Author's Note: Sorry, but I couldn't leave you all like this, not without at least some closure. From all the stories I've read, the best ones are the ones that sort of wrap up the initial story in a long term solution. That way, no one feels tricked into having to watch more than one book or movie to finally get through the entire story, which makes them want to see the sequel out of honest curiosity rather than out of obligation to find how this all ties together.
Now here is where I really tie up the story for good.
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Epilogue
The world is a funny place.
Every action has a tendency of coming full circle in a way too fitting to be coincidental. It happens so frequently that entire religions have been based on the circumstances. People have labeled these cause and effect incidents a number of things. 'Karma', 'Divine intervention', 'God's sense of humor', the names of them are numerous, and every one of them hits the nail on the head. The consequences of these actions can manifest in one of three ways.
The first is that those people who committed these actions receive precisely what they've been pursuing. Depending on what kind of actions they've committed, they will either pride themselves on, or deeply regret their decisions.
The second is that they watch someone else repeat the actions they themselves had done to others, but on to them.
The third is that their own actions resurface and decide their fate, for better or worse.
In any of those scenarios, a person will want to have done what was right, but the problem occurs in the fact hat everyone's opinion of 'right and wrong' varies on a tremendous level. What some would call an unforgivable atrocity, others may view as the epitome of heroic action. As such, no definition of right and wrong can ever be established. All that can be done is to show everyone the results of their actions, and let them decide for themselves whether or not what they did was the right thing to do.
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Ichigo, Chad, Uryuu, and Orihime were currently on the country of Laos.
Many Japanese civilians had been transferred from the off shore islands, and into other countries where they would be more defensible from Youkai assault. The countries of Vietnam, North and South Korea, Laos, China, Cambodia, and the island territories of the U.S. had no real reason to deny the people entrance into their country due to the circumstances the civilians were faced with. They were forcibly removed from their own country, and left with nowhere to go until their homeland could be reclaimed. With the entire country serving as a battlefield, even with the temporary 'truce' that had been called between Fairy Tale and the U.S. And Chinese armed forces, any hope of them returning to their country in the near future would be non-existent.
The teenagers had quietly integrated themselves into the civilian population after the fighting in Karakura had settled. To their immense relief, the majority of their family members were still alive. As their relatives lived in the city of Karakura, they were in the real world stronghold of the 13 protection squads. As such, when the monster attacks came, their was already a capable response force in place to fight back against the creatures at a moment's notice. Ichigo and his friends, the Vizards, Urahara and Yoruichi, all of them were on the move the second the monster plants had begun manifesting. When PWCD planes came in, along with those of the Japanese military and other armed forces, the monster population was already fairly battered.
When the human super soldiers finally got their boots on Japanese soil, the rest was history.
As of now, the portion of Japanese civilians to be sent to Laos were currently residing in a hastily assembled military camp. Hundred of massive oval shaped tents had been set up, and were currently housing thousands of Japanese civilians. Several dozen helicopters were coming in and dropping several dozen tons worth of food, clothing, and other supplies. World wide relief efforts were in full effect, with countless amounts of supplies being distributed to the once proud citizens, who were now officially refugees.
The group of hollow fighting children were standing around a bonfire inside the refugee camp. They were all in a sober mood as they were coming to terms with what had happened to them. In hindsight, it really shouldn't surprise them that things such as the youkai existed. Considering all the other otherworldly monstrosities that walked the spirit realm, one would assume that they couldn't all be warped parodies of human souls. What did shock them however, was the fact that they would so viciously attack humans with such hatred and glee in their eyes.
What had the human species done to deserve such animosity from the monster realm?
Ichigo was crushed the most by the occurrence. His sisters were both safe, along with his Father, who had been healed by Orihime's magical ability to reverse the damage of any wound or death blow. Miraculously, his family had all managed to be reunited together due to whatever system the people in charge were using to place the Japanese refugees.
But that wasn't what pained him.
It was the fact that, no matter how hard he fought to protect others, he had still seen countless civilians being murdered. No matter how fast he shunpo'd or ran, he couldn't save everyone. Even with the aide of all of his friends, allies, and even additional Gotie 13 shinigami, they still couldn't keep everybody safe. They were only a handful of people fighting against a full fledged army. Nothing short of God himself intervening could've prevented such a massive slaughter, yet this knowledge still didn't settle Ichigo's nerve.
He hated them.
He despised youkai with all his being. They were cruel, merciless, and savage. At least hollows weren't physically capable of acting different from their own instincts unless they had an unbelievably strong will and moral conviction. Hollows were driven to do the deeds they did out of mentally debilitating hunger, and the few that resisted had to fall back to cannibalism. The youkai had no such excuse. They were fully conscious of what they were inflicting, and enjoyed doing it.
