Eight felt like her hearts would break open at any minute. A stabbing pain ate viciously at her chest, a longing for companionship that'd been denied for so long. She closed her eyes, letting herself rest on Ado. It was nice here. It reminded her of all the time they'd shared before The Order. Of when they first met, and when she was the only one Eight would ever talk to. After every mission, they would recoup at Marie's house, and spend the whole night all together. It felt like it'd been so long.

They'd have to leave soon. But not yet. Now, they were here. And they would stay here as long as they could.

——————

A crunching sound in the distance snapped Ado back to the cruel reality of their situation, forcing her to stand up and put Ribbon behind her. There was a part of her that didn't want to. That wanted to take every precious moment she could with her friend, because it might be their last. But she had to fight, or it might really be their last moment.

Ado motioned for Eight to hand her a rock, and quietly told her to draw her weapon. Eight nodded, and followed Three's instruction. It wasn't long before a silhouette began to form amidst the heavy rainfall, slowly approaching.

"Hold your fire." Three whispered, getting a feel for the stone in her hand. It looked like a male figure, growing closer at an alarming speed. He wasn't stopping.

"Now." Three barked, and Eight started shooting. The form flared red, forming a malicious aura in the air around it and shocking the two rebels for a moment. Three lobbed her simple but proven effective attack at the new soldier's head, but he dodged it effortlessly. Ado cursed. Eight kept shooting. He was unaffected.

"What do we do?" Eight was beginning to panic, her eyes filled with helpless terror.

Ado dashed out at the brightly lit suit of armor, in a rush of desperation. If she could get an uppercut just below the jaw, just into the throat, maybe she could get him winded...

She went in for the punch, but received a fist to the solar plexus before she could even touch him. In a second, she was on the ground, gasping for breath and trying to get back to her feet. She looked up back at Eight. What would he do to her? She pushed though the throbbing pain in her abdomen, still grasping for oxygen, to her feet, and began to stumble toward her friend. But then their assailant stopped. He placed his right hand on Eight's, and gently pushed it down, to which Eight gave a confused look up toward him. Three staggered closer, watching intently. What was he going to do to her?

He hooked his fingers under his helmet, and unlatched it. He pulled the now-iconic chrome sphere off his head, revealing a head of deep red, loose octarian locks, wavy and falling down nearly to his shoulders. Eight's mouth dropped open in shock, and she rushed at him, wrapping her armored arms around his waist, and burying her face in his chest. He returned the tender embrace, and when Ado reached them again, her suspicions were confirmed. The face that looked down at the slender girl in his arms, wearing an undeniably joyful smile, belonged to General Kurrer Octavio. When he saw Ado, he peeled himself away from Eight, and went in for a hug. Ado returned the gesture with a stupid grin, a quick, tight token between comrades.

"So what the shell was that?" Ado asked, shoving his chest when they stepped back, looking up at him.

"You shot first." He shrugged, looking guilty nonetheless, "I wear the armor because it usually doesn't raise doesn't suspicions, and it's protection from the rain."

"Fine." Ado scoffed, "How'd you get here so fast though?"

"I saw you in the cemetery." He replied, some of the joy of reunion dying down as he spoke, "I come by there just about every day."

The words took the wind out of her nearly as well as his punch did. She just nodded, though, trying not choke on her emotions when she told him how much that meant to her.

"It's good to know someone's taking care of him." She smiled bitterly. Octavio nodded a bit sheepishly, with the same grim optimism.

"Come with me." Octavio gestured after a short period of reverie, "I'll show you where we've been staying."

"We?" Ado asked skeptically, cocking her head a bit.

Octavio only answered, "There's... someone I want you to meet."