This chapter is going to be different then the previous ones. This one is going to have very little action and a bit more of explaining the characters. You will get a look inside their minds and see what they are thinking. It will hopefully help to explain what has already gone on and what is going to happen in the future.

Verg sits in the small hut belong to Zorndyke. The trees outside are slowly dying. Most of the creatures have already left the artic regions they once called home and are attempting to live in peace with the humans. But not Verg. A fiery hatred glows in his eyes. A fire that hasn't been put out for some time now. A hatred that is fueled by one of the blackest evils. The want for vengeance. Vengeance has caused the most noble of humans to sacrifice everything they held near and dear just to get to one individual. Vengeance has sent the strongest of men to there graves. Vengeance can eat you alive from the inside out. Verg doesn't care. The vengeance has already begun to eat away at him. It's probably too late now. Too late for redemption. Too late to save his life.

Hayami sits in the infirmary looking at the ground. Kino's legs are badly wounded. She is internally bleeding from the chest. Her rib cage is broken in two places. The doctors are trying to save her. They say there is a fifty-fifty chance of her living. That's the best they can do. Hayami blames himself for everything that has happened. He ended the war but at what cost. Kino is hurt. Verg wants him dead. Everything he knew is getting jumbled up in a blender. Hayami doesn't know what to do anymore. He could end it all. It would only take one life. But which life, his or Verg's?

Kino is currently asleep after her operation. They managed to stop the bleeding but she still lost a lot of blood during the process. She could still die is she isn't kept under strict medical care. It could be days, weeks, or even months before she can leave the hospital. Even then she may never be able to walk again. Her legs were so severely injured that they may be beyond repair. All she can do is pray.

She is thinking about what has happened as she lays in her bed. So much has happened in the last few days. Why does Verg want Hayami? Is he mad about the death of Zorndyke? Is that the reasoning behind his current actions? It's not possible that he still wants to kill all humans. The war is over. That type of thinking is gone. He has no army; no one at his side. His reasoning must be personal. He must want revenge. He must want to kill the one who took everything away from him. The one who took away his victory, his friends, and his beloved papa.

Hayami comes in to check on Kino. She is awake. The light is shining in through the window by her bed. She has on the white robes that you always see in a hospital. Hayami is wearing his blue fleet uniform. He looks at her. She looks at him. They stare for what seems like hours but only actually lasts for a couple of seconds. Kino begins to cry so she lays her head in Hayami's lap. He rubs her head and tells her that everything is going to be alright. He won't let anything happen to her again. She asks why this is all happening. The war is supposed to be over. The pain, the suffering, it's all supposed to be done with. Why is there so much suffering?

Soon, Kino falls asleep laying in Hayami's arms. He continues to gently stroke her hair. Soon he too falls asleep sitting there.

Hayami wakes up and looks down. Kino is awaking and is staring at his face. He smiles. She smiles back.

"Did you sleep well?" Hayami questioned.

"I did. I don't know why, but I feel somehow safe and secure when I'm with you. It's like I know that nothing bad will happen to me. I know that you will protect me. You will look after me and be there for me." Kino answers, "I enjoy this feeling and I wish it would never end. Wow. Am I being to open with you?"

"Not at all; I enjoy listening to you talk. It makes me feel calm. It makes me forget my problems."

"I guess I'm helping you the same way you are helping me. You make me feel good and I make you feel good. It's a nice feeling isn't it?"

"It sure is. I wish it would never end."

Verg gets up from where he was sitting inside Zorndyke's hut. He walks outside. It is a clear night. The stars are shining brightly. He looks up at the sky.

"Papa, where ever you I want you to know that I'm trying to avenge you. I really am. Don't be angry if I haven't done it yet. I'll do it I swear it. I will kill Hayami." Verg just stands there for several hours before he goes in for bed.

Verg is running, running through the artic. Hayami is running away. He is laughing at Verg for his weakness. He is mocking him. Verg continues to run. Faster and faster he goes. He begins to run out of breath when they reach the edge of a cliff. Hayami turns around and faces Verg.

"What's the matter Verg? Don't tell me you've grown weak just because your Papa is dead. You make me sick. Always running but you're never able to catch me. You are a disgrace and don't deserve to be called Zorndyke's son." Hayami laughs maniacally.

Verg charges at Hayami and pushes him off of the edge. As he falls he grabs on to Verg's leg and they both go tumbling over the edge. Hayami punches Verg in the face. He hits him again. Verg's nose begins to bleed. The blood trickles down his face and goes into his mouth. They hit the ground with a loud thud.

Verg wakes up. The taste of blood is in his mouth. He feels his nose. Blood seeps down from his face. His body aches as if it were dropped from a high place. A high place much like the cliff he fell off of in his dream.

"Was it a dream?" Verg wonders, "Could it have been a vision of the future? Was it what is to come? Will this all end with both mine and Hayami's death? I don't care! If that is how it is so be it! I can die in peace once he is dead! I can rest and be with papa again! I can sleep again! The long sleep that has been denied to me but given to my papa when it wasn't even his time.