o n 2 0 \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ / no 2 \ /¤ Episode ¥ 3: ¥ Invasion of the Roomate! ¤/ Having a hard life did not, in Edward Delacroix's eyes, mean you were in any way justified to complain about it. And in Edward's eyes, he had not been having an easy life, especially lately. So, with another week to go before classes began, he had decided that he would spend an afternoon shutting it outside and not dealing with it for a while. He lay back on the bed, relaxed and for the first time in a long while not thinking about Kuroki Shuji or Mark the Psycho Drama Club President. It seemed the most accurate way to think of Mark, at least. No, right now Edward's thoughts were drifting in a direction he rather enjoyed. He'd seen Sandra yesterday - only one day after the rather abysmal Drama Club meeting - and she'd given him her number. He lay and looked at it, not sure what to do. On the one hand, he wanted to call her, because he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her. On the flip side, he didn't want to damage his friendship with Chisato. If there was one person he truly believed he could count on, it was Chisato. And she still didn't seem to notice that he didn't want more than a tight friendship... "Geez. This place is a mess." Edward's thoughts were scattered to the winds as he heard the unfamiliar voice, the click of a key in the lock at his door. His wings reacted faster than the rest of his body with a quick twitch that shoved him into a sitting position, then crouched as the door was shoved open. The man in the door surveyed the room. "Oh. You're already here." "Um... yeah. I suppose I am." Edward stared, wide-eyed, as the man proceeded to summarily ignore his presence and start hauling boxes into the room. Glancing out the door, he saw more sitting in the well-lit, otherwise nondescript hall, with some of them giving hints of stranger objects within. He looked back to the man, who nonchalantly let the box drop, not realizing that it was directly over some of Edward's X- Men comics. Without thinking, Edward dove to stop the box, slammed into the floor, and desparately pushed upwards, leaving only a corner on the tiles and the rest barely suspended by Edward's less-than- impressive strength. He managed to twist his head, with chest pressed hard into the floor, only to see the man bringing in another box. "Stop!" he shouted, realizing that his copy of the Phoenix Saga was about to be smashed into oblivion. "Who are you?" "Hnh?" The man blinked, then realization dawned, and he nonchalantly tossed the box onto the other bed in the room. Edward gaped, but the man ignored him as he lifted the box Edward was desparately holding and tossed that on the bed as well. He towered over the prone Edward, leaning over and offering a hand. "Sorry. I'm your roomate, Alec Cassidy, president of the school's premiere club, Athletes Anonymous!" Edward raised his eyebrows. "I thought the premiere club was the Perfect Dojo." Alec frowned, and Edward decided to shut up as he got to his feet. Once they were both standing, Edward actually wasn't much shorter than Alec - maybe an inch. He certainly didn't have Alec's ruggedness, though. Kuroki Shuji was quite muscular, but while Alec didn't seem quite so thoroughly built, he exuded a sense of power and agility. His shock of red hair matched his sky-blue eyes, freckles dancing along his perfectly framed face. "How are you the president already? I thought that only freshmen were allowed in Southeast." "Usually, that's the case, but this year they decided to have some later-year mentors hanging around the place." He walked out and hefted another box, and Edward, recognizing the pattern, desparately began to throw things off the floor and onto the bed, snatching a Transformers issue out of the way barely before a box slammed to the floor with the noise of an atomic explosion. "So, I got assigned to you. Hope you're okay with that." For the first time, he stopped and seemed to actually notice Edward. "Um. Man? Are those real?" For a moment, Edward's mind went blank. Then he realized what Alec was talking about - he'd simply gotten so used to people not bothering to comment that he wasn't used to the barrage of questions anymore. "Oh, the wings?" Alec nodded, and Edward flexed them, still sore from his rough impact with the floor. "Yeah, they're real. Yeah, I can fly. Do you have a problem with that?" Alec shook his head, as if having wings was the most natural thing in the world, then stepped out and picked up another box. "That's fine. If a man wants to have wings, then that's entirely his own business." The box was dropped without Edward even noticing, but the smash of the heavy load into Edward's foot did not go unnoticed. As he pushed desparately to get the load off of him, Alec, apparently oblivious, put another box atop the first one, ignoring the wide eyes of his roomate. Edward pushed like a maniac, but couldn't budge the box. Sighing, he stood up, aimed, and blasted the bottom box with a bolt of green energy. He still didn't know how he did that, but it was useful. "Cool," noted Alec, tossing another box across the room onto the bed. "I thought I was the only one who could do that. At least, without shouting some weird Japanese stuff." He went out to pick up the last box, ignoring Edward's blank stare, then popped open the still-intact portion of the stack that had been on Edward's foot and started tossing clothes in the dresser. Edward fumed, then tapped him on the shoulder. He was ignored. He tried again, harder. Alec turned and frowned. "What?" "You... you can do that?" This was baffling to the young man. Nina had called it the mark of the dragon, or some such mysticobabble, but Edward still thought it was something special. Something he didn't want, granted, but something special. If Alec could do the same thing that he could... well, it sort of put him out of sorts. Alec shrugged. "Kind of like that. 'Cept I shoot fire instead. Here, I'll show you." He opened the window, then stuck his arm out. A crackle of flame rose around his arm, then burst out in a gout of fire that easily reached as far as the roof of the building. Then it died, and Alec turned back to face Edward, unchanged except for now being surrounded by the smell of burnt toast. "That's pretty much it. Been doing that ever since I came to Crecheb. You?" "Nope. Since I was twelve, in fact." He sighed, and flopped backwards onto his bed. Remembering the first time he had gotten his wings wasn't a very happy memory. "I was playing a game of baseball." He smirked. "I hate baseball. In fact, I've always hated baseball. I don't even know why I was playing. I was. Somebody hit a ball to the outfield. I jumped for it, pain shot through my back, and I caught the ball because two wings had erupted from my back and allowed me to fly." He twitched his wings. "Not much to go through life with. Hard to be popular when you're winged." He looked up, lost deep in thought, to find Alec completely ignoring him as he put up a poster. "Hey!" "Sorry. I didn't know you weren't a Yankees fan," replied Alec, rolling the poster up again. He blinked at Edward, who seemed to be struggling between rage and confusion. "What?" Edward sighed, then rolled off the bed and stalked out of the room. Alec leaned out after him. "WHAT?" \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ There was a silence in the air, wrought heavy with anticipation. With the feel of something coming. A silence that both Edward and Chisato knew heralded the coming of their club's president, Mark. Chisato looked back as Edward sank his head, hoping to obscure himself underneath the dining hall's table. No such look. "Hey, guys!" Mark shouted, changing course to sit with the two freshmen. "How ya doing, Edward? Looking forward to beating the crap out of the Perfect Dojo again?" Edward