WAR

by Sherbet Mayhem

COMPLETE. Tyson gets disgrace in yo face, but not before Max falls over and breaks his arm in a ring of fire/stairs. Feckin hell - there's gonna be trub in the shrub. It's a war fic btw : This summary does not undermine the pain and loss of war. LULZ.

13. Petals

Hmm, there's a lotta stuff to tie together in this chapter! Plus, I gotta do the reader thanks thing. I have something like 136 reviews so far. That's a lot of thanks. Ah well. I'll do that at the end!

Ahem. Let's see. Anything else I need to mention before I get on with this? Hmm *attempts to engage non existent brain* Let's see here . . . no, no, I think we're all right. I think this can be like my shortest disclaimer ever, and I'll let you read on. Enjoy it! J

It's . . . 21:15 pm. That's not good. And JUST so you know how much I love you . . . I have been so ill today that all I wanted to do was come home and sleep. I spent half of my lessons hiding out in the school toilets and wondering whether I was gonna die (okay, so I'm melodramatic, sue me). But, ya know, this story is important, so ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

Sherby o.0

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Chapter thirteen: Petals

Black hair falling into his eyes, his face turned upwards and pale in the frosted moonlight, Lee glanced up to the stars. Tonight they were diminished, as a gentle frost had settled about the mountain top, and so the stars appeared to be faded flecks of paint, water washed grey upon a velvet canvas.

He sighed, and leaned back a little further into a patch of iced grass. It was crisp and sharp against his back but he cared not. A few metres away were the camp tents, most of them pitch black but a few with their tiny lights glowing, casting shadows, flitting against the material walls. A little farther away, the lights of the medical ward glimmered weakly. Lee had spent a lot of his time in there recently, merely making himself available for the nurses and running errands, as well as giving support and visiting those who could see him.

It had been two days since the door in the cold Russian hut had been wrenched open and the remnants of Sui Generis had collapsed into the interior warmth. Lee, trained to fly the Chinook copter, had quickly run outside and started it up, after seeing the state of his friends and colleagues. The journey had been a stressful one, moving too slowly for Lee, who was desperate to get his friends back to Japan and treat them. He was terrified that they were going to die – much more so than Hing. Seeing the small amount of survivors made him adamant that no more should die from Sui Generis, and so he was constantly checking his wristwatch and asking how far they had left on the journey back.

They had arrived at about two in the morning; the helicopter's return stirring up sparks of interest and enthusiasm within the camp. Lee and Hing had done their best to keep onlookers away as they moved Kai, Jenny and Tyson into the medical ward as discreetly as possible. Still gnawing at his gut, constantly, never ceasing, was that one question Lee feared yet longed to ask. Had Sui Generis succeeded?

The three worn out warriors had been rushed away and all Lee could do was watch and trust that the medics would do their best. Facilities weren't fantastic, but Lee constantly focused on how good the doctors were and how reliable they had to be.

The hours had been long for him. He was in such a difficult position. He wanted answers – so many answers. There were a thousand questions screaming to be replied to and yet all he could do was push them out of the way until later. He had more important things to deal with.

On the next night, Jenny and Tyson had pretty much awoken within two hours of each other, and, since their rooms were close (although, all the rooms in this tiny building were relatively near to each other) Lee found he could flit in between the rooms and talk to each of them. Tyson had suffered a broken arm and a couple of fractures in one of his legs, and a mild concussion (he wasn't sure how he got this). He seemed wide awake enough, though it was obvious he was going to need a lot more rest before he returned to his normal self. His face was pale and thin, and even without asking Lee could see that Sui Generis had been a painful experience for all involved.

Jenny had been quite perky, as usual. Her sleep seemed to have revitalised her much more than Tyson's had, and she looked quite healthy. She had a few minor cuts and scrapes, as well as three broken fingers and a broken little toe (again, she was unsure how she had acquired these injuries, although she did remember Voltaire standing on her foot one time when she hit him over the head with her computer . . . ). The moment she woke up she requested, rather groggily, a bacon sandwich lathered with brown sauce ("An' if it's not 'HP', then don' even bovva! It jus' in't werf it wivowt 'HP'!")

Lee had chatted to each of them for as long as he was permitted to. He had avoided asking pertinent questions about Sui Generis, because he was certain that they wouldn't want to talk about it. However, they had seemed more than happy to divulge, and they had related each of the different events to Lee as well as they could without upsetting him too much. Tyson had stepped very lightly across the subject of Rei's death, as he knew this would tear Lee up inside. Jenny had avoided the subject of those who died and had merely told of the successes, of the brilliant scheme to swim up through the vents, and the even more brilliant scheme of flooding the turbine room to get to the escape vent. She seemed to care more about getting her computer recharged than relating the tale to its fullest.

Lee, upon hearing that Rei was dead, excused himself from the room. He had suspected it, but something within him had kept hope alive, telling him that Rei would come home, just a little later than everyone else. That maybe Rei was waiting outside, that cheery grin on his face, just waiting to be let in or picked up or . . . or something. Hearing the painful way in which his friend had passed had caused him more pain than he had ever imagined it would, and he moved into the corridor outside to take a break. The deaths of the others had saddened him greatly, and there was no doubt about that, but having his old friend ripped away from him like that felt like he was losing a part of himself. It sounded clichéd, but memories of their childhood kept on flashing up, like a black and white movie within his very head, and he hadn't been able to shake away those tears gathering within his eyes.

