Next "plot filled" chapter (for a given definition of the word). After this I'll be making a filler chapter with some romance or fluff. Then again, given that I'm bad at romance, it probably won't be that good. Wish me luck.
Anyway, this chapter will have a bit of a role reversal compared to the usual. Ichika's not a complete blockhead, no matter how dense he acts.
As you may or may not know, I am bad at writing action scenes and tend to avoid them whenever possible. Seeing as this is a rom-com story, any big fights will either take place off-screen or get glossed over quickly.
Lastly: The new laptop I got is wonky. It keeps changing words around after I save the work, making it hard since it switches them from past to present tense and vice versa at times. If you see any sentences that keep switching tenses, please inform me so I can change it. I don't have time to re-read everything when I have to open files. Any spelling mistakes are my own.
Ichika was used to awkward situations.
Unfortunately, nothing in life can prepare you to sharing a car with a person who spontaneously kissed you and then ran off without a second thought. Even worse when the car is small and you barely have any space to work around in. He had to constantly look out the window to make sure she didn't get the wrong idea that he was staring at her perversely.
He had tried earlier to get her to talk about what happened, but she would either ignore him outright or make thinly veiled threats to get him to keep quiet. Seriously, how was he supposed to react when the same person who kissed him earlier was the same person casually remarking on how perfect her new knife would be on someone of his body type? Jeez, even his friend Keima Katsuragi would get stumped in a situation like this.
Well, it at least gave him enough time to think about how he'd gotten here.
Being the little brother of Chifuyu Orimura; publicly known as Champion of the first Mondo Grosso, would be champion of the second Mondo Grosso, Japan's former representative, Brunhilde, teacher of IS academy and yada yada yada (it was a long list), he had a lot to live up to. He had to constantly watch himself and pay attention to every little thing he did. Apparently, any mistake he made was blown back to her to a lesser extent. Of course, this never occurred the other way around.
That kidnapping incident changed a lot of things for the two of them. The brush with death (or so Chifuyu thought) made the two siblings closer to one another. Well, closer in the sense that Chifuyu became ultra paranoid with making sure he wasn't in any danger (except from her).
When Chifuyu got a position to be an IS instructor in Germany for one year (which was odd since he'd never seen her actually teach any of the others how to pilot at all in the time he was here), she insisted that he go to a boarding school in order to keep himself safe. Needless to say, the fact that she insisted she had a friend in Sweden who owed her a favor and would allow him to school for free for the year didn't appeal to him.
The only other option open to him was to go with her to Germany. While that also didn't appeal to him at all, it was better than being stuck in some kind of foreign school with no one around. She also mentioned France as a possible option in order to dissuade him from going with her. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what his answer was.
Was the idea of going to a foreign country all alone with nothing but the clothes on his back really appealing? He honestly never found anything good about it, no matter how many fancy schools he was offered to go to. Was she really planning to send him to some kind of rich people school called Saint Lucia? No thanks, he'd rather take his chances here.
Or at least, that's what he thought.
When he heard Chifuyu say "teach them about military techniques", he thought of men and women in their 20's up in prim and fit physical condition. They would ignore him and pay attention only to Chifuyu, occasionally making conversation with him if they needed to chat. Ichika would pass his days either doing his own thing or visiting any nearby town to see if there was anything interesting.
Oh, how wrong he was.
The first sign that he took notice of what was odd was that the commanding officer was female. Now, this wasn't odd on its own, especially now that the IS came, but most squads were still segregated by gender. Okay, maybe this was one of those mixed squads, he thought to himself. No problem, he could deal with that.
The second thing he noticed was odd was the commanding officer's (Clarissa, now that he remembered) age was extremely young. As a rule, commanding officer's tended to be older than their recruits, or at least that's what he had heard from Dan before. Clarissa couldn't have been past her early 20's. In fact, she mentioned that she was 21, just slightly younger than his older sister! What was up with that? He still didn't think too much of it then.
That's when he noticed the third and most odd thing there: There were only girls in the camp! Young one's too!
One look into the bunkhouse and he immediately got rooted to the spot and refused to walk in. Chifuyu had to drag him inside kicking and screaming (well, it was more screaming than kicking) just when he was starting to consider boarding school a nice idea. France was nice this time of year.
In hindsight, he should've realized something was wrong when she told him to pack only the minimum required amount of jeans and a lot of jogging pants. She told him that he would end up joining them for some of their exercises. He wanted to question how a teenager like him could keep up with someone far older than him. Well, he had his answer soon enough.
She also told him that he would end up doing a lot of running. Somehow, he didn't think she meant the jogging that all of them did and more on the running he had to do whenever someone stole the clothes he used when taking a shower. Oh haha, pick on the new guy why don't you? They were just making fun of the new meat, he saw it in manga before.
Of course, since when did sniffing his clothes become part of messing with him, he didn't know. They were probably just trying to freak him out or something. Yeah, that's it. The blushing faces and the...drooling was just a figment of his imagination. Probably because Dan kept showing him erotic video's whenever he came over. He really shouldn't have invited him over so many times. At least when he went to Dan's place Ran all but kept him from doing anything deemed too inappropriate.
The fact that they were attractive teenage girls just made things even worse. The oldest one was probably no older than 18; 19 if he was being generous. He knew he didn't have a snowballs hell in chance with any of them (to start with, they still haven't stopped stealing his clothes), but being the one guy in a place like this and having to share a bunkroom with all of them was...uncomfortable.
That's when he met Laura.
Laura was probably the youngest person there bar none. She was 14, an age he himself shared, but her attitude and demeanor gave her the appearance of an experienced soldier. He had to stop himself from standing up and saluting whenever she gave him an order.
Despite this, he did find the German super soldier cute...what? It was true! She had a doll like cuteness about her and her rare moments of embarrassment emphasized it even more. He even built a habit of teasing her just to see that cherry redness that would overtake her face and the stammering fit she got into afterwards when she tried to explain herself.
