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It was the beginning of the afternoon, Daulton, had thrown the shells into the recycling bins to be refilled, he disarmed all the guns, resting the radios, putting back the tools, and parked the tanks back inside the hanger. The girls were all about ready to spend the time at the baths, they gathered all of their things, and were about ready to head off.

"I'm so gonna unwind when I jump in that bath," Saori said eagerly putting her bag on her shoulder.

"Try not to make a mess, this time, Saori," Hana quipped.

As everyone was about to leave, Leopon Team, spotted Daulton sitting by a giant spool, the flowers he was given were sitting on top, and Daulton looked to be stretching his right hand, he held onto his gloved palm, with a face that seemed to be tensed up. The teamed glanced at one another and decided to walk over to him while his back was turned to him.

"Hey, Daulton, what are you doing?" Satoko asked.

Daulton looks over his shoulders seeing the Automotive Club standing behind him.

"What do you want? school hours are done," Daulton responded thinking that the girls were given him another chore to do.

"No, we're not giving you anymore work," Hoshino told him.

"Oh! then what do you girls want then?" Daulton asked.

"You just seem a little... sore," Tsuchiya noted.

"Are you alright?" Suzuki asked.

Daulton took a deep breath from his nose and out, "I'm fine, it's just my body aches," he told them.

"Why?" Tsuchiya asked.

"Oh I don't know, maybe it has something to do with me getting shot several million times, genius," Daulton remarked.

"Duh," Hoshino quipped.

"Sometimes my muscles will start flaring up and bug me for hours," Daulton explains.

"Well, Daulton, if you're that much in pain we're going to a place that could help you with that," Satoko offered him.

"Yeah, that place will have you feeling amazing in no time," Suzuki said.

"Uh... what?" Daulton confusingly responded.

\Later/

Sinking down, shoulders-deep, into the warm steaming bath the Ooarai girls were in complete bliss.

"Aaaah~ this is Heaven," Duck Team commented in comfort.

"You can say that again," Rabbit Team confirmed.

"These are the times I enjoy," Yukari said, "Practicing Tankery all day, then coming her to loosen up with my friends," she added then the doors slid open revealing the Automotive Club coming in with towels wrapped around.

"What took you girls so long?" Erwin asked spotting the team of four settling into the bath.

"We just needed to take care of something," Satoko stated with a smile.

"Hrmm... I need to use the ladies rooms," Saori spoke up, she climbed out of the bath wrapping her towel around herself, "Be right back."

Flushing the toilet Saori washed her hands and admired herself in the mirror for about a moment.

"Looking good," she complimented flashing a wink to her own reflection.

Leaving the room Saori headed back to the girl's bath, but as she walked down the how she overheard a voice in another room.

"Alright, Mr. Daulton, just relax," Said an older woman's voice, "I'm gonna apply this lotion, it might sting a bit," she explained.

When Saori heard Daulton's name she quietly peeked into the room, cracking open the door just enough to see Daulton in a blue bath robe as one of the bath houses' attendant help rubbed a lotion onto his right hand. The hand was blocked from Saori's sight by the attendant as both her and Daulton had their backs turned to her, Saori heard Daulton hiss as the lotion made contact with his skin.

"Alright just let it settle," the attendant informed him, "Relax and enjoy your bath, the stinging will stop in a little while."

"Thank you," Daulton said.

With that the attendant headed off, Saori quickly ducks behind a potted plant sitting in the middle of the hall, hiding until the attendant passes by without her noticing she was there. After the attendant was gone Saori peeked back inside spotting Daulton standing over a steel tub as he dumped bags of ice into the tub, Daulton, then dis-robed revealing his athletic build, and the bullet wound on his back. Saori eyes became wide open as she witnessed Daulton's bare backside, Daulton then climbs into the tub slowly trying to get used to the chilling water.

"Man, that's cold," he told himself holding onto the rails of the tub and there, Saori, finally caught the sight of Daulton's right hand.

The skin on his right hand looked rough and leathery with the areas of his hand that were damaged being a pale red color. Seeing Daulton's right hand ungloved for the first time was almost breath taking as Saori cover her mouth to prevent herself from giving herself away. She then runs off heading back to the others, sliding the door shut behind her, and sitting back down next to her friends.

