Uhm...enjoy this...this...what ever this story is.

Disclaimer: I do not own Aldnoah. Zero or any of its characters, please support the original creator.

"Are you my comrade or are you my enemy? Orange!" bellowed out Slaine as he bared his teeth. He was listening intently for the response of the person on the other line; beads of sweat glistened his visage while his eyebrows knit together in discomfort.

Slaine was beginning to have his doubts, he didn't know whether he could trust Orange or not. They had worked together in harmony just a few minutes ago but now all that had melted into nothing, in a matter of seconds the tension slid around them like smoke. Now they had their guns pointed at each other, interrogating one another while judgment was laid on the table.

Inaho paused, taking a while to ponder the other's question, to him thought, the answer was clear. "You're suppose to be my enemy of course, and yet..." the Terran paused, causing Slaine to hold in his breath unconsciously, the fair-haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly. "You have proven that you are my comrade." finished Inaho, as calm as ever.

Slaine let out the breath he had been holding, relieved. "For a second there, you had me wondering, Orange." he said, flying his aircraft closer to the ship, allowing Inaho to jump off and land with a loud clash on the metal deck.

As soon as the auburn-haired soldier was back safely, his sister, Yuki, wasted no time in reaching him. "Inaho! Your okay!" she called out, worry riming the edge of her voice.

"Naturally," Inaho claimed monotonously as his eyes lingered on the aircraft that belonged to Bat, who was currently making a turn in the air to come and land straight on the deck. The Vers soldier landed gracefully while wind blew throughout the whole metal floor.

Almost immediately he had numerous gun's pointed at him. "You there! Don't you dare move!" Yuki yells out as she points the gun of her Kataphract at Slaine's craft, everyone else except Inaho mimic her actions. Slaine only stares at them, albeit he couldn't see them, he could hear the anger oozing out of the female pilot's voice.

He wondered shortly why the Terrans still viewed him as a threat but he wouldn't make much trouble, he knew he had to surrender to them in order to prove his compliance. After seeing the Princess with them, Slaine knew that he had to help them as well. If she trusted these people with her life then he would do the same.

Though, he needed to get to her hastefully and make sure she was safe, then inform her on the true identity of those who plotted against her. Slaine exited his craft slowly, placing his hands in the air so they knew he meant them no harm, his eyes perk when he witnesses Orange exit his Kataphract, then his eyes flicker over to the female who had her gun pointed at his head, Slaine frowned.

"Yuki, put your gun down. You too, Inko." came Inaho's plain tone, his sister and Inko gave him a surprised look.

"But, Inaho!" Inko gasped, not sure what to do anymore.

"He's our enemy Inaho! Might I remind you, he was the one who shot at us a while back." Yuki countered, steading her pistol between Slaine's eyes, the boy only started on ahead solemnly like a fine soldier.

"I know that, but he's proven he's here to help." Inaho claimed and Slaine let out a breath of relief, it seemed Orange really did have his side after all, he was glad, that way he could reach the Princess sooner.

Yuki hesitantly aimed the muzzle of her gun down, she muttered a couple of incoherent words under her breath as more men began to join them, all hesitantly looking at Slaine with a frown. Inaho's eyes flicker back to Bat, while Slaine's eyes danced back to stare at Orange, they both shared a moment of silence as they gazed at each other, both finally being able to see the other face to face.

"Bat." called out Inaho, his face void of any emotion, unlike Slaine, who looked rather surprised to actually see the soldier who had taken down a high ranking Vers by himself.

"Orange…" Slaine uttered, his voice carried by the wind because it was barely audible. Just then, Inaho extends his hand and points his handgun at Slaine, the Vers soldier tenses as his eyes go wide. His reflex was to reach for his gun but is stopped immediately by Inaho's voice and the click of the gun.

"Don't move, Bat. I might see you as a comrade but the rest of them don't." Inaho said, motioning to all of the men that had surrounded Slaine, their guns pointed at his head already. The blond whipped his head around, staring at all the men in disbelief.

Hadn't he proved himself to them? What else could they possibly want? Unless they planned to take him in as a hostage. The Vers soldier barred his teeth, he didn't have time for this, it was imperative that he reached the Princess quickly, Orange and his men were only getting in the way.

"Put your gun down." ordered Inaho.

"Orange you bastard!" Slaine gritted his teeth, quickly pointing his gun at Inaho. "Didn't I prove myself to you?" he yelled. He felt his trust shatter completely in that moment.

"Prove yourself further," declared the auburn-haired boy with the same flat voice and expression he had on from the very beginning, it made Slaine want to wipe that solemn look off the kid's face. "Put your gun down, Bat." repeated Inaho.

"Why you—" Slaine growled, his hand trembled out in anger.

"Put it on the floor and kick it towards me, then place your hands behind your head." commanded Inaho, who inched closer to Slaine. The Vers soldier withheld his rage, choosing to glare daggers at the boy in front of him while his hands hesitantly fell to his sides. He cursed Orange in his head.

Was he trying to mock him? Despite his vexation, Slaine placed his gun on the floor and kicked it towards Inaho roughly, the boy stopped the momentum with the heel of his boot.

The fair-haired soldier slowly placed his hands on his head in a docile manner, as soon as he did this action three men came at him and shoved him to the ground, grabbing his hands with force and placing metal cuffs on his wrist. Slaine winced as they picked him off the ground roughly, his blond hair covered his eyes, yet he could still distinguish the inexpressive face of Inaho between his bangs.

"Take him to the retaining cell, we'll leave him there for a couple of days so we can monitor him." Inaho instructed while Slaine's eyes widen even further, he begins to wriggle, attempting to escape the men's grasps.

"You can't do this to me, Orange! I don't have time for this, I demand you to take me to—" he stopped abruptly, realizing he was about to call out the Princess's name, luckily he caught himself before he revealed too much. This, however, didn't go unnoticed by Inaho who had his fixed gaze on the fair-haired soldier's every move and expression.

