Hey guys! I am so sorry for the tardiness! I finally finished my other two stories and I can pick up this one! Hope you enjoy!

The instant the door shut behind Hoshishiro's Commander and the footsteps of the Special Force died in the hallway, Matsuoka jumped back on his feet, ignoring his protesting beat up body.

"Mattsun, wait!" Shouted Yukimura. "We don't know if that bastard was telling the truth!"

The leader of Toy Gun paid no mind to his best friend's warning and knelt down next to Hotaru, picking her up in his arms. Her breathing seemed easier than before, as she was panting quickly, getting back the air she'd been missing. But she was not out of danger yet. Midori had been clear that she had to make it until morning. Meaning, even now that the three of them were immune, there was nothing they could do for their newest recruit. Matsuoka clenched his teeth together so hard he could've shattered them.

"Damn it!" Shouted Haruki, punching the ground.

Yukki said nothing. He only threw a miserable look at the kid who'd managed to lift up his spirit for the first time since the beginning of this damn war. What a fool he'd been. There was really no point in being determined and optimistic. In the end, you'd die like everyone else and there wasn't a damn thing you could do about it.

"Matsu...oka..." Said a chocked voice that broke the unbearable silent that had invaded the room and added to it's heavy atmosphere.

Toy Gun's leader's eyes flashed open and he saw the newbie looking at him. Her eyes were glassy, almost empty. Yet so much spark had been burning in them ever since she'd first showed up. A shaking and cold hand touched his cheek.

"Why... do you look so sad?" She asked, before coughing to clear her irritated throat.

"Hotaru don't talk. You're going to be fine! I got you! You're going to be fine."

Her eyes were elsewhere. Though she spoke to him, her mind was so far away, slowly fading. Hotaru didn't close her eyes, but she might as well have been asleep. Squeezing the newbie in his arms, Matsuoka got back on his feet.

"We're going back to base." He ordered, before walking out.

Without a word, Yukimura and Haruki stood up and followed after picking up their guns. With miserable looks on their faces, the three men headed back to their HQ without so much as addressing a word to each other. The sniper drove while Matsuoka refused to let go of their young companion. Once back at the abandoned building, they went up to their common space and Haruki laid down a sleeping bag where their leader put down the young rebel. She was panting and sweating buckets. The heat wasn't helping and her eyes were still so empty. Something inside Matsuoka broke and he clenched his teeth again while wiping the sweat of her face. In her delirium she whispered.

"Burn..."

The blond man turned to his sniper. "Yukki, can you try to get a hold of Kanae?"

"What good will that do? You know she won't be able to do anything."

"Just ask her!"

"Alright."

Though he had his usual cool and bored demeanor, the black haired man was anything but calm. He stood up to go back to the jeep and get the radio. As he went down the stairs, he sighed.

"This is why I don't hope, Tachibana." He muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Haruki grabbed the first aid kit and returned to Hotaru's side. Toy Gun's leader still hadn't moved an inch.

"Mune, go get water and food. I'll wipe the sweat off him."

"Right."

The blond man nodded and exited the room, his eyes still dead. Haruki knelt besides their wounded and proceeded to take off his jacket and shirt. Given that the kid was in a rag doll state, it was easier said than done. But when he removed the chest area, he realized that the newbie's chest was wrapped in bandages.

'Did he injure his chest before coming here?' Wondered the young man.

To make sure, he intended to removed the band, but what his hand felt made his eyes widened in shock. No way. This couldn't be.

As Masamune returned from bringing the water and provisions. It was happening again. They were loosing another. And why? Because they were too stupid to supervise their newbies. He walked up the stairs and simultaneously silently prayed that God spare Hotaru, since they were powerless. Pushing the door of the main room open, the leader of Toy Gun saw Hotaru buried in the sleeping bag, while Haruki had made a fire for the food.

"How is he? Did you wipe the sweat?"

"Yeah, but that's not gonna help much. I gave him one of my shirts for now. He still has short breaths and his temperature is rising." Replied the younger man. "Take care of the food, I'll try to cool him off."

"I can..."

"I'm the closest thing we have to a medic." Immediately shot down the weapon master. "I'd rather take care of it."

The blond man sighed knowing his subordinate was right. "Alright."

Soon after, Yukimura returned with the radio, defeated. " Kanae is in Kohen. She won't be able to make it here in time before morning. I'm sorry Mattsun."

