Author's Note: Thank you as always to my readers and reviewers. To Eyeshield, thank you, and I apologise for the insufficient line breaks; my frantic writing speed led to that and I'll try to pay more attention to it in future chapters (although minor correction: It's not a "grammatical" error but a paragraphing one). To God arcs, no, it's not the Clemencor; Yuu hasn't made it yet but please look forward to its debut! To rydia3791, thanks for your help in clarifying that! As for the other part of your review, I'm glad you like how Alisa's slowly getting into fighting shape again and I hope this chapter is an adequate "response" to your request; it's the least I can do to repay your invaluable aid. To Lyne, I'll do my best to update as quickly as possible, but I apologise in advance if/when real life gets in the way. To Kyuubi gear, thanks and I too am desperate to hear of God Eater 2's localisation. I'll be slowly developing the tentative beginnings of romance between Alisa and Yuu (gotta keep things in tune with canon after all, since they only "officially" get together in The Summer Wars) so I hope you like how I'll be fleshing it out. Also, you should totally get started writing that fic! Our fandom's small and could use every able writer it can get. Now, on with the chapter!
The paper in her hand - or, to be more precise, the list of things written on it - is giving her one hell of a headache, and Alisa thinks for what feels like the nth time since she's reread the damn thing that maybe she might have been a little too ambitious when she first had this idea. It had seemed like the perfect thing at the time, but now that she's trying to actually do it the difficulty of the task is beginning to fully dawn on her. On the plus side, the girl thinks glumly as she registers that her feet have automatically brought her to the mission counter, she'd been so absorbed in her self-inflicted troubles that she'd failed to notice if anyone she'd passed along the way had so much as looked at her or whispered yet another less-than-pleasant comment.
Hibari as always is already on duty despite the early morning hour and offers one of her usual smiles when she spots Alisa. "Good morning, Alisa," she says in greeting as the girl walks up to her work station. "Up and about already, I see. Ready to get started on the day and tackle a mission?"
A little embarrassed at being so easy to read, the Russian takes a moment to fight off the light flush assaulting her cheeks before answering. "Morning, Hibari, and I suppose so, yes," she admits. "Can I please see the list of today's available missions?"
"Here you go. And you don't have to be so formal with me, you know," the operator chastises her gently as she hands over the sheet the girl needs. As Alisa reaches with both hands to accept it, however, the older woman seemingly pauses mid-transaction. "What's that in your hand?" she asks curiously, her eyes drawn to something already in the young God Eater's grip.
Oh, right. She'd practically forgotten about The List. "Um, just something I have to do for... um... someone for something," she replies evasively as she stuffs it into her skirt pocket, unsure herself why she's so reluctant to talk about it. "I'm having a bit of trouble with it," she clarifies a little, "but I'll work it out somehow."
"Would that have anything to do with that thing you asked Licca to help with?" Hibari asks, causing her to snap her downwards gaze up to meet the operator's. The questions must be practically written all over her face if the older woman's chuckle is any indication. "Licca and I talk to each other and while she didn't tell me the details she asked me to help you out in case you were having problems," she explains, pausing a moment before continuing. "So, are you having any problems?"
The question, the girl realises, is a signal that she's free to take the obvious exit if she doesn't want to tell the operator, and she greatly appreciates the gesture. The older woman is making it clear that while she is willingly offering her aid, Alisa herself is under no obligation to accept. It is her own choice to make.
"Yes, actually," the Russian finds herself confessing as she pulls the slip of paper back out of her pocket and smooths it out on the counter's surface. "Licca needs me to get some materials for her to create the item I requested but I'm a little lost as to how to obtain a couple of them since they're kind of hard for me to acquire," she continues, turning the list around so Hibari can read it.
"Ah, that explains it," the operator murmurs understandingly as she scans through the paper's contents. "I can see why you'd have trouble obtaining some of these items considering your... circumstances," she finishes diplomatically. "Fortunately, this is something I can help with; us mission operators are some of the most resourceful and well-connected people in the Den so you've come to the right person," she winks.
The gratitude and relief Alisa feels is palpable. "Thank you, Hibari!" she enthuses. "How much do I owe you for this?" She doesn't exactly have a lot of credits to her name, but she'll give it all away if it means this goal can be accomplished.
Her question, however, causes the older woman to blink in confusion. "Owe? Alisa, I don't want your money; I know you don't have much to begin with and I'd prefer to consider this as helping out a friend in need," she responds, her smile replaced with a worried frown.
"But... it doesn't seem right for me to ask you for something like this and not repay you in some form or other," the girl anxiously argues, pausing for a moment as a thought occurs to her. "And I don't even know how you're going to do it. If it's going to be troublesome-"
"All I will say," Hibari cuts her off gently but firmly, "is that how I go about things like this is a trade secret and it's not nearly as troublesome as you seem to think it is." Noticing that Alisa is about to start again, she raises her hand in a 'stop' gesture. "Now, I understand that you feel like you're indebted to me as well as Licca - yes, I can guess you were going to make the same argument with her eventually so I'll cover this part for her at the same time - which is why I'm going to offer you a suggestion."
