The tarnished tint of turquoise glinted under the bourbon midwestern sun. Five pairs of tired but eager eyes swept over the sprawling skyline of the City of Broad Shoulders and the six-lane interstate where a glimmer of silver and ultramarine blue suddenly appeared on steel tracks.
"Hey, it's the CTA! … Oh, that rhymed!" Fia exclaimed with a small giggle.
"That's the… Chicago Transit Authority, right?" Nagisa asked with sudden curiosity. He put down his book and turned to look out the window. "That's the blue line?"
"Yes and yes," Haven replied as she typed on a silver laptop.
"You're well prepared, Shiota. Good job," Noriko praised from the passages seat.
"Who thinks we can beat the train into Chicago?" Snickering mischievously as he gripped the steering wheel, Karma proposed the question to his car companions.
"Let's not," Noriko strongly suggested.
"How do you race a train?" Fia asked, resting her chin on the shoulder of his seat.
Nagisa froze and his face grew blue with the prospects of impending doom.
As a shadow spread across his forehead, Karma sprouted devil horns and shark-like teeth. His eyes glinted as it met in the rearview mirror with the eyes of his entrapped victims. "Like this." He slammed his foot down on the gas petal, sending the speedometer into overdrive.
The car lurched forward and Fia clung to the driver's seat in front of her as she screamed. Haven continued to type nonchalantly, even when suspended in the air from every jump of the vehicle. Nagisa, resting his head on the chair in front of him, wore a deadpan expression, having expected this completely. Well, he supposed he'd accomplished more in this short lifetime than he'd originally thought he would.
"Kar-ma A-ka-ba-ne! You are in sooooo much trouble!" Noriko screeched as she pressed her back flatly against the passenger window. Her shriek was only interrupted by the jolts of the car.
"Is that a police car behind us?" Haven asked in unconcerned monotone.
"Shit."
"We didn't get caught," Karma said dismissively as he pulled his bag out of the rattled van.
"It was still an irresponsible, rash, and childish action!" Noriko berated the redhead from a short distance away.
"Yes, it really was," Haven called from her seat on the luggage cart.
Fia, standing with her bags off to the side, sweat-dropped. "I know it's been a long tense ride, guys, but can we at least try to get along for now? Por favore?"
As Classified stepped out of his car with Jelavic and Karasuma, he looked over to see the silhouette of five people fumbling through the hotel doors. He broke into a sorry smile, listening to the sound of heated chattering fade into the rush of the revolving doors.
"Something's gonna have to change," he shook his head as he concocted a plan and slammed the car door shut.
The door to hotel room 305 flew open, making way for Noriko to march through the entryway. It slowly began drifting shut when the luggage cart, supporting Haven a top a Tetris-like mountain of bags, was clumsily pushed through the doorframe by Nagisa, trying to see past the cluster. Haven, typing on her laptop and occasionally calling out abrupt directions, acted as his seeing-eye girlfriend of sorts.
The door bounced off the corner of the cart and rebounded off of the wall but was caught again as Fia, attempting to juggle all of her luggage in her arms, fell through the doorway. Sighing, Karma collected all of the fallen items left behind by his hallmates and finally shut the door, leaving the troop with a sense of finality and peace. This is where they would be camping out for the next few days.
Noriko placed her bags neatly against the wall and turned to her companions. Clearing her throat, she gestured to the room. "Lee, Timo. You and I will be staying in this room." She pointed to an indescript door in the wall. "Akabane, Shiota, you boys will be staying in that room. It's connected to make communicating and dealing with emergencies easier, but I expect absolutely no funny business… Especially from you, Akabane. I hope you won't pull any more stunts like you did this morning. We are here for an assignment, not for a vacation."
"If we're in the room next door, shouldn't Karma and I put our bags there now? We have to open the connecting door from our side too, don't we?" Nagisa asked.
"While that's true," Noriko began, "we have some time until the other two teams arrive so we thought it would be best to set up a tour of the city. We're meeting our guide downtown soon so we don't have much time to settle in just yet but this way, we can familiarize ourselves with our surroundings and be better prepared to…"
The four housemates exchanged looks in front of the large balcony doors overlooking the city, more caught up in their new surroundings than in Noriko's conjecture.
"How do you think we're getting there?"
Haven held the bar above her head, arm outstretched to its fullest, her fingers still barely wrapping around the steel cylinder. She looked around her, noticed a redhead who gripped the same bar easily, and scowled. She glanced to the blue haired boy next to her and let an inaudible sigh escape her lips.
"Haven, do you want some help?" Nagisa gently asked his ornery girlfriend, noticing her obvious difficulty with holding onto the horizontal bar.
"No! I'm not too short. I'll be fine," she huffed, blushing slightly. Even so, every jerk of the train was a strain on her fingers, hooked with a vice grip around the warming metal.
Nagisa's pigtails bobbed as he looked left and right in search of a free wrist strap, which would be easier for Haven to hold. Sighing, he turned back to smile softly at Haven. Her determined face was absolutely adorable so, not wanting to deter her, he turned his attention back to the windows where he could see the river past the platform they were pulling into.
"Doors closing -"
The train jolted into motion and the short girl lost her hold. She stumbled backwards, flailing as she tried to reach her previous grip. Alarmed, Nagisa side-stepped to catch her, expecting her to fall into him, but as he encircled his arm around her, her head hit his chin and sent sharp waves of pain at Mach 20 throughout their bodies.
"Ouch!" The two of them exclaimed together as one rubbed his chin and the other held her head. After a moment, Haven slowly turned around and the two looked at each other, a slight dusting of red settling on their cheeks.
"You okay?" Nagisa asked the girl leaning heavily into his chest. Blushing, she nodded and he snaked his arm around her waist to hold her closer. Haven's hand resting lightly on his upper arm, the bluenette tentatively took hold of the horizontal bar once again, and the two stood there, supporting each other amidst the movement of the train.
