Back again I see! ::bows:: Very kind of you, I must say. ::throws sly
look:: Back for more Kizna/Zero fluff, are you? Well not this time! ::ducks
as cans are thrown at her:: Hollup hollup hollup! I'm SORRY, aight? I can't
only do SO many things at one time! yes, I have your bigger Kizna/Zero fix
ALL SET UP for the _next_ chapter so CHILL THE FREAK OUT! ::pant pant::
Yeah, we're okay now. ^_^ As usual, thanks again to Issacy [MMI, I see!
Live long and... uh... pray for more future episodes of MK. Oh, and prosper
too!] and Tezza [yah know, its going to take time for me to get used to the
winged monkey soldiers ^_^], Maggy d [trust me, babe... this is where is
slows down. a LOT. sort of. and you'll SEE, you'll see... Hiead gets his
FAIR part too ::grumbles though he is a JERK::], Multi-Facets [I'm glad you
li-- you ALL like it ::bows:: thank you for the review!], and Jo [::claps::
I love Chemistry. Made an A in my second semester. ::laughs maniacally,
then seeing no one else really laughing, calms self down:: Uh, yeah. And,
uh... this... is the next chapter... ::ha...hahahaha...haha::] Thank you
all again! Now enough of my blabbering! You want to see the next chapter!
Well go ahead, take a peek! And the next one ought to be out tomorrow. Ja!
----------------------------------------Towryk Eyes Pt. 3------------------- -------------------
/Idiot repairers. All of them. Every single one of them./ Hiead mulled over his encounter with Kizna and the
bare escape from Ikhny with tangible disgust. /Every single one./
He found himself beside the door to the Relaxation room and had to physically stop himself from going inside. A look of disorientation crossed his face. /What am I doing?/
/~You need rest. You're tired.~/
/No I´m not./
/~Stop being an idiot. You can´t keep going on like this. Not alone.~/
That stopped him again. It made him think. It made him think so much that it made him angry. /I said Stop It./
/~You stop. You can´t--.~/
"STOP GETTING IN MY HEAD!" He let loose an angry growl and punched beside the doorway. The shudder caused the door to open and a buttery yellow light poured out into the hallway. Hiead abruptly closed his eyes to it, trying to block his senses from feeling... from feeling at all...
/I can´t./ His body slumped and he leaned his head against the wall in exhausion. /I can´t. I have to be a Pilot. I have to. I have... nothing else.../ He unconsiously flexed his left hand and let it bathe itself in the warmth of the light, ever so slowly allowing his eyes to drift open. His heart faltered for just one moment, one _second_... /I.../
"Hiead."
He snapped himself out of the daze and stood to full attention. "Instructor."
Azuma cocked an eyebrow. He had stood there for over five minutes watching the candidate wrestle with himself, but questioned him without incriminating himself or giving away his concern. "What are you doing?"
"I was--" His breath caught in his throat. /What am I supposed to say? That I was fighting with myself?/ He hardened his jaw and glared at him. /I probably ought to be looking for Ikhny. She's the only one who cares where I am--/ "I was looking... for Ikhny." He blinked at himself for coming up with that answer and added in a somewhat rushed (for Hiead) tone, "for our session today."
The Instructor barely avoided the desire to make Hiead squirm for his tactful lie. "Our session isn´t until today. She´ll likely be in the cafeteria."
Hiead frowned. "I know."
"Then get going. You´ll need to eat as well. If you pass out during the session because you're hungry you'll get no help from me."
The silver haired boy scowled. "I'm not a weakling. You ought to be talking to Roose or Zero."
"Ooooh?" drawled Azuma dramatically. He crossed him arms and looked down his glasses at Hiead, an I'm-The-Instructor-You-Candidate-Idiot look on his face. "Roose worked with his Repairer and got his weight down to less than half, while ZERO happens to be _training_ with his _Repairer_ right NOW." He ended on a note of purely cheerful accentuation and looked at him levelly. "_You_ on the other hand--"
"I can take care of myself," said Hiead coldly, stalking past the older man. "I don't need an idiot Repairer to rely on for my self-esteem or my success." Another second and he was around the corner, out of casual ear shot.
