Glad to be back!

-Ryan "Kurukaze" McGowan

Chapter 5, Tohka

Off they both went to pursue their further training. Sam had respectfully declined Kotori's offer to help train Shido and instead took to teaching Nat a thing or two about fighting. She had no doubt the Itsukas would do just fine on their own.

"Let's start this off with punching, shall we?" Sam asked. Her voice, softer than usual, barely carried over the tranquil wind that blew through the field. The emerald grass grazed against her ankles, which sent a sparkling sensation up her back sometimes, and waved happily in the breeze. Far off, undeterred by all the tiny humans below, the sun made its way slowly below the horizon. It would be dark soon. Across the field from them, a sturdy fence kept them from tumbling down the steep hill that surrounded the city.

"Sam, I don't hit girls," he replied as if she should know that.

She chuckled as she noticed the boy's subtly puffed-out chest. "Yeah, you won't be saying that when you've got a laser sword across your throat. Now come on and punch me." Drawing her fists up in front of her face, she adjusted her stance, ready for Hinata's attack. She wore a dark blue sweater and loose brown cargo pants. Not exactly her carbon fibre bodysuit, but it was warm enough and much easier to get on.

"Fine, but you asked for it." Nat dashed forwards and threw a wild haymaker. It was a solid enough punch, if not poorly aimed. Sam easily batted it away, spun on one foot and then used the momentum to throw Nat into the dirt. A smug grin met him as he rose back up to his feet. "Okay, now I'm warmed up." He went for another strike. A far more reserved punch, and was significantly better aimed than the first, but also much slower as it sailed through the air. Sam sidestepped it while jabbing a foot out to trip him up, but as she did so, she felt a tug at her top, and then yelped as she was tossed to the ground just as quickly as him. She crashed into the grass, still not quite sure what just happened. "Gotcha."

Sam rolled onto her side and spotted Nat doing the same, his grasp still roughly embedded in the shoulder of her sweater. "Oh, you pulled me." Sam sounded unimpressed.

"Yeah? Is that a problem?" he queried.

She stood up and brushed herself off. "It's dirty, cheap and unreliable in a real fight," she stated.

Nat eased himself back onto his feet too, then shrugged his shoulders. "It worked."

Sam frowned. "Maybe, but don't rely on it. Now, try again."

Nat clenched his fists and adopted a stance. His legs were bent, his weight was down low, and his body was narrow relative to Sam. She cocked her head. Hadn't she seen that somewhere before?

Regardless, she readied her own stance. Equally low to the ground, but wider and more versatile. It allowed her to be aggressive or defensive at a moment's notice. A contrast to Nat's very defensive one.

Despite this, Nat took to the offensive. "Alright, here I come!" he shouted, then charged the distance between them. A left jab bounced off of Sam's reflecting hand, then Nat's right strike, but before she could get a counter in, he forced her away with a kick. His heel was barely short of grazing her nose, and before she knew it, he was upon her again with another kick. She jumped back as the attack fell short, then leaped right back into Nat with a rapid hook. He ducked under it while bringing his right fist upwards towards Sam's chin. However, using her knee, she blocked it, and continued up into Nat's stomach, sending him sprawling back into the mud. Once the brief exchange was over, Sam had to stop to catch her breath.

"Where the hell did that come from?" she accused, still reeling from Nat's assault.

Grunting, he put his knees under him and looked up. "I...I have no idea. I don't even think I did that. I didn't feel anything."

One of Sam's eyebrows crept upwards. "What do you mean?"

Nat turned to sit down on his backside and put his hands out behind him to prop him up. "Like there was someone else controlling me, or like it was instinct..." he trailed off, unable to fully explain what he had felt. "I felt like a puppet."

"A puppet?" Sam sat down next to him and leant her head against his shoulder. She let her eyes drift shut as the breeze played with her hair. "Weird."

"Mmm, very." A breath escaped his lips and joined the gentle breeze around them, eventually weaving its way through the trees around them and twisting high up into the late-evening sky. Tranquillity reigned here, at last, and they both shared the moment as thoughts danced about within their minds.

Sam finally spoke up, "Either way, that was some good fighting. There might be some hope for you yet," she teased.

"Mmm, I hope so," he replied.

A few minutes later, Samanya sprung back up onto her feet and offered a hand out to Nat. "One more?" she asked.

The boy grinned as he took her hand and got back onto his feet. "Sure, why not?" Accepting the challenge, he adopted the same stance and steeled himself.