Attentive tiger orange eyes scanned the swaying train car as the new arrivals squeezed their way into the aisles. It wasn't as crowded as their trains in Japan, but he felt just as suffocated. Leaning back against the cold steel wall with crossed arms, Karma shot a furtive glance at the auburn bob moving towards him through the crowd. Fia suddenly fell through a sliver in the pack of sardines and did the flapping chicken hop to regain her balance. Karma chuckled as she straightened out her clothes and smiled awkwardly behind darkening cheeks.
"You okay?" he asked, an amused smile springing to his lips.
Loose curls bounced with the quick nodding of her head and a light, awkward giggle. "I think so… What are you doing all the way back here?"
Slitted eyes glanced again at the crowd. "Enjoying the view." He smirked. "What about you? Why are you standing all the way back there? I don't bite, you know… Usually, anyway." His canine teeth glinted bone-white under the pulsing tunnel lights as they perforated the windows.
"Somehow I'm not convinced." Fia replied skeptically but with a small smile. Hesitantly and carefully, moving in contrast to the jerking movement of the train to keep steady, she took a step towards her redheaded friend. "Actually, I came here because the buddy system is super important - the number, number, absolute number one rule to safety!" Huffing, she blew out her cheeks with a demanding look gracing her red face.
He smiled inwardly as the train burst from the tunnel and onto the elevated railway, looming over bustling downtown streets, and natural light flooded into the car. The locks sticking to Fia's face from the humidity shined with a pink glow where the sunlight came to rest in the dip of her loose waves and winged eyelashes. Her cheeks flushed the same color of her jutting, pouted bottom lip and her fists stayed clenched in front of her chest, unbreathing and expecting. Suppressing the rush of blood reaching like spiderweb veins up to his face, he smirked.
"Are you sure that's the only reason? You didn't want to see me~?" he asked teasingly, masking an embarrassed smile. Was that too soon…?
Fia's face flushed and her lip quivered. Disarmed, she stuttered incoherently for a second before stepping towards him and shoving his chest lightly. "N-No! I j-just wanted t-to…" She trailed off, leaving only her stubborn face to defend herself - albeit poorly - against the unwavering topaz eyes peering down at her. Faltering, Fia hugged herself and stepped back as she cast a glance in the direction of windows. "I actually just wanted to enjoy the view with you."
Suddenly, having been brushed from behind by a passing stranger, Fia stumbled forward a step.
"Oh, sorry about that."
"It's not a problem," she laughed, "It happens. Busy day, huh?" Fia smiled reassuringly at the passenger and turned back to Karma with an embarrassed smile but she felt herself being bumped forward again. "It's really crowded in here, isn't it?" she asked him.
"Sure, that's the problem," he said acidically, almost sarcastically, as he glared at some phantom behind and unbeknownst to her.
Fia sighed. "I just meant -" She was bumped again, this time by what felt like a hand sliding precariously low on her lower back. The girl attempted to turn around but was pulled back by the waist and found herself caged between Karma's arms and the heavy steel wall of the train car.
"Sorry, I let my guard down." Karma apologized but his voice was as unyielding as the metal under his palms. Relaxing one arm to give Fia some room to breathe, he sighed. "Are you okay?"
Fia tilted her head slightly, not completely sure of what had come to pass, but nodded and lightly grasped his outstretched arm for support. She tried to keep her gaze focused on the window across from her but she couldn't see beyond the crowd and every tremble of the train would bring Karma back into her view. Eventually, acknowledging that he was likely protecting her from the pressure of the crowd, she gave into meeting his gaze.
The redhead alternated between throwing villainous glances at the lecherous men and the girl staring curiously up at him. He placed his hand lightly on her head. She was definitely too trusting of other people, but he couldn't say that he hated that because it meant that… she could always see the best in him too. Heaving a sigh, he removed his hand and brushed off hers, despite the protesting pout that came to her face. Not yet. Not the wrong idea that this was still okay.
Just across from the steady, silent pair was a stumbling blonde who repeatedly bumped into the man next to her with every leap and bound of armor-clad Hermes. Falling into the man again, she let her fingers and full chest splay out against his muscular chest.
"Oh, I'm sooo sorry! I just can't seem to keep my balance here!" she said with pinkening cheeks and a fixed azure gaze.
"I'm sure I've seen you in plenty of situations where you needed more balance than this, Irina." The man she was leaning against sighed and pushed her back, steadying her in his hands.
"I wanted you to hold me, Tadaomi," Irina pouted. "It's too crowded not to lean against you anyway. I swear sometimes, you're such a square." She huffed and crossed her arms.
"Oh," Karasuma blushed slightly and pulled his wife to him. "Why didn't you just say so?"
Nearby, their students all sweat-dropped. "He's definitely Da Densest," they thought simultaneously.
At the opposite end of the car, a ginger woman was rising repeatedly on her tip-toes in an attempt to catch glimpses of her college-age associates.
"So, everyone in our team has paired up, how about we do the same?" Classified grinned at his shorter, orange-haired counterpart, draping his arm over her shoulders.
"In your dreams, Scott," Noriko glared up at him, removing his arm.
"Not even close," Classified smirked and chuckled.
"Why didn't you let me go to the other end of the train?"
"Oh, no reason," Classified whistled innocently, a bit too innocently. "If nothing else, it's entertaining to watch their interactions without you butting in sometimes."
"You're enjoying this way too much…" Noriko sighed and shook her head in defeat. "I'd say shipping them was creepy, but they're all legal, so it's just nosey. I still don't approve of relationships between colleagues though."
Classified gave her a grin that rivaled a Cheshire Cat's. "Don't they all look so cute though?"
Noriko rolled her eyes at her mentor and sighed. "So long as none of them get together."
"Too late for that!" Classified sniggered and pointed to Haven and Nagisa. "I believe those two are officially together."
"Welcome to Chicago, the Windy City. I'm Benny, your tour guide today." The boy in front of the group of two dozen tourists began to speak but he was abruptly interrupted by a substantial gasp.
"Benny? Is that really you?" Fia asked aloud, a little too audibly. She blushed as she tried to hide from the stares of the tourists around her.
"Fia? What are you doing here?" the boy wearing a blue and red Chicago shirt replied in surprise.
"Well… W-We're here on a v-vacation of sorts…" Scratching her cheek and averting her gaze, Fia sweatdropped.
