"Machina ..." Rem walked closer to the crouching boy, swallowing before she leaned down to him. "Machina, it's ..."

He felt her hand on his shoulder, the familiar and comforting warmth Rem always had for him radiating from her touch. Yet it only was a tiny spark compared to the cold tears running down his cheeks, the emptiness that just hit him at the sight.

He dug his hands deeper into the rubble on the ground, clenching them into a fist that was almost too painful for him to handle – yet he didn't feel any of that physical pain.

His heart shattered at the sight of his classmates – his comrades in arms, the people he spent the last year with. Every emotion, every memory linked to those twelve bodies piled up rushed through him and pinched his mind.

Memories of happier times. Laughs and smiles when they first met. The pat on his back after their first mission together. Getting to know the twelve people that were supposed to be a big part of his life, their incredible battle experience Machina was in awe with.

And now here they were, lying motionless huddled together – their hands linked tightly, their heads tucked down.

It almost seemed so peaceful.

"I'm so sorry." Machina whispered, "I'm so sorry."

His sobs echoed in the ruins of the former Classroom 0, drowning the sounds of the howling wind in the empty room. Rem still crouched beside him and rubbed over his back, comforting him. She turned her gaze to the twelve bodies and bit on her lips as she as she watched the twitching card in Ace's hand.

"Machina …"

"Do you think this will hold?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but the knots seem to be tight bound together, so I'm fairly certain it will."

"Mh."

Cater crossed her arms, watching Trey attaching the vermillion cape to the ten other already knotted capes. He used Cater's cape to knot his on the flag they prepared. A breeze moved the vermillion capes and Trey had a hard time to finish his task, but eventually he managed to knot Cater's and Sice's with his.

Now there was only one left who needed to attach his cape. Trey turned around to Ace who stood a bit further away, his gaze drawn in the far distance and lost in his thoughts. A single card was in his hands, shifting with the movements of his fingers, tossing and turning it over and over.

"Ace. It's your turn now."

Trey walked over to him and waved in front of his eyes when he didn't make any hints of reacting to his call out. His focus in the distance was suddenly gone and held still the card in his hand.

"Huh?"

"Your cape. You're the last one to attach it."

"Oh right."

With a shook of his head he tucked on his shoulder to unwrap the crimson fabric from his neck, stuffing away the golden clasp that held together the cape all this time. Now it was time to finally put it to rest, leave it behind like the others already did – the war was over now, there was no need for Class Zero to wear the legendary crimson capes.

There was no need for Class Zero anymore.

"Trey, you still need to put your bow to the rest." Queen called out to him, standing in front of the pole to await Trey to finish his task.

All their weapons were stuck around the pole they set up, being cast away by their owners. The weapons that slayed too many people in this war and took their lives, the memories away from the minds of everyone.

It was quiet when Ace grabbed the end of the flag to reach the place where he wanted to knot his cape to the others. Trey meanwhile walked to the pole and placed his bow against it, carefully stepping around it to avoid the rest of the weapons that already lied there.

Not many words left them in this exhausted stage – they didn't actually know what to talk about, really. The past day was too tiring, draining their energy in their bones and muscles to the point where they didn't want to walk anymore. And now here they were in the ruins of Akademeia, in their destroyed classroom, the safest place they knew and could call the closest to "home".

"So this is finally the end, huh." Sice snarled as she slid down a debris wall, exhausted and tucking her head low with a sarcastic chuckle.

"Seems like it." Seven added as she joined Sice's side on the wall.

"I can't even feel my arms, hey." Nine said, clenching and unclenching his fists over and over. They were sore indeed, prickling as if they fell asleep. "Although I could run a bit further."

"But we did it, right? The war is over now." Eight called out from his sitting spot a bit further away from them, making them look up to him. "No hard feelings."

"We can finally rest now. That is … something." Deuce sat down near the pole and pulled her knees up to her chest, placing her chin on top of her knees and sighed. Her eyes almost fell close.

"Yeah I'm reaaally tired!" Cinque exclaimed, lying on her stomach on the ground and lifted with weak arms her fist in the air, immediately letting it fall down again with a thump. "I … kinda wanna take a nap now."

"Cinque …" Queen joined her side and patted on the girl's back, her tired gaze never leaving her on her side when she noticed she closed her eyes. "We … We can take a nap all together."

All eyes were on her as she said those words. Concerned and tired eyes that were, realizing what she just suggested. Ace finished knotting his cape to the rest and walked over to them, the rest of the group joined that sitting circle now too, sitting there in silence.