"Your REPAIRER might save your LIFE someday you know!" yelled the Instructor belatedly. He shrugged and walked on down the hallway, grumbling. "Kids. No respect." He brightened at a sudden thought, grinning profusely. "Only two things they're good for. Picking petty fights and originating unadulterated gossip!"
"Azuma, what the heck are you talking to yourself about?"
He spun around with a diabolical look on his face, making Rill all but wince at its implications. "Look at you. Plotting already. As much as I LOVE seeing them in the Infirmary--" implying Zero and Hiead specifically with more dripping sarcasm than neccesary, "--I think its about time you turned in your horns."
"Sure thing Ms. 'Madonna in White.'" He laughed.
Dr. Croford's eyes flashed. "Some day, Azuma..."
He shrugged and turned to leave, but stopped himself. "Say Rill--"
"NO." She spun on her heel and began walking away.
"Awww, don't be like that! I was just going to ask you something about the Candidates."
"I _know_."
"You know, I just think that this place needs a little love," said the Instructor cheerfully. "I'm just asking that you play your part when the time comes."
She slowed a bit then stopped, eyeing him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Azuma pushed up his glasses and shrugged lightly. "You'll see when it happens." He winked and with a mischevious grin, headed for the cafeteria.
"Are you kidding me?! She _punched_ him?!"
"No, I'm not kidding! Right there in the mouth!" He demonstrated and bought himself a few laughs from the other tables.
"Wait a second--what am I listening to you for? You didn't even see it!"
"His mouth was busted up! You can look for yourself!"
One of several extra students who had gathered at the table to hear his story gave him a look. "Yamagi Kushida, if you're kidding..."
"Heees nut kiddink," managed Roose through a mouthful of food. He swallowed and shoved another bite in his mouth. "Wach 'im when he coms in! Its hurd to misth."
Wrecka Toesing grinned broadly. "About time that JERK got his screw knocked loose! By Kizna! Why didn't I see it coming?"
"Not many of us would expect a Repairer to hit a Candidate," inserted Tskukasa Kuscha intellectually. She motioned to Roose. "Would you expect me to hit Roose?"
Wrecka laughed. "Hiead is a JERK. Roose just eats too much. There's a big difference."
"Got a point there." They laughed and Roose's partner patted his head affectionately.
"You're getting better though! A big dinner and a snack midday is a great way to keep you down until you get your eating spurts under control."
He sighed heavily. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Azuma, spotting the group of candidates and repairer's, let his curiosity get the better of him and stopped at the table, carefully masking another grin. "So, what happened?"
Tsukasa gave him a gently reproving look. "An Instructor gossiping with Candidates?"
He waved his hand carelessly. "I have to put up with them every day. I deserve to know what happened so I can punished them in advance for the future pain and suffering I'm going to get as a result of their ridiculous fights." He leaned closer to Yamagi and squinted. "S' what happened?"
"Kizna punched Hiead in the mouth," supplied Yamagi with great enthusiasm. He pointed to a spot on his chin to indicate the place where the bruise existed. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "And even better yet, Hiead didn't _hit her back_! He was staring at her like an idiot when she left."
"But he looked like he wanted to kill someone," added Roose hurriedly. "When he looked at us I thought he was going to rip us in half!"
The grey-haired man scratched his chin. "He didn't hit her back, hunh?"
Yamagi shook his head. "I don't think so." After a moment of thought, he smiled crookedly, leaning forward to whispher loudly, "Maybe because he likes her!"
Azuma barely avoided choking. "Hiead? And Kizna? Are you--" A crash sounded behind him and he spun around.
