DISCLAIMER: Seriously, if I owned Halo, do you really think I would be here? No, and you know why? Because I would be busy making this crap canon. Well, that and rolling in my giant stacks of money.
REVIEW RESPONSES:
Halloween265: Thank you.
"blupin12": I'll think about it. Neither of those names seem like they really fit Six, but I will consider them and I appreciate your input.
Karl-591: Remember that nobody knows that the MC is running around on said giant hula-hoop. So why wouldn't they go visit some museums? Six wanted K'tal to learn a bit about human culture and history, and a museum is the quickest, easiest way for them to do so, as has already been said.
Manga154: That's easy to answer, because there is pretty much no way in hell that they are genetically compatible, so chances of them having a kid would be almost non-existent.
FireWolfFred: Indeed, you would not believe the number of plot ideas I have bouncing around, just from reading other fanfictions.
"Invader Jrek": Yeah... I know. I am surprised that you didn't notice the not-very-subtle hints I dropped in previous chapters, though.
" ": Thank you. But please check your spelling next time; that was a rather disturbing typo.
douchiesnacks: Thank you.
Spiny97: Yeah... That's not going to happen, rest assured. That would be unbelievably awkward.
ArbiterLover: Thanks.
Ninja named Steve: I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on that point. I personally feel that it makes Noble Team more balanced gender-wise to have Six as a girl. In my opinion guy Six just feels like a Master Chief clone. If you want to read a story where Six is a guy and survives Reach, read Noble Wars, by Leader of Wolf Pack. It is the story I actually drew my inspiration from, and is quite good.
A/N: Well, last chapter had some mixed reception, what with K'tal confessing his feelings and all that jazz. Here's Chapter 7! Enjoy!
CHAPTER 7: REFLECTION
CAIRO STATION, SEPTEMBER 15, 2552, 1813 HOURS
K'TAL'S P.O.V.
K'tal punched the wall of his quarters. How could I be so stupid? he thought, raging internally at himself. After K'tal had confessed that he held feelings for her, Six had hardly said a word for the rest of the evening, and only then to call him to follow her and other such things. They had gone back to the airfield and gotten a Pelican ride back to the orbital platform. It had been a quiet flight back, as K'tal thought over what had happened, and Six presumably did the same.
He replayed the scene in his mind again, as he had done dozens of times already. The man slandering Six, acting like she was an object. The overwhelming rush of purely instinctual protective rage. The dark, primal pleasure of slowly crushing the man's throat, of feeling him squirm like a gutted Doarmir in his grasp. The need, the desire to kill him, to rip and tear at his body with tooth and claw. The return to reality, Six snapping him out of the haze of mindless anger. The confession.
WHY? Why did I lose control of myself like that?
Obviously, came the snide answer from another part of his mind, It was because you want her. You see her as yours on an instinctual level. Hypocrite.
I... I could not control myself. I wanted to kill that human. And not with my blades, not in any civilized way. I wanted to rip and tear at him like an animal would... Why?
Instinct. It is how your ancestors survived, and it will always dictate how you act, one way or another. Instinct will always trump common sense, control, and good reason. You know this.
Should I go apologize to Six for my actions? It is my fault, what happened; I should not have dropped a revelation like that on her.
No. You know she needs time and space to process what happened. It is what anyone would need. You don't need anyone to tell you that.
I thought there was something there, between us. A connection.
There is. It just wasn't what you thought, and maybe never will be. Six is different. She trusts you, believes you have changed where others have not. She is, however, likely of the opinion that you simply pine for the company of other Sangheili, and have gravitated toward that which is most similar to them: her. You see some of the same qualities in her as in a Sangheili woman who is ideal mate-material, and so have latched onto that and allowed yourself to be blinded by instinct and emotion. If Six returns your feelings, she will say so in time. There is nothing you can do to influence her decision, you can merely accept her decision. If she rejects you, with luck, you will be able to keep the status quo in your relationship. If she reciprocates, you will not have to worry about that.
Thank you.
There was no response from the made-up voice. K'tal shook his head and sighed. Talking to himself; that was not a good sign.
He sat down heavily on his bed. Picking up his helmet, looking at the scarred surface, tracing the long, curved, years-old plasma scar. He thought of what it symbolized, what it made him seem like: a cold, faceless monster; a bogeyman; an enemy. But it was also something he could use to hide. It had allowed him, in his earlier years in the Covenant Spec Ops, to project an aura of unshakeable confidence, to bury his emotions under a mask and let no one know them.
Turning the helmet around in his grasp, K'tal slid it onto his head, locking it into place. He would not allow his loss of self-control ruin the working relationship he had with Six. He might not have any chance at being anything more meaningful than someone she worked with; but he would give Six time, and then attempt to salvage what he could of their relationship in any case. K'tal would be damned before he drove off the only human who would willingly interact with him because of some stupidity on his part.
...
CAIRO STATION, SEPTEMBER 16, 2552, 1030 HOURS
SIX'S P.O.V.
The rhythmic thuds of heavy strikes impacting a punching bag echoed through Cairo Station's empty gym. Six worked out her frustration on the bag as she thought over what had happened the night before. She had not expected what K'tal had said at all. However, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. He had rescued her from the Covenant's clutches and turned his back on all he had ever known, all without any clear reason. He had visited her several times while she had been recovering, not staying long each time but staying long enough to ensure she was alright, again without any real reason. He had shown a highly protective side toward her, expressing thinly veiled hostility at any who seemed, to him at least, to be a threat to her. He had nearly killed a man for his attitude toward her, something that seemed out of place, based on how much self-restraint he seemed to be exercising at all times.
Minutes later, Six was standing in the locker room, looking at herself in the mirror. Why would he be interested in her? She had never really thought or cared about whether she could be considered attractive or desirable, and, looking in the mirror, she still didn't know. Features that were almost elfin; expressive, brown, slightly angular eyes, showing her Asian ancestry; short, messy dark hair contrasting with the pallor she had from being in armour at almost all times. She might've looked delicate, if not for her scars. One ran the length of her jaw line on the left side of her face, ending at her chin; the other along her cheekbone on the opposite side, before curving down across her cheek, toward her jaw. The last one was small, only about an inch long, and was just below her left eye. They showed her for the soldier she really was.
But why would he have any sort of interest in her? She had no answer. Perhaps he just thought he was interested in her out of loneliness. There certainly weren't any females of his species around, and she was the only female he ever interacted with on a regular basis. Perhaps that was it, though perhaps not.
Only one thing was certain. She was getting answers the next time she saw K'tal.
A/N: Sorry about how short this chapter is compared to the wait time. I am having some fairly bad writer's block over on this end, for which I would like to apologize. Once I am onto the events of Halo 2 and have a solid framework to write with, plus, I hopefully will have managed to finish up this relationship stuff by then and do what I am actually good at - brutal combat! Yay!
On another note, have you guys seen the Halo 4 trailer? Wooooo, I'm psyched! Seriously, it is effing EPIC, and those of you who haven't watched it yet, need to, RIGHT NOW! Looks like 343 Industries isn't pissing around.