Chapter 14: Be my bride
"I feel bore." Hibiki was resting his chin on the reception table with a restless face. In front of him was Gascogne, who was standing and paying all her attention on the list of the storage in the PDA. Her mouth was holding a stylus and moving it up and down.
"Hello! Can you hear me?" The short guy straightened his back instantly after he received no respond from the opposite side. "Why everybody ignored me since this morning?" He murmured and rested his chin on the table again.
"Because everyone is busy." The woman was still putting her sight on the PDA.
"Busy for what? Are we going to attack the harvester?" Hibiki felt energetic when talking about battle.
"Not really."
"Then, is there any celebration or festival?" Food is another interesting topic for the guy.
"Hmm... Kind of."
"What is it?" Hibiki lengthened his body to the front.
"Can't you see I'm busy? Go and border Dita!" The woman felt annoyed.
"I haven't seen her since this morning. She is disappeared." The guy pulled back his body.
"Then fix your Vanguard. You can't be lazy when Meia is not around."
"I just fixed it this morning. Hey! Never try to scare me off with that woman. I'll never obey anyone's command. Can you hear that?" Hibiki pointed his thumb to himself.
"Tell her that and see what her respond is."
"Don't think that I'm afraid to do so." He boosted again.
"Go ahead. I would like to know what will be the next as long as you don't border me now."
The kid was suddenly silent. He realized that he was been set up. Besides, that was not the time to upset Meia. "I'm out of here." The boy left with anger.
"That's better. Remember don't come here again before tomorrow." Gascogne managed to finish her words before the sliding door was close.
"Who did she think she is?" Hibiki was standing near the door and closed his eyes with his hands crossing. On the same corridor, Pyoro was jumping through. It seemed like very happy. "What a niece day!" Suddenly, the robot stopped when it saw a short figure standing near the door.
"Been abandon?" Pyoro was curious.
"Ha!" The boy tilted his head.
"Yappari(I knew it)." The robot was glancing at him sideway.
"You're doing well, Meia." Duero was just checked the patient with Paiway helping him.
Shota was waiting patiently at the side of the sick bed and listening to the doctor. There was a faint smile drew on his face after he heard the doctor's words. What poor man. He was sleepless because of taking care of his lover.
"But I don't have any strength at all." The dread leader told the doctor.
"My dear, you've just recovering from injury for only three days! Don't be quick-tempered. It's your bad habit." Her fiancé was walking to her before he sat on the bed and holding her hand.
"He's right. Your recovery was so fast which is far away what I'd expected. You'll need some time for your body to function properly. Are you in a hurry?" The doctor asked.
"No. Not your work again, Meia." Shota was shaking his head slowly while staring at his fiancée.
Anxiety was shown on the dread leader's face. She turned her head to aside and looking downward, "no. I'm not worrying of that. It's........"
"Why do I have to listen to them all the time?" Hibiki muttered while he was walking into the ward and stood for awhile. Everyone inside the ward was staring at him with a blank mind. The boy's eyes were looking on the floor until he realized that he was in the middle of the attention. "What are you guys looking at?"
"Meia, I think I know what you worry about." Shota still hasn't turned his sight.
"All of you are totally strange since this morning." Hibiki frowned.
"Hibiki, do you have something to tell me?" Meia asked.
The boy was shocked. His eyes were looking to aside. "No."
"Meia, why do you think that he has something to say?" Shota felt curious.
"I don't know. I just... 'feel' him." Meia felt odd to say the last few words.
"Is that so, Hibiki? Are you having something to say to her?" The sub leader turned to the boy.
"Don't listen to her! What do you mean that you 'feel' me? That's ridiculous." The boy denied.
When Meia was about to continue her question, a red haired girl burst in. She dashed to the front of Shota once she got inside the ward. The girl was almost collides with Hibiki because he was standing on her way.
"Hey! Watch that will you?!" The boy shouted after he'd avoid the crash.
"Ne, sub leader!" Dita didn't even notice Hibiki's appearance. After that, she put a full basket with various types of flowers on the bedside cupboard which is located beside Meia's sickbed. "What kind of flowers would you like? We need them for wedding's decoration." The girl was smiling.
