A/N: So this one took longer then expected. This chapter was actually gonna be longer but I cut the chapter short like last time. So the next chapter is close to 7000 words written already. Hopefully it won't take as long as this one.
There's something I wanted to explain but I forgot in my earlier chapters and it's about the pilot's aging. In canon they don't age at all and I don't like that. It really wouldn't fit with my story anyways since the pilots will be pretty big public figures when they get to earth and everyone would notice that they don't age after a few years. So what I'm gonna do is have the pilots age until they hit their physical prime which will be around 22-28 then they'll stop aging. I also did that was because Haruto becoming an emperor while looking 17 just seems weird to me, only Lelouch could pull that off. That and I want Saki to get older and maturer for Haruto, if you know what I mean.
Can't wait until the next episode of Buddy Complex, I totally saw it coming from the beginning of the season. Aoba and Hina getting separated from the others in the middle of a battle was the only way they could talk without the other getting captured. I personally think when Hina sees her hair clip her memories will return to her. How I see it is when Hina sent Aoba to the future she kinda disappeared into the current Hina and her memories were locked away. I got that from the opening where it shows Hina running after Aoba and you can see chains breaking in the background, but we'll see.
Just hoping it doesn't end badly for them.
Takumi Kibukawa was at a loss.
He stopped L-elf from continuing the experiments on the pilots despite the sense it made for the sole reason of guilt. As a scientist and as a soldier, such an emotion should not have gotten in the way of progress, but things weren't the same for him as they were when the VVV Project started. Back then he was simply dealing with data on a screen but now, after seeing his students live, fight, and struggle for survival, things changed. It was no longer data he was dealing with, it was human lives. Human lives that he and the others involved with the VVV Project twisted and turned into what they saw fit.
A humorless laugh escaped the man's lips.
Saki not too long ago stated that they weren't lab rats but they already were and they didn't even know it.
That was the reason he stopped L-elf from performing further tests on them. He didn't want them to treated as lab rats any longer. They were no longer data on a screen. They had faces, dreams, the desire to live.
But, that decision left him with a dilemma.
How was he supposed to learn about the pilot's regenerative abilities if he couldn't conduct any experiments?
He couldn't lie to himself, as a scientist, he was more than tempted to conduct test to learn the full scope of the changes that those four had undergone, but he refused to go down that path.
Again.
Maybe he could tweak the pilot suits to connect to the Valvraves itself so it could receive the biometrics of the pilots. It was more than likely in the future that they would receive a few wounds even within the Valvrave, especially when Dorssia decides to put more resources into capturing the Valvraves. On top of that he had their blood from the towels they used to clean up their wounds from earlier.
He had a theory that the pilots healing ability was a lot like any other person's, except on steroids. He would have to test that out, which was possible seeing as they had quite a number of incurable viruses in the Medical Research section of the module. But, the real data would still come from the suits, if he could actually get them to give feedback on the pilot's biometrics that is.
Of course, there was also the problem of keeping the data hidden, hidden from Yusuke specifically. He liked the kid, he really did, almost like a younger brother, but the pilots had the right to keep what they've become, what they turned them into, a secret. So, he would not only have to keep the biometric information a secret but the fact that he was collecting that information in the first place. If Yusuke learned of just the existence of the hidden information he would get curious, not suspicious, the boy was too naïve for that.
His action's after that would be obvious.
The boy would try to access the information only to not be able to. After that he'd come to him, curious as to why he can't access the information leaving himself with two options. The first was to lie to him and tell him it was nothing of importance. The second was to simply order him to leave it alone and that it was none of his concern. Either way, the end result would be the same. Yusuke would leave it alone for a while before his curiosity got the better of him and forced him to try to get into the biometrics of the pilots.
The boy wouldn't be able to help it, that was the type of person he was. Takumi was just the same, that's how he knew Yusuke wouldn't be able to keep himself from delving deeper.
Curiosity was a powerful incentive.
Of course, Yusuke wasn't the only student causing him some stress. The other student, who was causing him a significant amount more of stress, was Saki. He knew her history, the real one, and he also saw how close she had become to Haruto.
That's what worried him.
Now, he didn't have anything against the two of the getting together, nor did he mind the same for any of the other students.
In all honestly he thought they would be dozens of students getting pregnant by now.
Why wouldn't he?
They were young, had practically no adult supervision, and were in a situation where death loomed around the corner, it would make sense for them to have "fun".
But, back to the main point.
Saki was getting closer to Haruto and the reason that worried Takumi was because he had read her psychological evaluation. Knowing how her mind worked because of that report, Takumi knew that she wasn't one to let people get close to her heart, which was easy to understand why, knowing everything she had been through. But, according to the psychological evaluation, if she did get close to someone it was believed she would have a high loyalty to that person. Then factoring in that she was, obviously to anyone who wasn't blind, completely in love with Haruto that loyalty could turn into something else.
An obsession.
He was pretty sure as things moved forward L-elf would use the girl to perform certain tasks that the others wouldn't be able to do, not without it weighing on their conscience. All L-elf would have to do to get Saki to cooperate was present the task in a way that it would benefit Haruto if she completed it. If he did that, there really wasn't much she wouldn't do. Saki was cold and indifferent to the world, something that was also in her psychological evaluation, and really didn't care about people in general.
Not too much would weigh on her conscience.
Not when she would be helping Haruto, even if he didn't know it.
In all honesty, Takumi wanted to laugh over the fact that Haruto was the one Saki fell in love with. His desire to laugh wasn't anything along the lines of Saki being a former actor and idol while Haruto was your average, if one was to discount what they've done to him, teenage boy. No, it was because of the origin of the VVV Project, the thing they were trying to recreate through science when the original simply happened.
A supernatural phenomenon.
They called it fate, he laughed.
But now, seeing those two getting closer, he couldn't help but start to believe the one's that spoke of such illogical things.
After all, what were the odds?
Getting back to the main point, Takumi was worried about what Saki would do regarding the lack of knowledge about their healing ability. To say she was a smart girl was an understatement, she had a brilliant mind but lacked any drive after her idol career was stalled and before the Valvraves came into the picture. But L-elf seemed to realize her potential, that didn't surprise Takumi, and was slowly realizing it. How far the girl could go as a strategic leader, he didn't know, but the researcher in him wanted to find out. The same went for Haruto, although he wanted to see how far he went as a soldier and leader.
He was getting distracted again.
His mind tended to do that.
Refocusing, yet again, on his stress, Takumi couldn't help but worry about what Saki would do to learn the limits of her healing ability, which in turn would give her an idea of the other pilot's healing ability as well. It wasn't like testing the ability was complicated, just painful. She could break a finger and see how long it took to heal, or she could also inflict a deep wound to herself instead of a simple cut and time that as well. Then of course, there was the worst case scenario of her actually killing herself and seeing how long it took for her to resuscitate.
While that was extreme and not a likely thing for someone to do, Saki's psyche wasn't the most stable. Again, he wasn't surprised, her childhood was . . . rough to say the least. Psychological damage wasn't uncommon for people who went through what she did. Haruto was probably the perfect person Saki to end up with when he actually thought about.
A tired sigh escaped his lips.
