A/N: I'm not even gonna say it. You guys have been chomping at the bit, waiting for me to update and I'm gonna post this chapter a little earlier than I had planned... that is, earlier in the respects that I haven't finished writing Chapter 45 yet. Since it's taking me awhile to write these extra-long chapters, I think I'm going to go back to the original "6-8k words per chapter" format. That way, I can update more often and keep your reading appetites properly whetted. ;) Chapter 44 turned out to be 22k words. I am thinking of splitting it up into two chapters so I can post them earlier and avoid another long wait before updating again. The problem is that the chapter has a couple of significant events that I would like to keep together, rather than separating them out. If and when you get to read them, you'll know why. I'll think about it the next few days. I certainly would like to be able to update more often, but like I said... this part of the story has been in a doldrums of sorts and I want to get back to some more "interesting" action as quickly as possible.

Okay, moving on... a couple of things I wanted to share with you guys. From reading my past pre-chapter blurbs, you can tell I do like to play some video games here and there and I have a few recommendations for any of you who might be looking for something new. Spring Break came and went and I sampled a plethora of games, looking for something to keep me busy, since I was not working at the time and didn't have any school. The games of note that I came across were Plants Versus Zombies, Revenge of the Titans, and SpaceChem. PvZ earned a well-deserved purchasing price of ten dollars and I got countless hours of entertainment from the game. I compeleted all of the challenges in the game and only had two achievements left to earn. Unfortunately, they were so ridiculously hard to attain, I gave up on them and moved onto a new game, which I will discuss in a bit. I played Revenge of the Titans several months ago when it was in its beta form and it was pretty fun. By the way, all three of these games are simple, 2-D, mouse-centric, clicking games with minimal keyboard inputs needed. RotT had a lot of razzle-dazzle for such a simple interface and I played the demo for awhile. I almost bought the full version when it came out, but I had landed on PvZ and didn't have the time or money to spend on another game. SpaceChem was, for lack of a better phrase, intellectually stimulating. It's got the soul of a puzzle game, with fake chemistry at its heart. If it was 10 dollars, I would have bought it instead of PvZ, but it's still running for 15 bucks on Steam. All three games are definitely worth checking out. It seems that independent games still have a lot of great ideas in them and deserve our support.

Last week, I downloaded and started playing Spiral Knights. This is a free-to-play MMORPG that is very much like Zelda: The Four Swords. I'm hooked. I used to be a massive World of Warcraft player, raiding almost every night with the guilds that I was in. Spiral Knights shares some traits with WoW, but is in NO way a WoW-killer. However, its free-to-play format is highly attractive. It allots you a certain amount of "energy" to use for free, like Farmville (for those Facebook nerds out there). However, you can BUY energy with real money. The difference is that if you pay real money, you're able to progress through the content faster, not being encumbered by the daily limitations of the free energy. You can actually collect currency in the dungeons and use it to buy energy off of players, and this is what I have been doing so far. It's slower, but at least I don't have to pay any money. The good thing about this system is that it discourages me from playing all day. So far after a week of playing, I've found the game to be THOROUGHLY enjoyable.

On the homefront, my ankle is pretty much at 99% and I have returned to work as of about two weeks ago. It still hurts a bit and I'm working the kinks out, but I'm glad to be working again. The school semester is almost over. Two weeks of classes and exam week are all that stand between me and my final grades. Looks like I'm gonna have to "settle" for a B in my calculus class, but everyone tells me that my professor is ridiculously hard. Getting a B in his class is actually pretty good, they tell me. I will be out of town to attend my little sister's graduation right after my semester ends, but I'll be back by that Sunday. Three week's break before summer classes start. I'll have a full plate during the summer and I'm considering just not working or working very few hours during that time, so I will have enough free time to maintain my sanity... and get some writing done. ;)

Let me know what you guys think. Enjoy! -(04/23/11)


With the Coral star beginning to appear on the horizon, any elevated vantage point would give the viewer a wonderful look at the city. Long shadows stretched from each building, leaving most of the backroads and alleys still in a darkened state. The streetlights were still on, but their usefulness was about to come to an end; that is, until the darkness of night would begin to approach at the end of the day. Occasionally, a new light would illuminate one of the windows of a building; an indication that yet another individual has arisen from their slumber.

The sharpness of the chilly breeze occasionally sweeping by would remind one that it was getting close to the Aimo's winter solstice, which actually came well before the calendar date of Earth's winter solstice. By the time the Christmas holiday was due to arrive on Aimo, the spring solstice would be just around the corner. The location of Frontier City, with respects to the planet's hemispheres, would make it extremely rare that the city would be able to experience a legendary "White Christmas".

Still in her miclone form, Klan sat alone on a bench at the top of a hill that overlooked a large portion of the city. From her perspective, it was a lovely sight to be able to watch the denizens of the colony wake up to the new day. Unfortunately, the calm atmosphere quickly came to an end when the sound of labored breathing and shuffling feet sheared the soothing ambiance in half. Her eyes darted away from the sunrise towards the stairway nearby, expecting someone to appear in sight momentarily.

A few moments passed before Cal's head appeared into the line of sight, slightly bobbing left and right with each step he took. His facial expression showed obvious signs of physical exhaustion. Taking the final stride to climb the last step, he forcefully exhaled and put his hands up behind his head. "That's three...!" he puffed, slowly walking around in a small circle at the top of the stairs, "I told you I could do it within the time you allotted. Once again, you've underestimated me!" Having caught his breath and lowered his heart rate a bit, Cal laid down on the pavement near the park bench upon which Klan was sitting. He laid there looking up at the sky and still breathing slightly heavily.

"I didn't underestimate; I just felt generous. Now I know that that was a big mistake, judging by your sardonic remarks." She got up from her seat and walked over to where Cal was lying on the ground. She stood right next to his head with her arms crossed, looking down at his face with a sharp gaze.

He made note of his visual perspective towards her with a slight laugh, "This view looks strangely familiar. I see that you still carry a lot of the same mannerisms with you, even when you're micloned." From his point of view from on the ground, he was reminded of the times when she'd stand over him while in her Meltran form.

Klan blew her hair out of her face and rolled her eyes. "Come on, get up. I have one more challenge for you to beat before you're done with your 'training'," she said while gesturing air-quotes with her fingers. She then took a water bottle out of her backpack and tossed it at Cal.

"Training for what?" Cal said as he rolled over to push himself up from the ground with his hands.

"Your upcoming assignment." She began to walk towards the gondola a few hundred feet away. Cal took a long drink from his bottle and then began to jog towards her to catch up.

The park that they were in was a popular scenic destination, due to the hill's panoramic view of most of the city. A gondola serviced the top and bottom to allow people to scale and descend the hill as they pleased without breaking a sweat.

Cal and Klan took a seat next to each other in the gondola, even though nobody else was riding the suspension car at the time. Noticing that he was beginning to glut himself with water, she snatched the bottle out of his hands. "Not so much! You're going to give yourself stomach cramps!"

Cal didn't even respond to her remark. He just looked at her with a satisfied smile and wiped his mouth with one of his sleeves. An awkward silence filled the air for a few moments.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you find something amusing about me?" she asked with a defensive tone.