Sam did the same; a fiery look in her eyes. "On three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Sam burst into a sprint, sending a spider's web of cracks into the ground as she took off. She was upon Nat in barely more than a second, and sent her right fist rocketing towards him. He deflected it with his left, spun on his feet and brought his own right fist flying in an arc towards her. She ducked under the blow and went to sweep his legs, but he jumped back before she could. Upon landing, he charged her down once more and went for a devastating strike, similar to what he'd done earlier. But, this one was much faster. So much so that Sam barely got her arms up in an X shape in time to block it. She reeled back, retreating one...two...three steps, before finally stopping. A bead of sweat glided down her forehead and across her cheek. Then, she leapt at him, bringing her right fist up and behind her as if going for a jumping haymaker. Nat saw this, smiled, and positioned himself to counter.

Then it was Sam's turn to smile.

Her jump purposefully fell short, and she tucked into a roll. Once she was halfway through, she pushed up with her arms and locked her legs out straight. The sudden upwards force brought her boots slamming into Nat's jaw, and literally sent him flying. He tumbled through the air, flailing his arms, as Sam was carried into the air a little ways after him.

But it was a short-lived victory.

Somehow, Nat managed to land back on his feet before Sam, who was still just about airborne, and now faced him after a slow backwards flip. Seizing the chance, he bolted at her while she remained helpless. He brought his fist back, twisted his hips, and smashed Sam right in the stomach. The sheer force caused Nat to fall straight onto his face as he failed to counter-balance.

Sam, on the other hand, was flung back so quickly that she only stopped when she crashed into an old oak tree thirty feet away, and then, battered and bruised, she hung her head in defeat. That was a first for her.

Nat, his mouth gaping open in shock, struggled to stand up, but his muscles burned in resentment. There was no way he was getting back up any time soon.

The next day, Shido began stage two of his training.

"Listen, I know you're not gonna like this, but it's time to put that work you've been doing to a real-world test."

Shido let out a breath and rolled his head. "I'm ready. What's the test?" He wandered the halls of his school as Kotori fed him information through the small, red, invisible earpiece in his right ear.

"Obviously, the best measure of your training would be to successfully ask someone out," stated Kotori.

"Of course," Shido replied. That made sense enough. You could only get so far with somewhat-oddly-specific dating games.

"For this, we wanted to pick someone who you knew relatively well. This is your first test, after all, so we're going easy."

Shido suddenly felt an overwhelming premonition that there was a 'but' coming.

"But, because you don't know anyone because you're a frikkin' loner, we were hard-pressed for choice!" His little sister shouted.

Shido winced and turned the corner. Standing there was Miss Okamine, a kind-hearted woman of her late twenties, and also Shido's homeroom teacher. "Oh, hello Shido! You wanted to see me?"

A spark shot all the way up Shido's body. "M-miss Okamine! O-one moment please!" He quickly spun around and ducked behind the corner. "Kotori! Are you kidding!?"

"You're trying to win over dangerous, super-powered beings! If you can't even approach your teacher, you don't have a chance with them!" His sister shouted back.

Shido grumbled at his little sister before sighing and regaining his composure as best he could. "Fine, fine. I'll do it. But you owe me."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Shido came back around the corner and looked down at the woman.

"Shido, are you alright?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

"No I'm not. In fact, I'm not alright at all," he stated. "In reality, I'll probably never be alright again."

"Shido-" the woman started.

"Don't," he cut in. "I know what you'll say. You'll say that no matter how I feel and no matter what you want, we can never be together." Shido wasn't particularly aware of where this was coming from. "You're beautiful, clever and kind. You're heart aches with so much love to give but you always find yourself sad that you have no-one to give it to."

Miss Okamine was stunned, but kept listening. Was he reading her mind?

"You also think that we could never be together. That our age forbids our love." Shido flourished. "To that, I can only say one thing: nonsense! Love can transcend any age, and there is no stronger bond than that of affection! Please, Miss Okamine, take my hand," he outstretched a hand towards the woman's shocked form, "and together we'll rebel against this restricting society, and live happily in peace! We'll show everyone that our love cannot be stopped by something so simple!"

Kotori, Kannazuke and everyone else on board the Fraxinus sat in shocked silence. All except Reine, who simply offered a tight smile. Okamine just stared, mouth agape and eyes glossy. Shido winced again for the third time in as many minutes. Had he gone too far? Oh God what was she going to say?

Unfortunately, he'd never know, as all he could do was watch as the poor woman fainted on her feet and slumped against the wall, sliding down a short way before collapsing onto the floor.

"K-Kotori? What did I just do?"

"I…I have no idea," she replied, still shocked from Shido's display.

"Should I just leave her here?" he asked, unsure how to go forward.

"Yeah, we'll sort something out. Just get out of there." Kotori massaged her brow. "Seriously, where did that come from? Shido's a total dork, and should not be doing stuff like that."