"Why are you here, Benny?" Haven asked bluntly.
"I-I live in Chicago… I'm sure I told you that before…" Benny faltered.
"I guess I wasn't listening when you said that…"
Feeling awkward because of Benny's sudden reappearance, Nagisa rubbed the back of his head and attempted to discreetly move behind Karma and out of Benny's direct line of sight. Seeing Nagisa move, Haven hurriedly followed suit, albeit embarrassedly when she took her boyfriend's hand.
Karma sweat-dropped and turn to look at the pair. "What are you doing?"
"Hiding behind your wall of tall!" they hissed back.
Rolling his eyes, the taller redhead turned around, only to be leaned into by the Italian. "What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.
"Spaces mean penetrable places! We're a wall, after all," she replied simply with an earnest smile.
With an amused expression, Karma ruffled her hair and let his arm fall loosely around her shoulders. "How about inseparable instead of impenetrable?" he proposed, deciding to humor her.
"Hehe, sounds good to me." Fia giggled lightly when she was startled by a shout.
"YOU TWO ARE A COUPLE?!" Benny and Noriko exclaimed together.
"You're going out with HIM?" the tour guide asked incredulously, sending terrified glances at the redhead, who quirked an eyebrow at him.
Noriko placed her hands very firmly on Haven and Nagisa's shoulders as she looked between them and their clasped hands. "So, I hear you two are a couple," she said smoothly, her eyebrow twitching ever so obviously.
The auburn-haired girl pulled herself quickly away from Karma and put her hands up defensively. "N-No, we're n-nothing like th-that!"
"Yes, we are dating -" Nagisa began, throwing nervous looks between Noriko, Benny, and his other housemates.
"You got a problem with me?" Karma asked the flinching brunette with a toothy smirk.
"Is there a problem with it?" Haven inquired towards the stern-faced woman.
"I mean… Rebecca was spreading a lot of rumors about you getting into fights second semester… And the girls… She always has a lot to say about that too…" Benny rambled slightly. "And you didn't exactly give me the best first impression… What with you wielding a knife and all…"
Nagisa smiled and laughed dryly, a sweat bead rolling down his cheek. "And I don't think we're giving the best impression to these other tourists," he mumbled among the shouting.
"We could have been like that…" Fia sighed to herself, covering her reddening face with her hands. Completely embarrassed by all of the sudden attention, she yelled "I'm sorry!" and ran into the depths of the crowd.
Rolling his eyes, Karma shoved his hands in his pockets and left the rambling brunette standing there as he disappeared into the group of tourists.
Noriko's hands clenched on their shoulders, Haven and Nagisa were suddenly in the center of attention. Benny stared at the trio with a slightly hurt expression as he noticed the shorter two were holding hands. Abruptly, a bouncy blonde, clad in scandalously fashionable clothing, blocked his view.
"What's the holdup here?" she asked loudly, irritation evident in her voice.
"Wha?" Benny's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You're that theater teacher Fia had! The one that made her act like a little sister! What are you doing here?"
"I'm on vacation with my husband, you brat! Why aren't we preceding with the tour?" Jelavic declared.
From somewhere among the cluster of people came a strangled, startled squeak. "W-We don't t-talk about that! WAIT, WHO EVEN TOLD YOU - REBECCA." The voice made a strangled groan.
Benny flinched as a tall, muscular man suddenly came to loom over them.
"What are doing? And what are you wearing? We're here for work, not a vacation," the man said with a scowl.
"Travel is no excuse not to look devastatingly fashionable," she stated flatly.
"You stick out like a sore thumb - go change."
"What's wrong with a little style? We're here in the big city -"
"Come on, Irina. You're smarter than this. Please, change," he requested with a softer tone.
"You're such a square, Tadaomi… But if you're that worried about me…" She crossed her arms with a small huff and pink cheeks.
"Who cares what she's wearing! We have an itinerary, a schedule, a place to be! Let's get going!" Noriko screeched. She pulled a pressed pamphlet from her bag and waved it. "According to this, we should be at the John Hancock by now!"
"Calm down, Chihuahua," Classified finally came forward, wiping tears from his eyes and patting the orange haired girl on the head like a puppy with an amused, cheeky grin.
"I am NOT a chihuahua! My name is Noriko, Noriko Tachibana!" she shrieked in reply, her face turning red.
"Um… Well, a-as I was saying. My name is Benny -" Benny clapped his hands together "- your tour guide today."
Haven and Nagisa sat across from Fia and Karma in the flexible joint of the 60ft hybrid bus. Black eyes met with blue ones as Haven and Nagisa simultaneously sighed bitterly. While their feet dangled, Karma and Fia's feet seemed to rest comfortably against the floor.
Noticing their sour faces, Fia let out a strained laugh. "Well, I think you guys are lucky! You guys get to swing your legs and that's a lot of fun - I'll be quiet now." She sighed and shot a pleading glance up towards Karma, who avoided her gaze with a deft sigh. Blowing her hair out of her face with a huff, Fia's frustration took the form of an audible blubber lips.
Noriko gripped the bars on either side of the bus and faced her subordinates. "Well, that was an informative tour, wasn't it?"
A cloud of dread spread among the four seated passengers.
"It was interesting to say the least," Nagisa sighed, trying to break the silence. "Was it really a cow that started the Great Chicago Fire?"
"Isn't that their soccer team?" Fia asked absentmindedly.
"It's a legend… but I haven't heard any better theories," Haven replied as she swung her feet. "Speaking of hearing things, I heard a certain friend of mine asked a certain redhead out and was rejected."
Nagisa flinched, nearly falling out of his seat. "Wait, what? Fia, you asked Karma out? No, wait, Karma, you said 'no'? Wait, wait, wait. How did I not know about this? None of you three thought to tell me?"
Fia pulled her shirt collar up around her cherried face. "In our defense, we didn't tell anyone… At least I didn't." She stole a furtive glance at the annoyed-looking redhead.
"I was just informed myself," Haven held up her phone.
"It wasn't me. That damned blabbermouth," Karma muttered as he let his head fall back on the accordion-like wall of the bus.
