Wailing Plains

Within days of the completion of Lion's Revenge, Gina's prediction became reality. Following some minor repairs, Ichiro had been reauthorized for combat in the field, and not a moment too soon. Strolling through the lobby, the veteran was nearly bowled over as a frantic operator came careening around the corner. Running behind her was an even more frazzled Kota. Before he could open his mouth to question her, she immediately launched into an almost indecipherable rant.

"Ichiro, there you are. I was waiting for you! It's an emergency mission!"

"Alright. Slow down -"

"A Hannibal needs to be defeated, but there's barely any data on it! The Defense Unit coincidentally ran into one."

"Okay. Then -"

"This Aragami might be the cause for the disappearance of our targets… we have to -"

"Hibari. Calm down." A gentle hand against her shoulder finally halted the woman's panicked rambling. As he held her steady, he observed the strain behind every breath. Had she been running across the entire lobby? Shaking his head at the thought, he tried again to get a more coherent response out of her. "Now, what's this about the 2nd Unit? What's happened?"

"It's an emergency. The Defense Unit was on assignment in the Wailing Plains when a foreign entity appeared… they were nearly overrun. The Aragami has been identified as a Hannibal. The 1st Unit is to deploy immediately -"

"Hold on. Did you just say Hannibal? There's a Hannibal running around in the Far East?"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Kota stepped forward, looping around Hibari to level his gaze at the nervous veteran. "You're not telling me you've encountered one of these things, have you?"

"Not once in my life… but I do know what it was named for. Anything named after that guy is bad news." Taking a step back, he turned his attention to the operator. "You said we have almost no data on it. What do we know about it?"

"It wields fire." The sound of Soma's voice shifted his attention. Behind him, the other veteran and Alisa were approaching. Coming to a stop, the pair observed the other three, saying nothing more as Ichiro watched them with an anticipating expression.

"That's it? Damn. There really is no data on this thing…"

"Right. That's why we need to get going. We don't know what this thing is capable of. If something like that reaches the outer wall…" Kota's words weighed heavy on their hearts.

The last time Aragami stormed the wall, it resulted in The Great Barrier Breach; an incident so devastating that both the 1st and 3rd Units had been requested as backup, as well as Neo and Ichiro. Back then, their foe, while numerous, had been relatively manageable. But if something like this were to appear, they would stand no chance. They would be trapped in the Outer Ghetto, trying to push back an assailant of unknown power, as well as anything else it may bring along with it.

No. This needed to be handled now.

Hamasaki sighed and nodded his head in agreement. He just needed to be careful… and hope that his God Arc could withstand the strain.

. . .

"…Ichiro."

That's right. Licca mentioned that she had mended the joints. She had also mentioned that it was a temporary fix.

"Hey. Ichiro."

But how long was "temporary?" Was that a measure of time or a measure of quest completion? Would it be able to withstand usage? If so, how much? Perhaps…

"Buddy. You okay?"

"Huh?" Kota's voice tore Ichiro from his worried thoughts, his face suddenly appearing in his line of vision. How long had he been calling to him? "Yeah… fine. Why?"

"You don't look fine… and to be honest, you're not acting fine either. You've been kind of a space case since this morning."

"Have I?"

"Uh… yeah. You're starting to make me nervous."

The guardian shook his head, trying to reassure the younger God Eater. "I'm perfectly fine. I was just… remembering something." Turning around, he made to check in with his fellow veteran… only to find the area behind them empty. "Huh… Where did…"

"…They split off a couple minutes ago, dude. Remember? Soma said he sensed something and they took off to check the -" At the sight of Ichiro's dumbfounded expression, Kota took a step back. "Okay, you're seriously scaring me. What's going on, man?"

Pale fingers raked through raven hair as the veteran let out a frustrated sigh. "Alright. I was talking to Licca the other day. The thing is… hmm?"

