Author Notes: The story is getting closer to its conclusion. It should be wrapped up prior to the end of 2020 if things are able to move well. As with most things, it leaves a bittersweet feeling. However, this bitter sweetness is for a different reason.

While I am proud of the work I did with the previous chapter, the results after posting it were something I was less than proud of. While this has never been a story that received much attention, it was a massive disappointment that I received no reviews for the previous chapter. It also served as a reminder why I decided to reach stopping point for this story.

I originally planned on this story to be much longer. However, I decided that it would be best to wrap this story up earlier because of these constant disappointments. However, I did not throw away any of the concepts. I decided that if I ever decided to create a sequel to this story that I would utilize them in that. If you wish for a sequel to this story be made please be sure to leave a review for this chapter as well as the concluding chapters of this story.

Please enjoy the chapter.

/

Past is Prologue

Chapter Twelve: Good Work and Farewell

/

Goodbyes come and go

They are a part of all lives

Never forget this

/

It was just a day like any other. Another day of scavenging for the Kannagi siblings. It had become a routine of theirs by this point. While the others were setting up a new camp, they would explore the nearby buildings to find any potential supplies. It was the closets time the duo had that could be considered relaxing. It was only the two of them.

They weren't looking for anything specific. They honestly couldn't afford to be picky due to how much the world had decayed by this point. It could be anything from a can that might have some food in it to some nails or scraps of metal that Minato could make use of. Anything was fair game.

"Hey, Sis!" Yu excitedly stood up as he held out his findings, "Do you think this is okay, Sis?"

"Hmm …" Azumi took hold of Yu's bag and inspected the goods he found piece by piece. She held them close as she remarked, "I think they're fine, but you know how 'some' people aren't exactly easy to please."

"Yeah …" Yu sounded resigned before then trying to sound more optimistic, "At least, we probably won't need to worry about doing this for much longer. Not when we get into Fenrir."

"I think the right way of thinking is 'if we get into Fenrir'." Azumi replied as she continued to inspect the good.

"What do you mean?" Yu titled his head.

"Do you really think they'd let everyone in?" Azumi then answered in a matter of fact tone, "We have no idea of how things are gonna go down when we get there. We have no idea how they do things or how picky they are. We can only hope for the best, but we should probably expect the worse."

"You mean like …" Yu dreaded the next sentence, but it had to be asked, "They'd give us the boot and stop us from coming in?"

"It's possible." Azumi replied as she handed him back his findings, "They pass my test. You're getting better at this little brother."

"Um … Thanks …" As much as Yu wanted to gracefully accept the praise, the mood had been dampened.

"Sorry if it you don't like it, but it is the truth." Azumi stated in a matter of fact tone, "It's better to face the truth and accept it."

"I know …" Yu was resigned, "I wouldn't count on all of us getting in."

"Exactly …" Azumi then stated, "I should probably speak to father about it before we get there."

"Speak with father?" Yu asked, "Is that such a good idea?"

"It doesn't matter." Azumi shook her head, "It has to be done."

"I see …" Yu suggested, "Do you want me to go with you? It might be easier."

Azumi simply shook her head, "Thanks but no thanks." She insisted as she briefly brushed her hand through Yu's hair, "… I'll handle it myself. Just relax when we get back."

Without argument, Yu accepted, "Fine."

/

Time moved quickly for the Kannagi siblings. They returned to the temporary camp and donated their findings. Afterwards, Azumi did what she said and spoke with father. It wasn't long before she returned to their tent.

As soon as she walked in, Yu stood up and asked, "What'd he say?"

Azumi took a breath as she put her hands on her hips. She shook her head and answered, "Pretty much what I expected. He said if we aren't allowed in, we'll stick to traveling around the areas close to Fenrir since God Eaters probably exterminate the Aragami around here on a regular basis."

"I see …" Yu scratched the back of his neck as he remarked, "I guess that would work."

"Maybe." Azumi pointed out, "Or we would be more at risk for Aragami attacks because of it."

"Oh …" Yu sheepishly replied, "I didn't think of that …"

"Well … There's no point in worrying about this …" Azumi briefly ruffled Yu's hair before letting go, "Whatever happens, happens, and we'll make the choices based on that. We might have to make our own." She then advised, "You should get some sleep. You'll need it." As soon as Azumi advised sleep, it was then a ringing could be heard. Azumi's ears perked, and she looked around, but there was nothing. Then Azumi heard the ringing from the opposite direction. She looked, and there was nothing.

