It was Tuesday afternoon. Atsushi dropped out of high school to join the SDF, leaving Shuji by himself. He didn't really talk to a lot of people. Akemi had started being nicer to him and he forgot all about her endless rants. Things were changing as always and he began to notice how different everything was now. Akemi and Atsushi were dating too.

Everything wasn't so cluttered like before. These days, he couldn't get his mind off Chise. He woke up with boners in the morning after having wet dreams and he couldn't even look her in the face. Then there was Fuyumi; playing with his emotions and turning him into mush. He kept remembering that evening when he and Chise kissed. He wasn't supposed, not while they were friends at least. He couldn't help himself.

He hurt her the night before Atsushi left. Shuji remembered how he said he wanted to protect Akemi. He was going to kill and most likely be killed…all for Akemi. What a noble cause he thought.

The weeks were slipping by fast. Everything seemed like a blur to Shuji…but that kiss was the most memorable thing that stood out in his mind. He didn't even know that poor Chise was hurting more than ever without him.

"I'm so lost…" Atsushi said to himself. He was missing Chise's speech to the soldiers. He didn't think twice that the Chise he knew would be a weapon of mass destruction. He heard lots of stories about her; about how she was "the angel of death".

The one person that knew was Lieutenant Tetsu; the only person who survived in Chise's platoon.

"Excuse me. First Lieutenant Tetsu. I'm…" Atsushi began

"Don't say it" Tetsu broke him off. "Oh well, your gonna be dead pretty soon"

A lump formed in Atsushi's throat. He didn't like the part about being dead. He broke into a cold sweat and began stammering.

"I don't wanna get to know any more dead people." Tetsu's cold exterior came out. This war made him callous and unrelenting. He knew that most wouldn't survive and that the ones who did, well they would either meet their fate at the hand of Chise: the military's ultimate defense mechanism.

Shit, who does this kid think he is? He's so young…and in the army? He's gonna die. We all are. No way around it.

He took another puff of his cigarette. "In this war…you learn a lot of things you wish you didn't know." Atsushi backed off. He couldn't stomach this. Is this what he was fighting for? Is this how he wanted to protect Akemi?

Chise was in a room. In a few seconds a hole appeared from what used to be a wall. She wanted to fight. "Darn it..."

"Leaving early again?" Akemi was out in the snow. The weather abruptly changed within a day.

"Yea, I was just heading home" Shuji answered.

Akemi knowing that Chise and Shuji broke up was beginning to have mixed feelings. She couldn't tell him how much she felt for him, even with Chise out of the picture. She couldn't stand being near him…it was too awkward.

"Atsushi is such an idiot. He went off to war for me; how stupid!" Akemi blurted out.

Swak!

"Idiot! Don't ever badmouth Atsushi to me!" Shuji felt a swelling anger. His eyes narrowed onto Akemi, who was beginning to tear up.

"I hate myself for feeling this way! But I'm so scared and confused; I'm scared to death." She was sobbing, trying to keep her voice audible and intelligible between her cries. "Shuji, how am I supposed to feel? My boyfriend...he may get killed over me!"

"Atsushi wants to protect you! He didn't know what the right thing would be. He may have to kill people and he might even get killed...but who is to say he's right or wrong?" Shuji walked off leaving her behind. He knew Atsushi was going to live with his decisions even if it mean his death.

"I bet he's eating like a king in the SDF." Shuji said cold heartedly.

"Yeah! They feed soldiers well don't they?" Akemi joked.

"And Atsushi loves to eat."

Akemi burst into tear agains. Shuji narrowed his brow at her. "Whats the matter now, Akemi?" She only turned to him and clutched herself to him. "I'm hungry - thats all.."

"Dummy"; the only words he could muster up to comfort her.

To make a long story short :

Things were changing - and rapidly. Yukari died trying to to avenge Take. The number of students in school were dwindling and the school was becoming to look more desolate than ever.

That fateful rainy night replayed in Shuji's head that day in school - as did Chise. Both woke up that same morning with a wet dream about that night. Shuji kept hammering himself for an answer as to why he was such a perv. Chise only wondered if she could have Shuji's babies.

Days later Chise found herself on a "date " with Tetsu. The two enjoyed each other's company that day - Testu found Chise near his camp crying on a church's steps that night before. Tetsu felt guilty for doing this to Fuyumi, but heaven knew what she did. It was also the first time Tetsu had to witness the thing Chise had become...and the only left ot save her was a kiss. That night Tetsu and Chise were no different from Fuyumi and Shuji..except..

"Tetsu, is this how love is supposed to feel ?" Chise asked. Her shirt was unbuttoned, with Tetsu on top of her. "No, its not. I can't do this to you." Tetsu protested back, catching himself.

"You could have lied to me. Shuji couldn't lie to me either." Chise started to cry. It was like a relfex now to her. Tetsu couldn't do this. Not betweena girl who could barely fathom the meaning or the complexity of love. She was his commanding officer - a living weapon of mass destruction in the form of a adoloscent high school girl ! He couldn't.

"I'm sorry...I can't." he muttered.

"Its okay...your going to die anyway." Chise said with a blank look in her eyes and a smile on her face. Tetsu gave her a quizzical look.