Author Notes: I have managed to complete the new chapter in time for the end of October 2017. I decided that due to it being October that it would be the perfect month to update this story with at least one chapter. This story isn't meant to be scary, but we all know how violent I've made it which works well with the atmosphere of Halloween. Not to mention the Aragami are perfect Halloween monsters. The anime adaptation would have been better off airing in the fall than in the summer.
As I mentioned in the author notes for Chapter 17 of "Into the Fog", my schedule during the first half of 2017 was jam-packed. Afterwards, I took an on-and-off hiatus from writing while still doing it on the side. I'm glad to be writing on a regular basis again. I look forward to producing more chapters in the near future.
This chapter takes place immediately after the conclusion of Chapter Four. Certain parts at the beginning of the chapter were originally meant to be the ending of Chapter Four, but I decided they would work better for being the beginning of the fifth chapter instead. Based on how the story developed, it felt like this was for the better. I also received some advice on handling a certain situation for this chapter from one of my regular readers, TBone511. It gave me time to handle a revision that I think made this chapter work better than it originally would have or at least a little more 'realistic'.
I enjoyed writing the fight scene in the previous chapter, and I look forward to how I will present future fight scenes down the line. I'm glad that the reception to the fight scene was positive. That is encouraging. It certainly helps with producing more fight scenes in later chapters. I have a method when it comes to writing fight scenes, and it appears to be effective based on the reception. I will have to make sure to keep working on it, so I can make fight scenes even better and effective.
As usual, I hope you will all enjoying reading the latest installment of this story, and I hope you will all provide feedback.
/
Past is Prologue
Story Arc One – Surviving in the Wild – Part V
Chapter Five – Destination Fenrir – Part One
/
Our goal is in reach
We have to keep on moving
Or else we will die
/
A simple parking garage. What had once been a place for people to park their cars, so they could go about their business had been turned into a battlefield. Various weapons ranging from knives to swords laid on the ground without an owner to claim them. Warm bullet shells were scattered across the room. Blood soaked the pavement. Lifeless bodies of people who had been alive less than an hour ago littered the ground. It wouldn't be long before this once simple but lively place would reek of the stench of death.
In that parking garage, there were only three people left. Azumi, her brother Yu, and their father Haru, who was unconscious. Their clothes had rips, and they were covered in blood that both belonged and didn't belong to them. It felt as if even a hundred showers wouldn't be enough to cleanse them of this putrid smell. Unfortunately, the smell was not their highest priority.
"Ah huff … Ah huff … Ah huff …" The sounds of heavy breaths could be heard escaping from Azumi's mouth as she slowly made her way across the ruins of the parking garage toward her brother and unconscious father.
Azumi wasn't entirely sure what to do. The bandage Yu placed on her neck was slowly becoming saturated with blood. Yu's work was a patch job that neither expected to last long. It could only slow the inevitable. Azumi honestly wasn't sure if putting pressure on the wound in this case was a good idea since it could cause the bandage to be removed, and she could be in even bigger trouble.
Yu finished putting a bandage on their father's head with their first aid kit when he looked over his shoulder to see Azumi struggling to make her way over to them.
"Sis …" Yu said to Azumi with a hint of dread.
When Azumi was standing a few feet away, she asked, "Is father going to be okay?"
Yu replied, "… He's still alive."
"Phew …" Azumi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "That's good to hear." She could feel herself lean on her spear as she remained standing.
"Sis …" Yu hesitated to ask, "Are you sure you're gonna be okay …?"
"I'll be fine. I … I just need to catch my breath." Azumi knelt down to the ground and attempted to assure her brother, "I should be good to go if I rest a little."
Yu could feel himself bite his lip as he said, "You need to get to a doctor. Do you really think you'll be able to get back?"
Azumi took a breath before answering, "I have to be. I can't afford to wait here for help, and I …" Azumi lightly pinched herself as she told Yu, "I won't make it if we take too long. Besides, didn't you hear what Akihiro said?"
"I … I heard some of it." Yu gritted his teeth as he voiced his disbelief, "I … I can't believe someone would want to do that to you …" He shook his head and angrily raised his voice, "It's their fault this happened! They got themselves killed because they wanted to kill you!"
Azumi shook her head, "That doesn't matter. What matters is that we 'need' to tell the camp that those psychos want all of our heads on pikes."
"…" Yu remained deafly silent.
Azumi repeated, "I said we 'need' to tell them that those psychos want all of our heads on pikes."
"I … I heard you the first time …" Yu cringed at the thought, "I know what we need to do."
"Good …" Azumi put her hand on her shoulder near her bandaged neck as she told Yu, "I hope you also know what you need to do if you get slowed down."
Yu's eyes widened slightly. "Wha … No …" Yu shook his head, "That's not happening!"
"Listen Yu!" Azumi stretched her hand out and put it on Yu's shoulder. He could feel her gripping him, so he would be sure to listen to every word. "We don't exactly have all the time in the world. Either more of those psychos are gonna find us or the Aragami will. If either one happens, you need to be the one that lives. You got that?"
"But … But Sis …" Yu weakly attempted to protest.
"No buts!" Azumi gripped Yu's shoulder harder. "We've already had this discussion before! I don't plan on dying, but if that's the case, then so be it. You need to get out of here and make it to Fenrir. You got that?"
"…" Yu couldn't bring himself to answer.
Azumi lightly shook Yu as she said, "I asked you a question. 'You got that'?"
Yu reluctantly answered, "Yes …"
"Good." Azumi let go of Yu and told him as she continued to look him in the eyes, "I'm holding you to that."
Yu couldn't bring himself to look away as he replied, "You always do."
"In that case," Azumi looked over her shoulder to see Akihiro's sword was still in the last place it was left before she told her brother, "You can take the sword. It belongs to us now."
"You want me to have it?" Yu asked.
"I already got a good weapon," Azumi motioned to her spear before continuing, "You need more than your knives. So go get that sword."
"Ok." Yu nodded before moving back towards Akihiro's corpse and claimed his sword. When he held the sword in his arms, he could feel its weight. If he didn't grip it properly, it would slip from his fingers. He looked over his shoulders to see Azumi was still kneeling next to their father and asked, "Are you sure you want me to have this?"
"Yes." Azumi remarked with a smile, "I can't have all the cool weapons, and I think it would be rather befitting for you." Azumi playfully told her brother, "They say heroes like to use swords."
"Heroes?" Yu asked in an astonished tone.
"Yep." Azumi stated, "Anyway, keep a look out. I need to try and wake up father. We can't stay here much longer."
"Um … right. You got it Sis!" Yu nodded his head as he took Akihiro's sheath and sword belt and put it over his head. He then turned his attention to the entrance to the parking garage that they and the bandits had used to enter. He kept the sword in hand ready to use.
When Azumi looked at Yu concentrating his attention on the door, Azumi softly said to herself, "Thank you …" She then turned her attention to her father and crawled her way to closing the gap between herself and him. She slightly winced as she felt the gravel brush against her clothes and skin, but she kept moving towards him until she could touch him with her outstretched arms.
Azumi touched her father's shoulder and began to lightly shake him. She leaned forward and told him in a hushed sound that even Yu couldn't hear from his position. "Wake up. Wake up father." She shook a little harder when she didn't receive a response right away. "Please wake up. We need to get out of here. More of them are coming."
"…" Haru still lied on the ground motionlessly, but Azumi could still see his back move which proved he was still breathing.
"Please!" Azumi slightly raised her voice in desperation as she sounded like she was begging him. "Wake up!" Azumi's shakes were becoming slightly more aggressive as she continued, "Yu needs you! I need you! We're not going to leave you so please wake up! Come on! I know you can do this! Wake up!"
"Ugh …" Haru finally groaned as he began to stir.
"Ah …" Azumi's mouth went slightly agape upon seeing this.
Azumi could see Haru's eyes struggling to open. She ceased shaking him and pulled her arm away. She waited for Haru's eyes to open on their own. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he could see in this shadowed garage was his daughter Azumi.
"A …" Haru's head remained on the ground as he struggled to speak the first word.
