Notes: This chapter only contains events taking place on GIS, so consider yourself forewarned.
Also, it's time to start making connections. Three Candidates in advanced training, three spots have to open up in GIS, eventually. So don't go acting shocked and horrified if your fave Pilot is leaving, I've been trying to drop clues. There's a pretty big one in this chapter, so don't miss it.
Some characters (mainly Kazuhi & Phil) may seem OOC, but keep in mind that I haven't been exposed to Phil much and that given enough time and pressure, anyone can change.
The battle had gone well.
That is, solely in the respect that the Victim had been pushed back.
While Erts had learned to count any victories they could get in this line of work, he was among those that considered it a defeat.
But that was understandable; he blamed himself, as he usually did when something beyond his control happened.
Previous tests of Reneighd Klein's new shield had proved it capable of standing up to any small Victim relatively unscathed. Both Erts & Tune had agreed, however, that taking on anything larger was not a good idea.
The prospect of having any kind of defense not dependent on Agui Keamiea had excited Erts immensely. Especially when Yu had informed him of Rioroute's already decreased EX count. This way, Reneighd Klein could support itself against minor threats without any aid from Agui Keamiea, thereby taking some weight off of Rio's shoulders.
Rio had not reacted to the news as Erts expected him to, though. "What, you don't trust me to look out for you anymore, Erts?" he'd asked with a grin. Erts had immediately apologized for any implications, but Rio had brushed it off, as he always did with anything serious.
Later, Phil had confronted him about the shield and asked, quite bluntly, what he was thinking. Naturally, Erts had replied in the most polite manner possible, trying his best not to imply that Agui Keamiea was incapable of doing her job. He'd ended up blurting out, "I just don't want Rio-san to strain himself because of me."
Much to his shock, Phil had grinned and hugged him tightly. "You don't have to do this, Erts," she'd told him softly, "but I'm really glad you did."
* * * * *
Kazuhi was in the habit of running three systems checks on the Tellia Kallisto after every battle. Generally, there was little or no damage, partially due to the Ingrid's own speed, and partially due to her Pilot's skill.
But there were simply some days when Yu would return from a battle, emerge from the Ingrid, and give her a look. Then he would retreat to his room to meditate.
Had she been anyone else, Kazuhi would not have been able to discern the look from any other. But reading her brother's expressions was as natural as breathing to her, and so she left the Ingrid alone for the moment.
On the way out of the docking bay, she passed Erts. He was on his knees in front of the Agui Keamiea and seemed to be deep in thought.
Erts was the only Pilot who seemed to take any damage done to the Ingrids personally. If even a scratch (though the Victim were usually not that kind) was present on one, Erts could almost always be found with it at some point afterwards. Kazuhi was unsure whether he was apologizing (he chalked battle damage up to failed communications, which was, of course, his responsibility) or praying (he made a habit of talking to all the Goddesses, but only late at night, when he thought no one else would hear). Whatever he was doing and for whatever reason, Kazuhi found herself respecting his devotion to them. She had even gone out of her way once or twice to give him privacy with Tellia Kallisto, but again, it was rare that the Ingrid was damaged.
* * * * *
Erts left the docking bay with a tremendous headache and a heavy heart. Speaking to a Goddess that was not his own sometimes had that effect, especially after battles. And though it placed an unnecessary amount of stress on his EX, he could not convince himself to stop. Erts could never forget how alone and afraid his own Goddess had been when he'd first really talked to her. Something in him insisted that even if the other Goddesses were stronger, older, and wiser than his, they were still vulnerable spirits that occasionally needed some kind of reassurance.
Anyway, he was still hopeful that his talks might be helping at least one of them, even if it was only him.
He nearly walked right into Kazuhi, who was standing just outside of the bay.
Before he could begin to apologize, Kazuhi's gaze met his, and then shifted.
Erts followed her eyes and swallowed a gasp.
Rioroute was leaving the medical wing.
Well, that was inaccurate.
Rio was limping from the medical wing, with quite a bit of help of his Repairer.
If Erts had ever wondered just how devoted Phil was to her partner, he stopped wondering then and there. Still, his first natural urge was to help; Phil was strong, but carrying Rio's weight could not be easy for her.
For some reason, Kazuhi seized his wrist and kept him where he was, dismissing the proposed action with a quick shake of her head. But her grip also kept him from escaping the guilt he felt welling up in his throat. She wanted him to see this.
Phil did not even glance at the pair as she passed. Rio, clearly under the influence of whatever painkillers he'd been given, managed to aim something resembling a thumb's up at Erts, and a wink at Kazuhi.
Even when they had passed, Kazuhi did not release Erts. She seemed to be waiting for something.
Finally, just as they reached the end of the corridor, Phil looked over her shoulder at Erts.