Of course, most of these followed with him being on the receiving end of a haymaker or an attempted kick, which led to him getting patched up by one of the other recruits. They at least had the decency not to pull pranks on an injured person.
To sum up Laura in one word, he would use the term 'complicated'. Sure, she didn't bully him or stare at him like the others did, but she was far from the nicest girl there. At least the others pretended to act like they did nothing wrong. Laura was as blunt as a hammer, and punched like one too. He couldn't count the number of times he wanted to tear his hair out with the number of mixed messages she kept giving him.
Did she hate him? It seemed pretty sure that she did, what with refusing to look at him 9/10 times during the whole week together when they were paired. Did she think he was some kind of diabolic mastermind who planned to pair up with her from the beginning? He was flattered, but he was far from being that type of person.
On the other hand, did she like him? That blushing and stuttering wasn't fake, and neither were the rare moments that they did get along or the smiles he saw on her face. As far as he could tell, she didn't really interact with the other members of the group; even he chatted with some of them on his free time. Whenever break time hit, he'd see her wander off someplace secluded and stat by her lonesome. Despite her supposed hatred for him, she'd stopped doing it and even made the occasional reference to the weather.
Then there was the kiss-
*SCREEECH*
Ichika was knocked out of his reverie by the sudden sound of the car stopping and his forehead hitting the dashboard. Since the car was smaller and made of denser materials, sudden breaks and crashes barely dented it at all. Unfortunately, anything else that hit it didn't get this protection, body parts included.
*Thunk*
Rubbing his aching forehead, he turned to the left and looked at Laura, "Wh-Why did you stop? He winced when a dull ache started to spread over his entire forehead, 'Doesn't this thing come with airbags or anything? This thing is a road hazard.
Laura, however, didn't look like she was in the mood for questions. She was looking down the wheel and her hands were gripping it tightly, causing her already pale skin to go paler than usual, "Y-You...just said kiss right then, didn't you?" She looked like she was contemplating murder, which honestly wouldn't have surprised him at this point. The knife she had strapped to her thigh (which he had to admit looked really hot) was glistening very menacingly at him, like it wanted to rip apart in his skin and taste his blood with it's cold hard spikes.
Wait, did he say kiss? No, he was pretty sure he was just monologuing about how his life got to this point and why things were so complicated right now. He was pretty sure he wasn't thinking about the kiss the two of them shared, under that convenient star shower, or how her lips tasted like cherry's and how soft they- Damn it, focus!
"Uh...K-Kiss? No, of course not!" The knife glinted at him again, causing another wave of sweat to go down his aching forehead, "I...I was just saying you look like a real...Miss in those clothes of yours. You know, older and all!"
He was referring to her abrupt change in wardrobe. Chifuyu had sent him a follow up text to dress up like civilians, supposedly so they don't gather attention to themselves. For Ichika, it was as simple as pulling out a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved white shirt before he was ready to go.
Laura's situation, on the other hand, was a little more complicated. She'd never actually gone to the town before, let alone go there with anyone else. if need be, she would drive the car, but she wouldn't leave and would always wait inside as to not gather attention to herself. This being the case, she had nothing but casual white shirts and jogging pants, which, unfortunately, had the insignia of the Haze in it.
As she was about to resign herself to going out in said clothing, the other members came to her rescue (though Laura would call it harassment). They'd all pitched in to give her, as they would call it, "Cute and fashionable clothing that will make Ichika drool with the hotness" (No joke, that's what they actually called it). After much kicking, screaming, knife tossing, Russian roulette, shoot outs, and blind magic tricks (which unfortunately couldn't be written about in more detail since it wasn't deemed important enough) they finally managed to get Laura into the long named outfit set.
Ichika had to admit: He nearly did let some saliva fall through when he first saw her. It wasn't anything fancy or anything: A sleeveless snow white blouse, a black skirt that barely reached her thighs, and a pair of open to black heels to make her look slightly taller (She also managed to get her black knife strap on her thigh). It was clothing he'd seen his female classmates wear on occasion when they went out to the mall with friends. Nothing special, but the way she looked when she wore it was...he couldn't explain it.
Back at the car, Laura was currently giving him a suspicious glare. Her hearing was absolutely perfect, and she was sure that he didn't say Miss. She could tell he wanted to talk about what happened earlier and casual threats wouldn't keep him from asking about it sooner or later. As a regular person in such a precarious situation, the first instinct would be to nip the problem at the bud before things got worse.
As a soldier, though, she was taught never to engage an enemy if it wasn't an absolute necessity and/or she had the surprise advantage. Seeing as she had neither right now, and that she had other orders to go to the town and find Clarissa and the instructor, she chose the wise choice and chose to go on the tactical retreat. One who lives and runs away lives to fight another day.
"...I'll take your word on that. After all, you have no reason to lie to me," Ichika breathed a small sigh of relief at her answer, and an even bigger one when she started the car again and the knife stopped its abnormal glinting.
With the car started again, the soon to be couple lapsed back into uncomfortable silence. Unlike before, there was no possible way anyone could interrupted. The road was rocky road was devoid of any life (which looked kinda creepy), and only the two of them were on the car. No interruptions, no chance of getting bothered no matter what.
Ichika looked out the window and only saw the inky blackness waiting outside. Was this some kind of sign? Was the universe itself telling him that he should focus on who was in the car with him rather than find something in order to distract himself?
Universe or no, he really needed to talk to her about it. With that thought in his head, he started the eventual conversation, "So...do you want to talk about-"
"Did you know that you can shoot a 14 year old about 50 times before-"
"They start choking on their own blood?" Ichika interrupted her, much to her surprise, "Yeah, you told me that about three times this trip. That and the threat about your knife, how many broken bones you can give a person, and how you can choke someone using their own seatbelt. Frankly, I'm surprised you haven't mentioned burying someone alive yet."
