Chapter 4

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Shoko-chan. I was afraid you'd be hurt" Akira would start.

"How long have you known?" Shoko asked her dear surrogate sister. "did Saki-chan or Haruto tell you?"

Akira shook her head quickly indicating that she surely found out on her own .

"I was repairing Camilla one day" Akira began to explain."I saw something strange going on on the cockpit recordings".

Shoko sat forward listening intently.

"They were in their battle suits, talking about 'what happened the night before'. It made me curious. I continued to watch". Akira looked down shyly almost ashamed "He proposed to her".

"He what!?" Shoko exclaimed somewhat stunned.

Akira stopped her. "It wasn't like that. He used the word obligation and the word revenge like it was a debt he needed to pay" Akira continued. "Saki-oneechan turned him down".

"Turned him down?!" Shoko thought. "The way she was acting why would she turn him down?!".

Akira whispered, "She told him what happened wasn't his fault. It was the Kamitsuki curse. She told him to go to you and protect you".

Shoko was speechless, she thought to herself "She had him and sent him back to me? Why would she?".

"After he left, she returned to her cockpit and cried; Spoke things aloud I shouldn't have heard." Akira explained 'it's not your fault my love' she said 'it's our curse. We're never destined to be together my sweet Haruto. I will never leave you alone, even if you choose Shoko-chan over me' ".

Shoko began to understand. "Saki loved Haruto; loves Haruto. She just wants him to love her back. She wants love, not debt or revenge". Shoko stopped herself mid-thought and uttered a whisper only Akira was close enough to hear. "Debt or revenge?"

Akira bowed her head tears in her eyes.

"You know more than you're saying. Don't you Akira oneechan?"

Akira nodded, beginning to cry.

"What happened?" Shoko asked sternly.

"The curse of the Kamitsuki was stronger in Haruto than any of us. It controlled him" Akira continued reluctantly afraid of how her words would be taken "I found a video recording of the incident on the 01's security videos".

"What happened!?" Shoko demanded.

"The Kamitsuki curse took over Haruto" Akira cried "he tore off Saki-oneechan's clothes and he".

Shoko stopped Akira. She didn't want to hear any more.

"He hurt her" Shoko whispered angrily.

"No" Akira stopped her "yes, at first he attacked her but there was more"

"More?"

"Saki-oneechan was in pain initially, obviously it was her first time" Akira explained " she stroked his hair, held his hands in hers, wrapped herself around him" Shoko and Akira both began to blush "she held him to her almost like she was protecting him from himself".

Shoko understood "like she loved him" she spoke aloud.

Akira nodded in agreement.

"He woke to see her clothes in tatters. At least, what was left of them. Then noticed his own state of undress" Akira went on, "that's when "Saki-chan received your text about winning the election. used it to change the subject away from what happened. She wanted him to feel no guilt over what happened".

"I snooped a little more and found a diary entry on Saki-oneechan's computer. The two of them went on a date the next morning. Her one thought 'I can't let him apologize. It would destroy him'. She said he was the first man to ever care about her. The first to see her as more than a tool. It seems he was ready to propose on the date for reasons other than debt and obligation; then we'd be under attack and they had to leave the date and go right into battle. You saw the proposal. You have to admit he was a total bonehead about it when he spoke with his mind not his heart" Akira giggled nervously.

"That's our Haruto" Shoko corrected herself "no he's Saki-oneechan's Haruto now!" Shoko smiled.

Akira looked on puzzled.

"I couldn't tell you before; but now the cat's out of the bag" Shoko smiled. "He's alive Akira-oneechan. He's in bad shape. We hid him trying to find a way to bring him back to his old self but haven't found a way yet."

Akira threw her arms around her sister "why didn't you tell me?"

"He's in a coma of sorts, Akira-oneechan. He's lost all his runes but the one L-Elf saved him with".

"L-elf saved him?!" Akira was stunnned at the thought. Maybe he really wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"We've been trying to find a way to restore his runes but unfortunately it's just not happening".

"Why didn't you just ask me" giggled Akira.

Shoko looked at her sister stunned at the smile.

"I have some good news and some bad news" Akira began almost like the lead-in to an old joke, the kind that made you groan hearing it from an old uncle's lips. "I can't restore Haruto-kun's runes. They're gone for good. There's no way to save them".

An ill-look fell on Shoko's face as well as one of confusion at the obvious smile of Akira's "Is that it then? He's gone?" Shoko asked.

"I said we can't get his runes back Shoko-oneechan; I never said we can't make him new ones. We can hack him oneechan" Akira giggled. "And who do you know that's a better hacker than me?"

Shoko was speechless. Here she was trying to protect her 2 sisters and all this time they were the ones who held the answer. "I love you oneechan!" Shoko cried out as she squeezed her sister tight. "Let's go to the hospital and wake Saki-oneechan. We need to tell her her man is coming home to her!".

"Saki-oneechan is in the hospital too?" Akira asked more than a bit confused.

"I'll explain on the way!" Shoko giggled as the two young women headed off to give Saki-oneechan the nod they knew she was waiting for.