"Yeah, you could say that," Cal replied, trying not to laugh.

Klan simply sat in place and stared at him until he decided to elaborate on his answer. The gondola jerked a bit as it began to move, but it didn't even budge her posture.

"I just find it interesting that you would rather get up so damn early to come and boss me around, when you were complaining to me about not getting to sleep in yesterday. I think you're just using it as an excuse to come and spend some time with me." Cal sat in place, smiling at her with his confidence beaming in all directions.

"Wrong. What this is is that I see that you're slacking off again and I need to get you back on track. It's that simple," Klan said, crossing her arms as she finished her reply.

Cal laughed at her response. "You have the most interesting tell when you lie about something, you know that?"

"Wha-?"

"Your hair twitches when you aren't telling the truth. I've seen you do it a few times over the past few months." Cal pointed at the top of her head and smiled again.

She instinctively reached up to put her hands on top of her head and mashed her hair down onto her scalp. "My hair didn't twitch! The gondola shook a little bit, so it made my hair move!" She then blushed in embarrassment; either from his comment about her hair, or the possibility that she really was not being truthful. "I just can't allow you to let yourself become complacent as usual. From all of those stories I've heard about your past, you always find a spot and just get comfortable, never looking for something a little better in your future."

Cal was slightly taken aback at her response, seeing as how she seemed to be showing some concern for his progression through life. "So, you're committed to making me into a better person?" The question was obviously bait for a trap.

"I'm not gonna answer that loaded question," she replied, "What I will say is that it drives me absolutely crazy to be able to see such potential in you and then see what you do with that potential. You tend to get lazy when nobody is around to push you into the right direction. What you need is someone to keep pushing you so you won't go back on auto-pilot again."

"...and that 'someone' is... you?" Cal asked. He wasn't done with his baiting.

"I didn't say that! But whenever I have a chance, I don't mind showing up to kick you around a little bit. It's actually quite therapeutic, if I do say so myself." She successfully dodged having to answer his question and managed to score a few points for herself on the argument scoreboard.

Cal snickered a bit at her comeback before he replied. "You're only the second person to say such things to me-" Before he could finish his sentence, the gondola stopped moving and the door opened to let its two passengers out. Cal immediately got up from his seat and walked outside with Klan slowly following him and wearing a pensive look on her face. He gazed upwards to scan the long, winding stairway up the large hill in front of him and took a deep breath. Dropping his fist into his open palm, he turned around to ask the next obvious question. "So, what's this 'final challenge' you have for me?"

She shook her thoughts clear to answer his question. "You're gonna climb the hill once more, but with some added weight."

"Great. How much?"

Klan reached behind to grab something out of her backpack. She wiggled her index finger in a circular motion in front of her. "Turn around."

With a slight bit of hesitation, Cal turned away from Klan. As soon as he looked back up at the hill, he heard her footsteps increase to a running rate. He didn't even have time to turn around to see what was coming before an unexpected source of inertia collided with his back. Klan had gotten a running start before jumping onto his back and latching onto his torso around his shoulders. Even though she was relatively small, Cal stumbled forward for a few steps before regaining his balance with her hanging onto him. "What the hell?" Cal exclaimed. She laughed a bit as she held the object from her backpack into his view. Cal's heart skipped a beat as he realized what it was. "Is that... Is that a riding crop?"

"Yup! I found it at a yard sale last week and immediately began to think of the possible uses for it," Klan said with a laugh, "Hyah, mule!" She lightly tapped his thigh with the end of the riding crop.

"I don't like this at all... You want me to run up that hill with an extra hundred pounds on my back?"

Suddenly, it wasn't funny to her anymore and she hit him in the leg with the crop using full force. Accompanied by the loud "snap", Cal jumped forward a couple of steps from the sudden sharp pain in his thigh. "I do not weigh a hundred pounds, you jerk! Do I look like I weigh that much?"

"Ow! I don't know! I was just guessing! Why are you always hitting me, anyway?"

She hit him with the crop one more time, for good measure. "You never guess at a woman's weight. Let that be a lesson to you. ...and I already told you; it's very therapeutic when I get to kick you around some. Just deal with it."

Cal rubbed his leg and whined a bit, "Dammit... This is just like being in boot again."

"That's the idea! Now, all you have to do is finish this run and you'll be ready for your assignment. Let's go!" Klan gently tapped him on the leg a couple of times with the crop.

Suddenly, the task of making one more run up the hill became far more daunting than before. Cal began to breathe heavily to oxygenate his blood before beginning the run. "Okay... here we go..." he said as he reached down and grabbed Klan's legs to keep her from throwing off his balance while running. He took a couple of quick squats before stepping backwards a few feet. With as much strength as he could muster, he burst forward and gained a running start before hopping up the stairs, two steps at a time.

Klan was focused on holding onto his shoulders and listening to the pace of his breathing to make sure that he was doing it correctly. However, she had something on her mind that she needed to have answered. "So, who was the other person to say that stuff to you?"

"Marie," he said during his exhales, "She... used to... say that... to me... all the time..."

"Oh. I should have guessed," Klan replied with a nervous laugh. She stared blankly forward for a moment, looking at the steps in front of them as they descended her view like a moving escalator. Cal was focused on keeping himself progressing forward and didn't want to waste much more of his breath on talking. Instead of drawing out the matter any further, Klan remained silent. However, she renewed her grip on his torso by squeezing him even tighter and rested her chin onto his shoulder near the nape of his neck. She allowed her head to rest against his, even though his hair was damp with sweat. A grin had found its way onto her face; slightly revealing the true demeanor that remained hidden behind her usual aggressive facade.

Though the burning sensation of anaerobic blood charging through his veins dominated his sense of feeling, Cal could feel Klan's grip getting tighter. He had a feeling that it wasn't just her way of reinforcing her grip; especially when he felt her put her head next to his. Fueled by this unexpected sensation, he increased his running rate, even more determined to complete the task at hand.

"Ranka, would you please just let me finish this cooking on my own?" Alto asked, firmly, but politely. He was lightly dressed in a t-shirt and pants, but an apron covered his frontside. The nearby stove was at capacity with a couple of skillets, a pot, and frying pan, each holding food. A cutting board sat on the counter with several different food items neatly chopped up on it.

"Alright, but you have to understand that I am just not used to having a man cook something for me; especially in my own kitchen. Ozma couldn't cook his way out of a paper bag, so I had to do it for him when I got old enough," Ranka replied putting her hands up in front of her after letting go of some utensils that Alto had laid on the counter near the stove.

Alto laughed at Ranka's response while he continued to watch his food. He briefly shook one of the skillets to jostle the food a bit.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just that it's not at all surprising that Ozma doesn't know how to cook very well. I wonder what he's been living on ever since you moved out of his place." Alto stopped laughing and looked at Ranka for a moment, taking note of the look of discomfort on her face. "You really don't know how to handle it, do you?"

"Well, I am a girl, after all..." Ranka said, alluding to the still-common societal habit of labeling women as the typical home-makers.

"I already tried that line on him," Sheryl's voice rang from the next room, "It doesn't work. You should just come and join us in here, so you don't go and slice your finger open like I did last year."

