliked him the vast majority of the time, Soma couldn't help but feel somewhat troubled by the deterioration of his fellow comrade. Neo's disappearance was taking its toll on Hamasaki and everyone could see it.

His gentle smile had all but faded, replaced only by a darkened expression and his once patient eyes were marred by dark discoloration. He looked as though he had barely slept in days and considering his behavior as of late, he probably hadn't. With the search brought to a halt, he was the only remaining member taking up the mission, leaving him to singlehandedly scour every corner of the Far East all by his lonesome. Even Soma knew that no soldier, no matter how trained or conditioned, had a limit… and it seemed that Ichiro was quickly approaching his. His bright light was slowly fading before them.

How long before it finally went out?

With an irritated grunt, Soma rolled to his side, tearing his eyes from the ceiling to the wall as he shimmied further beneath his blankets. Left in the silent darkness to his thoughts, he could feel little more than the conflicting emotions raging within his mind. The endless exhaustion. The fear of what was happening with Shio and Neo… and the crushing guilt of possibly being a direct cause of the loss of the latter.

"Damn it all."

Forcing his eyelids closed, he growled in frustration, trying to block out the depressing thoughts. He needed to get some rest. Tomorrow was going to be another long day.

. . .

Near the further end of the hall, yet another member of the First Unit remained up in the night. Unlike the others however, this one was awake by choice. In the darkness of his room, Lenka dug carefully through his dresser drawers, searching adamantly for any extra phials of the shimmering pink compound. Finding none, he grumbled slightly, turning his attention back to the metal case sitting on his bedside table. It seemed that his supply of medication was running low, and it couldn't have happened at a worse time.

It made sense that he would be going though the phials more quickly. With heightened Aragami activity and increased mission-taking, he was using his God Arc more frequently as of late. He had hoped that there would be more time, but it seemed he would not be so lucky. He needed to collect more, and relatively quickly, but he wasn't keen on the idea of abandoning his team during such a difficult time.

"Great…"

Closing the dresser drawer, he turned his attention to the Norn terminal in the corner of the room. The screen illuminated the dark room, with the email application still visible on the screen from his previous correspondence. He had attempted negotiation with the researchers of the North American branch, but they had been unwilling to humor his request of shipping the compound directly to his location.

Of course, Lenka wasn't surprised. It was just as well. The medication was experimental and still in the early phases of testing. It was also difficult to manufacture due to the rarity of the EVO Oracle cell variant, and no viable substitute had yet been found. Were such a valuable experiment leaked to the public, it could cause pandemonium in Fenrir branches across the world. There would be strife and infighting over the resources for its uses both inside of and beyond medical practices. And as the variant was only obtainable in North America, it could easily turn the continent into a warzone.

To avoid such disaster, personal collection of the medication was required to ensure the utmost secrecy. It was likely that they would want a full report on his findings of the missing Aragami as well… although at the moment he had very little information to give them. Shaking his head, he moved to close the case at his bedside, making a mental note to speak with the Director the following day. He would need to arrange a transport for his trip overseas and inform his teammates of his coming departure. Hopefully, they would be understanding of his predicament.

Sliding the case underneath of his bed, Lenka turned his head slightly at a sound emanating from the hallway. It had sounded like a sliding door, which struck him as odd considering the time. He was accustomed to Neo wandering the halls in the dead of night by this point… but Neo was gone. Who would possibly be moving around at this hour? Listening for a few more moments, he remained still in his crouched position, trying to catch wind of any further sound. But as he heard nothing, he finally shrugged and rose to his feet.

"Must be hearing things…"

Climbing into his bed, Lenka rolled to his side and let his heavy eyelids fall shut. It was clear that he needed some rest.

. . .

The hallway was silent as the night dragged on, with God Eaters sleeping peacefully in their beds for the trials of the coming morning. All was quiet and still as the members of the First Unit recuperated in preparation for another day… with the exception of one. A sliding door opened at the end of the hall, a tall slender figure emerging into the darkness. Crimson orbs swept carefully across the floor, searching for any signs of movement. It seemed that she was alone. Perfect.

Carefully, Sakuya padded softly down the corridor, her eyes scanning for motion as she made her way towards the stairwell. She wasn't likely to get another opportunity. She needed to act now if she had any hope of finding her answers. With the stealth and speed of a nocturnal predator, the gunner quickly made her way down the hall and into the stairwell, disappearing behind the door as she closed it quietly behind her…

… but in her haste, the veteran failed to notice the pair of blue eyes watching her escape.