I am not an author I am an artist.

Chapter 19

The Rookies, one turned leader, were at the Starting Point of the Tranquil Temple where our mission started, talking about random things like the pudding ration. Seeing them so close together made me angry. They've been hanging out together more often lately, trying to get the other Rookie out of her rut and trying to cheer everyone up. The urge to push them apart was running through me, how comfortable Okami was around the Rookie was maddening. My God Arc made noise drawing their attention to me.

"Hey! Soma!" He called me out. "I was thinking we should throw a party for our new leader on next day off –you in?"

"No thanks," I passed them lightly brushing against Okami.

"Oh come on, don't be that way…" I stopped at this.

"Go ahead and have your little love fest… just leave me out of this," and I jumped out to find our prey, still in hearing range of Kota's last comment.

"Jeez, don't act so high-and-mighty because you're a better fighter! And don't be so arrogant after showing up late! That's why don't have any friends! Loser!" Hm, ignorant idiot.

"Kota!" She yelled at him in disapproval, which brought a grin to my face.

"Jeez! I'm just trying… that guy's just too anti-social…" After that I didn't care to here the rest. We had a job to do.

. . .

Something was here in the temple, I could sense it. "Who's there? Show yourself," nothing happened. "I know you're there!" A noise came from behind, I ready my God Arc to strike.

"H-hey hold up! It's only me!" Oh it was just the Rookie and Okami with him. This upset me more, why? Was it become I didn't want her close to another person, or was it because I didn't want her close to another man? Was I… was I jealous? Damn, that woman was getting too close to me.

"Huh, so it's YOU…"

"Hey, thanks a lot!" The Rookie replied sarcastically taking his gun away from his guarding position. "I came out here looking for you since you never came back to base!"

"Who ask you to look for me. I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want."

"But were comrades from the same unit! Don't be so egocentric!"

"Easy boys." Okami tried weakly to keep the peace.

"(Snort) Comrades, huh. If you're talking about the kind of comrades who can't even survive a little jab, who you can't trust to have your back… It's better not to have them at all."

"Why you… Okay, then! You're so special! You're incredible! You think you're such a hot-shot… Suit yourself! I'm heading back, without you!" With that he stormed off.

"Kota wait," Okami reached out toward him but was too late to stop him. As she turned her hair blew in the wind her body created with its motion. I brought my hand up to lightly touch it gently with my fingers. It was soft, almost silk like, which shocked me with her wild like nature. She was an enigma, she was beautiful… she was something that could never be mine.

"You shouldn't have to anything to do with a monster like me." I pulled my hand away as she turned to look at me.

"Do you have laser breath?" What kind of question was that?

"No."

"Do you hide under children's bed?"

"No!"

"Do you kidnapped women and keep them hostage at the top of the tallest building of the city?"

"No! What the hell?!"

"Well, then you're one poor excuse of a monster. But that's a good thing, right?" She smiled reaching a hand out toward me. "Come on, let's head back." I just brushed pass her heading back, feeling a little warmer with her not far behind me.

. . .

Leaving the Director's office after his praise about how much I was improving. I bumped into Saki in the hallway.

"Are you the type of person who has a great deal of curiosity?"

"You know I do Saki, you know that better than anyone." But he kept walking to the Director's office leaving behind a disk he accidentally dropped on the floor. My curiosity getting the best of me I watched it in my room.

I didn't understand most of it, but it seemed the Director and his mate used their son as an experiment to find a way to stop the Aragami. The Director didn't approve at first, but gave in to his mate's wishes. Saki was against it and left. The experiment… cost the life of the Director's mate… and the happy life Soma should have had. How much strength did it take her to use her own child as the experiment, it most have caused her great pain. But she expected great things from her son, things that she'd never get to see. I had to admire her for the fact she died for what she strived for.

To my disappointed I bumped into Soma by the Soda Machine in the hallway.

"What do you want…?" I felt shy almost as if I was looking through his underwear drawer.

"I saw Dr. Sakaki's disc…"

"The hell with that old man… Always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong… I'm not sure how much he knows, but I don't give a damn what happened in the past. Don't go digging around where you're not wanted. Got that?" He sounded so defensive.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't pry. But I don't understand something… You call yourself a monster, but you're a hero. Your sacrifice even though not your choice helped saved the lives of thousands. And you still fight to save lives today, if that's not a hero I don't know what is." I didn't want him to get angry at me for prying so I ran for the elevator and got out of there.