"Father!" Azumi happily exclaimed. Yu turned his body around at the sound of his sister's voice. His face brightened as well.
"A … Azumi …?" Haru groggily spoke.
"It's me." Azumi grabbed her father as he tried to get up. She called out, "Yu! He's awake!"
Haru's eyes were unfocused as he tried to look in Azumi's direction, but his vision was shaken. It looked as if there were two or three Azumis in front of him as he spoke, "Azumi … Are you …?"
Azumi placed her hand on his shoulder as she finished his sentence. "We're fine father. We're all fine. We're all alive. We got to get out of here before more psychos get here."
Haru's eyes remained unfocused as he attempted to inquire, "Psychos …?"
Azumi reminded her father, "We were ambushed. We were fighting them off and you got knocked out."
"Right …" The memories began to flood back to Haru as he nursed his head. He closed his eyes and slightly shook his head to focus. His vision became more focused as he said, "That's right … They wanted to kill you …" Haru's eyes widened upon seeing the blood and bandages on his daughter's neck. "What the hell?!" Haru grabbed Azumi's arm as he exclaimed, "I thought you said you were okay!"
Azumi was slightly taken aback by her father's reaction. "I … I am."
"Like hell!" Haru exclaimed. "You're badly hurt! You might be worse than me!"
"…" Azumi remained silent as her father spoke then decided to speak when she thought she had an opportunity, "I'm still breathing and have my head. That counts as okay."
"Azumi!" Haru began to say, "That is not …!"
Before Haru could finish, Yu came crashing down on him as his son's arms circled around him as he happily shouted, "Father! Father you're awake!"
"Ah …" It took Haru a moment before he slowly returned the hug, "Yes Yu. I'm fine."
"Are you really?" Yu asked.
"I will be." Haru assured Yu before then separating and telling him, "We need to get going. Your sister needs immediate medical attention."
Azumi replied, "Yes and more of those assholes are going to be coming after us. A lot more!"
Yu let go of Haru as he addressed Azumi, "We can talk about it when we get back to camp." Haru stood up as he asked, "Can you walk? Do you need me to carry …?"
"No." Azumi answered before Haru could finish. Azumi stood up and asked, "I can walk fine on my own. Can you?"
"…" Haru took a moment. He felt his body shake slightly before straightening himself out and replying, "I'll manage."
"Good." Azumi turned around and started to make her way to the door. "Now let's get out of here. Also those bigger problems can't wait until we get back to camp."
Haru began to follow his daughter as he asked, "What are the bigger problems?"
Azumi answered, "Before I killed the last psycho," Azumi pointed to Akihiro's fresh corpse, "he told me there were more of them, and they'll want to put everyone's heads on pikes."
Haru's eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks, "Good lord. He said that."
Azumi stopped walking and looked over her shoulder and replied, "Yes."
"I heard it too father." Yu quickly interjected. "Those people are bloodthirsty, and they won't stop until we're all dead."
"…" Haru had no words in response.
Azumi stated, "We need to get out of the city before they find us again or find out what I did to their friends."
"…" Azumi's father remained silent.
Azumi then ordered, "Keep your eyes open. They might have other spies in the area."
Yu replied, "You got it Sis!"
Haru followed his children in silence. As he walked behind them, his eyes had fully readjusted. He could properly see the aftermath of the battle. He could see that blood had been spilt on the floor as if a large box of red wine had been scattered. He could see there was not a spec of life in any of the bodies that were lying on the floor except for the three of them. He could smell the stench of death was starting to overcome this place.
When the Kannagi siblings noticed their father slow down, Azumi and Yu briefly looked over their shoulders. Azumi could feel her heart sink upon seeing Haru's reaction, but she could also feel something else beginning to fester inside her. She could feel her teeth grit against the other. Her fingers on her right hand slowly curled up and she felt her fingernails begin to dig into her skin. It wasn't enough to draw blood, but they were about to leave a temporary indentation.
Azumi's father was completely oblivious to the tension building from within her. However, the narrow eyes of Azumi did not go unnoticed by Yu. He said out loud for both of them to hear. "We really should get out of here!" That was enough for both sets of eyes to be drawn on him. "It's only a matter of time before their friends come looking. If we stick around long enough, we might also attract the attention of an Aragami."
"He's right." Azumi moved her head to face the exit. "We need to go."
Haru nodded his head, "Right."
/
Even after making it out of the clutches of death from the ambush, it did not mean they were out of the woods yet. They still needed to make it back to camp which was quickly proving not to be easy. When they were about halfway to camp, they could hear the loud footsteps that could cause the ground to shake which meant only one thing.
The trio stopped in their tracks when they say a few pebbles in the ground jump up. Their ears perked up to listen to the sounds. It sounded like it was still a distance, but they listened for three steps. After listening to three, the sounds were getting louder which caused the hairs on the back of their heads to stand up.
"Damn it!" Azumi cursed and gritted her teeth.
Azumi and her family saw to their right there was a building that appeared sturdy enough for them to take shelter in. However, the deterioration of the building would allow anyone outside to have a good view, but they lacked better options. They would need to remain on their knees to stay undetected.
Two minutes later, they saw the creature for themselves. It was a lone Oregtail. An Aragami that apparently was separated from its pack. While it was normal to see them travel and hunt in packs, it wasn't unusual to see them alone either. However, it didn't matter if it was alone. They had no weapons to fight it, and they have all seen how dangerous one could be. Azumi could feel the sweet beginning to build above her eyebrows that slowly began to crawl down her face.
'Thump!' 'Thump!' 'Thump!' 'Thump!'
In their present state, if that thing spotted them, it would be Game Over. As the creature passed by their position, they did not even whisper to each other. They barely moved an inch. It was as if they had been petrified. They could not bring themselves to let out a sigh of relief after it passed them. However, they could feel their heart rates ease up with each step it took away from them. When it was a fair distance away, the wind suddenly picked up again and the Aragami stopped in its tracks. The trio could feel their heartbeats racing again.
'Thump!' 'Thump!' 'Thump!' 'Thump!'
"Oh no …" Yu moved back. Sweat was forming on his forehead as he remarked in a dreadful tone, "The Aragami's not moving away."
"Crap!" Azumi could feel the blood still lightly pouring from her wound and staining the bandage Yu gave her as she asked, "Do you think it smells the blood?"
"Ah …" Haru breathed in as he quietly replied, "Good lord I hope not."
Sniff! Sniff!
Azumi's eyes widened as she realized, "It looks like its sniffing for something." Azumi did her best to keep her voice as low as possible as she crouched down, "Something caught its attention. We can't stay here. We have to keep moving."
Haru looked to see a backdoor. "We might be able to get out that way. This building might provide enough cover for a block or two. We need to keep qu …" Haru stopped when he noticed Azumi taking her shirt off while she still had her undershirt on. "What're you doing Azumi?"
"Letting it satisfy its curiosity." Azumi answered as she threw the shirt away from her to the floor. "Now let's keep moving." Azumi remained kneeling as she moved to the backdoor followed by the other two.
A few moments after they vacated the room, the Aragami came crashing through only to find the blood soaked shirt. The Orgetail opened its jaws and ripped through the shirt like it was paper. Afterwards, the creature continued its aimless wandering around until the next time something caught its attention.
After putting some distance between themselves and that Aragami, Yu kept a lookout behind them as they walked. "Phew." Yu breathed in relief. "I think we lost it."
"Grh …" Azumi groaned and gritted her teeth as she leaned against a building. "… Good thing their sense of smell doesn't seem to be as good as a dog's. Otherwise, we'd be screwed." Azumi felt the need to put pressure on her neck again as she cried out, "Grh …" Even with her best efforts, her volume was still higher than she would've liked.
Yu and Haru's eyes widened as they called out, "Azumi!" The fact they were in Aragami infested territory escaped them as well.
Azumi held up her hand and said, "Don't worry … I … I'll be fine …"
"You're not fine. Just look at yourself." Haru pointed to the bandage on Azumi's neck. "That cut is just getting worse. The bandage is covered in your blood."