Ikhny stood there, blankly staring at the mess her cafeteria tray had made. She looked up at the people at the table then abruptly dropped to the ground, nervously placing plates and food back on her tray. Azuma stared at her a minute before composing himself and dropping to help her.
"Ikhny, are you all right?" Ikhny gave him a sharp nod and he smiled. "Did something upset you just now?"
"No, sir, Instructor," was all she could manage.
"She's clumsy."
The cafeteria literally halted to watch Hiead stand a few feet behind his Repairer, disapproving look pouring wholly into Ikhny, who did not look at him, but at her trashed food. He walked past her and chose to sit at an empty table, pointedly letting his back face her. A strangled sob escaped the small girl's lips and she quickly picked up her dirty tray, stumbling off toward the cleaning area.
Hiead, on the other hand, didn't spare a glance, but continued to eat in silence. Tsukasa looked sadly in Ikhny's direction and picked up her tray, nodding at Wrecka and Yamagi. "I'll go to Ikhny. See you in ten, Yamagi. Instructor?"
Azuma nodded. "Go ahead."
Wrecka scrunched her nose disapprovingly after Tsukasa's departure. "That jerk Hiead. How can Ikhny stand being his partner? Can't you do anything about this, Instructor?"
Silence.
All remaining heads turned curiously toward the silent chief trainer, but they turned just slowly enough to miss the dawning of an idea spread, but the replacement of an authoritative look. He stood and cleared his throat.
"Every Candidate has a Repairer, and every Candidate and Repairer must work together to become Pilot Candidates and Pilot Repairers. They are _stuck_ with each other until the _very_ _end_." He pinned them with a look. "If everybody switched partners because they didn't like each other than GOA would be a colonial circus." He shifted and grumbled under his breath. "Not that it isn't already." He turned to leave. "Either Ikhny must toughen up or Hiead has to soften up." /But that's not going to happen... unless.../ He creased his eyebrows. "You can't... can't _switch_... partners..." His thoughts went with him out the cafeteria door. With the exit of Azuma, the students went back to talking among themselves, some about how life on GOA was like a soap opera.
"Very, very interesting," murmured Clay, who had caught the tail end of the conversation. He was so deep in thought that he missed the chair. "AH!"
Saki threw up her hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of GOA!" Her Candidate gave her an annoyed look and she glared back. "Do you have something to say?"
"As a matter of fact," replied Clay, dusting himself off and placing himself carefully on his chair, "I do. Ikhny and Hiead? I think they're a good pair."
The other students all rolled their eyes and went off to other tables. Only Wrecka, Roose, Yamagi, Saki and Clay remained.
"No, I'm serious! Their traits compliment each other very well."
"You've been thinking a bit too hard, Einstein. Look at them!"
"I _have_," he said with emphasis. "Watch them! Ikhny and Hiead are perfect partners. The only matter is that nothing has yet challenged the potential of their partnership. If only something were to happen..." His glasses flashed as he pushed them up and stared off into space.
Saki nonchalantly pulled her arm back as far as she could, then brought it down on Clay's back with a satisfying THWACK. "Less thinking. More eating. You've got another Pro-Ing match today. You need your minimal energy to fight."
He winced visibly and wrapped his hands around his head. "A lover, I said! A lover!"
Yamagi flicked a sly glance at the red-haired Repairer. "Oh, is that right, Saki?"
"I wouldn't know. I don't think he does either."
"Is that a sign of _frustration_ of some kind, Saki?"
"Shut it, Yamagi."
The laughs and shouts from the opposing table made Hiead cringe inside. He had never been one to... _fit in_, or join up. Ever since... ever since he could _remember_, he had never been...
He bit his own tongue to stop the thoughts and roughly grabbed his tray loaded with half-eaten food. He avoided looking at the others and, hands in pockets, made his way out of the cafeteria toward the Pro-Ing training room.
-------------------------------------------
::smacks brain:: Ugh! I'm sorry, I ended that kind of... not so good as it was supposed to be.. ::sigh:: Oh well. Give an author some credit! I can only go so long without food and sleep
Kizna: ::appears with sledgehammer and hits Deon with it:: IDIOT!
