Chapter 4
Hoshikawa Subaru:
Subaru sighed, leaning back in his desk chair. He had arrived home only a few minutes after the mayhem at AMAKEN and was therefore able to convince his mom that he had been en route when the attack started. She had seen some of the footage on TV, and had been worried sick. Upon his arrival she had nearly squeezed him to death in a python-like hug, then sat him down and served supper.
He felt bad for deceiving his mom, but eventually, he knew he would tell her everything. But until Warrock revealed everything, he didn't see the point in unnecessarily worrying her. And until today, he hadn't been in any great danger.
Now that he thought about the fight with Cygnus, the conversations were still weighing heavily on his mind. He needed Rock to fill in the blanks.
"Why didn't you tell me about the… possession thing?" he began bluntly. Even though Warrock had said he wasn't controlling Subaru, the concept still bothered him.
Warrock, who had lately been entertaining himself by camping out in various electronics in Subaru's room, had now made himself comfortable in the home screen of the desk computer.
The FMian shrugged, "I told you already: I thought it would make you uncomfortable."
"You never seem to care how 'comfortable' I am in any other situation." Subaru accused.
"I can't change what's been done, kid. It's in the past. Let it go."
Subaru scowled at that blasé attitude, "We're supposed to be partners! You shouldn't keep critical information from me."
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Warrock shot right back, his scarlet eyes flared with truculence. The ferocious glare served to remind Subaru exactly what he was dealing with: a base, dangerous, lethal, alien entity. There was nothing keeping him from going ballistic, or even worse, leaving Subaru without the answers he was seeking.
"Don't act like a spoiled brat." Subaru answered tonelessly. Despite the FMian's sudden aggressiveness, the fact of the matter was: he trusted Warrock. That fact in itself was astounding considering that he was less prone to put his faith in people than he was to be social with them.
Warrock growled, turning away, but not bothering to make any further threats.
"My second question is about something Cygnus said. 'You know what I'm after,'" Subaru regarded the screen suspiciously, "What was that about?"
"That's none of your business."
"Yes, it is!" Subaru slammed his hands on his desk hard enough to shake the monitor, "It would explain why your ex-comrade traversed a section of the galaxy to come looking for you, because there's no logical reason for them to so relentlessly pursue a traitor. They want something – I don't know what – but I'm certain you have it."
"That's all you need to know." Warrock answered, irritatingly calm.
Subaru grit his teeth, anger rising, "'All I need to know,' huh? If we are putting people in danger how is that 'All I need to know'? Just tell me what's going on!"
"Subaru," Warrock actually used his name, "Calm down."
Subaru closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn't like him to let himself get so agitated. He could count such occasions on one hand.
"Fine," he muttered.
"Good," Warrock grumbled, "I'm used to you being the composed one, not me. Now I'll tell you something you deserve to hear. It might not answer all your questions, but it might explain a few things.
You and I are not putting this planet in danger. The viruses you fight aren't all just program glitches like you thought. They're lower life forms from Planet FM. As soon as earth started utilizing my planet as a source for EM energy, a path was created – connecting them. But three years ago, someone tried to make contact with us FMians and not just as a power source; it was a message. Unfortunately, the signal was… misunderstood. As a result, a team from the most elite clan of warriors was sent to intercept the 'enemy.'
So you see," Warrock reiterated, "We aren't putting earth in danger as you assume. Earth was already a target. We are defending it."
Speechless, Subaru took his visualizers off his head, running a hand through his spikey hair. The news was grave; he felt as if it was merely washing over him and not sinking in.
"Th-that seemed important," Subaru stuttered.
"I didn't want to overwhelm you. You had enough to deal with while learning Denpa-Henkan. Any more pressure would have been detrimental. But why do you think I dragged you into so many fights when you simply wanted to explore."
"I thought it was because you like wave-battling."
Warrock looked a shade sheepish, "W-well, there's that too. But I also wanted to prepare you for any future threats you might face from my kin."
Subaru narrowed his eyes, "That's awfully… thoughtful of you."
"Is it," Warrock seemed uncomfortable, "If that's a bad thing, I blame you."
"No, no," Subaru amended quickly. It only took a moment for another question to start pestering him: "Cygnus. Is he gone?"
"For now. But it will be even easier to defeat him if he comes back. We already know who his host is and his tricks. He probably won't return."
"'Probably'?"
"You didn't kill him, so how can I say 'certainly'?" Warrock said sensibly.
"I didn't want to kill him."
"Which is something I may never understand about you." Warrock tone was dispassionate, "You were the victor. It was your right to eliminate your foe. But you gave up."
"That's not how it works here." Subaru mumbled.
"Whatever."
Subaru sighed, not in the mood to work past Warrock's deadpan. Instead, he opted for picking up his stylus, giving it a twirl before pulling up a window on his computer.
"What are you doing?" Warrock peeked over the browser.
"Homework."
