Love is Weak

Chapter 7 - Falling

Keith

When the Altean bot fell from the ceiling, I laughed to myself. There was no way this person, who had literally just walked into the castle, could defeat level ten when level one had almost been impossible for me. And by the way she stood before the bot descended on her, she seemed slightly cocky about her abilities. But then again, so was I at times.

During this fight, she forgot to put her mask up, so I could see her frustrated, beautiful face.

Wait, where did that come from?

I mentally kicked myself as I watched her fight. She was good. Too good for my taste, but I thought her style was weird. The "Captain" was letting the bot chase her, and she was only dodging the moves, not engaging in a fight. I watched her closely. Maybe she knew something I didn't.

Finally, she began to attack it, and I could have sworn I heard a curse word. Her face contorted with more and more frustration as the bot began to back her into a literal corner. I smirked to myself. I had been right, and she was going to need rescuing.

But before I could even leave my comfortable lean-against-the-wall-with-my-hands-across-my-chest form I had going on, something weird happened.

As Lillian was backed into the corner, her blade completely defenseless against the staff and power of the level ten training simulation, her frustration morphed into anger and her features transformed. Instead of looking at soft, round, blue eyes and a beautiful smile, I found myself staring at someone with excessively pointy eyes, black irises surrounded by a yellowish tint, and slight fangs. The noise that escaped her lips was something close to a growl, and suddenly her blade changed into a katana and she sliced the bot into multiple pieces with a surge of adrenaline I didn't know she had left.

She turned to me, and I began to back away, pulling out my blade in case I needed it, but she willed her sword back into its blade form, sheathed it, and took a deep breath. As suddenly as her eyes had become pointy they returned to normal.

"Sorry about that," she breathed, and I guessed she wasn't used to apologising to people.

"Umm..yeah—it's—" I mumbled and shook my head. "What happened?"

"Sometimes when I get frustrated my Galra side takes over a little bit. Didn't mean to frighten you. Anyway, where were we?" Her voice tightened and she was no longer apologising for her little transformation.

Can I do that?

"I think I understand why that level would have made your fighting so sloppy," the words sounded unnatural coming from her. All she seemed to utter was sarcasm and criticism. "Try an easier level so I can make a better assessment."

I began a new level, and once I finished it, we talked about form. From the way she acted, I gathered that Lillian let the soldier in her run her life. She and Shiro would get along wonderfully. But, I also started falling for the soldier in her. Lillian was smart, beautiful, and talented.

Kogane, you're going to drive yourself crazy. You don't like people.

After our chit-chat, during which I learned a lot from her, not that I would admit it, we walked toward the bridge together.

"How's your hand?" I asked before I knew what I was doing. Since when did I inquire about another person's well-being?

She looked taken aback by the question. Up until that point I had only been returning her sarcasm in response to any serious question she asked me.