He had also spent a lot of time in Kai's room. Somehow it made him feel better, knowing that someone else who was a very close friend of Rei's was going through the same pain as he himself was. He had sat for at least three hours beside Kai's bedside, just watching the sleeper's chest rising and falling slowly underneath the thin white blanket he had been given. Lee had expected that Kai wouldn't wake up for some time. The boy had been completely drained of any energy within himself. The doctors had found large, unstable traces of carbon within his blood, which were the cause of the poisoning Tyson had described to Lee. Wounds had covered his entire body, cruel whip inflictions or gashes from some instruments that the doctors had not been able to identify. These had required stitching and treatment. He had suffered severe concussion and dehydration and his legs had required treatment yet again due to the strain put upon them by the mission to Russia. Lee had sat there faithfully, feeling that Rei would have done the same, and sometimes watching the water running down the tubes leading into Kai's arms and shivering, somehow reminded of Rei's untimely death. It haunted him – as he suspected it always would. He was just thankful he had not been there to see it.

Now, as Lee looked up to the stars, and wondered how they had suddenly faded and become so pale, he felt another sudden pang of loss. How could something so bright and vibrant just be ripped out like that? Would that ever happen to a star? Was it fair to just tear it out of the sky while it was burning its brightest? Was there any justice in that?

A movement behind Lee caused him to blink rapidly, hiding those glimmering tears that he felt had gathered far too many times in the past few days. He turned his head, his amber eyes glinting in the frost, to find himself looking at Tyson, standing a few feet away, and smiling.

"Hey Lee."

Lee sat up straight, his hair falling out of his eyes. "Tyson, you shouldn't be out here! It's way too cold for you."

With another smile, more boyish this time, Tyson took a seat beside Lee on the jagged icicles of grass.

"I'm okay, Lee. Why are you out here?"

Now it was Lee's turn to smile, and he looked back up at the sky. "Just thinkin'."

There was a silence, and they just sat there for a moment, listening to the ragged breathing of the wind as it bristled through the grass and ruffled their hair. Lee glanced over at Tyson. His light blue sweater oscillated in the breeze, as did his white trousers. He was looking a lot better already, noticed Lee. That youthful shine had reappeared within Tyson's appearance – but there was something else, that had not been there too. And that was wisdom. Wisdom of the world, wisdom of the nature of the human being – there was this strange air about Tyson now that he'd been there and done that. In a sense, Tyson too, just like Max, had lost his innocence – but in the context that Tyson had been openly shown how cruel the human could be. How evil the mind could be.

Yet he did not appear discouraged or resentful. In fact, Lee noticed that Tyson looked strangely calm, almost contented, as he sat there, gazing up at the stars, his bangs blowing gently in the breeze. He looked adult, mature. He had grown.

"It's not all bad, you know, Lee."

Lee started, and found that Tyson was looking directly at him. He frowned, and the wind blew again.

"What d'you mean?"

"Well, I know you think we're all changed for the worst. And I know you're cut up about the loss of Rei, as well as the others."

Lee looked down at his fingers, which were embedded in the glinting silver green grass. He spoke after a short pause, his voice quiet.

"You're right. But, Tyson, how can it be good? Look at us. So many of us have died risking our lives for this stupid, worthless war. And war changes people. Just look at Max. And even yourself – you can't deny that you've changed, Tyson. As for the loss of Rei . . . well, that's something I'll never be able to get over. He was . . . a brother to me."

Tyson nodded understandingly, and Lee, a little unsure of himself, went on.

"You know, I never imagined this would happen. I never would have let him go on that dumb mission if I'd known . . . you have no idea, Tyson, how much it hurts to look in the mirror in the morning and see your friend's eyes looking right back at you. It's just that . . . "

Lee stopped short, his voice cracking, and Tyson waited for a moment, the wind brushing about them gently, whispering voices in the night. The night seemed to get a little darker, and, upon looking up at the heavens, Tyson smiled.

"I don't deny that I've changed, Lee. I've changed a lot. Would the Tyson of the Blade-Breakers ever sit here and have a sensible conversation with you? But, the thing is . . . I've changed in different ways. Sure, I've seen how cruel things are, and how cruddy life can be. Haven't we all? The point is . . . well, this whole Sui Generis thing has shown to me the quality of the people around me. And they are of the highest quality. This war may have shown me the bad in people, Lee – but it's also shown me the good. I had no idea that humans could be so brave or strong. Look at all the people who went. They all risked their lives, some of them giving them! Don't you see how outstanding that is? Take Mark. He was so young, and he was try'na impress us so bad – and he just had his life taken, just like that. Yet he was prepared to do that. Look at Max . . . poor Max was happy to die for his cause once he'd been redeemed. Look at . . . look at Dave. He was so strong, and he never gave up fighting. And Rei . . . Lee, you should have seen him. You should have seen him in action. He knew what he was doing, he knew what was at stake. He knew he was risking it every second. But he still carried on until . . . until he couldn't. D'you see?"

Lee was silent, his heart pounding and his eyes glazed and shining. He'd never thought about it like that.

"And," continued Tyson; trying his best to help his friend out of this dark hole he had become trapped in, "Look at the survivors. Jenny. You know, she was so bright and as cheerful as she could be all the way through this, just because she knew it would give people something to feed on, something to live on, to keep them going. And . . . well, what can I say about Kai? I had no idea that he could . . . I . . . I dunno. After all that they did to him, he still wouldn't give in, no matter what . . . even when he couldn't go any further he carried on somehow. I don't understand it. I don't get how a person can reach inside and pull out their spirit like that, and force themselves to carry on, even when the odds are so slim that it's likely you're gonna die. But he did, as did everyone else. I think, Lee, that when you look in the mirror, and see Rei's eyes in your own, you should be proud. Be proud to have a part of somebody as brave as Rei was. He wouldn't want you to be sad. That's what I think, anyway."

