Side Story [Gold] 1-2: Azure Connection
Bang!
In the few microseconds before the bullet left the barrel, he had managed to push the gun away from his head. However, just because it was aimed away from his head didn't mean that he fully pushed it away from his body...
Shlck!
"Hrgk!"
Click!
Acting quickly, the blonde shoved the hands that held the weapon up, narrowed purple locking on to enraged sea-green.
The world sped back up.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three rounds went into the concrete ceiling, raining dust down on both of them before he tightened his grip on her wrists. Ignoring the ringing in his ears, a knee came in to her side, to which she raised a leg to block it. The two limbs met with a solid impact, somewhat surprising the Neo-Type at her trained movements and reflexes. Tensing the muscles in his sole standing leg, he lunged forward and-!
Crack!
"Agh, you bastard!" Lath snarled as she reeled back, head lolling from his sudden headbutt. In her stunned state, he pinched a few nerves on the hand that had the finger on the trigger, causing it to let go of the pistol. Shoving her back, the blonde caught the pistol and quickly removed the magazine before using his teeth to pull the slide back and jettison the bullet in the chamber.
"Calm down!" He hissed, tossing the weapon over his shoulder and into the Archives room. Slamming a fist on the panel beside him, the door closed with a solid thump, sealing the gun inside. "Sssshit...bloody hell, you just shot me!"
The bullet went straight through his damn right bicep and now it was bleeding all over the place!
"I'm not letting you out of here!" The orangette snarled as she quickly got up, pulling out a combat knife from her boot. "I won't let you have whatever secrets mother left behind!"
Rather than charging at him, she lowered her center of gravity and began to inch closer to his flanks, causing him to turn and face her whichever direction she went to. Soon enough the two circled one another, with Ephraim being handicapped by having a single functioning arm.
That still didn't mean that he was helpless.
"I don't know how you got into this facility, but you're leaving in a damn body bag!" Lath hissed as she narrowed her eyes, a calculating glint within them as she glanced down at the amount of blood dripping down from his arm. It seemed as if she grazed the brachial veins, as the liquid spurting out was darker than normal.
"Look, just put the knife down, I'm not going to hurt or kill you damn it!" The blonde growled as he prepared for an inevitable disarming. "Just calm down, for fucks sake!"
Hopefully, it wouldn't be him on the receiving end.
"Shut up!" His opponent snarled, the knife in her hand gleaming in the dim tunnel.
Hopefully, it wouldn't be literal.
Rumble...
Both stumbled when the entire facility seemed to shake and come alive. Their eyes widened as they looked around in slight panic, wincing when the rest of the lights began to turn on in the previously dim hallway they were circling around in.
"You two, please calm down!"
"A child's voice..?" Ephraim muttered as the speakers crackled to life.
"Kazahana!" The girl in front of him cried out in shock. "You managed to fix the generators?!"
"No, I had to reroute power from the house into here. Now please, stop fighting before I hose both of you in foam!"
"What is she talking-" The blonde went to speak when two turrets popped out from the ceiling, making him shut his mouth with an audible click. They both had multipurpose nozzles and one was aimed each at the two of them.
"Ah."
"Quick, hose him down!" Lath urged this 'Kazahana' as she pointed her knife at the taller teen. "So he won't escape!"
Ephraim looked at her with a sneer, taking a few steps back to distance himself from the knife-wielding girl. "Like I told you, I didn't even do anything! You were the one that pointed a gun to my head!"
"Shut up!" Angry sea-green locked on to irritated purple. "Just shut up-!"
"I warned you!"
Pffshhhh!
"Agh!"
"Eep! That's cold!"
Ephraim stumbled back, trying to flick off the hardening foam on his entire right arm as it began to mess with his balance. "What the-?! Is this containment foam?!"
'Shit, now that's something I didn't expect!'
"Kazahanaaaaa!" The orangette roared from her foam prison, dropping the knife from her outstretched hand as she tried her best to break free. "Why did you cover me completely and not him?!"
"H-Heh." The blonde couldn't help but uneasily laugh at the twist of fate. "Serves you right, you crazy-!"
"Don't provoke her! Or else I'll foam you shut too!"
His mouth closed with a click once more.
The girl on the speakers audibly sighed as the two teens glared at each other. The Astray pilot inwardly thanked the younger girl for foaming his arm, as he could feel that whatever it was, it was sealing the gunshot wound.
Though, he most definitely still needed to go to the hospital after this. He lost quite a bit of blood...which was staining the floor.
...Which now had a neat circle of blood puddles and similarly bloody footprints, both from the Scandinavian's boots and from his sneakers.
Holographic arrows began to appear, pointing and leading to further down the hall. This surprised the Neo-Type, as he was sure there wasn't any projectors or the like when he went down this hall.
