Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, Warhammer 40k, Stellaris, or Mass Effect. This is a fanfiction, and I don't have ANY monetary reward for making it. This is purely for fun.

Author's Notes: I just want to clarify, I don't intend on making this a fluff story. The romantic part for Erwin and Oriana just happens to be first. To be honest I'm not entirely sure how the story will progress. I'm just feeling it out as I write, but I do have an end goal along with major plot points. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to handle the Shepard and Miranda Romance. I have a few thoughts. However, any ideas on that would be appreciated. That would also feed into Miranda's character. Whether or not Oriana already knows her, and so on. I've introduced the romantic aspect of the story pretty quick, so hopefully, it doesn't come off as corny. I personally hate that, yet I'm a romantic...

Anywho, enjoy this next chapter, and thanks for reading. I'll try to have a new Chapter around this length every week or so.

Chapter II

The quirky family.

Erwin looked at the locked door in front of him. He knew whoever sent out that psionic projection for help was behind it. The door led into a warehouse of sorts, the layout was odd, to say the least. The warehouse was embedded in a tower that had a series of shops and offices. There were a few restaurants, so maybe that justified it.

Unlike the circular locking doors for entries into apartments and places of businesses, this door was plain. There was nothing noticeable about the door, it was square and big enough for a Krogan or Erwin, and had a red hard light control panel.

Erwin found it ironic they knew how to use basic hard light technology, but didn't know how to build a decent fusion reactor.

The lock was nothing special. It could keep out most people, but most people weren't hyper-intelligent beings with an advanced neural lace. Ares would be even quicker to break the system's firewalls, but asking him to do such a small task would honestly be insulting.

Erwin was waiting to go in. He knew people were in there, and he knew they probably weren't friendly. Even with his advanced cloaking technology, they'd have to be dumb as rocks not to suspect a previously locked door opening out of the blue.

Luckily the cloaking capabilities of the armor were still functioning. Erwin wanted this to be quick and painless for himself. His left calf was starting to hurt more, and Erwin wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.

"I haven't found anything to indicate what's going on in there. There are pitifully few cameras around the area. If I had to guess, I'd say it's just a normal criminal den." Ares communicated through the neural lace.

"Well, let's find out then."

Erwin put his helmet back on and activated his cloaking device. He then upholstered the MA5D assault rifle from his back and set the muzzle velocity down to a much lower velocity. Erwin didn't need rifle rounds punching through walls, only stopping after God knows how many rooms they went through. Unlike his heavy pistol, it was a kinetic ballistic-based weapon. Humans were the only known apex race to still use kinetic weaponry.

And for good reason, by the time a race reaches the technological level of the San'Shyuum, Imperials, Ilythiirians, or Ayleians they normally have a plethora of choices to specialize in. Proton accelerators were a favorite among the Elves, and the San'Shyuum reversed engineered Forerunner hard plasma technology, but the Imperials were unique among other races in their near-religious use of kinetic weaponry. Most races didn't bother much with them due to their painfully slow velocity. Even the Empire supplemented their kinetic weaponry with highly sophisticated lasers.

It paid off. During space combat in the earlier years of the war, Humans were able to hold their own at long range but the Elves and Covenant had a clear advantage. The Empire used a form of pulse laser that produced condensed lances of photons with wavelengths much smaller than even gamma rays. They were called Hell Lances. Still, the Hell Lances were at a disadvantage compared to the hard plasma and proton accelerators.

It was when the fighting inevitably got closer Humanity showed its mastery in kinetic weaponry. Simple rail guns developed over the course of thousands of years by Mankind. The heavy guns on a Sol-Class Dreadnought could accelerate a three thousand ton projectile at twenty-three percent the speed of light. Even the largest Covenant ship, the one hundred kilometer-long supercarriers couldn't hold up against a single volley.

Erwin's assault rifle shot one millimeter in diameter rounds at twenty-five percent the speed of light. Even with the later acquisition of proper hard plasma technology from the Forerunners, Human Kinetic weaponry was relevant.