Lee watched the boy's face intently, taking in every feature, his ears absorbing every raise and flat of his voice, every word he said. Tyson was completely right. Lee couldn't believe how the lad had grown so much in the space of two days. It was remarkable.

Lee was about to comment on what Tyson had so sagely said, when the gentle hush of the wind was interrupted by a large, growling sound. Lee's eyes widened and he glanced down at Tyson's stomach.

"Was that you?"

Tyson grinned and patted his stomach. "Not everything's changed, Lee."

Lee laughed, and ran a hand through his hair. His head raised to the sky again, and his eyes, sparking in the silver light, lit up when he saw that the mist that had shrouded the stars had cleared with the wind, and now they were burning brightly within the darkness.

Beside him, Tyson moved to his feet. He swayed for a moment as he gained his bearings, and then held out a hand to Lee.

"By the way, I came out to tell you that Kai woke up about half an hour ago."

Lee sprang to his feet with Tyson's assistance. He felt as though he were being pulled out of the light and into the dawn. "You serious?"

Tyson nodded with a kind of tired smile. "Yup. If we're quick, we'll catch him before he has to sleep again."

Lee beamed at him. "What are we waiting for?"

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Kai smiled as Lee and Tyson entered the room. It was the same room that he had been in last time, with its shiny white tiles and dull painted walls. This time the window was shut as to keep out the cold winter weather. He could see that it was dark outside.

Jenny was already there with him, and he had been talking with her for some time now. The smell of bacon filled the room, and Kai had politely declined when Jenny had offered him a bite of her thick sandwich. He wrinkled his nose whenever he smelled the fruity scent of brown sauce on the air. Still, it made a nice change to the smells he had become accustomed to in the past few days.

Lee and Tyson popped their heads around the door, and then came in. Lee looked elated, and Kai was glad to see him smiling. He knew that someone would have told him the news, and was partially glad he hadn't had to do it himself. Tyson had been the first thing Kai had seen when he had awoken, as the boy had been tirelessly watching his bedside that night.

He felt a lot better in himself. He didn't know what the doctors had done to remove the carbon from his bloodstream, but he was certainly glad they had done so. He had feared suffering from more hallucinations. He was on a lot of medication, and so he couldn't really feel a lot of pain in his body – although one particular wound across his chest was still stinging inexplicably. The comforting presence of his Dranzer blade on the nearby dresser had relieved him, and he felt its relaxing warmth all around him as it, too, recovered.

"Kai, it's good to see you awake," commented Lee with a grin as his amber eyes met Kai's own brown ones. Kai nodded.

"S'good to be awake. How are you, Lee?"

Lee gave a little shrug. "Surviving. You?"

"Uh-huh."

Jenny rolled her eyes. This clipped conversation, although normal between these two, made her feel uncomfortable. She knew what to do.

"Lee, wan' some o' me butty?"

She jumped up out of the chair she had been resting in and thrust the dripping sandwich under Lee's sensitive nose. He recoiled a little, wincing.

"Ai, no thank you!"

Again, Jenny rolled her eyes, and sat back down. "Fine," she said, in between mouthfuls of sandwich, "Burr' if ye' get 'ungry later, don't . . . blame . . . me."

Lee snorted. "I'll do my best."

Tyson pulled over a chair. It scraped along the floor a little, and he shook his head at it before sitting down.

"So, guys. Apart from Lee here, we're on leave. We've had it tough, and so we get to go home now. What are you guys planning on doing?"

Lee tutted. "Lucky me. Still get to fight. Yay."

Kai smiled. "Could be worse. You could be . . . I don't know . . . the guy who washes the lettuce on a sandwich production line."

All three looked at him blankly. He glanced at them before proclaiming his innocence. "It's her! Her and her stupid sandwich!" He nodded over at Jenny, who seemed to have pulled a new plate of sandwiches from absolutely nowhere and was munching happily. Her eyes darted left and right and then she spoke, gulping down a mouthful of bacon.

"'Kay. When I go back 'ome . . . I'm gonna . . . well, b'fore I came 'ere, I 'ad a job in a newsagents. I'll go back dere, an' go back te' college. An' ge' filfy rich an' buy loads'a cars an' 'ouses an' invite ye' 'round fer English tea, coz everyone else in th' world seems te' fink we gavver at free in time fer tea. I don' even like tea!"

Tyson laughed. "True. Me, I'm gonna go home, and train some more with my grandpa. It's weird how I've missed the old weirdo. I guess I might go back to school . . . I don't know if I could, you know? It's gonna be so strange going back to the normal life."

"Define 'normal', Tyson."

Tyson paused at Kai's interruption, and allowed Kai to carry on.

"I always thought that after this stupid war I'd go home and get a job as a translator. It seemed kind of normal. I wanted to get out of this kind of life that I live, where everything is eccentric and out of the ordinary. I wanted to just be run of the mill. And I was discussing this one time, with . . . with a friend of mine. And he asked me to define 'normal'."

"What did you say?" asked Lee inquisitively, leaning forward from his stance against the wall in interest.

"I couldn't do it."

Jenny looked puzzled. "Wha' d'ye' mean?"

Kai elaborated. "It's just that . . . you can't define 'normal', Tyson. It's too difficult. You can possibly define what regular every day society would expect, but, I guess, nobody is ever normal. Life's one big roller coaster ride. I've got what I've got because I've lived my life. Why should I change it? I'm starting to think that maybe I don't wanna be normal. Maybe I just wanna take things as they come. You can never have a normal life. So why bother trying?"