(Beep)
The electronic call used to alert a person that there was someone outside one of the rooms of the lower levels alerted Takumi of a visitor.
It was far more efficient than knocking on a hard, metal door.
Closing the laptop and putting the bloodied towels away, Takumi made his way towards the door before pressing the button at the console that was located on the wall that would open the door. He really wasn't surprised when he saw Rion Nanami standing, nervously, in front of him.
"Ah, what can I help you with Ms. Nanami?" his tone, while lazy, showed none of the worries he was having internally.
"I-I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, Mr. Kibukawa."
"Oh no, you aren't bothering me at all." Takumi reassured with his usual lazy smile. "Please, come in and have a seat." stepping to the side, Takumi allowed the nervous Rion to step inside the room.
Rion Nanami was the only person in the school who was not involved with the VVV Project whatsoever. If Takumi were to sum her up in a few words they would be incompetent, shy, but also sweet and caring. She was just another person that had their life thrown into disarray because of himself and his peers.
"So, what's bothering you?" he questioned, hiding what he was feeling inside, as he sat himself in front of the young woman.
"W-What makes you say somethings bothering me?"
"Well, you wouldn't have come to see me if something wasn't bothering you."
"T-That's not true." with a slight blush on her cheeks, Rion mumbled her response while fiddling with her fingers, her eyes averted to the side.
"Hmm? What was that?"
"Nothing! Nothing!" frantically waving her arms in front of her, Rion quickly replied.
"If you say so." Nanami's fellow adult shrugged while she nervously laughed.
Nanami's opinion of Takumi Kibukawa had changed drastically since she first arrived at the school. She didn't think anything offensive of course, she simply wondered how reliable he was seeing as he was the one the principal put to look after her, seeing as she was, and still, a teacher in training.
At least he was somewhat reliable.
He never ignored her or told her to deal with her problems, whatever it was, by herself. But, his solutions to said problems were rather lazy, which kind of went with the image his appearance gave off. Despite that, Rion tried to reason with herself that he probably was up every night researching something, thus not getting any sleep and always being tired.
That would explain why he was so lazy.
But, despite his laziness, Takumi was truly reliable. That became obvious when Dorssia attacked and all their lives got turned upside down. He quickly became the rock she needed to keep herself from being overwhelmed. He was always there when she needed advice, comfort, in his own way, and the blunt truth.
He really was reliable.
"So," Rion awkwardly started, "how are they?"
"How are who?"
"The students."
"Shouldn't you know that? I'm down here all day, you're with them."
"I'm talking about those four."
"Oh, you mean the pilots."
"I don't like that." despite her mumbling, Takumi was able to hear her words.
"Why's that?"
"Because they're just students." Rion didn't yell, she was too meek for that, she simply replied in a sad tone.
"But they're not, not anymore. Not those four." he knew she didn't want to hear it, but it was the truth. "They're Valvrave pilots."
Cursed.
"They're the only thing keeping the actual students alive. They're New JIOR soldiers, not students."
They never were.
"But . . . that's not fair." she responded in a despondent tone as her head hung low. "We're the adults. We should be the ones protecting them, not the other way around."
"I know, but the facts are the facts. And the facts are, we pretty much useless."
"You're not very good at cheering a girl up, you know."
"No, I never was." Takumi agreed with slight laughter in his voice. "Don't get depressed now it doesn't suit you." placing a hand on her head, Takumi ruffled her hair like one would a child.
That earned a pout from her.
"You always treat me like a child." it was true, Takumi had a habit of treating her like a kid despite her protest.
He laughed.
"Sorry, sorry." he apologized before opening a filing cabinet, which had no files, and pulling out two glasses and a bottle of alcohol. "Is this better?"
"Mr. Kibukawa-"
"Takumi." he stated cutting her off.
"Huh?"
"Call me Takumi. I never liked being called by my last name, so call me by my first."
"Ah . . ." a blush adorned her face before she shook her head to rid her face of it.
She was an adult not some schoolgirl.
'This is exactly why he treats you like a kid.' after scolding herself mentally, Rion grabbed one of the glasses and held it out.
Takumi smirked as he took the bottle of alcohol and poured a glass for the two of them.
"Rion." she stated earning a raised eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
"If I'm going to call you by your first name then you have to do the same." she couldn't help but be proud of how firm and none stuttering her voice was.
"Then Rion," he raised his glass in the air, "to being useless."
"You REALLY aren't good at cheering up a girl."
He laughed as she shook her head before they both downed their drinks.
They really needed it.
"Mercury ring, Sector K, Sub sector sixty-seven. Earth ring, Sector Z, Sub sector two. Mars ring, Sector L, Sub sector forty-five." Shoko wasn't sure why but she was having more fun then she had in a long time. It was such a simple game and yet she was eager to find the coordinates L-elf gave her and waited impatiently for the next set when she was done.
"Done!"
"Earth ring, Sector T, sub sector seventy-nine."
"One second . . . aaaaand don- Whoa. What's that?" Shoko questioned while pointing at the main monitor with a confused look.
"That is further evidence that shows that man is always right." he found what he was looking for, though he wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, a first for him, at the time.
"What?"
"Obviously, it's a small cluster of asteroids."
"Is that what you were looking for?" she questioned after a roll of her eyes.
"Yes."
"Why? Are asteroids some kind of hobby of yours or something?" she earned another sigh from him.
"That cluster of asteroids isn't that far from our location, in fact they're fairly close." L-elf explained. "Look at their trajectory." she did what she was told after L-elf put the asteroids projected path on-screen.
And then she gasped.
"They're gonna hit the module!" immediately she shot up from her seat. "We have to tell everyone!" in a flurry of worry, Shoko bolted towards the door, only for L-elf's firm hand to wrap around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"Calm down." his voice was calm and collected like always, unlike her own.
"How can I calm down when everyone's lives are in danger?!" L-elf didn't answer.
His lack of answer wasn't due to shock or to being stunned by the usual cheerful, naïve girl, taking on a fierce, for her at least, look. No, it was his way of calming her down. And eventually, after seeing the look in his eyes, the look that shouted he knew everything and had it all worked out, she calmed down enough to hear him speak.
"You're the Prime Minister, you don't have the luxury of panicking."
"But-"
"The worst the situation the more you must remain calm. That is your duty as a leader." damn A-Drei and his constant rants of how a true leader should act. They became completely stuck in his head along with his voice accompanying the words. It didn't make fighting against him and the others any easier. "Besides, the situation is easily remedied." his casual statement caused Shoko to blink in confusion.
"It is?"
"Of course, we have two days until the asteroids meet with the module which can be easily moved out of the path with the Valvraves."
Really the danger was below minimum. While the module itself had no boosters to direct its movement and was moving on momentum alone, as long as they had the Valvraves they could change its direction.
"That . . . sounds so simple." she was on the verge freaking out just seconds ago, and yet there was such a simple answer for the problem. "Hehe. I guess I overreacted." chuckling in an embarrassment, Shoko rubbed the back of her head.
"Clearly."
"So, just to be sure, there really isn't anything to worry about? Nothing at all?"
"There is the possibility that Dorssia could be hiding a small attack force behind the small cluster of asteroids but that's highly unlikely."
