Angel of Light: *Bursts in, glaring at Cody* I'll get you!

Cody: *innocently* What for?

Angel of Light: Don't play innocent with me! I know you set that up!

Cody: I really don't know what you're talking about……besides, the readers are getting bored with our conversation…just starts the fic.

Angel of Light: You just wait…..I'll get you……..

Tai opened his eyes, but didn't see very much. His vision was blurred, and was seeing double. He could make out voices, but not words. Footsteps thundered around him, going in many direction. Screams of pain could be heard throughout the place, as well as people barking orders.

The cracking of a whip caught his attention, and his vision was becoming clearer. He could now see that he was in some sort of tent, along with many others. He was on the ground, covered in a thin blanket. Tai looked around, and could see that he was not alone. Many others were strewn across the floor, like he was. He recognized a few. Just as he was about to stand up, someone caught his attention. Not that he had seen the man before, but what startled him the most was that he hadn't. In fact, he had never seen any of the men that were standing before.

One of the men stopped at one of the fallen soldiers, and inspected him. The man then lifted him to his feet, and threw him outside the tent.

That's when it hit him. They were no longer in the care of friends, but the enemy.

*~*~*~*

"Alright Mr.Takaishi, the ship is leaving tonight. It will bring you and some other soldiers back to your home town, for better care." A doctor's assistant told the blonde after entering the small room.

T.K. smiled, "Thank-you."

"Someone will be in in a little while to help you out."

He nodded his head.

T.K. was still in pretty bad shape, but was a lot better than he was before. His face had almost completely healed, and a few scars were beginning to form. He had one that ran diagonally across his left cheek. His forehead was badly scarred as well, but those could be hidden by his golden bangs. His arms and upper body were still tender from where he had been burned. A white bandage was wrapped around his head, covering a wound. Slowly, he was gaining feeling back into his lower body, and was able to move his feet slightly.

A few hours later, a couple of nurses came in to help. They lifted him up, and placed him in a wheelchair, which he would be in until he could walk again. They pushed him along, and put him in the main lobby, and left him there. This made him quite annoyed, but was relieved when they began bringing out more soldiers. Some were able to walk, and there were others on wheelchairs. Some were aided by crutches. All were severely injured, and wouldn't be returning.

T.K. noticed that Davis was among one of the ones that was on crutches. Davis saw T.K., and hobbled over.

"You're alive!" Davis exclaimed, "I thought you were dead! I didn't hear any news about you or anything! Do you know anything about Matt? How about Tai?"

"Calm down, Davis. No, I haven't heard anything. Anyways, it's good to see you."

"Yeah, I thought you were a goner…..So, we're all heading for some town for better care, right? Do you have any idea where it is?" The boy asked.

"Actually, it's my home town. But, why are you going?"

"I don't know, they just told me to get on the ship, so I am."

"Oh." He didn't bother to ask anymore questions.

One of the commanders entered the lobby, causing all soldiers to stand at attention.

"At ease." He commanded lightly. "As you all know, you will not be retuning over the course of this war. You have suffered too many injuries, injuries that are beyond repair." He paused for effect, and to let it sink in. Each man knew this was true, but most hadn't the courage to admit it to themselves. He continued, "Unfortunately, some of our men have died, or gone missing. All of you should be happy you survived. Some of you were not expected to live." The commander paused again. "Now, on a happier note, most of you will be seeing your loved ones and family members again. Sorry for any inconvenience to the rest. This town has one of the best hospital facilities around here. You will be able to return home after full recovery."

He nodded a salute, then exited. The men hobbled, hopped, and rolled over to where the ship was waiting.

Before they boarded, T.K. found one of the captains, and talked to him.

"Uh, Captain?"

"Yes, Takaishi? Make it quick, the ship has to leave."

A small blush crept up onto his face, out of embarrassment, "Um, I was just wondering if uh, if….."

The Captain smiled, "Don't worry. The surviving horses were loaded onto the ship a little earlier on today."

T.K. smiled back, "Thanks Captain." He then wheeled over to the ramp, where a crewman helped him up. He was the last to board.