"Okay." Yu did not appear to hear the ringing nor notice Azumi's behavior as he casually replied, "Good night."

The ringing suddenly grew which caused Azumi's head to jerk around, "What the …" She looked around, but she had no idea what the source was. She saw Yu walking over to his sleeping bag and getting in as if there was no sound as he went to sleep.

It wouldn't stop. The ringing kept getting louder and louder with each passing moment. Azumi had to press her hands to her years. There was no blocking it. She couldn't drown it out. Her eyes winced as she couldn't take it anymore. Anything her brother was saying was lost to her. There was nothing but the ringing.

/

With a deep breath, Azumi eyes were wide open. Azumi had been stirred awake as her head jolted upward. The moment she jumped up, she felt an immediate pain in her stomach. She gritted her teeth and winced as she did her best not to make a sound. She couldn't help but look down, but her blurry vision made it difficult to see everything.

When Azumi looked at her body, she pulled up her shirt. Even with blurry eyesight, she could see her stomach had been covered with bandages. At that moment, Azumi couldn't remember what had happened or why she was covered in bandages. Her memory was a blur as her vision briefly was. She needed a few moments for both to correct themselves.

As soon as Azumi moved, the pain came back. That was enough to jolt her memory. She remembered everything as her mind played back the events of yesterday like a movie going fast-forward. By the time her mind was finished processing reality, her eye sight had nearly returned to normal.

When Azumi's eyes came into focus, she could see that she was inside a tent. It didn't take her long to remember that she was in the doctor's tent. She looked around to see her brother was by her side. However, he had fallen asleep while on his knees. His body was in an upright position with his head dropping forward. If someone tapped him now, he would fall over.

"He wouldn't leave your side." Azumi looked over to see the doctor speak, "I figured it would do more harm than good to wake him up, so I let him be."

"…" After a deep breath, Azumi softly spoke, "Thank you …"

"I appreciate the gratitude, but it is hardly necessary." The doctor informed her, "While this would be ignoring bedside manner, I know you don't care for that." When Azumi nodded, he told her, "You're still in a lot of trouble. We ought to get you back to Fenrir as soon as possible."

Azumi knew she was in no position to say anything to the contrary. With a solemn expression, Azumi told him, "I know …"

The Doctor sounded pleased by this as he replied, "I'm glad you understand, but you should also know that I believe you endured some internal damage."

"Yes …" Azumi put her hand on her bandages, "I feel it …"

"Huh?" The doctor appeared to be taken aback by this before remarking, "I must say, you're handling this much better than I hoped."

"I don't reject reality." Azumi replied.

"I suppose not." The doctor seemed mildly amused, "By the way, I would recommend not touching your face. I made sure to treat the wound on your cheek as well."

Azumi realized there was a bandage that went along the side of her face covering the area Estuko sliced through.

The doctor explained, "It may have been a relatively minor wound, but we can't afford to let even the smallest one get infected out here."

"No …" Azumi assured him, "I appreciate it. I'm sure this'll help."

"Of course …" The doctor looked away before telling her, "Your father will help you get back to Fenrir. I'll inform him that you're awake."

"…" This time Azumi didn't say anything. She let the doctor walk out as she rested her head on the ground.

When her ears were near the ground, something was not right. She turned her head to her side, and she could hear something. She closed her eyes as she pressed her ear to the ground. There was a 'ringing'. It was faint, but it was there.

Azumi recognized it. It was the same ringing Azumi thought was in her head last night. It was the ringing she heard in her dream. She was only able to hear it when her ear was close to the ground.

When Azumi took a breath and closed her eyes, she pressed her ear to the ground again. She could hear it more clearly. Whatever this sound was, it was coming from underneath her.

"What's wrong, Sis?" Yu groggily spoke up.

Azumi was alarmed at first, but she saw this was good timing. She spoke up, "Yu … Remember what I said about hearing a ringing last night?"

"Ringing? Ringing …?" Yu did not seem to fully process Azumi's question as he yawned.

Rather than wait, Azumi asked, "Could you put your ear to the ground? I'm pretty sure I hear something."

After a yawn, Yu replied, "Okay …"

Without any hesitation, Yu fulfilled the request. The moment he put his ear to the ground, his eyes widened as if he had woken up, "The hell …" He looked up to his sister and exclaimed, "I hear something!"

