-Point of View: Seiko Maka-
I'm a mental and emotional zombie for the rest of the weekend. I do manage to send off a text to Mom with the rest of the story about the psi tremor changing me, and all the stuff with Leona and psi-ops, and my skin condition by Sunday night though. I don't get much of a response, it seems like she needs some time to process things herself.
Then Monday rolls around and I start to get a few comments on my clothes by lunch. It sounds like some guys saw me wearing my vest and thought they could too, only to get told off for it. Thankfully, me explaining my medical exemption every period in front of the whole class last week means they all know and rather than the rumors getting really weird or confused, everyone is wondering what sort of medical condition could possibly require me to wear a vest...
For the most part, I try to ignore it and just chat with my friends. I'm feeling a lot better around Jen after what she did over the weekend. She absolutely saved the day, screaming some sense into Mom. I have no idea what might have happened without her there.
When our usual gym period comes, it's time for the physical. Everyone splits up to change as usual, and just like always, I go out into the hall between the two rooms. The bullies are gone, but Leona waits with me anyway, just in case, until Ken has finished changing. Then they swap places, and Leona goes into class C to change herself.
“Maka-san, we have the physical,” comes Folle's voice all of a sudden, his hand closing on my shoulder from behind. Before I know it, I'm pulling away violently, jumping to gain distance, and Ken is sliding between us, blocking my body with his.
My breath is shallow and panicked, my head going hazy. I can't think. I stay behind Ken, my feet ready to give out under me.
“Uhh?” Folle is staring at us, as are the couple other people already out in the hall. His eyes slowly slip down to his hand, which he moves like he's gripping lightly Probably remembering the feel of my clothes.
“Sei, are you alright?” Ken asks, leaning down closer to me while keeping his eyes on Folle.
“Y-yeah,” I stumble over my own words. With my instantaneous panic abating, I'm aware of what actually happened. “Just... surprised me...” All he was doing was getting my attention, but he just had to touch me when he did it...
Still, I'm all shaken up, so when Leona comes out in her gym clothes, we quickly escape to the infirmary before Folle can recover.
We make it there before anyone else. The doctor isn't around though, so we stand for a bit as the rest of our class catches up. Again, Folle approaches, but I see him coming this time. He doesn't get a chance to say anything before the doctor arrives. She claps her hands and speaks loudly to be heard over the groups still chatting.
“Alright, form into two lines. Men over here, women over there. Maka-san, you're fine, you can go.” Amid the shuffle of movement, there are a few voices raised, questioning why I'm the only one who doesn't have to go through it, but the doctor ignores them and keeps directing the students to their places, while I flee the room.
“Hmm, what now?” I wonder. I never really considered what to do after getting excused. Well, I have nothing else to do, so I return to the classroom. I'm not falling over tired yet, so I continue working out to burn as much energy as I can. I'm alone, so pushups and squats are all I can really think of, but I'm so light that it isn't enough weight to make me strain in the way I know I need to, to burn off the built up psionic energy. Normally, Leona would sit on my back or something.
To solve the problem, I end up picking up my desk, with all my school books on it, and do my workout with that extra weight.
It isn't enough to keep my mind off of my biggest problem though. I'm alone. There's no one else around right now, but what if someone shows up? What if that person wants to hurt me? I've spent every waking minute with Ken or Leona for weeks now, so being alone and defenseless is freaking me out.
I can always run, I tell myself. I'm good at running, as long as I'm alone, I can just run away. That helps me calm down a lot. I'm grateful when everyone returns together, so I don't need to worry about them trickling in one at a time. My friends come right over, sitting down and chatting some, while I'm instantly relieved.
“I made it to a hundred eighty five centimeters,” Ken declares proudly.
“He comes from a family of giants,” I add, getting laughs out of everyone. “How tall was Joseph-san again?”
“Damn near two hundred,” Ken chuckles with a shake of his head, and the girls understandably gape.
The chatter continues for a while longer, everyone pointing out different parts of the physical. Of course, in their back and forth banter, Lucy and Amari end up leaking each other's breast sizes. B-cup and D-cup respectively. It's not so bad since most of us are girls, except for Ken. Of course, he just puts his hands up in a shrug. He's been rooming with me all this time, so he doesn't care about stuff like that, he says quietly.