The men beside Slaine shove his head down. "I wouldn't be talking to someone who practically save your life Vers, if it was up to all of us we would have killed you on the spot." the man said with spite as he jerked Slaine's body forward, the boy stumbled and began to walk at their pace.

Inaho's gaze lingered on Slaine as he watched the men drag him away, the Vers boy was about disappear into the ship but not without stealing one last glance at Inaho who remained still. True hatred shined in Slaine's eyes and it was almost enough to make Inaho want to apologize. Almost.

'You will pay for this, Orange.' Slaine thought to himself as he faced the front again, they took him down a couple of narrow hallways and then roughly shoved him inside a bleak room, he fell to the ground as the door shut with a loud slam.

A week passed like a current but for Slaine it felt eternal, he was still upheld inside the small cell they had placed him in seven days ago. On the other hand, Inaho knew that Bat didn't mean the Terrans harm but he had to show his peers that Slaine really meant to keep his word.

The auburn-haired boy walked down the narrow hallways, down all the way until he reached the room Bat was being held in, he twisted the lever and entered. Almost instantly his body is being pulled inside and twisted, his face collides with the cold metal wall as something, or rather, someone presses him against it, one of his hands was pulled and painfully held behind his own back.

"You damn liar, you made a fool out of me." Slaine whispered with venom near Inaho's ear, the boy almost winced from the force Slaine exerted on his arm but Inaho remained silent. "I trusted you." Slaine spoke again, only to get nothing out of the auburn-haired soldier yet again.

"Why won't you say anything?" inquired Slaine, pressing Inaho closer to the wall, the boy let out a small moan of pain. "I proved myself didn't I? Didn't I!" the Vers soldier repeated, all his pent up anger being releasing in that instant.

He was stressed out that for a whole week he had no idea what was happening in the battlefield, he was angry that he didn't know the Princess's whereabouts nor her current state, he was angry at Orange for putting him in this damn cell for a whole week.

"You have proven yourself, that's why I came." claimed Inaho. Slaine raised an eyebrow, if Orange was in pain the boy did a damn good job at masking it, he mused. The turquoise-eyed soldier loosened his hold on Inaho's arm and as soon as he did, Inaho twisted his arm free and pushed Slaine back. Pinning the fair-haired boy to the wall this time, his shoulder was to his neck as Slaine tried to push him back.

"But maybe I should keep you in here longer for attacking me." threatened Inaho, at this Slaine tensed, he didn't want to be held inside the plain room any longer, he gave Inaho a defeated look and in turn the auburn-haired boy released him.

"I was angry is all," breathed Slaine, bringing his two cuffed hands to his neck and massaging it. Inaho's gaze fell to the silver cuffs, he noticed how red Slaine's wrists were.

"You tried to take them off." Inaho stated rather plainly, his gaze lingering on the red skin. Slaine followed Inaho's trail of sight, falling on the deep red marks around his wrists. He had indeed tried to take them off only to end up a failure time and time again, but he wouldn't tell that part to his rival.

"They were too tight, it wasn't letting me do anything." claimed Slaine. Inaho's only remained expressionless.

"They allowed you enough freedom to press me against the wall." claimed Inaho, gazing into Slaine's turquoise orbs while Slaine averted his gaze in shame.

"Well, you deserved it, Orange." he muttered as silence fell between them; Slaine felt out of place.

"It's Inaho." said the monotone soldier then, causing the other to look at him. "My name is Inaho Kaizuka."

Slaine's lips formed into a thin line, clearly unsure. "Slaine Troyard." he said finally. That information seemed to be enough for Inaho as he remained silent and stared at Slaine with the same bored expression plastered on his face, Slaine wanted to shake the boy violently.

"Did you just come here to stare at me or did you have something to say?" The blond deadpanned while Inaho seemed unaffected, he only blinked a couple times more.

'This guy...' Slaine's eyebrow twitched, he was about to say something else but Inaho beat him to it.

"You've proven yourself, we don't have to keep you in this room anymore." said the brown-eyed boy, much to Slaine's relief. Inaho walked up to the other male and took out a silver key from his pocket.

"I'll let you go, however, before I do I need to ask you this. Why did you help us?" Inquired Inaho, staring firmly at Slaine's eyes, the boy in question only stared back as humorless as his counterpart.

"I didnt' do it for you!" claimed Slaine in a rather harsh tone. "I did it for the Princess. Take me to her." he demanded, stepping closer to Inaho as if to intimidate him, but the other boy didn't budge an inch.

"That's if she even wants to see you." commented Inaho with a bored expression.

"What! Why wouldn't she?" questioned Slaine, his face contorting into anger.

"Go find her yourself, she should be on the deck. She doesn't know you're here." informed the monotone soldier, stepping out of the small room without another word escaping him, leaving Slaine behind.

'The bastard hasn't even told her.' he glared daggers at Inaho's retreating form, he took this as his opportunity to rub his wrist soothingly. Honestly, this whole time those cuffs had been unbearably digging into his wrist, but he would never cave into weakness in front of that flat soldier.

Slaine quickly makes long strides towards the deck, along the way he earns a couple of stares and remarks but he ignores them. These Terrans were no different than the Vers back on his superior's ship, they all talked badly about him, as if he were some disease. So it was nothing new to the turquoise-eyed soldier, he was use to it.

He makes it to the door that led to the deck and halts before opening it, he sucks in a breath before twisting the handle and stepping outside. At first, the light from the sun blinds him temporarily, but soon his eyes adjust to the lighting and he places a hand in front of him to shield them.

Then he hears it, a gentle voice as sweet as honey. "Slaine?" called out the female voice he knew and loved so much, he looks ahead and catches sight of a shimmering white dress and porcelain skin as fair as the finest doll. His heart begins to quicken as his eyes land on the Princess's face, she looked surprised, her sky-blue eyes brightening with wonder.

