Entry 10: A Transient Peace
Yzak Joule winced slightly as the bandages were tightened around his arm. The self-appointed nurse, Yamashiro Takane, gave him a rather disappointed look.
"Oh, toughen up, kid," she said. "All that happened to you was getting thrown around in your metal doll. Nothing big."
"Coordinators may be hardier than other humans," Yzak replied, "but even I can't deny that you youkai are tougher still. Even where we're from, we generally don't have to worry about being punched by a fist the size of a restaurant."
"Hey, at least you weren't beaten into the ground by Reimu," Takane stated. "You'd probably have a few more broken bones if you were."
Yzak scoffed. "Yeah, and I have the aforementioned restaurant-sized fist to thank for that," he muttered.
Then, Takane patted his arm. "Alright, you're all good to go," she said. "Try not to reopen your wounds, okay? And send in the next person when you leave."
"Yeah yeah, I hear ya," Yzak responded as he put his shirt back on. As he stepped out of the medbay, he looked to his left and saw one of the Kappa girls with their arm in a sling. He gave a small gesture with his hand, telling the girl to go in, and walked off.
What he failed to notice was that the girl swooned, thinking what he just did was unbelievably cool.
Yzak might have been able to keep up the whole 'aloof, foul mouthed youth' look on the outside, but...
"AHHH!"
"It burns!"
"Oh god, why?!"
Yzak quickly braced himself against the wall, breathing heavily. For the briefest of moments, he was back in the cockpit of the Duel, watching as he burned Heaven to the ground under the influence of Matara Okina.
"Damn it. Pull yourself together, Yzak!" he muttered to himself. "You're stronger than this!"
Outside of the Archangel, which hadn't moved in the days following the Incident, a memorial was set up. It was a small thing, consisting of a sole rock to act as a tombstone, with the name 'Sai Argyle' written on it. Underneath, two other things were written, the first being 'Lieutenant', and the second, 'Ally, Comrade, Friend'.
It was a simple, modest grave, and probably the best they could put together given their current situaion.
In front of the grave, Kagiyama Hina placed a a bouquet of wild flowers. The space around her eyes was still red, and she looked as if she hadn't had a proper night sleep.
From her pocket, she pulled out a small doll; a nagashibina. The same one Sai'd been carrying on him since they first met.
Hina would be lying if she said she didn't feel like this very doll was responsible for starting Sai down the path that led to his death. But, if it wasn't for this single, small thing, they'd have never met in the first place.
What was better? To live, having never met someone who made such an impact in your life, or to lose that person, after they've made said impact? Such a question was beyond Hina's comprehension.
The sound of footsteps and wheels drew her from her thoughts. Turning around, she politely addressed the familiar faces. "Yamato-san, Allster-san."
All things considered, Kira Yamato was looking decently well, despite having been ordered to be wheelchair bound for a few days. Apparently, whatever Okina did to him and Yzak left a lasting impression on his legs, though the doctor said recovery would be relatively quick and easy. Flay, for her part, was by far the least injured, and as such, took up the job of acting nurse alongside others with more minor injuries.
"Hina," Kira spoke first, addressing her softly. "How are you holding up?"
"It's... rough," she answered, "but I'm sure you already knew that."
"It never gets easier," Flay said. "I... still vividly remember when we lost Tolle. Miri was inconsolable for a long time."
Kira hummed in agreement. "I still recall how much rage I felt, not being able to save him. Now, again, I just felt so... powerless."
Hina understood his point. It's always the 'what-if's that hurt the most, after all.
"Hina, what do you plan to do from here on?" Kira asked.
"You can stay onboard, if you wanted to," Flay continued. "Everyone would still welcome you."
Hina, in response, shook her head. "Thank you, but... I'm afraid," she said. "Afraid that is I hang around too permanently, this will just happen again. Besides, I've... still got a job to do as a Pestilence God."
"I see. So, this is goodbye, then?" Flay asked hesitantly.
Again, Hina shook her head. "It's not like I can't visit from time to time. After all, I'm sure everyone here has... more than enough misfortune they'd want taken off their shoulders."
"No kidding," Kira muttered. "Then, I guess we'll see you around."
Giving a polite nod, Hina gave one last look at the grave. "Farewell, Sai. I'm... glad I got to meet you."
