Hello everyone. It's been a while. Easily a few months. Sorry for being quiet. Compared to June, July has been busy. It might be summer but for me, I am working. Got my driver exam coming up on the time of starting, it most likely will have passed when I posted this.
And by the time that I continued on it, I failed that exam. Just fucking great. I think it was the first time in years that I have lost my cool. But it's what it is. Next, try on 14/12/2021 and I got some peace of mind. This just fucking sucks so bad. So on 20/07/2021, I started on the chapter and hoped that it was out of my fucking mind and I don't have to give a flying fuck about it.
If this can be updated in July, it can be a miracle. But given how I like writing this fic, I should get lucky. Or if it's August, it should be early.
There is also some news.
Powerwolf brought out a new cd so I'm going to write on new tunes. I have to hear Call of the Wild a few times before I am fully into it. I hope that I'll catch them in October.
A long-time reviewer and good friend of mine, VIRUS-GO, has started rewriting one of my oldest fanfics, Crossed Paths. Taken in by his style, I am happy that I can help him keep writing. For those who are interested and who have been reading my fics for a while, check it out. It's written in both English and Spanish. He also helped me out with parts of this fic so I owe him big time.
Big thank you for that and as usual a big thank you to Ichigo Oga for reading this over.
You can also find a picture of Joel back on DeviantArt under my name. Just saying and passing the message along.
No guest reviews so let's get on to it now.
Openings song. Five Finger Death Punch: When the Seasons change.
Started on 17/07/2021
Ended on 21/07/2021
Written out fast but my beta author was busy so that is why the upload took a while.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
[Telepathic conversation]
[Phone call]
Being carried through the air was an entirely new kind of experience for Ichika and Madoka. Sure it was to conserve energy for the upcoming battle, but nonetheless, it was something to take note of.
Houki was more than happy to carry Ichika all the way to the enemy, while Mattheus had to adjust to Madoka due to the difference in size between her and Joel.
Noticing that the Hunter's mind was somewhere else, Madoka asked, "Something wrong, Matt?"
"Just getting used to you," Mattheus answered, far used to the feeling of a chest on his back to be irked.
"Oh? Comparing little ole me to Joel? Any differences?"
Matt knew what she was doing and decided to play along. "Yep. For example, you're heavier." The best way to irk a girl was to mention her weight, and true to the point, Madoka started hitting him on the head. "Ow! Stop that! It's normal!" He glared back at her to zero success as the girl didn't stop her onslaught. "You're a 15-year-old High School girl and Joel is 12. You being lighter than him would be abnormal."
That did the work of stopping Madoka leaving her to fume quietly.
To make the operation easier, the pairs were divided by the officers. Through negotiations, it was decided that Chifuyu would handle Houki and Ichika, while much to Mattheus's dismay, Itsuka would handle him and Madoka.
It was not a perfect combination as Mattheus preferred Joel to work with as he was used to him from the beginning. Itsuka had overruled Joel as he was on Tech Support reading the statistics and informing Chifuyu about the latest developments every once in a while.
The punk had blatantly ignored Itsuka after how the man had behaved, and the man had understood that Joel had his principles as he had no issues with Chifuyu relaying information to him. He had some degree of professionalism in that regard.
That, and Mattheus had Joel swear that he would behave. Tabane was nowhere to be found and if Chifuyu had anything to say, then it would be that Joel would one day be better than the mad scientist.
[If the two of you are done playing, then maybe we can focus on the mission?]
Mattheus heard Itsuka and said, "Can't we have a laugh Cap'n? We're not even close to our destination!"
[Adjzof, my Rank is Lieutenant and you will address me as such.]
"Cap'n is shorter. Anything up?"
[Do you still have visual on Orimura-kun and Shinonono-san?]
Madoka looked on behalf of Mattheus as it was better to let him concentrate on flying to the destination.
"Yep. He's flying about 200 meters from us." Madoka answered prodding at Ichika through their shared link receiving a nod from him.
Then Chifuyu took over and started explaining.
[The key to this mission is finishing it with one strike. Focus on doing it as quickly as possible. As soon as you get visuals on the target, both Orimura will strike at once. Its name is Silver Gospel, but we'll use Gospel for short.]
"Roger." They all responded to Chifuyu. While she was the primary handler of Ichika and Houki, Mattheus and Madoka could hear her as well.
"Orimura-sensei! Should I or Adjzof work to support the Orimura siblings if necessary?"
Itsuka answered, [If you can do that without endangering yourself, then you have permission. Otherwise, hang back. You have no experience with your IS Shinonono-san, so don't be reckless. Adzjof, if you can provide cover fire.]
"Aye, aye, Cap'n! I'll keep my distance and interfere if necessary."
"I'll keep your words in mind, lieutenant."
Line Break
[I'll keep your words in mind, lieutenant.] Everyone picked up how Houki sounded and became concerned.
"Is it me or does Houki sound too eager?" Rin asked.
"I believe so too." Cecilia agreed.
"I can understand why, but…" Charlotte trailed off meeting their eyes.
Chifuyu sighed and ordered, "Open a private channel to the Orimuras." Maya nodded and got to work.
With them distracted, Joel began looking for data and what he found made him nauseous. He immediately sent a text message to Mattheus telling, "Things aren't looking good with the Gospel. If Madoka and Ichika can't get through, grab them and get the fuck out! Someone is deliberately fucking up the IS and I can't do jackshit to it! Hope that they get through!"
Once the private channel connected to the Orimura twins, they tensed up until Chifuyu spoke up. "You two relax. Shinonono and Adjzof can't hear us. Ichika, Shinonono seems somewhat caught up in the situation. In such a state, she might make a mistake. In case of emergency, request Adjzof to look after her."
[We'll keep it in mind.] The twins replied together and for once Chifuyu wasn't worried about the twins. Every advantage they had over the Gospel had to be used. The synchrony between the twins was one such advantage.
Line Break
The four of them continued to fly through the skies all the while Ichika and Madoka were on the lookout.
"Cap'n, where the fuck is that machine?" Mattheus asked, right after which Houki signaled to them having found their target.
"Thanks, Houki!"
"You two will be in contact with our target soon. Ichika, pull out your HF blade." Mattheus ordered and Ichika nodded standing up with Madoka preparing herself.
Deploying the blade in his left hand, Ichika switched on Reiraku Byakuya, the blade collapsing in itself to let the energy take its place.
Madoka, now released from Mattheus did the same.
[Orimura-kun, distract it! Adzjof, go from the opposite side!]
Ichika wished he was fighting with his sister watching from the corner of his eyes that Mattheus needed a vital few seconds to adjust.
Madoka came from the side catching the Gospel's attention. When it released its energy missiles at Madoka, Houki and Ichika split most of them.
"Houki!" Ichika called out worried about the girl.
"I'm fine Ichika! Focus on the Gospel!"
Madoka got close to the IS and using her own Yukihira, she attempted to land a hit, only to miss as the Gospel avoided it within a fraction of a second.
Having dodged the hit, the Gospel fell back and launched all its missiles at Madoka, only to be distracted right afterward by a loud bang. It was distracted by Mattheus who kept enough distance between himself and the IS to swoop in and save the twins, but far enough to be capable of avoiding the missiles.
"Ichika! Madoka! I'll buy you some time! Just find the opening!" Just as he finished talking, a barrage of energy missiles rushed towards him making him switch to evasive maneuvers.
[Same as always?]
[Same as always.]
The twins nodded to each other and built some distance before beginning to use their full power.
The Gospel on the other hand was distracted by Mattheus and Houki, with the former using hit-and-run tactics while the latter launched energy blades at it.
Even though the machine avoided all of their attacks, the two of them were not fazed as their job was to distract it and create the window of opportunity for the twins to strike it down.
The Gospel's attention abruptly shifted to the twins in the midst of dodging Houki's swords.
'Too late!' Madoka thought to herself as she and Ichika clashed against it from both sides creating an explosion resulting in a large smokescreen that prevented them all from discerning whether the IS was taken down or not.
"Alright!" Mattheus cheered raising a fist, only to freeze as the hair on everyone's neck stood up.
"You just had to jinx us, didn't you!?" Ichika exclaimed from within the smokescreen.
The smoke cleared to show that the Gospel had successfully blocked the swords of the twins, the energy-burning and mixing yet not getting through to it.
Seeing this Joel realized that this move was copied from the Golems that had faced before.
[Get out of there Orimura!] Chifuyu yelled into the comms, her professional exterior broken and giving way to horror.
The twins pushed on against the IS, yet the Gospel stood strong and unrelenting.
Ichika wasn't sure what happened but he couldn't free himself from the IS's grasp even as he tried to pull and yank himself away from it. The Gospel turned its head to face Ichika and he saw something akin to a sadistic grin spread over its face.
With a hand, the Gospel grabbed Madoka and effortlessly threw her away.
Madoka righted herself and to her growing horror saw the IS rip Yukihira Nigata out of her brother's hand, prevent him from pulling out the HF blade before smashing its fist right into his body.
The resulting explosion sent Ichika flying away with a scream.
"Ichika/ICHI-NII!" Houki and Madoka called out to him in horror, before Houki acted first and caught Ichika, her green ribbon burning away in doing so.
Mattheus closed his mouth and rained down bullets at the Gospel.
[Adjzof! Adjzof! Do you copy!?] Mattheus heard the horrified voice of Itsuka through the comm.
"Yeah, I hear you Cap'n!"
[What's your status? What is going on? We saw Orimura-kun getting hit!]
"The twins managed to attack the Gospel, but the damn thing stopped them and knocked Ichika out! Orders?"
[Get out of there! Tell Shinonono-san and Orimura-san to fall back!]
Before Mattheus could shout out the orders, his voice got caught in his throat when his eyes landed on Madoka.
The girl was burning with rage, tears dripping down her cheeks glinting like gold. She had felt the blow her brother received through their link. Muffled though it was to her, it nonetheless hurt and burnt. And witnessing her brother crash through the air made her snap.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR THAAAAAT!"