sighed. "That last time wasn't just Edward." Edward looked up to see that Nina and Sandra had apparently accompanied Mark for reasons that he could not even begin to fathom. Maybe the guy wasn't quite so intolerable when he saw you as something other than an express ticket to prestige and dating worth. Nina's remark... Edward wasn't sure if it was her defending him or inflating herself. "He wouldn't have been able to beat that guy if we hadn't helped. Isn't that right, Edward?" "Sure. Why not. Whatever." Any attention he might have been paying to Nina had shifted entirely to Sandra. He was staring, but he didn't care. She noticed and laughed lightly, and Edward felt like everything in his life was all right again. But much as he had expected, it didn't take Chisato long to try and snap his attention away from Sandra, this time with a sharp kick to the shins under the table. "Um. What were we talking about again?" Sandra tittered. Chisato snarled. Nina shrugged. "Chisato was saying that your roomie's moved in now, and he's a dick. Come on, share with us." She leaned forward, ears twitching and tail waving back and forth. Mark, meanwhile, was fixated on Nina. For a moment, Edward was distracted, contemplating the possibility of Mark and Nina together. He shuddered, and turned his attention back to the subject at hand. "Yeah, Alec. He moved in a couple days ago. I swear to God, this guy is my absolute opposite. He listens to hard- core rap, he loves sports, he never catches a single pop culture reference..." Edward sighed. "At least he's not Shuji." Snapped out of his reverie by the mention of the Perfect Dojo's president, Mark leaned forward, and everyone assembled expected another rant about how Edward was the greatest person in the world because he could beat up Kuroki Shuji. It didn't come. "Alec Cassidy is your roomate?" he asked. Edward blinked, then nodded. "Hmm. He's quite a character. He almost beat Shuji a while back. A lot of people thought he'd be the first to do it." "For all I care, we can just assume he did," replied Edward, sticking a fork in his potatoes. He let go. It stayed perfectly upright. He tried tapping it with a knife. It stayed perfectly upright. Pushing his plate away, Edward decided that he would start ordering pizzas for the dining hall. Mark remained completely true to himself. He ignored Edward without a second thought, and continued on his already-started tangent. "Edward, do you see what a massive chance this is right here?" The winged freshman sighed and muttered something that was either "No" or "Help". The Drama Club president continued regardless. "This guy's club could be a major ally! If he couldn't beat Kuroki Shuji, and you could, then you'll make short work of him!" "Bugger me, Mark, do I even exist to you outside of 'that kid who beat up Kuroki Shuji'?" replied Edward, sounding more bitter than he had really meant to. He pulled on his fork, only to find that it was now completely immobile. A harder yank, and he managed to pull a rock-hard clump of what might have potatoes up with a fork stuck in it. Before Mark could start ranting on again, Sandra interrupted him. "He's got a point, Mark," she said, and Edward let the potatoes drop with a crash as she looked at Mark with Bambi eyes. Mark looked down to notice her - probably the first time he'd ever done something like that - while Nina smirked and Chisato fumed. "Just because he's won a few fights doesn't mean that he's an invincible machine. For a guy who waxes poetic about being able to move beyond yourself -" Sandra caught Edward's gaze, and she trailed off, locked in his gaze. "That's IT!" came a sharp, piercing shriek. Mark and Nina both turned to look at Chisato. Chisato waited a moment longer, then picked up a roll on her plate and threw it at Edward, who winced in reaction and broke the gaze between he and Sandra. Edward looked at Chisato, frowning, and a sudden change seemed to come over her, as if she hadn't known she'd actually shrieked instead of just thinking about it. "Um... that is... I... think it's up to Edward if he's going to fight Alec or not!" There was an awkward silence settling over the table, and Chisato had a very sheepish grin on her face. "Um... I mean... yeah, that's it, isn't it? If Edward's willing to fight Alec, then he will, and we'll all know about it because any fight involving Edward turns into a light show." Edward smirked, and Chisato suddenly seemed to become infused with energy as she sprang out of her seat. "You're no better than Mark, Sandra, because you're trying to make the decision *not* to fight for Edward!" Sandra blinked. "Um... Chisato, that wasn't even close to what I was -" "Yes, it was. Don't try to cover, dear, we all know you mean well." Sandra cocked an eyebrow as Edward looked back from Sandra to Chisato. Trouble was brewing, but Chisato wasn't finished yet. "It's entirely up to Edward whether or not he's going to get any respect in his own room!" She smirked and looked at him. "What's your choice, Edward?" \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ Chisato frowned as Edward leaned back, smiling broadly and popping a handful of popcorn in his mouth. Sandra and Nina had come along as well, and while Mark had a class, Jim had hooked up with the group. The Drama Club tended to stick together. "Um, Edward?" Chisato tried to get his attention, but Edward continued to stare at the ceiling. "Edward, when I mentioned that it was your choice, I was sort of implying you would choose to fight him or not, not to run away from the problem." "Specific more been have should you like looks," offered Jim with a smile and a shrug. Jim had now been talking backwards for about two weeks, according to Mark. He seemed to be enjoying it more and more with each day, but at least everyone was getting used to deciphering him. He leaned over Edward, who was trying to grab more popcorn despite having already finished it. "Edward? Right Chisato's. Problems your of any solving really isn't this." Edward didn't take very long to respond to Jim, but that was less because he had deciphered it quickly and more because he already knew what he was going to say. "I know that. But this is a lot easier than solving problems." He sighed and looked at the assembled people. "Guys, please. I really don't know how I manage to keep beating Kuroki Shuji. I would love to lose to him if it didn't mean that I'd be dead. I really don't want to be anyone's champion -" Being a catwoman, Nina had claws. Having claws, it really hurt when she slapped somebody. She slapped Edward, and he winced from the sharp pain as welts of blood raised on his face. "OW! That hurt, Nina! What was that -" "Listen to yourself, Edward," she replied, scowling at him. He'd seen Nina tear people apart before, but this was the first time it looked like she was going to do it to him. He wasn't looking forward to it for obvious reasons. "You're being pathetic. You yourself say that if you get dealt a bad hand by life, you deal with it. But here you are just wallowing in self-pity, following the path of least resistance. Come on, Edward! Show a little initiative!" Edward shrugged. "Guys, I'm not a hero. I'm just a student with wings." Sandra leaned over and touched his forehead. "Nobody's saying you have to be a hero, Edward, but you're a lot more than just a guy with wings. You've got a good sense of humor, you've got friends that care about you, a lot of great stuff around you. I think it's bugging you a lot that you have to deal with all this Shuji nonsense, but you can't make that go away by just ignoring it. Your life won't normalize by wishing it was normal." Edward said nothing for a moment, lost in thought. Then, he turned to face Sandra, looked into her blue-brown eyes, and smiled. "Sandra? I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner together tonight." She said nothing, but