AN: If you guys thought the wait for the previous chapter was something, this chapter is a new record. Not that it's a good thing or anything like that, but...well, just enjoy.

Chapter 5 - Come Around Our Turn

xxx

Walking on the corridor leading to his assigned room, Ichigo was accompanied by Chiffon, Elizabeth and their respective Limiters. After the party had finished everyone was ordered to return to their rooms with the instructions that they should be ready to begin the cooperation the following day. That meant that he and the rest of the 3rd Year Pandora from West Genetics will be separated from Satellizer's group. The redheaded American Pandora, Roxanne, left with a cheerful goodbye, but not before telling the rest of them to do their best. Ichigo had to hand it to her, she could handle herself under pressure quite well.

And speaking of pressure, the rising tension between the Pandora and E-Pandora during the party could be felt by everyone in the room. Not to mention the fact that the host girls spent no more than 15 minutes at the event before they made a quick retreat to their quarters, presumably. Interacting with their fellow 'comrades' didn't appear to be an option in their agenda as they made no attempt to socialize or exchange words with their guests. In response, the Pandora made no attempt to initialize a connection either and were put off and annoyed by the hostility and distrust they were receiving from their 'hosts'.

It was safe to say that both groups had not started on the best foot as far as amiable relationships between the Pandora and E-Pandora were concerned. A fact which the 'Monster' of West Genetics, who highly valued camaraderie, commented upon.

"I hope we'll be able to work together with the E-Pandora. It'll be bad if we won't be able to cooperate and compromise the whole project." Chiffon voiced out her concerns. The future of mankind depended on this project. As a Pandora it was her duty to make sure that the project will be brought to fruition.

Next to her, the blonde Pandora gave her an encouraging smile as she presented her reasoning to her classmate. "I'm sure everything will turn out well. Even if feelings of resentment are present in the first few days, as we begin to work together and show progress there is bound to be a change in behavior and mannerism. Bonds will be formed as well as a stronger sense of companionship. We are fighting for the same cause and regardless of what we might want, we are all in this together."

The brown haired Pandora smiled at that. She could always count on West Genetics' second strongest Pandora to cheer her up with a calm, calculated and otherwise realistic analysis of their current standing. "I see. And what about you Ichigo? What do you think of this whole matter with the E-Pandora?" She addressed the orange haired substitute that was casually walking slightly ahead of them in a relaxed manner.

Said boy, upon hearing the question, stopped whatever though he had at the moment and raised his shoulders in a bored matter. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" He ventured his thoughts. "We aren't really enemies with them though, we just had a bad start. It'll work out in the end like Elizabeth said, we are fighting the same enemy after all." Most of this was speaking from previous experience. Before being officially recognized as an ally of Soul Society, during his rescue mission when he saved Rukia he was viewed as their enemy and fought against them, that was until Aizen revealed himself and betrayed the Gotei 13. Since then he had become their comrade, fought together in a war and even helped him regain his powers. If anything, Ichigo learned that people, no matter how stubborn, can change with time.

"Is that so? Well, if you put it like that then I suppose that there is no reason to worry. Thank you." Chiffon said, satisfied that here concerns were answered.

At that moment Ichigo turned his head in her direction. "Still, I'm just a Limiter here. I can't really speak for either the Pandora or E-Pandora." Since he arrived at West Genetics, he noticed that there was an unspoken hierarchy between the students, more specifically, between the Pandora and Limiter. Pandora seemed to be the commanding ones, seeing as they did the actual combat and were physically enhanced because of their stigmata, while the Limiter handled the support with their Freezing Field. As such, he noted that the Pandora tended to have a more important role in decisions and were more dominant that the opposite gender.

"That's alright." The 'Monster' gave him a serene smile. "I'm sure that you're right. After all, we're best friends and I highly value your opinion, you know." She spoke cheerfully, a glint of mirth in her closed eyes and happy voice.

"Huh?" The voice of the substitute was heard as his expression twisted in a comical fashion reflecting not only confusion, but also disbelief. "Best friends? Since when?" He asked curiously as he turned to look at her, completely stopping himself and everyone else in place. It was true that he did spend most of his time with Chiffon or Ticy since his enrolment into the Academy and that he got along well with them, but he hadn't thought that they had become such good friends as Chiffon was suddenly claiming.

In response, the short haired Pandora adopted a saddened expression. "What? But I thought Ticy and I were your best friends. Are you saying we aren't, Ichigo?"

Confused and baffled by this, the orange haired boy was unsure of what to say. "We are friends." He clarified softly seeing her discouraged form. "But I wouldn't go as far as calling us best friends..." He added that warily as he scratched the back of his head while looking to his left side. Seriously, where was she getting this? But if he thought about it, his old friends didn't count anymore seeing that he was in the future and he had decided not to interfere with them. The others were in Soul Society serving in the Gotei 13 and he wouldn't go as far as calling Kisuke his best friend, even with the prospect of them sharing a stronger friendship than before. So if he took all that into account then he supposed that Chiffon and Ticy were his best friends as far as West Genetics was concerned, being his classmates and hanging out together.

As he was measuring relationships on an imaginary chart in his head, he was startled by the sound of a whimpering Chiffon who had apparently started crying at his harsh words, hurt evident in her voice.

Seeing as he made a girl cry, Ichigo blinked in surprise before he panicked and started uttering apologies and consoling words in a distressed manner. "W-wait! You're crying? S-stop it. Look, I'm sorry alright!" He stuttered his words, uncertain on what to do to handle this mess. "I-I mean, you're right Chiffon. We are best friends and I'm grateful for all you've done for me since I arrived at the Academy. So you can stop crying now." He gave he what looked like a hopeful smile.

"Really? Do you mean it Ichigo?" The brown haired Pandora stopped from her tear spilling act and asked the substitute. At his hesitant nod she did a complete 180, her face morphing into a bright sunny smile, her hands uniting together at the front in a cute manner. "That's sweet of you. Thank you."

Her words however didn't register as strongly as her new transition to her new, vibrant disposition. He stood and watched with his mouth agape at the girl and how she shifted between grief and bliss so easily like it was all just an act. Just then, he heard a muffled sound coming from the other Pandora accompanying them and upon a closer look he noticed that she had her hand covering her mouth in an admirable, yet otherwise ineffective attempt to cover her mirth. As his brown eyes danced around, the substitute also remarked how the other two Limiters were in a similar condition, though unlike the blonde haired girl they were both showing better restraint.

As confused as ever, Ichigo returned his gaze to the 'Monster', only to find her covering her giggles in a fashion not unlike Elizabeth's. "I'm sorry Ichigo. I couldn't help myself." She managed to say between forced breaths. It immediately hit him at that point that what just occurred in the last two minutes was nothing more than a small play directed by Chiffon in a small attempt to pull an innocent prank on him.

Enlightened, the orange haired boy's shoulders slumped along with his face as it dropped its previous surprised expression and settled for his familiar scowl with the slight alteration of it having a more annoyed accent. The substitute grumbled something incorrigible under his breath before he turned around and continued the walk, sulking silently to himself. The others were quick to follow.

Behind Ichigo, Chiffon leaned a bit closer to her Pandora classmate until her lips were near the blonde girl's left ear. "Arnett was right, he is so amusing to tease. I wonder why I never tried it before." The 'Monster' whispered amusedly while glancing at the boy's back.

"I know." Elizabeth agreed with her. "His reactions are so honest and innocent, they're great." Even now as she observed him sulk from behind him, she imagined what his visual expression might be and suppressed a giggle when the image of him pouting with a scowl conjured. Other times she would have worried that when Limiter was too emotional that nervousness would transfer itself to the battlefield and potentially compromise the safety of his fellow Pandora and Limiters. Now on the other hand she knew that even such individuals were capable of great potential, Aoi Kazuya being one such example with his ability of using a powerful Freezing Field despite being unbaptised. And for some reason, she felt that Ichigo held great potential as well, he wouldn't have been accepted into West Genetics as a 3rd Year otherwise.

Eventually, the group destination and began splitting up. The Elizabeth went with Andre into their designated room And Chiffon bid him a 'Good Night' when they reached Ichigo's room. Returning the gesture, Ichigo watched the pair consisting of Chiffon an Eugene retreat before he entered his quarters in the facility. As the door closed behind him, he couldn't help but snort at his surroundings. On top of having a entire room all for himself, it was almost as lavishly equipped as the one at the Boy's Dorms from West Genetics. He could almost bet his zanpakutou that it was all because of his 'uncle' as an act of kindness and love towards his dear 'nephew'. Sarcasm aside though, it was a very nice room and he wasn't about to complain about it.

Checking the time, Ichigo noted that it was still early, not that he could tell from the weather outside since there was still light and was informed that it would be that way until close to 11 PM. After a bit of asking around, he found out that the base was constructed in a remote and secret place somewhere in an area called Anchorage, which had a relatively normal day-night ratio. Not that he'd call a day lasting 20 hours normal, but maybe it was just him being too used to the cycles in Karakura. At any rate, he now had to find a way to occupy his remaining time until he'd eventually turn in for the night. After pondering whether he should study for his future exams or read more about the Nova Clashes, he settled for just reading the reports of the previous battles.

Nearly an hour later, the substitute was on his bed going through the files of the 4th Nova Clash, a pair of earplugs playing his favorite music as his eyes followed the content of the documents. Kisuke was right, modern technology wasn't all that hard once you got the hang of it, at least when it came to simple matters. Finishing the last page, he pulled the plugs out of his ears before releasing a breath. The end of the 4th Nova Clash had apparently brought a great casualty to humanity as the first Pandora, Maria Lancelot, was lost in battle. The invaders were repelled thanks to her sacrifice, but against future threats they were vulnerable. It was at that time in 2015 when the scientist, Aoi Gengo, introduced his Pandora Project that was still being used today. So mankind had been fighting and struggling for about half a century against these enemies that appeared out of nowhere. He didn't give it much thought at first, but after reading all these reports it was becoming clear to him how serious things were.

As he was musing his thoughts on the matter, he was interrupted by a knock on his door. Shaking his surprise aside on who would visit him, he got off the bed and went to open the door. On the other side it turned out to be none other than Chiffon with Eugene.

"Hello Ichigo, I know it's a bit late, but I hope I'm not disturbing you from anything." The Pandora spoke a bit nervously, hoping for a positive answer.

The substitute shook his head. "Nah, I was just reading a bit to pass the time. Really, it's fine, you're not bothering me at all." He replied honestly.

Her expression brightened visibly at his words as a smile claimed her face. "That's great then. Well, the reason I came was to invite you to the pool they have here. So what do you say?" She asked him, her voice carrying a degree of expectancy.

"The pool? I don't know..." He trailed off as he thought about it. For reasons unknown to him, he actually did pack a pair of swimming trunks in his luggage, one that he bought when he went out and met with Arnett and the rest of the group. Be it because he didn't notice it or maybe some after effect from all the teasing Yoruichi gave him or maybe because something in him changed, he had no clue. The fact was that he had a pair of red swimming trunks somewhere in his things.

At his uncertain answer, Chiffon decided to apply her secret tactic, her best impression of the devastating 'puppy dog eyes'. As such, she brought her hand together in a beseeching manner and began pleading innocently. "Please Ichigo. Elizabeth and Andre will be there as well and we'll all be happy if you would join us." Despite contradicting the tactic's name with her closed eyes, the effects were still strong as her soft and cute features coupled with her hurt voiced still carried enough allure to sway most men.

