Team Spirit

"Ryuusei!"

"Ryu!"

The brown-haired boy glanced backwards at the sound of his name, then stopped walking.

"Mai! Rai! You two're back?" Ryuusei cried in surprised pleasure. Just a few days ago, both had been sent out to attend an important meeting with Taichou, leaving him to hold the fort. Villetta had said that she expected to be gone a week at least, but here his comrades were, not three days from the day they had set out. "I can't believe it! How did you get out so ear.."

"That's not the problem!" The irritation in Mai's voice took him back. "Ryu! How could you do that?"

"That? What's 'that'?"

"Aya-neesan radioed us… When enemies attacked the coast, you launched by yourself in the R-blade, without waiting for proper backup or reinforcements… That's totally irresponsible! You didn't even inform her before you launched!" Mai said angrily, her eyes flashing. It was well-known that the SRX team worked together on everything, from redevelopment projects to battling the forces of evil. Mai, as their newest and youngest member, was intensely protective of the people who had given her a home and family, as well as her surrogate sister and the highest-ranking member of their team, Aya. In the face of that, her anger was well-founded.

In the face of her secret crush on Ryuusei, her anger was the only possible reaction.

"Wha-? Look, there wasn't any help for it! You can't expect me to sit about waiting for a order while people are DYING!" – which kinda summed up Ryuusei's entire philosophy – "And besides, Aya found out anyway, right? If not how could she have radioed you guys?"

Rai shook his head, though at what, he wasn't sure. "Taii informed us that she only recognised you when you appeared on radar during the battle itself. Between that and the time she lost contact with you, she was frantic with worry. One of the first places the raiders attacked was the shopping mall, and she was terrified that you might have been there, looking at those models of yours, and.." he trailed off, finding himself unwilling to continue the sentence.

"You might have died! That's why we were called back! Aya-neechan was so scared, you might have died!" Mai punctuated each sentence with a punch to Ryuusei's chest, and the young psychodriver was astonished to see tears in her eyes.

"Mai.." he started, perhaps about to reassure her, to tell her that he was fine except for a few wounds, when she suddenly pressed her head against his chest, a few sniffles mixing in with the tirade.

"And we were worried! We were worried you might have died!" Her punches suddenly turned to rabbit paws, curling reflexively against his chest. Ryuusei stared at her in confusion, wanting desperately to help but not knowing what to do.

"M..Mai…" He reached out hesitantly.

A heavy hand landed on the girl's slim shoulder. "Mai… There's no need to worry anymore – Ryuusei's alright." Rai paused, unsure of how to proceed. But faced with Ryuusei's half-pleading gaze and Mai's teary eyes, he tried his best. "You might want to go rest for while, you didn't sleep all last night, did you? You were so worried for him…"

"And Ryuusei, I have something to say about your rash actions as well.."

Ryuusei gulped. Rai might be an "ice-man" most of the time, but when he was angry he made sure you knew it.

"Un." Mai gulped softly, then blushed, realising she had been inadvertenly clinging onto his chest. "Ah… sorry, Ryu! I just got so worried…" she turned even redder as she spoke the words.

"I.. I think I'll do as Rai said and go take a nap… Excuse me!"

"Mai!" She stopped and turned at the sound of Ryuusei's voice. "Here."

"Thanks, Ryu." Clutching the hankerchief to her chest, the young girl turned and ran down the hallway to her room, her boots making sharp clicking sounds against the floor.

"We were very worried about you, you know."

They were in Ryuusei's room, which was filled with models and memoriablia, most of it signed by various famous super robot pilots. The bed, dresser, and desk were all filled with piloting handbooks, plastic corefighters, and an impressive selection of Machine Robo action figurines, all in mint condition. In comparison, his laundry lay in a heap by the door, composed of several days worth of shirts and underwear, while his laundry basket was currently filled to the brim with signed GaoGaiGar DVDs. Ryuusei had hastily cleared a space for himself on the bed by shoving his Macross 7 Song Collection under it (but not without a few tears), seated Rai in an empty chair that he kept in storage for guests, and gotten both of them coffee, though he had finished his in one gulp.

In response to the accusing statement, he sighed and slipped his hands behind his back. "Look, Rai. You know that I'm sorry about that, but it doesn't change anything. I'd still do the same thing if it happened again."

"I know that as well. All I'm asking is that you inform somebody before you make Taii panic and Mai practically force the space-captain to arrange for passage for us to come back."

"There wasn't any time to waste!" Ryuusei threw his hands in the air to illustrate, the motion fast and agitated. "Those bastards were already at the coastline, and evacuation was only half-done! If I'd been any slower, people might've been killed!"