"Kid, sometimes I swear you are the most boring creature on this planet. I don't think science can explain how you managed to be compatible with someone as cool as me. How the heck did I get stuck with you?"
Subaru's mouth quirked in a smile at Warrock's complaints. His lack of regular activity had become a frequent topic between them. As well as…
"School." Subaru cringed as the FMian muttered the taboo, "You should really go to that school place. I'm sure it's not so bad."
Subaru ignored him, which turned out to be the wrong decision.
"C'mon, kid!" Rock pressed, "You've fought swarms of viruses and now an alien. What's there to be scared of?"
"Nothing." He grumbled, trying to focus on his task.
"So why don't you go?"
"I don't want to go."
"Now who sounds like the spoiled brat?"
Subaru glared at the alien presently trying to push his homework off the main screen, vying for more space and attention, "The work isn't so bad. The problem is the people."
"I see." Warrock mocked.
"Rock," Subaru said, deceptively calm.
"Yes?"
"Shut up."
The ET's fangs were completely exposed, face split in a leering grin.
Pre-calculus, pre-calculus. Think about pre-calculus. C'mon, it's not that hard! Subaru forced his brain to filter out the constant chatter coming from his computer speakers, courtesy of Rock. This, sad to say, proved to be his downfall.
Shirogane Luna:
Luna was exhausted.
It was as if Subaru had simply disappeared. They – Gonta, Kizamaro, and herself – had combed the AMAKEN grounds, looking for the guy, but not a trace of him had been found. Kizamaro had interrupted many a busy employee to ask of his whereabouts, but most of them claimed that they hadn't even seen him.
So now, nearly two hours later and seething with frustration, she was stomping across Kodoma Town to visit his house.
"That rat is awfully sneaky, Prez." Gonta observed. The bigger boy had stayed thickly cheerful despite the rising tension.
Kizamaro was more aware of the anger leaking off Luna's aura, "He said he was going to get help when he left. He probably did so before evacuating and going home. No one likes getting caught up in investigations, especially with the Satellite Police."
Luna was too steamed for words. Kizamaro's deduction may be a logical one, but she expected more out of Subaru. Why? Even she didn't know the answer to that. Maybe it was because AMAKEN was his dad's lab; Amachi-san had stayed despite the danger. She thought Subaru was more concerned about his own father's legacy than that. Was she expected to believe that he simply wimped out and went home?
The threesome marched down Hope Street, the pristine white house coming into view.
What was she going to say? This time she wasn't demanding that he attend school. She wanted answers from him. Where had he gone? Why did he leave? Didn't he care?
She was… disappointed in him.
Luna rapped on the door, trying not to vent her anger in that simple task. She didn't want Akane-san to think she was trying to break down the door. After a moment, the woman in question arrived, garbed in an apron and drying her hands on a towel.
"Oh, Luna-chan," Akane's friendly smile was warm, "What can I do for you?"
As if she didn't already know. "Is Hoshikawa-kun here?"
"Yes, he's up in his room. Would you like to go check on him?"
She's letting me in?! Okay, don't panic. Don't panic! "Sure!" Luna bowed, "Thank you!"
The woman held the door for them, a gesture of invitation. The three shuffled in, removing their shoes and muttering muffled thank-you's. Luna thought her eyes might be deceiving her, because as she passed, she thought se saw Akane's lips curl into what seemed to be a triumphant smirk.
"Right this way."
Luna felt her eyes growing hyperactive as they scanned the house. The layout was simple, the furniture modern, and above all, it was spotless. Only the kitchen seemed to be in a state of mild disarray from a recent meal, so it seemed as if they had interrupted Akane in her dishwashing.
Akane set her towel down on the counter, pointing at a set of double doors, "If you go right through there and up the set of steps, Subaru's room is the first door on the right." She gave them a mischievous smile, "Good luck!"
Luna nodded as Akane went back to her task. The woman could be just as strange as her son, but in her own way. Hesitantly, she followed the directions given to her, silently mounting the stairs. The boys caught on, remaining quiet.
She still hadn't decided what she was going to say, having not expected to even get this far. But those thoughts evaporated when she reached the door.
It was shut, but upon leaning closer, she heard a voice coming from within. Only it wasn't Subaru's low, controlled tones. It was a deeper, gruff sounding voice…
"Gah! This is so boring. You do this every evening! We could be out having fun, busting viruses. But no, you've locked yourself in your room… AGAIN…"
Whoever it was, they were on a roll. Going on and on, tossing insults at Subaru (who was apparently present, but not talking), complaining about being bored (repeatedly), and simply chattering relentlessly.
"Oooooo! Now you're doing that stuff again. I thought you used numbers in mathematics. What are the letters and words for? Cosine, what does that mean? Do you think your mom needs help in the kitchen? We could go down and help her. I love messing around in those machines!"
Luna wasn't sure what to do. How could Subaru ignore someone so eas…
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!"
She jumped, not prepared for the sudden shout. Her eyes were wide. Every time she'd cornered the guy, Subaru had never raised his voice before, even when she'd made him mad.