"Yeah I know …" Azumi continued to lean against the wall as she retorted, "I said 'I'll be fine.' I didn't say I 'am' fine."
Haru narrowed his eyes as he scolded his daughter, "This isn't the time to be smart young lady! This is your life we are talking about!" Haru stepped towards his daughter and offered his hand. "Lean on me. I can support you the rest of the way."
"That'll take too long." Azumi pushed herself off the wall and walked passed Haru's offer. With each step, she could feel her feet wobble ever so slightly. It felt as if she would fall if she were to stop now. As she continued to walk, she said out loud, "We need to get out of here as fast as we can."
"Azumi!" Father exclaimed.
"Sis!" Yu replied in kind. "Let us help you!"
Azumi kept walking as she replied, "We can't afford to slow down for a second out here! Just keep a lookout and make sure we're not followed!"
"…" Yu took a moment to reluctantly reply, "… Alright Sis!"
"Hmm …" Haru shook his head as he reluctantly let his daughter keep pressing forward despite his strong misgivings. However, they did manage to make it back to the camp without any further incidents.
/
By the time the trio returned to camp, the bandages around Azumi's neck were fully saturated as indicated by the color red visible for everyone to see. Even the alcohol and ointment Yu placed on her neck wasn't enough to keep it at bay forever. Needless to say, Azumi's first step was to receive medical attention for her wounds. Haru made sure of that before he went to tell the council members what transpired. After Azumi was in Araki's care, he made a beeline for the meeting room, and he summoned the council members.
"There is no point in debating this!" Haru firmly stated, "We need to pack up the camp and evacuate immediately!"
"Put …" Kouta was visibly shaking as he softly asked, "Putting our heads on pikes? You really heard them say that?"
Haru took a step towards Kouta and pointed to his neck as he asked, "Did you see the injury on my daughter's neck?! Did you?!"
Kouta hesitantly replied, "Well um …"
Haru bluntly stated, "They tried to behead my daughter! Right in front of me! In case you're not getting it, they tried to cut her head off!"
"…" Everyone else in the room was forced into silence.
Haru's arms were crossed and his eyes were narrow. However, he tried to be calm after taking a breath as he told the council members, "She's lucky it was a nick. I'm lucky she's good at fighting and dodging, or she'd be dead. These were people she tried to negotiated with and talk down. They repaid her efforts by trying to murder her."
"…" Kouta couldn't off a rebuttal.
"There is no debate." Haru put his fist down on the table like a gavel. "This is an order! We're leaving today! If you don't want to leave, feel free to stay here! Be my guest!"
Kouta's eyes widened. "What?"
Haru looked Kouta in the eyes as he told him, "You heard me! Now get moving!"
Kouta reflexively moved back as he cowered in front of Haru, "Y- Yes sir!" Kouta immediately turned around and left.
Shin smiled at the display. The other council members except for him and Shin took their leave of the meeting room.
When it was only Haru and Kouta left, Haru plopped into his chair. He put his elbow on the table, and put the palms of his hands on his forehead. "Damn … I really was naïve … There are people you can't negotiate with. The old laws will never exist again … Not in my lifetime anyway."
"It is never too late to learn new things." Shin remarked. "It's like you always said. 'Past is prologue'."
"…" Haru remained silent upon hearing that.
"Now let's just try making sure it doesn't catch up to us." Shin stated before taking his own leave. Haru was left alone.
/
While Haru was handling things in his head, Azumi and Yu were resting in the doctor's temporary station. Their mother Kaede was with them as well. Upon seeing her daughter, Kaede turned pale white. 'Doctor' Araki on the other hand quickly prepared the proper medical supplies, so he could begin his 'operation'. Yu on the other hand was doing his best to keep Azumi's newly exposed wound clean.
It took a few moments for Kaede to think of anything to say. When she said anything, her daughter was already sitting. "What kind of monsters would do this to you?"
Azumi let out a breath and replied, "The same kind that held Yu hostage."
Kaede exclaimed, "What?!"
"It's true." Yu interjected. "A few days ago, Sis and I ran into some of their friends. Azumi negotiated with them and let them live. They repaid her by trying to cut off her head."
"Oh … my … I …" Kaede held her head with her hands. She looked as if she was going to have a panic attack.
"It's okay mom." Yu held his mother's shoulder and assured her, "We made it back. The doc will take care of Sis. Then we'll all get out of here and head to Fenrir together."
"…" Kaede remained silent as she calmed down.
"If you don't mind Kaede-san," The doctor instructed, "I believe your husband would most likely need your help. Could you go help him while I focus on treating Azumi?" He added his assurance, "I promise she will be fine."
"Hmm …" Kaede took a breath and replied, "Very well." With that she took her leave.
As soon as Kaede had left the area, Azumi mused, "Things keep getting worse out here. This is just how things turned out."
'Doctor' Araki replied, "That does appear to be the case." He held a needle and thread. He lightly heated the needle as he told Azumi, "This is going to be rather uncomfortable."
Azumi bit her lip before she noticed Yu offering his hand. She grabbed his hand before nodding her head. With every movement the doctor made, Yu could feel Azumi's grip tighten. Yu could also see Azumi's lips tighten which formed a seal to prevent any sound from escaping. The process was going to take a while, but it was going smoothly as a result.
/
While Azumi was receiving her much needed medical attention, the camp was in a frenzy to gather their belongings. Haru was doing his best to avoid creating a panic. While he informed them regarding the enemy, he censored the more horrific information of what their 'exact intentions' were. There was more 'annoyance' and 'concern' in the air than anything else.
"Is it really a good idea to be leaving so late?" Izumi nervously asked, "What if we run into an Aragami? Can't we just leave in the morning?"
Yasuko replied, "We didn't exactly have much choice. If those crazy people are as vicious as I heard, it wouldn't have taken them long before they found us."
"Hmph." One of their fellow survivors by the name of Rin, who was a mother to one of the children who looked up to Azumi, asked, "Are these the same people Azumi pissed off."
Minato happened to be standing nearby and interjected, "I heard Azumi actually did try to work things out peacefully with these people, but it all fell flat."
"Really?" Izumi asked with interest.
"Yeah." Minato stated, "Her father saw it happen."
"Pfft." Rin dismissively stated, "He isn't exactly an unbiased person."
"You saw how injured they were didn't you?" Minato asked. "Do you think they did that to themselves or something?"
"…" Rin didn't have anything to say in response.
Minato stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "They both received pretty serious injuries, and he's been pretty tough on her behavior for a while. He's not the type of person to lie about this."
"Now that you mention it," Izumi cupped her chin with her hand as she said, "they did have some pretty nasty injures. Did something happen to Azumi's neck?"
"Yeah." Minato bluntly stated, "I heard they tried to behead her."
"!" All three survivor's eyes widened upon hearing that.
Yasuko was the first to ask out loud, "Seriously? That seriously happened?!"
"That's what I heard." Minato replied, "We should …"
"Enough of that." Shin walked by the group conversing with each other. "If you have time to speak, you have time to pack. Get to work."
Minato slightly bowed his head, "Yes sir!"
"…" The rest of the group remained silent as they continued to pack their belongings.
/
Azumi was able to use the mirror 'Doctor' Araki provided her. She could see the tears in her flesh pressing against each other due to the stitches. She cringed at the sight of them as she sarcastically remarked, "Well … This baby is gonna leave a real beauty mark …"
Yu sat next to his sister's 'hospital' bed. He couldn't help but stare at the stitches and the slash mark that laid underneath them. The thought of his sister bleeding extensively from that region was enough to make him shiver. It seemed as if it wouldn't take much for her head to fall off. Yu was barely able to make out any of his sister's ramblings. It went in one ear and out the other. He was barely able to comprehend even what Doctor Araki was telling them.
The doctor instructed Azumi, "Now hold still."
"All right." Azumi laid still as the doctor applied some ointment and then covered the stitches with a bandage.
"We'll have to keep the bandage on for a couple of days. Sometime later on we'll be able to remove the stitches." The doctor told the girl.
