HI GUYS, I'M BACK! Sorry about the SUPER LONG WAIT. I was studying for exams at ITE and because of Real Life Circumstances, my Computer got taken away. But anyways, I hope you like the chapter!

*Also, I added a few references here and there, see if you can find them (TEEHEE)*

(-)

God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence

Chapter 7

Fire… Ruin… Fear… Despair…

Death…

All around me…

And in my arms… Silently sleeping…

A person… and… a hole…

If… there was anything… that I could do about it…

It would be one thing…

(-)

"Flowers" I wrote, with a poker face matching a certain Player/Wild Card.

(- Sakaki's Lab -)

Dr. Sakaki sighed, laying down the white card in his hand that showed what looked like a symmetrical picture of some smog-like effigies. He then took off his glasses with a worried look on his face before continuing.

"Well, even I'm not afraid to admit that these kind of tests are useless in overcoming your strong, stubborn characteristic…" he admitted as he wiped his glasses with a cloth before putting them back on. "However, taking your mental health into consideration, hiding this from your friends would eventually bite you back.

"I'm not saying that you have to tell them eventually, and neither am I telling you to get over your situation. I'm simply asking you to take care of your well-being."

This is one of the rare times that I actually get slightly pissed. Slightly. "Then what do you think is good for my well-being?" After seeing what I wrote, the good Doctor chuckled a bit.

"Now you can see why I disagreed to doing PTSD Mental Tests on you…" Dr. Sakaki confessed with his ever-present smile. "Knowing you, it's just a matter of going through your troubles at your own pace, while also regarding the people around you." Well, I'm not one to stay mad at anything or anyone for so long, so I simply smiled.

"Well, that marks the end of the Test," Dr. Sakaki announced, despite the both of us being the only people inside the Lab. "Time to call the other rookies in for another Lecture."

Yay! Another one! Now, where will Alisa sit…

(- a moment later -)

"As I mentioned before, the Oracle Cells which comprise Aragami will eat anything." Dr. Sakaki started the lecture with me sitting next to Alisa and Daisuke sitting next to an already dozing off Kota on the other. "Not just life-forms like animals and plants, but also synthetic resins, such as plastics.

"It will even devour nuclear waste, known to be toxic to normal life-forms." Hearing that, I couldn't help but wonder what that would taste like…

Dr. Sakaki continued, showing us some pictures of the Old City. "Buildings, solid earth, you name it… See, this is what happens. As a result, the environment as we know it – "leftovers", so to speak – is diminishing at a very high rate. In this area, people were once known to view cherry blossoms in spring, and maple leaves in autumn." He then showed us some pictures of some pre-Aragami Age seasons before the screen showed blank.

"Meanwhile, the Aragami tend to occasionally take on the qualities of the things that they've eaten. Recently, some Aragami have actually been discovered photosynthesising. 79% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen…

Dr. Sakaki then started to walk towards Kota. "Despite the fact that we only have a third of the plants that existed in the world 20 years ago, somehow the air of this planet has been preserved. Don't you find it extremely ironic that we owe this phenomenon to the Aragami's photosynthesis?" He then tapped Kota's head couple of times.

"Ugh… Mom, I can't eat anymore…" Kota muffled in his sleep, making Daisuke shake his said with a sigh while I snickered to myself.

"Really! He has no sense of duty whatsoever!" Alisa voiced out in typical 'oujo-sama' fashion. Hmm, maybe I should have a little talk with her about her teammates in the Far East Branch… Just to let her understand everyone a little bit more. After all, Kota only ever pays attention if it concerns his friends and family.

…family, huh.

"Listen, people- Have you ever heard the term "Nova's Devouring Apocalypse"?" Dr. Sakaki's thoughts brought me out of my internal monologue. It was Alisa who ansered his question.

"Yes… after the Aragami battle among themselves, the Extinction of Humankind is triggerred by Nova, an entity that has grown so huge that it could swallow up the entire planet." It was at this point that Kota had his eyes fully open and shining with worry.

"Exactly." Dr. Sakaki praised Alisa. "No one even knows who first spoke of this event, and some people have dismissed it as an idle rumor."

"But once the Aegis Project is completed," Kota commented in soft tone he never usually uses. "We'll be safe from even that." There it is again, that moment of silence Dr. Sakaki has when Kota mentioned the Aegis Project, just like last time. He even has that same frown.

But just as quick as the silence appeared and stayed, it went away just as Dr. Sakaki changed the subject. "Do you know what kind of animal a dog is?"

"Huh?" Kota could only answer with that as he noticed the abrubt change.

Despite knowing it to be a rhetorical question, I raised my hand. "Yes, Aki…" Well, looks like it's time to pull another one.

(- Play Persona 4 OST Specialist -)

Taking out my glasses again, I put them on before writing down my answer very quickly. As it was a very long answer, it took me some time to get the whole thing right. After checking what I had written, I faced the board towards Dr. Sakaki and the rest.

"A dog usually refers to a domestic canine that walks on all fours. As canines, Dogs are carnivorous but are usually known for being "Man's Best Friend" because of their extreme loyalty towards their Master(s) and/or Owner(s). Their constantly hanging-outside tongue is a means for them to cool themselves off while they usually make 'woofing' or whining sounds depending on their mood."