. . .

Soma's been out of it since yesterday. Sleeping before the mission was one thing, but it didn't look very peaceful. Concerned, we all approached him with the attempt to wake him up.

"Damn it!" He awoke with a jump, giving us a start.

"Jeez! Don't scare us like that." Alisa said startled.

"You looked like you were having a nightmare, you alright?" Kota asked.

"Yeah."

"What? You're being so civil!"

"Shut up!"

"Ah, there's the Soma we know. You're alright, let's go."

Hell he was out of it even during the mission. Coming back to the Den even Kota noticed it, as he called me out on it.

"I don't like that Soma guy, but is something bugging him? We could help if he'd open up for once."

"I'm glad you're concern for your pact member rises above your anger toward them. You're right, let's see if we can get him to open up… after I visit Saki."

"Ah, man. Not another lecture?"

"No, I just have to return something that's his. Later."

"See yah later."

. . .

"I'm sorry. So you picked this up for me? I owe you a handful. Needless to say you didn't watch it did you? It's nothing really, just memories from my youth. Oh, wait. I'm glad you're here. I have a favor to ask you." It was rare for Saki to ask anything of me so this peeked my interest. "I'd like you to obtain a certain Aragami core. The director asked me to assign this task while he's away." Ah, so the Director is gone. Well it was a simple task, how could I refuse him. Nodding my head I replied.

"Very well, it shall be done."

"No one needs to know of this, especially the Director or your Adviser." He got in my face again just like he did when we first meet. No matter how many times he does this, I never get use to it. All I can do is wait awhile and baffle in confusion. "You see, I already asked Soma for the same favor… and I'd really like the two of you to take care of this somehow."

"If I recall," he continues, leaning away. "You just got promoted to Leader, haven't you? Congratulations! I'm curious… have you ever heard of the Mangarm Project?"

"I've read about it, yes."

"I have to tell you, there was nothing elegant about that experiment. I even lost a dear friend…" It hurt him to say this; I could hear the sorrow in his voice. Saki regretted the experiment that much I can tell. "And Soma, who was left behind, may be shouldering that negative legacy all by himself… And I, myself… I am one of those whose actions warrant Soma's hatred." He leaned back into my space again.

"I'd like it if you'd somehow befriended him…please." I smiled at such a useless request.

"There's no need to plead for a request that's already been done." I turned to leave the room but looked over my shoulder at him. "But that first request we'll get on right away."

Going to the Entrance I bumped into just the guy I was looking for.

"Ah Soma, ready to go get that core?"

"Mph, just don't get in my way."

"Of course, as long as you don't get in the way of my fun." I challenged back.

"Why did that old man send you too? I can handle this alone."

"I know, but I can make the job go by faster." As I headed to the God Arc Hanger I looked over my shoulder. "Come on Soma, humor me. It's been so long since I fought strong opponents in a small group. Let me have my fun."

. . .

"Ah, yes! This is the feeling! I've almost forgotten how it felt to fight in such a life-or-death situation." She cried out with glee as she attacked the Vajra then dodging the Borg Camlann's tail at the last second. "The pressure, the rush! Ah, it feels so good to be moving so freely again!"

She was right about that, her moves aren't as stiff as they usually were. She didn't have many people to keep an eye on like she usually did. And that was to her favor since the Borg Camlamn decided to join in our fight with the Vajra. They both attacked off time making it hard to land a blow or dodge. But Okami actions grew more wild and loose as if the beast inside her was enjoying the challenge. It was like a deadly dance to her, which her partners couldn't keep up with her.

The Vajra was the first to fall, so over whelmed with excitement she had the gall to look at the Borg Camlann and say 'next.' If she was playing with it she didn't show it as she went for the killing blows. Taking out its hind legs she knocked it on its knees, cutting off its tail as I crushed its shield. She chased it down without any mercy as it ran. She truly looked like a wolf right now. Her strength, her grace, her beauty, she was beautifully deadly. It made the monster inside me crave her more and more. As much as I hated to admit it, I wanted her. But she was too beautiful for a monster like me to ever touch.

"It's over." She sounded disappointed. "Let's head back; this place is making me sleepy."

I know a couple of things we could do to wake you up.