Shido bent down to make sure his teacher was alright. She seemed in a comfortable enough position. "Alright, I'll let you take care of her." A moment later, she was whisked away in a swirling green energy, presumably up to the Fraxinus' sickbay, and Shido set off down the hall once more, his mind whirring as he mulled over what just happened. He wasn't sure that the last thirty seconds were totally thanks to his training. Knowing what to say is one thing, but actually executing on that knowledge is a totally different beast. Very strange, indeed.

Also lost in thought, but of a totally different subject matter, was Origami Tobiichi, one of Shido's classmates, and the smartest and sportiest girl in the year. Her mind was racing back to a few days prior, when something extraordinarily strange had happened. Her face was blank, a staple of her character, and she always wore that same unreadable expression no matter what. She was well-liked in the school and popular enough, but sometimes people felt uneasy about approaching her, due to her constantly neutral face. "Who was that girl? And how was she so much better than me?" The girl mused to herself. "Was she really a sp-"

THWACK

Origami pitched backwards and fell heavily onto her behind, her train of thought thoroughly broken and her head sparking with pain. She sat there, dazed for a moment, before looking up. Standing above her was a boy about her age, with rich, blue hair and a soft face, dressed in the school's uniform, just like her. "Oh, Shido." She dusted off her royal blue pleated skirt and stood up.

"You...You know my name?" Shido asked, surprised. He wasn't all that well known at his high-school, and certainly didn't expect to be recognised by Origami Tobiichi.

"Of course I do," she replied plainly. Typical of her.

Shido made a face. Had he ever told her his name? "How?"

"Simple, I watch you in the locker room through the wall after PE. Your friends have said your name enough times."

Shido looked shocked. "Y-you watch me get changed?" The boy recoiled, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

Origami tilted her head. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Of course it is!" Shido blurted out, caught up in his embarrassment and with his hands covering his crotch.

"Oh," she replied, disappointed, "I'm sorry. I was curious."

"S-sure..." Shido relaxed a little and looked down at his classmate; her eyes were distant. "Hey, chin up. I'm sorry for upsetting you."

Tobiichi nodded subtly and lifted her head back up. "It's okay. I've just never been that close with a boy, so I've never seen one-"

"Yeah I get the picture!" Shido sighed, composed himself, and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about crashing into you back there. Can I treat you to a movie sometime?"

In a flash, Origami's demeanour did a one-eighty. "Sure, I'd love that."

Shido blinked. "Huh?"

Then, with lightning speed, she whipped out a small picture of herself and scribbled a number on the back, the pen coming seemingly from nowhere. "Here's my number. Text me yours when you get home, and give me the date. I'll be waiting for it," Origami strode past Shido, and as she did so, put her mouth to his ear, "so don't let me down." Then, just like the wind, she vanished.

Ten seconds later, Shido started to reply, before finally realizing she was long gone. "What just…?"

"You got played!" Kotori rubbed her forehead, futilely pushing the anxiety aside. "Shido! You frikkin' moron!"

The boy winced at the sharp shriek that blasted through his earpiece and stabbed at his eardrums. "Kotori, calm down! I got the date, didn't I?"

"They're supposed to fall for you, not the other way around!"

"Well, lesson learned!"

Kotori balled her hand into a fist. "Next time I see you, I'm gonna rip that stupid blue hair right off your scalp for being such an idiot!"

"I'd like to see-"

YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THERE HAVE BEEN PRECURSORY SIGNS OF AN IMPENDING SPACIAL QUAKE IN THIS VICINITY. PLEASE EVACUATE TO THE NEAREST SHELTER. I REPEAT…

Reine butted in. "I hate to break up your little family chit-chat, but we've got work to do."

Kotori scowled before leaping back on the mic. "You heard her, moron. We're recalling you to The Fraxinus. Try not to screw this one up!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll try," Shido replied, before being whisked away in an array of green energy.

"Sam, you're up!" Nat punched Sam's shoulder as they both dashed along the length of the ship's hull, shoes kicking up an irregular melody of squeaks as rubber met metal.

"I want you as my eyes and ears this time, Nat," she replied as they approached the bridge.

"You got it."

They broke off away from each other, one going to The Fraxinus' vast control room and the other pounding towards her workshop. Nat reached his destination first, flying into the bridge and diving into Kannazuke.

"Woah, kid, slow down." He grabbed hold of the boy and set him down into the chair. "Here." Dangling off Kannazuke's finger was the headset connected to Sam's intercom. "Don't talk too much on the mic and focus on her shields."