Azumi smiled with a sense of vindication, "So it's not just me."

Yu assured her, "No, it's not."

The Kannagi siblings were so engrossed in the excitement and bewilderment of this discovery, neither of them noticed the tent opening. "What's going on here?" It wasn't until Minato spoke up that they acknowledged his presence.

"Is something wrong?" Yashiko was next to Minato and she was holding something. That something smelt good, but Azumi could not let that distract her.

Azumi answered, "We can hear something below us."

Minato looked around and replied, "I don't hear anything."

Yu pointed to the ground, "You have to put your ear to the ground."

Minato and Yashiko glanced at each other and shrugged. They both knelt down and placed their ears to the ground. They remained silent until they finally heard what Azumi and Yu were referring to.

Yashiko sat up, "I hear something!"

"What the hell is that?" Minato sounded more concerned, "Is it some kind of alarm?"

"I don't know, but I heard it last night …" Azumi gritted her teeth for a moment before explaining, "I thought it was in my head, but it's definitely not."

Yu stood up and suggested, "We should find out what it is."

"I agree." Minato looked over and remarked, "I think there were some stairs we can take that can help us reach a lower level."

"Okay." Yu sounded eager as he said, "Let's check it out!"

"No." Yashiko told Yu, "You stay here with your sister. Minato-san and I will checked it out."

Minato head moved back as he questioned, "We will?"

Yashiko insisted, "Yes, we will."

"…" Minato lightly bit his lip before reluctantly replying, "All right. We will."

"Good." Yashiko clapped her hands together and told the siblings, "In the meantime, you must be hungry. Have this."

"…" Azumi and Yu glanced at each other.

Yashiko answered them before handing them the food, "Don't worry. I had help. Enjoy." Yasuko and Minato then took their leave, so the Kannagi siblings could eat their breakfast.

/

After Yashiko and Minato made their exit, Yu and Azumi decided it was best to give this food a shot. As soon as Yu bit into it, he realized he wanted to take another bite. Then, it was followed by another and another.

Yu couldn't help but sound excited, "Sis! This is actually pretty good!"

Azumi concurred in a calmer voice, "Yeah, it is." She wasn't eating as fast him, but she was enjoying herself with each bite.

Before they knew it, they had finished the meal. As Azumi laid on her back, she reached for her holster only to realize it wasn't there. She then turned to Yu and requested, "Yu, can you please give me back my gun?"

Without hesitation Yu answer, "Sure thing, Sis." He stood up and walked over. Azumi couldn't clearly see what he was doing, but he returned with it. He then warned her, "Be careful. I reloaded it for you."

"Thanks." Azumi held it in her hand for a moment. She could feel its weight before taking a steady breath. She then proceeded to place it back in its rightful place. Knowing it was there immediately reassured her and reduced her anxiety.

/

After a little exploring, Minato and Yashiko managed to locate the stairwell that would bring them to a lower area of where they were camping. Neither had any clue what this place might have been. Their best guess was this was the basement of some kind of 'office building'. They didn't know much about what an office building was other than what people like Haru told them. They could only take their word for it.

When in the basement, they were fortunate to have brought flashlights. Even during these morning hours, hardly any light could be seen illuminating the area. Only the light that could make it through the cracks. As they walked through the darkness, they could hear the gravel underneath their feet with each step they took. Minato couldn't help but look at his feet when he stepped forward. It felt as if one of the stones would give way.

While Minato was doing his best to mind his step, Yashiko spoke up, "I feel kinda bad for leaving Azumi like that."

"You kidding?" Minato scoffed at the idea, "We don't have to worry. Yu is looking out for her. As far as I'm cornered, she's got the best bodyguard in camp."

"I guess …" To describe Yashiko as feeling reluctant would be putting it mildly as she then said, "Even so, I can't say I like it."

"You're the one who suggested we go in the first place." Minato reminded her, "We need to focus on whatever that weird noise is. Then we get out of here?"

Yashiko then asked, "What do you think it is?"

"It doesn't matter, right? We're here for Azumi." Minato pointed out, "It's making it difficult for Azumi to rest, and she's gonna need as much as she can if they're gonna get her back to Fenrir in one piece."

Yashiko nodded, "Yeah."

"Speaking of Azumi," Minato joked, "I have been wondering how much my services will be needed after Azumi and Yu leave."

Yashiko reminded him, "Everyone else still will need your weapons. Even me."