Fia looked up to him in dismay. "How did she find out anyway…?"
"One less couple I have to worry about," Noriko muttered under her breath.
Four pairs of unamused eyes slunk towards the seemingly-satisfied woman.
Withholding a pained expression, Fia begrudgingly emerged from her turtle shell of a shirt. "I guess you're right, Ms. Tachibana…" She didn't catch the regretful pair of orange eyes gazing down at her.
"There is that saying that gingers are soulless… I'm now wondering if it's actually true," Haven's gaze kept switching between Karma and Noriko.
"What does that mean?!" Noriko scowled at the white-haired girl.
Karma eyed the glaring short girl. "Don't try to start this with me today. You'll regret it." He narrowed his eyes, purposefully missing the concerned gaze of the girl beside him.
"Today's as good as any other day." Coal eyes narrowed in response. "Why shouldn't I?"
"What would you know about my decision anyway? What do you care?" he spat back.
"I know many of them have hurt my best friend for months. Why wouldn't I care? I obviously care more than you seem to," Haven's onyx eyes glinted with fierce anger.
"I'm trying to do the right thing here, this time, so just drop it, alright?" Karma responded solemnly.
"This one hurt her the most, so I don't know what you're talking about by the 'right thing,'" her voice dripped with acid and was as cold as liquid nitrogen.
Casting a glance at Karma, glaring but frozen under Haven's sharp gaze, Fia sent a strained smile at all of her housemates. "Can we please just try to get along? This shouldn't be such a big deal. I-I'm fine…"
"It was bound to happen, Fia, as soon as Haven found out," Nagisa sighed.
"Hey, guys… Maybe we should, um… Drop this?" Noriko panicked.
"And what? Just drop it all together like Fia did, only to yell about it later?" Haven snapped.
"But," the girl protested, "I knew that it would upset you so I didn't want to say anything." Fia tried pleading her case to her friend. "I'm okay, really."
"Like hell, it's okay!" Have turned to her friend, "I've noticed how you've been sighing and refusing to meet the gaze of that guy! Moreover, do you think I'm okay? My best friend goes through this and doesn't tell me! I hear this from Rebecca, freaking gossipy Rebecca, a month later!"
"That goes for me too, Karma, Fia," Nagisa added. "I really thought that we were getting closer."
"We are! I mean, we were." Fia sighed exasperatedly. "But, Haven, I knew you'd be upset because you… You always looks like you have such disdain for Karma. I-I couldn't really believe that you would ever support us being together in the first place! It really hurt to think that you could never accept him as the one I… That I love!" She brought her hands to her temples as a pained expression wrought tears streaking down her face. "I… really didn't want to have to say that again…" Her eyes widened as a warm hand soothingly rubbed the back of hers for just a moment. She gave the boy next to her a fleeting, thankful glance and shut her eyes tightly, willing away the rest of her tears before turning to face her best friend again.
Haven's eyes flickered to their hands for a second before looking back at Fia. She hesitantly spoke softly, "Yes, I don't like the guy, but I had come to accept the fact that you liked him. I-I'm not that insensitive… I could have been there to listen at the very least. Maybe not before, but definitely after. And if not me, you could have gone to Nagisa."
Nagisa smiled ruefully at Karma. "I know you've always been guarded, I understand that even, but we've been friends since junior high and you didn't think you could tell me? Or at least tell me something was wrong? If not for your sake, Fia's? Ours?"
"I just thought it would be better for everyone if we could keep going on like everything was okay -" Fia began, casting cautious glances at Karma.
"You don't need to keep trying to defend me," Karma interjected sharply, "I don't need you to - I don't need you."
Dulling green eyes widened and tight-pressed lips grimaced as Fia flinched. "I was just trying to help but… But I guess I was just lying to myself." Fia brought her arms around herself with a bittersweet smile and moved to an empty seat at the front of the bus. Frustratedly punching the nearest metal pole, Karma cringed and abruptly made his way to the back-most seats.
"Shouldn't you two… Go talk to them?" Noriko suggested and sweatdropped as she saw the glare that statement received.
"Those two probably need their space right now…" Nagisa said with a weary smile.
Noriko nodded and headed over to the green ponytail she spied. She flopped down in the seat next to him.
"Should we contact Jelavic and Karasuma? I don't know how they handle those four…" the orange haired girl sighed.
"No. I don't think interrupting their briefing with the Japanese government would be a good idea."
"How long have you been here anyways?"
"Since the start."
"Why didn't you intervene?"
"Those children needed to get that out." Classified patted Noriko's head.
"Stop with the head patting already, Devon!"
"Not even close!" Classified chuckled hollowly. "Besides I have a plan to help everyone get along."
"You'll be locked in here in your hotel room until you each answer the questions with a satisfactory reply," Classified said smugly over the intercom.
"What is this madness?!" Noriko screeched.
"Team bonding! Think of this as the larger version of the get-along shirt~" he sang. "Be glad it is larger and roomier than an actual shirt. I was tempted to order one of those."
"Fine, but why aren't you, Jelavic, and Karasuma in here as well?"
"They're busy and, well… I'm classified, so you're not allowed to know my information."
"I'm gonna kill you, Kevin!"
"Close, but no cigar. First up, full name and age please!"
"How did you get metal sheeting on the windows already?!"
"Well, there goes our escape route… What if there's a fire?"
"That's not an answer," Classified replied. "I'll be the one asking the questions here. Let's get this over with so we don't have to deal with that."
"Noriko Tachibana, age 25. I know he once said I was only two years older than you guys, but that wasn't true."
"Wow, a whopping 2 years difference. Good to know," Karma scoffed.
"Tch, I graduated from college at your age," Noriko bragged.
"And there were people who graduated at 10," he replied with a shrug.
"I'm sure they weren't changing households every few years."
"Anyways, notice anything?" Classified called.
"About what?" Karma sighed as he took a seat on the floor and leaned against one of the beds. "That could mean just about anything. What? You mean the metal sheets on the windows and doors? The hidden microphones and the speakers that you've installed?" Karma pulled a microphone out from under the mattress as emphasis and twirled it around his fingers. "No, we didn't notice at all that we've been put in time-out like a bunch of kindergarteners and are being forced to 'talk it out' like that will solve all of our problems."
