Chapter 11

Shirogane Luna:

The house was completely silent when Luna left Saturday morning. Her parents were actually home, for once, but she doubted they would be up before eleven. She was in the clear. Not that they'd actually care if she was gone, but it was best to play it safe. Drastic measures were sometimes taken over the most inconsequential things.

Her walk was relaxing. Her feet already knew where they were going, she'd been to the Hoshikawa residence so many times at this point. Her worries were erased with every step forward, leaving her home life behind.

Luna glanced at her transer clock. Geez, she was that early? Redirecting her steps, Luna decided to take the scenic route so that she wasn't too early. That would be rude.

A tour about the nearby park would delay her enough to make her right on time. At this time in the day, the park was fairly empty save for a few joggers. So Luna was surprised to see the tennis court occupied. That trademark hollow pop of a tennis ball accompanied two figures as they dashed after it, neon green streaking back and forth at high speeds.

"Good one!" the voice was familiar. But it couldn't be…

"Thanks." The second voice was more familiar. Subaru's. His response was barely a wheeze. Luna squinted to catch the movement of the tennis ball as Akane returned it with incredible vigor. Subaru barely had time to get his racket in place and not nearly enough time to position it correctly. With a high-strung ting, the ball ricocheted off the frame and flew over the enclosure.

By some twist of fate, it bounced and rolled over to where Luna stood, watching.

Subaru jogged over to where the ball had landed. His hair was even more of a mess, his brow shiny with sweat, and his breath coming in pants. Who knew his mom could run him this ragged? Well, Luna could have guessed. Akane always did seem more energetic than her son.

The boy finally process that it was his classmate handing him back the tennis ball.

"Prez?" Subaru sounded completely off-guard, "What are you doing here?"

Luna didn't really have a response for that, "You know I'm not class president yet, right?"

Subaru wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, "Right."

A tense silence followed. The two of them just stood there, not sure of what else to say.

"Su," Akane approached them, "What's taking you so long? Oh, Luna-chan!" She checked her transer, "Is it that time already?"

"No." Luna said, "I'm just a little early. I didn't expect to run into you here."

Akane smiled, "We do this every weekend." She ruffled her son's sweaty hair, making him grimace in response, "Gotta give this kid some kind of workout. He's lazy about exercise like his dad. I guess I lost track of time. We should really be heading back. Subaru…"

"I got it, mom." Subaru was already walking away, tennis ball in hand. Akane tossed him her racket, which he caught without much obvious effort. Luna watched as he reentered the enclosure of the tennis court and started packing things away.

"Well," Akane turned to Luna, "How are you this morning?"

"Just fine." Luna did her best to inject cheer into her smile. She had a feeling it fell kind of flat.

Akane seemed to notice, but didn't say anything about it, "Good, cause we've got some cooking to do. I have to ask, how much do you already know about cooking?"

Luna cringed, "Nothing. I burnt water once."

"Well, we'll just have to start with the basics then!"

Suabru returned with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. Akane tossed him a smile before putting an arm around Luna's shoulders and steering her out of the park and toward the house. Subaru followed along behind, silently, and didn't seem to mind as Akane continued to chat with Luna. Pretty soon they'd fallen victim to a conversational tangent.

"You play tennis?" Luna aksed.

Akane nodded, "Ever since middle school. I was the star player at my high school and then I went on to play in college. Funny story, I actually met Subaru's dad when I hit him in the face with a tennis ball."

"No. Way." Luna breathed.

Akane smirked, "It wasn't an accident either. He'd said something kind of insensitive to one of my friends. It was payback. But my aim was a little off. I gave Daigo a black eye. And in order to apologize I bought him lunch."

Luna giggled.

"After that, I thought we would call it even. But then he started showing up at my tennis matches. Imagine my surprise! Why on earth would the most decorated science geek at the university be attending a sporting event, much less mine? It was suspicious."

Akane had completely captured Luna's attention, "What happened next?"

"He asked me out."

"You said yes?"

Another smirk, "Are you kidding? I still thought he was a bit of a prick, self-important just because he was some kind of genius. No, I needed more convincing. So we made a bet. Do you know what they call zero in tennis?"

Luna frowned, thinking, but the answer didn't come to mind, "No."

"Love." Subaru piped up from behind.

Akane was still smirking, something she seemed to have in common with her son, "Su, don't cheat, you've heard this before."

"Only about a million times." Subaru grumbled.

"What does zero have to do with your bet?" Luna prompted, ignoring her classmate. She needed to know more. Akane's willingness to talk about things Subaru would not was a glaring contrast.

"We agreed that if I managed to beat my next opponent without allowing them to score any points, he'd get a single date." Akane explained.

"Which in tennis speak means 'no way in hell, dude.'" Subaru supplied.

"Oh, hush. At least I was giving him a chance!"

"A slim one."

Akane waved away her son's comment. Luna understood though. It was an unspoken empathy, from one woman to another. She turned her puppy eyes on Akane, begging her to continue the story.

"Anyway, it actually happened. I won the match and completely shut out my opponent. In tennis, that's called a 'love game,' Luna-chan. Which is pretty ironic."

"How so?"

