Sechs were running along the riverbank. Some of them were wearing the familiar black uniform of the Sechs Army, but some of them were wearing ordinary clothes. Squinting past the thick forest of trees that lined the bank, Raguna could see the shadowy forms of houses. Then he realised- it was a village. A Sechs village.

Raguna blinked in disbelief, as if the houses would disappear before his eyes. The S.E. had decided on the area where they were to fight- why would they choose a village of their own people? Innocent civilians would die. Then it hit him- that was what they wanted. They wanted to make out that The Resistance was a cowardly organisation, targeting the unarmed, and that the S.E. was trying to protect the village. They didn't care about their people. They were going to use their deaths as propaganda.

Flicking the safety catch off his gun, he shouted to his comrades. "It's a village- do not hurt the civilians, I repeat, do not hurt them!" He adjusted his helmet, and the soldiers all ducked as a poorly aimed shell exploded in the water and send a fierce spray of water scattering over them. Pinned to the deck, Raguna caught Zavier's eye and he smiled at him. Zavier grinned back- though he was breathing hard.

The boat rocked violently as it mounted land, knocking its crew back. There was a lot of shouting, and the explosions had well and truly set in, with the steadily loudening whistles followed by the deafening bangs.

A high-pitched whistle rang out- the signal for The Resistance to go over the top. Time seemed to slow down as they hopped awkwardly over the side of the boat, wading knee-deep through the water towards the shore. Raguna could hear nothing but his heart beating steadily. He knew it should be pounding. He knew he should be scared. But he wasn't. He didn't fear death, because he no longer had much to live for. Not really. Not any more.

Machine gun fire rang out, pelting the water like raindrops, and the teenage girl who had first saluted fell, the water around her head turning red. The forest was ablaze, thick, black smoke billowing upwards, darkening the sky as the sun disappeared behind the smog.

By the time they reached the shore everything was a blur. Blinded and choked by the smoke and deafened by the explosions, they stumbled sightlessly forward. Their weapons were child's toys compared to those of the Sechs Army, but a single soldier had in him more determination, more will to win than the whole of the S.E. combined.

Dragging himself onto land, soaked with water and sweat, Raguna only just noticed the elderly villager lunging at him with a sickle before it was too late. Raising his arms, he grabbed the old man's wrists, and he stopped, struggling like a dying fish in Raguna's grasp.

"I don't want to hurt you!"

"Then why are you attacking our village?" The old man wheezed back. There was a bang, and Raguna saw the man's eyes widen. The he fell, dead.

Raguna stared down at his body in horror. He turned to try to see who had shot him- "I told you not to hurt them!" but they were gone, and he was the only one left on the riverbank. Smoke was beginning to rise from the village.

"No!" Raguna seethed in frustration. He didn't know who was destroying the village- it could've been The Resistance, but it could just as easily have been the S.E. He ran forward up the path into the village, ignoring the flames licking at him from the trees.

Upon reaching the village centre, he found civilians running left and right, screaming, bleeding, crying out for lost family members. A young Sech girl was on the ground, bent protectively over the body of a small boy, maybe her brother. His eyes darting around, Raguna saw a Sech soldier raise his gun from behind a tree. The nozzle of the gun flashed, and a stream of bullets tore through the girls back, passing right through her body and penetrating the boy below her. They were killing their own people.

Raguna's eyes sparked and he shot at the Sech soldier. The soldier clutched his side and crumpled to the ground. Raguna marched calmly over to him, looking down at him in disdain. The soldier raised his hands to beg for mercy, and Raguna fired three more shots.

--

Zavier's heart was slamming so hard against his ribcage that he feared it would break out of his chest altogether, and his blood was roaring in his ears. He felt his knees give way beneath him, and he allowed himself to collapse, gasping for breath, behind a fence. He knew he shouldn't stay there for long- if you were still, you were dead.

He wiped his brow on the back of his hand, leaving black smudges on his face, and then stumbled to his feet. He staggered out into the centre of the village, coughing, eyes watering. He frowned. He recognised the black uniforms of the S.E., but amongst the chaos, he swore that they were aiming not at The Resistance, but at the village, the greenery and civilians.

