THIS IS A WARNING: I don't own a single damn thing being used in this story. Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and Highschool DxD belong to their owners/creators!
EPISODE FOUR: A BITTER REALITY
CHRYSE REGION
A FEW YEARS AGO
Orga knew the wound was only going to get worse if it wasn't treated properly soon. He let out a hiss of pain as Mika tightly wrapped a piece of cloth just above his wound to prevent him from bleeding more than he already was right now. When Mika stepped back, Orga looked down at the wound with a bit of annoyance.
He clicked his teeth to show it, 'I didn't think Mika would've taken so long if I didn't get in the way like an idiot,' the young boy told himself.
After killing the man in the alleyway, Mika and Orga had lived through another encounter with another criminal who took advantage of those desperate enough to run into him. Except, today was the man's last day after being the one to go off and annoy the young boys.
Unlike most other kids on the street, Mika and Orga were willing to do anything and everything to survive in a place like Mars. It was only reinforced when Orga made it clear to his friend about the place that awaits them. A place where they could finally be free of the plague known as Mars.
Although, the first thing was to find a place to settle down and treat Orga's wound from their rather annoying encounter with this man. Letting out a small hiss of pain, Orga stretched out his hand towards Mika.
The shorter boy grasped the idea and took Orga by the hand, helping him off the ground. Soon, the two boys looked to the mouth of the alleyway and walked back onto a more populated street. Well, the idea of being more 'populated' seemed a bit much as they either saw more homeless individuals or those suffering from drug addiction. Granted, it was better to have a few people around than none at all.
"Hey, Orga, where are we going?" Mika asked, his cold blue eyes contained this strange sense of innocence for someone who just killed a man.
Looking at the street they were on, the wounded boy realized that finding a place to crash was gonna be tough, especially when it gets dark and more unsavory people start coming out for their business. Those who lived on Mars for a long enough period of time, understood the danger of living in this region. Just as they walked past an alleyway, both of them heard the familiar noise of a man and woman having sex not too far from them. Hearing such noise made the two boys uncomfortable as they knew prostitution was commonplace here.
Quickly, they put some distance between them and that alleyway as their search for a place to sleep continued onward. While Mika was capable of warding off most people, Orga knew that if they faced a group during the night, then death was surely coming for them.
As the sun continued to set, the orange glow of the Martian sky was soon being replaced by the dark and cold Martian night. If there was one surefire way of getting killed in this part of the city, it was being outside where it was pretty hard to be spotted.
"...I think we need to find a place to sleep for the night," Orga answered, still needing to change this cloth as it was soaked in his blood. Besides that, he could feel the fatigue hitting him like a bag of bricks.
Mika nodded, "You're right..."
Suddenly, the two boys looked down the street and saw a beautiful young woman with long, black hair and a pair of gorgeous violet eyes, kneeling in front of a little boy. For them, they hardly ever paid any attention to these situations regarding someone to stop by and help. Except, Mika and Orga saw the little boy and where he was sitting right now.
In this place, it was a common tactic for a gang or group of people to use a child as bait to lure someone in. This either meant they were looking to rob someone of what little valuables they may possess or, in the case of the woman, they were in the mood for something else. Sure, Mika and Orga weren't always going to go around and save everyone from a fate worse than death. People needed to be able to save themselves from these situations, especially given how dangerous it is to be on Mars.
Except, when they saw the boy point towards the alleyway, it was all the proof either of them needed before Orga scowled at what was about to happen. So, letting his anger guide him, walked over to them with Mika following close behind him, keeping the handgun ready in case.
"Hey!" Orga yelled, catching the attention of the woman and the child, who looked a bit nervous at seeing him and Mika walking towards them.
The woman tilted her head to the side in confusion, "Is there something I can do for you, boys?"
While the woman's attention was on Mika and Orga, the little boy realized what was going to happen in just a few moments. The fear of failure forced him to take drastic action as he quickly rushed over to a nearby trashcan and pulled out a rusted kitchen knife. His mission was simple; act like bait and allow the rest of the crew to steal anything of value from them. It was a simple and effective method of being able to rob people.
The boy backed himself against the crumbling brick wall, holding the knife in a defensive stance. Orga and Mika knew the boy wasn't going down without a fight, but they weren't too scared about the little boy. It was the people backing him up that made them wary of him. Caught off-guard by the sudden action of the young boy, Mika didn't hesitate to take out the handgun and aim it at the boy.
"Put it down," warned Orga, who wasn't exactly looking for another fight after the last one they got themselves into.
Watching all this happen in front of her, Shuri was completely shocked at the sight of seeing children, who looked mo older than her daughter, ready to kill each other. She wanted to stop this incident from getting any worse until she saw something out of the corner of her eye.
A group of men, all of them looking in their twenties, came out from the dark crevices of the alleyway. They started approaching the scene going on, which didn't go unnoticed by Orga and Mika.
Seeing how badly they were outnumbered, Orga turned his head around and saw an apprehensive look on the woman's face. Some people would question why Orga was even bothering to help someone considering the dog-eat-dog world they reside on.
Orga's anger only seems to skyrocket when he heard the comments those men made about the woman.
"Hey, look what we got ourselves here, boys?"
"Damn, the little shit reeled in a fine ass bitch this time."
"We gonna have some real fun tonight, aren't we?"
"Hell, we even managed to get a pair of dumbass kids to make our lives even easier."
If there was one thing Orga hated more than anything in the world; it was being underestimated just because he was a child in the eyes of a few criminals like these ones. Originally, he planned on splitting up and losing these men along the way, but their comments were enough to piss Orga off.
"Mika."
Hearing the tone of his voice was enough for Mikazuki to pull the gun from his pocket. When he aimed the weapon at the men, all of them looked a bit nervous but continued walking towards them until Mika decided that was enough.
BANG!
Just as he squeezed the trigger, a 9mm round flew from the barrel and pierced the skull of one of the criminals. Blood started pouring from the wound as those standing behind him were also covered in brain matter and the crimson fluid. Seeing one of their own being killed by Mika made them stop soon afterward. It wasn't long until the presumed leader of the group tried to settle this matter without another one of his guys getting shot.