Erasing what I just wrote, I written down the rest of my answer before showing everyone. "Their moods are more clearly defined by their tail's movements or the position of their ears, which when fully upwards signify an active expression whereas laying their ears against their head shows a sad expression. The most famous "Puppy Look" is done by looking at the target person with their head down yet high enough to let their eyes stare into the person's, making their eyes twinkle in cuteness. This look is one of the 'looks' they use to beg for something."

"Humans are capable of doing it as well! Though such a feat can only be performed by moe lolis or cute children. And personally, I think a good name for a dog would be 'Arf'." Taking out my glasses and putting them away at an undisclosed location in my satchel, I erased what I had written before writing again, only to be interrupted by Alisa.

"I don't understand." she inquired. "What kind of otherworldy person would name their dog 'Arf'?"

Smiling, I wrote one word. "Fate." And just as I expected, Alisa looked at me like I had lost a couple hundred brain cells, just as she had lost hers. Hmm, Daisuke seems to be just as perplexed whereas Kota simply shrugs. When I turned to gauge Dr. Sakaki's reaction, I found him… snickering?

Impossible, there's no way any person would laugh at this unless- Wait. No way. Dr. Sakaki is an otaku like me!?

The Doctor cleared his throat to get our attention."I think it's about time we went back to the Lecture." And so, we went back to the lesson again.

(- stop song -)

"Before I continue, thank you for the explanation, Aki." Why you're welcome, Doctor… "Now as I was saying, the number of dogs in the world is quickly dwindling, but even now you can see some dogs existing around the Outer Ghetto. Dogs are intelligent, they may not be able to speak or understand specific words, but they can communicate with Humans.

"If an Aragami takes on the qualities of a Dog, then perhaps we can find a way to co-exist…" I think I know where this is going…

"Co-exist?" Well, Alisa sounds appalled by the idea. Then again, anyone would usually be appalled by this. Oh wait, there's me.

Dr. Sakaki decided to clear this up a notch. "Of course, from a communications standpoint, we aren't limited to dogs. Long ago, you could watch an animal tamer manipulate wild beasts in tents called a circus." Ugh, never really liked those. I hated how animals were treated there.

"But there's no way we could ever get along with Aragami…" I expected that sort of answer from Alisa, but even I couldn't help but disagree with it.

After all, our God Arcs are Aragami themselves too, right?

(- Cafeteria -)

Here I am sitting next to Daisuke while eating some fried tofu, mashed potatoes and a corn-on-the-cob on the side. Well I gotta say this again, the chef really is good. No wonder Lindow keeps on ordering the corn. And speaking of which, there he goes eating a couple more at the table in front of ours'.

As for Daisuke, he's eating a whole steamed sweet potato. Apparantly the guy isn't picky when it comes to food. In fact he even told me he ate a rat once, and once again I can't help but wonder how those tasted like…

"Say, Aki…" Daisuke spoke up, bringing me out of my thoughts. "What do you think about 'Charity'?"

Charity? I wrote down my response. "You mean people giving other people things in a simple act of generosity?"

"Yeah, that." Hmm, if that's the case…

"Charity can come in many forms, but I think each and every one of those acts have a sort of motive to them." I wrote before erasing and writing again. "Of course, the motive in question doesn't have to be complicated, and most of the time it is just for the simple sake of giving. Just like Christmas!"

Daisuke looked satisfied by my answer but he asked for more. "Then what about the ones that have some other motive?" Thinking back to my answer, I wrote up another one.

"Then I guess that would have to depend on the person who is giving what they want to give to a certain person or group of people. Like what you yourself are doing with the Orphanage from here, it would bring themselves joy to give people the things that they would need more than what the giver does.

"Though sometimes people give things to other people simply because they could benefit from it. Charity also helps to bring fame, and thus the term itself becomes perverted and tainted as they aren't being sincere with their generosity.

"Of course, I'm not really the kind of person who likes to judge people based on their masks. No matter what, it all goes down to the person's motives, just like any other thing they do…" I finally finished my casual explanation before proceeding to munch on my current palette. Daisuke, now fully satisfied with my answer, decides to take a few bites of his sweet potato.

"Well, as for me, you can say I just have a strong desire to help people," he commented, taking a few more bites off the sweet potato before continuing. "And also, though I can't remember why, I can somehow connect it to my past."

Huh, so that's what you think about charity… Well, knowing you, that would be exactly what you would think. Except for the 'no past' part, that one I had no idea about. As we continued to eat, I remembered something that has been buggig me for a while now.

"Ne, Daisuke. Any idea what the Divine element is?" Daisuke looked at me with an eyebrow raised in confusion before his eyes shot up as he realised what I was asking about. Then he got himself into a thinking position for a while before shrugging.

"Nope, no clue." he spoke out. "But now that you've mentioned it, I'm beginning to wonder myself…" After some thinking on my part, I 'spoke out' as well.

"Maybe the Divine element is something related to Nukes!" Again, Daisuke looked at me perplexedly before nodding his head in agreement.

"Yeah, that does seem to make sense," he thought aloud. "Though I have a feeling that's not the case… Maybe it's something related to Poison?" I thought for a while before writing them down.

"Nah, I don't think so. After all, we already have weapons that cause a Poison status effect."