The girls seem a tad suspicious of that. Speaking up in his defense, I murmur, “The doctor said I'm still an A-cup, so I hardly count.” If my understanding of the measurements is right, I'm a hair off of B-cup at this point, so they're definitely growing, but being such a late-bloomer is rough for anyone...
Of course, I get pitying looks and a few whispered, encouraging remarks from the other girls. That is, until Bray Folle comes over and we all break apart, our whispered conversation cut short.
“Sorry about earlier, Maka-kun,” he starts with an apology. “I wasn't aware you were already excused from the physical. And I didn't mean to surprise you like that earlier.” He bows briefly after.
“A-ah, yeah, it's fine. I'm just, uhh-” I have no idea what I'm trying to say. “-Not good with stuff like that. And, umm, yeah, the doctor has to keep up on my health, so I didn't really need the physical today.”
He looks curious, and doesn't stop himself before asking the question this time. “Has to keep up on your health? What sort of medical condition do you have anyway?”
“U-umm...” I freeze. Obviously I can't tell him. “I... can't really talk about it. But, umm...” Maybe this is a good time...? “You'll find out in a couple weeks, so as the class rep, I hope you'll help me out then, if I need it. Thanks for everything.” He is always dealing with the background class stuff and paperwork for us, so I may as well give him a little early warning.
“I'll find out?” That one makes him very obviously curious. “Sure, sounds good.” He extends his hand, and I cringe a little. I already know how this will go, but...
I sigh and shake his hand. As expected, the moment my skin touches his, he jolts and looks down. Since I saw it coming, I just try to relax. I know he's just surprised. “My skin condition,” I offer to explain, letting him take a few moments to come to grips with it. He does surprisingly quickly, giving my hand one last shake before releasing it.
I leak out a shallow breath. Folle isn't so bad. So serious and studious, he feels like a pretty upright kind of guy. The kind who might actually respect me. I keep that in mind as we exchange a couple more words, and he returns to his seat.
It isn't long until our next lesson begins. Life skills, but... driving. Everyone stares blankly as the teacher reads the textbook at us. None of it makes a single bit of sense. Something about wheels and pedals and shifts? I don't think the teacher has any idea either. The meaningless lecture continues right until the bell. Then he snaps the textbook closed and walks out. What in the world...?
After last period comes and goes, the day continues as usual. My daily checkup, then it's right back to my room for the night. I'm somewhat mortified when I go to take a shower though. Like I figured out the other day, men can apparently smell when I'm aroused. It must be something in my sweat, I guess, made ridiculously more powerful by my skin condition and how I sweat now. And showering feels so good it makes me horny.
Fucking wonderful.
Well, there isn't really anything to do for it. When I get in, I just try to keep it short and keep my mind off of it. It... actually works really well. I'm surprised to find that I don't get physically worked up at all when I actively don't want to. If only that worked as a guy...
Once I'm out of the shower, I glance a few times and spot no response from Ken. Alright, this should work. With the solution to that problem found, I finish out the night in peace.
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The days roll on, one after another, my time ticking down. I have to order an entirely new set of female uniforms, again with a note from the doctor. And I just got the old ones like, a week ago...
Mom finally gets back to me over the phone on Friday night. We spend a long time just talking everything over. From psi-ops and my current position with them, to the specifics of my skin condition. I cry a bit here and there, but it feels really good to open up to her about everything that's happened these last few months. I can't go into every detail since I'm pretty sure some of it is still secret, and some stuff is just too dangerous to say aloud. Like the bit about possibly technically being a psion, and about seeing through psionic auras.
Those are not to be mentioned again.
I also leave out the stuff with Jen. That's... still a whole different issue.
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Saturday morning, Leona comes and reminds me, it's time to go back to psi-ops. Crap, that's right. With everything else happening, I'd practically forgotten that was this week.
So we head off to the city early in the morning like we have been. Only this time, I remember that we'll be meeting a new psion there. Mejja did say he would bring in someone else for some reason...
After our usual ride in, we walk to the building, and take the lift down. “Theodore Flarec-san is already waiting,” the receptionist informs us, along the way.