'Damn it, I knew I should have just slept-'
"Nii-san, can you carry Lath-nee and follow the arrows? They'll lead you to me and if you promise to not do anything bad, I'll patch you up until we can get a doctor."
'...Nii-san..?'
While he frowned at the title she addressed him as, the prospect of getting first-aid won him over. The kid seemed to have complete control over the facility, along with what seemed to be its security system, so perhaps cooperating would be ideal...for now.
"Fine...fine, I'll carry her. Just...just don't screw me over." The blonde grumbled as he approached the foamed girl, tuning out her protests when he lifted the surprisingly light foam prison she was in.
"What the-?! Hey, let me go, you pervert!"
"I'm not even touching you, but whatever."
"Help! Heeelp! Kazahana, he's touching me where it's bad!"
"Lath-nee, I can see you and his hands are nowhere near your skin..."
Ignoring the shrill screaming of the orangette, the blonde followed the arrows despite the growing clamminess of his body. The blood loss was getting to him, despite how hard he tried to soldier on.
The further he went, the more he saw of this facility that Lath was going on about earlier. There were various research rooms, though none of them held anything relating to things such as genetics or chemicals. All they had were mechanical arms, holding pieces of metal that he could only guess what their function was. It was more akin to a factory of some sort, than some research lab like what he assumed it to be.
Even more curious was when he passed by what seemed to be an opulent residential complex, though from what he peered into was more fit for perhaps a handful or rooms meant for 4 or 5 people. He wondered why exactly an underground facility needed something as...gaudy as some sort of master bedroom...
'Though, given Mina was a noble, it's probably just taste...this is a Sahaku complex, after all.'
"Nii-san, are you alright? You're looking rather pale...you're close, please hurry if you can. I have the first-aid kit at the ready."
Chuckling weakly, he shook the creeping wooziness as he hastened his steps. "This wouldn't have happened if someone didn't jump gun."
"Shut up!" Lath hissed as she tried once more to break out of the foam. "When I get outta here, you're getting locked up, you-!"
Once more ignoring the empty threats of the Scandinavian, he opted to look around wherever he was now in the facility. Compared to the areas from where he entered, there was a lack of dust, and it seemed as if someone had taken to regularly cleaning this part. He could see scuff marks on the doors, indicating recent usages, and he could smell the scent of fresh oil within the sliding bulkheads.
Turning a corner, he found the arrows pointing to one specific door, one that looked far more secure than the rest.
"I'm in the room you're looking at. Let me open the door for you."
A few turrets popped out, these ones armed with what looked like 50 caliber machineguns, just as several thumps echoed from the door. Ephraim waited for a few more seconds as the obviously reinforced door slowly opened, sinking into the ground with rhythmic clicking. Honestly, it just reminded him to the Vault opening process from Fallout, though without the stupid gear-motif.
'Is this was this place is? Some sort of Vault?'
And as soon as the door sunk into the ground, he was greeted with...
With..!
"Hurry!"
...A girl not even 10 years old who was hefting a med-kit half her size. She had short-cut brown hair with hazel eyes and was clad in a pale pink jacket over a white blouse, biking shorts, a skirt that seemed to be half utility belt, and knee high work boots. When those hazel eyes looked at them, what he saw was not the innocence of youth, but the tempered gaze of a sharp mind.
"Hurry, inside." Kazahana, he assumed, repeated as she beckoned them in. "There's a bed for you to lie on. It's technically mine, since I tend to camp out here to figure out the-" Shaking her head, she stomped a foot. "Never mind, just get in here!"
He did so without much fuss, having no other option than to follow her words. She was the one in control of the turrets, she had the first-aid kit, and she was in control of the facility. He would dance to her tune, for now.
Upon entering the room, he noticed all the screens and computers, most of which were lit up and displaying images of what could only have been other parts of the facility. Setting Lath down, he found his vision swimming, and he shook his head to try and force the dizziness away.
"On the bed, nii-san, please." Kazahana pleaded as she took his free hand and pulled her to the bed in the corner. "I have to remove...foam..."
'Shit...shit, blood loss...hearing...senses are...'
He couldn't really even feel much anymore, his vision switching between seeing nothing but white or black. Ephraim panted lightly as he was sat down, hearing nothing but muddled speech that he couldn't even identify as Japanese anymore.
"Tired..." He mumbled out as he collapsed on his back, a cold sensation sweeping across his body. "Cold..."
He slowly closed his eyes, the exhaustion of not sleeping for more than 24 hours and the blood loss finally taking its toll.
"Not...like...this..."
.
.
.
"Why are we still keeping him alive?"
Kazahana stopped her typing, glancing over to the bitter looking orangette who was sending a dirty look at the unconscious blonde in the corner of the room. He wasn't looking too good, having lost perhaps a pint of blood in the scuffle with her sister-figure.
"Nee-san, he's right." The brunette sighed as she turned her seat around. "You're really jumping the gun."