"Why's that?"
"Look at the size of that cluster of asteroids." L-elf gestured towards the main screen, prompting Shoko to turn her attention towards it. "While it is large enough to deliver considerate damage to the module if it were to hit, it can't hide enough Dorssia forces to launch an effective attack."
"Well then that's great!" just like that, all of Shoko's worries were instantly gone. If L-elf said there was nothing to worry about then there was nothing to worry about.
'Such a simple-minded girl.'
"So, how's life?"
"What? You spend all day with me. You out of all people should know how my life is, so why would you ask that?"
"It's a conversation starter."
"When have you ever needed a conversation starter? You usually just say whatever's on your mind."
"Well, we're just staring at the ceiling, there isn't much on my mind." it was true, after the pilots were dismissed for the day they went to eat before going their own ways. Of course, for Haruto and Saki their own ways were intertwined for a while, so they both ended up in Haruto's dorm room. They didn't do anything but lay on his bed and stare at the ceiling.
"Sorry, this is kinda boring, huh?." Haruto apologized. "I just find this kinda relaxing."
"It's not that I find it boring, I just like hearing your voice."
"Thanks I guess."
"Awww, you were supposed to blush." Saki whined while giving Haruto a pout.
"Yeah, well, after spending so much time with you I had to build up some kind of resistance. Or die." Haruto playfully responded.
"Tch. I knew this day would come." Saki turned her head to the side with a fake scowl.
"Don't be so dramatic." his comment earned a snort.
"I'm a former idol and actress, drama is what we do."
"You're telling me." that earned a pinch on his cheek. "Ow! Ow! Ow! I was just joking!"
"Teasing girls isn't nice young man."
"Sheesh, sorry, mom. No! No! I was just joking! Please don't pinch me again!" Haruto in fear for his cheeks quickly buried his face into his pillow.
"You think you saved your cheeks but you only exposed your other ones!" seeing an opening, Saki immediately went on the attack.
"My other-? Ow! Did you just pinch my-?"
"Ass? You bet your tight, hard behind I did." she felt no shame in her actions, the only thing she felt was pure enjoyment on so many levels.
"Ow! Stop it!" Haruto's next actions were too quick for Saki to react to. In a flash he grabbed her arms, flipped onto his back, pulled her up towards him, and held her up at arm's length by her midsection.
Saki blinked down at him in confusion before childish smile adorned her slightly flushed face. The smile really fit the situation because to Haruto, she looked like a child due to how he was holding her. It was similar to how a father would hold up their kid when they were playing with them. Saki liked it, she didn't know why, it wasn't like she was being held close to his body but she liked it.
"I guess I'll stop now, nya!" Saki stated.
"Thank you." Haruto placed her down next to him before placing his hands under his head. Normally he was always using his spare time to get stronger but training personally with L-elf, on top of the normal training, really wore down on a guy.
He really needed some time to just relax.
"Hey, Haruto."
"Yeah?"
"Can I sing for you?"
"Huh? Sing for me? Why would you wanna to do that?" he didn't mind of course, but he didn't see why she would want to.
"Because you're special to me. So I want you to hear me sing."
"Uh, sure I don't mind."
Smiling at his response, Saki closed her eyes and went through the songs she knew. Genre really wasn't an issue, from rap to rock she could sing all sorts of songs. She definitely wanted something upbeat, something like . . .
Reaching for her phone that was by the alarm clock, Saki looked through it until she found the instrumental she was looking for. A moment of silence hung in the air as they both laid on his bed before the instrumental played on Saki's phone, quickly followed by her beautiful voice.
{Stronger (what doesn't kill you) by Kelly Clarkson}
"You know the bed feels warmer
Sleeping here alone
You know I dream in color
And do the things I want
You think you got the best of me
Think you've had the last laugh
Bet you think that everything good is gone
Think you left me broken down
Think that I'd come running back
Baby, you don't know me, 'cause you're dead wrong"
Haruto closed his eyes and focused solely on Saki's voice.
It was really something.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone"
Saki herself was lost in the song, something she always did.
She hoped Haruto was enjoying it.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone"
Haruto looked up Saki on YouTube a few days back to see her actually perform. The people attending her concerts went nuts when she sang. Listening to her now, he really wasn't surprised.
"You heard that I was starting over with someone new
They told you I was moving on, over you
You didn't think that I'd come back
I'd come back swinging
You tried to break me, but you see
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone"
Haruto couldn't help but feel lucky.
There he was getting a small, personal concert all to himself.
Her fans would've killed to be in his position.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
Thanks to you I got a new thing started
Thanks to you I'm not the broken-hearted
Thanks to you I'm finally thinking 'bout me
You know in the end the day you left is just my beginning
In the end"
With the end of the song closing in, Saki really put her heart into it.
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stronger
Just me, myself, and I
What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
I'm not alone"
Finishing her song, Saki took a deep breath.
A second later the silence was filled with Haruto's clapping.
"Wow, that was amazing." he complimented in awe as he sat up.
"Hehehe. You think so?" sitting up herself, Saki smiled at Haruto while placing her cheek on her bent knees.
"Of course!" he sounded like a child that just got off an amazing roller coaster ride, and Saki couldn't be anymore happier.
"Well, if you like it so much I might have to start singing for you more often."
"Really?" Haruto would definitely enjoy hearing Saki sing, especially if it was for him personally.
"Sure, but not now." Saki stated with a wag of her finger. "You always have to leave the audience wanting more."
"But-"
"Nope." Saki placed a finger on his lips effectively silencing him.
"Fine." Haruto groaned as he flopped back onto the bed, a pout on his face.
"Oh, my poor baby." Saki cooed before she playfully threw her hands up in the air and flopped back onto the bed as well. "So, you really like it?"
"Yup, Saki's the best." she couldn't fight the blush that made its way on her face.
Haruto's compliments really were the best ones.
"Say it again."
"Saki's the best." she giggled as she buried her face into his side causing him to chuckle.
She was such a silly girl.
There was no way what L-elf said about her was true.
"~Nya! Haruto, thinks I'm the best~."
No way at all.
With a smile on his face, Haruto placed a hand on top of Saki's midnight black hair and began petting her.
"~Hmmmm~." like she usual when Haruto pets her head, Saki rubbed said head into his hand while letting out a content sound.
She couldn't think of a better place to be.
Just Haruto and herself, no one else.
It really didn't get any better than that.
"Hey, Saki?" Haruto spoke up breaking the peaceful silence that fell upon the room.
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"No, I'm not pregnant."
"W-What?!" getting the reaction she was looking for, Saki let out a stream of giggles.
"Just joking." Saki stuck out her tongue before placing her chin on his chest. "So, what is it you wanted to ask, tiger?"
"What's the difference between strategy and tactics?"
"Huh? Why ask such a random question?"
"Well, I was talking to L-elf the other day- Don't growl, you're not a dog." Haruto lightly scolded when Saki showed her obvious dislike of the person he just mentioned. "Anyways, I was talking to L-elf and he said he you would be leading in the tactical sense while he would lead in the strategic sense. I don't understand what the difference is."
