Nomad, Shin's Story

by Dark Ryuu

Growing up, Shin (Toy) always wanted to do the right thing for everyone that he could, especially those in need. But can he keep from losing sight of himself, his family, and his friends, especially his elusive best friend, Lyla, and new partner in life, Komari? A prequel to Step Toward the Future and Legacy, an alternate universe crossover between all games.

13. Live With It

Chapter 13: Live With It

Author's Notes: No smut, just violence and some macabre. This requires suspension of belief too but, if you're not new to my series, you know those Yagami ways.

So I will need to take two days off from posting. I'll be back early Sunday with the next chapter. Enjoy!

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When Okamoto Lyla failed to say anything to her prejudiced father, sometimes different occurrences happened in his head. Mostly it was just what the man said changing, really, but it wasn't always clear in his memory.

What happened on Day 363, June 10th, 2002, two days before he was supposed to go home to his family? That day wasn't always clear either.

Yagami Shin stood in line as their new lieutenant barked at them to complete a provision run to a smaller base in the middle of the desert. Typically, this was left to Aden's unit, from what Shin had heard but they were in the middle of some other fire fight and unable to complete the task. It sounded like a simple enough assignment. They'd be back tomorrow and he could pack and go home. Everyone was in a good mood.

"Ah-h-h, I can't wait to go to Tsuyukasa and just soak in a hot spring" Komari sighed contently as they waited to be put on the plane.

"Mm, I can't wait to see all my parents and siblings and just…sleep."

He realized he hadn't slept very well in the last year. Being all alone, he started to get a little…paranoid that he was placed alone for other reasons. That night Komari fell asleep with him was the last decent night of rest he'd had and that was months ago. He was just pleased that the isolation didn't crack him.

Looking up at the plane, he whistled lowly. It was huge. He heard it could carry tanks and other smaller airplanes. Right now, it was just being used to carry about a hundred of their platoon and months of food supplies and artillery. Kitamura shot him a bland look as they stood outside, his face registering disgust. They hadn't really…chatted much since the punch-out but that was fine with Shin. The poor guy though, he must've thought a supply run was so below him.

Sitting down in a row with his unit, Shin smiled as he thought about the next time he got on a plane, he was going back to Japan. When he got home, he was…well, he was done for a while. They might send him back in a year or two but now he had time to make some plans, figure out a career…maybe…maybe figure some other things out too..

It was a bit uncomfortable, there were very few windows in the plane which made it feel like they were in a moving box. One guy actually got a bit sick, throwing up and saying they were in a 'metal flying coffin'. Shin smiled as other soldiers heckled the poor guy about his motion sickness but cheerfully gave him some Dramamine. Everyone was in good spirits.

Cracking his knuckles on his now freed arm, Shin sat back to relax, the Air Force pilot relaying it'd be another two or more hours. Enough time for him to catch some shut eye…he'd been responsible for mail delivery and laundry sorting for the last two months and he had to say it was mind-numbing work. He wondered what was for him though…

An hour. He was asleep for an hour. Something made him come to though. Staring groggily into the gray space before him, Shin rubbed his eyes and stretched. The soldiers had been raucous the whole time so that couldn't be it…he sat there, tired, for a moment and listened to some banter. About to try to coax himself back to sleep for the last hour, his ears felt like…whirring. Or no, something was whirring but it didn't sound like the airplane, what…?

Perhaps…five meters in front of him, where the new lieutenant and several other captains were sitting, something literally punctured through the bottom of the plane…and exploded.

What?

Everyone was screaming as absolutely nothing registered in Shin's head about what just happened, only shattering ringing. He gritted his teeth as the air pressure from the hole in the bottom was dragging everything loose toward it. Shit.

It hadn't separated the cabin, someone was still flying but they were definitely flying toward the ground now. The deceleration was fast and if they didn't put the landing gear down, well, whoever shot a rocket or bomb at them was the least of their concern. Shin quickly yelled at his unit to put on the parachutes. If…if nothing else, if they had to jump out, they had that?

They were…they were almost to the ground when another rocket…ripped right through the front of the plane. Shin's world turned white when he heard the screams of the pilots and burning. Burning. No.

"Grab on to something!" Kitamura screamed.

Holding on to anything for dear life, the descent the rest of the way was terror incarnate. The plane hit the ground fast and hard. It…was just luck that they hadn't been but maybe about three meters off the ground before apparently their pilot was murdered.

Shin loaded his AK47 and a soldier next to him, Soga or something, pale as a sheet, yelped, "W-What are you doing, Yagami?!"

"Someone's attacking us!" Shin declared, incredulous.

Sure enough, whoever it was that was on the warpath, ripped the doors off the plane and started shooting first. Fuck, everything was on fire. Kitamura shot at some of the rebels and was screaming but not screaming orders. The guys next to him looked helpless. Aww, fuck.

"Crawl to the back of the plane! Get several soldiers to cover you and force the supplies out through the cargo doors before this plane blows!" Shin bellowed.

"Y-Yes!"

"Yagami!"

Shin looked to Komari who was holding her rifle, Kasumi beside her. "What's the plan, Yagami?! I'm not looking to explode today!"

Glancing to the back, Shin found they'd managed to get the doors open but were still taking artillery damage all around. They were surrounded. How? This was a supply run!

"…Front to back. Everyone go out the cargo doors but the front face the front, back faces the back, and the flank guard the windows."

"Back to back, flank to flank, everyone!" Komari yelled.

Once upon a time, Shin would have never chosen to be right up front. First, because he may have been the first one to be killed, and two, because he'd be forced to kill a lot of people. Today though? When he was supposed to be home in two days and these fuckers were messing with that? He got up front and opened complete fire. Damn it.

Damn it. They were entirely and completely in the middle of the desert with not a hint of civilization around but PLENTY of Zechs' soldiers. Once everyone that wasn't shot down or blown up was off the plane, it was open season. Shin never cared for that metaphor but their plane was literally just shot out of the sky by bastards that were murdering and torturing people for capitalistic gains. Animals had more sense than that.

It might have been minutes, it might have been hours or days. It was a contrived thought but frankly it was purely fact because it felt like they were shooting for a fucking unthinkable amount of time. Once they felled their last Zechs, with about thirty of their men dead aside from the seven blown up in the plane, they all stood there and looked at each other, out literally in the middle of the desert with an incinerated plane…but months worth of supplies.

"Kitamura!"

Shin was so hot and dazed, he'd zoned out, just…not even…capable of grasping this situation. To be honest, apparently a whole group of them were in the same boat but a particularly ornery bunch went to try to get the GPS and save it. Instead, they had a paper map. "We-We were able to record the coordinate showing on the global positioning, sir, but they're…they're not going to be able to track us. It went out."

Kitamura's eyes widened. Shin stared. They couldn't…track them…in the middle…of the desert.

Shit.

"…Keep…keep giving some orders, Yagami, since you're so good at it" trembled Kitamura after a long moment.

What now? Kitamura was the highest ranking one they had left now! Shin's eyes narrowed before he shook his head, "…We…we need to compile the supplies. And we need to pick supplies off these Zechs' bodies and get them buried to not attract attention from wildlife."

Oh no, that got even the calmer ones. "W-Wildlife?!"

Hundreds of guns and loads of ammunition were gathered from the Zechs' soldiers along with the motherload of water. They needed it because this…this was not good.

Komari came over to him as he rubbed his brow, staring at the map that had been retrieved. "…I know I was talking about a hot spring earlier but I'd take the showers in the base right now given we know where that is."

Shin swallowed, looking at the map, "…Prana."

"What?"

"Prana. They…they call this stretch of desert Prana. Remember…remember when my friend Joe was saying this was where they were going to shuffle the Terrans through to get to that island? This…this is the land they'd cross."

Komari stared at him, her eyes stretched, before she looked behind her. "…Oh my fuck, they were serious?"

"Apparently."

"The…the nearest town?"

"…About…three thousand miles?"

"I beg the fuck your pardon?"

Shin grimaced as Komari glared at him, "Three thousand miles? What about where we were going?"

Surveying the map, locating the base, he grimaced, "…We're not even on the same land yet."

"That's just swell."

Looking around, Shin swallowed, "…Military law says that even abandoned bases need to keep transmission open. There's an old base, they called it 'Grimoire' about 350 miles, 567 kilometers from here…"

Komari stared at him. "…And how, pray tell, are we going 350 miles?"

"…Walking?"

Scratching the side of her face, Komari shut her eyes, "…Shin. The…the average human can walk maybe twenty, thirty miles in the average day. In optimal conditions. The temperature, at currently 2 o'clock in the day…is 129 degrees Fahrenheit, 54 Celsius. In sand. And you think…we can walk 350 miles?"

"It'd take eleven to seventeen days" he nodded.

"Shin…" Komari said slowly, grabbing his shoulder, "Shin. I know your last name makes you think you're on some godly status, man, but if we attempted that, we'd die."

He shook his head, "Komari, if we sit here, we'll die. We're absolute sitting ducks, there is no shelter aside from the crates of the supplies. We're saying the nearest development known to us is 350 miles from here—where'd hundreds of these guys even come from then? There are more of them and we can't be caught here with our pants down."

Komari looked hesitant, glancing back over her shoulder, "…No one will walk this desert, Shin. Most protocol says stay near the wreckage so you can be found."

"Which makes sense in a car accident, Yamada, but if your car accident was in the middle of an active shooting, I think some protocol needs to be amended."

"…Propose it."

…Ugh. Shin rubbed his face, having put on goggles after the sand started to burn his eyes. It…was super damn hot, he probably wasn't thinking straight. "…I'll go."

"Come again?"

"I'll go. Kitamura won't take that sort of proposal and it also would draw undue attention if a group went out anyway. I'll go."

"Shut the fuck up, you are not going to trek 350 miles across scorching desert by yourself" Komari snapped.

"What?"

Oh great. Kitamura had wandered over, his face mostly covered. Great. "…There's an old base, nicknamed 'Grimoire', about 350 miles, 567 kilometers from here. I understand all the risks and the difficulties, but I think we're at a complete tactical disadvantage if we sit out here with no backup plan."