"Hmm, zwar…" spoke his thoughts aloud again, this time in German. "Perhaps an intense soundwave, like a sonic boom, or something?" I shook my head in disagreement before writing my thoughts down.

"If that's the case, it would be called the 'Wind' element. Besides, I don't see our clothes getting blown by any artificial winds from our God Arcs…"

"Hmm, sou." Daisuke nodded his head as we put a similar thinking position of putting our fingers underneath our cheeks and our faces deep in thought.

Wait, what if…

"What if the Divine element is magic!? Or something related to ghosts?" When I 'told' Daisuke this with an eagerly excited grin, he looked at me as if his BS Meter has reached phenomenal levels.

"Pfft.. hahahahahaha!" Daisuke laughed heartily, slapping his lap in an effort to calm himself down. "You know what? I actually hope that's the case…" And so, we went back to discussing back and forth about our current topic.

It was a few minutes later that Licca came by to check on us and asked why we were letting our food go cold.

"We're wondering what the Divine element really is…" explained Daisuke. "Aki here thought about Nukes, Magic and/or Ghosts, then I mentioned Poison and Intense Soundwaves. All shot down." Then my eyes lit up.

"But now that you're here, would you mind telling us what the Divine element is?" I 'asked' Licca, who suddenly had her eyes lit up before scratched the back of her neck in anxiety.

"Well, what you guys are discussing is basically what we at the Engineering and Research deck have been wondering ourselves," she admitted. "We have no idea what the Divine element really is. Some say it is actually related to a mystical power that was previously absent in this world. Others say that it is a type of lowscale Nuclear Radiation.

"But there are a few that say it might be the purest and most raw form of Oracle Cells. According to the database, most, if not all, Deusphages utilise the Divine element as their own power, while at the same time it becomes their weakness. A double-edged sword, so to speak." Huh, well I'm still gonna stick with Nuke 'cos it reminds me of good old Megidoloan… Then again, that spell can be considered either Nuke or Almighty type, so I'll take the last part of Licca's explanation into mind.

"By the way, Aki," Licca called out to me. "How was the sword?" A review from a samurai, huh…

"Eto, well it is a very good blade. Helps me to keep within my style. Although it doesn't have any elemental damage, the other perks it brings are a good bonus." I still remember the details about the weapon. 130 Sunder Damage and an added Prepared status effect. There could have been more, but for a Rookie like me, those two are good enough.

"Well, okay." Licca seemed satisified with that. "I have already included the upgrades for the Nodachi that also branch out to different elements, but I'm afraid you have to do that yourself."

"Ah, that's okay. The fun part about that is that I actually get to work on it. I'm already receiving enough for free as it is…" I shrugged in my words. Hmm, that reminds me. "By the way, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, well I just finished my lunch," Licca replied cheerfully. "So I was just heading back to the Engineering Deck until I saw you guys. Figured that since I have the time, I thought of spending some quality time chatting."

Looking at Daisuke, Licca's eyes widened a bit before she faced him. "That reminds me! Daisuke, you should try changing your God Arc parts if you want to have an advantage over Aragami, you know." Once she finished her advice, Daisuke looked down onto his food.

"Actually, I did try to change them, but for some reason my God Arc still looks the same when I come to get it." He explained, puzzling Licca in the process.

"Alright then, I'll look into it." she said with a serious face before looking at the clock. "But duty calls, so Sayonara!"

"Un!" I waved back, playing my recorder as I do before I continued eating.

"By the way, what do you think about the Lecture just now?" Daisuke suddenly inquired. Unbecoming of me, I stopped my eating halfway and moved my eyes downcast to the floor, a frown gracing my face. I knew I should reply quickly, so I wrote down a few things on my sketchboard before showing to Dasuke.

"There was nothing wrong about it, except I couldn't help but disagree with Alisa's view on the whole 'Co-existence with the Aragami' thing. She had this faraway look that was filled with anger at the whole thought about co-existence.

"She said that there was no way we could ever get along with Aragami. And I couldn't help but disagree. After all, aren't our God Arcs Aragami as well?"

Nodding his head in what I think is agreement, Daisuke responded with a relaxed grin. "Either way, as long as we're people we'll be unable to get along with ourselves."

Hmm, true that. Hang on…

"Ya know, we haven't really fought together, have we?"I noted (no pun intended) just as we had finshed our meal.

"Now that you've mentioned it, no not exactly." Ah, so he noticed too. "I think there's a new mission coming up, so maybe we can just proceed with it together, what do you say?" Hmm, okay. I nodded, signifying a 'yes'.

"Well, since we've already finished eating anyway, I'll just go back to my room and prepare…" And with that, I dropped my empty tray and plates off before going back to the Elevator.

(- Rookie's Quarters – Akina's Room -)

Checking up on my Terminal, I decided to check up on the Nodachi. Hmm, the next upgrade is okay, and I already have the materials to do it, so I'll just upgrade it right now. After I had upgraded, I went towards the Mail section to see if I had missed any messages. Oh, there's one from Licca!

"That Shield you're using… compared to other God Eaters it's hardly scratched at all. Are you really using it? Hey, not that I want you to scratch it it up, but you've got to be defensive too, you know?"