The MA5D assault rifle was a meaty bullpup rifle. The noticeable part about the rifle was the top cover. It held the internal computer and other housekeeping systems. The top looked to be divided into four sections. One was located at the end of the gun, tapering off until it reached the end of the barrel. The last one had a screen showing how much ammo was left in the magazine along with other bits of information.

Erwin thought the two middle sections were most interesting. They housed a scope, one that was protected by the Titanium alloy covering when not in use. When Erwin commanded the scope to appear by neural lace, the middle two coverings floated to the top left of the gun. They broke apart forming into a scope that utilized liquid crystals and hard light to give Erwin a scope capable of giving him three hundred and fifty times zoom. With another command, the scope would reform back inside the two middle coverings and move back into place between the first and last top pieces.

The assault rifle also had a suppressor. When firing projectiles in atmosphere, at relativistic speed there tend to be loud bangs. Otherwise unprotected Humans would have busted eardrums at best. Then there was the internal inertial compensator, without it the recoil would be too much for even Erwin.

Erwin placed his left hand on the hard light display while holding his assault rifle at his side with the other.

He quickly shattered the door's firewalls; they were relatively advanced for a mid-tier Civilization, but to Erwin, it was like solving basic arithmetic.

The door opened revealing a medium-size room with a few crates scattered about. There were seven individuals standing around a crate. This crate looked different from the others, it was a four-foot metallic cube. There was someone in that cube, that was where that small psionic presence was. The psionic cry for help died down a while ago, now it was just a constant low-intensity feeling of dread. It was a miracle he was able to still track it, even with his advanced abilities.

They all looked at the door, surprised by the sudden opening. They drew their weapons and aimed at the door. An Asari moved up slowly with her pistol aimed at the door. She was wearing a Police uniform.

Erwin noticed the other six around the crate had matching armor sets. The armor was yellow with black and white undertones, along with a sun symbol plastered on the front of the armor. Four of the beings were Asari, and the last two were Human males.

By the time the Officer was at the door, Erwin was already standing on the far side of the room. He held his assault rifle pointing at the ground. He could have killed all of them multiple times over by now, but he was curious about what was going on. Hopefully, they'd start talking again.

"I have a feeling that the cop ain't exactly clean," Ares said.

"No shit."

"Those are Eclipse mercenaries. If you're feeling a psionic presence in that crate, they might be participants in the slave trade. Odd considering the Eclipse normally doesn't get involved in it. It's just not their MO." Ares explained.

The Asari Officer looked down the hall in both directions.

She holstered her gun again, shrugging her shoulders, and made her way back to the six in yellow armor.

The six mercenaries pointed their guns down, not completely holstering them.

"Okay, that was weird." The Officer said.

"Do you think someone with a Tactical Cloak got in?" One of the Asari Eclipse asked.

Erwin raised an eyebrow, that was a lucky guess. She looked nervous so Erwin assumed she was new.

"Don't be stupid. We'd be able to see it at this range. No one using a cloak is that stupid, and why would someone use one on us?" The Asari that was standing in front of the six said.

She was most likely the leader based on that last comment and the others' body language.

"What if someone is looking for the girl?" The same nervous Asari asked.

"There are, but the people looking aren't going to be special forces." the officer answered.

"Now about prices. She's going to be worth a lot, ten thousand credits sounds reasonable." She continued.

They went on debating about price.

Erwin was pissed. How could a so-called civilized Galaxy condone slavery? Though the Ilythiirians and Covenant did practice slavery, they never had this holier than thou mentality. Well, they did, just in a different manner.

"I think we've heard enough," Erwin said.

"Yeah, kill those savages." Ares agreed.

Erwin aimed at two Eclipse mercs that were standing next to each other. He had that feeling fill his core, the slight excitement he got before a kill. Time seemed to slow down, he knew exactly what to do, which ones to take down, and in what order. After so much time fighting the war, Erwin developed the taste for killing. The thrill of the hunt.