He gestured his hands in a calming manner, "L-Look kid, can we, uh, t-talk about this. No one else needs to get hurt."
Mika pulled the hammer of the pistol back, letting the man know how serious this situation had become.
"Alright," Orga said, knowing how pointless it is to continue this little stand off between the two sides. As he walked over to the leader, the young boy wanted to make sure these people never forgot who was it that spared their pathetic lives. Reaching into the man's pocket, Orga felt the familiar velvety texture of something he and Mika were going to need for the time being.
Pulling out the cash hidden inside his coat, Orga quickly counted and saw there was enough to feed both of them for quite a while. Stepping away from the leader, Orga looked at the leader with a dark gleam in his eye.
"Talk about this?" Orga repeated, making the others flinch at the harsh tone he spoke with. Most people would laugh at these criminals for being scared of children, but they'd tell people otherwise.
Something wasn't normal about these kids...
"Y-Y-Yeah!" the man said, trying his hardest not to do anything stupid with the gun aimed at him. "We c-could use ki-I mean people like yourselves."
For a moment, there was silence in the alleyway as the only sound that could be heard was the occasional car horn being blown. In the leader's mind, he believed these kids were truly thinking about his offer.
However, Orga turned his head around and looked at the woman, seemingly paralyzed in place from what she was watching play out. He could see the fear in her eyes, especially when her violet eyes met his golden ones. There was almost a sense of dread at what he was going to decide.
Fortunately, he already made his choice the moment when these men thought they could take advantage of them with just a few sweet words. Orga decided to mock these men before their demise, "A very tempting offer..." the criminals seem to let out a sigh of relief, "...Unfortunately, I have a rule saying that joining scum like you, isn't in our best interests. Mika, if you would be so kind as to show them to their grave."
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Shuri covered her ears just as Mika started firing off the 9mm pistol in his hand. How could any of this happen? All she wanted to do today was enjoy a day to herself before heading back to Earth with the intention of spending as much time as she could with her daughter and husband. Now, she witnessed two boys no older than her daughter kill an entire group of men, even if they were criminals, killing them wasn't entirely needed.
When Mika was finished killing the - now dead - criminals, he put the pistol away. Once he was done with his task, he looked at his friend, "What do you want me to do next, Orga?"
Hearing his friend's question, the boy was about to answer him until he felt the familiar sensation of pain rushing up his arm. A sharp groan left his mouth, making Shuri wonder what was wrong with him. Although, it didn't take long when she caught sight of the blood dripping off his left arm. Her motherly instincts drove her to walk over to the boy and see what happened to him. When Shuri kneeled down and tried to examine his arm until she felt a cold barrel pressed against the back of her head. For a split second, the woman feared that her life was about to come to an end if she even tried moving a muscle.
"What are you doing?"
The shorter boy's question seemed more like a demand than anything else. If it were anyone else, Shuri would've tried to protect herself but after witnessing this same boy murder six men and a little boy in cold blood, she felt fear coursing through her veins.
Orga deadpanned, "Mika, you can relax. I don't think she's gonna do anything to me."
The shorter boy merely nodded and moved the barrel away from the back of her head. Without even knowing, Shuri let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in.
After getting his friend to calm down, Orga gazed at the woman with a cautious look in his eyes, "And what do you think you're doing?" he asked her, look for any signs of deceit in the woman's response.
"Silly," she said, hoping to get the little boy to let his guard down a little bit, "You're bleeding and both of you look exhausted right now."
Silence followed as the woman waited for the taller boy's response until he moved away from her and sat with his back to the crumbling brick wall. Not too far away from Orga was the corpse of the little boy who was killed alongside the criminals. He didn't seem to pay attention to the body and leaned his head against the wall.
"We're not expecting gratitude or anything, lady," Orga said, who wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and sleep.
Shuri let out a giggle at the boy's response, causing him to look at her with an odd expression on her face. Then, she quietly kneeled beside him and unwrapped the cloth soaked in his blood.
"What happened here?" Shuri asked, concerned about the possibility of an infection given the nature of the wound.
Orga shrugged his shoulders, "Some asshole tried to kill me and Mika."
Shuri raised an eyebrow, "What happened to him?"
"He's dead."
"D-Dead?"
Orga snorted, "I don't even know why you're still here, lady."
The woman gave a rueful smile, "I can't just ignore a pair of boys who look like they should be home by now, even if they may not have one."
Most people hardly gave orphans like Orga and Mika more than a second glance, but this woman had actually seemed to care, which already made them a bit wary of what her true intentions were with them.
"Why?" Orga whispered, wanting to hear her reason for even giving a damn to talk to kids who just murdered seven people, including a child younger than themselves.
Shuri ripped a piece of her sleeve and wrapped it around Orga's arm. The woman smiled, "Wouldn't you two like to know?"
Orga and Mika looked at each other, wondering if they should trust this woman, especially considering how late it was getting.
'Eh, what choice do we really have?' the two boys thought to themselves when they looked at each other. Orga then turned his gaze back onto the woman and nodded to her, "Sure."
"Splendid!"
X-X-X
CHRYSE GUARD SECURITY (CGS) FACILITY
PRESENT DAY, A FEW MINUTES EARLIER
Orga felt nothing short of exhaustion as he took responsibility for watching over the recovery/scavenging operation after the battle with Gjallarhorn concluded a few hours ago.
He rubbed his eyes, trying his best to stay awake after doing his best to coordinate their forces in hope of limiting their losses. Unfortunately, as he saw another Mobile Worker drive past him, the young leader of Third Corp felt guilty as yet more of their comrades were killed in battle. It was something he was going to have to live with for the rest of his life.
As he was lost in his thoughts about the weight of his responsibilities, the young man completely ignored the person calling out to him, "Uh, Orga?"