Tyson nodded, feeling that their conversation was a particularly intelligent one, and pleased with himself for being able to follow it. "You're right. So what will you do when you go home, Kai?"

Kai opened his mouth to answer, and then stopped. "I . . . I don't know."

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Three days later, it was decided that a short memorial service should be held in honour of those who had given their lives in the completion of Sui Generis. It was a difficult procedure for all involved. It was held on a sunny morning, on the edge of one of the cliff tops of the rocky mountain.

It had been snowing the night before quite heavily, and so the sunlight glinted with a shimmering iridescence upon the frosted rocks. The white dazzled beautifully in the phosphorescence, and the air was still and calm, as though all were coming to an end and even it could not continue to move and be restless.

At the peak of one of the cliffs, a small lectern had been set up. It was mahogany brown in colour and stood out vibrantly against the glaze of the snow. The sky was a beautiful haze of reds and pale blues, as the sun had been reluctant to emerge from its slumber due to the snow.

The service began at ten. Seats had been arranged; those hard backed, wooden and uncomfortable chairs, the ones that nobody likes to sit in and yet would gladly exchange for a chair with a cushioned back to lean on. People began to file in from about half past nine, each and every soldier in this squadron of the Chinese army wishing to say goodbye properly to their friends and allies.

Meanwhile, things were on the move down in Tokyo. While Sui Generis had been taking place, the Chinese had finally shipped their forces to Tokyo, knowing that their only chance of winning this war was now to take on the BIOVOLT soldiers directly and cling on to any hope remaining. This had happened almost a week ago now.

The fighting had been rough and messy. Wave after wave of Chinese men had been sent in to attempt to surround Tokyo, to clear out those in BIOVOLT who had taken it over so ruthlessly. These swells of men had merely been mown down, and thousands had been obliterated in the first couple of hours. Tokyo had been a mess of dead bodies and scattered corpses. All was red in the scarlet hue of spilled blood.

This had carried on for a couple of days. Nothing more could be done. The forces up in the mountains could only stand by and watch as their allies were cut down brutally as they fought for justice.

Then, as though suddenly the tide had changed with the sway of the moon, the Chinese generals received notice that they were about to be relieved. The British were on their way. In about seven or eight hours, the British men would be dropped in on the borders of Tokyo. Although this had not worked last time, BIOVOLT were now distracted. They would not be able to deal with wave upon wave of Chinese attacks as well as the British dropping in their Storm Troops.

The flow of fortunes rearranged, and pretty soon, the Chinese, combined in their powers with the British, were beginning to push the BIOVOLT soldiers in Tokyo back, and were heading for the city centre. And it was then that Hing – of all men, Lieutenant Hing – came up with a plan. He quickly radioed the Chinese forces in Tokyo and explained what to do.

Members of BIOVOLT in Tokyo had been pleasantly surprised when they had suddenly found the ability to fight back again the Chinese and British coming in from the western front. They had been able to push them out and regain lost ground for themselves. The British and Chinese seemed, all of a sudden, weaker, smaller, and unable to stand their ground. BIOVOLT sent more of their men to mow down the abruptly weaker allied forces. All of BIOVOLT's men were fighting pitilessly on the western front.

Hence BIOVOLT were taken by complete surprise when a huge squad of Chinese and British forces swept in from the east, throwing them completely off guard. The forces had split into two. The smaller force, remaining on the west, had been told to fight weakly, to retreat slowly, and to lure BIOVOLT into a sense of security. Meanwhile, the other, stronger percentage of the allied soldiers swept in to the east of Tokyo and came up behind the BIOVOLT mercenaries. BIOVOLT had been powerless. Their leaders tried to call for help and back up but their radios were down, and there was no response from the main HQ in Russia. They couldn't even use their high tech tanks or equipment, simply because the machinery, the mainframe, had somehow been taken out. Their communications were ended. The Tokyo invasion was overthrown. The Chinese and British controlled the city for now.

Hing had been elated when he heard of his plan's success. So many men had been lost, but now things were brightening up, and his men were motivated once more. They suddenly had more reason, more drive, to fight, now that their chances of succeeding were greatly enlarged.

He kept the news quiet for a while, but, on the night before the ceremony, had informed the camp of the brilliant achievement down in Tokyo. Of course, the war was not over, not by a long shot. BIOVOLT forces in Japan still had to be removed, and that was going to be just as difficult. But it could be done.

The men in the forces on the mountain, therefore, were in higher spirits for the ceremony, and now they could properly focus on the importance of Sui Generis. It seemed now that their men had given their lives for a purpose now, rather than simply throwing away their lives in a pointless (yet certainly still admirable) sacrifice. So, as the seats filled, the time ticking by gently, there was a general feeling of admiration and awe for the lost warriors of Sui Generis.

Tyson took a seat at the back. He was wrapped up warmly, knowing that despite the warm sun the air would still be cold. His arm was carefully wrapped in a sling, his ribs bandaged tightly. Energy seemed to have returned to him in his few days' rest and he felt that he was finally strong enough to say a proper goodbye to his friends. Jenny sat beside him, munching quietly on a bacon sandwich and looking very solemn. People kept on passing glances over to them, whispering and chattering in hushed voices. Tyson wasn't sure what they were whispering about, but he was sure it couldn't be bad.

At about five minutes to ten, Lee slipped into a seat next to Jenny, once again wrinkling his nose at the scent of brown sauce that now constantly lingered around her.

"I guess she deserves it," he thought dubiously, "but how can she actually eat so much brown sauce? I heard it rots your stomach out . . ."

