International Human Confederation Headquarters
Washington DC, United States of America
16 November 2066, 11:18

"I don't think we should resort to such violent actions just yet. The more we press on the enemy, the more aggressive they become, and we for a fact how dangerous they can get," Yuhya Marino voiced out calmly as he and his companions emerged from the main entrance of the International Human Confederation headquarters, which was in the heart of the world's most powerful country, the United States of America. He was a dashing young Senator who seemed to be the most levelheaded among the IHC officers, as he refused to cast a vote on a particular matter without thinking about the situation intently.

His fiancée, Lilika Tobita, nodded in agreement. Being the daughter of a diplomat and a budding one herself, she had learned from experience that violence had never been a solution to violence. It would only cause more complications to arise, and they could not afford those to surface at such a critical point. The humans and androids were at the brink of war, after all; one wrong move from either side could cause the end of the world in the blink of an eye. However, she did not say anything else after that gesture, her emerald-colored eyes apparently focused on something else --- someone else, for that matter.

Yuhya had no reason to be jealous, however, for the person she was looking at was his younger brother, Kouya, who came running towards them at a dangerous speed that could send all three of them to the ground upon impact. And it didn't take long for it to actually happen; in a matter of seconds, the two peacekeepers were pinned to the concrete surface by the hyperactive brunette, who sat on top of them like a proud king ready to be crowned. As usual.

"Ohayou gozaimasu, Oniichan, Oneechan!" he greeted with a grin that spread from ear to ear. "Let's eat crab!"

At that, the brown-haired female laughed, ruffling the boy's hair as she did so. "Well, I'm pretty hungry myself, so why don't we go and take a bite?" she offered with a grin, glancing at Yuhya who had just recovered from his fall. As soon as the other nodded, she got up to her feet and pulled the younger Marino up, although it wasn't necessary as the boy was up and about the moment she mentioned that they were going to eat. She then turned to her fiancé and smiled teasingly. "Were you that hyper when you were little?"

Washington Commerce and Industry Center
Washington DC, United States of America
16 November 2066, 11:32

Hand in hand, Yuhya and Kouya strolled through the corridors at the ground floor of the large skyscraper, their female companion walking alongside them with an amused expression on her pretty, Japanese features. The younger Marino had managed to coerce the Senator into singing his so-called 'crab jingle', and without the slightest hint of hesitation Yuhya broke into the song --- which, hilariously, had only two lines.

"Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy!" he chanted, his little brother following his lead and echoing every line by heart. People all over the area were beginning to spare bewildered glances at their direction, most especially the entrepreneurs clad in formal business clothing, but the hyperactive duo paid their prying looks no mind. "Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy!"

Lilika laughed, but her laughter only caused Kouya to remember that she wasn't a playing a part in their singing spree. Breaking free of his brother's grip, he rushed to confront the young ambassadress and flashed his most charming smile while swaying himself in his own adorable manner.

It was Yuhya's turn to laugh. "Now, now, Kouya…"

The boy pouted, putting his hand on hips just as he'd seen his future sister-in-law do so many times when she was upset. "But Oneechan hasn't done the song yet!" he protested, reverting his gaze on Lilika and staring into her vibrant green orbs with puppy eyes. Kids his age were extremely talented at that. "Please, Oneechan? It's really easy! Just sing, 'Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy! Crab is so yummy! It fills my tummy!' then say, 'Oh yeah!'"

"I…" Lilika began hesitantly, swallowing as she did so. Her eyes reflexively darted around, therefore noticing how large the crowd was. Boy, was she in for a humiliating time. But she knew there was no way she could refuse a child's pleading gaze and his already trembling lower lip. Kouya, no doubt, was one of her weaknesses ---

"Aw come on, Lilika. It's just a little song."

--- and her fiancé Yuhya was the other.

At that, she sighed in defeat, knowing that she had no way out of the situation. The Marino brothers had already overpowered her. "Fine. I'll sing." Silently convincing herself that even singing in a soft voice would immediately satisfy the ecstatic boy, she opened her mouth to render the jingle, hoping against hope that a whisper would be sufficient. She wasn't ready to embarrass herself the way her happy-go-lucky boyfriend already did. She hadn't even uttered the word 'crab', however, when a loud explosion coming from one of the building's upper floors silenced her in shock, while almost everyone else were caught by panic and terror.

Kouya then clung to her for protection and comfort, his face as pale as sheet. The fact that the explosion didn't happen only once, that the people were screaming and shrieking non-stop, and that chunks of concrete and metal were beginning to fall from the ceiling, crushing those who unfortunately weren't able to get out of the way, didn't make things any easier for the lad, or for her.

"This way, hurry! Run and don't turn back!" Yuhya called out amidst the uproar, grabbing Lilika's hand and pulling her, she pulling the younger brunette in turn. They fought their way through the stampeding crowd, holding on to each other tightly, trying to ignore the feelings of dread and fear that were beginning to overwhelm their senses.

An alert sounded from the structure's many speakers, and a loud cackle was heard next. It wasn't human; it was definitely robotic. And then, a deep, booming voice declared with much anger and hatred, "Run for your lives, you murderers! Run towards the gates of death! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life! You have crossed the line! You have gone too far! Today you shall pay! Today the war shall begin!"

"Androids!" Lilika exclaimed, terror shining through her tanned features in realization. She glanced at Yuhya, and he projected the same look of helplessness and alarm, only that he was biting his lip to prevent himself from cursing or making any snide comments. Unable to stand seeing the expression that mirrored her own, she reverted her gaze to the exit that lay not very far away, tightening her hold on Kouya's frail arm…

"Oniichan!"

Kouya's panicked cry was seconded by her startled gasp, and when the older Marino turned to see what was going on, his heard almost froze in intense fear. He reached out to grab a hold of his brother's hand, but the crowd swept the boy even further away from his grasp. "Kouya!" he screamed, fighting through the rushing swarm of terror-stricken humans to the frightened child, but to no avail. With the portal to life and survival just a few good meters ahead of them, the people pushed and squeezed themselves through, desperate to live, to survive. And the boy was dragged further and further away from his struggling brother and future sister, until there was nothing Yuhya could see but the sea of trouble, doomed souls.

The voice returned, cackling and sneering at their demise, urging them to run while they had the chance, and teasing them for their helplessness. Then, there was another explosion --- and the place fell apart.

/To be continued…/

Notes: Kazie here again; finally, this fic has been updated after such a long time. Sorry for the delay, everyone, but writer's block's visit had been very untimely. Anyway, as you might have noticed, Kouya's obviously a lot younger in this fic than he is in the series. Let's just say that chibi Kouya makes me melt into a fangirl puddle. Blame it on the kawaiiness factor. XD So, to the next chapter we go…