Okay, the time for casual threats was over. She had to make it more explicit, "Well, if someone doesn't stop bothering me, then I might be tempted to try out some of them." She turned to the right and gave him a glare, "And look, there's only one other person here. I wonder who I'll decide to try it on if someone doesn't stop talking."
Argh, she was always like this! One minute she was acting shy and demure, and next she was practically threatening to castrate him if he so much as talked. Had he not heard her explanation of being a super soldier, he would've thought she was some kind of crazy bipolar pyscho.
"Hey, let's get one thing straight," He said, voice rising in indignation, "You kissed me, not the other way around. I wasn't even doing anything before-"
"T-That was an accident!" He braced himself for another abrupt brake which, fortunately, never came. Good, he thought he was going to get a concussion at the rate things were going, "It...It was only because I was getting emotional and frustrated. B-B-Besides, it's not like it was anything serious or anything!"
"An accident? You practically pushed me down and wouldn't let me breath! And what do you mean it wasn't serious!" His face turned red, but it wasn't because of anger, "Th-That was my first kiss, you know! E-Even if you say it's not serious for you, it is for me! I mean, you probably already lost yours-"
*SCREECH*
*Thunk*
'...I hate this car.' He couldn't finish his sentence on account of his head meeting the dashboard for the second time that night. His face was getting really well acquainted with it. At the rate they were going, they'd be dating pretty soon, which would be an improvement over his situation with Laura.
...Great, now he was just being an idiot.
Still, the aching forehead (which was dangerously close to a concussion) couldn't come close to what Laura was about to say.
"Th...That was my first kiss too! Y-You're not the only one who lost something, so don't act like you're the victim here!" She yelled out, completely ignoring she was the one who initiated it.
Did any of you hear an explosion? That was the sound of Ichika's mind blowing up on itself. Whatever he was going to say or ask her was promptly forgotten as his brain (metaphorically) drained out of his ears. The pain in his forehead was practically gone at this point, replaced by the empty headed feeling of his skull being vacated of its only tenant.
He wasn't the only one experiencing problems. Laura's entire head was covered in a dark shade of red and the beginnings of tears were starting to well up on both of her exposed irises. Were Ichika not brain dead, he would've commented on how cute she looked. Unfortunately, he was still staring blankly outside with the same empty eyed expression he adopted.
Seeing as Ichika wasn't going to start talking anytime soon, Laura pressed on the foot pedal and started the car again. Even if she hated the heels she was given for their impracticality and exposure, she had to admit that the heels added height made driving a lot more easy compared to before. The car was already modified to be piloted by any member of the group, and it was embarrassing when she still had to struggle to reach the pedal at times.
"Y-You know, it's not like I did it because I like yo- randomly kissing people or anything," She continued, ignoring Ichika's catatonic expression, "I...I don't really know what happened. It just felt like...argh, I don't know how to explain it!"
Ichika didn't reply, he didn't even so much as blink at her outburst. Words came out of her mouth, but all he could hear were distant echoes. Yes, he was probably being a bit overdramatic, but damn it he had the right to be! If it was only his first kiss then it would've been fine, but it was hers as well! D-Did that mean he had to take responsibility? Technically, she was the one who initiated the...contact, so wouldn't she be the one who had to take responsibility?
Wait. As the guy, shouldn't he be the one taking responsibility in a situation like this? Even if there were some things that changed in the social structure, females on average still haven't changed their views on how relationships worked. In this case taking responsibility usually meant-
The scene changed. The small interior of the car melted away only to be replaced by the wooden walls of what appeared to be a bedroom. Everything was hazy, he couldn't focus on anything other than the bed in front of him. Wait, since when was there a bed? Things came and went, disappearing and appearing in turn. The only thing that was constant was the bed.
That and its lone occupant.
"Ichika, please be gentle." For some unfathomable reason, Laura was there. Except she was missing something crucial, something she needed to function normally in society: Her clothes. She laid there, naked as the day she was born. Her snow white skin, which was normally exposed only through slight crevices on her casuals, was laid completely bare before him.
He gulped hard and looked away, trying to keep himself (and a certain part of him) from paying too much attention to the naked girl blushing on the bed. How did he get here? All he remembered was sitting on the car, and then...nothing. It was like he got teleported here or something, something he knew was impossible in anything other than cheap sci-fi manga's.
Laura wouldn't be what you would call curvy. Indeed, her physique looked young and fit, which any soldier would probably be glad about. Now, however, she might have been the most beautiful girl in the world. The curves of her waist and the slight slope on her chest were just tantalizing enough that he'd want to look closer, while her innocent appearance discouraged any idea's he could ever have of taking advantage of her. Granted, she could probably murder him 10 times over if he tried anything, but it's the thought that counts.
Why was he getting so flustered? He was never usually aware of these kinds of things and growing up with people like Houki, Tabane, and even his own sister made him used to seeing large chests and...mature body types as he was growing up. Yet here he was getting flustered over her. Was...Was he a lolicon! Oh God, Dan was right! He really did go over to the dark side!
Were this any other media, he would've yelled "NOOOOOOOOOO!" at the top of his lungs while overdramatic lightning played in the background. Seeing as this was just a cheap daydream, however, he had to settle for the blood draining from his face and feeling lightheaded.
Seeing that he wasn't going to make a move, 'Laura' grabbed hold of his head and forced him to face her, "Ichika, don't look away when I'm talking to you!" Her hot breath, which smelled oddly of cherry, washed over him. Damn it, she was too close, way too close! Another couple of inches and the two of them would practically be making out again. Not that the idea of that didn't appeal to him.
"I'm...I'm looking at you..." He managed to breath out in a soft whisper. He faced her and stared at her ruby red eyes, trying to ignore the temptation of looking down to go sightseeing on the small hills. Her straightforward attitude certainly wasn't helping things at all.
"Good..." Her blush intensified and she leaned in closer, lips puckering in anticipation, "You have to take responsibility. You will, won't you?" How was he supposed to refuse when she asked him point blank like that! It's like being shown a puppy and being given the choice to pet it or kick it: There's only one choice that doesn't make you look like an ass.