'I see. So that's what that bastard has planned.' in all honesty, she was surprised that L-elf was planning on relinquishing so much of his power, let alone to her of all people; her dislike towards him was rather obvious. Of course, her surprise wouldn't stop her from jumping at the opportunity to take as much power away from him as possible.
The less their fates were in his hands the better, especially if she became capable of leading successfully.
But, why would someone as hands on as L-elf give away any kind of power?
"Saki? Saki? Hello? Anyone home?" blinking multiple times when she saw Haruto's hand wave in front of her face, Saki turned her attention back to him.
"Sorry about that. Got lost in thought."
"Anyways, what's the difference?"
"Ah, right. Well, strategic is more long-term while tactics is short-term." Saki explained before continuing. "For example, that bastard wants us to go to the Moon and then Earth to achieve a certain goal, that's strategy. Tactics on the other hand is what I used in the last battle with Dorssia. So a strategy, you can say, is filled with tactics. Get it?"
"I think so." Haruto replied with a nod of his head. "So, basically L-elf will do all the long-term thinking while you do the short-term thinking."
"Pretty much, but don't think your role isn't as important either." Saki quickly added, not wanting Haruto to go think he was useless. "Without you all strategies and tactics are useless."
'And they're also useless if I'm too weak.' he didn't voice his thoughts nor did he let them show on his face. "Right, I'll do my best to carry out your plans."
"And I'll do my best to support you." they both shared a smile before leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
While Haruto was simply content to enjoy the day off, what was left of it at least, Saki was busy thinking. Specifically, about whether she should take experimenting with her healing ability into her own hands. They needed to know their limits and the sooner the better. But, apparently Mr. Kibukawa was hiding something, she knew it. Despite him trying to hide it, Saki seen the guilt in his eyes when he decided to cut short on the tests. It made sense in a way. She couldn't think of any other reason for him to stop the experiments when she thought about it logically. He was hiding something and she had a feeling it had something to do with the Valvraves.
"Saki?" once again Haruto's voice broke through the silence.
"Yeah?"
"You wanna . . go bike riding?"
"No need to be shy around me." Saki sat up with a playful smile on her face. "I don't bite."
"Well actually-"
"That was a one time thing!" she still couldn't believe she actually did that to him.
How disrespectful of her, taking over Haruto's body for her own selfish desires.
"Don't worry about it." Haruto smiled reassuringly while patting the top of her head. "No harm done, right?
"Yeah, about that." Saki nervously began while tapping her index fingers together.
"Hmm?"
"You did what?!" red-faced, Haruto shouted in surprise after Saki explained to him how she had some fun while she was body jacking him.
"Sorry!" on her knees, Saki bowed her head until it touched the mattress.
"So that's why Takahi's been acting so weird around me." it all made sense now. "How could you do that to me?!"
"I'm so sorry!" Saki continued to shout. "I'll accept any punishment you give out!" seeing Saki bowing the way she was, Haruto couldn't help but let out a sigh.
'I don't think it's possible for me to stay mad at her.' especially when he was pretty sure he could see tears at the corner of her eyes, making her look like a scolded child. "Fine, here's your punishment." raising up his hand, Haruto gave a light chop to the top of her head.
"Ah?" blinking in surprise, Saki lifted her head only to see Haruto bury his face into his pillow.
"I can't believe you did that." he groaned. "How am I supposed to show my face to her now that I know what you did?" he couldn't be more embarrassed. It wasn't that he felt anything special for Takahi, in fact, even though he would never say it, he found her a little annoying, it was just an embarrassing situation.
"I'm sorry." Saki repeated dejectedly while staring at her lap.
Haruto answered with a long tired sigh.
'Ugh. You're acting like a schoolgirl.' he mentally scolded himself before going completely limp.
The next thing he knew he would be kicking his legs against the bed.
"Umm . . Haruto?" seeing how still he had become, Saki couldn't help become worried. Slowly reaching out her hand, Saki jerked back in surprise when Haruto's upper body instantly shot up. Turning his head towards her, Haruto spoke up.
"Still wanna go bike riding?"
"Uh, sure." Saki answered uncertainly. "You're not mad at me?"
"Nah." Haruto answered as he turned to face her completely. "We're at war with Dorssia, I shouldn't be worried about something like that."
"That makes sense, but I feel like I still need to be punished more." very quickly Saki returned to her usual playful self. She couldn't help it, it was in her nature. "How about a spanking?"
"W-What?!" fighting his blush down, and succeeding somewhat, Haruto couldn't help but gape at the girl. "You can't be serious!"
"Hmm, actually I am but I guess it's too soon for that." hopping off the bed, Saki gave Haruto a wink. "But don't worry, we'll get to that point. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna take a shower before we leave." after grabbing herself a bra and panties, Saki disappeared into the bathroom. Left behind was a blushing Haruto whose face would be steaming if he was an anime character.
"S-Spanking?" slowly Haruto brought his hand up and stared at it. He could practically hear the sound of his hand smacking Saki's behind. Haruto couldn't help but recall the feeling of it, the one he got to learn on their date.
It is a really nice a-
"No, what are you thinking, you pervert?! I will not fall into temptation!" figuring he was going to take a shower after Saki, Haruto decided to keep his mind occupied by doing push ups. Much to his pride as a man, he was able to do two hundred consecutive push ups until he heard the shower turn off.
"Usually she takes longer than that." Haruto commented to himself before he got up to get his clothes to change into after his shower.
Opening his closet, Haruto couldn't help the butterflies that appeared in his stomach at the sight he saw. No longer were his clothes the sole occupant of the closet. Now the clothes Saki got on their date also filled his closet. Despite the fact that Saki had been staying in his dorm for a while it was still strange seeing her clothes in his closet.
It wasn't a bad strange but strange nonetheless.
Picking out his clothes Haruto turned around the exact moment Saki stepped out of the bathroom . . . wearing only a white bra and panties. It went without saying that Haruto's mouth was hanging open.
"Forgot my clothes." much to the still shocked Haruto's surprise, Saki spoke her words in a casual manner, not the teasing one he expected. She continued her casual demeanor as she strolled to Haruto's side to choose a selection of clothes from her closet.
Haruto couldn't close his mouth nor keep his eyes from taking in her form. Besides after the first time he lost control and attacked Saki, Haruto had never seen so much of her. And that time he was too shocked and disgusted with himself to actually focus on her form, so this was the first real time he saw so much of her body.
Eventually, Haruto realized he was staring and quickly snapped his head in the other direction.
"I, um . . I'm gonna take a shower." blushing like mad, Haruto dashed into the bathroom with every intentions of taking a cold shower.
Saki couldn't help but laugh at the sweet boy, glad that she could still get him to act like that despite what he said earlier. She knew exactly what she was doing, even acting casual instead of teasing was calculated. She wanted to move along their relationship and while the emotional aspect of it was proceeding naturally the physical part of it needed a little push as always.
So, that's why she appeared before him while wearing only her bra and panties, and she would continue to do so in the future. Over time he would get used to it and it would soon be the norm, which was why she acted casual. By acting casual Saki associated that act with a sense of normalcy, something that Haruto would have to follow. After all, Haruto wouldn't point it out since he would be too embarrassed. Although, she had another reason for not teasing him. Simply put, Saki was pretty sure Haruto's pretty, little head would explode if she teased him when wearing practically nothing. As fun as that would be, it didn't fit with her goal.