Minato chuckled, "Not as often, and they all lack Azumi's gifted imagination."

"Heh." Yashiko chuckled as well, "They could never come close."

After walking a little further into the basement, they could hear the ringing. Yashiko spoke up, "We have to be in the right place. That sound is definitely getting louder."

"Yeah, but where?" Minato held up his flashlight.

When they were in the room, they looked around as Yashiko pointed out, "It feels like it is all around us."

"It's echoing, but … I think I might be somewhere around …" Minato looked around the room at 360 degrees as he asked out loud, "This room, maybe?"

"I think you're right." When Yashiko's were done scanning the room, she then looked down, "Do you think it's buried underneath something?"

Minato knelt down as he replied, "That'd be my guess." He looked up with a grin, "You feeling up for some excavating?"

"You bet!" Yashiko sounded excited as she told him, "We've come this far. Might as well see this through."

Thankfully, it did not take them long to uncover what the source of the sound was much to their bewilderment that Yashiko voiced as she took a step back, "What the hell is this? A pole?"

"Yeah, but …" Minato took a closer look as he speculated, "I think it's like some kind of beacon."

Yashiko tilted her head, "A beacon?"

"In the old world, they'd have something like this to signal people. This would …" Minato would not have a chance to finish that sentence.

/

There was no warning. The wall closest to Yashiko was shattered. Neither Yashiko nor Minato had the time to register what happened on what broke it. In the next moment, Yashiko was gone. An Aragami had broken through the wall, and Yashiko was unfortunate enough to be the first thing the monster saw.

It opened its mouth and closed its jaw around Yashiko. The monster took her upper body into its jaw, and it clamped down. Blood splattered around the area. That included Minato.

When Minato saw the monster, he didn't even have a moment to realize what just happened. His eyes and mouth were wide open one moment. The next moment, he dashed toward where he came from. He shouted as he ran back to the camp, "Aragami! The Aragami are here!"

Although they had not seen nor had to deal with these monsters directly for a while, it didn't change the fact they still existed. God Eaters had previously taken care of the Aragami that were in the area a few days ago, but those were the ones that had been spotted. These Aragami simply took the place of the ones that were there before.

Contrary to what some people believe, Aragami are not mindless beasts. Some Aragami simply moved from place to place no different from how a cow would graze. These Aragami could see they were food sources and less competition. It was time to eat.

/

As Yu continued to look over at his sister, his eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the bandaged covering her midriff. He wanted to look away. He wanted to look anywhere else, but his eyes remained locked on that one place.

"Staring at it isn't gonna make it disappear." Azumi replied in a deadpan tone.

"…" Yu couldn't bring himself to make a comeback.

Azumi did not sugarcoat as she replied, "It's bad, but I'm gonna get through it."

"That's not …" Hesitation was not what cut off Yu's sentence. It was a loud 'cracking' sound before them that would do that.

The sudden sound caused Azumi to sit up on reflex which also caused her to immediately wince in pain. "The hell?"

"Sis!" Yu sounded alarmed as he knelt down to Azumi.

Azumi assured him, "I'm fine. Just what the hell was that?"

Yu stood up as he replied, "I don't know … I'll go …"

Before Yu could give a reply, their question was answered by a panicked Minato running as fat as he could while shouting, "The Aragami are here! The Aragami are here!"

/

There was no time for anyone to begin panicking. The Aragami quickly made their presence known. It wasn't just one Aragami either. One Aragami ran through the same way Minato entered through, he then witnessed two more Aragami emerged from the ground. They were on opposite sides of the camp, but they didn't jump out and eat the humans right away. They moved slowly while they made their presence known to everyone.

If it was the Aragami's goal to incite a panic, they accomplished it. The mere sight of their lizard like faces was enough to cause everyone else to run for their lives. As others were running, Azumi and Yu were forced to walk.

Azumi had no choice, but to lean against her brother as they took each step. Due to the height difference, their balance was uneven at best. Despite this, Yu was not gonna to let go. He wasn't going to leave her.

Yu attempted to assure his sister, "We're gonna get out of here, Sis. We just need to get to the motorcycles."

Despite the situation, Azumi did not attempt to protest Yu's efforts. She didn't shout at him to leave her behind or put up a struggle. Instead, Azumi was doing the best she could to cooperate with Yu's actions. While her mind was willing, the stab wound to her side presented a constant hindrance. Azumi did her best to suppress it as she bit down on her lip to prevent any groans or aches of pain from escaping. However, it was only 'so' effective.