"Su!" Akane called up the stairs, "No yelling like that in my house."
"Yes mom!" Subaru called, but it sounds like he barely forced the words out from between his teeth.
It was silent for a beat, but it was the only opening Luna had received yet, so she made full use of it. Clearing her throat loudly, she proceeded to knock on the door three times. The silence from the other end of the door was deafening.
Soft footfalls approached, and Subaru opened the door slowly, as if he was dreading what he was expecting. Yep… that look of irritation flickered clearly across his features before being schooled into a more neutral mask. She regarded him from head to toe.
His head was devoid of his funky, green glasses for once; traditional, red jacket also missing. In just a simple white t-shirt and wrinkled blue jeans, he looked about as normal as guys could come. She peeked over his shoulder, scanning the room for other occupants.
Upon seeing that movement, Subaru narrowed the entry way and stood in the opening, "What do you want Shirogane-san?" he asked tonelessly.
"I thought I heard someone else in the room with you." Was the first thing out of her mouth.
While she was internally slapping herself for being so tactless, she noted Subaru's expression remained nonplussed.
"I'm the only one."
"I heard someone too, Subaru-san." Kizamaro contradicted, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Subaru glanced over his shoulder surreptitiously before opening the door a bit wider and repeating, "There's no one here but me."
Subaru's personal space was unusually tidy for a male. Nothing was left strewn across the floor and everything on his desk was neatly arranged. The evening sun streamed through the skylights on the ceiling, lighting the posters on the walls depicting galaxies and nebulae, rockets and designs.
"Maybe you were on a call with someone," Kizamaro suggested as Luna completed her inspection.
"I was doing homework, actually." Subaru corrected, gesturing to his computer and tablet.
Luna narrowed her eyes at him, "Really, you expect us to buy that? 'You're just hearing things.'" She made air quotes and said the last part in a poor imitation of Subaru's voice.
His brown eyes were unreadable, but he simply shrugged. Luna felt like stomping her foot. This guy was impossible!
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"Where did you go after you ran off at the lab?" Luna immediately responded. Throwing out the question she'd come to ask in the first place.
"I went to get help, and then I went home. It seemed dangerous to stay. Why? Did you decide to hang around while things were blowing up? That seems like a bad idea, Shirogane-san." He was so matter-of-fact it only served to incite her further.
"So you didn't see the Cygnus guy?" Kizamaro asked.
Subaru looked confused, "Cygo-what now?"
"Some sort of alien thing!" Gonta cut in.
"It wasn't an alien Gonta-kun!" Kizamaro groaned, slapping his own forehead in embarrassment for his peer.
Subaru raised and enquiring eyebrow.
"There was a man in some sort of… costume," Luna explained, "He was the one wreaking havoc at AMAKEN. Things were looking bad there for a while. Cygnus had some unusual abilities. A satellite almost fell out of orbit and was going to land on Kodoma Town. But Rockman-sama showed up and stopped him though."
"Excuse me, who?"
"Rockman-sama," She repeated, enunciating each syllable as if he were stupid, "He's a hero with super cool powers! He was the one who saved me last month during the monorail fiasco."
Subaru looked uncomfortable as Luna felt herself enter fangirl mode, stars positively glittering in her eyes. "I saw that on TV," he said uncertainly, "But I didn't know you were there."
Luna hmphed, "You would have known if you bothered to come to school and interact with your peers!"
"I'm sure that 'interacting with my peers' is extremely beneficial, academically speaking." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Now, was inquiring about my whereabouts the only reason you came to bug me, or was there something else you needed?"
"I… I guess that was all," Luna muttered, uncharacteristically unsure of herself. She pushed the feeling down, sounding perky, "We'll be here bright and early to pick you up for school!"
An indistinct chuckled floated from the back of the room. Subaru's chocolate eyes flashed as he threw a glare at the empty room.
"Well then," he said clearly, "I'll make sure to make myself scarce, as I have no intentions of going to school tomorrow or anytime soon."
Luna frowned, sensing that those words were not solely for her benefit, "You're acting strange, Hoshikawa-kun."
"You don't know me, so I don't think you can be an accurate judge of my behavior, Shirogane-san. Have a good evening." He shut the door with finality.
How rude! Luna wanted to kick the door in frustration, "Soon," she settled for mumbling to herself, "I will get you very, very soon, Hoshikawa-kun."
"Let's go," she said to the boys, "We still have homework to do tonight, and we will be up early. I want you both to be at our usual meeting place, fifteen minutes early."
"Yes, Prez." They answered with a sigh. But they didn't argue.
"See you kids in the morning," Akane called as they excused themselves. Luna couldn't help but smile at that; she was so close to winning this battle, she knew it.
Subaru had remained true to his word. The next few mornings Akane had greeted them at the door with a sad expression and a shake of her head.