Shaking her head from her mischievous thoughts, Saki picked out a white blouse and a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her figure. After getting dressed Saki hopped onto the bed and waited for Haruto to finish his shower. It wasn't the easy thing for her to do, seeing as she had to fight the urge to take a peak. Normally, Saki was pretty asexual, she didn't find men nor woman attractive in the least, something she was sure stemmed from past events she preferred to forget. But, when it came to Haruto it was like all her nonexistent sexual urges came rushing back and then some.
Single target sexuality, they called it.
It was almost like she was a forty-year old virgin and she wanted nothing more to pounce on Haruto. More than a few occasions did Saki have to resist the urge to pleasure herself while Haruto was training with L-elf. The fact she had pictures of Haruto on her phone didn't help her self-control. Her thoughts were interrupted with the hissing sound of the bathroom door sliding open, revealing Haruto fully, unfortunately, dressed.
'Awww, man.' she was hoping to see some skin.
"Alright, I'm ready." dressed in his school uniform, Haruto walked towards the bike that was leaning against the wall to the side of the room.
Saki didn't complain about Haruto's choice in clothing for the simple fact that she liked the way he looked in the school uniform. He looked like a combination of cute and dashing, she approved.
"Then, let's get going!"
Making sure no one was in the hall, Haruto and Saki left his room and made their way down said hall. They didn't even make it ten feet before Saki came up with a fun little idea.
"Let's ride the bike, Haruto."
"That's kinda what we're gonna do." Haruto answered while giving her a strange look.
"No, I mean here in the halls."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous? What happens if we hit someone?"
"You worry too much." Saki waved him off before sitting on the passenger seat. "Come on, it'll be fun."
"If you say so." Haruto shrugged as he sat himself on the bike.
It wasn't like they could kill someone right?
It wasn't long before they were riding through the hallways of the school, and Haruto had to admit it was pretty fun. For some reason riding through the halls gave a different feel then riding outside. Maybe because he had never ridden a bike in school, or perhaps it was the slight echoing of the bike that reverberated through the halls. Either way, Saki was right, riding through the halls was fun.
"Told you it was fun!" Saki shouted as she draped her arms over his shoulder drawing his attention for a split seecond. "Stairs!" turning his head back to the front, Haruto hit the brakes harder than Saki would hit that, him, if he was covered in chocolate.
"That was close." Haruto sighed in relief as eyed the inches between the front wheel of the bike and the edge of the first stair.
"Aww." Saki whined. "You should've jumped them."
"Why, so we could break our necks? No thanks."
"I'm sure you could've landed it."
"Well, I'm not." he rode bikes for fun, it wasn't like he was some professional. "Now let's get outside."
"Ride down the stairs!"
"No!"
"Come on! It'll be a blast!"
"What are you some kind of daredevil?! Next thing you know you're going to want to go skydiving."
"Oh! We should go skydiving when we get to earth!"
"I'm out of here."
"Haruto, wait for me!"
It was ridiculous.
A high school being the capital of a nation.
How Dorssia hadn't crushed them yet, C-sieben would never know.
After all, even with the Valvraves they were still just . . kids.
Whatever.
If he accomplished his mission Dorssia would be one step closer to ending New JIOR, getting their hands on the Valvraves, and taking their rightful place as ruler of the world. But first thing was first, he had to assimilate himself into the school. That was why five minutes ago he "accidentally" bumped into another student. Their interaction was short but it was enough for the moment as long as he bumped into that person soon and had a brief conversation with him. That would give C-sieben a place in that students mind, albeit a small one.
'Still haven't laid eyes on Haruto Tokishima or Saki Rukino.' he guessed it was too much to ask to have them dropped into his lap.
He spent the next twenty minutes venturing the school under the guise of a walk while he really was mapping it out in his mind. Knowing all you can about enemy territory was a must.
C-sieben was brought out of his thoughts when he saw a girl struggling to carry a rather large box.
A smirk found itself on his face.
Another opening just presented itself.
"Do you need help?" he didn't even have to try to sound like the average Joe it came so natural, unfortunately, to him.
"If you don't mind?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I minded would I?" he playfully replied while taking the box into his hands.
"I guess not." the blue short-haired girl replied with a giggle. "Thanks, uh . . . I don't think I remember seeing you around . . ." she trailed off hoping he would fill her in on the lack of information.
"Yeah, I get that a lot." he sheepishly replied. "Apparently I don't make much of an impression. I'm Shinji by the way."
"Hi Shinji. I'm Claire."
"Hi Claire."
Maybe this mission wouldn't be so hard after all?
These kids really were stupid.
"Mush!"
"That's not going away anytime soon, is it?"
"Mush!"
"Thought so." Haruto sighed as he continued to pedal down the street.
The artificial sun was setting painting the sky in a mesmerizing color of orange. Saki couldn't help but imagine how it would look if someone were watching them from a far.
'It would probably look like we were riding off into the sunset. Like in the movies.'
"We should do this more often." Saki suggested as she rested her chin on Haruto's shoulder.
"Sure, maybe we can even race."
"Oh, you don't want none of this." Saki replied before she leaned closer to his ear and whispered to him in her flirting tone, a tone Haruto knew well. "Or maybe you do."
"Nope." Haruto shook his head, keeping his blush down. "Not this time."
"Boo! You were supposed to blush!"
"I've grown!" taking a page from Saki's book, Haruto raised his voice in a dramatic fashion as if he was proclaiming something grand. "I'm not the same Haruto Tokishima as before!"
"Hahahahahaha! Is that so?! My little Haruto's grown up into a man now. I'm so proud." they both broke into laughter at their childish antics.
The sheer amount of fun they had with each other was undeniable. Sometimes they both wondered if it was possible to not to have fun with each other. Hell, even when they were in battles just talking to the other seemed to lighten things up. To an extent at least, after all a battle was a battle.
"Haruto, keep us steady." feeling more lively than usual, which was saying something, Saki gripped Haruto's shoulders firmly before slowly standing on the bike's passenger seat.
"Saki, don't do that, it's dangerous!"
"It's fine!" she replied as she straightened herself out completely. "Besides, I trust you to keep the bike steady."
"Gee, thanks for putting all the pressure on me." he was definitely not letting her fall and hurt herself, obviously the first step was slowing down.
"Don't slow down. Speed up! Speed up!" apparently she didn't like his idea.
Sighing to himself, Haruto very slowly, began to speed up the pace, making sure to keep the bike moving straight. Tilting his head, after making sure there wasn't nothing but clear road ahead of them, Haruto got a good look at the free-spirited girl. She had her eyes closed and her arms spread out wide as her hair danced in the wind.
He had to take a picture.
She looked so peaceful.
Making sure to keep one hand firmly on the handles, Haruto quickly retrieved his phone from his pocket and turned on the camera feature. After that, he stretched his arm out and angled the phone so only Saki would appear in the picture.
(Click)
Looking at the photo, Haruto couldn't help be awed by her beauty.