"At least it's a start," Nagisa replied. "We had to do something and sitting around and glaring at each other wasn't going to help anything. While I don't like the situation either, I think it could really help if we just try to make it work." Getting a grumpy but accepting look from Karma, Nagisa turned to look at Fia, who sat curled up on the bed and staring at the floor. He sighed and turned to see Haven springing into action.
As if by instinct, the white-haired girl felt for her pockets. Haven checked her phone first and placed it on the coffee table. Next, she got the iPod from her pocket, an expression of growing panic on her face. She checked her smartwatch and pulled a tablet from her bag, opening and placing it next to the phone on the table. Finally, she placed one side of the headphones around her neck on one of her ears and fiddled with the tablet.
"What did you do, Classified? No Wifi, Bluetooth is acting up, not even cellular service!"
"It's so you don't just blow this off. Let's get this over with and I'll turn off the signal jammers."
"Fine! Haven Lee, age… 20," the girl pouted in front of her small pile of toys.
Nagisa looked between the brooding pair with a sigh. "I'm Nagisa Shiota, 21."
Fia's head suddenly snapped up. "Wait… You're 21?" she asked incredulously. "Sorry, I just… thought that you were only 2 months older than Haven… You just… didn't seem like the oldest…" she explained slowly. "And… Karma, you never corrected me." She pouted protestingly.
Without moving his gaze away from the ceiling, the redhead shrugged. "I thought it was cute how excited you got," he mumbled.
Unsure of how to respond, Fia laughed dryly. "I guess I should have figured your age out earlier… Considering you drank with me on my birthday… H-Heh… Well, a-anyway, I'm Fiammetta Timo and I'm 21 years old."
"Is that really your last name though? I mean it's something else you've been keeping from me," Haven replied sourly.
Sighing heavily, Fia rested her head on her knees. "That's… That's my family's secret, not just mine…"
"Well, Fiammetta Timo is who you are now, right? It's a sufficient answer," Classified determined. "That only leaves you, Karma."
He sighed. "Karma Akabane. 21. I'd ask if we were done, but I suspect you have another question you want to ask, so spit it out already. We're not chat bots. If you're that desperate for conversation, why don't you go talk to Siri or something?"
Haven glared across the room. "Are you implying something, Akabane?"
After a slight pause, Karma locked eyes with the white-haired girl. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." Sighing, he turned his gaze towards the door. "Can we move on already?"
"Good job there! Getting along is good. See what putting aside your pride can do?" Classified called.
Karma clenched his fist as a resentful, vengeful smile and a burst blood vessel appeared on his shadow-covered face. He failed to hide the desire to kill in his hornet golden eyes. "Don't patronize me."
"No promises. Next question: What's your major or how did you become an agent? How did you get into it?"
"I'm going to be a teacher," Nagisa said earnestly. "I had a really great teacher who… saw the potential in us, despite the fact that no one believed in us, not even ourselves, what with our drop out mentality. But with him and Mr. Karasuma and Ms. Bitch on our sides, we actually got a taste of respect and saw that we could do anything we put our minds to - I wouldn't be the same without him. I don't think any of us would." He caught the gaze of the solemn redhead. "I just want to give the same opportunity and empowerment to other kids who might not have hope otherwise. There shouldn't be another 'End Class' out there."
"That's really sweet, Nagisa…" Fia said softly. "I never had a teacher like that. Especially after Felix died, I didn't really have any friends, anyone to support me or tell me that I was on the right track, really. I… Threw myself into studying and housework instead to cope. I always had a vague interest in art, history, and science, I brought out one of Felix's old chemistry kits. I don't know what compelled me, but I thought I would try one of the color change experiments. Maybe it was because Felix had always let me be his 'Little Executive Lab Assistant' before but more importantly it was the first thing to make me feel… something since his funeral. With my parents fighting, I showed my little siblings what I could do and… As they stopped crying and began to smile, eyes filled with wonder - It was like healing magic and I the fairy or grand sorceress."
"But they're older now," Karma pointed out. "That the only thing motivating you to major in chemistry?"
"No…" Fia replied with a slight pout. "After that, I read up on how the reaction actually worked. Bonding and reactions became fun puzzles for me," she mused, giggling softly. "And I actually had a bit of wonder back in my life. Now I'm studying biochemistry in hopes that I can made medicines that help and heal people for real. I guess I never grew out of my fairy wings…"
"You could always put on a witch's hat and give me some of those shady concoctions~" Karma proposed suggestively.
"As if!" Fia threw a pillow at the smirking prankster, who turned just in time to get a face full of down. "In your dreams!"
"Speaking of, care to answer the question, Karma?"
Wearing an unamused expression, Karma pulled the pillow, going limp under his intense stare, away from his face. "Well, I'm aiming to be an economy politician, a bureaucrat so to speak." He gingerly rubbed the back of his neck. "I just respect what they do to defend the country, and, if politicians are devils, just wait until I join their ranks~. I'll have my own personal piggy bank~."
Haven sighed at Karma's devilish grin and began to answer the question. "As for how I got into coding, nine words: bored teenager with too much time on her hands. As for getting on this mission, originally, Fia and I were being blackmailed into helping because I blew the boys' cover. I'd been hacking government offices before this and even had a few job offers from CIA, FBI, and the likes, so I made a deal. I'd help on this mission and get a job for my troubles."
Nagisa smiled wryly at the white-haired girl sitting with her non-functioning technology sprawled out in front of her in an organized manner. "I can't say I'm surprised, Haven, but why coding? A bored teenager can get into anything so, of all the things you could have gotten interested in, why coding?"
"It was the easiest for me to access. There were tons of computers at my school and one at Aunt Joy's house, which is where I spent most of my time after school. Also, I could carry my code with me wherever I went using a USB drive or my own laptop once I got one," Haven shrugged. "Not to mention, it was inexpensive."
