ON: YSS Senbu
It had been a scant few hours since the battle between the two goddesses and their blood sucking escort had ended. The crew was still on alert, but for the most part the mood was down. Previously the bridge and the Main Repair Bay had been the hotspots aboard the Senbu, but now it was the medical deck. Numerous amounts of personnel were in the medical bays with injuries ranging from concussions to missing limbs and life threatening wounds. The order from Shizuka for mandatory medical checkups for all members of Pride Wing still stood, but the real crisis was always those in critical condition.
Shin had been in a hemosynth tank for a little less than two hours when they pulled him out. "You're stabilized now," a nurse said to Shin after he had been put on a bed. "For the time being we have more critical patients that need to be taken care of. Fuse-hei is in charge of your section, she should coming on her rounds shortly," the nurse said before turning to head back toward the other hemosynthetic tanks.
Shin grumbled, attempting to sit up and at least stretch his arms. Those damn hemosynth tanks were cramped, and he would be stuck trying to get these kinks out for a few days now. He slammed his palm on his chest, smiling. At least his chest didn’t hu– Never mind, it was still a bit tender. Grimacing in pain, he lied back down.
Sakaki came to visit Shin to make sure he was ok, as she heard the 'charge' he made that took out a critical enemy. She had fixed her top knot while coming as she had came back from her own examination to be obviously clean, if not fatigued from her battle in the shuttle bay. Sakaki just gazed down at Shin with her usual emotionless gaze, though it hinted she would like to hear his story.
True to her word, Mai wandered into the sectioned-off area where Shin and the several other people were laying in beds. Data pad in hand, Mai approached the sides and began checking the IV that was attached to Shin. "Don't mind me," the Neko said with a smile to Sakaki and Shin before starting back to work. "Are you comfortable, Nekki-hei?" Mai thought telepathically as she looked again at Shin. "I can get you another pillow or something to help you sit up, or raise the back end of the bed," the medical officer offered. "Good job out there, we heard about what you guys did," Mai said happily once she was done.
Masako would eventually show up herself, dressed in a normal stretch uniform with knee-length shorts. The stretch was quite obvious over her bust; she walked in, smoothing her fingers through her hair as she looked over. "Hey Ushimo-hei," she greeted her comrade and looked over at Shin on the table and smirked a bit, then looked at him seriously. "Boy, you are one stupid idiot. You were reduced to less than hamburger and still pushed on. Do you have some kind of psycho death wish?" she asked. "Or is it that you don't trust the Shosa to know what she was doing?" she snipped then started to blush and looked away crossing her arms under her chest. "I suppose you did a good job though..."
Shin shook his head, "No, thank you, I'm fine." He turned his head towards Sakaki and Masako, smiling. "Both of you, thanks for your concern. To be honest, I didn’t get hurt that bad. If the Shosa hadn’t locked me inside my armor, I could've done something."
Sakaki greeted Masako back and turned back to Shin crossing her arms. "Foolish, a warrior never charges unless one is certain of victory," she scolded. While the antics she did in the hanger were probably no different, she was against mindless drones and not another warrior of equal strength. Though she would still like to hear the story, and was relieved he was all right even if she didn't show it.
Mai had to suppress the urge to laugh at Shin; instead she raised a skeptical eye. "Didn't get hurt bad? You had punctured several of your internal organs, you would be on your deathbed right now had it not been for the hemosynthetic tank. Whatever you did to yourself, it was 'that bad,'" Mai said skeptically.
Masako just watched him for a moment with her blue eyes as if she was waiting for something. "What would you have done, seriously? You would have just gotten in her way. You're trying too hard to be a hero," she said.
"Maybe I am overzealous." Shin just shrugged, resting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "Anyway, could someone bring me my data pad, I need to do some research on the armor I fought. I wanna know what he hit me with."
Mai brought her data pad up to her face for a few seconds and tapped on it before handing it to Shin. "I'll need it back," Mai said to Shin as she held it out in front of the Yamataian.
"Thank you, Fuse-hei." Shin took the data pad, burying himself in it while looking for information.
The first thing Kuriko did as soon as she had arrived at her quarters is check the roster for who had survived. The Heisho scrolled down the lists, searching for the names of those who hadn't joined her sortie and those who weren't in her wing that she still cared for. Finally, when she read the last name as a survivor, the Neko started crying tears of joy. That joy was short-lived though; Kuriko had read the list of survivors and had seen the names marked out of those who hadn't made it through the battle. The Neko managed to drag herself back into her bed where she cried into her pillow. There weren't words for the Heisho to say, she could only beat her fist into her mattress angrily as she cried uncontrollably. Finally, the tears subsided and the Heisho lay in her bed. Most of them will be ST’d back, Kuriko reasoned, though she knew they wouldn't be the same people. I can't change anything like this. I'm only making myself feel worse, Kuriko thought before she queried where all the members of Pride Wing were.
A little later, Kuriko managed to find her way to the small Pride Wing gathering around Shin. Kuriko stood behind Masako and Sakaki, trying to listen in for a little bit before she would speak up. After a little silence, Kuriko finally spoke up. "How's everyone doing?" Kuriko asked quietly.
Ushimo-hei didn't flinch and responded by turning her head and nodding. Then, she turned to Shin and suggested, "Rest for now and apply for Soul Transfer Backup." She had gotten one during her own examination; she had to be sent to the infirmary before she even thought of getting one as it kept slipping her mind.
Shin shrugged, glaring at Masako. "Me and Hoshitomo-hei are only friends. People die in war, I'm no different. And if I had died, I would have lost all memory of my time on the Senbu." He smiled at Sakaki. "Thank you for the suggestion, Sakaki, I'll be sure to take it in mind. Though, could you please accept my apology for my actions in the onsen?"
Kuriko hadn't thought of Shin and Rin as being lovers before. The Neko mulled this over when her dream was smashed by Shin's response. Oh well, not lovers I guess. Kuriko thought, in retrospect how could it even be true? Though, Rin's communications to Shin during the combat were slightly... suggestive. "Yes, I'm making it mandatory to have an ST backup made within the next 24 hours for all personnel," Kuriko responded, once again reminded that they had not had any backups yet. "Good job, Shin," Kuriko said to Shin. "Good job everyone. That was a tough fight for everyone here," Kuriko said.
Masako nodded to Kuriko and leaned in close to her for a moment and then straightened. "I already got one when I got back," she said. "And you're right, Shin, people do die in war. But the best die because they were doing their job with honor or holding a line so their comrades could escape a losing situation. Not being a damn fool," Masako said. "You have a brain, try to use it more often even if it does hurt," she sneered at him, concealing how she felt relief that he was ok. "Kuriko-heisho...you going to be okay?" she asked and whispered. "You still have a standing tear in your eye."
Sakaki promptly bowed as an acceptance of apology to Shin. Then, she turned toward Kuriko left to ask her something, though she didn't say anything. It was a glance of curiosity about the condition of her commanding officer. Hiding someplace would mean she had unresolved issues, perhaps, and just wanted to know she was alright.
