Chapter 10

Shirogane Luna:

"Let's go." Luna told Kizamaro and Gonta shortly. She turned on her heel and stalked away, quickly leaving behind two rather confused boys.

But it wasn't so easy to put them off. Gonta picked the smaller boy up by the scruff of his neck and closed the distance between them with long strides.

"What's wrong, Prez?" Kizamaro asked from his limp position under Gonta's arm. He'd learned to accept such manhandling years ago. The nerd pushed his glasses up his nose and inspected his leader closely, "Did something happen at home?"

Luna was tempted not to respond, but she wasn't the kind of person to give someone the cold shoulder, much less one of her friends.

"Yes and no." she sighed, "Yes something happened, but no it's not what you think."

"So your parents haven't been pushy?"

Luna threw up her hands and growled. Kizamaro's tactless probing was just making her angrier. Now she understood why Subaru got so mad. He had much less control over his emotions than she did.

"When are my parents not being pushy, Kiza? But that's not the point."

"Something smells like smoke." Gonta muttered, "Have you been smoking, Prez. Your campaign isn't going that badly, is it?"

"No it's not! And yes, you smell smoke. The bottom line is, I don't think I can win Rockman-sama's heart."

Kizamaro and Gonta were immediately by her side.

"Of course you can!" Kizamaro reassured her.

"You're the greatest, Prez." Gonta agreed.

So it helped to have some unconditional support. Luna really loved her boys. They were the best. But they couldn't change the fact that she was absolutely horrendous at…

No. She wasn't going to admit it. Even to herself.

"Let's go get Hoshikawa-kun." She sighed. They had stopped walking while they talked and now she set off at a more moderate pace. Gonta put Kizamaro down so that the nerd could use his own two feet. They talked between themselves, letting Luna cool off after her blow up, "Hopefully he's already up today." She muttered to herself, "I'm not in the mood to be kept waiting."

As per usual, it was Akane who answered the door. She never looked very different, usually wearing yoga pants and loose-fitting shirt, all with a smile on her face.

"Hey, you all. Su's just finishing breakfast."

"I'm actually done, mom." Subaru announced, having appeared right behind her.

"So you are."

Subaru rolled his eyes at his mom's antics. But if Luna looked closely, she could see the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. From their brief interactions together on the Hoshikawa's doorstep, Luna was well aware of how much Subaru loved his mom. Luna loved her too, not that she would say it aloud. But seeing them always sent a stabbing pain through her heart.

How could life be so unfair? What did Subaru do to deserve that? What did she do wrong?

On the other hand, she hadn't forgotten that Subaru only had one parent left. Maybe the lesson to be learned here was 'life isn't fair.'

"Does something smell like it's burning?" Akane said suddenly, sniffing the air.

Luna curled in on herself. No, life just wasn't fair.

"Subaru," Akane continued, "Did I remember to turn the stove off?"

"Last I checked."

Akane tapped her chin thinking. Luna didn't like leaving everyone in the dark. Slowly, she raised her hand and stared intently at her shoes.

"It's me."

"What?" Akane asked.

"I smell like smoke."

"Why?"

Luna cringed. Her shoes had a little scuff on the toes and the blemish was bothering her. She focused on that instead of the tidal wave of embarrassment that was washing over her, pounding her into fine powder like sand.

"I tried to teach myself how to cook this morning and I failed miserably."

"You want to learn how to cook?" That was Akane still, everyone else had fallen silent. Kizamaro and Gonta because they already knew why. And Subaru… maybe because he didn't care.

"Yeah." Luna admitted, "So I can make food for… for this boy I like."

She wished that she could sound more confident saying it instead of sounding as if she was admitting defeat. But she didn't see any way this cooking thing could work out. Avery might be able to teach her, but she had an actual job and actual work to do around the house. If Luna's parents caught them at it, they might fire her. And it's not like Luna's mom knew how to cook.

A clap startled Luna out of her misery and her head snapped up to see Akane's face alight with joy. Subaru shot horrified glances between Luna and his mom, but Akane ignored him. Her smile was huge.

"That's wonderful!" Akane gushed, "I think that's a wonderful idea. I could help…"

"Mom," Subaru tried to intervene, "no…"

"I'm a great cook! I'm not exaggerating!"

"Don't do it, mom." Subaru sounded desperate.

"I could teach you!"

Akane took Luna's hands in her own, but Luna barely felt it. She was staring in shock at the woman in front of her. Akane's energy poured off her in waves. Luna felt a wavering smile grown on her own face as Akane's offer finally sank in. And Luna could tell, Akane was one hundred percent serious.

Hopefully, her voice startlingly small, she breathed, "Really?"

"Really, really!" Akane confirmed, "Tomorrow's Saturday! We could start tomorrow! Is that okay with you?"

"Absolutely." Don't cry, Luna. Don't cry.

"Great! You should come around ten. We could go to the market to get ingredients first and then come back and work on some lunch entrees. Subaru can be our taste tester. How does that sound?"

Luna didn't know how that sounded. She didn't know the first thing about preparing a meal, so she just agreed, "You're the expert!"

