[Super Robot Taisen] You Can't Go Home Again (oneshot)
Title: You Can't Go Home Again
Series: Super Robot Taisen
Genre: Action
Warnings: None
Summary: Masaki might have been better off not returning to his hometown...
Disclaimer: None of the characters mentioned herein belong to me. No infringement of any of the rights of the creators or distributing companies is intended. This story may not be distributed for profit.
You Can't Go Home Again
a Super Robot Taisen fanfic
by Hoshikage
"I shouldn't have come here," Masaki Ando muttered.
He stood outside a gate, hands thrust sullenly into the pockets of his jeans. The wind grabbed at his clothes, snapping the fabric of his jacket around him and flinging green hair into his eyes. He shook his head in irritation, at the weather or himself he couldn't tell, and turned away from the school.
Why was he here anyway? It was no big deal. The Lond Bell had stopped for some downtime near his old neighborhood, that was all. He'd never gotten an urge to come back and sightsee before. What had drawn him here this time?
Kuro and Shiro trotted at his heels as he walked away from the building - he'd told them not to come along, but they were his familiars and he could hardly lock them up when they ignored his command and followed him anyway. The two cats shared a glance, then looked around, and when they saw the streets were basically empty Shiro piped up, "Maybe you should just look somewhere else, Masaki. It's not as if school was ever your strong point."
"Wiseguy," Masaki growled back, but he had to admit that the white cat sort of had a point. High school - what a joke, really. It had all been busywork they gave him there; pointless tasks that he focused all his attention on so he wouldn't have to really think... think about what he'd lost. And yet that loss had always been there anyway, gnawing steadily at his insides like a cancer eating him alive, until he'd felt like some pale shadow, a pathetic imitation of a human being.
"Masaki, it's not like you to brood," Kuro said quietly, a hint of worry in her tone.
Well, no. It wasn't - not anymore. It was hardly the cats' fault that they hadn't known him before. His memories of this place were hopelessly tainted, overshadowed by the gaping hole left in his life when his family had died. It was as if he was a stained glass window that had been shattered, leaving only razor-sharp fragments clinging dully to the edge of the frame. He'd felt like that for so long. He was vaguely distressed somewhere deep down that he'd slipped so easily back into the deep, worn rut of his depression over the whole thing.
"Masaki..." Kuro prompted gently.
Right. Somewhere else. Masaki looked up at the buildings they were passing instead of his feet. There had to be someplace around here that wouldn't rub salt into his wounds.
He remembered his job. That wouldn't work either; if school had been busywork, the job was just somewhere to waste his remaining time so he wouldn't have a spare moment in the day to hear his thoughts beating against the inside of his skull. There had been nothing meaningful for him there to begin with. Now he'd been gone long enough that there wouldn't even be one last forlorn paycheck waiting for someone who would never claim it.
Wonder what they did with my apartment, he mused. Probably gave all the stuff away. That was okay, the loss of the things there had never really bothered him. Well, scratch one more place off the list. He let his feet wander the familiar streets however they felt like, wondering if there was anyone he should look up, and not coming up with much.
Suddenly a splash of bright color caught his eye - a sign in neon pink and blue that grabbed attention no matter how one might try to ignore it. He felt a smile on his face, though it didn't seem to penetrate much further than that, the surface warmth petering out against his cold insides. "Oh, it's still there," he said, without really thinking. It was, faintly, a relief to see that horribly garish sign again.
"Ugh, how tacky," Kuro declared, wrinkling her nose and laying her ears back at the fluorescent colors that were attempting somewhat unsuccessfully to depict a cat enjoying a bowl of ice cream.
Masaki chuckled. "Oh yeah. The owner had the worst sense of decoration I could think of - but this place definitely had the best ice cream in town, so no one cared. I'm surprised no one's convinced him to repaint the place yet, though."
He glanced around again, feeling as if he was actually noticing his surroundings for the first time. Memories came back to him now as if they'd been hidden behind a thick, dark curtain, and he found himself reminiscing half out loud, pointing out places he'd been to the cats and telling them of running jokes long forgotten, escapades buried under the weight of loss. He brightened as they wandered further, blithely ignoring the occasional strange looks he received for wandering around with a pair of cats following more like a pair of well-trained dogs.
He stopped at a park, leaning on the fence. "I used to play here all the time," he said distantly, his eyes far away. "I'm glad they didn't knock it down - there was a huge fuss about it a few years back and I was half afraid it'd be long gone by now."
Shiro leaped up onto the narrow fence easily, rubbing his head under Masaki's chin. "Still sorry you came?" he rebuked as Masaki's hand came up to pat the soft white fur absently.
Masaki smiled. "Nah. Thanks, guys," he added as Kuro leaped up to join Shiro. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Kuro sniffed. "Oh, be constantly lost, I'm sure," she teased. "I'm actually very surprised that you haven't gotten yourself turned around once today."
Masaki retorted, "My sense of direction's not that bad!"
"Ando-kun?"
Masaki started, whirling. He blinked to see that the only person who could have called his name was a skinny boy in a familiar school uniform, with dark eyes half-hidden by a vaguely scruffy fall of black hair. Masaki hesitated, torn between responding and just plain leaving. He felt somehow that the reminder of his school life was unwelcome, that it would unbalance his fragile good mood and send him back to the dark place where he'd started.
But by now he'd waited long enough that it was basically a moot point. The familiar face moved closer. "It is you, isn't it, Ando?"
Masaki swallowed. "Yeah," he said finally. "Hi, Kiyomoto."
Kiyomoto grinned, suddenly, covering the remaining distance in a rush. "Man, where've you been?" he said, as if a dam had broken inside him, releasing words in a flood. "You just up and disappeared one day! Everybody had a theory of course, but some people thought you'd been murdered, or wiped out by the aliens or something!"
Masaki tried to wave it off. "Nah, those jerks couldn't take me out."
"Not that they haven't been trying..." a mutter came from behind him, and he clamped down on the urge to hiss at Shiro to be quiet.
Luckily Kiyomoto didn't seem to have heard. "So where've you been? I should be on television for this or something - resolving the Unsolved Mystery of Masaki Ando's disappearance!"
Uh oh. Think fast. Masaki coughed. Somehow I doubt the truth would fly real well - "Yeah, I got unexpectedly summoned to this fantasy kingdom underneath the surface of the Earth, and I got my own mecha to pilot to try and help save the world and all that good stuff" - man, I hardly believe it myself...
Before he could come up with anything, though, a distant, distinctive rumble of engines made him snap his head up. Behind him, Kuro hissed and Shiro bristled, ears laid back in fury as giant shadows poured across the ground. A hot exhaust-laden wind seared over them from the passing of mecha overhead, engines roaring up to deafening pitch and then fading again as the giant robots dipped downward, landing with earth-shaking impact in the streets not far away.
