Hey guys, new chapter here!
I decided to go 'fuck it!' and went and combined both Aiden and Ivan's chapters together! In comparison to the girls, their pasts aren't as, well, um... plot-important, I guess, but still relevant. As I wrote many chapters back, none of them are normal humans. This will briefly hint at what these two have to hide. Also, prepare for some funny stuff, hopefully, and enjoy the chapter while I plan the next part of this little mini arc!
Enjoy!
Chapter 72 - Boy Time
"You know, this is something we should be doing more often."
"I concur."
Nico, Aiden and Ivan sat together on a log, facing a fire while roasting marshmallows. The two boys were doing this, while Nico was abstaining thanks to his condition. Both boys knew this of course, so they went and did the considerate thing by providing him with a Nose clip for him to use to block the smells from entering said sensory area. It was something they had gotten him when they'd found out his secret during two separate occasions.
After getting to this spot and setting up camp, Nico got informed by Aiden that he and Ivan would head out to hunt some animals for dinner. It was during that time that Raven had called him in to discuss with him what he had found about that Abnormal, the Susanoo. Though, it soon lead to them reminiscing about old times together instead, having a civil conversation with each other which was something Nico honestly missed. He liked having his chatting partner around, she was always good for some good conversation. Though, he probably figured that she had made him an exception from other men and had thus learned to tolerate him better.
That ice cold gaze she had...
The way she seemed so silent, yet graceful like a calm, gentle snowfall...
Yet, with the potential to turn into a snowstorm at the slightest provocation.
Nico had to admit, that Raven indeed had a beauty that very few others.
She had a special nickname that she was known for aside from her title as a Spec Ops Agent. A title that he found quite endearing more than SAMURAI. That nickname: Maiden of Winter. Honestly, he found it quite endearing, wonderful... maybe, even gorgeous.
Right now the three boys, were having some guy time for once. Nico appreciated this time they spent together since he was around girls a lot these days. They were great and all, but Nico would happily admit that he'd like to spend time with members of his own gender every once in a while. Though, considering his distaste for his gender, options for hanging out with them were limited. That was why he was so grateful to have these two at least, they knew his secret and helped him out when they could. Even if they didn't see each other often due to their job occupations, this was something that they would try to do whenever they got the chance.
"I think the last time that we got to do this together, was um… hmmm… oh yes!" The male blinked several times, trying to think of when they had some guy time last. As in, without Raven, Lucy or any source of femininity. After a moment though, he figured it out in a flash of remembrance. "That time with the Los Plagas."
The other boys frowned at that, remembering that particular mission. This happened before the time when Team RAIL was formed, when they were each chosen to help another Agent rescue a businessman's daughter from being held hostage by this religious cult called 'Los Illuminados'. It was located within a desolate village in one of the south eastern regions of Planeptune, and it was one of the murkiest places they had ever been to. Turned out though that the entire cult, along with the villagers there, had been taken over by this special parasitic species of BOW's, called 'Las Plagas'.
These things, while classified as BOW's by the Guild, weren't actually related to Umbrella, Lastation or any of that crap. They were simply a dormant species of Parasites which were discovered by the Los Illuminados Cult, whom then studied them and awoke them from their slumber. Now, they were almost as common as the Abnormals in Planeptune, but they remained solely within their Nation.
Though, there have been rare times when they were seen in separate nations, as well…
"Ah yes, that mission." Ivan remarked, humming thoughtfully. He let a frown escape his lips, his Mask lowered and goggles on his forehead. "They say that Spec Ops see some pretty nasty shit in their lives, but they just don't realise just what kind of shit we actually see." He gave a shudder, memories playing through his mind about that mission. "Those Regenerators really give me the creeps."
Aiden looked over towards his colleague, his right brow raised. Like his colleague, he too had his face completely exposed, his Goggles raised onto his forehead. This was one of their rare peaceful times, so it stood to reason that he could calm down a bit. "Wasn't that the time you tried to hit on the client's daughter the moment we rescued her from them?"
To his credit, Ivan did his best to not look totally shocked when the teen turned his head to look at him so fast Nico thought his neck might snap. "Hey! She was hot, alright?! You know that, don't think I didn't notice you checking her out!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger dramatically at him.
The other boy showed no facial expressions as he responded. "In reality, I was looking at the damage she had sustained. She had moderate injuries from fleeing the Los Plaga, I'll have you remember."