Ares gave him their armor specs, shield strength, armor tolerances, and much more. The calculations were done in a nanosecond by the internal computer in Erwin's armor. The results were sent to the assault rifle's internal computer, it changed the velocity it would accelerate the round.

Erwin pulled the trigger, and the discussion on price was cut short by the sound of a quiet gunshot.

The two Merc's were down before anyone knew what happened. They just noticed an Asari and Human male on the ground with a hole in their chest.

In quick succession, each Merc was shot before they even had a chance to turn around. Each with a perfectly placed bullet in their head. The noise wouldn't attract much attention, as the suppressor made the shots sound like a little tap due to the decreased velocity.

Compared to the bullets' normal velocity, they were going at a snail's pace. The holes were neat, and gunshots were quiet.

The Officer drew her gun and aimed it in Erwin's general direction. She was frantically looking around the room, still not being able to see Erwin.

Erwin placed the assault rifle on his back and walked towards the frantic Officer.

"Who's fucking there!?" She screamed.

She ended up trying to make a run for the door, unfortunately for her Erwin was already between her and the door. In one quick movement, Erwin grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm, and the gun fell out of her hand. Then he kicked her feet out from under her, Erwin followed her momentum to the ground.

The armor holding his left calf together allowed enough mobility for the maneuver.

The Asari was on her stomach, with her arm pinned behind her back. Erwin placed his knee on her upper back and decloaked.

She looked behind to see an eight-foot armored giant holding her down.

She did what any Primitive would do.

"What the hell are you!?" She shrieked.

Erwin grinned, he used his free hand to remove the helmet.

"Hell, you're a Human!? How are you so big!?" She only yelled this time.

She was still desperately trying to break free.

"Stop moving, calm down, and answer my questions. Be a good blue bitch, and I'll let you go." Erwin said calmly.

She stopped trying to break free but was shaking from fear.

"Okay, I assume there is a Human child in that crate. Correct?"

"Yes."

"You're clearly a cop, so why are you participating in the slave trade?"

"I… It was just to make some money… I have Daughters to take care of."

She wasn't lying. Erwin knew who she was, Ares was helpfully sending him everything he'd need through the neural lace.

"Hn. So you were just trying to take care of your kids?"

"YES! Yes, I was just trying to be a good Mother. Please just let me go!"

"Where'd you get the kid?" Erwin asked.

His tone never having any emotion, he'd leave her guessing.

"Wh… What?"

"The kid in the box. Where'd you get her?"

"She was just some kid who came up to me. She was lost."

"Hn"

"So, you'll let me go now?" Hopeful desperation in her voice.

"No."

"What I…"

She was cut off by Erwin quickly moving his hands to her head and snapped her neck. Killing her quietly.

Erwin got up and placed his helmet on his left waist again.

He walked up to the crate and scanned it. He wanted to be careful opening it, knowing there was a child in there.

The reading was saying it was just a normal crate with a rebreather in it.

"Just pop it open, it's fine. Hold on. Let me do something." Ares told him.

He got a warning in his mind that Ares was trying to modify the clocking device's software.

Erwin shrugged and gave permission for Ares to do so.

"Thanks. I just added a mode to the cloak. It'll refract the light from the dead bodies away from us. Don't want to scare the girl more than she probably already is." Ares explained what he was doing.

Erwin activated the new mode and pulled the top of the crate off.

He looked down to see a teary-eyed little girl curled up in a ball. She was Asian and looked to be about nine years old.

She looked up at him, she was terrified. However, there was a little hope in those black eyes.

"Look at the poor thing, she's scared," Ares said.

"You okay kid?" Erwin asked softly.

She shook her head no. Erwin could tell she wasn't going to say anything more. Erwin couldn't blame the kid, she got abducted and an eight-foot super soldier was standing over her.

"Use your eyes dumbass!" Ares yelled at him through the neural lace.

Erwin sighed softly. Ares could get on his nerves sometimes.

She looked up at him, she was crying and seemed to be having a panic attack.