Azumi didn't say a world, but she remembered that Minato should have prepared the motorcycles for them to head back to Fenrir. They could only hope nothing had happened to them between yesterday afternoon and today. Either way, there was only one way to find out. As much as she dreaded the possibility, it was their only chance.

Before they could get too far, Azumi felt someone else go under her left arm. A second person moved Yu out of the way and took his place. Azumi looked to see a bloodied Minato was on her left and her father to her right.

"…" Azumi had no words to express what she should be feeling at the moment. She should have said something grateful at that moment. Even though she knew she should, the words didn't come to her. Instead, she was silent as she heard the sounds of blood curdling cries that surrounded them, and Azumi couldn't find a voice to say a word.

"Steady." It was her father that told her, "We need to get you out of here! Get back to Fenrir! Find those God Eaters!"

Yu spoke up, "What about you and mom?"

"There's no time! There's only two motorcycles, and they're ready to go!" Haru let go of Azumi's arm when they were next to one of the motorcycles and ordered Minato, "Take care of her!" He then ran off back to camp before anyone could say another word.

"Wait!" Azumi attempted to reach out to Haru's retreating figure.

Before Azumi cold do anything, she was pulled forward with Minato telling her, "Come on!" Minato then asked Yu, "Can you drive that one?"

"I think so …" Yu was less than confident as usual.

"You're gonna have to." Minato stated in no uncertain terms, "I'll take this one with Azumi."

Before Azumi knew it, she was sitting behind Minato, and she had her arms wrapped around his waist with her chest pressed again his back. However, even the sound of the engine couldn't mask the screams.

Azumi could not stop herself from looking back. There was blood. So much blood. Azumi had no idea whose it was, but it didn't matter. She looked to see several people cornered by an Aragami. The monster was toying with its food like a cat would to a mouse.

Without thinking, Azumi pulled out her gun and fired. She saw the bullet connect, but it didn't leave a scratch. Instead, the monster appeared more curious by the origin.

Minato cursed, "Shit! We gotta go!" He put the petal to the medal.

/

As in past situations, there was good news and bad news. The good news was the motorcycles were working, and they were able to move at high speed. They were able to outpace the Aragami. Another piece of good news was despite the bullet not causing any harm. The Aragami seemed to lose interest in the people it was toying with. Apparently, the same was true for the other two Aragami. This made it easy to speculate what the bad news was.

All eyes were on Azumi, Minato, and Yu as they made their escape. Luckily for them, their motorcycles were already moving before the Aragami began their approach. As Azumi rode on the motorcycle with Minato, she held onto him with one arm while she clenched her stomach with the other. The rush of adrenaline may have been allowing her to endure, but it didn't prevent Azumi from recognizing the reality of her situation. She was definitely not in the best shape for traveling even if this was an emergency.

Azumi could not make any contribution to their escape. If anything, she was a detriment. She could only look back at the Aragami chasing them. When Azumi looked behind her, she could only be grateful that she was not on foot nor did it look like they could overtake them in speed. However, that did not prevent Azumi's heart from momentarily stopping when she gazed upon them.

The Aragami looked like a pack of lizard like wolves desperate to rip a piece of precious meat for themselves. Azumi could feel her breathing and heart accelerated as she looked at their jaws. They were all coved in red, and they clearly wished for more. For some reason, they all seemed fixated on her. It was as if she was to serve as their main course.

At first, Azumi couldn't understand why they would all want her and risk losing other potential meals. During the moments she kept her arms around Minato's waist, she had enough time to come up with a guess. It was a guess that she could not voice out loud at the moment.

"Oh crap!" The sound of Yu's voice brought Azumi out of her thoughts as she looked forward to see what her brother was seeing. "More Aragami!"

As Yu exclaimed, there was another herd of Aragami cutting off their escape to Fenrir. If they attempted to drive past them, they would not make it out in one piece. Their back and front were blocked. Their only choices were left or right.

Yu called out as loud as he could to prevent the engine from cancelling out his voice, "Let's try to lose them! Right!" As soon as he shouted that, both he and Minato drove to the right toward several decaying buildings that remained standing.

When this happened, Azumi could not help but feel pride in that moment. Unfortunately, that moment was cut short by the cries in the background. Her fear overrode anything else she should have been feeling.