"Princess…" at that moment words seem to fail him, Slaine curses his timidness sometimes. He quickly regains his composure and bows his head. "Princess, I am very glad to find you well."

"Oh Slaine! It's really you!" Asseylum says as she steps towards her friend, Slaine remains bowed as he feels a pair of soft and delicate hands on his shoulders. His heart takes a leap.

"Please, don't bow, Slaine. We are no longer on Count Crutheo's Aldnoah." Asseylum envelops Slaine in a hug, unknown of a pair of plain brown orbs on the them. Slaine hears a small gasp from ahead.

"Terran! Know your place!" Asseylum's small yet loyal maid, Eddelrittuo, yells while stepping closer to the fair-haired boy to glare up at him. Slaine almost flinches but the Princess's keeps her hands on his shoulders reassuringly.

"Eddelrittuo, do not fear, it's been a while since I last saw my dear friend, Slaine. Plus, we are no longer on Vers, I would rather enjoy his company without all the formalities." the Princess smiles down at the young Martian girl, the girl's eyes widen in turn.

"But Princess!" Eddelrittuo gasps again, shocked by her highness's boldness and formalness towards the young Vers soldier, she shuts her mouth nonetheless while glaring up at Slaine.

Slaine is still stiff but he smiles at the Princess, relieved that she seemed okay. "Princess, you do not know how happy it makes me to see you. Have the Terrans treated you well? They haven't treated you with disrespect have they?" Slaine's fists clench at his sides, the mere thought of his Princess going through pain caused his blood to boil. "Only say the word Princess and I will handle them." declared Slaine, a passionate fire set within his eyes.

"Not at all Slaine, the Terrans have been very kind and welcoming to me. There is nothing to be angry at, I'm beyond delighted that you are here! When did you arrive? I didn't know you were here at all, I'm sorry." Asseylum apologized before him.

Slaine's eyes widen as he was rather abashed by the Princess's gentle face. "No Princess, please do not feel the need to apologize, it's my fault for not getting to you quicker. I should have just defeated that Inaho scum and returned to you." Slaine bowed again, his fist clenching at the thought of Orange.

"So you've met Inaho!" the excitement in her voice at the mention of Orange was enough to make Slaine withdraw internally. "He is a very kind person, Slaine, he's protected me many times so please don't say things like that about him."

Slaine smiled through the bitterness he felt in his throat, he nodded his head, if only for the Princess sake, he would hide his jealousy. 'It should have been me protecting you, not Orange.' he thought. Just then the devil himself steps forward.

"Inaho!" Asseylum calls out happily at the rather expressionless male behind them, she steps away from Slaine to reach the other male.

The Vers soldier glares at Inaho, outraged. "How long have you been standing there? Listening?"

"Enough." was Inaho's curt reply, Slaine decided to ignore his rude comment. "Seylum it's time for lunch." claimed Inaho who was quickly pushed back by Slaine.

"Watch your mouth Terran." he spat. "You are to address the Princess formally." he glares at Inaho who stares back at him with neutral eyes, it only served to piss off Slaine even further. Eddelrittuo, who was standing next to the Princess agreed with Slaine for the very first time as she puffed out her cheeks in anger.

"Slaine, it's okay, really!" Asseylum quickly assures him as she steps between her longtime friend and her most recent Terran friend, she grabs Slaine's hand gently and it immediately has this calming effect on the boy. Inaho stares at the Princess's hand on Slaine's gloved ones, his eyes narrow a few centimeters, a glare that would have gone unnoticed by anyone unless you were staring intently, and Saine was doing just that.

"Let's go, Seylum." called out Inaho as he began to walk towards the door without another word, Slaine still glared at Inaho; he wanted to pummel the frail boy to the ground but decided against it.

He had to remember that Orange had unfortunately become Asselylum's friend, so for her sake and her sake alone, Slaine would restrained himself. He would only do it for her, he told himself.

It was dark outside when Slaine decided he couldn't sleep, instead, he went outside and sat on the edge of the deck, staring at the dark waters below. He gazed down at them plainly, his mind filled with worries. He thinks about the Princess and how her own kind had plotted against her.

How cruel could the world be?

He meant to informer her sooner but he thought that today wasn't a good time, he had just been reunited with her and her smile had been so bright, brighter than he's ever seen before. Granted most of them were because of that Inaho kid but they were her smiles nonetheless and that was all that mattered to Slain.

He simply didn't want to ruin that for her; he wished he could keep her happy forever.

The boy sighed, just then he hears the door to the deck open, he doesn't even turn to see who it was because he already knew.

"Orange." utters Slaine as he stares at the moon's reflection on the still waters.

"Inaho." says the familiar monotone voice of the soldier that irked him so much. "My name is Inaho." he repeats. "And you are a Terran." Inaho states, Slaine looks back at him, his expression unreadable.

"So what? Does it matter?" he said, his eyes dancing back to the dark waters.

"You didn't tell me." was all Inaho said and Slaine wanted to laugh, instead, he scoffed.

"Why would I tell you?" he mutters. "It doesn't matter, it was trivial information, all that matters is keeping the Princess safe." is his response.

The brunet remains silent, his expression rather pensive as he stares ahead. He walks closer to Slaine and sits on the edge of the dock alongside the Vers soldier.

"Is that all that matters to you?" Inaho inquires, his feet dangling.

The turquoise-eyed boy glances at the other from the corner of his eye. "Yes." he affirms, leaving no room for further conversation. The two soldiers remain quiet while gazing at the dark waters, their minds occupied with troubles and worries.

"Are your wrist better?" asks Inaho suddenly, causing Slaine to arch an eyebrow.

'Honestly this boy...' he thinks to himself, unconsciously rubbing his wrists.

"They're getting better, its nothing major. Listen—" Slaine begins but shuts his mouth before he can say anything he will regret. Inaho turns his head to look at Slaine expectantly, though, plainly.

