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Legacy of the Precursors

Chapter 18: Recreation Part 2

The team had always found his obsession with books to be an object of fascination within their ranks, curious as to why the old hare would prefer the outdated and dusty old tomes to the bright pixelated screens now so popular with modern day cornerian culture. To that, Peppy only gave a sad shake of his muzzle.

Krystal was his only ally in this struggle. From what she had told him of her homeworld before its destruction, her society had a preference for nature rather than technology. While possessing the means to surpass their current level, they had been content with what they had. And in that instance they were so unlike the rest of the known universe and Peppy mourned their passing.

But the others, they did not understand the irreplaceable feeling of having a volume between their paws, the sound a page made as you moved on to the next passage, a distinct crinkle of inked paper one could not forget. They did not appreciate the intimacy of a novel, something that a cold, unfeeling machine like those electronic datapads could never give.

Peppy supposed it was entirely possible that he was just firmly rooted in the old ways. Civilization changed to fit the times, and maybe he was just behind them. Regardless, it mattered not to him; he would not alter his preferences.

The others might laugh at his outdated habits, but he was far too old and stubborn to change.

Chuckling softly to himself, the hare set down the book he had been in the midst of perusing and chanced a glance at his surroundings. It was not uncommon for him to become so engrossed in his treasured pastime that the outside world was often forgotten and often he had to reacquaint himself with his surroundings. Before he had become absorbed with his novel, the team had been watching the news.

He was not sure what to think about the upcoming ceasefire. Most of his younger and older years had been wasted fighting Venom. His dedication to his job had cost him the life of his wife and the love of his daughter. Peppy would be lying if he were to say he wholly supported the idea of peace. In fact, he rather despised it. For once, he very much agreed with Falco’s suggestions.

He would have liked to lead the assault against Venom himself if he could. The hare imagined there would be no shortage of contestants willing to bid for that roll. But such was not meant to be. They had other concerns that weighed heavier than such disreputable sentiments as revenge and retribution.

But if there was anyone who deserved to have the opportunity if it so existed, it was the cerulean vixen currently reclining on the couch. She had more cause then most if not all, to hate the venomians. They had taken everything she had ever known and loved, destroyed the very planet she called home.

If there was any who earned the right of reprisal, it was Krystal.

Peppy remembered his first meeting with the vixen. She had been a rather cold and imperious woman, not all that unexpected considering what she had lost. It had taken her some time to warm up to the team, especially Falco.

He supposed that in that instance, she and Six were quite alike. Though while she had changed greatly since then, the spartan remained for the most part, the same grim and withdrawn individual Peppy had first encountered many months ago and was unlikely to ever change. His scars ran far deeper than his vixen companion, perhaps, Peppy conjectured, too deep.

Krystal had talked with him many times since the first of her days with Starfox, the hare smoothing out many of her issues and helping her integrate into a world not at all like her own. In that time the vixen had become somewhat of an adopted daughter in his eyes, one he hoped not to fail as he had with his own flesh and blood.

However, since Six had begrudgingly made himself a member, their talks had slowly petered off. Either by preference or design, the spartan had become her confidant, replacing the wizened hare. And while Peppy was jealous to a certain degree that Six was essentially taking a daughter from him, he realized that it was for the best.

She was likely to find more common ground in the human supersoldier, as odd as that was to consider.

Then of course, there was the aparoids to worry about, beings he had hoped never to hear of again. He still had nightmares of his encounter with those monsters. For that was what they truly were, such a race like that could never be considered otherwise. Though he had told Fox of them, the young vulpine could not hope to understand what they truly would face if the aparoids did indeed attack. Six was the only one that might be able to fully grasp what was at hand, and judging from the increased focus on Krystal, the spartan was completely aware. Even he knew what might be lost. And it seemed that’s what was needed to force a change in him.

It was just unfortunate that the possibility of defeat was the concluding catalyst to spur the spartan’s decision.

At that moment he missed James more than ever. They had been close, like brothers. And he mourned his passing almost as much as the vulpine’s son. Fox lost a father and Peppy lost a very dear and old friend. If James was still alive, the future would have appeared less bleak.

Yet, he could see much of his old companion reflected in Six. They bore the same dominating personality. The spartan carried that selfsame effortless intensity, that unbreakable determination and fierceness of will he had only ever witnessed in his dearly departed friend. Both were men one could certainly follow, men whose mere presence reinforced the strength of spirit in those around them. However, Six did not care for leading as James had. The spartan had the means and ability to be a great leader of men, yet chose not to.

He was a mythic individual in his own right, a legend that preferred anonomy, a silent hero.

It was almost poetic in a way, though it amused Peppy greatly to speculate such a thought had never crossed the spartan’s mind.

Brooding as he was, Peppy hardly noticed Krystal’s approach. The vixen had felt the weight of the hare’s thoughts and was curious as to what it might be that occupied him so much that he would forget the book resting idly in his paws.

“Krystal my dear, how are you?”

Peppy greeted her with the softheartedness he always used when talking with her, the very same tone he took with his daughter long before she cut ties with him.

The vixen smiled kindly downwards at the sitting hare. “Perhaps I should be asking you that, Peppy. What weighs on your heart so?”

He was unsurprised that the empathetic fox easily narrowed in on his concerns.

“Isn’t an old hare entitled to his secrets?” He asked with a mirthful chuckle.

“Not when that old hare is a longtime and most dear friend. Tell me Peppy. What is it that has you so worried?” Krystal easily slipped into the chair across from him and sedately folded her arms in her lap, giving him her full attention.

Faced with a pair of such attentive and piercing emerald eyes, he was forced to relent, though he was able to mask his true concerns.

When one lived with a woman that could quite literally read your thoughts if she so desired, one had to learn to adapt.

He hoped to keep her away from the truth for as long as was possible, as guilty as it made him feel. He would rather see her oblivious and content, then aware and terrified. And hopefully, if luck permitted, the aparoids would never come.

Peppy decided to pursue a line of questioning that might distract her from her probing. “To be perfectly honest, I have been curious. How are things between you and Six? If I may be so forward, it would seem they are going quite well.” Indeed, compared to a few weeks ago, things were far better than they had been.

Perhaps the spartan had taken his advice.

With that question, Krystal adopted a joyful grin and let loose with a dreamy sigh as she leaned back into her chair, reminiscing on the pleasantness of the past week. “It has been absolutely wonderful.”