nodded and smiled. He was vaguely aware that Chisato was flipping out completely. Rising from Chisato's bed, Edward looked around. "All right. I'm going to go get my room back. But I'm only doing it because I want that last bastion of normality. Despite the wings, I'm really just a normal person. Everybody okay with that?" There was a general ripple of nods, including Chisato once she'd calmed down a little. "Edward, him take can you," offered Jim, patting him on the back. "Class of out Mark pull go I'll. This see to want he'll." Edward shot Jim a strange look, and the brown-haired man shrugged in response. "Major communications a Mark's. Anything learn really to here not he's." Jim smirked, then headed out of the dorm. This was really exactly the sort of thing Edward hadn't wanted to deal with. Normalcy had never been within his grasp, granted, but it seemed further away now than before. He folded his wings as he ducked out of Chisato's room, and, with Nina, Chisato, and Sandra in tow, headed off for Southeast. \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ Eyes flashing with green energy, wings outstretched, fists clenched tightly, Edward stood in the doorway to his room, trying to seem as intimidating as possible. "Alec! In the name of the Drama Club and my own personal tattered dignity, I challenge you to a duel for control over our dorm room!" He paused and blinked. "Cripes, I sounded like Shuji there." The women behind him gave grunts of agreement. Alec looked up. "Oh. Sorry, were you talking about something? I was reading." He held up a copy of Sports Illustrated. "It's the latest issue, and it's got plenty of coverage of what they're expecting for the upcoming World Series. I'm personally gunning for the -" "YES, I was talking about something! I really don't care about the World Series!" Edward really hadn't meant to be so loud, but it had the desired effect of getting Alec's undivided attention. The man was genuinely listening to Edward now, and was staring at him intently. "In fact, I don't care about sports, period! I've had enough weird things happen to me lately - my room is GOING to be the one place where things work like I expect them to! I'm calling you out for control of this room!" The smirk widened into a dark grin. "Wow. After I saw you blast that box, I was hoping you were driven. Guess so." A field of flame built up around Alec, and he put his hand together as Edward motioned for Sandra, Nina, and Chisato to scatter. "Come on, then - make this interesting!" He aimed, and a gout of flame slammed hard into Edward's torso, sending him crashing hard into the wall outside the door. "Are you insane, Alec? This is a dorm!" He blasted at Alec with a burst of energy, but the young man sprang off his bed and flipped towards Edward. He dashed out the door towards him as Edward pushed himself sideways, Alec grinning widely. "This is no place for a fight!" "You serious about this or not?" asked Alec, smacking Edward with a roundhouse kick and sending him reeling backwards. "Doesn't matter where we go - let's just do this!" Edward snarled, then noticed the window at the end of the hallway behind Alec. Lunging backwards to avoid another punch, Edward jumped, then dove and rammed hard into Alec, flying fast and hard to the end of the hallway, smashing out of the window in a shower of wood and glass. Alec kneed Edward in the gut, and the freshman tumbled backwards as the athlete righted himself in the air. Surprised that his opponent could fly as well, Edward sent a volley of bursts tracing along the air, trying to ignore the pain he was in, but his shots went wide as he focused on avoiding the flames Alec sent his way. Spinning towards the ground, Alec surrounded himself with a blazing aura, and Edward lurched aside, then spun around and smacked Alec with a large blast of green force. The older man winced, then turned back to face Edward, only barely fazed. "Now I remember why your name sounded so familiar, Edward. You're that guy that finally managed to beat Kuroki Shuji. But you don't seem quite so tough to me. Off-balance?" Alec smirked again, then let loose a wide torrent of flame. Edward bobbed beneath it, then fired a rapid volley of blasts at Alec. The force knocked the red-haired man off-balance, and he began to fall, but he kicked out and slammed into Edward, sending both of them falling towards the ground. The rest of the Drama Club looked out the window at the falling pair, shocked that Alec was doing so well. "I don't understand," said Mark, watching Edward struggle to keep airborne. "How can he be losing to Alec? Unless -" A horrible idea crossed visibly across Mark's face. "You don't think he seriously doesn't know how he managed to beat Shuji?" Sally looked at Mark and scowled. "No. You think?" She smacked him hard in the side of the head, and Mark recoiled from the harsh impact. "Why else would he say that? Well, maybe to shut you up, but THAT wasn't going to happen, was it?" "Onto the 'angry' phase, I see?" asked Chisato. Sally nodded and gave her the finger. Chisato looked back out the window. "I've gotta give Edward a hand. Maybe a quick telepathic bolt would -" There was a flash of green light, and Alec flew up past the window, righting himself before them. "On second thought, maybe I'll just stand over here," she offered as Alec scowled at her, then looked down as Edward raced towards him, firing a series of energy bolts. Alec gathered energy, then sent a massive flame gout streaking towards Edward. There wasn't enough time for Edward to react, only enough time for him to get slammed by the force of the flames and begin falling again, covered in agonizing pain. Alec shot downwards as the Drama Club piled out of Southeast's main entrance. "I didn't know I could climb down stairs that quickly," panted Nina, the rest of the club echoing her sentiment. She looked over, saw Edward, and dashed towards him, then sprang up with a mighty leap. Catching him as softly as she could, she landed hard as Alec touched down behind them. Edward moaned, and Nina helped him up, then pinched him. Edward blinked, then looked over at Alec. "That really hurt, bastard," he snarled. This fight was quickly becoming very personal for him. He didn't like being ambushed, and he wasn't about to take that from someone who he had to live with. Events were spiraling out of control for Edward, but he was going to take control of his own domain, whether Alec wanted to go along with it or not. "It's time to end this." "I couldn't agree more," said Alec with a smirk, sending a series of flame blasts spiraling towards Edward. Edward sprang into the sky, then launched another series of green bolts towards his roomates. His anger was growing, but Alec wasn't exactly calming down either. Blasts met in mid-air and exploded as the two combatants spat projectiles at one another. As Edward sent another volley towards Alec, the athlete slid along the ground and kicked Edward firmly in the gut, then stood and started punching him. Edward fell backwards under the assault, wincing with each blow. "I thought so. You can't actually fight!" Alec punctuated his statement by kneeing Edward hard in the groin and sending him reeling. Only a feeble flap from Edward's wings kept him from another assault by Alec. "Pathetic. I'd been expecting a challenge, Edward. Come on! Provide it! Let's see some competition!" He lunged forward with a spinning kick, and Chisato winced in anticipation of the noise as Alec's foot collided with Edward's head. When she could look again, Edward was gripping Alec's leg, stopping him from completing the kick. "I... won't... let... you... do... this!" The voice was not strong or noble, but strangled and forced. It made the point. Edward shoved off the ground, still holding the leg, throwing Alec completely off-balance, then let go and slammed into Alec with a glowing