"Roger, sir." Hinata flexed his fingers as the console sprung to life. The whir of motors, buzz of screens and crackle of radio frequencies met the young radio officer, who began to tap away at the keyboard, each couple of strokes bringing up a new, complex readout. "Ready when you are."

Kotori whistled appreciatively. "Very fast on the uptake. I like you." Then, she dropped the kind attitude and shot a glance at Shido. "Unlike someone."

Shido rolled his eyes and took off towards the teleporter room.

"Alright, let's suit up!" Sam, also flinging herself around the room, dove into a sealed-off chamber to one side of the workshop's perimeter. Inside, she hastily stripped off her casual clothes, dumped them into a drawer that had recently popped out, and waited with her arms up at ninety-degrees to the rest of her body. Not long after, a faint fizzle sprung to life and bounced around the small room, sending her hair floating and her eyes sparking. With a blinding light, her bodysuit appeared, hugging her tightly from her neck to her toes. After that, a rapid fire of lights, each accompanied with a pop as air was displaced. Gauntlets, breastplate, spaulders, greaves, boots, headset. Gauss cannon, missiles, plasma repeaters, plasma lances, shield generators.

Sam's visor slid over her eyes as the ArchAngel array was fastened to her back and her HUD ran through diagnostics. "Green across the board!"

"Alright then. Team?" Kotori prompted.

"Let's go get that Spirit!" Nat, Sam, Kannazuke and the rest of the crew on the bridge cheered. Shido just chuckled nervously.

Raizen high-school never stood a chance against the Spacial Quake. Bricks and beams versus a magical explosion of that magnitude? As if. Windows were smashed, corridors had collapsed in on themselves and even an entire wing had been sucked into the void. The field was definitely no-more, and the track that had gone with it. Fortunately, no-one had been caught in the blast this time. Miss Okamine had been returned home during the quake itself, and, with a little luck, she wouldn't be able to recall a thing about Shido's confession, or her fainting afterwards.

Spacial Quakes were fickle things. The sphere itself was cataclysmic. No armour could stand up to it, as it would be simply swallowed as it grew. However, beyond the initial expansion, the concussive blast was quite tame. Simply an expulsion of the air that managed to escape the quake's radius, and then the subsequent rush of air as it filled the vacuum left behind. Enough to shatter windows and rupture eardrums if you were unlucky, but ultimately with the medicine available, that was hardly a real concern.

Suffice to say, Raizen had seen better days.

No correlation to those days being the days Shido was absent.

None.

The thick wall of trees perching along the banks that encompassed the school provided the perfect cover for the AST reconnaissance squad's overwatch of the quake site. Numbering ten in total, the unit was formidable. Bolstered further by the excellent Master Sergeant Tobiichi and the experienced First Lieutenant Kusakabe.

"Consider yourself lucky, Shido. The AST CR-Units are deadly, but not built for CQC," stated Kotori.

"CQC?" Shido fiddled with his magically-invisible earpiece as he hesitated at the school's front opening. Another fine example of Ratatoskr's work.

"Close Quarters Combat." Sam stopped abreast of Shido and scoped out the damage. "Not too bad, all in all. Support struts held up well by the looks of things." She stretched her neck. "As long as Princess stays inside, and we minimise further damage to the building, things should be a piece of cake."

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one still in school uniform," came Shido's sharp remark.

"And you're not the one who's going to be shot at. It's either me or Princess in the firing line." She looked over at him. "'Kay?"

"Whatever, let's just get moving."

"That's the spirit, Shido! No pun intended. You both know what to do." Kotori unwrapped a lollipop and popped it in her mouth. "Hmm, cherry."

Sam on point, the pair moved through the tattered school. Rubble pockmarked everywhere they went and brick dust hung in the air like an ominous haze, making Sam's hair go frizzy. They moved from hallway to hallway, classroom to classroom, and stairwell to stairwell. Raizen was big, or were they just taking an indirect route?

"Kotori, I'm not sure I can do this," muttered Shido.

His little sister, for once, replied genuinely. "Shido, it's gonna be alright. This is what you've trained all week for, and I know it's in your head, so now you've just gotta feel it in your heart."

"I hope I can do that, Kotori." But Shido, deep inside, was still very unsure.

"And besides, you've got the might of Ratatoskr right here! The finest bodyguard in the universe, and the greatest bridge crew to ever bless this Earth!" Kotori exclaimed.

"Oh boy…" Both Sam and Shido glanced at each other.

"Introducing…" A spotlight flashed over a middle-aged man in a green business suit with a streak of white hair splitting his neatly-shaven black hair. "With five marriages and five divorces under his belt, the 'Love-Master', 'Bad marriage' Kawagoe!"

"Hey there," came Kawagoe's ever smooth (at least in his eyes) voice, along with a wink and a blown kiss.