In the moment Azumi looked back, she briefly witnessed that the Aragami did not necessarily get along with each other. They appeared to butt heads, but she could not see enough to get a clear picture. If she had to guess, it must have been a 'territorial' dispute. Either way, this gave the three of them a reprieve.

A few minutes later, they found a suitable building to park their motorcycles. As soon as they did that, Yu went up to the rooftop to regain their bearings.

While Yu was on the rooftop, Minato was by Azumi's side. She was lying against one of the warehouse walls to force her body to remain propped up. Her breathing remained steady, but the bandages that covered her stomach were turning pure red.

Minato said in concern, "Azumi, we're gonna get you out of here … Just stay with me. Stay awake."

"…" Azumi continued to steadily breathe as she did her best to comply with Minato.

"Just listen to me." Minato continued to speak, "We will get out of this. We'll get the God Eaters to help Haru and the others too."

"…" Hearing Minato's voice did help even if only a little. Azumi just remained unmoving.

When Yu got back, Minato asked, "What's going on up there?"

Yu informed them, "It was a good thing we stopped."

Minato's eyes widened as he inquired, "Are there other Aragami?"

"Yeah …" Yu gritted his teeth and closed his fists as he remarked, "We're close to Fenrir, but a bunch more Aragami just wandered here. They were definitely not here earlier. It's like they just popped out of thin air."

"Because of me …" Both Yu and Minato looked over in Azumi's direction as she forced herself to stand up while holding the wall, "They were attracted by something. It was my fault …"

"What?" Yu was completely dumbfounded as he asked, "What're you talking about, Sis?"

Minato was just as lost, "Yeah. What are you talking about? Are you …"

Azumi held up her weapon, "I used it against Estuko, and that must've attracted some of the Aragami to us …"

"No …" Minato spoke up, "That pole thing …" Minato corrected himself, "I didn't mention this earlier, but I found a pole thing in the basement. It was making a weird sound, and I think it was used to attract the Aragami. That sound noise it was making must've been something that would attract the Aragami. I don't really know much about the science behind it, but I heard animals can hear some sounds from far away that humans can't. I think it must've been like it. It was like some kind of signal to them."

"Even if that's true," Azumi insisted, "I still played a role. Father always warned me about how Aragami can be drawn by the sound of gunfire. My gun almost got us into trouble on more than one occasion. Remember, Yu?"

"…" Yu was silent, but he remembered.

"You see? He remembers." Azumi concluded, "That pole might have brought the Aragami to our camp, but my gun drew them to the vicinity until they heard it. We might as well have rung the dinner bell."

"That's not all on you …" Minato spoke up, "You didn't have a choice. Not after what Estuko and Kouta did."

Yu likewise voiced a similar response, "He's right. You didn't have a choice, Sis. None of us did."

Azumi shook her head, "It doesn't matter … I have a responsibility. I have been a little too carless in how I use this thing. I used this gun on an Aragami even though I knew it wouldn't scratch it. I just did it without thinking, but I did it."

Minato rhetorically asked, "You did it to save our people, didn't you?"

"I …" Azumi looked down, "I think so. I was probably hoping to give them a distraction or something. But … I … I didn't think, and now I put us all in danger when we were escaping. Something …" She then pounded the wall, "Something needs to be done …"

Yu softly spoke, "Sis?"

Azumi calmly pointed out, "We don't have much time left … They're gonna find us sooner or later."

Yu's eyes widened upon realization before panicking, "Hold on, Sis!"

Minato also seemed to catch on as he stood between Azumi and the motorcycle, "Don't even think about it!"

That did little to deter Azumi as she took a step forward, "You know we're begin hunted by the Aragami. They'll do what they can to get their meal. They'll eat through this building like bread if they notice us. We need to take action or all of us are gonna die."

Yu attempted to protest, "But Sis you …"

"I don't want to die!" Azumi repeated, "I don't want to die! Do you think I want to? I don't! I really, really don't …"

"…" Yu and Minato were both caught off guard as their heads moved back.

"Guess what?" After a breath, Azumi smiled as she remarked, "Congratulations Minato, it looks like you'll get to play the role of our cousin now."

"That's …" Minato was at a complete loss for words.

"Sis …" Yu stepped forward and protested, "There has to be another way. We could just …"

Azumi acknowledged, "You might be right. If we had time to think of a plan, we might come up with something clever, but we're little lacking that." Azumi sternly stated, "Don't make me repeat myself, Yu. Time is not on our side. I got you and everyone else into this. It's only right that I be the one to get you out of it."