Kitamura scoffed, "…And what, you're going to walk that, Yagami? That'd be stupid as shit. They'll come find us and what? You'll be trekking across the desert so no one can find you? Forget it."

It was a possibility. Komari's brows were low as she drawled, "I hate to say it, Shin, but he's right. We literally just crashed. When we don't show up for the delivery, they'll come looking for us per the flight plan. Don't get me wrong, I get what you're saying, but there are strength in numbers. We did a pretty solid job getting rid of these guys, I think we can manage a few days of it."

…His dad…would probably die when they told him he was MIA.

"…Ten days. If we haven't been picked up in ten days then I'm going to head to the base."

"You can head out now for all I care, Yagami" Kitamura rolled his eyes, "It'd just be dumb as shit."

Komari nodded, "I think ten days is a reasonable amount of time, Shin. But not a second before, okay? I think we'll be okay."

…So much for home. And sleep.

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Day 2. It was the common misconception that the desert was hot all the time. No, at night, it was bitter cold. Luckily they had their insulated sleeping bags but for those up on watch, it was pure misery. But…that was about it, it was hot as hell during the day, cold as a tundra at night. By Day 5, even he was convinced he had overreacted about the Zechs' theat.

Then Day 6 came.

They came from the North, appearing to be the direction they were heading to deliver everything. They came in a big truck. They didn't have Terrans but they sure had guns and the about two hundred men they had? Oh, every last one of them started shooting and throwing grenades.

Honestly, it was the scariest fight yet. They were outnumbered with no coverage and no shelter. They couldn't ALL hide behind wooden crates. It was all just…GRACE that he just got kind of roughed up instead of shot like another twenty of their group. The fight lasted for, no shit, twenty hours just because of stealth and other nonsense.

Shin would have forgiven the whole thing because they left behind a vehicle…except the vehicle ended up incinerated. He and three other soldiers spent at least a day just pointlessly working to see if it could be revived. Nope…when the gas tank blew, that was…definitely the end of a truck, he now had firsthand experience.

Unlike every movie situation though, he could say they weren't running out of water. Every Zechs they killed had about three gallons on their person so that was around 600 gallons of water they were able to collect. They weren't bathing in it, no, but…they were decent. And they were collecting ammo too? As far as being stranded in the desert went, it was…well, it was almost rosy if he didn't take into consideration fifty percent of their platoon had been killed.

Then came Round 3 on Day 9.

It wasn't two hundred Zechs' this time but about a dozen of them came and they were pretty ruthless. They were LOOKING for their missing comrades…which made sense because three hundred people missing was kind of a lot and suspicious. But at least they came looking for their comrades because he'd not seen ONE plane overhead even indicating they were a thought to their army.

"Well, well, what are you? A Jap or an American idiot?"

Shin was soaked through with sweat, panting. Kitamura had run, hiding in a container, when one of the guys came up and tried to choke Shin out from behind. They were apparently not quite as stocked on ammo as their former comrades which was fine with Shin. Hand to hand? He was more than willing to fight for his life on equal footing.

His mind though. His mind said that but it wasn't accepting that he had to suffocate a person with his bare hands. He felt life literally ripping through his fingers as the man's eyes bulged, gripping and squirming…

Now? Now, he had someone else approaching him with a magnum pointed at his head.

…This was beyond hell. Glancing to his side, Shin stared at the guy. White. This was literally a miscellaneous Caucasian man…fighting for WHAT?

"…Take your pick. What are you?"

"Norwegian."

Norwegian. Shin stared at him drearily, his arms heavy and not sure if he had any kill left in him. Alas, like the turmoil in his chest from strangling someone to death, he was confident and felt confirmed when a bullet whizzed through the man's skull, tearing it apart.

Grimacing as blood and brain matter splattered against his face, reminded that his dad's career circled around repairing the very thing that was just obliterated, his ears ringing, Shin looked back at Komari who was holding the rifle. She was covered in bruises and blood, also hyperventilating. He read her lips, "You…you good, Y-Yagami?"

"I'm…I'm something, Yamada. Is…is that all of them?"

He glanced in time to see Kasumi snap a man's neck, no small feat. She looked strained. "…That's…that's all of them."

And, once again, the transport they brought in was now a crispy stack of metal they could use for cover in the next fight! No. No more.

Shin wiped his face, looking miserably to Komari who just silently looked back. It was about to be ten days. They'd been attacked three times and there was not one sign of rescue. He could have almost been to Grimoire by now.

…No more.

"Shin, this is stupid and crazy."

Yagami Shin knew he couldn't possibly carry all the water he needed without tuckering himself out. Thing was, it'd be ridiculous to NOT carry water given he'd dehydrate and die quickly without it. He asked Kitamura, basically their now inventory keeper, for his segment of water and freeze-dried food.

Kitamura was smirking. SMIRKING. He was sitting on the removed, burned seat of a car in the shade of the cargo box like he was on a fucking beach. "Sure, Yagami. What do you want me to tell them to tell your family when they pick us up?"

"That they'll find my bones in the desert and not sitting in a fucking chair, hoping to be found" Shin scoffed sarcastically.

Others in the unit were whispering similar sentiments as Kitamura, that he was 'crazy' and they just needed to hold out a little longer. At this point, he was either going to die here or die out there. At least this gave him a damn chance. Komari didn't seem on board.

"Yagami, I will FIGHT you. Just wait a little longer!" Komari snapped as he layered bottle water and canteens in his bag.

Hmm…the ammo probably needed to be in his side bag, he mused. "Shin. Shin. I am begging you, don't do this."

Shin sighed deeply, slowly standing. It would be more intelligent to move at night. Yes, it was cold but he wouldn't be perspiring near as much and some nights it was pitch black. He would also move in the day but he needed to optimize the former for maximum efficiency.

"I'm really not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

Looking at Komari, her face very irritated and sand burned, Shin grasped her shoulders. "…I'm going to get to that base, send a transmission, and they'll save you, Komari. Until then, don't be a hero and play it safe. This is the only way because we're not going to survive another ten days out here. We're not running out of supplies because there are less and less people to use them. This isn't going to end favorably if someone doesn't do something."

She silently watched him pick up his stuff, putting on one of the dead Zechs' robes for added protection and covering his face with the cloth, putting on the goggles because the wind was whipping up the sand fiercely in the distance. Okay, here goes…reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the watch Lyla gave him which had a compass in the corner. Well, at…at least she was with him this much.

"Wait."

When he looked back, he found Komari looked…annoyed. "Just…wait."

What? He frowned, watching her go over the Kitamura. As much as he trusted Komari, he honestly didn't put it past her to ask Kitamura to stop him. About to move before that happened, he raised a brow when instead she grabbed a case of water bottles and about thirty dead Zechs' canteens. What?

Komari got food, ammo, guns…what was she doing? Taking a robe as well, she fashioned it around herself but why? What was she doing? Kasumi stared at her hard. Was she confused too?

"…So you're really going to choose him over me?"

Eh? Shin stared, startled, as Komari gave Kasumi a dry look. "…No. I was hoping you'd be inspired to go with me."

"On a suicide mission? Forget it" Kasumi spat.

Wait, who was going where? Suddenly, it clicked. "W-Wait, Komari…it's…it's too dangerous for you to go too. Stay here and protect the camp."

"Shut your hole, Yagami" she countered sharply, her eyes never leaving Kasumi, "…You know he's right. You just don't want to admit it because he's a him. The Zechs are rolling in here and picking us off like petals on a daisy. We can't even go in that direction because we'll be outnumbered entirely wherever they're coming from. If I die out there, I did it trying to get help. Here, we are just pretending that they're coming for us. They're not. You know what they said. Seven days MIA and we're casualties. Our whereabouts are unknown and they're not risking another a hundred people to come look for us. Please…just come with us."

"…Have fun. I'll make sure they come looking for you" Kasumi said dully.

Komari stared at her before tenderly giving her a kiss which apparently alarmed a lot of their remaining comrades. It alarmed him because why was she coming with him?! Komari stroked Kasumi's hair back, whispering, "Please…please don't die, Sumi. No matter what happens."

And Komari turned, walking toward him, brisk. "Let's go."

"…Okay."

Well…a friend and a half.

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"…You sure this is the right way, Yagami?"

"Yes."

Yagami Shin took a short sip of water as he sat on the ground with Yamada Komari. They traveled until about four in the morning last night. He slept for two hours while she kept watch then she slept for two hours while he kept watch and then they continued at eight. Now, at noon, they had stopped to nibble at field rations. Per his estimate, since they started at eight last night, they'd gone at least the twenty miles she deemed.

It was marked by just little jot marks on the map but apparently there were oasis throughout the desert, just peculiar sections of lush growth which made absolutely no sense to him. However, he realized this…this may have been an example of Earthmate capabilities. Maybe. There was random water too which was refreshing. They couldn't stay long because this definitely stood out like a sore thumb but it was a nice place to take a break.

Komari was eating one of the sawdust rations they had, her eyes half-closed as she regarded him. Boy, was she not pleased with him right now. "How do you know?"

Tipping his head, he murmured, "See that remnant of a statue in the distance?"

She frowned, taking out her binoculars. It was easy to miss but it appeared to be a deeply submerged statue of a fox looking thing. From what he recalled of mythology, it was an Anubis. "…Are we anywhere near Egypt?"

"Well, closer than we are in Japan" Shin droned, "But they have it listed on the map as the 'Bastet' pointer."

"Bastet?"

"I heard about it around the town we patrolled. There was this tribe of priests that migrated from Egypt to 'work with the spirits of the Terrans' in maintaining the land. I heard the Zechs' massacred them back in the mid-90s and the priests' families had to scatter. The Bastet Family. That statue is probably a remnant of their tribe or temple."

Komari looked…disturbed. "Shin, there is nothing left except that statue. That was only six, seven years ago if it was the mid-90s. They just…wiped out all signs of the tribe?"

"Appears so…"

"…I hate these bastards."

He nodded miserably before staring at the map again. "…There's a few of these 'oasis' between here and the base. About…three and then we're just on flat land for the rest of the time unless there's some unaccounted for. I want this to be our waypoint until they run out."

"You seem very oddly versed at being lost in the desert, Shin."