Mattheus and Houki were horrified hearing Madoka roar, releasing an absurd amount of energy as her hair turned purple.
"MADOKA! We have to fall back! You can't fight that thing alone!" Mattheus shouted at the enraged girl to no avail as she threw herself at the IS with an inhuman scream.
Just like before, the Gospel effortlessly blocked Madoka's attack and punched her away. Undeterred, Madoka raced back at the IS with another inhuman scream, only to get barraged by energy missiles.
Pushing down his horror at the sight, Mattheus contacted Houki. "Houki! Houki! Do you copy? Where are you?"
[Adjzof! I hear you! I have Ichika secured with me!] Mattheus got a visual of Houki with Ichika in her arms and couldn't help the grimace at seeing Ichika's condition. The boy was in a bad shape and bleeding. It was obvious he needed medical treatment ASAP.
"Houki! Get out of here and take Ichika with you!" Mattheus ordered.
[What!? We have to-]
"Fall back. Orders. You take Ichika and I'll grab Madoka." Mattheus waited and when Madoka once again got thrown back by the Gospel, he rushed in and grabbed her, making her scream and shout at him.
"Let me go, Mattheus! Let me go right now!"
"We have to fall back Madoka!" Mattheus yelled at the girl who was in even worse shape than her brother.
"NO! I have to kill that thing! It killed Ichi-nii!"
"Ichika isn't dead!" Mattheus yelled hoping the boy wasn't dead. "But you will die if you continue!"
"No! I saw it! I felt it! I will kill that thing!"
The Hunter ignored Madoka and chopped her on the neck knocking her out and hoping that she wouldn't die from it. "Sorry Madoka, but one is enough."
The Gospel looked at him and Mattheus backpedaled away at full speed praying that it wouldn't follow them. Once he was far away with his cargo, he cursed. They had not only failed the mission but both Ichika and Madoka were WIA.
'Fucking Hell…!'
Line Break
Chifuyu glanced at Itsuka who was on the phone talking to his superiors. From what she was hearing, it was obvious that he wasn't having a good time.
It had taken her nearly everything to not break down in front of everyone and bawl her eyes out when she heard the news from Adjzof.
"Sir, you don't understand-! We do not have- No! That is why we- You can't be! Alright, but this is on you." Chifuyu looked back at the lieutenant at his wits ends. He crashed down in a chair, phone in his hands and unsure of how to relay the news. He faced Chifuyu with eyes that betrayed the guilt and self-loathing and tiredly said, "It was the HQ. They told us to continue, but how we do it is up to us to figure out." He turned his head to look at the now silent Joel and said, "I would say that we can think about it until we have Orimura-kun and Orimura-san back ready for action, but we can't be sure how long they will take to recover once they've been brought here by Adjzof and Shinonono-san." Fortunately, both Orimura twins were alive.
After the disaster, Joel didn't say a word and instead just furiously worked on his computer. When Maya worked up the courage to ask if he was alright, she was bitten off by the punk and was told "leave me the fuck alone!" and unlike his usual tone, the way he spoke sent chills down Chifuyu's spine.
Itsuka knew that if the Orimura twins survived, then they will once be sent to battle the Gospel as they were the only ones who could take it down.
Eventually, they heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Chifuyu sharply asked.
"It's Dunois."
"I thought I told you to wait outside on standby."
"Houki and Mattheus have returned with the twins." No sooner had the words left Charlotte's mouth did Chifuyu dashed outside and ran towards the beach leaving Maya and Itsuka baffled.
Upon reaching the beach, Chifuyu found several medics attending to her siblings. Both were out like a light and were put on stretchers. Her mouth fell open as she saw the condition both of them were in. Madoka's hair had turned back to her usual color and with her suit cut open, Chifuyu got a clear sight of the wounds the girl now sported.
Chifuyu held back her tears, she couldn't cry now, not in front of so many people. She will allow herself to break down only in front of her siblings.
Houki stood silently to the side, head bowed down and hair covering her eyes. No one spoke a word to her and she didn't want it any other way.
Itsuka caught up to Chifuyu at the beach and before he could ask for a sitrep, Mattheus began to fill him in on the events, leaving the unimportant bits out, only mentioning what he witnessed.
Joel had also run out to Mattheus and stuck close to him.
"So you're serious? The Silver Gospel stopped both Orimuras?"
"At their peak. Reiraku Byakuya is fatal to IS and yet, it stopped them dead in their tracks and beat them down. When Ichika went down, Madoka had lost it and assaulted the Gospel. I had to drag her away from it and knock her out to prevent further casualty."
Itsuka looked over the siblings and without a word he grabbed a First Aid kit and put on a pair of plastic gloves. He began treating Madoka by quickly stitching the cuts. The girl had superficial wounds on her and while she had received heavy blows from the Silver Gospel, most of them were stopped by the energy shield. Even then, the force behind the blows had left a few bruises on her. She was lucky the energy shield was there to protect her, otherwise, she would've been in a much, much worse condition.
"Sir, you can't-"
"I'm a trained medic. Let me look them over." He checked Madoka for a pulse before putting on a breathing mask on her face. She had taken many hits but she will recover with rest and proper treatment. Itsuka dearly hoped that she would be fine.
Turning around to Ichika he skillfully opened his suit and cursed, "Holy shit! He needs to get to the operation table ASAP! Good thing we came prepared. Get him on the table, I'll do the operation." The medics agreed and hurriedly carried the twins away from the beach.
Itsuka remained on his knees for a few moments to collect himself. Wiping his sweat away he stood up feeling like this was where everything will go to Hell.
Mattheus stood next to him in a comfortable silence expressing his gratitude with his eyes.
'Thank you.'
"Mission failed! I will summon you when you're needed, until then, everyone is on standby! I will look after the mission and-"
"You will do no such thing!" Itsuka interrupted Chifuyu taking off his gloves and tossing them away. He walked up to her and became the second man to stare the Brunhilde down. "Orimura-sensei, I understand that you want to see the mission completed, but your siblings are in terrible condition and will be delirious when they wake up. If you can summon one of your parents to watch over them, then I will allow you to be back on the mission roster."
"We don't have any. I raised them myself." Chifuyu replied crossing her arms with a glare daring Itsuka to push his luck. Yet, he stood his ground against her.
"Then I say that you stay and watch over Orimura-san once she's examined. I'll send Orimura-kun over to you as soon as he's recovered. They will need you more than going after the Silver Gospel. There is an entire team and faculty members of your school present here. Leave that job to us, we'll think of a solution. You on the other hand will be looking after your siblings once they've been treated properly, because that is the only thing you can do now, and that is an order."
The beach became as silent as a graveyard. No one, not even Joel dared say a word. This man just mouthed Chifuyu Orimura off and was standing just as strongly as he refuted her.
The Brunhilde on the other hand was at a crossroad. On one side, she was happy that Itsuka allowed her to see her siblings and watch over them, something that she's been longing to do. On the other side, she had her image to protect.
She chose both. "If those are your orders, then be it," Chifuyu said as she turned on her heels and followed the stretchers.
Once she was gone, Mattheus walked up to Itsuka and stared at him, making the officer stare up and back at him. "You've got fucking balls. Didn't think you had them."
Itsuka just nodded at the Flemish man and followed Chifuyu towards the operation room.
Once both Itsuka was out of sight, Joel let out the filthiest profanity that he could think of, and Mattheus right behind him.
"Joel. White Death."
The punk looked back at the hunter and nodded. "I'm on it. I'll give you an update when I'm done."
Mattheus nodded and wishing to be alone, he crawled up a rock and overlooked the sea listening to music instead of following the girls back to the facility.
Line Break
The girls had wanted to stay with Ichika and Madoka, but thanks to Chifuyu, none of them were allowed entry. None of them liked it, but they understood Chifuyu enough to not pester her to see them and instead waited outside on standby.
Houki on the other hand was sulking. She was powerless to help Ichika and Madoka and with her ribbon gone, both her hair and mood were down. She then thought about Ichika. His strength came from somewhere within him, and he seemed like he could use it more and more. If he can do that, then what does that make him?
In the patient room, Chifuyu sat next to her sister, who happened to have gotten away without too many injuries after the medic cleared her. Chifuyu could guess what protected her from the Gospel's blows. It was her War Goddess mode that protected her. Mattheus may not have told her about it, but he had definitely had seen that.
With the doors closed, Chifuyu let her tears flow. She knew the risks were high and the chance was low, yet she sent them to deal with the Gospel.
She had almost lost them for good today. Was everything she accomplished for nothing? She had fought, bled, and worked hard for the twins.
"For fuck's sake! It should've been me!" But yet, she sat back and hoped that one of two would wake up.
Where was Tabane when you needed her?
Line Break
Back in the command room, everyone was busy locating the Silver Gospel. They quickly found it and from what the readings were showing, it was still where the four had clashed against it.
For some unknown reason, it stayed in the perimeter of the archipelago.
None of the officers could think of anything. Should they send the others after the Silver Gospel or should they wait for something else? They were unsure as to what they should do.
Maya thought about sending someone else, yet, with the SDF and her school, they couldn't find anyone to do so.
Chifuyu was with Madoka in the girl's room, and Ichika was being operated on by Itsuka. The man proved to have many qualities besides being a lieutenant.
Line Break
Itsuka had wasted no time. As soon as he learned that Ichika Orimura would be received in the operating room, he went to perform the 3-step surgical scrub of his arms and hands while the rest of the staff did their part.
The young pilot was brought in on a stretcher and the nurses took it upon themselves to transfer him to the operating table. The anesthesiologist also did not waste time and began to administer anesthetic drugs through the venous and inhalation routes in order to achieve the balanced general anesthesia method. With the amount of blood Ichika had lost, more than a liter and a half, it was absolutely contraindicated to use the subarachnoid block.
Had he done so, Ichika's vital signs would have plummeted and the young pilot would be leaving that room in a body bag.
Before long, Ichika wouldn't be able to feel any pain anymore, but he couldn't move either and his breathing would become shallow. In a hurry, the anesthesiologist proceeded to intubate him to deliver oxygen to his lungs.