"…The thing is?" The gunner's expression grew even more concerned, watching the veteran zone out yet again. "Dude -"

"Wait, Kota. You don't hear that?"

Now officially alarmed, the redhead eyed his teammate nervously. "What? The noise? It's just the wind, man."

Ichiro fought the urge to roll his eyes at the response. Granted, he wasn't entirely wrong. The whistling gale was most certainly the loudest sound reaching his ears. But beneath it, there was something else that he couldn't identify. It was a low, thunderous sound. Rhythmic and precise, like the beating of a very large drum. And it was getting closer. It almost sounded like…

"What the - gwah!" Kota's question quickly morphed into a pained cry.

Moments after the thumps silenced, they were ambushed… from the sky. Crashing down from above, a large, silver creature landed beside them, lifting its massive fist and driving it into the unsuspecting gunner. The force threw him off his feet, sending him splashing into the mud. Ichiro quickly suffered a similar fate, the second swing landing before he could even think to deploy his shield. As his body slid through the sopping dirt, his mind finally registered what was happening, as well as the identity of their assailant.

Scaling the rockface in a single leap, the creature had collapsed on them from the other side without a moment's notice. Such a feat was far beyond the capabilities of any Aragami they had ever encountered. Even worse, it had utilized that momentary advantage flawlessly, catching both of them completely off guard with its blindsiding attack. Now, as he climbed to his feet, he got a better look at their opponent. His eyes widened in shock.

Before them stood a large creature, with pale skin and brown razor-sharp claws. On its left arm was what appeared to be an arm guard of some sort protecting the monster's wrist and on its back was a large stone-like appendage. Behind it swayed a long, muscular tail that whipped dangerously around at the tip. And locking with his own gaze was a pair of golden eyes seated near the top of its reptilian head. It was unlike anything he had ever seen… and its high-powered aggression and presence in the Wailing Plains meant that this monster could only be their target: the Hannibal.

And it wasted no time in continuing its onslaught, turning its attention to Kota who was scrambling to his feet.

Lifting his blade, Ichiro rushed forward to intercept it… but he quickly realized the impossibility of his endeavor. Looping around him, the monster took off and accelerated at a speed far beyond anything he had ever thought possible. Before his swing even reached the ground, it had already narrowed the distance. And as its hooked claws raised to rend the young man to tiny ribbons, he felt his heart drop into his stomach. There was no way he would be able to reach him…

Thankfully, he didn't have to.

"Kota, duck!" Alisa's voice was his only warning, sending him flopping back into the mud. He heard the sound of bullets soaring overhead, colliding with the Hannibal's armored wrist. Their teammates had arrived, pursuing the target after its escape over the rockface. The ground beneath him trembled at its mighty roar, rivaled only by its heavy footsteps as it leapt over him, changing its target.

Accelerating across the landscape, it descended upon the other two teammates, swiping a clawed hand at the New Type and nearly crushing her companion in the process.

"Damn it, this thing's fast!" Soma's swing came a moment too late, grazing across its skin as it turned. Lifting his Evil One, he saw it moving again, this time toward him. It was the last image he saw before going airborne, the Hannibal's tail batting him away like a massive whip.

A quiet grunt sounded as Kota injected the Restore Pill into his veins. Recovering slightly from the damage, the gunner rose to his feet and took aim, carefully following the monster's movements. Following after Soma, it was focused on his teammate, giving him the perfect opening. He waited for a moment of pause, watching as it lifted its arm. Then, he fired, needling its side with freezing bullets.

On a whim, he had decided to bring them, in the hopes that the Hannibal's weakness would be counter to its strength. His assumption, it seemed, had been accurate as the target screeched and backed away from Soma, turning its fearsome glare on the redheaded gunner. Unfortunately, Kota's frozen assault had worn the last of its patience.