Ichigo watched her for a few moments, feeling the pressure of her technique before he finally relented. "Alright, fine, I'll go. I've got nothing better to do anyway." He replied defensively as he averted his gaze and retreated into his room. "Just wait a bit so I can get my things." He then started going through the various clothing items he brought.

Mentally congratulating herself, Chiffon smiled at her victory. "Just your trunks and a towel will do." She advised seeing as neither she nor Eugene had much more. Moments later, the orange haired boy appeared in the doorway with a black towel and his swimming trunks in his hand.

"Let's go." Ichigo said simply before he locked his door and followed the couple to the swimming pool.

xxx

In a nearby room from the same facility, a blonde haired Pandora was trying to come to terms with her current situation. If she were honest with herself, she wasn't pleased with how things evolved in these past hours. It all started because of the Tibetan Pandora's complaining about their initial rooming arrangements, more specifically about the British Pandora sharing a room with Kazuya. To try and make things better for them, Kazuya compromised his position and chose to let the two girls share the room while he took the other one meant for Rana in order to avoid any conflict between them. And now, because of that she was stuck in the same room with said Pandora.

However, as opposed to having Rana complain constantly if they had gone with their original arrangements, she supposed that this was the lesser of two evils. At least things would remain somewhat civil between her and the Tibetan Pandora and Kazuya did say that he was going to spend time in their room, though it irked her that she couldn't get a chance to be just the two of them alone. In that regard, Rana was the very definition of an annoying third wheel to her, always meddling in her relationship with Kazuya.

After Kazuya had left to unpack and after a 5 minute glaring contest with Rana that ended with no victor, both girls went to do the same. It was then when they were visited by East Genetics' very own top Pandora, Cassie Lockheart, and her Limiter, Kyouichi. After exchanging pleasantries and after a rather embarrassing proclamation from the Limiter who in his passion, offered himself or rather his life to the British Pandora. Baffled by this development, Satellizer was at a loss of what to say. Happily however, Cassie took matters into her own when she started teasing him about Kyouichi offering himself to women other than her. It ended with the two of them laughing while the spectators fondly admired their close relationship.

Another subject brought by the green haired Pandora was how several mock battles will be held the following day between the Pandora and E-Pandora or 'Evolution Pandora' going by their formal name. It was decided by the staff as a way to see how their project was faring against an ordinary Pandora in a small Carnival right there at the Alaskan base.

This Project brought many doubts to Satellizer about the way it was being handled. Even the concept itself of turning regular humans into Pandora by implanting stigmata into them and then artificially raising the compatibility rate was worrying. Given that for a regular human just having the stigmata was stressing enough, pumping them up even more seemed almost impossible. Their bodies would not last the corrosive effects the stigmata had on them.

Shaking her head to clear her negative thoughts, the blonde haired Pandora resumed her current ordeal which was getting to the pool. After their rather serious discussion on the E-Pandora Project, the American Pandora kindly asked her and her roommate if she wished to join her for a swim or just relax on the side. The dark haired Pandora happily accepted and after a few moments of debating, the blonde Pandora took the offer as well.

That brought Satellizer where she was. After getting her own swimsuit, she followed the other two girls to the pool. Cassie's Limiter opted out for some reason, but that didn't bother his partner much as she was not alone, but with her friends. With that settled, they went on their way until they reached the lockers where they changed into their swimsuits, each girl having a different preference altogether when it came to clothing. Cassie went for a 2 piece blue and white striped swimsuit while Rana's was a predominantly red 2 piece. The blonde Pandora kept close to the other girls showing up with a 2 piece as well, hers being white with a bit of pink at the top of her bra and between the breasts.

Once they reached the pool, they were amazed. This being a military facility with a laboratories and all that, they didn't expect the sight that was before them. A completely spectacular place with various sized pools in different shapes, some vegetation specific to a much warmer climate like palm trees and such and even a small waterfall. All in all, it was pretty amazing and after getting some drinks from a bar that was on the side they began relaxing and indulging themselves in the pampering provided for them.

"This feel so nice." The green haired Pandora purred as her body melted in the warm water of one of the many pools available. Next to her was the British Pandora who sat on the side of the pool, simply preferring to wet her long legs just a little bit. Meanwhile, a few feet away, Rana sat in the pool as if she owned it, an expression of carefree bliss akin to her nature plastered on her face.

With the corner of her eyes, Satellizer noticed her classmates from the 3rd Year also had the idea to relax at the pool. At another pool she could recognize the familiar faces of Chiffon and Elizabeth with their respective Limiters and surprisingly, she also took note of the bright orange hair of the new Limiter. "Kurosaki Ichigo." His name came to her automatically. A puzzling boy in her opinion. Transferring as a 3rd Year was weird in of itself considering that by this time most Limiters would have a Pandora partner and would be able to use the Ereinbar Set proficiently. He had so much catching up to do it almost seemed like an impossible task to her, he didn't even have a partner yet. Even if he was talented, it still seemed like a hard task and most wouldn't have bothered with it. Perhaps there was an ulterior motive behind this or maybe even something personal, she couldn't tell at this time.

Another questioning ordeal was this Alaskan trip as well. Why would the higher brass decide to send him considering that there hasn't been even a month since he enrolled and lacked a Pandora partner. Was it so that he could gain experience faster by being sent on various missions alongside the Pandora? If that was the case then it seemed to her that he was being a bit favored compared to other students. It was well known that he was a relative to a scientist of Chevalier and that probably helped him with both his transfer and this trip.

It wasn't that she had anything against him. Granted, they never really talked other than what was necessary for their duty, but he didn't strike her as the type that would flaunt his status or behave rudely. Appearance wise he may look threatening with his scowl and unruly orange hair, yet it was earlier during the day that he managed to help Kazuya somehow when they fought that Dummy Nova and on the ship he even came to her aid when she was searching for her glasses. Even more surprising, he thanked her for her actions during the fight and even went as far as saying that he owed her a favor. At that time she realized that he was actually a decent person if a bit informal with his mannerism. She began questioning why their teacher was behaving herself as if he was a troublemaker. If anything, she was more of a troublemaker than him, given her past record which was, admittedly, not a good one. But she was improving though and it was all thanks to the dark haired boy who became her Limiter. Just standing up to Louis and fighting against his chain like clutches required a degree of courage that she could never posses on her own, but at the time Kazuya's words gave her strength, enough so that she could stand up to him and finally free herself from the mental claws he had on her.

Suddenly embarrassed, she began to vigorously shake her head, her porcelain cheeks tinted with a rosy coloring. The blonde Pandora was getting sidetracked, again. This always happened whenever she began thinking of her Limiter and it was starting to bother her more and more. Taking a breath to calm her nerves and feelings, she glanced at the Third Year party and focused on the orange haired boy again, hoping that thoughts of Kazuya wouldn't mess with her feelings. And since she was at that subject, she remembered that the Third Year Limiter had actually touched her earlier in the day. It wasn't anything perverse as he was just helping her get on her feet by pulling her hand. Initially, she was surprised by the sensation, which felt like an electric shock, but afterwards, after this gesture registered into her mind, she didn't feel threatened nor disgusted. In comparison to Kazuya's touch, which was a warm almost liquefying sensation that could almost reach and seep into her heart, his was more solid and rather than trying to reach her, it was almost as if it was trying to surround her, to form a barrier that would stop anything from reaching her instead. But even so, it wasn't a heavy, crushing feeling, it was light and comforting, she could even call it pleasant.

Glancing down at the water in front of her, she watched the water shine brightly at her feet, unaware that her companions were staring at her. Trying to make sense of these new sensations was so different than what she was used to. Before, it was very easy. It came down to 'everything felt disgusting, don't let anyone approach and touch, at all costs'. Simple and effective, but now that there was not only one, but two people that touched her and felt pleasant, she had to work out all these alien sensations that were downright confusing. It was then when she noticed Cassie look at her with a worried look, no doubt because of a disgruntled face she may have made because of her thought.

"Are you alright?" The green haired Pandora asked. "You're still thinking about the E-Pandora Project and the mock battle tomorrow, aren't you?" It was mostly a guess on her part, but she couldn't think of anything else that would bother the blonde girl.

Releasing another breath, the British Pandora answered while gazing in front of her. "No, but it's still a matter of concern. Will everyone really be able to become a Pandora now thanks to this project?" All previous thoughts gone from hear mind, she began wondering about this E-Pandora Project again. This brought a frown on her face. It just didn't sit right with her, it all seemed too convenient, too simple.

"Why the long face?" Rana asked seeing the other two girls downcast at the mention of the project. "Didn't Elizabeth-san say that this will help refill the holes in our ranks?" Being the optimistic girl she was, the Tibetan Pandora didn't understand why her friends were so worried. All they had to do was make this whole project work by helping with whatever was needed and everything would be alright. As if a rush of excitement went through her, she bolted on her legs from a sitting position, eager to say more on the topic and cheer everyone up. "Plus, if we can help create a stronger type of Pandora, I'll gladly help!"

Observing her for a few moments, Satellizer just released a breath and closer her eyes. "Must be nice to see everything through such rose colored glasses." She said offhandedly, clearly believing that the dark haired Pandora was seeing things too positively and wasn't even thinking of the possibility of something going bad.

"You're just too negative all the time." Rana commented, not pleased with that response, but not entirely bothered by it. "That's why you never got to do a baptism." She also took the opportunity to berate the blonde's nature, if only slightly.

At those words, the blonde girl felt herself jump in surprise. Cassie, who was next to her, was also surprised to hear this. "You haven't done the baptism yet?" She asked curiously.

"No, I haven't." Satellizer Replied quietly as she began looking down, embarrassed by the change in topic. Her face was hidden under her hair, the emotions she tried suppressing not 5 minutes ago were coming full force and were making her anxious.

"Isn't Aoi Kazuya-san your Limiter?" Cassie asked again as she exited the pool and sat next to her. She was always under the impression that the dark haired Limiter held the blonde Pandora in high regards by the way he was acting around her.

"Well, he sort of is my Limiter, but not really yet." The blonde Pandora could feel her voice shake as she spoke, this sudden attention to her and Kazuya's Limiter status making her feel exposed, hence why she brought her hands in her lap in an attempt to cover herself from being too exposed emotionally.

Seeing this as another opportunity to one up her rival, Rana smiled mischievously and continued with her words. "It won't ever happen because of your hesitation to take your relationship to the next level." And as if to emphasize her words, she pressed both hands on her cheeks and blushed gleefully, her voice becoming all to suggestively. "You're just scared to do this and that with him." She commented with a dreamy expression, envisioning herself in a fantasy with the boy in question.

Hearing those words, the blonde Pandora's nerves couldn't take it anymore and began, with a face as red as it could be and a trembling voice, to argue with the Tibetan Pandora.

xxx

Ichigo had been to the pool before at Karakura with some of his friends and it honestly hadn't been a bad experience. So when he agreed to visit the one this Alaskan base had, he didn't really expect much given that it was a military facility and all that. As he arrived from the changing lockers though, he stopped at the entrance as his legs just halted when his eyes absorbed the sight before him. He couldn't even decide on where to start with how amazing everything looked, but if he had a choice, the open sky feature was definitely his favorite as he could see the glow of the moon above him.