A nurse had proceeded to perform Ichika's antisepsis on his abdomen. With gauze soaked in Isodina, she cleaned from the center and went in circles to the periphery, all with the aim of killing all the microorganisms present and making sure that if some managed to survive they would not return to the sterile area.
Itsuka had returned, arms at chest level and ready to dress. The surgical technician already dressed in sterile clothing had helped him put on his gown and put on his surgical gloves. 2 medical residents and assistants had also washed and in a few seconds dressed.
When it was ready, they placed the disposable surgical sheets over Ichika's body: a small one over his pelvis and legs, another just above his abdomen that covered his chest and face, 2 smaller ones on the sides of his body, and a large one above all others with a square hole in the center, with the hole allowing a perfect view of the site where the procedure would take place. They had effectively established the sterile fields.
The doctor took one last look at the room where he was, mainly at 2 important elements:
The first was Ichika's abdominal ultrasound located glued to the wall. There, Itsuka saw abundant free peritoneal fluid. Together with the huge bruise on his abdomen and the testimony of Adjzof and Shinonono, it was what gave them the diagnosis of a probable splenic tear.
And second, it was the serum holder that contained the bag with crystalloid liquid and the globular package that was now connected to Ichika and with which it was possible to replace his body volume and more recently blood. The blow had caused the young pilot to lose a great deal of that vital liquid. If things were better, Madoka could be used as a donor but it was fortunate that they still had some negative O-type units.
Once all the instruments were ready and each of the members in their respective position, they got to work.
"Let's get started."
Itsuka began with a cut in the pilot's skin with a traditional scalpel and later replaced it with an electric scalpel, an invaluable instrument because he could not only cut the tissues but also cauterize the wounds and thus prevent bleeding.
They did not need any more blood outside their respective place.
Speaking of the precious liquid, it had to be removed from the cavity by any method. Either with gauze or by suction, it could no longer be there. It was now considered a foreign body and had to be removed.
The doctor prayed that the spleen wasn't too damaged to the point that it needed to be removed.
It was then that a new problem arose:
"Damage to the transverse colon with leakage of fecal material." was Itsuka's statement and he groaned inwardly when he saw how things got complicated, as Ichika's colon was perforated by the trauma.
A torn spleen was a serious problem, but infection and sepsis caused by the opening of a hollow viscus such as the intestine and the leakage of the material that it carried were also very dangerous.
Something had to be done about it.
"Give him antibiotic prophylaxis."
The circulating nurse carried out the order immediately by injecting the drug through the permeable route; meanwhile one of the residents was in charge of cleaning the stool with gauze and physiological saline.
With that assured, Itsuka descended further through the tissues, slicing and cauterizing where necessary and moving organs while the other resident took it upon himself to put off the blood out of his way.
Until he finally found the spleen.
God gives his worst battles to his best warriors. It was the thought that crossed the man's head, and with good reason.
"Splenic wound with regular edges. Length and depth within acceptable. Splenectomy is not required." that was his statement
Ichika was lucky. The spleen was damaged, yes, but not so bad that it needed to be removed and replaced.
"Sutures," he said and the surgical technician obeyed the order, proceeding to hand over the needle and thread. Several watched Itsuka suture the wound, taking no more than 7 minutes, the result of years of experience.
Once the worst problem was solved, he was finally able to check the rest of the cavity very carefully to verify that the perforation of the colon was the only one of its type and fortunately it was. He proceeded to suture that area.
The doctor knew that Ichika had a good chance of making it out of this alive. Ichika was strong, even for his age, but for the young pilot's body to do his job, he would have to do his.
"All ready. Now let's close."
After that, he rearranged the organs in their proper places and proceeded to suture and join the layers of the abdominal wall. With the administration of prophylaxis, he would not need to use the secondary closure, so he decided to use the primary closure and leaving the skin margins well faced.
Ichika would have a huge scar on his abdomen that would last for years, but at least, he would live.
Line Break
"Itsuka-sensei." Houki ran quickly towards the health professional when he left the operating room. The rest of the girls along with Mattheus and Joel followed her.
Chifuyu also went after them but at a slower pace and a firm, calm expression. However, let it not be said that the older Orimura woman was not absolutely desperate for the well-being of her brother, only that someone had to keep a cool head and maintain a calm posture to convey that same emotion to the other young pilots.
Work that of course, she was decided to perform.
"How is Ichika?" Houki asked in a dry but demanding voice. It was a tone born of the perfect balance between enormous concern, sadness, helplessness, and courage.
Itsuka had given them the start of some good news: he had allowed himself to smile.
"Ichika will be fine."
With just those words it seemed that from one second to another the air in the waiting room had been replaced. New tears began to rise from the girls' eyes, only this time they were produced by immense joy.
Chifuyu didn't. Although she was happy with the good news of her brother, she was aware that things could not be that simple.
"However, there was a certain complication."
The Brunhilde was right. The girls' faces changed back to one of concern.
Especially Houki.
"What happened to Ichika?" Houki asked in a tone perhaps a little more demanding than she would have liked to sound.
Without getting angry, Itsuka gave them a summary of what happened:
"During the surgery, we confirmed that Orimura-kun suffered a tear in his spleen, this being what caused the bleeding; still it wasn't something that we couldn't fix. However, we also found that a part of his large intestine had been perforated which allowed his excrement to escape from it."
They weren't going to lie, it was a pretty nasty mental image. A certain little punk even started gagging. His older brother had to give him a comforting little back rub, which thankfully worked.
"We gave him broad-spectrum antibiotics to deal with any microorganisms and we clean the interior, also we still continue to administer it for 5 days. You should keep it under surveillance in case there are secondary reactions or shows complications"
"As which?" Mattheus asked, concerned for his friend, the hunter asked that question.
Itsuka replied with a description.
"Pus or discharge from the wound, as well as a bad smell from it. Fever and chills. That the wound is warm to the touch, that it has redness and pain or discomfort when touched. There are also those secondary to the antibiotic but I will list them on a page, they are too many to mention."
"Does it mean that Ichika-san will be able to leave soon?" was the humble question of the British pilot.
"That's right. A couple of days under observation and, if there is nothing unexpected, he will be able to get out." the doctor replied with courtesy.
A bit of joy began to rise again in the atmosphere.
Yes. His colon perforation was bad news, but even that news wasn't really bad.
"How long until Orimura-kun pilots again?"
A voice solid as steel impacted the air molecules, silencing any others that were there.
The owner of it was none other than Chifuyu Orimura, who knew that things were not over yet.
It was then that the girls realized. That was true. One thing was Ichika's recovery time and the other was the time when he could safely use an IS again.
Itsuka, with an afflicted tone, granted her answer:
"Until the sutures inside him are absorbed and there is no risk of them breaking: 15 days"
The skin was made by his blade so it should only be fitting that he would be the one who sew him back. With some luck, in time, Ichika shouldn't be worrying about them.
He would however need a new suit as most of what he was wearing now was destroyed. Yet, it was better that he recovered in those.
"Sir, what are you going to do?" With a wry grin, hidden by the mask but seen by the eyes, he looked at the rest of them.
Itsuka could get a coffee in the room where he walked while the girls eyed Ichika who was put next to his sister. She was lied down on the mat while Ichika was using a bed.
Everyone in there had their mouth dropped open to see him walking in.
"Well, what are all of you looking at? Give me a sitrep!"
Itsuka had a job to do and he wouldn't just sit back and let someone else do the job.
Line Break
Joel had been working on the White Death for quite some time. The large layout was done. All he had to do was outfit it and recalibrate the most important features. There was no room for trial and error, it had to be good from the get-go. Hence why he was taking so long.
It wasn't easy, but he had to make it work even if it would take a while.
The White Death is a large blaster cannon, meant to be used against everything. Though, it was just a prototype of Joel's, or rather, his father's.
For the time being, he can implant and install it on Mattheus's shoulder as it can be the only thing used against the Silver Gospel.
"Remember all the blood we had," Joel murmured hearing Doro sing.
The largest part of the White Death was done. Now all he needed to do is to fit it on the shoulder, which can take a lot of time. He would need the unit to fit easily and properly alongside the large battery plus his own seat.
Sensing someone's presence, Joel peered up and looked right into the eyes of someone he never expected to see so close.
Red mixed beautifully with purple looked at him with a hint of worry and interest. Despite Tabane being five centimeters from his face, Joel didn't jump back or get shocked.
Joel humorously looked at Tabane and asked, "Is there something you need Miss Shinonono?" Normally Joel wouldn't humor anybody but for some reason, he felt at ease with Tabane.
"What are you doing Joel-kun?"
Joel patted the spot next to him to prompt Tabane into sitting beside him before answering, "I'm making something that might get that fucking Gospel out of the sky."
Tabane saw the weapon and immediately, her eyes widened and her mouth dropped in shock. She bit through the tears and looked at the boy. Joel was theirs. She had always assumed it, but now she was certain.
"What is that, Joel-kun?"
Joel eyed the weapon with a wry grin and answered, "I and Mattheus dubbed it the White Death. It's a large blaster canon, one that I based off on some of the weapons of my old man. The fucking problem is that I can't find a goddamn way to attach it on Matheus's IS. It keeps giving me defects!"
Tabane closely looked at the screen and asked, "Can I see what you mean?"
Looking at Tabane, Joel had the feeling that she was familiar, yet he couldn't find out why. He had never met her before, or at least, he doesn't remember meeting her before.
"My idea was to attach this on the right shoulder. For the prototype here, you would need a small body next to it to fire the cannon. I would be the one to do that, and then reverse it so that Mattheus can fire it himself. Problem is-"
"-You can't complete the weapon in time to let Mattheus fire it alone?" Tabane finished for him and Joel nodded.
"I should be able to get the fucking weapon on the shoulder, but the system isn't allowing it. I need to be able to make sure that the data is downloaded and sent to his IS. Once that is over, I can attach the weapon and make sure it works perfectly. But I can't."
"Adjust the weapon on the shoulder and work out the fine details for this," Tabane advised concluding at the back of her mind that Joel had improved the weapon made by John in an unforeseen way.