Slowly, it began to rise, standing to its full height. Kota swallowed a lump in his throat and backed away, prepared to flee if necessary. Large as it was, the monster was intimidating enough in its movements alone, as it rushed around like a hypersonic reptile. Now, at its full towering height, it was utterly terrifying, its tail whipping dangerously from side to side. Even more unnerving was its twitching fingers, clenching and releasing as it stared him down.

From the ground, Soma's eyes followed its movements, growing wide as he recognized the familiar motion. "Kota, move!"

The gunner turned and began to run, searching for cover as a large pike-like mass formed in it fingers. It was a javelin of flame. Lifting the flaming spike into the air, it leapt, rocketing towards him almost faster than the eye could see.

In less than two seconds, it was upon him, driving its massive pike into hardened metal as Ichiro rushed forward. Narrowly closing the gap, the veteran rushed between them and lifted, blocking the incoming the strike with all of his strength. And he needed every bit of it. He grunted, bracing his muscles as the force of the impact drove him backward, sliding his feet through the mud. His chest heaved as he held steady, acting as a solid wall between the Hannibal and his fleeing comrade.

But the monster didn't relent.

Dissipating its lance, it lifted its clawed hand and continued its assault. Rending claws hammered against the tower shield, clanging with every strike. Ichiro held his ground, growing desperate as his God Arc creaked in protest.

"Over here, you bastard!" The Hannibal's relentless onslaught was halted by a new challenger. Following after them, Soma closed to the distance between them, bringing his Buster down across its whipping tail.

Turning, it spun, narrowly missing Ichiro with its now damaged tail as it rushed the other veteran. Soma engaged it, ducking, bobbing, and weaving, trying to evade its movements. The Hannibal was a whirling storm of swipes, slashes, and slams as it danced across the landscape trying to pommel him. As a punch narrowly missed his head, he found himself momentarily grateful for his former enemy, whose fistfight in the Den lobby had mildly prepared him. Of course, as aggravating as fighting the Ex-Corporal had been, this was far worse.

Behind them, Alisa looped around. Keeping out of sight, she slipped silently into the skirmish and activated her God Arc. Her ebony jaws bit into the back of the Hannibal's leg, drawing his attention and absorbing some of its essence. But the New Type had what she desired. Turning, she dove to the side, avoiding an incoming kick as she changed forms. "Let's go!"

Soma rushed forward, lifting his blade in the air as his teammate fired. He could feel his Oracle cells activating as he entered into a Burst, empowering his movements. An angry growl rumbled in his chest as he swung downward, scowling as the monster turned. Faster than him, the Hannibal lifted its shield to block his incoming strike… which quickly proved to be a miscalculation.

With the force of Burst behind him, Soma's Charge Crush was far more dangerous. The wrist guard successfully blocked his strike but did so at the cost of stability. As the cells unbound, the shield shattered into pieces, sending the Hannibal reeling back and screeching into the howling winds.

And its pain didn't end there.

Behind it, Ichiro appeared. Following up on Soma's attack, he brought his blade down on the other side, slashing its opposite arm. The strike knocked it off balance, stumbling to the side and right into Kota's line of fire where a new streak of bullets pelted into its back plate.

A deafening roar echoed across the open landscape as the Hannibal stood again. Its eyes burning with rage, it lifted both hands into the air, flames licking along its fingertips. Adequately prepared this time, Kota dove behind a large boulder to evade the incoming javelin. But this time, it had a different plan in mind.

Rather than target the hidden gunner, the monster turned its attention to the surrounding threats. And rather than form a single javelin, it instead formed two swords, one in each hand. All three God Eaters scattered as it began to swing.

Alisa, still in gun form, dove to the side. She could feel the heat threatening to singe her hair as the sword passed overhead. Soma lifted his tower shield not a moment too soon, stumbling backward as the impact nearly forced him off his feet. Ichiro attempted to do the same, but his damaged God Arc couldn't deploy in time, leaving him vulnerable. The sword struck him full force, tearing into his abdomen and sending him skyward. The entire world turned upside down as the ground moved further and further away from him.