"That's what things turned into between us." Akane's tone was far-away, reminiscent, "I was pretty hard to please. I had Diago running in circles sometimes. That man was not always very good with people, which was the reason for our initial misunderstanding. He didn't mean to hurt my friend's feelings, he thought he was being matter-of-fact. But Daigo learned from his mistakes. He always tried his best to understand others and he was a quick to pick things up. Most people thought that his intellect was his greatest feature, but I think it was his heart."

"That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" Luna cooed. She could practically feel Subaru roll his eyes behind her. Whatever, he'd live.

The story was sweet, yes, and interesting to say the least. Without conscious thought, her mind drew parallels between Diago and his son. Insensitive, check. Intelligent, check. Heart? She had yet to see that. It seemed that Subaru had walls around his that Daigo never did.

Was it some kind of cosmic joke that Daigo was likely the reason? How unfair.

"Well, Luna-chan," Akane snapped the girl out of her thoughts and held the front door open, "I need to take a quick shower before we start. You can use the TV in the living room, right through there. Subaru, make sure her transer synchs up so she can access the virtual remote."

"Sure thing, mom."

Subaru left the duffel bag by the door and kicked off his shoes. Luna followed him through the house, suddenly feeling acutely uncomfortable. This was nothing like coming to pick him up for school or tracking him down because he'd disappeared. This was actual one-on-one time with no one else around. It was… weird to say the least.

Luna clicked through the commands on her transer, picking the first channel that looked relatively appealing. A re-run of one of Hibiki Misora's soap operas flickered on the screen. At the sound of her voice, Subaru's head whipped around. Luna must have surprised him by accident. He seemed to release a breath when he realized it was just the TV. All the same, his eyes trained on the screen for a minute and a complicated expression flashed over his features. His fist tightened. Strange.

"You went to the concert last week?" Luna asked, meaning the pink-haired idol.

Subaru's critical gaze shifted from the screen to her.

"Your mom said you did."

Subaru pursed his lips, "I might have."

"So are you a fan of her now? Not a month ago you said you'd never heard of her." Luna kept her tone neutral, trying her best not to sound accusing. But the inconsistency was bugging her.

"I'm starting to realize how widespread her work is."

Now that was a strange answer. Luna cocked an eyebrow.

Instead of deigning her unspoken question with a response, Subaru flopped into a seat on the couch, releasing a drawn-out sigh. Luna sat down as well, albeit with more care. She wasn't really watching the TV, but Subaru's eyes seemed to stray back every once and while.

"Is it because she's cute?" Luna said suddenly. She wasn't quite sure where that had come from. But for some reason she needed to know.

He made noncommittal hum, "She tends to stand out. Which, I guess, makes her easy to spot."

Another strange answer, "I don't think that really answers my question."

Indistinctly, a chuckle floated through the air between them. Subaru cleared his throat in an attempt to cover the sound, but it was a lost cause, she'd definitely noticed that it came from his transer. Should she say something about it? Maybe. But what?

"So what are you doing today exactly?" Subaru changed the subject.

Luna shrugged, she'd think about it later, "Shopping first. Then… I don't know. Your mom seems to have a plan."

"More like a scheme." Subaru muttered, but his complaint was tainted with fondness.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard the story, about my dad. My mom doesn't just do things without additional motivation. She masks it well with her general enthusiasm, but it's still there."

"Is that bad?"

"No." Subaru offered Luna a wry grin, "You just need to watch out for it or she'll play you like a fiddle."

"She wouldn't do that! I don't think your mom has a mean bone in her body." Luna defended.

Subaru laughed, "Mom doesn't do it to be mean. She just thinks she knows best."

"Don't moms usually know best?" Luna argued. Excluding her own, that is.

"Maybe."

They fell into silence again, but it was more comfortable this time. Companionable. Family was important to Subaru and she was getting to know his, oddities included. Akane rejoined them a few minutes later, clothes fresh and wet hair wrapped up in a bun. She smiled when she saw what was playing on the TV.

"I love Misora-chan's work." Akane gestured to the television, "She has this life about her that's really inspiring."

"It's television, mom." Subaru sounded somewhat dull.

"I know. But it can't all be an act. I think Misora-chan has a wonderful, spunky attitude."

Subaru snorted, but didn't comment.

"It's a shame they've only been playing re-runs lately." Akane sounded genuinely disappointed. And that caught Luna's attention.

"Come to think of it." Luna started out slowly, "She hasn't been showing up for interviews either. Her manager has had to cancel all her public appearances for the past week or so."

Akane looked alarmed, "Is she ill?"

Luna shook her head, "I don't know. No one really knows. Her manager hasn't confirmed or denied anything, so obviously, rumors are perpetuating at light speed. Anything from ill to dead has been suggested on public forums."

"Goodness! That's terrible."

Luna nodded in agreement.

"Well, let's just hope for the best then. Luna-chan, do you want to get your shoes and I'll get my purse. We can buy groceries at the market that's only a little ways away. That's usually where I go. Good prices and fresh produce. Best combination!"

Luna stood with energy, "Yes, ma'am!"

Subaru seemed to sink further into the couch. It was like he was allergic to energy or anything that required energy. Akane spared a glance at her son, "Are you planning to go into AMAKEN today?"

"Probably not." Subaru answered without moving.

"I invited Amachi-san and Utagai-san over for dinner tonight. Luna-chan, you're welcome to stay as well, if you'd like."

