Hello again! Sorry for yet another long delay with the update. I didn't have as much time to write until recently, so yeah...

Spirit of the Sky

Chapter 30 - Internal Conflict

The pink smoke had started clearing away and the number of enemies left for Blood and the small troop they had to handle was down to only a few people left.

Gil snuck up behind one before he pushed his spear through the enemy soldier's chest and threw his body to the side. Another soldier snuck up behind him for vengeance, but the dark brunette was calm as moments later the soldier was taken out by a single shot from the vice-captain. When he turned to the side, Nana had just sent the remaining couple of soldiers flying to the other side of the forest and ended the chaotic battle.

The team members gathered in the middle of the battlefield to check the aftermath of the battle. There were a couple of casualties on their end, which was unfortunate, with another member of Blood being missing from the small briefing.

"Where is Hiro?" Ciel asked before looking around as she was the first one to notice that the brunette was missing. She quickly reached for her radio as she watched the troop members attending to their injuries, "Private Bourgogne, can you contact Private Kamui?"

"I can't through to him. It seems like he has turned his radio off," Fran responded from the other side of the radio. "I can still detect him on my radar, so I can lead the team to his position."

"In a moment," Ciel shifted her focus into the troop members she was leading before looking at Gil and Nana. "We have to lead the team back to camp before heading out to Hiro's position. Can I ask you to help with carrying–"

"Don't worry about us. Just go and fetch him before he gets into trouble," Gil cut her off with a smile. "If the captain's rep is bad, then all of us are branded to be the bad guys in front of General Moustache."

The vice-captain could hear snickers and giggles behind her as the dark brunette casually addressed their superior officer with a rude nickname. She would scold him under normal conditions, but she knew that there were other pressing matters she had to address first. That would be catching up to the team's sole missing member and taking the troop members back to camp.

Nana walked towards her and gently patted her shoulders, "It's okay, we'll be fine on our own. If Hiro needs anyone to help the most, it would be from the vice-captain herself."

It wasn't like Ciel didn't trust the two, but it was more like she was worried if something ever happened to them. Hiro was important to her and so were Gil and Nana, so she wouldn't want anything bad to happen to any of them. But when she looked back at the two, she felt that she could trust their skills to take care of things in her place as there were a lot of them while Hiro was on his own.

The vice-captain nodded and took her rifle with her, "Please take care of them and provide us with backup once you've escorted them back safely."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Gil and Nana saluted in unison before they left for the camp while Ciel continued her communication with Fran on the radio.

"Fran, please lead me to Hiro's location," the vice-captain told the operator as she started moving.

"Right," Fran responded through the radio. "Keep moving north through the forest for now."

There was a desire to rise up and end all conflicts from above as the king. To lead was his destiny and whom he had to lead would be his people. Mortal attachment to others was not necessary in order for him to lead his people. Emotions had no place in the world of order because emotions only bred into hatred and grief.

He couldn't see anything but an obstruction to the union of all nations standing in front of him. Sacrifices were necessary to build a new nation on top of it and the people would never be controlled by emotions that could lead them into another war. Never again would humans hate each other as long as he was in command.

He couldn't understand why. The former captain was fine the other day even though he was getting a little more distant since Romeo's death. He could understand if he wanted some time alone after losing their comrade to the enemy, but he couldn't understand Julius' decision to quit Blood and join forces with the enemies they were supposed to fight.

Julius had become a traitor, but he couldn't lift up his sword to strike him down. Even if the former captain standing in front of him was ready to end his life without a moment of hesitation.

"I… I don't want to fight you, Julius…" Hiro was looking at Julius in fear. "I'm fine with some friendly spars, but not like this!"

The brunette was hesitant when he put his hands on his sword, still hoping that seeing a friend on the opposing side was simply just a silly nightmare. Knowing the nature of the war, he was sure that the kind of fight they had would end up with at least one of them losing their life. He didn't want to die either and he didn't want to kill and lose another comrade as well.

