Author Notes: It has been a long time since I updated this story. Sorry for the extended hiatus. Real life can get in the way of things unfortunately. Not to mention, there are other stories I'm writing as well. However, it was always my intention to write more content for this, and now I have produced a new chapter for this story. It is about time.

I decided to publish this chapter because it has been a year since God Eater Resurrection was launched in the West, and it has also been a year since I released the first chapter of this story. I like to release chapters of my active stories on or around the anniversary of their debuts. It is always good to celebrate the occasion with new content. It also helps provide me with motivation to continue working on the story or rebooting my efforts to producing chapters.

It is great that the consensus of this story has been positive. I'm proud of that. I also know that this story isn't exactly 'God Eater' like since it is normal people or 'currently normal people' surviving in the post-apocalyptic environment which makes it seem more like "The Last of Us". I personally think that is a good thing, and there are reasons for that.

As a reminder, the initial idea for this story was to give a perspective of normal people unable to defend themselves against the Aragami. As we saw in the tenth episode of the God Eater anime, they need to struggle to survive and avoid the Aragami at all costs. I also previously mentioned as with all post-apocalyptic material, including God Eater, they'll be plenty of messed up people to deal with. It is a fact of life or rather fiction.

My intention is to continue producing more content for this story in the future. This story has been a lot of fun write and plan. It has been like putting the pieces of a puzzle together. There are scenes that I'm looking forward to publishing one day, and you can bet it will involve dealing with the Aragami in one way or another. I'm sure we can all look forward to that.

Once again, I do apologized for the prolonged hiatus. I hope you'll enjoy reading the chapter and provide a review. I'd greatly appreciate the feedback.

/

Past is Prologue

Story Arc One – Surviving in the Wild – Part IV

Chapter Four – Right, Wrong, and Gray Part III – Consequences

/

A simple lesson

Actions have consequences

Never forget that

/

Location: Japan

Date: July 3rd, 2068 – Afternoon

After speaking with his wife, Kannagi Haru decided that he would join his children on one of their scouting expeditions rather than leading one on his own. When he spoke with his children about joining them on their next expedition, they were 'reluctant' to form a group with him. It took his wife's assistance to make this possible. He agreed to let Azumi take the lead, and he trusted her to hold the gun. He would only act as an 'advisor' when they went out together.

In addition to the gun and knife, Haru noticed that Azumi had a different weapon on her than usual. According to her, it was a spear that was retractable. It was made by Minato specifically for her. She wasn't used to handling it yet, but she figured she could start by carrying it around. Haru decided it would be for the best not to question it.

While they made their way to one part of the city in an attempt to obtain more fuel for their trucks, another group led by one of Haru's most trusted subordinates would do their best to do the same. Kannagi Haru would be the one holding the gas container while his children wore their normal backpacks. Unfortunately, this task would be easier said than done.

There weren't many cars left remotely intact in the city. They either wasted away or the Aragami might've decided to eat them in hopes of satisfying their never-ending hunger. The best they were able to retrieve was a few drops here and there from some of the cars they could find. Unfortunately, it was far from the amount they were hoping for. Their best hope was to look in a tower that loomed before them. It was about twenty floors high, and their father stated there is a slim chance oil or other types of fuel could have been stored there. Azumi was fine with checking out the building on Haru's suggestion.

The trio remained silent throughout most of their journey through the decaying city. Azumi and Yu would occasionally exchange a look before pressing on. It wasn't until they were inside the building they finally decided to have a conversation that would last longer than a sentence.

When Yu looked over his shoulder, he was the one to ask, "Did you really want to keep an eye on us father?"

"…" Haru did briefly glanced away from his son before he answered, "That wasn't exactly my intention, but you two did go out into the field a little sooner than the doctor recommended. You didn't exactly receive the go ahead."

"I know my body well father." Azumi remained calm with her arms crossed as she replied, "I wouldn't have gone out if I didn't believe I could handle it."

"Well …" Their father was slightly hesitant before replying, "Be that as it may, I actually would've asked to accompany you even if you didn't go out before."

Azumi raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

"We …" Haru scratched his head as he stated, "… haven't exactly spent a lot of time together lately so I decided it might be a good idea to accompany you on one of the scouting trips."

"Hmph." Azumi amusingly retorted, "I guess we didn't exactly have a lot of choices when it came to family bonding."

"…" Their father looked at their surroundings before he looked back at his daughter as he lamentedly admitted, "As much as I hate to say it, you're right about that. Here's hoping things can change when we get to Fenrir."

"Do you really think things can be different?" Azumi skeptically asked. "A lot of other places haven't really worked out, and we'd need to go on the road again."

"I'm sure this'll be different." Haru assuredly replied. "Fenrir has apparently remained standing ever since this began. I'm sure it'll remain standing."

"…" Yu remained silent as he looked between the two.

Azumi placed her hand on her waist as she asked, "Let's say it is still there. How much further do you think it is?"

"We're making good time." Haru smiled as he optimistically told his daughter, "At the rate we're going, we'll probably be there in a few weeks to two months at the most."

Azumi crossed her arms as she remarked, "Sounds like we still got a ways to go."

"It is unfortunately …" Their father noticed something out of the corner of his eyes. He turned around to walk towards it. He continued to speak while walking towards his target. "However, if this was how it used to be, we wouldn't be traveling in a group or need to make as many stops nor …" Their father bent down to examine the desk, "would we need worry about Aragami."

"…" Yu remained silent. He had no idea how to contribute to the conversation as he kept shifting his attention between his father and sister.

Haru continued to examine the desk as he continued, "It probably would've taken only a day or two if it was like before, but the stops do add up."

"Don't worry." Azumi replied, "I get it. I just hope we don't have run out of supplies, even after all the scavenging we've done."