"Listen—what?" the brown-eyed boy asks and Slaine closes his eyes to calm himself.

"Just listen dammit." the fair-haired male grits his teeth.

"I am listening," informs the brunet as calm as ever.

"I'm sorry okay! For that time I attacked you in my cell." proclaims Slaine suddenly, his fists clenched on his lap, Inaho could tell that it took a lot of effort for the blond to get that out because his cheeks were red from embarrassment.

"You're red." Inaho points out, causing Slaine's cheeks to heat up even more.

"You bastard! Just accept my apology like a normal person." the Vers soldier glares at the other, he wanted to punch Inaho right then and there, maybe even throw the monotone soldier off the deck, but then he would have to apologize again and Slaine didn't want to do that.

"I don't accept your apology." said Inaho and Slaine almost reached over to strangle him.

"Why not?" inquired the turquoise-eyed soldier.

"I don't even know what you're apologizing for." the brunet uttered simply, Slaine only stared at him in disbelief, his past thoughts about throwing Inaho into the waters quickly leaving him, instead, he was contemplating whether he should throw himself into the freezing waters below.

Anything to escape this hell.

"I really hate you, Inaho." claimed Slaine, the foreign name escaping his lips, it felt out of place in his mouth.

"Slaine," said the monotone soldier, trying out the blonde's name for the first time as well. Slaine looks over at him.

"What?" he asks.

"Slaine," Inaho repeats.

"What dammit, what?" inquires the fair-haired boy again but Inaho only remains gazing at the waters.

"You saved our lives." he says then, his expression never changing but his sentence said it all. Slaine's eyes widen slightly as his gaze lingers on Inaho, a smile creeps on his face then.

"It wasn't for you, it was for—"

"Yes, I know. The Princess." Inaho cuts in, the fair-haired boy didn't even bother getting mad, he turned his gaze towards the moon instead, allowing the cool night air to calm him.

"If I see that you ever try anything against the Princess I won't hesitate to kill you, you hear me Inaho?" proclaimed Slaine, his eyes dark and serious, never straying from the moon but his ears paid attention to the other's response. Inaho didn't look at Slaine either, his gaze lingered on ahead.

"Not if I kill you first." uttered the Terran, causing another smile to spread across Slaine's face.

"We'll see about that."

The next morning, Slaine is in his room, he had moved cells after the day he had been released, he moved into a better one, though it was still pretty plain, his new quarters were an upgrade compared to the cell they had first placed him in.

He's laying on his bed while thinking about the Princess, he wonders how he should approach the topic on his mind. He felt his heart sink.

He didn't want to pile up more worries on the Princess's chest; Slaine enjoyed seeing her smile, he didn't think he would have the heart to make that smile go away with more worries. The former Vers soldier lifts his upper body form the bed, resolve in his eyes.

He knew the right thing to do was tell her.

They were in the middle of a war and keeping the information to himself could result in further problems in the future. Slaine prefered telling her everything he knew rather than regret it later.

Just then the door to his cubicle opens and in came the Princess herself, she was no longer dressed in her white gown but in a pair of shorts and tank top that made Slaine's heart beat in a way that felt like electricity had shot through his system.

"P-princess, what are you—" but he was cut off as soon as he began.

"Slaine," Asseylum mutters, her body language was very strange, nothing Slaine had ever witnessed before, it made him nervous. "I'm really glad you're by my side." she says softly.

"Of course Princess! I will always be by your side!" he claims nervously as the Princess comes closer to him, the boy swallows the lump in his throat as he leans away from her touch, his cheeks feel as hot as the sun from the indecency in his mind.

"Princess," he warns but Asselyum places her hand on his shoulder, silencing him instantly. "Slaine, will you kiss me?" she utters abruptly and Slaine's eyes almost bulge out of their sockets.

"P-princes I can't—you—" the fair-haired soldier stutters as he backs away from the nearing Princess who had glazed eyes, his hands trembled.

"Do you not like me, Slaine?" asks the girl, feigning grief.

"No! Of course not Princess, I—I really like you…it's just..." he trailed off as his palms became moist with sweat.

"Then why won't you kiss me?" she inquired urgently, Slaine swallowed, he knew it was wrong to desire this but the Princess seemed genuine, or maybe he was dreaming?

It didn't matter, right now he just really want to show the affection he had for her.

Slaine would deal with the punishment later. With his resolve set in place, the young man swallows and places his hands over Assylum's shoulder, holding her in place.

"Okay Princess, here I go." he mumbles and Asseylum closes her eyes, he closes his and leans in.

Suddenly, Slaine is awoken by a pain in his stomach, his eyes instantly flicker open only to stare into a pair of surprised eyes, they weren't blue but brown. Slaine stared at the pair of close brown orbs with wide-eyes, perplexed and disoriented. He felt his lips on someone else's, they were soft, very soft and warm. The blond thought they were the lips of his fair-haired Princess but instead they were the lips of a certain rival male.

Slaine's eyes quickly widen some more as his cheeks burn like fire. He throws himself away from Inaho and breaks their unintentional kiss, he falls to the floor gagging.

"No no no! M-my first kiss wasn't suppose to happen like this...Princess…" Slaine wants to sobs as he rubs his lips feverishly with the sleeve of his shirt while on all fours on the floor, trying to rid the feeling of Inaho's lips against his. "Get it off! Get it off, Dear Lord." the Vers soldier repeats into the floor, shaking his head in denial.

Meanwhile, Inaho stares at the withering figure of Slaine on the floor with a neutral gaze but his red cheeks betrayed his calm demeanor. Inside, his heart was pounding faster than it ever had before, it pounded faster than when he was out in the battlefield, which surprised him.

Inaho wondered why his stomach felt so light, it was a strange sensation that even scared him because he didn't know how to control it. Just then, Slaine's head slowly looks back at Inaho, as if to make sure it had been the real Inaho and not some illusion. He hopped that maybe he had hallucinated him or something.