"It's the working girl's favourite midnight client…" An older man, complete with the same green business suit and a simple pair of spectacles, receding hairline and deceiving manner took a swig of whiskey from his glass. "'CEO' Mikimoto!"

"Who doesn't love love?"

"Go after this ladies fella and you'll regret it!" A quiet, younger woman with long dark hair that covered her face and contrasted her pale skin looked deep into her lap. "Don't piss her off! 'Nail-Knocker' Shiizaki!"

Her head snapped up as she clutched a voodoo doll. She hadn't even taken a breath yet.

Shido looked at Sam. "How long does this go on for?"

"Yeah, I had it when I joined too…" She replied.

"The man with no fewer than a hundred wives…" Once more, a middle-aged man with a green business suit and glasses, unkempt brown hair and sly smile. "'Dimension Breaker' Nakatsugawa!"

He pushed his hair back with a cool look in his eyes and gave a big grin. "A-Okay." His teeth sparkled.

"Lastly, a woman who's love is so strong, not even a restraining order can keep her away!" A woman with a smooth, comforting face framed by curly brown hair and a feminine, beige version of the men's suits stared longingly at a picture printed on card. "'Deep Love' Minowa!"

She looked up with a confused expression, apparently having been zoned-out for everyone else's introductions.

"Fantastic. I'm relying on perverts." Shido's reply was understandably dry and cynical.

"Don't worry, everyone is good at what they do." Sam and Reine said at the exact same time.

"Heh?" Sam's eyebrow shot up. "What just…?"

"And that's only a portion of the troops on our side!" Kotori cut in. "So just stay calm, and you've got this in the bag."

"You're not the one down here…"

"Oh, be quiet you big baby. Leave the fighting to me, and I'll leave the flirting to you." Sam pushed on ahead through the dim corridors, lit in a warm orange by the evening sun.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Sam held up her fist as they reached a sliding door that led into one of the many classrooms. "Princess is up ahead," she whispered. "You're up."

Shido nodded and slid past her. He peeked through the crack between the door and its frame, and standing there, as majestic as ever, was Princess. Shido couldn't help but gasp.

But, as luck would have it, that gasp was just loud enough for Princess to hear. She slowly turned on her heel to face Shido. Her eyes locked onto him for a moment, until something else caught her attention. She couldn't see it, per se, but she could feel it.

A gut feeling. A nauseating feeling. A feeling like cold sweat.

She reached out with her hand high above her head, eyes still locked onto the space past Shido, and sent a surge of pink energy over her forearm. In a flash, she brought her hand down, letting forth that energy as a cascade that sliced through the air. It was so fast, that even though Shido noticed it, his body was rooted in place and his eyes grew wide with fear.

The wave and Princess herself shot past him, taking a few hairs of his head as they whizzed past.

The wave crashed over Sam's guard, her shield fizzling from the kinetic impact. A concussive blast rippled through her, disorienting her, and distracting her long enough to miss Princess' flying punch. She staggered back a step, covering her face as she reeled. Princess came at her again with another punch, but Sam quickly grappled onto her assailant's arms to stop the assault. Her visor quickly folded up. "Princess! It's me, Sam!"

Princess' eyes widened. "S-Sam!" She let go and took an extra back-pedal as precaution. "What are you doing here? How do you even know I'm here?" the panicked Spirit spouted.

"Princess," Sam took a step forward in greeting, but the Spirit recoiled.

"Sam, wings," she heard Nat's voice in her ear, and looked over to see her wings fully open in response to the engagement.

Sam sheepishly folded her wings back up, to which Princess returned the favour by also relaxing her guard. "Sorry about that. Force of habit," Sam spoke.

Princess' cheeks reddened. "Likewise."

An awkward silence befell the group. Shido, hesitantly looking from side to side, broke it first. "Umm…"

the Spirit wheeled round and stared at him. "Why are you here?"

Sam shuffled away. Time to let Shido handle things.

"I-" the boy started.

"Don't answer yet!" Kotori interrupted Shido mid-sentence as the Spirit's mental readout appeared on the bridge's main screen.

"The Spirit's mental status has changed," Shiizaki warned.

"Analysis complete. Results are being displayed," Kawagoe added.

"Bringing choices on screen," Mikimoto finished.

Akin to a common multiple-choice dating simulation game, much like the ones Shido trained on, three options appeared before each of the crew. Specially selected by the most advanced magical technology Ratatoskr had at its disposal, there was a ninety-three percent chance that at least one option was an answer that would improve the Spirit's mental state, continue the conversation and keep Shido alive. Of those, the crew would vote on which one that Shido should go with.