Masaki stared at the robots, bursting out unthinkingly, "What the hell are those Titans bastards doing here?!"
"Masaki, call the others," Kuro said, throwing caution completely to the winds. Kiyomoto stared at her, but Masaki was in no mood to care. He yanked out his communicator and demanded, "Masaki to Argama - did you see that?"
"Yeah, the radar just lit up like a Christmas tree!" Duo's voice piped up tinnily from the communicator in response. "Looks like it'll be an action-packed day after all!"
Masaki groaned. "Duo, who put you on communications duty?"
Duo chuckled. "So sue me, we were on shift change. Someone had to take over. Are you still pissed off about that Psychic Friends Network joke? I mean, come on..."
Masaki smacked his forehead. "Duo, do me a favor, just shut up and tell me you guys are on your way!"
Duo didn't seem at all concerned by the sharp tone. "Yep, we're scrambling now. We'll be there in about three minutes. Think you can hold out till then?"
"Somehow I doubt trying to take these guys on without the Psybuster would be real good for my health," Masaki retorted dryly.
"Oh yeah, that is still on board, isn't it?"
Masaki rolled his eyes. "Never mind, I'll find the nearest shelter and meet up with you guys later..."
"We won't make it," Kiyomoto said quietly.
Masaki looked at him. "What?"
Kiyomoto's expression was as flat as his voice. "It's a half-mile in the wrong direction." He pointed to where the Titans mecha were settling themselves in the streets, hulking forms only partially blocked from view by the buildings around them. "We won't make it."
Masaki rested his forehead on his palm, trying to think. "Great... now what..."
Amuro's voice suddenly cut in briskly. "Masaki, just stay where you are and keep transmitting. We'll just pick you up."
Masaki blanched as one of the robots turned to face them, a giant finger pointing in their direction. "Sorry, no can do!" he yelped, grabbed Kiyomoto's hand, and ran for the cover of the buildings on the opposite side of the park as fast as he could. The cats bolted ahead, and Kiyomoto stumbled, trying to run and look back at the same time.
"It's following us!" he nearly shrieked as a terrible crashing sound came from behind. "What does it want?!"
"The pilot must have recognized me... of all the damn luck..." Masaki panted as he sprinted into a gap between buildings. He paused to look out, noting with relief that the mecha was hesitating, its pilot apparently receiving orders that didn't include pursuing them. "Great, now just walk away..."
Kiyomoto was staring at him. "You're one of the Lond Bell," he said faintly. "Aren't you? You're some kind of mecha pilot... but that doesn't explain the talking cat thing, unless I'm just having a really freaky dream..." He pinched his arm experimentally. "Well, maybe not..."
Masaki waved a hand at him as the mecha continued to remain still. "I'll explain later, okay? For now we'd better keep going, or--" He broke off as the giant robot lifted its gun and pointed it in a lazy motion toward the buildings that were providing them shelter. He yanked Kiyomoto out into the street just as the side of the building exploded above them, showering dust and concrete everywhere.
Masaki pulled himself up, coughing on pulverized stone as Kiyomoto stirred where he'd fallen. The mecha was turning away, its pilot apparently satisfied with the chance that they might be dead rather than making sure. Masaki rubbed at his shoulder where a larger piece of concrete had struck a glancing blow, reaching down to help Kiyomoto up. "Hey, you okay?"
Kiyomoto picked himself up slowly, wincing. "I think so," he volunteered finally. "I'm gonna be black and blue tomorrow for sure though."
Masaki glanced at Kuro and Shiro, reassuring himself quickly that the cats were all right before going on. "Do you have any clue what they're after, by the way?" he asked as he picked his way across the wreckage, moving away from the Titans mechs.
Kiyomoto shrugged. "Oh, at a guess, I'd say the new cybertech research lab. You wouldn't know about that, of course, since it got put up after you disappeared."
Masaki sighed. "Great. Why can't they keep these lab things in Tokyo or Tokyo-3? Why do they have to invade the suburbs?"
"Maybe because there's no space in the big cities anymore..."
"Yeah, I suppose... although there's nothing worse than party crashers no matter where you go." Masaki threw a brief scowl behind them in the direction of the Titans mecha.
"I bet there isn't going to be much left of downtown by the time this is over..." Kiyomoto said gloomily.
Masaki glanced backwards again, not trusting the Titans mecha to stay in the pattern they had been following. "Well, if I know Captain Bright he'll try to lure them out of the city as much as he can..."
Kiyomoto looked at him. "So you are part of the Lond Bell?"
Masaki hesitated, then finally nodded. "Yeah, I am."
Kiyomoto looked thoughtful, chewing on that information as they moved farther away from the Titans and their target. Masaki was a little surprised. "What, I thought you'd be all over me wanting to know about the robots and stuff."
Kiyomoto looked up. "Uh? Well, I - I mean, I guess I was a bit of an otaku before," he admitted sheepishly, even his ears turning red. "But - well, people change, I guess." He didn't seem to want to explain more than that. Masaki shrugged, willing to leave it at that for the moment, and then looked up as the distinctive shriek of the Deathscythe's engine swept by them somewhere off to the left.
"I swear he modified that thing just to freak people out," Masaki muttered, and reached for his communicator again. "You missed us, Duo," he informed the pilot acidly.
"Wasn't aiming for ya! I've got bigger fish to fry!" the Gundam pilot responded brightly. The black Gundam charged at the nearest Titans mobile suit, beam scythe upraised, as several more airborne robots surged overhead. Some of the Titans mecha lifted from the ground again to meet the charge, and Masaki pulled on Kiyomoto's arm.
"Come on, I'd rather not be here when they start firing at each other," he urged, dragging Kiyomoto with him as he hurried through an alley. The cats sprinted ahead, disappearing around a corner in flashes of black and white fur. Masaki twisted at a crash from behind, trying to keep an eye on the battle behind them, but all he could see was a cloud of smoke and dust - not who had fallen.
They ran across the next street, dodging cars and people fleeing the scene just as they were themselves. Kuro and Shiro reappeared at another corner. "This way!" Shiro shouted over the noise of weapons fire and explosions from behind them. Masaki headed for the intersection, trusting the cats to know where to go better than his own faulty sense of direction. "Come on," he urged Kiyomoto as his former classmate stumbled, shoving him toward the intersection where the cats waited.