The operator waits for moment to see if any protest is forthcoming and continues speaking when there is none. "Our 'price', you could say, is that you spend some of your free time with us every now and then. It'll be good for you to have some friends aside from Yuu and we'd love to have someone else to chat with. And," she adds bemusedly, "if you insist that money be involved somehow, we take turns buying the snacks for these little breaks."
Feeling somewhat cornered, all Alisa can do is nod. "Alright," she agrees a little reluctantly; she still feels like she's shortchanging both women but considering the terms have already been named there's nothing much she can do about it. With that topic having seemingly come to a close, she turns her attention back to the neglected mission sheet and scans it for a moment before tapping on her choice. "I'll go with this one," she says as she points it out for Hibari to see.
"Alright, I'll register the both of you for the mission and arrange for your transport," the operator notes, back in business mode and immediately accounting for Yuu's participation even without confirmation. "You should go grab some breakfast while you're waiting."
"Thanks, I will," the girl responds, "but I didn't say Yuu was going to be the one to go with me. I haven't even asked him yet." Even as she says it, she knows it's a weak argument; there isn't anyone else she can or wants to ask for help on this and he'd already promised yesterday that he'd give her all the help she needs. It's the principle of the thing, she mentally affirms, although why that is so important isn't something she wants to think about.
The look Hibari throws her way gives Alisa the impression that the older woman's thoughts mirror hers although she chooses not to voice them. "I'll leave the second slot blank then," the woman states wryly, an inscrutable smile playing on her lips. For the second day in a row the girl chooses not to wonder about Hibari's smile - she wonders if this is going to be a recurring theme - and politely takes her leave to find Yuu.
Deciding that breakfast is a good idea and the cafeteria is the best place to start her search anyway, the girl heads there and finds herself greeted by the early bird crowd of Fenrir employees. As luck would have it, her target is here and reasonably easy to find thanks to the relatively small number of people in the Far East Branch who can or need to be up and about a little earlier than the rest, so she quickly grabs a serving and hurries over to where he's seated.
"Oh hey, good morning Alisa," Yuu greets her as he spots her walking up to his table. "Eager to get started huh?" he teases good-naturedly as he takes another bite of his corn before gesturing for her to take a seat with his free hand. "How're you feeling today?" he continues once he's chewed and swallowed his food as she settles in.
"Good morning," she responds as she starts tucking into her food. "And I'm... good, I guess. I think I'm getting my muscle memory back," she adds, letting silence descend on them for a moment as they both quietly eat before she can work up the courage to speak up again - why she still gets nervous about this is yet another thing she decides to mentally file under Questions to Ponder Later (Read: Maybe Never). "I know this is a bit sudden, but..." she begins abruptly, drawing Yuu's attention away from the last of his mashed potatoes, "Will you please accompany me on the 'Monkey Guts' mission?"
He doesn't even try to make a joke this time. "Of course I will," he answers almost immediately. "I told you I'd help you, didn't I? And you don't have to be so formal about it, you know," he mock-scolds her, pointing his fork in her direction to emphasise his point and giving her a stern look even though the mirth in his eyes is all too apparent.
"Yes, well, I feel better about making it a formal request considering it's not exactly a small favour to ask," the girl argues back halfheartedly as she continues to eat her food, feeling quite certain she's already had a variation of this argument a short while ago. "And thanks for last time. I feel a lot more confident now," she adds.
"No need to thank me; as I keep telling you, I want to help in any way I can," he waves it off almost carelessly, moving his now empty food tray aside as he does so. "So what's the mission about?"
Pushing the issue will get her nowhere so she decides to let it go for now. "Okay, next up is a Kongou and Gboro-Gboro in the Grasslands," she explains as she quickly finishes up her meal. "Spark attacks work for both. Let's do our best!"
"Spark, huh," Yuu muses out loud before rising from his seat. "Right, I'll have to let Licca know she needs to swap out my God Arc's parts again. She should have enough time to do it if I tell her now so it'll be done when we go fetch our gear. You ready?"
Taking one last sip of her water, Alisa nods and stands up. "All done. Let's go." They leave the cafeteria, stopping only for Yuu to find a quiet corner so he can call Licca and inform her ahead of time of the necessary gear change, and it doesn't escape her notice that they've matched each other's strides again.
Hibari appears to have been waiting for them, because the moment they come into view of the mission counter it only takes her a few seconds to spot them and wave them over. "Good morning, Yuu," she greets once they walk up. "I'll put your name down with Alisa's for the mission now," she continues, throwing the girl a pointed look as she speaks - one she decides to ignore.
"Um, yes please?" Yuu responds, slightly bewildered at the strangeness of the situation. His eyes dart to his fellow God Eater, conveying a silent question, but she ignores him too. It's starting to feel like the theme of the morning, much to her irritation.
