Here's the new chapter! Thank you for reading and reviewing!

polymerase

"So Tsugumi, for today, you're just going to be manning Ayase", Jessica motioned towards a huge interface. The screen nearly reached the ceiling and the entire desk was filled with buttons. Jessica occupied a seat and put her headphones on. "I'll take care of Daryl and Shu. We're just trying to get you used to this thing again."

"Oh, I don't think I need retraining. I just need some practice to remember everything!" Tsugumi enthusiastically replied and gave her thumbs up.

Jessica warmly smiled as she opened up a window for the training center. "Ready Daryl? Shu?"

"Yeah. Yeah." That was such a bored response!

"Jessica? Do you think this is a good idea?" Shu nervously asked while his Endlave was slowly turning on.

"I don't know. It's not my idea. But don't be so worried; your helmet connects directly to your optic nerve so your eyes are not required to see. Also, it's only your mind that's moving the robot. If you're stuck, just ask Daryl or Ayase for help." Jessica reassured him as she pressed a few more buttons. "Starting the training session in three, two, one!"

Finally, a new light shone in Shu's world of darkness. This vision was only thinly obscured by screens showing targets and his data. But it was remarkable! The vivid colors that danced in his vision and the slight movement of the other robots surprised him. He greatly missed this sense; his sense of sight. He wanted nothing more but to enjoy this newly granted freedom...even if it was only temporary.

"Enjoying the view?" Jessica asked him through his set of hearing aid.

A tear trickled down his cheek. "Yeah."

Ayase maneuvered her Endlave next to him. "That's how I felt when I could finally move. I felt so much freer now that I wasn't restrained to a wheelchair. Isn't that such a good feeling Shu?"

"Yeah. Thanks Ayase."

Daryl groaned and wheeled in between the two close Endlaves, promptly separating Ayase and dragging her away. "I'd hate to-Actually, I love to break this stupid fling you have with him and start training."

"Unhand me you jerk!" Ayase screamed and punched his arm, prompting him to release her. She suddenly stood in a battle ready stance. "You wanna fight? Let's go!"

"Aya-nee! Careful!" Tsugumi yelled, fearful for her friend. She knew this was only training and Daryl could never hurt her friend...well...she hoped. But Daryl was a formidable force when in an Endlave. Tsugumi knew because she was manning the Endlave to fight him! And it took the teamwork of her and Ayase to take him down. Now it was only Ayase against him and Tsugumi had a good feeling he would try to give her a good beating.

On the other hand, Jessica seemed very calm as she watched the two Endlaves go at each other. She watched as the Endlaves attempted to butt into each other and draw out iron daggers and metal guns to shoot at each other. This was getting boring! Jessica switched to Shu, who helplessly stood in the corner, unsure of what to do.

"Shu! Do you have any trouble moving?" Jessica asked to the man.

"No. I can move fine." To prove it, he wheeled a little closer to the watch station. "But I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

Jessica shrugged, "Do whatever the hell you want. You're free to get accustomed to that Endlave or you can join the bash brothers over there." She nodded over to the fighting pair. "But if I were you, I'd try to get used to piloting that thing."

Shu grimaced as Daryl landed another blow on Ayase and she sounded like she was in much pain. He revved up all his engines and faced them, "Well I catch on fast!"

"Shu. Shu? Shu!"

Bewildered, she helplessly watched the third Endlave hurl himself into the fight. Tsugumi and Jessica already predicted the outcome and they quickly looked away, not wanting to witness the happenings of a dog pile. And it did happen. Poor Shu did not know how to stop at such a high velocity and he barreled right through Ayase and Daryl. Luckily, Daryl was quick enough to dodge and land perfectly on his feet.

"Shu! Where do you think you're touching?"

"I'm sorry!"

Daryl sighed and he rolled back to the pile, yanking Shu off of her. "You and me. One-on-one training. Tomorrow. Nine sharp. Got it?" Knowing he probably understood, Daryl then turned to Ayase. "And you, stop acting like such a crazy bitch!"

Ayase growled, "Look who's talking!" In a fit of anger and frustration, she gave a mean swing and plunked him in the head, getting a good yelp out of him.

Tsugumi and Jessica merely glanced at each other. Neither had much to say except...

"Bail out?"

"Bail out."

-GC-

Daryl groaned as he slumped back in his chair. After that tough, unruly training session he had yesterday, he had to go at it again with Shu. But Shu being Shu, there was this nasty habit of his where he easily caught up with the scheme of things. Really fast. Like really, really fast. Like it only took him about five minutes tops to catch up to Daryl. Instead of Daryl teaching him to move and shoot, he was trying to evade Shu as the guy pummeled at him. Sure, it would be easier to just kill the guy. But Tsugumi would kill him for it. And Ayase...he didn't even want to know! Trying to not think of that woman, he merely leaned back, closed his eyes, and thought of pretty things that kept him warm. Mainly involving a woman wearing cat ears...