Another crash sounded from behind, followed by a shrieking of metal and a high-pitched whine of tearing air as something massive fell through it. Kuro screamed, "Look out!" and Masaki looked up to see the burning wreck of a Titans mecha plunging directly toward the street. Instinctively he flung up his hands to shield his face, a futile final gesture. People screamed around him, and the street rattled and shook with a tremendous impact. There was a sizzling, crackling sound of trapped lightning and a scraping whine, and the air filled with a burnt, metallic stench, but Masaki felt nothing but a hot breeze against his face. Lowering his hands, he blinked up at an enormous purple shape, thin hands outstretched to hold the burning mecha at bay. Orange patterns seared the air, deflecting rubble and shrapnel from the disintegrating mecha to land harmlessly in the street below, instead of striking the stunned and staring people cowering in the EVA's shadow.
Masaki swallowed and then shoved Kiyomoto again. "Go, go! Don't just stand there! Come on!"
"What - what is that thing?" Kiyomoto squeaked as the purple mecha heaved the remaining ruin of the mobile suit into the empty street.
"An EVA. Long story," Masaki said shortly as he ran for clear ground. The battle was expanding, anyone could tell. The Titans were probably doing it on purpose, too - keeping the Lond Bell too busy trying to save the innocent bystanders to keep them from getting what they really wanted. "What a time to be stuck on the ground," he groaned. "I should be helping!"
"Masaki, where are you?" came Camille's voice suddenly from his communicator.
Masaki grabbed it and retorted, "I don't exactly have time to look at street signs right now! We just dodged Shinji if that means anything!"
"In that case, I'm closest," Quatre chimed in. "I'll pick you up. Can you stay where you are for a minute?"
Masaki leaned on a building, panting. "I'd love to," he gasped, really beginning to feel the strain from the run. Next to him, Kiyomoto was practically doubled over, trying to get his breath back. "But no promises."
"You seem awfully used to all this," Kiyomoto complained as Masaki stuffed the communicator back in his pocket. "You haven't been gone that long!"
Maybe not, in absolute terms. But sometimes Masaki felt that his life here, on the Surface, had happened so long ago that it was almost like the memories belonged to someone else. That dark curtain had swept over his memories again, making them easier to bear by enforcing a distance that didn't actually exist. He'd abandoned this life without regret when he was given a new one. Maybe he really shouldn't have come back. He should have stayed dead to this place. Then, ironically enough, he actually would have been free to help save it, just one more anonymous pilot of a silver mecha overhead.
He shook off the self-doubt; there really wasn't time for it now. "Yeah, well, like you said, people change," he responded dryly, then glanced up as the Sandrock roared up next to them, a massive hand already reaching down toward their level. "All right Quatre," Masaki cheered, half-running toward the hand. He winced as his leg muscles twinged. Oh man, am I gonna feel this tomorrow.
Kiyomoto looked more than a little uncertain about riding in the Gundam's hand, but he climbed in anyway. The cats leaped up atop the fingers, and Masaki quickly took them into his lap, hoping to shield their frailer bodies with his own. The Sandrock started to straighten, then shuddered at an impact from behind.
"Hold on," Quatre warned as the Gundam closed its fingers around them, fist clutched protectively to its chest as it retreated from the combat zone. Masaki took out the communicator again and turned it back on, hoping to get some more information about the battle he intended to join very shortly.
"Can't you get through their line yet?" Captain Bright demanded.
"We're trying!" Kouji complained. "I swear they're multiplying like rabbits!"
"It's true, they keep getting reinforcements," Camille corroborated. "Whatever they're after, it must be important."
"Some new weapon?" Hayato hazarded.
"Less theory and more carnage!" Duo chirped happily.
"Duo..." That was several voices.
"What? So I enjoy my work!"
"You're nuts," Hyouma complained.
"Hey, least my mecha doesn't throw Yo-Yo's of Doom."
"Hey!"
"Duo, keep the irrelevant commentary off-channel," Hiiro ordered sharply.
"Yeah, yeah..." Duo said, apparently unworried. Then he announced happily, "Oh, there's another one! Come heeeeere little mobile suit! I've got a beam scythe here with your name all over it!"
That at least distracted him while the others continued. "To get back to the point," Ryou sighed, "They really want this thing, whatever it is. And trying to prevent them from taking the city out with them isn't helping either."
Kiyomoto snorted at that. Masaki glanced at him but didn't comment, looking back at the small speaker.
"We need a plan," Amuro said firmly. "Can we just all push toward one point on their line before they can regroup to block us?"
"Doubtful," Hiiro said shortly.
"Man, we could really use your Psyflash thing right now, Masaki," Kouji complained. "You could hit them all in one go."
"Look, I'm working on it," Masaki retorted.
"Hey, Shinji, could you go distract them from the side? That A-T Field's not even getting scratched, you could fake them out," Kouji suggested.
"Um..." Shinji hesitated. "The umbilical cable won't reach that far," he finally said lamely.
Kouji groaned. "You gotta be kidding me!"
"It's not my fault!" Shinji protested.
Masaki slapped his forehead. "Who on earth designs a mecha that runs on conventional electricity anyway?" he complained half to himself.
Duo chose that moment to cut in again, indulging in a bout of maniacal laughter. "Die, all of you, DIE!!" he yelled, apparently charging headlong at the enemy.
Amuro could almost be heard sending up a plea for patience. "Um, Duo, we need a plan..." he reminded the other Gundam pilot.
"I've got a plan! I'm going to blow them all the hell up!" Duo responded cheerfully.
Kiyomoto finally spoke up, asking dubiously, "Is he always like that?"
Masaki shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. You get used to it after a while."
Kiyomoto sounded even more dubious. "If you say so..."
Masaki looked up as the Sandrock closed in on the hull of the Argama, lifting its hand. A hatch was already opening, and Masaki put Kuro and Shiro inside on the deck as soon as he could reach, and then scrambled inside himself. He turned to hold out his hand, and hauled Kiyomoto inside. "I've got to get to the hangar," he said quickly. "You're sort of on your own. Just tell anyone who asks that I dragged you into this." He grinned briefly, and then on impulse shook Kiyomoto's hand. "Nice seeing you again. Next time we'll have to do it when there aren't robots shooting at us."
He turned to run after Kuro and Shiro, who were already heading for the hangar so he could follow them. He wasn't quite far enough away to miss Kiyomoto's last words, but it was easier to pretend that he was.
"Assuming there is a next time..."
-------------
Masaki flung himself into the pilot's seat of the Psybuster and hurriedly fastened the safety straps, glad to have an extra set of hands - or paws, as it were - as Kuro and Shiro started the warmup procedure. He gripped the controls as the hatch slid smoothly shut with a whisper of air, and relaxed as he felt the comforting hum of the Elemental God-Machine around him. Now that he could do something about the situation, the last bit of weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. "Let's go," he called, and hit the engines, sending the Psybuster exploding from the hangar and out into the open air.