Anglians gained one thing from the Precursors that other Humans didn't have. Their eyes could project intentions, emotions, and even basic thought processes.

Erwin flashed the calming and protectiveness pattern of his eyes. His normally golden eyes filled with a bioluminescence patter of blues and gold. The patterns swam clockwise in his light gold irises.

The girl calmed down considerably. She stood up and reached up at Erwin with her little arms. Her little black eyes were begging for Erwin's embrace.

He looked at her for a second, he never held a child before.

"My God, pick her up dumbass!"

Erwin sighed again.

Erwin picked her up and was surprised by how small she was. It was almost scary, she was so fragile. Erwin could see why some Imperial soldiers were so protective over children. Erwin didn't look down upon her, but he was amazed. Something so small and defenseless held an innocent Human consciousness.

Erwin was careful to keep her away from some of the punctures in the armor. Some of the metal was deformed in some areas and had sharp angry-looking deformations. They were mostly on the right side.

The little girl grabbed onto Erwin's armor for dear life. She looked up at Erwin again.

"What's your name, little one?" He asked.

"Nagisa Furukawa." She answered weakly.

"Okay Nagisa, let's go find your parents."

She nodded.

"Her parents are over there, Erwin"' Ares informed him.

"Thanks"

Erwin knew where to go, as the information was instantly placed in his mind. He made his way out of the warehouse, and towards the girl's family.

"What's your name, Mr?" Nagisa asked.

"Erwin."

"Thank you, Mr. Erwin."

Nagisa climbed up a little and snuggled her head into Erwin's neck. This girl was very clingy, it felt weird.

Erwin heard Ares laugh.

"I think you have a new admirer, Erwin."

"Shut up, you wanna be God."

"Hey! To these Primitives, I AM a God."

Erwin rolled his eyes, he regretted naming him after a Greek God.

He saw a small police station, there weren't very many people around it. It was almost a booth, in an administrative section of a tower. He saw an Asian couple with two much younger kids, and oddly enough a White girl in her late teens.

"She's adopted. Obviously, she knows." Ares informed him.

Nagisa had fallen asleep by now. How the little girl was able to sleep on Neutronium armor was beyond Erwin. The stuff made diamonds look like marshmallows.

The parents were talking to the officer, but the White girl turned to see Erwin walking toward them.

Their eyes locked.

Erwin stopped walking.

She was beautiful. She had a perfect feminine heart-shaped face, short black hair, creamy white skin, and stunning crystal blue eyes.

Those eyes were puffy from crying, and Erwin had a sudden spout of protectiveness.

Erwin was no stranger to women. He's been with several beautiful girls and some Elves. Though, the Elves were less than willing. Erwin didn't really care. There was no prisoner order, so they were going to die anyway. The only Elves he raped were the genocidal black-skinned, red-eyed bitches.

No, what caused Erwin to stop in his tracks was a feeling. He knew what this was, and didn't entirely know how he felt.

Muck like how he was able to detect that little psionic pulse from Nagisa, there were some things that were ingrained in Erwin's DNA. This was different though. This wasn't something Erwin detected. It was penetrating his very being, and he was accepting it. Erwin was even responding as he was performing a lot of complex psionic processes, and sending them her way.

He couldn't control it, and he hated every part of it. The one thing Erwin always had control over was his body, but even that was ripped from him. Erwin never expected to experience this, it was new, but not unknown.

Part of him craved it, and part of him hated it. It was bringing up a lot of things he had long since buried, and that was something he was not okay with. Something like this could only be one thing.

They were instantly bonding.

Anglians rarely experience an instant bonding, but they always progress fast when they happen. At least that's what they say. The Anglian women and more romantically inclined men called it "soulmating."

Erwin hated it. To think the Ghost of Reach could be experiencing something as soft as this.

Even with how much Erwin hated it, he couldn't say it wasn't pleasurable.

Her presence was stronger than anyone else's in the city.

No, it's not that it was stronger. Erwin's subconscious was intentionally magnifying her in his mind. Her presence was also radically different from anything he's experienced.