Shin smiled grimly, "…Lyla and I used to play 'lost in the jungle'. That's how we measured how to get back to our houses, the…flowers or something."

Flipping his watch open, looking at her picture, he bit his lip. It…it was looking good. If they kept this pace, if they kept under the radar, he…he should see her again. They could sort this out. He looked up to Komari who didn't apparently have a picture of Kasumi, just idly nibbling on her food. Closing his watch, he murmured, "…I swear to you, Komari, that I'll get you back to her, whatever it takes."

"…Don't make promises you can't keep, Yagami."

…Day 12.

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Fuck.

Shin didn't really mind sand so much. Yes, it was messy, it got everywhere, it was hot. But he loved digging his toes into it at the beach and the little crystals on his feet.

He was turned inward, kneeling and blocking Komari with his body, occasionally having to stand so they wouldn't be encapsulated, from a sandstorm. Nope…after this, it would take a good long time for him and sand to be on good terms again.

"…Fuck this desert" Shin muttered under his breath.

Fucking sand fleas. He had fucking sand fleas in his hair. If he knew that was going to happen, he would have shaved it off back at the crash site. Luckily they didn't stay in his hair but they sure bit the fuck out of his scalp.

Komari miserably dragged beside him after the wind let up, about five in the evening. It'd been around seven days and…well, they were getting close? But they were definitely slowing down with exhaustion from lack of sleep and heat. They'd hit all the oasis so now it was just desert. Desert and more desert. Just endless…endless desert.

"Yagami."

"Hmm?"

She was walking beside him as the sun started to set. By this point, they were too weary to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and the less oppressive sun hitting every square inch of their body, even with the covering. Nope, they were dragging. He might have to consider them just crashing for a full eight hours at this point because it'd be a damn shame to die of lack of sleep when everything else was trying to kill them.

However, Komari looked…irritated. God, why did she come then?! "…Yagami, we can't be out here past August."

"Um, Komari, it's June. If we're out here past August, it's because our corpses are drying out."

She smirked at him, "It's almost July, Shin. There stands a chance, if this doesn't work, we might be out here past August. In which case, I'll just have to stay behind."

"Why?"

"Those predators we've managed to fight off and avoid? They're going to pick up the scent of blood and my 'heathen magic' only lasts until August."

What now? Shin was about to ask why they were discussing blood when he had no intention of letting her get hurt. Nonetheless, it hit him and he 'oh'd'. "…Well, I mean, we can…possibly fashion some feminine protection?"

Snickering, she shook her head, "I start bleeding out of the wahoo out here, Shin, I am a thousand percent over it whether you can fashion 'feminine protection' or not. This just blows."

He found himself chuckling. Komari leered at him, "What?"

"Sorry…I was just thinking about when my sister…got her monthly 'blessing' for the first time."

Komari raised a brow above her goggles as he gazed ahead, keeping his ear out, "…Jill is our only sister so, y'know, she's in a house with a bunch of stupid dudes. Our mom wasn't home…she was about eleven and just came out of her room, screaming, and we all flipped the hell out…"

"It-it started. It started!" Jill had sobbed.

"What started?! What's wrong?! Are you hurt?!" demanded fifteen-year-old Nelly, all of them having run to her when they heard the screams.

"T-The adult thing!" she cried, "Th-The adult thing for women! What do I do?!"

Koji had been so flabbergasted. "Adult thing'?! You're eleven! There's no adult thing! Turn the adult thing back off!"

"I don't know HOW TO!"

Shin smiled sadly, shaking his head. She was his…go-to back then. For a lot of things. He remembered running to call her and Marianne, the maid, advised that Lyla was busy. He begged for just a second and after a few minutes, she came to the phone. "Shin? What's the matter?"

"Lyla, I need your help!"

"What? What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"No, i-it's Jill! Th-The thing that happens with women, it turned on too soon!"

"What now?"

"The- the thing wit-with the bleeding or whatever, it turned on for her too soon, how do we stop it?!"

He had been serious as a heart attack. He recalled how Lyla was dead silent for like thirty seconds before she apparently almost died laughing. "Lyla! This isn't funny!"

"I-I'm sorry, Shin" she had choked, still cracking up, "I-I've just never heard you say anything so silly so seriously, yo-you just surprised me."

Komari smirked widely, "So you thought a woman menstruating was like a faucet? Or a light switch? You just flip it on and off at your will?"

Shin scoffed, "No. We just thought…it came at a specific age very neatly and eleven was too soon so we wanted to make sure it waited until it was time."

Komari also laughed, drinking a bit of water, "Ya'll were cute. What happened?"

"Lyla…she came over and helped Jill before sitting us down and explaining…basic female health to us like the dummies we were" he groaned.

"Shin, I promise you, there are more men at twenty or thirty unequipped with that knowledge than is acceptable so if you got it at sixteen, you were doing better than average."

"Maybe…" Shin murmured, "…I just don't get it. She was there for me for so much when I needed her. We were…we were there for each other so what went wrong?"

Komari shrugged, "…Let's get to this base so you can find out."

…Right. Just…four more days to go if they kept this pace. Then, they could go home and he would see his family, apologize for worrying them.

He would see her again and maybe…maybe they could get past the storm too.

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They were close. The next day, they should be at the base and he was almost ready to start running but he knew it'd wear him out. Komari was excited too.

Then they found it.

It was nighttime. The stars provided some light but it was hard to see. However, when they came to the metal structure, Komari was ecstatic. "Oh my God, Shin, we made it, we're here."

Shin frowned. Kneeling low, he pulled out the map and…

"…I know I am no navigator, Komari, but…there's no way that's the base."

"What?" she demanded quietly, crouching beside him.

He showed her. They had passed another marker point on the map, an old sign that read 'Octo' for some reason or another. There was no way something that random would have moved either so the proximity of this being the base? No, it wasn't it. Komari's face scrunched before she looked up. "…It IS stupid as fuck to have a building made of dark metal out here. Plus, it's very…small. So what is it then?"

"…Should we investigate?" Shin mumbled, "That…that could be a Zechs' base."

Komari scoffed, reaching for her bag, "You have my back, right?"

"Of course."

"Then watch my back, I'll snipe the Zechs, and maybe THEY have something we can use to get out of here" she grunted, assembling her sniper rifle.

Well…this sounded crazy. "We're in the fucking DESERT, Shin. 'Crazy' is all we have on the table right now."

…Okay. Their fatigues provided more camouflage than the robes so they took them off, army crawling toward the building. Once they cleared, he got back up and kept an outward look as Komari peered through random gaps in the structure.

"…Oh my God" she whispered.

Shin frowned, looking around, "What?"

She grabbed his arm, sitting up and holding her gun and tipping her head. Shin got down to look…and fuck.

In a tiny room, behind bars, was about a hundred or more Earthmates.

Staring, Shin slowly pulled away, leaning against the structure because…what the FUCK?

"Shin, what do we do?" Komari said softly.

What…what do they DO? Shin slowly shook his head, "…Komari, we…we can't leave them here. We can't."

"Shin" she hissed, "We have JUST enough water to maybe last another week or two out here. And even if we were to bring them with us, there's only two of us to protect them."

While he wanted to say they probably could at least protect themselves, he saw that there were children. They…gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Shit."

Grabbing a pen from his bag, he drew a circle and etched an 'x'. "…We get to the base, we call for ourselves, then we tell them to come rescue them."

"We…we're going to leave them then."

"…Do we have a real choice?" he murmured, "If we let them go, they might get gunned down out here or killed immediately. We don't have…have the means."

Komari looked numb as they slowly crawled away, making sure the Zechs didn't come around the corner to kill them. Granted, he wouldn't have minded blowing them away because once again they managed to make him a monster. They…they were probably almost being cooked alive during the day in there if…if they were still alive to begin with.

"Who the hell are you!?"

Shin looked up, shocked, when two Zechs' soldiers stood before them. Yea. Be careful what you asked for. One of them grabbed what looked like a horn…meaning they were about to notify their comrades who had to have been somewhere. But they weren't…exactly here so…

Without thinking, Shin rammed the guy to the ground, Komari wrangling the other down. Covering their mouths, he quickly surveyed the area. He didn't see anyone but that didn't mean ANYTHING. If they shot these guys, they might as well have let them sound the horn in this dead silence. Damn it. DAMN IT.

"Yagami."

Forcing his knee further into the struggling soldier's shoulders, Shin glared toward Komari who stared back, her face blank…as she pulled out her tactical knife. A knife? What was a knife-

Shin felt his eyes grow, the realization ripping apart his insides. No, no…

She shook her head before dragging the blade right through the soldier's throat. Shin almost gagged at the gurgling of blood, the man's screams underneath Komari's hand. No. NO. That…

The guy started thrashing, screaming into Shin's hand as he slowly pulled his knife from his pocket. Maybe…maybe he was…he was begging for his life. Maybe he'd be willing to change after this. Maybe he didn't…

…Have…a choice…

Shin clenched his eyes shut, jerking the man's head back and cutting. Just like they were taught. Nice and quick. No…no room for error. He inhaled, choking on air, feeling the flesh tear and the blood seep against his skin as the man kicked violently. Pulling the knife in deeper, he pleaded. Die. Just…just, please, die already.

"Shin?"

No one came. They were probably the lookouts but they didn't signal anything. Couldn't. He shoved the bodies into a hole he dug while Komari kept watch. His…soul felt like it'd left his body and he was just an animated corpse digging up sand to bury another corpse in.

"Shin."

He looked up when Komari touched his hand. Both of their hands were covered in blood. Komari looked…sad. "Shin, sweetie…I know that was rough but we need to get out of here, okay? The sooner we can get to the base, the sooner we can save those people. It won't offset the lives we had to take but we need to move for those people AND ourselves now. Okay?"

"…Yes."

Wiping his hands the best he could, they put the robes back on, like ghosts crossing into the darkness toward salvation. His head felt empty. In the distance, he thought he saw the sky start to fade to violet, just like more and more of his humanity started to bleed out.

Just a monster with no choice.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Daddy?"

In a place other than this, another desert void where the path was just as uncertain but he wasn't coherent enough to notice, Shin might have been four, five years old. He'd just gotten his own room. He'd been so excited, thinking he was a 'big kid' now. Little did he know, having spent the first four, five years of his life sleeping beside his father, that being alone in a room meant you heard everything by yourself.