Alto simply smiled and shook his head, remembering the incident to which Sheryl was referring. He continued to work over the stove, seemingly oblivious to Ranka's apprehension to leave him alone. After a moment, he stopped what he was doing and sighed. "Alright, you can start serving the food. You've got plenty of experience doing that, right?"

Ranka perked up slightly upon hearing his proposal. "This'll be just like my old job! That reminds me... Nana, have you talked to our old boss at Nyan-Nyan lately?" she asked, directing her voice into the dining room nearby.

"I talked to him briefly last week. He says they've been getting busier since it started getting cold outside. I guess people have come to regard Nyan-Nyan as comfort food..." Nanase trailed off.

While Alto finished cooking everyone's meals, Ranka played hostess and made sure everyone had what they needed with their meals. Within minutes, everyone was finally together at the table and eating their breakfasts. The hostess took her first bite and gave her all-encompassing critique to the meal in front of her, "Now, this is comfort food."

Everyone ate in silence for their first bite or two, but it was rare to have such quietness from amongst such a tight and boisterous group of friends. While it was normal for Brera to blend into the background, Luca's quiescence was much more difficult to keep unnoticed by everyone around him. He played with his food using his utensils; glaring at his plate while using his hand to prop his head up.

"Luca?" Nanase asked, "What's been eating you?" Her question prompted a few snickers from around the table; to which, she also laughed as she realized the accidental pun she had injected into her inquiry.

Luca looked up from his plate towards his dearest without a word. He couldn't say anything about what had transpired in his office the night before. The sight of Nanase's face and the feel of her presence helped him clear his mind for the moment. "It's nothing. I just stayed up very late working last night, that's all..." It was a simple lie to pass on as a facade. Luca's staying up late was of no surprise to any of his friends and it helped him get away with his fib without any questioning whatsoever.

"Does that mean you're not going to be able to help me prepare my dish for the picnic this weekend?" Nanase asked with a disappointed look on her face.

Upon hearing Nanase's question, Alto began to slowly slouch forward over his food as Luca answered with a perkier demeanor, "No, I'll be there! You know I could never let you down..." He smiled at Nanase in response to her newfound exuberance.

"Oh yeah!" Ranka said with a demanding voice and looking straight at the now-slouching Alto sitting next to her, "What's this I hear about a picnic that the squadron's having? How come I have to hear about it from someone else other than yourself? Were you not planning on inviting me, or something?"

Alto struggled to swallow his food; he knew he was about to have to do some smooth talking to get out of this one easily. "Well... Ozma told me that it was mandatory to attend. I figured he'd have some kind of squadron-only business; like a briefing on our new mission. I didn't think he'd allow us to bring friends or family."

"That's not the message that I got," Luca interjected, "We were welcomed to bring anyone we wanted. Are you sure you didn't just misread the message?"

Alto darted his eyes around barely shook his head while he stared at Luca. It was as if he was trying to tell him to not stretch the matter out any further. "Ohh!" he feigned ignorance on the matter, "Yeah, I must have just misunderstood the instructions. Ranka, would you like to come?" His smile showed a hint of nervousness as he waited for a response from her.

"Ahem..." Sheryl pretended to clear her throat to garner his attention.

"Umm..." Alto began to scratch the back of his head, thinking of a way to dodge the incoming assault from both directions. All he could muster was a nervous laugh.

"What about me?" The usually-silent Brera decided to jump into the conversation with an awkward fashion, further discomforting Alto. It was rare to see Brera showing his sense of humor, but his comical entry was well-timed. "Are you going to invite me to come too?" Everyone's eyes were centered in on Alto while he seemed to be thoroughly flummoxed about the situation. He appeared to be the only one in the room not finding these circumstances to be extremely funny.

"When you said 'special assignment'," Cal complained while breathing short, labored breaths, "...this was not what I had in mind."

Still in her miclone form, Klan effortlessly darted up to the top of the stairs at one of the local shopping malls. She turned around at the top to watch Cal coming around the corner, having just climbed the first half of the steps and needing to turn a 180 to start going up the other set. Klan's demeanor was quite lighthearted and playful and she leaned forward to look down towards him with her hands held together behind her back. "I told you that you owe me for making me wake up early yesterday. Consider this your way of paying me back."

Cal was weighed down by several large shopping bags. He held 2-3 bags in each hand, while a few more were hanging from his shoulders. Now reminded of his "debt" to her, he succumbed to the situation and began walking up the stairs. It was easy to tell that he was struggling to make it up the steps, but he managed to reach the top. "How much stuff can one girl buy during a single shopping trip?"

"Usually, the rule of thumb is to shop until you can't carry any more stuff," Klan replied. She reached over and grabbed his jacket at the waist and pulled him forward to get him walking a little faster. "Since I'm still not yet carrying anything, I'd say that we still have a long ways to go."

"Aw, come on!"

She couldn't help but laugh at the fact that she was, once again, making Cal jump through hoops for her own personal gain and/or entertainment. After walking forward several feet with him in tow, she let go of his jacket, turned around, and started walking backwards so she could look at him while speaking. "Don't worry, I'll feed you some lunch. You can pick where to eat, once we make it to the food court."

The thought of food entered Cal's mind and began to distract him from the burning sensation running through his legs. He looked upwards to see the transparent ceiling and the tables placed above on the food court. The sun shone through the glassy barrier that separated himself and the delectables located on the rooftop terrace. "Then it looks like the most difficult task is yet before me; that is, choosing what to eat."

Klan had turned around, smiling at his change in behavior at the mention of bribing him with food. "Typical man... Always thinking about food. ...and other stuff that will remain unmentioned."

"You'll have to learn that men are simple creatures, Klan... All we care about is eating, sleeping, and- well, you know... 'that'."

Klan immediately stopped walking and crossed her arms as she waited for Cal to catch up to her. "First of all, what makes you think that I don't know everything I need to know about men?"

This was dangerous territory to tread. Cal had two choices: put out the fire, or throw more gasoline onto it. He chose the latter, "Well, since you're always so impossibly stubborn and abrasive, I figure that you never bothered to find out what guys like. You just tell them what they like!" He was certain that his response was every bit as hilarious as it sounded. Even though he thought it was funny, he knew that he was unabashedly trying to get under her skin.

"So, you prefer the girly-types, huh?" she asked while starting to walk forward again, "I'm disappointed." Rather than jumping down his throat, Klan decided to take a more sinister route. "Would it be better if I did this?" she asked as she turned to face him again and clasped her hands together in front of her chin, "Oh, Cal... whatever can I do for you to make your life soooo much better? Should I make you a sandwich? How about if I cleaned your room for you?" She was obviously overacting the part and quickly cleared her submissive demeanor. She stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"That sandwich does sound nice. Would you?" Cal replied with a wry grin.

"Well, I hope you like a knuckle sandwich!" Klan replied, holding her fist up towards his face and then jabbing him in the stomach. She then angrily turned around and began to walk forward.

Cal recoiled from the punch, but started to follow her again, "I didn't say that I liked the girly-types; you just made that assumption." He remained silent for a few seconds before asking his next question. "Why are you always hitting me, anyways?"

