Aegis Island

"Lame! Why can't the 1st Unit go out on the search?!" Soma grumbled, his eyes boring a hole into the wall of the elevator. This had been the ongoing routine following the Major's announcement. After learning that the Retaliation Squad would be hanging back during the investigation, many of its members had been visibly upset. Some, like Soma, vocalized their indignation more so than others.

Beside him, Ichiro shook his head for what felt like the twelfth time that day. "Because Soma, someone has to remain on combat duty. Preferably the strongest… which would be us."

"He was a member of the 1st Unit. We should do the search!"

"I don't disagree with you, but there's nothing we can do at this point. All other units have already been mobilized, so there really isn't much sense in sending us in addition. Besides, we have bigger issues to tackle at the moment."

Nodding, Kota showed his agreement. "Yeah, Soma. I mean, it sucks that we can't help out with the rescue party, but there's lots of other stuff we can do. You heard the Major, new Aragami are popping up all over the place. Like this one we're hunting now… what was it called again?"

"Amaterasu." Neo muttered in response, her eyes staring blankly at the wall.

"Yeah, that one! We have to stop it before it leaves the island. If something like that gets out, it'll be The Great Barrier Breach all over again."

"Agreed." Neo murmured.

Soma grumbled once more but ended his complaint. Frustrated as he was by the principle, he knew that his teammates were right. As the strongest in the Far East, they had a responsibility to uphold. Part of that was taking on the missions too difficult for other members. "Speaking of which, you gonna be alright, Fujiki?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm mostly gonna hang back and provide support." Kota nodded, eyeing the doorway as the large lift slowed to a stop.

As they had learned from Major Amamiya during their briefing, the Amaterasu was a massive monstrosity; a Type 1 Deusphage variant of the Ouroboros. With a heavy resistance to projectiles, and an affinity for blaze and divine, the four of them were apprehensive to battle with their current lineup. But as it was an emergency, they didn't really have time to question it or wait for other available members.

Soma and Ichiro, talented as they were, couldn't realistically be expected to take on such a powerful novel foe by their lonesome. And as the monster had vulnerability to spark, Neo was an excellent candidate, albeit a dangerous one considering her own weaknesses. As such, despite being an Old Type ranged soldier, Kota had volunteered to join them. With two melee God Eaters, Neo would be utterly defenseless in the event of an injury. As such, their strategy would be to act primarily as three close-range, with their gunner as saboteur and medical support. If all went well, the Amaterasu should be more than manageable.

But of course, as with all new Aragami, anything was possible.

"Holy…" Kota's words trailed off into silence as the doors finally slid open.

There, in the heart of the island, was their foe… and it was by far the strangest thing that any of them had ever seen. Wandering near the center was an Ouroboros-like Aragami with fur-covered legs and white skin. Stretching from its orange tendrils were large orange pauldrons and a golden crest. Within the crown sat the body of a goddess, her ivory torso fused into the center of the monster's head. And dangling below were a pair of questionable appendages, swaying slowly back and forth with every step. It was utterly bizarre.

The New Type paused, gazing in pure fascination. Her eyes followed the pendulous masses as they swung, her head tilting curiously as she observed. "Ichi… Why does it have -"

"I don't know."

"But, it isn't mammalian. Surely, it doesn't need -"

"Not the time, Neo."

"Okay." Running a clawed hand through her violet hair, she halted her line of questioning. Why an Aragami would have need of mammaries was far beyond her. Perhaps she could find answers following its defeat. At the very least, she could question Sakaki after his analysis. Whirling her scythe, she stepped through the doors, strolling casually along the elevated platform.

Behind her, the three men slowly looked at one another before shaking their heads and following closely behind her. Neo's utter lack of tact was amusing, but at times could be a tad awkward. Naturally, the three of them shared a similar question regarding its unusual anatomy, but none of them had dared to voice it.