He had even heard the monsters laughing and joking while they committed genocide!
Ichigo barred his teeth with barely concealed fury, feeling his reiatsu start to slip from his control. He remembered cutting down the creatures more in a panicked sense of species preservation than actual hatred. Now that he had a chance to think about the nature of his enemy, and why they did what they did, he dearly wished to return to Japan so that he could slowly hack them apart. No. That wouldn't be the least bit painful enough to compare to what those damned monsters had done to innocent people. That had been his first time ever killing an enemy outright. He wasn't able to completely dwell on the thought earlier as so much was going on at the time. Now that he had time to think, he could honestly say that he hadn't regretted it in the least. In fact, after reviewing the detestable actions of the youkai, he thoroughly wished to experience the feeling of cutting the damn monsters down again and again.
A calming hand landed on his shoulder.
"Ichigo, what's wrong? You seem agitated." It was Orihime. She must've noticed his angrier than usual expression.
Ichigo took a calming breath. He refused to let his anger make him lash out at her. She was too kindhearted for that. After all the inhumanity she had witnessed during the battle of Karakura, she held no ill will towards any of the monsters. Or at least she didn't as far as he could see. She was capable of getting mad every now and then, but rarely showed that side of her.
"It's nothing Orihime. Just thinking about the invasion." Ichigo calmly stated.
Uryuu looked at him from across the clearing. The quincy could easily detect Ichigo's angered reiatsu. He wasn't simply agitated. His reiatsu radiated of killing intent, which was something Uryuu had never seen before. Never in a fight had he seen Ichigo consciously take a life. He had bloodied people, sure. Never had Ichigo flat out committed a murder up until the Youkai invasion.
He could only imagine what running though the substitute shinigami's mind at the moment.
Uryuu then hazarded a glance over to Chad.
The stoic man was also in a fairly irritable mood, and the Quincy could guess why.
During the battle, Chad had rushed to save a little girl, maybe 8 years old at best. She was being held by her throat by a weird monster that looked human, but was surrounded with an odd red aura and daemonic eyes. Uryuu guessed by the fangs that it was a vampire. Chad sprinted at full tilt to save the child, but the vampire carelessly crushed every bone in the little girl's neck just before Chad had gotten there.
The Quincy had never thought that Chad was capable, nor had the temperance, to literally rip a man limb from limb before today.
To actually see Chad use his 'arm of the giant' and rip limbs from their sockets had frightened Uryuu deeply. He wasn't one to judge, as he had sent countless Youkai to their deaths. His arrows destroyed souls, so there wasn't even an afterlife for the Youkai he had slain. He couldn't bring himself to lament that fact.
Uryuu had paused as he considered his own feelings. He had just thought to himself that he didn't feel the least bit of remorse at killing another living being, and robbing it of an afterlife. He never dreamed of a day where he would feel so...coldly satisfied with murder.
The Qunicy shivered.
He could only wonder how badly this entire war had left him and his friends. In less than a few hours, he and his friends had become mass murderers. Sure, they were entirely justified, but he couldn't help but question himself.
Uryuu Ishida sighed. He hesitated to know how this war had affected the mentality of not only his friends, but his as well.
xxXxx
Tsukune was locked in his dorm, and quietly staring at the ceiling.
He couldn't bare to stay at this school, yet he had nowhere else to go at the moment. His home had been attacked by monsters. All of his family may or may not have been killed. The only people he could go to for help were nowhere near this area, as any augment available had been called to fight Fairy Tale. Eli was God knows where, along with every other augment he had seen since coming here. He was truly alone at this school.
The only people left that he could go to were damned monsters themselves.
Youkai academy had been temporarily closed down for the well being of the students. With a vast army of aggravated humans on one side, and an army of extremist Youkai on the other side, the students were all being sent back home for their personal safety. There was no telling whether or not Fairy Tale soldiers would attack the school, or human soldiers may bomb it.
The headmaster graciously allowed Tsukune to stay at the school, under his own personal protection.
Tsukune, so filled with emotions at the moment, didn't know whether or not to lash out at the man, or thank him. Instead, he only responded with silence, and a nod. Somehow, he got the vibe that the headmaster wouldn't hold him accountable for either action he took. He was a human attending a school of monsters, and finally when he starts to make friends, he learns that his parents may or may not have been murdered in cold blood due to the results of an idotic war.
The Exorcist was impressed that Tsukune didn't immediately start to do anything rash, and he was certain to use the term 'immediately'.