With her last parting words, Kagiyama Hina took to the skies, leaving the two alone.
There was a tense silence between the two, until Kira broke it. "We've... not really spoken much since that day, have we?"
"We had a brief exchange when we found you again, but... I don't think we can count it," Flay admitted. "It's... hard to properly address it, huh?"
Kira hummed in agreement. "I couldn't properly help you, Flay," he said sadly. "I..."
"Don't," Flay cut in. "You're trying to apologise for things that aren't your fault again, aren't you?" Kira hesitated, but nodded anyway. "Thought so. You really do have a bad habit of trying to carry the world on your shoulders."
Kira gave a small sigh. "I guess so," he said. "I just... hate feeling so powerless in the face of it all."
"I understand that well," Flay said, "but, you react better in the face of adversity than I do. When you feel helpless, you do everything you can to change that. Me, on the other hand... I used your feelings against you, made you fight until... until you died. I was a rotten person, and if anyone should be asking for forgiveness, it's me."
"Well, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say next, then," Kira said, laughing lightly.
"That you'll forgive me anyway, right?" Flay answered. "Honestly, you have to learn how to hold a grudge. Otherwise, a day will come where you try to spare someone, only for them to shoot you in the back."
"Maybe," Kira admitted, "but if that's how I go out, then at least I'll go as myself."
Flay, for her part, let out a resigned sigh. "Let's just hope Tenshi can reign that part of you in, yeah?"
Kira flinched quite noticeably. "Wh... what are you talking about?" he asked, a very prominent blush on his face. "What does T...Tenshi have to do with this?"
"Kira, come on," Flay said flatly. "It's as obvious as that giant robot that's currently in the lake."
As Kira stuttered around with his words, Flay began to wheel him back to the Archangel. As she did, she looked over her shoulder one last time.
"Sai," she said under her breath, unheard to all. "In your next life, I hope you don't meet someone as twisted as me again."
There was a faint sound of waves as Sai Argyle opened his eyes. Before him was what looked to be a line of festival stalls, promoting both food and games.
"What... Where am I?" he asked. "I... didn't I die?"
He looked down at himself, and noticed that he was no longer wearing his Earth Alliance uniform, and instead wore a plain white yukata of sorts. He placed his hands on his head, to feel for those horns, yet instead found a length of cloth was attached that he couldn't remove.
"Hey, look who it is!" someone with a shockingly familiar voice called out. "Sai! Over here!"
Sai looked around, confused, until he spotted someone waving at him. Someone who, by all accounts, could not possibly be in front of him.
"That's... not possible..." he muttered in disbelief. "Tolle? Tolle Koenig?"
The brown haired boy with green eyes smirked. "Yo," Tolle said. "Didn't think you'd be joining us this soon."
Half an hour later, and the two boys shared storied at on a small bench.
"Aw, man! I missed out on that?" Tolle complained. "Just my luck, dying the same day you guys get sent to a place like Gensokyo."
Sai let out a small sigh, after having shared a general gist of the past month. "Only you would complain about dying like that," he said. Sai took a look around the area briefly. "So, this is it, then?" he asked. "The afterlife is, literally, an after party."
"Nah, this is just the Road of Liminality," Tolle answered. "According to the reaper-lady, this was set up on the border of life and death to help their economy."
Sai gave Tolle a flat look. "Seriously? The living are mingling with the dead because of that?" he asked. "It's official, then; Hell is quite literally economics."
"Yeah, seems that way."
Then, something occurred to Sai. "Say, if you've been dead for well over a month now, and this isn't the end of the line, why are you still here?"
"Paperwork, apparently," Tolle shrugged. "The reaper we've been in contact with the most said that, because we're from a different world/timeline, the paperwork's been an absolute pain."
"Should have figured," Sai said. "Wait, 'we'? Who's 'we'?"
"Oh, right, you wouldn't have met him," Tolle realised. "Apparently, my soul wasn't the only one to get brought over with you guys. He's... ah! There he is." Tolle stood up, and waved. "Hey! Nicol! Over here!"
Through the crowd, a youth with green hair and brown eyes jogged towards them. He was... very young. Younger than just about anyone he had seen related to anything that had happened since Heliopolis.
