Final part of the Asian section of the story. I'll be taking a little break inbetween this and the European section to edit it and do a few other stories that i want to start. But he's hoping you enjoy this little chapter.
Yui and Misato stood in the street as the buildings smoulder around them, it was the morning after the fires suddenly started and they were lucky to be in Zhen's bar when it happened.
The building was surprisingly sturdy which couldn't be said for the others in the street.
"Horrible isn't it?" Mr. Zhen had said when they emerged from the underground bar, but the two women had different views and feelings on what they had witnessed stepping out into the aftermath, "It's second impact…" Misato had said holding herself tightly, it wasn't and she knew it but it still didn't shake the feeling she had. Yui just couldn't believe she had witnessed something so horrible, "Is this really the extent humans will go to, to realise their ideals?".
"Shinji!" Yui called out again and again as she helped Misato through the rubble lined streets, "Shinji! Where are you?", "All the chaos…" Misato said shaking in Yui's arms, "They're safe… They have to be." she told herself as they headed for the tower, and paused when they saw Zhuzhen sitting on a fallen pillar smoking his pipe.
"Master Zhuzhen!" they hurried to the old sage who was looking less then pleased, "We failed… but we won…this doesn't make any sense." he said when he saw them, "Where's Shinji? And the others?" Yui asked as she sat Misato down next to Zhuzhen. "Over there… He got pretty banged up but he'll be fine. Just needs a long rest and a hot meal." he said trying to put on a smile. In a stable building was a temporary medical building for anyone injured in the devastation, "Margarete is there too. She got a few broken ribs… Alice is…" he looks back at the tower.
"She's still up there?", "With Yuri I hope?" she asked but the old man just shook his head, "I doubt we'll be finding him anytime soon." he hopped off the pillar and headed for the tower, "Better you know now… Yuri gave himself to stop that thing that came through… we owe him our lives." Yui sank to her knees as Misato started crying at the memories coming back to her, "NO!" she screamed into the cloudy morning sky.
"Ma'am are you alright?" a soldier asked Yui as she was snapped out of her shock, "Yes… no I'm not actually.", "Sorry to hear that ma'am but your son wants to see you. Your female friend is already with him." Yui gave a lengthy pause before she replies, "Private. Can you tell me where the nearest working phone is? I need to make a call.", "What about your son?", "I'll be with him shortly. I know I can try and make something good at least come out of this chaos.".
The private led her to a working phone where she asked for privacy and hoped that her idea would work.
"Saving thousands of lives with the death of an evil man." she said to herself as she called the switchboard operator, she couldn't believe she was doing it but she knew it was the right thing to do, "Japanese Investigation Committee please.", "One moment please." she waited and couldn't believe she was being connected to a military section, it was then she realised it was a military line.
"Colonel Makashima speaking." a man answered in a gruff voice, "Greetings Colonel. I have some information that may bring some issues into the light.", "Who is this?", "Just someone who wants to make amends for her past." Makashima was silent on the other end, "Speak…".
Yui went on to explain everything that had happened with Kawashima, Suketani and the arrogant Major Kutsugi, "I have a number of witnesses who will back up this information as well as Sergeant Kato who discovered Suketani's body and learnt the truth before he died.", "I see… I will have to look into this and have a talk with the sergeant over this. But if this information is accurate then you have just made right a horrible mistake on our part. And for that I thank you…" Yui let out a small chuckle, "I'm still not telling you who I am Makashima-kun." she heard him sputter in embarrassment before she hung up.
She knew she wasn't going to loose sleep over her actions but she didn't care, "Private thank you for your assistance." Yui bowed to the private who was a little surprise at her being so formal in the middle of a emergency, "I'll go see my son now." she walks off with a gentle smile knowing she had done the right thing.
"Misato for the last time I'm alright, really!" Shinji said trying to get Misato to stop hugging him, he was having trouble breathing and his ribs still hadn't healed completely.
"I'm just glad your alright Shinji-kun! I was so worried when I woke up and didn't find you!", "Misato please calm yourself…" Yui said entering the makeshift hospital, "There are other people trying to recover here. Please give them respect." some of the locals were a little surprised when a Japanese woman was giving them the respect like they were equals, but didn't say anything, they liked her.
"Sorry Yui… It's just after everything that's happened… I just got…", "Shhh. It's alright. We're all fine." Yui said sitting down next to her and holding her hand, "Shinji is fine too." she looked at her son who mouthed his thanks silently, even though the two were in love he still had trouble with dealing with her sudden changes in mood, the near destruction of the city hadn't helped it.
"We're leaving… aren't we?" Misato asked wiping away the tears in her eyes, "Yeah… Kawashima owes me a favour so we might be able to settle down somewhere in the countryside… if you want.", "I think after this Shinji it would be best. It will give you enough time to recover and improve your skills." Yui said.
"Otherwise how else would you be able to protect my grandchildren?" both of them go bright red but Yui knew it was a cheap trick to lighten the mood but would do anything to keep the smiles on their faces.
