Chapter 24: Mission Complete

Finn and Iris slowly made it back to where Archon and the other three had gathered. By the time the two arrived, they had just about finished cleaning up all the Phantoms there. And quite evidently, they were extremely surprised to see Finn walking, perfectly fine, with no sign of black liquid on his face.

"You…" Octane blinked in surprise. "What the hell? How did you recover so fas- wait, how did you even recover at all?!"

Archon slowly lumbered over to them, using his warhammer as a walking stick. His face and armor had cuts all over them, and he was so bloodstained that it was a miracle he was still alive.

"Kid… I was told you got blasted by Phantom Blood directly from the back of a Titan-class. But you seem… perfectly fine."

It would be easy to just say Octane, Storm, and Reaper were simply lying, but they had no incentive to do that, making this argument completely illogical. So, Finn decided to just use the same excuse he had with Iris, who was now riding on his shoulders once more. After all, flying was quite tiring.

"I'm not sure either," Finn said quietly. "I would like to find out how as well, but for now, I'm just relieved I didn't die."

"Makes sense… I am too," Archon laughed, referring to both himself and Finn. "Still, that was one hell of a feat you accomplished right there, rookie. Normally, a Titan-class Phantom would take an entire team of experienced Hunters to take on, but you two managed to take one down all on your own."

"We're definitely gettin' a huge reward from the guild for this!" Octane cheered. "Hell yeah!"

"No… we are not getting anything, Octane," Storm snorted, glancing at his friend coldly. "The credit goes all to them. All we did in this operation was drag the rest of them down."

"Y-Yeah, I know…"

"Don't feel too bad about it, eh?" Archon laughed despite all the injuries on his body, as if he was used to it. "As long as you learn from your mistakes and no one died, I'd call this mission a success. Come on, let's get out of here. After that… I think we all need a little rest."

In the end, Reaper pulled the group out of the massive hole one by one, with the exception of Iris who insisted on flying herself. The rain and fog created by Storm was still active outside, providing the perfect cover for the six of them to return to their hideout, which wasn't all that far from their current location.

Once they were back in their manor, the six were eager to just crash and fall asleep immediately, but there were still things to do before that — especially Archon, even in his battered state.

"Alright, folks… Storm and Octane, you can go take your showers in the mens' bathroom, I'll go after reporting back to HQ."

"Got it, boss!"

"… Understood."

Then, turning to Finn and Iris as the other two headed off, Archon continued. "As for you, Ivis… hm. Hey, kid. Mind taking her to the ladies' bathroom?"

At this, both Finn and Iris stopped moving.

"… Come again?"

"H-Huh?!"

"What?" Archon raised an eyebrow. "How else are you going to get to the shower on your own, without your wheelchair? Finn can't see anyway, so what's the problem?"

"N-No, but still… it will be embarrassing…" Iris blushed deeply and buried her face in the back of Finn's neck, refusing to say another word.

Archon sighed. "Well, unless you can think of any better alternatives…"

"… I can't," Iris admitted after some hesitation. "But... Finn, would you be willing to do this for me?"

Finn shrugged. "Sure. I don't particularly mind."

"I-I see… then, let's go."

"Heh," Archon chuckled. "Ivis knows the way to the bathroom. Just follow her instructions."

"S-Sorry," Iris whispered nervously as she clutched onto Finn's back tightly. "After making you carry me for pretty much the whole day, you still have to do this…"

"It's fine," Finn replied emotionlessly. "We already made a deal — you'll be my eyes, and I'll be your legs. I'm merely upholding my side of the agreement."

"Still… it must be tiring, no? I-I'm pretty heavy, right?"

"Not really. At least, you are lighter than my little sister."

"You have a little sister…?" Iris's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"Had," Finn corrected coldly. "Dead now, by the hands of Phantoms."

"Ah-" Iris gasped slightly, then bit her lip apologetically. "Sorry…"

"The past is the past. Let it be. Are we there yet?"

"Almost."

Finn fell into thought as he walked. "… Hm. This squad only has men in it, apart from you… why is there even a female bathroom installed?"

"I heard there used to be another female member," Iris said. "But… she was killed on a mission."