The person asking him was none other than Rias Gremory, who looked beyond terrified at the sight of so much death and destruction spread across the land. While scanning the scene, her teal eyes landed on the silhouette of the golden horned Mobile Suit kneeling in the distance. She recalled a young man by the name of Mikazuki Augus being the one to pilot it.
Once the battle concluded, Rias wanted nothing more than to head out into the field and find Issei. She felt a surge of emotions ranging from joy, love, and even anger for causing such distress for her.
As these thoughts were racing through Rias's mind, the dark-haired beauty known as Akeno Himejima was trying her best to hold back from giggling at the adorable expression on her best friend's face.
Deciding to help her friend out, Akeno walked up to the leader of Third Corp and wrapped her arms around his, effectively pressing her generous assets against his arm. She started giggling the moment when Orga turned his head in her direction, letting her see how hard he was blushing at the contact.
"W-What are you doing?!" Orga whispered, wanting to keep any attention away from himself. At first, Akeno didn't respond to his question and only pressed herself even harder against him. The young woman then raised her head up since Orga was a few inches taller than her. Her violet eyes locked onto Orga's golden colored eyes, making the young man blush even more than before.
Akeno enjoyed Orga's reaction and wanted to see how far she could go, "My, my, for being the tough leader of Third Corp, you seem to have such a cute face, Mr. Itsuka."
Without even realizing it, Akeno had almost forgotten her reasoning for why she had even done this until someone behind them cleared their throat.
The dark haired beauty saw the annoyed look on Rias's face and gave her an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Rias, I couldn't help myself," she said before tightening her grip around Orga's arm. "He's just so adorable. I couldn't help it, Rias."
A part of Orga felt embarrassed at the chance of being seen in such a position, yet another side to him was happy to have a beautiful woman like Akeno hanging off his arm. This was quite confusing to him, especially knowing how little time he had given his responsibility as the leader of Third Corp.
"Could you, uh, let go of my arm?" Orga inquired, seeing as how Rias seem to be annoyed with what her friend was doing to him.
Akeno pouted, "What? Don't you like this?" she asked while pressing her assets against his arm. Inside Orga's mind, he was trying his best to keep his composure through this entire situation and thankfully, the young man was saved when Rias walked over and grabbed Akeno by the ear, something only seen when a parent is reprimanding their child.
Witnessing such a sight had to be the strangest thing for Orga. Sure, he's seen parents punish their kids or do what Rias had just done, but to see two people around the same age doing this to the other. He rubbed the back of his, a little annoyed as they still haven't asked him or whatever it is they need from him.
"You know," he said out loud, catching the attention of the two young women standing a few feet away. "I don't exactly have too much spare time on my hands."
Seeing the annoyed expression on his face, Rias quickly apologized, "I'm terribly sorry, it wasn't my intention to waste your time, Mr. Itsuka."
Orga cringed when she called him by his last name, "Please, Ms. Gremory, just call me Orga. I'm not that kind of guy who goes by his last name."
The redhead tilted her head in confusion, "Really?"
Orga nodded, "Yeah," he said to the beautiful redhead before going back to his original question. "So what did you need from me?"
"Oh, that's right," Rias said while looking out towards the scarred battlefield where numerous people were just killed over them. "Do you know where Issei is?"
It didn't take Orga long to figure out Rias was concerned for Issei. He smirked as he pointed towards a Mobile Worker wreckage in the distance. Even from here, he could see Issei and Kiba trying to pry it open.
"Well, your boyfriend is opening up some of the wrecks, especially since he is one of our top mechanics here," Orga revealed, noticing how relieved Rias appeared to be when he told her that piece of information.
Except, her cheeks became flushed in embarrassment when he referred to Issei in such a manner. Orga couldn't help but take the opportunity to tease the girl. The same could be said for Akeno as she used her hand to stop herself from giggling at her best friend's reaction.
"Thank you," Rias muttered, not exactly in the mood to be teased after having to sit through a battle where Issei could have died. She knew thinking something of that nature wasn't going to help her in any kind of way.
Just Rias walked past him, Orga couldn't help but shake his head when realizing how involved those two were with each other. Though, the young leader of Third Corp was happy to see someone from the outside come to care about one of their own.
"You know, Issei is the first man Rias has come to care about who wasn't a part of her family," Akeno revealed, making Orga raise an eyebrow at her words.
"Considering how Gjallarhorn was willing to use these Mobile Suits to kill us, I don't doubt her family's lineage, Ms. Himejima," Orga replied, watching as Rias didn't hesitate to kiss Issei, causing Orga to shake his head in amusement of the sight.
He turned to face Akeno, "But, I am happy to see someone come to care about one of our own. God only knows what would've happened if Mika didn't win against their Mobile Suits."
Leaving those words to hang in there, allowed for Akeno to understand the weight of the situation the three of them had gotten into. The actions of Kudelia were enough as it is but if Gjallarhorn found out the only daughter of the Gremory family was here alongside the daughter of the strongest Mobile Suit pilot in the Grigori...
Akeno came to a horrifying conclusion, 'I can only imagine how much they would be willing to sacrifice just to kill us.'
Before either of them could say anything more, another voice entered the conversation.
"Orga."
The leader of Third Corp turned around and saw the familiar form of one of their better Mobile Worker pilots and one of their toughest guys; Akihiro Altland.
Like everyone else, he wore a pair of dark green pants with a white shirt underneath as well as the classic green jacket which was worn by everyone in the CGS. However, the defining trait was the single red line traveling down the right side of his coat.
As Orga looked at Akihiro, the brute of a young man spoke up, "The survivors of First Corp have returned."
When he heard those words, Orga let out a sigh of exasperation as he knew he was going to have to deal with this eventually. First Corp isn't exactly going to be pleased to know Orga planned on using them as bait from the very beginning of the battle. Something he hoped they didn't find out, especially since they might punish all of Third Corp for his actions.
"I'll be right there," Orga finally replied, getting a simple nod from Akihiro, who soon went off to assist with the recovery.