Hiro could admit that he initially wasn't too fond of Julius because of his jealousy. The blond came from a well-known family and had a high rank in the military mostly because of his skills. He was good at basically everything from office work to practical combat and he was a brilliant strategist. He was a charismatic leader that most members of the military regardless of their rank respected. It was the level Hiro had never been able to reach no matter how much he tried.

He never once felt that he hated the former captain for it. If anything, he was thankful to him for allowing the former captain to become his mentor. He was grateful that he had someone with a lot more skills on his side so that he had some target to reach or even surpass with his training. His competitive side combined with the former captain's skill made him grow into a better soldier, even if he was still a nobody compared to Julius.

The brunette could try and fight him there, right in the middle of the battlefield. Both of them could draw their swords and fight like they were training but with real swords instead of wooden ones. He had lost count of the times he challenged the former captain for a duel with the training as an excuse and he ended up losing in all of those duels. He had never got the upper hand against Julius, not even once.

But he chose to back down, he was sure that he would encounter Julius again as long as the war continued. He didn't want his friends to see Julius in that state and he only wished that he could talk to him before bringing him back to their side as an ally. It was probably futile seeing as his eyes were lifeless and his presence felt less and less like Julius.

"Julius!" Hiro desperately called out to his former captain. "You know how Romeo died back then! Why did you decide to side with our friend's killers?"

Julius didn't answer and instead walked closer and closer to Hiro with his sword in hand. His blade was still pointed at the brunette's throat as he walked closer and closer. He stopped once the tip of his blade was only inches away from touching Hiro's throat. His eyes and face held no emotions anymore, leaving his body as a walking empty shell rather than an actual person.

Hiro was left with no other choice. With a heavy heart, he unsheathed his own sword before crossing it with Julius'. He looked at him in the eyes as the final shred of hope for the former captain's return to his old self vanished in the growing atmosphere of war. If a sword fight was something that would bring Julius back, he would have to try his very best.

The brunette yelled his fighting spirit at the top of his lungs as both swords collided with a loud clanging sound that echoed throughout the forest they were in.

"Gah!"

Hiro landed with a loud thud on the sandy ground below him, shortly before the wooden sword he wielded fell next to him. When he looked up, he was suddenly greeted by the end of another wooden sword. He closed his eyes as he braced for impact on his face, but the hit never came in the end.

The brunette opened an eye and saw the wooden sword from before, which was wielded by none other than the blond captain.

"Your stance is too stiff, Cadet," Julius told him as he was checking the wooden sword he was using. "Your control over your own weapon is severely lacking, so the pointless extra strength is wasted on a swing that's not going to hit anything but air."

Hiro let out an annoyed sigh as he grabbed the wooden sword he had dropped before getting back to his feet, "Fine, fine. I'm trying too, so you can stop dodging all the time and let me hit you at once!"

"If you can ask the enemy to take all the readable hits then there is no point in close combat training at all," Julius responded before knocking Hiro's sword unexpectedly and causing the brunette to drop it. "If you can't even hold your sword properly then suffice to say that you won't be able to survive long in the harsh condition of the battlefield."

Saying that he didn't want him on the team would be better rather than slapping nonsense on his face.

"Watch me!"

Hiro saw an opening on the captain and quickly charged for an easy stab on his neck, only for the captain to dodge to the side easily. The brunette was getting off-balance as his weight was mostly on the front where his sword was, making him an easy target for Julius to trip him. He once again landed on the ground below before the shadow of Julius' sword loomed over his head.

"Before you think about getting better in practical applications of close-range combat, you should start with listening to your seniors," Julius scolded him before poking him on the head with his sword. "Class and regular training are nothing when compared to experience, so you'd better start off by respecting those above your rank."

The brunette refused to respond and didn't move from the spot he had landed. His hands curled into fists before slamming them into the ground as the captain started walking away from him. He felt that the captain was looking down on him just because he had more experience when they weren't that different in age. He wished that he would get promoted soon and get into the rank above Julius so he could return the favor.

