A sincere thank you to all the favourites, the alerts and the reviews. It really made me happy and all! :) Anyway, here's chapter two. Sorry if it took some time, I hope you all like it!

Le gasp. I was actually planning just a simple love story...but somehow...it...evolved...and...now it has turned to...the pile of words below. [points and goes into spasms] Maybe I just can't write a love story without all the hardships, but hardships do make love rewarding after all.

Curiosity

Robotics engineering was basically the toughest course in university. Feldt often witnessed others dropping out when their creations or projects failed. Personally, she would never give up trying until hers worked.

Feldt wrestled with the hunk of metal, panting as the components refused to budge the way she wanted it to. She sighed. Robotics engineering was the path she had chosen and she was no doubt better in it than most of the other students, but that didn't mean that she had absolutely mastered it. There were still so many things to learn, she couldn't even compete with –

"Ah!" The wiring system had somehow managed to tangle itself up. There was nothing else she could do but untangle it.

There was just no end to this. It had been four hours already and Feldt was beginning to tire out. The other students around her were uttering curses every five seconds. Feldt wanted to do the same thing, however, she did promise herself once that she would never swear, and this was not a time to go back on promises – even more so a promise she had made to herself.

"Hey. You seem to be struggling. Need any help?"

Feldt jumped, not used to being interrupted while in the middle of work.

"Uhm…I guess I could…use some. Sorry, but you are…?"

He grinned, emerald eyes bright and lively. "Lockon Stratos. Nice to meet you."

Feldt watched intently as this helpful stranger tinkered and worked his way around without breaking a sweat. He was helpful, coordinated and from what she could see, highly skilled. How was it that she had not spoke to him before?

"Hmm. Well, what would you know," he gave a whistle, "I just noticed something decent in this nifty little thing you're building. In fact, someone would be quite interested to see this."

With that, he turned around and hollered, "Setsuna! Come here for a second, would you?"

Feldt's stomach did a little leap as the previous encounter she had with Setsuna flashed in her mind.

"Wait – you know Setsuna?"

"Sure, why not? Guy's a genius."

Before she could even come up with a response, Setsuna walked up, looking as impassive as ever.

"S-Setsuna!"

And that was all she could say.

"Feldt Grace, Lockon Stratos."

"You still greet people in that way by calling out their full names, huh?" Lockon cheerily pointed out.

Feldt searched Setsuna's face for any indication of emotion. There was nothing that she could detect and she frowned, slightly disappointed.

"Anyway," Lockon continued, "check out what Feldt's building. Reckon you'd take a fancy."

Setsuna said nothing for a moment, but proceeded to examine the complex mass of nanotubes, muscle wires and huge power supply bulks. He ran his eyes over each wiring connection, scanning meticulously, making silent evaluations.

Finally, he stopped and looked up, dark eyes boring into hers.

"This is to be part of a Flag machine."

Feldt nodded, pleased that he knew what it was to be built for. "Uh…yes, it is. I once wrote a sequence code for it – it was in the papers. Apparently it worked well and they've requested me to build a custom Flag machine. They want me to encode it with the same sequence code – kept saying that it would be major leap for machine development."

"Well, that really is impressive," Lockon said, smiling warmly.

"It's just sequence codes – nothing big. Besides, Setsuna has achieved so much more."

Setsuna didn't react to the compliment.

"The power supply."

"Uh…what about it?" Feldt asked warily.

Lockon shook his head and sighed. "Setsuna, you really have to speak in full sentences if you want to convey your thoughts on things. Well, Feldt, what actually struck our curiosity would be on the power supply." He tapped the massive metal bulks for emphasis. "This power supply – what does it run on? It doesn't look like it's built for regular power sources like hydraulics or pneumatics."

"Well…actually…" Feldt fidgeted, unsure of what she should say.

If she told them her ideas, would they laugh at her?

She didn't want them to scorn or mock her like what the other girls always did – making fun of her pink hair, making fun of her.

More importantly, she didn't want Setsuna to look down on her.

Feldt cleared her throat. She really had to stop these negative thoughts sometimes. "Well, actually, I might want to try something new."

They waited for her to continue.

"I was…thinking that I could…use something else as a power source. Hydraulics tend to be messy, and nuclear fusion isn't exactly convenient. In fact…I was thinking of making something different. Like, say, finding a new energy source that's less costly and more easily obtained," she blurted out, feeling heat on her cheeks and immediately realizing that she was blushing.

In fact, Feldt was waiting for the laughter, but none came. It took her a few moments to realize that Lockon Stratos and Setsuna F. Seiei weren't laughing, but were actually taking her seriously.

"I see. Well then, Setsuna…" Lockon shot Setsuna a look. Setsuna nodded back in silent agreement.

"Did I say anything wrong?" Feldt asked.

Now she was worried. Were they angry about something?

"Oh, you didn't! Trust me, your idea is refreshing."

Feldt gave herself a mental shake. She knew she must have said something, for Lockon's laughter sounded slightly strained and Setsuna's eyes, if possible, turned a shade darker. They burned with a gripping intensity – and Feldt felt as if she was being pulled into those dark, endless orbs.

"What's going on here?" A sharp voice interrupted. Their lecturer, Ms. Mannequin, stood there with a fierce glare. "You all have better get back to your assignments; lunch break won't be here for another half hour!"

"They were just giving me a hand, Ms. Mannequin," Feldt answered politely, looking away from Setsuna's burning gaze.

Ms. Mannequin's softened at the sight of Feldt. She didn't know why Feldt took up robotics engineering in the first place, but she imagined that it would be hard, being different from others. "Is that so? Well, in that case, do carry on, but be reminded that lazing off is not allowed."

When Ms. Mannequin was finally out of sight, Feldt turned to the two with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry. Guess I have to continue working on with this."

She grabbed at some nearby tools and turned to her project, not wanting to face Setsuna – at least for now.

"Feldt Grace. Meet me at Room 703 after lecture."

With that, Setsuna walked away.

"W-what? Meet him? After lecture? At his room?"

Feldt certainly had no idea how to react to this. It was just too abrupt. Why was he doing this anyway? It didn't make sense. It wasn't like Setsuna to invite strangers over, not when he was classified as a solitary being.

Was he really that angry after all?

"Trust me, Feldt, he's not mad at you," Lockon said with a reassuring laugh, seemingly being able to read Feldt's facial expressions. "There's just really something important that he wants you to know, that's all."

Feldt was skeptical. "It wouldn't hurt to tell me now, would it?"

"Privacy is necessary."

"What would be so important to require such privacy?"

"Tell me, Feldt – have you ever known exactly what Setsuna's breakthroughs were, about the exact details of his achievements, his discoveries?"

Lockon was no longer laughing. It was a serious question, and one that Feldt considered deeply.

"…No," she said after a few moments of consideration. "I don't. In fact, no one really knows."

He winked. "Exactly. Now, there must be a reason for that, wouldn't you agree?"

"And how would my…project be related to all of these…?"

"Oh, it has everything to do with it."

He walked away with a chuckle, leaving Feldt in a sea of confusion – and in a desperate need of answers.

If Setsuna wanted to tell her something, she would definitely hear him out.

'M really sorry if this won't be turning out like a typical boy-meets-girls love story. ;x I decided to write something serious for this pairing after all, and though it doesn't seem very romantic for now, it will be. And, by the way, I'm not a robotics engineering student. Hell, I haven't even completed high school. So, apologies if some scientific terms are in the wrong placings - I tried to make it as realistic as possible.

Please read and review! It'd be much appreciated and would make my day go a whole lot brighter! ;)

-Anne