"Yeah I figured." Azumi put her hands behind her head as she continued to lie on the bed. Afterwards, the doctor went back to his desk. Azumi held up the mirror again to look at her new bandage. Even with it blocking her view of the bandages, she could still feel them underneath. "I bet it'll look reeeal good …" Azumi continued to sarcastically remark.
"Let's just be glad that's the only thing it's going to leave!" Yu blurted out.
"…" Upon hearing Yu speak, Azumi remained silent as she placed the mirror down next to her.
"You … I …" Yu needed a moment to think of the right words to say. "When you were fighting I was … I didn't think there was anything to worry about, but when I saw your injury … I … I couldn't help but think about how that bastard wanted to chop your head off. After the fight was over, I thought you might bleed to death even with the patch job I did."
Azumi took another breath and looked up at the ceiling as she mused, "You weren't the only one …"
"…" Yu lightly bit his lip.
Azumi moved her head slightly to look at Yu and morbidly told him, "I'm going to be really honest with you. When he cut my neck, I thought that was going to be the end." Azumi placed her hand next to her bandages as she continued, "Even though it didn't kill me, I figured the injury would kill me. I was bleeding a lot … but I don't have to tell you that … I …" Azumi quickly found herself at a loss for words as well.
"Hmm …" Yu didn't have much to say as he continued to listen.
Azumi looked up to the ceiling and held up her hand in the air. "You know I …" Azumi took a moment to think about what to say next, "When that was happening, I … I just wanted to make sure that he and his friends would go down with me." She closed her hands into a fist as she continued, "I wasn't going to let him and those assholes kill me until I made sure they were dead first." She gritted her teeth as she told her brother, "I wasn't going to let them do anything to you or father."
"…" Yu remained silent. He could see Azumi had more to say.
When they were all dead, and I was still alive, I honestly didn't know what was going to happen next …" Azumi's hand slowly fell down next to her as she continued speaking, "I knew I would die if nothing changes … I wasn't sure if that patch job would be enough to save me, but it did. I managed to live long enough to get help." Azumi looked to her brother and smiled. "I would've been dead if it weren't for you. Thank you."
Yu shook his head, "You don't have to thank me. You've done so much for me." Yu couldn't look Azumi in the eyes as he said, "I wasn't going to let you die like that. I just couldn't …"
"Hmph." Azumi laid her head further into the pillow as she remarked, "I … I kinda feel surreal … I've been seriously injured before, but this was by far the worst. I just felt like everything was falling out of my grasp. You helped me regain it."
Before Yu could reply, they could hear thing getting hectic outside. "Sounds like things are getting crazy out there. Mind taking a look for me?"
"Okay." Yu got up from his seat and moved toward the source of the noise.
Azumi then looked toward 'Doctor' Araki and said, "Thanks for the stitches doc."
"Hmph." 'Doctor' Araki mused, "I wish you didn't need my treatments all the time."
"This was unavoidable." Azumi defensively remarked, "You weren't there."
"Both true I suppose." Araki calmly replied, "Nevertheless, you'll most likely get yourself killed if this keeps up. There is only so long you can survive like this."
"I've been doing a good job surviving since I was seven." Azumi proudly stated.
"Also true, but there is more to life than surviving." Araki replied.
"Hmm …" Azumi looked over to the side and said, "… yeah I know." Azumi's ears perked up when she heard Yu's footsteps getting closer which caused her to look in his direction and ask, "How is it out there Yu?"
"Everyone's doing something. They're all packing things up." Yu speculated, "Father probably kept quiet about a few things, so people aren't in a panic out there."
"That was a good decision on his part." Azumi remarked, "We'd be screwed if the entire camp got into a frenzy."
Yu nodded his head, "Hmm …"
"Well …" Azumi sat up straight on her hospital bed, "might as well do my part."
Yu perked his head up. "Huh?"
'Doctor' Araki stepped towards Azumi and asked, "What do you think you are doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Azumi stated, "I'm going to help with the evacuation."
"Are you crazy?" Yu protested, "You should be resting. Didn't they keep people on hospital beds if they were hurt that bad?"
"This isn't a hospital and this isn't back then." The second Azumi stood up, she felt light headed which caused her to lean backwards on her right foot before forcing herself forward. "Wah!" Azumi couldn't contain the surprise gasp and shook her head.
"What you are trying to do is ill-advised." 'Doctor' Araki pointed out, "You nearly lost your balance a moment ago. You couldn't handle major stressful activity right now. You'll most likely reopen your stitches."
"We don't have time to be worrying about that Doc. We need to get going." Azumi hurriedly stated, "You need as much help as you can get with this evacuation, and you don't have a whole lot of options. You'll need all the help you can get."
"…" 'Doctor' Araki glanced at his table and replied, "Very well."
"Wha …?" Yu let out in disbelief.
The doctor continued to speak while ignoring Yu. "Let me give you something that can help first." He held a needle in his hand that he cleaned.
Azumi reluctantly replied, "Okay …" She held out her arm for him to inject the fluid into.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Yu loudly protested as he stood to block her path. "You should be resting Azumi! Let everyone else handle this! You've done enough for us! Just rest!"
"Eh!" Azumi winced when the doctor injected the contents of the needle into her blood. "Sorry Yu, but I've got to help with this too."
"Why?" Yu asked. "We can do this without you for once!"
"Because I have … I have …" Suddenly Azumi felt her eyes become heavy, and her head drooped. "Wha …?" Azumi muttered in confusion.
"What?" Yu was taken aback by the sudden change.
"Ah huff … Ah huff …" Azumi was breathing heavily as she looked at her arm and then her eyes trailed to the needle the doctor was holding and then to the doctor himself. When Azumi's eyes widened, she realized what was happening. "You …"
The doctor face slightly frowned as he merely asked, "Sleepy already? I expected as much. You should go to sleep." The doctor put his hand on Azumi's shoulders to position her to sleep on the hospital bed, and she lacked the energy to resist.
Azumi's body was becoming numb, and she was having difficulty moving her fingertips let along her feet. Azumi was barely able to keep her eyes open. It was a struggle for her to keep awake as her eyelids became heavier with each passing second.
"What did you give her?" Yu demanded to know.
'Doctor' Araki flicked the needle with his left hand and said, "Something so she won't disregard Doctor's orders this time."
"Why you …" That was all Azumi had the strength to mutter.
The doctor shook his head and told the Kannagi siblings, "I'm not proud of what I did, but it was necessary."
"You … son of a …" Before Azumi could finish her sentence, her head sunk into the bed and the sleep finally overcame her. Her eyelids finally closed, and her eyes were 'sealed' underneath until the drug would wear off.
"You're very welcome." The doctor casually remarked, "The very fact you succumbed so quickly just proves my point."
"…" Yu had nothing else to offer but silence.
"Hmm …" The doctor looked at Yu and asked, "Do you have a problem with what I just did?"
Yu replied, "She better be okay doctor."
The doctor immediately assured Yu, "She'll be fine. She'll only get herself killed and slow us down if she over exerts herself. I'm sure you could tell that right?"
"Well …" Yu didn't have much to say in response.
"I don't know if it was the blood loss or her general stubbornness, but she was definitely not thinking clearly." The doctor put the needle back on his desk. "I'm sure you can see why it was important to force her to go to sleep."
Yu admitted, "She's not always upfront about how serious her injuries are, but I saw how bad they were for myself. I also saw that she was really pushing herself when we were heading back to camp."
"That's putting it mildly." The doctor looked at Azumi's sleeping figure who was slowly breathing in and out. "It's for the best she gets some sleep."
Yu nodded, "… Yeah."
"It will." The doctor then suggested, "You might as well help with the packing. I'll take care of things here and keep an eye on Azumi."
"…" Yu didn't react right away as he looked up at the doctor.
"What?" The doctor raised an eyebrow.
Yu looked back at Azumi before reluctantly replying, "… Fine, but I'll be back soon."
'Doctor' Araki attempted to assure Yu, "I don't know what's going through your head, but I have every intention of helping Azumi recover."
Yu crossed his arms and slightly narrowed his eyes. "Tell that to the people who want Sis thrown out of here."