"Heh." Haru playfully remarked as he picked up an item, "If you think you're worried, try being the one in charge." Haru tossed his daughter the item.

"I'd rather not." Azumi could feel herself chuckle a little as she caught it. It appeared to be an old wristwatch that was still in good condition. Azumi decided to put it away in her backpack.

"…" Yu remained completely silent throughout the exchange. It was as if he wasn't there.

Azumi then looked at her brother and asked, "Is something wrong Yu?"

"No." Yu answered. "Why?"

"It's just you looked a little troubled." Azumi took a step forward and kneeled in front of him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. We should try getting back to …" Yu awkwardly reply, "… you know … savaging for stuff." Yu then walked over to some

"Okay …" Azumi turned to her father and said, "Is there a reason why you thought this building was promising."

"There might be a garage underneath this building." Haru explained. "A lot of people would go to work in buildings like this, and they'd have garages underneath them. There would usually be a stairwell that would take us down there."

"You think it won't be blocked by rubble or something?" Azumi inquired.

"We'll have to find out." Haru noticed a sign. He snapped his fingers and pointed to the sign, "Bingo. That's what we're looking for. Follow me." Azumi and Yu followed after their father down the hallway. At the end they reached a door that luckily for them was not blocked.

When Haru grabbed hold of the door, it was difficult to make it move at first. Azumi stood up next to him while Yu remained a lookout. There might not have been much to keep an eye on, but his eyes darted from spot to spot.

"Grrh!" Both father and daughter groaned as they used their strength and struggled to move to door until it suddenly burst open from the force. It was so sudden that it nearly caused both Azumi and Haru to lose their balance.

"Ah!" Azumi let out a cry as she nearly fell over.

"Are you okay Azumi?" Yu ran over and asked.

"…" Haru remained silent after hearing Yu's question.

"I'm fine." Azumi then looked down the stairs as she remarked, "Just a little surprised."

The trio made their way down the stairs. Each step they made could be heard echoing in the stairwell. They held onto either the railing of the wall as they made each step. When they reached the bottom, the garage was surprisingly intact. There were several cracks in the pavement and there were ruins blocking another possible exit to the surface. However, aside from that, everything appeared to be fine. The pillars were holding up, and they had a feeling they wouldn't need to worry about the garage collapsing anytime soon.

They looked around the garage to see several cars scattered around the area. Haru's face brightened up at the sight of them as he commented, "Hah. Looks like this might be our lucky day after all."

Azumi closed her eyes and put her hand on her forehead as she remarked in a dry tone, "Don't jinx it."

"Sorry." Haru sheepishly replied. "Let's hope they still have some gas leftover."

Haru used the gas can, pump, and hose he brought with him to retrieve gas from the car tanks. After a few tries, he was successful in finding one or two cars with a sufficient supply of gas. He was able to fill up the gas can to capacity.

As Haru filled the gas can, Azumi and Yu remained on watched. Neither of them decided to talk on the side. They remained focused on their surroundings. Nothing came their way while Haru was retrieving the gas.

"All right." Haru held the gas can in his hand and shook it. The trio could hear the liquid move around. He could feel the weight of the liquid and how it moved in the container as he remarked, "I think that'll do it."

"You really think that'll be enough for us to get to Fenrir?" Azumi inquired.

"Maybe." Haru held the gas can handle tightly as he told his daughter, "If the other team retrieved some gas as well, it should be enough for us to get there even if we have to take any Aragami detours."

"If you say so." Azumi remarked.

"I do." Haru said back.

"In that case, let's get going before …" Azumi began to speak until a strange sound from behind her caused her to trail off. She turned around and jumped back to put her hand on her weapon to see where it was coming from.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound originated from the stairwell they had used to get down to the garage. Azumi, Haru, and Yu could feel the hair on the back of their heads stand up as they waited to see who would be appearing from that stairwell. They could hear that each step sounded closer.

All three family members put their bags to the side before reaching for their weapons. Azumi legs were slightly bent as she had her gun ready to shot at a moment's notice. She held the gun with her right hand while her left hand was free. Yu crouched as he pulled out his knife. Haru placed the gas can by the car he retrieved the new supply from and pulled out his knife as well. They were as ready as they could be for what was coming.

From the shadows of the stairwell, emerged a face that Azumi was familiar with. Azumi took a step back as she remarked, "… You."

It was none other than the Bald Bandit she had struck a deal with before, and he had brought far more company with him than he previously had. It was well over a dozen. "Looks like we meet again gunslinger."

The space between Azumi's eyebrows narrowed as she angrily demanded, "What are you doing here?! I thought we had an understanding!" She had her gun pointed directly at the bandit.

"Well it came to an end." The Bald Bandit reminded the young girl, "What'd I tell you about meeting again?"

"I didn't come looking for you!" Azumi rhetorically asked, "You came here looking for us weren't you?"

"Half right." The Bald Bandit's group began to fan out. Azumi remained focused on the front while Yu and Haru looked at the spread of the Bald Bandit's forces. The Bald Bandit pointed directly at Azumi as he informed her, "We only came looking for you."

Haru's eyes widened and his voice deepened. "What?"

The Bald Bandit stopped pointing at Azumi and moved his hand toward the scabbard on his belt. "I'll make this nice and easy. Come with us quietly," he slightly pulled his sword from his scabbard before finishing his offer, "and we'll pretend we didn't see these two."

"Wha …" Yu's voice quivered slightly as he demanded, "What would you do to her?"

"Hmph." The Bald Bandit glanced at the boy as he casually addressed him, "That won't be any of your business little man."

"Like hell it isn't." Haru stepped in front of his daughter and put his hand on his chest and declared, "I'm her father. Her safety is my responsibility, and I refuse to let her go off with you or anyone."