Though there was also something that bothered him. For some reason or another, he was extremely uncomfortable where he stood. It was not from the pool, definitely no, but he could almost feel a shiver run down his spine as if he had a ghost right behind him, breathing next to his neck. It was almost as if he was being cornered by something and gazed upon. There were no hollows he could sense, nor was there any strange reiatsu that he could make out. So what was making him so uncomfortable?

"Ichigo-san?" He was then snapped back into attention by the other male that accompanied him, Eugene. He glanced at the boy who appeared to be somewhat confused on his abrupt stop.

"I'm fine." Ichigo assured him after he returned to his normal mood. "Come on." He marched towards the place where he saw a familiar short browned hair girl waving for them. "Chiffon." He remarked. As he walked, he carefully looked around to inspect the place, but found it hard to do so every time his eyes landed on a Pandora sporting an incredibly revealing bikini. In those moments, he would turn his head and stare forward, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks and suppress anything that might come out of his mouth. It was not as if Ichigo had not seen girls in swimsuits before, he had and his mind began remembering the trip to the beach with the Shinigami Woman Association and some other members of Soul Society. But even so, not even that compared to what he was seeing now. It was almost as if an unwritten rule existed which stated that all Pandora should also be supermodels because otherwise Ichigo had no other explanation on why these Pandora were all so attractive.

Despite Yoruichi's teasing, he could recognize a beautiful girl when he saw one, he had eyes of course. He just didn't make a huge deal out of it and most definitely wasn't a pervert like Kon. He began banishing these thoughts as he approached their group and while he did see Chiffon standing in a pool, he also saw specks of blonde on a beach chair near her. Despite facing the opposite way, he could conclude that it could only belong to Elizabeth and it was then when something came up in his mind and forced him to act.

"Eugene, Ichigo, over here!" Chiffon called from the pool. Upon seeing both Limiters she placed her glass down and greeted them before she paused and stared at the two.

Upon hearing the greeting, the British Pandora ascended from her seat in all her naked glory and turned around to give a greeting of her own, a mischievous smile already present on her lips as her anticipation grew for the reaction she would get from the older Limiter. However, once she saw both boys she halted her action as her expression grew into a confused one for a few moments before it resumed its original form.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Elizabeth asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Standing a few feet away from her, the orange haired boy was actively resisting what he expected the blonde Pandora to show him, by protecting his eyes and keeping them covered with his right palm. "You're naked, aren't you?" He asked annoyingly, the sentence coming out as more of a statement rather than a question.

Elizabeth laughed lightly at that. "Of course not Ichigo. What kind of woman do you think I am?" She decided to prolong this for a bit. It was all fun, she thought as she sipped from her drink. While it was not the teasing she intended, he was still in an amusingly uncomfortable spot so it was all the same to her.

"The type that has no problem walking naked among strangers." He bluntly stated.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that I act this way with strangers. But here we are all comrades and therefore we must be able to trust each other." She continued with her dialogue as she looked to the side and noticed that her fellow classmate was also amused by the unfolding scene.

"There are better ways to show others that you trust them. Flaunting your body around isn't one of them." He commented annoyingly, although a part of him was outraged that she would consider this a sign of mutual trust. He knew she was saying this just because of her intention to tease him, but did she seriously need to do this every time? At least she wouldn't latch on him like Yoruichi would have done. He didn't know what he would do if she would suddenly hug him and press their bodies together, especially in their current state of undress. Dammit, now he had that image stuck in his head!

Elizabeth was almost delighted when she saw the coloring of his cheeks increase in intensity. "In that case, would you mind sharing some of them with me?" She was wondering how long she could go like this before he'd snap or give up. If she were to guess then he should be nearing his limits by now, at least judging by his face. Not waiting for a response she turned to her chair to pick up her clothing articles.

"Well, that's..." He started grumbling annoyingly again at this whole situation. How the hell was he supposed to think like this? Wait a second, why was he supposed to think about this anyway? That wasn't the problem here. "Look, could you please just put your swimsuit on?" He pleaded with her as he put as much emphasis on the word 'please' as possible. "I'd like to relax a bit while we're here so if you could cover up, I'd appreciate it."

A few moments had passed after he spoke, but all he could hear was silence from the blonde Pandora and it was making him apprehensive. Just as he was about to call for Elizabeth again, he felt his right hand being grabbed and removed forcefully. The first thing that registered into Ichigo's head was the blonde hair of the British Pandora that immediately made him yelp in surprise and jump back a bit as he couldn't go far due to the grip her hand had over his. The shock of seeing her in her birthday suit wore off when he noticed that she was actually wearing a white swimsuit. A very stylish one at that, not that the boy could tell.

The British Pandora only smiled brightly at him. "My, you are extremely jumpy today, aren't you Ichigo?" She noted with amusement.

"Wha-? But you were...all this time?" The substitute tried to form a coherent section, but wasn't having much success. He was confused whether or not the British Pandora had her swimsuit on from the beginning because if that was the case, he didn't like the idea of embarrassing himself for no reason.

"Don't worry Ichigo, she was naked at first." Chiffon assured the boy after watching him stumble for his words.

After hearing her, Ichigo began to relax as the whole scene was finished and he began to go in his normal state. And the first action he took was to glare at the beautiful blonde Pandora who was smiling at him. "It wasn't funny you know." The boy complained as he endured another round of teasing from the British girl. Seriously, had this girl really not been corrupted by Yoruichi?

"Oh, I apologize for making you uncomfortable." Hearing those words, Ichigo doubted that was the case no matter how convincing she was trying to be. But he knew that she meant no harm, she was just playing around like that and he wasn't actually mad, just embarrassed momentarily.

Ichigo released a breath as he recovered and returned to normal. "Whatever, just forget about it." Trying to put the whole thing behind him, he saw the Pandora's smile widen at his words. With that out of the way maybe he could start enjoying himself here. It was then when he noted that Eugene had long since left his side and was next to his partner.

"Perhaps you need a drink to relax." Elizabeth commented as she observed him.

As if taking that as his cue, Andre was making his presence known as he approached the group, two drinks present in his hands. "Milady, I have returned with the refreshments." Ever the loyal partner, the French Limiter had been sent prior to the other Limiter's arrival to procure beverages for them. Just like the other two, the dark brown haired male was sporting a pair of blue trunks himself.

The blonde Pandora nodded to him. "Right on time, Andre." She appreciated the punctuality as it fitted perfectly with the moment.

"Thank you, milady." Was the gallant response from his smiling visage which resembled that of a nobleman's. With that, he turned to Ichigo extending one of the glasses with a reddish colored drink. "Here you go, Ichigo-san."

"Ah, thanks." Ichigo took the glass slowly after giving a small nod in appreciation. After the exchange, he received a smile in response from the Limiter, before he went with the other drink to Eugene. Curiously, Ichigo took sip from his drink. The taste wasn't what he expected and it was entirely foreign to him, sweet yet with a bitter undertone to it, an exotic drink perhaps. It would certainly fit the scene, unlike with Karakura. Nevertheless, he did enjoy it.

"Come on, we are here to have fun, right?" Elizabeth told him before she headed to the pool where Chiffon was waiting for them. Wordlessly, Ichigo followed after her and went to stand with the rest of his classmates, taking in the view and allowing himself to relax. Ever since he arrived at the Academy he didn't have many opportunities to unwind with his relatively busy schedule, but this otherwise bizarre setting of a pool in the frozen wasteland seemed to work surprisingly well.

"Quite beautiful, isn't it?" He hear the brown haired girl comment from inside the pool he was standing next to. Quickly observing the girl, Ichigo could tell that she was enjoying the water immensely if her happy tone was anything to go by. "It's almost hard to believe that we are in Alaska. I heard that the E-Pandora laboratory used to be a civilian facility and only recently came under Chevalier management."

"So normal people used to live here?" The substitute questioned as he was beginning to understand why this whole facility seemed unsuited to be a military one. First the comfortable, or in his case very comfortable, rooms, the auditorium and now the poll. He could deduce that this facility was originally meant for civilians, but was later remodeled for military purposes.

"Yes, from what I heard it has been shut down for a good 10 years before it was given into use again 5 years ago. I think it's quite delighting that we get to spend time in a civilian setting for a change, don't you think?" Chiffon questioned happily.

"Is it?" Elizabeth asked, her head turning to regard her brown haired classmate before returning her gaze to the rest of the Pandora who were freely enjoying their time. "Genetics has gathered Pandora from all around the world here in order to help with their project. I can't help but feel that it is too relaxed." A silence settled for a few moments to let the notion sink before the blonde Pandora addressed another issue.

"By the way, I don't know if you were informed, but it seems that Chevalier is intending to hold a Carnival tomorrow." This new piece of information caught everyone's attention.

"A Carnival?" Ichigo asked as his expression grew more serious. "You mean those events where Pandora fight each other?" He had heard about them from Ticy and initially thought that it was some sort of strength contest between Pandora. And it was just that, only difference was that instead of the competitive tournament style that Ichigo was imagining a Carnival to be, it was actually more of a battle royale. He didn't research much, but he heard that they were normally very violent and many Pandora ended up in the infirmary, some in quite severe conditions. He frowned at the thought, but with the knowledge that a Pandora's healing capabilities were leagues above any normal human's, he didn't comment much about it, but he still didn't like it.

"Yes." Elizabeth answered him, a smile manifesting on her face as she was pleased that the 3rd Year Limiter was improving his knowledge on matters regarding both Pandora and Limiters. "They want us to have some mock battles between the Pandora and E-Pandora to gauge their strength and obtain data to analyze for future developments." She explained calmly.

The orange haired boy didn't say anything for a moment, he simply took another sip of his drink as his mind was in deep thought. He didn't know why, but ever since he learned what the E-Pandora project was about and the rumor he hear from the 'Immortal' Roxanne regarding the possibility of human experiments, he couldn't shake off the bad feeling that was nestling in his gut and the more he thought about it the more it unsettled him.

"Are you alright, Ichigo?" The orange haired boy heard Chiffon ask as he turned in surprise to see her looking at him with a somewhat curious expression. With the corner of his eye he could see the 3rd Year British Pandora's gaze on him as well.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Ichigo questioned, slightly confused by the attention.

Chiffon rested a finger on her chin as she answered. "Well, you looked a bit troubled and you went silent all of a sudden so I thought something bothered you." She informed him a bit unsure on how he would react, she didn't want to pry into his personal thoughts.

Ichigo only released a breath as he heard that. He had been told before by both his sisters that when he was engrossed in his thoughts, and especially if those thoughts were negative, something about his scowl becoming meaner, as Yuzu put it. He had never thought of actually verifying that as it never bothered him, but it would explain why Chiffon looked a bit more apprehensive than normal.

He shoved his left hand in the pocket of his trunks, his right hand holding his drink. "Just something that's bothering me." He answered as he looked at both Pandora seriously. "What happens if a regular person is implanted with stigmata? From what I got only Pandora with high compatibility rates are capable of using them, but what happens if you put them into normal people?"

Both Pandora shared a look before Elizabeth began talking. "Simply put, their bodies can't handle the stigmata. The tissue itself is corrosive in nature which is why a high compatibility rate is required for any Pandora to be able to carry a number of stigmata. The higher the compatibility rate the easier it is to hold a higher number of stigmata and reach a certain level of attunement. Those whose bodies are incompatible cannot hold them and will automatically reject the stigmata. The corrosive effect will most likely destroy the host body from the inside. I imagine it to be a very painful process." The British Pandora finished somberly making the substitute's eyes widen at the knowledge.