Hearing that snapped Ivan out of it, and it made him pout in annoyance as a result. "Tch, this is why you haven't gotten laid yet…"
"To my memory, neither have you."
"Shhh! Don't say out loud! My manly pride'll take a hit!"
Nico watched this with a sweat drop. Really, these two were meant for each other, and not in a homosexual way. Ivan had more than once readily, and proudly he might add, proclaimed his love for the female body. Even though he himself had never even touched or even kissed a girl before now, surprisingly enough. Yeah, that's right, Ivan had still got his V card, same with Aiden. Though, the former made no effort to hide how sad he was about that. He always did want to have a girlfriend, and some people even assumed that Ivan wasn't that unpopular with the ladies…
But well, they'd be wrong.
Nico proved this when he gave one of his own comments. "But, I'm sure that, if you want a girl that badly, you could check out that one Guild Agent we encountered the following Mission. I think she was eyeing you a bit too intently for a mere acquaintance." He said, a sly smirk slowly spreading.
His attempts succeeded though, much to his satisfaction as Ivan's face lit up into a literal flame. Like, really, his face went up in a poof of smoke that faded away later, revealing an entire red-faced Ivan. "Abababababababababababababa! Abababababababababababababa! Abababababababababababababa! Abababababababababababababa!" He got himself shaking on his spot on the log while his mouth opened and closed without his control. One could say that he was a human vibrator.
If Nico wasn't enough, Aiden just HAD to add in his own teasing. He even had his own lips upturned slightly, the closest thing to a smirk from someone like him. "Then, you met that Maker afterwards and she talked to you, remember? What was her name, wasn't it F-"
Ivan's face soon snapped out of his stupor while he angrily turned to glare at his comrades. His face was so comically red that the other two boys had to strain themselves to stop their laughter from escaping. "HEY! Hey-hey-hey-hey! Stop that, that was embarrassing or me, goddess damnit!" He shouted at them, making their efforts much harder. Now, while Ivan would sometimes whine and moan about how Nico seems to attract attention from the ladies, There have been cases where Ivan or Aiden got some eyes drawn to them. Poor guy got flustered as hell when he got flirted with, similar to Nico in a way, which only made him more desirable in their eyes.
Once the two calmed down, Nico decided to continue their conversation. "Anyways, I heard that after we rescued her, Ashley convinced her father to help support the Spec Ops Program by giving it funding and resources that his company acquired. Those materials had been a huge help in developing some of our newer tech, according to what mom told me." The teen remarked, thoughtfully.
"Really?" Ivan questioned, tilting his head in his direction while they listened to him. "ou can handle that complicated stuff, its not really my cup of tea." Ivan stated, waving a dismissive hand in Nico's direction.
Glancing towards his friend, Aiden sighed at his simple-mindedness. Though, he honestly couldn't disagree with the guy. He and Ivan weren't that close to the Guild's Weapons Development Department, so they didn't know its finer workings like Nico did. Still though, they could appreciate the favour that Ashley had done for them, more support for the Spec Ops Program would be welcomed any day of the week in their eyes.
The less discrimination against it, the better.
"This whole 'Spec Ops Program = heresy' thing in Leanbox gets old real fast, you know?" Ivan whined, leaning back with his hands on the log for support. He looked up at the skies above, and while it was close to mid-day according to their estimates, the other two didn't doubt that Ivan couldn't see the stars. "I mean, look at what it's done for us, its helped us survive a little longer, even helped us push the Abnormals back."
Aiden nodded his head in agreement. "Agreed. Fighting amongst ourselves for religious reasons is pointless, especially when the enemy is constantly on our doorstep." He stated, getting confirming hums from the other two. He too disagreed with the prejudice against t, but it wasn't like they could do anything to change the minds of a majority in Gamindustri's population. After all, humanity may be guided by the CPUs, but they still held the ability to form their own beliefs, their own ideals. That was something that was considered both a positive and negative aspect of their lives. Though, it was something the trio had come to terms with a long time ago.