"There you are, Tolle," Nicol said, sounding a little exhausted. "Please stop running off at the drop of a hat! You know that miss Onozuka could come looking for us at any moment."
"Sorry, sorry!" Tolle apologised. "But can ya blame me when I ran into a familiar face?"
"A familiar face?" Nicol looked at Sai, and something in his expression seemed to click into place. "Ah, then you were also crew on the Legged Ship, then?"
"Archangel, and yes," Sai responded, before holding a hand out. "Sai Argyle. Pleased to actually meet you, Nicol Amalfi. Athrun and Dearka talk quite a bit about you."
"They have?" Nicol asked, surprised. "I'm... kind of happy to hear that. How are they doing, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Last I saw them? Well enough," Sai answered. "I can't say anything about Yzak Joule, however. I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Nicol replied. "Yzak is a remarkably stubborn guy. It'll take a lot to keep him down."
"Nicol and I have kinda just been bonding while we've been holed up here," Tolle explained. "I'd ask you that'd surprise you, but from the sounds of it, you're already buddy-buddy with his friends."
"The first few days were a bit tense, I won't lie," Sai admitted. "Especially since Miri tried to stab Dearka the first time they met."
"Foot in his mouth?" Nicol asked.
"Absolutely."
The three laughed and told stories like this for what felt like hours, until a strange sensation washed over them, like they had just been moved a great distance without going anywhere. The trio looked around, and found themselves sitting in a boat on the shore of a foggy river.
"Sorry to interrupt you kids," the voice of an older woman spoke, "but your wait is finally over."
"Miss Onozuka!" Nicol said, surprised.
"Yo, been a while. And I see you got a plus one," the woman said. She was a tall, red haired person with similarly coloured eyes. He clothing was blue and white, and she carried, surprisingly, a scythe over her shoulder. "Nice to meet ya, kid. Name's Onozuka Komachi, and I'll be your Shinigami for today."
"Sai Argyle, likewise," he responded. "Um, didn't Tolle say there was a lot of paperwork about us being here? Aren't I jumping the cue a bit?"
"Yama's orders," Komachi responded, as she picked up her boat oar. "Said she wanted to get all three of ya done as soon as possible, since she finally got through those all-nighters making sure you and your buddies could being properly taken care of after sifting your mortal coils."
"All...nighters? As in plural?" Sai asked. "For... over a month?"
"Eiki-sama has a very do-or-die work ethic," Komachi said. "Now, let's get you over to Higan, yeah? Hate to waste any more time."
The boat ride was, in a word, unique. Deep in the fog of the Sanzu River, the three could swear they saw things moving around, yet never were they close enough to properly know what they were.
Before long, though, they had arrived at the opposite shore. "Well, kids, ride's over," Komachi said. "Just follow the path of spider-lilies, and you'll reach the Yama."
"Thanks for the lift, Komachi!" Tolle stated. "Anything we should keep in mind when meeting the Yama?"
"Just don't piss her off," Komachi answered. "But then again, unless you're a lazy bum, it'll be remarkably hard to."
"I'll just hope some of the things we did don't come back to bite me," Sai muttered, as he and the others bid Komachi farewell and walked on.
The path was straight and wide, with flowers lining the whole way.
"So, these are spider-lilies," Nicol said, looking closer at the flowers. "This is the first time I've seen them outside of books or the internet."
"That's right, it was one of the many floral species that disappeared before space colonisation was perfected, wasn't it?" Sai mentioned. "All those wars from back then really did a number on how many different kinds of flowers existed."
"It's kinda sad to think about," Tolle commented. "Is it just human nature to destroy things?"
"Considering recent experiences?" Sai said. "I'd say it's the nature of all living things to be at least somewhat destructive. I mean, just look at us now."
"You are implying that Matara Okina is a good representation of gods," a voice said. "I must ask you be careful of that."
The trio looked around, until they spotted a woman dressed in blue, black, and white, with green hair and holding some gold-coloured baton. There was a certain air about this woman; one that screamed of absolutes.
"Welcome to Higan, children of the Cosmic Era. I am Shike Eiki, Yamaxanadu," the woman spoke, voice filled with authority.
"You're... the Yama, miss?" Nicol asked. "It's an honour to meet you."
"A polite one, are you?" Eiki noted. "Good. It's always nice to have well-mannered visitors, even if our meeting is in less than kind circumstances."
