Gunzen

It's funny, you know. When you think about it for long enough it seems almost stupid. When they say that the world will never stop spinning. It's stupid, I know...

But what if it did? What if my entire world stopped spinning and was cast into the shrouded darkness of pain. This is what death causes. The darkness and hopelessness of death is suffocating. Yes this is what death causes, such a terrible thing.

Bro...

I won't let your death be in vain. I can't let you have died for nothing. All I need is one chance and it will all be okay. Won't it?

Heavy steps clattered along the corridor outside his room. The air was thick inside and seemed to thicken the darkness already shrouding the room. Simon looked up from where he was sat, in the corner of the room. He was startled by the footsteps, they sounded so urgent and yet. Hadn't the battle ended in victory, with the Spiral Forces capturing the enemy fortress? Or had the Anti-Spiral sent in reinforcements in order to recapture the important outpost? With this Simon lowered his head again as fresh waves of sadness and guilt washed over him. A small sob escaped his lips and he felt the warm trickle of tears as they slipped down his cheek. There was a gentle 'plink' as they hit the ground. Those damned Anti-Spiral and their damned leader Lord Genome. They had killed him and yet. Couldn't Simon of helped him. He had been there and yet he had done nothing to save him. He had let his brother sacrifice his life in order for the Spirals victory. Could he have prevented his death?

There was a hiss as the doors slid open, letting the light in from the corridor outside.

"Simon?" An enquiring voice called out. It was Yoko. And whilst she was a woman, she was also the best shot out of any of them. "Simon, are you in there?" Simon shuffled slightly. With a sniffle he called out."Y...Yeah." He looked up again as her shadow loomed over him.

He saw the waves of red hair that was spilling over her shoulders almost to her waist. She still wore the battle gear from the previous battle. The shorts that held the many types of ammunition available to use, her rifle could use them all. She also wore a very short top that showed off her very curvaceous figure. But similarly to Simon, her eyes were also red, from the amount of tears she had shed. She looked just how Simon felt hollow and depressed. But, why shouldn't she? Yoko and bro had been together. They had been hinting at there feelings for each other for a while, and they had only recently expressed those feeling. And yet, those feelings had only lasted until the taking of Gunzen.

They had been so close to victory but a surprise attack from the enemy general had stopped both Simon's and Yoko's worlds from spinning. The enemy general had blasted his way through the wall, and Kamina, bro, had gone to stop him. He had tried so very hard. He fought with blade and fist, against an opponent that saw him as inferior. He was struck down time and time again and all Simon had done was watch. He watched as the general had impaled his brother upon his sword and watched as he fell to the ground. With his final breath Kamina had gotten up, much to his opponents surprise, and struck the winning blow. With his opponents death Kamina held his head high, fell to his knees and bade, with his last breath, his friend's farewell.

Realizing that Yoko was talking to him, Simon shook his head and tried to forget of the memory. "... Simon, you can't blame yourself for Kamina's death." Simon clenched his teeth. "Why not?" Simon exclaimed. "Why can't I blame myself for his death? I just stood there and watched him die and did nothing about it. It was all my fault." Simon's body shook with guilt and sadness. "If I hadn't of gone down that corridor bro would still be here. Why won't anybody blame me?" Yoko looked shocked at this outburst and responded gently to Simon. "Simon, what could you have done? You're still a child, still 14 years old." Simon looked away, his face now hidden by shadows. Yoko was unable to gauge his emotion. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, with each second becoming stretched and twisted. Suddenly Simon spoke, his voice quiet. "Yoko, why won't you blame me? I was there and I watched him die. You loved him. Yet the person who left him to die, you don't hate. Why Yoko? Why?" There was a blur of movement and Simon was flung to the floor. Yoko was standing and breathing heavily, her eye's filling with tears once again. She looked down at Simon. There was a large red mark where she had slapped him, hard, across his face. He just sat there holding his jaw. Yoko clenched her jaw against the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She yelled out, her voice cracking with the strain, the strain of keeping the sobs back.

"You damn idiot. I could never blame you. Ka..." She swallowed as if it were painful to speak his name. She shook her head and continued. "Kamina made me promise that I would look out for you if anything ever happened. He knew that what we were doing was almost suicide and yet he was always worrying about you." Simon looked shocked at this. He had never known that bro had said any of this. Yoko was sat where she had fallen, the enormity of what had happened hitting her. Simon crawled up beside her and consoled her as best he could. After a while, when she seemed to be able to stand without help, Yoko bade Simon farewell and left his room. Once she had left Simon fell back against the wall and slid down. He had never known about this. It seemed that Kamina had known his fate all along, and had tried to do something about what happened afterwards. He yawned. Simon was exhausted; he hadn't slept properly since before the start of the battle. That had been almost a day ago. He got to his feet, stumbled across to his bed and fell into its covers without changing. He soon fell into a dark and dreamless sleep. Whilst elsewhere, the rest of the dispirited pilots of the various mechas toasted a final farewell to their noble leader. And the night closed in around them.

Joshua Palmer