Far East Branch – Veteran's Floor

A few days had passed since the foiling of the Americans' plan. Garland and his henchmen were gone, and Otto was nowhere to be found. It was a very close call and one that Gunter didn't want to repeat. It was a strange enough thing to realize he was dating a super mutant of sorts, and yet another to discover that said mutant was a wanted fugitive. Now he was actively assisting her in their war against Fenrir, all the while trying to pretend he was unbothered by all of it. This whole situation was way out of his pay grade. And now, Neo's watchmen were suspecting him of treachery. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

Gunter sighed, leaning against his wall, once again falling deep in thought. At this point, he wasn't sure what to do. The facts were clear to him. He cared deeply about Neo, there was little doubt in his mind. And though he no longer held any grudge against her mauling him — for the most part, maybe just a little — he was beginning to wonder how much, if any, of a future the two of them could have together. He had thought for a brief time that they could possibly make it work, but after seeing the Managarm pair in action, he was beginning to doubt it.

He had seen Neo and Ichiro's battle combo, but this was on another level. In terms of practice and skill, it was less impressive; the pair didn't operate as smoothly as unit. But in terms of raw power, it was unstoppable. A destructive force of nature. Two hybrids of human and beast. It was the most incredible thing he had ever seen, if not more than a bit terrifying. Much as he wanted to, he wasn't sure how someone like them, someone like her, could possibly ever fit in their world.

No, that wasn't right. Soma had integrated just fine; he had already found his place.

He was looking at this the wrong way. And the more he thought about it, the more he watched them, the more he began to ponder. The more the answer to his nerve-wracking question became clear. And it was painful. Very painful. He wanted so badly to understand her, to accept her. He had to, especially if what he hoped for was to ever come to fruition. Even so… it felt like he had little choice. At least for now, this was what was best for both of them, for her and for himself. With his mind made up, Gunter rose from his bed and made his way to the door.

He lifted his hand and pressed the button to slide it open. The moment he did, he caught a glimpse of violet and jumped, startled to see the last person he expected standing on the other side. In the hallway with her hand hovering to knock was the woman he had been contemplating. Neo said nothing; she stood there, staring up at him. She didn't move a muscle, just waited for him to take some sort of action. But in her eyes, he could see it. The uncertainty. The desperation. The fear of rejection.

Her hand lowered to her side and her mouth opened, then closed again. Then, opened once more, but no words came forth. It was only on her third attempt that she managed to formulate a sentence, her fingers fidgeting nervously within her gloves. "…I wanted to talk to you." Gunter said nothing, staring back at her with surprised eyes. "Please. I just want…" she sighed. "I just want you to hear me out. Then, you'll never hear from me again, if that's what you want."

Gunter sighed, shaking his head, and stepping back. "…It's okay. I wanted to speak to you too."

"Oh." Slowly, she stepped into the room, walking toward the center as he shut the door. She wasn't sure where to go, whether to stand, whether to sit. Whether to step toward him or to back away. How close was too close? How far was too far? She didn't feel like she knew anymore.

The two stood awkwardly, watching each other from opposite ends of the room.

"I —" Both tried and failed to speak at the same time, going quiet and staring back at the other. Gunter smirked "…You first."

Neo nodded. "I wanted…" she took a deep breath. "I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For saving my life."

"Huh…?" Gunter lifted a brow, taking in her nervous expression. "Neo, I didn't —"

"You did," she insisted. "Twice."

"Uh?"

"If not for you, I would have been devoured before I even knew it… You were willing to fight the Nova for me. A fight you couldn't possibly have won."

Gunter shrugged. "That was part of the mission, wasn't it? To be your personal escort? It was an order, I had to."

"But you didn't have to the second time."

"Second time?"

"I know it was you who warned everyone about Garland's arrival. Then, you smuggled me out of the Den using Soma's coat. There was no mission involved… no order, no reward. And if you had been caught, the consequences…" Her eyes fell to the floor. "You had far more to lose than to gain… and yet you did it anyway. Even though I didn't deserve it."

"What do you mean, you didn't deserve it?"

"Well, that brings me to my second point." Neo took a deep breath. "I wanted to say — I've been trying to say… that I'm sorry."