"Yeah!" Yu held out his knife and pointed it at the Bald Bandit. "No way are we just going to let you take my sister!"

"Oh. So this is a family affair?" The bandit scratched his chin as a grin formed on his face, "How very interesting."

"Don't even think about it!" Azumi stepped in front as she continued to hold her gun and told the bandit, "You must think I'm crazy if you think I'd go with you! You're just going to kill me!"

The Bald Bandit pointed his sword in Azumi's direction as he asked, "Wouldn't you want to spare your brother and father?"

Azumi remained unwavering as she pointed out, "You already broke one promise you made to me! What makes you think I'd believe you now?!"

"Well …" The Bald Bandit lightly scratched his chin as he had difficulty coming up with an answer, "… that is a very good question. A very good question indeed."

"Did you really think this whole thing through? You do realize I still have a gun right?" Azumi's aim remained pointed toward the Bald Bandit's head. Her finger curled around the trigger. "I'm sure you know what's faster."

"Yeah. I do." The Bald Bandit didn't seem too intimidated this time. I also noticed you didn't pull the trigger yet."

Azumi raised an eyebrow. "So?"

The Bald Bandit surmised, "I bet you don't want to risk attracting Aragami."

"…" Azumi did not say a word in response.

"Looks like I was right." The Bald Bandit took a step towards Azumi as he told her, "We're all better for it anyway. There's no need for all of us to die."

"Someone is." Azumi pointed her gun away from the bandit and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Azumi fired her gun and her hand moved back due to the recoil. A loud bang echoed in the garage and the connecting stairwell. Azumi could only hope there wasn't an Aragami anywhere near them. They didn't see any Aragami during their exploration, but there was always a chance one could have wandered nearby. Regardless, Azumi still pulled the trigger without hesitation.

No one could react to what she did. The bullet flew faster at its target than any of them could comprehend. They could only see and react after it finished its work.

The bullet broke through one of the male bandit's forehead. It traveled through his brain and broke out on the other side of his skull. Everyone could see the bandit's head jerk back before falling to the ground on his back. Blood could be seen slowly pouring from the hole on his forehead and a buddle of blood was accumulated on the floor beneath his head. His now lifeless eyes staring up into space was unable to open or close on their own again.

Everyone in the room except Azumi and Yu were stunned in silence and left with open mouths.

"Wha …" The Bald Bandit head turned with widened eyes to see that one of his fellows was now lying lifelessly on the ground.

Haru looked down at the handiwork of his daughter. He was not sure how to react to this. Part of him wished he had brought a gun as well while another part had wished he had been holding the gun instead. His right foot reflexively took a step back before he moved that foot forward again.

Azumi's eyes were narrow as she pointed the gun for the Bald Bandit. "When I pull out my gun, I don't do it for show." Azumi curled her finger around the trigger once more as her voice grew darker and deeper. "I'll pull the trigger when I have to. When I pull the trigger, I kill." When the Bald Bandit stared in Azumi's eyes, he couldn't focus on her gun because he felt as if daggers were stabbing him.

"…" All eyes in the room were on Azumi. No one had the ability to say a word to her as she continued to speak.

Wrinkles were forming on Rei's forehead as she bluntly told the bandits, "We had a deal. You broke it, and you needed to pay." She then loudly directed the Bald Bandit, "Call your men off now! You all stay down here, and you let us walk up those stairs! We DON'T need to repeat this!"

"…" There was not response from the Bald Bandit other than gritted teeth.

Azumi's eyes remained narrowed. "Don't look at me like that. You …" Azumi's hears perked up from a sound.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Azumi could hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind her. She turned to see that a female bandit was heading for her, and she clearly did not care whether Azumi had a gun or not. Azumi turned around and pointed her gun straight at the oncoming bandit.

Bang!

Azumi did not hesitate to pull the trigger again. It ended in the same result of the bullet entering through the bandit's head and exiting the other side. No one paid attention to see the bandit's head jerk back before she feel to the ground. What Azumi heard next was what got her attention.

"Kill them! Kill them all!" Azumi heard the shouts from one of the other bandits. Azumi, Haru, and Yu looked around them to see all the bandits were converging on them, including the Bald Bandit.

"You dumbasses!" Azumi shouted, "Yu! Father! Let's move!" Azumi rushed toward the bandits behind them and away from the Bald Bandit. She held up her gun and pulled the trigger multiple times.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"GAH!" One of the bandits cried out upon getting hit in the shoulder as he fell to the ground on his knees. The other two bandits were not as lucky as him.

The downed bandit turned his head to the gunslinger only to see a boot heading to his face. He could feel the boot make an indentation on his head as the boot dug in. It was only for a moment, but he could feel his cheekbones cave into the sudden assault before snapping. The kick forced his head to move and his body to twist around before he then fell flat on his stomach. His vision had blacked out before his face touched the ground.

The family hid behind the car, and the remaining bandits had found hiding places of their own behind other cars in the slowly decaying parking lot. Before anyone else could speak, Haru tried to speak up, "This doesn't have to get any worse than it already is!" He did his best to reason with them as his voice carried over throughout the garage. "Your friend down there should still be alive! You can still save him! No one else has to die! All you need to do is let us go, and we never meet again!"

"Can't do that old man!" The voice of the Bald Bandit could be heard. "No one can do that now!" He then added "Sorry!"

"Not as sorry as you're all gonna be!" Azumi shouted back.

"Azumi!" Haru touched his daughter's arm from behind.

"Sorry father!" Azumi spoke without looking at her father. "You just did things your way! Now I need to do them my way!" Azumi peered over the top of the car to scan the area for where the bandits were hiding. She shouted, "You do realize you've screwed up right?! The fact you decide to attack us means I can't let any of you live? You brought this on yourselves!"

