It was quiet in the room when Megumi walked in, hugging the shadows as much as she could. She was glad that she had been able to get those two younger boys to help her, because it would have just been much too big of a hassle to try and get through security. Besides, she didn’t need to be here for long. Just long enough to get what she wanted, and then she’d be gone from their stupid little facility.

Megumi raised an eyebrow as she stepped towards the center of the room, her eyes fixed on the object in the center of the room. It was a bed, covered with starchy white sheets that looked like they were used to being neatly folded. But it wasn’t the bed that Megumi was looking at; her eyes were watching the figure laying on the bed. He hadn’t noticed her yet, as he was asleep, but Megumi didn’t doubt that he would notice her soon. His sister had left earlier; Megumi wasn’t about to enter the room while the girl was there. She couldn’t stand his sister.

Megumi stepped closer, and Yu’s eyes suddenly flew open and locked on her. It took a brief moment for him to recognize her, and Megumi smirked as she saw his eyes narrow in aggravation. It was hard to know when he was angry, but Megumi could tell that he was; she hadn’t spent a good deal of her time studying him for nothing, after all. Yu sat up, moving so that he was seated on the edge of his bed with his feet positioned on the floor.

“Morning, sunshine,” Megumi greeted in a mock cheerful fashion, flaunting over to his bedside and sitting on a chair that sat in propinquity to his bed. She sniffed around the area and fidgeted in irritation; his sister had sat there. Megumi ignored the essence around her and instead gave Yu a feral grin. “Is my poor little Yu all tired out?”

“Why hasn’t someone impaled you with a spike yet?” Yu responded, his gray eyes narrow as he calmly made his annoyance clear.

“No one can catch me, hun,” Megumi winked as she answered him, throwing in the added pet name to test his reaction. It worked; she could see his eyebrow twitch ever so slightly, though it was hard to tell if it was from her comment or just her presence. “In any case, it’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to you. I love what you’ve done with yourself, dear! Absolutely nothing, it seems. Anyway, enough catching up. Where is it?”

Yu said nothing, opting to stay silent as he studied the woman in front of him. Megumi frowned, having always been annoyed by his quiet nature, and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, c’mon, Yu. Just tell me where you put it and I’ll leave you alone.”

There was a moment’s pause before Yu quietly responded, “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, right,” Megumi snapped at him, her cheerful demeanor disappearing with her words. “You have it. I know you do. Where is it?”

“I do not know,” Yu replied snippily, stressing each word.

“Shut up and tell, already!” Megumi snarled, standing up and glowering down at him, her hands on her hips. “Stop playing stupid, ‘cause I really don’t have the patience for that! Just tell me and I’ll leave. Okay?”

Yu calmly stated, “I told you. I don’t know. Now go away.”

“You know what I think? I think that you’re lying, just so you won’t have to give it to me. Jackass.”

Yu said nothing in response, and Megumi hissed.

“I need it, you moron. It’s important! Why don’t you stop playing around and give it to me so that I don’t have to get pissed?”

Silence.

“Or hell, I will get pissed, and I’ll have some fun getting rid of my anger. I never did like your sister much anywa-”

Her voice was abruptly cut off as Yu’s hand clamped down on her throat and a strange-looking dagger was suddenly pointed straight at her heart. Megumi's eyes widened and she tried to move away; briefly, she wondered where the weapon had come from, but didn’t have time to worry about that as Yu leveled a hostile glare at her.

“Never threaten Kazuhi,” Yu hissed furiously, his eyes narrowed into slits. “I would think that you’d know that by now, Megumi.”

They stood in the standstill for a few moments, Megumi not daring to move for fear of having her heart impaled. Silence reigned throughout the room and the tension was almost palpable. Yu glared at Megumi, not moving, and Megumi was considering trying to discuss the incident with him when both of them heard a set of footsteps outside the door. Shortly afterwards, a knock was heard on Yu’s door.

Yu frowned slightly, pushing Megumi away from him and shoving her back into the chair. Megumi, grateful for being released from Yu’s potentially fatal grip, could only watch numbly as Yu placed the dagger back in a drawer and went to answer the door. A brief commotion occurred at the entrance to the room and Megumi observed it with interest.