Without a care in the world, the New Type hopped to the ground below. Her scythe spun nimbly between her fingers in time with her steps as she approached the towering mass. It hadn't yet noticed her presence, her small form barely an insect before its massive limbs. She drew closer, keeping a careful eye on its movements as she walked. Her three teammates kept close by, tightening their grips as she neared striking range.

Her footsteps came to a halt, eyes looking carefully over the large trunk-like tentacles. Then, flipping her scythe, she swung, sending the blade gliding along the arm and leaving a long red line. And with that, the battle began, Neo's provocation sending the Amaterasu immediately into a fit of irritation. Rearing back onto its hind legs, it stretched its arms to the ceiling. Counting the seconds, Neo waited, watching as the tendrils came down with accelerated force. Pivoting, she darted to the side, evading the incoming strike.

Now, she knew its speed. She was ready to fight.

The ground quaked behind her as its arms smashed into the ground, sending her teammates scattering in different directions. Climbing back to its feet, the Amaterasu turned, taking aim at the closest target. Then, it fired, sending a blazing sphere in Soma's direction. The flames ripped across the ground, leaving a singed path in their wake and bursting into a conflagrative blast against his shield.

Scowling, he peeked around his guard and growled. "So, she pisses it off, and we get attacked?"

"Looks that way." Ichiro shrugged, shifting his weapon into an offensive position. Charging forward, he followed his companion's example. His blade cut across the back legs as he rushed underneath. The sound of metal on iron-clad skin screeched across the clearing. It seemed that blade strikes weren't as effective as they initially believed. Annoyed, the veteran went defensive, sweeping around the arms as it swung towards him. The strike missed, leaving the monster in kneeling position and providing an opportunity.

Dropping his tower shield, Soma took it. Following after him with his Evil One, he leapt into the sky for an aerial strike. His Buster hammered across the Aragami's horn with a loud clang at it turned. Another ineffective hit. A frown pulled at his lips as he descended, deploying his shield a second time to deflect an incoming tentacle. It seemed that its horns were nearly as armored as its legs. "So much for close range…" He muttered, evading a tendril following after him.

"Blade attacks are most effective on the statue. Whatever that means." Kota answered. Taking aim with his bullets, he fired four shots at the monster's pauldron. Expectedly, the bullets had little effect. The sparking projectiles clearly caused some irritation, but not much else.

"Statue… do they mean the goddess?" Ichiro murmured, following the female component with his eyes.

Hearing his mutters, Neo nodded. It wasn't likely that it could refer to much else. And as spinning tentacles erupted from the ground, she took her opportunity. Darting in between the tendrils, she twisted her scythe in her hands. Throwing herself into the air, she swung her blade, frowning as the creature slowly backed away. The length of her weapon aided her, the tip of the blade just barely grazing the surface of the goddess's stomach.

The Amaterasu's screech was their answer. But the sound was quickly followed by a second, as the monster retaliated. Small tentacles jutted forth from the pauldrons, piercing her side and tossing her through the air towards the ground. Ichiro turned to follow her, halting as a flaming tendril erupted in his path, nearly spearing him as well.

Thankfully, Soma was already in motion. Having been positioned closer to the New Type, he was able to reach her, arms outstretched. A sense of familiarity washed over him as he watched her plummeting towards the metal floor. He had seen this once before with another close friend. But this time would be different. This time, he would reach her. Leaping forward, he grabbed her, catching her out of the air and continuing forward. He couldn't afford to stop, as the sound of crackling flames erupted behind him.

"Hey knockers, over here!" Kota taunted, needling the monster with a continuous round of sparking bullets. His barrel rotated, firing rapid shots along the side of its head, drawing its attention away from his fleeing teammates. Catching its focus, he took off at a sprint, with the Aragami lumbering behind him. Ichiro shot him a look of utter disbelief at the insult, earning a playful grin in response. He sighed, taking off after them to ensure their medic wasn't flattened.

Near the edge of arena, Soma finally slowed, looking down at the wincing New Type gathered carefully in his arms. He could feel the warm, sticky feel of blood seeping between his fingers as it poured freely from her wound. The smell of copper and iron filled his nostrils, making his stomach turn. "You alright?"