“Really?” He was surprised to hear that. With the spartan’s rather detached disposition, he had expected a little less than the level of happiness she was exhibiting. Not that it bothered him in the slightest, rather he was happy for her to hear that. After all she had been through, indeed after all Six had been through, they both deserved to be happy.

The vixen brought a paw up to the table and idly scratched at the wood, bright green eyes turning to regard the oaken slab intently. “Well, there was and still are some… difficulties. But I know he is giving it his best.” Krystal was aware of how hard it was for him, to try and change for her. And she was ever thankful that he cared enough about her to endure what must be very challenging alterations.

Even now, after a week in their established relationship, Six was still having a hard time adjusting to living in the same space as another person, a female no less. They both shared more than their fair share of awkward moments of silence, yet the times they spent together far outweighed those increasingly infrequent occasions.

She was also starting to notice something she had not before, something… distressing. And it worried her to no end.

“And to be honest… he has me concerned.” She admitted with a deep set frown.

“What is the matter?” Peppy inquired.

“It is nothing overt.” She claimed slowly, her jet black claw tracing the grooves in the etched lumber of the auburn tabletop. “But he has this little… fits, when he sleeps.”

She had first noticed them a few days ago, when he had returned from his little project he had started at her sanctuary. When she asked, he had offered no immediate explanation on why he had suddenly decided to take up his development. Other than it would have a purpose. But it was afterwards when they had gone to bed that she first saw it.

“Fits?” Peppy repeated, finding the rather broad sweeping term to be somewhat ominous.

She nodded firmly. “In my sleep, I felt something. I could not rightly describe the feeling, just that it was… wrong.” Krystal shuddered. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, a crushing sense of utter despair, guilt and a legion of other senses, all indescribable and chaotically jumbled together. So powerful it was, that it had jarred her from her slumber. And upon waking, she felt the trembling of the man sleeping beside her.

“He was… s-shaking.” She stammered quietly, her tone raising several octaves as she recalled the unforgettable event. Never before had she seen Six like that, it being such a polar opposite from the emotionally hardened spartan. But he had been trembling, like a child suffering some dreadful nightmare.

To be true to herself, it had frightened her.

“I tried to wake him up… but I couldn’t. So I just held on to him, as he shook and whimpered.” The vixen’s throat threatened to clench shut, clogged by her upwelling of emotion. She had only ever felt so helpless once before, when she watched her homeworld burn. It was a terrible feeling, powerlessness, knowing that there was nothing you could do for the ones you cared about.

Sniffling, she wiped a paw across her muzzle and composed herself, resetting her posture to more reflect the calm and controlled aura she commonly projected. “Eventually he stopped and woke up a few minutes later, acting as if it had never transpired. At first I thought I had imagined the whole thing. But it was just wishful thinking. It happened again the next night, and the night after that.”

A tinge of red rimming her eyes, she considered Peppy with a sudden ferocity, hinted with desperation. “What do I do? I… I can’t bear to see him like that, even if he is unaware.” It pained the vixen to see her spartan, the one she loved, in such distress.

Peppy listened to her story with a focused frown and ponderous paw set across his chin. What she spoke of was indeed strange, but perhaps not all that unexpected and not at all unprecedented. Six had been subject to much atrocity in his life, and while his conscious mind might have come to grips with the horror, his unconscious awareness certainly had not. If he could say anything with a shred of confidence, it would be that Six suffered from something far more serious than long-lasting post-traumatic stress. It was quite possible that his inner, deeper seeded fears bled through his subconscious and plagued his slumbering mind. And the terrors might be so great that he could not recall them upon waking.

Truly there was no escape or reprieve for Six. His problems might be forever imprinted into his soul. He would never have a normal life, but perhaps he could have one that was close. And Peppy was starting to believe that Krystal was the only one that could help him achieve that.

The hare eyed the distraught vixen, trying to figure out whether this was information to give her. As it was he doubted even her abilities and affection for the spartan could be of any help to him at the moment, even with this knowledge. This was a problem he would have to puzzle out on his own. Any attempt on her part might actually make it worse, forcing him to come to grips with the darkness within his soul. And it just might be the thing to break him.

So he told her what it was she could do. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” She repeated, nonplussed. The vixen slumped back into her chair with a defeated cast to her muzzle. No doubt the fox’s tail was just as limp as her sagged shoulders.

“I wish I could be of more help. But in all likelihood this is something Six has to work out for himself, whether he is aware of it or not. Any outside interference could potentially make it worse.”

She huffed in disbelief. “Outside interference? I’m his… partner.” She paused, trying to find an apt title for what exactly she was to him. The moniker of girlfriend did not seem to fit right in her mouth. It lacked the inherent meaning that existed between the two of them.

Peppy was resolute in his response. “As that may be, there are some things one must deal with alone. And I fear this instance may be the case to prove that point. If you wish to help, just be there to support him through his trials. His life has not been an easy one, and I fear that has not changed since his arrival. In fact, it might be even more of a challenge. Six is facing an entirely brand-new school of thought, the likes of which he has never felt before, not at one point in his entire life. And he likely has no understanding of it. This will require time for him to come to terms with this.”

Krystal nodded hesitantly, accepting the wise hare’s words of wisdom. She knew to trust him on this. He had given her much advice before, all of it helpful. So if this was truly what he thought, she would listen. “All right Peppy, I’ll do as you say.”

“Good.” He grinned. There was hope for them both, and as long as they weathered the coming storm together, they would triumph. “Is that all that plagues your thoughts?”

At that inquiry, the vixen gave a bashful grin. “Well… not quite. There is one other… small issue.”

Peppy sighed, rubbing his brow.

It seemed this talk was far from over.

*****

With an anticipatory smirk, Six eyed the hefty metal crate sitting on the driveway of the villa, the delivery truck having just disappeared around the bend. This had been one of the items he had been looking forward to, and would not have been possible without some assistance from the General.

The spartan found that he respected Pepper. His no-nonsense attitude and yet somewhat amiable nature reminded him of Lord Hood. A man he had never met in person yet held a deep reverence for.

Leaning down, Six lifted the heavy crate and turned to enter the villa through the main doors traversing the hallways till he arrived at the small weapons storage space located in the far back of the enormous house.