"And anyways," he switched tack without even thinking. "You guys should be used to it! You said yourself that I'm hot-blooded and impulsive and I never think. I've been working with you for so long…"

"Yes, you've been working with us for so long! So have you ever stopped to just give Taii a sign before you launch like the impulsive and hot-blooded person you know you are?" Rai paused, this wasn't like him in the least! Why was he getting so worked up anyway? Yes, it was true he'd been worried about Ryuusei, desperately so. But still, he should be calm. He NEEDED to be calm. Ryuusei wouldn't get his point if they ended up in another shouting match. But if that idiot would just tell somebody, give a signal, he wouldn't have had to inconvienience so many, wouldn't have had to miss sleep for three nights..

Wait, his inner self piped. You're getting worked up again.

"Gods, Rai! I know that! I just figured that Aya would notice me on the map and calm down, BEFORE she sent for you two!"

He tried to breathe, but the anger just boiled away. Half in distraction, he spit out the first thing that came to his mind, mentally cursing himself in the same second. "Do you know how worried Mai was for you? She hasn't slept for three days, and before we got here she nearly came to blows with one of the ship's aides when he wouldn't ask his commander to hurry!"

That stopped Ryuusei in a flash. He sank back, fisting his hands between his knees and hunching forward. "Mai.. Yeah, I guess I worried her, huh?" He looked uncharacteristically hesitant, eyebrows gathered against his forehead, biting on his lip.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit, went Rai's mind even as the words spilled. I shouldn't have said that why the hell did I say that..

"You did." Rai forced the words out. What was wrong with him?

"But Mai's a strong girl. I know that, too." Ryuusei grinned at him, eyes shining with faith. It was the same powerful trust that had led them to hell and back, that had saved them all more than once, that had taken nearly a decade of fighting and living to build. Nothing, not even the greatest of evils that existed, had destroyed their belief in each other. It was one of the strongest, most precious things in Rai's life, and he owed it all to Ryuusei and the SRX team.

"Even the strongest get worried about the people they love." He flinched away from the earnest, direct gaze.

"Love, huh…"

"And Mai, cares for you a great deal. You're like… family to her." He shouldn't have said that. Mai thought of Aya as family, not Ryuusei, and he knew that well. Of all of them, he was the most intelligent, and it was screamingly obvious to him that the young psychodriver had something more for their robot-obssessed comrade. They would make a good pair, said his mind in a tone dangerously close to babbling. A connection like that would no doubt increase the power of the linking in the Banpreios..

That's it, he told his computing. He knew he was losing it when he started slipping back into cold logic. Events had taught him there was much more to life than that. After all, if he had been logical and cold, he would never have reformatted the R-blade system so that a psychic-powerless Ryuusei could pilot it. He remembered vividly how angry he'd been even as he wrestled with the controls – at everything about Ryuusei, looking exactly the same as the burning fighter they'd all known and yet without any spirit left. He had jumped into the cockpit not so much to provide the fighters with another combatant as to revive him again – the strong, valiant Ryuusei that had stood up to everything life could possibly throw at him.

He would have given anything – and everything – to get that Ryuusei back. At that time, that one thought had burned clear through the anger.

"We're all like family, aren't we? And Mai's like my younger sister."

"Younger sister?" Ryuusei wondered why Rai looked so surprised. "I thought you'd think of her more as a.." Adruptly, he cut himself off. It wasn't his place to say that. And some tiny part of him knew that Ryuusei wouldn't be finding out about Mai's crush from him. I can't be a busybody and it's her business if she wants to tell him, he quickly added in his mind, trying to avoid the irrational anger that had sprung up again. Honestly, what was wrong with him? Even missing three days worth of sleep shouldn't have done this…

But the other was already talking. "Well, either way, she should KNOW not to worry. I do stuff like this all the time!" Ryuusei flopped down again, causing his jacket to ruffle slightly and exposing a length of bandage under his shirt.

The coffee, half-drunk, clattered to the ground, spilling across piloting manuals and turnng two models brown.

"Hey, WATCH it, Rai! What the hell, those were my original Dancougar piloting instructions, for god's sake-" He was cut off when Rai reached out and dragged his shirt up so violently he nearly ripped the fabric, exposing his heavily bandaged chest.

The blonde's eyes widened when Ryuusei winced visibly as he fell back against the wall. Ryuusei's pain theshold was abnormally high, meaning that whatever wound that bandage covered must have been serious enough to warrant treatment, but not serious enough for an order to rest in bed. But then again, knowing Ryuusei, he would've pretended to be fine and kicked himself out of bed at first opportunity, especially if no one was around to make sure he stayed in.

"So this is what you meant when you told Mai you were 'fine'?"

"It's just a slight chest wound! I'm not going to die or anything!"

"Then why are you wincing in pain?"

"Because it hurts, duh!"

It was amazing how fast arguments built between them. It had always been like that, right from the moment when Ingram had introduced the upstart of the SRX team to him, and Rai had given him only one look of dismissal. Nothing about them meshed, and the only thing they had managed to agree on then was that they had to protect the Earth and Aya Kobayashii, no matter what.