Option One: "You know why I'm here. I'm here to save you."

Option Two: "I'm just a passer-by! Please don't hurt me!"

Option Three: "I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, there they are." The crew studied the choices for a moment, considering each one's outcomes and possibilities, before voting on which to go with.

The third option won by a reasonable margin.

"Well, no surprises there. You guys went with my pick," Kotori voiced her thoughts.

"The first choice is direct, and a classic, but would mean nothing to her. It's unlikely the Spirit even has a concept of 'being saved'," Said Mikimoto.

"Option two's out too. If he gets away, that defeats the point of the whole operation," Kannazuke noted. "Number three it is."

"I agree. It's a light-hearted enough sentence, and either way, we'll get some information about what the Spirit does when she arrives in our world." She nodded to herself. "Okay, Shido, we've made up your mind! Now listen closely and repeat after me."

Princess scowled. "What are you waiting for? Answer the question already!"

Shido let out a breath. "I could ask you the same thing, you know."

Princess made a face. "What's that supposed to mean? You think I know why I'm dragged here against my will whenever and however?! Are you making fun of me?!" Once more, the Spirit's hand glowed and crackled with pink energy.

Sam quickly intervened, clasping Princess' wrist firmly, but not harshly. "Let the boy talk, please."

Princess looked at Sam, before snatching her arm away and watching as the blue-haired warrior backed-up once more. "So, why are you here?" She asked again.

Shido replied on the spot this time. "Don't you remember me? My name is Shido Itsuka and I'm a student at this school! I've got no reason to fight you!"

Princess squinted at the boy stood before her, when a fleeting memory rose to the forefront of her mind. "Yes… Yes, I remember you now. Sam told me to let you go back then, too, but I don't remember you helping us." She stepped towards the boy, her pressure alone pushing him onto his behind. He scrambled against the wall behind him. "So, what? You won't kill me but you won't help me? If that is the case, then I have no use for you." She crouched down to his height and stared at him. Her violet eyes piercing Shido's brown eyes, all the way down to his soul.

Now, up so close, he couldn't meet her sorrowful gaze.

She pushed his head up against the wall, forcing him to look up at her. "So, start talking. Why are you here? What are you trying?"

Shido winced, but answered as calmly as he could. "I'm not trying anything. None of us are."

"Liar. Every human is out to get me, and then two come out of the blue saying that they want to help. I refuse to believe that there's a third just like that. It's too much of a coincidence!"

"I swear that's not true. And not just me, Sam and that other boy. There's loads of people who want to see you happy!"

She let go of his hair, allowing Shido to look at her freely. "You never answered me. You said you won't kill me, but you're not helping me either. So then, why are you here?"

Once more, three options flashed up on the Fraxinus' main screen, but before anyone had time to vote, Kotori made a snap-decision. "Her first reaction wasn't that pretty, so to be on the safe side, we'll go with the first option."

"I-I wanted to meet you," stated Shido; his voice finally a little more stable.

"To meet me? Why would you want that?"

Once more, three options. This time, the bridge was silent. "Any ideas?" Kotori asked.

Nakatsugawa spoke first. "We need to be clear and direct. This girl's way too dense to get anything subtle."

"Good point, and we've already answered enough questions. Time to pick up the pace."

Shido hesitated, but spoke clearly. "It's simple. I came here because I'm interested in you."

SHWING

The wall behind Shido was cut in half by Princess' out-lash.

Sam sprung to stop the confrontation, but before she could, Nat came over the mic. "Don't! Leave them." He looked up at Kannazuke, who nodded subtly. Sam growled, but did as she was told.

"I'm in no mood to joke around." The Spirit's face was unreadable.

Without missing a beat, Shido responded. "I know, and neither am I."

Princess just stared. Not blinking nor moving.

Shido stood up. "Tch, you wanna know the truth? I came here so I could talk to you. I don't even care what we talk about. You can ignore me if you want to!" It was there. Faint, but there. A feeling rising to the surface of his heart. An aching pain, a burning desire, both joy and hate in a bittersweet yin and yang, just like Kotori had said earlier. Shido steeled himself. "But, know this: I'm not like all those other humans. Because-"

"Stop it! Wait for our signal!"

Kotori tried to stop Shido's rambling, but he pushed past her pleas. He knew what needed to be said and he was going to let it all out right now.

"Because I'll never let you down!"

Princess gasped as his words shot straight through her. She knew Sam and Nat had meant well, but to actually hear it laid bare in all it's glory… That was different. She turned away from the boy. "I… When you said you were interested in me…were you being serious?"

"Yes, I was."

"But, like, serious serious?" She looked at him, her voice softer than before.

"Serious serious," came Shido's reply.