"Joel-kun, do you trust me?" The technician looked at Tabane and in the eyes of the scientist, there was something that he couldn't understand. Yet, he found that he felt something.
A feeling of nostalgia. Of just knowing that something was right.
"Logically, I shouldn't. I don't know you. Personally." But Joel nodded to her.
"But if anyone can do this, you can. I'll call Mattheus. Can you sort out the stuff here?" Tabane smiled at Joel and with a tearful smile, she nodded.
"Sure but can I do something first?" Joel raised an eyebrow but he stood up already to leave.
"Alright? What?" He wasn't sure but for some reason, Tabane placed a hand on his head and ruffled through his hair. Joel would never allow anyone to do that but yet, with Tabane he allowed it.
"I'm sorry. I just. I am sure now." Joel allowed her to do what she was doing.
"Alright. I believe you have to tell me something. But that can wait. Okay?" She nodded at Joel and with that, the punk ran off to get to Mattheus.
Taking out the locket from her chest, she opened it.
"You got big. You grew up so fast." In the photo, a baby laid down. Its eyes were closed and brown hair was just coming through.
Taking over the laptop, she found that Joel had gotten far enough. As he said, just the main details to make sure that the Infinite Stratos was adjusted.
He was smart. But there were some improvements. The genius, Tabane, could do those for the boy. It would improve the comfort of the Infinite Stratos. Tabane couldn't help but look over the unit.
Joel did a miracle on that. Rebuilding it from scratch is one thing but with those weapons. Oh, she would have loved to have that boy around.
She heard the voices of Mattheus and Joel.
"Joel, you got something? I thought that you needed."
"I'm getting through the weapon. I need your Infinite Stratos here." Looking up, she saw Mattheus looking at her. In a way, he was distrustful of her. Tabane found he had a good reason for that.
"Joel, what's she doing with your laptop?"
The boy stood between her and Mattheus. In his eyes, Mattheus read that there was a determination that was something else.
"It's okay. She's just helping me." Turning over to Tabane, the woman nodded.
"I have it done. Just a few more bits. Adjzof, can you deploy your Infinite Stratos?" The Hunter shrugged and did so.
"Lavathenian." The brown unit was built and Joel motioned to kneel down. Tabane began to type and quickly, she typed in. On the shoulder, the White Death was being made. The Hunter felt the weight of the weapon.
"Okay, my turn." Joel took out his spanner and with fast hands, he began to look over the weapon. For some reason, the two didn't have to speak. Joel just attached one bit while Tabane continued harping out the computer. Not even Mattheus said a word.
He just let Joel work on it while Tabane filtered out the work.
The weapon was huge but yet, Mattheus could shoulder it. It was something alright. If he could use this to take down the Gospel, he would gladly take it.
He got the means. Now, he only needed the location of it. Mattheus realized that he couldn't do this alone.
But he was going to try that after all. Standing up, he looked at the giant canon. This beauty was a beast and it would pack a serious punch.
"Awesome work, Joel. You too, miss Shinonono." Tabane just nodded to him and Joel walked over to him.
"Get me on that." With those simple words spoken, Mattheus turned around. He couldn't open his arms as usual for his piggyback ride but he had to do with just climbing in. Joel might have made the White Death as a prototype and the sheer idea of a piggyback ride was absurd but it wasn't stupid.
And if it works, it ain't stupid. Comfortable straps of leather made him a seat. During the times, he had changed for a warmer jacket and longer jeans. It might get chilly but he would be able to fly through.
"We're going to shoot that fucking machine out of the sky if it's the last thing we do."
"And you're not going to be alone for that." Turning his head, he saw the five girls gathered there.
Houki, Rin, Laura, Cecilia, Charlotte. All five of them were more than ready and willing. Mattheus guessed they talked some sense into Houki.
They shared the same determination as he did.
The oldest nodded to them. "Works great for me. I want to take care of that machine though. Finish it."
The girls understood that none of them had a weapon as Mattheus now did. They were in awe and Tabane found that was the right time to slip away. She would be back later.
"You girls all packing heat for this?" They nodded at Mattheus who also deployed his own rifle.
"I can do the same. We're going to take that machine out."
"That might be the best way." Behind the girls, Itsuka Yukimura had appeared. The girls were fearful he might stop them but Mattheus walked up to him. With the machine activated, Joel on his back, Mattheus just looked at Itsuka.
"You going to stop us? Cause we are not going to." The lieutenant took a breath.
"You want to take down the Silver Gospel." The cold air was around them. The salt of the sea was tasted.
For a heartbeat, it was quiet.
"Fucking yes," Mattheus said. Itsuka got a smile and Mattheus guessed that Itsuka was having the same thing.
"You know where the unit is?" Itsuka asked of Mattheus who shot a wry grin.
"We can find that unit." Mattheus countered and Itsuka showed him a phone.
"You won't have to. I can transfer that data. More than that, I can give you six a plan. You won't have a backup or a station like the first time. Gather around Adjzof, ladies." On his left, Rin and Houki stood while on the right Cecilia, Laura and Charlotte gathered.
"For this unit, you need to distract it. Alcott, you take point on that."
The British lady nodded.
"Understood."
Then Itsuka turned to Laura and Charlotte.
"Bodewig, you need to use your AIC on that machine. Dunois, I want you to cover her when she does that." The two nodded.
"Huang, you and Shinonono need to fight close on the machine. Adjzof, from what I see, you'll need some time to prepare that shot. When you are sure, order them to get the hell out of there and you fire. If the Gospel enters Second Shift, you can only do one thing and that is to get clear. When that is over, prepare a second shot."
Mattheus nodded and both Rin and Houki looked eagerly ready for this.
"Yukimura, you're risking a lot on this. Why?"
"I think you have bigger issues." Mattheus sighed and clenched his fist. It came centimeters from the older man's face.
"Perhaps but I'll get answers." The tone was harsh.
"Either way, thank you for this." That tone was gentle and Itsuka stood back. Bumping it, he gave the six a smile.
"Take that unit down." And when that was said, the six nodded and took off. They were ready for this. They would be sure that they would do just that.
Line Break.
Floating around darkness, Madoka wasn't sure what was real. Only now, she felt her consciousness returning to herself. Where was she?
What was she doing? The last thing she remembered was that they were fighting the Silver Gospel.
Silver Gospel?
Silver Gospel!
That fucking android took out her brother.
"Ichi-nii!" The shout was desperate to shout in the abyss.
"No need to shout, Madoka! I'm right here." Turning her head, she found her brother standing. He was dressed naked but that was a concern she couldn't care about.
"Ichi-nii." She ran to him and grabbed her arms around his head. She cried on his shoulder.
"Ichi-nii, Ichi-nii, Ichi-nii!" Like a mantra, she said those words.
"Sssh, it's okay. I'm here." She stood back and looked at her brother.
"What happened to you?" He looked at his stomach and found that there was a nasty scar. Someone must have gotten him operated on.
"I have no clue. I don't think we're awake. The last thing I recall was that I was blown away by that Silver Gospel. It stopped us and then threw you away. After bludgeoning me, I don't recall anything else." Madoka felt tears in her eyes.
"I activated War God mode as Chifuyu-nee dubbed it. I went nuts. I thought I lost you." Touching her cheek, she nuzzled in the palm.
"I am not dead. But something tells me that we got something new in our link." She looked at her brother and gave him a nod.
"We must be unconscious. So we must be like this." Then they turned asides. The darkness fell away and they were greeted with a clear sky and liquid running beneath them. Turning their heads, they saw a woman standing. It was a woman, dressed in a white dress. She had white hair but not like Chloe. It was like she wasn't really there.
A white hat ended the outfit.
"So you are here. The two of you." Ichika and Madoka thought they went mad.
"Looks so," Madoka said while Ichika looked back at her. It was like they were in the middle of the cores of them.
"Why do you require strength?" The girl, if that was the correct way to call her, didn't turn around. Yet, she spoke.
"Or why do you want it?" Another voice said. Ichika and Madoka turned around to see another girl.
It was the complete opposite and yet, the equal of the girl. Black hair and a dress to match that. Turned the other way around, Madoka and Ichika just stood there.
The brother nodded to his sister who gave a nod back.
It was no guess of who the two were.
The cores of the Infinite Stratos.
"We want it." Ichika began.
"To protect the ones we care about." Madoka ended it.
"We want to protect who we love." They said at the same time. Their cores looked at them proudly.
"We were right." Byakushiki opened a hand to Ichika.
"To choose you." Kuroshiki extended hers to Madoka.
Gratefully, the two took the hand and it closed around them. Standing up, their dream ended and they were going to be back.
"I'll be right there when you open your eyes," Ichika spoke reassured to his sister who just nodded at him.
"Back at you. Nothing will tear us apart."
Line break.
Madoka was the first to open her eyes. She stirred and before she could even move properly, she felt another presence.
"Madoka!" She was grabbed up from her bed and from the familiar smell and sound, it was her big sister. The little sister couldn't even properly wrap her arms around Chifuyu who just kept her close.
"Hey, there, Chifuyu-nee. Sorry, we made you worry." Madoka Orimura hated it when Chifuyu Orimura cried but this time it was her fault.
"You stupid idiotic little sister. What the hell do you?" Chifuyu wanted to cuss more words but found that another body moved.
"Neh, Chifuyu-nee. Could you save that for when I am also awake?" Ichika asked while he sat up at the bed. He was half-naked with the scar open. He didn't have a suit but Chifuyu could barely contain herself.
The Brunhilde just stood up and grabbed her brother down. Pressing the two on the chest, both were feeling how she was crying.
"You two." Chifuyu pressed her siblings closer to her chests while she had her tears flowing out.
"You can't give me heartbreaks. You can't make me this worried." Sitting up, the two wrapped their arms around their sister. Just like they did all those years ago when they were kidnapped.
"We're sorry, Chifuyu-nee." They spoke at the same time. That was enough to let Chifuyu change her mind and look at them. Still, with tears rolling down their eyes.