"I already told you earlier today: it's therapeutic! That, and you also deserve it. Kills two birds with one stone. Oh, and second of all, what do you mean by 'that' when you said it with 'eating and sleeping'?" She stopped and turned around with her arms crossed once more.

Cal had no choice but to stop walking and look straight into her eyes while he tried to think of a witty, euphemistic way to explain his earlier statement. "Quit starting fights..."

"Is that all you think women are good for?" Klan demanded, "I think you're the one who doesn't know the first thing about what women like. So, to clear up any possible misconceptions, what were you talking about?"

"Umm..." Cal stammered. He then began to stare blankly at something in the distance behind Klan, opening his eyes widely. "What the...?"

Klan turned around to see what was distracting him, but she couldn't immediately figure it out. Suddenly, she heard the sound of rustling bags behind her and turned to see Cal making his way across the bridge to the other side of the mall's walkway. "You bastard! Come here and answer my question!"

Even though he knew he wouldn't get far, Cal laughed the entire way across the bridge as Klan ran after him. However, his PDA began to alert him of an incoming call and he stopped to figure out how he was going to answer with his hands full. Looking to each side, he raised the bags in his hands in an effort to uncover his PDA's location on his hip. Just as he saw it come into view, Klan's hand snatched it from its holder. "No! Don't answer that!" Cal demanded.

She ignored his request and wore a mischievous smile to taunt him while she figured out how to answer the call. The device's layout was unfamiliar to her, but she quickly touched the appropriate button on the screen with her finger and put the phone up to her ear. "Hi! You've reached Cal's office. How may I direct your call?" she responded, mimicking an office secretary. Her face then changed to a confused, and slightly angry state, "Who is this?"

At that very moment, Cal began to worry that perhaps Jen was calling him. He had no idea how Klan would react to having some other woman calling him, even though they were still nothing more than just friends.

"Oh, hey Nene!" Klan finally responded, replacing her demeanor with a smile. Cal exhaled in relief upon hearing her. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you initially. This place is kinda loud right now." Klan had bent forward and put her hand over her other ear to hear the phone a little better. "Yeah, he's right here"..."We're out shopping. Why do you ask?"..."Um, no. I don't see why it's such a surprise. What's your point?" Klan listened for a few moments while Nene explained the reasoning for her call. "No, I don't think that's wise. You know he's not going to like that idea." She then sighed and rolled her eyes, "Fine. Yeah, I think we can do that. We'll meet you guys there later, okay? Bye."

"What did she want?"

"Just a slight change in plans; it's nothing to worry about," she replied. "Now, about that answer you owe me..."

Cal cautiously began to step backwards, further distancing himself from her.

"Don't forget that I have your phone here," she said, waving his PDA in the air in front of her, "I'm going to hold it hostage until I get the answer I'm looking for."

He stopped backing away and began to grumble under his breath, trying to figure out a way to avoid the question. "Dammit." Unfortunately, he was now unlikely to succeed in doing so and began to prepare for the worst. This was not going to go well...

Back at Will's apartment, Nene snickered as she put her phone down. She walked out of Will's room to see him sitting on the couch, watching TV.

"What did he say?" he asked without turning his head away from the screen.

"You won't believe it, but Klan answered his phone."

Her response made Will turn to look at her in surprise, "Really? They were already together, huh? That's good, then. Maybe this won't be so difficult to do, after all. So, she said they'd come?"

Nene nodded. "Yup. Phase One of our plan is now complete. Phase Two begins in a few hours," she said as she walked over to take a seat next to him.

A gateway of sorts separated Frontier City from Laplamiz, housing the micloning facilities needed to process the Zentrans as they passed from one municipality to the other. An enormous medical complex was constructed nearby to service the various fields of medicine involved in the genetic science used in the micloning process. Although most Zentrans passed through the complex to change into their desired form, many others simply arrived to take care of their personal medical business.

Will and Nene stood around on the walkway outside of one of the buildings, but several stories up. They appeared to be expecting company and didn't have to wait for very long.

"There they are," Nene declared. Will had been leaning over the bannister to look down at the lower levels of the walkway, but stood up to see for himself when he heard her remark.

Off in the distance, Klan and Cal approached at a walking pace. Fortunately for Cal, he was no longer encumbered by the shopping bags and instead casually strolled along with his hands in his jacket pockets. They appeared to be discussing something with each other when she suddenly became incensed and kicked him in the leg. He didn't even flinch from the pain and just laughed at her reaction to his words.

"Those two; I swear... they'll never grow up," Nene said, remarking on what she had just seen. She and Will both shook their heads in disappointment while they waited for Cal and Klan to approach.

"Okay, let's get this over with," Klan said once she and Cal had entered speaking distance.

It appeared that Cal was still in the dark about what they were about to do and had to raise his concerns, once he saw Will and Nene turn and walk in the other direction. "The micloning facilities are that way," he said pointing behind, "I thought we were going to your place, or something."

"In a bit," Nene replied with a smile, "We have a little errand to run first."

They soon approached one of the offices on that building's level, with Will and Nene entering the door first. Cal's instincts told him to stop walking. "Wait, what is this place?" he said, looking up at the sign above the door.

"We're just going to put you and Will through a couple of tests to see what you're made of," Klan replied.

"Tests for what?"

"C'mon, Cal... think about it. Why else would we be at this particular medical facility?" she said, placing her hands onto the small of his back and pushing him forward with all of her strength.

Cal resisted, but was still being pushed through the door. "What? No! You know I hate those goddamn machines! I refuse to get into one of those things!"

"Don't be such a wimp. Besides, you're not going to be using a micloning tank here. Nene wants to do this for the fun of it; just to see if you guys are able to undergo the process... just in case you change your minds."

"What's the point of having me here? You're just wasting time, Klan!" Cal complained as he finally crossed the door threshold with Klan still pushing him inside. The automatic doors came to a close behind her after she cleared the threshold.

After waiting a few minutes, Will and Cal were seated in front of the doctor's desk inside his office. Numerous framed diplomas, certifications, and achievements were spread all over the wall behind him. Several photos of his family were on his desk, amongst various knick-knacks and office supplies. A couple of small ficus plants sat in the two corners of the room behind his desk.

"We need to start with a little bit of legalese, unfortunately," the doctor said as he handed Will and Cal a couple of clipboards; each of them holding several sheets of printed paper. "Just read and sign these forms once I'm finished explaining everything." He waited for them to nod in agreement before continuing, "I just want to make you boys aware of what it is that we'll be doing here, alright?"

The doctor then stood up and walked over to where he had a couple of anatomical diagrams next to each other. "As I'm sure you both know, it's possible for humans to undergo the macronization process, changing their bodies to a Zentraedi form. What I need to make you both aware of, though, is that the process causes a lot of changes inside of your body; it's not just reconstructing your body into a much larger version of itself, as is the common misconception." He used a small pointing stick to indicate a couple of the notes on the diagrams, which had changed to show the internal structure of the bodies. "This is a Human and this is a Zentran. You'll noticed that the internal organs are shifted in such a way as to offer better protection against physical injuries. The Zentraedi were genetically engineered as machines of war by the Protoculture and they were designed with survivability in mind."

"That's why they couldn't miclone Klan and Nene when they got injured a few weeks ago," Cal turned towards Will to say. Will simply nodded.

