User blog:Yuka Ichinose/God Eater: Infinity Paradise, Chapter 7

"Apparently..."

A pair of blue hues stared straight into the images and words flashed by the monitors.

"... The cells have shown slight activity, which was surprising because your last test was taken about two weeks ago. I'd have to study the results some more to see if it was the Bias Factor's doing. But, as of now, there is nothing you should worry about." Still, she continued to watch the black-and-white pictures being flashed by one of the many screens. The pictures showed no sign of movement... It was a good sign, indeed. "This means you can still wield the prototype God Arc without the worry of being devoured or any event similar." Dr. Paylor Sakaki nodded at the positive results, before turning to the God Eater he was tending to. "Alright, I'll see you again next week... Yuka."

As she rose from her seat to leave the room, the stargazer called out to her once more, "By the way, Soma came two days ago, asking about your medical records..."

The blonde froze right on the spot, her fingers suddenly growing cold. She honestly hadn't suspected him to speculate anything, for she expected him to simply brush off such little matters. "Did he notice anything?"

"He did looked into your records the past weeks, and they all were normal, so I don't think he had concluded anything just yet."

That was a relief. The thing with the Ogretails was only a mistake. She was just looking for an Aether in hopes of scavenging a few materials she needs for the upgrade of her equipment. It just so happened that Lenka was seeking company to train. That was all there is to it. She gave the doctor a curt nod and thanks before departing the office.

In the end, she didn't find any Aether. Just a bunch of Ogretails she and Lenka took down without even a single problem.

"There you are!"

She lifted her head upon hearing a familiar voice, and her eyes found the figure of Lindow Amamiya walking towards her. "Oh, Corporal... Is there something you need?"

The older God Eater rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Sheez, are you really formal in the European Branch. Drop the title, okay?" After receiving a nod in response, the unit leader continued, "Anyway, there's something I want your help with."

"Eh?! Why me?" She asked after Lindow had explained what exactly he needs help with. "Why not Kota or Sakuya?" Aww man. Just as when she thought this would be the perfect day to tail Soma and annoy the hell out of him. And she had just wrapped up his cookies too. What luck... Still, she tried to keep her lips from frowning, as to not disappoint their unit leader. Green Purebreeds Mission against a pair of Chi-yous. Well, if Lindow expects her help in training Alisa and Lenka on the field, then there is nothing she could do but reschedule annoying Soma some other day. "Last choice, huh...?"

Lindow shrugged and lit a cigarette stick. He puffed a little bit of smoke out before adding, "But if you have a date with Soma scheduled--"

"Lenka and Alisa must've been waiting for quite a while now. We should definitely go and meet them."

***

"I've been having this kind of feeling that Alisa doesn't have a very good feel when it comes to me..." The male admitted to Yuka and Lenka, as the three of them patrolled the grounds. After Alisa had shown a rather odd behaviour a while ago, Lindow deemed it was better to let her relax in a safe point. "You've seen how she reacted after I just tapped her shoulder, didn't you?"

Yuka and Lenka exchanged looks, and the male New-Type simply shrugged, probably a sign that it was Yuka to give an answer. "Well, as what you've said, we've had our own share of terrible things. Maybe Alisa's relates to how she acts at present. It doesn't look like she's that willing to share though."

The older male blew off some more smoke. "I did say that... The two of you should do me a favour then... Since you two are New-Types just like her, look after Alisa, alright?" Yuka could feel that the request was being weighed down more on her side of the scale. She can't blame Lindow though. According to the stories she had heard, Lenka and Alisa weren't really in the best of terms during their first meeting. Alisa's cheeky attitude doesn't help in understanding her either.

Then again... who doesn't have tragedy in their lives?

"Let's get a move on then... Those Chi-yous should be just around here somewhere..."

After a short while, Alisa came to where they stood, carrying her own God Arc. "I found a bear," she said upon closing in to their group. Yuka flashed her a smile before adding, "Great! Do you feel better now?"

"I... I do. Privyet. Thank you for asking..."

"Anytime, liebe..."

***

The mission was quick. Perhaps it was because Lindow was present, and she had just been teamed up with two really talented rookies. On the ride home, while Corporal Amamiya was in charge of the wheel, all three New Types huddled at the back of the truck, their God Arcs enclosed in their own respective cases like a musician's instruments. Yuka took the opportunity to know more about her comrades. "I really have the habit of asking this to rookies," she began. "So, I hope you wouldn't mind if I let my curiousity take over for a tad bit. Why did you want to become God Eaters anyway?"

Lenka and Alisa, who had been sitting there with their heads low, stared at her.

"None of you would have sought Fenrir for no apparent reason, yes?"

There was a short silence, and Lenka went to speak, "I want to destroy all Aragamis..." His face was stern, his voice confident and sure. Yuka admired the flame burning on the male's eyes, as if saying that no obstacle is too big or too impossible to accomplish such task. With a proud smile, she turned to Alisa for an answer.

"I want to find... the Aragami that killed my parents..."

"How about you, Yuka-senpai?"

Her smile softened. "My mother was a researcher who worked alongside Director Shicksal and Dr. Sakaki... When I was a baby, she died during a failure in an experiment. I then grew up living with my father, who was later killed by another Aragami. That Aragami -- a Borg Camlann to be exact..." She hoped these two had taken studying seriously and had read the information on the NORN. "... chased after me and I got trapped under a pile of debris, which had me paralyzed for three years." She shifted a bit in her position, now leaning on the side of the truck. "During those three years, apart from worrying that I may never become a God Eater, I mourned for the death of my father. Then, I realized... even if I do find that Aragami that had killed my father, it would make no sense... He is dead and he couldn't be brought back to life by any means. Sure there is the feeling of fulfillment, but then again, it wouldn't change the fact that I'm an orphan."

"So why? If not to kill the Aragami that had taken your family from you, why are you a God Eater now?" asked Alisa.

She chuckled upon answering, "Apart from the childish promise with Soma that'd we'd be the one of the first God Eaters in history, it's because of all the people who had been lucky to survive this near-annihilation. Compared to us, they're powerless against the Aragamis. That's why I stopped lamenting about my parents' deaths. Rather than cry over what the Aragamis had taken from me, I decided to protect what was left of me." Her eyes stared blankly at the floor of the truck they sat on, yet her lips continued to move. "I don't fight to avenge those who have died. I keep fighting to protect those who struggle to live."