"Which is why those who don't meet the requirements of the compatibility rate don't usually bother to pursue this path." Chiffon interjected from the edge of the pool, her arms resting on the edge as her breasts were squeezed between them. "They will simply live their lives as regular people with no involvement in the matter."

Ichigo absorbed the information quickly, his features becoming rigid. "So then how will the guys here be able to make normal humans fight like Pandora?" Was the question on his mind now.

"Lowering the stigmata purity is one way." The British Pandora pondered the possibilities. "But then they wouldn't be much stronger than any regular human so the benefits would be minimal in that case."

"It's best that we leave that to the scientists here at Alaska." Chiffon took the word again. "Making this project possible is why we were asked to come here and help. I'm sure they have thought of something if they got Chevalier to approve of the project. It's till the beginning of the road, but we should see what they can do tomorrow first before do anything." A small amount of excitement could be heard in her voice, she was very interested in tomorrow's matches.

Elizabeth conceded and accepted her words with a small smile. "I suppose that is the best course of action we can take now." Truthfully, she herself was interested in the Carnival tomorrow. Worrying over something before seeing the E-Pandora in action was pointless.

Ichigo too released a breath and accepted the situation. "I guess. Well, not much we can do until tomorrow then."

"You could relax and enjoy this time." Elizabeth suggested, a smile taking hold on her beautifully sculpted face.

The substitute agreed and was about to walk to the pool himself when he and the rest of his company were all startled by a cry coming from somewhere in the room. Turning around to identify the source, Ichigo saw that it was coming from the other group that arrived from West Genetics, the group consisting of the two 2nd Year Pandora and the 1st Year Limiter, who was absent, and also a green haired Pandora that Ichigo saw earlier. More specifically, it was the blonde Pandora, Satellizer el Bridget, who seemed the cause of the commotion with her yelling profanities to her classmate, something along the lines of 'mailing her back to Tibet'.

Immediately after that, the blonde Pandora exited the pool and began running, he hands hugging her breasts in a protective manner, her face as flushed as it could get leaving behind two very amused Pandora. It seemed that the teasing of the dark haired girl was too much for the British Pandora.

Ichigo could feel a comical sweat drop on his head as he looked at the scene. He saw the two girls butt heads before, but he thought it was because of Kazuya's presence. He was beginning to think that those two really didn't get along. Or maybe they did. His friendship with Rukia did get loud at times, but even so she was still a precious friend to him. As he was briefly reminiscing, he saw the blonde Pandora approach his group and in her flustered unawareness, she failed to notice the small puddle on the floor. Inevitably, the girl slipped on the water and a yelp escaped her lips in surprise as she was falling face first to the floor.

Seeing this, Ichigo's instincts flared up as he instantly threw his drink in the air, which Elizabeth easily and calmly caught with a blank look, and leaped to her aid. I barely took more than a second, but he managed to close the short distance on time as he managed to slip an arm around her and cushion her fall.

Satellizer on the other hand had closed her eyes and was expecting to feel the painful and cold contact with the floor. Instead, her face landed in something much softer, undoubtedly warm and surprisingly familiar. She felt herself become encased into a protective bubble that took away all her tension and her body relaxed, subconsciously seeking more of this protective fire. Her moment of reveries was broken however when she heard someone address her.

"Are you alright?" Her eyes opened slowly as she registered the worried voice. Lifting her head, the now familiar visage of the 3rd Year Limiter appeared before her, his features shaped in unease as he awaited her answer. Satellizer blinked in confusion before she notice that he was on one knee supporting her body, his right hand across her chest while his left hand held her back and her face almost nestled on his right pectoral. To clarify, his naked right pectoral. At that moment, it all came back to the blonde girl, of the incident that transpired just a few moments ago as she became aware of her position. Almost immediately she jumped out of his grasp, her face lighting up like a Christmas ornament.

Back on her two legs, Satellizer covered her breasts again as she struggled to regain control of her breath and racing heart. She avoided eye contact with the boy at all costs. A few much needed seconds passed before she calmed herself enough to be able get a hold of herself and get a grasp on her surroundings.

"You okay?" She heard the same voice ask again. Gaining enough courage to look his way, Satellizer noticed that he had risen to his feet and was waiting for her answer. The girl almost lost herself as she saw him in his full form standing no less than 3 feet away from her. As her eyes drank in his chiseled body, she felt herself become more agitated and embarrassed being in such a close proximity to a male body, especially the one belonging to a boy that she deemed as 'okay'.

"I-I'm fine!" She stammered abruptly as she timidly looked down at her feet.

"You sure?" The boy asked again, unconvinced by her response. "You're face looks a bit red." Taking a step towards her, he was about to inspect her before he saw her face become even more shocked as she jumped away from him.

As she was almost reaching her breaking point, the poor girl could barely even find her words. "I...am...ugh...excuse m-me!" With that last cry, she hastily brushed past him as she took off again, her destination being wherever her legs would take her as long as it was far away from that place.

Startled, the substitute reached with his right hand after her. "Wait! I don't think you should..." But the girl had already disappeared by the time he reached the middle of his sentence. "...run again like that." Ichigo groaned as he scratched his head in confusion. Just what was wrong with this girl? She had almost hurt herself because she was aimlessly running around and after he helped her she still didn't learn her lesson. Releasing a breath, he returned to his group and was about to head towards the pool Chiffon was in before he noticed the faces his two Pandora classmates were giving him.

They were smiling, so at least they weren't angry with him or anything like that, but those smiles seemed...not so well intended. Case in point as the blonde 3rd Year Pandora approached him, a certain glint in her sky blue eyes that Ichigo was beginning to recognize. It made him feel wary of what was about to come.

Stopping just next to him, Elizabeth was barely able to contain the cheshire cat grin that was threatening to spread on her entire face and settled for her normal smile. "My, I never took you for being that kind of a person, Ichigo." The words came out almost melodiously from her lips, an undertone of mischief present within them.

"What are you talking about?" The boys asked confusedly, a part of him becoming uncomfortable under her gaze.

Without missing a beat, the blonde Pandora answered. "Why, I'm talking about your interest in Satellizer el Bridget, of course. While it pleases me that you are making an attempt in finding a Pandora partner, I would have never expected you to go after someone who already is in an established relationship." She almost laughed when she saw his eyes widen. His increasing shock only fueled her to continue. "I cannot blame you though. She is, indeed, very beautiful. It doesn't surprise me that she managed to catch your eye, but I wouldn't have thought that you'd pursue her after being told that she was already engaged into a partnership with Aoi Kazuya. Are you seeking to win her over before Satellizer accepts Aoi Kazuya and has a proper baptism with him? If that is the case, then perhaps you are not the person I imagined you to be."

With his eyes as wide as dinner plates, the substitute held a mortified expression at the implications the 3rd Year Pandora was making. "W-wha...?" He stuttered voicelessly, before he jumped back, his fingers clenched into tight fists as he began to loudly defend himself. "Now wait just a damn moment here! What the hell are you talking about? Win her over? I'm not even after her for crying out loud!" Seriously, where the hell was the blonde girl coming up with all of this crap? He didn't even finish his tests, let alone begin to think about looking for a partner. Heck, he wasn't even entirely convinced that he'd get one in the first place.

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth pressed on in her best attempt to appear unconvinced by his words. "On the ship that got us here you appeared to be quite friendly with her, more so that I expected. She also came to your aid when you were in danger and she did so with no hesitation. And even now, the way you caught her and held her in your arms, almost intimately. Very suspicious." She rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she awaited his answer with amusement.

"It's not like that!" He roared in response. He felt his entire face flush in embarrassment as he was reminded of the skinship between him and the 2nd Year Pandora, primarily of her softness when he had his arm across her gifted chest. "There's nothing going on here! What even gave you that idea?" He then turned to the only source of trust he had left in this argument. "Chiffon, tell her that I'm not interested in..." The words died off at his lips as his eyes met the form of the brown haired Pandora.

"No, no!" The short haired girl had her palms over her blushing cheeks as she was shaking her head in a negative manner. "Ichigo, how could you! Going after Satellizer-san like that when she's already in a relationship with Aoi-kun. How shameless! How forbidden!" She repeated that as a mantra as it was clear that the girl was lost in her own world imagining indecent scenarios of elopement, her face flushing up more and more the deeper she went.

"Oi, you're totally beside the point here!" Ichigo roared in exasperation feeling his nerves about to give. Taking a deep breath he managed to compose himself a bit before he turned to the blonde Pandora. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was regarding him with a victorious, albeit smug, smile, her hands confidently resting on her hips waiting patiently for him to continue defending himself. The substitute groaned at the sight. "It's not like that." He repeated slowly.

Snickering quietly, Elizabeth addressed him. "Well then, why don't you tell us in that case how it really is?" It was about time she ended this, he had endured enough of her teasing for the day.

"It wasn't anything like you said." He clarified annoyingly. "She wasn't careful and was about to fall and hurt herself. I couldn't just let that happen, not when I could do something about. I'm not the type of guys that will sit back when others need help, you know?"

The blonde Pandora simply approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder before making eye contact with him. "I understand. Your chivalrous nature couldn't stand and watch as a beautiful maiden was in danger of getting hurt. It warms my heart to know that we have such a gentleman among us." The smile she gave him was so sweet he couldn't help but think she looked so dazzling at that moment, he couldn't stop his cheeks from coloring. He broke the gaze and looked to his left as he awkwardly tried to get the blood from his face to go down.

"That said." Breaking the contact, she hugged her own body as her expression became apologetic. "I think I went a bit too far this time. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry."

Observing her form, the substitute could tell that she meant it this time. And a quick glance at the brown haired girl confirmed that she too was sorry for playing the joke too far. It didn't help that she was giving him such a hurt and hopeful expression that was very effective in her persuasion. The boy groaned, before he ran his hand through his hair to calm himself. He knew they didn't mean anything bad with their teasing, but it still got on his nerves.

He was about to make a comment about her messing up with him again when he felt a cold shiver run through his spine, his body jolting in the wake of the tremor. Immediately, he began looking around carefully as the uncomfortable feeling of being under watch creped on him once again.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" Elizabeth asked as she saw him jump and hastily inspect his surroundings.

The boy took checked the area around a bit more, looking for anything that seemed out of place, before answering the blonde. "I don't know. I think I may be paranoid, but I feel like I'm being...watched, I think. It's been creeping me out honestly." His expression turned sour, he really couldn't figure out what was giving him such an ominous feeling. It couldn't be hollows, he hasn't seen any since he arrived and he hadn't sensed any either. So what else could it be?

"Being watched?" Elizabeth cocked her head to the right as she repeated his words with honest surprise. "Like a ghost or a monster?" Could it be that he hasn't noticed it by now? She knew he was innocent, something she enjoyed about his personality, but he didn't strike her as the unobservant type. Or maybe he was that clueless on the matter it went completely past his perception.

Shaking his head in a negative manner, he answered. " No, more like the kind of feeling when a predator is after you and you're the prey. It's kinda like that, I think. I doubt there are any monsters here though. Why would monsters be watching me in the first place?" It wasn't that he didn't recognize the feeling of imminent threat or distaste. Plenty of his foes 'graced' him with harsh glares and raw, blood lusted killer intent. But this time, the feeling was different and unusual and he couldn't wrap his head around it.