Then it grew larger, at twice the speed, as he descended back to earth. Lifting his arms, he protected his head as he fell, curling into a ball and rolling through the dirt. Instant regret set in as pain tore through his entire body, leaving him sputtering in ragged breaths.

"Ichiro, back up!" Kota's voice reached him. Muffled by the roaring winds, it wasn't entirely clear, but his lifted arm was enough to point him in the right direction. Quickly rolling onto his backside, he scrambled backward, gripping his midsection as he crawled away. In front of him, the Hannibal approached, mouth twisted into what looked like a hungry smile as it closed in on its weakened prey.

It was nearly upon him, with nothing between them but dirt and mud… and a small pulsating device that suddenly landed in its path. In a clever turn of events, Kota pre-loaded his snare trap, priming the disk, before tossing it across the distance like a frisbee. Landing right in the monster's path, it activated on landing, locking the unsuspecting target in place.

Held still, the Hannibal was powerless to the incoming assault, shrieking as Kota rushed toward it, unloading his entire magazine of freezing blast bullets against its stilled head. Alisa took the support role once more, firing recovery bullets towards their previous Captain until her magazine emptied. From above, Soma came down with a crushing blow, the force behind his empowered strike shattering the stone on its back.

And this proved to be a grievous error in judgment.

The 1st Unit continued their attack, not letting up even as a large, sun-like pattern erupted from beneath the monster's broken stone. It was only when the monster fell completely still that the four of them paused their movements, eyeing the Hannibal with concerned interest. What was it doing?

Slowly stepping forward, Kota lowered his rifle. "Is it… is it dead?"

Alisa cautiously shifted into blade form, carefully looking over its stilled limbs. "…I'm not sure… Maybe -"

"Stay back." Soma snapped, sending all three of his teammates darting away from it. He wasn't certain why the Hannibal was no longer moving. What he did know was that he still felt it. He could still sense the monster's presence. It wasn't yet dead. And while the veteran wasn't entirely sure what to expect… it was anything but what followed. "What the hell?!"

Leaping into the air, the Hannibal came to life once more in the worst way possible. Levitating up above, it began to radiate with heat. And as the air around them began to warm, water droplets turning to steam, all four acted unanimously.

The four soldiers bolted in every direction as the monster all but erupted, sending a massive wave of heat in every direction. But the initial explosion was only the beginning. What came after was far, far worse. Fire devils reaching high into the sky spun out of control, zipping across the ground, and scorching everything in their wake. Blades of grass blackened, fading into dust, and once wet dirt dried and cracked beneath the cyclones. It was easily the deadliest and most terrifying thing any one of them had ever witnessed.

Diving behind a wall of collapsed debris, Alisa and Kota ducked for cover. Across the clearing, Soma and Ichiro did the same, the second looking a bit worse for wear as the recovery bullets continued to heal his body. Scowling, Soma clenched his fists as a cyclone narrowly passed them by. Both veterans turned their attention to their radios as Kota's voice sounded through their headsets. "What the heck was that?!"

Ichiro shook his head. "I have no idea…"

Beside him, Soma's frown deepened even further. "Well, if you do have any ideas, that would helpful. Preferably before we get incinerated."

The other veteran twitched at his snarky attitude, ducking his head as another wave passed overhead. He remained silent for a few moments, running the details of their battle through his mind over and over again until... "Actually… I think I might."

"I'm listening."

Hamasaki nodded, sharing his thoughts as the other pair listened in. "The Hannibal… its functionality is different, but it bears a striking similarity to Neo."

"You mean its fighting style." Soma nodded, following his explanation.

"Precisely. It moves like a speeding bullet, and it hits like a freight train."

"But it relies almost entirely on its speed."

"Right. It's all offense. Which means it probably has poor defenses. It's fast as hell. So we should use that to our advantage."