With that new bit of information, Orga started heading back to the facility until he felt someone tap him on his shoulder. Turning back, he saw Akeno smiling at him.
"I find you very interesting, Mr. Itsuka," the black haired beauty started, making Orga wonder what she meant by those words.
However, he had bigger problems to deal with than the words of a woman he just met a few hours ago.
'Let's hope things don't get any worse than they're already going to get with First Corp,' Orga couldn't help but scowl at having to deal with the moronic leadership of First Corp. Although, life has a funny way of making things happen, but not in the ways one would usually expect.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon
CHRYSE GUARD SECURITY (CGS) FACILITY
A FEW MINUTES LATER
'After the long Calamity War, Mars was divided and governed by the four economic blocks. But as a result, poverty spread across Mars. The majority of these victims turned out to be children. And even now, many children are dying. They are just innocent children. But they are...'
Ever since the Naochis July Assembly, Kudelia wanted nothing more than to help the people, especially children, of Mars. They suffered from the policies and treatment by the four economic blocks that ruled over Earth. The whole reason for her trip to Earth was to speak with the Prime Minister of one of the four economic blocks to help alleviate Mars of the burden which was placed onto them.
Unfortunately, her secret trip to Earth wasn't a secret anymore as Gjallarhorn manage to find out.
As a result, this caused the deaths of many within Third Corp.
Kudelia would never forget the terrifying sight of body bags for as long as she lives. It was made even worse when she saw the solemn expressions on many of the survivors. Most would celebrate a victory against Gjallarhorn, but many of them looked sick to their stomachs.
'They are...' she thought, realizing that this entire attack was because of her. 'Because of...'
She couldn't finish her thoughts without coming to the same conclusion. Gjallarhorn attacked the CGS facility because they caught wind of her location and wanted to kill/capture her. It was the most logical answer in this situation, but she didn't expect so many to die.
Kudelia threw her face into her hands, trying to come to terms with what just happened.
"Miss?"
Out of the blue, the young woman heard the familiar voice of her personal guardian. "Fumitan, where were you?" Kudelia asked, who was worried when she couldn't find Fumitan during the battle between Third Corp and Gjallarhorn, "I was worried about you."
She quickly rushed over to her until Kudelia saw Fumitan holding her left arm. The blonde was able to see a bit of blood leaking through Fumitan's hand.
The older woman noticed her expression, "Do not worry. It is just a scratch, nothing more."
"But rather than that, I'm so sorry," apologized Fumitan. "I was ordered to contact Mr. Norman first in an emergency."
Hearing this, Kudelia spoke up, "What did father say?"
"He is very worried. He wants you to come back home right away."
"I cannot do that yet," said Kudelia. "This trip to Earth was supposed to be done in secrecy. But there is no doubt the target of Gjallarhorn's attack was me. And my father, who is usually against my actions... was supportive this time. I do not want to think that..."
Fumitan called out to Kudelia, "Miss."
"I understand," the young woman said, "But I cannot return to my father unless I confirm that."
The older woman sighed, "I understand. However, there is no point in staying here."
Part of her didn't like the idea suggested by Fumitan and seemed almost hesitant to leave these boys, especially after being the source of the battle between the two sides, "That is..."
"Kudelia?"
The young woman looked up and saw Kiba walking into the room, a concerned expression could be seen on his face. Biting her lip, Kudelia looked away in shame as she remembered that the only reason why Gjallarhorn attacked, was because of her. Now, dozens of people were killed in meaningless fighting over someone as pathetic and useless as herself.
She stared at the ground, hoping he would leave her alone. A few moments later, her violet eyes caught sight of a pair of black combat boots. Kudelia shut her eyes as the familiar stinging sensation of tears built up but was caught off-guard as the person kneeled in front of her and placed their hands on her shoulder.
"Miss Bernstein?" the person called out to her in a gentle tone, "Could you please look up?"
Hearing the gentleness behind his voice, Kudelia started rubbing the tears out of her eyes and tried to not look like a mess. Although, it proved to be useless as everything seems to slam into her all at once.
The thought of dying young, being the cause of so many deaths and becoming nothing more than a hindrance to people like her parents, Third Corp, and people in general.
As she slowly raised her head up, Kudelia expected Kiba to have a scowl on his face or upset with her, but it didn't appear to be the case. A smile was present on his face, which seems to cause her heart to start beating against her rib-cage as if it was going to explode.
Kiba shook her a little bit, "You okay?"
Realizing he was speaking to her, Kudelia broke out of her stupor and nodded, "Y-Yes, I am."
"Are you truly okay?"
At that moment, Kudelia heard what Kiba was actually asking her about. Kudelia's throat went dry, making it difficult for her to respond to the young man kneeling in front of her. Part of her felt embarrased being around Kiba, who is quite handsome for a soldier at his age, and another part of her was nervous at having to mention all the fears and guilt building up inside her.
Yet, the blonde felt like she could trust Kiba with her feelings about this entire situation.
Taking a deep breath, Kudelia tried to find the proper words to explain how she felt, however, none came to mind. It felt like trying to find a needle in a haystack, especially considering she didn't want to offend Kiba or his comrades for their effort of trying to protect the base. Something the young woman felt was a result of her presence.
As Kudelia was lost in her thoughts, Kiba had an idea as to what was affecting her right now. "You think Gjallarhorn attacking the base, was your fault, don't you?"
It was all he needed to see as Kudelia's eyes went wide for a few seconds until she decided to look away. Kiba wondered why the girl was blaming herself so much. He wanted her to understand the reality of this situation and to learn something from all this. He took a deep breath before his from her shoulder and placed it, as gently as he could, onto her cheek, making the girl face him.
His blue eyes were a mixture of kindness and warmth, yet a hint of sterness in them.
"You need to understanding something; no person is worth the lives lost today. Just because you and your friends came to our base and wanted to head to Earth, doesn't make you or the others responsible for the deaths of my comrades," explained Kiba, hoping his message would get through to her. "By blaming yourself, you are essentially spitting on the deaths of those who fought against Gjallarhorn."