He heard shouting, and, looking to his right, he saw an S.E. soldier towering over a member of The Resistance whom he had managed to disarm and knock to the ground. The S.E. soldier was armed only with a blade, and looking closer Zavier could see his discarded firearm lying by the wreckage of a house nearby.

His body moved before his head had time to stop it, and he flew at the S.E. soldier, grabbing the wrist he held the knife in. The soldier was momentarily stunned, and Zavier had time to draw back his fist and launch a powerful punch across the man's jaw. He could hear himself shouting to his comrade.

"Get up, stupid!"

The young soldier struggled to his feet obediently, and another Resistance member running past helped him to straighten up and dragged him away. Watching this over his shoulder, Zavier did not notice the S.E. officer compose himself, and turning back he was met by a ferocious punch across his face. Zavier automatically let go of the man, and the soldier, seeing his advantage, then drove his strong fist into Zavier's stomach, which had Zavier instantly on his knees and retching helplessly.

Wiping a trickle of blood from his lip, the S.E. soldier tightened his grip on his blade and lunged at Zavier with murderous intent. Raising his eyes, Zavier's only thought was not to die. He caught the length of the blade in his bare hand. The S.E. soldier continued to push down on the blade, and Zavier could feel the metal biting into his skin, and his grip weakened as blood began to ooze between his fingers. Grinding his nails into the ground with his opposite hand in pain, Zavier's eyes set and, shifting in his position, he launched a kick upwards to make contact with the man's stomach.

The man was knocked back, his weapon sent spinning to the ground, and, seizing his chance, Zavier scrambled to his feet and hit him again, knocking him against the broken wreckage of what once was a house. His heart was pounding, but he didn't feel afraid. When you were fighting for your life, you didn't have the time to feel afraid.

Grabbing the S.E. soldier by the front of his black uniform, he pinned him against the wreck, and for a second their eyes locked and the realisation hit home- it was Zavier or him. One of them wasn't going to make it out of this alive.

As the prospect of death occurred to Zavier, he involuntarily paused, and his grip loosened on the black uniform. He didn't even notice as the officer's hand twisted round and tore a loose piece of wood from the wreckage- until he drove the sharp end into his side.

Zavier was too struck to even cry out as the burning wood pierced his skin and ground against his ribs. As the sharpness withdrew from his side, he gasped, a bitter, brassy taste filling his mouth. He lurched forward and let it all out, vomiting blood. His shaking hands moved to clutch his side, and he felt the warm wet redness spill over his already-bleeding hands, soaking his clothes. He was on his knees by now.

The shadow that the S.E. soldier cast onto the ground shifted and Zavier could sense, in his clouding mind, that he was raising his weapon to finish the job. He closed his eyes and waited for death. But death didn't come. Instead, a bang, and the S.E. soldier fell, dead.

--

Raguna was trapped in a struggle with a civilian. Despite Raguna's desperate attempts to explain, the young man before him refused to listen and continued trying to prise the gun from Raguna's hands, shouting abuse. The weapon was locked horizontally between them, each unwilling to give up their hold in fear they would die if they did.

Behind him, Raguna heard screaming. The scream was choked and weak, but it was in a voice he recognised. Twisting his neck uncomfortably, he strained to look behind him to confirm his hunch, not caring that it could be a fatal mistake. Scanning the area frantically, he spotted Zavier and an S.E. soldier pinned against a house. And there was blood... all over his clothes...

Quicker than his opponent could blink, Raguna had released the barrel of the gun, sending the bullets spilling all over the floor, rendering the weapon useless. Pushing the Sech man away, Raguna stumbled over the exploding battlefield, his mind set on only one thing- Zavier.

Bullets pelted the ground behind him, and Raguna ducked down so that he lay flat on the ground. Pushing his helmet up so that he could see properly, Raguna saw, only a few feet before him, a discarded S.E. gun. Shuffling forward on his belly, he snatched up the weapon. He checked it was loaded before scrambling to his feet.