All Yu could say was, "But you'll die …"

With no uncertainty, Azumi answered, "I'm aware of that."

Yu was holding his head tightly as he began to panic, "This is nuts! You …"

"Yu …" Azumi spoke up and cut him off as she raised her finger and put it on his lips, "You're a good kid, but don't be stupid right now."

"…" Yu was about to open his mouth.

"No …" Despite bleeding from her stomach, Azumi did her best to sound strong as she told him, "Be practical. Be smart."

"…" Yu was rendered silent.

Azumi pointed out the obvious, "Neither you nor Minato are hurt. You're not gonna keel over … I might … My chances of survival aren't the best even if we were to get medical attention right away. Anyone who plays the decoy is pretty much guaranteed to … The point is, I might as well be the decoy, and I dare you to counter that."

"…" Neither Yu nor Minato could.

"Right now …" Azumi took a breath as she accepted the reality, "I'm the one that makes the most sense. The most sense to be a distraction. Those monsters came after me after I shot my gun. I think the fact I tried to do something made me more appetize to them. That's part of the reason they lost interest in the others. Plus this injury … even if we made it to Fenrir," Azumi placed a hand on the red bandages as she finished, "I honestly don't know if they can save me …"

"…" Yu and Minato could not bring themselves to say a word.

"It might not be worth it to save me, but I can make what's left of my life worth something. I'll buy you some time. You two need to get to Fenrir. Get to safety. Is that understood?" Azumi inquired.

"Sis … I … I …" Yu had become broken.

Azumi simply said, "I'm just gonna assume you'll eventually say yes." She then slowly proceeded to the motorcycle as her feet dragged.

Minato held onto Yu as he answered, "He will."

Yu looked at Minato who was holding him, "What?"

Minato replied, "I don't like this either, but your sister is right. The Aragami will find us. They know we're in the area, and they won't rest until they find their meal. We just don't have time to think this over. As much as I would love that, we just don't."

Yu opened his mouth before he looked down completely defeated.

After a breath Azumi replied, "Thank you ..."

Minato shook his head, "You don't need to. I promise to look after him. I'll do what I can."

"That's all I can ask." Azumi took another deep breath, "Goodbye …"

Yu weakly spoke, "Sis …"

Azumi spoke, "Minato." Without any other promoting, Minato restrained Yu.

"No!" Try as he might, Yu could not break free of Minato's grip.

Azumi sat on the motorcycle and apologized, "Sorry, Yu, but we can't draw this out any longer. This was to … Just know I love you. Try not to forget about me."

Before Yu could say a word, Azumi ignited the engine. The sound drowned out any words Yu may have spoken. Azumi would not know if Yu was trying to say anything because she looked away from him.

As soon as Azumi turned on that motorcycle, her heart sank. This engine was far louder than she anticipated. She need to start driving immediately or else the Aragami would break through that wall, and all she accomplished was getting her little brother killed. She didn't spare him another glance as she drove off.

While Azumi drove away, she could imagine Yu reaching out to her. He probably tried shouting something that had been deafened by the engine. She could only hope the words she shared with Yu would be sufficient closure. If it wasn't, she couldn't blame him.

/

After driving a couple of blocks, Azumi could see that she had already gained the attention of several Aragami. A couple of them were rather close to where they were hiding out. She could only hope this was enough to keep Minato and Yu safe. To keep her brother safe. As much as she hoped, she accepted it was all in fate's hands. She was willing to face hers while hoping she secured theirs.

Azumi made sure to drive in the opposite direction of Fenrir. After a minute, she called out, "Dinner time!"

It was then that Azumi pulled out the gun with her right hand and pointed it to the sky as high as she could while shakily driving with her left. She pulled the trigger and fired the bullet into the never-ending sky. She then safely placed the gun back into her holster before placing her other hand on the handle. Now she was driving with both hands again. The driving was more stable, but she couldn't do anything about the constant bumps.

After years of disrepair and a lack of maintenance, it was no surprise the road would be less than suitable for travel. The constant ups and downs was especially difficult for Azumi. Each bump was a nightmare on the stiches. She felt her body shake, and it felt as if the wound would break open like a broken damn at any moment. Azumi's usual coping mechanism was to bite her lip hard, but it was only able to distract her so much.