'Please be a hallucination...' pleaded Slaine.

Unfortunately, there was Inaho staring straight into Slaine's awaiting eyes while sitting on his bed, they remain gazing at each other in shock, both males unable to form words in their head.

That is, until Inaho decided to speak up. "You kissed me." he said bluntly causing the other to pound his head on the floor.

"I-I did not kiss you! I thought—I thought you were—" he placed a hand over his face to cover the raw embarrassment he was feeling, he wanted to just turn himself into Count Cruhteo and have the man beat him senseless until he forgot everything.

Slaine dabbed a finger at Inaho, infuriated. "What are you even doing in my room anyway?" he dodged the other's accusation with a question.

"I came to wake you up for breakfast, the Princess requested it. I shaked you but you wouldn't wake up, then you grabbed my shoulders and you…" Inaho trailed off, clearly embarrassed. "So I punched you in the stomach."

'In my dreams I grabbed the Princess's shoulders...I thought it had been...I thought it had been her.' Slaine thought as his eyes trailed to the floor, he placed his hand over his face again. So he had kissed Inaho thinking it was the Princess in his dream?

Fucking fantastic.

"That was my first kiss…" uttered the brunet, causing the fair-haired soldier to stiffen and grow red all over again.

"Don't say it so casually, idiot!" yelled Slaine as he stood up, his gaze was everywhere but Inaho. "We never speak of this, in fact, this never happened." he declares as firmly as he could muster, his back facing Inaho. The auburn-haired soldier only stared at Slaine's stiff back, unable to say a word.

With nothing more to say, Slaine steps out of his room and walks away, not daring to look back or say anything else to the other male in his room. He walks down the narrow hallway hastefully, each step he took felt heavier and heavier so he began to run. He ran until he reached the outside, he pushed through the door and the light immediately impairs his vision like it had before.

"Slaine!" the young male hears the gentle voice of his dreams call out to him, he tries to muster up a smile but it doesn't quite form well.

"Is something wrong, Slaine?" asks the Princess, picking up on the young male's discomfort immediately. Slaine curses her ability to see right through him. Nevertheless, the Vers soldier shakes his head without saying a word, he notices a small group of Terran's were out on the deck as well, a blanket was set on the ground with numerous plates and dishes over it while they sat around.

Slaine forces a smile on his face. "What's going on, Princess?" The girl in question decides that it was better to leave the subject go and focus on her friend's question.

"We're having what the Terrans call a 'peck neck'." Asseylum pronounces the foreign term strangely, opening her mouth further than needed to pronounce the words, Slaine chuckled softly.

"A picnic you mean, Princess?" he offers and Asseylum nods her head.

"Where is Inaho? I asked him to go get you." she looked behind Slaine innocently while the boy tensed and unconsciously licked his lips, remembering the chaste kiss they had shared. He wanted to cring.

"I'm sure he'll join us, probably went to the bathroom or something." said Slaine as he seized the Princess's wrist in his hand, it was odd that even though he was talking and even touching the Princess now, his heart wasn't skipping as fast as before. He felt happiness when he saw her but it wasn't the same, something inside him had shifted.

Slaine lightly glared on ahead.

"Get your hands off her majesty!" screamed Asseylum's small maid as she stood up from the thin blanket, Slaine noticed three other occupants sitting on a blue blanket. A coy girl with short black hair and another female with an emotionless look that could match Inaho, there was also a rather tall boy with spiky blond hair.

Slaine felt out of place again as he stood rigid next to the Princess, she only smiled and guided him towards the group.

"Everyone I want you to meet my very close friend, Slaine Troyard." she announces and the group smiles up at him hesitantly with the exception of the redhead. The fair-haired male smiles back awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do.

Then, they hear the door to the deck open and out comes Inaho, his usual dry expression set on his face.

"Inaho! You made it, where were you?" asks the Princess as she lets go of Slaine's hand and walks up to Inaho, the auburn-haired soldier stared at the female plainly, his eyes on her hands.

"Nothing, lets eat." he speaks duly, stepping forward with Asseylum next to him and sitting down on the blanket unperturbed. Slaine watched his movements, his rival was acting awfully calm for his liking but Slaine wasn't complaining, he took his seat next to Asseylum and watched as everyone began to make sandwiches.

"Hey," called the redheaded girl with a plain look on her face just like Inaho, "pass me the bread." she ordered, Slaine looked to her then to the bread that was closer to him, he grabbed it and handed it to her without a word.

"You're not going to eat, Slaine?" asks the Princess.

"I lost my appetite." said the boy, adding to the tense atmosphere. His eyes flickered towards the brunet on the other side of the Princess to see if he got some kind of reaction from the boy but he remained still, biting down on his sandwich like nothing. It felt like he was trying to avoid him almost, ignore him maybe.

"Come on Slaine, you have to eat something!" claimed Asseylum persistently, placing her hand over Slaine's shoulder, this action caused Inaho's eyes to flicker towards them momentarily, he caught sight of Slaine's gaze and he quickly averted them like nothing.

"Very well, Princess. Only at your request." the fair-haired soldier bows his head slightly, earning some strange looks from the group, save for Inaho who found his sandwich rather interesting at that moment.

"I want you to eat because you want to, not because I tell you to!" the Princess frets, her tone slightly raising. She really hated feeling like she was bossing her poor friend around, he already had enough with Count Cruhteo breathing down his neck back on his Aldnoah, she didn't want to do the same, but the boy was just so accustomed to taking commands, it was going to be hard to break him out of that cycle.

"Very well, Princess." Slaine says as he leans forward and takes a bite out of her sandwich, this bold action gets another wave of strange looks and even a furious yelp from Eddelrittou. But Slaine was only interested in his rival's reaction, he looks over at Inaho who was staring at him with an ineffable expression.