Still, he bore it well, and the three chatted quietly, and more and more people turned to look at them, some smiling and giving thumbs up. Tyson knew now that they were not spiteful whispers. Their allies were proud of what they had done.

A minute or two later, the crowd seemed to hush, and Tyson supposed that the service was about to start. People in the seats were turning about and glancing behind him, and so Tyson turned too, awaiting the arrival of whoever was going to lead the service. He supposed some sort of vicar, or perhaps a general.

He didn't expect to see Kai.

He was on crutches, which glinted silver in the glare of the sunlight. He wore a black shirt and jacket and his khaki trousers, which Tyson had also worn, and so the bandages across his body were not visible except for at the neck of the shirt, where his collar hung open and tiny strips of white material could be seen. There was still visible a bandage about his head, but his silver-grey bangs fell over it and covered a good deal. His face, although still pale, was looking healthier by the minute, and Hing, who was watching his moves carefully, making sure he didn't slip, accompanied him. Tyson smiled.

"Kai! I didn't expect you to be coming!"

Kai looked a little uncomfortable. Anyone who hadn't noticed his emergence from the medical ward had now been alerted of his presence by Tyson's yell. All eyes were upon him and it went disturbingly silent. His blush couldn't be seen because of the paleness of his face, and he made his way to where Tyson was seated. He nodded a greeting to Jenny and Lee, and then scowled at Tyson.

"Thanks for the extra attention, Tyson."

Tyson laughed. "You're still the same old Kai. But I know you love it really!"

Kai sighed and slid into a seat as quickly as he could. He was well aware that people's eyes were still upon him, and despite the fact that he knew they were admiring glances, they still made him uncomfortable. He didn't like to be the focus of attention.

The crowd hushed again, and Tyson knew now for definite that the service was about to start. He settled himself gently, the sunlight splashing right down onto his shoulders yet not hindering his gaze for a moment.

The speaker took the allocated place on the stand, and Tyson peered forwards with interest to find out who it was. From the green uniform it looked like it was some form of Chinese general, but Tyson, being new to the armed forces (well, relatively) could not recognise the face. However, beside him Lee leapt to his feet with a startling urgency. He yanked Tyson up by his good arm.

"Tyson," he whispered viciously, "It's General Chung-Lao! Pay some respect!"

Tyson, still bemused, raised his good arm in a smart salute and stared in curiosity at the man. Jenny had risen but Kai hadn't moved, possibly because he didn't feel any respect for this guy, or possibly just because it cost him valuable energy. Still, the General didn't notice, and he addressed everyone in English – the commonly spoken language of the camp – to sit.

Jenny took a look around as she wiped her mouth clean. The soldiers were enraptured and this guy hadn't even spoken yet! She didn't know who he was either, but obviously he was a very respected figure in the Chinese military.

And then he spoke. Not just a simple command like a second ago, but he began to speak. His voice was instantly commanding; deep, and powerful, with a slight husk on the lower drawls. This was the voice of a man who demanded and deserved authority and Jenny sat up straighter unconsciously.

"Today," began Chung-Lao, "is a day of both sadness and happiness. A day of both commiseration and celebration. A day of remembrance and goodbyes. This service is held in honour of all those who lost their lives in the operation Sui Generis, fighting for their country and for honesty. Today we say a sad farewell to Mark Lewis, David Bosier, Max Mizuhara, and Second Lieutenant Rei Kon."

His voice echoed regally throughout the dunes of snow surrounding them, and the soldiers were all silent with a sense of respect. Chung-Lao, standing at the brown lectern at the front, his grey-coloured bangs falling into his face, carried on after a couple of seconds' silence.

"These four great soldiers died heroically, fighting for their cause. Now we honour that bravery; that valiant nature possessed by each one of them, as we say goodbye. Please, let us now take a minute's quiet, and remember the great deeds of these men. What they have helped China to accomplish over the past few days. Their courage deserves more than we can ever express, and their losses will be grievous to all who knew them."

Chung-Lao stopped again and bowed his head, closing his eyes and concentrating. The soldiers in the seats followed suit, and, as Tyson closed his eyes, he noticed that even Kai had his head bowed and his eyes firmly shut.

The minute passed by peacefully, with no interruptions except that of the sudden breath of wind that trickled its way across the opalescent snow. When the minute ended, Chung-Lao raised his head and spoke clearly, his voice unmarred by the emotion that his aged face held. He appeared to be very much grieved indeed by the loss of these four soldiers.

"As a final gesture of honour, please feel at liberty to take a handful of rose petals and scatter them." He bent down and brought up a bowl filled to the brim and overflowing with beautiful scarlet petals, freshly plucked. The wind blew through the scene, and a few of the petals slipped out of the white glass dish and danced along in the air before grazing the snow covered ground.

Many of the soldiers stood, making their way in silence to the front and taking a small handful of rose petals, heart shaped memorials of respect. The majority simply laid them before the lectern, scattering them and saying their words of remembrance as the petals twirled through the air and floated to their rest in the pure white snow below them. A few moved further back and scattered them upon the clearer ground, so tiny patches of red could be seen amongst the bed of white.

Tyson, his head still down, watched as Lee stood. Plucking up his courage, he followed, Jenny too joining the line. Tyson watched as Lee moved back towards the tent he, Tyson, Max and Rei had shared in the earlier days, not too long ago, and spoke softly to the petals before laying them gingerly on the ground. Jenny, similarly, placed hers outside the tent where Sui Generis had spent their last night together in Japan, where they had received their mail and fretted to themselves silently.