Azumi wasn't sure how much further she could drive. She knew every mile she drove would be another mile worth of distance between them and her brother. Her mind understood that, but she couldn't help but wonder how many miles she could go. That question was given a rather sudden answer seconds later.

Something casted a brief shadow over Azumi which caused her to look up. It was a boulder that then promptly crashed in front of her. Azumi attempted to drive out of the way, but several of the smaller pebbles that resulted from the collusion damaged the motorcycle. She couldn't see what happened, but based on the sound she heard, she was certain this was it. It didn't take long for the motorcycle to coast to a stop.

There was no way to run away from the Aragami. Armed with a gun that couldn't so much as leave a scratch. Azumi was left a mess with a bleeding stomach along with a pair of legs that could barely support her weight. Azumi looked to see the Aragami come her way.

The sound the Aragami were making barely registered with her. All she saw was a lot of teeth looking to get acquainted with her. She didn't try to move nor did she cry. Instead, she stood there. She closed her eyes and waited for what was to come. She took a breath ready to accept her fate.

/

A massive gun shot was fired. Azumi opened up her eyes to see an Aragami was knocked down by what appeared to be a massive shot. It was then followed up by another shot and another.

Everything that happened afterward was difficult for Azumi to comprehend. Her mind felt it was spinning as her eyes witnessed a barrage of blasts hit the Aragami. Then, she saw someone run through these barrages and slash through what remained of them. Azumi felt she was witnessing a slaughter up close and personal, and it felt rather satisfying.

Azumi remained standing as she witnessed what was happening. Something was keeping her standing upright despite her wishes to rest. Was it merely adrenaline or was there something else doing this favor for her? She would never know.

It wasn't long until the battle was over. The Aragami had been wiped out, and Azumi was still standing. There were other people with large weapons approaching her. They were the God Eaters acting like heroes from the old stories she heard about when she was a child. They had saved her. She could finally rest.

/

After the danger had passed, there was no need to be strong. No need to for the adrenaline. It was time for Azumi to fully return to reality. Without the adrenaline hold it back, Azumi could feel her body was in pain, especially in her abdomen. She avoided looking down before, but she had to know. She could see her earlier wound was bleeding. She placed her hand on the wound, and her hand was covered in red. Her legs finally gave way.

Azumi understood what was about to happen, and there was nothing she could do to about it. She didn't fight it. She took a breath and accepted it. Her body collapsed under the strain, and it caused her to fall forward. Azumi didn't cry out. She closed her eyes for when the impact came. However, it didn't come.

Before Azumi could reach the ground, her body stopped. More accurately, someone stopped her from falling over. A man caught her and held her still. Azumi's vision began to fade, she could see it was none other than one of the God Eaters.

Azumi could barely get her head to move. She was only able to see the man's chest. However, she could still hear his voice. It was a familiar masculine voice.

The man told her, "You did well."

As much as Azumi wished to say thank you, she could feel her eyes were getting heavier. She had one chance to ask something, and the thing she asked was, "My brother …" Before she could finish, the strength in Azumi's voice failed.

Thankfully, the man understood what she was asking as he assured her, "He's fine. He and your 'cousin' are safe. They're worried about you."

"Th … T …" Before Azumi could say another word or even a letter, she succumbed to the fatigue. The darkness had engulfed her.

"Don't." Those were the words the man spoke, but Azumi didn't hear them. He then lifted her body with both hands and carried her to safety.

/

Author Notes: I hope you all enjoyed seeing the Aragami again. It was always my intention for them to show up at around this time. They had not been seen for the past few chapters only to suddenly return. As I mentioned in the chapter, just because they hadn't been seen in a while, it doesn't mean they don't still exist. Sometimes I think some of us will forget about certain difficulties if we haven't seen them for a while.

For this, I partly got the idea of this from the original 2013 game "The Last of Us". While there are plenty of sequences that involve the characters dealing with the infected, there are plenty of moments that are somewhat peaceful with the characters interacting with each other. Sometimes those moments would come to an abrupt end when they have to deal with either infected or human enemies. I remember one time when I was stuck in an area, and I was hoping a Bloater wouldn't show up, and then it did.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. Please leave a review after finishing this. This takes a lot of work to complete these chapters, so getting feedback would be something I would greatly appreciate. The lack of feedback is part of the reason why I'm ending this story earlier than intended. While it is possible things can change in the future, it is not part of my current plans.

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving 2020, and I'll see you all next time.