Lath looked at her in betrayal. "Wha-me?! He's the one claiming to be mor's son!"
"That's because he is."
...
"What..?"
The brunette sighed as she turned back around to the computer, her fingers dancing on the keyboards in a rapid staccato. "When I booted up the mainframe again, there was a new alert. Some form of...backdoor, more of an emergency exit really, was opened recently. I accessed the cameras there and...well, it was him. He opened it. The external cameras witnessed him literally rolling down the mountainside and landing before the door minutes prior."
The older teen looked at her like she was insane. There was no way that actually happened, right?
Kazahana pressed a button and the screens displayed the recording.
"Fuck!...You!...Ow!...Agh!"
There, lo and behold, was the blonde tumbling down the mountainside, like what he confessed to doing.
...
"I...that can't be real." Lath hissed, looking away with a conflicted expression. "It just can't! No one's luck is that...bad!"
The younger girl sighed as she switched to the records of him opening the door.
"Regardless, the emergency exit can only be opened from the inside by a specific code..." Hazel eyes looked over to the sleeping blonde. "Or from the outside via a biometric scan. Lath-nee," The 9 year old looked at the girl twice her age. "He is a Sahaku. Those medical records you showed me earlier were legit. It was The Professor herself that made them, and I doubt she would be so flippant to falsify important stuff like that."
"Achoo!"
Clang!
"Uh-oh..."
BOOM!
The orangette was silent, stewing in her negativity as she glared at Ephraim. With an upset grumble, she crossed her arms as she huffed. "Whatever..."
Shaking her head, Kazahana accessed the communications suite of the facility. "Can you bring him up to his room in the meanwhile? I'll make a call to the Academy asking for someone to come aid him."
"Why?"
"Because it'll bring more questions to us when he comes back having lost blood and a hole in his bicep!" The young girl wasn't one to snap but her older sister's hostility towards the blonde was getting tiresome. "I'll make an excuse as to why he got shot, he protected you from an assassin or something, that'll get some good public rep..."
Clicking her tongue, Lath looked over at the Sahaku on the bed and, with grit teeth, approached him. "Fine. I'll accept that he actually rolled down the mountainside, but that still doesn't explain why he's the same age as me! Why didn't mother mention anything of the sort, she would have definitely known if she was pregnant 18 years ago!"
The brunette was silent for a good minute or two before glancing at the sleeping teen with a suspicious glint in her eyes. "Okay, yeah, that is quite suspicious...but," She sighed, yawning half-way. "Maybe...maybe Mina oba-san didn't want to talk about it? Maybe she was ashamed of having gotten pregnant without getting married...I mean, from what I remembered of her prior to her passing, she was always the proud lady."
"I..." Lath opened her mouth to speak further as she carried the bloodied blonde, brows furrowed as she somewhat struggled to lift the heavier boy. "Well...maybe..."
"His records do state that he grew up in the back-alleys of places such as Warsaw and Vienna, at least, that's what he told the Professor in the medical papers." Kazahana shrugged as she began to run the proxies in preparation for contacting the IS Academy. "Maybe he was just a product of a mistake of youth, one that she inadvertently abandoned because it shamed her..."
Both girls were silent at this, the heavy topic striking a sore spot within them. Being abandoned was...well, they experienced it in one way or another.
The brunette with her mother constantly on a job rotation within the Sahaku Conglomerate, having not seen her for almost 2 years already.
The orangette with her youth spent with maids and butlers, both of her parents being busy board members of the Winslet Word Concern before their...untimely passing.
Just thinking of the possibility that the blonde with them was another child that was abandoned...well, it tugged at their heartstrings.
Or in Lath's case, what little she allowed it to.
"Let's just," The Scandinavian sighed. "Get him up to his room. I can grill him for details some other time. You go send that message to his superiors, I just hope that I wouldn't do much groveling later..."
"Okay..."
.
.
.
"The score is 9-0, Advantage: Sigma-66."
Crack!
Taking the bloody end of the quarterstaff from the shattered skull of his opponent, the blonde looked around at the arena for any other sign of hostilities. Ignoring the grey matter dripping off his weapon, his eyes detected no movement from the bodies he had laid low for the past hour of intense fighting. Weapons lie scattered, some still grasped in the limp grip of dead Neo-Types. Spent bullets littered the floor, alongside undetonated explosives as the pillars that were meant for cover lay in rubble and ruin.
"Well done, Sigma-66. You may proceed to exit the arena, you have earned the right."
Without a moment's hesitation, the teen began to walk towards the exit lifts, where he knew it would take him to a rudimentary first-aid station. He wasn't looking forward to being injected with whatever the doctors concocted, or have his blood taken again...
"Is he up to your standards?"
Taking a chance, he looked up at the specific booth where he knew the observers were. It was a futile effort, honestly, with the glass being usually one-way or so opaque that even his enhanced sight couldn't make out anything else other than a silhouette-
Purple locked on to red.