"That's strange," I thought. "I do utilise a lot of blocki- oh wait…" Then I remembered. My fighting style is derived from Kenjutsu. And since Samurais don't use shields at all, they block with their swords, just like me.

"Gomen ne, but I have been doing a lot of blocking. It's just that I tend to keep blocking with my sword." I replied to her E-Mail before sending it. You know, I wonder whether we still have Internet or if this is all part of the database in the Den. I think I'll ask Dr. Sakaki later.

Looking into the Database, I found the Aragami I was looking for. Chi-You, an Aragami from China that seems to be a mix of a bird (more like a bat) and a Chinese Martial Artist. Though as it seems to use the same fighting style every time, I don't think it's a proper Martial Artist. Then again, I'm not that familiar with Chinese Kung Fu.

Hmm, says here that the Aragami is weak to Pierce Attacks. Well unfortunately for me, I'm not much of a fan for fencing much less know how to perform it, so I guess I'll have to rely on my Bullets. Though it also says here that Chi-Yous are also weak to their own Bullets. Wow, at least I got a distinct advantage. Looking at the time, I knew it would be almost time for our departure, so I'll just gather more supplies.

(- Meanwhile -)

(- Rookie's Quarters – Dasuke's Room -)

The Director sent me an E-Mail saying that the construction is going smoothly. In fact, he even sent a few photographs showing the Orphanage with its Living Quarters and Bedrooms half-completed. Despite that, I couldn't help but smile. This might be the biggest thing I could ever give to the Orphans.

Well, time to focus on the Mission. As I went through my supplies, I got another E-Mail. This time from Licca. Hmm, from the looks of it, it must be important.

"Daisuke, something strange is going on with your God Arc. For some reason, it keeps rejecting the parts that you equip onto it. I'm sorry, but you will be at a huge disadvantage since you can't change your God Arc parts to suit certain Missions. Fortunately, it seems that you can upgrade the parts that are already on your God Arc and it will still accept them.

Oh, and also, because of this, the Director as well as Dr. Sakaki have taken an interest in your God Arc. After all, this is the first time we have seen a God Arc reject Parts."

First time? I was confused since I always see Lindow and the rest of the God Eaters that I know use the same God Arc every single time. I decided to type my reply.

"But what about Lindow, Sakuya and the others? Why do I never see their God Arcs change Parts?"

The reply was instant.

"Well, some of the God Eaters here think that's it better to stick to their own parts instead of changing them to suit certain situations. Not that I can do anything about that…"

Oh, I see. So it's completely by choice. Oh well, like Licca said, nothing she could do about it. After looking at a few specs of the Chi-You, I was going to exit the Terminal until I remembered Licca said something about my parts being upgradeable. Moving to my upgrade options, I found myself sighing dejectedly. My parts are upgradeable, but it would seem I would need both Chi-You parts as well as Borg Camlann parts. Looks like it would take some time before I could get those.

Oh well, now that I'm done, I think I'll just get that Mission from Hibari.

(- Entrance -)

It is an everyday occurrence for Hibari. Managing new, old, finished and unfinished Missions, which also includes the rewards given during Mission completion as well as any Aragami Parts and Salvageable Items God Eaters find. Of course, this includes Tatsumi O'Mori wooing her unsuccessfully.

She giggled at the thought. As much as the Mission Overseer refuses his advances, she is equally attracted to him as well. In fact, one of Hibari's reasons for joining Fenrir was simply to protect humanity alongside Tatsumi. Too bad though, her compatibility rate is too high and they have yet to find a Bias Factor high enough for her match.

She then put an unnoticeable frown on her face. When would she finally work up the courage to ask Tatsumi out? As much as she likes him, she's too shy to do anything about it. Sure she could have just resent the Invitation she accidentally E-Mailed to Aki and send it to Tatsumi. Oh well, she thought. Nothing she could do about that. She would just have to find some other time.

"Excuse me?" Hibari heard a voice. It sounded child-like and cute, but nobody was there.

"Err, down here…" Feeling even more perplexed, Hibari peered from the top of her desk to find a little girl. She had neck-length black hair framing her face while wearing a light pink, slightly worn-out dress. Her hazel brown eyes gaze curiously at Hibari's red irises as she starts to speak.

"Umm, have you seen Onii-chan?" Hibari just blinked at the brilliant amounts of cuteness oozing out from the girl's small form. It took a while before she could grasp her words.

"Eh, Onii-chan? Eto…" Hibari tried to figure out what to say. It was likely that this girl is lost. Before she could respond, she heard the sound of the Elevator doors opening, startling the girl as she turned her head to face the Elevator.

The last thing Hibari saw was the girl smiling delightfully before she suddenly disappeared.

(-)

As the Elevator doors opened, I stepped out into the En-

*BOOP*CRASH*BANG*

Ugh, wha- Seven Heavens, what just hit me? And why is there a weight on my torso? Opening my eyes, and ignoring the minor headache from hitting the floor, I moved my head to stare at a little bundle of joy on my stomach.

"Onii-chan! It's so good to see you again!" Wha-Gratia! What are you doing here? …and how did you even manage to get past security?

"Well, I can tell you're eating well…" I managed to cough out before I caught on to what she said. "Wait, Onii-chan?"