"We had no idea the Silver Gospel would be this strong," Ichika said at first.
"If we had known that, Chifuyu-nee, we wouldn't be in this situation," Madoka told her sister who just hugged her again. With her free arm, she motioned at Ichika who joined the two.
"I love you two too much. I love you two too much to send up in the sky again. Against that monster."
Ichika pulled away from Chifuyu and showed him the bracelet.
"You know what this is?"
Madoka showed hers as well.
"It's how this whole crazy mess got started. You know that there's no other way to have this." The door slid open and in walked Itsuka.
"And you have to get back in the sky." The lieutenant told the three Orimura who let go of each other. Itsuka didn't even notice that titbit of affection.
"Lieutenant Yukimura. You can not be serious. I believe that Orimura-kun should have some."
Chifuyu found that she could add Itsuka to a small list of people who dared to cut her off.
"Yeah, but I'm going to make things simple. I'll also refer to you two by name. Ichika, you shouldn't move yeah but right now, your friends are up in the sky, fighting against the Silver Gospel. It's dangerous but your sister can't fight alone. Which is why."
The man raised an extra suit that Itsuka got for him.
"I got this for you. Madoka. You have to be there with your brother. I don't see another way. What you two have to do is to go up there and fight that unit. Don't go for the united front. Switch. One draws fire, the other goes with the sword at the Gospel. Your friends are fighting already and with some luck, they have taken it down."
"You allowed my students to go up there?!" Chifuyu was horrified and Itsuka looked her in the eye. It was the same look she had seen before in her brother.
"Try to stop them. It didn't work. Adjzof had the right idea." Chifuyu would have a long talk with him when this was over. But maybe he was right.
"Now, I implore you two to get out there again. But first." He handed Madoka a new suit. Looking down, she understood why. Just like her brother's, her suit was torn to pieces. Madoka looked down at her clothes who were not hiding much. She turned bright red and turned around while Chifuyu and Ichika gave her a soft laugh.
Chifuyu wrapped a comforting arm around her little sister while Itsuka handed Ichika his suit. Besides that, he showed him a box of pills.
"You are going to fight the Silver Gospel. Normally, you should be in bed and recovering, Ichika. Take two of these now." Ichika wondered what they were as the bottle opened.
"They're painkillers. Pretty serious stuff by the way." A bottle of water came next. Ichika gratefully took them in.
"These should cover you for the next few hours. After you get back, I'd like a full examination of you." Ichika just drank half of the bottle while motioning to his sister.
"Here you go, Madoka. You'll need some fluids as well." Itsuka had already turned around and just stood back. If he was a smoker, he needed one. He knew perfectly what he was doing. And he knew what he was gambling on. Yet, he didn't care.
He heard the two talking with Chifuyu.
Chifuyu grabbed the two and pressed them against her shoulders.
"Please promise me that you'll come back. Both of you. I can't lose you two. I just can lose you two." Her voice sounded broken.
Ichika and Madoka stood and looked their sister in the eye.
"We promise. We'll come home. With everyone." They said and when running outside, Itsuka just nodded at them.
Chifuyu joined the officer while they looked at the sky.
"They'll come back. If they use that tactic." Chifuyu admired what this man just did for them. No one has gone this far for them.
"Let's hope so." Chifuyu found a comforting hand on the shoulder. Looking at Itsuka, she found that the man had an aura of comfort around him.
"They don't have to do this alone. And because this is done off books, it's for the best they have their group around them."
Chifuyu clasped her hand on Itsuka and gave him a warm smile.
"Thank you, lieutenant Yukimura."
In the sky, Ichika found their machines had changed. Their shift had set in and from what they saw, they were again growing.
"Setsura. I believe that is the name." Madoka just looked back at her own machine. Her rifle had grown stronger.
"Yep. And I have also changed on Kuroshiki. Kurai Ah."
They just hoped their changes would be enough to give that machine a sound trashing.
Line break.
The group didn't stay still when they were fighting the Silver Gospel. First, Cecilia distracted it by shooting. The bullets didn't hit as the Gospel avoided the attacks. Laura was also joining in with her AIC. While she couldn't capture it, it allowed Charlotte to pepper the target with bullets. She was far from the only one who fired at it.
When the Gospel made a turn for Laura, a heavy bullet of Mattheus shot it away. The Hunter couldn't move a fucking inch because they had to weaken it before they could even risk a shot. The White Death only had four shots before it was depleted.
A real fucking BFG. With all of the downsides as well.
Good thing that he had his own bullets to rely on. Charlotte got peppered by missiles as it distracted their foe.
"Thanks, Charlotte," Mattheus shouted through the mic but the rest was quiet on him. Houki and Rin were also around and they would make sure that they could their shot. Joel was now using the scope.
It was a huge canon and Joel needed to aim. He really had to make a ton more improvements before usage would become feasible.
The target had to be in the scope before they had a chance of getting through. When the Gospel raced over water, Rin launched her own barrage while she covered for Houki. The shrine maiden didn't hesitate one second as the swords clashed again. She gave the Gospel a hit but found that it barely made a scratch.
The Gospel grabbed the swords and it would have thrown Houki asides if it wasn't swept away.
They looked to see that Mattheus had fired again.
"Mattheus!" Houki shouted at him while he just pulled his bolt.
"I'm not going to sit here and do jackshit. I'm in this as much as you are."
He fired again and it caused him to get one wing off.
"Everyone, clear! Joel, fire." With a falling target, it took five seconds for Joel to charge the shot. But when it was clear, he blasted. A huge ball of white energy hit the Gospel dead on.
It caused a minor explosion on impact. The mouth of the five dropped open. The Akatsubaki was one wonderful machine but it never hurt to get reminded that Joel had a serious weapon on offer.
"Holy moly." Rin was looking back at Joel.
"Incredible." Charlotte was now shocked by the boy's progress.
"This isn't something you see every day!" Laura had to get more of this weapon.
"What power," Cecilia muttered.
"My sister would be impressed," Houki said.
Mattheus whistled softly when he saw the destruction of the weapon.
"You really have gotten something, Joel. Good job, crazy bastard." The boy just shrugged when they looked at the place. They could fish out the Gospel later but now, he wanted to go home and sleep this off.
Mattheus joined Houki who stared at the water.
"Well, at least, we avenged them."
"You can say that." The Hunter looked at the girl.
"You're okay?"
"I'll manage."
Looking back at the sea, the group wasn't sure that they could relax. It looked like the sea began to cook and from the waves, the Gospel rose back up.
"Oh, fucking hell. Come the fuck on! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" Joel cussed when they witnessed the wings glowing again.
"That is a second shift. Everyone get out!" The girls just looked back at the unit and did what they got told.
But it did little to help. Houki was the first to go down. A huge stream of energy came her way and shot her down a rock. Before that anyone else could react, the Gospel captured Cecilia in her wings and it was enough to bring her down. Charlotte was next, just like Houki, shot down by waves of energy.
Even the shield did little to protect her. Mattheus began to sweat bullets again as he wasn't sure if he could do anything else. Fire another round was too dangerous with how quickly the Gospel was dealing with their friends.
Houki laid back and she wasn't sure if she could open her eyes.
'I want to see him. Ichika.' She was drowning in the abyss.
It went black in front of her eyes and she began to get deeper inside.
'I want to see him! Ichika!' She just went deeper in the mind. Until she heard her name.
Said by the boy that she was longing for.
"Houki." That was enough for her to open her eyes. When she did, her visage was groggy and she could hardly register the male.
"Ichika?" He was back up and running, his face with a gentle smile at her. Kneeling to her, Houki eyes went open further.
"Sorry, we took a while." That was enough to veer up.
"Ichika? Your injuries. You shouldn't be here!" Ichika just shrugged on that.
"Yukimura will do a checkup when we are done." Turning his head, the ones in the sky saw how Madoka was peppering the Gospel with shot, distracting it.
[I don't mind this sweet thing but hurry it up would you please? I would love t see those guns in action.]
Mattheus, Laura, and Rin were in the sky after everything that was happening. But yet, the Gospel was focused on Madoka who had no problem avoiding the shots.
She was just dancing on the tune while she kept her cool. Her objective was to distract the Gospel.
[Just a second.] Ichika sent back to his sister.
Houki began to tear up when she saw how Ichika was doing.
"I'm so glad. So glad." Placing a hand on her cheeks, Ichika wiped away the tears.
"Hey, now. You shouldn't cry because of this idiot. Here you go." Looking down, she saw a ribbon. To replace the one she lost.
"I know it's not the best place. But I think that I prefer you with a ponytail." Houki turned red and had even more tears coming down her eyes.
"Now, just sit back. I and Madoka will take care of this Gospel."
Ichika went up in the sky.
"Good to see you're kicking around." He heard the voice of Joel who was beyond relieved.
"It takes more than that to take me down," Ichika said while he raced back at the unit. With the Gospel focused on Madoka, it didn't register that two swords were coming their way. Ichika smashed into it with his Yukihira and HF blade.
"Missed me, piece of scrap metal?"
Then he fell down and instead of swords, guns took their place in his hands. Streams of lead went back and forth while Ichika just smirked
"Everyone, don't interfere. We'll take this machine down." Madoka barked through her mic. With how beaten and tired the rest were, they saw no issues with that.
The Gospel just didn't look at Madoka and it was her turn. Her sword came from the back and the Gospel registered a hit. Passing by, Madoka switched to her rifle. Launching her drones alongside the fire, the Gospel registered several targets.
Meanwhile, the girls and Mattheus stood back while they saw the show. It was like for the twins, it was just them.
The Gospel felt a blow from the side again. From the deep, Ichika blasted through it.
"Hit and run." Laura witnessed the fight.
"If they need our help," Cecilia saw how they fought. Madoka just went back faster while the Gospel focused on Ichika again. Right before she hit again, Ichika stopped the fire hail and the Gospel felt that.
[This is working!] Madoka said through her link.
[Save that for later, baby sis. We're far from done] Ichika joked back as he turned back with his own guns.