When the lift opens up and we step off, Mejja is over in the back section of his lab as usual. He waves a hand at us, as he bustles around and instead of throwing me straight into the scanner, he takes a minute for introductions this time.
“Seiko Maka. Theodore Flarec.” Mejja gestures between us. Apparently content with that, he immediately continues with whatever he was doing before. I look up at the man, around Ken's height, but older. Maybe in his late twenties. He has dark blue hair, shorter than Ken's but with that same weird, spiky look to it. He's built with big, thick muscles. His appearance is immediately intimidating, and I stay close to Leona's side.
“Good to meet you.” He extends a hand, but there's no way I'm comfortable shaking it.
“Good to meet you too,” I respond, but move further behind Leona as I do.
“Your words don't match your actions...” the man deadpans. That only continues to push me further, peeking out from where it's safe.
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“Seiko is sensitive and not great with strangers, don't worry about it.” She shrugs.
Flarec just sighs. “Fine, let's just get on with the procedure. All I have to do is run the scanner, right?” He directs the question at Mejja. Wait, the scanner is run by a psion? So that's why Mejja needed to invite someone else? Why not do it himself?
I don't get any answers as they wave me toward the scanner and I climb inside. After waiting a bit, it buzzes to life. Only this time, the lighting inside isn't all purple black light. Instead, it's a weird, pale orange glow. Everything else is the same though. Same electric buzz, same heavy air pressure, same weird, slow feeling. I'm pretty sure the time-stretching is still in effect...
That thought becomes more and more certain as I wait, and wait, and wait. I'm glad whatever causes this effect somehow insulates me from boredom...
I don't have all too much to think about this time. There's my upcoming change at school, but there isn't so much to think about that. It's going to happen, and I need to deal with the consequences, whatever they wind up being. I just... have to be prepared, I guess.
So, I wait. It let the buzz flow around me, the heavy air feeling like a weighted blanket as time ticks by. I let my body and mind rest, thoughts blanking out and muscles relaxing into the machine. Nothing but the steady rise and fall of my chest.
I'm surprised when it... kind of works. I don't lose consciousness, but my time in the little box goes and goes, no thought or perception getting in the way and allowing the minutes, hours, and days to all fly past. It's a strange sensation, the way it feels to do something on auto-pilot, only afterward. The action so unworthy of memory you don't even recall it, your brain just blanks it out as unimportant after the fact.
So, even after I spend my full month in the box, when the orange glow and buzz begin to subside, the weight lifting from my limbs, it feels like I just blanked out that entire period of time, despite being aware of all of it. A very odd feeling when it stretches over such a length of time. The door opens up and I climb out with a bit of help from Leona.
I feel kind of hazy from spacing out for such a long period of time. I mumble a confirmation when Leona asks me if I'm alright, shaking myself a little, like I'm sleepy, as we move over toward the conference room.
Along the way, we step up the little metal stairs and pass the computer station where Mejja usually sits. Just beside it, I see something. A console of some sort? But there's something there. A color of movement. My glazed eyes slide off. I can't see it. But it's there. I stumble a step into the space, turning with the spot until the world is right.
“Umm... Seiko? You alright?” Leona is watching me with concerned eyes. I blink at her.
With another shake, I go, “S-sorry, yeah. Wow, that was weird. Kind of out of it from so long in the box. I like, tranced out for basically a month, so...” I shrug.
With a faint grimace, she comes forward and rubs my head. “Yeah, that's rough. Feeling better now?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
With a much clearer head, we enter the conference room in the back.
“Alright, we've got your newest scan info, and generally, it's more of the same,” Mejja says at the start. Flarec is off to the side, standing against a wall, but clearly listening too. “Your PEP is still repairing itself at the expected speed. It's looking like another five to seven months at this rate.”
I nod slightly. “As for the time dilation, how did it go this time?” Mejja asks, so I shake my head instead.
“Still the same, it felt like about a month... I think. I kind of stopped thinking and went into a trance for most of it, but... yeah. Pretty sure it was still a month. Also, I talked with Leona about this- it seems like it affects some aspect of my body, not just my mind. Last time, all of my injuries healed, which should have taken a few more weeks. Is there any way to tell what parts of my body are affected?”