"I guess so, huh?" Tolle commented. "So, how does this whole 'judging' thing work? Do we, like, present out cases for going to Heaven or something?"
"When you arrived, your histories were already made apparent to me," Eiki answered. "Know that just because you were soldiers, doesn't mean you're condemned to Hell. That's only if you commit absolute, undistributed war crimes."
"Sounds like we're still not gonna get into Heaven, though," Tolle noted.
"You sure it's because we're soldiers, and not the fact that we literally blew Heaven up like, two weeks ago?" Sai asked.
This caused both Tolle and Nicol to look at him like he'd grown an extra set of eyes. "Um, context? Please?" Nicol asked. "I feel like that's a pretty major thing to have not mentioned until now."
"And it's on his record for all the right reasons," Eiki stated. "Had you done nothing to stop Heaven from falling, you and the rest of your crew would be guilty of negligence."
"Are... are we just glossing over this story?" Tolle asked. "I mean, Sai only told me about some 'big disaster' they barely avoided."
"That is something you'll have to hope you can get answered in the future," Eiki told him. "Your sentence has been decided, and henceforth shall be passed on."
The three looked down on themselves, and noticed they were starting to fade away. "What... what's happening?" Tolle shouted.
"Reincarnation," Shiki Eiki answered calmly. "Your souls are being sent back into the cycle of life and death, simple as that. As a small gift, your memories up until this very point will remain."
"Then, what are the odds we'll meet each other again?" Nicol asked. "Even if we retain our memories, the odds are a bit..."
"Irrelevant," Eiki cut in. "If there is just one thing I can say for certain about human spirit, it's that it's more than capable of defying the odds. So long as you hold to the belief that you'll meet again, and do all you can to make it happen, then you shall."
Tolle thought for a moment, then had an idea. "I got it! Then, we just have to remember to always check somewhere!" he exclaimed. "How about this, then? Akihabara, Japan, every Christmas. We go there and try to find each other. How's that sound?"
"Might be a tough call," Sai said. "After all, we might not all be born in Japan. But, even if it's a miracle... I'll bet on it."
"Me too," Nicol said. "If anything, it just means we have to push extra hard if the deck is stacked against us!"
"Hell yeah!" Tolle shouted, then turned to face Eiki. "Miss Yama! Thanks for everything! Can't imagine how much of a headache us getting thrown into your life-death cycle was!"
Eiki, for her part, smiled. "Just do not squander your new lives," she said. "Live life fully, and next time we meet, hopefully in sixty or more years, you'll have some new stories to tell."
With one final wave, the trio from the Cosmic Era dissipated in particles of spiritual energy, leaving as if they were never there in the first place.
The human village was, at present, bustling with movement. Now that the snow had fully melted, and spring had truly returned to Gensokyo, life was finally getting back to normal.
On this particular day, Hakurei Reimu and Kirisame Marisa could be found walking through the streets.
"Man, things are really starting to pick back up, huh?" Marisa said. "Guess that guy really had it in him."
"Much as I hate giving an Outsider credit, he really did," Reimu responded.
"What'd you do with Okina, anyway? Can't imagine you'd just let her back out into the wild like a caught moth."
"We have her tied up back at the shrine," Reimu said. "Suika's watching over her."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Marisa asked, then thought about it a moment longer. "Actually, never mind, Suika will probably drive her mad."
"That's the plan, anyway," Reimu said.
"So, what are we doing today, anyway?" Marisa asked. "So far we've just been wandering around."
"For the most part, it's a general patrol," Reimu answered. "Personally, though, I want to check up on Kosuzu-chan. I've been hearing... things, let's say, that have me just a little concerned."
"You mean the Outsider that's been visiting Suzunaan almost daily?" Marisa said. "Pretty much guaranteed to be one of those guys from the big ship. What was it that guy called it? Archangel?"
"It's a rather pretentious name, isn't it?" Reimu said. "Part of what I can't stand about them."
Marisa didn't comment further, as they continued walking. 'She's... still so cold about it,' Marisa thought. 'Three years, and I guess she's still trying to act like it was nothing but another job.'