"He's not here. Su woke up early again to go to AMAKEN; says he's helping with the repairs there. He didn't even let me make him breakfast this morning," the woman was genuinely upset, "I don't think he's been sleeping well either. I'm getting worried about him."
It didn't matter how early they came to intercept him, Subaru was always gone. One morning they had trekked over to AMAKEN to try and catch him there, but his lab was vacant and none of the employees said they had seen him. It was almost as if he had developed the ability to vanish into thin air. With nowhere else to search, they started off to school.
"This is pointless, Prez." Kizamaro finally complained, "He obviously doesn't want to come with us, and we've been wasting a lot of time and energy on him."
Gonta held his stomach, "My breakfast time has been cut in half!"
"But we're so close," Luna whined, "I can feel it."
"Prez," Kizamaro strove to sound logical, "We haven't even seen him in four days. And to top it off, with him avoiding us like this, we're making his mom worry."
Luna clenched shaking hands and screamed at the sky, "Ugh! I hate that boy!"
As if in response, a streetlight beside her shattered. An inordinate amount of smoke billowed from the break and electricity webbed its way across the metal. The LED's were flickering and shorting.
"Viruses!" Kizamaro deduced, "Hang on, I might have some weapon cards in here." He started shuffling through his pockets.
A flash of green light cut off his search. Like some sort of science fiction novel, Rockman appeared as if he had been breamed down. The morning light glared off his red visor, obscuring his eyes.
"Two hotroaders and a cannonbase." He analyzed. Luna barely recognized the virus names.
"Rockman-sama!" She squealed, hearts in her eyes.
That drew his attention; before, he hadn't even acknowledged their presence, and that just wouldn't do. He turned his head, an indiscernible twitch of his lips giving nothing away, "Can I help you?" his voice was low and quiet – not heroic sounding at all.
"Yes!" Luna bounded up to him, wrapping both arms around his waist, "Stay with me!"
She thought she heard Kizamaro and Gonta fall over in embarrassment, but alas, they just didn't understand hormones or hero worship.
Rockman was tense beneath her embrace, but he was solid – not a program, not an alien, and absolutely not a figment of her imagination. She hadn't been this close to him since he had caught her from falling, but she felt like she could stay this way forever.
But it would seem that he didn't agree.
"Uh," his voice was uncertain, "Pardon me." He pried an arm from beneath Luna's grasp, laying it on the console of the broken traffic light before muttering 'wave in.' One second she was holding him, and the next she was falling over. She had barely caught what happened: his body swirled with a multicolored light effect, till only his outline was recognizable. And in the blink of an eye, that was erased as well.
The threesome was stunned, simply staring at the spot where the hero used to be.
"The light's working again," Gonta was the first to notice a few seconds later. Despite the broken glass, the lights were once again buzzing with electricity.
"So… he fixed it?" Luna asked.
Kizamaro pushed his glasses up his nose, "No, he deleted the virus in the machine."
"So," Gonta was scratching his head, "Is Rockman one of those virus hunters they talk about in the papers?"
"Not exactly, I would guess. I think there's more to it than that." Kizamaro paused, "WAIT! Gonta-kun, since when do you read the paper?!"
The beefy boy shrugged, "I read the comics. My dad actually reads the paper. But we do it together, so sometimes he tells me stuff."
"But how did he disappear!" Luna demanded – wasn't that the most important thing? "How did he escaped me?!"
Kizamaro looked uncomfortable with Luna's obsession, but factually said: "It should be impossible. But so are some of the other things Rockman's done."
Luna straightened, starting off in the direction of school once more, "Kizamaro." She said as they caught up, "I want you to look into this."
"Into what?"
"I don't know! Disappearing tricks!" she felt like screeching.
"Prez," he sighed, "That's a little… ridiculous."
Luna ignored the comment, "Nevermind then. We've got enough on our plate for now."
Rockman-sama, I will find you! I swear on my political candidacy.
She found it hard to focus on school. Between Rockman's sudden appearance/disappearances and the case of the elusive Hoshikawa Subaru, she felt like she was failing left and right these days. Nothing was going her way, and elections were less than a month away. She couldn't keep up with this bad luck streak!
She dragged Kizamaro and Gonta with her to AMAKEN after school again, but still, they hadn't seen hide or hair of the brunette ninja. Returning home to an empty house didn't life her spirits either; both her parents would be gone for the next two weeks on whatever trips they had. When the butler asked what she wanted for supper, she'd requested a 'disappointment sandwich' over the top of the teen magazine she'd been reading.
To top it off, sleep escaped her as well. She tossed and turned, worrying about this and that. When she did drift off, it was into a nightmare where the principal told her that a write in candidate had been unanimously selected for president: Hoshikawa Subaru. She woke to a muddled mess, her limbs twisted in her sheets as she tried to calm her heart rate.
Rolling over, she grabbed her transer console, squinting when she opened it and it blinded her. Four seventeen AM: this was not going to work. She got up, throwing a bathrobe on over her night gown. The staff wouldn't arrive until six. Avery, the maid, had once teased her that she was such a bad cook she could burn water. Luna had snapped back, saying that water boiled, and she could manage that just fine thank-you-very-much.
