Three Square Meals Ch. 130

She recovered quickly, landing like a cat and skidding to a halt. Setting off again, Sakura pointed a fist in his direction, launching an arctic lance of her own towards him. It had sufficient force to plunge through his shield, but John's psychic alacrity saved him, the sideways leap allowing him to narrowly avoid being impaled.

"Damn... nice," John growled, giving the Asian girl an approving nod.

Grinning back at him, she vaulted over his answering telekinetic javelin, closing the distance so that she could renew her melee assault on his shield. John narrowed his eyes and made a swiping gesture with his hand. A blocky projection appeared, whipping out to coil around her foot like a polygonal tentacle. The snaring attack was blocked by Sakura's psychic shield, but its unusual nature caught her by surprise, momentarily distracting her mid-charge.

John hit her with another wall of telekinetic force from his left hand and hurled a jagged spear with his right, knocking her down and shattering a cluster of hexagons directly in front of her chest. As Sakura flipped to her feet, she desperately repaired her shield as he pummelled her with blows from the angular tentacle and sent another javelin screaming in her direction.

"Don't get distracted!" he warned as he knocked out another cluster of hexagons with his telekinetic strike. "You need to be prepared for anything from those bastards!"

Sakura gave him a curt nod as she rebuilt her shield. She set off again, ducking under his next psychic lance and skidding across the slippery deck, before vaulting into the air. A sudden blast of icy wind catapulted her in his direction and she rebounded off the frozen wall directly behind him. John whirled around as she stabbed him repeatedly in the back, the hex barrier barely keeping her at bay.

He blasted her with a focused telekinetic arc of energy that slammed into Sakura's shield, cracking hexagons in a broad horizontal slash and knocking her back several steps. Behind her, the ice barrier exploded, frozen chunks sent skittering across the hangar floor. She grinned wickedly and raised both hands, lifting a thousand razor sharp shards of ice into the air.

"Oh shit..." John muttered, backing away and channelling everything he had into reinforcing his shield.

She slashed out with both swords, unleashing a ferocious storm of ice that peppered his barrier, weakening the entire front hemisphere. Sakura began her charge and launched a frozen javelin that blasted a gaping hole in his defences. John was trying to fix that rift when she crashed into him, striking the failing sphere with a frenzy of blows. John's shield popped like a burst bubble under the onslaught and the duellists were knocked sprawling in a tangle of limbs. Sakura had been expecting the fall and recovered first, twisting around to end up astride John.

"You're one very dead Progenitor," Sakura panted, her eyes alight with the thrill of victory.

John glanced down and saw that she held the tips of both swords at exposed joints in his armour. If he'd been a hostile Progenitor she would have already driven the blades home and skewered his heart.

He grinned and nodded his approval. "Very nice!"

Sakura dismounted him, moving with a sensual grace that would have turned him on under normal circumstances. "I think I've figured it out," she said, looking thoughtful.

"Figured what out?" John asked guardedly.

"The best method for bringing down hex-shields," she replied. "Can I just try something before we start the next fight?"

He gestured for her to proceed. "Be my guest. Take as much preparation time as you need."

Sakura backed away from him a dozen metres, so she was at the same starting distance as before.

"You can come closer if you want," John offered. "Start from wherever you think you'll have the greatest advantage."

"This is fine," she said, shaking her head. "Besides, in a real battle we'd probably start the fight at a distance and we should try to make this as realistic as possible."

John considered correcting her, but changed his mind, not wanting to give Sakura any clues as to the real objective of this training. "Sure, that makes sense."

She closed her eyes, her brow furrowed with concentration. John noticed that the icy fragments littering the floor had started to move, billowing gusts pushing them across the deck. The wind began to pick up speed, moving in a circular motion around Sakura, a faint whistling carrying in the air as the shards of ice were blown away from the epicentre. As the eldritch tornado intensified, the whistling deepened to an eerie howl, the wind buffeting John where he stood.

He saw the glittering carpet of ice reverse direction, now being pulled into the swirling vortex instead of being pushed away, drawn into the whirlwind's chaotic grip. Summoning another hex shield seemed like a wise precaution, especially now that the dull roar of the twister was accompanied by clattering shrieks as chunks of ice smashed into each other. He could barely make out Sakura's white armoured form amidst that dreadful maelstrom, but there was no mistaking the brilliant glow of her almond-shaped eyes staring directly at him.