When they finally arrive at Suzunaan, they immediately noticed there was... a whole lot of activity going on. More than you'd expect from a book-rental place. Above the shop, two Tengu, Himekaidou Hatate and Shameimaru Aya, could be seen butting heads and arguing about some journalist stuff that neither Reimu or Marisa cared much about. The two Tengu were also being watched by several low level fairies and youkai, primarily from the idiot clique known as Team Nine. Again, just another thing for them to not really care about, since even those idiots knew better than to cause trouble for the humans in the village.
What did strike them as 'new', however, was the multitude of different voiced coming from inside. Almost all of them were unfamiliar, yet at the very least, the sort of urgency they seemed to carry wasn't directed in any hostile way.
"Wonder what's going on?" Marisa asked. "Suzunaan doesn't usually get this many visitors all at once."
Reimu didn't voice a response, and instead walked straight in, where she saw... quite the crowd of people, about five of them, not counting Kosuzu herself, all wearing odd uniforms. Some were in white and blue, while one very familiar face was in black and red.
"Reincarnates every 100 to 150 years?" a tall, blonde haired man that Reimu recognised asked. "And a lifespan of only 30 years? That's just BS."
"That's just the curse of the Hieda family, Mu-san," Kosuzu said to him. "It really is an unfortunate thing, but nothing we can do anything about."
"That's defeatist talk, that is," Mu La Flaga stated. "Athrun, Miri, how are things looking on your ends?"
"Still drawing blacks, Lieutenant," Miriallia responded. "This big book of diseases we found is only tell us so much. The cause of death could be just about anything if it's illness."
"Perhaps we're barking up the wrong tree," Athrun Zala said. "Captain Ramius, Lieutenant Badgiruel, how are things looking on your end?"
"Worse luck, I'd say," Natarle replied. "These books are positively ancient by our standards. All the medical information couldn't be more outdated unless it was written by the Romans."
"I'm thinking our best odds would be to get her on the ship and into our scanners," Murrue stated, closing the scroll she held. "Our databases might have better luck in finding our answer."
Marisa, thoroughly confused, chose to speak up now. "Um, what's happening here?"
There was a pungent silence as the occupants of Suzunaan finally took notice of the two. It was very obvious that more than half the people present were not happy to see them.
"Hakurei," Athrun stated plainly, "Kirisame. Been a bit."
"Sup, kid," Marisa greeted tersely. "Still bitter, I guess?"
"No shit there," Miri cursed under her breath.
"N...now now!" Kosuzu said loudly. "Let's just... keep this civil. Please?"
Murrue, for what it was worth, cleared her throat. "Right. We'll remain calm," she said. "As long as we're under a friends roof, we'll make sure of it. I trust you two will do the same?"
"The feeling's mutual," Reimu stated. "Now, how about you answer the question? What are Outsiders like yourselves doing here? Searching for Youma Books, perhaps?"
"Too far out of our pay-grade, Red," Mu waved off. "We're hear because, and I kid you not, we heard from Athrun who heard from Kosuzu about the Hieda family trait of dying at around thiry, and that one miss Hieda no Akyuu is coming up to that age. Thus, we're here to see if we can't find any medical explanation and if we can prevent that imminent death. You know, standard Good Samaritan stuff."
"You intend to try and break the cycle of the Child of Miare?" Reimu asked in utter disbelief. "Kosuzu, you should know better than to trust the empty promises of Outsiders."
"'Never say Never'," Mu stated. "That's one of the many mottos we of the Archangel work under."
"I thought it was 'Never say Die'?" Murrue asked.
"That too," Mu answered. "We have a lot of mottoes on the ship."
"Can never trust people with too many mottoes," Reimu muttered. "So, what? You really think you, of all people, can break a 1200 year long cycle? When you couldn't even protect..."
Reimu didn't even have the chance to finish her sentence, before she felt the blade of a knife stop a millimetre from her neck. That Miriallia girl had, at some point in the span of a few seconds, closed the (admittedly short) distance between them and drawn her weapon, and the only reason it wasn't skin deep was because Athrun had closed a greater distance in less time, and grabbed her wrist to prevent the blade from moving any closer.
What caught her off guard the most, however, was how there wasn't a single tremble in either of them; not in Miriallia's hand, nor in Athrun's. This alone told her one very important thing; that to a certain degree, this was planned.