"Hmph … Fair enough." The doctor attempted to assure Yu again, "However, I can assure you that I was never one of them, and there aren't that many who feel that way."
"If you say so …" Yu lightly bit his lip before reluctantly telling the doctor, "… I'll give you the benefit of the doubt since you're supposed to be a doctor."
"That's a start." The doctor mused.
"I'll be back soon." Yu left the room leaving his sister to recover.
/
When Yu witnessed the camp preparing for their Exodus, he looked behind from where he came from and then he looked forward again before heading into the fray. This was not the right time to be watching. Within two hours, Azumi and Yu's group were on the move. As they went on the road, the doctor kept watch over Azumi's injury. It would not take much for the wound to reopen.
While their group's departure went smoothly, it didn't go undetected. Several trucks filled with people were bound to catch someone's attention. A spy spotted the trucks and immediately informed their leader. It also did not take long for the bodies of Akihiro and his men to be discovered. When news reached the leader, it was unclear whether the news that their target escaped or more of her subordinates were killed upset her more. However, one thing was clear. She was pissed.
"Damn it!" Estuko threw her plate into the nearest wall that shattered with a loud crash. Eating did little to alleviate her feelings as they erupted like a volcano. "That bitch butchered even more of our people! This cannot stand!" She dug her nails into her hand which left indentations of their own. "This will not stand! We are going to track them down and wipe them out! There will be no mercy!"
All of the subordinates in her chamber repeated, "No mercy!"
Estuko ordered, "We're leaving in two hours! All abled bodies better be ready! No exceptions!"
"Yes Ma'am!" When they all shouted back, they immediately set out of the room to prepare for their own Exodus.
When Estuko was left alone in her chamber she held the bloody rag that covered Akihiro's face. "Hmph …" Estuko crushed the rag and remarked, "She will pay for this, and I'll give you back what belongs to you."
/
Everything was dark, but there was light beginning to shine through. "Ugghh …" Kannagi Azumi groaned as she laid on the blankets that cocooned around her body. Her eyes were opening slightly before a sudden jolt caused her head to rise in the air and fall down which caused her eyes to open wide. "Wha- What?!"
Azumi's eyes darted all over the place to see a truck covering was hanging above her head, and she was lying in the transport truck with some of the other survivors. The truck then became bumpy again which shook her head again. "Wha?" Azumi's said in a louder tone.
Yu's attention was brought to his sister whose head he could see was moving. "Sis!" Yu called out which also caught the attention of their mother. He knelt next to Azumi as he happily said in relief, "You're awake!"
"Azumi!" Kaede said in a relieved tone. Tears were beginning to well up.
"Wha … What?" Azumi asked in a confused tone, "What's wrong? Do I look that bad?"
"You weren't exactly great." Yu remarked, "You've been asleep for almost two days."
Azumi's eyes widened in surprise as she shouted, "Two days?!" She attempted to move her body, but she felt something restraining her. "What the? What the hell?"
"Yeah …" Yu sheepishly replied, "Sorry about that Sis. The doctor suggested we restrain you while we're on the move."
"…" Azumi gritted her teeth uncomfortable at the thought of that.
"I'll let you out." Yu undid the straps, and Azumi was able to move again.
The first thing Azumi did was stretch her arms as she continued to remain sitting. The bumpy road the truck was on was not doing her any favors. "Ah …" Azumi winced when she felt the cracks in her body as she stretched.
"How are you feeling Azumi?" Kaede asked her daughter.
"Extremely uncomfortable." Azumi looked to Yu and asked, "Was I really out for two days?"
"Yeah." Yu confirmed. "You were out of it. Even Doc was surprised the drug he gave you put you out for that long. You must've been really tired from all that blood loss."
"Ah …" Azumi suddenly remembered the bandage and stiches that were still on her neck. She couldn't see them, but she could still feel their presence. Even with the bandage covering the stitches, it was hard for her not to ignore the foreign string that was attached to her body. "Damn …" Azumi remarked out loud, "That's not good at all."
"It was probably for the best." Yu mused, "Doc said you could use the rest, and I agree. You were pushing yourself a lot after losing so much blood. You're looking a lot better now than you did before."
"…" Azumi was silent as she remained sitting up straight.
Yu then suggested, "You might as well continue to rest. It might be a while before we decide to camp again, so try getting some more sleep."
"I agree." Kaede interjected. "You really should."
"Hmm … All right fine." Azumi reluctantly agreed as she laid her head on the blankets and the makeshift pillow underneath her. "Might as well I guess." When she closed her eyes, it didn't take her long to fall back to sleep.
Yu remarked, "She really does push herself."
"She's always been like that." Kaede mused, "Especially for you. She'll always make sure to protect you. To make sure you're okay. Like a big sister should do."
"…" Yu looked at his sleeping sister as he remarked, "I can protect her too …"
/
Eventually, Azumi and Yu's group was able to find a reasonable place to set up a temporary camp. They would only stay a few days at most to find some new supplies. Yu would be on the scavenging teams while Azumi was left behind to continue her recovery. After wishing Yu luck with his scavenging mission, Azumi decided to take care of some business of her own.
"Azumi." Kaede attempted to protest, "You should lie still a little longer. It's too early for you to be up and about just yet."
"I can lie down plenty after I make sure something is taken care of." As Azumi spoke, her back was to her mother. "I'll be back in a little bit. I promise."
"…" Her mother reluctantly decided to let her go.
Azumi met with Minato by the vehicles as she told him, "I didn't get a chance to tell you before I was put to sleep the other day. The spear you gave me worked well. It might be the reason I'm still alive."
Minato remarked, "Sounds like you choose the right weapon for me to forge"
"You're not kidding." Azumi crossed her arms as she told Minato, "I could've kept using my gun, but who knows if that could've attracted more Aragami. If that happened, we would've been royally screwed."
"Uggh …" Minato winced at the thought.
"At least we made it out alive this time, but we might not be so lucky next time." Azumi then inquired, "Are you sure all the motorcycles are ready?"
Minato replied, "Positive. I checked over every one of them myself."
"Good." Azumi stated with her arms crossed, "Something tells me we're probably going to need them soon."
"Ugh." Minato winced at Azumi's response. "That doesn't sound good."
Azumi shook her head, "It isn't supposed to."
"…" Minato remained silent.
"Ahem …" Azumi cleared her throat as she put her hand on her throat. She could faintly feel the scar left on her neck as she told Minato, "It's bad enough we need to worry about the Aragami. Now we need to worry about some psychos that are targeting us. All because I killed some of their members in self-defense."
Minato stood up and protested, "That's wasn't your fault."
"That doesn't matter." Azumi waved her hand. "It doesn't matter to them, and I'm sure it doesn't matter to some of the people here."
"It matters to me." Minato stated, "I'm on your side."
"…" Azumi was silent for a moment before replying, "I wish I was sure everyone else felt the same way." Azumi lightly bit her lip
"What do you mean by that?" Minato inquired, "Do you really think anyone in this group would stab you in the back or something?"
Azumi's teeth let go of her lip as she answered, "I'd hope not." She placed her hand on the bike's handlebar.
"Then …" Minato hesitantly asked, "Do you think it might happen?"
"…" Azumi didn't answer this time. Her eyes were focused on the motorcycle as she told Minato, "Just so you know Minato, I don't have any regrets killing those people. They all got what was coming to them." Azumi looked in Minato's direction and said, "There is only one of them I even remotely felt bad for, but I would've still done it all over again if I had to." Azumi curled her fingers into a fist which caused them to dig into her hand. "It was him or me. They were all threats and not only would I be dead, but my family would be dead too. If those people have to be dead so we can still be alive so be it. That's just how it has to be."
"Ah …" Minato had no idea how to respond to that. He was at a complete loss of words when he felt himself take a step back.
"Probably a lot to take in wasn't it?" Azumi mused.
"I … I didn't mean it like that." Minato scampered.
"Anyway, I have always appreciated your help." Azumi remarked, "So does my brother. He looks up to you."
"Me?" Minato pointed to himself.