"It's about time, you lazy bum," Kouji called cheerfully over the radio as the Psybuster roared toward the battle. "Where've you been?"
"Oh, shut up," Masaki retorted cheerfully as he blasted past the Mazinger. "You want me to Psyflash these goons for you or not?"
"Oh, would you? They're scratching my poor Deathscythe's paint!" Duo chirped.
Masaki rolled his eyes, and dove toward the thickest clump of Titans mecha. "Man, there are a lot of them," he said as he registered just how many red dots were showing up on the spirit radar.
"Thirty-two to be exact," Amuro said, just before the sound of an explosion close by sent static rattling briefly across the connection from his Gundam. "Make that thirty-one," he added a moment later.
Masaki grumbled. "Great. Any hints from that tech lab about what it is they want?"
"No transmissions since the enemy entered the building," Hiiro reported.
"In other words, we got all of one call for help and that was it," Ryou said.
"Hope everyone's okay in there, then," Masaki muttered.
Captain Bright brought the conversation back to business. "Everyone, converge on that big hole in their line Masaki's about to make for us."
"Think this'll down them all?" Masaki asked in slight surprise. The Psyflash wasn't that powerful...
"It better, we've been pounding on them since long before you got here," Asuka snorted.
"Well, one way to find out!" Masaki grinned ferociously as he hit the control. "Eat this!"
The white sphere of power expanded outwards from the Psybuster, tearing into every enemy mecha within its reach. Masaki saw belatedly that Camille was within the Psyflash's range, but the energy slid liquidly off of the the Zeta Gundam's hull without touching it, and Camille barely waited an instant for visibility to clear before firing his main gun, finishing off the robot he'd been aiming at. "Trying to blind me or something, Masaki?" Camille mock-protested, since both of them knew full well the Psyflash didn't hit allies.
"Aww, quit yer whining," Masaki retorted, grinning as the belaguered enemy mecha around him caved in under the Psyflash's power and exploded in rapid succession, leaving him with a clear field around him as the energy faded away. "Munchies, everybody!" he called over the radio to the Lond Bell mecha as they swarmed toward the break in the line and the unfortunate Titans mecha trying to bolster the weak point in the defenses. "Come and get 'em!" He whooped and whirled the Psybuster to look for another target.
"You're sounding like Duo," Hiiro admonished.
"Perish the thought," Masaki replied. "You just need to lighten up."
"Proves the boy's got both style and sense!" Duo called cheerily as he went after one of the ground-bound robots. "I take back everything I ever said about you, Masaki."
"Gee, thanks... I think," Masaki retorted dryly.
"They're retreating!" Kuro said suddenly. Masaki frowned at the monitor and saw that the Titans mecha had in fact abruptly abandoned their attempts to reinforce their line and were pulling back.
"They're leaving the lab too," Trowa corroborated a moment later.
Masaki cursed. "Then they probably got what they wanted!" He turned the Psybuster, focusing the monitors on the flying mecha lifting away from the building.
"Don't pursue!" Captain Bright ordered.
"What?" Masaki demanded, though he did hesitate before hitting the controls. "Why not? We can't let them get away!"
"We don't have a lot of choice," Amuro pointed out. "You'd get cut off without any support if you tried to follow them; you're the only one who could keep up."
"Everyone come back," Captain Bright ordered. "We need to get out of the city and let the local authorities clean up."
Masaki grumbled but had to accept Amuro's logic. Reluctantly he turned the Psybuster, blazing back to the Argama. As he flew he cast one last guilty look at the ruined streets below.
This really wasn't how I'd planned to come home...
-------------
By the time debriefing was over, Kiyomoto had apparently long since fled the ship. "Yeah," Mora said when Masaki asked her. "Couldn't get off fast enough. I guess maybe I can't blame him. He must have friends he was worried about."
Masaki tried not to wince. It wasn't like Mora had any idea he was originally from this town. Guess that list of friends doesn't really include me anymore. Not that he really expected anything else - it wasn't like he'd tried to do so much as send a message of "Hey, I'm alive" since he'd left the Surface and begun his life in Ra Gias.
He thanked Mora halfheartedly and turned away, heading back toward the hangar where the Psybuster waited silently for its chosen pilot. With a sigh he sat down leaning against the cool silvery hull, leaning his head back against it. Kuro and Shiro curled up in his lap, and he patted them absently.
"Feeling like it's not worth it?" Kuro questioned quietly, subdued.
Masaki thought about that. "Nah, that's not it," he answered. He smiled at the cats and scratched under Kuro's chin to make her purr. "Just wondering how things might have been different, that's all. But I'm not regretting it. After all, if nothing else I've got you guys."
Shiro sniffed. "So glad to hear we're so high on your list of priorities," he said haughtily.
Masaki grinned. "Let me guess, now I've got to work that comment off?"
"Absolutely. And I'd say it's going to take at least half an hour of scratching," Shiro teased back. "Hope you're comfortable."
Masaki chuckled and obliged the white cat, scratching his head with the hand that wasn't occupied with Kuro. Settling himself more comfortably against the solid bulk of the Psybuster, Masaki relaxed, forgetting about everything else for the moment except for his happily purring familiars and the gently humming machine behind him that had given him a new life.
-------------
"So, did you get it?"
Kiyomoto held out the disk. "Easily. The Lond Bell didn't suspect a thing."
The man in the flight suit took the disk and inspected it briefly, a quick smile crossing his narrow features. "Good job," he praised, putting the disk away into a pocket. "Are you ready to leave? If there's anything you want to get, better do it now; we won't be coming back."
Kiyomoto snorted. "Ando's not the only one who was eager to vanish without a trace. There's nothing here for me. Besides, my place probably got crushed in all the fighting."
The man nodded and turned away. "And what about him?" he questioned briefly. "Have any regrets about the fact that you'll likely end up on the other side of the battlefield from your friend?" His voice held a hint of challenge to it.
Kiyomoto didn't hesitate. "He's not my friend. Not anymore."
The man chuckled. "Just what I wanted to hear. I think you'll do very well in our organization. As the old saying goes, stick with me, kid, you'll go places."
"Just as long as those places are far away from here," Kiyomoto muttered, gazing solidly ahead and refusing to glance behind.
-------------
The End (for now)
Author's notes: This wasn't set during any particular game, aside from "before Alpha" (I think I wrote it after playing F.) I just threw in whatever robots seemed like a good idea at the time... :P Oh, and yes, I know the "official" romanization is Cybaster or Cybuster, but I don't care. I don't like it, I won't use it and you can't make me, so there. :P
Series: Super Robot Taisen
Genre: Action
Warnings: None
Summary: Masaki might have been better off not returning to his hometown...
