Okay, I know I said that Falling Petals would be the last story I'd write for a while. But... I got an epiphany from reading another writer's fanfic. The story plot was good, but the author stopped writing and hasn't written any new chapter since. I loved the work so much that I started getting ideas about what was going to happen next, but out of respect for the author I let the notion sit in my head.
However, it keeps eating at me. Wanting to come out and be acknowledge that I couldn't take it anymore. It didn't help either that I stopped writing after 7 stories. I hate odd numbers, almost to the sad point of obsession. It's just one of my sticklers, it's kinda funny coming from someone who was born on an odd day. Anyway, I just couldn't take it anymore, so this will be my real last story for a long time.
Before the story begins I like to give mad street credit to FreakishMind. Thank you FreakishMind, your story Over the Clouds gave me the slap of insight to create another story. I hope and wait patiently for the continuation of your story. I've got a lot of respect for you as a writer. So without further a due, all characters with the exception of my designed Protagonist in God Eaters Burst are not my own and belong to the Namco Bandai Games and D3 Publisher. Garland von Schicksal and Dr. Rumiko at the known moment belong to God Eater - The Spiral Fate manga, Bandai Namco Games, and Saitou Rokuro. Enjoy!
The Tormented Specimen
"When did you... how did you get this approved?" Dr. Sakaki gasped in disbelief. Somehow the new Director of the new Fenrir Branch in Finland had managed to bypass his veto and got the approval of Fenrir HQ for the transfer of the Far East Branch's First Unit Leader.
Garland von Schicksal, the younger brother of the Far East Branch's previous Director and Soma's uncle. The long haired man was a slight younger replica of his older brother, he had lost his right leg and left eye to an Aragami attack and has been shooting up the ranks ever since. Garland has had his eye on the Far East Branch's First Unit Leader for a long time now, for reasons of vendetta or simply scouting for strong God Eaters were unknown. But for whatever the reason, Dr. Sakaki didn't like the idea of handing over the First Unit Leader over to him, something in his gut told Dr. Sakaki not to do it. He had denied the transfer for months now, regardless of Garland's persistence. But somehow the bastard won over HQ.
"That's not important, Doc..." He smirked on the screen at Dr. Sakaki with that cocky grin that said 'I win' as he swished around a glass of wine. "Following orders is. Now transfer Umiko Yukino's belonging to Finland Branch's Terminals."
"But I told you, I can't do that!" Dr. Sakaki shouted at the screen with the last bit of defiance in him. But he was a beaten dog, the legendary Stargazer had just met his match.
"Are we going to have to take this up with HQ?" The man sat in his Director's chair like a prideful king. Sipping on a cup of red wine with his leg crossed on his prosthetic automail leg. "I believe insubordination are grounds for dismissal, or perhaps we'll just have to retrieve her by force."
"(Sigh) Okay... I'll do it." Dr. Sakaki submitted with his head down.
"Very good, Doctor." Garland said with a small smile on his face.
"God damn you for your abominable research." Dr. Sakaki hissed up at him.
"Heh, now, now Dr. Sakaki, don't get upset. I'm merely continuing where you have failed. I am simply proposing the evolution of human kind. Ms. Yukino is just the perfect candidate to charge this possible human evolution." Garland chuckled as Dr. Sakaki looked at him skeptically. "Oh rest assured, this has nothing to do with what happened to my brother during the Aegis Project. All of this is strictly business, Dr. Sakaki. Or should I say Acting Director?"
"Shady business is more like it." Dr. Sakaki retorted back.
"I only do what is necessary to preserve the human species. My etiquette about the process will be ignored in the future history books." Finishing off his wine, Garland gave Dr. Sakaki one final message before disconnecting the channel. "I will be over shortly to pick up my specimen. Oh, I'm sorry (Chuckle)... I meant candidate."
"It appears that the apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree." Dr. Sakaki said aloud to himself. His elbows rested on his Director's desk; his fingers crossed together as his head rested on them. "Once again, I am forced to do nothing as fate plays out. Sometimes the life of a Stargazer is truly a curse."
*** Later that Day with Umiko ***
Rejected... Disgraced... She had ruined any friendship she ever had with Soma in a matter of 35 seconds flat. Umiko just wanted to talked... to set things straight after the incident. He had saved her life, unknowingly to her. Resonating with her to bring her out of deep coma after a mission gone wrong in the Tranquil Temple.
The near death experience should have brought them together, but instead it tore them apart. Soma had looked into her psyche and had seen all of her, the good... and the dark. He had seen her memories, her love for him, her happiness, her pain, her jealously, and yes... her guilt. He had seen her wretched jealously over the little Aragami girl on the Moon, and he loathed it.