He heard honking. He heard the gunshots like the one Uncle Jum's gun made when they went shooting sometimes. Why was it so loud and outside though? He had wondered that, just so fucking innocent.

One night, it got to be too much. He wanted out. He wanted to be back beside his dad in his arms, asleep, and not hearing all these things. So he trekked out of his room to his dad's, prepared to request readmission to a safer place.

His dad was…awake. His eyes were open but he was just kind of looking at Shin. Shin didn't recall what he thought, just that it was weird. Nothing pressing, he just tried again. "Daddy?"

"Y…Yes, Shin? W-What…what's the…the matter?"

"I'm scared. I-I want to sleep with you."

His father still didn't move but he said shakily, "Oh…okay."

That had been all Shin needed to hear, scurrying over under the covers and getting close to Yagami Yamada. One thing he could remember even decades later was the fact his dad felt like he'd picked up a cube of ice, that biting cold in his palm, except it was the man's entire body.

"Papa, are you cold? You want me to get another blanket?"

"I-I'm okay, baby. Don't…don't worry about me, okay? Just…just a bad…dream."

"You had a bad dream?"

"Well…memory. I'll warm up soon…"

Memory. Like…how his father watched almost a hundred dead bodies because one person did the wrong thing? Like that? Like how Shin had almost a hundred dead bodies to his name too now, including one where he had to cut their throat like an animal? PTSD. That was PTSD. This was PTSD.

Shin sobbed in agony as he curled in the corner of the room, Komari also crying wretchedly as she kept crying into the phone 'hello? Please, hello'.

Yea. The plan was a bust.

When they saw the base, it was like seeing the sun after months of rain. They both had actually laughed with joy and relief, running. After having slit someone open like a piece of fruit the night before, he was able to laugh…

They entered the base cautiously, uncertain if the Zechs had repurposed it. They did a thorough search, finding it completely abandoned and rusted out. So, eager, they ran into the communication room, where army protocol said they were supposed to leave the line active and picked up the phone in the corner.

Nothing. No dial tone, nothing.

Okay, they stayed calm. There were ten other phones in this room. So they went and got each of them, plugging them into the line that was usually the hot one. Nothing.

Growing uneasy but still hopeful, they tried…all the lines in the room.

Nothing.

That anguish he felt…when he was heartbroken over Lyla's complicit silence? He thought that…that was pain. When they were left standing there in that room with the gravity of truth, he actually wished it had been his throat that was cut it hurt so bad.

God, papa. Papa. His papa begged and pleaded he didn't do this. He begged that Shin come home. After all his dad did for him. After all his mama did for him. His mama was waiting for him. He spent his childhood waiting for her and she always came back. Why? Why?

His siblings—he'd never speak to them again? He wouldn't see…he wouldn't see them grow up? Have families? Live? He wouldn't get to goof off with his brothers and sister? Fret over her? Send her flowers and presents because she was special? All of it was over?

"…Lyla" he wept, huge tears rolling down his face, "God, Lyla."

He hadn't seen her in two years. Why didn't he go after her in the airport? Lyla had never let him down, why—why did he give up that easily? Why? He'd never see her again.

They sat there for hours, mourning, and eventually they just…fell asleep. It didn't even matter to have a watcher. At first.

"Kill him and save the girl. I haven't seen pussy in months, we can have a little fun."

Shin felt a gun pointed at him and, had it just stayed at 'kill him', he honestly might have let them in that moment. The other part though…? No. He…he couldn't stand to allow that to happen, no matter what.

Opening his eyes, he ended up shooting the guy in the crotch from the angle he was in but quickly headshot him to end his misery. The two near Komari looked shocked as he shot them through the head next. Just like his father, she was awake, motionless, just staring at him.

"…What's left to fight for, Shin?"

Getting to his feet, he carefully walked over to the door, checking the corners. No one…where'd these assholes come from? "…Honestly, Yamada? I'm only fighting for you right now at this second."

"Stop then."

"Nah."

She sat up, glaring at him, as he took the rifles off of the bodies. "They probably cut the lines, Komari. I wouldn't be surprised if we weren't the first to try to get to this base."

Komari was disinterested as he opened the map on the table. "Today, it's July 2nd. If-If we keep walking, we can make it to the coast by August 20th or so."

"You are really pissing me off right now, Yagami. That's…what? Roughly…2,750 miles from here? That sounds…plausible for us to walk to you?"

Shin glowered, "Then what do you propose?"

"I propose we just sit here and die because that's what Sumi and the others have probably done by now if they weren't rescued" she snapped.

In all honesty, the frustration was at an absolute pinnacle and he felt it too. He wanted to bark back something but the fact of the matter? "You're right."

Komari leered at him as he sat up straighter, "…At this point? We're just prolonging the inevitable. We're gonna get caught. Probably tortured and killed too. The other possibility is we die of dehydration or starvation. Or our bodies overheat. There's nothing in this situation that isn't trying to kill us."

"I taste that 'however', Yagami, and it's burning me up."

"However…what the hell, right?"

Komari's eyes widened as he shrugged absently, "…Got nothing better to do now, right? Yea, we can sit here and let ourselves get shot but…endgame is looking like we die so we can either die in a blaze of glory or die sitting inside of an abandoned box."

"…A fairly comfortable abandoned box."

"You're the only one that has stuck with me, Komari, so it's whatever you want. I…I owe it to you."

She seethed loudly, rubbing her face. They were burnt. Their hair was burnt too, almost blond at this point. He was covered in bruises, cuts, and calluses. Due to the food rationing, he may have been at peak movement but he was losing weight. The damn phones hadn't worked. They were whooped.

Just…maybe that event tortured his dad. Maybe…maybe it woke him up at night, paralyzed and cold. But he hadn't given in once.

Maybe Shin still felt the writhing of that human being as he cut his throat in his fingertips. Maybe he wasn't sleeping because someone might kill him when he least expected. Maybe he should let them.

He just…couldn't give up yet.

"…All right, Shin. I will go along with you for this suicide mission until I or you die" she spat, standing. "It's useless. This is all useless."

"Great. Let's rummage."

Looking at him with disbelief as he headed for the mess hall, Komari grumbled about his 'crazy ass'. Yea, maybe.

…There were a few boxes of food left which was great. Even Komari kind of perked up when they found water was still getting tapped somehow through one of the faucets. Washing off the blood and sweat and other general filth was the most rejuvenating thing he'd felt in a long time. Komari started a fire and started to boil the water before filtering it into their empty canteens while he went around the perimeter to scout the outside.

About five Zechs were outside, confusingly not coming to check for their dead comrades. While Shin wasn't the sniper, he knew a little bit. With Komari, they just absently finished them off. He ran out, took their water, guns, and food and ran back in. Like a fucking scavenger.

Komari stared at him emptily as they went out the back door, probably wondering what insanity made him ready to go across thousands of miles of desert.

…His dad could have given up. He didn't. Like…Like Koji said, best to…knock on wood and hope for the best until it was no longer provided. He wanted to…but he couldn't give up until there was nothing left.

When they went out, he was startled. A…a truck. Holy shit, a truck. He looked to Komari who looked surprised too.

Surveying the vehicle, making sure there weren't any explosives or anything, he was shocked to find a full two containers of gas in the back too. "We…we may be able to get about five hundred miles with this."

"…Huh. Yagami…our luck might have turned."

Loading their things, he climbed into the driver's seat after they put the robes back on. A little…undercover, he supposed. Komari leaned back, yawning, "…This is still nuts, Shin."

"You'll make it to that hot spring yet, Komari."

She smiled wistfully as he started the truck, the first time he'd driven in a long, long time. He absently held out his hand, knowing she'd reject it. "…Trust me this once, Yamada, and I promise…I will never have us go across a desert again."

Komari laughed. It…was nice they could still be anything other than miserable. She gripped his hand though. "Yagami…you get us anywhere but dead, I'll follow you to Hell."

…Hang on, papa. This Shin…wasn't going to be a cold memory.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"They had crazy taste in music. These band names alone would have turned me away."

Yagami Shin glared incredulously as he lied back in the passenger seat of the car, having grown weary so Komari took over. He located that the Zechs had kept cassettes in the car but it was literally like… "…Assholeparade? 'Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash'? 'Breaking Benjamin'?"

"You some kind of music snob there, Yagami?"

"Oh yea" he droned, popping in one of the cassettes, "My brothers and I, this was like…our big deal in life. We went to the music store almost every other day, concerts—I…I'll miss it if we don't make it back."

Komari didn't say anything before drawling, "…Your family is really close."

"Yea. We're…all we have."

She yawned softly, "You never mention anything extended, really. Y'know, aunts, uncles, grandpa, grandma…"

Shaking his head, he replied, "Of course they exist but don't know them."

Komari glanced at him, seeming confused, before looking back at the open terrain before them. "…Kind of unusual."

"Yea."

She smirked. Hmm? "Yagami, one or both of us are probably not going to make it out of here so you can cut the secretive shit."

"Well, I don't quite accept that prognosis just yet."

"Fine-e-e, just keep your deep dark secrets."

Shin snickered, looking at his hands. He found himself doing that a lot lately, especially when he recalled that after his first deployment he was upset over less than twenty people losing their lives to him. Now? Now, he…he was actually starting to lose count. He had strangled someone and cut someone's throat.

…Maybe Komari was right. "…We do get out, promise you won't tell anyone?"

"Snitches get stitches."

"I'm serious" he smiled.

"Sure. Might even tell you a story or two as long as yours isn't some crap story about how much money your parents have so they cut your grandparents off."

Shin snorted, "Tuh. Hardly."

He stared at the roof of the Jeep, a little…perturbed. He'd only ever told her outside of his family anything about this. He hadn't even told her all of it. Just… "I don't know every detail, right? My parents met when they were crazy young—think my dad was like freshly 17 and my mom was 14. My dad, he was the product of his Japanese mom sleeping with an American politician when she was a teenager too. He went back home to his family and she ended up raising my dad on her own. My dad felt obligated to her so he worked like three jobs to help her since he was like ten."