Thankfully, the operator doesn't push the issue. "Alright, head over to the garage; you'll be going by jeep this time. Marcus is headed for the Wailing Plains for a routine scouting trip so he'll drop you off at a convenient location and pick you up again once he's finished his rounds," she instructs as she passes Yuu the slip of paper indicating which bay their ride is parked in. "Oh, and the storm you two encountered in the Grasslands yesterday's still going strong so please be careful."
"Roger that," the guy responds with a mock salute, his feet already marching him backwards in the direction of the lifts. Alisa gives Hibari a short bow before taking her leave and following Yuu's lead. Upon their arrival in Maintenance, Licca greets them with her trademark cheerfulness, passing them both their God Arc cases before gesturing the Russian aside. "I got Hibari's message," the mechanic whispers as the guy looks on questioningly at the blatantly secret conversation he's been shooed away from. "She'll get the more difficult items to me by today, but I need you to get me one more Angel Shell so see if you can find a Zygote or two later. Good luck! Oh, and I look forward to you joining our little teatime sessions in the future," she adds as an afterthought.
"What was that about?" Yuu predictably asks as they leave for the garage.
"Oh, nothing much. I've been invited to hang out with Hibari and Licca whenever they have a get-together and I'm available," she answers evasively; it's not a lie but it's not the whole truth either, although considering she wants to keep that part quiet she's definitely not going to tell him.
"I see. Good for you," he answers honestly and thankfully doesn't ask any more questions. "By the way," he resumes talking as they get into the lift, "just to warn you in advance: Don't try to talk on our way to the mission location. And before you ask why-" he preemptively cuts off her obvious follow-up question, "trust me, you'll find out soon enough."
Their conversation is cut short when several people board the lift, and while some of them glance in her direction no one makes any comments. It could be because Yuu's with her, but whatever the reason she's glad she won't be going into a fight with something like that hanging over her. They arrive at the garage soon enough, and the man who greets them is... questionable, in a sense.
With slicked back dirty blonde hair, loud clothes and a posture that screams of a body used to being in constant motion, their driver for the day looks more like he belongs in the entertainment industry than in Fenrir. "Yo! Get in and let's get movin' already!" he hollers at them in lieu of a proper greeting before hopping into the driver's seat without waiting for them.
"Remember, no talking during the trip," Yuu mutters as they stow away their God Arc cases in the back before boarding themselves. "Oh, and hold on to something," he adds quickly, gripping the interior grab handle on his side as if to emphasise his point. She is roughly one second away from asking him why when the jeep roars to life. Then she finds out.
"Here we goooooooooo!" With that, the vehicle all but jumps before speeding out of the garage, the suddenness of it all shocking Alisa into instinctively grabbing onto the nearest available thing - one hand goes to the interior grab handle on her side and the other ends up snaring Yuu's other hand which is itself gripping the seat. She thinks she hears him let out a pained sound at her death grip, but she's too busy gritting her teeth to avoid biting her tongue off and trying not to focus on how the Outer Ghetto is a nauseating blur outside the window which all too quickly transitions into the world beyond the Wall.
The girl isn't too sure how long the ride actually takes - her life may have flashed before her eyes and she's not entirely sure when the sound of rain pelting the jeep's roof registered in her brain - but soon enough the deathtrap on wheels screeches to a halt. Moving, however, is a monumental task, frozen as she is in her seat.
It takes Yuu gently prying her hand off his with his free one to get her brain and body back in working condition again. "You can let go now," he murmurs, half amused and half strained, "It's over. You're still alive."
That earns him a halfhearted slap on the arm with the hand that was previously fused with the grab handle, but all he does is weakly chuckle in response. "Oi, you two!" Marcus' voice jolts them back to reality. "Get your butts in gear already! I got my own stuff to do! Pickup's back here in an hour! Don't be late!"
"Alright alright, we're going!" Yuu grumbles for the both of them as they exit the jeep and are immediately assaulted by the storm. The vehicle speeds off once more barely a second after they've retrieved their God Arcs and slammed the doors shut and all too soon they're left all alone in the Grasslands.
"Jerk," Alisa mutters under her breath before turning to her companion. "I'm sorry about your hand," she apologises awkwardly, her embarrassment over her actions having finally caught up with her now that their shared life-threatening experience has ended.
At her words, Yuu stops absentmindedly massaging his crushed hand and turns to look at her. "Oh, it's fine," he waves the injured appendage as if to show it's still functional. "You still did better than Kota. The first time we took a ride with Marcus, he grabbed my hand and nearly yanked my entire arm out of its socket using it to cover his eyes. I made it clear I didn't appreciate it, and he at least didn't do it again on the trip back. Although I have to say your grip's a lot stronger than his," he adds with a grin, brushing his already soaked hair out of his eyes.
"Har har. Remind me never to feel sympathetic towards you ever again," the girl scowls in response even though she doesn't mean it - it's starting to occur to her that his well-being is becoming an increasingly important concern for her the more time he spends with her. She thinks it might have something to do with the fact that he's the only one who's been there for her from the start, even when she hadn't wanted him to be. She shakes the thought away, suddenly uncertain of where it might lead. "Anyway," she says quickly, hoping the guy hasn't noticed her pause, "what's the plan?"