Kudelia tried to find a retort, but nothing came to mind.
"I'm not trying to be the bad guy," Kiba said as he saw the expression on her face. "Do you remember what I told you last night?" he asked.
Thinking back on the previous night, the young woman recalled the brief conversation she had with Kiba about his beliefs and how it's affected his way of thinking. She nodded, "Yes, I do."
He smiled at her, "Then realize that this is a situation you're supposed to learn from and move forward."
"H-How can you be so calm?" she whispered, wondering how he was able to cheer her up like this. "...especially given the outcome of the battle between Third Corp and Gjallarhorn."
Kiba shrugged his shoulders and tried his best to smile, knowing the difficulty of answering a question of this nature. Thoughts had run rampant in his mind as he moved to sit down next to Kudelia on the seat. As he stared at the ground, he could hear the familiar voices of...them.
'K-Kiba! Run!'
'Don't look back!'
'It's okay, Kiba.'
Soon, his memories of that night returned in full force, making him remember the reasoning why he's still alive. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and came back to the reality of where he was right now. Quickly, he wiped away the tears that streaked across his face.
"I'm sorry."
Those words made Kiba look at Kudelia with a confused look on his face. "What?"
Kudelia felt ashamed of herself, forcing Kiba to have to possibly remember something he didn't want to, "...For making you re-live such terrible memories."
Shaking his head, Kiba couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face. He raised his hand up and flicked her in the forehead, making the girl yelp from the stinging sensation. As Kudelia rubbed at the spot he hit, she saw the mischevious smile on his face, coming to the conclusion of him messing around with her.
"W-What was that for?" she asked, still reeling back from the sudden hit.
He shook his head, "For you being an idiot."
"H-Huh? H-How was I being an i-idiot?"
Kiba let out a sigh, "You're not responsible for what happened to me or anyone of us. We all choose our own path in life and worrying about someone else's path isn't something you should be doing. Focus on what path you want to explore and see how far it takes you."
He then proceeded to get up from the seat and walk towards the door. Before he walked out, Kiba glanced at Kudelia, "If you want..." he paused as if he was thinking about something, "...you can head down to the kitchen with me. Me and a few others are gonna cook something up to eat tonight. I doubt any of us are in the mood for cold rations."
Not even bothering to think, the young woman merely nodded from where she was sitting.
"Then, come on."
With those words, Kudelia got up and headed over to Kiba.
X-X-X
AROUND THE SAME TIME
After unloading the supplies from the truck, all Atra wanted was to see Mikazuki and give him the charm braclet that she made for him. When she asked Biscuit about him, he told her that Mikazuki was the one who piloted the horned Mobile Suit that helped drive off Gjallarhorn. However, Atra couldn't help but worry when Biscuit told her that they haven't seen him in the last few hours or so.
Fortunately, she was informed about how Mr. Yukinojo had gone to wake Mikazuki up and get him out of the Mobile Suit.
Deciding it was best to wait, she was currently leaning against the truck parked outside the perimeter of the CGS facility. In her hand was the very braclet that she's been wanting to give to Mikazuki for the last few days. With the news about them heading to Earth for the next few months, Atra knew that she wouldn't see him for some time.
'I wish... I could tell him,' Atra thought, wondering if she would ever find the courage to act on her feelings for the young man.
For her, it felt even more difficult considering that she's known Mikazuki since they were kids. It made her fear that Mikazuki didn't see her in the same light that she viewed him in. Although, she feared that nothing would happen if she didn't say anything.
Atra was in a position where things could go either way.
Either she'll find out that Mikazuki has feelings for her, but never acted on those feelings. Given how Mikazuki tends to act about most things in his life, Atra could certainly see him keeping such emotions in the back of his mind. On the other hand, there's the chance that Mikazuki would reject her feelings, telling her that he doesn't feel that way about her.
'It's bad either way,' Atra thought, feeling a bit meloncholy about this situation.
"What? Atra?"
Suddenly, her thoughts were put on hold when she heard Mikazuki's voice say her name. Atra was about to respond when she saw the condition that Mikazuki came back in. All he wore was his pants and his CGS jacket, nothing else. But she was concerned when seeing the massive amount of dried up blood on his face.
Her voice appeared to die in her throat for a few moments.
"Making a delivery, huh," he seemed to mutter.
The girl found her voice again when she heard him speak, "Yes. Hey, Mikazuki?"
Mikazuki didn't seem to stop walking, looking to be in some kind of rush, "What?"
"Well...are you alright?" she asked, her concern for the young man was noticed when Mikazuki stopped for a moment. The young man looked at the girl, his own thoughts running at a hundred miles an hour right now. There was far too much to do and not enough time to get it done.
He nodded, "Yeah. Thanks, Atra. I'm in a hurry so I'll see you later."
Atra tried her best to seem cheerful but felt like she was failing quite badly. For as much as she wanted to give him the braclet, the girl realized that Mikazuki wasn't alright. Some might not notice it, but after spending years of learning to read people like him, Atra knew that he was in some kind of pain.
She justed wanted to help him in any way possible.
Looking down at the bracelet, Atra realized that she was going to have to wait a little longer...
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon
CHRYSE GUARD SECURITY (CGS) FACILITY
A FEW MINUTES LATER
'You're okay...nothing's going to happen to you.'
'Why would you someone like me?'
'Don't know, but I do know you shouldn't go through this alone.'
'W-Who are you?'
'The name's Issei Hyoudou...'
Life can be nothing short of an insuffrable bitch who has no regard for the consequences of any decision. Hell, Issei never expected much out of his life and thought he was going to be found dead inside a sewer or found shot up in an alleyway. Except, the idea of fighting against the greatest military power in the solar system and then receiving a kiss from a beautiful redhead like Rias, was not on his list before death.
Although, it was one thing to dream about being with a beautiful woman like Rias, but to actually watch two beautiful women fight over him, it wasn't what he hoped it would be. Now, the young man was actually cursing his luck for not dying inside one of the Mobile Workers during the battle with Gjallarhorn.