"My mom, on the other hand, she…was from this old rich family. They were around since like…Sengoku Period. I think she had two sisters and a brother and both of her parents. She…she was engaged real young to this son of a bitch bastard from another rich family. Somehow, she ended up meeting my dad and they…they fell in love, I guess."

"Well, sounding right typical right now…" Komari remarked.

Nodding, Shin yawned, "Well…it gets less typical. My dad? He had a best friend, his name was Shin."

"That must be confusing…"

Nope. "Yea…so, this best friend? He dealt cocaine for the yakuza. He also was stealing cocaine and money from the yakuza."

"…That…kind of escalated rather quickly there, Yagami" Komari said slowly, "Okay. So, best friend with your name was a drug dealer for the Japanese mob, gotcha."

Shin cracked his knuckles, nodding, "Not…a hundred on how my dad got involved but apparently someone reached out to him, said, 'yea, your best friend is stealing from the mob. If you don't want him to die, start paying the difference'."

"…Huh."

"Yea. So my dad, he worked odd jobs and started taking money out of his paycheck to pay the difference."

She made a face, "…Your dad is a real good one then. I wouldn't even do that for Kasumi and you see what I'll do for her."

Seriously. "I…guess there was some missing parts for me there but he did it for a good long while. While that was going on, he was working as a medical assistant and got into college. Meanwhile, my mom…she was slowly being prepared to marry that son of a bitch fiancé at sixteen. In the midst of that, she found out she was pregnant…with me."

"Guess the fiancé wasn't too happy…"

… "Well…maybe. Doesn't matter. The intention was he wasn't going to know. My… 'grandmother', or, my mom's mom, she was going to force my mother to abort me."

"…Okay, wow."

"Obviously, didn't happen, but my mom, she…she knew she couldn't stay in her family home but they had her guarded and surrounded so she cut the flooring out in her room, shimmied underneath the foundation, and made her way out in the mud and rain to escape."

"…Okay, wow."

"She…I think it was described to me somewhere that she was fearful for my dad so she intended to leave the island all together but my dad, he found her, and brought her back to Wasaba. His mom, I…met her a few times but nothing solid. She was mad my dad took responsibility for my mom and me, so she kicked him out and he moved my mom to the better side and they got married. I think everything was going fine…until Shin. He was strung out on the cocaine he was dealing and my dad, he was…well, he was a spouse now, right? He had other responsibilities."

"Right…"

"So, my dad cut ties somehow with the situation and told Shin what had been going on, that the yakuza were on to him all along and he needed to get right. It…didn't quite work out. That Shin, he got shot like…twelve times because they finally caught up with him."

"…Shit."

"…I've only learned this part myself recently. The yakuza…the yakuza that Shin was under, it was my mom's fiancé. When Shin's life was on the line, apparently…he told my mom's fiancé how to find my mom."

Shin felt Komari about put on the brakes. Oops. "…What?"

Grimacing, Shin shrugged as Komari stared at him hard. "…Your dad…kept him alive…by paying for his pettiness in drug dealing…and he tells your mom's yakuza fiancé how to find her?"

"Yes."

"…Woohoo" Komari whistled, shaking her head as she resumed normal acceleration, "Let me tell you, man: me and the hubs would have definitely been picking out some new baby names."

He wondered about that a lot too… "I guess it was too short notice. Her parents showed up, told her that her 'fiance' was willing to take her back and must've blackmailed my dad somehow. So, she ended up going to marry that bastard."

"Wow. I really do not like this story" Komari said in an almost amazed tone.

It…wasn't great. "Yea, I can stop because, I promise, it gets worse."

Komari shook her head. "…I'm in too deep now. Continue."

"My mom, she ended up leaving me solely in my dad's care. He watched me and brought dead Shin's sister in as my nanny. I don't know all the logistics, but, my mom was able to see my dad for her birthday. I heard she…had to get beaten by her husband to do so."

"…Oh. My. God."

"Anyway, that's…how my twin brothers, Koji and Nelly, were born. Then some years down the line, they also managed to have my little brother, Tony, and baby sister, Jill."

Shin paused. Komari stared ahead before looking to him again, "…This is the dark part."

"Yea."

Clearing his throat, he sat up and looked out. It'd be nice if there was…something other than sand to look at. "…I saw them on and off throughout the years, my brothers. I actually didn't get to meet the younger twins until my…dad had. They were already like, five, six months old. Anyway, my…my brother, Koji, he…he was always this kind of…dour kid. Like, we'd play together normally but as time passed, he just got…"

Swallowing hard, remembering Koji growing more and more distant, Shin whispered, "…He was sick. Nelly escaped the fiance's home with him and the babies and went to my dad's hospital. My dad saw them and…he had Koji examined. They…they found that…that he'd been…getting raped. By a man."

"…The fucking stepdad."

"Yea."

"I hope his sick ass is rotting in prison then" snarled Komari, her eyes narrowed, "People are so disgusting, I can't stand it sometimes."

"Yes."

"But…it sounds like your brother is doing good though despite all that. I mean, a wild streak is to be expected with that kind of foundation but it sounds like he's pretty sane in the circumstances" Komari smiled.

…Mm. "…Yea, about that…"

"What?"

"…He doesn't remember anything. He…he was seen by a doctor that kind of…repressed everything. So, if…he his subconscious tries to kick in, his mind just blacks it out and he's not quite sure what's going on."

Komari was dead silent on that. Yea.

"…Shin, do you…think that's fair? I mean, like…I get it, a lot of people would love to live without trauma but like…it sounds like everyone else in the family knows and, like…he can't be completely okay, even not knowing."

Shin shook his head, "…He's got an angry violent streak a mile long and goes through random bouts of depressions he can't rationalize. It…it wasn't my choice and I'm…I'm just afraid what will happen if I told him."

"…Fuck."

"But yea…that's why it's only us."

There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's a little white porch and you wanted it so. Can you let me go down to the end of the road?

"…I'm an only child. I don't really get…sibling stuff, I guess. I mean, sure, the kids around us were like my little siblings but like…nothing like what you have going on" Komari explained softly.

"…I bet your parents are looking for you to come back too though, Komari. Their only beloved child?"

"Yea. I guess…it's only right that we give it our best until the end, right? No…no matter what it takes."

What I want from this world, what I wanna resolve. When I want you to stay; so I want you to wait. I don't wanna be bold. I don't wanna be cold. I don't wanna grow old…I wanna go home.

Staring at the radio, a little surprised that it wasn't…the worst thing he'd heard, considering it was from the collection of some genocidal maniacs, Shin nodded. "…I want us to go home, Komari. Whatever it takes."

…He guessed…one more son could be robbed of their sanity if that's what it took.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"…Gotta say, the ol' girl carried us quite a ways."

Shin dug with a shovel that was in the back of the truck a fairly large hole. They weren't leaving any evidence trails and it'd probably look suspicious, a random truck out in the middle of nowhere.

Komari dug on the other side, having made the remark that was true, just unfortunately in the past tense. They drove for about two days straight, eventually just taking turns and going to sleep while the other person drove. It went two hundred miles over expectation, about seven hundred miles further than they had been. It never overheated despite it definitely having ample opportunity to, it had suck A/C but suck A/C was better than this scorching oppression, and he wasn't really prepared to say it was dead…it was just out of gas and probably other critical fluids.

Putting it in neutral when he engaged the lock with the key, he and Komari pushed their loyal 'stead' into the ground, putting a bit of sand back but, frankly, the desert would do that for them eventually.

He sat down and looked at the map grimly, Komari sitting beside him. She shook her head as he couldn't take his eyes off the x's.

…To have thought it was only one was a naïve mistake. Why on Earth would one atrocity do? No, they were both so…innocently shocked that, some hours into their drive, they came across another metal building. The Zechs were actively outside of that one so it was clear they had the same scenario as the last one. They didn't stop because it'd have looked suspicious, at ease driving amongst other Zechs before disappearing further into the desert. Komari quietly circled an x on their map.

After two days, they had approximately seven additional x's on their map.

Shin breathed out, muttering, "…What was the scope, Komari? What they told my friend, Joe…is this…is this that plan in fruition?"

Rubbing her chin, Komari raised a brow, "…You spread a rumor that they're going to Fenith. Means they know about Fenith and it's importance to the Terrans. Saying that 'we're going to go attack Fenith' or 'we're taking these Earthmates to Fenith after trekking them through Prana', where does our attention go?"

"…To Fenith. To protecting the water" Shin rasped.

"Meanwhile, they can pull all their shit here in the middle of nowhere. The base we had here hasn't been occupied in almost ten years—we have no stronghold here and we're not looking. We're only flying over it…maybe?"

Shin winced, staring at the map again, "…That's why we got shot down. I bet they thought we were getting closer to finding them out."

"That…" Komari whispered, "…Or our pilot took creative liberties with our flight plan. Which is why the army never came, we weren't on the same route."

"Swell."

"Well…I'm ready when you are. Just…two thousand miles to go. On foot."

Shin stared into the distance. The heat was so thick, the air was waving. That…purple fade again. "…I'm traumatized by all the killing we've done, Komari. However, if we come across another truck…"

With a snicker, she stood up, "Bro, we come across three more trucks, we made it."

Unlikely. It was no man's land at this point, there weren't even pointers on the map anymore, just…space. However, those two days of driving, he felt a bit more rested, his legs were aching but they were probably ready to start trekking again, and they hadn't been perspiring near as much so water supplies were good. He…he was feeling confident again.

That first day anyway.

It was…120 degrees Fahrenheit. 49 degrees Celsius. That meant the UV index because of the sand was deadly and he could feel the moisture getting sucked out of his skin. He struggled to take only a sip of water every hundred steps, his body was begging him for more. Komari was panting, dragging behind. Yea…he was an optimistic full on…dumbass.

"We can't do it, Shin."

Shin had stopped to throw up, the most dangerous thing he could do in this situation as he robbed his body of the probably scarce amount of electrolytes he had if any. Komari was sitting on the ground, the sweat dripping off of her like a stream. She looked…weak. "We…we just can't, Shin. We just can't."

Taking a longer drink of water, the bile still heavy, he shook his head. "…Wh-What do you want to do, Komari?"

