I think I've had about seven anonymous reviews for the last chapter. Just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time to read and review! Since I can't reply, I can only do so here. If you guys are interested, do create a fanfiction account! It's free and allows you to keep track of updates while chatting with the authors. :)

Anyway, half of this chapter was typed while flying out of NZ. Writing in a plane while looking at clouds and having a cup of tea at the same time can be quite the experience. I tried to be, uh, a little more descriptive. Not sure how well it turned out.

Endure

"Come here, Soran Ibrahim."

The voice was stern and commanding, booming from his leader – the one who led the KPSA – a large man with a thick mustache. Fifteen-year-old Soran dutifully walked over.

"Do you see this?"

A map was spread on the table, covered in specks of dust. Some points were crossed out in black, but one particularly stood out – a city circled in red with a marker. Soran nodded – he knew that city well. It was his hometown, after all. He had been born and raised there – until he had changed his mind and left, believing in a cause his parents hadn't believed in.

The man stood back, appraising Soran for a second. "You have grown up to be a fine, young man." And indeed, Soran had. His body was no longer childlike – it was lean and firm, with muscles that showed through the thin rags he wore. His eyes have changed too, the man noted with a low chuckle. Those eyes had lost all sense of innocence a child would have…

Soran merely nodded once more. The air suddenly felt thick with too much tension – what was it that this man wanted from him, he wondered? There had to be a reason, and Soran was waiting to hear it.

The KPSA leader seemed to know this as well, for he gestured at the map once more and said, "You are one of our best soldiers, Soran. This was your city of birth, correct?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "No one else knows the terrain of it better than you do – and as such, you must be the one to go."

The man paused for a reaction, but Soran stayed silent.

"Very well. Listen up. Your mission this time is to take the lives of Aliyah and Muhammad Ibrahim." The man sneered, as if those names were muck under a pair of shiny shoes. "Heretics, those. They defy the very will of Allah, the Holy One, by aiding the enemy in building those blasphemous mobile suits!"

This time, Soran reacted. His eyes widened, a childlike expression crossing his face. Those names – those names…

The KPSA leader knew all too well, if the leer on his face was of any indication. "It will be a glorious moment for you, boy. You will be the one to end their suffering. It is you who will set them on the rightful path."

"They don't know that what they're doing is wrong," Soran said quietly. "If you would let me talk to them first…"

"Do not speak back to me, boy!" The man spat, his pudgy face reddening in fury. "You will carry out this mission in God's will, and God will not accept your failure in this! Do you understand?"

Soran watched the man's spittle fly, felt the dusty desert air tickle his throat. The helplessness was suffocating him. The young boy felt trapped, his heart pounding wildly with mixed emotions at the answer he was about to give.

There was no way he would defy God.

"…Yes."

The man watched, satisfied, as Soran Ibrahim set out to kill his parents.

Setsuna snapped his eyes open, blinking several times at the bright fluorescent light that hit him. He was in the hospital, not in Krugis – the air here was sterile and smelled like antibiotics, not like a warzone in the Middle East.

"Setsuna?" Neil asked, a cup of coffee in his hands. "You okay?"

Setsuna gave a brief nod in response. Allelujah and Marie were dozing off not too far away, leaning against each other for support. Tieria wasn't sleeping – he was typing rapidly on his laptop, garnet eyes skimming and comprehending data quicker than any other normal human could.

They had spent as much time as they could in the hospital. Sometimes it was Setsuna and Neil, sometimes it was Allelujah and Marie – and at times, Tieria stood in for all of them, when everyone else needed their sleep. Even when visiting hours were over, someone was always outside Feldt's room. They had told the doctors and nurses that Feldt was a close friend of theirs and that they couldn't bear being away from her, but there was a more important reason.

No one knew what Ribbons would do from now onwards. Although Tieria's theory was that Ribbons wouldn't kill Feldt in an injured state as it wouldn't be as satisfying, none of them wanted to take the chance. The more they watched out for the pink-haired girl, the safer it would be for her.

"Was it a dream?" Neil asked quietly.

Although the Irishman had known Setsuna for quite a few years, there were still many things about the middle-Eastern that he didn't know about. The truth was that while Neil trusted Setsuna and Tieria, he didn't know much about their pasts. There just never seemed to be a need to discuss about things like these.

Neil remembered when he had first met Setsuna, and then Tieria. Ah, the good old days, indeed – perhaps he would have the chance to tell Feldt about it someday.

"No. Just a flashback."

"Seemed like a bad one," Neil commented. When Setsuna cast a sharp glance at him, the Irishman held his hands up in defense. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry."

Everyone had their own secrets, Neil decided – he had his own, too. Would there be a day where everyone here could openly share their darkest fears and pasts with each other? Would things possibly be better if everyone knew more about each other? Perhaps. Even someone like Feldt had her own past – Neil knew that much. Still, the priority now was to perhaps head for somewhere safe before they deciding what to do about Ribbons.