Closing his eyes, he slowly leaned in closer as well. It wasn't like he had anything left to lose at this point. She already kissed him once, so what was the harm in doing it a second time? He had to admit that he had a slight crush on her. Crazy, right? She was loud, foul mouthed, constantly angry, and probably bipolar. And, oddly enough, he was okay with that. She wasn't perfect, but neither was he.
She was probably one of the only few people who treated him like an individual. Houki saw him in an idolized light, a childhood friend she could trust to protect her and always be there for her. Rin saw him as a knight in shining armor since he used to risk himself in order to help her when she was in trouble, an image she clung onto in all the years they were friends. Even Ran, his best friend's little sister, looked at him with sparkles in her eyes as the 'cool senpai', even when he had no idea how he got that image.
Laura, throughout all her insults and bipolar reactions, was honest. She called him by name with the same tone she used against everyone. Even when she idolized Chifuyu she didn't let it affect her treatment of him, something he honestly found very refreshing from the usual 'let's not offend him since his sister might get mad at us' attitude most people seemed to possess. Say what you will about her actions against him, but there was no doubt in his mind that they were genuine and not some due to some kind of mask or self image she put up.
After his internal monologue, it only took a couple of seconds before his lips made contact with hers. Something was strange, however. The softness he expected was missing, and in its place was an icy feeling that made his lips numb. The taste of cherry's were gone as well, and what he tasted instead was...plastic? What was going on?
"Ichika...are you alright?
His eyes opened and he instantly backed away in shock. What he was kissing (and subsequently left a drool mark on) was in fact the window of the car. Had he been hallucinating everything? All of that was an...illusion? It seemed so real. The sweet but tantalizing smell of her breath, the shy stare she gave him when she asked him to take responsibility, and even the soft feeling of her skin on his- Going down a bad road again!
Laura gave him an odd stare and got out of the car. They'd already been in the town for about 5 minutes and she'd been trying to get him to go out of the car first. She didn't have much luck and had to concede with simply waiting for him to get out of whatever delusion he was in to subside. She'd already tried whispering in his ear and even smacking him (relatively) lightly at the back of the head. Not even a single flinch.
Scratching the back of his head (which was oddly painful), he followed her out of the car and faced the small town.
It was nothing fancy: Some small wooden buildings, some bigger one's made out of brick, and a few establishments where people could find entertainment. The entire place had a 'blast to the past' feeling about it, which was probably what the creators built it for. Despite the dated designs, it had a feeling of comfort that couldn't be found anywhere else.
Laura walked towards the town, Ichika trekking on behind her. The old style street lights dotting the bricked paths were the only lights they had. While this had the effect of making some of the area's look grim and desolate, it also added a sort of serene calmness to it all.
At the base, the area was usually filled with either obstacle course equipment or fake weaponry the soldiers used for target practice. No matter what he did, Ichika could never find himself calming down and accepting that nothing was wrong. He was born and raised as a civilian his entire life, so the change in environment was uncomfortable for him.
Here, however, he could finally find some peace. There were other people on the streets ranging from older men and women taking walks, children playing games with each other, and even some couples who were using the calming effect of the town for some romantic endeavors. Nobody paid attention to either of them, which made sense to him since travelers and tourists coming and going was probably an extremely common sight for them.
At the side of the path, some vendors were selling their wares towards anyone who would listen. Most of them were common things like sweets and accessories; things that most couples, friends, and families would buy for one another. Then there were the odd things like stalls selling armors and even some blades and weaponry. He idly noticed that most people avoided those stalls, much to the salesman's dismay. He couldn't blame them to be completely honest.
While Ichika was feeling better the longer he spent here, the opposite could be said for Laura. Walking forward with the heels on made it harder for the silver haired soldier and she had to slow her pace. something she detested doing. What if someone suddenly attacked her? These stupid shoes could be the difference between life and death.
The building's materials bothered her as well. All they were made of were wood and bricks. In her experience, while those materials were good against bullets, they were especially weak to explosives and combustion. A single grenade blast and any cover she had would be torn to a million pieces, rendering her completely open and vulnerable.
Lastly, and most importantly, the amount of people there were. At the base, she knew everyone, their strengths and weaknesses, and even their specific fighting styles to the slight variations they used. Here, anyone was a potential enemy. Age wasn't a factor. That child asking her to help look for her toy could be an assassin sent to kill her. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.
"So...where are we going?" Ichika broke the silence, "Chifu- Instructor Orimura said you'd know where to go once we got here."
*Sigh* "Unfortunately, yes ," She shook her head and pursed her lips, "I haven't entered the town before, but the same thing always happens when Clarissa goes here." He waited for her to elaborate on whatever she meant but she just kept quiet and continued walking. It must've been something either extremely personal or extremely embarrassing.
The two of them followed the straightforward path till they eventually made it to a small wooden establishment. Even if Ichika couldn't read German, the giant bottle of wine that was drawn on the front hanging sign gave him enough of an idea of what exactly the building was. Well, that and the smell of sweet grapes that wafted out the door.
With some slight hesitation, the two of them entered the small establishment. Their entrance was marked by the sound of the entrance bell clinking slightly and the yellowish light of the candlelit interior washing over them.
The bartender, a well dressed spiky brown haired Caucasian man who appeared to be about 20, was quick to welcome them, "Welcome Sir and Madam, would you like an- Oh." He gave them a quick once over and shook his head with a tut, "Sorry guys, no underage drinking. I know we don't have a bouncer outside and all since his circuits need some repairs, but that doesn't mean anyone can go in here and get a drink." He told them, switching the overtly formal tone from earlier to a casual one.
"Oh no, we're not here to drink," Ichika shook his hands wildly and denied it, "We're looking for a couple of people. Um, a Japanese woman and a German woman."
"Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about," He gave a sigh and pointed to a small table at the corner of the small bar containing three people, "I've never seen Joshua talk so much about something that isn't the bible or some kind of redemption in the eyes of the lord. Your friend there must be something. Well, don't let me bother you. Go ahead and go meet your friend. Hey, do me a favor: Tell Joshua I'll be out back checking on ED-E."
Nodding slowly at the muttering bartender, Ichika gestured for Laura to follow him. The yellow light of the bar was extremely relaxing and he found his eyes drooping slightly with each step he took. Even the laughter that constantly echoed everywhere gave him a feeling of relaxation. Something was keeping him awake, though: The leers the other customer's were giving them, or, to be more precise, Laura.
Other than Chifuyu and Clarissa, Ichika didn't see any other female customers. By the scent of alcohol in the air, it was highly probable that many - if not all of the - patrons were probably drunk of their minds. He had to keep them from going near Laura. The way she was dressed, most drunks would probably take it as a sign she was trying to get their attentions and try to make contact. He had to keep that from happening no matter the cost.
Who knew what she would do to them once Laura got mad! If they were lucky, they would probably get a away with a few bruises and possibly a sprain or two. But Laura had been feeling agitated all night, something Ichika had taken note of a while ago, and she might do something she'd regret if one of them came up and tried flirting with her. Those poor guys would be broken if Ichika just let it happen.
Quickening his pace, it didn't take long for him to reach the table where his sister, Clarissa, and some bandaged figure wearing a Salt Lake P.D uniform were slowly sipping their drinks.
"Ah~ Laura and Ichika~ Glad you could make it~!" Clarissa slurred as she downed her drink in one gulp. Beside her, Chifuyu gave a disapproving shake while the bandaged figure emitted a small sigh.
Considering the two women were going on a casual outing, Clarissa insisted on the two of them wearing something better than shirts and a pair of pants. Chifuyu chose to be on the safe side and wore a black summer suit that covered up a reasonable amount of skin. Clarissa, deciding there was no problem with dressing up, wore a sleeveless blue dress and some cloth to cover her bare shoulders. Many of the men were openly leering at her, but kept away due to both Chifuyu and the figure's (most likely the Joshua the bartender mentioned) sharp glares.
"Instructor, what is the situation? Is something wrong?" Laura asked, always at the ready. She'd brought her knife just in case something was wrong.
"Nothing's wrong. I just thought you two lovebirds needed some time off is all. You two have been working pretty hard the past week."
Did you hear that second explosion? That was the sound of Laura's mind blowing up on itself. To her, Instructor Orimura was a person to be idolized. Someone you could look up to without a single regret. To hear her say something so...blasphemous was like a strike to the heart for the silver haired beauty.
Just as Ichika was about to deny her accusations for the umpteenth time in a row, trouble came in the form of a drunken patron shambling over to them. Based on the fact that he reeked of alcohol all over and he stumbled every third step, it would probably be safe to say that he was fully hammered. Ironic, considering that he wore a police uniform.
"Hey Little girl~ Why don't you spend some time with me and my friends?" He grasped Laura's shoulder tightly and tried to drag her over to the table where a couple of other men in uniform were cheering their friend on.
Ichika closed his eyes and covered his ears and prepared for the worst. Any second now he was going to hear the sounds of cracking bones and voices screaming in agony about the extreme pain they were in. Laura had been in an angry mood all night and she was looking for anybody stupid enough to anger her to vent her frustration on.
That's right, any second now...
Any moment...
...
...What was going on?
Everything was quiet. Even the jovial laughing that was a constant background noise the minute he entered the shop was gone. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw something unexpected. Number 1 was the fact that the cop (or at least he assumed he was) wasn't nursing broken bones or numerous painful injuries. Number 2 was that his hand wasn't grasping Laura's shoulder anymore but was being held tightly and pulled back by a bandaged hand.
"It is a sin to think adulterous thoughts when you have made previous commitments. You have a wife waiting for you, do you not?" Joshua/The bandaged figure pulled the man's arm back painfully with his left hand while reading a bible on his right, "Thou shalt not commit adultery. This is the 7th commandment of the lord and one of the most simple to follow. You made a promise to your wife to be with her through the good and the ill, a promise you should keep."
Ichika's jaw dropped slightly as he made his way to Laura and pulled her away towards the table. The cop wasn't looking very happy and Laura was still staring at the wall blankly for whatever reason. He sat her down next to Chifuyu and stared at the scene in front of him.
"I don't need any lessons from a fucking mummy!" Even through the bandages, he could smell the thick scent of alcohol and vomit. He'd been here a while, "Promise with her? What a load of shit! That bitch doesn't do anything but yell at me and tell me how useless I am since I'm just a 'rent-a cop on minimum wage'."
"That is your problem, not hers, " He replied flatly, pointing at Laura, "If you want to make peace with your wife, then I suggest leaving the child out of this and looking for solutions elsewhere. Pray to the Lord for Guidance and you may receive it. He welcomes all of us, even the sinners."
The cop (let's call him Frank) didn't take kindly to the veiled insults (to him) and pulled the gun out of his holster onto the bandaged preacher's head, "You know what? I'm sick and tired of getting called an idiot at my house, at work, and even here! Now get out of my way before I pull the fucking trigger and do something we'll both regret!"
It was the alcohol talking. Natural emotions such as happiness, sadness, and especially anger were amplified the more one drank. Humans could do things they would never even dream of doing under the influence of alcohol and other beverages that hampered thinking and cognition.
Things like pulling a gun out on a crowded bar filled to the brim with drunks.
Surprisingly, Joshua didn't even so much as flinch at the threat, "You are right: You will regret pulling that trigger," His voice had taken on a more dangerous tone, "The Lord may forgive your transgressions, but I will not. You already tried to break one of his commandments tonight. If you pull that trigger, you will be breaking another, something that I cannot ignore."