"…Yeah." Neo mumbled, looking up to meet his gaze. The strike, while painful, hadn't been an elemental one. And within moments of answering him, she could feel the familiar twinge as the layers slowly began to fuse with one another. She was already regenerating.

Lowering her to the floor, he quickly glanced over her, watching as the wound grew smaller. It wasn't large, but it was rather deep. It would likely take a short while to fully heal, assuming the New Type paused and let it rest. But of course, Neo had other plans.

Pushing herself into Burst, she crouched to the ground, a fire in her eyes even more powerful than the monster's itself. Her gaze locked with her guardian's for a brief moment as he chased after Kota, signaling to him that she was alright. And as their eyes met, he felt his heart skip a nervous beat. He knew that look. Neo was about to do something crazy.

Gripping her radio, she spoke into the receiver, addressing the sprinting gunner. "Kota… you have any grenades?"

He stammered, patting his pockets as he ran. "Uh… yeah, a couple."

"Arm them." That was the only warning Neo gave before she charged. In the open arena, she had no obstacles to hinder her. With a burst of speed, she accelerated towards the Amaterasu, her distance growing with every bound. Then, she took to the air.

Angling her fingers, she launched herself at the Aragami's massive tail. Her claws latched into the elongated hairs and braced her as she began to climb. Moving as quickly as her limbs would allow, she made her way along the monster's back, going higher and higher. Preparing herself, she continued forward, cresting over the back, in between the pauldrons, and over the crown. Timing her jump, she leapt over the massive crest toward the goddess.

But her plan quickly went awry.

While the Amaterasu was currently focused on its pursuit, Neo's intrusion didn't go entirely unnoticed. Though her presence had gotten its attention, the creature had no way of reaching the nuisance scaling its body. So instead, it did the only thing that it could. The New Type yelped as her platform began to move, lifting into the sky as the creature rose to its full height. Her feet had just crossed over the crown as it stood, knocking her off balance and stumbling over the ridge.

"Neo!" Ichiro called, following her trajectory with his eyes. Even with her durability, there was no way that she would be able to land safely from that height. At best, she may be able to distribute her weight on landing, and even then she would easily risk breaking multiple limbs. Soma shared his sentiment, quickly crossing the distance to try and reach them. He could feel his irritation rising at the thought, having just saved her from a nasty fall only minutes ago.

Thankfully, neither one of them had to do anything of the sort. In a desperate attempt to save herself, Neo twisted through the air, gripping whatever she could reach to stop her fall. It just so happened that that something was a large, bulbous appendage. She could feel the warm, slippery substance dripping down her hands as she latched on, driving her claws as deep as they could possibly go.

The Amaterasu wasn't happy.

With an enraged shriek, the creature went wild, leaping into the air and coming down with a tremendous crash. Neo held on for dear life, as the monster spun, its bouncy organs jiggling around beneath her grasp. With every shake, she gripped even tighter, wrapping her legs around it for extra leverage. It was by far the most amusing sight that Kota had ever seen in his life, and had his teammate not been in mortal danger, he would have burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Ichiro and Soma paused, watching the incredible display with neither one knowing quite how to handle the situation. With the Amaterasu thrashing violently about, approaching it was not an option, lest both of them be crushed under its massive limbs. Kota couldn't risk taking a shot either. Shooting anywhere short of the goddess was pointless and firing anywhere near Neo was out of the question. While the sparks wouldn't harm her, the bullet itself could startle her and send her plummeting to the ground below.

Instead, he followed her original command, arming his grenade and waiting for the perfect opportunity. The New Type hadn't given him any sort of signal, but he had a feeling that she would whenever she was ready. And within a few moments, that was exactly what she did.