Subaru perked up at the mention of his friends (more like his dad's friends), and then his eyes trained on Luna as she debated how to respond to Akane's invitation. She shuffled her feet.

"I should probably go home before then." She muttered, "But thank you for the offer."

Akane shrugged, "It's no big deal." She started towards the door and Luna followed, hot on her heels. Akane called back to her son, "If you do decide to go somewhere in the meantime, just leave me a note or message me."

"Kay."

Akane shut the door. Luna noticed that Subaru hadn't moved from the couch. She looked at her cooking mentor, but the woman simply had that serene smile on her face, as usual. Luna felt like laughing for some reason.

Akane did laugh, "I may have worn him out. But he'll live. Let's go!"

Luna thought that she could stand to have more weekends like this. Happy.


She was a lost cause. Hopeless. She couldn't do this.

"You can do this!" Akane assured her, "Just shift your wrist forward and then twist."

Luna tried, she honestly did. But whatever fine nuance that she'd missed was apparently crucial for getting the movement right. The omelet she'd been attempting to flip slid haphazardly off the spatula; its momentum carried it forward and over the lip of the pan. With a splat, it flopped, its contents ejected from its delicate egg pouch into the gas burner on the stove.

She could only watch in horror as the vegetables turned black, shriveled up, and ultimately caught on fire. The steady blue flames of the stove flared up into tongues of orange and yellow. Luna shrieked.

Akane sprang into action. With quick movements she shut off the stove, removed the pan from the burner, and used chopsticks to pick up the bulk of the burning foodstuffs. Akane doused it in a compartment of the kitchen sink that they'd filled with water for this express purpose. After the first few failures, they'd decided to be proactive with their extinguishing methods.

Luna's hand rested over her heart. She didn't know how many times this had happened, but she wasn't getting over the anxiety it caused any time soon. Akane offered her a wry smile. Despite the sheer volume of wasted ingredients Luna had literally burned through, the woman didn't seem to be mad. Luna absently reflected that her mom would be furious.

"That was better." Akane said instead, her smile grew, "I think you've almost got it!"

"Got what?" Luna wanted to seethe, but getting mad might make Akane think she was ungrateful. Even so, cooking was proving to be frustrating than expected. Luna's grip on the spatula turned white. Duly she noted that her hand shook. She was losing her cool.

Akane took Luna's hand in her own, prying her tight fingers loose and readjusting Luna's grip. She smiled more and her voice was calming, "Luna-chan," She explained, "You might not get all this down in a day. We've done a lot. It's a lot to take in. Which just means you'll have to come back next weekend. For a beginner, you're doing great."

"How do you figure?" Luna muttered.

"Do you have any idea how many things I burned when I first started learning how to cook?"

"None."

"Not even close." Akane started cleaning up the rest of the burning pieces from the exploded omelet now that they weren't on fire, just ashen remains.

Luna didn't trust herself to speak again. She didn't want to put her foot in her mouth.

"When I was seven or eight, I asked my mom to get me one of those toy ovens. You know, the ones with the miniature pans and the little mix-pouches that only require you to add water? Anyway, my mom said no."

"Why?"

"She said that if I wanted to cook, I could use the oven in the kitchen instead of an inefficient toy. She bought me box mixes for cookies and brownies and told me which measurements went with which utensils. It was hard at first. But once I'd gotten that much down, I'd watch when she'd make meals and then try and recreate it myself."

Akane's tone had lapsed from storytelling to lecture mode, "All cooking builds on itself. Once you know the basics, you can learn how to do other things. It's a process. It's not going to click all at once. You live, you learn, and you practice. I've made so many mistakes, but I've had years of practice."

Luna nodded. Akane would know best after all.

"Okay. I'll give it another try."

The next omelet stayed intact and actually made it onto the waiting plate. Luna watched impatiently as Akane took an experimental bite. So she saw the moment that Akane desperately tried to keep her face from screwing up in disgust.

"It's awful." Luna moaned.

Akane set the plate with the omelet down, "It's edible." She announced, "It's a start."

Luna stared.

"Don't give up, Luna-chan. I won't. All you need is practice."

"Okay." Luna offered Akane a smile of her own. It wavered, but it stayed in place. She could do this. She would do this. For Rockman-sama… or maybe just for herself. And Akane.

Luna collapsed in a chair at the table as Akane began washing dishes. She'd received more support from this woman in the last few hours than she typically received from her parents in a year. Luna didn't want to disappoint her. So she'd keep trying. Shirogane Luna was not a quitter, after all.

"Can I ask a favor, Akane-san?"

"Hmmm?" the woman tossed a glance over her shoulder, "Yep. Sure, go ahead."

Luna took a deep breath, "Well," She began, "Kizamaro is involved with the STEM club at school. He was telling me that they were thinking about building a quad-copter as an end-of-the-year project. But they don't have the funds to buy the necessary parts."

"Uh huh." Akane prompted.

"I told Kizamaro that I'd work on setting up a fundraiser for the club. And I was thinking, we could kill two birds with one stone if we did a bake sale. I could practice and we could donate the edible results to the bake sale. I'll even pay for the ingredients."

"I think that's a brilliant idea, Luna-chan!"