"So, you guys have a little bit of knowledge about the process?"

"Just a little bit, Doctor. Sorry to interrupt you... Go ahead," Cal replied with a nod.

"It's okay, just let me know if you have any questions along the way. Anyway, what we do here is we have to pre-screen Humans for any kind of anomalies that may crop up during the macronization process." The diagrams changed into a pie chart as the doctor continued, "Since Humans and Zentrans share such a similar genetic code, they're easily interchangeable. While almost all Zentrans can tolerate the micloning process, not all Humans can undergo the macronization process. A large portion of the population does not have the necessary genetic markers. On top of that, there are also various abnormalities and illnesses that cause complications. Your friend, Klan out there, is one of the unfortunate individuals who suffers from such an abnormality. However, thanks to 'unfortunate individuals' like her, we can learn to treat and stamp out these abnormalities with each succeeding generation."

Having heard the doctor mention Klan, Cal had to ask the obvious question, "Will you guys ever be able to fix her abnormality?"

"To be honest, the odds are quite slim. There are a few controversial forms of treatment out there, but they're 'controversial' for a reason: they're very dangerous."

Cal exhaled in disappointment, but put himself back together to listen to the doctor continue with his presentation. "Okay, I was just curious."

"Your concern is understandable, but we're doing what we can in the name of science," the doctor replied. He turned his attention back to the pie chart, "On top of the genetic abnormalities, we also have to physically screen the applicant's body for anything that might turn into a problem. The micloning tanks are built and programmed well to deal with most physical aberrations, but there are occasional issues that crop up as well. We don't leave one stone unturned, when it comes to pre-screening applicants, so don't worry about a thing." The doctor then sat down in his huge chair and started to tap his pointing stick onto the desktop. "We can pretty much do everything in a short time. We'll set you guys up in tanks and immerse your bodies in the fluid used in the micloning tanks to monitor how well your respiratory systems handle the liquid. It will take some getting used to, so don't panic while you're in there, or anything. Questions?"

Cal and Will both looked at each other nervously. "We have to breathe liquid?" they both seemed to ask simultaneously.

"What, did you think that Zentrans held their breath the entire time they were in the tank?" the doctor laughed as he asked.

Although Cal didn't want to be there in the first place, even Will was beginning to have second thoughts about this "plan" that he and Nene had dreamed up.

Out in the waiting room, Klan and Nene patiently waited for the results. "It's about time you reached out to spend some time with him," Nene said in reference to Cal, "I was beginning to think that you were just going to outright ignore him after everything you two have gone through."

Klan had her face buried in a magazine that once sat on the coffee table in front of them. "Mhm."

"There's one thing that bothers me about you two, though. Why are you always so mean to him?"

There's that question again. Klan rolled her eyes and answered her sister's inquiry with a touch of impatience. "Because he always asks for it! To be honest, I think he kind of likes it. He must be some kind of masochist, because he's always trying to piss me off."

"Well, maybe he's just trying to get your attention. If you'd just quit pretending like you're not interested in him, he might quit trying to get under your skin."

"No, that's just how he is; he's always been like that since I first met him."

"True, but he doesn't do it that much with Will and I. You know why? Because we know how to get under his skin. You should try fighting fire with fire to get him to stop."

"Thanks, but I prefer my methods," Klan replied, putting the magazine down in her lap so she could pound her fist into her hand. "Besides, if he didn't like it, he wouldn't be hanging around me at this point, would he?"

"Also true... How long do you think he's going to put up with it, though? I wouldn't call it just 'hanging around', either. You know what's on his mind, don't you? The question is, what is on your mind?"

Klan stared at Nene for a moment, a bit upset at her for prodding into her personal business. However, she decided not to answer the question, scoffed, and put the magazine up to hide her face once more.

Nene exhaled in frustration. "My older sister... the 20-year-old grade-schooler."

Klan dropped her magazine into her lap, revealing her impatience with Nene's incessant badgering.

Fortunately for Nene, Will emerged from the clinic and entered the waiting room with a smile on his face. "Who's got two thumbs and is an ideal candidate?" he asked. He then pointed at himself with his thumbs and responded to his own question, "This guy!"

"I could have told you that!" Nene replied, standing up to give Will a hug and a kiss. Klan just put her magazine back up to her face so she wouldn't have to live in reality at that very moment.

About fifteen minutes later, Cal came out from the clinic holding his results in his hand. The printouts were neatly stored in a brown envelope, but the seal wasn't even broken. Will and Nene sat in adjacent chairs while they pored over Will's test results; Klan was still lost in her magazine. Seeing that he had entered the room, Will and Nene became quiet and stared at him, waiting for his prognosis. Klan dipped her magazine just low enough to see Cal standing in the waiting room.

"Well?" Will asked, "What did they tell you?"

"Alright, let's get out of here," Cal said as he started walking towards the door. Something was obviously bothering him, but the fact that he hadn't even cracked open the envelope meant that he'd heard enough from the doctor after the results came in. Once he reached the automatic door, he continued forward, expecting it to open for him. It did not, however, and Cal ran straight into the panels, bouncing off of them a bit. Will and Nene couldn't help but laugh at his misfortune, but Cal didn't think it at all funny. He stuck his fingers between the doors and forced them open, causing the electric motors on the doors to grind. He opened the doors just wide enough to squeeze through and they snapped shut behind him once more.

Will and Nene then turned towards Klan, who hadn't moved an inch. It didn't take her long to get a clue, though. She clicked her tongue and got up from the chair to exit the waiting room and go outside. The automatic doors did their job this time, opening on cue to let her out.

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon and the walkway was fairly dark, with a few lights illuminating the pathway towards the elevator. Klan hurried down the walkway towards Cal, who had already traveled about 100 feet down the path by the time she had gotten outside. "Cal!" she yelled. He didn't respond and just kept walking away. She ran to catch up to him and grabbed his jacket sleeve. "I know you heard me. Why are you ignoring me?" she demanded.

Cal reacted by yanking his sleeve out of her grip. He obviously didn't feel like talking about it at that moment.

For some reason, Klan reminded herself of Nene's concerns over her treatment of Cal. Maybe being so blunt and overbearing wasn't the right kind of behavior to exhibit in this situation. She quickly walked around to his frontside to stop him from walking forward. "Look, you're obviously upset over something. Will and Nene are way over there and they can't hear a thing. You can tell me what the doctor told you. Whatever it is, I promise you... it can't be that bad."

Cal looked down at her and sighed. With his hands still in his pockets, he shifted to his left to invite Klan to take the envelope that was pinned between his right arm and his body. Fortunately for them, they had stopped next to one of the lamps on the pathway, allowing them to be able to read clearly.

She unpacked the contents of the envelope and began to study the pages. However, she quickly became frustrated at the jargon printed on each leaf. "I don't know what half of this crap means. What happened in there?"

Cal waited for a moment before he leaned onto the bannister to collect his thoughts. "Well, first off, when they put me in the tank and tried to get me to breath that... 'stuff', I freaked out. So badly, in fact, that they had to let me back out to keep my heart rate from skyrocketing any higher than it already was."