Hiro let out another sigh as he turned to the side and expected the vice-captain, who had been present to observe the match, to come over and tend his wounds. He was disappointed to see that not only she didn't bother looking at him, but she had also just left without another word after she was finished with the report she was working on.

He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked around, seeing that he was the only one left in the training area. Gil wasn't interested in watching them at all while Romeo was stuck with Nana as she was caught sneaking out food from the cafeteria once more. The brunette was the only one being stuck with their team leaders and he was now alone after they also left him behind to clean up the mess after the training.

He never liked cleaning up after training even after he had been told to do so every time he lost the duel against Julius. He just had to get to the rank above the captain fast and get him to do all the chores instead.

The day would definitely come soon. He had to make sure of it.

Hiro had to duck down before Julius cut behead him with a powerful swing, letting the former captain's attack hit the tree behind him instead. He watched as a few strands of brown hair fell soon after before he had to roll to the side as Julius' sword was coming for him once more. He brought his sword upwards when the former captain's sword changed its course after he dodged, clanging the two sharp metals in the middle.

The brunette held onto the stance for a moment longer as he was trying to make Julius focus on the clashing swords. When he felt that the time was right, he let Julius' strength overpower him to gain momentum and roll to the side before attempting to trip him with a sweep. The attempt almost succeeded, but Julius skillfully juggled his sword to his left hand so that his right hand could prevent him from falling. He countered with a spinning kick before swinging his sword across his chest, creating a wide gash.

Hiro held his wounded chest, but the thickness of his uniform had absorbed most of the damage that it only left him with a small scar across his chest. His fatigue was starting to catch up, though he assumed that it was mostly because of his wasted attacks as pointed out in the past by the person standing in front of him. They had been fighting and moving through the forest for a while and the air was definitely not getting any cleaner.

The sounds of the bombing were getting closer and closer as they were approaching the site where the big battle between the two armies took place. The smoke from the fire caused by burning arrows being shot from either side mixed with the smoke from the shots being fired was getting thicker and thicker. The spirit of people fighting for their countries had been drowned by the feeling of hate for the opposition.

Another sound of the bomb was heard nearby and the first thing Hiro did was to grab Julius before a few off-course burning projectiles rained down on them. The brunette saw that the forest was burning because of the fire arrows and it was quickly spreading to reach both him and Julius. He wanted to make sure that both of them made it out safely regardless of their current position in the army.

The attempt, however, was quickly stopped when he felt a sharp pain on the side of his abdomen.

Hiro looked down and saw that the side of his uniform was drenched in his own blood. The shine of his opponent's blade had pierced through the armor he had under the uniform as its blood-covered tip was visible. He winced in pain as he forced the blade out from the side of his stomach before elbowing Julius to regain a better distance to recover.

He clutched his wounded side with his free hand as he looked back at Julius, who was ready to land another strike on him. The former captain had taken quite a few beatings from him, but the brunette was holding back the entire time so that he could still bring Julius back alive. His job as a soldier was to protect people and that included the former captain, even if he was supposed to be the country's traitor by now.

The brunette coughed as the smoke was starting to become a hindrance and that he had to end the battle sooner or later. The battle had to end, but both of them had to come out alive without caring about the end result. He didn't care anymore if he had to lose the battle against him once more if it meant that he didn't have to bring back his corpse.

The former captain let out a yell and charged toward Hiro, who blocked the blade with his own. The brunette's strength was fading from the loss of blood and lack of clean air to breathe, but he had to stay strong. He had to get through to Julius and convince him to return to Blood with him and fight together for their country and to honor Romeo.