Tyson didn't quite know what to do with his petals. He could feel the soft, smooth texture of the petal brushing against his skin, and moved his fingers over and over them, allowing their natural oil to pass onto his fingertips. He could smell them on his hands, their blood red hue slowly fading as he rubbed. Quickly, he moved back towards the tent that he had shared with Lee, Max and Rei, and moved to a different spot than that of Lee's roses, which were gently rolling over in the soft breeze.

Tyson bent down, and began to gently bring up tiny pieces of snow, creating a small hole in the white, flawless blanket. When he was satisfied, he dropped each petal in, one by one, watching the cherry glimmer of each as it fluttered into the hole and rested in a nest of dazzling purity. A few tears fell from his eyes and glinted in the sunlight as he buried his goodbyes with the snow, using his hands to patch up the hole in the blanket he'd made. When he was done, he smoothed over the patch, and wiped his face. He then made his way back to the seating area, where most soldiers had sat back down again.

He noticed with a frown that Kai hadn't moved. He was just sitting there, not really paying attention to what was happening, though occasionally lifting his gaze and watching from underneath his brow as people scattered their petals. His brown eyes were far and away, in that deep thought process that they sometimes slipped into. He didn't even notice Tyson sit down.

Some of the soldiers were talking now, and so Tyson felt it was okay to speak.

"I feel a lot better now. Like I've said a proper goodbye. D'you, Kai?"

No response. Tyson opened his mouth to speak again, but was halted by Lee tugging on his sleeve.

"Don't, Tyson. Not all people pay their respects in the same way."

Tyson nodded, understandingly, and turned to Lee and Jenny. Lee looked very sad, but the smile he offered to Tyson showed grim determination and pride in his friends' achievements. Jenny was openly crying – as were a couple of other soldiers – and had taken to comforting herself by laughing in between sniffs and telling herself she was silly to still be crying and that she should be happy now. Tyson placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I think you need a sandwich."

Jenny smiled, grateful, but then burst into more tears, glittering diamonds that rolled down her cheeks and dripped onto her hands. She was still smiling though, and although Tyson didn't think she was crying with pure happiness, he knew she was contented inside. She just had to let out a little grief.

After another two or three minutes, when everyone had calmed down, Chung-Lau took to the lectern again, with a slight smile on his face. It was now about half past ten.

"Thank you. I greatly admire the nearness and intimacy of this camp. It is wonderful that when one soldier dies, the others all grieve, and that when one soldier succeeds, all the others celebrate. Which is a point I am moving on to.

I did not know all of those who died through Sui Generis very well, but I know enough of them, from various accounts, that all were happy, contented people. I understand that they would not want us to sit here and grieve for hours over them. Which is now why I propose that we, without forgetting the great sacrifice made by Rei, Dave, Max and Mark, raise our respects to those of Sui Generis who came through in the end. Who survived the ordeal. Who faced down the best that BIOVOLT could offer and came out alive. These soldiers have been through conditions of unbelievable danger and risk. They have put their lives on the line consistently to fight for a righteous cause, and have been through unimaginable scenes of horror, torture and grief. But, most of all, they succeeded. They finally brought BIOVOLT down. Without them, even the rejoining of Britain to this war would not have been enough to turn the tables. So let us show our appreciation to the members of Sui Generis who are still here to tell the tale, and to impress to you how deeply grateful we are, we are presenting each of you with a medal for outstanding valour in the field of great danger. Please, come to the lectern, Jennifer O'Hare."

There was a stunned silence, and then a sudden ringing of applause and encouraging cheering. Tyson and Lee glanced at Jenny, who was bright red in the face, possibly from crying, possibly from embarrassment. She offered half a smile as she got unsteadily to her feet and slipped out of the row of seats to make her way to the front of the assemblage. Her heart pounding, all she could do was try and remember what she had learned at school when going up on stage to receive presentational awards.

"Shake wiv ye' righ', take wiv ye' left . . . or issi' de' ova way 'round? Ah crap, I'm gonna ge' dis wrong. Whar'if I fall over? Whar'if me hand's all sweaty? Whar'if . . ."

She found herself, her heart thumping even stringer now, looking up into General Chung-Lao's face. She gave him a nervous smile, and he laughed good naturedly.

"Here you go, my dear. We are all indebted to you."

She held out her left hand to take the medal and held out her right to shake, but Chung-Lao did not take either. Instead, he raised the golden medal by its ribbon and draped it over her hand.

"Crap, I knew I'd do sumfin fick!"

"I present to you," he continued as she raised her head again, "the Great British Distinguished Conduct medal, for bravery in the field. Congratulations."

More applause. Jenny blushed. She'd always hated things like this. Certainly she was proud of herself and her friends but was this terribly necessary? With another smile, she returned to her seat swiftly, shaking her head and smiling as she often did when embarrassed.

"Please could Tyson Kinomya come up to the lectern."

Tyson was more eager than Jenny had been. He stood enthusiastically and gave a slight wave as he got to the lectern. He was blushing but he didn't care, as he stepped up to face Chung-Lao. He wasn't such a tall guy. He was older than Tyson had expected too. About fifty. The old man had a warm, friendly glint in his eyes as he took out Tyson's medal.

"I issue to you, Tyson, the Japanese Order of the Golden Kite, for bravery in the field. Congratulations."

Tyson allowed Chung-Lao to slip the ribbon, a lovely shade of purple in colour, about his neck and he fingered the medal gently. He silently dedicated his medal to all of his lost friends, not forgetting why he was here. The wind blew through his hair and he smiled as the cheering intensified and the clapping resounded throughout the assembly. He returned to his seat red in the face but extremely proud of himself. He couldn't wait to show his grandfather this.