"Thank you, Akane-san!"

Akane waved a soapy hand, "Of course, Luna-chan. You know," She continued, "has anyone ever told you that you're a great friend."

Luna started, processing those words and then blushing, "Rarely." Her voice was quiet.

"It's true. You support your friends. You help them when they need it and encourage them when they feel down. You're decisive when you need to be and you don't press when it has the possibility of hurting others. Achieving balance like that is very difficult. And I, personally, have you to thank for convincing Subaru to return to school."

She froze, "That wasn't me though." She said, "He decided to come on his own."

"Did he?" Akane turned and leaned against the sink so that Luna could see her expression: one of inquiry and a single raised eyebrow. Her tone was a challenge.

Luna blustered, "At least, I thought he did."

Akane raised both eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Where is that Hoshikawa-kun, anyway?"

"Hiding, I'm sure."

So he could be listening, Luna thought. She didn't want him to be. There were things Luna could ask his mom. Answers she could get. But the crux of the matter remained: she wanted the answers to come from Subaru himself. She sighed and dropped the subject.

"I should head home." Luna sighed when she noted the time, "Thank you so much for your help, Akane-san. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"There is absolutely no need." Akane grinned, "Think of this as my repayment. And I get the added bonus of having you around when Subaru is off doing his own thing. I'll see you Monday morning, but we'll do this at the same time next week. We can work on baking cookies!"

"Sounds great!" Luna chirped.


Hoshikawa Subaru:

"She doesn't give up easily, I can give her that." Came Warrock's rough voice from Subaru's transer. The pair was peeking around the corner right below the stairs. But his mom and Luna were so focused on their task, it was barely worth hiding.

Subaru groaned as another fire flared up on his mom's stove, "Honestly, Rock, we already knew that. Remember the whole 'school' fiasco? Exhibit A."

"Oh," Warrock deadpanned, "Right."

"This is going to turn into a big deal." Subaru said apprehensively, "I just know it. She's going to be here every week, isn't she?"

"Probably. What? That go you worried, kid? You let her snoop around your lab just the other day. I thought you trusted her."

"A little." Subaru bit his lip, "But not enough to have her around constantly…"

"Orbiting." Warrock growled, "Give it a rest, kid. Just get used to the idea that she's not leaving. She's not the type."

"How would you know?"

"I know Harp. Blondie reminds me of her. She finds something and fixates on it – gets attached. But hey, that just means they make great allies."

"Rock." Subaru frowned, "What are you trying to say?"

"It's been over a week and you haven't contacted Harp Note. Just check in and see that she's fine, still alive, whatever. Harp is a little irresponsible. She probably gave the girl some bullshit line like 'I'm a goddess of music' or something like that."

It was funny, the way Warrock attempted to imitate Harp's whimsical tone of voice with his own coarse one. But that didn't alleviate Subaru's indecision.

"I don't know." He wrung his hands, "I don't think she wants me hovering like her manager."

"I said 'check in' not hover. Geez, kid, why do you gotta blow everything out of proportion?"

Subaru did what he did best and ignored Warrock's suggestion. And the problem. He heard his mom devolve into anecdote again. He silently groaned to himself again. Luna was definitely getting the full run-down on his family today, absent members included. Subaru reached for his pendant and squeezed it.

"Rock, have any more FMians entered earth's atmosphere?"

A pause, "Nope. Air's clear."

Subaru sighed, "Then I guess I'll work on homework. There's no sense in transforming when we can get some hints about that tracking program from Amachi tonight. Utagai will be here too. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Chill kid." Warrock stretched in Subaru's transer, yawning, "It'll be suspicious if you act all wound up. Even more so if they suspect something. You sure you don't wanna bust some viruses? Let off some steam? I could sink my teeth into some action right now."

Subaru rolled his eyes and climbed the stairs to his room, "Tell me something I don't already know."

Warrock flashed from Subaru's transer to the console on the wall, opening the skylights and letting a crisp breeze filter in. A chime sounded as the dragon-like figure pixelated into view on Subaru's desktop.

"Bet you didn't know that I took the lawn mower for a spin last night."

"You're kidding." Subaru said bluntly and sat down at his desk. Warrock didn't answer so Subaru leveled a glare at the FMian. "You are kidding, right?"

"Not kidding." Warrock's eyes gleamed,

"Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again." Subaru punctuated each word with a click of his cursor on Warrock's visage.

Warrock crashed the computer.

Subaru held back a silent scream. Only a hiss escaped, muttered under his breath, "Rock…"


"Thanks for having us, Akane-san!" Amachi shed his ever-present AMAKEN jacket. A huge, boyish smile had taken up permanent residence on his face. No doubt, he was looking forward to the food. Subaru had to agree as his stomach gave another grumble.

"It's no problem." Akane assured them.

Utagai offered a formal bow to which Akane responded, "It's a pleasure to officially meet you, Utagai-san. Amachi and Subaru have spoken quite highly of you. I do hope to see more of you."

Amachi clapped the thin man on the back, making Utagai let out at silent oooff. "After tonight he'll be sure to come back!"

"Amachi-san has recommended your cooking quite often, Hoshikawa-san." Utagai explained, "I am very thankful to have this chance to experience it."

Subaru stifled a snort behind his hand, "Utagai-san, it's just dinner."