::tears up:: Itai! Hidoi, yo... so harsh so harsh! ::cough:: If Kizna's not careful she's going to give me writer's block! But we'll roll with while I DON'T have one, and I'll write the next chappie this afternoon.
Next Chapter: Azuma sets his *plan* into action... with a little help, I must say. If you're already figured out what his plan is DON'T SAY IT YET! It's a *secret* mkay?mkay!thoughtweunderstoodeachother. Our favorite two pairs... get a little provocation of their own. Will Rill snag an extra two regulars to the Infirmary?
----------------------------------------Towryk Eyes Pt. 3------------------- -------------------
/Idiot repairers. All of them. Every single one of them./ Hiead mulled over his encounter with Kizna and the
bare escape from Ikhny with tangible disgust. /Every single one./
He found himself beside the door to the Relaxation room and had to physically stop himself from going inside. A look of disorientation crossed his face. /What am I doing?/
/~You need rest. You're tired.~/
/No I´m not./
/~Stop being an idiot. You can´t keep going on like this. Not alone.~/
That stopped him again. It made him think. It made him think so much that it made him angry. /I said Stop It./
/~You stop. You can´t--.~/
"STOP GETTING IN MY HEAD!" He let loose an angry growl and punched beside the doorway. The shudder caused the door to open and a buttery yellow light poured out into the hallway. Hiead abruptly closed his eyes to it, trying to block his senses from feeling... from feeling at all...
/I can´t./ His body slumped and he leaned his head against the wall in exhausion. /I can´t. I have to be a Pilot. I have to. I have... nothing else.../ He unconsiously flexed his left hand and let it bathe itself in the warmth of the light, ever so slowly allowing his eyes to drift open. His heart faltered for just one moment, one _second_... /I.../
"Hiead."
He snapped himself out of the daze and stood to full attention. "Instructor."
Azuma cocked an eyebrow. He had stood there for over five minutes watching the candidate wrestle with himself, but questioned him without incriminating himself or giving away his concern. "What are you doing?"
"I was--" His breath caught in his throat. /What am I supposed to say? That I was fighting with myself?/ He hardened his jaw and glared at him. /I probably ought to be looking for Ikhny. She's the only one who cares where I am--/ "I was looking... for Ikhny." He blinked at himself for coming up with that answer and added in a somewhat rushed (for Hiead) tone, "for our session today."
The Instructor barely avoided the desire to make Hiead squirm for his tactful lie. "Our session isn´t until today. She´ll likely be in the cafeteria."
Hiead frowned. "I know."
"Then get going. You´ll need to eat as well. If you pass out during the session because you're hungry you'll get no help from me."
The silver haired boy scowled. "I'm not a weakling. You ought to be talking to Roose or Zero."
"Ooooh?" drawled Azuma dramatically. He crossed him arms and looked down his glasses at Hiead, an I'm-The-Instructor-You-Candidate-Idiot look on his face. "Roose worked with his Repairer and got his weight down to less than half, while ZERO happens to be _training_ with his _Repairer_ right NOW." He ended on a note of purely cheerful accentuation and looked at him levelly. "_You_ on the other hand--"
"I can take care of myself," said Hiead coldly, stalking past the older man. "I don't need an idiot Repairer to rely on for my self-esteem or my success." Another second and he was around the corner, out of casual ear shot.
"Your REPAIRER might save your LIFE someday you know!" yelled the Instructor belatedly. He shrugged and walked on down the hallway, grumbling. "Kids. No respect." He brightened at a sudden thought, grinning profusely. "Only two things they're good for. Picking petty fights and originating unadulterated gossip!"
"Azuma, what the heck are you talking to yourself about?"