Squeezing the pillowy bulb with all her might, she focused her charge, trying to keep the world in focus. Her teammates were blurs on the ground below at she was thrown back and forth, her only benchmark Kota's bright yellow garb. She waited until it turned to face him, trying to line up the goddess as best as she could. When it finally turned, she erupted, unleashing every amp of her charge through the Amaterasu's body. And as the monster fell still, she let go, allowing her claws to slide free from their hold.

She was in free fall. With no time to do anything further, she screamed as loud as she could, clapping her hands over her ears and shutting her eyes. "Kota!"

"On it!" He had no idea whether or not she could hear him, but it was no matter. With the creature finally paused, he was ready. Rushing forward as fast his legs would carry him, he threw his armed device skyward, watching as it passed Neo by.

It soared through the air, making its ascent as Neo's body did the opposite. She couldn't hear or see the flash, but she could tell when it detonated. The concussive force rippled through her body making her shudder as the wind rushed around her. She wasn't sure where the ground was nor where she was in relation to it, and with her center of gravity thrown off, she didn't know which way to rotate. Instead, she curled, hoping that whichever way she landed wouldn't be too painful.

Lost in a muffled world of darkness, she resigned herself to whatever was to come. Then, she felt impact, flinching as her fall was abruptly halted. She slammed into something, or someone, bringing both of them crashing to the ground. Her brow furrowed slightly at the unfamiliar sensation, the arms around her slightly thinner than the ones she was accustomed to. "Hmm?" Her own voice was the only thing she heard, deafened to the world. Then, a flood of sound.

Lifting her hands from her ears revealed an earth-shattering thump as the Amaterasu's body fell, stunned, onto the metal floor. The goddess bobbed on landing, bouncing on its pillowy mounds before going completely still. And with the weak point left entirely exposed, Soma and Ichiro rained death from above. With a carefully coordinated strike, their blades came down in a synchronized Charge Crush, all but obliterating the woman's body, and sending a crimson spray so large that it covered both them and the entirety of its jiggly appendages. The Amaterasu was no more.

Blinking, Neo nodded her approval to their savage kill. All's well that ends well. Uncurling her body, she rearranged her position into a more comfortable one and stretched out her arms. That was the most physical exertion she had had in a while, and her muscles were stiff. Her moment of respite was paused however, when the ground started shifting beneath her. Vibrations rumbled under her thighs as her cushion began to speak.

"Uh, Neo… you mind?"

Looking down, she found hazel eyes, red hair, and a pained goofy grin. "Oh. Sorry, Kota." Climbing off of him, she reached out her hand and helped him to his feet. "Nice catch by the way."

Coughing, the gunner recovered the air she knocked out of him. "Hehe, thanks. I was actually a little worried there for a second."

Neo smirked in response… but only for a moment.

"You idiot!"

Their mirthful voices were interrupted by an angrier one as the two bloody veterans stormed toward them. Kota backed away slightly, unwilling to get in the middle of whatever argument was about to ensue. Soma seethed, all but exploding when he reached her. "What the hell were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?!"

Neo cracked her neck and shrugged, far too tired to raise her voice back at him. "We slayed the target. Mission complete."

"That isn't the point! Why do you keep endangering yourself unnecessarily?!"

Ichiro nodded, crossing his arms and hardening his own expression. "Soma's right. What is going on with you, lately? Are you trying to get hurt?"

"I would've been fine."

"Fine? Neo, not only were you literally playing with fire, but multiple forces you couldn't control. If you had landed the wrong way, you could've snapped your neck. You could've broken nearly every bone in your body or damaged your spine."

"Severed nerves always repair."

"Is that really something you want to test?"

"Don't need to. They did it for me." She muttered, bitterness dripping from every word.

"What was that?" Ichiro's irritated expression hardened into an even fiercer one, stunning Neo into silence.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, her body going rigid as she tried to plan her next move. Her guardian, while knowledgeable in nearly all aspects of her existence, was unaware of her experimentation. She shuddered at the very memory, her mind flashing for only a moment to the operating table as they severed her spinal cord. She hadn't been medicated. Scowling, she turned her head instead towards her God Arc lying on the ground where she left it. She couldn't risk meeting his gaze. Her eyes would betray her. "Nothing. Forget it."