"Shit!" Cursed the leader.

The sniper sighed before sitting next to his leader. "Even if she was here, there's nothing she could do. This is the dalmatian plague we're talking about. She's a good medic, not a magician."

"I KNOW THAT DAMMIT!"

The sudden shout of their leader made both men jump and look down. They understood him. As leader, he carried the responsibility of the gang. Every loss, every casualty was his fault. Of course not literally, but Masamune was a man who was both at the core generous and caring. That made the backlash of bad events unbelievably painful for him. Yukki hadn't forgotten the day they'd lost Natsumi. Masamune had spent days tending to her grave and praying that this was just a nightmare. If Hotaru were to die as well, it might destroy him. And they couldn't afford to loose him to madness either. He was too needed. He was the only one who could lead them. Yukki had followed him into his crazy idea of restoring a bit of order in Tensora because he had a way of forcing hope into his heart. Just like Hotaru had for a brief moment.

The sniper tightened his grip on his weapon. He already knew he was being a fool for following his leader in his crazy crusade. Sure, it did a little good to the people here but it was insignificant in the long run. He'd almost let that kid give him hope as well for something bigger. The same kid that was now dying in front of them. He didn't trust Midori one bit. A cure for the dalmatian plague? Who was he joking, that bastard?! The black haired man took a deep breath, and did what he always did; bury his anger deep, deep into his heart. So that he could let it explode when he'd meet him again and kill him. After doing so, he sat down on the ground with his friends. None of them were in the mood to eat. But they knew they needed the energy.

The rest of the day went by like this, with them barely talking to each other. Masamune and Tooru completed their duties while Haruki tended to the ever agonizing Hotaru. When the evening set, came the time to rest. They were all exhausted and in need of sleep.

"You guys go rest up." Said Masamune. "I'll stay with Hotaru."

"No, I'll do it." Said Haruki. "Like I said, I'm the closest thing we have to a medic here. Besides, you need to rest more than us, Mune."

"No, I can't. He's my responsibility. I have to..."

"How about we take turns?" Interrupted the sniper, earning himself the surprised looks of his comrades. "Haruki can have to first, then you then me. Three hours each until morning. There's not much we can do besides waiting."

Once they agreed on that, the sniper and the leader hit the pillows while the weapon master stayed with her. With the night had come the cold, but she was still sweating like hell. So he lit a fire to warm up the room but also wiped the sweat off her face and neck regularly. When he took breaks, he'd just look at her face and shake his head. All this time, Hotaru was a girl. That explained a lot actually. What had happened to her? How had the war torn her? It's not like he had taken the time to talk with the kid properly. For her to full on take the appearance of a boy and have this much bloodlust, something atrocious must have happened. And maybe he'd never get a chance to ask.

"You really piss me off, you know." He muttered. "I hate liars. Even my brother doesn't lie. Why did you do it? If we're comrades like you said, then why did you do it?"

As he said those things, he remembered what he saw when he'd changed her. The marks on her back were familiar because he bared the exact same one. Beating marks. From the looks of it, she was marked permanently and much more than him. His marks had mostly been done with a stick, when his father would considered that he failed to do something properly. Hers had clearly been made by a whip. The flesh had been torn open. He suddenly regretted his words. She hadn't entrusted them with her secrets but neither had they. But she'd tried to be interested in them, because that was the kind of honest idiot she was.

"You bragged about being much stronger than you look." He continued whispering, hoping to reach her somehow. "I'm still waiting to see that. So fight Tachibana. I'll kill you if you die."

That's not what he'd wanted to say. But that was just who he was; a dishonest gear head who barely made a decent medic. So, since he couldn't say anything more, he stayed by her side until Masamune woke up and he went to sleep after telling him to make sure to keep the kid warm and wipe the sweat off her face and neck.

Toy Gun's leader had barely slept at all during those three hours. He'd spent them twisting and turning in his sleeping bag, trying to find where he went wrong. Natsumi had come back to haunt him. That poor girl. All she'd wanted was to fight to protect others and do something meaningful in this world that was falling to pieces right under their feet. And all it had taken to crush that wish was a bullet. The blond man clenched his teeth and looked at the face of the suffering patient.

"I'm sorry Hotaru." He said, clutching his face. "I'm so sorry. Don't die on me. I promise, if you don't die, I'll protect you."