"… I see."

After another few minutes of utter silence, the two finally arrived at their destination.

"T-This is it," Iris said softly and nervously, stuttering a bit. "Just keep going forward… the lights are automatic."

Finn did as told, heading straight through the open doorway leading to the female bathroom.

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"Alright, take four steps to your front, then set me down on the ledge."

Finn followed her instructions once more, gently placing Iris down on the perimeter of the bathtub.

"O-Okay, now, turn around."

"… I can't see anyway…"

"J-Just turn around! It makes me feel a bit better…"

Finn sighed, shaking his head, but complied to her request. In his head, he was starting to get impatient, as he wanted to talk to Zelestria as soon as possible about what happened today. Still, he didn't let this show on his face and kept a neutral expression.

After nearly a minute, Iris was finished taking her clothes off and switched the faucet on. The bathtub quickly began to fill with water, and once there was a high-enough elevation, Iris carefully lowered herself in, pulling the blinds across.

"Whew…" she breathed out deeply, both relieved and relaxed.

"… Do I stay here?" Finn asked, confused.

"Um… I mean, you don't have to, but when I'm done, I won't be able to get out on my own…"

"… I see. I'll stay, then."

"T-Thank you. I'll be quick."

Silence filled the air once more, creating an awkward aura between the two of them. Eventually, Iris couldn't take it anymore, and decided to break the tranquility.

"Hey, Finn."

"Yes?"

"Do you… not have any questions for me?"

"Like what?"

"Like… actually, sorry, never mind."

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Iris seemed to believe Finn genuinely didn't know what she was talking about. If that were the case, then it was best things remained that way. She hoped Finn was just clueless enough to not notice her flaw-filled actions today.

Of course, this was not true.

Finn knew perfectly well what she was referring to — the fact that she could wield a gun with such skill and dexterity.

Any normal 18 year old would not be able to do that unless they were part of the military or some sort of special training program since a child. Iris did not look or act like a soldier in any way, so only the latter could it be true. But what kind of special training program would teach a child how to use a gun…?

It was clear that Iris's background was not simple. How she got crippled was also unknown. There were many mysteries to this girl, but Finn didn't care about any of them. She was his partner for the time being — that was all. Until he gained his own eyesight back via Zelestria, he needed her. But after that happens…

Around ten minutes later of pure silence, neither of the two able to start a conversation, Iris finally spoke.

"O-Okay, I'm done. Can you… come here for a sec?"

Finn walked over and faced the blinds once his foot hit the edge of the bathtub. "I'm here."

"Alright…" Iris opened the blinds, covering her body with one hand instinctively. "Now, give me your hand, I'll show you where to place them…"

Finn held out his hand and Iris took it, guiding it towards her own waist. Finn could feel the warmth of her wet body as his hands made contact, her skin soft and silky. Iris blushed deeply as she bit her lip to prevent herself from moaning at the touch of Finn's rough hands.

She then took Finn's other hand and similarly placed it on the other side of her waist, then took a deep breath.

"Mmngh… o-okay, you can lift me up, just like this…"

Finn did as told, suddenly lifting Iris upwards by the waist and sliding one of his hands down to her leg.

"W-Wha- hey!"

Immediately after switching to a princess carry position, he set her down gently on the bathtub's perimeter.

"… It was easier to place you down by doing that," Finn explained. "Did I hurt you?"

"A-Ah, no, it's fine…" Iris averted her gaze and covered her body, face as red as a tomato, despite knowing full well Finn couldn't even see.

Her heart thumped loudly, as if about to leap out of her chest, and she couldn't help but wonder why this was happening. She felt strangely attached to him despite the short amount of time she's known him for, almost as if they were just naturally compatible with one another.

Perhaps it was because they both had physical disabilities. Perhaps it was because both had dark, tragic pasts. But whatever it was… Iris felt close to Finn. The feeling she felt… it was almost like the warmth of family she once lost.

'It can't be love,' she told herself. 'We only met for the first time just this morning… there's no way it's love… it's more like a close friendship, I suppose?'

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Finn then headed out of the room to get Iris's change of clothes for her, as Iris stared after his disappearing figure.

"There's just… no way."

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