A sandy-haired boy and a blond-haired boy were standing at the door when Yu answered. The sandy-haired one smiled brightly, asking, “Hey, Yu! Are you feeling okay?”

“We were worried when you fainted.” the blond one added in a calmer voice.

Yu nodded slightly at the two boys, replying, “I’m fine.”

“Really?” Sandy-hair continued incredulously, “You seemed pretty bad this morning. And Kazuhi looked worried when Phil spoke with her and-”

“Rioroute, Yu says that he’s all right.” Blond-hair admonished the other boy, looking disapprovingly at his friend. He then looked back at Yu and smiled softly, commenting, “We’ll see you at practice tomorrow then, right?”

Yu nodded and the two boys disappeared from the doorway, though Megumi could still hear the sandy-haired one whining, “But Ernest, he looked like hell this morning! Ernest! Let me go-!”

Yu closed the door, effectively drowning out whatever else the sandy-haired boy had yelled. He turned and looked at where Megumi had been, raising an eyebrow and muttering, “You can cut the illusion now.”

Megumi rolled her eyes. To anyone but Yu and her, it would have appeared like the brown-haired boy was simply talking to himself, but Megumi hadn’t moved. The blond-haired girl smirked as she reappeared in the physical world, looking discreetly at her long, blood-red nails. “So... are you ready to tell me where it is, or do you really want me to go on a killing rampage around this entire stupid complex?”

Yu said nothing, walking over to a dresser that stood on the opposite side of the room. He was dressed in a pair of loose pants and a white t-shirt at the moment, and he calmly dug though his drawers until he pulled out a strange-looking red and green outfit. Yu turned around after he had the clothing and was proceeding to leave the area when Megumi made an irritated sigh.

“Aren’t you even going to fuckin’ respond, ya moron?!” Megumi snapped, rolling her eyes.

“I need to change.” the brown-haired boy replied as he walked over to a doorway that stood near his dresser. Megumi could see that it led to the bathroom. “There’s going to be an attack soon.”

“Fuck you, too.” Megumi commented dryly as the thin boy went into the bathroom and closed the door. She gave a disgruntled sigh, muttering, “Asshole.” Not that he was around to hear it.

It only took a few moments for Yu to change, and when he came out, Megumi raised her eyebrows in appreciation. She whistled slightly. “Nice outfit, sugar. I love the legs.”

Yu didn’t appear to hear her as he leaned against a wall, running a comb through his slightly disheveled hair. The room was silent for a moment before Yu murmured, “I don’t have it.”

“Yes, you do.” Megumi denounced his comment immediately, standing up and looking around the room. “And I need it. They’re getting out of control again.”

Yu frowned, his eyes narrowing. “That’s impossible.”

“Like, no.” Megumi responded, mentally wincing at her ditzy tone. She continued, “They’ve been getting all riled up lately. A few have even tried to attack again.”

“But the spell-”

“The spell is apparently a bunch of bullshit, hun,” Megumi interrupted Yu as she squatted next to the wall by his bed, looking at the objects nearby. “And it’s probably affecting you too, if I’m not mistaken.”

Yu didn’t respond, and for a few minutes, neither of them said anything. Yu was lost in thought and Megumi was curiously examining the ancient swords displayed on the wall.

Yu suddenly broke the silence, stating, “I haven’t felt anything.”

“Oh, like hell-,” Megumi began, but she was soon cut off by a loud bell that sounded throughout the room. Megumi winced, covering her ears with her hands, while Yu simply walked over to the door and opened it, preparing to leave.

“That would be the attack,” he explained softly, setting the comb down on a nightstand.

“Hey, wait a sec!” Megumi snapped, grabbing Yu by the arm just before he disappeared out the door. She leveled a glare at the brown-haired boy, her blue eyes narrowed and tinted in anger. “In case you’ve forgotten, I was talking to you. No one walks out on Megumi Kajitani.”

“Go to hell, Megumi,” Yu muttered as he efficiently twisted out of the blond woman’s grasp and walked away before she could react. The door closed abruptly in her face and Megumi gaped, unsure of how to respond to such an overt insult.

“Gyah!” she yelled at the vacant room, kicking the door irritably. Her fists clenched, Megumi muttered, “When you come back, Yu dearest, we’re going to have a talk about your fuckin’ manners.”

