Far East Branch - Outer Ghetto

Footsteps scuffed quietly across the dirt roads, their owners strolling casually through the busy streets. The 2nd Unit was on patrol this afternoon and so far, their assignment had been relatively uneventful. Since the Bias Factor upgrades following The Great Barrier Breach, there hadn't been much Aragami activity around the Wall. In fact, the most exciting incident all morning had been a street fight, which Brendan had broken up with little trouble. Of course, none of the God Eaters were complaining. With the Hannibal running amok, the last thing any one of them needed was the added stress of another disaster.

As such, two of the God Eaters were sauntering down the road, laughing jovially as they recounted the earlier events of the day. "Haha! That was really something, man." Tatsumi prodded, suppressing a chuckle at his irritated Vice Captain.

"Well, what was I supposed to do, sit back and let them pommel each other?" Brendan sighed, trying his best to ignore his snickering leader.

"It would've been entertaining, that's for sure. For a moment there, I thought they were gonna pull you into the fray."

"For a second, I thought they would too."

"Ha! Yeah, they would've regretted it though. You throw a mean punch. Come to think of it, you've never seen Bardell brawl, have you?" Tatsumi's mirthful chatter went unanswered as the third God Eater walked silently beside him. Eyes fixed forward, he simply stared as thoughts swirled around in his head. The pair looked at one another for a moment, each raising an eyebrow at his pensive expression. It was the second time since that morning that they had found him staring off into space. Shaking his head, the Captain brought him back to earth. "Oi, Haas!"

"Huh?" Gunter blinked, his thoughts melting away at the sound of his Captain's voice. Straightening his posture and turning his head, he gave the man his full attention. "Yeah, what's up?"

Sighing, the Captain gaped at him. "Jeez… what's gotten into you lately?"

"Eh? Nothing. What do you mean?"

"You're acting strange. Actually, you've been a little off for a while now." Tatsumi frowned, carefully looking over his confused subordinate.

"What? No, I haven't."

"No, Gunter, Tatsumi's right. You have been a little off." Brendan nodded in agreement, regarding him with concerned curiosity.

The German's lips pulled into a perplexed frown as the two stared at him. "How do you figure?"

Tatsumi blinked, regarding his comrade's clueless expression. "That group of girls just walked by and you didn't even blink."

"Huh? What group of -" Whipping his head around, the blonde gaped at three retreating forms, their voices fading as they disappeared down a nearby street. Just as Tatsumi said, three women had indeed passed them by, one of them having offered him a small wave. He hadn't even noticed. Instead, his mind had been preoccupied by something else… or more specifically, someone else. Someone that found herself occupying his brain very often as of late, regardless of whether or not he wished for it.

As the proclaimed Casanova of the Far East, he had gained quite the reputation as a 'lady killer.' A charmer that could sweep women off their feet with little more than a wink and a smile. For the most part, the rumors were true, as he hadn't met a single one he'd been unable to attract. He had bedded more women than his two companions combined and dated even more that. The man had had more than his fair share of flings, short-term relationships, casual dates, and even a few friends with benefits. And while some were more challenging than others, all would eventually work out in the end… all except for this one. Why was this proving so difficult? Even worse, why did it bother him so much?

Tatsumi and Brendan looked nervously at one another as their teammate fell, once again, deep into thought. What on earth was going on with him? Growing concerned, the Captain was about to shake him out of his thoughtful trance, but the sound of radio static halted him. As their devices hummed to life, a familiar female voice came through the receiver. His face lit up, eyes brimming with excitement at the sound of her voice, leaving Brendan to shake his head at the display.

"Defense Squad, come in. Tatsumi, do you read me? Over."

Grinning from ear to ear, he took a page from Gunter's book, hoping his advice may finally pay off. Gathering his confidence, he took his chance. "Hibari! What a pleasant surprise. I was just thinking about you -"

His attempt at flirtation was immediately halted as the operator's irritated voice cut him off. "No, stop! Just shut up for once! There's been an incursion. We need you back at the Den, now!"

Tatsumi's face fell, the other two growing alert at the panic in her voice. "What - in the Den? Now?!"

"Yes! Right now. Only non-combat personnel remain inside. Please, hurry. Please."

The three of them looked at one another, confusion growing on their faces. Then, as realization dawned on them, their expressions shifted to panic. It was true that there were a handful of God Eaters remaining in the Den, but none of them would have been equipped to handle any sort of breach. Hamasaki was currently out of commission due to his injuries and last they had heard, Lenka's God Arc was under routine maintenance and repairs. Aside from the two of them, the only remaining soldier was Neo, who currently didn't have a God Arc at all. All merriment vanished as the trio turned and bolted in the opposite direction.

. . .