"Maybe, Hoshikawa-kun," Utagai held up his index finger like he was recalling a fact, "But you have yet to experience the joys of cooking for yourself. It's harder than you may think."

"So I've heard."

Akane clapped her hands, "Well, why don't we stop talking about food and actually have some? I don't know about you all, but I'm hungry."

"Starving!" Amachi agreed.

The group moved to the table. Akane insisted that the scientists take their seats while she and Subaru carried the food from the kitchen. Silence reigned for the first few minutes as everyone feverishly filled their mouths. It wasn't until their appetites had been curbed that the conversation began. Predictably, it was Amachi who spoke first. Also unsurprising was the topic. Amachi's work consumed his life, after all.

"Goyouda dropped by on Friday after he finished up at your school, Subaru. Understandably, he wanted some answers."

Subaru offered Amachi a sharp smile, "Understandably."

"I explained Daigo Senpai's theory. About EM life. He said he'd take it into consideration as he reviewed the details of the case. But AMAKEN isn't done analyzing EM beings full range of ability. We're getting there, though, slowly but surely. We've got tons of data."

Subaru did his best to sound casual, "Speaking of progress, the Satellite Police were late to the party on Friday. They didn't get there in time to see the attack or do anything besides getting personal statments. What was that about?"

Amachi sent Utagai a meaningful glance.

"The attack was fairly brief and we're still working out the kinks in the tracking program." Utagai explained.

"Utagai took responsibility for reworking the program. I've been developing the countermeasures Goyouda requested." Amachi informed them.

That got Subaru's attention, "Is that so?"

For some reason, Utagai shrank at those words. Hesitation overtook his features as his grey eyes locked on Subaru. The slim scientist rallied himself, took a deep breath, and explained, "I've been trying to regulate the signals by their energy output. It's different depending on where the EM creatures are and what they are doing, whether that be traversing wave roads or wave battling. This way we can not only map their location but also their activity."

Subaru felt his stomach drop like a stone. That didn't sound good for him.

"Rockman's signal is most common. It seemingly appears at random. So trying to connect where he's been and where he's going is troublesome. For research purposes, that may be pertinent, but for the inspector's it's not. I've recalibrated the program so that it locates Rockman's signature only when he's wave battling. That way the Satellite Police aren't running after false alarms."

Were Subaru's ears deceiving him?

"And," Utagai mumbled, "I'm not convinced that Rockman's the problem. After all, he's only helped dispose of EM creatures when it has been beyond our ability to do so."

Amachi clapped the slim scientist on the shoulder, "Just don't let Goyouda catch you sympathizing. I understand, but I have a feeling that he won't."

"What about you, Amachi-san?" Subaru asked, "What do you think about Rockman?"

Amachi's boyish smile fell off his face to be replaced by a deep-in-thought expression. He started slowly but gained momentum as he spoke, "I've never seen him in action. I've only seen the data." He leaned forward, elbows resting on the table and hands folded, "Something doesn't seem right. All tests used to analyze his readings fall within the acceptable chi-squared value when compared to the other creatures. Which means, he fits into the same category as the others, but just barely."

This was news to Subaru. It could be due to the fact that Warrock wasn't controlling him. But it could be something else entirely. Which was it?

"I agree with Utagai." Amachi concluded, "Rockman doesn't seem to be causing harm. I only wish we knew what his agenda was. Is he protecting us? If so, from what?"

"Surprising in itself is the presence of invisible, intelligent life." Utagai said. Subaru didn't like the way the slim scientist was staring at him. It was unnerving. Subaru tried not to squirm. "It will be difficult to convince the general population that they exist, but even more difficult to keep people calm. Fear of the unknown is common, I know. I have a feeling that mankind will not take kindly to these creatures, be they heroes or villains."


Subaru didn't usually think of himself as lucky. After all, his dad had been labeled a madman before disappearing into the endless depths of space only to be proven right years later. But the odds had definitely been against him as far as the tracking issue had been concerned. Subaru was relieved to find that he'd beaten those odds thanks to Utagai.

In denpa-henkan, he was laying miles above the surface of the world where the atmosphere was thin and clear. His view was full of stars, unobstructed by clouds, light pollution, or anything else that could frustrate a perfect night of stargazing. Subaru let his legs dangle off the side of the wave road, not a care in the world. No one else could have a view like this, except maybe Hibiki Misora.

The Milky Way curved in a crystalline streak, the most prominent feature in the sky. The shimmer of constellations he'd memorized by heart connected the dots in his head. The occasional shooting star flashed by, either an ephemeral streak or a blazing flare of light. Lucky him.

"Kid?" Warrock muttered.

"I know." Subaru answered. His eyes flicked to the readout on his visor. Had it been a few hours already? He had been out here since sunset. He pushed himself into a sitting position before sliding off the side of the highest wave road, only to land on another below him and shift his frequency. He shot forward faster than a bullet.

It was nice to have the freedom of flashing down wave roads. No, he couldn't feel the air on his face. But he could feel the elation of skimming above the surface of the world, passing by in the blink of an eye.

Rockman waved to a net navi that was managing a signal tower near the local airport. The navi waved back, smiling. A Mr. Hertz zipped past him, repeating its message to itself. Lone viruses were quickly exterminated with nothing other than Rock's blaster.