"I want you to give up. If you give up, I can give up. As long as you're still full of fight, I feel like I need to be full of fight."

He lied on his back in the sun, his clothes keeping his back from burning, covering his eyes with his forearm. "…Sorry, 'Mari, I'm…I'm not sure I can do that. If…if they come for us, jus…just lemme get shot for that tuh happen…"

"Boy, will I."

How depressing. Shin struggled to his feet, picking up his supplies, as Komari did the same and they just…continued along.

Komari fell asleep so hard when the sun completely went down. It was probably uncomfortably cold to the average person but after hours of overheating, it felt almost…orgasmic if he wanted to go that direction to have the temperature drop and they could rest. Somewhat.

"This is because you're a halfbreed."

Shin stared at Lieutenant Sato, leaning back against his stuff, holding his gun. "…Oh really?"

"You're all just so fucking stuck on survival. Have to prove something. Meanwhile, you cause all around you to suffer because you just don't know when to die. Miserable piece of shit."

At this point, Shin wasn't sure he was wrong, blinking as Sato walked away in a huff. Grabbing the map, his only 'reading material', he looked at their destination and how far they were from it. Turning it over, he scribbled in the margin: July 7th, 2002, Day 27. They'd been missing for almost a month. His dad thought he was dead.

"Shin…get some sleep."

Komari woke up after three hours, sitting up and eating one of the ration bars. Shin was trying to fight it, weary. His head rested on the bag, he said drearily, "Can't, said you'll let me die…"

"Aww, shaddup, Yagami" Komari snorted, stroking his eyes shut, "Carry your ass to sleep."

He couldn't. They tried to kill him and plotted to rape Komari in his sleep. Even if she wasn't going to protect him anymore, he…he had to protect them both. Still, his body didn't care about those concerns, he did doze off…to have dreams about dragging his tactical knife across some miscellaneous person's jugular while in the eye room in Sharance, Sato barking at him for being so weak in the mind while Okamoto Bajiru belittled his existence some more. It…wasn't actually sleep, just a state of slight unconsciousness.

Opening his eyes, feeling nauseous again just because of the exhaustion, he sat up. It…it was still cool. "Let's…let's walk some more, Komari."

She was staring up at the sky, not saying anything, before she nodded. He wondered what she saw.

"Shin, do you love her?"

Day 32.

He glanced to his side, Lyla wandering beside him. She was wearing that yellow sundress she wore to the Nirvana concert. Her face was down and he was confused. Love who?

"Her. Komari."

Komari was dragging behind him. They hadn't talked in about a day because, well, she got irritated again. She was done and he didn't have it in him to be done. He barked that she was supposed to have his back and she snapped that she didn't want to anymore.

Fine. He understood why, just… did he love her? Maybe a little, Lai, but it wasn't romantic. I don't know how to be alone and she's…she's supported me. Like you did.

"Shin, do you hear that?"

"Then why'd you leave me?" Lyla asked.

I…didn't mean to. Shin bit his lip. He just was angry. 'I was so angry with you.'

"Shin? Dude, am I hearing things?"

"Now…you'll never see me again. You'll die alone."

…But…

"Shin!"

Shin jerked, shocked as Komari screeched. What? He looked up in time to see a Zechs soldier on a dune buggy pointing some kind of gun at him. Shit.

A gunshot traveled fast. Fast. But everything fell into slow motion and Komari tried to jump in front of him. Tried, but there was…was no way. He grabbed her around her waist and threw them to the ground. But bullets were fast. Three of the bullets ripped through her lower left leg.

"No!" he shrieked.

Komari sobbed, writhing and tossing back and forth, gripping her leg. Shit! Enraged, blindly, not worried about his breathing but robbing the breath of that son of a bitch, he whipped a gun out of his pocket and shot the bastard through the forehead in one fluid motion.

The monster fell off his bike, crumbling to the ground and the dune buggy spiraling a few feet forward before coming to a stop. Shin surveyed quickly and saw another truck, yelling and starting to shoot at them. Shin changed out with their rifle and before they started shooting, shot straight through the windshield. Grabbing his handgun again, he ran toward the truck and snatched the door open. Apparently he was still high on the gun aptitude scale, both of them had fatal bullet wounds, the driver's foot stuck on the gas. He threw him out, putting the vehicle in park.

Running, stumbling, back to Komari, he found her quivering, blood seeping out of her leg. God. God. "Fuck…" he choked, "Fuck. Komari, I-I'm so sorry, it's-it's all my fault, fuck."

"You couldn't even let me die…" she said wearily.

He shook his head, picking her up in his arms and setting her in the truck as fast as possible. Doing a quick check for explosives, he grabbed their things, the water bottles off the bodies…

Ugh. Quickly looking around, praying no one else popped up, he dug a haphazard hole and pushed the corpses in it, sloppily covering them. He'd…he'd run them over with the truck to compact it down.

Rolling the dune buggy, he managed to tie it up in the miniscule trunk and jumped into the driver's seat, gunning up the sand as fast as he could. Komari was breathing erratically as he rolled full speed forward. He had to get her to safety first.

About ten minutes into going about eighty every second, not wanting to burn the motor up, he came to a stop and rushed over to her. Throwing out his sleeping bag, he stretched her across it on her stomach and built a tent around her leg. This…was at least top ten on least sterile environments.

Grabbing the water bottle he lifted off those assholes, he gave her one, "Drink."

"Shin."

"Drink."

She complied, taking soft sips as he grabbed another and surveyed her leg. The bullet wounds were huge, it had to have damaged a ligament or muscle tissue. Well…he didn't have to remove them, they went right through. Cursing himself, he seethed and covered his face. Fuck. Fuck.

"Shin, it's okay."

No, it wasn't. She wasn't losing her mind and when he was busy arguing with ghosts, his only living companion sacrificed herself for him. Now? Now she might bleed out out here.

Gritting his teeth, Shin grabbed the first aid kit. He had alcohol. About…three bottles. He'd have to dilute it to make it last. Taking out gauze and wrap, he awkwardly reached into his pocket and grabbed a lighter. Well…this…journey definitely took care of his nicotine habit. "I…I'm going to cauterize the wounds, Komari, they're…they're a little bigger than golf balls and you're going to bleed out."

"Whatever."

Only her. He gave her a cloth to bite down on while he grabbed the knife he hadn't used to cut someone's jugular and ran his lighter across it until it was burning hot. He'd…rather be in Hell right now.

Komari clenched her eyes shut tight, gnashing her teeth, as he pressed the burning metal to her skin. Yea. He…should have become a doctor, wow. He was trying to save people here too and it wasn't working out, he definitely could have done this in a hospital instead.

Waiting for her flesh to cool off, he tenderly as possible cleaned everything with alcohol. After, he stared. He…could slightly see through her leg. Gripping his head again, he shivered. This…this was all his fault.

She just looked at him absently as he packed her wound with iodoform strips then wrapped the wound with a once around of gauze and completely with bandage. Definitely had to keep sand out. Rummaging through the bag, he found a couple packets of ibuprofen. A laugh on the scale of pain relief, but…it should keep her from having a fever. Giving it to her, she took it, still staring, probably thinking what a dumb fuck he was.

Putting her back in the truck, he kissed her forehead. "…I'm sorry, Yamada. I'm going to make this right."

When she said nothing, he packed up and climbed into the driver seat. Same scenario as last truck except this time he had a dune buggy too. Putting the truck into gear, he glared as Sato stood outside the window, scoffing, "You deserve to be alone, you piece of shit."

Maybe. Just maybe. But now, he'd die before she did. He started this. Looking over to her, finding she'd gone to sleep, he nodded once and drove away from Sato, Bajiru, and Lyla. He wasn't going to finish it alone.

He owed her his life now forever.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was sketchy. The truck seemed way less dependable than the last one so he was pretty sure it wouldn't make it the same seven hundred miles. No, it surprised him, it went 750. With him alone, having to stop sometimes to sleep for at least an hour or two, it took about four days using all the gas.

Komari didn't speak to him. At all. She shouldn't. He was so busy tripping out he let her get injured. He was talking to ghosts when he should have been focused on getting to the real thing. He didn't press it with the victim of his insanity, just stopping every four hours to clean her wound and repack it when necessary. It wasn't…infected, but it was not looking good. No signs of gangrene, at least, just…

Checking off two more x's, having come across two more Terran camps some miles back, Shin wiped his brow. This…

"I'm done, Shin."

He had given her some privacy when she went to urinate. Before her injury, they lingered during those times but it was such a weird thing to have to watch someone do. Komari still managed to do it with one leg, dragging herself with a makeshift crutch he made out of a bar the Zechs had in the back of the truck. After burying the truck, he sat on the back of the dune buggy. It had a smaller gas tank. At most it'd get them maybe two hundred miles and that was being optimistic. He brought the rope, bungee cords, and seat belts with him in his far lighter bag. If…some miracle didn't happen in the next two hundred miles…

Komari stared at him as he hedged her to get on the back. "C'mon, we can make some good time since the sun is setting."

"Shin."

"Come on, Komari."

She just climbed onto the back and gripped his waist as he twisted the gears and rolled along. He was…fatigued, famished, and forlorn. This…this was taking everything from him.

"…You look funny with facial hair."

Shin lied beside Komari, having stopped for her wound check and a break to eat their lessening food. He would only take a nibble and save the rest. In something he failed to notice, he hadn't really looked at himself in a month. He had caught a glimpse in the rearview mirror but didn't spend much thought. But no, as he buried the truck, he saw himself in the sideview and almost freaked out because someone might be behind him.

His face…was drawn. Gaunt. Worn. He was burnt, brown. His hair was light at the crown and to his shoulders in length and he had above a five o'clock shadow. He didn't…

…He didn't know who that was.

"…I have to shave, like, maybe once every few weeks at home. I guess this is a month of progress."

Komari looked about the same. Also extremely tanned and with her hair sun-distressed and a bit shaggier. They were dehydrated, their skin was tight. She…she was flushed possibly with infection. Ugh. This…

"How's your shoulder?"

"Mm. It's fine."

In the adrenaline of it all, he didn't even realize he'd been shot in the shoulder twice by the bastards in the truck. Smaller bullet than what hit Komari, thankfully, but he'd had the honor of having been shot six times now. Considering though? That…that was actually phenomenal.