"Ika-chan told me it means Brother!" Gratia answered enthusiastically. I sighed at the name, leave it to Carlisle to teach everything Japanese if not Aki. Smiling, I asked her to allow me to get up, which she gladly did. Moving up from my back and onto my feet, I smiled at Gratia.

"Okay. I'm going to get my new Mission from Hibari," I kneeled, mentioning what I'm going to do next. "Then I'll come back to you, 'kay?" She nodded happily, a slight blush adoring her face. Coming back to standing, I went over to Hibari and asked for the Mission.

"W-well, your Mission will be to face two Chi-Yous alongside Lindow and Alisa. However, as the area is infested with small Aragami, it is recommended that you bring an extra God Eater as backup."

"Alright, I'll be bringing Aki then." I thought aloud so that Hibari can key in Aki's name into the Database.

"Say, is she really your sister?" Hibari inquired, probably because she still needs answers on the subject.

"Well, sort of." I replied, looking towards Gratia who patiently waits for me. "We're not really related, though we still consider ourselves close. I'm the older sibling."

"Well, she is kind of cute, don't you think?" I don't think she meant to say that aloud, but I still blushed a little from the truth to those words.

"Yeah, she is." I rubbed the back of my head, trying to think of something else to say. "Well, thank you." As I moved to go towards Gratia, I suddenly find a grinning Aki in my face.

"So… Onii-chan, huh?" She wrote, showing it to me.

"Well, you know," I started to repeat what I had said to Hibari. "We're not really rela-." I stopped as I glanced at her face. It held a kind, almost sorrowful grace to it. Like she is somehow holding it in. If that's not it, then her yellow eyes should already reveal her true emotions.

Suddenly, her expression changed to her usual green-eyed cheerful smile before she wrote. "Anyways, we good to go?"

I shook my head. "Apparently, we have to wait for Lindow and Alisa since he's the one who organised the Mission in the first place." I explained. It was then Aki raised an eyebrow, as if saying "Really?" before she knelt to face Gratia, who is now hugging my leg.

I felt her tiny arms hugging my leg tighter as Aki went to Gratia's face level. She looks uncomfortable, just like she is with any other stranger she meets. It's justifiable, this is the first time she has met Aki. I smiled and assured her.

"Gratia, this is Akina," I started, gesturing to Aki who kneels a few paces from her. "You don't have to worry, she can be trusted."

Hearing my assuring words, she looked up to me and asked. "Who is she to you?"

"A close friend," I replied. As I never considered someone higher than a 'friend' before, Gratia seems to be less scared by Aki but still hesitant enough to be wary of her. Little by little, she started to let go of my leg before walking up to Aki.

"Um, h-hello…" She greeted Aki cautiously, still unsure of her trustworthiness.

Though Aki seemed more than satisfied with that, so she pulled out her sketchboard to write her own greeting.

"Hi there!" she wrote. "My name's Shijima Akina. Yoroshiku~! (Pleased to meet you~!)"

Heh, she even included a translation for Gratia to understand. Gratia, not expecting her to write her speech, asked the usual question.

"C-Can't you just talk?" she asked, more confused than scared.

Aki laughed, well more like snickered, a little before she erased what she wrote and started writing again. "Sorry, I can't talk because I'm mute."

With that, Aki started to say what was supposed to sound like 'aah' but ended up becoming constricted.

"I cannot use my voice, but I can still talk using this." She showed Gratia with a grin on her face, which suddenly became a look of last-minute inspiration. Taking back her board, she wrote something else before showing it to Gratia.

"Hey, you wanna see something fun?" Slowly, she held the slider of the magnetic sketchboard between her index finger and thumb. Smiling cheerfully, she quickly slid it to the left side of the board, erasing whatever was wrote there.

The action surprised Gratia so much that she looked everywhere. "Eh!? Where did the words go? Again! Do it again!"

Laughing to herself, Aki nodded before making a few squiggles onto her magnetic sketchboard before making them 'vanish' again, the repeated action cheering up Gratia even more. I smiled, watching the blissful scenery happening before my eyes. Though it was not just me, some of the engineers, God Eaters and the other staff had stopped what they were doing to warm their hearts at this.

It was only then I realised that we were gaining a crowd among us. Not only were Lindow and Alisa watching us with amusement and delight, even Tsubaki had a rare smile and blush on her face, which she promptly covered up quickly by clearing her throat as soon as she caught me staring.

"Despite how heart warming this scene is," Tsubaki said as she walked down the stairs towards Aki and Gratia. "I'm afraid the child cannot stay here in Anagura. Besides, I'm sure her parents must be worried for her."

At the mention of the word 'parents', Gratia cheerful look faltered. It seems I need to explain.

"Tsubaki, Gratia doesn't have any parents." I told her. "She's with me."

"I'm… sorry to hear that. I didn't know." She apologised, before resuming her authoritive composure. "Nevertheless, she still cannot stay here."

"But the Orphanage she lives at is too far from Anagura." I had to note this aloud. "I don't know how she got in here, but it would be dark by the time she would be halfway there."

"How about my place?" Kota's hand shot up. "My Mom and Sister live close to the Far East Branch, why not let her stay there for a while." That could work, but Gratia would still be shy and uneasy around strangers. Looking at Lindow and Alisa, I walked over to them.