Chung-Lao continued, watching Tyson with a few quiet chuckles. "Finally, I present this medal to Captain Kai Hiwatari, leader of the last standing squadron in the Japanese army. Kai," he looked over at the boy, who was watching everything through a partition in his hair, "I think I'll come to you."

The General stepped down from the stand behind the lectern, carrying the glinting medal in his hands, and made his way over to where Kai was seated, his boots crunching in the crisp snow. He stopped about a metre away from Kai.

Kai grabbed a crutch and got to his feet with some difficulty. The onlookers had gone silent, mostly because of the massive gesture the General had just made by stepping down to go to Kai, rather than Kai getting up to go to him. It was unreal. A general showing that sort of respect to a captain?

When Kai was up, he looked directly at the General, who stood about three centimetres higher than him, and his brown eyes looked away for a second. He didn't quite know how to deal with something like this.

"Kai Hiwatari," the General spoke proudly, smiling, "I award you the Japanese medal for Personal Valour, issued for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty. Congratulations."

Kai's face was a mix of astonishment and suffusion as the audience began to cheer wildly, some stamping their feet to show their appreciation of all this, and Kai bent his head to receive his medal. Once he lifted it again, he looked back at Chung-Lao, who gave him another smile and then saluted crisply. Kai returned the favour, still managing to perform a smart salute and not lose his balance. Chung-Lao chuckled and moved back up the lectern as Kai slipped back down into his seat.

He examined his medal. It was beautiful – carved gold, the image of three soldiers crawling forwards and carrying something along the lines of a Banglore Torpedo on their backs. He was vaguely aware of Chung-Lao talking, saying something about refreshments in the tents, but he didn't listen. And only when the soldiers began to file out of their seats did he look up again.

Chung-Lao had come over to talk to them. He was engaged in conversation with Tyson.

"Tyson. It is a lot to ask, I know. But this war is not over yet. Not by a long way. We need you. We need your experience. Would you be prepared?"

Kai glanced over at Tyson, and then at Chung-Lao, realising abruptly what Tyson was being asked to do.

"Of course," Chung-Lao carried on, "you wouldn't return to the front line for another month or so. You need tie to recover, and that we will give you. What do you say?"

Kai was surprised to see Tyson nodding. He spoke out.

"Tyson, what are you doing?"

Tyson turned about, and smiled. "Think about it, Kai. Would you be able to manage going back home? Is that what you want? To be 'normal'? I belong here. Whether its fighting, giving support – I don't know. I couldn't just go back home and let other people fight this battle for me. Those of us who have been lost were in this till the bitter end – and so am I."

Kai stared. He'd never heard something so profound come from Tyson's lips. He'd never even dreamed it! Still, he smiled, impressed, his thoughts whirring. Tyson shoo hands with Chung-Lao.

"You've got a deal."

Chung-Lao nodded, elated to know that he had a reliable, experienced soldier on his hands. For Tyson was just that now – reliable and experienced. He had come through this not just on the merit of other people. There was something within himself – that perhaps he did not see even if others did – that was valuable to the army. That was valuable to anyone. Tyson was dedicated, staunch, brave, loyal, and getting smarter by the day. He was willing and faithful and ready for anything. And he himself felt that he would fit in no better back home, or in any other place.

Chung-Lao turned and stretched to walk back to the tens, when a voice stopped him.

"Then I'm coming too."

He paused and then spun around, his face looking surprised. "You, Kai?"

Now he had not expected that. Kai had been through a good chunk more than a lot of people had so far, and the General was expecting Kai to simply hate the idea of return. Certainly, he was necessary. Who in their right minds would reject such a character? But the General had believed it would be impossible to convince Kai to return to battle.

"Why, Captain, may I ask?" smiled Chung-Lao. Kai shrugged.

"Someone's gotta make sure this idiot doesn't get himself into trouble."

He nodded towards Tyson, his face still a blank, but Tyson knew better and burst into laughter.

"I think this'll suit you fine, Kai," he said, running a hand through his hair and glancing at Jenny and Lee, who were also smiling. "This is the most 'normal' you're ever gonna get it."

"Are you sure, Kai?" asked the General, still a little taken aback. Kai affirmed this.

"Tyson's right. I'd feel guilty if I just left without fighting it out to the end. This medal would be worth nothing to me that way."

Chung-Lao smiled one more time, bowed, and made his way along to the tents further back. Kai watched his for a second, contemplating what he had just done. Back to the war zone. Back to fighting again. Back to the risk, the thrill, the danger . . .

Perfect.

Remember who you are.
Be strong tonight - remember who you are.
You're a soldier now - fighting in a battle,
To be free once more...
Yeah that's worth fighting for.

Kai couldn't help but think it. He was cut out for this sort of thing. Why else would he feel this way? Why go home and mope about, wondering what to do and constantly worrying about the war when he could be taking part himself? Making a difference. Finally doing some good in his life, finally getting the chance to be himself. And to finally take down BIOVOLT, once and for all, no questions. They would be eliminated. He wanted to a part of this ending.

He found that Tyson was staring directly at him. "You okay?"

Kai blinked and then nodded, his face suddenly shining in the brilliance of the sunlight. "Yeah. I just gotta do something. Go on inside. I know you're hungry."

Tyson agreed a little reluctantly, and he moved away, leaving soft footprints in the snow as he walked across to the food tent, where most of the soldiers were cramming in and chattering away. Jenny and Hing followed, and, with one last glance at him, Lee followed them too. Kai was left alone.

