I do not own Black Bullet or any of the characters. Sorry for the extensive lapse in time since I did anything, I was at Marine Corps Boot Camp. Anyway, here goes nothing.

Departure

Rentaro stepped up next to the monolith where a group of soldiers were shouting at Tamaki that he couldn't leave.

"We're leaving," Rentaro said flatly. "Nothing you say is going to change that. We have business to the south and don't have time to go the long way. Sorry but you'll just have to suck it up and do your jobs."

"But you'll get us all killed!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Then you can kick my ass in the afterlife," Rentaro stated. "I know a few people already lining up to do it. Now, if there's nothing else. We're leaving."

"Fuck that!" the soldier shouted raising a gun and aiming at Rentaro. "You're under arrest for endangering the Tokyo Area."

"You want to arrest me?" Rentaro asked walking out of the Area a few meters. "Alright. Come get me."

Enju followed, Tina just behind her, and Tamaki and Yuzuki bringing up the rear, Tamaki already wearing his knuckles. The soldier stared at them incredulously as they began to head south before the soldiers all returned to their posts, all of their weapons ready now.

Rentaro stopped once they had entered the forest around the Tokyo area and Enju and Tina stopped as well.

"Tina, use your sniper only," Rentaro instructed. "You and Enju are not to engage Gastrea up close no matter what. If one reaches you, run. I don't care what's going on. Get back here and into the safe zone as fast as you can. Leave us. We'll be fine."

"You never told us our rates," Tina stated. "Are they really so bad?"

"Yes," Rentaro nodded. "They are. You're at forty two percent. Enju, you're at fifty nine point nine percent. If you are even around a gastrea, it may be enough to push it over the edge. If you come into direct contact, it's over."

"I'll be fine kicking ass," Enju promised.

"No!" Rentaro snapped. "You don't understand. Most start to change at forty eight percent! You're less than a tenth of a percent from dying! If you try to help, you die. I let you come because I know you won't stay behind. Do not fight. No matter what happens. Please. For me."

Enju nodded and Rentaro drew his pistol, turning south again and they began to walk, Tina taking up the rear with Enju in front of her. For a time, nothing attacked them and nothing even came close to attacking Tokyo, unsurprisingly. Everything was silent, except for their footsteps, and even those seemed muted. Finally, they reached a clearing and stopped. It had been hours and they had not seen even one Gastrea.

"Where are they?" Rentaro asked. "They should be swarming us already."

"Maybe it's better this way," Tamaki pointed out.

Just then, an unsettling shriek echoed out of the trees and they all spun, forming a tight circle facing outward with Enju in the center. Something flashed between the trees in front of Rentaro but before anyone could react, the air above them shimmered and blurred before an enormous spider appeared.

"Above!" Yuzuki shouted.

Rentaro's head snapped up as the spider began to descend. Enju crouched but before she could jump, Rentaro did, flipping and kicking the spider away from them. It's sheer size, rivaling a small house, made it impossible for him to send it far but he got it away enough for it to crash down without killing them. He flipped in mid air, falling toward it as it reared up, shrieking in rage and spewing acid at him. He rolled out of the way of the acid, redirecting himself toward the spider again. Before he reached it, a massive snake with purple and red skin shot out of the trees, swallowing him whole. The spider turned toward the others and Tamaki sprinted forward, chainsaw knuckles spinning to life. The spider leapt at him but hit a net set up by Yuzuki. Then, Tamaki shredded the spider, spinning to a stop and looking over at the snake as its body began to expand. Then, a massive sphere of blue fire exploded out of it, blasting the snake into several pieces and leaving Rentaro standing in its place, his sleeve shredded and his arm glowing and steaming.

"I hate snakes," Rentaro growled. "Come on. We should get going."

Everyone nodded and they left, continuing south. After a few minutes, they stopped when they found a massive glowing green venus flytrap in their path with vines winding and wrapping around the trees and ground around it.

"Tina?" Rentaro asked.

"I've never heard of a plant Gastrea before," Tina said shaking her head. "Should be safe."

Rentaro nodded, pulling out his pistol and starting forward. Just as he did, the vines all shot to life, reached for him at the same time as the fly trap opened, displaying rows of nasty-looking teeth. Rentaro jumped over the vines, firing at the plant but it had no effect. Tamaki carve a gash in the plant's side and green goo sprayed out of it. It shrieked in pain, a massive bundle of vines swiping through the air and smashing Rentaro into the ground. Just as he crashed down, vines shot out of the ground, driving themselves downward in a circle around the plant before it pushed itself out of the ground, a swarm of dozens of vines breaking free of the ground and reaching for them.

"Shit!" Rentaro shouted leaping backward from the vines and switching his pistol to the other hand and extending his knuckle blade.

Tina opened fire on the vines, trying to break through to the plant but with minimal success. Rentaro sprinted forward and slashed horizontally at the vines, severing several then leaping into the air as Tamaki tore into them. Vines shot up at Rentaro and he flipped over them then slashed them with his pistol's blade. As he fell, more shot up at him only to be caught by Yuzuki's webbing. Rentaro severed them as he landed then sprinted forward again as Tina pulled out a heavy machine gun and opened fire, the bullets tearing through the vines and shredding them.

"This isn't working!" Tina shouted as still more tentacles reached for them.

"Keep going!" Rentaro shouted, spinning and slashing several vines. "It can't have many more."

Just as he said this, the plant opened its mouth and hundreds of vines exploded out. Rentaro growled in frustration and sprinted forward, ducking under the initial wall of vines then slashing them and jumping over the next wave. Tamaki shredded into that one and Tina's machine gun shredded anything he missed. Finally, Rentaro flipped, landing on top of the plant and punched it, the force blasting it into the ground and spraying green goo out of its mouth. He jumped off as Tamaki carved into the plant and Tamaki leapt off just as vines burst out of it, spinning together into a sort of arm. The arm crashed down and the plant shrieked in rage as four more grew, all shorter than the last, turning the thing into a sort of alligator.

"Enough of this," Rentaro snarled. "Let's go Tamaki. Yuzuki, hold it still."

Yuzuki nodded, binding it with webbing quickly as Tamaki and Rentaro both leapt into the air over the plant thing. It roared, breaking free and looking up at them. Tina shot it in the abdomen before it could attack them and it fell to its feet again just in time for Rentaro and Tamaki to crash into it's back, flattening it. Finally it died and the two of them stood as the others made their way over.

"Done," Rentaro sighed. "I hate Gastrea. How far to the nest?"

"Roughly three miles," Tina estimated. "Another fifteen past it to the Area we're trying to get to."

Rentaro nodded and they continued walking, moving a bit slower this time to rest as much as they could before the nest.

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