He blinked, seeing the emotionless eyes of the stranger as they looked down at him. It was actually hard to discern if they were a man or a woman, especially with the light behind them. Even worse, they seemed to be wearing some sort of cape that hid their body type. The Neo-Type watched as the person turn to, what was likely, the doctors in the booth alongside them and gesture...something.
...Sigma-66 didn't want to stick around any longer, 74 was probably done with her medical lesson of the day, maybe she could help patch him up once he got back...
.
.
.
"...he assassin? What happened to..."
He...could hear? He was alive?
"Dead...nii-san...rid of..."
The blonde couldn't remember the last time he was shot, not even in whatever memories he had left of the worlds apart from this one. Was this the first time that he got hit with a bullet? Perhaps...
At least it didn't hurt as much as being struck down by a lightning god.
"I'm sorry for...trouble."
He could feel the bandages around his right bicep, he could feel something, stitches perhaps, in the limb. Was he taken to a hospital..?
"It's alright. My assistant has a tendency to attract trouble, whether he means to or not."
'Assistant...Orimura...sensei?'
An involuntary groan escaped his lips, and even through his muted hearing, he could tell that it attracted their attention. The conversation stopped, and he could feel someone getting closer, the steps...close to his ear?
"Well, I didn't think that a bullet would knock you out so easily, Sahaku." Came the familiar snark of his superior. "And for you to sleep 12 hours straight, huh, that's a record."
Opening his eyes, purple peered out from underneath heavy eyelids and stared straight into bemused brown. "Sensei..." He croaked, blinking slowly as he wondered why she seemed to tower over him.
Chifuyu rolled those browns, shaking her head slightly as she turned away from him. "How much blood did you say he lost?"
"A pint or so." Kazahana entered his field of vision, those hazel orbs of her narrowed in concern. "The doctors said that the bullet grazed his brachial veins, not enough to break through them, but seriously enough to open the vessels. They've done the best they could to suture and fix them, but...well..."
"I got it." The teacher sighed as she knelt beside the futon he, just realized, was on. "We can fix those veins when we get back to the Academy."
"Where..?" Ephraim once more croaked out, flinching slightly when the cold hand of his superior rested on his forehead.
"The Sahaku Estate, your room." Chifuyu provided as she checked his temperature. "Winslet-san said that you were released from the hospital hours ago. It's 2 PM in the afternoon, Sahaku. You've been asleep for more than half the day after taking that bullet from the assassin."
That...didn't make sense. There was no assassin, or something, it was all Lath!
Purple glanced at Kazahana, and those young hazel orbs gave him a look he often got from Ryo or Davion when they were in a spot of trouble.
'Please, play along!' She pleaded.
...
"...How's my sister..?" He coughed quietly, his dry throat itching and causing him to reach up and rub it in an effort to lessen the annoyance. "Is she safe?"
"Lath-nee is alright, nii-san." The youngest in the room answered him with a relieved smile. "She left to run damage control, but she wanted to pass on her thanks. Both for saving her and for the deeds you've brought back."
'...Ah. Right.'
The deeds that he was originally going to return as a gesture of goodwill.
The deeds that...she basically snatched back without even giving him a thanks from her own lips.
'...What a bitch.' He bitterly thought was his superior sat him up, a glass of water in her other hand. The Neo-Type took the glass with his free hand, taking small sips to wet his throat before drinking it all in bigger gulps.
"Come on, let's get you up." Chifuyu grumbled as the blanket over him fell off to reveal his bare torso. "Our flight's in a few hours, enough time for me to sample and buy some awamori."
Glancing down at the bandaged bicep...actually, it was more like his whole upper right arm was bandaged, he tested the movement range of the limb. "It's 2 PM, right?" The blonde looked at his superior just as his stomach grumbled. "I could go for a bite to eat..."
"I suggest some local cuisine while you're still here, Nii-san." Kazahana smiled as she brought him a new change of clothes. A simple polo shirt, cargo shorts, and sneakers. Not really his style but...well, at least the shirt had a collar. "I know just the place!"
The dark haired teacher raised a brow as she helped the tall blonde up, wrapping an arm around his waist when he wobbled slightly. "Well, I'm curious. Never had Okinawan cuisine before."
The younger girl fist pumped as she set the clothes down. "Great! Let me call them up so we'll have a reservation!" With that, she left the room with a pep in her step, leaving the two alone in the rather traditional yet opulent bedroom. The two were silent, with the younger still in the midst of a dizzy spell and the older observing the room with a stoic expression.
...
"Winslet-san asked me about you."
Ephraim flinched.
Chifuyu didn't look at him as she kept her gaze at the door. "She was curious about your behavior in the IS Academy and I told her accordingly that you were a smug, irritating prick that always seemed to dig into people's sore points to get them going."
"Um..."