"What're you asking me for?" Yuu answers in what she's pretty sure is faked confusion. "You're the one who chose this mission, so that makes you the leader. Again, if I might add."
"W-What?" she asks inarticulately, having expected him to take the lead this time. "Considering I didn't do so well yesterday, you still want me to lead? And we have two targets this time; I don't want to mess up and-" let you get hurt again, she wants to finish but stops herself in time. "I just... don't think it's a good idea."
"Exactly why you need to lead again today," he counters. "Like I said, you have the necessary instincts, Alisa. You need to trust them, and I know you're capable of developing them and other skills necessary for you to be an excellent leader soon enough. Besides," he continues as he plants the business end of his God Arc's blade into the muddy ground and leans against it, "I've decided you're the leader, so I'm going to stand here and stare at you until you give me an order."
"Wait, what? That's just ridiculous!" she sputters in disbelief. "We're still standing in the rain, for goodness' sake! Are you blackmailing me with your own health?!" The infuriating guy's only answer is a raised eyebrow as if to silently challenge her to do something about it.
She caves, of course. "FINE!" the girl yells out. "I'll do it, okay? I'll be leader! Let's go kill some Aragami already and then get out of this rain!" It's a little annoying how easily he gets to her, but based on the grin he flashes her at her outburst... maybe it's not that bad.
"Alrighty, captain!" he answers cheerfully as he pulls his God Arc free of the muddy ground and gives her a salute with his free hand. "What's the game plan for today?"
That's her cue to steer things back to the more pressing matter at hand, and she seizes the opportunity, although his little stunt has helped keep her nervousness from getting the better of her. "I was thinking about it earlier and it's probably best if we move slow," she starts outlining her strategy. "You should take lead since you can take advantage of the target Aragamis' weaknesses with your Long Blade and I'll bring up the rear with my bullets. We'll start with searching the last approximate location the Aragami were spotted. Chances are that even if they're no longer in that particular area they might be nearby, so we should scan the area for signs of activity like fresh tracks and make our approach quietly so we'll have the element of surprise on our side."
"Hopefully we won't run into both the Kongou and the Gboro-Gboro at the same time, but if we do I'll handle the Kongou since it'll be easier for me to fire on it and dodge its dash attacks while you melee the Gboro-Gboro since it moves slower. We'll support each other during this if we have to, but our main goal is to drive one off so we can deal with the remaining one first before hunting down the runaway." Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she finally turns to look at him. "That is, if you're okay with that plan."
"Hey, you're the leader," he points out for the nth time. "You have to believe in your plan and, more importantly, believe in your comrades' abilities to carry out that plan. So, I have to ask..." Yuu locks gazes with her then, and suddenly it's as if the storm beating down on them doesn't even exist. "Do you believe in me?"
"Of course," Alisa answers without hesitation before her mind can even register what she's saying. When her words finally do, however, she feels her cheeks flush with heat despite the chill caused by the rain. Her blush only intensifies for some reason when the guy smiles at her response with a warmth rivalling the sun that's currently missing in the sky.
"That settles it then," he says, shifting his grip on his God Arc into a more battle-ready stance. "Let's get started; the longer we stay out in this downpour, the likelier we are to get killed by Dr Anderson when we get back. Which direction?"
"That way," she points out, glad he had either not noticed or chosen not to ask why her face must look as flushed as it feels. Nodding, Yuu begins trekking forward as she follows, trading Avenger for Gatling Lore as she sweeps the horizon - or whatever she can see of it - for potential threats.
Their first sign that they may have found at least one of their targets turns out to not be the sight of it so much as the tremors in the ground it is creating - an impressive feat considering there's more mud than solid earth beneath their feet. Both of them stop in their tracks and immediately take cover at a nearby outcrop. Sure enough, the Kongou they are looking for comes lumbering into view, its every step leaving a small crater in the muddy field.
Mindful of how the last mission had turned out due to her lack of caution, Alisa holds out an arm in front of Yuu as a silent indication to wait which he acknowledges with a nod. Her carefulness is, in a sense, rewarded when her ears pick up the sound of flapping wings intermingled with the storm. Peeking out from behind their cover, she visually confirms that it is not in fact a Chi-You, although that turns out to be the only positive thing she can see in this situation.
"Two Zygotes," she murmurs only loud enough for Yuu to hear, heedful of the flying Aragamis' keen sense of hearing. Panicking about unexpected variables in the plan is not going to help, so she takes a deep breath and assesses the situation before speaking again. "Alright, here's what we'll do," she whispers once they've backed up a little further. "The Zygotes are going to be a nuisance when we engage the Kongou but it's not like we can ignore it while we deal with them first either, so you keep the Kongou busy while I fire on the Zygotes. Once I've knocked one down to the ground, switch your attention to it and take it out first while I keep the other Zygote and the Kongou distracted. I'll repeat the process with the remaining Zygote and take it out myself, then we can focus our attention on finishing the Kongou for good together. Ready?" He nods, and they both tighten their grip on their God Arcs simultaneously. "Three, two, one... go."