Raguna saw the S.E. soldier raise his bloodied weapon, about to strike Zavier again, and he didn't stop to think twice. He lifted the gun and fired. The kickback from the powerful forty-five calibre sent a spear of pain shooting up his arm to his shoulder, but his aim stayed strong, and the S.E. soldier was hit square in the forehead, blowing apart his skull.

As the half-headless body of the S.E. soldier fell to the ground, Raguna dashed to Zavier's side. He was still conscious, and was saying "I'm fine, I'm fine," over and over again, though his clothes were stained a deep red with the blood. Slinging Zavier's arm over his shoulder, Raguna practically dragged him to his feet.

"We're going back to the boat." He told him, shouting above the din. "You're going to be okay, I swear." And he meant it. He wasn't going to let Zavier die. He couldn't bear losing another one...

Zavier's ears were ringing and his sight was fading fast. Already dark spots were forming in front of his eyes. He blinked fiercely, trying to right his vision. His unfocused eyes set on a flaming building. He blinked again, and his sight unclouded for just a second. But a second was all it took to see the skinny arm and the terrified face of a Sech woman, trapped beneath the collapsed wreckage. Though he was partly deafened by the noise, he could still hear her screaming above the explosions.

Then he noticed the face of a much smaller person beside the trapped woman. He could hear crying, frantic shrieking.

There was a child trapped under there.

Zavier looked around, panicking. Surely someone would notice, someone would help them. But The Resistance was already retreating, and the S.E. was nowhere to be seen. Smoke was beginning to billow out from the small gap between the collapsed building, obscuring the faces of the trapped people. The screams were weakening. If someone didn't do something soon, they were going to die.

Zavier looked up at Raguna, who was focused solely on getting him to safety. He hadn't even noticed the trapped villagers. Zavier closed his eyes in frustration, knowing he was about to do something tremendously stupid. And then he thrust himself away from Raguna and practically fell over to the flaming wreckage.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out!"

The two villagers- a woman and a little girl, barely ten years old- started shrieking, obviously thinking he was going to finish them off, but then fell silent as he proceeded to grasp the burning wood in his bloody hands and heave, trying desperately to remove the collapsed roof that was blocking the villagers' escape.

Raguna ran over to Zavier, covering his face with his arm to protect his eyes from the smoke. "Zavier what are you doing?!"

Zavier did not reply. His face contorted with pain as he pulled at the collapsed roof, his whole body shaking under the weight. He was straining his muscles so much that blood began to spill openly from his wound. Raguna's eyes widened.

"Zavier, you'll kill yourself!"

Zavier grimaced in response, forcing himself to nod towards the ground. Raguna looked down, and that was when he saw the villagers, and realised what Zavier was doing. He shouted something Zavier couldn't understand, then grabbed the timbers of the collapsed roof and pulled. Immediately Zavier felt his burden lighten, is only slightly, as Raguna joined him.

"I... don't need... your help..." Zavier gasped, pain shooting through his body. He could feel his consciousness slipping, but he refused to let go of the roof.

"Don't... be stupid..." Raguna replied, his voice straining under the weight. "...Zavier? Zavier!" Raguna began to panic as he heard Zavier retch, and could only watch as his friend's mouth began to bubble with blood.

Zavier tried to cough, but he couldn't, and he was choking on his own blood. Raguna looked on in horror as Zavier's eyes rolled back in his head, on the brink of unconsciousness. Fired with determination, Raguna gave one last heave and lifted the burning timber clean off the ground.

"Get out! Get out, now!"

The woman dragged herself, crying and breathless and covered in dirt, from the wreckage, then turning and pulling the girl, who seemed to be her daughter, from under the house. Nodding gratefully at Raguna and Zavier, she ran away into the forest, carrying her daughter in her arms.

Dropping the roof, Raguna only just caught Zavier as his legs crumpled beneath him and he fell to the ground. Holding him around his torso, he dragged him as far away as he could from the burning building before there was a huge explosion. Raguna and Zavier were knocked to the ground by the force, and the wreckage collapsed completely into a burning pile of wood and rubble.

Holding Zavier in his arms, Raguna shook him ineffectively. "Wake up. Wake up!"