He was distracted from his thoughts by a cry from the brown haired Pandora. "What a rude thing to say!" Chiffon pouted in mock anger, her expression being anything but. "I'm a 'Monster' and I'm looking at you, aren't I?"

Chuckling at her words, the substitute walked to the pool and crouched in front of her. "Exactly what part of you is a monster?" Ichigo began to playfully poke her forehead, his lips twitching upwards. "How can you see me when your eyes are closed all the time anyway?" It was bizarre. His expression wasn't entirely cheerful, but Chiffon could tell that he was relaxed and was actually enjoying himself. His facial features were softer, less tense and he was almost smiling.

Elizabeth watched the pair interact right before her eyes, happy that the boy was finally allowing himself to relax. He was so serious most of the time. Perhaps he was the type that opened up after a certain time, but she was happy that he was enjoying himself for a change. His observation also brought up something that amused her in particular. "A predator after its prey? I suppose it can be seen that way as well." She had to cover her mouth to suppress her mirth, otherwise he could have heard her. She was no stranger to his source of confusion. In fact, she noticed it moments after Ichigo joined them, but she didn't expect him to be oblivious to the stares he was receiving.

They were subtle, she admitted that, but she expected to at least notice some of the stares the Pandora present at the pool were giving him. Looking around, Elizabeth was immediately able to spot a few looks. Some were just enjoying the 'free show', like those coming from a group of Pandora near the bar. The girls were stealing quick glances in their direction and would gossip and laugh together. Others weren't as innocent, such as the one coming from a dark skinned Pandora with long, raven hair tied in a ponytail who was sitting at the opposite edge of the main pool, legs dancing slowly in the pristine water. From her spot under an artificial palm tree, she had an excellent view on their group and the way she was eyeing the orange haired Limiter was, ironically enough, just like the boy had described. Her emerald colored eyes held a ravenous look within them, the sensual licking of her fingers only accentuating her obvious desire for the unsuspecting target.

"Oh dear." That particular Pandora seemed to be quite tenacious with her intentions, Elizabeth remarked amusedly. Perhaps it would be good for Ichigo to always have someone with him during their stay. But a part of her could understand this carnal desire. Ichigo was, simply put, quite a fine specimen of a human male . And it wasn't that she was unsatisfied with Andre, not at all. She was very happy with her partner, she knew he exercised regularly and was in good shape. Not just that, they were very compatible in many ways, him possessing many qualities that she found attractive and they simply just 'clicked', as some people would say.

"Oi, Elizabeth, you coming or what?" Snapped back from her thoughts, she saw that Ichigo had already joined the rest of the group in the pool and was calling for her.

At the moment Andre emerged from the water and walked to her, his right hand raising in anticipation. "Milady." Was his dignified call coming from his smiling visage.

Returning the smile, she gracefully accepted his hand before going to join her little group. The seriousness of their duties could wait until the next day. For now they'd enjoy the luxuries that were made available to them.

xxx

In another part of the facility, in a large room equipped with various research equipment and secrets far out of anyone's reach stood the Head of the E-Pandora Project, Scarlett Ohara. There, in the dimly illuminated chamber, surrounded by many pods which housed the same number of humanoid bodies, floating in a green tinted, glowing liquid, the woman regarded one pod with uncertain eyes. Her fists were clenched in the pockets of her lab coat, her thoughts on the project and its future eating away at her conscious. How long could she keep stalling until the unavoidable happens?

"A little more." She pleaded desolately. "I need just a little more time."

xxx

Finally, after a rather peaceful night, minus the fun they had at the pool, the big day had come. "Or at least one of them." Ichigo thought dryly as he made his way towards the stadium that resided in the facility. Accompanying him were Chiffon and Elizabeth with their respective partners and from what the substitute could tell, everyone held a different amount of excitement regarding the Carnival. While it could be said that Elizabeth, the two 2nd Year Limiters and Ichigo himself were reserved about the matches, Chiffon on the other hand was very expressive with her enthusiasm. She was an odd one, Ichigo concluded.

Entering their designated balcony, which was reserved for the student of West Genetics only, Ichigo was surprised to see that his younger classmates were already there. It looks like they beat them to the main event. He went to join them, followed by the rest of the group. Upon noticing them, the youngest Limiter politely greeted them, followed by Rana's enthusiastic salute. The bespectacled Pandora on the other hand nodded her head in their direction before simply going to the dark haired boy's side.

Satellizer felt her face heat up at the sight of the orange haired, the events from yesterday still fresh in her mind. Why had she reacted like that? Last night, while fighting off her fears concerning the E-Pandora, she also berated herself on her behavior at the pool. The 3rd Year Limiter simply helped her after she had slipped due to her own lack of awareness, expressing his worry for her and yet she had simply run away, her own emotion getting the better of her. But at that point she felt so exposed, so vulnerable, what else could she have done? She unconsciously grabbed Kazuya's hand, feeling his touch relax her and fill her with strength, the Aoi heir remaining oblivious to all of this and simply cocking his head to the side at the gesture.

Naturally, in face with such a scene, the Tibetan Pandora was not one to allow her rival to gain any upper hand. She went and grabbed Kazuya's opposite hand, giving him one of her usual cheerful grins before throwing a smug look at her foe. In response, Satellizer gave her a death look and started another glaring contest, leaving the poor dark haired boy in the middle of all of this.

Ichigo, already used to their antics, plainly ignored them and leaned on one of the supporting pillars, scowl firmly in place and arms crossed as he waited for the event to begin. With a quick scan of the huge room, he saw most of the other invited guests present for the mock battles. On one side of the room he could see the American Pandora from yesterday, her expression holding a controlled enthusiasm as she patiently waited in her lobby. The same could not be said about the top 5 Pandora from his group.

"Wow. I'm so surprised. The E-Pandora look like they have come so far." Came her excited voice as she almost started jumping in the confined balcony. "I'm so excited. I can't wait to see how strong they are." With that she rested her hands on the railing and leaned for in for a better view. "Ichigo, what about you? Aren't you excited?" She asked the substitute as she turned her head in his direction.

"I guess." He replied without much enthusiasm. Though it couldn't be said that he wasn't all that indifferent to the whole thing. These battle would be his first opportunity to see what the Pandora were capable of and a part of him was interested in seeing just how strong they were. He had seen a bit of what they were capable during the attack of that Dummy Nova, but he doubted he had seen everything they had to offer.

"You should pay close attention to the battles, Ichigo." Elizabeth commented from her spot next to Chiffon. "This is a good opportunity for you to familiarize yourself with how Pandora fight. They may not be battling a Nova, but you'll be able to see what we are capable of doing."

"Sure." Ichigo replied, not moving from his spot.

At that moment, all the lights in the room focused on the arena, gathering the attention of all those present. Immediately afterwards a female voice boomed from the many speakers placed all around the room.

"Attention everyone. We will now stage a mock battle between an original Pandora and an Evolution Pandora in an exhibition Carnival!" The voice announced loudly, a large number of Pandora beginning to cheer at the news.

As the announcement was going on, Ichigo saw two girls advance to the fighting ring from opposite sides. The original Pandora, which Ichigo assumed she was because she wore the same clothes as Elizabeth and Chiffon, had long, wavy brown hair brushed to her back and grey eyes. On the opposite side, her E-Pandora opponent was a girl with long, black hair that ran past her shoulder blades and tan skin. Wisely, Ichigo restrained himself from commenting on the 'battle attire' of the E-Pandora.

"The first match will be Anna Parker from England's Genetics, UK against Evolution Pandora, Rattle." The cheering resounded in the room as the anticipation grew, every Pandora eager to see the strength of their soon to be colleagues.

"Battle start!" At the sound of the electronic gong, the brown haired Pandora quickly materialized her Volt Weapon, a pair of short twin blades. Rattle on the other hand readied her readied her own twin circle blades as she jumped back, getting some distance between herself and her foe.

Preparing her move, the tanned E-Pandora pushed hard with her right foot and dashed to strike her opponent. The attack was easily parried as the two now began exchanging blows, the sound of metal clashing resonating in the entire stadium.

Yet, despite all the effort rattle was putting into the fight, it was clear to the onlookers that she was being pushed back, the original Pandora not appearing to be straining herself as she calculatedly blocked and evaded the slashes. Seeing an opening, Anna attacked with one of her blades quickly, the E-Pandora barely being able to block it, the momentum of the swing sending her back a couple of feet. Stopping herself in place, she almost collapsed, the fight putting great strain on her body.

Breathing heavily, the E-Pandora focused again and disappeared in a blue blur.

"They can use High End Skills?" Ichigo heard Chiffon mumble under her breath somewhere from his right. The substitute's eyes however never left the arena as he watched the E-Pandora speed up and try to corner the British Pandora.

At ground level, Rattle was using the Accel Turn and was circling up the brown haired Pandora. In face of such provocation, Anna suddenly dematerialized both her weapon. Seeing this, the E-Pandora was about to make use of the new opportunity and attack, only to feel a powerful blow at her back that made her scream in pain. The British Pandora had suddenly appeared behind her and punched her hard, sending the dark haired girl tumbling on the grown, her blades flying in random direction.

Feeling the pain course through her entire body, Rattle was breathing hard as she forced her body to rise, yet despite her best effort, she had reached her limits.

"Match End!" Resounded the female voice through the PA system.

The announcer waited a few moments for the fighters to clear the arena before resuming her role.

"Second Match!" This time, Ichigo saw a girl with dark hair tied into a ponytail advance from the Pandora's side while the E-Pandora sent a girl with short purple hair carrying what seemed like a wooden staff. "Jeong Ara from Genetics Korea against Evolution Pandora, Gina Purpleton." Hearing their names, both girls prepared for battle. The Korean Pandora materialized her Volt Weapon, a pair of steel gauntlets as the E-Pandora readied her staff.

"They seem unable to materialize their own Volt Weapons." Was another comment that was heard by the substitute, from the 2nd Year, blonde Pandora if he guessed right.

Without wasting a moment, Jeong jumped back and immediately disappeared in a blue blur of Accel, the purple haired girl followed her example and vanished in a blue blur of her own. What followed was a spectacle of blue blurs dancing around the whole arena as anticipation was being build up.

One of the blurs materialized in the air revealing the form of Gina attacking with her staff at a point on the ground. On that spot, her Pandora opponent also appeared in sight. With great force she threw her gauntleted fist at the oncoming weapon, smashing it to pieces, much to the surprise of the E-Pandora. A powerful kick to her side followed after that, sending the purple hair girl to the ground, her pain receptor complaining at the contact with the hard material. Almost instantly, the Korean Pandora was above her with another swing at her way, only stopping a few inches away from Gina's shocked face.

"It's over! Match End!" The female announcer declared loudly.

The two girl returned to their lobbies, the E-Pandora visibly having a much harder time even walking as she held onto her left arm, the one she had fallen on. She greeted by her teammates with worried looks, the previous E-Pandora who fought the first match, Rattle, taking her into her arms to support her.

"The originals are really strong." Gina commented through her tired breaths. It was almost unbelievable to the girl to see them fight with such ease. Those High End Skills that were so painful and required so much focus to use seemed like child's play to their original counterparts.

As Gina was catching her breath, another E-Pandora prepared herself for her battle before she began walking to the arena. "We're counting on you, Amelia!" Gina cheered her on. "We have to win at least once! You're our last hope!"