"Wedding?!" Hibiki and Meia were astonished.
"Yep, a wedding."
"Whose wedding is it?" The boy asked.
"Of course it's you and Dita!" The sub leader answered.
"Two of us?!" That was a surprise for Dita and Hibiki. Even Paiway, who was checking the drugs, felt surprise.
"Congratulation." The dread leader blessed them.
"It's that true? Why it happen in a sudden?" The short guy couldn't control himself.
"Hey, calm down! I was joking, okay?" Shota tried to calm down the agitated boy.
"That's not funny at all!" Hibiki was angry. He also heard Meia was chuckling at him.
"Shota, you're driving him nut." Meia said.
"You can't blame me! I didn't know that he will be crazy." Shota felt himself was so innocent. "Can't we just have a joke? Besides, it's me the one who will be the groom on that wedding."
"You?!" Hibiki blinked. "Then the bride will be..." Hibiki and the others were staring at Meia. The ambience was silent for awhile until.....
"You are the bride?! I can't believe it! This is funny, Shota!" The boy fall about when he knew who is the bride.
"You are so rude!" Paiway was trying to defend her patient while Meia was sulking.
"Sorry! Ahah...ha.. I... just... can't stop it!" Hibiki was rolling on the floor before he stood up.
"This will let you quiet!" From no where, the dread leader took out her telescopic metal rod and extended it. The extending rod was exactly hit on the boy's forehead. Certainly, the boy was been knocked out and fall on the floor. On that moment, the ward immediately became silent.
"Ujiujinsan, daijoubu desu ka?" Dita knelt beside the fainted figure after the dread leader had drawn back the rod.
"The stars are everywhere." Hibiki then became unconscious.
"Whao!" That was the only word which came from Shota's mouth. He was stunned by Meia's movement.
"Paiway, ready a sick bed and the medical equipment. We have another casualty." The doctor's pitches remained low. "Shota, Are you sure you want to marry her?"
"Decision had been made. I can't regret it anyway." Shota couldn't help it.
"Shota, shouldn't you inform me earlier?" The dread leader questioned.
"You didn't know it?! I thought that you had worn the ring!"
"Ring? I don't have any ring with me!"
"Excuse me please. Are you two finding this?" Duero took out a ring from his pocket.
"My ring! Why is it with you?" Shota was shocked.
"Sorry. She can't have any adornment with her. It will hinder the diagnose process. So, I kept it for her." The doctor explained.
"Sorry for that. Then, where's my mother's bracelet charm?"
"Here. I'd returned them to you." The doctor passed both of the adornment to the sub leader.
"Thank you." "Meia." Shota's face had become serious with his eyes looking at Meia. He gripped his fiancée's hand and say, "Now, I solemnly propose to you. Would you marry me?" The man was waiting patiently for the answer.
"Marry him, leader!" Dita was very impatient.
Finally, the woman nodded.
"Yes, I did it!" Shota was too excited till he jumped up.
"Congratulation, sub leader!" Dita felt very touch.
Shota then wear the ring and bracelet charm on Meia's finger and hand.
"Pai check!" The nurse smiled cunningly after taking the couple's photograph.
"Hot news! Hot news!" Paiway was galloping while she was on the way to the meeting room. The little girl's voice drew the other crews' attention. Barnette, who was walking against Paiway's direction, stopped with curiosity when she heard the young girl. She then turned her body to face the girl as the girl passing. "Paiway! What the hot news is?" Barnette asked in high tone.
The nurse turned to the back, "follow me if you want to know!" the young girl smirked and continuing her way.
The crews looked at each other. They nodded together signaling they agreed to follow Paiway.
At the meeting room, many crew members were having a discussion. The nurse purposely coughed once she arrived to draw the others attention. "I have latest news here!" She said loudly. At the same time, Barnette and the other crews just came in.
"What?!" Rebecca, who was standing and crossed her arms, asked.