Through the headset, he heard Alisa gasp quietly in realization. "You want to turn its greatest strength into a weakness."

"Exactly." Ichiro nodded, poking his head around the wall to observe the Hannibal returning to solid ground. "The key to killing a swift enemy is to stop it from moving. At this point, it's getting desperate, so it's probably on its last legs."

Soma gripped his Evil One, addressing Kota through his radio. "You got any more of those traps, Fujiki?"

"One left."

"Think you can land another throw?"

"Probably, but it's faster now. You're gonna have to slow it down.

"Leave that to us. Just arm your device and get ready to toss it."

At Soma's command, Kota nodded and started digging through his bag in preparation. Beside him, Alisa spoke through her headset addressing the other two. "What do you want me to do?"

"Be ready." Ichiro nodded to Soma who rose beside him.

Then, with a silent communication, both veterans took off toward their target. But as the monster turned, they split into different directions. Ichiro slid into the high grass, slipping out of sight. Soma continued forward, charging head-on into the angry Hannibal. Ducking low, he slid beneath an incoming swipe, looping around behind it and taking a swing at its tail. The strike grazed his target, but it was more than enough. The goal wasn't to do damage, but to agitate.

And agitate Soma did as he danced around the Hannibal, leaping over, and sliding under swipes. In a surprisingly Neo-esque fashion, he flipped over its spinning tail, placing a strong kick to the back of its right leg. Ichiro raised at eyebrow at the display, watching as the other veteran turned and bolted in his direction. Had he been training with their New Type?

He didn't have time to ponder it as Soma approached, the Hannibal following close behind. Fast as he was, his was no match for the Aragami's acceleration. Even with a head start, it was almost upon him in three bounds, its footsteps quaking the earth beneath their feet. It was nearly at top speed… and that was the moment they were waiting for. Placing all of his force behind it, Ichiro, leapt from the bush as Soma passed and swung his massive blade toward the incoming target.

Moving at maximum speed, mid-stride, the Hannibal had no way to slow or alter its trajectory. As a result, the swing hit its leg full force, knocking it off balance and tripping it. With such inertia behind it, the massive creature was powerless to stop itself from skidding across the slippery landscape, right into Kota's path. And as its body slid into the pulsating device landing in front of it, it was once again trapped in place.

Struggling against its confines, the Aragami roared, flailing its arms in an attempt to free itself. But its efforts were in vain… and it was out of time. Much like it had to her teammates a short while ago, Alisa came from the sky above, blade angled downward. And with the fall of her blade, the Hannibal was no more, as her God Arc sank deep within the monster's head.

Spinning full circle, Soma returned to their side, driving his Evil One deep within the Aragami's chest. As the white blade carefully extracted the core, Kota emerged from the safety of his cover, smiling from ear to ear. "Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

Soma rolled his eyes as the excited redhead ran passed him, kneeling beside the felled creature with a look of utter fascination. He was nothing short of giddy. Far from an appropriate reaction following a near-death experience. Something was seriously wrong that boy.

Beside him, Alisa sighed and made her way towards the other veteran who was carefully inspecting his God Arc. She wasn't certain what was going through his mind, but she could tell from his expression that something was bothering him. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah… everything's fine." Ichiro's gentle smile did little to convince her as she narrowed her eyes at him. But she had no time to argue with him as Soma's even more irritated voice reached them.

"Stop poking it, Kota."

The gunner ignored him, carefully nudging the fallen monster with the barrel of his gun. "I'm just impressed. I mean, it's super rare, right? We did pretty damn good for the first time fighting it."

Sighing, Soma turned and left him to his shenanigans, having no further desire to engage with him. He was tired, he was irritable, and he had a funny feeling that one of his teammates was hiding something from them.

Alisa frowned, too tired to waste energy arguing with him. "Mission complete. Let's head back before we get roped into something else."