With calm steps, the girl stepped on the arena stairs, a determined look permeating her entire visage. "I'll give everything I've got." She promised to herself as she waited for her opponent to appear.

"The Third Match." The announcer was heard again. "Evolution Pandora, Amelia Evans against Elizabeth Mably of West Genetics, Japan." From the Pandora's side, the familiar shape of the blonde haired girl appeared into view as she made her way to the arena, a serious look on her face.

Ichigo blinked at her form. "When the hell did she leave?" He asked himself before turning to check the rest of their balcony. Other than some surprised faces coming from Kazuya and the 2nd Year Pandora, the substitute saw that indeed, his classmate was absent from her spot next to Andre. How he hadn't sense her leave puzzled him, but he just shrugged and resumed his watch.

On the arena floor, Elizabeth was carefully analyzing her opponent's posture to get a better sense of her. Or would have had her Tibetan underclassman not started to loudly cheer her on. "Good grief. This isn't some game." She complained mostly to herself, but was caught off guard when her opponent responded.

"So you say, yet you probably do think that this is just a game, don't you?" The girl questioned in a hard tone. "You're not nervous at all. I can tell."

Not one to cause conflict, Elizabeth raised her hand in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. It wasn't my intention to..." She didn't get to finish because the E-Pandora cut her off.

"There's no reason to apologize." Amelia interrupted, before giving the blonde Pandora a harsh look. "I'll just have to shake and defeat that composure of yours. Even if this is a mock battle, it's still possible to get hurt. You'd better prepare yourself." She declared with a cold voice.

At the receiving end of such hostility, Elizabeth only smiled. She could play it like that as well. "Then let me ask you a question. How strong are you compared to the other two who fought earlier?"

"Why do you ask? You can just find out when you fight me, can't you?" She asked, confused by the question addressed to her.

"You misunderstand." Elizabeth clarified. "I simply wish to know how much should I hold back."

"Hold back you say? Are all original Pandora so arrogant?" The platinum haired girl narrowed her eyes before she relented and answered. "Very well. If you wish to know, then I'd say I'm about thrice as strong as them."

"I hope that is not an overestimation." Elizabeth replied back, her visage not changing in the slightest at the revelation of her opponent's strength. If anything, the knowledge that her opponent is in fact the strongest of the E-Pandora pleased her, why not use this chance to the fullest?

Time between the two seemed to have slowed, the seconds passing at a more passive rate as the cheering ceased and was replaced by anticipation for the match to begin. Every Pandora was observing this final fight and even Ichigo himself was feeling the shift in the atmosphere of the room. Then, after a long wait disguised within 5 seconds, the announcer's voice boomed.

"Match Start!"

"Volt Weapon, activate!" Not ever a second after the words were heard, the E-Pandora called forth and materialized her weapon and made a quick swing at the blonde girl.

Already aware of the surprise attack, the British Pandora simply jumped back in a blue blur with an Accel Turn, landing elegantly a few feet away outside of any imminent danger. "I see. You can materialize your own Volt Weapon." Elizabeth commented as she observed the now armed girl. "You are definitely a cut above the other two." She allowed herself to compliment her, even if it lacked emotion.

Up in the balcony, along some of the Pandora and Limiter who, at the sight of the first E-Pandora that had materialized a Volt Weapon, had been surprised, Ichigo too was taken aback by the development. Sure, he had noticed that unlike her teammates who had previously entered the ring with their weapons this silver haired girl had nothing of the sort in her grasp, but it wasn't until she actually brought out her weapon that the possibility of her having the ability to materialize one on her own hit him. The weapon of choice was fairly common though, a spear with a blade at one end. But his thoughts were nonexistent to the two dueling girls in the arena.

"What about you?" Amelia countered the words with a question, her full attention focused on the opposing girl. "Why aren't you using your own?" This was still supposed to be a mock battle meant to gather data and she'd rather have her opponent fight her on even term.

Chuckling at her question, Elizabeth answered her in a soft yet firm voice. "It's because I decided that there's no need for me to do so." Seeing the eyes of the E-Pandora narrow in anger, she smiled as she explained her decision. "After all, you're only thrice as strong, aren't you?"

Feeling anger course through her body, Amelia's teeth clenched in fury. "Yes, That's right. You were all born with bodies compatible with both aptitude and ability to handle the stigmata." The words came out in a cold voice, yet the white knuckles of her hands, a direct result of how hard she was squeezing her weapon, betrayed the hurricane of emotions that were inside of her. "But don't think that means that I'll let you look down on all the blood, sweat and tears that we've put into this until now!" With that declaration made, the girl rushed to attack the blonde Pandora, the bladed end of her spear aiming for the girl's face.

However, much to the surprise of the crowd and especially to the silver haired E-Pandora, Elizabeth easily caught the swing with her left hand and kept it in a strong grip. "She stopped my attack by grabbing the shaft?" Amelia thought, stumped at the ease which her blade was caught.

"Just so you know, I could have easily dodged that attack, but I went out of my way to grab it. I do not mean to look down on you." Elizabeth replied sympathetically as she held her opponent's weapon. "However, the purpose of these mock battles is to assess the difference in our strengths. I do believe it is my duty to give them the most accurate data possible."

"Let go!" The E-Pandora blared as she ripped her weapon out of the blonde's grasp.

"It's not good to let you emotions get the better of you so easily." She lectured calmly. "If you lose your cool on the battlefield you won't be able to make proper judgments and increase the like hood of failure for both you and your comrades." As a Pandora, she had been exposed to life and death battles that resulted in the loss of some of her friends who had succumbed to despair and jeopardized entire operations. It was thanks to experiences like those and her wish to not end up the same that she learned to remain calm no matter the odds.

Unaware of her opponents inner contemplations, the silver haired girl started running around in a display of Accel far superior than that of her teammates, a fact which the blonde noticed almost immediately.

"Her techniques have quite an edge to them." Chiffon said as she watched the match from the balcony. "She is definitely in a different league compared to the E-Pandora that fought earlier."

Within the blue blurs, concentrating her kinetic energy in her texture and cheered on by her teammates, Amelia accelerated again, effectively doubling her speed and unleashing her Double Accel. She was almost in two spots at the same time, the only delay being that of the interval between her movements. Jumping in the air, she used her speed to the fullest and slashed at her enemy. She felt annoyance go up her spine as her blade once again made contact with nothing but air, the opposing girl swiftly dodging her attack.

"I hope you don't think you can beat me with a mere Double Accel." Amelia heard the Pandora speak from behind her. Panic filled her as her eyes widened, she had been unable to follow her movements. She hastily tried to put some distance between them by jumping away using an Accel, but found her blonde haired opponent straight in front of her. With speed that she had not seen before, Elizabeth hit her in the check, the force behind the blow sending her to the ground.

Struggling to rise, the E-Pandora managed to slowly get on her feet, panting heavily as she tried to ignore the taste of iron from her own blood. Pain was coursing through her entire body from where her stigmata were implanted, like microscopic webs linked to all her nerves. Taking deep breaths one after the other, her body struggled to work through the burning sensations. Yet, despite her obvious suffering, a part of her was awed at the magnificent display provided by the Pandora in front of her.

Elizabeth saw the girl get up, yet was taken aback by the corrosion that was beginning to take over her body. " You're skin..." She commented at the terrible shape the silver haired girl was in. "Let's stop this. You won't be able to use Accel anymore like that. Judging by how your body looks, it should be hard to even move."

But Amelia had none of that. "I can still go on." Yes, just the simple act of breathing was agony, but she couldn't stop. Not when the pride of all the E-Pandora rested on her shoulders.

Elizabeth looked at her sympathetically, acknowledging her will, but she couldn't keep this up. "I request that you end this match!" She spoke loudly directly to the head of the project. "I'm sure you can see that continuing this mock battle will result in nothing but a terrible..."

"Please continue." The sharp voice of the woman cut her off. Scarlett Ohara had risen from her seat and replied. "We still don't have enough data. Please continue until she can't move anymore." Taking her seat again, she looked at arena with a hard face. "I've done all that I can do for you, Amelia. Keep going until the end."

"Until she can't move?" Elizabeth though incredulously as she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Why go so far for a mock battle? For what purpose?" She wondered as she regarded the winded shape of the silver haired girl. "But to continue like this. Are you okay with that?"

"Thank you for worrying." The E-Pandora said through pained breaths, her eyes hidden behind the bangs of her scarlet and silver hair. "You're a kind person. But can you tell how much that kindness of yours hurts me?" The solemn smile she gave hit Elizabeth closer to her feelings than she expected.

The British Pandora regarded her silently. "This girl. She's willing to put so much in this match." Clenching her fists in determination, she answered to the silent call of the E-Pandora. "Very well. If that is how you feel, then prepare yourself!" No sooner than the words left her mouth, she had already moved from her spot and was circling Amelia with her Tempest Turn.

To the silver haired girl it was almost as if Elizabeth had cloned herself. She was in two places at the same time, both left and right. And above that, she was fast, so fast that she could barely follow her, let alone react. Just as she turned around to catch sight of the blonde girl, she felt an explosion of pain in her stomach from a brutally delivered knee. The scream came out of her mouth as a reflex, the previous attack having nowhere near the strength the Pandora was using.

But she wouldn't go down. She coughed a mouthful of blood. "I'm not done yet!" Not after just this much. Her opponent was so much stronger, yet that didn't matter. Her legs were burning, the strain of both her muscles and from the stigmata texture tearing at them. She wouldn't go down, not until her body could no longer stand. And even then...

"This is bad. If she uses any more Accel it could cause permanent damage." Still moving with the speed of her Double Accel, Elizabeth appeared behind her E-Pandora opponent in a blue blur. "I have to knock her out." And with that she kicked the left side of her head hard making her roll in place. Her Volt Weapon was thrown out of her grasp and dematerialized on the spot. But the blonde Pandora wasn't done. Appearing again in her range, she delivered another hard kick to her temple sending the E-Pandora to the ground, blood flying everywhere from her battered visage.

Gasps were heard across the entire arena before a quick silence settled. Even Scarlett Ohara flinched at the brutal beat down. "I'm sorry, Amelia." But she couldn't let her feelings be seen so she carried on watching with a calculating gaze.

Elizabeth landed a few feet away, her expression full of sympathy for the fallen girl. This wasn't the type of fight she wanted. "That first attack should have be enough to knock her out. Hopefully, the second blow didn't hurt her much after that." There was no point in beating down a person so badly, not for some data collecting. Her blood was turning cold even at the thought of it and yet here she was. It was not right, why go so far? Mind still filled with thoughts, she turned to exit the arena only to feel herself freeze in place as she heard many surprised gasps and even the hint of movement behind her. She turned around and watched with an incredulous look as the figure had once again risen.

They had hurt. Those two blows had hurt more than anything she had ever felt. She had been hit before, beaten, kicked, yet none had the same strength behind them. But even so, she wouldn't go down. This fight was for all the E-Pandora, they all put their hopes in her. She vaguely felt her body, it was so numb as if her mental connection with it weakened. Even the pain was fading, replaced with heaviness. Sounds were distorted to her, her sight was nothing more than a blur of colors. Her body was moving, she realized, but she didn't remember telling it to do so. She wouldn't go down. The words kept going through her clouded mind as she felt it go numb. An image flickered in front of her eyes and the blonde color of the Pandora standing a few feet away flared in her sight. "I'm not...done...yet." Was all she managed to say before her world went dark.