"Meia and Shota are getting married!" Paiway felt excited. However, the nurse didn't receive the respond that she expected, surprise. The crews were just looking her with no expression.
"So?" Joe, the young vanguard pilot frowned.
The nurse blinked, "Aren't you guys felt surprise?"
"Surprise? Why? We already knew it!" Amarone, who was sitting, said.
"It can't be true! I'm always the first person who will spread the news." Paiway was angry.
"Well, this time, you aren't!" Misty mocked.
"Uso!(you're lie) Who else could it be?" The girl stomped on the floor and gripped her fists.
"You've forgot something, Paiway. Something important." Celtic reminded the girl.
"What?"
"Who was one of the main characters of the wedding?"
"What a silly question! Of course it's Shota and Meia!" Then, Paiway was thinking deeply. "Hmm... Meia won't do such thing. Besides, she seems didn't know anything about the wedding." She murmured. "Oh! I get it! It's Shota!" "How could he manage to spread the news so fast?"
"Fast? He already told us to prepare for the wedding a few days ago!" Jura said. At that time, Shota came in.
"How everything's going?" The future groom wondered.
"Scheduling. Don't worry. Everything will be fine." The blonde haired woman smirked. "Ne? Barnette?"
"Yes, yes. A grand wedding will be hold soon." The short haired woman answered.
"Wait a minute! A grand wedding?" Paiway cut in.
"Yes. What's the matter?" Barnette asked.
"Did Meia know any about this? Did she agree? Did anyone of you ask her?" Then, the meeting room became silent for awhile.
"Oh no! What should we do now?!" The women were panic.
"Calm down! What's the matter with Meia?" Shota tried to cool down the women while the other men were wondering what was going wrong.
"You don't understand, Shota. Meia is different from us. She dislikes social and she won't participate in any kind of celebration, not even her own birthday party." Jura was panic.
"Yeah. We tried many things to celebrate her birthday. She always hided herself out or fled away on that day. Last year is the only celebration which had succeeded, finally and reluctantly." Parfet added.
"So, the wedding will be the same. Just use the previous plan. It's not so difficult, isn't it?" Hugo stepped forward.
"Do you think the wedding ceremony is simple?! It's complicate and many types of custom needed to be don!" Jura yelled.
"She's right, Hugo. Wedding is not as simple as you think." Shota said.
"How complicate it will be? I've seen wedding before, Prince Tania's wedding. Have you forgotten? It's simple, right?" The muscular man seems didn't clear about the situation.
"You're wrong, Hugo. What we had seen before is just a part of the wedding." Shota explained.
"Oh!" Jura felt annoyed. "Bart! Explain to him."
"Hai." Suddenly, the crews saw a bald man popped up. The meeting room's screen showed some pictures and diagrams. Then, the navigator took out his truncheon and started to act like a military commander. "What is wedding? Wedding is a ceremony which been held for..."
"Bart! Just get to the point!" Jura shouted.
"O..kay." The baldheaded man became serious. "According to my ancestor's encyclopedia, wedding has different styles and different types. These will base on which culture the bride and the groom follow. For example, Shota's ancestor was Japanese who were live at the east of the earth globe while Meia's ancestor was live at the west. Therefore, the wedding will be either Japanese style or western style."
"But after we made a discussion, we decided to hold a western wedding." Jura continued.
"So, the problem is solved." Hugo cut in.
"No, the problem hasn't solved yet. The bride's attire and many customs which will need the bride to get involve in the preparation. The question is, how can you make the bride get involve if you have to hide it as a secret?" Barnette gave details.
"That's a big problem." Hugo finally understood what is gone wrong.
"That's easy!"
"Hibiki? When did you get here?" Jura asked.
"He is too short for you to discover his appearance." Pyoro, who was floating beside the boy, mocked.
"Uruse! (Shut up)" Hibiki was damaging the robot. "That is not important. The important thing is the wedding, right?"
"What's in your mind?" Jura was impatient.
"I have a plan but, will there be any food?" All the boy cared was the food.
"Oh, the only thing that you capable to do is eating. Yes, we will hold a dinner. There is many kind of food that you haven't eaten before. You can eat until you die." Barnette couldn't help it.