Entering, he was not at all surprised to find Falco inside, overseeing maintenance on his assault blaster. The avian took a great deal of care into his weapon and Six imagined Emile and Falco would have hit it off quite well, either that or they would have killed each other.

The thought brought a grin to his face.

“What are you smiling at?” Falco demanded, unused to seeing the spartan exhibit any kind of emotion other than anger or antipathy.

“Nothing.” He responded, dropping the container to the ground, the heft to it sending a tremor through the unadorned concrete.

“Really? Doesn’t sound like it.” Falco mused, deciding that whatever the spartan was doing held more merit then his work, the avian approached. “What is it you got in there?”

“A welcomed gift from the General.” Six explained cryptically as he grabbed the edge of the crate and used his augmented strength to pry open the top. With a creak of warping metal, he peeled the steel away and looked inside, his grin widening to an unusual level. That is to say it was nearly a normal one.

Curious as to what at last brought a noticeable smile to the otherwise dower spartan’s visage, Falco peered over the big man’s shoulder. And his eyes widened as he took in the sight of the large object cradled inside. “Is that…?”

Six nodded, reaching inside and extracted the hulking weapon from its confines. “The Multi-barreled Rotary Laser Assault Weapon System. Or MR. LAW as I believe you called it.” The spartan hefted the heavy assault gun, getting a feel for it. He was admittedly impressed with this particular Lylatian weapon system. Its killing potential was nothing to scoff at. And it would always be handy to have something like it in reserve for his personal arsenal, a suitable device for both suppression and directed area annihilation.

The spartan ran a reverent hand across the motionless barrels, admiring the glossy black finish.

To him, weapons were like fine wine, or so he believed the saying went. And he could tell a beautifully crafted work from a shoddy construction. And this definitely qualified as one of the superior models. The blaster cannon also brought thoughts of Jorge, one of the very few individuals he had considered to be a friend. He hoped to honor the fallen spartan’s memory with this, given the chance.

Falco too admired the impressive weapon, though he noticed something different than the one Krystal possessed. “This looks bigger.” He voiced in amazement. The gun was nearly twice the size of hers.

Six agreed simply. “That it is.” Given his size and enhancements, he could field a weapon of larger proportions.

“I’m pretty sure that’ll make anyone down range shit their pants, right before it blows them to kingdom come.” He scoffed. ”Shit, you could punch a hole through a battleship with that thing.”

“Indeed.” Six chuckled, setting the massive cannon down on a table with a weighty thump.

“Can I?” Falco approached.

The spartan nodded and gestured for the avian to continue.

Smirking himself, Falco approached the colossal weapon and wrapped his feathered hands around the barrel and grip, trying to lift it up. But all he did succeed in was nearly throwing out his back. Groaning, the bird stumbled backwards. “Damn thing is heavier than Fay’s mother.”

At that Six reached down and hoisted the heavyweight firearm in a single hand.

“Oh ha ha.” Falco muttered, rolling his eyes.

Having proven his superiority, Six set it down.

For some reason he found teasing the avian to be a source of amusement, a pastime that would not have been so humorous before.

“You know, you can be jerk, Six.”

He chuckled one last time. “So I’ve been told.”

*****

“I want you to meet him.” Fox urged as he and Fara crossed a bustling street in the heart of Corneria Center.

“Who, this spartan guy?” She asked, turning her head back to Fox as they walked.

“He’s not a spartan guy, his name is Six.” Fox affirmed emphatically.

The fennec vixen raised her paws mock defensively as they continued down their route. “Right, my bad. So you want me to meet this Six character?”

“Yes!” Fox declared in exasperation, having been trying for the past hour to get his message across. “He’s a good friend and I want you to meet him.”

“You know, from the way you’ve talked about this guy recently, I can’t help but feel some measure of hero worship coming from you.” She eyed him closely. As of recent days, all she had heard from Fox in regards to this Six, was how great he was. The woman was starting to think her fiancé had found an idle to replace his father. From the way she spoke about him, she expected the man to be some sort of hero.

“This isn’t some form of hero worship, which is why I want you to come to the villa and meet him for yourself. That’s the only way you can properly understand.”

Fox was having a difficult time getting his point across to Fara. Six was a hard man to explain, with few words to accurately identify him, even those being hard to correctly portray the human supersoldier. He wanted both her and the spartan to get used to each other. Both were significant figures in his life, one as his soon to be wife, and the other as the admittedly peculiar older brother he never had.

Fara sighed. “You know my schedule, Fox. I don’t have time to go to the outskirts of the city, even to meet your new teammate.” Being a test pilot for Beltino gave her certain liberties for time, but it was also an on-call position, where she could expect to be summoned at a moment’s notice, at any time of day or night. She couldn’t afford to be too far away from the labs at any given point.

The vulpine frowned, trying to find a solution to the dilemma. Suddenly, an idea struck. “What about that bar, the one we always go to!” There was a small military bar a kilometer outside the base Fara worked at, they went there on occasion to celebrate a successful test flight. It would be the perfect place in Fox’s eyes, with a small familiar crowd and close to her job in case she needed to go.

The vixen thought it over and shrugged. “I suppose that would work. And I also suppose I might be interested in the person that so impresses my little Foxy.” She grinned at him cheekily, flashing her pearly white fangs.

He blushed, rubbing the back of his head as he grumbled. “Don’t call me that in public.”

“What?” She asked innocently, leaning in close to him, her muzzle hovering millimeters from his as she stared him down with smug, emerald eyes. “I thought you liked it when I called you that.” She whispered huskily.

Instantly, Fox devolved into an incoherent babbling mess, the cream fur on his cheeks flaming up in embarrassment.

Fara giggled and licked his cheek, bouncing on her heals and swiveling away with a flare, tail batting him across the nose as she walked ahead and left the still gibbering vulpine in the dust. “You’re always so easy to tease, Fox. That’s why I love you. Come on,” She urged. “You still owe me dinner, remember?”

In time, Fox’s brain rebooted and he sighed, reluctantly trudging after her.

“Yes Dear.”

*****

Miyu paced incessantly in her room, paws wearing a deep furrow in the carpet. She had spent days worrying over her problem, like a dog over an old bone. Now she couldn’t take the brooding any more. She could wait no longer; she had to talk with Six, needed to talk to him. And to hell with the consequences!