*~*~*~*

A knock was heard at the small farmhouse.

"Just a minute!" Sora yelled to the door.

She and Kari had been cleaning. That was the only thing to do, as they had already done everything else. The two women had been spending a lot of time together, been staying in each other's houses. This was a substitute for the fact that they were alone.

They were just washing the dishes, and got a little side-tracked. It turned out the dishes weren't the only things getting clean. The two women were soaked and full of soap suds, as was the rest of the kitchen and even parts of the living room. Sora quickly straightened out her hair, brushed some suds away, and hopped that whoever was at the door wouldn't want to come in. She brought out a silver platter with her, as a means to cover up the fact that she was wet.

She opened the door, to find a young man, whom she had seen once or twice. If she recalled correctly, he was a messenger that went from town to town delivering telegrams and such.

"Can I help you?" Sora asked

"Actually, I have some news for a-" he looked down at his clipboard, "a Miss Kamiya. Is she here?"

"Yes, she is. One moment…" She turned, and yelled into the house.

"KARI! SOME GUY HERE HAS SOMETHING TO TELL YOU!"

This made the poor man rather nervous and uncomfortable.

Kari emerged from the kitchen, though she had not bothered to make herself more presentable. Her hair was sticking out in all directions, and bubbles clung to her all over.

"Yes?" She questioned softly.

"Well, uh, it's some news about the war…."

The two came closer, both dreading and anticipating the things he had to say.

"I guess I'll uh, say this first….A ship will be arriving tomorrow. On it will be some of the injured warriors, warriors that will never return to the battlefield. I've been told that you are a doctor's assistant, and you will be needed at the local hospital promptly. I have a list of names here of those that will be returning."

Kari grabbed the list rather hastily. Her eyes scanned down the page taking in all the names.

The man tipped his hat, and exited the premises. Sora closed the door, and scurried to her friend.

Before she got there, Kari jumped up, threw the list on the floor, and ran around the house. Tears streamed from her face as she hugged Sora extremely hard.

"Whoa! Calm down! What did you see?" Sora asked, finding it slightly hard to speak as the younger girl squeezed the living daylights out of her.

Kari looked up with tears in her eyes. "T.K.'s coming back! He's on the list!"

Sora smiled, and hugged her friend. "Is Tai on there?"

She looked down, "No, I didn't see him…."

The redhead sighed, "Oh well, the next list is coming out tomorrow….."

~*~The next day~*~

Kari had gone home the night before, to get ready for the next day. She gathered her things, and rushed out to her brother's house.

She didn't need to call for Sora, she came running out the door. The two loaded into the carriage, and went to the harbour.

During the ride, Sora had to take control of the reins because Kari couldn't contain herself.

"Kari, contain yourself! I know you're excited, but sit still. You'll spook poor old Daisy." Sora directed.

Kari took a deep breath, and planted herself on the bench. She clutched the railing so hard that her knuckles turned white.

At the harbour, there was a slight delay with the ship, which made Kari flip put even more. She had very quickly set up her things at the hospital, for she wasn't going to miss the arrival of her fiancé.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of agony, a tiny blotch that was the ship appeared on the horizon. Very slowly, too slowly, it became bigger and bigger, until it finally docked. It wasn't as big at the first, but was still bigger than most.

Slowly, the crewmen readied the ship for de-boarding, and the soldiers came out. At first, they came out slowly, and Kari's eyes didn't leave the ramp. Disappointment fell over her as she didn't see the one she loved. Tears began to cloud her eyes, as a thousand possibilities flooded her mind. Just as she was about to break down in despair, a series of laughter could be heard coming from the ship. She looked up, to see three men, two on wheelchairs, and one with crutches, flying down the ramp. The one with the crutches was clinging to the back of one of the wheelchairs, occupied by a blonde haired young man. They only stopped after crashing into a pile of cardboard boxes.

More laughter rang out from where they had landed.

Kari watched as the men were pulled out from the pile, and were scolded by one of the crewmen. After he left, she stared at him, letting everything sink in.