bodyslam. "Give me... my... ROOM!" Energy pooled in his hands like it had before, and Alec's eyes widened. "FORCE JUDGEMENT CANNON!" Edward had never watched what happened to someone after he hit them with that attack. He knew it would have to be significant. He didn't expect Alec to fly up and smash hard into the ground. He did expect the wave of nausea following the attack, and he fell to his knees in perfect time. Looking up, he fought down a wave of vomit as he watched Alec stir, then pull himself out of the ground and turn to face Edward. The athlete slowly stalked up to Edward, then stood motionless for a moment. It was clear to everyone that Edward wasn't able to fight any longer, that he was totally out of energy. The group watched as Alec looked down at Edward, then extended a hand and helped the gaping freshman back to his feet. "Darn. Good fight, Edward. I can see why you beat Shuji." It was a moment before anyone spoke. "Wait," said Mark at length, stepping forward. "You're still standing, and you're conceding the victory to Edward? What's going on?" Alec shrugged. "Edward can't fight, Mark. It's obvious. But he was still able to give me a good run for my money, and I'm barely standing right now. Plus, I ambushed him, which was sort of against the rules. So, you win. I submit to the Drama Club." In a gesture of comradery, Alec slapped Edward hard on the back, causing him to pitch forward and nearly lose his balance completely. Mark's eyes were wide with joy. "Edward - you told him you challenged him in the name of the Drama Club, didn't you?" Edward managed a weak nod, and the catlike grin on Mark's face grew wider. "Oh... YES! He did it! Now Athletes Anonymous has to defer to US! We just got a big ally against the Perfect Dojo, and we're going to kick Kuroki Shuji's arrogant butt, and then I can finally get a date to a dance or..." Chisato and Sandra helped Edward stand as Mark launched into a victory dance. "Edward?" asked Sandra, visibly concerned. "Are you all right?" Her eyes brimmed with worry, and Chisato seemed to be torn over whether to be jealous towards Sandra or concerned for Edward. Concern won out, and Edward looked at both women staring at him at the verge of tears. "I'm okay," he said slowly, trying not to wince as he stood under his own power. "I just need a little sleep. Like, say, two decades worth." Another wave of nausea hit him, and his vision blurred. He was dimly aware that he hit the ground, but then again, he was only dimly aware that he was even really an active participant in his life anymore. \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ He was dreaming. He knew that. He was familiar with the sensation of being in a dream and knowing it at the same time. But somewhere on the edge of the conciousness, he was aware that the voice meant something more. "I apologize, Edward," came the whisper, as the speech faded in and out. "You must understand... such measures were... to continue... I never had any desire... but the others... EDWARD, WAKE UP!" The switch from the strange, lilting whisper to Chisato's sharp shriek of obedience lurched Edward into wakefulness. He was lying in his bed, the room restored to the proper state of order from what he could see. "Um. Hi, Chisato. Exactly how long have I been unconcious?" He tried to grin sheepishly. She shrugged. "A full day. You kept talking in your sleep, too. We took you to the infirmary, but they wanted to shoot you full of morphene." Chisato paused for a moment, then tapped her chin. "Come to think of it, they wanted to shoot *all* of us full of morphene. Anyways, Sandra was a little upset, but that's okay." "Sandra?" With a push from his wings, he lurched into a sitting position. Only Chisato was there. Even Alec was absent. Chisato was now glaring at him, and Edward realized that he was really in no state to argue with Chisato. "Um. Sorry, Antenna-Girl." "*DON'T CALL ME THAT!*" screamed Chisato with enough force to wake the dead. Edward promptly fell backwards once again, and she scowled. "I may have admitted that they're antenna, yeah, but... um... I was lying! They're just a birthmark! Yes, that's it, nothing but a birthmark!" She planted her hands on her hips and seemed quite pleased with herself. "Quite a birthmark, admittedly, but nothing more elaborate than a birthmark -" "Fine. They're a birthmark. Whatever." Edward stood, ignoring the pain that shot through his body when he did precisely that. "Is Mark still having an orgasm because I beat Alec?" Chisato nodded, and Edward sighed. Despite the fact that it had nearly destroyed Edward, Mark had apparently focused on the fact that Edward had won, not the fact that - well, any facts other than Edward winning, actually. "Edward?" asked Chisato, slipping off the bed and walking over to her longtime friend. He nodded in acknowledgement. "All else aside - is something bugging you? I mean, this whole roomate thing - you really seem to be upset. You know you can trust me. What's up?" For not the first time, Edward Delacroix sighed. The truth of the matter was, he didn't really know what was bugging him. He'd been more cynical than usual lately, and the one bright spot through the various debacles was Sandra. Something was getting to him, he knew, but he didn't know what. "I really don't know, Chisato. I guess... most of my life, I've gone through without being noticed. Maybe that's a little easier than being the flavor of the month." Chisato smiled and patted Edward on the back, something that required a bit of skill to do without slamming into his wings and ruining the intention behind the gesture. "Don't worry about it, Edward. Classes start in two days, and then things will change. We've only been here for about a week now. It's not like things are fixed in stone. Maybe Mark will finally acknowledge you as person." Edward laughed. "That'll happen." Somehow, Chisato's words had made him feel a little better. He twitched his still-sore wings, then sighed and threw on a jacket - another activity that required some skill thanks to his wings. "Do you know what the other club members are up to?" "Hmm..." She thought for a moment. "Mark is off in a class. So's Sandra. Jim has a paper he's working on. Rick is busy practicing a scene for a play." Another second of thought. "Sally and Chris aren't doing anything right now." He smirked again, somehow feeling more complete. "Let's meet up with them and go to lunch. And hopefully not run into any more fights than we already have today." He blinked. "Er, yesterday. And the days beforehand. Yeah. Last week. Well, not exactly a week, because we got here on a Thursday, and right now it's... well, I fought Alec on -" "Shut up, Edward," said Chisato, affectionately slapping him and dragging him out the door. "Let's just hope that Chris has gotten all of his aggression out for the day. The dining hall really doesn't take kindly to people breaking stuff in the middle of lunch." Edward sighed, broke Chisato's grip, and then shot her a smirk as they continued walking. Apparently, running away from a hard life wasn't going to work either. All things considered, there were worse places to be. With hopes of real food in the dining hall, Edward walked out of the dorm. \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ /¤ Episode ¥ 4: ¥ New Horizons ¤/ "History: Introduction to Western History. Politics: Introduction to the World Stage. Math: Introductory Calculus. English: Roots of Writing." Edward sighed and let his schedule flutter down to the table, obviously dissatisfied. "Could somebody please clarify why, if everything we're able to take is just introduction, what the point of four years in high school was?" Mark smiled as Edward stared at his schedule, which was now lying on the Drama Club president's kitchen table, with the freshman obviously hoping for an answer to his question. "I remember the