"…" Haru remained silent as he heard his daughter speak.

"Well I didn't exactly come here to die today." The Bald Bandit calmly replied. However, Rei could guess where his voice was coming from.

Azumi shouted out loud, "One of us are, and I can guarantee you that this isn't going to be my grave!"

"Hmph." The Bald Bandit replied, "Less talk more fighting."

"I couldn't agree more …" Azumi saw from the corner of her eye one of the bandits had a knife in his hand, and he was ready to throw it. Before he could throw it her way, Azumi turned her body and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

"Gah!" The bullet didn't go through the bandit's head like it did for the others. It cut through the man's jugular. "GAH! GAH!" Azumi saw the man attempted to cover his wound as he fell to his knees and began to choke. "GAH!" Red liquid began to escape from his lips. The man was not only bleeding from his throat, but he was choking blood as well.

"Grh … Grh …" Azumi could still hear the sounds of the man choking as she kneeled down to hide behind the car again.

"Damn!" Azumi shook her head as she heard the choking sounds literally die down.

"Azumi." Haru whispered to his daughter as he remained kneeling, "I know that gun gives us an edge in this, but the more you use it the more we're tempting the Aragami showing up. We should probably use our other weapons."

"I know that!" Azumi sharply said to her father in a low voice. "I wasn't planning on using it the whole time." Azumi opened the clip of her gun to see she was nearly out. She put the gun back together. "It's not like I have a lot left anyway." Azumi placed the gun back in her holster and pulled out her knife. "Besides, I think I killed enough of them with this. We should be able to handle the rest of them."

Yu silently nodded in agreement.

Haru sighed and reluctantly remarked, "Guess we don't have much of a choice." He held up his own weapon as well.

Azumi looked to see a piece of loose concrete by her feet. She quickly grabbed the rock and shook it loose before pulling it free. The sudden freedom of the rock nearly caused Azumi to lose her balance from her kneeling position. She then held the rock firmly in her hand.

No one else had apparently moved their hiding spots. It was a matter of who would make the first move. Azumi held onto the rock with her right hand and her knife with her left. As she laid in wait for the right moment, Azumi lightly bit her lip. It was not enough for her to draw blood, but it kept her mind from wandering.

Tap!

Azumi's ears perked when she heard the sound of a footstep. It was coming from out of her view. She quietly moved across the car. When she peered up, she could see another bandit slowly making her way towards them.

"Ah huff …" Azumi took a deep breath. She quietly told her family, "Get ready!"

When Yu nodded his head, it was enough for Azumi to go on. She jumped from hiding with the rock in hand. She threw it with all her might.

The bandit did not see the rock coming until it was inches from her face. The best she could do was widen her eyes before impact. The rock came into contact with was the female bandit's nose. The woman could feel her nose being forced back into her head as the rock impacted the rest of her face. The force of the rock and Azumi's throw caused the female bandit's head and neck to jerk back, and her back craned back as well. However, unlike the bandit that Azumi shot, the rock headshot was not enough to kill her.

When the bandit attempted to stand up straight, Azumi could see that the female bandit's nose was leaking like a faucet. The right side of her face was roughly cut, and her right eye was showing signs of becoming black and blue. She was not ready for what was coming next as Azumi launched her foot into the female bandit's stomach. The female bandit's mouth went agape as the foot dug into her body and the air escaped from her lungs. The force of the attack knocked her off her feet as she fell to the ground, and her back roughly landed on the surface.

After seeing this, the Bald Bandit shouted, "She must be out of bullets! Get her now!"

The remaining bandits jumped from their hiding places and launched their attack. Afterwards, chaos ensued. Azumi, Haru, and Yu were forced to fight the bandits on their own. However, Azumi had thinned their numbers greatly, so it was manageable. Azumi made sure to keep a good eye on her brother when she was able to.

Handling several of the bandits was mere child's play for Azumi. She had easily managed to fake out and slice the throats of two different bandits before another one tried to attack her from behind. Azumi's ears perked when she heard the sound of someone crying out behind her which dwarfed the sound of his loud footsteps.

The bandit held a club in his hand. When he was about to attack, he bent his knee and attempted to swing his weapon to whack Azumi's head like it was a baseball. Azumi saw him coming, and she was able to easily dodge underneath his swing. When he hit nothing but air, he swung so widely it left him unbalanced and open for a counter attack. Azumi used her foot to kick her opponent's knee. She could feel and hear an audible crack as she forced the knee to move in the opposite direction he had been pointing it.

"GRH!" The bandit cried out as he was forced on one knee. "Wha ..!" The man was barely able to react to Azumi foot before it collided with his face.

Azumi could feel her force the man's head back which forced his back to move along with it. In a moment, the man was no longer able to keep his balance after being forced back from the kick and landed on the ground. The man was not dead, but Azumi was sure he was out cold. However, Azumi did not have the luxury of being able to check.

No sooner had she knocked that bandit to the floor, two more bandits were heading her way. One of them was the Bald Bandit ready to swing his sword and the other bandit was a club wielder as well. When Azumi saw the sword, she could feel her eyes widen and her heart skip a beat as she held up her knife.

The swing of the sword was too strong for Azumi to stop with her tiny blade. The best she could do was deflect the swing as her back bent backwards slightly. Azumi could see the sword swing over her head within inches of her face as her feet did their best to remain on the ground while her body had bent backwards.

Within a second or two, Azumi forced her back straight up again. Before she could try counterattacking the Bald Bandit, Azumi saw the other bandit was doing a follow up attack. He swung his club straight down to Azumi's head as if he was trying to hit the head of a nail. Azumi managed to jump to the right, but the club was able to lightly hit her arm. The strike left a black and blue mark on her arm, but it wasn't enough to cause her to drop her knife or deter her in anyway.