"Their teamwork." Charlotte thought back on the match.
"It got better if that was even possible." Rin just watched how they fought.
Madoka nodded to him and she began to fire while Ichika still kept pouring lead onto him. With two guns and no need to reload, it was like he was using a bullet hose instead of handguns. From the side, Ichika again blasted the Gospel.
It began to wire and crack and yet, neither stopped. Over his shoulder, he fired his guns again. The fact that the swords automatically disappeared made it a whole lot easier for him.
Madoka used her own time to go down and like a flacon, she hit the Gospel. Their counterattacks came faster and faster. It was like they constantly were just using one weapon instead of two.
[Time to finish this!] Madoka shouted through the link.
[Agreed! It's morning!] Ichika said and with the damage done, Ichika just looked back at her.
Their friends just nodded at them. It was their kill. Their end. They would wrap this up.
[You want to be close. I'll use the gun] Madoka asked her brother who was happy. They used their Reiraku Byakuya.
The absolute white of Ichika mixed with the darkest of black of Madoka.
Ichika just began to light up and he went right down on the Gospel. It could barely move from the shots coming its way and Ichika just used one last swipe. The full power of Ichika was now shown as he used all the energy. The Gospel just looked up and Ichika's Yukihira hit the Gospel full on. It was like a minor explosion happened where he was in the middle of it.
No one worried as Ichika just used all his power to smash the Gospel on the beach. It barely could move from all the damage it had taken and Ichika wouldn't stop. His friends landed around him with his sister as well.
Madoka had seen that look often enough in Tabane's lab. It was a mirror of hers. The shield points just drained while Ichika wasn't stopping and the Gospel felt its energy-sapping away. Eventually, it stopped moving and Ichika stood up.
"Finally, that is over." Ichika looked at the group and they didn't speak. Enough was said and done.
After Joel managed to shut down the White Death, Mattheus lifted the Gospel and would carry what remained of it back to the Inn while the rest just admired the machine. Finally, the Second Shift of the twins showed.
Line break.
Chifuyu saw the group landing finally after their mission. She could hardly believe they would actually defeat it. As soon Mattheus could drop the machine, he did, and barely, the Flemish man could stay awake.
Outside, Chifuyu Orimura, Maya Yamada and Itsuka Yukimura stood waiting for them.
"You're all in luck. Normally, you would have gotten into a serious crime but lieutenant Yukimura has shouldered the blame for this mission. Hence why you are all laid off." Chifuyu sighed as she looked at the group.
"But you got the Gospel down. That is counting for something. You got the entire day off." That was enough for them.
"Orimura. Both of you can come with me." While the others were chilled by that comment, Ichika and Madoka smirked. They knew just what Chifuyu had in mind.
"I want to look at Orimura-kun first." Itsuka finally spoke when he looked at the young man.
"You might have gotten out of this alive but that doesn't mean that you are fine."
Line break.
Of course, things couldn't be that easy. The other girls were curious about what transpired in those hours.
"Hey, hey. So did you find out why the Gospel went berserk?"
"Was it really unarmed?"
"Were you scared?"
"Tell us more. The teachers won't tell us a thing." Charlotte raised her cup to her mouth. Dressed in the kimono again.
"We can't. We aren't allowed to tell others."
Rin sat opposite of them.
"And hell, even we weren't allowed to know the details." Laura had been using a knife and fork and she got showered with questions.
"If we tell you the details, you'll get monitored." that was enough to push the girls off. The four just looked at the missing ones.
"Where are Ichika-san, Madoka-san, Houki-san and Mattheus-san?"
Line break.
In the room of Chifuyu Orimura.
Ichika came back from the checkup and found his sisters waiting there, patiently for him.
"And?" Chifuyu asked. It didn't take long.
"He said the stitches held and that in a few days, I can have them removed. He said that he rarely has such a strong body. Guess beating the crud out of us really paid off."
After a fierce hug from their sister, the two returned the hug and they were happy about that.
"I gave you two permission. Even so, with Yukimura's help, there won't be any lasting effects. The US got enough sway to keep the Japanese government off your back." Ruffling their hair, the two nuzzled in the touch.
"Sorry, we made you worry, Chifuyu-nee."
The Brunhilde laid her head back. "I looked up the stats. I hate to say this but even I wouldn't be sure if I came out on top against that monster." That news lit the two up like a Christmas tree.
"That means." Madoka was the first.
"We are getting there." Ichika finished her line.
"Oh, you're not even close. I said alone. You certainly got help from the others." Grabbing them close, Chifuyu had slow tears running down her face.
"You promised me to come home. And that is all that matters." And for now, that was enough for the twins. In silent comfort, they stayed underneath their sister's wings. Chifuyu had somewhere to go but that could wait. Nothing was more important to her now than her twins.
Line break.
The beach had some good cliffs and there was Itsuka Yukimura working. He had been writing out his last reports. He had officially resigned from his position and was more than happy for that matter.
'Serves you right.' He mused when he looked back. It went well for his record. Itsuka laid his head back and saw Mattheus upside down.
"You didn't forget. How did you find me?"
"You ask around on this." The Hunter sat down next to Itsuka with his back turned to the sea. His eyes were on the Inn and not a care in the world.
"You'll find what you are looking for." Itsuka closed his laptop as he was done with the reports. Taking out the glasses, he noticed that he wasn't carrying a napkin. Without a word, Mattheus handed him his handkerchief.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." Itsuka began to take care of the glasses.
"I get the idea you don't really like me, now do you Adjzof?" Mattheus looked back at him.
"I don't. In my opinion, you're an asshole. The way you treated Joel. But." The eyes told Itsuka something that only men could tell.
"You have guts. You stood against our teacher, went and operated on Ichika, you did allow us to fly off. Yeah, you're an asshole to me, Itsuka. But you're an asshole that I can respect and those are two very different things." That was something that Itsuka rarely heard.
"I want to know why. Why would a guy like you, who has this career, this all? Just destroy it for a couple of strangers?" Itsuka smirked when Mattheus asked him.
With a smirk, Itsuka stretched his arms to the sky.
"You know? I envy you, Adjzof. Not because you can pilot that machine. Oh no. I envy you. Because you were free to make your own choices in life. I didn't have that luxury. For me, everything was chosen from day 1." Mattheus shrugged on that comment.
"That has also fucking drawbacks. But go on."
"Adjzof, can I ask you what your home life was like?" Mattheus noticed the phrasing. Was like. Itsuka realized that despite their clashing, they still had some respect.
"When I grew up? I had a younger sibling, my baby sister, and two parents. Before it, all came down. Yours?"
"My old man left the house after my younger sisters were born. I don't blame him one bit. My dear mother was something you would call crazy. Couple that with two older sisters."
For Mattheus, the respect he felt for Itsuka went up by fifteen points.
"Oh, fuck. That must have sucked." Taking out a bottle from his belt, Mattheus gulped down the soft drinks.
"You can say that again. And my grandfather, well, he was old-fashioned. Got some severe injuries from that old man."
Those were another ten points.
"So how did you get into this? I mean. I hate to be Captain Obvious but I didn't see any other guy around that place." Itsuka sighed.
The guy had good eyes but it was indeed obvious.
"I got there because of my mother. I didn't want to become a lieutenant or have anything to do with the JSDF but try to tell her that. The military was her life. My sisters, both younger and older, all had their hands in the Infinite Stratos. Either they became pilots or researchers." Itsuka was talking in an even, relaxed manner.
"So how you'd become a doctor? I mean. You have been pretty good on Ichika."
Itsuka just looked back at Mattheus who was now getting better at asking.
"I could take up that if I promised to combine it with my military training. Managed to pull that off two times. So for the last decade, I have been waiting to get out of the army."
"Couldn't you just resign? I mean you're old enough." When Mattheus heard the wry chuckle of Itsuka, he knew there was more.
"Did that and know who I found back? My mother. So basically, the only way to get free was to get something done that she couldn't hold back and would leave to a dishonorable discharge. I was only waiting for a good opportunity."
"That was delivered to you on a plate. I think I get it. You were fine with doing something that would kill your military career but that would also be valuable. Something that would make you save lives." Itsuka nodded at Mattheus and when he felt a hand on the shoulder, the former lieutenant knew that he had earned Mattheus full respect.
"You are really good at this." Itsuka just commented. And when he looked down, he saw an extended hand.
"I think that we started out on the wrong foot. Are you willing to bury the hatchet?" Itsuka looked at the hand and understood what Mattheus wanted to do.
A firm handshake was delivered.
"So what are you going to do now?"
"I have no idea. I think that there are schools, begging for a doctor." Mattheus remembered something that was spooking in his head.
"In that case, you should ask my teach. School has a few nurses but a guy like you, with your credits, I doubt they would refuse you." Itsuka looked back at Mattheus and if he was right, Itsuka could get a job there.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Adjzof."
"For my friends, it's Mattheus. I hope that I can count you among those." And when that was said and done, the Hunter walked off. He had seen some things with Itsuka and Chifuyu but he found that he wouldn't go too far. For now, he had enough.
Now, where the Devil was Joel? That was a good question.
Line break.
Sitting on a tree was Tabane, looking over the seas. Night had fallen again and she looked at the stars. It was great to stretch her legs again. Although she doubted there would be many evenings like this. One eventful evening though.
"Thank you for bringing him here, Chi-chan."
"So what do you need him for? It's weird you have an interest in someone else than me, the twins or Houki." She turned her head to find Chifuyu standing together with Joel. The punk raised an eyebrow as the scientist jumped from the tree. She landed next to them while she crept to the boy.
"What she said? You need something from me, miss Shinonono?" Raising her hand, Tabane looked at Joel who found that it was another way to assault his scalp.
The tears pricked her eyes.
"Joel Pearce. That is your name, right?" The boy just nodded at her and before more was said, Joel was lifted by Tabane. She used one arm to make him sit on it while she touched his face. Joel normally disliked any action of that except if it came from Mattheus. Yet, with Tabane, just like before, he was calm.
'The scent. I can't place it. I did know something of this.' Tabane just smiled at the boy.