first year of schedule disappointment. But, luckily, as a fifth-semester student, I no longer suffer from such injustices. My schedule is perfectly tuned. I am doing exactly what I want." Chisato, who was once again trying her hand at cooking in the kitchen, stepped out to stare at Mark. "Wait a minute. You've been in classes already, but class starts tomorrow. What the heck have you been doing in those classes?" "I... um... sort of fell behind in my schoolwork last semester, so I, er, needed to take some extra courses over the summer to have enough credits." He shrugged. "But, you know what, guys? That's all okay now, because the best thing in my life has happened to me." He smiled at Edward like a man admiring his new sports car. "Edward here is the man who beat Alec Cassidy, who beat Rodrigo Sanmartin, and most important of all, can BEAT KUROKI -" The tirade was one everyone was used to by now, but that didn't stop Nina from promptly hurling a coffee mug at Mark's forehead. It hit hard, but didn't break on impact with his head. It broke after hitting the floor when Mark failed to catch it. "Mark, did you forget that Edward nearly got himself killed last time he fought? Alec took him to school completely. He's not the messiah figure you make him out to be." "Nina, have I told you lately that I love you?" said Edward, smirking at the catwoman. He looked back to Mark and noticed that he was only nodding slowly now, enraptured by Nina's words. Wouldn't that be best for all involved parties - if Mark would just get a girlfriend and then left Edward along for a while. It was a pleasant thought, and it prompted Edward to slump back into the chair behind him, dreaming of a life without Mark's pressures. He'd talked with Chisato a lot since the whole roomate fiasco, and had come to the conclusion that he'd more or less overreacted. He didn't mind admitting that he'd gone overboard about Alec disturbing his hold on the room. But he also knew why he'd done it - he wasn't about to give over control of the one thing that remained his to control. And he was of the mind that a large part of that problem was Mark's cloying influence in his life. It was a nascent thought in his brain, that some part of his current estrangement in his own life was due to the presence of the Drama Club... "Nina! Mark! Edward! It's time for the big treat!" Chisato's voice came clear like a bell as Nina padded over to the table, all three people waiting patiently for Chisato to emerge from the kitchen. "I know that the last time I tried this, it didn't come out well, but I am now confident that careful study and practice has produced a culinary delight!" There was a moment of pause, and then a small grunt from the kitchen. "And you'll validate that as soon as I can scrape it off of the pan!" For a moment, nobody said anything. Mark, Edward, and Nina all turned to look at one another, blinking, none saying a word but all three with an obvious thought in their minds. In perfect unison, they pushed back their chairs and began to grab their coats, ready for another course of dining hall cuisine. "Just KIDDING, guys! Really!" There was the sound of clanging, and Chisato emerged with three plates, each piled high with an unidentifiable food. "Here you go! This is what your taste buds have been dreaming of all those lonely nights!" She continued beaming, then noticed that everyone was simply staring at the food. "What?" Edward coughed in preparation of telling Chisato the blunt truth, but as could be expected, Nina was miles ahead of him in that department. "Chisato?" She leaned forward and scrutinized closely. "I'm not sure about this, but that looks like a spider. And I'm certain that's a chicken bone. And this -" Nina flicked a piece of food, making the whole pile jiggle "- is probably a rubber ball." Chisato scowled. "You're still doubtful? Fine! I'll prove to you that this is good food!" She grabbed a fork, put the plates down on the counter, and scowled at the plates. "I'LL try it first, and you'll all be sorry you didn't take the chance!" With definitive motion, she stabbed her fork into the food and shoved a large forkful into her mouth. She chewed for a moment, and as her expression drooped, her face turned a definite shade of green. With visible effort, she swallowed, and her eyes began to water. "See?" she tried, her eyes still watering. "It's... really... good... to..." She shoved another forkful into her mouth, then dropped the fork, fell behind the counter, could be heard yanking out the trash can. Everyone leaned over, and she could be heard violently regurgitating her dish. Edward stepped over, concerned for his friend. "Chisato?" he asked, not hearing anything but rather labored breathing. Her hand reached up, looking for the paper towels, and Edward tried to tactfully hand them to her. She grunted acknowledgement, and there was silence for a few moments before she stood up again. "Shut up, all of you," she sighed, looking as if she'd gone multiple rounds with a washing machine from the inside. "Let's just go to the dining hall and not talk, all right?" She grabbed her coat and stalked out, and the rest of the group simply shrugged and followed. \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ "I think the saddest part of this is the fact that this is a buffet," muttered Edward as he pushed a piece of meat with his fork. It wasn't that he disliked rare meat - he liked it, in fact. But "rare" and "uncooked" were distinctly different terms. Glancing over towards Nina, he saw that she had piled her plate high with the raw meat, and was purring happily as she began eating. Mark was still staring ga-ga at Nina, as if watching a cat tear into a raw steak was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Edward and Chisato had about as much interest in eating their meals as they had in eating what Chisato had cooked, so they were staring at Mark. Nina was ignoring them all. "Like cats, Mark?" asked Chisato at length. He nodded. "YOU!!" A sigh came forth that Edward was quite familiar with, and as he glanced in the direction of the exclamation, a prayer on his lips, he knew he would see none other than Kuroki Shuji and Rodrigo Sanmartin. He didn't expect Rodrigo to be on crutches, but he did expect the two to be heading towards the table at top speeds. "Edward Delacroix!" snapped Rodrigo, evicting Edward's attention. "You are the evil man who gave me this grevious injury! I would fight you again, were it not for this!" "Come on, Rodrigo," sighed Shuji, tapping his friend on the shoulder. "You wouldn't fight him here, you know that. It's against the rules of honor to fight in a crowded place, even if he did act like a cur." Resisting the urge to fight had never been a quality attributed to Edward, and this was the perfect time to rise to the bait. "I thought it was also against the rules of honor to use a knife," he said nonchalantly, trying to enhance the image by placing a bite of meat in his mouth. He regretted it instantly, but continued. "As long as you were planning on breaking the rules of honor multiple times, Rodrigo, you could at least have bothered to have a plan of attack that didn't suck. You lost a lot of honor, and your net gain was a broken leg?" The Latino ninja's face went from a scowl to outright rage. "That is the last straw, honorless dog! I will not allow such insolence to stand!" Standing up straight, he cast his crutches aside. "I need no artificial supports! I will stand fueled by the force of my rage and my will!" He stood a moment longer, then tried to take a step forward and collapsed in a heap. There was a pause, then Edward and Chisato shrugged and started trying to eat. "Um, could one of you honorless dogs help me regain my crutches?" "Rodrigo, don't let the dog get to you," snarled Shuji, helping his comrade stand again with his crutches. He stepped forward and