"Who else am I talking to?" Azumi asked. "That's why I was hoping to ask you for another favor."
"Um … sure." Minato replied, "Name it."
"…" Azumi took a breath. She did her best to remain concise as she told Minato, "If something happens to me, I want you to look after my brother."
Minato was taken aback as his eyes widened slightly. "What?"
Azumi calmly answered. "You heard me."
Minato immediately inquired, "Where is this coming from?"
"From here." Azumi pointed towards the scar that moved along the left side of her neck. "If I'd been any slower, my head wouldn't be here. If something like that happens again, I might not be as 'fortunate.'" Azumi stated, "I want someone I trust to look after my brother."
"But …" Minato hesitantly asked, "What about your parents?"
"My father would've been dead if Yu and I hadn't been there." Azumi plainly stated, "If anything happened to me or father, mother would've been devastated. I don't know if she'd be able to care for him. She's not strong enough for this world. She'd been dead a long time ago if it weren't for father and me."
"But …" Minato reminded Azumi, "I'm not exactly a fighter either you know?"
"You're reliable." Azumi remained firm as she told him, "I know you'd look out for him."
Minato asked Azumi in a bewildered voice, "Do you really think I could? I'm not that much older than him you know? I'm pretty sure he could kick my ass if I wanted to fight him."
"That doesn't matter either. You can do other stuff." Azumi then stated, "I'd just want you to look out for him as a big brother. You think you could do that?"
"…" Minato briefly averted his eyes as he considered the request. "I'm not really sure what you expect from me, but I'll try if I have to …"
"Ah huff …" Azumi let out a deep breath before calmly telling Minato, "That's all I ask for. Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me … I- …" Minato cut himself off before then asking, "Anything else?"
"No." Azumi stated, "Just make sure everything stays ready just in case. You never know what might happen."
"Yeah, but we might be heading into the final stretch of this journey." Minato told Azumi, "I heard them talking about how we're not too far from Fenrir, so we might not need the motorcycles."
"All the more reason." Azumi stated, "It feels too good to be true."
Minato replied, "Let's just hope it isn't." His words should have had optimism, but his tone lacked it.
Azumi lowered her eyes and softly said, "Yeah …" She then turned around and said, "Just make sure things are ready just in case. Later." With that Azumi took her leave.
"…" Minato remained standing in the room without being able to say a word.
/
After their Exodus, Yu and Azumi's group remained on the move constantly for nearly three weeks. They drove during the day and only stopped for setting up temporary camps to refill the engine with their reserves. At the temporary camps, they'd only stay for a night or possibly a day. They kept scouting and scavenging to a minimum.
While they were on the road, the lookout would occasionally spot Aragami roaming in the distance. That would force the group to make a turn towards a scenic route in hopes the Aragami would not see or hear them. While this path was safer, it also meant that the amount of travel time had increased, and they'd be forced to use up more of their gas and supplies. Scavenging would be necessary.
This continuous travel did give Azumi an excuse to sit in the truck and let the wound on her neck heal. Azumi was never pleased about being placed on the sidelines whether it was for a good reason or not. It was barely tolerable for her.
Whenever they did have scouting, they were reluctant to let Azumi take part in it. Even if they let her, Azumi's role was kept a minimum. They didn't want her to carry something that could strain her while healing. They also didn't have too many options when it came to scouts. Likewise, Azumi wasn't thrilled about her limitations, and didn't like being in a bigger group, but she knew it was necessary and she did not enjoy being cooked up, so she decided to work with what she had until the day the doctor said she could take the stiches out.
Unsurprisingly, Azumi's father voiced his concerns on a regular basis. "Are you sure your stitches aren't getting affected by this?"
"I'm fine." Azumi replied.
"Don't worry father." Yu informed their father, "Mom and Doc have been changing the bandages regularly. They haven't seen anything wrong with her stiches."
"But aren't we using up a lot of bandages on this." Azumi pointed to her injury. "We should probably stop using so many of them. Otherwise, we're going to be wasting too much of the medical supplies."
"…" Haru was silent after hearing Azumi say that.
"You're not a waste Azumi!" Azumi looked over her shoulder to see that her mother happened to overhear what they were talking about. "You never could be, so don't say that again!"
"Hmm …" Azumi turned he body and asked, "Okay, but do we still have more."
Kaede assured her daughter, "We have plenty of supplies thanks to you and the other scavengers."
Azumi replied, "If you say so."
Kaede firmly stated, "I do."
Azumi then turned around and spoke to her father, "Anyway, my recovery is coming along fine. They're pretty sure I can be back in the action pretty soon."
"…" Haru didn't have much to say in response to that either. The silences certainly made the room rather awkward.
Yu pulled on Azumi's arm and said, "Sis! Don't forget that Yasuko wanted to teach you something about cooking."
"Right." Azumi nodded, "If you'll excuse me, I'll get going." With that Azumi made her exit.
/
Eventually Azumi's bandages could be removed. As with the injuries before, Azumi seeing another member of her 'collection' made her feel uneasy. She could feel the hairs on the side of her neck be torn out with every inch of bandage she removed which caused her to wince. It was a feeling she felt she should be used to, but he wasn't. Most likely she never could get used to this feeling.
When the bandage was removed, Azumi opened her eyes to see the latest addition through the mirror. She could see the stiches across her neck stretched further than she thought. The attack may have been a nick, but she could see the wound cut around the left side of her neck. Azumi believed the wound might've widened because the moving around she did prior to receiving appropriate medical attention. Even though the wound had 'apparently' healed, it still looked as if the stitches were the only thing keeping it in place. It almost made Azumi nervous to take them off, but she knew the time had come.
Azumi bit her lip and bared it as the doctor pulled the string out of her neck. Azumi shivered as the doctor did so. With every inch the string moved, it felt as if a worm or a snake was slivering underneath her skin.
Thump! Thump!
Without realizing it, Azumi's heart felt as if it was beating a hundred miles an hour, and it was about to burst out of her chest. "Ah huff …" Azumi's breath also became heavier with each breath she took. However, she remained still and let him do his job.
The sense of relief Azumi felt when it was over was difficult to describe. However, she could feel that her heartbeat had returned to normal and her breathing became steadier.
"Doesn't that feel much better?" 'Doctor' Araki calmly asked.
"Yeah, but it doesn't look better." Azumi mused.
Without the stitches and bandages, Azumi could see the clear view of the scar. It was a rough jagged cut that went around the left side of her neck that looked like it might as well have a 'tear off here' line above it. Azumi was fortunate enough that the wound didn't circle around her entire neck. She could thank her years of fighting and reflexes for that.
Azumi then asked, "So … what do you think doc?"
The doctor answered, "Based on my observations, you appear to be in the clear. You haven't experienced any more bleeding from your neck right?"
"No …" Azumi hesitantly replied, "but wouldn't you notice if I was bleeding there?"
"True, but it is better to be safe and make sure you aren't keeping anything from me." The good doctor said with a smile.
"Don't worry." Azumi put her hand on her neck over the cut, "I'm not keeping anything from you. You can be sure of that."
"Then why are you covering your neck?" The doctor asked.
"Oh." Azumi let go of her neck and answered, "A lot's happened."
"Hmph." The doctor replied, "Very true. I can't say that I blame you for being worried. What you went through was quite painful and serious."
"Yeah …" Azumi mused, "If that's so painful, I could hardly imagine what it'd be like if he cut any deeper."
"Let's be grateful that he didn't." The doctor then said, "You're cleared to head back out there for scavenging if you wish to. Just in time for the final stretch."
"Hmph." Azumi smiled as she remarked, "I've been waiting for you to say that."
/
Yu was waiting outside of the temporary hospital room pacing around the door until he saw Azumi emerge from the door while covering the side of her neck with her hand. He nervously asked, "So Sis … how'd it go?"
"See for yourself." Azumi removed her hand.
"Oh …" Yu may have seen it before when it was 'fresh', but this was different as he tried to find the right words to say, "… well it doesn't look that bad."
"Very nice of you to say." Azumi remarked.
"I … I mean it." Yu replied, "It could've been worse."