"Guys! guys! you won't believe what I saw," Saori gathered everyone's attention.

"What?" Hana asked.

"Daulton's here at the bathhouse and I saw him... naked," she told them.

"What!?"

'No way!"

"You're lying!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yahuh!" Saori countered back, "I just saw him in the boy's section having an ice bath."

"He's actually here?" Oryou couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Probably here to perv on us," Saemonza gave her thoughts.

"What'd you except from a boy?" Momo said.

"I CAN FREAK'N HEAR YOU!" Daulton shouted in annoyance.

In the next moment the wall off to the side slid right open revealing the room Daulton was in with him still in the tub.

"I didn't knew that was a door," Hana said in surprise.

"Screw you guys!" Daulton snapped at them.

"Sorry, Daulton, we should've told them you were here," Satoko apologized.

"You guys knew he was here?" asked Asuza.

"THEY brought me here, my freak'n muscles were hurting," Daulton said to them.

"Sorry, Daulton," Miho apologized for what was said earlier.

"Oh, blow me," Daulton retorted sliding the door back shut.

"C'mon, Daulton, we were just kidding," Anzu spoke up trying to ease the tense, "Don't be shy, we all already seen your butt."

"Can we change the subject," Daulton requested.

"Alright, which one of us do you think is the cutest?" Anzu asked trying to get under Daulton's skin.

The girls all giggled at that thought while Daulton just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, Daulton, this is pretty much a boy's dream come true," Saori remarked.

"More like a nightmare," Daulton rephrased it.

"C'mon, Daulton, not like you weren't checking any of us out earlier today," Hoshino reminded, "I saw you sneaking peeks at Tsuchiya and I," she added and the girls ooo'ed.

Daulton didn't knowledge it instead chose to ignore that statement.

"Alright, alright that's enough," Daulton told them.

"No need to get so serious, Daulton, we were just playing," Anzu said and the girls all calmed down.

The quiet laughter soon died down, but Yukair wanted ask something that she didn't to the last.

"Hey, Gale?" she called out.

"What?" Daulton replied.

"Do you ever think about the rest of your old teammates... ?" she asked and the room was silent.

"... I always am, Yukari," Daulton answered, "There's not a moment that goes by, when I'm not thinking about them, they're always on my mind, and I'm always wondering if they still hate me?"

"What about your friend, Squirrel?" Mako asked bluntly.

"Squirrel?" Daulton repeated, "God, I don't know... I haven't seen him in since the gang split up, hell, no one has."

"His family has to be looking for him?" Hana thought aloud.

"No... as far as they know... they think he's dead," Daulton said otherwise.

"What about you?" Yukari asked for his thoughts.

"To be honest with you, girls... I'm worried about him," Daulton admitted, "Besides, John, Squirrel's my best friend..."

There was another moment of silence as the girls knew Daulton was trying to ponder about his old friend.

"Why'd you call him, Squirrel?" Miho asked.

"Why'd I call him, Squirrel?" Daulton repeated, "Well... it should be obvious, he was a crazy son of a bitch."

"Really?" Momo commented.

"Yeah, one time he taped himself to the wing of my plane flying way up high," Daulton recalled.

"What?" the girls gasps in surprise.

"That was, Squirrel, for you, hehehe" Daulton chuckled, "Hehehee... I hope he's o.k."

\Night/

The sun has disappeared and the moon now took its place, the girls have gone home, but Daulton was still dealing with his aching muscles, and the thoughts of his old former team that were sparked by, Yukari. he now switched over to much warmer waters as feeling well relaxed as he settled in the bath all to himself, that is until he heard the door slide open behind him.

"Hm? what are you doing here?" Daulton questioned seeing the familiar face once more, "Well if you want to join me? there's plenty room," he offered, and a towel drops to the floor revealing bare skin to Daulton, joining him, leaving the two a pleasurable night together.

\Saturday Morning/

Walking down the street Miho and Yukari were heading to the hanger calling for a meeting to discuss the next coming tournament.

"How'd you sleep last night, Miss. Nishizumi?" Yukari asked.

