An alarm resounded in his room. The annoying beeping he heard, made him lazily punch the 'off' button. He groaned, cursing at himself for not turning off the scheduled alarm. Great, now I'm wide awake. I've gotten too used to this routine. He gets up from bed, sitting on the edge, while scratching his dark blue hair.

Drake yawned, and looked out his window. The morning sunlight engulfed his window, making it light the interior of his room. He looked back on his alarm clock. The screen showed, 10:22 A.M. Exactly how long was I asleep? Drake rubbed his sleepy eyes; he stood up and opened his dresser, grabbing his usual dark purple jacket, along with his black and white slits. He headed outside his room, and trudged to the elevator.

Still dazed by his sleepiness, he opened the elevator, and as he stepped inside, Drake pushed the button for the laboratory. Need a shower. He thought.

After finishing, Drake stood in front of a mirror and adjusted his clothing. Satisfied with his preparations, he left the shower room. As he stood in front of the elevator, waiting for it to arrive, a woman's voice came into his ears.

"Good morning, Drake."

Her noticeable pink hair and green dress came into Drake's line of vision, as she stood beside him.

"Morning, Kanon." greeted Drake.

"Slept in a little, huh? I heard from the others that you were really exhausted yesterday."

"Ah, well you know me. I'm the workaholic type." Drake sheepishly laughed.

"Speaking of which, what do you plan to do today? Don't tell me you plan to train or do paperwork."

"Hm? Oh, no. I'm going to the outer ghetto to buy some things."

Kanon was a little taken aback by his answer. "Really? Why's that?"

"I plan to go visit someone, in the near future. I haven't been able to because I've been so busy."

"Your friend felt lonely?" joked Kanon.

As he heard that, Drake gave a bit of a painful smile. He sighed wistfully, in a more quiet voice, "In a sense..."

Kanon noticed the look he gave. "Drake?"

Realizing the sudden change in his behavior, Drake changed the subject of the conversation. "By the way, Kanon, how's gun practice?"

"Urgh, don't ask me that..." she said gloomily.

Clumsy as ever, Kanon. He smiled at her,"Then, how about I give you some tips on the way?"

"Really?!" Kanon eyes began to shine at Drake, as she was eager to listen to his advice.

Drake nodded at her. The elevator door opened, and they walked inside. Drake pushed the button for the main hall. As they waited for their destination, Drake gave advice and directions to Kanon about what to do when shooting. The doors opened, and they stepped out.

"So, I should try aiming a bit off of the enemy?"

"Yeah, because you mainly use radial bullets, the damage radius they give is much larger. Aiming directly would increase your chances of misfires to an ally; so go the opposite of where the ally is. Say for example, if they are on the right of the enemy, aim a bit to the left. If they're in the air, aim above them."

Kanon nodded at Drake, as she continued to listen to the short lecture.

"I see... I'll try it out, Drake. Thanks."

"Glad I could help. Anyways, I gotta get going. I'll see you later."

Drake turned around and waved at Kanon. She waved back at him, and watched him head to the lower level of the main hall. Just as he left, Alisa and Sakuya appeared on the opposite side of the stairs.

"Hi Kanon. Have you seen Drake? Alisa and I have been looking for him." said Sakuya.

"Oh, he just left to the lower level of the main hall."

The girls overhear a man's voice.

"Morning, Hibari."

"Good morning, Drake." Greeted the red-haired receptionist.

Alisa walked to the stairs. As she was about to go down the stairs, she then stopped, overhearing Hibari's question. "Where are you going, Drake?"

"I plan to go to the outer ghetto. I need to go buy some things."

"Hm..." Come to think of it, Drake's birthday is tomorrow... Alisa just asked me if he wants anything, though, I don't know that. I should ask him. "Hey Drake..."

"Yeah?"

Oh wait, I should be indirect about it. Kota's making it a surprise. "Is there anything you would wish for?"

Alisa couldn't help but overhear that question. She began listening closer on their conversation. Sakuya and Kanon became curious by Alisa's strange behavior. They followed her.

"Alisa, what are you doing?" asks Sakuya.

Alisa turned to the girls. She placed her finger over her lip, and pointed it to Drake and Hibari. Sakuya and Kanon followed their gazes to where she was pointing. Catching the silver-haired Russian girl's short gestures, they awkwardly follow her actions.

"You mean if there's anything I'd want? Something that I would like the most?"

"Yeah."