"Lindow, I know this might delay our mission, but let me take care of this." I said.

Lindow, being the understanding Leader he is, lays a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, this is important, so you should handle it first."

Nodding, I walked gestured for Gratia to hold my hand while I walk to Tsubaki and Kota.

"Tsubaki, can you allow me and Kota permission to leave Anagura?" I asked.

Her answer was immediate. "Permission granted. You shall meet your teammates at the Hangar Bay once you are settled." She then turned aroud to face the crowd.

"If you have nothing else to do here, then I suggest you head back to your duties this instant. Do I make myself clear?" she ordered.

"YES, MA'AM." And with that, everyone went back to their separate duties or whatever they were doing, except Tsubaki and my Teammates.

I raise Gratia in my arms, she feels lighter, it slipped mind, enhanced strength is one of the occupational perks as a God Eater. I am further resolved not to let her go. My heart cries at the thought of her being in the mere vicinity of others already.

"I'll be fine Daisuke." she says, beaming with confidence. "I'll wait patiently this time!" she says as she raises her voice with strong intent. She's become so confident too, a complete shift from that time, she'd moan for her parents every night, for how long now? It matters not, the fact remains she's not as feeble as her little frame would imply.

I deliberate no longer, I grin and nod my head before putting her down next to Kota and stroking her short black hair, "Just no more stunts from you okay?"

Kota, the helpful type as always, begins to reassure me. "Don't worry, Daisuke. Mom and Nozomi will be glad to help. I got some Bugarally DVDs at home and Mom makes some great food too." Tsubaki's getting impatient, and so is Alisa. Better make this quick.

I give a quick bow and thank Kota, he has no idea how much this means to me does he? Then I give another one to Tsubaki to apologize for the wasted time. A stern look and a warning is all that she reciprocates. As expected…

(- Hangar Bay -)

"So, how did it go?" I wrote as Daisuke neared us, God Arc in hand.

"It went well." He replied. "I'll check on her tomorrow morning before sending her back."

"Good, now let us start the mission." Alisa declared, with me cringing slightly at her impatience. And so, we set off in the helicopter for our newest mission. Honestly speaking, I'm sort of jealous of Daisuke. Despite not being related, he still has a sister. Someone to care for and love. If only I had that.

However, adoption is not an option for me. As I am right now, I would only see them as a replacement for Kofuku, nothing else. And that angers me, so I just let it be.

Even now as we start to fly over the Old City, I couldn't help but think of how it used to look like before the Aragami attacked. Especially that spot where I used to live with Kofuku. Now that I think about it, it was that very spot where I had shown Kofuku the sketchboard I had found while scavenging around.

I felt very lucky, it looked like a child's toy but seemed to be one of the rare few historical objects that are intact and undamaged. Like Gratia, I didn't know what it was, and neither did Kofuku. That was why we found it so exciting. But as I am rather well educated despite our dystopian environment, I shortly knew how it worked. It's all because of a pen with a magnetic tip and iron fillings within the board. Still haven't figured out how it sticks onto the white screen, though.

However, it would never change how magical Kofuku found the object. We had a lot of fun with it, especially seeing her face as I dragged the slider across to erase some random squiggles. Truth be told, I almost cried when I did it to Gratia. She was not Kofuku, but their facial expressions were strikinglysimilar nonetheless. It took all I had for nobody to notice my inner turmoil. Perhaps, it is for the best.

"Hey, we've landed." Lindow called out to me as he, Alisa and Daisuke exited from the helicopter. "Sightseeing is better if you do it outside than behind a window..."

Wow, have I been reminiscing that long? Shaking my head, I scratched the back of my neck with a goofy smile on my face before hopping off the helicopter and onto the ground.

(- Old City -)

We approached Daisuke and Alisa as the helicopter flew away. Of course, since Lindow usually goes for some small talk before we start a mission, I stand beside Daisuke just to let Lindow become the 'Teacher' and we the 'Students'.

"Ah… I'm working with you three New-Types today." He declared. "I'll try not to get in your way, so don't mind me."

"If you ask me, Old-Types should stick to what Old-Types are capable of doing." Quipped Alisa, in perfect oujo-sama composure.

"Alisa! You're supposed to respect the Senpai!" I anxiously showed to her, although I knew she won't be looking. Meanwhile, Daisuke just let out a huff of dissatisfaction. Well, can't blame him though, who wouldn't stand someone like that? Lindow laughed heartily at how the new New-Type had said that.

"Well then." He began, moving to pat Alisa on the shoulder. "I'll see what I can do to live up to your expectations!" As soon as he touched her shoulder, I saw a look of horror strewn across her face as she leapt back in fright. Taking a glance at Daisuke and Lindow, they must have noticed too.

"Whoa…" Lindow seemed to be trying to find the right words to say it before speaking. "I can see you really can't stand me…"

"Oh… I, uh, I- I'm sorry!" Alisa defended in an effort to save herself from embarassment "It's nothing, I'm fine."

Lindow laughed again before he continued. "Just kidding. Hmm… Let's see… Listen up, Alisa. When things get chaotic, look up at the sky. Then find a cloud that looks like an animal. That will help you to chill.

"Until then, stay here. That's an order. Afterwards, I want you to join us over there. Got that?"