"Just look at you. You have John's eyes but you're the spitting image of Liz if she was male." The mouth of Joel fell open. Chifuyu wondered where she had heard those names before.
"How do you know the names of my mum and my da?" Joel couldn't even phantom how someone like Tabane Shinonono knew the names of his mother and father.
"Oh, Joel. They never told you about me. But I knew your parents. And I knew you. After all, I helped Liz to put you on the planet. That earned me the right as your godmother." Chifuyu began to think this evening couldn't get crazier.
"You're my godmother? What?" Joel was glad that Tabane held him up because he had an idea he would topple over.
"They really haven't told you about me. Not that I blame John. When we left, there was nothing sensible we could say to each other." Tabane forgot that there were others.
"Tabane, I think that you owe me and Pearce an explanation. He is your godson? Since when did you have one?" Chifuyu had now found her voice again and looked at the two.
"I'm not joking, Chi-chan. I was Joel-kun's godmother. It's a long story that I owe you both and not the right time or place for this now. Shortened, his parents helped me develop the Infinite Stratos but John was on the mind that the IS could only be used as a device for space exploration. Not for well. What we all have now. After the White Knight incident, they moved from Japan to the USA."
Looking at Joel, she caressed his hair.
"You were barely two years old at the time. So you couldn't have remembered me. John made it clear that he and Liz didn't consider me a part of their lives. Another huge regret I lived with."
"Around that time, my parents moved around until they settled in Belgium, overseeing the development of the Yellow Flower, the Infinite Stratos of Mattheus little sister. Well, they were. Until the Antwerp Expo bombing." Tabane put Joel down and when his legs found solid ground, she gave him a kiss on the forehead.
"I picked that up later. I assumed that you were among the dead." Joel's eyes were too cynical for his age.
"I was close to that. Among them but not one of them." Tabane egged him to tell him more.
"When I and Mattheus survived, every official institution dropped us like flies. We took what was left of the machine after it attached to Mattheus. For the last years, we, well, I have been working on it." Tabane's eyes pricked even more.
"So that is what happened. I heard the name of Joel Pearce around from Chi-chan and Houki-chan. I was thinking about it but I wasn't certain. Then I saw you again and I knew I was right." Taking the locket from out of her bust, she showed Joel a picture inside of it.
"That's me?" He asked when she showed him the image of a baby with brown hair.
"That's you. The only thing that I had left. Oh, Joel. How cruel fate is." Joel was thinking about this. About all the crazy shit that has passed him by. He came to a conclusion.
"Look, I am just shifting through this. I am not going with you. If I do that, Mattheus will kill himself. For the past five years, we have been together and we rely on each other. I want to stay with him." Tabane felt again the tears streaming down.
"And I don't know you. I hate to say this but I don't know who you are, Tabane Shinonono." And more tears came down but Joel placed his hands on her shoulders. A kind grin covered his face and his eyes lightened up.
"What happened between my folks and you, that is your story. But if they made you my godmother, they most likely must have had a damn good reason for that. If you give me your number, do you mind if we stay in contact? To chat and call you." It was like her smile was back and she wrapped her arms around Joel.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Joel!" Now, Joel was used to the affection of Mattheus but the explosive hugs of Tabane were something else.
"You're welcome. I will have to tell Mattheus about this." For Tabane, that didn't matter in the slightest.
"You have my blessing for that. I think it will be important for him indeed." After a kiss on the forehead and Chifuyu avoided the hugs, Tabane ran off in the night.
"So you can be lucky." Joel turned to Chifuyu with a dumbfounded expression.
"You're one of the few who is on the Christmas list of Tabane Shinonono. As I said. Not a lot of names are on it." Joel just scratched behind his back while he just stared off in the darkness.
"Well, like I said. My folks must have a damn good reason why they made her my godmother. And I think that I might come to like her." The boy didn't even try to hide his yawn.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, Orimura-sensei. I am going to bed." Chifuyu stared Joel down as he walked back to the inn. She would say that Joel was now really showing off. She looked to the sky and found that it had been a few crazy days.
So Chifuyu walked herself back. A soft bed would be waiting for her.
If she could only figure out where the Devil her twins were when she came back. Looking outside, she could guess it.
'Ichika, you better make sure that you get the girl.' It appeared to Chifuyu that sleeping wasn't in for a few hours.
Line break.
[Culture Code. You make me move]
Meanwhile, Ichika sat back on the beach. They got off well and he had to say. It was great to have this. Chifuyu would cut them slack and things worked out. Turning his head, he found that Houki had appeared.
"Hello, there." Houki smiled at him while she was wearing her new ribbon. Ichika noticed that and he couldn't help but admire her body.
"Hello yourself." Sitting there, he was now thinking of the whole thing. It was crazy. He and Madoka were there right on time before it went to hell.
Ichika found that Houki had become so beautiful.
"Can you stop looking at me?" He blushed too hard when he couldn't avert his gaze.
"Sorry. Just a bit." Ichika didn't know what else to say.
"Seems like my gift was pretty good." The girl joined her crush and sat down next to him. Just like on the beach, she placed her head on his shoulder. Even now, on the beach, after all, Ichika just had colored cheeks.
"That it was. Thank you again for it." She grinned at him and her eyes sparkled.
"That was the first thing you did. Give me that ribbon." Ichika looked back at her. She was now happy.
"Well, Madoka could do it for a bit. We both finished it." Looking back at her hands, Houki saw that she had her own Infinite Stratos. Placing his hand on hers, she found that she was even blushing more.
"Stop worrying about that. Do you think that I became this good overnight? Or Madoka did? Even Chifuyu-nee had to learn this. We'll fight with you and train with you. Promised." She got even closer to him.
"Ichika, I." Houki saw his wounds. It was a nasty scar on his chest. Yet, it removed little of his appeal. Hell, she might think that Ichika got even sexier because of it.
"How is that looking?"
"Yukimura said that I had to be on the operation table. He did the surgery. I got out well." She sighed and placed her head back.
"Ichika, why are you so strong?" Ichika just sighed as he looked at his own unit.
"I'm not strong because I want power. I'm strong because I love what is behind me. Do you know that Chifuyu-nee rescued me and Madoka? That is how this whole thing got started." She nodded when she heard that story.
"I swore to myself that I would never be that weak. Chifuyu-nee, me, and Madoka. We are a family. We have to be. That is why. I saved your life. I have no doubt you are going to save my life." She nodded to him.
"Ichika, in class. After Laura kissed your sister. You said that you have one girl in your heart. Who is that girl?" He sighed when he heard that.
Turning his head around, he was looking in those beautiful eyes. Ichika wasn't sure if he was happy with how it went.
"Close your eyes." When she did, Ichika just leaned over to her. Houki wasn't sure what happened but then she felt the soft lips of Ichika on hers. She could feel the passion, the fire, the gentleness behind them.
She opened her eyes and found that Ichika had closed his. When he parted, Ichika had opened his. Houki looked at him and she blushed. She could barely contain herself.
"I love you, Houki Shinonono. I always knew it would be you." Ichika Orimura declared that and with a cry of joy, she wrapped her arms around his.
"I love you too, Ichika Orimura. I always have." Ichika would have loved to kiss her again but found that a barrel was pointing at his head. Turning around, he was greeted by Cecilia Alcott, Charlotte Dunois, Rin Huang, and Laura Bodewig.
Now, an Ichika who hadn't seen this all would jump up from that but this Ichika who had seen it all was only turning his head.
"What are you doing here? Point that thing somewhere else, Cecilia?" When the drone blasted, Ichika just casually lifted his head.
"Oh, I missed."
She said while Ichika gulped. Outside he was cool but inside he was sweating bullets.
"I was wondering what you were doing?" Laura said while Charlotte closed her arms.
"Ichika, what are you doing?" Charlotte was now really scary.
"Yes, kill," Rin said and Ichika could either run back or hope for a miracle.
"The four of you." Well, a miracle it was. In the form of his younger twin sister. She was wearing a serious expression and after a grateful thank you from Ichika, Madoka walked to her brother and his new girlfriend.
"I was kind of hoping you would be mature enough to let Ichi-nii make his choice. " Glancing over to Houki, Madoka gave her oldest friend a relieved look.
"I'm happy he chose you. That comes from me and Chifuyu-nee." Houki blushed when the two were okay with this.
Turning to the four, Madoka crossed her arms.
"You'll stop this. Ichi-nii made his choice. When a man-made up his mind, it's not a woman who can come in between."
"Get out of the way, Madoka." Cecilia glared at her.
"Madoka, your brother deserves punishment." Rin was now even crazier.
"My bride, this is not your concern," Laura commented while Madoka just glared at her.
"Madoka, this is between us and your brother. Don't interfere." Charlotte was aiming at them.
"You're going to let my brother, his girlfriend," that word really pissed them off, "and myself walk away. If you don't, I'm going to tell Chifuyu-nee." That did the trick as they were now horrified.
"You wouldn't," Rin said.
"The instructor would never." Laura began but thought over it.
"Orimura-sensei is not going to help you," Cecilia said.
"I don't believe you." Charlotte continued.
Looking at her brother, she offered a hand, and next to Madoka, Ichika stood.
"Chifuyu-nee and I had a chat before we came here. She approves of Houki. I do too by the way." Houki got another hand and she was helped up.
"You leave us be. You'll respect his choice. And if you don't, you'll face nee-chan in a fight." Madoka had referred to Chifuyu like that when they were in elementary school. Only later, she switched to Chifuyu-nee. It was mainly because Chifuyu became putty when she used that term.
With that, the girls flew off and let the three on the beach. Turning around with a beaming grin, she embraced Houki.
"Madoka!" The shrine maiden shouted out embarrassed when she felt that hug.
"Grow used to it, Houki. Because you're not leaving Ichika anytime soon." Letting her go, Houki couldn't hide the smile.
"Jokes asides, congratulations are in order. You'll get them from Chifuyu-nee later though." Madoka ran in front of them and winked.
