Sakuya's POV
By the way they were looking at each other, they definitely knew each other before this.
As I walked beside Lindow, I watched the girl with interest. There was no fear in her eyes as she looked straight into Soma's, just a calm warmth. No Death God stare.
I looked at Lindow, who gave me a rueful smile, reminding me of the mission at hand, before calling out to Soma, who promptly turned. Oh if looks could kill~
The girl chuckled at Soma before turning her attention to us. I tried not to stare, but I felt shocked. That eye...
I shook off my discomfort and smiled warmly at her and, after a moments hesitation, she smiled back.
"You must be Lupa, the new rookie, right? I'm Lindow Amimaya, this is Sakuya and of course you've met Soma here." Lindow pointed out each God Eater, with Sakuya giving a small wave and Soma merely a grunt.
"A pleasure to meet you." Though she spoke formally, her tone was sincere. Her voice was soft and melodical, like a lullaby.
Soma's POV
I watched Lupa interact with her teammates as we headed off to the area where the ogretails popped up on our field map.
At first a little wary, she soon began to relax as she talked with Lindow and Sakuya.
It was clear that she and Sakuya had made best friends as they walked a little behind Lindow and me, having a long discussion about battle tactics.
"Your girlfriend's pretty sweet." Lindow commented casually, glancing behind him at the laughing girl.
"Not my girlfriend. Not my problem."
"So...You wouldn't mind me getting to know her?" Lindow raised an eyebrow.
"Like I said. She's not my problem." I grumbled, scuffing the snow with my boot.
"Oach. Cold." Lindow sighed.
Lupa tensed suddenly, her eyepiece slipping across her face as she dropped into a battle stance. "Aragami up ahead." She called. I glanced up, unable to see very far in the snowstorm, before using my ears to cover the distance closed off from my eyes.
She was right.
Normal POV
"Hey!" Sakuya and Lupa exclaimed as Soma set off at a run, intent on reaching the ogretail alone.
Lupa shook her head, mumbling an apology to the two young adults before running after him.
"Kids huh?" Lindow shook his head with a weary smile before following suit with Sakuya.
Soma heard light footsteps behind him and turned to see Lupa at his heel, miraculously keeping up to his pace.
"Rule two of survival: strength in numbers." she tutted at him. "Do not forsake your teammates." Soma continued running, ignoring her.
A cocoon maiden spurted up from the ground in front of him and a sudden elbow in his side nocked him to the floor. No sooner than he had been moved, a laser shot through the air, at the spot he had just been standing in.
Lupa was upon the rooted aragami at once, relentlessly striking its ribcage till it was unbound. It attempted another laser attack, but this was easily dodged and I watched as the rookie slammed once more into the aragami, nocking it to the floor.
In the precious few moments it laid weakened, she transformed her god arc into devouring mode. The blade of her silver god arc receded; a huge monstrous gaping jaw replacing it as it chomped down on the downed maiden, finally ending the monster.
Soma stood up slowly, watching her examine the items she had received upon extracting the core.
"Wanna bite?" she asked, half teasingly as she gestured to the remains.
Soma grunted, walking past her wordlessly. The others had been watching the whole thing.
"Wow! Now that was impressive." Lindow grinned, taking Lupa by surprise and ruffling her hair.
Lupa ducked from under his hand and stood, her face suddenly stony. "I'm just doing my job sir, nothing more, nothing less."
"If ya say so." Lindow smiled, though inwardly he was taking notes.
So she doesn't like being complemented...why could that be?
"Hmph." Soma was looking towards the lone ogretail up ahead. "Are you coming or what?"
Sakuya gasped. He actually bothered to ask?!
As she tried to comprehend this miracle, Lupa and Lindow replied "Sure." eagerly, before Lindow added "But I'm leading."
And the four of them took off, god arcs in tow, approaching the beast.
"Lupa, attack its head with me whilst Soma takes out the tail." Lindow ordered. "Sakuya, support Soma."
"Right." Everyone agreed (except Soma, who was trés pissed at being given orders).
Sakuya took up position on a slope, gun aimed at the aragami, while Soma sneaked behind it, awaiting Lindows signal.
I switched my god arc to gun form, steadying myself. Lindow double backed.
"W-wait. I thought you used a blade?" he stammered, momentarily confused by the weapon change.
"It's an experiment." Lupa explained, her one visible eye darkening as she lined up her vision. "Do you mind?"
He shook his head, then turned to Soma, signing okay. (index finger touching thumb, other fingers pointing upwards and spread out)
Soma used a charge crush on the ogretails tail, a loud crunch following as his enemy was taken by surprise.
It immediately swung round, tail flying into Soma, who had his shield already in place, as Sakuya poured fire upon the aragami.
Lindow began raining down blows upon the head, drawing the aragami's attention away from Soma.
Lupa had spent the first few seconds analysing the aragamis movements, using her new eye to search for weaknesses.
She had practiced using the gun part of her weapon in training: unfortunately she had discovered it was much harder to use than the bow she was used to.
I'll just have to risk it. Lupa decided, firing at the aragami while it was attacking.
Lindow went flying back, and Soma glared at her. "You idiot!" But Sakuya was shaking her head, firing a recovery bullet to Lindow.
"It was damage from the aragami, not a nock back effect." she said, "Lupa, take over from Lindow for minute."
She nodded, switching her god arc back to blade form, watching the battle for an opening.
As the aragami was just finishing an attack, she decided to make her move.
Raising her right hand, black ribbons began to move across her arm. A dark portal opened in front of the aragami as it recovered from its attack and Lupa stepped out, swinging her god arc down on its face.
Finally unable to withstand the string of attacks, the ogretail crashed to the floor, Soma delivering the final blow.
Lupa folded her arms grumpily. "Soma, that was my kill."
"Next time, act quicker then." he replied.
Lindow laughed at the twos antics, lightening up the situation. Sakuya smiled as well. He's talking to her, and that's something.
"So how did you do it?" Lindow asked eagerly.
"Do what?"
"One minute you were stood near me, the next, you were by the ogretail. You're fast, but there's no way you could have moved that quickly."
"I summoned a dark portal." she explained. "I used my dark soul ribbons."
"Which means what, exactly?" Lindow looked confused.
"Gah. It's complicated." She checked her bar. Still plenty of stamina left. "Now, are we finishing this mission or what?"
Two ogretails later, the four God Eaters were walking to an easy pick up zone for their ride back home.
"So rookie, not bad for a first mission huh?" Lindow asked Lupa, casually glancing her way.
The girl nodded absent mindedly, staring up at the falling snow. Soma too seemed encaptured by the beauty of the snow, the two walking in a silent awe. Awe?
No, almost as though they were revisiting a shared memory.
Sakuya had noticed too and stepped quietly up to Lupa, reaching out a hand to tap her shoulder, hoping to wake her from her trance.
Soma roughly grabbed Lupas shoulder, throwing her behind him as another aragami shot from the earth. Unable to react in time, Sakuya was smacked over by a long, spiky tail.
"Ugh..." She groaned, cradling her arm, which was now bleeding across the floor.