Ignoring the pain Azumi quickly bent down and counterattacked the bandit as she kicked out her leg and struck his feet. The pressure and strength of her right leg on the bandit's ankles was enough to cause him to fall forward and timber like a tree. The man didn't have a chance to cry out before he fell flat on his face other than groan in pain.

Azumi immediately stood up straight and then proceeded to kick the bandit's head like she was doing a kickoff at an American football game. The bandit had been trying to push his body up which made him an easier target before he could feel his head make contact with her foot. This caused the bandit's body to rollover and land on his back. His head remained limp on the ground with his mouth agape along with blood protruding from his nose and mouth, but Azumi was sure he was still alive.

The Bald Bandit was not going to let that go unanswered as he gritted his teeth and attempted to attack Azumi again. His swing was wild, and Azumi was able to dodge it with ease. "Ha." Azumi laughed. "Is this a joke?"

"…" The Bald Bandit didn't say a word as he continued to hit nothing but air with Azumi.

Azumi smirked as she remarked, "This is pathetic." The Bald Bandit's movement became wilder as she continued to speak. Her grin grew wider as she told him, "How can you be a leader of these guys? You suck!"

"Ah!" The Bald Bandit cried out as he swung for Azumi's neck. She easily dodged underneath his attack and spun around with a kick that launched for his stomach. "GAH!" The Bald Bandit cried out as Azumi's foot dug into his body and launched him away from her.

"Ha." With another enemy defeated, Azumi couldn't help but brag. "You guys can't take me on your own. You're too weak."

Heyah!

As if on cue to fit her words, Azumi ears perked up to see that her little brother was in the middle of his own fight. Azumi could see a few bandit bodies by where her brother was fighting. He was clashing furiously with one that appeared to have the fury of Hades in his eyes. However, Yu was overpowering her with little difficulty, but that was not what caused Azumi's eyes to widen.

There was another bandit heading for Yu. He easily dwarfed him and her in size. "Yu!" Azumi's eyes widened as she saw one of the bandits raising his knife towards Yu whose attention was completely occupied by the bandit he was currently dealing with.

Without wasting a second thought, Azumi tossed the knife up and caught it by blade in midair. She pulled her arm back and threw the knife she was holding. She saw the knife spin in the air as if it was in slow motion. It hurdled toward the target before hitting him in the back like he was a bullseye. If anyone had watched Azumi throw that, they would've thought she had practiced this by playing with darts at a bar.

"GAH!" The bandit cried out as he felt the sharp edge of the knife pierce through the skin in his back. He could feel it break through until it became imbedded in him causing him further anguish.

The cries caught Yu's attention. He didn't need anything else to tell him what was going on. He finished off his current opponent and then he immediately stabbed the large man in the gut before withdrawing the knife.

With the knife lodged in his back and a wound on his stomach, the bandit's shirt quickly became stained with blood. It caused him to lose his balance as his legs gave way and his back continued to lean forward even as he tried to use his hands and knees to support himself. He was now low enough for Yu to finish off.

When the bandit looked up, he could see what his fate was. Yu was swift and decisive. With his knife, he cut through the bandit's long and vulnerable neck. Yu could feel his knife easily break through the meaty skin and cut through it like butter. The move took only a second or two to execute, but it played in slow motion in Yu's head as blood covered his knife. It began to rip down the man's neck and body like a waterfall. The man fell forward. Yu bent down to retrieve the knife from his back and left him to rot away.

Yu saw that his sister was dealing with her own problems, but he didn't feel the need to worry about her. His attention turned to his father who had far more active opponents than either of them. Yu's eyes widened by what he saw.

While Haru was handling himself well as indicated by the bodies presently on the ground, Yu saw that one of the bandits took a page out of Azumi's book. She was about to bash his head with a rock. Yu cried out, "Father!" as he rushed over to his side. Yu was not able to warn his father in time nor was he able to stop the rock from hitting the back of his father's head, but he was able to stop them from killing him. They did not see him coming as he literally stabbed one of them in the back before they could execute his father.

/

When Azumi saw that Yu was handling the large bandit. She took out her spear and clicked it so it could expand. The full length spear stretched from her neck to her ankles, and she was fast to putting it to use. Azumi could hear the bandits around her beginning to stir. Azumi quickly managed to finish off a few of the bandits that she had knocked out before they could wake up. However, one of them did before she could get to him.

Out of the corner of Azumi's eye, she saw someone coming for her. The bald survivor was rushing towards her with sword in hand. She had been so preoccupied finishing off her other would-be assailants that she did not notice him regaining consciousness. He was already getting ready to swing by the time she noticed him. There was no time to think. Only react.

In the span of a few seconds everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Both combatants felt like they could see every movement in that time span as the sword neared Azumi's throat and how both of them had been sweating profusely. The man was swinging his sword horizontally with the speed of a baseball bat with the intention of severing the link between Azumi's head and her shoulders. Likewise Azumi was jumping away like a rabbit to avoid this grisly fate.

When the blade reached the tip of its swing, Azumi's head was not rolling, but the blade did not hit air either. Even though Azumi attempted to move her neck back as she jumped away, she could feel the tip of the enemy's sword scrap across the left side. In that moment, she could feel the wound draw blood instantly, but she did not have time to think about that. The only thing she needed to know was that strike did not kill her. Her head was still firmly attached to her shoulders. She could still breathe. She could still fight. As long as she drew breath, the fight was not over. Her instincts pressed her onward.

Azumi's feet hit the ground as she turned around. "Heyah!" Azumi cried out as she thrusted her spear. The tip was not aimed directly at her combatant's chest. She launched it elsewhere.