Boiled water: that's all you needed for a hot chocolate. Maybe that would help. It had been a stressful week after all. Campaigning while at school, homework while at home, and the attack on the lab was more than enough worry for one person. She felt no one could begrudge her for indulging a little.
The minutes ticked by so slowly. Nursing her mug of liquid heaven at the kitchen counter, she felt entranced by the digital readout on the stove. Four thirty-five, four thirty-six… only three hours till she had to be at school. Gah!
She moped around the house. She tinkered on her piano for a while. She dressed, did her hair, and did her makeup. Finally she let herself check the time again: five fifty-seven.
The lock on the back door jiggled, keys jingling as Avery let herself in. Luna practically sprinted up to her.
"Luna-chan! What are you doing up so early?" Avery was petite and pretty. Her slanted eyes were a deep indigo that often appeared black, matching her short, shiny, black hair. She was only in her mid-twenties, but she was the best maid Luna's parents had ever hired. Serious and detail oriented, but with a sharp wit that surpassed her cleaning skills. Her uniform was immaculate as ever, but a perplexed expression decorated her face.
"I couldn't sleep," Luna said breathlessly, excited at the prospect of finally conversing with someone.
Avery smiled, "You need a lonely-person cat, what with your parents always leaving you behind like this. Why couldn't you sleep?"
They talked as they walked, Avery not wasting time merely standing in the door.
"I had a nightmare I guess." Luna smoothed it over with a smile, "But I think it's just stress. Nothing to worry about!"
Avery frowned a little, eyes thoughtful, "You have been really busy lately. What's going on?"
So Luna told her everything. She chattered endlessly as they arrived in the kitchen and Avery pulled the necessary utensils from cabinets for making breakfast. Luna didn't stop talking until Avery set a steaming plate in front of her and she tucked in. After being up for hours, she was hungry.
"I see why you couldn't sleep," Avery said professionally, starting on the dishes, "Next time try having some tea before bed. No caffeine, obviously, it will help calm your nerves."
"Thanks." Luna glanced at the clock again: six forty-five. "I better get going."
"Now?" Avery glanced at the clock as well, "You don't even need to be at school for another hour!"
"Gotta catch Subaru-san. Today's the day! I just know it!"
Avery offered an amused smile, "I'm glad you can stay optimistic despite the opposition, Luna-chan."
Luna slid off her chair, grabbing her bag on the way out the door. "Have a good day, Avery!"
"Will do," she called back.
She wasn't even going to wait for Gonta and Kizamaro this time. Maybe a solo mission would be more successful.
Subaru's house wasn't far from hers; she was there within minutes, preparing to knock on the door. She had considered stopping this futile effort after today; it had been over a month and she didn't seem any closer to her goal. But the part of her that hated loosing screamed NO to that. she wouldn't let him be the victor.
She took a deep breath and went to knock on the door…
…But it opened before her hand even had the chance to come in contact with the wood.
"I'm off." Subaru's voice was monotone. He completely ignored her, gripping the shoulder straps of his back pack with both hands as he walked past. He looked like death: dark bags under his eyes, shoulders hunched in exhaustion, and a forceful character to his step. It was like he was fighting the horror of what he was doing by simply blocking out everything around him.
He's going to school!?
Luna's brain could hardly process the sight. She was aghast, frozen to her spot on the front step even as Akane approached. The woman watched her son's back as it shrunk in the distance, "I don't know what came over him," she said with bemused satisfaction, "He suddenly said he wanted to go to school this morning."
"WHAT!?" Luna couldn't bite back the enraged scream no matter how hard she tried. Akane didn't even jump, like she had been expecting it.
"I know," She replied calmly, as if Luna had merely whispered the word, "I honestly did not see it coming. But I can't say I'm disappointed."
Luna had finally gotten her wits back, but she was still screaming, "HE COULD HAVE AT LEAST COME BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ME!"
Hoshikawa Subaru:
I can't believe I caved… I can't believe I'm doing this. Subaru dragged his feet on the sidewalk, loathing every step he took. How had it come to this?
Oh yeah, nearly five days of non-stop pestering, day in and day out. Warrock didn't need to sleep, and he had made full use of that in his quest to convince Subaru to go back to school. Only when he'd gotten really tired had he been able to sleep through most of the racket, and even then it was only for a few hours.
"I was testing your endurance," Warrock said smugly, "to see how long you'd hold out."
"No," Subaru contradicted, muttering to the FMian currently snuggled in the transer on his arm, "You were annoying me, plain and simple."
"Hmph. See it how you will."
"You've seen the school from the waveroad. We've passed over it about a billion times."
"Think of this as a lesson in earthling culture. Don't young people spend eight hours a day for thirteen years of their life in this place?" Oh, the alien was ignorant.
Subaru groaned, "Don't remind me! Why do you think I've been avoiding it?"
