-A Touch-

Later that evening, I got a good look at Nahashi's room and cringed, not envying whoever got the job of cleaning up the sticky, chocolaty coat all of Nahashi's belongings had acquired.

I had just stepped out of the shower, and the smell of whatever Lola was cooking made my stomach growl. Following my nose, I started down the hallway that led between our room, Nahashi's and the bathroom to the kitchen…

… To run directly into Lucia.

Predictably, the towel I had wrapped around me floated to the floor.

And now I knew how a silence could be considered heavy.

"Sumire"—her voice was a bit higher than it normally was, gaze averted—"Watch where you're going." Quickly, I retied my towel, my face on fire.

Before I could even stammer an apology, there was an explosion from the kitchen, followed by the smell of something burning.

Lucia and I traded a look before rushing towards the origin of the smell.

"Owie…" Lola groaned.

She was clutching her head when we came in, her front covered in soot. I felt the anger radiating off of Lucia and cringed.

"What have you done?!"

Lola looked up, somehow managing to smirk at me without the infuriated Virus hunter noticing her, and whined pitifully, "Dinner was going great. I added some spices aaannnd boom!"

Lucia's eye narrowed, "Show me the spices."

The younger girl rose unsteadily and tottered to one of the cabinets near the doorway to the dining room and Lucia groaned before she could even pull anything out, "Those are Nahashi's things! How on Earth could you mistake them for cooking stuff?"

My heart went out to Lola, who cringed away from Lucia's tone. "Lucia, it was an honest mistake. Relax."

Then, the full intensity of her gaze was on me and I took a step back.

"An 'honest mistake'?! This is the second room she's totally trashed! I swear…"

She trailed off, turning on her heels and storming out of the room, blue hair streaming behind her. "I'm going to bed. Disturb me and I won't hesitate to shoot."

I sighed, half relieved that I had made it out alive, half disappointed that Lucia was escaping again.

"… That was an honest mistake, right?" I asked, still unsure of what the smirk had meant.

Lola smiled innocently, "Of course, Sumire. Why would I want to add even more problems to your current ones? I'll have this all cleaned up, don't you worry."

I ended up getting dressed—when I returned to my mine and Lucia's room for clothes, it was empty—and making a sandwich for dinner.

It was a little a later when I opened the door to our shared room and stepped inside. I was moving to my bed when I heard a gun cock and froze.

"Who's there?" Lucia hissed.

As far as I could see in the dark, she was rubbing her face with her forearm, something that gleamed—her gun—clenched in her right hand and pointing directly at me. Her voice was off—had she been crying?

"It's just me, Lucia-san"

"Sumire…"

Her tone wasn't angry—just defeated. It gave me the courage to move closer to her bed so that I could see her better in the dark.

"Are you ok?"

She made an angry sound, quickly turning away from me. "I'm fine."

But her shoulders were shaking, so I turned on the lamp on her bedside table and sat next to her on the bed, causing the scent of roses and tobacco to reach my nose.

"Hey…" Gingerly, I reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder—the first time I had made contact with Lucia for about a week now besides the run-in earlier. A jolt of electricity traveled up my arm though it was like touching marble, cold and unmoving.

"Why are you here?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you here? With me."

"You're my friend. Of course— "

"Hah!" She looked up now, cobalt orb glaring directly into my eyes. "That's what they all say in the beginning. And then, they leave. All of them."

Oh, Lucia…

I pulled her to me, hugging her close; she went stiff at first, then relaxed, burying her face in my neck.

"Is… is that what's been bothering you all this time?"

"No."

Encouragingly, I ran my free hand through her hair, until:

"Why don't you hate me?"

I was honestly puzzled. "Why would I?"

"My eye—I lost control and that light…"

Oh, is that what happened when I passed out? Why would I hate Lucia for something she couldn't control? The idea seemed so ridiculous that I couldn't help but chuckle, causing Lucia to pull away from me so she could look at my face.

"Sorry." —I smiled at her—"It's just… why would I hate you for that? Do you hate me because I go completely Berserk sometimes?

She shook her head violently, "Of course not!"

"Well, there you go." I gave her a squeeze and, to both my surprise and pleasure, she hugged back. My heart jump-started.

Calm down, it's just a touch.

"Thank you, Sumire," she said quietly, her breath hot against my neck. "I'm glad you're my… friend."

Friend. I knew how hard it was for her to say that.

There was a pause for a moment in which Lucia simply rested her head on my shoulder and breathed, but as with all good things, it had to end at some point. Lucia pulled back, her porcelain cheeks a bit pinker than usual and said softly, "It's time for bed."

I nodded, embarrassed by my willingness to cling to the Virus hunter. "Oh, of course. Good night."

As I rose to leave, a cool hand caught my wrist. "Wait." I waited and Lucia's gaze dropped to the mauve sheets. "Do you mind… umm… sleeping with me tonight?"