"Yeah." Azumi put her hand on her neck as she bitterly remarked, "I could be dead. That'd be much worse."
"Um …" Yu uncomfortably stepped away.
Azumi sighed as she let go of her neck. "Just like all the others, I'll get used to it. There's no point in thinking about it. I can finally get back into the action now."
"Already?" Yu asked taken aback. "You sure we should be doing that? You just got the stiches out."
"I've been on the sidelines long enough. I've only been able to do a little bit of scouting." Azumi flexed her arm and remarked, "Besides, my muscles could use a little more activity. Last thing I need is for them to flake out on me when I need them."
"Well … You got a point." Yu reluctantly admitted.
"Don't worry." Azumi patted her brother on the head.
"Hey!" Yu was unable to remove his sister's hand as it rubbed the top of his head.
"Heh. Heh." Azumi chuckled before letting go. "We're not gonna go far. See that building over there?'
Yu saw the mostly intact building that stood on the outskirts of their camp. "Yeah."
Azumi casually stated, "We're going to give that one a quick check, and then we'll be right back."
"Yeah." Yu dryly stated, "And I'm sure we'll either run into another group of psychos or spot an Aragami while we're in there."
"That doesn't always happen!" Azumi protested.
Yu shook his head. "Happens often enough."
"Pfft." Azumi asked as she started walking toward the building, "You coming or not?"
"I'm coming. I'm coming." Yu caught up to his sister and asked, "You sure you're up for this?"
Azumi crossed her left arm with her right as she continued to walk, so she could stretch it out as she enthusiastically replied, "You better believe I am."
Amazingly enough, the mini-expedition to the building resulted in no incidents. Azumi and Yu were able to recover a few supplies for the group. Azumi could feel she was getting back into the groove, so she was ready and willing to tackle future scavenging missions for the remainder of their journey to Fenrir.
/
After a week of traveling to avoid the Aragami herds, Azumi and Yu's group were near the final stretch on their journey to Fenrir. They believed it would not be much further, but they had to pass by a rather chilling looking city. It would take an extremely long time to go around, so they decided to find out if they would have any luck moving through it. Azumi and Yu choose to scout ahead while the group had one last rest.
Haru gave Azumi a flare gun and warned her they only had enough to spare one. It went without saying that she could only use it in an emergency. Azumi placed it in a holster and the sibling duo made their way to a good vantage point in the city.
There was a tall building at the heart of the city that stood out. Not only was it indistinguishable due to it size compared to the other surviving buildings, but the large gaping hole in its center. It was as if something punched a hole through it. However, the teeth markings along the edges indicated that was not the case. Aragami eating through it seemed far more probable.
As the duo climbed the building to the roof on the stairwell, Yu's feet began to shake as he nervously asked, "Sis …" Azumi's ears perked when she heard her brother's shaky voice. She looked to see he was about a half a floor behind her when she heard him ask her, "Do you think this building will have any trouble holding the two of us?"
Crack!
"Ah!" Yu turned around to see what it was. He couldn't tell if it was some rubble falling down for some reason or it was something else.
Azumi placed her hand on her waist as she remarked, "This building has managed to stand for fifteen to sixteen years even after Aragami ate part of it. I'm sure the two of us won't be enough to make it collapse."
Crack!
"!" Both Azumi and Yu's ears perked upon hearing that which caused them to look up.
"Um …" Yu remained perfectly still as his attention was directed at where he believed the sound was coming from.
"That being said …" Azumi slowly moved her foot as she made her next footstep. "This building isn't exactly stable, so watch your step."
"Uggh …" Yu made his lack of enthusiasm known with a groan.
Azumi stated, "You know I wouldn't even think of going this high unless we needed to."
"I know. I know." Yu repeated as he made his way upward. "We need a vantage point."
"Yeah. No other even remotely stable building comes close. Let's keep moving." Azumi continued to make careful footsteps with Yu in tow.
Crack!
Azumi took a deep breath whenever she heard that sound as she continued making her way up the stairs.
"Sis." Yu quietly asked his sister as he continued to follow behind her on the stairwell, "Why do Aragami eat buildings in the first place? Don't they eat us or other living things?"
"Well …" Azumi thought back to all she had seen of the Aragami in the past fifteen years. Even despite knowing of them that long, she didn't have the luxury of knowing too much about them. She gave the best answer she could. "I'm sure you can figured there aren't exactly enough of us to go around. I'm sure humans are their 'favorite dish,' but they're clearly capable of eating anything they want."
"So …" A hint of dread started to cloud Yu's head as he felt his heart sink. "So all these times … When we were hiding in buildings … Aragami could've eaten it and found us?"
Azumi honestly answered, "They could've."
"Eh …" Yu could feel his entire body shake.
"But they didn't Yu." Azumi remained facing away from Yu when she answered, "That's what's important. Let's focus on that."
Yu continued to shiver as he replied, "I- I don't care. It's still pretty scary."
"Yu …" Azumi stopped walking and turned around to face her brother. She placed her hand on his shoulder and told him, "If anything like that did happen, I would do everything I can to make sure you get out alive."
"Ah …" Yu couldn't find the words to respond. They were moving through his head faster than he could comprehend. "But … But …"
"No 'buts.'" Azumi removed her hand from his shoulder as she declared, "I would protect you."
"Aragami can't be hurt by normal weapons. Only God Eaters can hurt them right?" Yu asked.
"That doesn't matter." Azumi shook her head. "You know me Yu. You know I'd do what I can to help you, and you know I'll always pull through. You know that right?"
"I … Yes." Yu nervously nodded his head. "Of course."
"Hmph." Azumi smiled before she briefly ruffled her brother's hair again as she happily said, "That's much better." Azumi then continued the trek up the staircase.
"Since we're talking about buildings, did Aragami really make that big hole?" Yu inquired.
Azumi answered, "Looks that way."
"Why would they eat only the center but not the whole thing?" Yu asked, "Why would they leave the building standing?"
Azumi shrugged her shoulders as she pressed on, "No idea. I've been around Ara- Gah!"
CRACK!
Azumi's foot broke through the floor between the staircases. Azumi felt her body suddenly shift down as nothing was left to support her left foot. Gravity took a hold of Azumi's foot before her mind could comprehend the situation. Thankfully the hole that was formed wasn't big enough for her entire body to fit through.
"Sis!" Yu attempted to rush to Azumi's side.
"Hold on!" Azumi raised her hand. "I'm fine! Don't come any closer!" Yu looked down to see the cracks in the floor surrounding Azumi and backed away. "Good. Now just …" Azumi grabbed onto her leg and slowly began to lift it out of the floor. "… give me … a second … I can … Grrh!" Azumi slowly pulled her leg out and freed herself as she dragged her body away from the cracks.
"Sis …" Yu asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Azumi picks herself up and brushes herself off. "Ahem. Like I said earlier … not entirely stable."
Yu asked, "Should we head back?"
"No." Azumi looked up as she replied, "We're close. We shouldn't let this be for nothing."
"Even with that vantage point, will it really do us much good?" Yu pointed out, "I mean even if we don't see Aragami in the entire area, couldn't they show up between when we head back and get moving?"
"Hmm …" Azumi admitted, "Yes, but the chances are less likely if we move quickly. That's why we didn't set up camp remember?"
Yu sighed, "I know. I understand. Let's get this over with."
"That's slightly better." Azumi directed Yu, "Just watch your foot there."
"Hmm …" Yu slowly made his way across, and they continued their way up the stairs.
/
After they arrived at the rooftop, they saw for themselves the vantage point gave them a bird eye's view of the surrounding area. Thanks to their binoculars, they were able to see almost everything in the remnants of this city. It did not take them long to spot Aragami a few miles from their positon. The Aragami they spotted appeared to be doing their equivalent of 'grazing.' They were eating a few of the smaller buildings in the city.
Yu said in awe. "You know what. I take it back Sis. I take it all back. This vantage point was definitely a good idea."
"Hmm …" Azumi observed, "They're in the direction we need to go, but we can go around them. Since they seem to be taking their time eating, they might stay there for a while, so we might be able to go down those roads without catching their attention."