But they had worked together, trying it and fighting for it and sometimes having to force it. And in the end, it had worked. It had better than worked. It had become something that neither could imagine, that neither knew life without.

And when he'd punched Ryuusei in the face and shoved him into the cockpit, he knew that he had been angry because he had been terrified. Terrified of losing, terrified of losing Ryuusei… And it hadn't been just about the SRX. He'd told himself that, but he knew that hidden behind all those good and noble goals, there had been something else, something more. He hadn't been able to stand to see Ryuusei in that state, and his anger had raged so powerfully it had threatened to consume them both. All he'd been able to think was that he had to get Ryuusei back – coerce him, push him, force him… He had to see that fire again.

"Come off it, Rai! It's just a slight wound!"

"It was a good thing you didn't tell Mai about it, or this would've been much worse!"

"Mai Mai Mai Mai… you talk like she's my girlfriend! Not that I would mind, really…" he trailed off for a second, an strange, faraway smile crossing his lips. Then back to topic – "And anyways, what's your problem today? Ants in your pants? Stick up the ass?"

"We are worried about you, as the SRX team, and as one member as that team, I would like to trust you not to run off and make us pick up the pieces!"

"I think I know about being a member of the SRX team too, you know! You guys are important, in case you didn't hear me! And the reason why I 'ran off' is because I didn't want to worry Aya! You know she needs rest after the last battle, and I thought, 'hell, if I just clean them up then she won't need to stress her pretty head over some minor attack'. Since you're so on about protecting her, I thought you'd understand!"

"I do understand! But you're import-" Rai nearly bit his tongue cutting his words. He couldn't believe – what had he nearly said…?

"And we're all part of the SRX team, right? I know you care, and Mai cares, and Aya cares. And I care about you guys too! We're like a family, we couldn't be anything les-"

His words were adruptly cut off and there was a loud 'whump' sound. Ryuusei stared in shock at Rai's face just inches from his. He could feel the weight of the other's body pressing down on his own, heavy and strangely oppresive, as he pinned him flat on his back against the bed. He suddenly felt – dare he say it – rather scared.

Don't be stupid! His mind raged. This is Rai! Raidus whatever-whatever whose been your teammate for donkey's years! You've fought with him and lived with him and bought him cookies when he was sick! What's there to be scared of?

"R-Rai?" But Rai had never looked at him with that intense, dark expression before. And he'd never been so close to him – heck, he'd never been so close to anyone – before.

At the sound of his voice Rai appeared to pause, something flashing in those heavy blue eyes, then moved impossibly closer. Ryuusei craned his head back. What was WRONG with his teammate? Had Rai gotten drunk on coffee? Had the shuttle ride addled his brains? Had Zibalmati captured him and replaced him with a clone?

"Rai!"

It was too close – their bodies already pressed up against each other, their breaths mingling..

The next second, Rai was reeling from a punch to the side of his face, and Ryuusei was pressed as close to the headboard as possible, his cheeks flaming. Both panted harshly, but were silent.

Ryuusei stared at his companion – wanting like hell to reach out, wanting like hell to get himself as far away as possible. And… "What the hell?" he burst, nearly exploding with worry and confusion and embarrassed anger. He felt hot and flustered, and he knew his shoulders were tense with a strange sort of revulsion – he had accepted his comrades completely, but this….! "Rai, are you okay? Did Viletta turn traitor and brainwash you? Did you see Ingram in your sleep? Did.."

Just when he was getting seriously worried, Rai suddenly spoke as though he hadn't said anything at all.

"… You're right, Ryuusei. We're the SRX team, aren't we?"

Ryuusei stared at him in complete shock and total incomprehension.

Getting up slowly, Rai reached down and picked the cup up from the floor, before dumping it into the sink where it belonged. Then he headed for the doorway.

"Hey!" Ryuusei's hand was warm on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

For a second, he wanted to, impossibly, cover that hand with his own. "It's good to know you're alright, Ryuusei."

And then he left.

Okay. I had four pages of nothing for one like five paragraph scene which is so textbook my muses if I even had them are probably crying.

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BUT WHO CARES? SRX YAOI! YEAAAAAAAAAAAHH! This is the best best best I just LOVE SRX and I just love yaoi so obviously I'd love SRX yaoi. Though this is admittedly totally one-sided but so sorry Rai, Ryuusei's straight as an arrow. But don't you worry my yaoi brain might give you a chance.

Anyways, I hope I got my message through, that basically as much as I love it, I think the SRX team would fall apart if members started having unrequited homosexual crushes on each other. Because Ryuusei IS NOT GAY. And I think Rai, despite all his not-necessarily-there-but-because-i-am-yaoi-fan-are-there 'urges' would know that. I mean, he's intelligent. That being said, I hope that came out in the fic.