He's interacted with psionic beings made up of pure psionic energy, felt an Arbiter's last moments, been with psionically powerful women.

But this girl… was entirely different from anything he's detected from a being.

If Erwin had to put it into words, it'd be something like hot sweetness. Like a hot tub of liquid sugar.

She smiled and waved at Erwin.

"Shit. My stomach just turned." Erwin thought angrily.

"Well… well… well. What do we have here? Trying to bond with that hot piece of…"

Erwin turned Ares out, not wanting to listen to his childish banter.

Erwin collected himself, as he fought off the urge to smile back. He started walking over towards them again.

The girl turned back towards the two Asian parents and got their attention. They turned to the White girl, and she pointed towards Erwin. The father looked relieved. The mother ran over with tears in her eyes, the White girl was not far behind. The father trailed behind both of them, holding two puffy-eyed children.

Erwin nudged Nagisa, waking her up.

"Hey, look who we found," Erwin said softly.

She opened her eyes and exploded with excitement.

"Mommy!" The girl squealed.

"Oh, my Baby! Thank you! Thank you!" The Mother frantically thanked Erwin, as he handed her Nagisa.

One at a time, the entire family embraced the little girl.

Erwin looked down at the family, they were so relieved. A mixture of emotions came to the surface, and Erwin wanted to get away from the situation.

Specifically, get away from the blue-eyed girl. The closer she got, the harder it was to suppress those childish urges. The fact she was experiencing a mixture of happy and relieved emotions was not helping.

Though overall, Erwin was happy with the situation. He may be harsh and ruthless with many things, but he wasn't heartless.

He turned to walk away, at least one family had a happy ending. Erwin felt good, but it was odd for him. It wasn't the good feeling he had after a battle, or when he killed a prophet. He felt lighter, not heavier.

"Wait!"

Dread and excitement flooded his psyche. He knew it was her.

Erwin turned around to see the blue-eyed girl a few feet from the family. She blushed when he looked at her.

"Fuck I don't know what to do, Ares."

It took a little longer than usual for Ares to respond.

"Don't fight it. Nothing bad will happen, Brother. I'm here and always will."

That relaxed Erwin. He didn't know what was going on. He never ran from a fight due to cowardness, but only so he could cause more damage later on. He did a lot of running on Reach.

His focus was brought back to the girl. She wasn't going to let it go. He could feel it.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Erwin turned to leave again.

"What are you doing idiot! Talk to the girl!" Ares shouted through the neural lace.

"What happened to always being there? Now you're bitching at me for not getting my dick wet?"

"Yes, I'm bitching at you for doing something stupid. How is it I know more about Anglians than you!"

"We're in a Galactic civilization farm, and you want me to do what? Start a little romance with some young primitive."

Erwin was a bit ticked. Part of him wanted to leave, the other part wanted to stay. Erwin personally wanted to leave, so he was going to. He didn't need Ares second-guessing him.

"Yes, you dumb ass! She's not just some primitive, I could tell the way you reacted. Quit running, and be a man! You're better than that! Erwin August Wolff is no fucking coward!" Ares wasn't going to back down.

Apparently, neither was the girl. During the nanosecond conversation with Ares, the girl decided to try again.

"Wait, don't just go! What's your name?" She asked, something between anger and pleading.

Erwin looked down at the girl, he was comically bigger than her. She barely came up to his lower chest. She was petite but healthy.

Actually, she was on the line between petite and thick.

The girl was wearing something like a sundress but wasn't overly revealing. It clung to her hips and chest, in a way that screamed out to Erwin. She was almost like a mini Anglian girl. Especially with the way she was looking up at Erwin as if demanding him.

Erwin chuckled at the situation despite himself. This little girl was demanding a Spartan. Erwin was probably the most dangerous single being in this Galaxy.

He found it funny.

Unfortunately, that little chuckle gave the blue-eyed girl a monumental about of hope.