"It's not that bad, Cal. I have to breathe that stuff all of the time-" she cut herself off when Cal glared at her with a touch of anger in his face. "Sorry... is that all that happened?"

"They ended up doing the rest of the testing and the doctor tried to explain everything to me in the best way he knew how. It seems that I have some, um... 'problems' to consider. He said he was concerned about the way my back had repaired itself. You know, from when I had to spend three months in the hospital?" Klan nodded and Cal continued, "Well, he's concerned that I may have major posture issues if I undergo the transformation. It may even cause me to lose the use of my legs, but they're not 100% positive on that."

"I see..." Klan remarked.

"That's not all, either. After doing genetic analysis, they said that I have several 'areas of interest' in my genetic code. They listed all of the possibilities on page 6."

Klan flipped to page 6 and found the section to which Cal was referring. She scanned the page for a few moments until she came across something very noteworthy, "'Possible outcomes include micloning sickness'-" She stopped mid-sentence and let her hand drop to the side while still holding the packet. She then closed her eyes, drooped her head, and put her other hand up to grab the bridge of her nose with her fingers.

"What's micloning sickness?" Cal asked.

"It's when your genes are too weak to withstand multiple transformations in a micloning tank. Basically, if you macronize, you run a good chance of not being able to return to your natural size," she replied with a heavy sigh.

"Oh, that's what the doctor was trying to say. I guess he was just boiling it down to layman's terms for me at that time." Cal shifted his posture in between breaths. "He told me that they could surgically fix the spine problem, but it may require a set of artificial vertebrae. If that becomes the case, then I definitely won't be able to return to my natural form. Artificial implants won't make it through the process." Sensing Klan's uncertainty, he decided to at least finish with a bit of possible good news, "Then again, all of this horse hockey may not be an issue at all. They're just outlining all of the possible outcomes of undergoing the process. You know how overly cautious doctors can be. It is someone's life and well-being at stake. I'd prefer that he erred on the side of caution."

She looked back up at him in disbelief. "Are you really trying to make things seem to be better than they really are?"

"Um," Cal stammered, not really understanding the question, "What? I'm just explaining the possibilities. There's no ulterior motive."

"Riiight..." she replied with an obvious hint of sarcasm in her voice. "It's thoughtful of you, nonetheless. We'll figure something out... eventually, I'm sure." Klan repackaged the contents of the envelope, handed it back to Cal, and looked back to where Will and Nene were waiting outside. Upon seeing her glance, they started to approach at a walking pace. She then stared out towards the city skyline, put her hands into her jacket pockets, and heavily sighed once more. "Man, I could really use a stiff drink right about now..."

Klan slammed her empty shot glass onto the counter. "Ohhh yeah..." she said as she forcefully exhaled following her drink. "Pour me another, barkeep!" she said, holding out her shot glass for another helping.

"You've had 3 shots in the past five minutes!" Nene whined. She stood on the other side of the kitchen counter holding a bottle of liquor in her hand. She set out a tray of peculiarly-sized snacks onto the counter next to Klan as she continued, "Stuff like this isn't supposed to be downed so fast; you should savor it a bit before moving onto the next shot."

"I paid for it; I'll drink it however I want to, okay?" Klan demanded. Already, she was showing signs of belligerence and tipsiness.

Nene casually wafted the bottle under her nose and recoiled from the scent. "Whoo! This stuff smells really strong. Are you sure you want more?" Klan responded by tapping the bottom edge of her shot glass onto the counter once more. "At least get some food into your stomach, okay?" Nene said as she poured another helping into Klan's glass. She briefly turned her gaze towards the snack tray to visually indicate the location of the tray in relation to Klan's position.

"Alright! Snacks!" Will said as he ran into view on the counter. Because of his relative diminutive stature compared to Nene and Klan, he looked like a cartoon mouse, snatching as much food as he could hold in his arms. "Thanks, babe!" he said to Nene before he scampered off towards the partially-opened window at the end of the countertop.

Nene smiled at her beloved miclone partner in response and then turned her gaze back towards her sister. It was almost painful for her to watch Klan down yet another shot of alcohol. "I don't see you acting like this very often. Care to share your thoughts?"

"Nope. I'm fine. You should try some of this; it's pretty good stuff."

Outside, Cal leaned against the edge of the flowerbox that was installed outside of the kitchen window at Klan's and Nene's apartment. The flowerbox faced the interior of the housing complex, where a seemingly-endless courtyard sprawled for what seemed like forever to him. In reality, it was a decently-sized common area built on a Zentraedi scale for the residents to use at their discretion. Cal watched a Zentran couple standing at one side of the grassy area while they supervised their pet hydra as it did its business near some hedges.

"I got some grub for us to eat," Will said as he stepped sideways through the opening left by the cracked-open window, "Nene always seems to be prepared for anything. She had the foresight to buy some miclone-sized food, just in case we came to visit." He gave Cal one of the packages of pretzels that he had taken from the snack tray before leaning against the edge of the flowerbox next to Cal. "What are you looking at?"

"That Zentraedi couple over there. It's just interesting to watch how much alike they are to a Human couple. Despite minor genetic differences, it's simply amazing how similar we are to each other. 50 years ago, it was all about a dramatic difference of cultures. Now that our two races have melded our cultures together, there's really not much else that separates us from each other." Cal turned around and leaned his back against the bannister and took a drink from the beer bottle he had been holding in one of his hands. "Ironically, it's genetic differences that now separate myself from her," he said, looking back into the window. Klan and Nene could be clearly seen talking to each other, but their voices weren't carrying outside to where Cal and Will were standing.

"Dude, don't worry about that," Will said with a slight laugh, "It still doesn't change how you feel about her. You guys will get used to it."

"Easy for you to say, Will. Nene doesn't have the same problem with micloning as Klan does. She looks exactly the same in her miclone form as she does when she's in her Meltran form. On top of that, we now know that you could macronize yourself to her size if you wanted to... By the way, how come you didn't hop into one of those tanks earlier, since you checked out okay?"

"No point right now, really. Besides, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to do something like that. I'd be kind of rubbing your face in it if I did, right?"

There wasn't much Cal could say edgewise. The fact that he had a friend like Will, who was always aware of that which wasn't glaringly obvious to Cal, helped him to realize that he was very much a wingman in and out of combat. It was comforting to know that someone always had his back, no matter what. "How magnanimous of you..." he casually commented. Looking up at the night sky and focusing on one of the orbiting moons in sight, Cal continued answering Will's last couple of statements, "I know that being 'different' than Klan shouldn't matter... and I use that term quite loosely. You're right, it doesn't... with me. I don't know how much it bothers her. Ever since we came back to Aimo, it's like she's been avoiding me. Then, she appears out of nowhere to return things back to what they used to be when she was our flight leader. She's overbearing and controlling with me; even berating me for not using military courtesy protocol in a public setting yesterday."

Will shook his head with a snicker, still looking out into the massive courtyard. "Well, it's kind of funny how she never behaves like that with me. Even when we first joined her team, she always seemed to single you out. I think that means something, there. She's fixated on you, if you ask me."