"It's not nothing -" The veteran frowned even harder as she maneuvered around him and went to retrieve her fallen weapon. His eye twitched in irritation as he contemplated following her, but paused when he saw Soma's expression. A silent shake of his head told him what, deep down, he already knew.

Let her go

Kota looked between the three of them, wondering if the battle was over for the time being. It seemed that the trio had been arguing rather frequently in recent days, most commonly with the two veterans facing off against the stubborn New Type. When the three of them got like this, the best thing to do was stay out of their way. Let the wave pass over and try to cool her down in the aftermath. Seeing an opportunity to do just that, he called after her. "Hey, Neo!" The woman turned her head slightly as she paused, showing that she was listening. "What did they feel like?"

Ichiro and Soma sighed in exasperation, each fighting a similar urge to smack him. Neo however, smirked in amusement and shrugged her shoulders. "Soft. Large, squishy, and soft."

. . .

Far East Branch - Veteran's Floor

After returning from their mission, the four God Eaters went their separate ways. More accurately, the two pairs split up, each going to conduct their own activities. After hitting the showers, Neo retired to Kota's room for the evening to binge watch a season of Bugarally. Ichiro, under the correct assumption that Neo wouldn't be returning any time soon, had instead invited Soma to his quarters for some drinks and conversation.

The practice had become a rather common one in recent weeks. With Neo driving both men absolutely insane, it was sometimes good to relax and unwind with someone who could truly understand. While it was true that in the past, Neo's presence often fueled animosity between them, now it had forged a friendly alliance as each had come to respect one another's concern for their mutual childhood companion.

And, as a result of the day's mission, that same New Type was currently the topic of discussion. With a heavy sigh, Ichiro shook his head, taking a swig of his Cola. "She's never been like this. I don't understand what's going on with her."

Soma grunted, swirling his own can between his thumb and index finger. "Don't know. She's been on a warpath for a while now. No idea why."

"So, you've noticed it too."

"Yeah."

The two sighed and leaned back against the sofa cushions, falling into a tense silence. It seemed that the both of them had become acutely aware of Neo's increasingly self-destructive tendencies. While the New Type was never known for her exemplary self-care, it seemed that lately, she was on a mission to do exactly the opposite. Between the two of them and the other members of the unit, they were able to occasionally convince her to calm down, but in the end, it always proved futile. Shortly after, she would run off to continue her carnage. Something was deeply bothering her, that much was certain. But they had had little luck in figuring out what it was.

Her occasional conversations with Ichiro had given him a bit of insight into her thoughts, but nothing concrete enough to reach a conclusion. Whatever it was that was upsetting her, it was far more than she was letting on. Taking another sip of his drink, he paused as a thought came to mind. "Hey, Soma."

"Hmm?"

"Do you know anyone named Ren?"

Soma turned, lifting his eyebrows at his sudden question. For a moment, he wasn't entirely certain how to answer. He had heard the name in passing from Neo on multiple occasions, but he couldn't say he had ever met anyone by that name. "No."

"You're positive? Recent transfer? New Type?"

"No. Koenig and Caruso are the only New Type additions to the Far East."

"Yeah… that's what I thought."

"Why?"

Ichiro sighed, collecting his thoughts, and gazing up at the ceiling. What was he supposed to say to him? That Neo was mentally slipping further and further away from them? That she was hallucinating and speaking with a figment of her wild imagination? That she was slowly but surely losing herself as well as her sanity? There was no way to explain to him without it sounding as awful as it actually was. But as he turned his head to glance at Soma's expectant expression, he decided that there was no better person he could tell it to. "Do you remember our mission, Fifth Element?" Soma nodded his head, urging him to continue. "She mentioned him then… she called out to him, requesting assistance."

The other veteran stared, his mind wandering back to replay the mission in his mind. "There were only three of us on that mission."