"That's the answer I'm waiting for! Okay, let's get started!" The boy was full with confidence.
Early in the morning, same as usual, the dread leader was heading to the meeting room. After the battle with the harvester, she had learnt more strategy to fight back the enemy. There were a lot of things happened which tarried her work. While she was on the way to the meeting room, she was unaware Hibiki, Dita, Misty, Jura and Shota were keeping an eye on her.
"This is the best time." Hibiki said.
"Target appeared. Start the operation now!" Jura ordered immediately with her communicator.
Shota was feeling guilty. "I think it's bad to tailing Meia. I mean we're not respecting her."
"Put your moral concept aside, Shota. If you want to have a wedding, the show must go on." Misty said.
"Ujiujinsan, are you sure it's going to work?" Dita worried.
"Don't worry. There's no way it will fail." The short guy answered. "We need to move forward, quietly."
Meanwhile, Meia saw two crews were arguing in front of her and blocking her way. "What's happened?"
"Oh, Meia, you came here just in time. Blue is nicer than red, right?"
"No! Red is nicer than blue!"
"Oh yeah?! Then, why your shirt is blue?"
"Because it's a uniform, you idiot?!"
"How dare you calling me an idiot?!"
Meia sighted before she gave her opinion, "how about purple?"
Both of the crews felt surprise, "purple?!"
The dread leader already walked away.
"Purple?!" Hibiki, Dita, Misty, Jura and Shota were shocked.
"I don't know she likes purple." Hibiki said.
"Neither us, okay? Since we knew her for many years." Jura said.
"Barnette, use purple." Misty said those words unwillingly to the communicator. Then, the screen showed Barnette'sexcited face.
"Desho, desho? (Isn't it, isn't it) I already told you to use purple." Then, the woman turned to the back, "alright, take more purple cloths here."
Misty turned off the communicator and sighted, "I thought I had known her better."
"Tell us that later. Move to Stage 2." Jura ordered.
This is the 'tactic' they used to ask Meia's opinion. For a whole day, Meia had faced more than 20 times for the same situation. Although the crews were acting weird, Meia didn't have time and the temper to find out what they were doing.
"How is it?" Meia asked Jura, who was just going down with the lift. They are at the hanger to check their dreads.
"Everything is fine except..." The woman stepped her leg on the floor.
"The weapon?"
"How did you know that?" Jura was astonished.
"That's the same problem I have." The dread leader turned her head and looked at her dread. "I tested my dread to fire the weapon before. It missed the target."
"Maybe the programmer or the circuit board is damaged due to our last battle with the harvester."
"No. I found something extra inside the dread. It doesn't belong to the dread." Meia then opened her hand to show her colleague what she had found.
"A microchip?" Jura was surprise. She took it to have a look at it. "It's just an ordinary microchip. Our dreads had a lot of them."
"I found that it is located on the weapon programmer. Each time we fire, it will give a false coordinate to the programmer."
"You mean someone had put it purposely into our dreads?"
While Meia was going to answer Jura, Shota had interrupted their conversation.
"Meia! Look what I have here." The man was running towards the girls. Then he showed two different types of circuit boards.
"What's this for?" His fiancée asked.
"Upgrade weapons and defense system."
"Where did you get it?" Jura put a step forward.
"Well, I just finished these circuit boards with Parfet. This is for the dreads and this is for vanguards." The man handed the circuit boards to the women while he was explaining.
"Ne, Misty, did you get it?" Dita was asking the girl who was standing beside her.
"Shhh.... quiet. Shota is blocking. I can't take the measure." Misty was moving the camcorder like gadget. She was focusing on the display. Even Q-chan was trying harder to focus.
"Shota, did you put microchips into our dreads?" Meia asked.
"No." The man shook his head. "But I found a strange microchip inside my vanguard. The other vanguards have the same microchip too." He gave the microchip to Meia.
"It's exactly the same." Jura moved closer to Meia and examine the microchip.
"Looks like someone had put them inside the dreads and vanguards without our awareness." Shota presumed.