"Ready when you are..." she said softly, her quiet voice cutting through the dirge like it wasn't even there.

"Go!" he yelled, his reply swallowed up by the dreadful cacophony.

Sakura stalked towards him, the lethal barrier moving with her, those clawing winds threatening to drag him into that storm. John knew that he had to keep her at a distance and built a stationary wall of force in front of him to hinder her approach. Ice shattered on the barrier, sending flurries of tiny ice particles into the air in a blizzard of snow. The winds shifted and the whirling shroud of icy flechettes soared over his psychic wall, hurtling at incredible speed above his head.

As she changed course to avoid the obstacle, John summoned a forest of angular telekinetic tentacles to lash at Sakura's hex shield, trying to break through and entangle her feet. At the same time, he created a glowing fist that plunged through the howling whirlwind to batter her shield. It pulverised the hex barrier with pounding blows, the force sending ripples through the dome and cracking a dozen plates with every strike.

When Sakura saw the flailing swarm of tentacles in conjunction with the disembodied fist, she faltered, a flicker of horrified recognition in her glowing eyes. With her concentration broken, the howling tornado flew apart with a tortured screech of protest, jagged shards of ice spraying wildly across the hangar.

"I knew something was wrong, especially when you didn't use your sword! You're pretending to be your guide!" she cried out, the twin ninjato dropping from her nerveless fingers. "You're not training me to assassinate Progenitors! You're training me to kill you!"

"Goddamnit!" John growled in frustration, dismissing all his psychic constructs with a wave of his hand. "Why'd you all have to be so bloody clever?"

Sakura tore off her Paragon helmet and threw it aside, a look of wild desperation in her eyes. "I know I'm not as close to you as Dana and the rest of the girls, but I do love you, I promise!"

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"You think I don't love you as much as they do..." she replied, looking heartbroken. "That's why you picked me to do this!"

"Oh, honey... it's not that at all," he said, removing his own helmet and pulling her into a tight hug.

Sakura wept as he held her, shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

*Girls, I'm blocking you out. You know why,* John said to his trio of matriarchs.

Alyssa, Jade, and Edraele quietly acknowledged him, relief mixed with trepidation in their replies.

John grimaced, hating seeing Sakura so upset. "I know how you feel about me, Sakura, and I feel the same way about you. I love you so much."

"Then why pick me to be your executioner?" she asked, looking up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "How can you ask me to do that?! I can't imagine anything worse!"

"I can..." he said grimly.

She looked at him in confusion mixed with dread. "What do you mean?"

"Sakura... if I face my guide and lose, I'll be destroyed and he'll take control of my body. What do you think he's going to do to you and the rest of the girls after I'm gone?"

There was fear in her eyes now, quickly followed by a look of sickening revulsion that went right down to her soul.

"I can't let that happen... I won't," John declared with grim resolve. "If I lose, you're the only one that can stop him."

Sakura frantically shook her head. "That's not true! Alyssa's much more powerful than me!"

John stroked her cheek, giving her a look filled with sympathy. "She can't do it, honey. Alyssa's been my matriarch since the start... she's not mentally capable of doing what needs to be done."

"The others then?" she pleaded with him. Her eyes suddenly widened with hope. "What about Jade? She ripped Larn'kelnar apart and she's grown even stronger now!"

"She's powerful enough... but Jade's still a Nymph at heart; I can't take the risk that she's incapable of harming her master." He let out a heavy sigh. "I hate to put you in this position, Sakura... but there's no one else I can turn to. You're the only one that I can truly trust to protect the girls."

"You've been planning this for weeks... months even... haven't you?" she accused, looking deeply hurt.

He hesitated, then reluctantly nodded. "When I realised that someday I'd have to settle things permanently with my guide, I thought long and hard about who I should ask to be my contingency plan if I fail. With your speed, skills, and strength, you're definitely powerful enough to destroy him... but that wasn't the only reason I knew that you were the one. You love the girls... and you wouldn't be able to stand the horrible injustice of my guide abusing them for eternity."