Suddenly, a wave of wet and cold fabric melted into his face. It was soothing, clearing away all the sweat, but at the same time, so sudden! Daryl yelled in surprise and yanked the towel off.

Jessica cackled at his reaction. "The Major General is scared by a towel!"

"Do that again and I will kill you!" He angrily chucked the towel at her, hoping to hit her in the face as well.

But she merely dodged. "If you've forgotten, we have a job to do. Today, we're just transporting things out of GHQ and into our other bases. Will you get your head out of the clouds?" Ticked off, she tossed her electrical screen reader at him.

With ease, he caught her thin tablet between his fingers and he quickly skimmed the orders. "Why do we need to take some chemicals out of GHQ? It's not like they need more room for experiments. Most of our scientists are in the United States."

Jessica nodded, "That's precisely it. They discovered what the object was in California. It was a rock that probably came from a meteorite. It's emitting similar radioactive waves as the mysterious rock that landed here in Japan many years before."

"Personally, I think GHQ is being a little bit paranoid." Daryl pointed out. "Look! The United States is our allies so we shouldn't be so scared. They won't suddenly turn on us and try to take advantage of our previous experience."

"And I personally think people get fucked up when they have power. You should know. You were in GHQ while I was in the countryside." Jessica rolled her eyes and grabbed her tablet screen back. "As far as I know, this is a preventative measure. This assignment involves your little coffee shop since it's your personal base. So are you in or not? Or are you still daydreaming about Tsugumi?"

"Ah!" His mouth opened, but nothing came out of it. So Daryl embarrassingly shut his mouth and quietly looked away.

Luckily, Jessica got the picture. She sighed and sat down close next to him, like a close buddy consoling a friend in need. "What's your problem with her now?"

He grumbled, "Nothing's a problem."

"We've already established that you can't lie to me." Jessica immediately replied. "Are you unsatisfied? Or are you scared?"

"It's nothing and none of your business!"

"Unsatisfied cause she scared of touching you?" Jessica watched his shocked reaction and smiled. "I was right! You want her hands all over you!"

"Will you stop making this more awkward than it already is! Brat!" Daryl angrily hit her head and haughtily crossed his arms and looked away. "Besides…she saw firsthand what happens when somebody touches me. I don't think she wants that to happen to herself."

"What? This?" Jessica brought her finger up to the older man. She swiftly flicked his head, letting her nail softly brush against his hard forehead. This was not a weird feeling to her. She touched him many times before, mostly to annoy him though.

Daryl angrily rubbed his forehead. "Jessica! You brat! What was that for?"

"You know…" She wagged her flicking finger at him. "I really don't think your mysophobia is for real. You get mad, but you don't try to kill me whenever I touch you. So stop being so scared of getting close to people, okay?"

Daryl glared at her, promptly punched her in the arm, lightly to not hurt her but hard enough to annoy her, and he haughtily turned away. "You are such a nosy brat! You are so going to get it later."

Jessica rolled her cerulean blue eyes and huffed, "I'll ignore your threat and pretend you're going to give me a present later. But I have a present for you, for flicking you in the forehead all of a sudden." She waved a flyer in front of him.

"What is this?"

"A school festival." She pulled him up and pushed him out the door. "Go have fun or something. I'll handle this assignment alone. It can't be too hard. It's just moving stuff."

"A festival? Why are you not going?" Daryl suspiciously eyed her.

"Me and school festivals don't mix well. I rather not relive my last one." She shuddered, thinking of the disaster she caused…

"Then, why would I want to go to a festival full of brats younger than you?"

"Meet people?"

-GC-

Daryl paced himself going through this new high school. Jessica merely told him to have fun and sent him off. But this place was far from fun for him. He preferred fighting in fists, Endlaves, or guns over playing classroom games. Many girls swooned at him, beckoning the hot older man to come to their class. He merely ignored them. Seeing as they were younger than Jessica, he found it disgusting to date people younger than him or her. His dateable age limit would be about three years younger or older, give or take. Passing over those girls, he wandered through the hallways of this school. Everything was so brightly colored. Balloons, streamers, signs, everything was so colorful and bright. It made him sick. It's a good thing he was training for the military instead of doing this. It'd look weird, now that he thought about it; he can't picture himself in a school environment with people of the same age around him. He was always surrounded by people older than him and barking orders.