When the girl he's been in love with since the age of thirteen years old and a girl who's become one of his closest friends, finally meet each other. So, when Issei felt someone move him and Rias apart from each other after she kissed him, the young man was quite shocked to see it was Asia who had broken them up.
Issei immediately turned white as bed sheets as he saw the rather adorable but angry expression on her face. In the years since meeting Asia, Issei was quick to learn that whenever his friend had that kind of look on her face, it was best to calm her down as quickly as possible. Or else, things were only going to get that much worse.
Add in the environment, the young man grabbed both girls' hands and took them up to the CGS facility with the intentions of resolving this mess. There was a part of him, who wanted to know why Asia was so upset with him. It's not like he actually kept his previous friendship with Rias a secret from her or Kiba. He even mentioned his feelings for the redhead to Asia.
So, why did she look so angry?
Just as they entered the facility, Issei decided the best place would be the hangar as there was currently no one there. Most of the older members of Third Corp were out in the field while all the others were dealing with repairs outside. Yet, a part of him was getting nervous when he heard the two girls remain quiet throughout the walk to the hangar.
Just as the door slid open, Issei let go of their hands and felt his shoulders sag as he realized something bad was probably going to happen to him.
"So, uh, what are you doing here, Asia?" Issei questioned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The blonde took a quick glance over at Rias before looking back at Issei, "Well, when Mika told me and Atra about the trip to Earth, I wanted to see you one last time before you and the others left. B-B-But, he never said Rias was one of the people being escorted to Earth. So e-explain that!"
Realizing that he was in for a long night, Issei took a seat on one of the metal stools and sighed, "That's because I didn't know Rias was one of the people being taken to Earth either. Mika forgot to tell me about the trip and the people going on it. So I was pretty much in the dark and throw in all the last minute work Orga and the others dumped on me, I didn't have time to check."
"You didn't know about the escort mission?" Rias spoke up, quite surprised to hear one of Third Corp's top mechanics didn't know about any of this.
Issei shook his head, "Not a damn word," he said before looking at the redhead. "If I had known, I wouldn't have been so caught off-guard when I finally saw you again, Rias."
The redhead couldn't help but blush a bit when she saw him smile at her. Given his exhausted state, it looked forced but the feeling behind it was mutual nonetheless. Returning the smile, neither of them noticed the displeased look on Asia's face as she began to panick, realizing how behind she already was compared to Rias.
"Issei, can I ask you something?"
Catching his attention, the young man turned away from Rias and wondered what Asia wanted, "Yeah, you can ask me anything."
Asia started tapping her index fingers together, looking rather nervous. "I was wondering...are you okay?"
Tilting his head in a confused manner, Issei wondered what Asia meant, "What do you mean?"
"You w-were involved in that dangerous battle with Gjallarhorn," Asia started explaining, hoping he would catch onto her concern. "And I remember how some of the others looked really sad and angry about what happened. I just wanted to know how you were feeling after all of this."
Leaning back, Issei looked around and saw the wrecks of Mobile Workers, remembering the screams of those who died during the battle. Some were probably killed as the machines exploded while others must have been crushed when the Mobile Suits attacked them. From what he also remembers is a good portion of the guys who were patroling that night, ended up getting killed.
'Matsuda and Motohama are dead too,' Issei sadly thought, remembering some guys he used to hang out with.
Without realizing it, Issei had actually been silent for about a few minutes, earning the girls' concern. For Rias, she didn't see much of the fight except for the initial rocket barage which struck the base. Beyond on that, she was stuck inside the facility with Akeno and Kudelia, trying to keep the latter from having a panick attack at the very thought of dying. Some would ask if she was terrified during the battle, and Rias would admit to being scared.
However, her concern for Issei far outweighed the thought of her own death earlier. Even Akeno's safety took precedence over own.
If there was one thing Rias valued more than anything; it was the lives of those she cared about dearly. The mere thought of losing her friends or Issei would be far worse than the thoughts of dying during this fight with Gjallarhorn. Some would call her an idiot for thinking like this, but Rias refused to give up on her friends.
Meanwhile, Asia stared at Issei with an ever growing concern for her closest friend. For nearly three years, he had constantly went into town to see how she was doing. However, these last few months, those visits started to become less and less frequent. Issei had been there ever since the day Griselda was killed and the young man had always stood by her side, even with ever increasing responsibility of being part of the older members of Third Corp.
The thought of losing Issei was beyond painful for Asia. Hence the reason why she prayed every single night, hoping Issei would survive to see her again.
Both girls had seen the poor treatment of orphans across Mars and when seeing what child soldiers like Issei experience, where they constantly dance with death on a daily basis. Just being able to see him alive and well, was more than enough for either of them. So when Rias and Asia looked at each other, the two realized how close Issei was to dying as most knew a battle with Gjallarhorn was certain suicide.
'I just wonder what were going to do next,' Rias thought, remembering the trip to Earth. This battle had essentially put a damper on those plans. Ultimately, Kudelia had the final say about what they were going to do next. Whatever her friend chooses, Rias knew she and Akeno would follow close behind.
X-X-X
AROUND THE SAME TIME
Letting out a sigh of disappointment, Akeno wanted to continue teasing the man known as Orga Itsuka, leader of Third Corp. Much like Rias, Akeno hardly cared for men as she viewed them as nothing more than individuals who only find appeal in a woman's appearance than anything else. This was the reason why she's refused to take any wedding proposals over the last year or so.
'Then, there's him...' Akeno thought, trying to find out what was so intriguing about the young man.
Outside of young recruits, the dark-haired beauty never truly spoke with boys her own age. She doubts it would be any different than speaking with the men who work for the Grigori, especially since some of them happen to be young men from wealthy families from across the Earth. Much to her dismay, those same young men were also looking for a future wife, something Akeno despised as she wanted to true love.
Some might call her foolish for thinking like this, but the young woman refused to move from her stance. It was only strengthened when Akeno found out about Rias and her situation back on Earth.