Warrock shrugged, "Because you're astoundingly antisocial for a human."
"How would you know," Subaru shot back, "I'm the only human you know. You have no one to compare me to!"
"I watch TV with your mom."
Subaru didn't pursue that topic any further. His mom watched soap operas, nuff said.
He passed through the front gates, actually breathing a sigh of relief. He'd thought Luna would follow him and rub her 'victory' in his face the whole way. Although, if that had happened, he definitely wouldn't have made it this far – darn!
A little bit of paperwork in the office later and he was settling in, throwing his books in the locker he'd been assigned despite his ill attendance. The halls were still empty this early in the morning, but that was fine with him; he still needed to find his way around. The secretary had downloaded a map for him along with his schedule, so it shouldn't be that difficult.
He'd only actually been to the high school once before, for an orientation a few years back when the teachers had wanted to make middle schoolers think about their future. It had seemed massive then; still did.
"Oooooo!" Warrock exclaimed, "This place seems cool!"
"Just you wait," Subaru muttered under his breath. A little louder he added, "Now that I've brought you here, do you promise to stay quiet? I don't want to deal with the consequences of you opening your big mouth during class."
"Whatever you say, kid."
Subaru didn't argue, but he didn't believe it either. He did a quick trial run of his schedule, finding all his classes so it would be easier when the time came before returning to his homeroom. Collapsing in his desk felt nice. He was so tired he doubted he would mind sitting there for the next eight hours.
The room gradually filled with students, and the staring Subaru had predicted and dreaded began. Some of them must have recognized him from middle school, because they were practically ogling him, others just looked confused.
"Do we have a new student?" someone whispered.
"I don't know! He's sitting in that desk that's been open all year."
"What's with those shades?"
Subaru frowned, but kept his eyes forward. Luna and her lackeys arrived soon enough, surprisingly not early. Since they had come by his house every morning, he'd always assumed they would be.
"Hoshikawa-kun!" He glanced up at the class president. Her smile was so bright it practically blinded him. It's too early for this, he grumbled to himself.
"You came to school!" she was practically in raptures at her apparent success.
Subaru wanted to say, 'thank you captain obvious,' but a wide yawn cut him off.
"Alright class," the teacher had arrived, commanding order in the classroom, "As you might have noticed, our classmate – Hoshikawa Subaru-san – has rejoined us. I trust you all will give him a warm welcome. Shirogane-chan, if he needs any help, that will be left up to you!"
"Yes ma'am!" Luna chirped, exchanging winks with the woman.
Subaru internally groaned, sliding deeper into his seat. This did not bode well for him.
And with that, school began. It was exactly as he remembered it: lesson after less of standard education. Most of the information would never be relevant in their future careers, but by all things sacred it was 'important' now! He remembered when he started doing research with his dad, and he'd had to learn a lot of basic information on matter and motion. If those things were on the forefront of science and discovery, why weren't they being taught in schools?
"Ah, boring!"
Subaru slapped the flapping transer lid shut. "Shhhhh!" he hissed at Warrock.
He knew this was coming.
Only a few minutes passed before: "So boring!"
"Shhhhh!" Subaru shushed again, getting a few odd looks from students sitting nearby. Great! He'd be labeled as the newbie and the crazy before the day was out.
"Is boring what school is about?" Warrock didn't even bother lowering his voice. And now his spectators were more than just a few.
"You promised!" Subaru whined quietly to the FMian.
"Yeah, but this is not what I was expecting."
"Hoshikawa-san." The teacher snapped, snapping Subaru to attention.
"Yes?"
"If you have a conversation that is that important, please take it outside. You are disrupting the class, and I am not hesitant to give you a detention on your first day."
"Yes ma'am."
"I'm outta here!" in a crackle of static, Warrock disappeared.
Subaru sighed, slouching in his seat as the teacher resumed her lecture. Ugh, he wished he could disappear into the waveworld too. This was unfair! Warrock was the one who made him come, he should have to suffer with him.
He entertained himself by slipping his visualizers on, trying to memorize the waveroads within the school in case it ever came in handy. After that he fiddled with his transer. He didn't wear it much because it was blocky and uncomfortable; most of the time he just opted for carrying the interface around. He wasted time sorting through his weapon cards, even though he already had them memorized like the back of his hand.
Luna had been tossing him meaningful glares: pay attention. But every time he honestly tried, he got an earful of: 'an antecedent is a noun, noun phrase, or clause to which an anaphor refers in a coreference. For example, in the passage "I did not see Anjan ..."'
I think my brain's going to melt! He barely stifled another yawn. Too bad he wasn't one of those people that could fall asleep anywhere. Damn the consequences! A cat nap right here would be heaven.
A bell rang, and though Subaru wasn't sure what it meant at this point, he dashed out of the room. He'd already planned his escape route. Two flights of stairs and a successfully hacked emergency door later and he was standing in the roof courtyard, gasping the fresh air.