"Why didn't you take one with both of us in it?" tilting his head back towards her, Haruto couldn't help but wonder if she had physic powers, seeing as her eyes were still closed and he had a feeling she never opened them.
"I didn't want to ruin it by being-" before he could finish, Haruto received a flick to the back of his head.
"You made a promise, Haruto."
"Ah, right, sorry." he was thinking too little of himself again.
How Haruto thought he could make anything worse with his presence was beyond Saki.
Maybe the saying that love is blind was true because Haruto's mere presence could make the worst situation or event wonderful.
At least to Saki it could.
"Take the picture." Saki stated while resuming her previous position.
"Alright." Haruto did what he was told and retook the picture but with himself included.
"You see?" Saki commented with a smile as she leaned over his shoulder. "Much bette- Kya!"
"Ah!" running over a rather large rock, the bike lost its balance, throwing its passengers into a nearby bush.
"That's twice we fell when riding a bike." Saki noted as she spit out a few leaves from her mouth. "Don't ever get into the biking chauffeur business, Haruto. You'll get nothing but failure."
"I'll keep that in mind if this whole fighting Dorssia thing doesn't work out." Haruto replied. "Can you move your knee out of my face?" slowly untangling themselves from each other and then the bush, the pair sat on the sidewalk in silence before breaking out into laughter once again.
"You really do need to work on your biking skills, Haruto." Saki commented as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"My biking skills are fine." Haruto huffed in defense. "It's your weight that threw us off."
"..."
"Owwwwwww! Let go!"
"Calling a girl fat deserves a death sentence." Saki smiled sweetly (the word yandere flashed through Haruto's mind when he saw that smile) while pulling on his cheek.
"I wasn't calling you fat!" Haruto defended as he pulled, with a yelp, Saki's hand away from his cheek. Saki didn't give up forcing Haruto to hold on to her wrists and lean away from her. "I just meant that you have weight and it threw me off!"
"Lies!" Saki lunged forward, her wrists still unfree, forcing Haruto onto his back. "You were calling me fat!"
"Why would I call you fat?! You're not at all! You look more like a- . . . ."
"Hmmm?" Saki smiled at the red-faced Haruto as she leaned her face in closer towards his. "I look more like a what?"
"N-Nothing." he stuttered while adverting his eyes to the side.
"No, you were about to say something." Saki continued to press. "And I have a feeling I was going to like it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." why he was being so stubborn Haruto didn't know. What he did know was the fact that he was being stubborn and he was sticking to that.
She'll get nothing out of him!
"So you wanna be stubborn, huh? That's fine." leaning in once again, Saki's lips were so close to his own, that he could feel their warmth. "I have ways to make you talk." after she said that Saki licked her lips.
That act aroused Haruto to a high degree.
The reason for that was because their lips were so close to each other that when Saki licked her lips, she, intentionally, licked his as well.
"I'll give you one more chance." Saki stated, their noses touching each other. "~Tell me~."
(Gulp)
Sometimes a man had to stick to his guns, no matter how tough the consequences. Even if those consequences resulted in possible molestation of oneself.
"Never." Saki's smile only widened at Haruto's stand.
She liked a challenge.
Especially a delicious one like Haruto.
"Very well then."
Before Saki could commence her "attack", the sound of barking and meowing rang through the air. Both Haruto and Saki tilted their heads down the road where the sound came from.
"Saved by the kids." Saki pouted before a smile broke onto her face. "Awww, did my kids miss their mama and papa!?" opening her arms wide open, Saki received their "kids".
"Good timing." Haruto mumbled before Saki placed Lil Haruto down on his chest, allowing him to lick Haruto like he was covered in peanut butter. "Gross! Get him off!" unfortunately for Haruto, Saki had seized his hands, making him incapable of protecting himself from the tongue assault.
"How could you be so cruel?" Saki playfully scolded. "He just wants to show you how much he loves his papa."
"Get him off of me! Ah! His tongue is getting into my mouth!" at that point Saki decided that she was getting jealous of Lil Haruto and stepped in to stop him.
Nobody got into Haruto's mouth but herself.
"I think that's enough." scooping up their "son", Saki finally got off Haruto.
"Thank you." he sighed as he stood up and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I hate when he does that." Haruto knew where that tongue had been.
Lil Haruto was a dog after all.
"What about when it's me?" Saki questioned as she leaned her body against his, Lil Haruto already on the floor.
" . . It's a lot better when it's you." he tried his best to hide suppress his blush but failed to keep his voice from becoming shy.
"Is that so?" she moved her face closer only to stop when she felt a pair of paws against her leg. "Guess we can't do that with the kids watching. Tch."
"I-I guess." she was really taking the kid thing seriously. "So, what do you wanna do now?"
"Isn't that obvious? Spend some quality time with our children of course."
"Alright." Haruto replied as he went to the bike and set it back upright. "Look at this thing. Not a scratch. This is what a real bike is like." Saki couldn't help but shake her head with a chuckle at Haruto's prideful words towards the bike.
"Your papa's so silly, isn't he?" Saki squatted down and gave her "kids" a playful look to emphasize her words.
"Alright, Saki, hop on."
"Oh, I would love to, but I told you we can't do those kind of things in front of the kids."
". . . . What?" Haruto didn't understand at all.
"I'll give you a moment to figure it out." getting her phone out, Saki waited for the exact moment Haruto did in fact figure out what she meant.
His expression would be as priceless as always.
While Saki waited in anticipation, Haruto was busy trying to figure out what Saki meant.
He told Saki to hop on, an innocent statement, but when she replied Saki had the teasing glint in her eye.
But why?
What did he say that could be turned into one of Saki's many teases?
The only thing he could think of was "hop on".
Wait a minute . . . . .
"I don't get it." Saki would've face faulted if she were an anime character.
"Oh, my sweet, little Haruto, you're so innocent."
"I guess." he really had a hard time figuring out what was going through her head at times. But then again, her unpredictability was one of the things that made her so fun to be around. "Anyways, hop on."
"Sure." Saki replied as she once again took up the passenger seat. "But what about the kids?"
No matter how many times Saki called them their "kids" Haruto couldn't help but find it strange.
"You'll see." slowly Haruto began pedaling causing the puppy and kitten to run happily after them.
"They're so cute." Saki cooed as she turned in her seat so her back was up against Haruto's. She then sat crossed legged so said legs wouldn't get caught up against the wheel. "Run! Move those little legs!" Saki shouted to encourage her "kids" as she continued to watch them run.
"Can this be considered as our second date?" Saki questioned after a few moments of encouragement for the chasing kitten and puppy.
"Hmmm." Haruto hummed in thought. "I think this would count more as a family outing, right?" it was hard, practically impossible, for Haruto to not get caught up in her pace. Especially when getting caught in her pace usually ended up with him having a great time.
One way or another.
"Now you're catching on." Saki smiled. "A family outing, I like it. How about you two?"
A bark and a meow was her response.
"..."
"..."
"That's twice they both responded to you."
"Yeah, it's seriously getting weird. A good weird but still weird."
"..."
"..."
"Meh."
"Meh."
Girls really were simple creatures.