In the truck bringing them back to the Capital, the special force of the Tiger was quiet. Fujimoto was driving, eyes on the road. Haruka had his eyes on the ground, with a miserable look on his face. He was hard to read but they'd been together a while, they could tell. It's not like he was trying to hide it. Ichi was cleaning the guns in the back while the Commander was distractingly looking at the ceiling.

"Do you think that kid is going to make it, Doc?" Asked Fujimoto. "I mean he was infected near the throat..."

"I guess we'll find out when we meet Toy Gun again." Replied the green-haired man shrugging.

"I still don't understand why the Supreme Leader wants us to keep them alive." Said Eagle Eyes, polishing her weapon. "Wouldn't it be easier to just eradicate all the gangs?"

"Why don't you ask him Ichi?" Joked the doctor.

"No thank you." She replied.

"Haha! I'm just kidding. Haruka stop sulking, you're making me nervous."

The youngest Hosokawa twin turned around and threw him a death glare. "As if. Nothing makes you nervous."

"Alright, enough." Said Fujimoto. "We're here, there's no need to fight."

After they parked, Midori immediately made his way to the palace and to the giant meeting room. It was dark outside already, and no lights had been turned on. This made the room reflect the stars and the moon outside. Standing in front of an opened window, staring at the sun's counterpart, stood the Supreme Leader. In a white suit, as usual, wearing silver piercings on his ears and the wind playing with his blond messy hair. Midori smiled and bowed.

"I have returned, your Majesty."

"Welcome back, Doctor." Replied the man without turning around. "I suppose the situation hasn't changed in Tensora."

"It's still quite stable. And nothing nearly close to a rebellion is at work. It's the same old gang activities versus vigilantes."

"Good. I need you to return there very soon."

"Oh? Why may I ask what type of mission you have in mind this time?"

This time, Tamaki Kagetora turned around and went to sit at the rectangular table. "I need you to find someone for me."

"Don't touch me..."

Masamune had almost fallen asleep when those words reached his ears, awakening him immediately. At first, he thought he had imagined it. But then she repeated.

"Don't touch me...Stay away..."

"Hotaru..."

The young rebel was agitated. She'd rolled on the side and was huddled in the fetal position, clenching her arms, digging her nails in her own skin. Teeth clenched and hyperventilating, tears were escaping her closed eyes. It hit him. She was in terrible pain. The blond man approached a hand to touch her cheek, but she immediately soughed and recoiled at his touch.

"No... don't touch me..."

Whatever she was dreaming about wasn't only scary. It was very much real. Four years of absolute torture and torment were coming back to hit her at her weakest. The voices in her head screamed making her want to give up.

"Do you feel that pain, Hotaru?" He said, as the blood dripped from her back. "That's nothing compared to what I felt all these years. You can thank your dear mother when you see her in hell. Take your time though. I don't want you dying just yet."

The words rang in her head and she screamed. She had enough, she wanted to leave. She wanted to be somewhere without pain and without tears. She was tired of hurting. Suddenly, she was wrapped in something warm. Instantly, it chased the pain, the darkness, the voice... Was she aloud to rest now?

"Mom... I want to go home..."

"Not yet." Replied Kane's voice, from far away. "Not now. You're not done yet."

Not done? Was she doing something? Did she have something left to complete? For now, she allowed herself to drown in that warmth that surrounded her. Just for a moment, she begged God to let her rest in peace.

Masamune couldn't think of anything else to do, but it looked like it'd worked. She wasn't struggling anymore and the marks of pain on her face were gone. So that's how Tooru found the newbie, gathered up in his leader's arms. He didn't question it. He'd known the man too long not to anticipate this sort of over protective behavior. But he practically had to put him at gun point to force him to go back to sleep so he could take his turn. But even after the leader was gone, the kid was soundly asleep, breathing still hard but quieter. To him, the newbie's final hour was close. He thought about what he'd like if he was dying. Making up his mind, the sniper got up and went to search Hotaru's bag and pulled out Gentle Soul. Then, he went to sit next to her again and opened it.

"You asked me if I could tell you more about that story. I guess now's a good time as ever. The girl in the book? Her name is Eva. She's a half hellhound. It's a sort of werewolf. Her mother was a human and she was killed when the people of her village realized what Eva was. Then, Eva was kept captive in the cave of a dungeon..."

So he told the story, as he reminded himself of the first time he read the book. He translated until his own eyes started closing and he fell asleep.