Unless she forced herself to confront him, these feelings would just keep boiling away until they inevitably burst forth from inside her. But as much as she knew she had to do this, she was afraid of what might happen.

She loved Krystal like a sister, but she could not help but want what the vixen had, as selfish as that made her seem. Miyu could not escape from his inadvertent pull. She had to have him for herself. He had ruined all other men for her, for not one could ever hope to measure up to the spartan. He was strong, fierce, determined, and protective, and that spoke to some primal part of her that had lingered since her ancestors had traveled on four legs. She remembered that even as she had nearly bled out in Six’s arms on Fortuna, she had never felt safer.

Even if he rebuffed her advances, she had to at least make the effort to try.

But first she needed a strategy that would separate him from Krystal. The vixen was never far from his side and she had to have enough time alone with him to speak her mind. The least she wanted was to get her thoughts in the open air, so that they would no longer be bottled up inside her.

As she pondered on what plan might work best, there was a knock at her door. Idle minded, she moved to answer the summons, still focused on how she could achieve her ends. Maybe she could catch him at night? She knew that he did not sleep often, and spent most of the dark hours somewhere in the villa. That would be the ideal moment to talk. The rest of the team would be sleeping and she would have the time she needed to clear the air, though it was only cloudy in her direction.

Sometimes Six could be insufferably blind to certain aspects of his surroundings.

Swiping her paw across the switch, she mused on the likelihood of such a scenario winding up in her favor. And the odds did not appear to be on her side on this one. ‘So much for feline luck.’ The cat scoffed and rolled her eyes.

The door slid open, and Miyu’s progressively startled gaze sluggishly traveled up the muscled torso of the very man she had been pondering on, her eyes roaming over the crisp matte black uniform before settling on his rugged visage and crimson irises. In all her days of plotting, Miyu had not factored in the possibility that he would come to her first. Though an errant thought of hers appreciated how well he filled out that outfit.

For the first time in a long time, she was completely and utterly thunderstruck.

“Oh… uh hey Six, what can I do for you?” She asked, her question accompanied by a weak chuckle as she tapped on her door with a nervous paw. Uneasy as she was, her eyes had no trouble roving over his fit figure. All this time of inaction had not changed his physique at all, in fact, he looked more strapping then he had last time she had a decent look at him.

His busy work had indeed kept him busy.

The spartan eyed her closely, his expression infuriatingly blank. “Fox told me something rather interesting. And I wanted to discuss it with you.”

“Oh yeah?” She feigned nonchalance, but barely held back an alarmed meow. Did Fox know about her dispute with Krystal? Had he told Six about it? Miyu felt her gut sink at the thought of that. It was rather difficult but she managed to keep the very real tone of rising panic out of her voice.

“Yes…” Six nodded. “He told me that you are an adept hand-to-hand specialist.”

Hearing those words, she allowed herself a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed he was still unawares of their quarrel. “Oh that! Yeah well I got that from my mother. She taught me how to take care of myself. Turns out that helped at the academy, made me top of the class in asskicking.” She chuckled, a combination of relief and an explosive release of tension that had been building in her gut.

He nodded once more, as if confirming something with himself for the final time_. “Then I have a question for you.”_

“Alright then, shoot.” She was curious about what might drag him all the way over to her room.

“Would you be willing to assist me with a rather… odd request?” He seemed to be genuinely perturbed about this line of inquiry, and she could not help but speculate what it was he had come to see her for. The spartan had largely left her alone the past seven days, almost dismissively so.

“Sure whatever you need, I’m your girl.” She grinned confidently and leaned against the door.

Six decided to get to the point, he was not very skilled at subtly, at least when it came to speech. “It has been some time since I last had a partner to help with my fitness training. I would be indebted to you if you would be that person.”

The last time he had someone to join in his exercises had been years before Reach. An instance like this was one of the very few times he had dismissed his personal policy of solitude. As successful as he was as a soldier, he could only ever judge his improvements when he had someone to compare himself to. Six was blindingly aware that no one in this place even remotely stacked up to the standards required to suitably meet his needs, but he had no real choice otherwise then to utilize the resources he had available.

And while he did not consider Miyu or the other members of Starfox to be resources - at least anymore - the truth was he needed one of them to help. Fox had shown great reluctance, Falco had blatantly opted out, and Fay was severely unqualified.

He had not even considered Slippy for the position.

Miyu was not sure how to respond. Even with his previous question, she had not expected those words to ever be uttered out of the spartan’s mouth. The first thought that presented itself to her, was how in the hell she would be able to help. She could attest to his physical strength, had been present for several instances that showcased his mesmerizing power. And not to bag on herself, but what in the hell did he need of a cat like her? She wasn’t even the strongest amongst the team, Fox still led in that category. True, she was exceedingly skilled in the art of close quarters combat, but she knew right off the hop that Six was leagues ahead of her in that race, in fact he had finished and ran a dozen extra laps before she had even started.

“I would love to help ya, Six. But to be frank, don’t you think I might not be exactly… cut out for what you’re asking of me?” She had been agonizing over a way to get close to him, but having her bones crushed to powder was not the method she desired.

Six smirked, forming a surprisingly quirky grin for such a serious face, and the feline felt her heart flutter for a brief moment. She could not believe all it took was the most trivial of smiles from him to send her emotions in a dive. The desire to run her paws across his firm chest was only prevented by her strong presence of mind; such an action would be both mortifyingly embarrassing and quite difficult to explain.

“You are quite possibly the only one on the team that could fill the roll. And there is no cause to fear injury. I am quite proficient at handling my strength.” Regulating his enhanced abilities had become second nature to him, a thoughtless disposition. There was no possibility that he would hurt her by accident. It had been one of the first instincts ONI had tirelessly pounded into him. He was unequivocally precise in his application of the proper level of force.

There would be no error on his part.

Miyu felt some reassurance at his words, but was still not certain of his request. True, this was quite possibly the very chance she had been waiting for. And even training with him was something she would enjoy, but another worry nagged at the back of her mind, made her suspicious.

“Why didn’t you go to Krystal? She is just as good, if not better than I am.” The vixen was an excellent melee fighter, her people had instilled that into her and she had only improved in the days she had come here.