"I graduated from high school a year early. Then, I went to a military academy, mainly because the government paid for it all. Then I got scouted and recruited by the CIA. I was scouted by Professor Larry Von Heckle. That was not his actual name, though. I'm still trying to figure that out. He said I could if I paired up with him. Right, Larry?"
"I've already told you that's not my name," Classified's chuckle rang through the room. "And I deem the answer unsatisfactory."
"Fine. The reason I accepted was because when an agent dies in the line of duty, two funerals are held: one for other members of the force and another for civilians who knew the agent, like their family members or other friends. I will only have the former service though and maybe a few people will show up in that room to mourn my passing. But at the other one, the one for family, probably will not happen. Keeping state secrets, spying, doing dangerous jobs, it all has to be done. But the work is unsavory. They're jobs that make family members worry. I don't have parents or siblings waiting for me to come home for the holidays, so I can do my job without worrying about how my death will affect others."
"I'll give you the liberty of knowing my answer to this question. I was the oddball of the family… Kinda. While the other members of my generation were becoming admirals and generals, I took the more classified route," the voice paused and three in the room groaned at the really bad pun. "Why you ask? Because I get more freedom this way. I don't have to wear a uniform or go to flag raising ceremonies and the like. Plus the higher ups don't have complete hissy fits when I go protocol-shmotocol!"
"Now, say one bad thing and two good things about each of your teammates."
Sighing softly at his teammates' silence, Nagisa spoke up first. "Well, Karma, I've known you the longest so… I've always really admired how cunning and intelligent you are. You did graduate at the top of our class!" Nagisa began cheerfully. "Except… You also use your talents to torture the rest of us and blew off class for most of the year… " He sweat-dropped. "But I know you actually work really hard for what you want! I've… always been a little jealous of your physical and mental abilities.
"Except he uses that strength to start petty fights!" Haven commented.
"That's hysterical coming from you, your royal pettiness." Karma stuck his tongue out at her with a snide look.
"What's that supposed to mean, Akabane?!" the white-haired girl arched an eyebrow.
The entire room sweat-dropped and turned to look at each other, murmuring in agreement: "Haven is petty."
"Well, at least I didn't let my pride get the best of me when I was afraid to ask out the person I liked!" she spat.
Quelling his simmering anger, Karma took a deep breath. "I'm not so prideful to admit I was wrong to do that, and that I regret every moment of that." He caught the eyes of each of his housemates individually. "And I'm sorry," he said slowly, "to all of you."
"Well, do you two have anything positive to say about the other?" Noriko smiled nervously at the two.
Sighing, Karma put his arms behind his head. "Well… About then… Your pranks - You've got ingenuity, and I respect your mad hacking skills. I'd have to be blind not to recognize at least that."
"And, Karma, as much as I hate to admit it, you're not that bad yourself… Um… Well… I appreciate how much you have been helping Fia… up until recently anyways. And you're very clever as well. Those pranks at Halloween were really good. And well… when you apply yourself, you can be extremely dedicated." Haven replied begrudgingly.
Karma nodded slightly and turned to look at his bluenette friend. "Nagisa, I think you could use a little help speaking up for yourself sometimes, but I admire your innate talent in assassination and… how supportive and open you are with your friends."
"You are a bit too neutral at times," Haven nodded her head. "And I haven't really seen your work as an assassin, but I do agree that you're really supportive of all of us and you tolerate all of our bickering really well."
"And there's the fact that he looks like a girl. It's really useful in our line of work," Karma smirked.
"I can see how that could be advantageous," Haven nodded her head slowly. "Have you ever used it to for a job before?"
"Well, there were those two times with Norita-kun…" Karma began, smiling.
"W-Why did you have to bring that up?" Nagisa exclaimed. "I thought we were over that!" His cheeks burned scarlet and he scowled unhappily at the redhead.
"You should be proud. It's a well known fact that being androgynous is an asset in this field of work. Who was Norita-kun? Was he a difficult target?" Noriko asked.
Nagisa sweatdropped. "I haven't used it for any actual missions…" The boy then turned back to the redhead, "And why bring up Norita-kun? That happened in middle school!"
"Well, it makes stealing your clothes easier," Haven mumbled softly enough that only Nagisa could hear. A dusting of red settled on the cheeks of the boy next to her.
"Is that where all of my hoodies disappeared to?" He whispered back. The girl next to him turned scarlet in response and Nagisa chuckled softly at the obvious confirmation.
Suddenly, Noriko walked across the room and sat between them.
"Was that really necessary?" Haven pouted as the three of them were squashed on a couch meant for two.
Nagisa smiled ruefully. "Um… Ms. Tachibana…" he started carefully. "Why did you suddenly sit here, between us, on the couch? There was plenty of room on the other seat. It's not that we don't want you here," he attempted, "but a little space would be nice."
"Yes. Space would be nice. Nagisa, go sit somewhere else," the older woman replied and tried to shove the boy off the couch.
"Why should he?" Haven protested, "He was sitting there before you were! Why do you keep trying to get between us?"
Noriko looked at the two with confusion.
"You're being a cock block and those two don't appreciate it," Karma explained, a very bored expression gracing his devastatingly handsome face.
"Well, romantic relationships between coworkers is a bad idea, especially in this line of work, it can become a setback."
"We still don't appreciate it, Ms. Tachibana," Nagisa pointed out. "Going with our prompt… While I understand your point, the way you go about things can be a little overbearing," Nagisa said slowly.
"Not to mention you're always screaming in our ears," Karma added.
"You deserved it this morning -" Noriko protested.
The redhead put his hands up in defense. "Even so. We can't get much done with you always screeching. We're not deaf, but you might make us that way."
Nagisa turned to face the stern-faced woman with sincerity. "I respect your dedication to your job and your responsibility and organization but -"
"You can be a bit bossy," Haven finished bluntly.
Karma shrugged. "You're great at your job, but we're pretty good at ours too. Point is, we can't do our jobs if you keep treating us like your other underlings."
"We're a team," Nagisa explained, trying to be helpful. "We just want to act like one. So… Can we maybe call you Noriko instead of Ms. Tachibana? It might help."