"B-but why would I do such a thing?" Alisa questioned hesitantly.

Smiling, Lindow quipped. "Just look for a cloud, okay? Alright, we're going on ahead."

"If you need any help," Daisuke said before pointing with his thumb skyward. "There's a snake over there to help you begin."

"Heh, you sure that's a snake and not just jet clouds?" I teased, snickering.

"Who cares?" He replied, laughing as well."It's still a snake."

Hehe, yeah. Hmm, no. You can't just leave someone alone to let them cheer up by themselves; someone has got to stay here.

"Uhh, is it okay if I stay with Alisa? It might get lonely for her up here." I 'spoke out loud'. Lindow simply smiled and shrugged, as if saying 'If you say so.' As both Lindow and Daisuke leapt down below, I stabbed my God Arc into the ground so I could look up at the sky with Alisa.

(-)

Lindow and I walked by the side of the church. It perfectly intercepts the early afternoon sunrays as we walk towards the secondary entrance to the church. Lindow's Keen Vision located our game there.

As we walk I stroke the wall of the church and allow the sands to collect on my fingertips. So many memories...

"Don't need to tell me that that's a place of value to ya, Rookie." I smile and nod to affirm him. Lindow, so charismatic, it's like the battlefield is his playground. I'm still on the shy side huh? I guess it takes a bit longer getting used to authority figures in my case.

The sun shines intensely on us when we exit the shade of the church. "Grew up here for at least seven years eating rats and lizards. In that time I guess I must have caused their extinction." I stiffly try and crack a joke.

Lindow chuckles heartily before withdrawing the lit cigarette in his mouth.

He turns to me with his usual smile. "Got a favor to ask of you," I feel I can relax around him. I loosen up and replace my response with a "yeah?" instead of a formal "sir".

"It's the girls, I can tell they've got a particularly tragic past, one that's gonna affect their performance one day,"

"Doesn't everyone..." I say under my breath. It convinces me to try yet again to recall my past before life in the church, before I was twelve years old… Nope, still nothing.

"Take care of them like you would say, this church, or maybe the kids." He continues.

"To be honest, I'm only used to protecting kids. Besides you seem to have all the experience," I reply.

"Well, ya see, I feel like saving up for something real special," he admits. No way, he's not planning on-

To Hibari? Sakuya?

"Won't be around the battlefield as often. Might even apply for the yellow tape." Retirement, eh… All retired Gods Eaters have yellow tape around their bracelets, they somehow maintain the injection of Bias Factor into their bodies from the bracelet. Ah, I see the reflection of an Ogretail and a Cocoon Maiden in a glass shard at the second entrance to the church.

"Both you and Aki show potential to be leaders in my place, but you seem to not be bogged down by your past. You may not know it, but your smile is like a beacon of hope to others." he speaks as he lowers his right arm wielding a chainsaw bladed God Arc.

"Become a leader for at least the both of 'em, else just help Aki become one" he finishes by tossing the lit cigarette, the flaming end landing squarely in the Ogretail's eye.

It's roar gets my adrenaline pumping as I prepare to engage them and expel them from my Church of Memories.

(- some time earlier -)

Alisa squinted at the sky, trying to find whatever shape in the clouds that could fit the description of an animal. But try as she might, even after what seemed like minutes, Alisa still found her efforts futile.

She sighed. "I still can't find an animal-shaped cloud. How is this supposed to calm me down."

"No animals on my end either." Akina wrote before she erased and wrote again. "But I do see a man holding a woman while riding on some sky-rail through floating buildings. All the while being chased by some flying man-bird thingy."

Alisa found herself confused. There was no possibility a cloud formation could be that detailed. However, nature proved her wrong as she looked towards the spot of sky where Aki is pointing at.

"Oh, you're right!" she exclaimed before sighing dejectedly. "Well at least you're making some progress. After all, there are barely any clouds in the sky."

Noticing her frustration, Akina was glad that she had something to focus on other than what was scaring her. Still, she knew that if this stops, Alisa wouldn't get a sense of achievement. Moving her head to once again gaze up to the sky, Akina smiled before writing down her next train of thought and showing her sketchboard to Alisa.

"Then why don't you simply look up to the clear sky?" she showed."Don't look for anything in it, just stare at it." If Alisa was confused by Lindow's request, than she is even more puzzled by Akina's sudden question.

"Wha? Why should I look into the sky and not look for anything else? Where is the purpose in that?" she inquired, baffled by Akina's words. Hearing that, Aki smiled knowingly before writing down and showing her words to Alisa.

"Whenever I feel down and alone, I would always look up to the sky." She wrote while making sure that Alisa reads each and every word. Erasing what she had written, Akina wrote again.

"When I do, I would always think that somewhere, my friends are probably looking at the same sky too." Suddenly, Akina felt the need to write something that has been nagging away at her heart. She did not know what she wrote, she simply did and showed Alisa as she looked up to the sky.

"And maybe, the loved ones that have left, would be watching us from that very sky as well." She added wistfully.

Alisa didn't know what to think of it, but for some reason, Akina's words had touched her heart. It warmed her up so much, that she began to sniffle. It then turned into a giggle, before slowly developing into a full blown laugh. To Akina, this sudden outburst of joy and spirit sounded so beautiful, that she felt blood running up to her face.

