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"Do you still play?" Alisa asked of his second talent.

"Piano? no not anymore," George answered.

It was the evening and the two were heading on their way to the dorms to turn in for the day after they had their fill at the diner.

"Why not?" she then added.

"I didn't take it up for the fun of it or anything, it was more like... work," George put it.

"How good are you?"

"Really good. Practice night and day," he answered and went on, "I hardly slept, I hardly ate. Almost got a scholarship too."

"Almost!" Alisa exclaimed, "What happened?"

"They only had one, so It went to the runner up."

"That's not fair."

"Yeah... life's not supposes to be fair," George finished and the two continued on the rest of the way.

\Ooarai Academy/

While back at the hanger Miho and the rest of the team were about ready to pack it in, parking all of their tanks into the hanger when the doors were locked tight Miho spotted Yukari pacing in circles mumbling to herself in anxiety.

"Yukari, are you alright?" she asked approaching her.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry about me," Yukari failed to act calm, "Miho! you don't think your old tankery team will hurt, Gale?!"

"Don't panic, Yukari, they maybe strict and intimidating, but they're not maniacs," Miho tried to ease her tensions.

But at that moment the van that took Daulton away has came screeching right in front of the school gates.

"GUYS LOOK!" Saori pointed.

"It's that van again!" Momo exclaimed jumping at the instance, "Now we can squeeze out what little information Daulton has."

Running across the field the girls then heard the door on the other side of the van slide open and a blunt thud followed and the van raced on out, revealing Daulton pulling a shack off his head.

"Gale!" Yukari cheered in excited relief.

But when they tried to approach him, Daulton, ran back keeping his distance from them, with each step the girls took Daulton double away from them, and the girls were beginning to notice.

"Gale?" Yukari called out in puzzlement.

"ARE YOU AVOIDING US!" Momo demanded in anger.

Watching from afar the girls see a tiny Daulton reach into his jacket pulling out a piece of paper and started folding it.

"What's he doing?" Mako wondered aloud and in the next instance a paper plane swooped in the point of the plane sticking to her hair.

Picking the paper out Anzu unfolded it and read what was imprinted on.

"Oh no," Anzu uttered.

"What is it?" Miho asked.

"This is a restraining order, Daulton's not allowed within a hundred feet from us," Anzu noted to everyone's surprise handing the sheet off to Yuzu.

"What?!" Yukari exclaimed.

"You mean he can't go on school grounds anymore?" Hana followed.

"No he can't go near anyone of us until the semi finals," Yuzu clarified.

"WHAT!" Yukari exclaims.

"I'll wait for you!" Daulton hollered from the distance.

"Daulton! you live a floor above me, where are you gonna sleep... ?"Miho told him.

"... FFUUUUUUU!"

\Saunders Dorms/

The sun has disappeared over the horizon about an hour ago and the stars were just coming out as their side of the hemisphere turned away from the sun George took the opportunity to take a shower. Walking through an empty hall with his bare-feet clapping against the floor, a towel hanging over his shoulder, and a bar or soap still in its box. Making it to the showers to George it looked like bathroom stalls except for the doors being drapes.

The floors wet, steam was hugging up to the ceiling, and the sound of water droplets beating against the tile. Someone is already here. In one of the stalls a girl was humming, The Battle Hymn Of The Republic, loudly to herself. He recognized the tone of the girl's voice, it was Kay, she was showering in the only stall that had steam pouring out of it, she didn't even pull the drapes close. George didn't another step into the showers the of her combing her fingers through the her beautiful blonde hair, the pellets of water rolling off her smooth clean skin. So he walked out.

He'll shower some other time.

Silently walking out George began to walk back to his room but opening the door George saw the drawer of the nightstand open with Alisa holding his cross in her hands. The look on her face was just priceless her eyes were so wide when she saw him open the door, he could laugh, but seeing the cross in someone-else's hands.

"Hey! put that back!" George ordered marching in.

Alisa fumbled, but manages to drop the cross into the drawer, and slammed it shut.

"I'msorry!I'msorry!I'msorry!" she cried out waving her arms frantically in defense.

"Why are you even doing here?" George question as she towered over her with a glare staring down at her.

"I-I-I I'm so sorry for snooping around your room! it's just- ," Alisa stammered in panic, failing to apologize George's frown eased back, "That- that- ."

"Alright calm down, I'm not mad anymore," George told and she froze to sudden shift in his tone, "But why are you here?"

"It's just... what I do," Alisa started, George leaning closer to hear her, "I collect intel that's my job, but I sometimes... "

"Even when I told a bit about myself already you still want more?"

Alisa tilts her head down no longer having the courage to look George in the face, so George drops the soap and towel on the bed, and takes out the cross again this time to show her.

"Wanna know why this is so special to me?" he asked sitting down next to her on his cot.

"But I though-"

"It's no big problem, besides, I trust you enough," George told her to that Alisa sat quietly and listen, "I had this thing for a while now, I made it with my uncle. He was more like a father to me," He began, "He was a faithful man, proud, strong, and wise. He was the one that got me baptized when I was... ten I think."

"Don't you get baptized when you're a baby?" Alisa stopped him.

"Yeah, but my parents didn't believe in that stuff, but when I met my uncle he took me under his wing after I gave up the piano."

"What'd you do?"

"We kill boars," George answered looking up to the ceiling to think back, "He gave me a rifle and a knife and said "It's hog killing time, boy, let's go catch us some supper"... I remember it like it was yesterday."

There was a drawn out pause in the air as Alisa can clearly see that George was diving deep within his own memories, but he eventually he breaks out back into the present looking over Alisa, her eyes glistening with excitement.