Gunter blinked, eyes rounding with surprise. That wasn't at all what he had expected to hear. Neo had always been a rather impulsive person, a bit scattered, and more than a little careless. She had dragged him across the countryside during their extended missions, run him ragged on countless journeys, and nearly gotten him killed numerous times, not counting her own attempt on his life. And never once had she apologized for it. Not once had she shown any remorse for her actions. He wasn't even sure if she had any. Neo had nonexistent social skills.

"You're… sorry?"

"For… trying to kill you."

"Neo —"

"And nearly succeeding," she continued. "You had no reason to assist me either time. You could have just as easily let me die. That would have been the end of your problems. But you didn't."

Gunter grinned. "First of all, no it wouldn't. If I had left you to die at the hands of the Nova or gods forbid, Fenrir, I wouldn't have had long to enjoy the life I preserved. Once they found out about it — which they would because I'm convinced at least one of them is psychic — Soma would've probably killed me. And I know Ichiro would've." Shaking his head, he continued. "But that isn't the point… I would've done it either way, Neo. And chances are, I would do it again."

Neo looked incredulously at him. "…Why?"

Gunter sighed. "If you want an honest answer… I have no idea. I know it doesn't make any sense. I should probably relish the idea, but I don't. I meant what I said, I don't want anything to happen to you. Despite what happened between us… I care about you, Neo. I really do."

"Then, you're a fool," she muttered. "To think that you would save me after everything that I've done… that you would trade your life for mine… even after I wanted so badly to end yours."

"Did you?"

"…What?"

"Neo, you are… truly a marvel. The most powerful woman — no person — I've ever met. There is no human alive who can stand against you, and not even some Aragami."

"This is true."

"Yet, here I sit, very much alive."

"Yes, you do. I'm not seeing your point."

"You probably don't realize this… but you saved my life too."

At this, she scoffed. "I'm not sure what gave you that idea."

"Actually, you did." Neo blinked. "What you said in that hospital room… you were absolutely right. You are stronger than me, faster than me. I don't have a hope to defend myself against you. If you wanted me dead, I would be. Simple as that."

"…"

"The fact that I'm not… that is your answer. You didn't really want to kill me that day… did you?"

"I…"

"I was defenseless back there. With your hand around my neck, there's no reason I shouldn't have been bleeding out on the floor. I should have crumpled in a matter of seconds. But I didn't… because of you. Because you were holding back. That's the only explanation."

"Me…? Gunter, I tried to kill you, you're not making any sense."

He shook his head, defiant. "No, you didn't. I saw that look in your eyes, Neo. They were so full of hatred… You looked crazed. You almost looked —" He shuddered at the memory. "Never mind. The point is whatever that was back there, it wasn't you. But the part of you that spared my life, was. Somewhere in that entanglement, you were still there. And that part of you didn't want to hurt me."

"…"

"Tell me I'm wrong."

There was a moment of pause as she thought about it, going back to that day that now seemed so long ago. Lowering her head, she huffed. "…I can't. You're probably right. I just… I felt so betrayed by you and that betrayal grew into rage. It activated my Oracle cells and awakened… that other part of me."

"And you were lashing out because you thought I was going to hurt you. Still doesn't mean I'm happy about it." He offered a playful smirk. "…But I do understand."

"Well, I don't," she muttered. "I don't understand why you… why anyone would…"

"Wow… You really don't get it." The sound of a quiet footstep drew her eyes upward, growing wide as took a step toward her. Then another. Then another. When he finally reached her, he slowly reached forward, taking a gloved hand into his own. "You have no idea how I feel about you… do you?"

"I…" Neo's eyes grew wide.

"That's why I saved you. And why, despite my better judgment, I would do it again." Gunter sighed, gently closing his fingers around her own. "Neo, I never thought I would ever feel this way about someone again." His words, she had heard them before. The words were so similar, nearly verbatim, straight out of a scenario in Soma's novel. She was fond of that chapter; the part where the love interest finally expressed their feelings toward the protagonist. And what followed was supposedly a happy ending of sorts. At least, between those two characters. But between the other two…

"But —"

There it was. She knew this part as well. She knew what came after. It seemed she would not be like the protagonist in this story. "You're leaving."

"What?"

"You don't want to be with me anymore."

Gunter was almost taken aback, not by her words but the way she said them. There was no pain. No disappointment. Just pure indisputable fact. It only further solidified what he needed to do. Neo didn't feel the same way about him. He wasn't even certain she could. She didn't know how to. "No, Neo, I do. I do want to be with you… but I can't."