After lying around until about two in the afternoon per Lyla's watch, he settled Komari in front of him on the bike. It was more cumbersome but she needed to take the least amount of sun in her condition. She had fallen quiet again, apparently asleep against his chest. Hang…hang in there.

If he wanted to deem anything a miracle, it was the fact that after an additional three days, the buggy lasted 300 miles before sputtering out. Komari stared as he smiled grimly. Just…900ish miles to go.

Honestly, if they just got a hold of one more truck, it'd be…it'd be fantastic. But this? He thought they were in no man's land before, there was nothing out here. They hadn't even crossed a camp in hundreds of miles. It was too oppressive out here, not even those genocidal maniacs would subject themselves to this. If he came across a Zechs in a truck this far out, they were nuts and he wasn't assured he could even fight that level of crazy, even with his shattered sanity.

"Whatcha gonna do now, hafu?" Sato crouched, smiling up at him.

Ignoring him, Shin settled Komari on the ground on his sleeping bag and took the ropes out of his bag. Well, first, bury the dune buggy…even if the Zechs weren't out here, it was too risky to leave evidence.

While he was digging a hole, Komari stared at him sleepily. "…That for me too?"

"Is what for you?"

"The hole."

"What?"

"The hole. Are you digging one for me too?" Komari said faintly, her voice scratchy.

Shin glowered back at her, "What the hell are you talking about? You're not dying."

"You're a real stone-cold bastard, Yagami."

"I guess."

What if Komari was a figment of his imagination? It had crossed his mind that she died some time ago and he was just walking around with her memory. "…You hallucinated, Komari?"

"It's literally hundreds of degrees, Yagami, and I'm starving and dehydrated on top of exhausted. Yea, I have been seeing quite a bit."

So…a hallucination shouldn't be hallucinating too, right? Uncertain but not going to let that stop him, he went back over to check her wound. It was…seeping despite the cauterization. Biting his lip, he used the diluted alcohol to clean it again, repacked it, and wrapped it with the thinnest bit of gauze. He had two fairly large rolls left but the wounds were huge…

"What are you wasting supplies for?"

"What?"

Komari just rolled her eyes as he made a face, going to the seatbelt straps and staring at them. Okay…this needed to be secure and comfortable. Going to work at fashioning, Komari droned. "…You want a handy for the road?"

"…The hell?"

"I mean, I could blow you too but my mouth is like sandpaper though…"

Shin stopped to look at her. She seemed…serious and he was just baffled. "…No. Stop that."

She smirked, "You thought about it."

"Did not" he snorted, going back to work.

"It's okay. I would hate to spend the afterlife arguing with Sumi on how I died with your cum in my mouth."

"Y'know, I'm honestly not sure I missed us talking right now."

Komari laughed literally dryly. Weirdo. No, he…he had to save this crazy human being that was still this chill with three gigantic bullet holes in her leg. Satisfied after fitting the buckles and straps together, he nodded. Okay.

Komari's face melted into disbelief as he came over and picked her up. "Yagami Shin, what in the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Well, you can't walk so I have to carry you."

"Shin."

She really did try to fight him but he got her into the harness against his chest. "Shin! Shin, I am a hundred pounds, you have to carry our stuff—stop it! Just stop!"

"Let's just get this out, Komari: I'm not dying or going anywhere without you. As long as we're in this desert, you're coming with me, even if I have to carry you. Now stop yelling and wearing yourself out. Just tell me if you see someone behind me."

"Shin-n-n…"

Whoo, yea, this was going to cut their mileage in half. But so be it. Heading forward, Shin took a deep breath.

…Whatever it took, right, Koji? He was…at the end of the rope, exhausted, and it sure looked like everything was lost.

…All that was left was for this to be finished, one way or another.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Day 55.

It had been nineteen days since he started to carry Komari. She pleaded with him every single day that he stop. Some days, he pleaded with himself to stop. He wasn't sleeping anymore. Their water supply was dwindling to nothing so he was drinking at an all time low. The food was pretty much done, just about five meals left that he'd been splitting. By all accounts, he should have been dead by now. Komari should have been dead by now. Like phantoms that just couldn't let go, alas, they had made it nineteen days.

Sometimes she fell into such deep slumbers he was convinced he had a cadaver strapped to him like a baby but she'd wake up and not speak. There was nothing to talk about this close to death.

His legs buckled from underneath of him and he fell almost flat on top of Komari. "Shin…"

"Sorry."

He sat up, grunting as she came with him. He just sat there like an abandoned toy, hunched over and lifeless. Because of their position, he basically ended up resting his head against her shoulder. She stroked his hair.

"It's over, hafu. I told you you weren't good enough."

Shin looked to Bajiru, wondering why his tired imagination didn't show him Nesha or his mom or something. Someone he'd want to see. Hell, Lyla had only popped up that once, where was she at? He snickered. Good job, Shin, selective about hallucinations now, were we?

He gazed as Komari cocked a gun. Well, that wasn't a hallucination. "…Komari?"

"…There's enough bullets, Shin. One for you, one for me."

The gun shimmered in the blazing sunlight rather majestically, beckoning. 'One for you, Shin, one for her. Take it, right to the head. That's all you'd been doing all along, shooting people in the head. Yea, you cut one guy's throat, choked the life out of that other man, but all along you'd been blowing people's brains apart. See how it feels now'.

Inhaling sharply, he shook his head and jerkily got to his feet. Komari groaned, holstering the gun again, "So to motivate you, I just have to suggest suicide, huh?"

"Apparently" he muttered, dragging his feet across the sand.

"…This still won't end well, Shin."

"I know. Tell me a story."

Komari snorted, "Once upon a time, I was out in the desert with a crazy man…"

"No" Shin sulked, the action hurting his face, "I told you about my family. Tell me…tell me about yours too. It's not like we stand a good chance of making it. In nineteen days, I've gone like a hundred miles. Our…secrets die here."

She seemed to smile at that, gazing over his shoulder, "…Sorry, Shin, I don't have your dark past. My papa owns a teahouse slash restaurant and my mom is a traveling salesman that's always away. We live in a pretty awesome old style Japanese house with the sliding doors and everything. I got everything I wanted because I'm my papa's only child and daughter and I had a hot girlfriend for a time. Things…things were good."

"I like to hear good things too."

Komari fell quiet so he just kind of zoned out again. That's what he'd done for a while now. If he gazed far enough into the distance, he saw that mirage that was like a clash of purple and orange, a haze of waves that summoned him toward it a lot more frequently than before. It…seemed kind of like the light.

"Can I tell you something not so good then?"

Shin came back quickly, the last time he zoned Komari out having led to her being shot. Eh? "…Of course. I told you a sad story."

"…It's not my story. But…I guess it's…it's okay, since we're not going to make it out of here" she whispered.

Okay… Komari stretched her legs a bit. Or, the good one. "…So there was this girl. Her mother died giving birth to her. She never knew her dad but her mom, she was seeing…this guy who took her in, wrote on her birth certificate that he was her father."

Shin nodded, stopping a moment to give his legs a brief break. Komari murmured, "…The dad, he ran like…well, by all terms, he ran a brothel. He tried to front it as a historical business but at night? Dudes and ladies were coming for one thing."

"…Ah."

"There's a…sicko niche that can be fed in a place like that."

….No. "…Komari."

"I know, I can stop."

This 'someone'… "No. Go on."

"Well, this girl along with other girls were sold for thousands of dollars a night at the 'tender' age. Man after man that she would later see as monuments of our community would take advantage of her every night. Meanwhile, they'd go out, get praised, received love—while at night, they went and raped children."

"…Shit."

"As she got older, she started to learn to defend herself. In school, we could learn the naginata. You know, that old style weapon? Well, she learned how to use that, and, one night, she threatened her 'father' and said, if he didn't let her out, she'd kill him. He tried to beat her but she whooped his ass and he relented. She left and started to live on her own by the time she was about, oh, eleven. She had some money left from her mom's life insurance and she made side money tutoring kids on the island."

"…What the fuck?" he rasped under his breath.

"Mm hmm. And when your basis of how men act is that they were paying to have sex with you, seeing boys your age grow into men, you get a warped idea that they're all out to take advantage. When you spend enough time being manipulated but your choice is to pay for a roof over your head or therapy you keep the thought process that manipulation is appropriate. When…when no one had your back before, you see friends and relationships as volatile things where the other person must be out to betray you."

…Oh. Shin swallowed air, his throat dry, "…That's why…you didn't want to give up on them."

"That's right."

Shin felt…ill but enlightened. "I get it, 'Mari. I understand."

Komari almost hugged his neck, just in a difficult position to try to get comfortable, "…I do too, Shin. But it doesn't mean I like it. I've asked that person to get help adjusting to the idea that that man? He was a horrible person. But expecting me to abide by your rules and your rules alone, that's…that's a remnant of that man and I want to be able to both love you and live as I normally should. I get a lot of boyfriends ask their girlfriends not to have male friends or vice versa but just…trust me at least."

"…She probably wants to, Komari. And…you've probably made this worse for yourself."

"How possibly?"

"…I'm going to get you back to her" he muttered.

Komari laughed. It was bitter though. "Yagami…you see what we just went through, what we're going through? The Zechs have probably taken my Sumi. They…they probably…they probably raped…raped her before…"

He rubbed her back as she dissolved into tears or at least sobs. He wouldn't be surprised if their bodies had no liquid left for tears. No, he…he got it.

If Itoh Kasumi was anything like his brother, who had no idea what happened to him and was still so ornery, so capricious, about such matters and people mistreating himself and his family, she…she hadn't given in to that sort of end.

No. Kasumi was waiting for Komari, very much alive. Kasumi could have given up on Komari when she kept insisting on being his friend but she didn't because this was the one person she trusted. He…he wouldn't stop until he got them back together.

Or die trying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Mama?"

Shin wasn't sure if this was a memory or a dream. It seemed the latter, he couldn't have been more than three, there was no way he'd…remember this. But his mom, just nineteen years old, walked in with a smile. "My Sweetie Plum. You get bigger every time I see you."

