Hunters Moon...

Japan, twilight hour. Tokyo Tower, a young couple had made their way past security and are at the top landing. The gentile wind was blowing her hair as he held her. She closed her eyes and leaned in, parting her lips slightly. He leans in close his lips begin to caress hers. They feel the electricity between then and she smiles. He pulls back and looks into her eyes. They were shining bright... and they continued to get brighter. She looked worried and he looked around. Soon the air around them charged with energy and they parted. The sky seemed to part and something hit the metal landing in a flash of brilliant blue and white. As the light faded and the energy subsided. A man is stylized armor stood holding a young woman.

Saber looked around and smiled. "We're here." He said cheerfully. He looked to the couple staring blankly at them. ["Hey sorry about that, I should probably fire my travel agent."] he said with a chuckle. The Maverick Hunter set Saori down and ran his fingers through her hair. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

He had plans for when they came here. Here they had a place to stay and enough money for what they needed. Beings as this was Japan the anime capital of the universe he didn't think anyone would think twice about someone leaping from building to building. Once he was at their new place though he would have to go incognito. He couldn't wear regular clothing so he would have to settle for a cloak or something.



[]= Translated from Japanese

Saori simply smiled at Saber warmly, before looking at their surroundings, walking around a bit. "So this is what Tokyo is like..." She seemed quite fascinated by what she saw, completely oblivious to the young couple. She was not, however, oblivious to the way Saber had affectionately ran his fingers through her hair. She wondered if there was something to that, but she left it be for now. Only time would tell what the deal was.

Saber looked around to gain his bearings. He nodded when he knew where to go. He took Saori back in his arms and leaped off the landing and his metal feet hit one of the sloping metal beams. Sparks flew as he slid down the tower. When he was 20 feet from the ground he leaped off and used his dash boots to slow his fall. He hit the ground with a boom and the pavement cracked beneath him. He looked to Saori. "I'm a combat reploid. I'm not meant for subtlety." He chuckled.

Saber set Saori down and began to walk to the apartment he rented in his assumed name. "When we get to the apartment we can rest. We'll go shopping for food in the morning." He said. Then he thought about making his own version of an H.Q. here in Tokyo. He would need a warehouse tools and equipment. The technology here was a little primitive than what he was used to however on missions in backwater countries he had to deal with much worse.

Saber paused at an A.T.M. and withdrew a few thirty seven thousand eight hundred and seventy five yen. It was roughly equal to about five hundred US dollars. As he continued on he spotted a vending machine and bought some Pocky Sticks. They were strawberry. He offered Saori some and continued walking. It wasn't far now.

Saori was content to just follow Saber, taking in the sights, and munching on the pocky she was given... something she found she liked a great deal. She wondered if she'd actually get to meet one of the Ando sisters while they were here... she'd love that, honestly.

Saber led the way to their new lodgings. He had arranged for some clothes to be sent there. After scanning Saori he knew her measurements. He picked out the most popular Japanese outfits. He hoped she liked them. After locating his building he said a pass phrase to the desk clerk and thus retrieved their key cards. He handed one to Saori. Once in the room he tossed his swords on the couch and pointed to the packages. "Those are for you." He said with a smile. He then picked up the phone and dialed a few numbers. He remembered something Saori said about the Ando sisters so he was going to see about arranging a meeting. Or at the very lease get some tickets to the concert.

Saori curiously went over to the package, unwrapping it carefully and, upon seeing what it was, smiled softly. 'He's so nice...' She set the clothes aside, out of the way, and then began to wander the hotel room, familiarizing herself with it.

The hotel was in fact a decent sized condo. Saber went to his room and dropped off his swords. Keeping a small one on his person. As he walked out to the living room he looked around. "Well looks like we need to do some grocery shopping." He said and looked to Saori, "You game?" He asked.

Saori blinked at that. "Am I 'game'? What does..." SHe paused, her eyes glowing briefly. "Oh... it's another way of asking if I'm okay with doing that. Yes, I am. It should be fun, right?" She smiled, cocking her head to the side cutely.

Saber couldn't help but smile at her. "Yeah should be. If you like you can shower and we'll be on our way." He said. "When we get to the store you can pick out what ever you like. I'm not picky and will try anything at least once." He said with a chuckle.

Saori shrugged a bit. "I don't really know much about food. I mean, I know of different foods, just never tried them, honestly. Aside from the place you took me to earlier, I've only ever eaten bread and drank water. I don't need different nutrients, just any food to sustain myself." With that, she... began stripping. An unfortunate side-effect of her life up until now was that public nudity was not something she viewed as important to think about. Sure, her mind had supplied information that it was, but she'd been conditioned otherwise.

It was a little too late when Saber realized what she was doing. He turned from picking up a news paper to see her almost half naked. His face turned red and he stiffened turning around quickly. "W-w-w-what are you doing?" He asked. It all came out in a stammering rush. Then he was sitting down in a chair drawing little circles with his finger as he examined the smudge marks with the intensity of a scientist who was on the verge of a major breakthrough all the while muttering. "Ididn'tseenothiniswareididn'titjusthappenedsofastididn'tknowwhattodo..."

He cleared his throat still facing away from Saori. "I-um... Y-you... Maybe you should change in your room. You have the master bedroom after all and it has it's own bathroom so you should be more comfortable in there and it would be closer so you wouldn't have to get undressed out here not that there's anything wrong with public nudity I mean i'm not like a pervert or anything I just respect women is all and I wouldn't do anything to that would be misconstrued as being a pervert well leastwise not on purpose or anything." He took a deep breath, turned and bowed. "I'm so sorry." He finished.