"She definitely does seem to have it out for me, that's for sure," Cal said with a nervous laugh. He then focused his gaze on Klan, who was still sitting at the counter inside. "I just wish she'd cut that out, though. It confuses the hell out of me, as to what she's thinking inside that head of hers. I don't mind the strictness much, especially when I need to be put back on track, but she just seems to take pleasure in making me jump through hoops for no apparent reason. It would be nice to just get a straight answer from her; to cut the crap and find out that she does, in fact, have a pleasant side. I've seen it pop up from time to time, but she's always quick to revert back to her usual self."

"Cal, my friend," Will said as he turned around and dropped his hand on Cal's shoulder, "I think that time will come very soon." He looked into the window and made eye contact with Nene. She inconspicuously nodded at him and then looked back at her sister. Will then looked at his watch on his wrist, taking care not to spill any beer from the bottle in his hand. "Welp, I have to be getting up early in the morning to take care of some stuff," he said as he slowly approached the opening in the window, "Nene's gonna escort me home, but you should stick around to spend some time with Klan while you can."

Cal's eyes popped open as he thought about the situation. "Wait, what? You're gonna leave me here alone with her?"

"Yeah...? What, are you afraid she's going to take advantage of you, or something?" Will said with a laugh.

"No. It's just that I smell some kind of setup, here." Cal narrowed his eyes while looking at Will, "What are you two up to?"

Will had already taken a step back inside and put his hands up in front of him in a defensive gesture, "Nothing! God, you're paranoid. Just talk to her, dammit!"

Inside of the apartment, Will had done a good job of masking his voice enough to keep Klan from hearing what he was saying to Cal. Nene had given up on talking Klan out of drinking more, but her demeanor resembled that of a master reverse-psychologist. "Ready to go?" she asked of Will.

"Yep! Now's the perfect time to get going," he said while looking at his watch. Of course, he already knew what the time was, but it was all part of the play.

Klan perked up a bit upon realizing that her sister was leaving her and taking Will with her. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Will needs to get up early in the morning and needs to get to bed. I'm gonna go with him so we don't bother you and Cal, okay?" Nene had already made it halfway to the door by the time she had finished informing Klan of what she was doing.

"Wait! You're just gonna run off like that? I thought you were trying to talk me out of drinking all this time!" Klan began to lean to the side, reaching for her sister to stop her from leaving. What she didn't realize was that her perception was already fairly inaccurate and Nene was far out of her reach. Klan stopped leaning to the side as soon as her sense of balance kicked in to let her know that she was about to cause herself to fall to the floor from her perch on the barstool. She reacted by using her other hand to grab the countertop and regain her balance.

"Be careful, there!" Nene said with a slight laugh, "You two just enjoy spending some time with each other. Cal, if you feel too drunk to make your way home, feel free to crash here for the night, okay?"

"Umm―" Cal was just emerging from the flowerbox through the window.

"Great! See ya!" Nene said, cutting Cal off before he could even respond. She certainly did seem to be in a hurry to leave. She quickly slammed the door shut to keep anyone inside from objecting.

Outside, Will had to immediately clear his conscience, "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave her alone with Cal when she's drunk like that?" he asked.

"Trust me. If I know my sister well... and I do... that alcohol will loosen up her tongue a bit. It's not going to happen while we're there, so we're just going to have to trust that nothing bad happens while we're gone," Nene said with a laugh.

"Our plan almost went down in flames because of what happened at the pre-screening clinic. I sure hope you're right about this, Nene."

Back inside, Cal quietly crept back into the apartment and shut the window behind him. Even though he had already downed a couple of beers, he still had his wits about him. The question was the extremity of Klan's inebriated state. He nervously approached her, walking down the length of the countertop while munching the last of the pretzels from the bag in his hand.

Klan's eyes quickly reacted to Cal when he entered her severely stunted field of vision. She looked very sleepy because of her drunken state, but she fought to keep the effects of the alcohol from altering her appearance. Unable to cope with the sudden feeling of discomfort, she bit her lip to keep herself from smiling nervously at Cal. "Well, are you gonna let me drink alone, or what?" she candidly asked, "Pull up a chair, I guess." She briefly turned her gaze towards the small table and chairs that had been set out for Will and Cal to use while they were there.

Cal finished chewing his last bite and followed it up with the last of the beer in his bottle. He set the empty containers onto the table on his way to get more beer and snacks. Partaking of more food from the snack tray near Klan, he eventually took a seat at the table in front of her. "So, do you also get the feeling that we're being set up?" he asked as he twisted the cap off of a fresh bottle of beer.

She swished her empty shot glass around, partially mesmerized by the refraction pattern of light passing through it and into her eyes. "I think they're trying to tell us something..."

Cal knew that they were both under the influence; Klan was apparently more so. "Look, I can tell you're pretty tipsy already. If you don't feel comfortable in this situation, I can just get on out of here."

"Why do you do that?" Klan interjected, "Most of the time, you're trying to annoy me; and then there are these times when you become this 'nice guy' who treats me like some kind of delicate flower."

The suddenness of her question caught Cal by surprise. Needless to say, he was caught unprepared to answer such a question. "I have almost the same question that constantly runs through my mind. You're always acting like a drill sergeant around me; but every once in awhile, you let a softer side of yourself out. What's up with that?"

"No I don't. Like when?"

"Just this morning! You barged into my room to wake me up early, dragged me out to the park, forced me into doing some PT, and even decided to use a riding crop on me."

"Yeah, that was funny, wasn't it?"

"Maybe it was for you. But what confused the hell out of me was when you tightened your grip on me when I was carrying you up the steps. That was a hug!"

Klan's face was already blushed from the alcohol causing her facial capillaries to move closer to the surface of her skin. Still, her expression showed some embarrassment. "No, it wasn't... I was just making sure I held on tightly enough so you wouldn't lose grip and send me tumbling down the steps."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Cal said with a laugh. "Seriously, Klan, put away the facade already. All of this reclusive behavior is just getting old. I see you do things that no normal person would do in a typical situation. Why else would you volunteer to deliver a package to me at work? Why else would you wake up before the butt-crack of dawn just to make sure I was getting back into a proper daily routine? Why else would you drag me around the mall all afternoon... other than to be your pack mule?" he asked with another slight laugh during that question. "I think the biggest question out of them all is 'If I annoy you so much, why do you even bother to put up with me?'"

"Aha!" Klan said while slowly turning her head back to Cal. Her eyes seemed to follow at a slower pace, indicating her increasing level of drunkenness. "See, that's exactly what I wonder about you. If you complain about the way I treat you, why do you even bother putting up with it?" She was so certain she had him cornered, but she hadn't considered the plethora of possible answers that Cal could come up with.

"You know the answer to that question," he sternly replied, "I told you several weeks ago when you were laid up in that bed on the medical frigate."

Suddenly, Klan began to run through her memory of that moment in time and for some reason, the emotional reaction she displayed after he had left her back then began to surface again. Rather than letting Cal see this reaction, she turned away, poured another shot, and downed it; all within a few seconds. Following the forceful exhale after swallowing her drink, she continued to stare into the distance away from Cal and let some honesty slip out of her mouth, "Okay, it was a hug. Is that better? What's wrong with that?"

Cal smiled and stood up, leaving his food and drink sitting on the table. "There's nothing wrong with it. Does it feel better to admit it?" He began to walk towards the direction in which Klan was looking, in order to be able to see her facial expressions.