"Where are you going, Mr. Erwin?" Nagisa asked him from her Mother's arms.

"Awe come on! You told her, but not me?"

The blue-eyed girl grinned, clearly enjoying teasing Erwin.

"I love it, the girl is flirting with a Krogan sized Human! Come on Erwin, entertain the girl!" Ares laughed in Erwin's head.

Erwin reluctantly grinned, he's never really been in a situation like this.

"It's Erwin. Erwin August Wolff."

"Thank you for bringing back my little Sister, Erwin. I'm Oriana Furukawa, nice to meet you."

She raised her hand and flashed a full-on smile.

As much as Erwin didn't want to admit it, he was floored. He could tell the girl knew something was up, she could probably feel the bonding. Whether it was subconscious or conscious, was up for debate.

Erwin was more psionically in-tuned, so he understood what was going on. He could get a very good read on the girl, especially with this growing bond. Names were powerful, that simple exchange of information further fueled the bonding.

All she did was smile and say her name. This was bad.

Erwin grinned.

"Fine, you win Brother." Erwin thought.

Erwin could tell Ares was happy through the neural lace.

"Nice to meet you, Oriana." Erwin said as he shook her hand.

The first contact with her was like a shock through his system. He had to fight to keep a neutral face.

Oriana blushed. Erwin felt some satisfaction from that cute blush.

Erwin's hand engulfed her own. She didn't seem nearly as fragile as Nagisa, but it was still a sobering experience. Erwin knew he could crush the girl's hand, especially with the armor.

They locked eyes, while they held the handshake. Time seemed to slow down, as Erwin got lost in her eyes. Oriana's blush grew, and her breathing picked up.

Erwin was able to hide it, due to his hundreds of years of controlling his emotions. Though, he couldn't deny it was affecting him.

It was like something was flooding into him. It was indescribable even for Erwin, the hyper-advanced Human, he just didn't have words.

It was almost like when his Mother and Sister were alive but radically different. Nowhere near as intense either, after all, he just met the girl. Yet the fact it was comparable was terrifying.

Before he could control it, his eyes activated. It wasn't just one pattern, he was in essence showing her his soul.

His eyes showed every emotion and simple thought process that made up Erwin. He's never shown anyone that before, he's never wanted to show them.

Oriana gasped; but with surprise, not fear.

Erwin could feel a huge shift in the girl. Almost as if she just latched onto him. Almost like a snap.

"Did she just…" Erwin was dumbfounded.

"Yep, good luck Brother. Judging everything I learned about her, she's tenacious."

Erwin quickly got control over his emotions and deactivated his eyes. That shouldn't have happened. Only the rarest situations can cause an Anglian to unintentionally flash their eyes like that. Now Erwin just fucked himself.

They let go of each other's hands.

Oriana looked down and played with her hands. After a few seconds, she looked back up and gave Erwin a pleading look.

That look… that pleading look...

"Yeah… I really fucked myself." Erwin thought.

He had an unnatural and pathetic urge to give her the world. It was scary because he actually could. A lot of barren worlds out there could easily be terraformed into paradise.

"Na, you're going to love it. Swearsies." Ares said.

"Whatever."

"Awe, come on. Lighten up. Who knew the Ghost of fucking Reach had a thing for schoolgirls. That's right buddy, she's still in school. She's eighteen!"

"What…"

Erwin was horrified. He was what beings, more horrifying than what these Primitives could imagine, feared. Just how the hell did Erwin get in this situation?

"If we ever get back to Anglia, I'm telling everyone." Ares was giddy about the whole situation.

"Go overthrow a government or something."

Erwin cut off the link to Ares. He needed to focus on this situation.

Luckily the parents didn't notice anything, at least they didn't show it. They'd probably react to an eight-foot Human with glowing eyes that projected emotion. He didn't notice a reaction of that magnitude from them.

The parents walked over, along with the three kids.

"Thank you, luckily someone good found her. These streets can be dangerous." The father said.

"He saved me from the people who put me in the box!" Nagisa was thoughtful enough to inform everyone.