"That I am." Akane was smug.

Subaru was staring, openmouthed, at his mom like he couldn't believe what just happened.

"So who is this boy you like?" Akane asked, bringing the conversation round full-circle.

Luna's day had just been made. She didn't care that just maybe telling her friend's mom about her crush may qualify as embarrassing. The woman was going to teach her how to cook so she might as well know why.

"For Rockman-sama. He's my hero."

"Wait. What?" Subaru definitely didn't believe what just happened.


"When did you decide this?" Subaru hissed from his seat. Class had started, but he didn't seem to care. He was awfully hung up on the whole 'why does my mom need to teach you how to cook' thing.

Luna rolled her eyes and answered as quietly as she could while still conveying her exasperation, "I don't know. Monday? Why is that important?"

Subaru looked just as confused by the question, "It's not… I guess?"

"Are you jealous?"

"What?"

"I said, 'are you jealous?'"

"No, I know what you said, I just don't know why you would ask that."

"Umm, because you're probing me about when I decided to cook for Rockman-sama." Luna laced her words with as much disbelief as possible. Was he really that thick? She was under the impression he was some kind of physics genius, but she guessed that didn't translate well into normal, everyday life.

"Why do you call him that anyway?" Subaru grumbled. Luna didn't miss how he dodged the question. It was about as obvious as a sledgehammer smashing through a window, "Adding the '-sama.' That's just weird."

"You're weird." She shot back. She kept her eyes trained forward on their teacher, like she was paying attention, effectively ignoring his glare.

"That was immature." He snapped.

"As expected. I've descended to your level."

Subaru turned in his seat, pouting. It was pretty funny, she had to admit, to see the high-and-mighty Subaru with his knickers in a twist because she had decided that she wanted to learn how to cook. It probably didn't help that his mom was going to be the one doing the teaching. Or that he was going to be the guinea pig.

But she was genuinely curious, so she toned down the teasing, "Why does it matter so much?" She reiterated.

He folded his hands together on his desk, staring at them as they turned white from the tension, "Like I said, it doesn't matter."

"Obviously it does." She said under her breath but still for Subaru's ears. Maybe she shouldn't have joked with him, she knew he didn't take those kinds of things well. As it were, some of their classmates were sending them backwards glances – a mixture of interest and irritation. They were lucky the teacher hadn't noticed them yet.

He sighed and leaned back, "I don't know."

"Are you sure."

"Yeah."

"Then that is weird." Her tone was matter-of-fact.

He shrugged.

"Maybe you're upset because you only found out today."

"Maybe that's it." Subaru sounded thoughtful.

"Are you serious right now?"

"About what."

Luna smothered a giggle, "You're a little out-of-touch with your emotions. 'Maybe that's it'? I can't tell you how you're feeling. You gotta figure it out for yourself."

Subaru smirked, "Or I could just ignore it."

Luna resisted the urge to smack her own forehead, "That's not healthy. That's called 'denial.'"

"I can live with that."

Luna rolled her eyes, "Boys." She muttered to herself. That was the end of that conversation. But it had certainly been more interesting than the lecture. Their teacher continued with her lesson, still ignorant of the conversation that had passed at the back of her class. And now that miss popular wasn't having whispered conversations with the school's new (but not) student, the eavesdropping students could go back to their boredom induced activities – whether it was paying attention or doodling in notebooks.

Subaru, similarly, looked bored as all get-out. He twirled his pencil for a few minutes before sighing and setting it down. With a practiced motion, he flipped his weird green shades down onto his nose. His eyes wandered.

Not for the first time Luna wondered if the glasses had some sort of unique function since they definitely weren't a fashion statement. Subaru only seemed to bother to use them when he had nothing else to do. Luna had never seen him use them as sunglasses.

She tried paying attention to the lecture. It didn't work.

Subaru pushed his glasses back up onto his head and jotted a quick note down in his notebook. It probably wasn't for class. He obviously wasn't listening. He looked out the window.

And froze.

Luna wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been already watching. Every muscle suddenly went rigid in his body. His eyes looked far away, wide open and staring. Hand shaking, Subaru pushed his glasses down onto his nose again… then lifted them up… then dropped them back down again. He did that a few times, heedless of the confused stares that students from nearby desks started to give him.

Finally he took the glasses off and set them on his desk, gently. It surprised Luna as she'd never seen him without them. His hair looked uncharacteristically flat in the place where they usually sat.

Subaru raised his hand. The next time their teacher turned around she called on him. But he simply asked to use the restroom. With permission, he left the room. His shades were left behind on his desk.

Strange, Luna thought. She frowned, unsure of what to make of the whole episode. Subaru was a puzzle, but that was plain weird. She'd accused him of being so, yes, but this exceeded expectations.

And he didn't come back.

The bell rang. Students packed up their things and left without a second thought about their missing classmate. After all, it had been that way for years. Other students filed in and began taking up seats. Subaru's things still sat innocuously on his desk.