The rest of the lunch period was filled with the Princess making small talk with the three Terran's close to Inaho, sometimes Eddelrittou would butt in when one of the students spoke out of place but all in all it was a pleasant breakfast.

Inaho was the first to get up once he was done, without saying a word he turns and begins to walk ahead. Everyone stared at him rather confused.

"Inaho, where are you going?" Inko asked, her male classmate nodding his head beside her.

"I'm going to train." was all he said as he kept walking.

"Wait! I'll go with you!" the Princess rose from her spot on the floor. "Do you want to come, Slaine?" she asked, causing Inaho to cease his movements, the boy in question shakes his head.

"No, you go on ahead, Princess. I have other things to attend to, however please keep in mind that I wish to talk to you later on." Slaine claims, getting up as well.

"Okay, I will make sure to find you later." the girl says as she catches up with Inaho, the boy looks back to catch Slaine's searing gaze and then he looks forward like nothing mattered to him. Slaine ignores this, he bows to the remaining party around the blanket and mumbles a soft 'thank you'.

"Inaho, are you alright? You seem rather...quiet. More than usual." Asseylum claims after they make it out of earshot from the rest of the group, the auburn-haired boy keeps walking silently.

"Everything is fine." he claims.

"Did Slaine do something to you?" she asks then, watching Inaho stiffen, she assumed that her long time friend had done something to make Inaho act like this, after all, she's never seen her Terran friend so tense.

"No, nothing." Inaho lied again, he knew the Princess had her doubts but it wasn't what she was thinking, he knew that she probably thought Slaine had threatened him or even attacked him but that was far from the case.

Though, he knew he couldn't tell her what had occurred between him and her close friend, he still felt his heart quicken at the thought.

"If Slaine…" she paused to choose her words carefully, "attacked you in anyway, please don't hesitate to tell me. Slaine can be timid but rather harsh at times when it concerns me, I can let him know that his actions are uncalled for."

"No, he really didn't do anything." declared Inaho monotonously. "I'm going to train now." he said, stepping on the leverage as he lifted himself into the mock Kataphract simulator, Asseylum only nodded hesitantly, she would make sure to get the truth out of Slaine later, she knew her loyal friend couldn't hide anything from her.

Later that evening, Slaine sat in his ship, making sure everything was in its correct order and functioning properly, he had been training his body for three hours or so, now sweat coated his face as he checked on his craft.

Thoughts of that auburn-haired soldier playing in his mind, he shook them away as he wiped sweat off his face. Night was around the corner and the young male wanted nothing more than to head inside and take a shower. Just then, he hears footsteps from below and is almost certain it's the Princess, he looks down and sure enough, there was Asseylum herself.

"Princess," Slaine utters, slowly letting himself off his ship with the small platform he used for leverage, landing swiftly next to the girl, he bows. She nods, her hands held in front of her as she commonly did, her fine training shown in the way she carried herself with dignity, a quality Slaine always admired.

"How are you?" Asseylum asks rather unexpectedly, Slaine wanted to question her strange choice of words but all he could do was answer her question, however, he knew that something was bothering her. He could feel it.

"I am well, Princess. How did accompanying that soldier go? He didn't mistreat you did he?"

"His name is Inaho, Slaine. And no, he's a kind person, he would never mistreat me." she claimed undoubtedly, making Slaine want to grimace, but he held it back.

"I wanted to ask you something concerning Inaho, however." she begins, staring straight into Slaine's turquoise orbs. Inaho's name being mentioned caught Slaine's attention, he wondered what the Princess needed to ask.

'Inaho, Inaho, Inaho. That's all she ever talks about now.' he thinks grimly, his current tranquil expression betrayed the scorn he actually felt. "What is it that you would like to know, Princess? Anything you ask, I will try to answer truthfully." he proclaims.

"Good, I need all your honesty for this." Asseylum says, causing Slaine to raise an eyebrow but he remains silent.

"Did you, by any chance, do anything to upset Inaho?" she inquires and Slaine's eyes widen slightly as his body goes rigid. This did not go unnoticed by the Princess. "Did you do anything to make him uncomfortable because ever since this morning he's been acting strange."

Slaine was of loss for words. He knew he had told the Princess he would answer as honestly as he could but he just couldn't answer that particular question with the complete truth. It was too embarrassing.

Out of all the questions in the world, why did she have to choose that one?

"Slaine, I'm waiting for your answer." Asseylum pressured.

The blond in question gulps. "I can assure you Princess that I did not cause harm to that soldi—"

"Inaho, his name is Inaho." the Princess corrected Slaine.

"Inaho! I did not cause harm to Inaho." assured the fair-haired soldier nervously.

"Then what did you do?" she asked, leaning closer to him in an intimidating manner.

'Why is she so worried about that Orange?' Slaine asked himself but he decided not voice his thoughts, he backs away slightly while the Princess inched forward.

"N-nothing...it's not what you think." was his pathetic excuse, he couldn't possibly tell her what really happened. No, never. It would further stain him and embarrass him, he would be the source of redicul for the rest of his life.

"Then what is it? What's making Inaho act so strangely?" inquired the Princess, Slaine just really wanted to seal her lips, he loved the Princess but he couldn't stand her talking anymore.

"What is it, Slaine? What happened? Slaine!" she kept calling his name, the former Vers soldier couldn't take it anymore. He broke.

"He walked into me changing!"

Silence.

It was a lie, Slaine knew, but the truth was far worse. Plus, the truth wasn't information that was dire to the war, nor would it affect the Princess's life in anyway, therefore there was no real need to tell her the true story. Right?

"Inaho walked into your room while you were changing?" the Princess repeats, her voice rather flat and incredulous.

"C-correct…" Slaine defended, retreating within himself mentally. He hated doing this to the girl.

"That's all? That's why Inaho's acting the way he is?" she inquired softly.