"What!" The father and mother yelled.

"Shit… I didn't really think of that. Can you take care of that, Ares?"

"Already did. You killed seven in self-defense, and the authorities already closed the case. You can do a lot with money and blackmail."

"Thanks."

Erwin then cut the link again.

"What happened!? Who did it? Did you talk to the police?" The father was in protection mode as he fired away questions.

The mother looked a lot more serious, Oriana looked concerned, the two smaller girls didn't know what was going on. Nagisa was just as happy as ever.

"Don't yell at Mr. Erwin, Daddy." Nagisa pouted.

The father just breathed and relaxed back into a more laid-back attitude.

"Sorry Munchkin." The father said as he patted the little girl's head.

"Okay, did you see that Ares? He was in a proper defensive mode, then just snapped out of it. That's not normal."

"Yeah. It doesn't make much sense. Except you missed something."

"What?"

"They saw your little slip-up. They saw your eyes, they are able to hide it quick enough to fool even you. To be fair you were… distracted. I saw it. You're right next to one of the few cameras on this planet. I'll tell you this though. They aren't what they appear to be."

"Should I be concerned?"

"I wouldn't go that far. They honestly seem like good people. All the information I got on them can't be faked. They probably just have a complicated past. You're the Anglian Warrior here. Does your gut say it's all good?"

Erwin thought about it for a moment. He focused on the psionic presence of the Mother and Father. They were definitely unique, but he couldn't detect anything malicious. In fact, it was actually the opposite, he was getting a good feeling from them.

"They're okay. Just keep an eye on them for me."

"Sure."

Erwin came out of the conversation only a few nanoseconds later.

The Father turned to look back at Erwin.

"But, I do need to know what happened."

Erwin sighed.

"I ran across a corrupt cop and six Eclipse talking prices. I heard the girl and took action. I killed the seven in self-defense, the girl was in a crate. I made sure she didn't see anything. Probably why she's so bubbly at the moment."

They both looked at the girl, she just woke up on Christmas.

The Father chuckled and the Mother giggled.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have wanted her to go through that." The Mother said softly.

Erwin felt a feeling of contentment from the parents. Though it was only because he was focusing on them they weren't entirely drowned out by Oriana.

Erwin looked at her.

She was absolutely flooding Erwin with positive emotions. Noticeably happiness and thankfulness. Oriana also had the eyes of a predator zeroing in on her prey.

The girl could definitely be called a mini Anglian. Ares was right, she's definitely determined.

However, she did have a little bit of concern. Probably due to Erwin killing seven people. Oriana was just sheltered and probably had different values, it was a simple thing for Erwin.

Erwin was getting used to the connection between Oriana and himself. He'd be able to dampen the effect her presence had on him. Oriana might be tenacious, but Erwin was stoic.

Erwin looked away and focused on the Father again.

"I'm Akio Furukawa. This is my wife, Sanae. Our four-year-old twins, Kyou and Ryou. You know our ten-year-old, Nagisa. Our eighteen-year-old seems to have already introduced herself." Akio introduced the family.

Erwin and Akio shook hands, then he shook Sanae's hand. Akio had a rough exterior but seemed nice. Erwin guessed he probably had military experience, he had that look. It was covered up well.

"You're pretty large there, do you serve in the Alliance?" Akio asked.

"I've served." Erwin solemnly answered.

"Are you serving now? That would explain the unique armor and weapons." Akio dug a little.

"No, it's personal equipment. I'm… new to the area. This just happens to be all I have. I'm a bit of a wanderer." Ares explained

It was a plausible excuse. It should be enough to stop him from digging again.

Akio looked at Erwin for a second.

Sanae and Oriana gave Erwin empathetic looks. It wasn't pitty.

Erwin had a feeling Oriana's thoughts were something along the lines of giving him a home. Thoughtful, but childish. That exactly what she's thinking, going by what he's getting from her psionically.

Erwin got an odd feeling from the parents, they were a little too friendly. Even considering the fact he saved their kid. What the hell did they see in his eyes?