Okay, he'll admit that he was a bit of an instigator, but sometimes those who messed with him deserved it!
'Those damn supremacists mouthing off when I'm just fucking trying to practice flying-'
"But I also told her that you were a great friend to your peers, that you'd go above and beyond just to make sure they were safe." She continued, letting go of him once his wobbling was gone and he could stand stably by himself. "She was confused, as is the logical reaction to your dumb ass."
"...Thank...you?" The blonde wasn't sure if she was complimenting him or...just saying stuff about him.
You know, he'd just take it anyway, it's from Chifuyu after all.
Snorting, his superior crossed her arms as she turned to him. "...There was no assassin, was there?"
His fingers twitched.
...
"No." He confessed in a whisper, shaking his head. "We had a...confrontation. Emotions were high and...well..."
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, which he now noticed wasn't in the usual low ponytail. Rather, it was let loose, almost akin to her hair in her 'Madoka' disguise. She wasn't even wearing her suit, now that he realized it.
Chifuyu was wearing an leather bomber jacket over what looked like a black crop top, dark jeans, and a pair of...cat themed socks. Ignoring that, the jacket was zipped open, revealing her firm stomach and abs that just just the right amount of subtle and cut.
...The same abs that are...those firm muscles that he lowkey wanted to lick-
She placed a hand on his cheek, snapping him out from his...rather thirsty line of thought.
"I'm going to assume you didn't needlessly antagonize her because I know you wouldn't dare try in this situation." The teacher slowly started to squeeze his cheek, causing him to bend down as the pressure became harder and harder. "So...she shot you, her sister called, told me a cover story, and then here we are."
"Y-Yesh..!"
She turned her head to him, a smile on her lips as she stopped her pinching, instead lightly patting his cheek. "Good. Glad we've cleared that."
...
He had a bad feeling-
Slap!
"And that," Chifuyu shook her head as she began to walk away. "Was for staring at my abs."
Rubbing his cheek, Ephraim grumbled as he picked up the clothes. "'s not my fault you have a fine set of 'em."
"I can hear you, dumbass...just be thankful that I had a bad feeling the night prior."
The blonde looked at her with a raised brow. "'A bad feeling'-?"
Kazahana then ran back in, childish glee clear in those hazels of hers. "We got a reservation! And Lath-nee'll come over after she's finished with her meeting!"
A frown wormed its way on his lips, not liking the prospect of meeting his shooter over lunch.
"Joy."
"Oh right. Nii-san..."
He glanced up at the rear view mirror, having just finished buckling himself up as Chifuyu started the car. It was one of the couple of vehicles within the Sahaku's garage, a standard black luxury sedan, a spoof model of the BMW. The woman herself was backing them out of the compound, her focus on the winding road that lead from the estate proper to the gates.
Reflected on the mirror was the young brunette, who was staring at him with a carefree smile. She still wore what he remembered of her before he blacked out, a pink jacket over a white blouse, bike shorts underneath some skirt-utility belt hybrid, and her boots.
"...Yeah?" He asked, flinching when he moved his right arm a bit too much so he could look over his shoulder at her.
"I've never introduced myself properly, huh?" Kazahana lightly swung her feet as she leaned on the backseats. "I'm Kazahana Aja, Lath-nee's younger sister but I guess I'm also your younger sister too from now on."
"...Adopted?"
"Kinda." The younger girl shrugged. "My mom works for the Sahaku Conglomerate, she's often away due to being a site manager so Mina oba-san allowed me to live with her here. Lath was already in the house by then so...I guess I grew up around her and...yeah. Sisters."
Chifuyu snorted as she finally backed out of the estate, the carmine contacts over her eyes glinting with mirth. "Well, at least you have one sister that doesn't dislike you, Sahaku."
Frowning, he leaned back against his seat. "Don't remind me."
"Please forgive, Lath-nee, Nii-san." Kazahana muttered, a pleading look on her face. "She's been through a lot and hopefully now that you saved her from the assassin, she'll warm up to you quick!"
Ephraim shared a glance with his superior, whose lips were curling into a smirk.
"Yeah...I hope so too."
Later...
"Kazahana, how many times have I told you to not steal my egg!?"
"But you're always so slow when eating!"
"Hey, Sahaku, look at this habushu!"
'Bloody hell, we must look wild right now.'
Before him was Lath trying to steal her pilfered eggs back from a smug Kazahana. The former had been too busy trying to drill holes into his head with her staring and this prompted the latter to snatch the eggs from her pork tamago dish with a cat's grace. Right now, they were arguing like true siblings, the Scandinavian pinching the cheeks of the younger girl as she protested.
"Eeeiii! Nii-san, help me!"
Frowning, he made to intervene when the insistent tugging of the woman sitting next to him grabbed his attention. Turning his head, he sent a dry look at the disguised Chifuyu, who was holding a bottle of the local snake wine. She hasn't drunk any awamori or beer, not yet at least, but she had rather vacuumed her goya champuru. Right now, she was simply playing into her façade of being a mainlander tourist.
