They all did so. Callum couldn't believe the reaction. There were cheers and it seemed like everyone wanted to hug him or shake his hand. His beam cannon had been seen by everyone and he and Valencia were the heroes of the hour. Somebody made a couple of big bonfires and people started carrying out food and drinks. Nobody felt like sleeping. Even Callum was swept up in the festive mood, despite his exhaustion. Yemoramato disappeared but Nita and, insanely enough, Chajin were feted almost as much as he and Valencia were. Chajin entertained all with her dramatic reenactments of the fight. Callum supposed when she wasn't being creepy as hell, she was actually pretty charismatic. And where Chajin wasn't, Russell was, standing on tables and giving highly exaggerated blow by blow accounts of the fight.
A few hours in, when he could finally get away from the congratulations and get some food, he noticed Mikan sitting off to the side with a young girl. Callum headed toward her. Mikan jumped to her feet as soon as she saw him. She seemed nervous. The girl next to her did the same. Callum smiled gently. "How are you, Mikan? Nita said you came through alright but you're not injured at all, right?"
"N-no. Miss Nita protected me. Any you and Miss Chajin and Miss Yemoramato." her voice was quiet and breathy.
"Don't count yourself short," Callum said. "You got one yourself. That's really incredible. I saw how those carcha fought. I would have been dead myself if I didn't have Valencia and Angra Mainyu. Even then Chajin had to save me. Honestly, I can't believe you were able to fight them by yourself. You're amazing."
Mikan's face went so crimson that Callum could tell even in the dark. "I'm not amazing at all. Not like you and Miss Valencia."
Callum's smile slipped. He didn't know why she was being so self-deprecating and wasn't sure what to do about it. Maybe he should talk to Nita. She had spent more time with Mikan than anyone. Callum glanced at the girl next to Mikan and then did a double-take. She looked exactly like Mikan. 'Twins?' Callum had heard of such things but he'd never seen it in person. "Is this your sister?" Callum asked.
Both Mikan and the girl flushed dark. The girl especially seemed embarrassed. Callum had no idea what he had done until Mikan said, "This is my brother, Yukimura." Her voice wasn't angry at all, just embarrassed.
Callum couldn't keep his eyes from widening. He never would have thought Yukimura a boy, not with those soft features, thin body and that long hair. But he said, "Oh, of course. My mistake. Of course you're a boy." He slapped Yukimura on the shoulder and the boy's legs nearly folded. 'If they are twins, Mikan was way luckier.'
Yukimura stared hard at the ground. "It is an honor to meet you, Mister Callum. You're a hero."
Callum shook his head. "I'm just doing what I have to do. Your sister is the real hero. She wasn't forced into this at all but still volunteered to fight."
Yukimura looked up and there were tears in his dark eyes. 'Such long eyelashes for a boy.' "I know she is! I want to protect her!" He suddenly seemed embarrassed and looked away. "I wish I could pilot a mech too but Mister Riley says there are no more."
"You could activate one?" Callum asked. Yukimura nodded. 'Hmm, maybe we could train him as the backup if Riley continues to struggle.' Callum felt guilty at the thought. Yukimura seemed so meek and weak. 'Is it any better putting his sister in one?' Callum filed away the thought. "Even if you can't pilot a mech right now, you can still support your sister. I have a sister, too. She always seems strong but it's up to me to notice when she is…struggling. Huh." Saying it out loud flicked a switch for Callum. 'Here I've just been feeling sorry for myself but something is going on with Cat. She's hurting.' Yukimura was nodding. Callum patted him on the head. "It was good to meet you, Yukimura. I need to...I need to go, though." He glanced at Mikan. "We should talk more soon. We're teammates. We should get to know each other." Mikan blushed again for some reason but Callum had to go. It suddenly felt urgent that he meet Cat.