I must have looked shocked because she actually blushed and said, "I meant in the same bed! You don't have to. I just…" –she met my gaze fully, a kind of loneliness in her eye that made my throat tighten—"Don't want to be alone right now."

I smiled, drawing her into another hug, "Of course, Lucia. I don't mind at all. In fact, I'd be glad to."

I snapped my mouth shut, horrified at what had just escaped my lips. Heat rushed to my face and I was sure my blush could have been seen even without the dim light.

And Lucia just laughed.

It was a quiet chuckle at first, but it quickly swelled into a musical trill that reminded me of wind chimes. I couldn't help but smile.

She wiped her eyes again, scootching over to give me more room. "You're a strange one, Sumire."

About an hour later, I was still awake, attempting to arrange my thoughts as I stared up at the ceiling.

What are my feelings for Lucia?

Seemingly out of the blue, the desire to foster a friendship with the stoic, blue-haired Virus Hunter had become a desire for something more meaningful—more intimate. Was it possible to fall in love with someone over night?

That sounded like something out of a fairytale…

I looked over at Lucia: she was sleeping peacefully, her expression one of the innocence that only came with sleep, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Beautiful.

Directing my attention to the ceiling again—not that there was much to look at—I closed my eyes.

/"Sumire."

Berserker was sitting on a wooden chair, her legs crossed at the ankles. She stared directly at me, her crimson eyes glowing.

"… What do you want from me?"

She rose, striding towards me. I tried to move away, but found I couldn't.

"It isn't what I want. It's what you want." She stopped in front of me, stooping so that our eyes met, her hand stroking my cheek. I flinched."What is it that you desire, Sumire? I can help you."

What? What did she mean?

"I speak of the human female, Lucia," Berserker purred, reading my mind. "You desire her, do you not?"

"D-desire?"

"Correct. I know a lot about desire, Sumire. Whether it is for power…" The stroking hand dropped from my cheek to the side of my neck. Suddenly, Berserker was too close and the fact that she looked exactly like me wasn't helping. My heart sped up."Or even lust for a warm body."

The hand slid around to the nape of my neck, tugging me forward and Berserker leaned in further. I was frozen.

She stopped when our lips were a mere centimeter apart and breathed, "You know where to find me."/

I awoke with a start.

On instinct, I flipped on the lamp on the bedside table; the clock hanging on the wall read 12am—an hour had passed. That dream…

Was it a dream? Or was Berserker speaking to me in the only way she could?

I shuddered, remembering the all too real feeling of her hand caressing my cheek—of her hot breath.

Beside me, Lucia stirred.

"… Sumire?"Her voice was heavy with sleep, her eye half open."What's wrong?"

"I had a"—nightmare?—"dream, Lucia-san. Nothing to worry about."

I knew my smile must have looked forced because Lucia sat up and wordlessly pulled me to her. I buried my face in her chest, wondering when she had become so comforting.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

I shook my head 'no', relishing in the warmth of her embrace. It then occurred to me just where I had chosen to bury my face; her night gown was pretty low.

Cue intense blush.

"I've been having troublesome dreams myself," Lucia admitted absently.

Curious, I looked up at her, hoping my cheeks were their normal shade. "What about? If you don't mind me asking," I added quickly.

Her gaze became distant as though she was dreaming again, "Being… attacked."

"Attacked?!"

"Mhmm. By you when you go Berserk."

The way she said it… was I just imagining the wistfulness in her tone?

"Anyway, you should get some rest. Lola—" There was that annoyed note that entered her voice any time she spoke about the young blonde girl. "—wanted you to continue your training with the Vaccine."

"And you trust her?"

"No," Lucia snorted, releasing me in favor of settling back under the covers, "But if we're living together for a while, I guess I'll just have to keep a close eye on her."

When I woke up the next morning, Lucia was pressed against me, one arm thrown around my waist. How I managed to extricate myself without her noticing, I'm not sure.

I had a feeling today would be a long day.

And it proved to be true: after a quick breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes that Lola had whipped up ("Breakfast is the most important meal of the day; can't have you falling over during testing!") we all filed through Nahashi's room, cautious of the layer of chocolate Lola had yet to get rid of. The lab was just as the older man had left it.

As it usually was when Nahashi was present, Lucia erected the necessary barriers and stepped into the white-tiled room (casting venomous glances at Lola every now and then) while I sat on the chair in the very center of the room, the newly repaired bracelet around my wrist.

Lola handed Lucia her gun, her expression all too pleased. "Alrighty, this one's first. A special mix of my own creation and it's sure to impress." With that, she was behind the windowed wall that allowed her to observe what was happening without actually being a part of it.

Lucia merely 'hmph'd and cocked the little silver weapon, pointing its barrel towards me. "Ready, Sumire?"

Bracing myself, I nodded.

'Bam!'

I had closed my eyes, I realized, because when I opened them, the white room spun around me. I didn't feel any different than usual, and would have said so, but I found my mouth wouldn't open.

"Sumire?" Lucia's voice sounded so far away. "How do you feel?"