"Please, Julius…" Hiro pleaded as he was slowly being pushed back. "Snap out of this… and come back with me…"

A loud smack echoed throughout the empty training area as Julius' final swing was able to knock Hiro's wooden sword off his hand. The brunette was quick to respond by grabbing the captain's wrist before putting it behind him, but Julius still had another free hand for him to grab the brunette in return. The unexpecting brunette couldn't react fast enough when Julius suddenly grabbed his neck from behind and put his wooden sword in front of his neck in a threatening manner.

Hiro couldn't move as the captain's grip on him was too strong and sighed in defeat, feeling that he had just lost another match.

"Damn, that was so close!" the brunette complained as the captain released him from his headlock. "I could've won that one!"

The captain put his sword on his side before turning to Hiro, "Your reaction needs some more improvement. It's better than our previous matches though, and I can see that you're not strictly reliant on your weapon."

"Yeah, I think I've heard something like that in class and I just have to try it out in action," the brunette responded proudly for a moment until the reality of him losing again struck back. "I still lost that one though. There's no changing that now but I have to change that in the future."

The captain let out a chuckle before he offered the brunette a hand, "Let me take care of that. You should return to your dorm soon to get some rest."

"Huh?" Hiro was a little puzzled, though he handed his wooden sword to him. "O-Oh, I'm not supposed to take care of cleaning up like usual?"

"No. not this time," the captain responded as the smile disappeared from his face. "Your training as a cadet is nearing its end, so it's best to get plenty of rest before you move on to the advanced training. You won't get as much free time as you have now."

The brunette wasn't sure what caused the captain's change of heart towards him. He also felt that he wasn't being as hostile as he used to be towards the captain, but partially because he didn't want him to suddenly tell everyone that he wasn't so good with water. It was embarrassing enough for Ciel to figure out already and he definitely didn't need anyone else knowing his weakness.

"Let me ask you a question if you don't mind," Julius suddenly spoke as they started walking out of the training area. "Because the loss of lives in a war is inevitable, what would you do if you happen to lose a comrade?"

The brunette turned to the captain, still wondering why he suddenly asked a weird but still logical question, before answering, "Well, I am training to be able to fight and protect anyone. I don't care if it's normal and I'll make sure that everyone makes it back safely. Besides, I have competent team leaders like you and Vice-Captain Alencon!"

Hiro had to admit that the captain was competent and his skills were far above his league. He had imagined being in a real battle a few times when they were sparring and he definitely wouldn't be able to make it out alive against him. Julius knew how to act and make split-second decisions and he was probably named team captain because of that.

Julius turned away to look at the path in front before he continued his line of questioning, "What if I was the one to lose his life in battle instead? You would be in a team without a captain to lead and protect you."

"What… are you saying?" Hiro was surprised to hear the question.

The brunette might have seen him as a rival he was trying to catch up with, but he never wanted him to be completely out of the picture. The captain wasn't just there to help him grow and gauge his skills but he was starting to see him as a comrade. It would be hopeless to go against the enemy who had defeated his captain when he couldn't even beat him in any sparring matches, but he would still protect him.

"Sorry, forget that I asked," Julius quickly added before Hiro could answer.

The brunette stopped in his tracks as the captain was still walking ahead of him. Julius didn't look back when the brunette knew that Julius noticed that he had stopped walking. The air between them felt awkward and Hiro felt that the captain had some sort of death wish when he popped that question. It was either that or the captain himself had been put in such a situation before, but the reason didn't matter to him.

He was definitely going to bring everyone back safely, whether they were fellow team members or the team leaders themselves.

His grip on his sword was weakening as he lied down on the dry and burned-down ground of the forest with the sharp tip of Julius' sword in front of his face. Hiro looked up to see the former captain's face, seeing that one of them wasn't going back to the team alive. Or in the worst-case scenario, none of them was going to be able to return.

The brunette's wound wasn't as deep as he thought as it had stopped bleeding, but it was too painful for him to move around freely. Even if he could still move around without pain, he had already lost another match against the former captain. It would probably be the last match they ever had, even though Julius himself wasn't completely aware of it.

