Nadesico Fan Fiction ❯ To Die or Not to Die ❯ Chapter 9

A/N: Hello again! So, did I intrigue you enough with my last chapter? How about the fact that we're still following the same storyline as the series? Or should I just shut up, tell where we're starting, and write the fic already? Okay, then. This starts a while after the last chapter; in fact, it starts right before the explanation of the hidden history. So, it's still in Episode 16. On to the ficcy!

~*~

Akito, after getting off the Hinagiku, made a beeline to his room. 'Jesus Christ, all those idiots made Gai to sound off like a person who just lives for action in their life. A cold person. He isn't that, dammit! He cares… More than they do!' He opened his room, and was nearly blinded. The lights were on.

The lights in his room hadn't been on since Gai was there.

'Baka. He is…' Sure enough, the bathroom door opened just then. Akito blushed horribly, and ran further into the room. 'Great, wonderful impression after not really talking to him much… But why the hell is he wearing a towel instead of a bathrobe or something?'

The bathroom door had also shut. Slammed shut in fact. After a few moments, a muffle voice called out, "Is it safe to come out now?"

Obviously, he meant are the eyes unseeing at the moment. Akito caught the hint and slapped a hand over his eyes. "Yes!"

For a moment, it was complete silence. Then, there was the sound of the door opening and shutting, not to mention little mumbling that Akito heard from the other pilot. Most of them just sounded like little squeaks of embarrassment. But others… "I can't believe… could have been anyone… was him, at least…"

Akito, unsuccessfully suppressing his smile, giggled. "Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hear you!" This was met with another squeak. The Martian giggled again. This was a fun game.

Instead of mumbling, all Akito heard was quickened dressing sounds. Then, after a minute or so, there was a somewhat quiet, "It's safe to open your eyes now…" Akito was still in a little of a giggling fit.

Akito uncovered his eyes, and, for no reason at all, started laughing so hard, he plopped on his bed unceremoniously. Gai, still blushing from that little incident, started laughing too. For about ten minutes the two just giggled as much as their bodies could handle, then made stupid jokes to start it all off again.

Trying to catch his breath, Gai had collapsed on his own bed somewhere in the insanity. Akito wiped tears from his eyes. "God, Gai, I've missed you," announced the cook as he rubbed his aching sides.

Too bad Gai was too winded for any ration thought. "I've missed more than you could ever know, Akito." The words were out before the Earthling could make any attempt to stop them. 'Shit… I didn't just say that… Shit! I did!'

Akito's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean…" A window popped up, showing the surveillance of Erina and Munetake interrupted him.

~*~

Ryoko had gotten to the bridge, apparently, long before Itsuki did. The purple-haired pilot was still brushing her locks out as she walked over and sat at her little station. Ryoko was directly behind her. Giving the hair utensil a last pull, Itsuki got antsy, so she immediately got up to go bug Ryoko.

The tomboy pilot was sitting at her station, nearly falling asleep. But she somehow sensed Itsuki's presence, and opened one blue eye to regard her. "What do you want now?" Itsuki shook off Ryoko's tone. 'Remember, Kazamo. You promised you'd go slower. DON'T treat her how you'd like to be treated, it isn't going to work this time.'

"Look, I know we've had our differences these past few days. I've pissed you off royally without meaning to. That's why I apologized."

Ryoko didn't seem to hear that last part. "'Without meaning to'? 'Without meaning to'?! Kazamo, what kind of fucked-up world are you living in? That's all you've been meaning to do since you got on the Nadesico! You've been doing a damn good job of it too!"

Itsuki flinched at Ryoko's outburst. 'She really does hate me… Oh man, I've really fucked it up this time…' "It isn't like that, Ryoko."

"What the hell do you mean!?" Brown met blue as Itsuki forced herself to look her in the face. "I haven't been trying to piss you off. At all. My intention… I wasn't trying to make you mad, I was flirting with you!"

A large communications window popped up for the entire bridge, showing Erina and Munetake.

~*~

As the story unfolded, the crew of the Nadesico's dreams, the idea that they were fighting for the greater good, was diminished. This was no noble war, where there was a definite right and a definite wrong. Eyes that had, just a few moments ago, sparkled with laughter, were now dead with tears. Firm frowns become quivering mouths. Trust had been broken.

~*~

Akito's brown eyes were empty, but still over-spilling. "How could they lie to us like this? How? Didn't the UE even feel the slightest bit guilty telling all of their soldiers that the Jovians were aliens, non-human?" He gave up on speaking and just surrendered to crying.

Gai felt something splatter on his hand. 'What's this? I'm crying too? I haven't cried since… Humans killed my parents? The creations of humans?!' Gai felt more of his own tears roll down his cheeks, and then he couldn't take it anymore. Getting up on shaky legs, he walked to and sat down on Akito's futon. His wrapped his arms around the Martian and buried his face in his shoulder, as Akito did the same. The two pilots silently made each other the other's pillar to lean on. If they couldn't depend on the earth anymore, they'll depend on themselves.

~*~

Ryoko was in a state of confusion. "How come the UE never told us about this?" Itsuki grunted, and gave her callus answer, "Because the pecking order is based on who knows more. If those big shots knew, they kept it from us so we wouldn't pose a threat to them losing their status."