The secrets could stay buried a little longer. Neil could only hope that they wouldn't complicate things further when they were revealed.

The truth was, after all, never pretty.

Feldt woke up to sunlight streaming into her room. It shone over the bright-colored flowers that Allelujah had placed in a little plastic vase, casting shadows onto the table. When she had asked him about Marie, he had smiled kindly and told her not to worry about it. Recovery, Allelulah mentioned, was of utmost importance at the moment.

And Feldt did begin recovering.

She sat up, feeling better than she had in days. Her head still throbbed at intervals, but the doctor had said that the stitches could be taken out soon – a piece of news that had made Feldt smile. It was about time – the white, unblemished hospital walls were starting to grate on her nerves.

"Morning, Feldt," Neil said. He walked in along with the rest of the crew – Feldt could see that despite the cheeriness in his voice, there were dark circles under his eyes. The same could be said for the rest of them – had they not been getting enough sleep? Was something happening that she hadn't been aware about?

"Is Ribbons making a move?" Feldt asked before she could stop herself. "Is everything okay?"

Neil laughed. "Slow down, slow down. Relax – nothing much has been happening. Same old, really."

"B-but you all look so tired…"

"Whose fault do you think it was?" Tieria asked, his arms folded.

"Shut up, Tieria," Marie and Neil said in unison.

Feldt glanced at Marie, jade eyes widening in surprise. It was the first thing the pink-haired girl had heard Marie say in days. Did that mean that she was forgiven…? No, probably not. Marie wasn't one to hold grudges, but Feldt could still see the stubborn glint in her friend's gold eyes. Marie was still angry – but at the same time, she was beginning to thaw. It was only a matter of time before the silver-haired girl would return to her affectionate, bubbly self.

A nurse walked in, a clipboard in her hands. The group made way for her, watching as she measured Feldt's vitals. "You're doing very well, dear," she said, smiling at Feldt. "The doctor said that those stitches can be taken out tomorrow."

"That's g-great to hear."

The nurse gestured at the window. "Why not go out for a walk in the gardens? It's a beautiful day after all."

"I could?" Feldt asked excitedly. It had been such a long time since she had had a chance to breath in some fresh air.

"Of course. You've got such good friends – they've never left you alone, not even for a second."

"Not for…a second?"

Feldt shot her friends an accusing glance – so that was why they all looked so tired! They must've took turns watching out for her. However, the pinkette felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the same time. They cared, she told herself repeatedly. They really did care…

"Yes." The nurse bent to Feldt's side and whispered coyly, "Especially that dark-haired boy over there. He never really left – he was always outside your room, you know?"

Feldt's eyes widened, feeling her heart accelerate at this piece of knowledge. Setsuna had stayed – he had watched out for her. The green-eyed girl glanced up shyly, watching as he stared back, impassive as ever.

"Come on," Neil said, "Let's take you out for a walk."

The garden was even more beautiful than Feldt had imagined. Flowers were blooming at their fullest, scattering the ground with a multitude of colours – inky blues, flaming reds, vibrant yellows. The sun-kissed grass sparkled in the spring air – rich, verdant and very much alive. She took in a deep breath, discovering that there was a sweet scent in the air that was cloy but not overpowering.

"Amazing, huh?" Neil asked, hands in his pockets.

"Y-yeah…"

Feldt wanted to run, jump and frolic on the grass. She wanted to bury her nose into the flowers and laugh herself silly in the sun.

She would have done just that if she weren't having stitches and bandages all over herself, though. Instead, Feldt settled for sitting down on the grass. As if following Feldt's lead, the rest of her friends sat down around her. Tieria was the last to do so – he looked highly uncomfortable, as if the idea of hanging out with nature was not something he could comprehend.

Neil, who had been carrying a bag full of fruits, began distributing them to everyone. Feldt took a particularly rosy apple and bit into it, smiling in contentment at how sweet and crunchy it was.

It was like one of those college picnics she and Marie used to have. Before things had turned so crazy, weekends were lazily spent on the campus gardens. Both of them would share sandwiches, making general small talk and watching other students file past from dorm buildings to the street.

Marie seemed to be thinking of the same thing. The silver-haired girl turned to Feldt, an unreadable look on her face. Feldt fidgeted under Marie's scrutiny, concentrating at the patch of grass in front of her instead. She desperately wanted to talk to her best friend, but it didn't seem right to do so in front of everyone else.

"We should start making plans," Tieria said in a clipped voice, oblivious to the tension between the two girls.

"What do we have to do?" Allelujah asked softly. "It's quite impossible to be in the university anymore, not when you know the real culprit resides there."

"Alle," Marie interrupted. Her voice was firm. "Do you realize the implications of what you're saying? We cannot just drop out of university. We've paid for the courses, we have our lodgings. What will the authorities say? What will our parents say?"