Disclaimer: None of the characters mentioned herein belong to me. No infringement of any of the rights of the creators or distributing companies is intended. This story may not be distributed for profit.
You Can't Go Home Again
a Super Robot Taisen fanfic
by Hoshikage
"I shouldn't have come here," Masaki Ando muttered.
He stood outside a gate, hands thrust sullenly into the pockets of his jeans. The wind grabbed at his clothes, snapping the fabric of his jacket around him and flinging green hair into his eyes. He shook his head in irritation, at the weather or himself he couldn't tell, and turned away from the school.
Why was he here anyway? It was no big deal. The Lond Bell had stopped for some downtime near his old neighborhood, that was all. He'd never gotten an urge to come back and sightsee before. What had drawn him here this time?
Kuro and Shiro trotted at his heels as he walked away from the building - he'd told them not to come along, but they were his familiars and he could hardly lock them up when they ignored his command and followed him anyway. The two cats shared a glance, then looked around, and when they saw the streets were basically empty Shiro piped up, "Maybe you should just look somewhere else, Masaki. It's not as if school was ever your strong point."
"Wiseguy," Masaki growled back, but he had to admit that the white cat sort of had a point. High school - what a joke, really. It had all been busywork they gave him there; pointless tasks that he focused all his attention on so he wouldn't have to really think... think about what he'd lost. And yet that loss had always been there anyway, gnawing steadily at his insides like a cancer eating him alive, until he'd felt like some pale shadow, a pathetic imitation of a human being.
"Masaki, it's not like you to brood," Kuro said quietly, a hint of worry in her tone.
Well, no. It wasn't - not anymore. It was hardly the cats' fault that they hadn't known him before. His memories of this place were hopelessly tainted, overshadowed by the gaping hole left in his life when his family had died. It was as if he was a stained glass window that had been shattered, leaving only razor-sharp fragments clinging dully to the edge of the frame. He'd felt like that for so long. He was vaguely distressed somewhere deep down that he'd slipped so easily back into the deep, worn rut of his depression over the whole thing.
"Masaki..." Kuro prompted gently.
Right. Somewhere else. Masaki looked up at the buildings they were passing instead of his feet. There had to be someplace around here that wouldn't rub salt into his wounds.
He remembered his job. That wouldn't work either; if school had been busywork, the job was just somewhere to waste his remaining time so he wouldn't have a spare moment in the day to hear his thoughts beating against the inside of his skull. There had been nothing meaningful for him there to begin with. Now he'd been gone long enough that there wouldn't even be one last forlorn paycheck waiting for someone who would never claim it.
Wonder what they did with my apartment, he mused. Probably gave all the stuff away. That was okay, the loss of the things there had never really bothered him. Well, scratch one more place off the list. He let his feet wander the familiar streets however they felt like, wondering if there was anyone he should look up, and not coming up with much.
Suddenly a splash of bright color caught his eye - a sign in neon pink and blue that grabbed attention no matter how one might try to ignore it. He felt a smile on his face, though it didn't seem to penetrate much further than that, the surface warmth petering out against his cold insides. "Oh, it's still there," he said, without really thinking. It was, faintly, a relief to see that horribly garish sign again.
"Ugh, how tacky," Kuro declared, wrinkling her nose and laying her ears back at the fluorescent colors that were attempting somewhat unsuccessfully to depict a cat enjoying a bowl of ice cream.
Masaki chuckled. "Oh yeah. The owner had the worst sense of decoration I could think of - but this place definitely had the best ice cream in town, so no one cared. I'm surprised no one's convinced him to repaint the place yet, though."
He glanced around again, feeling as if he was actually noticing his surroundings for the first time. Memories came back to him now as if they'd been hidden behind a thick, dark curtain, and he found himself reminiscing half out loud, pointing out places he'd been to the cats and telling them of running jokes long forgotten, escapades buried under the weight of loss. He brightened as they wandered further, blithely ignoring the occasional strange looks he received for wandering around with a pair of cats following more like a pair of well-trained dogs.
He stopped at a park, leaning on the fence. "I used to play here all the time," he said distantly, his eyes far away. "I'm glad they didn't knock it down - there was a huge fuss about it a few years back and I was half afraid it'd be long gone by now."
Shiro leaped up onto the narrow fence easily, rubbing his head under Masaki's chin. "Still sorry you came?" he rebuked as Masaki's hand came up to pat the soft white fur absently.
Masaki smiled. "Nah. Thanks, guys," he added as Kuro leaped up to join Shiro. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
Kuro sniffed. "Oh, be constantly lost, I'm sure," she teased. "I'm actually very surprised that you haven't gotten yourself turned around once today."
Masaki retorted, "My sense of direction's not that bad!"
"Ando-kun?"
Masaki started, whirling. He blinked to see that the only person who could have called his name was a skinny boy in a familiar school uniform, with dark eyes half-hidden by a vaguely scruffy fall of black hair. Masaki hesitated, torn between responding and just plain leaving. He felt somehow that the reminder of his school life was unwelcome, that it would unbalance his fragile good mood and send him back to the dark place where he'd started.
But by now he'd waited long enough that it was basically a moot point. The familiar face moved closer. "It is you, isn't it, Ando?"
Masaki swallowed. "Yeah," he said finally. "Hi, Kiyomoto."
Kiyomoto grinned, suddenly, covering the remaining distance in a rush. "Man, where've you been?" he said, as if a dam had broken inside him, releasing words in a flood. "You just up and disappeared one day! Everybody had a theory of course, but some people thought you'd been murdered, or wiped out by the aliens or something!"
Masaki tried to wave it off. "Nah, those jerks couldn't take me out."
"Not that they haven't been trying..." a mutter came from behind him, and he clamped down on the urge to hiss at Shiro to be quiet.
Luckily Kiyomoto didn't seem to have heard. "So where've you been? I should be on television for this or something - resolving the Unsolved Mystery of Masaki Ando's disappearance!"
Uh oh. Think fast. Masaki coughed. Somehow I doubt the truth would fly real well - "Yeah, I got unexpectedly summoned to this fantasy kingdom underneath the surface of the Earth, and I got my own mecha to pilot to try and help save the world and all that good stuff" - man, I hardly believe it myself...
Before he could come up with anything, though, a distant, distinctive rumble of engines made him snap his head up. Behind him, Kuro hissed and Shiro bristled, ears laid back in fury as giant shadows poured across the ground. A hot exhaust-laden wind seared over them from the passing of mecha overhead, engines roaring up to deafening pitch and then fading again as the giant robots dipped downward, landing with earth-shaking impact in the streets not far away.