Shoving the bottle at his face, the dead snake within seemed to hiss at the blonde.
...
He will admit, the sight of which caused him to feel sort of squeamish.
"This'll be a great souvenir don't you think?" Chifuyu grinned, not even trying to hide her ulterior motives. Already, he could feel his funds drain bit by bit by the end of the day.
"Winslet-san, please stop bullying our sister." Ephraim sighed, handing a debit card to his superior which was quickly snatched out of his hand. "People are staring."
Well, it was more like most of the people there were staring at Chifuyu who was walking over to the bar portion of the resto-bar with his card in hand. Even though she wasn't wearing a dress, her figure was just as attractive as ever, only accentuated by the juxtaposition of her makeup and the masculine nature of her outfit.
He couldn't blame them, really.
She was a damn fine bombshell of a woman.
"Hmph." Lath grunted as she let go of Kazahana, turning back to finish her dish. "Whatever."
There was a period of awkward silence between them as they ate, their youngest sister staring at the orangette as the the taller teen ate his fu champuru with furrowed brows.
"Nee-san..." The brunette started as she took a quick glance to where Chifuyu was picking out which awamori to bring back. "Don't you have something to say to Ephraim-nii..?"
'Ephraim-nii...'
Grumbling, the Scandinavian aggressively bit into a slice of ham. "Sorry."
Kazahana frowned and made to argue but he, with some effort, lifted his wounded arm up to stop her with a hand. "It's alright. I accept it." He directed the last sentence with a frown at the orangette. "Just don't shoot me again."
The brunette's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly-
"Not so soon, at least." He couldn't help but finish it off with a snark and a smirk. He saw an opportunity and he took it, damn his horrible sense of humor!
Lath's brow twitched as she bit into her chopsticks.
"Don't tempt me."
"Nee-san!" Kazahana slapped her arm ineffectively, just as Chifuyu returned with a paper bag that clinked with a few bottles. Ephraim looked at it with furrowed brows, wondering just how she was going to smuggle it inside the school...
"I'm sending these to my house." His superior answered the question in his eyes with a roll of her own. "It'll be worth drinking over the summer."
'...Oh shit, I actually forgot that she and Ichika had a house.'
Running a hand through his hair, he pushed down the urge to facepalm. Something so...blatantly obvious...and he forgot it!
'Damn, if I had the Gold Frame, maybe I could also add some awamori to my fridge...' Purple eyes slowly looked over at the bandages peeking from his right polo's sleeve. 'And maybe I wouldn't have been shot.'
"Kazahana!" Lath snarled as the younger brunette snatched the last piece of egg from her plate.
"Too slow!" Said brunette teased as she devoured the meal, much to the irritation of the older girl and the hidden amusement of the teacher beside him.
'Speaking of, I do wonder if Davion finally got around that firewall...having the Amatsu upgrade would be really useful in the coming fight...'
Back at the IS Academy...
BAM!
Davion punched the wall so hard, his fist went through a meter of thick metal and concrete.
"SHOW ME THE GOODS, YOU DAMN PROGRAM!"
'...Hopefully, he did...I want to see if Mirage Colloid affects the Hyper Sensors of the IS...'
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The blonde looked over at his superior, who was pulling her phone out with a small frown. With a single glance, she turned it over to him so that he could also read what was written on the screen.
3:30 PM
"4 PM Flight, Head over to Naha Airport now."
Ephraim blinked before glancing over to the clock on the far side of the restaurant. It apparently was 3:30 in the afternoon, and he was surprised by how fast time flew. Perhaps it was the good company, well...most of the company was good. Lath's been frosty towards him again ever since she arrived half an hour earlier.
"It's time for us to head back." Chifuyu sighed as she pocketed the phone. "I still have to ask the docs to fix up that arm of yours back at the Academy."
Kazahana deflated, pouting as she did so. "Aww, but I wanted to hang out more!"
Unable to help the smile from curling his lips, the blonde placed the chopsticks on his now empty plate of champuru. "Well, I could always come by every now and again on the weekends." He took a glance at the frowning orangette next to the younger girl and then at Chifuyu. "With permission, of course."
Lath made to open her mouth to retort but the brunette was quick to latch on to her side. "Please? Pleaaaaaaase? Having a big brother around would be so cool! And he's an Astray pilot too!"
Said Astray pilot blinked.
"Wait, what does me being an Astray pilot do with anything?"
Kazahana huffed as the older girl tried to pry her off of her side. "The boys in my class keep on saying that they want to be Astray pilots one day, or that they'd have their own colored frames. Typically they're the weirdos but..."
...Ephraim's heart went out for those little tykes. Being called a weirdo was...well, at that young age?
Ouch.
"Anyway, you being an Astray pilot means I can show you off and be the cool kid of the year!"
