Flatter a wolf and they'll purr like a cat.
Chapter 36
"Hey, this is amazing... I came up with the greatest idea." Kota said running into the Entrance to meet us. Apparently most of the girls were gathered there, making me feel awkward at being the only guy among them.
"... Which is?" Okami asked, waiting for him to calm down.
"Hey! I see you're interested! Alright, this is an artistic method of ending the long awaited search for Lindow. I call it, the 'Lovely, Lindow-Luring LINEUP!'"
"... What?" I knew Kota said idiotic things, but this took the hat.
"You know how Lindow loves girls?"
"Well..." Okami answered with averted eyes.
"So I thought if we walked around with a bunch of girls, he'd have to come out of hiding!" Kota's logic was beyond me.
"Hehe, the Lovely Lindow-Luring Lineup, right? It's so Kota, I can't say I hate it." Sakuya giggled, getting her laughs from the idea. "But now that I realized it... I guess that really is the image everyone has of Lindow (sigh)..."
"I don't know much about Lindow, so I'm not sure if I should really join in or not..." Annette nervously said.
"I can't believe you asked me to join you, with a huge smile on your face." Alisa relied with appall. "That sounds like the stupidest plan! Why would anyone think that would work?"
"When stupidity goes that far, its kind of fun," replied Gina.
"... When I heard Lindow was alive, I tried my best to be as much help as I can for his search. But..." Kanon wiggled around in nervousness as she shyly spoke with a blush. "I only seem to cause everyone trouble... since I was invited to the plan, I'll do my best to make it a success!"
"This is ridiculous," I then turned to Okami. "You're not seriously considering his plan are you?" Kota then turned to direct her.
"Come on. I mean, you're pretty good looking yourself! So please? Cooperate with us! Join the cause!" I had to roll my eyes at this.
"Please stop him before he hurts himself." But when she said nothing I turned to look at her. She had a huge blush on her face as she wiggled around twiddling her fingers with a goofy look on her face. "Okami?"
"He said I was pretty good looking." She was getting worked up for that?! "I've never been considered pretty before."
God she was so cute at that moment, but it frustrated me that it was Kota that caused this behavior. He didn't even say much.
"Alright... I'm in."
"You're not serious are you?" Me and Alisa looked in disbelief.
"Gina, Kanon, you coming?" Crap, she was serious.
"You are so cute when you're fluttered Okami." Gina replied walking with them to the mission elevator. "Sure, this sounds like a fun date."
"Yes... um... I'll do my best." Kanon said as they left to fulfill Kota's idiotic plan.
"I can't believe Okami gave in so easily just because he said she was pretty good looking." Alisa flabbergasted when they left.
"Sometimes you forget she's a girl," giggled Sakuya.
But I never forgot that. And Kota was wrong, she wasn't pretty good looking she was beautiful.
****** Returning to the Entrance after the mission ******
"Why? What was wrong? What went wrong? My Lovely Lindow-Luring Lineup failed!" Cried Kota dejected as we entered the Den. Soma and Tatsumi were there to greet us as we entered the Entrance.
"... A lot was missing." I didn't want to lie to him, but I didn't want to hurt his feelings either. So the best solution is to open the answer to interpretation.
"Hrm, so girls weren't enough for him, huh?" Kota said rubbing his chin with his fingers in thought. "Oh! I know! I'll add beer to that next time! All call it... The 'Lovely Lindow Luring Lineup, Round 2!' Yeah!"
Gina chuckled at this and Kanon sweat dropped as Kota stormed to his room to make plans for his new operation.
"He's really thinking of a Round 2..." said Soma addressing me as he watched the area where Kota stormed off. "Stop him before he gets hurt, Leader."
"I will have to agree with you this time... He'd have to take me out to dinner and tell me I'm pretty before he gets me to go on a mission like that again." I was still sore from all the shot's Kanon 'misfired' at me.
"Haha... Still, this search for Lindow is getting hard..." said Tatsumi sounding somewhat tired. But when he noticed me and Soma picking that up he covered it. "I mean, not that I'm losing confidence or anything!"
"Hang in there Tatsumi. You'll find him soon enough."
"You alright Leader?"
"To be honest Soma, I don't feel so good."
"Probably all that damn First Love Juice you've been chugging down."
"Who knows... Maybe I'll go see Saki about it."
Not wasting a moment I headed to the Lab were I bumped into Ren on the way. He looked like he was feeling as bad as me.
"Hi Ren."
"... Oh, hello."
"..."
"Sorry, I'm not all here right now. I seem to be feeling a little off." Then he looked at me with concern, which made him look so pitiful with that pained look on his face. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Now that you mention it..."
"I mean I kind of have an idea why, but..."
