Rivals

 True to form, the SC took their report, threw them a massive points bonus, and promptly took the whole thing out of their hands. Couldn't get a hint of anything out of Guardian-san or anyone else.

Didn't have much time to spend thinking about it either, not with Hirano just ahead and the other two clawing at their coattails.

"You're not at the bottom anymore," Hirano commented casually in the dining hall, where number Sixteen proudly sat below One on the board. "I'm surprised. Maybe you're worthy rivals after all."

Lachlan smirked back as he set his tray down. "I have a good team behind me."

And he did. Despite their issues, despite all their initial hang-ups, shooting up to second lit a fire underneath them, and sent them rocketing into the second half of the training course.

It also did the same for Hirano's team, he reflected as a Ki wall slammed itself straight into his face a week later.

"Mmghf." Gritting his teeth against the pins-and-needles sparkle colours, he launched up, punishing his overconfident opponent with a shot to the head. Train-station cat-girl special.

Always useful to pick up a trick or two.

"Takanashi! Tenne's on the rooftops!" He snapped a shot off at her, too, throwing off her aim and letting Ariake leap safely out of the way. He dared one last shot at Umiko, too, who always seemed to track the hawk obake down sooner or later.

"How're the rest of you holding up?" Touching back down on a rooftop, his previous opponent—Iwasa Raido—trudging his headless way to the sidelines, he did a quick survey. One down, most of teams Seven and Twelve already gone, and theirs still in the game. Might actually win this if Hirano didn't make up most of a team on his own.

"Minor cracks."

"Better than the other guy."

"Umiko's down. I got her."

"Fantastic." He let out a long breath, half-aware of the summer heat prickling at his skin next to the Ki, seeking out throbbing points of life moving in the mock-up city, and lifted his rifle. "Now all we need are the rest of them."

Tenne had retreated, probably called back by Hirano, but—

A burning star leapt above the skyline, flaring in his vision and through his senses.

Oh hell.

"I have eyes on Hirano, lads." He shot him neatly in the helmet, and it did about nothing, as expected. "How do we feel about taking down someone in Spirit-state?"

Two more flares lit in response. Lucky them. "Even Goudon-san has limits."

"Good to hear." But Hirano wasn't the only one on the board here. "Can either of you sense Tenne? I can't get a pinpoint."

"Matsuo is still out there as well."

Fighting Tenne? Straining to hear-feel, he couldn't catch any flickers of energy pulsing, or the faint flares of a fight. Couldn't physically hear anything, either. Just Hirano shooting over.

I've a bad feeling about this. Twelve's proud leader wouldn't team up with One, would she? "Keep your eyes peeled—"

Another flare lit up, and a different kind of star burst into life.

"Take cover!" He shot up, pins-and-needles swarming over his feet as the wash of a titanic blast took out practically the entire block.

Drake let out an impressive litany of snarled swearing, and Lachlan caught a glimpse of his Samurai shattering. An instant before it reformed with horns and the burning glow of Spirit-state. "I'll kill that little—"

"She got you, Drake." The words tasted bitter in his mouth. One of their best assets, taken out in a single shot. "Head to the sidelines."

The other Samurai turned, ignoring him as he lifted his rifle, pushed the throttles to 6-4, and locked onto Tenne. "Now, Drake! Or you'll disqualify us all!"

The other Samurai's glowing hand blew apart, Ariake shooting up to crash into Hirano, and he ground his teeth, snapping his sights onto the dragon-Samurai standing motionless with spines and bristling fan-wings unfurled. Burning eyes turned to look at him, as if sneering at his piddly toy gun, daring him to shoot.

The rumble came out without his permission, a prickle snarling down his arms and pulsing brightly along the runes of his Samurai. "Don't be an idiot. It's getting to your head. Leave."

The usually mild-mannered lad growled back, but abruptly stood down, shooting back and away for the edge of the arena. "You'd better take them out, wolf."

He ground his teeth in a tight smile, bright flashes of life and flaring Ki burning in his mind's eye as Tenne dodged Eden's own nuclear blast, and he levelled his rifle again. "Don't underestimate me, dragon."

That was exactly when an axe flew out of nowhere and off came his head.

_________________

He ruffled his hair one last time with the towel and sighed. "It should've been a tie."

"You can't get awards when you're dead, gaijin," Hirano's voice floated over from one of the other shower stalls as Lachlan stepped out, towel cinched around his waist.

"Can't get awards if you collude with the enemy, either." He pushed through the door to the hallway, sweltering heat already prickling sweat over his skin. At some point he'd stopped caring about covering up his arms. Nihonjin summers tended to do that to him.

"Prepare for anything, and it won't take you by surprise."

Philosophy major, back there. He blew a damp lock of hair, already frizzing up, out of his face as he wandered down to the fourth door, all the girls probably still in their showers and not around to be offended by half-naked men haunting the corridors.