Six’s concise grin faded, and he showed genuine discomfort now. _“I could not ask this of her.” _ He replied in a quiet, staid tone. Six very well knew that she could take care of herself, but the very thought of trying to intentionally harm her in any way was anathema to him, the very notion abhorrent. It went against every fiber of his being.

Miyu frowned, a wave of disappointment washing over her muzzle_. “But you can ask me?”_ Clearly he did not value her as much as he did the vixen, and the feline found that stung worse than anything she had ever felt before, knowing that her existence was, at the most, a secondary consideration.

The spartan seemed to sense where her thoughts were leading her.

“I ask you this not because you mean any less to me, but that I know you are the right one to ask. This is not something she would particularly enjoy.” He knew violence was not exactly her cup of tea. She was a tender soul, indeed which was one of the reasons he cared deeply for her. Such a person was exceptional where he came from. But that being so he needed someone that would understand his need for combat, and that person was Miyu. She was the one he had chosen for this, and not merely for her availability. He was aware that Miyu was one such individual that held a taste for battle, that while not completely so, did somewhat reflect his own. She could see that side of him and not be phased. That was what he needed. He respected that about her, she was rougher than many of the marines he had fought besides, and those men were some tough sons of bitches.

“I felt that you would be more amiable to my request.” He smoothed the fabric of his BDU’s, a rare sign of physical unease she had rarely if ever witnessed from him. _“And admittedly, I have not been the most… pleasant of team members. I hope that with this, I could begin to correct that mistake.” _

Miyu found a smile inescapably tugging at her snout at the spartan’s honest words. That was one thing she appreciated about him, his honesty. He never lied, and he always admitted his faults. It was hard to find a man that was willing to do that. It was even rarer to find one that was willing to correct his blunders.

In the end her answer took little thought.

“Alright Six, you got me. I’ll help ya, and I’ll be glad to do so.”

He ducked his head in appreciation and smiled down at her. “Thank you, Miyu.”

“Partners?” The feline prompted questioningly, a brazen cat-like grin coalescing on her furry features as she held her paw out towards him.

The spartan did not hesitate. “Partners.” He agreed with a deep chuckle, accepting her outstretched paw with a large hand. The unusual warmth to his naturally guarded expression, accompanied by the sincere laugh, widened her smile and brought an unfamiliar girlish flutter to her stomach.

Miyu decided she was finding this version of him to be even more appealing than the last.

*****

“So, where is Krystal anyways?” The feline questioned the large man she tagged behind. “I swear this just might be the first time you two have been apart for more than an hour since you shacked up.”

Six grimaced, an action hidden from the cat’s eyes. He was still trying to adapt to Krystal, so her query made for an unpleasant topic. “She said she needed to take care of something.” He answered. Six knew not what it was that called her away, but he was, to some extent, thankful for the reprieve.

There was only so much feminine attention he could withstand before he became too jittery. There was guilt associated with this personal admittance, but he suspected that in time, he would become used to it, hoped he would get used to it. Miyu however, was different. She was not as… smothering, as Krystal could be. And he found that her presence was less of a drain on his endurance.

‘Take care of something?’ Miyu wondered what that ‘something’ was.

It did not sound particularly inviting.

“So where is it that we’re going anyways?” After he had made his request, he had asked her to follow him, but had yet to give any details. So far they had left the house and journeyed out into the woods.

“I was hoping to get started as soon as possible. There should be a place we can practice without interruption; I found it during one of my early morning excursions.” He spent most of his mornings trying to keep to his physical fitness regimens, starting off with a quick sprint through the woods around their compound, charting the land for fallback and defensive positions as he trained. During one of these excursions down a new route he landed upon the perfect spot. It was not too far from the Villa, but far enough that the chance of anyone stumbling upon it was remote, leaving them with little chance of interruption.

His purpose of seeking her out was twofold. Six was not completely oblivious as he assumed she expected him to be. Something was troubling her, and he suspected himself to be the source of her worries. He was often the epicenter of female concerns in the team, though it perplexed him endlessly on why this held to be self-evident. But this was the only means he knew to get to the heart of an issue, violence. If she had any resentment against him, this would offer her the perfect opportunity to vent.

Miyu let loose a puff of unsurprised breath. Knowing him, she should have expected something so immediate. Procrastination was a word she was beginning to suspect did not exist in the spartan’s vocabulary.

Mid roll of her eyes, they arrived at an open expanse, roughly hedged in the proportions of a lazy man’s circle, but more of an oval than anything else really. As they stepped onto the small patch of exposed land, she took the time to get a better feel for it seeing as they would probably be there for a while.

Light from the sun trickled through the leaves decorating the bristling canopy overhead giving the immediate area a decent level of lighting. In her observation, Miyu’s eyes were drawn to the fringe of particularly colorful flowers beautifying the surprisingly pleasant scenery. It was actually quite a nice place, and the feline was honestly not surprised that he would have picked it to practice combat in. He didn’t really seem to have the faculties to appreciate the finer aspects of nature.

She watched as the spartan crossed the short field of wild grass, boots she knew to be able to crush steel plating, traversing the vulnerable turf without leaving a single imprint in the viridian stalks of meadow underneath. It was nearly impossible for her to tell, but Six seemed to carry himself with a perceptible measure of delicacy he did not usually emit.

Perhaps he did appreciate the location.

Stopping at the opposite end of the admittedly claustrophobic environment, he turned to face her.

Still unclear on exactly what they were doing, she positioned herself across from him and assumed a somewhat relaxed stance. “So, what exactly are we doing today?” The feline was still trying to adjust to the knowledge that he intended to test his skill against her, in what she imagined would be a contest with a swift and painful conclusion. But hey, at least they were alone.

“As this will be the first exercise of ours together, I think a slow start would be prudent.” He replied in an even tone. As he spoke, the spartan progressively underwent a series of positions to limber up.

Miyu scrutinized Six as he adopted a sequence of warm up stances she had never seen before. But seeing as he was an alien, it was not surprising. Though… it was a rather pleasant show for her eyes, the feline analyzing every shift of his exceptional musculature. “Alright… so what’s slow? Because I haven’t known you to be slow, just saying.” Bending forwards for a quick stretch of her own, the cat touched the tips of her boots and gave her tail a few experimental flicks, listening to the nearly inaudible pops her bones made after having seen little use the past week. At least if anything, this would be a good way to get some of the exercise she had been avoiding.