While thinking about her best friend, Akeno noticed a group of boys, all of them much younger compared to her and Orga, heading inside the facility. A few of them had looks of worry and trepidation on some of their faces. As her curiosity got the better of her, Akeno decided to see what was happening with them. So, she remained a few steps behind them, hoping to find out where they were going right now.
After traveling through the hallways for about a minute or so, making a few turns here and there, Akeno watched from down the hallway as she saw the boys huddled against the corner.
Wondering what was going on, the raven-haired girl came up from behind them and called out to them, "My, my, what do you think you boys are doing?" she asked in a teasing manner, causing them to freeze up. One of them, who looked like the oldest in the group, slowly turned around and looked at Akeno.
"Uh..." he was about to answer until he was elbowed in the side by one of the other kids. The boy who was elbowed turned his head around and shot an annoyed look at his fellow comrade, "Ride! What was that for?"
The boy named Ride glared at the older boy, "Takaki, don't you even say a word to her," he said to his friend.
Akeno felt a bit intrigued when she heard the boy named Ride say that to Takaki. Suddenly, one of the kids near the edge of the hallway turned towards the rest and told them to be quiet. Soon, the others tried to get as close as possibile to the edge without being seen. Knowing she wasn't going anywhere with the older kids, Akeno kneeled down and asked one of the younger boys, "Sweetie, you mind telling me what's going on?"
The young boy, who looked no older than ten, seemed hesistant until a voice cut him off.
"You fool!" a man yelled in anger, catching the attention of everyone. Soon, they heard the sound of someone getting smacked right afterward. "You made a fool out of us. You used u-"
Much to her surprise, she heard Orga's voice cut-off the man, "While First Corp went for the pincer attack, I heard you were attacked in an unfortunate accident."
His response seemed genuine, but this made Akeno wonder what was going on. Facing the younger boys, Akeno called out to the boy named Takaki, "Why is Orga in there?" she asked him, hoping to get an answer of some kind.
Takaki seemed hesitant to give an answer until they heard Orga continuing to speak, "Why is that our problem?"
Akeno knew children were abused on Mars, especially child soldiers. To actually hear it, that was an entirely different story as Akeno heard Orga groan out in pain as the kids even seem to shudder as if they were hit by the man himself. It was quickly followed by the thud of someone falling to the ground. The young woman knew most would try and stop what was going on, but part of her refused to get involved.
There was a chance that things could become worse if she or any of the others tried to stop the man. Realizing how powerless she truly was in this position, Akeno and the younger members of Third Corp were subjected to hearing Orga getting the living shit beaten out of him.
She could see it was becoming painful for some of the boys. The younger ones were covering their ears while the others had a look of anger on their faces. Before long, the beating stopped as the man seem to almost relish at sight of a beaten Orga, "How boring. Calculate the damage for this recent battle and bring it to me," he said before him and the others of First Corp left the room.
Once they left the room, Akeno saw many of the boys were upset and looked ready to fly off the handle. Was this normal for them? Were they always exposed to this kind of treatment?
Akeno heard those who remained in the room speaking what scum those men were until she managed to hear Orga's words, "You're right... we can't forgive them. Maybe it's perfect."
There were a few thoughts in her head, but one stood out compared to the rest, 'Looks like Third Corp is taking actions into their own hands.'
X-X-X
CHRYSE SECURITY GUARD (CGS) FACILITY
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER
With the sun setting behind the horizon, Orga sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. After asking a few people, he found out that Mika was currently refueling the Mobile Suit. The young leader of Third Corp was heading to the Mobile Suit with the intentions of convincing Mika of this plan to takeover CGS.
He knew if he was serious enough, then Mika would agree without hesitating. Although, Orga wasn't exactly happy it took him this long to find Mika and placed a lot of the blame on Akeno. The girl certainly took her time with patching up his injuries after getting the beating of a lifetime from the commander of First Corp. It still baffles him as to why someone like Akeno went out of her way to help him out. Hell, he thought after his explanation of First Corp and what he planned on doing to them, would scare not only her but Rias as well, but apparently, he was wrong about them.
To even receive their support should Kudelia continue her trip to Earth with the intentions of having Third Corp continue being their escorts to the birthplace of humanity. Above of all else, it was the fact that those outside their unit, actually supported them.
'God, I can't keep up with all these changes happening, especially with the amount of women around here,' Orga thought, seeing how Rias and Asia looked at Issei already told him how much trouble was coming for that boy.
Although when he wasn't being the leader of Third Corp, Orga hardly spoke to women and with Akeno being the most beautiful woman he's ever met and his the little experience he did have clearly showed itself during their brief conversation in the infirmary. To be honest, Akeno was the first girl he had ever spoken to in years since the woman named Shuri. Throw in how remarkably similar she resembled Shuri and that culminated into an awkward young man.
Orga stopped for a moment and an incredulous looked could be seen on his face, 'Why I am even thinking about her right now?'
There were far more pressing matters than his thoughts on a girl like Akeno, especially considering the future of Third Corp was on the line.
After what seemed like ten minutes, Orga could finally see the Mobile Suit in greater detail than before. He remembered hearing from the old man that the name for this Mobile Suit was Barbatos, and is apparently a relic from the Calamity War, which took place over three hundred years ago.
'Which happens to be piloted by Mika,' Orga shook his head at the thought of his friend piloting such a famous machine.
Down on the ground, Mika could be seen attaching cables from a nearby Mobile Worker configured to carry around fuel. Once Mika hooked the two fuel lines together, Orga called out to his oldest friend, "Mika!"
Hearing his name, the shorter teen took a moment to turn his head and face Orga, "What?"
Unfortunately, Mika couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friend, "Look who got handsome," he pointed out, seeing the bruises and cuts all over Orga's face. Mika heard about the beating that Orga received from the commander of First Corp. The young man was almost tempted to kill the man but waited to see what Orga wanted to do about it.