Daryl walked by another classroom. Inside, he spotted cups of coffee and cake. Waitresses walked around in animal costumes and waiters, who didn't want to degrade their manliness, they wore animal ears. A couple students were sitting down, having a drink, laughing. He mulled by the door. This cafe brought back many memories.

He remembered that school festival back in Loop 7. He remembered infiltrating the school and acting as a mole for GHQ. Now that was a good time…especially because he met her at an event like this.

"Hey! I never agreed to this!"

A panicked voice rang to him. Daryl suddenly took notice of a door opening at the side and people pushing out a single woman.

"Come on teacher!" The girl pulling on her arm yelled. "It's your last day so might as well go all out!"

"But Shisuzu-chan! I haven't worn this in such a long time!"

"And you still fit it! Come on! You look cute!"

And poor Tsugumi felt herself thrown into a new atmosphere. A cold wave of air brushed through her naked arms and the space between her thigh and socks. Her billowing maid dress only went down as a short skirt and her bodice felt unnaturally puffed up. Tsugumi nervously tinkered with the hem of her dress, not sure what to do now. She shyly looked up…only to find Daryl gagging at her, eyes wide open.

"D-D-Daryl! This! This is…" Tsugumi felt her head grow hot and she nervously thumbed her cat ears.

He recognized this outfit. She wore it at her festival in Loop 7. She looked cute…really cute. That was his first impression then and now. His fingers twitched suddenly, but he strained to hold them back.

"Um…" Tsugumi nervously stalled, staring down at her feet.

She didn't expect him to come! He looked so tired after training that she wanted him to sleep for the day. But, here he was, attending her last festival. And he looked so good in civilian clothing. He only wore a white dress shirt with black pants and black shoes. He also wore a pair of glasses, something she found very quirky and cute. She felt a sense of remembrance in those glasses; he wore them when they first met each other.

Tsugumi finally summoned up her courage and gazed on. "So…do you like it? Does it bring back memories?" A blush rose to her cheeks when she said those words, as if she wanted him to remember.

"That memory when you shoved an apple down my throat? Yeah…" He replied, but couldn't even look at her. How could he gaze at her without having a major nosebleed? "You…you look beautiful…"

"Thank you…um..." She nervously bit her lips. "What are you doing here? How did you know about this?"

"Jessica", he responded.

"Oh…" Of course! She invited Jessica! What kind of a question was that? Speaking of... "Where is Jessica?"

"She's back at the shop. She's just moving some stuff around." Daryl replied. "She apparently didn't want to come because school festivals aren't really her thing."

"Oh…" Well…at least she was polite. Tsugumi readily changed the subject. "Do you enjoy it here? Have you done much?"

"Not really, I just arrived."

"Oh!" She suddenly perked up while her students snickered behind her. "Why don't I get you some coffee? You must be thirsty!"

"Teacher! We're out of coffee beans!" One of them yelled.

Another followed suit. "Can you get some from the storage closet?"

Tsugumi angrily turned. "Hey! Isn't that your job?"

"I'll get it", Daryl said, hoping to put down this argument. He was about to walk away when he felt a tug on his shirt.

"Hold on! I'll come with you. You don't know how to get there anyways." Tsugumi smiled as she playfully pulled him along. Of course, she only held him by the fabric of his shirt, not his arm. She remembered very well. He did not like to be touched...even when she wanted to hold his hand to make this less awkward. Tsugumi led him down an empty corridor and opened the storage door. "The coffee beans should be on the top shelf." She pointed up.

"Alright", Daryl responded and proceeded to climb up a stool and reach for it. It was not that far. The glass jar of beans was definitely within his reach. But, in a clumsy feat, his elbow accidentally nudged a medium-sized metal box. And, most unfortunately, Tsugumi was in the line of fire of such a heavy metal projectile. Daryl's face expressed nothing but shock. "Tsugumi!"

"Daryl!" Tsugumi suddenly fell back, feeling his weight over her. At the last second, he dove over her and shielded her from a deadly projectile. Except now, a painful thud sounded from his left shoulder blade and he drove even closer to her, pressing down on her entire body. She felt his own heartbeat against hers in this close proximity. His body was massive compared to her small frame, where his legs extended a good length past her feet and his torso pretty much covered her from neck to hip. His arms laid squashed next to her head and his face was planted on the floor beside hers. She felt his hot breath against her ears, feeling shamelessly flustered and excited all the same. Her hands helplessly laid by her sides, much too afraid to move.

Finally, when he slowly got up, his face literally hovered over hers. They were so close, noses almost touching each other. Their eyes stared and gazed with such intensity. Tsugumi clearly saw the light highlights of lavender in his irises while Daryl saw much purple and blue in hers. Their breaths intermingled with each other and their chests lightly grazed the other with each heave. He wanted to stay like this for a long time, staring and being mesmerized at her beauty. He wanted to always be this close to her forever. But, even so, there was always a limit to these things.