"Though, I guess its not all bad." Ivan remarked, a hand on his chin as a lighter look seemed to take over the dark one he had when thinking about the… precarious situation the Program was in. There was always a silver lining to every problem, one just had to focus on finding it. Good thing that he did that a lot in Team RAIL, otherwise they'd be thick in depression. "I mean, we're still being backed up by a LOT of powerful people in the governing world, so they must obviously see that the Program has its merits. My guess is, that someday…" he lifted his arm to the air and made a fist, as if he were trying to crush the sky into his grip. "We'll be remembered as people who made a difference. One could say we're the reluctant heroes of this fairy tale."
At the mention of heroes, Nico scowled, his eyes shining with distaste for the notion. "Hell no! We're not HEROES." The male spat vehemently, anger laced within his words like poison as he shook his head wildly. The very notion that people like them, people like HIM, were heroes made Nico want to smash everything into a crater. "If we were the 'heroes' you said we were, then we'd be way more popular than we are now. We'd also be appalled by the shit we have to do on a daily basis. If anything, we're the monsters here, not the creatures we fight. To rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity."
Aiden glanced over to him when he spoke that last line. "Quoting that anime with the giant naked men that eat people, huh?" he remarked, before gazing back into the flames. His eyes flashed with remembrance, his face still in its monotone state. "I guess I ca see that… We do have to do some pretty messed up stuff for the sake of protecting our beliefs."
"Heeeeey!" Ivan grinned, although it wasn't a carefree one, and his eyes shined briefly with annoyance. "Quit ruining my hopes and dreams, why don't you?" While Ivan couldn't help but see the truth in their words, it made them no les hurtful to hear. It didn't get any better for them, thinking that way. He figured, or at least he hoped he did, that some positivity might make life seem less bleak than it really was.
Although, when he heard his last words in his retort, Ivan couldn't help but wince as Nico glared at him, the teen realising what a jerk move he had just placed right now. "Oh, uh…"
"Hopes and dreams, huh…?"
'Now he's done it, that idiot…!' the red haired teen thought in annoyance. Shaking his head at Ivan's idiocy, Nico then glanced over to the stoic male of the trio, his eyes flashing with concern thanks to his Armour's Helmet having been open to show his facial expressions. "Say, you alright dude? This trip probably isn't your favourite one, considering…" the teen began, trailing off when he glanced at the other boy's chest area. He remembered the Philosopher's stone incident, and while he wasn't directly part of it, Nico once saw what Aiden was like afterwards.
Normally, the teen was stoic and silent, not much of a social person, somewhat like Nico himself was. However, that mission changed him in a negative manner, all to do with that stone. His normal monotone only gained a cold iciness to it, his stare becoming so sharp that it could cut you to ribbons just by looking at them. These were the signs Nico had noticed that indicated that he was in a bad mood. He'd seen them many times ever since they first met, but that time was one of the worst.
Said teen showed a little more emotion this time, this being shown by how he gave a slightly pointed stare towards the other male. "I am fine. I got over it a long time ago." He stated, his tone retaining its usual monotone but there was a slight cold edge to it this time. It actually made the two have the urge to grimace hard.
"Alright then…"
That was what the DPU said unsurely, his tone clearly indicating how dissatisfied he was about the response. While Nico didn't like the idea of dropping the subject right now, the look in Aiden's eyes showed that he didn't want to talk about the philosopher's stone incident. In all honesty, Nico couldn't blame him, it wasn't something anyone should just go and brag in a bar to impress the ladies or anything like that. If anything, it should never have happened at all, but hey, that's the power of human greed for you.
Also, the teen knew what it was like to not want to talk about the past. Hell, he never liked talking about the past himself, just look at how long Lucy had to hound him before he began opening up to her.
However, while Nico decided to drop the subject, their other male companion had a completely different intent for the subject. "You sure, man? I mean, you don't look so…" Ivan began, but the glare that Aiden had on his face focused solely on him. It forced Ivan to clamp is mouth shut to prevent a frightened squeak from escaping his throat. Normally, Aiden was stoic, calm and composed in every situation. It was rare to see him actually worried, scared or angry. But, if one were to make them angry, they would have to prey someone like Raven or Lucy got to them first, because what Aiden would do to them would be far worse than anything they could come up with.
Period.
"Whoa, okay, okay! We're good, bro! We're good!" Ivan exclaimed, flailing his arms about so fast they were like blurs. Aiden made sure to eep his glare up for a few moments longer, he knew that in some cases Ivan would just say things to make people stop doing something that made him feel uncomfortable or something. He needed to make sure this was NOT one of those times, and that was why he held the glare for that extra set of moments. Eventually, the male recalled his glare and focused back on his marshmallows, getting a sigh of relief from the metallic-wearing teen.