Tsukune avoided Moka and Kurumu, as well any other students, like the plague. In his state of mind, he may say something that he'll regret if he gets touched by the very same woman who tried to eternally enslave him into a lustful servant. He may even hit the vampire girl if she so much as tried to bite him, consequences be damned.
Kurumu felt that because Succubi never got involved in these types of things, she'd be safe from any fighting that occurred between the Youkai and Humans. As such, she was only mildly surprised by the news of war with the humans, and continued to act like she normally did. Tsukune felt the urge to remind her that she was not only affiliated with the Youkai, but had powers to enslave others, and had once intended to use them. That was more than enough reason for soldiers to come for the Succubi race. He resisted his urge to inform her of this because he was afraid his bitterness might show through.
Moka was slightly more receptive to Tsukune's emotions however. She knew that he was a human in a school for monsters. What's more, he had just found out that his very home was being attacked by the very same species he went to class every day with. Whatever insecurities Moka felt about being verbally bullied in middle school couldn't possibly compare to what Tsukune must be going through. When she finally found him and tried to comfort him, he simply shrugged her off and said he'd go to bed and take a nap.
That had been 2 days ago.
Youkai Academy only had one bus driver, and because of that, things were moving really slow. Any students whose parents couldn't pick them up had to wait for a chance to get on the Bus, which delayed the process by roughly a week. In that time, Tsukune didn't want to see another monster as long as he could. He had a fully stocked mini-fridge courtesy of the school, a bathroom, and a TV, so he had no reason to really leave. He was entirely comfortable with just waiting this out, and praying that something happened to get him away from here and back to his parents.
That is, if they hadn't been murdered.
*Knock knock knock*
"Tsukune, open the door! We're worried about you!"
"Yeah, it's been two days! What's wrong with you? Are you sick or something? If you are, I'd gladly come in to nurse you back to health!"
Tsukune let out a groan. He really didn't want to deal with any of them for... well however long he could. Never at all, if possible.
It was funny when he thought about it. Anime writers always made it seem like the teenage boy mind was locked and glued to lust for women, and that boys who resisted that urge always got more women. Now he was beginning to see where that fallacy had kicked up. Women didn't want someone who was uninterested in them. They (generally) wanted someone who wasn't prone to treat them like garbage. The guys at this school had it in their head that you were being perfectly nice to a girl as long as you didn't try to kill them. Sadly, the women here were as bad as any of the males. The swimming club had tried to drain the life energy of the boys in their pool during that whole Club fair business, but abruptly stopped when Eli had shown up with an expression that showed he was beyond pissed off. The Jamaican augment had ordered the mermaids out of the pool and into the gymnasium for a surprise 'endurance test', which he thought was code for 'I'm going to beat the hell out of all of you for that stunt'. He said that if he noticed anyone of them weren't present, they would be expelled. At first he figured it was a bit harsh, but then he realized that those girls were literally about to murder a bunch of male students in cold blood. In most countries that was grounds for execution, regardless of age.
When he really thought about it, he had yet to meet any monster in this school that wasn't wrong in the head in some way.
Moka bit into him as if she was incapable of keeping a cap on something as simple as hunger, then repeatedly bit into him as if she couldn't comprehend the simple fact that biting and draining people of blood actually hurt them. She only stopped being so insensitive about it because he flat out told her she was using him as a juice box, of course he wasn't himself at the time, but still. Then he didn't even want to get started on the split personality business. Despite all this, she was labeled as the 'hottest and nicest girl in the school'.
Kurumu had attempted to turn him into a sex slave, along with every other male in the school. Had he not happened to be her 'destined one', then she probably would've tried to carry on with her plan and try to get him again later on. He didn't know about others, but trying to mentally enslave someone for the rest of their life wasn't something you simply apologized for and expected for it to be forgotten. All of this information about her was common knowledge around school, yet seemingly no one had any problem with it.
Monsters were cruel and detestable creatures. They could barely think past their own primal urges, and rather than try to work through them, they just found reasons to condone their actions. Humans had been primal like they were too once upon a time, but they gradually pulled themselves out of their base instincts and found it in themselves to think about the well being of others and work together. Sure, self serving intentions were always involved, but humanity had evolved to a level where they could at least attempt to find mutually beneficial alternatives. Monsters only thought of what they'd gain, and damned be anyone else's suffering. He was certain that the only reason they didn't abuse humans any old kind of way was because they knew they were horribly outnumbered, rather than any sense of right and wrong on the matter.