Six shrugged openly, a relatively easygoing twist to his scarred visage. She didn’t know how well humans aged, but from a purely uneducated guess, she would place him in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, which meant that he still fit into her… demographic.

“At the least I want to get a test in skill gap, see where it is you stand.”

Miyu chuckled. “I didn’t know this was going to end up being a personal evaluation, otherwise I might have been a little less eager to accept.”

“I would think you’d see it as a rare opportunity to learn from an experienced war veteran. This will be just as much for me as it will be for you.” His expression assumed a firmer quality as he gave a blunt explanation. “While I would like to keep in form, I also wish to impart upon you training that just might help you survive.” He had never considered himself a teacher, in fact the very notion was both unappealing and unwanted, but if he could give her anything that could keep her alive on the field, he would try to be one.

“I suppose that does sound a little tempting.” She admitted with a grin, imagining what she could learn from a warrior like him. If she even gained a fragment of his ability, she would become a serious force to be reckoned with. And she would be lying if she denied that it would be pretty great to be able to wipe the floor with Falco whenever he got on her nerves.

He smirked. “I thought you might feel that way.” Straightening out, he altered his stance slightly. “Now then, let’s get started.”

*****

Nodding with some hesitance, she took a single step forward, recalling everything she had ever learned from instructors, her mother, and herself. It would take every shred of her experience and training just to lose with some grace. She didn’t suffer from any delusions; Miyu knew she stood no chance of beating him. But she could give Six one hell of a run, and possibly, hopefully, impress him.

‘Right, time to get my ass kicked.’

Seeming as he was waiting for her to make the first move, Miyu took the time to analyze him in greater detail, hoping to spot any flaw she might be able to exploit. But she was utterly mystified. He assumed no martial bearing she knew to exist. In fact, he appeared to just be innocuously standing in place, admittedly, it was impossible for Six to seem careless in any fashion, yet so he did at that moment.

It was decidedly unsettling.

Taking in his almost overly muscled physique, she knew an outright battle of strength would only result in disaster… but oh did he know how to fill out a uniform! The deep black outfit he wore was almost… inappropriately tight in some places.

Miyu shook her muzzle, inwardly chastising herself. ‘Not now brain! Don’t think about those... big muscles… broad shoulders… mysterious crimson ey- hey!’ She gave her head a few more vigorous shakes, praying he didn’t start thinking she was undergoing a seizure. That would only compound her embarrassment ‘Focus! Got to stay focused!’

The feline once more tried to study him as objectively as possible. ‘Right… he’s big, insanely fast, and packs one hell of a punch…. What the hell am I supposed to do?’ Usually there were balances, a big person was strong and slow while a small person was generally weaker but fast. Yet Six suffered none of these stereotypical shortcomings. He was the highest contender in every category on the board. She would have to utilize some sort of strategy to even pose a threat. Yet the only thing she could think of was an attempt to unbalance him. That was her most likely chance to succeed in gaining a viable, if temporary advantage.

If she was fast enough, a leg sweep, followed by a swift palm strike to the chest might get her results. But anything after that was fair game. As long as she was able to maintain the offensive, she should be able to hold out for a while.

‘Well, here goes nothing.’ With a decidedly ramshackle plan in in mind, she readied to enact it. Miyu sluggishly crossed the short distance between them, still hesitant to start the hostilities. She had never really considered tussling with Six, (at least not this way). Best case, she impressed him and learned a few things about fighting, worst case, she would be admitted to Corneria Medical with several broken bones.

The feline met his eyes, trying to see if she could get a read from them, but those red orbs remained stalwart and indecipherable.

‘Aw hell.’ With an internal shrug declaring acceptance of the coming events and a pray to the gods, she quickly crouched down and flung a leg out, sending the booted appendage hurtling towards his legs. Yet, having already anticipated the moves failure, she launched an opened palm towards his chest as she spun on the tips of her toes like a top.

As Miyu waited the split-second for the attacks to connect, she suffered an abrupt sensation of weightlessness, followed by a queasy wave of vertigo as the world spun erratically in front of her eyes. It took several seconds for the feline to realize that her gaze was focused on the leafy canopy above, and that her body was firmly planted on the soft grass of the forest floor. A dull ache in her stomach informed her that she had most definitely lost the first bout, crashing down in fiery blaze of embarrassment and humility.

Groaning, she rolled onto her belly and buried her muzzle into the grassland, acquiescing to her defeat about as gracefully as she could at that point. “That went about as well as expected.” She muttered, her voice muffled by the leafy ground. Even so, she was absolutely amazed by the spartan’s speed. The cat had not even seen him move!

A soft chuckle met her ears as a heavy weight landed on her shoulder and slowly pulled her up to her feet, a nearly imperceptible smirk on the spartan’s face as he stared down at her. “Honestly, I am impressed. That second attempted strike almost caught me by surprise.”

“Fat lot a good that did me.” She huffed as she found her own footing, stumbling slightly from disorientation. “I just got tossed on my ass!”

Six nodded sagely, his grin receding slightly. “True. However, I can see that you have much potential in you, for a non-spartan that is.” He added lastly.

“Potential and immediate skill are two separate things. Things I imagine are going to take quite a few ass kicking’s before they are one and the same.”

The spartan’s terse grin returned in full force and he slowly lowered an arm over her shoulder in a completely unanticipated display of comradery. “That’s the spirit.” He praised her openly.

Miyu momentarily froze as she felt Six’s arm drape across her shoulders, the action as unexpected as it was welcomed. She was surprised to witness such a drastic change in his personality, though she expected the reason being he had found a small part of this place that reminded him off where he came from. Why a remembrance of a horrible existence brought him any sense of pleasure was anyone’s guess.

Still, this was the closest they had been since Zoness, and she was glad for the time. As painful as the process was, she could not argue with the results. There was just something... enthralling, about this dissimilar side of him, that uncommon friendly atmosphere and cordiality he surrounded himself with. While wholly contradictory of the Six she had come to know, it was just as desirable to her as his other half. It allowed her to envision an actual future for the spartan, one decidedly better than the hellish warzone he had originated from. And while he was an undoubtedly handsome man with a hard to read, yet irrefutably kind heart, she wanted to help him reach that future for more reason than his attractive features.