"I suppose, other than that we didn't talk much. He just told me that you were waiting for me and I walked out of my room without another word. That's all." Slaine breathed, hoping that Asseylum didn't interrogate him any further because honestly, he was on the verge of telling her what had really transpired between him and her brunet friend.

"For a second there, I thought you had threatened Inaho or something." her shoulders visibly relax, Slaine felt relieved, glad that the Princess was still somewhat naive in certain areas. However, his eyes soon fell to the ground when he realized just how relieved the Princess sounded.

"Why do you care so much about him, Princess?" Slaine heard himself ask aloud, he quickly regretted his sudden outburst. The Princess's eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Well, Inaho has saved me a lot of times; he's a very kind person. He even showed me the outside, he treated me like I was one of his own. He didn't care what race I am." Asseylum says, sending pangs of pain through Slaine's chest. He felt jealous ooze inside him.

"I'm really grateful to have met him." she continues and something inside Slaine breaks.

He knew it was childish of him but he just couldn't help his feelings, they were stifling, drowning him. "All you ever seem to talk about now is Inaho. Inaho this, Inaho that. He has protected you Princess but I...I have too! You don't know what I have endured to be here next to you and I don't regret a single thing, I'm happy to be by your side but—" Slaine stares straight into the Princess blue eyes, stepping closer to her, towering over her.

Unknown to them, a slim figure hid behind some large person had been there the whole time, listening intently, looking at them with a plain expression.

"I need to know I'm welcome here, too." he says, grabbing onto Asseylum's shoulders like he had in his dream, however, he wasn't about to kiss her, no, he only wanted to make sure that she really wanted him here, or if he was a nuisance to her. He needed to know.

"Oh, Slaine. Of course you're welcome here—"

"Forgive me, Princess. Let me rephrase my sentence—Do you want me here?" the blond stared deeply into the Princess's glowing eyes, drawing out any emotion he could. Her eyes widen slightly as his grip on her shoulders tighten a bit. The figure spying on them looked away, his lips forming into a thin line.

"Slaine, of course I want you here." Asseylum whispers as she wrapped her arms around the male's slim waist, pressing herself closer to his chest. Slaine remained still for a bit, then his hands slowly came up to wrap around her shoulders.

Inaho, who had been staring at them the whole time, clenched his fists, his gaze darkened a bit. He stared at Asseylum's back and how tightly she was hugging the other male. He felt something rise at the pit of his stomach. Jealousy, he discerned, but it wasn't directed at Slaine, it was directed at the fair-haired girl hugging him. It surprised and scared Inaho.

"Forgive me, Princess, for acting like a child I just—I just really feel unwelcome sometimes." said Slaine, noticing a dark figure standing a few feet away. Either his eyes had deceived him or he had really caught sight of a pair of brown orbs, but he couldn't really tell because the figure turned and stepped away.

"No, forgive me, Slaine. I have been completely ignorant to your hardships and your feelings. I haven't showed you the proper appreciation for your noble act. But I want you to know that I am forever in debt to you. Thank you so much, Slaine." Asseylum tightens her hold on his body but something felt wrong to the male, he doesn't feel his heart pound like it should be.

Instead, caramel eyes play in the back of his head as he looks up, hugging the Princess with an unreadable expression on his face as he looks at the stars and questions his mixed feelings. What did they all even mean?

After the Princess leaves his side to go rest in her dormitory, Slaine walks to the showers, making sure that no one was there. After taking a well-deserved shower he retreats to his room and changes in a fresh pair of clothes loaned to him by Inaho's tall and bright friend.

He sits on his bed, thinking hard on a few matters that plagued his mind, he scratches his head in irritation since he didn't know what to make of them. He thinks of Inaho. Slaine was sure that it had been him eavesdropping on him and the Princess.

The fair-haired male gets up and exits his cell, he walks the short distance to Inaho's own room, he steps in front of the boy's metal door and hesitates at first before knocking. He finally gathers the courage to knock but there is no answer, Slaine tries again.

"Inaho, it's me, Slaine. Open up." he mutters close to the door, not wanting to alarm the boy's friends that were sure lying close by. Slaine hears nothing from within the room so he decided to let himself in, sure enough there was Inaho, laying on his bed.

"Why didn't you answer me?" asks the former Vers soldier, looking at the side of the room, still rather embarrassed as memories of this morning entered his mind again. The auburn-haired soldier remained quiet, his long bangs obscuring his eyes.

"Inaho, answer me." Slaine stepped closer to the bed and Inaho responded by turning his back so it would face the other male. The fair-haired soldier gritted his teeth as he clenched his fists.

"Look, I just came here to talk to you. The least you could do is hear me out." Slaine tried but Inaho remained unmoved and unresponsive, which didn't surprise the blond at all. He let out a breath of exasperation.

"Listen, I'm sure you're aware that the Princess came to me asking about you." he paused to see if he had gotten any kind of reaction from the male on the bed. Nothing. Slaine's eyebrows knit together. "I came here to tell you that we should put what happened in the morning behind us, I don't want the Princess worrying anymore. Lets just forget about it and start over, I'm sure you regret it as much as I do. I'll keep my distance if that's what you want but please don't show the Princess your discomfort towards me around her presence." finished Slaine. Inaho didn't move an inch, he remained silent while Slaine sighs in defeat. He stands up and heads for the door but is stopped by Inaho's voice, it was so faint he might of missed it.

"What if I don't want to forget." he hears the muffled voice of Inaho come from behind him and his eyes widen as he looks back at the Terran.

"What did you say?" inquired Slaine in disbelief.

"What if I don't want to forget." Inaho repeats, this time louder, clearer. Slaine could only remain rooted to the ground. Had he heard him correctly?

"Inaho...what are you saying?" the turquoise-eyed soldier questioned the male on the bed but Inaho remained quiet. Slaine couldn't take much more of Inaho's cold shoulder son he walked over to Inaho's and turned the boy around as he leaned above him with his hands on the brunet's shoulders, Inaho's eyes widen a bit at Slaine's bold actions.