"One hundred percent serious serious?!"

"One thousand percent serious serious!"

Princess turned away once more and ruffled her hair. "Mmm… Nrgnh… Jerk!" She shouted at Shido as she crossed her arms and glared at him. "Who would seriously fall for those amateur tricks? Stupid dummy!"

"But that was from the heart!" Shido protested.

"Then again, maybe this isn't just a coincidence. Maybe my luck is finally changing." Princess mused to herself. "I like your openness, and how direct you are. You're easy to talk to and you know this world better than I do. It might just work…" Princess nodded. "Yep, it's settled. This should prove your usefulness."

Shido's face brightened. "Thanks, I guess," he said, before realizing there was a question he wanted to ask. "Right, what was your name? I don't think I ever caught it."

"My name…? I've never had one of those…" once again, Princess turned to think. "I suppose I'll need one if I want to learn why humans are so awful." She smiled at Shido. "Okay, why don't you come up with something you can call me?"

"Well, she's certainly putting the Fraxinus to work, isn't she?" Kotori frowned and leant on her arm. "Alright, crew! We need to think of a name on the double!"

The seven of them, not including Kotori herself, started racking their brains for a good name, but as Reine was quick to point out, the few suggestions they had probably weren't going to be enough.

The red-headed commander quickly agreed. "I'll call in the troops from around the world." She quickly typed something into her own console. "Ratatoskr's secret weapon: ask people who play our dating-sim!"

"Sam."

"Go ahead."

"I don't like this." Hinata leant back in his chair, studying the displays before him while the members around him squabbled over the Spirit's new name.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked.

"Well," the boy started as he changed the camera feed. Up came the AST squad, still camping out in the thicket, but looking like they were preparing to move. "I'm only counting nine in the squad."

"Nine? I thought there were ten?" Sam glanced around her, checking every window and room within her line of sight, suddenly uneasy.

"There were ten a moment ago."

Sam's shields flared into the visible spectrum, both instinct and training shouting at her to get ready. "Can you confirm you've lost her?"

"I'm not sure. They're moving around a lot. She could just be hidden behind a tree." Nat panned his eyes over the image, counting their ranks. He only ever got to nine. "AST squads are designed to fight as a pack, right? Not have individuals break off."

"Can you identify the missing member?"

"It looks like…" Nat pursed his lips. "Origami."

Sam's fist clenched on its own.

"How about…Tohka?" put forward Shido.

"Toh…ka…" Princess gave the name some thought. "Tohka… Tohka. Tohka. Tohka! Yes, I think I like that name!"

Shido looked relieved. After 'Tome' hadn't gone down so well, he was worried she would blast him through the next wall. He took the chalk from the blackboard and noted it down for the Spirit to see.

"Is that how it is written?" Following Shido's example, the new Tohka carved her name into the board with a magic-tipped finger. "Huh…"

Once more, Tohka repeated her name. "Tohka." Looking up at the boy, her face bright, she expressed her sincere gratitude, "Now I have a name. And I really think I like it! Thank you!" It was a heartfelt sentiment. Her first real name.

"Yeah, you're quite welcome," Shido replied, returning the open expression, before his face twisted in realisation. "'Tohka' just means 'tenth', as in, the first day we met. But, hey, it's not like she'll ever need to know that."

Tohka opened her mouth to speak. "Shido-"

"Get down!" Sam screamed into the room, slapping Shido down to the ground and putting herself between what was left of the ceiling and Shido's prone body.

Not a moment later, a cavalcade of gunfire erupted from the evening sky, lighting up Sam's shields and the protective barrier Tohka had formed over herself. "Hey, what did I tell you about not being the one getting shot at, huh?" She grinned at Shido, despite the bullets raining down all around her.

After a few seconds, the initial burst subsided, and Sam was able to assess the situation. "Tohka, how many can you see?"

"Nine," came her fast response.

"I can only see four, so, given the angle, I don't think they can see you, Shido." The corner he was in, still by the chalkboard and near the door, was shaded by the partial ceiling, and thus couldn't be seen from the AST's position. "Stay right there."

Shido nodded and stayed-put.

"Tohka, I'll handle these guys. Enjoy your talk with Shido."

"Are you sure?" Tohka glanced up at the blue-haired girl.

"Absolutely." Sam flexed her wings, unfolding them as wide as they would go, but before she took off, she gave one more glance behind her. "I like your name." Then, kicking up a cloud of dust, she rocketed towards the squad above her.

Tohka's gaze followed Sam's movements for a split-second, until she spun on her heel and sat down with Shido, her back to the AST.

Itsuka put his hands in his lap and started, "So, you wanna know about this world, don't you? I'll answer anything you want, as long as I know it."