"Who? Morgan?" Jura thought.
"That's impossible. He didn't have the time to insert the microchips. Besides, Dita and I were at the hanger when he invading. Remember?" The dread leader rejected the assumption.
After that, three of them have been alerted by the beeping sound. It's Shota's comm. link. "Excuse me." Shota took his comm. link up and answer.
"Shota! What are you doing there? You are blocking my vision. I can't take her body measure." Misty yelled on the comm. link.
Shota looked at his fiancée. The girls were staring at him too. The man moved away to avoid the girls hear the conversation and stood facing back at them. "I'm sorry, okay? Now, can you take the measure?" He talked quietly.
Misty continued to focusing the measurer on the dread leader. "Got it. You can continue your work now." Subsequently, Dita and she fled away.
The nervous future groom became relief. Then, he walked back to the girls.
"Who is it?" Meia was curious.
"Forget about it. Do you girls want to try this up?" Shota became impatient.
"Have you tested it yet?" Meia had no confidence on the new circuit boards.
"It had been tested in the lab but I need to try it using your dread. However, I guaranty it will be safe."
"It sounds danger." Jura lost her confidence on the circuit boards too.
"Come on. Everything needs to be used for the first time before you know it is safe or not, doesn't it?" The man persuaded the women.
The women glanced at each other. Then, they are looking the circuit boards. "Alright. Install it into my dread. I'll try it."
"Thank you, Meia." Shota smiled.
"Meia, are you sure about this?" Jura seemed worry.
"It's worth for a try. I just hope it won't cause any trouble." Meia was moving to her dreads with the elevator.
Meanwhile, there was a chaos inside the meeting room.......
"Paiway! Where is the ribbon?" Rebecca shouted.
"Oh! The needle is not suitable." Ezra complained.
Barnette was upset. "How can we finish the preparation with such a short time?" "Parfet! How are you doing there?" She asked the engineer with her communicator.
"We just finished the stage."
"What?! You just finished a stage. How about the lights and the other device? Did you install yet?"
"No. The hall is not big enough. So, we are working on it."
"Make it quick. We just have two weeks."
Suddenly, Bart stood on the table and clapped his hands to draw the girls' attention. "Girls! Girls! Don't panic!" Then, he could feel rages from the women. They are staring at him and moving closer and closer to him. "Am I talking too much?"
Poor man. The women threw him out of the room. "Don't say anything if you can't help!" Barnette accused. "Where are Dita and Misty?!"
"Sorry for late!" Dita said loudly. Misty was running in front of her.
"Where you two have been? We are waiting for you for 30 minutes."
"There was a problem which slowed us down. Here." Misty gave the measures to Barnette.
Barnette took a look at the measure before she turned and commanded. "Okay! We can start sewing the wedding dresses now."
"Why I haven't been accepted by the women like the others?" Bart was upside down with his back leaning on the wall.
Joe was lying on his bed. His sight was focusing on the ceiling. The young pilot's mind was drifting away.
"Wedding." Joe then suddenly sat up and put his feet on the floor. "Does everyone have to be married in order to live in happiness?"
"What are you talking about? That's nonsense!" Hibiki was tidying his bed.
"But sub leader seems to be very happy since he is going to be married."
"Are you crazy?!" Hibiki stopped his work and turned to the boy. "He is the only one who acts like that. Let me ask you a question. Are you married?"
Joe shook his head.
"Are you happy now?"
"I don't know. But I don't feel sad."
"That's right! In Talark, every single male didn't married. Are we feeling sad?"
"That is just because we consider the women as our enemy."
"It is not the cause. Now, we consider the women as our friends, right?"
"Right."
"And we are doing fine without being married. As the conclusion, we don't need to be married in order to live in happiness."
"But Hibiki...."
"Enough!" Hibiki cut off his talk. "You are acting strange. Are you having fever?" The short guy walked a step to the door which is opened. "Hey Duero!" He called the doctor who was reading his books sitting on the corridor between the boys' rooms. "Joe is sick here. Come and take a look at him." The doctor immediately took his action by going into the room.