Soon, Sakuya and Kanon started listening closer as well.

Drake tried to think what he would he want, but became unsure. "I don't really want anything..."

Hibari tried again. "Oh, don't be so modest, Drake. Surely there's something; something that you would wish for."

Drake became lost in thought, as he contemplated his answer. "Well, there is one thing I'd want."

Hibari eagerly asked, "Which is?"

"I'd actually like to spend some peace and quiet alone with Alisa." grinned Drake.

Alisa eyes bulged. Her face suddenly became hot, showing slight pink hues on her cheeks. What?...

Sakuya, seeing her best friend's expression, started to give a cat-like smile. "So that's Drake wants for his birthday..." whispered Sakuya. She nudged her elbow at Alisa's arm.

"W-w-why are you giving me that look?" Alisa started to panic, as she turned to Sakuya.

Hibari started to enjoy where this conversation turned. "Really? You'd want something like that?" Hibari said slyly. Maybe I should talk about this with Sakuya. It'd be amusing to see their reactions.

"You're not thinking some sort of plan about me and Alisa, are you?"

"N-no... What are you talking about?" Lied Hibari, as she was surprised by how sharp he was.

Liar, I can tell by your nervous face. He thought. Since she's probably going to do something like that, maybe I should respond with something like this, to surprise her. "Then I"ll leave that planning to you." laughed Drake.

Hibari became startled by those last words Drake said. "Wait, what?"

Alisa flinched. Her jaw dropped, while her head tried to process Drake's statement. Wait, what did Drake say?

"If you got some sort of plan to get me and Alisa alone, I'll let you do that." Drake gave a devious smile at Hibari.

All the ladies in the room were at a loss of words by that. It was as if Drake killed the relaxing atmosphere the main hall contained in one shot. Absolute silence filled the room. Alisa's face transitioned to a dangerous deep shade of red. Her mind became blank, and her heart couldn't stop pounding, as Drake allowed something outrageous.

Hibari, still shocked, breaks the cold air, hesitantly asking, "You...would...actually...allow...me..to..."

Drake nodded. All the while, he smiled like it was nothing. "Just try not to over do it, Hibari. Knowing Alisa, she might pass out."

WhatdoyoumeanbythatDrake?! Whatdoyoumean?! Do you even know what you're saying?! Alisa's head exploded with thoughts, as she silently demanded Drake's motives.

Hibari didn't know what to say to Drake. This time, he broke the dead air.

"Anyways, I gotta get going. If anybody asks where I am, tell them I'm in the outer ghetto. See you." Drake waved and left. As he stepped out, the entrance's doors closed behind him. The girls were still appalled by the sudden bold words of Drake. Sakuya turned to Alisa, who merely stared at the doors where Drake left.

"Alisa?" She said nervously.

All of sudden, Alisa fainted, and fell down, face flushed as a red tomato.

"Alisa!" Cried out Sakuya.

The bright sunlight shined down on Drake's body. He placed his hand over his eyes and squinted, covering the glare. He walked away from the Far East Branch, stepping into the outer ghetto. Buildings with different parts of rusted metal surrounded him, while a scarce number of people wander through the streets. As Drake traversed down the street, a few were eyes carefully darted at him.

Most stared at the heavy red armlet around his right wrist. Some gave him a suspicious look, others gave distance to him as he walked by. Drake felt the heavy stares, and started to become uncomfortable. He reminded himself that Kota tends to leave the den from time to time, to visit his family. How does Kota go around in the outer ghetto? This is so awkward... As Drake continued trudging through, a woman's voice called out to him.

"Excuse me..."

Drake almost yelped and swiveled around. A woman with long reddish-brownish hair was holding hands with a young girl. The child had the same hair color as the woman; however, what got Drake's attention the most was their faces; they looked oddly similar to somebody else's, but Drake couldn't put his finger on it as to who it was.

"Are you Drake Galios, by any chance?" The woman asked.

Drake nervously stammered, "Uh... Y-yes. M-my name is Drake Galios."

The woman's face brightened. "Oh, so you're the one that my son has been talking about all this time."

"Your...son?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I haven't even introduce myself. My name is Haruna Fujiki. This is my daughter, Nozomi Fujiki. We're Kota's family."

Kota's family? Echoed Drake. No wonder their faces look familiar, they remind me of him. "I-I see."

"Is this your first time here in the outer ghetto?"

"Uh..." Drake became uneasy as she continued to converse with him.