The trio of boys soon lapses into an uncomfortable, awkward silence. It was thick, heavy and intense… with the undertone of 'if anyone says anything, heads will roll'. That was the type of sensation the two boys, Nico and Ivan, had gotten after opening THAT can of worms about Aiden's past. The guy never liked talking about his past very much, and for good reason. Not because it was particularly mind-scarring or anything like that, but there were moments that he would rather forget. Although, that was sometimes impossible, and this was one of those times.
As the trio stared into the flames that the campfire emitted, they listened to the soothing sounds of the embers as crackling sounds echoed from the flame. The sound of the mid-day wind blew though the area as gently as a mother caressing her child, ruffling their hair as the breeze past them. The flames flickered temporarily with the wind, before the breeze vanished, and these happenings stopped.
Mentally, Nico wished for something, anything, that could end this awkwardness he was feeling. He'd probably pull a Compa and give them a massive hug if they did. If that happened at all, though, it wasn't like he was lucky or anything…
'Nico, come into your Inner World. I need to talk to you. Face to face.'
'Okay what the heck?! I know my luck is abysmal, but hey! Well, I'm not complaining, anything to get out of this situation…' Nico thought, his eyes widening by a small fraction before they returned to normal. 'But I'm not exactly alone right now, so what about…'
'I'll take care of that myself. Anyways, this is indeed an urgent matter, it concerns your demonic powers. Come in here, quickly.'
Although Biko spoke with absolute calmness, Nico almost jumped at the level or urgency that he felt from the tone he used. Whatever it was, must be pretty big if it had his demon persona like this. Time to see what he wanted then. With that, Nico focused and was dragged into his inner world.
"Alright, good to see you here. Follow me, what I want to talk to you about is locate outside the Library."
Biko said this while floating away from Nico, the two being located within the desert section of his Inner World instead of the Coliseum. That was where he had been appearing normally, when they would do training for his DPU powers. But, the fact that this was not like those times was enough to put him on edge. In addition to that, Biko's aura may not look it, but Nico could tell, that there was something different about it in a way that most often wouldn't realise. It could only come with knowing someone for such a long time, but through it, Nico could sense a growing sense of confusion and unease within Biko's aura.
This confused the male greatly, since as far as he knew, there was little that could unnerve his demon persona other than things related to his condition or life-threatening situations. Now, before anyone were to say that Nico had been in plenty of those before and Biko hadn't shown much interest or emotion about it, Biko had a different sense of 'urgency' than him. In his eyes, those situations weren't that urgent, the ones that he found urgent were the ones against those Demons and that Ghoul, for reasons he'd already known.
Walking through the Desert, Nico noticed something off about the surroundings. Something that he decided to inquire about with his demon persona. "Hey Biko, is it just me, or is the desert gaining different shades of red?" he asked his sole company. The company that wouldn't try to get him six-foot under that is.
The reason he asked that, was because the crimson desert now had growing splotches of red on them, a red of a different shade that was slowly overlapping the previous shade. It almost looked like the two shades were fighting each other, in his eyes. It wasn't something that was natural though, of THAT he was certain.
His demon persona looked back at him for a moment, before turning his head back to where he was floating towards: The Library, which they could see as a vague silhouette in the distance. "It is not just you. These different shades represent the state your demonic power is in, as well as how much that those mines were able to restore it. I was able to make some calculations based off this development and have come to the conclusion, that by the time you return to the Capital, you will once again be able to wield Devil Arms."
Now THAT was something Nico liked to hear. His eyes widened in surprise briefly, before they returned to normal and a small, pleased smile formed on his features. "Awesome. Though I figured you didn't call me here to tell me that alone." His smile turned to a flat line when his seriousness returned. "Something else is bothering you, Biko. You can't hide that fact from me. Is this thing what you wanted to show me at the Library?"
"Indeed. It will be better if I show you, Come, we must not dally."
The Library: one of the many buildings in Nico's inner world that represented pieces of his personality. The Coliseum represented his desire for strength, according to what he remembered the first time coming here, so if he went by that logic, the Library would have something to do with knowledge.