It was getting late, but he was having fun. He'd sleep later.

"Oi, Rockman!" A navi Subaru had never met called out, "I've got some info for you."

This wasn't really anything new. Among the wave network, information was shared. And while Subaru could interact with that network, he wasn't exactly a part of it. Warrock was an alien after all. And he was a human. The pair of them didn't pre-dispose themselves to earth's data sharing network.

So navis and Mr. Hertzes found it novel and entertaining to share little tidbits with him. Some were helpful, some were extraneous. But denpa creatures all seemed to know him and got a kick out of interacting with a 'hero.' Where they had gotten that title, Subaru had no idea?

"Yeah?" He slowed down, drawing even with the navi. Its frame was simple, but intricate black patterns covered his features, his face included. Subaru's visor informed him that the navi was called TatMan: maintains condition of machinery in tattoo parlor, located 4123 N. Victorie St…

Subaru ignored the stream of data in favor of speaking directly to the AI.

"I thought you might find this interesting. There is a high school girl wandering around in the red light district. The hour is late. She does not seem to be from that part of town. I am concerned." TatMan's voice was more mechanical than some navis, meaning his AI was underdeveloped.

"Thanks, TatMan." Subaru responded, "Anything else?"

"No, Rockman. I only wish for your continued success. You bring life to the network. Some of us have been ignored for many years. I miss the excitement."

Subaru felt a mix of pity and fondness for the neglected AI, "Well, don't wish for it to get too exciting around here."

TatMan nodded and Rockman took off to locate the girl in question. The 'red light district' wasn't the most specific location, so Subaru simply scanned for someone who looked out of place. Unfortunately, he found that someone all too quickly.

He groaned. How could Luna haunt his every step without even trying?

"Would you look at that!?" Warrock growled with false astonishment, "It's blondie!"

"I don't want to deal with her gushing right now." Subaru muttered, "Let's unfuse."

"Better do it quick, kid. You got an incoming drunkie."

"Just perfect."


Shirogane Luna:

Luna wandered aimlessly through the streets, stars twinkling overhead in the dark sky. She knew it was a bad idea to be out on the city streets at night, but the idea of returning to her house made her gut turn. Had that really just happened?

"We've decided that a private finishing school will be better for you. You'll be starting at the conclusion of your current school year."

"You've decided…" Luna muttered, "Like I have no say in this."

"It's what is best. No more distractions. No more virus attacks on your school. No more hanging out with those uncultured boys. You will achieve your full potential."

"I don't want to." Luna tried to stare them in the eyes, but quickly lost her nerve.

"What did you say?"

"I don't want to go to the fancy school you picked out. I'm fine right where I am. And if you don't think that I can unlock my full potential myself, then you don't know a thing."

Like a fire had been lit, everything went to shit after that.

"This is exactly what we're trying to avoid. Rebellion. Disobedience. Everything a proper girl shouldn't be."

"That's called a doll. And I am not your doll!"

She'd stormed out after that. But would her obvious distress convince them to change their mind? She doubted it. If only she had the courage to stand up for herself.

Like Rockman.

If Subaru was to be believed, Rockman was an 'EM being.' But that didn't quite explain it. She'd seen Ikuta merge with something before her very eyes. Was Rockman the same, just not evil? Through Subaru's Visualizer she'd witnessed a boy think through a method of attack and protect the students in the classroom – possibly risking his own life.

Who was he?

She would find him. She wouldn't give up.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn't aware of how far she'd walked. Before she realized it, she was walking down the neon lit streets of the shady area of Kodoma Town. Named 'The Strip,' it was a place no upstanding citizen would be caught dead in (unless they were dead), especially at night. The grungy place was filled with bars, clubs, and drug dealers.

She'd wandered too far. Best possibly course of action: leave as inconspicuously as possible.

But when she turned around, she saw a group of teenagers headed her way, their steps swaying and their voices too loud. Luna recognized a few from Kodoma High and she cursed. If word spread that Shirogane Luna had been spotted at The Strip her reputation would go down the drain. There would be no hope of ever becoming student body president, proving her parents right.

Without really thinking about it, she ducked into a dark alleyway, barely breathing as she waited. The group passed by, too caught up in their own little world to notice Luna hiding in the shadows. Only after they turned a corner and disappeared out of sight did she let out a very loud, pent up sigh.

"Playing hide-and-seek, honey?" A voice slurred from behind her.

Luna couldn't contain her yelp of surprise as she jumped and spun around to face the man who'd spoken.

"You don't have to hide from me, sweetheart." The man stepped out of the shadows and into the light from the weak sodium lights coming from the street. He was rather tall and large, dressed in a shabby coat that reeked of cigarette smoke. The scent on his labored breathes informed anyone within a mile radius that he was hopelessly drunk. His dirty face lurched closer, bloodshot eyes glowing with sick satisfaction.

"I saw what happened." The man said, "You can come and hide with me for a while. They'll never find you. I won't tell."

Luna choked. Fear wouldn't let her make a sound. She backed away before realizing her mistake. Her back bumped into a brick wall. Trapped.

The man wobbled closer, "C'mon, girly. Just for a minute?"