One after another closed their eyes, too tired to keep them open, too exhausted to even try. Some fell on the shoulder of their neighbor, some linked hands to support their position. If they knew one thing right now, then it was that this might be the last time they ever closed their eyes.

The wind howled between the ruins of Akademeia, sand of the debris swirled up and covered everything it touched. It really felt like the end, there was no hope in sight – as if time stood still, nothing was moving.

… Except for the twelve cadets sitting in the circle, their chest rising and falling with each breath they made. Some even clenched their holding hands tighter, fearing they would lose the other one. One or two still whispered to their neighbor, confirming with little twitches or nods that they were still alive.

It went like this what felt like an eternity.

Eight's head sunk to his chest, his eyes still closed, and sighed. Usually he had no problems calming himself down and find rest, but even his attempts in meditating now didn't bring him the peace he was looking for.

His heart was pumping too much out of fear of losing the grip of the hands he held in his.

"I … I can't fall asleep." He mumbled to himself and Cater beside him started to grip his hand tighter.

"Me neither," Ace responded to him, taking a deep breath and opened his eyes. "My heart beats … way too fast."

A union sigh resounded in the circle and all of them looked up again, nodding to what Ace just said.

Neither of them found the rest they were so sure to get after all this intense fighting, but their bodies simply refused to let them go. They didn't allow their conscious to slip away from them.

"Arhg!" Cater growled suddenly from the spot beside Eight and let loose of their holding hands, clenching her fists and pulled herself up, standing now, "Don't we deserve a bit rest by now?! After all the things we went through! … I just …"

She fell down again to her previous spot, huffing as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Silent nods were sent in her way, deep sighs that practically screamed of the tiredness in their bodies. Here they were again, not one step further than they were before all that.

"So um …" Deuce broke the silence, folding her hands in front of her chest. "I could … play us some music? Maybe that will help us to calm down."

"That is an excellent idea, Deuce." Trey nodded to her and got approval from the rest of the group, too.

The girl immediately turned around to the pole where all their weapons were stacked around it, picking up her flute she carried almost her whole lifetime. With a sigh she sat down again on her spot, looking in the round and saw all eyes on her. It was a bit embarrassing, she was honest to herself, it's been awhile since she played music for all of them.

Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, freeing her mind from thoughts that had no place in there right now before she set her lips on the instrument and started to play.

The melody was soft and flowed easily through the air. It started slow and picked up the pace after a few notes, but slowed down again, got quieter – almost like a gentle whisper against the wind. The magic that usually emerged from her flute was gone, no spells left it as Deuce continued to play this piece of music. The magic was more linked to the music now, rather than based on an attack like it was used to.

Ace closed his eyes again and started to hum with the melody Deuce was playing. He knew the song Deuce was playing, but the lyrics didn't come to his mind. The rest of the group decided to simply listen to the comforting music, also closing their eyes in hope to finally find the rest they longed for.

Some formed a smile on their faces as their minds were only filled with this melody, others meanwhile just held hands again with their neighbors. But all of them were at ease now with this music, their fast beating hearts coming down from their high.

When Deuce opened her eyes again after she finished her song, she was met with the sight of her classmates being asleep – at least that's what it looked like with the way their heads were either tucked down or laid on the next one's shoulder. Her eyes swept over everyone as she clutched her flute close to her chest, taking a deep breath before she stood up again to take her flute to the rest of the weapons like before.

However the moment she came back and sat down again to her spot, she was welcomed by various curious looking eyes.

"Thank you for your kind music, Deuce." Queen said from her spot, tilting her head to her shoulder as she noticed Cinque lifting herself up from it. The girl stretched her arms in the air and yawned before she fell back to Queen's side again.

"Yeah it was pretty good." Sice commented from the other side of the circle, getting approval from Nine and King.

"You're … still awake?" Deuce gaped at the response she got. "I was so sure I saw you guys … being, you know."

"It was calming indeed, but yet my body refuses to let go." Trey said with a sigh. He rubbed over his hands before he continued. "I was so sure we chose the path that leads to … death, but we are still here, so that means …"

"You mean the path we chose wasn't the right one?" Deuce asked Trey as he lost himself in his thoughts.

"If that is the case," Seven threw in, "then we still should be able to find the right path. The final page Mother was talking about."

"If we're not supposed to die, then that means there is still a place for us in the future!" Cinque's exclaimed and moved away from Queen's supporting shoulder, swaying back and forth on the spot she sat.