"I do Shinji… But at the same time… I want to keep travelling with the others.", "Then how about we get settled first then we can decide then. Okay?" Shinji asked not wanting to see Misato or his mother cry, "Okay.", "I'm going to talk with Alice and Zhuzhen before we go." both nodded and helped him to his feet.
"Alice we can't stay up here all day. Please, your not doing him any favours staying up here." Zhuzhen said as he watched Alice holding Yuri's necklace to hers as she stared in the direction that Yuri had flown away in.
"He's still out there isn't he?", "Yes. As long as his soul is about then we'll meet again. It's fate after all." Zhuzhen said truthfully.
After a moment of silence he spoke again, "You know Shinji is leaving for Japan soon. He needs to recover… he took a beating mentally and physically in that last fight.", "I guessed as much. I thank him for his help…" she said not showing much emotion, "Alice. He isn't giving up on the kid! We don't know where he even is right now. And we both saw how more powerful Bacon was then Dehuai. Shinji's good but he's got to get better if he'll be rejoining us… which I know he will." Alice turned to him with red puffy eyes which showed how long she had cried.
"Yuri is the first friend he has had since he arrived here. Yuri could of left him but he didn't, instead he took him under his wing and taught him how to take care of himself and look at him, they stuck by each other…" Zhuzhen was sure that Shinji was Yuri's first friend as well but he wouldn't say that out loud in front of Alice.
"I miss him… I miss him already!" Alice rushed over and hugged Zhuzhen saying that she wanted Yuri back, "We both do. We all do… We'll find him again Alice, we won't just give up on him. And besides…" he pushed her back to look at her, "He's too stubborn to die easily.".
Shinji stared at the woods ahead of him before looking back at Kato and Kawashima, his arm was still in a sling from the fight in Shanghai but he was on the mend.
"Are you sure we'd be allowed to stay here?" he asked, "I'm sure Shinji. The chief here is a friend of my fathers, she's waiting for you with rooms ready." she hugged Shinji tightly, "Thanks for everything you've done for us, I guess we're even now.", "Yes… but if you could do one last favour for us?". "It doesn't need to be a favour Shinji, I'll have as many people as I can looking out for him.".
Arriving at the village they were greeted by a middle aged woman in a purple yukata, a long floral skirt and wearing boots, her dark brown hair tied up into a bun. Her clothing making her look rather out of place.
"Hello Shinji, Yui and Misato. My name is Saki and welcome to Inugami village.", "How did you know who we are?" Misato asked taken back slightly, "I have seen it in my village. Please come and eat, you must be very hungry." Shinji's stomach growled as they were led into the peaceful looking village only to have Kato and Kawashima leave saying they had to visit her father.
Shinji was surprised with how simple the village was and it was ideal in his opinion, easy access to the city but in the countryside and with beautiful scenery, the village itself sat on top of a hill overlooking the rice fields below.
"I hear you two are a couple? You will be sharing a room while Yui's will be next to mine. My son spends most of his time in the city working, but he has his room near the main door." Shinji mumbled his thanks as Misato hung onto his good arm, "This place is amazing Saki we can't thank you enough for this.".
Yui was quiet for the walk up to the house seeing it was half western looking half Japanese style, it looked very comfortable as a home.
"Yui? Is there something wrong?" Saki asked stopping at the top of the steps. "No I'm fine just looking back at the last few days that's all." Saki nodded in understanding as if she had been there herself.
"Welcome to your new home." she said as they entered and showed them to their rooms. Shinji's thoughts still drifted back to watching Yuri jump off the top of the tower into the Radiance demon god, he couldn't believe that he had done something so stupid after all they had been through together. He thought he knew him better then that.
The next few days allowed them to adapt to the village which didn't take too long, Shinji spent his time getting to know everyone in the village and found them to be very friendly and forthcoming which surprised him, he didn't expect to be welcomed so openly.
He found that his position in the village had been confirmed when a weak monster somehow passed the wards around the village and was about to attack a young girl until Shinji sent it flying with a direct hit from his A.T field.
They cheered him as their new protector which caused him to blush, even more so when Misato declared to everyone that she was his wife to be, which caused even more cheering.
Alice and Zhuzhen had just boarded a train bound for Europe, they had heard of some strange stories coming from there, some showed them hope that Yuri might have been spotted there but they had to check out any leads.
Both of them knew must still be alive somewhere in the world but would just have to wait until they met again.
Zhuzhen was the one to suggest they become travelling exorcists to cover their expenses, that and it was a unique field with the recent trouble brewing all over the world in the remote areas, Demons and ghosts would be rife, meaning that there would be plenty of work for them to do in the coming weeks and months.
However he didn't say it out loud in front of Alice but they still had Roger Bacon to deal with, they knew he had survived but it was clear to him that he was planning something and that it would be bigger then what Dehuai had planned.
Margarete had spilt up from them and had to head back to the states, promising to rejoin them when her business had been completed, she wasn't about to give up on finding Yuri either.
She could only hope that when they found him, he was still the same person he was before.