He searched around the party but didn't find her. That wasn't a surprise. Things were dying down and most people had already returned to their beds. He headed back to the carcha barracks and knocked on the door of her room. There was no answer. Callum waited for a few more moments and then opened the door. She wasn't inside. He checked the kitchen next but didn't find her. He looked around the barracks for a while longer, getting increasingly frustrated. Where the heck was she? A thought hit him. Maybe she wanted to talk to him as much as he wanted to talk to her. If so, maybe she was in his room waiting for him. It was one of the only places he hadn't looked. He suddenly felt sure that was the case and hurried to his room.
There was a figure on his bed. Callum's heart soared for a moment but quickly wilted. The person sitting on his bed was Chajin. She was in her pilot's suit, long, dark hair tied in a braid that fell almost to her hips. Chajin smiled when she saw him, showing off her sharp teeth. "Callum," she purred. Her voice had a husky quality that lessened some of its normal reptilian coldness. "I've been waiting for you."
Callum pressed his back against the wall, suddenly very nervous. "What are you doing here, Chajin?"
Her tongue played along the tips of her teeth. "I was beginning to think there was something special about you, Callum." He realized this was the first time he'd heard her call him by name instead of 'human.' "Tonight confirmed it. Eight kills in your first battle. I never expected you to match me."
Callum forced a smile, trying not to let her know how nervous he was. "That had more to do with Angra Mainyu than me. Valencia deserves half the credit, too."
Chajin shook her head and stood. Her movements were upsetting, like she didn't have any bones. "No. Among the carcha, the one who powers the selachii is the one who gets credit for the kills. The selachii is a tool. Even if it is a good one, you still have to use it properly." She stalked forward. Callum pressed himself back against the wall as she stood as close to him as was possible without actually touching. "That blast...do you know how many in history could have summoned such an attack in their first real fight and kept piloting afterward? You would be a god among the carcha."
"I don't want to be a god," Callum said. His throat was dry. "I just want to keep my sister and my friends safe."
Chajin cupped his cheek. He had expected her hand to be cold but it was surprisingly warm. "Do not think so small," she whispered. "You and I together could accomplish so much. We could blaze a red streak across the universe!" She leaned forward and nuzzled his neck.
"I don't want to blaze any streaks," he said. "Let me go, Chajin." She licked his neck instead. Her tongue was cool and dryer than a humans. "Let me go." Callum took her by the shoulders and tried to push her off. She didn't budge a millimeter. 'How is she so strong?' He warned her one more time. "Let me go." He prepared to push her again and this time he meant to have her off no matter how forceful he had to get. Instead of letting him go, Chajin bit him. Her teeth sunk in right around his carotid artery. Callum froze for a split-second and then threw her off him. His surprise caused him to throw her harder than he meant to and she slammed into the far wall.
She didn't seem to mind, though, sliding down the wall until she was sitting on his bed. She smiled, her lips stained with his blood. Her tongue darted out to lick some. "You taste sweet."
Callum slapped a hand to his neck. The bite wasn't deep but blood was still welling out of it. "What did you do that for?" He was breathing heavily and having trouble catching his breath. The room was suddenly starting to feel very hot. "Did you poison me?"
"Of a kind." Chajin giggled. She lightly tapped a few of her upper teeth with the tip of her finger. "We carcha have a venom that sends our partners into heat with a gentle bite. I have heard that the effect is much more potent on other species, including humans. I wonder what it will do to you?"
Callum was sweating and he was having trouble focusing. He did his best to parse what she had said. She had poisoned him but it was something carcha used on each other for...sex? Did he understand her right? The fact that he was swelling down south told him he had. Chajin stood. "S-stay away from me!" Callum shouted, his voice pitching up. He was having trouble taking his eyes off her. He'd never been attracted to carcha before but something in the back of his mind was screaming at him to rush over and tear her clothes off. 'No, no, no, no, no! Keep it together!' Callum slowly slid along the wall, desperate to get away from her. He didn't know what he would do if she came closer. But Chajin simply stood and watched him, a wide grin on her face. Callum reached the door and practically threw himself out of it.