Author's Notes
- When I first watched GATE, I instantly got hooked onto the special mix of action and fantasy. You don't see the JGSDF much in anime, and I found that this was an awesome way to use them. I hope you all enjoy my first GATE fanfic, now let's get this started!
Many Goodbyes
Chapter 1 – Prologue, And We Fought…
Rory Mercury sat atop a mountain, looking down at the JSDF base on Alnus Hill. It was another peaceful, quiet day in the Special Region. She found a convoy of three Humvees drive out from the entrance to the base, and go North on the trail towards Italica.
Could it be? Is it them? Can't be…
She thought back to her comrades from Recon Team Three, led by Captain Yōji Itami of the JGSDF. Rory closed her eyes, picturing his goofy smile on his middle-aged face, Rory couldn't help but smile herself at the thought of someone like him.
Falling back into a memory, Rory remembered the words she said to Itami in what felt like was so long ago. Although she was almost a thousand years old, she couldn't recall many of her encounters from her life, but she was able to see Itami every time she closed her eyes.
"I've had many meetings with a lot of people…but I've also had just as many goodbyes…" she said to Itami in a low voice. "I'm a demigod after all…once we reach a thousand years old, we become…"
"Funny, because you look just like a 15 year old," Itami smiled.
"Oh, trust me…I'm way more experienced than any other 15 year old girl," Rory giggled.
She sighed as she was brought back to reality. Rory twirled her axe in her hands, before walking down the path of the mountainside – finding herself lost in her memories while she made her way towards the JGSDF camp.
As soon as she reached the main gates, the JGSDF soldiers recognized who she was – Rory Mercury, apostle of Emroy, the God of war, violence, and death. They've seen her capabilities on the battlefield, and many of them shook in their standard-issue boots in front of the physically 15 year-old girl, but almost 961 years old in reality.
"Ro-Rory Mercury…" one of the soldiers said. "Pl-please, come in!"
The two soldiers stepped aside and bowed towards Rory, who smiled at the two before licking her lips and entering the base.
Just a few days ago everything was normal…but now it seem that everything's changed.
She made her way through some of the barracks, where two soldiers exited from. Rory couldn't help but tune in to their conversation, being in a reasonable distance to where she could hear.
"Hey, Miyamoto, did you hear about the battle at the Imperial Kingdom that happened the other day?" one of the men in green said to the other.
"Where a couple of our recon teams were completely wiped out? Along with some of the refugees that chose to go with them there?" the other man asked. "I heard it was a complete bloodbath…"
"Apparently a few of our own survived, with a couple of the refugees. A scouting party found them wounded, hiding in a cave on the outskirts of the city."
Rory's ears opened up, and she stopped to continue on listening to the conversation being carried out between the two men.
"Oh, really? That's great! Did they find out who the survivors are?"
"Not yet…but they should be transporting them back here as soon as possible so they can recover."
Rory shuddered at the news, shaking her head before continuing on her stroll.
Even though I've been in here countless of times, it still feels too new to me.
The apostle found dozens of coffins that were ready to be shipped back to the land on the other side of the gate, Japan. The mysterious land that only just less than a month ago, Yōji Itami took her and a couple other of her friends from this world to.
She stopped and looked at the mass of brown coffins that shined underneath the sunlight. Rory walked by the aisles of coffins, until she came to a stop at a certain mahogany coffin that had a red ribbon sitting on top of it – the same red ribbon that she placed on it.
Rory read the plaque that stood next to the coffin. Feeling her heart drop as the words echoed through her brain.
Captain Yōji Itami, Recon Team Three
She sighed, shaking her head as she frowned.
"Itami, you idiot…"
Just how did this happen?
Many Goodbyes
Author's Notes
- So, with GATE, it's just one of my favorite anime from this season – and this season is a pretty good one! With Aoharu x Machinegun being a strong contender for number 2 on my list.
- Sorry for such a short chapter! This is just a build-up for what's to come soon!
- Anyways, this is supposed to be a dramafest, being told from Rory's perspective. Don't worry! Many characters will still be here, you'll just have to see for yourselves in later chapters! Thank you for reading and I'll see you next time! Later!