Then, as if someone had set off a trigger, she ran over to the man and tackled him, almost knocking the wheelchair over.

Shock spread over T.K.'s face, until he realized who it was.

"KARI!"

She was too excited to say anything. All she did was bury her face into his chest, and cried. Many emotions overwhelmed her at the moment.

T.K. smiled as he stroked her soft chestnut hair. "Well guys, this is my fiancée."

The other two stared, both were too surprised to say anything. They hadn't expected this.

Kari lifted her head to look at him. She lunged forward, and kissed him passionately, despite the fact there were others watching. T.K. was stunned at first, but graciously kissed back.

"Uh, guys?" Davis said, "we're really happy for you and all, but do you think you could do this later? Like, when were not here?" He emphasized the last part.

Reluctantly, the two parted. Kari gave him one last hug, and got up. She stood there for a moment, just studying him.

This gave T.K. a slight scare, as her face was emotionless. He was afraid she thought he was hideous, because of the damage he had taken. He stared back., just as emotionless. All fears left him when she smiled.

"Well", she said, eyes still slightly teary, "I should be getting you to the hospital now, shouldn't I."

The men nodded. They were obviously still stunned by this whole experience.

Kari went around the back of T.K., and helped Davis back onto his crutches.

"Sora!" she called.

"What do you want?" She yelled back in mock annoyance.

"I need some help." Kari stated, tone equal to Sora's.

"Well then." Sora said smiling. She walked over, and took to the back of the other wheelchair.

"It's good to see you again, T.K." said Sora. She was reluctant to question him about her husband.

T.K. noticed this in her face, and stared towards the ground.

"I haven't heard anything about Tai……"

Sora nodded.

The soldiers were taken to the hospitals, some quicker than others. All together, there were about twenty-five of them. They were placed in rooms of two or three. The small infirmary was suddenly brought to life, with nurses and doctors attending to the new band of patients.

Kari and Sora placed the three men, Davis, T.K., and the other man in a wheelchair, Tate, in the same room. Each was placed in a single bed, surrounded by curtains that could open and close.

T.K. was saddened by the fact that Kari had to work, but she promised she would visit him as much as she could.

Sora, on the other hand, spent a lot of time with him, hearing the stories and tales. She was still hurting at the fact that he had told her nothing of Tai.

He noticed this, and sighed heavily.

"The last I saw of him, was before the ambush……He was with my brother, Matt. The two of them were in a ditch, firing at any passer-byers. Unfortunately, the bomb exploded, and I was knocked out. When they came for the survivors, he wasn't among us. Though, I didn't see his body on the ground, though I wasn't coherent, and most was all ashes……"

Sora did nothing, letting it all sink in.

At that moment, one of the captain who had accompanied them, entered the room. He was just saying last farewells before the ship left again. It was being loaded with supplies for the fort.

"It's good to see you all in such good care." he said.

The three men smiled.

"Um, Captain?" T.K. asked.

"Yes?"

"Have you heard anything about Tai Kamiya?"

He sighed. "He's gone missing. We don't know whether or not he is alive, and I doubt he is. He is among many that disappeared after that attack. Our assumptions is that he's one of the unidentifiable bodies, or he was one of the ones taken by the enemy."

"Thank-you, Captain" he replied softly.

He saluted, then left.

T.K. looked over at Sora, who's expression still hadn't changed.

The Captain's words invaded her mind. For some reason unknown to her, she could not cry. It wasn't because it hadn't sunk n yet, or because she didn't care, just because she didn't believe it. There was something inside of her that told her he wasn't dead. She looked up at the young blonde, determination on her eyes.

"Tai's not dead", she declared confidently.

"Now Sora, we don't know……he could be alive, but it's a very small possibility. It would be better to-"

She cut him off. "No! He's alive!" Her tone became softer, as the tears came. "I know is sounds stupid, but I know he's still out there. I don't know how, just that if he had died, a part of me would be missing…..but it isn't…"

"Sora……"

"I don't care what anybody says, or thinks. He's alive, and I'm going to find him."

With that, she got up, and left the room. She just needed some time to be by herself, some time to think.