"You... don't get to say stuff like that," Miri said, venom permeating her voice. "Because of you, I lost one of my oldest friends, and if it wasn't for Athrun here, I'd have lost two. But, I'm not going to stop. Sai wouldn't want me to give up on helping others."
"Just because you think it's impossible, doesn't mean that it is," Natarle spoke up, not looking away from her book. "It only means that you gave up, Hakurei Reimu."
Athrun release Miri's hand, and she took the knife away from Reimu's neck. Reimu, for the first time in a while, let out a shaky breath as Miri walked away.
"Do you understand us now?" Athrun asked. "We make a point of looking out for people. Isn't that what being human is all about?" Reimu looked away, attempting to pretend she didn't care. "Tell me, Hakurei Reimu, when did you decide closing your heart off was the right call to make?"
Reimu looked at him in both surprise and distain. "What are you on about?"
"Kirisame told me," he answered. "About how you were close to an Outsider once."
Reimu shot a rather hostile glare at Marisa, who backed away sheepishly and hid behind Kosuzu. "Hey, I just thought it'd deter him, okay?"
"Well, you screwed that on up royally," Mu commented.
Everyone shot a glare at Mu, who proceeded to shut his mouth for the near future.
"How about we take this to the back?" Kosuzu said. "Talk this out over tea, yeah?"
The quartet of Athrun, Kosuzu, Reimu, and Marisa, all found themselves sat at a rather round small table, with a cup of in front of each of them.
"So, you know about one of my poor choices from the past," Reimu started plainly. "What of it? Think you can just lord it over me like you're better?"
Athrun shook his head. "I'd be hypocritical to do that," he said. "And besides, I can see it in your eyes."
"See what?"
Athrun leaned closer, arms crossed. "That you haven't properly mourned him," he said definitively. "I know that pain you're keeping hidden. That hatred for a cruel, unjust world, where there is no one absolutely guilty party."
Reimu seemed to hesitate, showing signs of shock. "Wh... what the hell makes you think you know me?" she asked, voice shaking.
"Because I've been there," he answered. "I've felt that pain. I've lashed out at the wrong people, and I've paid the price for it in blood. The pain was unbearable, and if it wasn't for Kosuzu and the folks at Myouren, I probably wouldn't be here today."
"Oi, you're really running your mouth, ain't ya?" Marisa asked. "Just 'cause something worked for you, doesn't mean it'll..."
"How..." Reimu spoke in a surprisingly soft voice. "How did you... cope with it?"
The moment Reimu looked up, everyone was surprised by the slight, yet noticeable change in her demeanour. Gone was the cold, hardened stare, and in its place was just... a sad expression. Something entirely more human-like.
"Reimu-san..." Kosuzu muttered quietly. "Marisa-san, perhaps we should..."
"I hear ya, Kosuzu," Marisa whispered back. "We'll step outside for a bit. Just... keep it peaceful, yeah?"
Then, there was only the two in red. "I won't lie to you, Reimu," Athrun said softly. "It's not a quick path. There are still nights I wake in a cold sweat, even though so many things have worked out for the best. I won't lie; for you, it'll probably remain bad."
"I don't care!" Reimu shouted. This was, to Athrun's surprise, the most raw emotion he had seen from her yet. "I just... I just want this pain to stop. I'm tired of it... tired of constantly hurting about it."
Athrun nodded. "Then, tell me about him," he said. "Start by telling his story, and go from there."
Reimu looked down briefly. "Alright," she said. "Then, here it is; his story..."
"Marisa and I first met him three years ago, roughly a month before the Scarlet Mist Incident. Marisa and I were both around 14 at the time, and we're pretty sure he was around 17.
He was... badly injured. By what, we weren't sure. He nursed him back to health over a few weeks, and before long, he just... became one of the people that lived at the shrine.
He... he was a very angry person. He never directed it an anyone, really, but whenever he thought no one was around, he'd find some quiet area near the shrine and just... yell. Sometimes even punch the trees. Heh. I can still remember each time I had to bandage his knuckles up for it.
When the Scarlet Mist Incident rolled around, he tried to join me and Marisa in solving it. Of course, he could neither fly nor use magic, so we just told him to wait at the shrine for us. Of course, by the time we were done, we found him on the path to the Scarlet Devil Mansion within an inch of his life. A youkai had gotten to him, though which one, we weren't sure.