"Exactly. That's my point. But this isn't the only time she's mentioned him. Supposedly, he was with her when she woke up in her hospital bed, during Dark Shimmer, and even when -"

"Purple Sparks."

"Huh?"

"Purple Sparks. When I found her during that mission in the Tranquil Temple, she claimed she wasn't alone. I confirmed with Hibari and scanned the entire area from top to bottom. There was no one with her on that mission."

Ichiro's breath hitched as his worst fears were confirmed. "That's what I was afraid of."

Soma nodded, leaning forward on his knees as he pondered. It was true that he had noticed increasingly strange behaviors in the New Type. Chief of which had been her newfound habit of talking to herself. Now, he was learning that she was speaking with someone that none of them could see.

Ichiro continued. "I've scoured every corner of the database files from here to North America. There is no one named Ren in this branch or the next. No one by that name exists. At least, not within Fenrir."

"You think this Ren person is -"

"Yeah. I think… I think Neo might be visualizing."

"You're saying she's delusional?"

"No. Not delusional… just troubled. She's been under a tremendous amount of stress lately. Between her injury and her recovery… her condition and Oracle cell exposure… She's even admitted to having holes in her memory. I don't know, maybe it's her way of trying to cope."

"Is that even possible?"

"Sure, it is. Cases like hers aren't uncommon. We used to get a lot of them in the trauma ward back home. Her mind could have created this person to act as a sounding board. He could be a fabrication to help her process her experiences. Hell, she could have formed a second personality just to better handle her predicament. Anything is possible."

"In other words, she's losing it."

"Maybe. I don't know."

"So, what do we do about it?"

"There's nothing we can do, Soma. We can't address the situation head on. If we confront her about this, it could send her over the edge. If she discovers the reality of her condition, she could start to internalize it. She could undergo enough stress to activate her Oracle cells, or possibly worse. There's no telling what she'll do."

A tired groan rumbled in the back of his throat and Soma joined him in throwing his head back against the cushion. Much as he hated to admit it, Ichiro was right. In fact, the other God Eater had no idea just how right he was. Unbeknownst to him, Neo had a long history of self-harm. If she were to turn her frustrations inward, she could relapse and possibly try to hurt herself, even more than she already was. They needed to find another way to address it. "Maybe someone can talk to her. Learn more about this person and get inside her head."

"Yeah. That may be our best and only option. She's pretty pissed at us for the time being, so I don't we'll make much progress. She's been spending a lot of time with Kota lately watching those television shows. Maybe he can -"

"Alisa."

"Alisa…?" Ichiro blinked, slightly startled by the sharp reply. The definitiveness of his tone didn't escape his notice. Soma's response hadn't been a suggestion. It was a demand.

"Alisa is a woman… Neo's less likely to lash out at her."

"…What's that supposed to mean?" The guardian turned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Soma paused, his mouth twitching slightly as he realized his error. His eyes slid slowly to the side, catching a glimpse of the other's suspicious expression. He had nearly made the same mistake that Neo had. Shaking his head, he quickly backpedaled to find a suitable misdirection. "She can relate to her better. They're both women, they're both New Types, and they've shared resonance. They have a unique connection."

Ichiro's gaze didn't waver, his mouth pulling into a hard line. While Soma's explanation was logically sound, he had noticed the shift in his demeanor. It felt a bit forced, as though he were trying to cover his tracks. There was something he wasn't telling him, that much was clear. But for the time being, he decided to drop the topic. He would play along and return to it another time. "You're probably right. I'll stop by her room later. She's been meaning to invite Neo for tea anyway. This will give her an excuse."

"Good idea." Soma nodded his agreement, slowly exhaling his held breath. His slip had been a close one, and he wasn't certain how effective his recovery had been. Ichiro wasn't one to always display his emotions on his face, and it was entirely possible he hadn't believed a word he said. If so, he didn't voice it. But that didn't mean the issue wouldn't come up again. And he had no idea how he would handle the situation when it finally did. For now, he would take solace in his narrow escape, wondering just how much longer he could keep his promise.