She moved her arm to stop him from approaching any closer. "Don't..." she said while looking up at the ceiling to hide her reaction.

He leaned against her arm and attempted to get a little more information out of her, "Are you... crying?"

"It's this damn alcohol! ...makin' my eyes watery!" Klan exclaimed as she clumsily pushed the bottle as far away from herself as she could. She then took in a deep breath to regain her composure. "I'm sorry..."

"For what? Crying?"

"No!" she exclaimed out of frustration, "For just generally being a bitch to you. I feel like I can't help myself when I'm around you. Your smugness just seems to make me want to bonk you on the head all of the time. Then when you start to get under my skin, I get so defensive." She turned her head to look out at nothing again, "You deserve someone who treats you better than that."

Cal sighed and briefly put his face into his palm, then looked back up at her. "So, that's it? You're just gonna give up on yourself like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I first met you, you were an impenetrable wall, devoid of emotion. You had buried yourself in your grief and were determined to not let anyone get close to you ever again. Over the weeks, I began to see pieces of that wall crumble away to reveal your true inner-self. Every once in awhile, you'd revert back to your old ways as an attempt to patch up those holes. However, I knew that you could eventually return to your old self; the one that knew how to care for others. All I had to do was keep working at it. From what little pieces of you from behind that wall I had seen and experienced, I knew that it was worth the effort."

"Goddammit. See, that's what I am talking about," Klan replied, cracking a smile. "For the life of me, I can't figure out why you do and say those kinds of things... but they do make me feel better inside." Once again, she had changed her demeanor into something else; this time, one of satisfaction. She cautiously lifted her arm from in front of Cal and then placed it behind him; gently bumping him from behind, as if she was drawing him closer to herself.

At this point, Cal was starting to feel a bit nervous about the situation. Something about the look on her face was setting off alarms in his head. Her cheeks and nose were red and shiny; obvious side effects of her inebriation. "I don't think I need to remind you that you're now completely smashed," he said with a nervous laugh.

"That's okay. I'm fine." Klan seemed to have problems keeping her eyes open, not to mention keeping them focused on Cal.

"Um, maybe we should pick up this conversation when you're not so drunk," Cal said as he put his hands onto her arm and hopped over it like a short picket fence. He started to walk over to the small table where he had been sitting before to retrieve his jacket, which was draped over the backside of one of the chairs. However, he was stopped by Klan's hand, which quickly landed in front of him and started to close in to where he was standing.

"Wait. I'm not done with you," she said with a slightly suggestive tone. She slid her arm forward to cut off any escape routes.

Cal watched her arm pass by like a huge anaconda surrounding its prey before asphyxiating it to death. He had to quickly decide whether or not this was a good place to be. If she's as drunk as he thinks she is, there's no telling what kind of careless things she'd do that might cause him some kind of physical harm. "Uh, what is it?" he nervously asked. His eyes darted from side to side, assessing any possible escape routes, in case things went from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

"Maybe you and my sister are right. Perhaps I've been going about this all wrong. All I do is hide behind my cold exterior." Klan rested her chin onto her other hand, but she kept Cal close by, nestled on the inside of her elbow joint. The grin on her face was tough to decipher as to what she was thinking, though. She still fought to keep her eyes open and focused while she continued speaking, "After everything we've been through together, I can't believe we're still acting like two shy children around each other."

"'We'? I seem to recall myself being the one who's admitted the truth. You're the one who's been dodging me."

She used her other hand to tap Cal on the top of his head with her index finger. "Don't be insolent, small fry," she said with the same suggestive tone from earlier. Her finger then became unusually heavy, causing Cal to stumble backwards and onto his butt. She didn't seem to know what she was doing while her finger rubbed all the way down Cal's frontside, mussing up his clothes before her hand finally hit the ground.

"Agh! Watch it!" Cal exclaimed. She came dangerously close to hitting a certain tender area. The smell of alcohol on her breath permeated the air around him. "Alright, maybe this isn't such a good idea. I should get going."

Klan was starting to wind down and barely managed a response, slowly shaking her head as it pivoted on the table by her chin, "Mmm-mmm... you're too drunk to go home. You should just stay here with me." Her voice was unusually soft, but it was also slurred. She kept her eyes closed, but still responded to Cal's statements.

"I'm too drunk? You got it backwards, Klan. You're not yourself right now."

"Nonsense... I've just never bothered to be this candid before. It does feel nice, though." She inched her arm towards her face, bringing Cal even closer. "I think I might be able to get used to this."

"Let's not do anything hasty, now. You're starting to behave very strangely. You don't want do do anything you will regret later, do you?"

"Nah, I won't regret it. Don't be scared; I know exactly what I'm doing."

Cal had no idea what was going through her head at this moment. "Regret what? What are you doing?" He could see that Klan was barely able to keep her eyes open, but she still wore the same eerie smile on her face. There was a certain glimmer that would sparkle from in between her eyelids when she attempted to see in front of her.

Refusing to verbally answer his question, Klan simply did the next-best thing. She slowly closed the gap between him and her face; her eyes were still closed and she clumsily pursed her lips.

The phrase "Oh shit!" passed through Cal's head at that very moment as he began to realize what was about to happen. However, the words that came out of his mouth were a bit different, "Don't, Klan! You're drunk!" For some reason, his plan of escape had completely disappeared from his mind and he sat there, unable to react.

As she got closer, her head began to dip lower and lower until Cal found himself pinned between her arm and cheek. "Ack! Klan! I can't breathe!" he exclaimed. He pushed against her face as much as possible to give himself some breathing space, but her head was too heavy and kept trying to come to rest on top of him. "Get... off!" he yelled, assuming that she had just drunkenly missed her target and lost track of what she was doing. However, she had completely stopped moving and began emitting the faint, but distinct sound of snoring.

All efforts to free himself were met with futility. His only chance of salvation was to somehow get her to wake up from her drunken slumber and move just enough to get free. "Klan! Wake up! I can't move!" he yelled towards her nearby ear. Lack of response led him to try a physical approach. He opened her eyelid, but there was no sign of activity. He then pinched her skin with his hand as hard as he could, which did evoke a reaction.

Klan shifted her head a bit, grinding his body against her arm. She used her other hand to scratch the exact spot that Cal had pinched her; basically telling him that what he was doing amounted to little more than a mosquito bite. Fortunately, the slight shift gave Cal room to breathe more comfortably.

"Goddammit..." He clicked his tongue in frustration after seeing Klan scratch her face where he'd seemingly tickled her. Not willing to take any chances, Cal decided to quit while he was ahead; that is, while he could actually breathe without any kind of struggling involved. He quietly hoped that Nene would quickly return to free him from captivity, "Nene'd better get here fast. If she doesn't, my back is gonna be killing me in the morning." Cal leaned over and propped his head up on one of his arms while he waited for a miracle to free him.

In the meantime, he had the opportunity to reflect upon the events that had just transpired. The good news was that he finally got Klan to show some of her uninhibited feelings. The bad news was that it was all fueled by her inebriated state. Who knows what she's going to think or say when she snaps out of her drunken slumber?