Saori paused in her unintentional strip show and just looked at Saber oddly. "...Sorry? What for? You didn't do anything wrong, Si-Saber. Why do you think you did?" He mind tried to supply the answer, but again her conditioning acted almost as a block. She technically knew, just... it didn't make sense to her. Of course, because she simply stopped to look at him, she was standing there in just a bra and a half-off skirt and panties. She apparently had impeccable balance, as she was standing there on one foot, still posed in getting one foot out of her skirt.

This gave Saber pause... "I... uh.... well.... y-y-....." He stood and turned back to the table. "Um. In my up bringing, it wasn't proper for a woman to undress in front of a man. Out side a relationship. M-maybe it would be better if from now on you undressed in your room." He felt bad for saying it, he didn't know what kind of reaction she would have to his words so he walked to the balcony and stepped out. He felt like such an idiot. He leaned on the railing and scanned the area below for possible hostiles. If the situation were different he would find the time to gather his courage to ask Saori out. However there was a time and a place for everything and while certainly the place this wasn't the time. He sighed and continued to scan.

While some women might become offended, or some might assume the worst, Saori was of the sort that realized the problem at that moment. She blushed, looking to the floor. "Oh... right." This, of course, got her thinking. Did Saber seeing her in that state bother her? No, it did not. In fact, thinking about it... of the people she'd met up to this point, Saber was the only one who would deserve it. So the question was, did that mean anything really? SHould she do something about it? ...Perhaps. "...Saber?" Her voice was soft, but earnest.

He turned his head still looking at the ground but keeping her in his his peripheral vision. "Yeah?" He answered back.

Saori thought about how to approach this. Really, how did one broach such a subject? Her former owner wasn't a good example, not at all, so she had to really think about it... and went with what came to mind. "Um... am I pretty?" Well... that was lame.

Saber nodded as he spoke. "To be honest you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." He fumbled with his thoughts for a moment. "If our situation were any different then I would have to do everything I could to find the courage to ask you out." He turned away at that moment feeling embarrassed.

Saori was surprised by his honesty, but smiled. This made things easier, right? "Um... what if I said you didn't have to? I mean... I'd like that, but... you don't have to. You can skip that part... if you want." Was that too vague? She wasn't sure. It might be, or it might be obvious. Was it? How was she to know?

Saber smiled and turned a little towards her. He still kept her mostly from his gaze. "Thank you, but I wanna do it right. So how about I make you a deal, when we get your sisters out and safe then I'll ask you out. Sound good?" He asked.

Saori frowned in confusion. This wasn't the reaction males were supposed to have. "I... sorry? Saber, I'm offering... you know... the... naughty stuff. Don't you want that?" Experience dictated that, yes, a man would want that. And while Saber was too good of a person to just take it, she figured he'd accept if offered...

This gave Saber pause. He blinked. "Naughty... stuff?" Is wasn't really a question but that's how it came out. Almost strained disbelief. "Uhhh......" Was all he could manage for a long moment. His head then dropped and he let out a forced breath of air. "Saori," He started, "I..." He faltered for a moment. In all his years as a hunter he'd never thought about stuff like that. A good woman to spend his life with sure. But this... this was something else.

He looked at Saori and as his eyes met hers he felt something leap into his throat. Saber swallowed thickly. He didn't know any other way to say this so he would be as gentile as possible. "Saori, In many respects we are alike. However that said there are ways we differ completely." He started. "I won't lie to you, you are an extremely beautiful woman and if the situation were more ideal then yes, I would. However..." He faltered again. "However... I..." He sighed again. "Much like you I have a specific form and function. I'm not built like you." He finished. He was a bit vague however he believed she was smart enough to understand that he didn't have genitalia. His form was male, his personality was male. He just didn't have the most defining part.

Saori was lost for all of three seconds before realization dawned, and her face was quickly marred by deep sadness. "Oh... I... I see..." This news was actually rather devastating for her. Whether he accepted her offer or not... she'd rather hoped that something would happen eventually. It would be nice to experience sex in a pleasant way, as opposed to what her former owner had put her through. She knew she could trust Saber, and liked him, so he was the ideal person... until now. "....Okay then..." She just turned, and walked into the other room, shutting the door, and soon slipping into the shower.

Saber reached out a hand to her as she walked away. He knew he had crushed her and he was devastated. The reploid let his hand drop and he turned leaning his arm against the wall. He thumped his forehead against his forearm. "Dammit." Was the only thing he could say.

Saori didn't come back for nearly an hour, despite the shower being turned off after only twenty minutes. When she did come out, she was dressed in her new clothes. She smiled at Saber, though it didn't quite meet her eyes. She looked almost as hollow as she had when with her former owner, though obviously not quite that bad. It was more that she'd unfortunately built up hope for something, only to have it ripped away from her, and it was hard on her, considering her past.

For a long while Saber just stood there against the wall. He felt horrible. If only he was like his sister, a second generation reploid then this wouldn't have happened. "If only... what if's..... those thoughts never change anything." he muttered. The one woman who shows interest in me and I crush her. 'Hey here's some hope. You want it? Here it is. Nope sorry I think I'm just gonna step on it. He thought. He wanted to patrol. Get out and do something. He knew not all relationships were based on intercourse. He hoped she would be open to that idea. Maybe he would bring it up.

He walked over and sat in a chair lost in his thoughts. When she finally came out he looked at her as she smiled. It wasn't the same. He felt something die inside when he saw that. It seemed hallow. Nothing behind it. He gave her a half smile and stood. He grabbed his cloak and wrapped himself up. He said nothing as he walked to the door and made his way to the front desk. The clerk held up a hand. "Excuse me Sir." He said and handed Saber an envelope. He took it and looked inside.

Saber looked to Saori and handed her the envelope. "I'm sorry, however shopping is going to have to wait." He said and flipped open the envelope. Inside were tickers to the Ando Sister's with backstage passes. "We're gonna be a little busy." He finished.