Haruna Fujiki, noticing the nervousness in Drake's voice, reassured him, "Do not worry. We only wish to talk to you. We actually admire the God Eaters and their courageous activities they have done for the civilians."

"O-oh, OK. And to, uh, answer your question, no, I'm familiar with the outer ghetto. It just, it's almost been a year, since I last stayed here in these parts. I live at the Far East Branch, and almost never leave on my own just to come back here."

"Haha. It seems that you might have a difficult time going around the outer ghetto. Would you like me to accompany you?"

Drake became relieved at Mrs. Fujiki's offer. It would do him good to have a civilian of the ghetto accompany him, especially since it's Kota's family. "Actually, that'd be great. Do you know any shops here that sell incense and flowers?"

"I believe so. There should be one that sells flowers down the street, to the left. Let's go."

They made their way to the flower shop. As they did, they talked about Kota, the events that happen at their home, and what it was like living there now.

"So you're big bro's best friend?" asked Nozomi.

"Yeah, I am. Kota's a real great guy to have around, trust me." Drake chuckled as he talked about his most trusted friend.

"My son is always talking about his adventures with you and the others. He especially looks up to you. How you're always doing so many things for others, or about your battles in the front-lines. He even told me about what you did yesterday."

"He...did? Wait, if he told you, he must have overreact on some parts of the story."

Mrs. Fujiki chuckled at that. "He did. In fact, he was quite passionate as he told the story to Nozomi." Mrs. Fujiki smiled as she looked down on Nozomi. She looked back at Drake. "How is Kota?"

"Cheerful and energetic as ever. He's really helpful in battle; I can't count how many times that guy saved me."

"I'm glad to hear that. Kota always comes home with so many stories to tell, and he always look so happy when he does. I'm also really happy that he's okay, being in the Far East Branch." smiled Mrs. Fujiki.

The three arrived in front of the flower store; as Drake opened the door, a bell chimed. The fresh scent of different flowers hung in the air, colors of different plants surrounded the walls, as they were presented in the most aesthetic way. Bouquets, potted plants, even some plants were organized in a wreath.

"My, I have never seen plants like these. These must have been grown with high amounts of care." Mrs. Fujiki became entranced by the beauty the flowers held. It felt like a dream just by walking around.

So many flowers. Thought Drake. I wonder...

"Why hello there." The store clerk came from behind the curtains.

He stood in front of a table that had two touch-screen computers. One faced him, while the other faced towards the customer. This was normal for all stores, as the Fenrir credits were paid digitally. The store clerk gave Drake a suspicious look, as he noticed and stared at his red armlet for a few seconds. He casted it aside, and faced his customers.

"How may I help you?" The store clerk gave his business smile to them.

Drake approached the store clerk. "Do you happen to have a small band of forget-me-not?"

"Why yes, we do. How many do you need, sir?"

"Just one."

"Allow me to get that for you."

Drake nodded, and the store clerk walked to the curtains, entering the back. Mrs. Fujiki was a bit intrigued by Drake's choice in flowers. She wondered about how he knew such a specific flower.

"Mr. Galios." She called out.

"Please, me call Drake. It feels awkward when people use formalities on me." he laughed.

"Ah, all right then. Drake, how do you know a forget-me-not?"

"Someone I knew shared this random knowledge about this flower with me." he answered.

"Hey, mom? What's a forget-me-not?" aAked Nozomi, as she tugged on Mrs. Fujiki's sleeve.

She began explaining the forget-me-not to Nozomi. As Mrs. Fujiki did, the store clerk returned, holding a small band of forget-me-not.

"That will be 450 Fenrir credits, sir."

Drake turned to the computer.

PLEASE ENTER YOUR 4 DIGIT ACCOUNT NUMBER.

A number pad appeared on the screen. Following the directions, Drake entered his account number.

DRAKE GALIOS, CONFIRMED. PLEASE ENTER YOUR PIN NUMBER TO TRANSFER CREDITS.

As the payment for the small band of forget-me-not appeared, Drake confirmed it.

"Thank you for patronage." said the store clerk.

"And thank you for the flowers."

Drake turned back to Mrs. Fujiki and Nozomi. "And that's what a forget-me-not is." Said Mrs. Fujiki, as she finished her explanation.

"Mrs. Fujiki, do you need anything here? I'm already done buying the flower I need."

"Oh, no. I don't need anything here. I doubt I could trust myself in taking care of a plant." Mrs. Fujiki laughed sheepishly.