His friend took no offense to his jab and found it a bit funny himself, "I guess so."
Soon, Orga went silent as he started mulling over another question to ask Mika. He raised his head and asked Mika something he's been thinking about ever since the battle with Gjallarhorn ended this morning, "Don't you want to say good-bye to our comrades that died?"
"No, it's alright," Mika replied before looking back at Orga. "You said it a long time ago; 'You can see the dead when you're dead. So to keep the living alive, do everything you can.'"
Upon hearing those words, Orga remembered the day when he and Mika met for the first time ever. It hasn't felt like twelve years have passed since their meeting. Orga looked up at the Mobile Suit with a smile on his face, "Maybe I did say something like that," he muttered to himself.
Taking a deep breath, Orga asked the question that's been on his mind since the meeting with the others, "Hey, Mika. I want you to do something," asked Orga, who reached into his pocket and took out a handgun, the same one Mika used to kill a man on that day. The day where they made a promise to do everything possible to find the place where they truly belong.
They understood that they were in this until the end...
"It's something only yo-" and before Orga could finish speaking, Mika took the gun out of his hand and pulled the receiver back, letting them know it was armed. The leader of Third Corp looked down at his friend, "You accept it without hearing it?"
Mika spoke up, "I'll listen to you now," he said while looking at Orga with a smile present on his face, "But if it is something you decided, I'll do it."
Even after being friends for years, Orga knew he wouldn't truly ever understand Mika and the things he does sometimes. However, Orga knew Mika would follow him into the depths of Hell as long as he gave the shorter teen a reason to follow. Sometimes, Orga was glad to have Mika as he knows the guy would have his back until the very end.
"Listen to you," Orga quietly muttered to himself.
"Huh?"
Orga shook his head, "No, it's nothing. Thank you."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekkadan's Iron-Blooded Dragon
GJALLARHORN FRONT-LINE BASE, MARS
A FEW HOURS LATER
"You won't take any of the troops?"
It was just hours after Gjallarhorn's failed attempt at killing or capturing Kudelia Aina Berstein, who was using the Chryse Guards Security company to transport her to Earth in secrecy. The losses they suffered, however, were far too great for Major Coral to stomach. Nearly a third of their Mobile Workers were gone and they manage to lose an entire Mobile Suit to the enemy force. Adding insult to injury, the enemy even managed to heavily damage a second Mobile Suit.
The cost was of this battle high for the two remaining commanding officers of the Gjallarhorn's forces sent down to Mars.
Crank Zent felt the absolute worst when he realized the enemy they were fighting, were nothing more than child soldiers. The man had a rule against fighting them, always saying that they were never fighting for their own accord and were always being used by their employers to find any advantage at any cost.
He's seen thousands of these children die in battle against Gjallarhorn, who spared no mercy for the enemy, even if they were children. Just thinking about it made him sick to his stomach. However, Crank knew that the major had given them a suicidal mission to capture Kudelia or those with her before the arrival of the inspectors from Earth.
'I simply can't ignore what Sirzechs told me, that Rias is potentially in that base. Does family not come first for what Sirzechs has planned in the coming days?' Crank always knew his grandson despised Gjallarhorn with a burning hatred, but even Crank was convinced that this plan was created out of hatred.
Although when thinking about his own situation, it was only a matter of time until the situation is discovered and they would all bring shame to Gjallarhorn for what's happened. Realizing how they've been turned into glorified hitman for the Major.
As he was preparing himself for battle, Crank was trying his best to get Ein to understand the delicate scenario they're in right now.
"No, I will go alone," replied Crank, putting on his uniform jacket.
But Ein wasn't having any of that, "No way. Even our three machines were no match for them."
"I underestimated them," Crank admitted, knowing that most of the fault lies with the commanders who failed to understand their enemy. "I will not make that same mistake."
"Then take me at least!" exclaimed Ein, trying to figure out why his commander is behaving like this. What was the purpose of going out there and facing the enemy like this?! There had to be another way to accomplish their mission without having to sacrifice lives in this manner.
Crank then replied in a calm manner, "If you come with your injuries, you will only be a burden," he said.
"But..." Ein muttered, unable to find the words which matched his emotions.
"To fight children..." Crank said to himself, loud enough for Ein to hear.
As he's gotten older, Crank wanted to stop fighting as it's taken its toll on his body, mind, and spirit. There was a time in his life when he was energetic and jumped at the opportunity for combat, but that version of him has withered and faded away from existence. Only this weak and hesitant version of himself remains in this world.
It was time for him to accept that his time was coming to an end, he could feel it. But most of all, he wanted to take responsibility for their failure to carry out their orders with him, hoping that none of the men, especially Ein, weren't blamed and punished for this defeat. It was the reason why he was even heading out this late from the base.
Crank reached into his locker and had picked up a letter, one he had written for his grandchildren to read when they were old enough. It had been quite some time since he saw Sirzechs and Rias, but part of him couldn't face them after all that he's done. In reality, Crank felt like he was being punished for the sins he's committed of being part of Gjallarhorn for so long. As he placed the letter inside a pocket in his coat, the older man turned around when he heard Ein mutter his name.
He addressed the feelings of Ein, "Please allow me to do this. I do not want to bring disgrace to you as soldiers."
When he heard Ein call out to him again, the older soldier couldn't help but look at the pin in his hand. It resembled the horn that was part of Gjallarhorn's symbol. There was a time when he looked at the pin with pride for the organization he became a part of. Unfortunately, it was now looked at with fear and hatred throughout the solar system.
'But if I have no choice but to fight...'
Crank Zent looked at Ein, realizing that this might be the last time he ever sees his student. "Ein..."
Shit, I said I was going to do shorter chapters for a bit and then my dumbass decided to write something that's about well over 10K. You know what? I give up at trying to make things easier for myself!
In other news, I'm happy to give you guys another chapter to read. So enjoy it cause my schedule finally eased up a bit from school and work. This chapter certainly brought a few new things into the mix and I'm hoping you guys find them interesting.
Until next time guys!