Just help them out, play the polite boy, and suddenly they were interested. Of course he would never get involved with a JIORian or New JIORian, no self-respecting Dorssia soldier would, but being associated with one had its benefits. Like helping him blend into the environment.
"I still can't believe everything that happened." Claire stated as she looked up into the "sky".
"What do you mean?" C-sieben questioned, continuing his charade as a high school student
"All this." she motioned her hands all around her. "We're just a bunch of high school students and yet we created our own nation. It's like something you'd only see in an anime." Claire finished with a smile.
"Yeah, I guess." C-sieben shrugged while holding back a comment about how futile their situation was.
"It's pretty scary though, right?" Claire continued earning a raised eyebrow from the Dorssia agent.
"What is?"
"The fact we're at war with Dorssia." she answered with a somber look. "I mean it's Dorssia. When you think about the worlds strongest nation you think Dorssia, and now we have that same nation trying to kill us. It's scary."
'Maybe this girl isn't as clueless as I thought.' she was right to be scared of Dorssia. Everything she said was true, Dorssia was the strongest nation on Earth and it had it sights aimed at New JIOR.
"But," Claire started with a small smile on her face, "I think we'll pull through."
Scratch that, he was wrong about the girl.
"What makes you think that?"
"We have the Valvraves to protect us."
"Well that's true, but they're going against an actual military with no real piloting experience. Doesn't that worry you?"
"A little bit." he found the smile that was still on her face rather irritating. "But I think Haruto will protect us."
"Huh?"
Was this girl serious?
He might as well find out.
"It sounds like you know him."
"Not much." Claire shrugged. "We were in the same class in our first year of high school, but we didn't talk much except that one time we were partnered together on a project. That was the first real time I talked to him."
"And what did you think of him?" C-sieben probed.
While he had read information gathered about the boy it wasn't the same as getting a person's opinion about a person. Human interaction was the best way to gather knowledge about someone's personality.
"He was just any ordinary guy. He avoided confrontation like the plague though, but overall a nice guy." she explained before she delved deeper into her memory. "But, he also seemed like the type of person that comes through when you need him. At least that's what I think." Claire shrugged.
She honestly didn't know why she thought that of him.
It was the impression she got from him.
"I see."
Whether what she said was true or not Haruto Tokishima was his first target.
"Mu-"
"Stop it!"
"..."
"..."
"Mus-"
"Saki!"
"..."
"..."
"M-"
"I will kick you off this bike!"
"Fine." Saki sighed with a pout. "You're no fun."
"I can't just let you say it whenever you want, if I did you'd never stop." Haruto reasoned.
"Hmph." Saki huffed and crossed her arms. "You make me sound like a kid."
"Gee, I wonder why?" his deadpanned response earned him a flick to the back of the head. "Anyway, I gotta admit, this was a good idea."
"All my ideas are good."
"Sure, they are."
"Sarcasm, huh? You've come a long way, Haruto."
"I like to think my growth isn't measured with the sarcasm I use." after all, he's been training his butt off to get stronger. The sarcasm was just an after effect from spending so much time with Saki.
"Oh, of course not." Saki reassured. "I can think of a few ways that show how much you've grown. Like all these muscles." to emphasize her words Saki's hands roamed his upper body causing Haruto to gulp.
"Right." he was pretty proud of how much his body and developed, something he tried to keep in check. Or else he might end up like Raizo who could be caught flexing in surfaces that reflected his image. "Can you stop now?"
"For now." Saki stopped before leaning into his ear. "But mark my words, Saki gets what Saki wants." a shiver Haruto couldn't identify coursed through his body before he turned to the left at the t intersection that was in front of him.
Despite what most people would think, they weren't on a road. No, they weren't even on the upper level of the module. After Saki and Haruto had their little "family outing" with their "kids", they continued on their bike ride before deciding to call it a day. They might've had half of the day off but they had the feeling L-elf was going to compensate the next day for their day off. But before they began their trek back to Haruto's dorm Saki got the idea of going down to the lower levels of the module and ride back through the halls. Haruto agreed, mostly because of the temperature the module lowered to simulate the ending of the day along with the setting "sun".
With Haruto's agreement Saki used her phone to locate the closest elevator that would lead them to the lower levels. Not all elevators in the module had the ability to lead to the lower levels but there were a number of them hidden around the module. With the access given to them as pilots, it was fairly easy to find them.
"So," Haruto began trying to move the conversation away from Saki's apparent lust for his body; he really didn't know how to feel about that, "where exactly are we?" due to the halls of the lower levels of the module looking all the same, Haruto was really at a loss.
"One second." taking out her phone, Saki quickly connected to the modules network, the one that wasn't available to the public, JIORian or New JIORian, and found her location with the GPS system. "Take a right turn here and keep going straight." Haruto did as he was told and came upon another long hallway.
"Let's see how fast you can go, Haruto." Saki stated.
"Alright, but hang on." heeding her request, Haruto's pedaling speed gradually increased until they were speeding through the halls. Haruto had never moved as fast on a bike then he was at the moment, it was really invigorating. He assumed Saki liked it as well, judging from the loud "wheeeee" she let out while wrapping her arms around his stomach.
Eventually, after hitting his top speed, Haruto stopped pedaling and let the momentum carry them forward; he always loved doing that. It used to be Shoko that was the one that he would ride with, but that was no longer so. Now, it was Saki who was the one behind him, beside him, and for some reason that thought wasn't as sad as he it once might have been.
'It's been a while since I spent anytime with Shoko.' Haruto thought before he felt Saki's arms tighten around him. 'Despite that I- Hey, speak of the devil.' much to Haruto's surprise, Shoko was walking down a hall at a four-way intersection just up ahead.
In fact, she was getting closer awfully fast.
"Oh crap!"
She was getting closer because the bike was flying down the hallway.
"Shoko, look out!"
"Huh?"
"Shoko?"
The girls, Saki and Shoko, had no time to respond as the bike and its occupants closed in at an extremely fast rate. Too fast for Haruto to turn and too fast for Shoko to move out of the way.
But, before the bike could collide with her, a hand shot out and pulled her back and out of the bike's path. Haruto never had time to sigh in relief due to the bike running into the wall. Because of the front wheel hitting the wall first, Haruto and Saki were thrown backwards off the bike before landing in a heap on the floor.
"Every time." Saki groaned as she rubbed her head. "What's with you, Haruto?"
"I think you're bad luck with bikes." Haruto responded as he rubbed his own head.
"Are you two ok?!" Shoko's concerned voice drew their attention away from each other and towards her.
"Yeah, were fine. Right, Saki?"
"Yup. Just a little bump on the head." they couldn't tell her that any injuries would heal in a matter of minutes, so they had to play them off as minor.
Which they were of course.
"Are you sure? I can get Ms-"
"You worry too much." Shoko was cut short by L-elf's statement. "A small fall like that is nothing to concern yourself over. They've had far worse in their training."
"I'm a worrier." Shoko defended. "It's in my nature."
"Obviously."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You worry too often over unnecessary things." L-elf instantly responded without a moment's hesitation.
"They're not unnecessary!" Shoko responded in defense once again.
Watching the rare exchange between an ex-Dorssia soldier and Prime Minister of New JIOR, Haruto and Saki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at each other.