"You're already a 'cool kid' by being my younger sister." Lath grumbled as she grabbed Kazahana, who squeaked, and set her on her lap. "And don't you forget that in the mainland, them being Astray pilots is a bad thing!"
Chifuyu rolled her eyes, standing up and handing him his debit card back. "They'll get over it soon. As long as the three of them keep on being gentlemen, the world will deal with the fact that the IS isn't the new thing on the block anymore."
"Lath-nee, pleaaaaaaaase-"
"Alright, alright, fine." The Scandinavian rolled her eyes before glancing at the blonde with a frown. "He can come back."
'...Well, that's better than being banned outright.'
"Come on, Sahaku." His superior gestured for him to follow her. "There's a reason why I put your luggage in the trunk earlier. We'll catch a cab, there's plenty of empty ones on a Sunday."
"Ah...sure." Ephraim nodded and then turned to the two girls. Bowing, he bid them farewell. "Thanks for...everything. I'll keep in contact with you via email and I hope you two have a safe trip home."
"Bye, nii-san!" Kazahana waved with a smile.
"Thanks for returning the deeds." Lath smirked, the sheer boldness of such an action causing his brow to twitch.
"...Sure."
.
.
.
Later, back at the Academy...
Bzzzt!
Looking down at his phone, he excused himself from the current conversation. Turning away, he unlocked it and read the message.
Dumbass 1: Will be landing in Tokyo International shortly. Brought nothing back cause fuck you.
Dumbass 1: I didn't have time to buy anything cause of all the shit that happened.
Dumbass 1: And a LOT happened.
Dumbass 3 (You): Well, that isn't foreboding at all...
Dumbass 2: Did you find something there? Preferably something concerning our suits?
Dumbass 1: No. Had any luck with the firewall?
Dumbass 2: No...
Dumbass 1: F u c k.
"...Huh, guess Ephraim's heading back home." Ryo pocketed his phone once the conversation in their group chat ended, turning back to the others at the cafeteria table with a small grin. "At least he isn't coming back here late. I think he hasn't done the assignment..."
Cecilia's eyes widened as a hopeful smile grew on her lips. "Has he had dinner yet? Perhaps I...I mean we could welcome him back with some food!"
The courier fought back the grimace from forming on his face. "I think he's had airline food for dinner."
Ichika looked around with a big smile. "Hey, how about we greet him at the airport? Which one is he landing in?"
"Haneda."
Beside the male IS pilot, Houki's brows furrowed ever so slightly as the Byakushiki pilot stood up with a fist pump. "Alright, that's close!"
"Oooh, I wonder what souvenirs he got us!" Rin was on board if only for the goodies, rubbing her hands together with a bratty grin on her lips.
"I'm sure Monsieur Sahaku will appreciate it if his friends welcome him back, no matter how short he may have been gone." 'Charles' smiled serenely from her place beside Ryo.
The courier chuckled, bumping his knee against the disguised Frenchwoman's. "Let me message Yamada-sensei if we could ask her to drive us there. I bet she's coming to pick them up."
Houki then hummed as she crossed her arms, somewhat going along with the general mood if only because that was the decent thing to do. "What about Guele-san? Won't he be coming as well?"
The Astray pilot shrugged, knowing that his friend would be too busy with other matters. "Probably not. After what happened yesterday, I think he's found even more fervor in trying to upgrade our stuff."
.
.
.
At Haneda Airport...
"Hey, there he is!"
Both the blonde and his superior turned their heads to the familiar voice, their brows rising as a familiar group of people waved them over. They had just exited the Arrivals and gotten their bags when they heard someone call out to them.
Cecilia waved at the Gold Frame pilot excitedly. "Ephraim~! I came to welcome you back~!"
"...When did you get to call him by his first name?" Houki looked at her friend with a raised brow.
"Urk-!"
"Heeey! What sorta goodies did you bring back?" The twin-tailed girl hopped up and down, eyes shining at the bags Chifuyu was carrying.
"Rin, that's impolite!" Ichika scolded her, somewhat paling at the thought of his sister getting upset. "Especially to my sister!"
Charlotte waved them over, a big smile on her face as Ryo stood beside her. "Monsieur Sahaku, over here!"
Ephraim's shoulders slumped, hiding his face with a hand as the chaotic mess that were his classmates waved him over. Still, that didn't stop the fond smile from growing. What they did was rather nice of them, after all.
Standing back up straight, he exchanged a glance with the older Orimura, who slowly nodded at him.
"Go meet up with them." The dark haired teacher looked over to a waving Maya. "I'll go with Yamada-sensei and drop these off in the car."
With a nod and a chuckle, he walked over to his...friends.
Yeah...
Friends.
'I guess I can consider all of them friends of mine...to varying degrees.'