She disappeared; the room was empty once again.





“But Wrecka-chan, I really don’t want to...”

Wrecka paused, her hands a few inches above the pink box that she had previously been reaching for. Slowly, she turned her head to look at the boy seated behind her. Trying her best to look cute and innocent, Wrecka responded, “Well, why not, Roose?”

“Well, um,” the boy began, his eyes nervously darting around the room. “I just - well, I don’t think that-”

“It wouldn’t be bad, Roose,” Wrecka interrupted, her voice laden with sugar. “I mean, I need help with some stuff and I just thought that you’d want to help me...”

“Of course I want to help you, Wrecka-chan, but-”

“And to think, I was so looking forward to having you help me!” Wrecka continued, throwing in an almost-sob to make it more effective. “B-but if you don’t want to...” She sniffled pathetically.

Roose winced, his eyes wide. “Ne, Wrecka-chan, of course I want to help you; please don’t cry. I - I just was wondering if we could do something diff-”

“So you’ll help?” Wrecka asked, jumping up and immediately hugging Roose. “Oh, thank you SO much, Roose! I’ll make it worth your while, really!”

“B-but, Wrecka-chan-” Roose began.

“Okay, here’s the stuff,” Wrecka said, ignoring Roose’s weak protests as she dragged him over to her bedside. Before them sat a large pink case that Wrecka had pulled from under her bed. “I just need to experiment on you to make sure that it doesn’t look absolutely horrid when I try. Think of how all of the other girls would tease me if it turned out wrong!”

Roose sighed, reluctantly accepting his fate. Briefly, he thought, And think of how much the other boys will tease ME when they find out that I’m putting on MAKE-UP... But there wasn’t much that he could do about it now, not if he didn’t want to make Wrecka mad. And if he was lucky, no one else would ever hear about this.

Wrecka pulled a brush and a few other items from the box, and then turned back to Roose. “Okay, Roose, just sit down at look straight ahead. I’m going to make sure that I know what to do, here.”

“Okay, Wrecka-chan...”

He sat on the edge of the bed for quite a while, though how long exactly he didn’t know. All that he could think about was how weird and silly he must look, and how much everyone was going to tease him when they found out, as he knew they most definitely would. It would leak out somehow, he knew; things like boys putting on makeup tended to do that.

And needless to say, Roose wasn’t exactly looking forward to the teasing, backhand comments, and mockery that the other boys would give him. Not one bit. But Wrecka did need him to help and he didn’t want to be mean to her, so it basically came down to a choice of dealing with it or making Wrecka mad. And like any other boy who might be thrown into this situation, Roose knew that choosing the former would be more conducive to a long life. Even if he’d have to suffer at least of month of unescapable teasing; at least that would be better than having Wrecka Toesing mad at him.

Wrecka was almost finished applying mascara to his right eyes, having already applied blush and eyeliner, when she frowned suddenly and halted her action. Roose internally sighed gratefully, posing a secret wish that she was finished. Instead, Wrecka simply smiled cutely, commenting, “Y’know, Roose, I think that the silver eyeshadow would look better on you than the green. I remember reading that you should never have eyeshadow the same color as your eyes. What do you think?”

“Um, okay,” Roose hastily agreed in acquiesce, considering that he had absolutely no idea what Wrecka was talking about. He vaguely understood the concept of too much color, but beyond that, it was over his head. As it should be! Boy’s should NOT wear makeup! Roose’s braver side argued, though his timorous manners remained.

“Great!” was Wrecka’s response as she finished applying the second coat of mascara. She set the stick down, straightening, and said, “I think I left the silver in the bathroom. Wait for a second while I get it, okay, Roose?”

“All right,” Roose agreed, thankful that she was leaving for a moment. He loved Wrecka, he really did, but at times, her actions could get overbearing. As Wrecka disappeared into the next room, Roose bit his lip, wondering if he had enough courage to make a break for it. But that would make Wrecka angry with him, and Roose really didn’t want to upset Wrecka.

You idiot! his brave side argued with him, Just run! Now! Before she makes you look like a girl!

But that’ll make Wrecka-chan so angry, and I don’t want to make her mad. he internally debated back. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Roose realized that he was talking to himself, but it really didn’t seem that important at the moment. And besides, I already look like a girl.

