No shame

"(Is this place for real?)" Sano thought as looked over the Far East from the helicopter. Doctor Sakaki's words rang back in his mind. Was he really willing to let him move his god arc as he pleased? No Director in their right mind would consider it.

Well...unless they had to.

His first argument was for convenience and then for, give and take. He didn't mind if he carried around his god-arc as long it was for a good reason.

Under these circumstances, his god-arc would've been hoisted away post-haste by the resident Fenrir staff. Of course, 1103 planned for that, but he was only met with 2 attempts. Both were easily thwarted, but they never should've stopped.

Off in the distance, he could see some mobile fortress-looking construct. The more Inmate 1103 looked at it, the more it gave a hollow feeling. Like there was no life there.

He moved his eyes elsewhere. Despite the depressing scenery the sky somehow made it...tolerable?

"(I guess...all I can do is focus on Erina right now.)" Sano thought as they descended down the elevator.

It was near sundown now, and Unit 4 was on their way back from their mission. Kanon hummed to herself, reading a magazine.

Haru had a faraway look on his face like he had a near-death experience. He shuddered coming back to reality to see the landing pad insight. Once the chopper landed, Haru cleared his throat.

"Good job team. Get some rest for tomorrow." Haru said, giving a thumbs up.

"Sure Captain!-Bye Captain!" Kanon said, as she and Sano already departed to the lower floors.

"(These two...)" Haru thought, looking at Kanon with her carefree innocence. Then he looked to Sano looking aloof and intimidating.

The mission was pretty standard, handle packs of aragami trying to nest along the road to construction sites. The road was cleared all right...

Haru thought back vividly on the mission. Sano in the air spinning his blade upside down while Kanon shot blasts.

Each shot was deflected to form a sprawl of hell rain in an almost perfect circle. Before they were done, Kanon fired one last heavy stream of fire. The ring was lit in a towering inferno that overtook the road. The count was 2 Chi-you, 1 fallen kongou, handfuls of Ogretails, and Cocoon maidens, and a Privthi Matta.

An imperfect ring of fire, that didn't need to be...Not with Kanon around.

"Right..." Haru murmured, he stood in silence contemplating on today's event.

Sano and Kanon went straight for the other elevator after they reached the reception floor. Since Kanon didn't put her god-arc away like usual, anyone she happily waved at instinctively hid or ran at the sight of her gun.

Kanon could see the eagerness in Sano's body language. She was all too happy when the elevator came to a quick halt and they were free to go into the infirmary hall.

Sano quickly left his god-arc at the side of the door before going in. Seeing this, Kanon followed suit not wanting to anger the Nurse.

They both found Erina on a bed, with Kota. She didn't look too pleased. Kanon knew this as her resting face, while Sano did not. Yae was by another bed fixing it up.

Kota looked to see the pair and nodded at them. Erina's scowl formed into a smile and it looked like she was ready to run off the bed. Which Yae glared at her for.

Erina sat back down but smiled nonetheless.

"Hey guys, how was the mission?" Kota asked.

"Not bad, Erina are you doing okay sweetie?" Kanon asked letting Sano approach Erina first.

"I'm feeling better...Yae says I can leave and sleep in my own room tonight. Well, I can if I'm not showing signs of any infection or anything." Erina said, losing more energy with every word.

Sano could tell as he got closer to her, she was trying to put up a show of enthusiasm. But, the spunk she had when they first met wasn't there. He quickly took a seat next to the blonde.

"How are you really feeling?" he asked, as his eyes loomed down into Erina's.

Erina fell quiet and looked down at her lap, almost out of shame. In response to her silence, Sano only sat down on the bed in response. Kanon grabbed a stool and placed herself at the edge of the bed.

She still gave no response.

Kota gave a weak laugh.

"So, uh, big surprise, Yae kicked Emil out earlier because of the ruckus he and Erina were making. So it looks like you'll get to meet him later. You can't miss him. Fancy outfit, gallant sensibility, comes from a rich family like Erina, a real flamboyant one." Kota said explained with a cringe.

Erina grunted in response.

"We're not THAT rich." she said, suddenly yammering to Sano.

He scoffed, while Yae and Kanon giggled.

"Is that right?" he said, eyeing Erina in the corner of his eye.

"Hey don't write me off as a spoiled little rich girl okay!?" Erina said desperately.

"Banish the thought." Sano said with a smirk.

"I mean it, the next time we go out, I'll show you what I can do!" Erina declared as she clamored up to him.

"Erina." Kota said.

"Just you watch!!" Erina said.

"Erina." Kota said, starting to get louder.

"Next time I'll be better, better than ever!" Erina exclaimed.

"Erina." Kota said forcefully, making sure she felt how serious he was.

Erina cringed and turned at her captain, along with Sano.

"Even if Yae clears you, you're not going on any missions soon. You're benched." Kota said standing from his seat.

Erina's eyes widened and in a panic motioned towards him.

"Captain, you can't! Nurse Yae has the final word! Right!?" Erina said turning to the blue-haired girl.

Yae shook her head.

"I can clear you for active duty, but it's on Kota to clear you for active deployment." Yae explained sadly.

"You disobeyed me, Erina. Almost got killed for it. You're benched and no using your god-arc either." Kota said, firmly. He was not leaving room for her to argue. Her childish ways would not play a part in this today.

"But, Captain!" Erina argued, almost screaming.

"That's my final decision. Until further notice, no fighting, no god-arc." Kota declared as he went to exit the room.

Kanon and Yae frowned for the girl but knew it was out of their hands. Kota did his duty.

Sano sat silently watching Kota leave. He turned to Erina, seeing her fists shake as she grit her teeth.

"(So she's a damn volunteer.)" Sano thought bitterly.

"I need to get stronger." Erina uttered as she laid back up against the bedpost.

Kanon understood her desires all too well.

"What will keeping me from battle really do!?" Erina vented as she pounded the bed.

"Erina." Sano said, cutting off her rant before it even began. This startled both Erina and Kanon. His tone was one of authority.

"Why are you in such a hurry to die?" he asked. The girl was eaten if not almost eaten by a Ukonvasara, a giant metal crocodile, and she was eager for more?

Kanon was shocked. This question stopped Erina cold. This girl wasn't fooling anyone, she shot back when Kota barred her, but her spirit was fading.

"That's enough!" Yae said, glaring at Sano. Before she could say more, all of them stopped at a sniffle.

Erina balled up against the bedpost railing.

"When I was inside the Ukonversara's mouth. I tried as hard as I could to get out. I kept trying...but when I was flat on the ground, everything pressing up around me..." Erina whimpered.

Kanon edged closer to the girl out of concern, along with Yae.

"I thought about Eric...and how happy I was to see him again!" Erina balled out letting her tears fall into her hands.

Not 5 seconds later, did Erina find a hand cupping her cheek. It felt familiar. Like Eric.

She forced her eyes open letting her tears fall on their hand. Sano looked at her with the same expression when he comforted her earlier.

Erina saw the discolored and scarred flesh along his wrist going from both ends of his armlet.

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to see your lost loved ones." he said.

Erina bore her teeth and latched herself on his arm continuing to cry.

"P-Please don't tell Kota I gave up! Or Emil! They'd be so ashamed of me! My father would be so ashamed of me....!" Erina cried harder into Sano's shoulder.

Kanon jumped onto the bed and leaned into her back, caressing her shoulder.

"Erina it's okay!" Kanon whispered as she was on the brink of tears.

Yae was no better, clinging to her clipboard by her fingertips.