Elizabeth stared in genuine surprise at the silver haired girl who had risen almost like a zombie. "That should have given her a concussion. How is she still able to stand?" From the side, she could hear the E-Pandora's teammates cry and beg for the match to be stopped. "What drives you to try so hard? Is it your pride as an E-Pandora? Does this mean I have to defeat your spirit and not your body for you to go down?" She weighted her options and was about to move before the electronic gong resounded in the room.

"Match End!" Came the announcement from the PA system.

Caught off guard by the announcement, Elizabeth turned to the doctor's balcony. "What is the meaning of this? Why now? You've refused when I asked before, so why stop it now?" She asked in confusion at their decision.

The maroon haired doctor regarded her without emotion and replied with that same calculating voice. "I said to continue until your opponent would be unable to move anymore, did I not?" At her unchanging expression, Scarlett just nodded in the direction of the E-Pandora. "Just look at her."

At those words, Elizabeth quickly turned to the silver haired girl and her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. "She's unconscious? She's standing while being unconscious!?" The Pandora then watched with an inanimate expression how the other E-Pandora rushed to the girl's side, their faces full of worry as they called for the medics. "Why? Why go so far for a simple mock battle?"

The Pandora through all the balconies were surprised by the turn of events. What started as simple mock battles ended up being much more serious once they saw the last E-Pandora fight with everything she had.

"She's got some real guts, that one." The American Pandora, Roxanne, commented as she couldn't help but be impressed by the display. That E-Pandora may not have been as strong as she had hoped, but credit where credit was due, she had spirit and Roxanne could respect that. "But it's just as the rumors from Japan's West Genetics say." Her mind then switched to a different topic as she watched Elizabeth leave the arena.

"She's that strong without a weapon and is still only second best." Those were the thoughts of the French Pandora, Charles Bonaparte.

"So the 'Monster' reigns supreme even above her." Germany's Julia Munberk finishes the thoughts of the other two.

Walking down the hallway way from the center of the room, Elizabeth made her way to join with her friends, only to find that much to her surprise they were already on their way to great her. And it wasn't just Andre with Chiffon, and by proxy Eugene, and maybe Ichigo, but the two 2nd Year Pandora along with Aoi Kazuya as well.

"What are you all doing here?" Elizabeth asked in genuine curiosity.

"Chiffon's idea. Said something about you needing emotional support or something like that." It was Ichigo who answered her. And it happened so nonchalantly and with such a bored tone that Elizabeth couldn't help but blink at this change in his mood. Was it perhaps that he was getting more comfortable with them? Immediately after the orange haired substitute said those words Chiffon began to comically cry at the boy, his expression not changing in the slightest as he paid no mind to the 'nuisance'. The others, except Eugene, just sweat dropped at the 'Monster's' antics.

Back to the point. Chiffon was concerned about her? She knew that she was the type to express her care in a more emotional manner when it concerned her comrades, but did she think that this battle affected her? It was true that in ended up being more than what she anticipated, but on the other hand it showed her that the E-Pandora were willing to go far in order to be acknowledged. In that regard, perhaps they were closer to what a Pandora was supposed to represent than what she expected. But they still had a long way to go and so much to learn.

"Milady, are you alright?" Andre was at her side, his visage serious as he waited for her answer.

Broken out of her musings, Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. Shall we return to our rooms?" She asked around, gathering the attention of those present. She half expected the Tibetan Pandora to start with another one of her cheerful speeches about her 'kicking ass out there'. But much to her pleasure she had refrained from such commentary, a sign of her maturing or was it that she understood the entire atmosphere? In any case, she started walking towards her shared room with Andre, the other following in her wake.

Hands in pockets, Ichigo trailed alongside the group and kept to himself only to notice Chiffon come next to him. "So Ichigo, what did you think of your first time seeing a Pandora fight?" He heard her ask, her head cocked his way.

"It was...interesting. I mean you guys are strong and pretty fast too and you also got those Volt Weapons." He replied simply, not wanting to get into too many details.

"Hmm, but what did you think of the E-Pandora compared to us original Pandora?" Chiffon pressed on.

What indeed. The E-Pandora were strong when compare to a human, but by his afterlife standards, other than being able to fight regular hollows, they wouldn't put much a fight against anything above that. Not to mention the fact that they tire out easily if the battles he witnessed were any indication. The Pandora on the other hand were decisively stronger. At the very least they could casually fight a lot better than the E-Pandora. Yet Ichigo doubted they had shown much of what they were capable and wasn't about to make a call of their strength until he was convinced of it. But he still had to say something to the brown haired girl.

"Well, they seemed pretty strong compared to a regular human. But from what I saw, the Pandora didn't fight with their full power so I'm guessing they're a lot stronger. They also seemed more resilient than the E-Pandora too." He was actually curious to see just how strong they were when they fought and how they compared to the hierarchy of the Gotei 13.

"Hmm, so you have no problem properly assessing their strength. I'm glad." Chiffon mused as she gave him an approving look.

Ichigo just shrugged in response. It wasn't that hard to see who's the stronger of the two groups. The Pandora had the clear advantage in that regard and remembering what Chiffon and Elizabeth told him, it was probably because of their bodies' compatibility rate. If they could hold stigmata then they could fight as Pandora, the higher the compatibility, the higher the potential he assumed. That said, that last E-Pandora was something else. Very few of his opponent had a will to keep going like that. Sure, there was that loon Kenpachi and that bastard Grimmjow who could probably keep fighting until only their bones remained, but the silver haired girl didn't strike him as being nuts like them, she was just very determined. Recklessly so, if Ichigo was honest, but she still impressed him. Standing up to a stronger opponent is no easy feat, not to mention the danger of it all had it been a real battle.

With that last thought, Ichigo quietly followed the rest of his group to their assigned room, a part of him wondering how things would go on from there regarding the E-Pandora project.

xxx

It was lunchtime in the day following the mock battles of the E-Pandora. Ichigo was making his way towards the cafeteria of the Alaskan base accompanied by none other than his British 3rd Year classmate and her French Limiter. He had spent the majority of his morning aimlessly reading some of the books he had brought that weren't school related, like his copy of A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, when Elizabeth had come to visit him. Much to his annoyance, the surprise she expressed when she saw his choice of literature was predictably high as he had grown used to. It didn't help that she found the whole 'contrast' of him and the famous work amusing, evidence of the laugher she released. Was it that weird that someone like him enjoyed Shakespeare? His ire state was diminished when she also expressed her happiness on him being interested in her native country's work.

She then asked if he wanted to accompany Andre and herself to the cafeteria as lunchtime was approaching. Seeing no reason to refuse, he accepted and went with her. He had asked about Chiffon, but apparently the brown haired girl had already left so it was just him with Elizabeth and Andre.

In the time between yesterday and today there were no official announcements made by the staff of the facility regarding the Pandora's contribution to the project so the students just took their time relaxing and waiting for further instructions. It was weird in a way, this whole acting like normal teenagers until there is a call to fight extraterrestrial beings. It felt inorganic, but it was probably him not being used to this routine. The other students were faring well with these circumstances.

Picking a tray with whatever was being served, the orange haired boy followed the blonde haired girl.

"Oh. There seems to be no open seats." He heard the girl remark. With a quick scan he came to the same conclusion. What timing for the whole place to be full. With another look, he did manage to spot a few open seats, but once he saw who was at the table, he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to go there considering what happened the previous day.

"Follow me, I think I found some free spots for us." Elizabeth said suddenly as she started walking towards a table. Wait a second, she wasn't going to that table, was she? The blonde made no detours and was confident in her approach. Scratch that, she was going there.

Reluctantly, Ichigo followed alongside Andre as they reached the table of their hosts, the E-Pandora. As expected, they were surprised by the arrival of the British Pandora, but Elizabeth only smiled elegantly as her almost noble like upbringing came into play along with her manners.

"Is this spot open?" She asked the table politely.

"M-miss Mably!?" The purple haired girl exclaimed, shock written on her face as she saw who it was.

"Pease call me Elizabeth." She corrected gently. "Is it alright if we sit here?"

"It is open, but..." She trailed off unsure how to respond. She didn't have any legitimate reason to stop her, but it wasn't like they were amiable with one another.

"Then excuse me." She took a seat next to her, directly across the silver haired girl she fought. Out of all the three E-Pandora that fought the previous day, she seemed to be the only one that was still treating her injuries, the medical eye patch over her right eye being in plain sight. Andre quietly took a seat next to his partner and set to eat his food.

Ichigo could feel every eye in the cafeteria room staring at their table, an eerie silence going on ever since Elizabeth began interacting with their hosts. This seemed like a bad idea to him, but reluctantly, he took the last seat available at the table, next to the silver haired E-Pandora and directly across from Andre. For some reason he felt that the food wasn't going to taste all that great. Looking down, he took note of the contents in his plate. Great, it was fish...

As the substitute set to eat, he tried to ignore the tension that was permeating the table. It was so thick the boy felt that he could cut it with his zanpakutou. He was glad that it wasn't necessarily directed at him, but being near it still made him uncomfortable. How the hell was Elizabeth eating so nonchalantly in such an atmosphere?

Contrary to what the orange haired boy thought, the British Pandora felt the intent quite well, she just didn't try to let it bother her. Still, the continuous stare she was getting from a certain black haired E-Pandora was eating away at her patience. "W-what is it?" She asked, a bit of her discomfort showing. "Are you not going to eat?" She asked the tanned E-Pandora, Rattle.

Startled that she was caught staring, the E-Pandora was suddenly put in the spotlight. "Y-your lips." She stammered out as she tried searching for the right words. "Your lips are so pretty? Umm, what kind of lip gloss are you using?" She asked in genuine curiosity.

Elizabeth blinked at the completely unexpected response, but smiled nonetheless. "This is the Mably's limited edition lip gloss." She pointed with her finger at her shinny lips to give them a better look.

"Mably?" The purple haired girl exclaimed. "The best lip gloss brand in the world? Then you're from the Mably family!" Whispers were now heard among the E-Pandora, some expressing the high prices of the Mably Company's products while other were expressing awe at being near such an important person.

"I don't know whether or not my family's company is the best, I'm just merely using something made by their business. Do you like it?" Elizabeth asked amidst all the commotion. "If you want to, I can sell it to you with my employee discount." She offered as she continued to eat with pausing. Next to her, Andre looked puzzled at his partner. This wasn't how she usually behaved, what was causing her to act in such a manner? Did she wish to cohere the E-Pandora to her side, to gain their trust somehow?

"Employee discount?" One of the E-Pandora inquired. "How much is it?"

Making sure to swallow first, Elizabeth then replied. "You get 30% off." After a few moment of silence, in which the knowledge sunk in, a literal storm of girls jumped off their seats and approached the Mably heir, demands of their products raining to her ears. She would need to make a list, judging by the numbers or persons who were crowding her.

Ichigo on the other hand sweat dropped at the sight, a part of him flabbergasted at what he had just witnessed. Lip gloss? All it took to break the violent tension that formed between the two groups was just some lip gloss? He'd never understand girls or how they functioned. There were just too many variables when it came to the fairer sex that left him scratching his head in confusion. But even so, the fact that it also took such a simple thing to break the tension also reflects that despite their military training they were still, in fact, teenage girls with the same worries and problems as any other teenage girl.