Miyu chanced a quick peek at Six’s face, he still carrying that smile, little more than a nearly unnoticeable curl to his lips. He had never really smiled before, at least not like normal individuals did. His were always closely guarded affairs, where one had to truly have some understanding of him to be able to decipher the difference between a smile and a grimace. And she was now only just beginning to understand.

This was one of the rare times that he allowed himself to show any open expression, which in the end was difficult to interpret anyways. Seeing him so content brought a smile to her own face. Miyu had not forgotten the story of his past that he had shared with her, such a world was horrifying to imagine, where his species waged a war of survival against impossible odds. Had she not known him before hearing it, she would have easily discounted it as some eccentric tale from an equally bizarre man. But, if he could still smile - however jaded it might be - after being forced to endure such dire circumstances… well it was enough to give her hope, not just for him but for herself. If she stuck around him, she could learn much about what it meant to truly live.

Miyu believed that people existed to be tested. The crucible of life was the only way one could truly discover what kind of person they were, their experiences, both tragic and blissful, were what forged them into the ones they were meant to be. And if there was anyone who could help show her the path, it was Six. He was a living testament to the saying trial by fire, his life cast by the flames of war and immersed in strife.

“Miyu…”

The feline turned to the voice, matching the spartan’s unwavering gaze.

“Are you ready to continue?”

She nodded, returning his stare with a fanged smirk.

“I was born ready.”

*****

Six had to admit, her enthusiasm was without reservation, praiseworthy. He had not met a single person that would ever show such eagerness to spar with a spartan, indeed, many would have bolted to the nearest airlock had they been aboard a starship, preferring the frigid vacuum as the least painful way to die. But that was a horrid misconception and a grievous insult.

He had trained extensively, just to ensure that he knew the correct force to apply. After all, it would not do to accidently kill a HVT before information could be extracted. While he knew more than a thousand different ways to kill with his hands, he knew just as many that incapacitated or paralyzed a target, though for the sake of their current session he would refrain from employing them.

While having a vast amount of training under his belt, Six was uncertain if he could pass it on to the feline in front of him. The methods used to craft him into an engine of war would be unfit for Miyu. He doubted even that she would survive the kind of harsh regiment he had been forced to endure since childhood. Yet he supposed there some things he could impart upon her, there were some tactics and martial arts that could be suitable, a few standard marine defensive and offense styles, moves that had been adapted from well-known combat styles throughout history.

But before he could progress to such a point, there was much work to be done. She was an excellent combatant to be sure, granted she faced an opponent that lacked the spartan’s enhancements and military expertize. As she was now, her moves were horribly telegraphed, giving him abundant warning to formulate a counter. He had peered through her plan of attack long before she had the chance to execute it and thus had been able to riposte quickly and efficiently. What she needed more than a new style of combat, was to focus on her application of what was already learned. Miyu was capable, but did not meet his prospects. She could be more, and he would help her achieve that.

This was what he promised himself.

Once, long ago at a time that seemed an eternity from this moment, unfeeling men in dark grey uniforms and hate for all that he was, had done much the same for him. Except for her, he would nurture, not enforce. That he wished someone had been there for him in that time of suffering, the least he could, was be here for her.

Six took the time to study the feline’s expression, both as practice to maintain his understanding of their race’s expressive nuances as well as a means of evaluation. The tips of her fangs poked from the corners of her black lips, almost jauntily, and her ears, slanted forwards, all but matching her posture. Wholly, she appeared fiercely determined to prove herself, and the spartan found the seed of respect he had for her, sprouting. She might have made for a remarkable candidate for the spartan program, though such a thought filled him with distaste. She was underserving of such a nightmarish existence as that. But, he could see to it that she was made ready for any circumstance he could prepare her for.

However, in order to be able to help her, he had to lower himself to a level she could follow. Not an altogether difficult task, he had experience in dulling his abilities. And if necessary he could effectively ‘tone’ his strength down, though the description of such a process was crude. It would take some serious alterations in his mindset, but he could simulate the strength of a non-augmented being. He had not had much cause to do so in recent years, not since his campaign against the insurrection, infiltrating border colony populations and eliminating rebel outposts. The Insurrectionists had been painfully aware of the spartan program at that point in the war, and knew what signs to look for.

In order to combat this, efforts had been made to roughly ‘humanize’ spartan operatives, just enough to ensure that they could pass as normal under scrutiny. And one such part of that project had been the taming of their unmitigated power.

There were loads of complicated aphorisms and verbiages to describe the extended program, some sort of internal switch between that normal level of strength and that of an enhanced supersoldier, acting as some sort of biological inhibitor. But the long as short of the matter was simple, it made them harder to detect.

Once he had been pulled from his strikes against the rebellion to be tasked with combating the Covenant, Six had never thought he would need to use such obscure skills again. But here he was now, about to utilize that seemingly useless talent to help train a comrade… a friend.

It was indeed an unpredictable development, but for once he was thankful to have the means to do so. Now all he had to do was apply them.

Plotting on ways to continue their exercise, Six found his eyes focusing more and more on the feline woman. He had always been objective in his observations of individuals. Thoughts as to the appeal of their appearances were ones he by no means bothered to have. Never had he ever considered it, not once in all his admittedly short, war torn years of being alive.

But such sentiment had started to change with Krystal… and now it would seem Miyu fit this new and unexpected category. He found both of their features to be alluring, in spite of, or perhaps a result of their exotic origins. Beauty, true feminine beauty, was a new and unexplored concept to Six, just as much of the experiences he found himself going through in this new stage of his life. And both females were striking examples of their respective races. At this point after all he had been through since arriving, he could admit to himself that they were beautiful, such a fact could not be denied. Six was not sure why he suddenly felt this way, what exactly had changed in his inner self, nor did he know how to appreciate their charm. What went past simple physical attraction? For that is what Six now realized himself to be, attracted to them.

Quite frankly, this new consideration of two of his team members was a puzzle he had yet to solve. But within solving that puzzle, he might hope to find the key to his future, a prospect he was beginning to put more thought into. Now, he actually could have one, given he had the fortitude to make the alterations required.

Even with this new development, he had been interested in them long before such thoughts came into being.

Krystal, one who he shared a great deal in common, yet were polar opposites. He wished to protect her from any manner of threat that might regret heading her way. He would willingly lay down his life to preserve that innocence and purity she possessed, something that had long ago died inside him. Six cared for her, perhaps more than he would ever truly know. She gave him the purpose he thought he had lost the moment Reach collapsed around him, after the last member of Noble fell.