Drake chuckled at that. They moved to the door, exiting the store.

As they came out, Mrs. Fujiki curiously wandered her line of vision on Drake. She asked him, "Drake, if you don't mind telling me, why are you buying flowers?"

Drake became a little taken aback by that question. He felt unprepared about what he needs to answer. "...You...could... say they're a present for a woman..." Drake cast his eyes away from Mrs. Fujiki, looking down on the ground.

"A woman?" She repeated. "Are they for... Alisa, was it? I heard from Kota by how close you two are." She cocked her head.

"Alisa? No, it's not her. I'd give her something special, instead of just going with some sort of clichéd styled gift. These flowers are for somebody else..."

"I see..." Mrs. Fujiki sensed some loneliness by the tone of his voice. "Oh! By the way, you said needed incense, right?"

Drake nodded. She pointed to a stand in front of them. Incense were laid out on the table of the stand, along with the same touch-screen computer. Drake approached the stand, examining the incense. Most were long, thin wooden sticks, while a few were in pots, or decorative containers. An old man was crouched down on the floor, organizing the boxes of incense.

"Excuse me," called Drake. The old man turned his head to him. "I'd like to buy these few sticks of incense please."

The old man stood up, while his legs shook a little as he rose. He slowly walked to Drake. "Would you like a pot with that, sir?"

"A small round one will do."

As the old man searched for a small round pot underneath the table, he placed it. Grabbing around 4 sticks of incense, he filled the pot with it.

"Will that be all, sir?"

Drake nodded, and the old man confirmed the pay on the computer. Drake paid for the two items, while the old man retrieved a plastic bag. He filled the bag with the incense and pot; as he finished, Drake took the bag.

"Thank you." said Drake.

He turned back to Mrs. Fujiki and Nozomi, who were behind him.

"I must say though, Drake, the items you have bought are quite unusual." Mrs. Fujiki wondered at Drake's items again. She was about ask why he would buy these kind of gifts, until Nozomi tugged at her sleeve.

"Mom, I'm getting hungry."

"Ah, right, we needed to buy some groceries."

"I should head back to the Far East Branch." responded Drake.

"Will you be OK on your own?" The concern in her voice was obviously noticeable.

Drake simply smiled at her, reassuring her anxiety of his safety in the streets. "I'll be fine, Mrs. Fujiki. Don't worry about me. The Far East Branch isn't far from here, once I head back. I have to thank you for accompanying me here in the streets. It was a great pleasure to meet you. You too, Nozomi."

"Let's play, when we see each other again." She said cheerfully.

"Have a safe walk on your way back, Drake. And please, continue taking care of Kota."

They all smiled to each other, and parted ways. As they did, they waved, going the opposite directions to their home. Drake happily ambled down the street, ignoring and not caring the few eyes that were directed at him.

Her vision was fuzzy. As she slowly opened her eyes, a white background came into her vision. The smell of disinfectant tickled her nose, while a woman's voice faintly entered her ears. Where am I?... She thought.

"Alisa?...Alisa. Hey, are you awake?"

The woman's voice slowly became clearer. Alisa focused her gaze on the woman beside her. As she did, her recognizable medium-short black hair came into Alisa's vision. "Sakuya?..." she mumbled.

"Thank goodness, you're OK." Sakuya sighed with relief.

Alisa looked around her, wondering where she is. She finds that she is in the sick bay, and is currently lying in bed; however, she does not recall of what led to her in being here. "What happened?" She sat up, baffled as to why she is here.

"You don't remember? You passed out in the main hall and had heat stroke."

"Heat stroke?" she repeated. Thinking as to why, Alisa suddenly remembers.

If you got some sort of plan to get me and Alisa alone, I'll let you do that.

Her face started to heat up again. "O-oh. That's why..." Alisa trailed off on her sentence.

Sakuya, catching what Alisa is thinking, snickered at her best friend's bashfulness. "I can't believe Drake managed to make you faint like that. I never knew how daring he is in wanting to get closer to you." teased Sakuya.

Alisa face became more noticeably red. Not only did she felt embarrassed, she felt angry at the same time, cursing at Drake's insensitivity. She looks down on her lap, shying away from Sakuya's eyes. *sigh* "Why does he always say things like that?" brooded Alisa.

"Maybe I should help out Hibari." smirked Sakuya.

"Don't make things worse!" she scowled. Casting that aside, Alisa asked, "How long was I asleep?"