"My parents won't question my choices too much – Hallelujah causes enough chaos as we speak." He frowned all of a sudden, knowing what Marie was worried about. Marie's father, Sergei, was strict on his daughter's education. If he were to find out what she was involved in…

"This was w-why I didn't want you two to find out."

Marie and Allelujah swivelled to look at Feldt, who gazed back sadly at them. Feldt had known all along that she hadn't wanted outsiders to be caught up in this. It was dangerous business.

"Feldt," Marie began sharply, but was quickly cut off by Setsuna instead.

"It is impossible for them to return to their normal lives."

Marie stopped short and Feldt fell silent at Setsuna's bold statement, which was nothing short of the truth. Although everyone probably knew this already, someone still had to be the voice of reason and say it aloud. Feldt shot a grateful look at Setsuna – he had managed to prevent an argument from breaking out – who merely inclined his head slightly in acknowledgement. No one else noticed the silent interaction between them.

"Hey now, let's slow down and think about this for a bit," Neil said. "It's impossible for Ribbons to just kill us off like that. Think about it – there are seven of us here. I don't mean to sound like a show-off, but many of us here have quite the reputation. It'd be stupid for him to take any careless actions."

"Indeed," Tieria said stiffly. "We are known amongst many for our achievements – in particular Setsuna and you, Feldt. Lockon here is famed for his intelligence and his way amongst the ladies." At this, Neil laughed – only to earn a glare from the purple-haired man in return. Sitting up straighter, Tieria continued, "Thus, we need not concern ourselves too much about disappearing from university just yet."

What Tieria said made sense, but Feldt just couldn't shake that nagging feeling in her mind – and who could blame her? She had been the one to sustain the most serious injuries so far. "How can I not be concerned, Tieria? Ribbons sent an assassin to kill me just a week or so ago! He'll have his ways of making our deaths seem like an accident, I'm sure you know that."

Marie's eyes widened at that piece of new information – now that was new. Oblivious to Marie's surprise, Feldt continued to speak. "He's unpredictable – we don't even know what that psychopath has is mind. What if he gets us one by one? No one will suspect a thing, and…"

The scenarios came as quickly as she spoke – Feldt could already imagine them truly happening. Images of bloody bodies, bruised and battered, flashed into her mind. Feldt's grotesque imagination frightened her. She wouldn't be able to stand it.

And if it were to be all because of her…

Setsuna, still impassive, placed his hand on top of Feldt's. She jumped, startled by the sudden action.

"Calm down." The tone of his voice was strong and commanding. Setsuna's dark eyes bore into hers, his firm gaze of sending a wordless message.

It wasn't your fault.

Feldt gave him a shaky, appreciative smile in return. She took in a deep breath – Setsuna knew that she was trying to control her emotions, trying to keep the paranoia at bay. The pink-haired girl used a finger to nudge a flower in front of her, gradually relaxing under the calming effect it gave her. He continued observing Feldt silently, noting how childlike she looked. She was now admiring the flowers around her with an adoring smile on her face, thoughts about Ribbons forgotten.

It was strange.

Setsuna had spent most his life in the Middle East, where plants and rain were scarce. As Soran Ibrahim, he was used to the smell of gunpowder, burnt flesh and the powdery scent of rubble. Fighting was something he was used to – blood and destruction had been everyday things to him. When things happened to Setsuna, they happened. He rarely reacted, and assumed that that was how others around the world were, too.

In that sense, Setsuna found Feldt strange and fascinating at the same time. She resembled a clean slate, inexperienced in the world's ways and at the new things it brought. Her emotions were wild sometimes, but she knew how to reign them in with some effort. She smiled and gave in to anger just as easily.

It was unpredictable.

"So," Neil said, a smile on his handsome face. "Since the ball's rolling, we might as well get on with it. What should we do from now onwards?"

Tieria snorted in an unsophisticated manner. "The first thing we have to do now is to see how far Ribbons' influence extends."

"He has Billy and Graham on his side," Feldt whispered softly. "C-can't you find out who's involved with Ribbons by going through the university and government records?"

"I will check, but electronic records only go so far. It is difficult to establish one's loyalty by mere machinery alone."

That made sense, of course. Feldt's mind wandered off to other prominent figures in the government, university and military. Who was on Ribbons' side? Just how powerful was Ribbons? Could he even be destroyed? Certainly there must be someone else who could see that something was incredibly wrong – but if there were, they would have been quiet. Underground. Out from reach from any form of communication.

Setsuna was powerful – the mobile suit he had was powerful. But even then, Feldt realized that that alone wasn't quite enough to go up against Ribbons and his army. Tieria and Neil were intelligent – but even with them, they needed more. A whole lot more.

"We need allies," Allelujah said, seeming to come to that conclusion as well.

Neil smiled. "I have an idea."

I tried doing some stuff from Setsuna's side. It kinda felt...all over the place, and a little forced. Urgh. More of Setsuna, Neil and Tieria's past will be revealed in future chapters. I apologize for any typos/grammar errors in the chapter.

Please review! I will love you forever.

- Anne