Shin sat up, smiling at Kuriko. "Shifuda-heisho, I apologize for my near-death onboard the Chiharu and for my inability to protect Daichi-heisho. I promise that I will not fail like that again," he told her. "To be honest though, I wish we could be allotted some time off."
Kuriko wiped the tear from her eye, and nodded in response to Masako. Kuriko wasn't going to cry, not now. Not here. Her wing needed stability; she couldn't give them that if she let herself go like she had earlier. "His death wasn't something you caused Nekki-hei, I don't hold you responsible for that. As for yourself, your actions could have killed you, but you got lucky. Don't assume you'll always get lucky, Shin," Kuriko said. "Until this ship is safe, we don't have that opportunity," Kuriko replied as she thought about the crew. He's right though, this crew needs a rest. Soon we'll be at our breaking point, if we aren't already, Kuriko thought. "How are you two?" Kuriko asked Masako and Sakaki telepathically.
"I'm fine, I'm used to situations like this. I'm an ex-ground pounder, after all," Masako said and smiled at her friend and put a hand on her shoulder gently. "But I really want to soak in that onsen again, that felt really good."
Nicholas sat at an examination table near to where Pride Wing was huddled around Shin, having just finished up the quick checkup that Shizuka had insisted he get despite his assurances that he was fine. As the chief doctor made her leave of the Taii, he slipped his white-paneled command jacket back on, dark red stains still marking its normally pristine alabaster surface. He couldn’t help but overhear the soldiers’ conversation, finding some of their points of discussion to be quite humorous. “Shifuda-heisho is right, Nekki-hei,” he called over in an attempt to support Kuriko’s strength as a leader by affirming her words in front of her subordinates. The fact that Nicholas didn’t know who this Daichi-heicho was or what had happened to him was irrelevant. “You performed your mission as directed – all of you did, and I commend you for that,” he added, approaching the group from where he’d been.
"I am fine," Sakaki replied to Kuriko, feeling confident of her own strength. She then bowed to Nick who commended their efforts. Then she then replied to Kuriko again in full, "Your spirit is strong Shifuda-heisho, as long as you can still give orders I shall follow," she sent. "I shall get some tea," Ushimo-hei stated aloud as she began to leave the room.
Masako looked over at Nick and bowed to him and straightened. "That's the job of a soldier isn't it? To follow orders well enough..." she said and blushed, remembering something. "Uh... does anyone know how many of Vermillion Wing survived?" she asked.
“Vermillion took around eighty percent casualties,” Nicholas stated plainly, not putting much emotion behind the statistic for better or for worse. “I expected much more out of them based on their performance during the engagement before this one. It is unfortunate…” he said, trailing off as he finished the rest of the sentence silently to himself, that they didn’t live up to their record.
Masako... looked relieved at that. "Then I suppose the survivors don't deserve the reward I was going to give them," she said arrogantly and cackled a bit, holding her hand up over her mouth partially.
Shin yawned, looking at Masako. "Hey, Masako, you shouldn't be so callous towards your old squad mates. Show some concern for them, it was a tough fight." He glared straight at her, his eyes piercing her so– Yeah, maybe not that intently.
Masako blinked and leaned over and looked Shin and her featured smoothed into a calm mask. "What do you care hero-boy? You and I aren't friends, stay out of my business, what I do and my opinions..." she said and leaned down, "aren't your concern," Masako said and stood back up, brushing her hair out of her eyes and turned to leave. "I'm going to get a drink before I break more of his bones," she said and headed for the door.
After having spent some time getting her own mandatory visit done, Hoshitomo-hei was finally released from the doctor's custody for the moment. Thankfully, there was nothing amiss other than the fact the Yamataian woman had pushed her body abnormally hard in the engagement, and a good deal of rest was suggested in the coming days to prevent any stress injuries developing. Of course, she brushed it off politely and walked out of the examination room in her form-fitting uniform with that usual stoic mask on, not really wanting to admit just yet that she was indeed drained. After all, there was someone else who was in much worse shape... someone she wanted to do her own little check-up on.
Kuriko's eyes also darted toward Masako. The Heisho was furious at Masako's comment, but she didn't show it on her face, though at first her hands twitched into a fist before she managed to relax. Kuriko was slightly happy to see Masako decide to leave, she wasn't sure if she could handle her attitude much longer. "Saiga-taii, the engagement was different last time. Instead of fighting a slew of enemy LAMIA, they were fighting AIR power armors. Furthermore, there were capital ships firing as well. I would hardly think that this battle was on even terms," Kuriko responded, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.
“I am aware of the tactical situations during both engagements, Shifuda-heisho. I was there,” Nicholas said, not realizing how abrasive his words may sound. He almost asked Kuriko why her unit still squabbled and bickered with each other, seemingly taking stabs at each other every opportunity that they could, but decided that it was a discussion better saved for a more private setting. “Their failure is no matter, though. Most of them can be recovered through Soul Transfer backups.”
Kuriko's teeth ground together silently. "Forgive my rudeness, Saiga-taii, I should have expected that someone in your position would have known this. You must be quite busy right now, please forgive me for wasting your precious time," Kuriko responded, this time unable to conceal the edge to her voice. Kuriko was beginning to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have come down here. She felt the stress building back up again in her chest before she started to take deeper controlled breaths.
“That is fine, Shifuda-heisho. Your concern over what happened to Vermillion Wing is not a waste of my time,” Nicholas replied, still distant from the present and what he was saying, not understanding what Kuriko was trying to communicate to him. “I’ve had enough of this grim topic, though,” he said sounding very tired. The Geshrin had to live with what happened to each unit while he was in command, and was weary of the any continued reminders. Despite his often oblivious and cold attitude, what happened to those under him was a burden on his conscience.
Sakaki was returning with two cups of green tea and watched Masako go by. While not paying attention, she accidentally bumped into Rin and spilled the tea, with still one in her left hand that was safe from harm.
Masako would step out of the medbay and walk away, not going anywhere in particular before leaning against a wall, sighing heavily as she looked at the floor. Her long hair fell over her eyes as she reached up and wiped her own forming tears away. It hurt to know that that many had died in such a senseless and stupid battle that could've been avoided with a little prudence instead of rushing, in her opinion. She didn't know the Vermillion Wing personally, but they'd been nice to her in greeting and treated her equally, something nobody else before had done for her on the first day, so she would call them friends. "I don't break down over this though..." she said to herself. "It was a battle, it happens... right?"
Rin got momentarily startled by Sakaki’s bump, and as the liquid spilled she hopped backwards instinctively on the balls of her feet to narrowly miss being stained, her boots clacking loudly back onto the deck as the soldier rebalanced. Her eyes still had a lingering sense of a battle-mindset that flickered back to life, but when she saw who it was, she straightened up and promptly relaxed again. "Er... Ushimo-hei... I didn't see you there," began Rin as she then called over a medical bay worker with a rag, towel, or other absorbent material. "My apologies for spilling your tea."
