Conclusion
As the cracking stopped, the smoke started to clear. Everybody thought that the boy was dead. They thought the Gastrea had eaten him and the cracking sound was made by his bones.
Wait. Why wasn't he screaming? If he was attacked we would have at least heard a scream. (Shujin)
When the smoke disappeared, everyone watched in disbelief. Jun was unharmed and in frot of him stood a girl, his Initiator. Jun also looked with a shocked expression. He didn't expect this to happen either. Ann looked at him with her eyes wide open, sparkling from excitement.
"REALLY?! We're going to have dango?!"
The question hit everyone, even the people at HQ, like thunder.
"Yes, we are. Have I ever lied to you?" (Jun)
He took his shirt and put it on her back. She buttoned it up quickly.
"Now...help me get to the car. I cant stand up anymore." - Jun said and started falling.
Before he fell on the ground, she caught him and lifted him in her hands. She carried him towards the car. No one dared to move a muscle, they were afraid when they do something things might get scary again.
"Hey, Lili! Prepare new bandages, the wound started bleeding more." - he said and waved his hand.
"Don't move, you'll get hurt and you might drop my candy." (Ann)
She placed him on the ground next to the car. Bern flinched when she got up, he thought she would attack him again but instead she just stood next to Jun. Lili and Maki were the first that got to their senses. Maki rushed to take the first aid kit and a medicine shot for Ann, Lili on the other hand turned towards Jun.
"What were YOU thinking?! Rushing like that in without a weapon. I thought you were DEAD a few times!" - she shouted at him.
"I'm fine, aren't I?! I had to try and do something. If I havent done it, that man would have turned into a pancake!"
She noticed that Ann was frowning at her comments. Then Maki returned.
"We have to help Jun-san! It's not the time to be angry." (Maki)
She handed the first aid kit to Lili and went next to Ann.
"Are you OK? Nothing broken?" (Maki)
"Not even a scratch left!" - Ann said with a smile.
"Now, give me your hand. I'll give you the medicine shot." (Maki)
"NO! I don't like needles!" - she backed away like a little kid.
That calmed the rest of the people.
Looks like she has returned to normal. - Shujin thought and lowered his gun.
"Lower your weapons! It's OK, she is safe." - he told the others.
=== At HQ ===
"How is this possible?!" (Tendou)
"Ms. Muroto, do you have an explanation?" (Seitenshi)
"No. I don't have but I have a suggestion." (Muroto Sumire)
"What is it?" (Tendou)
"I have to make tests, so why don't you take her to my lab? After her partner is healed, ofcourse." (Sumire)
"That's outragious! What if she transforms comletely? What if this is temporary?!" (Tendou)
"We'll have someone to watch over the two. But even if we decide to put her in a cage against her own will, do you think we will manage? She's fine after recieving enough bullets to kill a stage 5, not to mention the wounds from the other weapons." (Sumire)
He looked with a tension in his face. He wanted to protest but he knew she was right.
"Then, after the boy is healed and gets out of the hospital, we'll send someone to take them to your lab. They are going to be watched by Promoter during that time." (Seitenshi)
"Thank you." - Sumire left.
"You know she was right, Tendou. There is no need to try and proove the opposite."
"Yes, Seitenshi-sama."
=== Back to the battlefield ===
"OWCH! Can't you be a bit more carefull?" - Jun asked Lili.
"It's your fault. You ran on your injured leg and made things worse. What were you thinking back then?"
"I'm sorry. I don't know why but I felt that this was the right thing to do." (Jun)
"Come on! This is good for you!" (Maki)
"NO, no, no, NOoooo! I hate needles!" (Ann)
Maki was chasing Ann, trying to give her the shot. The Promoters were still wary og her and kept their weapons close and loaded.
"I can't believe it. They are acting like nothing happened. Especially your Initiator. She transformed for a bit and turned back. Nothig like that happened before and she is calm. She sould be scared because it might happen again." - Shujin told Jun.
"She is usually like that. Nothing can make her worried or angry for too long."
She ran towards him and grabbed his hand.
"JUN! Help me! I don't want the needle!" (Ann)
"How long are you going to run? It won't do anything to you, it's just a needle. You took so much bullets a few minutes ago." (Jun)
"But needles are scary! I don't know why but they are scary. Especially when they are with medicine." (Ann)
"OK. Maki, leave her." (Jun)
"But this is good for her." (Maki)
"Don't worry. I'll do something about it later." (Jun)
"How exactly? With your leg injured like that." - Lili pointed at his leg.
Ann looked at him with concern.
"Are you sure you don't want me to?" (Ann)
"No, you don't need to do anything to Mr. Bern. It's fine to leave him be." (Jun)
"OK. How's your leg?" (Ann)
"It's hurt but it will heal in a few weeks." (Jun)
"Eeeh? A few weeks? Didn't you say we'll go and buy dango after the mission?" (Ann)
"I'm sorry but I have to go to the hospital for my leg to heal faster. When I can walk, we'll go and eat some."
She stared at his injured leg for a while and sat behind him. She hugged him from behind and whispered in his ear.