Chifuyu's eyes narrowed dangerously and she stood up slightly, grabbing the knife from Laura's holster. The way things were going, no one was going to get out of this unscathed, "Ichika, take Laura and go out the back." He looked like he wanted to protest, but Chifuyu just held out her palm to stop him, "Look, things are tense now. When I tell you, you run. Got it?"
He nodded nervously and grabbed onto Laura's shoulders, who was finally gaining back her awareness now that her knife was taken from her. He couldn't help but notice that Clarissa didn't even seem slightly worried and just stared at the scene.
Frank was teetering dangerously close to the edge. If he fired that shot, the entire bar, not just the two of them, would get into a fight. In tense atmospheres, it doesn't matter who fired the first shot. Everyone and anyone would be targeting everybody else.
"Yeah, and you think I care if a dead man forgives me? You may look like a mummy, but you ain't fucking immortal!" He pressed the gun tighter against his head, finger itching closer to the trigger. One push, one push was all it would take to shut him up for good.
"If that is what you believe, then shoot. I will warn you now that you should-"
*BANG*
Whatever warning he was going to make was drowned out by the sound of the gun firing. The pistol was aimed right at his head and fired at point blank range. Ignition burns stained the white bandages, but they paled in comparison to the blood. It came out in a large burst, covering the floor behind him in a deep shade of dark red and staining his clothing with their murkiness.
Ichika felt his breath hike up on his throat. He had just seen a man murdered in a fit of rage, something he thought he'd never see anywhere except dramatic TV shows. He wanted to vomit, to run out of here right now and never look back. It was only his sister's warning that kept him from doing so.
Oh God, he needed to get Laura and himself out of here now. He needed to-
"- Make your first shot count. You won't get a second."
...Huh?
Joshua's body didn't slump down as life left him, nor did his posture even change at all. The only indication that he even got shot was that he flinched slightly from the impact. Other than that, he looked no worse for the wear.
Everyone in the bar, even Chifuyu, went slack jawed as he continued talking like nothing happened. The blood still stained the floor behind him and the bullet had obviously passed through, and yet he stood there as if nothing had happened. Ichika felt his breath come back to him and the urge to vomit go down. He didn't witness a killing after all.
Beside Chifuyu, Clarissa was giggling to herself, "I told you he could take shots to the head! Ha, you owe me a fifty Euro's for that!"
Shaking in surprise, Frank tried to fire a shot a second time, but Joshua grabbed his gun and pulled it towards him, making Frank lose his grip on it. With quick precision, he took out the magazine and disassembled the barrel, leaving the gun in pieces.
"I told you that you wouldn't get a second shot." He grabbed Frank and punched him hard in the gut, causing blood to spew out of the unfortunate man's mouth. Frank's friends, seeing this, stood up from their tables and made their way towards the two of them, hands on their holsters. The rest of the bar patrons were getting antsy as well.
Chifuyu pushed Ichika forward, "Ichika, go now. Take Laura out and meet us back here after a couple of hours. We should be done by then."
"R...Right." Nodding quickly, and praying to whatever God there was that nobody would get seriously hurt, he grabbed Laura by the hand and dragged her over to the exit. This was going to be the last time he ever visited a bar.
"Ichika, shouldn't we go back to the bar already?"
"It's only been half an hour."
Just after the two of them managed to get out of the bar, the sounds of falling tables and gunshots rang out. Oddly enough, no one in the street even gave it a second glance or quizzical look. It was as if they were used to it.
After barely managing to avoid the brawl, he explained the situation to the recently recovered (from what?) Laura. Surprisingly, she accepted the explanation without any suspicion or further questions. With that finished, the two of them took to exploring around the town for anything to distract them.
Much to his relief, Laura's mood seemed to have improved ever since the little incident earlier. She was no longer scowling constantly and she didn't even ask questions as to why he was holding her hand. It was only because he wanted to make sure neither of them got lost, not that her skin was soft or anything.
"Does it really have to be 2 hours? I'm sure I could be of some help there."
Ichika sweatdropped at her muttering, "I'm sure you would, but I don't think she wants to cause any unnecessary damage to anyone. That place looked really expensive."
"By the way, what happened to my knife?" Laura asked him.
"Oh, she took it earlier when she saw Mr. Joshua get threatened by that guy, " She gave him a questioning look, "It happened while you were staring at the wall for some reason. I think you should find a new knife if you get the chance. Weapons she borrows tend to break...lot."
"What? But that was my best knife! The foregrip was especially built for someone of my build and the blade could cut with the smallest touch. Oh, why did I have to take that knife out today? I really should've gotten one of the older one's instead."
Was a knife really that important to her? She acted like she lost the only remaining picture of her family left or something as drastic. It wasn't like a knife couldn't be bought with a new one- Hold on, that gave him an idea.
"Hey, Laura could you stay here for a second?"
"Why?" She gave him a quizzical look and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I haven't gone to the bathroom since earlier and I really go t go. Guys and girls don't go at the same time here, do they?"
"D-D-Don't be stupid!" Her face blushed red, she shook her hand off from him and looked away, "Just don't take too long. I don't like being in the open like this. It feels like I'm going to get attacked at any second."
Giving his confirmation, he turned from the side path and made his way around the corner. Instead of making his way to the bathroom, however, he doubled back and made his way to the stalls and vendors from earlier.
Ever since they'd gotten out of the bar, people started emptying out of the streets, the vendors included. It probably had something to do with the sounds of thunder that echoed near constantly the past half hour along with the slight drops of rain that were beginning to fall. He just hoped that the guy was still there by the time he- Yup, he was.
The vendor looked absolutely miserable. No one had bought anything from the shop the whole day and he was getting desperate. At this rate, he wouldn't be eating anything tonight again.
"Excuse me, how much for this knife?"
...Was someone talking to him? No, it must be his imagination. No one would be stupid enough to buy anything from him. Why did he think it was a good idea to set up shop in a remote place like this? He should've listened to his mom and taken that delivery boy job.
"Um...I'll just leave about...200 euro's here. That should be enough, right?"