slammed his fist down on the tray, which would have quite angered Edward if he had been very serious about eating it in the first place. "Say what you will, Edward, I have never ignored you and gone for hurting that antenna-girl over there." Shuji's comment proved to be a mistake, as Chisato moved with lightning speed, onto the table and grabbing the collar of Shuji's shirt, scowling. "They're NOT ANTENNAE! They're a BIRTHMARK! And besides, Rodrigo attacked Edward first, not the other way around!" Shuji seemed surprised by the news, and he glanced back to Rodrigo, who simply shrugged. Mark started to stand, but Nina shot him a withering glare. He hovered for a moment, unsure of whether he should defend his new prize club member or he should obey Nina. Then he sat down and folded his hands in his lap, trying to look the position of innocence. There was a moment of awkward silence, Rodrigo staring at Edward, Edward staring at Shuji, Shuji staring at Chisato, Chisato staring back, Mark staring at Nina. Then, Nina stood, stalked over to the middle of the staredown, and waved at Edward. "Edward? If you're not going to eat it, can I have your meat, too?" Very few things could keep Mark Tyrell silent for long, and even Nina's sway could not last forever. With a dramatic effort, Mark jumped up, knocking his chair back and slamming his knees into the table, jostling everyone's trays and spilling their drinks. As per usual, he was oblivious to that fact. "You ought to watch your tone, Kuroki Shuji!" Chisato, Nina, and Edward all jerked their heads towards Mark. "This here is Edward Delacroix, your eternal nemesis, and he's part of MY -" "For God's sake, Mark, this isn't about your club!" snapped Edward, visibly angry. "What is enough for you? Is my existence defined to you only by who I beat? I am *really* getting sick of being held up on a pedestal just because I can beat Kuroki Shuji!" Mark looked shocked, as if for the first time he was really listening to Edward. Shuji tapped on Edward's shoulder. "Excuse me? Who can beat who? You just happen to have gotten in a couple of lucky matches, Delacroix, and I doubt you could -" Edward raised a hand and pointed it at Shuji and Rodrigo. Force pooled in it, and Shuji blinked. "Force Judgement Cannon," said Edward in the most blasé tone he could manage, and the torrent of energy slammed into both members of the Dojo, sending them flying off to the far end of the dining hall. "Mark?" He blinked. "I didn't realize it was bugging you that much, Edward. Sorry." He sat down again, sighing. "It's just... well... I'm in my Junior year, Edward, and I've been president of this club since my Freshman year. We've done nothing but lose and be ridiculed. I joined when there were still some really great members of the club, but now... they're gone." He looked up at Edward. "I just sorta... well, really wanted one big victory before the end of my career here, you know?" It wasn't Mark. Edward could have kicked himself for not realizing it sooner, but the big thing that was making him feel estranged from his own life was something completely independent of Mark. It wasn't Mark's fault that he was glad he had a fellow club member who could get him some respect. "Hey, Mark, really, it's okay..." Mark looked up. "It is? It is!" He jumped up again, this time not hitting his knees but still sending his chair flying. "That's great, Edward, because you just BEAT HIM AGAIN!" Edward glanced across the hall, looked at Mark, and sighed heavily as Mark began cheering. "We are going to kick some SERIOUS tail this semester, Edward! We've got the Perfect Dojo kowtowing to us, and you know that means..." Chisato tapped Edward on the shoulder, while Nina tried to get Mark to shut up. "Edward? You okay?" He nodded. "I know we talked about this, but... if it's not Mark..." Edward blinked, a thought entering his head. There was someone who he knew he could talk to, who would listen to him, someone other than Chisato. He'd had to cancel the first date between he and Sandra, but that didn't mean that he'd become less certain about it. "Just a second, Chisato," said Edward, smirking. "I've got somebody I need to call." \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ She had never looked more beautiful to Edward. She stood in the door to his room, smiling, her brown hair curving in on the sides of her head, wearing a purple shirt and jeans, looking at him in a way that made him just want to sweep her away. "Hi, Edward," she said with a little giggle. "How's it going?" He smiled back. "Good, now." He glanced over at Alec, who was happily organizing three years' worth of complete football seasons. He had yet to see what having Athletes Anonymous on his side would mean, but that was a moot point at the moment. "Hey, Alec, I'm heading out for a while." Alec looked up, saw Sandra, and let his eyes widen. "Wow, Edward, she's really cute." Sandra blushed, and Edward sank his head into his hands. "No, really, she's cute all right. Nice to see you can meet women after all. Did she come to you, or did you chase after her?" With a sigh, Edward escorted both himself and Sandra out the door, then let it close behind him. "What?" "I apologize for my roomie," said Edward, mock-bowing. "He has a very serious mental condition. The doctors can't do anything for it. The common term is idiocy." Edward's pulse raced as she put her hand on his shoulder, still smiling. "I thought it was kind of nice, actually. It's always nice to be complimented." "All men recognize great beauty when they see it," replied Edward with a shrug, evoking another blush from Sandra. He admired her for a moment as she stood, amazed yet again by the feeling he felt as he watched her. "So, what yould you like to do on this date?" The expression on his face turned serious. "That is, unless it isn't a date." "It most certainly is," she replied with a smile, straightening up and holding out her hand like a noblewoman. "Now, Mr. Delacroix, I believe the traditional first date would be the stereotypical dinner, a decent movie, and possibly a trip to Dairy Queen afterwards. Do you object?" Taking the initiative, Edward took her hand delicately - her skin was so soft! - and kissed it lightly, evicting another blush and a small laugh. "You're very silly," she said with a smile. "Your proposal sounds most acceptable, Ms. MacFarlane. I believe we shall endeavour to do precisely that." Walking over, he opened a window, testing the air with his hand. "Unfortunately, I have to admit - the method of travel will not be what you're used to!" With a swift movement, Edward had literally swept Sandra off her feet, holding her as if he were carrying her over the threshold. "Edward!" she said with surprise, though not anger. "You're not planning on -" He headed for the window, and she seemed a little scared. "Edward, that's dangerous, we could both get seriously hurt -" he was at the window "- Edward, we are not going to flyyyy!" Edward had burst out of the window with a powerful leap, and he was flying along, high above the campus, holding Sandra tightly. For a moment, she was scared, then she looked down and smiled broadly. "Do you like the view, Sandra?" he asked, smiling as well. "This is the most amazing experience I've had in my entire life," she replied with a gasp, looking over the whole campus. He knew there was no risk of harming her whatsoever - he'd been flying since he was twelve, so he was familiar with carrying people. She smiled broadly, and he banked towards the nearest movie theatre, his heartbeat racing and his hopes rising. \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ "I'm not sure if this is entirely legal, Edward," said Sandra, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the roof, taking a bite of her ice cream cone and admiring the view. They had indeed had dinner together, then taken in a mediocre