"This might hurt for a bit."
"Eh?" (Jun)
Then she bit him on the shoulder.
"HEY! What did you do?!" (Shujin)
The Promoters that saw this pointed their guns at her.
"STOP! Don't shoot!" - Lili stopped them.
Tssssssh...
From the place a thin smoke started comming. In a few seconds it stopped and Ann stopped biting him. The place she had bitten also healed the same way. Jun moved his leg.
"Ah!" - he said with a surprise and stood up.
"It's fine. It healed!" - he stomped a few times with his leg on the ground.
"Jun, you...Are you OK?" - Lili was worried.
"Yes, I'm fine."
The others were shocked. He was acting like something good happened. Doesn't he fear that he'll turn in a Gastrea because he was bitten?
"Now we can go and eat dango, right?" - Ann asked.
"You, what did you do?! He healed like that! Isn't he going to turn in a Gastrea?" (Shujin)
"No. I just made him heal." (Ann)
They were dumbfounded. She could do this?!
Then the help came. A few cars came and transported them to the hospital. When they reached Jun didn't go with the injured. His leg had healed. Instead he asked one of the nurses to give some clothes to Ann.
She can't stay with only my shirt 'till we go home.
The nurse gave her some hospital clotes they give to patients.
"Are you perhaps Jun Mozes Kurayami?" - a woman asked him.
"Yes, I am. And who might you be?"
"I am professor Muroto Sumire. Nice to finally meet you."
"Yyou are professor Muroto?! It's pleasure to meet you!" (Jun)
He stood up and bowed, Ann followed his example.
"Oh, it seems that your leg is fine." (Sumire)
"What do you mean?" (Jun)
At that time from behind a corner familliar to Jun faces appeared. They were Satomi and Enju.
"Oh, Satomi-kun. You came. It looks like your job won't be that long." - Sumire told him.
When he and Enju looked towars her, they ran quickly to see the situation.
"Good day Mr. Satomi, Enju-san." - Jun greeted them.
"Hello!" (Ann)
When they saw him bowing to them and the girl beside him they sighed.
"We heard about the accident and that you were hurt badly, so we were sent to watch over you two untill your leg is healed but it turns out you were fine. What did you use? Don't tell me you somehow got your hans on the experimental drug!" (Satomi)
"Experimental drug? What's that?" (Jun)
"Well, since you are fine, you should come with us to my lab for a checkup." (Sumire)
She turned around and gestured them to follow her. They did as she said. Lili and Maki tried to come too but were stopped by Satomi and Enju.
"You should stay here. Only they are to come, orders from HQ." (Satomi)
Lili and Maki stayed there. When Satomi and Enju caught up with Sumire and the other two, they were going in the elevator. In front of the hospital a limo was waiting for them. They got in and headed to professor Sumire's lab.
"They even provided a limo for this." (Satomi)
"Yeah, so luxurious." (Enju)
"Ah, Enju. This girl here helped you when you fell from that cliff." - Satomi pointed towards Ann.
"So it was you! Thank you verry much! My name is Enju, Aihara Enju. Nice to meet you." - she extended her hand.
"I'm Ann. Nice to meet you too."
They shook hands. Suddenly Ann turned her head and looked trough the window.
"Jun. The dango shop is near. Let's buy some!"
"Haah?" (Satomi)
"Why not? Driver, there is a dango shop e few metres in front of us. Stop there for a bit." (Sumire)
"Roger."
"Yay! Rentarou, let's also buy some dango!" (Enju)
"Wait! This isn't a field trip, we're on a mission!"
"Come on Satomi-kun. We're stopping either way." (Sumire)
They bought the dango and returned in the car. Not long after that they reached Prof. Muroto's lab.
"Wow. The door sure is strange." (Jun)
"Don't mind it." (Satomi)
"WOW! This door has Youkai on it! Can I touch it? Can I?"(Ann)
"Ann, we have work here. You can't!" (Jun)
"I don't mind her touching it, but after we're don with taking samples. After all there aren't many people that like this kind of things." (Sumire)
They entered and sat down.
"Well now, Jun-kun from what I know your leg should have been heavily injured but you are walking perfectly fine. How is it that you can do it?" (Sumire)
"To tell you the truth I don't know. Ann healed me in order to go and eat dango."
"Just for that?"
"Yes." (Ann)
"Hmm, that is surely strange. I'll have to take blood from the two of you." - Sumire fot up and got two hypos. At the sight of the needle, Ann hid behind Jun.
"Again? There is nothing dangerous about it." - Jun gave his hand to Sumire.
She took some of his blood and but it into a capsule for testing.
"See. I'm fine." (Jun)
"It's not that scary. I get shots every day without being afraid but you can't? What's up with you?" (Enju)
When she heard Enju's remark, Ann took a deep breath and gave her hand to Sumire. She quickly took her blood and put it for testing.
"See now! I did it! Serves you right Chacha!" (Ann)
"My name isn't Chacha! It's Enju!"