Luna glanced around, but Subaru still hadn't returned. Was he okay? He certainly didn't seem okay. It only seemed right to gather up his things. They shared the next class too. And if it meant she'd get to try on Subaru's mysterious shades, well, that was her reward for her kindness.

A small voice whispered that doing so was wrong. It was an invasion of privacy, peeking into things were so obviously personal to the boy. But again, there was that challenge: 'get to know me.' If she knew him better, she could understand him. They could be friends – better friends.

Luna, with her arms full of both Subaru's things and her own, left the classroom. Ikuta's class was next, only a little ways down the hall. Subaru could find her easily whenever he decided to come back. He might already be there.

She paused at that thought. If he was there, she doubted she'd get to try on the glasses. But she forced herself to move anyway. If that was the case, she'd learn to deal. She'd leave it to fate.

It turned out, she'd worried too much. Subaru wasn't present. Luna plopped the combination of Subaru and her things on her own desk, being careful not to jostle the glasses. If she broke them there was no way Subaru would ever forgive her.

Ikuta entered the classroom, looking even more harried than he had in the past week. A sheen of sweat glistened on his brow. He barely glanced at his students upon entering and immediately went to his desk, rifling through the mess to find something – his notes probably.

The bell went off again, signaling the start of class. Luna decided to wait until Ikuta was in full-on lecture mode (he'd been doing a lot of that lately) before she put on the glasses. But she didn't want to wait too long. Subaru might come back. Torn between anxiety at his return and worry at his absence, Luna decided to go ahead and try them on.

She honestly was sure what she had been expecting.

She certainly hadn't been expecting the world to burst into color when she slid them down over her eyes. It was so sudden and so dizzying she almost immediately felt a headache form between her eyes. What was this? Luna tried to focus, but everything was a busy blur.

Luna closed her eyes, prepared herself, and tried again.

This time she noticed some patterns to the mess of iridescence. Orange paths crisscrossed the space right above her head. Bursts of bright light hovered in secluded corners. Coronas of vibrant hues emanated from the desks and board in the classroom. Out the window and further into the distance, rainbow stains painted the sky. Every edifice was tinted with soft pastels.

Even her classmates had faint auras of color floating about them. The chromatic diversity covered the full spectrum. Some colors she didn't even remember the word for.

So this was how Subaru entertained himself when he got bored. But what did it mean exactly? Because she didn't think he would use these just for the kicks. And they were obviously some kind of device. The colors had to mean something…

Luna was seriously considering the possible answers when something pulsed through the atmosphere. She could tell by the way the streaks of orange above her head rippled, like someone had dropped a stone in a still pool. The lights in the corners fizzled and blinked out. The coronas around the desks listed to one side, away from the front of the classroom.

Another pulse, and the paths shattered into specks that blew away. Something seeped through the wall at the front of the classroom, viscous. Through the glasses it looked like a mass of yellow shaped vaguely like an antiquated set of scales. It ghosted over to where Ikuta stood, though Luna had a hard time making him out, its smoky tendrils reaching.

Why was no one saying anything? That… thing didn't look normal. And it was doing something to Ikuta.

Luna lifted the shades. The world refracted as the curved glass moved. It was much easier to see without all the colorful interference. But now she couldn't see the yellow shadow. That was why no one was saying anything: because they couldn't see what she could.

Regardless, Ikuta did not look good. He was leaning on his desk, propped up by both hands. He had stopped talking, like he was thinking about what to say next and how to word it perfectly.

"I chose 'A.'" Ikuta announced suddenly. His voice was deep and reverberated off the walls. Luna could feel it in her feet it was so palpable.

Luna let the shades fall back into place.

Ikuta was steaming yellow. The shadow was gone, but the colors around her teacher were stronger – more vibrant. Tendrils of condensed light squirmed and writhed along his body, resolving into hardened plates. The mass about Ikuta began to take solid shape; the only solid shape in Luan's entire, glass enhanced, field of view. This couldn't be good.

"I am Libra Scale." The thing that was no longer her teacher intoned from the front of the class, "And you, my students, have two options: A. learn or B. die."


Hoshikawa Subaru:

Subaru walked briskly through the halls, his stare so intently focused on the tiles in front of his feet that the rest of the world – and the colors – were a blur. Don't think about it, he thought, don't get distracted. Warrock seemed to sense his distress and was remaining blessedly silent for the time being.

The bathroom was quiet, but just to be safe Subaru pushed each stall door open. No one there. That done, he flipped open his transer and quickly tapped his most commonly used algorithm. A snick sounded as the lock on the door slid shut.

Alone at last. Well, alone save for Rock, but he didn't mind the FMian's presence. And in this case, Rock was probably the one with the answers. Subaru sagged against the sink, suddenly aware of how pale he looked. He rubbed his eyes.

"Kid…" Warrock muttered, "What's wrong."

"I was just using the Visualizer to look out the window." Subaru began, "I noticed some wave trails had changed so I made a note of it. But then, I looked again and I could still see it, without the Visualizer."

"Just that one?"

"No, others too." Subaru closed his eyes, "Even on the way to the restroom I could see them in the corners of my eyes."