Approaching the Structure, Nico looked upon it in surprise. It had the shape of a tall spire, at least about 30 stories tall with a pointed tip. It was charcoal black, with splotches of red here and there, and was slanted to the side. Like a great wind had blown it onto its side and it was still hanging on its last legs for support. Despite that, the building looked stable, and Adam couldn't see any signs of the building that indicated it would be coming down any time soon.
"I'm guessing that this place represents knowledge of some kind?"
Nico asked that while looking to his demon persona, who hovered beside him. It felt so strange looking up towards him like this, especially since he was supposed to be the one who was on 'top' as he called it. He was the 'King' according to it, but he didn't let it stop him from listening to Biko's advice. The guy was practically his mentor in a way, someone he could confide in when things got tough.
Biko glanced at him, staring into his eyes like his gaze could pierce his soul. "You are close, but your answer is not 100% accurate." He replied, before raising a clawed gauntlet and pointing towards the Library. "This Library does represent knowledge. However, it doesn't represent that in a general sense. What it does represent is YOUR knowledge, or rather, your memories. Everything you have seen, done and heard of is recorded inside that Library for you to look at any time. If you want a comparison, think of this building as a collection of memory banks your brain uses to store information." His eyes narrowed after he said this, and his voice oozed with seriousness with his next sentence. "However, I advise you stay away from it for the time being. Your memories are not completely whole thanks to your partial amnesia, and considering your mental state, going in there may just cause more damage."
Hearing that made a pang of disappointment explode within his gut. Nico had been hoping to use this place to figure out something about his forgotten memories, but if Biko said it was too dangerous for him to do so, then he'd listen to the guy. He'd never led him astray before, so this was hardly the time to start. "Alright. Anyways, what did you want… to… show… me?"
Slowly, Nico trailed off, his eyes widening and his jaw becoming unhinged from his face. There was something floating at the entrance to the Library, which looked like a wicked pair of double doors which had skeletons coming out of them, clothed in head bandages that covered one of their eyes. It was like they were the gates to hell itself and were opening to let him walk inside. Nico shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts, knowing that the REAL subject of attention should be focused on, not the Library.
'What… is this… thing…?'
That was his sole thought as he gazed upon th… thing, floating before the library's entrance. It looked like some sort of egg, now that he looked closely. However, Nico hadn't heard of any eggs that looked like they were pulsating hearts before. Oh yeah, that was what it looked like. The egg had the usual shape, but it had a crimson colour about it, with a black sinewy like exoskeleton around it, shaped almost like a hand tat was holding it from the base up. It also was pulsating as it floated within the close proximity to the Library's entrance. Not something one would expect to see everyday, seriously. Nico could only stare at the egg dubiously, before glancing over to his demon persona with eyes that basically said 'explain, with no bullshit'.
"It started after your transformation into Berserker Mode." With his usual no bullshit mannerisms, Biko promptly responded as he glanced to the egg. "I found it while I was recovering from the experience myself. I tried to see what it was, however I was unable to. Either it is blocking me, which is unlikely, or there is simply nothing there yet. My opinion is on the latter, as I have been sensing energy gathering within the creature this entire time."
The other male raised a brow at this information. "You didn't tell me this beforehand?"
In response, Biko shook his head. "I wanted to know what it was that we were dealing with, so I refrained from informing you. However, I have ascertained enough information to know enough to satisfy your curiosity, at least for the time being. In relations to this thing, whatever it is, we must keep an eye on it, because it is draining our energy faster than I would prefer. With the recent incident with Berserker mode, it would be wise to not take any chances."
On that, Nico could agree. While time passed since then, as it did he had already began remembering bits and pieces of what he had done in that mode. The most he could recall as the look of pure terror on that ghoul's face as his form overwhelmed and killed him in a brutal manner. But even so, that form… it resonated with him, it felt familiar to him, at least in the way he behaved.
It reminded him of something in the past… something Nico had almost forgotten.
"Hey, Biko…"
"Hm?"
"When I was in Berserker Mode, did my personality seem… off, to you? I mean, since you're me, you must know what I was once like, right?"
Biko hummed in thought as he pondered the boy's words. His eyes narrowed after a few minutes when he figured out where Nico was coming from. But how could he say this? If what he thought was correct, then this would be a very delicate situation for the boy. Something he wasn't sure Nico's mind could handle right now. Nevertheless, he decided to give his own opinion on the matter.