He didn't reply, convinced it was just some kind of illusion his desperate mind was playing on him. With a last glance at him, Ichika made his way back, pocketing the knife in the process. Thankfully, it was a retractable knife, so he didn't have to worry about getting his leg cut up. Good thing Chifuyu told him to pack his money just in case.
Great, this was perfect! Most girls would want chocolates or flowers as a present, but Laura wasn't like most normal girls he knew. To start with, most girls wouldn't be stressing so much about losing a knife. Alright, it looks like things were finally starting to go his way.
*KA-TOOM*
...He really shouldn't have said that.
The sound of thunder boomed louder and the clouds, already a dark shade because of the time, turned even darker. The light drizzle had turned into an all out rain shower with harsh winds accompanying them. How the hell did the storm come so fast? It was just barely drizzling a few seconds ago. He didn't have time to think on that now, he had to go and get back to Laura.
"Laura!" The wind made it hard to see anything and his clothes sticking to his body made running a pain, but he managed to find her without too much problems. She'd moved from her previous position and was taking shelter under a small canopied bench sticking out of the side of a building.
"Where were you!" She yelled as he made his way under the canopy and out of the rain, "You told me to wait for you and I got wet because of it! You better have a good explanation."
She was right about that. She was soaked from head to toe, and her hair currently came down to tangled wisps. With some degree of nervousness, he also saw that her shirt was wet and practically see-through. One of the downsides of wearing white clothing was that they practically became transparent after a little water.
He shook the water out of his hair before answering, "You think this is my fault? How the heck was I supposed to know that a freak storm would hit! I'm not psychic or anything." He scoffed.
"How long does it take one guy to go to the bathroom? It usually doesn't take 7 minutes to- Wait a minute," Uh-oh, she was getting scowly again. "You didn't go to the bathroom, did you? Tell me what you were doing or you'll...you'll regret!"
Despite her childish threat, he knew perfectly well what she was capable of whenever she got angry. He needed to change the subject, "I'll trade you an answer for an answer. Tell me something and I'll tell you something." He quickly blurted out.
"Fine, but you have to go first!"
"How do I know you're not just going to storm off once I tell you? No, it'll be better if I ask first and then you ask second."
"I could ask you the same question. How do I know you won't just run after I answer what you want to know?" She replied back, full of suspicion.
"I'm not stupid," He pointedly ignored the 'oh really?' stare she gave him, "You're the super soldier here, not me. If you don't answer, the best I can do is try to force you, which will most likely end with me getting hurt very painfully. If I don't answer...well, let's just say I don't think my bones can bend very well."
She took a moment to think about it. He did make a good argument, and what he did must have been extremely personal if he had to do this little trade with her for it. After much deliberation, she agreed to his terms. She couldn't see any way this would backfire on her.
"Okay...tell me why you kissed me."
...Except that. Damn it. With everything that was going on, she had completely forgotten about that little (yeah right) incident.
She had to refuse it, "N-N-No deal, ask something-"
"No way!" He stood up and placed his arms at her shoulders, looking her in the eye, "I need to know why you did it. I know you Laura, you're not the type of person to do something like this without a good reason."
"You-You don't know me!" She denied hotly.
"Yes I do! I know you better than anyone else at that camp!" He looked away, unable to look at her shocked expression, "I know you try to make it seem like you're the perfect soldier, and that there's nothing more to you than that. But I've seen how you act and there's something else there, something that shows me that you're not just some stone cold experiment like you try to make it seem like you are. I want to know your reason."
"I can't tell you!" She bit out angrily.
"Why not? There's nothing stopping you from-"
"Because I don't know why I did it!"
The lightning that boomed in the background would be an accurate description of Ichika's reaction. He let go of her shoulders and slumped back into the seat beside her, his water matted hair hiding his expression from her.
"What do you mean you don't know?" His voice was laced with disbelief, as if he couldn't understand what he had just heard.
"That's...exactly it." She said lamely, "Ichika, I may not be a clone, but I was raised as a soldier. I can explain to a general how to ricochet a bullet at 100 yards, but this...this is something different. I can't explain it and whenever I think about it my head starts aching and something my heart starts beating so fast I'm surprised I'm not getting shot at."
"...Let's narrow it down then: How do you feel about me?"
"That's a difficult thing to answer. When I look at you, half of me is screaming that you're pathetic and that I shouldn't bother wasting my time with you. That I would better spend my time training by myself and that you're only slowing me down." She answered honestly.
"And the other half?" He hesitated to ask.
"That I should be glad you're here. That there's been no one else who's ever tried to get close to me no matter how much I push you away and that I should appreciate that. That I should trust you because, no matter your flaws, you've given me no reason not to. That I should ignore what protocol tells me and make my own decisions about you."
It was pathetic. She was pathetic. Why was she so confused? Everything about her life, down to the smallest detail, should've been set the day she was bo- created. Now she was having second thoughts about everything. She was a failure both as a person and as a soldier.
"Laura...I'm sorry." He suddenly apologized.
"H-Huh? No!" She looked at him with surprise and shook her head dejectedly, "You're not the one at fault here, I am. I won't let you take the blame for-"
"Not for that," He held his left hand out and cupped her chin gently, raising her head up to meet his, "For this."
She didn't have to ask what he was going to do. In a couple of seconds, the distance between them shortened and their lips met for the second time that night. Despite the fact that the two of them were soaked to the bone with water, and that their clothes clung to their body like uncomfortable leeches, the kiss was no less perfect.
She could've fought him off, but she didn't. The same euphoria that had spread all over her body the first time she kissed him re-appeared again. The kiss was gentle and soft, nothing like the one she had done to him earlier. She wanted more.
Just as she was about to deepen the kiss, Ichika pulled away and looked away, face dyed red.
"Sorry about that, I couldn't help myself..." He managed to say out breathlessly.