Sakaki just stood silently and bowed. "My mistake," she replied and began to head back to Shin's bed. She halted suddenly and asked mentally, "Are Hoshitomo-hei and Shin... together or something?" With the conversations she was listening to, she felt like she had to ask.
Rin was bending down to clean up the remains of the mess before the teal-haired woman paused for a long moment upon receipt of the question and stood back up slowly. She didn't expect Sakaki of all people to bring this matter up, but she had to dispel whatever sorts of stories might've been spreading behind her back. "I don't know what that fool may have said to you in his delusional state, but – it's not like that." There was another pause as a twinge of guilt welled up, but she looked away tellingly from her fellow pilot and back to the way ahead to the room where he was being treated. "Do not read into my statements in the combat log any more than concern for a teammate. Nothing more or less. I was merely having trouble controlling the emotions from the Mindy's systems..."
Sakaki just nodded and continued to Shin's bed. Upon reaching the bed she placed the cup on a stand nearby for him to drink if he felt like it. "Green tea for speedy recovery," she stated while pointing to the cup, then took a few steps back so she could fade behind everyone.
Masako would eventually come back into the medbay and kept her eyes hidden, staying back. "Shin... Shifuda-Heisho… I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to come off so arrogant like that. I have a hard time dealing with emotions sometimes..." she said to them both in a private channel.
Shin nodded to Sakaki. "Thank you, Ushimo-hei. I'll be sure to drink it." He also sent a reply to Masako, "I can understand your feelings Sakiyurai-hei"
Rin arrived on the heels of Sakaki and said a silent hello to her comrades as well as a bow for the Taii who was surprisingly in attendance as well. Of course, her main concern was fixated on the broken Yamataian lying in the bed, to which she affixed a long stare with her blue eyes from the foot of it and folded her arms. Shin likely wasn't sure if she was mad or concerned, it was probably a mix of both as she slowly spoke in a nonplussed tone with a hint of amusement. "And so the tables have turned, it seems."
Shin smiled a bit at Rin's joke. "Almost, Hoshimoto-hei. You're just missing the flowers. It's nice that you came to see me though." Shin was looking back at the stern Yamataian, almost grinning but managing to keep a mostly straight face.
Mai had sat there listening awkwardly to the conversations of the Pride Wing members before she decided to remove herself from the conversations. "Ack!" the Neko exclaimed, trying to feign surprise wasn't hard for her, it was all about bluffing anyway. "I need to finish the rest of my rounds," Mai said to the group before turning back to Shin. "I'll drop back later to pick up my data pad, ok?" Mai said waving at the Yamataian as she started to walk off.
"Of course I came to see you," grumbled Rin, closing her eyes a moment to talk down to him a bit more. "Is there something wrong with being concerned about your health?" Then she opened the watery pools and bored into him again, "If you were not so damn stubborn about everything, you might be dead right now."
"Well, of course I'm stubborn. If I wasn’t so stubborn, I’d be dead right now, and you'd be sad." Shin smiled to Rin, his cheery attitude still there, despite his apparent morbidness. "I told you, I refuse to die until it's my time."
What Nick said was something that Kuriko agreed with him on. She was ready to be done talking about death. The Heisho's ears twitched as she listened to the conversation occurring behind her between Shin and Rin. After all, they could be lovers; it certainly would be an interesting match-up. "Where are we headed next, Saiga-taii?" Kuriko asked the Geshrin.
“I am not quite sure where Shizu– Endo-shosa plans to have us go yet,” Nicholas answered, having to correct himself opposite how he’d had to when he’d first come to the Senbu. “I’m sure that, with command’s permission, she will want to continue to investigate the matter of these pirates. I do know that we won’t be able to make all of the repairs needed without the support of a star fortress, so we may be in port sometime soon.”
Being ignored, Masako would slink out again and retreat to go find her way to the ship's wardroom to get something to drink like she said she was going to, heedless if anyone was paying attention or following her. She felt alone again despite being around thousands of people. Maybe she was going to be like this forever and her efforts to be different from her sister were in vain and was doomed to be a stumbling block in her life?
Sakaki, just listening to everyone, wanting to feel the group unity even if she was outside of the conversation, noticed Masako's departure. Glancing around, she felt there would be no reason to stand around here and departed afterwards.
Although Rin wanted to talk of other matters with Nicholas and her other wingmen, the sight of Shin continued to hold her attention. The way he made light of the situation seemed to irritate her visibly. "Nekki-hei, I cannot understand you at times. You say you refuse to die yet you were going to throw your life away for the Shosa needlessly. You can't have it both ways forever; you are either going to become stronger and find victory with the Pride Wing, or next time it might really be your end in an ignominious battle," she told him. "I hope I have made it clear I find this second option to be unacceptable," added Rin with finality as she took a step closer to his bedside, not tearing her eyes away yet.
Shin just shrugged. "I'll keep my promise to you. And I’ll make another one: I'll never give my enemy any quarter. Nor will I abandon a comrade in battle. Just as long as you promise me to always have my back, Hoshimoto-hei." Shin's goofy smile was gone, replace with a different one; less goofy, more mature and suave. His teeth also appeared to be sparkling, and his vermillion bangs were covering one of his eyes.
Kuriko nodded in confirmation to Nick before turning to watch Shin's reaction to what Rin had just said. Interesting, Kuriko thought as she watched. The Neko felt some of the stress fade away as she watched this interaction as well as a small giddy feeling swell up inside of her. Very interesting. Kuriko subconsciously slid her hands down into her pocket and slipped on a pair of glasses. The frames were appropriately sized, but the sat just a little bit lower on her face. "This is interesting to watch isn't it?" the Heisho sent telepathically to Nicholas.
“I suppose it is,” Nicholas replied aloud, looking slightly perturbed that Kuriko had sent him a telepathic message. He had forgotten that the NH-29 could broadcast to the more mundane races, unlike older models. Rin’s comment about “throwing your life away for the Shosa” caught the Geshrin’s attention, but he decided that it would be better for him not to speak his mind on the matter.
Hoshitomo-hei put her hands on her hips, reasserting her position. Shin obviously was trying to turn her attentions into something else. Though, her relatively stern mask cracked a second as she commented in a bit of a hurt manner, "Idiot. I've always had your back this entire time. How are you ever going to succeed if you couldn't even see that?"
Shin laughed out loud. "Don't worry Rin, I know you have my back. Just don't listen to the rumors that say I'm a pervert. Or the ones that say you're my girlfriend. We need to focus on making Pride Wing an effective fighting force." He thought for a second. "Though, it would've been pretty bad if I had died. While I would've been ST'd, I wouldn’t have any memories of anyone on this ship, not even you." He added in, privately, "The thought of not being able to remember you does scare me, more than I would like to admit."
Rin's gaze blinked, caught a bit off guard with the fact he was laughing. There was a lot of ways she could respond to his comments, but didn't want to bring these up in public channels, so she merely bit her tongue and just sighed a moment. There was one rare gem of wisdom in what he actually uttered at least. "I will find and discipline these rumormongers, then, for spreading false information," mumbled the Nitô Hei with a hint of sinister intent. Of course, Rin eventually sent an unspoken response to Shin's hidden poke, "If you are trying to make me forgive you for the kiss with your current vulnerable condition, it is not happening."
