Woah. It's been almost a year since I posted anything... And this has been sitting on my compy for about half that long. Sheesh. I need to get up off my lazy butt and write! Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own a copy of BoF III, and love it to little itty-bitty pieces. This does not mean I make any money off of it, nor do I intend to disrespect the true owners (Capcom). I merely wish to show my sincere appreciation of this beautiful story and art.

ooooooooooo

It was quiet. It was the kind of quiet that only happens at the dying of the sun, when the day has ended, but the night has not yet begun. This was Garr's favorite time of day, and he reveled in the silence and contemplative aura in the air.

It was getting dark, but the circle of light provided by the fire was holding back the encroaching black. Garr was tending the fire as he was wont to do. Momo was sitting across the fire from him and reading while Honey leaned against her thigh. Nina was next to her, curled up with a blanket, fast asleep. Peco was snoozing soundly, complete with spit bubble, near one of the trees that ringed their campsite. Ryu was sitting beside Garr, blinking heavily and on the verge of nodding off. A gentle, but cool, breeze started to blow, making Ryu shift a little closer to Garr's leg. An understandable occurrence, as his very nature caused Garr to give off a large amount of body heat; more than any unaltered human would.

The night continued in this peaceful way until Garr noticed a slight pressure on his thigh. Looking down he saw a mop of bright blue hair perched comfortably near his knee. One small hand was resting near the boy's mouth and the other was clutching tightly to the hem of Garr's robe. To say he was surprised wouldn't do justice to the emotion Garr was feeling at that moment. If asked, he wouldn't have been able to put a name to it. Maybe because there were more present than he could name?

Noticing the odd look on his face, Momo gently broke the silence with the quiet question, "Why are you so shocked?"

"I don't know. It just seems… odd. I've never had a child fall asleep on me before."

"Really? I thought you were a hero in your hometown?"

"Yes, but the children never truly came close. The Guardians were too revered for any child to feel so comfortable in our presence."

To this statement, Momo could only hum in acknowledgement. There were no words to reply to a statement such as that. Especially when it was accompanied by an expression that looked so very close to wistful.

Then Momo paused. What was the emotion that had just crossed his face? Sadness? Regret? Somehow, she thought, it wasn't her place to ask. Suddenly she felt like an interloper, an unwanted tag-along to a very private scene. Instead of continuing the conversation and breaking the newly re-established camaraderie, which had been sorely lacking since the group had entered the Urkan region and had only degenerated further the closer they came to Angel Tower, Momo remained silent. She turned back to her book.

While Momo had been deciding whether to interrupt or not, Garr was having an emotional crisis. He knew what he had to do. It had been ordered, it was justified. The Brood were evil. But this boy looked so innocent. He was a child. One that felt so relaxed in the presence of someone over five times his size that he could fall asleep on said person's lap. Ryu had no idea what Garr was planning to do. He still had complete faith and trust in this giant, winged warrior.

Did Garr deserve that trust? He could only answer 'no' to his own question.

Garr began hardening his heart to the softly smiling face. He couldn't let his resolve slip now. He knew what he had to do. He had to finish it. He had to end the war with this one final action. He would be doing the world one last service. He knew what he had to do.

But the whisper still escaped, to be carried away unheard.

"Were they all innocents?"

ooooooooooooooo