Masaki stared at the robots, bursting out unthinkingly, "What the hell are those Titans bastards doing here?!"
"Masaki, call the others," Kuro said, throwing caution completely to the winds. Kiyomoto stared at her, but Masaki was in no mood to care. He yanked out his communicator and demanded, "Masaki to Argama - did you see that?"
"Yeah, the radar just lit up like a Christmas tree!" Duo's voice piped up tinnily from the communicator in response. "Looks like it'll be an action-packed day after all!"
Masaki groaned. "Duo, who put you on communications duty?"
Duo chuckled. "So sue me, we were on shift change. Someone had to take over. Are you still pissed off about that Psychic Friends Network joke? I mean, come on..."
Masaki smacked his forehead. "Duo, do me a favor, just shut up and tell me you guys are on your way!"
Duo didn't seem at all concerned by the sharp tone. "Yep, we're scrambling now. We'll be there in about three minutes. Think you can hold out till then?"
"Somehow I doubt trying to take these guys on without the Psybuster would be real good for my health," Masaki retorted dryly.
"Oh yeah, that is still on board, isn't it?"
Masaki rolled his eyes. "Never mind, I'll find the nearest shelter and meet up with you guys later..."
"We won't make it," Kiyomoto said quietly.
Masaki looked at him. "What?"
Kiyomoto's expression was as flat as his voice. "It's a half-mile in the wrong direction." He pointed to where the Titans mecha were settling themselves in the streets, hulking forms only partially blocked from view by the buildings around them. "We won't make it."
Masaki rested his forehead on his palm, trying to think. "Great... now what..."
Amuro's voice suddenly cut in briskly. "Masaki, just stay where you are and keep transmitting. We'll just pick you up."
Masaki blanched as one of the robots turned to face them, a giant finger pointing in their direction. "Sorry, no can do!" he yelped, grabbed Kiyomoto's hand, and ran for the cover of the buildings on the opposite side of the park as fast as he could. The cats bolted ahead, and Kiyomoto stumbled, trying to run and look back at the same time.
"It's following us!" he nearly shrieked as a terrible crashing sound came from behind. "What does it want?!"
"The pilot must have recognized me... of all the damn luck..." Masaki panted as he sprinted into a gap between buildings. He paused to look out, noting with relief that the mecha was hesitating, its pilot apparently receiving orders that didn't include pursuing them. "Great, now just walk away..."
Kiyomoto was staring at him. "You're one of the Lond Bell," he said faintly. "Aren't you? You're some kind of mecha pilot... but that doesn't explain the talking cat thing, unless I'm just having a really freaky dream..." He pinched his arm experimentally. "Well, maybe not..."
Masaki waved a hand at him as the mecha continued to remain still. "I'll explain later, okay? For now we'd better keep going, or--" He broke off as the giant robot lifted its gun and pointed it in a lazy motion toward the buildings that were providing them shelter. He yanked Kiyomoto out into the street just as the side of the building exploded above them, showering dust and concrete everywhere.
Masaki pulled himself up, coughing on pulverized stone as Kiyomoto stirred where he'd fallen. The mecha was turning away, its pilot apparently satisfied with the chance that they might be dead rather than making sure. Masaki rubbed at his shoulder where a larger piece of concrete had struck a glancing blow, reaching down to help Kiyomoto up. "Hey, you okay?"
Kiyomoto picked himself up slowly, wincing. "I think so," he volunteered finally. "I'm gonna be black and blue tomorrow for sure though."
Masaki glanced at Kuro and Shiro, reassuring himself quickly that the cats were all right before going on. "Do you have any clue what they're after, by the way?" he asked as he picked his way across the wreckage, moving away from the Titans mechs.
Kiyomoto shrugged. "Oh, at a guess, I'd say the new cybertech research lab. You wouldn't know about that, of course, since it got put up after you disappeared."
Masaki sighed. "Great. Why can't they keep these lab things in Tokyo or Tokyo-3? Why do they have to invade the suburbs?"
"Maybe because there's no space in the big cities anymore..."
"Yeah, I suppose... although there's nothing worse than party crashers no matter where you go." Masaki threw a brief scowl behind them in the direction of the Titans mecha.
"I bet there isn't going to be much left of downtown by the time this is over..." Kiyomoto said gloomily.
Masaki glanced backwards again, not trusting the Titans mecha to stay in the pattern they had been following. "Well, if I know Captain Bright he'll try to lure them out of the city as much as he can..."
Kiyomoto looked at him. "So you are part of the Lond Bell?"
Masaki hesitated, then finally nodded. "Yeah, I am."
Kiyomoto looked thoughtful, chewing on that information as they moved farther away from the Titans and their target. Masaki was a little surprised. "What, I thought you'd be all over me wanting to know about the robots and stuff."
Kiyomoto looked up. "Uh? Well, I - I mean, I guess I was a bit of an otaku before," he admitted sheepishly, even his ears turning red. "But - well, people change, I guess." He didn't seem to want to explain more than that. Masaki shrugged, willing to leave it at that for the moment, and then looked up as the distinctive shriek of the Deathscythe's engine swept by them somewhere off to the left.
"I swear he modified that thing just to freak people out," Masaki muttered, and reached for his communicator again. "You missed us, Duo," he informed the pilot acidly.
"Wasn't aiming for ya! I've got bigger fish to fry!" the Gundam pilot responded brightly. The black Gundam charged at the nearest Titans mobile suit, beam scythe upraised, as several more airborne robots surged overhead. Some of the Titans mecha lifted from the ground again to meet the charge, and Masaki pulled on Kiyomoto's arm.
"Come on, I'd rather not be here when they start firing at each other," he urged, dragging Kiyomoto with him as he hurried through an alley. The cats sprinted ahead, disappearing around a corner in flashes of black and white fur. Masaki twisted at a crash from behind, trying to keep an eye on the battle behind them, but all he could see was a cloud of smoke and dust - not who had fallen.
They ran across the next street, dodging cars and people fleeing the scene just as they were themselves. Kuro and Shiro reappeared at another corner. "This way!" Shiro shouted over the noise of weapons fire and explosions from behind them. Masaki headed for the intersection, trusting the cats to know where to go better than his own faulty sense of direction. "Come on," he urged Kiyomoto as his former classmate stumbled, shoving him toward the intersection where the cats waited.