Ryoko glanced at the girl she was just yelling at. "How do you know this?"

"The UE often kept information from the Lunar Theatre. They claimed we were too far away, but it was obvious that wasn't the case." Another cold response. The violet-haired pilot left the bridge, heading for the dorms.

Ryoko just couldn't help but wonder, 'Is she upset about the revelations, or about me yelling at her?'

~*~

Akito had found a tissue somewhere and was promptly blowing his nose. 'God, I hate it when I get worked up like this, my nose runs like a faucet… at least I had someone around who won't make fun of me…' He blew his nose again.

Gai had gotten up and started pacing. 'Those freaking officials… they can't tell us anything because they think we'll start fighting for the Jovians. We're fighting with those that were the oppressors… why is it that we made the wrong choice, again? Maybe I should just drop out of all this…'

Akito looked at the tissue in his hand. 'If we aren't fighting for what's right…' He threw the tissue across the room. He growled. "God dammit! What the hell are we fighting for?!"

Gai moved his gaze from the floor to the Martian. 'If he stays… I will to.' "What're you going to do?" Akito looked up at him, and Gai just wanted to strangle himself. That look was so lost, alone, dead. 'God, please let me be able to fix that… I never want to see that again.'

"I have to stay. I may not want to fight… but the Nadesico is my home. My second Mars. I… I don't really have another place that I could walk around, blindfolded, and know where everything is. And if I have to fight to stay, I will."

Gai sat down on the futon again. "Then I guess I'm staying too…" Gai was shaking so much; Akito thought he was having a seizure. 'Must be from all that happened here today.' He was wrong. In truth, Gai's heart was beating so fast just from sitting there, he thought he might pass out.

"Akito, I think the reason they showed us that conversation so that we would know. I'd think I'd much rather be on the Nadesico knowing, then oblivious. So… um… Close your eyes!" Akito blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm trying to tell you something… and… it's embarrassing, and I don't want you to look at me all funny, so close your eyes. Please?" Akito shrugged and covered his eyes. He felt Gai turn the lights off. "I don't want to see you laughing at me either." Akito was as curious as hell now. 'What the hell could be so damn embarrassing that he has to go to these measures…'

He felt Gai sit down again. "I guess secrecy is a bad thing, when you look at it. Keeping information from other people… especially when it's about them, is wrong." Gai took a shaky breath. "W… When I met up with Itsuki again, she told me I had an 'infatuation' with getting back to the Nadesico. I told her that it was because you still had all my Gekiganger tapes. She said that wasn't the reason. I didn't understand what she meant, then, but that was three months ago. I've had two months to sit on my ass and brood about the world. Then I realized, I don't even really like Gekiganger anymore!" Gai smiled. It felt a lot better getting it out, even if he was sure it would hurt after everything hit the fan. "So, that got me thinking. 'If I didn't really want my tapes back, why do I want to get back onto the Nadesico so much?' Then I… I realized what it was." Gai stopped, not sure whether or not to continue.

Akito still sat there, with his eyes closed. "Well? What is it?"

"I… I don't think I want to continue." Gai sighed. 'I was so geared up and ready to do it too…'

"Why? And how come it's so embarrassing? What, is there someone on the Nadesico you like or something?" 'Really now, it can't be too ugly. Worst comes to worst, he has a crush on like, Uribatake or something…' Akito mentally shuddered. 'Ugh, think happy thoughts, happy thoughts…'

"Akito, you couldn't have hit it better on the head." 'Well, here goes nothing…'

'If he seriously does like Uribatake, I'm going to puke.' "Who is it?"

Gai tried to calm his breath. Then, making as less movement as possible, it was done.

He had kissed Akito on the cheek.

He jumped back as if scalded, and covered his face. Akito opened his eyes, cupping his cheek with one hand. Gai started to get up. "I know, you hate me now, so I'll go get my bags and get another room…" Akito grabbed the other pilot's sleeve and made him sit back down. In fact, he continued the fluid motion to pull Gai's face down towards his, and kissing him fully on the lips.

~*~

Ryoko knocked on Itsuki's door. Since she wasn't there, she turned on Itsuki's door-answering machine. Itsuki's face popped up, and it certainly wasn't her cheery indecent smile on her face.

She was crying. "If you're knocking on the door, I'm not here. In fact, I went off in a Lunar Frame to go fight the Goliath that had appeared. Why me, while we have seven other qualified pilots? Someone has to continue the war. Someone has to avenge her family. Someone… has to do something to keep her mind off other things. So just leave me a message, and I'll eventually get to you." The recording stopped.

Ryoko collapsed against the door, sinking into a sitting position. 'What have I done?'

TBC…

~*~

A/N: Awww, we finally got somewhere with Akito and Gai! Wow! And are we sensing some guilt from Ryoko's end? Check out the next chapter, where Akito makes his own little speech, Ryoko confronts Itsuki, Gai realizes Munetake is the UE representative on the Nadesico, and Hikaru and Uribatake build up a relationship-type-thing. (What it is between them…?)