"I'm-I'm sorry!" He finally got off of her, but winced when he felt a sharp pain shoot up from his shoulder.

"Daryl!" Tsugumi frantically reached for his shoulder, wanting to help him relax the best she could. Yet reality came to her again and she stopped only a few inches away. She remembered. She can't touch him. So, slowly, she pulled her hands away.

"Tsugumi…don't…" Daryl whispered. Hesitating, he reached for her hands, slowly curling his long fingers over her small palms. She was cold, but her skin felt so smooth. "Tsugumi…it's okay…I won't get mad."

"Daryl…" Tears formed in her eyes. She quickly let go of his hand and flung her arms around his neck, enveloping him into a tight hug. "You idiot! I could have dodged!"

"Shoulder! Shoulder!" Daryl loudly cried. Just because he enjoyed her hug doesn't mean it hurt his banged up shoulder.

"Oh! I'm sorry! Let's go get some ice for that!" Tsugumi hurriedly picked him up, ready to lead him away.

He let her hold his hand while he tenderly held his shoulder with his other hand. "Ow! My shoulder kills!"

"Oh stop complaining!" Tsugumi secretly smiled. Even when Daryl's shoulder was so banged up, he allowed her to finally touch him. She felt so much closer to him. If not, she wanted nothing more than to hold him like this forever. He felt so warm against her.

And he smiled as well. A genuine smile.

-GC-

Jessica nodded with each piece of information being handed to her. Files after files of paperwork, she readily signed and approved. The movers hauled in a couple crates of bio-weapons and extremely toxic chemicals related to research from over a decade ago. The bright blue of Jessica's eyes followed the vials of pink liquid that resided in the small wooden crates. She had no idea what those were, but a good guess would be something affiliated with the Apocalypse Virus or the Void project. That was basically the fruits of research and creation in the lab. She hoped it was nothing too harmful. Maybe they were just leftover vaccines? That…would be better. The college student helped these men move the last batch and she proceeded to receive her final instructions.

"So I just put all these things away in there? All weapons are to be put into storage and chemicals are to be locked up until further notice."

They nodded and left.

Jessica glanced at her small pile of stuff. Her cerulean eyes traced differences of each weapon and each vial of liquid. Some were lighter pink than others. Some had metal orbs here and there. Others were bigger or smaller. It was not a lot to move as a whole. She could probably do it herself and finish before the student rush hour. Jessica pulled up both sleeves, placed on some latex gloves, and proceeded to move the vials and test tubes of chemicals.

Unaware of her danger, Jessica lifted a small tray of vials from the lab. There were actually few of these trays in the whole batch. They were deemed as the most important and should be locked up completely. But the only "safe" safe was up high, behind the top shelf of many cups and such. Only Daryl could reach it…he was taller. Jessica pulled over a stool and hopped on. Stretching her whole body length, she reached up high with her nimble fingers barely touching the combination lock over a foot wide shelf. Her legs stretched, feet tiptoeing dangerously on an unstable stool.

If only, if only… If only that young girl had turned around, or if she peeked over her shoulder. Over fifty feet away, poised flat on a roof, a young man pointing a lethal sniper at her. He was covered in black, black pants and jacket and shirt, but the most black was the mask covering his nose and his mouth. Though his eyes were youthful, with irises showing dark brown, they aimed with a deadly glare. His finger pressed against the trigger, waiting to fire.

"Almost there!" She strained to reach further.

Then it happened…

She didn't know where. She didn't know how. But the sniper at a roof fifty feet away sure knew. He shot his target, the glass vials that she held so carefully.

Jessica froze in time. Her feet no longer touched the stool. Her hand no longer touched the safe. Her back was to the floor, ready to hit. Her brown hair whipped her face as it flew above her. Her eyes of brilliant blue opened wider in shock. Right above her, high above her, also frozen in time was the vial itself. The top was open. The liquid was ready to fall from the opening.

And time began once again.

She fell down, heading hitting sharply against the floor. She winced in pain. Everything hurt. But when she opened her eyes once again, she saw nothing but pink. The vials of pink chemicals spilled onto her eyes. Clasping her hands over her dear eyes, pinkish tears started flowing between her fingers, and the true stinging pain began for her.

And she screamed.

The cold sniper already left.

Time for Jessica to suffer! Ahahaha…I need to stop torturing my own OCs. I wonder what's going to happen to her now. And you get to see your obligatory Daryl/Tsugumi fluff. And Ayase and Daryl still don't get along. And Shu knows how to pilot an Endlave! Please review!