"Oh, like what?" Shit, did I say that out loud? "Is it some sort of game? I do love a good game." Gotta recover somehow, I have to change the topic before she opens something I can't stop. (Ring) Her head piece goes off, saving me from my blunder.

"Okami here… ah, Hibari hello. Yes the missions over… nothing noteworthy happened… Ah, I see… yes, understood. I'll go see him when I get back. Thank you Hibari, later." She then looks at me. "Looks like Saki wants to see me when we get back. I guess that game of yours will have to wait for another time."

Saved by the old man, for once.

. . .

"Well, sorry to keep summoning you." Saki was leaning in my space again. "But I have a very special favor to ask of you today… As always, I'll be sending you on an Aragami extermination mission. The team for this mission will be Sakuya, Alisa… and to complete the group Kota. Oh, and there's no need to muster up any more troops."

"Of course you already made a team more than enough for the job."

"I've done some contriving to make this seem like a routine mission. That's all for me. I'm looking forward to the results." Why would he have to hide the details of the mission? He's up to something. But I trust Saki, I'll wait until he's ready to tell me. With that I left to get the job done.

. . .

It was a cold night at the Tranquil Temple, but my blood ran with excitement. We split into two to get the job done. I got Sakuya, while Alisa got Kota. We ran into the Gboro while they got stuck with the Chi-you… lucky. But things went downhill as I noticed on my armlet they were struggling with the Chi-you. I couldn't play around this time; I went for the kill striking the Gboro in the fins. The kill was quick and swift, after devouring it we rushed to Alisa's and Kota's aid. As we made it to the upper level stairs Alisa had fallen. Sakuya and I rushed to link-aid with her, each of us giving her a piece of our health.

After she got up I noticed Kota's health was low still as he faced the Chi-you alone while we got to Alisa. I was ready to shot him some recovery bullets when the Chi-you back handed him, knocking him out. Rushing past the Chi-you I linked-aid with Kota.

"You're a life saver!"

"Come on, let's take him down."

"Alrightie!" With all of us taking it on together, it never had a chance. I ran to the middle ground, but to no avail as it was still defeated. I was ready to devour it when someone called out to me.

"Hey, hold up!" That voice… Saki?! I turned around to see if it was true, to my confirmation it was him accompanied by Soma.

"Huh?" Sakuya seemed surprised to see him out of the Den too.

"What are you doing here Doc?" Kota asked.

"I'll explain later. Just leave that Aragami alone and come over here a second would you." Complying with his request we went over to where he was and took cover. We waited for a while but nothing happened. As Saki checked his watch I felt something approaching, Saki must have noticed something too as he put his watch away and got excited.

"Ah, it's coming!" A little girl came out of nowhere and began eating the Chi-you, she wasn't neat about it as she got blood all over herself, she must have been starving.

She turned to us as we approached her. "Uh… I am… hungry."

"Whoa!" Kota freaked. She didn't react when Kota raised his weapon or when he lowered it. The poor girl was in rags that barely covered her lower half.

Wait, that vibe, her unfamiliar scent… she wasn't human… she was an Aragami! So it was possible, Saki was right!

We were in a stand still until Saki jumped in. "Well now, good to see you!" He said as he approached with cheer. "So you finally decided to show yourself!"

"Soma, thank you for bringing her here. I can be with her now… thanks to you!"

"No need to thank me." He seemed cooler about this than I expected, perhaps he doesn't know what she is yet. "But how about an explanation."

"Well, since she was being stubborn about not showing up. I eradicated what she's been feeding on in this area. Even the pickiest of eaters can't ignore the pangs of hunger, right." So he lured her out.

"Man! Your sneakiness at least has no peer." Soma commented.

"Uh… Doctor... so who is this kid?" Kota asked as the girl looked at us with curiosity. How adorable she was, but one could guess how strong she was since she survived here by herself for so long. "Is she another case… like Okami?"

"No," Soma answered before me.

"Oh, right. We shouldn't be chatting like this out in the open." Then Saki addressed the girl. "I apologize from keeping it from you all this time. You'll come with us, won't you?"

"I'm ready to eat!" She responded.

"Huh?" Soma was puzzled at her response.

"I was ready to eat?" Ah, so she's learning the human language. She must have had some interaction with people.

. . .