Erts wasn't sure what to do, so he simply stared.
After a long moment, Phil smiled warmly and mouthed three words that she knew Erts couldn't miss.
Then they turned the corner and were gone.
The strength left him, and Erts sank to his knees, burying his face in his hands. He sobbed uncontrollably, his breath coming out in gasps and whimpers. He sounded for all the world as if his heart had been broken by what he'd just seen. Surely Phil had meant to have the opposite effect on him, but there it was.
Several minutes passed before Erts's hands were gently pulled away from his face.
He was only slightly surprised to see Kazuhi staring back at him before his vision blurred over with tears.
She did not say a word, but carefully cupped his face in her hands.
Erts realized what she was doing and began to pull away, but her eyes narrowed, and he gave in.
They were still sitting like that ten minutes later, according to Leena's watch.
"What…what are they doing?" Tune finally asked.
"I'd guess they're saying all the things that need to be said at once," Leena replied. "In their own way."
Tune considered that for a minute. Then, reaching out to give Leena's hand a gentle squeeze, she asked, "Do you think…I mean, is Rio…?"
Leena shook her head, indicating that now wasn't the time.
Erts & Kazuhi were on their feet again and moving in opposite directions: Kazuhi toward Yu's room, and Erts back into the docking bay, probably to be with his Goddess.
"Should we…do something?" Tune whispered.
"You go check on your Pilot, but in a few hours. I think I'm going to make sure Phil's okay."
Tune shot her a puzzled look; Rio was the one who'd gotten hurt. But after she thought about it, she understood Leena's concern perfectly.
* * * * *
"Not your fault."
Phil wondered if she'd really meant those words, or if it was just something that needed to be said.
And it was not Erts's fault, now that she thought about it.
Truth be told, it was Rio's for taking a page out of Leena's book and being overprotective. Not that anyone would blame him; being overprotective of Erts was like laughing at Rio's jokes: unless you were Yu, Kazuhi, or Teela, you had to do it sooner or later.
She had tried, some time ago, to inform Rio that he was not a machine and could be hurt like anyone else. She could've sworn that he'd listened, just before rushing out and losing a chunk of his right bicep.
And if pieces of his body were all he was losing, maybe it would've been easier. Loosely translated, GIS's only real requirements for a Pilot were that he could perform, which meant that as long as his EX was at a certain level, they would just as soon send a head with automics from the neck down into battle. But each automic came with a heavy price, one that not even Rio could ignore forever.
Phil had purposely stopped memorizing Rio's EX counts. They only made her worry more. Anyway, she knew that if only one person kept a constant watch on them, it was Leena. Mother hen that she was, the second Rio's numbers dropped into the warning zone, she'd probably ask him to step down. Anything to keep them from going into the red, where she'd have to force him. Nobody wanted Rio's career, or their friendship, to end on that note.
Phil wasn't quite sure if she'd resent Leena for having the power to make that decision, or love her all the more for it. Rio still had his pride; he'd refused help from anyone but Phil when the doctors tried to put him in a wheelchair. It was as if he wanted to give the appearance that he was fine, but he clearly wasn't. Maybe it was just more obvious to Phil, simply because she cared so much.
* * * * *
Rio woke up in a room that was not his own. He was still a bit disoriented, not to mention his legs, which felt like they'd been roasted slowly over a fire. He licked his dry lips and whispered, "Phil…?"
There was a flurry of movement just beyond his field of vision, and then a yellow and brown blur was leaning over him. "I'm here, Rio," it said, squeezing his hand gently.
He wanted his vision to clear so he could see her and tell her she was lovely when worried, but it wouldn't. He sighed heavily. "Water," he croaked after a moment.
The blur did not move.
"Phiiiiil!" he moaned urgently.
"Promise me," she said.
"What…?"
"Promise me you'll be here when I get back."
Rio blinked a few times. "I might not be here if I don't get some water in me."
The pressure on his hand tightened.
"Okay! I'll be here!"
* * * * *
Not surprisingly, Rio was asleep when she returned, and Phil didn't have the heart to wake him.
She put the glass of water on her nightstand at sat down in a chair, trying to figure out how she was going to repair the Ingrid in time for the next battle. She would never be able to do her best work if she was worried about Rio, but she also couldn't just sit here watching over him all night.
Another hour had slipped by before she decided to get started.
It was just as she reached the door that he called her again.
Phil scowled at him. "You better be serious this time, Rio. I've got a lot of work to do."
Rio took several deep breaths. "Don't…" he started to say, then stopped.
"Don't what?"
"…don't leave," he said quietly.
"Why not?"
He seemed to be searching for an excuse to keep her there, then decided on the truth. "I'm…scared."
Phil sighed and walked over to the bed. "Rio, we're all scared. But I really need to-"
He reached up and caught her hand. "Please stay, Phil," he whispered.
