So… I intended to make this just a oneshot, but somehow became a multi-chapter now… And it has been a 4-chapters story but I haven't seen the ending in my brain yet, so who knows how many chapters until I stop. I just hope this fic won't turn into a crap.

Please pardon my typo or grammar mistake. English is not my native language. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Refer to the first chapter's disclaimer, again.

Gossip

The Den, Morning

It wasn't like any other day in the Den. Usually the mood was serious without any excitement, but that wasn't the case today. Why you ask? It was because an idiot couple made themselves gossip material yesterday. Every God Eater from all units, event the retired ones, every operators and adiministrators, even the executive leaders in the Den, all talked about this young couple.

"Did you hear the news?" Kanon asked Hibari who was busy arranging today's missions in her usual station.

"Is it the news everybody talk about? I haven't heard it, just some tidbits about Soma and Riitsu hooking up?" The orange-haired operator then stopped doing her work and gave the pinkette her full attention. "So, what happened?"

"You won't believe it," Kanon said, adding the spice to the gossip. "I heard this from my friend who's a transporter, whose friend's a gate keeper, whose friend's a chopper rider, that Riitsu was being lovey dovey with Soma on Forgotten Carrier."

Hibari almost squaled, but held it and gulped. "Oh my God! Wh-what kind of lovey dovey were they?"

The medic shooter was about to tell Hibari but Gina suddenly popped out of nowhere and answered it in Kanon's stead. "People say they were looking at each other's eyes, then Riitsu leaned on his shoulder, and slept on his lap until they got back."

And that was it. Imagining that scene was enough for the operator girl to squeal, loud enough for the entire lobby to hear. "That's so sweet! To think that Soma doing something like that! And Riitsu was bold too! AAAW soo cute!"

"Well, I just heard that much, but I don't know what happened after that. Do you know, Kanon?"

"Y-yes, Gina! My friend said that they were picked up because it past their mission time and she slept all the way back in the jeep and all those time, Soma let her sleep on his lap and even picked her up bridal style to put her in her room!"

"Aaaw! Do you think they hooked up yet?"

"Naah… Knowing that Soma, maybe he'll just push her aside."

"But this is Riitsu we're talking about! If it's her, maybe they'll end up together! She always has a way with escaping death and friending everyone!"

And the girls continued their bickering and gossiping and predicting what would happen next in the future between those two. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of hazelnut brown eyes were timidly eyeing them from above the lounge. Those eyes were full of shame and confusion.

"It seems like you've made quite a name for yourself, leader," a Russian girl said to her deadly-embarrassed friend-leader, a little bit curious of what really happened, but mostly feeling sympathy toward her. "But are those true? After Kota and I left you, did you really being lovey-dovey with Soma?"

"I don't know!" the female leader quietly screamed while pulling her ponytail hair. "I just felt reeeaaaly tired after we defeated that damn Quadriga so I slept on his lap! I don't even know what happened after that! I just know I woke up on my bed with yesterday's clothes."

"Why don't you ask Soma?" Alisa suggested innocently.

"Are you kidding me? I can't even face him after I heard this rumor." Riitsu closed her eyes with a hand. "Why is this even happening? I need to calm myself…"

As if God answered her prayer, Lindow came to the lounge through the elevator. As soon as he saw his new-type rookies, he waved his hand and walk to them. "Yo rookie! Morning! Had your breakfast yet?"

"LINDOW!" Riitsu instantly leaped into her ex-leader's arm, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Whoa, slow down there, rookie. What's wrong?" asked Lindow as he pat her brown hair.

"She's been like this all morning because of the gossip about her and Soma," explained Alisa as she too, rose from her seat. "Do you know something about that rumor, Lindow?"

"I don't really know what was going on…, but I do saw Soma carrying her last night to her room. I thought she was sick or something but he said she was alright and left not saying anything." As Lindow said that, his tone was usual but if those girls paid attention to him a bit more, they might be able to see that Lindow held back his mouth to not say… something. A secret maybe?

The Russian new-type noticed it but Lindow's information flipped the switch in Alisa. The fangirl in Alisa finally beat her dignity and honor in her. The silver haired maiden then started to squeal and gambol around, like a goofball she wasn't.

"Even Alisa become like this…" cried Riitsu, feeling a bit betrayed. She whined again and hugged Lindow's aragami arm. "Uugh… What should I do now? If you were here right now, maybe you'll help me with this rumor."

Lindow continued to pat his successor, fully knowing that her complain was directed not to him, but the soul resting in his arm. "Now, now… I'm sure he doesn't want to see you brooding like this. Just give a week or so and the rumor will go away. It's always been like that."