"Let's not and say we didn't." A new voice, clear and composed came from the opposite end of the alleyway. Both Luna and the man turned to see who it was.

Hoshikawa Subaru approached, hands in his pockets and a peeved look on his face. The dim light glinted off his trademark necklace and Visualizer, so Luna knew it was him without a doubt. She didn't think she'd ever been happier to see him.

"Who are you?" The man asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Just a concerned passerby." Subaru answered, seemingly calm. But Luna could detect that cold edge to his voice. She was pretty familiar with it by now.

"You her boyfriend then?"

"And how would that make your intentions any less wrong?" Subaru snapped.

Luna noticed the man's feet shift apart, widening his stance. She was suddenly very worried for Subaru. His snark may be pushing this man too far. Brave, he might be, but stupid as well. What were his chances in a fistfight?

She didn't want to find out and she definitely didn't want him to get hurt.

"Subaru!" The name slipped out as a sudden warning. The man raised his arm, winding up to throw a punch.

What came next happened so fast that Luna would later question if it had really happened.

Casually, Subaru deflected the path of the man's fist so that it whipped past his face by a hair. While the man was still midswing, Subaru stepped into the man's space, slamming his forearms into either side of the man's neck like a vise with quick and precise moves. The man gasped, at a loss for air. But Subaru quickly followed up by twisting the collar of the man's coat, using the man's high and center of gravity against him and yanking him off balance. Unceremoniously the man dropped to the ground.

The man lay spread eagled on his back, his eyes glassy and his breath knocked out of him. Subaru surveyed his work, ascertaining that the man was staying down before looking over his shoulder at Luna, brown eyes filled with concern.

"Are you okay?" Subaru asked.

Luna was froze, too stunned to speak. Surely she hadn't just witnessed Hoshikawa Subaru fell a man twice his size. Right in front of her. She couldn't believe it.

When it became obvious he wasn't going to get an answer Subaru rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that as a 'no.'" He turned back to the man and crouched down beside him, checking to see that the man was still conscious. He was. Luna thought for a fraction of a second that Subaru was going to punch the man's lights out, finishing the job. Instead, Subaru grabbed the front of the man's coat and dragged him over the side of the alleyway so that the man was slumped against the wall. The man groaned. Stunned. Confused. Getting KOed by a slight, apparently untalented teenager will do that.

Subaru snapped his fingers in front of the man's bleary face once, loud and sharp, getting his attention. The man uncertainly met Subaru's glare. Luna watched, transfixed.

"Get sober." Subaru said without sympathy, "You'll do fewer stupid things."

The man nodded dumbly. Satisfied, Subaru turned back to Luna, who still hadn't moved.

"C'mon, Shirogane-chan."

His confidence stuttered and he looked a little unsettled, unaccustomed to Luna staying quiet for so long. She usually did most of the talking. When she didn't move, he gently took her elbow, leading her out of the alley.

"Let's go, Luna. I'll walk you home."

"I think I'm in shock." She finally said as they made their way out into the light of the street. Subaru guided her as her brain worked to catch up, "Or I must be dreaming. There is no way you just did what I thought I saw you do."

"Shock or denial." Subaru mumbled under his breath, but loud enough that Luna could still hear, "Here." Subaru took off the AMAKEN jacket he'd been wearing and draped it over her shoulders, "It's for the shock."

"Thanks." Luna gratefully accepted despite Subaru's sarcastic tone. It was silent except for their footsteps on the pavement as they left The Strip behind. Gradually, Luna found herself expecting some sort of explanation from Subaru. Why had he been there in the first place?

But as they came closer to her house (how did he know where she lived?) it became obvious that Subaru wasn't going to say anything. He was never really one for talking, but this was ridiculous. He'd just swooped in and saved her from who-knows-what and now he was acting like nothing had happened.

"Alright. Stop!" She demanded, feeling more like herself. She stopped, waiting for Subaru to do the same. But he kept walking.

"It'd be better if you kept up, Shirogane-chan." He called over his shoulder, "I'd prefer not to have any reruns of what happened earlier."

Luna squeaked, frantically peering around the darkened streets for shady characters before running to catch up with Subaru's stride. She was slightly disgruntled by the fact that she felt ten times safer by his side. However, it wasn't very chivalrous of him to threaten to ditch her like that.

"How is that 'walking me home'?" She hissed.

Subaru offered her a wan smile, shrugging his shoulders, "You really shouldn't have been out in the first place. Not that I'm blaming you for taking a midnight stroll to get a good look at the stars. If that's what you were doing, that is. The Strip isn't the best place for that. I could offer some suggestions."

"Well then, I could ask you the same question, Hoshikawa-kun!" Luna snapped, hands on her hips, "And I swear, if you tell anyone, I'll…"

Subaru put his hands up as if to surrender or stop her tirade, Luna wasn't sure which.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Luna's eyes narrowed. Subaru appeared honest, but then again, those brown eyes had a bad habit of being completely unreadable.

"So why were you there?" Luna bounced the question back.

"I was walking home." Subaru answered in a 'duh' voice, like it should have been obvious.

It wasn't.

"And you just happened to find me there when I was being accosted by an intoxicated individual. And you just happened to take him out like it was nothing and offer him some friendly advice. And you just happened to be able to walk me home because you just happened to know where I live. That's one too many coincidences for me."