Kuriko started to turn her head back to Nick when she remembered that she had heard he was a Geshrin. Kuriko's attention snapped back to the pair, and when Shin spoke telepathically to Rin, Kuriko couldn't stop herself from listening in, at which her smile grew a little wider. "This is absolutely amazing!" Kuriko said quite enthusiastically to Nick, unaware of his dislike of telepathic communications. "They might be lovers!" Kuriko sent again, happier than before.
“That’s possible, Shifuda-heisho,” the Taii responded, struggling to remember something he’d read in a SANDRA article. “I wouldn’t look too much into it, though. It isn’t unheard of for Star Army personnel to develop meaningless physical relationships to serve as a break from the stresses of war.” Of course, he didn’t think of the consequences of his words as he spoke them; in his mind, his relationship with Shizuka was far from what he’d described.
"How much should I read into the... relationship... between yourself and Endo-shosa, Saiga-taii?" Kuriko asked the Taii teasingly. She wasn't blind, if Nicholas didn't like Shizuka it couldn't be said that Shizuka didn't like Nicholas. Besides, one way or the other, she would find out about it some more now. "Aren't you aware of my former occupation Saiga-taii?" Kuriko asked as she glanced up at the taller Geshrin. "It was my job to look into these kinds of things. Besides, meaningless relationships and those that last both start at the same place, it's all about how it's handled from there," Kuriko replied as she turned back to look at the pair.
Shin shrugged. "I had completely forgotten about it, really."
Rin just shook her head and finally moved up to the front of the bed to get a better look at Shin. The bangs hanging over one of her eyes obscured a bit of her genuinely concerned and annoyed look that persisted. "Just think of the consequences of your actions more... please," spoke the young woman under the radar before completing the thought in a more public order. "Nekki-hei, the only promise I wish you to make for now is to make an expeditious recovery. The others can wait."
"Don't worry, Rin, Nekki Shin's will is like that of a tiger." Shin smiled, reaching up and moved one of her bangs aside, a slight blush appearing on his face. "You have nice eyes, Rin."
With Kuriko’s continued communication, Nicholas suddenly felt a grave, embarrassed feeling in his chest, suddenly aware how what he said could be perceived. “You and I will speak later, Shifuda-heisho,” he said with a low, fuming tone in absence of any coherent or complete explanation to tell her as uncountable comments flew though his mind. He would have said more about the imprudence of her comment, but was distracted by the scene between Hoshitomo-hei and Shin.
There was momentary delay as Hoshitomo-hei's hair was unexpectedly caressed by Shin's hand, moving it aside in a more tender and less awkward fashion than his last advance. The fact she didn't slap him immediately for it was quite telling that something had changed between them. "Shin... what are you..." stammered the Yamataian a moment, before she pulled away a fair distance from the bed. She was angry that he had tried to be suave again, but it also was the sense of confusion Kuriko could detect at how to even respond to his advances with anything but derision and fear.
Kuriko ignored the Taii for a few seconds as she listened and heard what basically confirmed her suspicion. As Shin spoke, Kuriko's hand reached up and gently pushed her glasses closer to her face as she recognized base attempts to impress Rin. Of course, the kicker was both Shin's last sentence, which was obviously his main 'pickup line,' and Rin's last, which indicated desire for the relationship to continue, but uncertainty about how to do it. Using Shin's sickness as an excuse to delay the relationship was a work of subconscious ingenuity, Kuriko thought, clearly fascinated by how this was turning out. Due to her short lifespan, she hadn't had the opportunity to see such examples 'in the wild' as it were. Interesting... Kuriko thought as she jotted down as much information into a mental memo as she could while saving backups of the conversation.
Then the Heisho processed Nicholas's comment, and shifted her head to face the Taii. "Of course Saiga-taii, we can have a session if you'd like. I have some free time available tomorrow if you'd like to drop by. I'm sure we can ease any anxieties you might have with little difficulty. Of course, if you are feeling particularly anxious about this relationship, I can pencil you in earlier if you'd like," Kuriko thought to the First Officer, aware that what she was saying would probably get her in trouble, but at this point the Heisho could care less.
Shin brought his hand back, looking about as hurt as Rin. "I just said you had nice eyes." He shrugged, turning over in bed, closing his eyes. "Just, let me get some sleep now, please."
Rin just nodded, bottling up whatever happened there with a well-practiced routine of compartmentalization. She couldn't actually seem like it might've been something good rather than bad... then she'd only be fanning the flames of rumor rather than snuffing them out. And doing such a thing in front of the Heisho and even the Taii? Ludicrous. "Yes. Go to sleep... before you say more silly things," chided Rin as she seemed unable to meet his eyes now.
Nicholas’ jaw dropped at Kuriko’s suggestion to schedule a “session” and discuss his “anxiety.” The Taii’s disbelief quickly returned to anger, and his attention had become focused solely on Kuriko, now ignoring the melodrama between Rin and Shin. “Perhaps now would be good for you, Shifuda-heisho?” he said, more ordering her than asking. “Report to my office immediately,” he added, making sure his intention was clear as he turned to leave.
Kuriko felt a mix of dread and of triumph simultaneously. She would pay dearly for this later, no doubt. "Of course, Saiga-taii," Kuriko replied verbally, deciding that she shouldn't get herself in anymore trouble. Her smile had only faded slightly, but the Neko was still quite happy and unsure of just how she was going to get out of this one. In fact, she was quite sure she wouldn't be getting out of this one.
When she was sure that Shin was actually slumbering and not going to suddenly pop up and try to 'put the moves on her' again, the Rin realized once again just who was present and inwardly cursed herself for getting so preoccupied with their teammate. Why did she give him so much attention anyway? This was probably only encouraging him further. In any case... "Heisho... Taii... is there something amiss?" queried the soldier, reading the rather sour look on both their faces almost immediately.
"Not at all, Rin," Kuriko said happily. "Saiga-taii and I were just about to have a brief consultation, though I can't talk about what as it would be breaking the trust between myself and Saiga-taii," Kuriko said, aware that Nicholas wasn't stupid. I'm dead, Kuriko thought, but the thought couldn't stop her. She had been stressed out and this had completely de-stressed her, in fact she was almost in a state of bliss now.
Rin quirked an eyebrow at this rather suspicious statement, but did not pry further. "I see," she began with a neutral tone, unaware of the gravity of what just went on behind her back. "I am glad to see that your mood has improved since the shuttle ride."
Kuriko couldn't help but smile back to the Yamataian woman. "If you'll excuse me, I must catch up to Saiga-taii," Kuriko said before bowing and dashing off toward the enraged Geshrin.
The woman gave a respectful nod of her head, and decided that she too would exit. The weight of the day's combat was continuing to bear down on Rin, a fact that Shin had only worsened in his own unique way. The brief oblivion of sleep, a rest she had no doubt earned, indeed seemed the perfect prescription in the end.