And then, there was Miyu.

He had not given her much thought or attention, not out of willful ignorance but rather sheer uncertainty. She perplexed him, her mere mannerisms and force of presence, enough to confound him and force him to face such feelings he had never felt before. And once she had given him her story, he had felt some odd kinship with her, the shared loss of a mother, though he had no memory of his own, that seemed to matter not to his subconscious. From his understanding of her he came to a realization.

He wished to help her succeed.

She had potential, the more he interacted with her the more he saw it. She could be so much more than she was, just as he saw a leader in Fox, so he saw a true warrior in Miyu, perhaps the closest one to himself that he had encountered in this world. She had all the traits needed to be a good soldier, determination, resilience, and the endurance of spirit to spit in the eye of adversity. Not once had he ever witnessed a hint of genuine weakness in her, not when they met and not when she had nearly met her end on Zoness. If she feared death, she did not show it.

Yet what most fascinated him about her was the knowledge that she was not a spartan, nor human for that matter. All of this inner strength and resolve came not from a ruthless program, but from within her own heart. That alone was enough to earn his curiosity, and even admiration. He only imagined what kind of individual she might be given training and advice from one such as himself. And he wanted to help her attain this.

“Hey, uh, Six. What are you looking at?” The feline under his attention mumbled halfheartedly, a deep blush pushing at her muzzle. He had never been so focused on her before, and while disconcerting, she felt a jolt of elation upon realizing that there just might be something in him that felt the same way about her as she did him.

In response, the spartan’s gaze passed over her as if he had not just been intently studying every facet of her being, moving to regard the tree behind her. In her eyes, it was a poor substitute to the woman in front of him. “It is nothing, don’t be concerned. We should get back to the lesson at hand.”

Till he could make a decision on how to address these feelings, she need not know what troubled him. Closing his eyes briefly, Six focused on that part of him that would temporarily negate his enhancements. He likened the process as flicking a switch inside one’s head, simple, yet immediate.

Eyes open, he was ready to continue. “Now then, let’s try this again. For this encounter I will refrain from using my augmentations. This should give you a greater chance to succeed.”

Miyu’s maw dropped open in surprise and a small degree of excitement. “You can do that?” Now she had a very real chance to not only contest, but win. The bragging rights she would garner from beating Six would be legendary. Even Falco would have to accept that she was better than him.

“That I can. Though do not assume to be overconfident. I am no easy foe.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Let’s get going!” The feline breezed through his words, too enamored with the thought of showing Six her potential.

This was her ticket in.

Six held back a sigh. It would only take a few moments to show her that there was more to his skill then his amplified strength and senses.

“Very well then, whenever you are ready.”

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Six shifted to the side, sidestepping Miyu’s boot clad foot as she sent it hurtling towards his skull. Even as the booted heel sped past his cheek, Six leaned backwards, avoiding the second one, the feline having perfectly executed a double roundhouse. He had only been momentarily surprised by her action, more of the perceptible increase in the swiftness to her attacks then the nearly underhanded way she executed them.

In fact he could tell that she might be faster than himself in this new adaptation to their little skirmish, perhaps even quicker than a human would be. No doubt this was due to her kind’s swift nature.

It took a noticeable measure of his skill to outmaneuver the feline’s sudden and fierce assault and it most certainly would have given a normal human cause for concern, mayhap more. She had not been lying when she boasted of her combat acumen. But he had a lifetime of battlefield experience bashed into his head. She was not the toughest enemy he faced, regardless of his mitigated strength.

As Miyu flung a fist in his direction, Six outstretched a hand and, with a minute application of force, ensured her trajectory would miss, the cat’s paw overshooting her target destination to leave her exposed. Bringing up his unused appendage, he powered a low strike, directly into her abdomen, the blow landing with enough force to knock the wind from her lungs. Miyu staggered backwards, the hit having been a devastating surprise.

Six attempted to follow up his success with a chain of equally precise attacks, but the feline tucked her chest to her knees and rolled backwards, her tail slapping Six across the face as she affected her escape. Nimbly, she firmly planted her paws on the grass and used her newly created momentum to launch herself at him like a fuzzy missile, both boots smashing into his chest.

Unfortunately for the cat, her maneuver did not have the intended results. It did not stagger him. Instead, Six grabbed her calves and locked them in his grip, her upper body unceremoniously flopping to the ground.

Her guard effectively negated, Six released her legs and stepped backwards. If he had so chosen he could have easily immobilized her. But she already knew she had been defeated so there had been no need.

Reaching down, he extended his hand out to her, the feline sighing as she stared up into the sky once again. “Different fight, same ending.” She muttered, reaching out to grasp his offered assistance. It seemed even as weakened as he made himself, she still had little chance of beating him. This had been too quick for her liking. Miyu had hoped to have at least been able to draw the fight out a little bit longer. Instead it had ended in all of a few minutes.

“Maybe, yet you did much better this time.” He pulled her up, what looked like a hint of respect in his bright red eyes. “After all, one can’t improve so quickly. Things like this take time and effort.”

His words did much to soothe the burn of failure. He was right, she had done better. She had even managed to get one or two good hits in. Not only that, what was more important to her, she could see that he was impressed. And that had been what she wanted the most.

Six glanced down to the machine on his wrist, some sort of portable computing device the likes of which Fox carried. “We still have a few hours till I must return to my other duties. We can continue if you wish, or call it here till another day if you so prefer?”

“No.” She grunted, squaring her shoulders. “I can do this. After all…” She grinned cheekily. “I have to beat you at least once today.”

The spartan shook his head. “If that is what you believe, we might be here for quite some time.”

“Was that a dig at my skill?” The feline demanded with a chuckle.

Six shrugged. “Merely an observation,” He confessed.

“Oh you’ll be observing something all right.” She declared confidently.

“And that is?”

“You’ll be observing my victorious smirk from the floor once I’m done with you!” She fired out with a clawed digit aimed at his chest in challenge, the feline’s tail lashing back and forth behind her in excitement.

“Is that so? Do you truly believe you will best me?” He was genuinely curious as to what her answer would be.

“Oh I know I can.”

The spartan grunted doubtfully.

“Then prove it.”