Soma's eyes flicked to the other veteran once more before continuing on his way. "Agreed."

Behind them, Ichiro sighed and lowered his God Arc before following after them. He was going to need to take it to Licca as soon as they returned. As he moved to catch up with his comrades, the gunner called after them, rising to his feet. "Hey, hold up! I wasn't done poking it yet. It's new!" The other three simply shook their heads, wondering where he got his energy from. The God Eater was so busy chasing after them, he didn't notice the Hannibal behind him slowly opening its eyes.

"Seriously, Kota, you -" Exhausted with his nonsense, Alisa turned to finally scold him… and in doing so, saw the once dead Aragami now rising to its feet. "No! Look out, behind you!"

"The hell?!" Soma whipped around, the familiar feeling suddenly returning to him as the Aragami awakened. But how was that possible?

Oblivious to their panic, Kota tilted his head in confusion. "What is it?" Confused, he slowly followed their gazes, turning his head towards the charging Aragami. "Whoa my God!"

"Kota!" Ichiro lifted his God Arc, rushing forward. He could hear the creaking of his weapon as it extended, groaning in protest from every joint. Still, the shield slowly deployed, guarding him and the gunner behind him as he threw himself in between them. Then, time stood still.

Kota's mouth fell open and Alisa gasped in abject horror as the Hannibal's claws made contact, raking across the tower… and shattering it. An ear-splitting crack echoed through the clearing as the God Arc snapped, breaking in two as the force threw him backward. Silently, Ichiro slid through the mud and fell still, his broken weapon splattering beside him.

Soma rushed in front of him, lifting his own Arc defensively. "We tore out the core… How is it still moving? I know we tore out the core!"

Taking aim, Alisa provided backup. "Time for questions later. Kota, get Ichiro back, we gotta move."

"On it!" The gunner didn't argue. There was no time too. Kota had already cost their friend his God Arc. Possibly his life. And if Neo found out… it would likely be his head as well.

Soma stepped forward, covering his team as they made their retreat. "Fall back, guys… Let's go!"

. . .

Far East Branch - Lobby

Back in the Den, a blonde and violet pair of heads sat side by side on a lobby couch. With nothing to do, Neo had found herself wandering aimlessly through Headquarters, people watching, and just generally being bored out of her mind. To those on the outside, she simply looked in need of some stimulation and possibly entertainment. But in reality, the woman was anxious, and growing increasingly more so with each passing hour.

It had been some time since the 1st Unit had been called out for an emergency mission. And with Sakuya preoccupied and Lenka on her shit list, that meant she was left alone to her own devices. With no one to interact with, no authorization to leave, and nothing to do, it wasn't long before the New Type became antsy, fidgeting and pacing as she grew increasingly agitated. It wasn't until the German God Eater had found her wandering back and forth through the Mess Hall that she had found a way to ease some of her frustration.

Concerned that she might wear a hole into the floor, Gunter decided to turn her pent-up energy into exercise in the best ways she knew how. As a result, she spent a good portion of her day with the Long Blade user dancing, running laps in the training room, and wandering around the town, with the blonde doing everything possible to keep her engaged. One thing he had learned about Neo, especially when she was restless, was that any form of relaxation was all but impossible. She needed to move.

After doing so for a few hours and sufficiently releasing her energy to a manageable level, he had finally managed to achieve a state of relative calm. Now, the two sat quietly in the open hall, with the male far more exhausted than his counterpart. Her stamina would never cease to amaze him. It seemed that he still had quite a bit of conditioning to undergo if he was to have even a hope of ever keeping up with her. But for now, he would simply enjoy the view as the young woman sat beside him, carefully nibbling on a bar of her newly acquired chocolate.