We tried telling him what a stupid idea what he did was, but... he didn't want to hear any of it. He said he was... tired of people going into battle. I just... I don't know. The way he said it, with that sad look in his eyes... He looked like a crimson eyed, black haired dog waiting at a train station for a master that was never coming back.
I was more of an optimist back them. Naive, maybe. I thought I could help him heal those wounds on his heart.
This all too place in the summer of that year. By the time winter rolled around, the next Incident, the Spring Snow Incident, we... had a repeat of what had happened. Marisa and I, joined by Izayoi Sakuya, went out to solve it, and he tried to follow. This time, we found him shivering by the lakeside.
After that... I don't know. It just felt like we got closer. He smiled more often, cracked the most horribly weak jokes, and was just... gentler. He'd still go out back to yell, but when he came back, it was like he was a different person.
I... honestly fell for that smile of his. It was like the sun after a long, cold night.
The third Incident of the year, the Endless Night Incident, came around, and things took a drastic turn for the worse.
While Yukari and I were out trying to solve the Incident, he... made a deal with someone, and traded his humanity for power. A part of me wonders if this is another thing that we could attribute to Okina, honestly.
Regardless, after we solved the Incident, I headed back to the shrine, and... what was waiting for me there was him in name alone.
He had beaten Marisa within an inch of her life, and when I arrived, he... immediately tried to kill me. I'm sure Marisa's mentioned the scars I got from that battle; along my left arm, up to the elbow, all up my right leg, and the centre of my chest. Sometimes... I still feel like those wounds are just going to open up again.
Worst of all, though, I still remember the feeling... of my hand going through his chest and tearing his heart out. It... it was..."
A small sob broke through Reimu's story. Athrun reached out and gently grasped Reimu's left hand. The slight movement of her sleeve revealed the very slightest hints of the scars she bore. The first thing that came to his mind was the thought that she had been ravaged by wolves.
"It must have been hard," he said kindly, "carrying that burden."
"Marisa was... the only one that really understood," Reimu responded. "Yukari, Suika, Alice... they treated the situation as just another day. Having only one person to really rely on... it just wasn't enough..."
Athrun understood what she meant well. At the beginning, he had opened up to both Kosuzu and Mamizou, but he didn't stop there; afterwards, he had spoken to Byakuren and the rest, seeking additional guidance.
Combating grief wasn't a straightforward affair. The first time he confided in others was cathartic, sure, but it wasn't enough. You don't get over something as big as the death of a loved one just by telling one or two people. Dealing with it was a war, and wars aren't won by one or two people.
"If you don't mind me asking," he continued, "would you mind telling me his name?"
Reimu looked up, tears in her eyes, and nodded slowly. "His name... it was..."
"Shinn!" someone called out desperately, as explosions echoed all around. "Shinn, please! Wake up!"
Shinn Asuka's eye quickly snapped open, and he began to cough violently. How long had he been unconscious? Seconds? Minutes, maybe? Regardless of how long it actually was, the look on the face of the purple-eyed girl looking at him was more than enough to tell him that it was too long.
"M... Mayu?" he coughed out, voice rough. "I'm... I'm still alive." Slowly, the tried to get back on his feet. Mayu Asuka, Shinn's younger sister, quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
"Hurry up!" she shouted. "We have to get to the shelter, now!"
Shinn staggered to his feet, gripping his head with his free hand as they ran. A faint sticky feeling told him immediately that he'd gotten a wound, either from what knocked him over or when he hit the ground.
A faint tingle on the back of his neck told him of an oncoming danger, and grabbing his sister, he dived out of the way as a 76mm round crashed into the ground where they once were.
Getting back on his feet, Shinn looked up at the smoke-filled sky in fear. Through the skies of Orb flew a multitude of different Mobile Suits. Some, he recognised as ZAFT models, yet among them were slimmer models that he'd never seen before, with more blocky limbs compared to the GINNs they flew around with onboard the Guul support crafts. Their weaponry was a horrid mismatch of beams and bullets, the GINNs were equipped with non-standard shields, and the blocky ones were using the swords that GINNs usually had on hand for close quarters.
It seemed almost as if the people attacking them right now only had passing knowledge of Mobile Suits.