"I… am uncertain. It could have something to do with its primitive nature, But I am not fully confident that your previous self has anything to do with it. It would be wise not to ponder it too much, Nico…" Biko stated, noticing the look in Nico's eyes. He knew that look, the look of inner conflict raging within. That was the look that Nico was sporting right now, and he would never say that he liked it. Especially since he knew just WHY it was that Nico was feeling this way. "Do not ponder on what he said to you. It may lead to disastrous results…"
Nico paused, his troubled expression never fading as he regarded his demon persona. The conflict, born from what IT had told him when he was going Berserker playing constantly in his mind. And he didn't mean just then, it had always been thee, nagging at the back of his mind like an annoying brat that just wouldn't leave you alone. Was it right by what it said? Had he really gotten soft since meeting the girls?
Did they… really make him weaker?
Shaking his head, Nico decided to stop thinking about it for the time being. It wouldn't do to ponder on this while on an assignment, he rationalised, though even Nico could till that was just a way to stall for time. He'd always be thinking about it, even when he wasn't. He could almost hear that damned maniacal laughter of his as he exited his Inner World.
Coming out of there and back into reality didn't feel nearly as bad as it did before. In fact, Nico felt like throwing up when he returned. What the heck? Fortunately, the feeling passed, but he didn't like the feeling being there at all. Maybe that egg thing had something to do with it?
'Oh goddess…. Don't tell me that's what being pregnant is like for women…!'
A sudden, horrid thought entered his mind, and no matter how much he tried it wouldn't go away. His face became as pale as a ghost, while a cold chill went down his spine. If that was really the case, then his respect towards women just skyrocketed.
Fortunately, before he could descend into a full blown panic attack over the horrors of pregnancy, Nico noticed something that took away his fears for the time being: Ivan flinching. The teen did his hardest to suppress it, but he could tell by the way his face looked like it was trying to appear constipated, but failed miserably. "Dude, you alright?" Nico once again questioned, before his eyes wandered down to his Bionic arm. "Does it…?"
"Not much, but its honestly getting cranky lately." Ivan replied, grimacing as he held his Bionic arm by the shoulder, rolling it backwards as if trying to get it into the correct position after it got dislocated.
Only, this was much worse than that.
Both Nico and Aiden shared an equally worried glance towards one another when they watched Ivan summon a syringe filled with white liquid, a painkiller actually, and inject it into a spot in his Bionic right arm. The boy hissed for a brief moment, looking as if something was crushing his arm in a tight grip by how he held it. After a few seconds though, his form relaxed and a soft exhale escaped its lips.
"Yeah…" Ivan began when he noticed their looks. He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "You see, this thing's been getting more and more cranky with the demonic shit that we've dealt with recently. That stuff really agitates it in a way that hasn't happened since…" his eyes fell downcast as he glanced towards the ground at his feet. "Since the first time we met."
Nico winced, knowing exactly what the teen was implying. That arm had been a replacement for his original one, which got practically destroyed up to the shoulder when a monster attack caused his home to collapse on him, rubble burying his arm beneath it. When he was found and rescued by yours truly, he had to immediately rush him to the Guild, which was closer to him and the Hospital was booked full of patients, where they had to install this Bionic Arm to save his life. As well as Cybernetics to help him control the arm like a normal limb. Over the years he's had it though, Ivan's arm had gone though many 'upgrades' to make it more powerful, to the point where it was the primary weapon he used today.
Only, it came at a cost, a cost that was all too apparent when the boy first had his arm installed.
"Say..." Aiden began, getting their attention. "While we are here, I must inform of something me and CYBORG here found out a while back." Nico raised a brow, wondering what the other male was talking about while Ivan's eyebrows rose, realization flashing through his eyes. "While I was browsing through YouTube for anything interesting, like music, anime and manga..." Aiden brought out his Phone, activating the device and going onto his YouTube homepage. Aiden didn't look like it, but he had a good sense for music. He liked listening to songs that had beats to them, some of which being songs made by a YouTuber called Beth Crowley. Two of which were 'warrior' and 'Monster', both of which were honestly great cover songs.
Finally, the teen found what he was looking for... and when he showed it to Nico, his face lost all color, his eyes becoming pure white circles while his jaw fell open. "What... What the fuck?!" He shouted in shock, alarm and rage. However, in contrast, Aiden was blank-faced while Ivan was doing his best to conceal his snickers.