You’re so pathetic, the brave side snapped back at him before falling silent. It was strange; somehow, Roose’s passive side always took precedence over being violent. He wasn’t sure exactly why, though he took the thought to mean that he was just naturally nonviolent.

Yet another reason why I shouldn’t be a Pilot, Roose thought philosophically, leaning back against the wall that stood next to Wrecka’s bed. It was quiet in the room, now that Wrecka wasn’t around and Roose wasn’t constantly involved in conversation. In fact, it was too quiet, considering.

Roose frowned; Wrecka had been gone an awful long time for just grabbing some silver eyeshadow. And now that he thought about it, he couldn’t hear any sounds coming from the bathroom. His eyes narrowing slightly, Roose felt himself growing worried. Wrecka never took this long to do something.

“Wrecka-chan?” Roose called out cautiously, standing up and beginning to make his way towards the open bathroom door. When no answer came, Roose frowned and his eyes widened, a dire feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. Stepping up to stand in the door’s frame, Roose asked again, “Wrecka-chan? Are you all- ah!”

His startled cry was initiated by the sight of Wrecka; the blue-haired girl was laying limply on the ground, her hair falling in strands about her shoulders and her face pallid. She was positioned with her back resting against the cabinet doors and her head was drooped forward; from where he was standing, Roose could see a small vial of a silvery substance loosely held in the girl’s hand.

“Wrecka-chan!” was the boy’s dismayed cry as he ran to her, concerned. Roose picked his repairer up in his arms gently, not wishing to disrupt her if she was hurt. Carefully, he prodded, “Wrecka-chan, wake up. C’mon, wake up, Wrecka-chan.”

Wrecka didn’t stir, though her head fell limply to the side as Roose shook her slightly. As she did this, her hair shifted enough for Roose to catch a good glimpse of her neck. When he said it, Roose gasped.

They... they’re bites.

On Wrecka’s neck was a large welt that surround two small puncture wounds. It looked hideous; it was bright red and swollen, and it seemed to stare angrily back at him. Roose’s eyes were narrowed in concern as he reached his fingers to tentatively touch the wound.

Suddenly, Roose’s sense of logic came back to him, and he hastily set Wrecka back on the ground. Pausing one moment to ensure that she was safe, Roose made his way towards the door, preparing to contact the infirmary to get Wrecka some medical assistance. As he walked to the phone, a thought made its way into the back of Roose’s mind.

What on GOA could have bitten Wrecka-chan...?




“I thought Yu was sick.” was Rio’s first comment upon exiting Agui-Keameia. He was relatively intact, considering; it hadn’t been an especially hard battle, but he had taken a few scraps. Absentmindedly, he wiped a streak of blood off of his cheek as if it was nothing more than a bit of grease or food.

“Guess not.” came the reply from the girl seated to his right. Phil hadn’t even looked at him when he stepped out; she was assiduously working on the computer screen in front of her and could not be bothered. Her green eyes were narrowed in concentration as she analyzed the rows of statistics picked up from the battle; Rio waited while she finished, knowing that it wouldn’t be correct procedure to leave without his repairer. At least, not this time.

Phil saved her work as soon as she was done, backing away from the computer and smiling. Her face expressed surprise and a bit of apprehension as she saw Rio standing so close to her, and for a moment, Rio thought that she blushed. After her initial reaction, Phil asked, “What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’?” Rio asked incredulously, giving Phil a skeptical gaze. “I’m waiting for you.”

Phil rolled her eyes. “Aren’t you hungry?” The last word was emphasized with a humorous tone, mocking him, and Rio frowned.

“Well, yeah, but I thought that you’d like it if I waited.” Rio explained. At Phil’s surprised and baffled expression, Rio stated, “WHAT?! I’m not a jerk! At least, not always. Honest!”

“Oh, really?” Phil questioned, rolling her eyes once again and standing up. “Then why is this the first time you’ve waited for me without complaining about your precious food at least once?”

Rio grinned sheepishly, replying, “Uh... I’m turning over a new leaf?”

“Right,” was Phil’s response, as both pilot and repairer moved away from the Ingrid dock. For a moment, there was silence, before Phil asked, “What does that saying mean, anyway?”