"Do you think it's the Love Juice?"
"Oh, it has nothing to do with the First Love Juice. I think..."
"Maybe a bug's just going around."
"Um, something like that..."
"Anyway, I'm heading to Saki. See if he can tell me what's wrong, want to come?"
"No thanks, I think I'll rest here for a while."
"Very well, do what you must. Feel better." I left for the Lab only to find Licca there.
"Oh, I need to talk to you. You know Lindow's God Arc? And how you touched it?" Couldn't she see that I wasn't feeling well? "Well, it's not doing too well, so I discussed that with Dr. Sakaki as a last resort. He told me that it probably needs to intake cells from a Raven Great Wing. And he said... 'I have an accomplice, so you should ask that person.' So, uh... Do you understand now?"
So Saki was going to use me... like a lap dog. I've always admired Saki and looked up to him. But now... now I have to do everything in my power to convince myself to not hate him. So with a tightly fisted hands. I bowed my head in reluctant acceptance of my circumstance.
"Understood."
"Yeah, I though so. I know we always give you the tough work. Well, I'll leave this to you then."
****** Later that night ******
"Okami, we need to talk."
"Not now Soma. I'm so tired."
"I will not take no for an answer, woman." I've had enough of her emotional 180. I planned to address her about it whether she avoids me or not.
"What are you...?" I planned to address her today, and I'm going to address her today. I did not wait by this goddamn Soda Machine for her to return just for her to blow me off. Approaching her I grabbed her and carried her on my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Stop it! Put me down."
I ignored her protest as I carried her to her room, dropping her on her bed.
"Was that really necessary?" I gave her a grin in reply, with my arms crossed. I towered over her as she looked up to me from the bed. "Soma, please. I just got back from a Retrieval Mission for Dr. Sakaki."
I slanted my eyes at that. "You never call him Sakaki, unless he's made you angry."
"He truly is turning into a fine Director."
"What?" She looked me in the eyes.
"I don't like being a lap dog, Soma. It's one thing to ask me, it's another thing to tie my hands with an order. I hate it, Soma. I hate being forced, I hate having my trust betrayed, I hate myself for hating him right now." Then she rolled over with her side facing me.
"Okami you don't hate the Doc."
"At the moment I do, and I hope that my old Saki comes back."
"Why did you go on that mission alone?"
"It was my task alone, not to be dropped on my pact."
"Like hell, you fought a Vajra and a Hannibal alone!"
"And what a fight that was while it lasted." I could practically hear her grin in her words.
"Damn it Okami! What's going on with you?!"
"There's nothing going on with me." I grabbed her shoulder and turned her back over to face me.
"Don't take me for an idiot! You've been acting different these past few days! You're doing things you normally wouldn't have done. You're isolating yourself more and more. You're working yourself more and more to the bone and it's terrifying!"
"It's the only way. With everyone working on the search for Lindow it's up to us to keep the Aragami in check."
"Yeah, but not by yourself!"
"I only bother my pact when it's a task I can't handle alone."
"And lately that's been most of the missions."
"But-"
"No buts! You... you use to get on me for trying to isolate myself, fighting alone. It was you, along with the others but mostly you, who helped taught me how to open up... to let people in. But now seeing you act like this, it's like everything you did and said meant nothing."
Startled at my approximation she leaned her upper body with her arms to get up a little more on level with me.
"No Soma... don't ever think that. Everything I did and said I meant with all my heart. I wanted to see you become something better, that didn't bask itself in the shadows. And I'm so proud... of what you've become." Startling me, she cupped my cheek in her hand. "If only I could get you to smile. You seemed so happy when you found out that Lindow was still alive. Where did that happiness go?"
"Probably got smothered with worry while I watch you destroy yourself." I growled at her. She removed her hand from my cheek, already I missed its warmth, and she scowled back at me.
"Why does everyone think that?! Everything I do, I do for the pacts happiness!"
"Well I'm not happy how you're going about doing it!"
"I can't make everyone happy, can I?!" Then she stopped, startled at herself as if she reached an epiphany. "No... I guess I can't... but I can do my best..."
"You can't keep doing this to yourself. You'll make us worried sick." I say calming down. "I'll talk to the Doc about stopping his overload of these damn Retrieval Missions."
"No!" She exclaims then pulls herself together. "No, please. It's alright, I only have a little more left. It's almost over I just know it."
"Okami..." Why was she so desperate?
"Just give me a few more days, I promise everything will be back to normal. If it doesn't then you can talk to Saki." At least she wasn't mad enough to call him by his full name anymore.
"You've got three days." I say making it final. "If you're still like this, I'm going to give the Doc a piece of my mind." And my fist if he keeps sending her on these solo missions. It's like the Special Missions all over again.