Sakura's shoulders slumped in defeat, a fresh set of tears rolling down her cheeks. "Is that why we're not as close as you are with the others? Have you been deliberately keeping me at a distance to make sure I can... kill you... if I have to?"

"Oh, honey, no!" he quickly replied, shaking his head in denial. "I never meant for you to feel that way, I swear!"

"But it's still true though..." she said dejectedly. "I see the way you light up when you're having fun with Dana, or flirting with the twins, or even being teased by Alyssa. You have so much respect for Calara and Rachel, you rely on them for advice all the time... and you're so protective of Jade and Helene, it's obvious how much you care about them. I just wish I could make you as happy as they all can."

Pulling the Asian girl into a tight hug, John was wracked with guilt at seeing her react so badly. "I'm so sorry you've been feeling neglected. I swear it wasn't intentional." Grimacing in frustration, he continued, "I knew if we kept recruiting girls, this would happen eventually. Taking on Helene and Jade's four sisters was too much... I've been so focused on feeding them recently, that I've not been giving you the attention you deserve."

Sakura brushed away her tears then shook her head. "No, don't say that. Helene and the Nymphs are all lovely... I understand why you've had to spend time with them and I wouldn't have it any other way. Helene's helped so many people and I think it's wonderful that you're helping to free the Nymphs."

"But you still feel like I don't love you... or even like you... as much as the others?" he asked sadly.

She hesitated, then looked away, unable to meet his troubled gaze. The slight nod of her head was more than enough to confirm his worst fears. Rather than immediately try to persuade her otherwise, John stroked Sakura's back and seriously considered what she was saying to him.

"Alright... I can see why you might have got that impression," he finally conceded. When she slumped even more with dejection, he quickly added, "But it's not because I don't care about you as much as them!"

"Why then?" she asked, looking up at him with a terribly conflicted expression.

He glanced down at their fully-armoured bodies. "We're done with training for today; let's get out of this armour and find somewhere more comfortable to discuss this properly."

Sakura sighed and turned away to retrieve her swords and helmet.

John caught her gauntleted hand. "I do love you, Sakura. I promise."

She nodded, then gave him a tremulous smile. "I believe you."

They walked around the rapidly melting ice as they crossed the huge room, with John leading Sakura through the reinforced doors into the Secondary Hangar. Instead of returning to the Armoury, he strode towards the Raptor, his subdued companion following him up the ramp into the gunship. The armour equipping frames were empty there, so they stood in place and let the robotic arms remove their Paragon suits.

When they stepped clear, John drew Sakura into a hug and gently stroked her back. "Let's talk upstairs, we won't be disturbed there."

"Okay..." she murmured in a hushed voice.

They ascended in the grav-tube, then John opened the door to the Cabin and gestured for Sakura to proceed inside. She glided into the room, moving with the feline grace of a prowling panther, even while she was upset. Sakura demurely climbed onto the bed, then raised an eyebrow as she moved over to give him room.

John gave her a self-conscious smile. "Alright, I know you girls joke about this. Yes, you're probably going to end up with a full tummy after we've talked, but that's not why I brought you up to this bedroom. We've got some important things to discuss and this was the closest place to do so comfortably and in private." He hesitated, looking at her with concern. "But I'll understand perfectly if you don't want to do anything afterwards."

She leaned over to give him a tender kiss. "I'm one of your girls, John," she said softly, looking up at him with big eyes. "I always want you..."

He returned her kiss, then guided Sakura back onto the bed and lay down beside her, propping himself up on an elbow. The Asian girl looked more relaxed now, the initial shock over thoughts of John dying --especially at her hand-- starting to fade.

"We were talking earlier, about you having the impression that I don't love you as much as the other girls. First of all, that's not true, but I can see why you might have started to feel that way."

"Why is that?" she asked, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

"There's a few reasons, but none of them are your fault," he explained, giving her a reassuring smile. "First and in no particular order, you tend to fight alone in the Valkyrie."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What's that got to do with our relationship?"