She counted them up on her fingers.

"Make that four too many." She amended.

"Yep." Subaru wasn't making any contributions here. Conversations were supposed to be a two person thing and this was turning out to be one and a quarter (Subaru being the quarter). Luna realized that her questions needed to be far more direct.

"Where did you learn how to, I don't know… fight like that?" She asked, curious.

Subaru's gaze wandered up to the starry sky, "It's a long story. And my mom told you enough of those this morning." His voice was quiet, indicating his reluctance. His mind seemed far away.

"I wouldn't mind hearing it." Luna insisted. In a sudden stroke of brilliance she decided to try flattery. All boys had egos, after all, "I thought it was cool how you took that guy down. And I'm really, really grateful to you for saving me."

Subaru grimaced, "Hero worship doesn't suit you, Shirogane-chan."

"You're not my hero!" Luna immediately burst out.

"Right." Subaru laughed mirthlessly, "Your hero is 'Rockman-sama.'" Luna noticed that Subaru never really laughed or smiled. He just sort of did the same things without the emotion to back it up. He wasn't just lacking in social skills, he was missing something else. That 'heart' Akane had mentioned. Luna might have seen a flash of it before, back in the alleyway.

"He is." She insisted, subdued.

"Fine." Subaru agreed, Luna wasn't sure what he was agreeing to, so she waited, mirroring Subaru's quiet patience.

Subaru watched the sky as he walked. Luna glanced up a few times, wondering if something was there, but it was just the stars. He started his story quietly, but grew more confident as he continued, "When I was five or six, my dad got really into this TV show that came on in the evenings. It was all about ninjas, kung fu, and martial arts: stupid stuff like that. I remember him forcing me to watch a few episodes with him. It was dumb and cheesy, but dad liked it, so I watched it with him. The thing about my dad is, when he gets into something, he becomes obsessed with it. He bought ninja stars online and tried performing ninjutsu a few times. But he really went overboard when he signed us both up for some karate classes. I just went along with it.

"Unfortunately for dad, he broke his hand in the very first class trying to 'karate-chop' some boards in half." Subaru genuinely smiled at the memory, "I was just going to finish my first eight weeks, then quit. But I found that I actually enjoyed it, and I was pretty good too. Dad liked to come to my practices, so I stuck with it. It was also nice to get his undivided attention. When I became a black-belt, dad would ditch work and meetings to come to my tournaments."

"You seem to be in practice." Luna tried to hide her surprise at his willingness to open up.

Subaru gave her a sharp look, "I quit three years ago."

"Oh…" Luna felt awkward. The pair came to a stop in front of a huge mansion – a white pillared behemoth with carefully manicured grounds. Luna was home. Her stomach twisted. She didn't want to go inside despite the fact that her parents were gone again, probably at another party.

Hopefully, Luna glanced at Subaru. She wanted to talk more. She had made good progress.

"Care to say why you quit if you were so good?" was her feeble attempt.

"No." Subaru replied. His eyes were guarded again. That had been the wrong thing to say, apparently. And all she'd done was give him a complement. He didn't need to be so prickly.

"Alright then." Luna's gaze alternated between Subaru and her front gate.

"Good night." Subaru said, turning to leave without further ado.

"Good night, Hoshikawa-kun." She responded, "Don't forget to come to school on Monday!"

"How could I?" He tossed her a smirk, "See you then, Luna."

As Subaru took off for his own house Luna suddenly realized something. He had called her 'Luna' twice. For some odd reason, her heart seemed to beat twice as fast at the thought. Just like when she thought of Rockman-sama. They had some similarities, she supposed…

No. She wasn't going to entertain those thoughts. She shook her head as if that would clear away the threads weaving connections between her hero and her classmate: appears out of nowhere to save the day, check; courageous, check; never seeking appreciation for how they helped others, check.

A heaviness shifted on her shoulders, reminding her of the AMAKEN jacket Subaru had left with her. He'd forgotten it. She'd need to give it back. But how would she explain it to Kizamaro and Gonta?

Very carefully.


Bwahahahaha! What is canon? Not this chapter!

There was a lot of original content here, both for characterization purposes as well as self-indulgence (deal with it XD). But the next chapter will get back into canon events, so if you were worried about that, don't be.

Anyway, there was a lot of Akane and Daigo this chapter. I kinda think of them of that super lovey-dovey couple that makes everyone around them embarrassed just by existing. If it was unclear: Akane is sporty and spunky while Daigo is enthusiastic and inquisitive. Both of them can be kind of childish at times. Thanks mom for Subaru's athleticism. He's not as hopeless as he seems!

Besides that, we got hints of Misora but not what she's up to. Utagai is acting kind of shady but also helpful (?). Amachi et al are close to a breakthrough meaning FMians will soon be public knowledge. Luna comes to her own conclusions. Overall, it was a productive chapter on the analysis side of things!

Fair warning: the end of the semester is coming up which means final projects and stress. Stress is good for writing. Projects not so much. I will do my best to work on Ruuysei while I still have steam, but this pace isn't exactly sustainable. Feel free to message me for progress updates. That isn't the sort of thing that makes me less motivated (in fact it's the exact opposite!).

As always, thanks for reading! I hope your day is filled with sunshine and pleasant surprises!