Ace nodded. "Good point, Cinque."

"So, what do we want to do?" Eight asked in the round and immediately began to switch into his thinking pose. "We talked about our possibilities earlier, but where do we start?"

"Well, we could just …"

A chatter broke loose, ideas got thrown around from one side to another. To stay or to go outside and see what was left from the war were the two options they had. Some wanted to look for survivors, others wanted to stay here and wait in case someone looked for them here. Especially Cinque, Cater, and Nine wanted to stay and look if they could find Arecia and ask her to come with them – they got low voiced approval from several, yet an uneasy feeling remained. They hadn't seen her since they got the task of writing their final page and worry began to rose.

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to stay …

Sice disengaged from the continuing discussion and leaned herself back, letting the others decide what they wanted to do now. It got way too noisy for her anyways and until they finally agreed on something, some time needed to pass first. She knew they would find an agreement sooner or later though, especially with the guidance of Queen, who acted again as the role of their leader.

She just wanted to close her eyes and follow the conversation brainlessly when she noticed a tiny movement in the corner of her eye, far away in the distance she didn't even pay attention before. In all her training under Arecia, learning to make out motions in the distance were of high priority – and Sice was sure she just saw something moving in the rubble of Akademeia's entrance.

The gate and the building of it were destroyed, the Rursus inflicted heavy damage on it, and there was no way someone could have survived that.

But something was there and it wasn't alone, making their way through the rubble in tiny steps.

"What the-" Sice tilted her head more and squinted her eyes. "Guys, we got company and I think I know who – … Guys?"

But her words got swallowed by the chattering of the rest of the group, ignored as if she didn't say anything. She rolled her eyes and leaned herself forward, waving into the discussing group.

"Guys!"

A silence broke loose.

The discussion ended and all eyes were set on Sice now, finally. She briefly shook her head before she spoke up again.

"Now that you finally listen to me, you can see for yourself who is just running in our direction."

With a hint of a smirk she pointed over her shoulder, into the direction she was just looking to. The gazes of the others followed her sign, some even crawled to her side to see what she meant.

Several gasps sounded in the broken room, noises of surprise and astonishment filled the air and the minds of everyone.

"Wait, are those-"

"How did they escaped-?"

"No way."

"I recognize this cape anywhere!"

"Machina! Rem!"

All twelve cadets lumped together on one spot, curiously staring out of the huge hole in the wall that gave them the sight to outside.

They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Only hours ago they saw them in Crystal Stasis together, they were the reason why they could stand against the Arbiter and defeat him, why the war was over now -

And now they were here, running up right to them.

"You know," Jack started in-between the cheers of the others, a wide grin on his face. "I think I might have an idea how to greet these two."

King sat back at Jack words, facing him. "And how?"

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this." Seven commented and crossed her arms while she faced him, too. The rest of the group followed her example and decided to give Jack their full attention.

"Aw c'mon, it'll be fun. But you have to promise me you're all in, it won't work otherwise, alright?" He clasped his hands together behind his head, smiling to the others who gathered in front of him.

They looked at each other a bit confused, but nodded then in union.

"Well then, tell us."

Machina's sobbing sounded for quite some time in the destroyed hall, the tears wetting his cheeks refused to stop even with Rem's comforting warmth beside him. Her soothing rubbing on his back had a calming effect on him, but it didn't help the vast void in his chest.

He withheld to look up to the twelve motionless bodies in front of him, fearing it would increase the bubbling sadness inside him.

It shouldn't have come to this, he told himself over and over, his thoughts racing in his mind. Is it my fault? I failed so much in my life, did I fail that too-

Rem didn't know what to do except for giving him the comfort he needed right now. The sight of Machina's current emotional state hurt in her heart, never she wished to see him crying again.

Other than Machina she couldn't keep her gaze away from the twelve cadets piled up in front of them. She squinted her eyes, inspecting them from where she crouched – the way they held each other, how they linked their hands together, their dropped heads, how they sat – as if they planned it, it looked perfect for Class Zero's standard.

It was … almost too perfect. Too … convincing.

And when Ace's hand moved and the card he held in it flew off in a rainbow, the realization hit her.

Rem widened her eyes and only shook her head, closing her eyes with a small smile, internally slapping each of them in her thoughts.

Of course. Typical, absolutely typical.

She should have said something, maybe yelled at them for doing this ridiculous thing to Machina, but she decided to stay at his side – and see what they have planned.