The first rays of the sun killed the cold and burned her skin. It was that that awoke her. Her eyes were so dry that her vision was horribly blurry. She blinked a couple of times to hydrate her pupils and get used to the light. Boy was she thirsty. Slowly she sat up and rubbed her face, as the memory of yesterday assailed her consciousness. When she looked around, she found the sniper sitting next to her, leaning on the wall. He was sound asleep and her book was in his hands. Looking further, she saw Toy Gun's leader and weapon expert rolled in their sleeping bags also sound asleep. She tried to breath in through her mouth and discovered her throat to be raspy and dry. That made her cough loudly, making the three men jump out of their sleep.

"What the..." Exclaimed Haruki, instinctively reaching for his gun.

"Holy!" Shouted Masamune.

Tooru only jumped and made the book fall. But their on guard faces quickly turned to looks of glee when they saw the source of the coughing.

"Hotaru!" Exclaimed the blond man getting up and dashing to her side. He grabbed her by the shoulder. "You're alright!"

"I...am?" She replied confused with her chocked voice.

Masamune's heart could've popped out of his chest if he'd felt anymore happy. Squeezing the girl into his arms, tears of relief escaped his eyes. "Thank God. Thank God you're alright!"

"Matsu...oka." She muttered. "Can't breath..."

She coughed again and the blond man suddenly got pulled off of her by Haruki who was holding a gourd. "Stop that! You're gonna choke him for crying out loud."

The weapon expert then knelt next to her and helped her drink the fresh water. More than happy to receive it, the girl gulped down the entire gourd to sooth her raspy throat. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little..." She said rubbing her skull. "What happened? I remember... Ao. The people in white. And I couldn't breath... then nothing."

The three men looked at each other, before Masamune placed a comforting hand on her head. "You don't have to worry about that now. Hotaru, I just need you to tell me one thing. How and when did you come in contact with the dalmatian plague?"

"I didn't. I don't think so." The girl said, searching her memory. "I didn't touch the man Haruki shot in the merchant street."

The sniper suddenly perked up as the memory of two days ago emerged in his consciousness. If what that bastard Midori said was true about the infection starting at the throat, then this was the only moment when it could've happened. He clenched his teeth in frustration. Right under his nose too!

"Yukki, what's wrong?" Asked Masamune.

"It's the old lady." Explained the ex-writer. "The one you gave your apple to, Tachibana. She touched you above the chest when she thanked you, didn't she?"

"Oh yeah, that's true." Said the girl, remembering. "I started feeling sick right after that."

"Another spreader, damn it!" Cursed Haruki. "We have to warn the traders before she gets to them. An old lady you say, Tooru?"

"Yeah, she'd covered in a dirty purple clock from head to toe. And she has a wooden cane and walks slowly. Or she's faking weakness."

"Got it." Said the leader. "Haruki, can you go warn them?"

"Sorry, I'm staying." Shot down the weapon expert. "I want to make sure this idiot rests properly and if there really isn't any risk. Closest thing to a medic remember?"

"Okay, I'll go myself then. I'll take care of provisions too." Said the blond man standing back up and turning to his sniper. "Yukki, can you try to reach Kanae again?"

"Will do."

Masamune then turned to Hotaru. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Against all odds, the newbie smiled brightly at him. "Of course! I told you; we Tachibana are solid! It takes more than that to get us!"

Her words made him laugh. It looked like the nightmare was over, and on his way to the jeep, the blond man silently prayed to thank Heaven for having spared their latest recruit. Promising himself that nothing like this would happen again, he looked to the sky swearing to the spirit of Natsumi.

'No more. I promise.'

"Tooru, go call Kanae." Ordered Haruki as soon as the leader departed. "And then make the food. I'm starving and he needs to eat."

"Huh? Why do I have to?" Complained the sniper.

"It's alright, really. I'm not that hungry..." Insisted Hotaru, before her stomach made the noise of a roaring lion.

Haruki couldn't help the angry vein that popped on his forehead showing off his irritation. "You two are pissing me off already. Tooru, go now!"

"Fine, you don't have to be so jumpy." Lazily replied Yukimura getting up. "He's fine anyway."

Despite his words, the sniper grabbed a radio from a bag and headed for the roof to try to get a good signal. Meanwhile, Haruki turned back to Hotaru and sat next to her throwing her a disapproving look. The girl thought she'd become used to his angry face but this was somehow more threatening than usual.

"You and I need to talk." He said with a low voice dripping with anger.

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