Far East Branch - Sick Bay

"Mn…" A quiet groan left Neo's throat as she awakened slowly from her slumber. Her arms felt like lead against her sides and her head pained with a dull ache. Voices spoke in hushed whispers around her, gently drawing her consciousness to the surface. Recognizing a familiar lilt among them, she forced her eye to open, quickly shutting it again under the assault of the room's bright lighting. Grumbling, she tried again, more carefully this time.

The second attempt proved more successful, with white walls and white ceilings coming into focus. The coloring was familiar to her, along with the soft fabric against her body. It told her she was in a room she had come to know very well over the past few months. She was in a bed in the medical ward… and from the sound of the quieting voices, she was far from alone.

"Hey, she's waking up!"

"…Huh?" Neo squinted once more, as two faces appeared, blocking the ceiling lights. The one on the left, she knew very well; the engineer whose foolish bravery had inadvertently landed her there in the first place. While she respected her dedication to the God Arcs she so adored, the New Type couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at her apparent lack of self-preservation. The face to her right was one she vaguely recognized but from where, she couldn't recall.

As her eye opened fully, the man's pale face lit up. "At last you've awakened." Crimson eyes stared down at her, relief evident in his expression.

To her left, Licca quickly followed, excitement lacing every word. "You're awake. Thank goodness. You… You were crazy!"

Neo blinked, raising an eyebrow at the ecstatic young man. Slowly sitting up in her bed, she stared intently, trying to pinpoint his familiarity. Then, after a moment, realization hit her. He was the one she had seen in the weapons hangar. The one who had saved her life. Wishing to express her gratitude, she opened her mouth to thank him, but found herself unable to. Her attempt was thwarted by an incoming tackle as Licca lunged forward, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders and holding her in a tight embrace.

"I… Oh, thank goodness you're alright. You have to promise me, okay? Promise me right now, you'll never do that again. The Oracle cells could have devoured you!"

"…" Neo froze, all previous thoughts forgotten at the sudden contact. Her eye grew wide and her body tensed, as her mind quickly worked to assess the situation.

The engineer, oblivious to her shifting demeanor, squeezed even tighter as she launched into a rambling tirade. "I don't know why they didn't. They don't know you. They don't understand, a-a-and you could've died! And, and… And anything could have happened to you…"

Bristling, Neo frowned as her irritation began to rise. While she was grateful for her concern, she didn't appreciate the sudden invasion of her personal space. As her fingers began to twitch at her side, another figure entered her vision. Stepping forward, Gunter moved to save the surprised woman form Licca's ever-tightening grip.

Offering a playful grin, he tapped the woman gently on her shoulder. "Uh, Licca… you mind loosening your grip a little bit? I'd rather you didn't suffocate my girlfriend, thanks."

"Hmm? Oh… right. S-Sorry." Licca released her, hanging her head slightly as Neo scowled and straightened her jacket. "I should… I should tell everyone you're awake. They've been in a panic ever since they got back." Slowly rising to her feet, she made her way to the sliding door, leaving the other woman in a state of agitated confusion.

Calling after her, Neo attempted to give her pause. "Wait a minute…"

"I'll stop by and see you soon, okay?"

"But, I -"

"Okay. Get some rest." With a gentle wave, Licca disappeared through the door. Neo stared after her, dumbfounded. It seemed she would have to question the engineer on her own condition at a later time.

At her bedside, Gunter chuckled. "Hehe. Licca can get a little excited sometimes… but she means well." His smile widened as she shifted her gaze from the sliding door to his emerald eyes. "She's right, by the way. You're insane, you know that?"

"Am I?"

"Using someone else's God Arc… you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"I am well aware."

"And yet, you did it anyway."

"Licca was in danger."

Gunter stared incredulously, her casual response throwing him for a loop. Her expression was blank, eyes staring innocently up at him with a look that could only be described as sheer boredom. Her even tone held nothing more than honesty as she all but shrugged at him. She genuinely saw absolutely nothing wrong with her actions and hadn't thought twice about using Lindow's God Arc. And if he had to hazard a guess, he'd bet that she would easily do it again for Licca's sake. Neo was willing to sacrifice life and limb, safety, and sanity, possibly even her own humanity to save another. She was truly one of a kind.

"Heh… Wow. You're a real piece of work."

"I've been told."

The God Eater shook his blonde head, deciding it best to leave it alone for the time being. There was no arguing with her and at this point, she was lucky to be alive at all. For now, he would much rather her energy be spent on recovery, as her little stunt had undoubtedly been taxing. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his locks, huffing slightly as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He didn't need to check to know who it was.

Hearing the vibration, Neo's eyes drifted down towards his pants pocket. "Your phone."

