A different ending. A new beginning.

Kazuya Kujo laid flat on the blood stained snow as mortar shells rained down around him. The deafening blows erupted endlessly into his ears as he curled up into a ball, trying to make himself into a smaller target; trying to stay alive, just to see her again. Victorique. The memory of her; short, with long golden hair coupled with the qualities of a legendary detective and childishly stubborn; sent a wave of warmth and longing to his heart. The ring she had given him last year pressed hard against his chest, scarring its presence deep into his skin, reminding him the reason he has not given up hope.

The only rule in a battlefield was: kill or be killed. As the last shatters of the mortar shells faded into the distance and smoke lingered around the area, the remaining survivors of Kujo's regiment hastily got to their feet and resumed the charge upon the enemy under the cover of smoke. Armed with only a rifle, Kujo ran alongside his comrades and dashed blindly through the mist. A firefight broke out as they emerged and Kujo felt a bullet graze his shoulder while his finger systematically pulled the trigger, firing one bullet at a time. Each soldier killed meant one less person to take a shot at him; one step closer to the end of the war and finally reuniting with Victorique.

"ARRRRGHHHHH!" he screamed, as he fought in close combat with two enemies, using his rifle as a makeshift sword. Taking a wide swing, he managed to land a hit on one of their heads, knocking him out instantly. The other dashed in, thrusting his weapon towards Kujo's chest but Kujo managed to sidestep the malicious attack and quickly jab his rifle against the man's back. One shot was all it took. He fell with a splatter of blood and laid motionlessly on the snowy ground as a sea of red blossomed out under him. The sight of it made Kujo retch, even after 6 months at the frontlines, he still could not get used to killing. There was no time to think about it, though, as the next enemy charged towards him. Kujo parried the man's thrust and delivered a crushing blow towards the man's head using the butt of his rifle. The enemies were arriving in waves and there was no way his regiment could fight them off. His eyes glanced to and fro, coming to rest on one of his friends. From the weary, resigned look in his eyes, Kujo knew they were all thinking the same thing: it was time to retreat.

Firing shots at random behind his back, Kujo scuttled as fast as he could through the snow back towards his base. His squad no longer had the smoke which aided their previous charge and were now easy targets for enemy snipers. A cry of pain came from behind him and he knew one of his comrades had been shot. Against his wishes, Kujo kept on running without so much as a glance back. There was nothing he or anyone else could do for him anymore. If they could reach the safety of the forest up ahead, the trees would provide them with the necessary cover to escape enemy fire. He was just a few feet away from the first tree when he was shot.

The searing pain seared through his left leg as he tumbled onto the ground, rifle falling out of his hands. He lied, half buried in the snow, his face contorted in pain. Through his scrunched up eyes, he saw his comrades plunging into the forest oblivious to his plight. The irony that just a few seconds ago he was one of those running, wasn't lost on him as the pain intensified and Kujo blanked out.

Wake up! WAKE UP!" the shocking impact of cold water sent Kujo nerves reeling and he slowly regaining consciousness.
"Wha….at?" he mumbled and was greeted with a tight slap across his face.
Kujo opened his eyes to a dimly-lit room and realization crashed down hard on him. Pain and memories gushed back like a tidal wave and, as he struggled to focus, another slap found its mark on the other side of his face. Kujo focused and the sight of an extremely muscular, uniformed man dominated his vision. The mountain of a man had a long, curved knife gripped tightly in his right hand. Kujo recoiled in fear and found that he could barely move his arms...or any other part of his body for that matter. He was chained to a broad, wooden pole of some sort in a large tent with a dozen uniformed soldiers bearing the enemy's crest.

"Back," said a cold voice from the doorway. Hearing this, the soldiers snapped to attention and robotically changed their formation to form two parallel lines to allow their commander to pass through. Kujo could now see the entrance to what looked like a big tent. A tall man wearing an officer hat and flanked by two bodyguards moved towards him.
"Sir!" shouted one of the soldiers in the line, brining his arm up into a respectful salute as his commander passed through. The others all followed suit. The commander ignored them all and moved until he was directly in front of Kujo before speaking in the same chilling tone,
"Your name"
A question issued as a command.
"Kuu…..Kujo….." Kujo stammered afraid to meet his eyes. "Sir," He added after a moment's thought.
The deafening silence in the tent grew palpable while the commander walked around Kujo, taking his time to assess him.
Finally, he stopped and held up something that glimmered in his hand. "This yours?"
Kujo eyes locked onto the object and recognition instantly followed: Victorique's ring
"That's MINE!" He shouted straining desperately against his bonds. "Give it back….give…..it…BACK!" The chains cut deep into his skin, drawing blood, but the pain barely registered in his subconscious as Kujo continued struggling for all he was worth.