END
It had been a scant few hours since the battle between the two goddesses and their blood sucking escort had ended. The crew was still on alert, but for the most part the mood was down. Previously the bridge and the Main Repair Bay had been the hotspots aboard the Senbu, but now it was the medical deck. Numerous amounts of personnel were in the medical bays with injuries ranging from concussions to missing limbs and life threatening wounds. The order from Shizuka for mandatory medical checkups for all members of Pride Wing still stood, but the real crisis was always those in critical condition.
Shin had been in a hemosynth tank for a little less than two hours when they pulled him out. "You're stabilized now," a nurse said to Shin after he had been put on a bed. "For the time being we have more critical patients that need to be taken care of. Fuse-hei is in charge of your section, she should coming on her rounds shortly," the nurse said before turning to head back toward the other hemosynthetic tanks.
Shin grumbled, attempting to sit up and at least stretch his arms. Those damn hemosynth tanks were cramped, and he would be stuck trying to get these kinks out for a few days now. He slammed his palm on his chest, smiling. At least his chest didn’t hu– Never mind, it was still a bit tender. Grimacing in pain, he lied back down.
Sakaki came to visit Shin to make sure he was ok, as she heard the 'charge' he made that took out a critical enemy. She had fixed her top knot while coming as she had came back from her own examination to be obviously clean, if not fatigued from her battle in the shuttle bay. Sakaki just gazed down at Shin with her usual emotionless gaze, though it hinted she would like to hear his story.
True to her word, Mai wandered into the sectioned-off area where Shin and the several other people were laying in beds. Data pad in hand, Mai approached the sides and began checking the IV that was attached to Shin. "Don't mind me," the Neko said with a smile to Sakaki and Shin before starting back to work. "Are you comfortable, Nekki-hei?" Mai thought telepathically as she looked again at Shin. "I can get you another pillow or something to help you sit up, or raise the back end of the bed," the medical officer offered. "Good job out there, we heard about what you guys did," Mai said happily once she was done.
Masako would eventually show up herself, dressed in a normal stretch uniform with knee-length shorts. The stretch was quite obvious over her bust; she walked in, smoothing her fingers through her hair as she looked over. "Hey Ushimo-hei," she greeted her comrade and looked over at Shin on the table and smirked a bit, then looked at him seriously. "Boy, you are one stupid idiot. You were reduced to less than hamburger and still pushed on. Do you have some kind of psycho death wish?" she asked. "Or is it that you don't trust the Shosa to know what she was doing?" she snipped then started to blush and looked away crossing her arms under her chest. "I suppose you did a good job though..."
Shin shook his head, "No, thank you, I'm fine." He turned his head towards Sakaki and Masako, smiling. "Both of you, thanks for your concern. To be honest, I didn’t get hurt that bad. If the Shosa hadn’t locked me inside my armor, I could've done something."
Sakaki greeted Masako back and turned back to Shin crossing her arms. "Foolish, a warrior never charges unless one is certain of victory," she scolded. While the antics she did in the hanger were probably no different, she was against mindless drones and not another warrior of equal strength. Though she would still like to hear the story, and was relieved he was all right even if she didn't show it.
Mai had to suppress the urge to laugh at Shin; instead she raised a skeptical eye. "Didn't get hurt bad? You had punctured several of your internal organs, you would be on your deathbed right now had it not been for the hemosynthetic tank. Whatever you did to yourself, it was 'that bad,'" Mai said skeptically.
Masako just watched him for a moment with her blue eyes as if she was waiting for something. "What would you have done, seriously? You would have just gotten in her way. You're trying too hard to be a hero," she said.
"Maybe I am overzealous." Shin just shrugged, resting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "Anyway, could someone bring me my data pad, I need to do some research on the armor I fought. I wanna know what he hit me with."
Mai brought her data pad up to her face for a few seconds and tapped on it before handing it to Shin. "I'll need it back," Mai said to Shin as she held it out in front of the Yamataian.
"Thank you, Fuse-hei." Shin took the data pad, burying himself in it while looking for information.
The first thing Kuriko did as soon as she had arrived at her quarters is check the roster for who had survived. The Heisho scrolled down the lists, searching for the names of those who hadn't joined her sortie and those who weren't in her wing that she still cared for. Finally, when she read the last name as a survivor, the Neko started crying tears of joy. That joy was short-lived though; Kuriko had read the list of survivors and had seen the names marked out of those who hadn't made it through the battle. The Neko managed to drag herself back into her bed where she cried into her pillow. There weren't words for the Heisho to say, she could only beat her fist into her mattress angrily as she cried uncontrollably. Finally, the tears subsided and the Heisho lay in her bed. Most of them will be ST’d back, Kuriko reasoned, though she knew they wouldn't be the same people. I can't change anything like this. I'm only making myself feel worse, Kuriko thought before she queried where all the members of Pride Wing were.
A little later, Kuriko managed to find her way to the small Pride Wing gathering around Shin. Kuriko stood behind Masako and Sakaki, trying to listen in for a little bit before she would speak up. After a little silence, Kuriko finally spoke up. "How's everyone doing?" Kuriko asked quietly.
Ushimo-hei didn't flinch and responded by turning her head and nodding. Then, she turned to Shin and suggested, "Rest for now and apply for Soul Transfer Backup." She had gotten one during her own examination; she had to be sent to the infirmary before she even thought of getting one as it kept slipping her mind.
Shin shrugged, glaring at Masako. "Me and Hoshitomo-hei are only friends. People die in war, I'm no different. And if I had died, I would have lost all memory of my time on the Senbu." He smiled at Sakaki. "Thank you for the suggestion, Sakaki, I'll be sure to take it in mind. Though, could you please accept my apology for my actions in the onsen?"
Kuriko hadn't thought of Shin and Rin as being lovers before. The Neko mulled this over when her dream was smashed by Shin's response. Oh well, not lovers I guess. Kuriko thought, in retrospect how could it even be true? Though, Rin's communications to Shin during the combat were slightly... suggestive. "Yes, I'm making it mandatory to have an ST backup made within the next 24 hours for all personnel," Kuriko responded, once again reminded that they had not had any backups yet. "Good job, Shin," Kuriko said to Shin. "Good job everyone. That was a tough fight for everyone here," Kuriko said.
Masako nodded to Kuriko and leaned in close to her for a moment and then straightened. "I already got one when I got back," she said. "And you're right, Shin, people do die in war. But the best die because they were doing their job with honor or holding a line so their comrades could escape a losing situation. Not being a damn fool," Masako said. "You have a brain, try to use it more often even if it does hurt," she sneered at him, concealing how she felt relief that he was ok. "Kuriko-heisho...you going to be okay?" she asked and whispered. "You still have a standing tear in your eye."
Sakaki promptly bowed as an acceptance of apology to Shin. Then, she turned toward Kuriko left to ask her something, though she didn't say anything. It was a glance of curiosity about the condition of her commanding officer. Hiding someplace would mean she had unresolved issues, perhaps, and just wanted to know she was alright.