"Gah!" Azumi's enemy cried out as the tip of her spear broke through the muscles of his right thigh. It was an ear piercing scream that only a bullet or a cry of an Aragami could best. The man's attempt at a finishing blow had left him vulnerable. Within a few seconds, the man could feel the spear break through and dig into his flesh until he could feel the tip break through the other side of his thigh. "Grh!"

He closed his eyes as he felt the tip and the pole twist around inside him before he felt it ripped right out. "Gh!" He cried out again before being forced down on one knee.

With the amount of pain he was experiencing, he was not ready for what came next. Azumi quickly closed the gap between them and launched her fist right at the side of the man's head. She could feel her knuckles connect to the man's face. The force was so strong it not only forced his face to turn left, but his entire body turned with it.

The bandit nearly lost grip of his sword. Azumi was not about to give up her assault as she raised her foot and hit him squarely on his left side. He was not able to keep himself anchored to the ground as the kicked lifted him up, and his hand lost grip of his sword while in mid-air.

"Mff …" He exhaled when he roughly landed on the ground. His vision became hazy, but he could see his sword was a few feet in front of him. He tried to get back on his feet only to be reminded of the hole in his right thigh which was leaving a pool of blood in its wake. He had no choice but to get on all fours as he attempted to crawl to his sword. He slowly made his way over to his sword.

"…" Azumi shook her head at the display. As she watched that, she could hear from the other side of the room the fight wasn't over yet.

Azumi had turned around to see her brother was having some trouble of his own again. She saw that he was protecting their unconscious father. She quickly reached down for her spare knife on her right thigh and flung it towards one of her brother's would-be murders.

"Gah!" Her knife managed to make a bullseye right on another bandit's back. When he fell to his knees, Yu swiftly slashed through the man's throat. Based on how it was done, it seemed like it was routine for the two of them.

Yu then was able to slash the side of his last opponent before then finishing her by digging his knife into the woman's neck. He could see the knife move through one side and out the other. The woman was gasping for air before Yu removed his knife. As the woman laid there bleeding and gasping for breath, he paid her no mind.

His father still remained on the ground unresponsive. Yu kneeled next to his father and saw that the back of his head was bleeding, but he wasn't bleeding heavily. He checked his pulse to see that he was very much alive. He let out a sigh of relief before looking over to Azumi.

While Azumi helped her brother, the Bald Bandit continued crawling as quickly as he could towards his sword. He was able to grab onto the hilt, but a foot came crashing down upon his hand. He looked up to see Azumi staring down at him. In that instant, he could feel her eyes stabbing daggers at him as her fingers curled into a fist. He did not even attempt to avoid the punch she delivered to his forehead. Her punches felt like a rock and it was lights out for him. His head came crashing to the floor and his hand no longer held onto his sword's hilt which Azumi kicked away. There would be no more trouble from him.

/

With the last of the enemies neutralized, Azumi's mind was able to focus on the reality of her situation. The left side of her neck was bleeding profusely from the earlier injury. While the wound was relatively light, the neck is one if not the most vulnerable spot on the human body. A wound of this nature was more than enough to draw blood as Azumi could feel the blood trickling down her neck. She could feel her hand become drenched in it when she attempted to put pressure. She glance down to see the clothing on her left side should were starting to become saturated and stained in red.

"Hmph." Azumi mused, "Adrenaline can do a lot of things …" As Azumi spoke, her vision became uneven and wobbly. Suddenly, Azumi could feel her legs beginning to shake as she softly cursed, "… Damn …." Azumi found herself kneeling on the ground. "Ah huff … Ah huff …" Azumi breathed deeply as she did her best to continue putting pressure on the wound.

"Sis …" Azumi heard her brother sound horrified behind her. She glanced over her shoulder while she kept her left hand on the wound and maintained her grip on her weapon with her right.

The look on Yu's face was 'troubled' to say the least. His mouth was agape, and he was having difficulty catching his breath at the sight of her. He was as pale as a ghost and his eyes appeared as small as ever. Azumi had never seen Yu in this state before. Not even when Azumi nearly ran out to distract Aragami or in any other dangerous situation they had found themselves in.

Before Yu was able to choke up another word, Azumi grabbed her brother's shoulder and assured him, "I'll live …"

"But …" Yu attempted to speak as he saw his sister's injury.

"We won …" Azumi smiled as she continued to hold onto her neck. "That's what matters right …?" Her voice sounded slightly different from how it usually did. More high pitched. "We lived … they died …"

Yu looked around the room and then back at his sister. Even with all her enemies defeated in this room, it did not stop the fact Azumi was injured by the attack. Her neck was already bleeding, and as time was passing, it bleed more profusely.

"Sis …" Yu took a breath. He was still horrified as he spoke, "Your neck … We need to take care of now or …"

"I'm going to die …" Azumi plainly stated much to her brother's horror as she did her best to hold onto her injury. "I kinda figured that out. You got the first aid kit right?"

"Of course!" Yu immediately ran to where he left his backpack to retrieve his first aid kit as he told his sister, "I'll be right back! Just sit still and let me do what I can! I'm not going to let you die here!"

While her brother was retrieving the first aid kit, Azumi softly said, "I know you won't."

After retrieving the first aid kit, Yu did his best to clean the wound. He used the cleaning alcohol which caused Azumi to feel a 'stinging' sensation that crawled throughout her body. Azumi remained still as she either bit her lip or dug her fingernails into her skin to distract herself. She could be an ideal patient when she chose to be.

After doing his best to clean the blood from his sister's neck, Yu was able to see the wound for himself. He could see his sister had a 'relatively small' gash along her neck courtesy of that man's sword.

The boy's eyes widened and he sucked his lips in. "Eww …" Yu could not contain his disgust for what he saw.

"Yu …" That was all Azumi said.