"It looks like someone recorded you singing while at a karaoke machine, posting it onto YouTube."
"Are you SHITTING me?! Are you really SHITTING me right now?!" Nico yelled, mimicking a certain YouTuber who played Mario Kart 8 and deluxe with his friends. Started with a D, his username, he couldn't remember. While he looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel, his entire face being beet red out of both shame and embarrassment just looked too adorable for them to think anything else. His head was literally steaming while his white eyes shook at the sight of the video of him singing with both Neptune and Compa as well as his solo song. His eyes briefly glanced at the view count, and that caused him even more shock.
800K views.
There were also quite a few comments, over 2000 of them. Some of the top comments were as follows:
LadyGH - Awwww, whose this handsome devil?! I wanna hear him sing some more!
LastationisthebestHD - Well, since this was shot in Lastation, I bet their shares will go through the roof! #Ojou-sama laugh#
WHITE-H of Lowee -... This guy's not bad.
NEP-OF-NEPPERS - Awwwwwwwww, Nicky's so cute when he sings! I wana just take him to my room and #CENSORED#
SHYNURSE56 - Its a little embarrassing... but I like it!
COMMENTATOR23 - This guy's voice makes me wet! I wanna have him!
CERBERUS 255 - ME TOO! LOL
'What the hell?! Who was it that posted this onto YouTube?! And why the hell did mom not delete it when she saw it?!'
Meanwhile, in the Guild's Weapons Development Department in Planeptune, Helen snickered to herself in her office. She lazily kicked the air between her feet and desk while watching the very same video of her adoptive son singing with a bunch of girls. She hummed to the songs they sung, loving the melodies that Nico had chosen, especially the emotionally heavy song Unravel.
"I bet Nicky-Nick's having a jolly time right now... surrounded by so many cute girls... I bet his walls are slowly tumbling down, then he'll get laid, and i'll finally have grandkids...!" She remarked thoughtfully, mirth laced in her tone as she gave a perverse giggle. She honestly sounded like a dirty old man when she giggled like that. "Now, I wonder how he'd react to knowing this? Well, he'd probably want it deleted, not liking attention and all... but if I know my Nicky-Nick, this'll help break him out of his shell! So I'll leave it as is! He looks like he's got some fans already, some of whom are in high positions of power if their usernames are any indication, hehehehe."
"Grrr! Goddamnit, that woman! She always tries things like this! Is she TRYING to ruin my image, my dignity?!"
"I see the problem, people will realize your identity a lot easier now that your face has been spread across the internet."
"Ugh, don't remind me!"
"They'll also try to monopolize the talent that only Raven and Lucy wanted to themselves. I sense a cat fight in the future."
"Urk!"
Isaac and Guts stood nearby, watching over the three boys as they conversed, while also having a conversation of their own."Looks like they're having fun..." Isaac remarked, sweat dropping while he chuckled in amusement at the sight of the normally calm DEATHSTROKE freaking out like a highschool girl whose secret crush learned of her feelings. "So, what do you think of them so far, Guts? People you'd say you could get along with?" Isaac asked his colleague, who was looking towards the boys with a focused gaze.
"… All of them smell like they've encountered demons."
That was his blunt response, showing nothing that could indicate what he was thinking inside that head of his.
Though he kind of expected this, Isaac still couldn't help but frown. Neither wore headwear right now, so their expressions were fully shown. "Coma on, man." He urged, putting a hands on Guts' shoulder. His colleague however, stopped him with a fierce glare, one that could put bulls on a blood rage into submission. It succeeded in making Isaac retract his hand though, with a slight skip in his step. "Whoa, geez!" he exclaimed, before exhaling and calming down. "Sorry about that, forgot you don't like being touched. Anyways, you know that someday I won't be around to keep you from getting yourself killed out there, so its good to have at least some people you can trust."
This was a problem that Guts had, a problem Isaac had been trying to correct for a while now. The fact that the man was a loner wasn't an issue to Isaac. Not one bit, actually. It was the fact that he refused to work with any other Agent beside him. It honestly worried the man, as there could come a time where he would be defeated or killed in action while out in the field. Then, Guts would have nobody to trust, and that was NOT something he wanted to happen to his friend.