"Huh?" (Ann)
"What is it Ann?" (Jun)
"It's nothing." (Ann)
"OK, if you say so." (Jun)
Why did I call her Chacha? Who is Chacha? - Ann thought.
=== After the tests were ready ===
"Looking at your results Jun-kun, you are fune. You won't turn in a Gastrea but the strange thing is that inside your blood was a substance that has the same effect as the experimental drug but with 0% chance of turning you into a Gastrea." (Sumire)
"Oh, I see." (Jun)
"Your reaction isn't big." (Enju)
"Because I trust Ann. I know she won't do anything to me."
"We have a little time before her test is ready, so we can talk." (Sumire)
"If the substance in his blood is better than the experimental drug, why don't you try and replicate it?" (Satomi)
"Because it's impossible. It's absorbed by the cells verry quckly and disappears almost instantly. To tell you the truth it was luck that the machine found it but it wasn't enough to see from what it's made of. Our only chance is to make Ann-chan produce it again." (Sumire)
Beep!
"Oh, her test is ready." (Sumire)
"I still can't understand how it was possible. Neverthless we need to give her the medcine somehow. Even if it's for a bit more, we can't let her turn in a Gastrea." (Satomi)
"I'm sorry but she is probably verry close to the 50%, there is no way to reduce it right now." (Enju)
Prof. Sumire almost fell. Her hand was shaking. With a shocked face she looked at Ann, then at the resilt sheet, then again at Ann.
"What is it?" (Satomi)
"Amazing things do happen often nowdays." (Sumire)
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember what happened to Enju, when her percentage dropped drastically?" (Sumire)
"Yes." (Satomi)
"Well..." she was already more calm and headed towards them " according to the test results, Ann-chan's percentage is more than 50%. It's 100% to be exact." (Sumire)
"Don't joke around! This isn't possible! She should be a Gastrea if that was true!" (Satomi)
He took the sheet and saw that she was telling the truth.
"She shouldn't even be able to look human. Not to mention talking to us." - Satomi looked at her.
"From where are you?" - he asked the girl.
"Don't know. I've been to many places. I'm living with Jun now."
"Do you realize that you should be a Gastrea when we look at the results." (Satomi)
"Gastrea?" (Ann)
"The monsters we fought, don't you remember?" (Jun)
"Oh, then I'm a Gastrea." (Ann)
They facepalmed.
How can she say it like that? Is she stupid? - (Rentarou)
No one expected what she told after that.
"I still don't understand why they were scared because my arm transformed. Enju also partally transformed too, isn't it normal?"
"What did you say?" (Sumire)
"When I foun Enju, she started transforming so I bit her and turned her back. I didn't want to hurt her because she had faited."
"So you were the reason." (Satomi)
"Yes, I sucked most of it but not everything so you don't need to worry." (Ann)
"Thank you about that, if it wasn't you she would have been gone by now. Can you really remove all the virus?" (Satomi)
"Yyes." (Ann)
"Can you do it again?" (Enju)
"Wait! We have to think about things for now, there is no need to rush. That reminds me, you were somewhere when Jun-kun and Satomi-kun fought together. Do you know what happened to the stage 4 Gastrea." (Sumire)
She showed a picture of the Gastrea that Satomi had to kill.
"Ah, I went in the forest because of it. It was a threat so I killed it." - Ann answered.
"So it was you? I can't believe you said it just like that." (Satomi)
"For now we can do more tests, HQ gave us time. They won't tell anyone about it." (Sumire)
"Can we go home now? It's kinda late."(Jun)
"Yes, after one last question. Ann-chan, how and why did you transform back to human? If you don't know, you don't need to tell us." (Sumire)
"That time I stopped because Jun told me. I promised to listen to him. As to how I transformed, I did it like I always did it." (Ann)
"Like you always do?! You mean to tell me you can do it on a whim." (Satomi)
"Yes."
She lifted her hand higher and with light popping her hand extended a bit, scales appeared on it and the claws grew again. They were surprised.
"I have to take saple from this too. Can I?" -Sumire asked.
"OK." (Ann)
She chipped some of the scales off and put them on the table. Then she grabbed one of the claws and pulled it. With a plop, the claw got out almost instantly. On it's place a new one grew quickly. Her hand then returned back to normal.
"You can now go home. We'll call you when we need you." - Satomi said as Jun and Ann were getting on the car.
"See you again!"
After a few more weeks of testing Prof. Sumire presented her data to the bord. This was kept secret from the public but was known to the Promoters. She kept a secret that Ann was a Gastrea and said that because of a genetic disorder she was able to do that. She soon presented the new drug made thanks to Ann and the people were pleased. There was no way to make a cure for the Gastrea virus but there was still a chance. Thanks to Ann's ability to remove the virus from the blood many lives were saved. She and Jun then got permission to travel to the other cities and help other people.
"It's time for us to go." - Jun said as he was heading towards the airport.
"I'm comming!" (Ann)
"Today our search starts. I'll definetely help you find the person you are searching for and find out about your past!"
"I believe you, Jun. And I'll protect you."
They got on the plane and left for their new destination.