The commander had taken a step back and his bodyguards were already moving in to protect him. A disgusting sneer crept onto his lips as he relished Kujo's cries. Still in their lines, the soldiers leveled their rifles at Kujo waiting for their commander to give the order.
"Guns down," the commander barked. "I got this under control."
The soldiers reluctantly lowered their rifles, ready to spring them up again at the first sign of danger. The bodyguards, however, remained where they were and the commander impatiently pushed them aside to step in front of Kujo again.
He held up the ring again only this time his other hand positioned a lighter directly below it and Kujo could only watch in fear and sorrow as the flames burst into life, playfully licking at the bottom of the ring.
"No…..please….don't….i beg of you." Kujo pleaded.
The commander leaned in closer and whispered into Kujo's ear.
"This ring….it's very important to you right?"
"Yes…..please don't…..."
"All I want is for you to remain civilised while you answer any questions I may have for you…" The flames inched just a little closer to the ring.
"Do we have an understanding?"
Kujo nodded, too fearful to speak. Only when the lighter was withdrawn and vanished into a pocket did he finally let out his breath.
The commander straightened up. He turned and spoke to the soldiers, "Dismissed"
The soldiers looked between themselves in confusion. "Sir…" one of them finally spoke out "I don't think it's wise…."
"I have my bodyguards with me," he icily cut across the speaker, "DISMISSED!"
"Sir!" the soldiers saluted once more in a similar fashion before hastily scrambling out of the tent; away from the wrath of their commander.

"Untie him." He said with his back still facing towards Kujo.
One of the bodyguards unsheathed a short dagger from its scabbard and slashed at the ropes binding Kujo. Kujo flinched as the blade swiftly cut through the ropes as if they were paper. As his bonds fell away, his legs gave way and he crumbled to the floor into a kneeling position. The commander snorted in disgust and turned to face him.
"I am Commander Harrow, leader of the 23th division of the Allies forces pushing into Sauville…"
As he spoke, Kujo tried and failed to stand up, choosing instead to settle into a more dignified sitting posture. His eyes darted around the tent, looking for an escape route which he could take once his legs regained their strength. Until his ears picked up a few phrases.
"….a rumor of a Monstre Charman leading the Sauvillian forces….."
"Victorique!" Kujo gasped.
Commander Harrow paused in mid-sentence and smiled.
"I have done some background check on you, Kazuya Kujo, third son of an imperial soldier," he stated. "In fact, we have being searching for you for quite some time….and the way you had just fallen into my hands.." he bent down and stared deeply into Kujo's eyes. "It's as if this is all meant to be. You should consider yourself one…very, very….lucky….guy.."
"What….do you mean?" Kujo stammered in amazement. None of this made any sense to him.
"Recently, my forces have been suffering heavy setbacks on the Sauvillian front." He had stood up and started pacing up and down the tent, his brow wrinkled in worry.
"Sources within told me that this is because a very intelligent person has assumed command of their army" he stopped pacing and started watching Kujo for any signs of reaction. "This person is more commonly known as Monstre Charman, but, you and I both know that her real identity is Victorique de Blois"
Kujo kept silent, unwilling to let any emotion show on his face.
"And this," Harrow had reached into his pocket and took out the ring, "belongs to her."

Kujo body moved on its own accord. His legs had already regained the strength they needed and he lunged forward, arms reaching out to grab his ring. However, Harrow had nimbly stepped aside leaving Kujo to collapsed sprawled at his feet. Two arms seized Kujo's shoulders and pulled him back, slamming him against the wooden pole where he slumped, too dazed to resist or try another attempt to get his ring back.
"Now now, remember what I said about being civilised when I am asking you questions?"
A hard punch into his stomach knocked the wind out of him.
"Try that again, and I will burn the ring in front of your very eyes." The icy voice hissed.

Kujo looked up and saw that his ring had once again disappeared into the commander's pocket.
"Look," Harrow started, "I don't really want to hurt you. I know the legend of Monstre Charman. Victorique is Monstre Charman with legendary abilities whilst you…" he pointed at Kujo, "….are the rabbit that shares the same heart with her and defends her with your very life. If you die, she dies too….or at least that's what the legend says anyway..." At this point, he took out a pistol and leveled it at Kujo's head. "Under normal circumstances, that will be in my favour"
Kujo's eyes widened in fear. The two bodyguards were standing by to prevent any attempts to escape and at this range, there was no way Harrow would miss if he fired the gun.
"But…" he smiled and placed the pistol back into its holster. "It also means that if I control the rabbit, I can control Monstre Charman, and from the way I see her maneuver their troops, she is one AMAZING strategist. With her on my side, this war will finally be over."

"No," Kujo mumbled.
"Sorry?" Commander Edward asked threateningly.
"NO!" Kujo blurted out defiantly. "I will not let you use me to get to Victorique!"
Edward smiled his signature cold smile. "Funny, I don't remember ever giving you any choice in the matter Kujo. Be grateful that I am sparing your life. Why not look at it this way: If I can bring her over to my side, you two will not be separated anymore. Isn't that what you want?" he leered.
Kujo just sat there, unwilling to confess his agreement.
"Plus," Commander Edward pressed in, taking advantage of his silence, "her safety here is guaranteed as long as she is useful"
"What about once the war is over? What will you do to us then?" Kujo demanded.
"You two would have served your purpose. You'll both be free to go." He said simply.
Kujo didn't believe him. It was too good to be true. But even so, he could not do a single thing about it. He was too weak.
The commander turned to leave and his bodyguards returned to their places at his side. As he moved towards the exit, Kujo muttered resignedly. "Aren't you going to tie me up?"
Edward stopped at the flap of the tent. "As long as I have this," he flashed the ring, "I don't think you will be going anywhere."
Kujo closed his eyes in misery. He was right.
"We will be leaving for Sauville at daybreak." His voice washed over him once more before silence settled back into the tent.
Darkness had fallen and Kujo knew it was pointless to try and escape without retrieving his ring first. With a heavy heart, he laid on the cold floor and waited for morning to come.