movie and stopped by DQ for ice cream. It was more money than Edward really should have been spending, but he didn't care in the slightest. He was having the time of his life, and the best part so far was sitting up above the move theatre, on the ledge over the parking lot. "But it sure is fun." "I'm glad you like it, Sandra," he said, smiling to her as she took another bite of ice cream. "I'm experienced with flying people around, but... well, for the most part I don't much like it. The only other person I fly with any regularity is Chisato, and she's my best friend. But I wanted to give you a chance to see this." She smiled. "It's something else, really. We get so used to seeing everything on the ground level, we take it for granted that there can't be anything higher up. You've got quite a gift, Edward. You're able to transcend the things we see on the ground any time you want, just by jumping up." He blinked and looked at her. "Wow. That was really deep, Sandra." "I get like that when I'm with someone who's really incredible," she replied, leaning on his shoulder. He blushed, and she laughed lightly, not as if she were making fun of him, but just that she found it cute. "What's on your mind, Edward?" "Lots of stuff," he replied, realizing half a second later that it was entirely the wrong thing to have said. "You." No, that wasn't it, either - he did want to talk to her about what was going on. "And other stuff too. Never mind." She looked up to him, concern on her face. "Is something upsetting you, Edward?" she asked, no longer leaning on his shoulder. She gave a small gasp. "Am I upsetting you? Did I make you feel -" "Wonderful? Yes, Sandra, you did." Sandra blinked, and Edward gave her a smile, which seemed to set her mind at ease. She edged closer again, and he looked at her, half-formed thoughts at his lips. "It's not you, it's just... well..." The woman next to him, whom Edward would have willingly surrendered anything to, touched his cheek lightly, and any thoughts of talking evaporated from his mind immediately. "Please tell me what's wrong, Edward. I want to try and help you." She looked into his eyes, and Edward could have sworn he heard both of their hearts skip a beat. He sighed. "It's just... well... after I went off half-cocked attacking Alec like that, I started to really think about what's going on right now in my life. After all, I might not have liked living with him - come to think of it, I still don't - but in all honesty, I don't know if there's anyone who could have been my roommate that I could have gotten along with." "What makes you say that, Edward?" She nuzzled closer to him, and almost unconciously he put his wing around her - a gesture that she seemed to like. "You get along with lots of people wonderfully." "It's not that. Not getting along with Alec wasn't why I fought him. I fought him because I feel like my life is spiraling out of control in so many respects, and my room was the one place where I could enforce control over things." Another sigh. It sounded pretty pathetic when he said it aloud. "I feel like a stranger in my own world, and I don't know what to do about it." For a few moments, a silence hung in the air. "I don't know why you feel like that, Edward," she said with a sigh, not moving away from him as he had expected. He looked down at her, and she had her eyes half- closed, as if she were at peace. "But I do know that sometimes we all feel like strangers in our own skin. You shouldn't let it get to you so badly." "Well, that, and the fact that I'm a winged freshman in a college with my mortal nemesis," he added with a half-smirk. "I mean, come on, you must admit that you were a little freaked out by the wings." Sandra ran her finger along the edge of the wing that he had around her, and his eyes widened as she looked up to him with a smile. "I like your wings. You're not just like every other person on campus. I think that's something to be proud of." He swallowed hard. "Sandra, I..." He'd been thinking of her since that first meeting at Mark's apartment, and he was knotted up with anxiety. "I really like you, Sandra. And I don't just mean in a friendly way." She looked up, as if she'd been waiting for him to say precisely that. Their faces were moving closer and closer. "I really like you, Edward. I have since that night we first met. At first, I thought that Chisato was your girlfriend... you don't know how happy I was when I found out that wasn't true." Their faces moved closer. "Sandra, I..." He gulped. "I'm a little worried here. We're about to kiss, but, well... I've never kissed a woman before. I've never even had a -" Any protests Edward had were lost as Sandra pressed her lips to his, and he would have not even pretended to remember them. He put his hand on the back of her head, and they moved just a bit closer as they kissed. Fears he had evaporated, and kissing Sandra MacFarlane suddenly became for him the most natural thing in the world. \¤2*¥5¥*2¤/ "You HAVE to understand this, Nina!" shouted Chisato, chasing after the catwoman as fast as she could - no small task for the far-less-athletic Chisato. "I'm Edward's best friend since high school. We never keep any secrets from each other. And yet, all of a sudden, he's not only avoiding me, he's running to someone else! Don't you see what this means?" Nina stopped her stroll across one of the more open sections of campus and looked at Chisato, who was clearly looking for support. "I don't know, Chisato. Might it mean that he's found a girl he really likes romantically, and would like to talk to her about his problems?" Chisato sighed loudly and let her head sink into her hands, and Nina stepped over. With blinding speed, Chisato snapped her head up and screamed at Nina. "That's not it at all! He's scared, and he's being unduly influenced by something on campus! I bet Shuji's trying to drive him away from my incredible talents!" Nina blinked as Chisato turned away from her, now clearly wrapped up in her own delusions. "Yeah, that's it! Sandra's just the sort of girl that would be working for a creep like Shuji! We have to free Edward from her evil clutches and bring him back to... I mean..." "Are you even listening to yourself?" asked Nina, causing Chisato to fall forward in shock and confusion. "You're not making any sense at all, Chisato. It's almost as if you'd fallen for Edward as hard as he's fallen for Sandra." Chisato lept up into Nina's face, forcing the catwoman to recoil. "HE HAS NOT FALLEN FOR - huh?" Nina followed Chisato's gaze, which had suddenly shifted over to one side. "Who the heck is that?" A woman stood in the twighlight, ornate fragments of armor covering a black bodysuit. Two sword hilts dangled by her sides, and she smiled as she flipped her long black hair behind her, then flipped towards her opponents and drew her blades in one fluid movement. "Members of the Drama Club! I come to kill you!" Nina and Chisato looked at each other, then at the woman. "Are you on serious crack, lady?" asked Nina, a question that seemed to confuse the woman. "We're just walking along, and you decide to kill for the hell of it? Is this like a hobby for you, or are you just jealous of anyone more attractive than yourself?" The woman's eyes widened. "Silence, fools!" she snapped, scowling now, and taking a fighting stance with her blades. "Nobody speaks to Nishibashi Mizuki, mistress of the blade, with such insolence! As for killing you, you are the ones who have defeated Kuroki Shuji, and I am certain I can defeat weaklings such as yourself!" Mizuki suddenly seemed a world away. "And then my darling Dalton DeCourcy will finally be able to love me like he wants to -" Chisato had seen Nina in battle once before, and then only briefly. She had never before understood what people like Alec meant when they said that Edward couldn't fight, but watching Nina made it