Silently watching her enjoy her melting treat, he raised an eyebrow at her fascinating attire. At first, he had thought her strange form of fashion to be something of a fluke when he encountered her in the lobby in a school uniform. Now, he was beginning to think it was more of a personality quirk as she sat in what could only be described as a white knee-length sweater-dress with long sleeves that nearly covered her hands and a pair of black leggings. And, as always in recent days, beneath the sleeves were a pair of blue gloves that matched her blue scarf. Odd didn't even begin to describe this woman. Yet somehow, that only served to make her more endearing. It was like she genuinely didn't give a damn what others thought about her… or perhaps she simply didn't notice.

"Cute."

"Hmm?" Neo's head turned at the sound of his voice, her violet hair swishing with it.

Oh crap. Had he said that out loud?

As she continued to stare blankly at him, her cheek puffed slightly with half-chewed chocolate, he knew that he must have. Strange. Not one to often lose his composure, he was surprised at himself for mindlessly voicing his inner thoughts. Of course, there was nothing to be done about it at that point, so all he could do was repeat himself, lest he look like a total idiot. "Your outfit. It's cute."

"Thanksh." Neo mumbled; her words muffled slightly as she spoke around her candy.

Blinking, the other God Eater gaped at her. Gunter was wrong. Neo wasn't cute. She was absolutely adorable. His eyes continued to observe her as she ate, watching as her treat slowly melted in her hands. A brown splotch steadily formed on her gloves, spreading from her fingertips. "Chocolate melts, you know. Are you sure you want to wear gloves while -"

"The gloves stay."

Taken aback by her snappy response, he simply shrugged. "Okay then."

The two returned to silence once more, Gunter simply watching her as she consumed her chocolate treat. When she finished, she paused, crumpling the wrapping paper into a tight ball. Curious, he observed her process as she stared at the garbage bin at the other end of the couch. He could all but see the gears turning as she calculated her trajectory. Then, she tossed it, leaning back against the cushion as it landed silently into the container.

"Impressive." Gunter fought the urge to applaud as he watched her display, finding himself as amazed as he was amused. He had heard more than his fair share of rumors about her exceptional aim, and he had seen it firsthand in the field. But to see that it extended to throwing candy wrappers was hilarious.

"Mm." Neo hummed in acknowledgement, eyeing her browned glove with curiosity.

"It seems you really are a master marksman, huh?"

"Seems so."

"Damn. I wonder if the North Americans train their melees as well as their long-range. Maybe I should go over there for some extra lessons?"

Gunter's playful grin was met with a blank stare and a flat response. "I wouldn't."

"Haha. That bad, huh? But you're so good."

"I have to be."

"Oh, yeah? What happens if you're not?"

Neo tuned her head, meeting his eyes. "They'll torture you."

"Hahaha! Jeez… well, I guess I'd better stay over here then, huh?"

Neo nodded silently as he chuckled, her expression never changing as he watched her.

Slowly, his mirth began to fade as he realized that she wasn't laughing. In fact, she wasn't reacting at all. Having heard of her dark humor from Kanon, he wasn't initially surprised by her response. But hearing about it and seeing it for himself were very different things. It was beyond strange. It was downright unsettling, to say the least. Her gaze never left his and not once did she given any indication of playfulness or sarcasm. She didn't even crack a grin. It was almost as if she were being completely serious.

After a few moments of silence, Gunter found himself growing uncomfortable with the situation, wondering if he should try to diffuse it. "…Hey. You're not -"

BANG!

The metal doors of the lobby burst open with little warning as the 1st Unit returned, looking to be in far worse condition than when they had left. Kota was stumbling weakly through the hall, Alisa rushing alongside him. To the rear was Soma and slung over his shoulder, unconscious, was her guardian. The squadron didn't spare a glance as they hurried through the hall, instead heading straight for the lift. And before Gunter could even turn his head to comment, his date for the day had vanished.

Without a word, Neo leapt from the couch and bolted after them, slipping in between the doors just before they closed.

. . .

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

New costume unlocked!

Neo's outfits: h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/imgur -.-c-o-m /a/oRN8qWj