Going back to the Laboratory, with that thing. She sat on the floor smiling as the old man explained to the others what it was. The others leaned back in fear, shocked expressions on their faces. All except for Okami, she looked down and actually smiled back at the thing. What the hell could possibly be going on in that head of hers?

"Um… what did you just say?!" Sakuya asked in disbelief.

"Uh… I'll say it as many times as necessary, this is an Aragami."

"NO… WAY… HOLY!" Kota couldn't even make an eligible sentence.

"What! Oh…" At least Alisa didn't react much.

"Now, now. Calm down. This one won't prey on you, I promise." They seemed to have relaxed a little at that information. "As you know, all Aragami share a trait known as 'Bias'."

"An Aragami's unique tendency for predatory behavior… That's the same thing our God Arcs uses, isn't that right?" Well at least we know Alisa was doing her homework.

"That's correct! I'm sure that's common knowledge for you God Eaters."

"Did you?" Kota turned to ask me.

"Of course!" Damn that brat needs to do his research.

"This Aragami's Bias seems to be directed at other Aragami of a higher order. We humans don't even fall under the category of food, as far as she's concerned." The old man has the nerve to call it a 'she'. It's nothing but a monster in sheep's skin. It annoyed me watching it look around the room as if it was actually a curious little girl.

"It's a common misconception. Aragami aren't born with characteristics of their life form. Rather, they evolve in a break neck pace through Devouring. As a result of that, their diverse revolutionary potential is condensed into a very short period again. And that's what makes an Aragami what it is."

"You mean this child…" Sakuya couldn't even finish her sentence.

"Right, just like mankind, they temporarily got stuck in a dead end in their process of evolution." That thing kept playing with its foot as the old man kept talking. "She's an Aragami evolving much like a human."

"A human-like… Aragami you mean?" The idea disgusted me.

"Yes, based on an examination I conducted earlier… the equivalent of her cranial nerves and synapse seems to be functioning exactly like a human brain. Clearly, she's got an incredible capacity to learn! Quite an intriguing specimen!"

"Doc!" Kota called out raising his hand like a kid in school.

"Yes Kota?"

"I think I got most of what you said… actually, it was mostly way over my head… Um, exactly what does she mean when she says 'Food, or 'I'm ready to eat'?"

"Food!" Kota flinched away as it said the word.

"It sounds pretty ominous coming from her…"

"Like I said, the Bias factor of an Aragami dictates its will not to partake on any being similar to itself." Then the old man decided to mess with them. "That said, in times of dire hunger- like now for instance- she's likely to gobble up anything, no matter how unpleasant it taste." Again all of them flinched away except for Okami who continued to smile down at the thing as it smiled at her. "But that's an exception to the rule."

They all calmed as he continued. "As you know 'Aragami' is just a nickname. But there have been multiple entities adopting the form as what we humans envisioned as 'the Gods'… This has been noticed worldwide. What thought process could lead them to adapt to this way of life? What process led them to worship Gods? Don't you find this intriguing? And this Aragami child here, who's taken human form, is a completely rarer case, you see. Oh, I degrease. That's it for today for this study group. If you don't mind I'd like for you to keep this a secret just between us… Are we agreed?"

"But… we'll have to report it to the Director and our Adviser…"

"Sakuya… you're an exulted God Eater and protector of humankind… And yet you intend to tell your superiors I smuggled an Aragami into the Den, the headquarters at the battlefield?"

"Well, no… but why exactly did you do it?"

"Didn't I tell you before… she's a valuable sample. She's merely the subject of a personal project, that's all."

"You won't hurt her, will you Saki?" Okami asked with questionable concern for that thing.

"Of course not Okami," the old man said gently as he smiled at her, then turned back to Sakuya. "Don't worry. I made sure this place has its own security system and infrastructure. It's not connected to the other sections. Now I'm sure you wouldn't want someone to pry needlessly into your affairs, would you?" Was that a threat? Either way it silenced Sakuya. "Oh by the way, you and I both are accomplices in all this already."

"Ready to eat!" It said breaking the tension.

"I'd like you to be her friend. You too Soma… please, look out for her."

"Don't be ridiculous! It may be good at imitating a human… but it's still a monster."

"You say that now, but one day you'll understand." Okami said without even looking at me. She must have lost her mind to think that'll ever happen. Ignoring her and that thing I left the room.