“‘Dunno.” Rio answered, shrugging. “My mom used to say it a lot. I think it meant something like becoming a new person or whatever, ‘cause she’d always say it to Kazu, who was into some bad stuff when I left. I don’t know what it literally means, though.”

“It sounds weird.”

Rio shrugged. “It’s an old saying.”

There was silence for a moment as Rio and Phil walked down the platform, but it was cut short when Phil stopped, placed her hands on her hips, and incredulously asked Rio, “Okay. What’s wrong?”

Rio averted his eyes and said nothing; his face had gone uncharacteristically blank as he took in Phil’s note of concern. It was apparent that he hadn’t been expecting the question, but now that he had been asked, Rio wasn’t trying to hide his discomfort any longer. Phil stood in front of him, intractable, as she stared at his face. Briefly, the auburn-haired girl felt a twinge of affection for the boy before her, but it was soon quenched by worry and slight irritation. A minute passed before Phil became impatient, asking, “Well?”

“I... I’m not sure,” said Rio, his shoulders slumping. He looked down at Phil, his crimson eyes connecting with her green ones. He sighed, stating, “Lately, something’s been... wrong, I guess you could say. It’s hard to tell, but there is something strange going on.”

Phil raised an eyebrow, mentally reeling from Rio’s complete change in his normal attitude; he usually acted like he didn’t have a care in the world, and now, to show such perception. Phil pushed those thoughts away; she knew that Rio wasn’t stupid, and that he did sometimes have bursts of insight. But whenever Rio did this, Phil couldn’t help but become unnerved; it just wasn’t Rio for him to be so solemn. Focusing on the problem at hand, Phil frowned slightly and ventured, “Well, maybe your EX is ebbing a little. There have been a lot of battles.”

“It’s not that.” was Rio’s immediate reply as he shook his head. “I know what it feels like to lose EX, and trust me, this isn’t it. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s bothering me. It’s like... well, it’s like an itch in the back of my head. Like I can sense something but can’t quite see it, you know?”

“That’s... really weird,” Phil responded, frowning. At Rio’s brief look of exasperation, Phil amended, “No, no, don’t take that the wrong way. I believe you. It’s just that, well, you’re not exactly the kind of person to be having premonitions.” If anyone received them, it would be Ernest, Phil thought vaguely, though she put no more thought into that idea.

“It’s not a premonition!” snapped Rio, but he caught himself and winced, murmuring, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled. But it isn’t a premonition, really. It’s just a feeling. Like something’s going to happen, but I don’t know what it is.”

“Isn’t that what a premonition is?” Phil replied calmly, though she was slightly vexed by the way Rio had snapped at her - as well as fearful. Rio didn’t usually get mad at anyone, even Yu, who would practically give Rio concussions when he was annoyed with the sandy-haired boy. But now, it almost seemed like Rio was getting angry with her, and Phil didn’t want that; after all, she was supposed to be the one getting mad at him, not the other way around.

“Well - yes - but no, that’s not it.” was Rio’s stuttered answer, looking confused. He shook his head and blinked before replying, “I don’t know what it is. But something’s weird, and it’s distracting me.”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Rio.” Phil murmured, tentatively placing a hand on Rio’s arm. He blinked, his face arranging in an expression of surprise as he noticed her action; Phil pulled her hand away quickly, feeling her face rise with a faint blush. She didn’t know why she had done that, but it had felt like the right idea at the time. Phil mentally kicked herself, thinking irritably, Note to self: think before doing stuff.

“Ah - it doesn’t matter.” Rio said after a few moments, a grin appearing on his face. Phil couldn’t tell if it was fake or not, but she didn’t have time to analyze it before Rio turned abruptly and chirped, “But man, I’m hungry! Seeya at lunch, ne, Phil?”

The sandy-haired boy left before Phil could answer, and soon, Rio was gone from the docks and Phil was left standing, mouth slightly agape in bewilderment. It was like Rio had completely switched personalities in less than a second. As she stood there, baffled beyond reason, Phil could only come to one conclusion about what had just occurred.

“My partner is completely and totally insane,” concluded Phil wearily, leaning against the metal railing on the docks and raising a hand up to massage her head.