As one, they both spring out of cover. The Zygotes predictably are the first to notice their presence and immediately alert the Kongou with their screeches, although one Spark bullet each courtesy of Gatling Lore gets them to shut up for now. Yuu presses the advantage she provides, dashing in and bringing his Long Blade down on the Kongou's face much to the larger Aragami's rage. The battle is off to a good start, but if she learned anything yesterday it's to not be complacent, so she makes every calculated shot of hers count even as she monitors her surroundings, the dwindling Oracle Cell gauge on her God Arc and keeps an eye on Yuu's battle with his own opponent.
One solid shot brings down a Zygote soon enough and it falls to the ground in a screaming mass. "Yuu! To your right!" she yells as she turns to fire on the Kongou to keep its attention off her partner. He acknowledges her command by immediately disengaging from the Kongou to dash towards the fallen Aragami, using his body's momentum to drive his God Arc into his target, ending with a devour that finishes off the Aragami and sends him into Burst Mode. Without wasting time, he turns back and uses his heightened abilities on the now enraged Kongou even as she herself refocuses her efforts on the remaining Zygote, killing and devouring it much like Yuu did moments ago when it too falls to the ground. Burst Mode feels like an adrenalin shot, only her God Arc thrums with energy as well, and she takes advantage of the boost to fire a few more shots off at the Kongou before switching to Avenger and diving in herself.
Before long the Kongou roars its last, and while the mission is only half done the girl thinks she might be allowed to feel a little positive about the situation. They are both taking the time to catch their breaths when suddenly Licca's words from this morning rush to the front of her thoughts and Alisa turns to look at the two Zygote corpses.
"Something the matter?" Yuu asks out of the blue; of course he'd notice when her attention's been diverted.
"Oh, it's nothing," she answers a little too quickly, mentally wincing at her failure to not sound suspicious. "I just remembered that before we left Licca asked me to bring back an Angel Shell for her if we ran into any Zygotes," she covers; it's the truth, after all, and she really shouldn't be feeling guilty about withholding information considering the request involves him.
"I see. Well, we should probably get it now before the bodies get compromised. If you don't take too big a chunk I can keep it in one of my pockets for you first," he offers.
"Thank you," she says gratefully and approaches the closest corpse. Most of its outer body is ruined but with a little effort she manages to find a portion that bears minimal damage and breaks a piece of its carapace off. It is only when she holds it up for closer inspection that she notices a small unusual bump shaped like a drop on it. 'Or a tear,' she adds in her head, taking care to extract both their cores first before she walks back to Yuu and hands it over to him.
"So, ready to chase down the Gboro-Gboro?" he asks as he slips the harvested material into one of his pants' side pockets without any problems; it makes her wonder if there's some sort of secret technology embedded in those pockets that allows them to carry more than they appear to be capable of.
The girl shakes the pointless thought away; they have more important matters to deal with. "Yeah. I think we should maintain the same pattern we first used," she notes. He nods in agreement and they both head off again.
The Gboro-Gboro is obliging enough to quite literally show itself a short while into their search, climbing down a hill just ahead of them in its ungainly waddling way. Of course, the fact that it comes accompanied by a Fallen Ogretail is a little less fortunate. "Man, we really have some kind of luck," Yuu murmurs wryly. "Yesterday it was Blaze-type Zygotes spooked by the rain and today we have a Fallen Ogretail drawn here by the rain. Plan?"
She thinks the situation over for a moment before responding. "We should start off by firing whatever bullets we can before going up close and personal. We both have elemental advantages over the Gboro-Gboro but only I have the elemental edge over the Fallen Ogretail so I'll leave the Gboro-Gboro to you while I take the Ogretail out first before supporting you in your fight. Alright, on my count," she starts as her partner obligingly switches his God Arc to its gun form while she swaps out her Spark bullets for Blaze ones, "three, two, one... go."
Both Aragami are greeted with synchronised explosions in their faces, their enraged roars drowning out the sounds of two God Arcs being switched to their Long Blade forms. The Fallen Ogretail recovers quickly, leaping backwards as Avenger swings down seeking flesh, and the fight begins in earnest.
"Gah!" The human cry of pain comes just as she is delivering the fatal blow to the Fallen Ogretail and she catches sight of Yuu being blasted back by one of the Gboro-Gboro's water sphere shots "Yuu!" she screams in panic, her mind flashing back to yesterday. This time, however, she does not hesitate. Her body moves on its own, wrenching out Avenger from the corpse of her dead opponent and switching it out for Raging Lore before her fingers immediately change her ammo to her new bullets and she fires a recovery shot at him.
The projectile bathes the guy in a green glow and appears to work as intended as he scrambles to his feet with little to show for his recent injury. "Thanks!" he hollers back as he runs in and slashes at the Gboro-Gboro again. Stopping only to extract the core of the Fallen Ogretail, Alisa uses up the remainder of her God Arc's Oracle Cell stores firing on their last opponent before diving into the fight herself and they both manage to finish off the Aragami together.