“My, that certainly is unique...” Mejja rubs his chin, scratching at his short green facial hair. “I've studied the time effects observed by our scanner, but I don't believe anything I've seen would correlate with that.” He only shrugs. So, no clue on that one, huh?
“That's fine,” I sigh. “Is there anything else you've found, or is that it this time?”
“Yes, that will be all.” He nods, but as he does so, Flarec moves from his spot by the wall.
“Wait, why did I even come here?” he asks, clearly a bit irritated.
“I was attempting to find a way to avoid the time-slowing effect the scanner produces for Maka-san.” Mejja shrugs. “If I could find a way around it, that would serve as a very good clue for why it occurs in the first place. This experiment showed that it is not tied to the psion providing power to the scanner, so I'll need to think about another method to try next time. It's a hard problem though, since I don't really have anywhere else to start. And our scans are each a month apart, so I only have a few more opportunities before his PEP finishes repairing itself.”
“Uhh, 'his?'” Flarec quirks an eyebrow at the last part. I can't help cringing, remembering what happened in the restaurant last week.
“Oh, Maka-san's physical body was altered through an unknown psionic effect, he's actually male.” That draws another wince. I haven't had the time to explain things to Mejja yet, it's always in and out of psi-ops so fast.
The blue haired man is crossing his arms, head tilted like he's considering that, when I speak up to correct Mejja. “A-actually, I figured out I'm female after all.”
Both men turn to stare at me, and I jolt.
“Really? You want to be a woman?” Flarec speaks first, his tone mocking.
Mejja ignores him. “Is that so? What made you change your mind?”
I also try to ignore the rude remark and just focus on Mejja. “I was always more like a girl and I hated all the guy things everyone told me to do. It drove me crazy. I thought about it a lot and I realized I was lying to myself and trying to live up to my father's expectations, but it just made me hate myself. So I can say for certain now, being a girl is better for me.”
That's the best explanation I can give. It takes me some time to get through it, Mejja bobbing his head slightly from partway through as he comes to understand.
“Mm, a well thought out answer I see,” Mejja says. “Then I suppose you do not want us to change your body back once we find the method?”
“U-umm,” I stammer slightly when that comes up and Flarec's eyes narrow at me. “No, it's way better like this.” Mejja is nodding and making a note at his computer when Flarec finally crashes into the conversation again.
He leans his big hands onto the table, staring me down. “Wait, you're telling me you dragged me all the way out here just to mess around with this little fruit?”
I don't know the term, but it clearly isn't anything good. Can't this asshole just mind his own business? Still, I keep myself from reacting, reminding myself that he's from the military and not someone I should piss off.
“Are you so pathetic you think it's better to stay as a weak little girl?”
“No-”
Leona steps up at my side, her hand on my shoulder cutting me short. He voice comes raised, but steely calm. “You have no right to speak to Seiko like that.”
“Says the other little girl,” he waves her off dismissively. Leona? Little? She's almost as tall as he is!
“Really, Flarec-san?” Leona just looks annoyed at his bullshit. “Did you forget I'm tier seven?”
“Pshh, wouldn't stop me from beating the piss out of you!” he barks back with a sudden cocky grin, like he's somehow amused by all this. “Maybe your parents would thank me.”
Leona's whole expression transforms into a dark scowl. “Shut up, I'm not dealing with your shit. Mejja, if that's all, we'll be going now.”
Even Mejja has a sour look. “Yes, get going. And you, buffoon, I'm done with you, get out of my lab.”
We're already on our way to the lift as he's speaking. Flarec starts cursing, like he's a kid throwing a tantrum, as we're getting on. That guy is in the military? Seriously?
Unfortunately, just before the huge doors close, a bright orange glow flares out from him, and he practically flies across the lab, boarding the lift with us, just so he can keep berating us.
“Oh yeah, the mighty Leona Vicca,” he sneers, “on protection detail for some little faggot so obsessed with pussy he wants one of his own.” I know he's just an asshole, but that doesn't stop the tears burning behind my eyes. Or the lump rising in my throat.
It's not like that-
Pressure crashes over the lift, halting my thoughts in an instant. Leona pulls me tight to her side, indigo painting the entire space, spewing from her eyes in all directions.
“Silence.”