And for once in her life, she couldn't help but lose control.

"Oi! Yamete!" she wrote, her fingers shaking over the writing making it almost illegible. As soon as Akina noticed that Alisa was too busy laughing to see her words, she switched to her Recorder and played it.

"I mean it! Stop that!" the feminine voice of the Recorder played out. But even though Alisa had heard it, she could not stop. In fact, noticing Akina's flustered state made her laugh even more.

"H-h-hey! Listen!" Akina switched chips, hoping to get Alisa to stop. By this time, Akina's cheeks were already glowing red. And no matter how much she suppressed them, Alisa's laughter made her become even redder than before.

Fortunately, for her, Alisa had stopped laughing and was already panting for breath.

"Wha-what was that?" she asked in between breaths. "I never felt like this before."

'Neither have I.'Akina half-closed her eyes as she noted in silence, hoping for her tomato-hot cheeks to go back to their original colour.

"…thank you," Akina's green eyes widened upon hearing that, losing all the red in her face instantly. She then looked towards Alisa in wonder and slight confusion.

"For some reason," Alisa began. "What you said, it really means a lot to me. It… helped me remember the bright times I had back then. So, thank you, Akina."

With the way the sun was shining on her gracefully smiling face and the wind blowing through her white hair, making it flow along with the breeze, Alisa looked like the most alluring sight Akina has ever seen. Even better than her postcards. Glancing to the side so as not to stare, Akina wrote down on her sketchboard with a slight blush on her face.

"Yeah. Don't mention it." As she showed this, Akina absentmindedly scratched the side of her cheek with her right hand. Slowly, she smiled before she rewrote on her sketchboard. "Well, ya think you're ready to head out with Lindow and Daisuke?"

Nodding her head, Alisa went to the edge and jumped down. As soon as she did, Akina looked up at the sky.

'Yeah, what was that? That feeling just now?' Akina pondered, picking up her God Arc as she stared up to the orange, now cloudless, sky. 'Right after she had laughed, my worries suddenly flew away. Instead, I was filled with nothing but wonder and immense joy. Kofuku, when was the last time I had ever felt this way?'

Smiling, Akina sighed once again before running up to the edge and jumping down. All the while thinking that she should fix that stuttering glitch in her Recorder.

(-)

Touching down, Aki ran followed Alisa to the Church where Daisuke and Lindow had just finished with a couple of small Aragami, if their corpses were any indication. Once they had regrouped, they began to discuss on the mission.

"Okay, our sources tell us that there are also a handful of small Aragami hanging around here," he instructed them with a smile. "So its better that we take care of them first before we hunt the Chi-Yous."

"Agreed," Alisa noted, appearing more cheered up than last time. "They would probably interrupt us during our fight."

"I suggest we split up into teams of two before we start hunting." Daisuke noted thoughtfully.

"Yeah! That way we can clear them up faster!" Aki wrote in full agreement.

Nodding, Lindow started to issue orders. "Okay then, Aki shall go with Daisuke. Alisa, you're with me. But remember to watch each others' back, got it?"

"Yes sir!" The rest of the team saluted, with Aki using another recording chip.

Just as they were about to head out, the ground trembled beneath their feet. Shortly after, multiple sounds of things emerging from the ground were heard outside the Church. If one could take a glance at what was happening, they wouldn't call it a simple swarm of Aragami. It would be more accurate to call it a small infestation, which is pretty big in itself considering these are human-sized monsters that can devour ANYTHING.

Walking outside the Church entrance, Lindow's eyes shifted to something befitting of a Leader and took command immediately.

"Alright, listen up." Lindow said as he prepared his weapon. "I'm going to go into the fray and cut those Ogretails. Akina, Daisuke, rush in on those Cocoon Maidens to draw their firepower. Alisa, you're with me. And remember, come back alive, got it?"

"Yakusoku no yakusoku da." Akina's audio recorder played out.

"Ok then, let's go!" Lindow shouted.

"Let's finish this job, pronto!" Daisuke sounded off.

'Saa, furikiru ze!' Aki said silently, pitying herself for not being able to say her catchphrase aloud.

"Let's go!" Alisa cried, her previous fears shaking off.

And with that, the four God Eaters charged into the huge fray of Aragami, eyes filled with determination and jaws ready to bite back.

(- Meanwhile -)

(- Anagura – Sakaki's Lab -)

"Huh," Sakaki thought with a rare frown on his face. "The Aragami are getting more active these days, huh. Especially the small ones…

"I wonder… if THAT has anything to do with it…" He thought cryptically before lowering his head from staring up at the celing and back to his work. In front of him are numerous forms to fill up, especially the ones concerning Daisuke's Orphanage. But those weren't the cause of his frustrations.

Sighing, he took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose, easing an imaginary headache. "Daisuke, what would you have done if you saw this coming…"

(-)

Well, I hope you like the chapter. Honestly, I'm disappointed because I couldn't come up with much more ideas for this chapter. Besides, I had a feeling the words here are becoming too many. Anyways, now that my holidays are starting, I am free to write as much as I want for three whole weeks! So, stay fresh!

Also, I accept any form of criticism from anyone here as they can help me improve my story. I also accept any ideas for my stories including this one, but please PM me those f you have any.

Well, so long!