Warrock didn't say anything so Subaru continued.

"I can see them now too, but they're unclear." He squinted up at an orange trail that hovered above his head, "Blurry. Like a picture that's out of focus. The longer I stare at it, the clearer it gets."

"This is… new." Warrock's voice was slow.

"Bottom line, it's like the early prototypes of the Visualizer. Any idea why this is happening?"

"No."

"Rock…"

"I'm not hiding anything, kid. I'm serious. This is unprecedented. Do you think denpa-henkan was a common occurrence up until three years ago, on Space Station Peace? The answer is no."

"But…" Subaru wanted Rock to be the one with the answers.

"This is your area of expertise, kid." Rock sounded upset, likely dissatisfied with his degree of helpfulness as well, "How is denpa-henkan affecting the human body? Think."

Rock wouldn't harm him intentionally. While his methods hadn't always been appreciated – like hiding things or forcing him into wave battles – the FMian never wanted Subaru to get seriously hurt. Moderately hurt was just an occupational hazard.

So Subaru closed his eyes and thought. His head swam with theories he'd been developing since his first wave change. Energy transformation and conservation had to occur. But Warrock was a source of energy unto himself. That meant… extra energy. Extra energy with no outlet.

Or maybe Subaru was the outlet.

"Rock." He asked, "How did you offload excess energy absorption from your home world when you were there?"

There was a grimace in Warrock's voice, "How do you think, kid. We're a war clan."

"Fighting? So busting viruses on earth isn't enough for you."

"Probably not."

"But you're not on your home world anymore and you're not degenerating."

"Doesn't mean I'm completely stagnant. Your device receives energy from the satellites which in turn receives energy from my home world. It's roundabout, but I'm still kicking."

Subaru pressed his forehead to the cool mirror.

"I can sense waves, although it's very limited."

"Yes you can."

"I can see waves, although it's very limited."

"It would seem so."

"So it follows that there might be other changes."

"Predictably."

"Like what?"

"Well, kid. It all sounds like things that EM beings can do."

Subaru's eyes snapped open, "Denpa-henkan? Is that a literal term?"

Warrock shrugged from the transer, "It's simply a combination of what I am and what you are. It's not like it's meant to encompass the entire concept. Obviously wave change is much more complicated than that – a connection and a common goal. Like I told Harp."

"But what if it is literal? Think about it. When I am injured in wave form, we can wait for the injury to regenerate; that's you siphoning off power from the satellites or home world or whatever you choose to use. But if we release wave change, the injury carries over. Something had to make up for the deficit in your energy, so I loose mass and you maintain your energy."

Warrock looked uncomfortable.

"But if I am not injured and you still siphon power, what happens to that energy? You don't need it so you don't keep it. Which leaves me. I get it."

"And it enhances your senses?" Warrock sounded unbelieving.

"It enhances something."

"And… you're okay with this?"

Subaru stared at his hands, "I'm not sure if it is cool or terrifying."

Warrock sighed, the sound of it rattled and hissed through the speakers of Subaru's transer, "Kid, at some point I think this is all going to be too much for you."

Subaru clenched his hands into fists.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm being completely frank with you here, Subaru." The FMian growled, "I've been taking advantage of you. I haven't told you enough… about what happened, about why I'm here, about the others. And at every turn, you lose. You haven't gained anything."

"You know about my dad." There was steel in Subaru's eyes, "And I'm still waiting, Rock. You're not getting out of it."

"How long are you going to wait?"

There was a hint of menace in Warrock's voice. Dragon-red eyes gleamed like freshly spilled blood. But just like Rock knew Subaru, Subaru knew Rock. This was his version of defense. Underneath the aggressive and threatening exterior, Rock was hiding something that honestly scared him. Subaru knew it was there, but he didn't know what it was. What could cow a war-mongering extra-terrestrial into silence?

Something unforgivable.

"As long as it takes."

A smirk twisted Warrock's muzzle.

"Good to see we're both stubborn asses."

"Language." Subaru admonished.

"What? It's not like we have a swear jar."

"How do you even know what that is?"

"Television. We've been over this."

Subaru groaned, but he was quickly interrupted.

"Kid!" Rock's tone was sharp, "Incoming!"

Subaru reached for his Visualizer to check out the denpa atmosphere, but his hand felt nothing – only empty air. He'd left them back in the classroom.

"Shit." He muttered.

"Hypocrite."

"Damn." He added, simply out of spite.

"Just focus, kid." Warrock advised, "Check your eleven. Pan past four walls and into that classroom."

Subaru tried, he sincerely did, but his eyes watered as light and colors wavered in and out of focus. It was like trying to get a clear image through three different pairs of glasses with three different prescriptions.

"Eh, we can practice later then." Warrock growled, "Right not we've got an FMian to deal with."

"You never said that another had entered earth's atmosphere! Not since Harp!"

"Some of us actually know how to keep a low profile. But now this guy's found a host."

Subaru cast his mind around for possibilities narrowed it down with worrying speed. "Ikuta Sensei." He breathed.