All at once, I found myself standing; power made my veins hum- made the hair on the back of my neck raise. Where was all this power coming from?

Lola was telling Lucia about how potent this particular Vaccine was, but her voice was a dull buzz in my ears as I flexed my fingers, gaining a delicious thrill from the way Lucia glanced from her to me and took a step backwards.

She fears me. Good.

"Sumire, are you still in there?" Lucia tried again.

Whoa, where were these sadistic thoughts suddenly springing from? I shook my head fiercely, attempting to clear both my thoughts and the haze that had settled over my vision.

"Sumire?"

Again, I wasn't aware that I had moved. I was only aware of the end product: Lucia's warm body was beneath mine, her hands pinned at the wrists by my own. I was gazing into a cobalt orb that was partially fearful and partially something else I didn't recognize.

And all at once, Lola was tugging me off of her, whispering "Not now!" so that only I could hear. I didn't grasp the meaning of her words, just let her lead me back to the center of the room, sit me down, and push a bottle of water into my hands.

"What just happened?" I asked, after gulping down half of the bottle. The feeling of being all-powerful had died just as quickly as it had appeared. Part of me was disappointed… and it scared me.

"I'm not sure…" Lola trailed off and began muttering about altering the mixture, though her expression was pleased. "Tell me: what was the Vaccine like?"

An involuntary shudder ran through me and I hugged myself. "I'm not sure. I couldn't concentrate hard enough to try and see if I had any new abilities. But... "I bit my lip, glancing at Lucia. "I felt really powerful. And there were moments when I wasn't aware that my body had moved. I'm pretty sure I wasn't Berserk though."

"Blackout periods, hmm…"There was more muttering from the blonde as she moved away from me, back to the other side of the wall."Sit tight for a minute. I want to try something."

Like I had a choice? I doubted my legs would support me if I stood up.

We both watched as Lola started taking vials of colourful, un-labeled (It was a mystery how she and Nahashi seemed to know what was what) liquids from the shelves. She had begun mixing them together when a movement to right caught my attention. I turned my head: Lucia had her own bottle of water and was drinking deeply, her hand unsteady.

"Lucia."

Was it my imagination or had she flinched before lowering her drink?

"… Yeah?"

"Sorry."

She chuckled, the sound uneasy despite her usual stoic countenance. "No problem. I wasn't hurt and you feel fine, right?"

I nodded.

"Okay then."

Lola chose this moment to come the testing room with a shiny new bullet in her palm. She offered it to Lucia who hesitated. "What's this one?"

"Mostly the Fire Element with some Wind," Lola explained. "Should make her physically stronger as well as faster."

Lucia frowned slightly, but loaded the bullet, pointing the barrel of her gun at me. The motion made my heart speed with a mixture of worry and anticipation.

'Bam!'

This time, I slipped sideways, out of the chair.

Just before I hit the floor, a plume of warm air rose to cushion me, preventing any injury and adjusting my position so that I was sitting up again.

"Perfect!" Lola squealed.

I raised a hand, clenching it into a fist and the air around it warped like a mirage as a result of the heat that it gave off.

"Test-run time!" Lola sing-songed, already ushering me towards the lab's entrance. "C'mon, c'mon."

Lucia followed at a slower pace

The moment we were outside, the words were leaving my throat, "Wind, heed me", and I was airborne.

"Hold on," the blonde girl was calling from a hundred feet below me. "You can't just fly off!"

But I ignored her, performing a three hundred and sixty degree turn as I laughed.

Flight!

There was nothing in the world like the feeling of flight. You were so free; the wind in your face, pushing at your body, encouraging you to go even faster.

Just then, Lucia stepped out of Venus Vanguard, casting a wary glance to the air, and suddenly, an idea came to me.

I raised my right hand slowly, words of power welling from some unknown place within me in a whisper as I did so.

And Lucia rose with it.

Flight!

She didn't utter a sound, though she was pale as a sheet of paper by the time she became level with me—just kept her eye clenched shut.

The smell of her fear was delicious.

I winced at the unwanted thought, and smiled at my companion. "Welcome to the sky, Lucia. What do you think?"

When did I stop adding a 'san'?

"Er…"With the caution of someone handling a dangerous animal, the blue haired Virus Hunter opened her uncovered eye and looked around. For a moment, I thought I saw her gaze linger on me."It's… beautiful."

She was right. The sun was setting, colouring the sky pink and orange and red as it bid this side of the hemisphere good night. At the same time, you could see the moon, a faintly glowing orb that danced just above the rainbow the sun was creating; just waiting for it to set.

"What do you say we fly around for a bit," I asked, feeling unusually confident. "Check out the town from a birds-eye view? I can even test out the Fire Element." At the word 'Fire', a warm gust of air tossed our hair, causing Lucia to bob gently.

Lucia hesitated, and I could practically see the thoughts on her face as they crossed her mind.

Was I in control?

Could I handle this?

Did she trust me to carry her and not let her fall?

So I decided for her.

-End Chapter-