"I understand." It was inevitable, she supposed. If she were being honest, she was more surprised it hadn't happened sooner.

"Do you?"

"Yes. And… I thank you for giving me that chance. A chance to be… normal. But I can't. So, I understand that we can't… be. Someone like me doesn't belong in your world."

Gunter stared down at her, taking in her eyes, so full of melancholy. She truly believed that this was her fault. Well, technically it was, at least partially. Attempted murder did tend to end relationships in most cases. But that wasn't what this was about. "You've got it backwards, Neo…" His fingers tightened, gently squeezing her hand. "I don't belong in yours."

"Huh?"

"Listen… what I've seen from you these last few of weeks… it was the most incredible thing I have — probably will ever see. Seeing you in your natural element made me realize just how amazing you truly are… but it also made me realize that we are in two different dimensions. Neo, this is way out of my depth, and I… I can't be what you need. And I don't think you can be what I need either… I'm not sure you even know how to."

"Probably not… I'm sorry."

There was that brutal honesty that amused him so much. Gunter shook his head. "Neo, please don't misunderstand… I'm not rejecting you. I accept and love, both who and what you are. I just… can't."

She paused for a moment, trying to consider the best way to phrase her feelings. She decided on yet another line she had learned from Soma's novel. "We aren't… right for each other, are we?"

"No. At least not right now. Maybe in the future, when you're more stable, and I can better understand you… you deserve to have that. But right now, I… I don't think I can."

Neo nodded. "…Because I scare the hell out of you."

"Ah…" Gunter balked. Of all the things he had been expecting, a callback to their conversation in the medical wing wasn't one of them. That woman didn't miss a thing. Even in her sleep, she was so perceptive. "So, you, uh… heard all that."

"I did. It's okay. I understand that you are frightened of me."

"No, Neo, I'm not afraid of you… not entirely. I'm just… overwhelmed. I mean… a few months ago, I thought you were just this adorable little woman. With a few quirks, sure, but no different than any other. Then, I find out you have these… these powers, which I attributed to you being a New Type. Now I'm finding out that you're a Managarm child, a hybrid, and a fugitive. Then, the next thing I know, I'm smuggling you out of the Den into the wilderness to hide you from gods know who those people were. This is a lot to take in."

Understandable. When he said it that way, the fact that he hadn't taken off immediately was nothing short of a miracle. He had already done far more than she was sure he'd signed up for. Even in her novel, the biggest conflict of the story was a triangle between another character. She was sure had the protagonist done less than half of what she had; the story wouldn't have made it to chapter four. They would have run for the hills, and she wouldn't have blamed them.

"So, you wish not to see me again?"

"Not forever. I… I just need a little time."

Nodding her head, she slowly pulled her hand from his grasp. "Then, I will give it to you. Goodbye, Gunter." She turned and headed back toward the bedroom door. She had said what she needed to. There was no reason to take up any more of his time.

"Neo." The sound of his voice paused her retreat, turning with a lifted brow. "…I'll see you around…? Eventually?"

She shrugged. "Probably. We live in a finite space." With that, she strode from the room leaving Gunter behind with a blank stare. He couldn't help but chuckle at her mannerisms, endearing until the end. Hopeless. He really was a lost cause.

. . .

Soma stalked silently down the hallway, eyes focusing forward. After returning Neo safe and sound to the Den, he had had all but 24 hours before heading out again. Much as he had needed rest, the Nova remained a threat. It wasn't out there resting on its laurels, so neither was he. Unfortunately, he hadn't had much luck in his search. This evening was proof of that; it had been yet another unsuccessful hunt.

What was frustrating to him was not only how cunning the creature seemingly was, but how quick too. It was a fleet-footed menace, constantly leading them fruitlessly around the countryside. They would pick up signatures and move out, only to find the target had moved on possibly days before. It was almost like it was it was messing with him, taunting him. Who knew… maybe it was.

He didn't know. And at the moment, he didn't care. He was tired. He was aggravated. And after spending over four hours in the Wailing Plains, he was very, very wet. He was more akin to a walking human puddle at this point. He looked like he had wandered into the shower and stood there until every inch of him, clothing included, was drenched. The only thing he wanted to do now was dry off and get some much-needed rest. Maybe, if he was feeling up to it, he would even watch something on his new television.