"That's the guy. Now denpa-henkan. We've got work to do."

A wash of energy later and Rockman leapt through four walls, landing in the midst of yet another EM attack. Subaru sensed Rock's elation, encompassing him like a blanket. No need to worry now. Just fight.


Rockman wasn't on a visible wavelength as of yet. He took stock of the situation around him. Every desk was full except for his own. It appeared as if the students had been glued to their chairs, whether in fear or something else, Subaru didn't know.

"Ugh, Libra." Warrock groaned, "Of all the annoying pricks it had to be you."

"Warrock." The FMian had noticed them the moment they'd entered the room, "You have two options: A. address me as Libra Scale or B. address me as Libra Scale."

"Um… what?" Subaru cast Warrock a glance.

Warrock growled, "This guy is obsessed with dichotomy. Black and White. There's no middle ground with him. He gives you an option and you 'must' chose one or the other."

"Okay…" Subaru drew out the word, "But he didn't really give you an 'option.'"

"He does that too." Warrock groused.

Subaru addressed the animated scale, "Why don't you let the students go and we can talk this out. Or fight this out. I guess that's your choice."

"You will not be posing choices to me." The FMian's eyes blazed although his voice was monotone, "I am Libra Scale and I set the conditions. These students will remain. Heavy weight!"

With his call, Subaru noticed his classmates crumple under an invisible pressure. He alone was spared. A few groaned, their faces squished against their desks. Subaru noted Luna's bright blonde curls being systematically flattened. But more alarmingly, she was staring straight at him, olive eyes shaded by green glass.

She had his Visualizer. How did that happen? His school books were also stacked on her desk. Well that explained it. But why did she have to put them on, of all things?

So distracted, Subrau didn't notice Libra Scale initiate an attack. He lunged forward, his upper body spinning. The pans for holding weights accrued angular acceleration, making the resulting impact less than kind.

"Ouch." Subaru moaned, climbing out the crater he'd made in the wall. Why did schools need cinder block walls anyway? They weren't prisons… or maybe they were. That was up for debate.

"That hurt." Warrock announced.

"I don't need you telling me that." Subaru griped, "But, yeah."

Libra Scale had taken Rockman's recovery time to access the board at the front of the classroom. On it flashed information at high speeds, but the slide shows weren't alone. Waves of data oozed from the console, washing over the students trapped in their chairs. The integrated visualizer in Rockman's armor analyzed the output, running tests at light speed.

"Kid," Warrock sounded puzzled, "I don't know if this is good or bad, but Mr. Judgey is beaming lessons into these kids' brains."

"Part of the contract." Subaru forced himself into action and downloaded an array of weapons, "Ikuta Sensei was close to losing his job because of his teaching methods."

"How do you know this?"

"I hacked the school system after I got curious last week."

"Naughty."

"Bottom line, if Libra satisfies his end of the bargain then he'll be free to do whatever her wants on earth with a host. We can't allow it."

Subaru knelt and slammed his hand down on the floor. Energy disturbances rushed down his arm and shot in a perfect line toward the FMian, tearing up the floor on the way. The blast rebounded against the front wall of the classroom, cracking the board. Images fractured, but Libra Scale remained unhurt.

"That didn't work."

"He's floating." Warrock observed dully.

"Warrock." Libra intoned, "You have two options: A. die now or B. die later."

"I don't think that's how it's going to go down." Warrock snarled, "The kid here's going to flatten your ugly mug. Unless you've gotten stronger since we last matched up, which I doubt."

Subaru rolled his eyes. Warrock always did manage to do all the trash-talking himself.

"Not so." Libra's voice didn't sound mad, but it certainly didn't sound as neutral as it had at first, "Which shall be your demise: A. fire or B. water?"

"I don't really…"

Libra didn't bother to wait for an answer. A rush of water filled his left scale, swirling like a cyclone. The FMian tossed it out with a backhanded gesture. A razor wave of water flew out in a perfect crescent. Subaru ducked underneath it and rolled forward so that it didn't decapitate him. But Libra followed it up with a tsunami. There was no dodging this and Subaru wasn't in the position to shield.

Instead, he changed his wave state. The water felt like a ghostly chill instead of a few hundred tons of force as it rushed past. But now he was visible to all the students in the classroom. They made a collective gasp.

Subaru frowned at them. He need to figure out a way to get them all free. He was limited with what he could do when they were all present. And they were the perfect set of hostages if Libra Scale chose to use them.

As if reading his mind, Libra summoned a ball of fire in his right scale.

"I can keep students from complaining to the administration in two ways: A. I can kill them or B. I can murder them."

The circumference of the room burst into flames. Within seconds, alarms were going off. The sprinklers would kick in soon, but it might not be enough to douse the inferno. Fire licked higher up the walls.

"How is he holding them in place?" Subaru directed the question at Warrock.

"It's his specialty." Warrock responded, the bitterness in his voice was clear as day, "He can drop weight on his opponents. In this case, it's a force. Like gravity."

"But how does he target it?"