"But now we are going back. I think you had enough for one night." And with that said, Ichika and Houki agreed. Offering his hand, Houki gratefully took it. She was so happy that she could burst. Ichika was also smiling.
It looks like he got a girlfriend. And it was the girl that he always loved.
Line Break.
"Well, that didn't go anywhere good." A cracked voice said while Squall just groaned. Again, the umpteenth attempt on the Orimura twins. This time, she was sure they were done for. A top generation unit from the US, equipped with the data of their fights. And yet, they managed to defeat it.
"You really are okay with this, Aiden?" The man just shrugged while he lifted his pipe.
"I doubt they'll find out where we are." Squall just glared at the man.
"We can always move if you want to. Even if Joel has managed to hack in it, I bounced the signal around. We really have to take the two of them seriously."
Squall scoffed at the words but Aiden's glare caused her to pipe down.
"Squall, they defeated the Silver Gospel after it took them down. Even with the damage of the rest of them, they have gotten way stronger than we would have guessed." He took in a smoke and on the back, they looked at the two.
"Does that mean we can play?" Aiden was disgusted with them but it would mean they were out of his hair.
"Yes, you can play. At least, not here but in the US. Behave until you get there." Before his words were even spoken, they were out the door.
The amount of glee they were having was just clear and Squall looked back at him.
"This is your fault." The blond told him while Aiden turned to his computer.
"Won't deny that. But they are out of our hair for a while."
"Summer is going to be here and I let them have that. The Sarashiki's are going to make their debut and a runt from Europe will come around." And with that, his fingers slid over the keyboard and with a click, a song began to play.
"And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying,
'Come and see.' and I saw, and behold a white horse"
And when that was said, Aiden began to sing.
There's a man goin' 'round takin' names
And he decides who to free and who to blame
Everybody won't be treated all the same
There'll be a golden ladder reachin' down
Squall shook her head and she walked out of the room. She could use some sleep. Her own pawns were also in the school. But it would be for later. With some luck, things would work out.
"When the man comes around" She quietly said and walked to her bedroom.
Line break.
When Ichika walked back into the Inn, most of the girls were already going to bed and there stood Chifuyu. Her eyes shined at Houki and she found that she didn't mind it one bit.
"So made your choice?" Ichika just walked up to her and crossed his arms. She was looking in a mirror of her own face. A proud smirk.
"Yeah. And?" She smiled back at him and when she raised a hand, there was just a high five.
"I approve. Congratulations, you two." That caused Houki to give her a bright smile.
"You mean that, Orimura-sensei?!" That must not have been the right guess as Chifuyu gave her one stern look.
"Don't think that it will be that easy, Shinonono. I might approve of you but that doesn't mean that I'll fully agree on this. Due to a lack of parents, I will make sure that you are up to my level and standards. I will not have his wife be incapable of standing next to him."
For most girls, that would have sounded like one daunting task that could never be completed. But for Houki Shinonono, it just meant that she had to earn that in Chifuyu's eyes.
"You mean this?"
"I doubt my brother would play for a short while. So as long you two are in this, you will be trained heavily to match up to them and myself. And believe me, it will not be easy." Chifuyu found that her eyes were good. They were much like her own. She knew that she liked Houki for a reason.
"Now get some rest. You two might be starting this but I do not approve of you two sharing the bed." Houki nodded to Chifuyu and after a last kiss from Ichika, the girl twirled and walked back to her room.
"I hope you are happy with your choice. You broke many hearts I think." Chifuyu walked to her brother and placed a hand on his shoulders.
"It was always her. That has never changed." Chifuyu found that her brother fit her shoes as they were made for him.
"Again, I approve of your choice. But now to bed. It's late enough." And that was enough for Ichika and Madoka to retire. But seeing her brother confess and stand by his choice, Madoka would make her own choice.
Line break.
The next day on the bus. At the last seat, Ichika's fingers were intertwined with Houki's while the girl had her head on the shoulder. Madoka could barely contain her giddiness when she saw how Ichika was acting.
Rin, Laura, Charlotte, and Cecilia were just glaring at the happy couple while Mattheus just lifted Joel up. They found the whole situation hilarious to a certain degree. He just took a sit in front of the bus while Madoka watched the two as well.
"Well, that makes it clear," Mattheus said while he lifted a sleep-deprived Joel on his lap and sat down. Madoka knew that sitting next to her brother would be impossible. So she chose Mattheus and the man didn't mind. He would be lonely after all without someone to talk to.
The youngest Orimura fidgeted while she looked at the Hunter.
"Something up, Madoka?" The girl nodded at him. Taking a deep breath, she knew that this was just small compared to confessing to Dan.
"Mattheus, can I?" She gulped when she looked back at him. "Can I give you a nickname?" The answer didn't take that long.
"Sure, long that nickname isn't degrading, you can go right ahead."
"Nii-chan." That was what Madoka said and Mattheus, slowly, excruciatingly slowly, turned to her. He was a good bit surprised and his eyes just wondered at her.
"Madoka, doesn't that mean big brother?" She nodded at him and Mattheus scratched the back of his head.
"You do know what those words mean to me, right? You know what hangs on that?" Again, she nodded.
"I'm fine with it as long Madoka, you allow me to return the favor." Madoka raised an eyebrow.
"Zus. That's what I am going to call you." The Orimura girl found that it was a weird word.
"What does that mean?"
"Nii-chan is Japanese for big brother, right? Zus is Dutch for sister. You want to call me nii-chan. Fine. I'll call you zus." That was fair to Madoka and she looked back at Ichika. When his brother was done with being stupid, she would tell him about that.
But then they got a new distraction. One blonde bombshell just walked on the bus. She was easily Mattheus age or a bit older. Her blonde hair was long and wavy and the blue summer suit made her body stick out. The shirt did little to hid her chest and if Mattheus could say, she was very well endowed. Her sunglasses came off.
"Excuse me, is Orimura Ichika-kun around?" She looked at the back but felt that a hand was around her wrist. Madoka knew and saw that look. She didn't want another disturbance. Ichika and Houki barely noticed the girl. Too caught up in their own world.
"I'm sorry but as you can see, my big brother is a bit occupied. Looking down on Madoka, and back to Ichika, the newcomer sighed.
"Ah well. Could you give my thanks to your brother, miss Black Knight?" Madoka was really thinking if she wasn't straight or it was just her sleep deprivation that played in when she blushed a storm when she felt the peck from her.
"I'm Natasha Fairs. The Silver Gospel's Pilot. I owe you and your brother thanks for stopping it." The four girls just went crazy mad with jealousy and Mattheus knew they had to find another solution for this. So lifting Joel out of his lap, he climbed over Madoka and stood before Natasha.
"Hey now. Was that necessary? Your unit caused a whole lot of problems for Joel." Instead of sleeping, Joel decided to look even more into it so that another incident could be prevented. The bombshell turned around and she gulped a bit when she saw Mattheus.
"Oh, you must be Mattheus Adjzof. I was not expecting you. What? You'd like some thanks as well?" The Hunter moved fast enough and pressed his lips on hers. She couldn't move as she felt the hands on her shoulders.
Natasha's eyes widened and first, she wasn't sure. Then she felt a certain fire behind it. Mattheus just continued to kiss her and didn't involve anything else. Her arms relaxed next to her and with that, Mattheus continued it. He pulled back and she was blushing this time.
"I liked them upfront. If you need any help with your number." Mattheus handed Natasha a card. "Contact me and I'll let Joel help you out." She winked at him and pecked him on the cheek.
"Don't worry about it, I have a feeling we'll see each other again very soon." Leaning against the chair, Madoka was now blown away by the way he handled Natasha. She was however grateful that Mattheus took care of the matter of jealousy. Then the sister looked again at Ichika who kissed his now new girlfriend.
Madoka was grateful she didn't have an influx of hormones coming through but her own love life had been quiet enough.
Outside, Chifuyu just witnessed how the situation was handled. She forgot Mattheus was her age.
"I'm happy I got someone to take care of this. You do love causing an uproar. Can you move already?" Natasha closed her eyes and sighed.
"It was a good thing that I wasn't in the unit. My partner got seriously injured and she loves to fly. I can't forgive that. Neither can my partner." Looking at the bus, Mattheus waved back at her.
"I think I'll ask some help from that man. That Adjzof and his boy. They are something." Chifuyu watched as Madoka called him back in.
"I'd look out for that. You have not seen the end of this. None of us have. You are going to share that your transfer to the ISA has been completed?" Natasha's fist-pumped when she heard that.
"Not yet. Besides, as you said. We haven't seen the end of this. I do hope that the miss Black Knight would deliver my message to mister White Knight." Chifuyu sighed while she saw Natasha leaving. She saw that look before and from what she guessed, Mattheus just brought a heart to sing a beat.
Things were getting more and more interesting. Looking at the number, Itsuka had given his to her under the pretense they would chat about his work.
For his new life as a school doctor but with the summer beginning, Chifuyu didn't doubt that they would meet up. The two worked well and she had to admit. Chifuyu liked the man. Maybe something good could come from that.
She then looked at Madoka who was now talking to Mattheus. No doubt of something that she had in mind.
It had been just the three of them. It looked like their little family was now even growing more. So that was why Itsuka seemed like a good choice.
Maybe, for the first time, she could spend a decent summer.
And here we end it. I'd like to think that the requester had been looking forward to this ending. To be honest, me as well. I wrote off the horrible frustration of my driver exam and I got my schedule back in order.
For those who are wondering about Houki, you should have seen that one coming. I like her the most of all the girls. Despite all things. So there is that. There were quite a few things that I wrote in this and due to the delays between this and my other fic, this was written out fast. I can say that is good.
Besides that, this is going to be the point where things are really kicking off. It always takes a while to get back to this fic but when I do, words just flow out.
Any questions or remarks, let me know in the reviews. This is easily the longest chapter I have done on this fic but it doesn't feel like it. That is a good thing. I hope that I hear a bit from you guys.
I have nothing else to add but you can expect some new characters in the next season of this fic. Make a guess who those can be.
Next on the update list. Pillar Winged.
Saluut.