He spun around with a diabolical look on his face, making Rill all but wince at its implications. "Look at you. Plotting already. As much as I LOVE seeing them in the Infirmary--" implying Zero and Hiead specifically with more dripping sarcasm than neccesary, "--I think its about time you turned in your horns."
"Sure thing Ms. 'Madonna in White.'" He laughed.
Dr. Croford's eyes flashed. "Some day, Azuma..."
He shrugged and turned to leave, but stopped himself. "Say Rill--"
"NO." She spun on her heel and began walking away.
"Awww, don't be like that! I was just going to ask you something about the Candidates."
"I _know_."
"You know, I just think that this place needs a little love," said the Instructor cheerfully. "I'm just asking that you play your part when the time comes."
She slowed a bit then stopped, eyeing him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"
Azuma pushed up his glasses and shrugged lightly. "You'll see when it happens." He winked and with a mischevious grin, headed for the cafeteria.
"Are you kidding me?! She _punched_ him?!"
"No, I'm not kidding! Right there in the mouth!" He demonstrated and bought himself a few laughs from the other tables.
"Wait a second--what am I listening to you for? You didn't even see it!"
"His mouth was busted up! You can look for yourself!"
One of several extra students who had gathered at the table to hear his story gave him a look. "Yamagi Kushida, if you're kidding..."
"Heees nut kiddink," managed Roose through a mouthful of food. He swallowed and shoved another bite in his mouth. "Wach 'im when he coms in! Its hurd to misth."
Wrecka Toesing grinned broadly. "About time that JERK got his screw knocked loose! By Kizna! Why didn't I see it coming?"
"Not many of us would expect a Repairer to hit a Candidate," inserted Tskukasa Kuscha intellectually. She motioned to Roose. "Would you expect me to hit Roose?"
Wrecka laughed. "Hiead is a JERK. Roose just eats too much. There's a big difference."
"Got a point there." They laughed and Roose's partner patted his head affectionately.
"You're getting better though! A big dinner and a snack midday is a great way to keep you down until you get your eating spurts under control."
He sighed heavily. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Azuma, spotting the group of candidates and repairer's, let his curiosity get the better of him and stopped at the table, carefully masking another grin. "So, what happened?"
Tsukasa gave him a gently reproving look. "An Instructor gossiping with Candidates?"
He waved his hand carelessly. "I have to put up with them every day. I deserve to know what happened so I can punished them in advance for the future pain and suffering I'm going to get as a result of their ridiculous fights." He leaned closer to Yamagi and squinted. "S' what happened?"
"Kizna punched Hiead in the mouth," supplied Yamagi with great enthusiasm. He pointed to a spot on his chin to indicate the place where the bruise existed. A thoughtful look crossed his face. "And even better yet, Hiead didn't _hit her back_! He was staring at her like an idiot when she left."
"But he looked like he wanted to kill someone," added Roose hurriedly. "When he looked at us I thought he was going to rip us in half!"
The grey-haired man scratched his chin. "He didn't hit her back, hunh?"
Yamagi shook his head. "I don't think so." After a moment of thought, he smiled crookedly, leaning forward to whispher loudly, "Maybe because he likes her!"
Azuma barely avoided choking. "Hiead? And Kizna? Are you--" A crash sounded behind him and he spun around.
Ikhny stood there, blankly staring at the mess her cafeteria tray had made. She looked up at the people at the table then abruptly dropped to the ground, nervously placing plates and food back on her tray. Azuma stared at her a minute before composing himself and dropping to help her.
"Ikhny, are you all right?" Ikhny gave him a sharp nod and he smiled. "Did something upset you just now?"
"No, sir, Instructor," was all she could manage.
"She's clumsy."
The cafeteria literally halted to watch Hiead stand a few feet behind his Repairer, disapproving look pouring wholly into Ikhny, who did not look at him, but at her trashed food. He walked past her and chose to sit at an empty table, pointedly letting his back face her. A strangled sob escaped the small girl's lips and she quickly picked up her dirty tray, stumbling off toward the cleaning area.