He grabbed his crutches and got to his feet, more determinedly this time. With his medal swinging about his neck, he made his way to the lectern, where just minutes ago Chung-Lao had been talking. The bowl of rose petals was still there, almost empty, but there were still a few left. Carefully, he grabbed a handful, and moved past the lectern to the edge of the cliff, making trails in the snow as he travelled.

He stood still for a moment, fingering the rose petals, gazing out into the morning sky. The blue seemed to have taken over the red now, leaving a white washed cumulus sky, with the occasional red tinge fringing at the corner of the frame. The sunlight was immense and travelled down in rays, each glimmering and glinting against the snow. All around was snow, all across the mountain tops, scintillating and sparkling animatedly. The place was alive all around him.

His eyes focused again now, the brown irises flitting about a little before they fell once again on his handful of memories, Kai suddenly opened his hand, releasing his grip on the petals. He stretched out his palm as carefully as he could, leaning on his crutches gingerly, and watched as the breath of the wind stole through the air and intertwined with his fingers, flowing in and out and stealing the rose petals from his possession. The air and the fragments of petal combined, and, incomprehensibly, the wind picked up, just for a few seconds, and the petals danced like smouldering fire in the air before him. He watched, fascinated, as the petals swayed and twirled, hopelessly caught in this spiral of the wind. And he realised that they were all just a little bit like those petals. They were caught in the flow of something bigger than themselves, bigger than time or space, something they couldn't stop or fight against, some powerful current and radiating force. The best thing to do was go with the flow. Let the wind carry its passengers gently along, tenderly touching their soft bodies as they rolled over and over together and combined into one flow of fiery red.

The wind dropped, the point made, and Kai watched the petals slip vertically through the air, downwards, spinning and spiralling, travelling through tiny helixes as they dropped slowly out of his sight, carried away to a rest someplace distant.

Kai just stood there and watched for a while, watched the space where the petals had spun, letting this feeling of catharsis linger on for a little while longer before it too fell away with the wind. It blew again, that gentle hush of a breeze running through his hair and cleansing him somehow, wrapping about his slowly recovering body and comforting it, enclosing it. And suddenly his mind flashed back, to a long, long time ago, so it seemed.

"What's the plan, Kai?"

"Stay alive."

Kai smiled a little, both amused and intrigued. He had made this remark with some sarcasm and cynicism, but really, it had happened. They'd done it. That was the plan. No matter how you looked at, no matter how simple it seemed, that was it. Sure, you could sugar coat it, pass it off as something far more extravagant. But when it came down to it, all you could hope for when you were being carried away by that unpredictable wind was to stay alive. What more could be done?

He sighed, his breath mingling with the sweet hush of the airstream, and all was at peace, both within him and outside of him. He felt refreshed now. His shoulders were weightless again. He was once more, that unwavering, strong Captain Kai Hiwatari, and he turned away from the peaceful scene before him with a resolute smile, the wind still cascading about his shoulders, as he prepared to enter, once again, the world of war.

******************************************************************************************************************************

Sherby: YYYYYYYEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finished it! YAY! I feel so proud of myself!

Okay, so how did you like it? Was it an okay last chapter? I tried to make it as original as possible, but that is difficult. I tried. *shrugs*

Anyhow, I have a HUGE list of people who I need to mention. I printed this off the internet in school, so let me just . . . find . . . it . . . hmm . . . got it. Okay. I can't address each of you personally, simply because some people left more than one review! So you get a mention, and that's the best I can offer, I'm afraid. My very special thanks go to the following loyal reviewers (in no particular order . . . ):

Saphie

Honest Abe (Abraham Lincoln)

AngelSportyChick

Janine

Mistress-Of-Eternal-Darkness

Jack Sparrow

Misao-Chan2

Oil Pastel

Scarlet Diamonds

Lunis

Hippy Chick Mel

Cherry Rain

Drifting Soul

The Otherworlder

Dark Akuryou

Zesha

Alklachion

Platinum Rei

Ebil-angels (Linz n dudems)

Bffimagine (dude, sure, I couldn't kill Kai. But let's think . . . how many other characters did I kill off?)

Susami Masaki

Mizuumi Hakuya

KeenaSky

Frostt

Artemis347

Othela

I LOVE KAI

Lady of Anime (Becca)

ANGEL-OF-DEATH6

Sobbing Psycho

I think Ray rules

Emerald

Anime the Fallen Angel

Okay, that's all of you guys. I'm not gonna give certain people who have reviewed more thanks than other people – that's just not fair. I think whoever has reviewed is fantastic because it makes an author feel so appreciated! So thank you very much everybody who has read and followed along with this story! It's really been great writing it and I've enjoyed every loooooonnnnng step of the way – even if I did stay up till ridiculous hours like 5 o clock in the morning on chapter 4. Yeesh. It's bin swell. I just wanna thank you guys for actually reading it, never mind reviewin it, because what's a text if there's no one to read it? J

The lyrics were from "Sound the bugle now" by Bryan Adams – Lady of Anime suggested it a couple of chapters back and I decided, after downloading the lyrics (I've never heard this song in my life) to put it in the last chapter. J

I'm sorry the update's a tad late (ahem) but I *have* been ill ya know. Don't blame me for my lousy immune system! Lol! Oh, the time, for those keeping tabs . . . is . . . 00:55 am. One in the morning. Joy.

Well, please leave nice long reviews for me to read and enjoy! Thanks again for reading, everybody. Hope you've all enjoyed every minute of this ride (even *coughs* chapter 5 . . . ) and don't worry, I'll be back!

Eventually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C ya round, everyone, and God bless you all for reading! In fact, God bless you anyhow! We could all use some blessings!

Love n hugz and THANKS AGAIN!

Sherby o_0