To drive this point home, he had overheard two boys discussing how much of a 'Ladies Man' Saizou was because he molested a lot of women at his old school. If that wasn't a clear indication of the disgusting mindset of monsters, than he didn't know what was. He was almost scared to find out what a monster may label a pedophile as. What scared him the most was that these students were acting how they did at a high school! He was terrified to think about what they must be like in their usual society to find absolutely nothing wrong with how they act. Tsukune saw Saizou a weak after the incident, not undergoing charges for assault, sexual harassment, or attacking an on-duty soldier. A student with a gun could probably show up and shoot up the cafeteria, and this school would probably give him a few days detention for it at worst.
To think these PWCD guys actually thought they could educate such a backward race.
"Tsukune we know you're in here! Let us in!"
Tsukune debated whether or not he could just ignore them until they went away. His two closest friends had technically both attacked him, one of which with the intent to kill, and they both just...blew if off like threatening someone's life wasn't a big deal whatsoever.
"Listen Tsukune, no destined one of mine is going to lock himself in a room all day! Open the door right now!" Kurumu yelled, banging her fist on the door.
Tsukune sighed, and resigned himself to his fate. He got up, wearing his pajama pants and a plain white shirt. He made a B-line for the front door, lazily moving around any obstacles on his way. Tsukune normally wasn't so bitter and cynical. He barely even thought about such hateful things like this as he carried out the usual motions of school. With all the things he was going through now; being in a monster school during an attack that may have killed all his friends and family, having no one around he could relate to, and having virtually no where to go, he felt every right to be angry with everything and everyone.
Tsukune reached the door and sighed. He just wanted to go home, away from super soldiers and monsters, away from species politics, and live a normal quite life. Was that too much to ask for?
He opened the door, a downcast expression on his face.
He jolted into surprise when he felt someone immediately engulf him in large hug. After a second he realized it was a girl that was just a little shorter than he was. After another second he realized that since he could breath it must be Moka.
"Hey what's the big idea! You told me not glomp him the second I see him just so you could do it instead!" Kurumu yelled out in anger.
Moka ignored the Succbus in favor of tightening her hold on Tsukune, who was starting to try and break away from her grip.
"I'm sorry Tsukune. I'm so, so, sorry."
Everyone paused. Kurumu had no idea what Moka was talking about, so she listened in more intently. Maybe she had done something to ruin her standing with Tsukune that would let her be able to swoop in and snatch him up! Tsukune said nothing, just looking past her and at the ground.
"I don't know what you may think of us now. You probably think that we're all horrible people now, but we didn't want for any of this to happen."
Tsukune's face subtly softened at the admission. She was hitting the nail on the head again after again. He just stood there, unable to do anything else at the moment. Kurumu stood to the side, observing quietly. Moka brought her head up out of Tsukune's chest, looking him square in the eye.
"Back at the beginning of the semester, I told you that I hated humans. Despite that, you still put yourself in harms way for my sake. Please, let me return the favor."
Moka took Tsukune's head in her hands and guided it to her shoulder, cradling him as if she were his mother. Tsukune was overwhelmed by everything that was happening. Everyone he loved was possibly dead, he couldn't return home for fear of being killed or caught in the crossfire of the war, and now the only two people he could call friends were comforting him in a way he had all but convinced himself that they were incapable of doing.
Tsukune began to silently cry into Moka's shoulder, letting out 2 days of heartache.
Kurumu watched the exchange with her eyes wide. She may not have been an expert analyst but she could read between the lines well enough to put two and two together. Tsukune was a human. If he was a human then everyone he knew was probably caught in the middle of that horrible attack, and if they weren't, they were in a completely different country for their own safety. He had nowhere to go.
Kurumu walked up to them and hugged Tsukune as well, her arms reaching around both Tsukune and Moka. She laid her head against the other side of Tsukune's shoulder, comfortingly rubbing his back.
No one said anything for awhile, just letting everything play out as it would.
xxXxx
Author's Note: Sorry to leave you all on such a sober note, but you all asked for me to touch up more on the main characters' involvement, so I did. And big thanks to everyone who has read this far.
Btw, to the guest that has been commenting, you bring up a lot of good points and questions. However, your status as a guest prevents me from responding to those reviews. Since I see reviewers as people whose job it is to judge and analyze this story for every flaw (hence the term 'reviewer' rather than 'commenter'), I make it a point to answer any questions one may have. Your status as a guest prevents me from PMing you any of my responses. It'd help you made an account, even if just a throwaway one.
As well, I realize that many of the things in this story are getting a bit too farfetched with my meager explanations in the beginning. I've gone into detail on how Power Armor functions and works in the Prologue at the very beginning of the story. Everything in this story, to a degree, legitimately exists, but the way I've presented them makes it look like I just stapled in every video game I could think of. Just something to be aware of in case you'd like to go back and read it. In addition, I've removed the FAQ simply for the fact it stuck out like a sore thumb to those reading through the story.