"Uh, what are you doing down here, Shoko?" Saki couldn't help but groan inwardly at Haruto's question. She would've preferred they slipped away while Shoko and the bastard were . . . doing whatever the hell they were doing.
Flirting?
Nah.
It didn't really seem like a fight, though.
Something more like a . . . friendly spat?
That didn't seem right.
Whatever, the point was, Saki would rather slip away before Shoko noticed.
"Huh? Oh I was . . . ." Saki couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when Shoko trailed off. She watched with a keen eye as Shoko blushed slightly and glanced nervously at L-elf, who had taken out a hand-held device and began working on it; Haruto displayed the traits of an mc Saki had seen countless times in anime by not noticing Shoko's reaction.
Denseness.
'Could Shoko . . . no that's just impossible wishful thinking.' she was not going to delude herself with thoughts that would lead her into a false sense of security, resulting in her letting her guard down.
She wouldn't let her guard down for no one.
Except Haruto of course.
But, that went without saying.
"Oh right!" Shoko stated remembering what L-elf had found earlier. "There's something I have to tell you two!"
"What is it?" Haruto questioned worried about the urgency in her voice.
"There's some asteroids heading towards the module!" L-elf had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Not only did she forget how simple the solution was to that problem, but the way she spoke her words showed no sign that the situation is under control.
She would no doubt incite panic with her tone.
"What?!" Haruto proved his point. "Saki, did you hear her?!"
"Hmm?" Saki hadn't heard Shoko.
After the fall she simply scooted herself towards a wall and leaned against it before placing her elbow on her bent knee and her cheek on her palm, looking to the side disinterestedly.
"You say something?"
"Shoko said there's asteroids heading towards the module!"
"Oh." all interest had left Saki at that point. "That's it?"
"That's it? That's it?!" Saki really didn't like how Haruto and Shoko said that simultaneously.
"Haruto, calm down." Saki sighed, her mood really had died down. "You're being over dramatic."
"I don't wanna to hear that from you of all people." he responded as he rolled his eyes.
"True, but that doesn't change the fact that you really don't need to get all worked up over nothing."
"Over nothing? How could you say that?"
"Do you know how simple the solution to your apparent 'crisis' is?" she received a head shake for her answer. "Very. All we have to do avert 'disaster' is use one of the Valvraves to alter the course of the module until it's no longer in danger of hitting the asteroids. In fact, we could do it now and be done in like thirty minutes."
"R-Really?" it sounded so simple.
"It's exactly as Saki Rukino has stated." L-elf spoke up earning a glare from the aforementioned girl; he ignored it of course. "As I recall, I told you the same thing not too long ago, Shoko Sashinami."
"Oh yeah. Forgot." Shoko laughed nervously earning an eye twitch from Haruto.
"So you got me all worked up for nothing?" Haruto sighed as all tension left him. If both L-elf and Saki said the asteroids were no big deal then that's what it was.
"Sorry."
Suddenly feeling very tired, Haruto walked up beside the still sitting Saki and slid down against the wall until he was sitting beside her. It was pure instinct that made him move closer to Saki, something that made her smile. She had to fight her own instinct to snuggle into his side since Shoko was there. Hopefully the girl was still oblivious to how truly close she and Haruto had become.
"So, if it's such an easy problem to deal with, can we just deal with it right now?" Haruto questioned L-elf. "I don't think I can go to sleep knowing a bunch of asteroids are on their way to crashing into us."
"I agree with, Haruto." Shoko stated earning an eye twitch from Saki.
"Me too!" she may had been a little overenthusiastic, but Saki didn't want Shoko agreeing with Haruto without herself doing so as well.
Childish?
Yes.
Did she care?
Not one damn bit.
"Very well." L-elf replied as he began walking back to the Command Room. "Shoko Sashinami."
"Yeah?"
"Inform the rest of the students," because that's what they were despite being an independent nation, "that the module has drifted off its course to the moon and will be readjusted." it was a simple cover up story to keep the students from panicking.
"You're not going to tell everyone about the asteroids?" Shoko questioned.
"That would be unnecessary." L-elf answered without turning around causing Shoko to purse her lips.
"Fine. Fine." Shoko relented before heading towards an elevator to take her to the upper levels of the module.
"I guess I should head to the hangar." Haruto sighed as he stood up.
"I'll go with you." Saki quickly followed, her mood brightening up slightly.
"Huh? What for? We only need one Valvrave to move the module."
"I know that, but you'll be vulnerable when you're moving the module." Saki reasoned.
"But it's not like we're under attack."
"Just call it a precaution." Saki responded. "You never know what might happen."
"Is that you looking down the road?" Haruto questioned with a smile on his face.
"You know it." Saki chirped her mood back to what it was now that they were along again.
Just how it should be.
A/N: As you can tell from the authors note from the top I actually began editing this chapter a few weeks ago but stopped. The reason for that is I wanted put the next chapter out soon after this one and I felt despite having to split this chapter making me deep into the other one, it would still take me a while to put it out. So I waited until I was done with the next chapter before finished editing this one, but then the next chapter went over 20,000 words so I split that one. So in short I have, including this one, three chapters finished. I edit the others soon and should put them out in a few days.
Of course good news always has bad news. And the bad news is that after I'm done putting those chapters out I'm gonna focus on my Natsu x Erza and Itachi x Black Rock Shooter, possible harem, fics. So I'm taking a break from this one. Sorry, but the drive to write this fic isn't as strong as it used to be so I need to leave it alone for a while to let the drive overflow again.
I AM NOT abandoning this fic.
Just a break.
Ok, so now that that's done...
Honestly, I kinda felt this chapter was boring, and I think the whole asteroid thing was kinda, blah. Also I wonder if I filled this fic with too much Haruto x Saki so their interaction now is like, meh, nothing new. Also, I asked before how my portrayal of Saki was and most seemed to like it so I'll ask this: How's my portrayal of Haruto? Was his growth good? Is he too OOC? Do you like him?
But anyways, on too personal matters.
Hell yeah! Loved the ending to Buddy Complex! Hina didn't get caught in some time loop like I thought the ending would be like! And she and Aoba coupled! I know when they did that their whatever meter would be high as hell! And she went to Aoba's side at the end! But the best thing is, there's a season 2! Hell yeah! And that ending! That bastard Bizon survived and went Darkvader on us. Talk about obsessed.
Normally I would respond to a few comments, I'm pretty sure I did this before, but I'm tired.
But I will say this.
Anlanther: Toaru Hikuushi e no Koiuta ending was terrible. I wanted to see a timeskip showing Kal-el and Claire as a family or something, or at least him flying back with her in his cockpit. Not like five seconds of her! Well, at least they didn't die. Man did those kids drop like flies at the end. No I probably won't put in the whole stranded L-elf and Haruto scene. Can't really see an opening for that. And yes the L-elf x Haruto fics are killing me! Everytime I see a new fic in the archive I'm more then disappointed when it turns out to be one of those fics.
Guess I ended up answering one fully after all. I'll get to others next chapter.
Peace.
Oh yeah, it was my first time writing a song into a fic so I'm not sure how I did. Some feedback would be nice.