"Alright, first…" Tohka started.

Master Sergeant Tobiichi watched that familiar streak of blue and red take off away from her, and away from the Spirit. She smiled. "Fool."

Dashing along well-known turns and halls, the layout of a school that she had committed to memory, the girl moved fast and silently like a ghost. She bobbed between doorways, ducked under rubble and flew over obstacles, before skidding to a halt right outside a certain classroom. She could hear it talking loud and clear.

"I'm curious," Shido began, "if you're not human, what exactly are you?"

She gasped. What was Shido doing here? And why was he talking to the Spirit? Rage started to bubble up inside her. "Why are you talking to my Shido like you're best friends? I'll kill you."

"I…don't know." The Spirit replied. Origami had to consciously stop herself from leaping at its throat then and there. "I don't remember how long ago I appeared out of nowhere. My birth was sudden – inexplicable. That's all I can recall. Anything past that is fuzzy and…distorted. I honestly don't know what kind of being I am."

Shido was stunned at Tohka's melancholy words. "That's awful."

"I suppose so, but I've never felt anything else, so I can't compare it to much." Tohka twisted her hips to look up at Sam. "You've got a good friend, Shido."

"Mmm, that's a good point…" Shido trailed off.

Tobiichi prepared to spring into action. "I don't know why you're here, Shido, but please forgive me for this," she whispered.

"Here's your chance!" Kotori punched the sky in emphasis. "Her happiness-meter is over seventy! Now is as good a time as any to make a move."

"What do you want me to do?" Shido muttered under his breath.

"Well, you could start by asking her out on a date," his little sister replied.

Shido tensed up at that; enough for Tohka to notice. "Hmm, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just cold," he replied, playing it off.

But Tohka wasn't convinced. She squinted at the boy. "You've been muttering under your breath for a while… Are you hiding something from me?" Her voice was raised in suspicion.

Shido's back straightened with shock. "No, no! You're overreacting!"

A dark-purple sphere of energy was pointed at him. "Then tell me what you were saying just now."

Shido choked on his words. "I…forgot?"

"Come on, little bro. Cut to the chase and ask her out," Kotori prompted. "Ask her out! Ask her out!"

Before long, the rest of the crew joined in with the cheering. "Ask her out! Ask her out! Ask her out!"

Nat put his head in his palm. "Peer pressure! Peer pressure! Peer pressure!"

The crew's jeers echoed in Shido's ear like a broken record, pushing him to come out and say it. "All right, all right! If you just shut up, I'll do it!" he shouted into his earpiece, earning a confused look from the Spirit. "Tohka, I wanna ask you something." Shido's hands were planted firmly in his lap – embarrassment kept his eyes clamped shut. "But it's…well, it's kind of abrupt."

Shido took a deep breath. "Will you go out on a date with me?"

Origami's heart dropped. "D-Date? With the Spirit? My Shido?!" the girl gasped for air, struggling to make sense of the situation. "Just what did it do to him?!" She could control her emotions no longer. Her body quaked with anger, but her mind stayed steady.

Calculated revenge is far more dangerous than blind rage.

Sam clashed with Kusakabe, sparks flying. As long as she stuck close, the rest of the squad were hesitant to open fire, but the instant she broke away, her shields would get peppered. Using this to her advantage, she hugged her foe, stayed in close and beat down Kusakabe's shields.

The Lieutenant went blow-for-blow with Sam, matching every punch coming her way with a slash of her beam sword. "Even though you willingly put yourself in my territory, you're still keeping pace with me. That's impressive." Kusakabe stated. "The AST would kill to have you in their ranks."

"You sure? Wouldn't that put you out of a job?" Sam bantered with the woman as they fought, but she suspected that Kusakabe was bluffing. It was true that being inside a CR-Unit's territory tugged significantly at speed and agility, and could make the victim feel nauseous, but the difference in ability was re-balanced in Kusakabe's favour by the territory, not re-balanced in Sam's favour by her skill. She swiftly ducked under one swipe, spun around another and brought her foot crashing over the back of Kusakabe's head.

She was flung to the ground, leaving her shields broken and very pissed off. Sam pirouetted round to face the other members of the AST's unit, eyeing them up one-by-one and taunting them with an inviting hand gesture. "Come on, don't let your commander have all the fun."

A girl with dark-brown hair took the challenge, and sped towards Sam; blade ready for a sweeping blow.

"Don't!" Kusakabe interjected, her hand thrust up towards them

Both Sam and the girl looked down at the woman with confusion.

"Remember?" she taunted. "Count us."

Sam mentally checked the AST members, "Nine." Then choked on her breath.

"Origami!"