Groaning, Gunter shook his head. "Yeah, it's Tatsumi… We're supposed to be doing damage control." Checking his phone for good measure, he confirmed his suspicions. Following the breach, the three of them had transported the two women to the medical ward, where one of them had awakened well before the other. Out of consideration, Tatsumi had allowed him to hang back, seeing no point in stopping him as he would just find himself distracted anyway. Now, Neo was awake, and he had been gone for some time. No doubt the rest of his unit was getting impatient, and rightfully so. "Alright, I gotta run. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Perfectly fine."

Laughing sheepishly, Gunter nodded. "Of course, you are… You're you. Anyway, I should go before he blows a gasket. I'll see you around?"

"Most likely." Neo shrugged, raising an eyebrow at his cheerful smile. She wasn't sure why he was so surprised. They both lived in a finite space. That the two of them would meet again was inevitable, especially given his habit of seeking her out during his spare time.

"Great. See ya later, Neo." With a wink, Gunter strode out of the room. Finding himself far happier about her response than he should have been, he left the woman as quickly as possible to avoid further embarrassment. Perplexed, she simply watched him go, unsure of what to make of his unusual behavior.

Against the wall, the remaining God Eaters observed them, watching the situation unfold. Lenka remained silent, uncertain of what to say. Knowing little about the pair's relationship, he felt it better not to interrupt. And while he held great concern for his teammate, he didn't want to risk provoking the volatile New Type.

Beside him, Ichiro stared forward, his hazel eyes slightly unfocused. He watched their exchange in utter disbelief, his mind trying to make sense of what he was seeing and hearing. There were far too many factors to ponder. The first and most obvious, of course, was that Neo had used Lindow's God Arc and lived to tell the tale. Even worse, although unsurprising, she didn't seem to be concerned in the slightest. The second abnormality was Gunter, both his presence and their strange interaction. The very picture of confidence and cool calculation, he had never seen him appear so flustered. While he didn't outwardly show it, Ichiro could tell from his stilted movements that he was nervous. Then, there was the conversation itself.

Since when had the pair of them become so casual with one another? And had Gunter said girlfriend? Neo certainly didn't deny it… but with Neo being Neo, that didn't necessarily mean what one might think. In fact, it was entirely possible that their whole relationship was based on a misunderstanding. Or perhaps not. After all, when it came to the New Type, one could never be completely certain what was going through her mind. Even still, he couldn't help but wonder.

Shifting his eyes, his gaze fell to the woman in question, sitting alone in her hospital bed. And as their eyes met, he realized that she was now staring back at him. Her deep blue orb observed him, her brows furrowed in irritation. Lowering his gaze further, he noticed her lips, curved into a frown… and they were moving. Neo was speaking to him. And from the look on her face, she had been for a few moments.

"Ichi. What are you doing out of bed?"

Her guardian blanched, his mouth falling open at the sheer absurdity of her statement. She was scolding him? At a time like this? Scowling, he quickly retorted. "Excuse me? What are you doing using a foreign God Arc?"

Neo shrugged, simply repeating her previous statement. "Protecting Licca."

"And you couldn't think of any other way to do that?"

"None whatsoever."

Exasperated, the veteran groaned. "You do realize that you could have died, don't you? Or worse?"

"Yes."

"Yet you don't seem very concerned."

Neo shrugged again. "Likely because I'm not."

"Have you no concern for your own personal health?" Ichiro's frown turned into a glare as he felt a familiar anger rising to the surface. There it was again. Her complete disregard for her own well-being.

Neo, however, matched his expression with a glower of her own. "You're one to talk."

As the two glared at one another, Lenka looked nervously between them. Neither one of them were in any condition to be bickering and if he was being honest, neither had any business reprimanding the other. After a few moments of watching them, he decided to risk her wrath and voice as such. Rising from against the wall, the Captain stepped between them. "Both of you should be resting. Settle your differences later. For now, focus on recovery."

At Lenka's scolding, both God Eaters turned their gazes on him, scowling. He crossed his arms defiantly, glaring with equal determination. The room fell into tense silence as the three God Eaters stared each other down, none of them willing to budge on the matter. But after a few moments, the pair finally relented, neither one of them having the energy to press Lenka further. For now, they would simply take solace in the fact that both of them were still breathing.

Smirking in triumph, Lenka relaxed as Ichiro made his way back to his bed, placed conveniently next to Neo's. "Alright, I need to report to Major Amamiya. Behave yourselves."

Neo ignored him, turning her attention to the seat at her bedside. Ichiro waved him off, silently acknowledging his warning. Now that Neo was safe, he had no intention of getting up again. Shaking his head at the two of them, the Captain made his way to the exit, pausing in front of the sliding door. He stood still for a moment, his face pensive, before finally turning back around. "Hey, Hamasaki."

"Hmm?"

"Are you wearing contacts?"

The veteran blinked, taken aback by his question. It took him a few moments to realize as he observed Utsugi's curious expression… then, it finally hit him. Recovering, he nodded and offered him a gentle smile. "Yeah, I am. I ran out of clear ones. Very observant of you."