"Hey! You two kids!" someone called out. "Shelter's this way! Hurry!"
Feeling a rush of both hope and adrenaline course through his veins, Shinn quickly picked Mayu up, and ran as fast as he could. It became increasingly apparent that the enemy, whoever they were, wasn't exactly aiming at people, so much as firing blindly and hoping they hit.
Finally getting through the door, the man who called out to them pulled it shut, and set the heavy locks.
Shinn had a brief look around, and was suitably horrified. "Is this... everyone?"
Including himself, Mayu, and the man, there was only ten people in this shelter. Outside of those three, only one other person wasn't seriously injured.
"Afraid so," the man said. "There were a few more of us, but... they didn't make it. What about your family? Are they..."
Shinn shook his head sadly. "They... got caught in a building collapse... saving my sister."
"I... I'm sorry," the man apologised. "It's... damn it!" He punched the nearest wall in anger. "What the hell is happening? Why is ZAFT attacking us?"
Shinn gently guided his sister through the small group and sat down, next to a blonde haired girl not much older than him.
"You holding up alright, buddy?" the girl asked.
"Barely," he answered. "This... all just came out of nowhere."
"No kidding," the girl gave a dry, boyish laugh. "I mean, why the hell are Alliance MS' fighting alongside ZAFT ones?"
"Alliance suits?" Shinn asked. "You mean, those blocky blue and white ones?"
"Yeah. Called Strike Daggers, according to some of the documents my dad was willing to share," she answered. "Name's Cagalli, by the way."
"Shinn, and this is Mayu," he answered. "Is... your dad someone high in Orb's government?"
"The top, unfortunately," Cagalli sighed. "And I can never understand why he does the thing he does."
"The top... you mean, your father's Uzumi Nara Athha?" Mayu asked in surprise.
"Surprised?" she laughed. "Bet you never expect the 'Princess of Orb' to be in some random bunker wearing nothing but a tank-top and cargo pants, huh?"
Shinn tried to laugh along, but a splitting headache caused him to writhe in pain.
"Hey, kid!" Cagalli called out.
"Shinn!" Mayu followed up.
Shinn let out small groans of pain. "My... my head..." he muttered, as scenes of a life not led flashed in his eyes.
"Come on, you've got to calm down," an unfamiliar girl with black hair said. "There's nothing wrong with leaning on others for help, you know."
"What? You want to help us?" a blonde haired girl in black and white asked. "Thanks, but you don't know how to fly, right? You'd only be in more danger if you came."
"I said I'd protect you..." his own voice said, filled with remourse. "I'm sorry... AHHH! STELLA!"
"Stop this!" the black haired girl from before pleaded. "This... this isn't you, Shinn!"
"... Me... Kill..." his voice, now strained and in a lot of pain, said. "Kill... me... REIMU!"
"Shinn!"
"Shinn!" Mayu's voice echoed.
Shinn snapped back to reality, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from his face. "I... I'm alright..." he said weakly.
"Another one of those headaches?" his sister asked, to which he nodded.
"'Another'?" Cagalli asked. "You mean, you have those on the regular?"
"Kind of," Shinn responded weakly. "They've been... happening ever since the destruction of Junius Seven last year. It's like... flashes from two lives I've never lived. One where I'm a ZAFT pilot, and the other... I can't even make sense of it."
"Memories of a past life?" Cagalli muttered. "That sounds like..."
A loud rubble echoed from above. Debris began to fall from the roof, and a sinking feeling found its way into Cagalli's stomach.
"Shit! Hit the deck!" she yelled, as the roof caved in.
A/N:
Well, that was a freaking roller-coaster, wasn't it? All trauma, building bonds, and sudden tragedy on another cliffhanger.
Many of you will probably already piece it together, so I'll just say it: Shinn is the guy in Reimu's story.
I'll be honest, after writing that whole paragraph, I've sold myself on the idea of doing a prequel to flesh it out. Probably after I've finished this story up, I think.
I just hope the whole 'hidden, softer, emotional Reimu' worked out. It's quite the change from what she was like in the previous chapters.
Well, we've finished one arc. For those of you marathoning (marathonning? Is that with two n's? I dunno) this after it's already been finished, let this be your designated break point.
As for me, I press on.