clear. In a fluid, swift motion, Nina had rushed the distracted Mizuki, slashing towards the center of her chest with her claws. Mizuki snapped out of her daze, and her twin curved blades audibly clanged off Nina's claws, sending the catwoman stumbling back. Mizuki laughed, then charged and sent a flurry of slashes towards the catwoman, and Chisato heard the clanging as Nina parried the blows, but gave ground to do so. "Hey, Ms. Nicely-bash-me or whatever your name was!" shouted Chisato, distracting Mizuki as Nina stumbled backwards. "Too bad you didn't pay attention to the real threat over here!" Letting her telepathic energies flare, she gathered her thoughts, then sent a pure psionic bolt towards Mizuki. Unfortunately, she couldn't isolate Mizuki's thoughts fast enough, and she gaped as the bolt accidentally hit Nina, sending the catwoman flopping backwards into unconciousness. Mizuki looked at Nina. "I'm unclear as to how you're the real threat, woman of the antennae, but if you insist, I will happily focus my assault on you." Chisato's eyes widened as Mizuki rushed towards her, spinning and slashing the air in a dervish of sharp edges. She'd seen Rodrigo do something similar to Edward before, but she didn't move nearly as fast as he did. Chisato stood her ground as Mizuki advanced. The oriental woman laughed, believing that Chisato was doing nothing, but in actuality Chisato's mind was racing, working hard to isolate Mizuki's thoughts. It was a difficult process, even for someone who had grown relatively accustomed to telepathic abilities such as Chisato. In a moment of concentration, she isolated her opponent's thoughts, and with a nasty smile, Chisato blasted Mizuki full-on. As if struck hard across the face, Mizuki fell backwards in pain. She scowled at Chisato and began to stand again, but Chisato knew what she was doing, and jerked one of the woman's arms out of control, sending her sprawling again. "Why am I the real threat?" Chisato mockingly asked Mizuki. "Because I'm a telepath, and right now I'm inside your head!" "Is that so?" asked Mizuki, smirking in response. She gripped her sword tighter, and eyed Chisato. "Never tell your opponent what your abilities are, fool! KURENZAKIU!" Chisato blinked, then felt a psionic backlash like none she had ever experienced, a stabbing pain that started in her forehead and shredded through her head like a hot knife through butter. Mizuki stood again, then rushed at Chisato. "Talea-sedo-agito!" came a cry from behind Mizuki, and before the woman could react, Nina's claws were locked with Mizuki's swords, preventing the woman from moving any further. Chisato rubbed her forehead, still in obvious pain, but Nina was busy with driving back Mizuki, flipping loose her claws with a flick of the wrist, then slashing forward and forcing Mizuki into a defensive stance. "Dammit, Chisato! That hurt!" Chisato was about to apologize, but as the two moved, it was clear that they were completely unconcerned about what she was doing. Mizuki slashed down towards Nina, who spun aside and thrust towards Mizuki's torso. The slender woman flipped back and away, then moved forward and slashed low in one fluid lunge. Nina didn't even seem to raise her feet as she moved backwards, then flipped into the air and dove down with a slash, sending Mizuki rolling away and then springing to her feet as Nina turned mid-jump. Mizuki skidded to a halt, narrowing her gaze. "I grow tired of this, and you no longer amuse me. Kyuukasokuundou!" Chisato, still watching, saw Mizuki's outline suddenly become blurry as she started moving faster than Chisato's eyes could follow, blurry afterimages following her every movement. Wincing and closing her eyes, Chisato expected to hear the sound of tearing flesh, but instead heard a series of loud clangs. Opening her eyes again, she was amazed to see Nina matching Mizuki's assault move for move, losing ground but still not yielding. The pain in Chisato's mind was incredible, but she forced herself to focus again, to once more lock onto Mizuki's thoughts. Nina couldn't defeat the woman, not alone. Slowly, Chisato felt her power returning again, as Nina deflected still more blows from Mizuki, Mizuki's anger growing at her continued inability to hit Nina. Nina stepped on a rock, and she fell backwards as Chisato regained her focus and her lock on Mizuki's thoughts. Mizuki jerked her arms back to deal the killing blow. Mizuki slashed down, then suddenly realized that her swords were no longer in her hands. She glanced behind her to see her swords lying on the ground, and glanced over to Chisato to see the girl smirking. "I couldn't psi-bolt you, Mizuki, but that's okay," explained Chisato, noting Mizuki's growing rage with more than a little satisfaction. "But I could just tweak your motor control just enough - just so that you dropped your swords in mid-jerk." For a moment, the woman seemed frozen in place, and that was Nina's opening to kick her hard in the stomach, sending Mizuki reeling back. "We're not the ones who beat Kuroki Shuji, Mizuki. And we can still kick your sorry butt." Nina flipped forwards, then raked her claws against the straps of Mizuki's chest armor, sending it falling to the ground. "You can leave now, or -" Nina pointed the tips of her claws at Mizuki's heart, then cocked her head sideways and let her tail twitch. Mizuki looked at Nina, then at Chisato, then at her swords. With a cry of rage, she flipped back, grabbed her swords, and holstered them. "I will be avenged, fools! You haven't seen the last of Nishibashi Mizuki!" The woman bowed, then sprang high in the air and flipped backwards, falling into the nearby woods with a loud crash and a few words both Nina and Chisato assumed were Japanese curses. Behind them, Edward lighted almost silently, surveying the area and seeing that neither Chisato nor Nina looked to be at the top of their game. "Did something happen that I should know about?" he asked, and both Nina and Chisato looked at him with exhaustion in their eyes. After a moment, Nina shrugged and sat down, licking herself and trying to get clean in a very catlike manner. Chisato stepped over to Edward and leaned on his shoulder, something she'd gotten used to doing. "Not a thing, really," replied Chisato. "Just wondering why the hell you didn't want to talk to me about your problems." Looking at Chisato, Edward blinked. He might not have enjoyed Chisato's advances, but that didn't mean he wanted to upset her like this. "Was that the impression you got, Chisato?" She nodded. "Sorry, then. I just wanted to talk with Sandra. You mad at me?" She sighed, then nudged closer to him. At first, she hadn't really thought of Edward so much as a boy as she had as a friend, but more and more she wasn't sure what she felt about him. But she knew he didn't see her in that way, and she had no idea what to do about that. "No, I'm not mad," she replied. "Just tired." Edward nodded, standing. "Come on - I'll fly you back to your dorm, if you want." She nodded. He lifted her up, then sprang into the air and started flying back towards Southeast. She just lay in his arms, her thoughts in turmoil. She didn't understand why Edward was upset, why he liked Sandra so much, why she didn't like the fact that he liked Sandra a lot, why a lot of things were happening. One thing that she had learned over the years was that telepathy didn't help you make more sense of people - it usually just made things more confusing. / ¤********{ e l e c t r o n i c t r a n s c e n d e n c e }-+†‹±ø£'? /*/>>>>ø>>« Eliot Lefebvre, AKA Lost Factor, Stormcloud, Q! »<<ø<<<<\* ¥ø==« Transfan, X-Fan, X-Phile, Trekker, Gamer, Otaku, and more »==ø¥ ÷----ø--« ET Website: http://www.crosswinds.net/~lostfactor »--ø----÷ *====ø==« Mirror: http://members.fortunecity.com/lostfactor »==ø====* *\>>ø>>« Contact: eltf@hotmail.com, Eliot.Lefebvre@uconn.edu »<<ø<