Hiead, on the other hand, didn't spare a glance, but continued to eat in silence. Tsukasa looked sadly in Ikhny's direction and picked up her tray, nodding at Wrecka and Yamagi. "I'll go to Ikhny. See you in ten, Yamagi. Instructor?"
Azuma nodded. "Go ahead."
Wrecka scrunched her nose disapprovingly after Tsukasa's departure. "That jerk Hiead. How can Ikhny stand being his partner? Can't you do anything about this, Instructor?"
Silence.
All remaining heads turned curiously toward the silent chief trainer, but they turned just slowly enough to miss the dawning of an idea spread, but the replacement of an authoritative look. He stood and cleared his throat.
"Every Candidate has a Repairer, and every Candidate and Repairer must work together to become Pilot Candidates and Pilot Repairers. They are _stuck_ with each other until the _very_ _end_." He pinned them with a look. "If everybody switched partners because they didn't like each other than GOA would be a colonial circus." He shifted and grumbled under his breath. "Not that it isn't already." He turned to leave. "Either Ikhny must toughen up or Hiead has to soften up." /But that's not going to happen... unless.../ He creased his eyebrows. "You can't... can't _switch_... partners..." His thoughts went with him out the cafeteria door. With the exit of Azuma, the students went back to talking among themselves, some about how life on GOA was like a soap opera.
"Very, very interesting," murmured Clay, who had caught the tail end of the conversation. He was so deep in thought that he missed the chair. "AH!"
Saki threw up her hands. "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of GOA!" Her Candidate gave her an annoyed look and she glared back. "Do you have something to say?"
"As a matter of fact," replied Clay, dusting himself off and placing himself carefully on his chair, "I do. Ikhny and Hiead? I think they're a good pair."
The other students all rolled their eyes and went off to other tables. Only Wrecka, Roose, Yamagi, Saki and Clay remained.
"No, I'm serious! Their traits compliment each other very well."
"You've been thinking a bit too hard, Einstein. Look at them!"
"I _have_," he said with emphasis. "Watch them! Ikhny and Hiead are perfect partners. The only matter is that nothing has yet challenged the potential of their partnership. If only something were to happen..." His glasses flashed as he pushed them up and stared off into space.
Saki nonchalantly pulled her arm back as far as she could, then brought it down on Clay's back with a satisfying THWACK. "Less thinking. More eating. You've got another Pro-Ing match today. You need your minimal energy to fight."
He winced visibly and wrapped his hands around his head. "A lover, I said! A lover!"
Yamagi flicked a sly glance at the red-haired Repairer. "Oh, is that right, Saki?"
"I wouldn't know. I don't think he does either."
"Is that a sign of _frustration_ of some kind, Saki?"
"Shut it, Yamagi."
The laughs and shouts from the opposing table made Hiead cringe inside. He had never been one to... _fit in_, or join up. Ever since... ever since he could _remember_, he had never been...
He bit his own tongue to stop the thoughts and roughly grabbed his tray loaded with half-eaten food. He avoided looking at the others and, hands in pockets, made his way out of the cafeteria toward the Pro-Ing training room.
-------------------------------------------
::smacks brain:: Ugh! I'm sorry, I ended that kind of... not so good as it was supposed to be.. ::sigh:: Oh well. Give an author some credit! I can only go so long without food and sleep
Kizna: ::appears with sledgehammer and hits Deon with it:: IDIOT!
::tears up:: Itai! Hidoi, yo... so harsh so harsh! ::cough:: If Kizna's not careful she's going to give me writer's block! But we'll roll with while I DON'T have one, and I'll write the next chappie this afternoon.
Next Chapter: Azuma sets his *plan* into action... with a little help, I must say. If you're already figured out what his plan is DON'T SAY IT YET! It's a *secret* mkay?mkay!thoughtweunderstoodeachother. Our favorite two pairs... get a little provocation of their own. Will Rill snag an extra two regulars to the Infirmary?