She tried to confront him about it today as soon as she had found out what happened, even ran to his current mission location as soon as she got out of the Sick Bay. Umiko barely had time to change out of her hospital gown and into her usual Marine Plaid Shirt and Army Pants: Chiron as she ran out. Recklessly ran out into the Aragami invested land without her God Arc just to see him. But he wouldn't have it, Soma wouldn't even look at her. Umiko could hear the disgust and acid in his voice as he told her to get out of his sight. It tore her heart out worse than an Aztec sacrifice ceremony. Her usual cheer and happy-go-lucky spirit was long gone, now it was replace by bile and agony. He didn't have to say anymore... her affections were rejected.
Her heart... it hurt. Her raven colored wavy ponytail hung low with her head. Her long bangs covered her watery crimson eyes. The lump in her throat, the clutching feeling in her heart... it stinged. At that moment she wished that she couldn't feel at all; that all the pain would go away. Perhaps it would've been better if Soma had just left her for dead.
No! She shook her head, she couldn't afford to have such destructive thoughts. In her line of work people carrying a lot of emotional baggage were the first to be picked off by the Aragami. But all the same... she couldn't keep it bottled up for long, the stress would kill her. So as soon as she got back to the Den she planned to lock herself in her room and cry it out. Wail out her woes as loud as she wanted, the sound-proof walls would drown them out from the rest of the world. By the end of it she would do her name justice. And by the end of it all she would pig out on some ice-cream and chocolate to help with the healing process.
Perhaps this was for the best... maybe she should let Soma go. She suffered long enough always coming second to Shio in Soma's world. The others knew of her feelings for Soma, but silently watched in her plight in pity of Soma's obliviousness. Perhaps she would no longer have to suffer through their sympathetic stares. Umiko loved her team and would even give up an arm for them, but she hated their eyes whenever they would do this. They made her feel pathetic, she didn't need their pity. She needed... an escape.
Like a twisted form of her wish, Umiko got what she wanted. As she touched down into the Den she was greeted by the First unit arguing with Dr. Sakaki and a strange man while the elevator doors opened to the Entrance. The man looked disturbingly like Director Johannes, something about him sent a chill through her body. Her gut hasn't been wrong so far and she would've been dead a long time ago if she ignored it, this man was dangerous.
"Like hell if we're going to let you just walk up in here and take her!" Kota shouted at the man in a rage that was rare for Kota. That alone tipped Umiko's alarm that something was wrong. "I don't care what the Doc says!"
"I agree," Alisa said more level-headily than Kota but with a rage still present. "You have no right to do this without the consent the Gods Eater in question."
"Heh, a subordinate of Fenrir having rights of their own? How laughable. You've all signed your freedom away for power and protection the moment you joined Fenrir. God Eaters are merely tools, easily used and disposed of if necessary for the good of human kind." Alisa hung her head low at Garland's cruel words as he approached her, his boots tapped with the floor as he moved. She gasped and widen her eyes in shock as his fingers gently touched her chin to lift her face back up to him. "You could even be used as feed for the Aragami if we so pleased."
"Bastard!" Kota shouted in raged. How dare he talk to Alisa that way, let alone touch her. Just as he was about to sock him right in the face, Sakuya held Kota back. As much as she wanted to smack the man as well, he was still a Director and their superior. Any action against him would lead to extreme disciplinary measures and unwanted tension from HQ.
It was Lindow who smack Garland's hand away from Alisa, using his Aragami infected arm to demonstrate his anger and disgust toward the man. But just as he did that, Garland's escort with emotionless eyes grabbed Lindow's hand to move it away from Garland. They didn't noticed the young man since he stayed in the back and was as silent as the dead. Judging from the young man's grip, Lindow concluded that he was a Gods Eater as well. Most likely from the new Finland Branch, the guy looked about the same age as Umiko. And now that he thought about it...
"Did I upset you, Hannibal of the Den?" Garland asked him, watching Lindow from the corner of his eye. Lindow twitched in raged at the nickname. It was something people started to call him on the hush-hush once he returned to the Den. He was seen as a wild flame to some of the higher ups, no matter what they did to stomp him out he'd just keep coming back. "I'd hate to meet the rage of the legendary Lindow Amamiya."
"Tst," Lindow clicked his teeth with his tongue before he yanked his wrist out of the young man's grip. The young man returned his hands to crossing behind his back when Lindow backed away from Garland. "Dealing with you is like the past is on repeat."
"Hm, I'll take that as a complement." Garland said, closing his eye as he grinned. Alarmed by her team's distress, Umiko finally spoke up.
"What is the meaning of all this?!" She wished she hadn't drawn attention to herself, because all their eyes landed on her. The single eye and eye-patch of the strange man haunted her as something ominous.