"Sorry about that," Yuu apologises with a grimace as she extracts the Gboro-Gboro's core. "My foot got stuck in a hole in the ground when I dodged one of its attacks and that gave it enough time to get off a lucky shot."
"It's fine. Just be more careful next time," she admonishes, faking anger to mask her worry but not quite succeeding at it. The dwindling levels of adrenaline in her system take the edge off her words, so she gives up and gives in to her concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine, thanks to you. It's a good thing you asked me about recovery bullets," he answers with a grin, and she fervently hopes she's not blushing. "I was afraid I'd twist my ankle if I pulled it out too quickly, but since I traded that injury for a fire hose blast in the face I'm not going to have any problems walking." At that, he pulls out his phone and glances at the display screen. "Well, we still have about half an hour left, so how about we find some shelter and wait there until it's time for our ride home to show up?"
"S-sure. Lead the way," she responds as she pushes his earlier words of gratitude to the back of her mind along with the question of why something like that would fluster her. "We should be careful on the way; don't want to let our guard down and get ambushed during the journey."
"Aye aye, captain," he replies with a cheeky salute. "I noticed a run-down structure of sorts near our starting location so we can wait there. I'll even make a little fire; my grandfather would be happy to hear I'm putting some of the skills he taught me to use."
Such a casual mention of family startles Alisa into halting in her steps for a few seconds before she collects herself and resumes walking. She had in fact wondered what Yuu's background was like but neither the topic nor the chance to bring it up had ever presented itself. But now...
Sitting on the ground in the derelict building minutes later, she figures this is probably the best opportunity she has to ask. "So," she tries as she watches the guy try to light some flammable junk he'd unearthed in their temporary shelter, "you've never mentioned your family before."
He noticeably pauses in the middle of his actions and for a few agonising seconds Alisa wonders if she's crossed a line before he continues his work. "No," he sighs as the fire finally comes to life, "I don't think I've ever mentioned them to you."
"If it's a touchy subject..." she trails off, suddenly aware that he might have a less than pleasant past not unlike hers, but he waves it off.
"No, it's not as bad as you probably think it is," he corrects her. "Plus, it's only fair, considering I know yours." He lets that statement hang in the air for a moment before sighing again. "I was raised by my grandparents in the Outer Ghetto. See, my parents are field doctors - Fenrir sends them all over the Ghetto to tend to major and minor situations where medical aid is required; for example, people get hurt when Aragami breach the Outer Wall, so my parents would be sent there to tend to the wounded. They took time off when my mom got pregnant with me, but the moment I was old enough they left me with my grandparents and went back to work."
"I hated them for it at that time." Yuu's admission, said so carelessly, shocks her and she stares at him mutely, having been rendered speechless. He catches sight of her expression but merely chuckles tiredly. "Yeah, I was a real selfish brat back then. All I could think about was how my parents considered complete strangers to be more important than being with their own child."
"You were just a kid back then," she argues back quietly once she regains her voice. "You were too young to realise the situation."
He laughs again, but this time the sound is a little warmer. "Thanks," he responds, "for defending my bratty self in the past."
"It's nothing," she mumbles back, feeling her cheeks warm with a heat that has nothing to do with the fire crackling in front of her.
"Well," he continues his story, "as expected of a bratty kid, I acted out. I refused to read whatever few letters they sent and would ignore my grandparents when they urged me to come to the phone to talk to my parents. My grandfather's a mechanic - ex-Fenrir staff, although he worked strictly with machines - so I threw all my energy into learning everything he had to teach me instead. I guess I wanted to pretend my parents were dead and bonding only with my grandparents would help make that some sort of reality - I can't really understand it, looking back as I am now. It continued like this for years. Then everything changed."
"It was just another normal day." That statement alone warns Alisa that the next part of the story is not going to be pleasant. "My grandmother had to buy supplies for her small sewing business so the three of us went to the market near our home. One second I was holding my grandfather's hand waiting for her to finish haggling with the stall owner, the next I was thrown to the ground by a nearby explosion."
"I didn't find out until years later that it was due to someone's bright idea of trying to leech electricity off the main power grid for their own illegal uses. The contraption they'd jury-rigged hadn't exactly been made with the right precautions and it... overloaded, to say the least. The explosion caused a huge fire and everyone panicked thinking it was an Aragami attack. The crowd separated me from my grandparents all too easily and before I knew it I'd been knocked out in the chaos."
"That must've been terrifying," she murmurs sympathetically.
"Considering I was rendered unconscious soon after, the panic didn't last that long," he jokes as a way of lightening the mood before sobering and resuming his tale. "When I came to, I was in this huge makeshift tent and a woman I didn't know was looking down at me. When she realised I was awake, she explained she was a doctor and that I'd been hurt but she was going to make sure I was okay. But all I cared about was that I was alone - I didn't know where my grandparents were and my parents weren't here for me when I needed them the most. Do you know what she did?"