"How big were they?" she asked.

"How big? bigger than you, bigger than your friends, bigger than me," George described, "Those hogs are monsters."

"Weren't you scared?"

"Back then I was terrified," he told her honestly, "They're so big, yet so fast, sharp tough tusks, and the way they scream as they charged at ya. But after that boar hit the ground I felt like I could triumph over anything. Nothing was gonna stop me."

Now those words Alisa can look up to because this is someone who wasn't gonna let any obstacle get in his way. No matter the size.

\The Next Day/

Thunderous sounds of cannon fire was heard echoing from the firing range behind Saunders High, empty shells ejecting out from the chamber strings of smoke still rising from the rims of the casings. Naomi has been practicing staring down the sights of her firefly lining up the crosshairs with the target down range, she squeezes the trigger, and the round goes flying, smashing into the thick mound of dirt.

When the dust cleared Naomi was left disappointed as the shot was just a couple inches too far to the left from the bull's eye, too much was on her mind.

*BAM!*

An explosion echoed out catching Naomi by surprise when dust engulf he target, as it cleared once more a new mark was left this time hit dead center of the bull's eye, popping her head out of the tank Naomi spotted the M8 parked along side her firefly. And coming out from turret George emerged halfway then gave Naomi a friendly wave.

"You come here often?" he remarked, but the only response he got was silence, "You look a little distracted, something on your mind beautiful?"

Grinding her teeth Naomi at the sight of his mocking grin, the turret of the M8 rotated the barrel rising up towards the firefly, pulling himself out he and balanced himself on the gun making it to Naomi's turret.

"Where's the rest of your crew?" he asked peeping down the hatch to see no else operating the tank.

"I can say the same for you," Naomi shot back.

"Then it's just the two of us then," George brought up crouching down next to her hatch, "What shall we do, gorgeous?"

"I'm getting sick and tired of your sarcastic insults," Naomi growled.

"Who said those were insults?" George corrected and Naomi almost choked, "I really think you're very pretty girl."

Naomi was starting to blush as George has admitted, or more like corrected her assumption, and started shivering noticeably.

"You... " she started out quietly leaving George to lean in closer to hear her better, but then- "IDIOT!"

She bursts out yelling, she was so embarrassed and angry, her arms shooting straight up shoving George, and he went tumbling down with the sound of George moaning from out of sight. Naomi would check, but she was too flustered to do so, her cheeks so red that she feared that steam might escape from her ears and start whistling like a boiling teapot.

"Stupid,stupid,stupid," Naomi repeated to herself trying to forget what had just happened.

"NAOMI!" the sound Kay's voice snapping Naomi back to her senses and peeping over the turret she saw Kay standing below with George rubbing his sore head, "Naomi, I saw that! you could've cracked his head open."

"I'm sorry! I was just- just- ?" Naomi trailed as she failed to come up with an excuse.

"No! it's alright I just slipped," George surprisingly covered.

Kay rose a brow at the surprise defense George came up with especially when the person he's defending was the one who attack him in first place, Kay clearly saw, but if George insists.

"Fine, but Naomi you have to take him to the nurse's office," Kay ordered.

"Yes ma'am... " Naomi forced herself into responding.

Climbing off the tank Naomi helped George pick himself back up, only because Kay was watching, and they both walked into the school. Guiding George ahead Naomi held the door to the nurse's office open, but the boy just keeps stumbling past.

"Hey! the office is right here," Naomi called to him.

"I'm alright, it's just a bump on the head," George waived as he tried to make his way back to his room, but was pulled back by his arm.

"Quiet flip flopping around personalities!" Naomi snapped causing George halt in his tracks, "I don't know what your game is, you're a total dick when you showed up, from cold and heartless in the match, and trying to cozy Alisa on your side!" she listed off his behavior.

"What? worried I might steal your friends, or you just don't trust me?" George questioned, but he can already guess the answer with Naomi's very visible angry expression, she looked like she wanted to tear him apart, "Then let's fix that."

Leading her back to the dorms George stopped by the door to his dorm.

"Wait right here please," he requested from her.

Naomi reluctantly nods and George goes on ahead inside waiting several passing moments George reappears holding the small wooden box she had seen laying under his cot a couple of days before.

"Here," He offers handing box off to her.

'... What's in it?" she asked as she tries to shake up against her ears.

"Find out yourself," he told her, it was so simple, all Naomi had to do was lift the lid, but the there was this voice in the back of Naomi's head warning her not to, "Open it... don't open it, show it off to everyone here... it's your decision, and your trump card against me."

"How can I know you didn't just switched the box out?" Naomi countered.

"Now that's MY trump card against you," George said.

Now this was a conundrum that George decided to throw at her, open it to see what secrets await from within the box to perhaps use against him, or don't as might just be a trap, another reason for George to laugh at her in her attempts to bring him down.

"Can you... take it away already," George hesitantly spoke bringing Naomi back to reality and she the sudden change in his confident expression to seemingly anxious one, "Please, before I change my mind."

And Naomi then remember the third fact George told her.

Even he doesn't know what he gave her.

"Hmph! this better not be a trick. If it is I'm coming back to smack that stupid grin off your face," Naomi warned him.

Turning her back against him Naomi tucks the box under her arm, and starts walking back to her room, leaving George by himself in the empty hall as he stood by watching hoping that she would look back, but disappears around the corner. Sighing George retires to his room, closing the door with a loud click of the knob echoing, and when poking her head back Naomi saw George had turned in for the day.