Yaya was there. She was probably sulking then too but he was just glad to see his mama. She picked him up and gave him a kiss on his cheek, much to his disgust. She laughed though. "Can't I love on my baby sometimes?"

"Gross" he pouted.

"So silly."

"Koji? Nerimaru? They didn't come?"

"Not this time, Sweetie Plum. Mama can't stay long either, I just wanted to see you."

Shin…was so confused that he didn't have her full-time like he had his dad. Or why Koji and Nerimaru couldn't live with them. He'd seen other families, they were all together. "Mama…I want you to live with me and papa. Koji and Nerimaru too."

"…I really want that too, Sweetie Plum. Not yet. We're…we're working on it. One day, we'll be together again as a family and happy."

What about now, mama?

Shin was on his knees, shuffling, his boots full of blood, Komari's heels dragging in the sand. His eyes hurt. They were probably damaged. The straps on the goggles melted, they had no protection anymore except the tattered robes that were coming apart after 65 days. Komari probably had stopped breathing but he couldn't discern life from death anymore. It all felt the same.

What was it…? August? August what? The kid. The kid with the potato soul, his birthday was this month, maybe. How old was he? How old were any of them?

A family again, huh? That was a nice thought then, mama, but what about now? What place did the son with hundreds of lives on his hands have now? He let his best friend get shot, he strangled someone, he stabbed someone in the throat, he buried their bodies like they were just trash in unmarked holes—what was his place now in a family? A home. What…what was a home?

"Intruders!"

He gazed off to the side. Huh. There was a building. He'd just been…languidly crawling beside a building. The Zechs. The Zechs started all this, those rotten bastards. They had eyes hanging in rooms just because of money. Money, of all things. Money…meant nothing out here. And yet, they…shot them down out here…for capital.

"…Yagami…"

Oh, look, she wasn't dead. Looking down at Komari, his eyes just…not focusing, he found she was holding that gun again with the two bullets for them both. He shut his eyes, sighing deeply. He was…he was depleted. Empty. Vacant. A void. He didn't care what happened now. He tried every motivation. His family. A family full of wonderful people that would never believe this monster was their brother or son. He tried Komari, this person he allowed to get grievously injured and made believe salvation was out here, taking her from her beloved. She gave up long before him. He tried her beloved…Komari was right, she was probably dead. They were all dead. They killed them.

Shin gnawed his lip, opening his eyes as the Zechs started to surround them. Just…

…What was…her deal? All he wanted…was to be with her…

She had…always been there.

It was the swiftest movement he could imagine, shooting the Zechs in front of him. Komari cried, "Yagami-"

"Let's go out fucking them up…one last time, Komari."

"…Fuck. Let's do it then."

They were screaming as Komari, despite every physical ailment she had, dropped all five behind him. He…he had to protect her back so he shot with forced accuracy. Getting up and snatching a gun off a body, he gave one to Komari and just…ran. The gun was loud, especially right there in his ear, but pain failed to matter anymore. It…was all the same. But…

He wanted to live. No matter the fact he had nowhere to go back to, no home to belong to, no family that deserved to see the monster he became, he…he did want to live.

Like his arm, it didn't really a hundred percent hit him except that his legs crumpled from underneath them. He laughed. He honest to goodness laughed because they hit him three times in the back of each leg. Twelve gunshots! He was going out just like Shin did!

Komari sobbed. Yea, he…he was full of shit. He failed. However, she hugged his neck hard, weeping, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-I was out of bullets, I'm sorry."

Oh. Embracing her tight, he shook his head and looked at the pistol he had. Two…two bullets were left.

Sorry, mama, papa, Koji, Nelly, Tony, Jill, Shaun, Yaya… just…just know he died trying his best.

Lyla…just…take your life back.

Death was awfully loud though.

He squinted, having forced his eyes shut as the Zechs closed in on them, but having to look up when he felt pressure and air. What?

…It was a helicopter. A very…familiar helicopter. What? What was happening now?

Out of nowhere, hundreds of soldiers wearing fatigues that looked like theirs rushed out. What? What was going on? Why…?

The Zechs were yelling and running, shooting. What?! Shin…didn't believe in anything after this. However, unless…unless he was still hallucinating, Colonel Teramoto Ken stepped off the helicopter, looking around.

It…it couldn't be. It just… he screamed with all he had left, his voice damaged and arid, "C-Colonel Teramoto!"

The man looked up, startled, and stared at them. God, he probably would…would shoot them on the spot. That sort of irony after all this would just be hilarious. However, he very slowly got closer to them. He looked down at them for a long moment before saying…with absolute and complete incredulity, "…Yagami?"

"Y-Yes sir…Y-Yamada is here too."

Komari was dead silent…if not just dead at this point, not responding to this…this wasn't even a miracle, this was purely impossible. Colonel Teramoto was gaping. "…Holy shit."

Several other planes and helicopters were landing…how? The man looked back as the upper command that had been in the car with him back in Iraq came over. Teramoto barked, "Dorey, get a stretcher!"

"Eh? Why? Aren't these Zech soldiers?"

"Do what I said."

Apparently 'Dorey' ran back to the plane and medics returned to cart them onto the transport. Teramoto was talking to Dorey for a moment before getting on with them. "Hold tight, Yagami, Yamada, we'll get you to treatment immediately."

…Was he…was he dreaming? Wait…Wait. "Sir…did…did you…rescue our platoon? Did you find the others?"

"Yagami, we thought you all got shot down going over water, we had no idea where you were, there was no active tracking signal."

"P-Please, sir, we…we have to go see…see if the others are alive."

"Shin…" Komari mumbled.

The doctor onboard looked incredulous, "You two are in no shape to make any sort of journey except directly to a hospital. I don't know what's got you alive except an act of God. Your blood pressure is almost zero!"

Teramoto sucked his cheek before grunting, "Do you even know where they are, Yagami?"

Pointing to his bag, he murmured, "There's…there's a map. Please, keep it safe, sir, there's…there's information on it."

"…Try to stabilize them the best you can. If they've made it two months, they can probably stand a few hours."

Shin was turned on his side as the doctors worked to remove the bullets from his leg. They emphasized he needed to go into surgery immediately. He looked to Komari who was staring back at him emptily. No. He…God, if this…this wasn't a dream, he completed one promise. Just…just please, please, let him be able to keep this very last one.

He felt the descent but wasn't sure why. If they got attacked again, just stick a fork in him, he was a trillion percent off the charts done. Komari also looked puzzled. It had been maybe…three, four hours? Teramoto gave them a look, "…We're at where you said the plane went down."

…Come again? He and Komari exchanged a look…before they burst into laughter.

What? What? They flew four hours to get somewhere that took them 65 days to walk from? What the fuck? Teramoto blinked languidly, "…You've both snapped."

Obviously. The pilot from the cockpit spoke, "Sir, we see debris…this definitely looks like the crash spot."

Sobering up, Shin sat up when they opened the doors. Okay. They made it, it…it took a little longer than they thought but…

"…Fuck" whispered a soldier.

What? Shin felt his heart race…and he made a break for it, staggering like a rag doll. No, he…he had to see. "Yagami!" Teramoto bellowed.

As soon as he hit the doors, what little life he had left? It felt like it just whisped away.

Lying outside, there were over a dozen bodies scorched and cooked by the sun. He stared into the abyss and covered his mouth. No…no. Teramoto came out behind him and grimaced. "Fuck."

Shin unsteadily walked through. They…they were still wearing their camouflage. He recognized names. Satoru. Ayashi. Ueda. He stared at the body sitting in a chair, what appeared to be a bullet hole in the skull. Swallowing, he trembled. Fucking Kitamura.

…Wait. Looking back at this…macabre graveyard, he felt…God, hope? In this death valley? Alas, he yelled, "Itoh!"

Trying to run but staggering, he called again, "Itoh!"

She wasn't out here. Her body wasn't. While that…may have meant she was taken, he just…he just had a feeling.

Shin yelped when the cover on one of the crates flew off and there was Itoh, her skin dark and covered in blood and dirty sand. In her arms was a rifle and her eyes were cold and empty. She was ready to kill him and he was ready to hug her.

However, she stared before her gun slowly fell. Her mouth fell open and she whimpered, "…Yagami?"

Two other soldiers suddenly emerged, looking gaunt and weak. They also looked…shellshocked. "Oh-Oh my God, Yagami, you're alive!"

"Yes…" he whispered.

Teramoto came finally, looking…amazed. "…Well, if you aren't an ornery bunch."

"Colonel Teramoto?!" one of the soldiers cried, "O-Oh my God, Yagami, you did it!"

Shin was about to faint, that was what he was about to do. Kasumi looked at him…very pleadingly. He smiled…or tried. He wasn't sure he could ever smile again now. "…She's okay, Itoh. She's back in the plane."

Komari was shaking as she climbed out of the box, rushing toward the plane. The other soldiers followed as Shin stumbled back. Just…one more promise, Yagami.

When they got to the doors, he did actually smile, he was sure of it, when he found Komari wrapped in Kasumi's arms, the both of them weeping completely. Mission accomplished, Yagami.

He blacked out. Now, live with it.

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End Notes:

If you've never played Rune Factory 4, just know…Prana is ridiculous, aka Rune Prana. I don't know what they were thinking or why but some of the most overpowered boss fights in the game aside from Sharance. 'Octo', 'Grimoire', and a few other elements came from RF4 too.

Why are the Zechs kind of…tactically dumb? Is this supposed to give Shin the up and up? No, if again you've never played the game, just kind of go…read over the Zechs' in-game dialogue, they are idiots.

Bastet! There is literally no way I will round out this series without having my favorite husband of all time not show up. If you don't know, Leon's last name is Bastet, I think it's like Leon Bastet III or IV? He did appear in the last chapter of Third Generation but boy howdy, does that bad boy need some work.

Breaking Benjamin is one of Ryuu's favorite groups, I have seen them approximately three times now in concert and would have been a fourth this year if we weren't in a pandemic. Shin listened to their song 'Home'.

So, no lie? American sex-education in the late 90s? I believe it was expressed to my class that menstruation can be 'turned on' at the hospital. Like…what? But that's the inspiration for Shin's nonsense moment there, lol.

See you Sunday!