It is a rhetorical question, but Alisa shakes her head to indicate 'no' anyway. "She started telling me about her daughter as she treated me. How she was my age and she didn't get to see her own mother that often either but she was brave and understood that her mom had to go help people and leave her alone at home with her dad who had to work hard too and couldn't play with her all the time. And as she was telling me all this, I realised that somewhere out there my parents were taking care of some kid my age just like how this woman was taking care of me and if this woman hadn't decided to leave her kid at home and do her job I would be suffering right now because there'd be no one to care for me. It was... well, a wake up call, basically. When my grandparents finally found me I told them I wanted to go home immediately so I could call my parents and apologise to them for being so childish. Luckily for me they still loved me anyway so I managed to fix things with them. I grew up, and in the middle of my mechanical engineering training I was conscripted into the God Eater programme. And that's that."
"Did you keep in touch with the doctor who treated you?" Alisa asks out of curiosity.
Yuu grins a little at that. "Didn't have to," he answers mirthfully. "She got assigned a position in the Fenrir Far East Branch's medical wing. You should know her; after all, she's handling your case."
She goggles at him. "You mean... Dr Anderson?" she asks disbelievingly, unable to fully accept it when her question only makes Yuu grin even wider. "No other," he confirms, seemingly taking some sort of glee in her shock. "Her husband Makoto's a retired God Eater working in the Research & Development department and her daughter Aki took after her father. You probably haven't seen her though; she's part of the 9th Unit and their job mostly involves long scouting assignments so she's hardly ever at the base. Small world right?"
Yuu's phone chooses that exact moment to ring, and based on the few snippets of conversation the girl can hear she thinks she knows who the caller is. "That was Marcus," he confirms her suspicions once he ends the call. "He'll be at the pickup site in a few minutes so we'd better head there. Wouldn't want to keep him waiting."
"By the way," he asks out of the blue as he stomps out the fire, "do you still have the books and player I lent you?"
"Of course! Um, did you want them back?" she responds a little timidly, her words nearly and almost literally drowned out when they walk back into the rain - so much for having dried off. "I haven't finished reading one of the books and... well... I'd like to listen to your music for a little longer. If that's alright with you, that is."
"Well, there's no rush in returning them to me since I've read all those books already. Just take care of them and give them back when you're done," he answers. "That's Marcus in the distance. Come on, the sooner we get back - and considering our driver, sooner is guaranteed - the sooner we can avoid death by doctor."
Their trip back to base is as quiet and stressful as the one before, but this time Alisa makes sure to grab the seat instead of Yuu's hand. Licca thanks them both for the Angel Shell they give to her when they drop off their God Arcs, throwing Alisa a meaningful look as she does so. Upon reaching the sick bay, the Russian is hit with a sense of deja vu when Dr Anderson immediately orders them to shower and change into a set of their clean clothes readily available - which she again decides not to wonder too much about - before checking them over and finally giving them a clean bill of health. Knowing what she knows now, the girl picks up on the underlying familiarity and warmth in which Yuu interacts with the good doctor.
"So, what next?" the guy asks once they're released from the doctor's well-meaning clutches. "If you don't have any specific ideas, I have a suggestion for what our training session should be like." At the shake of her head, he nods and gestures for her to follow him. "Alright then, to the simulator it is." Licca hands over their God Arcs without complaint when they arrive to retrieve them, pointedly 'explaining' how she'd anticipated this and had looked their weapons over in the short period of time they'd been passed to her much to both the God Eaters' sheepishness.
"Now," he starts once they have left Maintenance and entered an empty simulation room, "I'd say your fighting abilities are not an issue and you have a mind for good strategies so let's work on your defensive skills." He taps away at the control terminal and two holographic Ogretails materialise before her along with a pole right next to where she is standing. "Okay, here's the scenario: our teammate is down for the count and we have to guard him while he gets medical attention. What we have to do is hold the line; no chasing the Aragami down so no moving any further away from this point-" he gestures at the pole, "-than we absolutely have to."
It's a very unique objective for sure, but considering the fact that unforeseen circumstances are common on a real battlefield she agrees readily enough. The guy snaps his fingers, signalling the start of the simulation, and at once both holographic Ogretails begin their assault. Before long she and Yuu are moving in a synchronised fashion, each protecting the other's blind side as they establish a deadly little dance with their programmed opponents.
"Attention. This is operator Suzume speaking." The unfamiliar voice transmitting through the speaker in the training room draws their attention, and Yuu snaps his fingers again to halt the training simulation as the woman continues speaking. "There has been a breach in the northeastern side of the Wall. Initial reports indicate multiple Aragami. All available God Eaters are to assemble at the mission counter for their respective orders. I repeat..."
"You should go," she finds herself telling him; she can see he's visibly torn about having to run out on their training again and that is more than enough for her. "They'll need you."
"They might not even send me; we have a lot of God Eaters off duty right now. Kota would be one of them but I'm pretty sure he's not in the base," he answers, although it's clear he knows it's a weak argument.
"All the more reason for you to go," she counters. "Someone has to represent the 1st Unit and I can't be the one."