"I don't screech and I don't talk down to you either - nor am I bossy! Now, let's get this over with! I have important matters to deal with. Fia, do some talking!" the orange haired lady screeched. In response, the four other people in the room gave her pointed looks. "Very well… You might have a point. You can call me by my first name and I will work on being less bossy," Noriko said, relenting, "but I'm still not alright with a relationship between co-workers!" she added.
"Well, it's progress," Nagisa admitted with a small smile.
"Is that all?" Noriko inquired impatiently.
"And maybe you could lighten up and learn to have some fun once in awhile," Classified added. "Your seriousness is seriously suffocating sometimes.
Irritatedly ignoring Classified, Noriko turned to face her teammates. "Well, thank you for the… erm, review. I shall do the same for you."
"I'll critique Shiota first. Most of what I had to say has already been said. What I will add to that is your note-taking skills are extraordinary. The notes you gave me from when Lee and Timo were turned into children were extremely detailed and well organized. Your meticulousness and observance would make a good scientist."
"And Lee, you're easily offended… a bit too easily, especially when the criticisms come from Akabane. You also seem very independent, which can be a good thing. You don't have to rely on others to get things done. However, you seem to forget that it's okay to get help from others when you really need it, like on the CTA today. You are obviously very intelligent though."
"Akabane, you definitely seem like a troublemaker and your behavior is sometimes rash and childish. But although it's not apparent to everyone, you care for your friends, including Haven."
"Why do you think that? You've barely met me and I'm sure my reputation precedes me." Karma shot the woman a critical glance.
"It's easy. You protected Fia from the perverts on the CTA even though you two had a falling out, and you let Haven and Nagisa hide behind you during the tour," Noriko swiftly replied.
"I've known Nagisa since middle school. Haven just happened to be there as well," the redhead commented as he looked up at the ceiling with a bored expression.
"Not for the entire tour. Sometimes only Haven was hiding behind you and you knew it," Noriko replied.
The boy stared at Noriko with darkening cheeks, a scowl, and a little bit of newfound respect. Damn, her observational skills were on par with Nagisa's, maybe even better. He would need to take care not to underestimate the ginger-haired woman again. Caught up in a swirl of thoughts, he didn't notice the surprised look the girl next to Noriko sent him.
"Finally, Timo, you try to always be the peacekeeper. While this is usually a good thing, especially with your explosive friends, withholding information is not the answer. It'll just hurt someone later. You are very compassionate though and usually act for the good of others before acting for yourself."
"So, Fia, you haven't talked much. Do you have anything to add to the discussion?" Classified called.
From where she was sitting on the bed, her eyes raised from their spot on the floor with absolute agitation. Stubbornly, she turned her head the other way.
Knowing just how stubborn the Italian could be, the other four exchanged glances. Their gazes finally set on Haven, who shook her head with a mixture of anger and knowing that at the moment she would be unable to get her friend to open up. Three sets of eyes, one begrudgingly, landed on the redhead.
Karma rose to his feet and flopped down on the bed beside the scowling female. Yawning loudly, he stretched out his arms and legs, purposefully getting into her personal space, which she responded to with a look of disdain. She tried to ignore him, but he persisted with a few pokes to her side and face and laughed when she tried to resist him with flustered sissy-slaps.
"WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT?!" Fia snapped.
"I can't," Karma replied, feigning a hurt look. He held up his hand for her to see. "You gotta understand, I hurt my hand earlier today when I was being stupid… And only you can fix it." He smiled softly and sat up. "So how about it?"
Hesitantly, Fia walked over to her bag and pulled out a first-aid kit before shuffling back over to Karma with a sigh. Taking a seat beside him and pulling his hand into her lap, Fia began to treat him.
Suddenly, her hands began to tremble and Fia grabbed the redhead by his shoulders before shaking him aggressively. "YOU'RE SUCH A FOTTUTO IDIOTA (Fucking idiot!)! Why the heck would you punch a metal pole?! Bastardo (Bastard,), are you trying to break your hand? You're so stupid you-you idiot! You jerk! You complete asshole! Perché ho messo su con te? (Why do I put up with you?) Huh?" Fia began frustratedly hitting Karma with a pillow, sending feathers flying around the room. "Am I supposed to forgive you just because you hurt yourself?" she demanded as she threw the pillow at him with a final huff. "A fanabla! (To hell!)"
Karma ran his fingers along the back of his hand that had been so gingerly tended to despite the Italian girl's emotional outburst. He sat back with a rueful smile - at least he had managed to provoke her into talking - well, yelling. While her words did sting, they were nothing he wasn't used to hearing already, and anything was better than watching the girl isolate herself again.
"Am I supposed to forgive someone as prideful and disrespectful as you? With all your friggin' violent tendencies? Che cazzo. (The fuck.) Not to mention all those stupid pranks you pull? You think I like being the butt of your sadistic jokes? Or to be teased? I have a damn name that isn't tsundere or chubby or stutters or pouty!" Fia's lip quivered as she caught the redhead's citric eyes. "And you know what else?" she asked in a wavering voice.
"I'm the idiot who's already forgiven your stupid self…" Fia admitted, tears ensuing a game of tag down her sloping cheeks. "Because you're teasing is… actually kind of fun… And that dumb sharp tongue of yours has… encouraged me to be myself more than anything else… And while you're wise-cracking makes it impossible for me to win a debate with you, your wit makes me laugh so much… Every day with you… is a day I feel… alive."
"And I respect that you follow your own way of being rather than conforming to anyone else, even if that does make you a bit difficult to be around sometimes. You've got your own values and ambitions, but you still stand up for the little guy - and we little guys need that sometimes," she giggled quietly. "You can be a little rough, but I feel safest when I'm with you. It's not the most obvious, but you're really helpful and sweet and… I'm sorry for yelling…"
Karma chuckled as he removed one of the feathers covering her her hair like powdered snow. "Well, can't say I didn't deserve it. At least we got our chatterbox back~."
Pouting with puffy cheeks, Fia gave him an unamused look. Slowly, her hand gripped the edge of the sheets. "You know what? TAKE THIS! YOU'RE SUCH A JERK!" Fia pushed the unsuspecting redhead over and threw the blankets over him. Laughter began to take hold of her as she tried to make a sushi roll out of Karma's struggling form.