"What about you?" Elizabeth asked the silver haired girl who remained silent during the whole exchange. She didn't even look up from her plate. "I can have it sent out here if you'd like."

"Hmph." Amelia just gave the blonde a bitter smirk. "You Pandora are quite something, showing off your money like that. Or is this how rich people get the others to do what they want?" She stated hotly as she tried suppressing various bad memories from her past. They didn't need to come out now.

In the face of such ill intent, Elizabeth calmly observed her. "Your inferiority complex is showing, you know?" Came her rather blunt statement, freezing the E-Pandora in shock. "I am simply recognizing that the Mably brand is well know and offer our products at a fair price. If you believe that an act of good will towards my fellow soldiers who risk their lives to fight against Novas is nothing more than a contemptible act of pity that us rich people promote, then let me tell you right now that you are wrong. That flawed view of your will only lead you to ruin." The small 'lecture' came in such a commanding tone that no E-Pandora ,or regular Pandora for that matter, could go against.

The silver haired E-Pandora stared for a few moments at her former opponent, feeling anger rise into her body, only to halt when she processed everything she said. "What do you mean?" She asked in a neutral voice. Had she really called the E-Pandora her comrades?

Noticing that she her intentions were sinking in, Elizabeth continued. "The world is not a fair place. In it there are those blessed with power and those without. That is the rule which this world follows and denying that would be nothing short of ignorance. The only reason I won in our battle was because I was born with a stigmata compatible body and thanks to the experience I've acquired, not because of whatever our background may be. But are those without a good background or powerless doomed to remain on the sidelines? I'm sure you believe otherwise. Am I wrong?" She looked the E-Pandora in the eye.

"I..." Amelia was at a loss of words. She didn't know what to do other than watch and listen to the blond girl. She felt shame pit itself in her gut as the Pandora who she had pretty much mocked was not only telling her that she thought of her and her teammates as fellow comrades, but also that their upbringing didn't matter.

"We Pandora were asked to come here to Alaska to help make you stronger. The data gathered from our battles will serve that very purpose. As comrades who will walk on the same battlefield it is important for us to know of each other's strengths and weaknesses in order to not hinder our objective. For that reason, it is our duty as fellow soldiers to who fight for the human race to help you get stronger." The blonde haired girl finished, giving the E-Pandora an encouraging smile.

Then, most surprisingly, Ichigo himself had something to add to the discussion. "What she's trying to say is that none of us are the same and as such our roles will also be different. Some of us might play bigger or smaller roles, that doesn't matter. What matters is that on the battlefield we should be able to trust in our comrades because only then we'll be able to give it our all in a fight." He vaguely remembered lecturing Ishida about something like this a while ago, but the details of that particular talk escaped him. Was it when the Bounts appeared and the bastard 'wisely' decided not to tell anyone that he lost his powers and played the dramatic hero role? It probably was that. Anyway, he got the point across.

"Why thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ichigo." Elizabeth thanked him with a bright and meaningful smile as she was pleasantly surprised by his insight on the matter. She honestly did not expect him to be so serious and knowledgeable on the more finer details regarding camaraderie, but his sincerity was very appreciated.

Amelia was at a loss of words at their honesty. As she was trying to come up with a response she heard a person approach the table from behind.

"Wow, those were some cool speeches you guys managed to pull!" The voice belonged to none other than the American Pandora, Roxanne Elipton, as she was cheerfully making her way to the group and stopping behind the silver haired girl. With her left hand she leaned on the back of Ichigo's chair, barely coming into contact with his shoulder while the right hand circled the E-Pandora's shoulder and brought her closer to her body in a side hug. "They are right though. You've got quite the fighting spirit in you. I'll gladly have you by my side when we're up against the Nova." She cheered Amelia, giving her a big smile leaving her and the other E-Pandora speechless.

"Now, about that discount." The magenta haired girl reminded everyone playfully as she looked expectantly at West Genetics' 2nd strongest Pandora. "I'd like one too. Oh and I think you might want to get a list." Not soon after the words left her lips, half a dozen Pandora swarmed to their table, wishing to be added on the discount list. Roxanne had also heard the orange haired Limiter groan at the sudden crown. Tapping him slowly on the shoulder she managed to gain his attention. "Want one too?" She joked with a big grin on her face.

Ichigo nearly exploded at the implication. "Heck no! Why would I want any lip gloss?" He asked the red headed girl looking at her as if she grew another head that completely messed up her thinking process. Out of impulse, he switched his gaze towards his blonde haired classmate and almost groaned again when he saw the mischief in her sky blue colored orbs.

"Don't worry Ichigo. I'm sure there is something strawberry flavored for you." She replied with an almost whimsical smile. It was such a crude joke to make, but the atmosphere was just so that she couldn't resist it.

Again with the strawberry name crap. Ichigo felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance as he stared at her cheerful visage. He released a breath to calm himself before he proceeded once again to correct and explain to the British Pandora the true meaning of his name, word by word if needed.

Amelia remained silent in the whole river of words that were flowing through the air. Watching them interact like that, Pandora and Limiter, brought light to her perspective. She had been foolish to misjudge them like that. It was wrong of her, almost hypocritical. Something inside of her shifted at this turn of events, at the emotions that were now coursing through her alongside the words that were said. They opened a scar within her, one that she wouldn't otherwise dare show. Yet there was something in this whole environment that just brought it out, along with her fears and insecurities. Unconsciously, her hand grasped the one belonging to the American Pandora, who didn't seem inclined to move anytime soon, and just held on to it. Initially, she didn't harbor any thoughts of a peaceful collaboration with the Pandora or anything regarding their group. But now, watching how they got along and how much of an effect it was having on her heart, she wished that maybe, maybe she, along with her teammates, could be part of something like this as well.

xxx

In a separate part of the facility, one reserved mostly for the scientists and auxiliary staff, the head of the E-Pandora project, Scarlett Ohara, was watching the footage from the cafeteria via the cameras mounted in the room.

"They seem to be getting along now." One of her assistant commented as stood next to her viewing the same screen.

"A feeling of unity among the, huh." She mused to herself as she brought the cup she had in her hand to her mouth and took a sip of her coffee. This could only complicate matters for all the parties involved.

"Doctor." The light haired assistant started hesitantly. "Do we really have to make that announcement now that they've just started to get along?" He asked the head doctor.

She didn't want to, not so soon, not when she wasn't ready, not when it was so dangerous, not when she saw the E-Pandora finally become friendly with the guest group. "We've got no choice." She replied in the same cold and calculating voice she had grown so used to using. The Committee's words were absolute after all, the Director said so himself. "This is war after all." But the question was, against who?

xxx

The next day, Ichigo, along with Pandora, Limiters and E-Pandora, stood in the very same auditorium that housed everyone on the first day. For some reason, they had called them very early today, it was barely past 7 in the morning, yet they made it clear that it was importance and their presence was mandatory. Ichigo didn't really mind as he wasn't one to sleep late, probably a result of his father's ludicrous waking up routine and just the fact that he took his school schedule seriously most of the time.

Whispers were heard in the whole room as many students were wondering about this early summon. Ichigo didn't pay much mind to them, but he did raise an eyebrow at the suggestion of a surprise party. Some people sure lived simple lives, minus the whole defending mankind from giant aliens part.

After a relatively short wait, the head scientist of the E-Pandora project entered the stage and addressed the student who quieted down upon noticing her.

"Good morning everyone. I hope you enjoyed breakfast." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at that. Neither he, nor the rest of the students had gotten any yet. "It's already been a few days since all of you arrived at this base. And starting today I ask of you to provide your assistance in earnest." Her voice resounded loudly in the massive room.

"Now then, if you would please look at the monitor." With hand gesture at the screen, the picture shifted and an image appeared on the screen. Said image had the silhouette of a female body and written on it was the title, 'Mission Syncro'. Murmurs filled the room once again as the majority of people were wondering if there was another project involved. The doctor was quick to clarify the confusion as she began speaking again. "As you have all guessed, this is a new project that we will initiate here at the laboratory starting today with the objective to aid our original project. To put it simply, our plan is to raise the abilities of the E-Pandora to that of the original's. And to do that, firstly, we examine the E-Pandora's stigmata and assign them a temporary Pandora partner who they will synchronize their stigmata activity with. By doing that, the E-Pandora will experience a simulated version of the original's power. The level of stigmata density the E-Pandora will experience will be converted into real life vitals. We have hope that this mission will increase the abilities of the E-Pandora greatly."

"She makes it sound so easy and simple." Ichigo heard the American Pandora, Roxanne, comment from her spot a few feet next to him, her arms crossed under her chest as she took the news in. "This isn't like heating up some frozen food."

The substitute had to agree with her. It all sounded nice and all, but was it really so?

The doctor continued with her speech, unperturbed by the sounds coming from the students. "However, in order to protect against the flow that can occur in a body not originally meant for handling stigmata with high compatibility rates, the committee has decided that the E-Pandora will be administered a new medicine as a precaution to that. That is Mark 4!" She declared loudly.

As soon as those words left the woman's mouth, the E-Pandora gathered at the speech were shocked into silence at the news. After the previous failure they were going to use something like that again? Amelia, knowing the full risks and danger of such a medicine felt her body run cold as neither she, nor her teammates could suppress the visible shudder their bodies were giving.

Ichigo stared at the screen with his normal scowl in place. Recalling the dangers he was informed of regarding stigmata, compatibility rate and what could happen in case of an error left him skeptical of this whole project. Could a simple medicine like that 'Mark 4' really prevent anything from happening? He didn't know what to believe, but a part of him was doubtful and looking at the shocked, no, almost scared expressions of the E-Pandora girls, his bad feeling from the day before returned full force, like a knot in the pit of his stomach.

xxx

Chapter End.

AN: And cut! Wait, why did I just say 'cut'? This isn't some movie. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it. It's been quite the wait, but I've finally managed to put this chapter out. One thing I will say is that I won't apologize for the late chapter. And before you get mad and start throwing rocks at me, hear me out. Here's what I believe, an apology means something only if you learn something from it or something changes because of it (I think). If I apologize every chapter it will lose its meaning over time. So here's what I'll do instead. I'll promise that I'll get the next chapter out within 3 months. I will try to do it sooner, but 3 months is the personal deadline I've decided on. I'll see how it goes and decide on the way if I can change it. It goes without saying that the chapters will be over 10k words, they all end up like that somehow so I won't bother to fight it.

Okay, about this chapter. I've done the whole 'Ichigo attracts most of the females' trope that seems to be in most crossover fanfics for some reason. I mean we know that Ichigo is a 'hottie', we had Riruka confirm that for us. I will write Ichigo like that again though, but just when the scene calls for it, otherwise I feel that it can bother the story.

And since we're at the story. Not much deviation from cannon other than a few interactions and some rewritten scenes. I have to say, Freezing Zero helps a lot when it comes to understanding certain characters. Gives you all sorts of ideas on how to write and develop them.

Other than that I hope everything was good this chapter regarding characterization and grammar. I felt a bit rusty while writing this and I'm a bit unsure. Any feedback you can give will be highly appreciated.

The next few days I'll probably edit bits and pieces of my entire story, correcting some mistakes and things like that and then I'll get on with writing the next chapter.

So that's it for now. Don't forget to review, follow or favorite if you like the story.

Bye bye.