"Answer me." commanded Slaine above Inaho. They were close, too close, he could almost feel Inaho's breath on his cheek.

"Do you like her?" came Terran's unexpected question, it made Slaine go rigid. "The Princess, do you like her?" repeated the boy again after a while of silence.

"I-I...she save me...I owe my life to her." was what Slaine said, trying to elude Inaho's question but the boy wouldn't take any of that.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I use to—I use to feel my heart quicken whenever I was around her...I don't know if it was love or loyalty. All I know is that I have a strong desire to protect her, she has been the only one running through my mind until—" Slaine silenced himself as he stared wide-eyed at Inaho, a sort of realization dawning on him.

"Until?" Inaho repeats but the boy above him shook his head, standing up and stepping away from Inaho. The Terran boy rose his upper half from the bed, glancing at Slaine's back.

"Until you came into the picture, they way you seemed so close to the Princess angered me, the way you made her smile pissed me off. I really hate you, Inaho...and yet…" the turquoise-eyed soldier felt a hand touch his back, he tensed but remained still.

"I don't hate you." claimed the brunet. "I never did."

Slaine twists his body to face the other male, he looks deep within his eyes, searching for something. His fists clench at his sides, unsure as to what he was suppose to feel or do. "You confuse me, Inaho." he shook his head, feeling his heart begin to pound.

"Then leave." came Inaho's firm voice.

"No, I came here to talk to you." responded Slaine.

"Then talk to me." was Inaho's short reply as he stepped closer to Slaine, the Vers soldier was slightly taller than him and Inaho leaned on the mounds on his feat as he inches up closer to Slaine's face.

"Inaho—we—we s-shouldn't…" whispered Slaine, he closes his eyes at their proximity, his cheeks tinting with a hint of red.

"Shouldn't what?" repeats Inaho as his breath tickles the other's face, the Vers soldier grabs Inaho's arms, mostly to calm his own racing heart.

"I like you." Slaine hears Inaho say softly and he lets the silence engulf them both, his heart beating loudly was the only thing he could hear at the moment. Slaine opened his half lidded eyes to look at Inaho, only to find the Terran gazing at him.

Then, suddenly the short distance between their mouths is replaced by Slaine's lips on Inaho, the auburn-haired boy's eyes widen slightly, he didn't expect Slaine to be the first to make the bold move. Their bodies pressed together as they twisted their heads to get a better taste, it sent a pang of electricity down the wrong places for Slaine.

'No, I shouldn't be feeling this for him, not him, this was suppose to be for...for Asseylum.' Slaine thinks as he breaks their chaste kiss. 'His lips are soft, soft like a girl's.' the fair-haired soldier can't help but muse.

"I guess you like me, too." claimed Inaho plainly and Slaine shakes his head.

"I don't." he said weakly, though, he never made an effort to back away from Inaho.

"Oh yeah?" the monotone soldier says, sliding his hands between Slaine's arms and encircle his waist, pressing the blonde's body against his, the swelling in between their legs brushing. "Prove it." said Inaho as he slides his nose against Slaine's neck, the Vers soldier swallows, more blood going down to the sweet spot that Inaho was softly brushing up against.

Slaine's breathing becomes labored. "This is wrong." he breathes as he fights his inner desire that was threatening to consume him whole.

"Is it?" was Inaho's reply as the boy moves against the other, rubbing his tenderness against him causing Slaine to bite back a moan, instead, he grunts.

"Jesus, Inaho…" the fair-haired soldier breathes as he closes his eyes. Inaho takes this as his chance to grab Slaine's hands and guide him to his bed until they both topple over, Slaine on top of Inaho.

"You are crazy. Are you sure you want this?" was Slaine's sudden question, Inaho only looked up at the soldier with a plain look on his face, his cheeks a light pink.

"Do you?" the brunet asks.

"Why do you always have to turn the tables on me? You did the same to me back when we were working together." Slaine wonders.

"Why do you always try to dodge my questions?" claims the Terran. A moment of silence settles between them.

"Seeing you with her made me mad, I don't know why." admitted Inaho lowly, answering Slaine's previous question. "I knew I should have felt angry towards you but I didn't...I felt angry at her."

"She is my life." whispered Slaine as he let his body do what it wanted, he placed his nose in between Inaho's neck and shoulder, smelling his scent. Thoughts of leaving the room quickly escaped his mind. Slaine no longer cared that their actions were indecent.

He blamed it all on Orange.

"All you care about is her." whispered Inaho as he moans, feeling Slaine's knee come really close to his crotch.

"All she cares about is you," whispered the Vers soldier against Inaho's neck, he began to kiss the flesh softly, tenderly. One of his hands made its way towards the Terran's shirt, he lifted it as he feels the smooth flesh underneath.

Another moan.

"Be quiet, your friends will hear you." commanded Slaine as he moved against the auburn-haired soldier, putting friction between their aching bodies. Their bodies mingle with one another, soon clothes become discarded slowly, some even hanging off their limbs as they become attached with one another.

"Your suppose to be my enemy," Inaho let out as Slaine pressed his chest to the boy's back, touching him with great care.

"And maybe I still am." whispered Slaine against Inaho's ear as sweat fell from his hair, their warm breaths filling the room.

And just like before they put the consequences behind them, their minds far too young to really care about what their actions might bring. They were two soldiers caught in a war after all, caught in a war they never asked for.

Caught in a love they never intended.

Why does this exist? I ask myself. Why did I write this shit...I don't know why but I like it, leave me alone to die in shame. I was really hoping that in the anime Inaho and Slain would become really good friends, of course maybe not really good friends but you know….friends.

What a disappointment, I found myself giving into my selfish desires...hope you enjoyed this shit story.

(thinking of writing another chapter)