He peeled back the edge of the blanket with an unamused smile and a pronounced blood vessel. "Your thyme is up, Timo~," he called threateningly.
She dead-panned. "Say that again!" Fia dared him. "Karma, Karma and I will pay you back dearly for that later!" She squeaked as Karma turned the tables on her and rolled her up in the blankets with a sadistic smile.
"You're going to do what now?" He sat on the Fia roll. "Aw, a cute little cannoli crushed under the weight of her own stupidity~."
"Who are you calling stupid, stupid? Fight me, cherry pop! Fight me!" She roared as she wriggled around in her cotton cocoon. "You're so mean!"
"Could you two please stop playing in the bed," Noriko huffed, brushing some feathers off of her shoulders. "You need to critique your other teammates as well."
Karma immediately pulled his hands away from the cannoli in surprise, but his movement sent her rolling down the bed.
"Ack! Well…" Fia began as she fell flatly onto the floor. She sat up with a whine and a throbbing lump forming on her forehead. Slowly, she peered at the faces of her companions and turned towards Karma with a scared expression.
Relenting, he dropped a light hand on her head. "Fia, you can be a bit air-headed, whiny, stubborn, overbearing, overprotective, and overall hard to deal with, stutters -" Karma began with a laugh. With every one of his words her pout jutted out just a fraction more. "But you're also… a sweet, genuinely caring person. And sometimes I wish I could be as honest as you."
Fia sighed, there was obviously no backing out now. "Nagisa, as Noriko said, I think it's great how studious you are but I… agree with Haven… I appreciate how supportive you are and how you go out of your way to be helpful. If anything, I think that you could… Like me… Stand to speak up more," she explained carefully.
"Noriko, I do agree with Karma… You can be a little bit shrill," Fia started, "although I know I sometimes yell a lot too, but I think it's great that you're so… fastidious and are willing to sacrifice for what you deem a worthy cause. Still, if you were to die, there would be people who would miss you… including us."
"And… Haven." Fia forced a shaky deep breath. "To be honest, Haven… You can be a little childish and temperamental, especially when you're feeling self-righteous. But… You're loyal - you've always supported me, and I'm sorry that I didn't realize that sooner."
"Fia… I'm going to be blunt," Haven replied.
"Aren't you always blunt?"
"Fine… Blunter than usual. You… you're over sensitive. You react to almost everything and you make so many puns… especially when you're with Earnest. But you're very patient and put up with all of the crud I do, which I'm thankful for because, I won't lie, I put you through a lot. And you're really sympathetic and think of others' feelings all the time, and I'm sorry for not thinking about why you kept that information from me before I called you out for it," Haven apologized.
"Oh goody. You two finally made up," Classified audibly smirked.
"And, Ned," a throbbing blood vein appeared on Noriko's forehead, "You're annoying and stubborn and cheeky and don't follow protocol and do whatever you want without thinking and you're way too secretive!"
"They call me 'Ned'," Classified sang, "They call me Devon. They call me 'him'. They call me 'Scott.' That's not my name, that's not my name, that's not my name. They call me 'Classified'..."
"Please stop! I hate that song," Haven interrupted his serenading, his forced solo concert. "I agree with Noriko. You're way too care free but at least you get your job done."
The other three in the room sweatdropped.
"We're almost done! Final question: Do you want to stay on this team?" Classified asked.
"Definitely," Haven and Noriko replied fiercely.
"Of course!" the pigtailed bluenette added cheerfully.
"Sure," Karma said, shrugging his shoulder with a lazy smile. "It's not like me to quit halfway and I have nothing better to do~. Where's the fun in leaving?"
Fia put on a small smile. "Yeah, I do…"
"Good job! You're all getting along now!" Classified called cheerfully.
"Shut up, Tony!" Noriko yelled and turned on the housemates. "And you four, put your stuff away! Boys, that means moving your stuff to the other room and then helping us clean up this mess!" She kicked a pillow near her foot.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Karma asked as he looked at the other three and picked up a cushion.
"PILLOW FIGHT!"
"A what?!" Noriko asked before she was bombarded with fluffy projectiles.
Left Brain: Noriko, it was kind of hypocritical of you to say that withholding information is not the answer. You're a CIA agent after all.
Karma: What's with the "his devastatingly handsome face," Left Brain? It's not like you to say that about me.
Left Brain: I was tired!
Right Brain: But it's true~ (o/3/o)
Haven: You may hold that opinion, but I hold a different one. Nagisa's much better looking. (blushie blushie kawaii desu)
Fia: (beginning to blush) I'm… With Right Brain on this one… (mumble mumble)
Left Brain: So, we've devolved into a battle between which is better looking… Well, I'm on Team Classified.
Noriko: As am I.
Classified: Well, I'm team flattered!
Fia: (surprised) Well… I won't disagree. Classified, you do have your own charm.
Jelavic: What about this guy? (points to Karasuma)
(awkward silence)
Left Brain: I mean, he's definitely a type, but not mine…
Karasuma and Nagisa: Can we please change topics!
Left Brain: Ok. So, Noriko, I heard that was your first pillow fight.
Noriko: So what if it was? (blushing)
Nagisa: Well, did you least least have fun?
Noriko: It was definitely a new experience and it was not completely unenjoyable.
Narrator: This chapter should have been posted so many weeks ago!
Left Brain: Sorry. (shrugs) Collaborating over long distances isn't easy. Speaking of so many weeks ago, Happy Belated Birthday to me!
Right Brain: (huffs) THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS! I wanted to be the one to do that (T^T) Who wishes herself a happy belated birthday?
Left Brain: Um… me?
Narrator: Well… do you want us to sing Happy Birthday or something?
Left Brain: NO! To quote Haven, "I don't see the appeal in celebrating one's birthday. One's worth is not gauged by one's age and quite frankly, it gets more and more depressing to celebrate the older you get."
Narrator: Well… onto the preview then. Next time, the great eight explore Chicago.