"I'm not sick!" Joe cried out.
"Then, sleep now! We have a lot of work to do tomorrow." Hibiki ordered before he lay on his bed.
"Hmmm... Maybe your symptoms are reflecting some kind of stress. Do you need me to check on you?" Duero asked Joe.
"No, thanks. I'm normal, okay?" The young pilot felt annoyed.
"What a loser I am!" Bart just entered the room with sadness.
"I agree that!" Hibiki mocked.
"Hey! Can't you sympathize a bit for what I've been through? You are hurting me so much." Bart started to sob.
"Stop acting like a girl. You're not one of them." Hibiki felt disturbed.
"I'm just trying to be friend with them." Bart started to cry. "How can they be so cruel to me?"
"I will do the same thing if I were in their shoes." Hibiki continued. "Oh man! I just started to change my thought of you to be a man. Look what you are now! You are embarrassing us, Bart!"
"What had I done?! I just want to be like any other of you."
"Hey! What the life will be after the marriage?" Joe asked.
"Joe!" Hibiki couldn't stand it anymore.
"What?! I just feel curious about it."
"Let me check!" Bart started to check on his books. "Got you!"
Joe then moved closer to the bald headed man. Even the doctor felt interesting on that matter too.
Bart reads out. "A married couple will live under one roof. That means they will........" The eyes of Joe and Bart became bigger and bigger.
"What?!" They yelled. The other men who were asleep had been awake by their voices. Bart gave the book to the others. They were shocked.
"Ew!" They stepped back.
"What?" Hibiki sat up.
"That is interesting. Maybe I can do a research on it." The doctor murmured.
"Is everyone sleeping yet?" Shota just came in the room. "Whou! What keeps you guys awaken." He saw the men were staring at him.
"You tell him." Joe pushed Bart forward.
"No. you tell him." Bart and Joe kept pushing each other.
"What? Is there anything happened?" Shota was curious.
Joe looked around the others then swallowed his spit. His frightened expression told Shota that the boys are hiding something from him. Next, the boy was slowly approaching the sub leader. "Are you sleeping here after you married?" Joe stammered.
Shota blinked. "No. Why are you asking?"
"Then, where are you sleeping?"
"I don't know but certainly not here."
"Why don't you just sleep here?" Hibiki asked.
Shota felt ridiculous. "I can't. The bed is not enough for two persons."
"Two persons?!" The men jumped up.
"What?! Is something wrong?" Shota stepped closer and closer to the crowded men while the men were stepping backwards.
"Onichan, did you mean that you are going to sleep with leader?" Joe kept stepping backwards.
"Of course. What a silly question."
The men felt dreadful and ran to the back and stuck themselves on the wall.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Shota had a step forward.
The men were shuddered. "Stop! Stay away from us!"
"Why? Am I stinks?" Then, Shota thought for awhile. "No. How could it be? I just took a bath."
"You are awful, Shota! How can you sleep with a woman?" Hibiki said.
"What's the matter? It supposed to be for every marriage."
"You are unacceptable, Shota! Get out of here!" Hugo cried out.
"Okay, okay!" The sub leader had no choice other than get out of the room.
On the next morning..........
The pilots were having breakfast at the canteen. When Shota was going to sit beside his men, the vanguard pilots started to stand up and leaving.
"You don't need to leave. I'll leave." Shota was depressed when he was leaving while the other pilots sitting back to their place.
The women saw the unusual situation. Paiway, as the 'reporter' of the ship, want the explanation by asking one of the vanguard pilots. "Ne, ne. What's happened?"
So, the pilot was moving his index finger, signaling to the girl to come closer and whispered to the girl. The women were watching them without blinking. The girl's expression was changing. "What?!" The girl shouted. "He'll sleep with Meia after they married?!"
Every crew at the scene was shocked. Some even spurted their drinks and choked. Then, they gathered and discussed the topic.
While the crews are gossiping, Shota had received a call. "Shota! Taihen desu! (We have trouble) Come to the meeting room immediately!" Jura's frightened sound was puzzling Shota, who wondered what had happened.