"Daddy, can Mr. Erwin come eat with us?" Nagisa asked.

"You still want to go eat, Munchkin?" Akio asked.

"Yeah! I want Erwin to come too." Nagisa nodded enthusiastically in Sanae's arms.

Erwin didn't have to feel the excitement from Oriana to know she was going to jump on the opportunity.

"Yeah, come on Dad! It'll be fun! Please?" Oriana asked.

Akio looked Erwin in the eyes. Erwin could tell he was thinking about something, perhaps even testing him. Erwin returned the gaze, this man was interesting. Erwin wonders if he'd be so forward, or inviting if he knew what Erwin was.

After a few seconds of the staredown. Akio cracked a small grin.

"Sure, if he wants to come along."

This family was crazy. Erwin was an eight-foot Human, built like a Krogan with glowing eyes; and they wanted to invite him to a family meal. Their Daughter was almost abducted. They just met Erwin. Even them seeing Erwin's eyes doesn't fully explain the situation.

"I'm I missing something, Ares?" Erwin asked through the neural lace.

"Na, you're good. They're just being friendly. You're not getting a bad feeling, I think they're just unique. I haven't noticed anything to be alarmed." Ares said.

Erwin wasn't really comfortable with the situation. There was a reason he was called the "Lone Wolf," before Reach.

Being near Oriana didn't seem so bad though, but he honestly had more important things to be doing. Not to mention his leg was killing him.

"No, I'm sorry. I don't want to intrude on y'all's family time."

Sanae, Nagisa, and Oriana looked disappointed.

"Well, that's a shame. You're…"

Akio was saying before Oriana cut him off.

"Would you quit being a stick in the mud? You're not interrupting anything." Oriana's tone was forceful, but her eyes were pleading.

Erwin knew his eye slip up really got to the girl. She just wasn't letting Erwin go. The parents seem to be borderline encouraging it.

Sanae giggled. "She's not going to take no for an answer."

Erwin honestly couldn't believe what was going on. How did he go from fighting a war encompassing three Galaxies, to this? Was this really happening?

Akio had a happy little grin on. Sanae giggled while wearing a small smile. Nagisa was practically begging, with her little black eyes. The two twins observed Erwin with curiosity, wondering about the man everyone was trying to recruit.

Oriana looked up at Erwin with those beautiful blue eyes and flashed him another happy smile. Just like the last time, it floored him.

"Great, it's decided!" Oriana said.

Akio just chuckled and led the family towards the skycar parking lot.

Erwin just stood there.

"What just happened?" Erwin thought.

"That cutie just dragged you into her life! That's what happened! The Ghost of Reach, tamed by a high schooler in a few minutes! I love it! Good luck, brother. I'm going to blackmail some politicians." Ares said, then cut the connection.

Erwin shouldn't have given the little shit, free reign. Should have put his ass in a black box.

The family was making their way into the parking lot, except for Oriana. She was just looking at Erwin, with a calculating look.

They locked eyes, and she blushed. Now she was a bit bashful. Then, she seemed to swallow it.

She walked up to Erwin and grabbed his hand. Erwin felt another pleasant shock rush through him.

"I don't know what that was. You can tell me about it later when you're ready."

She pulled Erwin along, blushing heavily. Oriana looked back at Erwin, her beautifully innocent blue eyes shining.

"For now, I just want to get to know you." She said, then gave Erwin a happy smile.

She looked forward again, pulling the Krogan size Human along.

A real smile graced Erwin's face, for the first time in a long time.

"What about my attire? This ain't exactly civil clothing."

Oriana puffed, "Don't worry about that. They'll let us in, I'll make sure of it."

The girl wasn't lacking in confidence.

"Okay, Oriana Furukawa. You won."

She looked back and smiled again. It was infectious, in the best of ways.

"I always do, soldier boy."

Even though Erwin was in pain, and in a damaged suit of armor. He couldn't help but feel a little happy he lost to the girl.