"Sorry Sis …" Yu sheepishly apologized as he placed ointment on the wound before bandaging it. His efforts would temporarily stop the bleeding, but it was a quick fix at best. Yu sighed, "I'm really sorry, but this is the best I can do."

From the angle of the wound, Azumi wasn't able to see the wound or the bandage from outside the corner of her eye unless she had a mirror, but she could feel the wound that her brother put into treating her. "This'll do. Thanks."

"Are you sure?" Yu asked. They both knew that despite his best efforts, it would be a patch job at best as blood had soaked the towels and her clothes.

Azumi placed her hand on her brother's head as she assured him, "This'll do until we get back to camp. Thanks Yu."

Yu did not protest as Azumi ruffled his hair. Instead he said, "I should be thanking you." Yu then looked towards their unconscious father as he remarked, "So should father."

"How is he?" Azumi inquired as she removed her hand.

Yu replied, "He's still knocked out, but he'll live."

"Good." Azumi nodded her head. "Go check on father again." Azumi ordered as she picked up her spear. She tightened her grip on it as she used it to pick herself up from the ground. "There's one more thing I need to wrap up."

"Okay." Yu walked away to check on their father as Azumi made her way towards the last person alive in the room beside them and their father.

Azumi may have been distracted by her injury, but it was also a reminder of the unfinished business. The timing was impeccable. As she was walking towards him, he was regaining consciousness. Not that it would help him.

"Ugh …" The Bald Bandit groaned as he struggled to open his eyes. When he turned over, he saw that Azumi was standing before him. He attempted to move only to be reminded of the hole in his leg. "Grh … Damn … You got me good …"

"I did." Azumi coldly replied.

"That's a nice weapon you've got." The Bandit motioned to the spear Azumi was holding. "Why didn't you use it sooner?"

"It's still new." Azumi answered.

"Oh …" The Bandit nodded. He then realized that the room was quiet, and there was a reason that Azumi was calmly speaking to him, "It's over …"

"It is." Azumi responded as she stared down at him.

The Bald Bandit looked turned his head right and left to see the corpses that littered the garage as he remained on the ground. As he watched Azumi take another step towards him, he did not attempt to crawl away or even inch away. He took a breath, shook his head, and said, "I warned her … this wouldn't end well. I told her we'd be better off letting you go."

"Who is she?" Azumi interrogated, "Is she your leader?"

"Yeah …" The bald bandit freely told Azumi, "Her name is Etsuko, and I told her that'd we'd be better off not bothering with this whole hunt. If it'd been up to me, it would've stopped when we parted ways before."

"If that's the case, maybe you should've made it up to you." Azumi coldly remarked.

"Ha …" The bandit bitterly replied, "… Maybe you're right."

"I am right." Azumi held onto her spear as she kept it planted on the floor, "This room speaks for itself."

"So …" The Bald Bandit looked Azumi in the eyes as he rhetorically asked, "… I guess this is it for me huh?"

Azumi bluntly stated, "Yes. You see it doesn't matter if you were following orders or you're lying injured on the ground. The fact is you attacked me and my family. That makes you my enemy, and I kill my enemies. I'm sure you understand."

"I do …" The Bald Bandit nodded his head as he spoke, "… I definitely do."

"Do you? Do you really? Do you see these people?" Azumi held out her arms as he motioned to the corpses that surrounded them. "All of them?"

"…" The Bald bandit was only able to softly say, "… Yes."

"Do you see all this blood?" Azumi pointed to her feet. The ground had been stained in puddles of blood from the fallen bandits. With all the death and blood, it would be harder to see a clean part of the floor left.

The Bald bandit reluctantly replied, "… Yes."

"Good because these were all your people, and this is all on you." Azumi pointed directly at the bandit that laid before her. She did not show him an ounce of sympathy as she laid into him. "It was your fault you attacked me! It was your fault your friends wanted to kill my family! It was your fault we were forced to defend ourselves!" Azumi motioned to the corpses again as she continued, "All these people! Your friends! Their blood! It's on your hands! They're all dead because of you! You failed them all!" Azumi's voice was calm but venomous as she had difficulty holding anything back.

"I …" The Bald bandit's eyes were downcast as he shamefully admitted, "I know … I know … I failed them … I got them all killed … It's all my fault. I'm gonna go to my grave knowing that it was."

Azumi's face softened slightly as she apologized, "Sorry to break it to you, but I won't be able to dig you a grave."

"I … I know …" The Bald Bandit understood the circumstances as he said, "This is close enough."

Azumi sincerely replied, "If things were different, I could've …"

"Heh …" The Bald Bandit bitterly chuckled, "… I … I really should've tried harder to convince my boss that we should've left you alone. Things didn't need to end like this."

"But they did." Azumi bluntly stated, "As much as I hate how things turned out that's how it did. I'm not going to cry about what could've been. I'll move on because what's done is done and the 'Past is Prologue.'"

"Heh. I gotta say …" The Bald Bandit smiled and looked Azumi in the eyes as he told her, "… I like that." He then remembered something as he said, "You know … I never did introduce myself. Mind if I give you my name at least?"

"Fine by me. Say it." Azumi's eyes remained in contact with the bandit as she told him, "In fact, if you have any last words say'em."

The Bald Bandit continued to smile as he said, "How considerate of you."

Azumi remained in place thanks to holding onto her spear like a walking staff. "I'm nice like that … or foolish. Take your pick."

"Okay then … In that case let me give you one warning before I say anything else." His voice was serious as he told his opponent, "Leave here today. It's only a matter of time before another group spots you or they find out we're all dead. Etsuko will come after you. She wants your head on a pike after all." Azumi's face dropped and she took a step back upon hearing that as she let the man continue. "She specifically wants your head, and she'd like to do it herself. So do your best to keep it attached."