Zavier groaned, his head lolling heavily to the side. Raguna shifted in his position, so that his was knelt with Zavier lying across his lap. He turned his head back to face him, cupping his freckled face in his hands.

"Stay awake, Zavier. Stay with me, bro." Raguna ordered. The he laughed, though his eyes were filling with tears. "I sound like you!" He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffing. He didn't want another person he cared about to die.

Raguna looked around. Members of The Resistance were rushing right past them, retreating. The whole battle had lasted less than half an hour.

"Hey! Stop, please!" Raguna shouted out to them. But no one went back to help. One low ranking soldier turned, and Raguna looked at him with pleading eyes. He saw the young man struggle with himself- before turning and running towards the riverbank and the boat.

Raguna let out a cry of frustration. He turned back to Zavier, who was now unconscious and coughing softly in his slumber, blood pouring from his mouth. Raguna began to breathe very quickly. The whole scene was all too familiar. But this time it was Zavier's blood on his hands.

"Zavier...?" Raguna said softly, not expecting a response. He wiped the blood from his face. Suddenly he was filled with anger- anger at the S.E for doing this to Zavier, and anger at his comrades for leaving them. "Help!" He screamed furiously. "Help!"

"You! Hey, you!"

Raguna looked around for the owner of the voice, Whoever it was, they sounded like an adult female, in her twenties or thirties. And they were speaking Sech...

"Hello?" He called out unsurely.

"Over here!" The voice shouted. "To your right!"

Raguna looked to his right, and took a moment to look around. At first the area seemed to be devoid of people, only a thick forest, now half-burned away; but then he saw the dirtied face of a woman looking through a bush. She beckoned him over. Uncertain, Raguna pointed to himself.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Bring him over here, quickly!"

Raguna faltered at the though of trusted a Sech woman- before he realised how hypocritical he was being, considering his own heritage. He struggled to lift Zavier's body, but as he raised his torso off the ground, he felt the weight of his body lighten as the woman had lifted his legs.

"Come on!" She urged impatiently. "It's not safe here."

Raguna blinked at her in disbelief as they carried Zavier into the safety of the thick undergrowth.

"Follow me." The woman puffed, adjusting her grip on Zavier's ankles. "My house isn't far from here .Don't worry, I'll help your friend."

Raguna finally found his voice. "Wh-Why are you doing this?"

The woman shrugged. "A life for a life." She said profoundly, and only then did Raguna recognise her face. She was the woman he and Zavier had freed from the wreckage- he could see her shoulder was bleeding from when the building collapsed on her.

"Maybe I should carry him." Raguna offered, inspecting the state of the woman's arm. The woman simply snorted.

"Ha! You ought to take a look at yourself."

Raguna frowned, and looked down at his body, and only then did he realise what pain he was in. He supposed his hadn't noticed because of fear for Zavier and the trapped villagers, but his arms had been burned by the flames, and his jaw and stomach were aching from where he had been punch by the angry young Sech man.

But, looking down at the state of Zavier, Raguna forgot his pain.

"I'm okay." He said.

"Good." The woman said. "My name is Sahra, by the way. And you?"

"Raguna."

The woman nodded in approval. "A strong name. Thank you, Raguna. You and your friend here saved mine and my daughter's lives." Her eyes hardened. "I am a Sech. I am against 'The Resistance'- my husband even more so. You want to overthrow our Empire and our leaders, who only want the best for us."

Raguna opened his mouth to protest, but Sahra interrupted him. "Don't try to deny it. I saw you attacking our village. Your Resistance is full of cowards, you target to weak and unarmed..." She paused. "But... You and this boy risked your lives to save us. And for that, I am in your debt." She bowed her head. "I am willing to trust you, Raguna."

And for that, at least, Raguna was grateful.

--

Gah, I can't believe I forgot to put an Author's Note on this chapter! If you hadn't caught on, the parts in which people speak like this they are speaking Sech. I know they are probably supposed to speak the same language, but I liked the idea of a language gap to enforce the 'Them and Us' feeling in the armies.

Reviews inspire me! Tell me what you think- I'd love to know your opinions and your critique!