Shin sat up, smiling at Kuriko. "Shifuda-heisho, I apologize for my near-death onboard the Chiharu and for my inability to protect Daichi-heisho. I promise that I will not fail like that again," he told her. "To be honest though, I wish we could be allotted some time off."
Kuriko wiped the tear from her eye, and nodded in response to Masako. Kuriko wasn't going to cry, not now. Not here. Her wing needed stability; she couldn't give them that if she let herself go like she had earlier. "His death wasn't something you caused Nekki-hei, I don't hold you responsible for that. As for yourself, your actions could have killed you, but you got lucky. Don't assume you'll always get lucky, Shin," Kuriko said. "Until this ship is safe, we don't have that opportunity," Kuriko replied as she thought about the crew. He's right though, this crew needs a rest. Soon we'll be at our breaking point, if we aren't already, Kuriko thought. "How are you two?" Kuriko asked Masako and Sakaki telepathically.
"I'm fine, I'm used to situations like this. I'm an ex-ground pounder, after all," Masako said and smiled at her friend and put a hand on her shoulder gently. "But I really want to soak in that onsen again, that felt really good."
Nicholas sat at an examination table near to where Pride Wing was huddled around Shin, having just finished up the quick checkup that Shizuka had insisted he get despite his assurances that he was fine. As the chief doctor made her leave of the Taii, he slipped his white-paneled command jacket back on, dark red stains still marking its normally pristine alabaster surface. He couldn’t help but overhear the soldiers’ conversation, finding some of their points of discussion to be quite humorous. “Shifuda-heisho is right, Nekki-hei,” he called over in an attempt to support Kuriko’s strength as a leader by affirming her words in front of her subordinates. The fact that Nicholas didn’t know who this Daichi-heicho was or what had happened to him was irrelevant. “You performed your mission as directed – all of you did, and I commend you for that,” he added, approaching the group from where he’d been.
"I am fine," Sakaki replied to Kuriko, feeling confident of her own strength. She then bowed to Nick who commended their efforts. Then she then replied to Kuriko again in full, "Your spirit is strong Shifuda-heisho, as long as you can still give orders I shall follow," she sent. "I shall get some tea," Ushimo-hei stated aloud as she began to leave the room.
Masako looked over at Nick and bowed to him and straightened. "That's the job of a soldier isn't it? To follow orders well enough..." she said and blushed, remembering something. "Uh... does anyone know how many of Vermillion Wing survived?" she asked.
“Vermillion took around eighty percent casualties,” Nicholas stated plainly, not putting much emotion behind the statistic for better or for worse. “I expected much more out of them based on their performance during the engagement before this one. It is unfortunate…” he said, trailing off as he finished the rest of the sentence silently to himself, that they didn’t live up to their record.
Masako... looked relieved at that. "Then I suppose the survivors don't deserve the reward I was going to give them," she said arrogantly and cackled a bit, holding her hand up over her mouth partially.
Shin yawned, looking at Masako. "Hey, Masako, you shouldn't be so callous towards your old squad mates. Show some concern for them, it was a tough fight." He glared straight at her, his eyes piercing her so– Yeah, maybe not that intently.
Masako blinked and leaned over and looked Shin and her featured smoothed into a calm mask. "What do you care hero-boy? You and I aren't friends, stay out of my business, what I do and my opinions..." she said and leaned down, "aren't your concern," Masako said and stood back up, brushing her hair out of her eyes and turned to leave. "I'm going to get a drink before I break more of his bones," she said and headed for the door.
After having spent some time getting her own mandatory visit done, Hoshitomo-hei was finally released from the doctor's custody for the moment. Thankfully, there was nothing amiss other than the fact the Yamataian woman had pushed her body abnormally hard in the engagement, and a good deal of rest was suggested in the coming days to prevent any stress injuries developing. Of course, she brushed it off politely and walked out of the examination room in her form-fitting uniform with that usual stoic mask on, not really wanting to admit just yet that she was indeed drained. After all, there was someone else who was in much worse shape... someone she wanted to do her own little check-up on.
Kuriko's eyes also darted toward Masako. The Heisho was furious at Masako's comment, but she didn't show it on her face, though at first her hands twitched into a fist before she managed to relax. Kuriko was slightly happy to see Masako decide to leave, she wasn't sure if she could handle her attitude much longer. "Saiga-taii, the engagement was different last time. Instead of fighting a slew of enemy LAMIA, they were fighting AIR power armors. Furthermore, there were capital ships firing as well. I would hardly think that this battle was on even terms," Kuriko responded, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.
“I am aware of the tactical situations during both engagements, Shifuda-heisho. I was there,” Nicholas said, not realizing how abrasive his words may sound. He almost asked Kuriko why her unit still squabbled and bickered with each other, seemingly taking stabs at each other every opportunity that they could, but decided that it was a discussion better saved for a more private setting. “Their failure is no matter, though. Most of them can be recovered through Soul Transfer backups.”
Kuriko's teeth ground together silently. "Forgive my rudeness, Saiga-taii, I should have expected that someone in your position would have known this. You must be quite busy right now, please forgive me for wasting your precious time," Kuriko responded, this time unable to conceal the edge to her voice. Kuriko was beginning to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have come down here. She felt the stress building back up again in her chest before she started to take deeper controlled breaths.
“That is fine, Shifuda-heisho. Your concern over what happened to Vermillion Wing is not a waste of my time,” Nicholas replied, still distant from the present and what he was saying, not understanding what Kuriko was trying to communicate to him. “I’ve had enough of this grim topic, though,” he said sounding very tired. The Geshrin had to live with what happened to each unit while he was in command, and was weary of the any continued reminders. Despite his often oblivious and cold attitude, what happened to those under him was a burden on his conscience.
Sakaki was returning with two cups of green tea and watched Masako go by. While not paying attention, she accidentally bumped into Rin and spilled the tea, with still one in her left hand that was safe from harm.
Masako would step out of the medbay and walk away, not going anywhere in particular before leaning against a wall, sighing heavily as she looked at the floor. Her long hair fell over her eyes as she reached up and wiped her own forming tears away. It hurt to know that that many had died in such a senseless and stupid battle that could've been avoided with a little prudence instead of rushing, in her opinion. She didn't know the Vermillion Wing personally, but they'd been nice to her in greeting and treated her equally, something nobody else before had done for her on the first day, so she would call them friends. "I don't break down over this though..." she said to herself. "It was a battle, it happens... right?"
Rin got momentarily startled by Sakaki’s bump, and as the liquid spilled she hopped backwards instinctively on the balls of her feet to narrowly miss being stained, her boots clacking loudly back onto the deck as the soldier rebalanced. Her eyes still had a lingering sense of a battle-mindset that flickered back to life, but when she saw who it was, she straightened up and promptly relaxed again. "Er... Ushimo-hei... I didn't see you there," began Rin as she then called over a medical bay worker with a rag, towel, or other absorbent material. "My apologies for spilling your tea."