"I slept like a rock," Miho answered.

"Those bath really take a load off ya," Yukari commented with gleeful smile.

"Someone looks chipper," Miho giggled.

"I feel like a whole new- uh!" right before Yukari could finished she accidentally bumped right into someone on the street, "Oops, sorry," she apologized.

The person, Yukari, accidentally bumped into didn't responded instead he just danced to himself without any music.

"He looks to be really focused," Miho commented.

The slow dancing boy was tall and slender, with a fluffy dark afro, wearing a long tunic, sandals, and round glasses with dark lenses.

"Uh... are you alright sir?" Yukari asked.

But the young man still didn't reply.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Miho said with her and Yukari walking around the strange boy.

\At The Hanger/

Showing up the girls were waiting patiently for their Commander to arrive with, Daulton, sweeping up the place.

"A little birdie told me that you had some extra 'fun' last night after we left," Anzu tease hearing a rumor among the girls.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Daulton ignored her.

"Hey everyone," Miho greeted and everyone greeted back, "Alright, is everyone here?"

"All present Commander," Anzu said with a smug smile.

"Great, now we can get straight to business," Miho said.

"Like how are we gonna deal with the hobo dancing in the field?" Ayumi brought.

"What?" Miho confusingly responded.

Ayumi pointed out to the field and there stood the stranger again dancing to himself on the school grounds.

"Um..." Miho approached the strange dancing boy, "Excuse me sir, but you should stay clear of the field, we're planning on using it," Miho tried to tell him, but the dancing stranger still didn't respond to her.

"HEEEY! can you hear us!?" Yukari tried to get his attention, but still no use.

"He's really working it?" Saori commented seeing the dancing stranger unflinching.

"Squirrel?" Daulton called out.

Turning back the girls saw Daulton with a surprised expression, dropping the broom, and jogs over to the dancing stranger.

"Squirrel!" Daulton said excitedly, "Squirrel where have you been?" he asked, but Squirrel didn't responded, not even with his old teammate, "Earth to, Squirrel, can you hear me?" he shouted, but still no response, "What the hell?"

"You're friend seems really zoned out," Miho stated.

"This is your friend that went missing all those years ago?" Hana asked quite surprised to see him.

"Yeah, but... what the hell happened to him?" Daulton questioned to the state of his old friend, but then he got an idea, "I got something, keep an eye on him, I'll be right back."

Daulton heads back into the hanger while the girls kept a watchful on their unannounced guest.

"Man, look at him go," Yuzu commented on Squirrel's dancing.

"Do you think Daulton can help whatever is wrong with... Squirrel?" Yukari asked.

"I'm sure he has some idea to help," Miho said in support and in the next second a basketball went flying over their heads.

In quick and surprising reflexes as Squirrel caught the the ball by his palm, in an amazing display, Squirrel, started dribbling the ball left and right going between his legs, and rolling it along his arms, to then spinning it on his finger tips. The girls looked on in amazement of the skills that Squirrel possessed, until Daulton knocked him down on the back of his head with a piece two-by-four, smacking so hard that the piece of timber snapped in half.

Slowly coming to Squirrel felt the back of his head completely sore.

"Oooooh! what the hell-," Squirrel cried out, but when he sat up he noticed he was surrounded by girls, but his eyes almost looked like they would've popped off when he saw Daulton's face, "Peter?"

"Squirrel!" Daulton said with a smile.

"Peter!" Squirrel cheered hugging his friend, "where have you been, man?"

"Wha- where the hell have I been?" Daulton repeated confusingly, "Squirrel, you disappeared."

"Wait, what?" Squirrel responded.

"Squirrel everybody was looking for you," Daulton told him, "Your family thinks you're dead."

"... Nah, fuck you," Squirrel responded thinking he was being punked.

"It's true," Miho stepped up, "You disappeared a month after your team disbanded," she explained.

"... Who the broads?" Squirrel asked pointing at all the girls.

"I'll explain everything to you, buddy," Daulton told him helping him up, "C'mon I'll take you for some drinks on this dump."

And that the two friends left the Ooarai Team catch up on lost time.

"Uh... what just happend? Momo asked.