Another crash sounded from behind, followed by a shrieking of metal and a high-pitched whine of tearing air as something massive fell through it. Kuro screamed, "Look out!" and Masaki looked up to see the burning wreck of a Titans mecha plunging directly toward the street. Instinctively he flung up his hands to shield his face, a futile final gesture. People screamed around him, and the street rattled and shook with a tremendous impact. There was a sizzling, crackling sound of trapped lightning and a scraping whine, and the air filled with a burnt, metallic stench, but Masaki felt nothing but a hot breeze against his face. Lowering his hands, he blinked up at an enormous purple shape, thin hands outstretched to hold the burning mecha at bay. Orange patterns seared the air, deflecting rubble and shrapnel from the disintegrating mecha to land harmlessly in the street below, instead of striking the stunned and staring people cowering in the EVA's shadow.
Masaki swallowed and then shoved Kiyomoto again. "Go, go! Don't just stand there! Come on!"
"What - what is that thing?" Kiyomoto squeaked as the purple mecha heaved the remaining ruin of the mobile suit into the empty street.
"An EVA. Long story," Masaki said shortly as he ran for clear ground. The battle was expanding, anyone could tell. The Titans were probably doing it on purpose, too - keeping the Lond Bell too busy trying to save the innocent bystanders to keep them from getting what they really wanted. "What a time to be stuck on the ground," he groaned. "I should be helping!"
"Masaki, where are you?" came Camille's voice suddenly from his communicator.
Masaki grabbed it and retorted, "I don't exactly have time to look at street signs right now! We just dodged Shinji if that means anything!"
"In that case, I'm closest," Quatre chimed in. "I'll pick you up. Can you stay where you are for a minute?"
Masaki leaned on a building, panting. "I'd love to," he gasped, really beginning to feel the strain from the run. Next to him, Kiyomoto was practically doubled over, trying to get his breath back. "But no promises."
"You seem awfully used to all this," Kiyomoto complained as Masaki stuffed the communicator back in his pocket. "You haven't been gone that long!"
Maybe not, in absolute terms. But sometimes Masaki felt that his life here, on the Surface, had happened so long ago that it was almost like the memories belonged to someone else. That dark curtain had swept over his memories again, making them easier to bear by enforcing a distance that didn't actually exist. He'd abandoned this life without regret when he was given a new one. Maybe he really shouldn't have come back. He should have stayed dead to this place. Then, ironically enough, he actually would have been free to help save it, just one more anonymous pilot of a silver mecha overhead.
He shook off the self-doubt; there really wasn't time for it now. "Yeah, well, like you said, people change," he responded dryly, then glanced up as the Sandrock roared up next to them, a massive hand already reaching down toward their level. "All right Quatre," Masaki cheered, half-running toward the hand. He winced as his leg muscles twinged. Oh man, am I gonna feel this tomorrow.
Kiyomoto looked more than a little uncertain about riding in the Gundam's hand, but he climbed in anyway. The cats leaped up atop the fingers, and Masaki quickly took them into his lap, hoping to shield their frailer bodies with his own. The Sandrock started to straighten, then shuddered at an impact from behind.
"Hold on," Quatre warned as the Gundam closed its fingers around them, fist clutched protectively to its chest as it retreated from the combat zone. Masaki took out the communicator again and turned it back on, hoping to get some more information about the battle he intended to join very shortly.
"Can't you get through their line yet?" Captain Bright demanded.
"We're trying!" Kouji complained. "I swear they're multiplying like rabbits!"
"It's true, they keep getting reinforcements," Camille corroborated. "Whatever they're after, it must be important."
"Some new weapon?" Hayato hazarded.
"Less theory and more carnage!" Duo chirped happily.
"Duo..." That was several voices.
"What? So I enjoy my work!"
"You're nuts," Hyouma complained.
"Hey, least my mecha doesn't throw Yo-Yo's of Doom."
"Hey!"
"Duo, keep the irrelevant commentary off-channel," Hiiro ordered sharply.
"Yeah, yeah..." Duo said, apparently unworried. Then he announced happily, "Oh, there's another one! Come heeeeere little mobile suit! I've got a beam scythe here with your name all over it!"
That at least distracted him while the others continued. "To get back to the point," Ryou sighed, "They really want this thing, whatever it is. And trying to prevent them from taking the city out with them isn't helping either."
Kiyomoto snorted at that. Masaki glanced at him but didn't comment, looking back at the small speaker.
"We need a plan," Amuro said firmly. "Can we just all push toward one point on their line before they can regroup to block us?"
"Doubtful," Hiiro said shortly.
"Man, we could really use your Psyflash thing right now, Masaki," Kouji complained. "You could hit them all in one go."
"Look, I'm working on it," Masaki retorted.
"Hey, Shinji, could you go distract them from the side? That A-T Field's not even getting scratched, you could fake them out," Kouji suggested.
"Um..." Shinji hesitated. "The umbilical cable won't reach that far," he finally said lamely.
Kouji groaned. "You gotta be kidding me!"
"It's not my fault!" Shinji protested.
Masaki slapped his forehead. "Who on earth designs a mecha that runs on conventional electricity anyway?" he complained half to himself.
Duo chose that moment to cut in again, indulging in a bout of maniacal laughter. "Die, all of you, DIE!!" he yelled, apparently charging headlong at the enemy.
Amuro could almost be heard sending up a plea for patience. "Um, Duo, we need a plan..." he reminded the other Gundam pilot.
"I've got a plan! I'm going to blow them all the hell up!" Duo responded cheerfully.
Kiyomoto finally spoke up, asking dubiously, "Is he always like that?"
Masaki shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. You get used to it after a while."
Kiyomoto sounded even more dubious. "If you say so..."
Masaki looked up as the Sandrock closed in on the hull of the Argama, lifting its hand. A hatch was already opening, and Masaki put Kuro and Shiro inside on the deck as soon as he could reach, and then scrambled inside himself. He turned to hold out his hand, and hauled Kiyomoto inside. "I've got to get to the hangar," he said quickly. "You're sort of on your own. Just tell anyone who asks that I dragged you into this." He grinned briefly, and then on impulse shook Kiyomoto's hand. "Nice seeing you again. Next time we'll have to do it when there aren't robots shooting at us."
He turned to run after Kuro and Shiro, who were already heading for the hangar so he could follow them. He wasn't quite far enough away to miss Kiyomoto's last words, but it was easier to pretend that he was.
"Assuming there is a next time..."
-------------
Masaki flung himself into the pilot's seat of the Psybuster and hurriedly fastened the safety straps, glad to have an extra set of hands - or paws, as it were - as Kuro and Shiro started the warmup procedure. He gripped the controls as the hatch slid smoothly shut with a whisper of air, and relaxed as he felt the comforting hum of the Elemental God-Machine around him. Now that he could do something about the situation, the last bit of weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. "Let's go," he called, and hit the engines, sending the Psybuster exploding from the hangar and out into the open air.