Not to mention his beautiful wife would be devastated if and when he got axed…
The larger man glared at him for a brief moment, before he finally calmed himself down when he saw no more moves to touch him were being made. He never liked being touched, nearly once bisected a young woman who tried to ask him for directions to a Police station when she tried tapping him on the shoulder. He had been diagnosed with haphephobia, a fear of being touched due to an incident way back when. He had thought he'd gotten over it at this point, since it had been years since it happened, but nope, it never left him. Probably never will.
Nevertheless, there were somethings that he wanted to say about these particular Spec Ops Agents. Guts raised a hand and subtly gestured towards Ivan, who was now chatting with the other two about lighter topics according to his lack of tensity that he ad before. "That one…"
"That kid? I recall him being CYBORG."
"His arm… is not his own."
"Yeah, I noticed." Isaac commented with a wince as he glanced down at Guts' right hand and forearm. If one were to look, they would see wrinkles over the skin, wrinkles like tissue paper would make when it was crumpled up, contrasting the rest of his skin. "Think its like yours?"
Guts shook his head. "No… his is different. I feel Killing Intent from it whenever I'm near him." he told the man simply, to which the Engineer's brows furrowed in confusion over the claim.
"That's… weird. Anyways, anyone else?"
In response to his question, Guts looked them over, and pointed towards Aiden in a similar manner to before. "Him… he looks like he's seen something scarring…" he stated slowly, his eyes focused on Aiden's body movements. To him, it looked like he was trying to hide something, something big, yet sinister. He got that feeling from all of Team RAIL, though not always the sinister part, but every one of them had a story to tell. It just was a matter of if they wanted to tell them or not, and something told him it would be the latter.
On that, Isaac could agree. His eyes flashed with anger and sadness at the same time, something that only Guts noticed, and he soon got an idea of what was affecting his comrade. "You don't think they should do this, do you?"
"Of course not." The Engineer replied, scowling as he crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes flashed once again, anger and pain briefly being visible from them as he continued. "I mean, just look at them. They're barely in their late teens, and already they've seen probably more action than any person in the military has their entire lifetime. They shouldn't have to be on this battlefield, they should be with their friends, with their families, enjoying life instead of wasting it away like this."
Guts said nothing in response to the man's rant, partially because he wanted to wait till he was finished and partially because he disagreed with him. When Isaac finished his rant, the man had been reduced to a heavy breather. While his comrade regained his bearings, Guts turned away from him, before saying his piece. "… You know that we come from different backgrounds, so I cannot say I agree with you there. This is just proof that the world is truly cold, harsh, and dangerous. Those who are weak get trampled on, and the strong survive. That's the way our world works nowadays. Ever since the Console Wars began, no, ever since the dawn of time, that has always been the way this world works. Child Soldiers? Just another path of life in this corrupt world of ours."
At this point, Isaac managed to calm down enough to listen to Guts' words. His breathing slowed to a steady rhythm while his heart rate slowed to a casual beating. His eyes wandered over to the larger man, whose eyes showed barely any emotion, instead being cold and unflinching, as he eyed the three boys. If this were any other person the Isaac would have flown into a rage and beaten them into a pulp, considering them nothing more than scum in his eyes from thereon.
However, Isaac knew Guts. He knew him to the point where he could understand the way he thought, why he thought the way he did, as well as his opinions on everything. Honestly, he felt kind of stupid complaining about this stuff to him, considering how he, like Raven, believed that strength was needed for people to survive. His backstory wasn't for the faint of heart, THAT was a certainty. Isaac would happily admit that, when asked about how he felt about Guts' past, to nearly throwing up in disgust and wanting to murder every fucker that had done the guy wrong. Though, he didn't let that cloud his judgement, Guts was a strong warrior. His experiences shaped him into the black swordsman that he was today. That was something he couldn't deny, and if he showed weakness, Guts would scold him for it.
In the end, that was just the way the world worked.
Chapter end!
Whew, that's all she wrote, folks!
Originally, I had planned for Nico to learn about his singing being put on YouTube as a Special Event, but I think that with the stuff that's been going on here, it would be fitting to put it in here. Plus, it could be used as a gag for him in future arcs, like Neptune's 'Nepu!' or how Compa's a bit of a ditz.
Tell me what you think in the reviews, PM's, whatever while I go plan the next part! If you guys have read the previous arcs so far, then you know how good I can make intense scenes get! Hohohoho, you'll be in for a freaking TREAT!