"Dunno, kid."

Subaru felt his next weapon materialize in his hand and decided to try something out. Spinning the dial to its highest setting, he tossed the grenade-like bulb in the air and shielded his eyes with his arm. A single beep preceded the flicker – first to grab his enemy's attention – and a second kick that flashed so brightly it blinded Rockman's opponent.

Libra Scale howled in rage, but Subaru ignored him for the time being.

"Everybody move!" He commanded the students.

They hesitated for a second, but Luna immediately stood. It seemed that without the ability to localize his victims by sight, Libra could not impose his heavy weight on them.

"C'mon guys!" Luna dashed over to the classroom door and yanked on it. But her efforts were wasted, the door was locked tight. And Libra was recovering from the flash bomb.

"Escape is not an option." Libra Scale raged in that strangely neutral tone, "You options were: A. learn or B. die. Disobedient students chose B. die by default.

The fire in Libra's scale burned higher matched by the flames climbing the walls. The sprinklers broke and spat water furiously, covering flames and students alike. However, they seemed to have no effect on Libra; the FMian's fire was much too potent.

Glass shattered, it might have been the windows, but Subaru didn't spare a second to check if that was the case. Rockman took up a position between Libra Scale and the mass of students cowering near the door. What would it take to get in one solid attack?

"Rockman-sama! Catch!" Luna tossed a red cylinder to Subaru, not bothering to explain herself. But it soon became clear as Luna directed her classmates to tip the desks on their side, creating the most effective blast barricade a high school classroom could have.

"You have all chosen: B. die." Libra Scale announced, sending a projectile of pure, condensed fire at the crowd of students. Subaru could feel the heat pouring off it, radiant and deadly.

So he used what was available to him. Subaru hurled the fire extinguisher Luna had liberated from the glass pocket in the wall at the fiery missile. It spun through the air and punched through the roaring fireball. It sailed on for a fraction of a second before the delay timed out. The metal cylinder burst, as any overheated pressure vessel would, releasing its contents at high speeds.

The foam snuffed out the fire on the walls, turning to sludge as it mixed with ash and the water still pouring from the sprinklers. Libra Scale was coated in a bubbly layer of white. He didn't see Rockman activate the jet attack. He barely had time to process the depletion of his energy before subsequently losing his host. And he didn't manage to escape very far.

Only a blink of an eye later, the two faced off on a waveroad miles above the school. Rockman blocked Libra's path. The ones that reached into the far depths of space.

"Where do you think you're going?" Warrock growled with maniacal glee.

"Options: A. escape and B. escape."

"Nope." Warrock popped the 'p,' "We don't want you coming back. How are we gonna make sure that doesn't happen, kid?"

Subaru's eyes were dark, "You almost killed everyone back there. And for what? You accomplished nothing."

"You're harboring a traitor." Libra intoned, "King Cepheus wants his head. More clan members will come, seeking the reward King Cepheus will give the victor."

"But why?" Subaru asked.

Warrock was silent.

Libra didn't answer, only continued, "I don't need to stay on earth. My task will be completed by another. You won't last long. You've always been an insignificant little pebble, Warrock. This has been your moment of infamy. It will be over soon."

Subaru could feel Warrock bristle at Libra's words, much more than Subaru would have expected. His muscles ached suddenly, like denpa-henkan was coming undone. Usually Warrock was pretty good about letting snide comments slide off him. What part of Libra's monologue had set him off?

But Warrock rallied, reestablishing their connection.

"Go to hell, Libra." He spat, "Go back to Planet FM and tell King Cepheus that he's going to have to find another way to do his dirty work because I'm not coming back. Ever. You'll be chasing me until the end of your existence. Until you fade away and disperse into nothing."

Libra took that as his cue, moving toward Rockman with the intention of passing him and flashing away to his home world at light speed. But when he came alongside Rockman, Subaru stopped him, charged blaster pressed to the FMian's faux head.

"Come back here again and I will end you."

"King Cepheus won't spare your pitiful host, Warrock. It is you both who will end. Permanently."

And then Libra was gone. Just a yellow smudge on the wave road as he receded into the distance and winked out like a shooting star.


"Rock." Subaru demanded his partner's attention.

Below them, residual smoke poured out of the classroom where the fight had taken place. The room was undoubtedly destroyed. Subaru fumed at the thought. FMians took no responsibility for their actions. Their sole focus was finding a suitable host and hunting down Warrock.

Why? For what purpose?

Subaru needed answers. He wasn't sure if Warrcok was ready to give them.

"I'm just going to ask you to start explaining." Subaru said, "You don't need to tell me everything yet. I understand wanting to keep personal things to yourself. I do and you know it. But some of this concerns me and we are partners."

Sirens wailed as the Satellite Police arrived. Goyouda's eyes were glued to his transer reminding Subaru of that pesky tracking program. He still wasn't sure if it was working or not and he'd rather not find out when Goyouda decided to interrogate Hoshikawa Subaru instead of Rockman.