Sakaki just stood silently and bowed. "My mistake," she replied and began to head back to Shin's bed. She halted suddenly and asked mentally, "Are Hoshitomo-hei and Shin... together or something?" With the conversations she was listening to, she felt like she had to ask.
Rin was bending down to clean up the remains of the mess before the teal-haired woman paused for a long moment upon receipt of the question and stood back up slowly. She didn't expect Sakaki of all people to bring this matter up, but she had to dispel whatever sorts of stories might've been spreading behind her back. "I don't know what that fool may have said to you in his delusional state, but – it's not like that." There was another pause as a twinge of guilt welled up, but she looked away tellingly from her fellow pilot and back to the way ahead to the room where he was being treated. "Do not read into my statements in the combat log any more than concern for a teammate. Nothing more or less. I was merely having trouble controlling the emotions from the Mindy's systems..."
Sakaki just nodded and continued to Shin's bed. Upon reaching the bed she placed the cup on a stand nearby for him to drink if he felt like it. "Green tea for speedy recovery," she stated while pointing to the cup, then took a few steps back so she could fade behind everyone.
Masako would eventually come back into the medbay and kept her eyes hidden, staying back. "Shin... Shifuda-Heisho… I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean to come off so arrogant like that. I have a hard time dealing with emotions sometimes..." she said to them both in a private channel.
Shin nodded to Sakaki. "Thank you, Ushimo-hei. I'll be sure to drink it." He also sent a reply to Masako, "I can understand your feelings Sakiyurai-hei"
Rin arrived on the heels of Sakaki and said a silent hello to her comrades as well as a bow for the Taii who was surprisingly in attendance as well. Of course, her main concern was fixated on the broken Yamataian lying in the bed, to which she affixed a long stare with her blue eyes from the foot of it and folded her arms. Shin likely wasn't sure if she was mad or concerned, it was probably a mix of both as she slowly spoke in a nonplussed tone with a hint of amusement. "And so the tables have turned, it seems."
Shin smiled a bit at Rin's joke. "Almost, Hoshimoto-hei. You're just missing the flowers. It's nice that you came to see me though." Shin was looking back at the stern Yamataian, almost grinning but managing to keep a mostly straight face.
Mai had sat there listening awkwardly to the conversations of the Pride Wing members before she decided to remove herself from the conversations. "Ack!" the Neko exclaimed, trying to feign surprise wasn't hard for her, it was all about bluffing anyway. "I need to finish the rest of my rounds," Mai said to the group before turning back to Shin. "I'll drop back later to pick up my data pad, ok?" Mai said waving at the Yamataian as she started to walk off.
"Of course I came to see you," grumbled Rin, closing her eyes a moment to talk down to him a bit more. "Is there something wrong with being concerned about your health?" Then she opened the watery pools and bored into him again, "If you were not so damn stubborn about everything, you might be dead right now."
"Well, of course I'm stubborn. If I wasn’t so stubborn, I’d be dead right now, and you'd be sad." Shin smiled to Rin, his cheery attitude still there, despite his apparent morbidness. "I told you, I refuse to die until it's my time."
What Nick said was something that Kuriko agreed with him on. She was ready to be done talking about death. The Heisho's ears twitched as she listened to the conversation occurring behind her between Shin and Rin. After all, they could be lovers; it certainly would be an interesting match-up. "Where are we headed next, Saiga-taii?" Kuriko asked the Geshrin.
“I am not quite sure where Shizu– Endo-shosa plans to have us go yet,” Nicholas answered, having to correct himself opposite how he’d had to when he’d first come to the Senbu. “I’m sure that, with command’s permission, she will want to continue to investigate the matter of these pirates. I do know that we won’t be able to make all of the repairs needed without the support of a star fortress, so we may be in port sometime soon.”
Being ignored, Masako would slink out again and retreat to go find her way to the ship's wardroom to get something to drink like she said she was going to, heedless if anyone was paying attention or following her. She felt alone again despite being around thousands of people. Maybe she was going to be like this forever and her efforts to be different from her sister were in vain and was doomed to be a stumbling block in her life?
Sakaki, just listening to everyone, wanting to feel the group unity even if she was outside of the conversation, noticed Masako's departure. Glancing around, she felt there would be no reason to stand around here and departed afterwards.
Although Rin wanted to talk of other matters with Nicholas and her other wingmen, the sight of Shin continued to hold her attention. The way he made light of the situation seemed to irritate her visibly. "Nekki-hei, I cannot understand you at times. You say you refuse to die yet you were going to throw your life away for the Shosa needlessly. You can't have it both ways forever; you are either going to become stronger and find victory with the Pride Wing, or next time it might really be your end in an ignominious battle," she told him. "I hope I have made it clear I find this second option to be unacceptable," added Rin with finality as she took a step closer to his bedside, not tearing her eyes away yet.
Shin just shrugged. "I'll keep my promise to you. And I’ll make another one: I'll never give my enemy any quarter. Nor will I abandon a comrade in battle. Just as long as you promise me to always have my back, Hoshimoto-hei." Shin's goofy smile was gone, replace with a different one; less goofy, more mature and suave. His teeth also appeared to be sparkling, and his vermillion bangs were covering one of his eyes.
Kuriko nodded in confirmation to Nick before turning to watch Shin's reaction to what Rin had just said. Interesting, Kuriko thought as she watched. The Neko felt some of the stress fade away as she watched this interaction as well as a small giddy feeling swell up inside of her. Very interesting. Kuriko subconsciously slid her hands down into her pocket and slipped on a pair of glasses. The frames were appropriately sized, but the sat just a little bit lower on her face. "This is interesting to watch isn't it?" the Heisho sent telepathically to Nicholas.
“I suppose it is,” Nicholas replied aloud, looking slightly perturbed that Kuriko had sent him a telepathic message. He had forgotten that the NH-29 could broadcast to the more mundane races, unlike older models. Rin’s comment about “throwing your life away for the Shosa” caught the Geshrin’s attention, but he decided that it would be better for him not to speak his mind on the matter.
Hoshitomo-hei put her hands on her hips, reasserting her position. Shin obviously was trying to turn her attentions into something else. Though, her relatively stern mask cracked a second as she commented in a bit of a hurt manner, "Idiot. I've always had your back this entire time. How are you ever going to succeed if you couldn't even see that?"
Shin laughed out loud. "Don't worry Rin, I know you have my back. Just don't listen to the rumors that say I'm a pervert. Or the ones that say you're my girlfriend. We need to focus on making Pride Wing an effective fighting force." He thought for a second. "Though, it would've been pretty bad if I had died. While I would've been ST'd, I wouldn’t have any memories of anyone on this ship, not even you." He added in, privately, "The thought of not being able to remember you does scare me, more than I would like to admit."
Rin's gaze blinked, caught a bit off guard with the fact he was laughing. There was a lot of ways she could respond to his comments, but didn't want to bring these up in public channels, so she merely bit her tongue and just sighed a moment. There was one rare gem of wisdom in what he actually uttered at least. "I will find and discipline these rumormongers, then, for spreading false information," mumbled the Nitô Hei with a hint of sinister intent. Of course, Rin eventually sent an unspoken response to Shin's hidden poke, "If you are trying to make me forgive you for the kiss with your current vulnerable condition, it is not happening."