She struggled with the decision, even as she sat down on the bed. "You know I can't stay too long," she reasoned after a moment. "There's repairs to be made, and I-"
"Talk too much," he noted, smiling at her fondly.
Phil glared at him, but couldn't come up with one of her usual insults.
Rio studied her gloved hand carefully, before kissing each of her fingertips.
The red in Phil's face was no longer from anger, but her brain would not allow her to pull the hand away.
"Lie down," he said suddenly.
Phil's eyes widened. "What?!"
Rio shrugged. "We both know you're not going anywhere. Might as well get comfortable."
She glared again, as it was sort of her routine when he was right, muttering as she did as he suggested.
"See? Better." He reached over and draped her arm across his chest before closing his eyes.
Instead of moving it away, Phil simply made herself more comfortable by resting her head on Rio's shoulder. There would, after all, always be time to yell at him for being a flirt later.
* * * * *
"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Rome."
She sat up at once, certain that she was hearing things and that maybe she shouldn't have had that second sandwich at dinner.
"You're fine, Rome. It's me."
"…Erts?" she whispered uncertainly.
"Do you know any other telepaths?"
"I could. You don't write anymore."
He sighed. "I'm sorry. Things have been…distracting me."
"I wouldn't call saving the universe distracting, Erts."
He started to disagree and explain, but decided against it. "I've missed talking to you, Rome."
"You never really did say all that much. But I think I know what you mean."
"I thought you might."
She smiled slightly. "So. I expect you're getting along with your new Repairer?"
"…I didn't think you'd want to talk about work," he admitted.
"I don't. But this isn't about work. It's about you and the people close to you."
"I see. Well, Tune is quite capable. I understand why she was assigned to me."
Rome shook her head. "You're still talking about work. What about HER?"
Erts paused. "She's…very nice."
"What does that mean? She treats you nice? She looks nice? What?"
"Both."
"Oh." She blinked. "Does she know?"
"Know?"
"That you like her?" She could almost see him twitching and preparing to deny it. But he didn't.
"I'm afraid so."
"Why is that bad?"
"Because neither of us is certain exactly how much I like her, or how she feels about me."
"Don't you two talk about anything?"
"Well. Yes. Work."
"That's IT?!"
"There…has been some talk of her possibly joining me when my term of service is over."
Rome grinned. "She said yes?"
"No, she said probably. Sort of. It's…complicated."
"I can tell."
"It's not just that. There's…well…how to put this… Another girl?"
"ERTS!" Rome cried in shock and disbelief.
"What? NO! I didn't mean—sorry, Emily; didn't mean to shout…""Who is Emily?!" Rome asked. "Is SHE the one that's-"
"Please calm down, Rome! You misunderstood me. Emily is my Goddess."
"Oh, is THAT what you call her?"
"ROME. Emily is my GODDESS."
"…oh," Rome said in a tiny voice. "Sorry. She's not…mad, is she?"
"More confused as to who you are and why you're shouting. It's my fault; I should've told you I was in my Ingrid."
"So what DID you mean by that 'another girl' stuff?"
Erts sighed. "I'm not exactly sure. One of the other Repairers…touched me today."
Rome blinked. "Without permission?"
"What? Well, ye—no, no, not like that. That is…I didn't SAY she could, but I didn't expect her to do it."
"You're…not being very clear, Erts. What happened?"
"It's…difficult to explain. I was…distraught at the time, and…I believe she was trying to comfort me."
"Then it was an accident?"
"I have no doubt that she meant to do it. It's not that I minded or anything, but just the fact that she did it, and then what I saw when she-"
"I don't suppose this Mystery Repairer has a name?"
"Kazuhi. Kazuhi Hikura."
"Okay. What's she like?"
"…does it matter?"
"It does to ME. I've never really seen her. Zero had that picture you sent, but I couldn't tell one person from another."
"She's…kind of difficult to describe…"Rome sighed. "Erts, did she hurt or violate you in some way?"
"No, of course not! Kazuhi would never-""Well, how do I know that? I've never met her. Look, if you know her well enough to let her touch you, surely you can get her to pose for a picture?"
"…a picture?"
"Yes, you know. Like the one you hopefully still have of me?"
"Of course I do. But…Kazuhi isn't…um…she doesn't…""She doesn't take pictures? Have you ever even asked her?"
"It's never come up."
"Now it has. Ask her. Tell her it's for a good friend, so she won't think you're weird."
"Rome, this is…highly irregular."
"So is a girl touching you out of the blue. Erts, is Kazuhi important to you? Are you close to her?"
"To her…? I'm…not sure. But I do value her opinion, very much so."
"Then I don't see why she wouldn't let you take one picture."
"It's not Kazuhi's permission that I'm worried about getting. It's her brother's…"