Even so, the SP did their job, overseeing the evacuation of the building and taking the witness's accounts. Subaru could pinpoint Luna's blonde head as one of those. What was she going to tell them?

He groaned to himself. More problems.

One at a time.

"Taurus mentioned King Cepheus as well. I can safely assume he's your leader?"

"He rules Planet FM." Warrock agreed, "He presides over all the clans. Including my own."

"'Clans'?" Subaru queried, "Is that how your home world is organized?"

Warrock grunted in affirmative.

"And you said you were from a war clan?"

"Yes. My clan serves as King Cepheus's forward troops."

"But if you just defected why would they be so insistent on hunting you down?"

Warrock squirmed in Rockman's transer, "I imagine they would have been ticked either way, but I may have exacerbated the situation by taking something of theirs."

"What?"

"The Andromeda Key."

"What is it?"

"A weapon."

"That's what you meant by King Cepheus's 'dirty work'?"

Warrock nodded.

"And you have this thing?"

"I hid it. Only I know where it is. That's why I didn't tell you about it before. And you can probe all you want, but I'm not telling you where it is. That's your only out."

"'Out'?" Subaru was surprised that Warrock had managed to confuse him with slang.

"Your only redemption." Warrock explained, "You heard Libra. They'll want to kill you too. You harbored me and fought against them. That makes you an enemy in their books. But this way I have the option to argue that I manipulated and used you, which is partially true."

"Not as much as they've used other humans." Subaru grumbled.

"Oh, so I get the 'not-as-much-of-a-jerk-as-you-could-have-been award'? No, kid, this doesn't absolve me of blame. But we've come this far already and it's the best I can do for you. The best I can do to make it up to your pops."

"My dad?"

"No, kid. That's enough."

Subaru felt his ire rising, but pushed it down. He didn't want to throw them out of synch and risk his wave change. Not while the Satellite Police were milling about right under his feet. Which reminded him…

"What part of Libra's monologue threw you off?" Subaru suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Right before he ran Libra said something. It screwed with denpa-henkan, I could feel it. We almost unfused over an insult."

Warrock made a noncommittal noise, "So you want to rehash that while we're still fused?"

"Or not." Subaru corrected.

"Nah, kid. It's fine." Warrock growled, "This I can tell you. Libra decided to sling some mud based on ancient history. Stuff that hits pretty close to home… literally."

"Like what?"

"Take a gander, kid. What pattern do you see in all the other FMian's names?"

Subaru knew the answer instantly, "They're all named after constellations. But not you."

"Got it in one."

Subaru made a circular motion with his hand, the sign to continue.

"Many years ago, I wasn't a proper member of any clan. I didn't even have a name."

"How does that happen?"

"I don't really know." Warrock grouched, "And it's not like anyone bothered to tell me. The point being, King Cepheus commanded his war clan take me in and make me one of them. They didn't like that obviously, so I had to go through some pretty brutal initiation."

Subaru frowned, not liking where this was going.

"For the sake of convenience, they called me 'Rock.' Among them, with their fancy star names, I was just garbage, space-junk, worthless and weak. I won't go into any of the gory details. But when I finally passed their 'tests' they gave me a new name: Warrock. It was their way of making me sound more ferocious, like I could almost be one of them, but not without a reminder that I wasn't."

The story felt like a punch in the stomach. Subaru wasn't sure if that was Warrock's feelings or his own. He felt terrible. This whole time Subaru had shorted Warrock's name to make it less of a mouthful. But he had been inadvertently calling his partner by a name that had been used to humiliate him, put him down, and remind him that he was 'insignificant.'

"I'm sorry." Subaru choked out. He felt like curling in on himself – like he was collapsing inward. He didn't feel right. This was what it was to come undone.

Warrock, on the other hand, muscled his way through the sensation, holding them together.

"Kid," the FMian muttered with some exasperation, "Calm down. Do you think if I had a problem with you calling me Rock that we would be as kickass as we are? Geez. Calm down."

Subaru took breaths he didn't need.

"There. Better. Now let me explain. When it first happened, I'll admit I was surprised. It hurt. But I knew you weren't doing it intentionally so I didn't say anything. It was coming from a good place. And honestly, you've been re-writing the past. I don't mind it. I like it. The nickname is personal coming from you. Like partners. Like friends. Got it?"

Subaru nodded.

"So don't you dare quit!"

Subaru nodded again and offered Rock a shaky smile.

"Good. Now what are we gonna do about this mess?"

"Nothing." Subaru said, "The Satellite Police will manage. But it won't make Inspector Goyouda happy."

"That man is never happy." Warrock grumbled.

Subaru grinned and flashed away, finding somewhere to release denpa-henkan that wouldn't be too suspicious. If only he could just skip out on the rest of school. But he couldn't do that when Luna had his Visualizer. He needed them back, wave-vision or no.


With the threat already taken care of, the SP didn't have much to do. By the end of the school day, they were gone, giving Subaru the chance to sneak out of the observatory where he'd been hiding. Classes had been disrupted beyond repair. The teachers complacently reminded students to do their homework before letting them do as they please, whether that be go home or move on with club activities.