"About 30 minutes. After you passed out, Kanon and I brought you here. How do you feel, Alisa?"

"A little lethargic. But I'll be fine." Alisa moved out of bed, sitting on the edge. "Drake already left, right?"

"Yeah, he did."

The girls hear someone knocking at the door. They both turned their heads to the door. "The door's open. You can come in." called Sakuya.

The door hissed, sliding to the side by itself. A figure came into the sick bay, however, the figure just happened to be-

"Arrrrrrgh!" yelled Alisa.

Her jaw dropped.

His dark clothing came into the girls' view. His spiky dark-blue hair popped into the room, while he turned his scarlet-colored eyes to Sakuya and Alisa.

"Alisa, there you are."

Of all the people who just had to come in! "D-d-d-d-Drake?! W-w-w-why are you here? I thought you were in the outer ghetto!" she shouted.

"I just needed to buy some items. Didn't take me that long because I only needed two things. I heard from Hibari that you passed out in the main hall, right after I left. Are you all right?"

Drake wandered over to Alisa, oblivious to her anger. She jerked her head away from him, not wanting to look him in the eyes.

"Y-yes." growled Alisa.

"Just what happened to make you faint?"

Both the girls' thought, That's because of you.

Sakuya spotted Drake's hand, seeing that he is holding a band of flowers. Curious, she asks Drake, "Drake, what's with the flowers?"

As Alisa overheard Sakuya's question, she turned her head to Drake's hand, noticing the flowers as well.

"Oh, these? They're for a person I plan to give."

Alisa couldn't help but panic a little by that. She wondered as to why he would do something like this all of a sudden. Sakuya was a bit surprised. She knew that Drake is not the type of person to give flowers to somebody.

"And who's the person you're giving it to?" asked Sakuya.

Drake stayed silent for a bit. "...I can't say the name, but it's for a woman." As he answered, there was a slight tone of meekness.

That last comment made the room go into a cold silence. Alisa was shocked as she heard that. Her racing thoughts began questioning Drake's actions, as she assumed the worst. Anxiety, loneliness, and sadness started to make Alisa feel heart-broken. Gloom loomed on her face, as she slowly drooped her head down. Drake couldn't be... He wouldn't, would he?

"Besides, my friend likes small flowers like these, so that's why I bought them for her." added Drake.

"Friend?" Echoed Alisa, as she lifted her head and faced Drake.

"Yeah, my friend has an interest towards flowers. She's a bit of botanist."

"O-oh, I see." She exhaled in relief. A friend, right a friend. What am I thinking? Drake would never do something like that!

Drake stared at Alisa, watching her current expression. Alisa noticed that his gaze was locked on her. "Is something the matter, Drake?"

"Hey, Alisa..."

"?"

Drake approached Alisa, having his face close to hers. Alisa felt her face getting hot again, as she became irked by the sudden closeness. Sakuya became entertained by the little scene, as she continued to watch the two new-types.

"Is it me, or is your face red? Do you have a fever?"

By pure instinct, Alisa lightly punched him in the face, pushing him away.

"Argh!"

"N-n-nothing's wrong, you idiot! I-I need to head to the reception desk!"

Alisa pushed Drake as she stood up from the bed, briskly leaving the sick bay. The room was now left to Sakuya and Drake, as the door hissed and closed itself.

"Ow." Drake rubbed his nose by the slight pain. "If she's got enough energy to yell at me, then I don't need to worry."

Hm. I wonder... "Drake, did you?..."

"Huh?"

"...Uh, you know what? Never mind."

What was Sakuya about to ask me? Puzzled by the dismissive response, Drake casted it aside. "Well, anyways, I'm going to head to my room. Thanks for taking care of Alisa, Sakuya."

"Y-yeah, glad I could help."

Drake left the sick bay, leaving Sakuya to herself.

Did Drake knew what Alisa was thinking?

MEANWHILE...IN THE STREETS OF THE OUTER GHETTO...

"Have you found any evidence on where our target left?"

"It seems he bought a few items as he wandered through the outer ghetto. I've wrote down the list, after asking the shop clerks."

"Hand me the list."

"..."

"..."

"So that's what he plans to do. He's planning to head there. And there's a good chance he'll be there tomorrow."

"What do you want us to do, sir?"

"We'll commence the plan to infiltrate the branch. On my signal, I want you activate the traps."

"Capito, maetsro."

End of Chapter 5: Rising Ruin