John gave her a helpless shrug. "I tend to bond with the girls in combat. The danger... the fear... the excitement... saving each other's lives... it brings us closer together. You're extremely dangerous in that mech, but the downside is that you can't be at my side when we fight."

She blinked in surprise. "Damn... you're right! Even though that fight against Larn'kelnar was terrifying, I've never felt closer to you than I did afterwards."

He brushed aside a lock of her hair. "Yeah, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about."

Sakura looked hugely relieved already. "Okay... what else?" she asked eagerly.

"You spend a lot of time training in the Dojo, either alone or with Calara," he replied, reaching out to stroke her thigh.

"Training is bad?" she asked, looking bewildered.

"No, it's very important... and it's given you beautiful definition," he said, admiring her spectacular muscle tone.

"Thank you," she said, blushing at his compliment. "But..."

"I just haven't had the time to train with you recently," he explained, pre-emptively answering her question. "Between focusing on developing the Nymph's personalities, or constantly psychic shaping for Dana, I've been neglecting my training."

Sakura nodded her understanding. "Is that why you're such good friends with her?"

"It's definitely a factor," he agreed. "Dana's been my source of Progenitor schematics from the start, so that brought us closer for obvious reasons. She also designs and builds all our gear, which means she needs lots of input from me regarding prioritisation."

"And she's very likeable," Sakura freely admitted. "I'm not jealous of her... I just wish I had that same magnetic kind of personality."

"There's nothing wrong with who you are, Sakura," John said adamantly. "You're kind and caring, loyal to your friends, and very brave. I have the ability to change your personality in any way I want... but I haven't touched a thing, because I love you just the way you are. If I really wanted another Dana, you'd be swearing like a trooper, calling everything awesome, and begging me for a full tummy every chance you got."

She laughed and gave him a warm smile. "Alright, that's a good point... although I do think you're awesome."

"I think you are too, but I don't think I turned myself into Dana either," he said, pretending to frown as if considering it.

Sakura giggled and hugged him. "Okay, anything else?"

"We actually discussed this next one recently: You're our Security Officer, but there haven't been many opportunities for me to take advantage of your expertise. That's all going to change as we start hunting Progenitors and I'll be working closely with you in the future, planning how best to eliminate them. In fact, you'll probably get sick of me badgering you."

"Never," she said affectionately.

"We'll definitely be spending more time training together-" John began, then paused when he saw her face fall. He quickly clarified, "To fight other Progenitors, honey... not just my guide."

Sakura's face was still twisted in anguish. "Can't you just train harder to beat him? I can't do it, John... I'm begging you, please don't ask me to do this!"

"I promise I'm going to do everything I can to prepare for the fight," he said solemnly. "But I have to plan for the worst case scenario... just in case I lose. If you can think of any alternative way to defeat my guide and keep you girls safe, I'm all ears... but I've spent weeks trying to come up with another plan and got nowhere."

Sakura stared up at the ceiling, her brow furrowed in concentration and her mouth twisted into a troubled frown. John stayed quiet and gave her time to think, gently running his fingers over her beautifully toned stomach muscles as he waited. The minutes ticked by until Sakura blew out her breath in frustration.

"I've got nothing," she conceded, the pain evident in her eyes.

"You're the only one I can rely on to stop my guide if I lose," he pressed her, needing her agreement. "At that point, I'll already be dead... and you'll be my last line of defence for the girls."

She reluctantly nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I hate it... but I'll keep them safe for you."

"So brave... so loyal... how could you think that I don't appreciate how special you are?" he murmured, catching the glistening droplet and brushing it away. "I know how much it hurts you to even think about this, honey... I'll speak with Athena to see if there's something I can do to take that pain away. Until then, it's probably best if we don't discuss it any more. I don't want to cause you any more unnecessary suffering."

"Will you promise me that you'll train as hard as you can to beat your guide?" Sakura pleaded with him, growing increasingly distressed. "You have to save me from this... it's too terrible to even think about."

John gathered her up into a hug. "I will... I swear. Even if you're forced to stop my guide, you and the girls would still be vulnerable to the rest of the Progenitors out there. The best chance I have of keeping all of you safe is to defeat my guide, then take out those bastards personally. You must know that protecting you is the most important thing in the world to me."