Subaru wasn't sure where Luna was so he decided to start where he had last seen her. Unfortunately, the school courtyard was crowded with students.

"Any idea where she is?" Subaru asked Warrock.

The FMian shrugged, "How am I supposed to know that?"

"Oh, Hoshikawa-kun, there you are!"

Subaru turned and looked down to see Kizamaro, a triumphant smile on his face.

"Prez has been looking for you."

"I've been looking for her too." Subaru said with some trepidation.

"We're over here." Kizamaro beckoned to Subaru and led the way over to a set of benches right outside the front doors. Luna, Gonta, and Tsukasa were slouched in their seats, exhausted from extensive questioning, "Found him, Prez!"

"Hoshikawa-kun!" Luna shot to her feet. Subaru noted that she held his Visualizer tight in her hand. He cringed. There was no way to know where this was going, "Where have you been?"

Subaru shrugged, "I went to the restroom and when the alarms started going off, I evacuated with the rest of the students."

"I didn't see you." Her tone was a mix between accusation and worry. Who could have guessed that the illustrious Lady Luna would be worried about him?

"I might have ducked out for the interrogations."

"Figures." Luna muttered. She approached him, standing too close if you asked him. But no one did, so he didn't say anything about it. Luna's olive, green-eyed stare was pointed. Piercing. She shoved the Visualizer into his hands.

"Thanks." Was all Subaru could to think to say.

Luna didn't respond. She stared more. Subaru felt like she was attempting to make him spontaneously combust.

"What?" He finally crumbled and asked.

"Your glasses." She stated, "I was wearing him when that thing changed Ikuta Sensei. I saw what happened."

Subaru looked away. He couldn't meet her gaze.

"What do they do?"

He returned his precious shades to their place on his head.

"It's called a Visualizer. It's one of a kind. It allows the wearer to see EM waves across the spectrum, color coded by frequency."

"I told the Satellite Police that I saw Ikuta Sensei transform, which is true, but I didn't explain it to them completely. I saw that thing before it possessed Ikuta Sensei. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" To say that Luna sounded accusing would be a dramatic understatement.

Subaru nodded.

"EM beings, completely different from viruses. The scientists at AMAKEN are aware of this."

"And yet the SP aren't?"

"I think shortly after today, the information will be distributed to them and then the public. Amachi-san didn't want to make an announcement until he was more certain. Even now, we're not one hundred percent sure what we're up against." He met her eyes, "Making people more afraid will only make things worse."

Luna cocked her head, "What happened to Utagai, Gonta, and now Ikuta, it has something to do with this mind-wave thing you're researching?"

"Research?" Tsukasa suddenly butt in, "What research?"

"Some stuff I'm looking into." Subaru explained, keeping it vague, "But that doesn't matter. My research is pure theory. The Satellite Police want facts – things they can use."

"Your Visualizer would do the job handily then." Tsukasa pointed out.

That put Subaru on the defensive, "No."

Luna waved away the argument, "Regardless, I was able to help Rockman-sama win the battle against… Libra Scale. Right? That's what he called himself. I was the first one to see Rockman-sama! That makes today a success, collateral damage aside."

"'Collateral damage'?" Subaru muttered, "You almost died."

"We saved Ikuta Sensei together!" Luna gushed, "We make such a great team!"

"Ikuta Sensei is in the hospital." Kizamaro reminded her dryly.

"Rockman's a hero!" Gonta announced, "That Libra guy didn't stand a chance!"

"Maybe I can present more of a challenge." Tsukasa murmured, too softly to be heard by the group of overexcited friends. His eyes narrowed, locking in on his classmate. Very faintly, the presence of an FMian leaked from Subaru's blue transer and Tsukasa smiled, "I guess this means that I'm up next."


Guys... I haven't gotten anything done besides writing this. Chugging very hispter espresso drinks is helping too. But seriously, this is fun (I'll just ignore school for a while). Personal problems aside, progress is being made and I mapped out the next few chapters as well. I have so many more things to write!

This chapter was simply capitalizing on scenes I had already set in motion: Akane offering to teach Luna how to cook and the fight with Libra (which didn't look very hard in the game, much less the anime... if I got that right?). Going into the details of the Visualizer began and will continue into the next few chapters. As to why Subaru can do fancy things... well, it was more apparent in the anime, but both Utagai and Tsukasa (who spent extended periods of time with their EM partners) displayed EM powers outside of denpa-henkan. Utagai shifted the frequncy of his hand. Tsukasa is shown lounging on a wave road and observing a fight without the assistance of a Visualizer. Admittedly, Subaru will use the Visualizer because it's more accurate and takes less effort. Poor Luna though... she definitely got a headache messing around with a device she didn't know how to use properly. I can imagine it would take some getting used to.

Finally, the reveal of the origins of Warrock's name (and nickname). I've been waiting to get to that for a while. I get that the creators trying to stay within the context of the Megaman games, but does anyone else think Warrock is a stupid name? Better reasoning was definitely required. Hope you liked it!

Thanks for reading!