"Umiko Yukino, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you." Garland said to her, his grin widened. "The name's Garland von Schicksal, I am your new Director now. No need to pack your belongings or God Arc, they've already been moved to your new Branch."
"What?! Since when have I been reassigned?" Umiko gasped in disbelief. "And why haven't I've been informed sooner?"
"The transfer was sudden and abrupt." Garland simply answered. "But enough about that, there's someone here who's been longing to meet you."
"!" Umiko's eyes dilated as Garland moved out of the way to reveal his escort. The young Gods Eater sported a long Sweeper Noir coat that hid off what looked like to be a Dengeki PS uniform. But unlike the regular uniform, this one had red neon lining instead of yellow. But that was nothing compared to the shock of his face. She'd recognized him anywhere; that short raven hair with straight strands... those eyes. Even though they lacked their usual luster she still could recognized those crimson gems. "Sora!"
"?!" The First Unit looked in shocked that Umiko actually knew who the Gods Eater was.
She ran to him, gripping his arms as she looked him over. He didn't react at all at her contact and remained stoic to her presence, he just looked at her. She was hurt by his lack of expression and emotion, what has happened to him? He was so full of life once and now he was like a doll. She looked down at his wrist and spotted the armlet that mark all God Eaters for what they were. The normal piece of her life of carnage that she never even bated an eye at now filled her with hatred. She turned to Garland, absolutely livid.
"You! What did you do to him?!"
"I merely made him better." Garland simply chuckled at her outburst. "Soon the same will be applied to you."
She removed her hands from the young man known as Sora and marched toward Director Garland. Gripping him by the front of his coat she yanked him down to her eye level.
"Damn you, you bastard!" She slightly shook him. "We had a deal Fenrir! We had a deal!"
"Hm, the deal doesn't apply if he willing joins." Garland nonchalantly said.
"!" Surprise came over Umiko as the gentle grip of Sora removed her hold over Garland. Taking a few steps back, Sora gingerly restrained her by the wrists. His first reaction to her in a long time and it wasn't even a hug. They were the same height so she barely had to turn her head to meet his eyes. "Sora?"
"Fear not, Umiko." Garland simply said as Sora swiftly moved his hands so that he was restraining her arms to her body with just one arm. Wrapping a strong arm around her, Sora held her to his body as his other hand pulled out a needle with glowing neon green liquid from his coat pocket. "Your sacrifices will further advance the survival of humanity."
Sora aimed the needle toward her neck. Just as he lifted his arm to plunge the needle into her, he leaned in to her and whispered something that only she could hear. For that brief second, she saw her old Sora again.
"I'm sorry... Umiko..." He said as he plunged the needle into her neck, ejecting its foreign liquid into her veins.
It burned... worse than the time she took the Aptitude Test. The fire was eating her alive from the inside. She no longer felt emotional pain, it was clouded by the current physical pain. Wait... the feelings were disappearing, what's happen? She was scared... wait, that vanished too. Her mind became blurry, she had become numb. All was lost to her other than the pain. Umiko thrashed and trembled uncontrollably, the strong grip of Sora the only thing holding her up.
"What's happening? What did you do?!" Sakuya demanded as the First Unit watched in agony at Umiko's pain.
"Nothing that concerns the Far East Branch any longer." Garland stated with authority. Turning to Sora, he gave him a command as he began to walk out of the Den toward his private Chopper. "Gather up Umiko, Sora. We're heading out."
"Yes sir." Sora answered with detach. Picking up the riving in pain Umiko, carrying her on his shoulder as he followed behind his Director.
"Doc, you have to stop this!" Kota demanded.
"There's nothing I can do now. This is orders from the top, we can't interfere." Dr. Sakaki somberly answered.
"Dammit!" Kota shouted, starting to tear up along with Sakuya and Alisa. "Who would approve of this monstrosity?!"
"You'd be surprise what the Higher-ups will approve if there's a chance it'll save their hides." Dr. Sakaki answered bitterly as they were forced to watch the Finland Branch take their First Unit Leader away.
With tearing eyes, Umiko lifted herself to look up at the others from Sora's shoulder. In agonizing pain she reached out to them, begging for help. She wanted her unit to save her; to make the pain go away; to have her back like they always did. But they did nothing but watch, she wanted to feel something about this abandonment but no emotion was coming up. In fact... who were these people? That last thought rang in her head before the darkness took her, the only comfort she had from the burning pain.
*** Author's Notes ***
Umiko - child of the sea.
Yukino - from a story: 'Yuki' can be taken as "accordingly," and 'no' from "happiness; blessing; fortune."
Sora - sky.
Taiyoko - child of the sun... The name will be relevant in a later chapters.