Rin immediately set off to try and see what was inside the bags their teacher was carrying, with Ichika and Houki trying their best to restrain her in slight fear. Cecilia smiled at him with a faint blush, and his lips twitched when he saw the food container in her hands. Ryo snickered at his reaction while Charlotte elbowed the courier's side.
But despite all that, despite all the their proclivities and demeanors, the blonde smiled widely as he beheld all this chaotic madness.
"Yeah, I'm back."
He wouldn't have it any other way.
AN:
mor = Swedish/Norwegian/Danish for mom or mother. Cosmic Era Lath is from the Kingdom of Scandinavia, which is comprised of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, so I left IS Lath's nationality ambiguous for now. God forbid the dice lands on her being Finnish, their vocabulary induces a deep fear within me for some reason. Perkele.
Champuru - literally meaning "to mix together", the food type is a reflection of Okinawan culture, wherein its a mixture of various aspects from neighboring countries. (East Asian, Southeast Asian, and even stuff from the West). It's a mainstay dish in Okinawa, with each household having their own special Champuru recipe.
Goya Champuru - A stir fry of bitter melon, tofu, egg and sliced pork or Spam. Real delicious, but then again it may just be my bias for sour/bitter/salty food.
Fu Champuru - Stir-fried vegetables with fu (wheat gluten). Very healthy! Ephraim has to watch his figure too, you know.
Pork Tamago - Simply pork with scrambled eggs and vegetables. Originally Spam with eggs, but nowadays people can get creative with what they make.
Awamori - A distilled alcoholic beverage made from rice, typically imported Indica Rice from Thailand. Indigenous and unique to Okinawa, it varies in alcohol proof, with local drinks being 60–86 proof (30–43% alcohol), while those exported outside the country (and those sent to be sold in mainland Japan) have a more lighter degree of 50 (25% alcohol).
Habushu - An awamori-based liqueur (not liquor! liqueur) that has a Habu viper within. Yes, it's snake wine. And as someone who, while growing up, almost got bitten by one of those buggers, I find still find it creepy that they just...stuff those things inside and drink it. I'll stick to good ol' whiskey and scotch, thank you.
To the reviews!
Rodvek97: Sorry! Felt a bit cheeky and wanted a new approach to finishing off a chapter.
P.B.S: Well, let's just wait and see, shall we?
KnightOfZaku: Thanks for the review!
There won't be any visitors from the O.R.B. anytime soon, they don't really have that much incentive or reason to go to the IS Academy. Though, of course, that doesn't mean that I'll simply leave them in the background. They'll have their own moments.
As for Phantom Task...well, Ryo did demolish one of their bases in the year prior. Perhaps they're just compiling more data so they could effectively take them down one day, or perhaps they're just biding their time, waiting for one incident to occur and light up the political, social, and ethical powder keg that comes with the topic of human experimentation.
*ahem ahem*
Tooootally not because it slipped my mind on their involvement in the plot ahahahaaa...
With that, a recently sick (hopefully not with Covid) Cipher out!
Back in Okinawa...
Lath stared out at the night sky, clad in a dark blue nightdress as she knelt on the engawa just outside her room. Kazahana was leaning against her side, half asleep after a rather active day. The sounds of nature entered their ears, the chirping of crickets, the billow of wind blowing through and past the gardens, and the small ponds and brooks in said garden.
It was relaxing, something that the Scandinavian needed to listen to badly.
"...You didn't tell him." The younger girl muttered against her sister-figure's side. The brunette was wearing a cute onesie of a snake, her arms wrapped around the waist of the older girl. "Is it because you still don't trust him..?"
"...No." The orangette sighed, a frown on her lips as she closed her eyes. "I still think it's really convenient, really suspicious that mor had a child of the same age as me, one that she didn't talk about. One that was able to be fast enough to react to a point-blank shot..."
'Not to mention those eyes...' The Scandinavian wouldn't forget those eyes, not anytime soon. The way those royal purples of his seemed to just...change. The veins bulging around them, the way the iris' seemed to grow for just a moment before she got headbutted...
"He is an Astray pilot." The younger sister yawned, snapping her out of her pondering. "The Professor probably trained them to hell and back, knowing her eccentricities..."
"...Point."
...
"Well, at least he's legally considered the Heir...That was a nice thing you did..." Kazahana was then silent for a good minute before she tightened her grip. "...Hey...What if he was...y-you know, o-"
"Don't talk about him." Lath snapped with a harsh frown on her lips. "There's a reason why mama didn't like talking about him. I never even met him, I don't want to count whatever possibility you're about to speak of." With a quiet sigh, she wrapped her arms around her younger sister. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Whether or not that fake Sahaku can earn my trust is up to him. He's got a lot of sucking up to do."
...
"So when will you show him...that...?"
Sea green eyes locked on to the North Star as the Sahaku Successor huffed. "Damn it, I hate to say it but...soon. I have a gut feeling that it will be soon."