"It's about time, you lazy bum," Kouji called cheerfully over the radio as the Psybuster roared toward the battle. "Where've you been?"
"Oh, shut up," Masaki retorted cheerfully as he blasted past the Mazinger. "You want me to Psyflash these goons for you or not?"
"Oh, would you? They're scratching my poor Deathscythe's paint!" Duo chirped.
Masaki rolled his eyes, and dove toward the thickest clump of Titans mecha. "Man, there are a lot of them," he said as he registered just how many red dots were showing up on the spirit radar.
"Thirty-two to be exact," Amuro said, just before the sound of an explosion close by sent static rattling briefly across the connection from his Gundam. "Make that thirty-one," he added a moment later.
Masaki grumbled. "Great. Any hints from that tech lab about what it is they want?"
"No transmissions since the enemy entered the building," Hiiro reported.
"In other words, we got all of one call for help and that was it," Ryou said.
"Hope everyone's okay in there, then," Masaki muttered.
Captain Bright brought the conversation back to business. "Everyone, converge on that big hole in their line Masaki's about to make for us."
"Think this'll down them all?" Masaki asked in slight surprise. The Psyflash wasn't that powerful...
"It better, we've been pounding on them since long before you got here," Asuka snorted.
"Well, one way to find out!" Masaki grinned ferociously as he hit the control. "Eat this!"
The white sphere of power expanded outwards from the Psybuster, tearing into every enemy mecha within its reach. Masaki saw belatedly that Camille was within the Psyflash's range, but the energy slid liquidly off of the the Zeta Gundam's hull without touching it, and Camille barely waited an instant for visibility to clear before firing his main gun, finishing off the robot he'd been aiming at. "Trying to blind me or something, Masaki?" Camille mock-protested, since both of them knew full well the Psyflash didn't hit allies.
"Aww, quit yer whining," Masaki retorted, grinning as the belaguered enemy mecha around him caved in under the Psyflash's power and exploded in rapid succession, leaving him with a clear field around him as the energy faded away. "Munchies, everybody!" he called over the radio to the Lond Bell mecha as they swarmed toward the break in the line and the unfortunate Titans mecha trying to bolster the weak point in the defenses. "Come and get 'em!" He whooped and whirled the Psybuster to look for another target.
"You're sounding like Duo," Hiiro admonished.
"Perish the thought," Masaki replied. "You just need to lighten up."
"Proves the boy's got both style and sense!" Duo called cheerily as he went after one of the ground-bound robots. "I take back everything I ever said about you, Masaki."
"Gee, thanks... I think," Masaki retorted dryly.
"They're retreating!" Kuro said suddenly. Masaki frowned at the monitor and saw that the Titans mecha had in fact abruptly abandoned their attempts to reinforce their line and were pulling back.
"They're leaving the lab too," Trowa corroborated a moment later.
Masaki cursed. "Then they probably got what they wanted!" He turned the Psybuster, focusing the monitors on the flying mecha lifting away from the building.
"Don't pursue!" Captain Bright ordered.
"What?" Masaki demanded, though he did hesitate before hitting the controls. "Why not? We can't let them get away!"
"We don't have a lot of choice," Amuro pointed out. "You'd get cut off without any support if you tried to follow them; you're the only one who could keep up."
"Everyone come back," Captain Bright ordered. "We need to get out of the city and let the local authorities clean up."
Masaki grumbled but had to accept Amuro's logic. Reluctantly he turned the Psybuster, blazing back to the Argama. As he flew he cast one last guilty look at the ruined streets below.
This really wasn't how I'd planned to come home...
-------------
By the time debriefing was over, Kiyomoto had apparently long since fled the ship. "Yeah," Mora said when Masaki asked her. "Couldn't get off fast enough. I guess maybe I can't blame him. He must have friends he was worried about."
Masaki tried not to wince. It wasn't like Mora had any idea he was originally from this town. Guess that list of friends doesn't really include me anymore. Not that he really expected anything else - it wasn't like he'd tried to do so much as send a message of "Hey, I'm alive" since he'd left the Surface and begun his life in Ra Gias.
He thanked Mora halfheartedly and turned away, heading back toward the hangar where the Psybuster waited silently for its chosen pilot. With a sigh he sat down leaning against the cool silvery hull, leaning his head back against it. Kuro and Shiro curled up in his lap, and he patted them absently.
"Feeling like it's not worth it?" Kuro questioned quietly, subdued.
Masaki thought about that. "Nah, that's not it," he answered. He smiled at the cats and scratched under Kuro's chin to make her purr. "Just wondering how things might have been different, that's all. But I'm not regretting it. After all, if nothing else I've got you guys."
Shiro sniffed. "So glad to hear we're so high on your list of priorities," he said haughtily.
Masaki grinned. "Let me guess, now I've got to work that comment off?"
"Absolutely. And I'd say it's going to take at least half an hour of scratching," Shiro teased back. "Hope you're comfortable."
Masaki chuckled and obliged the white cat, scratching his head with the hand that wasn't occupied with Kuro. Settling himself more comfortably against the solid bulk of the Psybuster, Masaki relaxed, forgetting about everything else for the moment except for his happily purring familiars and the gently humming machine behind him that had given him a new life.
-------------
"So, did you get it?"
Kiyomoto held out the disk. "Easily. The Lond Bell didn't suspect a thing."
The man in the flight suit took the disk and inspected it briefly, a quick smile crossing his narrow features. "Good job," he praised, putting the disk away into a pocket. "Are you ready to leave? If there's anything you want to get, better do it now; we won't be coming back."
Kiyomoto snorted. "Ando's not the only one who was eager to vanish without a trace. There's nothing here for me. Besides, my place probably got crushed in all the fighting."
The man nodded and turned away. "And what about him?" he questioned briefly. "Have any regrets about the fact that you'll likely end up on the other side of the battlefield from your friend?" His voice held a hint of challenge to it.
Kiyomoto didn't hesitate. "He's not my friend. Not anymore."
The man chuckled. "Just what I wanted to hear. I think you'll do very well in our organization. As the old saying goes, stick with me, kid, you'll go places."
"Just as long as those places are far away from here," Kiyomoto muttered, gazing solidly ahead and refusing to glance behind.
-------------
The End (for now)
Author's notes: This wasn't set during any particular game, aside from "before Alpha" (I think I wrote it after playing F.) I just threw in whatever robots seemed like a good idea at the time... :P Oh, and yes, I know the "official" romanization is Cybaster or Cybuster, but I don't care. I don't like it, I won't use it and you can't make me, so there. :P