He grimaces before throwing up his hands. "Alright, I'll go," he relents as he starts moving for the door. "I'll call you if I get orders to be part of the mission. If not, I'll come back and we'll get to the boring but necessary part of your training that involves looking over field data and reports."
"Sounds like fun," she comments wryly, allowing herself to smile a little at his parting eye-roll just as the door closes. Sighing, she walks over to the control terminal and begins terminating their training programme. Her phone rings just as she steps out of the training room.
"Hey," Yuu's resigned voice greets her the moment she presses the device to her ear. "No luck. I've been assigned to the team in charge of chasing down any runaway Aragami just to make sure they don't come back and attack during the repairs. Looks like I won't be able to make it back in time to sit down and look those files over with you."
"It's alright, I expected as much," she replies, not bothering to hide her own disappointment. "About the files, I can do that without you and ask Hibari or someone to help me if I don't understand something."
"Okay then. And I'm really sorry; this is the second time in a row I've run out on our training sessions. I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow," he apologises sincerely. In the background, she can hear sounds of vehicles starting up.
"I'll hold you to that," she answers half-jokingly.
"Consider it a date then," he responds, taking her by surprise. "Ah crap, gotta go. Bye!" he says hurriedly before the line goes dead, giving her no time to react. Fighting to suppress the blush that's threatening to scorch her face, she adamantly refuses to think about his choice of words as she makes her way to Maintenance to drop off her God Arc.
-[Interlude: Kota]-
Today's been a good day, Kota thinks to himself, humming the Bugarally theme song out loud as he strides through the halls of the Fenrir Far East Branch. His mom's cooking had been delicious as always and he'd gotten to play with his cute little sister almost the entire day.
"Hey Hibari, what's up? Is something going on?" he calls out as he approaches the mission counter, only belatedly realising that the operators are all busier than he's seen them in a while. At the sound of her name being called, the woman looks up from her terminal screen.
"Oh, it's you Kota. Part of the Wall was breached so several teams have been sent to deal with the issue. You missed the roll call," she answers before a beep from her terminal draws her attention back to it. "Sorry, I need to focus on this," she offers him an apologetic smile. "Could you do me a favour please? Check in on Suzume for me; she's coordinating the team that's supposed to track down the stray Aragami in the area and she could use a bit of help."
"Alrighty then, you can count on me," he salutes before marching over to the aforementioned operator's station. "Hey Suzume," he greets the harried-looking girl, "Hibari sent me over to see if you need any help."
"Hi Kota," she answers without taking her eyes off her screen. "I could use an extra set of hands for a bit. Please check with Hibari if the support team can back up the second hunting party close to the City of Mercy - she's coordinating the ones guarding the Wall and our inter-station comms are busted. Oh, and could you dig up the field data files in that pile-" she gestures at the stack sitting precariously next to her, "-and take it to that table over there? Thanks."
"Gotcha," he responds before walking back to Hibari to pass the message along. Suzume is in the middle of a conversation with the God Eaters she is coordinating when he gets back, accepting his statement that the support team is on its way with a sharp nod. Shrugging, he rifles through the previously indicated stack of files, careful not to topple it as he digs out the relevant ones and marches off to find this obviously overly hardworking person.
He really doesn't expect it to be Alisa.
The girl in question looks up from the map in front of her and is visibly shocked to see him there, and they both stare at each other for a while before Kota remembers why he's here.
"Uh, Suzume asked me to put these here... or, I guess pass them to you, since you're sitting here and all," he says awkwardly as he holds out the files.
She gets up from her seat to accept them, meeting him halfway. "Um, thank you," she replies as she places them at her side, seemingly just as lost as to what to say as he is. "I left this table to get something just now; Suzume must've not noticed when I'd come back and assumed I was still away," she explains after a pause.
"Oh," he replies dumbly. The silence stretches out painfully as they both struggle to come up with something to say before Kota speaks up again. "Listen, about the other day... I'm sorry I brought up Lindow. I know it's a sore subject, but I tend to open my mouth and insert my foot into it practically on instinct. So... sorry."
His apology surprises her, but her expression softens almost immediately. "No, I should be the one apologising. I... haven't exactly been the easiest person to deal with since day one after all," she admits.
"Well then," he replies, trying for a smile, "I guess we'll just have to start fresh won't we?" He thrusts his hand out. "Hi, I'm Kota Fujiki. Welcome to the 1st Unit. I think you'll be a great addition to the team and I look forward to working with you."
His abrupt actions take her by surprise before she tentatively smiles and clasps his outstretched hand to shake it. "Hi, I'm Alisa Ilinichina Amiella. I look forward to working with you too," she replies, and he can't help the grin that overtakes his face.
Today is a good day indeed.
I'M REALLY SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS LATE EVERYONE. February turned out to be a hellish month at work - even my Saturdays fell victim to the evils of my job. It didn't help that I kept revising parts of this chapter trying to make all the mini-plots I needed to write in this chapter fit together without it appearing too awkward. I hope I managed to accomplish that... Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter; I'll try not to take this long with the next one.