"It's...alright." Her face was steaming, a far cry from the lower key blush that Ichika sported. She couldn't admit it to him, but she wanted to push it deeper. One half was winning over the other, and she didn't like it, "Ichika...we have to stop doing this." She forced herself to say, "I'm a soldier, so I'm not used to these kinds of things. This...kissing and relationship stuff is a complete mystery to me."
It was the honest truth. Making friends, let alone lovers, was something completely alien to her. The closest thing that came to camaraderie for her were helping any allies she had during combat situations, and even then she was taught to leave them behind if they compromised the mission.
"...And what if I said I didn't care about that?" Ichika gave a small smile at her look of indignation.
"D-Didn't you hear me! It-It won't work out, it never will! You're better off forgetting that this ever happened and looking for someone else."
"I'm saying that I'm willing to try!" She jumped slightly at the intensity of his voice, "If Chifuyu-nee taught me anything, it's that I should try to work for something if I really want to appreciate it. It might not be the best right now, but it'll get better as long as the two of us try!"
She couldn't believe this, but she was actually considering it! This was an attack! An attack on her sanity! That must be it! She had to take this slowly and carefully.
"A-Are you sure about this? I'm not sure it'll work out if we-"
He held her shaking hands and leaned in closer again. She thought he was going to kiss her again and unconsciously puckered her lips in anticipation. He didn't. Instead, he went even closer and pressed his mouth close to her ear, so close that she could feel every breath he took.
"I'm sure."
When...When did his voice get so seductive? She was starting to feel lightheaded and every breath just clouded her head even more.
"O-Okay." She tried to keep the redness from her face, "I...suppose we can try it for now. But-But we stop when I say we do, got it!"
"Crystal clear," Ichika smiled and placed his hands in his jeans pockets, taking out the small knife he bought earlier and holding it out to her, "Here, this is for you. To answer your question: I was out buying this earlier when I said I was going to the bathroom. You seemed really sad that your knife was gone, so I went ahead and bought you a new one."
Laura inspected the offered knife and inspected it carefully. The hilt was made of dark leather with golden lines at the edge. The blade, which normally retracted into the hilt, was crescent shaped and had jagged spikes at the outer edge. The size was just perfect for her and the retractability would allow her to hide it if she needed it.
"It's...beautiful." She commented awkwardly.
"Haha, think of it as our official 'going out' present." Her face flushed crimson again when she heard the heard 'going out'. That's right, Ichika was her B-B-Boyfriend now.
"H-Hey, I said that we stop when I say so! Th-This isn't permanent or anything!" She asserted.
This was just a temporary thing. Once he saw she was more trouble than she was worth, he would declare his surrender and she would have to accept it. She knew this couldn't last forever, nothing did. She'd give him a week or two before he decided to call it quits.
"Whatever you say." She was going to assert it again till his hands cupped the sides of her face and pulled her closer, "Now, where were we?"
In the meantime, there was nothing stopping her from getting the benefits of this temporary relationship.
Omake:
The bar was a mess. Tables were flipped over, bottles of drinks lay smashed on the ground, and the bodies of drunk patrons were in various positions throughout the floor. The bartender from earlier picked up one of the bottles and looked at it distastefully.
" God damn it, Joshua, I told you not to make any trouble!" He scowled and dumped the moonshine in the waste bin, "You told me that saving those tribal's on Zion International park was the end of it. I didn't get out of New Vegas just so I can get roped into more fighting around here."
" Do not use the Lord's name in vain," Oh, he really wanted to smack that bible out of his hands, "To answer your question, Courier, would you rather I let that girl get taken? That she be sacrificed simply because you didn't want to gather attention to yourself?"
That lecture rang hollow considering he was sitting next to the woman from earlier, Clarissa, and didn't even look up from his own bible.
"That's not what I'm saying and you know it." He grunted slightly as he picked up one of the knocked out cops and tossed him out the front door, "You could have just knocked him out without performing your little 'Implacable Man' act. Seriously, getting shot in the head just makes everyone curious and antsy. By the way, stop calling me Courier! We've known each other for a year now and you still haven't called me by name at all."
Joshua shrugged, "I needed to give him fair warning before I attacked him. Was it not you who taught me that patience and mercy came before fighting?" Oh no, he was using that against him? Come on! "And the reason I call you Courier is because you are both the messenger and the message. To call you anything else would be disrespectful."
'Courier' raised his hands up in annoyance, "You know what? I give up. Have fun with your date and everything. I need to sit down for a minute or 5."
He couldn't see his lips, but he could swear the annoying little mummy was grinning as Clarissa scooted closer to him and giggled. What did girls see in people like that? Were over religious sharpshooters all the rage now or something?
He sat down at one of the few upright tables and placed his arms on his head, sighing. The damages to the place wouldn't be too expensive, but he'd have to close up shop for at least a couple of days to fix everything up and replace all the alcohol that got smashed. Still, it beat running around a wasteland trying to solve everyone's problems.
"Is Clarissa going to be okay with your friend?" Chifuyu wiped her blood soaked hands and sat down next to him, "I really didn't believe her when she said that he could get shot in the head a few times. Guess I was wrong." She shrugged.
"She'll be fine. Joshua may not be the most normal person, but he's a good guy deep...really deep down."
The two of them stayed quiet and stared at their two friends 'romantic moment'. Neither of them felt very happy since they had to do most of the fighting on account of Clarissa being too drunk and Joshua opting to kill everyone who attacked him. They really needed to get out of here.
"Hey, want to leave them alone?" Chifuyu asked him.
He was about to say no till he saw Clarissa start to unwrap the bandages on Joshua's face; that caused him to do a full 180. Well, that and increase his urge to vomit.
"Sure, I know a good place to eat around here. Let's leave the two...lovebirds alone."
Longer than most chapters, but I didn't have much of a choice. This is the milestone chapter since the end is coming now that their relationship has advanced. As mentioned before, the next chapter will be filler fluff now that they're officially Boyfriend/Girlfriend.
Wish me luck!