Meanwhile, in the pile of the bodies, a whisper sounded – low, almost not audible through the howling wind. A hand twitched, a foot almost wiggled – a pair of eyes opened and noticed Rem looking at them, immediately closing again at the reveal.

"Guys." A low female voice spoke, "how long do we still want to do this."

"Psh, quiet. It's working."

"Cater is right, you know. Also Rem already knows."

"Aw no, it was so perfect." Another whisper came and then it got quiet again.

But the silence didn't hold for long. A shift came from a body furthest away that almost ended up in a sigh, several shushes sounded from every corner as a result. It was starting to get uncomfortable, definitely something not according to plan.

"So," The first voice started again, "when do we tell him that we're actually messing with him."

"What's the point behind all this anyways. Jack, what the hell."

"We all agreed to that, so we're all responsible for our actions-"

"... This went better in the Liberation Campaign."

"Can we just end this whole mess? I can't sit still anymore, yo!"

In the midst of the approaching discussion, a young boy rose from the body pile, his blond hair flowing in the wind and gentle light blue eyes locked with Rem's curious gaze. A mumbled "Ace!" left her and her eyes widened in relief when she noticed the eyes of everyone else opened again – a warmth flooded through her at the sight of it, of them being alive, and for the time being, her anger and concern faded.

They all turned to Ace when he carefully stepped around his classmate in front of him, down to the level where Machina still crouched. He still hadn't moved from his spot, but his grip on the ground loosened once he noticed the noises around him.

His eyes opened and the last tear fell. Black shoes got in his sight and slowly he looked up from where he crouched, blinking a few times to get a clear sight, because what he saw he couldn't believe.

A hand was stretched out to him and Ace bent down, a smile appearing on his face and his eyes soften as Machina locked gazes with him. Air stuck in his throat at the gasp he made, his thoughts raced and couldn't find a solution – he could only stare at the boy standing in front of him, not believing what he saw.

"Welcome home, Machina."

Ace's words rattled in Machina's thoughts, finally waking him up from the disbelieving state he was in. He took Ace's hand and smiled bright, gripping the hand hard when he lifted himself up in one rush. Rem still stood beside him and patted on his back, but her eyes landed on the group forming behind Ace.

All of them stood again on their own feet, stroking over their clothes to get off the dust. Some were still a bit wobbly on their feet, but quickly another one came to their aid and supported them.

Trey almost fell over, but Cinque caught him and lent him her shoulder. Cater's foot seemed to hurt, but Deuce laid her arm around her shoulders and dragged her with her. Sice didn't admit her leg was aching, but Seven noticed her pain and offered her support. Nine helped Queen standing up, even though she seemed to be fine. Eight clung himself on King's arm, standing on his side. The last one to stand was Jack, getting support from both Deuce and Cinque.

But they were smiling – smiling to Rem and Machina's amazed faces.

"I thought you were … you were all-" Machina's words stumbled, but Ace quickly shook his head.

"We're still here. We still have a place in this world."

"We thought it will be the end of us …" Eight continued, but Cater jumped in. "And it really looked pretty bad for us sometimes."

" … but our final page is still not written. We have a new mission."

"Then …" Machina held out his hand to Ace this time. "Come with us. Join us in our mission to make Orience a better place. A united world without war."

Ace took a glance over his shoulders, seeing his nodding classmates behind him. Mumbled and whispered "yes" sounded in the crowd, only strengthening Ace's decision.

"We will."

He accepted Machina's offering hand and clenched it tight, hearing the cheers behind him coming up. Machina's smile was enthusiastic, reflecting in his eyes that already looked into the future.

Rem laid her hand over the two boys' linked ones, joining them in their cheers.

It was a union that would eventually lead to the freedom they all strove for – a future they couldn't even imagine a month ago. But here they were, alive and well, ready to face the next obstacles thrown at them. Surely it won't be an easy task, but together they never failed a mission.

Class Zero lived forever on as the saviors of Orience.

"So um." Machina said between the cheers of the others when he pulled his hand away again. "Whose … idea was all of this?"

"You mean the playing dead thing?" Cater asked.

" … Uh, yeah. That."

All eyes landed on Jack, who suddenly stood in the middle of the group. He scratched the back of his head and could only smile.

"Well, you see …"

But none of his attempted explanations made sense and instead laughter took place, the heartbreaking joke already washed away by the intense joy they felt. He got pulled into a hug first by Deuce, then Trey and Nine, followed by the rest of the group – ending up in a well-deserved group hug they all definitely needed.

Author notes:
Based on: ekusei tumblr com /post/137949299077