Damn heat. He sighed as he opened the door. Fifth year here and he still hadn't gotten used to it. The inside of his Samurai core was starting to smell like broiled pork—

"Um."

His eyes met the stare of a girl sitting at the table across from Ariake. Who was also staring at him.

...He opened his mouth. "Thought we weren't allowed to bring girlfriends back here?" Which was about when he noticed the family resemblance, Ariake sputtering worse than a kettle and the girl blinking at him. "Oh, wait, you must be Takanashi-san's sister, aren't you? Sorry, knee-jerk reaction."

"Why are you walking around with no clothes on?!" Ariake spat at him.

"Have a towel," he defended himself, briefly checking just in case it'd fallen off. It hadn't.

"That doesn't— Put a damn shirt on!" Ariake stabbed his finger to the door of his room. "Stop walking around half-naked in front of my sister! She's fifteen!"

"Aniiii—"

"In my defence, I didn't know your sister was going to drop in." He lifted his hands in surrender, bowing to said sister, who was currently staring at them. "My humblest apologies for offending your eyes, ma'am."

"And stop flirting with her!"

"Ai ai, can't a man politely apologise?" He footed the door closed again, heading for his room with a heavy sigh. "You'll give her the wrong idea."

"Get. Out. And make sure they're decent clothes!"

"Fine, fine. I won't pick anything from my extensive collection of extremely tight shirts." He rolled his eyes to the God-core, disappearing from Ariake's judging glare and rummaging through his little bedside dresser.

Little sister's giggle carried through the door. "I wouldn't mind."

He laughed at Ariake's scandalised splutter, and called back cheerfully, "Sorry to get your hopes up, I'm actually all out right now. Going through them like a house on fire."

"Stop talking!" Ariake's snap could've splintered the door, his voice lowering to a mutter a moment later. "I'm never letting you in here again."

"But Ani, he's nice. You're just being overprotective, like you always are. And besides, you read hentai."

Oh? Oh really? A slow grin grew on his face as Ariake squawked, shushing her, and he popped his head through a loose T-shirt, coming back in just in time to catch one very red face. "What's this? The hentai-reader accuses the innocent gaijin? I didn't know you had it in you, Ari-kun."

"Shut up. It's not like you've never looked at anything." If the lad kept that up, he might just burst a blood-vessel.

Lachlan winked at him. "Ah, but the only manga I ever saw back in the village were lighthearted adventures I picked up for my little sister. I was too busy to read anything else."

"See, he's a pure-hearted virgin, Ani," little sister chirped. "Unlike you."

Lachlan burst out laughing as Ariake leapt up, hissing.

He had to lean against the wall to catch his breath while Ariake did his best to murder his sibling, wiping away a tear and shaking his head at a frowning Eden who poked his head out to take one look and disappeared again with a snort. Who knew the angry perfectionist had such a riot for a sister. She reminded him a little of Aiko, angelic demon as she was.

"Alright." He shook his head, loose, still slightly damp hair brushing his forehead, and smirked at the terrible two. "We should head down for lunch. Would Takanashi-san's little sister like to grace us with her company at the table?"

"No," Ariake snapped as little sister's eyes lit up. "Please?"

They pout-scowled at each other, and Lachlan had to bite off another fit of the laughs, punting Ariake in the shoulder towards the door and gesturing to his little sister. "Come on, it won't hurt. She can say hello to team Twelve and get a taste of what you have to eat every day."

_________________

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?" Lachlan looked up from the couch to throw a raised eyebrow at Drake.

The big lad didn't turn from his own homework laid out on the table. "I distracted you."

He had to think back for a minute. Ah, during the exercise. Waving a hand, he shook his head. "It's fine. These things happen. We still pulled a decent score out of it in the end."

"It still doesn't excuse what I did."

Lachlan sent a sideways glance at the stiff line of the big lad's shoulders. "It's not ideal, no, but things can get strange around yuurei. At least you can get to Spirit-state. I won't complain about how much of an arsehole you are if you can turn it on our competition."

Drake turned slightly, looking at him over his shoulder. Couldn't see enough of his face to read his expression properly as the big lad eyed him.

Lachlan turned back to his kanji, finishing off the last character. "I'm told how you gain a shadow changes the way it affects you. It's just a bit harder for those of us who weren't gently guided into it. Which I assume you weren't, either."

"...Yeah. I guess." Drake's eyes lingered for a moment before turning back to his own homework. "How... did you get yours?"

"Ah, now that's a question." He stretched, flipping the sheets of paper over his head and letting them drop to the floor as he yawned. Sitting up, he threw him a little lopsided smile. "With a very long answer. And I need to go serve more of my prison sentence in the simulator. Maybe another day."

After all, it wasn't Drake's distracting that was the problem when one of them couldn't even reach notch five. Everyone else had started drills practicing how to hold it or delve into its abilities, and here he was, still unable to get past four. If he couldn't reach it by the end of the course....

Well, he'd just have to.