Azumi touched her neck to feel the bandages were still there. She told him, "Thanks for the warning. My name is Azumi. Kannagi Azumi."

The Bald Bandit smiled as he finally told her, "My name is Akihiro. Funai Akihiro."

"Funai Akihiro?" Azumi repeated out loud and Akihiro nodded in response. "… I'll be sure to remember it. By the way," Azumi noticed Akihiro's sword that remained lying on the ground. I forgot to mention that you had a nice sword. I think I'll be taking that."

"Heh." Akihiro chuckled as he told the young woman, "Go ahead. You won after all. To the victor go the spoils."

Azumi grinned, "Yet another old saying from the other world that still applies to this one."

"There's definitely worse people who could claim that sword. Might as well be you." Akihiro requested, "Take care of it."

"You don't have to worry. I will." Azumi's grip on her weapon tightened. Now it's time to take care of some unfinished business." Without sparing another word, Azumi lifted up her spear.

When Azumi stepped forward, Akihiro did not attempt to crawl way. The bandit didn't cry out and beg for his life. Nor did he try reaching out for anything random lying on the floor. It would've amounted to nothing, but shame. Greater shame than he was already guilty of. He remained lying on the floor perfectly still. Right before he could feel anything, he closed his eyes and smiled.

Azumi's actions were swift. The tip of her spear cut through the man's skin like butter. It broke through his chest right as it pierce through his heart. "Ah …" A small gasp escaped from the man's mouth. Akihiro could feel the tip of the weapon break through his chest and pierce through his heart. There was no denying it. These were his final moments.

In that moment, Akihiro could feel his body drain of life. Even though his eyes were already closed he could feel them become darker. Before the light left his eyes completely, he was able to mutter, "… Thanks."

Akihiro's eyes remained closed and he was still smiling but his mouth went agape as he felt the last bit of his life leave his body. His head and hands went limp after a few seconds with the smile still on his face. Azumi placed her boot on the Akihiro's chest. She roughly withdrew her spear from the man's chest, and it shoved the man's corpse to the floor.

The moment Akihiro's body hit the ground, Azumi could feel her stomach sink and her heart ache. Azumi could feel it eating at her like nothing ever had before. Taking deep breaths could do nothing to put this feeling at ease. She clutched her heart, but it did little to help. Instead, she looked down upon it.

"…" Azumi stared at the fresh course that laid before her. She looked over to see a dirty bloody rag on the floor. She walked over to pick it up. She shook it a little before moving to the man's body and covering his face with it.

Azumi stared at the man's corpse for another moment before lightly biting her lip and turning around. Azumi walked away while continuing to hold onto her neck with one hand and maintaining her grip of her weapon with the other as she used it as a third leg. She needed to maintain her strength anyway she could.

/

Author Notes: I'm glad that I was able to bring this story out of hiatus. I do plan on updating it in the future as I plan on updating my other active stories. While this story has been on hiatus, I have written out future scenes for chapters. Hopefully, I will be able to post all of the work I have done someday in the near future.

This chapter was originally planned to be longer than that. I originally planned on one or two scenes happening after that. However, I thought it would be more fitting to end with Azumi putting the towel on Akihiro's head and walking away to speak with her brother again about their father's current condition. I figure it would be for the best to have those scenes be the start of the next chapter.

I purposely didn't showcase any of Haru's fighting. I just wanted to imply that he did hold his own pretty well. He took down a few before he ran into a little trouble. As I said, one of the bandits ended up whacking his head with a rock like Azumi did to one of the bandits when the fight began. Yu would have ended up in the same situation if not worse without Azumi's interference. In the end, Azumi was the only one who did not need help fighting her enemies, but she did need help with what happened after the fight. I think in a way it sort of evens out. They'd all be dead if things had gone differently.

Haru isn't a completely terrible father. He refused to let the bandits take his daughter. He did want a more 'peaceful' solution, but even he saw that was not going to be possible. That's why after his proposal was shot down, he decided to let Azumi say what she said. While you might complain about him telling Azumi to put her gun away, it was for a practical reason. Using the gun was necessary, but overusing it would use up all the bullets, and it would increase the chances of an Aragami hearing it. That's why he didn't say anything until after they took cover.

While Haru used to be a police officer, he didn't bring a gun with him and let Azumi be the one to carry a gun because he as allowing her to be in charge. While he could have taken another gun, he didn't think they would have a problem like this. It is one of those things where you do something so many times and you never needed it. The one time you decided not to bring it, you needed it. Definitely one of those situations.

It was always my intention to make Akihiro and Azumi's fight be a brief one. Akihiro was not meant to be a final boss type material. Additionally, Akihiro didn't think Azumi would be able to counterattack after he nearly cut off her head. It was a foolish mistake on his part. Additionally, as with Fire Emblem, spear trumps sword.

At the end of the chapter, Azumi is wondering if she might have possibly crossed a line by killing Akihiro. Unlike any of the other people she killed, she feels some guilt killing the last one. She had reasons to do it. They decided not to fight, and she was hoping that would be the end of it even though she had a feeling it wasn't. Her feelings were unfortunately justified by this man, and she had to put him down. I'm sure others would agree.

Despite Akihiro being a 'better person' by comparison to the other people she killed, it did not change the fact he was her enemy, and he could still be a threat that should be eliminated. Personally, I feel Azumi had every right not to show mercy considering what happened. What do you think?

This chapter was focused on human to human violence while the Aragami were sidelined just like the political storyline of 'Attack on Titan' sidelined the Titans. Anyway, you can expect Aragami to appear again in the next chapter. I also plan on showcasing God Eaters fighting the Aragami in a future chapter as well. You will have that to look forward to.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review because I greatly appreciate the feedback. See you next time, and I hope it'll be sooner rather than later.