Codename: Ghost - An Arknights OC Fanfiction.

I Hope

"Geehhhhh...." Exusiai woke up, her head beating rapidly as hungover hit her hard. She groaned a disgruntled sound, before lifting her back up and massaging her aching head. After some of the ache subsided, she then tried reminiscing what'd happened before she seemingly passed out.

"...gehh...I went to the bar...with Ghost..!" As she gradually recollected her memories, she frantically looked around herself in search of him, even though her head was still light-headed and slightly beating, she ignored and pushed herself through it.

"Oi, stay still and just lay down. I don't want you vomiting all over in here." An all too familiar voice reprimands her. It was none other than her most worked with colleague, Texas. After a few moments of taking in what's happened, only now she's realised that she was currently in a moving vehicle.

"Huh? Texas? What are you doing here? No, what am I doing here?"

"Picking up your sorry ass, that's what I'm doing." 

"Wait, I was with Ghost, where did he go?"

"sheesh, that poor guy. Who knew how long you've been sleeping on him. If I hadn't passed by, He'd probably still be stuck there by now." As Texas worded out what she'd been doing throughout the night, the knowledge of one of her co-workers seeing what she'd done with him brings upon a wave of embarrassment to the already flushed out Sankta.

"Wa-That's not the answer I wanted! Did he already leave?"

"Yeah." Texas' brief answer made Exusiai feel a sense of worry. She grabbed Texas' shoulder and started to shake her vigorously, 

"Hey, turn around! He can't go alone, he'll get lost and scammed financially and-"

Texas then gripped Exusiai's hand and forcefully peeled it away from her shoulder.

"Owowowowoowowowo"

"Calm down, Jeez. He's explained everything to me, about how he's going to explore and send those gifts of his to his late friends. Don't worry, he's already got someone accompanying him along the way." 

With a brief explanation, she then releases her hand. Exusiai holds her own gripped hand, massaging it slightly but on her face a pouting expression.

"....Fine. Who?"

"...."

"...Who?"

"..."

"WHO!?"

"Mostima! Okay? Calm down....Sheesh, she told me not to tell you."

Her pouting expression now quickly turned into a face of disbelief, and utter disappointment. She clenched her fist, and slammed her thighs,

"IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME, NOT HER. THIS JUST ISN'T FAIR!"

"Yeah shut up. You've had him to yourself for a couple of days, that's long enough, don't you think"

"Yeah, and she'll have him for like, what, weeks? Is that what you call fair?"

"Jeez, calm down. My point is, you've spent enough time with him, haven't you? Look at you, dressed up and all. He bought that for you, didn't he?"

Her notice of that made Exusiai feel flustered, and her mood quickly took a turn. An overly clear grin formed on her face, her fingers unconsciously twirling her own red hair. Her act made Texas feel a little weird, though, unfamiliar with her having such an attitude.

"Y-yeah. It looks nice, doesn't it?"

"nah."

"Wha-"

"Joking, joking. You look great."

"Heheh, of course, he has good eyes. He picked it out for me."

Though Texas has some doubts about that.

"Yeah, sure...sure"

"...."

"Say, Exusiai..."

A curious Exusiai hums a response to her,

"...You like him, don't you?"

Her sudden question shocks Exusiai, causing her to go peach red and shy about the topic, her index fingers fidgeting pointing to each other,

"Eh?! I-I mean, I don't hate him, but it's not like I exactly l-like him.....Just that..." She then began to lie back against the car seat, staring outside onto the city view from the highway they were driving on, spacing out,

"It's just that.....He's just, y'know, always there for me. I feel...safe, I guess? I feel like, I can really put my hopes in him, rely on him, even when at times it doesn't even make sense for me to do so, but with him I can just be....confident."

"hmm..."

"I don't know about you, but in my lifetime where I have encountered many people who are apart of your life, but would just always not be there and disappear for most of the time....having someone like him whom you could just really not be so fearful of that happening, someone who would always be on your side is...comforting."

"Ah, you're just lonely inside."

"What, no!.....maybe, I dunno. The heart is a fascinating gift of God, and to understand it, you must understand its creator, or whatever school taught me."

"...Heh...well, at least you're finally admitting it."

"...shut up, I'm a girl too, I have feelings. But whatever or however things are, even if I now I might not really understand what I'm feeling, I'll still appreciate him for all the things he have done for me, and everyone, even if in the end he'll never see me as anyone other than his savior."

As the car finally takes an exit on the highway and enters into the city, the views from the window across various buildings, towering skyscrapers, big open parks, the multitude of shops and establishments, the diverse people all walking around and carrying on with their lives, snippets of memories from her brief, yet joy-filled time with the aforementioned Ghost pops into her mind, an smile widens on her face, from ear to ear.

"Even seeing him now, giving his best to try and make amends, to try and explore and find out the world, taking up new things and....just having an enjoyable and fun life with everyone now really makes me happy." 

"Damn, I'd never expect a day would come where you'd start spewing stuff out like this."

"Jeez, just stop keep ruining the mood."

"Nah, keep talking, I'm listening."

"...What, there's nothing else to be talking about."

"Aw, don't be shy, tell me about your little getaway with him in Lungmen. What did you guys do for these past 2 days?"

"Hehe...you really want to hear?"

"Y'know what, nevermin-"

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you. First, I went to visit him at.."

And as they drive off, Exusiai starts to joyously retell her small journey for the past 2 days with Ghost.

Maybe, this is a good place to end things for now. I hope we can get closer to each other after he gets back. Maybe we can do more things together. I'd like that, yes, I really would. Just, hopefully that Mostima doesn't do anything to him. I'd not like that.

-Exu, your lovely neighborhood angel,-