Hiro closed his eyes as he had given up hope and only waited for the sword in front of him to end his life.

He waited and waited, but the pain of the blade being stabbed into him never came.

When the brunette reopened his eyes, the sight of the blade was still in front of his face. The blade, however, wasn't pointed steadily at him and it was moving around as if the holder's hand was shaking. He looked past the sword and towards the wielder, seeing that Julius' eyes were back to normal as he was clutching his head.

"J-Julius?"

Hiro called out to him, but it only caused the former captain to yell in pain before dropping his sword.

"N-No… I don't want to…" Julius whispered in pain before falling to his knees. "Not… my friends…!"

"Julius!" the brunette quickly went over to his side as the former captain panted heavily before he forced himself to look at the brunette. "Julius, are you really back to your old self?!"

Julius smiled in response before nodding slowly, "I… I am now… but it's not safe to stay here with me… 'It' will be back soon…"

"What is 'it'?" he questioned the captain, ignoring the rustling sound nearby that the former captain had started noticing. "Tell me what's going on!"

The serious expression returned to Julius' face as he tried getting back to his feet with the help of the brunette. The brunette's attention was on him while the former captain was very cautious of his surroundings. They were in the middle of the battlefield and it was very likely that they weren't on their own.

"... iro… Hiro! Can you hear me?!"

Ciel's voice was suddenly heard from the brunette's radio and prompted him to respond, "Y-Yeah, I'm here! I can hear you loud and clear!"

"Blood is currently heading for your location!" the vice-captain's response surprised him as he turned to Julius, who was looking elsewhere with a serious look. "If you're currently engaging the enemy, try to lure them away as far as possible from the nearest battlefield!"

He wouldn't want them to see their former captain being a traitor even though he wanted to make sure that Julius would come back with him. It was probably not the best time and he didn't even know where Ciel and the others were. He had turned off his radio the moment he spotted Julius in the first place and according to the signal, they were most likely close.

"W-Wait, don't come here!" Hiro quickly told her through the communication radio. "I… uh… I-I'm protecting civilians right now and it's not a good position to counter, so leave everything to me and go back to the camp!"

The brunette hoped that his little lie would be enough to convince her and the team to return, but her response only made things worse for him, "I will come to your side to help regardless of the position. I cannot let you be reckless and lose your life in the process!"

"C-Ciel?!" Hiro was about to respond, but the communication was quickly cut off completely. "Damn it, not now!"

"Now is the time!"

The brunette turned in the direction where a human voice was heard to see someone dressed up as a scientist. He was holding a dagger with his shaky hands while trying to maintain eye contact with the brunette.

"Y-You…! I… I will destroy the final obstacle to my Rachel's ambitions!"

Hiro was too shocked to react as the scientist started running with his eyes shut and the dagger pointed in front of him. He suddenly felt a hand on his arm before a powerful force pulled him back, moments before a splatter of blood made its way onto his face. The brunette landed on the ground with a loud thud, but not before he witnessed a horrifying scene in front of him.

"J-Julius…?"

The former captain shakily turned to face him as blood was pouring out from between his lips before he coughed up more blood.

"It seems like… meeting you here… made me waver… and regret being a traitor… to protect… all of you…"

The brunette's eyes widen in horror after seeing the blood-stained dagger on the former captain's chest and the blood pouring out of the wound. His hands went cold and he dropped his sword.

"JULIUUUSSS!"

Author's note:

Yep, I'm just gonna leave this hanging here.

There are hints of Julius knowing his fate far earlier, though it's more because he's a soldier and there are plenty of chances for him to lose his life on the battlefield. I added bits of flashback of the two sparring and how Hiro grew to eventually respect Julius rather than seeing him as a bitter rival in the end.

Okay, now I can't promise when I'll be back with another update. Hopefully soon because I don't plan on ending the story 2 years after I first published it, though I'm planning on other writing projects as well. Hope I'll have enough time for everything, but thanks for reading for now!