While they were observing, Yu asked, "You know it's been weeks since we last encountered those psychos. Do you really think they'd come after us?"
"We killed a whole bunch of their guys. They're pissed, and I'm sure they might notice a group of people leaving the city." Azumi stated in a matter of fact tone, "If they know we fled that city, they'll follow. There's not a doubt in my mind."
"Man." Yu leaned on the edge of the building as he remarked, "You're probably right, but that totally sucks."
Azumi sighed, "I think it goes without saying Yu, but I never wanted you to live this kind of life." Yu's ears perked. "You deserved better. Much better."
"You mean how things used to be?" Yu inquired as he moved away from the edge.
Azumi looked in Yu's direction as she told him, "I may not remember much, but I wish you had been able to at least see it."
"I wished I did too, but it's as father said, 'What's past is prologue.'" Yu stated.
"'What's past is prologue.'" Azumi repeated.
Yu casually replied, "We can't change the past, but we can change the present right?"
"Right." Azumi stated, "There are only two types of people in this world. Those that live and those that die."
"Hmm …" Yu nodded in agreement.
"Actually," Azumi hesitantly changed her statement, "I was wrong about that … No one lives in this world."
Yu titled his head. "What?"
Azumi corrected herself, "I mean the people in this world are the ones who either die or survive."
"Um …" Yu raised an eyebrow. "Isn't surviving and living the same thing?"
"No it's not." Azumi shook her head. "Living and surviving are two different things. Believe me." Azumi stated, "Because of the world we live in Yu, you've never had the chance to 'live.' You've only been able to survive."
"Then …" Yu averted his eyes as he asked, "… How do we live?"
"I'm not sure, but … I know it's not like this. I guess we'll have to figure it out together." Azumi suggested, "Maybe Fenrir can give us the chance for that. All the more reason why we need to figure out how to get through here." Azumi returned to observing the Aragami through her binoculars. Yu did the same.
/
The siblings continued to observe the Aragami and the empty areas as thoroughly as possible. Yu kept checking each area over as he said, "I'm not seeing any more in other areas."
Azumi stated, "We still need to be sure. We'll need to keep our eyes peeled on those other areas to be sure."
"Hmm …" Yu then turned his attention to where he saw the Aragami earlier, and he then looked over to see the empty areas and then back to the Aragami before he then said out loud, "Small buildings …"
Azumi looked over to her brother. "What is it Yu?"
Yu looked at the Aragami again and stated his observation. "They seem to only be eating the smaller buildings, but they leave the bigger ones alone."
"Hmm." Azumi checked for herself only to say in awe. "Wow! You're right Yu!"
Yu then asked, "Have they … always been like that?"
Azumi continued to observe the Aragami as she answered, "To be honest, I've never had a chance to observe them like this."
"Hmm …" Yu looked through his binoculars to compare the states of the various buildings. "From what I'm seeing they're hardly touching the bigger buildings."
"…" Azumi could feel a light bulb turn on in her head as she said, "I think you might've helped me figure something out."
"What is it Sis?" Yu inquired.
"About why they didn't eat this entire building." A smirk appeared on Azumi's face as she stated, "I think I know why."
Yu raised his eyebrow in interest. "Really?"
Azumi nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think you're gonna like it."
Yu shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as he casually asked, "When is there anything to like about Aragami?"
"Good point. Ahem." Azumi cleared her throat and said, "Anyway, I think I might have an idea for what they're doing. If I'm right, I think they left this tower standing here on purpose."
"What?" Yu was taken aback by that. "Are you serious?"
"Think about it Yu." Azumi pointed out, "People are way more likely to notice a big building than one of those smaller ones they're feasting on. Buildings like that draw people to it. Like this tower drew us to it."
Yu was not thrilled by where this was going as he nervously replied, "But … I thought Aragami were mindless monsters."
Azumi replied, "I thought so too, but what if they aren't? What if they're a hell of a lot smarter than we thought?"
Yu bluntly answered, "Then I'd say we're screwed."
"Yeah." Azumi crossed her arms as she stated, "That's definitely one way of putting it, but it also makes sense too. When I was younger Aragami did seem to eat more furiously than they do now."
Yu tilted his head. "More furiously?"
"Yes." Azumi took a breath before she started to explain, "They ate a lot more or rather they ate pretty much everything. Then they eventually started to eat less. Rather than eating the building we hid in, they were more likely to pass them. It was like their eating habits had altered for some reason. Assuming we didn't draw their attention, they'd generally leave the buildings we were in alone. Now that I think about it, most of them were pretty big buildings."
"Big buildings … Hold on!" Yu held out his hands to form a T symbol. "Back up! Do you think Aragami left those buildings alone so they would … they could …"
"Draw more people." Azumi finished Yu's sentence. "Based on what I've seen, I'm pretty sure that's the case."
"So … So …" Yu could feel his body beginning to sweat a little as he inquired, "… all those times we survived when we hid in the buildings was due to how the Aragami were using them to draw more of us?"
"That's right." Azumi felt a sense of dread as she spoke, "They'd only attack those buildings if something attracted them. Namely any sounds we made."
"…" Yu bit his lip.
"That's why they're so focused on smaller buildings. They wouldn't draw people, so they're fair game." Azumi continued her speculation, "When smaller buildings are all eaten, they'll work their way up until there's nothing left and nowhere left to hide."
"We need to get to Fenrir!" Yu stated.
"You're preaching to the Choir. Chances are that in a while places like that will be all that's left." Azumi looked through her binoculars to see the feasting Aragami again. "Anyway, we need to see if we can spot any other Aragami or areas Aragami aren't likely to check out." Suddenly something unusual could be seen passing by, "We'll need to … What the hell?!"
Yu's eyes widened as he asked, "What is it?"
Azumi looked up from her binoculars and pointed. "Look over there! Look in that direction!"
Yu was looking through his binoculars as he saw something he didn't expect. "I don't see … Holy crap! What the hell am I seeing?"
Azumi replied, "People … They're are people down there, and they have really … really big weapons."
Yu looked over to Azumi. "Sis … Could they be … Could they be …"
"God Eaters!" Azumi once again finished Yu's sentence. "That's exactly who I think they are."
"What should we do?" Yu eagerly asked.
"Watch." Azumi said with a grin. "Looks like we're about to get a front row seat to them in action."
"Hmph. Sounds like a plan to me." Yu suddenly remembered, "Oh! Speaking of eating and action, do you want to eat our lunch up here Sis?" Yu suggested with a grin, "It's not every day we get to eat this high up and watch something like this."
"Sure why not." Azumi and Yu unpacked their lunches, so they could take their break to watch a show they'd never forget.
/
Author Notes: After five chapters, we finally get to encounter the God Eaters even if they are from a distance. It was my plan for Azumi and Yu to witness the God Eaters in action. The rough draft for the concluding scene of this chapter was written last year, and it is great to finally make use out of it. I have several other future scenes that have the rough draft treatment, and I hope to make use of them in the near future as well.
I do not plan on having the next chapter skip on the much awaited God Eater action. You will see the God Eaters fight the Aragami next time. It'll be cathartic to portray this scene due to how the Aragami have been a problem for the regular human characters, such as Azumi and Yu. However, it will be my first attempt at writing a God Eater fight. I've seen fights in the anime and video game. I'll do my best to do a good first fight scene against the Aragami, and I will attempt to build on that in the future.
On another note, I'm glad that the sister-brother relationship between Azumi and Yu has been consistently well received. Some of my readers told me that it is difficult to pull off a good relationship like that, and it has been done well for these two. It makes me happy to read comments like that. I hope you will continue to enjoy the sibling relationship the two share.
Speaking of which, what were your thoughts on Azumi wanting Minato to take care of Yu? Did you think it was justified? Was it in character for her? Is she being cruel to her parents for trusting Minato over them? I'd definitely like to know your thoughts on the situation.
As usual, please provide a review for the work I did for this chapter. The feedback is always appreciated, and it can be a great motivator. Happy Halloween 2017. See you next time.