Lenka nodded, taking a moment to look over his hazel irises. "I see. Well, it's a nice color on you."

"Hehe, thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

Smirking, the leader turned around and took his leave, wondering curiously who else in the Den may be altering their appearance. As the door shut behind him, Ichiro sagged with a sigh of relief before climbing back into his bed. His brows furrowed in irritation as he pondered Utsugi's statement. His question had only served to further solidify his initial concerns. People were starting to notice. A solution would need to be found soon.

Turning his attention to Neo, he sighed inwardly. How long would he be able to keep this from her? Watching her movements in the next bed, Ichiro slowly raised an eyebrow. She was acting strangely again, still sitting upright and staring intently at the empty seat at her bedside. What was she doing?

In the next bed over, the New Type gazed curiously at the young man to her right. With Lenka gone and Ichiro returning to bed, she would have no further interruptions as she turned her attention to the pale-skinned man. He remained silent throughout their entire discussion, offering no words of thought to any of the three men who had surrounded her. Instead, he had remained an observer, watching her intently as the others buzzed around her like bees to a hive. Narrowing her eyes, she opened her mouth to question him, falling silent as he addressed her first. "I apologize, I didn't want to interrupt. I just wanted to thank you for protecting Licca."

Blinking, she slowly nodded her head, unsure of what to say. His deep concern for the engineer was surprising to her, as Licca often kept to herself and her God Arcs. She didn't seem like the type to frequently socialize. Was he a friend of hers?

She was about to ask for an elaboration when the man continued, a smile forming on his face. "Licca really is something, isn't she? She's nice, gentle. Heh… She really knows how God Arcs work. How they tick."

Neo's eyebrows furrowed, as her confusion continued to rise. He was a strange one alright, and he only added to that strangeness with every sentence he spoke. Who was this man? How had she never seen him before? Opening her mouth to voice her thoughts, she found herself closing it again as the man seemingly read her mind.

"Oh! Sorry, I suppose I have not made a proper introduction of myself. I'm a new God Eater, only recently transferred. I serve with the Medical Unit. Call me Ren. A pleasure. My orders were originally to report for duty tomorrow. Heh. Perhaps it's a stroke of fate that my arrival was moved up. My specialty is military medical applications. I did, rather do, research into Aragami infection, prevention, and curing. They were not making light of the situation when I was told this branch was the front lines. I hope I'll serve well."

Neo inclined her head as she listened, trying to absorb all of the incoming information. She wasn't aware that the Far East had a Medical Unit, nor that they were accepting new transfers. When had he been approved? How long had he been in the Den? Her eye narrowed suspiciously as she regarded him, looking over him carefully and searching for any signs of deceit. She remained silent as she pondered, a sense of unease taking over her as she watched him. Something wasn't right.

As she stared, Ren continued. "Oh, forgive my prattling. Here you've just woken up, and I'm talking your ear off. Why don't you lay down? You and your friend take a respite. Feel better soon." Before she could question him, he rose from his seat and quickly made his way towards the back of the ward. Neo followed him with her eye, watching his every movement as he disappeared from view. Something about his demeanor concerned her, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She wasn't sure what to make of this Ren character. All she knew was that he would be one to keep under careful observation.

As the pair ended their one-sided conversation, Ichiro watched from behind him, a look of concern plastered on his face. Throughout their entire exchange, he had been observing watchfully from his pillow as she gazed blankly forward. At first, he had assumed her to be staring off into space… but as she nodded her head and inclined it, opening and closing her mouth, his theory was quickly disproven. This was even more so as she came to life, her eyes following an invisible trail in his direction towards the hospital curtains.

Her gaze was transfixed, her attention entirely focused on whatever she was examining. It was as though she were looking at someone or something… but there was no one there. He wondered if perhaps an insect had flown into the room and captured her attention. Her senses were far keener than his, after all. Even still, he couldn't help but feel uncertain. As her gaze shifted, it finally paused, landing on him as he lay silently in his bed.

Their eyes met, Neo's fascination forgotten as she looked back at him with a blank expression. Keeping eye contact, he watched her as she slowly slid downward, returning to a resting position and laying her head against her pillow. Her lips twitched slightly as they watched each other. It was a small, subtle movement, but more than enough to get his attention. Neo wanted to say something… and he had a pretty good feeling he knew what it was.

Beating her to the punch, he decided to voice the thoughts on her mind, lowering her defenses with a gentle smile. "I'm glad your safe."

At his words, the thin line of her mouth curled into a small smile. She knew he couldn't stay mad at her. No more than she could stay mad at him. Returning his gesture, she nodded against the cushion. "Likewise."

"Please, don't do anything like that again."

"I won't if you don't."

Chuckling, Ichiro nodded in agreement, the two grinning stupidly at their own foolishness.