"What was I thinking," he moaned to himself, "I can't do this!"
He walked over to the chain-link fence, pulling down his visualizers and threading his fingers through the cool steel. The full spectrum of colors of the waveworld came into clear view; it hung pristine yet hectic, suspended in midair.
"Where'd you go, Rock?" he muttered to himself.
"Hoshikawa-kun," the unwelcome sound of Luna's voice filled the rooftop. Subaru sagged. "I thought I might you up here. You do realize there are doors to the roof that don't necessitate bypassing security measures."
Subaru ignored them until he heard the thump of something heavy land beside him. He glanced up to see Gonta giving him a hateful glare, brushing his hands together after relieving them of a heavy load: a stack of notebooks about a yard tall.
"What is this?" he asked, pushing his glasses up on his head.
"All the class notes since the first day of high school." Luna said imperiously, "I noticed that your grades are lagging and thought: 'who better to tutor Hoshikawa-kun than the one who convinced him to come to school.' I see it as my duty."
"No offense," despite the fact that you're the one offending me, "But I do just fine."
Kizamaro was in his face this time, pushing his glasses up his nose, "You marks are no more than average, Hoshikawa-kun. I would have thought someone like you would do better."
Subaru rolled his eyes, "If all the subjects were astronomy, physics, and calculus, I'd be the perfect student." Gonta's level glare only intensified as Subaru continued, "Despite that, I think I'll do fine on my own."
He went to leave, attempting to brush past the group and leave it at that, but rough hands grabbed him from behind. His arms were in a lock, head bent forward from the pressure before he even realized what happened.
"You shouldn't disrespect the class Prez like that, runt." Gonta growled angrily.
Subaru felt like he hadn't given the big boy enough credit. He was strong and fast when he wanted to be, not to mention extremely protective of his friends. It was commendable, but Subaru really didn't appreciate it at the moment.
"Fine." He amended, "Sorry Shirogane-san, but I'll take my own notes."
The grip only tightened, "Why are you turning her down when she's offering to help you?"
"Because I'd rather not be indebted to her, or anyone for that matter."
"What do you have against people, Hoshikawa-kun?" Luna tilted her head to the side, curious.
"Nothing." He grit out.
"Why do you act like you hate us?" Kizamaro added.
"I don't hate you," Subaru struggled to remain calm, "You just annoy me. Now will you let go!?"
"Gonta." Luna simply spoke his name and the cow finally backed down.
Subaru rotated his shoulder, "Geez, if that's all it took, why didn't you do it sooner."
Luna shrugged, as if the thought hadn't occurred to her; but her smirk betrayed her, "I can never get you to stand still when I'm asking questions."
"Go bother someone else." He spat, turning to leave… again.
This time Luna grabbed his hand, "Oh no!" she said in response to his growl of frustration, "I think you'll like what I have to show you. You haven't been here in a while, correct? I think you'll be excited to see the renovations they've made to the campus."
He didn't rise to the bait and ask, but she answered anyway.
"C'mon space boy," Luna said with a genuine smile. Subaru would be lying if he said it wasn't pretty, "I know you'll want to see the observatory and the planetarium."
He let her drag him along after that.
Shirogane Luna:
You bet I still had an ace up my sleeve, Luna thought, dancing a jig on the inside when Subaru finally gave in. She'd recalled how his room had more than just galactic posters; there had been one of those globes that displayed constellations instead of countries, a telescope, and a scaled model of the solar system. He would be putty in her hands if she played her cards right, and she had.
Though what had made him come to school in the first place still baffled her, but it was her intent to keep him there. She still had his hand, but he was coming along much easier now, any resistance he made was merely for show. She wouldn't regret giving up her lunch period for this.
Gonta, on the other hand, would. She wasn't blind to the fact that he was being much rougher in his methods than usual. Gonta was a very helpful ally, Luna knew, but sometimes his fervor took him too far. He saw his role as protector of the group.
But Subaru wasn't a part of the group, and Gonta had gotten into his thick head somehow that the newcomer was a threat. He seemed to resent that Luna had invested so much time in the anti-social boy, and he wasn't one to hide his feelings. It was obvious Gonta hated Subaru.
Let him simmer, Luna thought to herself, he'll get over it. She already had her hands full. With Subaru in tow, she left the other boys behind. Tact was better employed in a one-on-one situation.
She buzzed Subaru and herself into the observatory first. Though there was little to do during the daytime, she wanted to give him a taste.
"We have these at AMAKEN," Luna heard him mumble, "But the other researchers use them almost constantly." Her heart soared.
"Well, not many of the students use them here, so they're usually open. You can use them any time you want!" She said brightly.
He gave her a look as if to say 'oh I will.'
"It's sizable for a high school." he appraised, his voice echoing through the dome.
Luna smiled, "I have nothing to compare it to, so I wouldn't know."
"Do you know how to use it?" he asked honestly, brown eyes glinting in the semi-darkness.