Kuriko started to turn her head back to Nick when she remembered that she had heard he was a Geshrin. Kuriko's attention snapped back to the pair, and when Shin spoke telepathically to Rin, Kuriko couldn't stop herself from listening in, at which her smile grew a little wider. "This is absolutely amazing!" Kuriko said quite enthusiastically to Nick, unaware of his dislike of telepathic communications. "They might be lovers!" Kuriko sent again, happier than before.
“That’s possible, Shifuda-heisho,” the Taii responded, struggling to remember something he’d read in a SANDRA article. “I wouldn’t look too much into it, though. It isn’t unheard of for Star Army personnel to develop meaningless physical relationships to serve as a break from the stresses of war.” Of course, he didn’t think of the consequences of his words as he spoke them; in his mind, his relationship with Shizuka was far from what he’d described.
"How much should I read into the... relationship... between yourself and Endo-shosa, Saiga-taii?" Kuriko asked the Taii teasingly. She wasn't blind, if Nicholas didn't like Shizuka it couldn't be said that Shizuka didn't like Nicholas. Besides, one way or the other, she would find out about it some more now. "Aren't you aware of my former occupation Saiga-taii?" Kuriko asked as she glanced up at the taller Geshrin. "It was my job to look into these kinds of things. Besides, meaningless relationships and those that last both start at the same place, it's all about how it's handled from there," Kuriko replied as she turned back to look at the pair.
Shin shrugged. "I had completely forgotten about it, really."
Rin just shook her head and finally moved up to the front of the bed to get a better look at Shin. The bangs hanging over one of her eyes obscured a bit of her genuinely concerned and annoyed look that persisted. "Just think of the consequences of your actions more... please," spoke the young woman under the radar before completing the thought in a more public order. "Nekki-hei, the only promise I wish you to make for now is to make an expeditious recovery. The others can wait."
"Don't worry, Rin, Nekki Shin's will is like that of a tiger." Shin smiled, reaching up and moved one of her bangs aside, a slight blush appearing on his face. "You have nice eyes, Rin."
With Kuriko’s continued communication, Nicholas suddenly felt a grave, embarrassed feeling in his chest, suddenly aware how what he said could be perceived. “You and I will speak later, Shifuda-heisho,” he said with a low, fuming tone in absence of any coherent or complete explanation to tell her as uncountable comments flew though his mind. He would have said more about the imprudence of her comment, but was distracted by the scene between Hoshitomo-hei and Shin.
There was momentary delay as Hoshitomo-hei's hair was unexpectedly caressed by Shin's hand, moving it aside in a more tender and less awkward fashion than his last advance. The fact she didn't slap him immediately for it was quite telling that something had changed between them. "Shin... what are you..." stammered the Yamataian a moment, before she pulled away a fair distance from the bed. She was angry that he had tried to be suave again, but it also was the sense of confusion Kuriko could detect at how to even respond to his advances with anything but derision and fear.
Kuriko ignored the Taii for a few seconds as she listened and heard what basically confirmed her suspicion. As Shin spoke, Kuriko's hand reached up and gently pushed her glasses closer to her face as she recognized base attempts to impress Rin. Of course, the kicker was both Shin's last sentence, which was obviously his main 'pickup line,' and Rin's last, which indicated desire for the relationship to continue, but uncertainty about how to do it. Using Shin's sickness as an excuse to delay the relationship was a work of subconscious ingenuity, Kuriko thought, clearly fascinated by how this was turning out. Due to her short lifespan, she hadn't had the opportunity to see such examples 'in the wild' as it were. Interesting... Kuriko thought as she jotted down as much information into a mental memo as she could while saving backups of the conversation.
Then the Heisho processed Nicholas's comment, and shifted her head to face the Taii. "Of course Saiga-taii, we can have a session if you'd like. I have some free time available tomorrow if you'd like to drop by. I'm sure we can ease any anxieties you might have with little difficulty. Of course, if you are feeling particularly anxious about this relationship, I can pencil you in earlier if you'd like," Kuriko thought to the First Officer, aware that what she was saying would probably get her in trouble, but at this point the Heisho could care less.
Shin brought his hand back, looking about as hurt as Rin. "I just said you had nice eyes." He shrugged, turning over in bed, closing his eyes. "Just, let me get some sleep now, please."
Rin just nodded, bottling up whatever happened there with a well-practiced routine of compartmentalization. She couldn't actually seem like it might've been something good rather than bad... then she'd only be fanning the flames of rumor rather than snuffing them out. And doing such a thing in front of the Heisho and even the Taii? Ludicrous. "Yes. Go to sleep... before you say more silly things," chided Rin as she seemed unable to meet his eyes now.
Nicholas’ jaw dropped at Kuriko’s suggestion to schedule a “session” and discuss his “anxiety.” The Taii’s disbelief quickly returned to anger, and his attention had become focused solely on Kuriko, now ignoring the melodrama between Rin and Shin. “Perhaps now would be good for you, Shifuda-heisho?” he said, more ordering her than asking. “Report to my office immediately,” he added, making sure his intention was clear as he turned to leave.
Kuriko felt a mix of dread and of triumph simultaneously. She would pay dearly for this later, no doubt. "Of course, Saiga-taii," Kuriko replied verbally, deciding that she shouldn't get herself in anymore trouble. Her smile had only faded slightly, but the Neko was still quite happy and unsure of just how she was going to get out of this one. In fact, she was quite sure she wouldn't be getting out of this one.
When she was sure that Shin was actually slumbering and not going to suddenly pop up and try to 'put the moves on her' again, the Rin realized once again just who was present and inwardly cursed herself for getting so preoccupied with their teammate. Why did she give him so much attention anyway? This was probably only encouraging him further. In any case... "Heisho... Taii... is there something amiss?" queried the soldier, reading the rather sour look on both their faces almost immediately.
"Not at all, Rin," Kuriko said happily. "Saiga-taii and I were just about to have a brief consultation, though I can't talk about what as it would be breaking the trust between myself and Saiga-taii," Kuriko said, aware that Nicholas wasn't stupid. I'm dead, Kuriko thought, but the thought couldn't stop her. She had been stressed out and this had completely de-stressed her, in fact she was almost in a state of bliss now.
Rin quirked an eyebrow at this rather suspicious statement, but did not pry further. "I see," she began with a neutral tone, unaware of the gravity of what just went on behind her back. "I am glad to see that your mood has improved since the shuttle ride."
Kuriko couldn't help but smile back to the Yamataian woman. "If you'll excuse me, I must catch up to Saiga-taii," Kuriko said before bowing and dashing off toward the enraged Geshrin.
The woman gave a respectful nod of her head, and decided that she too would exit. The weight of the day's combat was continuing to bear down on Rin, a fact that Shin had only worsened in his own unique way. The brief oblivion of sleep, a rest she had no doubt earned, indeed seemed the perfect prescription in the end.
END