"Really?" the female buster-blader looked up to Lindow, eyes as big as puppy's. "Do you…, do you think Soma's angry?"

"Annoyed, maybe, but not angry. Besides he did this to himself. If he wants to be angry, he should've been angry to himself for not waking you up," answered the Amamiya. His mind, however, were remembering something pleasant from last night's encounter with Soma that he started to unconsciously grinning like a madman. "He's not angry at all, believe me."

The Den, Veteran Section, Last Night

The blue hoodied young man just came out of his leader's room when he saw his ex-leader waiting, half observing. The air wasn't heavy, but certainly the older man demanded an explanation as he looked like he won't let Soma get into his room without elaborating of what events that led to the unusual scenery.

The raven-haired man deeply inhaled his cigarette, exhaled it slowly, and started to shoot a question with a dead-serious tone. "So, it's not every day that I see her asleep while being carried by you. So unless you want a chunk of my black feather in your throat, you better explain it. And it better because of something that not life threatening."

It was very not Lindow-like to be openly hostile to someone, not like his G-cups of a sister, but it couldn't be helped… Lindow's wish was simple, so that everyone around him can keep on living and maybe it was too much to wish for in that time and age, but he wanted them to live a happy long life. Obviously, seeing his cute female rookie, which he considered as his little sister from another parents, in an unconscious state like that had triggered his inner defensive instinct. What if anything happened to her? What if she would never wake up from her slumber?

And unfortunately, Soma wasn't helping to relieve his worry at all because after a minute or so, the buster-blader boy still hadn't said a single word. It made Lindow grew nervous every second but he knew that boy was getting there, he just needed some time.

Finally, Soma answered him. "She… mission…" But annoyingly his answer wasn't even louder than a whisper.

"What was that? I didn't catch you."

"She… after mission…" God, wasn't he frustrating enough with his constant brooding over nothing, now this?

"Soma, please. I'm not young anymore. My hearing isn't as good as it used to be."

"Tch, you talk like an old man. Fine." The younger one took a deep breath and as if he failed to hide it, a faint blush appeared on his tan cheeks. "She fell asleep after mission and we got picked up but she still stubbornly sleeping, damn hard to wake up, so I took her to her room just now. Happy? Nothing's wrong with her. Just her idiot habit of sleeping anywhere anytime."

Well what did you expect? Soma's answer truly caught Lindow off guard. He was thinking of something like she got hit by an aragami, got knocked out, and hadn't woken up since or something along those lines. Lindow knew his rookie had a bad habit of sleeping, heck all her life style seemed to be bad, but he didn't think she would be that stupid to sleep outside the walls.

"Really? That's good to hear then," he said, but his tone had this aura of curiosity. His guts told him that Soma didn't tell him the full story. Usually his guts hit the jackpot, otherwise he wouldn't lead the First unit all those years. "I'm sure you have something else to say about that, hm, Soma? She isn't that of an airhead to sleep at some random place where aragamis may attack anytime, so I'm pretty sure there's more to this story. Maybe someone was making her feel very very safe to sleep out there, someone like… you?"

That seemed to hit bull's eye because Soma practically jumped from where he stood, clearly avoiding eye contacts with his superior.

He was almost there to spill the beans, just needed a little bit push, so Lindow kept on prying. "So, it really was you. But I still don't get it. Why did she even sleep outside? Why not coming back to the Den first and hit the sack? And why, of all people like Alisa and Kota, you were the one who end up-"

"Damn you're annoying!" Soma finally burst, much to Lindow's wish. Lying to his comrade was always an option, one which would make Soma disgusted over himself if he did, so more or less, he was bound to tell the truth. "That Quadriga hit her good and we finished that damn mission but she stubbornly stayed to watch the sunset so I accompany her. Out of nowhere, she just fell asleep on my lap because she was tired from that monter's attack. That's it! What the hell were you hoping for?"

After explaining his part of the story, Soma went into his room, not wasting another breath, and closed his door with a loud bang. Lindow just stood there, a little bit taken aback of what he just heard. Did he… did he really hear that loner Soma being nice again to the rookie?

'That's it,' Lindow thought, silently making a mental note. 'There really is something going on between them, or at least something going on with Soma that involves Riitsu.'

He was about to close his and Sakuya's door, but a flash image of Soma's blushing face suddenly popped in his head. It was the first time Lindow saw that expression from Soma, and to think Riitsu was the one that made him so… Oh, how would they be if they got together?! With his arrogant lone wolf attitude and her clumsy yet cute but weird antics, they would be perfect for each other.

"Damn… Time really do fly fast. I hope they get hitched soon…"