Her command only makes the asshole puff his chest up though, orange power overflowing from him in turn. He cracks his knuckles. “Want to go, bitch?” He steps closer, the two psions a hairs breadth from each other, color overlapping and forming a wall between them. It clearly favors Leona, hers easily pushing in around him. She is way stronger than he is. Then the lift doors open, and the receptionist leaps from her seat, diving behind the counter as soon as she sees them.
There's a pause. Then, “Seiko, hold on.” Leona's eyes don't move from Flarec at all as she holds me tight, and I do as she says, squeezing close as hard as I can.
She doesn't use her powers. At least, not to teleport. She kicks the ground hard, our bodies rapidly flying out of the lift, across the lobby, and out the entrance. She lands, skidding across the hard stone ground as I spot Flarec making a similar maneuver.
The orange in his eyes explodes out. I don't see anything, but the weight on me feels like it triples all at once. I flinch and have to grit my teeth against the feeling, crushing in from all sides. It pushes all the air from my lungs, and I'm gagging, while the whole world feels like it's moving in slow motion.
Leona kicks off again, just as a rapid fire series of explosions erupt past us. Like Flarec shot something at us, but missed. The weight recedes significantly as we open up the distance between us, and I can actually breathe again. I'm used to the weight of Leona's power at least.
That is, until there's another massive spike, like hammer blows falling all over my body. I let out a strangled sound at the feeling, then there's another series of explosions, directly past us in the direction we're escaping. Leona leaps straight through the dust and spray of rubble, a flash of power scattering the dangerous rocky shrapnel before it can reach me. It only takes a few more instants of pounding adrenaline to realize that she vastly outpaces Flarec. Whatever he was shooting at us, he doesn't get another shot as we blur across the city, faster than anything around us can respond.
We go straight past our normal stop, further and further, toward the outskirts of the city. People and places all fly past so fast it's like they're frozen in place.
Finally, Leona has to go into a long, drawn out skid to kill our momentum as we approach a terminal at the edge of town. She's probably worried about using her powers to slow us, in case something goes wrong again.
If she wasn't with me, she could have just teleported out of that entire situation.
I'm still in shock as she sits me down on a bench and calls a shuttle. “Fuck, attacking us in the middle of the city...” she growls. “Even if he was just trying to scare us, what if he'd hit you by accident?”
“Scare us...?” I ask flatly.
“He was shooting around us,” she sighs, rubbing her temples. When I still don't get it she says, “He was missing on purpose. I couldn't use my powers to evade the attacks. He would have hit us if he was actually trying.”
“Oh...” I was a burden on her. She could have gotten really hurt... “But why?”
“Why what?” she asks, sitting down next to me.
I'm having a hard time forming the words through the latent panic. “Why would he attack us? Isn't that like, like super over the top? All we did was talk some and he didn't like what we said. So he started like... psionic attacking?! What the fuck?!” As soon as I get into it, I boil over.
“Is he fucking insane? Why escalate things like that? I'm not a psion, he could have killed me!” When I start full-tilt freaking out, Leona moves to hug me, but hesitates, her arms outspread, eyes asking for permission.
I nod frantically and hug her tight. Her hands close around me comfortingly. “That...” she starts, with a strange guilt in her voice. “That's what happens. Have you ever heard the saying, 'when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail?'”
It sounds familiar, I think... “What I'm saying is, when all you're taught is to fight, everyone looks like an enemy. When all problems are solved with force, any conflict immediately escalates to violence. Ugh...” Leona shivers, and for once, I rub her back. “I don't want to go back to that, Seiko.”
It sounds like what Dad always talked about. Everything was harsh, force, violence, and pain. There was no place for anything else. Femininity was weakness. Softness was weakness. Kindness, mercy, vulnerability, understanding, curiosity, openness. All weakness. All stamped out with more violence. And anything you don't understand was dangerous, anyone different was an enemy and needed to be destroyed.
Leona... how long did she live like that?
How did she ever turn out as caring as she is?
And... what's wrong with her parents?
We pass the entire trip back to school hugging each other in comforting silence. Once we disembark, I ask if she wants to talk about anything, but Leona shakes her head and says she needs some time. “However much you need. Thanks, Leona.”