"Only a little," Luna admitted with a shake of her head, smile still in place, "But I'll make sure to bug someone else to teach me the finer points of telescopic usage."
Subaru frowned, but didn't say anything.
"Let's go check out the planetarium before the lunch period ends."
He nodded, following without her guidance, "May I ask what changed your mind about coming to school?" she inquired as they walked.
Subaru didn't meet her gaze, finding the wall considerably more interesting, "I guess it's been a while since I've come; wanted to see if it was any different."
"And?"
"It isn't." he answered with a small twitch of his lips. It could almost qualify as a smile from him in Luna's book. But she still knew he wasn't telling the whole truth.
"May I ask why you are so tired, Hoshikawa-kun?"
"Um… couldn't sleep?" he didn't sound sure of himself. So a half-truth then.
"May I ask what that racket you were making in class might have been?"
"It was none of your business."
Well, she'd tried. Not that she expected much.
"Here we are!" it was dark in the planetarium, but Luna immediately started the system. Planets and stars glowed into existence. "You can simulate all sorts of things with the database. A super nova for example…" she keyed in the commands. Super nova, however, was the limit of her interstellar vocabulary.
Subaru didn't say anything, but she could tell he was soaking it up.
"I would offer to show you around the other parts of the school, Hoshikawa-kun, but I imagine it wouldn't interest you much."
"Catch on quick?" he teased dryly.
Luna felt her lips press together, trying to choke back the words she wanted to say. She wasn't going to sink to his level and be just as rude. Always maintain higher ground; be better than them.
"Lunch is almost over, but if you like, you could join Gonta, Kizamaro, and I after school. It's nice enough outside to do homework in the park, otherwise we meet in the school library."
"No thanks," he predictably replied, "I'm going somewhere after school."
"Where?" it slipped out on reflex; she didn't expect him to tell her anything.
But he hesitated, shot her an unreadable look over his shoulder, and then said slowly, "The hospital. I'm going to visit a researcher that was injured during the attack on AMAKEN."
This is coming from the person who ran away during said attack, she thought bitterly. But she'd never thought Subaru was someone to go out of his way for others. This was… interesting.
"We'll come with you." She knew it was best to be straightforward with these kinds of things, "After all, we were there too."
Subaru didn't mask the surprise in his eyes, but he didn't argue either. It was new, yet refreshing.
She didn't interrupt as he started to tinker around with the other functions in the system. She'd made a lot of progress today; she didn't want to push her luck any further and lose it all. For the moment, she just let him do what he wanted. He expertly manipulated his transer, even though this was the first time she'd seen him wearing it.
Despite the fact that she was growing very bored, she stayed with him. She was afraid if she left, he wouldn't show up for the rest of class. So she kept a close eye on him, studying how his fingers hovered over various simulations: the theory of relativity, intergalactic gravitational affects, black holes, star condensation, and spatial EM activity. It was all way over her head, but it said a lot about Subaru.
He always tried to appear flat and uninteresting, but the more Luna learned about Subaru, she found him to be an extremely multi-faceted person (perhaps that was going a bit too far…). The way he kept everything bottled up was unhealthy.
He needs friends.
The thought leapt unbidden to her mind. True, Luna had wanted to be the one to escort Subaru to school, but she hadn't actually considered forming a close relationship with him. But the realization wouldn't leave her alone. And Subaru wasn't likely to come to that conclusion himself. The task was left to her.
A small sigh escaped her, but it was accompanied by small smile too. Helping Subaru to fit in would be a difficult, but it can be said that Shirogane Luna never backed down from a challenge.
When it was about time for lunch to end, she grabbed the back of his red jacket, giving it a little jerk. He jumped a little before turning around, his eyes glazed as if he'd forgotten she was there. It caught Luna off guard too; his stare was usually sharp and icy. Right now he just looked like a lost puppy, brown irises begging for another minute.
"Class is starting soon," She praised God that that giggle hadn't escaped her.
"Oh." He said without enthusiasm. Very reluctantly, he closed his transer and gave the planetarium one last longing look before trudging after her out the door.
"You can come back you know." She said with a grin.
He didn't say anything, still sulking. Luna took a deep breath, simply putting the whole predicament behind her. If she thought about it, she was sure she'd bust up laughing.
"So," Luna clapped her hands together, "We'll all meet outside the front gate to go to the hospital after school. Sound good?"
When Subaru nodded without saying anything, Luna felt like the victor of a long, bloody war.
AN: I am really proud of this chapter despite the fact I didn't get as far as I wanted. I wanted to at least begin the fight with Taurus and leave it as a cliff-hanger, but I couldn't get the words out around what I had planned. The reason I'm proud is that I feel like a lot of good foundation and character development happened. I also threw in an OC (which was totally on the spot) because I felt so bad for Luna alone in that big house. Avery is sorta inspired by the fact I am currently reading 'The Help' which is awesome so far. Again, please let me know if you spot any grammar or spelling errors. Sorry if this seemed like filler! Thanks for reading!