Stepping into the room, he wasted no time in trying to get out of his wet clothes. Within seconds, his tie had slid to the floor with a wet splat and his dripping coat was hanging on the nearby rack. Peeling his shirt over his head, he grumbled to himself, and let it also fall to the floor. He wondered if there was anything even worth watching on the screen. "Hmph… maybe there's something interesting on the Norn archives…" he muttered to himself, wandering through the room. Neo had mentioned some sort of show she had been enamored with. Something about gods in high school, or something ridiculous.

Before he could open his belt buckle, a small voice interrupted his thoughts, answered his question, and nearly scared the life out of him all at once. "It doesn't work, you know."

"What the hell?!" Soma turned around, alarmed to find a violet head of hair poking out over the top of his couch. She was facing away from him, thank the gods, but his mind was so busy trying to catch up that that wasn't really registering at the moment.

"Your television. It's faulty."

"What —"

Neo hopped up and strode toward the machine, tapping the little power button in the center. The device powered on, the familiar Fenrir symbol appearing on the LCD. For all of two seconds. In the next, it started sputtering and flickering, emitting a high-pitched screech that made him want to tear out his own ear drums. Thankfully, she only subjected him — and herself, for that matter — to a few seconds of the noise before shutting it off again and turning toward him. "See?"

Soma shook his head in aggravation. Figures, he would finally get the stupid thing replaced only to find it non-functional. Oh well, it wasn't likely he would have found anything to watch anyway. Sighing, he turned his eyes from the malfunctioning machine back to the woman standing beneath it. Stiff as a board. He hadn't found anything to watch, but apparently, she had. Her eyes had slowly rounded, so wide that the irises were nearly completely visible in between the lids. And they were staring very intently. At him. Confused, he gave her a puzzled expression, trying to figure out what was so fascinating to her.

It was only a light draft in the room on his shoulders that answered him, feeling rather naked without his —

Soma felt the world around him come to an immediate halt as he stared back at her unblinking gaze realizing that she was not staring at him. Well, she was. That was the problem. Following her gaze downward, he remembered what he had been doing prior to her startling interruption. Then, he snapped. "Neo, what the — knock it off!"

"Huh?!" His shout knocked her out of her stupor, blinking and coming back to her senses. Though her eyes never moved. What followed was absolute chaos, with both God Eaters shouting at each other, one in embarrassment and the other in confusion.

"Stop it!"

"Stop what?!"

"Stop staring!"

"What do you want me to do?!"

"Look that way!"

"What way?!"

"Close your eyes or something!"

"What?!"

"Forget it, just turn around!"

Neo complied, spinning around in place. Unfortunately, she forgot how close she was standing next to his table stumbling and tumbling to the ground with a thud. Soma groaned, stalking across the room, and yanking the woman to her feet.

It was perplexing. In most situations, the New Type was highly intelligent. So much so that he wondered if she were better suited to research than him. But other times, she was like this, mindless, giving little to no thought to her actions, never mind common sense. Even as she was hoisted upward, for some reason, Neo insisted on keeping her eyes closed and with no semblance of direction stumbled forward, reaching for whatever she could to stabilize herself. Which, in this case, happened to be Soma himself. He felt her hands pressing against his chest and half of the blood in his body rushed to his face. The other half…

"G-Get off me!"

Once again, she complied, backing away from him and subsequently opening her eyes to avoid a reunion with the floor. And in doing so, brought them right back to where they started. Her eyes grew wide, and she found herself stunned again, only to have Soma's voice rip her out of her dazed state. "Neo!"

"Wh — I can't see if I — what do you want me to do, Soma?!"

"Get out!"

With no other course of action, she rushed forward attempting to get past him and running into him again. But rather than doing what he expected and shoving him out of the way, she stalled apologizing and flailing in front of him like one of those inflatable machines. "S-Sorry!"

Now she wanted to be polite?!

"OUT!"

Finally, she maneuvered around him, zipping out of his room, and leaving the door to close behind her. With Neo finally gone, Soma let out the breath he'd been holding. His entire body felt like a furnace, his heart was threatening to rip itself right from his chest. Any hopes of relaxation were out the window.

On the other side, Neo stumbled, falling back against the door with a huff. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her face was so warm, it rivaled the surface of a stove. Her body felt faint, and her stomach was turning around over and over. It was a sensation unlike anything she had ever felt, the Bias Field had nothing on this. What the hell was wrong with her? Shaking her head, she lifted upright and staggered down the hall.